22. Home
He doesn't look like much, Reyna will admit that. Even her, the first time she saw him, didn't think he was capable of much. Why was he a part of the Seven? His arms were so scrawny they didn't look able to lift a thing, his eyes held a crazy glint which set Reyna on her guard and once she spoke to him, while not stupid, he displayed no sign of greater intelligence.
No, Reyna muses as she looks at him. Leo Valdez does not look like much.
But she should have known not to judge someone based on appearance alone. Reyna, who has been judged and under estimated based on her age, gender, parentage and more, should know that people can be much, much more than they appear.
Leo, Reyna thinks as she watches him talk to Piper and Percy in the Jackson's living room, is different. Not because of his looks, although they certainly aren't the average (you would guess he was descended from an elf, a crazy hyper-active elf, if you didn't know that was simply ridiculous). Leo is not different because of his looks, but because of his personality.
Because Leo is modest. Amazingly so. It's a quality Reyna has usually admired, for she absolute loathes self-righteous and arrogant people, but with Leo Reyna has discovered how annoying it can be.
Leo is amazing and he doesn't even let himself realize it.
He's also observant. He is one of those people who focus less on themselves and more on what is going on around them, another thing Reyna admires. He never needs to ask if she's had a bad day because somehow he knows. He knows when to rub her feet at night because she's sick of walking on them all day and he knows when it's time to pull out The Notebook, a cliché that Reyna has fallen hopelessly into and dragged Leo down with her.
Leo is understanding. He is relatable. He is silly and cheering and uplifting and the only person in the entire world who Reyna shares every single part of herself with.
He doesn't look like much, but Leo is her home.
Leo is where she tucks herself into when she needs to feel safe and comfortable. His arms are the impenetrable walls that protect her every night, his voice is the lights throughout the house that show her the way when she's feeling particularly blind. His heartbeat is the steady reassurance that he is there, waiting for her to come back to every day, no matter what.
Leo is Reyna's home. After all, don't they all say that home is where the heart is?