To Riordanlover16- Thank you! I spent AGES on that chapter, like AGES AGES. And yes, keep reminding me! I'm being made redunant soon, so I'll need something to do :P
"Who's goin' ta be there?"
"Everyone."
"Everyone everyone or just everyone?"
"Everyone everyone." Jessica grinned slyly at her daughter's exasperation. "What? You think I can deter Barry and Liam from seeing your new boyfriend? Ah, stop doing that," Jessica scolded as the Iris-Message image wobbled. "You can't fake a bad connection on me, I taught you that." Louisa lowered her fingers and the picture settled.
"Who are Barry and Liam?" Leo whispered from the other side of the room.
"Is Leo there?" Jessica snapped her fingers. "Valdez! Front and centre!"
"Yes ma'am!" Leo scampered over, plopping down beside Louisa. She had chosen the far corner of Cabin Three to call her mom from, sitting on the floor with her back to the wall.
Leo saluted, spine ramrod straight. "Reporting for duty, ma'am!" Louisa elbowed him. "What? Your mom's scary."
"Damn straight," Jessica nodded tersely.
"Who are Barry and Liam?" he asked again. "And what's the difference between 'everyone' and 'everyone everyone'?"
"Barry and Liam are Connor's dads," Jessica replied, "and I mean everyone. Harvey, Lizzie and her foster parents, the Entourage and their parents. Sally, Paul and Estelle, obviously. Percy, Annabeth and Tobias. Grover. Hold on…" Jessica reached off screen, returning with a piece of paper. "Uh… Leo, Piper, Nico, Will, Jason, Hazel, Frank and Reyna. Lavinia, Meg and Lester. Oh, that mad satyr with the bat as well. The Hedges. They're all coming too. I haven't missed anyone, have I?" She scratched her cheek, sighing.
"That's a lot of demigods in one place," Leo worried.
"That's alright," Jessica waved it off. "I've rented a hall in New Rome."
"How are the mortals getting in?"
"I have sway with the management."
"Terminus is scared of her," Louisa translated.
"Is everyone scared of you?" Leo marvelled.
"And what of it? Look, it's on Christmas Eve. I've put a lot of work into this so the other mortals don't, like, melt their brains, so no demigod shit, OK? Harvey's done all this magic magic," she flailed her hands, "and Misty things to make it safe for them. You'd all better be on your best behaviour or so help me…" She pointed a warning finger at them both.
"We'll be good," Leo promised. Jessica raised an eyebrow. Leo and Louisa exchanged looks, wincing.
"Where's my Bradley?" Jessica demanded. "What have you done with him?"
"He's asleep," Louisa said, gesturing over at the crib. Jessica couldn't see it, pouting.
"Fine," she huffed. "You'd better get some sleep as well. You've got some travelling to do." Jessica bade them goodnight, with one final warning to behave, and then cut off the message.
Leo waited for the water droplets to mist their legs, clicking his tongue. He gave his most dazzling smile, fluttering his fingers under his chin.
"So… I am officially your boyfriend now?" She puzzled at him, frowning. Leo's smile dimmed. "What?"
"Stop it," she chided.
"Stop what?"
"Puttin' yaself down." She kissed his cheek. "You said it yaself, Valdez. You're where you're supposed ta be." Leo grasped her hand.
"At your side," he finished with a grin. Oh, how she made his heart soar.
She used his shoulder as leverage to stand, holding his face in both hands. She kissed the top of his head, then his lips when he tipped his head back in demand, making her laugh.
"Go ta bed," she said. "Mom's orders."
"Yes," Leo agreed, letting her pull him up. "Best behaviour and all that." He scanned the cabin, lingering on Bradley's cot for a moment, then Percy's empty bunk. Leo was taking some advantage from Percy being in the infirmary, hanging out in Cabin Three until curfew, sprinting across the green to avoid the harpies. That would be coming to an end soon, Percy due out tomorrow or the day after, just in time for Christmas. Leo didn't think his presence would be appreciated, so he was making the most of this free time, especially if Jessica had summoned them home.
Yeah, there was that rule where two of the opposite sex couldn't be in a cabin alone together, although Chiron had had to update that rule in recent years courtesy of Solangelo decorating the Hades cabin with gay pride flags.
Camp Half-Blood now celebrated Pride Month, but the rules had been reworded to be as inclusive as possible. It was getting harder and harder to find loopholes. Leo had argued that technically they weren't alone because Bradley was here too. Chiron hadn't been impressed by that, tail swishing irritably. Leo had had to remind him that they were adults. Chiron told him not to push it.
"I won't have this trouble when New Athens is built," the centaur had said. "You can do what you like when you have your own place. Until then, my camp, my rules." Leo lifted Bradley above his head, raising him to be almost eye level with his mentor. "He is a baby, not a technicality."
"He can be both. Don't assume his labels, Chiron."
"Don't start that again."
Running back to Cabin Nine to avoid the searching harpies, Leo couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was rather nice officially being the boyfriend.
It was a long trip back to San Fransisco. Christmas Eve was two days away, but Jessica wanted them all there early to make sure they were presentable.
The race was on. It was alright for the Romans, already being at Camp Jupiter. Jessica had employed them to get the rented hall ready, marshalling them far more fiercely than the strictest of centurions. The rest of them had to scramble.
Percy had been cleared by Doctor Solace, though not for driving. Annabeth and Grover were going to take turns driving while he sat in the back with Tobias. His voice was getting stronger by the day. Piper, Will and Nico were getting a lift from Nico's zombie chauffeur, Jules-Albert. Both parties offered to carpool with Leo and Louisa, but Leo had other ideas.
He wanted to arrive in style.
"Oh, look at you!" Louisa laughed. Festus crooned in greeting, nudging her lightly. He wore a large red and white Santa hat, secured under his chin. Christmas lights were wrapped around his neck, blinking in a multitude of colours. Around his ankles, fore and hind, thick bracelets clumped with jingle bells, ringing each time he moved. He was clearly enjoying the bells, refusing to stay still while Leo gave him one final check over.
Storm headbutted the dragon— That's my human— then staggered, shaking her head. Automatons were more painful to headbutt than the average monster.
Louisa tutted, holding her hand out to the mare. "Come here, stupid."
"Is she OK?" Leo asked. Storm huffed, pawing the ground.
"She's fine," Louisa translated. "Thick skull. You ready?" she asked her pegasus. Storm snorted indignantly, tossing her mane. She had been tasked with carrying the sacks of presents, much lighter than her rider for the long flight.
Leo offered his hand to pull Louisa up, making sure she was strapped in. Bradley was in his sling, Louisa doing up her coat over him. Leo had refused to leave the cabin until she put on her red woollen hat, relieved to see she was still wearing it. His dragon emitted heat, yes, but he was under orders to make sure she wore her hat. Jessica was not a woman to trifle with, no way.
"Got everything?"
"I've checked the bags three times," she assured. "We'll be makin' pit stops anyway, you said." Leo nodded. Diapers only lasted so long.
"OK," he said, facing forward. "Ready, Festus? Ready Storm?" The pegasus fixed him with a look, almost challenging him. The dragon jostled, his bell bracelets jangling, whirring. "We've got to get back before Annabeth," he told them.
"Why?" Louisa asked.
"I made a bet," he smiled nervously, "and I'd rather not lose a bet against Annabeth."
They took off. Louisa looped her arms around Leo from behind, careful not to squish Bradley between them. Leo smiled, unconsciously sitting up straighter.
He had been awake most of last night, so many ideas clamouring for his attention, he wasn't sure where to start. He kept circling back to his conversation with Chiron; one day soon, the camp would be for the younger demigods. The adults would make homes in New Athens and come over to help train the next generation. Leo had seen Annabeth's designs for her own home and it made his chest ache.
He wanted that too. Maybe not in New Athens, not so far from his work. He wasn't sure how he felt about New Rome either though. Louisa was retired from demigod life now— would she want to be so close to either camp?
She would want to be somewhere safe. Probably somewhere by the sea, she always felt safest by the sea. Somewhere with plenty of room for Storm as well, that was important. Somewhere safe to raise Bradley and— Leo shook his head. His dreams were getting away from him, making up plans for things that might not happen.
His priority should be making Louisa and Bradley safe, not coming up with names for their next child. He shook his head again. Stop it, stop it. He blamed Chiron, for implementing that stupid rule. Blamed Percy and his Big Brother nonsense. Connotations and implications, bah. No.
He blamed Annabeth too. The home she was designing had quite a few unlabelled rooms. Leo had queried it, sneaking a peek at the blueprints. He dropped them when she snatched up her ruler, fearing the wooden tool almost as much as he feared those stormy grey eyes calculating how best to impale him.
"Games room?" he had asked. "Lego room? Don't tell me they're more libraries."
"If you must know," she had said rather curtly, "they might be bedrooms."
"What for? When Percy snores too much?"
"No, they're…" She canted her head, narrowing her eyes. "Percy doesn't snore that much. He talks more in his sleep than he snores, but that's not the point!" She brandished the ruler at him, Leo sinking in his seat to avoid its wrath. "Stop being nosey!"
"That's like telling me to stop being awesome!"
It turned out, after a bit more needling and prodding, the unlabelled rooms were potential future bedrooms. Annabeth always planned ahead, far ahead. She was designing them a permanent home, she had to be ready for whatever came their way. Including more children.
Leo had braved asking how many they were planning on, laughing when she frowned at him. Percy had hopes for a big family and Annabeth was warming to the idea. Leo did his best not to tease her any further, though did drop a couple of hints to remember cool Tío Leo when it came to naming the next one.
He imagined what his own home would look like, his own permanent fixture. He hadn't had that before, not since his mom…
What would she think of him now? Everything he had accomplished, everything he was building, everything he was dreaming of. What would she think? Would she like Louisa? She would like Bradley, everybody liked Bradley. He was too adorable not to like.
Leo scratched the back of his head. Louisa's arms tightened around his midsection.
"You're thinkin'," she said.
"Yeah."
"You worryin' 'bout this? Christmas with everyone?"
"Nah," Leo waved it off, hoping he didn't sound too much like a liar. "I've got Valdez Charm on my side, they'll love me." Storm whickered somewhere to their left and Louisa coughed a laugh. "What did she say?"
"Nothin'. Ignore her."
Leo made a face at the pegasus. She whinnied, as if laughing.
He forced himself to shelve the idea, the home they could have one day. He tried not to think of how many unlabelled rooms he wanted, pushing the thought away. One thing at a time.
Louisa rested her chin on his shoulder, whining. "I'm boooooorrreedd. You promised inflight entertainment."
"I can sing, if you want." He didn't wait for her to decline, immediately launching into Mariah Carey's infamous All I Want for Christmas. No, he wasn't a singer. No, he couldn't hit the high notes. No, that didn't stop him from trying.
Louisa was shaking him by the shoulders, urging him to stop between peals of laughter. Leo switched songs, flipping through all the greatest Christmas hits. He felt rather than heard Bradley wake up, small feet digging into his back.
Leo kept singing, biting at her fingers when she tried to cover his mouth. Festus, he noticed after a point, was whirring and clicking along, shaking his front feet to set the bells aringing again.
Before he could plan their home together, he needed to fulfil his current plan. He needed to make her safe first, her and Bradley. Needed to make sure that, wherever they put down roots, they would not be hounded by her pain. She needed somewhere to heal without risk of ever reverting and only Leo could make that somewhere secure.
The plans were stashed in his toolbelt. In his bout of sleeplessness last night, he had finished them, finessed them. Now he just had to build them.
No, first he had to survive Christmas with everyone everyone. Then he could build them.
"Lou?" he said, breaking off mid-song.
"Leo."
"What are these people like? Who haven't I met yet?"
"Barry and Liam, Connor's dads. Mikey's mom, June. Dylan's mom, Rebecca. Don't call her Becky, she hates it." Leo nodded, rummaging in his belt. "What are you lookin' for?" In response, he produced a trio of markers and a roll of stickers. Hello, my name is…
Louisa nodded approvingly. "Make sure ya fill Barry's in yourself. He's as bad as you, givin' himself all sorts of names."
"What's wrong with Dread Pirate Valdez?"
"You can't be the pirate. I'm the pirate. It's my birthright," she pressed as he started to argue.
"I thought Ponyta was your birthright?"
"I can have more than one birthright."
"What's mine then?"
"Well, you're clearly an ass."
"Excuse you!"
"Hephaestus's sacred animal is a donkey, right?"
"You calling me a sacred animal?" Leo demanded, turning his head to regard her in the corner of his eye. He could see her grin, bright and vicious as a napalm.
"I'm callin' you an ass." She sat up, kissing his cheek. Leo fought to keep his sulk on his features. Louisa tweaked his nose playfully. "If it makes ya feel better, I like donkeys. Not as much as pegasi, obviously," she amended as Storm whickered and veered closer. Leo pursed his lips.
"I think you're getting your words wrong."
"Hm?"
"You've definitely missed some."
"What?"
"I think you meant I've got a nice ass."
"You're really insistent on that, ain't ya?"
"It's good for my self-esteem." He couldn't see, but he was sure she was rolling his eyes. Festus was clicking at him, reminding him subtlety was a thing. Leo tapped on his plating, a spat of Morse code. Subtlety wasn't his thing, never had been and never would be.
That assured, he steeled himself. It was for a day not yet here, a future some distance beyond his reckoning, but he would take the idea down from the shelf and keep it to hand. He would think up a home for them, just like Annabeth had, and he would make it safe with the plan he had finished last night.
He saw lights in the distance, the approach of the city. "I Spy with my little eye—"
"No."
"A hundred green bottles hanging on the wall—"
"No."
"Do you want inflight entertainment or not?"
"What've ya got for inflight snacks?"
"I've got…" He pulled Mars bars from his belt, packs of pretzels and peanuts, Oreos and Fonzies (he imported them, money well-spent). She snatched the Fonzies, snapping the packet open. Leo made to protest, quietening when she reached forward and shoved a Fonzie in his mouth. One for him, one for her. That seemed fair.
Leo reached back, squeezing her knee.
"What?" she asked, waggling a Fonzie by his face.
"Nothing," he said. "Just happy."
Come one, come all, let's fucking ball!
You know Eyes of Violet? My fantastic, wonderful, beautiful book? Yeah, well, it's out on .uk on the 26th May AND THEN Eyes of Violet: Damian, the sequel, out on the 28th May! You love my writing here? Imagine what I can do with a whole host of my own characters and my own world building! XD It will also be available in other territories soon, so keep an eye out! I don't have a job soon, so gimme your wallets :D