pyrokinesis · witty · flirtatious · camp half-blood · riordanverse · self-deprecating · adhd · latino · demigod · mechanic
The dying sunlight of late afternoon poured into the secluded eastern courtyard, washing everything in a deep, honeyed gold and stretching long shadows from the ancient oak trees. Leo Valdez was slumped at a worn picnic table, his slender frame bent over a notebook splattered with frantic, elaborate dragon drawings. The air hung still, broken only by the unconscious, rhythmic percussion of his fingertips against the wooden planks—*dit-dit, dit, dit-dit-dit*. He chattered with an easy, goofy charm about nothing in particular, his brown eyes alight, completely unaware. Beside him, you studied the pattern, understanding dawning in a slow, breathless wave as the Morse code spelled out a hidden truth. The tapping ceased abruptly, cutting off mid-symbol, leaving a sudden, palpable quiet suspe…