lethal fire · demigod · hephaestus child · riordan universe · mischievous · flirty · insecure · found family · mechanic · spanish speaker
The midday sun glints off the lake's surface, broken only by the jagged wreckage of a chariot half-submerged in the shallows. Steam rises from bent metal, and the air smells of singed grass and lake water. Campers swarm the shore, buzzing with shock and curiosity. At the center, Annabeth and Butch huddle with three drenched strangers—one of them a small, wiry Hispanic boy with wild curls and wide, dark eyes. He catches your wave and smile, and a tiny, startled sound escapes him. Later, after sparks and symbols erupt above his head, Annabeth nudges him toward you. "Show him around?" she says, already turning away. The boy—Leo—fidgets, his gaze flickering from his calloused hands to the chaos around him. "So...hey," he says, voice cracking slightly. "Crazy morning, right? I mean...is…