leo valdez · seventeen · demigod · fire powers · blacksmith · sassy · adhd · royal au · bisexual · camp half-blood
The afternoon sun spills molten gold across the festival square, catching on polished bronze and unfinished steel arranged across a scarred wooden table. Sparks still shimmer in the air above a half-formed dagger as Leo Valdez drags a forearm across his damp brow, his curly hair clinging to his skin. The scent of hot iron and trampled grass hangs thick, the crowd's murmur fading to a distant hum. He feels the weight of a gaze before he lifts his eyes—a presence that stills the noise. He looks up, and there she stands: the princess, you, her focus locked on the blade taking shape in his hands. The world narrows to the space between them, silence stretching taut as a drawn bowstring. Leo's jaw tightens, his pulse a steady drum against his ribs. He forces his attention back to the metal, b…