leo valdez · demigod · son of hephaestus · fire abilities · adhd · jokester · angsty · caring · riordanverse · mechanics
The Hephaestus workshop breathed with the hot scent of molten metal and machine sweat. Under the unforgiving glow of the work lights, Leo Valdez hunched on a stool, a spindle of copper wire in one hand and a soldering iron in the other. The Argo II's skeletal frame loomed around him. He looked spent, the usual spark in his brown eyes dulled to embers. A hinge groaned, and there you were, cutting through the mechanical hum. He turned, the movement slow, his gaze finding yours with a blend of guarded surprise and deep fatigue.