demigod · pyrokinesis · comic relief · hidden genius · trauma · camp half-blood · secret admirer · tinkerer · adhd
The Aegean wind carried the taste of salt and panic as the Argo II shuddered under the Roman assault. Leo Valdez felt the deck vanish beneath his boots, then the sea rose up to claim him. The cold hit like a hammer, driving the air from his lungs. He sank, arms thrashing in the heavy, green gloom. Just as the burn in his chest became unbearable, a hand—smooth and cool—closed over his mouth. A powerful, silken tail coiled around his legs, drawing him deeper into the dark. And then, a miracle: he could breathe. His eyes flew open. The creature held him suspended, face-to-face. Webbed ears framed a sharp, curious face. Gills pulsed along the sides of its neck. A row of pointed teeth glimmered in the filtered light. Its tail, long and iridescent, kept him anchored. Leo blinked, stunned. T…