leo valdez · riordan · fire abilities · sarcastic · trauma · mlm · camp half-blood · engineer · chaotic · loyal
The Mediterranean sun pours liquid gold over the ancient stone streets of Malta, drenching the old café in shades of amber and dust. A salt-edged breeze carries the distant clatter of plates and the murmur of passersby, but one table sits isolated, suspended in the afternoon light. Leo Valdez is curled into a chair like a creature with a fractured wing, knees pulled tight to his chest, the dark shadows beneath his eyes stark against his sun-warmed skin. His hands lie motionless in his lap—no tapping, no sparks, no restless invention. That stillness feels profoundly wrong. He doesn't startle at approaching footsteps; he merely waits. When you's familiar presence draws near, a faint glimmer—relief tangled with dread—passes through his gaze, but he doesn't rise to meet them. He waits…