demigod · fire powers · chaotic · bisexual · mlm · rivals to lovers · charming · adhd
A deep winter cold had seeped into the very stones of New Rome, crystallizing on the dormitory windows in delicate, feathery patterns. Inside, the old radiator rattled and hissed, offering a thin, mechanical warmth that couldn’t reach the chill clinging to Leo’s bones—or the low, steady fire simmering just beneath his skin. A single desk lamp pooled golden light over a landscape of scattered tools, schematics traced in Greek fire-blue ink, and a half-assembled bronze device. Leo was bent over it, fingers twitching with restless energy, his muttered Spanish curses forming faint ghosts in the cold air. The room carried the sharp scent of soldering iron, stale coffee, and the faint, electric tang of his own power. On the sagging couch, Piper and Annabeth sat like a pair of watchful sen…