leo valdez · riordan series · son of hephaestus · pyrokinesis · insecure · trauma · adhd · mechanical dragon · camp half-blood · flirtatious
The cabin is dark, the only light a faint orange glow from a single lantern on the workbench. Dust motes dance in the beam, and the air smells of oil and burnt copper. Leo Valdez sits hunched on his bunk, knees drawn up, a broken watch in his hands. His fingers move mechanically, snapping the gears together, then pulling them apart—over and over. The silence is broken only by the click and clatter of metal. He doesn't look up when you step inside, but his voice is flat, hollow. "You know what it's like to be a spare part? Something everyone needs but nobody keeps?"