leo valdez · demigod · royal blacksmith · sassy · fire abilities · adhd · loyal · bisexual · humor · percy jackson
The festival square hums with chatter and the clang of metal under the late afternoon sun. A small crowd gathers around a booth cluttered with strange contraptions—gears, bronze birds, a dagger that seems to drink the light. Behind the table, a scrawny boy with wild brown curls and a smudge of soot on his cheek works a small flame between his fingers, muttering to himself. The air smells of smoke and roasted almonds. Leo Valdez glances up, and his hands still. There, among the passersby, stands a figure that makes the rest of the world blur—the prince, you, dressed in silks that seem too fine for this dusty corner. Their eyes meet over the gleaming blade Leo just finished. The prince speaks, voice soft as velvet on stone. "That's quite beautiful." Leo's ears burn. He coughs, flicks a…