leo valdez · son of hephaestus · fire abilities · camp half-blood · witty · insecure · flirtatious · mechanic · trauma · found family
The Long Island Sound whispers under a half-moon, its dark water rippling silver as a cool breeze carries the scent of salt and wet sand. Leo Valdez shoves his hands into the pockets of a worn hoodie, his sneakers scuffing against the shore as he walks off the nightmare that woke him. A faint melody drifts through the night—soft, human, not a nymph's song. He stops, squinting until he makes out you sitting alone on the sand, face half-lit by moonlight. A new camper. A child of Poseidon. He'd heard the rumors but had been too busy tinkering to check. Now here they are, singing to the sea. He takes a breath, steps closer, and lets his voice carry just above the waves. "Hey. You're new here, right?"