Leo and Percy skirted around the back of the cabins through the woods, and Leo could only see flashes of gold and glimpses of the structures through the trees, but already he was itching to examine them all.
Leo was about to ask whether they could look at the cabins next instead of the Arena when he heard the sounds of fighting from up ahead, and Leo was not about to skip out on the chance to see literal demigods in action. Leo and Percy finally broke through the tree line, and Leo made a beeline for the massive structure in front of them.
The arena was large and round, the majority made of wood, but it was framed by towering Greek columns cut from stone. The center was filled with sand, and walls around eight feet tall surrounded the interior with wooden bleachers above.
Percy led Leo up a set of stairs at the back, and onto a bench at the front where they could watch the fight below them.
Two demigods were battling each other, both around the same age as Percy. One was a guy with short blond hair, and the other was a girl with longer blonde hair. Leo guessed that they were siblings, but he couldn't see much of their appearances from where he was.
They were both using knives around the size of a forearm, and Leo was in awe.
The two half-bloods danced around each other, dodging swipes of the daggers with precision. The knives were flashing so fast, switching hands with ease, and Leo could barely keep track of where they were at any given time.
At one point, the guy had the girl in a standstill, his knife against her throat, and his other hand restraining her wrist with the dagger. Leo thought it was over for the girl, and then in the blink of an eye, the girl dropped her dagger into her opposite hand, swiped at the boy causing him to lose balance, and then swept the guy's legs out from beneath him.
He hit the ground hard, his knife flying out of his hands and landing in the sand a few feet away, and then the girl was on him. In what Leo swore was less than three seconds, she had him effectively pinned with her dagger hovering above his chest.
For a moment the only sounds in the Arena were heavy breathing, and Leo was sitting at the perfect place to have a clear view of the girl's face. Her eyes were a gray so bright in the sun he could almost call them silver, and her expression was concentrated, calculating, as if she was thinking through every possible way the guy could get the upper hand again.
At that moment, Leo decided that every dumb blonde stereotype was wrong. Blondes were very, very, scary.
And then Percy stood up from his seat, a wide smile on his face, and he cheered loudly.
"WOO! Go Annabeth!!!" He shouted passionately, and Leo was finally broken out of his shocked stupor.
The girl—Annabeth, Leo would never forget her name after the display he just saw—finally relaxed her coiled muscles, and she gripped the other guy's wrist, pulling him to his feet.
"Almost beat me that time, Malcolm!" Annabeth said with a smirk as the guy brushed the sand off of his clothes.
"Don't have to be so smug about it," Malcolm muttered, rolling his eyes, although Leo was sure he hadn't imagined the fondness there. "I'm going to oversee the framing of the new Tyche cabin, see you at dinner?"
The two finished their goodbyes, and Malcolm left the arena through a backdoor. Percy dragged Leo down the bleachers and into the Arena, where Annabeth was waiting.
"Nice skills, Wise Girl," Percy complimented, the grin still shining on his face. "Were you showing off for the new kid?"
"Of course not, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, sheathing her dagger in one fluid motion. "Leo Valdez, right?" She asked confidently while turning to face Leo, who was positive she knew everything about him anyone else at camp knew, and was only asking his name out of politeness.
"Yep!" Leo squeaked, and then cleared his throat, trying again. "Yes, that's me." He was mildly embarrassed, but didn't feel that bad about it. Annabeth was seriously intimidating.
"Do you actually have pyrokinesis, or is it just rumors?" Annabeth inquired bluntly, causing Leo to take a step back, and Percy to sigh. "Can you prove it?"
"Will told him not to use his powers for a few more days," Percy responded with only the mildest exasperation, although it was buried beneath the fondness in his tone.
"Then what was that scorch mark on the beach? He was fine with using them then," Annabeth said, the calculating look in her silver eyes returning. "Surely a tiny flame won't hurt?"
Of course she knew about what Leo had labeled 'The Lounge Chair Incident.' Leo wouldn't be surprised whatsoever if Annabeth had been watching him during the tour, but it definitely unnerved him a little. And yet Percy wasn't bothered at all, answering her questions calmly as if he was used to her to-the-point way of speaking.
Percy opened his mouth to respond, but Leo stepped in instead, finally recovered enough to join the conversation.
"That, was an accident," Leo started, his voice thankfully going strong. "But she's right, a little flame won't hurt," he ended, hoping that he could satisfy Annabeth's curiosity and then she would stop looking at him like a walking hypothesis.
"No!" Percy exclaimed, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe their foolishness. "Will said not to-"
"Wrong, he said not to train ." Leo clarified. "This isn't training, it's a teeny tiny demonstration."
Annabeth smirked at Percy, and Percy threw up his hands in defeat.
"Fine, but if Will asks, I said no," Percy gave in with a heavy sigh.
"He'll have no reason to ask, because no one will tell him," Annabeth said triumphantly.
"Leo?" She questioned, crossing her arms and waiting.
Leo took a deep breath and let it out slowly, holding out his palm, face up. He had been experimenting with his fire during his travels, but really only used it in life-or-death situations.
Every time he felt the flames stir, he saw that night at his mom's workshop, and it still hurt just as deeply as the first time. But he was getting better at ignoring it, and he focused on that now.
Embers flickered awake in the hollow of his hand, and Leo allowed them to swell from the size of a candle to a soda can fire. The flames danced in his palm, swirls of red and orange and yellow, and Leo concentrated on not letting them grow any hotter or higher.
He waited a moment longer, the force of Annabeth's gaze practically warming his hand more than the fire, and then Leo closed his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame.
"So, there," Leo said awkwardly, trying to break the silence that hadn't died with the fire.
Annabeth nodded, her eyes clearing as if all her questions had just been answered. She gave Percy a quick peck on the cheek, a "see you at the Mess Hall," and then she was gone.
"What was that?" Leo asked, still reeling from the whiplash.
"That," Percy responded slowly. "Was Annabeth."
And then the two trudged off through the sand towards the opposite direction they had entered the Arena from. Other than telling Leo that they were heading to the forge next, neither of them said anything, both deep in their thoughts.
Leo wasn't surprised by general curiosity about his fire, as he realized that he was probably the first pyrokinetic half-blood that the campers had ever met. But Annabeth's interest had been different.
Rather than being focused on the fire itself, she had looked at Leo's powers like a box to be checked off, like a requirement for a job application that Annabeth had decided he would be perfect for.
But before Leo could think more about it, Percy signaled their arrival, and Leo finally looked up from his shoes.
The camp Forge was almost as big as his mom's workshop had been, and it was built from white marble and stone, a good third of it open to the outdoors with only columns and a roof. The sounds of machinery, roaring fire, and the ring of hammers spilled out of the open doors. It sounded like home.
"Cool, right?" Percy asked with a grin. "I wish I knew how to make stuff like the Hephaestus kids or my brother Tyson."
"Brother?" Leo questioned, fairly certain that Percy had never told him of any siblings.
"Long story, but he's in the ocean with dad right now," Percy replied, only succeeding in confusing Leo even more.
Percy then approached the heavy metal door of the forge, shouting through the entrance rather than going inside.
"Jake, you here?" Percy called. "I'm here to show Leo around!"
"Yeah, come on in!" A voice yelled back, muffled by the clanging of metal against metal.
As the pair entered the forge, Leo could see sweat immediately building on Percy's brow, and Leo was grateful for his own tolerance to heat.
The moment Leo stepped into the main room, he halted, spinning around in amazement. The place was a mechanic's dream. Worktables were situated around three of the walls, each one with different projects and personal touches like photos on the wall or specific color schemes.
The far side was occupied by a massive furnace, and various demigods were working on projects throughout the space.
Leo noticed that there were a lot more children of Hephaestus at camp than kids of the other gods, and he wondered why that was. He was about to ask, but Percy continued in, heading towards a heavily muscled teen pounding away on something beside the fire, although the teen paused when Percy and Leo grew close.
"Leo, this is Jake Mason, the head counselor of the Hephaestus cabin," Percy introduced, looking strangely apprehensive as he glanced between the two. "Jake, this is Leo."
"Hello, Leo," Jake said, his eyes darting almost nervously towards a worktable near the back. "Feel free to take a look around. Most of us are pretty busy though."
Leo thought he would say more, but Jake ended the sentence there, turning back to his work without another word. Leo glanced at Percy, and the son of Poseidon was frowning slightly, but he made no comment.
Leo shrugged and chose to do what Jake suggested, wandering around the different areas of the workshop. Weapons ranging from hammers, to swords, to grappling hooks hung from the walls; even stranger devices were just lying about, and Leo's fingers were twitching with the extreme urge to examine each and every one.
His wandering took him to a table opposite the furnace where what looked like throwing knives were split in half longwise, with complicated wiring lining the insides.
"They're going to EXPLODE when they hit their target!!" Said the young voice of a boy to Leo's right.
Leo almost jumped in surprise, but managed to restrain himself, turning to face the boy. He seemed around eight or nine, with messy brown hair and a complexion similar to Leo's, yet the kid looked extremely strong, and his hands were large and callused. Leo had no doubts that the child would beat him in hand-to-hand combat if it came down to it.
"Dude, you're making exploding throwing knives?! That's sick!" Leo exclaimed, and took a closer look at the objects on the table. "What's your name?"
"I'm Harley," the boy answered with a huge grin on his oil-smudged face. "Are you the one who can make fire? Nyssa sai-"
"Harley, enough," said a feminine voice from behind the pair.
Leo spun around to see where the words came from, and almost regretted it when he did. The half-blood who stood in front of him was a young woman that looked a bit older than Percy, and she had dark brown hair and flinty brown eyes. She wore work pants and a black tank top that broadcasted just how easy it would be for her to beat Leo up, and her arms were crossed in irritation.
Sensing potential conflict, Leo scanned the room for Percy and found him beside Jake, both turning to face Leo as if the two had just broken up whatever conversation they had been having when Nyssa spoke.
Nyssa hadn't said another word, but she firmly yet gently grabbed Harley by the shoulders and pulled him beside her. The silence was growing oppressive, so Leo did what Leo does best.
He rambled, pointlessly, and with no end in sight.
"You've really done well with the place! I love the countless weapons decorating the walls, I really wish I had one of those axes last week! There was this huge black dog, Percy told me it was called a Hellhound, and it tried to eat my face. Well, probably all of me, not just my face, but it was onl-"
"I think we'll continue the rest of the tour now," Percy cut in, intercepting the two literally and figuratively. "If that's okay with you?"
Nyssa gave a sharp nod, her irritation fading into an unreadable expression, while Jake remained where he was—although his eyes were slightly regretful. Percy led Leo out of the forge, and Leo forgot to pay attention to where they were going.
Why had Nyssa reacted that way? And even if the others weren't as openly hostile, they still hadn't said anything in Leo's defense. Was it really just because of his fire? But Nyssa and Jake and Harley were the Hephaestus kids, they were around fire all the time, surely they weren't afraid?
"Did- did I do something wrong?" Leo asked softly.
At this, Percy stopped, and Leo finally took in his surroundings. They were standing in a copse of pine trees, the needles coating the ground, and rays of sunshine broke through the canopy, lighting up the shadows.
"No." Percy said firmly. He sounded borderline frustrated. "They just don't trust easily, and they have a lot of things they've already decided are true, so it might take a bit to convince them otherwise."
As Leo chewed on Percy's words, he realized that something wasn't adding up. Most people that Leo had met that day spoke of his powers like they were more than just a rare demigod power, like they were somehow part of something more:
'Lot of things they've already decided are true.'
'Can you prove it?'
'Kind of young to be the focus of a pro-'
It didn't make sense.
"Is there anything else I should know about?" Leo asked hesitantly. "It's just, you all sound like you're talking about more than fire."
Percy froze, his fingers fidgeting with his pen in his pocket, and his mouth opened and closed several times, like he couldn't figure out what he wanted to say. He shifted back and forth on his feet, as if he was fighting with himself, and then released a long exhale through his nose.
"Not yet." Percy finally said, but it sounded like the words were being forced out of him. "I'll explain everything later, but let's just focus on the tour today, okay?"
Percy's response was neither yes nor no, and yet it answered Leo's question perfectly. There absolutely was something more going on, and Leo was allowed to know approximately none of it. Typical.
"Alright," Leo replied anyway, understanding that no more answers would be coming his way. "I already forgot where we're heading to now. What was it again?"
"The Pegasus Stables!" Percy said, embracing the subject change eagerly. "We're almost there, you'll be able to see them in a second."
Then Percy marched ahead, and Leo had to scramble to keep up. They finally broke through the pine tree into a more open area, and Leo was astonished by the sight before him.
Logically, he knew that "Pegasus Stables" meant that there would be pegasus' at the stables, and yet nothing could really prepare him for the beautifully powerful winged horses.
They were in all the usual colors that Leo knew horses could be, but with the shimmering wings, their coats just looked so much more vibrant. There were pegasus' grazing in the pasture, soaring overhead, and frolicking in the lush grass.
Percy had a hand on Leo's upper arm, practically dragging him towards the stables, which Leo assumed was to keep him from stopping and staring at everything in awe. It was an absolutely necessary action.
They finally crossed the wooden threshold, entering the stables, and Leo spotted two drastically different half-bloods standing outside a stall at the far end.
The first was a bulky guy with a shaved head who reminded Leo of a dressed-down biker dude, and when he shifted slightly, Leo spotted a colorful rainbow tattoo on his bicep. He nearly laughed out loud, but the guy's stony face caused him to clench his jaw and hold it in.
The second was a demigod who looked like the head of any teenage girl clique in highschool. She had shining black hair in ringlets, pink eyeliner, and more jewelry than anyone Leo had seen at camp so far, except maybe Lou Ellen. But Leo had a feeling that most of Lou Ellen's bracelets and necklaces were actually just weapons in disguise.
The two looked up as Leo and Percy approached, and neither of them seemed particularly happy to see the pair, but they didn't look exactly hostile either. Leo assumed that was entirely because Percy was there too.
"Hey Butch, Drew," Percy greeted with a warm smile. "This is Leo."
"I know," Drew replied, eyeing up Leo like he was a makeup item on clearance. Equal possibilities of being either treasure, or trash.
"Welcome to camp," Butch said tonelessly, but not unkindly.
"Drew is the cabin head of the Aphrodite campers, and Butch is head of the Iris cabin," Percy said, gesturing to each person as he spoke. "They're both the best with the pegasus."
"Iris?" Leo questioned, not remembering what she was the goddess of. Leo assumed she must be a war god like Ares, based off of Butch's appearance.
"Goddess of the rainbow," Butch replied proudly, and if Leo had been drinking something, he would have done a spit take.
" Rainbows ?! And you take care of the horses?" Leo exclaimed impulsively.
"You have a problem with that?" Butch asked in irritation.
"No! No, just, rainbows, and ponies…" Leo said, trailing off, and then Percy quickly distracted the two with idle talk before Leo could say something else stupid.
While the three chatted, Leo wandered around, imagining ways to improve the basic stables with stalls that opened with the push of a button, or automatic feeding dispensers.
Eventually the conversation died, and Leo and Percy made their way to the cabins, which Leo was dying to see. They made it to the top of a low hill, and Leo was greeted with the sight of various different buildings in the shape of a Greek omega.
Not one of them looked the same, or even remotely similar. One was solid gold, another silvery, the next painted a gaudy red with spikes lining the roof, and at the very back, were two marble cabins, like they were stolen straight from Ancient Greece.
Percy led Leo to an older-looking log cabin and, hanging over the door, was the image of two snakes twirled around a staff with wings at the top. Percy pushed open the door, revealing Cecil inside.
"Hi, Cecil," Percy said, holding open the door for Leo to enter. "I'm just dropping Leo off to get settled."
"Alright," Cecil replied, waving Leo over with a smile. "You can have the bed under mine, if that's fine with you?"
"Yeah, sounds great!" Leo answered with a matching smile.
In Leo's opinion, bottom bunks were always better, because it was easier to leave in the middle of the night without being noticed. Hopefully he wouldn't need to do that here, but it was always good to be prepared.
Percy left him with a "see you at dinner" and a promise to discuss training times later, and then Cecil ran to get toiletries and extra clothes from the camp store for Leo.
After four long days of never being without Percy or Will at his side, Leo was good and truly alone. And the first thing he did was sit on the edge of his bed, unzip his backpack, and pull out the photograph of his mom.
Leo collapsed onto his back, holding the picture above his face, and tapped his finger against the frame while he sorted through his thoughts.
What would his mom think of him now? Had she known that Leo's fathe
r was a god, and if so, had she ever planned to tell Leo? Maybe she already did when he was little, and Leo had just decided it was a dream, like many of the other strange things that he could vaguely picture from his childhood.