━━ chapter ten
a little broken
( leo )

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    ━━For the first time in a while, Leo dreamt of the foster home.

    He's been to many and ran away from many, but only one was rooted deep within his memory, calling out to him like a song recently that he couldn't escape. When he opened his eyes, he was in the fields of the property, watching the clouds brush past. He breathed heavily, taking in the smell of dried grass and the sound of the sheep in the paddock over. 

    Leo Valdez took a deep breath, remembering this day like it was yesterday. The grass beside him rustled as a young girl, a rich bronze in the sunlight, nodded and sighed out in her relief. "We should be safe here," she told him in a voice that calmed him immediately━like sweet nothings in his ear. 

     Leo turned his head to gaze at her. Savreen's hair was long, even when they were younger. The dark hair━almost black━had been braided by Ana Mari all the way to the small of her back. He loved her hair. Always did, and maybe always will. He always imagined running his slender fingers through the strands that looked as though they were made of silk, but then he'd then freak out and imagine burning them instead. 

    Savreen's dark, doe eyes glittered with beautiful kindness. "Ana Mari won't find us here," she then said in a whisper. "She won't know it was us that broke her china."

    "Do you think she'll send us away if she did know?" Leo's voice was a stranger to his head; high, young and naive. 

     "If she does, we'll run away," Sav met his gaze, fierce. "We'll go together."

     Little did they know, was that while Leo ran away for the rest of his life, it was never with her; they wouldn't be together for a long time. But at that moment, little Leo Valdez felt safe with her promise. It settled in his heart, and he knew that they were supposed to be best friends for life. Later, when he met her again, he wanted it to be more. 

     His fingers drifted through the grass to hers, and slowly, he wrapped her hand up in his, holding on as he gazed back up at the clouds. He felt the calm wash over him, even in his dream, a sweet song singing him to sleep in the plains. 

     When he woke up again, he was back in his bed in the shared room with the other boys in the foster home. He sat up, wondering how he got there. He hated this room; it was rambunctious and loud, and so much noise that he sometimes got over-stimulated and would just have to run for the fields.

      Memories started to hit him. He remembered this morning, too. Immediately, Leo flung his legs out of his bed and rushed outside into the hallway. Dressed in his old pyjamas, he stumbled through the hallway. The wood creaked under his toes, and the wallpaper had a musty smell from the water damage that leaked from the ceiling. Rows of pictures lined the walls; Ana Mari's foster children. Leo was in the picture near the end. 

     He made his way to where he and Sav always met up in the mornings before heading off on their own. But she was no where to be seen. The kitchen was busy with kids getting ready in the morning, and Leo searched the heads for his best friend, but she wasn't there. Maybe she was still asleep? he had wondered. Leo now knew that wasn't the case.

     He had searched for Ana Mari anyway when he heard a car roar outside. His feet carried him out the door, and his whole heard and stomach dropped. 

     Ana Mari stood by the end of the drive way, watching the car pull back and out towards the end gate. As the car spun, Leo saw a frightened face in the window. A pair of doe-black opal eyes that met his gaze, and widened.

     Leo? he saw her cry through the window. It was silent for him, but he could hear her voice in his ear. 

     "Sav?" he called back, confused. Ana Mari glanced back at him, suprised.

     "Leo!" she scolded. "Back in the house, now, come on━" she tried to lead him back in, but he shoved her off. 

     "Sav!" he cried and started to run after the car. The dust from the wheels got into his eyes and made him blink and cough, but he didn't stop. "Sav!"

     Her palms pressed against the windows of the car. Leo! She cried, watching him run as fast as his legs could carry him. Leo━Leo!

     He realised her voice had matured to the one he knew now. There was a little shake to his shoulders, and Leo jolted awake, head dizzing as if the dust had somehow filled his lungs from years after. 

    "We're here," murmured Savreen.

    Leo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took a deep breath. Below them, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed with warmth in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded otgether inside high walls like a medival town. In the middle was a castle with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

    "Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," said Leo, still muddled with sleep.

    "Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"

    Leo arched a brow. "Your dad do a movie about that, too?"

    She made a face at him, which Leo was used to, but it didn't exactly work with her new glamourous makeup. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

    "Fiesty!" Leo grinned. "Since you know so much, what's the castle?"

    "A hotel, I think."

    Leo laughed. "No way..."

    But as they grew cloer, Leo could see the grand entrance bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Leo frowned, "The North Wind is staying in a hotel?" he scoffed. "That can't be━?"

    "Heads up, guys!" Jason interrupted. "We've got company!"

    Leo glanced down below and saw what Jason meant. Rising from the top of the tower were two winged figures━angry angels with nasty-ooking swords. 

    "It'll be very naive to think they just want to say hello and shake our hands, right?" whispered Savreen. She glanced back at Piper and Jason, and they nodded. "Okay, okay, cool ... cool ..."

    Leo squared his shoulders. If these mean-looking angels attacked, he wasn't going to let them hurt Savreen. He wasn't big or very muscley, like Jason, but he knew how to whack a hammer. 

    Festus didn't like the angels. He swooped to a halt midair, wings beating and talons bared. Savreen gasped, gripping Leo's shoulders as they all jolted backwards slightly. He made a rumbling sound in his throat that Leo recognised. He was getting ready to blow fire. 

    "Whoa, steady, boy," Leo muttered. Something told him that the angels would not take kindly to getting torched. 

    "I don't like this," said Jason. "They look like storm spirits."

    At first, Leo thought he was right, but as the angels grew nearer, he could see they were much more solid than venti. They looked like normal teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. They looked to be brothers, at least. One was as large as an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants and black leather cleats. Both of his eyes were bruised black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing. His brother looked like he wanted to look like an eighties heart-throb, except he didn' tknow what an eighties heart-throb was. His ice-white hair was long and feathered into a mullet. He more pointy-toed leather shoes, designer trousers that were way too tight and a silk shirt with the top three buttons open.

    THe angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered there, swords at the ready.

    The ox angel grunted, "No clearance."

    "'Scuse me?" Leo let out.

    "You have no flight plan on file," explained the other angel. He had such a terrible French accent it had to be fake. "This is restricted airspace."

    "Destroy them?" the ox showed off his gap-toothed grin.

    Festus began to steam, ready to defend them. Jason summoned his golden sword, but Savreen quikly shook her head, holding out her hands and crying, "Hey! Hold on! Let's think about this, okay? How about we all take a deep breath and calm down ..." Leo didn't think she meant for it to happen, but a wave of serenity washed over him, calming him right down. All three weapons were lowered. "Okay━o━okay," she frowned as if she seemed to see this, too. "How about you tell me your names?"

     "I am Cal!" the ox grunted. He looked very proud of himself.

    "That's short for Calais," said the other. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables━"

    "Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" offered Cal.

    "━which includes his own name."

    "I am Cal," repeated Cal. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"

    "Wow," said Leo. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go." Sav gave him a pinch for being sarcastic━it was not the time. 

     Cal grunted, pleased with himself. Zethes scoffed at him, "Stupid baffoon," he grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the lady there━" he winked at Piper, but the wink looked more like his face was convulsing. "She can call me anything she likes. Perhaps she would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before me must destroy you?"

     Piper made a sound like gagging on a cough drop. "That's ... a truly horrifying offer."

    "It's no problem," Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. Leo scowled. He didn't like this dude flirting with his best friend. She wasn't some prize. "We are very romantic people, we Boreads."

    "Boreads?" Jason cut in, frowning. "Do you mean, like the son of Boreas?"

    "Ah, so you've heard of us!" Zethes grinned. "We are our father's gatekeepers. So, you understand, we cannot have unauthorised people flying in this airspace on creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortal peoples."

    He pointed below, and Leo saw that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up━not with alarm, yet━more with confusion and annoyance, like Festus was a traffic helicopter flying too low.

    "Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," said Zethes, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, "we will have to detroy you painfully."

    "Desroy!" Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Leo thought necessary.

    "Wait!" Piper said. "This is an emergency landing!"

    "Awww!" Cal looked disappointed━so disappointed that Leo would've felt sorry for him if he hadn't been upset over not getting to destroy them.

     Zethes studied Piper. "How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?"

    "We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" she forced a smile, which Leo figured must've been killing her. Savreen nodded in immediate agreeance. Leo found himself doing the same━believing every word. 

    Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough. Leo resisted the urge to scoff. "Well ... I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but, you see, my sister, she would have an avalanch if we allowed you━"

     "And our dragon is malfunctioning!" added Piper, desperate. "It could crash any minute!"

    Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below. 

    "No destroy?" Cal whimpered.

    Zethes pondered the problem. Then, he gave Piper another spasmodic wink. "Well, you are pretty. I mean, you're right. A malfunctioning dragon━this could be an emergency."

    "Destroy them later?" Cal offered.

    "It will take some explaning," Zethes decided. "Father has not been kind to visitors lately. But, yes. Come, faulty dragon people. Follow us."

    They sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts━no, not weapons; flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys use on a runway (is that what they were called?). Cal and Zethes turned and swooped down towards the hotel's tower.

    Leo turned to his friends. "I love these guys!" he grinned. Savreen stared at him, eye wide and mouth agape to say, are you serious? "Follow them?"

    Sav, Jason and Piper didn't look eager. 

    "I guess," Jason then decided. "We're here now. But I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors?"

    "Pfft, he just hasn't met us," Leo whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights!"

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    ━━Leo was growing worried that they'd might crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

    "This cannot be good," muttered Jason, and Savreen agreed with him, but Leo spurred the dragon downwards. They swooped in after the Boreads.

     They landed in what must have been the penthouse suit, but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The vaulted ceilings of the entrance hall could be at least forty feet high, with hug edraped widows and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. 

    Leo slid off the dragon, and the carpet crunched under his boots. A fine layer of frost covered the funiture. The curtains didn't budge for they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird water light from the sunset━even the ceiling had icicles hanging down!

    Savreen slid off behind him and immediately searched for his hand. Leo held on just as tight, squeezing and searching for warmth. He radiated it, obviously, but there was a different warmth to Sav's hand that he couldn't give himself. 

     "Guys," he murmured, nervous, "fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."

    "Not me," said Jason, eyeing the stairs with an uneasy gaze. "Something feels wrong. Something up there ..."

     Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales. Leo turned to his new friend, his anxiety moving from the room around him to his dragon. He wanted to check whether he was okay, but Zethes wouldn't let him. He marched over, grumbling, "No, no, no. The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

     Leo felt his chest flare with anger. Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

    "S'okay, boy," Leo said to his dragon, trying to keep calm. He turned to Zethes. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."

    "Destroy?" suggested Cal.

    "No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait."

    Savreen frowned, cautious. "Leo," she said nervously, and he met her gaze immediately. "What are you━?"

    "Watch and learn, preciosa," the nicknames always flowed out. He could think of plenty he wanted to say to her━like mi amor, but he knew it wouldn't be right. He didn't think he could call her my love when he knew she didn't feel the same. But that was what she was, whether it was reciprocated or not; whether she was his dearest friend or not. Ever since she persuaded him not to run away that night at Ana Mari's foster home, Leo was drawn to her. He never used to believe in destiny━how could it be destiny that his mother was taken from him in such cruel ways? But now that he knew who he was, he wondered whether the gods spend their days predicting every moment of their lives. Maybe Leo was meant to meet Savreen, and was meant to find her after all these years of searching and running. He knew that wherever she was, he will be. 

    He shook himself from his thoughts. He had other things to think about rather than Savreen and how she made him feel. He had Boreads wanting to deactivate his new dragon friend, and he had a new trick to show off with. So, he cleared his throat and nodded to Festus, "When I was reparing Festus last night," he said, "I found all kinds of buttons. Some you do not want to know what they do. But others ... ah! Here we go ..."

    Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and Festus shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami; his broze plating stacking together. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase. Leo bounced his brows at his friends, proud of himself before trying to lift it. The grin fell off his face as he realised he couldn't pick it up. Well done, Valdez. Trying it again, he was sure that all of the impressed feelings his friends might be expressing fell away to see him slip on the ice-covered carpet. 

    He was quick to return to his feet, clearing his throat. He ruffled up his porcupined curls and said, "Um ... yeah. Hold on. I think━aha!"

    He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top and wheels clicked out of the bottom. "Ta-da! The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

    Jason stared at him. "That's impossible," he said. "Something that big couldn't━"

    "Stop!" Zethes ordered. Both he and Cal drew their swords and glared at Leo. 

    Savreen tugged him back, startled by their sudden agression. Leo stepped out in front of her, however, holding up his hands. He wasn't going to let them hurt her. "Okay ... what'd I di? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't have to take the dragon as a carry-on━"

    "Who are you?" Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo's chest. 

    "Hey! Don't hurt him!" Savreen scrambled forward but Piper thankfully stopped her by taking her elbow. "Leave him alone!"

    Zethes just dug his blade deeper against Leo's shirt, and he winced feeling the tip of the sword scratch the surface of his skin. A bit of blood stained the fabric of his button-up. "Who are you?" he demanded again. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"

     "What? No!" exclaimed Leo, trying to put as much space between his chest and the blade as possible. "Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"

     Cal growled. He put his face up to Leo's, sniffing. He hunched back, trying to keep his head together at the smell. Cal wasn't pretty up close, that was for sure. "Smell fire," said Cal. "Fire is bad."

     Leo's heart began to race. He hoped he wouldn't burst into flame right then and there as his breathing grew rapid. How could he tell? His eyes flickered back to his friends, who were frowning, very confused. What would happen if they found out? Would his friends just leave him like everyone else in his life? Like his mother, and his aunt━throw him out to the dirt to defend for himself. Fire was bad, just like Cal had said. It killed his mother, destroyed towns, whole cities. It could burn the very skin of someone while they were still alive; it was one of the most painful ways to die. 

    "Oh," he managed through his dry lips, and they weren't chapped from the cold. "Yeah, well ... my━my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil and━"

    "No!" Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. He stumbled.

    Savreen pulled against Piper's grip on her elbow. "Stop it!" she tried. "Leave him alone━"

    "Shut it, pretty girl," seethed Zethes. Leo glowered at the look he sent her. "We can smell fire, demigod. We assumed it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire ... on you."

    Leo was glad it was freezing, because if it wasn't, he knew he'd be sweating from head to toe. His hands trembled, and he tried to keep them still, but he was suffocating. "Hey ... look ... I━I don't know━" he glanced back destperately to his friends. "Guys, a little help?"

    Jason already had his gold coin in his hand. He went to step forward, but Savreen finally managed to get free of Piper's protective grip and rushed forward. "Leave him alone," she stated. "There's been a mistake. Please, Leo isn't a fire guy, okay? We mean no harm. Go on, tell them, Leo," she met his gaze, and Leo didn't know what to say. His words were stuck in the back of his throat. "Go on, tell them you're not a fire guy."

    "Um..."

    "Zethes?" Piper put on her best dazzling smile again, though she was a little too nervous and cold to pull it off. "We're all friends here. Put down your swords and let's talk."

    "The girl is pretty," Zethes admitted, "and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness, but, sadly, I cannot romance her a this time." He poked his sword further into Leo's chest, and amongst the blood, frost started to spread across his shirt.

    "Destroy him now?" Cal asked his brother.

    Zethes nodded. "Sadly, I think━"

    "No," Jason insisted. He sounded calm enough, but Leo knew he was about two seconds from flipping that coin. "Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. He's no threat. Piper here is a daughter of Aphrodite, and Savreen in a daughter of Harmonia. I'm the son of the Zeus. We're on a peaceful..." his voice faltered, because both Boreads had suddenly turned on him. 

     "What did you say?" demanded Zethes. "You are the son of Zeus?"

    "Um, yeah ..." said Jason. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."

    Cal looked so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. "Can't be Jason," he said. "Doesn't look the same."

    Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason's face. "No, he is not our Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me━but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millenia ago."

    "Wait," Jason said. "Your Jason ... you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"

    "Of course," said Zethes. "We were his crewmates aboard his ship, the Argo, in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so Ic ould look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."

    "Hockey!" agreed Cal.

    "But Jason━our Jason━he died a mortal death," Zethes said. "You can't be him."

    "I'm not."

    "So, destroy?" Cal asked.

    "No," Zethes said, clearly just as upset. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."

    "Watching for?" asked Leo. "You mean like in a good way: you'll show him with fabulous prizes? Or watching him like in a bad way: he's in trouble?"

    A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."

    Leo looked up the staircase. His heart nearly stopped.

    At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress, with skin unaturally pale━the colour of snow. But her hair━gods, her hair━was long; a lush mane of black that cascaded down her back in waves. Her eyes were coffee brown━a warm colour, but screamed the same way wind did in an icestorm. She stared at him with no expression, no smile, no friendliness. Leo didn't feel calm under her gaze, no matter how beautiful she was. She was cold, and made him jittery on his toes. The teenage boy inside of him was jumping up and down, overwhelmed, but the real part of him moved his gaze and had to check whether Savreen was okay beside him. 

    The girl fixed her gaze on Jason. "Father will want to see the one called Jason," she said.

    "Then it is him?" asked Zether, excited.

    "We'll see," said the girl. "Zethes, bring our guests."

    The sword left Leo's chest, and he felt like could breath again. Immediately, Sav was checking whether he was okay, and he watched her eyes wide at the small amount of blood staning his shirt. "You're bleeding━" she went to touch him, but something caused for her to hiss and pull her hand back. 

    Leo saw her glare up at the stunning black-haired girl. Leo pursed his lips, "I'm fine," he told her gently before reaching down to grab the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase. He wasn't sure how he'd lug it up the stairs, but before he could figure that out, the girl froze him with a look. 

    "Not you, Leo Valdez," she snapped.

    He frowned, a little upset. "Why not?" he whined.

    "You cannot be in the presence of my father," said the girl. "Fire and ice━it woul dnot be wise."

    "We're going together," Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder, "or not at all."

    "He's right," added Savreen. She glowered up at the girl with a ferocisty Leo has never seen on her before. "We're a team."

    The girl tilted her head, like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. Leo suddenly wanted to pull Savreen behind him again. This girl looked like she could freeze her with just a single gaze. "He will not be harmed, Savreen Arora, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."

    Cal pouted, "Just a little?"

    "No," she insited. "And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgement."

     Savreen was hesitant. She, Jason and Piper turned to Leo, their expressions all asking him a similar question: How do you want to play this?

    A spark of gratitude overwhelmed the ice on his chest. They were ready to fight for him. Piper, a dear friend who he always thought he annoyed too much. Jason, some kid who he thought he knew, but had really never met before he turned up on the bus. And Savreen, who Leo thought would never fight. They were ready to stand by him. Part of him wanted to go for it; bust out his new tool belt and see what he could do. But the Boread guys scared him. And this girl on the top of the staircase scared him even more. 

    "It's fine, guys," he decided. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

    Savreen still wasn't sure. Gods, that made his heart beat a little quicker. 

    Listen to your friend," the pale girl said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

    Sav turned to Leo, worried. Her dark brows knitted together, and Leo took her hand. He tapped a familiar sentence against her palm to calm her down: it's okay, I'll find my way back to you either way.

    "Stay safe," he then told her.

    "You, too," she murmured, and let go of his hand. Leo missed it as soon as it was gone, his fingers brushing his own palm. 

     He watched her, Jason and Piper follow the girl and Zethes up the stairs. For a moment, he felt like that scared little boy again, running after his only friend at the foster home, crying her name as she was driven out of that drive way. 

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     a/n: our boi leo picks savreen over khione any time, duh. she's his true love.