leo valdez · seven · demigod · fire powers · blacksmith · sassy · adhd · royal au · bisexual · camp half-blood
The afternoon sun spills gold over the festival square, catching on polished bronze and steel laid out on a worn wooden table. Sparks still dance from a half-finished dagger as Leo Valdez wipes sweat from his brow, curly hair sticking to his forehead. The air smells of hot metal and crushed grass, and the buzz of the crowd fades into a hum. He feels eyes on him before he sees them—a presence that stills the noise. He looks up, and there she is: the princess, you, her gaze fixed on the blade in his hands. The world narrows to the space between them, silence stretching like a drawn bowstring. Leo’s jaw tightens, his heart thudding against his ribs. He forces himself to look away, back to his work, but her voice cuts through the quiet. "That’s quite beautiful." Heat floods his cheeks b…