Learning to Trust (A Leo Valdez Love Story)

Chapter 1

**EDITED**

  LEO'S POV

             The doors to the fourth floor opened slowly as the scent of multiple perfumes filled Leo's nose. Jason stepped out first, his sword at the ready.

      "Guys," he said, breathlessly. "You have got to see this."

      Piper joined him and her breath caught in her throat. "This is not Macy's!"

      This strange department store looked like the insides of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a sun and moon. Leo looked at the moon which seemed to shine. He had always thought the moon was more soothing than the sun.

       The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different, bright colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly that they were hard to look at. He could see why everything was so clean, from where they were standing he could see a girl, about his age, currently cleaning the floors. She was extremely tiny and appeared to be malnourished as if she had been deprived of food. The bucket of water beside her was tinted red. The girl seemed to have tears in her eyes as she cleaned, her arms shaking as she scrubbed at the floor. Leo figured that she worked here. Jason stepped forward.

      "Um excuse us..." he began.

The girl looked up, startled, and had a newfound look of fear in her eyes. She was beautiful,  Leo thought, although her... silver? ...  eyes shone with fear. The girl cautiously looked around, as if someone were to come out and hurt them. She rushed towards the group, but mostly to Piper.

      "You shouldn't be here!" she exclaimed fearfully.

 "Why?" Leo asked. The girl looked at him, her silver eyes shining brightly with what can only be described as pure terror.

"Shh, she might hear you! You have to leave now before she comes!" As soon as she said that out of nowhere a strange woman appeared beside her.

     " Ahh, Kyra" the woman started, sickly sweet. "Why didn't you tell me we had customers?"  Her tone was kind and inviting but she glared daggers at Kyra, whose eyes widened in fear and despair.

      "Um I-i was going to Med-" She was cut off by a slap to the cheek, falling to the floor with a soft whimper.

"Hey!" Leo rushed forward. He had never taken kindly to seeing other people being hurt.

 "What did I tell you about saying my name, girl?" she shouted to the girl who lay shaking on the ground, as she turned to Leo to address the situation.

      "I see you have already met my slave," she snarled viciously as she turned to the girl clutching her cheek on the floor who then flinched as if expecting to be hit. "She has yet to learn to mind her tongue,"  Piper decided to speak up.

      "What makes you think that you can keep that poor girl here as your.. your slave!" she shouted angrily. Kyra, Leo remembered her name now, was slowly rising to her feet but kept her head down. The woman pulled Kyra close to her and she stiffened. Something definitely isn't right here, he thought.

      "Nothing you need to be concerned with girl. There are always things at play that you demigods will never understand," she said hastily. "Now let's get going, we have loads for you to see. Kyra finish cleaning up here then get out of my sight".

       Leo felt the strong urge to listen to her as he moved to follow the strange woman but hesitated as she spoke harshly to the young girl who looked conflicted. He was about to question the woman but he was cut off by Kyra shouting.