Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

intro

INTRODUCTION
3rd pov

JINX DI ANGELO slept soundly on the stack of hay near the entrance to the stable. The Greek warship tilted to the side, making her head droop farther into the hay, having her legs stick out unnaturally.

But she didn't bother to get up and readjust herself, seeing as the nightmare she was having took more of her focus.
Jinx adored sleeping, but she was afraid of the nightmares that came after her once her eyes closed. Though she had been too tired to stay awake.

It takes a lot to hijack a Greek warship without any of the people aboard knowing that she was there. And a lot of her courage.

She shifted in her sleep, thrashing around.

There was a ghost of laughter, taunting her. Whispering, you'll never find him.

Jinx wanted to shout and tell the voice that she would. That she'll do anything to find her distant, distant, distant cousin.

Nico di Angelo is going to die. And your life will be wasted.
There it was again, the constant teasing and poking fun at while she suffocated with all of the darkness around her.

You are pathetic. A waste of our father's abilities. The voice hissed with disdain.

She had no idea who they were. But the Voice loved to remind her that they knew who she was.

Jinx wished she could stop time forever, keep the hands of time still while she slept in peace. But her ability didn't work like that. She wasn't powerful like she wished she was.
She wasn't as brave as she hoped to be. Hell, Jinx still struggled with asking the waiter for a straw.

She had plenty of trouble calming herself down just to sneak into the boat. But her fear was normally overrun with the ego she had. The ego she forced herself to have.
That was Jinx's motto; if no one will hype you up, do it yourself.

It helped her.

The Voice slithered away, seeping into the ground. That usually meant that she'd be waking up any moment, but she curled up even further, trying to run from the confrontation she'd have to face once she woke up.

She didn't have to wait that long.

Even in Jinx's unconscious state, she faintly felt the strange wave of warmth crawl up her neck. She welcomed it until she smelled the stench of something burning.

Her eyes flew open, her body shooting up with adrenaline. Her eyes adjusted to the flow of light, and then wandered to the boy who stood by the entrance in shock.

"W-who...?"

"I'm on fucking fire!" Jinx shouted. She took steady breaths and closed her eyes, finding gaps in the seconds of time itself, willing it to stop.

When she opened her eyes, the world was frozen in time, waiting for her to let go of her grasp on it. Then, when she knew the boy was frozen in his spot, did she take the time to panic and scream.

Jinx ran from one side of the stables to the other, screaming and patting her hair, hoping it was still intact afterwards. Once she was done, she sat in the corner, crying her eyes out, yelling, "why me!"

Then she wiped her eyes, and went to examine the boy.

She remembered him as the boy who took Octavian on a tour before he started firing at her home. He looked so different when he was engulfed with flames. Flames that fought against her. Wisps of fire moved, like they were trying to warm their way into her power.
Jinx furrowed her brows, flicking his forehead hard enough to make a mark, making sure to evade the flames.

Jinx sat back on the haystack, observing him from her spot. She took a moment, but then closed her eyes and concentrated on releasing her hold on time.

Leo Valdez looked down at himself in mild panic, barely registering the fact that he was on fire. Instead he looked at the girl that looked annoyed with the entire situation, as if he had rudely ruined her nap.

"You're on fire." She pointed out, picking at her chipped nails. They had an intricate design, colored black and blue with snowflakes littered on them - he had his fair share of girls with snow powers- and little clocks drawn on the middle fingers.

Leo didn't look down as he patted himself down. "Yeah, and if I'm correct - which I usually am, unless we're counting the time when Piper and Jason-"

Her piercing blue eyes gazed at him intently.
She totally hates me right now.

"Um, anyways..." He awkwardly fiddled with a wrench, "you were on fire just a second ago."

"Nope. That would have been about-" Leo watched as she counted her fingers, "an hour ago."

"Uh huh." He said, distractedly.

Leo's mind couldn't wrap around on how she could have been in the warship the entire time without him knowing. Festus, the dragon head in front of the ship, should have warned him.

Festus, Leo thought bitterly, we need to have a talk, buddy.

"What are you doing here? How did you get on here?"

"You guys are going to save the world and all right? I have a request."

Leo had no idea why he hadn't pressed the alarm bell yet, but now was definitely the time. His arm itched towards the one on the stables door he had installed.
Piper called him a weirdo for having an alarm bell in the stables, but now who was the weirdo?

Still me...

He pulled it down, the alarm ringing. Leo raised his hands in front of him, defending himself in case she wanted to put up a fight.

He knew he wasn't good with straight up fighting, but she didn't know that.

The girl looked at him with amusement, cocking her head to the side. "Are you going to fight me?"

"Yeah." Leo forced a smile, "in case you have better ideas on how to spend our time until my friends come. I know I have a few."

She snorted at his attempt to flirt with her. "No thanks, I'm good." Her hands moved into her pockets.

Leo expected for her to get up and fight him, but she leaned onto the haystack and closed her eyes.
"Tell me when they get here."

And to him, in that moment, he fell in love. She was so brave and confident. And totally uninterested in him.

Perfect.