Book 2: Oaths and Victories.

Chapter 10: And after...

This story has plenty of nods towards older Valdangelo fics I enjoyed reading through the years, so this is me telling you, to go peruse the older pages. It's pretty easy, there's so few fics in the tag!

Mostly, though, this fic includes a lot of the ideas and head cannons I've amassed so far, so the more obvious references are mostly to my own works.

Might wanna actually throw the first Greek word into the translator.

Μηδέν

The day Leo wakes up is a busy one.

The ship gets attacked by Stymphalian birds, and they have to move ashore, where they can try fixing the damages. Luckily, Leo had built a mechanical table that could help him around the ship, and with it's help and Annabeth's furious research on Daedalus computer, they managed to fix the worst of it.

But there was still some things to be done, things that required materials they sadly didn't have, which meant going into land.

The only one still on the ship when Leo wakes up is Coach Hedge, who makes quick work on getting him up to speed. And when everyone else gets back, Leo welcomes them on the deck.

Coach insists he's only cleared for simple activities, Leo insists that fixing things is a simple activity, the other's immediately shut that down.

Leo grumbles in a corner, until Nico joins him, Leo's toolbelt in hand, and pulls out several wire puzzles for him to mess with. To which Leo looks up at him, and with a seriousness that startles everyone says:

"You're everything that's right in this world"

Nico, impressively, only rolls his eyes and settles himself down beside Leo for the rest of the reparations, still holding the toolbelt and renewing the wire puzzles when necessary.

The day gets busy again shortly after, but the ship doesn't break again, and they have the time to discuss the next course of action, now with everyone awake to give their opinion.

Περσι

If someone had told him, at the beginning of the year, that not only would he have the fate of the world on his shoulders, but that the only reason he'd be alive this long was Nico's secret boyfriend, he would've had several questions and at least four complaints.

This is probably why he had to have his memories wiped, even if he was still pissed about the whole thing.

It is somewhat nice to know that Nico hadn't been completely alone back when, and Valdez has proven himself to be reliable if nothing else.

But it's not until he finds himself glaring at the petrol-like stain marring his right forearm that he learns who Valdez really is.

He approaches carefully but nonchalantly, somehow, and sits himself up a nearby crate cool as can be. He then proceeds to tuck the left leg of his pants up until a black scar becomes visible.

Weirdly, it looks as though charred, which isn't possible, because he's seen Valdez light himself ablaze like it's the easiest thing, seen him taking monster's fire right to his face unbothered. And yet.

"I don't know if anyone told you but I'm an orphan" Valdez starts.

He looks back up at him, at an expression that's calm and conversational, and nods.

"One of the homes I was put in... well, I guess they liked their chains and shackles, cuz they put some on me" Valdez continues.

There's a pause, where he realizes Valdez isn't sure if sharing this story will be a good idea, and that more than anything has his own tongue loosening.

"How'd you get away?"

Valdez grins, patting the area right above the scar.

"Cut myself on something, turns out my blood's lava, so I get this nifty reminder of melted iron on my skin"

There's something like warmth slipping from his every word, filling the air around them, and he realizes, almost lazily, how that could be attractive.

"Back in Tartarus," he finds himself saying, "we met the goddess of misery"

The words spill out of him like a faucet that's been newly fixed, clear and even, easy as breathing. And Valdez, Leo, listens.