Wildfire (Leo Valdez x OC) (1)

Leo has a crush on Elsa

As we approached the tower, a section of the roof slid open, revealing an opening easily big enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

"This cannot be good," Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and we swooped in after the Boreads.

We landed in what must have been the penthouse suite, but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge, draped windows and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to an equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made its beauty look frightening.

When I slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under my feet. A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. 

The ceiling was covered in icicles, I kept looking up to make sure one wasn't about to fall on me. As for the stairs, I was sure I'd slip and break my neck if I tried to climb them.

"Guys," Leo said. "Fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."

"Not me." Jason looked uneasy at the staircase. "Something feels wrong. Something up there..."

Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.

"No, no, no." Zethes marched over. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

"I think it would do it a favour." I muttered. Piper shot me a look, I shrugged.

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

"S okay, boy." Leo turned to Zethes. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I have a better plan."

"Destroy?" Cal suggested.

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

"Leo," Piper said nervously, "what are you – "

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some you do not want to know about. But others... Ah, here we go."

Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe, or head to claw, I'm not sure. 

Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his body compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase.

Leo tried to lift it, but it was still a dragon and probably weighed more than a house. "Um... yeah. Hold on. I think – aha." He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

"Ta-da!" He announced. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

I gaped. "That's impossible..."

Jason was studying the suitcase as if trying to find the dragon hiding behind it. "Something that big couldn't – "

"Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.

Leo raised his hands. "Okay... What'd I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't have to take the dragon as carry-on – "

"Who are you?" Zethes said, pointing his sword at Leo's chest. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"

"What? No!" Leo said. "I'm a son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"