"Oi, Leo, wait up!" he hears one of the twins yell behind him, and he can hear from their steps that they're running after him.
"Bloody hell, Leo, get the hell away from there!" he hears the other yell.
"Oh gods, Festus," he mutters as he runs, not noticing that he and the twins are not truly alone.
"Halt!" he hears someone yell in front of him.
Removing his eyes away from Festus' severed head, Leo finally looks around to see about fifty centaurs surrounding Festus' body parts, bows and arrows all pointed right at him—arrows that look eerily similar to some of the arrows that had managed to embed themselves on Festus' hide... not to mention, their menacing glares.
Leo thought he should care. He can sense that he's at a danger zone, after all, but after everything he went through—after Gaea—no, this is nothing compared to the war. This is nothing compared to dying.
Besides, they're centaurs . Chiron's family are quite a chill group of people, and a bit crazy. Maybe these centaurs are a bit jumpy from the war, too. Hold on, had Gaea's forces even gone to Europe? Did they even attack this place? Thinking about it, he's not really heard of anything about demigods in Europe but—
"We asked for your name, boy!" the centaur with the black hair and the chestnut body yells at his face—aiming the arrow at him menacingly.
Leo tries not to get himself caught in flames. He really hates being called that.
"He's fine! He's sorry! He didn't mean to barge in!" he hears two people behind him yelling at them.
Leo turns around to catch Fred and George running towards him, jumping over large roots to stand beside him, hands raised in surrender—fear evident on their faces but that doesn't seem to stop the two red-heads.
"Magorian, they are wizards!" a centaur yells.
Leo notices that their grip on their respective bows and arrows tightened.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we're not here to harm you!" Leo yells, raising his hands.
"That boy has darkness lurking within him!" the centaur with the black hair and black horse body exclaims. [1]
Leo winces. Is it because he died? Is it because he is a fire-wielder? Or is it because of another thing entirely? Maybe he really is a dark person. Leo tries not to chuckle because his skin is pretty dark compared to most people.
"Who are you?" the same black-haired chestnut-bodied centaur that could be their leader glares at him, tightening his hold on his bow and arrow, clearly intent to shoot if he dares move.
So, let's see... We're about to be killed by fifty centaurs. These centaurs seem to hate wizards—wizards like the two redheads beside me who are both scared witless. So, what in Tartarus could I do at the moment?
"I'm a friend of Chiron!" he says without hesitation, surprising himself but silently approving his own quick thinking. "We come in peace," he adds, just because he's always wanted to say that legitimately plus it stops him from freaking out by reminding himself that he's just Leo, the most funniest commander ever.
"A half-blood," the centaurs whisper amongst themselves.
"Yes! Yes! I'm a half-blood!" Leo exclaims nearly desperately since they seem to be hesitant in attacking him, judging from their wary looks and stances. "I'll prove it!" he tells them.
With that, he opens his palms and let the fire dance on his palm.
The leading centaur in front of them staggers momentarily, stepping back in surprise, and staring at Leo in what Leo thinks is both horror and awe.
"The child of fire, destroyer of Earth," the centaur breathes out in reverence.
Leo stares blankly ahead for a few minutes, feeling as if he was doused with cold water, before seemingly coming to his senses. Where had he heard that before?
"As for you, child of fire, your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren ," Nemesis' voice echoes in his head. Her statements never really left Leo, and as each day passes, her words always prove themselves true...
But the other title? The destroyer of Earth? "To storm or fire, the world must fall. " That was what the Prophecy of Seven said. To fire—to Leo himself, Gaea, the world—the Earth, had fallen—destroyed.
Yet, the twins don't seem to have noticed his momentary lapse of silence. In fact, he himself is also enraptured as the centaur once again begins to speak.
"Seventh of the seven, a child born.
Fire which will strengthen, a soul torn.
For the seventh time, he wanders alone,
With magic discovered, again on his own.
The seventh wheel shall flourish through mirth,
The child of fire, destroyer of Earth...
The Savior of Dragons concealed within Lions."
—oOo—
FOOTNOTES
[1] This would be Bane, who was actually kinda strict when it comes to pride of being a Centaur, but he was also kind to Hagrid, so he's kinda one of those "woke" Centaurs who are nice to non-Centaurs but are still kinda like #CentaurPride
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Quests of Valdez: The School of Magic (Harry Potter x Percy Jackson fic)
FanfictionLeo goes to Athens, Greece without the burden of a prophecy to get his mind away from his loneliness and to make peace with the trauma from the last war. Along the way, a series of events and a fascination with dragons eventually lead him to an une...
