"And that's basically all the boring stuff," Leo finished as we rounded back to the dining pavilion.
"That was the boring stuff?" I asked, incredulous. "The climbing wall with the lava, the monster fighting classes on model Greek triremes?"
"Well, there's something I need to show you- something more interesting."
I raised an eyebrow. "More interesting?"
"Come on," Leo grinned, pulling me off to the woods. "You'll love this."
"The woods? Aren't they dangerous? And very difficult to navigate?"
Leo grinned and shrugged. "I've done this a million times, Princess, I got this."
"Valdez, I swear, if you get me killed-"
"Chillax, hermosa, you worry too much- I got this."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm probably stupid to do this, but I'm trusting you."
I soon lost all track of time and all sense of direction, as the trees towered like skyscrapers, the canopy of leaves so thick, they blotted out the bright morning light. But Leo kept going, his hand alight with a glowing flame.
"Valdez, I swear," I demanded, grabbing Leo's shoulder to avoid losing him in the pitch darkness. "This isn't even the woods anymore, it's a damn forest- how the heck is it this dark and wild here? Do you even know where you're going?"
"Yeah, I do," Leo turned to face me, then his eyes widened. "Whoa- I don't know if you noticed it yet but you're glowing, Y/N."
"What?!"
I looked down at my arms, and sure enough, they were glowing with a soft, warm golden light. "Bruh- look at me, I'm a walking glowstick."
Leo grinned at me. "Dam, actually, not bad at all. Think you can make it brighter? Would be useful in here- I normally just use my fire, but I have to keep it under control to avoid starting a blaze."
I shrugged. "How do I make it brighter though?"
"Usually, if I just want my fire to burn more, I just concentrate."
"Alright then."
I closed my eyes, concentrating. Brighter, I told myself. Come on, you're a glowstick now, Y/N, might as well glow bright.
"Hey, uh- that might be enough- gods, Princess, at this rate, you're gonna give Apollo a run for his money-"
I opened my eyes to see Leo squinting at me, and the whole forest was lit up so brightly, it looked like daylight again. "Jeez- didn't know I could do that-"
"It's impressive though," Leo told me, pulling a pair of welding glasses out of his toolbelt and putting them on. "What?" He asked, noticing my expression. "I don't have sunglasses, and this is the best that my toolbelt gives me."
"Alright then," I grinned. "You still look stupid though."
"Gee, thanks- now come on, let's keep going."
The walk seemed to take a lot less time now that the whole forest was lit up, and I began to notice the plants- plants more beautiful than anything I'd seen before. Gosh, is it because this place is so wild and so untouched, that everything thrives here?
Finally, we crossed a stream and came to a dead end, a solid limestone cliff over a hundred meters tall.
"Well," Leo turned to face me. "We're here."
"A cliff," I deadpanned. "You brought me here to look at a cliff?"
"Just watch, Princess- wait, think you can turn off the light? It would look cooler in the dark.'
"Okay," I said doubtfully, closing my eyes and concentrating again, and when I reopened them, it was dark again.
"Alright then," Leo put his hand on the cliff. Suddenly his fingers smoldered. Lines of fire spread from his fingertips like ignited gunpowder, sizzling across the limestone. The burning lines raced across the cliff face until they had outlined a glowing red door five times taller than either of us.
"Whoa," I muttered, watching as the door swung open, disturbingly silently for such a big slab of rock.
"Come on," Leo grinned and grabbed my hand, and we both stepped inside.
Lights flickered on—a combination of electric fluorescents and wall-mounted torches, revealing a cave the size of an airplane hangar, with endless worktables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above. Equipment was everywhere—hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air spades, forklifts, plus something that looked suspiciously like a nuclear reaction chamber. Bulletin boards were covered with tattered, faded blueprints, others covered with newer, more recent ones. And weapons, armor, shields—war supplies all over the place, a lot of them only partially finished. And in the middle of the cave, curled up on a large, circular platform, snoozed a familiar bronze dragon.
I just gaped, too stunned to say a word.
Leo grinned, holding his arms out dramatically. "Welcome, to my favorite party spot in all of CHB—Bunker Nine."
(A/N: Cliffhanger coz the chapter was getting too long)