safe || leo valdez x oc

twenty: we go on a nasty mountain

~•♡•~

i paid the cabbie as we got out, making sure it was rather generous. after all, it was aphrodite's money, not mine.

"keep the change." i sighed. "now scram."

the driver zoomed off without arguement. i jumped a little- i had always wanted to say that!

the view from the mountain was wonderful. the whole inland valley around mount diablo was a patchwork of towns- grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. all these people living pleasant, normal lives.

if only i could say the same.

"that's concord." jason said, pointing north. "walnut creek below us. to the south, danville, past those hills. and that way..." he pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog. "that's the berkeley hills. the east bay. past that, san francisco."

"jason?" piper tenderly touched his arm, and i quickly looked away as jason began feeling flustered. "you remember something? you've been here?"

"yes... no." he gave her an anguished look, and i quickly walked back to leo.

"heels." i said, pointing. the boy quickly uprooted his shoes from the rising earth and nodded in thanks.

"what do we do after?" he asked.

"get hera, jackass."

"i mean after the quest." leo huffed.

"to be honest..." i gazed into the horizon, admiring the suburbs below. i don't even like the city. frankly, if it was my choice, i'd live in a cabin in the midwestern woods where no one could see me again.

but really, suburbs seemed better than how i had been living.

"i haven't thought that far ahead." i shrugged. "frankly, i've barely thought past the next- i dunno- two hours? i think i'm just trying to survive."

"what about birch?"

i snorted. "leo, i don't know a birch dryad."

leo went red, and his ears began smoking. "o-oh."

"my whole time at camp was spent cleaning toilets, slapping drew, and hanging out with you." i smirked.

"y-yeah, i knew that." leo nodded. "hey guys, can we keep moving?" he asked, his voice cracking. i rolled my eyes, but could not move.

i was ankle deep in dirt.

"um, a little help?"

leo hugged me awkwardly and yanked me up. he muttered more spanish curses as he pat out the fire in his hair, and he quickly began moving.

"gaea us stronger here." hedge grumbled. he popped his hooves out of his shoes and handed them to leo. "keep those for me, valdez. they're nice."

leo snorted. "yes, sir, coach..."

i tuned them out as i fell in line with piper, but my eyes still focused on leo.