Would that I ──── Leo Valdez [2]

𝟐𝟖: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦

─────𝐋𝐞𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: good luck was a sham. At least when it came to Leo's luck.

Last winter he and Vincent had watched in horror while a family of Cyclopes prepared to roast Jason and Piper with hot sauce. They'd schemed their way out of that one and saved their friends, but at least he'd had time to think.

Now, not so much. Hazel and Frank had been knocked out by the tendrils of a possessed steampunk bowling ball. Two suits of armor with bad attitudes were about to kill him and Vincent.

Leo couldn't blast them with fire. Suits of armor wouldn't be hurt by that. Besides, Vincent, Hazel and Frank were too close. He didn't want to burn them, or accidentally hit the piece of firewood that controlled Frank's life.

On Leo's right, the suit of armor with a lion's head helmet creaked its wiry neck and regarded Hazel and Frank, who were still lying unconscious.

"A male and female demigod," said Lion Head. "These will do, if the others die." Its hollow face mask turned back to Leo. "We do not need you, Leo Valdez and Vincent Rosier."

Vincent drew his sword, which also wouldn't do much in close quarters. He looked just as terrified as Leo felt and Leo was glad for that. All the other demigods on the Argo II looked confident and in control all the time, even when they weren't. He liked knowing he wasn't the only one who had no idea what to do at any given point in time. 

But he also knew panicking wouldn't help. He felt his fears ease away and his heartbeat slow. He caught Vincent's eye, his friend was looking at him waiting for a signal to try and fight Lion Head and the suits of armor.

"Come on, you'll always need us," Vincent joked.

Leo laughed and spread his hands and hoped he looked confident and useful, not desperate and terrified. He wondered if it was too late to write TEAM LEO on his shirt.

Sadly, the suits of armor were not as easily swayed as the Narcissus Fan Club had been.

The one with the wolf-headed helmet snarled, "I have been in your mind, Leo. I helped you start the war."

Leo's smile crumbled. He took a step back. "That was you?"

Now he understood why those tourists had bothered him right away, and why this thing's voice sounded so familiar. He'd heard it in his mind.

"You made me fire the ballista?" Leo demanded. "You call that helping?"

Vincent's grip on his sword handle tightened, his knuckles turning white. His eyes were on Leo always, even though they should have been on the Wolf Head. 

"I know how you think," said Wolf Head. "I know your limits. You are small and alone. You need friends to protect you. Without them, you are unable to withstand me. I vowed not to possess YOU again, but I can still kill you, slowly... after making you suffer."

The armored dudes stepped forward. The points of their swords hovered a few inches from Leo's face.

Faster than Leo could follow, Vincent stepped between him and the armored dudes. It was like watching a beautiful machine work. His moves were precise and quick, he moved like he was made of wind. 

Leo had seen Percy fight, but Vincent was something else. Leo got this kind of rush just watching him, the way his eyebrows drew together, the way he flushed completely red with anger, the way his arms looked when he was fighting.