Hello and welcome all to pyredez! This is an independent, private, and selective Leo Valdez from Percy Jackson the Olympians & The Heroes of Olympus. I’ll be combining sources from the books and my own headcanons. Please see any information about this blog down below. Rules will be under the cut. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to message me! I promise I am very friendly!
AJ. She/her. 25.
info. interest tracker. promo. headcanons. multi.
Rules to follow! I'll keep it simple:
Mun: My name's AJ! I love characters, love talking about them all the time. I love to read and write. I mostly read horror, and recently found it's actually a favorite genre of mine. I'm a nerd, a dork, hella shy, and would love to be your friend!
Please be kind and respectful! If there are any issues with me, please come to me in an appropriate manner. I don't bite, I promise. We all know we can't read each other's minds!
The Gods and Goddesses. As someone who is a devotee to one of the Greek Gods, I may have a different approach with how the children interact with their parents. I'll try to balance canon and how I view it.
NS.FW. Will not be present on this blog. Even though my main verse will be set a few years post the events in the books, I won't be writing it.
Shipping. I love to ship. It's one thing I do like to explore, but it isn't my top priority on this blog. If you're interested in shipping, just let me know. We can talk about our muses to see if they click well. I ask you just don't force ship anything. Side note I don't ship Leo and Calypso, so he won't be in a relationship with her.
Controversial characters. Totally down to write with any type of character. I won't limit myself. If this bothers you, please do not follow.
Triggers. I'll tag what I can/remember. I will NOT write with drunk muses. This doesn't need to be tagged for your threads, I just don't want to deal with it one-on-one.
Formatting. If there is anything about my formatting for writing that bothers you, please feel free to message me. I'll be happy to change it for our threads.
OCs/Fandoms. Totally chill with OCs, just have some type of an about page. I can try and fit my muses into anything, and will follow blogs I can see working (even if I don't know the fandom).
Be patient! I have a full time job and a few other blogs I hop on. I usually go with the flow, see what muse I have. Plus please be aware that I struggle with depression. Some days are good and others not so much.
OOC. I love to chat ooc. Through IMs or discord. Whatever works for you. Although, discord is only open to mutuals.
Icons. I don't use icons as of right now, but I have found a FC. I'll slowly be making icons when I get the chance. In general, you are free to use them or don't!
Movies & Show. I'm opened to discussing a way to flow them together since I base most of my blog around the books. Don't feel as though you can't approach me!
HE DIDN’T LIKE THE FACT OF NOT STEERING THE SHIP. IT was one of the few things he felt useful over. However, his arm muscles hurt from keeping them in a certain position for such a long period of time without rest. Deep down Leo knew that taking a break was the smart thing to do. If he was far too tied he could make a mistake, and he didn’t want to make another mistake.
LEO SAT QUIETLY AFTER HE SPOKE HIS MIND. CHOCOLATE EYES looked out into the distance as a small breeze rolled over them. He relished the coolness it offered his warm skin. Leo had to admit that it was nice to take a break. He didn’t realize how exhausted he was— his body and mind.
THE SON OF HEPHAESTUS LISTENED TO HIS FRIEND. HE WAS right. Fate knew what they were doing, but it still didn’t help him to think about the ‘what if’. What if he wasn’t born a child of Hephaestus? What if he didn’t have these abilities that many see as a curse? Would his life be better? Would he not have turned out to be such an outcast? A loser? What is this? A pity party? He really needed to stop with those. Leo knew it hindered his growth as a person. Yet knowing it didn’t make it any easier to act on it.
HIS CHEST TIGHTENED, EYES BURNED WITH A THREAT OF TEARS if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t want to cry. Not now. Not in front of Jason. His words were kind enough, and it made him feel at ease, but that ‘what if’ kept coming back to eat at his conscience. He almost wished it could be true— a normal life, “ I don’t want my best friends taken away from me either. I just… I— ” he cut himself short. This wasn’t the time to get emotional like this. He was the cool guy, the annoying one, the one who made everyone smile with a roll of their eyes.
LEO’S GAZE KEPT TO THE DISTANCE AROUND THEM, NOT FEELING too brave to face Jason, “ I don’t think you would be a jerk. I can’t see it… maybe not a jerk on purpose, ” he admitted with a faint trace of a smile, “ I would be by my mom’s side. Probably would have made our own mechanic shop. ” @volansvir xx
To those of you out there who ever had the fun curiosity, I wonder how I come off to other people . . . you clearly don’t have folks looking at you the way they look at Percy. They made it pretty clear what they thought about him, from the time he was a kid and people expected nothing of him, to all of the sudden having everyone expect everything of him, to apparently seeming like some untouchable jerk who “had it all together” and knew what he was doing 24/7—like he was born into being a hero and therefore had never struggled once.
Oh, boo-hoo, Percy Jackson; throw a pity party— Yeah, okay. He got it. Maybe he even understood, and maybe that was exactly the reason he felt the need to sit down honestly like this and make it entirely clear: Bro, I have no idea what I’m doing. (But, hey, when I figure it out, you’ll be one of the first I tell.) Something on his ever-growing list of “Things I Don’t Expect to Hear (But Usually End Up Hearing Anyway)” was being told he was scary to any degree, but even then . . . Leo confessing it more or less made it official.
Come to think of it, Frank and Hazel once stared at him like that: like they weren’t sure whether to be horrified or impressed by what he’d done. In the adrenaline of the moment, sure, Percy might not have paid it much mind, but the fact he could so clearly remember their faces said something.
Hey, if he was so intimidating without even trying, you’d think more monsters would buzz right off and leave him alone. Gods forbid that work in his favor.
Percy’s face twisted, something like a flinch. “My bad,” he admitted again, but forced himself to loosen up some as he stretched out his legs, spread his hands. “I mean, I could start wearing googly-eye glasses or something if that’d help.” There was no way a guy could be scary when he looked like that, right? Percy was positive even if someone was beating him to a pulp, he’d be struggling not to laugh the entire time. If anyone could figure something out to combat the “intimidation” factor, though, it’d be Leo. That being said, now Percy figured he ought to be worried about the outcome—
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot . . .
At the very least, Leo was actually smiling, now. When what seemed like a genuine grin split across his face, Percy realized how insanely contagious it was coming from him. (And, y’know? He liked it. He wanted that to happen more.) After a bark of laughter, Percy said, “If ‘uncoolness’ is a problem on this ship, I think we’re all in trouble.” But, no, that was definitely a lie. Percy actually thought all of them deserved a little bit of hype. “You don’t gotta thank me, man. This was something I wanted to do, so. Actually pretty cool of you to listen and, uh . . . talk to me.”
LEO KNEW THAT WHAT HE HAD DONE TO PERCY was no better to what people had done to him. Then again, wasn’t it human nature to have a fixed thought of someone by appearance alone? It was, wasn’t it? It was never right, of course, but people couldn’t help it. Judgement was in everyone. It just mattered if someone would be cruel enough to voice it in such a way that would bring someone down. That last part was what Leo was used to.
HE COULD ALMOST HEAR HIS MAMA’S VOICE THAT WAS USED to lecture him on many occasions: Mi hijo, no one in life knows what they are doing. Not even adults. One page at a time… one step at a time. It took Leo long enough to realize how true it was. And if he could be so bold, he would even say that the gods had no idea what they were doing. So, what now? It meant that everything was going to be fine. Leo needed to allow himself this weakness, to be honest with someone. This was his chance to reach for a place ahead. It was even better to know that even Percy Jackson didn’t have it all figured out either
THE SON OF HEPHAESTUS LET OUT A SMALL SNORT. HIS whole body started to relax again, “ Hey, I think that would almost be the best idea ever. I could probably make you up a wicked pair. ” Already his mind came up with three ideas for those glasses.
HIS SMALL SNORT TURNED INTO HIS OWN CHUCKLE AT PERCY’S remark. Every demigod was labeled ‘uncool’ weren’t they? That thought made him feel more at ease, more comfortable, “ Nah. I think… I— yeah. I do appreciate it. I mean, not many would do what you just did. At least, people I’ve met in the past, ” Leo shifted on his makeshift seat, “ So, really… I do mean it, ” his sheepish smile came across his lips, “ To be honest— like I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know if I wanted to accept this talk, ” he shrugged, “ But, I’m glad I did. I think we can do some serious damage together. ”
WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO TALK ABOUT BEING DIFFERENT, LEO ALMOST got more fidgety than he already was. His anxieties begin to spike, and soon words leave his mouth in an almost defensive manner. He hated it. It made him feel as if everyone was out to get him when in reality they never paid him any mind. Leo didn’t want to make this about him. He, despite all his theatrics, didn’t like to be the center of attention. Yet his fake confidence always did, and sometimes not in a good way, but again this was about Jason. Jason hardly talked about himself, being vulnerable with him, and Leo somehow ruined it.
HE STOPPED WHAT HE WAS DOING. HE BACKED AWAY FROM the part he tinkered with, grease and soot covered part of his face. Leo raised a hand to wipe his forehead clean of it as best as he could, “ N-No! Wait, man, that wasn’t what I— ” he sighed and reached for a cloth, “ What I mean is that… I get it. I’m sorry if I sounded insensitive. ” His other hand reached back to scratch the back of his curls, “ You have a lot going on. You have two different points of view, and it’s a little confusing. I couldn’t imagine. ”
CHOCOLATE HUES LOOKED BACK AT HIS HANDY WORK WITH A shake of his head, “ But using your strength could be quite useful. Plus your flying abilities would be pretty dang helpful. Less use of some of the machines around here which could save a little time. ” He beamed. @volansvir xx
So, mere seconds ago, Percy was already thinking to himself, Okay, great. I’m making progress here. The guy’s opening up to me, probably doesn’t think I’m the worst person in the universe anymore, might actually be on the path to becoming real friends—mission accomplished. What he hadn’t taken into account was that this could actually go deeper. That he’d just been wiggling his toes in the wet sand from the tide, and now he was getting straight-up yanked into the undertow. Because just when Percy had accepted that Leo would likely need a lot more time before anything went any further . . . the kid just went ahead and dropped the most honest, and likely the most heart-breaking thing Percy had ever heard:
I don’t know how friends work.
The way it just kinda fell out made Percy think it wasn’t totally intentional, just one of those debilitating thoughts you usually keep to yourself up until something (or someone?) finally pushes you over the edge and it spills everywhere. Almost immediately after saying it, Leo’s attention darted away like a spooked alley cat, which was just as well, considering Percy couldn’t help staring at him from the shock of it all. (And he had been doing a lot of that lately, hadn’t he? Way to make the guy feel comfortable, Percy. Just keep on gawking at him.)
He didn’t have time to say anything between his dumb surprise and Leo hastily shoeing in an afterthought. Or two. Or three. Percy was sure that moment of silence didn’t exactly help matters—and was equally wondering when he’d shoved his own foot in his mouth—but when he eventually got around to at least attempting some sort of response, Leo really just . . . dragged him deeper. All it took was the mention of his mom, that telltale crackle in his voice, and Percy managed to bridge a few gaps without needing to ask.
“Hey, me too.” It was the best he could do on short-notice: a thread of relatability the two of them could follow while Percy silently digested everything else Leo had just spouted. He tried to maintain a cool demeanor (“cool” as in . . . calm; Percy knew he wasn’t cool cool), combatting those nerves clearly still taking hold of Leo, and he hoped it showed in his smile. “On, uh . . . both accounts. Just to be clear. I didn’t really have any friends until Camp Half-Blood. Well— Okay, not true. Grover would kill me if he heard me say that, but . . . I just mean I’m not exactly popular in the ‘real world.’ And plenty of half-bloods hated me for awhile too—some still do.”
His shoulders hunched a bit. “Now, that must sound stupid: ‘Mr. Hero’ complaining about not being the popular kid . . . I probably look like a big jerk, which is saying something after how I treated you back there.” A grimace twisted his face, but he met Leo’s eyes earnestly. “I guess I just mean . . . all of us are figuring this out, y’know? No different than we’re figuring out this quest: we’re doing it together. And that includes you. You don’t gotta be so hard on yourself.”
HE FELT INSTANT GUILT OF DROPPING SUCH AN HONEST BOMB. It probably made him look more like an idiot than before. Leo wanted to crawl away with a small joke that ended with a ‘Haha! Gotcha!’. Who said that? Who didn’t have at least one friend or two by now? Leo had been so alone, so ridiculed by so many that basic human functions were a foreign concept.
‘Or maybe it was never other people. Maybe it was you that distanced yourself until it was foreign’.
THAT COULD BE TRUE. THAT COULD ALSO PLAY A PART. Leo knew, and had been told softly by others, that he had to recognize his own fault for this great weight. It was a step forward. He had to be honest with himself and others. He just knew he dropped something heavy on someone who probably wasn't equipped for such a blow. But really… everything all demi-gods are doing now wasn't something they were really equipped for this. One thing was for sure— demi-gods grew up fast. Faster than they should be. Alas… it was their life. A fated life from the start.
NOT ONLY DID HE LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT, BUT NOW a child. Why did he have to go and mention his mom? Just the thought made his eyes prickle, a burning sensation behind chocolate hues. She had been everything to him, and he had only known her for a short time. It wasn’t fair. She was ripped away from him too soon, and Leo never got the chance to say anything to her, to let her know how much he appreciated all the care she gave.
PERCY’S WORDS ALMOST SOUNDED LIKE PITY, BUT HE SHOULD KNOW better. From what he already figured out Percy, the man never said anything he didn’t mean… unless of course it was to an enemy. From what he could tell, Leo wasn’t that to Percy. This made him feel more at ease, and for once Leo allowed himself to be vulnerable. He sighed with that relief, his shoulders dropped with a strong intensity which almost was heartbreaking in itself, “ Really? ” His voice didn’t sound like his own— it was too raw, “ It did, and still does, seem like you have it all together, ” Leo offered the other demo-god a small smile, a timid one, “ I won’t lie to you, man, ” a small pause with a soft breath, “ I thought there could be nothing wrong in your life. Popular at camp, saved the world a couple of times, got cool powers… I mean super neat type of guy. You did give me the chills when you were angry, ” he admitted through a nervous chuckle, “ Still wrong of me to judge. ”
LEO FELT WARMTH SPREAD IN HIS CHEST. HE WAS RIGHT. All of them were in the middle of trying to figure things out. They were young with (hopefully) a long life ahead. He should focus on the now. Not the past, not the future, but here with this quest. He should see that all of them were just as nervous and frightened for it, “ I— yeah. Yeah, you’re right, ” to not be hard on himself? That was going to take longer to do, “ Let’s figure it out together then. I like the sound of that, ” a huge smile spread across his lips, “ And, uh, thanks. I know I sound… um… well, uncool, but I’m just— thanks, man. ” How does he go back to making jokes now? How does he go back to being annoying? His cover was ruined... well for Percy anyway.
She's not offended by the fact that he laughs. At this point in his time on the island, and how she's gotten to know him in that time, it's kind of expected.
She is offended, however, at how unseriously he takes himself in every aspect. Most of the time- yeah, it's warranted. But after what she's just seen on the beach, the idea that his sense of humor or bumbling charisma is his most valuable attributes- that's insulting.
"If that's all you had to offer I'm pretty sure they'd never let you leave, and make you part of my eternal punishment," Calypso replies, a little deadpan. She hasn't quite come to appreciate his humor. Not yet, at least.
She unfolds her hands so they lay palm up, almost like a plea for him to take what she says to heart and just believe in himself a little bit. "I don't know why you feel the need to suppress your power. And it's not my business to know either. But whatever's happened in the past that makes you want to hide, you need to leave it behind here when you go back to your friends." Her gaze meets his and, though she's just said it's not her business, she wishes that the deep sadness his eyes sometimes hold would provide her with any useful information on what to do with it rather than just make her heart ache. "You're no good to anyone in this war while you're underestimating yourself this much."
It's not exactly true, it seems he's been plenty useful thus far. But in comparison to what she thinks he might be capable of? Well, there really is no comparison.
"And if it's control you're worried about, that I can help you with more than getting out of here. That is, if you trust me." Her eyes momentarily cast down to a loose thread on her sleeve she takes between two fingertips. "Even though I haven't exactly given you much reason to." While her memories of his first days at Ogygia used to made her bitter and exasperated, she now feels not much more besides guilt.
HE HAD HEARD IT PLENTY OF TIMES SINCE HE HAD been at camp— you don’t take yourself seriously, Leo. Don’t put himself down like that. He’s heard all of it before, but honestly he can’t help it. It’s second nature to him at this point. Leo already had so many incidents that proved how he felt anyway. So, was he really far off base? Many fellow campers tried to tell him otherwise, or tried to explain that it was part of who he was with this type of life. He would continue to receive tasks, and tricks from many legendary figures. They would do anything to crush his spirit, or rather… toughen him up. Leo couldn’t blame to the fullest degree could he? They all have lived long lives, and to them it just met to ‘suck it up’.
HE SIGHED AS SHE SPOKE. HIS EYES DRIFTED BACK TO the floor as he thought to himself. What she had said made some sort of sense, but he really couldn’t believe that… right? Probably banished him out of pity, or just to confuse his friends, and make them confused on what to do. It was more than likely that option, and he was certain they would make the right choice and forget about him. He knew that they would be able to guide the ship without his help. They were smart enough for that.
“You’re no good to anyone in this war while you’re underestimating yourself this much.”
IT WAS A HARSH THING TO SAY, BUT HE knew it was the truth. Yet despite all of this… it was still so hard to believe. Leo wasn’t totally lost. He saw that he built a sturdy ship, he knew he could help in that area, but it was only for short periods of time. What else did he contribute? How was he a good friend or just friend material? All his life, all his childhood, he was told he was bad. Family called him ‘The Devil Child’. They pointed at him, whispered behind his back, and blamed all their failures on him. How could he mend from that? A tender mind was impressionable, and his only took the horror of it. So, again, how could he undo that? How could he believe the opposite of that?
LEO CASTED A MORE SHAMEFUL LOOK AT THE GROUND. SHE was right. He knew she was right, but again he didn’t know how to change his mind, “ Sure— I mean… yes. I would appreciate your help, ” He was nowhere near as strong as Jason, Percy, or even Nico, but fire was a damaging force. Physically he was no threat, but if he didn’t control his emotions then he could do damage to even his friends. If anything, he was a hazard, “ I’m willing to put my trust in you, ” he said after a moment, his voice quiet with tiredness. Wasn’t that part of the issue? That fact that Leo didn’t trust people? Why not branch out? Besides, she seemed like she could use a friend, “ I’m, uh, I’m sorry. I don’t understand why I still think the way I do. I’m just— I’m… I dunno, ” he lifted his head, “ Let’s start over, ” Leo extended his hand out to her, “ I’m Leo Valdez. ”
Working on replies across all my blogs now. I’ll probably get around to finishing/posting them Sunday when I get to my Disney hotel! Might reblog memes on only on PJO blogs soon! Over at @ohlympns and @mistforms
I know it’s been a hot minute, but hello!!! I’m going on vacation next week so I’m gonna blog hop until I leave to get things done! I’ve been feeling so meh for a while which is why I’ve been so quiet here. Please feel free to message me if you wanna discuss some stuff!! I will also be going over to @mistforms to do things and get things going on him more!
Okay so… I didn’t manage to get those done before I left so I’m brought my laptop. I got one more flight and then I’ll be able to chill and start getting back on those!
I know it’s been a hot minute, but hello!!! I’m going on vacation next week so I’m gonna blog hop until I leave to get things done! I’ve been feeling so meh for a while which is why I’ve been so quiet here. Please feel free to message me if you wanna discuss some stuff!! I will also be going over to @mistforms to do things and get things going on him more!
