The deadline was coming up to storm the fortress and rescue one Percy Jackson- who seemed to be camp favorite no matter who you asked. And in a camp this big, that was saying something- everyone was excited for the day the ship rolled out, because that day brought them closer to having him back where he belonged.
For Leo, that meant pressure.
Wake up, it's a beautiful morning- down to the bunker. Lunch, what's lunch? Work, work, work till his hands were black with oil and his hair was damp with sweat, but no breaks, this was important. Dinner bell's ringing, but he finally managed to come up with a design that wouldn't buckle under it's own
It was hard to talk about Christmas.
Leo knew his new family was trusting and accepting and would never push him away- he'd told them about his fire, after all, and he'd even told his older brothers one night how exactly he became an orphan. They had hugged him so tight, all at once, he didn't have the breath to cry and Leo knew that he could trust them with anything if he could trust them with that.
His new family was wonderful, and fun and brilliant and like him, creative and tinkery and he was at home and at peace with them.
But that didn't make it any easier to talk about Christmas.
He could joke about the sewers. About how many house