Jason's P.O.V I adjusted my glasses, squinting through the hazy, golden glare of the setting sun. The afternoon heat at Camp Half-Blood was finally breaking, replaced by a cool breeze that smelled like a mix of salt water and strawberry fields. I was supposed to be drafting layout plans for the new shrines, but my eyes kept drifting from the notebook propped on my knee to the boy half-buried inside the engine compartment of a broken-down go-kart. Leo was muttering to himself under his breath. He had a wrench clamped firmly between his teeth, and his wild, curly hair was sticking out in every possible direction. Every few seconds, a rhythmic clink-clink-clink would echo from the machine, followed by a tiny puff of citrus-scented smoke that made him cough. "Leo," I called out, unable to hide the smile tugging at my lips. "You’ve been under there for two hours. Don't forget we promised to meet up with Will and Nico before the campfire." Leo popped his head out from under the hood, the wrench dropping neatly into his hand. His face was completely smudged with black grease, and his tool belt was slung so low on his hips it looked like it was defying gravity. "An hour? Try a lifetime, Grace," Leo said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, which only succeeded in smearing more grease across his forehead. "This steering column was designed by someone who clearly hated mechanics. But watch this. I think I finally bypassed the pressure valve." Before I could even think about warning him to step back, Leo reached into the cabin and tapped a small brass dial he had welded directly onto the dashboard. Pop. A mini explosion of bright purple sparks illuminated the treeline. The go-kart shuddered violently, gave a loud metallic clack, and then went entirely, disappointingly still. "Leo! I told you, don’t hook the copper wiring to the—" I started, hastily standing up and setting my notebook aside on the log. "Aha! It worked!" Leo shouted, completely ignoring the smoke. He scrambled out of the driver's seat, but he wasn't looking at the kart at all. Instead, he was triumphantly waving a strange, brass contraption that looked like a cross between a kitchen toaster and a naval compass. "The Festus-tracker is officially calibrated! Mostly." "It blew up, Leo," I pointed out, walking over to him. I reached out, naturally straightening his crooked tool belt and gently brushing a stray piece of a strawberry leaf out of his curls. My fingers lingered for just a second against the warm skin of his neck, and I felt him lean into the touch, his eyes softening as he looked up at me. "It vented energy beautifully," Leo corrected, his voice dropping a bit softer than usual. He slipped his hand into mine as we started walking toward the cabins, his fingers interlocking perfectly with mine. His shoulder bumped comfortably against mine, and I automatically adjusted my stride, slowing down to match his shorter, energetic steps. "It’s a localized radar. You keep losing your keys in the grass when you do your sky-tricks, right? So I made a finder. But then I realized, why stop at keys? It can find anything celestial bronze." "Like Festus," I said, a familiar, deep warmth blooming in my chest. "Or the rivets in your glasses when they fall off," Leo beamed, looking up at me through his messy curls. Even through the grease smudges, I could tell his cheeks were turning a pretty pink. "Only the best for my lightning boy." We strolled past the climbing wall and headed toward Cabin Thirteen. The Hades cabin was usually a place most campers gave a wide berth, but lately, it had become our favorite spot to unwind. As we got closer, I spotted two very familiar figures sitting together on the porch steps. Nico di Angelo was leaned over, meticulously adjusting a tiny bandage on Will Solace’s forearm. Will looked completely drained. His head was leaned back against the dark wooden railing, his eyes half-closed. He had spent the entire afternoon running ragged at the infirmary dealing with an outbreak of unicorn-inflicted hay fever, and it definitely showed. "Rough day?" I asked as Leo and I stepped up to the porch, our hands still tightly clasped. Will groaned, opening one bright blue eye to look at us. "You have no idea. Pegasus bites are one thing, but sneezing demigods shooting literal sparks out of their noses? Never again. My hands are still shaking from mixing the antidote." "Which is exactly why you need to rest," Nico said softly. His voice carried that gentle, rare tone he only ever used when it was just the four of us. He lightly ran his fingers through Will's messy blond hair, a look of pure devotion in his dark eyes. "Doctor's orders. Or, well, boyfriend's orders." Will smiled, his eyes crinkling warmly at the corners as he tilted his head up. "I am a doctor, Nico." "Then you should know better," Nico replied, bending down slightly to press a soft, sweet kiss right to the crown of Will's head.
Leo hopped up onto the porch steps, sitting down right next to Nico and nudging his shoulder with a grin, though he kept his other hand anchored firmly in mine. "Hey, di Angelo! Check out the new invention. And don't you dare call it an exploding potato." Nico looked at the brass device in Leo's hands, a faint, amused smile touching his lips. "I wasn't going to call it that. But now that you mention it, it really does look like an exploding potato." I chuckled and sat down on the step just below Leo. I leaned back slightly, resting my back against Leo's shins. Leo immediately began running his fingers through my short hair, a soothing, rhythmic motion that made me want to melt right into the wood. Will reached over, lightly taking my free wrist to check my pulse out of pure medical habit. "No static burns today, Jason? You usually get those when Leo plays with live wires near you." "Nah, I'm good," I said, looking back up at Leo over my shoulder. "Leo insulated the handles this time. He's getting a lot better at safety." "Hey, safety is practically my middle name," Leo lied easily, though his eyes sparkled with affection as he looked down at me, clearly proud that I had noticed the extra effort he'd put in just to keep me safe. Nico rolled his eyes affectionately, reaching into a small cooler beside the door and tossing a couple of juice boxes down to us. "Here. Keep the mechanic hydrated so he stops blowing up my porch." Leo took a long sip of his grape juice, a mischievous glint suddenly appearing in his eyes. He leaned over to Nico. "Hey, Nico. You know what this tracking device also has? A secret setting. I call it... the Ghost King Distractor." Before Nico could ask what that meant, Leo pressed a bright red toggle switch on the side of the toaster-compass. Immediately, the machine didn't beep—it let out an incredibly loud, high-pitched squeak that sounded exactly like a tiny rubber duck. At the exact same fraction of a second, a small spring-loaded compartment on top popped open, launching a massive cloud of neon-pink glitter right into the air. Because Nico was sitting right next to him, the sparkly pink cloud poofed directly into Nico’s face. Everything went entirely still for three seconds. Nico sat there, frozen, his usually dark, brooding expression completely covered in shimmering, fabulous pink glitter. It was stuck to his eyelashes, his cheeks, and his dark black jacket. Will burst out laughing so hard he almost fell off the porch, his exhaustion completely forgotten. "Oh my gods! Nico, you sparkle! You're a literal twilight vampire!" "Valdez," Nico said, his voice dangerously low, though his cheeks were turning bright red underneath the glitter. "I am going to summon a skeleton to turn your tool belt into a lawn ornament." "Hey, it was a calibration test!" Leo yelped, instantly leaning forward to wrap his arms tightly around my neck from behind, burying his face into the crook of my shoulder to hide. "Jason, defend me! He's using his scary voice!" I couldn't help but laugh, reaching up to hold Leo’s forearms where they were crossed over my chest. I pressed a quick, reassuring kiss to the back of his hand. "You brought this on yourself, Leo. But Nico, you have to admit, pink is definitely your color." Nico glared at me, but when Will reached over with a tender smile and started gently wiping the glitter away from Nico's eyes with his thumb, Nico's shoulders slumped. He let out a soft sigh, leaning his face deeply into Will's warm palm, completely giving up on trying to look intimidating. "You guys are insufferable," Nico muttered, but the incredibly fond, soft look he gave Will totally gave him away. Will just smiled back, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Nico's glittering cheek. The four of us sat in a comfortable, easy silence as the sky shifted from brilliant orange to a deep, velvety purple. Fireflies began to blink over the canoe lake in the distance, casting tiny reflections on the water. I watched as Will finally let his eyes close completely, leaning his head heavily against Nico’s shoulder. Nico wrapped an arm securely around Will's waist, pulling him closer and resting his chin right on top of Will's messy blond curls, occasionally blowing away a stray piece of pink glitter. Sitting there on the steps with Leo’s chin resting on my shoulder, his arms wrapped warmly around my chest while his thumbs gently traced slow circles against my shirt, I felt a deep sense of peace wash over me. I turned my head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Leo's temple, smelling the faint scent of machine oil and campfire on him. He squeezed me a little tighter in response. After all the wars and everything we had been through, these goofy, sweet, romantic moments at camp were exactly what made it all worth it. The idea of a Valgrace and Solangelo fanfic was @alex20523 's. :) I'm taking requests from now on. :DDD
