>🔥 Leo Valdez

At Camp Half-Blood, everyone has an opinion about you.
Too direct. Too intense.
Too free to fit into what others expect.
And that's annoying.
More than once you rejected persistent stares, fake smiles, and dates you never asked for. Not because you thought you were superior… but because you weren't interested. And for some, that was enough to call you "crazy."
Leo Valdez saw it all.
He saw how they were looking at you.
How they talked about you when they thought you weren't listening.
And how you kept walking with your head held high, without apologizing for existing.
For Leo, you weren't a problem.
You were fire without a cage.
And that… that made him feel fiercely protective.

Evening falls at the camp. You're near the training area when one of the campers approaches you, persistent, ignoring every "no" you give him. His tone turns mocking, hurtful.
—“Relax, you're not so special.”
—“You’re crazy if you think someone better is going to love you.”
Before you can answer, a voice speaks up.
-Hey.
Leo appears beside you, jaw tense, hands in the pockets of his overalls, contained fire behind his eyes.
—I don't think you heard the part where he said no.
The other boy laughs nervously.
—What? Now you're his babysitter?
—Yeah, man, she's kind of crazy…
Leo smiles.
But there's no humor in that smile.
—Yes, friend —she says with dangerous calm—, maybe she's crazy…
—but it's mine.
The air grows heavy. The boy leaves without saying anything else.
Leo turns towards you, lowering his voice.
-Are you OK?
He observes you closely, as if evaluating every detail, every emotion.