Beginning of a New Spring (MHA/PJO crossover)

Chapter 13

Ophelia was glad Bakugo didn't change much after she confirmed everything he found out himself; it was that he accepted all of it without so much as the slightest protest. She didn't want to think about how their usual teasing or snide remarks felt different than before or the growing feelings she got that wouldn't be reciprocated. Getting her hopes up on something blossoming more than friendship between them was a pipe dream. She didn't think anything else but what he had his sights set on in front of him mattered.

Spring had come and gone in the blink of an eye for Ophelia, and she felt she hadn't been there for it. She saw it, but she didn't feel it. Summer was usually focused on training when the others came back from school. She was able to train and spar with Bakugo, but it never included her dagger.

Bakugo had tried to get her to do it once, not believing that her bronze dagger would pass through him. Ophelia could say she enjoyed the dumbfounded look on his face when she proved him correct. She was skeptical about it herself, considering it was a different world, but still stuck by them being mortal. She didn't even want to think about what her stygian iron dagger would do if it touched them.

That was one place she never ventured all the time she was there. She didn't even know if it existed, but the thought of it being there and with no one to oversee it was something she didn't want to dive into and attempt to control herself.

Ophelia sometimes slipped into telling a story when something reminded her, and Bakugo always listened intently. Whether he was intrigued by the stories that were different from what he knew or how they lived a different life from everyone else–but he never told her to shut the fuck up-so, she didn't stop anytime it popped into her head.

It was like a weight lifted off her shoulders that she could talk about everything openly with Bakugo instead of skirting around what was important to her. He made comments or asked questions when he deemed to want to know more or clarification when she had spoken about their lava wall and Pegasus existing.

She may have gotten closer to Shota and Hizashi, but it was never the same as talking to a friend or someone close to your age. She wanted a semblance of normalcy that she used to do every day without hiding who she was. Bakugo became that fresh breath of air when everything became too much. It was a regular occurrence to find one with the other.

"So, why McDonald's?" Bakugo asked once they arrived at the fast-food restaurant.

"Oh, I don't think I've ever stated the meaning behind McDonald's to you yet. It's more something Nico would do, but it also was a cheap place he'd eat too," Ophelia recalled. She stared at the small building with the golden arch, not having had the heart to walk into any since she got there. It was one of the many places Nico loved in their messed-up lives. It was also one of the closest-–and most straightforward–ideas Ophelia didn't think of in trying to get an idea on Nico.

Summoning the dead wasn't her thing; she didn't even know if she could do it. But it was worth a try. Better than trying to set foot in something that might not exist and getting stuck in limbo.

"Something he would do? What would he do with...." Bakugo trailed off at the end when it clicked in his mind what kind of powers Nico would have as Hades' child.

Bakugo had been reading up more on Greek Mythology, occasionally asking her to confirm or correct what he found out. His thirst for knowledge was more extensive than she realized. She explained how Nico would instead respect them than treat them as anything less than human, even if they were already deceased.

Nico was a reason you could say to never judge someone because of their parents. The sweetest yet shy but daring Italian who couldn't seem to hurt a fly only resembled his father in looks. Their personalities were the farthest things apart from each other.