Daughter of Olympus - [Leo Valdez xF!Oc]

Disappointed but Not Surprised

I look indignantly at the shroud in front of me. "You planned his funeral behind my back?"

"It's been two weeks, Ara," Chiron tries to reason.

"I asked you to be patient!"

"We have," Annabeth looks exhausted. "But Iris's messages don't go anywhere..."

"It's time to pluck up your courage, Birdy," Clarisse intervenes.

***

Ara wakes up in the middle of the night covered in cold sweat, she goes to the bathroom and examines her reflection in the dark.

On the week she spent outside of camp, she grew out of her babyish features. Her gaze is slightly more stern, her body is fuller even though she hasn't been eaten that well. When she mentioned to Will that her body was rejecting the nectar and ambrosia, Will put her mind at ease. 

He said it was the other way around, her body was healing itself so quickly that it probably overloaded when she tried to speed up the process even more. There is nothing wrong with her, she's alright. 

So why is she so restless?

***

Annabeth steps forward and I follow, but I can't talk. I tell my friend to speak for both of us. 

"He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He... He's right there!"

My heart nearly jumps out of my chest. A crowd of campers surround Percy and greet him, Annabeth and I leave the half-burned shroud abandoned.

"Well," Chiron sighs in relief. "I don't believe I've ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me—"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Annabeth demands.

I hold onto my brother, thick tears stain Percy's shirt but he makes no attempt to push me away. I use my empath touch on him, he's happy, but there's something looming over him... The remnants of a powerful emotion, so strong that it feels like it keeps him from breathing right.

I think Percy fell in love.

***

Leo Valdez.

Just thinking his name gives her butterflies... but also makes her want to punch a wall. She wouldn't have minded liking him, or being preordained to help him—but both at the same time? What a bad joke.

Chiron had advised her to not pursue romantic relationships as soon as she got her wish granted. She won't live a normal life, things like school, or camp chores, are all beneath her. So is dating. 

Nevertheless, just like it was predestined that she would get Almighty, Leo and her will fall in love, and she hates that it's not an exciting thought. Mike was wrong, she isn't lucky, she's cursed.

Stupid Michael Yew, why can't he go away? No matter what she thinks, or where she looks, he's there. It's really hard to move on and do her job right with his lingering presence breathing down her neck.

"Shut up," Ara scowls at her reflection. "Don't think like that."

The girl returns to her room, falls on the mattress, then rolls over and stares at the ceiling. When did life get so hard?

***

Rachel guides us through the maze so quickly that I can't believe we hadn't thought about her until now. Unfortunately, our progress stops when Luke's army finds us, and he takes us to meet another one of Percy's half-siblings. They take my friends' weapons, I didn't have time to seize mine when they caught us, so they think I'm unarmed. It's the first time I'm glad about my unassuming looks.