plague bringer - a heroes of olympus insert

𝗏𝗂𝗂𝗂. 𝗎𝗉, 𝗎𝗉, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒!

Aria left the bunker after she zoned out and almost fell asleep the second time.

"Aria?" a hand snapped in front of her face. "You still with me, hermosa?"

Aria jolted up and flushed with embarrassment.  "Y-yeah sorry.  What did you need me to grab?" She paused for a second, processing what he said.  "Hey, wait a second! I told you to stop calling me that!" She glared at him. "Save that nickname for your novia.  If you get one and slip up by calling me that nickname, she'll kill me in my sleep."

Aria and Leo were best friends, which meant Leo would harass her just for kicks and giggles.  They would always cause chaos at wilderness school and they had a good many similarities.  The pair of them just clicked, causing them to always joke about being platonic soulmates.

She remembered how Jason laughed about how he would always be her number two in comparison to him.  Aria laughed and corrected him, saying he'd be her number three since he could never compare to the beauty that was Piper.

Aria briefly paused at that thought, remembering Jason and her friendship and jokes weren't real.  He had become like an older brother to her over their time at school, or at least her memories said they did.  Aria snapped herself back out  of her thoughts to see Leo was finishing his laughing fit.

"You really were zoned out, huh? It took you a while to notice.  I asked you if you wanted to head back to your cabin to get some sleep, but I think you already answered that question."

Leo helped her up before starting to walk her back out to the door of the bunker. "Are you sure you don't need my help?  I can stay awake." She checked, feeling guilty about leaving him there alone.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I want you to be okay to go questing with me tomorrow.  So please, go to sleep. Besides, I want you to be fully awake to see Festus in all of his glory." Leo's eyes lit up with the determination and excitement that usually showed up when he talked about his projects.

"Fine." Aria sighed, rolling her eyes. "But you better try to get some sleep if you have time after finishing that dragon.  I'll know if you don't." She shot him a threatening look, but gave him a fond smile.  "Welp, happy building!  Good luck you grease monkey!" She exclaimed, walking back to her cabin.

"Thank you!" Leo exclaimed, waving goodbye to her before walking into the bunker.

After a bit of a walk, Aria made it back to her cabin.  She walked to the bunk she had been forced into, but she saw it had a big backpack on it and something that looked like a card with her name on it.  She quietly walked over to her bunk and picked up the card.  The room was faintly lit by nightlights, so she was able to read it. 

In the card were well wishes from her cabinmates and then they explained that they filled the backpack up for her with everything she should need for a quest.  Kayla specifically mentioned that there was a small knife just in case she needed it, which felt ominous.  Aria set the stuff beside her bunk before laying down.  Although she was in a new place with a lot of people she didn't know, she felt more like she belonged then she had in a long time.  She drifted off to sleep, trying to ignore the fear of going on a quest tomorrow.

***

After waking up and showering, Aria grabbed her bag that her siblings packed for her. 

Kayla walked over to her with Austin, sadness visible on their features.  "So this is it, huh?  Feels unfair that we get to meet you for a day and then suddenly you're sent off on a quest."

Aria adjusted the straps before shooting the girl a sad smile. "I guess so.  But if I get any say in the matter, I'll come back."

Austin was about to speak, until suddenly an alarm went off around camp.  Aria and her siblings ran out to see Leo sitting atop a giant bronze death machine and grinning like a lunatic. Aria was positive her smile had to match.  Half the camp had ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon set down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yelled, "It's cool! Don't shoot!"