KYRA
Kyra woke up feeling more well-rested than she ever had before. She felt her face warm as she was reminded of Leo's words to her last night when she had asked him what that word he kept calling her, mariposa, meant.
"Oh, it's a nickname. My mom always said that nicknames were a good way to show someone you care about them."
Out of all that happened last night, the thing Kyra had the most difficulty wrapping her head around was the fact that Leo cared for her. Apparently, Audrey was right. It was strange, Kyra wasn't used to people caring about her.
She walked somewhat aimlessly around camp, enjoying the freedom of finally being able to go where she wanted, when she wanted. She let a soft smile grace her face as she thought of Leo's reassuring words to her, how he spoke so softly and told her that what happened to her wasn't her fault.
Audrey gave Kyra a warm smile as she walked into the infirmary, carrying the sweatshirt she had borrowed. "Here you go," Kyra spoke quietly, keeping her voice down as there were campers sleeping.
"Thanks, Kyra," Audrey replied with a smile, taking the sweatshirt from Kyra's hands. She nodded, looking around the infirmary. "You need any help? I don't have anything to do today."
Before Audrey could respond, Will rounded the corner quickly, "Ah, ah, ah. Kyra, today's your first day off in like, forever. We appreciate the help but you can go have fun you know," he spoke with a smile.
"Oh, I know, I just thought if you needed help, well, I could help..." she trailed off. While she liked having the freedom to do what she wanted, she wasn't exactly sure what it was she wanted to actually do. She spent a lot of time helping around camp because it's what she'd been trained to do. Kyra didn't know what to do with herself if she wasn't being of service to another person. She knew it was sad but she didn't remember if she had any hobbies. She was taken when she was so young that even if she had hobbies, she was sure they wouldn't be of interest to her now that she was older.
"I bet Leo would be happy to see you," Audrey spoke with a wide grin on her face, causing Kyra to blush.
Will looked at the two with an amused expression. "So you and Leo have been getting pretty close, Kyra?" he spoke with a hint of teasing that Kyra was getting pretty good at picking up on.
She felt her face flush more as the siblings looked at her, their eyes shining as bright as the sun their father controlled. "We- we're becoming good friends," she spoke softly, feeling a smile play at her lips at the thought of the kind Latino boy.
Audrey opened her mouth but Will quickly put his hand over it, causing Kyra to furrow her eyebrows. "Right. And we're very happy for you two," he spoke, giving Audrey a look that was not missed by Kyra, she just couldn't decipher what it meant.
Audrey rolled her eyes and gently pushed her brother's hand off her mouth. Kyra turned around as she noticed someone walk into the infirmary. It was Piper with a sheepish smile, Kyra smiled back.
"Hey guys," she said. "Sorry to bother you so early, Lacey hit her head trying to get a pair of shoes out of the closet this morning so I was just wondering if I could grab some Ambrosia for her."
"Is she okay?" Kyra questioned as Will nodded and went to grab some Ambrosia.
"She's fine; We didn't want to bother you guys but she's not really feeling up for walking."
Will handed her Ambrosia, "Well I can come back with you just to check if you want," Kyra spoke, feeling bad about leaving a girl with a potential head injury with no medical attention.
"But you were going to go visit Leo," Audrey spoke, sounding disappointed.
Kyra blushed again as Piper smiled widely at her. "That'd be great, Kyra. Jason and I haven't seen Leo in a little bit since he's been holed up in the bunker, we can all grab lunch after if you want,"
Kyra nodded, trying to get her face to cool down. "Yeah, that sounds fun," she spoke.
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Kyra was glad to be able to spend some more time with Piper, even if her cabin was kind of hectic.
"Alright, Lacey, everything looks good. Make sure to tell Piper or one of your siblings if your pain gets any worse and have them get me or go to the infirmary right away," Kyra spoke gently after inspecting the young girl's head.
The girl nodded. "I will, thanks Kyra," she spoke, giving her a smile. Kyra smiled back, happy that she was able to help.
"Thanks, Kyra," Piper spoke this time, leading the duo out of the pink cabin. "You were great with her. She really hates the infirmary or anything medical so I'm glad you came out," she finished gratefully.
Kyra nodded, "Of course. It's what I'm here for; If she needs help again I'm happy to come to her. I know what it's like to want to stay away from a place that makes you scared or uncomfortable," she finished as the girls exited the cabin. Piper smiled at her.
They began the walk to the dining pavilion as lunch was nearing and Piper had made Jason grab Leo from the Bunker. Kyra wasn't quite sure how Leo was doing; he seemed really tense and stressed lately. Kyra couldn't even imagine the kind of pressure he must be under being in charge of such an important project.
The duos entered the pavilion at the same time, Jason seemed to be trying to cheer Leo up who had somewhat of a grimace on his face but he quickly smiled when he saw Piper and Kyra.
Kyra felt her heart speed up as the boys walked over to them, a smile growing on her own face. Seeing her friends always made her happier, it was just nice to know that she wasn't around people who would hurt her anymore. But seeing Leo was just another feeling entirely: seeing him felt like the sun on her skin, warm and comforting. Seeing him and his smile made her feel protected, he was the first person to smile at her in a very long time. Even when he was clearly stressed about trying to free Kyra from Medea, he still managed to send a comforting smile her way.
"Hey guys," Jason spoke first as the group met up at the Zeus table, only a few other campers starting to gather for lunch.
"Hey," Piper replied. "Leo, where have you been? We haven't seen you in ages?" she finished with a teasing smile.
Kyra watched as Leo put on a false smile, it didn't meet his eyes and Kyra felt anxious for him. He didn't look like he was sleeping well. Especially if he was wandering the camp last night. Kyra usually woke up from her nightmares really late at night. Leo wouldn't have been able to hear her if he wasn't already up and in the area.
"Aw, you know me Pipes, once I start a project I have to finish it. The Argo II needs to be finished in time to set sail before the solstice. I don't exactly have time to take breaks," he finished, sending the group a tired grin.
"Are you sleeping enough?" Kyra asked, not really thinking.
The group turned to look at her, before Piper and Jason seemed to look at Leo for the first time, finally realizing he may not be doing as well as they thought. He was supposed to be their best friend, how could they not notice?
Leo sent Kyra a smirk. "Yeah, I run on caffeine usually, but I'm still sleeping," he said in a way that didn't instill a whole lot of confidence in his story.
Piper frowned, "Kyra's right Leo, you seem really tired. Are you okay?"
Jason looked at Leo with an equally concerned face. Kyra watched as Leo's confident demeanor began to disappear and he seemed to shrink under their gaze. He was uncomfortable and Kyra didn't like the slightly panicked look that was beginning to form on his face.
"Can you guys help me with something?" Kyra spoke up quickly, turning the conversation on her. "Annabeth suggested I try to be exposed to more of the things I'm uncomfortable with, especially with fighting. It's supposed to help for when I'm actually in a dangerous situation," she explained without waiting for an answer from the group.
"Sure, Kyra," Jason responded. "We'd be happy to help you. What exactly does she mean by exposure?" he questioned. Kyra watched Leo let out a relieved breath and she sent a small smile his way when he caught her eye.
"It's mainly with being close to people when I'm fighting. I freaked out earlier when Annabeth grabbed me and brought me too close to her," she admitted. "She thought it would help if I got used to that so I won't freak out when it actually happens," she explained, feeling herself get nervous at the thought of having to be that close to someone in a fight, having someone get the upper hand on her like that.
"Yeah of course," Piper responded, sending her a warm smile. "We'd be happy to help, right guys?" she nudged Jason who was looking at Kyra with a slightly worried expression.
"Yeah, of course," he responded, sending her a weak smile. Leo nodded from across Kyra, sending her a warm smile of his own.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it. She thought it might be good if Leo and Jason helped out specifically because they're guys and well, I'm more uncomfortable around guys," she explained sheepishly, beginning to fidget with her fingers.
"Well, I don't want to make you uncomfortable Kyra. Are you sure this is something you want to do?" Jason questioned quietly, making Kyra doubt herself slightly. Was she sure about this? But Leo caught her gaze from across the table and gave her a reassuring nod, one that wouldn't have been visible if Kyra hadn't already been looking at him.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she spoke more quietly this time, feeling slightly less sure of herself. "I'm comfortable around you guys and I know you wouldn't hurt me. It's safer for me to freak out now and be uncomfortable than to freak out in a situation where I'm really in danger," she shrugged. She had gotten used to the idea of being in danger on her quest, but she still hadn't fully developed a plan on how to deal with the 'normal' things: being around new people, socializing, and having to trust and rely on strangers.
Leo's mouth turned to a frown ever so slightly. Kyra wondered what that was about.
"I think that's a good idea, Kyra," Piper spoke, encouraging. Kyra smiled as the boys nodded at her, feeling good that she was able to advocate for herself, with a little help from Leo of course.
"Thanks guys, I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I can't thank you enough," she spoke with a smile.
"You don't need to thank us, Kyra, you're our friend, of course we'll help you," Jason spoke with a smile.
Kyra's smile widened at Jason's words. "Thanks. I really don't know wha-" Kyra's sentence was cut short as the words got stuck in her throat. She felt like all the breath had been knocked out of her. The smile was wiped off her face as she turned deathly pale.
No.
It couldn't be him. She wouldn't allow it to be him. But as he turned around, Kyra realized she was right. He caught her eye, seeming to recognize her even after all these years.
"Kyra," she was cut off by Leo. "Are you alright?" he questioned, his eyes deepening in concern.
Kyra didn't know what to do. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She shook her head subtly in response to Leo's question.
Then she ran.
She ran and didn't look back. Not even when Leo called out her name.
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Author's Note:
Sorry for the delayed chapter! Hope you enjoyed!