❝you are summer to my winter heart❞
⤷ gemma troy
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Kira was humming a random tune to a song she didn't remember.
She was lying on her back, looking up to the ceiling of the engine room as Leo worked beside her.
He was working in a crawl space, which only fit his upper body, so Kira was left in the company of his butt and down.
Leo was hard at work, and Kira was only there for emotional support. She had gone down after Piper and Hazel had offered to practice with her, to help her sword-fighting. Kira had been begging the girls to practice with her before Tartarus, but she hadn't actually touched her sword since she came back.
"Leo!" Piper's voice rang. "We need you."
Piper appeared in the doorway of the engine room, and Kira picked up a random screwdriver so it looked like she was busy as well.
Leo sighed. "Talk to the pants, Piper! 'Cause the hands are busy!"
Kira smiled. "Yeah Piper. Talk to the pants."
"I am not talking to the pants. Meeting in the mess hall. We're almost at Olympia." Piper said.
"Yeah, fine. I'll be there in a sec." Leo said.
"What are you doing, anyway?"
"Routine maintenance."
"Leo–"
"Hey, while you're out there, do me a favour. I got this itch right below my–"
"Fine, I'm leaving!"
Leo worked for a few more minutes before wriggling out of the crawl space.
He shot a warm grin to Kira, beckoning her to follow. She dropped the screwdriver she was playing with and walked beside him.
They entered his cabin, which had become overrun with scrap and projects.
Kira watched his eyes drift to a bulletin board. She gasped, covering her mouth. "Leo! Where did you get this?"
She made her way to it, there were three drawings hung up. First was his crayon drawing of the ship, second was a charcoal sketch of Kira, and a watercolor picture Kira had done of Leo back in the Wilderness School.
She glanced back at Leo, who looked sheepish. "Uh, the charcoal one Hazel made of you. While you were in..you know. She said it would help me miss you less. It didn't work, but it's nice to look at."
Kira blushed, smiling softly.
"And the watercolor one, it's, uh, a long story."
"What?" Kira asked excitedly. "No, seriously, how long have you had that? That was so long ago, I could show you better ones–"
"Wow, wow, wow, you have more? And you didn't show me?" Leo asked, his eyes gleaming with happiness.
"Don't change the subject, babe," She chastised, but her face was glowing.
"Aphrodite gave it to me." Kira's eyebrows rose in that response. She wasn't expecting that.
Kira looked at the watercolor picture, and back at Leo. "I'll show you the others after the meeting, alright?" Leo nodded excitedly.
"I'd like that, Shark Boy."
The hum of the ship's engines changed to a lower pitch. Over the cabin loudspeaker, Festus's voice creaked and squeaked.
"Yeah, thanks, buddy," Leo said. "On my way."
The other six demigods were eating breakfast.
Percy was eating a huge stack of blue pancakes while Annabeth chided him for pouring on too much syrup.
Kira smiled softly. Annabeth had told Kira about Percy's obsession with blue food when they were building Argo II.
"You're drowning them!" she complained.
"Hey, I'm a Poseidon kid," he said. "I can't drown. And neither can my pancakes."
To their left, Frank and Hazel used their cereal bowls to flatten out a map of Greece. They looked over it, their heads close together. Every once in a while Frank's hand would cover Hazel's, just sweet and natural like they were an old married couple.
At the head of the table, Jason sat uncomfortably with his T-shirt rolled up to his ribcage as Nurse Piper changed his bandages.
"Hold still," she said. "I know it hurts."
"It's just cold," he said, but Kira could hear the pain in his voice.
"What's up, guys?" Leo strolled into the mess hall with his fingers intertwined with Kira's. "Aw, yes to brownies!"
He grabbed the last one, from a special sea-salt recipe they'd picked up from Aphros the fish centaur at the bottom of the Atlantic.
The intercom crackled. Buford's Mini-Hedge yelled over the speakers, 'PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!'
Everyone jumped. Hazel ended up five feet away from Frank. Percy spilled syrup in his orange juice. Jason awkwardly wriggled back into his T-shirt, and Frank turned into a bulldog. Kira moved closer to Leo.
Piper glared at Leo. "I thought you were getting rid of that stupid hologram."
"Hey, Buford's just saying good morning. He loves his hologram! Besides, we all miss the coach. And Frank makes a cute bulldog."
Frank morphed back into a burly, grumpy Chinese Canadian dude. "Just sit down, Leo. We've got stuff to talk about."
Leo and Kira sat between Hazel and Jason. Kira avoided most of the groups stares.
"So..." Jason winced as he leaned forward. "We're going to stay airborne and drop anchor as close as we can to Olympia. It's further inland than I'd like – about five miles – but we don't have much choice. According to Juno, we have to find the goddess of victory and, um ... subdue her."
The room went quiet.
With the new drapes covering the holographic walls, the mess hall was darker and gloomier than it should've been, but that couldn't be helped. Ever since the Kerkopes dwarf twins had short-circuited the walls, the real-time video feed from Camp Half-Blood often fuzzed out, changing into playback of extreme dwarf close-ups – red whiskers, nostrils and bad dental work. It wasn't helpful when you were trying to eat or have a serious conversation about the fate of the world.
Percy sipped his syrup-flavoured orange juice. "I'm cool with fighting the occasional goddess, but isn't Nike one of the good ones? I mean, personally, I like victory. I can't get enough of it."
Annabeth drummed her fingers on the table. "It does seem strange. I understand why Nike would be in Olympia – home of the Olympics and all that. The contestants sacrificed to her. Greeks and Romans worshipped her there for, like, twelve hundred years, right?"
"Almost to the end of the Roman Empire," Frank agreed. "Romans called her Victoria, but same difference. Everybody loved her. Who doesn't like to win? Not sure why we would have to subdue her."
Jason frowned. A wisp of steam curled from the wound under his shirt. "All I know ... the ghoul Antinous said, Victory runs rampant in Olympia. Juno warned us that we could never heal the rift between the Greeks and Romans unless we defeated victory."
"How do we defeat victory?" Piper wondered. "Sounds like one of those impossible riddles."
"Like making stones fly," Leo said, "or eating only one Fonzie."
He popped a handful into his mouth.
Hazel wrinkled her nose. "That stuff is going to kill you."
"You kidding? So many preservatives in these things, I'll live forever. But, hey, about this victory goddess being popular and great – Don't you guys remember what her kids are like at Camp Half-Blood?"
Hazel and Frank had never been to Camp Half-Blood, but the others nodded gravely.
"He's got a point," Percy said. "Those kids in Cabin Seventeen – they're super-competitive. When it comes to capture the flag, they're almost worse than the Ares kids. Uh, no offence, Kira and Frank."
Kira shrugged.
"You're saying Nike has a dark side?" Frank asked.
"Her kids sure do," Annabeth said. "They never turn down a challenge. They have to be number one at everything. If their mom is that intense ..."
"Whoa." Piper put her hands on the table like the ship was rocking. "Guys, all the gods are split between their Greek and Roman aspects, right? If Nike's that way and she's the goddess of victory –"
"She'd be really conflicted," Annabeth said. "She'd want one side or the other to win so she could declare a victor. She'd literally be fighting with herself."
Hazel nudged her cereal bowl across the map of Greece. "But we don't want one side or the other to win. We've got to get the Greeks and Romans on the same team."
"Maybe that's the problem," Jason said. "If the goddess of victory is running rampant, torn between Greek and Roman, she might make it impossible to bring the two camps together."
"How?" Leo asked. "Start a flame war on Twitter?"
Percy stabbed at his pancakes. "Maybe she's like Ares. That guy can spark a fight just by walking into a crowded room. If Nike radiates competitive vibes or something, she could aggravate the whole Greek–Roman rivalry big-time."
Frank pointed at Percy. "You remember that old sea god in Atlanta – Phorcys? He said that Gaia's plans always have lots of layers. This could be part of the giants' strategy – keep the two camps divided; keep the gods divided. If that's the case, we can't let Nike play us against each other. We should send a landing party of four – two Greeks, two Romans. The balance might help keep her balanced."
"I think Frank is right," Annabeth said. "A party of four. We'll have to be careful who goes. We don't want to do anything that might make the goddess, um, more unstable."
"I'll go," Piper said. 'I can try charmspeaking."
Worry lines deepened around Annabeth's eyes. "Not this time, Piper. Nike is all about competition. Aphrodite ... well, she is too, in her own way. I think Nike might see you as a threat."
"Who should go, then?" Piper asked.
"Jason and Percy shouldn't go together," Annabeth said. "Jupiter and Poseidon – bad combination. Nike could start you two fighting easily."
Percy gave her a sideways smile. "Yeah, we can't have another incident like in Kansas. I might kill my bro Jason."
"Or I might kill my bro Percy," Jason said amiably.
"Which proves my point," Annabeth said. "We also shouldn't send Frank and me together. Mars and Athena – that would be just as bad."
Kira glanced around uncomfortably. "Maybe I shouldn't go. I mean, the whole daughter of war thing."
No one argued, and Kira knew she was right.
"Okay," Leo broke in. "So Percy and me for the Greeks. Frank and Hazel for the Romans. Is that the ultimate non-competitive dream team or what?"
"It could work,' Frank decided. "I mean, no combination is going to be perfect, but Poseidon, Hephaestus, Pluto, Mars...I don't see any huge antagonism there."
Hazel traced her finger along the map of Greece. "I still wish we could've gone through the Gulf of Corinth. I was hoping we could visit Delphi, maybe get some advice. Plus it's such a long way around the Peloponnese."
"Yeah." Leo's said. "It's July twenty-second already. Counting today, only ten days until–"
"I know," Jason said. "But Juno was clear. The shorter way would have been suicide."
"And as for Delphi ..." Piper leaned towards the map. The blue harpy feather in her hair swung like a pendulum. "What's going on there? If Apollo doesn't have his Oracle any more..."
Percy grunted. "Probably something to do with that creep Octavian. Maybe he was so bad at telling the future that he broke Apollo's powers."
Jason managed a smile, though his eyes were cloudy from pain. "Hopefully we can find Apollo and Artemis. Then you can ask him yourself. Juno said the twins might be willing to help us."
"A lot of unanswered questions," Frank muttered. "A lot of miles to cover before we get to Athens."
"First things first," Annabeth said. "You guys have to find Nike and figure out how to subdue her... whatever Juno meant by that. I still don't understand how you defeat a goddess who controls victory. Seems impossible."
Leo started to grin. "We'll see about that." He rose to his feet. "Let me get my collection of grenades and I'll meet you guys on deck!"
He pulled Kira aside, who looked glum. "I'll be back before you know it," He told her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Stay safe, alright?"
Kira nodded, hugging him one last time before letting him go to join his friends.
It was stupid, she knew, but she was nervous for him to go. She hadn't left his side since she had returned from Tartarus.
She watched as the group left, tense. Leo turned and gave her an adorable wave, and she managed a wave back, but she was worried.
She turned to go back to her cabin. Annabeth and Piper were in the middle of conversation.
She managed a smile. "Hey Annabeth, Piper,"
The two girls stopped, welcoming her to the conversation. She was about to ignore them, and hide in her cabin, but she decided against it.
"We were just talking about about our favorite memories." Annabeth said with caution.
"I remember when Jason and I had our first kiss on the roof, even if it was a false memory." Piper said brightly, oblivious to the tension.
To both of their surprises, Kira smiled. Thinking of Leo always made her happy. "When Leo asked me on our first date, he stole a bunch of daises from the Demeter cabin, we had to run to the hearth to avoid being turned into a plant."
Piper laughed. "No way!"
"Yeah, it was really funny."
Annabeth eyed Kira to make sure she was alright before joining in on the conversation. "I think my favorite memory is when we had our underwater kiss."
"That's so cute!" Piper gushed.
Kira tuned into the conversation, not really adding to it, but feeling happy to be included. She knew the reason that the crew hadn't talked to her was her own fault, and she had asked for space, but it was nice to talk to her friends again. Her and Piper went all the way back, and here she was not talking to her for days because she was so stuck in her own head.
Kira suddenly hugged the two girls.
"Uh, Kira?" Piper asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you hugging me?"
"Shut up and let me love you," Kira said amusedly.
The three girls laughed.
When they split, Kira told them, "I'm sorry I was ignoring you guys."
"Don't be. You were coping in your own way, don't you dare feel bad about it."
Kira smiled. "Thanks, Dove Girl."
"You're lucky I love you."
She made her way back to her cabin, but this time, she was in a good mood.
She glanced at her room which was tidy. It didn't make any sense, because she hadn't cleaned it or organized it since she got back. She hadn't had the motivation or the courage to be alone.
She assumed Buford cleaned it, and she made a mental note to thank the three-legged table later.
Her face lit up when her eyesight fell upon her collection of pictures.
Running her fingers over the picture Aphrodite had given her of her and Leo in the cave, she felt an intense guilt trickle into her lungs.
She hadn't told Leo anything.
She knew that she needed to tell him about it when he got back. He had been nothing short of perfect to her, and here she was, being silent of her trauma. Leo was the only one she trusted to listen to her story and comfort her just the way she wanted to.
She frowned when her eyes wandered, and met her mother's picture, the one Aeolus had pulled from the wind.
She yelped, falling to her knees as an immense flashback occurred in her head.
Kira's stomach and back was burning up.
She managed to stand, both stab wounds making her feel like she was seconds from death. She barely had time to swing her sword as an arai flung herself at her.
It exploded in dust.
Kira fell to ground again as the weight of the world fell on her shoulders.
The arai crackled. The sky seemed to fall down on her.
Kira felt herself get crushed by nothing.
This one is special! Curse ordered no other then your own mother! To hold up the weight of the world!
She let out a loud cry as she felt her left arm bone snap under pressure.
Kira gasped, blinking harshly. She had completely forgotten what the arai had told her.
Her own mother had placed a curse on her. She had made her hold up the weight of the sky. Her own mother, the person that had abused and belittled her her entire life, the person that Kira had stood up for to no other then the powerful goddesss Athena, the woman that was supposed to love her unconditionally?
Suddenly, she wasn't as upset to lose her mother's necklace in Tartarus. She glanced down at her neck, Leo's star necklace and the camp beads looking back at her.
Those were the only things she needed, she decided. Her mother had given her nothing but pain and suffering, and hadn't even eased when she died. She cursed her even as she was dead.
The camp was her place to stay, not her apartment. And Leo?
Leo was her home.
Kira made it to her feet. She wanted to curse her mother back, to declare a painful curse upon her, but she stopped herself.
What would Hestia think? Kira had only knew kindness before learning she was a demigod, and she wasn't going to let her mother or Ares change that.
She had promised herself that before she rode off of Festus. Who was she to break that promise?
She didn't forgive her mother. Kira forgave a lot of things, but this was not one of them. However, she was not going to react in violence. She knew that would only prove a point to Ares.
She rolled her shoulders, making her way to her mirror and staring at the girl that looked back.
She looked the same to someone that didn't know her. She still had her tanned skin, the hazel eyes, the freckles and the long brown hair.
But if you looked deeper then the surface, a friend would know that she had changed from the beginning.
She had new scars, physically and mentally. But depsite them, her journey didn't end here.
She was ready to take on the world.
With her new confidence, she decided to try to sleep.
Bad idea.
Instantly, she looked around to the familiar landscape of Tartarus.
Her heartrate sped up, darting around. She could see a herd of monsters making their way to her over a hill, and she knew Hestia wasn't here to save her this time.
A geyser popped in front of her, but instead of the water just flowing out, it froze.
In the murky water that probably wasn't water, a face appeared.
"Not again!" Kira groaned.
Hello child.
Kira frowned, glaring at Gaea.
Do not celebrate escaping Tartarus. That is only the beginning, your pain is not escapable.
"Hmmph. That's what Tartarus said." Kira paused. "Well, not really. Maybe if you paraphrased it, you could say-"
You will not be as confident when I rise.
Kira didn't let down her act, and she glanced back at the monsters approaching.
"Don't you get it, Gaea?" Kira said boldly. "You don't scare me anymore."
I should. You have no idea what I'm capable of. I am the Earth, everything belongs to me.
"That seems a little greedy, doesn't it, Dirt Face?"
The face in the liquid shimmered, as if it was glaring. Kira was proud of herself for angering the most powerful being in the universe.
You have no idea what I'm capable of.
Kira gulped nervously. The facade she was playing was wearing thin, and the herd of monsters were not slowing.
The face shimmered, and the geyser unfroze. The muck flew into the air.
When it finally fell, the first monster reached her.
She yelped as it tackled her, and the wrestled on the soft dirt floor.
It was some kind of monkey-fish thing, a monster that Kira had never even heard of. With no weapon, she screamed in pain as the monkey impaled her chest.
Three more pounced on her.
It's just a dream, she thought, trying to wake up. But the pain felt real. She screamed in pain again as the second monster snapped her arm.
Kira rolled over, but when she opened her eyes, she was in dewy grass.
She stumbled to her feet, looking down at her chest to see that there was no hole in her stomach.
She looked around, and homesickness filled her when she recognized Camp Half Blood.
She looked around with dread, however. None of her dreams were kind, so she had no hope that this one would be any different.
The Zeus and Hera cabins fell first. She had jumped when they crumpled without warning, crushing innocent campers.
"No!" She cried. She tried to run to them, but her feet wouldn't move. When she looked down, her feet had sunken into the earth.
The Big House fell after.
Then the Ares cabin, and the others followed.
Monsters ran into camp, and Kira clamped her hands over her ears to avoid the cries.
Gaea forced her to watch every one of her friends die.
The strawberries fields rotted away, leaving dead vines with rotten strawberries.
Even the ocean turned a murky green.
"Stop!" Kira cried again as more and more campers fell.
A monster appeared out of nowhere in front of her, and she let out a strangled yell as he stabbed her.
She woke up screaming, hot tears falling down her cheeks.