❝you deserve the world, even if it means giving it to yourself❞
⤷ r.h. sin
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The Battle at Camp Jupiter was a blur.
With Leo and Kira's warning, they were able to scarcely prepare the cannons, put on armor, and try to get organized before they saw the first monster wave.
After the battle had began, Leo and Kira had gotten split up soon after, so Kira fought beside Reyna and Kevin.
Reyna tried to tell Kevin to fight beside Jon or others, but Kira wanted him near her. Despite just meeting him, she felt a big sister bond with him, and she felt it was her duty to protect him.
"ARGGHHH!" The cyclops roared as Kira stabbed him with her sword. She rolled under nether him to avoid being squished, because she was fairly certain Leo didn't want to date a half-squished woman.
Reyna threw an Imperial gold dagger, stabbing him in the eye. The cyclops let out another defiant roar, but he began turning to dust. As he collapsed, Kira eyed his spear. Before he disintegrated, his spear began falling ontop of Kevin. She yelp, diving for him. She collided with him, and the two skidded on the ground.
Kevin let out a yelp, but Kira took most of the fall. She stood, offering her non-cast hand to help him up, but when she turned, she was too late.
Reyna had been fighting another cyclops, but it had lost interest in her. A spear flew pst Kira's head before she knew what happened. Her sword clattered to the ground.
"No!" She cried, falling to Kevin's side.
"I-I'm sorry," Reyna managed, eyes wide.
He let out a choked gasp, blood forming at the corner of his mouth. A large spear was producing from his gut. She turned for a split second, but Reyna had blasted the cyclops to dust, and was by Kira's side.
She choked a sob back. She knew she shouldn't have been so upset, she had just met the boy, but he had stuck her side the entire time they organized for war. He had told her his life story. She felt a bond with him as she did with Harley, an instinct to protect them. She hadn't been able to.
Her jaw trembled, tears cascading down her tanned cheeks. She brushed his hair out of his eyes. Her hands her shaking, but she couldn't bother trying to control them.
"Hey, hey, look at me." She managed, just above a whisper. The boy's chin was trembling as well, tears falling down the side of his face. His young features stuck at Kira, as if hitting her with a bus. They might as well have.
He was too young to die. He only looked about twelve, with chubby cheeks and freckles making him look like a normal little boy. A boy who shouldn't have been thrown into war.
"I don't wanna die, Kira," Kevin stuttered. He choked out a cough of blood.
Kira stifled back a sob. "Hey, Kev. Look at me. You're going to be alright."
"I-I don't wanna die!" Kevin cried out, panicking. Kira rubbed his cheek free of tears.
"It's okay." She whispered. "It's going to be okay."
Kevin's eyes glazed over.
Kira let her head drop, letting out a painful sob into his chest.
"It's okay." She continued to whisper, but this time she was talking to herself. "It's okay, it's okay."
Reyna had to pick her up. She helped Kira stand, her eyes sad as well. "Come. We will mourn for the lost after the battle is won." She wiped away Kira's tears, but new ones just sprung up. She managed a nod, grabbing her fallen sword.
She fought with force and speed that she had never before. She, of course, had grown better at fighting with training, but this was different. She fought with anger and hatred for the monsters who had killed Kevin.
When the fighting was done, she emerged basically unharmed expect for a few bruises and scrapes. What else was new. It was almost like the Fates were mocking her. She tried to find Kevin's body, but the dead had already been wheeled away by the time she found the spot where Kevin took his last stand.
"Kira!" The voice came from far away, but it was unmistakable.
"Over here," She croaked. She didn't know if he heard her, but he found her anyway.
"You're okay!" Leo breathed in relief. His hands cupped her face, turning it both ways to check for anything worse then a bruise. "I thought-Reyna said something about-"
Kira pointed to the ground. The body wasn't there anymore, but there was a small blood stain in the grass where Kev had passed away.
"I-I tried to save him, but I couldn't. H-he-" her voice broke, and she collapsed in his arms.
"Hey, hey," Leo said, embracing her. "You're alright. I've got you." His eyes grew sad. He knew she would never forgive herself for what happened here.
But Kira just breathed in Leo's warm, homey scent, trying to calm herself down.
They had planned on staying here, but Kira knew she didn't have the emotional strength to. She and Leo came to the silent agreement to leave in the morning.
He held onto her tightly as they walked to New Rome to find a hotel room to stay for the night.
"Hey, Kira, Leo!"
Kira's heart stopped.
"Kira!" He yelled again. Slowly, she turned. Jon, Kevin's friend was bounding toward them.
"Have you guys seen Kevin? I think he said he wanted to fight next to you, Kira. Did you see him? Is he alright?"
Kira bit her lip. She knew she could easily tell the boy to ask Reyna, and force her to tell the story, but she knew she owed it to the boy to tell him.
"Jon, he-Kevin, he didn't-"
"He didn't what?" Jon asked carefully. "Is he in the infirmary?"
Kira shook her head miserably. Leo put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but it didn't help.
"Kevin didn't make it."
"W-What?" Jon asked, stumbling back a few steps. He looked stunned. "But, he-no, he couldn't.."
Kira felt yet another tear slip down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Jon. I'm so sorry."
She wasn't sure what she expected him to do. Maybe run away. Maybe punch her. What she didn't expect was for him to run into her arms. She welcomed him with open arms, clutching him tightly, and apologizing over and over.
They sat there for a while. Leo went to check into a room, and Kira promised him she'd meet him there.
When Jon finally squirmed out, his cheeks were puffy and red. "I've got to tell his mom."
Kira just nodded sullenly. She trudged to find Leo, which wasn't hard. He stood outside a hotel building, waving wildly. Managing a tired smile, the two walked into the room together.
They crashed on the queen bed as soon as they finally got the door open. (Leo had grabbed the wrong set of keys.) Leo turned on the television to fall asleep, but Kira just curled up beside him, letting unconsciousness take over her mind.
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"Pancakes!" Leo cried, jolting Kira out of her dreamless sleep. She probably didn't deserve no dreams, but she tried not to think about yesterday.
Leo was at the doorway, holding two large platters of food. "I brought breakfast in bed for el amor de mi vida."
Kira managed a smile, sitting up in the cozy bed lazily. Leo placed her platter on her lap before climbing back into bed with his own plate.
He had gone all out on the free breakfast buffet. In front of her sat a glass of orange juice, pancakes, omelet, a waffle with whipped cream and syrup, and a bowl of Cheerio's.
"You certainly didn't leave anything behind," Kira noted, using her pointer finger to scoop off the whipped cream and eat it.
Leo just shrugged, saying something incoherent with the chewed waffle in his mouth. Kira took another scoop of whipped cream and bopped his nose. Leo glared at her, but continued to chew his waffle.
When they had finished breakfast and checked out of the hotel, they went to say goodbye to Frank and Hazel.
It wasn't hard to find them. They were both standing outside the infirmary, trying to help everyone they could.
She waved, and they began walking towards them.
"Thank gods you guys are okay!" Hazel exclaimed, hugging them. "Frank told me everything."
Kira managed a copy of a smile. "We have to get going,"
Hazel frowned. "Already? You just got here."
Loe shrugged sadly. "Duty calls. Apollo needs our help."
"Apollo?" Frank asked, as if he hadn't heard right. Leo grimaced.
"Long story." Kira and Leo answered at once. They turned to each, giving a fist bump before looking back to the two.
"Well," Hazel said glumly. "If you must go, give me one more hug."
They complied.
"Also," Kira said. "Do you mind cutting this thing off of me?" She asked, holding up the bulky blue cast. Frank looked at it with amusement.
"Sure. Where'd you get that?"
"Battle at the Waystation." She said glumly, as if Frank knew what she was talking about. Frank just nodded, and directed her inside the infirmary. It was suffocating, being in there with so many dead, dying, and injured fighters, but she found a doctor, which was an actual adult, unlike at Camp Half Blood, where Will ran it, and he sawed it off quickly.
When she returned back outside, the three of them were still talking.
Frank cleared his throat. "Kira, I-uh, I wanted to apologize for me and Hazel not saying goodbye."
Leo looked mad. "You didn't say goodbye?"
Kira shrugged. "I get it. All good." They two nodded, relieved.
"Hold on, hold on." Leo said, waving his arms. "You didn't say goodbye to her when you left?"
Hazel shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't sure if she wanted us to be near her."
Leo turned to Kira, who flushed red. "Huh?"
"I was kind of mean when I thought you died, Lava Girl." Leo blinked. Kira smiled. "Anyway, you mind if we take some clothes from the gift shop and head on our way?"
They agreed, and said their farewells. Leo went into the store, coming out wearing a purple T-shirt with gold words in Latin: MY COHORT WENT TO NEW ROME AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT. He held a plastic bag with clothes for Kira. She pulled out the shirt, which luckily for her, was just a normal purple Camp Jupiter tee.
They mounted Festus, who was roaming the woods, and they went back into the sky, leaving Camp Jupiter far behind.
Kira didn't dare look at the bodies that lined the Tiber River.