ARUNA

~•♡•~

the demigods awoke to the sound of a nearby ship's horn. aruna gasped as she shot up, mattress marks on her arm. her hair was parted aggressively to the side like a 2002 celebrity, drool pooling at the corner of her mouth. next to her, the blankets were tossed aside, and leo's body was missing.

the ship horn blew again, and aruna prepared for attack. with her heart racing, and her foot still asleep from some sort of lost circulation, she busted out of leo's cabin and ran upstairs, her swords in hand.

"oh, hey-" frank screamed as aruna heaved one of her swords up. before it slammed down, aruna stopped herself, though frank had been startled so terribly, his scream was cut off by his own transformation into a viper, which fell to the floor like a coil of rope.

"fra-" aruna's throat was dry, and she broke into a cough. the morning sun was stinging her eyes and frank turned back into a human. awkwardly, he patted aruna's back, managing to clear her throat. he pulled away as aruna sat up straight.

she looked around at all of the hastily assembled demigods. frank's vancouver olympics shirt was inside out. percy wore pajama pants, no shirt, and a bronze breastplate, which was an interesting fashion statement. hazel's hair, similarly to aruna's, was all blown to one side like she'd walked through a cyclone, and somehow, leo had managed to set himself on fire. his arms were smoking and his shirt had been reduced to charred tatters.

aruna looked down at herself. she wore a pair of khaki chargo pants with no belt, and quickly pulled them up before anybody saw anything. her shirt was twisted all the way to the side, so the naruto logo was on her side instead.

she squinted as she looked about a hundred yards to port, but she could see the shape of a massive cruise ship. tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. none of them looked surprised to see an ancient greek trireme. maybe the mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the argo II was a tourist attraction.

the cruise ship blew it's horn, and the argo II had a shaking fit.

coach hedge plugged his ears. "do they have to be so loud?"

"they're just saying hi." frank speculated.

"WHAT?" hedge yelled back. aruna flicked her swords back into bracelets, and pulled up her pants as she waddled to the edge, standing next to jason. the ship edged past them, heading out to sea. the tourists kept waving. if they found it strange that the argo II was populated with half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let it on.

"bye!" leo waved, raising his smoking hand.

"can i man the ballista?" hedge asked.

"nope." leo said through a forced smile.

hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. aruna yawned, and popped her back quickly.

"you look like you slept good." jason snorted.

"i don't... remember going to sleep..." aruna said in confusion as she gently touched the back of her neck.

hazel frowned. "where are- oh. wow."

aruna followed her gaze, and her eyes widened. without the ship blocking the view, she saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north. the grand canyon was nothing compared to the sheer size of this thing. a blinding white, jagged peak seemed to touch the tips of the sky. on one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below. on the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded aruna of a colossal sphinx, worn down over millenia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over it's back.

"the rock of gibraltar." annabeth said in awe. "at the tip of spain. and over there," she pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "that must be africa. we're at the mouth of the mediterranean."

aruna's mouth felt sandy. despite the stretch of sea before them, she felt like a thousand bricks were about to fall onto her. once in the mediterranean, their quest would only be infinitely harder.

"what now?" piper asked. "do we just sail in?"

"why not?" leo shrugged. "it's a big shipping channel. boats go in and out all the time."

"what else are we gonna do?" aruna remarked as she yawned again.

"tired?" annabeth commented.

"it's like, 7a.m. and i thought we were under attack. yeah, i'm pretty tired." aruna sighed as she shook her head. "we didn't even eat breakfast."

"you can eat this di-"

aruna clamped a hand over piper's mouth before the girl could finish her sentence. piper giggled intensely and licked aruna's hand, which prompted the older girl to pull away.

aruna turned to annabeth. the girl was studying the rock of gibraltar, her face hardened and brooding, almost like she expected trouble.

"in the old days," annabeth said. "they called this area the pillars of hercules. the rock was supposed to be one of the pillars. the other was one of the african mountains. nobody is sure which one."

"hercules, huh?" percy frowned. "that guy was like the starbucks of ancient greece. everywhere you turn- there he is."

a thunderous boom shook the ship, and aruna had a boiling feeling in her stomach. she turned to percy and tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"wasn't he made a god when he died?"

percy frowned. "uhhh..." he turned to annabeth, who nodded. swiftly, he looked back at aruna, and nodded as well.

"don't gods not like when you shit-talk them?"

"oh. yeah, maybe i shouldn't do that." from behind percy, leo snickered.

"so, these pillars," piper gulped. "are they dangerous?"

annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the mark of athena to blaze to life. "for greeks, they marked the end of the known world. the romans said the pillars were inscribed with a latin warning-"

"non plus ultra." percy said.

annabeth looked stunned, almost like it was wrong for percy to have answers. "yeah. nothing further beyond. how did you know?"

percy pointed. "because i'm looking at it."

directly ahead of them, an island shimmered to life. aruna knew that no island had been there before, but as a demigod, you never knew what to expect. it was a small, hilly mass of land, covered in forests and rings with white beaches. not very impressive compared to gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from waves about a hundred yards off shore, were two grecian white columns as tall as the argo II's masts. between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater- maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.

"guys, do i turn around?" leo asked nervously. "or..."

nobody answered. all at once, everyone seemed to notice the figure on the beach- a young, dark-haired man in purple robes, his meaty arms crossed, his eyes locked on the ship like he'd been expecting them. from what aruna could see, he looked pretty pissed.

frank inhaled sharply. "could that be-"

"hercules." jason breathed. "the most powerful demigod of all time."

aruna rubbed her temple. "y'all, he is not happy right now."

jason looked down at her. aruna suddenly remembered why she hated standing next to him; he was eight inches taller.

"you can feel it from this far?" he asked in disbelief.

"yeah, that is one bitter dude." aruna huffed.

"need an answer." leo said urgently. the ship was only a few hundred yards away from the columns. "i can turn, or we can take off. the stabilizers are working again, but i need to know quick-"

"keep going." annabeth and aruna said.

"clearly we need to talk to him." aruna offered.

"i think he's guarding these straits." annabeth said. "if that's really hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. he'll want to talk to us."

piper seemed nervous. she looked like she wanted to run away, but she quickly righted her face, and aruna looked away.

"won't hercules be on our side?" piper asked nervously. "i mean... he's one of us."

"that doesn't mean anything." aruna sighed. "once you're made a god, everything about you goes out the window. not only is he a god, but he's a son of zeus. they're the worst."

"hey!" jason frowned.

"you don't count."

"on what grounds?" percy snorted.

"dude, he ate a stapler when he was two. he has no credibility in the demigod world." aruna said confidently.

"dude, what?" percy smiled at jason.

"i was two. why do two-year-olds do any of the things they do?" jason shrugged.

"we should be fine, right?" leo gulped. "i mean, there's eight of us against hercules."

"and a satyr!" hedge added. "we can take him!"

"no, we cannot." aruna blurted. leo glared at her and she held her hands up in defeat.

"come on! he killed the nemean lion the way a pro lifter could throw a toddler!"

"yeah, but you're supposed to make us feel better!" leo whined. "this is scary!"

"i have a better idea." annabeth said. "we send ambassadors ashore. a small group- one or two at most. try to talk to him."

"i'll go." jason said. "he's a son of zeus. i'm a son of jupiter. maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"wait, isn't hercules his roman name? doesn't that make him a son of jupiter?" aruna frowned.

"maybe he's like venus." hazel offered. "heracles and hercules aren't very different, really. it's mostly in the name."

"so he's a son of zupiter." aruna nodded. annabeth glared.

"what? venus-dite, zupiter!"

"whatever, he's technically my brother." jason said with the remnant of a smile still on his face.

"or maybe he'll hate you." percy suggested. "half-brothers don't always get along."

jason scowled. "thank you, mr. optimism."

"eh... i agree with barnacle boy over here." aruna admitted.

"hey! i am not barnacle-"

"it's worth a shot." annabeth hissed as she refocused the group again. "at least jason and hercules have something in common. and we need our best diplomat. somebow who's good with words."

all eyes turned to piper.

she felt like she wanted to scream and throw up, or perhaps just throw herself overboard. but still, she hadn't a real reason to say no, other than hercules might kill her.

"fine." she said. "just let me change my clothes."

~•♡•~

leo had anchored the ship between the pillars of hercules. jason summoned the winds to take him and a reluctant piper to the shore, which left everyone else on the boat.

"well, i guess i'll change now." aruna cursed as she waddled away, still holding her pants up.

"me too." leo grumbled as he pulled at his ruined shirt. "dammit, that's like the fourth time this month!" he complained as he followed aruna down the stairs.

"maybe you should maintain more control over your godly powers." aruna replied. her pant leg got caught on a stray chair, and she angrily waved her hand, knocking the chair into a wall.

"take your own advice." leo muttered as he entered his room. aruna entered her own, and rapidly changed into a black shirt, her silver cloak in cloak form, and a pair of red walmart brand shorts. she put on clean socks and shoes, and brushed her hair quickly as she left the room. leo was standing in the hallway, quickly strapping on his toolbelt. aruna held a hairband betwen her teeth as she started to pull her hair up, and leo suddenly looked at her.

"so." he blushed madly, and aruna felt her own cheeks heat up. she didn't say anything, hoping the band in her mouth would be an excuse.

"um, what are-"

"runa!"

both demigods turned to the stairs. hazel was waving aruna over, her face bright and happy, her curls bouncing with her as she waved aruna over.

"huh?" aruna asked as she took the band out. she ran after hazel, who took her hand and pulled her over.

"look!"

annabeth rolled her eyes as she turned to aruna and hazel. her curly blonde hair had been pulled into two space buns, with only a few curls left out over her forehead.

"she's so cute." hazel said as she put her hands on her hips.

"bro, it's so fluffy..." aruna reached to touch one of the buns, and annabeth swatted her hand away.

"wait! i have them too!"

everyone turned to percy jackson. frank bowed and presented the son of poseidon, who had two lime green rubbers bands parting his short hair into two short little ponytails. everyone managed a laugh as he started to flex his muscles while batting his eyelashes.

"and i will let you touch them." percy said as he leaned his head down. aruna touched his hair and frowned.

"are you aware of what conditioner is?" she asked.

"aw, it can't be that bad!" leo said as he walked over.

"HOLY MOTHER-"

frank snickered as he looked at percy. "do you not use conditioner?"

"i didn't know guys were supposed to." he shrugged. annabeth put a hand on her forehead and shook her head while hazel laughed.

"if you have hair, it needs conditioner." leo said as he shook his head in disappointment. "otherwise, you feel like a brittle rose bush."

"you use conditioner?" percy questioned.

"of course. how else are my curls kept so soft?"

"i mean... i've never felt 'em..." on instinct, percy ruffled leo's curls, and his eyes went wide.

"maybe i should be using conditioner and shampoo."

leo smiled. "yeah! i recommend a 5-in-1-" he paused and leaned in.

"YOU DON'T USE SHAMPOO?!"

everyone tilted their heads as they looked at percy, who looked like he didn't understand the problem. he looked to annabeth for help, but she looked furious.

"what do you use?!" aruna yelled.

"m-men's body soap!"

everyone groaned loudly.

"no wonder you're so dry!" frank erupted.

"you never use body soap on your hair!" hazel looked like she was going to cry.

"well, annabeth said not to use baby soap, which is what i used to do, so i-"

"so you used something rougher on your hair?!" leo groaned as he stormed off. "i cannot believe this! dishonor! dishonor on your whole family! dishonor on you! dishonor on your cow!" leo yelled as he waved his hands and paced across deck.

"aruna has cows, not me!"

"my disappointment is immeasurable," aruna sniffed. "and my day has been ruined."

"what brand do you use?" percy asked hopelessly.

"i do not give a fuck if you spend two dollars or thirty on some shampoo." leo breathed out. "but if you ever use men's body wash on your hair again, i will personally see to shaving your head. is that clear?"

percy smiled. "i'm-"

"IS THAT CLEAR?!" leo reiterated, getting on his tippy toes as he got in percy's face, shoving a finger into his chest.

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"NOW, DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY!"

frank was laughing so hard, he could barely breathe as percy dropped and gave leo twenty. triumphantly, leo turned to aruna, grinned, and winked.

in return, she stuck her tongue out at him, and flipped him off.

~•♡•~

"so, you just do that over and over again?" hazel asked as she sat next to aruna at the breakfast table. aruna nodded and slurped up a spoonful of cereal as she turned to hazel.

"let's try it all the way through." she said as she put her hands up. hazel took a deep breath and nodded, and began clapping her hands to aruna's.

"lemonade."

clap, clap, clap.

"crunchy ice."

clap, clap, clap.

"sip it once,"

clap, clap, clap.

"sip it twice."

clap, clap, clap.

"lemonade, crunchy icy,
sip it once, sip it twice.
turn around, touch the ground,
kick your boyfriend out of town,
freeze."

hazel looked proud of herself for playing all the way through. she clapped happily and stood up.

"i'm gonna go teach frank." she said, her voice full of excitement as she went up the stairs. aruna smiled to herself and went back to eating her cereal.

"ooh, what's that?"

leo peered over aruna's shoulder, and took the spoon form her. she could feel his breath on her neck before he stood upright, and ate the spoonful. he nodded and put the spoon back in the bowl before sitting in the chair next to her. even after he'd moved, aruna felt tense, and her heart was racing.

"so, you taught hazel that game you and piper play?" he asked. he sat sat sideway's in the chair, his arm resting on the backrest. aruna nodded and ate another bite of cereal.

"why are you being awkward?"

"well, considering we made out for half an hour last night, i'd be pretty damn awkward."

aruna shoveled another spoonful of cereal before she said anything else.

leo bit his lip and looked away. he started lightly banging his fist on the table as he concentrated, almost like he was carefully planning out his next sentences.

"well... what are we?"

aruna froze. she stared at her bowl of cereal, her eyes buzzing as a million trains went off the rails in her brain, not a single though cohesive. her cheeks went red and she licked her lips as she struggled for words.

"uh..." she felt stupid for the way she sounded. her hand flew to the back of her neck, gently tracing her stitches absently. it didn't feel puffy and red anymore, and she finally noticed that at some point, the nature goop had been removed.

"i guess... i mean... well, y'know, i do like you... so i... yeah."

leo raised an eyebrow as aruna quickly started shoveling food back into her mouth. he inclined his head, almost asking for more answers, which aruna didn't have.

"what?"

"use that thick skull of yours, and fill in the gaps." aruna said, milk dribbling down her chin. she muttered in korean and wiped her face with the back of her arm. "let's connect the dots; i made out with you, i slept in your bed again, and i admitted to liking you. what does that spell?"

"i-m-a-d-e-o-u-t-w-i-t-h-"

"leo!"

leo snickered and quickly apologized. "it spells; i wooed you!"

aruna looked at leo with a small smile.

"yeah. i guess you did."

~•♡•~

part of my creative process is going absolutely fucking insane for about a day

so today i wrote ten new chapters, published three (yall are spoiled yk) drew some art of aru and leo, and made a self-love spell jar. like i always call myself unproductive but i just apply all of my productivity to anything other than my education

speaking of which i might be able to have my GED by the end of 2024 so THATS kind of lit