ARUNA

~•♡•~

aruna may have actually liked nemesis if it wasn't for her literally taking the form of her childhood molester. funny how things work out.

nemesis seemed like the only god actually worth anything. sure, she was cryptic, and kind of bitchy, but aruna often felt the same way. and nemesis was right- revenge is universal. aruna felt like nemesis might be the only god whose help actually meant something.

not only was she to the point, but she didn't bullshit. not all the way, at least. she at least explained that there was a catch to her aide, which was better than most of what hera had ever done. nemesis admitted that she'd take something in return; an eye, or the happiness aruna was lacking.

aruna wondered why hazel had been so disturbed by the goddess. leo, too. in fact, she wondered why hazel was so scared of her now, because aruna had never done anything to hazel. she'd offered to help her brother, so why was hazel feeling like she was about to get stabbed?

but worst of all, aruna was wondering what nemesis had said to leo about an impossible love, and 'til death do you part. she noticed the sneaky glance she'd made at aruna, but she'd been able to control her fear the entire time. not only was that terrifying, but nemesis said 'evening embers', the exact phrasing of the prophecy of the stars.

"who is aunt rosa?" hazel asked.

aruna was walking behind leo and hazel, which made her a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, she wasn't exactly in a place to walk next to either of them. leo would just ask about her feelings and try to be considerate and all, and hazel was acting like aruna was the next jeffrey dahmer.

aruna grimaced. she knew who aunt rosa was. in her rather awkward deep-feelings sessions with leo, they'd brushed over who aunt rosa was. really, aruna and leo didn't know much about each other's trauma; just surface level stuff. the gist of who did what, and when, rather than specifics. all aruna knew was aunt rosa basically left leo out to dry after his mom's death. leo knew that aruna's grandfather had molested her as a kid, her dad had killed him and then himself, and that her grandma was a bitch.

wow, that's messy.

"long story." was all leo said. aruna could tell he didn't want to talk about it. "she abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care."

"i'm sorry."

leo only shrugged. aruna had done her best to curb his and hazel's emotions earlier before they lashed out and nemesis turned them into a worm or something, but that had taken a lot out of her. then, she'd tried her faux charmspeak on nemesis, a literal goddess, and it actually worked, though it took up most of her energy. now, she felt like passing out, when all she wanted to do was make leo feel a little better.

"and, um, why did you see you-"

"what was it nemesis said about your brother?" aruna cut off. hazel stared. aruna knew she'd been abrupt, perhaps even rude, but no way was she going to explain to hazel why she'd seen her grandfather.

hazel seemed to understand that, and she quickly turned back around. "nico... he found me in the underworld. he brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the romans at camp jupiter to accept me. i owe him for my second chance at life. if nemesis is right, and nico's in danger... i have to help him."

"sure." leo said, though he still seemed uneasy.

"aruna, how do you know nico?"

"we're neighbors." aruna replied. "we discuss the weather, the patriarchy, whatever idiot cursed clarisse that particular day. the usual."

"oh..."

"about what nemesis said about your brother having six days left to live, and rome getting destroyed, any idea what she meant?" leo asked.

"none." hazel admitted. "but i'm afraid..."

whatever she was thinking, she lost sight of it. she climbed a nearby boulder to get a better view, leaving leo and aruna on the regular ground.

leo turned to aruna immediately. his eyes seemed so sad, but aruna couldn't tell why. was it about his mother? or seeing aunt rosa? or the impossible love thing?

aruna still had to wonder what that meant. did it involve her? did it involve this new girl, hazel, who was under the impression that leo was a guy named sammy? she didn't know. so many questions had popped up in one day, and it was starting to make her head hurt.

"are you okay?"

jeez, why was he asking her that? aruna frowned and looked at leo in confusion.

"i'm fine... but, you don't seem fine. why are you asking me that?"

"you're doing that snappy-moody thing while also acting really strangely casual. you do that a lot when you're upset."

aruna almost wanted to back away. strange how leo seemed to notice such small details when aruna herself didn't know these things. she felt a small blush creeping up at the prospect of leo paying such close attention to her. it made her feel bubbly and weird.

"yeah, i'm fine. just... a lot of socializing for one day."

"don't lie."

"i'm not lying. i'm just gently tapping into part of the truth."

"and the whole truth?"

"i'm gonna break down in my cabin as soon as we get back. SO, hazel, whatchya got up there-"

"wait, aru!"

leo yanked aruna back before she could climb onto the boulder. the force shocked her, and she stumbled back into leo. he gently took her waist and stabilized her, and suddenly froze upon contact.

aruna felt the heat rise- literally. leo's cheeks were bright pink and his hair was emitting smoke. aruna could feel his hands warming up on her waist; not quite hot, but cozy enough that aruna wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms.

so, naturally, she shook herself free, and joined hazel on the rock.

she stood as close to the edge as possible, so, nearly completely sideways. hazel looked bewildered by the anti-gravity thing aruna could do, with golden eyes wider than the sun. leo was muttering something so low under his breath, aruna couldn't hear him. she only got the gist he was flustered and annoyed because his face was the color of cranberry sauce, he was still patting out his hair, and he was yanking his shirt awkwardly.

"when we were talking to nemesis..." hazel spoke, her voice uneven. "your hands... i saw flames. and, just now, your hair was- was smoking."

"yeah." leo awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away from aruna. "it's a hephaestus power. usually i can keep it under control."

"oh." hazel protectively put a hand on the pocket of her denim shirt, like she was about to say the pledge of allegiance. aruna had seen something in it earlier, but she just figured it was a rock or something. hazel seemed like she liked cool rocks. maybe aruna could get along with her.

aruna cast her attention across the island. the opposite shore was only a few hundred yards away. between here and there were clumps of boulders and dunes, but nothing that seemed like the reflecting pool nemesis had mentioned.

an impossible love. evening embers in the near future. 'til death do you part.

aruna wanted to vomit. it was the exact feeling she'd had several nights ago, when the strange woman in the dress spoke to her in her dream. she could still see bronze skin, and dark lips that spoke in a heavenly tone that radiated so much sadness.

the giants want you, aruna. they know how useful you are. evening embers are not too far off. will you choose the promise of peace, my dear?

aruna knew that her prophecy was starting to unfold. she'd hoped it happened after the quest of the eight. then, she would have been able to focus on it. but now, she could very well see that it was happening now, and it would hit her full force. and the coiling pit in the holes of her soul told her leo was involved somehow.

do i have to choose him or the giants? is he evening embers?

aruna scorned herself. she had to stop acting like leo was going to be part of her prophecy every step of the way. he didn't need to be clung to like that. 

still, she couldn't fight that off. she liked leo a lot; more than she could ever admit to herself. she liked every aspect of him; the way his eyebrows furrowed when he focused on a machine he was working on. or the way he started speaking with a spanish accent when he got excited and talked fast. how he specifically talked to aruna in spanish in front of their friends as a means of teasing them, and being cryptic. she liked the way his lips curled into a mischievous smile, or the way he strode into the room like he was on top of the world.

still, she despaired. aruna always knew that he was putting on a show to hide the true pain he always felt. aruna always wanted to make him feel less bad, to give him a hug and show him everything would be okay. she hated it when leo put on his brightest smile and loudest laugh for everyone, because those were always the days he was feeling the worst.

aruna always wondered how nobody else seemed to notice it. and if they did, why wouldn't they do anything? did they not see the way his eyes drifted aimlessly when he thought nobody was looking at him? did they not see how much he looked like he was about to cry when other campers talked about their mothers? or the way his feet dragged a little when he walked by himself? how could nobody see it? how could nobody help?

aruna often found herself asking that. even if she wasn't very good at dealing with these things, she'd done her damndest to help. she'd randomly gift leo cool rocks she thought he'd like, because she really didn't know what else to do. she wondered what he did with those. or she'd offer him some of her food, which she never did for anyone else. leo usually declined with a smile, but sometimes, that smile seemed so much more genuine than it usually did. or when she noticed he was sadder than usual, even if she said nothing, she would put her head on his shoulder, or sling an arm around his waist or neck, or randomly start nudging and poking him all over.

she didn't know how else to convey how much she truly cared, and how hurt she felt with how sad leo always was. she didn't understand how to convey most of her emotions. often times, she felt like a toddler; she had emotional outbursts when she was angry. when she was sad, she locked herself away. she offered random objects to show someone she cared about them. she'd never exactly been taught to evolve beyond that particular stage. even her father didn't know how to teach her the proper way of dealing with feelings. like her, he would give her gifts or offer her food.

she didn't know what else to do. she never felt like it was a proper time to give anyone a hug. she hated them. she hated the feeling of being so close to someone, because it only gave them ample opportunity to hurt you.

and she hated herself for that. those feelings had been taught to her by her grandfather. by what he did. and her grandmother only reinforced it. aruna knew she didn't truly hate hugs; she hated hated the history she had with them. so often, she found herself trying to touch leo as a way of conveying things; she wanted to grab his hand when she was uncomfortable. she wanted to hug him to hide herself from the other people in the room. sometimes, she wanted to kiss him when he did something good. sometimes, she just wanted to because she thought he was attractive, and a little part of her wondered what he tasted like.

"you guys can't take what nemesis said to heart." hazel said gently.

leo frowned. "what if it's true?"

aruna stayed quiet. she knew that nemesis was telling the truth. she didn't gain anything from lying. she probably benefited from seeing everyone squirm under her words.

"she's the goddess of revenge." hazel said. "maybe she's on our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resentment."

aruna wanted to argue. it wasn't that black and white. nemesis didn't pull resentment out of nowhere; that was a job for eris. nemesis brought out the vengeance you wanted on someone who did you wrong, or something that did you wrong. an eye for an eye was modeled after her, and she clearly showcased it in her son ethan. to aruna, revenge didn't have a grey area. you may have been wrong; maybe someone didn't actually hurt you directly or maybe they had a good cause, but that didn't mean you didn't want vengeance.

aruna said none of that.

"we should keep going." leo said. "i wonder what nemesis meant about finishing before dark."

"whatever she meant, we need to be there by dark." aruna grumbled as she put her hands on her hips. "if i don't get clean soon, i really might hurt someone."

leo glanced at her, surveying her up and down. "you aren't even dirty."

"yeah, but i feel icky." aruna retorted. "some of us care about personal hygiene, leo."

"hey man, i can be clean." leo smirked. "it's just hard when you build ear triremes at fifteen and repair half the shit the ares cabin destroys."

"nyssa doesn't stink, and she does the same things as you."

"she smells like rotten pico de gallo at the end of the day!" leo retorted. "besides, you don't ever hang out with my siblings. how could you have been close enough to smell 'em?"

aruna huffed. "to be fair, the only reason i don't hang out with them is because they don't seem very fond of me. besides, i deal with enough of an annoying tinkerer. i don't need anymore."

"hey, be nice!" leo complained.

from the brush, a small voice said, "be nice..."

everyone turned.

aruna could see the girl clearly, but leo and hazel squinted as if trying to make out her form. she was maybe ten feet away from the base of the boulder, wearing a greek-style tunic dress the same color as the boulder. her wispy hair was a mix of brown, blonde, and grey, so she blended in with the dry grass. she wasn't invisible to aruna; but the way leo and hazel's eyes were focusing, they must have been having a lot more trouble seeing the girl. the girl was easier to see when she moved. even still, as aruna could see her, every time she blinked she felt like she was forgetting what the girl looked like.

"hello." hazel said. "who are you?"

"who are you?" her voice sounded weary as she repeated hazel's words, almost like she was exhausted.

hazel, leo, and aruna exchanged looks. being demigods, nobody knew what they would run into. leo and hazel seemed uneasy around the girl, but aruna knew she meant no harm. she said that in a quick look, and leo and hazel turned back to the girl.

"are you the cursed kid nemesis mentioned?" leo asked. "but, you're a girl."

"you're a girl." the girl repeated.

"excuse me?" leo asked.

"excuse me?"

"you're repeating..." leo stopped. "oh. hold it. aru, wasn't there some myth about a girl who-"

"repeated everything." aruna finished. "you're echo."

"echo." the girl agreed. she shifted, and her dress changed to match the landscape. aruna felt such sadness from the girl.

"i don't remember the myth." leo admitted.

"basically, echo was cursed to repeat the last thing she heard." aruna replied with a frown. "she was cursed by the god queen herself, hera- or, juno, if you prefer."

"juno, if you prefer."

"poor thing." hazel pouted.

leo scratched his head. "but, wasn't that thousands of years... oh. you're one of the mortals who came back through the doors of death. i really wish we'd stop running into dead people."

hazel's mood dropped, and aruna smacked leo's shoulder. he sheepishly looked at his feet. "uh, sorry. i didn't mean it that way."

"that way." echo pointed to the far shore of the island.

"you want to show us something?" hazel asked. she climbed down the boulder, followed by leo and aruna. up close, echo was somehow slightly harder to see.

"you sure you're real?" leo asked. "i mean... flesh and blood?"

"flesh and blood." echo gently brushed her finger's over leo's face. he seemed to shiver, and aruna felt uncomfortable, but then she was bewildered from the fact that leo didn't seem to affected by it.

interesting. all leo ever used to talk about was how much he wanted to be looked at by pretty girls. yet a pretty girl touched his face, and he only seemed uncomfortable.

"so... you have to repeat everything?" he asked.

"everything."

leo started to smile. "that could be fun."

"fun." echo said unhappily.

"blue elephants."

"blue elephants."

"aruna loves leo!"

"leo."

"hey!"

"hey!"

"leo," hazel pleaded. "please don't tease her."

"don't tease her." echo agreed.

"okay, okay." leo reluctantly sighed. "so, what were you pointing at? do you need our help?"

"help." echo agreed she gestured for the demigods to follow and sprinted down the slope. aruna led the way, being the one who could see echo the easiest. the scenery breezed past them as they ran, a blur of grey rocks and dry grass.

"we'd better hurry." hazel said. "or we'll lose her."

aruna did not like the problem any more than the rest of her problems, a group of nymphs were featured around a small pond in the middle of a meadow. all were vying for a better view, some holding up cameras, trying to get an overhead shot of something. they bounced and chattered excitedly at something else as leo and hazel finally caught up with aruna and echo.

"what are they looking at?" leo wondered.

"looking at." echo sighed.

"i think i know who it is." aruna grumbled.

"one way to find out." hazel sighed and began marching her way through the crowd. "excuse us. pardon me!"

aruna and leo swiftly followed. several nymphs complained, and aruna noticed one wearing a shirt with the words: OMG, I <3 N!!!! her cheeks were painted with red hearts.

"uh, demigod business." leo said in a slightly deeper voice. he seemed to be attempting to look professional, but it reminded aruna of a preschooler pretending to be his dad. "make room. thanks."

the nymphs grumbled, but they parted to show a very handsome man looking in his reflection in the water. he had a chiseled face and eyes that were androgynously gorgeous. dark hair swept over his brow. he could have been seventeen or twenty-five, and he was built like a dancer- graceful, long legs, perfect posture, and a regal sense of calm. he wore a simple jeans and white t-shirt, with a bow and quiver strapped to his back. the weapons were covered in dust however, so aruna doubted they were ever really used.

aruna had to admit he was a handsome man, but that didn't exactly mean she found him very attractive. his hands looked too clean, his body too muscular, his form to graceful and rigidly perfect. next to her, leo scowled at the man. to aruna, leo was a thousand times more attracive than this man, with his hands that always seemed to have machine oil on them, and his thin frame that weaved in between their friend group while making jokes, and his somewhat slumped posture and lopsided walk. she liked his messy, dark brown curls more than the perfection of the man. leo's eyes were youthful and kind, while the man's seemed like they would only ever harbor love for himself.

the man's face was lit up in an unusual way. as aruna edged closer, she releazed the light of the setting sun was bouncing off a large sheet of celestial bronze, washing the man in a perfect light.

he was intrigued by his own reflection.

hazel inhaled sharply, and aruna cut her a weird gaze.

"he's gorgeous." she breathed.

the nymphs cheered and clapped in agreement.

"i am." the young man said. "i am so gorgeous."

"i mean, he's okay." aruna muttered. leo looked at her with wild eyes.

"okay?" he whispered tentatively as he looked around. no doubt a nymph would drown him if she heard that.

aruna shrugged. "not my type."

"painfully beautiful is not your type?!"

"beauty is subjective, and this is not the subject of beauty to me." aruna replied honestly. she looked away, pleased that the nymphs hadn't heard her and leo's brief conversation.

one of the nymphs showed her phone screen. "his latest youtube video got a million hits in like, an hour. i think i was half of those!"

the other nymphs giggled.

"youtube video?" leo asked. "what does he do in the video, sing?"

"no, silly!" the nymph chided. "he used to be a prince, and a wonderful hunter and stuff. but that doesn't matter, now he just.. well look!" she showed leo and aruna the video. it was exactly what the saw in real life- a guy staring at his reflection.

"he is soooooo hot!" another nymph said. her shirt read: MRS. NARCISSUS.

"narcissus." aruna groaned.

"narcissus?" leo asked.

"narcissus." echo whimpered.

leo looked over at echo, like he forgot she was there. apparently, the other nymphs finally noticed her too.

"oh, not you again!" mrs. narcissus tried to push echo, but misjudged and ended up shoving several other nymphs.

"you had your chance, echo!" said the nymph with the iphone. "he dumped you four thousand years ago! you are so not good enough for him."

"for him." echo said bitterly.

"wait." hazel finally tore herself away from staring at narcissus. "what's going on here? why did echo bring us here?"

one nymph rolled her eyes. she held an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of narcissus. "echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! gossipping, blah, blah, blah, all the time!"

"i know!" another nymph shrieked. "like, who could stand that? just the other day, i told cleopeia- you know she lives in the boulder next to me?- i said; stop gossping or you'll end up like echo! cleopeia is such a big mouth! did you hear what she said about that cloud nymph and the satyr?"

aruna almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

"totally!" said the nymph with the poster. "so anyway, as punishment for blabbing, hera cursed echo so she could only repeat things, which was fine with us. but then echo fell in love with narcissus- as if he would ever notice her."

"as if!" said a half dozen others.

"now she's got some weird idea he needs saving." said mrs. narcissus. "she should just go away."

"go away." echo growled back. aruna fet sorry for the poor girl.

"i'm so glad narcissus is alive again." said another nymph in a grey dress. she had the words NARCISSUS + LAIEA written up and down her arms in black marker, and aruna was starting to get some ideas. "he's like, the best. and he's in my territory."

"oh, stop it, laiea." her friend said. "i'm the pond nymph. you're just a rock nymph."

"well, i'm the grass nymph." another protested.

"no, he obviously came here because he likes the wildflowers! those are mine!"

the whole mob began arguing, and aruna outwardly groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"hold it!" leo yelled. "ladies, hold it! i need to ask narcissus something."

he knealt next to narcissus, and aruna knealt next to leo.

"so, narcissus, what's up?" leo offered.

"could you move?" narcissus growled. "you're ruining the view."

leo looked in the water, and aruna watched as his reflection frowned. she could feel leo's self-consciousness eminating in waves of hatred. he'd always had insecurities about how he looked. he was scrawnier than the kind of boys girls like. his hair was imperfect. his features were somewhat uneven. he was shorter than almost everyone around him, including the pretty girls.

but, to aruna, with his reflection next to the one of narcissus, she only focused on his.

aruna was glad she wasn't close enough to see her own reflection. she'd been having a lot of trouble with that lately. it'd always been an issue for her, but now that she was best friends with a daughter of aphrodite, who was pretty much one of the hottest girls at camp, she felt so inferior. then, she made friends with annabeth, and annabeth was pretty hot too. and jason was flawless in almost every way. aruna often felt like her own looks were lacking. she felt like her eyes were slanted weirdly. her lips were always chapped, with odd red spots from biting them. her skin was dangerously pale, and always sunburned. her eyes made her look creepy, and her hair wasn't pretty the way piper's and annabeth's were.

she looked over at hazel, who was looking intently at narcissus. hazel was also beautiful; chocolate skin that glowed warmly in the sunset. chestnut hair that curled around her face perfectly. golden eyes like pools of ichor, and lips that seemed to have a remnant of a smile on them at all times.

aruna looked away, and refocused on narcissus and leo.

"right, great view." leo huffed as he broke away from his reflection. "happy to move, but if you're not using it, could i just take that sheet of bronze?"

he was clearly using it, aruna thought, so that was a little stupid to say.

"no." narcissus said. "i love him. he's gorgeous."

leo looked at aruna in bewilderment. aruna only offered a shrug, and watched as the nymphs swooed over narcissus. only hazel seemed appalled. she wrinkled her nose as if she'd come to the conclusion that narcissus smelled worse than he looked.

"man," leo groaned as he ran a hand through his floppy hair. "you do realized that you're looking at yourself in the water, right?"

"i am so great." narcissus sighed. he stretched a hand out to the water like he wanted to touch it, but jerked his hand back. "no, i can't make ripples. that ruins the image. wow... i am so great."

"yeah." leo muttered in exasperation. "but if i took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. or, here..." leo brought a mirror out of his toolbelt, perhaps the size of a monocle. "i'll trade you."

marcissus reluctantly took the mirror. "wow... even you carry a picture of me? i don't blame you. i am gorgeous. thank you." even still, he set the mirror down and looked at the pond water. "but i already have a much better image. the color flatters me, don't you think?"

"oh gods, yes!" a nymph screamed. "marry me, narcissus!"

"no, me! would you sign my poster?"

"no, sign my shirt!"

"no, sign my forehead!"

"no, sign my bo-"

"stop it!" hazel snapped. she looked a little flustered as the last one held down her top to reveal her cleavage.

"stop it." echo agreed. she was knealing on the other side of narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. narcissus didn't even blink.

the nymph fan club tried to shoe hazel away, but she drew out her cavalry sword. aruna shot up, and spawned her twin, moon-shaped amarite blades with a flick of her wrists. "snap out of it!" hazel yelled.

aruna noticed another nymph try to push hazel, but she gestured her left blade at her, the nymph backed away with a scowl, and hazel studied aruna's unique weapon.

"he won't sign your swords." poster nymph complained.

"he won't marry you." iphone girl said.

"he won't marry you, either." aruna pointed out as she kept her sword pointed at a grey-tinted nymph. "he doesn't care about any of you. only himself."

"he's so full of himself!" hazel yelled. "how can you possibly like him?"

"like him." echo sighed wistfully, the others agreed with her.

"i am so hot."

"narcissus, listen." hazel kept her sword at the ready. "echo brought us here to help you. didn't you, echo?"

"echo." echoed echo.

"who?" narcissus asked.

"the only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently." hazel said. "do you remember dying?"

narcissus frowned. "i... no. that can't be right. i am much too important to die."

"wow, and i thought my grandma was full of herself." aruna snorted. she looked at narcissus. "dude, you died staring at yourself, remember? in fact, it was nemesis who cursed you. because you broke so many hearts. she cursed you to fall in love with your own relfection."

nemesis wasn't all evil. aruna felt a sense of triumph in that.

"i love me so, so much."

"you finally died, bro." aruna continued. "i think... you either drowned yourself or turned into a flower hanging over the water."

"which is it, echo?" hazel asked.

"which is it?" echo said hopelessly.

leo stood. "doesn't matter. the point is, you're alive again, man. you have a second chance. that's what nemesis was telling us, you can get up, and get on with your life. echo is trying to save you. or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again."

"stay here!" a nymph screamed.

"yes, stay! marry me before you die!"

narcissus shook his head and aruna flicked her wrists again, her swords transforming into bracelets in a blink. "you just want my reflection. i don't blame you, but you can't have it. i belong to me."

aruna waved leo over. "we need to talk."

leo trudged, and echo and hazel followed. the four traveled to the edge of the crater, and aruna cleared her throat awkwardly.

"hazel, you got those precious metal powers, right?" aruna asked. "think you can summon the bronze?"

hazel frowned. "sometimes i can symmon it, i've never tried it with a piece of celestial bronze that big before. i might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but i'd have to be fairly close. it would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn't be fast."

"be fast." echo warned.

"i'll help you with that." aruna said. "if it feels weightless, will it be easier?"

"i-i think?"

aruna nodded. "then we'll do it from here. you'll summon it, then grab it and run for the ship."

"but narcissus is looking at it all the time." hazel frowned.

aruna's cheeks went a deep red, and she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"that, my friend... that is where leo, echo and i come in."

~•♡•~