orenda [leo valdez]

lxviii. Sup, Cheese

❝why else love if not to feel stars exploding in our veins❞

⤷ butterflies rising

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Waking up to Calypso in her face was not the greeting she wanted.

"Get up!" The girl exclaimed, hitting her with a pillow. "It's been hours, get up!"

"Gods, Calypso," Kira grumbled as the ex-goddess threw the warm, soft blanket off of her. "Calypso!" She yelled, yanking the blanket back on.

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Just get up."

She strolled out of the room, and Kira groaned, stretching to try to get the sleepiness out of her veins.

Kira lugged out of the bed, the softest thing she had ever remembered being in. She changed into a University of Arizona sweatshirt (from Clarisse) and shorts. She threw the blanket around her.

In a mirror, she cringed when saw the tearstains on her cheek, evidence of her crying herself to sleep. Her cheeks were puffy, and she was reminded that was how she had woken up in the six months that Leo was gone.

She didn't want to break up with Leo. She wasn't even sure why she did, and she wanted to apologize, but she knew that they needed time, something that they didn't have. She had been impulsive, and now he was suffering as a consequence.

When she managed to get there, Apollo was sitting up, pointing weakly at Emmie.

"I—I had a dream. And you were there. And...the rest of you, not so much, but—"

"A dream?" Leo shook his head. "Man, your eyes were wide open. You were lying there all twitching and stuff. I've seen you have some visions before, but not like that."

Kira wouldn't meet his eyes, and Leo refused to look at her as well. He didn't look much better then her, his cheeks were also puffy and he looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept.

Maybe breaking up with her long term boyfriend that had just come up from the dead that was on a quest with her wasn't the best idea.

Apollo's arms were shaking. He grabbed his right hand with his left, but that only made it worse. Kira made her way to her friend, kneeling beside him, and holding his shaking hands. She knew what it was like to have flashbacks, and the shaking hands were no stranger to her.

"I—I heard some new details, or things I didn't remember from before. About Meg. And the emperors. And—"

Josephine patted his head. "You sure you're okay there, Sunny? You don't look so hot."

"I'm fine," He snapped. "Wh-what's going on? Calypso, you're already healed?"

"You've been out for hours, actually." Calypso raised her recently broken hand, which now looked as good as new, and wriggled her fingers. "But yes. Emmie is a healer to rival Apollo."