safe || leo valdez x oc

thirty-four: brawl-o-mania between the star-crossed idiots

ARUNA

~•♡•~

aruna walked with hazel through camp jupiter. she couldn't believe how massive it was, and how it was still gorgeous despite the remnants of a battle. she walked next to hazel, a short girl maybe around 5'2 or so, and she looked around thoughtfully.

she had noticed hazel staring at leo since they first entered the forum. aruna was doing her damndest to act uninterested, but in truth, hazel was making her extremely uncomfortable. not only that, but leo's own discomfort was radiating like roadkill stink, so she had to work extra hard not to let it show.

something told her hazel was good, though. she could feel some sort of pain in hazel, but there was also a sense of purity, like she would devote her soul for a good cause.

"so, how do you know nico?" hazel asked. it was the first thing she'd chosen to talk about.

"we're decent friends." aruna answered.

that wasn't a lie. in the months come to pass, aruna and nico had progressed from casual waves and head nods to the common conversation, though it was a little spotty. aruna still ran away for the night every evening (she and leo had to wear a disguise in mortal new york, because they were wanted fugitives now) and nico disappeared randomly, sometimes for weeks at a time.

aruna quite liked nico. he wasn't insistent upon much of anything. he was quiet. he dressed similarly to aruna, and they even shared some interests. they wouldn't exactly go out of their way to talk to each other, but if they passed each other, they would strike up a simple conversation.

aruna remembered their last one quite well.

"oh, hey nico."

"hi, aruna."

"don't go near the demeter cabin. sophie wilson had a tantrum and grew a mountain of pansies. hella pollen."

"pansies are one of the worst flowers. why pansies?"

"'cause she's a pansy-ass."

"ha. good one."

"thanks."

"have a nice day."

"you too."

and that was the last time aruna had seen nico.

hazel looked at aruna skeptically. "oh. um, are you..."

aruna raised an eyebrow.

"d-dating?"

aruna shook her head. "nah. just friends. besides, he's not my type, and i'm not his type."

her type being all women and scrawny, mexican mechanics, and his type being y-chromosomes.

"oh. okay." hazel looked a little more at ease. "i was worried, y'know? kinda wondering why he wouldn't tell me if he had a girlfriend."

he never would have a girlfriend, but aruna had no plans to out him.

"i can tell you care about him." aruna said instead. hazel nodded.