safe || leo valdez x oc

fifty-nine: frank gets bited

ARUNA

~•♡•~

leo scanned the temple, squinting his eyes at everything like it'd done something wrong. aruna was still having immense trouble placing his emotions- it wasn't embarrassment, but it was close to it. it wasn't shame at all, however; leo had no sign of any sort of guilt or remorse, almost like he didn't care what he was feeling. it was bothering aruna that she could only place negative emotions, and rarely neutral or positive ones.

she knew, however, that leo was trying to figure out where something mechanical was. it was one of his demigod powers. he'd mentioned being a little envious of other kids- apollo's children were miraculously perfect at shooting bows; ares's children could fight perfectly with any weapon they pleased; he even mentioned being a little envious that aruna could teleport and even use a moonblast. he admitted his fire seeming a little weak in comparison.

aruna preferred leo's abilities. she liked that he wasn't a "front line fighter" like she and so many other people were. she liked that leo was a little awkward when he'd tried to learn to use a sword. she liked that leo's talents were in the background. leo could build and program just about anything he'd wanted to. at fifteen years old, he learned how to fly a helicopter just by putting his hand on it. the same quest, when he had just learned he was a demigod, he rebuilt a bronze dragon. once, he'd reprogrammed the billboards in times square to read; ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO... accidentally, of course.

the only thing she didn't like was how overlooked he was. so many people praised children like jason or clarisse for their fighting skills. they preferred appreciating the bloodshed of capture the flag over leo and his siblings helping to build their cabins, or fix the training areas after the battles were over, or literally build an entire warship.

but she would be there. she was always the first person to appreciate the little things leo could do, even though they weren't little.

leo turned toward a red marble altar with a statue of the virgin mary on top. "over there." he said.

he marched confidently to the shrine, like he just knew. it was shaped sort of like a fireplace, with an arched recess at the bottom. the mantel was inscribed with a name, like a tomb.

"the passage is around here." he said. "this guy's final resting place is in the way. raphael somebody?"

"famous painter, i think." hazel said. she looked at aruna like she had the answer.

"raffaello sanzio da urbino." aruna answered with a nod. "one of my favorite paintings of his was the school of athens."

"nerd." leo snickered.

"open the damn passage, repair boy."

leo shrugged. he looked around frantically, trying to see if they were being watched.

"hold on..." he mumbled.

most of the tour groups were gawking at the dome, but one particular group made aruna feel uneasy. about fifty feet away, some middle-aged american dudes were conversing loudly, complaining about how hot it was. they looked like manatees stuffed into beach clothes- sandals, walking shorts (which were way too tight), touristy t-shirts and floppy hats. the guys acted extremely bored, but something about their emotions seemed... false.