there were times when hana unraveled before the other, opened up and shared her deepest thoughts. when that happens olympia usually ended up in tears, her heart was far too kind to understand why hana could speak of such things without breaking a sweat. hana wondered how they ended up as friends. how could olympia stay by her side when all hana did was complain and JUDGE? hana just couldn’t understand it.
when the words i don’t deserve a friend like you came out of her lips, hana didn’t think much of it. her thoughts were too jumbled for her to consder how the other would react. it didn’t take her long to see the shift in olympia’s face, to see how her friend’s smile faded. taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for what was to come. there was nothing that hana hated more than seeing her friends upset. (well, scratch that, there is something she HATED far beyond that that. still.)
“i am well aware of who i am and how i am, olympia. i’m not an easy person. i definitely don’t deserve someone with your kindness.” hana laid down in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. the ceiling of her room was covered by posters of stars and planets, it was all a great collage of posters. “you know i’ve tried to count the times that i snap throughout the day, i’ve lost count.” she smiled, even if hana wished she wasn’t like this it was TRUE.
“think of it this way, i’m like a villain and you’re the superhero. it makes no sense for you to love me because i am not a good person. and i don’t think i return all the good deeds or favors or compliments you give me. it’s quite SELFISH from me to hold onto you.” with that she looked at the other and shrugged. “not that i’ll let go of you anytime soon but you know.”
olympia’s maternal family had taught her far more than mechanics, more than what she already knew and understood. concepts regarding how machinery worked sat at the back of her mind, waiting for the right moment to strike, to be of use. they had taught her more : how to be a friend, how to be kind and caring and compassionate. her family had ingrained these in her mind and although olympia’s true nature often had her slip up, it was a rarity for her to fail. with hana choi in mind, olympia ensured that she would NEVER fail her — not while she was alive, still living on this earth with the ability to hold fire without so much as flinching.
she shakes her head, letting maxima find her peace inside her cage before closing it shut. “not so easy people still deserve kindness, i don’t know what you’re talking about.” a teasing tone makes itself present in her voice but the daughter of hephaestus is having difficulty finding it in herself to continue like that. her chest aches ; it aches for hana to be able to understand why she thinks otherwise. “well, it makes no sense to me why you would call yourself a villain — hana, i can set someone on fire. i’m pretty sure i can be a villain too just because of that.”
olympia finds her way to the edge of the other demigod’s bed, resting her head as she glances at hana with a unique sort of fondness : not easily replicated for anyone else, not even paris. “you don’t have to return anything unless you want to, hana. that’s not what friendship is. i don’t mind being the one to give you all these compliments — i only do it because i think, I BELIEVE, you should know.” she smiles, though she knows herself enough ; the brunette swallows bits of her broken heart, hot tears lining her eyes already. “oh, okay. good — ‘cause it would’ve been so awkward if you said otherwise.”
