Peter Solarz
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a s h e r .
“ If you fuck up, I’ll probably be dead, so… deal. How does it feel to be my newly appointed body guard? Honored? Nervous? ” He gasped. “ Responsible? ”
“responsible?” she chuckled. “how dare you ever pin me as responsible. and i thought we were finally getting through to each other, asher. i’m ashamed, truly.”
n a t h a n .
He glanced up, took one look at the cover, then shrugged. “I’ll pass,” he said, dropping his arms and concentration to find a bottle of water he left off to the side. Nathan dropped down onto the ground, crossing his legs. “We do, mom’s a good looking lady,” he laughed, squinting up at her. “Yeah, I’ve heard about the barrier. And why that shit’s happening I don’t know, but I want to so bad, you don’t even know. I still don’t understand why we’re supposed to be hunted so badly by everyone. It’s not like we asked to be born.” It was uncharacteristic for Nathan to be talking like this, but what was he supposed to do, lie to his sister? No way. “Oh, really? That’s great, kid, like what?”
“nature of a demigod i guess. can’t fit in the mortal world, gods sure as hell don’t want us in there. we’re kinda lucky i guess, that chiron has such a big heart. or else we’d all end up on the streets being hunted instead of in a camp, being hunted.” her disposition wasn’t optimistic, but she was grateful to be in camp. and as much as she talked bad about chiron’s big heart, he was one of the most important people to her, guiding her in a way no one else had.
“nothing special. closing doors and turning off lights, levitating books and flipping pages. nothing intense like invisibility or teleportation... yet.”
n a t h a n .
“Exactly,” he smiled. He liked to instill that the option was there. Nathan knew better than anyone how rough camp life could get, and he himself had plans to only be at camp half time… until he found out about all the barrier crap, so that would have to be changed. “Oh, I forgot, the little hermit has her duties to attend to. In her bed with some sweatpants and ice cream.”
“exactly, see? you do get me.” she smiled, laughter being too much for her at the moment. slowly, she sat back up, surprised at how much the nectar was already working. “can we go back to the cabin now? i’m tired of sitting in here.”
m i l o .
It was always a feat how silence would deepen the pang of friend’s worry; to add a heaviness to words that already felt like they could break you. For Milo he didn’t want to think about a next time, as he was already trapped in the past, but if his future offered the same kind of danger, in the same place—well he shuddered the thought. Letting the scenery be a spacial distraction he mulled over Jo’s question, wondering if his honesty would warrant something she needed to hear. “Truthfully.” he whispered practically, glancing over at her, “I know my life can’t handle any more people I love to leave me…but for myself.” he lifted his head, looking up at the sky like a silent pray, before answering. “I don’t think I can fair well in an attack.”
“Not saying I won’t try if something happened but.” he seemed to make excuses but he didn’t want her to feel the need to protect him, “—the last attack all I could do is run and watch from the sidelines which.” sighing, “That’s probably all I can do.”
the silence worried her, and not much could. milo’s words felt like a rock in her stomach, weighing her down with each step they took. she knew milo’s disposition on things like this... but hearing his say it out loud only made it more real. “that’s not true, and you know it.”
while her words sounded like they’d be ones to start a fight, her tone was soft, almost desperate. reached out, she hooked her hand with is. it wasn’t anything remotely romantic. they were always platonic, even with gestures like this. she needed it more for herself than for him, needing to know that even with his words, he was still there, anchored to this earth (for now). “you got more in you than you know, okay?” she stopped walking, pulling at his arm slightly to he would too. “i really need to hear you say that, milo. i know you’ve got more in you thank you think.”
c y r u s .
☆. ❝ If that’s the case, find something that can pack the punch that your fists can’t. ❞ He shrugged in response. ❝ Makeshift weapons are always a fun time. But also, I recommend something that’s light on one end and heavy on the other. Maybe like a HEAVY ROCK on a rope or something ?? Lock in a sock, only the lock’s made out of celestial bronze. Thing about it. ❞
But then… he had an idea. ❝ …what if somebody melted down celestial bronze and made it into some kind of PEPPER SPRAY ?? Monster pepper spray. That’d be pretty damn cool. ❞
“a heavy rock on a rope. i’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” she said, sarcasm evident in her tone. she glanced around watching the library slowly empty. “almost 8:30. coming back to the cabin with me?”
“pepper spray?” she didn’t need to think about it too much before she started grinning. “that is absolutely genius, cyrus!” she smiled. “does that hephaestus guy still have a booth over at the market? i know he’d be into some shit like that.”
r h y s .
“ C’mon, we gotta keep moving. ” He could hear them, the monsters and the screams of other campers, and Rhys fought the urge to run to the worst of it. Instead, he urged the demigod he’d saved forward, towards a place less overrun by monsters. A rustling sounded from their left and he drew his sword in a flash.
“i didn’t ask for your help.” it wasn’t even the monsters that had gotten her. it was the crowd, she was caught between a crowd rushing towards and away form the monsters. a fall and some scurrying led to a snap in her ankle, rendering her dramatic ass basically unable to move. however, the sound of rustling seemed to knock some sense in her, ceasing her resist of rhy’s help. “okay, okay. maybe i do need your help.”
a s h e r .
“ Hey, hey…yeah, ” Asher would nod had it not been too painful, but his expression turned to one of discovery, “ you’ll learn those spells… and come protect me, right? ”
“as soon as this damn concussion goes away. i’ll be your protector, sure.” she almost laughed at the idea of it, only being able to smile. “as long as you take the blame when i fuck up.”
n a t h a n .
His breath hitched a little but he managed to force out a smile. Any time she mentioned that she saw her dad, red flags went up in his head. He nodded. “Okay,” he said, gently. If she wanted to mention more, or if something else happened, he drilled that she could tell him anything since they met. She knew. “Then why don’t I see you there?” he joked playfully, sticking his tongue out.
“because, it’s your place.” as much as jo knew that when he meant his door was open, it really was. still, the few times she’d been over there was with specific invitations. she felt a little uneasy just showing up, though she knew that nathan wouldn’t have a problem with it. “besides, leave the cave of my own room?” she scoffed. “never.”
c y r u s .
☆. The phrasing of “move into the Hades cabin” made Cyrus playfully roll his eyes. And then he shook his head, pursing his lips for an added effect. ❝ I can GUARANTEE there is probably someone in the Hades cabin who’ll pull the ‘little sister’ BS on you, okie dokes ?? Not somethin’ you can easily run from. ❞
❝ And what can you BLAME us for ?? Siblings look out for each other. We’re… We’re kind of all we’ve got, besides, y’know, mom. ❞ He pointed towards the sky, but he knew Hecate probably wasn’t in that direction. And he sighed as his smile fell once she mentioned her abilities weren’t on exactly par. ❝ …So the breach is fuckin’ with your powers. That’s - That’s great. If mine start actin’ up I’m gonna fucking throw down with some of them using only my fists. ❞
“wanna bet? i’ll go move into an empty cabin and enjoy the peace and quiet for once.” she stuck her tongue out at him, in quite a little sister way. and not that there even would be quiet in that cabin. right now, jo caused most of the chaos in hecate, being the loudest by far. only cyrus rivaled when when they were there together.
“nah, i don’t count her.” jo shrugged, through there was a new stiffness in her stance. however, at cyrus’s comment, she relaxed, a half-hearted laugh followed by a smile. “oh yeah, well, some of us have the muscle mass of a baby carrot, so i highly doubt i’ll be ‘using only my fists’.”
n a t h a n .
“Never read it,” he said, after he squinted in the sun to look at the cover. “And I don’t really have much of a desire to.” Nathan liked the stuff he could read fast and on the road - those mass market smaller novels, the ones good for travel… which meant he was limited to thrillers adhered more towards women, romance novels also adhered towards women, or the action thriller books that got turned into average movies… he usually chose the action. Nathan rolled his eyes at his new nickname, and laughed a little with her. “They would be so lucky,” he said. “We have great genes,” he laughed. He was glad he was hopefully cheering her up. “You mean to tell me nothing’s gone on since I’ve been away? You can tell me names, I promise I won’t hunt him down.”
“it’s a great book, honestly.” jo flipped a page, not really reading anything, more so scanning through to find quotes that she hadn’t already highlighted, or to scrawl some notes in the margins. “oh i’m sure we do.” sarcasm was laced in her response, though, nathan did manage a smile of out of the girl, now laying back against the rock, still with her feet dangling. “i mean, i’m sure you heard about the barrier... that’s seemed to conquer anything else really.” she remained quiet for a second. “it’s all anyone is really focused on. i’ve just been doing my thing. camp, dad, mostly camp. i did learn some pretty cool new spells, non verbal magic too.”
n a t h a n .
“Nope,” he said, casually, his arms outstretched to fix the rubble that had gathered around the statue. “Please just be careful, it’s not that stable yet and you’re up high. The last think you need is another concussion.” Of course, he’d catch her before she ever hit the ground, and that was a guarantee. While she probably knew that, he had to tell her to exceed caution as the annoying big brother.
“I can get you a book or something while you’re up there,” he called, looking up at her but not breaking his concentration. He was seated on a lawn chair, one earbud in as he kept his focus on putting back the pieces of rubble in their proper spots. “How are you holding up? Seeing any stars or getting dizzy? Or we can talk about other stuff, if you don’t wanna talk about that… dating anyone?”
“way ahead of you.” she waved the cover of the book in her hand, pride and prejudice, an obviously well loved copy, said cover was able to fall off. she waved off his concerns, swinging her legs even more. the few joys she had left at the moment was making nathan unnecessarily worry about the little things while she didn’t have her powers back.
“i’m fine, dr. page.” she glanced back over it him, holding her hand up to cover the glare from the sun. “dating anyone?” the question seemed to come out of left field, earning a laugh from his younger sister. “please, as if.” she went back to her reading. normally, she wouldn’t blow off his conversation like this, but today just felt cruel. she couldn’t do anything to help out, she already felt useless with a lack of powers, and her headache was beginning to come back full force. unfortunately, nathan was having to deal with hurrican jsoephine all by himself.
c y r u s .
☆. ❝ I’m WELL-AWARE of my status. And my title, thank you very much. ❞ He winked, rubbing his hands together. His partner-in-crime never lost her wit - it was nice to see, especially in such stressful times. But he had to pause, looking down as he put his hands on his hips. He took one look at Josephine, taking a deep breath, and then letting it out as a rather forced exhale.
❝ Listen, I know that 90% of what I do is a solid joke, but considering the fact we’re actually dealing with some POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING bullshit, a motherfucker’s gonna worry about his little sister. And the rest of the siblings, too, but you’re the one I’m face-to-face with at the moment, so you’re the first that comes to mind. ❞ He prattled, waving his hand at the word bullshit to enunciate his frustration. ❝ And you should know my door’s always open. Even if it’s NOT. I can teach you a lockpicking spell to get it open, don’t test me. ❞
the tone of the conversation had changed, even if cyrus had tried to bring humor back at the end. jo sighed, quite dramatically, trying to bring them back to their normal banter. “man, if i hear one more thing about little sister, little sister, little sister, i think i’m gonna move into the hades cabin or something. i’m not that much younger than juni at all.” she said, a defensive pose, yet a smile tugging on her lips.
“you and nathan both, always playing up the big brother role.” at the mention of a spell, however, her demeanor changed. she adjusted her bag on her shoulder, dropping the teasing tone of before. “it’s not like i could use the spell anyways... my magic hasn’t been the same since that first breach, i can’t tap into it like i used to. i can’t even flip my light switch off right now.”
m i l o .
There was a tenderness in their conversation, almost like the two were inches from breaking. That their sanity and stability were fine porcelain, daring not to leave a mark against one another that could become a crack at any moment. Milo’s mind kept jumping between guilt and excuses, understanding that other campers were actual hurt; they bleed and bruised to protect camp. While he hide away, watching from the sidelines that seemed to burn memories in his mind. It was enough to make him scream out of character, which when Jo’s hand gently found it’s way against his shoulder, brough a warmth to his cheeks that had been missing lately.
“Me giving you a makeover?” he laughed, the idea of giving him control over makeup was like handing an elephant paint brushes and labeling it ‘art’. “Gods, you must want to look like a clown.” he teased, before doing the last minute little closes. Wiping the stainless tables once more, double checking things were off and sugar cartons were stocked well—he began to shut the lights off, only leaving the over head ones that lined the bar lit.
He swung his bag over his shoulder, which held a to-go-box of brownies along with the assortment of headphones and notepads he uses for work. “Shall we?” he asked, standing in the entrance of the diner, “Should we take the scenic way back or?” bringing up the option while she walked passed him before closing up.
josephine fell into step with him, a practice that they’ve perfected over the years. even brief moments of silence with milo felt a thousand times for comfortable than even the most casual of conversations with anyone else. a smile came to her face easily, even if it was only a small one. her usual front of aggressive nature and blunt speech dropped, her attitude matching the night: serene.
“scenic. the harpies can go fuck themselves.” even with the rough words, her tone was soft, steering them towards the aforementioned route. the night was still, rhythmic sounds of the wind and crickets complimenting their footsteps as they slowly make their way out of olympia.
“you know... what if one of us really did get hurt, that night, i mean?” the question hung in the air. the seriousness of it forced a lump in her throat she couldn’t quite get down... but it was an answer she needed to know. “i mean, i don’t know what i’d do with myself, honestly.” her arms crossed, a defensive measure that she had to force herself to stop, letting them fall back down at her side.
“but... if there’s another one, what do we do?”
a s h e r .
“ Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. ” Asher exhaled and turned his face into his pillow for a second, letting darkness fill his vision. He wished he had wine, or some other numbing agent. If they hadn’t have thrown that party… The demigod turned his face to the side, opening his eyes to focus on Jo, abruptly enough that it jostled his cot and had him hissing as he rediscovered his injuries. “ Actually, I’ll make it a priority. This sucks. ”
jo snorted, a laugh she wasn’t proud of. maybe it was the delirium of it all, maybe she thought she was still in a dream. still, it didn’t make the situation seem any less comical in her head... until it began to hurt again, causing her smirk to turn into a grimace. “yeah, well, speak for yourself. i’ll just learn some more spells, and hopefully not be as fucked up next time around.”
h a n a .
the daughter of selene wished she could have slept more. maybe if she fell asleep she wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath of the barrier breach. she could remember how intoxicating the fear felt, how she worried about her friend’s condition.
rubbing her temple she tried to think of something else other than last night but it still felt as vivid. she wished she had stayed in her room, sleeping. “i agree. they would be a lifesaver in here.. and they would be more efficient than walls.” after speaking she fell silent, shifting in her chair to feel more comfortable before speaking again, “do you think they’ll have you stay here for much longer?”
“stay? i hope not.” the mere thought made her stomach do flips. she hate the infirmary, probably for more wicked reasons than most campers. it was too similar to her first few days at camp, when she practically lived here before being claimed. she didn’t have many fond memories within the cloth walls.
“i’m sure once they get done tending to the more seriously hurt campers, they’ll give me the all clear. if not i’m just about to say fuck it and walk out.”
a n d e r s o n .
He sits up straighter abruptly, entirely unaware he’d zoned out until she snapped him from said daze. “Hm? Oh, uh. No. I just. I was. Um.” There’s a slight twitch of pain when he scowls a bit, the action irritating bruises he’s obtained from backfired retribution being stupid. “I’m avoiding doors, so. I’ve been hanging around places all day. I’ve been trying to stick to places where people leave me alone.” Because that’s normal, right?
How long had he even been in here, though? Obviously long enough to draw some kind of concern, either because he was being weird or because of how close it was to the curfew. “Uh. What time’s it, anyway?”
jo listened to him, having no other choice really. her shifts were usually banal, finishing up most tasks in the first hour or so. the rest she parked herself at the checkout counter, occasionally ringing up a book, but mostly lost in her own world. she’d gone through nearly every book here, which was saying a lot.
“almost 8. we’re closing up soon. they wanted to make sure we were all tucked in and sleeping soundly by the time nine comes.” her tone was mocking, obviously upset about the whole idea of a curfew. “sorry to interrupt your alone time, then.”
jo: so what the actual fuck just happened
