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One Golden Drachma
Connor Stoll was tempted to drop the less tasty parts of his breakfast as his offering to the gods, but the engraving of Prometheus on the brazier reminded him otherwise. No cheating. He returned to the Hermes table and sat down opposite his brother. Behind him there was a spontaneous explosion at the Ares table. His own work, of course. Then he noticed what the other Stoll was doing and frowned.
"Travis Matthew Michael Stoll, what are you doing?"
Travis looked up from the magazine, confused. "That's not my middle name."
"It's not? Then who's named Matthew Michael?"
"That Cyclops we met last semester."
"Oh that's right. I love naming the monsters we pulverize. Back to my question: What are you doing?"
Travis held up his hand, "Wait for it… reading."
Connor gasped, "The forbidden pastime."
"Chill. It's a magazine. You should see what I have to read for school next year."
"That reminds me. I meant to tell you that I threw away your Sparknotes by accident." Travis reached over to smack him, but Connor ducked and snatched the periodical.
"THE AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL?" he cried, causing several heads to turn. "WHAT ARE YOU? MALCOLM?"
"Way to be subtle, bro." Travis answered sarcastically, "Would you like to emblazon it on a blimp?"
Then Connor understood what this was about. He glanced over his shoulder and confirmed it to his brother, "The Demeter Cabin are just sitting down, and the head counselor is not facing us."
"Wha-What?" Travis scoffed, his voice going several notes higher. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Connor raised an eyebrow, and reached over to pat his brother's hand. "I was always the better actor. So what's it this time?"
He sighed. "I saw Katie this morning talking to some boy. But then she saw me staring and came up to me and started asking me some questions about the sword arena. I don't know what that was about, but I got nervous and, well,… I agreed with MJ and beat it."
"This is, what? The fifth time this has happened? She was probably just touring some newbie. Don't worry; they normally die soon."
"Not soon enough." Travis growled. "The guy was like five inches taller than me!"
His younger brother coughed to cover his laughter. Then in a kinder tone, "Do you want me to wingman this little dilemma to save your horribly unattractive face?" Travis slumped forward into his cereal bowl in despair. Connor patted his curly hair.
"Dude, it's all cool. The guy doesn't stand in comparison with you," he snickered to himself. "I'll go sort this whole thing out. Don't worry… of course, it'll cost you."
Travis raised his head. "Say what?"
"One golden drachma."
"Not going to happen."
"Blasphemy," Connor spat. "I'm doing you a favor."
"I'll put to consideration of the board of I-don't-care. Now go talk to her, please? While I hide behind the Great American Journal."
Connor sighed. "Little brothers are always taken advantage of. I should start a club for younger siblings." He got up from the table and crossed over to the Demeter table. Chiron frowned, but refrained from say anything. Connor plopped down next to Katie who pretended to ignore him.
He rolled his eyes and declared, "He talked about you today."
"WHAT? REALLY?" Katie Gardner squealed, turning and grabbing his arm so tightly that he was afraid she would snap his bone. "What did he say? Tell me exactly!"
"Travis said, and I quote, 'Katie stopped me earlier and asked for some info about the camp's sword-fighting policies. But I remembered that I had something more interesting to do, so I bolt it."
Katie's face fell. "Well, excuse me for not knowing anything about sword-fighting," she sighed. "I was just touring a newbie. Oh, I must have sounded so stupid to him." She put her face in her arms one the table. "He still likes Drew?"
"Still crazy about her. But you know there are not officially together. You still have a chance."
She whimpered to herself and then told him in despair, "I'm the complete opposite of Drew. Why would he even consider me? And don't you dare say because my teeth are white. You've used that the last three times, and it's not true."
"Have hope, young lover. For I have a thesaurus with me," he pulled out a pocket-size book. "I shall now conduct a research of appropriate synonyms for you that will cheer you up." He flipped through it, "I believe you are…. Un-Cyclops-ish." She smacked him upside the head. "Or I can go give Travis the list to make you sound more appealing. But it's going to cost you."
"How much?"
"One golden drachma."
"Oh, you're saving for the sale that the camp store's having?"
He avoided her eyes. "Uh….Sure. Why not? Let's go with that."
Connor got up and went back to his table, where his brother peeked over the top of magazine.
"Which drunk god do you think was responsible for the dinosaurs?"
"Good news: she was touring a newbie who will soon get a life-and-death quest and will return with news of a badly-outnumbered preordained war and will get immense fame and will have books written about him and will have the entire Midwest tween population fall in love with him. Bad News: she's still into Jake Mason." Travis made a series of incoherent noises that were some where between cursing, yelling, dog growling, and a narwhale blowing his top.
"Ah, young love," Connor mused.
"Dude, you're younger than me!"
"Shush! I'm fantasizing if I was one of those cranky old men who hate everything."
Travis plopped his head back into his cereal. A few moments later he raised it and reached over for a napkin. "I should just go and tell her how I feel. Maybe the whole camp won't here her laughter. Granted Drew and the Pinkies don't get a whiff of it."
"Where do you think you live? Ancient Greece where they had dowries, and you married you're sister, and sacrificed you're first born?"
"Kinda."
"No. You live in the twenty-first century. Not only the age of Facebook, but the age of the wingman. Now I am going to go over there, and I am going to get her to come and have a normal conversation. Stop acting like the eight-year old you are, and don't freak out. 'kay?"
"Too late."
Connor groaned. "You owe me, buddy."
"Let me guess. Another golden drachma?"
Connor got up, muttering. "I wish we didn't live in a country which pre-payment has gone out of style." He sat down at the Demeter table and asked, "Are you going to eat those carrots?" Katie passed them to him, still looking upset.
"Connor, I appreciate you're help, but I think I just need to talk to Travis myself. If he's going to hear that I like him, he should hear it from me. To save embarrassment."
"No. No. No. Katie, you don't tell someone you like him. That's so 1900s."
"I spent half my life in 1900s."
"This is what you do. You've clearly maxed out your patience of unrequited love for today. How about this Saturday you go hang out at the lake, and I'll get Travis to drop by."
She thought about it. "I don't know. Accidental slash blind date? It's kind of pointless."
Connor patted her back, "Oh, poor first-timer Katie. You are new to this game of love, but I am not. This is how these things go. It all works out in the end."
"You watch way too many movies."
"Trust me, Katie. But considering that the accidental date will have to include tossing Travis into the shower, I'll need a little cash." He rubbed his fingers together.
"I'll give you one drachma and that's it."
"Cheapskate." He went back and sat down opposite Travis. Chiron was becoming increasingly annoyed with his travels between the two tables.
"Yeeeaahhh, she ain't comin' over." Travis almost jump-attacked his brother but one of his little sisters tapped his shoulder asking him to settle a dispute.
"So we're in agreement then, "Connor continued. "I'm going to go give it one more try, and then you and I need to come up with plan B. And just so we're clear, you now owe me three drachmas."
Connor almost reached Katie's table, but he caught Chiron's eye. The centaur pointed strictly at the Hermes table. Connor turned back but gave Katie, who was watching, an OK sign. Then he held up one finger and rubbed his fingers together. She rolled her eyes and scowled.
"Connor Phillip Stoll, you useless, idiotic wingman…" Travis continued
"So that's my middle name. I was trying to remember it for three weeks now."
Much to both boys' shock, Katie Gardner got up from her table and came and sat next to Connor. "Hi, guys," she said shyly.
Connor quickly kicked Travis' shin. "H-Hi Katie. What's up?"
"Thought I'd save Connor a trip, and just come talk to you myself," she confessed. Travis raised his eyebrows, wearing an unmistakable grin. All Connor was thinking was, oh boy.
"Um,…" they both started, and then laughed nervously. Connor put his head in his hands.
"Katie, listen. I know you have a thing for Jake Mason," Travis said the name with disgust. "But if you decide that you don't really like him that much, I'm always available."
She smiled slightly, "And if you decided you're not that interested into Drew… Wait a minute, who told you I was into Jake?"
"You did."
"No, I didn't. Actually, Travis, this is probably the first conversation we've had all year. I didn't say I like Jake Mason."
"Okay, you told Connor, and, well, he kind of mentioned, told me by accident." Travis stuttered with extreme uncomfort.
"More like force," Connor muttered.
"The only thing I told Connor… What I mean is, do you like Drew? Because I really don't want you to."
Travis laughed for real, "Drew? Are you serious? Katie, the only person I like is the one I'm looking at right now."
She grinned, and looked behind her, "Please don't tell me you're looking at Clarrise." They were both grinning madly, and Travis took her hand.
"I love happy endings," Connor remarked, "Especially when something blows up." Katie and Travis looked at him seriously.
"So where did the idea of Jake Mason come from, anyway," Katie asked.
"And you told me Katie didn't want to come talk to me."
"Guys, Guys, let's not dwell on the past, but hope for the future. Your future is right in front of you. My future is the three drachmas you both owe me. It's a win-win sitch!"
"What?" They cried, and Connor knew he was done for. "I've been paying you to be a wingman, Connor…" they looked at each other in realization.
"You've been paying him to come talk to me-"
"Just like you've been doing-"
"But instead of saying you like me-"
"He made up stories-"
"So we would keep paying him." Travis finished.
"That was uncannily good." Connor got up, as most of the camp did.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Let's see I have sixty drachmas sooo…. About a month?"
The new couple groaned. "We could've gone to the fireworks picnic together, but stupid Connor…"
"Hey, I was helping! You found love and so did I," Katie stared pointedly at him. "Her name is Drachma, she's about this big, golden personality, I sleep with her under my pillow every night." Roots and tendrils broke through the cement and grabbed his ankles. Connor fell and struggled with the roots, cursing.
Travis got up, and offered Katie his arm, "Would the lady care to skip lessons and go sit by the lake?"
"It's always breaking the rules with you Hermes kids, isn't it?" she took his arm, and they walked away, the two happiest people that day.
The other campers had left by then, and Chiron trotted by Connor, "You don't mind doing dishes, do you, wingman?"