Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. Just trust me on this one.
Date Night
"This. Has. To be. A joke," I growled, addressing my cabinmates. "Seriously, this has to be some elaborate Hermes prank."
Chiron had just finished telling us that the camp was going to have a "Movie Date Night." Yeah, he really called it that. Made me want to throw up my breakfast. Apparently, it was suggested by some Aphrodite girl—gee, let me take a random guess who—that all the couples should have a night to spend together. Anyone in a relationship would be allowed to attend a special screening of a pre-selected movie, airing twenty minutes after the campfire started.
My sister, Aria, shrugged. "I don't think Chiron would go along with a prank. Besides, look at Barbie Land. They're squealing like three-year-olds on a sugar high."
Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "No way in Hades am I going to this thing."
My brother, Mark, sent me a cautious glance. Suppressing a sigh, I added, "It's okay if you take Nyssa. I just don't want to do it."
With that, breakfast ended, and as we headed to our activities, I heard excited babbling from all the lovebirds who just couldn't wait to go. It made me want to punch someone.
"Hey, babe," my boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez, greeted, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
"First of all, no pet names," I grumbled, untangling his arm, "and second, no public displays of affection."
"Can you blame a guy for trying?"
"Can I break your arm if I so desired?"
"Man, you're extra fiery this morning. Wassup?"
I gave him my best You-are-so-dumb-sometimes glare, and I could practically see the light bulb ignite. "That date night announcement?"
"I'm not going," I deadpanned. "It's stupid."
Rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, he mumbled, "Well, I was kinda hoping we could—"
"No, not gonna happen."
"Why? It's not like it's a big secret that we're dating. What's wrong with it?"
I shook my head. Explaining to him why I was against it would sound so pathetic. Weak. Daughters of Ares don't sound that way. Ever.
"I have wrestling now. See you later." I tipped my head forward, allowing his usual quick kiss, the only affection I let him show when others are around.
"I'll talk to you later. Please, think about it?"
Nodding, I entered class, ready to work off my frustration. The real reason I didn't want to go: I would be "that girl." You know, the girl all the guys watch, wondering why her boyfriend stayed with such a dog like her. The girl all the other females observe before turning sympathetic eyes to the boyfriend, the poor kid who deserves so much more.
See, I know I'm not the prettiest girl. I mean, if I really, really care enough, I can make myself decent, but people don't immediately look at me and think, "She's pretty." That's probably way, way, way, way down on the list. I also know that Chris could get a much hotter girl, a much better girl, what with his Latino good looks, his charm, his humor, his everything.
Other campers wonder why he stays with me. They think I don't hear them talk about us, saying that he dates me out of guilt, that it's how he repays me for saving him from the Labyrinth. It would make me a lot madder if I didn't think that way myself. We had this thing, I guess, before he left camp, so I know he does care about me, but… I can't help but worry that my saving him has something to do with our relationship.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. The angrier I got, the harder I trained. By the end of the day, I was sweaty and hot and tired and practically shaking. Forget date night. I showered, got into sweats, and sat on my bed, trying to ignore my siblings.
"You not going anywhere?" Sherman questioned when it was time for the campfire. The others stood near the door, watching.
"Does it look like I'm going anywhere? If anyone asks, say I don't feel well."
He nodded and led them out the door. Only Aria stayed behind, climbing next to me on the top bunk. Of everyone in my cabin, Aria is closest with me. She's trusted me with major secrets, and I've admitted more fears to her than anyone else, even Chris. It wasn't that much of a surprise that she hadn't gone.
"You okay?"
"Fine," I growled.
"Listen. I get you don't want to go to this movie night because you don't want people ogling at you and Chris. But I think you should. You'd have fun if you're with him. He makes you happy."
I snorted at how lame that sounded. She responded with a punch to the arm. "You know it's true. Just do it. Prove to all those people that you don't give a crap about those rumors." In a softer voice, she continued, "Because that's all they are. Chris loves you and you love him."
I swallowed hard, avoiding her eyes. "Thanks. Now go have fun at the campfire."
She jumped off the bed, pausing long enough to say, "I'll check on you later, if you're still here."
Waving my hand, I countered, "Don't worry about me. Focus your energy on trying to get Kenny from the Apollo cabin to notice you."
"You say that to anyone and—"
"You'll snap me in half, yeah, I know," I finished. "Now get going."
She left, leaving me to enjoy some relaxation.
It lasted five minutes.
"Knock, knock," Chris called, opening the door. Glancing at me, he concluded, "So the movie's a no-go?"
"I'm tired."
"Please?"
"No."
"I got all dressed up. Clean shirt and everything."
"Sucks." A thought popped into my head. "Why do you want to go so badly?"
Sitting next to me, he wrapped his arm around my mid-section and whispered in my ear, "I want to show you off. I want to take you on a real date, not just sneak into the woods in the middle of the night. You deserve a real date."
"That's so sappy," I told him, but for some stupid reason, it made my stomach tingle with excitement. Screw hormones.
"Please, Reese? For me?"
Exaggerating a sigh, I replied, "Fine. But if the movie blows, I'm leaving, got that?"
He kissed me on the cheek. "Got it."
I hopped off my bed and gestured to the door. "Now leave so I can get ready."
Saluting, he went, and I turned to the dresser I shared with my sisters, looking through the drawers. I grabbed a pair of navy blue jeans, the only skin-tight jeans I own, the ones that make my overly-muscular legs look less manly. I removed my Bite Me tee, traded my sports bra for a real one, and pulled on my short-sleeve teal shirt—it doesn't make my arms seem too strong and it has the low v-neck that actually shows I have a C-cup.
Kneeling on the floor, I pulled a rusty tin from the corner. It held all my "make-up," stuff Silena insisted that I had even though I had yet to use it. Well, first time for everything.
I pulled out a cream that would dry my hair instantly, lip shimmer and lip gloss, and a couple of hair ties. I was about to put the lid back when I noticed a hot-pink Sticky Note:
Hey girl! I'm so glad you're using this. You're going to look even more beautiful than you already are. Remember, I expect a full report about your evening with Chris! Every little detail :P
Hope you have a great time! Don't be afraid to show your softer side. It's awesome—just like everything about you!
~Your bestie (ha, ha, I know you hate that word!),
Silena
Tears itched the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Crying wouldn't bring her back, and besides, she wouldn't want me to cry before a date.
"You're awesome, too, Silena," I mumbled, closing the container and shoving it into its rightful place. "Hope you and Beckendorf are enjoying Elysium together."
I rubbed the cream through my hair and, once it was dry, brushed it quickly. I pulled it back into a loose ponytail that lay on my neck— keeping hair out of my face makes my eyes appear bigger—and formed two braids, one on each side of my face. Inspecting myself in the cracked and dirty mirror, I applied the lip shimmer and lip gloss and accepted that I looked…okay. Maybe even better than okay.
Shoving my feet into flip-flops, I walked outside and stopped in front of Chris. His eyes glittered when he saw me.
"What?" I demanded.
"You look gorgeous. Just like always."
"Shut up," I grumbled, trying to keep the happiness out of my voice. Man, he was so good a messing up my image. "Let's just go to this moronic thing and get it over with."
We walked side-by-side to the amphitheater. Halfway there, against my better judgment, I slipped my hand into his. When he noticed, he grinned like an idiot. I rolled my eyes.
When we got to our destination, I practically stopped dead. There were more couples than I realized: Annabeth and Percy (obviously); Katie and Travis; Mark and Nyssa; Pollux and Terry from the Athena cabin; Will and Mary Sue Ellen; Malcolm and Miranda; Lacey and Thomas from the Eris cabin; Connor and Liz from the Hephaestus cabin; Drew and Zack, Chris's half-brother who was charmed (literally) into going with the melodramatic human doll—for a daughter of Aphrodite, she can't get a man; even Nico, Mr. I-am-the-Night-Color-me-Black, was there with Eva from the Apollo cabin.
Shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, I moved myself so I was more or less behind Chris. People had already started looking our way, and suddenly, whatever confidence I had in my appearance was fading. My free hand moved to my pocket where I kept my Stiletto blade. If I couldn't be a girl, might as well be a warrior.
"Clarisse!" Lacey called, bouncing to me. I liked her because she reminded me of Silena. A little more fashion obsessed, a little less willing to fight, but she was nice. Friendly.
"Hi."
"Oh my gods you look sooo beautiful!" she squealed. "Your hair! Your whole outfit!"
"Thanks." My face felt hot, and I hoped I wasn't blushing. "I like your…shoes."
Giggling, she replied, "Thanks! They're my favorite pair. I picked them because of the flowers on the—"
"Hon, what exactly are you doing?"
Lacey squeaked and whipped around to face her half-sister. I clenched my fists as Drew approached, wearing short-shorts and a spaghetti-strap top and too much make-up. She was the reason Aphrodite kids got a bad rap.
"Really, you should know better than to talk to an Ares…" She waved her hand absentmindedly, as though she didn't know what to call me. I could feel Chris tense.
"But she's my friend," the twelve-year-old objected quietly, cowering as her cabin leader glared at her.
"Sweetie, you have to pick better friends. If you don't, you'll start looking like her. Hmm, on second thought, for you, it wouldn't be that much of a change."
Whimpering, she high-tailed it to Thomas, who thankfully embraced her before snarling at Drew.
My blood was boiling, but the stupid girl wasn't done yet. Turning her focus on Chris, she claimed, "You know, you could do a lot better than this fake girl." Her eyes drifted to my v-neck.
Yup, she went there, calling me fake when I could see the tissues practically jumping out her shirt.
"Drew," Chris all but growled, "shut up."
She laughed airily. "Oh, Chris, take a look at your girlfriend. She can certainly stick up for herself if she wants."
Trust me, there was nothing I wanted to do more than punch her so hard in the face that she could see through the back of her skull. Thing is, violence doesn't do much with girls like her. There's a better way to get to them.
Instead of responding, I just stared at her. At least thirty seconds passed before she snapped, "What?"
"It's just that your nose is a little off center," I mused. "Not by much, of course. Just the tiniest bit. Bet you no one else can even tell, hon."
Eyes widening, her hands flew to her face. Faster than I've ever seen her run, she was rushing around the amphitheater, gesturing wildly to her nose.
Chris gave me a devilish grin. "Where'd you learn that?"
"Sixth grade history teacher. Coolest guy ever."
With that, we took a seat and waited. Moments later, Dionysus stood in front of the movie screen, arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. Clearing his throat, he shouted, "Sit down and shut up, you brats!"
Once everyone had found a place to sit, he continued, "While Chiron is monitoring that sing-along, I am stuck with you. I'm supposed to go over the rules, consequences, blah blah blah, but personally, I don't care what you do as long as it's quiet and doesn't result in fighting. That would just give me a headache. Do whatever you want, though I would like to point out that at least one of your parents is probably watching, so try to keep it PG-13. Teenage pregnancy is not something particularly fun."
With that, he waved his hand and the projector came to life, playing the opening credits of a movie. When The Notebook flashed on the screen, I shot Chris a dirty look. I'd never seen the film before, but I knew it was one of those romance-beats-everything kinds of shows.
"Just give it a chance," he murmured to me.
"No."
"C'mon, it can't be that bad."
"Drew picked it out. The only thing her brain can process is overly romantic crap."
There was a pause, then Chris beamed at me. "Okay, Reese, we don't have to watch it."
Before I could answer, his mouth pressed against mine. Instead of pulling away like I should have done, I kissed him back, harder, and suddenly, there we were, making out while surrounded by twenty people. Gods, if I didn't feel so good I would have killed him.
He turned his attention from my mouth to my neck—the most sensitive part on my body.
"Chris," I tried to bark, but it came out as a moan.
He snickered and kissed me gently, moving from the base of my ear to my collarbone. My body started going limp and suddenly I was on the fricking ground and Chris was practically straddling me, his hands running through my hair and his lips all over me and instead of doing the smart thing and getting out of the situation I started kissing him back and nibbling his ear and entangling my hands in his hair and what in Hades was I thinking? If the others found out, I would never live this down. Forget that—if Mark saw this, Chris would be dead.
I pulled my hands from his hair and slipped them up his shirt instead, resting them on his six-pack. I felt his body shudder and then his hands settle onto my hips, caressing me before moving up, along my back, my shoulder blades…wait…
Just as his fingers found the strap he wanted, I elbowed him in the throat. Yelping, he practically jumped off of me, and I took the opportunity to sit up and hiss, "If you wanted to do that you shouldn't have drug me here."
He gave me his best kicked-puppy face, but I was not going to fall for that. "No way. Not here."
"Fine," he sighed, his voice a little warped from my blow.
I rested my head on his shoulders in a show of apology and tried to not hate the movie. A few minutes later, my eyelids were drooping.
"You okay, Clarisse?"
I sat upright. "Yeah. Fine."
He grinned mischievously, and I was tempted to smack him for whatever the heck he was thinking when he said, "You're tired."
"So? I told you that before we came, remember?"
He paused, then lay down. "Then you should relax. Close your eyes."
It took me a second to get what he was implying. "Uh-ah. Nope."
"C'mon, Clarisse, nothing like that. Just…relax."
With a sigh, I did what he wanted, laying down and placing my head on his chest. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, and he gently kissed my forehead. I put my arms around him as well and listened to the steady thump of his heart. It felt so good, so natural, and he was so comforting and warm that I figured drifting off for a few minutes wouldn't be so bad…
A flash of light burned through my closed eyelids. Groaning, I shifted away and buried my head in Chris's chest. His grip tightened, just a little. "You better knock it off," he whispered.
There was another flash, followed by laughter. Someone protested quietly, "Dude, no way."
Travis.
I launched myself in the direction of the light. My aim true, I landed on the elder Stoll, a camera clenched in his hand and a stupid grin on his face. Snickering, he asked, "Somebody having a nice nap?"
"Shouldn't you be watching the movie?"
"It ended five minutes ago. We decided to watch you two instead. Just as entertaining."
His words sinking in, I looked at my surroundings. Everyone—everyone—was standing there. Part of me wondered why my dear brother hadn't done anything, but from his ruffled hair and Nyssa not-so-correctly buttoned shirt, I figured he had something bigger on his mind. My face blazing, I focused on my tormentor and snarled, "Give. Me. The. Camera."
"Hm, let me think. Uh, no."
I pressed my knee into my stomach. He grunted but taunted, "Gonna have to do better than that."
"Stop being a jerk," Katie muttered, rolling her eyes. "Delete the picture."
"You really want me to get rid of the blackmail?"
While he was distracted, I shifted my knee a bit lower and pressed again. He squealed, and Katie sighed, "Saw that coming."
"So, Travis," I began, watching him squirm, "you wanna give me the camera now or after Little Travis become nonfunctional?"
With a whimper, he handed it to me. I flipped to the menu and quickly deleted all evidence. Dropping it on his chest, I said, "If I find out you have any picture, I will personally have you singing soprano for a week. Got it?"
He nodded quickly, and I released him. As I stood, Drew stepped forward and spat, "My gods, you are such an Amazon."
It suddenly got deathly quiet. I turned to face her, my mind reeling. For some reason, it…hurt. Maybe because I had managed to convince myself that I was a real girl. One Chris deserved.
Before we came to blows, Chris threw his arm around my shoulder and proudly declared, "She's my Amazon," before kissing the top of my head. He then led me away, the crowd of teens parting for us.
When we were in front of my cabin, I punched him in the arm. Eyes widening, he asked, "What was that for?"
"Standing up for me when I didn't need it."
He opened his mouth but decided against it. That's when I kissed him on the lips. A happy but confused look crossed his face. "What was that for?"
"The same thing." I took his hand and started for the woods. "Now, come on."
"Where are we going?"
"To do what you wanted to do before."