Title: Strategic Love

Summary: Malcolm is a son of Athena and was strategic, logical, and a downright genius. He was also in love with his complete opposite: hsi best friend from Apollo's cabin: the tomboyish and fearless Lyra.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters of Rick Riordan, not even Malcolm. Though I do own Lyra and her rambunctious Twin Jason.

Lyra opened her eyes slowly glancing around the dark space that was Apollo Cabin. The cabin was constantly being rebuilt to fit in all the Apollo kids that were being claim left and right. In the dark she could make out the huddled forms that lay in the bunks on the other side of the room and some that were lying on blankets on the floor. She could make out the gleam of the golden bows and arrows that were mounted on a nearby wall along with a lot of the camper's instruments they used.

Lyra pulled back her covers quietly and sat up slowly, trying to make as little sound as possible. She placed her feet on the floor and crept quietly over to the dresser and slid open the top drawer, her drawer, as quietly as she could and pulling out her Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and her shorts and got dressed. After slipping on her dark blue converse, she grabbed her bows and arrows and headed for the door being careful to step over any stray half-siblings on the floor.

She sighed as she made it outside at last and without waking anyone up. She looked over at Half-Blood Hill, where she could see the sun hadn't even started its' journey yet. She smiled to herself as she took a deep breath of the cool morning air as she began walking towards the Archery Field. She looked around the area before grinning. No one was here.

Perfect.

She stretched routinely before she took a stand and started aiming her arrows readily at the targets. She pulled the string back, making sure the tip was on the target. She drew the arrow back hard and just as she was about to let it fly she heard a voice come up from behind her.

"Little early isn't it?" a voice drawled out. Lyra let out a startled gasp before letting the arrow fly, wincing as it ricocheted off a rock and over to where the voice came from.

"Ah!" the voice shouted before hitting the deck just in time. Lyra whipped around to glare at the intruder. His hair, a golden-honey color, was all over the place and his gray eyes glared at her mildly as he stood up.

"You need to work on your aim," he drawled out. Lyra glared at the blond boy harshly while crossing her arms.

"My aim is fine! You should know not to sneak up on an archer when they're shooting, Mr. Genius I.Q.," she huffed as she turned her head away.

"An archer? is that what you call yourself now," he teased her. She turned back to him glaring.

"I'm better than you are. At least I can hit a target," she teased right back, picking at Malcolm's poor archery skills.

Malcolm just smiled slightly as her took in her jabs. She grimaced. He never got worked up, it had always really annoyed her. She watched as he sat down near the slope of the hillside. Lyra just sighed to herself, an inward attempt to calm herself down and followed his example, curling up on the hill. They sat in comfortable silence before Lyra broke it.

"Why are you up so early anyway?" she asked curiously.

"Could ask you the same question," he responded as he looked at the sky, where you could see the sun just starting to make its' way across the sky.

"That's why." Malcolm turned questioningly to the girl next to him.

"It's one of the few times I see Dad without anyone else around," she responded lightly. Malcolm just looked at her before shaking his head in dismay.

"What's the point in seeing him if you don't talk to him," he mumbled noncommittally.

"It's not even just seeing him really. I love watching the sun coming up against the sky, love how it makes me feel. It's kind of like an adrenaline rush," she insisted. Malcolm just looked at her strangely but shook his head. He never really understood her, despite his tries.

"I feel connected to him this way too, reminds me of that one day in August," she murmured slightly.

Malcolm winced at this statement but kept it to himself. Despite how he often tried to forget those days he couldn't. Especially that one in August, their last day before they traveled to Camp Half-Blood. Both him and Lyra had grown up in one of the worst places for a Half-Blood.

California.

Or more specifically Los Angeles. Both he and Lyra along with Lyra's twin Jason had known each other from a very young age, with their parents having been very close friends when they themselves were younger. Despite this though, he and Lyra had pretty different childhoods. His being stuck with his workaholic anthropologist father...Jason and Lyra, however, well...their story was different then his own.

They hadn't grown up with parents.

their mother had been a family friend but for reasons no one knew, she had died early on in Jason and Lyra's life. Or at least, reasons his father wouldn't tell him. Her death seemed to cause a blow for him too, even more so than Lyra who couldn't even seem to remember her mother at times. But even as much as he wanted to, Dr. James could not have adopted the twins, being a single parent himself. Which left them up to a Children's Home, which didn't didn't exactly agree with either of them. Malcolm, knew, for he always would visit the two there when ever they couldn't make it to his house. The home was a horrible life for those who didn't conform to the adult workers, and unfortunately, the twins were never followers. Not for anyone. Every time he visited Jason was locked in his little room or pulling weeds outside where Lyra was always sent. Whenever Adoption Day would come though, the head of the Home would hide the two away. Malcolm understood why though. Even with her defiant attitude, Lyra was charming. So charming, it made many adults weak whenever they saw her azure eyes. Jason had the charm too, which was amplified when he was the quieter of the twins, which didn't say much. But even with those eyes they could never stay out of trouble. It was all this adding up over the years they were there that she took a large step when they were five and had applied for a spot at a special school within the city, Forest Grove Academy. An institute that boarded and educated children from kindergarten to high school. They needed a parent signature, but no one would stop her from going. Eager to rid themselves of the troubled twins they signed and they enrolled there. Though as much as Alec tried to keep his sister from trouble, the monsters came a-knocking but true to her nature, Lyra proved to be an awesome fighter. Though she had no arrows at the time, she made due with whatever lay around her. She was an opportunist at best and the twins always fought best when together. But of all these times, one moment struck out more than another time.

It had been in August, during the afternoon. They had been seven and had been at the park when it had happened. They had just been swinging when a loud piercing roar had unhinged their senses. Whoopee! Monster Attack! Long story short, they tried to fight it off but to no avail! Just as the monster's claws were at Lyra's throat, a whistle blew through the air. In the next second, a golden arrow was sticking out of the monster's skull. Out cam the valiant Apollo, but in teen form. He gave both Jason and Lyra gifts, Lyra got a golden hair tie that turned into a bow and quiver when she undid it. Jason got a guitar, that was able to make sonic booms with. Pretty awesome late b-day gifts. He gave directions to Camp half-Blood and was off. The twins were both shocked but both seemed happy at the prospect of having a parent, what surprised him though was Lyra.

Malcolm grew up with Lyra so it shouldn't have come as a shock, but Lyra never acted the role as the pitiful orphan. She was pretty tough most of the time, never appearing as if anything bothered her. Sure she lost her temper a lot and was always itching for fights, but she was relatively very easy-going. Malcolm figured that was due to Apollo. He had met him only once but he seemed as chilled out as a person could get. Though she never yearned to break out in poem or song, much to his immense joy.

"Whatever," he mumbled as he laid his back on the cool grass.

"Don't you ever feel the feeling of Athena watching you?", she asked curiously.

"I'm sure she does, if she didn't then she does now. Ever since Percy," he reasoned. It was silent for a while, but it was a comfortable silence between two people who had known each other forever.

"I missed you," she whispered. Malcolm glanced at her.

At this Malcolm started and glanced at Lyra. She was hugging her knees to her chest as she gazed sadly at the upcoming sunrise. Her eyes, the color of the bright, cloudless sky, held a hint of sadness. Her hair, a silky reddish brown red, fell down to the middle of her back, grown out from when they first arrived and it was cut above her shoulders. Malcolm just stared at her evenly, feeling an emotion rise in him. He remembered the battle clearly and the emotions rise in him as he realized him and Lyra were to be separated for the second time in their life together, the first one being when they went to different cabins. He remembered Lyra being assigned to fight on the Williamsburg Bridge , while he was assigned to being one of the main strategists along with Annabeth. Then he remembered hearing about the collapse of said bridge. He tugged on the ends of her hair softly.

"Me too."

Lyra turned towards him, grinning brightly. She stood up suddenly and caused Malcolm to look at her questioningly.

"Let practice!" she suggested as she held up her bow. Malcolm just gave her a look.

"Why?"

"Because Alec bet me that i couldn't beat him in the archery competition we're having in Apollo's cabin and I'm going to make him eat his words!" she exclaimed brightly.

"What's this have to do with me?"

"You have to practice because your archery sucks," she exclaimed as she grabbed his hand to pull him up.

"Compared to a daughter of Apollo I'm sure," he drawled sarcastically.

"You need something when in battle," she claimed. He gave her a look.

"I have strategy, which in the ends, always wins the war," he claimed.

"Says you," she argued.

"Yeah me, and several dozens of commanders and army generals throughout history," he explained. Her only response was to stick her tongue out at him.

"You act as if strategy is the only thing that ends a war," she stated.

"It sure helps, if nothing else." She grinned at that and nodded.

"Yeah I'll give you that." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Fine. What do you think wins a war?" he asked curiously.

"Heart." Malcolm had to snort at that.

"Heart gets you no where," he said.

"It does too, strategy is nothing if you have no guts to back it up," she exclaimed hotly.

"Whatever. Arguing with you is pointless."

"Glad you see reason. So lets practice!" she exclaimed as she ran over to the storage of Apollo's cabin, to fetch Malcolm a spare a=bow and some arrows.

Malcolm watched her go, a smile quirking his lips a little. Lyra was the most impulsive and argumentative person he knew.

But he still loved her.