Chapter Three

As was the tradition, at the beginning of each meal, each cabin would take turns going up to the fire and dropping in a share of their best food as an offering for the gods. The diet at Camp Half-Blood was primarily of grapes, cheese, bread, and extra-lean nymph-cut barbecue; one could also ask for whatever one wanted to drink, although Coke didn't have the same flavour and wasn't highly recommended.

After making her offering and eating the rest of her meal, Laurel left the camaraderie of the bonfire to those who actually had comrades. Walking in Half Blood Forest at night wasn't the smartest of things to do, but it helped Laurel clear her mind to see the infinity of stars and constellations that the heavens provided.

On the border of the camp, she passed another camper. A son of Hermes, she thought. She didn't look at him, but felt his gaze on her even when she reached the tree line. Laurel walked for what felt like an hour, until she noticed a buck and doe nuzzling in the bushes before moving on.

The girl smiled and looked in the direction they went, and making eye contact with the Hermes boy made her heart jump. Laurel turned to walk back to camp, and quickly made it to the stables at her pace. Closing the stable door behind her and calming the horse she had startled while entering, Laurel saw that he was outside, waiting for her to exit.

"For the love of all the Gods in all the Heavens…" She muttered, resolving herself and pulling out her cell phone. Her dad asked one of his friends from the Hecate Cabin to put a spell on it that would make it untraceable to monsters. Pulling out the piece of paper from her pocket, Laurel dialled it quickly. "Please pick up. Please pick up."

The ringing stopped and she heard a voice. "Hello?"

"Jack?" She whispered. "It's Laurel, from the Hades Cabin?"

She could hear his smile. "Hey, what's up?"

"Uh…" She looked outside. He was still there. "I need your help. Please help me, Jack… I'm scared…" Normally she wouldn't reveal that information to anybody. A Hades child would never admit to being scared.

"Where are you?" He asked, and Laurel heard people on the other end of the line moaning at him and yelling for him to come back. The Stables. Come in the back. "I'm on my way. Don't worry about a thing, I'll be there soon." Please hurry.

In less than five minutes, Laurel heard the door open. "Jack?"

"Laurel." He sighed when he saw her, standing in a corner far from the front windows. "What's going on? You scared me for second."

"There's a guy outside." She explained, looking in that direction. Jack moved closer to her, and she felt his heat through their shirts, and followed her gaze before seeing the Hermes boy. "He's been following me all night… I've been in here for a half hour, and he hasn't moved an inch."

He nodded. "Sounds very stalker-ish to me." Laurel nodded in agreement with him.

"I'm sorry for calling you and making you come all this way. You're missing the bonfire too. I just…" She swallowed her pride for a moment and decided to tell the truth. "I didn't know who else to call…"

"It's fine." He assured her. Jack thought for a moment, and then nodded again. "Alright, let's go." Snaking his arm around her shoulder he began to walk towards the front door. Once they were outside, he turned towards her and pushed her against the barn's outside wall as he placed both hands on her neck. Looking deeply into her marbled eyes, the son of Khione said words that Laurel had only ever heard from her parents. "I love you, Laurel."

In one swift movement, his lips were on hers. She didn't know why, but her hands were drawn up to rest on his hips, and she knew he opened his eyes to look at her Hermes stalker.