August
Chapter 2: Baby, It's Cold Outside
Half-Blood surprised me as I walked through the portal. For one thing, it was completely covered with snow. The force field over the camp usually prevented precipitation from falling, but not this time; at least four inches covered the ground in a thick, white blanket.
Half Blood, people wise at least, was pretty barren as campers usually went home after summer on the Greek side, save for a couple here and there. Despite the fact that only a few people were at camp around this time, I quickly realized I wasn't alone when a large snowball hit me in the face. I didn't see anyone, but footprints on the ground and a shadow gave Annabeth away. Damn invisibility cap; if the God's ever got into a prank war, I swear on my legs Athena would win.
I followed the fast moving footsteps across camp until another snowball hit me. This time the culprit was visible as Percy Jackson sitting in a tree holding yet another snowball.
"Surprise!" He yelled as he chucked the second one at me. I narrowly avoided it, but what I didn't avoid or remember was Annabeth. She had taken Percy's distraction as an opportunity to shove a large amount of snow down the back of my shirt.
"OH SHIT THAT IS COLD!" I squealed, jumping up and down trying to get the snow out of my shirt. I heard her laugh from behind a nearby tree. A tree with lots of ice and snow hanging from it. I focused and swiped my hand sending a wave a heat against the tree causing a torrential downfall of still freezing water to fall from it.
"WHAT THE HELL AUGUST?" Was the response I got as I Annabeth became visible again. She was soaked to the skin and shaking as she tried to shake off the excess water. I heard Percy from behind me, and I knew I was in for it.
"Two can play at that game!" He yelled as a wave of cold water hit me. Out of instinct, I shot another wave of heat towards his voice.
"Aw come on!" I knew I had hit him when he yelled that back. I opened my eyes to see my two mentors standing in front of me, soaked, out of breath, and shivering.
"Truce?" I asked, hoping to avoid more freezing mess.
"Yes, yes truce!" Percy said, removing water from all three of us with a flick of his wrist.
"Are you wearing eye liner?" Annabeth asked, looking at me with a sly smile. I remembered that yes, I was, and it was probably running down my face at the moment.
After that debacle, we ended sitting inside Aphrodite's cabin as Piper helped me redo my hair and eyeliner, and Drew had taken a curling iron to Annabeth. Piper usually stuck around Half Blood while her father was working during her breaks, and Drew was visiting a "friend" (more like friend with benefits) in New York and was staying at camp for the weekend. I will say it once and I will say it again, thank Aphrodite for her children.
"So, what brings you to Half Blood so early on a Friday?" Piper asked as she finished the second eye and held up a mirror. For someone who prided herself in battle over beauty, Piper knew how to work an eyeliner pencil. Her work was subtle, but really made my eyes pop.
"I actually wanted to catch up with Ariadne before she got home from school." I explained as she ran a brush through my hair.
"Why?" Percy asked, taking a sip from his hot chocolate. He had refused any makeovers, not that he needed it. I could see why Annabeth had fallen for him. If Flinn Rider from Tangled had a son with Mila Kunis, it would be Percy.
I got my mind back on topic and shrugged. "I don't know actually. I just thought it would be a nice way to start off her break." I said, trying to hold still as Piper continued to style my hair.
"Anything to take her mind off of Step Monster." Annabeth said, trying to keep Drew in check so she wouldn't burn her with the curling iron. Drew was almost too distracted by Percy to notice how close she was getting to Annabeth's scalp.
"Something I don't already know?" I asked. Ariadne kept me up to date on the step mom situation, but she had been known to hide things from me to keep me from snapping at Martha, aka Step Monster, when I was over.
"Yeah, we've been talking. She thinks Martha may know about you two." Annabeth remarked, looking a little annoyed.
"Why is that bad? There are much worse people out there than you, August." Piper said sounding offended for me.
"Well she's Catholic right?" Percy asked, having sat through tales of Step Monster before.
"Yup. Doesn't even want to know about Ariadne's background parental wise let alone her "preference" in dating." I said, using air quotes. Arry tells me that her dad stays with Martha for Beth. Now Beth is Ariadne's ten-year-old sister. Cute kid, really. Takes after her father and sister, but looked a little more like Martha in the fact that she was lankier and her hair was lighter. She's down right hilarious sometimes. I could see why you wouldn't want to make her unhappy.
"Wow, that's unfortunate. How does she think you get to DC every other weekend?" Percy asked, bemused.
"She knows that Ariadne and I aren't like normal teens, but doesn't want to go any further than that." I answered. At the moment, it was better than having to explain ourselves than deal with a hurricane of crazy.
"How did she find out about us?" I asked Annabeth, now a little worried that I had caused trouble within the DeLonge household once again. I was already on thin ice for the wrestling match Ariadne and I had had in the living room a few months back that resulted in a broken coffee table.
"Arry doesn't know for sure that she knows. She did tell me that Martha always acts more tense whenever it's your weekend to come, and keeps asking Arry if she would prefer you slept on the couch." Annabeth explained, looking at herself in the mirror. Piper had finished up with me and handed me the mirror too. Aphrodite girls really did do it better; I looked great.
"Well, better face the music. I'll see you guys later ok?" I said, walking outside of the cabin.
"Have fun August, tell Arry hi for me." Piper said, handing me back my letterman. I put it on and walked towards the door, my nerves acting up yet again as I ran through lines in my head for Martha. It was like putting on an act every time I went into the house.
"Good luck August!" Annabeth called form inside.
"Don't let the Catholic school uniform distract you!" Percy called. Then I heard him sigh in frustration after a splash coming from what I assumed was Annabeth throwing his drink on him. I laughed to myself until I heard a voice.
"Master?" It said, sounding happy and excited. I froze, hoping to avoid Newman today only for the sake of my newly redone look. "Master! You're here! I missed you master!" Suddenly, a pick up truck sized golden lion bounded down the line of cabins towards me. Newman had grown over the fall months, meaning that he was essentially a pickup truck sized cat with the brain of a three year old. I loved him to death though. He was my big giant furry baby.
"Newman! Don't pounce or rub ok?" I said as he ran up to me. He obeyed and sat before me, waiting for me to show him affected. I hugged him and scratched behind his ears. "I just got my hair and face redone, and I need to look good for Arry ok?"
"Arry? Are you going to see Arry?" He stood up, and his eyes looked like they may pop out of his head with excitement. "Can I come? I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna go!" He chanted inside my head, putting his big head against my torso.
"You can come, but you have to be on a leash in the city remember?" I knew he wouldn't like that, but he might let me do it if it meant seeing Ariadne. To mortals, Newman apparently looked like a massive Saint Bernard.
"Awwwwww…." His ears went back and his eyes went sad.
"Well then you can stay here until I get back." I said as I walked towards the path towards the portal.
"Ok, fine. I'll do it." Newman answered begrudgingly. I was not exactly surprise at his answer as I walked him over to my cabin. Once inside, I realized how empty it looked without any other campers. My bunk was still somewhat put together with some pictures still taped to the wall and a throw blanket on it, but the rest was so barren. I longed for camp to be in session.
"No time to get nostalgic now." I grumbled to myself as I found Newman's collar, or what was actually one of Ms. O'Lerey's old ones, and his leash on the floor. I grabbed it and headed back out the door.
Anatolios got me to Arry's house in no time from Half Blood. He landed in the backyard of the cul de sac house, and I knocked on the back door. A large, but hansom man answered the door to my relief. I really didn't want to have to deal with Step Monster just yet.
Ariadne's father, John DeLonge, looked rather Nordic for someone who dated a Greek God. He's about six foot six with curly brown hair that was cut close to his head with a short and fine cut stubble on his chin; broad shoulders; and built strong but lean, like a natural warrior. A warrior constantly wearing a business suit. He looked like he could be Thor's dad. I did see the resemblance between him and Ariadne though, especially around the eyes when she smiled and the mouth shape.
"Augustine! Please come inside, you'll catch your death out there… er maybe you won't. Well, regardless please come inside." He gestured me inside and took my first jacket from me, though I didn't want to take the other one off just yet if I was going to leave anyways in a few minutes. "So, what brings you around so early?" He asked.
Mr. DeLonge always liked me, and I thought he was pretty cool too. Very open minded and creative for someone who worked at the Pentagon. He poured hot water into a mug and placed a teabag inside and handed it to me with a spoon.
"I was hoping to catch Arry before she got home from school. Maybe meet her at school, meet her friends, and then walk her home or something along those lines." I explained as I stirred my tea and took a sip.
"Ah, I see. How romantic of you." I turned red again. It hadn't occurred to me that my intentions would come off as romantic. "Let me write down some directions for you. Flying may not be the best idea. You never know what the mortals see." He said, taking out a sheet of paper and drawing some streets and markings on it.
"I didn't intend romance, sir." I said respectfully, looking back towards the window. I singled for Anatolios to be dismissed. He nodded and took flight.
"To anyone else it's not. But, I know better." He said, finishing up his directions and handing them to me. "Oh…" his eyes went wide as he looked at the back door. "I see you've brought Newman." Mr. DeLonge had the clear sight and could see right through the mist. To him, Newman was just as big and burly as he was to me. Apparently, not every demigod parent is clear sited, but the fact that he is makes Ariadne's life a little easier when explaining quests.
"He wanted to come, and I don't like saying no. Besides, he just looks like a giant Saint Bernard." I explained, smiling at Newman's large face in the window, and then sighed when he started licking it.
"Yes, well don't let him wander too far. Washington does have strict leash laws around here. Very well, off you go then! She'll just be getting out." He directed, leading me to the front door and handing me my jacket back. "Be careful, it's slick on the driveway!" He yelled as I clipped Newman on to his leash and walked down.
"Thanks, I will be! See you in a few, Sir." I yelled back, and then made my way down the street.
Ariadne's school was very traditional to say the least. It was made of brick and looked more like a college than a high-school.
I had made it with about five minutes to spare, and noticed there was a park across the street with a leash off rule. I took Newman over and took him off the leash to let him run around, hoping he'd tire out so I wouldn't have to worry about him running amok in the neighborhood. The snow had made it difficult to climb any trees, but I quickly dispatched of some snow off a low branch and hoisted myself up on to it and waited. Newman, on the other hand, wasn't accustomed to being bored. I had him most days after school and on the weekends, and we were always active. We went to the beach and swam, or we went to parks and played fetch, or we went hiking. So naturally, he decided to bring me almost a whole damn tree branch to play fetch with.
"Throw it! Throw it! Throw it! Throw it!" He chanted. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't throw the stick. It was about the size of me, and about as big around as my thigh.
"Newman, I can't. One, I look pretty good yes? I don't want to sweat and get nasty looking again even though I'd do it any other day. Remember Step Monster?" I asked him. He nodded. Last time I brought him she had yelled at him for knocking over a chair in the garage. He hated her ever since. "She doesn't like me when I'm dirty. Two, that "stick" is the size of a small tree. I couldn't throw that if I tried." I explained, signaling him to drop it. He did so, but more because he had heard the bell go off in the school.
"Arry should be out soon." He said like it was a sure fact. I waited in anxiety for a few minutes as kids came spilling out of the doors. I was sure she had come out the back door or something when she didn't come out for another ten minutes. But then, I saw her. And you know what, Percy was right.
Catholic school uniforms are sexy.
Newman is my favorite character. I just thought I'd share.
