Eirene followed Connor down the stairs, nodding to his words about breakfast. But she wasn't listening to him, not really, as she clutched as at blushing ears with all her might, willing the heat to melt away. When Andrew had looked at her like that in there, with a softness in his eyes she didn't know he possessed, it had made her feel different: weird, strange—different, but in a good way. In a way she didn't want to stop feeling.
She felt relieved when Connor came, and hurriedly went with him. She wasn't sure what she would've done, or said, if she had stayed in there any longer. So Eirene resigned herself from thinking about it, and drowned out her thoughts with the sound of Connor's voice.
"Do you think they have bacon?" He asked thoughtfully, when she started listening again.
She shrugged. "What place is complete without it?"
Connor smiled, such a boyish smile that she'd pleasantly grown used to. "You. I like you, you're a keeper."
All four of them arrived at the breakfast table, Elon and Connor's excitement rising once they saw the food before them. Eggs, of every variation were before them, giving off a warm and creamy scent. Ham and bacon, pilled high in a tray, cooked and crisped to perfection. French toast passed by Eirene's nose to another table, making her slightly dizzy. She hadn't seen this munch food since she'd left camp, and it was making her mouth water.
"Oh my gods, this is amazing." Connor started rubbing his hands together and licking his lips: He knew only how much he'd eat, not what. But with all these choices presenting themselves… "Where do I start?"
A smiling waitress came over to them, laughing at their gaping mouths. "First time guests get a free breakfast service, Compliments of the owners. So," She raised a platter of sizzling sausages, enticing their senses even more. "Help yourselves!"
"Don't mind if I do," Connor took the platter from the waitress herself and almost tumbled getting to a table.
Elon shyly prodding her arm, "Um, do you have any salads?" When she nodded and pointed him in a direction to the side, Eirene and Andrew were left on their own.
She looked at him just as he did her, and when their eyes met she felt her ears burning again. Her hands instinctively went to cover them. Andrew started to shift uncomfortably on his feet, and then gestured to the breakfast table. "After you,"
The four of them got their food and gathered at the same table; so engrossed in their meal they didn't speak to each other. After a bowls worth of creamy whipped eggs and two sausage biscuits Eirene was feeling full, and she smiled held back laughter when she saw that Connor was still guzzling down plates and drinks while no indication he was stopping anytime soon. Andrew never had much as a huge appetite, but even he was eating more than he even thought possible; he was so hungry. Elon was even tearing into the pounds of broccoli drowned in ranch.
In a way, Eirene was grateful the silent distraction. She had too much on her mind already, but with what Bia had told her yesterday, it weighed even heavier on her mind. Her thought must've showed on her face because Connor pointed at her and yelled.
She almost dropped her orange juice. "W-what?" Were there any monsters nearby? She looked around in fear.
Connor pointed at her again and shook his head. "Uh-uh, not allowed."
Eirene was more confused than ever.
"Sad faces are not allowed today, especially a sad face on you." He tore another bite from his chicken leg. "Except on Andrew of course: Every crew needs a designated grumpy face."
Andrew responded by smiling as hard as he could in protest. Connor grimaced and shook his hands defensively. "Ack! No! It burns!"
Eirene couldn't help herself; she laughed. A real laugh, one she hadn't felt in hours. It felt so suddenly refreshing in the midst of all the anxiety she'd been feeling, she laughed again.
Andrew looked at her smile and then looked away abruptly, his chest tightening. He began stuffing his face with English muffins to hide any betraying emotions. Connor, on the other hand, didn't stop from helping himself to Eirene's smile. He stared at her, trying to imprint the image of her smile into his permanent memory. Folding it into a place where he could reach into his mind and look at it forever. She was so beautiful.
"That's the smile I like to see," Connor said softly. Eirene smiled at him, and he smiled back, and she felt the tightness in her stomach loosen.
Andrew looked at the two of them and felt the tightness in his chest get worse.
After they'd finished feasting, and Connor's stomach reached its normal size again, they were back on the road.
"Should we be thinking of getting ourselves a car?" Andrew suggested.
Connor contemplated this. "Do you think the gray sisters would be up for a chauffeur gig?"
Eirene and Elon shook their heads, though for very different reasons. Elon spoke up before she had the chance to. "The sisters wouldn't go anywhere near the ocean. They're terrified of the sirens." Plus, he wasn't fond of cars are anything that pumped out poisonous gas into the atmosphere. If you asked Elon, cars were ruining the earth.
Eirene shrunk back, feeling silly for her reason: She just didn't think she could stomach the sister's driving this time around. Andrew suspected as much and his eyes twinkled in her direction. When she caught his gaze, she averted her eyes again, embarrassed.
Connor nodded, like it made perfect sense. "And it would look pretty strange, taking a taxi to the pier. So we just walk, then?" He urged Elon forward and patted him on the back. "It could like sightseeing, you know? I'm sure you haven't seen much of New York aside trees and shrubbery back home." At the signs of his friendliness, Elon perked up, happy to not have Connor angry anymore. Eirene noticed Connor's shift too, and felt a rush of warmth towards him. She was glad he'd taken her advice and was being friendlier to Elon; the satyr wasn't the type to take a cold shoulder well.
He spread his hands in front of him. "After you, Elon."
The satyr tentatively moved forward, glancing at all three of them. Eirene nodded her support, and he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He began to move east, towards the ocean, and they all followed him. He still felt that uneasiness, the warning brewing in the pit of his stomach that told him to stop, to turn around, and go back. Because of this feeling, he knew Matthew was still crossing waters, but the thought of him potentially being in serious danger kept him going. He'd made a promise to the demigods, and he intended to see it through, dangers be damned.
He also felt partially responsible for Matthew leaving. If Elon had never gone to visit his tribe, maybe he would've caught Matthew before he escaped. Maybe he could've convinced him to stop whatever scheme he was planning with Dennis. Elon sighed, remembering the bright-eyed and playful teen he'd brought to Camp Half-Blood only a few years ago. Unlike other demigods, Matthew hadn't been haunted with the kind of life he'd led. Constantly being attacked and suspected for things, he didn't really seem to have much of an issue with his life than others did. He always seemed excited to fight off monsters and deal with any troubles coming his way…it was hard for Elon to imagine him doing anything of this magnitude: something that would harm rather than help his fellow demigods.
"Is there anything else about this pendant that we should know?" Eirene turned to Andrew. "Anything that could help us in the chance that Dennis has already used it?"
"The pendants effects can be temporary or permanent, depending on who's using it, and their intent."
"I still don't get it," Eirene mused, shaking his head. "What benefit does Dennis get from this? Unveiling the gods to the world? Creating mass chaos between two worlds? What's his motive?"
"You're asking the wrong person, Eirene." Andrew shot Connor a look. "You knew better than we did. He didn't mention anything from his past that may be a clue?"
But I didn't know him, Connor thought. Not really. Dennis had only been here that one summer, and while they had been friends, they hadn't been close enough for Connor to divulge into his past. "No. We didn't talk much about that. I asked him once what his story was and he said something generic like: 'Same as yours, just a kid who was lost in life till he found here.' I didn't really pry."
Frustrated, Eirene thought about Matthew next, and turned to Elon.
"What about you? You were Matt's charge. You've known him since he was a kid. Is there anything he said or did that hinted to this?"
"I would have never guessed this outcome. To me, Matt was always happy, excited. Even when we were being attacked on our way to Camp Half-Blood, on numerous occasions he called it 'cool' and—"
"Cool?" Eirene wrinkled her nose at the thought of being attacked by monsters considered 'cool'. She remembered that day during Monster Hunting, when she had shot Matt by accident. He didn't seem think being attacked was 'cool' then.
Andrew bristled at Elon's words, from his description of Matthew he sounded like a seriously twisted kid. "Well then it all makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"
Both Eirene and Connor turned to him; Connor wary of any comment he had to say. "What do you mean?"
"If he was the type to think being attacked was 'cool' or 'exciting' wouldn't it make sense that he'd want to remove the veil from the world? If the mortals can see everything, we'd be forced to fight them, constantly, all the time." Andrew's gaze darkened and he let out an annoyed breath. "Matt was getting bored at Camp Half-Blood, no doubt tiring of all the 'exercise' games and repetitive schedule. If he does this, he'll never be bored again."
Silence spread over the group, cloaking them in a shade of shocked disbelief. What Andrew had said…sounded ridiculous. Plausible in a way, but ridiculous that anyone would ever do something so drastic and serious because they were 'bored'. Was Matthew capable of such malice? Was he really a sadist? Elon felt himself start to sweat under his hat. Had he just been a bad judge of character?
"No." Connor immediately shook the thought away, not allowing it to settle any further. "You don't know Matt like I do."
Andrew snapped his head at Connor and shook his head in disbelief. He wanted to say, Just like you knew Dennis? But took one look at Eirene's warning glare and clammed up, breathing hot air out of his nostrils. Incredible. How dense could one person be? How could Connor be so blinded to the truth? He rolled his tongue in his mouth and tried to reply to Connor calmly.
"Look, I know Matt was your friend. I get that. But sometimes friends do things we don't expect them to—"
Connor laughed harshly. "How would you know anything about friends?"
"Connor!" Eirene scolded, frowning at him before looking at Andrew, whose back had gone stiff. "He didn't mean it."
"Whatever," With clenched fists, Connor walked ahead of the group, still following the path Elon had laid out for them: He just needed time to get his thoughts together before he snapped at Eirene too.
"He didn't mean it," Eirene insisted again, grabbing Andrew's arm. "He's just…confused about Matt. And mad—"
"At himself?" He snorted, rolling his eyes. "I can handle myself against a few Stoll jabs, thanks."
Eirene slowly removed her hand from his arm. "It's just…"She thought of Samantha, bubbly and cute Samantha, and how much she liked Matt. How would she react if she heard this? "The idea of it. Someone you thought you knew turning out to be someone they're not, and not just one person but three—it's such an immense feeling of betrayal. And self doubt." She looked at Connor, at his rigid back and wanted to go to him, but knew he needed to be alone right now.
"Yeah, yeah…" He heaved a sigh and rubbed his face, suddenly very tired. "I understand that. And it's not like he's wrong. I don't have friends, not really."
Eirene stared at him, and her hand found his arm again and slid down to his hand, squeezing. "I'm your friend."
He glanced at her for a moment, only a moment, and felt his mouth go dry. Her eyes looked…kind, innocent and a little hopeful. He couldn't keep looking at her with those eyes, with those kind blue eyes and his hand being lit on fire by her touch, or else he'd say something he'd regret. He removed his hand from her grasp and cleared his throat, keeping his eyes fixed on the street ahead.
Eirene drew back, a little disappointed. Well, what had she been expecting? She knew he was like this, but she had been hoping, just a little, that he'd say it back. That maybe he'd smile, or squeeze her hand back. But he'd barely even looked at her. Did he really not consider them friends?
Andrew was walking a little more stiffly now, trying too hard to walk in a straight line, when someone bumped into him while running.
"Sorry!" A girl with bright, velvet-red hair yelled as she was already several feet away. And behind her, a girl with brown hair trailed.
His eyes squinted. "Wait a minute..."
"That's them," Eirene would remember that red hair anywhere. "That's those girls from earlier!"
"Dear Zeus, what are they doing this time?" He started walking a little faster as if trying to catch up to them, then stopped. "Gods. We don't have time for this."
"We have to follow them. We have to make sure they aren't planning to blow up another building." Eirene would not allow anymore innocent people die because those girls wanted to play hero.
Grudgingly, he knew she was right. He tapped Elon on the shoulder, breaking him out of his navigation trance. He then went up to Connor and stopped his brisk pace. "Change of plans," Andrew looked ahead, still seeing the two girls in the distance. "We're putting Dennis on hold catch ourselves some amateur monster hunters."
(Authors note/: I know it's been a while guys, and I'm really sorry for the delay! I lost the flashdrive for this story but found it again! :) I am starting college soon so expect some delays but I promise to try my best to make sure it's not too long! Again, really sorry, so an extra-long chapter for you guys! Thank you for everyone who has stuck with me through all this time!)
