Author's note: I am quite aware that Snack Packs didn't exist in Ancient Greece. But this isn't exactly "Ancient" Greece.
He couldn't sleep. He didn't WANT to sleep. Ben rolled out of bed and started pacing back and forth across his room. The clock hanging on his wall chimed three o'clock. By that, he calculated he had about 7 hours before he had to leave. He wished everything could go back to how it used to be. Just the thought of being away from his entire family made him paranoid. What would he do when he need to talk to someone? Or when he wanted to play his board games like Monopoly and BattleArgo? Of all his siblings, he was the least applicable to handle a job that entailed being alone nearly all the time. And in such a horrible place, too.
Ben walked out of his room and over to Jenna's room. When he was little, he would come over to her room when he couldn't sleep. She always knew what to say to help get all the bad things off his mind. He opened the door slowly, and was surprised to find her awake, lying on the bed.
"Hey there, Jen."
"Come here. Quick. I can't take it." She seemed to be about ready to go nuts.
He hurried over and sat on the bed. "What's wrong?" As soon as he said it, she put a hand over his mouth.
"Listen."
Ben closed his eyes and listened carefully for whatever the heck she was talking about. All he could hear were creaking noises that seemed to be coming from one of the rooms next to hers.
She removed her hand from his mouth. "That. Don't you have ANY idea of where those noises are coming from?"
Ben wasn't too quick on the uptake. "Well...Tim's room is next to yours and...OH MY GOD!" He pulled her bedspread over his head to drown out the gut-wrenching noises. The last thing he wanted to think about was...THAT.
"Jenna? Can I just stay here tonight? I think I'll go crazy-go-nuts if I'm by myself."
"No problem with me." She snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest and put her arm around his waist. "Y'know, I'm really gonna miss this. You're the only sane one here."
"I suppose I could come and visit once in a while."
She sighed. "I sure hope so, Ben, I sure hope so."
He kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, thanks for talkin' to me...just like old times."
"I loved those. You were so adorable. You'd climb into bed, all scared of something or other."
"And you'd make me feel safe. Like now." He closed his eyes and sighed as well.
"Safe from what, exactly?"
Ben shuddered. "Tim and his...escapades."
It was the last thing Ben said before both him and Jen fell asleep.
Benjamin awoke to find Jenna putting her hair up in a messy bun. He sat up, stretched and fell back down on the bed. It was just...wrong to get up at 8:30.
"Jennnnaaa," he whined. "Why do I have to get up this early?"
"Hey, consider yourself lucky. Andrew had to get up at 8."
"Well, Gwen didn't."
"That's because she went home with Paulo last night."
"Paulo? Our-cousin-the-Sun-God Paulo?"
"No, Benjamin. Paulo Consopoulos, from the gyro shop in Athens."
"Wow, there's more than one Paulo?"
"NO!! Of course our-cousin-the-Sun-God!"
"Sheesh, sorrrry. Shoulda figured anyway. I'm going down for breakfast."
"Bennnn! I was gonna make some pancakes for your last day."
"Well, maybe I want a Snack Pack instead!"
"It's your last day here and you want a Snack Pack?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
Benjamin walked downstairs sleepily and groggily opened the refrigerator door. Haha, finally things were going his way. He had gotten the last Snack Pack.
"Hand over the pudding. Now." It was Andrew, obviously not happy to be awake this early either.
"I don't get it. First you want an avocado. Then you want a FREAKIN' Snack Pack. WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He covered it up as to make it unaccessible to Andrew, but his older brother attempted to pry his hands off anyway.
"You still have to get ready!! I need breakfast NOW!!"
"Well, I eat breakfast BEFORE I get ready!"
"GIVE IT!! I'M THE OLDEST, I SHOULD GET IT!!"
"YOU'RE THE STUPIDEST, SO YOU SHOULD GET A SWIFT KICK IN THE ASS!"
Ben was pulling on the bottom of the plastic pudding cup, Andrew on the top. They both pulled so hard that it flew out of Ben's hand, across the kitchen, and right to the floor. Jenna walked downstairs and snatched it from off the floor.
"None of you get the damn Snack Pack! I'm going to make pancakes now for us all."
Timothy at that moment walked in, dressed in his red silk pajamas, and tore it out of her hand.
"Hey-hey! A Snack Pack! Fancy that!" He grabbed the spoon that Benjamin had in his hand, and tore it open to enjoy luscious chocolate pudding.
"Okay, I'm gonna make pancakes for everyone except Timothy," Jenna corrected herself.
Andrew looked at Ben with disdain. "Can I say it?"
"Please do."
"That...now THAT...was pretty gay."
Timothy sat down on a chair across the room from them. "Boys, you ready to leave? I know I am!"
"You're not leaving." Andrew told him.
"No, I meant I'm ready for you two to leave," Tim said, shoving a spoonful in his mouth.
"So loving. I just don't know why I didn't want to get the hell out of this place." Ben deadpanned.
"Speaking of getting the hell out of this place, it's time for you two to go."
"No, no, no, no," Andrew dissagreed with him. "You said we start leaving in about an hour!"
"Well, since Gwen's out burnin' up the Sun God, you can leave earlier than I said. More convieniant for you, more convieniant for me."
Both Andrew and Ben were caught off guard. "Actually, Tim, I don't think it's at all convieniant for me," Andrew said.
"Well, I don't care WHAT you think, Andrew. Besides, did I say more convieniant for you? I just meant for me."
"Asshole..." Benjamin mumbled under his breath.
"What was that, Benny?"
"I CALLED YOU AN ASSHOLE, JACKASS!"
"Two words: Anger. Management."
They sat in silence for a bit before Andrew looked at his watch and realized what time it was. "Oh hey, rain check on those pancakes, Jenna. I have to go."
"Doesn't anyone want any?!"
"I could really go for some French toast..." Ben started to say.
Jenna gave the look worthy of death itself.
"...but pancakes would be great too."
Jenna walked over to the cabinets and began preparing all the necessities for pancakes.
"Hey Jenna!! Put some blueberries in mine!!" Timothy happily told her in a sing-songy voice
"Yes, oh worshipful master!!" She chimed back.
Benjamin knew if he stayed there one second longer, he'd end up giving Tim a black eye. So he retreated to the stairwell to brood. He didn't notice Andrew come walking down behind him, all set to go.
"Now, see, this poses a problem. Either I step on you, or you I fall trying to step over you."
"Then just step on me."
"Okay, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have time for long good-byes. I already said my good-byes to Gwen and Jen last night, so you're the only one left."
"What about Tim and Erica."
"Like I care about them. Anyways, quit moping. You got Underworld for a reason. Because you're the only one that can handle it. You seriously are. If we could die, the rest of us would want to kill ourselves if we had spend one hour living there. You won't. You'd want to kill yourself if you stayed up here. So hang in there."
Benjamin moved out of the way as Andrew walked down the steps and gave him a playful kick.
Ben watched as Andrew left for his designated assignment. "Let's get a move on, Benji!" Tim snapped at him.
"I'm not ready!"
"Umm, Ben?" Erica called from her room. "I, like, moved all your stuff outside already."
Before he could ask how, Tim answered. "Well, actually she threw it out the window. Moved, threw, to each his own."
"I might want to say good-bye first..."
"Alright, good-bye. Now leave. I'm cleaning out your room and turning it into my love shack."
Benjamin went to the top of the steps and pulled down his suitcases. They landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He started to drag them out the door when suddenly Jenna ran up and threw her arms around him, and knocking the bags out of his hands. He could tell that she was crying, so he held her tight for the longest time.
It broke him up to see her like this. He had so much to say, but he didn't know how to say it. So he just whispered in her ear, "I love you."
Jenna clumsily wiped away the tears on her face and pulled Ben towards her, kissing him, and certainly catching him off guard.
"OH, WOULD YOU JUST LEAVE!?" Tim grabbed Benjamin by the arm and tore him away from Jenna, but Ben managed to hold on to her hand as long as immortally possible.
Once they were outside the gate, Timothy pushed his little brother down on the ground.
"What the hell?"
"You don't ever do what you did to me last night, got it? I don't know where you get off thinking you have some kind of power over me, but you don't. I have everything, and you have jack. Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'm banning you from Olympus. Forever."
Ben stood up, brushing himself off. He had had it. He was NOT going to stand by his entire life and let Tim treat him like this. "Fine. But can I tell you one thing before I leave?"
Timothy folded his arms across his chest. "What's that?" He asked snidely.
Benjamin sent a left hook flying, and he hit Tim right in the nose. Before Tim could respond, Ben gathered up his stuff, turned and walked away.
He couldn't sleep. He didn't WANT to sleep. Ben rolled out of bed and started pacing back and forth across his room. The clock hanging on his wall chimed three o'clock. By that, he calculated he had about 7 hours before he had to leave. He wished everything could go back to how it used to be. Just the thought of being away from his entire family made him paranoid. What would he do when he need to talk to someone? Or when he wanted to play his board games like Monopoly and BattleArgo? Of all his siblings, he was the least applicable to handle a job that entailed being alone nearly all the time. And in such a horrible place, too.
Ben walked out of his room and over to Jenna's room. When he was little, he would come over to her room when he couldn't sleep. She always knew what to say to help get all the bad things off his mind. He opened the door slowly, and was surprised to find her awake, lying on the bed.
"Hey there, Jen."
"Come here. Quick. I can't take it." She seemed to be about ready to go nuts.
He hurried over and sat on the bed. "What's wrong?" As soon as he said it, she put a hand over his mouth.
"Listen."
Ben closed his eyes and listened carefully for whatever the heck she was talking about. All he could hear were creaking noises that seemed to be coming from one of the rooms next to hers.
She removed her hand from his mouth. "That. Don't you have ANY idea of where those noises are coming from?"
Ben wasn't too quick on the uptake. "Well...Tim's room is next to yours and...OH MY GOD!" He pulled her bedspread over his head to drown out the gut-wrenching noises. The last thing he wanted to think about was...THAT.
"Jenna? Can I just stay here tonight? I think I'll go crazy-go-nuts if I'm by myself."
"No problem with me." She snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest and put her arm around his waist. "Y'know, I'm really gonna miss this. You're the only sane one here."
"I suppose I could come and visit once in a while."
She sighed. "I sure hope so, Ben, I sure hope so."
He kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, thanks for talkin' to me...just like old times."
"I loved those. You were so adorable. You'd climb into bed, all scared of something or other."
"And you'd make me feel safe. Like now." He closed his eyes and sighed as well.
"Safe from what, exactly?"
Ben shuddered. "Tim and his...escapades."
It was the last thing Ben said before both him and Jen fell asleep.
Benjamin awoke to find Jenna putting her hair up in a messy bun. He sat up, stretched and fell back down on the bed. It was just...wrong to get up at 8:30.
"Jennnnaaa," he whined. "Why do I have to get up this early?"
"Hey, consider yourself lucky. Andrew had to get up at 8."
"Well, Gwen didn't."
"That's because she went home with Paulo last night."
"Paulo? Our-cousin-the-Sun-God Paulo?"
"No, Benjamin. Paulo Consopoulos, from the gyro shop in Athens."
"Wow, there's more than one Paulo?"
"NO!! Of course our-cousin-the-Sun-God!"
"Sheesh, sorrrry. Shoulda figured anyway. I'm going down for breakfast."
"Bennnn! I was gonna make some pancakes for your last day."
"Well, maybe I want a Snack Pack instead!"
"It's your last day here and you want a Snack Pack?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
Benjamin walked downstairs sleepily and groggily opened the refrigerator door. Haha, finally things were going his way. He had gotten the last Snack Pack.
"Hand over the pudding. Now." It was Andrew, obviously not happy to be awake this early either.
"I don't get it. First you want an avocado. Then you want a FREAKIN' Snack Pack. WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He covered it up as to make it unaccessible to Andrew, but his older brother attempted to pry his hands off anyway.
"You still have to get ready!! I need breakfast NOW!!"
"Well, I eat breakfast BEFORE I get ready!"
"GIVE IT!! I'M THE OLDEST, I SHOULD GET IT!!"
"YOU'RE THE STUPIDEST, SO YOU SHOULD GET A SWIFT KICK IN THE ASS!"
Ben was pulling on the bottom of the plastic pudding cup, Andrew on the top. They both pulled so hard that it flew out of Ben's hand, across the kitchen, and right to the floor. Jenna walked downstairs and snatched it from off the floor.
"None of you get the damn Snack Pack! I'm going to make pancakes now for us all."
Timothy at that moment walked in, dressed in his red silk pajamas, and tore it out of her hand.
"Hey-hey! A Snack Pack! Fancy that!" He grabbed the spoon that Benjamin had in his hand, and tore it open to enjoy luscious chocolate pudding.
"Okay, I'm gonna make pancakes for everyone except Timothy," Jenna corrected herself.
Andrew looked at Ben with disdain. "Can I say it?"
"Please do."
"That...now THAT...was pretty gay."
Timothy sat down on a chair across the room from them. "Boys, you ready to leave? I know I am!"
"You're not leaving." Andrew told him.
"No, I meant I'm ready for you two to leave," Tim said, shoving a spoonful in his mouth.
"So loving. I just don't know why I didn't want to get the hell out of this place." Ben deadpanned.
"Speaking of getting the hell out of this place, it's time for you two to go."
"No, no, no, no," Andrew dissagreed with him. "You said we start leaving in about an hour!"
"Well, since Gwen's out burnin' up the Sun God, you can leave earlier than I said. More convieniant for you, more convieniant for me."
Both Andrew and Ben were caught off guard. "Actually, Tim, I don't think it's at all convieniant for me," Andrew said.
"Well, I don't care WHAT you think, Andrew. Besides, did I say more convieniant for you? I just meant for me."
"Asshole..." Benjamin mumbled under his breath.
"What was that, Benny?"
"I CALLED YOU AN ASSHOLE, JACKASS!"
"Two words: Anger. Management."
They sat in silence for a bit before Andrew looked at his watch and realized what time it was. "Oh hey, rain check on those pancakes, Jenna. I have to go."
"Doesn't anyone want any?!"
"I could really go for some French toast..." Ben started to say.
Jenna gave the look worthy of death itself.
"...but pancakes would be great too."
Jenna walked over to the cabinets and began preparing all the necessities for pancakes.
"Hey Jenna!! Put some blueberries in mine!!" Timothy happily told her in a sing-songy voice
"Yes, oh worshipful master!!" She chimed back.
Benjamin knew if he stayed there one second longer, he'd end up giving Tim a black eye. So he retreated to the stairwell to brood. He didn't notice Andrew come walking down behind him, all set to go.
"Now, see, this poses a problem. Either I step on you, or you I fall trying to step over you."
"Then just step on me."
"Okay, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have time for long good-byes. I already said my good-byes to Gwen and Jen last night, so you're the only one left."
"What about Tim and Erica."
"Like I care about them. Anyways, quit moping. You got Underworld for a reason. Because you're the only one that can handle it. You seriously are. If we could die, the rest of us would want to kill ourselves if we had spend one hour living there. You won't. You'd want to kill yourself if you stayed up here. So hang in there."
Benjamin moved out of the way as Andrew walked down the steps and gave him a playful kick.
Ben watched as Andrew left for his designated assignment. "Let's get a move on, Benji!" Tim snapped at him.
"I'm not ready!"
"Umm, Ben?" Erica called from her room. "I, like, moved all your stuff outside already."
Before he could ask how, Tim answered. "Well, actually she threw it out the window. Moved, threw, to each his own."
"I might want to say good-bye first..."
"Alright, good-bye. Now leave. I'm cleaning out your room and turning it into my love shack."
Benjamin went to the top of the steps and pulled down his suitcases. They landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He started to drag them out the door when suddenly Jenna ran up and threw her arms around him, and knocking the bags out of his hands. He could tell that she was crying, so he held her tight for the longest time.
It broke him up to see her like this. He had so much to say, but he didn't know how to say it. So he just whispered in her ear, "I love you."
Jenna clumsily wiped away the tears on her face and pulled Ben towards her, kissing him, and certainly catching him off guard.
"OH, WOULD YOU JUST LEAVE!?" Tim grabbed Benjamin by the arm and tore him away from Jenna, but Ben managed to hold on to her hand as long as immortally possible.
Once they were outside the gate, Timothy pushed his little brother down on the ground.
"What the hell?"
"You don't ever do what you did to me last night, got it? I don't know where you get off thinking you have some kind of power over me, but you don't. I have everything, and you have jack. Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'm banning you from Olympus. Forever."
Ben stood up, brushing himself off. He had had it. He was NOT going to stand by his entire life and let Tim treat him like this. "Fine. But can I tell you one thing before I leave?"
Timothy folded his arms across his chest. "What's that?" He asked snidely.
Benjamin sent a left hook flying, and he hit Tim right in the nose. Before Tim could respond, Ben gathered up his stuff, turned and walked away.