Chapter 2: Claimed
When Max came to, for a moment all he saw was brown. When lifted his head, he saw Alexa asleep on a long couch and Tara sitting against the door frame and Trask leaning against the wall beside his bed.
"Trask?" Max groaned as he sat up.
"Slowly dude," Trask said helping Max sit up more slowly.
"Max!" Alexa yelled appearing to have woken up. She jumped off the couch and ran to hug him to which he accepted. She was okay and so was Trask so he was okay. But now...
"Where—" Max was interrupted when a man in a wheelchair came into the room. He had a beard and grey hair and he looked very interested in Max. He had a grey wool blanket displayed across his lap. Max took in the vibe the old man was giving him. Comforting and relaxed.
"Mr. Deru," the man in the wheelchair said with a grin in his voice. "I'm Chiron. Glad, you're awake. I've been meaning to talk to you, as I did the rest," Chiron said. Max looked to Tara, who hadn't seemed to look at him. She was still sitting against the doorframe. And even when Trask and Alexa had left the room, Tara stayed in the doorway. "She can't hear us. She's listening to some music in those earbuds of hers," Chiron said.
"Where are we?" Max wanted to know what happened while he was passed out. He didn't remember much after Tara helping him up with that rock in his—oh. He felt his back and realized he didn't have a shirt on and a bandage over his torso. Max didn't feel a rock in his back anymore.
"You've arrived. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Chiron said. Max nodded dumbly. "You don't look so relieved," Chiron said with a frown.
"I just had a rock in my back because my...partner wanted me to be a distraction so she could get a stupid horn when she could have just stabbed the minotaur with a knife," Max said.
"You can only kill a minotaur with it's own horn, Maxwell," Chiron said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Max didn't say anything. "As for your partner, Tara had no intention to hurt you. She wanted you to kill him. She didn't know the minotaur would throw you," Chiron said.
"Yeah, I guess. What'd you need to talk to me about?" Max responded wanting to change the subject from the girl that scrambled his heart and brain.
"How you got here, Mr. Deru," Chiron said. "You and Tara were about three miles from the camp. How did you both get—"
"I felt this...surge," Max really needed to explain it. To understand it himself. "It felt like I was pushing towards this...area? At the same time I felt this...power...pulling me somewhere else. Next I knew I blacked out,"Max said. Yeah that sounded exactly like he was feeling.
"You're awake," Tara's voice finally rang out. Max looked back at her. She was standing now and he realized she was in a different set of clothes. She was wearing an oversized, orange Camp Half-Blood Shirt with a pair of sweats.
"Miss Delgado. He has been for a while. Nice of you to come back to the real world," Chiron said with a smile. Tara didn't look up for smiling back. Or responding to him.
"I'm glad you're okay, Max. Maybe we'll talk later," she walked by his bed and kissed his forehead as she whispered against his forehead. He knew she apologized. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Only she can totally wash away any anger he had in him. She walked out the door.
"Where is she going?" Max asked Chiron.
"She's probably headed to go see Will," Chiron answered. Max felt the jealousy seep into his heart. "No worries. Will is head counselor of Cabin Seven, the Apollo cabin, and he already has a...uhm…" Chiron chuckled gently.
"Girlfriend?" Max asked confused as to why Chiron thought having a girlfriend was amusing.
"Boyfriend," Chiron corrected.
"Oh," Max said. And Chiron started to laugh. Max scratched the back of his head in embarrassment for assuming Will was straight and for that fact, Chiron knows he has the hots for Tara.
"So back to our conversation,"Chiron said. "You had somehow travelled you and Tara three miles. Then passed out," Max nodded.
"But you seemed more eager to talk about something else," Max said pointedly, giving Chiron a look. Chiron chuckled once again and nodded. He sighed.
"Taralynn is a young pupil of mine. Since her birth," Chiron said. Max smiled, now knowing Tara's full name. "I had helped her with the home she set up for the homeless children," he said."She called it Townschild. But I see the way she looks at you." It was Chiron's turn to give the pointed look. "And I see the way you look at her. And you must have sensed the hostility that came from her when I spoke to her. You know Walker. He was her boyfriend if you may not have known. And I used to visit the both of them. Not knowing their identity for a clear fact. But I had my suspicion. But when I sent Trask to go retrieve three new demigods, I was needed here. To await those demigods even though I had my suspicion of Walker and Tara.
But it was because of a prophecy I sent him to look for them. And I know. You want to know the prophecy but when you are all together. And when I heard of Walker's death...And now that she knows I knew he and her were both demigods...well as you can see that doesn't make me look too good in her perspective," Chiron finished. Max nodded not really knowing what to say. "Have some nectar. You'll feel better," Chiron handed Max a glass of yellow liquid to which Max took.
"Why is it yellow?" Max asked.
"Taste it and I'll have Nico, Will's boyfriend, come take you to breakfast at the Mess Hall," Chiron said and wheeled himself out the door. Max took a sip and suddenly he was filled with this intense warmth and that made him smile. It tasted like...like a scent. Cocoanuts and flowers. And even though Max couldn't remember where it came from he sure as Hades loved it. He basically downed the glass.
"So I'm Nico," said a guy that just walked through the door.
"Ah. Will's boyfriend," Max said and uncovered himself after setting the glass down on the bedside desk. Nico threw a shirt at him. A grey "Send Me To Hell. I'll Meet My Father" t-shirt.
"Please don't tease me about it. Leo's already making a Solangelo flag with Piper," Max laughed as he threw on the shirt.
"So who's your godly parent?" Max asked.
"Hades," Nico said in an obvious tone as he pointed to the shirt. Max laughed once again and he looked around. He saw his blue plaid shirt and threw that on as well.
"Where's my shoes?" Max asked. Nico pointed toward the doorway and they were beside the door. He slipped them on and let Nico show him to the Mess Hall as he made some conversation.
When they arrived, he saw Tara and Alexa's back to him at a table that was full with . Max smiled as he crept up on Tara. He covered her eyes. "Hey there, Taralynn," he ourred her name and she shivered.
"Qu-Quit it Maxwell," she muttered as she removed his hands. He laughed and let his hands droop over her shoulders. She didn't say anything about it and just continued her conversation as he made conversation for himself as he picked at Tara's plate when she wasn't paying attention.
"Hey!" Tara said as she finally caught him stealing some of her bacon. He laughed and played the innocent card.
"What?" she did nothing but glare at him. He laughed and dropped the bacon.
"Go get your own plate," she said. He pouted.
"Can you get it for me?" he pleaded. She looked at him with a questioning look.
"But-"
"You got a rock pierced in my back," he shot at her. She gaped at him then scoffed. But realized he wasn't backing down.
"Fine," she rolled her eyes and stood up to go get him a plate. He smiled and laughed in triumphed. She pushed him muttering bully as he sat down in her spot.
After talking to a few people, he found out this was the Hermes table where the unclaimed children were put till they were claimed. He also found out some little Hermes kid about nine had a crush on Alexa. Tara came back with a filled plate for Max. He pulled her into his lap and fed off the plate she served for him as she groaned but continued eating and talking with everyone.
A couple minutes later, Max was getting a dry throat. "God I'm thirsty," he said and someone passed by as he spotted the orange juice bowl. Suddenly he was at the table behind someone as he basically ran into it. He turned around and everyone was staring.
"It's confirmed," Chiron's voice echoed. But he wasn't in his wheelchair. Instead her had four legs and a horse's ass. "All hail, Maxwell Deru. Son of Hades, Lord of the Underworld."
Later on after breakfast, Tara went and found Max who had walked off after drinking a cup of juice. She found him sitting at the edge of cliff hanging over Fireworks Beach no more than seven feet. She smiled as she sat down.
"You doing okay?" she asked. Max looked at her.
"Do you think he knows who my mom is?" Max asked.
"Considering The Big Three aren't supposed to have children with mortals anymore, I'd say yes," Tara said. Max nodded. He looked out to the ocean.
"Do you think I can find her?" Max asked.
"I...I don't know. Ask Nico if he can ask Hades or...or maybe try yourself?" Tara gave a small smile.
"What's wrong?" Max asked. He knew she was arguing with herself about just by the way her eyebrows were furrowed.
"Nothing I'm just...waiting…"
"To get claimed," he clarified. She looked down at her hands as her legs fidgeted with each other as they hung over the edge. Max nudged her."It's okay to want to know, Tara...lynn," he teased and she pushed him away laughing. He put his arm around her. "Tara I-"
"Tara!" a girl yelled. She was running and breathless. "Alexa...fire...see...now…" the girl said and Tara and Max were already running the way the girl came.
When arriving to where there was yelling a big yellow flame, Tara pushed their way to the front of the crowd.
"AH!" a dude had a trail of fire chasing him. He looked scared to death. He looked about sixteen and latino. Like a santa's latino elf that carried a toolbelt. There was a small adorable laugh from a girl watching the latino. Alexa. "MAKE IT STOP!" the santa's elf yelled.
"Alexa!" both teens yelled her name like angry parents. She immediately shut up and the flame trail died completely gone, the latino had pulled his pants up as if he they were bagging.
"Leo Valdez is okay!" he said and a bunch of people rolled their eyes before looking to Alexa. Leo walked up to her as everyone saw a glowing sign appear over her head.
"Well that explains the Johnny incident," Tara said and Max nodded shrugging.
"Hahaha! Sister!" Leo yelled as he ran and threw Alexa onto his shoulder. She started laughing as he trotted around like she was the victor of some battle.
"She should be more careful," Tara heard behind herself. A bunch of campers started nodding and agreeing. They started making insulting jokes about Alexa and her irresponsibility. Tara got angrier and angrier and finally she turned making a loud whistle-like sound causing the group tp shriek and cover their ears. Tara smile proud of herself. She looked to Max who looked over her head. She looked past her but saw nothing but more campers staring. Oh… she looked above her where a golden lyre was hovering over her head.
"Finally," a voice said. Tara turned her head and saw a girl and boy. The girl had stormy grey eyes and blonde hair. Dressed in a grey hoodie with jeans and a red baseball cap on. The boy had sea green eyes and black hair dressed in jeans and an orange Camp Half-Blood t shirt.
"I'm Annabeth," the blonde girl said. "And this is my boyfriend, P—"
"Percy Jackson," Max said with a glare in his eyes.
HEY! Glad you stayed with me this far. This was really rushed at the end I know. I meant to keep Max the main character through most of it. I wanted a bit of fluff for Max and Tara as well. R&R Please and Thank You!