Chapter 10: Connor Stoll - Worthless
["So, um. Hey. This is me, Riley. Right now — ]
You worthless sack of laundry.
["Right now, I'm — "]
↠Excuse me? Laundry is extremely valuable. It's worth hundreds of dollars.↞
["I'm currently stuck in —"]
Okay, Mrs. I'm-so-smart-cause-my-mom-is-the-goddess-of-wisdom. You're a laundry pile of socks then.
↠With the right material and brand it could be worth a lot.↞
Then you're a sack full of dirty diapers.
↠You don't wash diapers.↞
[I brought my camcorder closer to me, muffling the screaming match outside the door. "So right now, I'm trapped in my cabin's restroom to, you know, finish some business when —" ]
↠You need to grow up, Connor.↞
I will when you take back the application, Anniebeth.
↠Annabeth.↞
Anniebeth.
["When Connor and Annabeth burst into the cabin. I don't think they know I'm here though because they're saying some really—"]
↠It's only a few months.↞
9 months are not a 'few' months.
↠You can still Iris Message.↞
You can still Iris Message.
↠Stop mocking me.↞
Stop mocking me.
↠Gods, Connor.↞
Shit, Annabeth.
["They're saying some really mean stuff. Connor sounds really angry."]
↠Okay, fine. Whatever, continue being such a child. I can handle the pranks. I can handle whatever you give me. But can you please stop with the spiders? You know how I am with spiders.↞
Yeah, that's the whole point. Take back the application and I'll stop.
↠I won't.↞
Look. Annabeth. I'm going to give you one more chance, as a gesture of our ending friendship. Take. Back. The. Application.
↠No.↞
Then you're going through hell. Your time in Tartarus will seem like Elysium.
↠I'm doing this for you. As your friend — ↞
Friendship needs to be mutual.
↠As your friend I want what's best for you. You and Travis.↞
Blah, blah, blah. Blabbity. Blabbity. Blabbity. Blob. Blob. Blob.
↠Connor, please stop acting like a child and —↞
[There was a long pause, a very long pause that I thought they must have left. I inched my way to the door, grasping the knob lightly and twisting it ever so slightly — then there's a scream, loud, terrified. Annabeth let out another bloodcurdling scream and I heard thuds of what really sounded like furniture crashing into the wall and the ground. Connor cackled in the background.
I thought of hiding in the shower and praying to the Gods, but curiosity got the best of me. I opened the door a crack, just enough to see what's going on.
Annabeth stood in the center the room, raising a nightstand clear over her head and slamming it into the ground with so much force a leg came flying off. She moved onto the next object, a ladder, and heaved it onto the ground too. Then a lamp. A suitcase. A pillow. Then she unsheathed her sword and Connor stopped laughing.]
Hey! No sharp edges and points in our cabin. That's rule number 3.
[She brought the sword down repeatedly, unheeding of his words.]
And you did it. The receipts to fix this is coming out of your cabin's expenses, not mine. I hope you know that.
[There is a horrible crunching sound and Annabeth stopped stabbing the floor. She glared up at Connor and pulled the sword out with a clean swipe. For a second, I thought she was going to behead my counselor but she sheathed her sword and tore the strap from her waist, throwing it on the nearest bed. Annabeth cracked her knuckles.]
↠I am going to kill you.↞
[Then she's running towards Connor with a battle cry. Connor let out a "oof" as Annabeth tackled him. She grabbed Connor by the hair and brought her knee up to his stomach, but he twisted out of the grasp and grabbed her in a chokehold, tightening his hold slightly, and —
Oh gods, they're in a full-on brawl.
Do they even know they're not alone?
They made their way to me, twisting out of each others' grasps. The floorboards creaked painfully beneath their feet till they were inches away from where I hid. Annabeth slipped a hand underneath Connor's arm and with a grunt, heaved Connor over her shoulder, a surprised yelp leaving Connor's lips.
It was like my demigod senses kicked in. I saw Connor coming at me in slow motion, feet first, and I closed the door, locking it as a second thought.
There was the thump, thump of feet hitting solidly and the door creaking at the pressure before splintering, cracking, and caving as Annabeth judo-flipped my counselor into the door.
Connor laid on the broken door. He was reaching up, grabbing Annabeth's arm, and I was scared for a second they were continue their fight in here but Connor paused. His eyes met mine.]
Oh. Riley. Hi.
This, uh, we weren't fighting. We were training. This is how counselors train. Right, Annie?
Right. Okay, just give me a minute and I'll do your interview thing.
[Then Connor promptly latched a hand onto Annabeth's upper arm and dragged her down. She face planted into our throw rug, a nasty carpet full of hair and dust and dirt that our cabin unanimously decided to shove in the corner. She spluttered and scrambled to her feet but Connor was already pushing us out.]
Make sure to clean up what you broke! Put all the stuff you threw back or I'll tell Chiron!
[Connor ran outside, pulling me along by the hand, and in the middle of our cabin, floor ridden with uneven holes and sprayed belongings, was a dark stain of a tarantula cut in half.]
[Connor led me out of our cabin, filling out a piece of paper with a thoughtful look on his face. "So uh, what was that all about?" I asked.]
Just a discussion about Travis. You know how he's going to college in New Rome, right? Well, it's because Annabeth and Percy signed him up without his permission. They didn't tell us until all that Gaia fiasco had passed.
["Why would they do that?"]
Cause they're idiots who, after years of not caring, decided to start now.
[Connor led me to Hypnos cabin. He pulled at the door first. No knocking whatsoever. The knob shook but it refused to turn. Locked. Without pause, Connor pulled out a paper clip from his pocket and unbent it. With a few clicks and clacks, the door opened.
"Are—are you sure this is okay? We're trespassing," I asked, looking around for any onlookers. Connor smiled and pocketed his clip.]
Don't worry. Clovis and the others don't mind. I do this all the time.
["...Maybe because you break in all the time," I mumbled. Connor rolled his eyes and walked into the cabin, locking it after I followed him in. He walked with intention, passed the occupied beds, to the very back. He rounded a corner, me hurriedly following suit, and right into a grade A, 5 star kitchen. Marble counters lined black cupboards. A mahogany table laid in the center, a bowl of fruits placed aesthetically in the middle of an intricate doily. The kitchen was completely spotless. No items out of place, no spots of the ground, not even a speck of dust. Connor noticed me gawking and laughed.]
This cabin has their own kitchen since, sometimes, they can't wake up for dinner. I'm going to make some chicken noodle soup. Do you want some?
["No I'm good." Connor opened the fridge, stocked with a multitude of whatever items you could think of. Carrots, celery, rice, and-can you believe it?-A whole rotisserie chicken.
Connor took the chicken and immediately another chicken popped into its place.
"Woah…"]
Cool, huh? It's charmed. Whatever you want, it'll give you. The same deal with the cabinets.
It's so unfair. This kitchen belongs to the one cabin that's too lazy to cook.
[Connor rummaged through the bottom cupboard, taking out pots and pans. I winced at the clatter and looked over to the adjacent room, but not a single Hypnos child stirred.]
So what is this for? A summer project for Annabeth? A punishment from Chiron?
["It's a Christmas gift for my parents!" Connor paused. He threw a skeptical look over his shoulder. ]
You're giving them a video of the Camp's biggest failure? The camp they entrusted you to?
I don't think this is a good idea if you want to come back next summer.
["I don't think the camp did anything wrong. Besides, they're historians. They'll love this." I protested, leaning on the kitchen island. Connor shrugged, standing with a pot in hand.]
Okay. Whatever you say. So what do you want to know. The Battle of Manhattan? The poisoning of Thalia's Pine?
["Do you have something cool to add?" He placed the pot in the sink and filled it with water. He turned around, resting his elbows on the counter.]
Hm, no. Not really.
So how about Annabeth's biggest blunder in the war? Or Nico's and Clarisse's? I have thousands of stories.
["I want to know more about you." ]
My biggest blunder? Sure, I could tell you loads! I wanted to raid a candy store in the middle of a battle once, the deciding battle of the war actually. When the craving hits, the craving hits, you know! Another time, me and my brother pranked Michael to the point he needed medical attention. Complete accident though, did not mean to take it that far. Oh! And another time, before Katie went full "you are all traitors" on us, we used to wrap ivy around her cabin's bunk beds to make a statue of ivy but it didn't exactly turn out as planned. The nymphs gave us poison ivy as revenge. Supposedly, we destroyed their front lawn when we took some random shrub for a prank two weeks ago.
["Hey, Connor. Do you have anything more important than these random tales?" Connor rolled his eyes, closing the faucet and placing the pot on the stove.]
They're not random tales. They're very dear memories. But fine. What do you want to know?
["Uh, I don't know if I should ask." Mischief flashed in Connor's eyes and he smirked.]
What? Is it a secret?
I'm going to help you edit the video so I'll know everything. You might as well tell me.
["It's just that...sometimes...when people talk about you and Travis, they always make you sound, er…"]
Really stupid? Cause I'm smarter than Travis. A lot smarter, and with better fighting skills, so you can cross out really weak, too.
["Really scary." Connor paused for a millisecond but gave an impish smile.]
Me? Scary?
I think Travis is scarier.
Really, Riley, if you had to pick one of us to anger, who would it be?
["Travis. He always goes easy on us whenever we do something bad. You give harsher punishments."]
Ow, you hurt my feelings. How could you have favorites, Riley? I thought you loved us equally.
Man, the pain.
It hurts.
I'm dying.
You killed me.
["Ah! Forget I said anything! Next question!" Connor raised to his knees, grinning stupidly. He pulled a kitchen knife from a drawer.]
"What is your biggest contribution to the war?"]
My pranks.
Gods know camp doesn't know how to have fun when I'm not around. Those idiots would probably die from boredom if I'm not there to create some excitement in their life.
["There has to be more than that." Connor hummed a song, chopping the chicken into bits and dropping it into the pot.]
Nope! That was all I am. A stress reliever. A jokester.
["You led your cabin to war."]
Anybody could have done that.
["You were a counselor."]
So was Drew and you know how great she is. Too bad she's so mean. She really does have what it takes to be a good leader.
["Connor, do you really want to do this? If you don't, then fine, I'll just go find Travis and — "]
Okay. Okay. Fine. I get it.
[Connor twirled the knife in his right hand, a dangerous smile on his face.]
Your parents want the truth?
No sugarcoating?
Even if it means you probably won't be allowed again?
["They're historians. I'm pretty sure they can handle anything—" A cutting board slammed down in front of me. Connor tilted his head to the side and grinned in a slightly too manic manner.]
Great. Fantastic. Awesome. You're probably wrong, but I'll humor you.
[He stabbed the knife into the wood and headed for the fridge, coming back with carrots and celery. He pulled the knife out of the wood and began chopping, pace set and steady.]
Do you know the responsibility of counselors?
We greet newbies. Get them accustomed to camp, get them some friends, get them some weapons, get them some toiletry. Basically, we do everything in our power to get them to stay and get some formal training.
Those who stayed for even a summer raised their survival rates by 50%, so you can see why it's so important for them to stay, right?
Anybody who was a counselor could tell you how stressful that freaking job was.
You're in charge of a dozen to two dozen children. You need to make sure they are all going to the events. That they are all eating and sleeping well. You need to keep an eye out for signs of mental strain and trauma, if they're avoiding home or are eager to go home. You need to keep any eye out for any discontentment towards the gods. You need to do so many things for so many kids and if they take even one step out of line, you're the first to be blamed.
Travis was twelve when he was forced into that role.
Twelve, just a year older than you. He could barely keep track of his own clothes at that time, always taking mine or Chris's since his clothes were, and I quote, "taken by magical gnomes every week."
How could he possibly watch over a dozen kids?
Did you know, before Luke left, there were forty kids? After that, there were just ten. Those remaining ten were all a year or two younger than Travis.
Do you honestly think anybody would listen to him? When he was so young and unsure of himself?
Look, Travis is a great person. He has the biggest heart of anybody I know. He's an amazing older brother who's always quick at picking up emotional distress. And his leadership skills are pretty… well, decent is the only way to describe it. But he's absolutely shit at keeping order.
I don't know what Chiron was thinking. It would have been a thousand times more responsible to merge Hermes cabin with another cabin while Travis gained experience. We were small enough back then. It would have worked but I'm digressing.
Travis couldn't keep order but I could. We looked alike back then too so I just pretended to be Travis. But pretending can only get you so far. The kids pretty much stopped listening to both of us since they refuse to listen to "wimpy" Travis and "pretend" Travis.
So I went to Chiron and become a co-counselor.
Not that it meant much. I didn't do anything noteworthy.
["Will said you were a fantastic counselor." Connor scoffed. He picks up the cutting board with the chopped vegetables and swept them into the boiling pot.]
Will? Will Solace?
As in, Will, the idiot who can't swing a sword, or shoot an arrow to save his life?
Everything that leaves his self-righteous mouth is garbage.
["What? That was a compliment! How could you say something so mean to Will who said something so nice?" ]
You wanted the truth. This is the truth.
Besides, he's lying to you. He probably said that to make himself look good. Wouldn't want his image ruined after all the work he put in to become Mr. Good Guy.
["I thought you were friends."]
We were.
Best of friends.
Then war happened and he showed his true colors.
When the war ended, he wanted to pretend none of it happened.
Travis happily agreed but I'm not so forgiving.
None of them are getting my forgiveness. Sure, I'll be nice to them in public, but I want them all to drown.
["Them being….." Connor shrugged.]
Everybody basically.
Will, Katie, Annabeth, Clarisse, oh man, especially Clarisse.
Even Chris can leave forever.
["Okay. I'm lost. You're saying all these mean things but I don't understand why these people deserve it. Katie—" Connor slammed another pot into the sink harshly, a sharp ring of metal against metal. He reached over to a cupboard and pulled out a carton of pasta.]
Yeah, yeah, I know. Katie is in a rough spot right now. I'm trying to help her right now like a good fellow counselor should, even though I really don't want too.
["Why are you being such an— such an— such— " Connor smirked over his shoulder.]
I wouldn't use ass around Travis.
You know how he is about cuss words.
["What exactly did they do to make you hate them so much?"]
After Luke left, ten of us stayed. Ten. Don't you think the ten of us would be loyal to camp? We stayed so we must have loved camp. Right? That logic makes sense, doesn't it?
Not to Clarisse.
We were all traitors in her eyes. And she tell us this everyday.
She would pull us aside, dunk our heads in the toilets, mud, horse feces, every gross thing you can think of, and tell us to scram while her crappy followers laugh beside her. She do this to everyone from our cabin, even our nine year old.
A nine year old.
One by one, I watched my half-siblings call home, begging their parents to pick them up. I could hear the scorning in their mom's or dad's voice become hesitant, to disbelieving, to rage. They would hand the phone to me and I would have to listen to their mom or dad screeched at me how bad I am and how awful and how incompetent and how everything. I would have to watch them march up to Half Blood Hill with this bloodlust in their eyes, demanding for me and my brother. They always falter when they realize we're not much older than their children.
They just looked at us, shook their head, and take their kid back without another word.
The original ten who stayed all left by next summer.
Of course, we would always get new demigods, so our cabin was never empty but living in Hermes Cabin was hell.
I don't know the situation of the other cabins, but we were Clarisse's favorite toys.
If the gods really loved their children, they would have taken them out of our cabin. But nope! We all suffered together, the claimed and the unclaimed. Just like one big family!
[Connor slammed green onions onto the cutting board. He went back to the sink for his knife, flipping it in his hands on his way back. He lined the onions up and began cutting.]
I could understand Clarisse though. She has such a nasty and abhorrent personality that it's super hard for anyone to like her. Her only friends were Chris and Silena back then and when Chris left, she didn't know how to handle that emotion of being rejected.
Her, I can understand. The others, not so much.
One by one, my friends turned their backs on me. They let Clarisse do whatever. They refused to hang out. They stopped talking to me and start talking behind my back, saying we were all thieves, all liars. Even went so far to vandalized our cabin one time.
We had to get everybody new clothes. The parents were so mad. I had so many complaints and so many angry letters that I thought about dumping all of them into the pavilion's burning altar, to kinda give the gods a taste of their partners' disappointment. Maybe that would have motivated their dumb, haha, sorry, busy selfs to claim their children.
One time they wrote "death to traitors" on our walls in bright, red paint. It's obviously supposed to be intimidation tactics. I guess to scare us into leaving. Do you know how long it took to scrub that gunk off? Luckily only me and brother saw it. Could you imagine the hysteria if ten year olds saw something like that? I could and I would drown myself in the river before I face the angry moms and dads.
It was probably Clarisse's doing. I could recognize her chicken scratches anywhere.
My friendship with Katie and Will officially ended when they accused me and my brother of being spies.
Around that same time, Chris came back and Clarisse stopped her bullying. Guess she didn't want him to know how much of a demon she really is. But they're perfect for each other. Both are lying, scheming, two-faced—
["That's it. I'm calling it. No more bashing. Only factual truth from now on."]
The factual truth?
Of course!
Did you know 90% of newcomers in those 4 years of war left after one and a half month? Did you know 80% of major injuries requiring the use of ambrosia and nectar came from my cabin? Did you know Silena Beauregard, Daughter of Aphrodite, was an actual confirmed traitor but there was not a peep about her cabin all being filthy spies that should just rot? Did you know much it fucking killed me to have my friends turn on me? To have my siblings come to me in tears because Kayla took their favorite doll or Clarisse shoved them into a thorn bush? To be blamed for everything your half-brother did?
Everything Luke did, the Pine tree's poisoning, the Battle of the Labyrinth, we were blamed for it. Like we supported him. Like we rooted for him.
Like I wanted it to happen.
Like I wanted my friends to die.
[Connor sniffled and I tensed.]
Lee and Charlie. Silena. Castor. They were my—
["H-hey, are you going to cry?"]
They were my friends. I didn't want them to die.
I didn't want anyone to die.
But they did and we were blamed.
["Don't cry! Don't cry! M-Maybe you should stop cutting, you might hurt yourself…"]
The bullying got worse.
More and more parents come to pick up their kids.
They all give me the same look. The same disappointed look.
[Connor blinked angrily, swiping a hand across his cheeks. He went back to cutting vigorously.]
I was a counselor.
I was suppose to keep us together.
I planned parties. I learned how to bake and cook. I learned how to knit and embroider. I learned new languages. I thought of everything we could do together as a cabin. I pranked their bullies so they'd come for me. I complained to Chiron. I bribed minor gods to be their bodyguards. I even taught them judo so they could defend themselves a bit.
But they still continued to leave.
Everything I did had no meaning. I couldn't help anyone. Not my cabin. Not my siblings. Not even my brother. All I did was make it easier for them to hate us, give them more reasons to blame us. No one liked me just like no one liked Clarisse. Except she doesn't have a sister who looks exactly like her.
Travis...he needed my help and I did nothing but make it harder for him. If I wasn't so grudge-holding, if I was more like him, maybe he wouldn't have…maybe he wouldn't have —
Huh?
[Connor blinked, staring at the knife lodged in the table, several cuts away from the cutting board. It took a couple of seconds for Connor to process what he did but when he did, he pulled the knife free from the table and groaned.]
I can't believe I did this again.
Crap.
Chiron is going to be so mad at me.
[Connor frowned at the spot, fingers tracing the the indents. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.]
It's not that bad. I'll just fill it with some clay and paint it brown.
Er, you didn't hear me say that.
["No. I didn't." I repeated back. Hermes Code #2: You never saw what happened. Connor takes the board of chopped green onions and swept them with the knife into the pot. He stirred the boiling pot with a wooden spoon, silent. "Are you okay now?" I prodded.]
Yeah. I'm always okay. Always okey dokey.
Haha, you know, after the war, some were sorry for the way they acted. They wanted to be friends again and pretend that four years never happened. I never wanted anything to do with them but they're counselors too and it's bad for people to see counselors fighting so I sucked it up and pretended we were friends again.
[Connor turned and placed the pot in front of me with a lopsided grin and he was back to being the counselor I know.]
In public at least.
I'm great at acting aren't I? You probably can't even tell I hate their guts.
["So you don't want to make up with them?" Connor smiled wider.]
Nope! As soon as I graduate, I'm leaving and never coming back to this hellhole again.
["You're never coming back to visit?"]
Never.
["But I'll miss you."]
Yeah, well, I missed Luke before he went all evil macho on me.
Hey, what time is it?
[Boom.]
Never mind.
[There was a very familiar scream. "What was that?" I asked, scrambling off the chair.]
A prank for my old friend.
I got to go. Soup is ready, take as much as you want.
Percy's going to be here any second for my head.
[On cue, there was a roar. Connor dumped all the utensils into the sink. He laid a dish towel over the indents. At my raised eyebrows, he pressed a finger to his lips.]
Shh. Rarely anybody uses this kitchen so if we keep quiet, I can fix this before anybody finds out.
[The roaring is now clearly a single voice, "CONNOR!"
There is a pounding at the door. Each slam splintered the door. Connor, for his credit, doesn't seem to be scared. If anything he seems amused, excited even.]
Hey, Riley.
Do you want to know what I learn from this war?
[He pulled out a cap, twirling it on a finger.]
The only person I can trust in this world is my brother.
Everyone else just disappoints.
[Then he tugged the cap on and disappeared.
The door flied from its hinges, landing on an occupied bed. Percy Jackson stood on the other side, Riptide in hand. His eyes zero in on me and I never wanted to run more than anything. He took a single step towards me, growling out, "Where is he?"
Before I could answer, the window scraped open, shoes scurrying over wood and Connor's voice, already departing.]
Bye, Percy!
Tell Anniebeth I'm just warming up!
[If it were any other day, I would be ecstatic. Here I am, walking side by side with the great Perseus Jackson. The Hero of Olympus. Defeater of the Minotaur, of Antares, of Ares. It used to be my dream to be able to have a one on one conversation with the son of Poseidon. Now, my dream is to go back to the days when I didn't have to worry about my counselor one day upping and leaving us forever.
Percy is fuming, cheeks full of chicken noodle soup. He walked briskly, towards the infirmary and I ran to keep up with him.
"What did Connor do?"]
He put 10 jars of spiders in Annabeth's trunk. I don't know how he did it, but he taped the lids to the trunk so when she open it, kapunk, all the lids come off. She's in the infirmary right now with Will. He says the bites are 100% venom free, but still, Connor knows Annabeth hates spiders. When I get my hands on that little idiot…
[Percy shoved another spoonful of soup into his mouth. I think he's supposed to look menacing, but with full cheeks, he looked more childish than anything.]
So what did you guys talk about?
["He said he never want to come back to camp."]
He's joking.
["Percy, why did you and Annabeth sign Travis up for New Rome College?"]
Cause a college education is important for living a half-decent life.
["No, I mean. Why did you want to separate them?"]
It's complicated. It's not good for their mental health for them to be together now.
["What did Travis say?"]
He wasn't too happy but what can he do? He got accepted. It's not like he can refuse and drop the full scholarship. New Rome is not like any college. They're equipped to deal with monsters. He'll be perfectly safe while finishing his studies.
And, hey, they know we're demigods with dyslexia. They'll accommodate us.
He wanted to take Connor with him but someone needs to stay to be counselor. Cecil is in training right now but he's not ready to take on the role yet.
["He's fourteen. I'm pretty sure he's ready."]
That's too young to be in-charge of four dozen children.
["I guess but he'll find a co-counselor. I still don't understand why you guys did what you did." Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking extremely uncomfortable. We stopped at the infirmary's entrance.]
Luke was counselor for four years before he revolted. Travis and Connor are nearing their sixth anniversary.
["I don't think they would betray us like Luke did." I mumbled. From the door, Will coughed to get our attention. He pointed inside to Annabeth glowering on the bed with crossed arms, band-aids covering nearly every patch of skin.
Intense, slate eyes met mine.]
You barely know them, Riley. Don't act like you do.
Chapter 11: Temptation
Author's Notes:
So, again, this is my personal headcanons. My angst seeking mind kinda ventures towards that direction and that's how I am able to write. I'm sorry if no one really likes angst or think this is OOC. I don't think it is but I guess I'm always open to a debate on pm so I can explain my reasoning.
I want to thank my beta, ImALazyProcrastinator, for betaing this chapter even though she's extremely busy with school and for putting away time for this fic.