A/N: I just wanna say something- sorry about not updating my other stories guys... and this one! I will! Eventually. I've just been busy- and lazy... and forgetful... um, I think you get it. But the school year is over! So hopefully I will have more time to write in my free time. :)
You'll be happy to know that I've written down ideas for the next FIVE chapters! But, you guys can still shout out ideas, it's greatly appreciated! :D
Huh. This one turned out to be MUCH longer than I anticipated. It was also more funny than I thought it would be lol. Well, enjoy the longer chapter! :D ...please keep in mind that they won't always be this long lol.
Malcolm's POV
I walked along the sandy beach towards the cabins. Specifically, my cabin. I wanted to see if my sister, Annabeth, was there so I could ask her something about our new architecture project: a new high-tech training centre. The high-tech part would be built by Leo and his siblings of course, we were just the architects. That was fine by me. As I walked up the stairs to the Athena cabin, I couldn't help but glance over at the darkest cabin in camp. The cabin of Hades, in which his son Nico di Angelo resides at. Well, when he's actually here that is. He had the tendency to leave camp once in a while.
I'll admit it, I'm not scared of him. In fact, I would actually like to become his friend, if he would allow it. He's a fairly closed off person that was misunderstood. At least that's what I thought. The guy was only fourteen after all. Just because he was the son of Hades didn't mean that he was Hades in any way. I smiled as I saw him walk up to his cabin. After he entered the cabin, I returned to what I came to my cabin for.
I knocked twice and opened the door. "Annabeth, I have a question about the- oh gods! Uh, I'm sorry! I- uh, I'll uh just come back later!" I stammered. I should say that I have the tendency, or bad luck as some might say, of walking in on Annabeth (or anyone for that matter,) when they're having an intimate moment with someone. Thankfully nothing has gone beyond kissing, which was what Annabeth and Piper were doing at that very moment. Although I fear that that day will come eventually. I backed out of the cabin and shut the door. I fear that day, I really do. "Why did it have to be me every single time? I just have to have the perfect timing of interrupting everyone's romantic moment with someone. Why couldn't they build separate rooms within the cabins? That would make my life so much easier!" I said to myself as I walked away from the cabins.
"You know if you keep talking to yourself people will think you're crazy." said a voice. I turned to see the Stoll brothers sitting on a rock. That was strange. Normally they'd be pulling some kind of prank. I was going to respond, but then I think it was Travis that spoke. "And you might actually learn something about relationships by doing that." he said. The other one smirked. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. What are you guys doing anyway?" I asked. They glanced at each other.
"Just relaxing on a beautiful summer day!" Connor said dramatically. His brother nudged him while smiling, and he nearly fell off the rock. Suddenly I heard my sister and her girlfriend scream from the Athena cabin. The brothers looked at each other, then at me. "That could mean anything." said Connor. I smirked at them.
"Yeah. It could... but it doesn't." I said. The brothers made a dash for the nearest exit, but I grabbed them before they got away. "You guys have met my sister, right? And Piper?" I asked them. They struggled to get their arms out of my grip, but they weren't getting away that easily. I began to drag them over to the cabin. "I'll admit it, for a skinny guy you're pretty strong." said Connor.
"Um, thanks?" I wasn't exactly sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I was still dragging them to the cabin when Percy, Jason, and Nico showed up.
"Uh, hey what's happening here?" asked Percy. Travis got out of my grip, but I instantly grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"Yeah we heard a couple of girls screaming and came running." said Jason. He eyed the brothers curiously. I figured that he probably figured out what happened. "Ask these guys." I simply said as they tried to squirm away from me. I didn't blame them. Everyone feared my sister and her girlfriend when they were angry. Speaking of them, the two girls came out of the cabin covered in rainbow slime. Man, I'm so glad I left when I did. The brothers froze. Actually everyone froze. I took this moment to unfreeze everyone. "Hurry before they remember how to move!" I said to my sister. The two girls grabbed the boys by their shirts, and started dragging them towards the Big House.
"So, you guys wanna watch them get scared under Annabeth and Piper's wrath?" asked Percy. They started following the other four, and I trailed behind them. Since I wasn't exactly "best friends" with either of them, I thought it might be kind of awkward.
After a few seconds, I my gaze had wondered over to the son of Hades. I guess after the war, he hadn't been as distant as he was before. He was closer to his friends, those guys being Percy and the gang. In all honesty, I had no idea where this need- no, "want" to be his friend came from. But suddenly seeing him with other people that I wasn't exactly close friends with, made it awkward for me.
"Oh hey-" Percy suddenly turned around and started walking backwards. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly looked away from Nico, and looked at him, and hoped he didn't notice my slightly pink face. Okay, it was a bit darker than that. Hey, I thought he saw me staring at Nico. "How did you find those guys anyway? Usually they disappear until dinner after a prank." he said. Sadly it took me a second to realize who he was talking about. I mentally cursed myself. "Oh. Oddly enough they were just sitting on a near by rock." I said casually. I'm pretty sure that my voice cracked ever so slightly though. Percy looked confused. But who wouldn't? Those brothers really would usually find a great hiding spot until dinner. Why were they just on a rock? Eh, we might be reading too much into it. They probably had their reasons.
"Huh. That's weird. I guess we'll find out why in about five seconds 'cause we're here." said Jason. I looked past the three in front of me, and sure enough, he was right. Annabeth and Piper dragged the Stolls up to Chiron and Mr. D who were playing cards. Mr. D looked up at them, and burst out laughing. Luckily Chiron was much more mature. But he did smirk a little. That made the other boys and I smirk as well and glance at each other.
"If it is alright for me to say so, should I even ask?" asked Chiron. Percy snorted, but held back a laugh and cleared his throat. If looks could kill, the Stoll brothers would definitely be dead by now. Both Annabeth's and Piper's looks were very menacing, and were even just about as scary as Nico's scariest look. One thing's for sure, these guys were in for it. As much as I like them, this was fun.
"These two idiots put some kind of grenade in the Athena cabin! The place is a mess! Including us! They ruined on of my books!" shouted Annabeth. It was then Piper decided to chime in.
"Not to mention our hair and clothes- gods. I'm acting like my mother now. But still!" she screamed. I almost laughed at the comment about her mother, but I decided that it probably wasn't a smart idea at the moment. Travis really shouldn't have spoken at that point. "It'll wash out easily, just take a shower. Sheesh, relax." he said. Annabeth gave him her death glare. Both brothers paled, it was then that the others and I (minus Chiron,) laughed. "Relax. Relax?! You've ruined one of my favourite books! It'll take months to find another copy in ancient Greek you ******* idiots!" shouted Annabeth. That scared everyone. Annabeth was NOT one to swear. Nico, Percy, Jason and I looked at each other, and took a few steps backwards. I glanced around, and noticed that Annabeth's outburst had attracted a bit of attention. Pretty much all of Ares' children laughed at the fact the Stolls were finally getting what they deserved. Well okay, it was more than just Ares' children.
It was pretty much the entire camp. Even some of Hermes' other kids.
"As funny as this is, since you two have been caught, you will be punished for all the pranks you pulled on me as well." said Mr. D. The brothers paled even more. This was great. "Oh, and me." said Percy. "You guys decided it would be funny to exchange the water in my fountain for baking soda and vinegar." The brothers held back a snicker. It wouldn't be smart to start laughing. "And me for when you charged up my sword with negative energy." said Jason. Ouch. That must have hurt. Jason is always such a positive person. "And me. You took all of my clothes and replaced them with brightly coloured ones." said Nico. I nearly smirked at the image of Nico wearing pink and purple. That was definitely not his style. "There was also that time you decided to prank Mitchell and I twice a day for two weeks." I added in. The brothers glanced at each other. They were in for it.
"Okay! We get it. We've pranked everyone at least once." said Connor. I couldn't help but notice that he was blushing. Interesting. But before I could read more into it, Mr. D spoke.
"Right. As your punishment, you will clean the entire camp at the end of each day until it's spotless, everyday for a year. You will also have to resist pranking anyone during that time." said Chiron. Everyone smirked at their expressions. They couldn't believe their ears. Piper and Annabeth smiled triumphantly at each other. "In other words, you're on probation." said Mr. D. Several campers laughed at them. It sounded harsh, but many of them would say they deserved it more than some of their siblings.
The brothers began to protest, but they were soon stopped. "You will do it." said Piper. I'm pretty positive she used some Charmspeak because the brothers nodded in response. However her Charmspeak didn't effect the sideways glares they gave each other. "You will also be supervised by someone to make sure that you do a good job." said Chiron. The brothers didn't say anything. This had to be their worst punishment ever. It was great though!
"Alright, everyone go back to what you were doing." said Chiron. Everyone did so. "As for you two, your punishment begins today right after dinner." The brothers sighed in defeat. The other gods were probably having a good time watching this. Chiron and Mr. D went back to their card game. Piper grabbed Annabeth's hand and the two started to head back to their cabin. "You start at seven. Don't be late." shouted Piper. Again, I'm sure she used some Charmspeak.
The Stolls sighed. "Man this is your fault." said Connor. Travis looked at him.
"My fault? You're the one who suggested we prank Mitchell!" he said. Hm, this was about to get interesting. I glanced at the other three, who still remained. They looked intrigued. "Yeah. Mitchell. Malcolm just happened to be there each time." Connor said, with a slight glare at me. Hm. Then Connor realized that we were actually still there. Travis smirked as did the rest of us which made Connor's face turn pink. "Boy I have great timing." I said sarcastically. Nico and Percy smirked. Percy was probably remembering all the times I had walked in on him and Annabeth when they were together. Jason decided to break the silence. "So... why Mitchell?" he asked. Connor looked at him and it seemed as though he was debating whether or not to say anything. Even though it was plainly obvious to everyone here.
"N-no reason." said Connor.
"Are you sure? You know, if there is a reason, we'd probably be okay with it." said Nico. Then he actually smiled. I think my heart skipped a beat. Gods, he should smile more often. But just as Percy was about to question Connor some more, I got dragged away by Mitchell.
Mitchell's POV
"Uh, hey Mitch, what's up?" asked Malcolm. After the Stoll's punishment was in place, I just happened to notice the fact that my best friend was staring at the son of Hades. Of course I had to take action. "I just wanted to talk to you about some... one." I said. Malcolm looked at me.
"Who? And why?" he asked. Oh boy. I realized that he was probably oblivious. It's just like him. "Well, Nico, and I think you know why." I said. Malcolm just looked at me and didn't say anything. Either he was trying to process what I was saying, or he just didn't get any of it. "I think you should tell him." I said. I hate being blunt, but if that's what I had to do to get it though Malcolm's thick head, then so be it. Malcolm blinked. "Tell who what?" he asked. I sighed.
"Oh you- ugh! Sorry mom, I know you don't like it when we have to be extra blunt, but some things just have to be done." I said. Malcolm gave me a confused look. I turned him around so that he could look at Nico. The three guys were just standing there talking. "You may not have figured it out, but I have. You like him right?" said Mitchell. Malcolm glanced at him, but kept his eyes on Nico.
"Uh, yeah? I mean we're not exactly friends or anything, but sure." he said. I mentally slapped himself. Why did I say like? I should have said the other L word. Stupid! I sighed. "Mal, I-" but he interrupted me. Darn it! I hate that! "Oh, and I think that Connor-" this time I interrupted him.
"Oh yeah I know."
"You do?"
"Mal?"
"Yeah?"
"Who's my mom?"
Malcolm blinked. "Right..."
Malcolm suddenly glanced at his watch. "Oh crap! I gotta go. I was suppose to meet up with Annabeth at the centre, see ya!" he said. With that, he ran off to the new training centre.
"Wait! But- I- You- Ni- damn it!" I said, frustrated. I then heard someone behind me. I turned to see the other guys, minus Nico. "Huh. You're usually not one to swear." said Percy. Well, I am a terrible liar, so I decided to just say it.
"Uh, yeah. Hey, did you guys ever notice how oblivious that guy is?" I said, gesturing in the direction Malcolm went. Jason snorted.
"Yeah. When Piper and I were together, he didn't even realize that Piper and I were together until he walked in on us kissing." he said. This time Percy snorted.
"That guy has perfect timing doesn't he? Hey, why don't we get them together?" Sweet! I was totally up for that! Hm. But Malcolm's just so oblivious. "Great! But uh, how? Malcolm's not the most observant guy around." I said. Travis smiled.
"No. But you and Nico are." he said. They all looked at me expectantly. I sighed. I knew this was coming. But it made sense since I was Malcolm's best friend, and Nico's um, acquaintance? Yeah sure. Acquaintance. Oh boy...
Later on, I found myself walking back towards the Stolls and Jason, after dinner. Jason was watching them this time. "You got anything?" asked Jason. I shrugged.
"Not exactly-"
Earlier...
I walked up to Nico and fell in pace with him as he headed towards the tables for dinner. "Oh hey Nico." I said. Nico gave me a sideways glance. He always questioned why I talked to him. "Uh, hi?" he said.
"So. Uh, I was thinking about heading down to the new training centre to see how it's coming along. Wanna come?" I asked. I hoped this would work. Nico shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe."
"Okay. Uh, oh! What do you think about architecture?"
"Um... It's alright... I guess? Why are you-"
"Alright, let's forget about architecture. What's your opinion on building structures?" Nico gave me a weird look.
Present...
"That's it? Man, that guy does not know the definition of small talk." sighed Travis. Jason sighed. He crossed his arms in thought. "Well, it would be hard with questions like that, come on man." he said. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Well, if you wanna try, be my guest. Besides, aren't you closer friends with him Jason?" I said. He just shrugged. It was then I noticed that Connor was quiet. He hadn't said a word since I got here. I decided to try and engage him into the conversation.
"I mean it makes sense. You're practically a friend of his, and I'm pretty much just an acquaintance, right Connor?" I said quickly. I probably shouldn't have said it so fast, but, I wanted to see what Connor's reaction would be. Travis smirked at his brother, but didn't say anything. "U-uh, yeah." he stuttered. Clearly I had caught him off guard. Sweet! My heart flipped as the blush appeared on his face. I was about to reply, when Piper cut me off. She came up behind me and glared at the other three, and uh, partly at me.
"Yo Dumb and Dumber, quit yackin' and start rakin'." she ordered with a snap of her fingers. Man, I wish I could Charmspeak. It would have helped over the years... Anyway, the Stolls grimaced, but nodded and got back to work. Then Piper looked at Jason. "I'm watching you, watch them... watch him..." she said that last part quietly, and gestured at me. I raised my eyebrows and smiled as Connor gave her a shocked and nervous glance. She winked at him, which made the blush on his face grow darker. Travis had a full out smile on his face, and he seemed to be having a hard time keeping quiet. Connor would definitely hear about this later. Then Piper smiled at Jason and ruffled my hair- Gods she knows how I hate that! "No don't- ugh!" I sighed. I had it all perfect! She walked off to wherever she goes in her spare time. Oh wait. She's with Annabeth.
"Okay, I can see why you- some people uh, like Aphrodite children." chuckled Travis. I knew it was hard for him. He was just waiting for Piper to leave. Jason laughed, and Connor didn't say anything. "So ha- uh, back to the matter at hand. We all agree that Jason should be the one talking to Nico." I said.
"Alright fine! I'm warning you though, I suck at lying. Especially to my friends. Uh, Travis, you should go clean the stables. Oh and Connor, you uh, go clean that grassy area by the lake. I think it could use some help after that last camp fire... And Mitchell you um, watch him?" said Jason. I nearly snorted. He definitely wasn't lying when he said he couldn't lie.
"Yes sir." said Travis.
"Sure Sparky." I said.
Travis and I looked at each other oddly, but we shrugged it off. Travis was cleaning the grounds, and my hair was ruffled, it threw us off. We each went our separate ways, some more happy than others, (hint, hint.)
Jason's POV
This night couldn't have gone any better! Okay, it still could have gone a whole lot better, but it's progressing. I'm uh, not exactly talking about Nico and Malcolm. Travis and I had other plans tonight... actually, I think Mitchell did too. I think he's caught on. Oh wait. Who am I kidding? His mother is Aphrodite!
"Okay. I bet ten drachmas that they'll hook up tonight." said Travis.
"I bet that they won't until after they've told everyone, and that they'll 'secretly' date for about a month or so. Oh, and five drachmas." I said.
"Fine. Nine." said Travis. I sighed.
"Five."
"Eight."
"Five."
"Seven."
"Five."
"Fine! Five. Cheapskate." mumbled Travis.
"Hey, you've got connections. Where am I going to get ten drachmas?" I said. Travis sighed and shrugged.
"Alright whatever. Now what about Malcolm and Nico? Those guys are not as obvious as Mitch and Connor." said Travis. He had a point. Malcolm is so oblivious to any kind of romance, and Nico is just a pro at hiding his feelings. "Yeah. Malcolm's oblivious to anything romantic, and Nico's got a perfected shield over his emotions. I honestly have no idea if any of this is true. But, Mitch is a son of Aphrodite, and I guess I could ask Piper to see what she thinks too. Keep working." I said, noticing that Travis had 'taken a break.'
"Damn it." he sighed and got back to raking. "But yeah. If this is true, then we may need all the help we can get. It's obvious that Nico has confided in you before, so you're probably the only one that can get anything out of him. As for Malcolm, I think we'll leave that to Mitch. They are best friends." I nodded. It sounded like a good plan.
"Yeah. I can't ask too many questions though, otherwise Nico will just barricade his feelings again." I said. Travis nodded, but then he frowned and looked at the ground.
"What?" I asked.
"Oh gross. Do we even wanna know what that is?" he said pointing. I looked, and sighed.
"Okay ew. Well, you're the cleaning maid, get to work." I said, and patted him on the back. He sighed.
"Why can't you do that this time? Hey! I'm not a maid!"
"Janitorial Servant then. Hey, I'm just guarding you so that you, what was it again? Keep working. Now keep working! I am NOT touching... that. Whatever it is." I said. Travis rolled his eyes and sighed. I wondered how his brother and Mitchell were doing. They were probably having a better time than we were at the moment. But they would probably have liked to see this. Of course, then Travis would most likely get Connor to do it. Although, Mitch was pretty defensive. Hm, then again, Mitch also liked to tease his crushes. Uh, but moving on to more important matters.
"Just use gloves." I said.
"We don't have any."
"Don't have any? What were you guys thinking? You're Garbage Boys." I said. Travis was about to protest, but sighed. "If you do this, and finish in good time, we can spy on Connor and Mitch when they're on their first date. Whenever that may be. Or we can spy on one of them asking the other out. Or both?" I said. He looked intrigued, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy. That thing was pretty disgusting. "Alright. If you do this, you can help me, Percy, and Annabeth spy on Malcolm and Nico's first date." Travis shrugged and sighed. It was a pretty good deal. Normally Annabeth wouldn't allow such a thing, but since it was her brother that was getting involved... she got worried and gave in. Not that she didn't trust Nico, she was just being a sister. Just like Travis was being a broth... well... okay, it's not really the same at all is it?
"Mm...Yeah alright fine. Don't think this is gonna make me forget about our bet!" he said. I sighed. Of course it wouldn't. He's Travis Stoll. Hermes' kid. "Wouldn't think of it." I said dully.
During lunch the next day, we decided to put our plan into action. After grabbing a lot of food, (which really was a lot,) I sat down with Nico at his table. "Uh so," I said, trying to come up with a conversation. It seemed a lot easier when we were planning this. "Um, wh- how's your sister?" I mentally smacked myself. 'How's your sister?' What I thinking? Nico can see through any lie and plan. He was bound to see this one. "Um, she's fine I guess. Hasn't said otherwise. She's been busy so I haven't really had a long conversation with her." said Nico. Did I mention how bad I was at lying? The only times I can lie is when we carefully plan it out and rehearse. We probably should have done that this time. But the only times we actually do that is when it involves a quest or something similar. This sucked. What made matters worse, was that Nico was eyeing me suspiciously. That wasn't good. Obviously he'd caught on already. After one sentence.
"Uh, so-"
"Jason we all know you suck at lying, what's going on? What are you guys planning? I know you and the Stolls, and basically the rest of the group are doing something. What is it? Does it have something to do with Malcolm?" said Nico. Awe crap, he cornered me. For a quiet guy he sure asked a lot of questions. But, I guess under the circumstances, anyone would. So, once he was done, I answered oh so very smartly with-
"Uh-"
"Why in Hades would you tell him that I have a crush on him?!" Travis whispered loudly. When no one had volunteered to watch them, I volunteered. It was the perfect chance to talk about my... lie. Connor was about to lose it with laughter. Travis glared at him, then glared at me with more intensity. "If you did not have lightning powers, great sword skills, and Zeus as a father, I would hit you with this broom!" he said. I was certainly in for it this time. Connor was enjoying this very much. I assumed it was payback for the day before. The gods were probably on the floor with laughter. And it would be my fault. But one thing bugged me. "My father is-" I started, but Travis' glare cut me off and I didn't finish.
"Look, I'm sorry! He cornered me! You know I suck at lying! Everyone does! Even the gods. It's true, just ask them. Then he brought up Malcolm, and he asked if we were planning something, so I- I just said the first thing that came to mind." I said awkwardly. Travis' glare got even more intense.
"Me having a crush on Malcolm was the first thing that came to mind?!" Travis whispered harshly. Well of course he did NOT want anyone else to hear this and spread it around. I sighed suddenly feeling very tired. "I'm sorry." I repeated.
"You've gotta fix this! I can't have anyone going around thinking that I-" started Travis, but he stopped once he saw his brother Luke coming towards him. "You say nothing. Got it?" Travis warned Connor. He just nodded and had a smug look on his face. Luke smiled at his brothers as he arrived. "How are you cleaning maids doing?" he asked.
"Oh, they prefer Janitor Boys." I said. Said people gave me a look. "What?" I said. Luke snorted.
"Uh, so what are you doing here?" asked Travis.
"I just came by to say that I heard something oh so very interesting." said Luke. Uh oh. Travis and I tensed up. Connor just looked content. I did tell Nico not to tell anyone. "What did you hear?" Travis asked cautiously. If this got out, he was never going to hear the end of it until Malcolm and Nico got together. If that's even true. I still wasn't confident.
"Oh, it's nothing really. Just uh, I heard from somebody that you Travis, have got a crush on a certain blond brainy pants." said Luke. Oh gods Travis was gonna kill me. Well, kill Luke, then kill me. Travis' face got red. I couldn't tell if he was blushing out of embarrassment, or anger. Actually, knowing him, it was probably both. He gripped the broom until his knuckles were white.
"IT'S NOT TRUE!" he whispered loudly. We glanced around to check if anyone was near by. There didn't seem to be anyone. But, then again, Hermes' kids were great at hiding. Their siblings could be anywhere. "What do you mean it's not true? I heard-"
"Jason tell a crappy lie!" finished Travis. I stayed quiet as Luke glanced at me. Yup. Everyone knew that was my flaw. As well as putting others before myself. (It can actually be pretty troublesome sometimes.) Luke sighed. "Damn it. Only with you Grace." he said. This time I blushed from embarrassment. "Wait. You at least told Nico not to tell anyone, right?" asked Luke. I froze. I couldn't remember it had all been such a blur. The three of them stared at me. "You. Told. Him. Not. To. Tell. Anyone. Right?" Travis said slowly. Oh boy. Well, lying wasn't going to work, so-
"Uh, I um, don't remember..." I said quietly. Luke and Connor face-palmed. Travis just- well, if looks could kill..."I mean, I think I did. But it was all just a big blur! I- did I mention I stink at lying?"
"You've gotta fix this!" said Travis. Man, he sounded pretty desperate by this point. Why do I have to suck at lying? "Hey, I will. I-" Suddenly both Stolls got back to work quickly. Huh. That was weird. Travis sighed. "Piper and Annabeth walked by." he muttered. Oh, it suddenly made perfect sense. Luke smirked, but didn't say anything. Then he narrowed his eyebrows together. "Wait. Doesn't Piper hate using her Charmspeak?" he asked. Good point. The rest of us just shrugged. "I guess she just thought that these two really deserved it this time." I said. The other two sighed.
"Anyway, onto more important stuff, dude, what are you gonna do?" Luke asked me. In all honesty, I had no idea. I didn't even know where to begin! How did you fix something like this? I guess, tell the truth would be one way, but there was no way the others were going to let me do that so... now what? "Uhm, I don't know yet, but I will." I said. I hope.
I had to fix this soon, otherwise Travis' reputation as a, um, 'ladies man' (even though that's not really true either,) would be ruined. I know! I could talk to Nico! Of course I wouldn't tell him the entire thing, but, just... um... hm. This was going to be some work. I'd have to go to my cabin and think on it for the rest of the night. Damn it! Why did I have to say that?
Needless to say, I got no sleep that night. It took me forever to come up with a decent plan to fix this mess. It was fairly simple, surprisingly. I was just going to tell Nico that I lied, which would have been obvious to him anyway, and we weren't trying to get them together.
I arrived a little late, (I slept in a little, but an hour of sleep didn't help much,) and glanced at Hermes' table. I could instantly tell that Travis didn't get much sleep either. Connor and Luke looked okay though. They were probably just glad it wasn't them though. I looked away and headed to the food as soon as Travis glanced up. I looked around and didn't see Malcolm or Nico anywhere. Great. Mitchell had disappeared as well, but he was most likely with Malcolm. Then I saw something I didn't want to see.
Drew and her crew, (ugh, accidental rhyme bleh,) had gotten up from Aphrodite's table and were walking up to Hermes' table. This was NOT good. Knowing Drew, she'd make a scene. I had to get to her before she got to Travis. I set down my plate of food and speed-walked over to her. Luckily, I reached her before she got to Travis, who'd noticed her as soon as I got there.
"Hey Drew, what uh, what are you doing?" I asked. She just gave me a weird look and glanced at the Stolls. Uh oh. It seemed as though my suspicions were correct. She was just about to torment Travis, and possibly Connor too. Why else would she be heading that way? "We were just going to talk." she said.
"About what?"
"What, you ever hear of private conversation?"
"You and kids from Hermes' cabin? As if Drew. No one, and I mean no one would believe you guys were anywhere close to friends, so you can just take your group and bullying antics with you as you leave." I said sternly. I could feel the Stoll's and Luke's stares on Drew and I. Drew narrowed her eyes. I hadn't even realized Luke had stood up and was beside me until Drew began to turn around in defeat. "Oh and Drew?" Luke said flirtatiously, but then as soon as she turned around, he got intensely serious, "Remember who our fathers are." he finished. I was pretty sure I saw at least some fear in Drew's eyes. Sure, Aphrodite was powerful, but Luke's father was the master at tricks and jokes, and mine was the ruler. Finally, Drew and her crew (ugh that rhyme,) left the area.
Once Luke and I turned around, we saw that we didn't attract that much attention which was good. Well, it was either that, or everyone was just being nice and not saying anything. But I did notice that Piper and Annabeth were giving me curious looks. Actually, I saw that Katie, the Stoll's friend, was looking our way also. I sure hoped that they didn't hear anything. I looked back at the Stolls. They looked a little worried, but they each gave Luke and I a small smile and went back to eating. Well, that was close. That could have been a huge disaster and it would have been all my fault! Thanks to what had just happened, Travis seemed to have forgiven me at least a little bit.
Later that day, I was cornered- man, I hate getting cornered- by Annabeth, Piper, and Katie. I knew what they were going to talk about the moment they got together and headed my way. "Alright, spill it Grace, what was that all about at lunch? Drew looked like she was about to do her worst." said Katie.
"Yeah I mean, she hasn't looked like that since Annabeth and I got together- ohmygosh! Did she find out about Connor?" whispered Piper. I sighed. This wasn't going to end well for me. "Uh, not exactly..." I mumbled. Then I told them the whole story.
And all three girls slapped me. Hard.
"Alright! I deserved that, but I was planning on talking to Nico to make sure he doesn't tell anyone because I... don't remember if I said that or not." I said.
And they slapped me again. Twice as hard.
"Ow! I- look, I will fix this! But I'm just not sure if I'll be able to do it alone if more people know." I said. The girls looked at each other, then back at me. It was as though they just read each other's minds like in Merlin. (Yes, I watch that, don't judge, it's great!) Girls. They're all sisters! "Well..." Annabeth said slowly.
I sighed. "You don't have to stop hating me but-"
"Oh we won't." said Piper.
"Not until you've fixed it." said Annabeth. I sighed again. Of course they wouldn't forgive me until after it was fixed. "Okay. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Nico."
Connor's POV
After classes and dinner, it was... ugh, time to clean the camp again. Who knew us campers could be so messy? Also tonight was my night to clean the armour. Great. We also had Capture the Flag today as well. I am sure that the armour won't be that bad to clean. Note the sarcasm in every word. Well, I guess I didn't have to walk around and pick up trash like Travis. Especially if it meant picking up stuff like... you know, I hoped he remembered gloves this time.
I made my way over to the forge with Leo who was one of the people watching us. The other being Annabeth- Heh, lucky Travis! and Mitchell. Obviously I was a little disappointed when Mitchell went with the other two. Leo opened up the doors to the forge, and I did not like what I saw. Just how many campers were there? A billion?! I have never wished so much for Merlin's magical powers- yeah, I watch that. Jason and Piper made me. I think Piper only watches it for the romance part- even though she would deny it. I sighed. "Can I at least have help?" I asked.
"Nope. You've gotta do it dude. They're not gonna clean themselves, so get to work." said Leo. He handed me a bucket of soapy water and a sponge. For the rest of the time we were quiet. It was hard at first, but after a while I was on a roll. I was nearly half way done when Leo suddenly spoke.
"So. Are ya gonna tell him?" he asked. I dropped the helmet I was cleaning and flinched as it hit the metal floor. My face started to heat up as I picked it back up. I cleared my throat. "Uh, tell who what?" I asked. I had a feeling I knew, but I didn't want to say anything. Leo sighed. "Tell Mitchell about... you know." he said. I stopped scrubbing the helmet for a moment. Yup. I knew he knew. "I- I don't- know." I stammered. Then a scary question hit me. "How- how many people know?" I asked quietly. Leo looked down and shrugged.
"Mm, I don't think you wanna know. But on the plus side, I don't think anyone besides Drew and her crew- ugh that rhyme- are gonna hate you- why did that all have to rhyme? They'll hate you for the pranks, but not for that. And another thing, the guys and I figured, if we're gonna get Mal and Nico together, we might as well get you and Mitch together while we're at it!" Leo said happily. The blush on my face deepened, but I gave a small smile. "Thanks. Uh, so tell me. Were we that obvious?" I asked. Leo smirked.
"Trust me. I don't think you snuck past anyone- besides Malcolm. That guy is oblivious to ANY kind of romance." said Leo. I snorted. "Plus, you know, I just happened to notice that you took much better care of Mitchell's armour than you did mine." he finished as he looked down at the helmet in my hands. I smiled.
"You realize that me dropping your helmet was your fault, right?"
"I take no blame in the damaging of my armour."
"Right. You-"
"Awe crap! I forgot I have to go check on a few things for the new centre! I'll be back, I gotta go. Keep working!" said Leo. I gave him a look as he left, but kept working. I looked around and realized that I still had half of the stuff left to clean! It was already getting late in the evening! Awe crap is right. I sighed as I put Leo's stuff away and grabbed another one. This was going to be a long evening.
Travis' POV
"Uh, hey Mitch, how come you went with us instead of going with the other two?" I asked. I desperately had to refrain from saying 'Connor and Leo,' otherwise it would just be so obvious. Mitch shrugged. Man, Connor's lucky he didn't get Annabeth!
"Eh, I wanted to see you pick up trash. You remembered gloves right?" he asked. I sighed.
"Yeah I remembered gloves!"
"Alright, don't get your underwear in a bunch!" said Annabeth. Mitchell laughed and I rolled my eyes.
"Sorry, I'm just edgy." I said.
"Oh right about your thing for Malcolm?" said Mitchell. I stood straight and glared at him. "I do NOT have a thing for him! Why did you have Jason talk to Nico? He's a terrible liar!" I said. Mitchell blinked, then sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Awe crap, I uh, forgot about that factor. I just figured that since they were close friends- but, yeah. I guess it's my fault then huh? I'm sorry man. We'll fix this." said Mitch. I sighed.
"You forgot. You forgot? What kind of idiot forgets that factor?!" I said. Mitch frowned.
"Hey I did." he said.
"Yeah he did." said Annabeth. Mitch looked at her weirdly. He looked unsure of something. "Are you... defending me or..."
"Anyway, what if Malcolm hears this thing? I don't wanna lead him on or anything." I said. Mitchell and Annabeth both snorted and laughed. I rolled my eyes. "Mal? Come on. That guy wouldn't see the romance in Merlin until Arthur and Gwen kissed!" said Mitchell, but then he paused. "But then again, he probably knows the actual history so..."
"Not to mention the way Gwen flirts with Merlin in the first season." said Annabeth. I frowned.
"Whoa. Hey, spoilers!" I said. The other two gave me a look. I sighed. "Connor's gonna make me watch it with him, Tyson and Clarisse." I explained. They gave me the same look. "I know, but Con says that they'll be a lot of battles and whatnot that Clarisse will like." Mitchell shrugged.
"Yeah, that's true. Wait. Hey, get to work!" said Annabeth. Crap. I sighed for like the fifteenth time that evening. "Besides you're almost done." I looked up.
"Really?" I said. Wow. Oh how the time flies when one is... working. I quickly picked up the last pieces of garbage. "Okay. You're done." said Annabeth. "Let's see how Connor's doing. If he needs help, you'll help him." I sighed. But, I would definitely help my brother. There was like, a gazillion pieces of armour to clean. Okay, that's not an actual number, but you get the idea. There was a lot.
When we got there, Leo was gone. "Oh right. Leo had some stuff to do at the centre. I- wow." said Annabeth. Wow was right. I had to give my dear brother props. He cleaned everything in about two hours! "Wait. Where is Connor?" asked Mitch. We started to look around the forge. In a few seconds, I found him. "Uh, guys? I found him." I said.
After cleaning the outfits, my brother must have been exhausted! He had slumped himself down on the ground, leaning against the table leg, fast asleep. I dared to disturb his slumber. "Con, Con!" I said in his ear as I nudged him gently. He slowly opened his eyes a little. "Hm?" he said.
"Why are you on the ground? Why didn't you come get us?" I asked. Connor yawned, and leaned his head back against the table leg. I knew how this would play out, but I wanted an answer. It wasn't everyday that I found him on the ground sleeping. Well, it happened when we were five and six, but that was normal. For Connor. "I... sleepy." mumbled Connor- and with that, he fell back asleep. I couldn't help but smile. Just like when we were five and six.
"Awe." cued Annabeth. She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "I almost feel bad for making you guys do this." she said. I looked up at her. "Almost." I sighed and looked back at Connor.
"I guess one of us has to carry him back to the cabin?" I said. I was about to, when someone spoke up.
"Actually, I uh, think Mitch is stronger." Leo had suddenly appeared in the room and was standing beside said person. We all looked at him, and I stood up. Mitchell smirked. "Could you be this obvious and blunt with Malcolm?" he asked. We all laughed as Mitch picked up Connor carefully in his arms. Connor made a noise, but he didn't wake up. Although, I couldn't help but notice that he seemed... happy. We left the forge, and I was thankful that everyone was at the party in the gym and didn't get to see them. We didn't want anyone ruining the moment now, did we? Plus it gave us a chance to put Connor to bed safely without Drew coming out and, well yeah. We were also thankful that we didn't have to clean it this night. Oh... but we'll have to clean it tomorrow... I sighed .Then a thought came across my mind as we headed back to the cabins. I looked at Leo.
"Mitchell is stronger. Riiiiiiight." I said. Mitchell snorted. I gave him a questioning look. "Hey. I can swoon you with my power from my mother remember. It's easy to do." Mitch said confidently. I smirked, but gave him another questioning look. Leo laughed. "I'd like to see that battle." he chuckled.
"He wouldn't dare..." I said. Then glanced at Mitch, who still looked confident. "Would you?" I asked. Mitchell shrugged, and glanced at Connor. He didn't have to worry though, Connor was a pretty deep sleeper. "Nah. Not on my friends. If I was facing an enemy though..." Mitch smirked. Just as he said that we passed by the gym, and Drew came stumbling out with a glass of... something in her hand. We all looked at Mitch. "Well that would just be weird." he said. We all agreed. Drew then fell down on her butt on the stairs and leaned over the grass as she held her stomach. "Oh please no don't-" I started- but my prayer didn't work.
I sighed. "Well crap. Looks like someone spiked the punch again." I said. My theory was proven true when Malcolm came bursting out just like Drew had. He held onto the railing and leaned over. Gods, he looked like crap. I glanced back at Mitch. "Uh, you take Con back, we'll uh, we'll deal with this." I said. Mitch nodded and headed off. He sent a worried glance back at Malcolm. "Malcolm?" said Annabeth. We walked up to him just as his legs gave way. He held onto the railing tight until his knuckles were white. Heck, the guy's whole face looked white. What the heck was put in the punch?
"Mal, what happened? Why..." said Annabeth. Malcolm gave his sister the most regretful look ever. Man I felt sorry for the guy. "I... someone spiked the- the punch." he said. He closed his eyes for a second. Annabeth put a hand on his back. "And... and the watermelon... aarrg..." he sighed. Annabeth and I sighed. I sighed because I knew that half the campers wouldn't be able to hold their licker. "I- I have to tell you something." wheezed Malcolm. Annabeth rubbed his back as comfort. "I-I was g-going to find Nico and..." he breathed in deeply. I wasn't sure if it was from the sick feeling, or from nervousness. It was probably both. "Tell h-him how I feel-" Huh. He did know. How about that? He must have read up on acting or something. Or he learned to hide his feelings for Nico by copying what he did.
"But I was nervous, so I- thought a drink might help me calm down." said Malcolm. He sighed and leaned against the railing. "I gulped it down in about two and a half seconds. It didn't help, so I went back for more. When I thought I was ready, I still couldn't do it, so I thought maybe food would help. I didn't even realize what was happening to me until I felt sick. That's when I ran out here...uuugh." he groaned.
"Um, did- did you throw up on him?" I asked with caution. It was a touchy subject, so I didn't want to make it worse for him. Malcolm shook his head. "I never got to him. Gods I feel so stupid!" he said angrily. Annabeth gave her brother a sideways hug. Just then Jason came out- but this time he looked sober. Thank gosh for that! "There you are. We were all looking for you. Nico said you looked- well, I guess you get it. Oh, hey Drew." he said as he glanced down at the girl who was barfing on the grass. She groaned in response. "You suuuuuuuuuuu..." she didn't uh, get to finish.
I sighed and looked at Jason. "Do you know who spiked the punch and watermelon? I have a personal message to deliver to them..." I said mysteriously. Jason smirked.
"Uh, no. But- oh right. You guys have to clean this place tomorrow night. Ouch. Um- oh! Hey, I'll go get someone. Be right back!" he said. With that, he darted back into the room like- well, like lightning. Yes, bad pun, but whatever. Suddenly Katie came out looking like- well, like Drew and Malcolm. Oh boy. I grabbed her before she fell down the steps. "Huh? Oh. Trav-less." she mumbled. Now there's a new nickname. "Some party huh?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded, but stopped almost right away. I guess it gave her headaches. Just then Jason came back with- Nico. Alright, the guy does come through after all. "Malcolm?" said Nico. He heard a groan, and glanced back. "Hey Drew." he said. His reply was the same as Jason's- barf. Malcolm groaned. Nico knelt down beside him as Annabeth moved out of the way. We turned around and faced the other way. "I'll help Drew." said Annabeth. She walked down the first two steps and got Drew's attention.
"Why are you helping me?" Drew asked lazily. Annaebth helped her stand up. The two began to slowly make their way to the Aphrodite cabin. "Because everyone needs a friends they can trust and rely on." said Annabeth. Drew looked away from her.
"You know this doesn't mean I like you or anything." she mumbled. Jason and I smirked.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." said Annabeth. I could tell she was smiling. As they walked away, my attention was half on Nico and Malcolm and half on the sky. It was a clear night so the stars were shining bright.
"So, why did you do this if you knew it was spiked?" Nico asked Malcolm.
"I... I didn't know until I felt sick." he sighed.
"Oh."
"I- I did it because I- I was- I was scared."
"What were you scared of?"
There was a pause of silence. "Y-you..." said Malcolm. I could picture him blushing like crazy. "But-but not for the reasons you're thinking." he said quickly.
"What?" said Nico.
"I- I-" Malcolm took in a deep breath again. "I l-like you. A lot. I- I just..." he trailed off and gave out a sigh filled with angst.
"Hey. Look at me," Nico said calmly and gently, "you don't have to be scared anymore." Jason, Katie and I smiled. Finally! "Now we should probably get you back to your cabin." said Nico. "Can you stand?" As we turned around, Malcolm nodded. I had to hand it to him- he could hold his licker pretty good for a first time drinker. Not too many people can do that. I mean I did- but that's just me.
"No. I like air." said Malcolm.
"Okay. We'll go somewhere quieter then." said Nico. Wait. What?
"NO! I JUST CLEANED EVERYWHERE!" I shouted. There was a pause of silence as all eyes landed on me.
Then Jason and Katie both slapped me hard on the head.
"I mean do what you want I don't care." I mumbled and turned around and stared at the sky. Katie leaned against me which made me blush. Not that I liked her or anything! Jason smirked at me and I looked away. "He's just miffed because he's gotta clean up vomit tomorrow." she slurred. She probably didn't really know what she was saying even though it was somewhat true.
"Come on, let's get you back to the cabin." I said.
"Hm. I do want to go back and check on my friends..." said Jason. He opened the door a crack. We instantly saw another teenager barf. Katie and Malcolm looked away, both looking pale. "But you know I think I'll call it a night. Good night guys!" said Jason as he walked away. He then turned around again. "And feel better!" he said as he pointed at Malcolm and Katie. The two of them just sort of groaned in response. I think they were trying to say 'yeah' or something like that. I was suddenly feeling very tired.
As we walked, Nico broke the silence. "I wonder who spiked the stuff." he said.
"I have a feeling it was either Luke- or Mr. D trying to have fun with something he can't have." I laughed. Nico chuckled.
"You know they could have teamed up." said Nico. We stopped for a second and looked at each other.
"Nah!"
After I put to bed, I went back to my cabin. I. Was. Tired! I opened the door slightly to find that Mitchell hadn't left yet. He was sitting on my brother's bed watching over him. I smiled and so didn't want to Britta their- er- ruin their moment. Uh, yeah, Katie made me watch Community with her and Lacy. Long story. Anyway, Mitch was holding Connor's left hand with his right, and played with his hair with his other hand. Connor also looked very calm and at peace, and just- happy! I really did not want to ruin this, but, I was SO EXHAUSTED! I felt bad for having to kick Mitch out.
I knocked gently on the door. Mitchell looked up and smiled. "Oh uh, he woke up when I put him down and asked me to stay." he said quietly. He smiled down at Connor. He then kissed him on the cheek and stood up. "I suppose this means you're together now?" I asked with a smile. Mitchell smiled.
"I'll ask him when he's actually awake." he chuckled. "Oh is Mal alright?" I smiled at the memory that played in my mind.
"Oh yeah. He's fine." I said with a knowing smile. Mitch smiled knowingly as well and headed for the outdoors. "Well, good night. You'll need a good sleep for tomorrow!" he said with a laugh. I sighed remembering why. "Yeah whatever good night." I mumbled. Mitchell just laughed and left for his cabin. I decided not to bother with changing, and just climbed into my oh so soft bed. Before I laid down though, I just happened to notice that my brother was wearing pajamas. I snorted and smirked. He couldn't have changed by himself when he was that tired. I laid back and sadly braced myself for the next day...
La Fin! :D
A/N: Another chapter done! Uh, again, sorry for the waits on all of my stories!
Holy crap guys! This was FOURTEEN and A HALF pages in my word processor! Plus this author's note. That's as much as a forty-five minute episode of a tv show! Minus the author's note. Lol... I should know I've written out Merlin episodes as some of you might know... lol. I'm proud of this one.
**PLEASE READ**
By the way, do you guys want a short summary of the chapter before you read it, or should I just keep doing it this way? Just wondering. :)
And don't forget that you can suggest couples! (Again, just not- Per- uh, nah. I think you get it, right?) ;)... um, you should anyways...
R & R please!