Chapter 6.

I makeout with a girl at midnight

June and I lived for nearly six weeks together at the Wolf House before we really spoke again.

It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to her. I don't know if she wanted to talk to me- she was polite enough if I asked her questions, or when she spoke to Lupa, but we never really got time to speak either. Either she was out training with Lupa or I was. And neither of us were really up for long conversations at the end of the day- I had to go learn about Roman History with Lupa while June just decided to sleep early. And I couldn't blame her- training was intense.

The few conversations we had were awkward, and the fact that she was kinda cute did nothing to help me. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get rid of the butterflies that appeared in my stomach whenever I was near June.

It seemed really stupid to feel so nervous around someone I had just met, but it was true. Battling monsters and creating earthquakes was one thing, but talking to girls was a whole other ball game.

On the plus side, I'd gotten much better at handling maelstrom. I learnt a lot more about swordfighting, and it wasn't just wild swinging and relying on my demigod reflexes to get me out of tight situations anymore. I'd gotten better at Roman forms, and the movements became muscle memory. The gladius felt less like a sword every day and more and more like an extension of my arm. A metal, sharp, deadly extension, that is.

I'd like to say I'd gotten better at the whole control is power thing, but I'd be lying. Because I still struggled to hone in my powers- it was really hard to be precise with what I did. While my swordsmanship was quite precise, at least, that's what Lupa said, my powers of the sky, sea and soil were…bad. She was right in that children of Neptune were too reliant on shock tactics.

The last time I'd tried the whole practice with that was yesterday. I'd tried to make a small crack on the ground, keeping things small and taking a break from water manipulation, but instead I created a sinkhole nearly the size of the Wolf House all around me. I'd taken a while for me to get out of that- I could create earthquakes and break the ground, but once I fell into the sinkhole it was really hard to climb out, because I couldn't force the earth to push me up, though I tried.

When I asked Lupa about that, she told me it was because Neptune was the earthshaker, not the earthmover. I guess I understand what she meant- I could bring storms and earthquakes, but I couldn't really control them. That would be more what a child of Jupiter or Pluto could do.

Lupa had chuckled when I told her about the sinkhole. She told me not to worry about it, and to head back to the Wolf House for today, because she would not be training me anymore today. I could detect worry in her voice though.

"Is-is everything alright, Lady Lupa?"

The she-wolf licked her chops. "I will not lie, Perseus. Much is astir. Ancient forces the gods thought dealt with. They are arising. But whether soon enough to be seen in yoru lifetime, I cannot say. You can rest easy, demigod," she said, smiling wearily, "there are certain privileges to being mortal."

I nodded, unsure of what to say to that. I was a bit concerned, because it takes a lot to scare a powerful wolf-goddess, and whatever it was, it was definitely bad news for me, because experience had taught me that nearly anything with teeth, claws and a brain considered me food.

I jogged back to the Wolf House, careful not to step on the skeletons that had been set up to recreate High School Musical 2, littered around the giant sink hole in the center.

The bones had been placed in comical positions, with several skeletons still animated, dancing around the porch of the Wolf House to the tune of You Are the Music in Me.

I was only shocked when I went in, because I expected to see June asleep. Not in a creepy way, of course, but, like, her beings asleep. In her bunk.

Instead, she was sitting on the ground flipping through 31 ways to kill people (You'll love #25!) and eating a packet of cheetos.

"Oh, hey Percy," she said, casually flicking her hand and causing the skeleton she was making break dance in the background dissolve into dust.

"Hi, uh, June. How come you're awake?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Usually when I have trouble sleeping I just talk to a couple of skeletons or kill a few things. Or if I really want to relax I kill a few things using skeletons. But I did all of that today, none of it helped."

I nodded. I thought of telling her that when I couldn't sleep I usually remembered my mom, and remembered home, but I doubted that would help her.

"Maybe a midnight spar will help?"

She shook her head. "I'm too tired."

I shrugged and walked towards the bed. "Suit yourself."

She got the bottom bunk, and I got the top bunk. I used to sleep down, but June had this bad habit of summoning skeletons at night in her sleep, and while I didn't mind it, the dust made me sneeze too much. So we'd switched.

I lay on the top bunk, absent-mindedly tapping a tune on my belly, while June chewed on the cheetos. Which were rather loud, so I turned around in my bed and covered my head with a pillow.

Now I was in an uncomfortable position to sleep. I didn't want to suffocate to death in my sleep.

I turned around, sighing in exasperation as I got up slowly, and climbed down the bunk bed. I turned around to see June raising an eyebrow in question.

"Do you want to take a late night walk?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Sure."

As the two of us walked out of Wolf House, I took a moment to appreciate Sonoma Forest. The Moon shone through the trees, casting long shadows of branches that seemed to try to capture us. The grass shone silver in the moonlight, and the water was a pale blue, still for the most part, though a few ripples cut through the surface here and there.

Wolf House really looked haunted in the moonlight, with the white light really bringing out the shadows and the broken windows, blood and skulls scattered around the entrance (that was some of June's practise).

Nearby, there was the sinkhole, surrounded by a few dancing skeletons.

June pointed to the sinkhole. "What's that?"

I blushed. "I was working on my, uh, powers. I didn't really get the hang of them though."

She raised a brow (she did that a lot). I sighed. "Well, the thing is, Lupa says my biggest trouble with power is control. I lack control. I don't really know how to refine and make my range of powers more precise. I've tried a lot recently, but I can't seem to make any progress."

She nodded. "I've noticed."

I looked at her. "You have?"

"Of course. If I lost control of my powers- which is not likely- perhaps I would summon a few excess bones or shoot unnecessary bolts of darkness. If you lost control, however, you could sink whole cities, or create tsunamis, or create sinkholes- as I've seen- and make half the lake collapse under its own weight in the middle of the night."

I flushed. "Sorry about that, I was just practising."

She smiled. "Its alright."

June had a really interesting smile. It was a genuine smile, but somehow, it was also a sad one. Like the smile of someone who had given up hope. The kind of smile my mom gave me before Hermes had taken me. Like the ones the old lunch ladies gave when they ran out of everyone's favorite stew.

"Why do you sad smile?"

She stopped walking, and shook her head. "What?"

I flushed. "Sorry, that was a weird question."

Quirking a lip, she continued. "Either way, go ahead. What did you ask?"

I shrugged. "I was just wondering why you smile so sadly."

"I smile sad?"

"Yeah. Its a smile, but a sad smile."

"As opposed to?"

"My smiling."

June snorted. "You don't smile. You just grin like an idiot."

I chuckled. "Same thing, really."

She chuckled briefly, before going serious again. "The thing is, Percy, I'm a child of Letus. Besides the stigma I'm going to face at Camp, I…know things. So I figured I might as well be sad all the time."

"What do you mean stigma?"

June smiled (sadly, again) and sighed. "You don't think much, do you, Percy? You're a child of the elder gods. People in camp are going to treat you like a celebrity- or a eccentric millionaire. Either way, because of your parentage you'll be a legend. Me? My father is the personification of death. It's not something people want to think about, but I remind them of it. So they'll try to pretend I don't exist."

Damn. That sucked- but what June said made sense.

I slowly moved towards her, keeping in mind she wasn't feeling the best right now. "Uh, if it makes you feel better," I said, awkawrdly putting my hand on her shoulder, "You can always hang around me, cause I don't see anything I'd want to avoid in you. You're amazing, actually- anyone who thinks otherwise is stupid."

The child of Letus giggled, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear- she tended to do that when she was nervous. Don't ask me why I know that.

"Awww. Thanks Percy, you're really sweet."

I turned red, but managed to choke something like 'no problem' back.

The mood was good for another five minutes, before she again sighed in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"It's them again."

"Who again?" I asked.

June shook her head. "I'm a daughter of Letus. I know if any creature around me dies. If I concentrate enough, I can shut out the voices, but its hard. And right now, with the night amplifying my powers, I can tell even if a grasshopper dies of old age in Oregon."

A single tear drop rolled past her cheek, glistening in the moonlight.

"I don't know Percy. I just hear all the voices of these people and animals dying, and it makes me sad sometimes. I also know how everyone around me will die- unless they are immortal."

I swallowed. Hard.

"So-so you know how I'm going to die?"

She nodded. "I do. I-I can't tell you, because the Ancient Laws forbid it. Even if I tried I wouldn't be able to. But I can tell you that you will have a difficult journey for many years, and you will think that you have died more than once."

That sounded shitty to me, but I didn't let her know that, choosing instead to stay quiet. This was the first time we'd actually talked, and I didn't want to ruin it. Besides, she actually looked cute when she wasn't killing things.

"Why don't we go this way?" I asked, pointing towards the path Lupa had taken me to show me the valley of wolves, "I want to show you something."

June nodded. "That's a painfully obvious change of topic, but sure."

The two of us walked, mostly in silence, before reaching the cliff.

Looking down, I could see packs and packs of wolves. The pups were all asleep, but several adult wolves stayed alert, guarding the pack, their eyes glowing in the moonlight. A few looked my way, but since I was fortunately too high up for them to be worth the effort, didn't consider eating me.

Most of the strongest wolves, however, were missing. They were probably out on a night hunt with Lupa. She preferred their company to even humans- or gods. I got the feeling that if she wasn't mandated to teach new demigods and send them to Rome, she would probably just spend her time leading several wolf packs, hunting deer, chasing cars and just doing other wolf things.

June and I sat at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the valley, our legs dangling over the precipice.

"This…helps, Percy. Thank you."

I smiled, looking at her. In the moonlight, she looked really beautiful. Her dark hair fell in waves, cascading around her shoulders, and her dark eyes really glowed in the night. She'd become less pale once she had started training, and her complexion was healthier.

It was in the moonlight with her next to me that I noticed several new things. Like how her lips were soft and red, and how she had tiny freckles in her face. How her eyes lit up when she spoke about death, and how she was actually a nice person to be around, even though she carried a lot of sadness with her.

"I really appreciate you, June. I know we haven't talked much, but you're a nice person. Even for a child of death."

June smirked. "Thanks, Percy. That's sweet. Wish I could say the same about you."

"Hey!"

She chuckled and scooted closer towards me, before resting her head on my shoulder.

I froze, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest at the rate it was going. I was careful not to move a muscle, trying to savor the moment as long as I could. I was pretty sure I was grinning like an idiot.

June and I just spent a few minutes looking up at the stars.

I don't know how it began, but the two of us ended up kissing each other.

June's lips were soft, and cold. I'd never kissed anyone before, so I had no idea what to do, but I was blown away by the fireworks that were going on inside my head. Her lips pressed against mine made me feel warmer than I had ever felt so far- and it was a cold night. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through me as I lost all ability to think.

I pulled back after a few second, gasping.

Her eyes were as wide as mine.

"So-sorry, Percy. I-I don't really know what got into me-I-"

I pulled her closer towards me. "It's alright. I think you're cute either way."

She blushed. "Okay, but that doesn't mean we're dating."

Well, that was...abrupt. Among other things.

I raised a brow. "Okay?"
June sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, Percy. I really am. I shouldn't have kissed you- or told you what I just said. It was stupid and selfish of me. But I can't. I really can't date anyone."

I frowned. "Why's that?"

The demigod looked down, her shoulders sagged and she breathed out forcefully. "When your father is the god of death- well, not Hades, but you get the idea- you know everyone's death. It's not something I can avoid. That's why I can't ever love someone- it would kill me everyday to know when and exactly how they die, the fact that they're slowly walking towards their death. And that-that I'm powerless to stop them. I know about you, Percy," she said, sobbing, "and it would hurt me too much if I loved you to know about your death."

I nodded. "I get it."

She smiled, her eyes wet with tears. "I'm sorry for being an absolute monster and kissing you. I don't know what got into me, but, well, I can't do this. I need to protect myself."

"At the cost of others?"

June looked down at the valley, ashamed.

"If you forgive me, Percy, I promise there will be no others."

I nodded. "Fine. I'll hold you to your word."

"Thank you, Percy. You don't know how much that means to me."

She really was crying now, so I reached out and hugged her.

"Hey, uh, I'm not the best at this, but it's going to be better. I didn't know what you were going through, but I'm, uh, happy you trusted me enough to tell me."

June smiled. "Yes Percy. I trust you. And I'm glad you didn't misunderstand me-I don't know why we kissed. Heck, I don't know who started it."

That was a little painful, coming from the first girl I kissed, but I smiled.

"I think both of us did?"

She frowned. "You think?"

I looked out over the valley. "Well, I mean, that way neither of us gets the blame- or both of us get the equal credit or whatever."

June smirked. "I am older than you by two full years, Perseus."

I chuckled. "So you want to take the blame?"

"Not that way," she said, sighing, "but yeah, I apologize. I should have known better."

I blushed. "It's alright."

It's a little awkward when you kiss someone and they turn you down and then it's just the two of you alone at night under the moon.

June and I blushed and intensely studied the valley in front of us for a few minutes.

"You could join the Hunters of Artemis." I spoke up, when the silence became too awkward.

She looked at me, confused. "I could join what?"

"The Hunters of Artemis. Lupa told me about them. Apparently, they are a group of demigods- all girls- that follow Artemis. They swear off men, and they are immortal. So, you know, you wouldn't fall in love with a guy in that case, and you don't have to worry about your friends dying, really. Cause they're all immortal. Unless killed in battle, but those don't happen so often."

She frowned in thought. "Are you sure about that?"

I nodded. "Lupa wouldn't lie to me about something like that."

June lead back, her palms resting on the grass behind us.

"I-I think that's a good option, Percy. Thank you."

"Do I get a thank you kiss?"

"Buzz off."

I laughed, and June joined in.

"I think I can sleep now, Percy. I feel better- thanks to you."

I nodded, and the two of us walked back towards the Wolf House.

It was a lot quicker than the walk from the Wolf House, mostly because both June and I realized we needed our sleep. Lupa was not going to let us off lightly tomorrow just because we had slept less.

That, and the fact that several howls echoed in the forest around us, ensure we went back to the Wolf House quickly enough. Now while Lupa was our care-taker, that didn't mean we were safe inside the forest. That was the rule of her pack- only the strongest survived. Wolves didn't come inside the Wolf House (ironic, but I'm glad it was the case) but any demigods wandering in the forest at night were fair game for them.

I was glad to see the large building ahead of us.

Even though I hadn't spent too long a time here, the mansion already seemed homely to me. It was a safe spot- and the closest thing I had to a home.

June and I walked back into the house. While I found it a bit hard to see things in the dark, she had really good night vision, and she made sure I didn't accidentally step on ancient bones, rusty nails or swords on the way to bed.

I climbed up to the top bunk, smiling as I thought about my conversation with her- except for the kissing part.

"Good night, June."

I couldn't see her, but I could feel the happiness in her voice as she wished me a good night. Something about her was different, though I just couldn't place my finger on it.

Then I remembered- before we walked back, she'd given me a smile.

And it was a real smile, not a sad one.