AN: Season 2 Episode 8 Gwen gets a Job

Nine years. That's how long Gwen has worked at this gods forsaken camp.

At age 16, she heard on the familial grapevine how cousin Morgan became the new host for the spirit of Delphi. The only chance for her to use her "gift" in any meaningful way was gone in an instant.

At age 16, Gwendolyn decided that her ability to see through the mist was useless in today's society and instead turned her focus towards college. Towards a regular job and a regular life. Away from the satyrs, cyclopes, and pesky fairies that were like blurry blobs on the peripherals of her vision on the best days.

At age 17, she decided the world of the gods was no world for her, and decided that she'd try to get a leg up on college and job applications by doing community service as a junior counselor at a slowly crumbling summer camp in Sleepy Peak. It wasn't all that bad, especially with the bright eyed, red haired David doing most of the heavy lifting (figuratively and literally, considering nothing but his own stupidity or an especially irate Godling could even bruise him). All Gwen had to do was make sure the campers didn't stray too far from the grounds into the waiting mouth of a hungry monster only she could see clearly.

Not bad as far as volunteer work goes in her opinion, but definitely NOT the kind of work she was looking for in the long term. No, Gwen was going to college. She was getting a degree and she was going to make something of herself, far, far away from gorgons, nymphs, chimeras, and satyrs.

At age 18, mere months after graduating from high school, Gwen became trapped in a cycle of despair and disappointment that she could not escape.

"I'm very sorry, Guinevere. All our entry level positions are already taken. Maybe try that McDonalds down the road. I hear they're hiring."

"Sorry, girlie. Manager just hired for the only opening. Unless you're willing to wait 4 months for Gertrude to finally kick the bucket, you're gonna have to find part-time work elsewhere."

"It's gonna have to be a no, Gracie. You're not exactly the "type" of girl we want working here."

After months of searching for even the lowest paying part time job, Gwen was left washed up and at serious risk of staying at her parent's place until she turned 30.

"I wouldn't usually do this, but the brats really took a liking to you last summer, Gretchen, so I guess I could hire you." Cameron Campbell said, not having bothered to even glance at her application.

Gwen felt herself swept up and spun around as David squealed excitedly in the office. "Oh, Gwen! I knew you'd come back! I can't wait for camp to start, it'll be just like last year! Except we're counselors now, Gwen! Counselor Buddies For Life!"

After getting her associate liberal arts and psychology degrees at Sleepy Peak Community College, Gwen thought she'd be able to leave Camp Campbell behind her for good. David was sweet and the kids weren't too terrible, but Gwen refused to spend the rest of her days as a counselor at this camp. That might make David happy, but she would never have his enthusiasm for the art of counseling.

"Do you have any skills that set you apart from other applicants?"

"I don't see any experience on your resume for this field."

"The application specifically stated at least three references, Guava."

Even with two degrees under her belt, Gwen was still unable to find work. Be it because of her lack of experience, or the fact that her nerves left her speechless in front of the interviewer, Gwen was never called for a second interview.

Now at age 25, after the latest string of rejection letters and blatant insults by the interviewing managers, Gwen is at her wits end.

"Dear Griselda, please see below all the reasons we find you to be unqualified for the position, cross-referenced by all the reasons we just don't like you? Wait, are these all the job rejection letters you've ever gotten?"

Gwen honestly felt like crying right about now. First the failed interviews that she had to use her already limited vacation days to attend, then Space Kid wouldn't move off of that stupid ant hill, and now she's got to deal with Max (which would be a trying task on a good day).

And, like he could read her mind, Max smirks and gets that familiar gleam in his eyes. "So how do you think David's gonna feel if he finds out you've been trying to bail?"

This kid is too perceptive for his own good sometimes.

"You wouldn't." She replies with a glare. But that look in his eyes only grows more pronounced.

The cabin door slams open, and with no room to interject, David spouts out a string of well wishes that Gwen struggled to follow, but understood enough to become overrun with guilt.

With another slam to the on-its-last-legs door, the red haired whirlwind left and Gwen was once again alone with Satan himself.

And she can already see where this conversation is headed.

Racing over to the activity field, Gwen was jumping through so many mental hoops, she could very well become a trapeze artist.

What the hell am I supposed to get Max when even he doesn't know what he wants?

She yanked her hand back from her mouth, grimacing at how short her nails had gotten in the time it took to run over here. Breaking this habit was hard enough without her anxiety, and as she watched Max practically skip away from Neil and Nikki, she resigned herself to the fact that she probably won't have fingernails to paint for a while when all of this is over.

"Think! What does he need? What's he missing?"

Nikki pondered in her mud puddle for a moment. "Well, there was the other night."

Neil nodded, looking at Gwen with a hint of weariness. "The night of the raid."

The what?

"The night the Wood Scouts invaded!" Nikki replied cheerfully.

Neil looked at Gwen with eyes that spoke of barely contained frustration and scorned pride. "Yeah, you know how they are. Constantly antagonizing us because we're better than them."

(Gwen made a mental note to talk to Neil about his superiority complex (one that had only gotten worse after he was told about his ancestry). But that was for another day.)

"Seems like he's been looking for something ever since."

"Maybe they took something," Nikki interjected.

Finally! A lead!

"What? What was it?" Gwen asked, resisting the urge to shake the kids until they told her already.

"Hey yeah, they did have something. He seemed kinda freaked at first, but eventually blew it off and said it didn't matter."

"He kinda said that a lot. That it was 'no big deal.'"

Gwen felt little alarms go off in her head, vague memories of lessons from her psych courses, but shook them away for now. "But he made a big deal out of it not being a big deal?"

"Yes?"

"No?"

"Maybe?"

Making yet another mental note to talk to David about activities to improve group communication, Gwen headed to the counselor's cabin once more to tell her fellow counselor she was going on break.

She had some Wood Scouts to interrogate.

Gwen tolerated Pikeman and the Wood Scouts on a good day. After turning down all of the inane competitions they tried to rope her into, she decided that today was resoundly not a good day. She wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible.

Not only did she find the government's attempts to weaponize these children inhumane and disgusting, she could not stand another moment of Pikeman's attempts at "wooing" her.

Glancing at the chalkboard, Gwen mentally shook her head in second hand embarrassment at the sad and desperate attempt at a strategy against the Flower Scouts. "Oooor, I could just tell you how to beat the Flower Scouts cookie sale. Would that take care of it?"

Ignoring the Godling of Zelus's posturing, Gwen had to wonder why the Wood Scouts hadn't found a solution to their problem for years. It was honestly quite sad.

"Just move your sale one month early, genius." Gwen didn't even need her associates in liberal arts to figure this out. It was so simple! "Undercut the demand for cookies with popcorn. It's, like, incredibly simple."

And with that, Gwen left the Wood Scouts camp with the information she'd came for and a shovel from Petrol for her trouble.

(So this is who Max is always whispering to at night.)

(Another mental note is taken, but Gwen is too pissed off to focus on it right now.)

"This is my life!" Gwen practically yelled to the heavens, "This is rock fucking bottom: blackmailed by a ten-year-old to keep my worthless job hunt a secret, so I wouldn't loose my current worthless job.

And, like he was summoned by the gods themselves, who should overhear this outburst but David himself.

All the frustration, anxiety, guilt, and fear that's been building up inside her all day finally burst free. She falls to her knees, sobbing.

"Gods damn it all to hell!"

Grasping tightly to Mr. Honeynuts, Gwen cried more than she had in years. Not the disappointed tears she she'd whenever Max would call her out on her fanciful dreams of marrying The Doctor and being whisked away from all her troubles. And they weren't the tears she cried silently in her room at the beginning of every camp session when she looked into the broken eyes of children who don't deserve what the world gives them.

No, these were the ugly tears she always hated. The ones came out everytime the world and her life became too much to handle. They made her feel disgusting, and that just made her feel even worse.

"Gwen?"

A hand gently placed itself on her shoulder.

"It's okay."

Sniffling, the woman looked up at her fellow counselor.

With a bittersweet smile, David started talking, "I'm lucky that I'm already where I want to be. Working at Camp Campbell is all I've ever dreamed of, but if you don't feel the same way, if you hear something else calling to you, you have to go after it. I'll be sad to lose you, but I'd be happier knowing you were pursuing what you were meant to do, and I'd be even happier knowing that it was your time here at Camp Campbell that taught you what you needed to go succeed in life!"

"Taught me to succeed? What are you talking about?" She sniffled, wiping at the tear on her face.

His smile brightening, he replied, "Well, you said it yourself! You communicated effectively with teammates, demonstrated project management skills, showed unwavering determination, and that was just today!"

Who knew honest, can't-tell-a-convincing-lie-to-save-my-life David would be so good at bullshitting?

Another day, another job rejection.

"Don't worry, Gwen," David said, patting her back as she screamed into her pillow, "You'll always have a place here, no matter how many managers reject you. You're too awesome for them, anyway! CBFLs, remember! Don't give up!"

Sighing, Gwen flopped tiredly on her bed.

Yeah. At least she's got her crappy job at this crappy camp with these sometimes crappy kids and her fellow counselor to keep her company.

Well, it could be worse, she thinks fondly. I could still be living with my parents.

AN: I like Gwen. She's honestly too good for the bullcrap she puts up with at Camp Campbell. And I relate to her so much (considering I'm writing this, a fanfiction, should tell you how much). I didn't show it in the chapter, but I omitted the part where Gwen makes fun of Max in front of the other campers for having Mr. Honeynuts. I feel like at this point Gwen should have a vague idea about what his home life is like, considering she has a degree in psychology and regularly works with children. I think it's just a little too cruel of her to make fun of him for his emotional attachment to the teddy bear.

As always, if you have any questions about what the heck is going on in this story, leave a comment. If you don't have questions and just want to say something, leave a comment. If you want to bash on my horrendous writing, leave a comment! All comments are welcome in this household!