"So, are Mommy and Daddy finally done avoiding each other?"
Marcus sputtered, nearly choking on his drink. For once, he was glad Maddie had left their dinner early for her nightly conversation with the moon, as she had "so much to catch up on after the Underworld!". He couldn't help but notice Joel and Jason snickering from where they sat a little further down the table. Phillip shot him a sympathetic smile from where he sat next to Chastity, who had her chin in her hand, throwing him a knowing look he was pretty sure she had picked up directly from her mother.
"You saw them after training today." Phil said, buying Marcus time to collect himself. "I'd say Marcus and Maddie are back on the same page."
"That's not what I was saying, and Marcus knows it." Chastity's eyes drilled into him. Have they always been that blue?
"You just wanted an excuse to call me Daddy." Marcus sighed dramatically, reverting to his oldest tactic when this conversation came up. "And with Phil right there. Naughty, naughty."
Chastity rolled her eyes in response. "Please. We both know I could come up with much better than 'daddy' to get you all hot and bothered. You're deflecting."
Damn straight. "Look, obviously Maddie and I are back on the same page. We're a team."
"Pretty sure my Mom said the same thing when her and my step dad got divorced." Jason said thoughtfully.
Joel snorted. "Pretty sure Maddie would go into hyper berserker mode if Marcus ever suggested such a thing. Last time Marcus took off it took Phil an entire morning to calm her down."
Marcus' eyes quickly darted to Phil, concern clearly written there. Phil quickly held up his hands in a calming gesture.
"She didn't go into her Battle Mind, don't worry." Phil said kindly.
"What did you wind up saying anyway? She wouldn't even open her door for us." Jason asked.
Phil paused, thinking for a moment. "I… Helped give her perspective, I think."
Marcus could swear he saw Chastity perk up and her eyes change to a lighter shade of hazel.
"Perspective?" Chastity asked, her voice too nonchalant.
"She was… understandably upset about Marcus' leaving." Phil said carefully. "She just didn't fully understand the reasoning behind why. So I helped her come to terms with some things."
Marcus was about to open his mouth, say something, try and get to the bottom of what Phil was hinting at. The thought that Phil knew something about Maddie that Marcus didn't… That shouldn't be such a surprise anymore. But the moment he tried to do so, Chastity jumped to her feet, pulling Phil up after her.
"Well, as interesting as this conversation is, we have some couple catching up to do." Chastity said, her voice dripping with innuendo. Marcus narrowed his eyes, seeing the move for what it was. He made a move to stand to try and pursue the subject, but Chastity's eyes warned him that whatever Phil was trying to hint at, she was going to find out before he did, or there'd be hell to pay.
You've got to be kidding. Marcus' look tossed back.
My boyfriend. His secrets are mine first. Chastity's look shot back. Marcus could see she had to exercise some extreme self control to not stick her tongue out at him as she pulled Phil away. Marcus stood for a moment, trying to figure out how he had gotten outmaneuvered so easily, before falling back into his seat with a sigh.
"Well now, that's interesting…" Joel muttered, rubbing his chin. "You think…?"
"Maybe." Jason replied, a smile starting to play out across his features. "I could always go stealth mode and try to follow them…?"
"Don't even think about it." Marcus sighed. "The last thing you want is to be caught sneaking around Chastity's cabin, especially when she has her boyfriend in there with her. That's the sort of reputation you don't shake off."
—-
No matter how often I see what they can do, the Hephaestus kids still scare me…
Marcus stood outside the makeshift prison cell the Hephaestus Cabin had crafted in the basement of the Big House. Not only had Marcus not even known the Big House had a basement until Ivan had led him down here, but it was full of barrels of what Marcus had a sneaking suspicion were very much against Mr. D's probation orders from Zeus. Marcus crossed his arms, looking at the floor to ceiling bars, arranged in a large rectangle surrounding a cordoned off cabinet he assumed to be a restroom, a bunk, and a writing desk with a small stool.
"Not sure if this is inhumane, or more than he deserves." Marcus muttered, just loud enough for Ivan to hear.
Ivan turned to him, an unreadable expression on his face. "I would say better than he deserves. He gets whatever books he wishes from the library upstairs, peace and quiet down here where none of the remaining Campers can heckle him-"
"More like where none of the New Olympians have a chance of freeing him."
Ivan scowled and placed his hand on Marcus' shoulder. If there wasn't such a difference in their heights, it wouldn't have carried the threat that was clearly intended in the gesture. "Look Williams, this piece of filth is trying to overthrow our Gods, our parents, and is willing to kill any of us to make that happen. Just because you're soft on these traitors, don't think the rest of us are."
"Your parents. Not mine. Minor half-blood, remember?"
Ivan's grip on Marcus' shoulder tightened. "Careful, Williams. You're starting to sound like one of them. Keep that up and we may have to make your own cell down here."
Marcus looked up into Ivan's menacing glare and met it with a confident smile. "So sure of yourself, Ivan. Must be all that safety of staying here at Camp, tinkering with your little toys while the rest of us are out there doing all the fighting. This situation is a bit more complicated than 'hammer screw A into hole B', so I'd understand if it's a bit out of your league. Besides, he wouldn't kill any of us here, he only wants to kill me. So why don't you go back upstairs and report to the centaur that I'm holding up my end of the deal?"
He and Ivan stood like that for a long moment, neither willing to budge, to the point Marcus felt his hand creeping to his pocket watch. Finally, with a scoff, Ivan turned on his heel and headed back upstairs towards the main floor of the Big House, stopping on the bottom step to throw back over his shoulder.
"I'd watch myself if I were you, Marcus. Being too close to them leaves a stench on you, and we can all smell it."
"As long as it doesn't smell like gasoline, motor oil, and shit, I'll still be a step ahead of the Hephaestus Cabin."
Marcus saw Ivan's back stiffen in anger before storming up the stairs. Turning, he saw Hunter laying on his back on the bunk in the cell, eyes closed and presumably sleeping.
"We both know you're awake, Hunter." Marcus said casually, rolling one of the smaller barrels beside the cell and standing it upright, forming a seat. "You aren't snoring."
"I don't snore." Hunter said, not opening his eyes.
"We shared a cabin for years. The only thing Aaron ever lost was when I compared how loud the two of you snored."
Hunter opened his eyes and sat up, turning to face Marcus. "What are you doing here?"
Marcus met his glare with a simple stare.
"Well? No witty come back? No smart retort?"
"You know exactly why I'm here. Why make me repeat it?"
"Because I know you hate repeating yourself. And you know you aren't going to get any answers. So there must be another reason."
"Because I know you know what I want to know. And knowing that you know that I know that you know what I want to know, you'll be fighting your hardest to act to not know what I want you to know so that I know."
Hunter blinked, hesitating a moment. It nearly broke Marcus' heart, as in that moment they could have been back at Camp together, Marcus running verbal gymnastics to trip Hunter up and get a laugh from the rest of the group. But Hunter recovered quickly, his eyes returning to the hate filled gaze Marcus had become accustomed to.
"Give it up, Marcus. I won't tell you or your Camp anything more than you already know."
Marcus sighed, stepping forward and grabbing one of the bars that made up Hunter's cell. "Hunter, it isn't my Camp. You know me-"
"It's enough your Camp for you to kill for them."
"I didn't kill Isaac!" Marcus practically screamed the words. He met Hunter's stunned stare with one filled with a feeling he never truly let others see if he could help it. Guilt. "You think I wanted him to die?! Think about it Hunter, if I wanted to kill him I would have the first time I had him beaten! You know that!"
Hunter seemed shocked by his sudden outburst. Marcus wasn't one to show his feelings so openly, it wasn't in his nature. But he showed Hunter. He needed Hunter to understand.
"Marcus…" Hunter began.
"Look just… Just help me stop this, Hunt. Please." Marcus pleaded, bowing his head to avoid having to look in Hunter's eyes as he pleaded. The silence stretched from one moment to the next, and neither of the old friends moved from their prospective positions.
Finally, Marcus raised his eyes to Hunter's. He saw the set of Hunter's jaw, the clenched fists on the bars. He wasn't going to budge.
Marcus asked one more time. He had to try one more time.
"Tell me Aaron's plan, Hunter. Help me end this bloodshed."
"No."
Marcus knew at that point he had no choice. He straightened his back, his time with Athena filling his memory.
"It's been centuries since I've taught this skill".
The more Marcus had thought about it, the more he had been convinced his theory was correct. He hadn't known until Lyssa tipped her hand that she had been diving into his mind. Hadn't known until he was training with Athena that there was a way to defend himself. Athena, in that same training, had used his own memories against him.
So it stood to reason that even with his limited skills, he could also dive into another's mind. A memory. Especially when it was something they were focused on. Like Hunter's mind was now focused on Aaron's plan.
Marcus reached out in his own mind, much the same way he had when he had been trying to find Chastity. He found it was easier than before, and finding Hunter's mind, forced his way through. To him, it felt much like pushing his hand through a screen, tearing a hole in the natural protections there and diving headfirst.
Athena, guide me.