Blowing off some steam... (PRIVATE: Anime)

Jance pressed his cheek to the top of her head, "No you didn't tell me about your childhood. But, if your mother is dead then the best we can do is find out what happened and maybe you'll have grandparents."
He played with a strand of her hair while talking. Turning over thoughts in his head as he looked down at Zahra. He really hadn't mentioned his own childhood to Zahra.
***
Danni chuckled slightly at her jumping back several feet.
"Come on, I don't think I shall torment you any-"
"DANIELLE SWIFT!" A voice called from behind her. Danni turned to see William dart in front of the dragon. The blonde surfer boy skidded to a halt in front of her, panting.
"There is a car at the front, at the gate. They are waiting for you. The guy said it was important."
Danni arched an eyebrow before checking her watch, "Crap. Allison, I am so sorry, I have to go."
With that the girl bolted down the hill, towards the cabin courtyard.
Will itched the back of his blonde head, "She never forgets anything... Huh... odd."
Then Will noticed Alison and he introduced himself, "I'm Will or William if you are my Dad."
***
Salone nodded in agreement and decided to let the subject drop. Her wide brown eyes flicked to Riley's face. At that moment his hand slid off of her back.
"Whats wrong?" She asked, even though she had a sneaking suspicion though. Salone's eyes flicked to the window as Danni ran by buttoning up a dark blue shirt with a grey tank top underneath. There she goes again...

"Maybe," Zahra said, contemplating this for a moment. "But I was literally left at someone's doorstep in a cardboard box, as a newborn. It sounds ludicrous, like something out of a fairytale, but that's what happened." She shrugged. "There was a police investigation that went on for years and years, but there were no records of my birth to be found. Just a piece of card paper with only my first name printed on it. It's so bizarre. There really wasn't much to my childhood, I was just tossed from place to place, nobody caring too much about me. I was never adopted because monsters always managed to come around and screw things up, and I was exploited for my art, forced to sell my creations to museums for cash," Zahra said, shrugging. "Oh, and I ran away a couple times. The last time I did so, I found camp." Zahra stopped talking, glancing up at Jance to gauge his reaction. Nothing she'd said was really shocking, though she hadn't gone into the gory details.

--

Alison watched confusedly, jumping once more as a voice boomed out from the trees and in came an obnoxiously beautiful blonde boy who, like Jance but unlike him, had just stepped out of a magazine. He had tousled hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes that would make most girls swoon. Typical surfer dude. And he was witty, or he tried to act that way. Alison wasn't particularly impressed, especially after seeing various other attractive men on her way into camp. This boy, while older than her, kind of resembled those guys from her school who were so hopelessly attractive... meaning that they were very good looking, but they were either jerks or idiots- or a combination of the two. She had waved a halfhearted goodbye, calling out "Bye, Danni," as the girl jogged away before turning back toward the surfer dude. It'd taken her a few moments to notice her, and she judged him quickly. Slow. Cute, but hopeless. Probably not the sharpest tool in the shed, though he was witty.

One could say that Alison was quick to judge.

"Hey, William," Alison said wryly, suppressing a smirk. "I'm Alison, ocassionally Ali or Alice if I like you enough to let you call me by those names," she said, eyeing him.

--

Riley was about to respond when Danielle went dashing by, vexing Salone. "Oh... well, that's interesting," he said. He could have evaded her question, but he had to nip it in the butt. On an impulse decision he stood, grabbing Salone by the hand and gesturing toward the door.

"Let's go," he said, with no indication as to where they were going. He wasn't exactly sure where he was heading, either, but he had an idea. He had to do this properly.

Jance turned over what she had said in his mind, "I ran away when I was five. I still barely remember most of it. Just the wolves mainly." He wrinkled his brow, trying to remember. "I think I met Kaylee when I was ten? I dunno. I do not have the best memory." He itched at his jaw before looking down at Zahra.
***
Will's flashed a smile, showing a dimple in his cheek. He examined the girl with interest, she only seemed a year or so younger than himself. Unfortunately for Alison he was quite intelligent. Most of his classes at school were AP and he was passing them with A's. His father was also a multi-million heir but he chose not to mention that.
"Nice to meet you then Alison," He answered lightly. "I am going to assume you are new because I have not seen you around before."
He twisted the watch on his wrist a few times out of ADD habit.
"Sorry I didn't notice you earlier. I lost my best friend's pet, Darwin, so my brain was wondering were he could be."
***
Salone was still looking in the general direction Danni had vanished when Riley pulled her to her feet.
"Were are we going?" She asked, she didn't expect an answer as the two headed out the door. Salone looked over her shoulder, glancing towards were Danni had vanished. She was gone.

"Kaylee?" Zahra asked curiously, distracted from her own story. "Who is that? But our paths were kind of similar, though I did not live with animals in the woods," she responded, more serious than perhaps one should have been when talking about someone who was literally raised by wolves. When talking to someone who had actually experienced that; however, it was quite serious.

"How did you wind up finding your father, if you believed yourself to be an orphan in childhood?" Zahra's hazel eyes widened slightly in her curiosity.

--

William flashed his dimple-y smile, and Alison had to stop herself from grinning, even though she shouldn't have wanted to. Oh, god. This one was a winner. And then he spoke and she was reevaluating her as he studied her. "I am new," she said, trying to downplay her interest in him. She did not need attractive boys who could potentially walk all over her, as she'd had many people walk all over her in her lifetime and it'd never been a pleasant experience. She glanced back to the dragon, shuddering subconsciously and turning to walk back towards camp, her bow still in hand and a sheath of arrows slung over her shoulder, as well as the dagger she'd hung in a sheath at her hips. She wielded them all like a pro, even though she had no clue what she was supposed to be doing with any of the weapons. She paused, waiting for Will to catch up with her, as she assumed he was heading back into camp also.

"It's fine, William," she replied lightly, a hint of humor in her tone. "I'm new, and my newfound half-brother just brought me here after my being kidnapped by an Italian medical organization. That was interesting." Her voice was still light, now, but weighed down by the truth of her past. She wasn't quite sure why she was telling this boy this. Maybe it was because he appeared to have known Danni.

--

"I could tell you where we're going, but I don't think that'd be very fun," Riley stated, dragging her out of the cabin's courtyard and towards the woods, by the Sound. "I'm going to take us on a bit of a roundabout route through the forest. Nothing major," he said, moving carefully through the trees as the terrain slanted uphill. They were almost to camp's borders when he pulled her with him out of the trees, into a cut grass clearing. The first dandelions were starting to pop out of the ground and the area was pretty, empty save for a couple trees and some odd flowering bushes. A couple dozen feet before them was a cliff that hang over the Sound, and they had a view of the entire span of the horizon from their standpoint. It was a place he'd discovered one day when he was first exploring camp, and he'd come here a few times when he needed to think, including before he'd left for Italy. He wasn't exactly sure why he'd chosen to take her here, but it'd felt right at the time.

"It's pretty up here, right?" he asked, taking a breath and feeling the salty ocean breeze on his face. The ocean spray should have bothered him, but they were high up and it didn't, not really. It just made him a bit tingly, and it was kind of pleasant, exhilarating as if he were on the tip of a rollercoaster, permanently fixed in that position between climbing up the hill and falling from the top.

"She was this woman who studied wolves, she died in a grizzly attack a few years later. She had to teach me English all over again," Jance chuckled, "It was a very interesting experience. I remember her having to explain the concept of socks to me."
Jance sobered up at the next question, "My father had to fill out paper work in order to drop me off. He lied, saying he had found me. I was just an accident at a party."
His voice became bitter and then lightened up abruptly, "He is great though and not as crazy as he was when he was a teen. Surprisingly he is a lawyer."
***
Will was about to respond when a martin streaked across the grass.
"Darwin!" The cross country runner darted after the ferret like creature and cornered him on a tree branch. Snatching up the martin he walked back over to Alison. Darwin crawled up Will's arm with clawed feet and sat on top of Will's head, holding a key between his teeth. Will grabbed the creature off the top of his head and took the key from his teeth.
"Alison, Darwin. Darwin, Alison." He introduced the two. Darwin looked like a ferret except for the fact he had a pair of tiny horns on his head. The martin watched Alison with bright eyes. Will fell into step beside Alison while Darwin climbed up the back of his shirt to settle on his shoulder.
***
Salone only said one word to Riley's responce to her question," Shenanigans."
Then she let Riley drag her to the cliff and she looked across it, out at the sea. Salt water sprayed up the side. The smell of the sea was calming and Salone glanced at Riley.
"Yeah, it is." She agreed with him. Salone realized they were still holding hands but she didn't comment about it.

Zahra's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Poor Jance couldn't figure out what socks were," she teased, though she knew the matter was serious. She studied him for a moment, trying to understand. "That's crazy, though," she said softly, considering the story.

"I suppose it could make sense. It's great that your father accepted you, that he's a good guy. Maybe my mother was young as well, and she just left me." Or maybe she had other problems, involving drugs and such, Zahra thought, but she didn't, couldn't, voice it.

--

Alison watched the boy curiously as he sprinted off. Boy was that boy fit. He returned quickly, some sort of rodent in his hands. Maybe it was a ferret? Alison raised an eyebrow, laughing as it successfully scaled William's head and rested on top of it. "Darwin... nice," Alison said, almost reaching out her free hand to touch it but drawing it back timidly at the last second. She walked with him back towards camp. "And what is that key for, that that creature was holding?" she asked curiously. "More importantly, what is that creature?"

--

"Shenanigans indeed," Riley had agreed as they'd made their way up the hill. He had had little difficulty, which was good. He was making progress with his leg. They were atop the cliff now though, and he had other business to attend to. Salone gazed out at the horizon, seeming to notice that he'd kept hold of her hand and on impulse he grabbed her other hand, looking at her carefully. This had been an impulsive move, but there was no better place for Riley to talk to her, out here where he felt exhilarated and as impulsive as ever. Sometimes, one needed a bit of impulsivity in their lives, though this could potentially end very, very badly.

"Okay," he said. "So, you're probably wondering why I brought you up here, but I don't really know why, not really. And I could give you a really long-winded speech right now about everything I've done wrong in the past few weeks and how I regret it and I love you but I'm not going to, because that'd be a major waste of your time." Riley's ADD was acting up big time.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question, and you don't have to answer right now if you don't want to or you can always deny me and I'll survive, but I just want to tell you before I ask that I'm not going to make you any more stupid promises like I made you before, telling you that I would never let you get hurt or hurt you myself, even though I can try my hardest not to do those things. I screwed up badly in the past few months, and I want to make things better, not that I can fix anything completely, because I know I hurt you and I really didn't want to. And I know you've forgiven me, but this needs to be addressed. I'm not going to make any more stupid promises, but I will promise to stand by you, if you'll let me." Riley looked to Salone and then out at the horizon for a moment, trying to gather himself. His nervous energy had manifested itself in his speech, and it was going in all sorts of directions.

"Okay... maybe that was a little long-winded. My ADD is going crazy up here, I'm sorry. But what I've been trying to ask you, Salone Newton, is can we start over? I'm Riley Peterson, a stupid son of Geras, and I love you, and I want to properly go out with you. No more leaving you randomly and coming back with only one and a half legs and an irritating little sister. No more leaving without a lot of notice beforehand, period."

Jance gave her a crooked grin, "Yeah. I learned they do not go one one's ears on the first day."
He chuckled slightly, "I think I may have a picture somewhere in my cabin." He winced at the the thought of going back to the cabin. Personally, he couldn't stand being in there. To much flowery, pompom, and girlishness. "My dad was sixteen and a half..." Jance said softly.
***
"The key..." Will said, wrestling the key from Darwin again. "Is for my locker at school, we are on break at the moment. Still didn't stop my AP teachers from giving homework though."
He managed to take the key away and he dropped it in his jeans pocket. "As for Darwin, he is a Martin. Basically a magical ferret with horns that can steal almost anything. But this particular one is a waste of space."
Darwin lept from Will's shoulder to Alison's shoulder, giving him a wounded look.
"It's true," Will told the martin. "I would have turned you into a hat if Penny didn't like you so much."
The martin made a chattering noise at him, obviously displeased.
"I am arguing with a martin..." He muttered, face palming. "A stinking Martin..."
He gave Alison a oh my goodness I cannot believe myself face.
***
Salone looked at Riley, her throat constricting. She closed her eyes her thoughts churning. Opening then she let go of one of his hands and ran her fingers along his jawline. She opened and closed her mouth, not quite sure what to say. She let go of his other hand and took a step back to get a better look at Riley. Then without warning, Salone rushed into his arms. She had refused to let tears come to the surface and she was so close now to bursting into tears again... The daughter of Anubis felt like she was going to explode with all the emotions rolling around inside her. She buried her nose in his jacket and she could smell Italy... or that weird soap stuff from Italy that Riley liked.

"Aww, I can't even imagine. Tiny Jance," she said, grinning sillily and leaning up to kiss his cheek. He didn't seem to want to go back to his cabin, though, and she didn't bug him about it. "He was sixteen?" she asked quietly, considering this. She could understand why his father had put him up for adoption. She wondered vaguely how old her mother had been when she'd been born. "That's also crazy. It would be like me having a baby, or you having to take care of one, alone."

--

"I see," replied Alison, smiling sympathetically and studying him for a second. They continued walking back toward the cabins, William interacting dramatically with the martin much to Ali's amusement. She laughed. "It seems my company isn't enough; you must talk to a martin instead of me," she replied jokingly. She thought about how she had been enrolled in school before she was kidnapped, and with a pang of homesickness she realized that she kind of missed it. She needed to be here for Riley, and she did need to train, but she had enjoyed going to school for the most part. She'd had plans for her future, and they'd been completely disrupted what with her disappearance. She'd been taking a couple APs as well, so she understood William's grief.

"Teachers tend to do that," she said in response. "Any break at all and they'll dump you with work," she said, shrugging. "Do you go to school around here?" she asked curiously, looking to him. She figured that he was a part-time camper, but she had no idea. She hadn't even thought about school until that moment, and she assumed most people did not go to school while in camp. She knew Riley's mother had made him finish up all of his schoolwork when he'd come to camp, and he'd managed to complete his high school work recently through homeschooling, but she didn't know if other kids even bothered.

--

Riley's stomach twisted as she stared at him him and shut her eyes as if with dread. He almost said something but he decided to let her be, and he was startled as she reached her hand out to graze his cheek before pulling away. He looked at her curiously and then she was in his arms, her arms wrapped securely about his waist. He stiffened for a moment as he made sure he kept his balance, but then he wrapped his arms around her and watched her as he held her to him, her face buried in his chest. She seemed almost teary-eyed, and he bent to press a kiss to the crown of her head. "I take it your answer is yes?" he asked softly, his head bent close to hers.

Jance chuckled lightly and he muttered.
"Well then, I guess I shall have to dig around and find you a picture or you will never leave me alone about it."
He scratched at his stubble for a moment before changing the subject, "I am going to kiss you daughter of Ptah." He announced and he did just that.
***
Will gave her a dimpled smile yet again.
"That teachers do," Will watched the martin play with Alison's hair. "They must enjoy killing trees, I decided this when my teacher once gave six assignments in one day. "
He pulled a face and continued walking again. "I go to the private school about ten minutes away. Most year rounders do, it requires release forms though. The school is great and it is run by Heros who have left camp so if a monster shows up it is pretty much toast."
He shrugged and put his hands in his jeans pocket.
***
Salone gave a watery chuckle and looked up at him.
"Of course it is," She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, eyes searching his face. His hair was thinner than she remembered. She applied a little bit of pressure to the back of his head and stood on her tip toes and whispered.
"This time, we shouldn't be interrupted." Then she kissed him.

"You may have to," Zahra teased, before he leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back, but she had to pull away after a few seconds because she was laughing. "I never really thought about how stupid that sounds. Ptah?" She raised an eyebrow. "The Egyptians weren't always very creative with their god-naming."

--

Alison listened to him, plucking the martin out of her hair as she did so. She ran her fingers through the tousled mess it'd made, attempting to separate the loose curls and the bottom of her hair from one another. She held it in one hand as she did so, kind of wigged out by the creature. She prayed it wouldn't bite her. She brightened at the prospect of school... but private school? It didn't sound like something she could afford, but she figured there must be some sort of scholarship system or something if there were so many campers attending. She returned his smile, trying to remain immune to it. "I haven't been to school in months. I'm dying to go back, though it sounds weird. It's just that after everything that I've been though, it's so strange to think of falling back on my old hopes and dreams. I'd wanted to do well, go to college, and I guess I can still do that, even though things are different," she spoke, petting the martin's head lightly. She decided that maybe the creatures were cool.

She didn't mention the fact that she'd realized how quickly danger could come, how she could be snatched right off the street never to return home again. She shuddered almost imperceptibly. "But this school is mixed, demigod and mortal?" she asked curiously. She realized she was still holding all of her weaponry, and it was clear that she probably wasn't going to be needing it at the moment. She'd take care of that later.

--

Riley managed a grin before leaning down to kiss her, wrapping his arms more securely around her waist and supporting her as she leaned up to him. He was steady, comfortable on his feet, and he kissed her greedily, glad to be uninterrupted.

Jance chuckled as she conveyed her own thoughts, "Yeah, it is kinda a strange name. But egyptians are a strange but brilliant people."
He tilted his head back and laid flat on his back on the blanket. "Well we have Ra, Shu, Nut, and Geb... Yep, all pretty bizarre names."
He traced patterns on the inside of Zahra's arm as he thought outloud.
***
Will recognised the look on Alison's face at the words private school. "They do have scholarships and if you can't get one there are people willing to invest in your education and pay for tuition and other needs."
Alison removed Darwin from her shoulder and stroked his head. Darwin rolled onto his back for a belly itch, exposing white fur, and he made a gurgling noise on content.
"Yeah, it's a mixture allowing us to get the hand of blending into regular society. " They had reached the camp this time and Will took Darwin and shut him in the Athena cabin.
"No, stay." He shut the door with a click and then turned back to Alison.
***
Salone's fingers tangled in his hair as she kissed him back hungrily. Sweet Isis she had missed him. It had been very difficult for Salone in his absence. He had been her friend first and that had changed to something more. She broke off the kiss, breathless.
"I love you, Riley Peterson."

Zahra watched as Jance laid back and she did the same, gazing up at the clouds. "I'm not sure I'm the biggest fan of Egpytian culture, even though I love the history of my father and the powers he's passed onto me. I prefer Greek and Roman culture, even if it is demented and dysfunctional. A lot of the Egyptian stuff is very... eerie, though that's not a proper term for it. Thankfully, Ptah is one of the less eerie gods." She watched the clouds, only slightly distracted by Jance's hold on her arm. She loved how she could always see shapes within the clouds. It was childish, but she had always been intrigued by their shapeless, interpretative formations. Many people could not see it, but she was good at it. They could be anything she wanted them to be, and she liked having the ability to decide what fit and what did not. She was silent for a few moments, enjoying Jance's company.

"I think I'm going to start doing more research on my mom soon," Zahra said decisively. "I'm not sure how far it will take me, but I figure that delving into my dreams and allowing my subconscious to create art cannot hurt... even if it is a bit freaky," she said lightly. "I cannot be bothered anymore. After everything that has gone on in the past few months, I need a distraction. I need to take charge in something."

--

Alison laughed as the martin turned over contentedly in her palm, but she was relieved when Will took it from her, putting it away. She brushed her palms light against the fabric of her jeans out of habit. "That is... really kind of cool," she said after having thought about the school for a bit. "I'm a pretty good student, so I can't see it being an issue... though I'm more of an English person and I'll have a lot of catching up to do in certain subjects if I want to meet deadlines and such. Thankfully I have time, and I can always do summer work. Not a big deal." She shrugged, adjusting the sheath of arrows she'd been carrying.

"Where are you headed?" she asked Will, looking at him. "I suppose I should get rid of this weaponry... Danni had been in the process of getting my training set up, but I can't see that happening now," she said as they walked down the stairs to the Athena cabin. She glanced back at the cabin quickly, only to wonder for a moment. Was this boy a son of Athena? Alison seemed to have been very wrong about this guy being stupid, because he was obviously quite bright. He seemed nice enough too, though she had her doubts.

"By the way, who's your god parent?" she asked, curious. She wasn't particularly comfortable about her own father, but she'd accepted it. Her powers were kind of cool, totally unlike Riley's, and she'd embraced them.

--

Riley allowed her to break off the kiss, pulling back and leaning his forehead against hers. Their breaths intermingled and her words made him want to kiss her again, but he didn't do so right away. "I love you too," he said breathily, pulling back so he could look at her. He wondered vaguely how he was ever able to let her go, and he knew he'd learned his lesson after all of the grief he'd undergone upon leaving. "I know I said that before, gorgeous, but you must know that I looooove you," he said, laughing lightly as he drew out his words. He was being corny, but he was also genuine. He brushed a strand of hair out of the way of her face, kissing her again, more gently than before.

Jance listened to her talk, his fingertips racing up and down her arm
"Yeah, it's kind of difficult to swallow... egyptian culture and brains coming out of noses." He chuckled while making a face. "As far as your mother is concerned, guess we are up for a adventure."
He smiled up at his girlfriend and slid his hand that had been tracing patterns on her arm around her waist.
***
"I dunno," Will said shrugging. "I have been Martin sitting for the last hour and a half for my best friend while she is on a date. She should have been back by now so I dumped him in her cabin..." Will thought for a bit more, "I am headed absolutely nowhere."
For emphasis he threw his arms in the air and waved them around a bit, William could be quite silly even at the most inappropriate at times. At Alison's next question the jock winced.
"Ooh. There is that pesky question. I am the son of Hebe which means I turn into a four year old when I eat chocolate. I really do love the chocolate, it's just... well... it gives me a less than desirable allergic reaction. Now, tell me your parent."
He stated all this rather quickly, his cheeks flushing slightly when he mentioned turning into a kid. He found it really embarrassing.
***
Salone smiled softly, "I will get you for that... Casanova."
Then Riley's lips came down on her again. These kisses were much more gentle and not as insistent as the last ones. When her heart started racing even faster than it had been she broke off the kiss, panicking slightly. She breathed deeply in and out through her nose, leaning against him. She buried her head under the crook of his neck.
"Sorry, It's just my heart. You make it race too fast." She laughed softly at how ridiculous that sounded... a double sided compliment in a way.

Zahra turned on her side toward him, studying his face. "I don't know how far I'm going to get... but you're willing to help me?" she asked him. She still wasn't sure she wanted to find her mother, but at least if she did she'd have closure. Having Jance at her side would help a lot.

--

"Are you serious?" Alison asked, blatant amusement in her voice. "Don't be embarrassed. My brother Riley turns elderly when he touches water... which is arguably worse than becoming young. Our dad is Geras, god of old age. I can age myself as well, but I'm in control of it and I can age more slowly, turning into a 20 or 30 year old if I'd like. I can also slow the effects of aging and age other people, though those powers are different. My brother is just barely learning to control his powers, and now he's able to resist shifting at the touch of water. Maybe it's possible for you to eat chocolate without shifting so quickly?" she suggested, arching an eyebrow.

"Though eating chocolate is different from touching water... how long does it take you to shift back to your age after having it?" They headed away from the cabins toward the arena and the armory, though Alison hadn't discussed it with Will.

--

Riley watched her confusedly as she pulled away from him, seeming slightly panicked and nervous as she made herself breath. Then she started talking about her heartrate and Riley's eyes widened, recalling what she'd told him earlier about when her heart was racing in the ice cream parlor and she'd wound up in the hospital, out for days. He held her to him gently, allowing her to calm down. "Are you alright?" he asked, poorly concealing the worry in his voice. He knew that she wouldn't like his worry, but it was valid.

"Of course I'll help, " Jance said, giving her a crooked smile. "Besides I could use an adventure, even if it does involve paperwork."
He could see she was slightly nervous at the topic of her mom, so to distract her he ran the tips of his fingers down the side of her face. He adjusted his position so he was on his side and at the same level as she was.
***
Will chuckled, "Yeah, I've already looked into it. It doesn't work and I love chocolate so that is very bad. Though if people annoy me I can turn them into little kids."
He rubbed absent mindedly at the faded scratch marks on his arm from the Martin scrambling up it. "I stay at age four for about fifteen minutes, nothing too serious. Just that suddenly my clothing is too big and that is a huge pain."
They walked towards the arena and armory, Will stepped over an exposed tree root.
***
Salone felt Riley cradle her to him and he sounded concerned.
The girl nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just got a little too excited that's all."
Salone blushed faintly but her heart rate slowed back down to it's normal pace and she relaxed against Riley, offering him a small smile. "I'm fine," She promised.

"Okay," Zahra replied softly, reaching out and grabbing his hand as it traced her face. "Why do you keep doing this, Jance?" she asked him, amusement in her voice.

--

Alison looked at him, intrigued. "This is a dumb, insensitive question, but do you retain your voice and everything as a four year old?" In her head she pictured him in a four year old's body, wise beyond his years with a ridiculously deep voice and baggy clothing for a small little thing. "But I get it. How can you go without chocolate?" she asked jokingly. "At least you can control it, though. Riley resents the fact that he can't even stand outside in the rain without shifting. Just a little bit inconvenient," she stated with a small smile. They approached the armory and Alison eyed the bow in her hands. "I guess I should just put this stuff back?" she asked, kind of confused about the whole camp procedure. She'd also managed to acquire a sword from Danni, and it was clear to her that she wasn't going to be fighting with a sword ever unless it was necessary. It was heavy, its sheath's strap cutting into her shoulder, and much too big for her liking. The bow she may use, and the dagger.

--

Riley laughed lightly, kissing her forehead even though that may not have been the best idea. "Okay," he said. "No more kissing Salone, that's it," he teased, even though he was going to be more careful about kissing her for a bit.

"The last thing I need is for you to die because I kissed you; Danielle would kill me," he explained jokingly as he held her.

Jance considered her question before coming up with an answer.
"Number one," He began, "I am ADD so that is pretty obvious. Number two, I am worried I am going to wake up and have this all be a dream."
If anyone was spying on them they would have thought in their heads at that moment, That is the cheesiest thing I have ever heard.
"After all, you can tell if something isn't a dream by touch. If you can feel it, what is happening is real."
***
William laughed and said, "No, my voice goes all soft and squeaky. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to blend in. Even though a four year old struggling to keep a pair of pants on would be a dead give away. As for the weapons you keep them. Most people dump them in their bunk."
As if sensing her discomfort from the sword, Will slipped his fingers underneath the strap and lifted it off of her shoulders to carry it.
***
Salone giggled slightly and blushed a deeper shade of red.
"I wouldn't complain if I did, that would be a funny obituary to read and it would be good to know that you'd be following close behind."
She slid her arms up around his neck and she tilted her head back slightly to get a better look at him.

"Do you really feel that way?" Zahra asked, studying him. She thought for a moment before speaking. "The past few months have felt like one big, bad dream. Today feels like the most real day I've had in a while. It's odd for me to think that, but I suppose it's not odd for you. I have been away for quite a bit." She locked her hand in his and leaned back completely, resting her free arm behind her head staring at the clouds.

--

Alison nodded, somewhat surprised as he lifted the heavy sword off of her shoulders. "That thing... it's awful," Alison admitted, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Ugly, and hardly functional... not that I'd know much about weapon functionality. I don't think I'd ever choose to use it, though." The girl shrugged, opening the door to the armory and stepping inside, holding it open for Will to step through. She studied her bow quizzically for a moment, tugging back on its taut string. She figured it could be useful, if a bit impractical. She decided not to dump it back in the pile of weapons. She did; however, get rid of the ugly extra dagger she'd been given by the FBI. It was clear that their stash of godly weaponry had not been as high quality as camp's.

--

Riley rested his hands loosely at her waist, watching her as she looked at him. "You might just be insane," he replied, though he laughed at her comment. "Look who's blushing now. Maybe my blushing is contagious," he granted, grinning. He'd never really seen her turn so red before, and he wondered if it'd come as a side effect of her heart's instability. "But seriously, you're okay? You scared me there for a moment after what you told me about the ice cream parlor."

Jance just smiled at her and looked up at the clouds, "It is a bunny rabbit eating a dinosaur."
He stated dramatically, looping his arm around her so her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. "Or a horribly deformed teddy bear."
Jance was not a very artistic person but he tried.
***
"I think you would want something lighter then," Will said. He moved into the back of the shed and returned with several bracelets. A two leather ones, one braided and one studded, a simple silver charm bracelet. The charms hanging off of it were different symbols of the gods. A triton, lightning bolt, wings, a sun, and several others. "I believe, it is something like this." Standing several feet away from her he unclasped the bracelet and flicked it. Almost immediately it expanded into a hand and a half sword. He said the word for close in greek and it shrank down to the bracelet.
"My lady," He stated jokingly, offering up the bracelets for her to pick one. "When we are done here we can swing by the office and go pick up school paperwork if you want."
***
"I think we already knew that," Salone stated with a wry smile and she laughed at the blushing. "Danni is also a notorious blusher. So yeah, it's contagious."
Salone cocked her head to the side and considered him for a moment, "Riley, I am fine. Really, you will know when I won't be."
She ran her thumb along his jawline.

"Your mind is demented," Zahra teased, turning her cheek against his shoulder. "I think it looks more like... hm. Maybe an elephant?" She wasn't feeling too creative today. She'd been pretty burnt out for a bit. "Though I kind of see where you're getting the bunny rabbit thing. Interesting."

--

Alison watched in disbelief as he picked up a bracelet and simply unclasped it. It turned into a light sword in his palm, and, for lack of a better term, it was pretty badass, especially for a bracelet. "That... you-" she cut herself off, gaping at the things in his palm. "That is incredible. Perfect." She picked up the simple braided leather bracelet gingerly in her palm, turning it over in her fingers. She was never one for baubles, but this was pretty and simple, inscribed with greek symbols and sayings. It wasn't too thick and it was lightweight, and as she opened it carefully it transformed into the same sized sword as the charm bracelet, with a simple but attractive leather hilt... if swords could be attractive. The Greek word for close came to her easily and she clasped the bracelet onto her wrist, examining it.

"Sounds good," she said, looking happily up at William and replacing the other bracelets back into their spots.

"You know, you've been more helpful than even my brother today. He ran off after his ex- I mean, his girlfriend. I don't even know what they are, but they're nuts for each other. Anyway, I just barely managed to get set up in my cabin," she said as they walked out the door. "It's been an interesting day, to say the least."

--

"Danielle is a blusher?" Riley asked in disbelief, a look of humor crossing his face. "Well, that's unexpected," he said with a wry grin that mirrored her own. She traced his chin, serious, and he met her eyes, his expression sobering.

"Okay," he said softly. "Okay."

He didn't really have anything else to say, and he tried to convey his understanding to her as best he could. He didn't know what he was going to do, or rather, would do if she were to become ill. It was scary enough with the coughing attacks when she wasn't so ill; he couldn't imagine what Danielle had gone through with her when she'd nearly died.

Jance winced before agreeing with her, "Yeah. Well you are talking to the guy who put socks on his ears."
He searched the clouds again and then decided he was horrible at this... "A fluffy unicorn?"
Jance asked her as if confirming his awfulness at this game, he looked down at her.
***
Will looked pleased with himself, "Don't thank me, thank the people who make these. I just know where they stash them."
He closed the door behind them and they started taking the path to the big house while he listened to her talk about her brother, Riley he guessed.
"Let me clue you in on a little secret, girls are generally any guy's weakness. Myself for an example, I am a hopeless flirt and half the time I don't even notice."
He shrugged his shoulders, stuffed his hands in his jeans pocket, and flashed a smile at a passing camper he knew.
***

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone smiled up at him, "Her grandmother is Irish and that is where Danni and her dad get their coloring, so they both turn bright red when needed. Her grandfather is Italian and he drinks and swears like a sailor..." She makes a face and sees the concern on his face.
"Hey," She said gently, kissing him lightly. "Don't worry, that’s my job okay."
She gave him another kiss, hoping to distract him slightly from her condition.

"This just isn't working out for us right now," Zahra concluded with a light laugh, looking up at him. She didn't feel like moving even though she knew that they'd have to get up at some point. She had a thought and she voiced it.

"Well, Jotunheim was pretty awful, but I must say that my fighting and physical skills have improved significantly," Zahra spoke, looking at him with a gleam in her eye. "I bet I could run circles around you, son of Aphrodite," she joked teasingly.

--

Alison rolled her eyes. "You don't notice when you're flirting with someone? That's a bit odd, don't you think?" she asked, examining him. Maybe he was right, though. The dimply smile seemed kind of compulsive, and any regular girl would probably have been swooning at his feet by this point. She couldn't help but laugh as he flashed a smile as a passerby. He was right. That was it. "You know, I didn't think it possible, but maybe," she said, surprised that she understood him. They made it up to a big white house and Alison looked at it curiously.

"And what is the purpose of this place, tour guide?" she asked William.

--

Riley nodded, listening to her and chuckling, but then she was trying to soothe him and her lips were on his and he almost just almost lost himself in her kiss but he froze, pulling away from her.

"You know, kissing me to change the subject when we're talking about the fact that your dangerously unstable heart rate spikes when I kiss you is not effective," Riley said teasingly, though he was serious. "And I know you say it's not for me to worry about, but if I'm here with you alone I need to worry about it somewhat. I just want to make sure you're alright, and I know you're capable of taking care of yourself and you'll probably murder me for worrying about it, but I just time to adjust. No more kissing you randomly, at least no crazy kissing," Riley said, blushing slightly. "I can't see it being a big deal. I just want to be more careful about it, because again, I don't want your death on my hands."

Jance arched an eyebrow and grinned crookedly at the look of mischief on Zahra's face.
"I dunno," He itched the back of his neck, thoughtfully. "Is that a challenge miss Klein?"
He guessed the both could use a stress reliever of some sort. His eyes dancing with amusement.
**
Will just laughed at her statement, "Well, I guess I flirt so much I barely notice it. Tour Guide?"
The blonde hair, blue eyed boy snorted at being called such. "This place, munchkin, is called the big house." He gave her a crooked grin. "Is where Mr. D. and Chiron offices are located, camp counselors have meetings in there and were the orical used to reside until Rachel Dare took over for her."
He opened the door to the baby blue house and white trim. He held the door for Alison before walking in himself and then he walked into what used to be a family room. There was a filing cabinet that Will opened and he pulled out about three packets, handing them to Alison. One was medical, another an application to the school, and the last was a scholarship packet.
"Here you go."
***

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone arched an eyebrow and then chuckled in amusement at Riley's reaction before sobering up. She ran her thumb over his blushing cheeks, "As far as I'm concerned, I instigated the shenanigans."
She short blonde hair blew into her face as the wind picked up speed. Her dark brown eyes examined Riley, he seemed like he had aged in the short time of his absence. Almost like a shadow was hanging over him.
"I promise I won't die until I feel like it. Trust me when I say that won't be anytime soon."
There was a tiny scar at the corner of her lip, showing where she had been biting down hard on the flesh.

"I suppose it is," Zahra said, quirking an eyebrow deviously and sitting up. A wave of vertigo washed over her as she sat up quickly, her vision fading a bit, and she blinked a few times to get rid of it. She stood, putting the package of oreos into their picnic basket and waiting for Jance to get up so she could fold their blanket.

--

"Munchkin?!" Alison asked incredulously, though she listened to what he told her about the Big House. "That's cruel," she stated. "It's not my fault you're about 6'4"," she murmured. She couldn't really be mad at him, though; his grin maybe worked a little too well. She stepped through the door to the Big House, allowing William to lead her through the rooms. He handed her the papers and she flipped through them carelessly.

"Thanks, Giant," she said, looking to him for a second with a clear look of amusement on her face. "This whole school thing... it'll be interesting," she said, looking to the papers again. Medical forms, right... time to forge some documents, or call her foster parents. Maybe she'd do the latter, as it'd been bugging at her conscience for a bit. She wondered how Pop, her foster grandpa, was doing; he'd become like her own grandfather in the time that she'd been there. She hadn't been as close to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, her foster parents, but they were good people nonetheless and they had genuinely cared about her well-being. She felt the slightest bit of guilt at having held back the knowledge that she was alive from them, but she also had the strangest bit of anxiety at the thought of starting school. It was stupid; she'd been to so many different schools before, but her nerves never failed to get the better of her.

She hadn't really realized she had faded, but William had lost her to her thoughts.

--

"It better not be," Riley warned her with a slight smile, meeting her gaze as she looked at him. He studied her face, trying to memorize this moment with her. "So, what're we doing here? I mean, I'm content to just stand here all day, but since our time in the world is limited it's pretty counterproductive to do nothing," Riley spoke, humor in his tone. His skin prickled as the wind picked up and the mist off of the ocean grew stronger, but he had little troubled repressing his shift. He wondered how long he could last if he was to go swimming.

Jance put a hand in the small of her back when he noticed Zahra look ill. He got up after her and took the blanket gently from her hands and finished folding it himself.
"You alright?" He asked, "You looked sick just then."
He placed the checkered blanket into the basket before picking it up.
***
William laughed at her tone, "Hey! I am only six two, not six four. If you wanna see massive, my dad is six five."
He gave her a crooked grin and seemed to pick up on her distress level.
"Hey, what's up?" He leaned casually against the filing cabinet, his blue eyes studying her.
***

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

"Well, we are standing here because you lead me up here to confess your love," Salone teased, unlinking her hands from the back of his neck and she let them slide down the front of his shirt. "But if my opinion counts for anything, I think we are being pretty productive being counter productive."
She pushed her hair out of her face before taking his hand and leading him away from the cliff side.
"Now are you going to tell me your plan for getting back into shape?"
That was the most pressing matter right now, getting Riley back into the way he was. "We could start by training you to run a five k. or dance class. I taught Fabian how to dance, you should be an interesting challenge."