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

(I apologize for the slightly blah post; blocks aren't fun)

"You're too modest," he said softly, smiling as she agreed to go with him. He was content just to hold her for a few more minutes, thinking about everything that'd happen while also trying not to think too much, for fear that his headache would return. He let Salone go reluctantly, deciding that he should rest a bit more; by the next morning he was feeling significantly better, albeit still a little weak. He'd managed to scarf down another bowl of chicken noodle soup the night before and the day had been spent calmly, a good contrast to the insanity of the days before. His mom made omelettes, which were absolutely fantastic, and he finally got around to packing up his stuff, much to his mom's dismay. Man kept sniffing at him mournfully, and he felt guilty as his mom kept chiding him, encouraging him not to drive, but he knew he'd be fine; his plan for Salone's birthday would work out, and besides, he'd been longing to have his car back. 

"You ready?" he called to Salone, who'd been getting her stuff together. He was impatient to go; he hadn't been on a true road trip in years, and while this wouldn't be too crazy, he was excited.

--

Fabian squeezed her hand, and Alison felt strangely comforted; she knew that he understood what she was experiencing, which was new. She was silent as they approached camp, feeling content and comfortable even through the pulsing music she could hear as Fabian cut the engines. He looked to her hesitantly, and it took her a second to decide. 

"We can take a look for a little while, why not?" she spoke softly, smiling at him. They got out of the car and started walking down the hill; Alison was a little nervous about going to the music show, but odds were that Will wouldn't even see her. Finally, she could be a fly on the wall in peace, with Fabian at her side.

Salone rolled her eyes before sitting up and giving him a kiss, “I will yet win this argument.”

Then she managed to escape Riley’s clutches and go shower. The next twenty four hours were quite relaxing, filled with playing with the dog and Hound, Mrs. Peterson’s cooking, and movie marathons that Riley seemed to get a kick out of. Salone was very confused by the plotline of Star wars, her eyebrow arched as she made sarcastic comments.   

Finally it was time to go and Salone emerged with her backpack on over her shoulder.
“Keep your shirt on, I’m here.” She poked Riley in the ribs before itching the dog who looked very depressed at the idea of not being able to go with them. Hound sat by the door, her massive head on her paws, giving Riley a disapproving look. The Hound of Anubis did not like the fact they were driving back.
**
Fabian got the door for Alison, leaning against it casually with his head against the door.


“After you milady,” He teased her before shutting the door after her. It was a few minutes before the stage came into view, lights and music. Smoke and mirrors. It had been rather fun to put together. The Apollo kids had rewrote some of the more popular music and made it sound way better. Fabian halted and waited for Alison, watching for her expression.

RIley thought about it for maybe a split second before he opened the door to his Ford and Dog jumped right into the backseat, grinning at him through the shut window. He glanced to Hound, who looked at him like he was nuts, and he shrugged, a small smile playing on the edges of his lips. 

"Come on, Hound, we'll be fine. Dog with protect us," he said, laughing lightly. Mrs. Peterson helped him put their stuff in the car against Riley's protest, and let him go more easily than he'd anticipated, leaving him with a hug and a threat that he better stay safe or else she'd be coming after him. He pet Hound gently before getting the car ready, shutting the trunk and getting some food and blankets ready for Dog; he'd already packed snacks and drinks for them in a cooler. He let Salone get into the passenger side on her own; he knew how much she hated when he did certain things for her, and he waved goodbye to his mom. 

"This is going to be great, I promise," Riley spoke, and he really did believe it would be. He just prayed that everything would go smoothly.

((they should totally get into a silly, petty, normal-couple argument. it would be so amusing to roleplay LOL))

--

Alison was overwhelmed upon stepping into the theater. It was dark, warm and smoky and difficult to distinguish people who were standing alongside the stage, which was the one thing that was lit up in the room. You couldn't really make anyone out unless they were looking at you. Alison felt nervous, and maybe the pulsing music and atmosphere wasn't good for her when she was already exhausted, but she had the feeling like she couldn't resist seeing what the concert had to offer, even if there were bitchy girls and a Will there. She stepped inside, closer to the stage, and some guy offered her a glass of punch. She accepted, taking a sip and thinking nothing of it until she felt the warmth fill her body, its flavor kicking in. The drink was spiked with nectar and gods only knew what else, and suddenly she felt uncertain, dumping the rest in the trash. Great. Just great. Where had Fabian gone? She couldn't find him through the dark, and she was starting to panic a little bit.

Salone smiled slightly at the thought of mangy Dog protecting them, however she didn’t doubt it. He had a set of very shiny and sharp teeth, and lots of them.  While she waited for Riley to get in the car she made faces at Dog. After he got in and pulled away she crossed her arms and looked at him.
“Your planning something, I don’t like it.” She stated, glancing at him, watching for that tell tail reaction. “If it has something to do with my birthday I will let hound eat you.”
Unless Riley could convince Salone otherwise, this was relatively easy to do if he had chocolate and persuasion on his side. Salone watched him with her dark brown eyes, not a trace of amusement on her face.
**
Within five minutes of entering the place, Fabian lost Alison.
Great. Just great. Fabian always seemed to be losing people left and right. He seriously hoped it wasn’t to serious of a habit he was developing. The son of Bast tried to scent her out but there were too many bodies close together and to many smells.
Then he found her, looking around and seemingly slightly panicked.
“Hey, right here.” Fabian stated, grabbing her hand not holding the bag. “This way.”

Slowly he began to lead her towards the exist and cool night air.

"What I'm planning doesn't have to have anything to do with your birthday," Riley spoke defensively, acutely aware of her gaze. Somehow, after months of being with her, that gaze still managed to penetrate him; it could make him stop what he was doing and completely change course sometimes, but not today. 

"Obviously I'm not telling you what I'm planning, but it's not all about you, as much as you might like to think it is," Riley spoke sarcastically, a wry smile framing his face. He knew that Salone was a little too modest, which didn't make any sense, but he knew that because of that she wouldn't take offense to his comment. "You'll see," is all he said as he kept driving, allowing Salone to fiddle with the radio as she pleased while they passed the time talking, Riley attempting to teach Salone how to play stupid road games that her mother had never played with her as a child. A few hours passed by without incident, for which Riley was grateful, and when he finally pulled up to his destination it was maybe 2 PM and bright as day outside. Virginia Beach. Usually, Riley would have hated to go to the beach, especially right in the middle of the day, but this time, things were different. He'd been learning to harness his powers, and he was pretty sure he could go for a couple hours without having any problems with shifting. Salone had been oblivious to realize that he'd been wearing swim shorts, but then again they were black and looked pretty generic. He grinned as he parked, allowing her to make the connection for herself.

(never actually been to virginia beach but we'll just goooo with it. I don't think it's anything too unsual, beaches and probably an amusement pier and probably some casinos. this should be interesting maybe)

--

A wave of relief washed over Alison as a strong hand grabbed hers, leading her gently through the thin layer of smoke and dim lights to the exit. They made it outside and she took a breath, savoring the taste of the pure air. Her skin felt slightly feverish after the nectar, and it was all that she could do to pray that the drink hadn't been too spiked. She felt okay for the moment, and that was what mattered most right now. It took her a little longer than it should have for Alison to realize that she hadn't let go of Fabian's hand, but she did as she realized it, even though she could kind of use someone to hold on to at the moment. She didn't speak as she began meandering back toward the courtyard with him, at least not until they reached her cabin.

"Fabian- thank you. Not just for just now, but for everything today. I needed that," she spoke, meeting his eyes. She was starting to be confident that she'd found someone in camp that she could trust, a friend, and Fabian was good at listening. He understood what she'd gone through, and that made her happier than it probably should have, but Alison wasn't the best at making friends, and this was definite progress.

Salone would have poked him in the ribs if Riley wasn’t driving. “You evil individual,” Salone stated crossing her arms, not too mad however.  While Riley drove Salone pulled her shorter blonde hair back into a pony tail. Her wavy hair still hadn’t quite recovered from being cut off right after Riley’s and Salone’s first breakup. The dirty blonde hair fell slightly past her shoulders and flipped out at the end.  Salone changed the station in the truck again before kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet underneath her. 
She jolted from her daze when the car stopped, the daughter of Anubis stretched looking around. The look of understanding finally crossing her face; the beaches were made of white sand and were absolutely gorgeous.  Salone’s brown eyes flicked over to Riley, shock flitting across her face. Her eyes dropped to the black swim shorts, exposing the prosthetic.
“Are you sure?” She asked, hesitant. It would draw eyes and Salone knew he felt very self conscious about it. At his response she unbuckled and slid over to the middle seat right next to Riley, waiting for him to turn off the engine before kissing him. It was very apparent that Salone was going to take her own sweet time getting out of the car.   
**
Fabian looked down at her, seemingly studying Alison. She seemed shaken, clinging onto Fabian’s hand.  He may have been losing the circulation in his fingers but he didn’t mind. He spun her playfully to help relax her.  Then they were crossing the cabin courtyard and at Alison’s door.
“Don’t mention it; I’m always around to help people.”

Fabian indeed was, after he had gotten over his bad guy phase he was somewhat decent.

Riley couldn't help but grin stupidly as Salone realized where they were; the look of recognition on her face was priceless until she turned to him, evaluating his situation. He glanced down at his prosthetic himself, doubting himself for just a moment before shaking his head, looking to her. Today, he didn't really care what people thought about his leg. It was able to withstand water, and even though he only had one leg he could still swim and so he was going to, grateful to even be able to be alive, walking, nevertheless swimming. People could stare at him all they wanted, but in truth he'd just be doing the same thing as them: living his life. 

"I've never been surer," he spoke, his grin widening slightly as he cut the engine, and all of a sudden she was there and kissing the sense out of him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her to him and allowing Salone to set the pace; after all, they were in no rush. It was only maybe a minute before he'd all but forgotten his own name before there was an insistent barking from the back seat and Dog jumped over onto the front bench, breaking between them and swishing his long tail expectantly, smacking Salone with it. 

"Hey!" Riley protested, flustered and slightly annoyed at the dog for the moment. He pushed him to the side before pulling Salone in for another quick kiss, reaching into the back and pulling out a beach bag after breaking it. "My mom insisted upon putting some stuff together for you," Riley said, handing it to her before stepping out of the car and stretching for a few seconds, adjusting himself before hooking a leash on Dog and letting him relieve himself before unpacking the rest of their stuff for the beach. 

--

Alison couldn't help but giggle as Fabian twirled her around; she felt as if she were three again, her mother standing her on her tippy-toes, dancing with her to music only they could hear. She realized that she was still clinging to his hand and she let go of it quickly, her cheeks flushing as guilt ran through her veins. He spoke and she felt a faint twinge in her gut; he seemed so genuine, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. She climbed up a step to her cabin, looking at him for a minute before glancing away, hiking the bag with the Wonderland book up her forearm. 

"I'll keep that in mind," she said softly, smiling. 

"See you, Fabian," she spoke, glancing back just once before entering her cabin.

Salone's arms were in the process of wrapping around Riley's neck and getting thoroughly tangled up in the kiss when Dog interrupted much to her displeasure. The creature seemed to be making a habit of interrupting romantic mush. 
Salone gave the dog a dirty look and he just looked pleased with himself, "Your mom put him up to it." She confided in Riley, removing her hands from his hair, her heart rate lowering, and still tingling lips. 
Riley just laughed at her and gave her another kiss and while he did so he retrieved a beach bag from behind the drivers seat. 
Salone took it hesitantly and opened it.
"Hades no..." She mumbled turning scarlet. "Remind me never to let your mom go shopping for me again."
Salone pulled out a bright red bikini and gave Riley a wounded puppy look. She did not wear bikinis... it made her feel like she was strutting around the place naked. Salone had gotten over the staring at scars on a long time ago so that wasn't much of an issue... The fact she wasn't as flat chested as she wanted to be at the moment was the issue. 
Not to mention a few other things in the bottom of the bag she was NOT going to show her boyfriend and snacks... like chocolate... Salone pulled out a bar and opened it, nibbling on the edge. 
**
Fabian bowed at the waist, holding the door for her.
"Night Princess," With that he left for the egyptian cabin, ready for sleep and a lion tussle.

Riley let Dog hop into the trunk of his car before returning to Salone for a moment, laughing and blushing slightly as he realized what his mom had packed for her. She dug through the bag, making a face, and Riley decided that he didn't even want to know what was within it. She pulled out a chocolate bar, and Riley leaned in and stole a bite. For that she'd probably punch him, but he could deal with that. He kissed her cheek, feeling so happy to finally be free. 

"We can get you something else, or you can just wear a shirt over it, or you can go naked, it's your choice," Riley spoke, teasing her and smirking; now she was really going to punch him. 

"Seriously though, if you don't want to go swimming there are plenty of other things to do here," he said. He didn't quite understand what aversion she had to the bikini besides the fact that it wasn't a style he figured she'd typically wear, but he knew she was insecure and he wasn't about to push her buttons. Plus, he wasn't one of those misogynistic guys who only wanted to see his girlfriend in a bikini, although he certainly wouldn't mind that. What? He was still a teenaged boy, despite all that he'd been through.

(riley doesn't want to know but now liz is curious LOL)

Salone smiled wanly before coloring at his naked comment, “Well, I think you would prefer the naked option.” She stated in a blunt and teasing manner. “But I think I will grin and bare it.”

Salone winced at her choice of words, bare… talk about scandalous. “Besides, that is not proper payment for stealing a female’s chocolate.”  

There was a quote that said, ‘If you wanted to take over the world, you better control the chocolate distribution. That way you would have the entire female population on your side…’

With that she got out of the truck, holding the bag close to her so Riley couldn’t try and steal the rest of the chocolate. Salone walked over to the changing room and changed into the items Mrs. Peterson had packed for her.  It did feel like she was wandering around the beach in her underwear… but there wasn’t much she could do about it. So Salone pulled on a pair of jean shorts and wandered back, dumping her back were Riley had put everything on the beach. Already she could feel the eyes on her back, showing the silvery scar running over it. Riley was getting a few stares to for his leg but Salone quickly cleared that up by sneaking up on him, being careful so he wouldn’t lose his balance, and wrapping her arms around his chest.
“Boo,” She tickled him slightly.

((ehhh typical female things… ))

While Salone went and changed Riley set up their spot on the beach, pitching up an umbrella and a blanket and their food and everything that they could possibly need. Thankfully, the beach wasn't too crowded that day, but Riley still received his fair share of stares for his leg; he decided against taking off his shirt for the moment, because the scars he'd received would just draw more attention. He was growing more and more fidgety by the second, and he jumped slightly as Salone enveloped him in a hug from behind, leaning into him. He wobbled slightly on the sand, but he was able to support himself.

"Hey," he spoke, grinning and turning around to face her. "You almost made me fall, thanks for that," he teased, not all that angry about it. He glanced at her; she'd changed into her swimsuit, and a guy would have to be blind not to see how great she looked in it, despite her modesty. She was thin and toned- granted, she was probably more toned when she was healthier, but nonetheless- and the fabric.. Riley tore his eyes away from her, his cheeks flushing. He knew that she knew what he'd realized and he was embarrassed about that so he kissed her, quickly but fully before Dog all but had a spaz attack. 

Riley pulled back and he was about to speak when a little curled redheaded boy bounded over to them, practically jumping out of his skin with excitement as he noticed Dog, who was one his leash attached to their cooler so he wouldn't run away. "Doggie!" the boy shouted in delight, clapping his chubby hands together before looking to the couple. 

"Yeah, doggie," Riley said, smiling slightly. The boy's eyes widened as he looked at Riley, whose expression shifted as he looked away from the child, uncomfortable. 

"Is that a mechanical leg?" the boy asked, looking at him in astonishment and a little bit of horror. "What happened to your real leg?"

Salone smiled faintly under the kiss, though a few seconds ago she had been blushing furiously under Riley’s eye as he inspected her. It was the flattering kind of inspection however, so she didn’t mind to much.

Her eyes widened faintly at the kid, a memory flashing in front of her eyes… a little girl with black hair and pigtails, gap toothed.
‘What happened to your face?’
Salone came to the rescue immediately, recognizing the look  of uncomfortable and fear of being judged. She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her lips to his cheek before responding for him.

“He saved his sister from a really bad man and while trying to get away he got hurt.”
The adorable little kid’s eyes got wide, “So he’s a hero?” The little kid started bouncing up and down some more.
Salone flashed the kid a smile, “He’s so much more than that.” Then she gave Riley a kiss.

“EWW!” The little kid protested causing Salone to giggle and the kiss to be short lived.

Riley grinned as Salone wrapped her arms around him, his cheeks warming as she spoke about him. The kid was adorable, and some part of Riley was relieved that he was so accepting, but he was more focused on Salone at the moment, leaning into her kiss. Regardless, he couldn't help but grin at the boy's reaction, and so he pulled back, meeting Salone's eyes for a second before sitting down carefully next to the boy on the blanket. 

"It looks different, but it's just like your leg. It lets me walk and run and swim when I want to," Riley said, stretching his legs out and showing him. The boy's eyebrows furrowed before he looked back up at Riley. 

"That's AWESOME! I want one!!" he shouted, bouncing up and down a little bit, and Riley just laughed and shook his head. 

"Trust me dude, you don't want one of these, but you can be a hero without one. Plus, if you're a hero, sometimes you meet a pretty fellow hero," Riley said with a wink, reaching up and grabbing at Salone's hand with a goofy grin on his face. He looked away, scanning the horizon for this boy's parents. They must have been nearby. Sure enough, a woman nearby seemed frantic, her eyes flitting about in search of something. 

"Are you missing something?" Riley called, smiling slightly as the woman made her way over to them and snatched up her son, who protested as she planted kisses all over his face, scolding him for running away.

Salone punched Riley in the arm lightly before moving to kneel behind him on the massive blanket. Her hands found the back of his neck and the sore muscle and she began to kneed at it, slowly.  One of Salone’s few hidden talents were massages, she had quite powerful hands. She had watched the entire exchange with the small child and Riley.

“Reminds me of Disney,” She mused, her hands moving down his back before she stopped and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Minus the monsters and two facial scars.”

The cut she had received across her face at the school was healing nicely and it didn’t stand out as much across her face. Though her skin wasn’t as tanned as it was when they first met, the tan had defiantly vanished just about. Salone rested her head on Riley’s shoulder.

The boy's mother apologized, and Riley just grinned and said it wasn't a problem as the mother walked away with her chubby, protesting child in her grasp. "Thanks," Riley told Salone, who all but attacked him once the woman had left, punching him lightly and moving to give him a massage, which he had not requested but which he had to admit felt pretty darn good. She spoke, and he thought for a little while before responding, turning his head and kissing the edge of her scar very gently. Despite all of their negative connotations, it was Salone's scars which had initially piqued Riley's interest; Salone was brutal and hard-edged, but he'd been able to see through to her vulnerability, and it intrigued him. Plus, she was really quite pretty beneath all of her old scars, and even with them that had been obvious. 

"It feels like it's been forever since then," Riley said softly, reaching up and grabbing one of her hands, taking it in his and watching as he laced their fingers together. He glanced down at his leg; they'd both gained and lost a lot during the past year or so, some things more significant than others. He vaguely recalled a conversation they had a while back, about Salone wanting to go back to school. Now that they were both of age if was a definite possibility, but Riley wasn't so sure where he was meant to be. He had technically "graduated" with great grades, and he could do whatever he wanted to-with some limitations, due to his leg- but he wasn't even sure what he wanted to do. Now that the military option was completely out of the question, he felt lost; the one thing he was sure of was that he wanted to be with Salone, but still, he wasn't sure if even that was feasible, depending on their situation in the future. He frowned slightly, feeling vaguely guilty about bringing up the subject, but he was curious as to how she'd react.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Riley asked, looking to his girlfriend. For the first time it felt like they had a world of possibilities at their fingertips, even if those possibilities were tainted by the inevitability of their fate as demigods. "Once we get back to camp, about school," he explained.

Salone felt his lips brush across her skin at the corner of her jaw line, raising gooseflesh.  She closed her eyes, almost sleepily but she was indeed relaxing against Riley. His callused hands were warm against hers; she knew what would come next. His fingers would run along her bare skin tracing absentminded patterns while he delved deep into thought.

“It does… almost two years ago though,” Salone murmured against his neck as the heat beat down on them.  It seemed so long ago… being kidnapped, seeing Danny, her boyfriend dying, as well as their break up and the heart problems. Salone hadn’t had issues with her heart in so long… she had all but forgotten about it. 

"So, what do you want to do now?" He asked.
“Elope,” Salone stated jokingly before sobering up at the explanation behind his question. School? She wanted to do that very much and now that both she and Riley were of age it seemed like a much more realistic goal.  Eloping was too but she strategically chose not to mention that. Briefly she wondered if Riley had that engagement ring still out of curiosity.

“School?” The Daughter of Anubis asked, raising her head and shifting her position so she was sitting next to him rather than leaning against his back.  “Getting my GED would be nice before I turn 19. That’s when they boot out campers don't they? Maybe find a job and get an apartment… “


Salone trailed off, watching Riley’s face for a reaction. She had been thinking about moving out of Camp for quite some time. Jance now had a job and was currently house hunting. For some reason, that appealed to Salone, being somewhat normal. As normal as she could anyway.

Riley didn't have time to hide the look of surprise that crossed his face when the first thing that Salone so casually mentioned was eloping. It certainly threw him for a loop; it wasn't that he was against marrying Salone- it definitely wasn't something that he hadn't thought about in the past- but it surprised him that she was so quick about mentioning it, even while she was joking. He had always thought that she would be the type of girl to want to wait a while before getting married to someone, if she were to marry him at all. It also threw him off because- he couldn't think about this now. Quickly he masked his surprise, laughing gently and keeping his hand clasped in his as she moved into his side. 

"I think getting a GED sounds realistic, and as long as you take me with you I have absolutely no problem with you getting an apartment," Riley said, grinning at her and tilting his head in close to hers. "I think I'd like to go to college, but a job would be my first priority," he said, sobering up and looking to her. 

"Gods, our life can be normal, so long as no monsters interfere," Riley spoke softly, wondering at this fact, his voice hardening slightly at the prospect of monsters. He thought of the little boy who'd just approached them, how worried his mother had been. He'd always pictured himself having kids one day, but he knew that it wasn't fair to bring up a child of two demigods. If anything happened to his son, Riley would be a mess; he knew this and he wasn't even a father. He'd never understood how the gods remained so detached from their children, who were so much a part of them.

Salone saw the look of surprise flit across Riley’s face; apparently he was not expecting that suggestion. She smiled in spite of herself, slightly amused.

“Take you with me? Hmmnnn… “ She pretended to muse, “I suppose you can fit into a dog kennel.”
At the look on his face she giggled and kissed him lightly, “Don’t worry; I suppose if you’re good you can sleep with me.”

At his sobering she mused too, what would it like to be normal… to fall in love normally… to go to school normally…


“I think there are some protective things you can do, if the place is small enough. It would take a considerable amount of effort, but I think it could be done. “ She stated this hesitantly, not quite sure how Riley would respond. It would take quite a bit of skill, magical as well as brain and brawn. Unfortunately, Salone did not excel in any of those categories. So, she wouldn’t be of much help.

Riley laughed, working hard to hide his expression as- did she really just?- Salone joked about allowing him in her bed. Still, he imagined leading a normal life, working towards simple things and coming home to Salone every night, and it sounded almost too good to be true. After all the craziness they'd been through, Riley craved normalcy like a toddler craved attention. 

Salone spoke apprehensively, and his arm tightened around her waist. They couldn't afford to live in such an open situation, where they could be attacked so easily, but it would be hard to utilize magic to their advantage. Still, Riley desperately wanted to try to make this all work. 

"We can definitely try," he said, looking to her. "And if worse comes to worst, we start over again," he said simply. All of this talk was getting too serious too fast, and they were supposed to be having a fun day, at least for the moment. Riley spotted a bunch of bathers in the ocean, and before Salone could protest he'd tugged her to her feet, pulling off his shirt and deciding that people could stare at his scars all they wanted and  he wouldn't care. It wasn't like he looked bad; in fact, Riley had maintained a lot of his muscle mass after returning home from Italy, and so he looked great, despite the scars that marred his skin. 

"Come on, we're here to swim, right?" Riley asked, grinning slightly as he watched her, a devious glint in his eye.

Salone smiled at the idea of starting over, it seemed like a bliss filled idea. She snuggled into him slightly as his arm tightened and then made a noise of protest at him standing up and announcing he was going to get wet.

“But I was comfortable,” She stated stubbornly before her attention was caught by a surfboard rental place across the beach. Not to mention Riley was looking good without his shirt on, causing her to grin crookedly. So Salone took off her shorts that had been hiding the bottom of her bikini and trotting over to him, placing her hand slightly on his back, giving him the once over.
“You’re scars don’t look to bad, they are fading slightly.” Salone flashed him a smile before asking, “You sure about getting into the water?”


The young woman sounded concerned while double checking Riley’s resolve to get wet.  Upon his affirmative answer Salone stormed into the warm waters, clean up to her belly button.

"Thanks," Riley said, shooting her a crooked smile before nodding, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm sure," he affirmed, at which point she sprinted away from him, straight into the water. His stomach turned slightly; lately, it had been much easier for him to refrain from shifting, but it still drained him a bit. Carefully he walked into the water up to his knees, testing his boundaries before deciding that he was fine and diving under the water, swimming up to Salone and hooking her around the waist when she was least expecting it. 

"Hey," he breathed, shifting his gaze from her to the horizon quickly, where he could see a wave beginning to form. Still, he held her hostage. "What's up?"

Salone shrieked as Riley scared her, wrapping an arm around her thin waist and pulled Salone to him. Calming down slightly she gave him a, 'can't believe you just did that.' 


"Oh, nothing much. You now smell like sea water." She pressed her nose to his arm to prove her point. Sniffing dramatically, letting her nose trail over his bicep, ended with her chin sitting on his shoulder, and Salone standing on her tiptoes.
"Oh, and there is a wave."

"Is that a bad thing?" Riley asked, quirking an eyebrow at her and grinning. He felt the slightest tingling sensation of his powers longing to come through, and to stop himself from thinking about it he leaned in and kissed his girlfriend, pulling away just in time to allow her enough time to duck under the wave, his hand in hers. 

"Sorry about that," Riley spoke after he emerged from the water, taking a breath. Surprisingly enough, his leg wasn't giving him any problems; the swimming he'd done during physical therapy must have paid off. Dog jumped into the water and Riley shook his head before he splashed Salone, grinning. They proceeded to be silly teenagers for maybe an hour or two before Riley absolutely needed to get out of his water. The skin of his fingers had begun to prune, but that was mostly normal. Still, he made sure to towel himself off well when they made it back to their spot before all but collapsing atop their blanket, lying out in the sun and waiting for Salone, Dog had returned to his spot a while ago and looked at Riley like he was crazy for going into the water. Riley poured out a serving of dog food and some water for his pet before grabbing a sandwich from the cooler, starving. Salone joined him and they sat for a moment, eating and taking in the views of the ocean. 

Riley wasn't really sure what possessed him when the words fell from his mouth so easily.

"Have you ever thought about having kids?" he asked, glancing at the redhead boy from before who was staring at him from beneath the hat his mother had forced upon his head. It was only after a few seconds, after Riley thought of all of the repercussions of his suggestion, that Riley flushed, preparing to attempt to cover for himself.

The water lapped at her calves and Salone giggled at the look her gave her, the arched eyebrow and the crooked grin. After the kiss ended she came up sputtering from the wave and she followed Riley back to the beach. Flopping down on her towel she ran her fingers through her hair and Salone helped herself to a sandwich. It was a very delicious sandwich Salone thought. So did Riley as he appeared to be wolfing his down. 

She grinned at him lazily and had stretched out in the sun, soaking up the sun and the heat like a sponge.

"Have you ever thought about having kids?"  Riley asked.


Salone stiffened slightly before sitting up to look at him. He apparently hadn’t thought his question through and so she relaxed a bit after the weird look crossed his face.
“Be careful how you phrase that next time,” Salone laughed slightly before she genuinely thought about this question. Her mother had been a terrible mom. Abusive and alcoholic, Salone was lucky she hadn’t been taken by child protective agencies



“I don’t know if I would… I guess…” Her brow crinkled as she stared at the lapping waves. “I guess I’m scared of being like my mother. I love children I really do, its just-“ Salone was at a loss for words, having difficulty describing her emotions. So she shut her mouth and rested her chin on her knees…  

Guilt pooled in the pit of Riley's stomach as he watched his girlfriend, who seemed to be way too conflicted about this idea for a teenaged girl. As soon as she mentioned her mother, Riley knew the root of her worry, and he wrapped an arm loosely around her waist, looking out at the ocean. 

"Something tells me that you're nothing like your mother," Riley said softly, smiling slightly and allowing her to consider this. "It doesn't really matter, I suppose. It was a stupid question. I was just... thinking," Riley said decidedly after a moment. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he felt like she could see straight through to to his innermost thoughts and desires.

"I've always figured I would have a kid eventually, but in the years since I've become a demigod I've wondered if it's the right idea... it's scary," he admitted, glancing down at the sand. He'd seen a good deal of loss. If it was his own son (or daughter) who was killed, Riley knew he would be beside himself, beyond consolence.