little unsteady // september

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It was a cold, damp morning in the mess hall and chatter consumed the proximity. Campers were all excited, but for different reasons. Most talked about the usual topics: latest fashion trends, stories of epic grandeur, and devilish scandals. The noise never seemed to stop within Camp Jupiter—news always found a home in youthful souls and curious minds. Silence was a rare commodity. And for today, Jace and his cohort members relished in the quietude. They sat in the corner of their table, away from the chatter to numbly go about their meal. Jace was placed in his usual spot, between two friends as he ate his oatmeal. Training had been rough and drained them of their usual vigor.

“I mean, you had to be there.” boasted a son of Mars behind their table, lips flecked with purple and white sprinkles as he set his donut down. He rhythmically jabbed the air in front of him. One-two, one-two. It prompted a few giggles and laughs.

Jace rolled his eyes. He had hardly slept, and even though he was only eighteen, the world around him shook as if he was riding a roller coaster. “What a wanker,” a friend beside him snarled, curls of steam escaping her mouth. She shot the boy behind them a deadly glare. “If it was the battlefield, that showboat would be out in seconds.”

“I bet he would.” Jace said indifferently, shivering from the morning cold. His eyes glanced down at his own black shirt and then strayed to the outside. The constant clamor and chorus of laughter drove him near insanity. He needed to be somewhere, anywhere but here. “Alright lads, it’s been fun, but it is time for me to go.” Forgetting everything, Jace rushed out the door to find his own personal sanctuary.

Jace looked here and there, but settled on walking around the outskirts of the mess hall. Just a few minutes before, the area consisted of shuffling groups and identifiable faces. Now it was an empty space. Perfect. He took a deep breath. His hands twitched as he looked into the sky. If only the world could see what he was experiencing. The boy dreamily walked and spent time indulging himself in the aroma of dewy grass and the warmth of sunbeams. It never occurred to him that he closed his eyes; he kept walking to nowhere, enjoying his moment of leisure. That was, until he bumped into someone.

“Whoa!” Jace exclaimed. His heart jumped as he opened his eyes. Realizing what he had just done, he quickly added to his initial surprise. “S-sorry, I wasn’t looking in front of me.” He eyed the boy he had collided into, trying to see if he could recall the face. Strangely enough, he didn’t recognize the person at all. “Are you okay?”

September Storm

[September Storm]

There was nothing more that September hated than the mess hall, except maybe beaches. They had one thing in common- they were crowded. The boy hated crowds, and as hate is a secondary emotion, the feeling stemmed from fear. The anxiety he felt around large hoards of people was overwhelming. He just wanted to get in, get his food, and get out. He'd usually retreat to New Rome for food but he seemed to be lacking in money. The legion got to eat for free within Camp Jupiter, though he had been avoiding eating all day so as not to face people.

Yet here he was, second guessing the action entirely. The boy was no stranger to hunger. His childhood had not exactly been filled with food. Going days without eating wasn't at all unheard of, but at camp he would need his strength for training. He was at the bottom of the Camp's social pyramid as it was, just an awkward member of the fifth cohort. His continuous failing within the war games wasn't helping his image.

He waited for it to clear out a bit before rushing in towards the end of meal time, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans and eyes trained on the ground. At least it was cool out, a rare yet welcome occasion for Sept. Being a son of the snow goddess he flourished in the cold and suffered greatly at the hands of summer. The cool wind against his ice-cold skin certainly calmed him a bit. That is until he smacked straight into someone, stumbling back several steps as a yelp left his lips.

He quickly tried to regain his balance, looking up in shock at that which had intercepted him. He tried to respond to the boy but was a bit taken aback by his striking features. The stranger's white hair and cold blue eyes reminded him all too much of snow and he couldn't help but stare. His voice seemed to be completely failing him so he nodded instead. Considering he went everywhere staring at the floor it was a pretty normal thing for him to walk straight into things and unfortunately people.

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“Are you…” He repeated, looking into the boy’s eyes. “Okay?” His words were moderate, cautious. The boy was oddly still and reminded Jace of a deer in headlights.

After a moment’s pause, the son of Venus slowly waved his hand in front of the boy’s face. He was conscious of his rude gesture, but the person in front of him appeared to be stunned. Jace raised an eyebrow, not sure what he could do to remedy the situation. The adrenaline from the little mishap had woken Jace up, or at least, for now. He imagined little things in his head—should he ask another question? Why was the boy alone? Was he going to the mess hall to eat something? He wanted to get out of the silence; but how?

Jace took a step back—an act of courtesy towards the boy’s personal space. He cleared his throat. “You going to get something to eat?” In a smooth motion, Jace pointed to the mess hall behind them. Turning back to face the boy, Jace hoped he hadn’t made the situation worse. He was a man of eighteen, but he had never experienced a moment like this before and was unsure of what he should do. The stillness was, however, not as unsettling as he first thought it to be. It was still better than being in the jarring chaos known as the mess hall.

“Jace, by the way.” He said, offering a handshake. He gave the boy a shameless once over. “Jace Ryker.”

[September Storm]

The young boy flinched as a pale hand waved in front of him. He was expecting for the hand to make contact with his face and braced himself for the impact. He was taken aback slightly as the stranger stepped away without striking him. In fact, the boy asked him a question. Sept's heart was still pounding in his chest, racing from the fear of getting hit. He was frightened out of his shock however, his small frame shaking quite a bit.

"Oh... Yea, food..." he squeaked, glancing down at the boy's extended hand. He reluctantly took the handshake, his hand quite a bit smaller and being practically swallowed by Jace's. He hated the heat coming off of the boy. He hated the contrast of their skin, as his was as cold as ice. September's powers didn't like it either. The world is obsessed with balance, the transfer of energy. As Jace's hand tried to warm Sept's his body fought it, frost spreading from his palm to the other's.

He quickly whipped his hand away and the frost receded with him. "Sorry," he mumbled, face red with embarrassment. "I'm S-september," he stuttered, struggling to make eye-contact. He contemplated just walking past but decided that would probably be rude. Besides, he was most likely too small to get past the older boy and he didn't exactly want to walk face-first into him for the second time.