star gazing (open)

[Deleted]

Val sat down along the edge of the lake, smirking as he had finally ditched the harpies around the ares cabin. It was easy enough to do so when you went over the roof when they were trying to circle you and then slip through while they trip the land mines. Easy enough as some of the Ares kinds always got into it, leaving Val to slip away undetected.

The son of dreams watched the water lap gently at the shore under the night wind. Being that he couldn't sleep anymore really, he hated being cooped up in his cabin. He still didn't understand why Chiron didn't give him a pass at night. Maybe it was good training? Still, it was worth it for the view.

Val smirked, pulling his back pack off as he looked at the stars, pulling a six pack of Pepsi out. He had been saving having his first soft drink for a special moment, and being at peace under the stars, just being at total peace, it seemed like a good time to have his first pepsi. He popped the top, a little scared as it sizzled but calmed. He saw people drinking this stuff all the time. It couldn't be that bad. Val took a sip, feeling the Liquid sizzle down his tongue. His eyes went wide and he nearly spurted it, swallowing it and coughing. "Holy Hephaestus in a hand basket," he said, looking at it. How did people drink this all the time. Val took another sop, finding it a lot easier knowing what to expect.

"This isn't bad," he thought, smiling as he took a big sip, a giggle slipping loose. Caffeine affecting him. "So this is what they call a Caffeine high. it's....Funny," he said, chuckling and sipping it a little, looking at the stars again. They were damn beautiful. "Wonder where the constellations are. I need to learn them soon." He wished be took that constellation book from the Athena camper that offered it. It would be a great read right then.

[Deleted]

The night had been peaceful at last. All of Bryn's siblings were fast asleep, and the calmness of night had settled onto the camp. As much as Bryn loved the sunlight and daytime, she enjoyed the brief moments of utter peace that she got after lights out. At least, she was usually able to. The faint sound of an Ares Cabin land mine being set off made her sit up. None of her siblings stirred. It wasn't as if harpies setting off some of the crude "decorations" of the Ares cabin was anything new, but it was still annoying. Slowly and quietly, the young demigod slipped from her bunk and crept towards the window.

It was a clear night, devoid of any clouds to obscure the mass of stars strewn across the inky black. The moon illuminated the surrounding Cabins with a heavenly glow. Everything was still. Except for the figure making a run for the lake, that is. Bryn frowned, what idiot was scampering about like Harpy bait?

She glanced back at her Cabin mates who were sleeping. Should she wake up her leader? She sighed, deciding against it. She would catch the rule-breaker, send them back to their Cabin, and get to sleep in no time flat. But it would be so much easier to just let the kid be caught by a counselor, wouldn't it? The only reason someone would slip out at this hour was if they were hiding something. . .

Curiosity won over, and Bryn was pulling on her boots and a thick jacket and slipping out of the Cabin. It was rather chilly, but no wind was blowing. She took a minute to just listen, and when she was positive no harpies were nearby, she began to slowly make her way down to the beach, jumping at every little noise and nearly turning back three times. After what seemed like forever, the path deposited the daughter of Apollo at the lake. She released the breath she had been holding and scanned the area.

A lone figure was seated before the lake, a lump beside him in the moonlight she could make out the small tins of soda. She blinked, no outside elements were allowed in camp. She had been forced to give up her cell, as it was like a beacon to monsters. The figure took a soda, and after the telltale snap of the top, he muttered something to himself.

Bryn frowned, this kid was risking being eaten by the harpies for a soda? She would have assumed he was from the Aphrodite Cabin considering the idiocy, but that was incorrect for two reasons: Aphrodite spawn believed religiously on "Beauty Sleep," and Bryn herself was also risking potentially being harpy feed by following the kid out here. She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, huffing. It was much too late to just head back now. She glanced over her shoulder one last time before starting towards the lone guy, the earth crunching underneath her heavy boots.

"Ahem," she started as she neared the boy. She hugged her jacket closer to her, as her pj pants and shirt weren't exactly meant for blocking the outside elements. She froze for a moment, trying to think of what she was even supposed to say. What had she been thinking? That just because she showed up that the guy would listen to her if she told him to go back to his Cabin? It wasn't very likely. "It's, um, a bit late for a picnic isn't it?" She glanced at his raggedy backpack and pack of Pepsi. Jeez, it'd been a long time since she had a proper soda.

[Deleted]

Val literally did a spit take of Pepsi as someone came up behind him. He started coughing, wiping his face and turned around, trying to see someone through the darkness of the night. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve on his wrist, the surprised lessening. He put the can down, saying," Dear Morpheus, You gave me a heart attack." he put a hand where his heart was, feeling it pounding. As he calmed down, he realized something. "So, this is what it is like being surprised." He smirked, continuing," I finally get that expression now. Giving someone a heart attack. I always thought it was just something foolish." he chuckled, loosing track for a moment as he experience new things.


Val paused, not sure how to answer that. "Um, what is a picnic?" He wasn't sure what that was. He never saw a dream of what that was. So, what was this thing she was calling a picnic? Val scowled, unsure and hating that he didn't know. "Why is there a set time for having them?" he asked, looking back at her and catching her looking at his cans.

The son of dreams smiled, knowing what want was. He set his down, and grabbed a can and ripped it out of the plastic, and tossed it to her. "Have one," he said, smiling and picking his up again, turning around again and leaning back, taking another sip. He sighed, pleasure on his taste bubs from the Pepsi. it was a little sweet to his taste though, but for his first soda he ever had, it was still good. He felt like a kid again almost.

[Deleted]

Bryn stared at the boy for a long minute. Was he teasing her? Surely he knew what a picnic was? The ignorance on his face told her that he was being dead serious, however. She arched her eyebrows, unsure of how to reply now. She did not recognize his face from around the camp, so maybe he was new? Or had just been really good at avoiding contact with other campers. She frowned slightly, daring another glimpse back over her shoulder, waiting to hear the horrible cry of harpies as soon as they were discovered. It really wasn't an experience the daughter of Apollo wanted to have.

Bryn had just turned back to the boy as a Pepsi came her way, and she caught it awkwardly nearly dropping it. He took a swig of his, seeming completely at ease considering the looming threat of being a midnight snack for a harpy. "Um, thanks?" She stood still for a brief moment, staring down stupidly at the soda in surprise.

. . .I'll go back after this one soda, it's been way too long since I had one anyway, she decided finally. She remained standing, snapped the top and took a long drink. Nostalgia washed over her and brought a warm smile to her face. "Good as ever." She looked at the boy curiously. "How did you manage to get these in here, anyway?"

[Deleted]

Val shrugged at the thanks. He had no problem of giving away a soda every now and then. It wasn't like it hurt him. "Don't worry about it. He smirked, and then drained his can. It burnt going down his throat, but he endured, keeping the carbonation in as he chugged half a can down his throat. Once it was down, Val gasped, giggling a little and said," Wow! This stuff actually has a kick. No wonder people drink this stuff!" he Chuckled, looking at the can, then placed it against his head. He tried crushing it, but winced, hurting his own head in the process. "That...looked a lot easier in dreams," he said, putting it into his back pack. He might be new to reality, but he knew what happened if you littered.

"What do you mean? I just walked out of camp and got them," he said like it was no big deal. When you can't sleep and you got time to kill, you can get away with a three hour walk to the closest convience store and back before anyone was the wiser. Just leave around 1 in the morning and be back by five. Stash them under your bed and then wait till the sun's up while everyone thinks your asleep. Though, Val was grateful that he had money on his from taking an order from a Aphrodite kid. He gave him money to get some to. This thing that people called money was just....weird. He still didn't get it's concept.

"Wait, was I not supposed to leave camp, or was it that I can't leave the camp at night. Arg. Your reality rule are so confusing," Val said, grabbing another can and popping it, taking another sip. For being awake for 4 days in a row now, he was taking it rather well really. Though, the whole "rules" thing was still getting him down. Don't do this. Don't do that. Geez. "Question. Are there really rules about everything in reality?"

[Deleted]

Bryn laughed out loud as he smashed the can against his forehead and visibly winced. She had heard rumors about a certain Minor's kids spending a god majority of their life just snoozing away, completely oblivious to the outside world, but she hadn't really put much thought into how they acted. She blanched as he revealed how he had gotten the sodas. Just waltzing out and bringing them back? This kid was either really dumb or a genius.

She took a long drink, focusing on the lake. Her heart still skipped a beat whenever she heard the slightest rustling, and she was prepared to dash back to her cabin at the slightest call of a harpy, but she tried to enjoy the soda in her hand. She tried not to laugh at his comment about "reality rules." What did he expect? A free world?

"Well, it's really better not to leave camp at all," she stated. "Once you leave, it's only a matter of time before a monster finds you. . ." She trailed off and sipped at her Pepsi. "There are rules for everything. To keep people safe, to fit in, to keep order."

[Deleted]

Val's ears perked a little as he heard the bushed rustle a little, looking over and seeing a harpy. He gave a little wave, knowing it. That harpy hated his guts. He could see the rage roll off it, and Val turned away, looking back at the lake. It was so peaceful out here.

"I can get why we shouldn't leave camp. Still, I only got attacked once on the way back in. Some simple harpy's that tried to eat me. Truthfully, their easy to trick." He smirked, knowing that the Harpy in the bushes heard that. Val looked over his other shoulder, raising a finger to his lips in the universal code for Quiet.

"Drat. Rules are so....whats the word that people use?" he asked, the word on the tip of his tongue. Though, the Harpy rushed out of the bushes right then, racing towards him. Val drew fantasy from his side, and stuck it out, stabbing it right through the Harpy.

"Constricting!" Val said, smiling as he pulled fantasy out of the harpy, the monster falling over out cold, stuck in a dream. He smiled, touching the harpy on the neck where he stabbed, not finding a wound. His swords, reality and fantasy, were a set. Fantasy couldn't cut the flesh, but could knock a person out by cutting them or just breaking their will, making them compliant and docile, depending on the amount of Damage. Reality on the other sword was a super sharp sword that never dulled. reality always bit, so that's what his sword did. "That's what reality is," he said, standing up and putting his sword away. He might have lost all his powers and the ability to sleep, but his swords still kept their power luckily.

"I think we might want to get out of here before she wakes up and trys to kill me again." He chuckled, a little giddy from the caffeine in his system. "Holy cow, I feel ready to run a mile and take on the world. Is this what Caffeine does to you?" he asked, looking around as he felt the energy flow through him. He grabbed another can, handing it to her and said," Take it. I can always go grab more."

[Deleted]

"Good Gods!" Bryn stumbled backwards, nearly tripping backwards into the lake as a harpy shot out from the trees. She would have screamed if she wasn't afraid of more harpies finding them. However, even though her heart was absolutely pounding and her legs were ready to carry her back to her cabin without another thought, the boy kept on the conversation, all whilst giving the harpy a good thrashing.

Alright, Bryn thought, her breathing slowly returning to normal. This guy is completely mad. As he inspected the harpy's neck, she saw no wounds, and two sheaths on the boy. She jumped as her Pepsi can let out a crack of protest, and she realized she had been gripping the can too hard. This is what happens when you break the rules, Bryn.

"You're really. . ." she paused, searching for a word to describe this boy, but failed. Instead, she accepted the rest of the Pepsi can, her lips finally turning upward into an amused smile. "Thanks. I appreciate it. Now, let's get back to the Cabins before we're eaten." She let out a short laugh, trying to ease her own heartbeat and calm herself down. "Bryn Ellers, by the way. Apollo Cabin." She would have extended her hand in greeting if not for the two sodas.

[Deleted]

Val stretched his arms above his head, giving her a weird look. "I'm really what?" he asked, curious. Val narrowed his eyes, stopping mid stretch as he looked at her, trying to figure it out. It was like his mind put full power into figuring it out, but he got it when she smiled, letting his arms fall down.

"Why would I go back to the cabin? I can't sle- Oooh, yeah the harpies. Good point," Val said, smiling and grabbing up the last two cans and put them in his back pack next to the empty one. Never litter here unless you want the nature spirits and creatures mad as hell at you. Val pulled the straps over his shoulder, turning away from the lake. He would come back after walking her back.

"Cool. I'm David Valentine, but call me Val. I prefer it, and of the Morpheus cabin." He smirked at the irony. The son of dreams that couldn't sleep. He Shook his head at it, saying," If you want, I can walk you back to your cabin before I come back. I don't like being in my cabin at night. It gets quiet lonely." Not to mention, being cooped up in there all night with nothing to read or do while the Lethe water lamps just sat there, casting their forgetful-ness there. It was just tormenting. It used to be calming for his dreams having that drip drip, but now it just drove him crazy. Being the only one there that was awake most of the time though, he had gotten rid of most of them though.

"So, why so scared of the Harpies?" Val asked, curious. They were scary yes, but they were quiet easy to fool. And being that they weren't that fast on land, it made it easier to slip away.

[Deleted]

It all made sense now. A son of Morpheus. No wonder the boy had been ignorant to half of the terms she used-he'd probably been asleep too long to experience them. She smiled despite the twitching harpy nearby. She took another sip of her Pepsi. "Well it's nice to meet you, Val. I'd appreciate being walked back, in case any more harpies happen by."

Lonely in his own cabin. She held back a sigh. The life of a demigod is such a pleasant one, hm? The one place you can find solace can be the loneliest place on Earth. Her thoughts drifted to her family back home. Her mom, stepdad, and goofy little sister. She'd visited last Christmas shortly, and had a blast, but it always had to end and she would head back to CHB to wait for the next holiday.

". . .Huh? Oh, harpies, yeah," she said, shaking away the thoughts of snowball fights and gingerbread houses. "Well, I wouldn't say totally scared of them really. More like, scared of being eaten, or caught. . . They remind me of Hall Monitors on steroids." She laughed.

[Deleted]

Val smiled along with her at her joke, but didn't get it at all. Why would halls need monitors? Seriously, they aren't going anywhere. Are they? He wasn't sure with reality, but hallways might change, and they might shift in dreams, but they certainly didn't need a monitor to watch them. People.

"What do you mean by...hall Monitors?" he asked, finally giving up on understanding it. "And harpies, even if they catch you, will try to cook you first. Got caught on time, and I managed to trick them into giving me "time to ripen," As I was only good at the tip of an hour. it worked, for...some odd reason and I managed to slip away. They bark a lot louder then they bite half the time." He chuckled at the memory.

"umm, which cabin did you say you we- Down," Val said, grabbing her and shuffling them behind the Athena cabin. Three harpies walked by then, not seeing them due to hiding. Val held a hand over her mouth by habit, barely breathing himself as he watched. he knew those three. They hated him even more then the one at the beach, only those three were smarter then the others. Val didn't even realize that they were pressed together, or how close.

"Okay there gone," He said, stepping away. "Sorry. Those three you don't want to fuck with. They are a lot smarter then they look." He looked at her, cocking his head and asked," You okay? I know they can be scary at times."