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Ash stood there for a while after she left trying to determine what to do next. Dakota had unfortunately not given him anymore instructions. She just left and the worst part was that he couldn't figure out why Dakota had seemed so upset and unhappy when she left. He thought he had done everything she had asked so it couldn't have been him could it?

Ash wasn't sure but he had some time to consider it as the effects of Dakota's charm speak slowly wore off. When they finally did he was left even more confused wondering why he was standing at the forest edge by himself or how he had even gotten there in the first place. His memory stopped short after the kiss and then things were very fuzzy from that moment on. In any case he did eventually make it back to his cabin above all else remembering that kiss and trying to make sense of his lost evening.

Tanya apparently knew a little about Texas history as well. Ash supposed he shouldn't be surprised by that, she was obviously a fairly smart girl after all. Her father also taught military history and considering how many wars and battles and expansions as Texas had seen surely he would have known a thing or two about the state. Still, he wondered just how much the girl really knew and that was answered in short order as Tanya began listing off a few of Texas' most common conflicts showing Ash that she did appear to know her stuff.

The Apollo boy nodded. "You have apparently been studying your American history as well." He commented making note of her knowledge on the subject. "Perhaps you're hoping to follow in your father's footsteps?" With her father being a professor of history it certainly wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think she might want to take up a career in education. In any case it would be a shame to not put that thirst for knowledge to good use.

Tanya definitely seemed to be knowledgeable. As she went into a very one sided discussion about World War II she seemed to get lost a little in her own world. That was fine. Ash was still finishing up his meal and he had no place to be at the moment however when she seemed to stop abruptly and become embarrassed about what she had been saying Ash felt like he needed to step in. "Why are you apologizing? If I had not wanted to listen or if I had some place to go I would have stopped you.You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Ash shook his head. He often times reacted this way when he couldn't understand the reactions of others. Unfortunately empathy was not one of his strong qualities either.

Dakota knew him all too well and she knew that he would rather stay in than go out and deal with the city nightlife. Thankfully the little wink that she gave him told him that she was thinking the same thing too. That was good because a lot had happened for the both of them today and it would be nice for them to get the chance to just spend some time alone with each other. They could relax, unwind...and just have more fun together than they would with the distraction of others.

“Sounds like a pretty good plan Kota.” He smiled at her as he used the pet name he had for her. Ash watched as she called for food and took a seat on the couch as he waited. It was fun getting to admire her like this when she wasn’t really paying attention. She was so beautiful especially when she wasn’t trying and it had been a while since he had gotten the opportunity to enjoy her like this. He guessed now she would just have to get used to it.

“Now where were we?” He said after she had placed their order and put away her phone. “Something about a celebration for two I think.” He slipped his arms around her and pulled her a little closer. “You know I don’t think we’ve even properly said hello yet. Pretty embarrassing considering that we are getting hitched and all.”

The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. That definitely sounded like a subject that he would have avoided in school. Math, science, history, heck, really any of the primary subjects were not very interesting too him. He liked physical activities and being outside. He was rancher and a hunter and books held little interest to him. This book though sounded like pretty dry reading even as far as books went and he was fairly certain that he wouldn't be able to add much to her study even if he had known a lot about it.

"Unfortunately I'm not much on history or philosophy." He said after with a shrug of his shoulders. "All I know is what's past is past and what's ahead is ahead. The second is fate and for the most part it takes care of itself." Ash's views on life were fairly straightforward. Perhaps it was just that his father was Apollo and he knew a thing or two about actions being written in the stars but whatever the case fate had always played at least some part in his decision making process, not so much that he leaned on it as a crutch as some did but enough to know it was there. Another common saying from his friend Alton Jackson ‘Pray for rain all you want but best dig a well while you do it.’ or to put it another way control the things you can control and let the larger matters of life work themselves out. Practical advice that Ash lived his life by and that had served him well so far.

That being said he could certainly understand where the girl got her interest in history from if it was a major part of her father's life. That and the fact that it was looking more and more like Tanya was a daughter of Athena. Either one would have explained her interest in things somewhat more academic in nature though he wondered if there was something peculiar about the Soviet Union that might speak to her. "Tanya, that's a Russian name isn't it? Are you trying to learn about your heritage or something? If so I don’t notice much of an accent."

Ash was not a Russian expert by any means but he could put two and two together and come to the most likely conclusion. Personally that had always been a much more valuable skill in his mind. Books were all fine and grand even though he preferred a good story to a historical commentary any day of the week but when the arrows were flying and monsters were dying book smarts didn't count for much. In times like that it was up to your skill and your ability to think on your feet to make it through. Still, knowledge could be useful and perhaps that was where Tanya's strength lied. There were certainly worse things to be good at than reading and learning after all.

Ash’s words seemed to have the desired effect as the girl seemed to relax a little more after he had spoken to her. She came and sat down by him and began reading again and that told him that she at least wouldn’t bolt if he said ‘boo’…or maybe she would. Whoever she was she did not seem to possess the particular hardness of character that he usually valued in others. A friend had once taught him that while it was okay to feel fear and it was even somewhat healthy to feel it generally it was a bad idea to show it.

This being the case and due to a few other factors in his life Ash wasn’t really known around camp for being very patient with those who couldn’t stand for themselves. Keeping yourself alive was one thing but letting fear control you was no way to live. Not only that but the girl's uncertain tone of voice when she spoke up again told him all he needed to know however. Of course she would always flee at the sight of spiders, she doubted her own capability to handle her fear. Not a very healthy outlook on life in Ash's opinion.

He remained silent on the issue though, at least for now. Instead he went right back to eating his jerky as the girl continued on with her conversation. That she had a phobia of spiders wasn't particularly earth shattering news, he had already seen a pretty good display of that, but her name was one that he hadn't heard before. He added it to a mental list and decided it was safe enough to talk to this one. "The name's Ash." He said simply enough. "It's nice to meet you." His voice betrayed little emotion either positive or negative but he was polite enough when the situation called for it and the girl was right about one thing, there really was no reason they shouldn't at least meet each other.

He wondered for an instant which cabin the girl was in. The Athena kids didn't like spiders but the girl's phobia didn't necessarily mean she was one. Certainly other kids around camp could have the same fear. Still, there was the book the girl was trying to read too and that might say more than anything else about her divine heritage. “What are you reading?” He asked giving the book in her hands a nod. Ash wasn’t really a book kind of guy preferring much more practical pursuits like riding his Pegasus and hunting but he could understand that some found it appealing. If the girl really was one of the Athena kids then a love for books was certainly understandable. Might as well see if it gave him any clues.

He took another look at the girl wondering if she really was as skittish as she seemed. He supposed it was possible but it seemed a little out of place at camp. Oh sure they all had their flaws, Ash set his mind on one thing and rarely saw the bigger picture, but they were demigods. Fear was supposed to be second nature to them. How would she be able to fight or even defend herself against the many monsters and mythological creatures that threatened them if fear had such a hold on her?

There was no rest for the weary or at least or at least there wasn't any for the very suspicious which turned out to be Ash's case. To say he had been busy was an understatement. The Usurpers were at work in the camp, of that Ash had no doubt, and he thought that he had enough proof to make even the most discerning demigod sit up and take notice. The problem was that he couldn't be sure who all was involved in the conspiracy or, and here was the real troubling matter, how deep the conspiracy ran.

Oh sure he could have turned his findings over to Chiron and the centaur would probably take steps to prevent anything bad from happening but how could they be sure that they got everyone? How could they be sure that they didn’t just scatter the Usurpers and lull themselves into another false sense of security? The answer was simple. They couldn't and there in was the problem.

If Ash really wanted to help, and that's what he was trying to do, he had to insure that he had a plan to catch all of the traitors and deal with them in one decisive blow. That was the only way to insure that the problem was dealt with in full. Tear up the weed by the stem and it would grow back. Remove the weed root and all and the plant would be destroyed. As with gardening, so with life and this was his chance, likely the best one he would get, to do just that and destroy the Usurpers for good. Unfortunately that wasn't an easy thing to do with the players were all hidden like they were now and for the most part Ash didn't know all of what he was dealing with until they revealed themselves but that was okay. Ash was patient and he would root out the traitors by himself if he had to.

All of those were concerns for another time however. He needed a break from his efforts. He would not become some back glancing ninny always afraid that a conspirator was lurking behind him in the shadows. Giving in to fear and paranoia at this late stage in the game would be a mistake that Ash couldn't afford and to say that his only concern was finding out who might be plotting against the camp would be vastly over simplifying things. What about Dakota? What about his siblings? What about his life? He had to take a break and that's precisely what he intended to do now as he made his way to the shore of the lake to take his lunch.

He was wearing his old cowboy hat this afternoon and his bow and quiver were hung over his back as he approached the waters. Having spent most of the morning circling trails and marking suspicious activity he looked every bit like he had walked right out of one of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. The jerky he had brought with him for his outing today was already making his mouth water and he was ready to eat. He hadn't expected to have company but as he approached he noticed that he wasn't the only one who had decided to stop at the lake today. A red haired girl was sitting by the water and reading. That was fine. Ash didn't particularly mind sharing his lunch spot. Instead, he inclined his head to the girl enough let her know that he wasn't here to invade her privacy and then picked a good spot, hunkered by the shore and began unpacking his things.

Ash watched Dakota close the distance between them and watched as her lips parted to meet his. He could have pulled away, considering their past and the promises that he had recently made he probably should have pulled away but he didn't want to, not really. He wanted this to happen, wanted to be holding her and kissing her like she apparently wanted to kiss him so when she leaned forward he watched her come and he let the kiss happen willingly.

The kiss, which stated out slow and soft at first, quickly began to heat up as he regained some of the confidence that he had lost after Dakota had left him. He burned against her in his longing for her and before long his tongue was playing over her lips requesting more than just a simple kiss. It felt right holding her like this and it felt even more right having her lips pressed to his. This was how things were supposed to be and would have been if he hadn’t been so reckless. Yet here they were, sharing something that he had thought they would never share again and none of that mattered. Not his honor or his promises or even the fact that she said she didn’t love him. All that was forgotten in the kiss

After what seemed to be an eternity Ash’s good sense finally fought back to regain control. He felt the moment rushing towards him and he was somehow able to pull away from her. He didn’t want to, gods of Olympus kissing her felt so good, but his blood was up and he knew that if he didn’t stop now then he might not at all. He looked at her for a moment in silence. His eyes searched hers questioningly, trying to figure out what this meant, and his head swam in an emotional soup that Dakota had effectively stirred up all over again in a matter of moments. "Dakota..." He began slowly and brushed an errant strand of hair from her face as he tried to decide what to say. “What exactly do you want from me?”