Hunter didn't really sleep that night. As soon as he saw Ethan and Arabella talking and smiling and hugging, it felt like someone punched him in the chest. He wasn't sure why. It felt like she was cheating on him, but they weren't together. They were friends. Just friends. That's all they were allowed to be. And now he was here, laying in bed and trying to just sleep until next summer. Every time he closed his eyes though he could see her looking up at him as he pulled her up from her sand angel. They way that her cheeks reddened ever so softly and she looked away, brushing her hair behind her ears. He would see her standing on the porch of the Aphrodite cabin about to say good night, but kiss him on the cheek. That would make him think about the way her lips felt against his, so innocent, but electric, when she kissed him during capture the flag. It would always make him realize that she was friends with Hunter, but she loved the guy who saved her. The one that she had never really gotten a good look at. The one she now thought was Ethan. That feeling would always wake him up. That feeling that it was too late.
"Hunter. Hunter, wake up." Hunter let out a heavy sigh and finally rolled over and looked up at the blurry face of Jake. "Hunter, I'm leaving and I'm not going to let you mope around all day, so now you're going to help carry my bags." He dropped a gym bag on his chest and Hunter groaned a little at the surprise. "Come on. Get dressed. I'll be outside." Hunter pushed the bag onto the floor then swung his legs over, his barefeet landing on the stone floor. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face, quickly running his fingers through his hair, before standing up and stretching the sleep out of his body.
"Worst day of my life." He groaned as he slipped out of his pajama pants and into a pair of jeans. He pulled on a plain white t-shirt then grabbed Jake's bag, stepped into his shoes, and walked out. "Since when are you leaving?" Hunter asked Jake who was leaned up against the wall by the door.
"Well," Jake said, grabbing his bag off the ground. "I'm pretty sure I told you at some point during all this saving Arabella business, but I was pretty sure you weren't listening, so this could be my fault. I'm blaming you though." Hunter nodded and yawned a little.
"That's typical," Hunter said, as they walked to the top of Half-Blood Hill. "Sorry, man. I guess I was a little inconsiderate." He patted him on the back as they stopped at the top of the hill and looked down at the station wagon that waited him. Jake set his bags down and then put a hand on Hunter's shoulder.
"If you want to make it up to me, then don't just mope around for the next nine months, okay?" He said with a laugh. "I know it sucks. It happened to me, remember?"
"Yeah, you're right once again. That's like a record for you." Hunter laughed a little then handed him his bag. "I'll see you next summer, man. Your mom is looking a little upset." they hugged briefly then Hunter watched as Jake descended the hill with his bags and got into his mom's station wagon, driving off and finally disappearing behind the trees. Hunter took a deep breath and turned around, looking down at camp from the hilltop. He had 9 months and no friends. That when it was really sinking in.
He slowly made his way back to his cabin where he grabbed his sword and made a mental note to grab a new shield at the Hephaestus forge on his way to the arena. What else was he supposed to do? The climbing wall was always full early on a Sunday. Nothing else really appealed to him. Fighting could maybe relieve some of the stress he could feel building up. He tied his sheath to his waist then headed out of his cabin, turning and closing the door behind him, just as someone pushed him back inside.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hunter asked, turning around and shoving his attacker. "Brett?" The sandy blonde haired child of Apollo stood in front of him, rage in his eyes, but also a sense of urgency. Brett pushed him up against the back wall and held him there.
"Look, I'm leaving soon, so let's make this quick." Brett said angrily.
"Hey, Brett, I'm flattered, but I'm very much attracted to women, so I'm not-"
"Oh, shut up! Arabella. Did you tell her?" He asked, releasing him from his pin against the wall.
"Tell her what? That you were lying to her?" Brett threw him a glare.
"Yes, I was lying to her, but you said that you knew and then she breaks up with me and next thing I know, she's talking to Ethan from Ares."
"Yes. I'm aware of that. I didn't tell her though. It was probably the guy who saved her. When he, y'know, saved her. Again." Brett sighed then checked his watch.
"All I know, is that when I find him, he and I are going to have a talk."
"Look at Ethan. Apparently, he did it."
"Not a chance, man. This guy took out a couple of Athena kids then a bunch of evil water nymphs from what I heard. Ethan is good, but he couldn't do all the singlehandedly." He straightened his clothes a moment. "Besides, if she wants to whore herself out to some--" He was interrupted by Hunter punching him in the face.
"I won't let you talk about her like that!" He shouted, shoving him out the door. Brett stumbled toward the door then regained his balance enough to step forward when the door opened.
"Mr. Wilcox, I thought I heard your voice. Oh, hello, Mr. Reed." Chiron said with a pleasant smile. "Brett, it seems your ride is here." Brett nodded then walked over to Hunter, putting an arm around him.
"If you think you have a chance with Arabella, you can not be more wrong. See you next summer, Hunter." Brett said before walking out the door. Hunter faked a smile and walked over to the door, slamming it once they left. He gripped his sword tightly until his knuckles were white and took deep breaths trying to calm down. He blew the air out of his face then fell back against the door, his hair falling again. He exhaled sharply then blew it out of his face again. He watched it as it fell in front of his eye again and he finally gave up.
He stormed out of the cabin and marched straight to the Aphrodite cabin where he banged hard on the door. There was a shuffle on the other side of the door before Daniel opened the door.
"Geez, Hunter, what's the fuss?"
"Cut my hair. All of it. Just...make it look good. I'm sick of this stupid long hair thing. I want it gone." Danny raised an eyebrow then looked him up and down a moment then stepped out of the way of the door. Hunter walked in and took a deep breath.
"Well, take a seat. Let me get my scissors." He said, walking over to his packed bags on his bed. Hunter sat down in a chair surrounded on three sides by mirrors. Danny came up behind him and sprayed his hair down with a squirt bottle before combing it. "So...What's going on?" He said in a tone that did not lend itself to legitimate interest. Hunter's mind was spinning slightly, giving him pause at the question.
"I umm..." He stammered a little. "Nothing really."
"Well, that's fascinating. Usually, this is a time for gossip, but you're obviously one of the clucking hens that my siblings typically are." Danny said with a scoff as he took the first cut away from Hunter's hair. "Well, since I'm more of the talker, I'll start." Hunter assumed that he would ask him what he was doing over the year, since it seemed that Danny was leaving for some school. Instead, Danny was more...blunt. "That was some number you did on Brooke." He said with a nod. Hunter looked around uncomfortably for a moment only seeing his own uncomfortable face in the mirror.
"I uh...It was all one big misunderstanding really. She wanted to...and I-"
"Let me guess. She tried to pounce on you like a house cat on car keys. You pussied out. She got defensive and kicked you out." Hunter opened his mouth in slight protest.
"I wouldn't say I pus-"
"It's typical of her, you know." He said matter-of-factly. "She finds some new beau, is all cutesy and affectionate for a couple days then tries to mount him like a mechanical bull. When they do it, she dates them for a few more days then dumps them. You saw what happens if they say no." He took a deep breath and cut around his ear. "She waited a long time for you though. I wonder why." He shrugged then cleared his throat. "So, what are your plans for the fall? I'm going home. Back to school for me. There's this really cute boy there and he..." Hunter zoned out since it seemed Danny got into a zone with his talking and Hunter really didn't have anything else to say. He was pissed off.
Hunter was mad at Brooke. She made him care about her then broke it off. She made him feel guilty about the break up. She was just using him. It never had anything to do with him. Danny finished cutting and Hunter stood quickly, handed Danny a couple of Drachmas, and walked out, his hand gripping his sword. He was mad at Brett. He insulted him and Arabella and more than that, he gave Ethan the idea to lie to Arabella. Hunter was mad at his family. For not being normal. Or even close to normal. He imagined going back to a suburban life and going to school, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. His aunt was too busy with the kids she actually wanted. Hunter walked into the arena and made a beeline for the closest dummy before drawing his sword and angrily striking the wooden dummy, splinters falling from the wooden frame and dusting the floor below. As he slashed and cut and sliced he could feel his angry going away. The layers peeling away. It felt good. Brooke was a bitch. Hunter was better off without her. Without her he never would have connected with Arabella. Brett is a douchebag. He probably always will be. Even after his modeling career takes off and up until he gets mauled by some empousai who bats her eyelashes at him. His family was his family. His aunt didn't ask for the extra kid and he couldn't blame her. He liked it here at camp. It was something he could forgive.
With the layers gone, Hunter stopped, his sword hanging in his hand at his side, his chest heaving with each breath as he looked at the beaten practice dummy. He still felt angry. He just wanted this dummy to go away. He wanted all of it to go away. He wanted to be alone, but at the same time he needed something to take his anger out on. He knew it wouldn't go away until he faced the source though. It took the rest of the layers disappearing before he realized that he was actually angry at Arabella. He lifted his sword again and slashed at the dummy. Arabella made him care about her. She was charming and she was flirty and Hunter couldn't help, but fall in love with her, but then she decided to ignore that. She believed Ethan. Hunter knew that there was something between him and her, but she ignored it and instead went after Ethan. Ethan who was lying to her. As much as he destroyed this dummy, Hunter still felt angry at Arabella. He could be holding her on the beach right now as they talked about what they wanted to do over the next 9 months, but he had missed his chance. She was gone and he was left, alone for the longest 9 months that he would probably ever experience.
He slowly made his way back to his cabin where he grabbed his sword and made a mental note to grab a new shield at the Hephaestus forge on his way to the arena. What else was he supposed to do? The climbing wall was always full early on a Sunday. Nothing else really appealed to him. Fighting could maybe relieve some of the stress he could feel building up. He tied his sheath to his waist then headed out of his cabin, turning and closing the door behind him, just as someone pushed him back inside.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hunter asked, turning around and shoving his attacker. "Brett?" The sandy blonde haired child of Apollo stood in front of him, rage in his eyes, but also a sense of urgency. Brett pushed him up against the back wall and held him there.
"Look, I'm leaving soon, so let's make this quick." Brett said angrily.
"Hey, Brett, I'm flattered, but I'm very much attracted to women, so I'm not-"
"Oh, shut up! Arabella. Did you tell her?" He asked, releasing him from his pin against the wall.
"Tell her what? That you were lying to her?" Brett threw him a glare.
"Yes, I was lying to her, but you said that you knew and then she breaks up with me and next thing I know, she's talking to Ethan from Ares."
"Yes. I'm aware of that. I didn't tell her though. It was probably the guy who saved her. When he, y'know, saved her. Again." Brett sighed then checked his watch.
"All I know, is that when I find him, he and I are going to have a talk."
"Look at Ethan. Apparently, he did it."
"Not a chance, man. This guy took out a couple of Athena kids then a bunch of evil water nymphs from what I heard. Ethan is good, but he couldn't do all the singlehandedly." He straightened his clothes a moment. "Besides, if she wants to whore herself out to some--" He was interrupted by Hunter punching him in the face.
"I won't let you talk about her like that!" He shouted, shoving him out the door. Brett stumbled toward the door then regained his balance enough to step forward when the door opened.
"Mr. Wilcox, I thought I heard your voice. Oh, hello, Mr. Reed." Chiron said with a pleasant smile. "Brett, it seems your ride is here." Brett nodded then walked over to Hunter, putting an arm around him.
"If you think you have a chance with Arabella, you can not be more wrong. See you next summer, Hunter." Brett said before walking out the door. Hunter faked a smile and walked over to the door, slamming it once they left. He gripped his sword tightly until his knuckles were white and took deep breaths trying to calm down. He blew the air out of his face then fell back against the door, his hair falling again. He exhaled sharply then blew it out of his face again. He watched it as it fell in front of his eye again and he finally gave up.
He stormed out of the cabin and marched straight to the Aphrodite cabin where he banged hard on the door. There was a shuffle on the other side of the door before Daniel opened the door.
"Geez, Hunter, what's the fuss?"
"Cut my hair. All of it. Just...make it look good. I'm sick of this stupid long hair thing. I want it gone." Danny raised an eyebrow then looked him up and down a moment then stepped out of the way of the door. Hunter walked in and took a deep breath.
"Well, take a seat. Let me get my scissors." He said, walking over to his packed bags on his bed. Hunter sat down in a chair surrounded on three sides by mirrors. Danny came up behind him and sprayed his hair down with a squirt bottle before combing it. "So...What's going on?" He said in a tone that did not lend itself to legitimate interest. Hunter's mind was spinning slightly, giving him pause at the question.
"I umm..." He stammered a little. "Nothing really."
"Well, that's fascinating. Usually, this is a time for gossip, but you're obviously one of the clucking hens that my siblings typically are." Danny said with a scoff as he took the first cut away from Hunter's hair. "Well, since I'm more of the talker, I'll start." Hunter assumed that he would ask him what he was doing over the year, since it seemed that Danny was leaving for some school. Instead, Danny was more...blunt. "That was some number you did on Brooke." He said with a nod. Hunter looked around uncomfortably for a moment only seeing his own uncomfortable face in the mirror.
"I uh...It was all one big misunderstanding really. She wanted to...and I-"
"Let me guess. She tried to pounce on you like a house cat on car keys. You pussied out. She got defensive and kicked you out." Hunter opened his mouth in slight protest.
"I wouldn't say I pus-"
"It's typical of her, you know." He said matter-of-factly. "She finds some new beau, is all cutesy and affectionate for a couple days then tries to mount him like a mechanical bull. When they do it, she dates them for a few more days then dumps them. You saw what happens if they say no." He took a deep breath and cut around his ear. "She waited a long time for you though. I wonder why." He shrugged then cleared his throat. "So, what are your plans for the fall? I'm going home. Back to school for me. There's this really cute boy there and he..." Hunter zoned out since it seemed Danny got into a zone with his talking and Hunter really didn't have anything else to say. He was pissed off.
Hunter was mad at Brooke. She made him care about her then broke it off. She made him feel guilty about the break up. She was just using him. It never had anything to do with him. Danny finished cutting and Hunter stood quickly, handed Danny a couple of Drachmas, and walked out, his hand gripping his sword. He was mad at Brett. He insulted him and Arabella and more than that, he gave Ethan the idea to lie to Arabella. Hunter was mad at his family. For not being normal. Or even close to normal. He imagined going back to a suburban life and going to school, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. His aunt was too busy with the kids she actually wanted. Hunter walked into the arena and made a beeline for the closest dummy before drawing his sword and angrily striking the wooden dummy, splinters falling from the wooden frame and dusting the floor below. As he slashed and cut and sliced he could feel his angry going away. The layers peeling away. It felt good. Brooke was a bitch. Hunter was better off without her. Without her he never would have connected with Arabella. Brett is a douchebag. He probably always will be. Even after his modeling career takes off and up until he gets mauled by some empousai who bats her eyelashes at him. His family was his family. His aunt didn't ask for the extra kid and he couldn't blame her. He liked it here at camp. It was something he could forgive.
With the layers gone, Hunter stopped, his sword hanging in his hand at his side, his chest heaving with each breath as he looked at the beaten practice dummy. He still felt angry. He just wanted this dummy to go away. He wanted all of it to go away. He wanted to be alone, but at the same time he needed something to take his anger out on. He knew it wouldn't go away until he faced the source though. It took the rest of the layers disappearing before he realized that he was actually angry at Arabella. He lifted his sword again and slashed at the dummy. Arabella made him care about her. She was charming and she was flirty and Hunter couldn't help, but fall in love with her, but then she decided to ignore that. She believed Ethan. Hunter knew that there was something between him and her, but she ignored it and instead went after Ethan. Ethan who was lying to her. As much as he destroyed this dummy, Hunter still felt angry at Arabella. He could be holding her on the beach right now as they talked about what they wanted to do over the next 9 months, but he had missed his chance. She was gone and he was left, alone for the longest 9 months that he would probably ever experience.