Hunter and Marina laid there for a while just looking up at the sky. They didn't do anything else, really. Talked every once in a while. As Hunter watched the clouds roll by, he felt Marina slide a little bit closer to him. He looked over and saw her asleep. He smiled softly and placed a kiss on her forehead. She moaned a little and yawned before opening her eyes. She looked up at him and smiled softly, taking a deep breath.
"How long was I out?" She asked, sitting up a little and running her fingers through her hair. Hunter sat up and rubbed her back a little.
"Oh, just a few hours." He said with a nod.
"And how long did I actually sleep?"
"About 20 minutes."
"Much better." She said with a smile. Hunter laughed and took her hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his fingers. They sat there for a while and Hunter couldn't help, but think about Arabella for a moment. It was frustrating how much he wanted to have a relationship with her last summer, but he didn't get a chance. And now they were just friends and he had to watch some lying jerk be with her. He had to sit by as she kissed him and hugged him and held hands with him, all while he knew the truth.
"Mmm...I don't want to head back to camp. It's too comfy here." Marina said with a laugh as she leaned into him a little. Hunter smiled over at her. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe Arabella was supposed to be with Ethan. Children of Hermes don't end up with children of Aphrodite. It doesn't work that way. Maybe Hunter was supposed to be with Marina. Maybe this disaster would end up being the best thing. "Something on your mind?"
"Hmm? Oh, no. I'm okay." He said, shaking himself a little. "Just zoned out for a second."
"Are you sure you weren't thinking about whatever made you so awkward around Arabella and Ethan earlier?" She said with a raised eyebrow. Hunter was really glad that Marina was the kind of person who wouldn't get upset about things like this. She wouldn't worry that it's her fault or start freaking out. "I'm not blind."
"I know." Hunter said with a sigh. "It's just kind of complicated and I don't want to-"
"Hunter, I can design and build elaborate triggering devices for weapons grade explosive just by looking at the stuff. There is nothing that is too complicated for me to understand."
"I'm not sure that this can really be compared to-"
"Am I going to be mad or something?" She said, pulling away from him a little. "Did you like cheat on me with Arabella or something?"
"No, no. Of course not." He said quietly. "I just uh...Okay, well. Last summer, I had that whole thing with Brooke-"
"Such a bitch."
"And as a result, I started to get to know Arabella."
"Okay, so you had a crush on her?" Hunter nodded softly and Marina laughed at how nervous he looked. "Hunter, it's just a crush. You obviously got over it, considering that we're together now. And besides, you didn't have much of a chance with Ethan, her superman, waiting in the wings."
"That's the thing, though." Hunter said, clearing his throat. "Ethan wasn't the guy who saved her and it especially wasn't Brett."
"How do you know? It's not like-oh my gods..." Hunter nodded and Marina gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Why didn't you tell her?"
"Well, I was going out with Brooke before I had a chance to tell her before Brett and I was going to give her some time to...heal or whatever, but then Ethan stepped in and then she left."
"Oh, that poor girl...You have to tell her."
"Absolutely not." Hunter said in complete surprise at her suggestion. "I like being friends with her, thank you very much."
"You'll be even better friends once you tell her!"
"No, I won't!" Hunter said with a nervous laugh. "Think about it. If I go to her right now and tell her that I was the guy who saved her twice and not the guy that she's been hanging out with and has been a relationship with for the past several months, I will not be her friend. She will always see me as the guy that broke her and Ethan up. The guy who, apparently, didn't have the guts to tell her about it all until she was in a legitimate relationship. That's why I can't tell her. I would rather be just a friend of hers than the person who potentially ruined her life."
"How would it possibly be ruining her life?"
"Well...Aphrodite works in mysterious ways. What if she's supposed to end up with Ethan? What if Ethan was supposed to lie to her now, just to break the ice for a serious relationship?" Marina took a deep breath then sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She said quietly. Hunter laughed a little.
"You just hate when I'm right, don't you?" She giggled a little and nodded.
"My biggest pet peeve ever." Hunter leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you for being cool about this," Hunter said quietly, slipping his arms around her. She smiled over at him and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"You can always count on me being cool. Cool as a cucumber."
"What makes cucumbers cool?"
"John Gay poem. It's because they are cold to the touch." Hunter stared at her for a long moment.
"You're such a dork." He said with a snort. She laughed then shoved him a little.
"I'm such a dork? Oh, please! How many digits of pi can you recite?" She said, shoving him again. He shoved her back and she tackled him, working on pinning his shoulders to the ground.
"That's different!" He said, rolling so he was on top of her, pinning her hands above her head. "And 50."
"Why? Why would you possibly ever need to know that many?"
"I can--whoa!" She hooked her legs around his neck and pulled him backward, so he was on his back again and she trapped his legs in hers. "What's the point of having a functioning knowledge of John Gay poetry?" She grabbed his hands and pinned his right hand on his left side and his left hand on his right. She took a second to catch her breath.
"Well, what if someone asks me where the phrase cool as a cucumber comes from, huh?" She smiled at him and Hunter wiggled a little, trying to escape. "I can impress people with my knowledge of literature. You can find circumference." He laughed then managed to cross his legs and after a little bit of a fight he had his arms wrapped around her and she had her head down on his chest.
"Good fight." He said with a laugh as he kissed her gently on the lips. She smiled and closed her eyes a minute before shivering.
"I guess, we should head back to camp, now." She said, slowly standing up off him then helping him up.
"Yeah. Let's go." He said, standing up himself, taking her hand, then leaving the cave.