Chapter 55: Hunter

Friday, July 12

"No, Jake. The Hulk gets stronger and stronger the angrier he gets." Hunter said, shaking his head. "Doomsday broke Superman's back, so logically, the Hulk could reach a point where he is strong enough to do the same."

"Hulk is not Kryptonian. And that's assuming Hulk even gets his hands on Superman, at all. He has super speed and reflexes, remember?" Jake contested, stopping their walk from the arena back to their cabin. Jake turned to him. "You're also forgetting heat vision and super breath."

"Enhanced speed and reflexes. Size advantage. Thunderclap. The Hulk wins." 

"How? How would this fight go down, huh?" Jake asked, looking Hunter in the eye. Marina cleared her throat.

"Well, if you two are done out-nerding each other, then I'll be going." She said with a laugh before turning to leave. Hunter caught her wrist, and then put a finger to Jake's chest.

"Toppling buildings onto him and burying him, so the sun no longer powers him." Hunter said quietly before turning to Marina. "Sorry about that. Did you need to go somewhere?"

"Yeah. I should probably get some work in on the forge. I've been neglecting it for a while, so I need to play some catch up." She paused for a moment before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. "You been okay, lately?" Hunter took a deep breath and then nodded softly.

"Yeah. Just...distracted. Hopefully, it'll go away soon." He said with a sigh. She hugged him for a moment before pulling away and patting his chest a second. She sighed and then spotted something over his shoulder.

"Speaking of people who would get mad at me for neglecting the forge, Chiron is heading this way. I'll talk to you later." She kissed his cheek again and then waved before hurrying toward her cabin. Hunter smiled a little as she walked, taking a moment to recognize how good she had been to him. He didn't completely deserve it with how obvious his feelings for Arabella were, but she was still there for him. Hunter finally turned around and saw Chiron walking up to them. A second later, a guy about 16 appeared next to him, bags in hand. He was tall and slender, but looked like he was in good shape. A swimmer maybe. He had a black hair shorn close to his head and clear blue-green eyes. That wasn't a good sign.

"Hunter, Jake, I'd like you to meet William-" The guy cleared his throat. "Excuse me-Will Monterey. He's new to camp." Chiron said, putting a hand on Will's shoulder.

"New kid of Hermes to haze into the cabin, Chiron?" Jake said with a laugh. Chiron's smile fell a little and he sighed.

"No, actually. We have another child of Poseidon."

"How is he getting here only now?" Hunter asked quietly.

"Well," Will finally said, "I was claimed when I was thirteen according to that whole bargain my brother made with the gods, but apparently out of all the public schools in the country, the satyrs missed the one school with a B-3 kid in it." Will finished with a laugh.

"B-3?" Hunter asked.

"Big three. Zeus, Hades, Poseidon. The Big Three." Will said, holding up three fingers. "Anyway, I didn't even know about the camp until I bumped into my brother and his fiancee, Annabeth. I was running from this gigantic bull and then boom they show up and take it down."

"Wow! What happened after that?" Jake said, leaning toward Will like he was watching an action movie. Hunter nudged him. Jake straightened up a little. "I mean, it's good you made it out okay." He said with a nod. Will laughed.

"Well, after that, I kind of packed up my stuff and then have been living with Percy and Annabeth until they could drop me here just now."

"I have Percy and Annabeth both waiting for me in the Big house to discuss this, so I must go. I was hoping you two could show him around?" Chiron said with a small smile. "Show him the arena. Maybe get him set up with a weapon."

"Sure thing, Chiron." Hunter said with a nod.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Will, welcome to Camp Half-Blood." Chiron said with a nod. Hunter watched Chiron walk away before turning to Will.

"Alright. Well, as he said, I'm Hunter. This is Jake. We are the sources of all knowledge when it comes to camp." Hunter said, shaking his hand.

"Even more than your Savior of Olympus brother." Jake added, shaking his hand next. "Alright. Well, away we go. We are currently standing among the cabins. That's Hermes directly behind us. This side is for all of the male gods, the big one on that end being Zeus."

"All of the male gods except Dionysus." Hunter corrected. "He's over on the female gods' side at the end there. That one on the end next to the one covered in vines, which is Demeter, is Hera. We stay out of those two cabins, for the most part. Also, don't go into the middle cabin there. Artemis isn't a fan of guys." Hunter said, taking a deep breath. "Next, we have-"

"Who is that?" Will said with a gasp. Hunter rolled his eyes a little. A new guy would always see a child of Aphrodite and immediately he was in love.

"Calm down, Will." Hunter said, turning around. "It's just a child of....Demeter." Hunter finished a little surprised. Hunter looked at Will who was staring intently at a girl walking past the fire toward the mess hall, curly blonde hair tied up in a bun with a few locks falling past her face and arms wrapped around a book held tightly to her chest. She looked at Will as she passed and then blushed a little before going on her way. Hunter didn't really know her name. He had seen her with Kyle once or twice, so he assumed.

"Oh, I've got to get to know her." Will said with a nod.

"He's hair for less than an hour and he already has prospects. Hunter, how is this fair?" Jake protested, sighing heavily.

"Well, he is a child of Poseidon. They just...demand respect or something. I don't know." Hunter said before patting Will on the back. "Come on. There will be plenty of time for girls, later. There's a lot of camp left to see." Hunter said with a laugh. "Let's go to the Arena next."

Chapter 54: Arabella

Thursday, July 11.

"It's just through here" Marina said in the warm tone that he voice always seemed to have as she led Arabella into the Hephaestus cabin.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Marina" Arabella said, glancing around at the cabin. It was a little messy but nothing too extreme. Far from what she was used to in the Aphrodite cabin, though.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all" Marina waved her off and walked over to her bed. She sat down and patted the spot beside her for Arabella. Curious, Arabella gingerly sat down beside her, looking around. There was a moment of nothing then suddenly, the bed was moving. Arabella squeezed her eyes shut until they stopped moving. When she opened her eyes again, they were in a room with a work bench and a lot of tools.

"Well....that was unexpected" Arabella said with a little laugh, looking around and nervously getting to her feet, which were shaking a little. She had never spent much time in the Hephaestus cabin and she certainly hadn't been in the basement. Arabella has always been a little bit curious of the brick cabin, though, and she's always respected the Hephaestus kids for what they could do. She watched as Marina brushed her hands off on her jeans and walked over to the work bench.

"You have it with you?" She asked.

"Yeah, right here" Arabella gingerly placed a delicate and broken necklace into Marina's outstretched hand.

"How did this even happen?" Marina asked as she moved back towards the bench and started to work on fixing the gold. Arabella blushed at her question but she tried to keep her poker face on.

"I'm not even sure" Arabella laughed lightly. "I think it got caught on a tree branch or something like that during the capture the flag game last week" She told her. But that wasn't exactly the truth.

The truth was that Arabella has broken it herself in a rage the previous week. After the game of capture the flag, after Daniel had walked in on Arabella and Daniel, she was left alone in the cabin and she was angry. Arabella was angry about the situation that she was in and she was angry at herself. She had yanked the necklace off because it was the present that Ethan had given to her for her birthday. Arabella was so frustrated with him so she had yanked it off threw it across the room. Throwing it didn't really do too much damage but yanking it had ruined the clasp.

Once she had gotten a bit of sleep, Arabella felt guilty. That had been a present from Ethan and it wasn't his fault that things were getting so complicated, right? It wasn't his fault that Arabella was sending him confusing messages about taking their relationship to the next level. Ethan had asked her about it when he first saw that she wasn't wearing it and Arabella made the decision to get it fixed. It had been a week later, however, when she had some free time and Marina was able to help her.

Arabella was glad that she was getting the necklace fixed but she didn't really care about it anymore. Things with Ethan felt off for the past week and she had been avoiding him as mush as possible. Arabella was embarrassed about what they had almost done and she was afraid that if Ethan and her spent some more time together, he would try to make a move. Arabella didn't know how she would turn him down because the truth was, she wasn't ready. Yes, Arabella loved him and yes, she wanted to be with him in that way but not like this. Maybe once things settled down a little bit and she was feeling a lot better. But for now, she was much too confused and worried to sleep with him.

She let out a sigh and glanced over at Marina, who was busy working on the little necklace. Arabella wished that she could just go back to being able to hang out with Marina and Jake and Hunter. Hunter. Arabella had been avoiding him, too. That moment in the woods during capture the flag had been so awkward and she was left so jumbled up. She just couldn't stand to be around him too much.

Arabella started walking around the room, looking at the stuff. There were a lot of broken weapons and things, waiting to be fixed. She smiled a little bit to herself then glanced over and saw something that made her heart stop. Arabella moved towards a shield that was leaning up against a wall. It was bent out of shape but she couldn't forget it. This was the shield that she had used last summer. This was the shield that had belonged to the guy that saved her, Ethan. This was the shield that she had used to knock out the stupid Ares kid. Arabella leaned into it until she was so close, her breath fogged up the metal. "Where did you get this?" She asked Marina suddenly.

"What?" Marina asked, looking up. "Oh! That was Hunter's shield. I couldn't believe that he was using such a bent shield but he seemed really attached to it for some reason. I meant to fix it but I've been rather busy..."

"Is my necklace done?" Arabella asked in a soft voice, her head spinning.

"Yep! Just finished it" Marina said, holding out the necklace. Arabella took the necklace and tried to force a smile but she failed horribly.

"Thanks, Marina. I need to go" Arabella told her. She wasn't sure how she left. She wasn't sure how she managed to stay on two feet. The next thing she knew, however, Arabella was rushing into the empty Aphrodite cabin and closing the door behind her.

Her breathing was heavy and her heart was pounding. Full blown panic attack. Arabella leaned against the wall and slid down, placing her forehead in her knees. What did this mean? That shield was the one she had used and the one that had belonged to the guy who saved her. There was no doubt about that. How could it belong to Hunter, then? Arabella closed her eyes, wishing that she could just forget about this whole thing.

Chapter 53: Hunter

Hunter sighed a little as he woke up the next morning. Waking up is probably the wrong term. Getting up is more accurate. After the campfire, where he put on a smile for no other reason then to not call attention to how guilty he felt, he went to bed. He walked Marina to her cabin first, kissing her lightly on the lips and telling her good night, then went to his own cabin. He changed into his pajamas and then got into bed. He had managed to keep a tight grasp on his thoughts during the night, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, it was a free-for-all. Hunter tried not to think about anything. He wanted to sleep. He needed to sleep, but inside his head it was like he was just trying to hold onto the canoe as it traversed the rapids.

Marina. How would she feel? Not good, probably. After Hunter talked to Arabella that night, he could barely handle himself. He was so tempted to kiss her so many different times. When he tackled her and was holding himself so close to her. When she was biting her lip in a playful way as she looked up at him. After she left, he needed to confirm that he still had feelings for Marina. They had been dating for this long and he really did care for her. When he kissed her last night, he felt it. He felt what he had been feeling for the past few months. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as strong. He needed it though. He needed to confirm that he still liked her.

His heart ached for Arabella though. Her coming back had only made things difficult and especially after tonight when he had come so close to getting caught as the guy who saved her. He thought about what it could mean. He couldn't just tell her. She couldn't know. She couldn't know that he was the guy who saved her, but he couldn't let her be with Ethan. She was going to be heartbroken when she finds out that Ethan wasn't the guy who saved her. When it was just her friend, Hunter, the child of Hermes. Ethan was the guy that she loved. He was a child of Ares and she was a child of Aphrodite. They belonged together. Ethan based the relationship on a lie, but maybe it was just the starting point he needed. They belonged together.

When Hunter got up, he was in a bad mood. Not a surprise, considering the complete lack of sleep, but still an unwelcome start to the morning. He slid into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing a hoodie and putting it on. He quickly grabbed his sword and left. He was dog tired, but he needed to clear his head. He did that a lot during the past year and it almost always involved either food or his sword and the arena. When he got to the arena though, he couldn't help, but think. As he demolished a dummy with a shield bash and a few quick slashes, his mind wandered again. Maybe sword practice had become mundane enough that he could zone out during.

Hunter practiced everything he could. Moves with his shield. Moves with his sword. Combinations with both of them. Anything that might challenge him into not thinking about his lady troubles. He had pretty much destroyed the first dummy when he took a breath and moved to the next one. It was a Saturday, so Hunter could do this all day if he wanted. It had been about 30 minutes when it turned out he didn't have much of a choice.

"Hey, there you are." Marina said, appearing next to him. Hunter took a deep breath and looked over at her, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Here I am." He said with a little smile. "What are you up to?" Hunter looked up when another person walked up to them.

"Ah. See I told you he'd be in the arena." Kyle said and walked up next to Marina.

"You were...talking about me?" Hunter said, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Not in a bad way. I mean, it was either here or the mess hall. It's basically all you did this Spring, so we figured." Kyle said with a nod. Hunter looked at Kyle, narrowing his eyes a little.

"Well, since it seems you've been talking about me with Marina here, and I don't really know anything about you..." Hunter wasn't sure how he felt about Marina hanging out so much with Kyle, but Marina was okay with Hunter hanging out with Arabella, so he thought he could offer the same courtesy. "Marina, let's talk candidly about Kyle. Tell me about him." Hunter said, jamming his sword into the ground and then leaning against it.

"Well, Kyle is a son of Demeter."

"My dad is--"

"I'm sorry, Kyle. Marina and I are talking. Just one second." Hunter said with a nod. "Please, continue, Marina."

"Well, his dad lives in Kentucky with his sister. She's not a demigod. He goes home every other year, depending on when his stepmother is home. He's a Sagittarius, he likes Chinese food, and thinks that long walks on the beach are cliche."

"Wow. He sounds kind of boring."

"Hey." Kyle said, stepping forward.

"Well, he's a stick person and he's got a goofy haircut. I mean, really the only interesting thing is how easy it is to make fun of him."

"Hey!"

"Yeah. He sounds like it. I mean, why would you hang out with him at all?"

"HEY!"

"Kyle, we're just kidding." Hunter said, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's get something to eat." He said, quickly sheathing his sword then heading out of the arena.

Chapter 52: Arabella

Arabella walked through the woods, her mind racing. She wasn't paying attention to the game, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, she just wanted to get out of there. In her nervousness, everything was making her feel claustrophobic. She was just desperate to get out of the woods and back into her cabin. Everything that had happened in the woods was making her head spin. The fact that Hunter had said what he said to her, before she knew it was him, was making her beyond confused. Why would he say that they had to stop meeting like that? It didn't really make much sense at all, really, and his excuse was just stupid.

Arabella didn't know how she was supposed to feel. When Hunter and tackled her to the ground and spoke to her, she was sure that he was Ethan. He was the guy who had saved her time and time again and it should have been Ethan. He was the guy who had been telling her all year that he saved her. It couldn't all be a lie, could it? Arabella walked out of the woods, in a bit of a haze. In her confusion and her worry, Arabella had missed the ending of the game and so she was a little bit stunned when she saw people celebrating a win. She glanced over to her side and saw Daniel walking towards her with a smile on his face. For his sake, she put a big smile on and hugged him when he got to her. "I'm guessing that we won?" She asked with a forced laugh.

"Yes! It was amazing and now we're going to have to celebrate somehow" Daniel giggled, pulling away and grinning down at her. He paused for a moment then looked off into the distance like he was thinking about something.

"No...Daniel. Just stop the thinking right there and go find your boyfriend" Arabella said with a laugh.

"Oh, you're no fun" Daniel huffed but he hugged her again then ran off to find his boyfriend. Arabella smiled softly as he walked away but it quickly faded again. She didn't know why she was so worried about all of this. Hunter was her friend and Ethan was her boyfriend. They wouldn't lie to her. But why did something feel so off? There was something going on and Arabella was afraid to find out what. She let out a sigh and brushed her hands off on her shorts and she was just about to go back to her cabin when she looked up and saw Ethan. He looked a little roughed up from fighting during the game but he mostly looked upset at the fact that he had lost the game. Ethan walked towards her with strong movements, like he had a purpose. When he reached her, his arms wrapped around her tightly and he held her close. Arabella didn't have it in her to fight back or protest, so she let  him hold her. In all honesty, she was confused and scared but his arms felt warm and strong. Arabella loved him, she really did and at that moment, she needed a hug.


"I'm sorry you lost" She said softly into his chest and he pulled away a little so that he could look down at her.

"I was looking for you tonight" Ethan told her, a small smile playing on the corner of his lips. "I guess I should be happy that I didn't see you and you didn't need any saving" He added with a chuckle. Arabella looked up at him and she thought about telling him that she had a run in with Hunter. But she thought better of it. Things were already so jumbled up in her head and she just wanted to forget about it all. She just wanted to fall into Ethan's arms and forget everything. He couldn't be lying to her. He just couldn't be.

"I had a pretty boring night, to be honest. The Athena kids were on the warpath tonight" She told him with a little laugh. Ethan smiled and he bent down, kissing her softly. Arabella leaned into the kiss, pushing the events of the night to the back of her mind. She was emotional, she was vulnerable and Ethan was making her feel better.

"We should probably get to the fire soon. The Aphrodite kids will want to see their favourite sister to celebrate" Ethan teased, giving her a little squeeze.

"I don't really feel like going to the fire right away" She said softly then glanced down at her legs, which had grass stains on the knees. "Could you come up to my cabin with me? I want to get changed and stuff before I go to the fire" She said. Ethan looked at her for a moment before smiling and nodding. He took her hand and together, they creeped away from the group of campers. Technically speaking, they weren't allowed to be alone together in the cabins because he was a boy and she was a girl. Aphrodite kids seemed to have a talent for getting around this rule, however.

Together, they walked to the Aphrodite cabin. Arabella stepped ahead and she pushed open the door, looking around. Once she was sure the cabin was empty, Arabella walked inside of the cabin, Ethan following close behind her. She shut the door once he was inside and she let out a sigh, flopping down on her bed. "Are you okay?" Ethan asked her, walking over to her bed and sitting down beside her. Arabella was still for a moment before curling up and placing her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She said softly and she closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. "Things have just been a little crazy since we got back from the city. I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed"

"Is there anything that I can do?"

"Just stay here with me" Arabella sighed and she reached up, kissing him a little bit. Ethan leaned into her, kissing her back tightly. As he kissed her, as his fingers danced down her arm, Arabella felt her stomach tighten and her heart race. She was still so confused but part of her wanted to be with Ethan, no matter what. Being with him in that moment soothed her worries and made her feel better. It might only be temporary but she wanted to hold onto that peace for as long as possible. She couldn't be hurt. She couldn't deal with that pain. But in that moment, as Ethan gently laid her down on her bed and he hovered over her, placing gentle kisses on her collar bone, she felt like there was no way he could hurt her. His kisses were urgent but they were passionate and Arabella was sure that it was because he loved her. "I love you" She breathed, keeping her eyes closed and her hands on his chest.

"I love you" Ethan responded and he kissed her tightly, passionately. His fingers danced down her side and he slowly pushed his hand up her shirt, running his fingers along the soft skin of her stomach. Arabella felt so overwhelmed and as he pushed her shirt up, revealing her flat stomach, she got a horrible feeling. Dread, fear, nervousness. Ethan wasn't gentle as he placed kisses on her skin and pressed his fingers into her side. She was doing this for all of the wrong reasons. She was doing this because she needed to be reassured that Ethan loved her.

Arabella was just about to sit up, tell Ethan she was sorry, and change into a pair of yoga pants when the door opened. There was a little yelp from the door and Ethan rolled away from Arabella. "Oh, Arabella, honey...didn't I ever teach you the scrunchie system?" Daniel laughed from the door way. Arabella had never been so happy to see him in her life, even if she was embarrassed.

"I'll, uh, I'll see you at the fire" Ethan laughed it off and he bent down to give Arabella a kiss. He stood up and brushed his hands off on his jeans before pushing past Daniel and walking out. With red cheeks, Arabella fixed her shirt and looked over at Daniel, locking eyes with him. She hoped he knew how thankful she was for him, even without having to say it.

"Would you, uh...." She started, not really sure how to word what she wanted to say to Daniel.

"Tell Ethan that you're going to bed early? Anything" Daniel said with a little smile. He grabbed a sweater from his bed before heading back towards the door.

"Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you" Arabella said in a soft voice and he turned to look at her.

"I love you too, sis"

Chapter 51: Arabella and Hunter

"I swear, if Chiron decides to make it rain again...I might lose it" Daniel muttered as he pulled on a pair of sneakers. Arabella glanced over at him from her her bed and rolled her eyes.

"Come on...the rain was fun" She said with a simple nod and Daniel laughed.

"If by fun, you mean horribly upsetting and totally ruined my hair than yeah....it was a blast" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, aren't you just the biggest downer ever" Arabella scoffed and she tied the laces on her sneakers. She stood up from her bed and pulled her hair back into a braid. "Come on, Princess. We're going to miss the game" She teased and together, her and Daniel headed out of the Aphrodite cabin. "This is going to be so great" Arabella grinned.

"Jake, did you hear teams?" Hunter said, closing the door and making a beeline straight for him. "Dude, it's like Chiron knows the problem and has come to help."

"Yeah. I'm good. Thanks for asking." Jake said, slipping on his jacket. "No, what are the teams?"

"Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Dionysus, and we are-"

"Us."

"No, it's we."

"It's us. Us sounds right."

"Do say 'us are on a team?'" Jake paused for a moment then cleared his throat.

"And we're up against everyone else?"

"Yeah. I'm going to see if I can follow Arabella and talk to her. Maybe Chiron will make it rain again. That would be perfect." Hunter took a deep breath. "Come on. Let's get out there." He said, heading for the door.

"I wish that Ares was on our team" Arabella huffed as she tugged on her braid.

"Why, so that you and Ethan can hide in the woods and make out? Sounds wonderful" Daniel shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Why are you in such a bad mood? Holy crap..." Arabella muttered. She was looking forward to the game. Like all games, she would be walking through the woods and using her charmspeak to keep people away from their flag. Arabella saw Hunter and Jake and she thankfully left Daniel's side, walking over to them. "I guess we're on the same team for once" She teased with a little smile.

Hunter looked up at Arabella and smiled a little bit. "Looks like it." He said, giving her a high five.

"Looks like you'll be missing out on kicking our asses this time, Arabella." Jake said, emerging from the Hermes cabin behind Hunter. "Or anything to our asses. Unless, you want to."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Hunter said, slapping him in the back of the head. "Well, do you think we should have a little fun with our significant others tonight, Ellie? They're both on the other team. Hunter nudged her a little then looked over at Jake. What in the world am I doing?

Arabella looked over at Hunter with slightly pink cheeks and a little smile. He had given her a nickname and it was one that she loved. Arabella hated it when people called her 'Belle' or 'Bella'. Ellie, however, was wonderful. She cleared her throat and tugged on the hem of her shorts. "Yes. We should definitely have a little fun with our significant others tonight. That would be a blast and a half" She said, looking around to see what the rest of their team was doing.

Hunter slid his hands into his pockets as they started walking toward the woods. "Well, I mean, we probably need to track them down first, but after that, I'm not sure how we should scare them."

"I have some bottle rockets in my trunk back in the cabin." Jake said with a nod. "I mean, if you want. I can surely find a use for them. Actually, I probably shouldn't be helping you break the rules."

"Jake, you're a genius and you won't be implicated in any of the mischief, okay? Arabella, what do you think?"  Hunter said, smiling a little bit. "A good bottle rocket work?"

"Since when do you not like breaking rules? Who are you and what have you done with Jake?" Arabella teased with a laugh. She turned towards Hunter and grinned, nodding. "A bottle rocket sounds amazing" She told him with a nod and she put her hands in her pockets. "I mean, really, what would a game of capture the flag be without a Hermes kid trying to pull some sort of stunt like this?"

"Said, the child of Aphrodite." Hunter said, nudging her a little. "You're going to be pulling this stunt just as much as I am. Two bottle rockets and a set of matches, please, sir." Jake patted him on the back then ran off back toward the cabin. Hunter pulled out his lighter and handed it to her. "You can use this, considering you're a bit of a rookie. Don't fight it. Embrace it." He said with a laugh as they walked. Hunter was a little anxious. He really just wanted to get this over with.

Arabella looked down at the lighter with a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. She flicked it once but quickly put it out. Arabella twirled it around in her fingers then slipped the lighter into her bra strap, by her shoulder. She glanced over at Hunter, who was looking at her with red cheeks. With a laugh, she gave him a nudge and patted the spot where the lighter was. "It's safe there."

Hunter nodded, still looking at his feet. "Well, just...take care of it. I'm sure you will, but I'd hate it if it went missing." He looked up at her and then cleared his throat a little uncomfortably.

"Alright. Here you are." Jake said, handing them each a bottle rocket. "That'll be 4 dollars." Jake said with a smile.

"Oh, so you're almost an eighth of the way to us being even. Great." Hunter said before tucking it into his  belt.

"I was...I was kidding anyway." Jake said with a sigh. "Okay. Well, I better get down there before some Athena kid rips my throat out for not knowing the plan. You guys should, too. I'd hate to see you without throats."

"Oh, I already know my plan. It's the same thing every time and it will always be the same thing unless I somehow lose my charmspeak" She told them with a nod.

"And what plan would that be?" Jake asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm the distraction." Arabella explained. "I walk through the woods and if I see someone from the other team on my side, I tell them to go away. It's a ton of fun." She told them and smiled up at Jake and Hunter. "Sometimes, if I'm really bored, I'll tell people to like...moonwalk back to their cabin" She confessed.

"Wow. That does sound like fun." Jake said, walking over to her a very interested look on his face. "Can I actually come with you because I--" Hunter elbowed him in the side.

"No, dude. You're going to ruin her feng shui or zen or whatever it is as the distraction." Hunter said with a nod. "And besides, she turns heads. You...don't." Hunter looked over at Arabella who seemed a little surprised at the compliment. "I mean...I was just saying that well, you..." He cleared his throat nervously. "We should get going. Throats. Ripping. All that."

Arabella laughed and she patted Hunter's arm before walking past him and headed towards the spot where the rest of their team were grouped together. She joined them at the back of the group, standing between Hunter and Jake. As a few kids from Athena were shouting out orders but Arabella found it rather boring. So she swayed her hips from side to side lightly and hummed a song under her breath. "So bored..." She whispered in a song-song voice.

Hunter smiled a little and looked at her in the corner of his eye. He had already been assigned a job of scouting for the flag with Jake, but he already knew what he was going to do. "Shh...throat-ripping, remember?" Hunter whispered, bumping her with his hip. She bumped him back and he jabbed her in the side with his finger just as the horn blew. He turned toward Jake and the two of them started toward the woods, but after a minute Hunter split off. "Wish me luck, man." He said quietly to Jake before heading off after Arabella.

Arabella walked through the woods with a little bounce in her step. She was enjoying herself and she loved walking through the woods like that. It was fun. In all honesty, though, Arabella was looking out for Ethan. The little stunt that she was planning with Hunter would be fun but talking with Hunter like that reminded her that she had feelings for him. Things felt easy with Hunter. She took a little breath, fiddling with her fingers as she walked, keeping an eye out for anyone from the other team or Ethan. Arabella was distracted by her thoughts, she didn't even realize just how deep in the woods she was getting.

Hunter followed Arabella from a distance. He couldn't be found before he told her. He didn't really want to save her again, but with as far into the woods as she was getting, that wasn't really out of the realm of possibility. Hunter finally pulled out his bottle rocket and the matches. After a couple failed matches, he lit the firework and threw it as far as he could off to the left. A moment later it went off, the faint appearance of sparks and light lit up a patch in that direction and Arabella looked at it, stopping for a moment. Hunter looked at her and moved to get a different angle on her just as he heard the sound of marching come from behind him. He cursed and panicked for a moment before realizing that Arabella was right in the way of it. He realized he was going to have to save her again. Hunter ran toward her and tackled her into some bushes, landing on top of her and covering her mouth with his hand. "Shhhh..." He said as he waited for the people marching to pass. As soon as they moved past, he took his hand away from her mouth. "We've got to stop meeting like this." He said, looking down at her.

Arabella squeaked when she fell to the ground adn she looked up at the person who was on top of her. She took a breath and smiled a little bit. Arabella couldn't see his face but she knew who it was. It was the guy who had saved her last year. It was the guy that she had fallen for. It was Ethan. "Oh, I don't know...I'm finding that it's been rather entertaining" She said with a giggle. Arabella bit her lip, blushing slightly from how close he was to her. "Are you getting sick of saving me?"

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I...decided to tackle you into some bushes." Hunter said, standing up and taking her hand to help her up. She thought he was Ethan. He had to be quick about telling her, so he didn't get caught up in this whole thing. Hunter stepped away from her a little and looked around, making sure they truly were alone. "Arabella, I'm not who you think I-No! Don't!" Arabella had lit the bottle rocket and had it aimed right at Hunter. He pressed up against the tree just as it went off, leaving a trail of sparks behind it.

"Hunter?" Arabella looked over at Hunter with a confused look on her face. The light from the rocket was lighting up his face and she could see who he clearly was. What was going on? Why did Hunter say that they had to stop meeting like that? Her heart was racing and she was afraid of what this might mean. Arabella cleared her throat, tugging on the end of her braid. "What...what do you mean by 'we have to stop meeting like this'?" She asked him then closed her eyes and shook her head. ''No. Don't answer that"

"Oh...damn." Hunter mumbled, his mind racing. Did he blow it completely? "No, I just mean since you ran into me the other day. I ran into you just now. Well, tackled you. Sorry. I guess, it doesn't make sense in retrospect." Hunter said awkwardly, twisting his hands together. "Sorry for the wasted bottle rocket." He said, looking toward where it disappeared off into. "I take it you thought I was the guy who saved you those other times." He said quietly. He sighed a little to himself. He had missed his chance and on top of that, he basically cemented himself into the situation. Stupid bottle rockets


"I, uhm..yeah..I did" Arabella said softly and she brushed her hands off on her jeans. Things had been weird with Ethan and this was just making things weirder. Arabella cleared her throat and she glanced up at Hunter, locking eyes with him. "I'm really sorry about this. This is awkward. I should...I should go try to find my boyfriend" She said softly "Uhm...thanks for saving me."

"Oh...yeah. Uh...No problem. We're on the same team after all." He said with a smile as he watched her walk away. He sighed and fell backward against the tree, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, shit." He said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. Just then someone else burst into the clearing and Hunter looked up quickly, drawing his sword.

"Oh. Hey, there." Marina said, sheathing her sword. Hunter sighed and walked over to her, kissing her tightly on the lips. "You know, Hunter," Marina said, pulling away for a second before kissing him again. "We're not on the same team. We're betraying our teammates." Hunter laughed a little and put his hands on her waist.

"I don't care. They can watch for all I care."

Chapter 50: Hunter

Hunter's eyes opened and he rolled to his back, staring up at the Jake sized impression above him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, hoping to go to sleep again, but nothing happened. He took deep breaths, but he couldn't sleep. He had slept, but he had strange dreams. He didn't remember all of them, but he knew Arabella made an appearance once or twice. Then again, so did a giant donut wearing a haltertop.

After a few more minutes slipped by, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood, stretching a little. It was still a little early, but he obviously couldn't sleep anymore. He changed clothes and grabbed his sword then headed for the arena, hoping to get there before all the dummies were taken. Though as he stepped outside he realized that it wasn't likely that anyone was going to beat him there. It was still dark out. He yawned a little as he made his way to the arena and he closed his eyes while he was walking. He opened his eyes just in time to bump into a person.

"Whoa. Watch where you're going." Hunter opened his eyes and saw Ethan stumbling backward, glaring at him. "Oh..."

"Hey, Ethan." Hunter said quietly, as he straightened back up and looked at Ethan. "Good morning."

"What's so good about it? Nothing has happened." He said, turning back to the arena. Hunter raised an eyebrow and then followed him into the arena. Ethan walked over to the nearest dummy and started to stretch a little while Hunter went to a dummy a few places down. Hunter drew his sword and did some stretches with it, shooting glances at Ethan occasionally.

"So, what are you here so early for?" He finally said, trying to maybe have a peaceful conversation with the one guy he hated more than Brett. Brett got his comeuppance and he was dumb enough to get caught before Arabella fell for him. Ethan lied to her to break the ice then kept it up. And they love each other. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, uh...same here." Ethan said, looking over for a second. "I've been stressing a little bit lately." Hunter nodded softly then cleared his throat.

"You alright? Anything big?" He said as he spun his sword. "Problem with Arabella?"

"What do you know about it?" Ethan barked, taking a step toward Hunter.

"Nothing. Chill. It was just a guess." Hunter said, putting his hands up in surrender. He might not like the guy, but he's had enough attacks by boyfriends for one lifetime. "So, it is Arabella, then?"

"And if it is?"

"Well, I was just thinking that if you needed someone to talk to...I've given the offer to Arabella and since you two are together you're welcome to it."

"What, so I can talk about all of my feelings and bear my soul to you? Then maybe I can put my head on your shoulder and cry? Bury my troubles in your welcoming bosom?" Ethan scoffed a little then faced the dummy. "Yeah. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Wow. I totally get why you had to lie." Hunter mumbled, turning to face the wooden dummy in the room instead of the human one.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing. Well, the offer is out there. And the fact you haven't made any gay jokes, while somewhat surprising, means that it will remain out there. I'm just saying." Hunter took a fighting stance and gripped his sword. "I guess, I'm just used to the Caleb format of Ares kid."

"Caleb's a jerk." Ethan said with a sigh. Hunter raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought I saw you guys palling around during capture the flag last year." Hunter said quietly. Ethan scoffed and turned to him.

"First of all, he's the cabin leader. Second of all, he's one of the best fighters in the camp. Third of all, just because I hung out with him doesn't make him less of a jerk." Ethan nodded and then turned back to his dummy.

"Well, I can agree with you there." He said, stabbing his dummy.

"Why do you think I helped Arabella beat him up that game?" He said finally. Hunter sighed and glanced over.

"Right." He said under his breath. "So close..." Hunter slashed across the dummy's throat then up under one of the arms, quickly pulling his sword back. He took a step forward and swung in a wide arc through the gut then made a downward strike through the head.

"Y'know, I gotta be honest. You're not bad." Ethan said, looking at the dummy. Hunter stopped and let his sword hang at his side. "I mean, The whole cabin heard about the dummies incident last year, but he just said it was luck. You're actually not bad. Just...unpracticed."

"Oh. Thanks. What a resounding endorsement." The two of them laughed for a second.

"How'd you become friends with Arabella?" Ethan asked, leaning up against his dummy, his spear sticking out of its neck.

"I dated Brooke Stephens last year for a few weeks. Honestly, the only good thing that came out of that heinous thing that could be seen as a relationship was the face that I became friends with Arabella. I mean, on top of that we both kind of...broke up with our respective others at the same time and we ended up brooding about it at the same time."

"You dated Brooke Stephens? Damn..."

"Right. The important part of that speech."

"Sorry. She's hot stuff. But anyway, it's good to see she's got friends other than her gay brother and all the other bitchy dandies in the Aphrodite cabin." Ethan said with a laugh that Hunter didn't particularly share. "And that Jake guy. Kind of a dork to be honest." Hunter froze and raised an eyebrow. Could have been a facial tic, but we'll say it's an eyebrow raise.

"I'd advise you to stop talking about that, right now." Hunter said, turning back to the dummy. The training dummy, that is.

"Oh, right. Forgot he was your brother." Ethan said, sounding almost genuinely apologetic. "Forgot he was a demigod, really."

Hunter threw his sword down so hard it stuck straight up. "Listen to me, stop talking about him like that. He's just as much of a demigod as everyone else, alright? Let's just stop talking about him." Ethan put his hands up in surrender and turned back to his dummy. Hunter took a deep breath and yanked his sword out of the ground, closing his eyes a moment. Don't attack him. Don't attack him. You'll lose. Just leave. You've had enough practice. At least you will be after you're done kicking him in the nuts in your mind. "Yeah. I think I'm going to see if breakfast it open. I'll talk to you later, Ethan." Hunter said, sheathing his sword.

"Later." Ethan said with a half wave as Hunter turned to leave.

Is it possible to pass down douchebaggery through genetics? He thought to himself as he walked. He got all the way to the mess hall when he finally saw someone emerge from the Hermes cabin. Jake.

"Hey, what are you doing up early?" Jake said, meeting Hunter at the door of the cafeteria.

"Oh, just uh...trying to keep my rage under control. Same old, same old."

"Oh, gods. What is it this time? Brett again? Does it necessitate a prank?" Jake said, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"No, no. Just...weird morning. Breakfast will fix it. Come on."

"Well, I won't keep you waiting. Let's go." Jake said, walking inside and getting in line. Hunter wasn't all that hungry. He wasn't really all that hungry due to the bad taste in his mouth from that last conversation with Ethan. Hunter quickly moved through the line, grabbing a little bit of everything, then sat down across from Jake. What bothered Hunter the most wasn't the fact that Ethan didn't like Jake. Jake was a bit of an acquired taste and kind of a dork, but he was Hunter's brother and friend and no one is going to talk about him like that. What bothered him the most was that conversation kind of showed how much Ethan didn't actually care about Arabella. Hunter had thought that even though he was lying, he still cared about her. That he had only used the lie to break the ice. Now that assumption was in jeopardy.

"Hunter. Earth to Hunter." Jake said, snapping his fingers in Hunter's face.

"Hmm? What?" Hunter mumbled, shaking himself a little and looking at Jake.

"Wow. You're just so interesting in the mornings. I forget about that because you rarely get up before...anything."

"Oh. And you're just the life of the party?" Hunter asked, taking a sip of cranberry juice from his cup.

"Yeah. That's my thing. Yours is uh...witty retorts."

"Huh?"

"Right. Never mind." Jake said with a laugh. "Well, we'll find you a thing. It'll be good."

"Gee, thanks, Jake."

Chapter 49: Arabella

She finished writing with a little sigh and she looked over her words. As she read it, she realized that it was sort of turning into a bit of a letter. Arabella wasn't really too sure who it was for or why it had taken that form. It was just supposed to be an entry in her journal. She bit her lip and turned to look out of the window. The sky was dark and it kind of shocked Arabella. She could have sworn that only a few hours had gone by since she had spoken to Daniel and decided to spend the day in bed.

Arabella let out a huff and walked around to her trunk, neatly putting her journal away. She stood up and was just about to crawl into bed when she heard a knock on the door. Arabella pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and headed towards the front of the cabin, pulling the door open and coming face to face with Ethan. "Oh...hi" She said softly, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the door frame. She was not expecting to see him.

"Hi, Arabella" Ethan said, matching her soft tone. He looked down at her with a face that Arabella couldn't really read. Ethan looked anxious and guilty and sorry but he also looked nervous about something else. "I was worried about you today. I haven't seen you since this morning"

"I wasn't really feeling well. I thought that a day in bed would be good for me" Arabella told him quickly, looking up at him then glancing down at the ground. "Did you have a good day?"

"Not really. I was worried about my girlfriend all day" Ethan said "Not to mention the fact that I felt like a total idiot for forgetting our first kiss"

"Oh" Arabella muttered, playing with the hem of her yoga shorts.

"Which is mainly why I'm here" Ethan continued. "I feel really terrible about what happened and I wanted to come over and say sorry. So, here I am, with my tail between my legs....and I'm so sorry"

"It really sucked when you didn't remember something so important" Arabella said softly, looking up at him.

"I know. I know...it was horrible of me" Ethan looked down at her, locking eyes with her. "I love you"

"I love you too" Arabella finally sighed after a few moments and she slipped her arms around his middle. She didn't like being that girl, the one who got angry over stupid little things like this. She just wanted to get back to normal with Ethan and forget about the day. Tomorrow was capture the flag and she was determined to have fun.

"So, you forgive me?" Ethan asked her and Arabella looked up at him with a little smile.

"Mmmm....I guess so" She said with a little laugh before standing on her toes and kissing him lightly. "Besides, I can't stay mad at this face for long."

"I know. I'm so darn cute" Ethan shrugged and Arabella laughed, smacking his chest. "Okay. You go to bed and tomorrow, we'll have a great day. Okay?"

"Sounds great" Arabella said. She kissed Ethan again before giving him a wave and heading back into her cabin, happy that things were back to normal with her boyfriend.

---------------------------------------

Arabella stepped out of her cabin in a pair of shorts and her camp shirt. She pulled her hair back into a loose bun as she looked out towards the morning sun. It was early but Arabella felt good. She had slept well that night and she felt a lot better after she had spoken to Ethan. Plus, the were playing capture the flag that night and nothing could be wrong when that was happening.

She looked across to the Ares cabin and saw a familiar shape walking outside. With a grin on her face, Arabella rushed over and threw her arms around Ethan, hugging him tightly. "Sleep well?" Ethan chuckled, holding her close.

"I had a great sleep" She told him and pulled away so that she could take his hand and together, they walked towards the mess hall. "I am so excited for capture the flag tonight. Something good always happens"

"I'd say" Ethan chuckled and he squeezed her hand. "I'm looking forward to getting out in the woods again with my sword" He sighed like someone who missed their puppy. Arabella laughed a little bit and nodded.

"I'm a little out of practice so I'm sure that I'll be horrible" Arabella rolled her eyes with a little smile Ethan gave her a nudge and she giggled.

"Either way, you'll be the hottest girl with a weapon in the whole world" Ethan teased and Arabella grinned, blushing a little bit.As they walked towards the line to get breakfast, Arabella spotted Hunter sitting at his table. She flashed him a wide smile and waved, walking over to him and Jake.

"If we're not on the same team tonight, I look forward to kicking your ass" She giggled and gave them a wink before Ethan started pulling her towards the food. "Bye!" She called back to them then slipped an arm around Ethan's middle and stood in line.

"I really wish that I didn't have to go to Ancient Greek lessons today" Ethan groaned as he grabbed a tray. Arabella picked one up for herself and patted his chest.

"I know. But you can't skip every single one this summer. Someone might notice" She added with a giggle. Once they got their food, Arabella gave Ethan a kiss. "I'll see you around" She said

"Love you"

"Love you too" Arabella told him with a big smile and she kissed him again before walking toward her table. She was looking forward to the day and she was happy that things had gone back to normal with her and Ethan. Arabella wanted to have a good supper without heartbreak and hopefully, that was starting now.

Chapter 48: Hunter

Hunter watched Marina as she went and talked to Arabella. Hunter could tell from her body language that something was wrong, but he still hoped that she would join them for lunch. With or without Ethan. He watched while Marina talked to her and after a moment Marina started to come back. He sighed in disappointment a little and turned to his food.

"She said she was fine." Marina said, sitting down next to Hunter. "Not that I believe her, but that's what she said." Hunter nodded a little and put his arm around her, placing a kiss on her temple.

"Well, she knows how to take care of herself." Hunter said with a nod. "Everything always works out for the best."

"Well," Jake said, "tomorrow is capture the flag, so maybe Hunter will swoop in and save the day, again. And then-" Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but Marina beat him to it.

"Jake, do you realize some of the times that you say too much?" She said, taking a sip from her cup. "Like, do you think about this kind of thing?"

"I don't follow." Jake said quietly.

"I think that answers your question." Hunter said with a laugh. The rest of lunch went by with Hunter and Jake and Marina making small talk. He was glad that Marina was there. She was a good friend and he was glad that he had gotten to know her. He cared for her a while lot and it made it that much harder to think about Arabella. His mind always went back to her. He saw the look on her face when she had come out of the woods and it was all the more difficult to stay with Marina when his mind was always on Arabella. He thought about how much it was going to hurt when she found out that Ethan was lying to her.

Jake had a point too, though. He wouldn't have to reveal himself as the person who had saved her, but he could at least tell her that Ethan isn't the right guy. If she found out now then it could save her some heartbreak for later. Of course it would still hurt, but it would stop her from being hurt later. Maybe after it was too late. It frustrated him to see her with him, but he couldn't help it. He had felt so strongly for her at one point and the 9 months away had allowed to push it to the bottom. Seeing her and talking to her and hanging out with and seeing her with Ethan just made everything so difficult again.

That afternoon was slow. Part of him hoped to hang out with Arabella and Ethan. As much as seeing her with Ethan frustrated him, he thought that maybe he could get used to it; So it wouldn't hurt as much. He mostly hung out with Jake. Jake was going on and on about the kind of girl he was looking for. Hunter was mostly used to this kind of thing, but he just couldn't pay attention now. He was crisis-ing to some extent and hearing about how Jake 'wants a girl who will laugh at him because he's funny and not just because,' was really just not going to put Hunter in a good mood.

Jake finally gave up when he realized that Hunter wasn't paying attention. Jake told Hunter that he was heading to the arena and that gave Hunter some time alone. That is until Chelsea came storming in again.

"What the hell!?" She shouted, but Hunter quickly ducked and rolled off his bed, sliding under it. He wasn't going to get his bed rolled again. She stormed around for a second and then left, slamming the door behind her. Hunter sighed in relief then crawled out from under the bed and climbed back on top. He laid there for a second before checking his watch. Two hours before campfire. He hadn't seen Arabella at all that day and it bothered him a little bit. He felt bad about it all. He needed to do something to get his mind off of everything. Usually, he would end up pranking someone, but there was no one to prank. If he did too much pranking, then he would raise too much attention. If all of the people that Hunter had something against were suddenly pranked then he would immediately be put on the top of the suspect list.

No pranking. He didn't really want to be with Marina right now. Not that he had anything against her, but he felt a little dishonest hanging out with his girlfriend when he was thinking about another girl. Especially one that he had told Marina he had feelings for. It seemed that he didn't have much of a choice when he heard a knock on the door. Hunter stood up from his bed and stretched a little as he walked. He opened the door and Marina stood there, smiling up at him.

"Can Hunter come out to play?" She said, grabbing his shirt and pulling him over, placing a quick kiss on his jaw. Hunter leaned into her a little bit, leaning down to kiss her.

"Mmm...How are you?" He asked, taking a deep breath, catching the smell of her hair. "Fresh from the forge, I see." He said, kissing her head. She stuck her tongue out a little and brushed her hands against her shorts.

"Yeah...I've been busy today. From the looks of your bedhead and the wrinkles in your clothes, you look like you haven't been." Marina said with a chuckle. Hunter sighed a little and smiled faintly.

"I've just been thinking." He said quietly, stepping outside of the cabin and walking over next to the door. Marina looked at him with worried eyes then moved over, sitting on the railing.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, no." Hunter said, sliding down to sit across from her on the porch. "It's just...I saw-"

"You saw Arabella and now it's bothering you." Marina said, clearly a little upset.

"I am so so sorry, Marina." Hunter said quietly. "I just don't....I can't...." Hunter took a deep breath and looked at his hands. "What if it's too late? They're on an 'I love you' basis, Marina. What if they sleep together or what if he convinces her that he's the real deal? That if anyone says otherwise that they're lying?"

"Hunter, I don't know why you can't get your mind off this. I don't care that you had feelings for her and I trust you, but what makes it your responsibility?" She looked at him for a long moment. "What makes you Arabella's fairy godmother? People make bad choices and people make mistakes. Yes, you saved her, but why do you have to be the one who cleans up afterward?" She put her hands on her face for a moment and stepped off of the railing, shaking her head.

"Marina, where you going?" Hunter said, standing up. She shook her head and waved at him shortly.

"Just...leave me alone, Hunter."

"Marina, just stop for a second." He said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "She's my friend." Hunter said plainly. "She's my friend and I don't want to see her get hurt. Marina, you're my girlfriend and you're more important to me than she is, okay?" He pulled a little bit closer and kissed her on the forehead. "I promise."

"Well, then why have you been thinking about nothing but her?"

"Because, I'm seeing it from her shoes. I like being her friend and if I found out that you were lying to me, I would be crushed. And if I were to find out that my friend knew and could have saved me from all this trouble..." She took a deep breath then wrapped her arms around his middle.

"I know. I get it. I just...I care about you, Hunter. I'm your friend and I just...I just want you to be okay"

"I am perfect." He said, taking her hand and kissing her on the lips. "Absolutely perfect."

He wasn't.

Chapter 47: Arabella

Arabella headed towards her cabin, her arms folded across her chest. Ethan had gone off to his cabin and Arabella was taking her time, slowing moving and trying to process what had just happened. She felt shaken up and confused. What if Ethan was lying? Clearly, something was up and she didn't know what. But she needed to know. Arabella needed to know the truth.

What if he had been lying to her this whole time? Would she be able to accept that and move on? Probably not. Arabella has only opened herself up like this twice in her life. The first one, ended horribly and in major heart break. The second one was Ethan. She didn't think she could stand being hurt again.

Arabella bit her bottom lip, tugging her cardigan around her a bit tighter. She was about to open the door to her cabin so that she could collapse on her bed and sped the rest of the day wallowing in her own thoughts, when she heard someone calling her name. She turned around to see Marina, with a little smile on her face, walking up to Arabella. "Marina...hi" She said, putting a smile on and letting her arms fall to her sides.

"Hey, Arabella" Marina greeted her, putting her hands in her pockets. Arabella knew that Marina was a really great girl. She was perfect for Hunter and they seemed to be really amazing together. That fact made it hard for Arabella to really, fully like Marina. Part of her would see them together and feel a horrible pang of jealousy. That was made even more powerful when she thought about the confusion that Ethan had stirred up in her brain. Arabella wanted to not like Marina. But that was difficult too. Marina was so kind to her all the time.

"How's uh, how's it going?" Arabella asked her, leaning against the side of the Aphrodite cabin.

"Good." Marina said and she took a little breath. It was pretty obvious that Marina wanted to ask Arabella something but she wasn't sure how to go about it. "How are you doing?" She finally asked her, a concerned look on her face. "I saw you walking out of the woods and...."

"I'm fine" Arabella said, cutting her off. "Great" She added but there was a look of doubt across Marina's face. "Really...I really am great" Arabella told her, trying to soften her voice and make her smile look a little more natural.

"Oh, good!" Marina gave her a little smile, swaying nervously in the grass a little bit. "I was kind of worried"

"Well, thanks, Marina...really. But you don't have to worry about me" Arabella told her with a little wave of her hand. "Look...I gotta get inside. Daniel is having some kind of...existential crisis" She lied easily with a little laugh. "I'll see you later" Arabella waved to Marina before sliding into her cabin and closing the door firmly behind her. She leaned against the door for a moment, with her eyes closed, then pushed away and stepped further into the cabin.

"Arabella?"

"Danny!" Arabella gasped when she saw him sitting on his bed, cutting into a piece of fabric. Daniel looked up at her with a bit of a smile and a little bit of a stunned look. "What are you doing here? I thought that you would be down at the lunch table with everyone else and having eye sex with your new boy toy from across the hall" She said as she walked towards her bed, pulling her cardigan off.

"I was bored. I wanted to practice my sewing. Thank the gods my teacher is here, now" Daniel teased, looking over at her with a grin. When he looked at her, however, his face fell a little bit. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a more serious voice.

"Oh, just....freaking out" Arabella sighed in a breathless voice and she looked over at him. They locked eyes for a moment then she pouted and walked over to his bed, flopping down with a groan.

"And what are we freaking out about, now?" Daniel asked, putting down the scissors and the fabric in his lap. He folded his hands and looked over at her with a concerned but thoughtful look on his face.

"I think that Ethan is keeping something from me" Arabella sighed. She rolled over so that she was lying on her back and she looked up at Daniel with big eyes.

"What would make you think that?"

"Well....he doesn't really remember anything important from the night that he saved me." Arabella huffed.

"Maybe he just has a bad memory?" Daniel suggested, leaning forward a little bit.

"See, that's what I don't get. He remembers parts of it, like...details of the guys that we fought. But he doesn't remember things like....the clearing that we were in. Or the fact that I kissed him" Arabella flopped her arms down over her eyes and let out a groan. "And when I mentioned that sort of stuff, he acted all flustered. Like I had thrown him off his game or something and he had to scramble to think up something to say to me"

"Ask him something else. Mention a couple of details from that night and see what happens" Daniel told her with a little nod. "I mean, maybe he's just trying to cover up the fact that he forgot because he feels bad or worried that you'll be really mad at him"

"Yeah, maybe.." Arabella sighed and turned so she was on her side. "But what if he doesn't just forget? What if he's lying to me in some way? Danny....I couldn't take that. I don't know what I would do if he broke my heart."

"The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else" Daniel said in a matter of fact voice.

"Ugh, you are so gross" Arabella said, rolling off of his bed and walking toward her own. But she smiled a little bit and gingerly folded up her cardigan. After a moment, she glanced over at Daniel with a bit more serious face. "Do you...do you think that I should be worried, though?" She asked him softly. Daniel looked back at her for a moment before he finally answered her.

"I think that you should give it a bit of time. See how things play out. It's still too early to jump to conclusions" Daniel said with a little nod. He smiled then stood up, pulling on his shoes again. "I think we might still be able to get a bit of lunch before it's over."

"You go on without me. I already ate a little bit earlier" Arabella told him with a nod. "Besides, I got a really crap sleep last night and I'm going to try and get a little nap in before we have to be anywhere else"

"Alright. Don't work yourself into a panic my dear!" Daniel called to her, waving as he walked out of the door. Arabella let out a huff and she plopped down on her bed. She pulled out her journal and a pen, wanting a few moments to herself to think this all through. She would not work herself into a panic. She would not work herself into a panic. She would not work herself into a panic.

She was in a panic.