Arabella flinched a little bit when she felt something fall around her shoulders. Part of her thought that it would be Ethan and that scared her. She didn't want to see him. She couldn't see him. Arabella didn't know what she would do if it was him. Beyond that, Arabella wasn't sure that she wanted to see anyone at all. The last thing that she wanted was to see someone who would just make her feel like crap or ask her a bunch of questions. She didn't really want to someone she didn't trust see her cry. Arabella brushed her tears off of her cheeks before she looked up and glanced at the person who sat down beside her. It was Hunter. "Hi, Hunter" She said in a low voice. There was a moment of silence before she turned towards him and leaned over, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
Hunter took a deep breath and lifted his arm up, gently placing it on her shoulder. He tightened his coat around her a little. "Hi, Arabella." He said quietly. He wasn't sure what to do, honestly. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better or to make any of this a good thing, but he was willing to be with her. Sit next to her. She could cry on his shoulder or she could yell at him or she could hit him. He just wanted her to feel better. That was the priority. He sighed a little and put his arm around her, softly rubbing her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Arabella sniffled a little bit, taking a deep breath. She felt calm around Hunter and she felt like she could trust him, in a way. Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of Hunter's arm around her. Finally, she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, too. Danny told me about you and Marina" She said softly, not looking up at him but keeping her head on his shoulder. Arabella genuinely felt bad for Hunter. He was such a great guy and he deserved to be happy in love, even if it wasn't with her. She was worried that he was really hurting over his breakup.
"Oh." Hunter murmured. He wasn't even sure if anyone had really noticed much about him and Marina breaking up. She was spending a lot of time with Kyle and he had just gone back to normal, for the most part. "Don't worry about me." He said with a sigh. "I'm tough. I can take it." He said quietly, giving her a small squeeze. "I didn't mean to say that you're not tough. I mean...you're tough. I'm just..." He stammered, putting on his thinking face for a second. "I mean, you're plenty tough. My toughness level is..." He sighed again with red cheeks of embarrassment. "I'll just...stop talking. Sorry."
Arabella looked up at him, giggling softly for the first time in what felt like a long time. She pulled away from him a little bit but not in a, needing to get away from him, kind of way. She just wanted to be able to look at him better. When she saw the little thinking face that he had on for a moment, she smiled. "What was that look on your face for?" She asked him, brushing the rest of her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Just...thinking. Thinking if I can somehow stop being a dork." He said with a small smile, looking over at her. They locked eyes for a moment and Hunter blushed. He turned his eyes toward the ground. "Stop being a dork around such a pretty girl, at least." He said under his breath. He quickly ran a hand through his hair and looked up at her before seeing another tear roll down her cheek. He gently grabbed the collar of his jacket and wiped the tear off her cheek. The jacket slipped from his fingers and he found himself running the back of his fingers across her cheek. Immediately, he blushed and took his hand back and put both hands in his lap, staring down at the ground. "Sorry."
Arabella blushed a little bit and she glanced down at the ground. Her stomach did a happy little flip when Hunter's hand brushed against her skin. There was a moment of silence and Arabella desperately wanted to fill it. She didn't want things to be awkward or difficult between her and Hunter. She might have had feelings for him and she might still have feelings for him, but that didn't matter, really. She just wanted to have him in her life. "I think that it's a pretty great thinking face. A lot of expression" she told him in a simple voice with a little nod.
"My uh...mom used to do a face when I was crying and it would always cheer me up." Hunter said with a nod. "My thinking face is that face." He said with a shrug. He hadn't really told anyone about that. He didn't talk about his mother. He just didn't. But he trusted Arabella and he just...he was comfortable with her. "So, do you have a thinking face? I'm sure you do and I would like to see it now. So...show me." He said with a laugh, turning to her and looking her right in the face.
Arabella looked at him, locking eyes with him and she burst out into giggles, shaking her head. "I'm not going to do anything with you looking at me like that. You're just making me laugh" She smacked his leg and covered her face with her hands in a playful way. It felt odd, enjoying herself like that. After a week of hiding in her cabin and feeling like crap, letting go and laughing felt almost unnatural. But it was good and she was glad that Hunter was there.
Hunter's smile grew a little bigger and he angled his head to look around her hands. She turned her head, so he couldn't see and he kept moving his head, so she could see it. He laughed a little and then grabbed her wrists gently, yanking her hands away. "Come on. Let's see it, Arabella. I showed you mine." He said with another laugh.
Arabella looked up at him, trying really hard to be serious. She was able to calm down long enough to look up at him with her thinking face, which was almost like a tiny little pout but with a bit of biting on her bottom lip, but then she giggled again and she closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to take her wrists out of his hands to cover her eyes. "See! You're making me laugh!" She accused, taking deep breaths.
"What?" He said through his laughs. "I'm not even doing anything!" He held her wrists for another second and then blushed, shaking himself a little. He looked at her again and stretched his face a little. He tried to look calm, but as soon as he looked at her, a smile started spreading across his lips and it made Arabella giggle again. "Sorry. Sorry. Okay. Try it again." He said, letting go of her wrists and stretching his mouth again. "How about we close our eyes and then on three we both do our thinking faces? Agreeable?" He said with a grin.
Arabella cleared her throat and nodded, putting her serious face on. She pushed her hair behind her ears and adjusted herself so that she was sitting more comfortably and facing Hunter. "Okay. Close your eyes" She said and she quickly shut her eyes. There was a brief moment of silence before Arabella said "Are your eyes closed?" Getting a little chuckle from Hunter. "Okay then...on three. One..." she started to count down and as she did, she started focusing on being serious and finding her thinking face which was, in all honesty, causing her to have her thinking face on.
At this point, they were each straddling the log and facing each other. Hunter started with his eyes closed, but soon opened them. He watched as Arabella twisted and contorted her face. He wasn't completely sure what she was doing, but he loved every minute of it. It was adorable how she'd try something and then make this face like she was chastising herself for doing it. It was in this time that Hunter started to slide toward her on the log a little bit, his eyes not moving from her face. "Two..." He said quietly, moving a little bit closer.
"Three" Arabella bit her lip and she opened her eyes. She tried to keep her thinking face on but she was a little shocked to see how close Hunter was to her. She wasn't complaining, really. But it was a little shocking to open up her eyes and find herself face-to-face with Hunter. She was so close, she could see the flecks of a lighter brown in his eyes. Arabella didn't really know what to say to him so she did the only thing that felt right, she leaned a bit closer to him, biting her bottom lip.
Hunter licked his lips a little and blushed. "Hey, Arabella?" He said quietly. "Would it be okay if I kissed you, right now?" He asked, his heart pounding. He wasn't sure how she would react and he was almost shaking until she bit her lip and nodded softly. "I think I'll be ready this time. And you'll even know who it is you're kissing." He chuckled softly and moved closer, leaning in to kiss her.
Arabella pulled away, looking at him with a confused face. "What do you mean?" she asked him in a low voice. Nervously, she twisted a piece of hair around her finger and she looked away from a quick moment before looking back at Hunter. She scooted back, putting a bit of distance between them. "When you say this time...?" She was afraid of what he would say to her and she was afraid that he was about to lie to her like everyone else did.
Hunter stared at Arabella for a second, not sure what to say. "I...Oh, gods..." He said, rubbing his eyes. "Arabella, I know that you've been lied to, but I need you trust me when I say this." He went to move a little closer to her, but she scooted away again. "No, listen. I'm the guy who saved you. Both of those times." He could see her face fall and she stood. He stood with her. "No, listen! It was right here!" He said, pointing to the ground. "It was raining. I gave you my shield to fight. My arm was bleeding and you bandaged it and then you kissed me. Please, Arabella. You have to believe me." He said, reaching out to her.
Arabella turned away from him, her head spinning. How could this be happening? It wasn't fair. Hunter was her friend and she thought that she could trust him. At this point, however, how could she trust anyone anymore? Especially after so many people had lied to her. Arabella moved away from him as he reached out to her and she shook her head. "No, I don't believe you. I can't believe you." She took a breath and looked up at him. "I trusted you, Hunter. I trusted you more than anyone and now you're going to use this to get with me? No. No" She folded her arms across her chest and starting to walk away from him.
"No! Oh, my gods." Hunter said, rubbing his face. "Arabella, I promise you that I'm telling you the truth. You can trust me. The first time! It was...umm...It was two children of Athena! You fell and I knocked them out and helped you up. Then I told you to charmspeak them if they woke up." She hugged her arms to her chest and continued to walk back toward camp. "The second time!" He said, hurrying and catching up to her. "You were running and I pulled you up into a tree. I told you about Brett and how he's lying to you. Arabella, I promise you. It's been me this whole time! I'm the one who saved you." He said, moving in front of her and looking her in the eye.
"I think that you're full of it" Arabella snapped and she walked around him, heading out of the woods. She paused for a moment then turned around to look at him. "Even if you were telling the truth, why would you wait so long to tell me? Decided to wait until two guys broke my heart?" She said in a low voice. Arabella couldn't believe this. She had her heart broken and now she was losing a friend. A friend that she had feelings for. A friend who made her stomach do flip flops and her heart race. "Just...forget it, Hunter. Leave me alone" she muttered, her voice defeated, then she turned and kept walking.
"Because, I figured this would happen!" He shouted after her. He followed for a few steps and stopped. "Because I was a complete stranger and then after that I was a scrawny little child of Hermes!" He ran and caught up to her one more time before she would be in her cabin. "I thought that now that I wasn't a nerdy little stick person Hermes kid that you'd believe me. That maybe I would be worthy of someone like you." She stomped up to the door of her cabin. "I guess, in the end, all I have to say is that I'm sorry. For a lot of things, honestly, but most of all, for putting you through so much pain. I'm sorry." He stared at the back of her head, hoping and praying that she would turn around and believe him. She didn't. "I'll leave you alone. Good night, Arabella."
"You were never a nerdy little stick person to me, Hunter" Arabella finally said after a moment, her voice full of hurt and disappointment. She looked over her shoulder at him for a brief second before turning back into her cabin and closing the door behind her. As soon as she was inside, she glanced around and when she saw that she was alone in her cabin, Arabella walked over and collapsed on her bed. She let the tears fall and her fingers searched for her teddy bear. This was just..too much.
Chapter 57: Hunter
Saturday, July 20
News of Arabella and Ethan's break up spread fairly quickly throughout camp. It was the next day when Hunter heard it, officially from the however-many-hand source that was Jake. Hunter honestly wasn't sure how to feel. He was glad that she had finally broken up with Ethan, but he felt bad that he might have caused it. The accidental disguise bust that occurred during capture the flag seemed to be the final cannonball in the hall of their relationship. It's almost ironic that it happened to be because of a bottle rocket.
Now, as he walked to lunch all by himself, for what seemed like a long time, he found himself missing her again. Missing her blonde hair and the small giggle she gave at any little awkward thing that Hunter did. He had been able to push it down by hanging out with Marina.
But they were broken up.
Friday, July 12
"Hunter, it's over." Jake said, throwing his tray down onto the Hermes table. "Ethan. Arabella. They're through." Hunter's eyes widened and his stomach tightened at the news.
"Do you know why?"
"Well, hmm....let me think, genius. Because she found out he'd been lying to her!" Hunter punched him in the shoulder.
"I know that!" He said, rolling his eyes. "I meant, do you know how she finally found out? Was it capture the flag last week?"
"I mean, what else could it be? I mean, it's probable that this is a few things that she's noticed, building up to this. It's only been a couple weeks since we saw them leaving the woods, remember?"
"Hunter!" Hunter looked up and saw Marina rushing toward him, looking a little nervous. Hunter waved at her for a moment and finished off his food.
"I was just about to-"
"Shh. I need to talk to you." She said, as he stood up. "Without Jake."
"Yeah. Of course." Hunter said with a nod. He waved quickly at Jake and then followed Marina out of the dining hall. They just sort of walked for a few minutes. Hunter figured it was just to get away from camp, and soon enough they were entering into the woods. He looked over at Marina and it didn't look like she had any intention of stopping. They entered a clearing and he grabbed her arm gently.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry." She said at the look on his face.
"Marina, tell me what's wrong. Come on. Let's sit." He said as he sat down on a fallen tree and lowered her down next to him. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face a moment.
"I did it." She said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to. And I didn't even realize that I did when I did it, but I did."
"Well...okay? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right. Sorry. Okay. Arabella came into the cabin and she asked me to fix her necklace and while I was working on it, she found your old shield. I guess, it was the one that you gave to her to...whack all the people with. And she must have recognized it because she asked whose shield it was and I said yours and now I just feel really bad because I kind of said that I wouldn't tell her and I did." Hunter looked down at the ground, just thinking through what she had said.
"Well, Marina...That's..." He said quietly before looking over at her. "That's okay. I mean, how could you have known that she would recognize a shield that she used for 5 minutes in the rain in the dark?" He said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it." He added in a mumble. She looked a little relieved, but now there was a silence between them. It seemed like they were both thinking about things, but Hunter wasn't sure what Marina would be thinking about past the shield.
Hunter just couldn't get his mind off of Arabella. Even with Marina sitting right there. Now that she was single again, anything could happen. He was sure that he had feelings for her and considering how he thought he had gotten rid of them, but it was only a day into the summer when they were back, it didn't seem like they were going anywhere. He needed to go find her. Partially because of his feelings for her, but also because of how fast news cuts through the camp. There's probably already someone lined up to give lying to her another shot and Hunter wasn't really sure if she would see through it this time.
He needed to do one thing first. And it wasn't easy.
"Marina?" He said quietly. She looked over at him in surprise. Hunter took a deep breath. "The past few months have been amazing and I will always be there for you as a close friend and someone that you can trust, but I just...I just think that we should break up." He said, looking down at the log between them. "It has nothing to do with you. You've been a MUCH better girlfriend than I have been a boyfriend, but I just feel really confused right now and I don't-"
"Okay." Hunter looked up at her and she was smiling. Hunter couldn't help, but smile back a little, despite the situation. "Be honest with me, though. Is it about Arabella?" Hunter's smile faded a little and he looked down at the log again. "No, Hunter, listen. As soon as you told me that you used to have feelings for her, I had a feeling that this relationship had a zero hour."
"I'm really sorry." Hunter said with a sigh. "I hate that this ended this way."
"What you'd rather have us yelling and screaming and crying and hating each other forever?"
"Well, no. Of course not."
"Good, because I like having you as a friend." She said, nudging him with her elbow. "And, speaking of things that one would tell to a friend-"
"Who spoke of that?"
"Kyle kissed me." Hunter looked up at her in surprise and thought for a second.
"Huh."
"Wow. You're such a fantastic friend. Just brimming with wisdom."
"No, I'm just glad that you didn't have a boyfriend or anything. Because that would make it really awkward." He said with a laugh. Marina pushed him off the end of the log and laughed too.
"Yeah. I mean, that could have been bad."
Saturday, July 20
After lunch, Hunter went back to his cabin. He had tried to find Arabella that day, but the rumor weed said that she was avoiding everyone. Past that, he didn't know how he would react when he finally did talk to her. He knew that she really had invested a lot in Ethan and now she found out that he had lied to her.
It had been a week and now he needed to talk to her. He couldn't stand the idea of missing his chance again. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on and walked outside toward the fire. He hoped that he could find her there. What he didn't expect to see was Arabella sneaking past everyone toward the woods. Hunter watched her enter past the trees and then took off after her. He followed her from a distance, just seeing where she was going. It didn't take him long to realize that she was headed to where he had saved her. He watched her stand in the small clearing for a moment before lowering herself down on a log. He could see her shoulders shake a little and she grabbed her knees to her chest and put her head down.
As he watched, he sighed a little. He watched her for a moment before running his hand through his hair. He made his thinking face for a few moments before starting to walk towards her. He quietly slipped off his jacket and when he got to her he placed it around her shoulders and sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should say anything. All he wanted to do at that moment was comfort his friend, no matter how he felt about her.
News of Arabella and Ethan's break up spread fairly quickly throughout camp. It was the next day when Hunter heard it, officially from the however-many-hand source that was Jake. Hunter honestly wasn't sure how to feel. He was glad that she had finally broken up with Ethan, but he felt bad that he might have caused it. The accidental disguise bust that occurred during capture the flag seemed to be the final cannonball in the hall of their relationship. It's almost ironic that it happened to be because of a bottle rocket.
Now, as he walked to lunch all by himself, for what seemed like a long time, he found himself missing her again. Missing her blonde hair and the small giggle she gave at any little awkward thing that Hunter did. He had been able to push it down by hanging out with Marina.
But they were broken up.
Friday, July 12
"Hunter, it's over." Jake said, throwing his tray down onto the Hermes table. "Ethan. Arabella. They're through." Hunter's eyes widened and his stomach tightened at the news.
"Do you know why?"
"Well, hmm....let me think, genius. Because she found out he'd been lying to her!" Hunter punched him in the shoulder.
"I know that!" He said, rolling his eyes. "I meant, do you know how she finally found out? Was it capture the flag last week?"
"I mean, what else could it be? I mean, it's probable that this is a few things that she's noticed, building up to this. It's only been a couple weeks since we saw them leaving the woods, remember?"
"Hunter!" Hunter looked up and saw Marina rushing toward him, looking a little nervous. Hunter waved at her for a moment and finished off his food.
"I was just about to-"
"Shh. I need to talk to you." She said, as he stood up. "Without Jake."
"Yeah. Of course." Hunter said with a nod. He waved quickly at Jake and then followed Marina out of the dining hall. They just sort of walked for a few minutes. Hunter figured it was just to get away from camp, and soon enough they were entering into the woods. He looked over at Marina and it didn't look like she had any intention of stopping. They entered a clearing and he grabbed her arm gently.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry." She said at the look on his face.
"Marina, tell me what's wrong. Come on. Let's sit." He said as he sat down on a fallen tree and lowered her down next to him. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face a moment.
"I did it." She said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to. And I didn't even realize that I did when I did it, but I did."
"Well...okay? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right. Sorry. Okay. Arabella came into the cabin and she asked me to fix her necklace and while I was working on it, she found your old shield. I guess, it was the one that you gave to her to...whack all the people with. And she must have recognized it because she asked whose shield it was and I said yours and now I just feel really bad because I kind of said that I wouldn't tell her and I did." Hunter looked down at the ground, just thinking through what she had said.
"Well, Marina...That's..." He said quietly before looking over at her. "That's okay. I mean, how could you have known that she would recognize a shield that she used for 5 minutes in the rain in the dark?" He said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it." He added in a mumble. She looked a little relieved, but now there was a silence between them. It seemed like they were both thinking about things, but Hunter wasn't sure what Marina would be thinking about past the shield.
Hunter just couldn't get his mind off of Arabella. Even with Marina sitting right there. Now that she was single again, anything could happen. He was sure that he had feelings for her and considering how he thought he had gotten rid of them, but it was only a day into the summer when they were back, it didn't seem like they were going anywhere. He needed to go find her. Partially because of his feelings for her, but also because of how fast news cuts through the camp. There's probably already someone lined up to give lying to her another shot and Hunter wasn't really sure if she would see through it this time.
He needed to do one thing first. And it wasn't easy.
"Marina?" He said quietly. She looked over at him in surprise. Hunter took a deep breath. "The past few months have been amazing and I will always be there for you as a close friend and someone that you can trust, but I just...I just think that we should break up." He said, looking down at the log between them. "It has nothing to do with you. You've been a MUCH better girlfriend than I have been a boyfriend, but I just feel really confused right now and I don't-"
"Okay." Hunter looked up at her and she was smiling. Hunter couldn't help, but smile back a little, despite the situation. "Be honest with me, though. Is it about Arabella?" Hunter's smile faded a little and he looked down at the log again. "No, Hunter, listen. As soon as you told me that you used to have feelings for her, I had a feeling that this relationship had a zero hour."
"I'm really sorry." Hunter said with a sigh. "I hate that this ended this way."
"What you'd rather have us yelling and screaming and crying and hating each other forever?"
"Well, no. Of course not."
"Good, because I like having you as a friend." She said, nudging him with her elbow. "And, speaking of things that one would tell to a friend-"
"Who spoke of that?"
"Kyle kissed me." Hunter looked up at her in surprise and thought for a second.
"Huh."
"Wow. You're such a fantastic friend. Just brimming with wisdom."
"No, I'm just glad that you didn't have a boyfriend or anything. Because that would make it really awkward." He said with a laugh. Marina pushed him off the end of the log and laughed too.
"Yeah. I mean, that could have been bad."
Saturday, July 20
After lunch, Hunter went back to his cabin. He had tried to find Arabella that day, but the rumor weed said that she was avoiding everyone. Past that, he didn't know how he would react when he finally did talk to her. He knew that she really had invested a lot in Ethan and now she found out that he had lied to her.
It had been a week and now he needed to talk to her. He couldn't stand the idea of missing his chance again. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on and walked outside toward the fire. He hoped that he could find her there. What he didn't expect to see was Arabella sneaking past everyone toward the woods. Hunter watched her enter past the trees and then took off after her. He followed her from a distance, just seeing where she was going. It didn't take him long to realize that she was headed to where he had saved her. He watched her stand in the small clearing for a moment before lowering herself down on a log. He could see her shoulders shake a little and she grabbed her knees to her chest and put her head down.
As he watched, he sighed a little. He watched her for a moment before running his hand through his hair. He made his thinking face for a few moments before starting to walk towards her. He quietly slipped off his jacket and when he got to her he placed it around her shoulders and sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should say anything. All he wanted to do at that moment was comfort his friend, no matter how he felt about her.
Chapter 56: Arabella
Saturday, July 20
Arabella groaned and she slid deeper under her blankets, curling up into a little ball around her teddy bear. It was mid-afternoon, at least, but Arabella didn't want to get out of her bed. She had been having trouble getting out of bed all week, to be honest. Somehow, she had managed to convince everyone around her to just leave her alone and she was thankful for that. Arabella didn't have the energy or the desire to really do anything.
It had been about a week since she had found out that the shield had been Hunter's. It had been a week since she had done anything really productive. It had been a week since she had broken up with Ethan. She had been playing that night over and over again in her head.
After walking out of the Hephaestus cabin with her necklace in her hand and ran back to her own cabin, Arabella was freaking out a little bit. Ethan didn't remember things from the night that he had supposedly saved her. The shield that Arabella had used was not Ethan's. What did this mean? Was Ethan lying to her? Arabella didn't know what she would do if he was lying to her. That would mean that their entire relationship had been a lie. She had been ready to give everything to him. She didn't think her heart could deal with the lie.
Arabella managed to pull herself together long enough to walk over to her bed. She was filled with a new determination. She had a mission now. Arabella dug around in her trunk until she found a sweater and she wrapped it around her shoulders. As quickly as she could, Arabella tied her hair back into a braid and she walked out of her cabin.
Nervously, her hands twisted around her wrist where her Barbie bracelet should have been. As Arabella walked towards the Ares cabin, her stomach twisted up into such massive knots, she thought she might be sick. What if he got angry? Arabella had seen him angry and it wasn't pretty. The last thing she wanted was to be on the other side of his anger. Before she knew it, Arabella was at the door to the Ares cabin and she was knocking on the door.
"Arabella. Hello. Again" A girl said with a bit of a sneer on her face when she opened the door. Arabella let out a little sigh and tried to keep her face calm.
"It's good to see you too, Scarlet." Arabella said and she cleared her throat, shoving her slightly shaking hands into her pockets. Scarlet was a beautiful girl with vibrant red hair and a personality to match. If she liked someone, she could be a great friend. If she didn't like someone, she would make their life hell. Scarlet didn't like Arabella and she made that clear. "Is-"
"Ethan here? Yes" Scarlet said in a cold tone and she turned away from Arabella, stepping into the cabin. "Ethan! Your blonde arm candy is here!"
"Would you shut up, Scarlet?" Ethan's voice said and Arabella listened as he rolled off of his bed and walked towards the door. Soon enough, he was standing in front of her and smiling down at her. "What's up?" He asked, leaning in to kiss her. Arabella let him kiss her but she didn't respond and she didn't lean into him.
"Ethan...can we talk somewhere? Alone?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him for a quick moment to see if she could read his face but there was no emotion.
"Yeah, sure" Ethan said in a slightly cautious voice. Before he could take her hand or place his arms around her waist, Arabella turned and walked down towards the beach. It was late afternoon but the beach was pretty quiet. Most of the campers were up at their cabins, getting ready for supper. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Ethan asked her as they got to the sand. Arabella looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes in her flip flops a little bit, working some sand onto her pink toenails.
"Ethan, are you really the guy who saved me?" She asked him in a low voice.
"Of course"
"You're the guy that saved me all of those times last summer? Before Daniel threw that party?" Arabella looked up at him, trying to read his face again.
"Yes"
"So, you're the guy that saved me from hell hounds that very first time?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him with big eyes.
"Yes, of course. What is all of this about?" Ethan asked her in a slightly exasperated voice.
"Why are you lying to me, Ethan?" Arabella looked up at him, looking to see if his face would betray him. Ethan looked down at her with a stunned expression, like he didn't really know how to react. There was no use in trying to deny it, really. She had caught him in a lie.
"Arabella, I-"
"No, Ethan. I don't want to hear it. I don't...I can't deal with anymore excuses or lies from you" Arabella snapped, folding her arms across her chest.
"Who told you all of this?" Ethan asked her after a few moments of silence.
"I figured it out myself." Arabella muttered. She paused for a moment then looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're not even going to try to defend yourself?"
"Arabella, this is just...this is ridiculous. All of this happened so long ago and you're just over reacting" Ethan huffed, looking annoyed more than anything. When he told her that she was over reacting, Arabella could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. How dare he? After all of the lies that he told how dare he tell her that she was over reacting.
"Over reacting? Ethan...you've been lying to me for over a year. I don't think that I could possibly over react!" Arabella snapped, raising her voice a little bit. Ethan seemed to take half a step back, like he was just trying to avoid her at all costs. "Ethan, I...I was ready to give everything to you. I trusted you and I loved you."
"So, what? Everything that we had over the past year is just...gone? Because you found out that I lied to you a year ago?" Ethan asked her.
"You've had so many opportunities to tell me the truth. We've talked about that. You've constantly lied to me over and over again." Arabella sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment but she flinched back when she could feel Ethan reach out a hand to her. "Ethan...did you really ever love me?" She asked him and glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "You know what, no...don't answer that" Arabella reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace that Ethan gave her. "Whatever we had...it's over. You fucked up" She said in a low voice and as she walked past him, she placed the necklace in his hand.
"Arabella!" He called back to her but she didn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't go back to him and forgive him. Too many guys had hurt her at this point and she just couldn't deal with it anymore. Ignoring every single person who tried to talk to her, Arabella walked towards her cabin. She needed to be alone and she needed time to think.
A week later and Arabella was still in her cabin, still ignoring people and still trying to think. She had broken up with Ethan and she was feeling rather horrible about it. Not that she was regretting it, just that she still felt so angry about everything that happened.
She was angry at herself, too. Arabella was sick of sitting in her bed and she needed to do something. Without really knowing what she was doing or where she was going, Arabella stood up and she quickly changed her clothes, slipping into a pair of jeans. She let her hair down and walked out of the cabin. All around her, people were getting ready to go down to the fire but she didn't really want to go there. Quietly as she could, Arabella started walking into the woods. She didn't really know where she was going but when she got to the little circle of trees, she realized where her feet had taken her.
This was the spot where the mystery guy had saved her. It all happened a year ago and while so much had happened since then, it still felt like it only happened yesterday. Arabella let out a sigh and she sat down on a log, looking around. She felt like she was lost, in a way. She was alone and she didn't really know what to do with herself anymore.
Arabella let out a sigh, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on her knees. Why did this have to be so complicated?
Arabella groaned and she slid deeper under her blankets, curling up into a little ball around her teddy bear. It was mid-afternoon, at least, but Arabella didn't want to get out of her bed. She had been having trouble getting out of bed all week, to be honest. Somehow, she had managed to convince everyone around her to just leave her alone and she was thankful for that. Arabella didn't have the energy or the desire to really do anything.
It had been about a week since she had found out that the shield had been Hunter's. It had been a week since she had done anything really productive. It had been a week since she had broken up with Ethan. She had been playing that night over and over again in her head.
After walking out of the Hephaestus cabin with her necklace in her hand and ran back to her own cabin, Arabella was freaking out a little bit. Ethan didn't remember things from the night that he had supposedly saved her. The shield that Arabella had used was not Ethan's. What did this mean? Was Ethan lying to her? Arabella didn't know what she would do if he was lying to her. That would mean that their entire relationship had been a lie. She had been ready to give everything to him. She didn't think her heart could deal with the lie.
Arabella managed to pull herself together long enough to walk over to her bed. She was filled with a new determination. She had a mission now. Arabella dug around in her trunk until she found a sweater and she wrapped it around her shoulders. As quickly as she could, Arabella tied her hair back into a braid and she walked out of her cabin.
Nervously, her hands twisted around her wrist where her Barbie bracelet should have been. As Arabella walked towards the Ares cabin, her stomach twisted up into such massive knots, she thought she might be sick. What if he got angry? Arabella had seen him angry and it wasn't pretty. The last thing she wanted was to be on the other side of his anger. Before she knew it, Arabella was at the door to the Ares cabin and she was knocking on the door.
"Arabella. Hello. Again" A girl said with a bit of a sneer on her face when she opened the door. Arabella let out a little sigh and tried to keep her face calm.
"It's good to see you too, Scarlet." Arabella said and she cleared her throat, shoving her slightly shaking hands into her pockets. Scarlet was a beautiful girl with vibrant red hair and a personality to match. If she liked someone, she could be a great friend. If she didn't like someone, she would make their life hell. Scarlet didn't like Arabella and she made that clear. "Is-"
"Ethan here? Yes" Scarlet said in a cold tone and she turned away from Arabella, stepping into the cabin. "Ethan! Your blonde arm candy is here!"
"Would you shut up, Scarlet?" Ethan's voice said and Arabella listened as he rolled off of his bed and walked towards the door. Soon enough, he was standing in front of her and smiling down at her. "What's up?" He asked, leaning in to kiss her. Arabella let him kiss her but she didn't respond and she didn't lean into him.
"Ethan...can we talk somewhere? Alone?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him for a quick moment to see if she could read his face but there was no emotion.
"Yeah, sure" Ethan said in a slightly cautious voice. Before he could take her hand or place his arms around her waist, Arabella turned and walked down towards the beach. It was late afternoon but the beach was pretty quiet. Most of the campers were up at their cabins, getting ready for supper. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Ethan asked her as they got to the sand. Arabella looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes in her flip flops a little bit, working some sand onto her pink toenails.
"Ethan, are you really the guy who saved me?" She asked him in a low voice.
"Of course"
"You're the guy that saved me all of those times last summer? Before Daniel threw that party?" Arabella looked up at him, trying to read his face again.
"Yes"
"So, you're the guy that saved me from hell hounds that very first time?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him with big eyes.
"Yes, of course. What is all of this about?" Ethan asked her in a slightly exasperated voice.
"Why are you lying to me, Ethan?" Arabella looked up at him, looking to see if his face would betray him. Ethan looked down at her with a stunned expression, like he didn't really know how to react. There was no use in trying to deny it, really. She had caught him in a lie.
"Arabella, I-"
"No, Ethan. I don't want to hear it. I don't...I can't deal with anymore excuses or lies from you" Arabella snapped, folding her arms across her chest.
"Who told you all of this?" Ethan asked her after a few moments of silence.
"I figured it out myself." Arabella muttered. She paused for a moment then looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're not even going to try to defend yourself?"
"Arabella, this is just...this is ridiculous. All of this happened so long ago and you're just over reacting" Ethan huffed, looking annoyed more than anything. When he told her that she was over reacting, Arabella could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. How dare he? After all of the lies that he told how dare he tell her that she was over reacting.
"Over reacting? Ethan...you've been lying to me for over a year. I don't think that I could possibly over react!" Arabella snapped, raising her voice a little bit. Ethan seemed to take half a step back, like he was just trying to avoid her at all costs. "Ethan, I...I was ready to give everything to you. I trusted you and I loved you."
"So, what? Everything that we had over the past year is just...gone? Because you found out that I lied to you a year ago?" Ethan asked her.
"You've had so many opportunities to tell me the truth. We've talked about that. You've constantly lied to me over and over again." Arabella sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment but she flinched back when she could feel Ethan reach out a hand to her. "Ethan...did you really ever love me?" She asked him and glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "You know what, no...don't answer that" Arabella reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace that Ethan gave her. "Whatever we had...it's over. You fucked up" She said in a low voice and as she walked past him, she placed the necklace in his hand.
"Arabella!" He called back to her but she didn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't go back to him and forgive him. Too many guys had hurt her at this point and she just couldn't deal with it anymore. Ignoring every single person who tried to talk to her, Arabella walked towards her cabin. She needed to be alone and she needed time to think.
A week later and Arabella was still in her cabin, still ignoring people and still trying to think. She had broken up with Ethan and she was feeling rather horrible about it. Not that she was regretting it, just that she still felt so angry about everything that happened.
She was angry at herself, too. Arabella was sick of sitting in her bed and she needed to do something. Without really knowing what she was doing or where she was going, Arabella stood up and she quickly changed her clothes, slipping into a pair of jeans. She let her hair down and walked out of the cabin. All around her, people were getting ready to go down to the fire but she didn't really want to go there. Quietly as she could, Arabella started walking into the woods. She didn't really know where she was going but when she got to the little circle of trees, she realized where her feet had taken her.
This was the spot where the mystery guy had saved her. It all happened a year ago and while so much had happened since then, it still felt like it only happened yesterday. Arabella let out a sigh and she sat down on a log, looking around. She felt like she was lost, in a way. She was alone and she didn't really know what to do with herself anymore.
Arabella let out a sigh, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on her knees. Why did this have to be so complicated?
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."
"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.
"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.
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"
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"
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