Daphne Greengrass

“No training for you, then?”

“Right….” He stared at the handful of cabins. They were very, very different from the barracks at Camp Jupiter. “You guys are separated by your parentage.”

“Not until old lefty heals up.” Daphne reminded him, tapping the side of her leg. Will and Lena were right. She had to rest before she could start training again...even if it meant falling behind in her training. “And you guys are separated by....ability? Kind of? Sort of?” She gritted her teeth, hoping she didn’t offend him.

“The one girl insisted on dating Garrett Walker first. Bad idea. Like, the worst. It ended as awfully as expected, and then she met Kendall, he’s the Centurion of the First, the one with the gold arm. I don’t know what happened there, but they stopped dating, and then she got her custom made bike and decided to be her own person and stop pining after boys and go out into the world to hunt monsters. Pretty kickass, if you ask me.”

“I can’t sing. Well, I can, I just don’t. And I can’t, can’t heal anyone. Seriously, I’m terrible. I only can offer people band-aids and send them on Will’s way.” He shook his head. “So, if you sing, our little plan works perfectly.”

“You know I have no idea who any of those people are, right?” Daphne laughed. But she was enjoying getting a Camp Half Blood history lesson. The important stuff. “OK, that sounds better. But I hope she’s finds, like, an actual friend rather than just having a bike.” Bastian was still amazing in her book. Definitely her favorite person she’d met at camp so far. “Love it, although I hope we don’t have to use it.”

“Hey, that way the new girl can practice.”

Bobby grinned at her and started following her. “So. Lava wall. Pretty hot.” He laughed at his own joke. “What else do you like to do around here?”

“Nice one.” Daphne smirked, trying not to think about how her heart was beating a little bit faster than before. “There’s sand volleyball, which is fun. Some people train, I watch....mostly.” She led him through the U - bend of cabins. “And here is where we live.”

“You’re seeing the remnants of a generation of very powerful demigods.” He explained with a little shrug. “I mean, Percy and Annabeth, pretty much leaders of this camp and twice saviors of the world. Will and Nico, light and straight-from-Hades dark. Leo and actual goddess Calypso. Blond Superman, my uncle Jason, and Piper McLean, Aphrodite rebel. Laurel Callidora and her custom made bike, because that was some love. Oh, Q and his Roman Centurion. Honestly, the ships have been gold lately, but who knows now.”

“Awww, Daphne. Come on. Unless you’re from Cabin Ten, no one is born being good at romance or dating. We learn. I put my foot on my mouth so. many. times around Jenna it’s painful to remember. You’ll be fine, and if you don’t and this Bobby ends up being a dummy, I’ll compose the best heartbreak song for you so you can drown your sorrows in karaoke.”

“And Charlie and Akantha.” Daphne reminded him, grinning as she was starting to pick up on the uptake. “ Wait a second, the one girl just got her bike? That doesn’t seem fair.”  She sighed as she listen to Bastian’s words, knowing that he was right. But it still didn’t make her any more confident. “You write songs too? Jeez, what can’t you do?” She sighed, but grinned. She really liked Bastian, he was a good friend. “I’m actually a pretty good singer too, so that would work.” 

“Well, duh, but I also don’t lie, like, at all, so it is true.” And he grinned at her. 

“It’s not so much because I’m in a relationship as in because I’ve been here for years and I’ve seen pleeeeenty of couples get together. I had to endure Nico and Will’s mutual pining for each other, for example, until they decided to stop being dumb and act on it, and look at them now: a demigod power couple ready to take on the world.” But those months of pining had been annoying, and that was coming from him. “I’m not saying it’s easy, anyway. I’m saying you have a standing chance, if you ever came to like this guy. That’s it.”

“OK, there seems to be a lot of power couples here.” Daphne pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “I’m just saying, if there are so many how can they all be iconic?” She sighed crossing her arms as Bastian spoke what she knew to be true. Daphne wasn’t great at emotions that weren’t entirely positive. Uncertainly and doubt flew way over her head. Unfortunately, those where two major emotions that came with starting new relationships, or so she was told. “Yeah, I hope so...” She sighed, kicking at the rocks at her feet. “I’m not good at this stuff.” Daphne explained, sheepishly.

“And that would be a real shame.”

“Say… since you’re not a pancake right now, wanna show me around your camp? I don’t come here that often.”

“You want the new girl to show you around?” Daphne teased, although she was secretly pleased. Besides, how did anyone say no to those ice blue eyes. “Follow me.” She smiled, waving her hand to signal that he should follow her.

Uh…

“Something, anything.” Daphne encouraged, looking hopeful.

“Not really. I guess we both were lucky.”

“You think so?” Daphne grinned, biting down on her bottom lip. “Well, I mean...I know I am otherwise I’d be flat as a pancake right now.”

“It was a pleasure.”

“So, do you go around catching a lot of falling girls?”

“I’m personally partial to Senna, it’s shorter and to the point, but Jenna doesn’t understand portmanteau ship names, so it’s kind of a lost battle.” 

“And Percy and Annabeth are that power couple, you know? You save the world a bunch of times together, you stay together. And some people here are like that, but mostly… it’s like high school. Not to mention the dating pool isn’t really that big, so there are plenty of summer flings along with all the established couples. I mean, Garrett Walker used to say his mom, Aphrodite, was a-” He lowered his voice. “-bitch. His words, not mine, milady.” Just in case the gods were eavesdropping on their conversation. “So it makes sense most of the older campers get all couple-y eventually. We’ll see where Dabby goes. Or is it Bopne?”

“That’s fair....ooh, I bet it gets awkward sometimes...” Daphne winced, realizing that the same group of kids literally were around each other all. the. time. There had to be some seriously hormone fueled moments here and there...Daphne looked up into the sky, half expecting all hell to break lose as Bastian called a major goddess a bitch. She may have been new, but she knew that was a serious no no. “Neither of those are actual words.” Daphne pointed out, laughing ‘Bophne’. “And we’ve talked once...twice. And yes, he’s seriously cute but I’m sure he has lots of people falling all over him.”

“I didn’t say that. You’re not of use as a soldier, but we’re not at war. Well, you guys aren’t.” Camp Jupiter had War Games once a week, after all, and those were as serious as any actual battle.

“So… just be careful. Since I can’t be around to catch you all the time.”

Daphne laughed, but couldn’t help but still feel a little useless. “Yeah, although I’ll be grateful anytime you do. Catch me, that is.”

“Ow! Yes, abridged. There was too much unnecessary drama in the middle not even I am proud of, and I do have a flair for the dramatic.”

“It is, isn’t it?” He let out a dreamy sigh. He’d been lucky with Jenna, despite the drama he really didn’t want to talk about. “I’d like to think Jenna and I are endgame, kinda like Percabeth.” A pause. “Those are Percy and Annabeth, you didn’t meet them but those two…”

“Another cute couple?” Daphne guessed. “Sure, but they’ve got nothing in Jenastian.” She teased. “I feel like I see a lot of couples around here though...”

“Because it’s an injury, not a candy bar.” Sure, being handed things could take away some of their value, but not when it came to an injury.

“You would’ve been forced into the infirmary if you were in the Legion. You can’t fight with an injured ankle, and if you can’t fight, you’re of no use…. so good thing you’re not one of us, then.”

“It’s not like that.” Daphne sighed. This is why she’d hid it from him in the first place. She hated talking about what happened to her that kept her from the thing she loved the most. “It’s not like I can sit on my behind all day to let it rest like it apparently needs to. It’s gonna take time to heal and until then, I guess I’m not of use.” She shrugged as he confirmed her worst suspicions. A hurt demigod had no place here.

“Giiiiirl, that’s one long story.” He sighed and then laughed.

“So, abridged version… I’d been having this not puppy but actual giant Irish Wolfhound of a crush on Jenna ever since I met her, and I started hanging out with her as much as I could and we grew really close, and there was some miscommunication drama in the middle that I’ll spare you of, but in the end she started growing feelings for me and I became the literal happiest camper when I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend and she said yes.”

“Abridged? Come on, don’t leave out all the good stuff!” Daphne grinned, hitting him lightly in the stomach. But she couldn’t help but smile as he told the story, mainly because he couldn’t keep the smile from his own lips. Sebastian really loved this girl. “Wow, that’s so romantic.” She sighed, dreamily.

I like being at camp. And sparring is usually fun.

“Anything...not...camp related?”

“Just some guy. Okay.”

“I’ll remember this conversation in the future, in case he stops being just some guy.”

“You do that.” Daphne laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She’d never had a real boyfriend before, why would anything change now? “How did you and Jenna get together?”

“Riiiiight.”

“So, you’re a demigod cheerleader with an injured ankle. Can’t they give you ambrosia or something? It’s a legit question.”

“I don’t know.” Daphne shrugged, genuinely confused. “They said something about it being a mortal injury? I don’t know if I exactly trust it yet...seems too easy. Why work for something if it’s just that easy?”