Fire Eater

She couldn’t help herself anymore. Astrid punch Simon in the arm out of anger and glared. “Stop being sarcastic, that’s my job.” She never thought that she would ever have a sibling who was so annoying, usually the Hephaestus teen got along with all of her brothers, but she couldn’t help but hate this one. “Well then try harder.”

Simon stepped back when she punched his arm. “Oh sorry to mess with your territory, is there any way to get a new fire kid here to mess with mine?” He couldn’t stop himself. When he was confronted he snarked. He wasn’t a fighter at all, talk he could do. “Right, I’ll get right on that.”

“The whole, ‘they only come around when something bad is about to happen’ thing.” Caspian shrugged.

“Right I don’t know anything about this world except I can make fire and Hephaestus is some how my dad. You’re going to have to explain the cryptic message.”

Oh, uh, it’s okay. Can you put it out, or is there water around?

I don’t know how to put it out no! Shit.

A kid with pyrokinesis? She hadn’t heard of that before. “Well… I mean, then you just have to learn it, right? Then you can head out to the city or head home for a week or two. ‘Sides, wouldn’t it be cool to learn how to control fire?” From what she’s learned from her own experience, it was nice to have a camper who saw it from the bright side of things. “Well, your siblings will probably drag you into the forge at one point, if you knock it.”

“Yeah learning it will be the hard part. No one else here has it apparently I’m the only one of my siblings.” He wasn’t trying to be pessimistic, he usually wasn’t but with over half of his classmates back home in the hospital because of him he couldn’t help it. “I don’t want to have these powers honestly. They only do bad things.” Simon forced a smile to his face. “Well I wont say it in front of them then!”

Caspian nodded. “Ah, fire abilities?” He let out a low whistle. “Gotta what out man.

Shaking his head he looked around the forge staying as close to the wall as possible. “Yeah lucky me right.” he turned his head to look at Caspin, “What?”

“Well does it look like I’m laughing?”

“Apparently not. It’s a song.”

“The mess hall? I can show you if you want. Everyone’s different here, don’t worry about it. I’m glad that they’ve left camp though. Is that Astrid?”

“Yeah sorry, I didn’t remember the name. Yeah I’m learning that, I’m nothing like my siblings even if I apparently should be. Yeah that’s the one.”

Caspian quickly grabbed a metal lid from a kid’s workbench at the forge, putting the fire out on his sleeve his brother caused. “ ‘s alright, happens to the best of us.”

Simon looked at the area that was supposed to be his and shook his head, “Not really. Open flames make my powers come out apparently.” he made a face as he looked at the dirty table. 

“Some kid keeps talking about anaconda’s not wanting somebody’s buns…. I seriously don’t get it.”

“Are you serious?”

“It’s fine, my fault for getting too into my work. What are you looking exactly? You’re not exactly getting along with them? I don’t think it’s that bad. When I first arrived three years ago, the first thing I got was a levitated wedgie.”

“I’m trying to find the place where we eat. I don’t remember what it’s called sorry. Well I don’t fit in with them, they’re all about building things and being dirty and I’m about none of that. Shit, sounds rough. I’ve just got an angry sister with a metal arm who looks like she wants to punch me every time I breath.”

“You better learn to somehow control your stupid powers soon though, because I am not going to have our cabin burnt to the ground by you.” When he rolled his eyes at her it took all of Astrid’s will to not punch him out of annoyance. “ Hey, it’s cool that we all have different names, Makes our cabin stand out. All of our brothers are great too, don’t be so quick to judge.”

“Yeah because that’s the goal. Burning down the place I’m supposed to sleep.” He wasn’t trying to burn anything when it happened. It just ended up happening, open flame jumped on him and he freaked anyone else would have done the same. “I’m trying but it’s kind of hard okay?”

Her eyebrow raised at his answer and she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you a troublemaker, then? Or does trouble just come and find you?” She’d like to believe it was usually the later with demigods–but then there were the Eris kids. “You’d be surprised at how comfortable you’ll feel there. It’s kind of a natural place for Hephaestus kids to go, so don’t knock it ‘till you try it.”

Letting out a slight laugh he shook his head, “I wish that was it.” Simon was never allowed to be a troublemaker. “I have pyrokinesis and no idea how to control it is why. Until I learn how to I don’t think I’m allowed anywhere but here.” It was the sad truth and now that he knew he was the only one who knew how long it would take to learn to control it. “I’m already knocking it sorry.”

“Sorry, I’m a bit antsy when I sense people hanging around me when I work.”

“Oh sorry I’m just... kinda lost and I don’t want to ask my siblings for help.”

“Well no, you’re supossed to figure out how to use your powers in a good way, but since you have no idea how to use them all you’ve been is reckless.” Astrid didn’t understand why she had to explain all of this to him, being the helpful sibling wasn’t exactly her forte. “You have three brothers. Their names are Julian, Freedom and Caspian, and I’m sure that they would be more enthusiastic about your annoying questions than I am.”

“I just found out I had these powers like two days ago. Of course I’m reckless with it.” Simon rolled his eyes at her, she wasn’t very helpful but he was worse than she was with this whole thing. “Right so there’s one possibly normal one based on their names.”

“You need something? I’m slightly busy making designs.”

“I’m just looking around camp. I wasn’t trying to get in your way.”