#chapter:nine

“Hey dude, what’s up?” Ryan’s harsh whisper caused Geoff to jump, shoving his arms behind his back even though there was nothing to hide except his tattoos. “You’ve been off since Capture the Flag.” Ryan hung upside down from his bunk, his head hanging at the perfect height to meet Geoff’s eyes square on.

Geoff shrugged, sitting down on his bed, forcing Ryan to roll onto his stomach and drop down lower, letting his arms hang off the bunk. “Seriously, you can talk to me. I don’t have to be Ryan the Strangler to you. That’s just a horror story for the kids.” He tried to smile, but it only succeeded on half of his face.

“I made up Ryan the Strangler this morning.” Geoff muttered, rubbing his eyes. He was tired and all he wanted was to sleep, not to be psychoanalyzed by Ryan.

“Yeah but since then I have convinced ten kids that I actually strangled a Cyclops to death when I was twelve.”

Geoff was too tired to argue. Ryan was a psychopath. That had been established a long time ago. “Go to bed Ryan.” He said with a heavy sigh, flopping down onto the blankets. “I’m done talking.”

“Sheesh, okay.” Ryan hissed from between his teeth. There was a series of grunts as he wiggled his way back onto his bed. “Goodnight you grumpy prick.”

Of course, sleep came as easily as when he used sleep in the gutters. He tossed and turned, throwing the covers on and off as he switched between being too hot and too cold. The snoring of the campers around him was about three times as annoying as usual and the wood above him creaked each time Ryan moved.

Geoff peeked one open and focused on the dim glow coming from the window. He held his breath as a shape drifted past, casting a blurry shadow across the floor. As it disappeared, he slowly rose from his bed; hardly bothering to throw on a hoodie he picked up off the ground.

He jogged across the clearing in bare feet, eyes scanning the trees that lined the cabins for any movement. With a sharp inhale, he noticed one of the harpies settle near Hypno cabin, but it only watched him with a lazy gaze as he reached Poseidon cabin. They were probably used to watching him escape at night anyhow, he wasn’t worth their time.

Normally, the door swung open before Geoff even touched the knob. Ray expected on an almost nightly basis. However, this time, as he reached for door, it did not open. Even when he twisted the knob, he was surprised to find it locked. Ray never locked his door.

Checking over his shoulder and with a jolt of terror realizing that the bored harpy had renewed interest, Geoff slammed his fit against the door. “Hey Ray, open up or I might get eaten.”

Hardly a second later, as if he was waiting for Geoff to knock, Ray opened the door. Geoff stumbled inside and Ray slammed it closed as the harpy rose onto its legs. “What’s with the door locking? You never do that.” Geoff’s voice cracked, wiping some cold sweat off the back of his neck. The harpies still gave him the heebie-jeebies.

The cabin was dark, not surprising for close to midnight, but there was no faint glow of a DS or music playing quietly. Instead Ray watched him blearily through tired eyes, and forced to squint without his glasses. “What are you doing here?” He muttered, rubbing a hand through his dark hair.

“Like you didn’t expect me.” Geoff muttered, but paused as Ray continued to scowl at him. “What’s wrong with you?” Geoff had come to Poseidon cabin hoping to dump some of the shit that had happened today on him. Ray was a son of the ‘Big Three’ or whatever it was called, maybe he would have some advice about being the son of Zeus. Instead, it seemed like Ray was the one who needed to get something off his chest.

“Nothing,” Ray finally grumbled, sitting down on his bed. “Nothing is ever wrong with me.”

Geoff couldn’t help it; there was a slight sting in his hand as it collided with the side of Ray’s head. “Stop being stupid and spill it.” He knew he was being a hypocrite. He had refused sharing time with Ryan, but he wasn’t going to let Ray to get by with this behavior. He was too happy of a kid to ever be grumpy.

“I turn fifteen in—“ Ray glanced toward the radio on his nightstand. “two days.”

“Congrats,” Geoff glowered, not understanding the cause for a foul mood. “One year closer to being able to legally drink.”

Ray made a face, sticking out his tongue. “Nah man, alcohol is gross.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that and get you shit-faced once I convince Ryan to steal some booze next week.”

“Nah, it’s just that as a son of the Big Three, you’re guaranteed a life-altering prophecy before you’re eighteen.” Ray sighed, leaning against the wall. Geoff tried to hide the lump that had begun to clog his throat. “Mine starts in two days and I know I’m not ready.”

Geoff raised an eyebrow. “Don’t say that,” He started, but then closed his mouth when he realized that he had nothing better to follow that.

“It’s not the quest, per se, that I’m worried about. Six demigods, six trials of the Golden Pillar, and the rings of Alecto. That’s the abridged version. However, the impending doom tacked on the end is what bothers me. Delay too long and a son of the Sky King will get you. Fucking Zeus kids, they always mean trouble.” Ray gave a shaky laugh, and Geoff was quick to turn on his heels, peeling the sweatshirt away from his suddenly sweaty back. “Well, I guess since there isn’t one in camp at the moment, I will have to worry about one on the quest.”

“W—Well who are you going to take with you?” Geoff tried to hide his apprehension but his voice still cracked. He definitely couldn’t tell Ray now. ‘Hey dude, I’m that son of Zeus so I guess this means I will have totally kill you.’ Yeah, that didn’t sound very good.

“That was actually something I wanted to ask you. I want you and Ryan to come with me. Ryan’s really resourceful, being a kid of Hermes and all, and then you have your street smarts. I have none, so I need something to compensate for that.”

With that, Geoff heart sank. His answer was on the tip of his tongue to turn it down. “I just came to camp, are you sure that—“ Geoff turned to face Ray and met his eyes. His words froze in his throat.

“I have my reasons. And Ryan’s experience is more than enough to make up where you lack.” Ray half-smiled, looking a touch more confident than when Geoff had walked in. “So, you’ll go right?”

Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him. Geoff’s brain screamed at him. Somehow, instead, he smiled half-heartedly and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”