#chb!starter

“Okay, what is it about me that makes new campers think I want to help them?” Arson questions, sitting down beside his fellow demigod. “Is it my face? Do I look kind? Is it some sort of vibe that I’m giving off? Because I promise you that my aim is to keep them away,” he says, exasperated. Yeah, he was supposed to be welcoming but the last time he had been, he’d gotten Minnah, and while he loved her dearly now, he could only handle one abrasive and intrusive best friend. She took up most of his energy. “Is it some sort of sign on my face that tells them it’s okay to follow me around that’s invisible to only me?”

“Do you ever think about the people you’ve never met? Like, when you step too early into a shop or walk out just a few seconds too late,” Penny rambles, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs in the grass before crossing one ankle over the other. “I do sometimes. It’s weird cause sometimes I miss them. Like you never know what they could’ve been to you if you hadn’t decided to turn right instead of moving straight ahead.”

“Well, now is as good a time as any for a drink.”

Are expensive hobbies even worth it? Because spending $100 in one shopping trip does not help me unwind.

“That’s funny. I don’t remember inviting you into my room, yet here you are, bold as brass and twice as pretty, making demands of me. My, my! You do know how to get a girl’s blood pumping.”

“A new summer, and new influx of campers, and undoubtedly more injuries in the arena. I might have to stock up on wine just to get through these next few weeks.”

Arson sat down in the dining pavilion at his respective table, not interested in being by the border to see the new and old faces beginning to come through the entrance. He was sure he’d see most of the new arrivals, and anyone that he cared enough to find would likely find him first. Picking at the fruit on his plate, he barely glanced up when a shadow loomed over him for a brief second before the person sat down in front of him. “You can’t sit here if your father isn’t Ares.”