"Graves?" Tai called out as he stuck his head into the Hermes cabin. A couple unclaimed campers gave him odd looks, but no one said anything as he wandered in and started looking around. Despite his years at camp his times inside Cabin 11 had been few and far between, but one of the unclaimed kids gave him simple enough directions to follow to find the man he was looking for. "Graves?" he repeated as he knocked on the door to what was, apparently his bedroom. "You home?"

"In here, c'mon in!" Graves called, hearing a familiar voice accompanied by a knock on the door. He was sitting at his desk, finishing up a drawing of what...might have been a cat in a sweater if you squinted really, really hard. Hearing his door swing open, he pushed his drawing away and turned to greet his visitor. "Oh shit, Tai. Hey dude, what's up?"

Tai grinned at him and held up the bottle of fireball in his hand, the one he had won for third place. “Hey, mate. Got a gift for ya.” He took a few steps into the room and held it out for him.

Graves' jaw dropped. "You got that for me? No way man, I can't accept that." He smiled at Tai, his eyes bright.

Tai laughed and shook his head, walking all the way over to put it down on his desk. “Dude, this coulda been yours if I didn’t fuck with your shoulder. How’s it holdin’ up?”

"Oh shit, nah nah nah. You didn't fuck with my shoulder, I fell!" He laughed, shaking his head. "Please don't blame yourself or anythin', it's not a big deal. It's doin' alright, I've been goin' to L everyday so they can check it out. How are you- that cut on your leg okay?"

Tai patted the side of his leg. “Healing up. Sucks she got my bad one, I could’ve evened out.” He laughed again. “Full, though, take the bottle. Ease my mind.”

"Evened out, gods." Graves covered his laugh with a hand, before raising an eyebrow at Tai. "I can't accept this very generous offer but I can suggest an alternative. Y'interested?"

Tai took some time to glance around Graves's room as he tried to figure out what was being asked. He came up blank. "In what?"

He gestured to the bottle of fireball, "Sharin' the spoils of war, man." Graves tapped two fingers on his desk, trying to remember where he'd last stored his shot glasses before pulling open a drawer. He set one glass on his desk and held the other out to Tai. "What d'ya say?"

“Ahh.” Tai nodded in understanding and took the glass. “Yeah, mate, I’m game to get smashed. You a hundo percent sure? It is a prezzie.”

"A hundo, for sure." Graves grinned. "You wanna get sloshed here or take our chaos somewhere else? We could go up to the loft?”

“I’m A-OK with here, ladders sometimes do me in.” Tai shrugged one shoulder with a smile. “If you’re cool with that.”

"Makes sense! Totally cool, my guy!" he called over his shoulder, already digging through his closet in earnest. Moments later, Graves emerged with a camp chair. "You take my desk chair, I'll take this one. Don't argue, you brought the booze, you get the good chair."

Tai laughed and sat down in the desk chair, picking up the bottle and unscrewing the lid. “Okay, okay, if I gotta.” He turned to fill each of the shot glasses then held one out to Graves. “To L?” he suggested as a toast.

Graves scooped up his shot glass and tapped it to Tai's without spilling a drop. "To L! Absolute angel, they are."

Tai downed the shot and put the glass back on Graves's desk. "Full angel," he agreed, hiding his shudder at the taste by running a hand through his hair. "S'wild we never hung before, bro. You're a wicked fighter."

Graves blinked as the liquor burned his throat, then flashed a smile at Tai. "Thanks man, you too. Total fuckin' badass. We should hang out more, for sure. Maybe," he tilted his head towards Tai, admiring the other's long hair. "Maybe we could spar and you could teach me some sick moves. You're ambidextrous too, I noticed."

Tai preened at the praise, straightening up like a bird ruffling its feathers. “Thanks. Yeah, that’d be ace.” The final part of Graves’s sentence gave him pause, and he shook his head after a second. “Nah man, I’m full gay.”

"I definitely need to word on my sword techniques, I could've done a lot better if I'd practiced more." Graves' brow furrowed as Tai spoke and he tried to remember what he had said. "Ay, ain't nothin' wrong with that. I'm queer but hey, cheers to the gays!" He grinned, pouring another round of shots for them both and raising his own.

Tai laughed and lifted clinked his glass against Graves's, not reacting this time as it went down. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "D'you always fight with two swords? It's hella sweet."

Graves licked a drop of fireball off his lip, enjoying the spice. He nodded, "Yeah that's how I learned. I figured I was already decent at fightin' left or right handed, why not combine?"

"Whoa, yeah, I saw– can you use both hands the same way?" Tai poured the next round of shots.

"I'm just a little bit better with my right. But it's pretty even, I think. You?"

“Left, defo. But I can fight with my right ‘cause I had to change my style up after, y’know.” Tai shrugged and tapped his foot against the ground. “Now I can do both.”

Graves nodded, picking up the shot Tai had poured and nodding at the other glass. "Makes sense. You're real fuckin' decent with that spear. I saw you talkin' to Blue after our fight, is she gonna fix it?"

Tai gave him a pleased smile and took the next shot. “Yeah, she said she would. Was a prezzie from Morpheus so like, I fuckin’ hope.”

He set the glass down on his desk a little too hard, surprised. "It was from Morpheus? That's fresh as fuck, dude! Oh gods, I hope she tricks it out. Other than your spear, what's your fave weapon to fight with?"

“Yeah!” Tai leaned towards him, excited. “It’s bloody grouse, it turns into a hair pin. Imperial gold.” He sat back and thought. “I dunno. Athena powers kinda make it easy to use any weapon.”

"Imperial gold? Sick." Graves filed Tai's slang into the back of his mind to look up later. "I never thought of that. Can you pick up anything and know how to use it?"

Tai nodded and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. “P much. Handling and all that, comes easy. My sis is gonna help me on getting better, seeing what all else I can do.”

Graves absentmindedly drummed his fingers on the desk. "Dude, that's awesome. I need to practice more with other weapons. I really only use swords or...my fists." He laughed.

“I can help with that,” Tai offered, spinning slowly side to side in the desk chair. “If y’want. Another shot?”

"That would be sick, dude." Graves grinned, sliding his shot glass closer to Tai. "Sure yeah, hit me. Uh, not literally."

Tai laughed and brushed a piece of his hair behind his ear. He refilled their shot glasses. “This is four?” he guessed, then downed it. “Gets better every time.” He spun in a circle.

"Burns so good," Graves sing-songed after doing his shot. "This was a fantastic idea, man."

Tai laughed again. “It was your idea, dude. Genius.” He put the shot glass down and crossed his ankles. “I know nada about you, where are you from?”

Graves ran his hand through his hair, leaning back in the camp chair. "Next time you call me a genius, say it in front of my sisters. Maybe they'll believe it, hearin' it from someone else," he laughed. "Shit, I'm from Myrtle Beach, man. Y'ever been?"

Tai shook his head. "Dunno most places in the states, especially outta New York. Where's that?"

"South Carolina, about thirteen hours from here if y'drive. How long have you been in the states? You're from Australia right?"

Tai grinned and thumped a fist against his chest. "Oi oi oi. Brisbane. I hopped the pond when I was sixteen, so, uh..." His brows creased and he was silent for a few seconds as he tried to count backwards. "A lotta years ago now."

Graves nodded, "I've always wanted to visit Australia. Did you come here just for camp?"

"Yeah, yeah. My dads and mom knew and told me on my sixteenth birthday, so I headed straight on up here." A bit of an exaggeration, but there was no point getting caught in the details. Tai smiled. "I already had a friend here, too."

"Dads and mom? Y've got a big family, that's lucky. It's just my mom and my gran back home for me." Graves raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who'd you know!"

"Got a lil bro, too. That's sweet, though, they know about camp and all that?" Tai asked, leaning forward again in interest. At Graves's question, he smiled more. "Uh, Caspar? I dunno if you know each other. We grew up together."

"Oh, nice! I didn't have any siblings until I got here. Two-ish years ago now." He nodded again. "Yeah they know all about camp. I think I know who you're talkin' about. Photographer? Bright white hair? Y'all grew up together? What are the odds of endin' up here too! Wild."

"Yeah, yeah," Tai repeated, running a hand through his hair. He was still smiling, although he kept his tone light and casual. "Stellar artist, crazy talented. We dated back in Brissy. Wild odds. You came two years ago? How'd you find it?"

Graves' eyes caught on Tai's hair, it was so shiny. He stopped himself from staring and nodded. How long had he been nodding? He squinted, feeling tipsy. "And y'all are friends now? That's great man! Yeah, I did. My gran told me where to go."

Tai ran his tongue over his teeth. "Great friends, yeah."  It was too soon to take another shot, considering the first few were just starting to hit him now, but something about having the bottle and shot glass in both sight and reach almost made him refill it automatically. He took a few seconds to process what Graves had said. "Huh. How did she know?"

"Oh, uh..." Graves fumbled for a suitable explanation, before settling for his favorite excuse. "She's a fortune teller. She knows everything, man." The words immediately tasted sour in his mouth; he'd already started telling people the truth, why stop now? His grandmother's words echoed in his head: Secrets are dangerous, Cam. Some people will try to use you for your abilities. I won't have you experiencing that as well. Graves chewed his lip, studying Tai's face. "Actually, she's a demigod," he blurted out.

"Old people can be demigods?" Tai asked without thinking. He shook his head immediately afterwards and leaned towards Graves. "Sorry, dude, that came out wrong. But, for real? So you got two gods in you?"

Graves exhaled a laugh, his momentary worry erased. “Apparently, yeah.” He nodded, “For real, man. I’m  surprised your sister didn’t tell you at fight night. She figured it out.”

Tai thought of Hazel and Kerrigan first before he remembered Ramona and understood. "Oh! Yeah, I dunno." He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. "Shit's crazy. How'd she figure out about your gran?"

“She’s got some funky powers, guess she just knew because of ‘em.”

"She can tell about your family? That's bloody wild." Tai spun around in the chair again. "Wanna go for another round?"

"Oh, no-" Graves shook his head. "She can tell about my powers. Sure, man. I love fireball."

Tai poured them each another shot and handed Graves' to him. "Bloody sweet prize. What're your powers?"

Graves held up his shot in a silent cheers before tipping it back. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Lucky. I'm lucky."

“This is great,” Tai agreed, figuring that’s what Graves meant. “It’s sweet as fuck we can all just hang when we want. What a life.” He took his shot belatedly.

"Honestly, you're right man." Graves tapped the desk twice for emphasis. "We get to train and just fuckin wil' out."

Tai grinned at the validation. “Yeah! What do you think...” he trailed off as the shot kicked in and his thoughts grew fuzzier. “What’s the best and worst parts? Of camp.”

"Best part? We live here, man. This place is so cool. There's so many people with sick powers." He tipped back in his chair, wrinkling his nose. "Worst part? Archery lessons."

Tai laughed and combed both his hands through his hair. “Archery’s aight. I don’t get the climbing wall still. Lava? Really? Burnt my hair once and I was bloody devo.”

Graves looked shocked. "Not your hair! That's terrible man." He shook his head, "Although I love the climbin' wall. I wouldn't get very far up it today but on a normal day? I'm real decent at it. Haven't gotten singed in a bit."

“The missing arm’d count against you for sure,” Tai laughed in agreement, pulling his left leg up on the chair and resting his chin on his knee. He was still swaying the chair side to side. “This chair’s great, mate. Full carnival ride over here.”

Graves grinned as he watched Tai spin on his desk chair. "Carnival rides! Shit, man, what's your favorite? I miss carnivals."

"I dunno, it's been an age since I went." Tai sighed, smiling as he thought about it. Everything was warm and pleasant. "You're so cool, man. How many tattoos d'you got?"

"I used to work at a boardwalk carnival every summer. That's some nostalgic shit, my guy." Graves hummed at the praise. "Shit, thanks Tai. You're cool as hell too. Fightin' ya? Damn." He shook his head, feeling more tipsy the more he spoke. "Oh gods, uh. I've got..." He began to mentally list his tattoos. "I've got...five I think, not countin' all the eyes on my sleeves. D'you have any ink?"

Tai sighed and refilled their shot glasses but didn't pick either up. "That's hot. I just got one." He rolled up his sleeve and showed Graves a faded tattoo of a sun and clouds on the inside of his arm. "Oldie, stick and poke."

The edge of Graves' mouth quirked up in a smirk. "Hot," he mused, watching Tai pour another round. He leaned forward to check out the other's tattoo. "Stick and poke, sick. I love that. I might get a stick and poke soon. Not sure what yet."

"From when I was a kid," Tai commented, rolling his sleeve back down after a few seconds. "Beauty, mate. What of? Nah, you just said you don't know. When?"

"Did you do it yourself or did a friend?" Graves moved to grab one of the shot glasses, nodding to Tai to do the same. His head swam a little bit and he tried to remember what he'd been asked. "Uh...soon. Whenever I can convince my friend to tattoo me."

"Cas," Tai answered, smiling again as he picked up the glass. There was no way he needed another shot, but he downed it anyway. "We gave each other them before he left, y'know, for a thing that lasted." He frowned in concentration as he recalled their topic. "Which friend?"

"Oh, sick! It's really well done." Graves tapped his fingers on his knee. "That's really cute, wow. And uh, Cleo? I don't know if you know her."

"It is cute," Tai agreed, half to himself as he thought about Caspar. He ran his tongue over his teeth and shrugged at Graves. "We tan together sometimes."

“Tannin’ buddies,” he nodded, then circled back to their previous topic. “Would you get another tattoo?“

"I dunno. I don't think so? I don't have a lotta places open that it wouldn't look fucked," Tai explained, lifting the bottom of his shirt to show Graves the scars that wrapped up his torso, thinning out the higher they went. He dropped his shirt back down after a second. "Would you?"

Graves kept his face neutral as Tai flashed his scars. He didn't want to make the other uncomfortable by staring. "You could always tatt over them," he offered. "I've debated coverin' this one." He pulled the collar of his shirt down to show Tai the shiny scar on his collarbone. "I don't want to mess with my chest piece though so I'd have to find somethin' that fit with it. Sure man, I love gettin' inked. I got a serpent around my knee not too long ago."

Tai shrugged and nodded but didn't give any other indication of what he thought of the suggestion. "What's that from?" he asked when Graves showed the scar, then blinked. "You don't gotta say. I saw there's a tattoo shop opening in town?"

“Dude in high school cracked me a good one with his lacrosse stick after a game. I ran my mouth, he broke my collarbone and my nose.” Graves grinned like a madman as he recounted the story. “Oh shit, there is? Sick. I have to get more ink then. Maybe I'll get somethin' on my back.”

"Ripper tale, that." Tai grinned back at him. "Musta been talking some hardcore shit. What would you want on your back? That the main space left?"

Crazy smile still plastered to his face, Graves nodded. "You know how it goes, man. Talk shit, get hit." He laughed then tapped each of his knees. "My legs are the most of my leftover real estate for ink. I guess my stomach too? But I haven't thought about gettin' any tatts there. And my back, yeah," he finished. He pulled up the corner of his tee, showing the tail end of a set of hooked scars that ran from the base of his neck to his left hip. He tapped the edge of one scar with his knuckles. "These take up most of my back, though. I'd have to figure out somethin' cool for it if I got inked there."

Tai's attention lingered on Graves's skin as he pulled his shirt up and it took him until after Graves stopped speaking for the words to sink in and remind him of what he was supposed to be looking at. "Fuck, mate, where'd those come from?"

Graves' arched an eyebrow, watching Tai. He grinned, appreciating the attention before giving a one-shouldered shrug. "Monster attack a few years ago. Usually I make up wild stories, tell people different shit. It's a downer so I won't tell you what really happened. Today's cover story is that I took on the Lernean hydra myself, with nothing but my bare hands. I ripped its heads off, it ripped my back apart." He smirked and returned to drumming his fingers on his desk. After a moment, he figured it was okay to ask the same of Tai. "What are all your scars from?"

Tai nodded along with the story, although it only increased his curiosity as to what could have given those scars and why it was too dark a tale to tell. As Graves spoke, Tai turned to top up their shot glasses. After the excuse his new friend had given it felt wrong to bring the mood down in return, but a good cover didn't come to mind. "Want me to make something up too?"

"Oh, you don't have to talk about it, not if you don't want to. I shouldn't have asked, sorry. You can make something up if you want. Or I can change the subject?" Graves offered, watching Tai fill the glasses again.

Tai shrugged and held one of the glasses out to Graves. "S'not that I mind, but you made something up so, should I? It's not a long story, just almost got mauled to death by some hellhounds." He paused. "Aw, shit, I just said it."

"Damn." Graves' eyes widened as Tai let slip what had happened. His pressed his lips together and accepted the shot glass. "To...escapin' death and lookin' hot as hell?" He raised his glass to Tai, trying to make light of the topic.

Tai grinned at him and lifted his glass. “Bloody oath,” he agreed cheerfully, tapping their glasses together and downing his shot. He wiped his mouth. “We do look hot as hell.”

Graves hummed in acknowledgement before tipping his shot back. "We need to do this more often, my guy," he set the shot glass down again and winked at Tai. "You, me, some fireball? Sounds good to me."

Tai’s smile sharpened into more of a smirk. “We can make a habit of it. You like any other drink better?”

"I'll drink anythin' man. I'm not picky." He smiled wryly. "You have a preference?"

“Fireball?” Tai laughed. “I like whiskey to fruity, mate. Not picky either.”

"The way to be. I'll have to make you a drink sometime."

“Yeah?” Tai leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. “You good at it?”

Graves ran his thumb across his lower lip and nodded. "I'm decent at it. You live in the Hermes cabin, you pick up some skills. Makin' cocktails just happens to be on that list."

Tai watched his movement then laughed. “I bet. What’s your main hobby? I know bloody nothing about you, I see now.”

"I really like to skateboard and I used to play lacrosse all the time. Not so much lately, gotta find someone to practice with. What about you?" Graves raised an eyebrow at Tai, thumb still resting on his lip.

“Ace, you skateboard? Used to be huge into that.” Tai combed his fingers through his hair. “I work at the gym, and I’m a fashion design student. Work freelance as a tailor sometimes. Just started on some bonzer armour with my bro, now exams are doneso.”

"Yeah, I do.  I'll skate for you sometime." Graves winked. He gave Tai an appraising look, admiring the sheen of his hair. His eyes drifted to the other's muscular build and lingered on his arms for a moment. He smirked. "You work at the gym? You mean to tell me you weren't just born with such a godly physique?"

At the compliment, Tai crossed his arms across his chest casually with a subtle flex. He grinned. "Bit of both, mainly hard work. Bloody flirt."

Tai's flex did not escape Graves' notice and a look of approval flashed across his face. "A flirt? Me?" He put his hand to his chest, feigning a look of shock, but unable to keep the mirth out of his eyes. "Never."

With a laugh, Tai began swaying the chair side to side again. "Damn, here I was hoping you were."

He raised an eyebrow. “And if I was?”

"A flirt?" Tai copied his expression back to him, raising both eyebrows. "I'd say keep it up."

"Huh, good thing I'm not a flirt." Graves flashed Tai a sharp grin, running his tongue along his teeth. "I am lookin' for someone to....work out with though."

Tai leaned back in the chair again, catching the double meaning to Graves's words after a second. He grinned. "Hey, I'm a pro."

Graves leaned forward as Tai leaned back, putting his elbow on his knee. He bit his lip and rested his chin in the palm of his hand, subtly letting his eyes graze over Tai again. “Oh yeah?” He flashed him a crooked grin. “I could be the judge of that.”

As much as he was enjoying the way Graves was looking at him, Tai was already getting confused by speaking in innuendo. Still, there were only so many ways this conversation could go, so he decided to give it a shot. "You could or you will? 'Cause I'm not putting up any complaints." Tai arched an eyebrow.

Graves hummed and looked appraisingly at Tai. "I think...I will." He grinned.

Tai stretched his left leg out and hooked his ankle around Graves’s. “Oh?” He used the new grip to pull the desk chair he was seated on closer to Graves, thankful for the wheels. “Soon?”

"Soon as you're free." Graves used their entwined ankles to pull Tai a little closer, crooked grin on his face. "I don't have any plans."

Tai grinned and made a show of looking over himself. “I don’t think I’m doing anything now.”

"I can think of a few things you should be doin' now." Graves ran his thumb over his lip, eyes sparkling with mischief. He made no move, taking the moment to enjoy looking at Tai.

Tai watched Graves's movement and leaned forward in the chair after a second, bringing them closer. "Are you all of them?" He was still grinning, tone joking.

"Huh," he exhaled a laugh, bringing his eyes upward to meet Tai's. Graves smirked. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Tai considered him for a second, then hooked two fingers under the hem of Graves's cropped shirt to pull him forward. "Where do you want me to start?"

Graves tilted his head towards Tai as he was pulled in by his shirt. He ran his tongue over his teeth, exhaling softly, unable to keep the smirk off his face. "I'm not picky, anywhere y'like." He couldn't keep his eyes of Tai either. Gods, he's hot.

Tai laughed under his breath and pulled Graves in all the way to kiss him, bunching one hand up in his shirt to keep him close and holding his jaw with the other.

Graves made a sound of approval, his eyes fluttering closed as he returned Tai's kiss. He reached out to place his hand on the back of his neck, pulling Tai closer and deepening the kiss.

Tai let of Graves's shirt to slide that hand around to his back, moving forward to the edge of the chair. "Does your room have a lock?" he asked, only pulling away for long enough to speak before he leant back in.

"Already on it," Graves murmured into Tai's lips. His powers definitely had their perks outside of criminal activity; he silently prayed Rosie wouldn't pick now as another time to pick his lock and barge into his room. Moving to the edge of his chair, he broke away from Tai's lips. He slid his hand up into Tai's hair, tilting his head to the side so that he could kiss his neck.

Tai had less than zero idea what that meant, but it sounded encouraging. He went along with the motion easily and tilted his head to the side, moving his hand from Graves’s jaw to card his fingers through his hair as he  pressed his other hand into his back. “Ace,” he breathed as he remembered he should give a response. “Cool.”

Tai's hand pressed against his back sent chills up Graves spine and he inhaled sharply, lips pressed against the other boy's neck. He returned to Tai's lips, pulling him closer for another kiss, before leaning back. His hand still in Tai's hair, Grave's studied his face. "Do you want to- uh?" He tilted his head towards his bed, faltering as he felt heat rise in his cheeks.

Tai grinned, opening his eyes to watch Graves's motion. He pressed a hand to Graves's chest and leaned back enough to see between him and the bed, focusing on Graves's sling after a moment. "How's your shoulder?"

"Uh," Graves said intelligently as Tai pressed his hand to his chest. He glanced and his shoulder and shrugged, the movement feeling tender. He ignored it, looking back at Tai instead, his eyes lingering on the other's lips. "It's fine. Not that bad. I guess I could...take the sling off? If you want to help me?" Graves bit his lip, raising an eyebrow at Tai.

Tai's attention drifted from Graves's sling up to where his tattoos were visible, distracted until he remembered he needed to answer the question. "Oh, you sure about that, mate?" With effort, Tai pulled his attention away from the skull on Graves's hand to look back at his face. "It's there for a reason."

Graves pressed his lips together, knowing that Tai had a pretty good point. He moved his hand, fingers tracing the collar of his shirt as he chewed his lip. "We can work around it?" He exhaled a laugh and realized that he had absolutely no idea where to go from here.

Tai's eyebrows drew together as he tried to come up with a solution, but his mind was blank. "I dunno, man. I don't want to mess your shoulder up."

"I hate to say it but...you're probably right." He let his hand drop back to his lap, fixing Tai with a rueful grin. Graves' eyes flitted back down to Tai's lips and he was tempted to lean back in and resume kissing him, but was unsure if the moment had passed.

Tai laughed and shook his head, resting a hand on Graves's shoulder and leaning back in to kiss him for a few seconds before letting him go and leaning back in the chair. "You got my number?"

Graves smiled into the kiss before following suit as Tai pulled away. "Not yet, I don't." He picked his phone up off the desk, unlocking it and passing it to Tai. "Add yourself, I'll shoot you a text as soon as I'm cleared for physical activity." He flashed him a mischievous grin with a laugh. "If you're down for that."

Tai typed in his contact information, adding an owl emoji beside his name before he handed the phone back. He grinned at Graves. "Text me when your arm’s spruced up?" He realized he had asked a question Graves had just answered and belatedly added on, "Ace."

Graves glanced at his phone, exhaling a laugh when he saw the emoji Tai had added beside his name. He flicked his eyes back up to Tai, a cocky smile on his face. "Definitely. Do you want to grab food or somethin'?"