h o m e

It was strange and rare to feel the way Caine did, sure he was filled with apprehension and the worry he always was when it came to returning to the cabin but for once he wasn’t feeling particular numb or even down regarding what it meant to be back.  It was especially odd when it involved the occasions like these when he didn’t have the greatest excuses for why he left.  Sure, he was talented at fighting, but by nature he’d always had to run whether it was for his life, away from pain, away from the dreams and visions he’d give anything to control.  But, there was no running from this.  He liked to think in those darkest moments he was alone, but that had never been close to true, it’s impossible to be in the dark when you’ve spent most of your life surrounded by the other children of the Sun.  Above all, he could never run away from the way he hurt the friends  that did worry about him and much like now, he could never really take back not even leaving much of a goodbye for the sibling that, well, he couldn’t really deny that he favored.

He’d wandered through Camp, mostly taking the paths that avoided  most foot traffic as he always had.  However, his lips twitched into a smirk every so often, he couldn’t help it.  It had been so long since he’d taken the dangerous gamble of spending time with his Mom to truly be back home, but deep down he knew he’d never truly been able to call it that. His Mother had always let him feel safe, she’d actually given him as normal and loving as a childhood as you could have when you seemingly kept having seizure, vivid dreams, and creepily drawing the next big catastrophe that tried to kill him or others.  Sure, there’d been brief visits whenever he ran away from Camp but they were never back at the house that had once been the haven that Camp was. Despite all the drama that had colored his world in shades he’d never wanted to see his life in, he’d never truly known what it was he craved or hoped to find to make things okay, even if for a little bit.  He’d never considered that after so long, just having the brief few days to fall back into being just Caine.  The Pearson Boy.  The doting from his mom that actually felt right, that he’d forgotten all about. To be honest, he was bombarded by what others wanted and what was to be so much it had become easy to  be complacent about who he actually was and who so few people ever allowed him to be.

Caine knew all too well he had alot to answer for and as always, he knew he had responsibility that returned the moment he crossed into Camp.  Hell, he’d actually managed to walk away from an average hell hound attack on the way here without even getting irritated.  For the first time in a few years, he didn’t want to just curl up by the Lake or hide in his bed.  Right now, he was home and he had a few homecoming gifts to give so he could get back on some certain peoples’ good sides. So, after peering sneakily, into a near window of his cabin, he checked to see if his sister was in there before he made a soft rap at the door, wanting to earn a surprise versus just walking in.  So, he waited while he rummaged through his bag.

Danny had been numb for a very long time. After losing everybody, he felt everything simultaneously and deeply. Grief, regret, relief, love, and loss, all at once. Danny’s emotions inundated his mind and when they washed away, they took his spirit with them. Neither exhaustion or upset adequately described the profound emptiness that Danny now lived with. He had finally learned how to cope with death, but no longer knew how to value life.

Occupying himself with hobbies and work filled the void of kinship lost, but only superficially. Danny needed genuine human connection, but was too afraid of forging new relationships. Looking into the eyes of his close friends so often reminded him of the loss they shared, but mixing with the campers who were new to camp felt like intruding on a party to which he was not invited. He was one of the dead, mingling among the living. 

He could go on pretending, but Danny was growing so tired. Maybe a new connection was what he needed. He might feel fear, yes, but surely feeling anything was better than nothing at all.

Like a clarion call to make the change, a familiar blonde head rounded the corner as Danny floated through the quad. Involuntarily, but welcomely, Danny’s lips formed the name. “Caine? Caine Pearson?”

Jacob stepped out of the Dionysus cabin and into the warm sunlight. The only article of clothing currently on their body was a pair of silk pink panties despite having a shirt and skirt in hand. They fit rather snug and given how happy the young demigod looked at the moment – they had served their purpose of getting him laid. After a few minutes of basking in the sun, he pulled on his shirt before glancing over at the feeling of someone watching him. Jacob tilted his head up in greeting before pulling on his skirt. “Hows it going? You enjoying the sunlight too?”

Having lived at camp for the majority of his life, Danny liked to believe he had seen most of the antics people pulled on these grounds. Yet, he had to admit that the sight of Jacob displaying himself proudly in the quad in just a pair of panties was certainly a novel one. “The sunlight? Yeah, the sunlight is nice.”

Ashton was tending to the memorial garden, pulling at the weeds and growing new flowers. When she heard footsteps behind her, she jumped, turning quickly, it was the first thing she went to the minute she got back. “Holy fluff, you scared me!”

Danny smiles. “Sorry.” He holds out his arms for a hug. “Forgive me?”

Rae sat at the campfire, texting away on her phone and not paying attention to anything around her. If it wasn’t her brother asking the question, anyone else’s voice might’ve not even gotten her attention. She looked up immediately and grinned, spotting the marshmallows in his hand. “I can’t really say no to marshmallows.” She bounced up and moved to sit next to him, “Thanks.” Rae took a marshmallow and ripped it in half, eating one part of it first.

Danny gives Rae a squeeze when she sits beside him. He plucks a marshmallow from the bag and turns it in fingers, watching the impressions of his fingertips melt away from the plush surface. “Apparently these are fat-free.”

“Well, thanks again,” Cyrus responded happily. He currently couldn’t remember the other’s name and set the bag of marshmallows next to him and plucked the remaining earbud out of his ear and began wrapping his iPod with the cords. Once he was done, he set that beside him too and looked over at Danny; only to catch the sight of something that wasn’t there before. “–Did you do that?” He asked, motioning to the newly blossomed daisies growing where Danny had stepped. “Does that, uh, happen often?”

“Yeah, it kind of, uh—” Danny shrugs. “It just happens. Everywhere I go.” Danny lifts his foot to reveal small green heads poking out from the soil. “See?”

Victoria smiled. “Victoria,” she introduced. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m guessing Hecate cabin?”

“This is me offering.” Danny puts the bag in Declan’s lap and sits at the next bench. “Sorry about the graham crackers and chocolate.”

“Uh–” Jesse glanced over his shoulder to check if Danny was speaking to someone behind him, and then nodded quickly, the tips of his ears turning pink when he realized it was him being addressed. “Sure. Thanks, Dan-ny?” He broke the name into two parts, his voice going up at the end as though unsure if the other camper’s name had changed since the last time he saw him.

“You’re wel-come?” Danny hands over the package.

“I’d like to think everyone stays a kid. It makes life a bit easier.”

“That’s a good way of thinking.” Danny gives her a smile and perches on a bench. “I’m Danny, by the way.”

Cyrus took the whole bag when handed and sat up a bit straighter on the log he was positioned on. He looked into the bag even though he already knew it is filled with marshmallows and then looked back up at Danny. “That’s okay,” He pointed out. “Graham crackers are overrated anyways. The only thing good about a s’more is the chocolate and marshmallow,” He added before chewing on another marshmallow. He offered the bag back out to Danny. “Don’t let me hog these though because I will eat them all.”

Danny laughs at the threat, relating strongly. “I’m good. They’re all yours.” Danny sits at a nearby bench, lounging back onto his palms. His eyes fall to the exposed soil by the fire, where, in the grooves of his footprints, small daisies have begun to bloom.

Victoria smiled as she watched. “Lemme guess, Demeter kid?” she questioned. Victoria was new to the whole all year ordeal, she had been a summer camper and then the war happened and decided she needed to be there all the time, to help put her second home back together. Though Victoria never really had the chance to meet a lot of the campers.

“Demeter is right. Though I don’t know if I still count as a kid.”

Ben was unsure if he found Danny’s presence or the fact that Danny was talking to him more surprising. He stared for a second too long, then shook his head. “I’m not.”

“Hm.” Danny lets his arm drop to his side. "Me neither.” Reminding himself to breathe steady, he circles the campfire toward Ben. Gesturing to the spot beside Ben, he inquires, “Is that seat taken?”

“No, are you ready for this?” Victoria asked, with a raise of her eyebrows. She concentrated hard on the marshmallow, making it levitate into the fire, it was a few moments though before she couldn’t hold it long and it fell into the fire. She smiled slightly before looking at Danny. “Okay maybe I do need that stick.”

Danny laughs and walks toward a nearby tree. “If you were Frodo, you’d be solid.” As he reaches up, a long branch erupts from the trunk and shoots into Danny’s grip. He snaps a slender branch off the new arm and returns it Victoria. “Here you go.”

Cyrus had found a seat at the campfire with his earbuds in, bobbing his head to the music that played through them. He only looked away from the crackling flames when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He plucked a earbud out and let them hang. “Yeah, always,” Cyrus grinned upon hearing and seeing the proposed marshmallows and dug his hand into the bag, grabbing a few for himself to munch on. “Thanks, man,” He said before popping one into his mouth. He chewed for a moment and then questioned: “D’ya have the rest of the ingredients for s’mores hiding somewhere? Or are you just teasing me with the marshmallows?” He joked, with the same smile still.

Danny walks over and hands him the bag. “I guess I’m teasing you,” he laughs. “Sorry.”

“Oh my Gods, yes! I love marshmallows. I still am very confused how they’re a fat free food.” 

“Uh, yeah, beats me.” Danny laughs and tosses the pack to Victoria. “Do you need a stick or something?”