Tales of Camp Half Blood

Tale 23: When There is Love Around

Ever since Percy's quest had succeeded, energy in camp had been at an all time high. Even Alabaster had cracked a few more smiles and engaged a little bit more in camp life, it gave Lou hope that maybe he could actually enjoy staying here. He'd also been growing closer to Luke in the past few months, it was the first time he'd actually let someone try and be his friend at camp. Unlike Lou who had about a dozen kids who she would say were close friends, her brother had chosen to ignore any and every form of social interaction with the other campers. It took a huge weight off her shoulders, all these years she'd felt guilty that Al had to stay at camp with her when he hated it so much. But if he was starting to warm up to the place and he was making friends, even if it was just Luke for now, then perhaps he was having a change of heart.

"Soooo," Lou dragged out the word with a smirk on her face as she looked down at her brother from the top bunk, "are you inviting anyone to the fireworks Al?"

Her brother grimaced as if the very idea of it disgusted him. He was one of the few older kids that seemed to dread the camp wide event. All the other kids treated the fireworks as the biggest holiday of the year, people spent weeks getting up the courage to ask out their crushes. Lou knew quite well her brother wouldn't be one to go through all that extravagant romance stuff, but it was still fun to taunt him about it nonetheless.

"Gods no," Al rolled his eyes, "I'm not even going to that dumb thing- it's such a waste of time."

"Awww come on," Cecil protested from his own bunk, "I've been looking forward to this ever since I got to camp! Everyone says it's super fun!"

"Whatever," Al huffed distastefully, "you little demon spawn can do what you want. But Luke, Ethan, Alessia and I have other plans for tonight."

Ember raised and eyebrow, an absolutely evil smirk on her face, "Oh I'm sure-"

"Not like that!" Al spat as he realized how badly he'd phrased that, a faint blush growing on his cheeks, "you little brat, aren't you like ten why are you even thinking like that!"

"I'm twelve," Ember corrected, the grin not leaving her face, "and I never specified what I was talking about, so I think that's more telling on your part than mine."

Lou bit her lip to hide her laugh at her brother's frustrated face. He'd dug himself into a hole there by pure accident and Ember was like bloodhound when it came to material to use as jokes against you.

Al gave the young Hermes girl a withering stare before glancing over at Lou, "control your friend- stop laughing Lou!"

She pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the giggles at her brother's betrayed face, "ok Connor, Ember, we should probably get going if we're gonna get good spots on the beach," she eventually said, deciding to throw her brother a bone.

Connor stood up from his bed, stretching like a cat, "alright, but I won't forget that you, my brother, Alessia, and Ethan are apparently having some super secret meeting that just happens to fall on the most romantic night of the year! You sure you guys aren't gonna make out in the woods or something"

"Stop making it weird," Al hissed, "the four of us just want to hang out away from the stupid rabble of camp."

Strange. Lou hadn't known that Al was friends with anyone else, especially not one of the Hephaestus kids like Alessia. She didn't remember a single time he had interacted with someone from that cabin, but it's not like she was with him twenty four seven or something. But her brother and Ethan? They lived in the same cabin but she'd definitely never seen them have a single conversation nor could she see them as a couple in her head.

"Whatever you say," Connor replied, making it clear in his tone he did not really believe Al. Lou hopped down from her bunk as well to stand at his side.