I Hate You (Not)

New Blood and Old Times

The girl heard a shriek from the direction of the Demeter Cabin. It was undeniably the shriek of Katie Gardener. June shook her head, and rolled her bright green eyes. Her brothers had been at it again.
    June Heart was a daughter of Hermes, younger sister of Connor and Travis Stoll. She had strawberry-blonde hair, dyed green at the ends, and a permanent grin. Her siblings were always up to something. Including her.
     But currently, all she did was hang around Thalia's Tree, with the drakon that guarded it. She sighed, and leaned against the tree, twirling her dagger as she thought. She was one of the younger ones at the camp, ten or eleven at most. This caused her to be, well, lonely.
    A spark of hope ignited as she caught something out of the corner of her eye. A saytr and two demigods stumbling up the hill. The saytr carried one, a girl, on his back, while the other half-blood, a boy, pumped up the slope. She called out for help, though nobody heard her.
     "June! June!" The saytr called out. She recognized him as Peter. "Get them to the infirmary, I have a Gorgon to hold off."
     June nodded and immediately ran down the hill. It was rare she was allowed even a step outside the border, so this was exciting. She grabbed the boys hand, and let Peter put the girl on her back.
    "C'mon. We don't have much time," June says, dragging the two up the hill."
   "Who are you?" The boy said, stubbornly. "Why should I go with you, anyway?"
    June rolled her eyes, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I dunno... because otherwise you'll die?"
    The boy rolled his eyes and said: "Touché."
   June ignored him, and continued up the hill. Five feet.
Three feet.
One foot.
    They stepped inside the border.  And June let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
    "Welcome," She told the boy, as the girl was still unconscious. "To Camp Half-Blood."

~•~

   Katie Gardener shrieked. She was covered from head to toe in a strange slime, that had the color of puke. She looked around for the culprit-or culprits- before seeing two heads poking out from behind the Demeter cabin. Of course it was them. Who else would target her specifically?
     She watched as Travis and Connor Stoll ran away, mischievous smiles plastered on their face. She chased after them, all the way to the Hermes Cabin. At the door, she found both brothers leaning on the frame.
   "There's something different about you, Katie," Connor said, smirking.
    Travis squinted. "Did you get a haircut?"
     Connor shook his head. "Nah, I think she got new blush."
      Katie hissed at the two. She gathered some slime from her hair, and threw it at the two, who stood in shock, as they too, were covered in goo.
   Katie smirked and was about to walk away, when Connor said, "So that's how you show your love for Travis."
   Travis made a gagging gesture, and Katie's face heated up as she stormed away. Her and Travis? Now that had to be a joke.
    I hate him. And he does me. It just wouldn't work. It was impossible.
No, she thought. It's implausible. Not impossible.
    But that didn't necessarily help her point. All the same, she laughed at the thought, and went to hit the showers.

  ~•~

   "Dude, really?" Travis asked his younger brother. "Gross."
     "Awe. You so like-" Connor started, before getting cut off.
      "You two smell."
       June had entered. No: hello, how are you? Not with her. Even being a daughter of Hermes, she can get serious. A trait not often seem among our siblings.
     "We need two spaces ready," June states.
     About to walk away, she adds:
             "Oh, and clean up. I wasn't kidding, you do smell."
      Travis stared at the small girl. She had a lot of punch, for such a little package. He and Connor learned not to get her angry. The hard way.
    So they did. The two new campers were given some space in the corner of the room. Even with the gods new oath, the Hermes cabin was always packed.
    The only strange thing to Travis, was that he couldn't stop thinking. About Katie. The way her face reddened. The way her hair swayed. The way her eyes shone. The way she smiled and smirked.
Stop. Travis thought.
      "Stop what?" Connor asked, slightly confused.
      Travis realized he had thought aloud. "Uh, nothing, sorry. I was just thinking aloud, is all."

~•~

   'Thinking aloud?' No. Connor knew better. He was thinking about Katie, wasn't he? Had Connor caused it? Nah, couldn't have. Could he? He shook the thoughts from his mind. But he knew they still lurked in the back.
Just then, June stormed into the room. She looked at their cabin critically. She burst out laughing, leaving Connor confused. What was going on? Did she..? Oh, no.
Connor looked around. Travis was gone. He had went to shower, unnoticed. Had he been that wrapped up in thought? But this didn't necessarily explain her laughter.
"Connor. It's your turn to shower," said Travis, coming into view.
Nothing seemed wrong. He just figured that June was having another giggle fit. He nodded at Travis, and jogged out of the room. June raced out after him, to meet up with Chris and Clariesse.
Connor smiled at this.
It's about time she got friends. He thought. Scary friends, but still friends.