[2] 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 ― l.valdez ✓

007.

after she finished up her little ramble, she looked up above his head again, before quickly glancing away as they walked up the steps of the big house, "here's the big house! it's like camp headquarters, i guess. there's a rec room around here were cabin councillors have a war council. never been in there... but my older sister katie has!"

but to all her brightness and cherry aura, all jason had to respond with was, "i... i'm not supposed to be here."

"of course you are!" cherry grinned, "you'll fit in just fine- i know it. especially after you defeated that storm spirit."

"no," he said, "as in- why do you keep looking above my head? what for? a sign?"

cherry smiled sheepishly, "sorry if it weirded you out. that was never meant to be the case. i just kind of hope you're in my cabin. you'd be like a big brother! ... or younger- but uh, i assume you don't know your birthday."

"brother? but isn't everybody related?" asked jason, "i mean, the gods are all relates so shouldn't we be?"

she looked at him for a few moments, wondering if he were joking. but when the confused face was still on his face she let out a laugh, shaking her head, "oh that's funny! no, no. ichor. it's like the blood of the gods. and it has no dna strands. so technically, you're only related to all demeter kids. so for me, that means i'm related to all the demeter kids in my cabin. it also means you're able to date anybody outside of your cabin. that's why val and annabeth are together, or why percy and barbie are... were? together? i- i'm not sure about the last one. percy's disappearance still confuses me."

"so if... if piper and i were in the same cabin?"

"you'd not be able to date her," cherry explained, "but... i don't think you'll be claimed by the same person. you just... you just don't give those vibes, y'know?"

then, she heard hooves moving, and she grinned, "chiron!"

he smiled at her, but then frowned at the both of them. or perhaps, just jason as he mumbled, "you... you should be dead."

and the funny (and kind of ironic thing) was that it should have been about cherry. with her being back from the dead and all. but somehow... cherry had a feeling it wasn't about her.

chiron ordered them (or 'invited') them to come inside the house. the centaur trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch and slipped off his quiver and bow and backed up into the chair. with a small little glow, he reappeared as a normal mortal guy.

"follow me," he said, "we have lemonade."

cherry spotted jason giving her a worried look, but she simply shrugged and moved forward, she had nothing to fear when it came to chiron. he was a cool horse dude who thought her speaking to plants was cool. and generally, she respected people like that.

they walked around the room, and cherry spotted a leopard's head above the fireplace. it looked so realistic, and it's eyes seemed to follow jason. when it spotted cherry, it let out a little purr and she laughed in delight. the wall leopard had taken a liking to her, and she wasn't about to go against that. she waved at the leopard before a loud snarl escaped it's mouth- directed to jason in particular.

"now seymour," chiron chided, "jason is a friend. do behave yourself."

"that thing is alive!" jason spoke, eyes wide.

"you must excuse the decor," chiron noted, "all this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to mount olympus. he thought it would help us remember him. he... he had a strange sense of humour."