orenda [leo valdez]

lxxxii. Sherman Forgets How to Stand

"Well, of course." Nyssa cast a glance to Kira. "Though, if anyone was going to keep you alive, I suppose it would be Kira."

"Hey!" Leo complained. Kira laughed, fist-bumping the girl.

Harley came barreling over. "Leo! Kira!" He yelled excitedly, jumping straight into Kira's arms.

"No love for me?" Leo complained. Harley giggled, jumping from her arms and into his.

"Hey buddy," Kira said, laughing softly. She hugged him tightly, spinning him around as he giggled.

They also greeted Nico and Will, but they were too intuned to a conversation to greet them warmly, but Kira nor Leo took offense.

By the time they were settled in, the dinner bell rang. Leo gave Kira a kiss before bouncing over to the Hephaestus table. If they wanted to, they probably would have been able to sneak into the same table, but they parted ways to greet old friends.

Ellis and Sherman were already bickering once Kira sat down at the Ares table.

From the Nemesis table, Kira heard a girlish sequel, and turned to see Damien White a few feet away from his seat.

"Snake!" He yelled, pointing to a stick laying across the table.

"That's a stick, loser!" Someone yelled. A bunch of kids snickered from the Hermes cabin. Damien didn't stop, pointing a shaking finger to the unmoving stick.

Chiron held up his arms. "Who cursed Damien to think all sticks are snakes again?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Again?" Kira asked lowly, and Ellis just snorted.

"Aw, last time was even funnier. You should have been there."

"Too busy saving the world." Sherman muttered.

"It was Lou Ellen!" Julia Feingold from the Hermes table yelled, standing to point at the child of Hecate.

Lou Ellen stood as well, glaring at her. "She was the one that gave me twenty bucks to make the potion!"

"Well, it was Damien's fault for drinking it!" Julia shot back.

"Girls!" Chiron called exhaustedly.

Kira turned to her cabin mates.

"You guys had your hands full here since I've been gone, yeah?" She said amusedly, sneaking a glance to the boy who was still pointing at the stick and yelling at Chiron to do something about the snake.

"You can't even imagine." Sherman chuckled, stabbing his steak.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Ellis shot back, glaring at his best friend.

"Hey, don't get mad at me for that! It was funny!" Sherman defended.

Ellis glared at him still. "I was blue for a week!"

Kira snorted. "Like, completely blue? Like a smurf?"

Sherman laughed loudly. "Yes, exactly like a smurf!"

"I'll tell Miranda that you said Drew was pretty if you don't apologize." Ellis threatened. Sherman went pale.

"Don't you dare! She'd kill me! I never said that! The blue thing was Connor's idea, anyway!"

Kira ignored their argument, too hungry to get involved. She filled her plate up, not bothering to listen until Ellis started laughing loudly.

Sherman was red in the face, and his shirt was drenched. In his hand was a newly emptied glass of water. He stood, probably to smack Ellis, and slipped on the puddle that had formed underneath him. Both of them burst into silent laughs.