Yes. You read that right. Greece has fallen...or at least the camp that has catered to Greek demigods for over three millennia has fallen. Camp Half-Blood had a traitor in their midst. A traitor with powerful allies who quickly burned the camp to the ground. Some were lost, some killed, and the rest who remained began the long trek across the country to the only place where they might be safe: Camp Jupiter.
Chiron banded what campers they had left, told them of the other camp and sent word to Camp Jupiter pleading for shelter. Chaos now threatens the camp daily with the arrival of new Greek campers to this foreign camp. This camp with strange customs and rules. While on the Roman end the Praetors are forced to hold up a balancing act of providing sanctuary while also trying to find the traitor before their home suffers the same fate as Camp Half-Blood.
New alliances are forged, new enemies are made, and these two worlds have to find some way to work together for the future of them all. Which side are you on? Which position will you take? It's time to jump in the fray because Greece has fallen.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Welcome to our site! We are so glad you are here my friend. Pull up a seat, set your weapons down and let's chat. We are a non-canon, percy jackson RP site based in Camp Jupiter. Both Greek and Roman demigods allowed. Legacies are limited. We have a very small word requirement for posting and we're pretty relaxed around here. We like drama but not the RL kind so keep this place nice and friendly. If you've got questions don't hesitate to ask!
GHF is the product of the mind of Addi; inspired by the percy jackson and heroes of olympus series by rick riordian. this is a work of fiction. names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. several beautiful remodels (including mini profile, profile) were designed by deltra of gangnam style and edited by Haya to fit the site's concept and needs. most images and gifs used for the skin are taken from assassins creed, the percy jackson movies and various google finds. all contents are copyright to their original owners. all characters belong to their original creators, and may not be used or replicated without permission. all images are copyright to their original owners. if you see an image/gif which is yours and you would like us to specifically credit you or remove it please do not hesitate to let us know in the cbox with a link.
Despite what a lot of people thought, Mateo didn't do everything out of malice or spite. Sure, he was plenty capable of being malicious or spiteful, but stealing, lying, cheating? All of his favourite hobbies were out of his own personal enjoyment rather than caring about how it affected others. He was pretty selfish, and anyone implying that he caused chaos around camp for anything other than his own self-satisfaction was putting too much expectation on him.
For example, stealing the inside doorknobs of the Praetors' private quarters was purely because he thought it would be pretty freaking hilarious.
The adrenaline rush had been a welcome addition in his veins. He preferred that to coffee in the mornings to really wake him up. Of course, as with all drug-like euphoria, it had been short-lived, so Mateo found himself behind the temple of Bellona, staring out over the Little Tiber. As he rested his back against a stone pillar, Mateo pulled the two ornate doorknobs from inside his jacket pocket and tossed them haphazardly to the side. They were no longer of any importance to the demigod. He hadn't even stayed to watch anyone's reactions. It hadn't mattered approximately ten minutes after the heist had been completed.
With a small sigh, Mateo leaned his head back against the pillar as well, even as he kept his eyes on the horizon. He'd never been too much a fan of crowds, and the sudden influx of Greek campers had set his teeth on edge and soured his mood considerably. They were all so weak and stumbling and staring about wide-eyed at Camp Jupiter as though they'd never seen anything like it with equal parts horror and awe. If he rolled his eyes any harder, they might just pop straight out of his sockets. He'd needed to escape. Electric blue eyes glinted in the sun as he pondered the forest beneath him.
There was a commotion near the Praetors quarters and she could hear yelling and was pretty sure that it was none other than Daerios himself who was very much letting it be known how very angry he was. Apparantly, someone had stolen the doorknob off of his door and he was having to break down the door in order to get out. Giggles escaped her lips as she could only imagine who might have done this. Truth was, it could be any son of Mercury or seeing how the Greeks were here now, Hermes. Though she knew deep down that it could very well be a specific one that she knew of from her own cohort, it was definitely up Mateo's ally to do something like that. Cel smirked and continued on her walk that she had been the middle of.
Celeste had been training all morning, working on her fire balls and throwing them at targets that were set up specifically for that near the archery range. The target she was using was made to be fire safe, so that she could use it repeatedly and not have to replace it every time. It would end up with scorch marks but that was it. Not too bad after what she had done to it. She was exhausted at this point though, the powers took a lot out of her after awhile. She pulled her leather, fingerless gloves off of her hands and shoved them in her jacket pockets, she always wore her leathers during her sessions, they were fire proof where a lot of her clothes were not.
Walking up the hill where she loved to sit and watch the river flow by she almost had a heart attack when she saw two doorknobs fly from behind the pillar and almost hit her. " Gods Mateo, you scared the Hades out of me!" she saw him leaning against the pillar and moved over to his side. He was one of the few people she actually really liked at Camp, and she enjoyed his company, even if others might not. She slid down to sit next to him, instead of bothering to ask if she could join him. " So you ARE the one that stole the doorknobs. Daerios is having quite a fit down there."
The sound of a voice above him had Mateo's eyes snapping open, ready to glare the intruder away, before the familiarity of the female tone washed over him. He was still - inexplicably - in his worsening mood, but he'd be nice and tone it down for Celeste. His friendship with this girl was unusual and definitely unexpected on his part - he didn't make a lot of female friends because they tended to try and fix him, or become offended by his insults when he was in a particularly horrible mood. He didn't know what it was about the daughter of Vulcan - maybe it was because of the ever-present thread that his bed could be set on fire while he slept. Not that he thought Celeste would ever do anything like that.
He glanced up at her, but his expression did not change before he turned his eyes back to the forest. "Hey Buckles," he deigned to reply, his voice flat and unenthusiastic. "Barbecue any Greeks lately?" Hey, at least Mateo wasn't biting anyone's head off for disturbing his peace. That sort of reaction would have been only too usual for the son of Laverna. He shuffled a little as Celeste sat down beside him, content in the company he hadn't asked for. The back of his head had just returned to their rest against the pillar, his eyes closed, when Celeste told him about the effects of his thievery. A slow smirk and a sharp exhale through his nose was the only show of his amusement, but even hearing about their Praetor likely on the warpath for the prank hardly lifted his spirits. At least Mateo had left no evidence behind that he was the perpetrator, and at least it had only been one Praetor caught so far. Idly, he wondered if Dareios would have the presence of mind to save Morrigan from falling into a similar fate.
One eye cracked open to look sideways at his companion, sharing the grin with her as thanks for bringing him the news, even though he hadn't cared before she'd told him. "If you don't see me at dinner, it's because Dareios has finally gotten his way about the dungeons and I'm the first prisoner. I'd be honoured." The small amount of mirth on his face dripped away as he adjusted the angle of his head so it was resting comfortably against the pillar once again. The mention of dinner had reminded him he'd skipped lunch to exact his plan, and now he was feeling a little hollow. "D'you have any food? I'll pay you in doorknobs. You can probably sell them for a good price."
There were very few people that Celeste felt she could totally relax around, and Mateo was one of them. In fact, lately, he was one of the only ones period. He might push other people away, but never really seemed to mind her, which was a welcome change of pace. She looked over at him with a small smile on her lips, " Not today, but I suppose its still early enough that it could happen." she ran her fingers through her hair as she glanced his way, " Though marshmallows might be a little tastier than greeks. Though you have to admit, some of their food is delicious. Have you ever had a gyro? Absolutely amazing, all the flavors just..." she did a chef's kiss and grinned over at him. [break][break]
Laughter bubbled up and passed her lips as she thought of Mateo being strapped up in chains in Dareios' dungeons. " I could see it. You shackled to the wall, Dareios laughing like a maniac because he finally has a place to keep you out of trouble. I would have to figure out a way to break you out, maybe super heat the chains so they snap." she grinned, " Or I could build some kind of robot to come and unlock them. Hmm, the possibilities are endless." she loved just thinking of the potentials. " Can't have you rotting away in there, I would miss your face. Though don't let that go to your head." she teased him gently and looked out towards the forest in the direction he had been. It was actually a very pretty view. " Not a bad view at all." she pulled her knees up towards her chest, wrapping her arms around them. [break][break]
" Food? Hmm..." she usually had some kind of snack on her, her powers drained her so much she usually needed something to bring that energy back up. Checking the inside pocket of her jacket she smiled and pulled out a little pouch of beef jerky and a granola bar. Holding them out to him she smiled sweetly, " Pick your poison." she stretched her legs out and adjusted so she too could lean against the pillar he was using. " I can super heat those knobs,make them into a trophy or sorts for you." she giggled a little and turned her head so she could look at him once more, "You know you can talk to me about anything right? I mean, if something is bothering you, I am always here for you, that's what friends are for right?"
He wasn't much of a sweet guy himself, and there were only very few and far between occasions when he indulged in chocolate. But he knew Buckles was different than him, and when she turned to look at him expectantly with a grin on her face about marshmallows, Mateo decided to give her a small nod and grin in response. He had no strong feelings about marshmallows himself, but he always tried not to burst Celeste's bubble. Unless he was feeling vindictive, of course, but the girl was usually nice and didn't intrude on his personal space when she knew he was in a horrible mood - it was why he at least tried to be somewhat human around her. Even the chef's kiss and she smile she threw his way when talking about gyro was met with a lazy smirk in return. "Nah, I haven't, but I think I'm okay with pizza and pasta. Italian for life!"
His grin became more genuine as Celeste talked about how Dareios would react if the Praetor found out it had been Mateo who locked him into his own bedroom. The gap between his eyebrows lowered even as the smirk widened on his lips as though he couldn't quite believe the words coming out of the girl's mouth. "Dareios shackling me to a wall? That's a weird kink, Buckles, don't objectify us like that," Mateo teased mercilessly, chuckling as he did so. It was the most cheerful he'd been all morning, even after he'd pulled off his prank.
He even scrunched his nose slightly and the grin remained on his face as he shook his head at her mentioning she'd miss his face. If that came from any other girl, Mateo would have ditched them immediately in that mood, unsociable as he was feeling. When it came from Celeste, it was easy to just continue on teasing her. "Too late," he replied loftily, "I've seared it into my brain forever. Now I know you'll always come to rescue me from Dareios and his wall of shackles."
Their shared little high ebbed naturally into a comfortable pensiveness as his barrack-mate commented on the view. It really was quite pretty, although Mateo hadn't actually sought this spot for it. More than anything, he chose to hide away in this spot because not very many demigods came this way; it was peaceful in a way that nowhere else was. Even during the few years he could remember in a mortal elementary school, he'd always chosen to hang out in an out-of-the-way place away from everyone else, and that had been before he'd even known he was different.
The son of Laverna was pulled out of his thoughts when his companion pulled out food. "Yesss, I knew you'd pull through, Buckles." He adjusted his position to accept the offerings, before remembering that he was supposed to be a friend and instead placing the little baggy of jerky between them to share. A strip of meat was pulled out almost immediately and disappeared into his mouth, even as he smoothly pocketed the granola bar. It was gone so quick, the stealthy move practically a reflex for him by this point. A short bark of laughter interrupted one bite of jerky from the next. "Thanks, I'll think about it. If I end up keeping them, I kinda like them as doorknobs. Memories of a good prank and all that. You can have it if you want, though."
As Celeste talked about her being his friend, he only shrugged one shoulder casually. Truthfully, he didn't much enjoy these types of conversations, but he didn't exactly want to run Celeste off completely. Especially not when she'd so freely given him food. "Sure, but I'm fine." Better they talk about anyone else rather than him, so Mateo turned the subject around as quickly as he could. "Are you okay, Buck? Any of the Greeks giving you a rough time?"
The idea of pizza was a good one and she sighed, " They need to serve us more pizza. I could do with a deep dish, pepperoni for sure. Sounds like an amazing dinner." she smiled over at him, " I think I just like food, lets be honest." the dang need for food for her was very real. The energy that had been drained out of her every time she used her powers just made her have to snack and snack, otherwise she just needed to sleep for days. It wasn't often that she used that much power, but when she did it was small coma or lots of food. " Oh man, you know what else sounds good? Lasagna. One of those five cheese ones thats super melty and delicious." There was an italian place down in New Rome, but they would have to figure out a way to sneak down there. " I wish they let us go to New Rome, I could use some good food thats not in the mess hall." [break][break]
Giggles let loose as they joked about the dungeons. " Objectifying you? Me? Never. Who am I to tell someone how to properly use their dungeons? " she grinned and shook her head, " You know if he ever actually gets those dungeons of his we are all in trouble. At least, some of us." she tended to try to stay out of trouble, but even she had her moments of weakness. Had her moments where she helped children of mercury pull of a good prank or two, lots of things that she probably shouldn't do, but were fun in the moment. Things she would do with Mateo too if he so asked. She enjoyed his company, he made her feel more human and less like the mess she was. [break][break]
She grinned and shook her head, " Well darn, I've been caught haven't I? You now know you are my weakness. Here I was thinking no one would ever know. Guess I'll have to remember to make some kind of contingency plan for when you get caught and tied up." she laughed, trying not to go too far but it really was funny, the idea that Dareios would lock him up to his wall and not let him go. " Hmm, but what do we do if I get caught too? Then we are both in trouble." she tapped her chin like she was thinking. " The idea will have to be to not get caught." [break][break]
" You know me, always prepared. At least, I'll share with you, others...eh. They are on their own." she didn't dislike their other cohort members, she just only really opened up with him. She wasn't even sure what that was all about. Maybe it was because he could be more standoffish with the others. Kindred spirits in that way. She took a piece of the jerky, taking a bite out of it as he took the granola bar as well. She didn't say anthing, letting him have it. He could have it and she still had a whole box full of them back in the barracks. [break][break]
" Mm, nah they are yours, but thank you. I should make you a box to keep all your...trophies in. One big enough to fit them in too." she grinned and shook her head, before leaning it back against the pillar. " Good, glad you are ok." she knew he likely wasn't, but she never pushed him. "Me? well, I guess I've been ok. The greeks have made things a little, much, with everyone on edge. One of the younger Ares campers kind of gave me trouble. I wanted to punch him out, but I tried to be good."
Mateo's expression changed only infinitesimally at the mention of deep pan pizza. "No no, Buckles, you've got that wrong," he said, completely deadpan even as he popped another piece of jerky into his mouth. Strands of his hair shifted in the wind as he shook his head a little. "It's a thin crust pizza with extra cheese." The topic of good food had the son of Laverna wondering if he should sneak out of camp at some point tonight. It depended on what was for dinner, he supposed, and if the Praetors had found out about his shenanigans. He might not even make it out of tonight alive. Mateo only made an appreciative sound at the description of a good lasagna, and smirked as Celeste talked about sneaking out to New Rome. They thought quite similarly a few times.
The next piece of jerky between his fingers was another small one, so Mateo bent forward to hunch over the bag, shaking its contents to find a bigger piece. He shrugged carelessly at the mention of Dareios getting his dungeons. He was pretty sure that request would never actually come to fruition, although he did idly wonder if Dareios would request it again now that they had Greeks in their camp. "I'm not scared," he boasted loftily, being a bit extra for the amusement of Celeste. Mateo truly wasn't all that worried, but it was always fun to play the What If There Were Dungeons game. "It'll just mean I'll have to be extra sneaky around camp." And with that, Mateo wiggled his fingers in the direction of his companion as though showing off his magic.
A smirk appeared on Mateo's lips as he located an acceptable-sized piece of jerky and selected it. Celeste had always been humble about her demigod skills, and while that would have been irritating from another demigod, Mateo found it slightly endearing. Did he really just use that word? Gross. But Buckles had somehow become like a little sister he didn't find annoying, and perhaps that was because she always came across as a bit defenseless. Not that Mateo was the protective kind at all. Maybe it was just that defenseless vibe that had made him a bit more gentle in his interactions with her. When he had found out that she could probably quite literally barbecue him with her powers, he had decided that was the reason he hadn't told her to bugger off yet.
"You'll be fine, Buckles, I have full faith you can get me out of Dareios' dungeons." It was said without much inflection, almost long-sufferingly, as though it was something the son of Laverna had said a few times before. He glanced back out over the view as he continued to munch through the snacks, letting Celeste chat beside him about always having food and making him a box for his trophies, grinning at her ideas every now and then. He was still quite nonchalant and only a little curious when Celeste mentioned a Greek camper giving her a bit of grief. Mateo wasn't one to fight other people's battles - he hardly fought on his own - but he prodded her a bit further about the incident. "What happened? You should have singed his eyebrows off, given him a little warning."
Celeste rose her eyebrows as he told her she was wrong about the pizza. How could she possibly be wrong? A small slice of a deep dish pizza was enough to completely fill her up, but thin crust? She had to eat a whole bunch of it in order to feel full. " This might be something we have to agree to disagree on. Thin crust is just...not fulfilling enough or me. Give me a good old Chicago style deep dish pizza any day. though the Extra cheese is a must. " she smirked at him. Celeste enjoyed the fact that two of them could have a healthy debate over something so small as which pizza was better. The banter between them was something she didn't mind in the least. Mateo made her feel like someone actually wanted her around, and that was a very welcome feeling. The fact that he wasn't afraid of her because of the fact that she had killed people with her power was a huge deal to her, where others would gladly have pushed her away, Mateo seemed to not care. That meant more to her than she would ever even tell him. [break]
A teasing smirk grew on her face as he said he wasn't scared. Of course he wasn't, " You know, I don't think that you are really afraid of anything. You just, have never struck me as the type to fear things like that at all, much less something that might never even come to pass." he was pretty brave, compared to her especially. Her own past had caused her to be more fearful of alot of things, but she was trying to work through it. She was just glad to have him in her life. She laughed, " I swear, you are like a ninja around camp as it is, I seriously doubt he would ever be able to catch you, at least not easily. Though don't repeat that, or I might end up in the dungeons myself." she grinned over at him as he took another piece of jerky and stretched her legs back out. They were a bit sore from training, but she could handle it. [break] " I'll do my best. Might be better if you just don't get caught though." she grinned again and shook her head. He was a trouble maker, but she didn't mind that. It was part of what made him endearing to her. Others might not like it, others might have been annoyed by the things he did, though for her, she was perfectly fine with it. As long as he didn't hurt anyone it was all in good fun. At least in her eyes. He asked about the situation with the Ares camper and she frowned. She didn't really want to go into it, but she knew that it was better just to tell him and get it off her chest. [break]
" Apparantly my powers mean I'm cursed or something, according to the Greeks. That because I can make flames from nothing I am some....abomination." she sighed and pulled her knees back up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. " I mean, I have heard that Hephaestus apparantaly had some kind of curse over at HalfBlood. Though I don't know what that has to do with me." though maybe it was true. After what she had done. What if she hurt people she cared about, not that she had many anymore outside of well, him. " I should have I guess, but I could have lost control and taken out his eyes too so, I was being as careful as I can. I know when I lose my temper its dangerous."
Slightly disappointed evolved to slightly disgusted at the mention of deep pan. Mateo liked bread as much as anyone else, but pizza was supposed to be about the toppings. He didn't want to have to bite through layers of flavourless cooked dough with just a little bit of the flavour from the stuff that actually mattered. One corner of Mateo's lips pulled down even further as he cast her a doubtful look. "Sounds greasy and bland. I'm not sure we can be friends any more, Buckles." The deadpan delivery of the words was a contrast to the still-easy way he held himself, sat beside her and sharing her food. Celeste was probably one of the very few people Mateo would walk away from, because it just didn't feel right.
The topic of fears was met with another shrug from the son of Laverna. It was a reputation he had known he presented to everyone else, and he was fine with that, despite not having done it deliberately. Well, at least not when he first came to camp. He was just as nervous as all the other probatio, all the other teenagers who'd found themselves suddenly with an immortal family that was lifted straight from the pages of the history books. The only difference had been that Mateo hadn't let it get him down, and his sarcasm and gloomy expression had only made the others less likely to bother him. His genuine lack of consideration for the consequences of his actions had made him look fearless to others. Mateo knew he just honestly couldn't find it in himself to care.
His life had always been pretty normal - boring, even. He'd never had the kind of trauma that many of the others had experienced. His own father had been the one to bring him to the Wolf House because he'd been worried nothing was happening to Mateo. Meanwhile, people like Celeste had lost control of their powers with disastrous effect. Mateo didn't care about the repercussions of his actions because he'd always felt as though he was inconsequential when compared to others, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. For him, it meant being able to get away with more. "Mind over matter, Buckles," he commented lightly. "If I was worried about being scared, then of course I'd be scared."
Convoluted logic, but it worked for him - he only wished it would work for her, too, not that he would ever want to discuss her history. It had been uncomfortable the first time around, all those emotions floating around him and trying his best to not be mean and leave her like he'd so wanted to, but also trying not to get sucked in to empathizing with her. Any kind of vulnerability - to himself, or from himself - was always met with a scowl and plenty of resistance. He'd done it once for Celeste, he wasn't in the particular mood to get into it again.
A smirk lightened the mood as Mateo assured the girl, "I'll get you out of the dungeons, even if I'm inside, too." An easy promise to make. After all, Celeste was quite right, he really was a ninja. Mateo liked to think he had mad skills. The mention of the Greeks put a frown back on his face, the lines creasing into his skin as he looked out over the forest again. "Well, that's a bit hypocritical; are they bullying their own friends because they're kids of Hephaestus? They're weird as f*ck. Sorting and judging demigods based on their godly parent? Bizarre." The son of Laverna shook his head, before swiping one more cut of jerky. He was still chewing on it when he pulled out the granola bar from his pocket, opening it and passing half to Celeste. "Don't pay attention to them, Buckles. Or actually, pay attention just enough to point him out to me next time. If you're building me a trophies box, it'll need filling." And with that snide comment, Mateo waggled his eyebrows at Celeste, smirking as he took a bite out of his half of the granola bar.
Cel stared at him like he was crazy, she shook her head, " Oh no sir. It is not. Its delicious and filling, if you get it in Chicago itself anyway, its beyond compare. Some day, some day I will take you there with me and you will try it for yourself. Extra cheese, extra pepperoni, deliciousness. I will convert you to what's good Mateo, if its the last thing I do." she grinned, her blue green eyes sparkling with mischief. She would honestly give anything to be able to get away from the camp for a bit, to go somewhere like Chicago and get away from it all. Though she knew it was next to impossible. It was hard enough to go down to New Rome, much less leave the camp borders at all. The truth was, if she could get out of here, even for a day, there was only one person she would want to go with her. He was sitting beside her right then. She would never say it out loud, never wanting to make things uncomfortable between them, but Mateo meant more to her than anyone else in this place, and she would do anything to ensure that she didn't lose that friendship with him. Even if it meant hiding a part of herself. [break]
It didn't surprise her in the least that the son of the goddess of essentially scoundrels would hold no fear. He never struck her for a moment as someone that would, no matter what she might have said. He wasn't afraid of Dareios or Morrigan, she was to be fair, only because she knew that they held the power over them that she wasn't too keen on seeing. She tried to keep out of trouble, tried not to make waves. She loved to hear the stories of what Mateo could get away with though. It was exciting, hearing about those things. He was so much more brave than she thought she herself could ever be. Though she also was Far from some little princess hoping for her prince to come save her. Truth was, she didn't ever see that for herself. Someone sweeping her up and making her feel like she deserved the world. Not when she had done such absolutely horrible things. If going through this life alone was her penance for what she had done, she would take it, it was the least she deserved. [break]
" Mind over matter hmm? So just don't let it get to me and the fears just melt away?" she tilted her head as she grabbed another piece of jerky and chewed on it thoughtfully. It made sense. If you didn't think about the fear then the fear did not exist. At least not in your mind. It was a good way of thinking, though something she had never really tried. She had to believe him though, becasue when it came down to it, if anyone was going to make her believe them, it was Mateo. Gods, why did she keep thinking like that? She needed to push those thoughts away. It wasn't smart to try to even remotely feel anything for Mateo, or else risk losing it all. SHe wasn't stupid, and she wasn't about to do anything that might screw it all up. [break]
She smirked, her eyes lighting up, " Look at you, I would say you were the knight in shining armor but you strike me more as Flynn Ryder from tangled. The thief with a heart of gold. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secretly a softie." she teased and looked back out over the view. " maybe not gold, bronze at least..." she laughed and chewed on some of the jerky. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the pillar beside him. " I don't know. I guess its something about some curse at their camp? I don't really understand it. Though maybe it is some of the thing with their camp burning to the ground. I really don't know." she ran her hand through her red locks and glanced over at him, taking the half of the granola bar he offered her. [break]
" I could do that. Suppose I'll need to build you a bigger box." she smiled as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, it was enough to make her giggle again. Mateo was a great guy, even if others might never see it, she was glad that he had allowed her to be open with him all that time ago. She never tried to push things with him always letting him decide if he wanted to chat with her or not. If he chose not to, then she would let that be that and go about her day. " I appreciate you looking out for me. I know its not exactly something that makes you comfortable, ,but you have always been a good friend to me, so, that's the last mushy thing I'll say I promise."
Mateo made another exaggerated and only half-sincere disgusted face at the description of the Chicago-style pizza. "That sounds like a serious gut buster," he commented in between chews of jerky. Mateo didn't particularly care about eating healthy, but considering he ate most of his meals in camp and stole food from New Rome for a variety (which wasn't all that much different, really), his body had no choice but to adapt to the lean protein and healthy fats. Just the idea of all that cheese and meat and oil and bread made Mateo shudder a little. He liked to indulge in the occasional burger whenever he decided to go all the way out to the mortal world, but the only non-healthy thing Mateo truly liked was nougat. Everything else was come and go. "You can try to convert me all you like, Buckles, but it's never going to happen."
The wistfulness was crystal clear on Celeste's face, that sparkle in her eyes and the way her lips pulled down a little at the corners as they talked about getting pizza from a place they would never really be able to visit. Especially not now, what with all the Greek refugees streaming into Camp Jupiter - security would have been even stricter. Getting out would be a hassle, but getting back in would be a nightmare. As much as Mateo would like to bring Celeste all the way to Chicago just to allow her attempts at converting him, it was too much trouble - and for once, Mateo wasn't thinking about himself. He didn't care if he got caught and thrown into Dareios' dungeon, but he knew it would really bother Celeste if she got into trouble.
His own words repeated back at him sounded disbelieving coming from the daughter of Vulcan, but Mateo knew she wasn't meaning it offensively. It was probably just a foreign concept to her considering her history, and Mateo didn't even want to imagine how she had felt. The son of Laverna had always shied away from anything deep and emotional; he couldn't imagine what it would be like to be burdened by guilt and sorrow every day, fearing yourself and fearing for everyone around you. Emotions were debilitating and he didn't like to dwell on them, so he just shrugged at Celeste as though she just had to believe him to see the truth of his words.
Mateo's face twisted at Celeste's tease of being a knight in shining armour. Who, him? Good gods, never had a phrase been so misapplied. "Knight in shining armour - don't make me puke, Buckles. That was good jerky and I don't want to see it in reverse." Despite his threat to her of his stomach upending, Mateo gnawed on the granola bar anyway; there were very few things that could actually make him vomit, and slights on his bad reputation was not one of them. "I don't actually have a heart, you know, it's all just stolen doorknobs in there. And who's Flynn Rider?" Celeste was always bringing pop culture references into their conversation and Mateo never really understood them.
Although the male demigod was primarily selfish, was well aware of that fact, and even took pride in it, there was something to be said about his ability to make Celeste laugh and smile about her problems. He liked to say he only did it so she wouldn't spread her emotions around and contaminate him, but truly he did like to see her shoulders relax and for her to breathe easier despite whatever issue she was facing. Unless and until she made things worse by actually thanking him for looking out for her, of course. "Eat your dang granola and stop talking, Buckles," he grumbled, following his own instructions and finishing the rest of the bar in one big bite. He flashed her a dark glare as he stuffed the empty packet back in his pocket - littering was crude and mundane and a very unattractive trait - before stewing in affronted silence, chewing the grains and looking out over the view once more.
Celeste ran her hand through her hair and looked at Mateo like he was crazy, " And you are a teenage boy, they tend to eat a lot. Right?" she laughed and shook her head. How dare he not like the best pizza out there? She was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with him. Who doesn't like deep dish pizza from CHICAGO of all places? Oh Mateo, how dare you be so uncultured? " Never say never Mateo. I can be pretty persuasive if I want to be." she grinned at him, wiggling her fingers menacingly. She would never hurt him, he was one of the only people who ever treated her like anything but a weirdo. So, she kind of needed him around still.
She should have seen it coming, him not liking being called a knight in shining armor. Despite how nice he could be to her, he was far from that Lancelot type. He was more maybe Robin Hood? Stealing from the rich but managing to forget to give it to the poor. He just seemed to go more with the flow than she herself ever could, fading in the background if he could so no one could see what he was up to. Yeah, she could see him, she knew that he was not the social butterfly type, Hades they had that in common.
" Please don't puke. I have a sensitive stomach and I would likely join you in it, and that would just be one heck of a mess that NO one wants to see." she tucked her hair behind her ear as she took a bite of the granola bar and looked out over the view in front of them again. " You do have a heart, or you would have ignored me a long time ago." she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, knowing he was likely going to bolt or roll his eyes at any moment. " You haven't seen Tangled?" she quickly turned to look at him, " He's the love interest for Rapunzel, a thief, kind of a bad boy complex thing going on. You have that smolder he does too. Sounds like we have to have a movie night, have to fix your unculturedness." she smirked and pulled her knees back up, wrapping her arms around them an leaning her head against her knees.
She should have seen that coming a mile away, his reaction was classic Mateo. Pushing away any kind of sweet words or kindness. As if just a single kind word was too much for him to be able to handle. " Sorry." she mumbled and finished off her granola like he told her to. Brushing the granola crumbs off of her hands she turned back to look at him, " I can leave you alone if you want."
Mateo gave Celeste another doubtful look. Sure, he liked to eat as much as any normal teenage boy - perhaps more so, because normal teenage boys didn't usually go through combat training and marching drills on the daily - and sure, Mateo wasn't one of those people who treated his body 'like a temple', but there was indulging and then there was straight up filth. Layers of cheese and meat sounded like the worst possible combination for even his strong gut. He shrugged lightly, smirk on his face as he replied, "Alright, Buckles, I'll take your word for it." He was thankful Chicago was not on the high list of places he'd go when he went out of Camp.
The smirk was still on his face when he glanced over to her, appreciating her joke about their shared stomach problems - although Celeste was probably serious about hers. Mateo had never met some more... well, weak wasn't the right word to describe the daughter of Vulcan. Perhaps sympathetic or empathetic, whichever one meant 'feels for other people'. Mateo was pretty sure he was psychopathic, but that was neither here nor there, and the son of Laverna for sure didn't care either way.
Of course, that smirk and general camaraderie vibe they had going sunk further as Buckles continued talking about how he had a heart. Mateo really didn't, as far as he cared; Celeste had been one of the very few people he'd considered a friend because she had come into his life and refused to leave. That had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. He hadn't wanted to care about her when she first talked to him about her family - and he certainly hadn't. But she had relied on him and he had just tried to get out of that situation by trying to support her enough so she could stop being emotional and he could escape. That had translated to her trusting him, and by then it was too late. Honestly, though, Mateo tried not to show how he grown to become concerned for her only so he wouldn't have to deal with her emotions. Right? Right.
"I'll never understand the female fascination with the bad boy," he commented conversationally, with perhaps only the slightest hint of disbelief in his tone. "All the girls only want to get with one because they want to try to change them. You can't change people." A fact of Mateo's own life, actually. When he'd been in high school, he'd been labelled a bad boy because he just simply hadn't cared about anything, and was often caught with stolen items. Imagine his frustration when he'd flirt with a girl and she'd reciprocate, then the next day try to 'mold him for the better', asking about his life's ambition and telling him to start thinking about being serious? Excuse the f*ck outta her? "Don't go for a bad boy, Buckles. Don't listen to that fairytale crap." Did giving advice count as caring? Dang, it probably did. "And no, we're not going to watch anything sappy. Why don't we watch something like Shutter Island instead? At least it's interesting."
He knew he'd gone a touch too far when Buckles backed off like a scared rabbit. He hadn't even meant to - Mateo snapping his teeth was pretty on par for who he was as a person. He sometimes forgot not everyone appreciated that, and it was unusual for him to remember it because he didn't often care. Mateo lived by the words those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. He'd gotten used to most of his friends being about to take the verbal abuse, and even dish it back; Buckles was different. One of his eyes half-closed as he tilted his head to look at her, squinting against the low sun. "Off to dinner without me?" he asked, a little humourlessly this time despite the slightly upwards curve of his lips. It was always hard for Mateo to remember to be mindful of others.
Celeste couldn't help but laugh, knowing that Mateo was only trying to appease her. Which was actually something she would never expect of him, but it was funny all the same. " Glad you can see it my way for once Mateo. You will learn to like the good things in life." she grinned and ran her fingers through her hair as she looked him over. He seemed to be in a pretty ok mood, which was few and far between from what she had seen in her friendship with him. The fact that he even had any kind of friendship with him to begin with was surprising. It seemed that he didn't really like getting close to anyone, and even her he kept at arms length.
The truth was, she was afraid. Afraid that he only keep any kind of friendship with her because he felt some obligation to. That he was one of the only ones she trusted in this place making her feel this connection to him. It was hard, not knowing how genuine he was with her. Cel had such a strong connection to him, but deep down she was sure he did not feel the same. It hurt, but what could she do? She just kept trying because she felt like he might some day realize that she did care for him. That she was not just some silly girl with a stupid crush on him. She sighed, and let it all go. It was too hard to think that it was never going to be more than this.
" That's why. They think they can change them. I don't know, I guess its the challenge. I'll never figure it out. Hades I'll never figure any of that out." she was certain that because of what had happened to her and what she could do, it was likely she would just hurt someone in the long run, physically, emotionally, maybe even mentally. " Yeah, fairy tales are for children right?" she chewed on the inside of her cheek, knowing that he was right. It was stupid to think that any of that could happen for her, for anyone really. " I don't think I've seen it. We can watch that, or whatever you want. Movie night just sounds like fun." a little fun, especially with the Greeks being here now, was something they could definitely use.
Sometimes talking to him was difficult. He ran so hot and cold, it was hard to know when she had pushed him too far. She tried not to ever do that, but she was always so careful. Trying her hardest to make sure she didn't upset him, didn't go beyond their friendship. " You can come with me if you want to. Wasn't sure you wanted more of my annoying company at the moment though." she shrugged, giving him a little half smile. She knew when she was beat, and at the moment, she felt pretty down. The last few days had been hard on her, today was no better than the others, and she had been enjoying the time spent with him, but she figured he would get tired of her before long.
Ave, demigod! Over the next month, all new threads created may be attacked by the Fates at any time, unless specified in the subheader. All random events will be based on prompts from the randomizer. Please refer to the event guide #2 for further and more detailed information about your character's possible fate.
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