we're driving fast in my car [PRIVATE]

Alex's lips were mashed into a thin line as she watched Salvador closely. An Ares kid showing guilt? Now that was something she didn't see everyday. Or something she never took notice of, more like. Prejudice tended to do that to you. But then, instead of feeling smug, Alex did feel a little guilt herself. The son of Ares from way back didn't really 'almost kill' her. Just hurt her a lot. And broke a couple of bones. Had her exaggeration sent the wrong message?

Before she could say or do anything else, Salvador suddenly dropped to the ground. For a moment she just stood there blinking. Had the series of events finally taken a toll on the boy and caused him to pass out? She discarded that thought once she heard his muffled voice though. She saw the culprit at the same time - a medium-sized rock jutting out of the ground by Salvador's foot.

"The rock did," Alex said simply, moving to bend over by his head. She wasn't smiling or anything, but she didn't look as sour as before. Just... neutral. Although, one can probably see how she had gritted her teeth together from the way her jaw tensed - something caused by the sudden breeze, most likely. She was still feeling pretty cold.

Alex stretched a hand out, drops of water still sliding off her arm and into the mud. Not much, but the least she could do now was help him up, right?

coded by rdragon

Oh, that.

Alex's cheeks heated up. How could she have interpreted his question incorrectly? Perhaps it had something to do with being chilled to the bone and unable to think straight. Yeah, that might have been it. Feeling like an idiot, Alex tucked her hand back to place under her arm.

"Some kid called Xavier," she all but hissed. "Xavier Taylor."

It hadn't been difficult at all to answer Salvador's question. She didn't even have to try hard to remember; the name was etched permanently into her mind. She doubted she would forget even if she tried. Alex huffed and looked away, spotting the lake looking smaller in the distance. She could even see 'that tree' from here, sporting lesser leaves and branches than she remembered. How long had it been since the incident? The answer came to her just as quick as she had thought the question: a little over two years, give or take a few months.

"Gods, it's cold," Alex said impatiently, bringing her gaze back to the front. Whatever was left of her cheery mood had disappeared by now. "Let's go before we freeze our butts off."

coded by rdragon

The world seemed bent on proving Alex wrong today. First she got thrown off to the lake for her carelessness, showing her that no, she couldn't bike so recklessly close to the water. Then an Ares kid, part of the population she believed to be heartless, saved her life, and now said Ares kid was apologizing to her for something he hadn't even done.

Unused to this kind of treatment, Alex stared at Salvador blankly, her face morphing into one of suspicion before finally loosening up with a small smile. "Thanks. I guess..."

But accepting the apology felt... wrong. Sure, Salvador was apologizing in his half-brother's behalf but as sincere as it sounded, it still didn't feel right to Alex. That was the thing about being thrown into a world that said 'oh hey, you're a kid of a Greek god and these people are your siblings. Have fun!' Despite how you were related by blood, Alex just couldn't match the term 'family' to these campers, even her siblings. Add the fact that everyone was more or less related to everyone else, aunts and uncles of the other, and the idea just didn't click. It seemed to Alex as if the sense of 'family' had been diluted. Heck, she couldn't even remember half her siblings' names, what with the sheer population of them. She started wondering if Salvador had even talked to Xavier Taylor before, let alone heard of him before she mentioned his name. And apologizing in behalf of someone who was barely a stranger to you... well, that wouldn't really mean much to Alex even if she was the one doing it.

Wow, you think so deep for someone whose teeth are chattering, she thought suddenly. Maybe I'm dying and this is my body's way of telling me that 'well, you might as well be meaningful before you snuff it'.

"It's weird, y'know, for you to apologize for him," she finally said, unable to hold her thoughts any longer. "I mean, you're his brother but... do you really feel like he's your brother? As if he's really... y'know... family?" She sounded tentative, barely able to hide the shivers in her voice as she spoke, but she just had to ask Salvador. He struck her as interesting, someone who defied the beliefs that had taken hold of her mind, and to be honest, she was a little curious to how his mind worked. But maybe it had something to do with her never really having a conversation with an Ares child that lasted more than five minutes. She had never really taken the chance to get to know any of them before.

coded by rdragon

Alex frowned at Salvador's first remark, her face hardening a smidge. She shouldn't have asked. She should have known better than to ask someone of Ares' descent. Salvador was just like everyone else in his family, even if he had saved her. Maybe it was even a ploy to get her in his debt...

But Alex was getting ahead of herself. Her thoughts cut off when the boy spoke again, this time in a voice lacking the gruffness from before. It confused her, to say the least. Now she didn't really know what to think, let alone say. "I see," she finally said. "Your mom sounds like a really nice person."

She must have been, Alex added in her thoughts. Gods know how nice you have to be to raise an Ares kid who didn't turn out to be a total jerk.

Despite the circumstances, Alex's prejudice wasn't about to fade anytime soon.

It wasn't long before the familiar sky-blue house slid into Alex's line of sight. How long had they been walking? Alex couldn't really tell. She was more preoccupied with Ares stuff and the chilly breeze. She didn't leave as much of a wet trail as before, come to think of it, with only a few droplets of water clinging to her skin and clothes by now.

"I can see the Big House from here. Shouldn't be long now."

coded by rdragon

Alex couldn't tell if the wind had stopped blowing or if she simply got used to the colder atmosphere. Both of them had definitely dried off during the walk, although it was still quite obvious how they had taken a sudden dip in the water a few minutes back. She could imagine the surprise in her siblings' faces when they walked in the infirmary looking like this - two soaked demigods, one with an injured leg. Her siblings might ask why Alex hadn't examined Salvador's leg back in the lake, a question which Alex was asking herself now. Then she remembered that she was still disoriented at the time and whatever diagnosis she could come up with would probably be tainted with hallucinations.

Salvador's question made Alex blink a little, unsure if she heard him right. Her ears were still a little waterlogged, it seemed. But even as she tried to replay the question in her mind, she couldn't figure out any other meaning, so that must mean that she had heard right. Alex cocked an eyebrow. "The infirmary is in the Big House," she said. "How long have you been here? Are you new?"

Makes sense why he's so nice, I guess, she thought. He doesn't seem to have stayed long enough for his siblings to rub off on him.

coded by rdragon

A look of understanding passed over Alex's features as she gave a thoughtful nod. "Ah, that explains it. You must be pretty lucky - one year here and not a single trip to the infirmary. I got knocked out in my first week."

She could still remember how exactly she got knocked out back then. Not knowing which weapon was the right match for her, she picked up a mace and swung it around... leading to very dire and unfortunate results. Alex reckoned that the back of her head hadn't been the same since. Having no intention to share her disastrous (and embarrassing) weapon-experimenting with Salvador, Alex flashed him a rare grin - well, rare for a child of Ares to receive from her anyway.

The path had lesser grass now that they were nearing the Big House, the patches of grass slowly diminishing until there was only ground and dirt. Alex could only sigh in relief. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of walking, they were here at last. "We're here," she said as she reached the porch. "Time to get your leg treated."

coded by rdragon