Morgan's bunk

I finally stopped, noticing the tears of laughter in poor Derek's eyes.

"You still alive, man?" I chuckled, finally stopping.

I was wearing a Muse tank top with a pair of white shorts and flip flops, my combat boots besides my bed for now. Jana Kay from the Demeters had done my hair today, braiding the side of my head with orange blossoms and tiny red berries. It wasn't really my style but I had to admit, it looked quite good.

[color=#00cc00I panted and sat on one of the bunks, trying to catch my breath. "I-I'm alive, Theodara." I touched my chest, staring up at Morgan. "One day I'm going get you sooo good." I stated before standing. "Anyways I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or not."[/color]

Grabbing my shades from my night table, I put them on. "Sure! Let's go hang out at the lake -- please not next to the popular spot though."

It's not that I didn't like the populars -- we were just into different stuff. They were into pop and party and gossip and I was into Muse and hoverboarding and brewing up creepy potions in my secret potion lab. Cackling. Plotting. Using innocent mortals as lab dogs. You get the picture.

[color:5931=00cc00]"Oh girl, trust me. We're not gonna be near the populars." I smirked and punched her arm lightly as I stood up from the bunk. "And I'll maybe tell you about my crush. maybe." I teased a bit before moving my hands over my shirt, feeling the textures of my graphic t-shirt.

"You have a crush?" I asked as we walked out. "Wooooooooooo, tell me everything."

I playfully nudged him and casually stepped down the small stairs in front of the cabin. The sun greeted me with light and heat, and I readjusted my shades on my eyes.

"Ooooo," I grinned again. "Dem Aphrodite kids be playin' with your head, bro?"

I liked the Aphrodite kids -- well, some of them. Mitchell and Niamh were cool. Piper too of course. One of them had even given me a makeover once, and whilst I really looked stunning with the flawless make up and glossy curls, it just was too much work for me to pull off every day.

"No big deal? Of course it's a big deal," I said.

I didn't know much about love -- I had only dated two people, a guy when I was thirteen, and Zachary, the son of Zeus who had gone with me on my Quest. We had broken up after the Quest though, our shared experiences were too much to be threatened by a break up. Friendship was the better option and we had taken it. He was now dating a girl from the Apollo's, he was crazy about her, and I well... I had eyes for somebody too.

[color:eafa=00cc00]I frowned a bit and bit the inside of my cheek, thinking before shrugging and continuing my walk with Morgan. "No it's not. I'm sure he has eyes for some else anyway." I looked down at grass beneath our feet before looking back up at the lake that started to appear in the distance. "Gods I need something strong...."

I punched his shoulder -- not hard like I did in weaponless combat lessons, but more in a friendly shake-up kind of way. "Hey, that's not the attitude, bro. If you start thinking like that, you'll never date wonderboy."

I pushed my hands into my pockets, feeling my phone, my headphones, some drachmas and dollars, my ballpoint pen and even a couple of euros. "Come on. Why don't you ask him for a drink?"

"Derek and Aphrodite kid, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," I sang out in a teasing voice to cheer him up.

I didn't like it when my friends doubted themselves, they needed to know they didn't have limits, they could do whatever they wanted to do, that there was nothing holding them back. They just needed to reach out and grab happiness, because they deserved it.

"Oh shut up, Morgan!" I laughed and shoved her some. "You're such a loser." I chuckled and wrapped my arm around your shoulder. "I could always write him a poem?? Yeah I'll do that."

"I'm a loser? Come at me bro," I said, striking up a Khal Drogo stance. "Oooo, poems. Roses are red, violets are blue...you're hella cute... and I'm into you?" I chuckled. "Close enough."

I sat down on a low branch near the water, my toes brushing the soft ground. A naiad playfully splashed water at me before disappearing into the depths of the lake. On the other side, the populars were listening to pop music, laying on towels or sitting on heated rocks, gossiping, going around, did I tell you about Kayla? Oh my gooooods! and so forth, and so forth. I've had problems with populars a couple of years ago but now, I just ignored them. Whatever rumors they could spread about me wouldn't change the truth, right?

"Thank youuu," I grinned.

I put my back against the trunk of the tree so that I was straddling the branch, looking at Derek and the lake behind him.

"So! Who is it? Do I know him?" I winked, crossing my arms.

Neat trick with the apple. I had watched, fascinated; I was always fascinated by everybody else's powers -- okay mine too but with everyone around I sometimes really just felt like in Charles Xavier Camp 2.0.

"Justin... Justin Donovan?"

I had seen him around, blonde hair, brown eyes, athletic built and charming grin. With his pretty face, he was definitely a son of Aphrodite. But wasn't he like, fourteen or something? Derek was seventeen. Oh well, if it were only three years difference.

"Hey man, don't hurt yourself," I grinned before playfully punching his forearm. "You don't have that many brain cells anyway, stop killing them off like that."

Aaaah love. I had gone quite some time without falling in love, I realized. In any case, I was happy for Derek, happy he had a crush. I knew it would work out.

"Just ask him out for the Valentine dance!"

"The worst that could happen is probably a punch in the face, but yeah, that's pretty much it. Granted you don't, you know, slip on the ground and fall on your face whilst asking him out, or do anything else embarrassing -- or perhaps you should, who knows, he might find it cute?"

I leaned back against the trunk, feeling the sun-warmed bark dig into my skin through my top. The scent of the tree and the lake melted on my tongue like a pine-tasting syrup, warm and feeling of summer. If I didn't know I was in the USA, I'd probably feel in Greece right now, with all the temple-styled buildings, the statues and the marble.

"Was that a threat?" I said with a grin. "Don't tempt me, the lake looks far too appealing for you not to be in it."

I messed my hair up with one hand and sat cross-legged on my branch, finding my balance, my flip flops dangling from my feet. The sun was shining on our skins through the leaves, casting dots of light on us.