Chapter Text
POV Malcolm
Every time I see him, my head glitches. It doesn’t matter if I pretend not to care. But… he left me. Alone.
My heart hurts so much I want to scream at him and go cry. I end up doing the latter. It hurt to hear that he liked some girl—someone I don’t even know. I don’t usually do this. I don’t usually cry in front of anyone. Until that time. The time we stopped being friends.
I was so stressed because Annabeth had ended up in Tartarus, and they left me with a ton of responsibilities. Connor got mad because I stopped talking to him, too busy to keep up. He shouted at me:
“You don’t want help, and when I try to help, you get angry. I’m done.”
I always blamed him because I was stressed and had no reason to apologize. But he was right. I should’ve let him help.
I open the cabin door and let myself fall on my bed, not caring that I’m tracking mud all over it. I don’t have any tears left. I just feel my heart shatter into a thousand pieces.
I feel extra weight next to me, and someone starts brushing my hair.
“What’s wrong? Your eyes are red.” Annabeth always knows when something’s wrong with me.
I know when something’s wrong with her too.
“I ruined it. I like Connor. I thought he liked me too. We kissed and—” a few tears fall down my cheeks.
“Oh, so that’s why you started talking to him again. Good. It’s perfectly fine to cry when you get rejected, but it’s not healthy to bottle everything up.” She keeps brushing my hair softly.
Vika comes out of her hiding place, startling Annabeth, but she knows I’m taking care of her.
“Even she knows you’re not doing well.” She wipes away my tears and smiles.
“I get it now. Movie night?” She hugs me tightly and nods.
I lay on the bed a little longer before getting up. I’ll get over this bad moment.
While we watch *Pirates of the Caribbean*, Annabeth puts curlers in my hair and applies a face cream.
“I still don’t know what I am,” I tell her.
“You could be bisexual, pansexual, maybe even gay. But that’s for you to figure out. Don’t move,” she says while finishing with the cream.
“I just… I don’t know.” I plop down on a beanbag, and Annabeth sits next to me with a bag of Doritos.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to talk to Connor and clear things up. You clung to him like a tick, and he’s not a dog.” Her phrase makes me laugh as I grab some Doritos.
We keep watching until the second *Pirates* movie, but a knock at the door makes me get up to see who it is. Annabeth keeps munching on chips.
When I see who it is, I want the earth to swallow me.
...
Connor, a few years ago.
The camp is a mess. I don’t even know what happened. Actually, I know exactly what happened. For now, I let Malcolm sleep resting on my arm while I help him organize some papers.
He won’t let me help. I know he doesn’t want to make the camp’s situation harder by dumping tasks on kids who just want to have fun. It hurts me. He’s been neglecting himself so much. I had to beg him to take supplements because he’s stopped eating properly—to the point where it’s like he wants to die of starvation. I don’t know what else to do.
“Mhm,” he grumbles when I lay him on his bed to rest and start cleaning his cabin.
At least I can help him this way.
I head out to drop the dirty laundry in the camp’s washroom and notice it’s already getting hot. I’m sweating like crazy. Then I go to the dining hall where Travis is talking to Katie. I hope they realize they’re perfect for each other. I grab a tray and sit alone. I don’t feel well. It’s not the same without Annabeth and Percy. I don’t want to think too much—just nibble at my food to get this over with.
I get up quickly to go check if Malcolm wants to eat.
“Connor!” Travis yells at me, but I barely acknowledge him.
He usually likes apples when he's in the library, maybe he’ll want one now. If not, I’ll have to feed it to him the aggressive way. When I get to his cabin, I hear noises. I quickly open the door and see him having some kind of attack—I don’t know if it’s panic or anxiety. He’s torn up some papers and is pulling at his hair.
I rush to hold his arms, and he starts crying.
“I’m going to hurt you!” he says, eyes squeezed shut, like he can’t take it anymore.
“I don’t care. Right now, just breathe,” I comfort him as best I can, letting him hide in my chest.
His breathing slowly calms down, his heartbeat settling.
When he feels a bit better, I give him a slice of apple to get him to focus on chewing.
“What happened?” I wipe his tears and give him a strong hug.
“No one’s heard anything about her. Not even Nico, Nico—the son of Hades. She’s probably dead, and I’m doing nothing.” He starts crying again, and I get serious.
Right now, he doesn’t need words. I’ve known that for a long time. I just hope he can calm down enough to sit on the edge of his bed. I check to make sure he hasn’t hurt himself.
I take another slice of apple for myself—I need something to get me through this bad moment.
“She’ll come back, and you’ll go to the Caribbean to visit the beaches where your favorite movies were filmed. I know it.” He closes his eyes and lets his head fall back, lying down.
My throat starts to itch badly—probably from eating too fast. When he starts picking up the torn papers and refuses my help, I feel frustrated.
“You’ve done enough. You should rest,” he says, looking so exhausted.
“Come on, an extra pair of hands won’t hurt.” When his hand brushes against mine, a shiver runs through my whole body.
“Stop! Just go.”
“It’s not healthy for you. You know that.”
“You have no idea. You only know how to demand things.”
“Calm down. Breathe.”
“No, Connor, this time I don’t want to calm down.”
“Fine, fine, don’t get defensive.”
He gets way too close to me.
“I can’t stand your voice.”
“And I can’t stand your drama queen attitude.”
We start arguing, throwing out intimate insecurities about each other, but I don’t care. I’m tired of him not noticing that I’ve even sacrificed sleep to help him. He gets mad when I help, but I’m the selfish one—I want to have fun and enjoy my life.
I don’t want to be a babysitter.
No, that’s not me. What’s happening to me?
“You don’t want help, and when I try to help, you get angry. I’m done.”
When those words come out of my mouth, he falls silent, not knowing what to do. I head for the door, neither of us says anything. I don’t want this.
---
POV Eris
Let’s just say that day I lost a golden apple that causes discord. Hehe. I tried to reverse its effects, but yeah… it didn’t work, and I made it worse, but details.
That’s why I owe Eros a favor—for ruining his plans and breaking up such a beautiful friendship because I’m irresponsible sometimes. I don’t know, maybe it’s better for them to figure things out like typical mortals—whether that means hooking up or not.
Speaking of them, it was pretty entertaining watching them keep hurting each other by not taking the next step because they’re idiots. Look, if you’re reading this: if you ever think something will go horribly wrong, it probably will—or maybe it won’t. You just have to take the risk.
I know it’s not easy to have your heart broken, to get your hopes up for nothing, but that’s still better than a “maybe.” Teenagers are meant to mess up and learn from it. You’ll learn that if someone loves you, they’ll respect your boundaries, and if someone really cares about you, they’ll do anything for you. So don’t be afraid to give that letter to someone special, to start a conversation to get to know them better, and if at any point it doesn’t feel right, stop.
Only you know your limits, and it’s good to know them. Be clever, my snakes.
…
I watch from a distance, seeing that another argument is about to start. I know I’m going to get in trouble, but I have to do this favor properly, and that means… being Cupid. Ugh, gross.
“Stop, both of you.” I step between them. Annabeth just looks at me like this is typical. “Alright, inside. I don’t want anyone seeing us.”
I shove them both in and slam the door shut.
“What’s our mission this time?” As always, the dramatic blond and his rabid little chihuahua get defensive. Ugh, teenagers—I can only stand my own.
“No mission. Your only mission is to become a couple and hook up.” I reread what I scribbled on my arm and realize what an idiot I am. Both of them look nervous.
“I’ve only had one kiss!” There goes Paris Hilton.
That tiny brain is so annoying.
“I…” and the chihuahua’s been vaccinated. Point for me.
Worse, his little boyfriend is annoying too.
“Be happy. Gross.” I turn to face the frog-faced killjoy.
“Get lost, you traitorous snake.” She just glares, giving off bad vibes. Perfect.
“I get it, but listen—I’m ninety percent to blame for this situation.” I scratch my head, trying to play it cool so I don’t look too heartless.
“You’ve got three minutes to explain yourself. Two minutes left.” The frog, the drama queen, and the chihuahua circle me, faces filled with anger and curiosity.
“Personal space, damn. It all started with the apple that day. The rest? That’s on you guys.” I say it bluntly and steal some chips.
“We’ve been fighting all this time because of you?” When Connor and Malcolm’s voices overlap, I wonder how they’re not already a couple, even though I was the indirect cause.
“You have a lot of favors to repay in the future, Eris. For now, let these two sort things out on their own—without your ‘help.’” Annabeth seems more relaxed.
She goes off to a corner to keep watching her device and snacking. Interesting. I sit next to her and grab more chips.
“Go somewhere private to talk. Meanwhile, I’ll chat with Miss ‘Ninety Percent Responsible’ over here.”
It’ll be interesting, to say the least.
---
POV Malcolm
We leave the cabin in silence. Neither of us says a word. I won’t ruin things again.
“I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you, much less crush your hopes.” He starts, sounding a little sad.
I scratch my shoulder. It’s cold, and I forgot my jacket.
“I was wrong too. I rushed things.” I stop in front of the lake. It was a short walk.
Though I have bad memories here, I still think of that nightmare—how Connor completely left me in the end.
“I like you, Malcolm Pace.” Connor’s eyes tell me he’s not lying. He’s not lying. This isn’t a dream.
Before I can answer, I sneeze from the cold. He laughs and wraps his jacket around me.
“That’s not necessary.” I mean the jacket.
“It’s worth it if it keeps you from getting sick.” I smile and step closer to him, stopping just before touching his lips. “Yes or no?”
“If it’s you, it will always be yes.” We bring our lips together.
It’s not like those romance novels that make this moment seem like the pinnacle of love. It feels more like something intimate—like we’re sharing something private that belongs to both of us. It’s strange. I like it. But I don’t know how to describe it—I’m more of a thinker and a planner, not an emotional person.
Connor Stoll, you’ve made me feel like a moon orbiting you—unique.
When we stop, out of breath, I grab his hand and pull him behind some trees because the patrols have started. I cover his mouth to keep him quiet.
“Looks like you’re finally daring to break the rules, little mouse,” he jokes as I sigh, trying not to get caught.
“Very funny. Let’s go back before we get into trouble.” He ignores me and starts kissing me all over my face.
“Idiot, you’re tickling me, and we’re going to get in so much trouble.”
“Alright, alright, let’s go.”
We run so fast that losing my breath from the kiss wasn’t even the worst part. Though I guess dating a Hermes kid has its perks—he’s really fast and agile.
When we get back to the cabin, we slip in right after bed check. We still have some time before Connor has to go back to his cabin. Annabeth is waiting for us with a cup of hot chocolate, and the goddess Eris is relaxing with cucumber slices on her eyes.
“You took a while. So, what did you decide?” She sips her drink calmly.
“Annabeth, I hope you’ll accept my relationship with Malcolm.” I freeze at his words. He said it so calmly. Terrifying. Very.
“As long as you don’t hurt Malcolm anymore, you two can even get married for all I care. Now, get out. I want to sleep.” She takes another sip and gives me a small smile. “It’s good to see you’re doing better.”
“I’m happy too.” I give Annabeth a hug before going to the door to say goodbye to Connor.
Though I’d love to spend the whole night talking. I frown without realizing it, and he takes the opportunity to kiss my forehead.
“Goodbye, little mouse. Tomorrow we have a date.”
“That’s not fair! I wanted to invite you first.”
“Well, you made the first move. We’re a couple now, right?”
“Of course!”
“Good. I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow night. Rest well.”
“No, tomorrow I’m going to make you a proper proposal. You’re worth it.”
“I’m glad to know I’m worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, goodnight, bookworm.”
We kiss before he leaves. I feel sad but realize I’m still wearing his jacket, and that cheers me up a little. I go back into the cabin, hopping happily before flopping onto my bed, screaming into my pillow and kicking my feet. I feel so happy.
I hear distant laughter, and when I look up, it’s Annabeth, laughing as she watches me. Eris is eating the cucumber slices she had on her eyes, muttering that this is disgusting and that she’s definitely not meant to be a cupid. I blush like crazy and hide under my blankets.
“Wow, you skipped right to the ‘leaving clothes behind’ stage. Percy took longer.” She hides her laughter behind her cup and says goodbye to Eris.
She sits next to me and pats my head.
“I hope you’re happy. You’ve got that look you get when you’re genuinely happy for someone—that look like the world is so bright, and you shine just as brightly.” I pull the blankets off my head to look at her.
She gives me a calm smile and strokes my hair like when we were younger.
“It really feels surreal. But I feel happy. Really happy. Though I’m still wondering what I am,” I say, closing my eyes, a bit tired.
“You’re Malcolm, who likes Connor. You don’t need labels if you don’t want them.” She kisses my forehead and lets me rest.
“Annabeth.”
“Yes?”
“You’re the best sister.”
I yawn and fall asleep before I can hear her response, but I know that no matter who I date—man, woman, magical being, mortal, nymph, demigod, or anything else—she’ll support me.