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The Hermes cabin is overcrowded as always, and Hinata has to step over at least three slumbering demi-gods on the way to his bunk.
Except, as luck would have it, his footsteps falter for a second, and Hinata ends up stepping squarely on the the face of Camp Half Blood’s surliest new arrival, who yelps in alarm and shoots up out of sleeping bag, immediately crowding Hinata into a corner.
“Moron, watch where you’re walking!” Kageyama hisses. He’s so close that Hinata has to cross his eyes just to see him properly.
“Sor ry ,” Hinata rolls his eyes, swatting at Kageyama’s hand, which is curled in the front of his t-shirt. Only a few weeks ago, Hinata would be cowering and begging for forgiveness when faced with an angry Kageyama, but he seems to have finally grown used to the boy’s outbursts. To be fair, just one well-timed glare from Kageyama can still send a chill down Hinata’s spine but, hey. It’s progress.
Kageyama lets go of Hinata’s shirt, pouting slightly, “Whatever. I was just surprised,” and then, after a beat of silence, “Sorry.”
Hinata nearly chokes on nothing. Kageyama Tobio -- a person so intimidating and infamous around camp that the Ares cabin had started calling him Your Highness , a jeering catcall that must have made them all feel better when Kageyama kicked their asses at swordplay -- had just apologized. To him -- to Hinata Shouyou, a scrawny nobody who had been at camp for two summers now and still couldn’t get his godly parent to claim him.
“Unbelieveable,” Hinata laughs under his breath. Noticing a few groggy campers waking up due to the small commotion, he grabs Kageyama’s forearm and starts pulling him outside the cabin, “Hey, c’mon. Let me show you something.”
Surprisingly, Kageyama comes along with no protestations. The two boys don’t even bother to put their shoes on, and the cold, wet grass feels refreshing underfoot. They tread carefully, not eager to wake up the night-monitor harpies, who would probably not hesitate to enjoy a midnight demi-god snack.
“Hurry up,” Hinata ushers along Kageyama, who, for his part, looks as impassive and unbothered as always, “This way.”
The moon is especially bright, so Hinata has no problem leading them towards the forest at the edge of camp, and then through it until they reach their destination: Zeus’ Fist. It’s a pile of rocks that looks -- more or less -- like a massive fist, and it rises slightly above the treeline, making it the perfect vantage point during capture the flag battles.
“Check it out!”
“A pile of rocks,” Kageyama deadpans, “Thanks.”
“No, idiot, you--” Hinata flushes, “You’re supposed to climb it!”
“How was I supposed to know that?” Kagayama argues, but he’s already notching his foot into a crevice at the base of the formation and hoisting himself up. Hinata follows behind, far enough so that he can resist the urge to admire the form Kageyama strikes as he climbs -- assured, strong, no hesitation. It’s more than a few times now that Hinata has had to tear his eyes away from the newcomer during weapons practice or sparring. He may be a scary bastard, but Kageyama is alluring, in his own way.
“So,” when they reach the top of the rock formation Kageyama pauses, and reaches out a hand to help pull Hinata up, “What did you want to show me?”
Hinata stubbornly ignores Kageyama’s helping hand, pulling himself up to a standing position with a grunt, “This! All of it!”
He gestures widely to the view of Camp Half-Blood that they can see from the top of Zeus’ Fist -- the Big House in the distance, framed by the newly-planted strawberry fields; the stables with the sleeping pegasi and an assortment of other magical creatures brought in for training exercises. And, finally, the demi-god cabins, arranged in a horseshoe shape, housing the camp’s inhabitants. Even in the dead of night, they each exude their own unique character.
Hinata sits down, extending his short legs and stretching his arms over his head, “This is the best view in the whole camp! You can see everything from here.”
Kageyama does not look impressed, “I can see everything not from here if I wanted. All I would have to do is walk around.”
Hinata looks wounded, “It’s easier and cooler to see it from here!”
“We had to climb this whole stupid rock so I don’t think it was actually easier, moron.”
“Really harsh to call me a moron when I’m the only one being nice to you, moron. ”
“You can’t say you’re being nice to me and then call me a moron, you moron!!”
“That’s--” Hinata cuts himself off. They could go on like this all night and well into next morning. In fact, cohabitating in the Hermes cabin -- home to all unclaimed demi-gods at Camp Half Blood -- the two of them had often done just that.
Still, Hinata feels oddly attached to Kageyama. He’s the only person who can keep up with him in the arena, stamina-wise. Kageyama might kick his ass every time they spar, but Hinata feels begrudgingly glad to have someone who will finally indulge him, training non-stop until they both drop from exhaustion.
And the difficulties Kageyama has fitting in with the other campers, Hinata relates to that. It reminds him of an unpleasant time when he couldn’t get anyone at camp to take him seriously, or to trust him with anything of importance.
“Just… just sit down, Kageyama,” Hinata says, tugging at the hem of Kageyama’s shirt. Kageyama looks dubious, but he complies, crouching down until he’s in a sitting position, hugging his knees close to his chest.
It’s silent, and from far away the pair can hear the waves splashing softly against the island shore. If Hinata takes a deep, deep breath he can almost smell the salt water. It’s comforting, to be sure, but also a reminder of their isolation -- at camp they’re cut off from both the mortal world and the godly world, hiding from monsters and relying on hidden signals and vague prophecies. What kind of life is that?
“Maybe my dad is Poseidon,” Hinata announces, when the silence becomes too much to bear, “I always thought it might be Zeus, but maybe it’s Poseidon.”
“Or neither,” Kageyama mumbles.
“No need to be a buzzkill!” Hinata protests, although it is unlikely his godly parent is one of the Big Three, “Well, what about you? Who do you think your mom is?”
“Athena, probably,” Kageyama says immediately.
Hinata bursts into a peal of laughter, “Athena?! There’s absolutely no way!”
“Why not? I’m good at battle strategy!”
“Because you’re stupid!” Hinata hiccups through his laughter.
Kageyama shoves at Hinata’s shoulder, “You would know!”
“I would!” Hinata wipes a tear from his eyes, “God, there’s no way your mother is the goddess of wisdom . Try again.”
But now Kageyama is pouting, his head turned away from Hinata, face looking towards the expanse of the forest. “Who knows,” he says.
“No need to be melodramatic,” Hinata nudges Kageyama’s shoulder with his own, “It doesn’t matter. Even if our parents never claim us, it doesn’t matter. We’ll still kick ass, and go on tons of quests, yeah?”
The mention of quests gets Kageyama’s attention, “Yeah. Yeah, we will.”
“Hey, promise me something!” When Kageyama looks back over toward Hinata, he finds himself nose-to-nose with the other boy, who’s grinning down at him eagerly, “Promise when you get a quest you’ll choose me to come with you!”
“No,” Kageyama leans back, out of Hinata’s space, “I’ll pick someone will real experience.”
“Dummy!” Hinata whines, “I have real experience! You know I do, you train with me all the time. No one else can match your stamina but me!”
And, well, that is true, even Kageyama has to admit. Hinata watches him consider the point, before adding, “Besides, when I get a quest I’ll definitely choose you. So, it’s only fair.”
On a quest, you have to be able to trust the other person with your life, through thick and thin, in the face of any number of unbelievable challenges. It’s alarming to Kageyama to realize there’s no one at camp that he’d rather risk life and limb alongside than Hinata.
So he nods briskly, “Fine. I’ll pick you.”
“Yes!!” Hinata pumps a fist in victory, “Just you watch, we’ll get chosen for a quest any day now. And maybe then our parents will claim us.”
Kageyama just nods again at that, letting the thought sit. It would be nice to be picked for a quest, to have the chance to prove himself. It would be even nicer to finally know who he was.
Eventually, the two boys climb down from the top of Zeus’ Fist and tip-toe back to the Hermes cabin, climbing over their slumbering cabin mates. Kageyama falls asleep the moment his head hits the pillow, dreaming of orange hair and round, hazel eyes.
+
The next morning, over breakfast, Aphrodite claims Kageyama as her son. Hinata doesn’t think he’s ever laughed so hard in his entire life.