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As June approaches, the looming fact of summer campers returning weighs on Luke. He was recently notified that the usual summertime Hermes Head Counselor, his sister Elliana, was killed by an Empousa just a few days before she was supposed to come to camp. Meaning he’s now the official full-time counselor of the Camp Shitshow that is Cabin 11. He loves every member of his cabin, don’t get him wrong. They’re his family. This Shitshow isn’t their fault, but it’s all of their problem.
Luke is sitting in the stuffy rec room around the ping pong table at yet another weekly Head Counselor meeting with Argus, Chiron, and Mr. D. Arguably the most useless immortals in Luke’s opinion. Updates about new campers, returning campers, and ones that aren’t coming back dominate the conversation.
He has his notebook in front of him and jotting down each name that belongs to his cabin that will be there in a few short weeks. Luke wants to make sure all the new kids feel welcome and commits their names to memory. By the end of the list, he counts 46. Forty-fucking-six. In one small cabin with fourteen beds. Nearly doubling the number of residents.
He’s already dreading trying to figure out how to fit them all and have room for the inevitable unexpected newcomers too. And then there’s the Apollo lookalike, Will Solace, who somehow still hasn’t been claimed. At least the Apollo Cabin would give the kid a real bed. Luke feels awful that all he can give him is a cot and threats to the rest of his siblings with dish duty to not steal from him. He’s younger than Annie, he deserves a better home than the dilapidated Hermes cabin.
“I need an expansion on my cabin, we only have fourteen beds and ten cots. Even if some people feel comfortable doubling up bunks, there’s only so much floor space,” Luke asserts, trying to contain his anger.
“I’d be happy to have my cabin help with that, shouldn’t take more than a few days to add another floor and build the bunks,” Beckendorf offers.
“And my cabin can work on making the bedding, we've been looking for a new sewing project to teach the younger campers,” Silena adds.
Chiron sighs and shakes his head, “The gods will not appreciate if Hermes’ cabin is larger or more elaborate than the others.”
“I dunno, I don’t care. If it makes the kid stop complaining and this meeting ends faster…” Mr. D responds.
“Your father will not be happy,” Chiron says, staring at Mr. D.
“This is such bullshit,” Luke mutters under his breath.
Chiron whips his head back in Luke’s direction, “Excuse me? Would you like to repeat that, Mr. Castellan.”
“Yeah. I will. I said ‘This is such bullshit.’” Luke seethes. He can’t believe the nerve of the director to scold him. As if he hasn’t been running the show for orientations, combat training, monsters, public speaking class, geography class, intercabin relationships and mediations, and about a million other things.
“Young man, you should choose your next words very carefully,” Chiron threatens.
That gets Luke, “Oh I’m choosing. Trust me. And it’s bullshit! You want me to shove fifty people into a cabin made for maybe twenty? How the fuck am I going to make sure Hayden or Jamie can get around with their crutches when there’s no floor space to move? Or make sure Will’s expensive ass CIs don’t get crushed because he’s gonna have to move to the floor? Or make sure literally anybody gets sleep when everybody’s having nightmares?"
There's no stopping him now, he's gotten started.
He continues, "Enlighten me, oh teacher of heroes. Enlighten me. Oh wait! I teach them. You suck at orientation, you don’t teach combat training anymore, you don’t teach geography, you don’t teach most of the languages. The Head Counselors do twice the work you do while you sit up here and play pinochle all day. You sure as Hades don’t teach us how to survive out in the mortal world! Elliana died because you’re a shitty excuse of a teacher, be honest with yourself.”
The room erupts into chaos of overlapping voices. The counselors largely agreeing with the son of Hermes’ sentiments, while Chiron tries to interject with his opinions. Chiron looks at Mr. D for help, “What? I’m not saying anything. This is the most interesting meeting I’ve been in since the solstice.”
Chiron sighs, “Luke Castellan, how dare you—”
The teen doesn’t wait for him to finish, “How dare I what? Tell the truth? What are you gonna do, remove me from Head Counselor? Then you’d have to actually do your job. Give me dish duty? So be it, the harpies are more useful than you are. In fact—”
“Luke, take a breath,” Beckendorf calmly says, placing a gentle hand on Luke’s back before turning to the immortals, “Can we please civilly discuss this at least? I can’t follow when you’re all yelling at the same time. I’m Deaf, remember? Luke didn’t say it nicely, but we are really overworked. I think we just want more support, especially the larger cabins like what Luke, Silena, Lee, and I are Heads of.”
“Why do you deserve special treatment?” Kyle, the Ares counselor sneers.
“Not saying that, saying that we could all benefit from a little more help, a little more space. I bet you’d like it if we didn’t have to fight over the good armor or weapons because I’d have more time to make enough for all the campers,” Beckendorf replies, earning an approving nod from his peers.
“We cannot expect that the gods will allow any sign of favoritism towards a specific cabin, and by extension them,” Chiron argues.
Luke angrily huffs, but Beckendorf quickly signs comforting words to Luke and rubs his back before starting to speak again, “We’re not asking for favoritism, we’re asking for equity. Every Head Counselor is juggling 4 or 5 classes right now. When you’re managing 20+ rowdy kids around the clock too, it gets tiring. It'd just be nice if all of the counselors could get some consistent time off so we can work on stuff for fun or relax. Like that pinochle table I haven’t had the time to make between classes, cabin stuff, and the infirmary.”
“It wouldn’t kill us to put in a request, Chiron. Worst they’ll say is no,” Mr. D reasons.
“If you want to, I invite you to. This meeting is over,” Chiron abruptly ends the meeting, “Luke, stay behind.”
“No. Talk to me when you get any sense about you,” the teen shoots back, quickly booking it out the door.
Luke feels like he’s boiling with how angry he is. He still can’t believe that fucking horse would dare try to threaten him. He has no right to. Luke and the rest of the counselors run this place more than he could ever dream of doing. At the very least, Mr. D is a decent therapist and tries to understand where the demigods are coming from. Even if he doesn’t always show it, Luke can tell that Mr. D still remembers the day of being a young demigod too.
Before he knows it, he’s sitting in a hidden clearing near the border of camp. It’s the only place that’s ever quiet. He sits down and touches the grass, feeling some money and old, lost deliveries buried underground. He wills them up to his hand and starts fidgeting with them to try to calm himself down. Luke hears some footsteps behind him and whips his head around to see Beckendorf holding up his hands in surrender.
“It’s just me. Lee wanted to come but I told him to stay behind for now. That was some ballsy talk back there,” the son of Hephaestus says, then smirking slightly, “He deserved it.”
Luke sighs and signs for Beckendorf to sit next to him before switching back to English, “I don’t know why I got so worked up this time. I ask every summer. He does this every summer. I shouldn’t let myself get so mad.”
“My mom used to tell me that anger is a gift. I’m not supposed to get mad. I’m a Deaf Black man— showing anger can get me killed. But that doesn’t mean that anger is a bad thing. It’s a motivator, it’s great passion, it can be beautiful so long as we don’t hurt anybody in it. In all anger is a whole lot of love, you know,” Beckendorf replies.
“Will, Ethan, Chris, Alabaster, I’m gonna have to tell them all they have to move to the floor in a week. I hate doing that every year.”
“Because they’re your family, and you hate it when the will of the gods make it so you have to hurt them. That you don’t have control. I think it's good you care so much.”
“It was so bad this time, even Mr. D and Kyle agreed with me. Well, they agreed with you for actually being rational.”
“Fuck being rational, I’m just code-switching and praying for the best. Did I ever explain to you why I gave you what your name sign is?”
“You made a name sign for me?”
“Of course I did! You’re my best friend. I’m always talking about you with my family,” he lightheartedly shoves Luke and shows the sign, “It’s this, like family but one handed and with an L handshape. Because the first thing you tell every new camper is that you’re family now.”
Luke switches to ASL, “You’re my best friend too, Beck. Thanks for everything today. Family, I always liked that sign.”
“I’ve got more stuff to do in the infirmary, wanna come hang out?”
Luke agrees and the two walk back towards the Big House. On the porch, Mr. D is waiting with Chiron. Luke turns to Beckendorf and signs, “Did you set me up?”
“No, no, no. Promise I had no clue,” his friend replies, signing small and close to his body.
“Luke, Chiron would like to say something,” Mr. D says.
“...I apologize that you felt hurt about my response,” Chirons mutters. Mr. D elbows him and angrily whispers something in a language so ancient that neither of the demigods recognize it. “I apologize for dismissing your concerns. I should have taken them more seriously, even if they were harsh.”
“And there will be no punishment. I have already submitted the request to the Olympian Council. We will be giving counselors a schedule for breaks throughout the day and will offer compensation for all your work. Be well, Luke.” Mr. D elaborates, then switches to sign, “Charles, have a good day.”
The two boys hurriedly make their way to the workshop. Luke flops onto the futon that Lee set up for late nights, while Beckendorf gets settled at his workbench.
“Holy shit! I can’t believe you got let off the hook! And a Chiron apology? The Phlegethon must have frozen over!” Beckendorf exclaims as soon as the door closes.
“I’d say the gods are real, but we already know that,” Luke jokes, “I can’t believe that old horse still refuses to learn ASL but remembers the world’s most dead language.”
Beckendorf shrugs, “So be it if he never learns! Means I can keep talking shit right in front of him. Mr. D’s been telling me he still barely knows the ABCs, it’s genuinely impressive how bad he is. But how’s Will doing? Still having problems with others about his CIs and signing?”
“He’s alright. I feel bad for the kid. Apparently his whole family’s hearing and only his mom signs, so he doesn’t really talk to anybody much because his mom’s super busy and the rest of the family refuses to use VRS," Luke summarizes.
"Shit, that sucks. I should introduce him to my family," Beckendorf sympathizes, even though his whole family's Deaf.
Luke nods, then continues "Some of the campers are having a really hard time getting that his CIs aren't miracles and that he’s still Deaf regardless. But he loves talking to the Stolls, and Castor, Pollux, and Ethan have been getting a lot better at signing too. I just wish I could do more to help him. He’s starting to lose hope about being claimed. Markos let it slip during the Solstice that he looks exactly like Apollo, so now Will’s convinced his dad isn’t claiming him because he’s Deaf.”
“Apollo likes flashy, Will’s just gotta show off his gifts. It’s nothing to do with him being Deaf and Apollo being the god of music,” Beckendorf says.
“I know that, you know that, we know that, but Will doesn’t. I’ve tried telling him that, but it’s hard when he hasn’t exactly excelled at the usual domains of archery and music,” Luke sighs, “Anyways, what are you working on?”
“I was told one of the new campers coming has cerebral palsy and needs some new mobility aids and AFOs. Silena’s making some shoes, but they sent her measurements so I could get started. She doesn’t have any insurance, so she hasn’t been able to get any updates for what she needs in years,” Beckendorf explains, “I wish Chiron didn’t end the meeting. I need to talk to them about making accessibility changes to camp. There’s no way she’ll be able to get around camp with her wheelchair or walker as is.”
“Please tell me she’s been claimed. She sounds lovely but I can’t imagine trying to fit a wheelchair and walker in my cabin. Kids might have to start sleeping outside,” Luke practically begs.
“Yep, claimed by my dad. Her mom also knew and told her growing up. Our cabin and forges are accessible, but nothing else about camp is. Her name’s Delta, by the way. From Pennsylvania, plays murderball, seems cool.”
“I can help you talk to them about accessibility changes,” Luke offers, “And murderball?”
Beckendorf grins, “Wheelchair rugby. I was planning to make a few chairs so that people could play and they could run it as an activity since we have a decent amount of disabled campers.”
“Gods, I can’t believe they haven’t let you do an accessibility overhaul yet. I hate making Jamie and Hayden take the most fuck ass routes so the terrain isn’t awful.
“Honestly? I was planning on just doing it and asking for forgiveness later. That’s what I did with my cabin. I’m surprised you even asked Chiron.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a hidden underground system of tunnels and private rooms that lets me get away with that. Adding another floor is too obvious for me to get away with. I might get smited. At least then I wouldn’t have to deal with Chiron’s bullshit anymore.”
“Don’t talk like that, I like you here. And so does Lee. I can always connect your cabin to our tunnels and build out rooms if y’all swear on the Styx to not use them to steal from us. Like, you can still steal from us, just do it the same way you would any other cabin.”
Luke laughs, “Maybe I’ll take you up on that. I’m gonna try to figure out what I can do before it comes to that, though.”
“Oh! I have a present to help you do that! Here,” Beckendorf exclaims, tossing Luke a small tin compass, “Press the center dial and think about your cabin.”
Before Luke’s eyes, a projection of the interior of the Hermes cabin appears. He can see all of the furniture and access a bank of to-scale furniture accurate to what the camp carries. There’s also tools to design his own furniture according to the skills and time the Hephaestus cabin has to help.
“My mortal brother showed me a game called the Sims when I visited for Easter this year. I got inspired to make a demigod twist on it. It’s still in progress, but the room designer is good to go,” Beckendorf explains, “You touch it to change stuff, pretty self-explanatory. Go wild, I’m gonna finish up these AFOs and then we can bother Lee.”
Luke grins, “You're the best, Beck.”
A couple hours pass of the two boys quietly working, Luke switching between messing with the holographic projection and choosing different music to play, occasionally exchanging a few words. Then, the door abruptly flies open.
“Are you two having voracious sex?” Lee asks before processing what's in front of him, “I feel like as a best friend, I should be included in our relationship.”
“What?! No! Get your mind out of the gutter,” Luke yells.
“Holy Hephaestus, Lee, why was that the first thought?!” Beckendorf explains.
Lee holds up his hands in surrender, “The music is really loud and the door has been shut for the past two hours and people last saw you two coming out of the woods together after the counselor meeting. I didn't start the rumor but I'm just saying…”
“I was just pissed off at Chiron and Beck came to check on me, I've been working on summer planning,” Luke explains.
“And I've been working on the AFOs for Delta. I turned down my hearing aids because it was quiet enough in here and I didn't wanna hear too much right now. Meant the music had to be louder, though,” Beckendorf continues.
“And wait a damn second, included in our relationship? Lee, if you're lonely we can find you somebody. But Beck’s into Silena and I'm too busy with my 45 children for a relationship. Don't get desperate,” Luke quips, putting down his device to ruffle Lee’s hair, “Come sit down.
Lee sits down next to Luke, “So there was absolutely no fucking? Not even kissing?”
Beckendorf groans, “You know the three of us are literally just friends. Some people just don't get that you can show that you care about people without dating them.”
“I know, I know. But the minute either of you get with anybody I expect to know immediately. You have my infirmary pager. This counts as an emergency,” Lee says with the utmost seriousness, “Anyways, I came here because it’s almost dinnertime. Got cabins to wrangle.”
Luke and Beckendorf groan, loving their siblings and cabinmates but still exhausted from the counselor meeting earlier. Nonetheless, they head out of the infirmary. Luke turns to the other two boys with a smirk, “I had a supply run earlier this week, wanna go to the clearing after dinner? I’ll ask Silena and 12 too of course.”
The two smile and nod excitedly before splitting off to lead their respective cabins to the Mess Hall. Another thing that Luke isn’t thrilled about for this summer: shoving fifty kids on a table made for half the amount. He gave up on asking for a bigger table or alternative seating arrangements, usually he just stands near the brazier to eat his food in peace.
It's not very comfortable, but it’s close to Beckendorf and Lee’s tables so he at least gets to talk to them. His cabin gets settled at the Hermes table and he shouts a couple of threats about not stealing Will’s CIs before going towards the brazier. Chiron shoots Luke a stern look as he eats, but the teen couldn’t be bothered to care and keeps eating.
Luke starts signing to his two best friends, part of their agreement to get Lee better at ASL are voices off during meals. Combined with the class, Lee’s getting pretty good so far, and Beckendorf is happier than he lets on that more people are finally using his language. After scraping the last of his dinner into the fire, he makes his way to Pollux and Castor and signs an invitation to them. Their father smirks with an approving nod, while Chiron sits at the other end of the table absolutely clueless about what Luke just said.
He’s about to go talk to Silena when he sees Beckendorf already talking to her and lets them be. Luke swears, they’re both so oblivious to each other’s massive crushes. He can tell by the way Beckendorf subconsciously signs as he speaks to her. Too small and subtle for her to understand, but it always makes Luke smile when he sees. It takes Beckendorf a lot of effort to hear anybody during mealtimes because it’s so loud, but he never lets Silena know that because he thinks her voice is worth the effort.
“Come on, lovebirds. Dinner’s ending, I’ll grab everything and meet you there,” Luke interrupts after several minutes and an impatient nudge from Lee.
Luke jogs to his cabin and rifles around the plastic bins underneath his bunk. He gave up his dresser drawers awhile ago to make sure the other members of his cabin had space for their things. After being on the run for so long, he became accustomed to not having many things anyways.
Unfortunately, his ADHD means that the boxes are never organized and he can never remember where he put things. It’s times like this that Luke wishes he got the spacial memory his younger brother Connor got from their father— the kid never loses anything. Of course, he finds the rucksack he’s looking for in the last place he looks. As he's rushing out the door, he almost knocks over the Stolls and Will like they’re bowling pins.
“Whoa! Hey, sorry, didn’t see you there. I’m gonna be out for the rest of the night with the other counselors, but I’ll be back before curfew. Think you guys can hold down the fort?” Luke asks, putting on his best enthusiastic counselor voice.
The three younger boys eagerly nod and Luke continues briskly walking towards the clearing he was at earlier. When he reaches it, he’s met with a barrage of overlapping voices jokingly scolding him for taking so long. They quickly stop when he holds up the bag and gets settled in the circle. Luke passes around a case of beers before he takes out a jar of weed and starts preparing a bowl.
“I still have no idea how you even get this stuff when your supply runs are only like… an hour long at most,” Silena comments.
“Don’t ask questions, just be grateful,” Castor jokes.
Lee sighs in relief, “I needed this. Between the infirmary and making the First Aid class and cabin stuff I’m exhausted. I don’t know how Adi did it.”
“Well Adi didn’t have immortals asking him three weeks before summer session starts to make a First Aid Crash Course from scratch meant for every single camper here ranging from 8 to 20 years old,” Beckendorf responds.
Luke takes a couple hits of the pipe and passes it, “Like I said, useless old horse.”
“Our dad was pissed at Chiron. Came to our cabin to complain for an hour before he went to yell at Chiron for another hour. Even made him sit at the other end of the table because he said he ‘stinks of shitty apologies and wet dog.’ You should’ve seen it, it was hilarious,” Pollux recounts as he sips a beer.
“True biz?!” Beckendorf signs in shock.
“I heard some of it from my cabin,” Silena smirks.
“You think your old man will go for the changes? Better accessibility, another floor, less work for us?” Lee asks the twins.
“He wants it, yeah. He comes off super apathetic but he has this whole god of Madness thing going where he actually cares a lot about y’all being happy. Or at least not miserable,” Castor replies.
Pollux nods along, “He feels the distress, like we do but stronger. It feels like your heart and brain are gonna explode when it gets too loud.”
“Sounds like you guys need a hit more than I do,” Luke jokes, trying to push away the bitterness about how involved Mr. D is in the twins’ lives. It’s not their fault that his dad is a deadbeat, anyways.
Castor laughs and reaches for the pipe, “I’ve been trying to propose the idea of using our cabin or Hera’s cabin for undetermined campers, since we have rooms in the Big House and Hera’s the goddess of family. But you’d never guess who keeps shooting it down before anybody can even ask the council.”
Pollux rolls his eyes, “Apparently it’s a slight against other gods for their children to be living in the incorrect place, even if the god is totally fine with it. Dad didn’t think the idea was half that bad.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. By that logic, they shouldn’t be in the Hermes cabin either,” Silena questions, “Patron of families makes more sense than patron of travelers.”
Castor switches to ASL, “Yeah but some goddesses are particularly neurotic and see all of us as a breach of the sanctity of family. Even if their relationship was open like our dad and step mom.”
“But you didn’t hear that from us,” Pollux and Castor say in unison, switching back to English.
“I was told that we’re gonna get breaks and compensation, a win’s a win,” Luke shrugs, “I honestly thought that Chiron was gonna strike me down right then and there.”
“We’d start a war if that happened. Then he’d really have more on his plate,” Beckendorf says half jokingly.
“I just wish they’d give a shit. Not asking for much,” Luke says as he tips back his beer.
“We all do, we all do,” Lee hums along.
Luke groans, “Chiron's gonna hand my ass to me tomorrow, even if Mr. D said no punishment, I know it’s gonna suck.”
“That's a problem for later,” Beckendorf says as he pulls Luke into a side hug, “Tonight we celebrate. Yamas!”
“Yamas!”