Since when do I have a brother? {Asclepius Boys}

"I never even talked to him before he took me. He... he died a few miles from camp... dracane got him... Yeah, another coke would be great." Ben sniffed again, but then forced a smile. "Well, neither of us is alone now. We have eachother!"

Torin froze, his voice getting caught in his throat. He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing, then leaned over the bed and dragged the duffle bag back out, removing another coke from it. He sat back up and handed it to Ben with a small, forced smile. We have each other? Ben didn't think they were, like, really close siblings now, did he? Oh boy. Torin was an independent guy. He very much liked his alone time, and generally people were only dependent on him to treat wounds, not care for them 24/7. Was Ben getting the wrong idea? Torin moved the bag under the bunk with his foot then fell back on the bed, putting his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling for a minute quietly before answering, his voice barely audible. "Yeah..." He exhaled.

Ben laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I just meant it's cool to have someone to relate to. I'm no puppy, if yah no what I mean." He took the coke from Torin. "Thanks."

Torin's body relaxed and he exhaled. "Oh, man. I was nervous there for a minute. Yeah, it's cool to have someone else who... Gets it. Not many people do. Plus," He looked at Ben with a grin. "Now I have a brother. Dad's still alive and kicking." Asclepius was a child of Apollo, if he remembered correctly. Apollo had many kids. He was famous. Asclepius? Not so much. Most people didn't know who the heck he was, not even the other campers. Maybe some of the Athena kids knew, but they knew everything, so that didn't count. Torin nodded his head, acknowledging Ben's gratitude. "No problem."

Ben smiled, and took a sip of the coke. "More like alive and healing." He chuckled. "Well, I just might have to leave campus again sooner than I thought! Elsewise, this bag might be empty!" He laughed a little.

Torin perked up at the thought of leaving. He hadn't gone outside of camp borders since he'd arrived, and he had a few things to get for his girlfriend. "What if... You know, just... hypothetically, if you did go off campus to get some stuff. Think I could... maybe go with you?" He looked up pleadingly at his younger brother. He could finally get things for a proper date with Lexi.

Ben looked at Torin strangely. "Well, I should hope you'd come with me! It's more fun going off campus with someone else. Not to mention," Ben's tone turned serious. "Much, much safer." He brightened up again. "Anyway, I'll probably head off sometime next week. You should come with me!"

Torin smiled. Finally, he was invited to something with someone. Having friends was...Nice. Why hadn't he tried to make them earlier? Wait, that's right, he did. Just no takers. He nodded and gave Ben a thumbs up. "Sounds good! Hypothetical situation becomes a reality next week. Give me a day in advance to pack is all I ask. I've gotta bring a bag and such... I wanna get a present for my girlfriend." Was Lexi always on Torin's mind? Basically. He had to impress her... or at least stabilize their relationship through flattery and gifts. Girls loved flattery and gifts.

"Arright!" Ben grinned. "Aww, your lucky! To have a girlfriend, that is. What kinna stuff does she like? I haven't been off campus in a while, but I can remember where most stores are."

Torin was about the answer, but then he realized it was difficult. "Well..." He bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows together to concentrate. "Uh.. She likes... beauty products. She's a daughter of Aphrodite, and she has changed her hair three times in the time I've been with her." Which was only about a week. "So... Maybe I'll get her..a hairbrush or something? O-or perfume!" Like the Aphrodite cabin needs any more of that. "I'm going to pick up a basket and some food for a picnic by the lake...Kind of a surprise thing I'm planning...And, uhm, maybe get her a gift card to a restaurant in case she wants to venture off campus and...yeah." And go on a romantic date with him. A real date where they could get dressed up and act like civilized people rather than wild demigod children. To be normal for once. She'd probably like it.

Ben shrugged. "I've seen some places to get things like that, I'll be sure to show them to you." He smiled. "I've only ever been in the camping store where we can get the basket. I've never had any business in a beauty shop."

Torin nodded. "Thank, bro." Bro, as in brother. That was a new phrase for Torin. It rolled off his tongue pleasantly. He liked to say it. He liked the feeling of acceptance that accompanied it. He looked for a long moment at Ben and smiled. That was his brother. That was... It was hard to describe Torin's current feelings. It was somewhere between excitement, happiness, eagerness, and maybe something else. A desire to know more, maybe. He looked out the cabin window--well, he tried to, at least, before remembering that he couldn't because it was stained glass. All he could see was pink, and it made his whole room a pink hue. "I need to get out of this cabin. It's so.. pink. And Hera-like." He glanced up once more at Ben. "No disrespect to Hera, but I never feel comfortable being in her cabin. I feel like she's...watching me. And judging me. Badly."

Tobias Clark

I walked into the cabin, this was one of the first times I had actually been in this cabin. It looked pleasant, and ... He saw some guys standing around, and went up to them. "hey how are you guys?" He asked. He took a seat on a chair nearby.