The Power of Imagination [Private]

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys casually made her way towards the lake for lack of something to do. She hummed quietly to herself as she walked, wondering if she'd meet anyone at this time of the day. It had just been past lunch after all, and so most campers were still in the mess hall. She arrived at the lake alone as she had guessed. It was dead silent too but for her soft hums. She didn't know if she should be happy or not but hey, at least the silence can give her some time to think, right?

The demigod sat down by the lakeside, digging her fingers in the group of small pebbles by her feet. Her hand found the smooth texture of a round rock the size of her palm and an idea immediately formed in her mind. Grinning widely, Chrys picked it up and flicked it towards the water yelling, "Squirtle, I choose you!"

The inanimate object simply sank down the depths of the clear lake, but her mind's eye saw something else, like the rock bursting open at its middle and revealing a flash of white light. She imagined a small blue turtle-like creature tumbling out of her makeshift Pokeball, spinning around in midair before diving head-first into the lake with a splash. Chrys laughed at the image only she can see, not caring if she probably looked crazy. And you know what? Maybe she was.

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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It was the sound of small splashes that snapped Chrys out of her thoughts, but only temporarily. She turned her head to watch the smooth pebble skip down the water. As usual, her mind made her see something else, like a pair of angelic wings sprouting out of the pebble's sides as it seemed to jump from the water surface. In fact, Chrys half-expected it to take off to the clouds before it sank, bringing her back to reality.

She clutched at her head, wondering if this was normal. Maybe she just had a wild imagination. She hoped so, not wanting to consider the alternative.

"Yup, a little," Chrys cheerfully said, smiling at the girl next to her. She looked a lot older, she noticed. She couldn't remember if she had seen her around somewhere before; after all, she had only been here for three months. Picking up another rock, she rolled it around her fingers and stared at it as if it was the most amazing thing in the world. "It's like throwing a Pokeball," she said, before tossing the rock to the lake. "I wish Pokemon were real."

It was a random thought, but Chrys meant it. She always liked the idea of having those magical creatures around in reality. She must be speaking nonsense right now though. The girl didn't look like she was one to be entranced with things like Pokemon. Seeing it looked like a good decision to drop that topic, Chrys turned to face her with her biggest smile. "I'm Chrys. What's your name?"

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys beamed, happy that the subject wasn't completely dropped. "Yup! I'd like to see a hellhound face off against a Pikachu. Thunderbolt all the way! We'd win all the time."

She sighed dreamily, before turning back to her new friend. "Nice to meet you, Kaylee," she said with a small nod. She wasn't exactly sure who Aeolus was; Chrys wasn't exactly the type to pay attention to her classes. She only remembered the major Olympians, mostly. Chrys threw a rock at the lake when a question suddenly popped into her mind.

"Do you stay all year? I do. I'm only in my third month."

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys's face brightened up at the mention of a dog. "You have a dog? Cool! Can I meet him?" she asked, brimming with excitement. Her aunt never allowed her to have a dog, even if she so wanted to, and she told her to wait until she was responsible enough for a pet. Who knows when that time would come?

Clasping her hands together under her chin, Chrys put on her most adorable puppy-dog eyes as she silently pleaded to see Kaylee's dog. Just imagining the sleek fur of the creature made her feel so giddy inside. She wanted to cuddle and snuggle and... Wait, did Kaylee just ask her something? Chrys pouted when she heard the word 'claimed.'

"Nope," she said with a shrug. "Maybe soon... Anyway, can I pretty pwease see your dog?" she asked hopefully in an effort to change the subject.

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Her eyes lit up and her face shone like a kid's in a candy store. Chrys bounced a little on her feet, just a little mannerism she did when she became a little too excited. "I don't mind too. As long as I get to meet him, I'm happy!" she said, beaming. Who knew the prospect of meeting a dog can get her so... hyper?

Her mind was already in the process of visualizing Kaylee's dog. Her imagination seemed to fade a little around the edges and had a shimmering blurry quality to it. There were just too many kinds of dogs! What did Kaylee's looked like, she wondered. "Is he still a puppy? How old is he?"

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Her eyes sparkled and within moments Chrys jumped to her feet, unable to wait any longer. "I changed my mind. I want to meet him right now," she said enthusiastically. Throwing one last rock at the lake, she started skipping away all the while humming a random tune to herself. Imma gonna meet a puppy, Imma gonna meet a puppy, chanted her excited mind.

She paused, realizing that she had almost left the older girl. Glancing back at Kaylee, she waved and said, "Lead the way."

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys's imagination went wild at Kaylee's description. She could create a good picture of the puppy now, and it only served to make her even giddier. When Kaylee made her suggestion, it would be an understatement to say that Chrys was happy. She was overwhelmed and ecstatic. In fact, she was so enthusiastic that she started to jump repeatedly right then and there out of sheer joy. "Really? You mean it? I'd love to! Thank you so so so so much!"

Moments after she answered, small worries crept up from the dark corners of the demigod's mind. Troubled, she suddenly stopped jumping. She frowned slightly too. "Are you really sure? I mean, I've been told that I can be irresponsible when it comes to pets," she admitted painfully with a nervous laugh. Great, now she was killing her only chance to take care of a pet dog, even if he wasn't hers. As much as it pained her to admit, Chrys knew that it was better to tell Kaylee that right now for both of their sakes. "And you don't mind him staying in the Hermes cabin... do you? It's a little crowded there too..."

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys brightened up immediately at the compliment. Maybe Kaylee was right. Maybe she was responsible. Well, how else to prove it besides giving it a shot?

"Alright! Thank you so much!" And without as much as a warning, Chrys tackled Kaylee with enough force to send her to the ground and hugging her. She couldn't help it. She was way too overjoyed.

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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It took all of Chrys's willpower not to squeal on the spot. Come on, she had to remain calm. Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly drew closer to the adorable puppy when he bounded over to her. Barely holding in her excitement, she crouched down and before she knew it, Jake was licking her face. She cuddled the puppy in her arms and scrathed the underside of his jaw. That was when she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Ahh, you are so incredibly cute and adorable and squiggly and--ah I'm running out of words!!"

Ah well, so much for keeping her excitement in check.

As she showered the puppy with affection, Chrys looked up when struck by a sudden thought. "You had him since you were thirteen, and he's still a small puppy like this?"

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys laughed, rubbing the spot under Jake's left ear. "Well, I don't mind trouble coming from this fluffy adorable ball of fur!" she exclaimed, shifting to a sitting position so Jake can be more comfortable in her arms. She set the puppy down a few minutes later. It seemed that it would be better for Jake's pent-up boundless energy to be put into running and exercise rather than just squirming in Chrys's arms.

"So what do I need to do to take care of him?" she asked eagerly. "I haven't had any pets before so I don't really know what to do besides feeding and walking him..."

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Chrys nodded quickly, repeating Kaylee's words in her head so she won't forget them anytime soon. She felt all giddy at the thought. The prospect of finally having a dog over seemed so exciting to the young girl. Chrys cocked her head to the side, something starting to slightly bother her.

"How do I know if he's going to take a whiz?" she asked curiously. Hopefully there was going to be a warning of some sort. She didn't want to be the cause of a mess in the Hermes cabin. It was already messy enough, what with all of the demigods in there.

Chrys Jayden Russell
Daughter of Aeolus

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Breathing a sigh of relief, Chrys grinned widely at the older demigod. She just couldn't believe that Kaylee can be so nice. Imagine lending your dog for a week to a person you've just met. Most people wouldn't do that, she thought. "Okay, got it. I think I can get the hang of it after a while," she said confidently, nodding all the same. Taking care of a dog didn't sound as complicated as she expected it to be. It looked simple enough, thank the gods.

"We're going to have so much fun together, Jake!" Chrys said excitedly as she scooped up the little puppy back into her arms. "Thank you so so so much, Kaylee! I know I've said it before, but I don't think I can thank you enough."

Chrys paused there, wondering if she could say anything else to express her gratitude. There must be some words to describe it... Jumbled letters floated around in her mind as she wondered what those words can be. Suddenly, she beamed like there's no tomorrow and said, "Thanks for believing in me!"