You absolutely did not do that. (Private)

Conrad had his sleek silver laptop on a flat piece of rock right beside the Euros creek. It was a peaceful autumn night, the moon reflecting off the smooth, glassy surface of the water. He was sitting on the grass in front of his Mac, typing out a reply to an email.

Conrad's sleep time rarely exceeded seven hours. His time was always spent doing something useful, reading or perhaps training. The night is when his mind is most active, and is also the quietest time in camp, where most campers are asleep. He came out to the creek for the Athena cabin is almost never absolutely silent. There would be no clicking of reading lights, flipping of pages or even curses as someone tried to visit the bathroom in the dark so as not to disturb their roommates, yet trip over something and wake the entire cabin instead. Most of all, there would not be sounds of bickering and fights by Ares campers next door because of a smite reason like wrong use of toothpaste which would typically keep surrounding cabins awake half the night.

Just as he was about to tap send, he heard footsteps approaching and turned.

Breaking curfew was nothing new to Raziel. Heck, she had done worse things than get around some silly curfew rule that it was completely normal for her prowl the night. Over the years, she even developed a knack for finding couples out and about despite the late hour. She especially loved pretending to be Chiron and getting a kick out of 'reprimanding' them. The looks on the kids' faces were priceless!

Snickering at the thought, Raziel made her way towards the lake. Couples loved having midnight picnics there. With some luck she might even catch them at a very awkward moment. Her green eyes gleamed mischievously. Those were her favorite victims.

But then, an unusual sight took her by surprise. Through the semi-darkness she could see the outline of a boy seated across the edge of Euros Creek. The continuous tapping sounds filled the air, almost loud enough to rival the crickets' songs. Raziel's eyebrows scrunched up in slight confusion. Why would someone be doing their homework in the middle of the night, laptop and all, beside a flowing body of water? The laptop looked pricey too, it being a Mac. What were the chances of it winding up at the bottom of the creek?

Raziel smirked.

Just as she was about to hide and plan out her next move, the boy quickly turned to her direction. Oh crud, she thought, biting her lip. Too slow.

Recovering quickly, Raziel grinned and drew closer without a second thought. Wha else could she do with her cover blown? "Hey there. May I sit next to you? Thanks." She plopped down on the grass next to him without waiting for a reply. Typical. As her eyes flickered to his face, Raziel couldn't help but notice that he was pretty cute. Wait scratch that, he was fairly handsome. Forget destroying his laptop. She now had a different and better agenda.

Raziel brought her knees up to hug them to her chest, all the while staring at the boy. A wide smile still lingered on her lips. "Doesn't this seem like a very weird time to do your homework, hmm?"

Conrad narrowed his eyes, assessing the girl in seconds, before turning back to his laptop. She looked like she was attempting to sneak up on him. "Why do you ask if you intend to do it anyway?" Not phrasing it as a question, but instead a statement, keeping his eyes on the screen. Tapping send, he scrolled through the list and started replying to another email, this time in Español.

He briefly considered reading the girl's mind, to find out exactly what she wanted from him. Her actions were so familiar that his thoughts flickered to someone else. The girl had that typical look on her face of someone with a hidden agenda. He decided to wait and find out.

"Doesn't this seem like a very weird time to be out after curfew?"

Raziel was stunned for a few short seconds, but she recovered quickly. "Eh, good manners and all that," she said breezily, completely aware that her actions spoke differently. "But I'm pretty impatient so..." Ha, the day Raziel would actually make an effort to be in her best behavior would mean the end of the world. Sometimes, she wondered why she would even want to bother.

Raziel stole a look at the flickering laptop screen and frowned, not understanding a thing. Sure, she had dyslexia so she supposed it was no surprise, but she had the tingling suspicion that the boy wasn't even typing in English. Besides, the fact that the boy just continued to focus more on his laptop irked her a lot. Seriously, a teenage boy does not simply keep his attention on some laptop when a pretty girl starts talking to him. And he wasn't even playing computer games either! Raziel supposed he was pretty dense, or a big nerd.

"Aw please, curfew is just something they invented to keep the little kids from being eaten by harpies," Raziel said, a little annoyed that he decided to respond with another question. Fine, two can play that game. "Why are you out here, then?"

Conrad glanced at her, agreeing with a smirk, "I can see that. Fire types are usually pretty.. charged." He then noticed he was describing campers' lineage like how one would discuss about pokemon types. Shrugging mentally, he finished the first paragraph, and proceeded to attach a file.

He knew she was peeved about something, most likely his indifference to her presence. But that didn't stop him from continuing his neutral attitude. Things or people had to be interesting for Conrad to care about, after all. She did seem interesting enough, which was why he was talking to her at all.

He raised an eyebrow, amused, replying sarcastically, "Fishing, of course. With a laptop."

Wait, what? Fire-types? Raziel's eyes widened as she continued to stare at the unfamiliar boy. Had they met before? Not likely, since the demititan had a knack for remembering faces she had interacted with before. There remained the possibility that he had heard of her from all around. That sounded more plausible. After all, rumors did tend to fly around a lot. But still, Raziel couldn't help but feel unnerved. The boy obviously knew more about her than she did him. That didn't make her any more comfortable.

"Fishing," Raziel repeated slowly, cocking one eyebrow. Okay, this was getting a little too irritating for her taste. Firstly, she couldn't believe that she was outshone by an inanimate object in getting more of the boy's attention. Then, here she was asking a proper question and what did she get as an answer? No, Raziel was definitely not going to stand for this.

With her impulsive ADHD-influenced brain working overdrive, Raziel jumped back into a standing position and before the boy can react, skipped closer to where his laptop innocently lay on the flat rock. With a falsely sweet smile, Raziel leaned close enough that their faces were mere inches apart. Then, without warning, her arm shot out, and the laptop was sent flying to the creek's flowing waters.

Raziel pulled back and backed away a few steps, now wearing a triumphant smile. "Now you're fishing with your laptop!"

He saw the girl's eyes widen in surprise, as did most other campers when he successfully guessed their immortal parentage. They needn't have met before, yet Conrad always figured out, perhaps by the way they acted, or the feeling he got.

He knew the girl was getting irritated by the lack of attention, but that only told him more about her. As did the next action he was not expecting. She suddenly leaned in close, an expression on her face he was typically used to, that could only mean trouble. Conrad instinctively moved back, yet at the same time realising that she was targeting something else. He flashed to his feet, flicking his hand towards the direction of the Macbook immediately upon that realisation, but half a second too late. The laptop was already half submerged when it was jerked abruptly out of the water. Without a moment's delay, he lifted it telekinetically and water was flung out like a display of fireworks, leaving it dry as before, but wetting everything within a metre radius.

Setting it down again on the rock, he fixed the girl with an unfathomable stare. He was irritated and anyone could see it in his intense grey-blue eyes that had momentarily turned steely cold as ice. Most people would have dubbed whoever as spoilt, rude and attention-seeking. However, he had this feeling that there was more to her past than just that. Attention-seeking was obvious, but there had to be a reason. He figured that it wasn't because of a rich family background. Conrad decided to give her a chance to explain, instead of dumping her into the creek.

"Why did you do that?" He asked simply, tilting his head, as if starting a perfectly normal conversation, yet in a calm, controlled tone which was more dangerous than any outburst. Conrad wanted a direct answer, the truth, from her first, instead of intruding her mind.

The triumphant smile on Raziel's face faded when the drenched laptop took to the air and... wow. Did the laptop just develop a life of its own? How the heck did that happen? It almost looked like the laptop shook the water off like some wet dog, minus the actual shaking part. Who was this kid? If he had the capacity to do something like that, Raziel knew she should be worrying for her safety by now. Unfortunately, thanks to her shock, Raziel was too preoccupied as she had forgotten to shield herself from the sudden shower. And gods was it cold!

Cursing under her breath, Raziel summoned some flames to dry herself off. As fire roared into life in both her palms, the demititan stopped grumbling to meet the boy's gaze. Why did he seem so eerily calm about the whole situation? Hello? She just dumped his Macbook in the water! Shouldn't he be yelling at her by now? Still, it didn't take a genius to know that he was beyond irritated at what she'd done. Well, she thought to herself, at least he's paying attention now.

Raziel shrugged in response to his question. Funny how she can remain aloof about this while almost freezing her butt off. "I don't know. Maybe it's the ADHD." Raziel stared back at him with as much intensity, as if issuing a challenge. If the boy could manage to remain calm about all this, then she could do it as well. Besides, this almost seemed like a game. Raziel wanted to see which of them would snap and lose their cool first. And she was going to make sure that it wasn't her.

Conrad narrowed his eyes, face set expressionless to her reply. She was looking at him, challenging him, as if goading him to lose control. Lose control? He almost smirked. He was probably the last person in campus who would lose control unintentionally. He did everything with calculated precision, it was almost impossible for him to get mad over a self-centered, attention-seeking camper. At that moment, she was nothing to him.

"As you please," he stated indifferently, opening his hand, the Macbook shooting into it. Conrad brushed past her dismissively, as if she didn't exist, heading along the winding creek into the nearby forest. He would go to another place that did not contain unnecessary interference.

Boy was Raziel in for more surprises tonight. Not only did the boy react in a completely different way she had expected, but he also brushed past her like it was no big deal and pretended like she was nothing. Just what the hell? Was the boy even human? Never in her life had she encountered someone handle a scene like that with such calmness and end up walking away just as calmly. Talk about a plan completely backfiring. As the last of the water droplets evaporated, Raziel extinguished her flaming hands and gaped at the boy's retreating back. He was seriously leaving, just like that?

"H-Hey!" Raziel soon found herself calling, unable to stop herself. She couldn't just let him leave. Sprinting after him, Raziel soon caught up and skidded into a stop right in front of him. If she wanted to stop him from leaving, blocking him seemed like the best way to do so. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes and tried not to show how disarmed she was by the fiasco. She swallowed thickly - this was going to cost her a lot of her pride, but she needed to suck it up. It was her fault, anyway. "Okay fine, sorry for dumping your Macbook in the creek. It was totally uncalled for and it won't happen again." She raised her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Are we cool now?"

Conrad knew she would not have been able to stand it. After all, what caused her to react was him apparently paying more attention to his laptop than her. The girl darted in front of him, effectively stopping him from continuing forward.

"It had better not," he replied, "You have no idea how much the information in it is worth." The data in the Macbook indeed was rather important, about two and a half million dollars by his reckoning. But of course, he wasn't about to tell the unknown camper that. Especially a sneaky one with temper issues.

"So what exactly did you bother me for? Couldn't you have found someone else to annoy?"

Raziel folded her arms across her chest, squinting at the mysterious boy. He seemed to hold himself in high regard, she supposed. What would be so important in a teenage boy's laptop? Okay, one particular thought occurred to her and it almost made her laugh out loud, but she had enough sense to stop herself before she did. However, she couldn't help the suggestive smirk on her lips. Choosing not to comment, Raziel took a few moments to ponder on his question.

"No particular reason," Raziel said truthfully, shrugging. "I usually give a bit of a scare to the couples who like making out in here, but for some reason, they weren't around tonight..."

After glancing around to see if they were indeed absent, Raziel regarded the boy with a curious gaze. "What's your name, by the way? I have a feeling you already know mine, given that you already know that I'm a 'fire-type.'"

Conrad noticed the smirk on the girl's face and realised how his previous statement would have sounded like to campers like her. He let it pass, with a flicker of irritation across his face. Hearing her explanation, he was again vaguely reminded of an attitude. He was about to point out that knowing one's heritage had nothing to do with one's name, and that it did not mean he was some supernatural know-it-all. Oh the irony. When a sudden suspicion struck him. By the gods, absolutely no way.

He disregarded her first question and asked carefully, a wave of apprehension washing over him. "You wouldn't happen to be Cookie's new cup of tea, would you?"

Raziel's eyes sparkled. "You know Cookie? A mutual friend, excellent!" She clapped her hands together, beaming. She had enough brains to tell that he wasn't going to pleased with that. The boy might be good at hiding his emotions, but there was no mistaking the slightest hint of worry in his tone once he had mentioned Cookie. What could the girl have done to have warranted this kind of reaction from him? Raziel made a mental note to ask her tomorrow. She needed tips on getting under Mr. Stoic's skin.

Raziel then huffed, realizing something. "But that doesn't change the fact that you haven't answered my question. Or any of my previous questions, rather. Properly."

Raziel, that was her name, Conrad recalled, remembering how Cookie babbled on animatedly about her that day. "Great, all the world needs to end is for you two to become best friends," he muttered resignedly. He hoped she hadn't told Raziel where she got her supplies, else judging from Raziel's character, he'd never get another peaceful moment. Cookie knew how to stop most of the time, but he doubted if Raziel had any limits at all.

Amused at her persistent questions, Conrad agreed, "It certainly doesn't. I'm a son of Athena."

"Glad you know who you're dealing with," Raziel remarked smugly. Yes, she definitely needed to talk to Cookie tomorrow.

She frowned at the boy's words. When was he ever going to give her a proper answer? Raziel briefly considered wrenching the laptop from his grip and burning it, but considering that the boy had the power to somehow move things with his mind, she smartly decided against that plan of action. She groaned softly, one of her hands reaching up to tug at some strands of her hair. "You know, for a son of Athena, you sure don't know how to answer questions."

He smirked at her infuriated reply. "Let's just say I don't, then. " She couldn't do anything about it, and Conrad knew that her mind was most probably set on finding Cookie the next day. "You'll find out anyway. Would do your personality well to wait," he shrugged. Then, unable to resist leaving her hanging, since she seemed the type to abhor suspense, he added in, smirking, "Patience is a virtue, Raziel. "

He turned and headed through the undergrowth of the forest, taking a shortcut back to his cabin. Within seconds, Conrad had disappeared.

Raziel's mouth dropped open as she stared at the unbelievable guy. Hadn't she already made it clear to him that she did not like waiting? Add the fact that he completely left her hanging with the mention of her name, and Raziel became even more... annoyed? Frustrated? Heck, she didn't even know what she was feeling anymore. Damn that Athena kid for driving her crazy like this.

He had just disappeared from view when she spoke, "Do I look like I give a damn about virtues?" Unfortunately, the boy didn't acknowledge it. Not that Raziel was expecting an answer. "Tch, fine," she added under her breath with an impatient huff. She would get some answers tomorrow. All she had to do was wait.

Raziel groaned. This was going to be a long night.