We are Troublemakers

Jack stumbled into the Apollo cabin, with dawn just over the horizon. He was so tired after pulling an all-nighter. His arm was aching from being in a cramped position and his other arm throbbed from doing so much work. He could barely keep his eyes open. Jack tripped on the front step, his sneakers getting caught on the nails. He could care less, he was almost unconscious. He made it to his room and jumped on the bed. Big mistake. Jack bumped his head on the bars of the upper bunk.

"BUGGER" Jack yelled aloud, rubbing his head, the tears coming to his eyes.

He had washed off all the glitter back at the lake after all his work and punishment. His brown hair a little damp and laid down on the comfy bed. Jack didn't bother with the covers, he could barely move anymore. He just set his head against the pillows.

Where was Helena? Did the other campers find her and make her do the same work that he did? Jack hoped not, that was cruel. Jack couldn't think anymore. HIs eyes shut without him telling them too, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Helena felt distraught over what had happened to Jack. Of course she had waited up in that tree a long time for the others to forget about her but she would have much rather been with him, helping and sharing the punishment equally. But instead, after all the insanity died down she climbed out of the tree and went to the lake. She spent a lot of time there before moving back to the cabin where she would hopefully see Jack.

She was sopping wet, but slipped into pajamas and then swapped bunks with one of the other campers so that she could be in the one above Jack. She was nervous of heights, but it was a small sacrifice to make compared to what Jack had done for her.

When he came in, Helena's heart wrenched. He looked exhausted...

And he fell asleep before ever noticing she had swapped bunks. So in order to do something that would comfort him, Helena decided to sing. Her lyre was sorely out of commisson so it was only thing she could think of.

Her voice was light and lilting in a lullaby tone so that it wouldn't alert any of the other campers.

"Green finch and linnet bird,
nightngale, black bird.
How is it you sing?
How do you jubliate sitting in cages...
never taking wing?
Outside the sky is beckoning, beckoning...
Just beyond the bars..
How is it you stay, staring at the rain,
maddened by the stars..."

ooc- So we can ask an admin to make us canon if you want, that way we won't get in trouble.



Jack smiled in his sleep as Helena sang to him lightly. His fingers curled around the blanket as he tossed and turned. A golden light shone brightly in his mind. Jack knew who it was instantly. It was his father, Apollo, but not in his true form.

"Jack." His father said. "What you did back there at the forest was very brave. Unlike me your unselfish and not arrogant, which is what I want all my kids to have. I'm proud of you, Jack." The gold light went dimmer and dimmer, until his mind was nothing but blackness once again.

He opened his eyes, the sunlight streaming in through the windows. His whole body was stiff and hurt all over. Jack sat up, careful not to hit his head on the upper bunk. He felt the top of his head. Sure enough there was a big bump among the jungle of dark brown hair.

Then Jack saw Helena and quickly remembered the things that had happened last night. The april fools joke, the ruining of his bass. Them running up a tree and Jack sacrificing himself for the hard work. But most of all he remembered Helena and him singing together.

(I think they ususally asign specific characters to specific people...as a far as I know. Like Houdini, for instace is Apollo.)

Helena maybe got an hour of sleep that night. After morning broke and she had sang to Jack for a good, long while, the young woman passed out in exhaustion on her bunk. She was so exhausted that she hadn't even thought about the fact that she was on the top bunk. Holding onto her pillow tightly, Helena slept restlessly. Her mind was filled with guilt of letting Jack go on his own and of what her mother would think of her antics.

But she had to sleep, no matter what.

Once Jack stirred in the bed beneaeth her, Helena was lightly wakened, her eyes fluttering open. She still felt groggy as the reality of the day before hit her. What she had done, her ruined lyre, swimming in the lake under the moon. And Jack.

She remembered Jack and that she wasn't alone anymore.

Looking over the edge of her bunk a little hesitantly, Helena looked for Jack.

"...Jack? Jack? Are you alright? I am sorry that I hid in the tree and I did not go with you...I am sorry about your bass..." Closing her eyes and sighing, Helena ran a hand through her messy hair which didn't do much for it. She looked disshevled with bedhead and exhaustion but still she smiled at the thought that she was talking to Jack...

Jack smiled. Another day with his friend at camp.

He laughed. "Helena, I'm fine, minus the arm. You don't need to be sorry for anything, you did exactly as I told you." He got up out of bed, stretching his tired limbs. "As for the bass, well, that wasn't your fault, so therefore I can't be mad at you now can I? I can be mad at the Hermes cabin, certainly, maybe even the Demeter cabin, but not you. Never you," Jack took his bass from the dresser and inspected it. The glitter on the strings made it glint in the sun, like a golden ray.

Jack plucked a string lightly. It would defiantly need some tuning, thats for sure. But maybe he was overreacting last night, it wasn't as bad as it was last night. Besides, with the gold glitter inlaid, it looked way cooler, and marked that Jack really was a son of Apollo. He came over and sat on the bed once again.

He smiled as he recalled a memory. "My grandmother got me this bass on my thirteenth birthday, after I had passed my history test. She was so proud of me. Gods, I miss her so much. I kinda wish I had not listened to my mother. But then monsters would have come and killed my grandmother and-" Jack sighed and stopped himself, willing his thoughts not to go there. "Ah, well, I guess it's for the best anyways." He started to tune his bass but stopped after his fingers started to bleed a little bit. The work last night was rough on his hands, and he would have to suffer through it for another week.

Helena felt relived when Jack wasn't mad at her for last night; she would have to deal some of her own self inflicted guilt but since he was willing to be kind to her, Helena found the burden much easier. Grabbing her lyre and climbing down from the top bunk, she was wearing a pair of striped shorts and t-shirt that served as pajamas.

Sitting down beside Jack, she watched him tune his bass in silence for a moment. "It does look magical, you know." She pointed out with an ironic smile. "Something good did come out of it...except those Hermes campers. I would like to give them a piece of my mind." Helena said in annoyance, setting down her lyre and holding out her hands. "Here, maybe I can help you tune it?" She offered, looking at Jack's bleeding hands sadly.

"I did not want to leave either, but it would have been far too dangerous. I could have been responsible for taking out my whole town. I am lucky the satyr came after me, even if I was very afraid at first." Looking down at her hands, Helena shook her head.

"You should not have been punished. Those Hermes kids should have been." Then glancing back to Jack she smiled. "I will help you with your punishment. They cannot work you to the bone like that. You are bleeding!" And there was a sort of look in her eyes that didn't want to be argued with.

Jack looked at her with his head tilted. "You do know that not only do I have to sand the stables so there is not a splinter in sight, but I also have to re-paint the Hermes cabin and re-plant the strawberries. Apparently somebody snitched about that. Sadly, I was to tired to argue last night, I could've made a great lawyer for myself and possibly got less work to do." He looked down at his bleeding hands and sighed. "But hey, it's your funeral." He added as a light joke.

Jack handed Helena his bass slowly, like he was unsure if he trusted her with a piece of delicate equipment. He did trust her, with all his heart, but it was so long since he gave this to another person. He watched her tune it, trying to stop himself from taking over.

"I agree, those Hermes kids should have been punished as well. But I can't do anything about it now. Honestly, I don't want to either. Maybe I should just lie low for a while. You know, play music, watch Johnny Depp movies, that sorta thing until this whole disaster blows over." Said Jack after a couple of moments of silence as Helena helped him tune his bass.

Then he stood up. "I've got to get some band-aids on my hands, I'll be back."

"Paint the Hermes Cabin!?" Helena sounded disgusted at the thought, she thought that was a complerely irrational and unreasonable punishment. There was one thing Helena knew for sure though and that was that she wasn't going to let Jack paint that cabin by himself. "Well, those Hermes Campers will have to deal with both of us." She said firmly. "And...I will help with the stables...and the strawberries."

Taking the bass from Jack, she was as gentle as a lamb and she took the care of a mother helping a child as she worked to tune it for him. "We had better make sure this tuning sticks." She said with an ironic laugh. "Because my fingers may match yours very soon." Looking from Jack to the bass and then back again. she considered what he said. "We had better cool it a bit. We do not want to get kicked out or punished for a whole year. And it is better not be considered a hellion..." It was a funny, old-fashioned term but it was the best equivilant Helena knew.

And then Jack got up to go bandage his hands. Helena got up as well, setting the base delicately on his bed beside her lyre an then went to change. By the time Jack woudl come out, Hlenea would be in fresh jeans and another camp shirt. Looking down at her hands and wrists, Helena kind of wished she had brought her jewellery from France instead of leaving it at home.

Jack looked at his hands after he had cleaned them. They were an angry red, and were as delicate as eggshells. It hurt even to close them, so he wouldn't be playing the drums anytime soon. He bent down to pick up a butter yellow towel to dry off his hands and something fell out of his tattered jeans pocket. He ignored the towel and picked up the glint of silver that now was on the floor.

It was his mothers necklace. Now granted, he didn't like his mother, Stacy very much, but he took this out of pity for her. Jack was taken away from her at a young age, so when she begged him to take this to Camp with him so she could be with him, he agreed.

The necklace was simple, a silver heart on a thick silver chain. It was more of a choker than a necklace, really. In the chain green emeralds laid in it. Apollo most likely bought it for Jack's mother one day.

Jack picked up the necklace and walked back to his bunk. He saw Helena sitting on the lower bunk. He smiled like a Cheshire cat. He hid the necklace behind his hands, though the red skin was throbbing.

"Hey I uh got you a present. It was my mothers. I think she'd want you to have it. Though I don't know her very well." Jack handed her the necklace. "I hope you like it. Think of it was a friendship gift."

Waiting patiently on Jack's bunk when he returned, Helena was smiling at him. That was until her smile turned into something more curious as how broadly and mischievously he was grinning. Her eyes searched his face to see for an answer but she couldn't even imagine what would make him so happy after their discussion about punishment.

It didn't take long for her to find out though, because as soon as he revealed the necklace to her, Helena caught a gasp in her throat. Jumping to her feet and embracing Jack, she let her chin rest of his shoulder for a moment. "...T-Thank you..." Her voice was trembling a bit from feeling emotional at such a fantastic present. Helena was at a loss for words but slowly let go of Jack so she could receive her present. Looking at the necklace for a moment, Helena was overtaken. "I have never seen anything so beautiful..." She said softly, looking up at Jack in shock that he wanted to give her something so precious. Typically she would have done the lady-like thing and asked him to put it on her but with his hands in disrepair, Helena didn't have the heart to. So she put it on, gently feeling the pendant with her fingers. A perfect fit.

Then her face brightened and she quickly scampered up to her bunk. "I have something to give to you also, Jack." She said, smiling down at him before she reached under her pillow and took out a small box. Climbing back down, Helena was practically giddy with excitement and handed him the box which was weather worn.

Once Jack would open it, he would find inside and antiqued silver pin. It was quite large and in the shape of the fleur de lys. Inlaid in the pin was a beautiful moonstone that shimmered white and pure.

"I received it as my first Birthday present, that's my birth stone. The moonstone is said to protect you on the land and sea...and it brings inspiration. It also reflects the person who wears it, it doesn't add or take away anything from them. Which is just right for you since you are perfect the way you are, Jack..."

Jack looked at the pin he had received. He knew from looking at the small box that it was to small and narrow to be a pony. When he saw the flue de lys, he just stared at it.

"Thanks, Helena, it's amazing. Are you sure you want to give it to me? I mean, it's your first birthday present. Like ever. I don't think I could in a million years part with my stuffed dragon named Pan... Oh crap, did I actually say that?" Jack felt his cheeks getting hotter and redder. "Thats really embarrassing. None of my other friends know that... Promise you won't tell another living soul?" Jack looked into Helena's eyes, pleading.

He pinned the present on his camp T-shirt. Jack pricked his finger and blood came out. He put pressure on it and smiled sheepishly.

"Ironic how two children of Apollo like the moon more than the sun, isn't it?"

Crossing her heart, Helena looked earnest as Jack asked her to promise. "I swear, on pain of death, that the secret is safe with me." She replied with a bit of a cute smile, knowing he would understand just what that meant between them.

Then, looking down at the pin in the box, Helena nodded firmly and then looked up at the pin on Jack's shirt. It looked perfect there, like it belonged with Jack and that made Helena smile. "Of course I want you to have it." Lightly brushing her fingers along the pendant on the necklace Jack gave her Helena couldn't help but feel happy inside.

There would be no sad days anymore at Camp and Helena felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of what they would do today, the next day and all the days after.

"...Did you want to go down to the Strawberry Fields and watch me plant berries?" She asked. "You can sing and I will plant since you need to rest your hands." Helena offered.

(The fight could always happen there, what do you think?)

"Alright. Besides, I have to practice my voice, since that is the only musical instrument I can use currently. Maybe I will practice shooting bow and arrows." Jack said thoughtfully. He could also take revenge on the Demeter cabin by eating those delicious red berries.

He took extra precaution and bandaged his hands with ripped up fabric he found in the bottom of his dresser. Then Jack quickly grabbed the bow and arrows and ran out the door of the cabin, waiting for Helena to follow him.

(Ok. I'll have Alice join in our strawberry field and fight Helena. I'll start it tomorrow, K?)

https://camphalfblood.forummotion.com/t13283-work-work-and-more-work

Heres the link