In The Strawberry Field

Henry saw her hair first. It fell down her shoulders in long cascades of vibrant red, ending in purple. Roses. He then noticed, to his slight dismay, that she was eating the strawberries. Sighing, he wandered over to the girl, tucking his work gloves in to his belt and bracing himself for an argument. Being as flamboyant as she was, this girl could have one of three god parents: Apollo, Aphrodite, or Hermes. Apollo kids were okay. Their dad provided light that helped plants grow. Unfortunately, they had a tendency to be high strung and a little bit arrogant. Aphrodite kids, on the other hand Henry did not like at all. Within five minutes of meeting him the conversation would go to complaints about all the good ones being gay and trying to find him a boyfriend. Even if he didn't tell them, they knew. It was a little bit creepy, to be honest. Hermes kids needed no explanation. Merely mentioning the name "Stoll" in the Demeter Cabin caused all residents present to bristle. "Ya ain't supposed to be eatin' those." Henry said, his heavily accented voice thick with frustration.

Henry sighed. At least she wasn't one of Aphrodite's. He willed th vines behind her to wrap around her wrists, tying her hands behind her back. "If you're hungry, go to the Big House, or the dinner pavilion. I'm sure you could find something there." He looked her over. "By the way you're dressed, I'm guessin' you missed lunch too."

Hermes. It had to be. For all their arrogance, no Apollo kid would ever be such an outright jerk. He kept his composure, though. For all his tough guy attitude, Henry wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to give her what she wanted. "I can do better, you just aren't worth it." This was the truth. In his back pockets, he had packets of seeds of all sorts. Roses and nettles for their thorns, peppers for their eye and skin burning juice, and several more exotic plants. All he needed to do was let them hit the ground. He wasn't in the mood. "Look, it's not that long 'till dinner. If you really can't wait, I could just grow you somethin' that'll fill you up better than berries."

Henry smiled slightly. "I wish I did." The girl's stomach growling caught him slightly off guard. i guess she really is that hungry... "Aw, screw it. Go ahead. Eat a few more strawberries. Katie 'n' everybody are all way too uptight about that, anyways." He plunked down next to the girl, moving strawberry vines out of the way with his powers. He didn't want to squish any. "Henry," he offered, "Henry Findley."

"'Bout an hour, maybe two. It's good to meet you, Scarlet." Henry smiled at the Hermes girl. "I must say, your hair is kinna... imposing."

Henry grinned. "Ah. So you're THAT kind of Hermes kid." He plucked a strawberry and ate it. They were delicious; the Demeter Cabin had done a good job this year.

"Most everything. 'Cept banjo. That just annoys me. Probably heard to much of it as a kid!" He laughed. "Lotsa old rock. That's what I listen to most. AC/DC one of my favorites."

Henry though for a moment. "Yeah. Can't say I've listened to much of their stuff, but yeah, I have." He grinned and ate a few more strawberries. "So how are those two psychos you call cabin leaders?"