Hiding from Harpies

Stephen arrived at the stables at looked to see if Taylor was still with him. He had moved and quickly and quietly as possible from the beach. He hoped he didn't see any more harpies. The smell of the horses was awful, but he guess he had to deal with it.

Taylor wrinkled her nose in disgust as she approached the stable. Gods, does someone even clean in here? she asked herself, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. But when it comes to choosing either getting caught or staying in this place, Taylor would prefer the latter. Even if she had to stand in this reek.

"Gods, I have to take a shower when I get back to the cabins," Taylor commented. She turned to look at Stephen's faint outline in the dark. "You stay in Hera's, right?"

"That's where they put all of us children of minor gods, so until my mother has her own cabin I'm stuck there. I don't think Hera is fond of us being there though, the whole place feels eerie." He wished his mother had her own cabin for another reason, one he wasn't yet willing to share. He had never seen or talked to his mother and desperately wanted to try contact her, but he thought praying to Macaria in a cabin built to honor Hera would be foolish. He didn't need any gods angry at him.

"I've heard that Hera isn't too fond of demigods in general," Taylor said, then quickly looked around just in case Hera got mad and dropped cow dung on her or something. She leaned back on the nearest wall, hoping that it was clean enough. Taylor knew that she was also a child of a minor goddess, but at least Khione had a cabin in her honor. So many campers had other minor godly parents and they were all staying in Hera's cabin. It was the same with the unclaimed demigods in the Hermes' cabin.

"So, where're you from?" Taylor asked. She figured that it would be best to change subjects, since she didn't want any of them to end up accidentally getting a certain goddess mad.

Stephen was surprised at her question. he supposed it was just to change the subject, but in the year he had been at camp, no one had taken any interest in him. No one asked where he was from, or what music he liked, or what his favorite color was, or any of the normal questions people ask each other when they first meet. He hadn't had any friends since he left Florida and came to camp. "I'm from Florida, Orange County. What about you?"

"I used to live in Alaska, but me and my dad moved to New York when I was about five," Taylor said. "And the rest, they say, is history." She thought for a few moments. "Isn't Disneyland in Florida? Is it close to your place? Sorry, I never really paid attention in geography class," she said, chuckling.

Stephens face took on a look of sadness. "Walt Disney World Resort, actually. Disneyland is in California. Orlando, our county seat has many theme parks. Universal Studios, Disney World, Wet and Wild, which is a water slide based park. But I never went to any of them. In fact I've never been to Orlando. I grew up in a trailer park in a very small town, way in the sticks." The worst part of living with his father had been knowing that happiness was as close as Disney World, but that it was also just as far.

Well, at least I learned something new tonight, Taylor thought. Even if she couldn't see Stephen's face, she could tell that he got lonely by the tone of his voice. Taylor pursed her lips. Man, I think this guy had a rough life. Hopefully he wouldn't get irritated by her questions. "How's your dad?" she asked tentatively.

As much as Stephen didn't want to talk about it, he was touched by her curiosity. Maybe this is how demigods make friends-by talking about their past lives before camp. Maybe it helped them relate to each other better than talking about music or sports or whatever. He tried to keep his voice level when he spoke. "I haven't spoken with him in a long time. I ran away from that trailer park when I was sixteen. It didn't take long for a satyr to find me and get me here." He didn't mention that the short time he spent on the street before the satyr found him had been the best of his life. Sure, he was forced to steal and sometimes fight for his food, but he had met his closest friends. The other runways made him feel welcome, which he hadn't felt before or since.

"Wow," Taylor mumbled under her breath. That wasn't an answer that she expected. It made her think for a bit, how she was pretty close to her mortal parent. She even used Iris-message to contact him sometimes. It dawned on Taylor that she was pretty lucky for having her dad. He may have sent her to Camp Half-Blood, but it was for her own good. If he hadn't, she might have starved to death. "I guess you're a bad boy, huh?" she chuckled.

Stephen chuckled with her. "Bad is a relative word". He understood that he had done many things that were against the law, but he did what he had to in order to survive. He hoped that his reluctance to kill the harpy would help Taylor to see his goodness. In fact, it was his desire to do good which left him with the scar that forever marked his chest.

"You don't really sound like one," Taylor reassured him. She didn't have anything against bad boys. Heck, she got expelled for almost killing her classmates, so it would be hypocritical for her to hold a grudge against bad boys. She wasn't really miss goody-two-shoes herself. "Life has been rough for us demigods," Taylor said.

Stephen nodded. "I guess it has to be. The challenges we face make us who we are, teach us to use our gifts responsibly." Wow, where did that little nugget come from? Even though he said it, he wasn't entirely he believed it.

Taylor applauded and clapped Stephen on the shoulder. "Wise words of wisdom, Confucius," she said, grinning. She liked talking to Stephen. She could tell that he was going to be a good friend.

Stephen grinned-that Confucius thing was good. "And your lucky numbers are: 2,5,9,4,7,and 13" He hadn't heard any commotion outside since they got to the stables, but he didn't want to go back yet. Ironic as it sounded, he was starting to warm up to this child of Khione.

Taylor nearly rolled her eyes as she laughed. Stephen was pretty good with humor too. He was a good guy to hang around with, Taylor could tell as much. Maybe they'd see each other again sometime when they won't be hiding from evil harpies and somewhere else where they won't be smelling horse and pegasi poop. That sounded good.

"Thank you for your reading, oh Master Stephen," Taylor said, smirking. "Would you now kindly predict what will happen in the next few minutes? Like, if there are any harpies or people coming in our direction?"

Stephen laughed along with her. "I Don't think there are, it's probably safe to head back. But I'd like to ask you something before we leave." He liked hanging out with Taylor, and he knew what he was about to ask might seem strange, but if he were going to try to make friends with her, he should at least begin to show her who he was. "If you have time tomorrow, would you meet me at the Burial Shroud? I Know it's a strange place to meet, some might say not much of a step up from stables, but...I'll explain if I see you there."

Taylor raised her eyebrows. The Burial Shroud? What a weird place to meet. But, Taylor was getting so curious that she found herself unable to resist, no matter how fishy it seemed to her. Besides, what's life without a little adventure?

"Yeah, sure," Taylor agreed. She clapped Stephen on the shoulder. "Just name the time and I'll be there. It's a nicer place than the Stables anyway," she added jokingly, rubbing her nose.

Stephen was surprised that she agreed to meet him at such a strange place, not many people would. "How about sometime around noon?" He smiled, a once rare occurrence that seemed to increase it's frequency tonight. "I'll be there after lunch, waiting by the entrance."

OOC: I'll make the topic.

"Sure sure, I'll be there," Taylor reassured him. She looked towards the general direction of the cabins. "I'll see ya tomorrow then? I need to go wash off," she said. The smell was really starting to get to her. Taylor wondered how many times she needed to shower to get the smell off.

"Thanks for the time, Stephen," Taylor called as she started running. "Watch out for harpies!"

And with a wave, Taylor was off.