Curiosity Killed The Cat {Private}

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

the door had been open, wide open actually, with no one inside. The Big House really seemed fairly empty. It wasn't anywhere close to dinner time and there wasn't anyone in the archers' fields, so it kind of made Haven wonder why the house was so empty. Although, she was fairly new so most things about camp confused her. And maybe she hadn't wandered into the big house for reasons as spacific as wonder of emptiness. She was actually really curious on what actually was in the house. And more specifically, the attic.
Haven hadn't been told much of the details about the camp. One of those little details being that the forest was stocked with live monsters. That experience wasn't one she was planning on re-visiting anytime soon. Well, without a weapon anyway. No, she was not here in the Big House to wander into danger, or she hoped not really. No, Haven wondered who, or more specifically what, was hiding up in the attic. When she had asked her bunk mates they had simply said, "Not one living thing is up there," and had left it at that, but she didn't believe one bit of it.
Haven had no legitimate excuse to be creeping her way up towards the attic, but what was it to matter, anyway? She had lived with a bad reputation her entire life. It meant nothing if she gained another one here, at camp.
Haven had only made it to the top of the stairs where a hatch rested on the ceiling. She decided that this was probably the only entrance, not including the small window that could be from the front of the house so an escape without getting caught may not happen. She had her hands resting on the door ready to push it open, when she heard a creek of the stairwell behind her. She cringed slightly and wished maybe in some way she could become invisible.

$Curiosity Killed The Cat {Private} Tumblr_lx20n6Lpar1qlrrjqo1_500_large$
|Simon|17|Montri|
// H E C A T E \\

Simon had seen a girl--a pretty girl, actually--enter the Big House. Curious, he peeked inside the building to get a closer look. It was empty. Simon was a little surprised, but he cast those thoughts aside at the moment. He looked around the place as he wondered where everyone, most especially that girl, was. His eyes drifted over to the stairs that led to the attic. He had a gut feeling that something or someone was up there. Someone who wasn't supposed to be.

Grinning, Simon walked up the stairs. The stairwell creaked, putting him out a bit. Simon was hoping for some element of surprise there. Now anyone who was on the second floor would know that someone was coming up the stairs. Simon spotted the girl he had seen earlier and as a reflex, flashed his biggest smile at her.

"Well hey there," Simon said, leaning against the railings. He raised his hand in some sort of salute-wave. "You sure you want to go up there? Warning you now, it can be a bit of shock. Not to mention a little scary."

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven took a quick breath in and turned around to face the person who had followed her up there. She was pretty surprised to find a boy there and even more surprised to realize that he was actually talking to her and it wasn't in a sarcastic taunting voice. It was a kind friendly tone that Haven wasn't really used to, so she was thrown a bit off guard on how to respond. It took her a moment, but she chose to reply to his later statements.
"Um, it's an attic," Haven said crossing her arms across her chest nervously. "Am I going to find an alien? Is that another secret this camp has succeeded to keep from me?"
She drew a shaky breath, a little bit relieved that she hadn't been totally busted. What could be so scary in an attic? She's seen horror movies, she's fought monsters, Haven was pretty sure there weren't a lot of things left out there that could really and truely frighten her. Although, she did have a tiniest bit of doubts now, what with her siblings keeping whatever was up there a secret. Haven shook her head and sighed, pursing her lips, just now feeling the whip of a noticing feeling that she was, kind of, talking to a guy, a person without turning her words into a sputter of utterings. It must have been the little boost of confidence that she had when walking up there that was now slowly decreasing itself.

Simon chuckled lightly, noting that the girl sounded nervous. She also sounded like she wasn't used to talking like that. Well, nothing else to do but make her comfortable, it seemed. Simon glanced at the hatch on the ceiling before turning back to the girl.

"Not an alien, no," Simon said, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Hm, tell me. Do you believe in the supernatural?"

Simon grinned, knowing that it was somewhat of a stupid question. They were at a camp filled of the children of the gods themselves. If that was anything besides supernatural, then Simon didn't know what supernatural meant. Nevertheless he looked on, wanting to see how she would respond to that.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven pursed her lips, not really understanding what this guy was getting at. He almost seemed amused, which might have bothered Haven if she hadn't been in a such a big sleuthing mood. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. What else could she have said? There was no way of turning back now though.
Her eyes wandered back to the attic's hatch. "Supernatural." she repeated the word in a soft murmur. "Now why would you go asking me that?" she asked, her thick country accent coming into show more now. "I mean, given my circumstances like where I am and who I am, I think the supernatural is the somewhere close to the top of the things I believe in. There's an Underworld, or something, aint there? That basically means ghosts and 'supernaturals' and what not."
There had got to be something else to exain it though. Supernatural? Well, to restate that Haven has seen a good deal amount of horror movies, it means that she has a large imaginatjon and now, whatever lay beyond that door frightened her a bit. But maybe this guy was just like the rest and was just pulling her leg for a good practical joke. That would definitly make a whole lot more sense than all this anyway.

Simon grinned at her answer, not minding the fact that she seemed almost irritated at him. He can take care of that later. Right now, he could tell that he had piqued her interest. The girl must be really curious as to what lay in the attic. Simon was going to use that to his advantage. He slowly walked up to her and wordlessly pulled on the hatch.

"Well, I think it's better to show than tell," Simon said, looking at the entrance to the attic. "You know Sudoku? The long-haired ghost that comes out of the TV? This is probably worse than that."

Simon stilled, realizing that there was probably something not right in his sentence. Shrugging off that feeling, he continued to grin at the girl like nothing was wrong.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

"good to know, thanks for that," Haven muttered to him. She had moved a bit when the boy came over towards the hatch that led into the attic, but moved right back as it made her look even more frightened, which she wasn't. She peered up inside the attic, the odd feel of the old hard wood setting. This place was so old, it couldn't be safe, not one bit or in any way possible. Haven really needed to start getting used to dangerous though.
"Well, I came up here for a reason," she said still gazing upwards. "And I intend to finish this quest of mine, no matter if Sudoku is up there or a Fury." And with that, Haven made her way up through the hole in the ceiling that led into the attic, hoisting herself up.
The first thing that hit her was the smell. "What died up here?" she muttered looking around at the clutter of junk that was stacked all around the attic. Although, maybe it wasn't junk. It was more like a very unorganized and a not very well cared for museum.

Simon watched as the girl made her way up, following her soon after. The smell hit him hard and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Was this place even cleaned or something? Probably not, judging from the state of things. Simon stumbled, nearly tripping over an old sword.

"Just the usual," Simon said, in response to the girl's question. "Mice, cockroaches... those sorts of things. I don't think demigods died in here, so no worries. Hakuna matata!"

Simon looked around. He hadn't really been here before, but he knew what sorts of things were hidden in here. Old weapons, trophies, some pieces of junk that no one needed anymore. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked around. Realizing that the stench was particularly stronger from where he was standing on, Simon squinted through the dim light to vaguely make out a figure that eerily looked human. Simon yelped in surprise, taking a step back.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven picked up an old shield that was covered in colorful designs and amazing details. She really didn't have much time to admire the amazing work because the boy had yelped and stumbled backwards. So much for not getting caught.
Haven looked towards the boy, and followed his gaze in a general direction. She couldn't really see in the dark area, maybe if she would get a little closer...
"What? Did you see Sudoku?" She asked sarcastically walking over to where the boy stood. "It's just an attic. Rats, mice cockroaches, whatever it is, I'm sure I can--" Haven had been walking a bit past the boy and hadn't been paying much attention on what was in front of her. She had walked pretty close to the figure without noticing and when she turned around, it startled her so much she had to clamp her mouth shut to cut short her scream as she fell back and onto the floor, and bringing a few things crashing along with her.

Having gotten over the initial surprise, Simon clutched at his chest as he tried to slow his racing heart. Before he could say anything else, he heard the girl scream, followed by a loud crash. Oops, that didn't sound good. Simon maneuvered around in the semi-darkness, trying to find the girl. It was quite hard, seeing that Simon couldn't see past two feet in front of him. He stumbled upon what seemed to be a pile of ancient armor and trophies and looked down. It was lucky that he decided to look down at that moment, for he was about to step on the girl as he did. Simon knelt down and hurriedly pushed the objects aside.

"You okay? Some fright you had there," Simon said with a reassuring smile, barely seeing the girl's face. He offered her his hand to help her up. "Congratulations. Now you know why it's not just an attic."

Simon glanced up at the mummy thing and cringed lightly. Gods, it looked worse than he thought. Not to mention that it smelled even worse than it looked. Simon felt like he was about to throw up. "Totally love the smell too. So different from other attics I've been in," Simon said jokingly, bringing his attention back to the girl as he waited for her to take his hand.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven gave him a look that was somehow a mix between disbelief and utter shock. It took her a moment to gather herself up again before taking his hand and muttering a quick, 'Thanks.' She brushed herself off of the dust and other things probably bugs but soon found it useless so she gave up and left it as is. Instead Haven sent a sudden glare of realization at the boy.
"What's a mummy doing in the attic?" she demanded. "I thought you said nothing was dead up here? That's really--That's just repulsive." It probably wasn't the best choice of words she had but it was all she got. The sight almost ripped her of all talking abilities. Not to mention breathing.
Haven didn't even feel weird because she was new to canp anymore. This abnormal occurrence made her want to forget about any other secret that may lay among the walls of th camp. If there was a dead hippie lady in the attic, what was in the basement? What else was lyin beyond the woods? What kind of secret passage ways are hidden among camp? The questions got crazier asshe asked herself more of them.

Simon couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's response. He rubbed the back of his head, trying his best to breathe as little as possible. A few more minutes here and Simon would probably puke. He started to slowly move towards the exit. The stench was just getting too much to handle.

"I don't know if dead is the right word for it," he said, not wanting to look at the mummy. He motioned for her to follow him. "I'll explain when we get down. I don't want the smell sticking to my shirt." A light laugh followed Simon's words as he took careful steps towards the hatch.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven took one last glance at the corpse, cringing lightly, making an odd face at the thing, wondering what this camp was really hiding, if they were hiding anything at all. She shivered one last time and quickly followed the boy out of the attic, not really wanting to be left behind with the munmy and a bunch of old trinkets and weapons. Plus the stench was getting too hard to bear, but Haven was used to that kind of thing by now with the places she has gone to hide in her life time.
"So, I'm going to guess that you have already figured out that I'm fairly new here," She said to the boy, taking in a large breath of much fresher air than the attic's once the two of them got through the hatch and onto the stairwell. "That's pretty much the reason why I'm kinda wandering around. Trying to figure things out because no one likes explaining things to me." She paused a moment then said motioning back towards the attic, "Speaking of which, that definitly deserves an explanation." Haven then proceeded to pulling a cob web out of her hair which she had just noticed then.

"No wonder. Haven't seen your pretty face around here," Simon said, taking a huge gulp of fresh air. Ah, now that was soothing. Simon dusted off his clothes as well, noticing that he was rather dusty. Simon made a mental note to shower later when he got back in his cabin. Meanwhile he racked his thoughts for some knowledge about that mummy thing. He did owe the girl an explanation of some sort.

"We just met the Oracle," he began. He slightly shivered at the mention of the name. Simon could tell that the image of that rotting mummy wasn't going to fade that easily. As a matter of fact, merely thinking of it gave him goosebumps. "She gives out prophecies on occasion, for quests and stuff like that. And she isn't really dead. She was cursed by the Lord of the Underworld some fifty years ago or so. Now her soul is kinda imprisoned in her body. It just stays there even if her body is already decaying and stuff... which explains the rotten smell."

Simon drummed his fingers on the railings. Did he get it right, the explanation? That knowledge only came from him overhearing bits of conversations here and there. He wasn't entirely sure if he got all the facts right. He turned to the girl, grinning. "That's how the story goes anyway. Say, you mentioned that no one wanted to explain things to you? Why is that?"

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven shrugged, not really wanting to respond with the truth. Oh it's just that I don't like talking to people because I'm no good at it. Last time I talked to a normal person before camp, was, well, almost never. So I guess you could see why I'm more into figuring things out for myself. No thank you. That was not what was needed to be spoken of right then. This guy probably had apsolutely no interest in her fail of a social life.
Haven actually had to pause for yet another moment as her mind had totally skipped over his first comment at first. Pretty? Now when was the last time she was called that? The answer would be, yet again, never, so his action made her hesitate, but she simply tried to disregard the comment and go for his latest question, trying not to sound so surprised about the whole Oracle thing. (An Oracle. Of course the camp had to have one of those. Why wouldn't a camp that is still stuck on Greek Mythology Replay have one of those?)
Haven cleared her throat. "I don't know. Maybe it's because they're too caught up in making things or maybe I'm just, I don't know, not important enough to be told stuff? I mean, what's someone going to do with a rotten Hephaestus girl who can barely even make a knife that well." It was partially the truth. That counted for something, didn't it?

Simon raised his eyebrows at the girl. So she was a bit of a loner or something of that sort? And degrading herself too, a bit? Simon could see that she was a lot more than she said she was. He sighed to himself. Why did he have to try and figure out each girl he would meet? Maybe he had future plans to educate his sons about girls and their behavior? Simon surprised himself for having such thoughts. His mind was so weird sometimes. Anyway, back to the girl.

"I can't blame you. I hardly see a Hephaestus camper who's not busy. Besides, half the fun is figuring things out yourself," Simon said smoothly, one of his eyes twinkling at her. "Give yourself some credit. Most of the other Hephaestus kids have been here much longer than you have. You'll be an awesome knife-maker in no time."

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven smiled lightly and shrugged again. "Thanks," She said quietly. She didn't even know if she would continue to even try making things in the forges. The things she would make turne out crooked, rugged, and sloppy. She didn't know what it was. It could be stress or the fact that her siblings were watching her every move, probably judging her more than she even persumes. That thought definitely made her heart skip a beat and she wanted to smack herself for just thinking of it. Haven crossed her arms and closed her eyes for a second.
I'm, um, Haven, by the way," she said opening her eyes again and looking at the boy. They've gone long enough without knowing each other's names, plus she had been getting curious, despite what she had been telling herself.

Simon returned Haven's smile with a slightly crooked grin of his own. Now that he got her name, his next response would've been to get her number too, but of course he had stopped that habit when he learned how phones have the weird tendency of attracting monsters. Simon had quite a collection of girls' numbers before. That was history now, though. Besides, he didn't even remember where he put the list. Wait, where was he again? Oh right, names.

"Simon. Son of Hecate at your service," Simon introduced himself with a little bow. They were at the base of the stairs now, he realized. "How long have you been here, by the way? This is my fifth year, but the first year being a year-rounder."

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

it took haven a moment to respond because she wasn't entirely sure how long it had been since she arrived at camp. She had spent weeks on the road, miraculously avoiding monsters almost the entire way, Haven lost count of how many days she had been away from Texas. She really had no idea, so she shrugged and bit her lip.
"I kind of lost count of time," she admitted with a small laugh. "A couple weeks I think. The journey up here was long anong other things, but yeah, a couple weeks sounds about right." Haven was actually a little surprised about his time here. Five summers, one full year? "Does it get boreing?" She wondered aloud not on purpose but decided there was no turning back now. "I mean, does the same routine ever get old?" This place seemed like it was going to be Haven's only real home for a while, so she was just curious.

"Only sometimes. That's when I sleep the whole day off," Simon said. That was apparently how lazy he was. He thought about camp, how fun it was, really. He did have great times amusing other campers with his 'magic tricks.' Mostly that was what he did, instead of the other kids sparring in the arena. Simon shrugged off the thought, not really liking the idea of violence even if it was somehow controlled. Fights were fights, no matter how mild they were.

Simon looked at Haven thoughtfully. He chuckled softly, his voice taking on a lighter note. "Nah, not that boring. Especially if the place is brimming with pretty girls like you." Simon flashed her a smile. He just couldn't resist flirting, even for just a little bit. Besides, it wasn't as if he was lying or anything, right?

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven tucked her hair behind her ears and pursed her lips to one side. He did it again. Thinking more into the way he said what he did, it seemed to Haven that he probably did this to a whole boat load of girls. She could spot this kind of thing from a mile away. She had spent her entire life watching from afar at all the popular kids, and all the jerks and all the un-popular kids envying even them, because Haven was just the lowest of the low. Of course, she could be wrong. Simon actually was talking to her wasn't he? Was he...flirting even? What was that anyway?
No. Don't even go there, Haven thought. Things will just end badly for you.
She was about to respond with some sort of awkward thanks or another stammering statement when voices saved her from making a fool of herself. Although she didn't know what was worse. Getting kicked out of camp because of snooping or humiliating herself in front of a guy that actually talked to her. Have stopped moving, talking, probably even stopped breathing for a split second as the voices talked casually somewhere below but not too far away. Great.

The voices gradually got louder, and Simon knew that it would be best to get out of here. Without as much as a warning, he took Haven's hand and pulled her upstairs. He hoped she didn't mind--after all, he was doing this for the best. Simon chanced a look behind him, knowing that going down wasn't an option if they wanted to avoid the voices. Simon pulled her to the side, behind one of the walls. A sudden idea occurred to him and he waved his hand. The hatch to the attic opened at his gesture.

"Yeah, hope that fools them into looking there," Simon softly explained to Haven as he kept his gaze on the stairs. If the people fell into the trap and decided to go to the attic, it would at least give him and Haven enough time to go down the stairs and leave without being caught. Simon crossed his fingers, hoping for the best.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven was a little surprised at first when Simon just flicked his fingered and the hatch opened with ease, but then she remembered that he had said his mother was Hecate, so she let her amazment go, just by a bit though. She pressed her body up against the wall and nodded at Simon, hearing as footsteps were being brought closer towards them, already starting to climb the stairs. The space the two of them were hidden was a bit smalled than Haven would have wished. She could hear his breathing with ease and Haven was sure he could hear hers perfectly, especially being that fact that it was a bit louder than she would have hoped.she tried not to think about it, and calmed herself a bit more.
The person went straight past them, not even noticing the two demigods hidden behind the wall. Haven hadn't even bothered to look who it was, that would risk poking her head out anyway. They might get caught. She simply just waited for their chance to bolt, waiting for Simon's order first, of course. He had more training and probably done a whole lot more sleuthing around.

Simon took great care in peeking behind the wall--one wrong move and they would be busted. This was one of the times when Simon hated the fact that he wasn't as skilled in invisibility as his other siblings. Letting out a deep breath, he finally looked, and saw what seemed to be a pair of legs disappearing into the attic. Relief flooded him at that moment as he realized that his plan worked.

"No time to lose," Simon whispered briskly as he pulled Haven with him down the stairs. They shouldn't waste any more time. The person could get out of the attic at any moment. Well, might as well slow that person down. Simon half-turned and snapped his fingers, the hatch closing at his nonverbal command. Simon prayed that no one was waiting by the base of the stairs, or else the consequences were... he didn't even want to think about those.

Haven Felicia Manning
Hephaestus

haven darted down the stairs with Simon, not daring to look back in anyway in case of getting caught. There wasn't anyone at the bottom of the steps but someone was actually sitting in the living room. Haven could see the front door but they would have to dart past the living room to get to it, no doubt they'll be seen. That's why Haven stopped short and pulled Simon back with her behind another wall. She quickly pointed towards the living room, in case he hadn't noticed the person sitting there, waiting.
Haven thought quickly, thinking of the back door, wondering if they could make it by going through the dining room and kitchen without being seen. She took a quick glance at Simon before pulling him that way, trying ti stay close to the wall diming their chances of being seen.

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