lacuna [connor stoll]

XXXIX. Freezing Waters

CHAPTER THRITY-NINE: FREEZING WATERS

Apollo, Leo, and Calypso left not even two days later.

Camp returned to normal, for the most part. Everyone chipped in to rebuild the Demeter cabin, and Percy had promised to contact Annabeth about redesigning the dinner pavilion. Demeter cabin, when they weren't working on their own cabin, filled in the giant footprints embedded in the earth with flowers.

Slowly, the air turned warmer, but it was still frigid if a demigod exited the camp's borders and stepped onto the beach or woods.

A few demigods had joined in the past week, a young girl that had been claimed as Hecate the second she stepped into the camp arch, and an boy that was claimed by Iris on his second night.

Ellie rested her head against the tree behind her, stuck on morning guard duty yet again. Connor was crisscrossed on the ground beside her, writing fake love letters. His sword was a few feet away from him, loosely stuck in the earth.

Although she had to wake up before the sun rose into view, at least Connor always signed up for guard duty with her. It made it at least bearable.

"You know," Ellie dragged out, her eyes searching the forest in front of her, " if a monster attacked camp right now, you'd die?"

"You know I wouldn't," Connor said, sticking a card in his back pocket. "I've got you protecting me."

Ellie rolled her eyes, but smiled at his attempt at making her laugh this early in the morning. She rubbed her tired eyes, wishing she had grabbed a cup of hot chocolate before strutting into the woods in the middle of the night. Then again, that wouldn't have made for a good fighting stance, a hot chocolate in one hand, and a glowing sword in the other.

"How would you hint that it would be from an Hephaestus kid?" Connor asked, his tongue was out in concentration.

Ellie rolled her eyes again. "Connor, why are you doing this again?"

"I'm preparing for Valentines day! I'm going to write a letter to Travis, telling him all about this. It's going to be epic! Everyone will think they have a secret admirer!"

"You sound like an Aphrodite kid." Ellie told him, swirling Luminous in the dirt.

"Oh, don't you want one, babe?" Connor teased, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"Only if it's from you." Ellie said, winking. She faced the forest yet again, which hadn't made a sound in hours.

"Smooth talk." Connor hummed, sticking another card in his pocket.

They fell into a comfortable silence, Connor writing fake love letters, and Ellie keeping watch for a deadly monster.

A cool breeze swept by, softly kissing her nose and turning her nose red. Her hair was hidden away with a thick hat, but her ears were still tingling from the cold.