Hunter glanced at Philippa briefly before hurrying to walk beside Marina and Kyle. “Umm…So, Philippa and I aren’t…there, yet.” He said, looking down at the ground in front of him.
“What do you mean, ‘there’?” Marina asked with a raised eyebrow. “Do you think we’re just going to be inside all week having an orgy or something?” She asked with a smile. Hunter blushed.
“No. Of course not, but think about it.” Hunter replied, looking from Marina to Kyle and then back at Philippa for a moment. “You two. You guys kiss. Kyle grabs your butt. I’ve seen you making out.” He said with a shudder. “Will and Penny. The first time I met Penny was when she was under Will. They hold hands. They kiss. I’ve seen too much of them making out.” He shook his head and looked at Philippa before leaning in and speaking in a hushed tone. “We hold hands. She kisses me. I go a little too far, I’m out of camp for good. I’m just saying that we’re not at the same point you guys are.”
“So what?” Kyle said with a shrug. “Just bring her along. Maybe it’ll help things along, you know?”
“What things? I can’t do things. Things mean that I leave camp FOR-EV-ER.” Hunter said as they entered the center of camp.
“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” Hunter turned around to see Will and Penny walking up. Hunter sighed and closed his eyes tightly before seeing Philippa appear beside him. He hesitated a moment before taking her hand and holding it gently. He smiled over at her and she blinked a moment before smiling back.
“Will! Penny!” Marina said, hurrying over out of Kyle’s arms and hugging them both. “You’re coming with us.” She said, pushing them toward the mess hall. Hunter turned to Kyle and they laughed as Hunter walked with his fingers intertwined comfortably with Philippa’s. It was moments like this where their hands fit together so well that made Hunter think that this would work.
“You’re coming with us, right?” Hunter quietly asked Philippa, trying to build the courage to look at her. He felt her shrug through the connection they had in their hands.
“It sounds like fun.” She said with a smile. “I’ve been eager to wear my new bikini, so this will be a good opportunity.” Hunter nodded and blushed a little at the idea of her in a bikini. Maybe this trip would be good for them. They had only really been together within the milieu of the camp. This could be a healthy change. He sighed and nodded. There was something off about her. There was half a year still until he was going to leave camp and they were going to be together. He was starting to regret it at this point.
“Hey, Philippa? Are you okay?” He asked quietly. He hated drama. He hated conflict. There was nothing redeeming about making things more tense than what they should be. This just couldn’t be easy for him, could it? She stopped walking a yard or two outside of the mess hall. Philippa waited for Kyle to pass behind her before taking Hunter’s other hand in hers.
“I’m just fine, Hunter.” She said with a smile. “I’m happy. I’m back at camp. I have friends again. I feel welcome.” She smiled again before moving forward and kissing Hunter on the cheek, more than likely feeling the heat from his blushing. “I’m glad that I didn’t go back to the hunters.” Hunter sighed and finally looked up at her.
“Are you sure?” He asked quietly with a cautious smile. She nodded and hugged him, burying her face in his chest. He grinned and hugged her back lightly kissing her head. They stood there in their embrace for a moment, in complete silence. What broke the silence was Hunter’s stomach grumbling loudly making his body actually vibrate a little. “Goodness.” He said as he broke the hug. “Are you as hungry as I am?” He asked with a grin. She put a playfully pensive look on her face. Hunter loved that look. She had a way of living inside of her mind, prompting Hunter to ask what she was thinking many times. She would always blink and then look up and to the left with a thin smile on her lips.
“I’m not that hungry, but I am hungry.” She said with a giggle before patting Hunter’s stomach. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat and we’ll eat it outside. How does that sound?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Sounds fantastic.” He said, taking her hand again. They walked in and got food. He caught the attention of Kyle, Marina, Will, and Penny before walking outside with their trays. They sat near the entrance with their back against the building. Hunter had been asking for forgiveness or mercy for whatever it was that he did to make Artemis upset since she had started giving him the silent treatment.
“Brian has been looking down in the dumps, recently.” Philippa said, taking a drink and nodding toward the child of Apollo walking past. Hunter glanced up from his food and shrugged.
“He’ll live. Arabella is coming back eventually. She still likes him. They’ll get back together.” He said, swallowing his food. “In my opinion, she’s out of his league. She’s awesome and he’s…” He shook his head.
“A schnook.” Philippa and Hunter said in unison as the other four sat down nearby.
“Hunter is talking about Brian again?” Kyle said as he set down his tray. Philippa looked up and nodded. “You’d think that they were sworn enemies or something.” He said with a chuckle.
“I’m just saying. He needs to find what he’s good at or he’s not much of a hero for being a demigod.” He shrugged. “Did you see Phoebe beat him with every weapon ever? It wasn’t even close.” He said, shaking his head. Hunter sighed. “Anyway, in other news…” He started, hoping someone would come up with a new topic.