Lessons and Rumors

[Novalie Abrams Rare]

 Novalie had been hearing things going around the camp. Things that made her skin prickle a little bit because she didn't know if they were true or not. Things that were promised and now things were broken. If they were true, how would she react? How would she feel? She didn't want to be like Helena all depressed over a boy. She loved Liam, she honestly did. She didn't want whatever they had to fade, but apparently, her mother had different things planned for her. She had been walking to her lesson in hand-to-hand combat with Dustin. The brother to Liam, when she noticed the looks, she was getting and the whispers that were happening in front of her. Some even the look of pity? She scoffed at that. She was going to have to talk to Liam soon and get this all fix out. She hated the camp for one reason alone and that was because the rumor mill ran like a factory here. Even if it didn't happen it would still go around. It was crazy. 

She ignored the looks that she was getting and flipped her hair to one side and made it to the site where Dustin was holding his class. She stood there, in her yoga pants and sports bra with her arms crossed waiting for the others to come along. She wanted to go up to Dustin to see if there had been anything that he knew about with Liam and this Henry person, but she knew that she didn't want to cause issues going on right now. Mainly because she didn't want to have that drama happening yet. She glanced around the area trying to see if the Ares boy was going to be in this class or not, but apparently it was just Aphrodite and Athena right now, maybe Hypnos too as she noticed a couple people yawning which made her yawn too. Crap. she thought and turned away from looking at them. 

 

@ Henrietta Abbot

[Henrietta Abbot]

Henry had been getting weird looks all day. Usually, she was more or less ignored -- not invisible, but certainly not the talk of the camp either. She suspected she knew what this was about, and not only because her sister Sage had dropped some not-so-subtle hints to her at breakfast. The kiss with Liam by the lake last night. Some shifty little nuisance must've seen and told everyone. Classic CHB; nobody could keep their shit to themselves. 

It was bad luck that she was training alongside the Aphrodite campers that day, but even worse luck was coming. Novalie, infamous for being Liam's friend-with-benefits for years, was standing right there. She looked beautiful, obviously, but Henry couldn't help suspect that the whispering that surrounded her wasn't due to that. Either Novalie knew about the kiss, or she about to find out. In hand-to-hand combat training. Gods damn it! Henry stretched her arms and shoulders, ready for things to get messy. With any luck, she'd be paired with one of the Hypnos campers... they wouldn't be picking sides in this situation. The Aphrodite campers? Novalie herself? Well, Henry would have to say her prayers. 

[Novalie Abrams Rare]

There were whispers still going on around her, even some of her brothers and sisters were looking at her too. There was a look of pity in their eyes. What the hell was going on with people today. She didn't want to listen to the rumors or anything like that, so she was going to be good. She glanced around and watched as Dustin moved around to the front of the classroom, a smirk on his face. What was up with all these Ares boys and looking as good as they were. He folded his arms and looked out into the crowd. "I need everyone's attention." he said as he started walking around the open area. He went on to talk about what they were doing, and Novalie's attention went in and out of the whole thing, she listened to the parts that needed to be listened to and that was just about it. When he was done talking one of her sisters came running up to her. It was a younger sister, but she was still pleased to see her out and about with the group. She smiled at her. "What's up?" Novalie questioned curiously as the younger girl began to spill out the mouth of what being said. Liam and Henry had kissed. She glanced around to find said girl and turned her head back to her sister. "What?" she began worried now that Liam had lied to her about what they were doing. He promised that he would have told her if something happened so they could call everything off. She blinked getting ready to say more when Dustin cleared his throat. Making her sister run from them. "Today..." he started watched the younger girl run off the smirk never leaving his lips. "We're going to pair up." Those around him could tell he was trying to hold in some laughter. "But I'll be pairing you up." he said as he started walking around the area pulling people to them. He got to Novalie and raised an eyebrow. "You're with Henrietta." he told her pointing his finger over to the other girl standing there. 

Novalie's heart sunk in her stomach when her line of vision went to Henry. Great! She thought as turned her attention to the girl. She walked over to her and gave her a blank look. What was she going to say to this girl? She glanced at Dustin to really see if he was happy that they were together. He nodded his head and walked away from them. Telling them to practice their punches that they had learned the other day. She nodded her head and turned back to Henry and watched her for a moment. "Do... do you wanna go first?" She questioned the girl, not really sure if she wanted to talk to her just right yet. Though this wasn't going to be over. She was going to get to the bottom of this and soon. She needed to know if Liam had lied to her. She had promised that she wouldn't do anything with anyone else, and yet so did he but he had kissed her. The girl in front of her. She squirmed in her spot for that moment. 

[Henrietta Abbot]

Watching with a careful eye, Henry saw a younger Aphrodite girl approach Novalie and babble about something. When Novalie's head turned to meet her gaze, Henry quickly looked away. Shit. Gods, she wished she'd just stayed in bed. Not only was she probably about to get beaten up by a gaggle of Aphrodite campers, she was absolutely humiliated. She wasn't ashamed she'd kissed someone, but Liam? Gross... she was supposed to hate his guts. Who would respect her now?

Henry all but stamped her foot at Dustin's decision. This situation couldn't get any worse; not only had she kissed another girl's man, but she was answering for it in the worst way. All eyes trained on Henry and Novalie as they approached one another reluctantly. Obviously, this whole thing was on purpose: Dustin knew what he was doing. Had Liam told his brothers about what had happened? Was she just another conquest to him? Shaking her head as though that would clear those thoughts from her brain, Henry offered a guilty smile. "No, no. Er- ladies first." Henry gestured vaguely towards the girl in front of her, so much more of a woman than she was. Classically beautiful, radiant with the alluring energy that all Aphrodite campers had. Suddenly she felt pretty damn inferior. 

Henry raised her fists to block Novalie's impending attack. She couldn't bring herself to strike first, even after the girl's offer. That would be too messed up, even for her. "I'll go easy on you."

[Novalie Abrams Rare]

She honestly couldn't believe her luck at the moment, okay the lack of luck there. She would have rather had gone against her siblings or rather one of the Hypnos children. She let out a little scream in her head before she turned to the girl standing there. She had offered for her to go first but apparently Henry had different plans, even saying ladies first. She couldn't help but raise a perfectly arched eyebrow up a little more. "You're a girl too you know." she told the girl in front of her, trying to keep her cool, because if she was being honest, Henry didn't know what was going on between her and Laim, okay well she was going to give the girl the benefit of the doubt about not knowing. She was madder at Liam at the moment, and after this practice she was going to find him and give him a piece of her mind. 

The fact that Henry told her that she would go easy on her made her scoff at the words. "I don't need you to go easy on me. No one else has." she said with a small smirk and without saying another word she went for the combo that Dustin had shown them in their last class. She knew the girl would be able block them. Novalie wasn't trying to punch her for real. Just practicing is all. Though if it felt right, she doubted that she would hold the punch back. She needed to get mad because she was going to one hundred percent going to take it all out on Liam when she saw him. Maybe even lose the friendship as well. Would she be able to walk away from him as easy as it sounded?

[Henrietta Abbot]

"Yeah," Henry grinned. "I'm a girl. You're a lady." To punctuate her point, Henry did a haphazard curtsy, marred only by her defensively raised fists. She caught herself just fast enough to block Novalie's punches; there was no denying it, Nova's form was good. Especially for an Aphrodite camper, which were usually limp-wristed and scrawny. Just Henry's luck, to cross the only Aphrodite girl who could throw a decent right hook. Henry countered the punches with a few of her own, focusing on form rather than strength. She'd have to pretty stupid to physically harm this girl too. Something tinged in the back of her mind. She's got looks and you don't. She's got me and you don't. The words Liam had said in the heat of an argument last night. Gods, why did they hurt so bad? They had plagued her dreams that night too. Distracted, Henry swung harder than she meant to. "Shit, sorry. I'm... distracted today." 

Henry didn't know if it was worse: to bring up the elephant in the room, or let it be? Curse her ADHD spontaneity, because the words came out before she realised what she was saying: "You and Santos... you're not exclusive, right? You could do way better than him, you know." 

[Novalie Abrams Rare]

A scoff came out of her mouth for a moment. "A lady, because why?" she questioned curiously. "Because I'm an Aphrodite child?" it was always that. She hated that. Not that she hated her mother, but didn't they all have some issues with their godly parent at this point. She wanted to roll her eyes at the moment but stopped herself for doing so. This practice made her want to work harder. All these damn rumors and all that. She hated it. She just wished they would go away, or rather she could disappear for a time now. The punch seemed good. It was the only thing that she was happy with Liam about. He taught her how to fight. Unlike most of her brother and sisters, she had enjoyed fighting and things, but again she was a lot like her siblings in she still wanted her true love and loved the fact of love. She was in her head, though just as she came out of it, she noticed Henry throw a punch, she brought her arms up to block it, just barely though. She hissed a little at the contact, because it had hurt her a little more than she had planned on it to. She glanced up at Henry as she started to apologize, and Novalie shook her head a little. "Don't be." she said with a grin. "I like it a little rough." she said with a laugh. Which was odd and sent looks over to the two of them. Curious glances that Novalie ignored. 

She was just about to punch back when Henry's words grabbed her attention. She blinked a little and dropped her hands to her side and stared blankly at the girl in front of her. She was pretty, in her own right. Novalie could do better that Liam? She had no idea how many people had told her that in the last couple years. She went to open her mouth a little but closed it at the same time. She honestly didn't want to talk about this. But since it was thrown out into the open like this, by Henry, she felt like she needed to talk to her about it. "Me and Liam?" she laughed a little trying to play out like it meant nothing that she was harboring feeling for the guy. She has crossed that line and it sucked. She had told herself that she would call it stops if that had ever happened and she had only just realized that about herself. "Friends with benefits. If that's what you call exclusive." she snorted, once again hiding her feelings. "You know I've been told that many times." she said with a shrug. Fuck, talking about Liam sucked and she hated this. "Why, don't tell me you have a thing for him..." she said with a teasing tone. Fuck Liam at the moment. Making her have to play nice. JUST BECAUSE HENRY DIDN'T KNOW. She would get him good, that was for sure. 

[Henrietta Abbot]

Henry shrugged, surprised that Novalie seemed irritated by her comment. To anyone else, it would've been taken as a compliment, but not Nova. That was as intriguing as it was perplexing. "Yeah, I guess so. You're also older than me and, like... chicer." It was true; Henry's grunge look was a stark contrast to the pretty, polished Novalie Abrams. Even their training gear was worlds apart. Nova wore a sports bra and yoga pants, while Henry donned an oversized Nirvana shirt and shorts. It was a miracle they had the same taste in guys, really. Henry raised her eyebrows as Nova stated she 'liked it a little rough', and couldn't resist the obvious jab that came to mind. "Rough? Yeah, we've all heard you and Liam. I'm surprised you're still walking, to be honest."

While the other girl's hands lowered, Henry's stayed up. Classic Athena child: You have to anticipate attack at all times. Keep on the defence. It was clear that Novalie was uncomfortable, but Henry wasn't finished talking. She had to get to the bottom of this situation. As reluctant as she was to admit it, she had feelings for Liam Santos. Maybe she had for a while. "A thing for him? Gross, no! He's the bane of my existence." The words came out sounding defensive rather than self-assured, especially alongside the blush that crept across Henry's cheeks. "I just... you might've heard some stuff."

[Novalie Abrams Rare]

Nova watched as Henry shrugged at her comment. There was a lot going on in her mind at the moment. There was a lot going on that Henry didn't need to know at this point. Stuff that she wasn't going to say at all. The little secrets that were in her mind at the moment were going to stay there until the end of time. Hell, even Liam wasn't going to know them. She would rather die than tell her story to someone that didn't want her in the first place. Nova glanced down at herself and sighed hard at the fact that maybe Henry was right about her. She had always been in the perfect clothes. They were the opposite which she didn't understand why Laim would kiss someone who wasn't put together. But she bit her lip thinking about that. To each their own. She was no longer going to question the guy who lied to her. She shrugged herself. "Guess you're right." she told the girl. "Not that you don't look good yourself..." she said trailing off in her own words. Why was she giving her compliments for? Nova wanted to shake her head, but she had stopped herself from doing that. The dark-haired girl's eyes went wide for a moment at Henry's words and then a laugh came from her perfect stained lips. She thought that was funny. Most knew about her, and Liam and it was funny that even Henry herself had heard them. "Sorry about that." she said with a sweet smile. She went to say something about Laim that would show him in a good light, but she thought that better of it. She knew that she didn't want to paint him in a good light right now. She wanted to show the rest of the camp that he had meant nothing to him. "Well, it was a little easy." she said patting her own thighs. "I got pretty good legs." she grinned. 

Novalie's head tilted to the side as she watched the other girl stay in position. Nova wasn't going to be fighting her, she didn't want to. There was, however, someone else that she wanted to lay hands on, but she hadn't had the chance to find him yet. Henry spoke and her words set in Novalie's head for a moment, and she knew that she was lying. There was lust there was a feeling for Liam in her words. A chuckle came from her lips and Nova brought a finger up to her mouth. "Can't lie to me about the feeling of the heart." she said with a wink. Novalie couldn't help but shrug a little when Henry said that she might have heard things. "I've heard a lot going in and out of camp. This place is never a place to keep a secret." she told the girl with a straight face. She knew that because of her sister and her so called boyfriend. They were expecting a child in a couple of months and that was something that she wouldn't want for herself, but everyone knew within hours of it coming to light. 

[Henrietta Abbot]

Henry was a little taken aback by Novalie's politeness. The girl even went so far as to compliment her! This just made Henry feel worse; it was her who had initiated the kiss after all. Had Liam kissed back? Yes. The blame couldn't be entirely on his shoulders (though they were broad enough for the burden!) -- Henry knew she had to be honest. "Listen, you should know... we did kiss. I kissed Liam by the lake last night," remembering the moment, she touched the cut on the bridge of her nose softly. The slight pain returned her to the argument, the passion that had finally boiled over. It had felt like years in the making. "But he's not into me. He pretty much lives to piss me off, so you've got no competition here." Henry felt her arms go limp at her sides, forgetting the training session. Her mind was completely scrambled. Why did those words hurt to say? She couldn't possibly like Liam, so why did she feel so jealous and inadequate looking at his girl? Nova stood in a beam of sunlight like the world was putting a spotlight on her. Even in the blazing afternoon heat, she didn't sweat. Gods, I get it.

Henry nodded slowly as the girl talked about the camp gossip mill. It was very true, and something she had stupidly not considered last night. "I understand if you're mad at me. I would kick my ass if I were you," she said, sincerely. It was true; she didn't have Nova's patience. The benefit of the doubt she was receiving felt unwarranted. After all, she had known about Liam and Novalie! Maybe she'd assumed that Nova wasn't serious about it, being an Aphrodite girl, but still... she'd done an unjust thing. "Liam's a stupid boy. About 12 shy of a dozen, honestly. But I should've known better. I'm sorry," the words hurt to say, but Henry knew she had to take responsibility. 

[Novalie Abrams Rare]

Nova tilted her head, innocent as ever. Well as she had played it off as she was. She gave the girl a fake smile. She didn't know what to say about it. Even if she did kiss him, the fact remained that he should have come and told her first. It was unfair that she had to find out and be like the last one in the camp to find out. She waved her hand. "It's not about that." she told Henry her smile slipping for a moment. "It's more the fact that I had to be the last one to find out about it." She told her, the smile completely gone from her pretty face. "It was a promise that we told each other, and he didn't think to come tell me." she blabbed for a second. "It's more of a trust thing." she shrugged still more pissed off at Liam than Henry right now. When she told her that Liam didn't like her but lived to piss her off, it made her laugh. "Sorry, but Liam and his siblings live to piss everyone off." she told her. "They are born that way." she shook her head and had a smile on her lips this time. 

Henry went on to say that she should be mad at her, and that she should kick her ass. Novalie once again laughed. "As much as I like fighting. I believe that karma will come in right in time." she said tilted her head to the side, her brown hair moving in the ponytail with her. "I just hope I'm there to watch it happen." She said with a sickly-sweet smile. Would she love to watch them both get what they needed, oh yeah. Did she think that she was just to get to see it, she hoped. Only that she didn't think she was going to. She shrugged and placed her hands on her hips. "He might be..." she agreed with her, but Novalie had fallen in love with him still, as stupid as that sounded, or maybe it was just lust that she found interesting. She had no idea. She wanted to do whatever it was to get rid of him. She needed to wash him out of her life for a while. Maybe she could become a better person later and forgive him, after all the had been friends for a while. She would have to think about that later. She glanced around the area and noticed that there were a few of her sisters and brothers watching her in that moment. She gave them a small smile and turned back to Henry. She shrugged not sure what else today. She heard Dustin say something, but she was too busy waiting on Henry to say something. 

[Henrietta Abbot]

"I can understand that," Henry grimaced, trying to put herself in Nova's shoes. "It's the principal of the thing, right? Like, you're not actually into Liam." Trust was important to her too, although she was having difficulty wrapping her head around the issue; the two seemed to have a casual arrangement. Aphrodite kids weren't necessarily known for being exclusive with their partners. Their mothers Athena and Aphrodite had a bit of a sordid past, so Henry felt she wasn't immune to prejudice, as much as she hated to admit it. Still, she couldn't stop the words from coming out: "So... Friends with benefits, huh? Doesn't sound that serious." It was a bold move, but that was how she felt. After all, Nova and Liam were adults (albeit the young kind). They had autonomy. "If you aren't in a relationship, then a kiss is fine, right? Bit too 'chicken soup for the teenage soul' to be upset about that."

Nodding, Henry pondered what karma might look like in a situation like this. "Well, if it's karma you're after, maybe you should offer some food as tribute to Nemesis tonight. That or give your dessert to one of her kids," she said, with the ghost of a smile on her face. The Nemesis cabin was always happy to be the harbingers of justice on the more... let's say domestic issues like this. Her friend Tempest was a testament to that. Henry watched Nova interact with her siblings before shrugging at her. There wasn't much else to say. She had been candid about what she did -- apologetic even; she couldn't say she regretted the kiss though. The rest of this was up to Liam: he had an apology and a choice to make.