Admiring the Moon

[Winnie Sullivan]

Winnie Sullivan, daughter of the sun god, was giving night-time a whirl. It wasn't that she felt she had exhausted the beauty of daylight -- as far as she was concerned, that was impossible. More so that she wanted a fresh perspective. Dreamy as ever, she observed that the full moon looked like a big, glassy eye, ready to release a big teardrop onto the world. Everything was still, hushed, and dark. Cicadas chirped into the night and tree branches whispered among themselves. The silhouettes of the pines looked strange and surreal in the half-light. Winnie wasn't scared, but she felt distinctly sluggish without the sun shining down on her. And how odd it was to see the usually bustling camp so humble and quiet!

Staring up at the sky, Winnie didn't see the person quickly approaching. She was too caught up in daydreams to even hear the crushing gravel and heavy breath of a boy on a midnight run. Stepping out into his path, Winnie collided with him. Stumbling back, she let out a gasp. "Oh my! I'm so sorry," Winnie exclaimed breathily. It was cold enough to see her own breath, her words becoming shapes in the air... but no! She couldn't afford to get distracted by that! "My fault, I wasn't looking where I was going. I was just waiting for the moon to blink" she explained, holding out a delicate hand in case the boy needed help.

@ Loukas Makris

[Loukas Makris]

Loukas was pounding the path, the gravel crunching underfoot, relishing in the thrill of the night's energy surging through him. The full moon above made him feel unstoppable, an electrical charge in the air that filled him with energy. He was so caught up in the exhilarating speed and the moonlight filtering through the trees that he almost didn't notice the girl in front of him—almost. Then came the collision, his reflexes not quick enough to avoid it. As he stumbled back, his eyes widened at the sight of Winnie, someone he'd seen around camp but hadn't really talked to. "Oh, hey, don't worry about it," he managed to say, brushing gravel from his palms. Her remark about the moon blinking gave him pause, an unexpected moment of whimsy in the midst of his run. A small amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He accepted her offered hand not because he needed help getting up, but more as a gesture of camaraderie. "Waiting for the moon to blink, huh? Now, that's a thought."

As he regained his composure Loukas felt oddly compelled to linger, despite his usual preference for solitude. Something about Winnie’s dreamy demeanor pulled at his curiosity. She was a sun demigod stepping into a realm where he felt most at home, why was that he wondered. Winnie did look out of place but yet so unperturbed by it, as if the moon might actually blink back at her if she asked it nicely. "You know," he said, locking eyes with her for a moment, "the night has its own kind of magic, even if the moon keeps its eyes wide open."

[Winnie Sullivan]

The boy's big, kind eyes and gentle demeanour put Winne immediately at ease. Often, she was brushed off as strange when she verbalised her thoughts like that. But this boy just seemed amused -- not in a cruel way. Just interested in a new perspective. "I'm beginning to see that," she grinned, looking around for a moment. "If the night has magic, it seems willing to share," she observed, her voice dreamy and distant; he seemed to have come alive in the moonlight, bright-eyed and flushed from the cold air. Up close, she recognised him as Loukas Makris. He was the boy that always seemed languid in the sunshine, and barely ever rose before noon!  He had a boyish look about him, with a sweet smile that leaned toward the shy. A child of Hecate -- practically the opposite of Winnie's father Apollo.

"You've got moon eyes, Loukas," Winnie said matter-of-factly. "Do you get those from looking at her so often?" She asked, curiously turning her head to gaze up towards the sky. The camp had little light pollution, making the stars not only visible but bright. Even out of her element, she was taken away by the beauty of it all. She eclipsed the light of the moon with a raised hand, picturing it winking down at her. "It's so late... is this why I never see you at breakfast?" It may have seemed an odd question, but she was notoriously observant, as only someone on the outskirts of things really could be. She noticed when people weren't there.

[Loukas Makris]

Loukas felt a strange, gentle sort of warmth radiate from Winnie as she spoke, like a single ray of sunshine breaking through a cloudy day. Despite being creatures of opposite realms—her of the sun and him of the moon—it amazed him how comfortable and right this impromptu meeting felt. "Moon eyes huh?" He laughed softly, intrigued by her remark. It was as if she had unraveled a little piece of his identity with just a few simple words. "Well, I guess you could say the moon and I are old friends. We've shared quite a few conversations during my night runs."

Her next comment about the timing of his day stirred a sense of irony within him. It was true; while she probably spent her mornings basking in Apollo's glory, he found the daytime harsh, the sun too glaring and the noise too disruptive for his senses. The night was his sanctuary, where he could be his most genuine self, plus sleep was so nice. Though he had to admit Sage had recently been disrupting much of his sleeping schedule.....not that he minded of course. "You're right, I'm not much for mornings. The moonlight calls to me more than the dawn does. Breakfast crowds just don't feel as inviting as a solitary run under the night sky," he admitted with a smile. Her observational skills impressed him. In a camp full of demigods each grappling with their own destinies, it was easy to become a background figure, to blend into the shadows—something he often preferred to do. Yet here was Winnie noticing his absence in the day's early hours. It made him feel seen, in a way view people outside of Sage and his siblings made him had. "Seems like you have a knack for noticing the little things," Loukas remarked. "That's a rare quality, you know. So, what brings you out at these late hours?"

[Henrietta Abbot]

(Winnie's account timed out!)

Edited September 13, 2023 by Henrietta Abbot

[Winnie Sullivan]

Winnie smiled, nodding a little ferociously in agreement. "Oh yes! The moon definitely likes you. She's beaming down on you very carefully." It was an odd observation, but very true. The sharper of Loukas's features were defined by the pale light it offered. He looked like a painting, while Winnie just looked distinctly sleepy. She was glad that their first meeting was at night, so that she might see him fully realised. During the day, she bounded and skipped around, her delight uncontained. That's how Loukas was at night, and she was honoured to see it. She guessed few people had.

"I understand that. The day can be very overwhelming sometimes." Winnie could definitely sympathise with what he was saying; she had always been a bit sensitive. The bustle and noise of breakfast were difficult to cope with; in an attempt to avoid the worst of it, she often missed out on some of the best food. Generally, the Ares and Athena kids got to that stuff first. Which reminded her -- Loukas had a friend in the Athena cabin -- Sage! She had seen them out together quite often and wistfully wondered if they were in love. She hoped so, as they looked darling together. "I notice the little things first, then everything pieces together to make a whole. Usually, the smallest things are the most beautiful," Winnie replied, happy to put her worldview into words. Something told her that Loukas would understand, and maybe even relate. They seemed to be kindred spirits, unlikely as it was. "I'm out here searching for a new perspective," she answered. "And to observe the beauty in the night... I wanted to make friends with the stars, but it looks like I made friends with you instead!"

[Loukas Makris]

Caught in this moonlit moment, Loukas felt an unexpected sense of connection. The thought amused him, here they were, children of the sun and the moon, meeting under the night sky. When Winnie mentioned that the moon seemed to "like him," he couldn't help but think how true it felt. For the first time, the moon's glow felt shared, no longer his solitary companion but a light shining on the both of them. "If the moon is beaming down on me carefully, I'd like to think it's because she approves of our unlikely friendship," he quipped. Winnie's comment about the 'smallest things' being 'the most beautiful' struck a chord within him. How well that idea seemed to harmonize with his own nightly wanderings. "New perspectives are good, they broaden the soul. And if it helps, I think the stars are already your friends; they just don't speak the same language as we do," he said matching her whimsical word choice, lifting his gaze skyward for a moment. "Hey, you're not hurt or anything are you? I didn't think to check but I kinda ran into you pretty fast."