Ready to Archive Time for a Fly?

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James had woken up after the claiming, wow that was so many different kids who got claimed this summer. Plus it was only the beginning of it all!!!! Walking out of his Cabin, he stretched as she found himself walking towards the stables as the Pegasus stables. They would need to be brushed and maybe some of them would get a bath before. He wanted them all sharp for the campers that would be seeing them for the first time. So as he passed the other cabins, some of the other campers were also getting up as it was late morning. Most Demigods did not like to wake up early or go to school.  The summer away from life out in the world was kind of nice for most campers as they could rest and know that monsters would not be hunting for them. Camp was their safe place to relax and train. Waving to a few of them as he past, he got to the stables as he walked through the middle. "Good Morning Beauties" he called out! 

 

Tag: @ Helena L'Amour

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Lena wasn't sure what brought her to the stables that morning. She hadn't been there for anything other than riding practice in ages. But for whatever reason, the calm atmosphere of the stables had called to her that morning. When the sun rose, she got dressed and headed down there. Lena was in one of the stalls, calming a mare who, it appeared, had recently given birth--as there was a young foal in the pen with her--when she heard the familiar voice of Tyche's cabin leader as he walked in. 

Peering out from the stall, Lena smirked. "Just the one beauty here." She winked. James was a fun guy. Definitely not the kind of person she would go for, because she needed someone a bit more forceful, but the kind of guy she could be friends with and enjoy the company of. He was always fun to be around, and a bit of a goofball. Definitely good company. 

Stepping out from the stall, Lena smiled. "What brings you out out here so early in the morning?"

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was excited to get to spend some time with the Pegasus's this morning as he wanted to get them ready for some flying action later that day for some of the campers. But when a voice talked back to his sweet words he looked shocked and laugh. "Ohhh hii Helena, I didn't know you were in here" he laughed scratching his head looking embarrassed. Wondering if Mateo was around he walked in a bit further into the stables closer to her as she asked what he was doing here. "Well just going to give some of the Pegasus here a bath before the campers come to fly on them later." He said with a smile. James had been a camper for over 10 years now. The place was more of his home than any other. 

 

Some of the older campers went and lived in the mortal world but he had a calling to be a cabin leader who taught classes. Giving the next generation of demi-gods the chance to survive and live on another day. Sadly most of the half-bloods did not survive with the constant fear of fight monsters who were out to kill them.  "What are you doing here so early? Is Mateo in that stall?" he joked with her knowing the two were together right? I mean it was complicated? 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Helena had been ready to laugh at James' clear embarrassment. He hadn't expected anyone to be in there and that was clear, and she could see him scratching his head with that look on his face that indicated clear embarrassment. However, he struck back with a comment she hadn't been expecting. As he asked about Mateo, Helena's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "What? Why would he...? I mean obviously he's..." She couldn't finish her sentence. It wasn't exactly a big secret that the two of them were cozy. And last night at the party she had clearly shown him affection before he walked right over to James, so it wasn't like there was no reason for him to question it. But now Helena was curious exactly how much people knew or speculated about the nature of their relationship. Especially after last night since she couldn't remember all of it. Dionysus parties were not for the faint of heart.

"How much do you know?" She bit her lip nervously and looked down at her feet. Helena wasn't even sure she knew what to call Mateo in public. They hadn't really discussed whether this was a true relationship, or if it was purely sexual. Perhaps that was why she had found herself wandering over to the stables that morning. It was a nice and calm place that she could think and avoid others. Maybe she had been trying to figure out how she felt about things with Mateo so she could talk to him about it. 

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

Being light hearted and joking was his natural way of being in life. He didn't mean any malice of course but to see her reaction was sort of whimsical. There was a lot of secrets at the camp but secrets always get out in one way or another. But he again had no judgement on either of Mateo or Helena but it seem to unnerver her just a bit as she tried to answer. "As much as most of the campers knows" he said with a smirk that was telling. "I mean don't be ashamed of it, if it's what you want Helena" he said to her know he has his own stuff. I mean him and Larissa were not dating but most knew they were each others confident if the other wasn't dating. Maybe it was this reason he said what he said. 

James got a bit closer to her and leaned against the stable. "I mean if you need to talk about it, I am not going to go run my mouth. I know enough anyways. But if you are okay then I can just give the pegasus a bath." 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

"I'm not ashamed!" Helena got very defensive in that moment. She certainly was not ashamed of how she felt about Mateo. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to think that. "I am so goddamn happy I could shout it from Olympus!" Lena confessed enthusiastically. "It's just... I don't really know what everyone's saying about it." The nervous look came over her again. Helena didn't really like being the focus of attention. She didn't want to be a subject of gossip around the camp, not really. And her biggest fear was that whatever they were saying would ruin things between her and Mateo.

Lena blushed as James said he could talk about it with her. He was a safe space for many of the campers. She knew that. While she hadn't necessarily utilized his company in that capacity before, she knew that if he promised to keep things secret he would. "I just don't... I don't know what we are." Lena admitted. She chewed softly on her lower lip as she looked back at her feet and kicked around some of the hay near her feet. "I'm afraid to ask, because what if it scares him away... you know?" Helena shrugged. "I know it's stupid. But... James... I've waited 4 summers for him to notice me."

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was being straight with Helena as it seemed she was with him. A shocked look could be found on her face she said she was not ashamed, which shocking for the fact that others knowing was a shock to her. Helena had always been such a sweet shy girl so the fact she was down with Mateo's fun and games was whimsical. "Well that is good I guess" he laughed out loud as she had said she wants to shout to Olympus. He knew that feeling all too well as Rissa had given him that feeling when she came back to camp. "I guess people are just shocked such a sweet girl could be down with Mateo's way of life. Not that it is wrong, it's just most never saw that coming." 

James was one of those dudes that just had a big heart that wanted everyone to feel okay and if they needed someone to talk to then he was their guy. Honestly the camp should have a therapist on staff with all the crap they had to go through, but that's besides the point. Helena began to open up so he just leaned there against the stable as she spoke. "Well I feel you will have to ask at some point. I mean what if he starts going around with other women while with you" he asked her wondering how she would feel about that. "I just want the best for you and maybe that means you ask but at some point you will need too." 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Lena shrugged and breathed a small sigh of relief. People still thought that she was sweet and innocent in all this. It wasn't much, but it helped. The fact that she had put the limit that she wasn't to call him by his title in public meant that she could feign plausible deniability if they split later. They could suspect things, but they couldn't prove it. Her reputation wasn't completely irreparable yet. "I mean, it's hardly a secret that I've been infatuated with him all these years." Helena gave a soft smile. "Everyone's got their pros and cons right? I wasn't going to snub his attention when I finally got it just because he may or may not be into things."  She shrugged slightly, trying to feign ignorance. Nothing she had said was untrue, but she was definitely not admitting that she knew more than she was letting on. It hurt that she felt like she was deceiving literally one of the nicest men at camp, but Lena wasn't ready to be honest about how they had spent the last few weeks. Not until I know where I stand with him.

"James, he's one of your best friends..." She fixed him with a look and a half-smile that said she knew exactly how that conversation was going to go. "Everything is so new and exciting for us both right now. And I'll keep his attention for as long as it stays that way. But the instant I start asking him about commitment..." Lena waved her fingers of to one side in the international hand gesture for running away. "I'm not an idiot. I might be a child of Aphrodite, but unlike many of my siblings I still remember how to use my brain." Her cabin had more than earned their reputation for being airheads over the years. However, she had never really been as bad. She definitely fixated on romance and love, but always with the understanding that it should be part of her life but not her whole life. "Someday I'll talk to him. But it can't be now." She shrugged. "Besides... I know what he feels, remember? The emotions are there... even if he's not ready to admit that." Children of Aphrodite could sense love as if it were a tangible force in this world. Mateo was slowly, but surely, falling. She could feel it. "I just... I don't know... I want to know what to call him when other people ask about it. I want a word I can use that I don't have to explain."

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

Who was James to understand much about love anyways! He had thought he was in love with Amber but that turned into disaster after all. Then the girl he really wanted to be with was sort of in a it's complicated relationship together for some time. So trying to make it something that was solid as dating was a tad bit harder. So when Helena said she had liked him for years. Why yes this was true, most knew the child of Aphrodite was infatuated with the child of Hecate. James had been just as shocked when Mateo turned his affections towards the girl. Wondering if it was just for pleasure or anything more. "That is true....just be careful with that one" he said with a serious tone knowing his friend well "He is not one for commitment." James just worried the girl would get more attached than him and then something bad would happen. 

This was not the morning he thought he was going to have as he came out to the stables. He thought maybe just maybe he would clean the Pegasus and fly on them before the lessons would begin. Laughing "okay okay, well promise to do it when things settle down okay. I don't want you to end up like me after all."   He knew the girl would have her abilities with feeling his love but did that mean he would act on them? But he totally understood her dilemma with what to call him. "I mean I don't know how to help you as I am in the same pickle too. I don't have any lucky tricks with love as I always seem to make a mess with it in my life!" He shook his head with a troubled look. "But most know about Rissa and I so we don't hide anything. I mean if you want to be with him, then why do you care what the others think you two are?" 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Lena sighed as James reminded her of the one flaw in Mateo. Ever since his ex, he hadn't been one for commitment. Everyone knew it. She had really fucked him up, Lena guessed. "I know..." She shrugged. "But what can I do?" Love was something one didn't really have much choice over. Not in who one was attracted to, anyway. You could choose not to pursue that attraction. You could choose not to treat a person with love. But you the natural desire for someone was a flame that burned from within and was able to either warm or consume a person. Playing with fire often led to getting burned, but if she was willing to take that heat if it meant even a chance that she could find her happiness. "He's the only one for me... I've never wanted anyone else." Helena didn't feel attraction easily, or hardly ever. She could always appreciate someone's aesthetics, she could understand why others felt that desire. But her own desire was hard to come by.

"Like you?" Helena quirked her brow. Well this is interesting... he doesn't know... She could tell that they both had real feelings for one another. The kind that, if they let it, would last ages. They simply needed to be brave enough to take that step. Last night at the party it had been more than apparent to all the children of Aphrodite in the hall. "I care because it tells me what his comfort level is. I care because I don't like not being able to answer people. And I care because... I'm afraid if we don't call it something he can just walk away as quickly as he came into my life..." 

That last one was what really got her. She knew it was the biggest reason she was concerned, but she hadn't ever said it out loud. She was terrified that he would lose interest in her just as quickly as he had developed it. She wasn't sure after all those years of longing after him her heart could take that level of disappointment. Especially not when there had never been anyone else for her. "I'm not like my siblings... I don't fall very often. Maybe there's something wrong with me." She sighed and leaned back against the post in the stall. "My brothers and sisters seem to fall in and out of love quickly. But... I... it's only ever been him." Aphrodite was the goddess of love in all its forms. Her siblings seemed to catch the fleeting kind regularly, developing crushes and getting into relationships quickly, but they often fizzled. Helena had watched it for years. Occasionally she thought that maybe the reason she was different was because she was meant to feel the once-in-a-lifetime, forever kind of love. But it was only a thought, and she had no real way to know if it was anything more than just the hopeful fantasy of a girl helplessly in love with a boy.

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was worried for Helena just for the fact she was so young. A part of him wanted to protect her but knew she had to make her own decisions when it came to her own life. All he could do was be there to support the decision she made. "Just be careful okay" he asked her with the worry in his voice. Mateo just like many other guys who had one girlfriend who messed them up, which caused many more to suffer. His was Amber, a child of Demeter who seemed sweet at first but then turned to be abusive and possessive. Making him cute many out of his life so she could have control over him. But Helena made a claim that she had never been attracted to anyone else. "You never know if you give it time, you are 16 after all.......but I do get it." 

The thoughts of last night being with Rissa was one thing that led him to say it. "Yes like me, there are some people that ....um come into your life and you have to make a stance. Because if you don't you might lose them" a look of worry was on his face as he knew this was true for him. He could not lose her again! He had his chance back in the day but he was stupid and young. But not anymore, he was going to make it final well that was if she wanted it to be. His question was one that seemed to spark a thing in Helena as she spoke to it all. Nodding his head he got what she was saying. It was a complicated situation for sure! "Well I guess you will have to make that decision between his comfort and your own." 

James had always found it interesting the way the Aphrodite children fell in love but it seemed they were not all the same. He had not had any interest in any of them in that way. Friendships were normal but that was about it. "That doesn't mean there is something wrong with you" he said to her trying to assure her. "Every child of the God's can be different in many ways as the mortal parent puts that mystery in it for us." The morning James was having was not what he expected in any way. But in a way it might have been what both him and Helena needed after last night. The two were in situations that well they needed someone to talk to about. "Promise me if you ever need someone, a friend that you will call me or find me to talk." James meant every word as he wanted her to feel like she could talk to someone and not keep it all in. 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

They always say that. Helena had heard it for years. Every time she cried because he was with his ex. Every time she fretted that she would never find anyone because she only ever wanted him. Every time she wondered why he hadn't noticed her. Her older siblings had always tried to assure her that there were plenty of fish in the sea for her. That she was still young and beautiful and had so many other options. But I know what I feel.

Helena looked over at James. He was a nice guy. Nice guys deserved to have good things. She wasn't sure exactly how she could encourage him to just go for it without explicitly telling him how Larissa felt. "Is that advice for me or for yourself?" She asked with a bit of a smirk on her face. Lena was completely certain that James didn't realize just how much of a chance he really had if he would just learn to take his own advice. 

"Choosing his comfort is choosing my comfort. I remember how miserable I was before we...connected." The euphemism was going to have to be enough for James to understand, because she did not need the younger campers overhearing and knowing just exactly how explicit their relationship was. "I can only assume that now that we have it would be worse. So while I'm not comfortable not having label, I would be even worse if asking for one made him leave." She sighed. The conversation was going to keep going in circles at this rate. 

Lena was a little grateful when he chose to respond to her comments about herself. "James... the only other child of Aphrodite that was like me were Silena Beauregard. And she was a one man woman. And her man truly loved her. It was the stuff of stories." She sighed and let herself slide down into a sitting position in the stalls. "I'm definitely like them... but Mateo's nothing like Charles." Helena chose not to mention that Silena had died. Helena never met her or Charles. They had both died during the wars that had ended right before Helena got to camp. But she heard stories of their epic love from her siblings. She idolized Silena and Charles's relationship. "I'm just... I'm tired of people telling me I'm too young to know what I want. And I'm tired of people thinking that I'll just get over him if he leaves. And I never expected things to be a fairytale for Mateo and I, but... I just want some... I don't know..."

Helena had hung her head after the last words, but she snapped it back up to look at James when he asked her to promise she would go to him. "Wouldn't that put you in an awkward position? I mean... if I need someone to talk to, it'll be about Mateo, and... aren't you friends?" Helena really was a kind hearted girl. The last thing she ever wanted was to make James feel like he had to betray a friend. "You're a good guy James. I don't want to take advantage of that kindness."

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

It wasn't as if he wanted to be in a complicated relationship with Rissa. Heck he would have dated her all those years ago but was scared of losing her from the commitment. "I guess both really" he said looking down then back up at her. "I mean I kick myself almost everyday that I don't......Kyle got to be with her first but now I feel like this is my chance." The began to fidget his fingers from being nervous as he was worried maybe Rissa did not feel the same as he did. She had been with Kyle the last two years which he felt lost without her. 

James only knew what it all looked like on the outside, heck he knew the type of things Mat was into and wanted to make sure Helena wasn't being taken advantage of. She was just sixteen after all. In the eyes of the world most could say she is still just a kid. "I just want to make sure if you want out you can get out. I would just hate to see you get hurt in multiple ways because you feel you have no say." 

Listening to Helena recount the story of Silena Beauregard gave him a bit of a sigh as so many of the aphrodite kids were always out to find love as it was instilled in them. As if they could not be happy if they did not find their own love story. "Well then just take it one step at a time and DON'T get swept up into things that you want to romanticize when it shouldn't be. If you want to be treated as an adult then stop caring what others think, but do take caution if they see red flag when you don't. It is one thing to not care about what the others may say than being dumb and not listening to warnings of danger!" 

Shrugging James had this sense of duty to protect those around him and maybe it was be hard with him and Mat. But he wanted to make sure Helena was okay. "Hey I will be friends with him, I mean none of us are perfect but your safety matters to me." It wasn't as if he was super close to Helena but maybe this would change that. James was known as the Cabin Leader most went too and it wasn't for no good reason. The life that most of them lived was a hard one that was unfair and tragic! "Well the door is always open even if you don't take it, it is still there for you okay?" James would leave the matter to that for now as he had done his part. Whether Helena took it was up to her.

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

"I'll be as careful as I ever am." That was about all Helena could promise him. When it came to her heart, Helena would do just about anything to achieve what she wanted. And she had only ever wanted one thing. If that meant letting herself hurt over and over again until he finally figured it out, she would do it. But she could try her best to avoid some of the pitfalls. "Thanks."

"If I want out, I can tear the contract." Lena said with a smile. There wasn't a lot of details known about things with her and Mateo at camp. Nobody but her and Mateo had known about the contract, until now. She trusted that James would keep it secret. "But I think we have to worry more about me needing to get out but being unwilling to admit it, don't you?" She chuckled. Helena had grown a lot from the shy girl that had first started at the camp. She was no longer that sweet and innocent girl afraid of her own power. But some things never changed. She was still the girl that would let herself get used over and over if it meant the other's happiness. Especially where Mateo was concerned.

"I'll come find you if I need someone. Promise."

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was happy to hear Helena was going to be careful and had a plan if things were not like she wanted them to be. Laughing he did agree that "Yes that does make it a bit more challenging but your secret is safe with me" he patted his chest smiling at her. The girl had enough on her plate with Mateo then to worry about what he was going to do with what he now knew! "Good" he feeling much better, but time had come for him to get the Pegasus ready for the class he would be teaching later. "Well I got to get them Pegasus ready but I will see you later Helena!"  Giving her a smile he walked through the stalls getting them all ready, one by one as the campers would soon be getting out of bed to find their way here.

END