ELYSIAN, the riordanverse

37

A CHAOTIC CHRISTMAS

Camp Half-Blood is a chaotic good.

Well, it's more chaotic than good, but no one needs to know that.

Chiron sighs for the millionth time as he watches the campers play and run around in the snow.

Nico is trying to get Will to make a snowman with him, but the son of Apollo refuses as he mutters something about how it's cold and he needs some sun.

Kayla and Austin are giggling at the two and as both Nico and Will fall into the snow − the brother-sister duo start throwing snowballs at them.

Harley, Nyssa and the Stolls are devising a catapult, which is supposed to just hurl snow everywhere. Malcolm is standing off to the corner, watching them and he honestly can't take it. Malcolm runs over to them − he has to help these idiots. After Malcolm tells them what they're doing wrong, the four nod and Connor presses a kiss to his boyfriend's nose.

Katie and Miranda sigh − they love the snow, they really do. But they were planting their new garden and then Chiron let the snow in. The sisters sigh and decide that they're obligated to have some fun, so now Nico and Will's snowman is decorated with flowers.

Pollux watches the Stoll brothers high-five and then jump into the snow and there's a pit of jealousy growing in his stomach again. Why does Travis get to hug his brother and he doesn't? The Stolls see him sulking and grab him by the wrist and even though they know that Pollux doesn't like them very much, they still start up a snowball fight with him.

And before he knows it, Pollux's heart is warming up again.

Butch laughs and makes a snowperson right next to Nico and Will's. He announces that the snow figure prefers they/them pronouns and then Butch is decorating the his snowperson and the other snowman with rainbow top-hats. Will doesn't want to ask where he got them from, but Nico does.

Sherman yells a war cry, "FOR REVENGE!" and then proceeds to hurl snowballs on the Stolls and in the next two minutes, there's an all-out snowball fight. By the time the day comes to an end, everyone is cold and holding their jackets close.

Chiron sighs again as he leads the campers into the Dining Pavilion for some hot chocolate. He loves his demigods, he really does, but must they be so... chaotic?

The centaur smiles as he watches the campers participate in a game of Secret Santa. He asks if he can join them and they all nod and say yes.

Dionysus looks at Chiron and the demigods talking and laughing. He gets up from his seat − it's Christmas Eve and perhaps, just for today and tomorrow, he can have some fun too.

Nico grabs another piece of paper and scribbles down Chiron's name on it and puts it into yet another rainbow top-hat Butch has. Now Nico really wants to ask where Butch is getting these from − not because he wants to wear one, of course. No, no − definitely not.

The demigods start to pick out their chits and then Dionysus approaches the table and asks if he can join them.

They smile and welcome him. Dionysus takes a seat next to Pollux and puts an arm around his son's shoulder.

The demigods − there are very few of them, only fourteen − put their chits back into the hat and Will shakes it up again and Nico writes down Dionysus's name and throws that in too.

Now, Will holds out the hat Kayla who picks up a piece of paper. She grimaces slightly and furrows her eyebrows. Kayla tucks the chit in her jacket pocket as the hat makes it way around the table.