𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄 - j. grace, ocxoc ¹ ✓

xxx. gathering the courage !

XXX. KAORI OKAYAMA !
⋆ ★
gathering the courage

          Kaori didn't remember much about the rest of the night. They each told their side of story and answered a million questions from the other campers, but finally Chiron saw how tired they were and ordered them to bed. It felt so good to sleep on a real mattress, in her own bed, and Kaori was so exhausted, she crashed immediately.

Kaori's dreams were quiet. A peaceful darkness like gods decided to be on her side and give her a good night's sleep for once. Before being at camp, when she lived in Otaru, she had never really had a bad dream and thought dark nights were unnatural. Now, she was grateful for every dreamless night she had.

The next morning she woke in her bunk, back home and feeling reinvigorated. The sun came through the windows along with a pleasant breeze. It might've been spring instead of winter. Birds sang. Monsters howled in the woods. Breakfast smells wafted from the dining pavilion—bacon, pancakes, and all sorts of wonderful things.

"Kaori and Jason sittin in a tree," Kaen sang as he plopped down onto Kaori's lower bunk. He was surprisingly in a good mood considering everything they had been through the past few days. "You ready for the meeting today?"

"Gods no," Kaori grabbed her hairbrush from her nightstand and raked it through her hair. "I just . . . Kaen, Percy is . . ."

"I know, Kaori. I know. But this is one step closer than we were days ago. It's an improvement."

"Why are you the optimist right now? What, did Delilah kiss you last night?" She arched her eyebrow and surprisingly, Kaen laughed and shook his head. "I can't believe these past few days have happened . . . For a second I thought we would have peace."

"I don't think we ever will," Kaen answered her truthfully. And he was right. When they moved to America, their dad died, they found camp, and now they're apart of a Great prophecy. They hadn't had a moment of peace in years. It was like their father was a beacon of safety and when he died, all of it was gone. But what could they do? The twins couldn't keep mourning their father their entire lives. They can miss him. But mourning forever wound do them no good.

Kaen's arm was slightly blistered from the fight on Mount Diablo. The Apollo kids managed to patch it up to let it heal on its own but Kaori noticed it still bothered him. Her brother's face and arms were covered in cuts that were already fading. Kaori's own ankle was fully healed now that children of Apollo had the chance to look at it. Now she could easily walk around without feeling like it was going to fall off.

"I'm gonna get ready. I don't want to see Jason in my pajamas."

Kaori got herself dressed back in her Camp Half-blood shirt and overall shorts that had green chlorophyll stains all over. It was strange wearing the bright orange shirt after days of looking like a regular mortal. But it was comforting. When Kaori first arrived at Camp, she thought the shirt was hideous. And at times she still did. Kaori looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and she realized something. She looked different. Apart from being freshly showed for the first time in days, she realized the scars on her face gave her power. She thought her skin was glowing even without her washing her face. Kaori knew she was a pretty girl, but it was once in a while she actually felt it. And she didn't want to hide her face with her hair like she used to. Kaori grabbed a hair tie and tied back half of her hair up to keep strands from falling in her face.

She left her cabin and walked around Camp to try finding someone she was aching to see. Someone she hadn't seen since the day before and felt like she needed to talk to him.

At the commons area, she found Jason relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet. He was sweaty from working out, but he looked great in his orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from the Apollo cabin. His arms and legs were well muscled and tan—distracting. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning to gold, Midas style.

"Hey," he said when he noticed her walk up. "How you feeling?"

It took her a second to focus on his question. She hated how he got her so hypnotized just by looking at him. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fine. I'm . . . I'm fine."

She sat next to him and they watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Kaori's sisters were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys—making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: flying shoes, slightly used, 50% off today! Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos cabin was snoring away. A normal day at camp.

Meanwhile, the Aphrodite kids were watching Kaori and Jason, and trying to pretend they weren't. Kaori was pretty sure she saw money change hands, like they were placing bets on a kiss.

"Get any sleep?" she asked him.

He looked at her as if she'd been reading his thoughts. "Not much. Dreams."

"About your past?"

He nodded. She didn't push him. If he wanted to talk, that was fine, but she knew him better than to press the subject. She didn't even worry that her knowledge of him was mostly based on three days of the quest.

Jason spun his basketball. "It's not good news," he warned. "My memories aren't good for—for any of us."

Kaori was pretty sure he'd been about to say for us—as in the two of them, and she wondered if he'd remembered a girl from his past. Usually, a thought like that would kill her. But she didn't let it bother her. Not on a sunny winter day like this, with Jason next to her.

"We'll figure it out," she promised.

He looked at her hesitantly, like he wanted very much to believe her. "Annabeth and Rachel are coming in for the meeting tonight. I should probably wait until then to explain . . ."

"No worries." She plucked a blade of grass by her foot. She knew there were dangerous things in store for both of them. She would have to compete with Jason's past, and they might not even survive their war against the giants. But right now, they were both alive, and she was determined to enjoy this moment.

Jason studied her warily. His forearm tattoo was faint blue in the sunlight. "Kaori."

"Hm?"

"How did you save me?" he asked.

"My mom gave Kaen and I a bottle. Not sure what it was but . . . it did the trick," she shrugged. "Don't make me regret saving you, Sparky."

"You're in a good mood, aren't you? Why? When this is only the beginning?"

"Because you're going to lead us," she said simply. "I'd follow you anywhere."

Jason blinked. Then slowly, he smiled. "Dangerous thing to say."

"I'm a dangerous girl, Sparky."

"That, I believe."

He got up and brushed off his shorts. He offered her a hand. "Leo says he's got something to show us out in the woods. The others are already on their way. You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it." She took his hand and stood up. Kaori didn't dare let go of it.

Jason tilted his head. "We should get going."

Across the green, Delilah's cabinmates looked disappointed that they hadn't witnessed a kiss. They started cashing in their bets.

"Let's go," she told Jason. "We've got adventures to plan."

AUTHOR'S NOTE !
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