As Luck Would Have It // luke castellan

Friends and Foes

Quinn is pretty sure she's going through a phase.

Then again, she was always going through a phase, wasn't she? She thinks bitterly to herself as she stares into the crackling purple fire that leaps almost as high as the trees. The night is eerily calm and the wind blows gently in the frigid air as the campers around her sing loudly and off tune, their faces smiling. Quinn scowls at them and takes a sip of hot cocoa from her goblet as she stares across the fire at Luke.

He sits in the front row of the amphitheater ignorantly with a stupid grin on his face and his arm around Lola, the Aphrodite cabin's counselor (who is wearing an atrocious pink tank top) with her face way too close to Luke's face for Quinn's liking.

She exhales deeply and shifts her gaze back to the fire glumly. Annabeth nudges her shoulder. She was the only younger camper that had been there as long as Quinn and Luke had, which meant she had somehow also become one of Quinn's best friends, despite the age gap. Her gray eyes are full of concern, analyzing Quinn's downcast demeanor. Quinn softens her face immediately for the girl.

"Don't look at me like that." Quinn mutters. Annabeth frowns at her.

"What's wrong?" She asks, staring into her soul. Quinn smiles softly before turning her attention towards the campers who sit next to them obliviously.

"Nothing." Quinn promises as she takes in the ragtag group of kids in their orange shirts.

Most were younger than her, arrivals that had gotten here in the last two or three years. Practically all the kids Quinn's age and older had left camp and returned to the mortal world, attempting a semblance of a life. She just wasn't ready to leave camp behind yet. The thought of trying to make her way through the world, pretending to be mortal, pretending to be less than she was, infuriated her. She has so much more to prove and learn. Plus, nothing in the mortal world is as  fun as what Quinn experiences at camp.

Sensing Quinn isn't in the mood to talk, Annabeth nods much too knowingly.

"I'm here if you want to talk." She promises comfortingly. Quinn looks back at the 10 year old girl and feels a rush of gratitude come over her.

"Thanks Annabeth." Quinn responds thankfully, taking another sip from her goblet. The coco and fire is doing little to warm her spirits as she looks back at Luke and the Lola. Annabeth follows her gaze and wrinkles her nose at the pair.

"She's an idiot." Annabeth declares. Startled, Quinn lets out a peal of laughter that is lost in the chaos of the campfire around them.

"Yeah, but she's pretty." Quinn admits, envying the way Lola's auburn hair looks in the fire. And the way her boobs sit in that tank top. And her eyes, which were a startling green. Quinn scoffs at herself and the jealousy she's feeling. She knows it's just part of the Aphrodite charms, but damn they were hard to resist. Annabeth shakes her head, also looking at the girl.

"Looks aren't everything. Brains over beauty any day." She states, matter of fact, patting Quinn's knee. Quinn wasn't sure if she should be glad Annabeth was calling her smart, since she was a daughter of Athena and her standards were higher than most, or she should be offended that Annabeth thought the girl was prettier. She chooses the former in an attempt to calm herself. Plus, she knows Annabeth means it as a compliment. Quinn smiles wryly, avoiding eye contact, and doesn't respond.

Despite the fact the campfire is long from over, Micheal and Lee were just busting out their guitars. Not in the mood for more cheesy songs, Quinn stands up suddenly, no longer able to stand the cheerfulness of the campfire. She quickly glances down at Annabeth, who is now arguing with her brother, Kai, about the benefits of long range vs close up weaponry.

Not wanting to disturb, she quickly murmurs excuse me's and sorrys to the other campers as she makes her way through them, in search of something to take her mind off everything. As she leaves, she looks one more time at Lola, who notices and shoots her a smug smile, leaning in closer to Luke. Quinn scowls at her.

Muttering curses, Quinn searches for Chris Rodriguz in the densely packed space. If anyone could give her a proper distraction, it would be one of the most reliable thieves and pranksters in camp.

She finds him quickly as he is loudly boasting about last week's capture of the flag when he had supposedly taken on the whole Ares cabin by himself, armed with nothing but a dagger. Quinn strongly doubts his story, since she had been the one to fight three of the Ares campers, including their counselor.

"Chris. Chris! CHRIS!" She shouts over the music and singing until he looks her way bewildered. Quinn catches his gaze and sends him a mischievous look, wagging her eyebrows. He grins immediately, knowing what she has planned is worth his while, and hops up, promising to be back and tell the rest of the Demeter cabin of his brave and heroic conquest. Quinn rolls her eyes as he jumps down next to her with a gleam in his eye.

"And what, exactly can I help my favorite daughter of Tyche with today?" He offers. Quinn can't help but smile at him. He is one of her favorite campers after all. He had gotten here the year after her and they had quickly bonded, since she also lived in the Hermes cabin. They had pulled multiple shenanigans on the other campers over the years, and he shared a similar hatred for the Aphrodite cabin, which was perfect for what she has in mind.

"Chris, I'm the only daughter of Tyche." Quinn states, crossing her arms. Chris shrugs at her.

"Doesn't change the fact. Now what can I help you with? Candy, soda, a horrible prank pulled on your worst enemy?" The 14 year old promises, rubbing his hands together. Quinn smirks at him and gestures for him to follow her back towards the cabins.

It isn't long before they leave the warmth of the campfire in the distance and the laughter becomes a distant ringing.

"Quinn." Chris warns her as they get further away.

"Chris." She calls back in a singsong voice with a giggle as her mood lifts dramatically the closer they get to the cabins. Quinn brings them to a stop in front of the Aphrodite cabin, where she faces Chris abruptly. He almost runs into her. He looks at the eyesore of a cabin, then back at Quinn.
"What." He demands. Quinn smiles brightly at him.

"Can you get me in there?" She says, pointing at the pink pastel nightmare. Chris grins, nodding enthusiastically.

"Absolutely."