My Boyfriend is a Dead Roman Hero | Jason Grace

I Run an Errand

"Stop wiggling."

"It tickles!"

"Did I ask? I said, stop wiggling!" Julie commands, pushing Meg's shoulders down so she'll sit still on the porch of Cabin 7. She's smoothing Bratz bandaids onto the cuts on the girl's arms while Austin and Kayla hover behind them, grinning.

"About time you got a taste of our side of the gurney, Aster," Kayla snickers.

"Oh, hush. I'm an excellent patient," Julie waves off.

Austin snorts incredulously. Julie balls up a bandaid wrapper and chucks it at him.

"Don't you two have a creepy dad in there to check on?" asks Julie, gesturing irritably at the cabin door.

Austin and Kayla both cringe. Meg looks a little disgusted. "He's really your dad?"

"Unfortunately," sighs Kayla. She pats her brother on the back and jerks her head towards where Will is probably still standing vigil at Apollo's bedside. "C'mon. Let's go get Will to take a fricken nap or something."

Austin groans, but follows his sister up into the cabin, leaving Meg and Julie still perched on the top porch step. It's early morning - before most people start getting up for breakfast. Most of camp is still partially shadowed and chilled by winter air.

They'd made a complete spectacle of themselves landing in the middle of the dining pavilion at dinner last night, but Apollo had suddenly started seizing on Julie's back when they entered the camp barrier, so she figured express delivery to his magical children was a good call. Since then, Will has been holed up in the cabin with his suddenly-younger-than-him father in an attempt to figure out how to help him regain godhood. Judging by the lack of news, Julie's assuming he hasn't had any luck.

Meg shifts next to her, pulling on the laces of her red shoes like she's lashing an unruly pegasus. There's a new awkwardness in the air. One that reminds Juliette that this is the first time they've been alone together since...events...transpired.

She taps her pink nails on the wooden porch, nodding her head to music that isn't there. "So..."

Crap, why'd she say that? She doesn't have anything to follow it with, and now Meg is side-eying her.

"So, what?" The girl asks flatly, still pulling on her laces.

Julie puffs up her cheeks and blows an awkward raspberry. "Do you...uh...have, like...a favorite animal? Or...something?"

Meg lets her foot fall back onto the step. She turns to look at Juliette like she's gone insane. "Huh?"

Julie flushes.

HOW DO YOU TALK TO CHILDREN?

"Well, I just thought we could - I dunno - get to know each other, since we haven't...I mean since we aren't ...anymore, you know? And, so..." She groans and covers her burning face. "It seemed better than 'What's your favorite color,' alright?"

Meg snorts and sticks a finger up her nose. "You're weird."

"Thanks," Julie grumbles, grimacing as she watches her sister wipe snot down one of the railing posts.

Once she's satisfied that all the pickable boogers are out of her nostrils, Meg sniffs and turns to Juliette with a frown serious enough to startle the older girl into fixing her posture. She crosses her arms. "Why didn't I know you?"

Julie's brain buffers for a second. "Like...growing up?"

One of Meg's eyebrows goes up like 'duh.'

"Honestly, I don't really know," Julie laughs awkwardly. "I, um...Purple Aster raised me."

Meg blinks at her in bewilderment. "Who?"