eternal sunshine

𝓣𝓦𝓔𝓝𝓣𝓨-𝓣𝓦𝓞: 𝓐𝓑𝓞𝓤𝓣 𝓐 𝓖𝓘𝓡𝓛

     The tan brunette looked at his brother at the Hermes dining table across from him. Since breakfast, Chris had been able to tell something was wrong with Luke, that something was bothering him. A Demeter camper told him that during his swordplay lesson, Luke was more aggressive.

     "Okay, why so mopey, Luke?" the boy finally asked, making the pale brunette look up from his plate of food. Lunch hour was almost over, and yet Luke's burger had only been eaten.

     "Nothing."

     "I'm your brother you can tell me anything."

     "It's about Odessa."

     "What about her?" The boy shoved some rice into his mouth to avoid asking anything further or giving in to the sentences on the tip of his tongue, such as "Of course it is."

     "We were supposed to have our first this week, and it's not her fault she got a gig, but now we."

     "Did she tell you that?"

      "Tell me what?" Chris rolled his eyes in annoyance.

       "Did she tell you you guys can't have your first date because of her gig?" Chris thought that would be obvious, but apparently, his brother was so in his head that he couldn't sss it.

"Well, not exactly. She told me their show was the same day, and I know how much music means to her, and I didn't want there to be anything that would distract her from that." Chris groaned, rolling his eyes.

     "You idiot," he spoke, setting down his spoon and clasping his hands together. Luke tried not to be hurt by the insult, "you told her you didn't want your first date with her because of her job? Maybe she's not touring the world, but music is her job. She didn't tell you it would distract her or that she didn't want to do your date that day, so why would you? If she truly wanted to, if she truly liked you, and trust me, she does, then she would've figured out a way to still do both. You probably made her think you weren't interested, which you are." Luke ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "You gotta fix that, brother," Chris spoke, pointing his spoon at Luke. "You're going to regret it if you don't. Because I know Odessa would've made it work."

      "You're making me sound like an... like an ass," Luke groaned. Chris and the other Hermes cabin mates closest to them tried not to be shocked by Luke's colorful language. Odessa had begun to rub off on him, and they hadn't even started dating yet.

      "Because you are being one. Dude, I've never seen anyone look at someone the way you two look at each other. Did you at least tell her you could go on your date the day before or after?" By the way, Luke looked down at his silverware Chris knew he hadn't. The curly brunette next to Luke smacked his arm as he saw Chris beginning to reach across the table. "Thank you, Connor." The boy nodded, continuing to eat his turkey leg.

     "I really screwed up, didn't I?" Luke questioned, tugging on the ends of his hair.

     "Celestially," bluntly spoke Chris, continuing to eat his stick rice. "But," he swallowed the food in his mouth before continuing, "you can make it right. Let her know that you just wanted her to focus on the show but that you'd still like to have your date. Nothing less, nothing more because if I'm being honest, brother, you can be a yapper."

     "What is that?" Luke, Connor, and another boy asked.

     "Mortal term. JD taught it to me. It means a person that's constantly talking. And sometimes, sorry to say, brother, but when you talk, I wonder when you'll shut up," Chris confessed, making Connor snicker a laugh.

     "I-I-I don't do that. I don't talk excessively. Do I do that? Does everyone think that?" Luke stammered.

     "You're doing it right now," Connor interrupted, making Luke quickly close his mouth as he was going to ask something else.

     "You do that with everyone except Odessa. She makes you nervous, so you talk less."

     Luke was going to lie straight through his teeth, "I don't get nervous. Not ever. What are you talking about? Who told you that? What a lie that is. Yes, I like her, but she doesn't make me nervous. Did she tell you that?"

     "And yet you say you're not a yapper, Luke," Connor interjected.

      "Oh, shut up," Luke sassed.

     "Ironic, considering you don't most of the time," retorted the brunette next to Connor. 

     "Most of the time? Travis, that's generous," Chris smiled, pleased that they had annoyed and irritated Luke. 

    "Can we get back to Luke being an idiot and canceling his first date with Odessa?" questioned the strawberry-blonde girl next to Chris. Most children of Hermes tended to be brunettes. Demigods typically looked more like their godly parent, not entirely. But they do bear many features (eye color, nose shape, face shape, hair color, and so on) to their godly parent. There were instances in which the demigods looked bore no resemblance to their godly parent and looked completely like their mortal parent. Odessa was one of those demigods; Luke would say the same, but mostly because he hated to be told he looked like his father or bore any resemblance in any form to Hermes. The strawberry-blonde girl next to Chris.

     She was pale in complexion, covered in freckles and moles, and the color of her eyes was hard to pinpoint (in different lights and angles, they looked light brown, green, and blueish-gray). She was also one of the few Hermes children who was quite good at an instrument; she enjoyed the cello as much as Luke enjoyed swordplay. "How right you are, Alyssa," Chris smiled at the young girl. She was only two years younger than he and Luke.

     "You're an idiot and need to fix that." Luke knew he did. No girl had ever made him feel the way Odessa did. He knew he should be worried about how quickly the feelings arose and that he would quite literally do whatever she asked of him, but he didn't care. He didn't care one bit because, to him, it was worth it. Was he terrified of how quickly he had grown to like her in the short time he'd known her? Absolutely. Worried that their dynamic would change if and when they became more than friends? Without a doubt. But Odessa Reyes was one of the most beautiful and radiant people he'd ever met in his life. And well, there was no knowing when he'd stop living beyond demigod expectancy, and he didn't want to have regrets. However, he did have the major one of not originally suggesting to move their date further up due to her gig or to the day after. He hadn't rain-checked he had simply canceled. He hated doing so because of the absolute look of sadness and what he assumed was heartbreak that overcame Odessa's features when he had. He had upset her, and that was never something he wanted to do. And he didn't plan on doing it ever again.