He Stoll My Heart - Connor Stoll.

Ch.10: Percy Flies a Pig. Okay.

A/N: This chapter takes place during TLO, ch.14 ("Pigs fly").

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"Uh, hi Rose."

Rose turned around from Austin Lake's minor head wound (he'd supposedly tripped and fallen straight into a Hephaestus Cabin trap) to see Brina, wringing her hands and shuffling her feet, eyes fleeting.

"Oh, hey Brina," Rose said. She looked at Austin. "There, your head's all bandaged up. Anything else?"

"Uh, I hit my knee like three hours ago, and it's still hurting," said Austin. "It's fine, I talked to Will and I don't have anything broken, but do you have any ice or something?"

"Uh..." Rose looked towards the mini-fridge. There really wasn't anything decent. "Give me a second... What did you need, Brina?" she asked as she rummaged through the refrigerator. She looked at Austin "Well, I can get you a plastic bag with ice cubes, but I don't know if that would—"

"Can I help?" Brina asked quickly, turning to Rose and hopefully raising her pale hands for her to see.

Austin seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea of Bad Omen Brina Bianchi helping him out, but he didn't protest, so Rose nodded.

Brina stepped forward and gently placed both her hands on Austin's knee.

At first, Austin hissed, but then he relaxed.

"Your hands are freezing," he said with a sigh. "Thanks."

Brina's eyes filled with joy as if she were a toddler who'd just been told it was her birthday.

"Can you freeze water?" Rose asked her.

Brina's eyes darkened. "Yes, I definitely can freeze water. I can't drink anything because it freezes in my mouth."

Austin's attention peaked. "What? How do you stay hydrated?"

Brina smiled sheepishly, still holding her hands on his knee. "I eat like 100 ice cubes a day. And snow cones."

"I'd like a snow cone," said Austin with a dreamy smile, "with raspberry syrup."

"What I meant to say," said Rose, "is can you freeze water in a certain shape? Like, you choose?"

"I'm not very precise, but I can get the main shape," said Brina. "It's how I make my sculptures."

"You make sculptures?" Austin asked impressed.

Brina flushed and nodded.

"So you can make like... an ice cast, around Austin's knee?" Rose said.

Brina frowned at her.

"Maybe," she said. "I can try,"

"Try," Rose agreed.

Brina took her hands off Austin's knee and Rose held the glass of water over it.

"Ready?" she asked.

Brina nodded, her blue eyes very focused.

Rose poured the water and Brina froze it as it trailed down Austin's knee, effectively casting his knee in ice. Icicles were hanging from his knee from where Brina wasn't able to freeze in time.

"Awesome!" said Austin. He shivered. "And cold. Very cold."

Brina giggled.

"Good job, Brina, it looks great," said Rose, plucking the icicles off of Austin's knee and placing them back into the glass.

In her peripheral vision, Rose saw Connor walk by them, an unhappy spring in his step. If he noticed she was there, he masked it pretty effectively.

Rose's shoulders sagged.