Alternatively

Bad Ideas

Trusting Piper to bring the third tent was a bad idea.

"It's not like I forgot it," she crossed her arms as Annabeth and Frank glared at the mess of poles and fabric.

"Yeah," Percy rolled his eyes, lugging the cooler out of the trunk. "But you didn't say it had been ripped apart by wolves."

"And you're sure we're out of duct tape?"

Leo waved the bare roll in the air. "Used it to stick the bumper back on."

"You should have let it fall off."

Their camp site was tucked at the back of the lake, directly across from the front office, but ever so shielded by a line of scraggly trees along the waterline. This was a good thing, as no one knew what kind of idiocy they would get up to, least of all them, and they did not want to be kicked out of the park before getting their money's worth. It also meant they had to hike the whole way around the lake to get to the bathrooms and ice machine, so it took Hazel and Jason awhile to get back to base with a bag of ice slung over each of their shoulders.

They was walking into a murder waiting to happen.

"What are we supposed to even use this for?"

"Look, my dad said it was fine, we used it the last time we went camping!"

"Piper," Annabeth stressed. "You haven't been camping in four years."

She huffed, throwing a sleeping bag into the orange tent already set up. "It's not gonna rain, we'll be fine if there's like, a couple holes."

"Then you sleep in it."

"I will."

"And I'm not sharing my bug spray."

"You're being so petty-"

"Guys," Frank sighed, bending a pole to fit through a fraying socket. "Do you want to set it up or not?"

Annabeth gave Piper a look, who in turn held her hands up and stalked back to the cars. "We agreed I was on blanket and pillow duty."

"I'm going to kill you when you sleep," she called.

"So," Leo hefted three backpacks, looking between the purple and orange tents. "Where are we putting things?"

Hazel gestured for Percy to open the cooler, dumping the ice in a cascading cacophony as she said, "We could put everything in the smaller one and everyone can sleep in the big one."

There was a fwump as the pole whipped out of Frank's hands, tearing off another chunk of fabric. "So that's a no to this one then?"

"Do whatever you want," Leo absently shot.

"At least I'm doing something," he snapped.

Planning their trip for the hottest day in history was a bad idea, too.

Tempers had been on the rise since parking, gnats and humidity triggering impulsive responses to anything and everything. Though, if grumbles were to be believed, their driving arrangement had left much to be desired too, as Frank had played the most boring music in his car and Leo's playlists were a hype train that never slowed down.

But they were there to have a good time, to have one last adventure before they graduated, and god damn it, they were going to have fun.

"That's fine," Jason affirmed, slamming his trunk shut and facing the group with a sunny smile. "Everything's good, right?"

"Ish," Leo muttered through a mouthful of sandwich he was supposed to put away.

"Good enough to start the hike?"