Origins of Olympus S2 One-Shots

Dating or Not?

(sinking or sailing, you can pry this ship from my cold dead hands)

Lee was bored. Highly, highly bored. She couldn't find aaaaany of her friends aaaaanywhere to hang out with her and she couldn't even drink to fill up her time; Xylo hid all of her drinks after she came stumbling through their cabin door the other night, banging into the fence, and collapsing into his bed/pile of hay. Apparently she was too out of it to collect it back up and she woke up to a newly swept floor, fresh hay, and all her alcohol gone.

Left with wandering for entertainment, she trotted down through the camp past the Greek side to where it met the edge of the Egyptians' desert. The river from the Asia area went right around and took a sharp turn away from the pyramid, flooding into the lake separating the desert from the ocean.

Sand stuck like glue to the bottom of her hooves and she cursed as she scanned the beach for any sign of other living, breathing life besides the ones populating the ocean. As much as she loved the water demigods, she wasn't interested in trying to talk to their relatives.

Squinting through the sun, Lee caught sight of two bodies lounging nearby and her heart lifted. Magnus was leaning against one of the few trees lining the lake. Well, moreso sitting in front of it while slightly hunched over the book open on their lap, easily readable in the natural sunlight. Nad was right by, lying asleep in the shade with his head resting next to their knee.

Lee clapped her hands gleefully, happy she finally found people to spend the fast passing day with. Especially having gotten so much closer to one of them lately. She stepped around the lake and started treading the sand towards them.

"Are we dating?"

She froze, her hoofs half buried in the sandy shore. Neither of her friends had even moved to indicate they were having a conversation at all, much less that one, but she was 100% sure she had heard Magnus ask. She ducked behind the nearest tree, hoping they were too busy to notice her horse half still out in the open and in plain view of them both.

There were a few beats of agonizing silence and just before Lee began to question her hearing, Nad spoke up. "I don't know. Are we?" he asked, way too calmly for Lee's sanity. She didn't consider herself that dramatic but how could he be so chill asking them that.

Magnus shrugged, not taking their eyes off the book page that hasn't been turned the entire time. Their ears flattened against their head and Lee could see the end of their tail curling in on itself. "I talked to Lee about the ball and dating."

"Oh you did? Heh, sounds like a fun conversation to have with her of all people."

Lee wished he had a permanent bed to sleep in that she could stuff with hay.

"It actually was," Magnus admitted. "It was....nice to talk to her."

Lee was also determined to visit the mortal city and get as many books as Magnus wanted. Maybe drag Xylo there as well to help carry them back to camp.

Nad ripped up a piece of grass and twirled it around his finger before reaching back over his head to let it fall onto their book. "I'm guessing that's not- I take it that's a rare occurrence for you."

They hummed and picked up the glass blade, placing it in the spine as a page marker. "Maybe. But you're also nice to talk to so.."

"Soooo...?" he drew out curiously.

Silence crossed between them and even though it was a light, peaceful bearing for them, to Lee it felt like a cheese grater. If she didn't know them like she did, she'd be tempted to run up and start a scene to save them both the awkward embarrassment of the whole conversation. Because she loved them, of course.

Finally, Magnus tore up a bit of grass themself and sprinkled it on Nad's head. The natural green sprung out of his white hair and he wrinkled his nose as a couple fell on his forehead. They stared at him for a moment. "I...don't think I want to date."

To his credit and Lee's almost relief, Nad didn't really react. He simply opened one eye and looked up at them. "Really?"

Magnus shrugged. "I don't really know if that's, something I want to do. Or not. Holding hands and...all that. Inpu looks like he really likes it and is happy but I've, never known much about that stuff."

"Well, how did Inpu know then? Didn't you two- if you two grew up mostly together?"

"Books. We read the same things, but he just knew more things than I did; he's really smart like that."

"Yeah," Nad agreed, poking their book cover. "You both are. I always feel like- that I'm going to learn something new every time we talk."

Lee could see Magnus briefly clutch the edges of their book before quickly settling back. "Is that why you keep trying to hang around me?"

Anyone else would've taken that as a slight, Lee knew that as much from watching multiple fights in the city, but Nad just laughed. "One of the reasons, yes. Not because I'm looking to learn new things- I mean I am but, moreso I just- I just like listening to you and learning new things about you. If that makes sense."

Magnus flicked the corner of a page. "Mmm I guess so. I just don't know-" They sucked in a breath and Lee crossed her fingers, chanting under her breath for her friend's confidence to make an appearance. "...If...I'm okay with the word dating yet."

Nad fully opened his eyes and turned his head to stare out at the water. He didn't say anything for a while, long enough that Lee could see Magnus start to squirm and she contemplated hitting him with her hoof to beat some sense into him. While she decided how hard to hit him, he chuckled and Magnus' arms locked up.

"We don't have to say we're dating then."

The tension in Magnus' shoulders eased and Lee set her hoof back onto the ground. "We don't?"

"Nope. You're just my special person then. And I'm yours, if you're- if you're okay with saying that." Nad tilted his head back, dragging his hair through the grass, to look up at them.

Magnus glanced down at him, averting their eyes when they met his. "I guess so."

Nad grinned and let out a long breath. "Can I listen to you read?"

"...I'd have to read out loud."

"I'm more than okay with that."

They sighed but Lee could see a hint of a smile that warmed her heart. They began to pick up where they left off, reading the lines in a monotone narration. Nad smiled and closed his eyes again, stretching and bending one arm under his head, the other flopping beside Magnus' leg.

Content she wouldn't need to kill her city friend just yet, Lee left the two alone. But not before seeing Magnus subtly hook their pinky finger with Nad's, eyes not leaving the inked words in their lap.