𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

── new beginnings

          𝖂hen Aurora awoke the next morning, she was unsurprised to find that she was one of the first up. Just like her father, Aurora rose with the sun most of the time. Everyone else was still fast asleep, snoring or curled up around things that were precious to them.

She could just about make out Luke, hand hanging off the side of the bed and mouth slightly parted, asleep opposite her and she sighed. Grabbing her workout gear, Aurora disappeared to change and find a place to run, needing the outlet before she had to continue to socialise for the rest of the day.

She knew, that as a somewhat famous singer, she should be used to talking to people but Aurora just didn't like it unless she could prepare for it. It's what got her into running. She ran so that she could play out conversations in her head and work out what she'd say to people and how she'd respond.

Aurora could also admit that it was very weird of her to do that.

After a long run, preparing how she would talk with the others in Cabin Eleven and what she would say when they asked about her, Aurora finally returned back to the cabin, ready to shower and get going with whatever the day's plan ahead was.

"Was wondering where you'd got to." Aurora froze, her back to whoever was speaking before looking over her shoulder at Luke. He was dressed exactly the same as the day before, making Aurora wonder if they had a laundry place here, his hands stuffed deep into his pocket. "Nearly had to call Chiron and tell him you were missing."

"Is it normal for you to take this much of an interest in everyone?" Aurora cocked an eyebrow. Surely this wasn't normal. Who had that much spare time? There were loads of campers so did he just spend this amount of time with everyone? Did he ever get any work done at all?

"Yes. I've got to get you accustomed to camp, to all of it." Luke replied. 

"Chiron's given me a tour."

"Ah, but he hasn't told you the actual demigod experience, apart from the whole nightmares, daydreams, ADHD, dyslexia." He grinned slightly as Aurora's eyebrow cocked. "He's just given you the whole 'demigods just process reality different than humans do' speech."

"It sounds like this is a speech you make pretty regularly. I don't need it, I promise." Aurora crossed her heart, grabbing her laptop bag and deciding that she still, really didn't want to speak to people and be an outcast, so she was going to go and hide in a room in the Big House again. "I am completely fine."

"Oh no." Luke reached out, grabbing the back of her rucksack and pulling her to a stop. "You said normal, right? Normal means you can't keep running off. You're a normal demigod, just like everyone else."

"Oh." Aurora hadn't exactly been expecting him to follow through on that. 

"So, we're gonna do camp things, yeah?" Luke cocked an eyebrow. "I'm gonna show you around and we'll find out what you're good at and try and get you claimed."

"Are you claimed?"

"Hermes is my father but it doesn't matter." Aurora's eyebrows furrowed. "We're all on the same team here."

"The gods just ignore some people?" She couldn't imagine that, but maybe that was because her and her dad got along so well and were so close. Aurora found it hard to imagine that others were just never claimed. 

Imagine, your entire world being flipped upside down and your parent just not claiming you. That was terrible.

"Why would they do that?"

"Spend too much time trying to figure out why they do what they do, you'll just drive yourself crazy. So, don't worry about that and just enjoy what camp has to offer." Luke grinned as Aurora's eyebrows furrowed. Did he have prewritten answers for every response or did he just do what she did and think of conversations and how to respond to them.

"You definitely have this written down somewhere. Can I suggest some edits?" Aurora pulled his hand off of her backpack. 

"Like what?" Luke found all of this pretty amusing.

"Shortening it."

Luke could hear Chris and Mack cackling behind him, taking a deep breath as Aurora cocked an eyebrow.

"You might find it hard to believe, Aurora, but some kids come in here and are scared shitless." Luke pointed out. "I'm very comforting to talk to."

"Uh huh." Aurora nodded, a little unsure about where all of this sass and personality was coming from. She wasn't normally like this at all. "I'm not scared shitless, I get it, gods, monsters, possibility of being claimed, blah, blah, blah. Brilliant. I got all the notes."

Luke was bringing out the attitude that she'd buried deep and Aurora wasn't sure whether she liked it or not. She just wanted to go and find a corner to sit in.

"Thank you, here's the rest of the notes. You want glory or you don't get claimed." Luke sassed back as Aurora nodded along. "Better?"

"Much."

Aurora turned to put her bag down as Luke twisted towards Chris and Mack, shaking his head. They shot him sarcastic thumbs ups in response as Luke narrowed his eyes and shot them the middle finger. He really hated them at the moment.

"You were talking about glory." He turned back, meeting Aurora's eyes. She cocked an eyebrow. "You wanted to give me a speech, let's hear it."

"Well-I-" Luke stumbled over his words, blushing and muttering as he began to lead her out of the cabin.

"Interesting." He went red straight up to his ears at her muttered words. 

"That's a bit mean." Luke pointed out. "I am trying to treat you like normal, just you already seemingly know about the gods, aren't freaked out and then also, you're kind of super famous and I don't want to treat you like normal because that feels weird."

"I'm also a teenager." Aurora spun. "This is why I didn't want to do this, to make things weird, because no one ever knows how to treat me. I'm not fragile, or different, I'm just like anyone else, I just happen to also have a job that means I'm well known, alright? Don't treat me like I'm dumb or that I'm well known, and go from there. It's that simple."

"Well, the snide comments and all made that kind of hard."

"I won't lie to you, you're the first actual teenager that I've spoken to in a friendly sense in years, so sorry if I'm rusty." Aurora snapped back as Luke's eyes narrowed. "Either I'm in interview mode or I'm alone, so I'm trying to find the balance, alright? I'm sorry for being rude, but cut me some slack, this is my first time trying to make friends."

Luke took a deep breath, a slight smile going onto his face at her annoyed glare and slight pout. She was trying, supposedly, it just didn't help that his ego was getting bruised but he supposed that he could live.

"You've got a really cute annoyed face."

"So your idea of normal is flirting with people?" Aurora rolled her eyes as Luke blushed again, mortified that she was calling him out.

"No!"

"She got you there, Luke!"

"Shut up!"

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Aurora doesn't know how to make friends because she's never done it before and has no social skills, and Luke is trying but is getting his ego bruised consistently, whilst Chris and Mack just find it all very funny. Luke is really struggling to know how to talk to her but also can't leave her alone, so good times.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx