Looking for a weapon!

Caroline looked around, for a place to hangout it was kind of deserted. Like literally she did not see anybody around and it was kind of weird, everywhere else it was bustling with kids around her age. It would've been relaxing if it didn't seem so out of place.

"Where is everyone?"

Jake shrugged. "Probably doing something else. Canoeing isn't that popular." He said with a grin. "People mostly come here when they don't have anything else to do."

He examined the shore and shrugged. He personally liked that, it was one of the few places he could reliably avoid people and relax for a bit and not be bothered by one thing or another.

Caroline kind of liked this spot, it seemed like the only normal place in the whole camp. A lot of camps had lakes, but she figured not many had deadly climbing walls, fighting with actual weapons, or cabins for each god. It was nice to get away from the crazy.

"So, do you stay at camp year round?"

Caroline said this as she kicked her shoes off and walked over to the edge of the lake and dipped her feet in the water. It was kind of chilly at first, enough to give her goose bumps, but she got used to it real quick.

Jake walked to the edge of the lake beside her. He wasn't much for actually swimming and things like that.

"No, I go home for the school year." He said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I've been going to a boarding school in New Jersey." He liked the time to head home and spend time with his mom. And his dog, Thor. Just a bit of time to feel a bit more normal.

Caroline nodded her head. She was pretty sure she was going to be a year-rounder, but going to a normal school sounded really nice. Have that sense of normalcy, but she doubt that she could do that. She left the regular world so quick and without notice, people probably assumed she got kidnapped. She should probably call her dad and tell him, she wasn't really sure if he cared but it was the right thing to.

"What's your favorite subject?"

Jake was stumped again. He ran a hand through his hair. He didn't normally stop and think about these sort of things. Actually, he didn't stop and think very often.
"I'd say science." He said, looking off at a point in the distance. Jake nodded. "Yah. Probably science."

"Yours?"

Caroline furrowed her brow and bit her lip. Favorite subject...what were all the subjects? Math....math was gross. Science...never really clicked with her, she always just copied the person next to her and doodled all over her work. History...kind of interesting, but the stories usually put her to sleep. Art....she sucked at it and it made her angry. Music...see art. English...english was fun, she loved books and writing and actually did well in it.

"I guess English. What's your dream job?"

"Mechanic." Jake said with half a grin. Finally, an easy one. He passed over several smart answers for the honest one.
(Sorry, one-liner...)

Caroline smiled, duh..she should've guessed. He built a dragon for Pete's sake! Caroline looked down in the water and saw her own reflection. Ehh, she looked like she just climbed out of bed. She wasn't wearing any makeup and her hair looked like it was hastily put up and looked really sloppy. She figured she could turn people to stone with her looks, be the next Medusa. Suddenly self conscious, she began to smooth out her hair and put it in a more neat pony tail, even though she knew that wouldn't last for long.

Jake glanced down at Caroline. There had been a slight shift in her body language, like she had an unpleasant thought. He moved along the conversation, hoping that would help take her mind off of whatever upset her. "What about you?" He asked. "Do you have a dream job?"

Caroline stopped messing with her hair. Dream job...what did she really want to do? She didn't really have the confidence to be infront of crowds, so that took out a whole butt load of careers. She wasn't tech savvy or mechanically savvy, so there went another chunk of jobs. She wasn't even really exceptional at anything. The only thing she could ever see herself doing is dancing, but like mentioned before, she didn't have the confidence to be infront of crowds. Maybe she could be a hobo, travel the world, or stay at camp for the rest of her life. Could she do that? Looking up at Jake, she just shrugged.

"I don't know."

Jake raised a brow. "You don't have anything, at all, that you'd ever like to be?" He asked, hooking his thumbs on his pockets and looking down at Caroline. "I find that hard to believe."

He plopped down on the shore beside her, though he was careful not to get his shoes wet. He gave her a steady look, brows raised. "Come on, it's a dream: which means if you could do anything--- anything at all; what would you do?"

Caroline shrugged again. She knew something she'd like to do, but she knew she wouldn't ever be able to, and she didn't really wanna bring it up. It would be like throwing salt on an open wound. She would never be good enough to be a professional dancer, and she sure as heck didn't have the guts to do it infront of a lot of people. Meeting his gaze, she tried to think of a way to avert the conversation. Maybe saying that dreams are for squares, but everything she thought of sounded really dumb. Instead she went for the honest truth.

"Sure, I have dreams, but I know I'll never get them."

Jake gave her a dubious look. "Anything can happen. I mean, most people would say this," He gestured to the camp around them. "is utterly impossible, and you probably were before you got here." He pointed out. He moved along.
"But, I didn't ask for what you think you can reasonably achieve." He said, putting up a finger to emphasize his point. "I asked for what you dreamed of doing. That's completely different." He leaned back on his arm and gave her a steady look, as if daring her to answer.

Caroline let out a huff of air. He was right, this place was like something people dream of or write books about, maybe even a whole series with a spin off series ( ). Maybe things like her dreams could come true? I mean impossible is basically saying I'm possible. Maybe one day she would have the confidence to be infront of crowds.

Caroline looked down at the water, and studied her reflection. Letting out another huff of air, she looked back at Jake and slowly stuttered out her response.

"I..I want to be a dancer. Sounds dumb, right?"

"No, not at all." Jake said, with a bit of a shrug. "If that's what you want to do, why would it be dumb?" It wasn't like it was some embarrassing or obscure job, or at least, that's what he thought. Well, that was Jake; probably more insistent than what was considered polite. "I mean, you like dancing, right?"

Caroline nodded, she really did like to dance, she loved it in fact. It just seemed like a 1 in a million type of job, like not everybody can make it. She needed a change in subject before she got all gloomy or personal, yeck emotions!

"If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?"

Jake shrugged. "Probably back in Colorado. Or West Montana, to mix things up. I like the mountains and space out there." He had plenty of good memories from back home. Well, before all the half-blood nonsense came in. At least his mom was willing to move nearby. Small town, but plenty of woods and adventures. "How about you?"

Caroline nodded as Jake talked, being out the mountains actually sounded really relaxing but it wasn't really for her. "I have a list, Mulan, Venice, Paris, New York City, Los Angeles, Berlin, Australia, and the list goes on and on." She smiled at the thought, she really wanted to see everything and travel the world.

"Well, give it a few weeks, and you'll be able to cross New York City off your list." Jake said with a grin. "I hear L.A's a pain, though, they weren't as dedicated to setting up a system for the city." He ran a hair through his hair, "You know, I'd join you to Australia. I mean: crikey, mate; that'd be awesome!"

Caroline giggled at Jake's australian accent. "It's a deal, mate." She completely butchered the australian accent, but instead of being embarrassed she just laughed some more. "So who do you normally talk to around camp?"

Jake laughed at their terrible Australian accents.
"Anyone who'll listen." He said, giving her a wry grin. "But normally I hang around the older campers, since I know them the best. And they usually are the ones to bother me the most." He said, laughing a bit.

Caroline smiled with Jake, it seemed like she was smiling a lot today and it was starting to hurt her cheeks but she didn't really care. It was nice to smile and talk to someone instead of being a little wall flower.

"Well, you're the first person I've officially met here."


Dipping her fingers in the water she could the coolness of it beneath her touch. It felt really good, and she half wanted to dive in, but she wasn't dressed for it and she figured by the way that Jake wasn't touching the water that he didn't want to get in either. She probably needed a change in scenery soon before she ruined her clothes by jumping in the water.

"Well, I'm sure you'll meet plenty more. Give it a few days, and you'll meet so many people you'll have trouble remembering them all." Jake said waving the sediment off with a hand and a smile.

He looked over the lake and thought for a moment. "So, I think you've seen pretty much all the camp. Well, we didn't go to the forest, but that can wait for the next capture the flag game." He looked back at Caroline. "Don't go to the forest alone, there's been a few extra monsters hanging around that are still being tracked down."

Caroline shivered at the thought of meeting more monsters, she had seen plenty on her way up here and she figured that was enough to last her a life time. Why would she want to go into the forest? She wouldn't even know what she would do if she was faced with a monster, she couldn't really fight it because she didn't know how and from what you learned from her trip up here, a lot of them were faster than her. Caroline raised her feet from the water and hugged her knees close to her chest, just when she thought she was in the one safe place from monsters she learns that they're here as well.


"I'll be sure to avoid the forest."