no matter how many times a snake shed its skin, it would always be a snake. no matter how hard kit dempsey tried to prove he was no longer a traitor, camp half-blood would always view him as the boy who betrayed them for kronos. but not leo valdez...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: TIME, FATE, KARMA, GOD(S)
■■ ■ ■ ■
"SO," SAID PIPER, AND Kit's stomach dropped. He knew what was coming, he couldn't avoid it. It was barrelling towards him like a freight train.
Girl Talk.
"Are you and Leo... official?" She struggled to find the right word. "You know... lovers..."
Behind them, Annabeth snorted and Hazel cleared her throat. Kit didn't need to look to see that her face was bright red, an indignant flush of emotion lingering in her timely features. He rounded on Piper instead, eyebrows raised.
"Lovers?"
"Don't play dumb," she nudged her elbow against his ribs, rolling her eyes when he dramatically gasped and keeled over. "Are you boyfriends?"
At that, Kit visibly hesitated.
Piper grinned. "You are, aren't you?"
"How sweet," Annabeth teased, but she was genuine as she leaned forward and ruffled his hair.
"Kit and Leo, sitting in a tree..."
"Stop," he raised a hand in Piper's face. "Please."
"Don't sound so pained, Christopher," Piper nudged him again. Kit scowled. "When else are we going to get to ask?"
"Well, now you know," he said, eagerly glancing around for something, anything, to distract them with.
According to the signs, the seaside park they'd ventured to was called White Point Gardens. It was... a park. Kit wasn't particularly interested but he was forced to stop and admire the view. The ocean breeze swept the muggy heat across the glittering surface of Charleston Harbour. Somewhere deep below was Percy doing his son of Poseidon things. Kit wasn't all that sure what he got up to down there, and in truth he wasn't bothered to ask.
Lining the road beside the bay were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures. They made the girls grimace in discomfort though he had no doubt Leo would've been in awe of them had he been there. Kit's boyfriend was oddly interested in this kind of stuff.
"Kind of reminds me of New Rome."
Thankfully, the Gods sent him an angel in Hazel, who succeeded in changing the subject. The look on Piper's face told him she hadn't let it go completely, but at least he'd be prepared for round two of Girl Talk. Hopefully.
"All the big mansions and the gardens," continued Hazel. "The columns and arches."
"The palm trees too?" Kit couldn't help but joke.
"No, not really," Hazel seriously thought about it before shaking her head.
Apart from that, the girls didn't say much, and Kit appreciated the silence. Piper kept looking around like she expected an ambush. She claimed to have seen this same park in her knife but wouldn't elaborate on what she saw, which wasn't great, if you asked Kit. Hazel also seemed preoccupied, not that Kit could really understand what was going on in her head. Annabeth, as always, was dwelling on her responsibilities. Always thinking of what waited for them, of what she'd have to do. Much too serious.
