lightning in a bottle » jason grace

seven

CLARION

   The sky was covered in sun kissed clouds as campers filled into the dining pavilion. Annabeth had split off from Clarion and Jason to eat with her siblings. As Clarion guided Jason through the process of getting food and a goblet, she noticed her own siblings eating on a picnic blanket outside the pavilion.
   The offering fire wiggled in anticipation as Clarion pushed some of the macaroni and cheese and a few grapes off her plate and into the flames with her father in mind.
   "What are you doing?" Jason asked. Clarion looked up, almost forgetting he was there.
   "Every meal, we make an offering to the gods. Most of us dedicate it to our godly parent. But if you don't know, then you can choose someone," she explained. "I dedicated my offering to my father, Apollo."
   Jason stared at her for a moment. Her stomach did a front flip. He picked two ribs from his plate and a handful of carrots, dropping them into the fire. "Then let Apollo feast tonight."
   Clarion felt her cheeks warm, but shoved it down. "My siblings and I are going to eat on the grass tonight. You're more than welcome to join us," she offered.
   He scratched the back of his neck. "Okay, sure. Have you seen Leo or Piper?"
   She looked around the chaotic pavilion. Finding Leo at the Hephaestus table between Harley and Nyssa, she smiled. "Come on. Let me introduce you to some of our friends." He followed without a word.
   She pointed out the Athena table from which Annabeth waved. They were passing the Ares table when a rough hand grabbed her forearm.
   "Give me the deets on the new girl." Elliot smirked, his big face covered in barbecue sauce.
   "You aren't her type," Clarion said without thinking. Jason was Piper's type, and there's no way she'd stray that far.
   "Am I?" Luna's voice popped out from the hollering of her siblings. She was tall and bloodthirsty, but that was where the resemblance to her father stopped. With curly black hair and sharp cheek bones, she was easily the prettiest out of all her siblings.
   "I don't know her well enough to determine that one, Luna," Clarion answered. She switched her gaze to Elliot's grip on her arm and back to the Ares girl.
   Luna caught the hint without difficulty. "Oi, Smelliot! Wanna arm wrestle?"
   The boy released her and joined the match. Clarion grabbed Jason's hand and dragged him away before the Ares kids broke their table again. She didn't stop until they hit the Hecate table. She released Jason's hand and slipped her arm around Lou Ellen's slender shoulders.
   "What's cookin, good lookin?" Clarion asked.
   Lou Ellen sighed, wiping off her fingers on a napkin. "Just because my mother is Hecate doesn't mean I'm constantly brewing potions, Clary."
   Clarion laughed. "Of course! Potion brewing is only for Thursday's!"
   Lou Ellen shoved Clarion away from her, but there was a smile on her face. "Beat it, before I hex you to have giant ears."
   Clarion laughed again, but guided Jason away and out of the pavilion.
   "Was she serious about your ears?" Jason asked.
   "Oh yeah," she said. "She hexed Will to have a discoloration in the shape of a rat on his forehead for a week."
   Jason's jaw popped open wide. "What did he do?"
   They approached her siblings on the picnic blanket. "He assumed she liked Taylor Swift."
   Will caught on and heaved a sigh. "How was I supposed to know what she likes to listen to?"
   "What does she like to listen to?" Jason asked.
   Kayla looked him dead in the eye with a straight face. "Monk chants."
   "Monk chants," he deadpanned. "Huh." He looked down. There wasn't any room for the two of them on the blanket. A soft oh left his mouth as Kayla started moving over and Austin got up. "No it's fine. I can sit on the grass."
   Clarion laughed softly as a bewildered expression took over his face when Austin picked up the end of the blanket and pulled. More blanket seemed to magically appear, but in reality, it was just a gift from the Hephaestus cabin after Clarion treated them during their violent stomach flu outbreak.
   "We could stretch this thing over the whole camp if we wanted. Have a seat," Will welcomed.
Clarion took a seat next to Kayla. Jason plopped down next to her. His brows furrowed as he stared at his plate.
"What's wrong?" She whispered.
"I don't belong here," he whispered back. Her heart clenched and she patted his knee.
"You do for now, Jason."
"Hey guys! Mind if I join you?" Olivia, a girl from Aphrodite cabin called out.
"Sorry, Liv! No room!" Austin shouted back. Will and Kayla stared at him. "What? We all know that she just wants at the new meat!" He gestured wildly to Jason, who clenched his hand around his fork.
"Or maybe she wants to sit with us because she's had a crush on you for three years. But who knows?" Clarion snickered. Austin flushed, his siblings laughing along.
"Well Jason, let me introduce you to the Apollo crew," Will started. "I'm Will Solace, co-head counselor. This is Kayla Knowles, our favorite ginger sibling."
"Your only ginger sibling," Kayla grumbled.
"This is Austin Lake, our very own comedian. Phyllis Sams, our plague kid."
"If you want anybody sick, just let me know." The ten year old demigod winked at Jason, who just nodded in return.
"And you know her, we love her — Clarion Park, my co-counselor. She's our best archer, but uses a battle ax for whatever reason."
Clarion smiled. "You know I was a lumberjack for Halloween for eight years straight, Will." She swallowed the grape she'd been chewing. "Also, we all know you're right next to the old man with your archery skills, so I don't wanna hear it."
   "Yeah, her woodworking skills are great. She made me a ukulele last fall," Phyllis chimed in.
   "Which is how Cabin Nine got the stomach flu for three weeks," Austin teased.
Kayla cackled. "Phyllis isn't allowed to play music anymore."
Will snatched a rib from Phyllis' plate. "She's a mighty poet though, aren't you Philly?"
Phyllis blushed as Austin raised his goblet. "To the mightiest poet whose tragedies put Shakespeare to shame!" He declared. They all raised their goblets and gave a hear, hear.
   Clarion laughed and sneaked a look at Jason. His features had somewhat relaxed and his lips formed a borderline smile.
Despite the growing pit in her stomach and the constant tingle of danger down her spine, the dinner was full of laughter and comfort as Clarion drank in the love of her siblings.
Will, Kayla, and Phyllis started cleaning up.
"Are we playing tonight?" Clarion asked. She itched to play her guitar.
"Yeah, come on." Kayla hauled her into her feet.
"Playing what?" Jason asked.
Clarion grinned from ear to ear. "The best songs you'll ever hear."

A/N: hi lovelies! bit of a filler chapter here bc piper sleeps through dinner in TLH, but we got some insight on Clarion's relationships with her siblings and her position at camp. hope you enjoyed it as much as I did <3