Chapter Text
“Not only do you play games of murderous Capture the Flag, but you also do chariot races?” Neil asked, leaning against the railing as he watched the participants continue to set up in the arena. “Are you just trying to keep tradition alive, or do you all crave death?”
It took more effort than Andrew expected to keep from snorting. “It’s part of training. Games boost morale.”
“‘Boost morale’,” Neil repeated, shaking his head. “You all enjoy tempting fate too much.”
He was probably right, but that wasn’t going to stop anyone from participating. Neil had settled into camp better than Andrew had expected him to, despite some initial pushback from Chiron. In the end it had taken Mr. D stepping in, telling Neil that if he wanted to hang around 'till his inevitable death then that was his choice. After that he'd settled in: Katelyn had invited him to stay in the Ares cabin, and while Neil had seemed wary at first he’d easily fallen into place there. People like Dan, Matt and Allison had flocked to his side, practically trying to adopt him. The only thing that made anyone keep their distance was when they learned how much of an asshole Neil really is.
Though he’d only been at camp for a few weeks, it felt like Neil had been living there for years. Andrew had given him a tour the day after Neil had first arrived, warning him to stay out of the woods before they headed over to Bee’s. She’d welcomed Neil inside like he was any other demigod, offering cocoa that Neil didn’t take. He’d seemed uneasy around her, practically relaxing in relief when they finally left her house.
Today was the last day most of the demigods would be at camp, which was why they were having the chariot race in the first place. The only ones that were allowed to steer the chariots were the cabin leaders, and they got to choose one other person from their cabin to join them. Since Andrew was still being punished for sneaking out of camp, he was banned from participating in the race, which meant that the one who got to steer the chariot was Aaron.
Aaron was not happy about that, which made Neil very excited to watch the race despite his comments about it.
They sat next to each other in the arena, waiting for the race to begin. It wasn’t hard to figure out which chariot belonged to which cabin, especially the Apollo cabin chariot, which was completely golden and shining brightly enough to blind someone if they looked at it from the wrong angle. Most of the chariots were being pulled by pegasi, but some - like the Hephaestus cabin chariot - were being pulled by other things, like mechanical horses.
“Sorry, I’m not rooting for you,” Neil said, leaning forward to plant his elbows on his knees. “I’m hoping Katelyn wipes the floor with your brother.”
“Maybe that’ll give them the push they need to make it official,” Andrew said.
“They’re not already?”
Before Andrew could answer, a loud ringing went throughout the arena. Everyone covered their ears and looked towards their right, where Mr. D was holding a megaphone. “Hello and welcome to the chariot race,” he said, tone bored. “It’s the last day for most of you, which means I get a few merciful months before dealing with you lot again. The race will begin on my mark. You know the rules: complete seven laps and use whatever means necessary to take out other racers.”
Chiron stepped forward to whisper something. Mr. D lowered the megaphone for a moment, then sighed and said, “I’m supposed to remind you that seriously injuring and killing is strictly forbidden. On that crushing disappointment, everyone at the starting line.”
Quickly, the chariots rushed to line up. Andrew leaned back in his seat, watching Neil as he stared intently. Andrew could distantly hear the race begin, chariots rushing quickly to overtake the others, using weapons like spears to try to jam wheels or swords to slice at reins. The Hephaestus cabin had definitely gone the most creative route, their chariot opening at different points to reveal hidden weapons, allowing them to take out the Hermes and Demeter chariots quickly and get in the lead.
But Andrew really didn’t care that much about the race. Neil’s excitement fueled him, reminding him that they wouldn’t have to part ways this summer. They’d continue living at camp year round, taking a year to figure out what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives while Aaron sent out applications to start his degree not too far from camp. It was exactly what Andrew wanted.
The race was noisy and the arena exploded with screams and shouts as campers cheered on their cabin leaders, only getting noisier when the Hephaestus cabin pulled through to win. Matt raised a hand to wave at the crowd before rushing to the Athena cabin chariot that was suspiciously unharmed. Katelyn secured third place, and Aaron somehow managed not to crash at all, earning himself sixth place only because the rest of the chariots had crashed along the way.
“Congratulations to the Hephaestus cabin,” Chiron said through the megaphone. Mr. D wasn’t in sight - probably bored enough to wander off. “Everyone, head towards the dining pavilion for the end-of-summer feast and to get your beads for this year.”
“Beads?” Neil asked, getting to his feet when Andrew did.
Andrew raised his necklace that had five beads on it. The first one was Apollo’s symbol for getting claimed, the second one had a silhouette of a flying Pegasus, the third was all black with a painted maroon jar in the middle for Renee’s quest, the fourth dark blue with giant waves, and the fifth was a yellow bead with the initials of all the current children of Apollo campers on it. Andrew got the last one after becoming cabin leader, just like all the other cabin leaders got.
“One for each year,” Andrew explained.
“Five years,” Neil mumbled.
“Now six,” Andrew said. “You’ll get one.”
When they went to the dining pavilion they had to go their separate ways, heading to their respective tables. The chatter was high in the pavilion that night, especially after the beads were being handed out. Andrew held out his hand for one when a satyr walked by, holding it up to his eye between two fingers. It was a dark blue bead with a golden bow aimed skyward, pure light notched like an arrow and ready to fly.
From across the pavilion, Andrew found Neil’s form. He was holding his own bead in one hand, the small and genuine smile he usually never wore stretching his lips. He fastened the bead on a string and tied it around his neck, letting it rest on his collarbones. Andrew kept watching him until Neil inevitably looked his way, staring for what felt like a full minute.
When the feast was over, everyone gathered at the amphitheater for a final sing-along that lasted far too long. Andrew found Neil in the crowd as they headed back to their cabins for the night, brushing their fingers just to let Neil know he was there before turning, heading to bed. He was in such a good mood that not even Aaron’s grumbling about the chariot race could bring him down, settling in his bed with the intention to sleep in the next morning.
With all the powers Andrew had recently discovered he’d had all along, he wouldn’t be surprised if a little bit of foresight ended up being one to add to the list. He wouldn’t get his hopes up about the dream he had, but he could want - he was allowed to want. Even if what he was wanting was nothing.
~*~
The cabin looked like a giant triangle with windows and an obnoxiously red door. Andrew wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take it seriously, but it was the only place around for miles, so it had to be the right location. He sent an unimpressed look Neil’s way, then started walking up the dirt path towards the porch, dragging his suitcase behind him.
“What?” Neil asked, completely oblivious to how ridiculous the place looked.
“Hm,” Andrew hummed, finding the place the key was hidden and unlocking the door.
At least the interior looked better than the exterior. They walked into a small kitchen fit with a stove, refrigerator and sink, all updated appliances against granite countertops. Beyond the kitchen was a small living space with a TV, couch, and tiny dining table. A spiral staircase led to the bedroom above, facing the giant windows that gave them a view of the back porch and mountains in the distance.
Andrew took a moment to stare at it all, then headed further inside. He could practically feel Neil’s smugness behind him. “Not bad,” he said anyway, completely fueling Neil’s ego and not finding it in himself to care.
“Ours for a week,” Neil reminded him. “Want me to take your suitcase upstairs?”
Nodding, Andrew headed for the glass doors and walked outside. The cabin was truly surrounded by nothing but open fields and the mountains in the distance, secluding visitors from even the closest town, which was forty minutes away by car. Andrew liked it, as ridiculous as the cabin looked, and hoped that they wouldn’t run into any monsters while on their mini vacation.
The doors made a ‘thunk!’ when they slid open again. Neil settled next to Andrew’s side at the railing of the back porch, watching the scenery in silence. It felt peaceful. Far more peaceful than two men like them had ever been allowed in their lives.
“Is it as beautiful as you’ve heard?” Andrew asked, looking to his left and admiring Neil’s side profile.
“Sure,” Neil said, a tiny smile pulling at his lips when he turned to face Andrew. “I almost can’t believe we’re here.”
“You’d have gotten yourself killed if I hadn’t gone with.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Glad we agree.”
It wasn’t often that Neil laughed, but he did now. It was quiet and short, almost blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but Andrew heard it loudly and clearly. He took a step closer, until Neil’s bicep almost brushed his chest, and took a moment to take everything in. This place, the land, the man he was somehow allowed to have.
“Staring,” Neil teased, leaning his head closer.
Andrew tipped his chin up to meet him halfway, capturing Neil’s lips in a soft and slow kiss that had somehow become something in the nothing he’d constantly felt. “You said there’d be a hot tub,” he pointed out when they broke apart.
“Yeah,” Neil whispered. “It’s behind you.”
“I’m going to change,” Andrew said, not moving to pull back just yet.
“Okay.”
Sometimes, Neil didn’t see things as an invitation unless they were spelled out. Andrew wasn’t sure if he hated it or not. “Get changed,” he added, running his fingertips over Neil’s shoulder blades as he turned around, heading back into the cabin.
“Okay,” Neil said.
Andrew could feel the warmth of Neil’s smile as he went back inside, like he was sinking into sunlight.