#I also have Fiddleford spilling the beans and telling Angie she's a half-blood written out

[thelastspeecher]

Well, both @mythomagically-delicious and @neptunesmirror told me to post some of the Olympian Falls nonsense I’ve written today, so here it is.  Stan and Ford showing a new half-blood around the camp.

              “So, here’s the cabins or whatever,” Stan said, waving a hand idly. The girl he and Ford had been tasked with showing around nodded silently.  “You’re a quiet kid, huh.”

              “I’m a bit out of my depth,” the girl said softly.  “I’d never left Arkansas before this week.”

              “Really?”

              “Mm-hmm.”

              “Huh.  Weird.”

              “You’ll be staying in our cabin,” Ford explained.  “Hermes.”

              “Why?  Is that who my father is?”

              “Nah,” Stan said after a moment, looking the girl over.  “You don’t look like one of us Hermes kids.  But we host kids who haven’t been claimed yet.”

              “Oh.”  The girl rubbed the back of her neck.  “When- when will that happen?”

              “Fuck if I know.  I got claimed right away.  Ford took a little bit longer.”  The girl nodded.  “I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

              “Angie.  Angie McGucket.”  Angie whispered her name, like she was afraid to say it.

              “What does your mom do?”

              “Why do you want to know?” Angie asked.

              “It might help us figure out who your dad is.  It’s your dad that’s your godly parent, right?”

              “Yeah.”  Angie sighed quietly.  “Ma had a job as a lawyer fer a while.  But she’s been a farmer’s wife fer as long as I can remember.”

              “Huh.  Any hobbies?”

              “She likes to sing and dance.  She has the prettiest voice.  And she’s a sharpshooter, like me ‘n Pa.”

              “Sharpshooter?”

              “Yeah.  Like with a rifle?  Anyways, I’m a sharpshooter, too.  Not as good as Pa, but I will be some day.”  Angie grinned, the first time Stan and Ford had seen her smile.  “I’m better ‘n everyone else in the fam’ly so far.”

              “Are you good with music, like she is?” Ford asked.  Angie nodded.

              “Yup.  I can play three instruments.  ‘N my folks named me after the banjo.  So it’d be a shame if I didn’t know my way around a few chords here ‘n there.”

              “Apollo?” Ford said quietly to Stan.  Stan nodded.

              “Seems like.  We should put a bow and arrow in her hands.  Betcha she’d get claimed right away.”  Stan smiled at Angie. “Hey, uh, you wanna go check out the archery range?”

              “I- I’ve never done archery.”

              “Yeah, but if you’ve got good aim with a gun, you might have good aim with a bow, too.”

              “Where is the archery range?”

              “Not too far from here.  Just past the stables,” Ford said.  Angie stopped walking.  “What?”

              “There’s stables here?” Angie squeaked.  Stan and Ford exchanged a look.

              “Yeah.  Uh, are you afraid of horses or something?” Stan asked.  Angie shook her head.  “Oh. Well, I was gonna tell you that they aren’t all horses in the stable, anyways.  There’s also pegasi.”  Angie’s jaw dropped.  “You all right there, kid?”

              “P-pegasi?”

              “Yeah.  Flying horses.”

              “Where is this?” Angie asked.  Stan nodded in the direction of the stables.

              “That way.  But I think we should check out the archery range-”  Angie took off at full speed in the direction Stan had indicated.  “And she’s gone.”  Stan sighed.  “Guess we better go grab her before she gets kicked in the face by a pegasus or something.”

              By the time Ford and Stan arrived at the stables, Angie was gushing over a chestnut pegasus mare.

              “Angie, you shouldn’t just approach the pegasi without training,” Ford protested.  Angie waved a hand.

              “I grew up on a farm.  I know how to handle horses.”  She looked back at the pegasus.  “The sign on yer stall says yer name’s Glowworm?  What a lovely name!  I bet it’s ‘cause yer wings ‘re so bright they practic’ly shine in the dark.” Angie stroked Glowworm’s muzzle. “I have a horse back home.  Her name’s Daisy.  I raised her from a foal m’self.”  Angie sighed sadly.  “I wanted to bring her with, but the satyr what brought me here said I couldn’t take her.” Glowworm nickered at her.  “Aw, thanks.  I just hope my brothers ‘ll take good care of her.”  Glowworm abruptly tossed her head, staring at Angie with wide eyes.  The pegasus in the next stall over neighed loudly.  Angie looked over.  “Yeah, I can understand ya.  And I don’t think ya need to use such strong language, sir.”  Glowworm neighed at her.  “Ever since I was a child.  Back home, Ma ‘n Pa put me in charge of all the horses, since I could talk to ‘em and understand what they said back to me.”

              “What the fuck?” Stan breathed.  Angie ignored him, instead focusing on Glowworm, who was making noise again.

              “Whattaya mean?  It- it ain’t a common demigod trait?  But- but-” Angie took a step back from the stall. “I- I thought there’d be people here like me.  That’s- that’s what I was told.”  Angie sniffed.

              “Shit, she’s gonna cry,” Stan muttered, moving over to her.  Angie sobbed.

              “All the flyin’ horses in the world can’t replace Daisy or- or- or my fam’ly.”

              “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay,” Stan said.  He put an arm around her shoulders.  “You’ve got family here, remember?  I bet once you get claimed, you’ll have even more half-siblings than you’ve got back home.”

              “I have five older siblin’s,” Angie said, her voice thick with tears. “And- and I miss all of ‘em.”  She looked at Stan with watery eyes.  “Is- is what the pegasi said true?  Demigods can’t normally talk to ‘em?”

              “Yeah,” Stan said reluctantly.  “I’ve never heard of that before.”

              “But once you get claimed, I’m sure it’ll all make sense,” Ford put in, joining Stan and Angie.  Angie sobbed again.  Glowworm nickered at Angie.  Angie smiled through her tears.

              “That’s- that’s awful sweet of ya, Glowworm.”

              “What did she say?” Ford asked.

              “That until I get claimed, she’ll be my fam’ly.”

              “Oh.  Yeah, that is nice,” Ford said.  He cleared his throat.  “Maybe we should make our way to the archery range now.”

              “No, Sixer,” Stan hissed.  He jerked his head at Angie, who was still crying.  “I think maybe we should go for a walk on the beach or somethin’.  Cool off a bit before we give the nine-year-old a weapon.”

              “I’m eleven,” Angie said quietly.  “Just small fer my age.”  She wiped her face and stared down at the ground determinedly.  “Did- did ya say the beach?”

              “Yeah.”

              “I’ve- I’ve never seen the ocean.”

              “Come on, then.  You’ve gotta.”  Stan led Angie out of the stables.  He and Ford tried to make idle conversation with Angie as they headed towards the beach, but she was still too upset to give more than one-word answers. Finally, the soil changed to sand.

              “Here we are,” Ford said.  Angie looked up.  She gasped. “The Atlantic Ocean.”

              “It’s- it’s beautiful,” Angie breathed.  She shook Stan’s arm off her shoulders and walked into the surf.  The waves broke against her sandal-clad feet. Her body relaxed from the tense posture she had held.  “I- I feel so calm.”

              “The ocean can do that,” Ford said.  “Stan and I grew up on the Jersey Shore.  It’s nice to stare out at sea and be reminded of home.”

              “This doesn’t remind me of the farm at all,” Angie said softly.  “But it feels like home.”

              “That’s ‘cause you’re at Camp Half-Blood now,” Stan said.  He joined Angie at the water’s edge.  “You’re home.”

              “Maybe,” Angie whispered.  Stan looked at her.  She seemed at peace, the water at her feet the same color as her eyes.  After few minutes, she sighed and stepped back. “I- I think ya wanted me to try my hand at archery.”

              “Oh!  Yeah, we did,” Stan said.  He grinned. “I bet you’ll be a natural.  Come on.  It’s this way.”

              The three left the beach, Ford and Stan’s shoes making wet footprints, but Angie’s completely dry sandals leaving none.