Welcome

[Bryson Rogers]

It really was too early to be considering going to bed, but that was the exact though going through Bryson’s mind as he entered the cabin.

All his siblings seemed to still be out socializing with everyone else at camp since the cabin was empty. Then again, lights out wasn’t for hours. Bryson wished he could be like those kids all socializing, running around and having fun, but he wasn’t like that. He didn’t know what to say to most of these people. He just stood there awkwardly, listening to everyone else talk while attempting not to straight out stare at the pretty Aphrodite girls. It was just better that he stayed in here. Make stuff or something.

Bryson really did wish he was like those cooler kids. Heck, even his brothers seemed pretty social and much cooler than Bryson would ever be. He looked up to all those older cool kids he had spied on that day at the arena, all training how to fight. Bryson would never do anything like that, but it was insane how bad he wished he was like those guys.

He never would be though. He would always just be that weird, quiet, klutz from the Hephaestus cabin.

Sitting on his bed in the back corner of the cabin, Bryson sighed, looking around the cabin. It really was any Hephaestus kids dream in here with all the tools and materials packed in the cabin. He kind of felt the need to build something, but decided against it because he just wanted to sit in bed and try to stop feeling bad for himself. Maybe taking his mind off his social issues with a project would help, but right now he couldn’t be bothered. Instead, Bryson just played with a little walking toy he made a while ago, winding it up and watching it walk around. This was a pretty typical night for the boy.

The only difference was now he was at camp, not his tiny room in a apartment back in Chicago.

[Paris Milligan]

Paris had been busy doing what he did everyday after a good day of work. He had gone for a swim. A part of him had hoped he would see Crystal there, but then again he wasn't sure. Out of all the people he had met so far, she had been the most tolerant of his weirdness. Now he had probably offended her and she'd never want to talk to him again. He was okay with that. It was better that way, he told himself over and over.

He had other things to worry about now. His hair was still a little wet, and he ran his towel through his hair as he entered his cabin. He was the oldest in his cabin and now cabin leader so he always felt the need to look after the others.

He was their older brother after all. He had to make sure that they were okay. So when he saw the newest addition to his family, sitting by himself, Paris decided to go over to him. He threw the damp town on his own bed and walked over to the boy.

"Bryson, right? You should be outside on a fine day like this." Paris shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled at his brother. "Have you tried the lava climbing wall yet? I hear it's a blast."

[Bryson Rogers]

Hearing his name get called out, Bryson quickly looked up. He was actually surprised to see his older... brother? Was that what he was supposed to call him now. He didn’t look like a brother that was for sure. This guy was cool looking, taller than him and didn’t look nerdy at all. Nothing like Bryson, who still seemed to believe he had gotten some of his father’s looks. This guy could be a Aphrodite kid! If he claimed to be so, nobody would tell the difference. Everyone would know where Bryson belonged though.

Honestly, Bryson still couldn’t believe he was related to any of these people.

Nodding when he said his name, Bryson put the stupid toy he had made in his pocket. Lava climbing wall? Was he kidding? Bryson would die on that thing. “I.. I wouldn’t know where to go.” He said honestly. Being the new kid sucked.

“And I... uh, no. I haven’t exactly tried it yet. I, uh, don’t know if I could ever do it.” Well, he did know. He knew there would be no way he would ever make it up that wall. He may be stronger from working at the construction site a lot, but he was in no means agile or gracefully. He would end up falling into the lava. He was sure Paris would be able to climb the wall. He looked like someone who would fly up and down that wall in the blink of an eye.

He really was grateful at Paris’s attempt to start a conversation, but in all honesty, he had no idea what to say next. What were you supposed to say to your cool, older half-brother? Bryson didn’t know how to start conversations with people his own age, let alone the cooler people at camp like Paris. Instead he just hoped his brother would say something else so he wouldn't have to. He also hoped that he his brother didn't leave. He really did want to talk! He just... never knew the right things to say to new people.

[Paris Milligan]

If he had known how highly Bryson thought of him, Paris would have been shocked. Paris wasn't exactly self-conscious, but he he at the same time did not think very much about his image. He never really considered how people saw him, and honestly even hearing a negative comment about him would surprise the demigod. Anyway, he had no way of knowing this thought process so he simply focused on trying to be a good older brother. He liked to believe this was not just one of his brief obsessions, he really wanted to be a good brother. Unlike most things, he would not grow board of it and toss into some dusty corner. His figurine making phase had already passed and all of them were put away in a box.


"There are lots of places to go. I just came for the creek. It's a very nice place to swim. Well there are lots of places to swim. There is also the cabin circle. A lot of people just hang out around there." Paris shrugged. "You'll get used to it soon enough." Paris had adjusted to camp pretty quickly. He figured his brother had to be much more well adjusted, and thus he would probably fit in much faster than Paris had. Even now, Paris really didn't have many friends.

Paris nodded. "Well, if you want, I can take you to the lava climbing wall. I've climbed up it a few times. I can give you some pointers." It was pretty easy for Hephaestus kids in general. Even if the lava touched them, it would not burn them. All it took after that was strength, which came from all their metal working. Paris was sure Bryson would pick it up quickly.


"So have you met any cool people yet?"

This post has been edited by Paris Milligan on Feb 13 2012, 02:55 AM

[Bryson Rogers]

Bryson listened to his older brother, somewhat happy he wasn't having to talk much. It was always the worst when people asked him a million questions, or seemed to need some long response to whatever they say. Bryson preferred to just listen, really.

Well, everyone knew about the cabin circle; that place was the worst. So many people and crowds, where he would probably end up tripping or falling then everyone would laugh at him. Ha, like he would spend time there. Plus, everyone in the cabin circle seemed to be with friends. Bryson had none. Hanging around there would just remind him how lonely he was. But Bryson had never been to the creek. Where was that? It sounded nice, unless the place was super crowded, because crowds were never fun.

He nodded when Paris said he would get used to it soon, but he seriously doubted it. He had no friends before camp, he seriously doubted he would make any here. He had promised himself when he had heard he was coming to this place that he would change; make some friends for once. Yet, since coming here all he had done was stutter around pretty girls and fall on his face. Nothing had changed from before.

"I can try, I guess." He said, totally unsure of himself. Like he would ever make it up that wall, but he wasn't going to say no to his cooler, older brother.

Had he met anyone cool? He guessed he did. Were those girls considered cool around here? "I met.. an Aphrodite girl.. Ju-Julia." And he fell on his face. Little did he know the Aphrodite girl had given him a fake name. "And another girl. With red hair... Pixie." And he had met Paris. Paris was cool. Otherwise he hadn't met anyone. Bryson had been hiding away since getting here. "I don't really know.. how to like, talk to new people." He confided in Paris. "So I haven't really met anyone." Why was he even telling him this? Paris was going to think he was some antisocial freak.

[Paris Milligan]

Paris realized that sometimes he talked too much. It was simply a part of how his mind worked. The teen would get excited about something and he would never be able to shut his mouth up. Briefly he had been obsessed with chemistry and he had learned the periodic table by heart and this was able to spout of random bits of fact about most of the elements. Even when he wasn't obsessing over something, he still talked a lot.

He liked to think of it as one of his flaws. To his annoyance, he could not get over any of his flaws. He was very aware of all of them, but he could not seem to fix them. Right now he was telling himself to shut up but he kept on talking. He felt bad. What if Bryson wanted to say something, but he couldn't because Paris was hogging all of the conversation.

"Yes, try. You must try everything at least once I think. You can't know what you like until you've tried it. Of course the same goes for things you don't like. If I didn't try escargot I'd never know that I hated it."

"Talking to people is easy," Paris said. The teen found it odd that he appeared to be the most sociable out of his brothers.

He wasn't sure about his sisters, but from this conversation and the one he had with Benjamin, Paris was positive that he was indeed the least socially awkward. The idea boggled his mind. He felt weird and judged all the time. He guessed the difference came in the fact, Paris had for the most part accepted it and had not let it bothered him in most cases.

"Just walk up to someone and say hi. From there it's just a matter of finding a common ground to talk about. Talk about your interests and I assure you that your conversation will go well."