Solis

Chapter VI

It had been about two weeks since Kayla and Austin needed to return to their homes outside the camp. Ron was upset for a whole day after hearing this, but the two promised to come back in the summer with lots of different sweets from outside the camp.

Austin told Ron that he had some comics he wanted him to see. Knowing that Ron had difficulty reading, Austin explained that he could just look at the drawings to understand the story. Intrigued and excited, the redhead looked forward to seeing the comics.

For the remaining days, the three of them spent their time exploring and enjoying the camp, dreading the moment when they would have to part ways tomorrow.

Ron tried his best not to burst into tears, so he decided to hug his brother Michael, who were stading beside the redhead. Michael was taken aback by the sudden hug, hesitating at first, but then he hugged Ron back as they watched Kayla and Austin step onto the van below the hill.

Michael really needed that hug, as he had endured two weeks of chaos because of his three younger half-siblings.

Ron sneaks into Annabeth's bed that evening, and the older girl doesn't seem to mind, being used to his occasional visits. She comforts Ron, assuring him that Kayla and Austin will return in the summer.

“Do you want to go play with us tomorrow, with Luke?" Annabeth suggests.

“I'd like that," Ron whispers, feeling reassured. “Can I see our picture again with Thalia and Luke, please?“ He requested.

Ron smiled gratefully as Annabeth hummed sleepily and handed him the picture. He was glad she had put it in a frame instead of just sticking it on the wall—the redhead hugged it against his chest.

His saviors.

Most importanty, his found family. 

Ron immediately falls asleep, surrounded by the sounds of light snoring from Annabeth's half-siblings inside the cabin.

The morning at camp began with the usual outdoor activities and lively chatter among the campers. Ron was playing beside the lake with Luke and Annabeth, enjoying the peaceful start to the day while they chatted about their plans for today.

“Look, a big rock!" Ron excitedly showed them the large rock he had found.

“Ron, don't you dare throw it at the lake. You'll hurt the Nymphs," Annabeth said firmly, shaking her head at his mischievous idea. 

Ron insisted that the Nymphs loved it when he threw rocks at them and that they would catch them. Without hesitation, he tossed the big rock onto the lake, and indeed, a Nymph caught it with a giggle.

Luke chuckled at the playful interaction, while Annabeth blushed slightly, realizing that Ron was right. "Fine," she muttered, giving in to Ron's playful antics.

"You know, we should have a picnic here sometime," Luke suggested as he crossed his arms and playfully nudged Annabeth on her shoulder.

“Did I hear a picnic!?" Ron shouted from not too far away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was throwing rocks at the lake just moments ago.

“Ron, come back here!“ Annabeth shouted back. 

“Sorry, I can't hear you now!“ The redhead replied. 

Annabeth let out a heavy sigh and replied, "Yeah, about picnics, we might have to sneak in some food from the Pavilion.“

Luke grinned mischievously and remarked, "You do realize we're good at sneaking, right?"

Annabeth responded nonchalantly, "Nope," pretending not to be convinced. "But, I have a few snacks left in my cabin," she added, suggesting they could still have a satisfying picnic with the treats she had saved. The two friends exchanged playful glances, already scheming on how to make the picnic a success.

“So, what's the plan?“ The two jumped in surprised when a red hair suddenly appeared in the middle of them.

🔆

One month had passed, and during that time, Ron had been causing chaos with other kids. However, whenever the Stolls appeared searching for him, he would quickly run away. There's one day, when Travis was able to catch him and carried him over his shoulder like a sack. Ron screamed, demanding to be released as Travis spun around multiple times, causing dizziness and nearly making them fall to the ground.

They were bullies! The Stolls were bullies! and they were evil, sent by no one—but Hades!

Ron successfully broke free from their grasp, running as fast as he could, and panting heavily as he sought refuge near the Big House. In case the Stolls managed to track him down, he planned to call out Chiron's name loudly for help—and exhausted from both running and being twirled around, he decided to collapse on the ground, drenched in sweat.

As Ron was about to take a moment to rest, he heard some footsteps. His instincts told him to get up so he quickly sat up and glanced around—but wat he saw is a familiar figure running away from the Big House.

"Annie?" Ron whispered, recognizing the person he saw.

The next day, when they were all together at the beach side of Long-Island Sound, Annabeth seemed distant and uninterested in talking with Ron and Luke. Ron grew increasingly confused as days passed, noticing that Annabeth was actively searching for something—like observing the new campers arriving each day there was new mentions of new names in the Pavilion.

Luke tried to reassure Ron, telling him not to worry about Annabeth's behavior. Ron didn't fully understand, so he decided to let it go and focused on playing with Luke instead.

Ron didn't have any intention of eavesdropping on some of the campers from Athena at the Amphitheater tomorrow morning for music session. It was just Ron decided to sit near the group—and it wasn't his fault that he overheard them mention Annabeth so his ears perked up. 

As the group chatted, one of the girls with dirty blonde wavy hair strummed a guitar and sighed, saying, "Annabeth was having nightmares again."

"Again? I thought they had already stopped." The other girl responded with a surprise expression.

The first girl shook her head and said, "Nope. They're getting worse."

This news worried Annabeth's other half-siblings, and one of them said, "What should we do? She doesn't seem to want to tell us what's bothering her."

"I'm not sure..." Another replied.

So Ron found himself at the sword fighting arena, tightly hugging Annabeth, who still had her armor on. The sudden display of affection seemed to catch the older girl off guard, but she eventually relaxed and accepted the little boy's hug.

“Ron, are you okay?” Annabeth asked, concerned.

“I should ask you that,” Ron replied, glancing up at his friend. “I heard you were having nightmares.”

Annabeth nodded, a bit taken aback by Ron's understanding of the situation.

“I know how scary it can be when it feels like a monster is devouring you in your dreams, and you're defenseless," Ron continued, expressing empathy. "But you don't have to face it alone. Luke and I will always be here for you, forever and ever!“

He heard Annabeth chuckle a little and ruffled the redhead's hair affectionately. "I know. I know, Ron," she said, sniffling slightly as she leaned her face against the boy's head.

Ron, wanting to offer comfort, suggested, "Do you want me to sleep beside you tonight? It'll be even better if Luke is there with us too!"

Annabeth hesitated but shook her head, answering nervously, "No! I mean, not with Luke. I'm fine with you, silly."

Ron giggled at her response. "Really? Okay," he said, pleased to know he could be there for her.

"Thanks, Ron," Annabeth sighed gratefully.

🔆

The week before summer brought a big hassle for Ron as all the campers began cleaning their respective cabins and discussing the return of many campers, including potential new ones found by satyrs. The camp was bound to get crowded in summer, and the head counselors had to arrange for more bunk beds, especially in the Hermes cabin.

Lee returned early that week with two boxes of bandages, stocking up the infirmary in anticipation of the many injured and sick campers that might need medical attention. He enlisted Ron and their half-siblings to help clean the infirmary and wash the blankets that had been stored there. Everyone, including the redhead was actively participating with others to clean various areas around the camp.—such as organizing armors in the armory, polishing different types of weapons, and assisting the Demeter campers in tending to the strawberry fields. 

While Chiron was there with some old satyrs, overseeing their work as they prepared for the summer. 

The camp needed to wait for a week before it became crowded and lively, and now, Ron woke up to the sounds of chatter and excitement both inside and outside their cabin—indicating that the time had come.

"Welcome back!" Ron cheerfully greeted his half-siblings, toothbrush still in his mouth, as he hugged them.

"Hello, Ron! We missed you!" They replied, returning the hug. 

As they settled into their bunk beds, one of Ron's half-siblings let out a loud groan, expressing their dissatisfaction with school. Ron was curious about their experiences, so he asked them what they enjoyed doing in school.

“Oh, I just like science." One of them responded shrugging.

“Science is fun, I enjoy learning about planets." Another chimed in.

"Same," 

"Me too,"  

"I'm more into medical stuff, soooo planets aren't really my thing," the older sibling chuckled, pulling all of them into a warm hug. "Come here and hug your big bro!"

However, their tender moment was interrupted by a playful tease. "Brian, stop! You stink!" one of them exclaimed.

Brian defended himself, saying, "Hey, I just took a bath!" as he playfully pushed them away, earning a laugh around the cabin and ended up in a banter even starts throwing things with each other. 

Ron quickly sought refuge under his blanket, attempting to avoid being hit by a pizza that one of his half-siblings had ordered before arriving at the camp.

Just then, the door slammed open, and a stressed-out Lee appeared, announcing urgent tasks for them to complete. "Listen up! Four of you, get over here and help me out in the infirmary! We got three campers who keep puking. Three of you, clean the cabin again 'cause there's gonna be an early inspection. The rest of you, go and assist the other campers. Come on, hustle!"

With the camp bustling and everyone pitching in to address the sudden issues, Ron and his half-siblings swiftly went about their assigned tasks without any complaints, they don't want to see another version of Michael Yew when angry—thank you very much!

Ron was about to fetch a broom when the cabin door opened again, revealing his favorite two half-siblings.

“Kayla! Austin!" He shouted excitedly, rushing over to hug them and plant kisses on their cheeks.

“Aw!" Kayla giggled, and Austin yelped in surprise from the sudden affectionate gesture. 

“Hello there!" The rest of the half-siblings who had started cleaning the cabin greeted Kayla and Austin, eagerly offering their help with their luggage. One of their half-brothers, Jonathan, appeared curious as to why their luggage was so heavy.

Kayla opened her luggage and revealed an assortment of sweets and snacks, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

“You can't just do this to us!" their half-sister, Hayley, who was known for being on a sugar-free diet, groaned in exasperation.

Ron's eyes sparkled at the sight of the various chocolates and snacks. Kayla encouraged him to try one, and he didn't hesitate to grab one and take a bite. As everyone indulged in the treats, the cabin cleaning was momentarily forgotten.

Austin then handed Ron the comics he wanted to show him. Excitedly flipping it open, Ron admired the drawings and tried to ignore the small letters that seemed to jump and twist, making it difficult for him to read. 

"Who's this?" Ron asked, pointing at the man with big white eyes in a red suit in the comic.

"That's Spiderman," Kayla replied, peeking behind them.

"Who's Spiderman?" Ron inquired again.

"He's a hero!" Austin said, pointing at the action scene in the comic.

"I thought we're the only heroes?" Ron asked, puzzled, as he sometimes heard Chiron's speeches about them being heroes.

"What I'm saying is that Spiderman is just a fictional character, a creation of artists and storytellers!" Austin tried to clarify, noticing Kayla struggling to explain. 

The concept of fictional heroes seemed new to Ron, and the redhead hummed thoughtfully, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Who's his godly parent then!?" he asked excitedly, referring to Spiderman.

Kayla bit her lips, unsure of how to explain. "Uhm..."

"He's different," Austin added.

"I thought he's a hero!" Ron frowned, feeling a bit perplexed by the distinction.

"Well, different from us," Kayla clarified. "You know what? Let's ditch the comic stuffs and give the climbing wall another shot instead!"

The two groaned, with Austin muttering under his breath, "But I hate that wall..."

Kayla attempted to seize the comic from Ron's hand, but the redhead was quick and managed to dodge her. "But it's cool!" he insisted.

"Spiderman is not cool, Superman is," Kayla interjected.

"Who's Superman?"

"Kaylaaaaa!" Austin said with exasperation.