In the Light of Day| Deacon

This is insane. Melanie thought to herself as she walked out the door with a book and the beach bag she had found in the back of her closet. She needed to get away from the House of Hades, as her siblings seemed to be going at it again and she refused to listen to it any longer. Who knew that sound could carry that well in a house that size?

Luckily, the beach wasn't far off. She would find a nice, secluded area and stay there until she knew at least one of them had left. Sure, it was a little chilly outside, but as long as she wasn't too close to the water she would be better off there than in the house. After a short walk, she found her way to a rocky over hang that would make a nice little cubby hole for her reading pleasure.  The beach towel was large enough for her to have a significant amount of space and the throw blanket that she had brought along would keep her nice and warm. The only thing left to do was crawl in there herself.

Situated inside the cozy opening, she was able to still see the ocean without having to worry about getting wet, not to mention that the rocks were decently warm for the air temperature being so chilly. Melanie began to settle in and opened the book that she had brought along. She had barely finished the first page when she heard someone making their way into her hiding spot. Surely no one had seen her? Placing the book face down on the towel beside her, she moved to see who was coming.



@deacon

Apparently Deacon had taken a liking to the beach on Concordia recently. Today, there was a good bit of cloud cover which made the wind bitter cold on him skin. He couldn't even tell what time of the day it was. Lost in his thoughts, the only reason he was brought back to the beach was the sight of that Thorn girl crawling into a tiny cave like a toddler who had just built a fort out of pillows.

When he got closer, he noticed that that was exactly what this must have been to Melanie. She was all set up with a book and a blanket and looked like she was ready to settle in for a while. It didn't take long for her to notice his footsteps on the sand. When he saw that he had stopped reading to examine the noise, he bent over and climbed in. It made him feel awkward and ridiculous and Deacon could guarantee that he wouldn't be doing this again, "How many grown adults have a hidey hole, I mean let' be honest..." He said, grinning at Melanie.

When Melanie noticed who was coming up over the edge of her hiding spot, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of dread. It could have been worse, other people could have found her. Then again maybe everything would be alright and he would leave her be. Deacon proved her wrong when his head popped up over the ledge.

"If you lived with my siblings, you would understand." she countered, attempting to shift around so that he would have room to settle in. Once the shifting and elbowing was over with for the moment, she offered part of the blanket to Deacon. "There isn't a big enough house in the world to stop them when they get going, and even staying in my suite can't keep the noise out."

Yes, the explanation wasn't a great one for a person her age, but she had to get away from them sometimes and today's solution had been this. Come to think of it, she may have to do something like this more often as long as she could find a better hiding spot.

Deacon couldn't help but shake his head, "So you mean to tell me, the giant toddler with a hidey hole is hiding from her mean little brother and sister because they are crying too loud?" He laughed and slid down the wall so he was sitting as well. He was younger than her, but he could see the ridiculous behavior being more than annoying. That is exactly the reason why he chose to live along rather than move in with a bunch of Athena and Minerva kids. He knew all they would do it argue over who was right all the time and, obviously Deacon would be right the most. That would just drive them all crazy.

"If they were only crying, I would understand it and just put my headphones on. However, when the sword came flying THROUGH the wall, again, it's time to vacate the premises. And no, I didn't stutter. Through. The. Wall. As for my being an over grown toddler, you can feel free to leave at any time, Jacoby." She snapped, wishing she had picked a spot that would be easier to escape from. Currently, she would have to get past Deacon to leave and that wasn't an option. She chose to turn her head instead, facing towards the ocean instead of having to look him in the eye.

Of course, Melanie understood why it would seem childish to someone who didn't live in the House of Hades. She had to get out and the Commander hadn't contacted her in weeks, so she hadn't been able to leave the island. At one point she had almost considered moving in to the Barracks in order to maintain her sanity. She didn't expect Deacon to understand that.

He couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't that he didn't understand. He had his fair share of siblings and knew how things could get. He could especially understand that Hades kids were just that much worse. The things is, it was just too entertaining to tease her about it. She was so easily ruffled that it would almost be a shame not to get under her skin a little. So Deacon shook and head and laughed and watched her struggle with his teasing.

He sat himself right in from of the small entrance, calmed by the chilly wind that swept it's way inside behind him, "Oh, you'll be okay." He said sweetly, "What are you reading?" He motioned to her book, suddenly changing the subject.

"Some young adult novel that a kid showed me on the mainland when I was undercover. It's a little childish at points, but the concept behind it was interesting." She replied as she picked up the book, marked her page, and handed it to Deacon. "It's about what happens if parrallel worlds were to collide. She's essentially living two lives at the same time, all because one small thing changed."

The explanation didn't do the book justice. Sure, it wasn't a classic, but it was interesting. Plus, her siblings had a prejudice against reading most things that weren't written in Greek, so she didn't have to worry about these books disappearing. Even if it was harder, she preferred the English versions of almost everything.

"I what that would be like, and if there is a world out there somewhere where we're all still back at camp, happy and alive. Back when everything was right, you know?" She whispered with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. She wasn't even quite sure he had heard her, mostly because she wasn't sure she wanted him to. It was an interesting theory, but that was all it was. A theory.

Deacon narrowed her eyes to squint to squint at the Engish letters on the back of the book. After a few long moments of staring he finally got the gist of what the book was about and nodded, "It certainly sounds interesting." He said, handing the book back to Melanie. He had heard he little rumble wondering about a parallel dimension where everyone was safe at Camp Half-Blood again.

That was a strange thought. Deacon didn't spend too much time wondering of what could have been. After all, that served no logical purpose. But he wasn't all brains and every now and then it was nice to try and be...normal. He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling in thought, "A world where were all still at Camp, huh?" He wouldn't definitely have seen his father by now. That would be nice. Five years without his best friend had been rough in the beginning, but he was used to it by now, "I am not sure I even have the imagination to think about something like that." He shook his head and laughed a little, trying to shake off the feeling of ineptitude.

"Alright, an easier and more recent scenario then." She replied, eager to continue the conversation with someone who might actually be able to follow. "We've known each other for what, two weeks? Say one of us had chosen to do something different. In a parallel universe, we wouldn't know each other. If I had headed to the food court or stayed in the house until my meeting or you had chosen to go somewhere else, things would be different, and in that other place, they are." She was almost breathless by the time she finished. The theory was interesting, much more interesting than she probably should have found it.

Deacon narrowed his eyes, able to imagine the scenario vaguely, but still not understanding, "Can I ask, though, what is the actual relevance of such a thought experiment?" He started, trying to put himself in a mindset to understand, "Does it serve any purpose other than to satisfy your own curiosity?" Yeah, it didn't make sense at all, "I mean, wouldn't it just leave you wondering if you were right about what happened? What if we met at a different time? I am not sure I understand why that is something worth studying." He always was more of a non-fiction fan, anyway.

Melanie couldn't help it. She had to laugh, especially now. This whole situation was absolutely absurd. Here she was with a guy she barely knew, inside a hole in a rock, discussing parallel universes and he was worried about whether or not the theory was too unrealistic.

"Alright," She started once she was finally able to calm down. "I'll concede that the plot is ridiculous if you'll explain to me why this seems so far-fetched to a demi-god." Though she was smiling now, she had to acknowledge the error in her hiding spot. It was becoming much too cramped for them to sit in properly. They really needed to either re-locate or part ways.

Deacon shook his head, "I am not saying that alternate dimensions, alternate realities, don't exist, I am just saying there is no merit in studying them. Whether they exist or not doesn't much affect the reality we live in now, especially since we have no way of reaching these alternate dimensions." He glared at her book in thought, "None of the gods have such powers so it wouldn't make sense for demi-gods to have it. The only creatures I can see being affect might be the fates." The cave seemed smaller than when he first climbed in and he was suddenly considering bowing out for a 'meeting' he didn't actually have.

"Alright, alright. Come on, let's get out of here. It's way too early for philosophy and this is no where near fun. Entertaining for me, yes, fun for us both, no." Melanie said as she started packing up her stuff and moved as close to the entrance as she could. "I'm starting to think we can only be in each others company if we are playing with sharp, pointy objects."

Deacon shook his head, moving to crawl out of the uncomfortable space, "Well, you know me. If it isn't dangerous, it's not worth doing." He grinned sarcastically, trying to to laugh at himself for the ridiculous comment. He understood why she hadn't wanted to continue the conversation. This was probably the most straight 'agree to disagree' situation he had ever experienced and honestly, he was impressed that she had been mature enough to recognize that neither of them were going to budge from their ideology. It made him appreciate her company beyond the seemingly awkward conversation.

Shooting Deacon a small grin, Melanie jumped out of the opening and stretched. She wasn't quite sure how long they had been in there, but she did know that her muscles were sore from the cramped space. She needed to run or have some sort of movement, which certain sharp, pointy objects would allow her. "Alright, Jacoby, what's your poison of the day? The practice fields or the range?" She inquired, adjusting her load as she went. A work out would be just what she needed, allowing her to let off some steam between jobs.