Hunter stood up from the couch with a grin. He casually walked over and joined Arabella in the doorway. He lightly put a hand on the small of her back and pressed his lips to her temple. "I'm going to help them with the bags." He said quietly before walking out into the sun. He patted Will on the shoulder and took the bags from Penny. "I see you guys found it okay." He said plainly as he brought their bags inside.
"Lovely place you've got here, Arabella." Will said, glancing around the house.
Arabella grinned at Will "Thanks, I put a lot of work into it" she said then giggled when Hunter looked back at her with a raised eyebrow "What? I painted a wall.." she said and rolled her eyes before following Hunter into the house "How was the drive?"
"Good!" Penny said happily and she grabbed a cooler full of food from the back and carried it inside "It went by pretty fast" she said with a shrug and she placed the cooler on the floor with a yawn "I can't wait to go swimming. It is so hot out today"
"Swimming. I could go for a swim." Will said with a nod as he placed the last bag in the house. Hunter chuckled.
"You could always go for a swim." Hunter said quietly. Will looked at him and shook his head.
"Don't judge me." He said with a chuckle. "So, what's the plan for the day? Dinner in a little while?" He said putting his hands together.
"Well, Hunter is making dinner, because I just said so" Arabella said then shrugged and she leaned against a counter ''Other than that...no plans" she said and twisted a piece of hair around her finger. She looked over at Penny and smiled "Let's go outside" she said quickly, grabbing Penny's wrist and pulling her towards the door.
"Oh..okay" Penny said in a slightly nervous voice. She waved at Will before Arabella dragged her outside and towars the lawn chairs that were set up by the beach.
"Let the guys worry about the bags. All we need to worry about it getting a tan" Arabella teased and gave Penny a wink before sitting down in a chair. Penny let out a soft sigh and sat down beside her.
Will turned to Hunter. "You're making dinner?" He said with a raised eyebrow. Hunter punched him in the arm.
"Don't hate. Chicks dig a guy who can cook." Hunter said with a chuckle. "Here help me with the bags. I'll show you where to put them." He said before grabbing a couple of bags. Will nodded and grabbed the rest of the bags.
"I'm not hating. I'm just...commenting." He said with a chuckle. "I can tell who wears the pants in the relationship. That's all." Hunter looked at him.
"Well....Yeah. That's true." Hunter said with a grin.
"I'm glad you guys came here this weekend, it should be fun" Arabella said and she leaned back in her chair, putting her sunglasses on. Penny looked over at Arabella and nodded softly. She was nervous about spending a weekend with Hunter and Arabella, but it was only because Arabella intimidated her a little bit. Penny had never known her from camp but she knew some of the other Aphrodite kids and they were all stuck up. She was worried that Arabella was going to be the same way.
"Yeah, me too. It'll be nice to spend a weekend with Will" Penny said and leaned back in her chair, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Is everything going okay for you and Will?" Arabella asked, looking over at Penny.
Hunter and Will brought the bags upstairs. Hunter lead him into Tyler's room and set the bags down. "Well, here's your guys' room." He said with a nod. "Ellie and I are across the hall." He shrugged and looked at Will. His cheeks were bright red and he looked nervous.
"We uh...We're..." Will stammered. "Umm...Hunter? Do you think that I could have a separate room? We're not really...THERE yet." He said with a sigh. Hunter looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You guys have been together for years. I walked in on you making out. You're not there, yet?" Hunter asked a little surprised. Will shrugged.
"Well, things moved really fast and I wanted it to slow down and so that's what we did. We slowed things down. I'm happy with where things are. I don't want to create more conflict, okay? That's all." Will said with a shrug. Hunter looked at him a little surprised at how similarly he felt. Hunter picked up Penny's bags and nodded.
"Alright, well she can go in Ellie's bedroom. Does that work?" Hunter said. Will nodded.
Penny looked over at Arabella and let out a little sigh. Could she really talk to Arabella about this? It was kind of personal but Arabella's mother is that goddess of love, right? So maybe Arabella would know what she was talking about "It's just been really...odd lately. I've been with Will for a really long time and everything was great for a little while but then he wanted to slow things down and it's been going really slow ever since"
"And you want more?" Arabella asked, turning towards her and putting her sunglasses on the top of her head. Penny looked at Arabella for a moment then nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, we've been together for years and he won't even sleep in the same bed as me" Penny said and let out a huff. She didn't really know what to do, at all. Will was her first boyfriend and she didn't know if it was something that she had done or not. It was confusing her.
Hunter and Will brought Penny's bags into Arabella's old room. Hunter looked around a little and sat down on the bed. "How does Penny feel about it?" Hunter said quietly. Will turned to him and cleared his throat.
"About what?" He said setting a suitcase on the bed. Hunter narrowed his eyes at him.
"What do you think I'm talking about?" He said with a shrug. Will shook his head.
"Right. Sorry. Umm...Well, I'm assuming she's okay. She would have told me, right?" He said looking at Hunter.
Arabella looked over at Penny and took a little breath "You just have to be honest with him. If something is bugging you, then tell him. You have a right to express your feelings too. If you're not happy then do something about it"
"I don't know. I don't want to fight with him for no reason" Penny said softly and picked at the hem of her shorts.
"Just talk to him. It doesn't have to be a fight" Arabella said and slid her sunglasses down to cover her eyes again.
Hunter shook his head. "I never thought that I would be the one who gives relationship advice." He said with a chuckle. He looked at Will and shrugged. "Has she been...distracted or aloof at all?" Hunter asked Will who sighed and started pacing.
"Maybe a little? I haven't noticed anything huge, but, dude, I really don't want to have an argument with her about this." He said with a shrug. "And I don't really want to move any further, right now." He said, still pacing. Hunter chuckled.
"It doesn't have to be a fight or even an argument." Hunter said calmly. "Just a little bit of relationship defining."
Penny sighed then looked out at the water. She knew that she was going to talk to Will but she didn't really want to. It made her anxious. "We should go swimming. I am so hot right now"
Arabella nodded and stood up. She walked to the house and stuck her head in "We are going swimming in little bikinis and you boys better join us damn quick!!" Arabella yelled and with a giggle she ran towards the beach. Penny already had her clothes in a bundle on the chair and was walking into the water in a retro bikini. Arabella smiled and pulled off her shorts and shirt to reveal a pink bikini and she ran after Penny, into the water.
Hunter heard Arabella and grinned. "Well, we have our orders." Hunter said with a chuckle. "Let's get out there." He nodded and walked into his room. He quickly changed his clothes and walked back out to find Will already sprinting down the stairs. Hunter chuckled and ran after him. "Hey, wait up." He shouted. They ran out of the house. Hunter chased after Will and almost caught up with him when he felt a large ball of water hit him in the chest. He flew backward and landed in the sand. "That's so unfair!" He said with a groan.
"Deal with it!" Will said with a chuckle before finally reaching the water and casually walking on the surface over to Penny. He lifted the water under Penny's feet and lifted her up to him. "Hey." He said quietly.
Penny wobbled a little bit at first before she steadied herself. She looked at Will with a bashful smile on her face, her cheeks slightly pink. After all of these years and all of this time together, Will still gave her butterflies. "Hi" she said softly and tucked a curl behind her ear.
Arabella walked out of the water and over to Hunter, who was sitting in the sand. She sat down next to him and she gathered all of her wet hair into one hand. She twisted it over Hunter's chest, squeezing water out. Arabella giggled and looked up at him "How are you doing?"
Hunter groaned and took a deep breath. "I've been better." He said with a sigh before smiling at Arabella. "How are you getting along with Penny?" He asked grabbing her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.
Will kept Penny and himself aloft on the water and lightly kissed her forehead. "I hope you guys weren't swimming long. I was a little disappointed when you guys started without me." He said with a chuckle before sweeping another lock of hair out of her face.
"Great! Penny is awesome. I like her" Arabella said with a smile and she moved close to Hunter, looking up at him with wide eyes. She lifted his hand up and held it close to her chest "What's going on?" she asked him, wondering if he was going to tell her the truth this time.
Penny laughed a little and shook her head "It didn't take you very long to get here" she teased and blushed when he brushed hair out of her face. She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly.
Will blushed and grinned at her putting a hand on her side. "You know how much I like swimming." He said with a grin. "Speaking of swimming..." He said with a chuckle before relaxing the water beneath Penny's feet, causing her to fall into the water.
"I'm sitting in the sand because that show off over there knocked me on my butt." He said with a shrug. He looked at Arabella whose expression was somewhat serious. "That's not what you meant, is it?" He said with a sigh. "What do you mean 'what's going on?'" He asked, running a thumb across the back of her hand.
Arabella shook her head and she looked down at their hands "I'm just worried about you, I guess" she admitted with a shrug "You seemed kind of lost in your thoughts today and I'm just worried that there is something wrong" she finished and looked up at him.
Penny let out a yell before he dropped her into the water and she stood back up, trying to get all of the hair out of her face "That is so mean" she said. Penny looked up at him then splashed him, laughing lightly.
Will laughed as the water harmlessly coasted off him, leaving him as dry as ever. He picked up a bunch of water and held it above her head. He raised an eyebrow and lowered the water below him before dropping it on her. He stepped forward and grabbed more water. He threw it high up into the sky and then released it so it looked like it was raining. He grinned as he soaked it in. He laughed when Penny emerged from the water again. He stepped forward and kissed her head gently. "You're cute when you're as wet as a fish."
Hunter looked her in the eyes. Maybe it would be okay to tell her that things were going too fast? "I'm just a little...nervous. That's all." He said quietly. He sighed and put his head on her shoulder. He watched as Will and Penny played in the water. It was so peaceful to just sit.
Arabella smiled softly when Hunter rested his head on her shoulder and she closed her eyes. It was easy to sit with Hunter like this, even if she was worried about him. Arabella took a deep breath and after a few minutes she opened her eyes "What are you nervous about?" she asked him gently.
Penny blushed when he kissed her head and she rolled her eyes in a teasing way. She froze for a second the wrapped her arms around Will's middle, pulling him closer to her. Penny looked up at him an smiled. Maybe this would be a good weekend for them. Maybe they would move faster, have more of a commitment together, take the next step in their relationship. She smiled up at him and kissed his lips lightly.
Will blushed and smiled against her lips. He lightly put a hand on her side and kissed her back. "I'm glad you came." He said with a grin. He was really glad that she came with him. He was happy where things were even if it meant just kissing and hugging.
Hunter lifted his head up and pushed himself off the ground. He took Arabella's hand and helped her up. He pulled her in for a hug, letting his hands graze down her back. He pressed his lips to her forehead for a few moments before looking at her. "Let me worry about that." He said with a small smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but Hunter interrupted her with a brief kiss, distracting her enough to move his hands to her sides. He quickly started tickling her sides and trapping her in his arms until she was red in the face. She managed to break free and started to run toward the water. Hunter laughed and chased after her.
Arabella laughed, running into the water. She splashed water behind her, getting Hunter wet before she stopped running and turned around to face him. Giggling, Arabella splashed him. hunter caught up to her and stuck his hands out as if he was going to tickle her again but she held her breath and dove under the water, swimming towards hie legs.
Penny let out a laugh when Arabella went running past her, and she broke away from her embrace with Will. Being with him felt good but she was nervous about it. She didn't know where their relationship was going and she was sure that she was ready to take the next step. She was crazy about Will. Penny was also nervous about kissing Will around Arabella. She was worried that she would look like an idiot "What are you making for supper, Hunter?"
Will stood next to Penny and looked at her. She broke away from him. He sighed slightly and looked at Hunter and Arabella playing in the water.
Hunter looked at Penny for a moment. "Well, Penny." He said before stepping backward and looking down at the figure swimming toward him. "I was going to make this pork that cooks in..." He bent down and wrapped his arms around Arabella's waist. "Apple cider." He said before lifting her out of the water and holding her upside down in front of him. "Did you want to help?" He said with a chuckle as Arabella squirmed in his arms.
Arabella squealed and twisted around in Hunter's arms "Dammit, Hunter!" she said but she stopped twisting around because she knew that falling would probably be a bad thing and she also didn't want her bikini top to pop off. She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. Hunter laughed and he put her down lightly and Arabella rolled her eyes at him with a smile on her face "I'm going for a shower" she said and she waved bye to Will and Penny. She put her hand on Hunter's chest and gave him a quick kiss before walking up to the house.
"Yeah, sure. I'd love to help you cook" Penny said with a smile, looking at Arabella's retreating figure quickly "Cooking is kind of a passion of mine" she admitted and headed for shore. She wrapped a towel around herself and grinned back at Hunter and Will.
Hunter smiled and watched Arabella walk away before turning to Will. He seemed lost in thought. "Will?" Hunter said walking toward him. no response. "Will. Earth to Will." Will shook his head and looked up at Hunter. "You coming?" He said pointing toward the house. Will shook his head.
"No, I think I'm going to stay out here for a while. Maybe have a talk with my dad." He said quietly. Hunter nodded and patted him on the shoulder.
"Well, I'll see you in there." He said. Will waved and started toward the water. Hunter stood there for a second before walking back toward the house. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders before walking inside. He dried off and quickly changed clothes before going into the kitchen to see Penny there blowing her hair out of her face. Hunter smiled a little as he recognized a habit of Kyle, Penny's half-brother. "So, what would you like to make?" He said leaning up against the counter.
Penny sighed, getting annoyed with her hair. Why couldn't it fall perfectly like Arabella's did? She pushed it out of her eyes and she looked up at Hunter "I'll make whatever you need me to" she said and quickly washed her hands. She was glad that she was getting to know Hunter. They didn't really get a chance to talk much in camp and she had heard good things about him from Will.
Hunter chuckled and washed his hands. "Well, I'll get started on the pork." He said reaching into the fridge. "You want to make some rice to go with it? Or maybe a vegetable of some sort? You can look in the fridge." He said pulling out apples, apple cider and an onion. He set them on the counter before making a realization. "You're a child of Demeter, so in reality you could make whatever you want." He said with a chuckle before grabbing a knife and starting to chop the ingredients.
Penny laughed a little and nodded "I'll make some rice and a salad and maybe something else" she said with a shrug and walked towards the cupboard. She grabbed the bag of rice and put it in the pot with the water "How have things been for you, Hunter? I think the last time I saw you, you were fighting a Titan and you had a broken arm. You were a hunter, too." she said with a slightly teasing edge to her voice as she grabbed a flower pot that had dirt but no flowers. with a wave of her hand, a head of lettuce grew.
Hunter sighed in jealousy of her power. "You demigods..." He said with a chuckle. "It's been a long few years." He said with a sigh. "That arm healed up pretty well, though. Prometheus did a good job banging me up." He chopped up and onion and set it off to the side. "So, what have you been up to?" He said clearing his throat.
"Oh, not much, really. Nothing has changed with me" Penny said and she plucked the lettuce. She ran it under the water and started to chop it up "Everything has been the exact same" she added under her breath, a little bitterly and she slipped the lettuce into a bowl. She let out a sigh then looked at Hunter "When did this whole thing with Arabella start?" she asked, curiously
Hunter took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth. "Uhh...something like...2 months? We didn't really start...'dating' until, like, 2 weeks ago or something like that. It seems like a blur." He said shaking his head as he diced the apples. "How long has it been for you and Will? I'm guessing 3 years, no?" Hunter said as he added all of the ingredients into a pot of broth.
Penny nodded and she waved a hand over the pot again, a small tomato plant grew with fat, juicy tomatos on them. She plucked one off and started cutting it up "Yeah, around that. I feels like it's been so long when I actually hear the time" she said with a small shrug and she put the tomatoes on top of the lettuce "What was it like? Leaving the hunters and start dating a girl for the first time? If you don't mind me asking.."
"No, it's fine." He said as he leaned against the counter. "It was odd. I mean, I left the hunters, because they pretty much hung me out to dry. That wasn't really difficult. the immortality was nice, but not really my thing, you know?" He said with a chuckle. Hunter had come to terms with the plate he was given a long time ago. "Dating a girl for the first time was...I don't know. It was new, of course, but with Arabella it was...wonderful. She's smart and kind and fun and...I'm blathering. Sorry. To sum up, she's great. I was awkward." Hunter said with a shrug and slightly pink cheeks.
Penny smiled at Hunter then turned back to her salad. She got rid of the tomato plant and quickly made a snow pea plant grow. She started plucking them off of the branches and tossing them into the salad "No, it's fine. I don't mind" she said and let out a little sigh "I'm with you on the awkward boat. It's been three years and I still have no idea what I'm doing and I feel like an idiot half the time"
"I don't believe that." Hunter said shaking his head. "Will really likes you. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just do what feels natural." He said, not realizing that he should take his own advice. "We'll be ready to eat in about half an hour I think." He said, checking on the pork. "Trust me, though. You guys are good together." Hunter said with a nod.
Penny look at Hunter with a small smile on her face "Thanks, Hunter" she said softly and quickly finished off the salad. She start chopping up some potatoes to roast ''You and Arabella are pretty great together" she said with a nod "She seems to be really crazy about you..I can practically feel it radiating off of her when I'm next to her. Must be a daughter of the goddess of love thing"
Hunter blushed slightly. "No, I just have that effect on people." He said with a grin. "To be honest, I'm pretty crazy about her. Don't tell her though."
"I heard that." Arabella said as she walked in and wrapped an arm around Hunter's side. Hunter looked down at her and gently kissed her before turning back to Penny.
"I smell food." Will said walking into the kitchen with a towel on his shoulders. Hunter wasn't sure why considering he didn't need to dry off. Will stood next to Penny and kissed her lightly on the temple. "This looks great, Penny." Will said with a chuckle.
Penny blushed softly when Will kissed her and she smiled up at him "Well, thanks" she said and tugged on the towel a little bit "What's the towel for?" she teased.
Arabella yawned and kissed Hunter's cheek before slipping out of his arms and getting all of the things together to make the table "Is it gonna be done soon?" she asked, looking over at Penny and Hunter "I am starving"
Hunter checked on the pork and smiled. "We're about ready, I think." He said with a sigh. "As soon as Penny's done we should be good." He nodded and stuck a fork in the pork. It pulled apart easily. "Awesome." He said before helping Arabella set the table.
Will chuckled. "Appearances mostly. I felt left out." He said before taking the towel off and tossing it over Penny. He wrapped her around the waist and pulled her close. "And catching beautiful girls." He said before kissing her gently on the lips.
Penny blushed deeply as he pulled her closer and kissed her. She smiled against his lips and gently placed her hands on either side of his neck. She liked kissing him. Kissing him was easy. But they never did anything more than that. Penny wasn't rushed or anything but she worried if there was something wrong with her. If there was something that was keeping him from wanting to do anything more. If she had done something wrong. "I should finish the food" she whispered.
Arabella looked up at Hunter and smiled. She was looking forward to this weekend. It was supposed to be beautiful and sunny the whole way through. Arabella was pretty excited about becoming friends with Will and Penny. She didn't really have too many friends other than Daniel and Philippa "I was thinking that we could go for a walk tomorrow, down the path in the woods? Maybe we could do a dinner over the fire too" she said happily.
"I always like a challenge." Hunter said with a chuckle. He finished setting the table with Arabella and went back to the kitchen. He plated all the food and brought it to the table. "Alright. Let's do it. Dinner is served."
Will took Penny's hand and lead her to the table. "I'm going to go put on a shirt, actually. I'll be right back." He said before kissing Penny on the cheek and rushing upstairs. He ran into his room and pulled on a camp shirt before rushing back down and joining everyone at the table.