IV. magical dinner

                                    

                                          

   PRIOR TO DINNER, Luke mentioned that he bribed the Stoll brothers to steal an orange camp shirt for me from the store. He said that I would stand out less. I had no idea who either of them were until were until I was bombarded by a pair of boys standing in front of Cabin Eleven's door, one swinging a shirt like a lasso over his head while the other bounced back and forth on his feet. If there was one thing I was noticing, it was that Percy's hyperactivity was shared.
   "We didn't know what size to get, so we took one for all of them," the bouncing one told Luke proudly as we approached. He bent down and picked up a backpack from behind them both, unzipping it to show the two of us a pile of folded orange shirts.
   "You had kids steal for you?" I asked Luke with wide eyes. He didn't seem at all concerned, too busy giving the kid a high five.
   "No, they stole for you. Great job, Connor." Conner beamed, and his other brother came up beside him to stuff his makeshift shirt-toy into the backpack.
   "You must be the mortal!" the other boy said excitedly. He shoved the backpack in my direction, accidentally hitting the sling in the process. The flash of pain caused me to release a poorly hidden groan. Luke quickly took the bag into his hands. "How did you get into camp? Did it hurt when you fell down the hill? How did your brother kill the Minotaur? Why are you at camp if you aren't a half-blood?"
   I don't think he even stopped to breathe.
   "Yes, I am; yes, it hurt a lot; and I don't know," I tried to answer just as fast. The two looked absolutely identical, and I was trying to focus more on how to tell them apart. Connor seemed a few inches shorter, but I was going to be clueless for a few days if they came at me this quickly.
   "This is Travis," Luke introduced the boy, who lifted his chin about an inch to give me a proud grin.
   "Luke said we could have both of your desserts tonight if we didn't get caught," Travis told me. "And we didn't get caught." I wasn't aware that was something I'd be even getting, not to mention now losing. I didn't mind. Their energy was contagious.
   "Well, it seems only fair," I said, and the brothers exchanged gleeful looks. I remembered when Percy had a mischievous streak when he was younger. These two seemed to only grow into it, but considering that they were also children of Hermes, it made sense. This was the god of messengers along with thieves. It made me thankful that my mother had steered me toward Greek myth growing up, though the thought did send a twinge of grief through me. "Tell you what. I'll promise mine to you two for the rest of the week if you can bring these all back to my room once I change."
   "Careful on making deals with these two," Luke warned me over their excited gasps. "They'll hold you to it."
   "Nope, too late!" Connor said. The two raced inside the cabin before I could say otherwise, their laughter mixing into the muffled chatter. I shook my head in amusement. Luke passed the backpack back to me.
   "Showers and bathroom stalls are over there," the older camper told me, gesturing toward the small building closest to the roundup of cabins. "You won't find any privacy here. Just be back in ten minutes."
   "See you in a bit." I had managed to find my strength during the last parts of his tour of the camp, but my feet still felt sore as I entered the small cinderblock facility. I should have opted for my other pair of less beat-up sneakers.
   The girl's bathroom wasn't impressive; one side being a line of toilet stalls and the other a similar setup for showers. The smell didn't do any favors. It was a struggle to swap shirts, and I was unable to hide the few noises of pain I made as I briefly abandoned the sling. The orange seemed to practically glow under the harsh faded bathroom lights, but the material was comfy enough for New York's humidity. I was so focused on getting my left arm back into its supported position that I didn't notice the girl waiting outside my stall.