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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Nate’s grin widened as she accepted his offer. [color=04ed42]"Hey, I'll gladly join if you can keep up."[/color]

[i]Keep up?[/i] Andy’s head tilted to the side slightly at his challenging tone. She had assumed their dancing would have remained relatively the same, just some general swaying or bouncing on beat, nothing more and [i]definitely[/i] not something more structured. But then his posture changed, moving into something more poised, that felt very… [i]surprising[/i] for someone who looked more like a jock rather than a ballroom dancer. Her gaze fell to his white converse as his feet started moving back and forth, and he tried to guide her in a similar rhythm. 

[color=04ed42]"Step, break, step... step, break, step..."[/color] He tried to keep beat for her, even nodding his head in sync with their steps. Andy didn’t have a clue that [i]this[/i] was what he meant when it came to dancing. Her eyes were wide like a deer in headlights, fixated on their legs as she stumbled through the motions, nearly stepping on his feet more than once. She had enough coordination to do the standard slow dancing that was little more than swaying in a circle, or just spinning around, but this? She felt vastly underqualified. She looked and felt like an idiot as she tried to keep up. Her steps were a little off beat and her gaze never looked up from their feet, hoping a sharp eye would help where her skill lacked. [color=04ed42]"Took a few classes in high school, and got hooked on salsa nights at a local club."[/color]

She laughed awkwardly, sparing him a quick glance but immediately looked back down. [color=bd1664]"I’m sure the ladies love it."[/color] [i]Ladies[/i], sure, but not Andy. This was a little too advanced for her tastes. Salsa, the tango, a waltz? Those were all things that were pretty in a fairytale. It wasn’t an image she often imagined herself in. If Mason tried any of that on her, it’d be a different story, but dancing was not his scene… let alone something like Salsa. [color=bd1664]"I was on the wrestling team and took self defense classes in High School,"[/color] she confessed, painting the stark contrast in their extracurricular activities. He could spin her in circles, while she could kick his ass. It probably wasn’t the best thing to confess to a guy, but she wasn’t trying to impress him and she [i]definitely[/i] wasn’t trying to flirt.

His gaze was heavy and focused as he watched her, or more specifically, her failing attempt at Salsa. [color=04ed42]"Alright, let's try a turn. Just follow my lead."[/color] Andy’s eyes bugged at the thought. She wasn’t prepared to spin, not in heels and not on grass. Whether or not she was ready, Nate raised their held hands up in the air above their heads. She did her best to do as he guided but she stumbled a bit as she came back around, losing her footing on the uneven ground. Trying to steady her, Nate’s free hand fell to her waist. He smiled and laughed, but a nervous tension radiated from where his hand touched her. [color=04ed42]"Not bad... not bad."[/color] 

Andy’s hand reflexively reached up and took hold of his wrist, gently removing his hand from her waist before he got the chance to. She flashed him an apologetic, tight lipped smile. Her lips parted to try and explain, but before a single word left her mouth an arm slipped between them and shoved Nate back a few feet. Before she could fully register what was happening, a strong muscular back in a familiar blue shirt stood in front of her, a human barricade between her and Nate. [color=B45F06]"Pick someone else,"[/color] Mason told him. His voice wasn’t aggressive or laced with venom like it was in the past with Ajax, but there was still an assertive dominance in the way he blocked her, like she was off limits.

[color=bd1664]"Mason…"[/color] Her voice was soft, but the way she said his name was a silent plea for him to not start a fight. Andy lightly wrapped her hands around his left bicep, beckoning him to step away. Mason turned around to face her. His intense, possessive gaze made her heart skip a beat and her breath hitch in her throat. He gently took her arms and started guiding her backwards a few steps. Her head leaned around his broad shoulders, meeting Nate’s gaze with an apologetic frown. [color=bd1664]"I’m sorry, Nate,"[/color] she called after him before conceding and letting Mason lead her wherever he pleased. 

Once he had guided her far enough away that they were in their own little bubble, Andy’s lips parted and let slip a thought before her brain could properly filter it. [color=bd1664]"[i]Ok[/i]... That was hot,"[/color] she admitted, looking up into his deep blue eyes. Andy didn’t want to add fuel to the fire or give Mason [i]more[/i] reasons to be a dick to other campers. But she couldn’t deny that his possessiveness was incredibly attractive. It caught her off guard. No one had ever been protective or selfish when it came to her before, [i]especially[/i] not Ajax. It might have been a bit toxic in other people’s eyes, but when her insecurities stemmed from a place of feeling unwanted or never being put first… Being claimed as his in front of the entirety of camp, was the kind of confident unapologetic reassurance she needed.

Mason’s gaze finally fell and met her own. [color=B45F06]"Told you I'd find you."[/color]

A soft laugh escaped Andy’s lips as she shook her head. Her right hand lightly pushed against his chest in a playful shove that didn’t have [i]nearly[/i] enough strength to move him more than a subtle sway. [color=bd1664]"I think we both know you never lost track of me."[/color] She took a half step forward, leaning in slightly so her chest brushed against his. [color=bd1664]"You made a scene,"[/color] she whispered with a raised brow. Andy wasn’t chastising him, but teasing his little show of chest puffing and possessiveness. In that brief moment, the heavy thoughts that lingered on her mind faded away, replaced with a temporary levity and bliss of their familiar playfulness and just being close to Mason. She did miss him… more than words could explain.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080][color=5a3e85]"…What?"[/color] Anissa replied with an innocence that Sylas didn’t entirely believe. He caught her staring long enough that it warranted additional thought beyond the typical ogling of someone attractive. But he let her play her little coy game. He watched as she took his glass a second time, stealing another drink with more poise than the first time. [color=5a3e85]"Why? Is a strong and attractive leader your type or something?"[/color]

Sylas’s gaze lazily drifted back over to the man in question. River had the easy attraction points most of the demigods had, nice complexion, easy smile, and muscles that could make Aphrodite swoon. Sure, the new prospective leader was, by all accounts, [i]attractive[/i] but he had a virginal air about him. Sylas didn’t waste his time on virgins, they had a habit of being very clingy once their virginities were gone. Clinginess was decidedly unattractive. Plus, he appreciated partners with experience. 

[color=0a6d6b]"He’s a little too pretty for my tastes. I don’t want a leader. [i]I’m[/i] the one in control. Power play is not one of my kinks and surfer boy over there looks like the dominant type. Only special people get that privilege with me,"[/color] Sylas replied with a factual nonchalance like he could have been discussing his taste in movies or why he liked the color green more than blue. While he was a secretive person, his sexual appetite and tastes weren’t something he was bashful about. His hand stretched out across the table and grabbed the glass. He brought the brim to his lips and took a long sip, then placed the drink back down within her reach.

[color=5a3e85]"I didn’t know who he was at first when we met,"[/color] she added, drawing Sylas’s attention away from the surfer and back to Anissa. [color=5a3e85]"Just thought he was some guy trying to help a very beautiful damsel in distress. So, [i]obviously,[/i] like you, he’s smart enough to see a girl worth helping."[/color]

A dark, almost sinister chuckle escaped his lips. The kind of laugh that sent chills down your spine and made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. [color=0a6d6b]"Is [i]that[/i] what I’m doing?"[/color] he mused while lightly strumming his fingers against the table. She had an almost arrogant level of confidence about her. It wasn’t unusual for women to be vain, but Anissa’s brazen tenacity took him by surprise. He shrugged his shoulders. [color=0a6d6b]"We both already know I find you beautiful. But I’m also not gullible enough to think you’re a helpless damsel."[/color] He stared her down with the kind of intense gaze that said he knew what she was capable of more than she let on. But she could keep her secrets. All truths come out at camp eventually… One way or another.

[color=5a3e85]"Anyway, he’s got a sister here, too. Haven’t met her yet, but I’m sure she’s…nice?"[/color] she continued, trying to move the conversation on from the implied familiarity between Anissa and the surfer.

[color=0a6d6b]"[i]Is she?[/i]"[/color] Sylas challenged her premature judgement with a scoff and slight grin. [color=0a6d6b]"We [i]all[/i] have siblings here,"[/color] he replied, motioning his hand around vaguely at the party. [color=0a6d6b]"But a decent sibling doesn’t guarantee the other is equal in demeanor. My sister and I, for example, couldn’t be more different."[/color] His right arm rested outstretched across the table as his thumb lightly tapped on the brim of the glass. 

The mention of Sloane caused his gaze to drift toward the other end of the bonfire where he left her. To his surprise, she wasn’t alone. A man, presumably, based on stature and sloppy posture, sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders nearly brushed. Sylas couldn’t see his face but noted the mop of messy dark blonde curls, dark clothing, and arms covered in tattoos. It hadn’t even been one day since the new demigods arrived and the little mouse somehow garnered the attention of someone new. It never ceased to amaze him how someone as invisible as her managed to attract as much attention as she did. A matter for him to ponder at another time. 

His gaze fell to the glass as Anissa’s fingers idly drifted near the brim, mirroring his own movements, and hovered a few inches from his hand. [color=5a3e85]"He actually seemed more approachable than I imagined a kid of Poseidon would be."[/color] [i]Ah, so he’s another child of Poseidon.[/i] It appeared that the God of the ocean had back ups on call whenever one of his offspring failed… [i]or died.[/i] Goes to show how much the divine truly care about their children. [color=5a3e85]"Did you know them, by the way? His half-siblings? I asked him about them. I mean—I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, but… he didn’t seem upset. Just sorta… resigned."[/color]

Sylas looked up to meet her warm brown gaze. [color=0a6d6b]"I did,"[/color] he replied plainly. [color=0a6d6b]"Nick wasn’t here long, nor did we ever speak. But Liv?"[/color] he posed the rhetorical question before continuing. [color=0a6d6b]"We were friendly. We shared ideals and sometimes a bed."[/color] He shrugged his shoulders with the same indifference he had when discussing his attraction for River, or lack thereof. 

The shimmer of something bright caught his attention, drawing his eye toward the bar. There he saw Blair in, none other than, one of her show stopping outfits. She always had to dress to turn every head in the room, especially at a party, and that small rhinestone dress was no exception. The brunette walked around the bar like she owned camp, hips swaying with a seductive determination. He knew that walk. It was her signature saunter whenever she set her sights on her newest prey. Sylas himself had fallen victim to that move once or twice. While the woman wasn’t exactly his type, she was a vixen in bed. He pitied the weak willed men she set her sights on. If Blair made someone her target it was hard to escape her grasp.

She slipped in front of an unsuspecting man in dark clothes, covered in tattoos with… [i]the familiar mess of dark blonde curls.[/i] Sylas spared a quick glance toward the bonfire where he saw his sister now sitting alone. [i]So, it was the same guy. Interesting.[/i] He watched with a new level of intrigue as Blair worked her seductress magic on him. There was an exchange of shots that ended with the man on his knees, head buried between her thighs. Sylas couldn’t help but chuckle and whistle in slight amusement. 

[color=0a6d6b]"Demigods and alcohol always create the most [i]interesting[/i] outcomes,"[/color] he mused, snagging the bourbon once more. Sylas took one last sip, leaving just enough at the bottom of the glass for Anissa, if she decided to take it. 

As he set the glass back down, Sylas turned the conversation back around to its previous topic. [color=0a6d6b]"You are good, you know?"[/color] he complimented her, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. [color=0a6d6b]"At this little chess match we’ve been playing,"[/color] he added, motioning back and forth between them. [color=0a6d6b]"But if you’re wanting me to [i]really[/i] think Poseidon junior [i]isn’t[/i] interesting to you, you wouldn’t keep circling back, asking questions tangentially related to him."[/color] Mirroring his words, his right index finger rotated in a little circle, emphasizing his meaning.

Sylas leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. [color=0a6d6b]"I respect the attempt,"[/color] he added with a sly, [i]amost genuine[/i] smile. His right hand then slid across the table until he rested it lightly on top of her wrist. He waited until she met his gaze before speaking up again. [color=0a6d6b]"[i]But you can trust me.[/i]"[/color] A familiar vibration thrummed in his head and made his fingertips tingle. His pupils dilated as the words left his lips sweet as honey, slipping through to her subconscious like water seeping through the cracks. The compulsion was gentle and tender, guiding her mind down a diverging path like a helping hand. He reassured his words with a warm and charming smile. Then the moment he broke contact, the sensation in his fingers dissipated and his pupils narrowed.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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