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Who: Everyone at camp.
What: Apollo's sacred day.
Where: The ampitheater.
When: August 7, 8:30 PM.
Why: Apollo's at camp today, and as the god of music, he's holding a dance.

It was decided at the meeting of the summer gods, the Summer Solstice, but it took Apollo physically coming to the Big House and scolding Mr. D for being lazy and not putting up any fliers to actually get the god of wine to do it, a week in advance.

Apollo prides himself on being the god of just about everything - though Mr. D would say, out of the cocky god's earshot, that he's the god of everything nobody else wanted to be the god of. Because of this, he's always had a self-assured attitude which is sometimes hard to deal with.

Because of this, when he decided he was going to throw a dance for the demigods towards the end of the summer as a reward for accepting children of other pantheons into their Greek camp so well, most of the other gods decided to just let him have it rather than argue. (Considering that Hera and Zeus had gotten into three separate spats since the Solstice began, they'd all had enough godly screaming for one meeting.)

So at about 8:30 on the nose - since he's used to following a tight schedule on the sun chariot and he's excited about this, he'll be on time - a flaming, bright red Maserati drives up to the ampitheater. Apollo doesn't even have to lift a finger for the trunk to open, and speakers as well as state of the art DJ equipment rise up onto a platform. He waves his hand, and club music with a thumping bassline starts playing.

(Never say that Apollo doesn't like to make an entrance.)

Requests will be taken all night by Apollo, who will be manning the dj booth as well as making up freestyle haikus. He's one of the more amicable gods, especially to his kids, which he's hosted more of at Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter combined than any other god. He's charming and younger looking than most gods, with a cocky smile and sandy hair.
If you're a pretty girl, he might hit on you.

(Apologies in advance. He'd say old habits die hard because he's right. Sorry, Hunters of Artemis.)

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[ Oh gods, this is a real thing that is happening to her. Natalie can contain her nervousness but she cannot hold back the blush creeping down her neck, especially when she's flung into his arms and then out again. She isn't clumsy and doesn't trip over herself, but, boy, has she been thrown for a loop.

She snorts and covers her face with one hand when she sees him shimmying.

No. No she is so not ready for this. ]

[ Somehow, he manages to suppress a laugh when he looks back up, straightening his upper body and taking one step left, cross, one step right, and spin because that's what the music calls for. Leo comes out of it with hips rolling in a true Latin-style dance, and then it's all about the footwork and which step goes where and how to coordinate it with the obligatory flourishes of his arms. ]

[ Here she is, stiff-backed and frowny-faced Natalie, bursting into laughter amid a gaggle of dancers because Leo is apparently seducing her with Latin dancing. She puts on her most serious face and straightens her shoulders to properly shimmy them in his direction, even tossing her dark hair over her shoulder.

Alright, take the lead. ]

Edited 2013-08-09 02:48 (UTC)

[ Oh, come on, Natalie, you can do better than that. Feel the music.

...The shimmy and hair flip are a start, and Leo takes that as an invitation to come closer, taking her hand and swinging her around. The song beating through the speakers is starting to reach a climax - reasons why you do not start dancing in the middle of a song; duh, Valdez - so he spins Natalie in close so her back is almost touching his chest, still swaying in time with the rhythm.

Is he smirking right now? You bet he is, and she can probably hear it in his voice when he asks: ]

So how was that?

[ If there's anyone to catch her off guard - no, catapult her off guard, it's Leo. Before she can react after taking his hand, Natalie turns her head over her shoulder to look at him with the most baffled expression in her eyes. She almost misses his question.

An embarrassed laugh bubbles up from her core and sneaks through her lips, even as she tries to hold it back. Resistance is futile because she is duly impressed. And furthermore, her challenge had been successful. Even if she isn't a dancer, Natalie is quick and dips out of his embrace to switch hands, actually spinning Leo under her arm, into her own. ]

[ That catches him off guard, and in complete contrast to not even a minute ago, Leo nearly stumbles, but he can't help laughing. ]

I'll take that as a nine out of ten.

[ He knows he's not perfect, but bragging is not off the table. ]

[ When he laughs, she starts up again, throwing her head back, still holding onto his hand though she's released him from their dance position. She's very conscious of that and doesn't make a move to fix it. ]

Fine. You're good. Better than me, anyway.

[ He nods in satisfaction. Point proven. ]

And you didn't believe me. So how about them drinks? Maybe bringing the sun to the dance floor wasn't such a great idea.

[ He's parched after all that, and it's not just from the dancing. Not that he'll be admitting to it. ]

[ That gets a snort out of Natalie as she leads him off the dance floor to scattered applause from a few campers still watching them. She's eager to get out of the metaphorical spotlight for a long while. ]

Haephestus boy can't take the heat?

[ She grinned coyly over her shoulder. ]

[ Scoff. ]

Hephaestus boy needs fuel, like any other well-oiled machine.

[ She prods his shoulder with her index finger. ]

You don't run on hot sauce too, do you?

Do I look like a metal dragon?

[ That's a no. ]

Jeez, I was just checking.

[ Natalie releases his hand to head over to the refreshments table yet again, though she's not quite as thirsty as before. She'll wait for him to quench his thirst instead, because there are some things that need saying. ]

Nope, Festus likes to hog all of it to himself.

[ Punch. Hopefully not spiked, he thinks, grabbing a cup and filling it. He leans back with one hand on the table, taking a sip. Nope, not spiked, at least not yet. Surprise, surprise! ]

[ She's an inch away from chickening out of speaking up. It's not an ideal situation, amid the crowd and all. Still, it's a relief to break a period of silence because she tends to feel better around him. ]

I've got a question. [ Natalie starts, clearing her throat. ]

[ He raises an eyebrow. It's not like Natalie to announce it like that; usually she just asks. ]

Shoot.

[ She closes her eyes a moment, wondering if she can manipulate sound so only he can hear. But what was the point? They have got to be the most obvious people after that display on the floor.

Is this the right time? Is there a better time? It's not like she's some huge sap that she needs to be alone with him to say something. ]

Maybe we should head out first. I - no. What would you say if I said that whatever I was feeling the other day became real? Or if it was real the whole time and it took me so long to realize it?

[ Bad idea: taking a swig of your drink whenever your best friend asks you something you weren't expecting. Choking will happen, as Leo so graciously demonstrates. Even when he stops choking, he has trouble speaking. His mouth moves, but no words come out at first, and when they do, it's in a rush. ]

I - but that was a spell.

[ Not really comprehending... ]

[ Oh, gods. He doesn't feel the same way. The next morning, he probably woke up and was like wow that was weird with my friend Natalie, I hope I can forget about that. Natalie swallows and the corner of her mouth twitches nervously. ]

It wasn't a spell the next day.

[ No, no, say it. Just say it out loud and stop hinting. ]

[ Things he's prepared for this evening: dancing, music, food. This is none of those things. Instinct demands that Leo vacate the vicinity immediately, and fast. It's slowly setting in what she's trying to say, and he... he doesn't know how to react to it, because usually he's the one in that position, and he's a lot less subtle about it.

It wasn't a spell the next day. The words echo hollowly through his head as he tries to process it, feeling his stomach do a few flips. That means... Gods, that means Natalie actually likes him? And that those things he's been denying... weren't just the love spell, either. ]

...Oh.

[ That must be why she'd been avoiding him... not that Leo's gone out of his way before tonight to talk to her, either. ]

Yeah, I'll just -

[ Natalie just a thumb over her shoulder as soon as she's assessed the situation and turns in that direction, away from everyone and out the amphitheater. Sighing, she tucks her hair behind both ears and hunches over, arms folded, scooting away as fast as her sensible heels can take her.

Nope. This is the worst. This is why she prefers to act on a plan than an impulse. The moment is all wrong. ]

[ He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can get it out, she's already walking away. Watching her retreating form, he bites his lip and lets her go.

Should have said something - something other than "oh." How dumb could he be? Yeah, Valdez, you get a girl to say she likes you, and you go and stomp right all over that with just one word and upset her. Way to go. Real smooth. Natalie's probably mad at him, and the thought sends a pang of guilt through his stomach. See if they talk to each other now. Leo's so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn't even notice that he's steaming until someone points it out, and then it's time to bail. Can't be setting the dance on fire; somehow that didn't seem like the right way to show his respects to Apollo. If he knew where Nat went, he'd go after her, but he doesn't, so he just wanders... away, idly wondering if he might find her anyway, and wishing he had his tool belt or at least some nuts and bolts to play with.

Insane is the only word for what just happened, dance and all, but now that it's all sunk in... Natalie likes him, and that sends a jolt of... excitement through him. It's been really hard to deny it in the past week or however long it's been, though Leo's tried with constant reminders that they are friends and not more, burying those feelings from Aphrodisia (and after) under his admittedly pointless crush on Reyna. It's almost a relief to admit that more might not be so bad.

If only he'd had the sense to say that before she ran off. She'd caught him way off guard back there. ]

[ She admittedly doesn't get very far, standing just outside the amphitheater but covered by the night. Closing her eyes, she gathers the mist to surround her completely.

This is stupid. She has ruined everything. There's no one to blame. Hermione advised her that perhaps she should bite the bullet and let loose her confession. Here she is, hiding because she's a coward and does not want to find out what his real response may be. Gathering her flowy skirt, she leans against a column, kicking her shoes off and digging her bare feet into the dirt.

A group of campers socializing outside inch dangerously close to her though Natalie's head is too far up in her cloud of doom to notice and move away. A careless (or not) girl accidentally steps on her invisible foot and Natalie yelps. ]

Ow! Fu - gods!

[ Her quick string of curses sends the campers running back inside, yelling incoherently. Frowning, Natalie leans down to rub her aching toes. ]

[ Leo's trying to take deep breathes while he walks, a valiant effort in trying to stem the fire before it starts. Maybe the steam has faded a little? It's hard to tell when his mind is elsewhere, but then he hears her voice and sees the campers running, so he turns to head in that direction. He doesn't see her anywhere - not that it means much. ]

Nat? You doing the misty thing?

Nnno.

[ But without a hitch, Natalie reappears against the column, wrinkling her nose and looking incredibly sheepish. At least she knows she's still got it in her to scare people... without intending to do so.

She has a hand cupped around her heel, examining her foot. ]

I was stabbed by a stiletto.