Kaykrae slithered her way through camp, sleeking against the pebbles and short twigs along the pathway. She peered between the cabins, checked the stables, and even searched the dock and near Jakey's secret base for Mario. He wasn't at his cabin when she went to find him that morning. In fact, she hadn't seen him since yesterday afternoon.

     A deep twisted feeling in her stomach was growing, fear that something had happened to him again, but she ignored it. If he was going to go on another possibly dangerous expedition, he would've told her. Right?

     He didn't exactly have to. She was counselor of the camp so it was beneficiary to all parties involved if campers told her when they were in danger or were planning on going on quests, but she knew sometimes they didn't bother.

     But Mario would want to tell her, she hoped. In case something went horribly wrong again or just so she'd know. They were friends, and friends did that, didn't they? Or was that more of what people in relationships did?

     "I told her we were not ,you know, a thing but..."

     He was right, they weren't a thing, especially before the ball even happened. But it sure felt like they were. Almost. But, she was a counselor. Dating a camper should be against the rules somehow right?

    Before her mind could even begin to spiral around that, she turned a corner to the burnt out campfire area and caught sight of the son of Zeus on the ground leaning against a tree, surrounded by a few stacks of books.

    Kaykrae breathed out a sigh of relief and headed over towards him. He didn't notice her approaching, too absorbed in the book on his lap. She paused a few feet from him, biting back a giggle.

    The tomb juice had finally worn off, to Mario's relief. His long legs were back and his floppy black hair was no longer obscured by the blue horns. If she was being honest, she preferred him this way.

    "Hi Mario."

    His head snapped up and smiled when he saw it was just her. "Oh, hey Kaykrae. What are you doing out here?"

    "Just looking for you; I haven't seen you in a while. Wanted to make sure you weren't drained and unconscious somewhere again." The tree had a bit wider of a trunk than most others so she had no trouble sitting down, careful not to knock over any of the books. Her tail curved out sideways so she was sitting comfortably in the grass on his right.

    The sun hung high up above them, rays beating down on the tops of forest. Most of which was protected from the heat by the overgrown canopies. Even in the Summer, the air amongst the trees stayed cool and peaceful.

    "Heh, yeah I don't plan on going on any more life threatening trips any time soon. At least, until I know what I'm up against."

    "Haven't you read every book we have?" she asked, chuckling.

    "Uhh, probably! But I figured I might as well reread them to be sure. Especially after that battle at my dad's temple. A hollow soldier with a sword in its back should stand out pretty well."

    "Have you found anything so far?"

    Mario didn't answer right away. Kaykrae leaned forward to peer at his face; his eyes were teetering closed before he blinked furiously to keep them open, then back to halfway closed. "Mario? When's the last time you slept?"

    "Huh? Oh! Uh," he stuttered, "a couple of days I think? There's...a lot of books to go through."

    "You can't really learn anything if you're sleep deprived, Mario." She told him gently.

    "I know, but...I don't know. I feel like I'm running out of time or I should've found something by-" he was cut off by a yawn that he tried to stifle, causing himself to cough.

    "You should get some sleep. It'll do you some good."

    He sighed. "To be honest, I don't think I have enough energy to even make it to my cabin."

    Kaykrae briefly contemplated calling Diaval to carry him, or trying herself, but shot both those suggestions down. "Sleep right here then, you-you can use my shoulder as a pillow."

    A twinge of pink appeared on his face. "A-are you sure? I wouldn't want to keep you from any responsibilities."

    "I really don't mind, Mario. You'll be safe just on the inside of the camp's protection, just for a little while to take a nap. Plus I'm right here."

    He looked like he wanted to object, but another yawn seemed to change his mind. Mario set the book aside and rested his head on her; moving closer so he was pressed against her side.

    His head fit perfectly on her shoulder, tucked into the crook of her neck. She felt a smile grow on her face and lay her own head against his, her horns just barely combing into his hair. The sun was starting to fall to the horizon, casting an orange glow across the water and forest floor. Kaykrae smiled at it and let herself fall asleep.