Arabella had woken up early. She had a bad dream, a demigod dream but she forgot it pretty quickly. All she could remember was how the dream felt. It felt like fear. She had slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Hunter and she walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Quickly as she could, because she was cold, Arabella pulled off the shirt that she had on and slipped into the hot water of the shower. Her eyes closed and she tried to remember her dream. It had been sometime in the day and Hunter was smiling at her. Then there was a sharp pain, screams and she woke up. Arabella shook herself lightly and she tried to keep her mind focused on the good things, like seeing Kyle and Marina again or the events of the previous night. Arabella's skin still tingled where Hunter's fingers had danced across her body. After her shower, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself before walking back into the bedroom area.
Hunter had woken up when he heard the shower turn on. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, feeling tired from last night. Hunter sat up a little and looked around, feeling happy and excited for their trip and seeing Kyle and Marina again. Hunter closed his eyes and almost fell asleep again when he heard the water shut off. He shook his head and looked up, taking a long look at the door. Hunter smiled softly when he saw Arabella walk out, wearing only a towel. "Hello." He said with a grin and a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't someone look incredibly beautiful, right now." He laughed and stood up, walking over behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed small kisses on her neck. "Good morning, ma plus fille du monde."
"You are such a tease" Arabella said softly and she placed her hands on his, leaning into him slightly. "Bonjour" She added and turned around in his arms to kiss his lips briefly. "I should get dressed before I jump your bones again" She giggled and pulled away from him to walk over to her bag. She took a deep breath and dug through her clothes, a million things on her mind. She cleared her throat and looked over at him for a moment. "Did you sleep okay?" She asked him gently.
"Mmhmm." Hunter said, wrapping his arms around her again. "I slept wonderfully. You, however, had another dream." He said, kissing her head. Her hair smelled wonderful and it felt comfortable to hold her and kiss her here. "And knowing demigods and they're dreams..." He said with a sigh as he held her tighter. He kissed her neck again, tenderly lingering his lips on her skin. "What is it this time?" He asked, trying to comfort her.
"That's just it! I can't remember" Arabella huffed and she closed her eyes, leaning into him. "It's all..hazy now. I remember you being there and I remember pain and I remember being really afriad. But I can't remember the details and it's driving me crazy" She pouted for a second before opening her eyes and looking down at her stuff. "What if something is going to happen to us when we're driving today? What if something happens when we're visiting Kyle and Marina?"
Hunter squeezed her tight and kissed her head. "Then I will keep you safe. I will keep Kyle safe. I will keep Marina safe." He said matter-of-factly. Hunter smiled and ran his hands away from the towel and to her shoulder. He started rubbing her shoulders and neck, placing tender kisses to her cheek every once in a while. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Ever." He whispered into her ear.
"I know" Arabella breathed and she turned around in his arms, placing her head on his chest. She took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, focusing on the feel of Hunter's arms wrapping around her and holding her close to him. She knew that he was going to do everything in his power to protect her and she knew that he probably could. But what if she couldn't protect him? What if she failed when he needed her most? If he got hurt because of her, she was never going to forgive herself. Arabella looked up at him and she gave him a small smile. "You're the best, you know that?"
"Mmhmm." He said with a nod and a laugh. He kissed her and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. He smiled and pressed his lips to hers, not wanting to let her go. They stood there for a few moments, lips and bodies together, slightly swaying to imaginary music. Hunter smiled and kissed her forehead. As the song in his head subsided, he dipped her one last time, placing a small kiss on the hollow of her neck. "I don't know if I could live with myself if I let something happen to someone as beautiful and stunning as you." He said, looking down at the still dipped Arabella.
Arabella looked up at him and she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. She was still stunned that Hunter had fallen in love with her. It seemed like something out of a dream, not something that was actually her reality. "We're just going to have to make sure that nothing happens to us because I don't know what I would do if I lost you" She said softly and she brushed the back of her hand over his cheek.
Hunter smiled and brought her back up. She kissed his cheek and started to pull away from him, toward her clothes. He caught her wrist and spun her back into him. "Oh no you don't." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. He laughed quietly and kissed her tightly on the lips as he felt her lean into him, placing a hand on his chest. He smiled against her lips and pulled her closer, pouring more affection into the kiss. "You'll never lose me. Even if you wanted to." He whispered against her lips.
Arabella smiled softly and she kissed his chin lightly before looking up at him. She knew that if anything happened to him or something tore them apart somehow, she would lose her mind. But she also knew that they weren't going to let anything happen to them. Arabella rested her forehead on his chest and she shivered lightly. "Are you going to let me get dressed today or shall I drive in my towel?" She asked, giggling softly.
Hunter smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Who said anything about driving?" He said in a low tone before kissing her lightly on the lips. "We don't have to check out until noon." He whispered into her ear before lightly nibbling on her ear lobe. He wrapped his arms around her and started to walking backward to the bed. "We leave then, we get to Kyle and Marina's by dinnertime." He said quietly, placing kisses down her cheek and neck to her shoulder. He finally fell backward onto the bed, dragging her on top of him and smiling against the soft skin on her shoulder.
Arabella giggled and she placed her hands on his sides, leaning into him. The feel of his lips on her skin was one of the best feelings in the world. She wanted to melt into his arms and stay there for the rest of her life. Arabella took a deep breath and she closed her eyes. "You're going to drive me crazy one of these days" She giggled and she rolled over so that she was on the bed and she held her towel up, smirking at Hunter.
Hunter laughed and snatched towel from her, throwing it behind him. He rolled on top of her and pressed his lips to hers, cradling her cheek in his hand. "That's the plan..." He said, nibbling on her lip. Hunter reached down and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers within hers. He lifted it up and kissed the back of her hand several times before putting their hands on the bed above her head. He finally looked down at her and smiled. "I love you, Ellie."
Arabella looked up at him and a wide smile spread across her face. "I love you too, Hunter" She said softly and shivered lightly at the lack of towel and her damp skin and hair. Arabella had never really seen Hunter like this, take control like this. She certainly wasn't complaining. Arabella brushed her lips along his collar bone and she smirked against his skin. "Where is this coming from?" She giggled happily.
Hunter smiled and shuddered lightly at the feeling of her lips on his skin. "Oh, you know." He whispered, nuzzling his face into her cheek. "Just making sure this is exciting for you." He said, placing tender kisses along her cheek. He kissed her forehead and kissed down her face, her nose, her lips, her chin. He finally found her neck, sucking and nibbling on her soft skin.
"This is very, very exciting for me" Arabella whispered and she tilted her head back. With her toes, she reached up and tugged on his shorts, slowly pulling them down. She loved the feeling of him holding himself over her. It made her feel like he was protecting her in a way. Arabella ran her hands down his back, lightly digging her nails into his skin.
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Arabella was curled up in the car, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun and she had her blanket that she always travels with bundled around her. There was a big cup of coffee from Starbucks in the cup holder by her and it was half empty. She yawned and looked over at Hunter with a tired smile. Her skin was still tingling with the memory of Hunter's gentle touch. "How much farther?" She asked him in a low voice and she cleared her throat.
Hunter looked over and smiled. "About 20 or 30 minutes, I think." He said with a nod. He grabbed his cup of tea and took a sip, feeling the warmth run through him. They stopped at a stoplight and Hunter stretched a little, letting out a quiet groan. "Oh, can you call Marina? She'll want to know we're close." He said with a sigh as the light turned green. Arabella handed him the phone and he held it up to his ear. After a moment, Marina's voice came on the line.
"Hello?" She said happily. Hunter smiled and cleared his throat.
"Hey. Marina? It's Hunter. We're about 20 minutes out." Hunter could hear her bouncing excitedly.
"Okay! We'll see you then! Bye!" She said before hanging up the phone. Hunter handed Arabella her phone back and yawned again.
"Goodness." He said with a sigh. "I'm all tired out now." He said with a wink at Arabella.
"You're telling me..I'm exhausted" Arabella said and she slipped her phone into her bag, pushing it back onto the floor. She yawned and stretched before taking a big sip of her coffee. Arabella smiled over at Hunter and let out a happy sigh. She was looking forward to getting to Kyle and Marina's place, eating supper then going to bed. It was going to be a good night. She could feel it. Arabella reached a hand over, resting her hand on the nape of Hunter's neck, massaging that spot lightly. "I look like such a mess" She giggled.
Hunter smiled and rolled his neck a little. "You look beautiful." Hunter said finally pulling up in front of Kyle and Marina's house. He leaned over and kissed her cheek before sliding out of the car. He walked around and opened the door for Arabella and helped her out, kissing her hand lightly. He looked at her and kissed her forehead. He reached up and released her hair, letting it fall in waves around her head. "Make up. You put on make up." He sighed and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful." He said, kissing her lips and finally taking her hand. They walked up to the door and Hunter rang the bell. Immediately there was the sound of motion from inside. The door opened to reveal Marina, Kyle, and a very large boxer.
"Hi!" Marina said, grabbing the dog by the collar. "Hold Angie, Kyle." Kyle nodded at Hunter in greeting and grabbed the dog. "Hey!" She wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck and hugged him. Hunter laughed and hugged her back.
"Hey, Marina." He said, finally breaking the hug. Marina smiled at him before turning to Arabella. She smiled and hugged Arabella, kissing her cheek in greeting.
Arabella smiled, hugging Marina. "It's good to see you again, Marina" She said and grinned at her before taking a step into the house and hugging Kyle quickly. Immediately after she let go of Kyle, she bent down a little and let the dog, Angie, sniff her hand before petting her. "Oh, Hunter...I miss Jolie" she said and looked up at Hunter with a small pout.
Hunter scoffed and kissed Arabella on the temple. "You can call Danny later and Jo can talk to you." He said with a laugh. He put a hand on the small of her back leading her inside the house. Marina gave him an odd look and Hunter laughed. "Jolie is one of our dogs. Ellie probably has a picture of her and the dogs on her phone."
"Dogs?" Kyle said, closing the door behind them. He took their coats and put them on the rack. "As in multiple?" Hunter nodded.
"Here. Ellie, you have a picture? Or Jo and Ajax?" He asked, running his hand up and down her back.
"Do I have a picture of them" Arabella scoffed and she dug around in her bag, pulling out her phone. She subconsciously moved closer to Hunter, leaning into his hand on her back. "It's like you don't even know me" She said, shaking her head as she searched through her pictures. She finally found a picture of Ajax and Jolie. Ajax was looking up at the camera with a big, goofy dog grin on his face with his tongue hanging out. Jolie was sitting beside, leaning on him with her eyes closed. Arabella passed the phone to Kyle and Marina looked over his shoulder. Marina laughed at the look on Jolie's face and Arabella took the phone back from Kyle. "Jolie has a major crush on Ajax, if you couldn't tell"
Hunter groaned and looked at the picture himself. "Jolie is absolutely terrible to Ajax." He said, shaking his head. Marina looked at him in disbelief. She lead them straight through the house, past a flight of stairs and a closet, to the kitchen. "He'll finally give her something. He gave her some food once. Half a breadstick, I think. He nudged it over to her and then went to drink water. She looks at it, picks it up, walks over, and drops it in his water dish." He said with a chuckle. "She is awful."
"Angie here is a sweetheart." Marina said, putting some hot water on to boil. "Would either of you like tea or coffee?" She asked with a smile. "Sweetie? Tea? Coffee?" She asked, looking at Kyle.
"I'll have some tea." Kyle said as he walked over and slipped his arm around her waist. "I'm still not used to being able to call you Marina Julius. Marina Samantha Julius." He said, kissing her cheek. She smiled and kissed him back a moment.
"Actually, tea sounds nice right now." Hunter said with a nod and a small smile at his best friends. "And Ellie would probably like coffee." He walked into the attached sitting room and gingerly sat himself down in an armchair, roomier than he needed, but it was about right. He looked up at Arabella who smiled deviously, stepping toward him. She finally sat down next to him in the armchair, making the seat very cramped.
Arabella groaned and she looked down at the chair that she had sat in. "I thought that the chair was bigger than this" She said and wiggled around a little bit, pulling herself out of the spot and sitting on the arm with her feet on the chair. "It's you and your damn food" she teased and gave Hunter a small smile. She looked up when Marina walked into the room with Hunter's tea and her coffee. Arabella gingerly took the coffee from her and smiled up at her. "Thanks for the coffee"
Marina waved her off. "Oh, it's not a problem" She said with a smile and she passed Hunter his tea before sitting down on the couch next to Kyle.
"How has everything been? It feels like it's been forever since we've seen you" Arabella said and she took a sip of her coffee, smiling at the warmth and the caffeine.
"Things have been really good." Kyle said, putting his cup of tea down on the table. He put an arm around Marina and they leaned into each other comfortably. "It took a little getting used to, but it's really...really good." He said, looking at his spouse and kissing her lightly on the cheek. Hunter smiled. He loved that his two best friends were now happily married.
"What do you do all day? Do you have a job, Kyle?" Hunter asked as he slid to the other side of the seat. He picked up Arabella's legs and put her feet on the other side of him. He gingerly put his hands on her legs and smiled at Arabella.
"I actually started a gardening and landscaping business." He said with a nod. "The Mrs. and I tag-team the busin-" Marina smacked his leg.
"Don't call me that." She said with a giggle. "It makes me feel old." She turned back to Hunter and Arabella. "When he's out working then I'm doing house stuff. Cooking. Well, learning how to cook. Cleaning. Working downstairs in the forge. Taking care of the dog." She shrugged and took a sip of coffee.
Arabella smiled softly down at Hunter and she placed her hand on the back of his neck. She turned towards Kyle and Marina and she let out a little happy sigh. It was nice to see them so happy together. Especially since it had taken Kyle a little bit of a push to get him to walk down the aisle. It made Arabella happy to actually see a happily married couple. "Make anything interesting down in the forge lately?" She asked Marina curiously and took a big sip of her coffee.
Marina looked at Kyle and then looked at Hunter for a moment. "Uhh...Not really. Just the regular stuff. I'm working on some stuff. Nothing too exciting. I made a sword for a friend of mine, but nothing too exciting." She cleared her throat. "So, what have you guys been up to? Other than driving, obviously."
"I actually have a job waiting for me back in New York." Hunter said with a grin. "Teaching archery." He took a sip of his tea. Marina smiled at him.
"That's great, Hunter!" Marina grinned at him and leaned into Kyle a little more. "What have you been up to, Arabella?"
Arabella shrugged and she finished off her coffe before answering. "Not too much, really. But it's been nice. I was working my ass off at the company I used to run so it's nice to get a break, you know?" She said and she turned her eyes back to Hunter, smiling at him softly. She was happy with her life and she didn't really want to work or anything like that. Money wasn't an issue and if she didn't have to go to work, she didn't want to go. With a happy little sigh, she looked back that Marina and Kyle. "So..how has married life been treating you?" She asked with a little giggle.
"VERY well." Kyle said with a nod. Marina smacked his arm and giggled. Kyle smiled and looked at Marina and kissed her cheek. "It's really really good. After the honeymoon, it was nice to see that she doesn't just like me for my body." Marina giggled and smacked his leg again. Hunter laughed.
"Yeah. I get that." Hunter said, looking over at Arabella. She smacked his arm and giggled too. He grabbed her knee and squeezed her thigh, causing her to squirm and giggle more until she fell into his lap. Hunter smiled and kissed her cheek.
Arabella subconsciously snuggled into Hunter, curling up on his lap. She loved being close to him like that, even if it was because he was tickling her. Arabella smiled at him and rolled her eyes teasingly at him. "Who says that I'm not with you just for your body" she said, pretending to be serious. It didn't last long though because she felt a wet nose against her foot and she looked down to see the happy boxer. Arabella giggled and scratched behind her ears. The dog yawned a contagious yawn and Arabella yawned soon after. "Ugh...I'm so tired" She said took a sip of Hunter's tea.
Hunter smiled and took his tea from her, finishing it quickly. "Let's eat and then we'll go to bed." Hunter said, placing a small kiss on her cheek. He looked up at Marina and Kyle and smiled. "What are we doing for supper?" Marina smiled at the two of them and the cleared her throat.
"Well, Kyle and I were thinking that we could get take out from this Italian place." She said with a nod. "What was it called? That place your dad and your stepmom took us?" Kyle thought for a second then snapped.
"Oh, right. Right. Mama Grisanti's." He said with a nod. "Right. They have fantastic food." He kissed Marina on the temple and then stood up. "I'll go get it and Marina, you show them their room. I'll be back!" He said as he disappeared down the hallway. Hunter stood up, carrying Arabella and kissed her on the lips for a moment before setting her down on the chair again.
"You two talk. I'll go get our bags." He said before disappearing behind Kyle.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she let out a happy sigh, leaning back against the chair. She looked over at Marina and smiled lightly at her. "Hey..thanks for letting us stay here. It'll be kind of nice to stay in a home and not a hotel for a night" she said with a giggle and Marina shook her head.
"It's not a problem, Arabella." She said and took a sip of her coffee. She put her cup down and looked back over at Arabella. "It's good to see you two again"
"Yeah, for sure..it's really good to see you too. I know that Hunter misses you" Arabella said with a nod and she pulled her feet up onto the chair, curling up where she was. She was curious about how Kyle and especially Marina would be around her. They had been Hunter's closest friends. Would they be protective at all? Would they have lots of questions for her?
Hunter was taking his time getting the bags. Mostly intentionally, but he knew the bag that Arabella wanted was buried under the rest of her bags. He finally freed it and repacked the trunk. He sat there for a while, letting Marina and Arabella talk. Marina was one of his closest friends and he wanted her approval. Especially since she knew Hunter's intentions with her. After about 5 minutes he grabbed the bags and walked back in.
"Sorry, it took so long." He said, entering the room again, bags in hand. "Where should I throw these?" He asked with a smile. Marina nodded and stood.
"Follow me." She said with a smile. She lead him down the hall again and then up the stairs. She turned and finally opened the door to a room. "Right in here. It's our guestroom." She said, letting Hunter slide past. He set the bags on the bed and turned round to look at Marina. Past her, he saw a colorful looking room with the door opened a little.
"What's in there?" He asked, walking toward the room. He opened it to see a child's room, newly furnished and decorated. "Marina...Are you-" He looked at her with a furrowed brow. She blushed hard and finally nodded.
"It's early though! So we didn't want to tell anyone." She said with a sigh. Hunter looked at her a second before hugging her. He felt her arms tighten around his midsection and he smiled.
"I'm so happy for you and Kyle." He said with a nod. Marina cleared her throat and looked up at him nervously.
"We were going to tell you actually. We uh..We had a question." She said quietly. "We were talking about the name and Kyle wanted to name our kid Orange, but I wasn't going to let that happen. We decided on the perfect name and we wanted to get your approval."
"Of course. What is it?" Hunter asked with a smile.
"We wanted to name him after you. You brought us together and you're one of our closest friends. We couldn't think of a better way of saying thanks." She said with a nod. Hunter was a little shocked, honestly. He finally smiled.
"That's...I would be honored. I mean as long as it turns out to be a guy, of course." He said with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes and lead him back down to the sitting room. It was at this time that Kyle came back with the food.
"Alright! Food's up!" Kyle said, bringing the bags into the kitchen.
Arabella slid off of her seat on the chair and she walked over to Hunter, smiling up at him. Her fingers laced through his and they walked into the kitchen with Marina. "It smells wonderful" She sighed happily and looked down at the bags. "Is there anything that I can do to help?" Arabella asked, letting go of Hunter's hand. Kyle shrugged.
"There isn't too much to do, really. You can get the plates if you want" Kyle said and he opened up a cupboard before placing the bags down. Arabella nodded and she took out four plates, placing them down on the counter gingerly. She looked over at Hunter and gave him a small smile, hoping that whatever he had talked about with Marina when they put the bags away was good things.
"Thank you." Kyle said as he took out the food, putting them into proper serving containers. "Here is...lasagna, spaghetti, salad, and...Where did they go?" He asked quietly. "Oh. Breadsticks." He said, setting all of it on the table. Hunter sat down next to Arabella and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Kyle walked over to the counter and grabbed a small tabletop hearth. Marina lit it and set it on the middle of the table.
"Sacrifice if you guys want." She said with a smile as she sat down. Hunter shrugged and put a little bit of breadstick into the fire and sent a little prayer up to Aphrodite. He waited a moment before looking at Marina. They were having a kid. He threw more breadstick into the fire and sent a prayer up to Artemis, goddess of childbirth. He sighed and smiled as he began to eat.
'We need to get one of these" Arabella said, looking at the hearth then she looked at Hunter. She nodded before taking a breadstick, breaking it in half and tossing the whole thing into the fire, sending a silent prayer up to Aphrodite. "Mom is not going to be happy about the carbs" she giggled and took a couple bites of her salad. Her eyes danced around the room and she looked over to Marina with a smile. "You have a really beautiful house, Marina. I love what you've done with it"
Marina blushed and waved dismissively. "It was Kyle's Stepmom mostly." She said with a nod. "His dad and she live a few houses over." Hunter glanced over at Kyle who was eating calmly. Hunter knew that Kyle liked his stepmom, but she would never be his mom. "Have you gotten used to your new house? Either of you?" She asked, looking from Hunter to Arabella.
"I know I have" Arabella nodded and she took another bite of salad. She swallowed and smiled softly, looking at Hunter. "I thought that it was going to take me a while to get used to it and I thought that I was going to miss living right in the city. You know..going for walks in Central Park, walking down the street to go Starbucks, taking a two minute cab ride to see a Broadway show. But I don't miss it at all. I couldn't care less about all of that stuff"
Hunter smiled and turned Arabella's head gently, kissing her on the lips. He went back to eating. "I thought it was kind of lonely at first, but now...Now I love it. I never want to live anywhere else." He said with a chuckle. He really did love living there and it really helped that Arabella was there with him.
"That's wonderful, you guys." Kyle said with a nod. "I saw how hung up Hunter was on Pip-" Hunter and Marina bother smacked Kyle on the arm. He cleared his throat and then filled his open mouth with food. Hunter couldn't believe that he would bring Philippa up.
Arabella looked at Kyle and the smile on her face faded a little bit. She took a breath and she looked back at her food, taking a small bite of salad. Philippa was always going to be a sore spot for her. Arabella wasn't going to hate her or do anything crazy like that, but she was nevr going to be best friends with the girl. It hurt to be reminded of Hunter's past with her too. Especially after everything that happened. Arabella cleared her throat and chewed on her lip.
Hunter reached over and took Arabella's hand in his. He lifted up and kissed it tenderly. "I love you." He said with a smile, trying to make up for Philippa and his past with her. Marina looked at Hunter and smiled then looked at Kyle. He had sauce on his chin and was eating calmly. She laughed a little, rolling her eyes and shook her head, going back to eating.
Arabella looked up at Hunter and her smiled softly. She leaned towards him a little and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I love you too" she said gently then turned back to her food. Arabella took a deep breath then gasped when she remembered something. "Oh! Before I forget again! I'll be right back" She said and took the car keys out of Hunter's pocket before standing up and walking out to the car. She opened the trunk and dug around for a bag that she had stashed away. Once she found it, she pulled it out and walked back inside and over to the table. "I wanted to get you two something as a thank you for letting us stay here, but I couldn't find anything to buy so..I dug out some of my new designs and well...here" she said, passing the bag to Marina and Kyle. She had made a pair of jeans for Kyle and a cardigan for Marina. It wasn't much but she wanted to give them something.
"You made this?" Marina said, standing up and examining the cardigan. She turned it around and looked at it in slight amazement. "Thank you." She said quietly as she slipped it on. She pulled it tightly around her and looked at it. "It's beautiful. Thank you so much." She said with a smile. Kyle looked at Marina and then looked at his jeans.
"I won't try my jeans on in front of all of you, but thank you, Arabella." He said with a chuckle. Hunter looked over at Arabella and winked at her as she kept eating.
"Can I have my keys back please?" He said with a grin.
"Oh...I don't know if you deserve them" Arabella giggled, holding the keys up. Hunter leaned over with his hands out and before he could even start tickling her, she laughed and handed the keys to him. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before turning back to her food and taking a bite of her salad. She chewed and swallowed then looked up at Marina, pretty happy that they liked what she had made for them. Her eyes turned down to the small tabletop hearth. "Did you make this, Marina?"
Marina looked up at Arabella and then down to the tabletop hearth. "Oh. Yeah. We kind of agreed that we needed to keep sacrificing to our parents. I've even sent a prayer to Demeter every once in a while." She said with a nod. "I made it in the forge downstairs. It's always lit, but we let it burn a little bit more during meals." She stood up and picked it up off the table. Waving a hand over it, the flame became smaller. She turned a little crank and then set it down on the counter by the window. "I could probably make one for you guys if you wanted. If you wanted to sacrifice to Aphrodite and Art-" She stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Sorry." She said quietly. Hunter sighed and shook his head.
"No. It's fine." He said with a nod. "I...I don't care anymore." He said, waving dismissively. He took a deep breath and looked up at Marina. "A hearth would be great. We just need to keep it out of reach of the dogs." He said with a chuckle. Marina smiled at him.
"Okay. I'll set up the fire control mechanically." She said with a nod. There was a little bit of silence, the only sounds being eating and drinking, before Kyle broke the silence.
"Have you guys had any problems with monster or things?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Arabella looked at Hunter for a moment before looking at Kyle. "Not really..which I'm finding weirder and weirder everytime that I think about it" She said with a thoughtful face. "There was the giant but that was ages ago now and I always have my cell phone on me and we live pretty close to camp" Arabella sighed and she chewed on her lip, looking down at her empty plate for a moment. She knew that it was a little strange for them to have not seen a monster since that time in her office. Arabella was nervous about them seeing a monster at some point. It was part of the reason why she was so excited for Hunter to get this job teaching archery. If he got into the swing of things again and he got used to using his bow and arrow again, then he would be able to protect their family so much more than she would be able to. "I've been having a lot of dreams though and they're not that good, so..we shall see."
Hunter smiled faintly at the memory of the giant. It was odd, but without that giant Arabella and he wouldn't be together right now. His smile quickly fell when he realized that the most danger they had ever been was because of a fellow demigod. "Yeah. We'll need to stay at the ready." He said with a nod. He looked at Marina. "Hey, if you don't mind. I've got some forging that I could use some help with. Would you be willing to-"
"Sure! It'll be like camp again." She said with a laugh. Hunter nodded. "We'll go down tomorrow and you can tell me what you need." She said with a nod. Hunter finished his food and leaned back.
"That was really good." He said with a satisfied smile on his face.
Arabella nodded in agreement and she opened her mouth to say something but she was overwhelmed by a yawn. She stretched her arms and leaned back in her chair, moving towards Hunter a little bit. Her hands rested gingerly on his leg and she drummed her fingers against his thigh. "Have you two had any problems with monsters?" She asked them, a little bit nervous.
"There was a harpy or...two." Kyle said with a nod. "It was nothing too bad. We're not too worried about it, though." He said with a chuckle.
"This place is very mortal and I've done some security on the house." Marina said with a nod. "And when the three living things within the house are a dog like Angie, someone who can control plants, and someone who can control fire..."
"It would take a really dumb monster." Hunter finished with a laugh. Hunter put his hand on top of Arabella's and rubbed her wrist a little. "Do you know if something big is happening back at camp? Nothing like the war and the resurgence, right?"
"Not...really." Marina said with a shrug. "We haven't been back since before the wedding though."
Arabella had put her head on Hunter's shoulder while everyone was talking but she was slowly starting to drift off to sleep. Her eyes were starting to close and her body was starting to feel heavy. Suddenly, she realized that she was falling asleep and she sat up quickly. "Oh man, I should go to bed" She said softly and looked up at Hunter. He nodded and stood up, taking her hand and gingerly pulling him up beside him. "Thanks for everything, guys" She said, smiling down at Kyle and Marina. "See you two in the morning" She yawned and waved, following Hunter towards their room.
"Good night, you guys. And thanks." Hunter said with a smile.
"Good night!" Marina said, already throwing her arms around Kyle's neck. Hunter laughed a little and lead Arabella toward their room.
"It's right here." He said, opening the door to their room. Arabella walked into the room ahead of him and Hunter closed the door behind him. He walked behind Arabella and wrapped his arms around her gently, feeling her groggily lean into him. He kissed her head and buried his face in her hair. "How do you like Marina and Kyle?" He asked quietly. "I didn't think that you had gotten a good sense of what they were like at the wedding."
"Mmm...I like them" Arabella said softly and she nuzzled into him, closing her eyes. She felt like she could fall asleep right there in his arms. "I hope that they like me though..I mean..they're your best friends and I don't want them to hate the person that you're dating" She added and chewed on her lip nervously, holding herself closer to him. His arms around her were warm and it was better than being wrapped up in a blanket.
Hunter smiled. "They like you plenty." He said reassuringly. He ran his hands across her stomach and placed them on her hips, turning her around. He smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "It's not possible to hate you. Even if it were, then you could just charmspeak them." He teased, kissing her again. He finally picked her up slightly, feeling her fall asleep in his arms. He gingerly set her on the bed and put the covers over her. He quickly changed into a pair of pajama pants and crawled in next to her.
As soon as Hunter was in the bed, Arabella curled up to his side, letting her arm wrap around his middle. She buried her face into his side and she let out a small breath. "I wove you" She muttered into his side and soon enough, she was falling into a deep sleep, praying that she wouldn't have anymore dreams that night. Arabella didn't want to wake up in a bad mood, she just wanted to wake up happy with Hunter and not have any worries.