Like most things in life, the arrival of summer meant close to nothing to Atlas Rossi. Back in the day he used to get excited every time a new camper arrived, hoping that somehow Danny had made it to safety. Now, his family was here at camp, safe and sound. Summer just didn’t offer him anything to look forward to any more. It was just another season.
The son of Morpheus exited his cabin promptly at six in the morning. It seemed as if he wasn’t the only early riser this morning. The camp was already blooming with life. His fellow campers made their way to the breakfast hall and their morning chores, the sun rising over the hills in the distance. If he wasn’t such a closed off person, the sight might have made him happy.
Making his way across the camp grounds, Atlas found himself at the lake as he did every morning for the last five years. Beginning his first lap, it didn’t take him long to spot a familiar, dark flowing head of hair off in the near distance. Adjusting his pace so that he could catch up and also get a good look at that booty, Atlas greeted his favorite frenemy once he was at her side.
”Happy summer, Devil woman,” he quipped, now matching his pace to Sol’s.
While the majority of her peers were sleeping or barely initiating the process of waking up, Soleil Jameson had already been up for a half hour, having enjoyed her sunrise morning jog around. With her airpods blasting songs from her personalized workout playlist and the cool air caressing her face, the young woman could feel her muscles comfortably stretching out in preparation for the upcoming day ahead. Although she wasn’t exactly a morning person, sacrifices had to be made if she wanted to keep herself in peak shape. Discipline, she had learned early on, was everything-- demigoddess or not.
After a successful jog and some weight training, Sol always concluded her workouts with a few laps around the lake (weather permitting, of course). Not only was it a refreshing way to cool down during these warmer mornings, but it also stretched out muscles not previously used, and helped her body start winding down from the vigorous exercise from before. Halfway through her second lap, she heard someone diving into the lake and swimming behind her. The raven-haired girl didn't have to look back to know exactly who it was. She’d recognize the sound of that stroke anywhere.
”Happy summer, Devil Woman.”
“Right back at you, Sandman,” the green-eyed girl greeted back, momentarily pausing her swimming to float in front of her beloved torment. Although neither of them had officially declared it, their impromptu lake swim meets were part of Sol and Atlas' routine-- a part they secretly looked forward to each day. “Summer season's barely even started, and you're here asking to get beat at something already?” she taunted, flashing the boy one of her signature mischievous smirks. Testing the Italian boy's limits and pushing his buttons was one of Sol's favorite pastimes.
While he would never admit it out loud, being in the water with Sol was a welcome and familiar sort of comfort for Atlas; a routine he didn’t have to second guess or over think. From the outside looking in it would be absolutely absurd to call anything about their relationship comforting, but that was one of the best things about being Atlas Rossi. He didn’t have to explain anything to anyone.
Fighting the urge to shove her head under the water - an action that would for sure earn him a swift right hook - the young man laughed at her question.
”What better way to break in the start of what’s bound to be another season of hell,” he quipped, already beginning to be too philosophical for this early in the morning.
A smirk immediately lit up Soleil’s face at Atlas’ comment. Leave it up to the son of Morpheus to kick off the season with his usual moodiness: a sure sign that he was in high spirits. “Aren't you being a ray of sunshine this morning!” the girl jested, splashing him right in that handsome face of his, trying to annoy him further. “I would’ve thought that you’d be glowing considering the great time you had last night.”
She was talking, of course, about how they had spent their last night free of responsibilities back in his cabin. The pair had started off their evening by enjoying a delicious Italian meal Atlas had cooked for them, indulging in some mary jane and playing strip poker until the temptation became so unbearable they ended up tangled in the sheets of the young man’s bed. If he was feeling crabby, it was probably because Sol had slipped away early to exercise instead of sticking around for breakfast, cuddles and a private workout-- not that either of them would ever admit it, though.
While the previous night had been fun, Atlas wished that Sol hadn’t rushed out so fast this morning. It wasn’t enough to actually dampen his mood, but the thought kept tugging at the back of his mind in an annoying fashion. He wasn’t sure if it was something worth bringing up. He and Sol hadn’t put an official label on anything and were simply just feeling out the vibes. Asking about or eluding to anything more serious between the two would potentially scare her away and ruin his ‘don’t give a fuck’ reputation.
Trying to shake the water off of his face proved to be pointless, but it didn’t stop Atlas from making a stupid scrunched up face before making his next sarcastic remark. ”If I’m not off-putting and philosophically dark, I’d stop pulling all the bitches,” he retorted, splashing her back. ”Are we gonna race or what? I’m already itching to clog my arteries with bacon grease.”
Sol raised an eyebrow at Atlas’ comment. “What other bitches do you need to pull? The best thing that ever happened to you is right here,” she shrugged, a smug, cocky edge to her voice while she dismissed his last sentence. She was partly joking, but partly serious. It wasn't a secret that things between them had long since moved past the ‘frenemy’ territory nearly two years ago. Ever since the first time they had slept together after her eighteenth birthday party (some might even say it was a few months before that, but she’d never admit it), Soleil hadn’t had eyes for anyone else. Sure, they hadn’t officialized things or even had that conversation. But for all intents and purposes, Atlas was hers. He didn't need to ‘pull’ anyone else. Just the thought of seeing him with someone else had her blood boiling…
Watching as the fire built behind Sol’s green eyes, a small smirk crept across Atlas’s face. He enjoyed getting under her skin, especially in instances where it oddly reassured him. Anger was an emotion, and you couldn’t have feelings about something unless you cared. At the end of the day, Atlas wasn’t sure if he was ready to confront that fact.
”If by best thing you mean the biggest pain in my ass since the birth of my cousins, then sure,” he responded playfully, shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t dare joke about other women being in his life any further out of the fear that she would drown him.
The daughter of Ares recognized that little, self-satisfied smirk on Atlas’ stupid face. It was the one he made whenever he had successfully baited her into saying something that fed his oversized ego. He knew that she had a short fuse. He knew that being jealous and territorial were some of her fatal flaws. And yet he took immense pleasure in pushing her buttons. This is why she wanted to punch him a lot of the time. But then he confirmed, in his own way, that she was indeed the best thing that had ever happened to him, and Sol’s urge to smack him faded gracefully into the background.
“Whatever,” Sol retorted with a small smile of her own, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “Let’s get this race over with so I can beat your ass and stuff my face with some breakfast.”
Atlas chuckled as the pair took their places in the water. He counted down the start of the race as usual, and then they were off. Sol had always been the stronger swimmer, but Atlas kept up with her relatively well by watching her black mane bob above the water. He had always made up for his losses on dry land, and today wasn't any different. Sol had gotten a slight head start, causing Atlas to quicken his pace to catch up to her. It seemed that the two of them were neck and neck coming up over the small hill from the lake and back down to the main camping grounds.
Any other opponent, and Atlas would have taken the win. With Sol, however, he felt the need to keep things interesting and hopefully not be too insufferable with his cheers on the occasions where he did win. He slowed down ever so slightly, allowing her to pass their end marker just a few seconds before him. The young man doubled over, hands on his knees while trying to catch his breath.
”I'm glad we don't do everything that fast,” he remarked.
“Don't I know it,” Soleil managed to smirk back, her chest heaving as she also tried to catch her own breath. Atlas purposely letting her win was a conversation they'd had multiple times before, with her openly opposing it. She was a competitor at heart, and wanted every victory of hers to be earned, not gifted to her. Today, however, she was glad she had. After the morning jog, the weight training, the swimming and running, she was definitely in need of a break… And the lower of today's contest would be providing her with one.
With a loud shriek of “heads up!”, the daughter of Ares sprinted forward and jumped on Atlas’ back, wrapping her arms and legs around him to better secure herself. “Now take me to breakfast, loser,” the girl teased, planting a kiss on the boy's cheek.
All in all, it was just another morning in the lives of these two best friends.
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