The story of Lou Ellen and Connor Stoll
Mr.D would always remember the day the first met each other. Being the head of Camp Half Blood he found a lot of interesting things to watch. But he really loved it, when some Campers fell in love without even knowing. Most of the time he knew all along they would end up together. He always told his best friend Chiron:
"Did you just see the way they looked at each other…?" Chiron always rolled his eyes.
"Did YOU see the way she slapped him in the face?" he would answer and years later Mr.D would run up to him grinning madly and singing:
"I told you so!" Every time Chiron would just smile and mutter something about Mr.D being as bad as Aphrodite.
Of course all of this happened mostly in secret, none of the campers should actually know Mr.D cared about them. Well, he cared more about their love-lives than the actual campers, but he cared.
The day Lou Ellen and Connor Stoll met was a Monday. As a god Mr.D didn't have anything against Mondays. They were just days like all the others. Still it was not his best day. He was kind of in a bad mood, because Chiron had refused to play Pinochle with him. And Chiron was the only one kind enough to let him win. So he had to play with some satyrs and he desperately lost. Everybody knowing Mr.D knows: He's not very good with failure (especially in Pinochle). So we might say Lou Ellen meeting Connor Stoll for the first time was the best part of the day.
"Mr.D say hello to our newest camper: This is Lou Ellen." Chiron introduced a pale and shy girl to him. The Camp Director figured that this new Camper was probably the reason Chiron had refused to play Pinochle with him and disliked her right away.
"Don't bother me, I lost." He made a grumpy face and took a sip from his coke.
"Well I didn't play, so it's not my fault… She's a daughter of Hecate." Mr.D just took a tiny look. The girl didn't look too dangerous, but being a daughter of Hecate she probably had some power in her. All of Hecate's children had some power.
"We don't yet have a Hecate Cabin." Of course Mr.D was right, they were busy building new cabins, and the Hecate Cabin just existed in Annabeth Chase's golden Laptop.
"She'll stay with the Hermes children until the Cabin is done." decided Chiron.
"Hopefully she'll blow up the cabin sooner or later and kill some of these Hermes children, Connor and Travis Stoll are killing my nerves." As said, Mr.D was being grumpy because he lost.
"We know you love us, dearest camp director." It was Connor Stoll grinning sassy as always, eyes shimmering and hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"Do you want me to transform you into a slimy frog, Colin, because you just asked for it?" (He really WAS in a bad mood.)
"Where is your big brother? Didn't I ask for the head counselor of your cabin?" Of course Chiron had to ruin this fun conversation (it was always fun, threatening campers) to get back to the boring part.
"Travis is busy, flirting with Katie or getting his butt kicked whatever. So here I am." Chiron rolled his eyes.
"Don't you tell me, you wouldn't like some of them rather dead than alive? They are hell of annoying." whispered Mr.D watching Connor Stoll and Lou Ellen. And there it was: The perfect moment. Connor Stoll, known to be the Camp's player, always sassy, always annoying, smiled. Just a tiny smile, almost a grin, but it was a smile.
"Did you just see that?" he whispered excited.
"See what?"
"The way he looked at her."
"You're exaggerating. He was just being Connor." And Mr.D was already looking forward to the day he could say: "I told you so!"
It just took a lot more time than he expected. The years went by and Connor was always just being Connor. Flirting with pretty Aphrodite girls, pulling off pranks on the Hecate Cabin (Mr.D saw that as a clear evidence for Connor's feelings) and getting himself in trouble (girl trouble and trouble with Chiron). And Lou Ellen as head counselor of the Hecate Cabin never did more than roll her eyes. Well once she turned him into a squirrel but that didn't count as a love confession.
It was just an ordinary Day, Mr.D was knitting a scarf and Lou Ellen was practicing some magic with her younger siblings. Then Connor Stoll walked by.
"Hey Ellen, wanna make out?" he grinned dirty and lifted one eyebrow. As always Lou just rolled her eyes.
"Forget about it, I don't like you."
"Your loss, I bet you never got a good kiss."
"Well that's none of your business."
"You could make it my business, by going out with me!" (At this point Mr.D got so excited he ripped his scarf in a half.)
"And why exactly should I do that?"
"Because I'm incredibly handsome and hot?"Mr.D was about to jump up and down and cheer, because this was finally happening. Maybe he cheered a bit early.
"I don't see it." Was all Lou said before she turned away to talk to Riven and Romy about their exploding potions. Disappointed Mr.D sank back in his chair. He felt so desperate he had to start over knitting his scarf in a different color, because the usual color: violet felt to perky and joyous. So he didn't get to see the dreamy and loving expression on Connor's face, who still watched the daughter of Hecate.
Everybody in Camp knew about the fact that Connor Stoll had asked Lou out several times, but she always refused to go. Also everybody knew about the fact, that Connor Stoll was in love with Lou Ellen (though nobody ever got proof for that…but the rumors kept spreading, thanks to Mr.D). But nobody knew about Lou Ellen's feelings. Until that one day…
Mr.D had decided to eavesdrop on some of his favorite Campers to get some news and the fact that wherever he looked, he couldn't find Lou, made him suspicious. He finally found her, all by herself in her cabin, crying her heart out.
"Knock knock." he murmured softly.
"What do you…oh, it's you." She didn't seem at all happy to see him. If this wasn't serious business Mr.D would have been pissed.
"What happened? Do you need a shoulder to cry on, because mine are working just fine!" At first she looked at him, like he just grew a tail, but then she laughed.
"Thank you…you know, you're not as bad, as everybody says, you care."
"Thanks, but maybe you could not tell everybody about that…"
"Of course not, your secret is safe with me."
"And yours is safe with me…" The Camp director sat next to her.
"Why does he have to be such a player?" And because it was Mr.D she was talking to, he didn't even ask who was a player.
"Unfortunately I've known Connor Stoll for a very very long time."
"What are you talking about?"
"Travis and Connor came to Camp when they were seven and eight years old, because their mother died. And honestly I'd rather gotten to know them later; they're a pain in the ass." Lou laughed a bit more.
"Why did I have to fall in love with him?"
"Why is not the question! How did you get him to fall for you? Connor never let anyone close except maybe his brother. That's why he was never in a stable relationship, but you are different, he really likes you. I still remember the day you first met; it was the best thing happening that day."
"My first day at camp?"
"Yes, I had lost Pinochle and then you came, meeting Connor Stoll and I couldn't be sad anymore." He smiled like some kind of weird grandpa.
"Are you sure Aphrodite didn't take possession of your body?"
"Nope still good old Mr.D you're talking to."
"And what am I supposed to do now?"
"I can't tell you that…but maybe just give it a try."
"But he's gonna break my heart."
"You don't know that for sure. Kids of Hermes are always about surprising people. That one time one of them fell in love with a daughter of Ares, can you believe that?" Lou giggled a bit.
Eventually Mr.D got to say: "I told you so" after all.
"You're even worse than Aphrodite, do you know that?" answered Chiron while tidying up the arena after archery class.
"You're just jealous, because you didn't see it!" Mr.D stuck out his tongue, while Chiron grinned.
"So Ellen, what made you change your mind about making kissing you my business?"
"Ah, you know, I had some talk with Mr.D about how you're a pain in the ass."
"And what did you say?"
"I said you're going to break my heart."
"Then why are you still kissing me?"
"Because you're incredibly handsome and hot?"
"You'll see I'll never break your heart, I love you, Lou Ellen."
"Unfortunately I love you too."