Posted in honor of Silena/ Beckendorf ship week

Silena had never given much thought to other people's hands. She paid attention to her own plenty of times, cleaning her nails or managing her cuticles. But eventually she came into contact with a pair she did pay attention to. Large, black and rough. She thought of those hands. Helping her, holding her, or simply touching her. They were special hands. They were HIS hands.

The first time she had met those hands they had caught her.

Silena pulled of another riding glove. She shoved it into her pocket as she spun on her heel to walk backwards.

"Alright, Percy Jackson is back for the summer, uh he's such a dream." Silena's sister Drew said.

"I saw him while out riding." Silena informed her.

"Don't even bother Drew." The youngest of the three girls walking from the stables, Gabi, said. "Bets are already going around when Jackson will get with that Chase girl."

Drew glared, but tossed back her black hair with a perfectly manicured hand. "Why that wonder of a boy likes that boring little Athena girl, I'll never understand."

"Gee Drew, maybe you should charm speak him to change his mind?" Silena suggested sarcastically.

"Maybe I should." Drew replied coolly. Her eyes flicked over Silena, who was still walking backwards. "Silena, hon, you're going to fall."

"Oh I'm fine." Silena tossed a look over her shoulder to check her path. All clear, just a bunch of Hephaestus kids coming from the forge. "So anyway, continue."

"Other than that it's just the normal lot. Ugh, what's a girl to do? There are no good pickings." Drew complained.

"Drew, you don't have to complete the rite of passage this summer." Gabi said.

"But I want to hon. Maybe an Apollo boy, they're normally pretty cute."

"Lee Fletcher certainly is." Gabi said.

"Lee... Gabi, you're brilliant!" Drew smiled.

Silena frowned. Anyone could see from the look of disappointment on Gabi's face the young girl liked the son of Apollo.

"Come on Drew, let Lee be." Silena urged. "He's not the guy."

Drew's smile turned into an annoyed glare. "You should really turn around Silena." She said. "You're going to fall."

"Oh gods, Drew, I'm fi..whoa!" Silena's foot had hit some protruding object, must have been a rock, and she felt herself trip and fall towards the ground. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the touch impact, and in the back of her mind was annoyed, there was no chance her designer riding pants would be spared the dirt stains. But she never hit the ground.

Her eyes flew open to see two giant, chocolate brown hands under her arms. She twisted her neck so she could see their owner. Charles Beckendorf stood over her.

"You alright?" He asked her.

She gave a few quick nods. "Yeah." She replied. She didn't even need to get up; he was strong enough to lift her right up. Once she was on her feet she turned to him. She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear.

"Thanks Beckendorf." She said embarrassedly. She was Aphrodite material. She was graceful. Since when did she ever trip?

Drew and Gabi watched, slightly amused.

"That was a dirty trick." Gabi whispered into Drew's ear.

"Aw come on, dear, it was funny." Drew whispered back. Gabi shrugged. It was mean, but all the same it was entertaining to watch Beckendorf.

"Anytime." Beckendorf replied to Silena. Neither seemed to know what to say. The Hephaestus kids were jostling each other and quietly laughed at their head's situation.

Gabi rolled her eyes at Silena. Why is that girl still standing there?'

"Silena, we're meeting the others, remember?" She told her cabin's head.

"Right," Silena's head shot to her sister. "Thanks again." She told Beckendorf, before turning around to walk with her sisters around the Hephaestus cabin.

"Hon, what was that?" Drew asked critically.

"What was what?" Silena replied distractedly.

"Helloooo, you were so speechless at Charles Beckendorf. What is with that? On Silena, you are not doing charity are you?"

"Drew!" Silena exclaimed, snapping back to attention. "That is so rude."

"What? Oh come on, he's a Hephaestus kid, it's not like he'll have a lot of luck on his own." Drew said with a nonchalant shrug.

Silena rolled her eyes. "Look, I spend the school year here with him, and he's actually pretty nice."

"Alright, alright." Drew said. But she bit her lip, her tell tale sign of thinking something.

"What is it?" Gabi asked.

"What do you think of using a Hephaestus kid for the rite of passage?"