“I’m sure there will be better people to sit with, now that I think about it.” Axel joked. In reality though, more people he knew would probably be at the academy anyway. “Wow, must be nice…” he commented, not meaning for it to come out as negative as it seemed. Axel didn’t come from a family of money like Astrid had, as him and his siblings had to work for everything they owned. At the moment, he didn’t think that was something Astrid needed to know about him, as it was a bit of a sore subject. It wasn’t until Axel and Brett got into their later teens did they start taking modeling gigs, where they were paid quite handsomely. Finding a smile again, the boy replied, “Of course it won’t. Shirts are optional.”

Axel laughed. “I guess so, but now I think you can say otherwise?” he questioned, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it come from the blonde instead. Axel shrugged. “Neither do I.” he admitted with a laugh. Axel was a beach-goer growing up, not a farm kid. He hadn’t even seen a horse-like creature until he took a tour of camp and saw the pegasus stables. Even at that he didn’t have much experience with the equine besides occasionally riding one into battle. Grinning, Axel replied, “I’ll have to show you sometime. But, you know, not it public.” he winked.

The boy instantly beamed at Astrid’s reaction, relief washing away his worries. Her excitement seemed genuine, and that’s all he needed to see. “Thank goodness, I was so nervous you’d think it was corny.” he admitted sheepishly. Axel became a bit nervous as the other demigod did so as well, admitting she picked out something similar to his. What are the freaking odds… Axel thought to himself. Taking the piece of paper delicately in his hands, he observed the design. The eagle was perfect for his new position, and he liked the photorealism of the bird along with the geometry. He smiled. “This is actually so dope…” he trailed off, opening his mouth in awe. Axel looked up at the blonde. “Thank you.” he said sincerely.

The tattoo artist guided Astrid to a seat, where he began setting up his tools. Axel followed, dragging another chair over to sit next to the girl. The scene was familiar to when Astrid received her legion brand, the older demigod sitting next to her for support. “You know you can always hold my hand again, princess.” he teased, holding out a hand to her. “I promise it won’t hurt nearly as much as the last one.” Axel had to be vague, as the mortals were unable to see their legion brand on their forearm due to mist. To them, it just looked like bare skin, and Axel hoped the girl would assume that due to their previous conversation about how the mist worked.