It was one of those warm Camp Half-Blood evenings, the kind where the air smelled faintly of pine and the lake shimmered with gold from the setting sun. The Hermes cabin was, as usual, loud—laughter, shouting, and a bit of chaos bouncing off the walls. In the middle of it all were the Stoll brothers.

Travis, eleven, was trying to balance a stolen strawberry on his nose while his nine-year-old brother, Connor, cheered him on between fits of laughter. “You’re gonna drop it, Trav!” Connor grinned, sitting cross-legged on his bunk.

“I’m not gonna drop it, have some faith in your big brother,” Travis said, his tone all confidence and mischief. The strawberry lasted about two seconds before tumbling off and landing in Connor’s lap.

Connor laughed so hard he nearly fell backward. “You’re hopeless!”

“Hey, you’re the one who believed in me,” Travis teased, flicking the berry at him.

Before the chaos could escalate into a full-blown food fight, Luke walked in—calm as always, but that faint smile on his face gave him away. “You two planning on turning the cabin into a fruit salad again?”

The brothers froze for a second, then Connor piped up quickly, “It was all Travis!”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Because you, Connor Stoll, are never involved in trouble, right?”

Connor tried to look innocent, and Travis snickered. Luke shook his head, still smiling, and sat on the edge of Travis’s bunk. “Alright, you little troublemakers. You’ve got five minutes before curfew. How about you use it not getting us all in trouble with Chiron?”

Travis grinned, “Five minutes is all we need.”

Luke sighed good-naturedly. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

As Luke pretended not to notice them plotting something, the two brothers whispered to each other about sneaking a frog into the Ares cabin’s shower for “educational purposes.” Travis was already halfway out the door before Luke reached out, caught the back of his shirt, and reeled him in.

“Not tonight,” Luke said firmly, though he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You two can prank the world when you’re older. Right now, just get some sleep.”

Travis groaned dramatically. “But Luke—”

“No buts,” Luke said, ruffling both their hair. “You’re my favorite little disasters, but even disasters need rest.”

Connor giggled, leaning into his big brother’s side. Travis rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.

When lights finally went out, Luke was still sitting nearby, keeping watch as the camp quieted down. Connor had already fallen asleep, curled up under his blanket, and Travis was mumbling something about the frog plan.

Luke shook his head with a fond smile. “You two are gonna drive me crazy someday,” he whispered, brushing a hand through Travis’s messy hair before settling back.

And in the Hermes cabin, surrounded by snores and half-whispered dreams, the three of them—brothers by bond more than blood—rested easy, safe and together.