Val nodded then swore. "Maldito. Thats a godd idea mí amigos." Val cupped the watch in her hand and took the bracelet, centering it around the watch.She then made sure it would stay there no matter what and grabbed Vics hand, sliding it on. She held Vics wrist and admired her work. "What would you do without my skills? Certainly couldnt have done that." She said proudly. "Though i do feel like a pack rat carrying scaps and nuts and bolts with me everywhere."

She laughed softly and grabbed the flask, taking another drink. Val danced out of Michaels reach and downed the rest. "That was not wasting you hijo de puta. It was using it for something other than destroying my liver." She paused. "Unlike you." Shevtossed the empty flask at him, hitting him in the forehead with a soft thunk. Val laughed at the image.

Michael wrapped vines around Vals feet as she threw the flask back at him, tripping her. "This isn't a game we've all come to play you know?" Michael rubbed his forehead angrily and picked up his flask putting it back in his pocket, relizing it was empty he swore. "That'll be the last time, don't ever put your dirty fuckin hands on my flask again, and I mean that." Disrespect, she had no idea what he had gone through to get the liquor, and he didn't even want to think about the sentimental value of the flask or he'd hate the girl.

Val burned the vines and jack-knifed to her feet angrily. "You hijo de puta! I never acted like itvwas a game you culo! My hands may work with metal but they are not dirty you malditos culo!" Flames licked at her skin with her uncontrolled rage. "Vete al infierno que culo enfermo! vete a la mierda!!" She seethed. He was playing with fire. And boy was he going to get burned! Valen swore like pirate and threw a little fire just right to burn his shirt without touching his skin. Valen wass beyond mad. She was enraged beyond what was safe for her.

She knew in the back of her mind that is she got any angrier she really hurt someone or burn something.

IC: Best not to get involved in this, Morning thought. The compass watch was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, mahogany, vines, crystal and bronze all mixed together, but there wasn't much chance of its ilk ever occurring again, from the way they were arguing.

"The needle will point toward the fleece once you're within Hades' domain, if it's down there. Don't break it and come back safely."

She turned away, starting to walk back to camp.

Michael ran at Valen and stopped a few feet from her face "Burn me! Please Fucking BURN ME! Send me there, Nina" Michael sat there looking deeply into the anger in her eyes forcing life forces to die down. "Don't fuck around or we'll all die" Michael was pissed he was surprised he was even talking right now, everyone's faces had gone except Val's. Then as Morning walked away he heard what she said and couldn't help busting up into laughter, she was worried about them breaking it? That damned thing would probably make it back to camp before they did if they weren't lucky. A small part of him still wanted to strangle the girl, but he couldn't stop laughing for a moment and that fought off most of the urge.

Val had had enough. She pulled her fire back into her body, slapped Michael and ran off. Once she was out of sight she sat down and tried not to cry. She missed her mom and she missed her nana, the only two people she had loved. I destroy every life form i touch. I shouldn't be here. I'll burn down the whole damned camp because of this stupid gift. Decanse en pas la Madre. Decanse en pas la Nona. Valen sat there staring blankly into space as she wished her family peace. She knew she wasn't going to.

She pulled out some scraps of bronze and a hinge and went to work. When she was done, a heart shaped locket sat in the middle of her palm. She carved vines and paisley designs all around it. Then she opened it and carved her mothers name and her nanas name, Aice and Tatiana. She threaded a delicate bronze chain through the loop and fastened it around her neck.

Shay looked at both his friends, and watched Val run off "Wait!" He yelled after her sighing he ran after Val catching up and watching her assemble the little locket "Hey, are you okay?" He asked trying to be nice to her trying to help her out "You can talk to me about it." He said Shay was clearly out of his element but trying to keep the peace in this clearly insane group.

Val tried not to cry. She really did. It was one of those moments where you are doing you hardeest not to cry in front of someone only to lose the fight as soon as they ask if you're alright. She closed her eyes and put her head betwenn her knees. "No Shay Im not. Everywhere i go i cause destruction because of this so called gift. Because of this i set the coffe table on fire by accident and my mother burned to death." She sat up and looked at him. "I went away from the camp two years ago so i could stop blaming myself for a freak accident that caused my mothers death. I just want to relax for a while before i get another damned scar like this one or worse before i die." She showed him her scar.

"I miss my Moma and Nana so badly. knowing they're in the underworld in the fields is my only consation." She sighed and dried her eyes.

Michael couldn't take it, he walked away, just like that. He had no one left, not a soul, unless you were gonna count his father which he never truly had. He wasn't going to apologize for what he did, because he hadn't hurt her or maimed her in anyway, and he really didn't care if her feelings suddenly got to her. If he could stop from murdering the lot, what was her excuse? He realized he hadn't been joking when he got in her face. "Why didn't you just burn me?" He said tears streaming down his face, but he wouldn't let them see him like this. "why couldn't you just have burned me?" He said looking up to the sky now, to no one in particular.

Terra stepped up out of the mess hall. She walked over to the woods, still holding half a tomato, and sat in a sun-speckled clearing. Her father had always taught her to be in touch with nature. She calmed herself, focusing on the sound of a brook bubbling, a bird calling. The plants grew around her and immersed her, forming a sort of leafy pod. She allowed her mind to spread across the plants, and suddenly she felt alive, as energy rushed through her.
She was the forest.
She could see, hear, and feel everything the plants could feel. She saw all the campers, every single one at the same time, or rather felt their presence. She loved being able to do this, it was her favorite gift. She was blind, but could see everything. She heard nothing, but she knew what everyone was saying. She could feel the wind in her branches, the sun on her leaves, the feet trampling her blades.
She was happy.

Shæ dismounted. "Stay here Ace." The pegasus obeyed. Shæ walked after Michael, stepping lightly on the ground. She caught up and touched his shoulder. "Michael, why did you get in her face like that? We have to respect ourselves and eachother if we're going to work as a team and find the fleece. After that you can do whatever you damn well please. But until then you have to try to be polite." Her voice was gentle like the ocean after a storm. "Don't give me some bullshit excuse as to why you did that. Even you could see the hurt in her eyes mate. Don't lie. We all have scars and issues but we dont need to be adding to them." She touched his arm lightly before walking back to Ace and strokng his muzzle.

"I don't care if i hurt her, she'll learn to toughen up, you can't just offer hell to someone and not give it to them... That's what's cruel. Why don't you just go comfort her like the rest, i wont be a problem to you guys." He said no emotion in his voice. He had just realized something... Maybe this quest was a suicide mission for a reason, and maybe that's why he was meant to go on it. Could Michael die for all of them? She did.

whizzball1 said
Nevea was fazed not by Seth's laughs. Of course it was a perfectly question, just asked with a slight lack of information. Therefore, it was not at all humiliating. Anyone with a slightly logical brain would be able to see that. "Marvellous," she said, as he finished. "I look forward to seeing just what those effects will be."So, now that we've got the matter of fail-safes done with, it's time we start with the hands-on. We know that we'll need perpendicular shafts, now to work out how exactly we're going to make it." With that, she stood up and formed a circular pedestal about half a metre in diameter. "This'll act as a place holder for the rotation mechanism while we work out the structure." Next, she formed the two shafts, and only the shafts. Nothing around it. Currently, all that could be seen was a pedestal and two bare, thin, cylindrical shafts, perpendicular to each other."If one or two of you could start work on plans for the control pedestal, but without the attachment for the construct for now, that would be just peachy." Two of the Hephestan campers began drawing out plans for that, moving to a small table off to the side to work it out. They of course wouldn't start actually making it, since the exact dimensions of the construct were not worked out yet. Even the current length of the shafts would be temporary.

After Nevea was done forming her part of the structure, Seth stepped up to the table and reached out to it. Several inches away from it, he could already feel their chill. Touching it almost made him shiver, but thanks to the heat of the cabin he was able to keep from doing so. A small spark of crimson energy escaped his fingers and crept into the ice, increasing its mass and size slightly as it spread and solidified into its crystal form. The ice, now a mixture of ice and crystal, acquired a more jagged appearance as Seth mentally guided the crystals to grow and connect with the rest of the structure, forming the rest of the prototype model as he saw it.

"It should be able to support the rotation mechanism now and will change accordingly to what we choose it to be. Also..."

Seth stepped several feet back, grabbed a heavy piece of scrap metal from the floor, and threw it at the ice and crystal structure. As it flew through the air, a jagged portion of the crystals released a small beam of magic energy, deteriorating the metal. Seth smiled.

"This along with your ice magic should provide an incredibly apt defense."

Shay had to think and quick "We all have pieces of history we try to leave behind." He said to her "I had someone I loved die a long long time ago and i felt like it was my fault for so long, I used everything in my power to bring her back and I did I brought her shade from the underworld only for her to hate me for trying to bring her back to life, my father just laughed it off and offered me a deal for us to trade places and like the coward I was I refused but the dead are happy they don't like to see us hold this pain inside us, but what I'm saying is move on make the most of life make them proud." He shuffled his feet awkwardly and hugged Val tightly "Now don't get too much into this" He told her.

Shæ glared at Michael. "She wasnt offering anything you ass. You are an unfeeling prick who is sorry for himself because he doesnt even try to make friends! Aye, I can see you push people away and then mope because there would be no one to mourn you if you were slain. Maybe you should comfort her! She might not try to set fir to all of your scotch while you sleep if you do!" She shook him a bit to get his attention, looking him dead in the eye. "Pull yourself together and dont make a mistake that you will likey regret for the rest of your life, however short or long it is." Shæ wasnt having any of this bullshit. She took the edge off her tone as she said her next piece. "I know you care Michael. You wouldnt have apoligized to me if you didnt. And for that I'm giving one last chance before i kick your ass." She smiled a bit and walked back to her Pegasus. She looked back at him. "Carpe diem Michael."

Val smiled. "Thanks Shay. I wont. But thank you. If no one had come i just might have let the fire burn everything down while i just sat here not caring." She stood up and reluctantly walked back to where her stuff-and undoubtably Michael- was.

Shay walked back with Val and looked at the group members "Ladies and Gentlesir." He said "We all have to work out our problems right now and say we are sorry and be good people and talk out our problems I'll start I don't like Zeus kids I think their noses are so high they cut the clouds literally, Now your turns and one at a time." He chuckled looking at the group spinning his new spear around like a cane and acting like a Broadway performer.

Michael looked at the girl and started laughing... hard. "Shae do you even know a lick of Spanish?" Michael looked back at Valen and decided he wasn't going to comfort her, because Shae was wrong he wouldn't want anyone to mourn him after he died, he didn't want a single tear to fall... not for him, he didn't deserve it. Michael may not be a son of the big 3, but fuck if he didn't fight like one, he highly doubted she had the experience to beat him, not to say she wasn't gifted in her own right. "People tend to do things they regret... its a part of life and we all need to accept what we do... no matter the repercussions. You got one thing wrong by the way Shae, I don't want you to cry when i die... there's no point." He wasn't trying to be cynical but it did sound like that. Michael sat there looking out at the forest, smoke still in hand, he took a deep drag... He wondered how find his mind had gone. Not far yet boy!

Val smiled. "I dont like people who mock me because of my power and get in my face." Valen said and fiddled around with the fire owl she had made earlier.

Shæ looked at Michael with a raised eyebrow. "I speak fluent Española señor. I know very well what she said. I don't know you well enough cry over you. But you should care more, even if its a little bit. Yes we all have regrets, but that doesnt matter right now. What matters most is the little things in life." She saw the look in his eyes. "Like hell I cant kick your ass. I've beaten guys with ten times my experience in fightin and kicking ass." She smiled at him somewhat evily. "Ican certainly kick yours you over confident ass." she teased.

" I don't like when people jump to conclusions... none of you know me... I didn't mock you Val, I would have had to have been joking." Michael took off his shirt with his back still facing them and went searching in his bag for a shirt. He didn't care anymore what they thought, they didn't know shit about him, and he figured this quest was gonna be like all the rest and he wasn't gonna say a word most the trip, he liked it better that way. Apparently he was hurting people's feelings, he knew the remedy for that.

Val was silent for a moment. "Mocking, to me, is telling me to go ahead and burn you. I don't care how bad you want it, I'll not have someone's death on my conscience. I will live in hell before I willingly kill someone." She said stiffly. She was tired of his apathetic attitude. "Stop being apathetic Michael. I'm not mad at you anymore ok? I'm sorry for the way I acted." She went to her bag and rummaged around. She pulled out a polished bronze flask with grape vines and plants etched into it and offered it to him. "Its a wineflask. Its like the cups at camp. just ask for whatever alcohol you want and it'll fill up. Please accept my apology Michael." She pleaded softly.