Kindle sat on his bed hugging his legs, his head resting atop his knees. The rest of his day had been spent attempting to drill combat skills into his brain to the point of frustration. No matter how hard he has tried, nothing has stuck, not like it has for the other demi-gods at least. When his frustration had amounted to levels that he could no longer handle, Kindle went back to his room with a blistering headache to spend the rest of the day bundled up under blankets with a pillow clutched to his chest.

It was earlier that day when Kindle had heard about the party occurring tonight. From what he'd snatched, anyone was welcome to join in, but he hadn't learned much else. The last couple of hours had been spent pondering whether or not he should go. Kindle didn't know why it was so hard for him, but the prospect of a party seemed so daunting to him. He didn't even know what kind of party it would be. The only kind of "party" he'd ever known about were the ones that his father had hosted, and the thought sent a bubble of anxiety through him.

Looking down, Kindle noticed that his nails were chewed to the bed, the skin around his fingertips red. He'd barely even noticed that he had been doing it, so caught up in his thoughts he had been. Maybe he just wouldn't go, another knight curled up, alone in his room wouldn't be all that bad... No, he couldn't just lie around and hope that friends would come to him, that would never happen, he'd need to actually leave his room if he ever wanted to meet other people. Closing his eyes, Kindle sighed then pull himself off his bed, heading over to his dresser to choose what to wear.

All of Kindle's clothes were too big for him, his pants trailing underneath his shoes and his sleeves running down to hide his hands. He didn't need to dress up, did he? Kindle decided just to wear his usual knit coat, afterwards wrapping a grey scarf around his neck. Not so much for warmth than comfort, the tight cloth wrapped around his neck somehow made him feel safe. Kindle reached up and pulled on a little strand of his already straight red hair, making sure that it was in place. Looking at his face in the mirror, Kindle winced a bit. His mother was the goddess of youth, though that did nothing to mend the dark bags under his eyes that had cursed him since he could remember.

There was no use in holding off this moment any longer, and being late would just draw unnecessary attention on his part, so turning from the mirror Kindle stepped out the door of his room. Making his way down the hallway toward the exit, Kindle would pause for a moment before stepping out into the night.

Faris turned before heading out of the Ares cabin, smiling and jutting her hip out like she normally did when complimented. ”Thanks bro,” she smirked, kind of getting used to this kid and thinking they could get along just fine. ”I talked to Mr. D but he was just a bitter old dude in a recliner. Didn’t feel like sharing. He said the party was cool though and that an Aphrodite kid would bring some liquor so no worries,” she said, nodding as he mentioned the Aphrodite girl. She had thought Mr. D said ‘he’ not ‘she’ but whatever. Someone had better supply the party cause Faris wasn’t. Before leaving she gave Venny’s party outfit a thumbs up, remarking with a smirk under her breath how Creampuff would love it before stepping out of the cabin.

She took the music to the party, setting it off to the side when she arrived at the arena. She saw lots of food and wine setting out just waiting to be devoured, some campers already mingling and eating, hanging out. Faris smiled, gratified, as she waltzed over to a red headed chick that was welcoming other campers. ”Hey, are you the one Venny mentioned? Jessica I think?” Faris asked, liking any girl who helped with a party. ”I’m Faris… another Ares brat apparently,” she said, not holding her hand out for a shake but not seeming unfriendly either. The atmosphere changing from ‘you’ve been dumped here, don’t cause trouble and get used to it’ to ‘party it up but don’t set anything on fire’ had cheered her demeanor up, becoming more charming than feisty if only for the moment.

Auguste leant against the wall of the cabin, waiting patiently as he heard her moving around. She was going to open the window. There wasn't an inkling of a doubt in his mind that she would. She was too nice, to sweet, too innocent. And that was what drew him to her. She almost felt like an incorruptible object colliding against his corrupting force. He was always so excited to see her, to get a chance to tease her just a little more, to take just another small step towards grabbing her heart. She was one of the few that he had no kissed to grab the attention of. A son of Aphrodite should be able to win over a heart without resorting to cheating, even if something as delectable as a set of lips were the ultimate cheat code. A shark-like grin flashed across his face as he heard the latch to her window unlock, the window creaking open, letting the scent of a woman's room filter out into the air. "Front doors take all the fun out of things," Auguste said as he pulled himself through her window, dropping into her room on his two feet, his boots making a dull thud, "Windows give things a certain air of romance anyway," continued Auguste as he went up to the girl, putting his hands on her soft shoulders, "Romeo and Juliet, Rapunzel, every good romance starts with a window." His voice was almost a whisper, as if he meant for only her to hear.

His hands drifted down her shoulders, sliding along her arms, his hands parting way from her as they reached her wrists. He took a small step back, his eyes carefully going over every inch of her, eating up the display. He held his breath, going completely silent, a small roguish smile creeping up on his face. He moved in slowly, closing the gap once more as he leaned in, his lips near her ear as they were earlier that day. "On your worst, you look better than any of my sisters on their best." He pulled back, bringing a hand to her cheek, which he ever so gently touched, "You look fantastic, Syl. You always do. It's criminal that you can't see for yourself and truly appreciate it." He slowly backpedaled through the room, dropping down when he reached the window, making a seat out of the window sill. "Come on, let's take the fun way out and get to the party." Auguste grinned.

Astrid stumbled off the dance floor laughing as she wiped away the sweat that poured off her head. It gave a musky smell that mixed strangely with her vanilla flavored perfume. Walking towards the entrance she saw Thain and Erin walk in, finally joining the party. Erin snatched a beer from some random kid and took a big swig. Striding over, already a little bit buzzed, she threw her arm around Erin's shoulder, putting herself between Erin and Thain. "Ello lovlies. How are we tonight? I see Erin's already getting into the spirit." She glanced at Thain, "Oh honey, didn't you realize? This is an adult party. We drink here." To show for example, Astrid plucked the beer bottle out of Erin's hands and took a deep swig. "Oooh that's good after a hot dance."

She placed the bottle back in Erin's hands. "Hey by the way I hope we can make amends for earlier, all is forgiven?" She gave both Erin and Thain a large grin showing her obvious sarcasm. She was still pissed off at Thain, and a little embarrassed for burning up in-front of them. That thought started her thinking about Eli.

---

Jack leaned across the table where the food was cooking. Leaning over the big pot of bubbling food he let the smell waft up into his nostrils. "Uggh that freakn' amazing." Grabbing a little bit of oregano and thyme, he sprinkled them across the top before giving it a large turn. Scooping up some into his mouth he moaned again. Perfect. Turning around to face the crowd, Jack could see one of his sisters bugging Erin and Thain. Of course it would be Astrid that did it, she had a natural knack for getting under people's skin. Hopping around the table he strode over to meet them. He was still wearing his apron covered a little bit in stew.

"Hello everyone, I hope you can excuse my sister, she happens to be a little bit drunk." he smiled apologetically at Erin.

"Am not!" came the immediate response from the red haired girl between the two.

Jack sighed always smiling, "Yes Astrid, yes you quiet are." He moved around her slowly removing her arm from around Erin. "Come now go off and bother someone else, you must know by now these two aren't very fond of your company." He gave her a little push towards the dance floor. Turning around Astrid gave him an evil looked. With a quick peck on Erin's cheek she dashed off into the crowd a hopeless grin across her face.

---

Pressing his lips together to suppress a smile, Jack could only shake his head. After he looked up at the two of them. He looked at Thain first, who seemed like he had just gotten dressed in his normal clothes. Erin on the other hand stopped him in his movement. She looked.. amazing. Ever since Jack had met Erin he had had a huge crush on her. She was like a beautiful rose, pretty to look at but had thorns out constantly to protect her.

Erin was the type of person that Jack could let know his secret, she was that type of person. The only one that knew was Astrid. She had saw him when he had accidentally changed, and she walked into the bathroom he was in. That day had been quiet an exciting one, he was just lucky all the other Hephaestus kids were in the basement when she screamed and punched his bony jaw.

Shaking his head out of dreamland Jack said, "My gods Erin. You look... absolutely stunning." He gave one of of his winning smiles to her letting her know he wasn't pulling her leg. "Would you, perhaps like to dance?" Maybe tonight would be the night had won Erin over. She was a tough nut to crack, but Jack wouldn't give in very easily. Looking her in the eye with his deep chocolate brown eyes he said, "It really would mean the world to me." He took off the dirty apron in hopes that she would say yes. Jack held down his shirt as he pulled it over his head and tossed it back towards the food table. Looking back up he waited for her reply hopefully.

Calm down you idiot, there's no reason to freak out. Kindle scolded himself mentally, attempting to push down his welling panic. Taking a deep breath, Kindle would take a step closer to where the majority of campers were congregated. As he did so, a smiling camper turned and pushed a red plastic cup into Kindle's hands, spouting out words that were incoherent to Kindle. Smiling a bit and muttering a thanks, Kindle would look to the cup in his hands.. The cup had a strange, dark liquid swooshing around inside of it, but Kindle didn't pay much attention to that, rather hastily raising the cup to his lips and allowing the liquid to drain past his lips. As soon as the fluid touched his tongue, Kindle choked. It was alcohol! Kindle's face contorted and his mouth opened, immediately spitting out liquid, which flew towards a small group of people. That group of people would just so happen to be Erin, Thane, Astrid, and Jack, who were now in the splash zone.

Kindle's face reddened as he realized what had just happened, and he opened his mouth to apologize. "S-sorry, I-I... I'm sorry!" Tears welled up in his eyes and he blinked them back. Now was the time to get out of there before he embarrassed himself even more. Spinning on his heels, Kindle would find himself trapped between the bodies of other campers, unable to move away from the group. Kindle was suddenly aware of the sounds of music and the talk of other campers pushing into his eardrums, and he longed to go back to his cabin, where he was free from the embarrassment of his current situation. Turning again to face the group, Kindle looked down to the floor and stared at his feet, his cheeks still red. Great, he'd only been there for five minutes and he'd already screwed up.

Faris shrugged a little when Jessica mentioned Eli, having no idea who Eli was. Oh wait it was probably the ‘Aphrodite kid’ Mr. D spoke of about being so sneaky. Sounded like someone she would get along with. She was slightly taken aback with the other girl told her she wasn’t a brat, raising an eyebrow and not sure how to react or feel as she rambled on about Faris being beautiful and proud of her before kissing her. Faris looked weirded out surely as Jessica smiled and walked away, leaving the Ares girl wondering what the heck had just happened. ”Not even my mom ever said those things,”Faris mumbled out loud, confused, and shaking her head slightly. The words were comforting and lovely to hear but she had no idea how to feel about affection. It wasn’t like she had been shown much in her life. So, Faris tried to push it to the side of her mind, clearing her throat and tucking a few stray strands of her hair back behind her ear. Drinks, yes, let’s have drinks she thought to herself before blowing a good amount of air from her lungs through her lips heavily. She reached over, grabbing a cup and filling it. She drank deeply, almost finishing half a glass in one gulp. She was known back home for being able to hold her liquor well, although she did get a temper when drunk. Only if someone was an ass though. For the most part she was a happier, nicer version of her normal self until someone ticked her off, and then all she wanted to do was fight.

It didn’t take long before Faris had downed a couple more glasses within an hour, and was now just acting buzzed, laughing too much, cheeks rosy, and a smile unable to be moved from her face. She was chatting with some of the new campers like herself, telling them stories of her debauchery from back home. Stolen merchandise, fights she’d won, street races in the middle of nowhere before outrunning the police. She loved how they ate it up, but she was wanting a change in scenery. She waved bye to them before moving out to the small sea of bodies now dancing and moving between them, having fun and shouting for someone to start a fire while giggling, just to break the one rule she’d been told not to do. It was just too tempting for her.

Gaspard stood slumped sideways against a pillar, a near-empty cup of rum and coke clutched in his left hand. He supposed that was one of the good things about this place; the underage drinking. After all, the rules just didn't apply to demigods. From his vantage point, he enjoyed a perfect view of the general vicinity. The sound of campers chatting amongst themselves filled the air, and the sky was now completely darkened. Strangely though, whenever anyone passed him by, they seemed to give him a wide berth. No snickers of mockery were heard, however, and chatter only resumed once Gaspard was out of earshot. Subconsciously or not, he couldn't say, but he couldn't deny it was pretty damn sweet. All this time, not one of his fellow campers nodded, smiled, or ventured so much as an innocuous how’s tricks, as if hesitant to risk rousing the ire of the son of Hecate. As he drained the last of the Cuba Libre, Gaspard felt a pleasant buzz at the back of his brain. Of course, he was nowhere near drunk yet, but he'd wager that four more of those would probably do it. Deciding that he might as well have some fun now that he was here, he began to wander towards where most of the action was.

Gaspard managed to snatch up another drink on the way there, downing a third of it before he even got to his destination. It was only then he heard a single voice resonate above the rest. He couldn't quite catch what the voice was going on about; something about starting a fire? He didn't trust his ears, but if that was true, tonight was certainly going to be interesting. Maybe one of the Hephaestus kids could do the honours. But then again, they were always such a bunch of goody two-shoes. Gaspard had half a mind to start it himself, but for now, he was determined to locate the source of the voice. Which was something easier said than done, as navigating through a large crowd without spilling your drink was no easy feat. He managed, though, weaving through the sea of bodies with minimal damage sustained from flying elbows.

Once he found the voice's source, Gaspard crooked an eyebrow. He vaguely recalled seeing the girl from earlier that day, when Erin was giving the group of newbies a tour around camp. She was one of the Ares kids, if he remembered correctly. (Speaking of which, they were getting way too many of those around here.) Gaspard couldn't say he was surprised, though. Of course one of the Ares kids would want to set something on fire. The girl seemed more than a little tipsy at the moment, however, and she sure as hell wasn't in the right state of mind to light the entire place on fire.

"Faris, right?" Gaspard spoke up suddenly once he was close enough, taking another sip of his drink. He wasn't exactly going to intervene, no. This night could use a lot more than just drunken dancing, after all, and a bonfire might be just what this place needed. "What was that about a fire?"

Connor liked party's, and people, and any excuse to get out of the Hermes Cabin was bound to be good enough for him. While he enjoyed the company of his sibilings, there was only so much of the cramped conditions any individual could bear before going utterly insane.

He had decided on a simple white v-neck shirt with a faded grey hoodie and black denim jeans a few sizes too big. He rarely looked well dressed, most of his clothes seemed to be permanently wrinkled, and overly worn, but he liked to think that maybe that was a part of his charm. He had buckled the belt with Logos on, but at the last second, decided that while he didn't quite want to leave the gift from his father with his thieving little siblings, he didn't especially want to take it to a party either. He slid the sword quietly under his mattress when he was sure no one was watching, then slipped out the front door.

When he arrived at where the party was being held the first thing he noticed was a girl, a new Ares kid if he remembered right, and one who had picked quite a few fights to start within a short period, was shouting something about a fire, which was a pretty bad idea when you had a couple of Hephaestus kids around with some liquor in their systems.

Connor realized it was about to really escalate when he saw Gaspard saunter up to the new girl. "Maybe not the best idea in the world." Connor spoke to himself quietly. Hecate was the goddess of magic, and if anyone other than Hephaestus kids were going to light the place up, or burn it down, it would be a camper capable of using magic, and while Connor was all for rambunctious pranks and partying, burning down part of the camp was sure to open a whole can of worms that was totally unnecessary. He headed over, determined to try and avoid disaster.

"Gaspard, maybe not the best idea to encourage the reckless behaviors of new campers?" Connor asked smiling widely. "We wouldn't want the party to get shut down, right as it was getting fun."