Natalie Hawkins - The New Instructor

As always, she arrived early.

Within a day prior to when she had been ordered to become a teacher, the ancient Maiden arrived in the mist filled midst of the night. With a simple pack, and her weapons in tow, her senses took in the smell of the camp.

It had been a year since she had been seen here last, standing triumphantly with her fiery hair and tenacity, holding the Olympian's flag in victory for the Hunt. Yet now, she came on completely different reasons, not as a passerby, nor as a messenger for another contest. Her reason was simple, yet grand all the same: she was here to become the new Archery Instructor. Dispatched to the camp by none other than Artemis herself.

Bearing perfect silence, she strode past the cabins that held numerous children of the Gods themselves, and instead she continued onward towards the wood. No longer would she stay in the cabin reserved for her honorable kind; instead, she would make her home amongst those she felt most comfortable.

Amongst the trees, the living, breathing pulse of nature herself.

Through the wood she walked, finding old hardened oaks of familiarity. Never did it take long to find a clearing to her preference. It was wide, quiet, with thin wisps of grass which bent obediently to the wind. Yet what was most important, was the pale light that washed over it all, the light of the Moon.

In the middle there was a great Oak, and she settled calmly beneath it. Leaning up against the twisted, wizened bark for a long moment. Observing her surroundings carefully to insure she hadn't been followed. Once she was sure she was alone, the Huntress dropped the heavy pack she had been burdened with, and got to work.

Up came the supports, over it all came the Canvas, and soon before long, her practiced hands brought to creation her true home. A large, expansive tent that encircled the Great Oak.

Inward she dipped into it, lifting the flap and finding all the comforts of the home she had known for the past two thousand years. Her tent was indeed a mystical one, as already were fulled with decoration not only for aesthetics, but with reminders of the hunts she had participated in. Of friends gained and lost.

Yet the scent of crisp, cool water caught her as well. Then did she realize that it had been a long venture to arrive at the Camp. Such a trip had left her covered in the dirt amd grime of long roads traveled, and it would not do well to begin her teachings with a poor first impression.

Humming softly to herself, the emerald cloak came unfastened, the thick fabric of her traveling garb came undone, and flawless porcelain skin came to touch the cool night air. Within the privacy of her home, she was as exposed as the statues of the Gods of old, and just as exquisite.

Wrapping a simple robe about her shoulders, the Huntress snatched both Quiver and Bow alike, and her singsong hum turned outright into a softened song as she strode throigh the clearing barefoot, and made for a quiet river.

There, her toes dipped lightly into the crystalline waters, and once she found the chilling temperature to her satisfaction, the robe came undone and tossed aside, with her bow and quiver set carefully upon it. Within the waters she bathed, enjoying the company of Pale Moonlight as if her Goddess were still beside her, and once she was cleansed of the impurities of travel; she snatched upnthe robe, her weapons, and then retreated back to the sanctuary of her home.

The day would begin soon, and she needed to be ready.

First throwing on the necessary undergarments of black and lace, a comfortable one-piece garb came on after that. Carefully fit to her, the red pastel fabric ran the length of her figure, ending just below her thighs as she let the luxurious curls of her hair run past her shoulders. Intense eyes of stormy blue would carefully watch on as she laced up thigh-high boots of fine leather, and not long after, bracers would be tightened on by belts about her wrists.

Nonchalantly, she would swing the quiver about so it rested against her backside, and her dominant hand picked up her bow.

Once she had checked herself in a mirror, the striking Huntress raised the flap of her tent and stepped out into the Sunrise, just as it splayed a brilliance of colors across the heavens that was only equaled by the fire in her hair.

With seemingly unintentioned grace, she strode into the camp and made for the sounds of machinery, chaos, and cheers. It never took long to find where the action was in this camp was, and nor did it take long for her to discern the location of Chiron.

Yet he was nowhere to be found!

Instead, she simply seemed to appear on the grounds near the tower. Casually, the Huntress latched her bow onto her back. The cheers that were ongoing stifled just for a moment then. Most of the campers knew who she was after all, since she had won the last game of Capture the Flag, their dislike of her presence was more than evident.

Yet with the absence of any other Maidens, her presence was anything but peculiar. Why was she here, alone? The hunt always traveled in packs akin to wolves. She was not dressed for the Hunt either it seemed, with only her bow and arrows, and light, colorful clothing instead that which was meant for camouflage.

What in Hades' name was she doing here, some must have thought.

Yet the cry of surprise and crash of an unfortunate camper to the ground diverted their attention back to where it should be: The Obstacle Course.

Finally once the madness had resumed, the Maiden looked on and watched through all the madness and chaos from where she stood. Watching of course for those with potential. Those who just might have a chance to learn the same level of skills that she possessed.

Niesha had taken on the tower several times before. Living here all round since their 16th birthday, her brother Michael and her had h ad plenty of time to study the thing, and work out how it was constructed. What else would you expect, as children of Athena? And things were so much easier here, with everything written in Ancient Greek, their dyslexia didn't seem to play up. It had been hell, growing up, even as they managed to get good grades. Part of that had been their father, patient and willing, he helped them figure out ways to study that would help them. Remembering that, Niesha couldn't help but smile, and she could see how the goddess Athena would like him. She thought back on the days before coming to the camp, with both sadness and happiness. She often thought that the small white owlet she had found was a sign, for their mother. She had never asked. The one time they had met Athena, it had been more about the wonder of actually seeing their mother.

Niesha had been fascinated with how things worked, how they were built, since she was a little kid. They didn't just build normal block towers as little kids, but brillant ones, creating buildings and towers out of them. Michael and her ofter drew designs for their own city, the two of them working together in perfect harmony, yet Niesha had to say, Michael was better at the design stuff then her.

She turned her attention to the obstacle tower, watching the contestants. Michael was more interested in keeping Moe, his gigantic dog, under control. Niesha sighed. While they both had a go at the course, Michael preferred not to go out of his way to try it. Finally she said "You could do it, you know that" Michael merely looked up from Moe and shrugged, "Just because you can do something, Nes, doesn't mean you have to" He never stuttered with her, yet put him face to face with someone else, and he sounded like a CD that jumped about. She adored her brother, but sometimes she wished he was more...outgoing. "Besides, why show off? I prefer to let the other campers underestimate me"

Niesha gave another sigh. She could compete, but she wanted to try and nudge Michael into doing more things like this, yet Michael was merely content to be mediocore in camp. "But you're brillant, Mikey. Sometimes I wish you'd see that, and let others see it too" Michael gave a shrug, falling silent and returning his attention to Moe. He wasn't fooling Niesha though, she knew he was activelly paying attention to everything around them.

Giving another sigh, Niesha looked about, at their fellow campers. There were familiar faces, and new ones, too. She wondered if any of them would be children of Athena. That thought crossing her mind, she scanend the crowd for Webster. Sometimes their half brother could be overwhelming, but Niesha liked him well enough. It was interesting havign a sibling the same age. they still hadn't discussed who was older. Niesha was a bit troubled by that. There was only, really, a few months between where their mother could have concieved them or webster. Did she just go from mortal to mortal, leaving babies everywhere? Or had this been a special case?

She felt Michael lay a hand on her shoulder, "You're thinking too much, Niesha. You aalso appear troubled when you think of Mother" Niesha gave Michael a grateful smile. She never had to explain anything to him. "Just pondering some things, is all" she reassured him, returning her always wondering attention back to the course and what was going on. She couldn't decide if she wanted to go against Ky' Vie or not. While she was sure she could figure out the way to get up, she didn't know if she would be quick enough.

Pondering that, she sat back to watch.



Despite the excitement, Connor found himself almost dozing. The warm sun was just so inviting. It might have helped if he had actually slept the night before. Yet he hadn't, distracted from sleep by the lure of books, and a new-well old scroll-he had borrowed from the Athena cabin. Stretching, Connor leaned forward. He had left Prince asleep on his bed int he cabin, yet it wouldnt surprise him to see Syleste with the pup. When he had found the pup, it had just seemed perfect. A forever pup, Prince was easy to carry around, if the need rose. And Syleste was always luring the dog away.

Turning his wandering attention back to the coursehe studied the course, Ky' vie and her opponents. The obstacle course was indeed a challenge, yet everything always had a way. And if you studied your opponents, you could figure out how they did what they did. And then he could figure out how to beat them. Eventually. Still, it had been a while since he had tried to tower. Rising, he headed down from the stands, Connor didn't actually know what he was going to do, and maybe that was the point. Everytime he tried to plan this course, he failed spectaculary.

Maybe some things couldn't be planned.



The only child of Kalinda Apollo at the camp right then, Kalinda was merely there to ensure people didn't kill themselves. She didn't particularly want to show off climbing the tower, at least not today. She prefered the archery course. And besides, Choas demanded her attention. The ferret crawled out a pocket and danced in her lap, chattering and crying a war cry. Kalinda scooped the ball of fluff into her palms, petting her, and snapping on her leesh, so that she wouldn't get lost. The last time that had happened, Kali had had to search high and low, only to find Choas nestled happily on a sleeping Aphrodite daughter's chest. That had been fun, trying to get the ferret without waking the lover girl. And then explaining why she was essentially feeling the girl up.

She wasn't keen to have such an experience again.

Choas lived up to her name. Perhaps it was a good thing that Kalinda lived in the cabin alone. The ferret jjust got into trouble. She watched as Choas scampered about, unconcerned about her bothering any of the campers. She hadn't had trouble with that yet. Choas was just too cute, and used that to her advantage.

Kalinda leaned back in the stands, unconcerned with what was going on.

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Webster had a habit of waking up long before anyone else in his cabin. Not everyday, because there were days where the son of Athena desperately needed to be sleeping until everyone else absolutely needed him, but some days he enjoyed being the first to open their eyes. He loved listening to the quiet of the camp in the morning, watching the sun rise and hit the water on the lake just right. How he functioned so smoothly was beyond the comprehension of many, seeing as how he would often times be awake late into the night, reading or working on some new project of his.

Today was definitely one of those days. After brewing a cup of coffee for himself he took a moment to look out over the cabin, sitting on the front porch of Cabin Seven, laptop resting on his knees while he sipped from his mug, watching the camp come to life. As he sat he continued working on a project he'd been in the midst of for some time now, a redesign of a building in New Rome. He'd been working on the project with Annabeth, her being his mentor of sorts when it came to architecture, and by the time the camp was fully awake, he was sending it off to her, so that she could critique the blueprints.

When it came time for the Obstacle Tower, Webster geared up, ready to at least attempt to beat Ky' vie. He knew very well that the odds were slim. If Ky' vie didn't win, chances are Elena or that prick Deon would. But, like he always told the newbies at camp, "Trying and failing teaches you more than failing to try ever could." Webster hated inspirational bull shit like that, but for some odd reason, that quote had always stuck with him. Maybe because it was how he'd gotten to where he was. He wouldn't be anyone of any importance at this camp had he not trained, day in and day out.

Despite his complete lack of faith in his chances of winning, Webster rushed forward, but not before taking the time to calculate his risks. Staring at the tower, the world seemed to slow down as he timed the spinning of the beast, noting the pitfalls he was likely to encounter on his way to the top. His strategy in mind, Webster raced forward, jumping over the spinning bar of doom, and beginning his climb to the top. Just don't get thrown off by Deon. Okay, that's petty as hell, but just don't do it Webster. It won't lend any credence to you're whole thing about being better than him.

skill means nothing when You can't back it up, with intelligence Connor thought to himself at Deons words, having approached the wall, Connor was standing a moment to study it. This would be Connor's first time at trying to win. And he was going to give it his all, although he'd settle for sabotaging Deon. Arrogance needed to be taken down. He couldn't say he wouldn't enjoy it. Perhaps his fatal flaw was simply feeling inferior. Connor was generally happy to be behind the scenes, yet at times he felt like he was overlooked, unseen. Under appreciated. Perhaps it was pride that we making him do this. He didn't really know.

He approached the course, and started to run, avoiding the metal bar, he used his reach, and strength to get as high upon the ladder as possible, making his way up it, and through the course. He didn't stop to look and see how the other contests were going. He was merely seeking to do his best. And if he's best got him to the top, so be it. He took a moment to ensure his hands weren't sweaty and therefore slippery, before tackling the climbing wall.

There really was no way to predict when the hand holds would be moved, but if you listened, if you noticed the slight movement before it happened, you could avoid falling. Connor used his long reach to scale the wall quickly, often moving side ways, and once or twice down as hand and foot holds were yanked away. He kept calm, processing everything around him as he moved.

As he climbed, he thought about why he was doing this. Why should he try and prove himself, and what was he trying to prove, anyway? He didn't particularly want to win. What did winning get you? The course was, while designed for skill, about luck. Especially with the climbing wall. His thoughts were broken as a hand held slipped through his fingers, and for a moment Connor hung by one hand. He swung his body up, getting foot holds, and managed to get his other hand onto another hold, and he rested for a second, catching his breath back.

He began to climb again, and his thoughts traveled back to where they had been. Sometimes The ADHD that plagued Connor, and indeed most of the other campers, was a blessing. It enabled him to think, and do what he was doing, managing to keep focused even as his mind wandered. He knew that the ADHD was designed to keep them alive in battle-to enable them to focus on many things at once, and to avoid getting skewered like a stuck pig.

So. Why was he doing this, what did he have to prove? Perhaps he was simply trying to...be seen. Yet why did he want to be seen? He managed to remove his left foot in time before the foothold was yanked away, and hurriedly scrambled to the side, and then back up again. Why did he want to be seen? Could he actually answer that?

He didn't know.

He eyes, ever wandering, landed on Ky' vie. Maybe he could answer that. Turning his eyes back to the wall, he pondered that a moment, as he continued to climb. Distracted for that single moment, his right hand held, and left foothold disappeared, and for one terrifying moment it seemed that he would fall. And then, blessedly, time seemed to slow, as his wandering, active attention caught sight of nearby holds, and gathering himself, he leaped to them, for a wild moment it seemed that he would fall, but then his hands curved over the holds, and he's feet landed on two, causing him to have an almost star fish like shape. Not for the first time, he was thoroughly glad for his height, long legs and reach. He probably looked foolish, but what did that matter? He was still in the run.

A laugh escaped him, and he rested his head against the wall. His shaggy-and maybe it was getting a bit long-brown hair fell into his eyes, and he had to shake his head to free his vision, as he began his climb again. A smile stretched across his face. Perhaps this was fun. And really, wasn't that all that mattered? To succeed would be grand, but to just simply have fun? Did they have to be in competition with each other? Yes, they were to train, but couldn't they simply...have fun, while they did it?

He let his thoughts flow now, as he continued his ascent.

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Elena stood with the others at the base of the tower for a moment she was always really determined to get back her crown as ruler of the obstacle tower. She had it for awhile until Ky' vie took it away from her. But it was all in good fun, and she always liked the challenge she always enjoyed trying to beat the others and she had always been very competitive. "Race you all to the top!" Elena said as she quickly caught up with the others, Elena gracefully pulled herself up through the small holes and bars pulling herself up slowly climbing up the tower. Elena looked down at one of the younger campers who were trying their hand at trying to scale the massive three story tower, Elena paid close attention to the others as some of the poles were pulled out from under them and they fell. Elena would quickly move to where they had fallen and pulled herself up.

Elena eventually caught up to Connor giving him a quick smile and a friendly nod "Nice see you on the tower for once." She said as Elena climbed up rather quickly occasionally stopping to see what was going to move next. Then she felt some of her grips starting to move and she would quickly swing herself forward and pulled herself up again. Elena eventually pulled herself up onto a platform where she was nearly hit by a swinging obstacle and quickly ducked under it breathing heavily and brushing a bit of sweat off of her forehead as she looked around at the others to see where they were at.

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The sound of wood cracking apart beneath her feet filled the office of the camp’s director as her patience began to wear thin, and her frustration about the whole situation began to show in the expression she wore upon her face: disgust… pure unadulterated disgust.

The camp was filled with plenty of other demigods who would both volunteer, and do a much better job than she would; so why he’d chosen her was far beyond her comprehension.

“You’ve got to be kidding me..! I’m the daughter of the Underworld; not some bloody glorified babysitter..!” What it came down to was the fact that the camp’s director, Lord Dionysus, had it in for her- even after she chose to put up with his psychotic daughter. Arianna was nothing but a raving moron with mental issues; everyone knew it, but she was the only one who was brave enough to speak the truth, “You can’t just go a dump all the fresh meat on whenever you don’t feel like doing you damn job..!”

“Actually… I can, Eirene; you see, as much as I hate being here looking after you lazy lot, this is my camp… and I’m the one who makes all the rules..! You’re on tour duty; so hop to it, or whatever it is that you kids do these days…”

“Oh, for the love of Zeus..! My name is not Eirene, and you know it..! I’m on the complete opposite side of the damn family to that snow freak..!” He didn’t even flinch as she brought her fists down onto the surface of the desk in front of him- it was clear that she was done with him and his stupid games. She had lived in camp for Gods knew how long; and each time, without fail, he’d gotten her name wrong; choosing instead to call her by the name of one of his many sisters who lived on Mount Olympus, “I’m not going to do it. The newbie is supposed to live in the Ares cabin, right..? So get Deon to greet them; you got that. I didn’t come to this stupid camp so that I could show every damn freshmen around like some tour guide. Next time, think about getting your psycho daughter to do it.”

“..Mr. Donovan is down at the obstacle tower along with the others; but I’m sure I can work something out… In the meantime, you’re really beginning to test my patience; watch your tongue, unless you wish for me to turn you into a pathetic little minno-...”

“Empty threats again, Mr. D..? You know, you really should take a page out of my father’s book…” Unable to help the way that her lips turned up in a rather threatening smirk, Erin leant her body forward, bringing herself closer to him over the desk as her eyes narrowed on his lazy figure lounging in his chair, “..if you’re going to threaten someone; make sure you can back it up.”

Not bothering to give him even the slimmest chance to respond, Erin turned on her heel, her long and wavy dark brown locks bouncing lightly over her back with each and every step that she took out of the office, and in turn, out of the big house; the fresh air of the camp washing over her as she continued to put space between her and the God- she didn’t care what he had to say… he could sit there and insult her for days, but it wasn’t going to change a thing.

The relationship between the two of them had never been a great one… her and the God both butting heads, and arguing almost every single time that they camp face-to-face. It was just a normal routine; and everyone in camp knew it too.

“..Erin..? H-How did it go..? Is he going to let us swap..? I know you don’t like doing having to greet the new campers…”

The sound of a familiar voice filling the air caught her ears, causing Erin to turn her head so she was able to look over at the young girl who had spoken- the girl in question sitting ever so patiently on the edge of the porch with a small pup held delicately in her arms, exactly where she had left her when she had first entered the big house. She’d taken forever in there, thanks to her stupid uncle; damn Zeus took forever in there… But it was typical behavior of the girl… she was just too nice for her own good, and really, Erin couldn’t figure out whether or not she actually enjoyed sitting there waiting for her to return, “..you were here all this time..? Seriously, you’re too nice for your own good Syleste; grow some backbone will ya.”

Rolling her eyes, though unable to keep the small smile from flickering over her soft pink lips, Erin couldn’t help but to sigh softly before making her way down the steps, and over to where Syleste was sitting, her head tilting lightly to the side as she slipped her hands down into the back pockets of her black denim shorts, her gaze lingering upon the girl sitting in front of her before finally, she decided to answer her questions, “..the answer is no. The drunkard refuses to let me swap with you- but it doesn’t mean I didn’t get my way. He said he’d sort something out, so I’m not stuck as the damn welcoming committee today.”

“..well… that’s good isn’t it..?” Lifting herself up from where she had been sitting, Syleste’s lips turned up in a bright smile, her arms adjusting around the pup slightly so that she had a better hold over him, “It means that we can go down and cheer on the others at the tower..! At least, this way, you won’t be alone… and as a bonus; I get to spend time with my friend. Please..? Please can you come with me and Prince, Erin..?”

“If you want me to tag along and watch people getting beaten to a pulp, I’m not going to say no Syl- but the minute someone tries to get me to participate, I’m out of there, you got that..?”

Shoving her hands deeper into her pockets, Erin shrugged her shoulders lightly in response to the girl’s pleading, allowing herself to begin wandering away from the big house, being sure to drag her feet over the ground so that the noise would let Syleste know that the were now on the move to where the roar of the crowd was growing louder with each moment passed- from the sounds of it, apart from the few stragglers like the small group of six playing basketball on the court as they passed it by; the whole camp was watching as people ran like dogs, chasing their tails, and trying to fetch the disk at the top of the tower.

Truly, it was pathetic… but it was also quite amusing too.

Seeming to light up the moment Erin gave her the answer she’d been hoping to hear, Syleste hurried to catch up to where she could hear Erin’s footfalls, her own bare feet brushing lightly over the top of the grass causing a gentle tickle to rub over the souls of her feet, a single hand breaking away from around the pup so that she could lift it up, brushing some stray strands of her long and wavy bubblegum pink locks back and off her face, tucking them neatly behind her ear as she glanced over in the direction she could hear a ball being bounced against concrete.

“..I wonder what kind of camper we’re supposed to get today… I mean, I know they’re meant to be in the Ares cabin… but it-... it kinda gets lonely in my cabin sometimes…” Seeming to stare unseeingly at the guys playing basketball for a few moments, Syleste brought her arm back to rest around the small pup, her gaze lowering slightly as she once more focused on Erin’s steps, “..I love Connor; I really do. He looks after me, and always makes me smile, but… well, he’s my brother… I just-... I just get lonely sometimes because I’m the only girl… There are times I can’t talk to him… he understands enough- but he doesn’t understand everything…”

Unable to stop the scoff that slipped through her lips, Erin shook her head before closing the gap between them, her hand reaching out to brush softly against her friends out of habit- a sign that they were going to be stopping soon now that they were entering the area that held the tower, “I’ll pass on any new siblings- I happen to enjoy being alone and having a whole cabin to myself… unfortunately; I’m stuck with Marci… but if you really hate being the only girl in your cabin; go move in with the hot head. I’m sure Ky’ vie would just love having someone else to look after when she’s actually here…”

“Oh..! That could be so much fun..! We all have to have a sleepover soon- I’ve never had one of them before…”

Turning her gaze away from where Syleste stood happily bouncing up and down, and having clearly misunderstood what she had said, Erin rolled her eyes, a soft sigh falling out through her lips as she let her gaze wander about the stands until eventually, they came to a rest on two familiar figures sitting in the stands not too far from where they were stood- of course… they were in the stands again… When was he going to get over whatever it was he had, and actually give the tower a shot; it wasn’t like he didn’t have some skills… at least, he could tie his own shoelaces as far as she knew anyway.

Reaching her hand out again, Erin once more touched her hand to Syleste’s arm, leading her by the elbow over to where both Michael and Neisha were sitting, taking a place close to them while making sure that Syleste was on the inside, situated between herself and Michael- the way things looked on the tower, the infirmary was going to be busy… and for once, it wasn’t going to be because someone pissed her off.

However, if something happened to Syleste… Connor was going to rampage the camp… and not even she could stop him...

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When Maggie woke up most of her cabin had already vacated, off to go enjoy some camp activities. While there was normally a set wake up time at camp, Maggie had proven that being woken up before she wanted to would only get someone injured, and so most just let her sleep. No one wanted to see Maggie Hartford angry, and if there was one thing that made Maggie furious, it was when her sleep got interrupted. Sitting up and sliding off of the top bunk, she landed with silently, spinning around gracefully to face the dresser she shared with her bunkmate. Picking out an outfit that was simple yet showed off her good looks, she skipped outside, a smile on her face.

While most of the camp was thrilled for the Obstacle Tower, Maggie was more excited to watch, and also bug Chiron about the camp's lack of a decent archery instructor. They'd been without one for a while now, and Maggie had taken to training with the Apollo kids, which was a grand ol' time, until they started breaking out into song, or poetry, or on a bad day, both..

Skipping over to the amphitheater where most of the camp was currently watching the events on the tower, Maggie scanned the area for Chiron. Instead, she found someone even more interesting. A girl she recognized as a Maiden of the Hunt, though she hadn't seen her for some time, since the fiasco that was the Maidens vs Camp Capture the Flag game.. Grinning, she came to a stop with a slight hop in front of the Maiden, and extended her hand. "I haven't seen you around before and you're much too confident looking to be a newbie. I'm Maggie Hartford, daughter of Hermes," the blonde girl said, confidently. " I was hoping to speak with Chiron, I'm still waiting on a new archery instructor! The Apollo kids are only so good" she said with a chuckle.

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Cassie hated the Obstacle Tower more than anything else. The cheers of the crowd, the sheer chaos of everything was often too much for her, and it often resulted in her becoming so hopped up on energy that she crashed down and became especially mopey and tired for the next day or two. So today she avoided the amphitheater, despite the fact that she knew Deon would be there, being his usual cocky self. Not that she liked him or anything. Nope, not her.

After getting dressed for the day, Cassie meandered out to the lake, sitting down on the beach and letting the water lap lightly at her bare feet, giggling a bit as the cold tickled her toes. She liked the quiet of the water, and couldn't help but grin as she looked out over the glass lake, a picture of tranquility. She probably looked like a madwoman, giggling and grinning at a body of water, but she could care less. In all honesty, she was a madwoman.

She had another reason for being at the lake that day however. For days now, she'd had a feeling that something...bad was about to happen. Her siblings agreed with her, though none of them could pin the feeling exactly. All they could say was that they each had some sort of anticipation, as if they were waiting for something, although none of them knew what exactly. She had instructed her half-siblings to keep this quiet, but she was worried. Somehow she felt that it was all going to come to a head today. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

Natalie Hawkins - The First Prospect



Remaining where she stood, the Maiden watched with silent amusement as the first of the contestants came crashing back down to earth. Only to promptly get back up, catch what breath he had lost, and charge back into the fray again. A light smirk lined her lips then, if anything she could commend him on his determination.

Even still throughout it all, one girl seemed so apt as to distract herself from the chaos of the Tower, and approach her.

A quick assessment of minute details meant much indeed. First, she appeared to be relatively the same age which the Huntress had literally been paused at for over two millenia. Second, her frame was slender, but toned. Athletic, to say the least. Commonplace amongst the Campers as a whole. Lastly, a genuine smile it seemed, almost earnest in a way. As if she was either happy, or at least intrigued by the maiden's presence.

Surprisingly above all else, she seemed to be without any animosity to start at least. Which was good, it meant that either one, she didn't remember Natalie from the last capture the flag game the Hunt had with the Camp, or two, she was still relatively new.

A singular fiery brow lofted as she introduced herself as a child of Hermes, and then lamented over the lack of an Archery instructor. which was interesting in itself. Mostly, only the children of Apollo were the only demigod children interested in the discipline of Archery.

Needless to say, a child of the speedester having interest was, well, interesting.

"Natalie Hawkins, Maiden of the Hunt. Feel free to call me Nat, or Hawkie if you prefer." She began with, her lips breaking into a charming smile. Naturally, she took the girl's hand and shook it promptly. "And though I may not look it, your days of lament have passed!

Reaching over her shoulder, she unclasped the Saracen Bow from her back with one nimble finger. Lightly, the Maiden would flick the string, which broke unto a singsong twang once she touched it.

"I am the camp's new Archery instructor. Save until a replacement is found I'm sure. Tis' not wise to have someone who appears to be the same age of the campers teaching them, after all." She shrugged then, ever nonchalant as she then glancednl and met the girl's eyes with the intense raptor-like gaze experienced Huntresses were known for.

"So, how do you fare with a Bow? And how can I help you hone such an art?" She inquired finally, with her irish accented english.

Michael was watching the obstacle course, the few contestants that were making their way through it, studying them with the keen eye of one analysing tactics. He kept his hand on Moe's collar, making sure the mountain of dog didn't try and join in on the fun and cause a domino of falling amoung the campers. He looked up as Erin and Syleste joined them, Erin seemed to deliberalely, like always, place Syleste as close as possible to him, that he was surprised she didn't just "nudge" her into his lap. He looked away hasitly, the blush he was sure was creeping across his face was warming it, and he let go of Moe's collar, the dog happily barking and wagging his tail as he bounded over to the two new girls, happily laying his paws against both girls legs and trying to lick both their faces.

It took Michael a minute to restrain him again, as he stuttered out apologise left right an centre, "S-s-sorry, he g-g-got away from m-me" Sometimes he thought that Moe tried to force him to interact with Syleste in particular, as if the dog knew how much he liked her. Or maybe it was just because he knew Syleste would always have a pat for him. He finally had Moe by the collar again, but the mountain of dog was conent enough to to lay his head against Syleste's leg, tail wagging wildly.

"I, uh...H-h-hi" He struggled to think of something to say, that might be somewhat...well, intelligent, but his mind had gone blank. He ran a hand through his hair, and took a dog treat out a pocket instead, feeding it to Moe who lapped it up enthuastically, and then looked about for more. "uh...h-h-how are y-you g-guys" He shot Erin a glance that suggested he knew what she was going, but didn't say anything.

Behind him, Niesha smiled and stayed silent, glancing back to the obstacle course, deciding not to interfer and let Michael stumble through this interaction.
@Vicier

Connor smiled at Elena, and continued his assent, moving faster now as he began to understand how the wall worked. He never stayed on one hand hold more then a few seconds, and when he felt the movement, Connor would throw himself up, using his reach to grab hand holds further up, and pull himself up more, doing so until he reached the top. He moved smoothly, with a strength that undermined his lithe frame. He took a minute to brush his hair back from his eyes.

He glanced about quickly, to see where is opponents were. The real challenges were of course Ky' vie and Deon. Yet Bexley was having a good go at it, as was Arianna, Webster was doing okay as was Elena. might be close he thought with amusement, noticing that Kalinda of the Apollo cabin was attending a camper that had got injuried, He saw Syleste in the stands, and gave a quick wave, figuring either Michael or Erin would tell her, and with amusement he heard Prince give a bark, setting off the giantic dog beside him as well.

It didn't matter who won to Connor. This was camp, at its greatest. It brought them all together, much like capture the flag. To him, the winning was in that. it keeps us going. It pushes us, even as it brings us together. he thought, before he turned to continue the course. But he knew he wasn't going to win this time, no matter how close he had come. Ky' Vie had made it to the top before him, as he knew she would. She just seemed apart of the wall itself when she did this. So Connor instead turned, and crouching, steading himself, he held out his hand to Elena, giving her a smile, "The course teaches us that sometimes we all need a little help. In battle, a helping hand can mean a lot" And perhaps that was the key to beating the course, if you couldn't do it by yourself. Team work. He waited for her to take his hand.

Some might say that Connor was being foolish, Connor thought however he was simply being a good sport. Why push himself, when it was clear he wasn't going to win? He knew he would always be a supporting rule in any battle-while he was skilled, he wasn't the best in camp, and that went for his powers as well, strong, he was no where near as powerful as syleste was. Nor was he the best strategist, Webster, Niesha and Michael held that titile, each different in their own way, yet all held the wisdom of their mother. He would never be able to make such amazing weapons as Ky' vie, nor would he be as useful in medical situations as Kalinda. He would never be as skilled a fighter as Bexley, or as good an archer as some of the other campers. He never used a sword if he could help it, prefering to use his staff that was encased magically in his wrist watch.

No, Connor was destined to be skilled in many areas, but a supporting role in each. And he was okay with that. All he wanted to be able to do was protect Syleste, not that she really needed it, but what were big brothers for? Still. One day, he would beat the other contestants at this course. He just had to figure out how. "I promise, I won't drop you"



Niesha gave Alan a smile in return when he sat next to her, flicking at glance at Michael as he once more sought to control Moe. Above, a small white owl circled, and she watched Snow aim towards someone, out of sight. The tiny owl landed on Marcel's shoulder, fluttering her wings a moment, making a chattering sound, before taking off again, circling once more. Niesha held out a hand, and the owl dove down, landing in what would have been a graceful landing, if she hadn't stumbled and fallen into Niesha's lap.

Giving a small laugh, Niesha scooped the small owl up, stroking her. Snow, she was sure, had been a gift from her mother. Niesha had stumbled on the owl when coming home from work, in the perfect spot and perfect timing. Niesha had taken the hatchling home, and cared for her, raising the owlet. She had tried to release Snow, but the tiny owl always fluttered back to her shoulder, so Niesha kept her. Upon being claimed by Athena, Niesha had sent her mother a prayer, thanking her for the owl. And every night, when they offered part of their meal to the gods, Niesha said thank you.

The tiny owl nibbled her fingers affectionately, ruffling her feathers so she seemed like a big ball of puff. Niesha gave a soft laugh, and settled the owl on her shoulder. She glanced back to the obsticle course, to see where people were, NIesha let her gaze roam over the course. Soon, she would have another go at it herself, but not yet. She wanted to get Michael on there first, but Michael wasn't into showing everything he could do. "Better to keep people wandering, sometimes, then to reveal all your cards. The camp has proven to be vulnerable to spies, what if there is another war?" he commonly said to her, and while she could see the merit to that, she couldn't believe that anyone would be a spy here. And she hated when Michael was just so...logical, that there was no point arguing with him.

Snow nestled against her neck, where she promptly fell asleep. Niesha moved her hair to cover the owl, smiling to herself. She leaned forward, so she could see both Syleste and Erin, "Hey are you guys?"



Kalinda had known someone would get injuried, someone always did on the course. Putting Chaos in a pocket, of which sh ehad numerous, her fingers brushed against the meds she had yet to give Arianna, and she shifted them to another pocket, making a mental note to make sure she caught Arianna after she got off the course, Kalinda moved to the injuried camper.

She wasn't stupid, she knew how important and essential it was that Arianna was properly medicated, and that task pretty much fell to her. Arianna herself was a full time job, as it wasn't simply giving her the medication that Kalinda believed helped her. No, the friendship that had sparked, even when Kalinda hadn't meant it to, helped as well. Being around others, and Kalinda suspected, having her father around her helped. Or so Kalinda liked to think. And yet they went around with the ritual of the medications, simply because they were all paranoid she might spin out of control again.

And yet Kalinda wondered if Mr D couldn't perhaps do something about Arianna's hidden side. She knew that eventually the tablets wouldn't be as effective, and no matter if they found new treatment, it was merely a matter of time before they stopped working as well. They had to be a permament solution to Arianna's problem, but Kalinda just didn't know what. She wondered briefly if she could try contacting Arianna's older brothers. She knew that Arianna had at least one brother-twin to the fallen Castor that had died during the labyrinth battle. And she was sure there was a second.

She pondered that as she fed the injured camper Nectar, and bandaged their wound up as best she could. If Kalinda had had other siblings, she might have tried to actively heal the wound, but it wasn't somethign she wanted to try without adequate practice, and without another Apollo child around. Speaking off older siblings, perhaps she could contact Will. He might be willing to help her with her abiltiies. He had been helping in the one time she had emt him before, when he h ad taught her the responsibilities of a camp counsellor, and being a child of Apollo, what it meant to actively be apart of the camps health.

Giving a soft sigh at her line of thoughts, she instructed the camper to come to her on the evening, so she could check for any signs of infection. Instead of returning to her spot in the stand, Kalinda stayed where she was, waiting for the course to finish so she could cornor Arianna.

@Nallore@Vicier@YoshiSkittlez