Bexley Leahy

Obstacle course

Bexley pulled herself up and onto the final spinning platform just in time to see Ky'vie grab the ring out of the helmet. She had been close but not close enough to bring any real challenge to Ky'vie, not like Deon, who ran up beside her and snatched the other side of the ring. Bexley sat down, as she caught her breath and watched the two of them. They were impressive, she had to admit that. Physicality had always been her one strength, whether that was throwing a couple punches with some guy who got in her space on the street or free running through the city avoiding monsters. However, these two showed her what training could do and how you should never feel comfortable at the top because someone was always coming up behind. Deon was clearly a little to comfortable at the top as he struck a deal for Ky'vie victory that she had already won. The two of them had probably not seen her sitting there, otherwise Deon might not had made the deal, so Bex made herself known.

She stood up and looked at Ky'vie, "You won by a solid second. I saw. So, unless you really want to kiss him. The deal is unnecessary when you have a witness to your victory."

Bexley wasn't exactly scared of Deon, although made she should be. There were a lot of campers who didn't want to get on his bad side but to be honest, Bexley couldn't give a flying fuck. To her, he was like a thug on the street corner. Intimidating, yes, dangerous, yes, and would he lash out at you, most likely, but thugs had always bothered Bexley. Sure there were the few had made sure to keep her safe but the few who hadn't... They were assholes and Bexley couldn't help but mesh Deon in there with them. She took a step back, her foot leaving the platform, "Congrats, Ky'vie."

Then Bexley fell backwards, it wasn't far though before the air caught her and she floated gently to the ground. She hadn't used to her powers to boost her up on the course at all but it was nice not have to do the course again to get all the way down.

Landing on the ground, Bexley released her hair from her ponytail and shook it out. Her hair falling back over her shoulders. She made her way over to Erin and the rest. Bexley was still a little confused by Erin at times. The girl seemed to complain anytime she could about having to teach Bexley how to read but then spun around and would kick anyone's butt who decided to mock her. However, Bexley hung around her all the same as well as the others who had gathered. She gave them all a nod, her little greeting before she took a seat next to Erin, "Ky'vie won," She said simply to the group.
~

Faun Alder and Liam Alder

Obstacle course

Faun had finally decided on wearing her hair short with a little today, when she left her cabin. Her brother had left sometime before her, something about not wanting to wait during her debate. She just wanted to make sure that she was looking her best. Besides, she didn't have any intention on doing the obstacle course today. Not yet... She wanted more time to train before she took that thing on. So, when she finally did arrive, she already saw people lying on the ground injured and three people standing at the top before one flew down. Which meant that Bexley had managed to at least make it to the top... Which left Faun a little impressed.

She didn't sit on the moment too long before she walked over to Kalinda. She smiled at her friend and slid into the spot next to her, "I can see that you haven't been as busy as usual... Either newbies are getting too scared to try it out or people are getting better that this thing."

She smirked, "Hopefully when I finally go at it, you won't have to worry about me."

"You know you need to fail to actually succeed sometimes, Faun," Liam, her brother, said as he snuck up behind the two. Faun looked over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes, "That sounds like something some who fails a lot would say."

"Are you calling me a failure?"

"I'm not not calling you a failure," She said with a grin before turning her attention back to Kalinda, "So, what do you think is happening after the obstacle course?"

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Webster groaned as he saw Ky' vie and Deon reach the top, with Ky' vie grabbing the helmet before the Grand Majesty of Prickiness could do so. Webster smirked at that. As long as Deon didn't win, Webster could walk away feeling good about himself. He swiftly climbed down to the ground, where his half-siblings greeted him with smiles and claps on the back. He finally broke away from his brothers and sisters and strolled over to Erin's group, grinning.

"Helluva time that was. You did good up there Bex, gotta hand it to you. I thought you might even take it there for a second," Webster said, grinning at the daughter of Zeus. That girl was a bit of an enigma, that much was certain, but Erin liked her so she was cool in his book. Webster turned to the daughter of Hades and Syleste, offering up a small wave to the duo, as well as to Niesha and Michael. "Hey guys," Webster said, grinning.

Webster cared deeply for Erin and Syleste. They were practically sisters to him, especially Erin. The daughter of Hades was a pain in the ass, but she was his pain in the ass. Not in a gross, making out kinda way. Webster would never go out with Erin, but he'd punch someone in the face for her, that much was true. Syleste and her impossible ideas made Webster's life all the more fun, and he'd spent plenty of time trying to get one of her plans to work. She was a fun time, and a genuinely nice person. He admired that. As for his two half siblings, the twins, he hadn't gotten to know them too well yet, but they seemed cool enough. He'd have to see though.

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Maggie raised an eyebrow at Natalie's introduction. A smirk played across her face. One of Artemis' precious maidens was to be their newest instructor? Interesting. Maggie couldn't help but think that this was some sort of ploy on the goddess' part, some sort of plan designed to keep the camp and it's campers under the watchful eye of the virgin goddess. Maggie had been living in this world long enough to know that when it came to the gods, there were always ulterior motives.

"Nice to meet you. We should thank Artemis that she could spare you for little ol' us," Maggie said, grinning, her eyes sparkling with the twinkling of mischief that seemed to play in her eyes at all times. "To answer your question, I'd say I'm one of the better shots here. See, us Hermes kids, we don't really have any talents from Pops, at least none that lend themselves to our use in the arena. So, we have to actually train. Those Apollo kids, they're naturally good, and it makes them cocky. Also makes them easy to surpass, if you really want to." Maggie grinned and laughed. "Plus, I'm absolute ass with a sword. I had to have something to work with. How you can help me? That's simple. Give me a challenge."

Natalie Hawkins - A Challenge Delivered!



Having her prospective student distracted Natalie from the ongoing drama to reach the peak of the tower, diverting the entirety ofnher focus on Maggie to start. She spoke of her achievements, her pride at beating out those who were inherently talented in such an art.

It was a feeling she could relate to. For she was without the blood of any God in her veins, at least as far as she knew. All that she had done, all that she had accomplished, had been achieved through determination, blood, sweat, and tears.

Yet such words seemed to be laced with a hint of arrogance, as she requested that her new instructor give her a challenge to strive for. Staring off for a moment, the Maiden's lips curved into a radiant smile as she first looked back to Maggie, and then to the crowds that were beginning to disperse from the tower.

Time was ripe for her introduction to the camp, and even to begin her first class.

With a final glance to Maggie, Natalie spoke simply. "A challlenge wished for shall be a challenge delivered. Please, follow me in a moment."

Turning about then, the Maiden strode into midst of the crowd, garnering a variety of suspicous glares. Even still, she remained steadfast, cleared her throat loudly to catch the ears of some, and then spoke loudly with her beautifully melodic voice for the others.

"Congratulations to the winner, and good morning everyone!" She stated with the rich Irish accent she possessed curling around every syllable. "I am sure that this will come as surprise, but my name is Natalie Hawkins, one of the eldest Maidens of the Hunt; and I am your newest Archery Instructor. If any of you are interested in further honing your skills in such a discipline, please come with me to the range."

With a flick of her recurve bow, the fiery headed girl turned on her heel and sauntered away towards the range. Glancing once to Maggie as if to tell the child of Hermes to follow her.

Several minutes passed before the Huntress and a gaggle of students both curious and suspicious emerged to stand at the firing line of the range. It was then that Natalie reached behind her back and withdrew a series of ten arrows from the quiver which hung ar her waist. Without a word further, the Maiden stuck the arrows in a row in front of her, before turning back to the crowd.

"The first lesson of today is to gain a measure of what you are individually capable of, prove to each of you that I am a capable instructor, and challenge each of you to a specific goal." Natalie stated at first, twirling an arrow betwixt her fingertips nonchalantly while she looked over the crowd.

"Currently, the most skilled of marksmen in your camp can reliably hit a target at about three hundred meters." The the maiden quipped at first, tossing the arrow she was twirling into the air. "Be that as it may, I intend to double your effective range to seven hundred meters. I have set six targets at that range, which, if you strain to see them, you can do so, but only barely."

With a snap, the Huntress deftly snatched the arrow out the air, and notched it to her bow in the blink of an eye. Before the eyes of a practiced soul, it would be the purest form of art as it were drawn to her ear, and released unto the heavens with a resounding singsong twang.

Several seconds would pass, until the most attuned ears would barely be able to hear the dull thud of the arrow finding its mark in the incredibly far distance.

"For regular students, that is the goal. One arrow, on target, at seven hundred meters. However, for exceptional students, I present to you an additional challenge. Step back if you will."

Approaching the row of arrows then, the Maiden would move with blindingly swift procession. Throwing each of the ten arrows into the air, and one by one, she would catch it, notch it to the bow once again and fire it. Whistling through diatance, each first arrow would pierce the bullseye of each of five targets, only to have their bretheren come up behind them, split them in two, and take their place.

Ten arrows, ten perfectly flawless bullseyes at a seemingly impossible range, with fluidity and lack of hesitation that was unimaginable, on five targets.

As if such skill were simply an everyday ordeal, the Huntress returned her bow to her back, and refocused her gaze back upon the class. Some of which, even the arrogant children of Apollo, were staring on in slack jawed disbelief!

Seeming almost apathetic to her incredible feat, Natalie continued then. "Exceptional stidents, of you can accomplish such, in the rate of fire I used in the exact same manner, without the use of Godly gifts, and you will no longer require my tutelage. For now, grab a bow, fifteen arrows each, and let us begin."

(Finished!)

Walter Tiller
Location: Practicing Range
"Interacting" with Natalie Hawkins (@Feisty-Pants's character)

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Walter strung his bow and fired it at at a target about 22 meters away. The arrow pierced the edge of the wooden circle. "Fine enough," he thought to himself, "not like I'll need to go any farther than that anyway."
While something inside him (as well as many people outside him) told him that he needed to improve his archery...he honestly couldn't care less. Archery isn't fun, all it does is allow you to poke things kinda far away.

A loud voice interrupted his internal griping. "The first lesson of today is to gain a measure of what you are individually...", Walter completely out the speaker. They aren't gonna teach him anything anyway, just brag as usual.

He began wondering if anyone would notice him just slipping away back to his cabin. If it were anyone else, the answer would almost certainly be no...but the huntresses are another story. They're trained to notice the slightest change in movement and won't be fooled by a mere shadow puppet and some silent footsteps.

Gods, they're obnoxious.

He looked at the "instructor", who seemed to be juggling or something. "That's it," he silently said, sick of the showing off, "I'm taking my chances". He silently attempted to depart the scene, making sure to leave his shadow behind.

If he's lucky, he's going to head back to his cabin and work on designing the Phobos cabin or something. Maybe. After a nap.

If he's unlucky...well, he doesn't know.

-redacted; this is the last post I try to do half asleep XD-

Patsy frowned out the widow of her father's car. She had her arms wrapped around her new duffel bag. They had bought it just a few days ago for this very reason. Patsy knew what she was growing up. She knew she was a demi-goddess. She knew about Camp Half-blood. She just never expected that she would be forced to go. In all her plans she saw herself at this moment in life at home waiting for her acceptance letters to go to a prestigious university. They she'd graduate with her doctorate. But now?

Patsy turned her gaze from the view to her father. Earlier this month he had been a hale, happy thirty-seven year old man. Now his face was lined and his hair greying. Over the past few days he had aged over ten years. Patsy could barely look at him anymore. The guilt, the knowledge that it was her fault laid heavily upon her. She had always known that she drove people away. Whether it was because of her intelligence or her personalty people always left. Even her mother didn't want her. And now? Now he was driving her own father away.

"It's just for the summer." Her father tried again. The two were barely on speaking terms after their argument over this summer camp. Patsy didn't want to go. But she had to because she might die if she didn't. It was stupid. What had the Gods ever done for her? Why couldn't they put their trust in modern medicine instead of hokum and voodoo? When she had told her father this he had yelled and cried a little. Medicine couldn't stop the seizures if they happened again. Medicine couldn't stop the damage from those seizures and he didn't want to loose her.

Instead of replying Patsy had stormed off and slammed the door to her room. Sure she understood where he was coming from. But what guarantee did she have that the Gods would hep her? It's not like her mother was tripping over herself to come help. Why should Patsy beg and grovel to someone who never waned her in the first place?

"Patsy." Her father sighed. The fifteen year old girl watched as her father's hand left the steering wheel to rub at his face. Patsy immediately drooped her eyes back down to look at her duffel.

"I love you sweetheart." He reached out and grabbed her hand. "I wouldn't be doing this if there was any other way. nd I'd never make you face this alone f I had a choice. you're my sweet baby girl and I. Will. Always. Love. You."

The emphasis on his love made Patsy's lip quiver and tears gather in her eyes. Her decision to hate her father wavering.

"Just for the summer?" Patsy hated how small her voice sounded.

"Just for the summer and you'll never have to come back again."

"Okay." Patsy took a deep breath and finally looked at her father. He looked worried but determined to put on a brave face. "You better be here or I'll never forgive you."

In between one instant and the next her father had been just sitting there then he was hugging her like she was never coming back.

"I swear."

"I gotta go." Patsy gave him an awkward pat on his back. Physical affection was never something the Xiong's were good at. It was a relief for them both when the moment was over. hough that meant Patsy had to get out of the car. She turned to frown back out the window.

"Just this summer." Patsy muttered under her breath. She could do this. She could show those Gods that she didn't need them. That she didn't need anyone but herself. She's beat this, whatever it was, and she'd do it all on her own. She wouldn't beg. She wouldn't grovel and she sure as heck wasn't going to whine to her absentee mother about it. And she was never, ever going to give into her fears. Never.

Patsy popped on the door and climbed out. She dropped the duffel on the ground and turned back to her father.

"I love you too." She said right before she chickened out of the overt display of affection. "I'll be here if you're here." An unspoken assurance that she wouldn't die. With that she closed the car door, picked her duffel back up and headed for the tree line.

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Elena looked up ahead of her as she watched her half brother Deon and Ky'vie quickly making their way up towards the top, she continued to try and reach the top just as Bexley joined in on the fray as well. Elena continued to do her best to try and catch up she was neck and neck with Connor, she looked up once again Ky'vie yanking one of the poles out from under Deon causing her to smirk slightly seeing her half brother losing his balance and hanging there giving Ky'vie more space to the top. Elena was about to reach the next platform when both Deon and Ky'vie made a grab for the ring at the top. Elena closed her eyes and sighed loudly as she lost this time and turned her attention towards Connor and gave him a smile as she took his hand and pulled herself up.

"Well next time you and I should team up that could help with your smarts and my skills we could beat everyone else." Elena said as she sat down on the platform looking down at the others that were in the crowd in the amphitheater below them. Elena stood up quickly and started to dust herself off looking over at Connor and gave him a smile gently patting him on the shoulder. "We can let the two of them duke it out for the winning spot then, lets head down and see the others." Elena started to climb down the tower just as the other campers were, once she was about three feet off of the ground Elena jumped off and started to approach her friends.

Elena saw Erin, Syleste and Niesha and approached the two of them, seeing the small little bit of white feather and saw that Snow was there she reached over to gently pet the cute little critter. "So whats up you three?" Elena asked smiling to the three of them.

The worst part of every day for James was the morning. Even at 18 he still craved the long hours of sleep that he could get during his teenage years. Sadly, he had things to do these days, and that required him to be up earlier than he would like. Although he seemed to be a little slower than most this morning. When he was finally able to shrug off the blanket of sleep he had been tucked into, he immediately knew what he needed. Coffeee. After some tinkering in the kitchen, James was shuffling through the dining and living area of the Cabin One in his pajamas with a large mug of coffee. It didn't take him long to realize that everyone was already awake and starting activities, even his half-sister Bex. He didn't entirely know what to make of her yet, she was so quiet and distant that it was hard to learn about her. Hell, sometimes she even slept on the roof for some reason.

Jamie left the mug on the kitchen table after taking a couple, long sips and made himself look presentable. The hot shower woke him up even further and afterwards he was starting to feel like his normal self again. Before leaving his cabin James finished his coffee, making sure to clean the cup afterwards. Wolfe remembered that there was supposed to be an announcement at the Obstacle Tower today, hopefully he hadn't slept through it! On his way to the Tower, James grasped the pack of cigarettes in his back pocket and wiggled it out. He returned it back to his pocket after a cigarette had been lit and placed between his lips.

James still didn't feel completely at home at camp yet. He hadn't even attempted to make friend yet either, just the occasional small talk or joke. When he arrived at the Tower, he kept quiet and observed. There was a group gathered on the ground making small talk and it seemed like things were getting pretty intense at the Tower. Looking up towards the top he noticed Ky'vie, Deon, and Bexley. It seemed like there was a tie between Ky and Deon, but he was proved wrong when Bexley jumped down and informed the large group of campers that Ky'vie had won once again. "What a surprise," he mumbled sarcastically. Even though Deon was a prick, Jamie was hoping for a new winner. Ky'vie had clearly shown that she was athletic, at this point it was just boring to try to beat her on this course, she had too much experience.

Exhaling a cloud of smoke with a sigh, James slid his hands into his pockets and looked around, waiting for whatever this big announcement would be.

Marcel Gates

Location: The Obstacle Course; Camp Half-Blood.
^{Interacting With: James Wolfe.}

It seemed as though she had arrived just on time. Ky' vie and Deon had just reached the top of the Obstacle Tower by the time she moseyed into the area. The stands were completely full, so she opted to remain standing, leaning against the side of the stands to give her a chance to finish her cigarette. She got a few dirty looks from the campers who were less than thrilled to be around the smoke, but Marcel had learned long ago to just ignore them, or quirk an eyebrow and make a "so do something about it" kind of face. Most of the time, they just left her alone. But she wasn't the only one smoking, it appeared. James Wolfe was standing not too far from her position, finishing up his own cigarette and observing the scene before him just as quietly as she was.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that James and Bexley were the closest family she had at the camp, save for Erin. They were the four children of the big three, and yet James was the only one she could really stand to be around for long periods at a time. Bexley was far too high maintenance, Erin and she had almost nothing in common... but James... James was a cool dude. He reminded her a lot of herself before- well, she wasn't going to think about that.

Ignoring the outcome of what was happening on the tower completely, Marcel nodded over towards James' direction, acknowledging him being there, which was a lot more than most people got out of her.

"What a surprise," he had muttered to himself after Bexley came back down to alert everyone of what had happened. Funny, from here, it looked like the two bull heads had tied. Marcel, in turn, just chuckled and took another puff of her cigarette. She really didn't care either way.

"And yet these dogs all come and watch every week, expecting something to change." she replied, speaking only to him and once again ignoring the offended and pressing glares she was getting from those who were trying to enjoy the rest of the game. She scoffed. "Pathetic. Those two have been in camp years longer than anyone else here. Something big has to happen to throw one of them off their game. Frankly... I'd rather watch those two face off a hell hound than this boring, routine shit." Marcel took another drag, pausing a moment as though thinking over the possibility. She'd have to talk to Erin about that one.

Kalinda glanced over as Faun, and gave her a brief smile, glancing back to the course, Kalinda watched Arianna, waiting for the somewhat ditzy, clumsy girl to climb down, "Or people simply knew they would be no match against Ky' vie or Deon, and throw Arianna into the mix, well, it's a makes for an interesting time" She said, listening to the two bicker, as she watched her friend on the course. I can always take her to the cabin, and give her a drink. That always makes the pills go down better although not strickly appropriate, Kalinda figured it wouldn't be a problem, as long as Arianna got her meds.

She gave a shrug as Faun asked her what she thought the meeting was, although she had some ideas. It had to be something big, for both Chiron and Mr D to be involved. She hadn't seen them since they both went into the big house, when she had gone in to gather some Nectar and ambrosia in case anyone got seriously hurt on the coure.

"Could be anything, but a bit odd, don't you think?"

She gave a shrug, looking over to Liam and Faun, envying them their sibling relationship. While friendship was great, Kalinda found it lonely in the Apollo cabin by herself. Why couldn't her father claim one of his kids? Why couldn't one come in to the camp? Her mother had done well by her, but Kali often wondered what it would be like to have had a brother or sister.

"Normally they give announcements at the campfire, or before dinner" She continued, giving another shrug, "got to make you wonder, just what it could be" There normally wasn't so much fuss over a quest-not anymore at least, so it couldn't be that. was there another war, on the brink? That thought horrified her.

"But I suppose we'll find out. Why are people going with that new teacher? Has she even been introduced to Chiron and Mr D? We've been told to stay at the course, I'm not impressed by her. She doesn't even have the sense to make sure she's doing the right thing" She shook her head, more than content to stay where she was. "It's obviously something important, after all"

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Connor gave a laugh at Elena's words, "Well, maybe we should. I might be nice to be the winner for once. We'll talk" Not everyone could be a one man army. Sometimes, team work is what gets people through. He followed Elena down, being careful not to fall, as he scaned the crowd for Syleste. He couldn't quite remember which row he had seen her in from atop the course. He stood, glancing about for her pink locks,

He barely glanced to the new teacher, except to acknowledge her presence. They had been told by Chiron adn Mr D to stay at the course afterwards, and so that was what he was going to do. Someting big was afoot. The simple fact that the new teacher didn't know about the fact they needed to be here showed him that she hadn't yet spoken to Chiron and Mr D, so whatever it was, clearly it was something big to have them both be indisposed.

but what?

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[centre][h1][b]Niesha[/h1][/b][/centre]

Niesha leaned back when it was clear this win was betweein Ky' Vie and Deon, It had been quite close, and she wasn't sure who had one. Bexley's announcement didn't really mean anything-she could just be trying to stay on Ky' Vie's good side. Of course, it wasn't exactly a secret that Deon was an ass, perhaps Bexley just simply didn't want him to have any glory.

She smiled at Elena when she joined them, and patted Snow. The little owl barely stired, and Niesha had to wonder what she had been doing. The owl had a habit of dive bombing people. SHe hoped the owl hadn't dived anyone that would become angry. "oh, not much" Niesha said cheerfully, and smiled at Webster. Having been at the camp all year, it did surprise Niesha that Webster was still a little cool with them, as if he wasn't too sure what to make of them.

Niesha however didn't mind have a second brother. It was nice knowing they had more family out there. She greeted webster, "You did well up there, but Ky' vie is kinda Queen of the course, isn't she? I've been trying to get Michael to have a go, but he seems to think it's a silly idea" She said to Webster. @smarty0114@Nallore@tsubasa@Vicier

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Not even moments after they sat down, were they attacked- the mass ball of fur and drool not giving them a single minute of peace before he jumped up, pawing and barking, demanding their full attention, even if they weren’t willing to give it to him. Scrunching up her face in disgust as the canine began his assault Erin couldn’t help but to voice her frustration, the sound of an unimpressed groan falling out through her lips as she used both her hands to roughly shove at the big loveable lump, forcing him off her body around the same time Michael managed to get a hold of himself, and then in turn, get a hold of Moe once more.

”S-s-sorry, he g-g-got away from m-me.”

“Argh; I can see that- what do you think I am, stupid..?” Narrowing her dark eyes, Erin shot a glare worse than death over in Michael’s direction, her body tensing as she leant forward in her seat so that she could see round the daughter of Morpheus, “Next time, try keeping that brute of yours on a damn leash; I don’t care for drool covered clothes. If it happens again, I’ll deal with him myself.”

”Erin… you know, you really shouldn’t be so mean… besides…” Biting the inside of her lip softly, Syleste chewed on it a few moments before she took a single hand away from Prince, her body leaning over and a gentle smile playing over her soft pink lips as she ran her fingers through Moe’s long fur, softly scratching and causing the dog's tail to whip back and forth even faster than it had been before, “..Moe doesn’t mean any harm… you know that…”

”Uh… h-h-how are y-you g-guys?”

Unable to help the gentle giggle that fell out through her lips as the familiar weight of the dog’s head fell upon her leg, Syleste leant herself forward just that little bit more in her seat, the small pup she held within her left arm squirming a bit until it was able to break its front paws free, using them to playfully paw at the bigger dog’s muzzle as though in an attempt to try and tell him to back off trying to steal her attention, though it was clear that it was going unnoticed by both the girl and Moe.

“I’m good; thank you for asking, Michael.” Lifting her attention up from where she could feel the weight of both dogs on her leg, Syleste let her gaze wander over to where she could hear his voice coming from, the soft smile on her lips growing bigger as she tilted her head lightly to the side, her long and wavy bubblegum pink locks falling gently to one side with the action, “It’s such a beautiful day isn’t it..? But, I’m so sorry… I-... I forgot to ask; how are you doing today..?”

Choosing to ignore the question altogether, Erin once more sat herself back in her seat, her hands sliding out behind her to help hold her weight as she leant, her leg crossing over the other as she let her attention wander over the rest of the pathetic losers that were hanging about in the stands, the flash of a familiar tall figure wandering over to where they were sitting catching her attention and causing her to turn her on him- of course… because if it wasn’t Michael stalking the poor girl, it was bound to be Alan.

Once more choosing to ignore the question posed, though this one being from the stalker’s twin sister, Erin let her attention once more float, coming to a rest only when the familiar voice of her cousin sounded out from beside her, causing her to turn her dark gaze over to the girl herself- Bexley was a pain in her ass; it was because of her inability to comprehend the simple art of reading and writing that she actually had to do some damn work.

“..does it look like I care.”

Seriously..? What were they- some kind of beacon..? Sneering slightly in her cousin’s direction as she watched her settle down in the seat beside her, Erin let her words sink in before tearing her gaze away, allowing it to instead fall on another familiar face who seemed intent on joining the ever growing group surrounding her- if popularity was a contest; it was one she didn’t want to win… preferring to instead be cooped up in her cabin, cat on her lap, and her nose stuck in a book with no distractions…

“Hey guys.”

“..web-head.” Shifting slightly over where she sat, Erin made sure to make herself comfortable before finally, she leant herself forward, her elbow resting upon her knee and her chin upon the palm of her hand respectfully as she let her dark gaze follow the boy’s movements- she’d known Webster from day one… and while she may not have spoken to him (or anyone else) for weeks after her arrival, he had definitely been the most persistent in being there for her when she had been ready to finally start opening up again… not that he knew the reasons as to why she had been so shut off in the first place.

He was annoying… frustrating… and a right scrawny git that, at times, she wanted to strangle to death… but he was hers; and if anyone was going to kill him- it was going to be her.

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She’d done it. Keeping hold of her title, and victorious on the tower once again… for at least all of two seconds before she felt a pull from the other side of the ring, the force causing her head to turn, and her stunning metallic silver eyes to lift and meet with whoever was trying to snatch her win away from her.

Deon… of course.

Tie..? But she was sure-... Furrowing her brows slightly in confusion as to what he was saying to her, she thought over his words, the sound of another’s voice filling the air and hitting her ears from somewhere behind her, though she was far from paying attention. There was no way she was going to let him share this with her. It was ridiculous- she didn’t go out of the way to encroach on his territory; so why should he intrude on hers. He could keep his title as King of capture the flag- the obstacle tower was her thing. By the Gods, he was such a pig.

Doing everything in her power to ignore the little voice in her head that was yelling at her for even considering giving him what he wanted, Ky lifted her free hand up, pressing it firmly over the back of his neck as she closed the gap between them, her body lifting up onto the balls of her feet as her bright red lips met with his, her grip over the disk never once wavering.

Deon's eyes widened, and then fluttered to a soft close the moment her lips met with his. He never actually thought she'd do it. A quip or smart-ass comment, yeah, but she just... up and did it. Not that he was complaining. He was merely just caught off guard. So much, in fact, that his fingers dropped his hold on the ring to take its natural place on her hip as he kissed her back harder, making the most out of the situation he had.

Her heart was racing… why was her heart racing..?

Relaxing her grip from around the back his neck, Ky’s hand slid slowly around, following the line of his shoulder until it was instead resting lightly against his chest- this was so wrong. He was a complete and utter asshole; so damn full of himself… and yet, the voice in her head that was telling her to not kiss him was getting further and further away… Snapping herself back to the present, she took only a moment before realizing what she was doing, her hand pressing roughly against his chest as she took a step back from him, her expression one of disgust as her grip over the ring tightened, “Argh… you’re such an egotistical jer-...”

“Ms. Kylie Montgomery… Mr. Devin Argent… I suggest you stumble your way back down to the stands, and take a seat with the rest of these lazy lumps. I have the unfortunate pleasure of calling my camp to meeting, and I need all ears on us.”

Frowning heavily as his unmistakable voice filled the area, Dionysus stuffed his hands further down into his pockets as he called the camp to order, completely ignoring the small group of satyrs that hurried forward with cans of diet coke held high within their hands as an offering to the God himself, “And you… Mr. Carpenter… I assure you, you’re going to want to pay extra close attention to what it is that Chiron and I have to tell you all.”

Deon couldn’t help the smirk that crossed over his lips as Ky’ vie pulled away, but he had no time to reply as Dionysus was calling them down for a meeting. Though the god of the camp called them both by the incorrect names, Deon had grown rather used to it. Giving Ky’ vie a shrug of his bare shoulders, he began the descent down the tower to see what the big fuss was about.

Alan, on the other hand, felt a bolt of adrenaline shooting down into his stomach, making it twist in uncomfortable knots. Mr. D. had singled him out? No… he always got people’s names wrong. Maybe he was talking to someone else that shared a similar last name to his, and used his last name instead. But the intense gaze that followed between himself and the camp director was unmistakable. Whatever Mr. D. needed to talk to everyone about, he had reason to believe that Alan would take particular interest in it. But why? He hadn’t done anything wrong since the whole flying to the top of the Obstacle Tower incident, and that was months ago.

Stepping forward so that he was side by side with the camp’s director, Chiron brought both his hands together in front of his body, his tail flicking lightly behind him as the gravity of the whole situation seemed to weigh on him, sadness flickering over his creased, yet kind features as he let his gaze slowly glide over the crowd gathered on the stands in front of them.

“What Lord Dionysus is trying to say is that we have received grave news from Olympus… and as such, we request your full attention for the time being.” Pausing a moment so that his words could settle, and the murmurs of the campers could cease, Chiron let his eyes once more roam over the crowd in front of him before he continued, “The Lady Aphrodite’s dove has been stolen from Olympus by an unknown assailant. Now, understandably, the gods are in an uproar at the crime… however, the Lord Ares has named and accused Alan Carpenter as the guilty party.”

Color quickly drained from Alan’s face, the sweat he had managed to get under control from his basketball game returning to his brow, though for an entirely different reason. A wave of heightened whispers ran throughout the crowd of campers, many expressing disbelief, other’s muttering a sort of awed reverence actually believing that he could be capable of such a feat. Deon, perhaps the loudest of them all, scoffed as he jumped from the first platform and onto the grass, shaking his head and folded his arms over his chest.

“Seriously? That little shit couldn’t steal his own tidey-whiteys from the cleaning harpies if he found himself in a pinch, for fuck’s sake!” Deon pointed out, a laugh erupting from his throat that was met by a few of his fellow half-brothers.

Alan lowered his head, ignoring the taunts from the Ares’ cabin and stared down at his shoes - a gift from his father when he had arrived at camp, but not delivered personally. They had been left on the bed he had been staying in, in the Hermes’ cabin - a way his father had laid claim to him. Not personally. Never personally. But this was personal. It was because of his heritage that he was getting blamed, and he knew exactly why.

“It’s because of Luke…” Alan explained somberly, though more to himself than everyone around him. All those years ago, his half-brother had taken Zeus’ master bolt. Now Aphrodite’s dove had gone missing… it only made sense for the gods to turn their attention back to the Hermes children. But why him specifically? He had dozens of half-brothers and sisters they could have blamed. Confusion was written clear on his face as he looked back up, looking only at Chiron with misty eyes. “...why me?”

“Enough, Deon..!”

A loud thud seemed to echo dully through the area as the golden (and rather weighted) ring Ky had been holding firmly in her grasp hit hard against the back of his head, her metallic silver eyes both narrowing as she shot a glare in his direction- gods he could be such an insensitive pain in the fucking ass.

“Ms. Morgan, control yourself..!” Chiron rebuked, an added sense of stress slipping into his voice as he lifted his hand up, rubbing lightly at his temple as the beginnings of a headache seemed to be coming on.

“The gods have no proof that you were the thief, Mr. Carpenter; but questioning the workings of the council is going to lead to no answers… even we are unsure why Lord Ares has chosen to accuse you of such a crime.” Sighing softly, Chiron took a moment to himself before he dropped his hand back down, his gaze meeting with that of the son of Hermes, “Lord Zeus has decreed that you will have one week to find, and to return the dove to Mount Olympus, wherein you shall then be acquitted of all charges laid against you.”

Ares. Of course that would be the god that had it out for him. And he only had a week to find one single bird in not only Earth, but godly places where the real thief could have stashed it. Percy believed Hades had Zeus’ master bolt in the Underworld, who wasn’t to say the thief might have kept it there or in Hera’s garden or in someplace of the like? There was literally too much ground to cover in such little time. He was no Percy Jackson. Hell, he only even ever spent summers at the camp.

Knowing he would regret his decision before he even stood up, Alan crossed over to Deon who had become preoccupied with nursing a small lump on the back of his head.

“He’s your father…” Alan told him quietly, trying to keep the conversation between the two of them. “If you can just talk to him… tell him that I didn’t do it… You said yourself that I’d be incapable of something like that…”

Still coming out of his light chuckle from Ky’ vie’s reaction to his claim, Deon shrugged his broad shoulders and abandoned rubbing the back of his head to instead run his fingers through his hair.

“You kidding me? And miss all of this play out? Naw man. You’re on your own for this one.” Giving Ky’ vie a careful glance, Deon side-stepped around Alan, putting him between the two of them. “Besides, that bastard hasn’t talked to me in months. Doubt I could change his mind about what bitch he’ll knock up next let alone who he’s got in his head stole his main bitches symbol.” Deon shook his head, though it was in slight awe. “...so many bitches.”

Alan sighed, his shoulders hunching forward and his head hanging a bit lower in defeat. Well… it was worth a try, but he really didn’t expect anything less from the prick King of camp. Giving his profile back to Chiron, his eyes and heart heavy, he asked the question he both knew the answer to and dreaded to hear.

“What happens if I can’t find it? I’m no Percy Jackson, Chiron.”

“..then I’m afraid dear boy… that you will be subject to the wrath of Lord Ares…” Chiron’s voice was soft and full of bereavement as he spoke the answer that was playing on everyone’s mind… Though he would never admit it aloud; he was angry- furious at the gods decree that a child of their own blood would have to suffer such torment thanks to an accusation that just wasn’t true in any way.

The camp was supposed to be a safe haven for young demigods; a place where they could both learn and train in peace- to hoist such a mighty charge on one of them without proof, and at the penalty of pain and torture… he just couldn’t fathom their choice…

Another loud though dull thud rang out clear as day as Ky moved herself between both Alan and Deon, once more swinging the golden ring across her body with ease, the heavy metal instead connecting with the son of Ares’ nose, rather than the back of his head, “You’re such a damn pig- don’t you ever think of anybody other than your damn self..!”

“...nope.” The answer was simple, and (though now nursing a bloody nose) laughing through the pain, Deon quietly excused himself to go and find the Apollo kid that usually fixed him up in these situations.

“Ms. Morgan, I won’t ask you aga-...”

“Let me go in his place, Chiron.” Turning her attention over to the centaur, Ky couldn’t help but to clench her jaw as she felt the stares of everyone around her fall upon her person, the young daughter of Hephaestus taking a few moments to glance around at them all, her eyes meeting with a good majority before finally, they met with Alan’s- it was clear he was rattled about the whole situation… but then again, even she would be if the tables were turned.

Giving him a small though soft smile, Ky nodded her head once in his direction before she let her attention once more fall back to Chiron, “I’ll find the bird; and I’ll bring it back within the seven day limit… there’s no way in Tartarus that I’m gunna let Alan take the rap for something he didn’t do; it’s just not fair.”

“And I can’t let you do likewise, Ky’ vie.” Alan told her quietly, though firmly. He had only been in camp for a few years, only months at a time. He would hardly consider himself and the daughter of Hephaestus close, but her actions he witnessed not only now, but in times past, spoke volumes about her character. She was definitely someone he wanted on his side, but he could never allow anyone to take the blame for something he did… or… didn’t do...

“..in any case; as noble as your intentions might be Ms. Mooney, that is something of which I cannot allow. This quest is Mr. Carpenter’s burden to bare… should he choose to allow you to go with him, then so be it. The more of you lazy lumps I get rid of, the better; in fact, nothing would please me more.”

Seemingly not even bothered by, and completely choosing to ignore the rather obvious and frustrated look that he was getting from Chiron at his choice of words, Dionysus paused for a good long moment, his eyes taking their time to scan over the large crowd of campers that was spewn out all over the stands, his rows furrowing in slight confusion as he continued to search for one of the few figures he couldn’t see before him, “Wait a moment… alright you blighters, where’s my daughter- what have you done with her.”

“I’m here, dad..!”

Twisting his upper body around as his daughter’s voice caught his attention, Dionysus quirked his brow in slight surprise as his eyes fell upon the still spinning (though slowly) obstacle tower behind him, Arianna’s figure dragged casually along with it as she hung upside down by her foot from one of the rope ladders leading to the first platform; her long and wavy blonde locks gently flying off to the side, and what was obviously and empty flask held in her hand as she continued to go along with the ride, her voice lost each and every time that she disappeared around the back of the construct.

“It’s all good dad, keep-... keep going and-... don’t mind me, I’m lis-... listening-... but, before you go-... any further, does anyone-... have someth-... something to drink..? Mine-... mine is empty…”

Raising a single brow in intrigue, and with the slightest twinge of amusement, Chiron shook his head, his hand motioning for those who had begun to laugh in the stands to settle down, “Ms. Franklins, would you be so kind as to help Ms. Watson down from the tower..? Thank you…”

Kalinda rose from where she had been sitting, and nodded to Chiron, and hurriedly went over to the tower, where she proceeded to quickly scale one of the other rope ladders, so she could get to Arianna, where she would begin the process of trying to free her, without letting her fall.

“Mr. Carpenter, I understand that this news is highly shocking… but you must act immediately. We are allowing you to recruit four other campers to go along with you on your journey- and you must begin packing immediately…” Motioning towards the campers sat out in front of them all, Chiron nodded his head in Alan’s direction, letting him know now it was time to choose.

“What? Now?” The news seemed to shock Alan, though he didn’t know why. He had seen a few people go through the similar task of being handed a quest, and each time was no different. But somehow, this felt different to him. Maybe it was because for the first time ever, he was involved. Or maybe it was because his life was literally on the line, depending on Ares’ mood. And did he really have to just up and choose in front of all these people? He’d rather a more private setting where he could talk to some people, one on one. There was a lot of pressure, on both sides, when it came to choosing people for a quest. He knew a handful of people that were just dying to get out of camp, and others who would prefer to stay in camp for the rest of their lives. But with a crowd… it was much harder for them to deny his help rather than tell him personally.

Sighing, Alan turned his head to find the bright red locks of Ky’ vie still standing right next to him. His eyes connected with hers for a moment - an unspoken moment of understanding before he nodded.

“I’d be stupid to not have a woman of your strength on my side.”

“You’d also be stupid to think I’d ever say no.” Smiling at him, Ky reached out and took a hold of his hand, giving it a gentle and comforting squeeze, “Anything you need; all you have to do is ask, and I’ll do everything I can to help you, Alan.”

Alan gave her a weak smile. Though he appreciated her words, his heart simply wasn’t in it. She had gone through so much already… and now he was going to be putting her through even more. Forcing his gaze away from her out of guilt, Alan scanned the rest of the crowd, his eyes falling on so many familiar faces. If he was going to do this, he needed a wide variety of skills and abilities to cover as many bases as he could.

The thought of Percy going to the Underworld entered his mind… they barely made it out alive. What if he had to face something like that himself? Eyes landing on Marcel, he quickly averted them. No. There was just no freaking way. But Erin, maybe? Though equally irritable, Erin was at least more… sociable, was the word? The thought of having to drag her around to who knew where had his gut sinking, but her shadow portals could definitely come into use, if not her ties to the Lord of the Dead.

“Erin? Can I count on you? I swear I’ll make it up to you, somehow…”

Had she heard wrong..? Frowning slightly as she took a moment to go over his words a couple more times in her head, Erin shot a quick glance over to where Marcel was leaning against the stands, looking as equally confused as she did, the two seeming to exchange silent words with each other before she turned back to Alan, a groan slipping out of her soft pink lips as she lifted herself up from where she was sitting, her hands slipping down into the back pockets of her jeans as she moved to stand with both him and Ky’ vie.

“..whatever; I’ll tag along on your little quest. Besides… I haven’t left this stupid camp since I first got here unless you count visiting dear ol’ dad, and it might be amusing to take my anger out on people who Ky reckons actually deserves it…”

Alan gave her an appreciative nod, slowly starting to feel just the tiniest bit better about his situation. Unfortunately, as Erin moved to stand, his eyes followed but ended up getting stuck on Syleste, who Erin had been sitting next to. To his knowledge, she had never set a toe outside of camp since she arrived because of her disability, nor did anyone really think about taking her on one of theirs for the very same reason. He’d take her. He’d take her in a heart-beat, but then again, he had to think logically. If getting smacked in the face with a basketball just because she walked by was a thing, just what would that mean when actual monsters were at play? He hated to admit it, but she’d only distract him, even if her abilities could help in one way or another. And then it hit him.

“C-Connor! Connor where you at? I need you, man!” His head was on a swivel, his body turning as he scoped out the crowd, trying to find Syleste’s brother. Though not nearly as defined as Syleste’s abilities were, he could still prove to be quite the powerhouse when it came to the more… different situations.

Connor hadn’t made it into the crowd yet, instead he was simply standing nearby. He frowned slightly as Alan called his name, yet he couldn’t deny Alan, not simply because they were in a crowd, but because it was the right thing to do- Connor didn’t think there was any way Alan could have stolen the dove. Still, he couldn’t just go off and leave Syleste. He looked over toward Syleste in the crowd. He knew that she wouldn’t be alone, but it didn’t make the situation any easier. Finally though, he said “Of course”

His smile growing just a bit more sincere, Alan looked to the crowd once more. He had someone more than capable of battle, someone to get them to and from places quickly, someone to take advantage of the subconscious… now he just needed someone tactical, someone intelligent and clever beyond means that could step up as a leader if he ever found himself at a loss, or incapable of being able to do something.

His eyes landed on Webster, and gave him a shy smile. Though they never really spent a whole lot of time together, he knew him to be reliable, loyal, and a fierce competitor if ever a situation came up that he was less than fond of. He was exactly what he needed to complete this rag-tag of a team.

“Whadd’ya say Webster? I could really use your help, man.”

The butt of a cigarette fell from Jamie's fingers and one of his combat boots reached out and stomped it into the ground beneath him. While he was observing the event he noticed Marcel giving him a nod of acknowledgement and in return he offered a small smile. Marcel was an odd one, but she was definitely interesting. He wasn't sure why she seemed to at least tolerate him compared to most of the other campers, but he wasn't complaining. He hated being the new guy, it was so hard to make friends, especially when most of these campers were close knit. They had been living together for years, how could he compete with that? James chuckled at Marcel's rant on how stupid the event was. In part he agreed with her but he wasn't going to judge other people of what they found interesting or fun. Maybe if he had some friends to do the Obstacle Tower with him it would seem like a more enticing activity but at the moment he wanted no part in it.

"Throwing a Hell Hound at the top would be interesting honestly. Imagine if they put the ring in the dog's mouth and you had to grab it from there? I'd probably join in, just to see someone get the shit bit out of them up close ya know? The only people who probably wouldn't like that would be the Apollo kids that would have to heal bite wounds every time the event happened."

James laughed a little while telling the story, picturing it in his head. But his ADHD kicked in when he heard a weird noise behind him. Turning around, Jamie was momentarily confused as to why there was a freaking horse just trotting around. Especially since there was a Camp Jupiter camper on top of it sporting the trademark purple shirt. Why was a Camp Jupiter Demigod here?

He hoped Marcel didn't find his short attention span rude but the new arrival peak his curiosity. He was just about to ask the obvious question of why the hell the girl was here but the announcement starting. So all that came out was "Hey, uh, why are-?"

Mr. D and Chiron must have arrived while he was distracted and immediately started announcing how one kid from camp looked like he was royally fucked. Apparently the dumbass was either framed for taking a God's possession, or he was actually a savage and took the possession and was really the best liar around. Although he doubted the second option, it would be really ironic if they were to go on a quest when the leader of it stole the item in the first place.

As the members of the quest were selected James stayed quiet, not even expecting to be noticed. Hell, he didn't even know the leader why would he be picked? Plus he was new, he hadn't even gone on a real quest yet. Yes, they were dangerous, but if you were successful, you got attention and recognition for your valiant efforts. Who doesn't enjoy a little glory every now and then? Especially since most people didn't know James at camp, he was really trying to make friends. Maybe it was a mistake to be so secluded at the beginning of his stay at Camp Half-Blood. Well, too late to fix that now... Guess he'd just have to go with the flow.

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Webster was pulled from his conversation by the arrival of a girl on a horse. Strange, even by his standards. It wasn't until he noticed the insignia on her shirt that it clicked. She was a Roman, of course she wanted to make an entrance. He smirked a little bit at the flamboyancy of Camp Jupiter. His smirk quickly turned to pursed lips and a furrowed brow as he realized, he recognized the girl on the horse. The last time he'd seen her he'd been pulling himself out from under her arm in a bed, somewhere in New Rome. They'd met at a Christmas party, and had been introduced to each other by Annabeth and Frank. The two had slept together and Webster disappeared. Aella was her name.

He didn't have much time to dwell on Aella's arrival, or what it meant for him, as Chiron and Mr. D called the campers to order, and began their meeting. Webster scowled as they discussed what the gods had accused Alan of. It was bullshit. They barely even interacted with their children, but they could make baseless claims against them all they wanted. Ares was the worst of them too. No wonder his kid was such a prick.

When Alan began picking people for the quest, he never thought that he'd get chosen. He and Alan weren't particularly close, and he figured that the son of Hermes would rather have someone he trusted rather than someone he barely knew. However, when Alan called him, Webster accepted the honor. "Of course I'll come. It's been way too long since I've been on a quest."

"He's not a brute!" Michael said, pulling Moe further away from Erin, seemingly unphased by Erin's death glare towards him, narrowing his eyes instead at the daughter of Hades. He never really had a problem with her, but Moe was his dog. He didn't seem to notice that he wasn't stuttering as he spoke, "You won't harm him, it wouldn't be pleasant for you if you did, Erin. He's my dog. He's friendly, and he's never hurt anyone. He's just clumsy and eager" He turned away from Erin, taking his attention away from her as Moe practically quivered with joy.

Moe was so excited to have so many people around him, that he jumped about happily, going from person to person, his backside wriggling as his tail flicked about wildly, happily, a big dopey grin on his face, as he went to Elena, Alan, Webster, Faun and Liam, demanding their attention, a pat or scratch, but he came back happily to Syleste, and poked the smaller dog with his nose. Michael wasn't worried about Moe harming the smaller dog. Moe was a big bundle of softness, he could never seem to harm anyone. Prince however ...Michael had seen him stand up to things much bigger them himself.

Michael turned his attention back to Syleste, a smile crossing his face as she looked to him, seeming to be happy to continue the conversation. Syleste was...everything Michael wanted, and he wanted to be able to give her....well, everything she wanted. A lot of campers treated her differently, as if she wasn't capable to doing everything they could do-Okay, archery and sword weilding probably wasn't something she could do, but with training, she could defend herself, he was sure of that. With increased hearing, she could be able to use a sword or a staff like her brothers to protect herself from any incoming blows. And the peagus were smart, he knew they wouldn't let her fall, and they generally knew where they were going anyway. A lot of the way Syleste was treated stemmed from Connor, Michael knew. BUt everyone, human and demi-god alike seemed to treat the blind, or the deaf and such as people that needed help in everything.

Michael didn't. And he wanted to prove that to Syleste...and then maybe she might...might like him back. But it was hard to do anything. when Connor actively protected Syleste from anything-it might nnot be obvious but her older brother was just always there watching her. "I...I'm g-good, t-t-thank y-you. It is a l-l-lovely d-day...w-w-we...we c-c-c-c-c-could g-g-g-g-go f-f-f-for a w-w-walk l-l-later if you'd l-l-l-l-like..." His stutter returning, it seemed to get worse as he continued on, his brain yelling at him to stop, even as his mouth kept going, a hidden courage making itself known, and trying to get the words out before he lost it, he had trouble getting them to form without stuttering. "I...I m-m-m-mean...um" Now at a lose for words, and feeling like he was making a fool of himself, he looked down at his hands holding Moe's collar. she'd never want to go out with the likes of me. I'm too meek for her, I'll always just be a friend

He swallowed and would have said that it didn't matter, when Chiron and Mr D caught everyones attention. A stolen treasure? Blaming Alan, simply because of his older brother? "That's not right! It's not even logical!" Michael said angerily, his stutter once more disappearing for those few words, not caring it Chiron or Mr D heard, or if Ares himself did. Someone didn't deserve to be blamed for what their family did. Shaking his head, Michael refrained from saying anything else. His opinion of the gods was varied. When it came to the choosing, Michael wasn't surprised when Alan chose Ky' vie. The daughter of Hephaetusus was honorable, a kind person, and very skilled. When he choose Erin, Michael was relieved. He was sure he had earned her wraith, with is words. and the children of Hades are prone to holding grudges.

And then he choose Connor, and Michael dared to hope. If Connor goes, maybe...maybe I can do some things with Syleste What, he had no idea. Maybe he could just simply let her know some of his ideas, see if she was willing to try them. To build a strong, lasting thing, whether it was a building or a relationship, you needed a strong base, after all. I can show her a different world, where she doesn't have to be limited, and maybe...maybe I can show her...all I am. When Connor accepted, Michael thought all his dreams would come true. seven days.

Michael hurried changed his expression, which he was sure was one of hope, when Connor made his way into the crowd, towards them all. "I want you to stay safe, okay Syl? Everything will be okay, and look after Prince? A quest is no place for him, he'll probably attack a harpy or something. Tick of a dragon. Or another dog" The way Connor said it, Michael figured he was thinking of Cerebus in the underworld. Perhaps that was why Alan had chosen Erin, she could pave the way if they needed to go to the underworld, like the last time a treasure was stolen. But for the life of him, Michael couldn't think what even Hades would want with a pink dove. His heart almost stopped when Connor looked to Niesha and himself, "Will you two make sure Syl is okay? With the way the camp is always changing, it can be a death trap, after all" Connor was willingly asking him to hang out with Syleste? Michael was sure his cheeks were bright red, sure his face was about to burst into flames. He hoped to god Connor didn't know what Michael was thinking.

Niesha answered, with a smile "Sure we can, but you should have more faith in Syleste. Still, that's what friends are for, right? It's not a hardship to spend time with people you like. Syl, if you get lonely in your cabin, you could always come stay in my room. You just have to not mind Moe, he likes to cuddle up, and changes his mind about who he does it with randomly. We can bring a bed in, and it could be like a slumber party" Michael envied Niesha her abiility to converse with anyone, to have that confidence to just talk so easily, and fluidly.

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Maggie let out an impressed whistle at Natalie's show. It was impressive, that much was certain. She clapped slowly, a grin on her face. "That was an impre-" Maggie was cut off by the uproar from the Obstacle Tower. Someone had won. In a way that was typical of the young daughter of Hermes, Maggie skipped off excitedly, sprinting back to the amphitheater just in time to hear the announcement from Mr. D and Chiron.

Her eyes went wide, her expression one of pure shock. How could they accuse Alan of taking Aphrodite's stupid fucking chicken? Who the hell could possibly want it? She clenched her fists in anger and when Alan was done picking people for the quest, she stormed over to him, thoughts of an archery lesson thrown completely out. Once she'd reached her half-brother, she gave him a prompt slap on his arm, and glared daggers at him.

"Alan Carpenter you honorable git! Ky' vie was going to do this for you! But you being the nicest person in the world couldn't let her do that! Gods damn it! Alan if you die I'm going to be so angry!" Maggie said, her voice surely attracting the attention of some of the more gossipy campers. She looked up at her brother, a mixture of anger and sadness on her face. She sighed. He had to do this, she knew that. It didn't mean she liked it. Finally, relenting in her anger, she hugged Alan. "Show 'em what us Hermes kids can do."

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Cassie's lamentation by the lake was cut short by the loud cheers coming from the tower, indicating that someone had reached the summit of the Obstacle Tower. Curious to see the winner, she walked over to the amphitheater, staying at the edge so as not to be hit too hard with the chaotic energies that were coursing throughout the stadium, riding on the sound waves of every cheer. She looked up to the top of the tower to see that the winner was... Ky' vie. And Deon as well, apparently.

Then, Ky' vie kissed him. Just out of nowhere, planted her lips on his and he let her. Just like that. Cassie would never admit it, but her heart sunk a little when she saw that. She wasn't sure why. Deon wasn't a nice guy. She knew that. He was everything she disliked, yet she couldn't help but feel some pull towards him. Whatever. It doesn't matter, he clearly has other interests anyways she thought, pushing back tears that were threatening to spill over. She wouldn't let him ruin her makeup.

Her thoughts were pulled from Deon by the announcement from Chiron and Mr. D. While she wasn't super close with Alan, she knew he was a nice guy, and Maggie cared a lot about him. Her concern was more with Erin and Webster, two of her closest friends here. Well, she considered Erin a friend. Erin was rather hard to read when it came to that subject. She rushed down to find the two demigods, biting her lip nervously. "You guys be careful on this one. I have a bad feeling is all. Just please come back,"

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"Of course I'll come. It's been way too long since I've been on a quest."

Alan let out a large sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting - maybe a bit more hesitation in some of the people he chose, but more or less, they were all willing to help him out. The thought nearly brought a smile to his face, but his heart just wasn’t in it. He wanted to just… go. Go away, somewhere. Fly as far off as his shoes would let him and just spend the rest of his life in silence. He had absolutely no idea why the god of war would single him out on something like this. Like he heard others whispering, it just wasn’t practical, fair, reasonable… He gave a quick nod to Webster in thanks before he was suddenly being attacked by Maggie, his half sister.

Managing a small smile as he rubbed the small sting in his arm, he listened to her small rant though none of her words sunk into his head. He was too busy simply looking at her, memorizing each and every little feature about her that he knew he would grow to miss. It was even possible that he would never see her again… Feeling her thin arms wrapping around him in a hug, he quickly hugged her back, tucking her head under his chin and simply held her for a few moments, savoring everything he could.

“And hopefully clear our name once and for all.” he told her softly before tilting his head down and gave her a kiss on her crown. If he didn’t let go now, he very well might never do it. Sighing, he pulled himself away and tried to give Maggie a reassuring smile. “Just keep out of trouble while I’m gone, alright? When I get back-” If I get back- “-we’re gonna binge watch an entire show of your choosing, alright?”

With one final look around the area, Alan stuffed his hands into his pockets, nodding to a few people he had made eye contact with before his eyes fell on the familiar figure of the girl with bubblegum pink hair. Syleste. She seemed so… reverent, even after he had chosen her brother to come along with him. He wanted to go to her, talk to her at least once before going off to his impending doom… but instead he found his body turning to his rag-tag group he had chosen to take with him.

“I’m headed to the Big House - I’ll uh… I’ll let you all know when we’re ready to go…” He gave them a weak smile, really just trying not to throw up out of all the anxiety he was suddenly experiencing, and turned his body to head down the unfamiliar path to the Big House. He suddenly envied each and every camper who had gone on a quest. Was this how a first quest was supposed to feel like? Or was this something different because it had become so personal? Pulling a hand out of his pocket, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to talk himself into being ready to face the Oracle. He had heard plenty of times on how this whole prophecy thing worked. He just wasn’t ready.

Arriving at the Big House far sooner than he had wanted to, Alan opened up the front doors, letting himself in. His eyes settled on the small area within the house where the camp counselors held their meetings. It was the only times he had ever come here, but now, vacant as it was, he felt this overwhelming sense that he just shouldn’t be there. He knew otherwise, however, and continued on through the house, climbing the flight of stairs and eventually found the ladder that would take him up into the attic.

Taking in a deep breath, Alan forced his hands and feet to move him up the ladder, his arm lifting and pushing open the door of the attic to let himself through. It was far more dark than he was expecting it to be… but he had to remind himself it was an attic - it was supposed to be dark.

“Um… hello?” he called out, climbing out of the hole to stand on his two feet on the floor and attempted to brush the dust off of his knees.

“..hello, Alan.”

Her voice was soft, though clear as it rang out through the attic, leaving behind a rather cheerful ring as she spoke out, greeting him into what was (for all intents and purposes) one of her many work spaces and places to relax- it wasn’t as though she didn’t normally get visitors; her main two regulars being both Ky’ vie and Deon… but this was the first time that she’d been visited by the young son of Hermes…

“Oh, don’t be shy… I don’t bite- well, not unless you want me to…” Shaking her head lightly from side to side, Rachel’s long orangey-red locks brushed back and forth over the ground beneath her, her dark eyes opening slowly so that she could get a good look at him from where she was lain upside down over the large cushiony arm-chair that she had bought herself to spruce up the place once she had decided to move in full-time, “Please… make yourself at home; and tell Rachel all about what’s bothering you.”

Alan laughed nervously at her statement. Bite him if he wanted her to? Who would want that? His mind refused to think about the prick son of Ares, and instead took a few steps closer into the attic.

”Um… hi… Rachel…” he said nervously, choosing to keep his distance for the time being. Even in the dark, he could tell that the young woman was quite attractive - young, a little on the strange side (from hanging upside down), and… if she wasn’t serious about the biting, had a sense of humor. For a moment, he thought that maybe he had gone to the wrong place. This wasn’t at all what he was expecting out of a meeting with the Oracle. Was Rachel simply a secretary? Was the Oracle only in on weekdays or out to lunch? Shaking his head of the more ADHD thoughts than normal, he cleared his throat and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. ”I’m… um… I’m actually looking for the Oracle… Lord Ares kind of wants me dead for something I didn’t do… and… well… I kind of need some… Oracle-ing…” Sighing, realizing just how stupid and nervous he was sounding, he pulled one hand out from his pocket to rub the back of his neck and turned his gaze away from her. ”I’m sorry… I’ve never done this before…”

Chuckling softly, Rachel twisted her body around in the chair, her legs dropping off to the side as she once more righted herself, taking a few moments to smooth out her long locks of hair before she pulled her legs up, her body resting lightly over the arm of the chair, “You’re fine- actually you’re doing a lot better than some others. The first time Deon came to see me for his prophecy, he ended up getting side-tracked, and tried to get me to have sex with him. A feat he hasn’t managed to pull off to this day I might add.”

Chuckling happily to herself, she tilted her head lightly to the side, her smile genuine though still slightly playful as she looked him over, not bothering to hide the fact that she was doing so in the first place, “He is a pretty good kisser, I’ll give him that… But, anyway, you’re here for your prophecy; that’s something I can help you with. See, you might be looking for the oracle, but you’re already talking to her.”

At first Alan flinched, but then ended up just closing his eyes. Deon. Always. Freaking. Deon. He didn’t want to hear any bit of it, but he didn’t want to come across as rude, either, so he tried to listen, or at least pretend to, as Rachel finished talking about the most equally loved and hated man in camp. Then his eyes opened, one at a time as he tried to focus better in the absence of the light in the attic. Had he heard her correctly?

”You’re the Oracle?” He was shocked, and he was sure it was written clear on his face. He tried wiping his expression away by running his hand over his face. ”I’m sorry… I was just expecting… well… someone more… dead? Ish?" His cheeks were turning a brilliant shade of pink that, if he hadn’t known better, might have actually been glowing in the darkness. He had never been this awkward with someone before - well, save for Syleste, but he had never actually talked to her. But if he did… he could only imagine just how much worse off he would be than right now.

“The one and only..!” Turning her head off to the side slightly, she lifted her hand up from the arm of the chair, pressing the back of her palm against her lips as she chuckled in response to his surprise- it wasn’t as though he was wrong… he was just a few years too late to see the creepy mummified corpse that used to be the oracle…

“Well, not the only… there were more before me. I’m the most recent in a long line of host bodies to the Oracle of Delphi- we’re one in the same. If a prophecy is what you’re looking for, then you come to me…” Letting her arm drop back to rest over the arm of the chair once again, Rachel smiled, though this time her expression was softer as met with his eyes, holding his gaze for what felt like the longest of times, “Well, I’m the one who gives it to you, cutie.”

Okay… so he was starting to understand a bit - at least, why she wasn’t some mummified dead corpse he had heard of before. It made sense the more he thought about it - a long line of Oracles, never just one, but all of them the same… Still though… the way she was looking him over had shivers running down his spine.

”Alright… um… then I’m here for a prophecy… ma’am…” No harm in being polite.

The moments the words left his lips the room around them burst into light, flames flickering to life over candles which seemed to occupy nearly every spare inch of the surfaces filling the attic, her once dark eyes seeming to cloud over, the very iris’ turning to smoke as a gentle green mist began to filter in from the corners of the room, soon covering the ground so thickly that their own feet could no longer be seen.

”Oh, Hera!” Alan jumped, not at all expecting the light - let alone the creepy green mist that soon had his feet covered. He raised his hands, trying to shield his eyes from the light in an attempt to adjust.

It happened so fast.

One moment she had been sitting, and the next, her face was inches away from his own, her voice far off… distant… and mixed with the sound of another’s as she lifted her hand up from her side, her touch soft and almost delicate as she allowed the tips of her fingers to brush lightly over his cheek.



A very cold shiver ran through his entire body, her touch against his cheek not at all helping with the distant words she was giving him.

Six figures… himself, Ky’ vie, Erin, Webster, Connor and… who? The real thief? Okay, easy enough. East… did that mean East of camp, or East, East? A land of Pizza, pasta and art… Italy? Italy was East… Pizza… Italy… made sense. But who would want a pink dove at some Italian Pizzeria? The next part of the prophecy, he didn’t like so much. Two might find love, but one life will be lost… His immediate train of thought went to Syleste. He couldn’t help it. With his ability gifted to him by Eros, he could just know when compatible people are close to one another. He felt it very often with Michael whenever he thought of Syleste. What irked him was that he couldn’t feel his own compatibility… with anyone. Such was the way of his given gift. So did that mean while he was gone, Michael and Syleste would-

Alan shook his head. He needed to focus. A life would be lost - it was prophesied. But who? He felt like he already knew that answer. If he failed, Ares would have his way with him if the monsters didn’t get to him first. So then maybe it was for the best… Michael and Syleste. If anything, he just wanted someone to take care of her the way she deserved. Michael could do that for her. For him. Aphrodite’s dove would be found, though it wasn’t specified if he would find it in time. That was the thing with prophecies; never clear; always room for misinterpretation. But the fact remained, someone was going to die.

”So East? Like, Italy?” He needed at least something to know if he was going in the right direction or not.

As quickly as it had come; it was over. Her eyes once more returning to their natural color as she pulled back from the prophecy, her hand lifting up so that she could press the heel of it against her forehead, holding it there for what felt like a lifetime before she turned her attention back over to the young demigod- how cute… he was already trying to make sense of it all. She could see it in his face; something about the prophecy had him worried, though which part was getting to him most was a mystery to her. She’d been around many demigods since Percy had first introduced her to this world; and each one of them took prophecies different.

“Could be; I mean it sounds right, but then I can’t really know for certain…”

She wanted to tell him he was right- that he was on the right track, but the truth was, she didn’t know herself. As much as he was baffled, she was just as so. That was the problem with being the oracle- with the amount of prophecies made, it barely gave her time to actually sit and think them over; and when she did have the time, it was the last thing she wanted to do, choosing to work on her art instead, “If you really want my opinion; I’d say it’s as good a place to start as any.”

Alright. Italy. At least it was a start. Alan nodded his thanks, his eyes looking around the room as though he were expecting something else to happen. When nothing did, he returned his gaze to her.

“Well… thank you…” Awkwardly, he turned away, ready to leave the attic and put all of this behind him. ”I think…”

He had to get back to his cabin.He had to pack. He had to prepare for the possibility of never seeing his burial shroud that those closest to him would be making while he was gone… Luke had a burial shroud - left in the cabin as a reminder of his sacrifice. Alan couldn’t help but to think that his might be joining his half-brother’s very soon.

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Elena smiled at Snow as she continued to gently pat the little owl which was so adorable, she then stopped as she looked over towards Erin and Syleste and gave the two of them a friendly smile and wave. "How are the two of you doing?" She quickly turned her attention towards the bottom of the obstacle tower as Mr. D came out along with Chiron, she quickly went over and sat down to listen to what the camp meeting was about. Elena leaned forward as she listened to the announcement she was shocked to hear that Aphrodite's Dove had been stolen and her father Ares was accusing Alan, she didn't think that Alan was the one to have stolen it even if he was the son of Hermes and the half brother of Luke. Elena was tempted to stand up unlike the rest of her half brothers and sisters Ky'vie was of course the one to stand up for him which she was glad.

Elena continued to watch and listen very carefully as Mr. D told Alan that he had seven days to find the Dove or he would end up having to face her father. Biting her lower lip for a moment she wished that she could go out there and help them, as Alan called out Erin, Ky'vie, and Connor to help out on the quest. She wished she was one to go out and help, but sadly he had already chosen the members of the team Elena sighed slightly she was itching to go out on a quest but there were always more to come. Elena shifted slightly when she saw Ariana and couldn't help but laugh as she was dangling on the tower, she stood up and looked towards Niesha and then Erin and Syleste and Micheal giving them all a smile as she gently patted Snow once more she looked over at Erin and gave her a smile. "I wish I could go with you guys." Elena said as she watched some of the crowd starting to disperse to go about their day once more.