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The thundering roar of the crowd filling the stands was almost deafening as, one right after the other, campers who attempted to scale their way up the obstacle tower got smacked back down. The sheer force of the blows causing many of them to double over, but inevitably causing all at some point to be flung from the various platforms before, ultimately, they landed in a pained heap upon the ground. Whether you were a verterin at the tower, or new blood; it didn't matter.

It was glorious.

A soft chuckle falling through her brightly painted red lips - the color matching that of her vibrant waves of long hair - Ky' vie's dark gaze slowly trailed along the stands, taking their time before her attention was drawn to the tower. Roaming up it until she was looking up at the golden ring at the very top. Truly, it didn't matter how many quests she was sent out on- it didn't matter how long she was kept from her home there at the camp, or for whatever reason. Nothing changed. And really, that was the way that she liked it. The people; the challenges- the fun. What more could anyone want..? Whether it was just for the summer, or being able to spend all year round in the company of those she loved and cared for; there was honestly nothing better in her eyes.

Tearing her thoughts back to the present, and to the challenge that still stood before her, Ky once more allowed her eyes to roam over the construction that towered over them all. Literally. The obstacle tower was a major test for all demigods that called the camp their home; and it was more than clear tha majority were willing to take it on, even if just for the chance of finally knocking her off of her pedestal- of cutting her winning streak short. Heh... not that any of them had managed to succeed thus far.

Though that wasn't to say that there hadn't been a few close calls, either.

An amused smirk playing over her features at the thought, she straightened up. Her head turning this way and that so that she could get a better look at her competition for the day, even as her hands lifted; gathering her hair first in her palms before pulling them into a messy bun atop her head. The familiar flash of white, and a cold chill fighting against her natural warmth catching her attention, causing her to glance over in the direction of the unmistakable figure that was the daughter of Khione. The redhead taking a few moments to just watch the other girl as she moved towards the stands before she spoke out. The Australian accent, still strong even after all these years, filling the air.

“..hey, Issie..! You're not competing today..?”

"Hm..?" The girl in question turning around, her hands coming together in front of her stomach; Issaura gave a light shrug of her shoulders. Rolling her eyes before actually answering the question that was posed to her in the first place. Her feet still managing to carry her backwards and towards the stands, "..I'm suspended from participating for a while. Someone - who will, for the moment, remain nameless - grabbed and squeezed my ass last time. So in retaliation, I iced the pole he was holding onto. Chiron was not happy..."

"..oh shit. Sucks for you."

"Tell me about it..."

Hand lifting, giving her friend- her literal opposite a light wave goodbye as she headed off to sit with the others already gathered up and cheering in the stands, Ky' vie returned her attention back to the spinning tower that stood before her. To say it wasn’t imposing would have been a major understatement… Standing tall at almost three stories high, with not just revolving platforms and stages; but also fire pits, thick metal beams, rope ladders, and wooden grips that could be pulled out from underneath you at any moment… and then right at the top was the goal of it all; the large centurion-like helm that held the golden circular ring- that was what everyone was fighting tooth and nail to get to first.

Or at least… that was what she could see from her position anyway.

Shaking her head lightly from side to side, hands coming together in front of her body; she gave a light tug on the bottom of her black leather gloves. Taking those few moments to re-check the pads she had covering her elbows, Ky shot another quick glance at those around her; those who were also getting ready to have another crack at the tower, and with it, a shot at the glory that came from winning. A few regulars; a few newbies...

Not bothering to give it too much more thought, she pushed herself forward. Breaking herself away from the crowd so that she was instead shooting over the ground and towards the tower; her smirk only growing, even as her body dropped. Feet leading the way as her lithe figure slid underneath the thick metal beam in front of her; she didn't even attempt to move again until she was close enough to reach up and take hold of the rope ladder flying around in her direction. Focussing purely on her upper body strength, the muscles in her stomach and arms tightening, she began to pull herself up rung by rung. The platform continuing to spin her around as she did so.

“Ha..! Good luck everyone... you’re gunna need it..!”

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Jake was still not sure why he had decided that traveling nearly 550 miles north made sense. Sure, the wind had told him to do it but that made little sense. He had traveled from the only home he had ever known to some forsaken corner of Long Island all because the wind had told him that something bad was going to happen if he didn’t. Jake was still not sure what exactly that bad thing was going to be but he had chosen to listen to the voice. Either he was going crazy or the wind had actually talked to him. Either way, he was not about to risk the wrath of the wind by ignoring its wisdom.

Since flights to New York from Norfolk were not in his price range, Jake had chosen to take a bus to New York City before continuing onto Long Island and this supposed Camp Half-Blood. His attempts to google this camp was met with absolutely nothing. There was no such place called Camp Half-Blood anywhere on Long Island and the address he had led to the middle of nowhere. He would know the middle of nowhere being from where most people considered nowhere. Yet, he still kept going towards his supposed destination with most of his earthly possessions with him. Jake had grabbed his boxing gloves, his guitar, and his football among other things. They were important and something told him that going back home was not an option for him.

His collection of objects had expanded as soon as he had entered New York City. Something in the back of his head told him that he had been here before. He had been here in New York despite never leaving North Carolina. Something about the city felt familiar in a strange way. While he had been staring blankly around Grand Central Station, someone had raced up to him. The person was wearing what looked like a package delivery outfit with the words “Hermes Express” emblazoned on the front. The person confirmed his name and then pushed a long cylindrical tube into his hands saying ‘someone up on high thought you needed it’ before they ran off. The package was addressed to ‘Jacob Leonidas Garret’ with the return address ‘20 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001”. Feeling curious, Jake opened the package and saw what looked like a sword. Freaking out, he quickly closed the package and continued on his way. Jake left the station and looked up at the Empire State Building, and somehow he knew that the package had come from there. With a nod in thanks, he quickly got on the bus to get as close as possible to the address.

A while later, Jake got off the bus near Montauk and started walking towards the address. He didn’t know the area but something still kept pushing him. After walking for about an hour, he stopped near what looked like a large hill. The area seemed all alone but he knew that this was the spot he had to go to. He collected his things and crested the hill.

Then, he saw it. It looked like a large summer camp but he was sure that it hadn’t been there before. He would have heard or smelled something. Still, he kept walking down the hill looking around in the area for anyone to talk to. He figured this had to be the place the wind had meant when it told him to go.

”Hello? Uhh, anyone there?” He called out as he walked down the other side of the hill into the camp. He figured someone here had to know what was going on around here. He hefted his heavy bag over his shoulder and continued walking.

Having taken the tower several times before, Niesha still eyed it with a critical eye. Living here all year round for a few good years, her brother Michael and herself had had plenty of time to study the damn thing- work out how it was constructed, work out just how they could beat it. She often thought that even if their mother hadn't been Athena, they'd still be like this. Either way, it didn't matter. Things were easier here, everything written in Ancient Greek- perhaps the only language their dyslexic brains didn't seem to play with. It had been hell- rather difficult to grow up smart, but unable to read as fast as she would have liked- she had scrapped good grades through hard work- long hours working through words. Here... it was different. Their father had helped them, patient and willing, to help them figure out ways to study. Remembering that, Niesha couldn't help but smile- and remembering that, she could see how Athena had been drawn to his patient, kind understanding, his constant ability to find ways to do things... Shaking her head slightly, she thought back on the days before coming to the camp, with both sadness and happiness.

She could take solace in her small white owlet, Snow. Was it foolish to think that maybe it was a sign from their mother? Owls were often depicted with Athena in mind. Whether it was foolish or not, she loved that Owl.

Niesha had been fascinated with how things worked, how they were built, how she could get them to function, since she was a little kid. She had very precious memories of Michael and herself working through "buildings" with their blocks... working in perfect harmony. Sometimes they still worked through designs for a city they wanted to build- but Michael was better at the design stuff then herself. Turning her attention back to the obstacle tower, she watchef the contestants. Michael seemed more interested in keeping Moe, his gigantic dog, under control. She sighed softly. While they had both had a go at the course- she doubted anyone hadn't- her brother preferred not to go out of his way to try it. "You could do it, you know that."

Michael merely looked up at her and shrugged, Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you have to, Nes." It was always interesting how he never seemed to stutter with her- yet put him face to face with someone else, and he sounded like a CD that jumped about. "Besides, why show off? I prefer to let the other campers underestimate me." There were times when Niesha just didn't understand Michael. Sometimes he could be outgoing, and Niesha at times wished he was more so. And then there were times like this, when he could almost seem to be cunning.

She gave another sigh, turning her attention back to the tower for a moment. "But you are brilliant, Michky. Sometimes I wish you'd see that, and let others see it too." Michael shrugged and fell silent, returning his attention back to Moe. He wasn't fooling her, though. She knew that he was actively paying attention to everything around them. Giving another sigh, she let her gaze move over the others, gaze seeking out their other siblings. She wasn't sure if any of them would compete either. Bronwyn might compete, too.

Oh, what the hell. Perhaps she ought to just go ahead and try. Rising, Niesha slipped through the others, and towards the grounds, throwing herself towards the tower and starting her assent. Keeping her attention on what she was doing, Niesha began to pull herself up, muscles tightening as she did so.

Pierre

Despite the excitement, Pierre found himself almost dozing. The warm sun was just so... so... so... inviting. It might have helped if he had actually slept then night before- but he hadn't, distracted from the enticing lure of sleep by books and a new- well old- scroll he had borrowed from the Athena cabin. Stretching, Pierre leaned forward, unconcerned about Prince- having left the pup on his bed, he wouldn't be surprised to see him Adeline. Whe had had found the pup, it had just seemed perfect. A dog that would forever be puppy sized, Prince was easy to carry around if the need arose. And Adeline was always happy to lure the dog away, if she had to, she could carry him easy enough.

Turning his wandering attention back to the course, Pierre sighed heavily as he studied it. He couldn't seem to get up the energy to tackle it. The obstacle tower was indeed a challenge, yet there was always a way to conquer something. He lazily ran his gaze over everyone that seemed to be readying themselves to tackle it. If you could figure out what they were doing, and how they did it, you could figure out how to beat them. Eventually. Still, it had been a while since he had tried the tower- he'd let himself just settled into the rhyme and rhythm of the camp... let himself just... rest. Sleep was always welcome, but recently Pierre had been indulging a little too much.

He ought to take a go at it again. He sighed heavily, and rose slowly, stretching- a long satisfying stretch, and one that nearly sent him back to resting, back to a stupor... instead, He started down from the stands, not actually sure what he was going to do- and perhaps that was the point. Everytime he tried to plan this course, he failed. Rather spectacularly.

Perhaps some things couldn't be planned.

Kalinda

Kalinda leaned back, closing her eyes as she titled her head towards the sun, a small smile dancing around her features as she did so. There was nothing quite like the feel of the sun on ones skin. Warm, and welcoming. The sun was where things could grow- just about everything needed sun. And perhaps Kalinda had been listening to way too many speeches about Apollo. The internet was a wild thing. Sighing, she opened her eyes and looked back towards the obstacle tower. The only child of Apollo at the camp right then, Kalinda was merely there to ensure that people didn't kill themselves, and to treat any injuries. She had no desire to show off on the tower, at least not today. If it was archery... that might be a different story.

Besides, the white fuzzy tube sock demanded her attention. The ferret crawled out of a pocket and danced about in her lap, chattering. And then there was the war cry. Chuckling, Kalinda scooped the ball of fluff into her palms, petting her. After a moment, when she was sure Chaos wouldn't dance away, she snapped on her leash, so that she wouldn't get lost. The last time that had happened, Kalinda had had to search high and low to find the damn beast, only to find her nestled happily on a sleeping daughter of Aphrodite's chest. That had been fun, trying to get the ferret without waking lover girl- only to have to explain why she was essentially feeling the girl up.
She wasn't keen to have such an experience again.

The ferret certainly lived up to her name- Chaos. Perhaps it was a good thing that Kalinda lived alone in the cabin- Chaos just got into trouble. It didn't matter even if she as sleeping, she always seemed to knock something off, or mess about. Kalinda liked to joke that she just had too much energy, even sleep didn't turn it off. Watching Chaos as she scampered about, uncerncerned about her bothering any of the campers. She hadn't had any issues with it yet, and even if she did, it was too fucking bad for the other campers. They'd just have to put up with Chaos. Chaos was too cute anyhow, and the ferret knew it, used it to her advantage.

Leaning back in the stands once more, she let her head move to the sun again, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, letting the sun warm her.



Leaning low over the neck of the beautiful, graceful Pegasus. The white winged horse flew gracefully through the air- giving Imogen a perfect view of the camp. A bubble of laughter leapt out her throat and she sat up slightly, gently gripping Aethusa with her knees- completely trusting her to keep her safe and to catch her if she fell as she lifted her hands and gave a whoop of excitement. She could practically feel Aethusa's excitement, but they both knew that it couldn't last much longer. She had to get back to the camp proper. "Just a few more moments... "

Imogen let herself enjoy the feel of the air through her hair- unbound, it streamed behind her, almost like Aethusa's mane itself. As the Pegasus leaned down, she lowered herself once more, trusting in Aethusa to land safely. As they landed in the field, Imogen waited a few heart beats before she swung herself off, sliding down with as much grace as she could muster. Which is to say, she landed on her ass laughing breathlessly. Aethusa nuzzled at her gently, and Imogen consented to rise, laying a hand on the white side of Aethusa. "Thank you for the ride." She murmured softly, her gaze moving about them- certain that she had seen someone walking from the out skirts of the camp.

"There... " Stroking Aethusa another moment or two, she started towards the figure that was steadily getting closer. Were any campers meant to arrive today? She wasn't certain, but it didn't really matter. If one of the kids had found their way here, it meant it was probably the right time for them to come. Lifting a hand in greeting, Imogen closed the distance enough to shout, "Hiya!" cheerfully to them.

Talon

Talon barely spared a glance for the others around him- it didn't really matter who he was competing against, he'd kick all their asses anyway. His gaze lifted up and over the tower, examining it without much care. He'd find a way up- and he'd do it before anyone else could. There weren't many that could hope to compete with him, in any case. Shifting, he stretched his legs and with deliberate slow motions he cracked his nails crack... crack... crack... crack... . The rather satisfying crack and relief in his joints pleased him, and he rolled his weight onto the balls of his feet.

He would win. There was no doubt about that.

Oh, Ky' vie was certainly a strong contender, but she wouldn't win this time- he was going to make sure of it. Moving with as much strength as he could put into a run, he slipped between two poles and leaped to grab a rung, pulling himself up with sheer strength as he decided to tackle was in front of him- glancing up to make sure that he wasn't going to run into a dead end, or any trouble. He used his strength- he had no doubt that he could beat anyone strength wise- to throw himself up the tower, twisting here and there to ensure he wasn't going to get knocked by anything.

Shifting, he hung for a moment, drawing in a few deep breaths before he continued up. "You're the one that's going to need luck!" He shouted back, refusing to let himself lose as he continued.

Brandon stood at the edge of the seating for the tower attempting to drown out the people screaming and shouting, the son of Ares looked on at the competitors of the day and smirked when he noticed a few familiar faces. As the young man was strapping on his fingerless gloves a gust of wind blew past him, seeing that it was caused by someone blowing past Brandon he was about to yell out some profanity out at them till he realized it was his brother Talon. He chuckled as he stood and watched the younger boy clamber up onto the rope ladder, hearing him call out to someone further up the tower. Brandon followed his brothers gaze to see a familiar daughter of Hephaestus heading up towards the top, grinning as he mumbled, _{"I'm comin' for you."}

Without hesitation Brandon immediately broke into a sprint at the tower, jumping the rail before he too jumped up and caught a rung on the ladder. He shouted over at his brother on the next ladder over, "Yeah, that's the spirit, T! Just don't look her in the eyes," he laughed as he pulled himself up a couple more steps up the ladder, ducking before he could smack his head on one of the padded bars protruding from the upper level. "Shit, man." The son of Ares quickly pulled himself up and used the same padded bar that nearly knocked him the last go around to help give him a boost. As he leapt up, Brandon collided with another camper and knocked them right off of the bars, scrambling to grab one in each hand before finding footing as well. Whew.

Brandon looked down at the lower level, spotting the camper he'd knocked off curled up on the ground. 'Wuss,' he thought to himself before spying the daughter of Hephaestus on the lower level to which he smirked. "Come on, Princess. I thought you were supposed to be at the top of the tower," he teased, turning his attention back on the bars. A few of them in a row hardly had enough showing to grab onto, Brandon made sure his footing was true before reaching up to grab two of them in his hands to pull all the way through, hearing someone cry out 'NO!' from the other side as the crowd echoed with gasps and 'ooooh's. Brandon laughed. He knew he'd done something right. The young man continued to push himself up the rungs.

Samuel closed his eyes and breathed in then exhaled collecting himself, opening his eyes the son of Helios smiled. Not paying attention to the roar of the spectators he simply jogged casually over to the tower, looking up towards the top he looked directly at Ky' vie with determination in his gaze "Oh someone's going to need luck but it won't be me" he thought with a smirk then began to climb the wrungs of the tower, slowly getting higher in the air.

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This... couldn't be happening...

Fuck..!

She could already feel it coming on... The thoughts accelerating; speeding through her head so fast that it was almost dizying, and with it, Erin knew that her body had began to sway, if ever so slightly on the spot she stood. The office of the camp director, Mr. D, was spinning. Coming in and out of focus, and all she could manage was to lift her hand up from her side. Using it to rub at her sternum, as though the very action was going to help loosen the tightening she could feel restricting her breathing.

She felt sick to her stomach. And it was painful- Gods, it was painful. The rapid, pounding of her heart against her rib cage... the light trembling in her arms and legs; the quickening of every single breath she managed to suck in. Each coming in shallow, making her almost feel as though she were suffocating- and no matter how hard she tried, she just wasn't able to catch it... She was currently caught between a rock, and a severely hard place; and no matter how she attempted to spin it, it just got worse. Erin's dark gaze seeming to lose focus, her head fell slightly; staring at the ground between herself and the desk. The soft sound of her voice barely more than a whisper as she spoke.

"..n-no... this can't be happening..."

"..I'm afraid it is, Ms. Chase."

The sound of her name being spoken by the God she normally gave a hard time to pulled her out of the sea of thoughts she was drowning in. Her name... he'd said her name- he'd said it correctly. Dionysus never got anyones name right..! Well, unless it was one of his kids, but still..! Her hand falling from where she had been rubbing, she brought it together with the other in front of her stomach. Fingers playing nervously with one another as the edges of her figure began to blur into darkness.

"..Lady Aphrodite’s dove has been stolen from Mount Olympus by an unknown assailant. Understandably, the other Gods are in an uproar at the crime committed... and Ares, in all the wisdom my thick-headed brother possesses, has named you the guilty party." Leaning over his desk, elbows resting over the polished top, Dionysus rubbed wearily at his tired features. Already clearly exhausted by the day, and damn it all to Tartarus, the day had only just begun. If this morning was any indication as to how the rest of it was going to go; he was in for a few asprin and a diet coke by lunch, "..Zeus has given you a to the end of the lunar cycle to return the dove to Olympus. Seven days, Ms. Chase. That's it. So I suggest you get a move on."

Seven days- a week. To find a single, stupid pink bird that could literally be anywhere in the world..? Yeah, like that was going to happen. But worse... it meant that she was going to have to actually leave the camp. The very thought caused pain to shoot through her chest again, and unconsciously, she began to rub at the scars on her wrists that she kept hidden with the long sleeves of her tops, "..a-and if I refuse..?"

"..then you will be subject to the wrath of Lord Ares."

Rock and a hard place- right now she felt more like Atlas; the weight dumped on her shoulders her equivilant of the world. And really, it kind of was. It was her life on the line... again... Seriously, what the hell was wrong with her. Fingers twisting together, her emotions for once, clear over her features; all Erin could bring herself to do was nod her head once in response.

"..head up to the attic, and get your prophecy from the Oracle. Chiron and I will inform the rest of the camp of the situation."

"..I-I-..." But the words weren't coming- her mind, at that moment, was failing her. Nodding her head once again, the only way she could think of to let him know that she had both heard and understood what he had said, Erin used whatever energy she had left that she could muster to turn her back to the office. Not even seeming to notice the gentle tears that had begun to fall as slowly, though surely, she headed towards the stair that led to the attic.

This-... This was something she never wanted to do...

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So far, everything seemed relatively normal with this camp. There were cabins, different buildings all over, a climbing tower that seemed to have lava pouring out of it, and other totally normal things one would expect a summer camp to have. He must have just missed the camp as he had been climbing up the hill. There was no way that a place like this would just show up out of the blue. That was impossible! He had just not seen it. Jake had been attempting to explain this whole thing in his head as he walked into a field near the camp.

This line of thought failed when he saw the flying horse and someone riding on it. Flying horses were not common in any summer camp that he had heard of. So, Jake just stared at the flying creature for a second and the only thing that broke him out of his trance was a girl talking to him. "I uhhh... how... Flying horse?" Jake stammered out before finally correcting himself to speak like a normal person.

"I mean... Where am I? What is this place? Who are you? Why does that horse have wings?" Jake asked reducing his one hundred different questions to only four. "I'm Jake and uhh the wind told me to come here?" He added to be polite. Suddenly, hearing voices on the wind was small potatoes compared to a flying horse.

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“..hey, Issie..! You're not competing today..?”

"Hm..?" The sound of her name managing to catch both her ear and her attention, even over all the loud cheers and jeering that was coming from the stands encircling the obstacle tower, Isaura turned her head. Her bright ice-blue eyes flicking around first to glance over her shoulder towards the redhead that had called her before eventually, her body followed suit, and she was left moving backwards step by step, though at a much slower pace than before. A gentle shrug of her shoulders, and a roll of her eyes serving as her only response before she spoke. Her voice cold, though one that was still soft like the first gentle snowfall of the year, "..I'm suspended from participating for a while. Someone..." She paused, though only long enough to shoot a glance towards where Brandon, the cocky son of Ares, stood smugly before her attention was back on Ky' vie, and she continued on, "..- who will, for the moment, remain nameless - grabbed and squeezed my ass last time. So in retaliation, I iced the pole he was holding onto. Chiron was not happy..."

"..oh shit. Sucks for you."

"Tell me about it..."

Raising her arm from her side, giving her more... fiery friend a quick wave in response to the one that she'd gotten herself; Isaura turned around, once more returning her full attention back to the stands that she had been heading towards in the first place. Hand drawing further up, her perfectly manicured and almost ice-like nails brushed lightly over forehead. The young daughter of Khione using them to draw her long and wavy pure snow-white locks across; neatly tucking them back and behind her ear as she scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Michael Stevenston... Kalinda Franklins- both of them were nice enough, but it wasn't as though she'd really gotten to know either of them. And both were a little too close to the larger group than she would have liked. It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy hanging around with people; it was more that people weren't exactly prepared for the natural few degrees drop in temperature that came with the pleasure of her company. But there were the few-...

Her lightly colored matte lips turning up at the corners; the warm smile only illuminated further by the light glistening of her eyes, Isaura found her gaze caught by the figure she'd been looking for, kept company by another that she also wasn't exactly surprised to see. Imani Du Bailey, and Katherine Lance. Her best friend, and the camps resident party girl. It wasn't out of character for the two of them to be spending time together, it just seemed to be a bit more frequant since Kate had managed to move from the 'depressed' phase of her break up, to the 'fuck you' phase.

Slipping her hands down into the pockets of her jacket - one that she was sure hadn't been in her wardrobe two days ago - she pressed forward. Her figure, keeping a reasonable distance from the various groups, ascending up into the stands; she gave her friends a light nod of her head before she took up her place with the both of them. Sitting on the edge, "..morning." Her body relaxing back, elbows resting on the step behind her as she extended her legs out in front of her, "How are you two doing..? Forresten, Ima, thanks for the jacket. It's really cute, I like it."

"Elsa."

Giving a quick nod of her head in response to the girl joining them - the pair already set off towards the side of the stands - Katherine shifted where she was semi-lounged. One elbow resting back on the step behind her while the other arm remained curled around Imani's figure already sat in her lap. Her fingers curling gently, almost teasingly at the daughter of Aphrodite's hip, it was a few moments later, and only after one of the girls climbing the tower got knocked off and was sent flying back to the ground that Kate tore her gaze from the tower. Looking over towards the snow Queen instead, "Ah... can't complain. Though the mornin' would be better if I could get my flask; but then that involves moving... an' why would I wanna disturb this gorgeous creature by doing that..? I ain't no moster."

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Imogen looked back to Aethusa, and then to the new- she had to assume- camper. She smiled, bright, cheerful and welcoming as she gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, that's a Pegasus. Her name is Aethusa" She said, hoping to put the boy at ease, although she could understand how the sudden appearance of a mythical creature- a creature from legend no less- might be a bit daunting, especially if you hadn't seen the camp before. The guy seemed confused, and perhaps a little self-conscious saying why he had just sort of suddenly appeared in the grounds.

There really wasn't any easy way of explaining what the camp was, of essentially telling this Jake that he was a child of a mythical being. Of course, they weren't mythical... but if you'd spent your whole life not knowing that there were actual gods, actual flying creatures of legend, then it could be hard to wrap your mind around the new reality. "And my name is Imogen. Immy works too." She paused a moment, thoughtful.

"As for what this place is... and to answer your other questions... well, that's a little more complicated." She tried to think of a way to explain everything without seeming crazy. "The wind telling you to come here... it's for a reason. This is a camp- no, it's a home. It's a safe place to be for... for us. It's Camp Half-blood." She felt like she was rambling and tried to draw it in. "Um. We... We are children of Gods, Jake. The Greek Gods, to be exact. Or the Roman. Sometimes we have campers from Camp Jupiter here too. Gods, she really wasn't good at this sort of thing. "The camp can't be seen by those aren't kids of gods, or their mortal parents. And it's safe from beings that might harm us."

She bit her lip, waiting for Jake to say something, waiting for him to claim she was crazy or that she was pulling his leg. She couldn't really blame him, to be honest. It was crazy.



"She isn't Medusa, Bran." Talon shouted back, "And unlike you, I don't freeze when I meet girls eyes!" He teased, as he reached up for one of the moving bars, and gathering his strength- his muscle tensing as he did so- he pulled himself up. His muscles had warmed up pleasantly and he yanked himself up, resting a foot against the wall, the other seeking purchase on another bar, just as he imagined someone yanked on it to give themselves purchase. Cursing he pushed off before he lost all footing and leaped for a ledge.

His fingers grazed the edge of it and he dug his finger nails- for one brief moment he was hanging just by the tips of his fingers. Letting out a growl he slowly grabbed for more purchase and after a minute he was able to pull himself up- one hand was slowly becoming slick with blood from torn nails, but he didn't care. He shifted, getting his feet under him. Drawing in deep breaths he gathered his strength, and crouching slightly he waited. His heart beat, once, twice, three times and he launched himself up, grabbing a moving arm and straddling it. Shifting his weight, balancing, he launched himself up, climbing once more.

"Come on, Bran." He said as he reached up to grab a rung, and yank himself up yet again. "Getting a little slow, aren't we? Too much? Or just distracted by girls asses?"

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..it was such a beautiful day...

The gentle seam of her naturally pouted lips parting, even ever so slightly, Adeline took the moment to simply soak up the warmth of the suns rays as they shined down over her petite figure. Her hand rising from where she had it resting at her side, fingers curled over the edge of the piano stool; she instead ran them almost delicately across her forehead. The action causing the gorgeous orange locks that curtained her features to move; neatly tucking behind her ear as her hand once more returned to where she'd had it. The peace of the morning undisturbed bar the gentle chirping of birds; at least for her it was undisturbed... at least where she was, anyway. The amphitheater in the camp was far enough from the rolling thunder that was the crowd cheering on their favorite campers that, for the moment, she was able to practice for the upcoming solstice without too much distraction, if any at all. Oh, but the sun-... The sun; it was so... enticing...

Allowing the glow of its rays to sink into her soft skin a few moments longer, perhaps longer than she knew she should lest it lure her into an undeserved morning nap, she opened her eyes. The bright blue orbs, ever unseeing, holding not a hint of worry as she stared up towards the blazing orb that lit up the sky. It didn't matter to her that she couldn't see it- she didn't need to. Not to understand the beauty that it held; the beauty that it brought to the world around them. Truly, her uncles did a wondrous job. A gentle sigh passing out through her lips, Adeline's attention fell, after what felt like a lifetime, back to the instrument that she was sat in front of. The grand piano already set up, lid open, and lain in waiting.

Really, she should practice...

Body shifting, hands lifting to this time brush over the keys she knew were resting before her; the soft ting of a few notes floated out of the piano, giving her the chance to see just where she was seated in relation to the cords before she reached out. The small bumps, braille, that her brother had put on every single key of her laptop brushing over the pad of her pointer finger, she eventually hit the space button. The sound of a violin playing from the speakers; giving her the small amount of time she needed before she joined in. The gentle melody of both instruments spilling out into the otherwise empty amphitheater.

"..I pray you'll be our eyes... and watch us where we go... and help us to be wise... in times when we don't know. Let this be our prayer... when we lose our way..." Pausing, her back straightening ever slightly with the silent breath she drew into her diaphragm, Adeline brought her head to a light tilt. The small shift in position causing her hair to fall across her back and over her shoulder, "Lead us to a place... Guide us with your grace; to a place where we'll be safe..."

The son of Poseidon had woken early and started out the day with his usual morning walk along the lake with his good friends Brynn and Ky' vie. It had still been dark out when he caught Ky on the way to the Forge, as per usual, and it didn't take much to convince her to tag along with him and Knowles. A smile and a nice hot cup of coffee offered never hurt anyone. Who could turn that down, right? After the three had their walk around the lake they parted ways, Brynn having gone off to train with a few of the younger kids while Greyson walked Ky to the forge before heading off towards his cabin once again to enjoy a bit more of his morning before getting ready.

Greyson laid out on a towel on the mini dock attached to his cabin in the warm sun and read a book for a little while. Some time had past before Greyson could hear the distant screams and chants coming from the obstacle tower arena and it had dawned on him that Brynn had mentioned wanting to go today, as did Ky' vie. The young man quickly snapped his novel shut and shot up from where he was laying, snatching up his towel to toss his things on his bed to head off towards the arena. Not that he would take part, at least not today, but he would make an appearance and cheer his friends on.

The young man didn't make it very far away from his cabin before he heard a violin playing, the sound carrying out through the open air a few moments before being accompanied by a familiar angelic voice. Greyson hadn't realized he'd frozen in place to listen to the voice until another camper passed him by, giving him a rather curious look as if something was wrong with Greyson for standing out in the open, unmoving. Greyson half-smiled and waved them off before he began to gravitate to Addie as her voice continued to carry out over the area from the amphitheater. As he arrived with her finally in view, the son of Poseidon couldn't stop the little smile threatening the corners of his lips, quietly walking up behind Addie as not to disturb her. Clasping his hands behind his back, Greyson stood still and listened to her practice on the piano as she sang along.

“..-reaching out to touch you; reaching to the sky..!” Fingers continuing to glide over the ivories, her voice filling the air as the music began to crescendo, Adeline couldn’t help the pure enjoyment that lit up her delicate features at doing something that she loved. The smile, however small it might have been, reaching all the way to her eyes. Causing the corners to crinkle lightly with the action. Her foot pressing down on the peddles every now and then as the music called for it, “We ask that life be kind, and watch us from above… We hope each soul will find, another soul to love..!”

The music drawing back, becoming softer once more, she closed her eyes. Allowing herself the chance to breathe. It was such a beautiful song… perfect to honour the Gods.

“..let this be our prayer… just like every child, needs to find a place… guide us with your grace… give us faith so we'll be safe…”

That smell…

Fingers stilling over the keys, Adeline turned her head ever so slightly to the side. Tilting it up just that little bit as she drew in a deep breath. It was earthy- a little bit woodsy. But it was so much more than that. It was that smell you only ever got from the sandel wood you found laying on the shore… washed over and over again by the sea foam and ocean spray that lapped back and forth over the sand. To her, it was the smell of the beach- one of many. But… it was the most comforting.

Hands slipping from where they were still rested on the keys, she shut off the violin recording. Bringing both hands back to the piano bench as she twisted. Her bright blues turning in the direction the scent was strongest, “..morning, Grey.”

As she continued on, Greyson found himself closing his eyes as he lost himself in the music. He wasn't too familiar with the song, but noticing both the piano as well as her voice were growing softer, he knew the song was coming to a close. He looked down at Addie, a small little smile hinting at his lips as he watched her catch his aroma, knowing she knew he was there. The grin on his face only spread as she turned ever so slightly to face him, speaking softly, "An' t'you, Ms. Vos." Greyson chuckled lightly, adding playfully in the same soft tone, "Don' stop on my account, please. I'm sure I'm not the only one enjoyin' your lovely voice."

”Oh… heheh. I wouldn’t say that. I’m not sure the birds are really paying attention to my practice.”

The soft chuckle falling through her glossed lips, Adeline shifted. Her body scooting over on the bench until her fingers were able to curl over the end, letting her know when to stop as she created space for him to join her if he so wished to do so, ”..you’re not at the obstacle tower. You didn’t want to give it a try..? I think you’d be très bien.”

"Eh, their loss, I suppose." Greyson let out a soft sigh as he took a seat beside Addie on the bench, looking down at the keys a moment before returning his gaze back to her. Her little compliment to him made him smile, shaking his head, mostly out of habit, though he knew well enough she wouldn't see it. "Done it e'nuff times t'know what ih's like, luv. Though I was headin' o'er to go cheer for Brynn and Ky' vie. Just... got a bit sidetracked, s'all." Greyson let a couple quiet moments hang in the air before he spoke again, "You practicin' for the solstice, mm?"

Gaze falling from where she could hear his voice; her head remained on a light tilt as she brought her attention back to the piano in front of them. Her hand lifting, reaching out; Adeline let her fingers tease at the keys, though the notes that fell into the wire were soft… gentle… Her shoulders giving a light shrug.

”Yeah… Erin and I are supposed to perform. She’s playing the violin accompaniment. We were supposed to be practicing together, but… Mr. D called her into his office for a meeting instead…”

Greyson raised an eyebrow, zoning out in thought for a minute. 'What could Mr. D possibly want with Erin?' It's not like she'd done anything to him, this week. He'd kept a respectable bit of distance from her since the week prior when she summoned the hellhounds on him. "Wonder what tha' could be about."

The young man turned his attention back to the keys, smiling softly as his fingers caressed a few of them. "Gods, it's been years since I've tried." He chuckled, letting his hands slip off the keys, "Best leave it to the professional." With the her voice and the piano no longer hanging in the air, Greyson could just make out the screaming from the Obstacle Tower, smirking to himself. He could bet 100 drachma the girls were showing everyone up right about now.

”..I don't know... but it must have been really important because, when he called her... he got her name right…”

A gentle blush creeping out over her delicate flesh at his words, Adeline lips turned up in a gentle, though still rather shy smile that lit up her features. Reaching all the way to her eyes; causing the corners to crinkle lightly, and for her iris' to shine under the warm glow of the sun as once again, she looked back towards where the sound of his voice was strongest, ”..it's so sweet of you to say that; but really, I'm far from being a professional." Pausing, her hand left the piano. Returning to the bench as she twisted her body on an angle; leaning a little closer to him. Her head tilting further, ”I would love to hear you play, and maybe... if you wanted to... we could play together sometime..?”

Out of the corner of his eye Greyson could see Addie turning to him, and although the girl was blind, he turned his eyes to look back at her. Paying her the respect of his full attention as he would anyone else. "Luv, everyone is ove'ly critical o'v themselves. You know I wouldn't lie to you.." As Addie leaned in closer, Greyson shifted ever so slightly back to keep the same distance between them, thankful that the girl didn't have her sight at the moment as he was quickly turning a bright shade of red.

Greyson smiled shyly, nodding as he forced out as normally as possible, "Mm, bien sûr, tout pour vous, l'amour." His hand slipped from his lap to the bench in an attempt to help him scoot a bit further away and noticed it didn't land on what he would've expected to be a cool surface. Instead his hand had landed on hers but quickly pulled it back, chuckling nervously. "Sorry. Hand mus'v slipped." The young man cleared his throat and took a quick glance around them before returning his eyes to his friend.

"In the meantime, though, I'd love to hear you play some more. If you wouldn't mind the company, that is."

The blush already covering her cheeks growing another shade or two brighter at the feeling of his warm hand pressing lightly over her own; it was only a few moments after he had pulled it away that she turned her head, her body twisting back around towards the piano. It was gentle... and it was brief, but... it had felt nice. Head dropping, down first before then drifting off to the side and away from him; Adeline lifted her hand away from the edge of the bench. Having no real need to do so, but nevertheless hooking her hair back behind her ear once again. Her fingers lingering, twisted almost shyly in her orange waves, before she let her hand fall to her lap. The other joining it as her attention was brought back to the piano.

”..I-... I don't mind at all... I enjoy playing for people... for you...”

Biting down softly on her lower lip, hesitating a moment, she returned her hands one after the other to the keys in front of her. Pressing gently on one or two of them to get a feel of where she was, before adjusting. Her petite figure scooting just that little bit closer to him, giving herself a better range of notes- checking them once again before she began to play. The gentle melody filling the air as she began to play a song that she had been practicing for months now for the son of Poseidon. Her body leaning, sometimes resting gently against his as she reached for the lower notes. A small, though still rather shy, almost knowing smirk dancing over her lips.

Greyson smiled gently at her words, clasping his hands in his lap as he watched her fingers gravitate towards the ivories. As soon as the first notes hit, a solemn wave of peace washed over him, goosebumps rising all over his arms at the sound of his favorite piano piece being played. 'When did she--' His smile grew softer and a bit wider, turning to watch her play.

Every time she brushed against him while reaching for keys, he leaned back against her very tenderly to let her know he knew she was playing this intentionally. He couldn't help but smile like a complete idiot the entire time she played. It was sweet of her to have not only remembered his favorite piece but also learned to play it just for him. He couldn't help but wonder if this was just a friendly gesture, or if there was more to it than that. The son of Poseidon wasn't one to press matters, even if he did feel for her, he just was never sure.

Her soft lips parting ever slightly from one another; Adeline turned her head. Daring a glance up in the direction she could hear the gentle rhythm of his breathing coming from. The steady pace of it only helping her to keep time, even as she began to slow. Giving all respect to both the instrument, and the piece in question as she eventually completed it. Lowering her hands, slowly, from the ivories, and returning them instead to her lap. Though she gave no sign that she was going to move; her body still resting gently against his side from where she had ended up when the song had finished.

”..I, uhm... I asked Kate if she could get me the score... I know it's not very good- I'm still practicing it, so... I'm sorry if I messed it up...”

Greyson hadn't realized he had been staring at her the entire time, having zoned out with the biggest grin on his face, turning a bit red when he finally came to as she spoke. Without moving away from her against his side, he sat up a bit straighter and spoke her name softly, "Addie," The son of Poseidon shook his head as he sighed softly, wishing he had the words. He voiced the only thing that came to mind, "C'était parfait."

Heart fluttering lightly in the confines of her chest at the compliment, Adeline once more raised her gaze towards the sound of his voice. Staring, unknowingly, up at his own gorgeous eyes; her voice, just as soft as his, "..tu penses vraiment cela..?"

Greyson chuckled softly, reaching a hand up to place over his heart. "Sur mon honneur," he replied, his own heart hammering away in his chest. The young son of Poseidon couldn't hardly stand the tension building in his chest, feeling almost as if he couldn't breathe. Dare I say like a fish out of water.

He slowly pushed himself up from the bench seat, reaching down to tenderly cup under her elbow and let his hand slide down her arm, bringing it up as he got closer to her hand till he reached it. Gently grasping her soft hand in his, he looked down at her with a smile. "Unfortunately, luv, I've got a previous engagement with the girls. Told 'em I'd cheer 'em on a bit at the tower."

Of course he didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to disappoint his friends, either. The boy searched her face, tilting his head slightly to one side as he thought about asking her to come, deciding to go ahead and ultimately shoot his shot. _{Kind of.} "Care to join me in the stands for a bit? We don't have to stay for too long, just long enough." The son of Poseidon knew that being around that much noise eventually caused her horrible headaches, really he only needed to make an appearance and let the girls know he hadn't forgotten about them.

To her, it was as natural as breathing; allowing another to take the lead. And with his touch as gentle as it was over her arm... her hand, Adeline followed his example as she rose from her place on the piano bench. Her bright eyes following the sound of his voice. The blush never once leaving her cheeks, keeping them a soft shade of pink that only seemed to radiate a light tinge of heat.

"..j'aimerais bien..."

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"He can't help it, Carlos..! Only time Bran shows restraint is when it's just me..!"

Voice clear enough, even over the tumultuous acclaim that filled the air around them; Octavia crouched almost precariously on the edge of the platform above the moveable rungs. Her dark gaze falling to flicker back and forth over her competition, though they easily lingered on a few of whom she knew were actual competition- at least, the few that she could see from her perch anyway. Her brothers, both Brandon and Talon; honestly, she was kind of surprised that she hadn't yet managed to locate Elias. Then there was Carlos; as reckless as ever. And below them all, for the moment anyway, was her biggest competition. Ky' vie Morgan. The redhead catching up quickly, though she wasn't about to give the guys a heads up on that. No. She'd rather waste time enough that she could watch the scene unfold than let them know that the daughter of Hephaestus was hot on their heels.

A soft chuckle passing out through her lips, Octavia shook her head lightly, "Leave it to our brother to compare the women in camp to a bitch with snakes for hair."

"Nawwe... what's wrong, Bran..? Afraid I'm gunna turn ya ta stone..?" Hand shooting up, clasping tightly onto the bar he'd pulled out before he even had the chance, Ky' vie pulled herself up beside him. Her free hand brushing over his hip and across his lower back, she curled her fingers lightly. Her naturally perfect nails dragging slowly, teasingly up the length of his back and over his shoulder; she eventually reached towards him. Capturing his strong, chiselled chin between her thumb and pointer as she turned his head. Forcing him to meet her dark gaze as the two of them hung side by side, "We're still up for out little... side bet... right..? Or, don't tell me... you're chickening out of that to. Because if you were..."

Her brightly painted lips turning up in the corners, the playful smirk making its way over her features; she brought her body closer to his. The muscles in her body tensing up, becoming more defined and helping to keep her hung where she was as she closed the gap between them. Her lips brushing against the shell of his ear, and her almost unnaturally warm breath - at least, warmer than that of a normal person - flowing out over his bare flesh, Ky let out a chuckle, "..well... I might be a little disappointed..."

Nipping teasingly at his earlobe before once more going on the move, Ky let go of his chin. Taking hold of another rung above the both of them; she used the muscles in her upper body to keep her steady. Her legs swinging up, features scrunching in concentration before she used her strength to bring her foot down against the pole he was holding onto. Forcing it back through the tower and out the other side. The sound of a yell coming from the other side barely registering in her mind as she pulled herself up. Her hand reaching out to take hold of another extended towards her as she reached the next platform. Giving the daughter of Ares a nod of thanks as she used the help to climb up and back to her feet, "..and your brother..?."

"Eh... he should consider it payback for the broken nose he gave me last week." Shrugging her shoulders lightly, dismissively; both girls still clasping each others wrist firmly, Octavia leant over the edge again. Glancing down at her siblings once more before her attention rested on solely Brandon, "..or at least the beginning of a long line of payback..!"

This daughter of Athena's morning started earlier than most, having gotten up long before the son had rose to go on her morning run before she would meet up with her best friend for their walk around the lake. Today was going to be one of Brynn's harder days, having a lot on her schedule planned, training-wise. The obstacle tower was one of the firsts on her lists, and confirmed with Ky that she would also be there as well. It was going to be a fairly interesting day at the tower. Hell, any event with Ky' vie or Octavia was involved, it was always going to be a challenge. Those girls were beasts. Brynn knew she'd really have to have her head in the game today if she was gonna have a chance at winning the event.

Upon arriving, the brunette wasted no time in jumping straight in to it head first, although she didn't make it very far before she was knocked straight off the side by someone who'd been pushed off above her. Both collided into the ground with great force, knocking the wind right out of the poor Athena girl. Taking a moment to recover, though, she went back at it again with more force than before taking two rungs at a time to quickly get to the second level. She could see that Ky' vie had made it up to the next level, and... who else but Octavia was up there with her. To the left, she spotted two son of Ares making their way up the wall, overhearing their conversation which caused Brynn to laugh aloud. She decided to chime in as she continued to climb, yelling over at Talon, "Only reason you don't freeze is cause you're not on our level! How bout you try getting on it, sometime, hmm?"

Brynn took a sharp intake of breath when a rung was taken out from under one of her feet, forcing her to start climbing up the side faster than before. This time she decided to climb over to the right, the side opposite of the Ares boys. Rungs were disappearing quickly for the Athena daughter, smirking as she latched onto one with a gloved hand and pulled it in to her side before quickly pushing it back through the other way with some brute force, hearing Murphy cry out some prophanity. She laughed and hurriedly climbed the last few rungs before he could retaliate, pulling herself up over the next levels lip to join Octavia and Ky' vie. She joined the girls and looked down on the boys, smirking. "Poor babies. Should we should help them? They seem to be struggling."


Seemed as though everyone was coming after him, today. He smirked when he heard his friend's voice calling after him about flirting with the competitors, calling back to him, "Should know me by now, Carlos! Can't stop, won't stop! Why don't you worry about what you're doing, huh?" The son of Ares laughed and pulled himself up another rung, taking a glance out at the group of Aphrodite girls sitting in their usual spot to cheer him on, flashing a charming smile before returning his hand to the wall.

Brandon laughed at both his siblings' responses and grabbed onto an empty space in the wall, hoisting himself up with it as he called back out, "I never said she was Medusa, just saying.. she's scary when she's in her element." As the son of Ares pulled out another rung to grab onto, suddenly he saw a hand reach out and grab it. His eyes narrowed as he turned, about to push the dumbass off who thought it was a good idea to take his spot before he realized who it was that had joined him in his space. He hadn't exactly heard her when she'd spoken before but suddenly his attention was on the daughter of Hephaestus, smirking slightly. As her nails drug across his back he had a chill run up his spine, reaching back to smack her hand away but missed as it reached up and latched onto his chin. The young man came to a full stop, raising his eyebrows at her aggressiveness. He liked it, sure, but was quite surprised at the public display of her mind games.

Ares' son was so distracted by everything she was doing to him in that moment, he hadn't realized she was starting to climb higher. Once he came to, he went to reach up to another rung to climb after her until she stepped on one of his hands and pushed the rung back through the other side, cursing softly under his breath before growling at her, "Oh, you're gonna regret that one later, sweetheart." Shaking out the numbness in his hand, Brandon reached up to grab the rung again to pull it out again, taking it to pull himself up again. This time, though, as he pulled himself up it slipped from his hands once more as it retracted, peaking through the hole in the wall to see Bronwyn Knowles on the other side smirking away as the rung came flying back through to his side. It slammed right into his cheekbone and caused him to lose his footing entirely, he reached out to grab onto anything and caught nothing, slamming down onto the level below with a loud thud.

"FUCK YOU, KNOWLES!!" the son of Ares yelled out as he rubbed his face a moment before standing, finding the side that Brynn was on and leapt up, starting to climb with a ferocity he hadn't had before. The Athena girl wasn't going to get away with that easily.

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"Mm... thank you babe."

Closing the gap, however small it was, that was between them, Katherine's lips pressed against the corner of Imani's. Lingering with a small smirk playing over her features. There was no hesitation. No sign of regret. Kissing to her was as natural as breathing air. Why wouldn't it be..? Thanks to her legacy, seduction was, after all, what she did best- and she was perhaps even better at it than the self-proclaimed playboy of the Ares cabin. And with the kiss, the already teasing touch of her fingers over the other girl's hip became more prominant- her digits rubbing just that little bit harder. Almost massaging the young daughter of Aphrodite through the beautiful dress that she wore; the material hugging that poised and curvy figure in all the right ways. It was enough to get anyones heart racing, and hell, she certainly appreciated it.

Tongue slipping out through the seam of her lips, she let it tease against Ima's. Kate's (now free) hand reaching to take the flask as it was offered; it wasn't until she had it back in her possession that she pulled back. Giving it a little wiggle in order to determine just how much she had left in it. Not full... but it was more than enough to last her at least until she managed to slip away and back to her cabin. Whenever the fuck that was going to be. Her bright eyes gliding over the lips of the beautiful creature she had in her lap, she eventually lifted them up to meet with Imani's gaze. Biting down on her lip as she shot the woman a wink, "..such a good little kitten you are.."

"Oh... for the love of Zeus; get a room already, you two." Rolling her eyes, barely giving more than a dissmissive wave towards the comment about her skirt, Isaura rather purposely brought her attention back to the tower, and the competition that was going on in front of them. Having to lift her hand up; using the back of it to cover her mouth and muffle the sound of laughter as she caught sight of Brandon catching it left and right before finally, he fell. Landing flat on his back on the spinning platform below the moveable rungs.

"That a challenge..?" Quirking her brow, her head dropping back on a light angle as she brought her attention over to the third wheel in their little party, Katherine stared up at Isaura, "Don't tempt me, Snowflake. You know I'll do it."

Tearing her eyes off the current action happening on the structure, her arm returning to where it had been, Issie met the other girls gaze with a chuckle, "Do you even have an off switch..?"

"Nope."

Fucking bitches. They thought they were so much better then the guys- fuck, the rest of the camp. They weren't- and that was the thing, they weren't better then the rest of the camp. Talon gritted his teeth, and once more gathered his strength, muscles in his legs tensing for one moment before he launched himself, further in the air then he had before. They weren't going to fucking win. He didn't care if he didn't, he was determined to make sure they weren't going to win. Fuck them. Fuck them all. "You aren't worth freezing over." he snarled as he caught the edge of a bar, used his momentum to swing himself further up into the air. Deliberately twisting, he caught another bar, this time flinging himself further around the tower and catching himself on the platform the girls were on.

Pulling himself up, he didn't pause. He grabbed a bar, pulled it as hard as he could, until he could push himself up and over, climbing further up the tower. He pulled bars out, using anything he could to force them to eat up precious seconds. "I haven't even begun to try." His voice came out once more as a snarl. His muscles were warm, hot, straining, but he didn't care. He continued to yank bars out of holes, twisted rope ladders. He found himself not caring what might happen.

He was just so damn tired of being teased, demeaned, and shit on by those fucking bitches. They tore him, other guys apart- oh but Gods above forbid if they did it to them. Fucking. Bitches. "Getting a little slow there, aren't we?" He wanted to fight. He wanted to hit something- and right then, it didn't matter what. It was just... He was just so fucking angry. It wasn't fucking fair. His body was shaking, violent need, violent energy, violent... just violence wracked his whole body as his mind kept throwing around their words, their actions, every little dig they managed to get it.

His breathing raggered, he pressed himself against the tower, feet pressed hard against a bar, watching it as he yanked another bar towards him, violently- he was almost surprised it didn't just come flying out, to fall to the ground. But it didn't and snarling- loud, frustrated angry. He well knew that he shouldn't let his anger get the better of him, but he just couldn't find a reason why to care. It was always like that. He might care later, but right then he just really didn't fucking care. The rage boiled steadily in the pit of his belly, his heart pumped, both with adrenaline and that deliciously frightening rage. It was boiling, boiling, boiling- wanting to rise over and just take everything away.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" the savage scream tore through his throat, rage streaming out as he slammed a fist against the tower, shaking hard, his eyes slammed shut tight as he slammed his fist against the wall again. As the bar began to quiver beneath him, he snarled once more and opened his eyes, reaching out for another bar and pulling himself further up the tower, knuckles- hand- scrapped, but he didn't care- didn't care about the throbbing pain that just fueled his rage further.



Niesha sighed softly as she pulled herself up onto the platform everyone seemed to be converging on. What was the point of all their talk? It seemed counter productive to her. Shifting, she took a moment to let herself breath, reaching up to move hair that had escaped it's pony tail out of her eyes. She shifted her body, and glancing around. She winched, wondering if she ought to just give up- it didn't seem worth it... things were looking pretty heated. A little uneasy, Niesha watched Talon's destructive path. Would any of them stop before someone got hurt badly?

It seemed odd to be on the outsides, apart of neither group... Niesha sighed again. She shifted, looking further up the tower, frowning slightly. She could see a path up- a good one, she was sure of it. A path that wasn't suffering too much destruction. "That way." She said softly, her gaze following it up, not sure why she was even speaking. "He's going to hurt someone... " She felt out of place- she always did. She wasn't like Ky' vie, or Bronwyn, nor Octavia. Or at least she just didn't know how to be. Her body shifted slightly, biting her lip as she glanced away from them, looking towards the ground, reaching up to tie her hair back again and turned back towards the tower.

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Greyson had taken the lead and lead the daughter of Morpheus towards the arena with her arm looped around his extended one, his other hand clasped over her arm gently as they walked. The cheering was almost deafening, Greyson wondered whether it'd be too much for her. His ever so vigilant eyes caught a couple of rowdy campers shoving each other around, one stumbling backwards towards Addie but a swift movement from Greyson to catch the kid before he could knock into her. He slipped his arm out of her grip but kept it on her shoulder so she knew he hadn't left, catching the young boy under his armpit and hoisting him to his feet.

"Gotta watch yourself, mate. Don' wanna run into people, yeah?" The son of Poseidon flashed a friendly smile at the kid as the boy nodded and muttered an apology, wandering back over to his friends. Greyson cleared his throat and gently lead Addie's hand back to his arm, leading her slowly up the rows of seating. "Jus' watch yourself, luv. Two steps, then a left. First seat," he said into her ear so she might have a chance at hearing him above the shouting from the crowd.

Breath catching silently in her throat, heart fluttering nervously as she felt the warmth of his breath flowing gently over the shell of her ear... the delicate curve of her neck; the natural pout of her lips parted. Her hold over his arm, however gentle it might have been, tightened; even the tiniest amount as Adeline drew it ever so slightly closer into her body. Doing her best to follow his instructions despite the fact that she didn't really need to. Not that she was ever going to voice that out loud- three years spent roaming the camp, oftentimes being dragged around on some adventure by her best friend, and she'd grown pretty confident when it came to getting around.

Her eyes closing, Adeline turned her head into him. Her forehead resting lightly against his shoulder for a moment or two, the only response she gave to let him know that she'd heard before, eventually, she managed to take her place in the stands. One arm falling away from his and back down to her side, she swung it lightly behind her. Her thigh-length skirt shifting with the action; Adeline brushed the tips of her fingers over the stone. Confirmation that she was close enough to it before finally lowered herself down. Perching herself on the edge. Her gaze drawing up to where she could feel his body resting against her, "..how are they doing..?"

Greyson sat beside Addie in the concrete stands, looking up at the tower to see who all was up there, trying to pinpoint the girls and see where they were at. As he was searching, Greyson was just able to catch Ares' kid Brandon Murphy being tossed off the side of the tower, seeing that Brynn was the cause of said action. The son of Poseidon couldn't help but chuckle to himself and mutter, "10 points to Gryffindor," an on-going joke between him and his good friend Brynn.

When Addie spoke up he leaned in close to her to make sure he could catch what she was saying, smirking as he turned to tell her, "Seems Brynn has it out for that Murphy kid, she just knocked him from the middle down onto the first level. And-" taking a moment to shade his eyes to see towards the top, Greyson could see Brynn climbing up to the top to join.. who else but Ky' vie and Octavia. Of course the three girls were all at the top. "Brynn, Ky'vie and Octavia are all up at the top, it seems as though it's down to them but a couple are close behind them and might catch up if they don't stop foolin' around."

Greyson smirked and stood up then and cupped his hands around both sides of his mouth, yelling out as loud as he could so the girls could hear him at the top of the tower, "COME ON, LUMI!! BREE!! TAVIA!!! LET'S GO, GIRLS!"

Her arms forced to slip from around his as she felt him pulling away, she followed his movement with her head. Tilting it further up, towards the strong sound of Greyson's voice as it rung out; joining the other within the crowd as he shouted his encouraging words towards where their friends were, competing against one another for glory. Perhaps... if things were different-... She shoved the thought out of her mind, not wanting to dwell on the fact that she wasn't like the others at the camp. That she couldn't do a lot of the same things that they could. It wasn't like she could go running head first into the activities that they could- the obstacle tower... the climbing wall... capture the flag... It didn't matter though; not really. Some people were born to compete and participate... she just wasn't one of them.

She was a spectator, sort of... and she was okay with that.

Her hands pressing down onto the step on either side of her body, she rose to her feet. The back of her calves pressing against the cool concrete, she shifted against Greyson's side. Her arms lifting up in front of her, she brought one up further. Holding it above her head as her voice - softer in comparison to his - joined the rest of the crowd, "Go guys..! You can do it..!"

Greyson could feel Addie stand up beside him, turning his attention to her to see her cheering their friends on as well. The boy chuckled softly to himself, not laughing at her in any way, just simply finding it cute the way she was waving her hand up in the air the way she was. The boy turned back to the girls up on the tower, bringing his hand up to his lips to let out a sharp whistle. Greyson's body relaxed as he sat back in his seat to watch the three girls at the top, wondering which one of them would take the win today. He gently reached up and laced his hand in Addie's closest one to him, letting her know he'd sat back down, offering for her to join him back in their place on the concrete.

The warmth of his hand once taking hold of hers; their fingers entwining with one another, Adeline's opposite arm lowered slightly. Her features lit up happily as she turned her head towards where she knew he was; smile never once seeming to fade, even as she took her place once more at his side. Perching herself almost on the very edge of her seat as she listened to everything that was going on around them. The '..ooo's...' and '..ah's...", the surprised gasps; even some laughter at what she was sure was people going tumbling off what she had been told was a very imposing structure.

And that was when she heard it.

The deep rumbling boom... boom... boom... Frowning as the sound seemed to reverberate through her entire being, Adeline's brows furrowed slightly. That-... That wasn't something she normally heard at this type of activity. It was something, however, that she heard when she was keeping her friends company at the climbing walls. It happened whenever one of them wasn't fast enough, or so she'd been told. When the walls crashed against one another in an attempt to knock the campers that were on it back down to the ground.

"..G-Grey..? What's that sound..?"

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The sound of her voice booming out loud and clear over the thrum of the crowd, calling out her younger brother's name in something that was only described as more of a warning snarl similar to that of a beast about to clash with another, Octavia's arm shot out in an instant. Curling protectively around the young daughter of Athena; she forced her back. Placing herself instead between Brynn and the danger that was her own flesh and blood. Tremors shooting up through the very core of the tower causing it to shake with his angered antics. Fuck it, Talon..! Where the hell was Elias when she needed him..! Though she knew her younger brother didn't mean it- unlike the rest of them, he still had to learn how to control his anger. The wrath that they inherited from their father. It was a burden, and it was a hard thing to do; but it wasn't impossible. And she knew he'd get it... someday.

Forcing Brynn back further over the platform she was on, more concerned with her than the daughter of Hephaestus who had more than enough experience looking after herself, she turned to face her. Hand lifting; she curled her fingers around the back of her neck. Bringing their foreheads together as she met with the younger girls gaze. Giving her a small smirk, "..I need to deal with this. Make me proud, Areto. Kick their asses."

Shooting her a quick wink. Her arm slipping back down to her side as she pulled away, Octavia took a couple of steps backwards before she was on the move; nodding once to let Neisha know that she was already on it. Her body turning, she shot herself forward and towards the ledge of the platform that she'd managed to get to. Showing no hesitation- no regard for her own safety one little bit as she flung herself over the edge. Free-falling for only the briefest of moments before her body collided with that of her younger brother, hands gripping tightly onto his top. The sheer force of the blow causing the both of them to continue on a downward trajectory, and she did her best to turn them.

Pain shooting through her entire being as her back was the one to hit the hard ground below them, taking the brunt of the impact before their bodies rolled. Her chest heaving, movements a little slower than normal, though for the moment she let the adrenaline drive her; Octavia slowly and shakily got back to her feet. Hand lifting to run across her face, coming away with blood.

Great. Just perfect. Another injury to add to her ever growing resume.

Her own anger written over her features, taking the few seconds it took for Talon to get back to his feet, she pressed forward again. The muscles in her body working overtime as she used her natural strength to push against his chest; doing all she could to drive him further away from the tower, and to keep his attention and anger focused solely on her, "You want to fight someone..?! Fight me..!?"

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Jake looked over at the girl and back to the pegasus as she had called it. It clearly had been flying and she had been flying on the winged horse. So unless he had lost his mind, this might be the case. Jake leaned around the girl and nodded to the horse. "Uhh, hello Aethusa... Now, I'm talking to a horse... Not something I thought..." Jake muttered to himself as his accent grew more pronounced as he grew more worried. " It's great to meet you, Immy.He managed to say before she started explaining what exactly this place was.

She was answering his questions but so far it was just adding more questions to his list. He knew that she was telling the truth but still it couldn't be true. So far he had figured out that only these children of the gods can come to this camp. That seemed to make sense and the fact that Imogen wasn't treating him like a fool for lacking this knowledge helped.

"I uhh... figure you are telling the truth but let's see if I get it. So, the gods are real? Like the Greek Gods? I hear about them but wasn't paying attention to it. He admitted with a sigh. "So is that why the win decided to talk to me? I... well you seem to be an expert. Where do I go next? I also hope the flying horse... pegasus wasn't offended. I didn't know." He said with a polite nod to the flying creature.