Keep things interesting in camp...

The mere thought had a small, almost shadow of a smile dancing across her lightly glossed lips, and she refrained from chuckling. Keeping things interesting while everyone was gone... it wasn't a hard sell. In fact, in her own opinion anyway, it wasn't exactly something that was very hard to achieve. Even if you followed a routine of sorts; no two days were ever really the same in camp. They always had their little surprises. And while she was sad to so much as think that her friends were all leaving to go on dangerous quests, there was that little part of her that was excited to see what was going to happen during their absence.

"..bad timing..?"

Giving a light shrug of her shoulders; Adeline let her head drop back until she felt the firm surface of the window sill resting against the back of her skull. Fingers curling and uncurling in a slow repeditive motion as she continued to gently stroke her pet's fur. Her gorgeous blue eyes lingering in the direction that she could hear her brother's voice coming from, "..I don't really think that it's too strange or out of the ordinary... there is always more than one quest going on at a time, especially during the summer. If there wasn't any quests at all, then I'd be worried... well, I mean... more than I already am... I-... I think it's just because there's a lot happening on the first day... everyone is only just coming back to camp..."

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Join him in things that he liked, or even bring him here..? The sigh that escaped Octavia's lips was slow, and she slumped further down against the tree they were both leant against. It was definitely a thought, though it wasn't as though she hadn't tried- on the contrary, she'd tried to get through to Talon on multiple occassions, and in multiple different ways. Nothing ever seemed to work, but... she was willing to give it another go. Besides, what was the worst that could happen; he punched her in the face..? Wouldn't be the first time, and she was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last either.

"..I guess..."

Hand lifting from her side; she ran her fingers back through her long dark locks. Brushing them back and off her face before allowing her body to fall gently to the side. Head drawing to a tilt, and it wasn't too much longer before she brought it to a rest over his shoulder. Her vibrant forest greens slowly closing as she curled into him for the comfort that she knew for a fact he would give her. Despite their rather... rocky start; she knew she could always rely on Cyrus. He'd been there for her from the very beginning, and he was stubborn enough that she knew he would be there for her all the way through to the end as well. It was all just a part of that funny little hero complex he seemed to have.

Superman was definitely a fitting nickname for him.

"..the tower was over and Dionysus dropped a bomb on us..." Voice soft, almost nothing more than a mumble; Octavia eventually opened her eyes. Staring out at the forest that spanned before them, though it was clear that she wasn't exactly paying any real attention to anything that was there, "..dad has accused Erin of stealing my step-mother's dove... she has seven days to return it, or he's going to kill her; though I'm pretty sure the camp is ready to wage war against him if it comes down to it... add to it the fact that a large number of campers were just called to Dionysus' office for what I assume is another quest... and on top of that-..."

Pausing a moment, letting another sigh, softer this time, pass out through her lips, she lifted her head. Letting her gaze meet with his, "..on top of that... remember the guy I was dating in New Rome..? Aurelius..? Well, he showed up at my cabin door today... and I don't know what to think..."

Imogen paused, hesitating. She had been heading to the stables, expecting Grey to be going with Erin… wanting to help with anything she could, so she wouldn’t feel so damn useless. But it seemed that Grey had been chosen for another quest…. Shifting slightly, she glanced towards the big house, nodding. “You’re right, I probably should…. Quests while Aphrodite is going crazy…. “ Trailing off she sighed, wishing Kep goodbye as she started towards the big house, hoping to catch Grey before he was either heading in, or heading out. It appeared however she was too late as she saw Grey’s figure walking away, and sighing she resolved to catch up to him.

That thought however was interrupted by a girl- possibly new- making some sort of us, and she stopped as the bolt appeared. Deciding she’d had enough of those types of events today, Imogen turned away, cutting across the way to try and catch up with her brother, briefly debating about drowning the girl for a minute to cool her heated temper, but decided that, as much as she felt guilty on it, to leave that to Vivian who appeared to be taking someone else under their wing as well.

Moving Fast so as not to be caught out in her fleeing the scene of more new campers, Imogen was soon into a trot after Grey, ducking her head to make sure she wasn’t about to trip over a rock, a stick, her own feet, the fucking air- she really was a walking disaster- she hoped she was closing the distance.

:”Grey!”



Pierre wasn’t so sure. There had never been a quest of this extent in their time at the camp, sure there had been multiple quests at a time, but this one… this was a test by the Gods. Whatever sick game they were playing, Pierre was certain that it was for a specific reason. Sighing softly, he took a moment to respond. “You’re probably right…But the last time a camper was accused of stealing a God’s things, all hell broke loose in the long run. Perhaps I’m just worrying about it for nothing.” At least he wasn’t required to go on a quest, while Pierre didn’t mind it, he wanted to stick around. Just in case.

“Well, doesn’t seem like we’ll know whats going on until later.” He shifted, giving a shrug of his shoulders, as if trying to shake off his negative thoughts. “Pretty sure some of the others want to throw a party for winning the tower… Well, they did before these other quests. Might be a good distraction.”



Kalinda could almost feel the anger coming off of Damien, and she winced, waiting for it to be directed to her. She shouldn’t have come, and yet, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from doing so. Sometimes she had to wonder if she really was a child of Apollo. She was so different from her siblings, from Vivian… And that wasn’t the point of why she was here. As he spoke, seeming to lash her with his words, she flinched, closing her eyes,waiting for more. But it seemed as if he wasn’t angry at her… just her behaviour.

Hesitating, she looked towards him, frowning as she wondered what he was doing. She had never seen any of the campers summon anything, As the skeletons appeared, Kalinda wasn’t sure what Damien was doing, looking back to him. What did she want? She wasn’t sure. After a few moments thought, she said softly “A simple stone, she never really liked frills… I… “ What could she put on it? For the first time in a while, Kalinda was at a lose for even a simple poem. Nothing seemed good enough, and she hated herself all over again. “I… A heart… maybe something like” She took a deep breath, before saying softly

“you are not forgotten
Though on earth you are no more
Still in memory you are with us
As you always were before.”

There were many things she wanted to say, but for the moment, Kalinda let that be all, “Thank you.” She said to Damien, wondering briefly is she needed to thank the skeletons as well, not really sure of the etiquette.

"Okay Mister D, but I really think tha--" Slam. The door shut right in the satyr's face. With a heavy sigh, the young satyr turned away from the Big House. Before he could even set eyes on it, Sawyer caught the scent of fresh rain and could hear the pitter-patter of it hitting the ground. The weather was always sunny in camp, though..? It didn't take long for Sawyer's eyes to find the girl quite literally storming up the path, heading right for the group now dispersing from the Big House. The unfamiliar blond stopped only a few feet away before screaming something, something cut off by a rather large bolt struck down on the ground that forced a shrill bleat from the young satyr.

He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly after nearly jumping out of his own fur as he looked over at the girl who was clearly scared, stepping forward from the rest of the group that seemed to hold themselves back. Had he paid any more attention to anything or anyone but the girl in question, he might've actually laughed at the use of Violet's "Thunder Thighs" nick. Instead, the young satyr approached the blond girl very slowly, holding his hands out in front of him. As he drew closer, he noticed the symbol above her head appear. As if that wasn't obvious.

"Hey there. Don't think I've seen you around here. I'd make a wild guess and say you're new here, huh?" Sawyer stopped just a couple feet from her, slipping his hands into his pockets as he offered the girl a friendly smile. "There's no need to be a-.. uh..." The young satyr trailed off a moment, taking into account her emotional state, he didn't want to misspeak and become a fried goat. "-there's no need to be feeling anything except safe. You're in good hands, now. This is Camp Half-Blood, love. A place for all demi-gods and demi-goddesses. Th-the only way you can even enter the camp is if you are a demi-god yourself."

Gesturing to the symbol above her head with a point of his finger, the young satyr's eyes moved back from it to meet with her own again, holding her gaze still with a soft grin. "By the looks of it, you're a child of Zeus, love. I know that.. this is a lot to take in, but we're prepared to help you get through this and come to an understanding of who you truly are." Sawyer nervously scratched at the back of his calf with a hoof, his smile turning a bit sheepish as he shifted in place once both hooves were placed on the ground again. "I, uhm.. I'm Sawyer. One of the many satyrs you'll see around camp. What's your name, love?"

I swear I was kidding.

Just as Dorian jokingly asked if there were anymore surprise claimings and Mr. D shooed them out of the door he heard the loud sound of thunder. He knew it wasn't Zeru since he was off getting ready for Erin's quest and unless Levina somehow found out she was replaced on the quest it wasn't her. As everyone crowded over to the door and noticed the screaming blonde with a bolt of lightning over her head Dorian just wanted to get through and get back to his cabin so he could finish packing. But he knew that with his frail frame against these warrior demichildren he stood no chance of forcing his way through. So he did the only thing he could do. He used the shadows.

Dorian attached himself to the shadow of one of the many quest-goers in front of him. Someone would likely feel a slight chill down their spine as if the grim reaper had attached himself to them. It would only be temporary as he would move on just as quickly. If anyone looked down they'd see a moving shadow scurrying across the camp ground. It stopped in front of Ryley for a moment and wait was that a huntress? The inquisitive shadow was curious about what was going on with camp today, but instead of stopping it decided to continue on its way taking a turn and heading towards the cabins.

Dorian's shadow made its way to the cabins and was closing in on the Thanatos Cabin fast when it screeched to a stop and pulled a quick reverse before stopping once again in the Morpheus Cabin. Dorian had remembered at the very last second that Pierre was supposed to be going with his quest group to Atlanta. The pale and slim young man rose from the ground like a shadow vampire and walked to the door giving it a good knock. Of course a vampire has to be let in.

"Yo Pierre, you wanna come out here?"

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Cyrus could tell that Octavia wasn't entirely convinced of his suggestions, but he hoped the two siblings would be able to find some common ground. He had seen what it was like for demigods to continue to bottle up their feelings. It either led to them hurting the ones they cared about or getting themselves killed out on a quest because they couldn't stay out of their own heads. Though the likelihood of that happening for a child of Ares was slimmer as their anger tended to fuel them in battle, but it was still rather costly. He wished he could personally do more for her and Talon and maybe he could. Maybe the how to the equation will come to him later.

His thoughts left him the moment Octavia placed her head on his shoulder. He was meant to calm her, but her touch had a way of doing that for him. He was a guy that was always racing off into danger or to help someone in need, but whenever she touched him everything about him became as still as an undisturbed lake. Cyrus wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her just slightly closer to him before resting his own head on hers and listening to what she had to say about the events of the morning at camp. The gods were yet again blaming a demigod for one of their stolen possessions and one who wouldn't or couldn't have stolen it in the first place. The last time something like this happened the King of the Titans was behind it, but Cyrus doubted Aphrodite's dove would give a Titan the power they need to fight the gods unless that wasn't the point at all. Like Octavia said the death of Erin would cause a war and the Underworld would be joining the demigods against Olympus and a war like that would have mass casualties on both sides. Was that this thief's endgame? The death of the gods and their children?

He lingered on the thought for a bit until Octavia lifted her head from his shoulder and brought up her ex who had just so happened to be here in Camp. That calm stillness inside him? Gone. And he didn't understand why the thought of Octavia possibly getting back with her ex made him uncomfortable with a tightness in his stomach. He couldn't have been jealous. He and Tati had a fun thing going and he and Octavia were just friends... Right?

Cyrus leaned upwards and back against the tree to take everything in, including her expression as she gazed into his eyes. "Wow... I really did miss a lot this morning. I'm confident Erin will be fine. She's stronger than even she gives herself credit for. I haven't smelt Thunder Breath for a while so I'm guessing he went with her. If we're taking bets I'm calling they'll finish in five. But as for Aurelius... But it's been what, three years? He didn't tell you he was coming?" He wanted to ask if she still had feelings for him, but he had to remind himself that it really wasn't his business.

“..which one of you is first..? I can’t hold it open forever…”

Brandon's eyes wandered over the others in the large room, about to volunteer himself before he heard Tyler speak up, dragging Carlos along with him. Bran almost thought Tyler would shove Carlos through the portal, as it was something he expected of the mischievous boy, but he didn't. He let him go, encouraged Carlos to follow after him, and said his farewells to Erin. Or at least that's what he imagined the boy said, as he didn't speak to Erin in English or Greek, but rather the boy's native tongue. Part of the son of Ares wondered if Erin even understood what he'd said. Surely he'd clarify later. Not that it concerned Brandon much on the matter.

Just as soon as Tyler disappeared into the folds of darkness, Carlos seemed to eagerly follow after his friend. The two always seemed to have their own way of going through the world. Everything was an adventure that they always seemed eager to begin. In a way, Brandon envied them. Much to Brandon's dismay, his thirst for adventure had been snuffed out years ago. He only ever saw quests as a job. Something to get done as quickly as possible put it in the past, and forget about it. This time was much different than the other quests he'd been on, though. He'd never let on about or admit to it, but for the first time in a very long time, Brandon Murphy was afraid. Not for himself, but for someone else. His best friend.

Brandon was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Zeru speak up, another figure becoming one with the darkness as he too stepped through the portal of shadows. All that left standing in the room were Erin, Ezra, and himself. Bran wished he had something to say. Something inspiring, to maybe help her get through the portal herself. The girl hadn't left camp since they'd first arrived just over four years ago, and now she was being forced to go halfway across the world... across an entire ocean, just to capture and return some stupid bird his father's mistress couldn't keep her bitch hands on. The young man stepped forward, shaking the thoughts circling his head as he walked over to Erin, wrapping his hand around the back of her head to bring her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Come on. Let's get this over with," he muttered softly, giving her a half-smile before dropping his hand to turn to the portal, casting one last glance over his shoulder before walking forward into the wall of darkness.





Six. Five. Four. Three...

The two of them stood there in long silence for several moments, both seeming to hesitate to break it, but Ezra took the initiative and broke his hold on her shoulders to step around to look at her.

"I'm going to come through with you... if there comes a time you need help, though I hope you won't, I'll have somewhere to start."

Ezra's eyes flicked over to the cabin door, almost hoping to see Spencer McKnight come walking through it to make a last-minute entrance, but the longer he stood, the more it was made clear he either wasn't coming or he was going to make his own way. Part of him hoped it was the latter, but he didn't know the guy very well and couldn't speak on his behalf. Though, from what he had witnessed of the young man, it was pretty clear he seemed indebted to Erin for saving him from the clutches of Tartarus. Ezra never did hear the full story. Instead of bringing attention to the no-show, Ezra's olive eyes fell back down on the girl before him, holding out his hand for her to take.

"Do you remember what I told you we tell the god of Death when he comes calling?"





The son of Poseidon hadn't made it very far from the group before he could feel a change in the air. A feeling that made the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. Grey tried to ignore the feeling and pushed his way further towards the cabins until he heard shouting, and the unmistakable sound of thunder crashing down into the ground behind him. The young man whipped around to see a girl with a thunderbolt hovering above her head. Another Zeus child. But how? Both Zeru and Levina were still in the camp. Zeru was going with Erin and Levina had just been called this morning. Unless Levina's summoning was for something else entirely, and she was no longer going to be staying in the camp. A light frown cast over Poseidon's son's features as he stood there looking at the new daughter of Zeus, contemplating whether he wanted to spend the time storming himself over there to see what was up. A soft, familiar voice broke his concentration.

"Grey!"

The boy's posture immediately relaxed as his eyes turned to find his sister approaching him, letting go of the hefty sigh he hadn't realized he was holding in until then. He was glad to see his sister. It meant he got to say bye before he left on his quest. Not that he was afraid he wouldn't return, but things were never certain with the lives of the gods' children. Their lives were always in danger from the moment they set foot outside of the camp. A soft smile crept at the boy's lips, closing the distance between himself and his dear sister, wrapping her up in a warm hug.

"Immy," he greeted her, speaking in a soft tone before pulling back from their embrace to again look into her eyes. "Everything okay?"





Being one of the better-skilled blacksmiths in the camp, some would even go as far as to say the best though Hayden would disagree, it was expected of Hayden to work through most of the day in the forge. There were a couple of days through the week where he was able to pass on the work to one of his siblings so he could spend time to himself, which either consisted of working the horses or spending time with Issie in what little free time he seemed to have anymore. He seemed to be late for more and more these days. Something that he truly couldn't stand was going back on his word, even if it was something as simple as a lunch date with his girl. What was a Norseman without his word? It was said that if a Norseman, a Viking, took an oath and went back on his word that his sword would turn against him and incur the wrath of the gods. Hayden prayed to both the Greek and Norse gods that wouldn't happen to him. He was trying, after all.

Hayden had spent the better half of another hour in the forge working on that sword he'd been mending when he and Issie last spoke out by the lake. Finally coming to a point with it that he was happy with it, the son of Hephaestus returned the sword to the son of Ares who'd brought it to him earlier that day and rushed himself to his cabin to get a quick shower in. Fresh from the shower with some fresh casual clothes thrown on, Hayden hurried over to Isaura's cabin hoping she didn't hate him for being as late as he was. His girlfriend had a forgiving nature when it came to most things, especially with him, though at times he felt terribly undeserving of it. The son of fire and the daughter of ice, it was as if the two were destined for disaster from the start.

"Min Bedre Halvdel," Hayden called out as he approached the cabin door, rapping his knuckles against the hardwood a few times before stepping back, waiting for her to come to the door. At one time he would have just walked in, but with Isaura's sister Astrid around these days, boundaries were a thing to remember when it came to the Khione cabin. Even if Astrid held no love or respect for him, Hayden tried to be as respectful of Issie's sister as possible, strictly for Issie's sake.

Satyr? Zeus? Demigods? Seriously, the longer people talked the more convinced Ryley was that she had actually been dragged into some weird-ass cult of the Greek Gods. Who in the hell believed that a bunch of old ass people lived at the top of mountains and could chuck around lightning bolts and stuff? Seriously. Ryley shot a look that could only be described as daggers towards the Satyr, surely just some weirdo in cosplay, and was about to bite his head off about not needing any sort of propaganda when she noticed a strange, golden glow on the ground around her. Slowly, her head tilted as she shifted her gaze upwards and her eyes grew wide at the sight of the glowing thunderbolt above her head. How the hell were they doing that!? Stood in slight shock for a few moments as another fact slowly dawned upon the girl, her mind thinking much more clearly since she had been shocked out of rage. The rainstorm that had seemingly set in on the camp as she had approached, hadn't truly set in on the camp at all. Instead, the raging storm hovered just above her own head, a small enough cloud to be a personal storm.

Her attention was stolen from the Satyr, eyes wide and the emotions from earlier fleeing the girl's body. Instead replaced by shocked silence and a look of curiosity about it all. Intrusive thoughts shot through her mind, racing to the forefront without even a hint of resistance. Thoughts she would've considered impossible, the things of mere fantasy were it even twenty seconds ago. Yet... perhaps... could this not have been some weird cult? As she was lost in this myriad of thoughts about what might be true, what might not be true, the girl silently raised her hand towards the cloud above. Curiously, as if with a mind of its own, the storm reacted to her movements. A small funnel cloud spun up, reaching down to touch lightly to the girl's fingers as if it read her intentions to touch the clouds. Moments later, small tendrils of lightning shot down from the cloud and danced along her fingertips. Yet... they didn't hurt. If anything they felt energizing, and Ryley's eyes opened wide in shock. Moments later, the cloud disappeared. At that same moment, a wave of exhaustion slammed into the young Demigod, causing her to stagger. As if that storm had taken everything out of her, as if she had been controlling it.

Her attention shifted back towards the Satyr, the look of rage from before washed away completely. As quickly as the storms controlled by her father could change, so too had her entire demeanor. Now, she wore a look of curiosity and determination. Clearly, she had decided that she would be discovering the answers to the questions dancing along her mind, and this poor Satyr would be the one to answer. As she started to make connections between the concept that perhaps the Greek Gods were real, and all the strange things that had happened throughout her life, Ryley found herself starting to believe. To believe that just maybe, what this boy had said might have an inkling of truth. A deep breath was drawn as Ryley focused on the boy, leaving another tense moment before she finally spoke once more. A calmer, friendly tone, instead of the one burning with anger from before. "Alright, Sawyer." She said finally, shaking her head as if to ward off any disbelief over the situation. "Say I believe you, even a little bit. How in the hell does this place exist, how have we not heard of these Greek Gods, and... I've got a lot of questions. You sure you're up to help me understand?" She asked, at last, her gaze asking him as much of the question as did her words.

Even as she asked that another strange sensation came over the young woman. For the first time in... perhaps her whole life, Ryley truly felt at ease. Safe. For the first time, she didn't feel as if there might be something dangerous lurking around the corner. She was safe, she belonged here. Interesting.