[IC] Heroes of Camp Half-Blood: Waking Darkness

[Jojo]

A prophecy? Hector hadn't heard it, but from the look of the mark on his hand he guessed he was part of it. And it looked like he would have to wait to get more information later at the big house. He was equal parts excited and worried as he sat down to eat his meal, uncertain of what might await him. He was soon joined at his table by another son of Tyche, his friend Milo.

"Heck, you're finally awake!" Milo teased as he sat shoulder to shoulder with Heck. "Did you see what happened?"

"No. Because someone didn't wake me today." Milo shoved him over a little in his seat in reply. "Did you happen to catch it?"

"Yeah, a prophecy. And I think they mentioned Luck, maybe they meant one of us."

Hector said nothing, and instead held his hand out to Milo to show off his mark.

"It's you!" Milo gasped, grabbing at Hector's wrist. "Can't believe it!" Suddenly, the excitement in his face faded into concern. "Hey, they said 'Luck shall suffer defeat' or something like that."

"Shut up, you're kidding." Hector spat, again shoving Milo.

"No, I'm serious. Luck shall suffer defeat as two sides of the same coin meet."

Hector went silent. The excitement of being part of a prophecy quickly vanished when he considered the fact that one of the lines might directly refer to his own demise. He put down his food and grabbed his necklace tight in his fist. Sensing a change in tone, Milo stood up from the table and put his hand on Hector's shoulder.

"Hey, prophecies are always vague and full of double meanings. We don't really know what it means." Milo said, reassuringly. Hector said nothing back to him, his gaze focused onto the table. "I'll make an offering to mom for you. You should do the same, huh? We're children of Tyche, things will turn out right for us in the end."

Hector thought on it for a while after Milo left. He was right, things would turn out okay for him. Right? He stood up from the table and took the rest of his meal to offer to Tyche. He bowed his head to show respect for the gods, and went on his way towards the big house where he would wait for Chiron and the rest of the chosen.

[Shadow Dragon]

Devon clenches his hand as the emblem of flame sears into his fist, and he hisses at the pain. What in Hades's name was that? He looks around the camp, searching for the others that were burned by the strange prophecy. Emperor's gain? What emperor? He backs into a shadow, which makes him feel a little safer, a bit more powerful. Does this mean I have to talk to other people? He shakes his head, and walks off to the training grounds, grabs his scythe out of the shadows, and practices his forms. Left, right, sweep, overhand cut, sideswipe, block. What did that prophecy mean? He trains until he is exhausted from swinging his scythe around, and lets it go to fade back into the shadows. He shakes his head, and sits down in the grass.

[soren]

As everyone gathered in the war room Chiron rolled in his wheelchair. Syrus guessed it was to have better access to the house and it's rooms but never the less it was convenient. Chiron pulled up to the table and looked around. "Well each of you were called here due to the event that transpired this evening. It seems Hecate has seen something in the door of ways or she would not have used a mortal to issue a prophecy quest which I spoke to Miss Dare about in the other room. It seems her power isn't bound by the triumvirate which is a good thing." He cleared his throat. "What I'm about to tell you all involves a certain demigod during the second giants war. This demigod traversed Tartarus and ended up in a realm ruled by Nyx. We had hoped that nothing would come of what the demigod did to Nyx but it seems that luck is not on our side. The beginning of the prophecy is a warning that if we don't stop Nyx's husband it will be nothing compared to what anything else we have faced. Now the rest I am unsure of but we can consult with the Romans. Sadly we cannot contact them and have no way for you to travel there that wouldn't get you killed." Syrus raised a hand.

"Sir I can get us there." He looked around at every one. "I can mistwalk and bring others with me. I passed out this morning because I had already expended to much energy from..." he stopped and looked at Joanne but then decided to continue as they needed to know "...hunting a Naga Umbra." Chiron stared and Redwood went pale.

"If you think you can do it then it would be a bad idea. Miss Dare need to go with you as well to confer with Ella. I need you all to realize that this is a huge deal and if you all don't take this seriously you might die." A grave silence fell over the room. Before Redwood began.

"You all should get some rest and set out in the morning we will have bags of food packed for you and other provisions. Please rest. That is all, you may turn in to your cabins now."

Syrus sat waiting to see if others would protest or have anything to say before he moved.

[golani]

OOC: I'm working on my entry now...

[Shadow Dragon]

Devon stands and walks off to the Big House. Maybe Chiron would know about what happened to him. He stalks through the camp, careful to stay in the shadows, avoiding all living contact, and then walks up to the Big House. He looks around, and stops, hearing talking. "-someone wrote down what she said." What who said? Does this have to do with that strange fire burning my hand, or is it something else? I know little to nothing about this world, what am I even doing here? He sneaks into the room, hiding in the darkness, and waits for them to stop talking.

[golani]

Joanne came up to Syrus, Smoke trailing a few feet away. She didn’t get a chance to speak to him back in the cafeteria after he had apologized for hurting her. They had all been whisked away too quickly for that.

“Syrus…” she began. “You don’t have to apologize for what happened earlier today, it was clearly far beyond your control. I don’t hold it against you in the least. But now we are all in this together, and you will have my full support, no matter what.”

Joanne smiled. “You are brave without bounds Syrus. I see it, we all do. You just don’t believe it yet.” She paused. “I just wish we had met under different circumstances, not like this…not preparing for war.”

Joanne leaned in, embraced him and gave Syrus a kiss on the cheek. “For luck,” she said. Syrus stood transfixed by the kiss as he watched Joanne and Smoke leave the war room.

Joanne walked back to her cabin alone, save Smoke. She was deep in thought when she feet a presence near her…following her, but one not easy to define. Joanne grew uneasy, a mood matched by Smoke. At first she hurried onwards to her cabin and the Hunters. But the feeling never left her, and indeed grew stronger the closer she got to her cabin. Finally, just as she was about to enter a clearing, Joanne decided this game, whatever it was, had to end. She quickly drew and nocked an arrow on her bow, and aimed at a shadow under a nearby tree. Smoke stood before her growling, her hackles up.

“Show yourself, whomever you are!” Joanne said.

She was shocked to see a figure, dressed in a white tunic, leather boots and bracers. Covering her was a green hunters cloak with the hood pulled over her face and on her back was a quiver full of arrows

She was tall and and well-built, and moved with the ease of a person long used to being in the woods. She was armed with a bow and dagger, but kept her hands well away from both. The figure stopped a few feet away from Joanne and pulled the hood back revealing a kind face framed by shoulder-length raven-black hair and striking silver-grey eyes.

Joanne did a double take and quickly lowered her bow. Even if she had never seen her before, it was almost instinctual that she knew who this woman was.

“Mother?” Joanne whispered in near disbelief.

“Yes, my daughter,” Artemis said with a smile. The goddess knelt down as Joanne ran to her and wrapped her up in a tight motherly embrace. Joanne started to cry on her mother’s shoulder, from joy, or sadness Artemis could not tell. But the Goddess was happy and relieved Joanne had not rejected her outright from the moment both laid eyes on each other.

Artemis soothed her daughter and after a few moments Joanne stopped crying. Artemis looked at Joanne, her expression touched with sadness. “As happy as I am to see you, Joanne I am sorry you had to learn of your heritage by the loss of your parents. But there was nothing I could do to save them, though I tried.”

Joanne looked at Artemis. “I know mother, somehow I know. And it’s ok.”

Artemis noodled. “I have watched you grow into a strong young woman from afar, my daughter. I so wanted to visit you, to speak to you, to touch you. But until now, I could not risk that.”

The goddess stood up and took a regal bearing, “But circumstanced have changed. Come, we have much to discuss before your trials start tomorrow,” Artemis said., She held her hand out to Joanne, who took it.

With the other Artemis beckoned Smoke to her side. Smoke came over sat beside her. She looked up at Artemis who grinned and stroked the wolf’s head lovingly.

“I thank you Smoke for watching after my daughter all these years, and for being her friend,” she said.

Joanne looked at her mother with only mild surprise. “You sent her to me, didn’t you.” It was not a question, rather a statement of fact

Artemis nodded. “I knew that if I couldn’t be there, at least I could send somebody I trusted to help watch over you as you grew into womanhood.”

The three walked off into the forest and disappeared from view.

[soren]

The next morning after everyone had gotten some sleep Chiron and Redwood met Syrus at his cabin.

"Syrus can we come in?" Redwood asked as he knocked on the door. Chiron got into his wheel chair as the door opened and Syrus still drying his hair offered them inside. "Good morning my..." Redwood started to say as the door closed and the environment changed around them to a grassy meadow with a huge tree. "...my my boy." Gapping he looked at Syrus as he took the towel off his head.

Syrus looked at him and laughed lightly. "Its mothers magic at work. The area inside the cabin is altered by the mist to my desire. If the door opens or reverts, if someone uninvited comes in it reverts, and if someone I don't trust is hear it reverts. Basically it's just for atheistic appeal, but today it will serve a different purpose." Suddenly the scene changed to an area in the distance of New Rome. "I will use this room's magic with my own to teleport to this spot outside New Rome so that we wont have to worry about me being completely depleted. The only thing is we won't be able to return this way, if we need to come back here that is. I'm not sure where the quest will take us if we are going to stop..." His voice trailed off as he heard voices at the door and a knock.

"Ah must be the other campers for the quest. I did tell them you wanted everyone to meet here but didn't give a reason." The scene around them dissolved as another knock came at the door. Redwood opened the door and welcomed the children in. He closed the door but the scene didn't change Redwood noticed but didn't say anything.

Syrus watched as the other kids entered and waited before he said anything.

[Shadow Dragon]

He hesitantly walks in the room. "I was told you wanted me? I have a quick question. What happened to my hand? Something or someone burned it, and I still don't know why." He summons and banishes his scythe, the nervous tic he developed that helps him deal with stress. He looks around, and hides in the shadow of the tree. He looks around, and mutters to himself, "What's happening to me?" He sits cross legged on the floor, and holds his scythe, it's cool metal calming him. He seems to be trying his best to turn invisible.

[Sedjwick]

Isaac woke up early in the morning as always. He got out of bed and dressed, strapping a sheath for his knife onto his belt. He then grabbed a pack with a few changes of clothes, a small canteen of nectar, a bag of ambrosia, and a few golden drachmas. He checked to make sure he had everything, then shouldered the pack, put a wide-brimmed fedora on his head, then walked over to Hecate's cabin. He rapped sharply on the door, then waited to be let in.

[Shadow Dragon]

A dark laugh sounds from the darkness of a nearby closet, echoing throughout the camp. Devon stands up, eyes wide. "What...what was..." The shadows begin twisting and warping around him, then fades. "What's going on?! Help!"