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There was a moment before he decided against it that Damien Blake considered showing up to the tower event. There was even a pros and cons list made in his head. He knew it wouldn't be fair to everyone else if he showed up, but at the same time, the look on their faces when they lost would have been, if nothing else, more satisfying than drinking an original coke-a-cola during a hot summer day while jamming to Slayer.
But then he remembered how much he hated sanctioned events at camp and he just put on his headphones and let it rain blood in his head.
After a few dozen times of listening to Raining Blood, Damien had the sudden realization that something was missing from his room. He surveyed his embarrassingly-messy room that had clothes scattered about and had noticed that there was one thing that wasn't around.
Or should he say one person was absent from his room.
"That damn dog!" Damien cursed as he swung himself off his bed, rolling off the side. Damien was dressed in black jeans and a white t, though he wore no shoes. When it was just him and his music, he didn't like to wear shoes. It was a weird habit, sure, but what would this world be if people didn't have their unique quirks? Boring and normal and who wanted to be normal?
Damien stormed out of his room with a slight hint of annoyance making itself home on his face as he stormed down the hall, the soles of his feet making his presence felt as each step held a thunderous stomp. Of course, Damien did this intentionally. He was trying to make sure his sister heard him coming. He wanted her to be partially prepared when he reached her room.
And when he did, he didn't bother knocking and stood in front of the now open door, looking around the room and he saw who he was looking for. "Seriously, Onyx? That's the fifth time this week!" Onyx just barked happily as it laid with Erin's hellhounds, which together they looked like a miniature Cerberus. Onyx started wagging his tail at his master, obviously happy to see him and Damien shook his head, laughing as he smiled.
Anything else she could think of to bring…
A frown once more appearing over her strong features, Erin let her dark gaze glide slowly over the countertop in her bathroom. Lingering on certain items that caught her attention; but again, she had no fucking clue. He could have Anything she could think of to bring- there were more than a million different items that he could have been referring to, and honestly, she was pretty damn sure that none of them were the ones she was thinking of. Fuck..! Why did this all have to be so difficult..? No. The better question was: why did this have to happen at all..?
Her emotions bubbling again at the surface- threatening to spill out as her eyes grew damn with tears for what felt like the millionth time, Erin dashed them away with a swipe of her hand. Hell no. No more tears. She was done with them; couldn’t afford to shed anymore. And if she could help it, she wouldn’t either.
Hand lifting, the sleeves of Brandon’s hoodie pushed up her arms, Erin took up a few things from the counter. Her make-up bag… her hair straightener; her more ’feminine’ products, and though she very much doubted she was going to need them, there was no way she was going to be taking that chance in the first place.
Hand curling over her hairbrush as she turned away from the counter, she left the privacy of her bathroom altogether. The seam of her lips parting in slight surprise as her gaze fell instantly to her brother’s figure standing in the main doorway of her room. Step slowing a moment, taking a moment to wonder if perhaps he’d finally caught her out or if he was there, like everyone else, to discuss her quest; it wasn’t until she heard the cheerful barks of Onyx that it all began to make a bit more sense in her mind.
Right. His dog.
“..hey…” Staring at him a moment longer from where she stood, Erin crossed over to her bed. And having already folded and re-packed her undergarments so as not to trigger Tyler too much during their time out of camp, she began to slip the new items in. The stray thought entering her mind causing her to pause and to turn back round to face her brother. Glancing at him, though unable to keep eye-contact for more than a few brief seconds at a time, “Oh… uhm… do you… still have my portable charger..? I-... I kind of need it back for a while...”
“The charger?”
Damien thought about her question for a few, quick moments. He found it odd that she was asking about that of all things. Not ‘why are you in my room, dunderhead’, but her charger he totally didn’t forget to give back to her. “Yeah, it might be somewhere in my room.” Damien walked into her room and walked over to where Erin’s bed was and gave Onyx a few soft pets, to which he responded with excited tail wags and soft barks of approval. It was then that Damien realized he completely skipped over the last part of what she said. “Wait what do you mean you won’t be back for a while?” He asked, taking a seat on her surprisingly soft bed next to Onyx, continuing to scratch behind his ear.
“..I said I need it back for a while...” Turning back to what she was doing as he made to sit on her bed; it was a way to avoid looking him in the eye. Doing her best to instead focus on what was in front of her, rather than on the all too familiar look he was going to give her when he found out she was heading off for a few days. Granted, it was usually to go spend time in the Underworld, but still…
“..but… y-yeah… I won’t be back for a while either, so… I mean... both ways work… And I’ll need you to look after Salem and my hell-babies while I’m gone...”
“Right…” He wasn’t buying whatever bullshit she was trying to sell him, but the way she was speaking and how… unlike herself she was acting, Damien knew something happened between the last time he saw her to now. “Whenever you feel like telling me what’s up, I’m all ears, sis.” Damien wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t leaving as he crossed his legs on her bed and continued to pet Onyx, looking at Erin with a stern gaze, reinforcing what he said to be fucking gospel (or it would if he was a religious person).
..by the Gods, he was stubborn..! But then… so was she…
It had to be a family trait…
Sighing heavily, her shoulders visibly slumping as a sign that she wasn’t about to argue - really, she didn’t have the energy anymore - Erin turned her gaze over to her brother. Weary as finally, she met and held his eyes, “..I’ve been accused of stealing Aphrodite’s dove… I have seven days to go to Rome, find it, and bring it back to her… or else I’ll be given to Ares… and we both know I won’t be coming back if that happens...”
“Of all the..” Damien gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed with anger, and he balled his fists. Onyx stared up at him, sensing the fire stirring inside Damien. “There is no way they can do this!” He shouted, standing up. “That bitch probably misplaced her fucking bird while she was fucking someone’s man.” Damien started to pace back and forth, stopping after a few times. “So, you’re going to Rome. When?” He asked, trying to regain some semblance of his composure. He had to get the information before he blew a gasket.
“..as soon as the others are ready...” Turning on the spot, following him with her eyes, she sighed. Her hands coming together in her lap as she leant back against the edge of her bed. Sitting in silence for a moment before lamely motioning beside her to where her own bag was sat open, “..and as I’m done packing...”
Biting her lip, her hand returning to the other, she hesitated before speaking again. Her voice soft, almost pleading, “..I didn’t do this, I swear on Styx. I went and spent a couple of days in the Underworld, yeah but… aside from one or two of Bran’s hoodies over the years, I’ve never stolen anything..!”
Damien stood there, his immediate anger quelling at the sound of his sister’s pleading-like tone to her voice. He looked at her, his expression somewhat neutral, like he felt momentarily helpless. ”You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Erin,” Damien said, approaching Erin and putting his hand on hers, reassuring her. “I know you didn’t steal that bitch’s dove.” He needed her to know that he didn’t think for one second that she did this. And even if she had, he would feed that fucking dove to Onyx just to stick it to the Gods.
“..what if I can’t do this..?”
Hands twisting in her lap, her fingers curled gently around his. Holding onto her brother almost in desperation as she searched his eyes. Seeking out answers behind them to questions that neither of them had voiced, but were clearly thinking, “..I know that there’s a heap of people who have hope that I can. And… And Kyrin said that… it’s okay to be afraid, but… Damien, just the thought of leaving is making me sick. It’s taking everything I have not to spiral into another panic and anxiety attack...”
As he felt his sister squeeze his hand, feeling her hand shake in his, he felt an all-too-familiar knot in his gut tighten up. How many times has this happened? Too many. And the fact that she had doubts just spoke to how serious this was. The severity of her situation did force Damien to not think with his fists for a change. He usually went with the ‘fuck everyone’ approach and he almost did, but Erin mentioned she was afraid. And he knew that it was bad.
“Erin, listen..” His voice started out low and he took another moment to take in a breath. “Nobody can force you to go. If you want to, I’m sure you could hide out in the Underworld. And you know what? Nobody would blame you, but listen, I don’t know who told you you couldn’t do this, but they need to reevaluate their life choices if that’s what they’re feeding you. You’re not some regular Demigoddess. You’re not someone who can be bullied into submission by some overhyped prostitute or her side piece.” He smiled at his sister and continued, “..you’re Erin Chase and most importantly, you’re my sister. You will not only clear your name and find that stupid dove, but when you get back, we will personally find out who set you up and make them pay.”
“..D-Damien, I-...”
He had such faith in her… just like all the others. So why couldn’t she have that same faith in herself..? What the hell was wrong with her..? Heh. She knew that answer- no. She knew that list of answers. There was never just one. It was never as simple as that; not when it came to her anyway.
Staring up at him a few moments longer; it was light, but she nevertheless nodded her head to let him know she’d heard him. That she understood, even if she was still having a hard time in agreeing with his words, “..I-I’ll do my best...”
“Damn right you will!” He proclaimed, reinforcing her own words. “I mean, who else is gonna spoil Onyx?” As he spoke, Onyx barked in support of Damien’s sentiment, wagging his tail. The son of hades smiled at his dog, then smiled at Erin. “Who all is going with you to Rome?” He asked curiously.
She couldn’t help it, the small smile that danced across her lips at both her brother’s and his dog's enthusiasm. Really those two made the perfect pair, “..Brandon and Ty are coming with me… Spencer and Carlos both said yes as well… The prophecy I was given said six. I… I still need to ask one more...”
“Six, huh?” He hummed thoughtfully. “Is there anyone else who you think might be a helpful addition to the team? I mean, you’ve assembled a great bunch. Loyal, strong, and dependable. But if the prophecy said six, then there’s gotta be one more left even if they don’t know it yet.”
“..I know you don’t like him, but… I was thinking… Peter Pan...” A frown on her features, Erin searched her brother’s features, trying to gage his reaction to the idea of her possibly taking Zeru with her on the quest that ultimately determined whether she lived or died, “..we’re after a stupid bird… and he can fly...”
A scowl immediately covered Damien’s face. That pompous, son of a bitch, poor excuse for a demigod, Zeru Williams. Just the thought of him going with Erin on her quest made his underworld blood boil. As much as he wanted to express his clear disapproval of this choice, he knew this wasn’t about him. Whether Damien wanted to admit it or not (he didn’t), the fact remained that Zeru was a great choice from a strength standpoint. “If he is the one you want, then I’ll support you, Erin.” He offered her a smile.
“..he isn’t the one I want, but...” Hesitating, she gave her brother’s hands another gentle squeeze. Refusing to let go. She knew how Damien felt about the son of Zeus- he despised him with a passion. One that seemed to run almost as hot as his feelings towards their father; though she wasn’t about to go bringing that up right now. One: she wasn’t stupid to do so… and two: she didn’t really have the time to talk family disputes, “..I think he’s the one that I need...”
”Well..” Damien made sure to lock eyes with his sister, taking another moment of silence to think about his words carefully, something he wasn’t always known for doing. ”Then I think you should go ahead and ask him. You’re gonna need the best and even though I can’t stand the guy, even I can recognize his strength.” Nobody could possibly know how much it pained Damien to say those words out loud.
It couldn’t have been easy for him to admit that- to say the words out loud like he had, or even to so much as put the smallest amount of trust in the son of Zeus. The had he had to rely on him to help keep her safe while they were on the hunt for a stupid fucking bird. But she wasn’t about to argue… deep down, he thought it was a good idea… so it was the one that she was going to go with.
Letting go of his hands as she drew up to her full height- standing up from where she had been sat on the edge of her bed; Erin’s arms wrapped, one by one around the back of Damien’s neck. Pulling him close against her in a hug, “..I-I’ll do my best… I promise, Dae...”
Damien allowed himself to smile, breathing out a happy breath as he hugged Erin. “I know, Erin..” He whispered as he heard a supportive bark from Onyx. As he turned away from the hug, he smiled at his dog, then brought his eyes back to Erin. “Now, about that charger.”
