Duke Loycen's Story

Alex had never been to one single party before she came to Camp Athens. Their mother never allowed her to leave the house. Last years had been a blast, but this year was going to be different. Alex sat quietly as her brother took the chair across from her. "Are you okay?" He watched her as she managed to turn her attention to him. "..don't tell me it's nothing. When some of the campers left for the year, others stayed here. You didn't. You left me. Where did you go?"

Alex shook her head. "I'm fine. This isn't about when I left. Then, I just needed to be by myself."

"You know it's dangerous out there. Especially by yourself. Has Mason said something to you again? is that why you left?"
"No."
"Okay, so what's wrong now? Did someone else say something to you?"
"No!" she snapped.
"Al..."
"Just leave it alone, okay? Don't ask me any more questions." she stood up angrily. "Please." she added. It wasn't like her to shut him off without talking to him. He nodded once, his eyes looking down as he did. She gave him a glare before walking silently passed him. Maybe she shouldn't have come back to camp this year since everyone already thought she was a murderer. No one would possibly miss her, would they? Everything in her life had already turned upside down because of a stupid feud between two Gods. They just couldn't let things stay in the past.

He looked up, watching her head into her room. Hopefully, the party would make her feel better. Being around Duke and Wes always brought a smile to her face. Especially Duke. Oh, Ajax had noticed the way his little sister looked at his best friend. Was she acting like this because of him? Duke had recently found out about his little sister, and Alex had seen them together a couple of times without knowing who she is. Was she jealous? the corners of Ajax's lips began to lift upwards, forming a large smile as he looked away and hung his head. Laughing. He had never known her to be jealous, not even once, or she just managed to hide it well. Daniel had a new girl around him before he passed, but Alex didn't seem to batter an eye. He could go in there and tell her about Duke's sister, but maybe it would be way more entertaining for her to find out from Duke himself.

Ajax headed out the second he was dressed, but first grabbing his rucksack which sat near the front door. He decided to wear something casual: Party Outfit. As promised, he arrived a bit early with the music he had downloaded the night before on his computer. It was all taking place down near the beach again where a large campfire was sitting in the middle ready to be lit. Around it at a good safe distance sat four large log benches for everyone to chill out around the flames. The staff members were the ones hosting it all, so they were cooking on the BBQ tonight. They had containers filled with ice where the beer bottles chilled, and quite the buffet on a long table so people could help themselves to sandwiches, pizza, sausage rolls and every other party food displayed. The BBQ would be serving burgers and hot dogs with or without onions. A large variety for everyone to say the least.

Mason wasn't dragged to the fire but came on his own accord. Which he soon forgot the reason to and started to regret, standing on his lonesome with a bottle of beer, holding it around the neck. He shook his head to himself and took a big swig. Now was that too late / too soon hour, where others congregated and weren't blind enough to let him creep away. It was the hour if someone saw his retreating figure slink into the shadows, they'd talk him out of leaving and staying 'just a little while longer.'

Still, he convinced himself there were a lot of interesting fresh bloods on camp to take note of and see a few more shades to. Hell, maybe Alex would get stupid drunk and trip into the fire. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. However, there was that missing jigsaw piece that Mason couldn't pin immediately until he peered at the faces around the fire. It wasn't disappointment and disgust as he normally held towards these sort of social mingly events but a pinch of sorrow. Daniel.

This was his first party back at Camp and Daniel had always been one of the faces to accompany them. One of those faces that took control of the tunes and implanted the everybody dance and drink or leave rule. Mason took a few paces away from the fire light and music, coming to stand near the shore line as a shadowed figure. He hadn't even visited Jenn today. Mason shoved his bottle in his arm while he lit a cigarette. The staff could bite him if they had an issue. He inhaled and puffed a cloud of smoke out.Mason was more out of place than ever this year. In fact he was surprised there wasn't an assassination attempt on his life yet.

---

He wasn't bothered by heat but the human part of him still produced sweat. He wiped his forehead with his arm after slaving over his forge for however many hours. Duke glanced up from his work to be met with the eyes of the clock, indicating it was now evening. Even more importantly, dinner time.

Duke looked down to his current wear, ash had stuck to his skin, coating his arms in black and he was sweating far more than he knew. So he probably couldn't wear his grey muscle top to the fire tonight. He probably couldn't wear anything without a washing up. Duke made an essential detour to the shower until he felt refreshed enough to step out and get changed into his outfit.

Duke didn't know how he found it in himself to keep re-attending Camp Athens parties. Perhaps it had grown on him like a sort of tradition since nobody ever gave it a miss. Maybe it was more duty to keep the peace. Duke was seconds away from giving himself a pep talk in the mirror to be a role model and how to behave tonight but thankfully he stopped himself. Instead he did what real men do and just walked to the party on the beach.

Once there he was received by decent music, food and drink. Duke grabbed himself a plastic plate and moved along the table, picking up different meats and minimal salad. Duke took a seat on the log acting as benches and dug into the food before it got ruined by any number of extraneous variables.

xxxxx T R I N I T Y xx W A L L A C E

xxDaughter of Ares | Outift | #461f4b

Her legs were locked around a sturdy branch and she engaged her core to pull herself up while biting down on the hem of her overflowing top. “Twenty-nine” she muffled aloud, “…thirty.” She pulled herself up enough to grab a hold of the branch to balance herself as she sat on the thick limb of the tree. Trinity knew well she could do more, but a party did await her and several others of camp. And what she was wearing was her party gear for the night.

From where she was situated she could see the glow of the fire on the beach. The little antisocial voice in her brain said it wasn't worth it, that instead she should choose to keep working out. Blow off that never-ending steam. Steer clear of the inevitable drunken drama. Steer clear of stupid games that accompany parties.

But it was rare for her friends to be in the same place for an extended amount of time. Parties weren't all awful either. They were a good unwind source. It was at the beach which she always loved and they could be amusing.

Trinity jumped down from the tree with a gentle thud and made her way to her cabin. She pulled herself to a halt spotting a figure pacing back and forth, doing sharp turns like arguing with themselves near her cabin. Trinity soon got the full image and smiled, leaning against a tree until Wes had decided on whatever it is he was going to do. After all, who was she to interrupt a mind train no matter how frantic. He finally approached her cabin and knocked on the door. "Hey Trin, how about escorting a one-armed loser to a party? For old times sake."
Trinity approached her porch and Wes's back. “Just for old time's sake I guess. Because you know, I don't actually like your company.” She stepped up to Wes and held out her top. “Does that smell?” She had a pre-prepared cringe on her face like his head would jerk back. But she decided against changing outfits no matter what. Trinity swung open her cabin door and strolled on in, waving him in with a hand behind her back. “You got your boardies? Board shorts?” Trinity cackled to herself. Under those jeans Wes wore, she doubted it.

She walked into her room and did a quick strip and change so her bathers were underneath instead then returned to Wes with a warm smile. “Now we can go.”

After what probably passed as a couple of seconds walking Wes, Trinity chuckled to herself. “You know, we can make you a non-loser. All you'd have to do is beat me in an arm wrestle.” Trinity was always nagging for a little round with Wes. After all, in their first meeting he'd been keen to wrestle with her but hadn't followed up since. “I remember, you specifically said, 'I'd wrestle with you any day' ”, she argued. Even though something was a little off course when he said it, he had thousand percent said it.

---

xxxxx H A R L E E N xx T H E O D O S

xxDaughter of Hermes | Outift | #51849C

Harleen was making her way to the beach party that she was pretty excited for. Up until now it felt everything had kind of been mechanical and people forced themselves to behave certain ways, but with a party it kinda presented that opportunity to show a few more colors. How people handled their liquor for one, who was the impulsive drinkers, what kind of drunks they were and how they behaved in a more liberating environment and event.

She rolled up her sleeves as she paced and wiped down her bare arm to pull her less than stylish five nights at freddy's and co bracelets back down to her wrist. Personally, she made herself chuckle looking at them, the fashion choice like a design of a shameless ten year old.

The bonfire was a delight to set sights on and she practically leaped over to the drinks. “'Scuse me, Sylas,” she said. Not that he was in the way but he was near enough to the cold containers. She plucked herself a beer then hesitated looking back in the lucky dip of drinks. Was it a BYO thing if you wanted more range or what? Harleen looked around to the others, tossed the beer bottle to herself and caught it. She gave a cheers motion to Sylas then wandered off.

Harley's eyes scanned the people in current attendance and she rehearsed their names silently. Even if she hadn't interacted with them personally, their name had been uttered at least once or twice by another camp mate. She smiled smugly when all their names had been said in her head and she knew she was right.

For now things were pretty tame. But once everybody felt more of that buzz, she was sure things would really kick into party mode and fun.

---

xxxxx E V E L Y N xx M A S T E R S

xxDaughter of Nemesis | Outift | #a10b6d

Evelyn must have stood near the beach merely contemplating joining for at least five minutes. But indecisiveness was not a great trait or good look on Evelyn. She closed her eyes and started towards the fire. Like some, she made her way towards the food and served herself up some dinner. Then she paused again turning around to see where to sit. It felt like high school and she was the outcast of outcasts, unsure of where she belonged.

A big man had already reserved himself a log and started shoveling food into his mouth. With him, perhaps she wouldn't be bothered and they looked to share a certain objective. The objective being to eat in peace before the alcohol took its effects and things got rowdy and soap opera like. “Would you mind if I sat here?” she asked, standing above him and gesturing to a vacant space nearby him. Of course she'd at least sit two body lengths away from him since she didn't know him and he looked a man that chose to eat alone.

He looked up at her with his brows pinched together then he swallowed his mouthful of food and pointed with his fork to the space. “No, go right ahead,” he said, which Evelyn was grateful for. Not just in his response but that he had swallowed his food before replying to her.

Common courtesy was a dying attribute. “Thank you.” Evelyn smiled politely and sat down where promised. She ate at a leisurely pace, feeling no obligation to fill the silence with chatter or wolfing down her food.

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Daughter of Zeus | Outfit - Hairstyle - Makeup | Hex: #d63b71
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Once Alex had arrived, the party was looking so much better than she thought it would. Everyone had arrived - new, and old. It's always nice to have new faces. Everywhere she looked there were people talking, laughing, or just those enjoying the warmness from the fire as they tucked into some delicious looking hot dogs with cooked onions almost spilling over the sides of the warm bun. As nice as it looked, Alex wasn't hungry.

She could see her brother with Theo, and then a girl she hadn't seen before. Was that Theo's sister?

Alex made her way over to them, catching Emery's words about Theo owing her a drink. "You can get me one too, Thee." she winked at him whilst taking a seat by her brother for the time being, then smiled towards Emery while leaning her arms flat on the bar they were surrounding. She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Duke sitting with one of the new girls. Immediately questions about it popped into her head. Did he like her? did she like him? who was her Godly parent? Alex quickly looked away. It was none of her business anyway since she and Duke weren't dating.

But the thought of him being with anyone really got to her. Still, she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to.

Ajax handed Alex a glass, then poured some of his beer into it for her, just to keep her happy until Theo got the drinks in for the two girls. "Just don't get too drunk." Ajax whispered as he leaned in towards her slightly, making sure that she heard him. Alex nodded.

Getting drunk was fun, but to the point of not knowing your own name was just pointless. What was the point in having a night out if you don't remember it the next day? just seems like a waste of time.

---

---

ＡＪＡＸ ＶＡＬＩＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Son of Zeus | Outfit | Hex: green

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁



Once Theo had the shots, Ajax took the drink and knocked it back like water, but he didn't realize how strong it was until it hit the back of his throat, causing him to choke a little. He smiled as he held it down, raising his cup to Theo as thanks. "Cheers." he coughed once more and laughed.

Ajax smiled to Emery as she said his name, giving her a nod to greet her, right before she spoke to Theo about him owing her a drink. Not long after that, his little sister had appeared out of nowhere. She seemed happier now that she was here, and a lot calmer than earlier.

As Ajax grabbed himself another drink, a bottle this time, he looked across to where Mason was with Andy. Ajax knew they had become good friends since last year, but he still felt wary of Mason. Andy had her freedom to be friends with whoever she wanted, even if that was with people Ajax didn't like so much. He couldn't control her.

Ajax turned his attention back to the group, directing his question to Emery. "So.. what do you think of Camp Athens so far? it's okay, you can be honest. If you find it shit? you can tell me." Alex chuckled in the background. "I honestly didn't like this place at first, I mean... it's a gorgeous place, but, it wasn't home. That changed. Now it feels like home." as Ajax carried on to question Emery, Alex hopped off the stool she had sat on and wandered over to the food table with now beginning to feel hungry. She filled her plate with small triangle sandwiches and some salad for now.

Duke had let the girl be for the most part, and he himself really preferred the food at present. It was a comfortable silence, however sharing a log just a few spaces away from each other and knowing nearly nothing about her prompted him to talk. But even that plan took longer when he finally glanced away from his plate. The bonfire was attracting more and more campers, including Alex and his less likely to show sister. Mckenna nearly caused him physical pain as she looked far too strained and disgusted at the scene of a party. Mass social gatherings such as parties weren't everybody's cup of tea or favorite thing, but they still attended and made half an effort not to snarl at other attendees. Then again McKenna was McKenna.

He'd tend to her soon though. He cleared his throat in warning that he was going to open discussion with his new company. "How is camp treating you so far?" Figuring that for an overused conversation starter he added, "what do you think of the bonfire? If you've got a favorite song Ajax might have it on his playlist," he suggested. Though Duke guessed the music choice probably wasn't what had her so closed off. But if it did help her unwind, and mingle with Ajax who had a way of reassuring people and incooperating comfort of the camp, what damage could it cause?

At a glance in his friend's direction, Duke saw he was preoccupied in other conversation and company that seemed to be growing. "Have you met my sister?" he found himself asking instead and nodded towards the brooding small blonde. A short laugh escaped him. Only few weeks ago he had met her himself, and he was trying to find her friends when she looked like the world was out to get her.

Duke overheard the suggestion of a spin the bottle game and few people merged over towards the area they claimed to play their lip-locking game. Though most the faces were first years, he knew others would join. Probably Theo, maybe Alex, Mason would probably get dragged in by his current company. Likewise, he could guess others would sit out, the red-headed girl sitting by him, McKenna. He kept a watchful eye on her until the game started, ready to intervene if any jolly drunk tried to drag her into the game.

xxxxx T R I N I T Y xx W A L L A C E

xxDaughter of Ares | Outift | #461f4b

"Oh man, Ken Doll has been upgraded to loser. I don't know if the nicknames could get much better than that."

She grinned wickedly as he gave a playful bump. Oh she was always packed with nicknames for Wes but loser was super temporary.

"Pretty sure that was old asshole Wes who said that," he replied. Before she could open her mouth to object that there were separate Wesley's, he humored the idea. "Could you handle all of this? This arm has been doing the work of two arms for quite sometime now. I may not be a fighter, but I do have some muscles."

She smiled barely able to repress a playful roll of her eyes. “I'm aware of the swell in your arm, Ken. I pick my targets you know and I do like a little challenge.”

"I'll make you a deal. I'll arm wrestle you, and if I win... You go on a real official date with me." The words almost brought her to a complete halt but she settled on slowing her pace. "And if you win...?"

“An official date,” she echoed. For some reason the concept held a heavy weight. Probably because she didn't date in the history of ever and her mind raced way ahead of time, at awkward family dinners, comparing her to his flawless ex. “Sounds serious.” She was able to snap out of her little nightmare and purse her lips. “If I win, you be my slave for 24 hours. I know, bit of a lack of imagination on my part,” she admitted with a tut. “But it's flexible for me.”

It felt like she had laid a foot at the bonfire when that one voice rang above the rest. "Spin the bottle anyone?"

Trinity side glanced to Wes. A game right in his domain and more than half the campers would be upset if the Son of Aphrodite didn't play. Most eligible bachelor not playing spin the bottle. In what world did that make sense. Trinity lifted his arm off her shoulder gently. “You can go teach the freshies how it's done.” It would be good for everyone to just sink into their comfort zones again, you know, Aphrodites children loving and kissing, encouraging that party spirit and games, and Ares children fighting. Trinity not caring who he meshed lips with. “Who knows, you might end up on Alex,” she dropped casually with a shrug. She didn't even feel bitter or cold when she said it. “Lots of, uh, you know...'cuties' this year.”

Trinity sucked in a breath doing her own double-take. Did she just refer to the new batch of demigods as cuties? Oh well. Trinity snatched a drink from the cooler not caring what foresaken flavor or type it was. But when she did see beer, her stomach and head flooded with disappointment and a pinch of anger for the lack of variety. Trinity didn't know where she left Wes in her pace off for a drink and escape, but she felt she had to keep moving with purpose.

She saw the spunky figure of Harleen, thankfully on her own and sat herself beside her. “Harley,” she greeted.

---

xxxxx H A R L E E N xx T H E O D O S

xxDaughter of Hermes | Outift | #51849C

Harleen was doing the rounds with her eyes when they landed on Raven. She gave a nod of acknowledgement to her before Raven gained some company. Harley would have to express at a later time that she was glad she came.

“Harley.” Some tight leggings and grey shirt came into view, then the face followed.

“Puddin'.” Harley grinned wickedly and even gave a sparkling wink. Jokes aside, Trinity had a way of exciting Harley. It was like she never knew what she was going to get or what would happen. The two both had competitive and daring bones so it was a compelling and energetic mix. To Harley anyway. She shuffled a little closer to Trinity like she had a secret to share, her eyes downcast on their shoes. “Dare or dare?” She turned to face the fiery blonde with another grin.

Trinity shook her head slowly with a hint of a smile. “Nope. I know how that story goes.”

Harley did a pout to the quality of dramatic arts. Expectedly, an exaggerated sad face meant nothing to the camp's warrior's queen so Harley began a quiet build-up of the chicken dance, the imitation getting bigger and louder until Trinity would resort to change her mind.

A gentle elbow to her side confirmed her master plan had worked. “Shush. Fine. What am I doing?”

“Well, as tempted as I am to dare you to join the bottle of lip-locking, I won't do that.” Harley stroked her non existent mustache, pondering what could be amusing for her, and challenging for Trinity. “I would like to see you flirt. You know, really try. Or be as charming as you can be.”

“I am charming!” Trinity protested. Harley noticed the first beer had been knocked back quickly, Trinity now twisting an empty bottle to stand in the sand. “I can be anyway. You know, Wes likes my company, for whatever reason. Theo once liked me. We were like...” she twisted her index and middle finger around each other.

“Why doesn't he like you anymore?” Harley asked, concerned.

“More charming people entered camp.” She laughed.

“Oh, Trinity, that's not like...” Harley broke off with a smile and sighed out softly. That was one of Trinity's endearing traits. Not really reading and responding to signals. “I think he used to really, really like you. Now he's looking for someone else.”

Trinity's lips were paused agape and her eyebrows furrowed. “Ooohh. Damn.”

“So are you going to play charming or dance with anybody of your choosing.” Since she was a good friend she was just throwing some options out there.

---

xxxxx E V E L Y N xx M A S T E R S

xxDaughter of Nemesis | Outift | #a10b6d

"How is camp treating you so far? what do you think of the bonfire? If you've got a favorite song Ajax might have it on his playlist."

“Same as it is everybody else,” she observed towards his first question. “I think it's like a bonfire should be,” she noted secondly. It had the fire, it had the food and booze, the young attendants so it was standard. Thirdly, she looked towards the renowned son of Zeus and the other campers that gravitated towards him. Even if she did have a song request, she wouldn't want to risk hurting their bubble wrapped ego, nor approach the number of people he reeled in. “Somehow I don't think so,” she remarked simply.

"Have you met my sister?" he asked next as if he could read the chances of her approaching Ajax and that congregation of people.

Evelyn followed to whom he spoke, and a smile crept across her lips. The youngest and most sour demigod among them, ironically. “As delightful as she looks, no, I haven't.” She was going to leave it as that but in the spirit of socialization and parties and honesty, and considering she was half-blood and sister. “However, she's on my list. I think those that are more...rough have endured a lot.” Evelyn partly wished she could go up to the girl take her hands and grant her a different perception of the people in the world or turn her luck around, but that wouldn't work out so well. Firstly the physical contact, and second changing perceptions was not possible.

“McKenna and Duke, right?” Evelyn's finger swayed between the two. “I'm Evelyn. You can call me Eve if you're compelled to.” She held out her a hand for a shake.

xxxM C K E N N A x K O V A Č E V I Ćxxx• x #79A696 x •

---

McKenna lingered awkwardly at the edge of the party; she could literally sense someone judging her. Probably Duke. McKenna would be lying if she said they hated each other - they did have some similarities, and deep down, McKenna was probably fond of her half-brother in some manner. However, McKenna didn't make it easy for others to like her.

"Spin the bottle anyone?" the daughter of Aphrodite - Kalani, McKenna recalled - proposed, a mischievous grin on her face. The blonde eyed the beer bottle in Kalani's hand with an attempt to disguise her disdain. She was sure that these games might seem entertaining to the others, but in all honesty, McKenna found them pointless and... disgusting, for the lack of a better term. Kissing people, the respective person being determined by a spin of an empty beer bottle? McKenna wasn't sure how anyone would find that enjoyable.

“McKenna and Duke, right?” McKenna was forced to look up to the redhead who addressed her. The pains of being short. Why...... “I'm Evelyn. You can call me Eve, if you're compelled to.”

McKenna, at first, didn't have the slightest idea why this redhead would approach her (she had a sense that this Eve was at least half a decade older than her), but on second thought, it was probably due to McKenna's half-brother, who was talking to Eve previously. “Uh... yes?” McKenna refrained from staring Evelyn up and down with suspicion of an ulterior motive. McKenna heard that the other demigod was the daughter of Nemesis, so she could probably sense the blonde's uneasiness anyway. “Do you want something, or...?”

Because in all seriousness, why else would someone approach a person like McKenna?

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Daughter of Zeus | Outfit - Hairstyle - Makeup | Hex: #d63b71
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

It was really good to see everyone interacting and having fun tonight, but Alex felt like it would be entirely different soon enough.This year, Alex would make herself more prepared if Hades decides to send his lackeys to finish them off. Besides enjoying to draw and paint, Alex had a knack for taking photographs. Photography had always been one of her favorite hobbies. She loved the fact that photographs are proof that once, even just for a heartbeat... everything was perfect.

Steering away from things that might not happen, Alex put her head back into the game.

"Can I go after Lise?" Alex asked Kelani. While waiting for a response, Alex glanced around. Ajax was dancing closely to Andy which caused Alex to smile. They were a really lovely couple, even if Ajax tended to pull himself from the relationship from time to time. He knew Andy was strong, but that still didn't quench his fears.

Alex could now see Mason and Adrianna flirting, then Wes, making smores. "Um... call me over when it's my turn." Alex told those who were playing, then made her way over to Wes.

She placed her hand on his shoulder gently. "Hope you don't mind if I join you for a little bit." she stepped over the log with her right leg, then swung the other over before sitting next to him, her eyes watching the flames of the fire burning at a steady pace against the pink squishy marshmallow. "Something on your mind?" he didn't have to tell her if he didn't want to, but she was there for him no matter what. She'd come to him in the middle of the night if he needed his best friend. There was no time of day that she wouldn't be there. She would do the same for Duke too, and her brother.

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Daughter of Zeus | Outfit - Hairstyle - Makeup | Hex: #d63b71
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

"Not at all. I wanted it extra toasty," Alex's smile grew before she chuckled. She couldn't imagine her own life without one of her arms since her power came from both of them, but she admired her best friend for trying his damn best to adjust. He never gave up, and that what she was proud of him for. Headstrong, and determined. "I have officially found a downside to having only one arm," he motioned the stick towards her.

She looked at the end of the stick and smiling as she leaned back just a tiny bit to avoid being poked. "What's the downside?" she asked, her eyes then looking up at him.

"I can't make a proper s'more. I can toast a marshmallow-like no one's business, obviously, But you can't properly squish the melted bastard between graham crackers and chocolate with one hand. My life of campfire snacks is reduced to charred white goop on a stick... With lord knows what on it." He raised the stick towards his face, furrowing his brows as he inspected it.

She wrapped her hand around his wrist and made him poke himself in the nose with the end of the stick he was inspecting. Alex laughed. "I can help, but I know you. You'll do it by yourself one way or another because you never give up." Alex knew Wes was avoiding the real answer with this mini chatter of marshmallows and S'mores, but she didn't mind, and she didn't want to force him to say anything if he didn't want to.

"That... And you know, the pity," she understood where he was coming from since he didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him. She smiled with her hand on his shoulder, then lowered her hand as the kissing game grabbed his attention. She glanced over there with him and cringed a little at how that girl addressed Trinity. Wasn't Xena Wes's personal nickname for her? that was another thing Alex admired about him and Duke. Their restraint. Alex had a fiery short temper like her father and struggled to hold it back when people annoyed her. Wes removed his beanie, running his hand back through his hair then finally looked over towards Alex, giving her a slight bump with his shoulder which made her look at him. "Go on back to your kissing game," he said, motioning his hand towards the spin the bottle game. "I'm fine."

"I'll pass... truth is, I joined for one reason and one reason only." she stopped herself from saying anything else, curling in her bottom lip and holding it between her teeth as she looked down into her lap, rubbing her right thumb with her fingers. "I... I have to tell you something," he probably already knew, but it didn't hurt just letting it all out to her best friend. "I.... I'm falling in love." she confessed and leaned in closer to him. "I just... I'm scared of telling them. I don't want to like, make things awkward for them."

---

---

ＡＪＡＸ ＶＡＬＩＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

He honestly thought she was going to turn him down. He wouldn't have blamed her if she had, especially with what he did last year after losing his soul. He still regretted every second of it, and now he would spend his entire life making it up to her. It had been such a long time since they had each other by themselves, and Ajax was going to take complete advantage of it by enjoying every damn second with her. She was loving even with the alcohol, so he knew it wasn't just the drink making her the way she was with him.

Andy let her body lean back into his, causing him to swallow a little. He felt so strong around her, yet so weak at the same time. She made him feel vulnerable which he wouldn't usually like, or allow, but... he loved her. As she moved her right hand back, hooking it around his neck, curling her fingers in his hair, she slowly looked back over her shoulder, glancing up at him. That is when she gave him the answer he desperately wanted. They held each other's gaze as they danced.

He cupped her jaw next, slowly moving in front of her. He slid his hand away from her jaw, sliding it steadily down her arm until both his arms were now down by his sides. With his forehead to hers, and his nose almost touching her own with his eyes watching her, his breath became slightly labored. He was grinning a little to himself as his heart was racing at this point. "I love you..." he whispered.

Duke joined the girls slowly and watched Evelyn's hand hang mid-air and return to her side without shake.

At this rate things might have been less awkward with the drunkards in spin the bottle. It was that unwelcoming he even thought about merging over towards that game. But he preferred not to kiss people under the circumstances that a bottle told him to. Besides, he wasn't sure if this was how Evelyn and McKenna talked to people or there was some underlying stand off thing going on. He preferred the first because then McKenna definitely had a friend in Eve.

Duke bit his tongue for now though, even when he found Eve's questions a little interrogative towards his sister. When she moved to the coolers, Duke took the opportunity to step towards McKenna. "Call me if you need anything." He knew McKenna could handle herself but Duke wanted to cover all basis. Drunks pushing beers in her hand, Evelyn pushing her temper were probably the most concerning at this point.

Duke approached the fire catching the tail end of Alex and Wes's conversation. "...make things awkward for them."
It sounded more like an intimate, private conversation so Duke kept walking, and frankly, finding heat wasn't ever an issue for him. For now he'd have to stay a little longer before calling it quits and returning to his cabin.

---

Mason tried not to snicker as it landed on Trinity. It looked like it took a while for things to click in place for her, but when it did, Trinity went for it. She didn't hesitate which probably knocked Lise's ego up a couple thousand notches. But even Mason was pretty impressed and if she had done the same to him and kissed him the same way, he'd have an inflated ego too. She hung there for an extra moment, flirting with the daughter of Athena. No that wasn't right...death threat?

“Al!” Trinity called.
"Don't call her over," Mason grumbled, rubbing his forehead. Even the concept of her rejoining, doing some stupid fake modest giggle about having to kiss someone, annoyed him. Or worse those over confident "seductive" smirks.

A few impatient heckles came her way and Trinity took the spin. When it landed on Theo, Mason peered at Trinity's expression and laughed. For a moment he was worried he'd have to grab Trinity when she pounced and attacked him and they'd have to make a hasty retreat but instead, she kissed him like she was going to war. His eyes widened and brows shot up. It was probably the first time Mason was envious of Theo. Like not knowing whether she was going to kill you or give you the best angry sex of your life...what a thrill.

Mason rolled out his neck. His eyes washed over the circle. If the son of Eris knew some sub-text, maybe he'd revel a little more in the drama or make some drama and chaos, or maybe he'd just keep undressing Mateo with his eyes. Mason's eyes landed on Adrianna and he couldn't help the small smirk that passed his lips. He was hopeful but pretty pessimistic about the odds of landing on her and while she was beautiful, he wasn't swept away in the idea of lust like so many others tonight.
Trinity shrunk back into her spot beside him causing him to turn back to her. “Well, next time I join something like this, don't let me.”
Mason laughed. "You did good, I'm honestly...blown away."
Trinity checked her beer. “That’s my cue to go. Good luck, champ.”
"I almost feel left out. Don’t you have something for me?" He tapped his lips as Lise had and laughed.

Boy he hoped Romeo saw Trinity and Theo kiss. Did children of Aphrodite even feel jealousy? His head shifted to Kalani curiously.
"Ani," he said, he thought he had heard people call her that before, "who's your favorite on camp so far? It's not a trick question either," he assured with an amused smile. He definitely didn't expect Kalani to say him, unless in a joking nature. "Just some...soul searching. An interval game, if you will."

[Isobel Logan] - [#800020] - [Mood]

When she'd first been sneaking down the beach she had spotted a few others engaged in their own activities and had made sure to edge away from them as best she could. Especially since once she'd begun to build her little castle, though it had by now expanded to cover a several feet in all directions, her main focus had become divided between that and her food. Even so she had caught glimpses of a commotion some distance, primarily due to the sound of people crying out as they fell or in the case of one girl being surrounded by water which promptly froze as another camper seemed to have intervened.

”I should have brought a book... if I had any to bring.” She muttered to herself, mouth half-full of bread before she rolled her eyes and lightly brushed her fingers over what remained on her plate. In moments it had expanded to a slightly more varied selection, including a haggis on a skewer and venison steaks in buns lathered in whisky sauce. There was also one or two jam donuts as she was craving something sweet to counteract the rather bland taste of the beer.

Deciding it was best to leave them be she changed her focus back towards the sea and smiled a little to herself as she listened to the gentle lapping of the waves. As relaxing as it most certainly was she couldn't help but feel somewhat antsy as if she should be doing something more, not entirely sure if that was in part due to having been cooped up for so long or because being out here felt exposed. Either way she started glancing around at the crunch of footsteps on the sand to her other side where another girl, clearly amused by something given the laughter she was barely trying to hide was settling down with her back towards the water. Isobel mused that she was sitting hopefully far enough back otherwise a repeat of earlier might end quite differently without another ice man to save her as he had the other demigod.

The thought puzzled her at first mainly because while it had been explained to her and she herself had felt entirely at ease drawing on her gifts down here by the beach it still felt strange to think that they were all like her, all different yet the same in a way. Perhaps she wasn't as alone as she thought even though it felt like it right now as she huddled behind her sand-castle walls. She glanced down and brushed her eyes, rubbing at them to stop herself from crying and taking a deep breath to centre herself.
As she looked around trying to stifle the rising tide of emotion she caught sight of another of their number approaching with the firelight of the bonfire casting him as silhouette without any real identity. Though, no, that wasn't quite true. He was easily identifying even if she didn't know who he was. The camp councillor had mentioned that even here wasn't entirely safe and that many of the other demigods had been through similar incidents as what had brought Isobel to them, and that some scars were more noticeable than others. The sight of this one armed figured cast against the flickering flame intrigued her and she wondered if he might be the one to save the other girl from the rising tide.

The symmetry of her sitting equally between two pairs of lovers, one of hottest flame and the other of coldest ice caused her to giggle a little at the absurdity of such poetic existence. ”If only life was as simple as stories" She mumbled before sighing at the thought and shifting to get a better look at the one-armed figure and the chuckling girl. Carefully lifting a pile of sand in front of her she shifted the walls of her castle aside as it began to reshape under her guiding touch. In moments a pair of glass statues roughly a third in scale of their counterparts danced across the battlements and over the moat for Isobels amusement. They seemed to be doing so with added flare, perhaps in defiance of the fact that they mirrored an event that would probably never happen given that the two figures stood almost half a beach apart if not more.

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Daughter of Zeus | Outfit - Hairstyle - Makeup | Hex: #d63b71
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

"Al!" Trinity called, making Alex turn her head towards the kissing circle which made her catch sight of Duke passing them. It made her take a tiny gasp of air. Oh god she thought, then turned away, eyes closed. Hopefully, he hadn't heard anything.

She took a steady deep breath, the air seeping up into her nostrils before exiting as a heavy sigh from her slender small nose. She felt the anxiety creeping up under her skin as her heart raced at the very thoughts in her head, thoughts of how she'd tackle the whole process of telling the person how she felt about them. She looked at it from every possible angle while Wes turned his attention back to the party for a second to gather his thoughts no doubt. He didn't want to give Alex false hope.

"You should tell him," Wes finally said, making Alex look at him again as she shuffled a little closer to the fire. Just that extra warmth felt nice against her skin. It wasn't cold tonight, just mild. "'What if's can be the death of you... But, at least when you get how you feel out in the open, you're never left wondering. You've said your piece and the ball is in their court." He shrugged his shoulders. Alex sighed again. He was right. Even if his feelings didn't quite match her own, at least she wouldn't have to bottle it all up and pretend. She couldn't ignore it anymore, and she couldn't pretend she didn't feel anything anymore. "No matter what happens, you have the security in knowing you did all you can do." Alex nodded. Trying her best was all she could do. "I may be an idiot... Pining after a girl who most likely sees me no differently than you do." Alex hated it when he put himself down. He looks over at Alex.
"But," he held up an index finger. "She knows how I feel... and basically the entire camp."

"You're not an idiot, Wes. Don't ever let me catch you saying that again." She lightly warned him, then moved closer to him, taking his hand in hers. With her eyes on him, she carried on to speak. "If people think that about you? then they're the idiots. You have every right in the world to feel how you do. No one can change/take that away. Just give it time, okay? if she truly does feel the same way, then you'll know. She won't make you wait forever. No one should do that. There is so much living to do. Life is beautiful, and it doesn't need your moping face" She poked him in the cheek and chuckled.

Wes sighed softly, with a little chuckle of his own. "You can be more subtle than me." he smiled, patting Alex's knee. "Plus... This 'guy'," Alex chuckled then as she watched his little air quotes with his hand, though he did know who this mystery man was, "He'd be an idiot if he didn't have feelings for you too." Alex twisted her lips a little. She wouldn't have thought about him being an idiot, just... someone who didn't fall so easily. "Or I could kick his ass if he turns you down... Er, try to." they both laughed.

"Yeah, you'd do more damage by tickling him to death" She winked and smiled. "No, seriously... I totally got this. I'll bring it up to him when the time feels....right, but for now.. let's just enjoy this party, okay?"

---

---

ＡＪＡＸ ＶＡＬＩＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Son of Zeus | Outfit | Hex: green

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

"And I love you." her words echoed inside of his head, causing him to smile proudly. He was proud of himself because he had managed to attract such a woman to him from the very start.

At first, when he saw her tears, he thought something was wrong, but quickly figured out that she was feeling emotions overwhelm her. It was a moment that Ajax would cherish. With her eyes sparkling with those adorable tears of hers, Ajax used the pad of his thumb to slowly wipe them away as he looked between her beautiful eyes. He smiled. "How about we ditch this party early, huh? hang out at your place with a couple of beers instead." he offered. "You don't have to, though." he added, not wanting to force her or to drag her away from the party just before he wanted no one around her other than himself. "But, I really will be hurt if you say no." He grinned as he went back to dancing with her, this time slipping back behind her with his nose and lips caressing her slender, warm neck.

---

---

xxxM C K E N N A x K O V A Č E V I Ćxxx• x #79A696 x •

---

“Not at the present time,” Evelyn replied easily - too easily. McKenna raised an eyebrow, but really, what else was to be expected from a daughter of Nemesis?

“I just thought to introduce myself formally," the redhead continued, “but if you were busy, and my presence is a nuisance I apologize for misreading the circumstances.”

Evelyn held McKenna's gaze confidently, unmoving. There was no way in hell she was going to leave - Evelyn knew McKenna wasn't busy, and that she hadn't misread the circumstances (although her presence was definitely a nuisance).

McKenna anticipated the questions, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to them. Dear, God... McKenna's eyebrows furrowed.

“Do people often come to you for a favor?” Evelyn started firing away. “Do you agree to them?” Evelyn had a slight smile on her face - yep, she was getting to the juicy bits. “Do I look like somebody that wants or expects something from you?” Evelyn made no move to hide her blatant searching in McKenna's eyes, gauging her response. McKenna raised an eyebrow, unfazed and unimpressed. She wasn't intimidated in the slightest, but McKenna being McKenna, she was going to give the redhead the truth nonetheless.

“Can I get you a drink?” Evelyn raised an eyebrow, reaching into the cooler that contained mainly beer. “Maybe something from home?”

It was at this point when Duke decided to step in, turning to McKenna. "Call me if you need anything," he said, letting her fend for herself. McKenna liked that about her half-brother.

McKenna kept a neutral expression on her face as she began to answer the redhead's questions. "Usually, people don't come to me at all," McKenna stated dryly. "I don't have friends, so if anyone were to approach me, they would probably want something. Like you; you want to know how I would respond to your really forward advances, and maybe you might find me abnormal and wonder, 'who the fuck is this person?'" McKenna eyed the daughter of Nemesis skeptically. "If you wanted to know, I do indeed find you nosy."

McKenna paused for a moment, assessing the drinks cooler, before continuing. "I highly doubt that you have any rakija in there," she said, leaving it at that.

Of course, McKenna only being fifteen years old with most of her Serbian life stuck in an orphanage, it was safe to say that she never had regular exposure to alcohol. But she has had rakija before (once, she thought), although it definitely wasn't the authentic, homemade type.

xxxK E U N x S E U N G - M I Nxxx• x #149f96 x •

---

"Wait, what? No. You are not drinking. You're a child. Ohmigosh, you're seventeen. How can I let you drink? How can I answer to your parents?" Seung-min pouted at his friend, although he could clearly hear the barely held back laughter behind his stern facade.

"Everybody drinks before they're legal these days," Seung-min said dismissively (hey, it was true). He dramatically stroked his chin with a finger. "In fact, I can't believe I, at seventeen years old, haven't gotten drunk yet!"

Once they reached the campfire, Ji-hyun immediately headed towards the food, Seung-min following suit. The elder offered a plate of food to the auburn-haired Korean boy, who eyed it eagerly. "Here. Eat some food first, then later when you drink, drink as much water as alcohol so your headache won't be as bad. I'm not going to bring you soup and biscuits in the morning, I'm too lazy, so don't regret your decisions." Seung-min nodded robotically as Ji-hyun finished his spiel.

"Okay, hyung!" Seung-min beamed - it may have seemed like he wasn't paying attention, but Ji-hyun was fully aware of his eidetic memory anyway.

"Go forth and have fun, but I'll be watching you." Seung-min followed Ji-hyun's gaze, catching sight of the spin the bottle game currently taking place.

Seung-min chewed his lip slightly, tapping Ji-hyun on the shoulder. "Hyung...? I'm kinda being inconstant again, so I might go play spin the bottle instead of drinking." Seung-min grinned. "I'm really grateful for your educational speech on taking care of myself, but I might revert to kissing people instead of intaking alcohol." Seung-min stood on his toes to hug his friend from the back, before blowing him an exaggerated kiss as he headed to the spin the bottle game.

Seung-min arrived at the group with a grin, turning to Kalani, who seemed to be the ringleader. "Hey, guys!" he said brightly. "You don't mind if I join in a bit late, right?"

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ

Hex: #d63b71
Mood: Drunk
Location: Home.

gιrlѕ lιĸe нer were вorn ιn a ｓｔｏｒｍ.
тнey нave ｌｉｇｔｎｉｎｇ ιn тнeιr ｓｏｕｌｓ.
ｔｈｕｎｄｅｒ ιn тнeιr нearтѕ.
And ｃｈａｏｓ ιn тнeιr вoneѕ.

ＤＡＵＧＨＴＥＲ ＯＦ ＺＥＵＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

"Alex, you're drunk.

"Ugh.." she groaned, "You sound almost like my brother" she chuckled, right before she stumbled, her hands and one side of her cheek hit the trunk of the tree that she was stood near too. "I get it, though, who would like a murderer?" People hated her since she made that mistake of killing Jenn without thinking straight. They couldn't just drop it and leave it in the past.

"Let's get you home. We'll deal with the rest of this tomorrow."


She began to walk, her legs crisscrossing once before she gained proper balance. How could she have gotten so drunk? she didn't have that many, but then again, she hardly ever touched alcohol. Everything around her seemed like it was moving slowly, and her head felt like it was buzzing. In a good way. Every thought that had been trapped inside that head of hers, had vanished for the night. Finally.


Walking back to her cabin with Theo, the silence between them lingered as she folded her arms in an attempt to shield the cool wind from herself as much as possible. She felt bad about how she dragged him away from Trinity like she did, but there was no taking it back. If only it were Duke walking her home instead. No offense to Theo of course. It was good of him to make sure she got back alright, or he felt like he didn't have a choice considering who's sister she was.

Finally reaching home, Alex felt Theo's arms wrap around her. Hugging her. He began to whisper in her ear. "Get some sleep and eat well in the morning. Don't forget we have capture the flag tomorrow." He smiled at her. Alex smiled back with a nod before he left.

Alex wandered into her cabin, closed the door behind her, and headed to the couch. She thought she wasn't tired yet, but she soon she fell asleep there.

Duke watched the party from a distance, seeing Ajax take Andy away, the kisses exchanged in the spin the bottle circle, Trinity knock a guy down where he belonged, McKenna and Evelyn talk - if it could be called that, and Alex take Theo a few paces away pawing up and down his arm. Duke winced a little but let it be and averted his gaze. He wasn't her brother and she could make her own decisions.

When he looked forward, Duke found a girl sitting on her own by the shore. He had noticed her before, but to see her still in place and remain alone...Duke began to make his way over slowly, paying a final glance to McKenna while she was in peripheral then heading for the other red head who sat on the sand. Her hair wasn't red, he decided, it was less violent and fiery, it was a gentler shade. It might have been closer to what people counted as strawberry blonde but Duke wasn't a fan of that classification. Before he could make up his mind, he was a few steps away. "Hi there," he greeted as well as warned her to his presence. He slowly sunk to his knees beside her, at first his eyes on her offering a smile, then her structures of sand. "That's pretty impressive. Are you hoping to be an architect one day?" The question could have come off sarcastic, if not for the genuine quality of her creations, how effortless and careful they seemed at once.
Duke snapped himself out his trance and admiration for her work and dusted his hand off to the best of his ability and held it out towards her. "Sorry, I'm Duke. I like to think I have an eye for outstanding people and work." Duke smiled, hoping the girl wouldn't find him rude or intrusive. Even then he sounded like a salesman making fun of himself. "So are you not big on, uh, crowds?" He gestured back to the groups that were slowly dispersing from the game and fire. "Parties?" he guessed in general.

[Isobel Logan] - [#800020] - [Mood]

Isobel was somewhat lost in the dance of her statuesque figures and so didn't notice the flickering shadow that towered over her till a voice rang out in greeting. ”Hi, there.” The sudden sound caused her to jump a little before she offered up a slightly nervous smile in response to his own as the focus of her design carefully sank to one knee in the sand.

”That's pretty impressive. Are you hoping to be an architect one day?” She couldn't help but smile a little more broadly while her pale skin darkened as she blushed. ”Sorry, I'm Duke. I like to think I have an eye for outstanding people and work.” As he finished his introduction she reached out and clasped his hand in hers, doing her best to maintain a firm handshake. In doing so she had lent a little too far forward, causing her other hand to sink a little as he spoke. ”So are you not big on, uh, crowds? Parties?” She pulled her hand back while she made to answer just as her balance gave way and she toppled forward, barely managing to right herself in time but not before she collided somewhat with the Duke.

”Ah, sorry! Sands a smidge wetter than I thought there.” She mumbled as she pulled herself back into a more stable position, glancing down at where her stumble at broken one side of her castle and disrupted the dance of her statues. ”Thanks, I've always had a talent for sculpture. It's no so much the crowds, nor the parties ye ken. It's just been a lot to take in, lot to go through. And I divent know who people is.” She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a crooked smile before continuing. ”Given who we are. A suppose we've all lost stuff afore we come here, maybe that’s why we're sent here. Soes them we love don't find themselves in the crossfire.” She could feel herself starting to ramble, words tumbling out over eachother as if a dam inside her was starting to break.

”Ye must think I'm an idiot. A wee lass playing in the sand on 'er own.” She glanced around as the light from the fire behind Duke was becoming dull as it died down. ”Seems we're nearing the last still out, party must be coming to a close. Time for us to head back?”

"For a self proclaimed dick, you're quite the gentleman." Mason frowned. He never called or thought himself a dick directly. Sure he knew he was rough around the edges and other people thought he was a dick but... a thank you probably would have sufficed from Kalani. Maybe that one 'I hate everyone equally' comment had painted that picture. Andy and Trinity would have just laughed. Andy would probably bump him and tell him to lighten up and Trinity would nod and probably chime 'me too.' "Oh and by the way, I've never had that happen to me," she answered. "I'm pretty good at getting what I want." She winked and spun on her heel. Yes, the spoiled children of Aphrodite were. "See ya Mason."
"See ya, Ani."

His dialogue with Emery was no better, the small brunette turning into a mini sass queen. "My knight in shining armour. I'd be so terrified of what lurks in the dark forest if you weren't here." She giggled. This is what he got for being nice. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but a walk up the hill together would be nice." Mason fell in step with Emery as his answer. He wouldn't have risked offering if he didn't want to go a step further with the daughter of Artemis.

To his last question, she began to answer, "I didn't really have anyone in mind. Just joined for a bit of fun. Although if you know anyone that's interested in me you should let me know, I could have a little fun while I'm here at camp."
Mason grinned. "Is fun code for fling in this instance?" He guessed in her slightly more scrambled brain it was. "Don't worry, I'll let you know. I'm very 'in the loop'."

When they reached her cabin, Emery turned and leaned against the doorframe to face him. "Thanks for protecting me from lions, tigers, and bears, oh my," she said and Mason smiled sadly. He hoped she didn't feel the less pleasurable effects of alcohol in the morning. "You're a good egg," she concluded, throwing her hand lazily into his shoulder or something like that, and afterwards stumbling into her cabin. Mason lurched forward to help but she had enough composure to give a final, "Goodnight!" call and to shut the door behind her.

He let himself laugh quietly and headed back to his cabin. He must've sat up in bed for a couple more hours at least. Not doing anything really except waiting for his mind to go blank and sleep to take him. Mason didn't have nightmares anymore but he was afraid of them.

____________________________________________________________________

When he finally convinced himself to get up, the next conviction was much more of a press. That being to get out of his cabin and his stomach argued that point largely. He sighed out letting the need for food win again but not before getting changed. If throwing on the closest shirt and whatever slacks counted.

On his way to the hall, Mason spotted a girl on her own lapping up the sunshine and fresh air. He couldn’t recall her name regrettably but she was eye capturing without trying to be. She never made a scene of herself and he knew little about her, except that he was intrigued by her. Keep walking, keep walking, he told himself. Mason kept watching her. Then there was no mental tear about it as Kalani approached her instead. He'd have to high-five the girl or something at some stage for making the decision easier.

In the dining area, there were a few odd bodies already in place, including Emery, feigning interest on her phone, a clever avoidance technique from conversation, and Harley. He sighed out and found his own seat.

---

They shook hands firmly which gave the girl some brownie points with Duke. But just as easily, things took a turn. He jolted in attempt to catch her but the mini collision had already happened and been resolved just as quickly before he could respond.
”Ah, sorry! Sands a smidge wetter than I thought there.” He only smiled and shook his head to communicate no harm was done, unlike the effect on her castle and statues. Maybe he should have apologized. ”Thanks, I've always had a talent for sculpture. It's no so much the crowds, nor the parties ye ken. It's just been a lot to take in, lot to go through. And I divent know who people is.” He gave a nonchalant gesture as he found himself trying to repair and rebuild her castle wall. ”Given who we are. A suppose we've all lost stuff afore we come here, maybe that’s why we're sent here. Soes them we love don't find themselves in the crossfire.”

He sighed out. "I think the point of a party," he emphasized to keep their topics less soul bearing, but in no way ignoring the girl's observation of why half of them were there, "aside from an excuse to drink, is to meet people and, uh...what do people say? Let down their hair?" He furrowed his brows. All those snazzy expressions and lingos weren't his territory.

”Ye must think I'm an idiot. A wee lass playing in the sand on 'er own.” Duke laughed. Not in a cruel way though. He had to admit, many people of their demographic didn't play in the sand alone or at a party but he didn't think that made her an idiot. ”Seems we're nearing the last still out, party must be coming to a close. Time for us to head back?”

Duke glanced over his shoulder. And so the party was, but the dying fire and party couldn't hold his attention. "Different is good. And you can head back..." he begun, palming over a heap of sand to start his own castle "whenever you like." Duke raised his hand towards the bonfire, giving it new life and passion to light up the beach for them once again. He grinned towards fire then his company. "So for reference do I call you wee lass or do you have a real name?"

It took some time for Duke to project his vision on his castle, especially working with something as small and delicate as grains of sand that fell through his hand or off the sides, but he made it work eventually. Once his task was complete, he climbed to his feet and offered the girl a hand up and walked her to cabin, bid her goodnight then went to his cabin for the night.

____________________________________________

It had crossed his mind in the morning to knock on McKenna's door and ask her if she wanted to grab some breakfast together, but he thought it best to leave her be. She could have already been engaged and committed in an experiment, her work or simply enjoying a sleep-in.

Duke kept walking and stumbled upon no other than Alex. Doing a workout by the looks of things, using a limb of a tree to pull herself up. "You got to engage your core," he said and automatically held his as demonstration. "Don't pull up on momentum, pull up with these."

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ

Hex: #d63b71
Location: Outside.
Training Outfit: XXX

gιrlѕ lιĸe нer were вorn ιn a ｓｔｏｒｍ.
тнey нave ｌｉｇｔｎｉｎｇ ιn тнeιr ｓｏｕｌｓ.
ｔｈｕｎｄｅｒ ιn тнeιr нearтѕ.
And ｃｈａｏｓ ιn тнeιr вoneѕ.

ＤＡＵＧＨＴＥＲ ＯＦ ＺＥＵＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Alex felt so much better the second she got herself to start working out again. Keeping in shape and feeling healthy had always been one of the important parts of Alex's life. Second important part of her life... friends, and family. They remained loyal to her, despite the constant gossip about last year. The new campers had only heard everything by hearsay, but not from Alex herself. They could have come and asked why she had killed Jennova, but no one had dared to even talk to her. She had never been a bad person, but a young girl who had made a terrible, emotional mistake.Why should her mother's murderer be free to walk around? and why wasn't she punished herself? Alex knew she deserved to be, but the Gods had yet again remained silent. Alex knew the way she handled justice was wrong. Jennova should have stood trial before the Gods, but it was too late, she was gone... just like the rest who had given their own lives to save the others.

"You got to engage your core," Duke said, and automatically held his as a demonstration. "Don't pull up on momentum, pull up with these." Alex fell off the branch the second she realized who was actually talking to her, then quickly got up from the ground. Her cheeks felt like they were burning.

"Duke, I..." she got lost for words as she took in the sight of him. How could anyone as handsome as him like her? to Alex, she felt like an average, half Greek female with nothing special to offer. Desperately, she wanted to tell him right there and then about how she felt, but couldn't. The words wouldn't come out. She quickly began to talk about the party instead. "Morning. I'll definitely work on that. Thanks. How've you been? I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you at the party. You looked like you were enjoying yourself, though. Some hot chicks this year, huh?" she pretended to be cool about it while she elbowed him gently on his side, and smiled. Hopefully, he didn't find them hot, but she knew he had his own mind, and he wasn't hers. Duke had every right to think and feel whatever he wanted. Her heart sunk, her stomach churned. The thought of him being with someone else made her feel bad.

---

---

ＡＪＡＸ ＶＡＬＩＳ

Hex: green
Mood: Protective
Location: Valis Cabin

нє ιѕ α ωєαρση. α кιℓℓєя.
нє ωιℓℓ кєєρ ιт αℓℓ ιηѕι∂є
вє¢αυѕє нє ωσυℓ∂ яαтнєя тнє ραιη ∂єѕтяσу нιм,
тнαη єνєяуσηє єℓѕє.

ＳＯＮ ＯＦ ＺＥＵＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

Andy's words always made him realize how vulnerable he was around her. The second he thought she'd leave, it felt like his entire world was crashing down on him, suffocating him. Before he fell in love with her, he had almost closed himself off from life itself. He had been afraid to get close to anyone, but Andy had helped him out of that dark corner. She had shown him that he wouldn't make the same mistake again since Andy didn't have it in her to hurt him like his ex did. "We'll get through this, I promise. Everything will work out the way its supposed to, but before it gets better, sadly, we have to go through the worst. I'm here for you, and you don't have to bare any of the pain alone. You don't have to be strong in front of me. I'll be strong for the both of us." he took her hands in his and helped her up to her feet. He didn't let go as he leaned in towards her, his lips softly pressing up against hers for a second or so before he pulled back a little, his lips inches away as he spoke quietly. "I will be the one to fix all of this." he promised. He had a plan, but he knew many of the campers wouldn't like it.

Especially Andy, Duke, and his little sister.

They'd want to stop him but at this point... Ajax had made up his mind.

It was a selfish choice, but he felt as though it was the only option left. Hopefully, his plan would be enough.

Tomorrow he would head out of camp, alone, and visit the Moirai again. Last year didn't go well with them, but hopefully, this year would be different. He didn't want a favour from them... this time around was much different.

They controlled the mother thread of life of every mortal from birth, to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate. Every day they watched the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws, watching as fate would take its course without obstruction. The Gods and men had to submit to them, although Zeus's relationship with them is a matter of debate. He had been known to be the only one who can command them since Morai fear him.

[Isobel Logan] - [#800020] - [Mood]

After making a complete fool of herself she'd been worried her new friend would thing less of her but if anything he'd only found her amusing. His attitude seemed friendly enough and given her current lack of stability it felt nice to have a connection to someone who had probably been through similar troubles. She'd become a little lost in her own thoughts so she almost missed what he said back to her but smiled as she took in his complement. ”Different is good. And you can head back... whenever you like.”

She glanced down to see what his hands were doing and cocked her head as she examined the structure, planning out in her head the most effective ways for it to develop. To Isobel it felt equally calming for them as she watched Duke's castle expand to bring life to his designs. ”So for reference do I call you wee lass or do you have a real name?” She laughed a little before answering, her lyrical voice tinged with giggles as she found the sound of his accent wrapped around the Scottish particularly amusing.

”It's as good a thing ta call me as any. Better than ma given name since I'm only called that if I'm in trouble, but most would call me Isobel.” As she admired Duke's work he stood carefully before leaning down and offering her a hand up. Clasping it firmly she half-pulled and was half-lifted to her feet by her muscular companion before the pair of them began to head towards their respective cabins.

As they walked back towards the fire she turned to him, glancing back to where the sea was beginning to creep further up the beach, and once they'd reached the doors of her cabin she turned to pose a somewhat rhetorical question. ”They say that you can tell a lot about a person by how they set about a task. You're methodical and creative, that's for certain. But I'd expect no less from, what I can only assume is a son of Hephaestos?” She raised her eyebrow slightly before dusting a little bit of lingering soot off his arm, which had been her primary clue before bidding him goodnight and disappearing inside.

---

As she woke to the sound of bird song from outside she tried to decide whether to remain in the safety and warmth of her bed or brave the cold of the world beyond. After some deliberation, during which her stomach made a rather compelling case she set about getting ready to face the rest of the campers in the race for food. Once ready, she grabbed her jacket and headed out into the chill warm morning air; finding it strange to venture out this early without bundling up as she would have often done at home. Turning back, she tossed her jacket onto the couch inside the cabin and instead headed out for food in just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Once at the mess-hall she quickly pilled a plate with a stack of bacon, a couple of waffles and some pancake before making a beeline for an empty table and little off to the side. Once her tray was down she went back for a mug of tea, as well as a little cluster of grapes and some toast which she used to make a couple of bacon sarnies with. Satisfied with her haul she slowly began to work her way through it, taking sips of her tea between mouthfuls.

Alex fell from the tree then just as easily bounced back up.
"Duke, I..." she trailed off and Duke awaited the rest of her sentence patiently. He hadn't meant to interrupt her morning training ritual if that was the issue. He didn't even know she trained in the mornings, but he couldn't help himself but to correct her technique.
"Morning. I'll definitely work on that. Thanks. How've you been? I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you at the party. You looked like you were enjoying yourself, though. Some hot chicks this year, huh?" Her elbow poked into his ribs and he blinked, disassembling the different conversations she was trying to have in one sentence. The most outstanding was her latter comment, about how he looked to be enjoying himself and how there were some 'hot chicks' at camp this year.
It was a weird gesture coming from Alex. From anyone but particularly Alex. "I think there are some good looking females," Duke said instead. Hot was associated with a blazing appeal and beautiful was too intimate but the girls certainly weren't trolls. "I suppose the same could be said for the males of this year. Especially Theo, right?" He replied keeping any judgmental tones out of his voice but still pointing out last nights notable encounter between Alex and Theo. Duke shrugged it off. "Anyway, most of my night was made of constructing a sand castle and making sure Evelyn and McKenna didn’t get into a fight. Not my first definition of enjoying myself but it was okay. Particularly the sand castle making part," he admitted with a faint smile in recollection.
Duke placed a hand on the small of her back walking with her to the dining area. "Not the greatest Camp party either, huh? I mean usually I'm not a big partyer as it is but I still know when one's mind blowingly amazing and just good." He hoped Alex understood he wasn't having any dig at the organisation of the party, on the contrary, he thought it was an entirely appropriate level for the newer bodies in camp and for the first party of the year at Camp Athens.

---

Any friendliness, sympathy, conversationalist was extinguished when Sylas leaned forward on his elbows. "But doesn't Hecate live in the Underworld? Andy doesn't know what she wants. It's all a matter of... Simple persuasion. And well, if the Valises are out of the way?" Mason couldn't help but frown. He got Sylas's track, but he wouldn't jump on that train for the love of a woman. Especially to obtain the affections of said woman by default. He had a tad more class and dignity.
"Dude..." Before he could go on about being the guy that doesn't settle for second best, Sylas spoke again.
"There are more ways than one to accomplish what you want." His voice got lower indicating they were entering the more diabolical phase of their conversation. "There can't be a bounty on your head if you're not the one doing the killing."
Mason always assumed it was inevitable he'd be the one to get the Valises out of the picture. It'd be handy if he could somehow tread around the whole them being dead and the consequences to follow.
The light bulb clicked in place the same time as Sylas spoke. "Let me put it plainly. Do you want help with the Valises, or not?"
Mason finally smiled and plucked a grape from the bowl slid towards him. "That's all you had to say." He nodded in case his initial response wasn't ecstatic or transparent enough. "I could use the help. But with respect, I would prefer my..." he looked Sylas over "murder pal? to be someone who, at the least, I know isn't going to stab me in the back the first sign of trouble. No offence to your gifts." Mason did his best bow imitation that sitting would allow. He knew Eris's children must have been gifted in manipulation to achieve the chaos they allegedly hungered for. No doubt Sylas could pull a string or two but when confronted by a Valis head on, he'd probably squeal to save his own skin. It wasn't a personal thought against the son of Eris. 98% of the camp would squeal to a Valis.

"I'm curious to hear your plan of action if you even have one. Or should I just trust you?" Mason guessed. "Also, does this make us friends now?" Mason teased, gauging Sylas's reaction to such a notion. Mason tossed the grape up in the air and caught it in his mouth then gave a corny grin to Sylas.

Either way, it was good to know somebody else wouldn't mind the Valises gone.

ＡＬＥＸＡＮＤＲＩＡ ＶＡＬＩＳ

Hex: #d63b71
Training Outfit: XXX

gιrlѕ lιĸe нer were вorn ιn a ｓｔｏｒｍ.
тнey нave ｌｉｇｔｎｉｎｇ ιn тнeιr ｓｏｕｌｓ.
ｔｈｕｎｄｅｒ ιn тнeιr нearтѕ.
And ｃｈａｏｓ ιn тнeιr вoneѕ.

ＤＡＵＧＨＴＥＲ ＯＦ ＺＥＵＳ

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

"I think there are some good looking females. I suppose the same could be said for the males of this year. Especially Theo, right?"

Alex took a quiet gasp as she widened her eyes a little. So he had seen her little drunk moment after all. She wasn't sure if he was just genuinely asking about it, or if seeing her with Theo had sparked a small part of him that didn't like it. Duke wasn't the jealous type, so it couldn't of been that.

Theo had turned her down which was a little bit of a shock. She wasn't Gods gift to men, but surely she was attractive enough. Probably nothing compared to the children of Aphrodite, but still attractive. "Please, don't mention it to Aj.. you know what he's like. I just had a little too many. Theo's a good guy, and good looking, but... he's a friend. I think kissing him would feel like kissing my brother. Totally awkward, weird, and gross." she hugs herself as she shudders at the thought of it for a split second.

Duke shrugged it off. "Anyway, most of my night was made of constructing a sand castle and making sure Evelyn and McKenna didn’t get into a fight. Not my first definition of enjoying myself but it was okay. Particularly the sand castle making part," he admitted with a faint smile.

That made sense since he enjoyed constructing magnificent things with just his bare hands. Alex smiled a little. That all sounded like a cute little moment between... friends? acquaintances? didn't really matter. Or did it? Alex didn't know anything about the girls he mentioned, though Alex had heard that Evelyn was the type of girl to be brutally honest. "Why were they close to fighting?" She frowned. "Glad you were there, though. You've always been good at defusing situations. Aj always looks up to you for advice, and I can see why." She smiled again.

As Duke placed a hand on the small of her back, her entire body melted to his fingertips as he walked with her to the dining area. He just knew exactly how and where to touch her without realizing. To him, it was a gentle gesture, but to Alex, it felt like he had the power to control the shock of electricity that shot through her entire body from that one simple touch. Alex pulled her hair away from the back of her warm neck so it all draped over her right shoulder as she hid behind it a little as her eyes watched where her feet were moving. "Not the greatest Camp party either, huh? I mean usually I'm not a big partyer as it is but I still know when one's mind-blowingly amazing and just good."

Alex laughed as she looked at him, her hand holding her hair around the one side of her neck as she kept walking to the dining area with him. "Maybe you should have asked me to dance."

"Please, don't mention it to Aj.. you know what he's like. I just had a little too many. Theo's a good guy, and good looking, but... he's a friend. I think kissing him would feel like kissing my brother. Totally awkward, weird, and gross," was her defense. A weird one too but perhaps he should come to expect all women to be particularly confusing because why would you hit on someone that would feel like kissing a relative?

Nevertheless, they had moved on from the topic. "Why were they close to fighting?"
"They weren't" he assured quickly. "It was just their demeanors didn't blend the best."
"Glad you were there, though. You've always been good at defusing situations. Aj always looks up to you for advice, and I can see why." Duke smiled. He was always pleased to be useful, especially to those that mattered to him. But Alex was yet to see him on certain passionate topics and how he raged like wild-fire.
"That's good. I hope he can continue to place his trust in me. And you." He bumped her gently. Alex was part of the small group he cared about and whose trust he was lucky to hold.

"Maybe you should have asked me to dance." Was her next conclusion to Duke's comment on the party. Alex was a very unorthodox girl like that. Logically, to Duke anyway, dancing wouldn't change his view on the night. Maybe Alex's but certainly not his.
"Nooo, that would ruin both our nights." He chuckled. "You don't want my big feet stepping on your little fairy ones. But if you wanted to dance for future reference there are children of Apollo. They are gifted in music and I assume rhythm. There will be a lot less foot stepping. And you could always dance on your own." He pointed out and shrugged. It was essentially the most reliable option rather than waiting for someone to dance with.

He led her to a table. "So have you heard the camp's plans? Capture the flag. How do you think you'll go?" Duke inquired resting an arm on the table and leaning forward to get Alex's soul bearing answer. Duke always found people's self-reflections or reviews interesting. It was a good indication of their ego and head space.

He headed to the hall with a large bag over his shoulder prompting the camp attendees outside to follow him as he passed so he could make the announcement. Other staff patrolled the camp rounding the strays up or those that chose to slumber in their cabins.

Once he was burrowed in towards the back of the hall, he begun. "Excuse me." He cleared his throat. "Excuse me." Having little success to gain their focus that way, he whistled loudly, its sound easily carrying through the hall.
"Great. Now, it has come to my attention that the camp has been making ill on its promises to help harness and flourish your powers and provide exciting activity. So today, we play an extreme capture the flag. And yes it's mandatory that you participate. As elementary as that may sound, you need it. Welcome to camp. The teams will be split up in two.."

He cleared his throat and read from his list. "The Red Spartans: Alexandria, Andromeda, Dominick, McKenna, Ji-hyun, Sloane, Theo, Harleen, Finley, Atticus, Adrianna, Kalani, Elias, Nikoloas, Lise, Mason."

He looked up from his list expecting the groans to roll in but protesting would get them nowhere.

"The Blue Trojans: Ajax, Gwendolyn, Trinity, Wesley, Sylas, Annie, Seung-min, Emery, Dimitri, Duke, Keith, Isobel, Mateo, Areum, Raven and Evelyn."

"You die, you lose. You tap out, you lose. You get your color taken from you, you lose and come back to the hall and watch." He dropped his bag with a grunt on a nearby table with a clatter. "Your colors are at your base. These are your weapons. You do not have to use a weapon, they will not be given to you. You can use your powers." He smirked a little. "Welcome to the Hunger Games." The reference to the gripping YA book probably went over at least half the camp attendants heads. Most didn't give reading the time of day, and those that did read probably didn't concern themselves with something so modernized, their noses either stuck in the air or buried in work of literature and ancient tales instead.
Alaric was mostly referring to the cornucopia aspect. The weapons would be scattered among the woods and there’s for the taking, most of which were right at the center of the woods, gleaming and beckoning to be taken in the crossfire.
The camp attendees could figure out for themselves that the pain they could experience would be no more than a phantom pain via the weapons, traps and beasts that the very gods themselves, and some demigods designed and helped set up.

It would be best to see them treat it as real as possible.

"Do not go for fatal blows on each other," he warned as the final and only rule. A demigod turning on another demigod that way was vicious and cruel, and Alaric as well as other staff had no tolerance for it. It had no place in their camp.
"There are currently some hostile beasts prowling the woods," he assured in case anyone was disheartened by the idea of no-fatality experience. However, their very jaws and beings were enchanted so when they clamped down on a demigod fatally, they'd be warped straight to the hall. "You have two minutes to get to the woods, get your colors on, hide your flag within these perimeters," he pointed to the map's red and blue colored area on opposite ends of each other -AKA their bases, "devise a plan and create a universal safe word if you have to."

"I hope you're all awake, because time starts now."

---

"No offense taken. But with similar respect, the same could be said of a Hades child."
It was refreshing to come across someone so wise and Mason nodded with the statement to show, likewise, no offense was taken. "But, you can rest assured when I give someone my word, I follow through," Sylas added taking another grape from his bowl. "And I don't scare easily. I'm not frightened of a little bit of lightening."
Mason found himself nodding again and shrugging. Many would claim so. Jenn wasn't scared of lightening but the psycho bitch cut her head off. If you weren't scared of lightening and submissive to the spawns of Zeus they were particularly hostile because you didn't spoon-feed their massive egos.

"I think allies would be a more appropriate term. Friends aren't really in my wheel house. And no, I don't expect you to just trust me. Trust and friendship is earned... Not freely given."
"That it is." Giving Sylas another look over Mason guessed they wouldn't evolve to such a stage. Keeping things business or as strictly allies would fit them both best. Worry of each other likely wouldn't come into the picture until after the Valises were gone. But who knew what the future held.

"Well, I mean we could simply just corner one of them... Stab stab. Job's done." Thankfully his lack of enthusiasm demonstrated that was among the most plain ideas and not a real one. "That lacks... Creativity, for lack of a better term. Sure, death is the end goal but we don't want it to be swift and merciful. It's more satisfying destroying someone, breaking them down and ruining them, root and stem."
What did he think Mason was doing? In addition to waiting for the right moment to present itself, he was trying some behind the scenes works.But he liked that Sylas liked the slower route. It was a bit more of a gamble but if it was a job done right, it would be most rewarding.
"I don't know how devious you are... But, I liked the idea of turning everyone they love against them."
Mason actually threw his hands up in the air and gestured to the hall. "Thank you! Finally someone gets it! I know I'm pretty but I haven't been spending my time doing my hair and flossing my teeth and solely thinking of ways to kill them." Mason hadn't exactly been targeting people they love to turn against them either, for the sheer fact that he couldn't even stand to be in radius of a Valis worshiper and they were harder to convert.
Actually, Mason was doing little in truth. He was just being a bit more social and charming and Alex already did the murdering. Mason did have one good asset though, however that was more an ace up the sleeve for him.

After a long moment in thought with his tongue pressed to his cheek, he spoke again. "I wouldn't mind dying to make a point. Providing old Pops brings me back." The camp needed to see the monsters under the surface. That it wasn't a one off thing. Like Sylas he wanted to ruin and bury their reputations and ruin the trust fellow demigods mistakenly placed in them. And sure, just to make it really burn, make their world collapse, turn the people they love against them.

Then, a staff member paced through the hall capturing Mason's attention. As he could have guessed, he was on a mission. Once he gathered everybody's attention, he laid out the task ahead.

It was in moments like so where Mason really had to reflect on his life choices, or certainly the choice of returning to camp and not killing Zeus's kids. Now he was teamed up with the one he despised most of all. At first he was consumed in hatred and distaste but eventually it evolved to a glimpse of opportunity. Extreme capture the flag meant full contact. In this case, it meant letting the demigods run wild like animals. Mason glanced back to Sylas. "Is the boy next door facade still staying on in the heat of competition?" He smirked and got up. Now was the time to see what those twins were made of that so easily slipped under the radar.

His legs carried him there automatically and he was in another head space entirely, even as he wrapped the band around his arm. Except when he had to tune in on the team speech, Mason supposed that might have been important. Important to feign attention in anyway as winning or losing didn't really matter to him. How many rematches could happen down the track, and what did winning really prove? That you had a good team and the right players? That they were lucky? Mason crossed his arms and waited for any outgoing brains to take initiative.

---

Two minutes!? Duke paced off to what was temporarily known as the Blue Trojan's base. He wasn't going to hide the flag, leaving that duty instead to the likes of Ajax or better, Seung-min. He pulled a blue bandanna and wrapped it around his forearm.

Duke pressed his tongue to his cheek on his little over-eager team. The hype was good, but they needed a strategy implemented, especially when the opposing team had the likes of Lise and McKenna. "We need defenders, attackers and maybe a mid-field. We also need to consider our biggest threats. Harleen, she's quick, she's deft, you dont want your band taken off you without knowing you've even been touched. Likewise, Andy, military brat and witch, she'll be more confrontational and physical, keep your wits about you. Kalani can seduce you, stay focused. Adrianna, I've never seen her competitive side but I can guess she has one, and not to underestimate her." He gestured to Mateo because the very same applied to him. Then again who wasn't a threat? He gave up. "Take out the Spartans brains, healers and manipulators first, then deal with the brutes. They probably think we're a confrontational side too, that we're going in with guns blazing, but let's try to be a little more subtle. Travel in pairs if you can. Not attached at the hip though." If there was an ambush, he’d prefer one teammate to go down and not a collective of them.
"Wes, Raven, Dimitri, Isobel cover the middle, please." Together the four made a disarming pair, and a protective one too if they accessed the right emotions and triggers, and powers of course.
"Emery, Seung-min, Sylas and Evelyn, you're our secret weapons. Aim for the Spartan's flag. Avoid the heat of the battle if you can, use evasive or defensive techniques." The four could get creative. Their gifts and applications were always a surprise and they weren't the type that urged an immediate threat. "Ajax, Trinity; they'll be expecting us. Let's not disappoint." They were probably the renowned biggest war-heads. Without them near the front line of battle, the opposition would get suspicious about their presence.
"Daniel -uh, Keith, stay as a line of defense. Gwendolyn, I think you'd make a strong offense but it depends where you want to go, you'd know where you're best kept. Annie, I think we need you to press forward too. Look after our assault team and stun some opponents. If that makes you uncomfortable, stay back with Keith."
Duke looked between the remainder of Areum and Mateo. The demigods whose attitude he most struggled to grasp. Daniel needed some help in defense, but he felt their usefulness could be better spent elsewhere. In the middle as both offensive and defensive forces.

Then he caught himself, swept up in heat of the moment. "That's my suggestion anyway," he said so the more sensitive didn't kick up a fuss about him taking lead on a strategy or 'ordering them around'. After all, he was no child of Athena or son of Zeus. "Anybody else got an idea?"

---

Keith tried not to be so evaluating and calculating of the new state of camp. It seemed to bustle with a few more energetic bodies than last year and definitely a few more brooding faces and vibes. He felt his heart sink in the knowledge that it'd be hard to make friends. There seemed so little room for the socially awkward and everybody else already had established their "clique".

Sometimes the camp could be exceptionally boring and dull, but that was something he simply had to endure like everyone else and hope the next day would be more rewarding. His degree of boredom would just be more though. His lips pressed in a line and he plucked out his earphones and shuffled through his phone for a tune that could ignite his soul. Keith smiled slightly when he found it. Some would argue it was a little too swaggerish for him but part of him really liked it and had a guilty pleasure listening to JT.

The son of Hecate traveled through camp territory for another year of learning and fighting evil, having to suppress the urge to walk in rhythmic bounces and pull some Michael Jackson move. He made his way to hall, typically the central congregation point of people, new and regular. That, plus some staff waved him over to and pointed to it.

Some larger species of male had bumped him. "Daniel," they said casually, but he was bowing to the ground to retrieve his glasses that were knocked down on impact. He carefully placed them back on the bridge of his nose, surprised to see the brute had actually taken to stop and staring. For a round two, he prayed not.
Keith slowly rose and for some time it seemed they just stared at each other. "I'm sorry," Keith said finally and spun on his heel to take an extended detour. It wasn't worth getting his teeth knocked out and he didn't want to cause any trouble. Keith had spent some time in the gym on his holidays and become a bit more solid in build, but it was nothing that girls would second look or enough to engage in a fist-fight confidently. The hall would still be there too. He wasn't missing anything.

When he slid into the hall an announcement was happening, and he shrunk into the wall then nestled into a corner and slowly pulled out his earplugs. An extreme mandatory capture the flag...what could go wrong. Inside, Keith wanted to die there and then or dissolve into a puddle. It was like high school P.E class and the untalented still had to participate even when no one really wanted them on the team, and they didn't really want to participate, and the teachers were the only ones that thought it was a good idea in the entire universe. He sighed out and was the first to exit the hall and make his way to blue base.

Duke started rattling off a plan, and while he was smart and confident and that was semi-contagious when it came to his plan, Keith was super insecure about being the last line of defense by guarding the base especially by his lonesome. That was enough pressure for him to develop a twitch and have a nervous breakdown. But externally, there was no more displayed than light levels of anxiety.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ANNIE LEE
xXXXXXXXXXXXX I want to love the whole person, not parts;
and this is how I want to be loved.

"And besides, I'm far more interested in talking about what that was about."

Annie almost cringed before forcing a lackadaisical smile to her face, laughing the comment off unconvincingly.

"I saw you guys walk home together last night, what happened?"

"Nothing happened!" The insinuation seemed to incite an added nervousness, as Annie waved her hands in a no, definitely not! gesture.

"We just walked home together since I was a little... buzzed."

A lot buzzed, more like.

"I... may have said some things that are a little... embarrassing." Just the memory of her drunken antics incited a wince, and Annie mentally pledged sobriety, all too aware that such a vow would likely last just until the next camp party, and not much longer.


"By the way... I don't suppose that, ah... Finn knows any Korean, does he?"

Before Kalani had chance to answer, however, camp staffer Alaric strode towards the hall to make his announcements. As he read out the teams, Annie pouted to realise that she was not on Kalani's team.

"I guess we won't be dying together after all." She smiled wryly, "See you in the afterlife, I guess?"

Mere minutes later, Annie was nodding along as Duke rattled through the 'game plan', trying to keep up with what was very much not her forte. Namely, battle strategy.

When Duke mentioned her name, her head rose to look up at him, and his suggestion of her 'pressing forward', and her smile froze on her face. "P-press forward?"

"If that makes you uncomfortable, stay back with Keith."

She shook her head, smiling unconvincingly, "N-no, that's fine. Sounds... great."

I guess I'll be dying even sooner than I expected. Wonderful.

Before she could dwell too much on what was very likely her imminent demise, Annie glanced to her side to look at Keith, who seemed touched by a slight anxiousness that she found all too familiar.

"Hey- Will you be alright guarding on your own? I can hang back with you if you like, not that I'll be much help on the, ah, defence front." Realizing that they did not actually know each other, she offered a warm smile, "I'm Annie, by the way."

x

x


wesley preston
aphroditex|xoutfitx|x#667C0Cx|xtrojan

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
x

---

---

x

x


sylas astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#064C4Bx|xtrojan

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


andromeda bolton
hecatex|xoutfitx|x#990856x|xspartan

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


sloane astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#C7B29Bx|xspartan

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx