Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[takara]

☂ | Ophelia Rogers | 16 | She/her | Aphrodite/Cabin 10 | Location: Armoury--> Arena| tags: Celeste, Aydan|

Ophelia watched the boy's odd behavior, recalling his mention of a weapon earlier... Something with blue steel? It can't hurt...besides, Aurora will be fine in the snow, she told herself, nodding slowly as she listened. "Hecate cabin. Just past mine and the wine cabin, it's one of the mods, hard to miss with all the magic kids showing off," She frowned, not my favorite bunch. But she couldn't focus on how she felt right now. Besides, the chances of them sending him on a wild goose chase in this weather were slim...

For once, the child of Khione looked cold, and her hands ached to reach out to him. Stupid hands. She played with the ends of her sleeves instead, trying to shut out the impossible cold. She set her jaw, fighting with the words she should say that rested ing the back of her mind. Comforting words, pretty words that would take the edge off with their purple prose and shallow truth. She shook her head, shoved them out into shards of ice where they belonged.

She unzipped her battered blue coat, only far enough to fish a hand into an interior pocket. It came back it with a golden coin. She jerked the zipper back up with a buzz. "A drachma, for that call." She offered, holding it out on the palm of her hand as she stepped forward. Gods, what if he says no? She wondered, pulling her gaze down to the snow covered ground. She shifted her weight. "We'll be in the arena, right over there," She waved at the nearby building. "Come find us when you're ready?" Her voice went soft at the last request, and she smiled shyly, flicking the coin toward him in an underhanded toss. She didn't wait on a respond before returning to Celeste.

"Ready for that challenge, sister?" She asked, playfully bumping the shoulder of Celeste's unarmed side. Really, it was more of a brush. Ophelia had no intentions of discovering new ways to die, and it was important to learn new campers' quirks before you pressed them too much. Ophelia herself could be the poster child of that.

At any rate, she was more than happy to be moving once more, trudging toward a place with gods given heat. The thought almost put a spring in her step.

[tawneypelt0504]

Cassandra Peters|19|Hermes|Head Counselor|Demi-bisexual|Loc: Grassy area|Tags/Mentions:Delilah
Cass let out a small sigh at Delilah's smile, relieved to see that her friend was okay. Cass then began to hug Delilah as tightly as if she could squeeze all of Delilah's troubles out of her body. "I understand that you going through hurts and it's going to hurt for a while"Cass murmured "but you're going to be okay I promise" Cass continued giving Delilah one final squeeze before gently letting her go and standing up. "Do you want to head back" Cass asked motioning back to camp "I mean crying in the snow is great and all but I prefer crying in a cabin since that means I'll be warmer" Cass joked smiling at Delilah and holding out her hand to help Delilah up.

Jack Morrison|18|Demeter|Pansexual|Loc:Demeter cabin--->Dining Pavilion|Tags/mentions:Whiskey, Hank
Jack was brought out of his crocheting by a yowl coming from inside the cabin. He looked over to find his old tabby-cat Whiskey sitting on a window ledge yelling at him. He collected his crochet items and opened the cabin door putting his crochet stuff on his bed before turning to Whiskey "What's up old lady" he questioned his cat only to receive another yowl as she leaped down from the window and began to walk around his legs purring raspily. "Oh that's right I haven't fed you yet" Jack exclaimed receiving another yowl from Whiskey. Jack grabbed her food bowl then filled it up and put it down in front of her. He watched her eat for a bit before looking outside and frowning the cold could end up making Whisky's arthritis worse and he didn't have her pills due to the fact that he wasn't expecting snow in June like a normal person. Jack decided to go out and see if he could find an Apollo camper. Luckily once he stepped out he noticed Hank heading up to the dining pavilion "Hey Hank wait up Jack exclaimed running over to the Apollo head counselor doing his best not to slip in the snow.

[Kveykva]

──── Ａｉｄｅｎ Ｓｅａｖｅｒ
[✦] | Athena Head Counselor | 15 | Male | ➡ The Stables | Tags: Mirabelle, Ash
❝𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚜❞

He glanced between the two campers, both of which he was familiar with, but for different reasons. Aiden stuttered a mix of a third apology and a thank you to Ash as he shimmied over to Mirabelle. "Yeah, I uh..." he rubbed the back of his neck, chewing on his lip. "I wanted to see if you'd come with me to..." he peeked around at Ash standing off to the side. "So we can say some goodbyes. I don't really wanna go by myself..." Aiden responded meekly. He'd never really said goodbyes like this before, where there was so much uncertainty. Everything was still up in the air, anything could happen. Though, the idea of things getting worse seemed unlikely. He wasn't too sure why the oracle Dephi thought Vivienne's villain arc aided by Khione was an earth-shattering event, but who was he to judge? Ancient beings knew best, or something like that. "You don't have to if you don't want, but we know some of the same people so I figured maybe you'd want to? Unless you already have, because then that─that would be redundant. But there's no harm in saying goodbye twice, right? Shows you really mean it?"

──── Ｎｉｃｈｏｌａｓ Ｓｔｏｒｍ
[✦] | Horseman of the Apocalypse | 56 | Male | ➡ Mount Marcy training hall | Tags: Malcolm, Hicks, Vivienne
❝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑❞

Xaliphax tugged its head, freeing its reins from his master's hand. Nicholas left the stallion to his own devices, watching the encounter with interest. He didn't often interact with those bearing mortal blood, and those he did he was notably picky about. "This should be interesting." he murmured, folding his arms. Xaliphax allowed Malcolm to approach, hollow pits boring through the man as they held his gaze. It was studying them, as though from the other side of a glass pane. It lowered its head to eye level and gave permission for Kingston to taint his holy hide. Flawless, in every fashion. "Well, color me impressed." Death grinned. "He's not too friendly with straight mortals usually." a pause. "Or gay ones, now that I think about it." There was probably a different English word that could have furthered his point more accurately, but too late now. "As for you," his gaze wandered over to Kingston's guard. "Daniel Hicks, isn't it?" He asked, tasting the name as it rolled off his tongue. "Been through hell and back it seems like, what with your time with the Black Rats. Oh," he visibly shuddered. "I hate that. Sorry. Rats freak me out." Death cleared his throat. "Anyway, you're welcome to greet Xaliphax too, but I won't make you. He's rather fickle."

Sensing the approach of another, Nicholas quickly realized the newcomer was Vivienne. Wasn't she leaving for Camp Half-Blood? His eyes narrowed slightly, growing slightly distracted. His aura didn't slip, but a few lost spirits did flicker into view. None of them paid the living any mind. "Viv, what a surprise." His words tumbled slightly, referring to her by the nickname as he'd done in Morgantown. "What are you─"

Thwack.

"─ah." The underworld god nodded. "Makes sense. You won't be doing much against a dragon with your bare hands." As he spoke, his hands seemed to move on their own, falling back into the rhythm of signing his words. Once he realized this, he stopped, sheepishly tucking his hands into his back pockets. "I should probably do some introductions before you go," he deflected, suddenly at Vivienne's side with the aid of his shadows. The ghostly figures shimmered but were otherwise unaffected. "Vivienne," he took her by the shoulders in a friendly manner, gesturing to the two mortal gentlemen. "This is Malcolm Kingston and his escort, Corporal Daniel Hicks. I... should have used a different word for that, but cut me some slack; English is not my first language." he released the demigod abruptly, threatening her balance as he did so. "These two fine gentlemen are with me, so there's no need to fuss. Gentlemen, this here is Vivienne Isole!" He gestured to her as if she were a grand creation presented to a crowd. "Daughter of Khione, and a little princess of winter. Bless her heart." His smile towards her was genuine. "Remember what I said, you'll make it out in one piece, m'kay?" Death formed an ok sign with his hand and winked.

[indigo']

[✩] Augusta Reynolds|17|she/her|Hades|Head counsellor|Zeus’ fist|tags:Orin

“You know, for someone who claims not to be a public speaker, you speak a lot.” She raised an eyebrow as he fumbled, overdid the explanation and rambled on in a clear attempt to undo what he’d just said. She just smirked and shook her head, letting him think he’d had a win rather than arguing further.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s impossible to mock you. I say something stupid and you just take it and run with it.” She attempted to glare at him, but the iciness was somewhat lessened by the gleam of amusement in her eyes. “If he did have that—and survive—I think he’d let anyone do anything. He’d be too inebriated to stop us.”

Auggie nodded in agreement when he said he wished he didn’t know who his father was. It might’ve been easier to exist without having such a colossal birthright looming over them all the time. She hadn’t had to deal with it for the first few years of her life. She’d been fully convinced that she was a regular mortal, with a regular mortal father. Until her powers had scared him off and her mother had admitted to her—not in the most gentle or sympathetic fashion—that she hadn’t been related to him at all. It didn’t feel like the time to bring that up. Of all her slightly dark childhood anecdotes, that one was one of the least humorous.

She looked over in his direction when Orin gestured to himself, frowning a little. She wasn’t sure what to say to that, but nodded anyways. It would be nice not having to be compared to someone you’d never even met, someone who you only knew about from stories and books on Greek mythology. “Maybe it did...or maybe all we get from them is demigod powers and an empty childhood.” She shrugged, her deadpan tone and expression not doing much to convey the joke in her statement.

She made a noise that almost could’ve been a laugh at his ‘power move’. “Yeah, lucky you, I just get cold.” An understatement if there ever was one, but she knew he knew what she was talking about, having experienced the sporadic nature of her ice powers firsthand. Thinking about it almost made her angrier, that she was a child of one of the most powerful gods and all she’d gotten from that was a power that she hated and could barely control.

“It is, isn’t it?” she responded at his quip about her making being a disappointment sound inviting. “You can’t mess up being a disappointment. You can only dig the hole further, outdo everyone’s expectations at how much of an absolute failure you can be.” It wasn’t how she usually thought about it. She’d always wanted to be more than what she was, wanted to live up to the image of a demigod hero that she was supposed to be, at least to not be such a disaster in general existence, but once the words had come out of her mouth she felt like she could believe them.

She looked over at his next words, unable to hide the surprise on her face. She stared for a moment, trying to find the punchline, a wall in her brain blocking her from comprehending his meaning. Seeing that he was serious, a small smile tugged at her lips, one that she looked away to hide.“I wouldn’t say it,” she said finally. She could only hope that he’d read between the lines, understand what she meant in the way that she said the words. She’d think it, but she wasn’t going to say it out loud. She couldn’t do that.

Her smile spread into a grin at the pact. “Deal,” she agreed, holding her hand out to him for a shake to solidify their agreement. “Either one comes within ten feet of me and they’re done.”

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Stables|Tags: Quest Group; Ash, Aiden|

Mirabelle's heart went out to Aiden as she listened to his nervous request. These weren't the first farewells she'd had to make over the years, but it didn't get any easier each time. She resisted the urge to place a hand on Aiden's shoulder; unsure as to how he would react to the physical contact. Instead, she simply nodded, sincerity shining in her grey-blue eyes. "It's okay," she assured him. "I understand. Saying goodbye can be... difficult." That was a huge understatement at best. Her mind wandered back to the few farewells she had made that morning. The possible final farewells. The thought sat like lead in her stomach. Ophelia, Chuck, Jewel, Delilah... Mes dieux, Delilah. Her hand automatically reached up to finger the opal necklace. Her opal necklace. The thought struck Mirabelle that she would be leaving without ever fully confessing her feelings. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew she was sweet on Delilah. She was a daughter of the goddess of love, for crying out loud. She wasn't blind. But there's no way she would ever see me that way. Not knowing what she knows... what I've done. What I made them do. The lid to her bottle of guilt loosened inside her. She gritted her teeth, shoving it on tighter. No way was she about to give in to that kind of despair in front of the other demigods. Besides, she doesn't know... No. That was one secret she wasn't willing to give away just yet. Sure, she'd had crushes on boys before. She had even had a little crush on Will when he'd first come to camp. But that was before she had met Juliet and had to fully face her other feelings for the first time... and she knew how that had ended. She wasn't ready to come out of the closet. Not yet.
Right. Focus, Mirabelle. This isn't about you. Aiden, she had to be there for Aiden. Swallowing her own storm of emotions, she turned her attention back to the shorter boy. "I was planning on stopping by the forge to bid farewell to Will." She knew the two were close - just seeing them interact over the years was enough to tell her that. "Though I barely got the chance to say hello in the first place." A sad smile tugged at her lips. Will's arrival had come at a bad time, what with the tragedy of the Big House collapse. Not to mention that she'd been battling hypothermia for a good part of that night. Still, better a hello-goodbye than nothing at all. "Maybe we should start there? If you haven't already said goodbye, that is."


|⟡|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Cabin 3|Tags: Sa'd, Zahra --> Hu, Caspia|

Juliet nodded slowly while she listened to Sa'd and Set speak. She crossed her arms tighter over her chest as she regarded this newcomer - another adult, she noticed. And a rather alluring one at that. Sporting a tight burgundy t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, with a really awesome black leather jacket around her shoulders. Fingers covered in golden rings, a lion's head pendant dangling around their neck. Her golden eyes framed with black eyeliner. And were those combat boots? Man, Juliet wished she looked that cool. She felt dull by comparison, with her beat-up jeans and holey purple sweater. Her aviator jacket was pretty sweet, she reckoned. That ought to earn her some 'cool' points at least.
"Trading instead of taking... yeah, I can swing that." Juliet shifted on her feet. "Colourful rocks you say..." A sinister look crossed her face. A plan was starting to formulate in her brain of how to trick the gryphon, though she'd have to run it by Hu first. Oh, and Caspia, if she was the pranking type. "Yeah, sure. I'll tell ya how it goes." She waved offhandedly, though she would probably forget her agreement the moment Sa'd left.
"Anyways, good to meetcha, sad dude. And chaos guy or whatever. See you around. Or maybe not." She shrugged, her typical air of nonchalance doing its work. "And you too, I guess." The latter was directed at the adult and the weird girl following her around, though Juliet hadn't caught either's name. All in all not a big deal. She probably would've just forgotten their names anyways.

|❀|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Outside Dining Pavilion|Tags: Yuno|

"Like, thanks, man!" Chuck bleated, breaking into a grin. "You have like, no idea how relieving it is to hear that, you know?" He watched as Yuno jotted something down, absently chewing on his sleeve. Always organised, that one. They reminded him of Mira in that sense - though Mira tended to have a mental checklist rather than a physical one. He absently wondered if Mira's mental checklist was colour-coded and had little sticky notes all over it.
"Uh, so like, where do we even start?" Chuck shuffled his hooves in the snow. "We can totally like, get the other satyrs to help and stuff, most of them are like, trying to anyways, I think." He'd seen a few fellow satyrs out in the woods, mostly consoling dryads and attempting to offer help, though they had seemed a bit confused as to how exactly to do so.

|⊙|Zahra Al-Amin|217/Looks 32|She/They|Magician; Eye of Sekhmet|Location: Outside Cabin 3 --> Behind Cabins|Tags: Jay, Sa'd/Set|

Zahra was a bit miffed at being called a 'girl' by the chaos god - she was two hundred and seventeen years old, for crying out loud. That, and they weren't fully a woman to begin with. Sure, she had been using 'she/her' pronouns more in her head that day, but that tended to fluctuate depending on how they felt. Nonetheless, the Eye of Sekhmet led the Host of Set and their accompanying god behind a row of buildings, which Chiron had called 'cabins' earlier. Zahra thought that was rather funny - the only building that looked cabin-like in any regard to her was the one the aforementioned gryphon was seated outside. They checked back to make sure that Jay was following; she and Anubis should hear this information as well.
When they were far enough out of earshot of any demigods, Zahra stopped walking and turned to face the three. "Jay and Anubis, I believe, have already made my acquaintance, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Zahra Abubakar Nashwa Al-Amin, Magician of the Ninth Nome and current Eye of Sekhmet. I wish there were time for more formalities, but I must 'get to the point', as they say." Her tone was clear and sharp, but not unkind. Their mixed Arabic-London accent had thickened in her haste, and they hoped the three could comprehend what she was saying. "Set, Anubis - we need your help. The Duat is in chaos - almost literally, I'm afraid. You two recall the Ogdoad, though I am uncertain if your Hosts have recollection. Hosts, do either of you know of the Ogdoad? I can explain briefly if I must."
-
At Jay's admission, Zahra's face grew almost disappointed. "I see. They must not be teaching the Ogdoad cosmology in your Nome. Shame on them." She hadn't necessarily meant it in a mean nor chastising way, but it certainly came out that way. "The Ogdoad are eight gods; the first gods. They were born of the Sea of Chaos and are thought to be extensions of Isfet itself." She paused to let that sink in. "The eight are as follows. Nun and Naunet; the gods of chaos and water, Heh and Hauhet; gods of boundlessness, Kuk and Kauket; gods of darkness, and Amun and Amaunet; gods of invisibility, of air, and void. They are frog and snake gods respectively. " She watched the two teenagers' faces as she continued. "Something has greatly angered them, and caused them to awaken from their slumber. They are wreaking havoc in the Duat; tearing it completely asunder. The Sea of Chaos - it is expanding. You can see why I have been sent. We need your help. The gods need your help."

|❄|Vivienne Isole|18|She/Her|Khione|Location: Mount Marcy Training Hall|Tags: Nicholas, Malcolm, Hicks|

Vivienne resisted the urge to curse when Nicholas materialised beside her. So much for an expedient exodus. The mention of introductions was enough to spark that little flame of curiosity she had dampened only a few moments earlier. So, she would get an explanation after all. Or at least part of one. She stiffened when Nicholas held her shoulders prisoner; the physical contact still an alien sensation to her. Nonetheless, she nodded politely to each man in turn. Malcolm Kingston... The name was oddly familiar, though she couldn't place it. Narrowing her eyes slightly at the man in question, she made sure to archive that information for later.
Suddenly, Nicholas's grip was gone. She stumbled back, catching herself in a remarkably graceful manner. Where was that grace when she was pulling her axe from the training dummy's chest mere moments ago?
"Well met, gentlemen." Her tone was as cold and emotionless as her mother's. Not disrespectful, but with an air of arrogance. A bit of overcompensation in truth. Though her face remained impassive, Vivienne's inside's squirmed under the scrutiny of the two strangers. The way Nicholas was showing her off like some prized animal made her want to hide in her room and read Dickinson poems again. Luckily, she managed to maintain her emotionless exterior as the death god prattled on.
The young woman bit back a scoff when Nicholas called her "a little princess of winter", and the muscles in her jaw twitched notably. Was that... Was he actually smiling at her? She wasn't a people person by any means, but it seemed oddly genuine to her. Still, it could be a manipulation tactic. She had learned long ago that she couldn't trust anyone except her mother. At Nicholas's next remark, she simply nodded sharply, albeit a little awkwardly. "Speaking of, I should be on my way." The venti sure were taking a long time to gather, she couldn't help but notice. If the brunt of their forces were already at Camp Half-Blood's borders, her mother would have sent her off to join them by now. However, she would take any excuse to get out of the mildly uncomfortable situation she now found herself in.

[norvina!]

ᴅᴇʟɪʟᴀʜ + ᴅᴀʜʟɪᴀ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ
(seventeen;females;hypnos;nemesis)
(the quest group;a field)(tags;jamie;cass-mira)

dahlia continued to relax with the pegasi, looking around she spotted a scrawny boy she hadn't been too familiar with. trying to remember if she'd met him before, she sucked in a breath deciding to be outgoing she walked over to him. "uhm, hi, I don't think we've met before." she smiled awkwardly, already mentally hitting herself for such an awkward introduction. "I'm dahlia, dahlia west." she wondered if it was appropriate for her to hold out her hand for him to shake, deciding against it she just smiled uncomfortably. "sorry I'm horrible at socializing." she shook her head, mumbling insults to herself.

delilah took comfort in the tight hug, holding onto the girl like her life depended on it. feeling warm as she was comforted "thank you cass, that meant a lot." she smiled gently, feeling a bit cold as they parted. nodding, she dusted herself off grabbing onto cass' hand "you're right, my feet are starting to get cold." she frowned, wondering if she should put on slippers. as she began to walk alongside cass, she wondered if the quest group had left yet. "do you think they've left yet?" she asked, looking over to her. a part of her ached, thinking of her goodbye with Mira, a lot was left unsaid. "I need to see someone, I didn't say goodbye properly yet, I- I just have to get something out." she explained, her mind had been in shambles since this morning. her recent mental breakdown barely provided any clarity, but made her feelings weigh her down even more.

[Galeslash7]

Skylar Kakitid, 16 years old, Female, Daughter of Hecate, 7 year camper, Location: Stables, Tags: Aggy, Stables Crew, Mentions: Aiden

Skylar shook her head on dramatic exasperation at the sound of Aiden's adventures. She had never known that there was another counselor who loves pranks and some teasing as much as her. Well besides the Hermes Cabin. She nodded and waved to Aiden as he left, walking towards Mira. "See ya soon!" She called after him before turning back to Void. It was probably time to get on and start to warm up riding before they actually left. So she grabbed Void's reins and led her out the stable doors. The now-galaxy made looked annoyed but trotted out with a spring in her step. Skylar led her to the side of the Stable and looked up at the large black Pegasus. She clumsily reached one leg up to the closest stirrup and pushed down on that leg once it was in the loop. She was standing up-ish and swong her other leg across the Pegasus' back. She settled into the saddle and rearranged her leather bag. Then she was ready.

Skylar urged galaxy-Void back towards the entrance of the Stable, trying to remember how to direct a Pegasus. She got the hang of it pretty quickly, and led Void in a couple of circles before heading to where she had seen Aggy, the new camper and quester stand with her Pegasus. Skylar rode Void over there and Skylar called out a greeting to the other girl below. "Oh hey! Aggy right? You excited for your first quest? This one is going to be weird though." Skylar was suddenly aware about how weird this must really be for a first-timer. Snowing in July, magic and gods, death and collapsing, magical creatures and Pegasi? Skylar's first day wasn't quite as weird as Aggy's probably had been. And Skylar was also aware that Aggy probably didn't know about the Mist. So it really did look like she was sitting on a galaxy painted Pegasus. Oh, the tricks she would play if the situation wasn't so serious...

[indigo']

[✿]Jamie Wallace|16|he/him|Iris|Stables|tags:quest group, Dahlia

Jamie turned his attention away from the Pegasi at the sound of a voice addressing him, looking to the daughter of Nemesis with a bright, friendly smile. He didn’t know her too well, but from what he’d gathered she seemed to be the more intimidating of the twins, although she didn’t seem too intimidating now. “Jamie,” he replied. “Nice to uh...formally meet you.” The words sounded strange, but it didn’t make sense to act like he hadn’t seen the girl around before, even if they hadn’t introduced themselves.

He offered a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay,” he chuckled. “So am I.” His attention was drawn away briefly as Skylar rode by on what appeared to be a galaxy-print Pegasus. He blinked in confusion for a moment before remembering that the daughter of Hecate could manipulate mist. He shook his head, turning his attention back to Dahlia. “Sorry, just...anyways...are you looking forward to the quest?” He pulled a face, the words not coming out the way he had intended. “Not that it’s like...a good thing but, you know...it’s an adventure or something.” He shrugged awkwardly. Normally he would’ve felt a little self-conscious about his awkwardness, and he did a little, but Dahlia seemed to be just as uncomfortable so he figured she wasn’t going to judge him.

[sammy,]

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 ！！ x─────ix ♔
x──────i ii zeus. iii eighteen. iiii tags: auggie. ivi zeus' fist.

orin opened his mouth to complain about her comment, but realised rather quickly that that was just going to prove her point further - so he shut it, brought his fingers to his lips and mimed zipping them, silencing himself in the process. there were so many things to say in his head - it was difficult to keep them under wraps. they buzzed and begged to be let out into the open air, each thought railing against the backs of his eyes, waiting for their moment to shine. maybe he could stay quiet for a little while.

"that's the way to go about it. water off a duck's back," he said. it wasn't that it was impossible to mock him - perhaps more that he normally beat other people to the punch when it came down to it. nothing anyone could say to him was new, something he hadn't heard before in the pits of his own head, and therefore it didn't sink in. the day someone thought of a brand new, shining insult was a day that he dreaded. he had no idea how he'd react. "see, you're getting it. he'll stop caring about the little stuff. go back to his roots."

he had no idea what regularity would have looked like for either of them. in any case, orin was riddled with wishful thinking. the hope that in another timeline, he was enjoying himself. that in another timeline, the genes of his incredibly human, rugby-ball-throwing, camper-van having father had the genes to cancel out the ones that had him fearful of any feeling that wasn't somewhat forced happiness. there were lots of things to consider. the empty childhood aside, it was nice to imagine being able to step into the shoes of literally anyone else. worrying about mortal things like exams rather than daemons and drakons. though, he noted, it had been the former that had stressed him out enough to trigger everything that had led up to this moment, so maybe discounting their day-to-day lives as 'easy' wasn't as accurate as he would have hoped.

"you'll figure it out," he said in regards to her powers, certain of the fact. it was just a case of control, of managing emotions - he knew that slog well. it didn't always end brilliantly, but it meant something when it did. when something that would have descended him into fits a few years ago felt like nothing more than a minor blight, it was a mark that he was doing something right. he had hope that she would find the same solace.

"well, you haven't disappointed me yet," he pointed out, raising his eyebrows. "so i don't think that you are a complete failure. you're gonna have to work for that title. i'm not letting you have it until i'm certain. 'cause i'm the authority on these things." and further, when she slyly dropped an agreement to what he had said, his eyes shut. it was nice. a nice feeling. they were confined to their own little bubble.

"excellent," he said, taking and shaking her hand. "they won't know what hit 'em. the god of the skies and the god of the underworld, in the damned dust. throw hades into the air and plummet zeus into the ground. make 'em swap."

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 ！！ x─────ix ♙
x──────i ii eris proxy. iii thirty-seven. iiii tags: nicholas, vivienne.
ivi mt marcy.

when the horse ventured to accept malcolm's notably careful advances, he let a little smile come to his face. he didn't know whether it was the respect or simply the goddess looming in the back of his head that made the creature deem him worthy of scratching its neck, but either way, he considered it a win. "he's got good taste," he said idly, glancing back when the attentions turned to hicks, who had since put his coat on and was looking around like prey being stalked by a predator - or trying not to.
any attempt to seem relaxed by hicks seemed to crumble a little when the horseman mentioned the 'black rats'. malcolm hadn't tried to pry into the man's past, but knew of some things. he had the air of a veteran, and certainly the reflexes of one, with a miasma of suppressed chaos that followed him into the dark. it had been what made malcolm happy to have him by his side - a steady source of tumult that fed his appetite nicely. clearly, the confrontation unsettled him.
"how do you -" hicks started, looking between malcolm and nicholas and seemingly giving up before he could start. there were things the man didn't understand, things he clearly didn't want to, yet, and that was fine. "it was a long time ago."

daniel's graces were saved by the arrival of who malcolm assumed to be vivienne, storming in and beginning to rag on a dummy. at introduction - and, notably, the use of hicks' old rank, which sent a shiver through the man that he passed as a result of the cold - malcolm smiled. a sharky, sparking smile. "hail fellow," he countered to 'well met'. "colour me a fan. your escapades have proved excellent. i'd bow, but that would be overdoing it a bit." it was true - her efforts to cover new york in snow had been the final catalyst for the game that he was playing. the final problem solved. he had to respect her for it, though noted that she was somewhat younger than he had anticipated. a prodigy, then. a prodigal daughter for the thus far absent goddess. things were starting to weave together beautifully.

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐬 ！！ x─────ix ♕
x──────i ii aphrodite. iii twenty-four. iiii tags: ophelia, aydan.
ivi armoury.

there were things that had nothing to do with celeste, and there were things that she poked her head into regardless. the scenario playing out in front of her, the one where emotion seemed rife and potent, creating a dull headache in the back of her mind, was only the former. the feelings of children had nothing to do with her. there was nothing profound about the trepidation regarding vulnerability, nor was there anything that she could find an advantage in. aydan made to leave, and she rose her hand in a goodbye. "until later," she said by way of a brief goodbye. "i hope it goes well."

the minor assault of shoulder to shoulder made her eyebrows raise in controlled amusement. ophelia certainly had gall, she would give the girl that. "yes. i think i am," she said simply, not rising to any immediate aggressive reflexes. there was no need for them now - put on the backburner until necessary. the arena loomed, and it was wonderful. architecture that rivalled that of her home, a palpable energy around it that warmed her unintentionally. this was a place of energetics. somewhere to release all of those damned pent-up emotions.

"could you set them up for me? i fear i will break something if i try it myself." she requested, eyes glittering.

[indigo']

[✩] Augusta Reynolds|17|she/her|Hades|Head counsellor|Zeus’ fist|tags:Orin

August raised her eyebrows when he looked like he was about to argue again, prepared to jump in and point out that he was only proving her right. She watched with mild disappointment as he mimed silencing himself, silently wondering how long that would actually last. It probably wouldn’t.

Part of her was glad that he wasn’t easily offended, though she wouldn’t actually say that to him. She had a habit of saying things she didn’t really mean, her sharp tongue finding people’s weak spots and making them hate her, even when she didn’t intend to. She didn’t want to do that to him. Another part of her was a little jealous of the attitude. She could act like things didn’t hurt her—or better yet, retaliate to anyone who tried with ten times the force—but that didn’t stop it from actually getting to her.

“His roots of being massively wasted?” She considered it. “That doesn’t actually sound so bad.” The wine god was probably a little more bearable once he’d had something to chill him out a little. He couldn’t possibly get worse, that was for sure.

She almost laughed at his assurance that she’d figure her powers out. That didn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon. She’d always thought that the older she got, the easier it would be to manage, but it wasn’t. Her emotions seemed to be spiralling out of control more often than not lately, and that in itself was bad enough without the added threat of freezing someone to death. “I don’t know,” she muttered simply, not wanting to argue with the statement but unable to bring herself to believe it.

Auggie looked over at his next point, a small smile crossing her face. “Don’t worry, I will. I always find a way.” It could’ve passed off as a joke, but she believed what she was saying. It happened every time. No matter who it was, no matter how much they thought she wouldn’t at first, she always found a way to disappoint them or let them down. They always found a reason to leave. That wasn't coincidence. She rolled her eyes at his statement about being the authority, finding it easier to laugh than dwell on the thoughts inside her head.

She grinned at the concept of them swapping around two of the most powerful gods. There were lots of people at camp who would be infuriated to just overhear their conversation, the ones who actually felt like the gods deserved to be treated with deep reverence and respect. She still wouldn’t hesitate to do it. She laughed at the suggestion of making them swap places. “Perfect. They’ve been doing their whole thing for too long anyways. I think it’d be good for them to get taken down a notch by a couple of their half-human misfortunes.”