Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: En Route to Big House Ruins|Tags: Aiden|

Movement broke Mirabelle out of her tumultuous thoughts. Aiden. The whole reason she was still standing around in the cold in the first place. He's done with his farewells, it seems. She couldn't deny that a piece of her heart sank with that knowledge. She was eager to get to the bottom of this, yes, but part of her longed to stay in camp and provide what support she could in the wake of catastrophe. The best thing you can do for them right now is leave, she reminded herself. Solve this problem so they can go back to worrying about more mundane things.
"Come on, Firefly, let's go." Rather than mount up and leave Aiden in her dust, she tugged on the mare's reigns and led her towards the pile of rubble where the Big House once stood.
She caught up with Aiden quickly; her long legs closing the distance between them even at a casual pace. Memories of their most recent interaction churned the sea of her mind. I don't like how we left things. Me shouting at everyone, then running off like a coward... Her teeth worried at the soft flesh of her cheek. I should set things straight.
A soft clearing of her throat was hopefully enough to garner Aiden's attention. She took a short breath before she started speaking, not fully trusting herself to meet the younger boy's gaze. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to yell like that and then just vanish into the woods."


|⟡|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Cabin 3|Tags: Hu, Caspia|

Juliet's head swiveled towards Caspia when she spoke up. I totally didn't forget that she was there. What? Pfff. That's rediculous. The daughter of Poseidon's words hit like a sucker-punch to the gut. She had almost forgotten how new Caspia was to all of this. She got here this morning, she recalled. Crap. That means I have to tell her about all the stuff that went down. Unease squirmed in Juliet's gut. She was never great at breaking bad news, and this was the worst information she'd ever had to give.
"Uh... yeah," she started, "about that..." Woman up, Jules. Come on. You got this. "So you can probably guess that it's not normal for it to snow in summer. This crap started up yesterday, and it just keeps on coming." She shot the new girl a wry look. "From what I heard, some crazy snow goddess is out to get us. No clue why." The daughter of Hermes shrugged offhandedly. "But yeah, she killed uh... seventeen people last night? Snow collapsed the Big House roof. That was the pile of rubble you probably saw on the way in." The way she spoke was so casual, as if it was no big deal. In reality, the words left a sour taste in her mouth. "Oh no wait! Eighteen. Some dude got lost in the woods, I think."
Juliet nearly sighed in relief at the next question out of Caspia's mouth: "uhm, who's lilah?"
"Oh, she's the Hypnos cabin's head counselor," the wiry girl explained. "She's actually pretty cool though. A little touchy-feely and stuff, but super nice. The kind of person to hug you to death." She tossed a hand through her dirty blonde hair, making her messy ponytail swish as she spoke. "Oh, and she has these really cool wings. That's not something you see every day. But the reason I mentioned her is because she can make someone fall asleep like that." She held up her fingers and snapped for emphasis. "It's super useful for pranks."

|☽|Kathryn Blackwood|17|She/Her|Hecate|Location: Outside Cabin 11|Vittorio|

"Vittorio; what a charming name," Kathryn fawned. "Italian origin, if I'm not mistaken. How lovely." Her words were smooth as honey, and just as sweet. She had even managed to replicate the proper accent, though that could have easily been attributed to the years of Latin she had studied. At his offer of an easier nickname, she simply nodded, filing that information away for later use.
Her chocolate eyes lit up with genuine interest as Vittorio disclosed the title of the volume he had been reading - or, perhaps, staring at, given his previous glazed expression. "Dante's Inferno! Oh, a true classic. The Divine Comedy as a whole is a fascinating read. But I won't bore you with my chatter on Western theology." A rich laugh pierced the air, cutting through the cold like warm molasses. "I'm not huge into literature myself, unless you count grimoires as mainstream reading material." She smirked, an obvious indicator that she was at least partially joking. "Though folklore and mythology is always entertaining." Small talk achieved. Now, to get to the meat of the conversation.
"So you got here yesterday?" She didn't wait for an answer, having already been given one. "Poor timing. So sorry you had to come to camp during all of this," she crooned, gesturing to the falling snow with a grand sweep of her hand. "Rumour has it that the snow goddess has a bone to pick with us. I've even heard that a demigod child of hers might be involved..." Her glittering gaze silently analyzed Vittorio's face for any reactions he might give. "It's all speculation, of course, but I would take the attack last night as proof of the former at the very least." She pursed her aubergine-coloured lips, appearing deep in thought. "Still, I wonder... how big really is all of this? There could even be spies in our midst, waiting to take us down from the inside. Have you heard about that newer fellow who got claimed by Khione during the blizzard last night? Suspicious timing, if you ask me."


|❀|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Outside Bathrooms|Tags: Jude|

"Jude!" Chuck's face split into a toothy grin at the welcome sight of the daughter of Hephaestus. He gladly accepted her nonvebal offer of a hug, wrapping his lanky arms around her in return. "Like, good to see ya, man!" All too soon, the embrace ended. As he pulled back, he took a moment to look her over, noting that she seemed remarkably sunny as usual. That's like, a total breath of fresh air. A short laugh escaped him when she mentioned the scrap metal. "Aw man, like, all that tasty metal, just gone to waste!" the satyr lamented, though his smile never wavered. "Like, bummer, man."
Chuck's chest tightened at Jude's mention of the Big House. The next words out of her mouth hit him like a punch in the gut.
"is everyone safe?"
His heart dropped into his stomach. Any semblance of his previous cheer and excitement fled from his face. Dark clouds settled in his mossy gaze as he forced himself to meet Jude's eyes. That one look was enough to tell her that no, everyone was not safe. Nothing was remotely okay. People were dead, the camp was under threat, and friends were leaving and might not make it back. But how do I say any of that? Like, Mira's so much better at this kind of stuff. "Uh..." he started, shuffling his hooves in the snow. "Look, man, I'm gonna be totally honest here. I have like, no idea how to tell you this, but..." A wince shaped his features, matched only by the sorrow in his eyes. "...like, the Big House went down. Uh, you like, probably saw it on your way in, but..." He swallowed hard, unable to fight the sudden tears that blurred his vision. "There were people inside, man. Like, seventeen people. And one of them was one of your guys. Uh, you know, like... from your cabin." He bowed his head as he broke the eye contact, his throbbing heart not able to bear looking into her warm gaze any longer. "It was Horace, Jude. Horace. Like, the guy who would always give me his scrap metal to snack on and stuff. Uh. You totally knew him better than me, like, probably, but man. He was a nice dude." Like, I should tell her about the others, Chuck knew. But the sixteen other names escaped him in the face of the dark news he had bore. "Oh uh - and like, someone got lost, I think. One of Mira's dudes. I dunno if they found him yet." He took a shaky breath, fiddling with the sleeves of his coat as he rambled on. "And she's like, leaving too, on this quest thing that's like, total danger-city to stop whatever's doing all this, and like, Aiden, and Jamie, and I dunno who else, and it's all like a huge mess, man. The dryads are like totally freezing, even though I like, spent the morning making tree guards with some of your guys for 'em. Everyone's like, really sad and scared and stuff, and I dunno what to do."
Chuck brought himself to glance back over at Jude, silently pleading with her to say something. To put some positive spin on it like she always did. But there was nothing positive about this; no good that could be found in all the grief and destruction. Deep down, he knew that.


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

Zahra nodded thoughtfully in accordance with Set's words. They shifted on her feet, uncertainty flashing in their golden eyes. "I am not sure there is work for us to do," she admitted. "The Nomes - the Magicians ourselves and our gods - we have our own problems to attend to. It would not do to become entangled in Greek demigod problems as they are not our own." They paused, pursing her lips as they mused. "Unless their problems are our problems..." Could it be that this was all connected? First, the Nomes, then the Duat itself, and now the demigod camp was under siege by a presumed deity who could make it snow in June? Not to mention her own prime minister making allegations and attacks on the Roman camp... The coordinated timing was certainly suspicious. "If this is connected as I fear, we may be able to get support from the demigods in our own battle. You know this camp much better than I. Where do we begin in asking our questions?"

[FerretMonarch]

Sa'd Salam • 17 •Transmale (they/them) • Bisexual • Host of Set• location: behind cabins•tag: Jay, Zahra

"Mmm." Sa'd hummed.
"Are we sure it already hasn't? Isn't their gods and ours just the same person with different forms? Or do you think thry take turns? Somehow I think that Zeus would not like that. Hmm. Probably the Hermes and Athena cabins. Heremes kids like tricks and stuff not to mention they are nosy, so they'll know most likely and Athena kids know a lot of strageties, and where the weakest points in camp are, and they are friends with everyoneelse to maintian their connections to knowlege. So maybe start there?" Sa'd suggested

Ai Uragirimono•18•nonbinary (they/them)• Gay•child of Loki•Location: Hermes cabin• tags: open

Ai sighed quietly before looking at where they were. The camp was weird and quiet compared to the hotel. They silently wondered where the Hermes cabin was, but didnt ask anyone. They sighed again a bit louder this time before turning into a hyena and walked towards the bearest cabin unaware that it was cabin 3

[sammy,]

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐱 ！！ x─────ix ♗
x──────i ii hephaestus. iii seventeen. iiii tags: chuck.
ivi outside bathrooms.

the hug was nice, the welcome was nicer. for a moment, the big house was forgotten, tossed aside for favour of happy reunions. grinning, joyous, warm -
and then chuck's face changed, and jude felt her own begin to fall. he was nervous, caught immediately, and normally his nerves were accompanied with rambling of massive extents, but these ones seemed to grip at his throat, silencing him, like the words that he was preparing to say were important, delicate. she had asked if everyone was safe. immediately, she came to the realisation that they weren't. tears sprang to his eyes, and she gripped at his arm, firm and solid, hands warm in spite of the oppressive cold.

seventeen people, one of them horace. his name hit her like a ton of bricks. the family she had at camp rivalled the one that she had at home, all loved, all pictured. he had been a stalwart of the cabin, and now gone, and there were no words to explain the feeling. like the warmth had gone, the hearth crushed, kindling thrown to the side. jude couldn't find her voice, tears springing to her own eyes as he continued. she had walked past his bunk when she ditched her suitcases. it hadn't looked slept in, and she hadn't thought twice about it, but now she was.

"oh, chuck," she breathed out, pulling him into another hug, tighter this time, more desperate. she would have apologised for the damp spots she left on the shoulder of his shirt, but didn't imagine that it was something he would be too worried about. not now. "i can't imagine how -" her breath caught, muffled by the rainbow fabric that she spoke against. "how awful that must have been." she should have been there. if she had -
no. there was no time for 'if's. she pulled away, took a deep breath in through her nose. "i can work on - on a heater, a few heaters, if you want. there are enough materials in the forge to make radiators. and, um -" a tear bubbled in the corner of her vision, with her knuckle, she brushed it away. "we can plant flowers. for all of them, if you'd like, when this is - if this is - when this is sorted." no matter what, it was a case of carrying on, finding a single solution in an ocean of problems. to hear that mira was putting herself in the line of danger came with little surprise but great dread. she wondered if she'd get the chance to say hello before they were saying goodbye, whether they'd get to say goodbye at all. "we'll make sure that everyone's alright, so that -" she pursed her lips. "so that they all feel safe, and when it's over..." so long as there were people alive, her focuses had to be on them. the survivors, the ones who saw camp as their only solace from the horrors that the outside world threatened, and keeping them prepared. not happy, because happiness felt like a moot point in such times, but well. "we can cry then, alright? we can have a really big cry. me and you. just have to delay it a bit. can we do that, chuck?" her hand squeezed the lanky arm that it still clutched at. "can we reschedule it?"

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

[♠]17|he/him|Ares (unclaimed)|outside Cabin 11|tags: Kathryn

Vittorio smiled at the compliment, impressed by the girl’s flawless pronunciation. “Thank you, and yeah, it is.” He wasn’t sure how someone could mistake him or his name as not being Italian once they’d spoken to him, but he didn’t voice the question aloud. His eyes lit up at her excited response to what he had been reading—or attempting to read. He was used to getting a vague look and ‘oh, that’s nice’, but Kathryn seemed genuinely interested in it. “Yes!” he agreed enthusiastically, his whole demeanour shifting almost instantly in his excitement, as if the change of focus had caused him to forget his concerns and sceptical thoughts entirely. “Please, I’m sure it wouldn’t bore me at all. I don’t get to discuss this stuff nearly as often as I’d like. My aunt is a devout Catholic and she’d probably throw me out of the house for blasphemy,” he said with a grin.

His smile faltered slightly at her joke about grimoires, giving a small, awkward laugh. He wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not, given all the other strange things happening around here, he didn’t know what to believe anymore. Luckily, the daughter of Hecate moved on relatively quickly. She didn’t seem the type to let awkward silences linger in the air and he appreciated that.

What came next seemed almost inevitable; apologies for things that were beyond anyone’s control. He grimaced, sweeping a glance around the snow covered ground at her gesture, as if he didn’t already know it was there. “Yeah, it’s...it’s…” He was avoiding looking in the direction of the Big House or the woods, dark eyes glued to the ground, then back to Kathryn’s face. “I’ve never actually been to New York, but I take it this isn’t your typical summer weather?” Part of him wished she’d say it was, that at least this could be one less out of the ordinary thing, but he knew it wasn’t. He missed the sun. He missed it almost as much as every single other thing he was away from, everything about his home. Mostly just the fact that it wasn’t here.

Tori raised an eyebrow at the mention of the snow goddess. So maybe it wasn’t all beyond anyone’s control. “Do they usually have bones to pick with you?” He barely noticed that he wasn’t referring to himself in the statement. He didn’t exactly consider himself to be part of whatever was going on here. “I thought this was supposed to be...they’re your—our—parents aren’t they? Is this some kind of domestic dispute or something?” He frowned as she continued, not feeling that he had enough information to speculate on anything, but she seemed to be quite sure of what she was saying. He considered the concept of spies for a moment, it seemed almost comically dull in the face of everything else that had been thrown at him within the last day and a half. Vittorio nodded at the mention of the claiming. He’d heard about it. He hadn’t really understood it, but the words had been said around him. “Yeah...I guess,” he agreed, having no reason not to. “But would they really want to make a statement like that if they were working together? Wouldn’t the uh...snow goddess want to keep it a secret?”

━━━ 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞

[✿]16|he/him|Iris|Big House ruins|tags: Dahlia, quest group

Jamie let out a laugh as she threw more taunts his way, the sound coming out a little higher than usual in his nervousness. He wasn’t used to riding Pegasi, and a race was not the way he’d planned to adjust. The moment of amusement was short lived as Dahlia’s mount screeched to a halt, catapulting her off into the snow. His eyes widened in shock and he pulled back on the reins, a little more carefully than was actually necessary after witnessing the abrupt dismounting, not wanting to resign himself to the same fate. “Are you okay?” he called back to her, quickly sliding down from his pegasus and jogging over, holding out a hand to help her up. He cracked a smile at the comment, shaking his head. “I think we should call it a draw. Your steed was clearly working against you. You would’ve won otherwise.”

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: En Route to Big House Ruins|Tags: Aiden|

Movement broke Mirabelle out of her tumultuous thoughts. Aiden. The whole reason she was still standing around in the cold in the first place. He's done with his farewells, it seems. She couldn't deny that a piece of her heart sank with that knowledge. She was eager to get to the bottom of this, yes, but part of her longed to stay in camp and provide what support she could in the wake of catastrophe. The best thing you can do for them right now is leave, she reminded herself. Solve this problem so they can go back to worrying about more mundane things.
"Come on, Firefly, let's go." Rather than mount up and leave Aiden in her dust, she tugged on the mare's reigns and led her towards the pile of rubble where the Big House once stood.
She caught up with Aiden quickly; her long legs closing the distance between them even at a casual pace. Memories of their most recent interaction churned the sea of her mind. I don't like how we left things. Me shouting at everyone, then running off like a coward... Her teeth worried at the soft flesh of her cheek. I should set things straight.
A soft clearing of her throat was hopefully enough to garner Aiden's attention. She took a short breath before she started speaking, not fully trusting herself to meet the younger boy's gaze. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to yell like that and then just vanish into the woods."

|⟡|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Cabin 3|Tags: Hu, Caspia|

Juliet's head swiveled towards Caspia when she spoke up. I totally didn't forget that she was there. What? Pfff. That's rediculous. The daughter of Poseidon's words hit like a sucker-punch to the gut. She had almost forgotten how new Caspia was to all of this. She got here this morning, she recalled. Crap. That means I have to tell her about all the stuff that went down. Unease squirmed in Juliet's gut. She was never great at breaking bad news, and this was the worst information she'd ever had to give.
"Uh... yeah," she started, "about that..." Woman up, Jules. Come on. You got this. "So you can probably guess that it's not normal for it to snow in summer. This crap started up yesterday, and it just keeps on coming." She shot the new girl a wry look. "From what I heard, some crazy snow goddess is out to get us. No clue why." The daughter of Hermes shrugged offhandedly. "But yeah, she killed uh... seventeen people last night? Snow collapsed the Big House roof. That was the pile of rubble you probably saw on the way in." The way she spoke was so casual, as if it was no big deal. In reality, the words left a sour taste in her mouth. "Oh no wait! Eighteen. Some dude got lost in the woods, I think."
Juliet nearly sighed in relief at the next question out of Caspia's mouth: "uhm, who's lilah?"
"Oh, she's the Hypnos cabin's head counselor," the wiry girl explained. "She's actually pretty cool though. A little touchy-feely and stuff, but super nice. The kind of person to hug you to death." She tossed a hand through her dirty blonde hair, making her messy ponytail swish as she spoke. "Oh, and she has these really cool wings. That's not something you see every day. But the reason I mentioned her is because she can make someone fall asleep like that." She held up her fingers and snapped for emphasis. "It's super useful for pranks."

|☽|Kathryn Blackwood|17|She/Her|Hecate|Location: Outside Cabin 11|Vittorio|

Perhaps this one isn't so bad. It was rare that Kathryn found someone who shared her interests in theology. Despite being in a camp full of literal half-gods, most tended to avoid the subject. Mommy and daddy issues, mostly. She knew a good deal of the other demigods hated their godly parent for one reason or another. She was one of the few who had never found a reason to dislike her own mother, despite the company Hecate normally kept. Hecuba was surprisingly not horrible, despite having been transfigured into a dog of all creatures. She wasn't the type to jump up and lick or get mud all over Kathryn's clothes, and that definitely counted for something. Gale the farting polecat, on the other hand... yeah. Not something Kathryn could tolerate for long.
Vittorio's face shaped into a grimace, drawing the brunt of her attention to the situation at hand. "Heavens no," she laughed. "If this was typical New York summer weather, I would've moved to Maui years ago; monsters or no." In truth, she was just being a bit dramatic as usual. She didn't really mind the snow all that much; not when she could just perform a heating spell on herself to keep her warm. It was a bit of a nuisance for walking, however - the places where it hadn't been patted down by persistent footfalls were treacherous at best.
Kathryn's mouth twitched up in a partial smile at Vittorio's eyebrow-raise. She'd piqued his interest, she could tell. Good. Maybe we're getting somewhere after all. She couldn't help but notice his use of the word "you" instead of "us" in his sentence. Poor, poor newbie; hasn't accepted his fate yet. She almost wanted to laugh, but she held back the urge behind a mask of sweetness. "Oh honey, you have so much to learn." She tutted, shaking her head. "If only it were that simple. You see, during the Second Giant War, when Gaia threatened our existence, some of the gods sided with her. The snow goddess Khione was one of those few. A group of demigods managed to best her, and she's held a grudge against Camp Half-Blood ever since. Or that's what I've heard." Her dark eyes glittered with satisfaction. This was one rumour that didn't need embellishing. And was it even a rumour anymore if it was true? Nonetheless, it didn't really matter. "Even before then, I heard she was angry at the mortals for never worshipping her in the past. I heard that's why she joined up with Gaia in the first place."
Kathryn internally deflated a bit at Vittorio's next words, though she couldn't deny he had a point. Aw, logic. Sooo not fun. "Maybe..." she mused, tapping a finger against the side of her face. "Or maybe, that's just what she wants us to think. Rumour has it that she's a crafty one." She almost had to admire the snow goddess for that. The way she had pulled the gods' strings in the Second Giant War... oh, that was marvelous work there. It reminded her a bit of her stepmother. "A piece of advice, Tori... be careful who you trust, especially now. You never know who has a knife to your back."


|❀|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Outside Bathrooms|Tags: Jude|

Chuck wrapped his long arms around Jude, returning her tight embrace with a similar level of desperation. He could feel her warm tears through the layers of fabric he wore, but he didn't mind whatsoever. If anything, it was a bit of a relief to see someone emoting so freely after the horrible events of the previous night. Everyone else Chuck had talked to seemed repressed in one way or another. Even Mira, but that was nothing new for her. He rubbed Jude's back; as much to comfort himself as it was to comfort her.
Soon enough, she was pulling away again. Her deep breath was met by a shaky inhale of his own. "Y-Yeah. Uh, heaters sound like, totally groovy. It's uh - good to keep busy, during gnarly stuff. Uh. I think. I dunno." He scratched the back of his drying hair, forcing another tremulous breath through his lungs. "Planting flowers; word. I'd dig that. I'd like, dig that like, a lot." It reminded him of the way satyrs were reincarnated into plants when they died. Though he knew that wasn't the case for demigods, it was a nice thought - planting a flower that represented each of the fallen campers. Chamomile would fit well for Dara... maybe poppy for Mary. Perhaps they'd ask around, get to know what each person's favourite flower was if they had one.
Jude's voice broke him out of his morose thoughts of botany. "Like, right on," he agreed softly. "Help everyone feel like, safe. Like, yeah. Safe." Camp was supposed to be a safe place. It was supposed to be a shelter from a world filled with monsters. But now... that safe place was shattered. Tainted red with tragedy and grief. Despite the snow cascading from the sky, the air felt too still, somehow. We can have a really big cry, after this is all over. It sounded good to Chuck; as good as crying could ever sound. Wait - hold up... reschedule!? Perhaps it was because all of his emotions were running on high. Perhaps it was the absurdity of the phrase itself. Perhaps it was due to his general social awkwardness. Whatever the reason, Chuck couldn't fight the sharp, bleating guffaw that escaped him. "Oh man, reschedule? You like, totally sound like we're talking about like, an office meeting or something." He blinked to clear the tears from his eyes, though he wasn't sure if they had been brought on by the sudden laughter or his turbulent emotions. "Like, yeah. Yeah, we can like, totally reschedule." Another little giggle escaped him until he was sure he was done. A breath filled his lungs, drawn in from his nose and out through his mouth. What Jude was saying... he would have to be strong for the other campers. I'm uh, not sure I can do that. Mira was always the strong one; the calm in any crisis. Come to think of it, he didn't think he'd seen her shed a single tear at the campfire. But I can't like, bottle it all up like she does. Like, totally not healthy, man. I'll just like, have to find an outlet or something. Like, yeah, an outlet.


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

"Our gods are very different from theirs," Zahra murmured. "While there are similarities, the Greek and Roman gods are two heads of the same coin, so to speak - not ours." Did their Nome teach them nothing!? They bit back the venomous words as soon as she recognised them for what they were - not her own. Sekhmet's rage flared inside of them, threatening to claw its way out of her chest. They took a quiet breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth. The anger simmered beneath her skin before it dissipated. We do not bite adolescents, she reminded themself. Perhaps the word 'snap at' would've fit better, but some things got lost in translation even after all Zahra's years amongst native English speakers.
"Hermes and Athena," they mused aloud. "Which... cabins? Yes, cabins. Which cabins are those?" There were so many buildings, it was natural for Zahra to be a bit confused. Talking with teenagers outside of a teaching role was not something she was used to, and it showed. Besides, wouldn't the adolescents think it odd that a seemingly thirty-something-year-old person was poking around in their business? "Perhaps... perhaps you and Jay do most of the investigating, yes?" they suggested. "I am... uncertain how well the demigods would open up to a person like me - older, and a stranger to them. You two have spent time here, yes? It would be better - easier - for them to talk to someone their age, I believe." She shifted on their feet, absently brushing some fallen snow off of her leather jacket. "Perhaps I will seek out the other lioness. The one who led me to Effendi Chiron. She seems to have a good head. Intelligent." Not only that, but Laika was someone in Zahra's perceived age bracket - she would feel much less awkward talking with another adult. The fierce woman wouldn't be difficult to find; they had caught her scent upon their first meeting earlier that day.

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

[♠]17|he/him|Ares (unclaimed)|outside Cabin 11|tags: Kathryn

His expression softened a little when she laughed. He couldn’t be disappointed by the response she gave, considering it was the one he’d been expecting, but that didn’t make it any better. It was bad enough that his aunt and uncle had sent him away to some strange place he wasn’t even sure they knew much about, but now he was being told things were happening in that strange place that were even stranger than they were supposed to be. If he thought about it anymore he was going to give himself a headache. “Maui doesn’t sound like such a bad idea right now,” he mused, pulling his jacket around himself a little tighter.

His expression shifted at her response to the question, eyes narrowing at the patronizing tone. She was being friendly, from the very brief interaction they’d had so far she seemed like a sweet person, but he didn’t like that tone. He didn’t like having things explained to him as if he didn’t know anything about them—even if he didn’t. Regardless of the slight irritation that had begun creeping its way into his head, he listened to what she had to say intently, clinging to every word in his desperation to understand something.

“That’s…” he faltered, struggling to process the abundance of information being thrown at him. “Wait, the second giant war? You’ve had more than one giant war? How have I never heard about this?” He shook his head, brow furrowing in frustration as he attempted to piece an image together in his brain. “Threatened...isn’t Gaia like...Mother Earth? And she was…” It was a lot. Everything that had happened since the attack in the alleyway had been a lot, but it was getting to a point where Vittorio thought he might just be losing his mind. Maybe that man had hit him the first time—maybe he’d hit him hard enough to knock him out, and all of this was just one big, elaborate fever dream made up by his comatose brain.

“Right, so...bit of an attention freak with anger issues.” He could relate to half of that. One hand was absently twisting the ruby ring on his finger, an action that usually came about when he was deep in thought. He returned his gaze to Kathryn when she spoke again, proposing psychological manipulation from the goddess of snow. He raised an eyebrow, mulling the thought over in his head. “Maybe.” He hadn’t meant to get sucked back into the conversation. He’d been annoyed, but his curiosity was getting the better of him now, the opportunity to conspire about things he barely understood overriding any other impulses he may have had.

“Rumour...you’re fond of that word, aren’t you?” The question came out without him really thinking about it, accompanied by a look that may have been a challenge. He’d caught onto the pattern of the way she spoke rather quickly. He wouldn’t hold it against her, he wasn’t a fan of gossip himself, but the things she had to say were interesting, to say the least. Then came the advice. He was mildly surprised at the words, seeming to be the exact opposite of what little information he’d been given about camp prior, but he didn’t find them hard to believe. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he replied with a nod, the corner of his lip quirking in a forced smile. He wasn’t sure that he needed to be told to be careful who he trusted. He wasn’t sure he trusted anyone who ran around talking about godly parents and monsters and giant wars, but he assumed she meant well.

━━━ 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞

[✿]16|he/him|Iris|Big House ruins|tags: Dahlia, quest group

Jamie let out a laugh as she threw more taunts his way, the sound coming out a little higher than usual in his nervousness. He wasn’t used to riding Pegasi, and a race was not the way he’d planned to adjust. The moment of amusement was short lived as Dahlia’s mount screeched to a halt, catapulting her off into the snow. His eyes widened in shock and he pulled back on the reins, a little more carefully than was actually necessary after witnessing the abrupt dismounting, not wanting to resign himself to the same fate. “Are you okay?” he called back to her, quickly sliding down from his pegasus and jogging over, holding out a hand to help her up. He cracked a smile at the comment, shaking his head. “I think we should call it a draw. Your steed was clearly working against you. You would’ve won otherwise.”

[norvina!]

(anastasia yahontov;14;khione;open)

anastasia lazed around her cabin, her mind unable to stop racing as the events of last night and the snow played in her mind terrorizing her mind. she sighed, running a hold hand through her gingery locks. deciding to head out she slid on one of her hoodies. lacing up her boots she walked outside. the cold air was welcoming, enveloping her almost comfortingly. she took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. she noticed a gathering near the stables as she walked 'ah, I almost forgot the questers were leaving.' she noted, wondering if anyone would want to say a goodbye to her 'thats just a bother.' she shrugged that thought off, continuing to focus on her thoughts as she walked

[tawneypelt0504]

Cassandra Peters|19|Hermes|Head Counselor|Demi-bisexual|Loc:Woods|Tags/Mentions:Edgar,Auggie,open
"Thanks" Cass replied giving Auggie a small tight-lipped smile knowing how awkward the situation was. Cass then turned around and settled herself down against a tree nearby making sure to give Auggie space since Cass was the one intruding. Auggie seemed to be okay with her presence at the moment at least Cass assumed so since Auggie hadn't responded with her usual snark. Cass gently began petting Edgar before answering "Hmm oh Edgar just hangs around cause I feed him and give him attention" Cass responded with a shrug still petting Edgar while he coaked in a way that sounded like a purr "He'll also get me little presents as well like beads, rocks, feathers, sticks, string, heck he's given me some money a few times ". Cass had met Edgar during her first year at camp he was hanging around the dining pavilion after lunch looking for scraps and since Cass had some leftover sandwich she had tossed a few bits in his direction. Over time they developed a system where Cass would wait for him after meals and give him some of her leftovers. Edgar eventually started giving her things in return and would follow her around, eventually riding on her shoulder for easier access to treats as well as some attention. Although Cass complained about Edgar being a bit of a brat she still loved him dearly and he had really helped her while she settled in."I have some nuts in my pocket if you want to feed him" Cass offered turning to Auggie with a small smile. Cass wasn't exactly expecting Auggie to say yes but it didn't hurt to ask.

Jack Morrison|18|Demeter|Pansexual|Loc:Dining Pavilion|Tags/mentions:Hank,Aiden,Relia,Open
Jack watched as Hank and Aiden said their goodbyes he had moved out of the way to give them some privacy and to keep from interrupting them. He began to think about home again hopefully the snow wouldn't mess up their orchard too bad although those apple trees were pretty hardy and at least with the cold they wouldn't need to worry so much about bugs. Jack suddenly remembered the beehives in the woods. He hoped that the satyrs and nymphs had taken care of them but he made a mental note to check with them later. Jack was brought out of his thoughts with a gentle tap on his shoulder he looked over to see Aurelia "Oh hey Relia how's it going" Jack beamed back at the Aphrodite. Jack was glad to see her she was always really sweet and he enjoyed seeing her when he came back to camp. Jack squinted his eyes in concern at Relia's bright red cheeks "Are you cold" he asked "Here you can use my scarf if you want" Jack then pulled his knitted scarf off his neck and held it out towards her.

[FerretMonarch]

Sa'd Salam • 17 •Transmale (they/them) • Bisexual • Host of Set• location: behind cabins•tag: Jay, Zahra

"Ah. That does make sense I suppose. So does that mean they take turns?" Sa'd asked with a small tilt of their head.

"Umm a-are you okay?" Sa'd asked fiddling with the hem of their shirt.
"Athena is there and Hermes there." Sa'd said pointing at the respective cabins.

Sa'd nodded without saying a word; they were afraid of what would be said if they knew that Sa'd was rather new himself

Ai Uragirimono•18•nonbinary (they/them)• Gay•child of Loki•Location: Hermes cabin• tags: open

Ai sighed quietly before looking at where they were. The camp was weird and quiet compared to the hotel. They silently wondered where the Hermes cabin was, but didnt ask anyone. They sighed again a bit louder this time before turning into a hyena and walked towards the bearest cabin unaware that it was cabin 3

[takara]

☂ | 𝙾𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚁𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜
| 16 | She/her | Aphrodite/Cabin 10 | Location: Between Big House ruins and creek--> lake | tags: Aydan, Celeste | mentions: Mirabelle

Ophelia softened at her sister's statement. Gotta love the gods for keeping us in the loop.
"Yeah, it's," too much "A lot to take in. Can't say it'll be easy," the opposite, in fact "but it's...it's nice to finally know something. To know you're not going crazy," Ophelia's voice was shaking. She swallowed and blinked, hard, trying to focus on the landscape before her rather than the visions in her head.

She tucked her hands further into her sleeves, raising her shoulders as if the stance of a warrior would battle the chills within. Aydan responded to her with some quip or other, but she didn't have it in her to turn back and throw some more words at him. She trudged onward, fighting the urge to scan for one last glimpse of Mira. You'll see her again. There is no rush. Head down, don't think too much and she'll be back sooner than you know.

She dragged her feet to cut a path. It was really more so that she could feel the icy fragments as it found the seam between her boots and her jeans and turned to slush. Stay here, you can cry later, I promise. It was a lie. Later she'd be in her cabin, comforting a dramatically sobbing Meg. Not to mention that damn brother of mine. She frowned, the expression looking a good deal sharper when paired with her squinted eyes to fend off the fat flakes.

The lake was ahead of them, that she was sure of. But she didn't dare seek it out with her eyes less a certain mistiness escape them.