Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Big House Ruins --> Camp Border|Tags: Quest Group|

Mirabelle's heart gave a small twinge of nervousness as Karter crested the hill, pegasus in tow. We're all here now. Time to go. She was about to say as much when a sharp clap of thunder made her body stiffen. She cast a worried glace up at the sky, which had turned a shade darker than before. The snow was spilling down with more ferocity, she noted with a small frown. That's... odd. I wonder what that was about. She tugged on Firefly's reigns, turning to face the other campers. "We should leave before the weather gets any worse."
Even with the building snow, Firefly's footing never faltered. Jittery as she was around the group, it was reassuring to know she could trust her steed not to slip. When they reached the camp border, the dapple grey stopped in her tracks.
What the - aah!Mirabelle hung on for dear life as she balked, rearing up on her hind legs. A shrill whinny pierced the air; silvery wings flaring in alarm. Mirabelle could feel Firefly's flanks heaving beneath her.
"Shh, it's okay, it's okay." She stroked the mare's soft neck, trying in vain to calm her down. Firefly's pounding heartrate matched her own. Is it really okay? Firefly was a sentinel mare; she knew that. The pegasus was always one of the first to sense danger in the herd, and one of the first to warn the other horses about it. Perhaps she had noticed something the demigods couldn't see? Chiron did say to be careful leaving camp, she recalled. Something about monsters sighted by the borders... If Firefly's wide eyes and flaring nostrils were any indicator, their enemies might have been closer than they'd thought.


|⟡|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Dining Pavilion; Hermes Table|Tags: Vittorio|

Juliet gasped dramatically, clutching a hand over her heart. "You haven't been initiated yet? Oh no! You can't be a full camper here unless you go through the ritual!" Her hazel eyes flickered over to the Ares table, but it seemed they were too busy yelling at each other to aid her in her scheme for the time being. "Don't worry, newbie," she snorted, turning back to the boy. "It's nothing as crazy as that. Usually the Ares cabin initiates the new campers, but they seem busy. Don't wanna bother 'em, might get punched. I guess it's up to me." She flashed the new kid a lopsided smile. Juliet payed no mind to the thunder that shook the heavens, shrugging it off as another side effect of the insane weather. "Are you done eating? 'cause I'm almost finished. I can start your initiation after we eat If ya want."


|☽|Kathryn Blackwood|17|She/Her|Hecate|Location: Cabin 7|Tags: Lucy, Orin, Auggie, Felix, Hank|

A loud 'pop' sounded as every light in the cabin surged and flickered off. A rolling peal of thunder split the sky, nearly making Kathryn jump. Did he just - did he - A string of unsavory words ran through her mind as she realised what this meant. One look at Orin confirmed her fears. His spirit floated up out of his body. She locked eyes with him momentarily as he began to fade away.
"I'm sorry, Orin," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."
For once in her life, Kathryn Blackwood was completely genuine. She watched in shock and horror as his spectral form disintegrated, no doubt being pulled down to the Underworld where he belonged. No, she insisted. He doesn't belong there. He wasn't supposed to die, he wasn't - A sudden flash of memory clouded her vision. A card reading. The one she'd done just that morning. Holy - The death card. It was right there, right in front of her. The death card in my reading was literal. That was a first, she had to admit. When Death came up in the deck, it was often metaphorical - letting something go; moving on. But that day, of all days... And to have pulled it yesterday morning as well... It was too much of a coincidence. If I do a reading now, will Death show his skeletal face again? She couldn’t help but wonder.


|❀|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Dining Pavilion; Dionysus Table|Tags: Delilah|

Just as Delilah had assured him, Chiron was handling the situation. Chuck flashed her a grateful look. His expression shifted into that of utter glee when she offered him her salad; a wide grin writing itself across his face. "Totally! Like thanks, man!" He wasted no time in wolfing down the leafy greens.
A boom of thunder shook the sky, making Chuck jump out of his skin. He nearly swallowed his fork in his moment of terror. The satyr cast a nervous glance around, but he couldn't see any lightning. Just the snow streaming down from the sky. Did like, it start snowing harder? It was difficult to tell from where he was sitting. A big blue tarp stretched across the roof of the usually open-air building, steepled to keep the snow from accumulating. Unfortunately, it also obscured his view of the greying empyrean.


|⊙|Zahra Al-Amin|217/Looks 32|She/They|Magician; Eye of Sekhmet|Location: Cabin 8|Tags: Laika|

"No need to knock, just come in."
Zahra carefully opened the door, slipping inside so not to let the cold air penetrate the room. Just because she couldn't feel the cold much themself didn't mean the woman sitting before her wouldn't get chilled. "I apologise for the intrusion," the magician stated softly. If they didn't know any better, she would have thought the woman was studying for an exam or a paper. Notes littered the desk she was sitting at, piled in organised stacks beside her.
Zahra didn't have to be an expert in perception to notice the scar curling from the woman's left ear down her neck. The same scar the pale lioness wore. It should have been more surprising to find that the lioness was in fact a woman as well, but Zahra couldn't say they hadn't suspected it. Magic or no, Lions weren't native to the United States. It would have been rather odd to see one who was not a mythological creature, animal charmer, or exotic pet of some sort.
"I was hoping we could have talk about goings-on." The English was a little clumsy on her part, she had to admit. They hoped it got her point across well enough. "Perhaps share information with one another." It was a stretch, Zahra knew. Asking this sharp figure to trust them in that manner. Still, she was beginning to grow desperate. I cannot leave my Nome - the gods - my family for much longer on their own against the Ogdoad.

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬

[✩]17|she/her|Hades|Head counsellor|Cabin Seven|tags: Orin, Felix, Kathryn, Lucy, Hank

Auggie didn’t notice the other campers she passed when she stepped out of the cabin, barely noticed the cold biting against her arms and barely missed the jacket she’d given up moments before. She set off towards Cabin One, tunnel vision after the initial glance back, on a mission to get the phone and get back as quickly as she could. She barely gave a warning knock before letting herself into the Zeus cabin, crossing over to the bunk she knew was Orin’s and pulling open the drawer. The cellphone was found relatively quickly, sitting on top, and she was about to close the drawer and head back when the surge hit—a blinding flash of light, then immediate darkness, thunder growling in the distance. “Oh sh—“

She raced back towards Cabin Seven, feet flying across the icy ground, the phone clutched tightly in her own icy grip. The door swung open, one glance at the scene she’d walked into and she froze, heart dropping into her stomach. For a moment, all she could do was stand there. She’d wanted time to freeze, to slow down, and for a second it felt like it had, like everything had just stopped, like the world had been knocked off its axis. Then it all came rushing back to her, making her head spin as gravity regained it’s hold.

“No. No no no no no.” She stepped forward numbly, legs no longer connected to her brain. “He’s not...he can’t…” She was barely aware of the others in the room, barely aware of the strained sound in her voice or the blurring of her vision or the fact that she shouldn’t have let that happen in front of anyone. Her gaze flickered to Felix briefly, the pain on his face like a fresh knife to the chest. A pleading look, not asking for an explanation really, but hoping for one. Hoping for the punchline. The part where everyone started laughing and explained that it had all been some kind of sick joke and she could just be mad at them. Just threaten and intimidate and punch her way out of it like she always did. But nobody did. Nobody moved. And she was defenseless.

“Felix, he can’t…” The words wouldn’t come out. She reached towards Orin’s other hand, catching her own frost covered fingertips a moment before they made contact and pulling back. Her legs wouldn’t hold her up anymore, knees colliding hard with the floor as she went down. Everything was moving past her, the clock was ticking, the snow was falling, but it felt like everything had stopped. She wasn’t breathing anymore. She didn’t think that she was breathing. “You weren’t supposed to— you’re not allowed to— you can’t just—“ The broken pieces of sentences came out between harsh, shuddering breaths that felt like they were scraping against her throat. Everything was spinning, a high pitched ringing in her ears that usually accompanied the frost on her hands and wasn’t failing now. Then the final pieces of the mask fell away, descending into sobs as the tears finally spilled out.

━━━ 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

[♠]16|he/him|Ares (unclaimed)|Dining Pavilion, Hermes table|tags: Juliet

Vittorio raised his eyebrows at the dramatics, which seemed a bit unnecessary but if she was going to try to trick him into an ‘initiation ceremony’ he supposed dramatics were to be expected. He wasn’t going to try to act concerned about not being a ‘full camper’. He’d never been the best actor and he really couldn't fake away how much he didn’t want to be here, but he at least didn’t question her. “Right…” A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Really? I don’t think they’d have any reason to punch you.” The words were spoken innocently enough, accompanied by a little smile, but there were undertones of sarcasm slipped in.

He was briefly distracted by the rumble of thunder above them, glancing up at the sky with a concerned expression before looking back at the daughter of Hermes. “Uh...yeah,” He glanced at his plate, it was mostly finished, but he’d lost his appetite after watching the fight break out anyways. “Yeah, sure.” He wasn’t sure what to expect from this girl, what she could possibly have planned as an initiation ceremony, but she seemed crafty, so he knew he’d have to be careful playing along. “Thanks,” he added as an afterthought, thinking his compliance would be more believable if he acted naive.

[*Lovel*]

▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀Emerson "Emmie" Grey ▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀

Daughter of Zeus ☂ Cabin 1 ☂ 16 ☂ Heterosexual

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Tags: Nathaniel (Honorable mention: Orin)
Location: Strawberry Fields

"Definitely, we'll figure the plants out once the questers come back. No need to worry too much about it right now." She said offering a reassuring squeeze of his hand. She looked Nathaniel up and down "You look great, no need for that kind of talk." She smiled away the nerves she got immediately after she had realized what she had just said especially when he said it was cause he needed it as a way to wake himself up. "I'm a bit hungry, I haven't eaten anything today. Skipped breakfast for training." She smirked. She tended to skip meals due to focusing on training so this wasn't an odd thing for her. Emmie watched as he made her a daisy crown which he gently placed on her head. At this rate daisies would become her favorite flower, she hadn't thought much about what her favorite flower would be but now she may have to settle on daisies. "Thank you" She whispered softly, a slight blush creeping up to her cheeks.

Something was bothering him, what could it be? Had he wanted her to say she had some odd dreams. She would say that if it made him feel better but then she'd be lying. She couldn't lie to him. "What's wrong Nathaniel?" She decided to ask. Summer plans, fireworks? Those all seemed like far away dreams the way he made it sound."I'll make it happen." She said, determined to make his summer dreams be a reality. Before she could dive into it more there was a surge of electricity before it ceased. Something was wrong, something with one of her siblings. "Nathaniel, we have to find Orin. Somethings wrong." She said almost frantic. She didn't know what was wrong but there was no mistaking what had just happened. She felt her anxiety and panic grow with every second. One of her siblings, her family, were in danger or worse. Then the Thunder clap seemed to confirm her dread. "Nathaniel, Orin. Now." She said between hitched breaths. The panic was tightening her chest making it hard to breath, think, even make a coherent sentence. She grabbed onto Nathaniel with both hands. How tight she didn't know, she just needed to get the point across.

[sweet.peaches~]

nathaniel 'nathan' hart | 14 | he/him | demeter | location: strawberry fields | tags: emmie
He appreciated the kind gesture from Emerson. "Thank you," he sighed in relief. "That makes me feel a lot better." His cheeks turned red; he hadn't been expecting a compliment of any kind. Nathan was usually the one who praised others. "Oh- uh," he blinked. "Thanks. Wouldn't have thought." It had been more than once that he'd expressed gratitude to Emmie. He wondered, Is this gonna be a normal thing between me and her? The thought brought a little smile to his face. He nodded, "Lunch sounds good then." He had a small desire to scold her for not eating the 'most important meal of the day' as he called it, but it was a normal routine for Emerson. So Nathaniel let her be. And besides, he had skipped breakfast too. Knowing how much training she did, he knew she would be a powerful force against any enemies. He was glad to be her friend and not some monster she had to battle. He beamed seeing the daisy flower crown on her. "No problem. Looks good on you. Daisies really flatter you," he commented.

"Hm?" He didn't notice her question at first. "Ah, right." Nathan placed his hand on his neck. "Just had a weird nightmare, that's all," he calmly explained despite the shiver in his spine. "A blizzard thrust everyone away." He hadn't mentioned the little details that made it even more frightening - hearing his friends scream out his name yet he was completely frozen in place, seeing them try to fight against the strong cold winds, and the horror on their faces. He usually faced the feeling of helplessness when he couldn't defend himself against bullies but when it came to protecting others, being helpless was not appreciated, in fact hated. "To be honest, yesterday's events were more scary," Nathaniel shrugged. "But I'm alright, don't worry about it." Her positive tone about getting the fireworks to happen cheered him up, but then again her presence had always made him happy. Having other people around, especially friends, were the joy of life in his opinion. "Then I'll be right there with you when it does."

"Are you- what happened to Orin?" he stammered. Although Nathan had never been too close to him, he had seen the guy many times as they both were head counselors. If something was wrong.. He hated seeing Emerson so panicked and frightened, so lost. As soon as he heard the thunderclap, Nathaniel knew she had to be right about whatever was happening. He understood how important this was to her when he had grasped both his hands tight. "Okay, okay," he quickly responded. Nathaniel wandered farther away from the strawberry fields, not quite out but not quite deep inside either. "Where is he? Do you know if he's in the diving pavilion or the Zeus cabin? Or somewhere else?" Nathan asked, trying his best not to waste any time. Hang in there, Orin! We'll get you out of any danger you're in, unless.. He shook his head. No, it can't be. It wouldn't help to think negatively - right now he was busy.

[takara]

☂ | 𝙾𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚊 𝚁𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜
| 16 | She/her | Aphrodite/Cabin 10 | Location: Lake---> Dining Pavilion | tags: Aydan | mentions:

Ophelia shrugged uneasily. "I'll be going." She said flatly. On the one hand, she wanted him to stay near her, bur on the other she wanted to go somewhere quiet and deal with the things she didn't feel like feeling. And being near him would make those emotions go haywire. She gave him an apologetic smile, then turned and made off toward food, drink, and blessed warmth. Her feet wanted to drag in the snow, to take root like the dead weight they were becoming. She trudged faster, trying not to mull over how they would feel when that wore off.

I bet it wouldn't be so cold with Aydan's hand in yours, she gritted her teeth. I wonder what's worth more, the hand of a Khione kid, or the heart of an Aphrodite kid. Her hands balled into fists, which she noticed due to this removing them from the fabric of her sleeves. She curled them back into safety quickly.

She was passing by the bathrooms when it happened. A surge of energy threw all the lights on, showering warm hues onto the snow as the flood lights poured out. Then it was gone, and the lack of lights made it look somber. Thunder crashed in the distance, causing Ophelia to nearly jump out of her skin. Then she was gulping in the cold air like a fish, the alarm bells in her head spilling into her sinking stomach. Wrong. Something's wrong. She flicked out her shield and rushed toward the dining pavilion, coming in from the side to survey the area before diving in.

➹ | 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 "𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐤" 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫
| 17 | He/him | Apollo/Cabin 7 Head Counselor | Location: Cabin 7 | tags: [Izzy], Lucy, Orin, Kathryn, Felix [NPC]

Hank shifted away from the bed and stood, unprepared for the scene before him. This is a time when I'm sure Dante would know what to do, pity he's not here. Felix had handed Orin the pastry, but it only confirmed what he already knew when he shoved it aside. He nodded dumbly at Orin's lame excuse, eagerly moving his attentions to the door when it creaked, admitting Lucy and a dark haired Hecate kid that Hank tended to avoid for general health and safety. His brow creased. Lucy shouldn't be hanging with her, she's--

The lights flickered, then went full blast. He blinked owlishly in the brightness, but it was gone as fast as it had happened. Thunder roared in the distance, but it was late, too late to be any use to Orin. "-wanted to have a good time, to pretend" Felix was saying, his words breaking the silence in the thunder's wake. "And he did. He had a good time." Hank ground out, glaring at Felix, then flicking it over the girls, as if waiting to be challenged. Gods, when did I become so chill about death? He wanted to throttle Felix, to crush him into feeling his anger, but when he looked to his face, the look on it was as tormented as he felt. Hank couldn't fight that. Had he not seen for himself, he wouldn't even believe than Orin was no more, the larger than life Lofty no longer...

Tears stabbed at his eyes. He needed to move, to get somewhere. He took a step, swaying before he course corrected, then another, rushing for the door as if it was a lifeline. His voice shuttered out softly, not wanting to disturb this. "Excuse me, I need to..." What do I need to do? There was something important lingering at the edge of his mind, a necessary thing. "Chiron?" It came out like a question, but he was already halfway through the door, tugging Izzy along with him. He shuffled it closed behind him, then stared blankly out at the snow, his whole mind out of focus.

☘ | 𝕁𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕣 "𝕁𝕖𝕟" ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕕
| 16 | She/they | Demeter/Cabin 4 | Location: Outside --> Dining Pavilion | tags: Ai | mentions:

Jen absently undid her false bootlace and let Jimmy-the-magic-worm snake around her leggings as she waited on the haphazard Norse kid. It was probably a form of rude to single him out like that, but it did make identifying him undeniably easier. They kicked at the ground with the other foot, shoving away the snow to reveal a layer of frozen grass. Bracing for the chill, they reached a hand down and touched it, letting it wilt into dust so they could get at the stiff soil beneath. Jen let Jimmy slip down to consider it, but he appeared to have the good sense to refrain from snacking at the moment. She applauded him for it, as it wasn't always easy being the only one with common sense, and allowed him to slip back into a form of lacing on her boot as Ai made his entrance.

The boisterious kid was already shouting at her, and she tried to keep a straight face as they watched him drift in and out of human form. I guess that will tune down the chatter then. She had turned to lead, offering an arm to Ai should he choose to take it. "Can you control that at all?" They gestured at him. "Because I know a few" all "nymphs who won't take kindly to suprises, and they're the ones serving us so..." You should turn it off if you want to eat without a mass panic. They've seen everything before with demigods, yet still manage to be the jumpiest beings around.

[rabbit_with_a_fedora]

.

✵ 𝐋 𝐀 𝐈 𝐊 𝐀--𝐊 𝐑 𝐈 𝐄 𝐆 𝐄 𝐑 “𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐢 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐢 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐢”
────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ➸
❨ Mountie, navy admiral, hunter of Artemis ❩ ❨ lieutenant ❩ ❨ ♀/25 years/lived 97 ❩ ❨ Pluto ❩ ❨ tags: Zahra ❩ ©



Feeling the familiar breeze coming from an opened door, Laika glanced up. Her gaze settled on a familiar, fresh face, the one she recognized to be the same magician from earlier. Nodding curtly as Zahra spoke, Laika kept a careful eye on the newcomer's face. She seemed trustworthy enough, but then again there are a few talented actors out in the word. "I suppose that could be in order," Laika admitted, biting her tongue softly. She beckoned the magician to take a seat on a chair that sat on the other side of her desk. "Alright, Miss Al-Amin, let's first hear what you're aware of." She hoped it was wise not to reveal her knowledge first.

[*Lovel*]

▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀Emerson "Emmie" Grey ▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀

Daughter of Zeus ☂ Cabin 1 ☂ 16 ☂ Heterosexual

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Tags: Nathaniel
Location: Strawberry Fields

Was he blushing from what she said? Butterflies grew in Emerson's stomach at the thought. "No problem " She said with a smile. He seemed taken a back by the fact she had given him a compliment. Usually he was the one to dish out the compliment, so it was probably weird for him to get one. She saw a little smile form on his face which made her smile, she wondered what he was thinking that made him smile. The smile only grew as he saw her sport the flower crown. Daisies really flatter you. She heard him correctly? It's official, daisies we're officially her new favorite flower.

She frowned as he explained a little bit of his nightmare. There had to be more to it than what he was telling. Should she pry or let him open up about it more on his own? She decided on the latter."If you say you're alright ill take your word for it." She said looking toward the fields taking in the reds and greens all around them. The plump strawberries glittered in the sunlight from the light sheet of snow and frost covering them. She almost missed what he said, almost. "With me? Together?" She said softly turning to look at him. Her mind went through all the sappy romance movies she watches when she's sad. It'd probably be the perfect opportunity to tell him, but what if he just wanted to be friends and it made their friendship awkward. She groaned internally, so many decisions.

She could feel them moving but couldn't tell where they were in the fields. The chest pain was getting stronger, she was having a panic attack. Breathe Emerson, breathe. Focus on your steps. Count them. 1...2...3.. the pain was very slowly going away. At least it lessened enough for her to think. What did he ask? Where was Orin? Who was with Orin before he came to the cabin? Felix. Felix would know. "We need to find.... Felix..... He'll know." She said her breathing still jagged. She was relying on Nathaniel to keep her up, hopefully she wasn't leaning on him too much.

[Galeslash7]

Skylar Kakitid, 16 years old, Female, Daughter of Hecate, 7 year camper, Location: Big House Ruins, Tags: Open, Quest Group, Mentions: Mira, Aggy

Skylar swung on Void as everyone arrived. She patted the black mare and followed Mira, as she and her Pegasus sort of took the lead. Skylar looked towards Aggy, who seemed to still be making trouble, and hoped she saw that they were leaving. Aggy had seemed pretty confident so far on her Pegasus, but she was still new at it and there could be trouble ahead. The group trotted at a reasonable pace towards the border when Mira's Pegasus seemed to thrash a bit. The Pegasus looked extremely panicked and while Mira tried to calm her down, Skylar felt Void get antsy too because Mira's was. Void shuffled in place as they stopped and the daughter of Hecate attempted to reassure the black Pegasus. Skylar glanced at the other questers, seeing if they were having any problems too. There could be danger up ahead, the second they stepped out of borders. They should get to Laurel's aunt's house as quick as possible.

Bay Laurel, Immortal, Female, Drayd, Location: Cabin Circle, Tags: Open, Mentions: None

Bay Laurel walked back to the cabins after fixing her tree from freezing. She had found some nice plush straw to place around the base of it, to keep it from freezing and it was working well. Hopefully no dryad would freeze now with all the campers helping. Bay drifted a bit here and there, not sure what she should be doing. Every where looked so busy and she wanted to help, but she didn't know how. She twisted her green fingers into her dress and she looked around. Maybe she could comfort a camper or help at the Pavilion? She stood in the center of the cabin circle, feeling a bit lost as she stared at the busyness.

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Camp Border|Tags: Quest Group|

Firefly only seemed to grow more anxious as Mirabelle urged her towards the border once more. Casting a glance around, the daughter of Aphrodite noticed that hers wasn't the only steed who was frightened. Skylar's mare - Void, she recalled - seemed to be unsettled as well. There has to be something lurking past the border. She managed to catch Skylar's eye, conveying just how wary she herself was becoming with a simple look.
"If the pegasi are this nervous, there are probably monsters right outside the border," she informed the group. "We'll have to be very careful going out - remain as hidden as we can." She silently hoped her vanilla rose perfume would help to cover her scent.


|⟡|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Dining Pavilion; Hermes Table --> Outside Dining Pavilion|Tags: Vittorio; Ares NPCs|

Sarcasm was one language Juliet was fluent in, even if it was subtle. "Oh, I'm sure they wouldn't," she shot back doggedly. "It's not like they go around punching people for fun. Meatheads."
A characteristically smug smile tugged at Juliet's lips as the new guy uttered his compliance. I keep calling him 'new kid' or 'new dude'. The thought struck her that she hadn't formally introduced herself, nor asked his name. But she would probably forget it anyways. "I'm Juliet, by the way. Feel free to call me Jules. Most people do." Just not Julie. Never Julie. That nickname was reserved for her family alone. Still, the introduction would help to garner his trust. At least, she hoped it would.
Juliet scarfed down the remainder of her food before pushing herself to her feet. "Ready, kid? The special initiation building is this way. Follow me." She knew it was a mean trick to play, but the opportunity to give the newbie an Ares cabin special was too good to pass up. Speaking of the Ares cabin... As Juliet led the new camper out of the pavilion, she bumped shoulders with one of the Ares demigods. He was built like a brick house, with a face only a mother could love. "Hey, Gunner!" The only reason she remembered his name was because it sounded like something someone would name a dog. He was the same son of Ares who had paraded around with the snowman's head on his spear.
Gunner merely grunted in response, glaring down at her with his small mud-coloured eyes.
"I'm taking noob here for his official Camp Half-Blood initiation. Wanna come?"
Gunner's expression shifted from mild annoyance to one of menacing glee. "Hell yeah. Hey! Chris! Amy! JP's gonna initiate our new friend here!"
Two other children of Ares glanced up from the rather loud argument they had been having off to the side of the pavilion. At those words, they sprinted over to join the small group.
"Looks like we got ourselves a party, new kid," Juliet grinned, clapping the unclaimed demigod on the back. "Come on, let's go."


|☽|Kathryn Blackwood|17|She/Her|Hecate|Location: Cabin 7|Tags: Lucy, Orin, Auggie, Felix, Hank|

As Hank left in a shell-shocked hurry, a head of purple hair re-entered the door. Auggie, Kathryn noted with some disdain. But the prickly Hades Head Counselor was in no state to tell her off. All of her bitterness drained away as she laid eyes on Orin's lifeless form.
Kathryn had seen Auggie sulking. She'd seen Auggie angry. Never once had she seen her upset like this. Never. It was like... it was like the other girl was broken. Something deep inside of her had shattered beyond repair, spilling sharp little fragments all over the cabin floor. And Kathryn had no idea what to do.
Emotional situations weren't something she was unfamiliar with. Typically, she would offer a hug or reassuring pat on the shoulder, and a few words of comfort or advice. Maybe even a card reading if she was feeling more genuine. I'm not friends with Auggie - far from it. If I tried to comfort her now, she would probably punch me in the face. Something twisted in her shriveled heart. What is this feeling... is this guilt? Why do I feel guilty? This isn't my fault.
"How did this even happen?" Shouting at someone couldn't kill them, as far as Kathryn knew. She also realised people would be looking for someone to blame. Maybe not Felix; he seemed relatively levelheaded from everything she had heard. But Auggie would definitely want to maim the responsible party when she was done being a mess on the floor. If there is a responsible party. Kathryn enjoyed the blame game just as much as any drama-seeking leech should have. Is there anyone to blame, though? They could always blame the gods. That was an option. It didn't seem wise in light of the current situation, but it was something at least.


|❀|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Dining Pavilion; Dionysus Table|Tags: Delilah|

Just as Delilah had assured him, Chiron was handling the situation. Chuck flashed her a grateful look. His expression shifted into that of utter glee when she offered him her salad; a wide grin writing itself across his face. "Totally! Like thanks, man!" He wasted no time in wolfing down the leafy greens.
A boom of thunder shook the sky, making Chuck jump out of his skin. He nearly swallowed his fork in his moment of terror. The satyr cast a nervous glance around, but he couldn't see any lightning. Just the snow streaming down from the sky. Did like, it start snowing harder? It was difficult to tell from where he was sitting. A big blue tarp stretched across the roof of the usually open-air building, steepled to keep the snow from accumulating. Unfortunately, it also obscured his view of the greying empyrean.

|⊙|Zahra Al-Amin|217/Looks 32|She/They|Magician; Eye of Sekhmet|Location: Cabin 8|Tags: Laika|

Zahra took a seat where the woman had indicated, offering her a grateful smile. "I don't have much time, but I will share what I know." She could feel Sekhmet's influence inside of them; itching to plunge herself back into combat. Their Nome needed her. The Magicians needed her. They would have to make this brief.
"What I know is that an ancient force of Isfet - chaos - has awakened, and is set on destroying everything," Zahra explained. "Or... no, 'destroying' isn't the right word..." Silence enveloped them momentarily as she wracked her brain. "Eat! Yes, eat. No, absorb. Yes, that is correct." The thought crossed their mind that she should potentially be more careful with their information. But the woman - the lioness - had been helpful to her, in her own brusque way. And Chiron seemed to trust her... yes, perhaps it was okay. "They are called the Ogdoad. Eight gods of chaos, eight who had long been sleeping. I do not know what awakened them, nor why they are so angry. What I do know is that they have churned the Sea of Chaos into a frenzy. It is... expanding, I believe." They paused a moment to let it all sink in. "The Nomes have been getting attacked by demons consistently over the past week. I believe these to be connected to the Ogdoad and the Sea of Chaos; Isfet is growing in power. There have also been reports of something else, a... shadow? A creature, killing with a signature. Like a serial killer, but something not mortal. I have heard it is responsible for the slaughter of the Hundredth Nome... my heart is saddened by this news." Zahra's face was an open book; it was no surprise when pain and grief flashed across her graceful features. "I do not think any of these events are unrelated. Now, there is snow during summer, and I have heard a goddess may be involved. A politician exposing the Roman camp. It is too much a coincidence to be just that. There is a connection somewhere, but what?"

[sammy,]

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐳 ！！ x─────ix ♘
x──────i ii ares. iii eighteen. iiii tags: riley, open ivi mess hall - outside.

no argument from riley, then, most of her words coming as a defence, a strawman against what he knew was completely valid. he stood still, watched as she was rinsed by dionysus and chiron alike - though the latter seemed far more exhausted. when this finished, chiron turned to him.
the look on his face. he'd seen that before, the mess of disappointment and lack of surprise. like he had known, the moment that he was told that there was some kind of fight, that leo had found himself in the middle of it. he wondered if he knew about orin, if they had gone to him about that - he had anticipated it. it didn't appear so.
"leonidas,"
"yep," he answered. "we've already had this conversation, haven't we? so i'll just... i promise to try not to do it again, i'm really sorry, and i'm working on getting better. does that do?"
the centaur just frowned. made to say something, something that leo assumed he thought would be profound, but found himself interrupted.

the lights in the room shone like stars, just for a second, and then the crash of thunder. leo would have flinched, but managed to keep his cool. the centaur and the god looked between each other, one of them anxious, the other perplexed. "later," chiron promised, though leo knew it didn't really mean anything, and then they were out, speeding in a direction that leo couldn't place.

it hadn't been a worry. he had simply assumed it to be one of those things. and then he looked at riley, who was standing, suddenly gripped in the throes of panic, written all over her face, and something felt rather off. the room was holding its breath. they were waiting for an explanation that wasn't coming. in a mist of confusion, leo walked away, toward where the two authorities had left, and looked toward the cabins. a flash of purple, running toward number seven. that was auggie. and with a bit of cohesive thought, he figured that orin had been the source of the bang, but he couldn't reach the understanding as to why. how. he had been fine, and now the sky was rumbling with something that sounded like fury.
vittorio and juliet talking to his siblings - leo ignored it. he knew what was coming. considered warning the boy, but it would come of no good. someone pushed past him. people were going in the direction of cabin seven - leo did what he did best.

he walked in a different direction, and pretended that nothing was wrong.

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐱 ！！ x─────ix ♗
x──────i ii hephaestus. iii seventeen. iiii tags: open.
ivi mess hall - cabins - outside.

the confrontation had been rough. jude had ventured to tune it out, pretend that nothing was happening. it was none of her business. orin was her friend. she was on good terms with lucy. picking a side felt like a lost cause. if something had gone on while she wasn't around, then who was she to deny what the daughter of apollo seemed to so vehemently believe? a sandwich, there then gone, as the world seemed to shatter around them, and chaos took its hold.
but he was her friend, at the end of the day, and they had been close when they were younger. time had drifted them apart, but at the core, they were on good terms. and she liked him. so when the thunder clapped clave resonated, near rumbling the floor, and the lights beamed, the dread that she had pushed aside came back with a vengeance. she stood, ran - wasn't quite sure where her feet were going, but they moved regardless - and the cabins came into view. a light on in cabin seven, perhaps brighter than she was used to, and dionysus and chiron going in that direction, awfully slow, as though they knew what they would find and were trying to delay the revelation as much as they possibly could. that was not a world that jude had purchase in. she reached the door, which was ajar, and faces came into view.

felix. she hadn't said hello. and auggie, who was - auggie was on the floor, and she was crying, and lucy was there, and kathryn was there, and orin, though there, was somewhere else entirely.
it didn't take a genius to figure out where he had gone. and though his corporeal body had remained, it seemed the rest of his life essence had blown the fuses as it left. making an exit. jude couldn't say anything, wasn't sure what would be said anyway. a heat, dry and oppressive, in the pit of her stomach. this was more difficult to ignore. this was awful. this was something that she never wanted to feel, and her head felt like it was going to explode. "oh, gods," tumbled from her mouth, and she stepped back, nearly tumbling and falling in the snow. her hands were burning, and that was not figurative. a little flame on her pinky was growing larger, threatening a loss of control that she had not felt in a rather long time. eyes filled with tears, she turned, thinking that maybe if she just walked away, acted as though she hadn't seen anything, it wouldn't be real. that she would wake up on the plane or in the taxi and it all would have been an odd fever dream.

she wasn't waking up. her feet, imposters of her body, took her to the campfire, unlit, as the entirety of her right hand began to go up. it was mesmerising, hypnotic, and she stared at it, a sizzle sounding as a tear fell into its heat and evaporated. her chest was tight. she thought that she might be burning up entirely. that, in a few seconds, she'd be engulfed in a blaze entirely. it was all too much. it wasn't enough.

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐭. 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐱 ！！ x─────ix ♔
x──────i ii zeus. iii dead. iiii tags: n/a. ivi underworld.

"i'm sorry," felix said, though unsure of what he was apologising for, who he was apologising to. "i'm sorry. i'm so sorry." caught a glare from hank that he tried to ignore, because he had done his best, had tried very hard, but he had let himself believe the hope that he had falsely concocted. he didn't want to think about it, about anything. auggie collapsed. he would have moved toward her, but didn't want to let go of the hand in his, even if it wasn't holding his back. how did this even happen? a good question. "he wouldn't let me tell anyone," voice dull and thick. "haemorrhage. predisposed. i thought - i thought it would be... you know, he got into trouble. leo, earlier. i thought it would be that. and it wasn't. it was everything." he regretted it, now. not saying anything. if he had, then there would have been a chance. there would have always been a chance. "i should've - but i had a duty of care." a sharp breath in. he looked down. let go of the hand. looked at auggie, would've touched her if he hadn't known that he was the last person on the planet she wanted near him. "i had a duty of care." he stood. someone at the door, whispering to themselves, then running. "i'm going to go and tell chiron." fat lot of good that would do now.


-


there was a queue.
he didn't like queues. orin was impatient. a creature of nervous energy, always fiddling with something, always moving. queues made that difficult. no - the other people in queues made that difficult.
still, he had no idea what he was waiting for. it was a long line. one that would have rivalled that of a concert at the point of general admission, or the line to get into one of those big boeing planes that took people to the most tropical of destinations that they could muster to think of (so, spain, mostly).

he waited for a while, though unsure of what he was really waiting for, and when he finally grew tired of the ignorance and the incessant ringing in his ears, he tapped the woman in front of him on the shoulder. "sorry, what are we waiting for?" he asked.
she turned. pretty, he thought. her face looked a bit smeary, lost. empty, in its own right. "you don't know? how can't you know?" she whispered. "oh, dear."
"know what? have i missed something?" he looked around for a sign. he didn't find one. just a great and vacuous -
well, nothing. it was like the whole place was a facade. false lighting, false people, false environments, false air. the tinnitus doubled, like it realised it had been caught out.
"judgement," she breathed, as though the word had new meaning. her face twisted into one of fear. a bit dramatic, he thought, for something that seemed so small.
"what - what do you mean... what do you mean, 'judgement'?"
his question went unanswered when a man in a suit and sunglasses arrived at his side. "that's enough of that." he said, chiding the woman before his attentions turned to orin. "mister gorman. i've been looking for you. no need to wait. i doubt you want to go through this process once more."
"what?" he asked, though the man was already leaving. he gave a little wave goodbye to the now-distraught woman, following him anxiously through a great arch. "where is... what is this 'process'? i don't... sorry, am i being really dense? i'm missing something."
"it can take a while to remember. don't force it. it will be very distressing for you if you force it," well, good on the man for at least trying to appear human. though, the closer orin looked, the more he could see the wisps of mist that clung to his suit. perhaps he wasn't human. but where would he be that would have him in such close contact with the monsters he had -
"oh," the penny dropped a moment too late. "am i dead?"
"if i had a drachma for every time i had heard that very question, i would be contending with midas," the man responded. "yes, mister gorman. you're dead. please don't start crying. i'll be dropping you off in a minute, you can cry when i'm gone."
"but i - why don't i have to do the whole judgement thing? that's like, part and parcel of dying,"
"you've done it before," replied the man in black. their surroundings had changed. a monotone field, a barren, gray landscape. to the left of them, the only source of light - a seemingly glowing river, streaming water that was darker than night. perhaps it wasn't glowing - perhaps it was just absorbing the light of its surroundings. if he had his geography of the underworld right, then that was the lethe. the shades in the distance proved him correct. the fields of asphodel.
"no i haven't. i've never been here,"
"january twelfth, two-nought-one-six anno domini," it was rather formal, which made recognising the date of his first haemorrhage difficult for a moment. "but you didn't last. we judged you a bit... preemptively. it happens. admin error, i suppose. we didn't check in on your thread. but we're pretty certain you're dead now. hooray."
"right. 'cause that's comforting," they reached a gate. the man entered in a series of codes, the movements of his blurry hands making it difficult to tell what he was typing. "so where did i end up?"
the man stopped. the gate opened. he looked at orin, and orin imagined that if those sunglasses weren't covering his face, he would have had a look of incredulity as he gestured to the scene behind him.
"i'm obligated to congratulate you. well done, orin - i'm not going to try with your middle name - gorman. you made it to elysium. fantastic work on your behalf. we were all rooting for you," his unchanging tone made orin suspicious that perhaps the pseudo psychopomp didn't mean the words he was saying. "if you ever tire of endless paradise, take a dip in the lethe. you'll be reborn. punch the elysium card three times and you'll end up in the isles of the blest. what a deal."
"you're not selling this very well,"
the man clenched his jaw. "do you want a fanfare? trumpets? people die every second. i've got things to file. do you have any questions? no? excellent. there are people waiting for you inside, so i hear. have fun kicking back and relaxing, you big old hero, you."
"who's -" orin started, but the suited fellow disappeared in a puff of theatrical smoke.

that was a way to make an exit, he supposed. it hadn't given him much to go off of, though. his entry to elysium was marked by the shut of the gates behind him. they didn't creak. he would have liked for them to creak. it would have felt a tad more cinematic.
though he understood the nature of his death, the finicky bits were more difficult to digest. further away, like they were separate. like they were being kept from him. no matter - he simply walked, drifted through the grand, warm gardens of elysium, taking in the perfect buildings, the finely mowed grass, the smell of the air. like apples. or gravy. he guessed it depended on what he wanted it to smell like. a heaven tailored for him. that wasn't so bad. he could have done much, much worse for himself. the conversation with the grey man had been enough to overpower the echoes of screams from the true 'hell' that hades boasted, but they had slipped through the cracks. could have done much worse indeed.
he found himself walking down a winding path that filled him with a sense of strange nostalgia. it felt like childhood, happy-go-luckiness. if he looked close enough, he'd be able to see the shadow of himself as a child, throwing mud bombs at minty murray as they played pirates.
the nostalgia didn't last. it couldn't have. it was undercut by a furious sounding shout.

he turned and was greeted with a slap to the face. it didn't hurt. it couldn't, he didn't think, but it had impact. "orin gorman, you stupid little bugger. what the hell do you think you're doing here?"
he knew the voice. he knew the hand that slapped him. the face was different, though. younger. more defined, with brighter eyes, dewier skin. "alright, nan? yeah, good to see you too. i've missed you, by the way. how's the form?"
"don't give me that brock, boy! you've had no time to miss me. what are you doing here? did you come to get me, is that it? i've got a lovely little thing going for me here, and you're looking to send me back to that body? with those hips? those knees? you can march your silly little ass back to whence you came. i'm staying,"
"i think he is too, ma," came a voice that, surprisingly, orin didn't know. he couldn't place it. it had all the gorman tenors, but none of the memories attached. which meant it could only really be one person. "orin, isn't it? i didn't get to see you last time. is this you here for good?" a pause. "oh, god, sorry. daithi. your - well, your uncle." a hand extended for him to shake.
after years of being told that he looked like the man, it seemed ridiculous to see him in the figurative flesh. they had been right, for what it was worth. the same smile, the same eyes, the same freckles. it was like someone had cut daithi and pasted orin into life. it worked, too, given the other facts of their lives. "wow," he mustered, shaking the hand. "i know your name. it's my middle name, for gods' sake."
"oi!" his nan piped up, clearly still displeased with his presence. it broke the spell between the two of them.
"i died, nan," he said. "i'm fuzzy on why, but... i'm here."
"you know what got you?" daithi frowned. "you're young, if you don't mind me saying."
"yeah. so were you," orin quirked a brow. "nineteen, right?"
realisation struck the man. "oh, god. sorry, bud." a pause. “is that my jacket?”
orin looked down. he was wearing two. didn’t remember putting on two. there was a leather jacket on him, and it wasn’t his style, which didn’t make much sense, but he pawed at the harrington and nodded. “yeah, it’s -”
"no. no. sorry. this isn’t right," anger turned into something similar to frustration. "i can't be having you dead. what about your mother? your sister? what about all the people at that little camp o' yours? you can't just die. it's selfish."
orin frowned. some of her words had set off alarm bells in his spiritual mind, but he couldn't quite figure out why. "they'll manage. they've all got each other," he said, but he wasn't sure he believed it. it had been true, at one point. why wasn't it true now? "i want the grand tour, by the way. no more grilling me."
"oh, of course. we've got a little home, you know. looks just like ma's flat did in the eighties. you'll love it there. it's a technicolour dream."
a family reunited, they began to walk. the ringing in orin's ears was getting quieter. but it was still there, bugging him. like something on the tip of his tongue, a word that he couldn't reach for the life of him.