Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[WitchHazel]

|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Cabin 10|Tags: Ophelia|

Safe in the warmth of Ophelia's arms, it was easy to just slip into the enticing softness of sleep. Though part of her fought to stay awake, to linger in the comforting embrace, her exhaustion caught up to her. Everything she'd been through that day - the chaos of returning campers, the stressful Senior Counsel meeting, the prophecy... her tumble into the icy depths of the Zephyros - it had all taken it's toll on her mind and body. There in that moment, all her worries just seemed to drift away.
It wasn't long before she gave in. Her entire body relaxed, slumping deeper into Ophelia's hug. Her chest rose up and down in a slow, steady rhythm as she breathed. On her lips, a sleepy, genuine smile of pure comfort and bliss.


|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Outside Big House|Tags: Auggie, Cass, Chuck --> Open|

Juliet bit back a snarky comment when Auggie forced herself to stand; she realised it would do no good. Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention back to Cass, ignoring Chuck's presence for the time being. Though she was a bit uncomfortable about the show of affection in public, she didn't protest as Cass rubbed her good shoulder. That simple, comforting gesture was honestly just what she needed in that moment. Heck, she didn't even grumble about being called 'Kiddo'.
When instructed to go get herself patched up before meeting back at the campfire, Juliet nodded. "Yeah, sure thing. See you there!" She shot her head counselor a lopsided smile as the older girl headed off.
"Hey, Chuckie boy," she drawled, turning towards the satyr. "Any idea how to get a shoulder back in its socket?"
His response somehow failed to shock her. "Whatever, goatman. I'll go find someone else." She grunted as she pushed herself to her feet with her good arm, favouring the injured one like a broken wing. Without so much as a goodbye, she plodded off to look for someone who could help her. Though she wasn't exactly sure who she was looking for, if she was being honest. 'That one kid in the Hades cabin'? Could've been any one of them, as far as she knew. Maybe better for them to come to her.
"Hey!" Juliet called out, raising her voice above the chatter. "Anyone know how to set a dislocated shoulder?"


|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Outside Big House --> Cabin 7 --> Campfire|Tags: Auggie, Cass, Juliet --> Open|

After Auggie left, Chuck started to put away the bandages and medical tape he'd used to hold everything in place. Sure, the Hades head counselor still wasn't looking so good, but he was not about to argue with one of the most intimidating demigods at Camp Half-Blood. He waved goodbye as Cass headed off to find her cabinmates - at least, he assumed that was what she was doing.
"Hey, Chuckie boy."
The sudden address nearly made him jump out of his skin. He hurriedly looked up to meet her gaze, panic shooting through him. In his experience, whenever Juliet wanted something from him, it was never good. He next question calmed his nerves, however.
"Uuuh no?" he replied hesitantly. "Like, might wanna ask an Apollo dude, or that one kid in the Hades cabin."
When Juliet headed off to do just that, he released a breath he didn't even realise he'd been holding. The satyr packed up the last of his supplies and shot a quick glance around to see if anyone needed help getting to the makeshift infirmary. A Hephaestus girl caught his eye, limping down the hill with what looked to be an injured ankle. He offered her a little aid, which she begrudgingly accepted.
Chuck managed to help her hobble to Cabin 7 with little trouble, though he did almost slip on the snow a few times. He also dropped off the remainders of the medical supplies he'd been carrying, earning him a grateful smile from a demigod of Apollo. With the Hephaestus camper safely taken care of, the satyr turned and starting marching towards the campfire. Some of the pyrokinetic demigods had already got it started, he noticed. Something else he noticed was the colour of the fire.
Black.
The fire was black.
He knew the campfire responded to the emotions of the collective campers. He'd seen it purple a few times, a sure sign of distress and unhappiness, but he didn't think he'd seen the flames pitch black before. Given the circumstances, he shouldnt've been surprised. Yet, here he was, gawking at the colour of the campfire instead.

[indigo']

Jamie Wallace|16|he/him|Iris|Outside Big House|tags:Aggy

Jamie listened to Chiron’s words with a solemn expression, feeling the weight of the days events pressing down on him, squeezing the air from his lungs. It felt like the world had frozen and they were all wading through water that was quickly turning to ice—though he supposed they were doing that quite literally. He was pulled from his thoughts by a question from Aggy and he turned to look at her, his face creased in a combination of concern and sadness.

He’d almost forgotten that the younger girl was new to camp. This was only her first day and she’d already seen so much death, violence and heartbreak. This wasn’t what camp was supposed to be like. It was supposed to be a safe haven, a home away from home, and sure it had it’s terrifying moments—they were demigods after all, monsters were always lurking—but those were usually balanced out with the happier memories, the moments of hope and comradery. So far Aggy had gotten none of that. Jamie felt a pang of guilt and sorrow, though he knew it wasn’t his fault her first experiences of camp had been so brutal.

“I—“ His voice caught in his throat, unsure of how to respond. This wasn’t how the new campers were supposed to learn these things. This wasn’t how any child should have to learn anything. Death and sorrow could teach you things quickly, but it wasn’t the kindest route. “They’re...they’re for the...deceased campers.” He said, his voice coming out weakly as he felt his eyes prickle, not from the dust this time. He didn’t trust himself to explain further than that, she’d understand soon enough.

Caleb Thomas|19|he/him|Athena|Outside Big House|Tags:Reese

Caleb watched the Big House go down, his dark eyes blank. At least most of them got out, he thought, gaze carefully avoiding the bodies that had been carried out from the wreckage. He turned a mild expression on Chiron and Mr. D, listening to their words thoughtfully. He turned his attention back to Reese at the question, raising an eyebrow. “Me?” He asked, already rolling up the sleeves of his stark white dress shirt. “Brilliant. Anytime my teachers asked for a couple of strong boys to help move a desk or something I always volunteered.” He replied, eyes glittering humorously, despite the seriousness of the situation. “Don’t be fooled by my pretty face, I’m more useful than I look.” He added with a wink.

Augusta Reynolds|17|she/her|Hades|Head counsellor|Outside Big House|tags:Orin, Laurel

Once she was on her feet it wasn’t so hard to move, as long as she didn’t stop. Her vision went in and out, occasionally blurred by spots of black, but she knew where she was going and as long as she kept walking in a fairly straight line, she’d make it to the fire. She felt a bit relieved when the dark flames and the silhouettes of those already gathered around came into sight. Her face was paler than usual and her whole body still felt weak and shaky, but it’s not like anybody else was going to question if she was alright, and if they did they’d learn their mistake quickly enough.

She spotted Orin sitting next to the fire, seemingly being doted over by one of his half siblings and not having it. Getting closer she could see just how bad he looked, the blood in his hair just barely illuminated by the black fire. Probably being just as stubborn as I was, she thought, catching a snippet of the conversation as she walked up “Trying to make him get help? She addressed Laurel, raising an eyebrow before she slumped down onto the log beside Orin, one hand still pressed to the wound on her injured arm.

“You look like crap,” She told him bluntly. “No scratch that, you look like a dead possum that’s been hacked up with a chainsaw...and then dropped in lava...and that lava is filled with flesh-eating, lava-resistant piranhas who haven’t had a good meal in weeks.” Admittedly, she probably didn’t look much better, but humour seemed to be the only defence mechanism at this point. It was either that or succumb to the panic that was building inside of her more rapidly than she would’ve liked to admit.

[rabbit_with_a_fedora]

✵ 𝐋 𝐀 𝐈 𝐊 𝐀--𝐊 𝐑 𝐈 𝐄 𝐆 𝐄 𝐑
────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ➸
❨ Mountie, navy admiral, hunter of Artemis ❩ ❨ lieutenant ❩ ❨ ♀/25 years/lived 97 ❩ ❨ Pluto ❩ ❨ tags: Chiron, Big House gang❩ ©



Orin bit the dust, (quite literally; why were all the idioms coming to life?) and Laika was surprised for the first time in a long while. This son of Zeus, head counsellor extraordinaire? Just stumble over and lie on the ground? It was hard to believe, but, again, some things are just unbelievable. Then, Laurel came rushing over to her brother, and Laika let them be, starting for Cabin 7.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind her. Laika, instincts toned to the danger zones of war, popped into her lion form, crouching with her eyes narrowed. Her tail flicking in annoyance, she turned and spotted some of her hunters, as well as Chiron and Dionysus. In their eyes was the grief of an old general working a desk job, who had just returned to the battlefield and had the imprint of death freshly renewed in his mind. The old centaur had a grim look on his face, and even Laika could barely see through the carefully placed mask to find a sea of pain. Dionysus was a whole other story. The once-pudgy fellow seemed to have lost 10 pounds in a matter of minutes. His eyes, normally a manic purple, looked like wet puddles on his splotchy face. Last time I saw him like that, it was 1944. He had flown down in all his godliness to the HMS Puncher when he heard Lieutenant Maddox, his son, had been killed in a - oh. Of course. One of his children were amongst those lying on the snow, it was obvious.

Chiron nodded at her in acknowledgement and they shared a knowing glance. He then began to direct the campers, and Laika padded over to her hunters, leading them to the main group of hunters who were gathered at the entrance of Cabin 8, which was drowning in a sea of campers on their way to the Apollo cabin. Some were wounded, but none severely. Aside from, of course, Laika herself and the wound left by the jagged piece of wood driven into her shoulder. She had pulled it out; she was in no way making formal correspondence with a piece of lumber as a second head.

"Right. Hao Ming, take who you deem appropriate and head to cabin 7. Bring our extra stores of ambrosia and other healing supplies, word says the camp is running low. Anne and Hailey, get the horses and dogs settled, but, ah, leave Loverboy with me. Then meet up with the rest of us at the far end of the campfire; I'll have to discuss this with Chiron and Ba - Dionysus. Do I make myself clear?" Satisfied with the nods and murmurs, Laika turned and hoisted herself, gritting her teeth in pain, onto Loverboy's back. She figured it would be less panic-inducing to show up riding a stallion than to be an apex predator. Of course, under any other circumstances she would've been happy to leave a good first impression, but circumstances had changed.

The speed at which Loverboy's swift hooves carried them left droplets of Laika's blood in the air, flung off her coat. Blood was everywhere, and Laika's upper right body was just a mess. Blood everywhere, her coat torn, there was scarlet blood dripping down her face as well. She was surprised she felt rather calm in the light of this mess; too calm, perhaps. She'd had more than seventy years of toned-down danger, so Laika assumed this crisis would leave some sort of mark, but honestly, it didn't. Her eyes were not dazed, though unfocused from the burning pain. Her pondering was cut to a stop when Loverboy slowed, and Laika saw the campers, bedraggled and traumatized, gathered around the wisp of a fire. The black mustang whinnied quietly, and she patted him on the neck; Loverboy wasn't a fan of fire, whether it be black and depressed or not.

Laika was attracting a fair amount of attention. She was, after all, riding an impressively tall horse. Oh, and the facts that she was unfamiliar, wearing a Canadian uniform, and dripping blood all over the place. Laika paid no attention, however, and held her left hand up, signaling for her hunters to stop, then urged Loverboy to where Chiron was standing despondently.

[sammy,]

╔xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx╗
𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗 '𝚕𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚢' 𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗
campfire
zeus - counselor
mentioned: laurel,
auggie
╚xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx╝

"no," orin grumbled to laurel, waving a lax arm in a batting motion to display his discontent. "i'm not stubborn. the only reason i would need the help of - of valkeri is if - if i'd been killed to death. but i haven't. i'm at my prime. prime form. prime condition." though he was saying it, he wasn't quite sure that he believed himself. still, there wasn't a chance that he was going to have their direct address from the great and benevolent chiron be muddied by someone fawning over the very minor (at least, in his perspective) lacerations on his skull. "i'm not, you know, spilling blood everywhere. so i'm - i'm good. i'm good, and i'll sing it from the rooftops."

if he had anything, if any skill had been bestowed upon him by his heavenly father and his beloved mother, it was the gift of the gab. his others, the wind, the electricity, the occasional stormcloud - they could all be worn out. as evidenced by his continued monologue, there was no getting rid of his tripe.

someone joined them at the log, made a comment about - about something, he wasn't quite sure what - and then shifted their focus to him. when he turned his head - as slowly as he could muster, mind - he found auggie. that matched up with the voice. and the words that she was saying, which didn't sound too complimentary. "you can talk," he said, squinting in the light of the dark fire. "you've got - you've got three noses. and - you know, i don't even know how you've managed that. did'ja get on the nerves of the wrong hecate camper? i think it's ridiculous. you should sort that out."

his hand went to the back of his head, the dried blood against thick hair making for a disgusting texture to scrape his fingertips against. the reasonable part of his mind was telling him that he probably looked worse than he would have liked to admit, but the reasonable part of his mind was boring, and dull, and he ignored its degrading comments as often as he possibly could.

laika arrived, poncing about on a horse, and he avoided looking at her. just focused on the flames that licked the air, the sparks that flew from the hearth of the fire. if not a grand light source, it was respite from the cold - something they had sorely needed for the majority of the day.

[takara]

Agatha "Aggy" Clemson | 15 | She/her | Unknown (Ares)/Cabin 11| Location: outside Big House | tags: Jamie | mentions: the dead; NPCs, and otherwise

"Oh," She said flatly, no other words coming. She flicked her gaze around, and she found the bodies, neatly lined up a row despite their bent limbs and pained expressions. They died...here? Isn't camp supposed to be...safe? That's what her mom had said. In fact, it was probably the only reason she'd agreed to send Aggy. Aggy might've been drawn by the bloodshed, but her mother was not.

There wasn't even a battle. They died...for nothing? Aggy didn't know any of these people, but her chest burned for them, hot tears boiled up in her. Her legs felt unsteady, like she couldn't trust them to get her back to the cabins. That old lie, dulce et decorum est. She didn't know where the quote came from, but it tugged at her somewhere deep inside. She was crying, and she didn't know when it had started, but the hot tears rolled down her cheeks and grew cold. She swiped a sleeve across her face, the purple of her jacket too bright, too vibrant for this. She wasn't crying for what had been, she'd never known these kids. She was crying for what could've been, futures snuffed out by snow and wood.

She turned to Jamie, not bothering to hide her tears. In times like these, they were a given. She tipped her shoulder into him, surprisingly gentle, and held out a hand. "Will you...come to the fire with me?" She asked softly, eyes bright.

Jack "Reese" Dawson | 17 | Hades/Cabin 13 | Location: outside Big House | tags: Caleb, NPCs | mentions: Demeter Npc

"A human being's a lot different than a desk." Reese groaned, some of his good mood finally tamped down by the centaur's words. He rolled his eyes at the additional words, but he couldn't hide the blush across his pale skin. Damn being son of the death god. We will have a chat about that one of these days.

He ignored Caleb and set about helping up a Demeter camper with an injured...well, he couldn't tell since it wasn't bone, but her head did seem to be bleeding a lot. In one smooth motion, he slipped out of his jacket and tugged off his dress shirt, before throwing the jacket back on and offering the shirt to her. "Here Miss, let's use this while we get you to the Apollo cabin." He said as she pressed it to her head with a shaking hand. Head wounds always bled a lot. He reminded himself as he helped her up. She'll be fine! The voice in his head was too cheery, so he offered a quick prayer to his father. 'Hello sir, sorry to disturb you at supper, but how about we leave the count at 18 for today.' It wasn't much, but it'd have to do.

Henry "Hank" Walker | 17 | He/him | Apollo/Cabin 7 Head Counselor | Location: outside woods (near stables)--> Cabin 7 | tags: broken arm npc-> Niji, open! | mentions:

Hank smiled at the camper, despite his mind whirred at a mile a minute. He stepped into Niji to catch their fall. "Nice, to meet you, Ji-ji. I'm Hank. " He said. Moving his hands to get a better grip on the larger camper, until he managed to prop them up. All that shooting and arm work sure came in handy.

"Mr. D and Chiron'll probably take over Hera's cabin or something, Lord knows this is a family emergency." His voice was slipping into his home accent, but he didn't notice. He really didn't know where they'd sleep, but was more than willing to fudge the truth in favor of comforting a camper.

"As for myself, I won't be getting much rest tonight anyway, what with head counselor duties and all. Passing out on the floor one night won't hurt me none. Now let's get you to Cabin 7." He said, urgency flowing into his tone with the last words. Ji-ji looks like hell and high waters. He thought, but didn't say. "Can you walk, or would it be better to get you back up in the saddle?" He looked over the camper with worried eyes, cataloguing their injuries, and boy they were immense.

Ophelia Rogers | 16 | She/her | Aphrodite/Cabin 10 | Location: Cabin 10 | tags: Mirabelle | mentions:

[Kveykva]

──── ＷｉｌｈｅｌｍxＷａｔｔｓｏｎ
【✦】| Hephaestus | 18 | Male | Half-Blood Hill ➡ Campfire | Tags: open
❝𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎❞

Things had gone smoothly. Will's flight from Houston to New York was as long and boring as ever, but he hadn't encountered any delays or inconveniences. Until... "Is it snowing?" His shock mimicked that of dozens of other passengers, faces pressed to the small viewing ports of the plane as it descended slowly. Passengers were urged back into their seats by the flight attendants as the plane made its way towards the runway, settling onto the long strip of asphalt with a shudder. Will couldn't believe his eyes; of course, he knew Long Island could get pretty cold, and they always had snow in the winter. But now? In June? "This ain't right," He grumbled, puttering off the plane with the rest of its southern passengers. He spent only a few minutes waiting at the baggage claim, and once he spotted his belongings, he scooped them up and slung them over his shoulder. As expected, Wilhelm was assaulted by a blistering wind from the moment he stepped out of the airport. This weather wasn't conducive for walking, despite his temperature tolerance. Which meant... Will repressed a sigh. "Grey Sisters."

While he dreaded the idea of taking New York's chariot of damnation to Camp Half-Blood, especially on his time back after a three-year hiatus, the unnatural summer weather left him very little choice. Will rummaged around in his pocket for a golden drachma, but he spotted a familiar face standing on the sidewalk, shivering. "Lucy?" He uttered the name before fully realizing what the action would entail. He seemed short a drachma as well, so there was no turning back now. With blase in his step, he approached the shivering demigod, only to have his path blocked. Both men were just as tall as Will, but they wore clean black suits with an overcoat. Secret service vibes, but fitting for the weather. "Er, hello." He greeted them quietly, trying to peer around them. "I uh, I know her."

──── Ｌｕｃｙ Ｂｌｉｔｚｅｎ
【✦】| Apollo | 16 | Female | Half-Blood Hill ➡ Campfire | Tags: Open
❝𝚒 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚛❞

Oh darn, why didn't I pack anything warmer? The weather was dreadfully chillier than Lucy remembered it having been forecasted to be. She'd returned early from a welfare trip with her mother, though she was none too happy to be back in New York so soon.

"You're going to camp promptly. I will not have you showing up late."

She blew a raspberry at her mother's words. Still, Lucy wouldn't deny the excitement she felt for another summer at Camp Half-Blood. She had so many friends─so many pawns to cast around. The children of Aphrodite were always so fun─though, they'd become notably less fun after Mirabelle became the head counselor. Lucy folded her arms in a pout. The snow was only coming down harder, and the daughter of Apollo rescued her bag from the now white-painted sidewalk. Her bodyguards were in the process of hailing a taxi when she heard her name. A smile plastered her perfect face. "Willy!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around the child of Hephaestus. Her guards looked a bit disgruntled, but they retreated after seeing that their package recognized the stranger. Will patted her head. "Hey girl, how's the city been treatin' you?" Lucy beamed. "Wonderful, of course! Though I've been away for quite a long time, I'm back ever so briefly for summer camp." She twirled idly, swinging her bag in front of her. "The weather doesn't feel like it matches, though." Will nodded. "I hear ya. I actually wanted to ask; got a drachma to spare?" He made a gesture to the street. "I was gonna call fer the Grey's. This weather ain't fit for walkin'." Lucy tilted her head at the offer before digging around in her purse. "Aha!" She exclaimed, rescuing a golden coin from the depths of her handbag. "The Grey Sisters would be faster than any stupid taxi, anyway." She turned to her guards; this pair she'd begun calling Waddle Dee and Waddle Doo. "I'm calling my chariot. The two of you may go. Shoo shoo." Lucy made a shooing motion. The two men raised an eyebrow, but they respected her wishes and stepped away.

Lucy turned her attention back to the street, drachma in hand. "Stêthi, 'Ô hárma diabolês." She flicked the coin into the street. Moments later, a flurry of screeching tires and blaring horns signaled the arrival of Lucy's so-called chariot. Its tires squealed to a halt, skidding to a halt after rear-ending a car parked on the side of the street. Unsurprisingly, the Grey Sisters' taxi was completely unharmed. Will felt a grimace coming on. Regardless, he gestured to the vehicle. "After you, ma'am." Lucy climbed inside with a bounce in her step, and Will was soon to follow. They were both hardly in the smoking vehicle before it sped off down the street, setting off car alarms as it went.

Wilhelm hadn't ever used the dreaded Chariot of Damnation, but he'd heard a number of stories from campers either foolish or desperate enough to enlist their services. From what he could tell, they lived up to the reputation. "Camp Half-Blood, please!" Lucy chirped, bubbly as ever. It was difficult to tell which sister was which, but at least one of them was driving. "Snow and ice don't make for the best trips, but I'll make do." A second of the three interjected. "Make do?" A laugh. "You can't even drive when it's clear! What makes you think you're fit to do it now?" A grumble came from the driver. "I am the summer driver! I drive in the summertime, that's the rule! The two of you agreed when this was decided." The third sister on the opposite side of the car groaned. "It doesn't snow in the summer, Wasp! That's why we made you the summer driver." In the back seat, Will and Lucy clung to whatever they could get their hands on and held on for dear life; the seat belts, the ceiling handles, each other. They both regretted their choice of transportation immensely. "Just because one of the gods decided to start making a fuss does not mean I'll give up my driving privileges! Come rain, snow, or shine, I'll be driving!" The vehicle careened towards oncoming traffic, swerving right only to collide with a snowman village some poor, lonely child spent the afternoon making. Lucy and Will looked at each other, both sharing the same realization. "The gods're the reason it's snowin' up 'ere?" "Who's upset? And why?"

The three witches cackled.
"Khione!"
"Goddess of ice and snow."
"If you didn't already know, that is."
"They're demigods! Of course, they know who Khione is, Anger."
They seemed to flawlessly finish each other's thoughts. "But why is she making it snow here?"
"Who knows, ugh!"
"Summer isn't meant for this kind of weather."
"She's been brooding on that blasted peak for years, now."
"That should be enough snow for her chilly blood."
"Peak?"
"A mountain."
"I hate driving through mountains. Too many hills."
"You only hate it because you're bad at it."
"I am not!"

A speedbump jarred all five of the passengers, as did the chorus of horns that followed. The current driver didn't seem the fittest for driving in the snowy weather, especially at the speed the taxi was moving. Lucy was more interested in the topic of the weather, however. "How much do you guys know about this snow?" The question was directed to all three, but the one who answered was the one currently biting into the drachma Lucy had paid them with. "Eh? We know all about it!" The middle sister turned to face them, a single eye peering out from an otherwise desiccated face. Lucy covered her mouth, resisting the urge to vomit. "Shouldn't y'all be keeping one eye on─" The screech of tires sent them down a narrow alley, the shadowy taxi driving up the wall to make it through the tight space. "Eye on the road this, eye on the road that, bah!" She waved a hand. "You heroes are all the same!" The taxi fell back into the flow of New York traffic, weaving in and out from between the cars at the commands of the sister holding the eye, which had been passed around several times during the trip. Lucy was having none of it. "Alright, that's it." She untangled herself from Will in the seat beside her. The daughter of Apollo brushed off her frilly dress and climbed into the front seat, much to the dismay of the Grey Sisters.

"Move over!" She snapped in an authoritative tone. The sisters didn't argue. Lucy plopped herself in the driver's seat and hit the gas, haphazardly steering her way through traffic. "Uh, Lucy?" Will asked meekly, still trying to maintain his bearings in the back alongside their luggage. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She scoffed. "This is the perfect idea. If I'm driving, I could kill us all~" The sisters cried in response. "I just want to know about the snow, and then you guys can have the car back. Deal?" She swerved to avoid a streetlamp. "Deal! It's a deal!" They wailed.

"Lucy..."
"Tell us what you know. Nice and simple."
"What is there to know?"
"It's snowing."
"In the summertime, of course."
"Not your usual summer weather."
"Khione's been plotting this."
"Brooding for years."
"What's she plotting?"
"Something big."
"Something vile."
"She's got a diabolical plan."
"And a partner to match."
"She's not workin' alone?"
"Who else is causing this?"
"No!" One sister wailed.
"We don't speak of him!" The second hissed.
"He doesn't exist!" The third moaned.
Lucy and Will exchanged a brief look, which nearly sent them into oncoming traffic.
"Is 'he' a god?"
"Of course he is."
"No, Tempest! We don't speak of him!"
"Do you have a death wish?!"

Collectively, they began to wail. Lucy seemed satisfied enough with the answer. "Hey!" She snapped, silencing all three of them. "Quit your groaning! You can have the wheel back, goodness." The witches shoved the demigod ungracefully into the backseat, causing Wilhelm to chuckle. It was soon smothered by his face slamming into the window as they turned a corner too sharp. The sisters bickered amongst themselves as they struggled to right their course, but soon enough the dilapidated taxi came to a halt outside the gates of the one and only Camp Half-Blood. The snow had been piling up while they were in the taxi, and it seemed like more time had passed than either of them thought. Lucy's power trip took more time than I thought. Will grabbed their things out of the backseat, a feeling of nausea growing in the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was going to be sick after all that. Lucy, on the other hand, was chipper as ever. "Thanks for everything, ladies!" She cheerfully waved goodbye as the Grey Sisters sped off, crashing through snowbanks and trees indiscriminately. The sun had already set, and the chill of night was beginning to settle on the two demigods. "Well, no sense in standin' out 'ere in the cold. C'mon." Will rested a hand on her back and walked with her up Half-Blood Hill, expecting a late welcome from their fellow campers at the bonfire.

"It's..." Lucy gulped. "It's black." The entire camp lay buried in a blanket of snow, illuminated by an eerie black fire. Most of the campers the two of them could see were gathered around the fire, with a few more bustling around the Apollo cabin. "Y'think this has to do with the snow an' Khione?" Lucy didn't quite register his question at first. "It might, but I think that's a better guess..." She pointed towards the Big House, or what was left of it. Neither of them could find words to describe what they saw, but once they finally found the strength to approach, Will jogged ahead of Lucy, keeping his eyes peeled for a very specific camper. "Aiden!"

──── Ａｉｄｅｎ Ｓｅａｖｅｒ
【✦】| Athena Head Counselor | 15 | Male | ➡ Big House | Tags: Caleb, Reese
❝𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚜❞

Like happy memories shine in the nostalgic mind. If Aiden didn't already have a task given to him by Chiron, he might've started crying again. He knew these campers. Every one of them. And as he feared, one of the victims was a member of the Dionysus cabin. They deserved to die in battle, not like this. It was like a spit in the face to their demigod blood. Hades... rest their souls and give them the afterlife they deserve. Gods know they deserve better than this. With a renewed sense of purpose, Aiden made his way down towards the remains of the once big house, threatening to leave Teilo behind if the child of Thanatos didn't follow. He tried to avoid looking at any of the bodies in the face, but that was more difficult than it sounded. Dozens of campers were injured, and those who made it out unscathed were helping them hobble to the Apollo cabin. Once he reached the bottom of the hill, Aiden set out to search for his fellow cabinmates. Kaden, Cresolis, Caleb. He rehearsed the list in his head, looking throughout the crowd in hopes of spotting them.

At that moment, a thought occurred to him. One he had been avoiding prior. They weren't... They didn't die here, did they? As much as he wanted to avoid looking down, he wouldn't know unless he tried. "Don’t be fooled by my pretty face," Aiden's head snapped to where he'd heard his cabinmate's voice from. "Caleb!" He exclaimed, shuffling through the crowd of campers towards him. He spotted Caleb along with Reese from the Hades cabin (who he often recalled seeing in the medical tent during camp events) and a girl from the Demeter cabin. If he didn't restrain himself, he might've pulled Caleb into a surprise hug. "I'm glad to see you're alright," The Athena head counselor gasped. "I guess I don't have to give you the bad news, then..."

[rabbit_with_a_fedora]

✵ 𝐋 𝐀 𝐈 𝐊 𝐀--𝐊 𝐑 𝐈 𝐄 𝐆 𝐄 𝐑
────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ➸
❨ Mountie, navy admiral, hunter of Artemis ❩ ❨ lieutenant ❩ ❨ ♀/25 years/lived 97 ❩ ❨ Pluto ❩ ❨ tags: Chiron, Big House gang❩ ©



Laika dismounted Loverboy when she reached Chiron. If there was one thing she learned in the war, it was to disrespect her elders and those with more power. A son of Saturn? Laika wasn’t disrespecting him, she gave respect where respect was due. Of course, her first presiding officer would have taken half the marks off for the state she was in; tattered and bloodied, repainted with her own blood.

“Admiral Krieger,” he greeted her. “Though it’s been years since we last met. I assume you’re going by Lieutenant now?” Laika and the centaur been regular correspondents during the war; Chiron trying hard to keep camp safe and Laika using the inscrutable Greek and Roman methods of communication to relay information.
“Yes, sir, though Admiral is much more impressive, I am the Lieutenant of Lady Artemis. I’m deeply sorry for the losses this camp has suffered, and the grief it has caused you and Bacchus, I mean, Dionysus.” Chiron’s brown eyes filled with masked sorrow at her words. “It is true it has caused sorrow, Krieger, but what’s important is that we set this right. How many deaths did you say there were? 28?”
“Wise words, sir. I’m afraid that I don’t know whether to be glad or not about this, but there have been 18 fallen, though one of them were not victim to this tragedy. Sir, would you mind if I had a word at tonight’s counselor meeting? I’ve got a few suggestions, a few theories. A storm is coming, and I don’t know if you’re aware, sir, but we’re heading right into it.”
“You’ve never been declined a seat in the Parliament, so why decline you one now? You are always welcome at Camp Half Blood.” Laika knew this whole conversation was just a woven piece of niceties and formalities, but who said formalities weren’t necessary?
“Well, I assume, sir, that you should turn your attention back to your campers; it seems most have gathered around by this fire already. Though a fire from hell or not, I dare not say. I have my hunters assisting the children of Apollo; and we have a few of those ourselves. This sinister new force, as Canadian bitter-cold as it is, will require all of us to be united. And sir, in a final note, have you had any luck reaching my Romans?” She tried to pat Loverboy on the neck, but gasped in pain and clutched her shoulder before setting her posture straight again.
“Laika, you must rest yourself. The campers are safe, your hunters are busy, there is nothing for you to worry about. You need to rest that shoulder, and you’ve lost blood.” At this, the hunter looked right into the centaur’s eyes. There was no hurt, no shock, no pain in her eyes, because she didn’t feel any. There was a problem to be solved, and solved it would be.
“Sir, you worry about me? About this mere shoulder? ‘Tis but a scratch. Anyhow, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll go round up the rest of the campers, bring them over, go mend some wounds.” Laika turned to leave, struggling to mount Loverboy, when Chiron stopped her.
“Perhaps visit your siblings in cabin 13? Greek or not, they are still your family.” Chiron was just trying to get Laika to rest until the campfire gathering started, to wait for it. But no, Laika wouldn’t. She would be non-stop until the whole debacle was over. And her siblings? Laika’s gaze steeled, her jaw tightened. Her look was frosty and cold.

Many would think years of immortality would distance Laika from death because of no encounters; she was too familiar with the comfort of immortality to appreciate avoiding death. However, the truth was quite the opposite; she’d seen too much of it, heard too many final gasps, stepped over too many broken bodies. Every few days she lost a ship, another slip , another U-boat left undetected, and soon she and the other navy officials commandeering the Battle of the Atlantic began to only think of ships and submarines rather than hundreds of lives, leaving behind hundreds of broken hearts, broken families, broken futures. It was a matter of tens against tens, a ship against another, the strategy of outmaneuvering. In the navy, it was common knowledge that casualties, though less frequent, were more dramatic. Not many sailors could escape a sinking battleship. And while Laika and the other Allied leaders directed their ships into offensives and defensives, the thought of death became farther and farther.

To Laika, death was just a part of life. She’d become so used to it, so used to the pangs that they became dulled and drowned by the urgency of victory. Churchill, Roosevelt, Prime Minister King, they were all spurring the armies forwards, reminding them of the victory that lay ahead. They would never surrender, continue fighting on and on. And so, deaths became reduced to mere pixels forming tiny dots on her ship’s radar, sometimes flickering out in defeat and sometimes standing beside another fading dot in victory.

But perhaps there was one death she just couldn’t forget, couldn’t forget when someone’s nervous smile, glittering eyes and laughing voice was taken away from her, all at once.

“My siblings!” Laika scoffed, the sound bitter and soft, lost in the air. Her voice was almost a hiss. “I’ve had no parents since the early 30s, and no family since I buried Rupert’s body. I have no siblings.” And with that, she steered Loverboy to where her hunters remained gathered.

[Galeslash7]

Skylar Kakitid, 16 years old, Female, Daughter of Hecate, 7 year camper, Location: Campfire, Tags: Lucy, Mentions: Wilhelm, Hecate NPCs

Skylar had finally stood up after resting and watching some very daring rescues. She decided to go over to the campfire where Mr D looked very distressed. He was holding Seymour, the Leopard head and was shouting random things at random campers. She heard him call for everyone to gather around, especially counselors and Skylar slowly made her way over. She didn't have any warming spells on, she didn't have the strength, and had many layers of puffy coats. But the fire still felt amazing. That's when she truly realized, it was black in color. She had never seen it this dark, even after a battle. The mood was worse now because of how close this whole situation hit home, literally. Camp Half-Blood had always been a safe haven. But now it was not. She stood closer by the campfire and started to make the rounds to her half-siblings. She reassured them and comforted them, trying to help them grieve. Luckily, none of the dead were Hecate demigods, but everyone still felt the deaths weigh them down. Skylar didn't know how she was making this and wasn't breaking down, but in moments like these she had to be tough. For her siblings and for everyone else at Camp who might look up to her.

Skylar suddenly looked up and noticed two summer demigods just come into Camp. Oof, bad timing. They looked very confused as they made their way over to the campfire. Skylar shuffled closer, not recognizing the campers but feeling the need to explain. The boy jogged ahead of the girl and Skylar moved towards her. Skylar walked up with a grim smile on her face, her hands clasped together nervously. "I take it you just arrived? I can help you get something warm and get situated if you'd like."


Bay Laurel, Immortal, Female, Drayd, Location: Cabin 7 ---> Campfire, Tags: Chuck, Mentions: Hank, Npcs

Bay walked into the Apollo Cabin and a boy held the door open for her. She smiled shyly before dashing inside. It was so busy in there, she wasn't sure how to help. She started to hand out ambrosia to the demigods and passed around warm nectar and hot chocolate. But soon it got too crazy in there. There were so many hurt demigods and hurt dryads that Bay couldn't handle it. Ignoring her still -cut leg, she slipped back out of the Cabin. She slowly walked towards the campfire, cautious of both the fire and all the campers. But she might get information here in what she should be doing. Bay had noticed most of the other dryads were as scared and helpless as her. No nymph knew what they could do to help! She spotted a satyr, Chuck was his name, and she walked up next to him as he stared into the fire. It felt nice being around other nature creatures, especially during this time. Being around them made her less shy than she was around humans and demigods. There were so many demigods around her, it made her nervous. Bay looked into the fire too, which was a horrible black color. "Horrific, isn't it? The campers must be in such despair."

[indigo']

Jamie Wallace|16|he/him|Iris|Outside Big House|tags:Aggy

Jamie watched Aggy’s face as she scanned the scene on the lawn, heard the flat, inflectionless tone of her voice. He thought he understood the way she was feeling. The numb feeling of unreality the first time you witnessed something like this. Even when it wasn’t a tragedy to this degree, being faced with the reality of life and death always felt like the ground being ripped out from under you, like free-falling through the cold air without a hand to hold onto. And it felt like nothing at all. Like heartbreak and disbelief wrapped up in one confusing, painful little pill that stuck in your throat and made it hard to breathe.

Then the tears came and Jamie felt a pang in his chest. It caught him a little by surprise at first. Aggy had seemed so tough and cold the last couple times he’d encountered her, like the kind of person who never cried in public. Jamie cried a lot and he wasn’t really ashamed of it anymore. He had vivid memories of crying on the playground in third grade, tears streaming down his face as he held a funeral for a snail that had been stepped on by one of the big kids. This was a lot different from that, and everyone had their breaking point.

He was barely holding it together as it was, and the girls tears were the last straw. He felt his eyes stinging and he wiped them quickly with the back of his hand, not caring whether she thought it was dust or not anymore. This shouldn’t have happened. She should feel safe here...they all should. He offered her a wobbly smile and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Of course,” He said before starting towards the fire and the group of campers already gathering around it.

Caleb Thomas|19|he/him|Athena|Outside Big House|Tags:Reese, Aiden

Caleb’s expression faltered for a moment at the comment. “Right. Right...I know that,” He said, his voice a little lower than before, though he barely suppressed a smile when he noticed the Hades campers blush. He had a bad habit of acting inappropriately in dire situations, especially ones surrounding death. Truthfully he didn’t want to look at the bodies laid out on the ground, they remind him too vividly of coming home to find his sister in a similar way. A feeling of guilt built up in his stomach, flooding through his veins and threatening to burn him up entirely if he didn’t distract himself. He swallowed back the lump in his throat and turned his attention back to Reese, who seemed to be ignoring him in favour of an injured Demeter girl.

He cringed at the blood on the girls head, turning his gaze away. Before he even had a chance to think up another ill-suited joke to lighten the situation, he heard a voice call his name and looked up to see Aiden pushing his way towards them. “Hey!” He had to admit he was relieved to see his half-brother and head counsellor of his cabin was alive and seemingly unscathed, if not a little shaken up. “You too, and uh...no.” His eyes almost flicked back towards the house and the bloody mess around them but he restrained himself, focusing on the younger boys face. “You alright, man? What about the others?” He hadn’t seen the other members of their cabin around, but he hadn’t really been around when the disaster had happened, as was evident by the still pristine state of his shirt.

[FerretMonarch]

|Draco Eqquum-magno|19|Draft Centaur|He/him|Gay|The late Pan|Location: The campfire|Tags: Open|

Draco nodded quietly bracing himself for the pain.

"Thank ya both. Ah should be fine after its bandaged up and ah get some weight on it. Ah've been through a lot worse, so it's a'ight."

Draco wasn't sure where Mr. Dionysus or Chiron was, but with everyone but Liaka out of the big house he felt as if everyone deserved some knowlege as to why he was here. Maybe not all of it, but at least enough to piece together what he was doing.


Niji "Ji-Ji" Sakura Budōnoki • 17 • (he/they) • Homosexual • Dionysus • Location: By the bighouse• Tags: Hank

"Thanks Hank. Nice to meet you." They replied.

Ji-Ji grabbed Hank's arm to steady himself.

Niji wasn't sure if Hank was being truthful or not, but he accepted it as the truth.

"She won't let me on her. I've tried. She knocked me off with her big head because apparently she decided I couldn't ride her half frozen." Niji said looking at the mare who shoved him closer to Hank.

"Baby has spoken."