Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[sweet.peaches~]

riley palmer | 16 | she/her | zeus | location: cabin 1 | tags: orin
"Well, I certainly hope so. Cheers!" She imitated holding a wine glass with her hand and clanking it against an invisible force. She wasn't too convinced though. She knew that if she was anywhere near camp, nightmares would always come to find her. They always seem attracted to demigods. One dream she could remember waking up in complete terror was the helpless feeling of fighting that crazy wild centaur. He was dangerous and much more better with a sword than Chiron was. Riley could barely hold him down but eventually she got a lucky stab. But in her nightmare, he had won. A shiver went down her spine thinking about it. It was better to think positive. "I'll remember that promise," she answered. "If he flies too far away, I might not be able to retrieve him back."

The reference to the song hadn't rang a bell on her. "Well, you know Amelia Earhart and Harriet Tubman. They've gone down in history and yet everyone thinks they're mortals except for us." She took her time thinking. "Perhaps being remembered by both mortals and heroes would be better. I get the best of worlds." Riley had mortal friends back at home but she never seemed as close to them as she should have. There was always this thought in the back of her head that wondered, If they knew who I truly was, would they still talk to me? Or would they be careful, afraid to come close? "Nope, not one word about them." Her mother didn't bother to talk to her about any nursery stories, and apparently everyone else thought she had known so they didn't tell her anything. She had a memory of hanging out with her friends after school when they were ten. They mentioned the tale of Goldilocks. She simply blinked and said, Golden locks? I have golden locks. Riley had been embarrassed for the whole day while her friends laughed and joked about it. "Sounds violent though. That poor troll. Would have loved that story as a kid."

She grinned, "Billy's just delaying the inevitable. He'll get hungry eventually." She went to analyze the photo she had taken. Surprisingly, it came out a lot better than she imagined. "Looks good?" She mocked being offended. "Looks great," Riley corrected him. "The lighting is way better than I expected. Especially since we're in a cabin, but I guess the natural light from the window kinda helped. There's barely any shadows on our faces - they're exactly where I want them, actually." Even when he was done looking at the picture, she still had her hand out. "Hey, Orin, want to keep this?" She asked suddenly. She had a slight desire to place it in her purse and later take it home to her scrapbook, but she wanted if he wanted to as well. "Something to remember me by, if I have to leave camp again."

Riley was glad she wasn't the only one who hated them. "They have some sort of agenda against me," she agreed. She made a face when he had talked about the seagull eating the pigeon. "Oh man, that's... disgusting. Never talk to me about that ever again. I'd pay a million golden drachmas to forget hearing that. " She blinked. "I wish I could avoid them but seriously, they're everywhere. I'll try my best, roger that, though. Perhaps I might ban myself from a few beaches? We'll see." She scratched her chin. "I guess that's one way to avoid those birds." Riley had lots of ideas to get her kicked out of a bunch of places. Only some she's acted on though. There's a reason why she's banned from her local Olive Garden.

nathaniel 'nathan' hart | 14 | he/him | demeter | location: cabin 4 -> outside cabin 4 | tags: open
Nathan groggily woke up from his sleep, careful not to sit up from his top bunk too fast or he'd end up getting a nasty bump on his head from the ceiling. He stretched his arms out. It was unusually bright in his cabin so he ended up changing his watch. Yes, it was uncomfortable taking a nap with. But knowing the time was always something he had to know. So he lived with the discomfort. "It's... early afternoon," he managed to say without yawning or going back under his sheets. Usually he didn't sleep in, but the nightmare he had was completely terrifying. The campfire was black and a bunch of venti had attacked and the Big House collapsed... The thoughts and memories of yesterday suddenly rushed back in. Never mind. That was real. My actual nightmare had been less frightening. It had to do something with a giant blizzard that swept everyone away, he wasn't quite sure. He didn't want to remember in case there was something else that was more worse. After lying there, thinking about all those innocent people who had died, he tried his best climbing off the bunk bed despite how sleepy he was. He landed next to his ukulele, Melody. The name had sent a chill in his heart. "Don't think about her," Nathan muttered to himself. He distracted himself by taking the sunflower crown he had worn yesterday, now looking very old, and drained a bit of his energy to make it as good as new. It seemed to radiate as soon as he touched it. Now it blossomed. He took it and placed it on top of his head. Now he was ready to start his day.

His stomach had been empty while he shuffled through his cardboard box. Unlike his other siblings, he didn't have a suitcase or luggage to put his stuff in. Instead, he had a box. It was good enough, at least for him. Finally, Nathan was able to reach a small tin watering can. He promised to his plants that he would tend to them every morning, and so he always did. Otherwise they might get really sad and he didn't like his garden being upset. He walked over to the Canoe Lake, which was incredibly near to the cabins. He tried to ignore the destruction of the Big House but the horror still remained. He remembered the meeting with the Head Counselors and the prophecy and the mention of a quest. He hadn't told anyone but based on pale he was and his trembling hands, most could tell it hadn't brought the happiest memories. Nathan wondered if anybody thought he had been a wimp or something for not participating in the quest. He hoped not. He hoped they understood, although he felt guilty for not helping out. Being head counselor is good enough, he had reassured himself but he didn't seem very convinced.

Nathan came back to his garden with his water can filled to the brim in no time. He had to be thorough with the water. Sometimes he wasn't careful and ended up pouring a bit of water onto his shoes. He hated soggy socks, especially soggy fuzzy socks. "Hello, friends!" He had told his plants. They were mostly just flowers, from roses to tulips to violets. "How have you been? I'm sorry for not watering you guys early," Nathan apologized. It might seem weird to the average mortal, in fact it's sometimes weird to demigods too, but the reason he was talking to his garden was because he can green-speak. In other words, he could telepathically communicate to vegetation. It was very handy since they were always so sweet to him. They insisted on calling him 'lord' though which was strange to him but didn't mind too much. He hummed to the tune of Riptide. Nathan wasn't a big fan of the song, but his garden adored Vance Joy. So he hummed.

[Galeslash7]

Skylar Kakitid, 16 years old, Female, Daughter of Hecate, 7 year camper, Location: Big House Ruins, Tags: Aggy, Laurel, Quest Group, Mentions: None

Skylar rolled her eyes as Aggy seemed to challenge Laurel's powers. The girl didn't have any powers that she knew of, yet was challenging a daughter of Zeus'? Skylar had to admit, Aggy was brave. Laurel seemed to bristle a bit and responded that she had held up the Big House. And what a great job she did with that, Skylar though bitterly. Though it wasn't really fair to Laurel. Even with all the demigods in Camp Half-Blood combined, nothing was enough to keep that monument from falling. Skylar didn't really have anything to say, so she just watched the two of them with interest.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the others start to come to gather for the meeting. Finally. How many goodbyes did they have to say? She glanced at them wondering when they were actually going to go. Void stood right next to her and shifted impatiently. Skylar absentmindedly patted the Pegasus as she watched everyone around her talk.

[*Lovel*]

〖 ☾ 〗Ash Davis〖 ☾ 〗

Son of Hypnos ☼☽ Cabin 15 ☼☽ 17 ☼☽ Bisexual

☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆

Tags: Teilo
Location: Stables

"Me, having difficulty... never. Blasphemy." Ash smiled confidently as he and Jellybean caught up to Teilo. He saw Teilo's smile for a quick second before it was replaced by a look that could stop a weaker man in his tracks. Ash wasn't going to let on the fact that he couldn't pronounce Teilo's name much less remember it the next day. Ash was good at multiple things but putting names to faces wasn't one, he'd always had a problem with it. It wasn't until he was close with a person that he was able to put a name to a face. Currently only three people at camp had managed to accomplish that but really only one of them he had a close connection to. The other two were close enough to that person that he put the effort in to remember their names but he wouldn't tell them that.

His ears burned at the mention of harassment "I-It's nothing like that." He stammered which was unusual for him to do. He wasn't much worried about Chiron, sure he didn't want to get properly screamed at but it's nothing he hadn't gotten used to through the years. He didn't want a potential friend to have sour thoughts about him before he could even try to get to know him more. He left those thoughts to the back of his head as he listened to Teilo continue. Ash chuckled softly "Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves? Maybe at that point I'd have a reason to actually call you that so it wouldn't be stupid. Maybe the monsters would have some pity then." He let the smile linger, he was testing Teilo's boundaries. seeing how much the boy could handle of him before Ashe could get under his skin. It probably wasn't the best way to try to gain a friendship but it was the way Ash knew.

▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀Emerson "Emmie" Grey ▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀

Daughter of Zeus ☂ Cabin 1 ☂ 16 ☂ Heterosexual

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tags: Nathaniel
Location: Outside cabin 4

Emerson was staring off into space thinking about the questers and Reese until she heard a familiar voice. "Nathaniel! Hey!" she said jogging over to the Demeter boy. He was talking to his plants like usual, a small smile formed, it made her wonder what they said to him. In all her years knowing the boy she's never asked. "What's the word with your green friends this wonderful afternoon?" she said as her smile grew larger. He seemed a bit off but she couldn't place why... ah probably yesterday's events. She felt her stomach plunge in guilt but kept up the smile that was glued to her features.

"After you're done with that wanna take a walk with me?" she asked peering over his shoulder watching him water the roses and various other flowers. The Demeter kids were amazing for being able to keep all their flowers alive during such harsh weather. Speaking of , a cold gust rushed past her and she pulled her hood up over her head to try and prevent as much cold getting to her as possible. Though she still managed to shiver. God's please let the questers fix this Christmas in June situation. She mindlessly sung along to his humming of Riptide while waiting for his answer. Nathaniel was the only person she felt comfortable singing in front of at camp. She couldn't scrounge up the courage to sing in front of her siblings even, Orin included.

[FerretMonarch]

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

"Ah. I haven't gotten a chance to ask the Athena kids what they thiught about it yet and besides, I don't know if they know about the other gods. I'm sure they do since we're here and they crave knowlege anyways. They would read every book in the universe if they had the time." Sa'd hummed.

Sa'd gave Zahra a lopsided smile in return causing the teen's features to look mischievous though that was far from their intentions.

"Oh. I suppose she would be. Expesially at a time like this. There's a sparring ring in front of the cabin with a boar's head and barbed wire. You could always let her, and yourself, blow off some steam there." Sa'd offered.

"I, uh, y ok u're welcome." Sa'd stuttered not used to being thanked.

Sa'd reached out to pet Zahra before quickly retracting their hand once realizing what theybwere doing.

"Sorry. A-are you fluffy? Sorry its a weird question. You obviously don't have to answer if you don't want to." Sa'd said before she bounded away.


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

Ai sighed quietly before looking at where they were. The camp was weird and quiet compared to the hotel. They silently wondered where the Hermes cabin was, but didnt ask anyone. They sighed again a bit louder this time realzing that they really had to use the bathroom. They looked around quickly before spotting it.
They turned into a hyena as it was more comfortable and ran off in the direction of the bathrooms.

[sammy,]

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

orin was thankful that he didn't have nightmares atop everything else to contend with - rather, the night previous, the dreams had been too happy, too happy, and he had woken up in the mess that was camp in its current climate. at least with nightmares came the joy of waking up, of realising that none of it was real - the happy dreams made everything seem so much worse in comparison. he wasn't going to complain about it. he supposed that his brain was doing its best with what it had been given.

the mention of the secretive demigods made his eyebrows raise, if not for the reference to them, then for a topic that he had brought up the day previous before capture the flag had gone awry. "sun tzu. i thought he was a son of ares, but i think i'm just stupid. he was obviously a son of athena," that was for mental notation. "i think i've got my copy of 'the art of war' somewhere lying around. tell you what, these lot -" he waved around the cabin, referring to the campers who existed outside of it. "they're no match for that fella's gambits. they were flummoxed." of course, that was until everything had become messy.
"one day, i'll introduce you to the world of messed-up kids' stories. the brothers grimm were psychotic." it sounded like a nice idea. he was sure there would be a book of them somewhere - likely in the athena cabin, if he were to look anywhere. "maybe the troll was the victim all along. never thought of it like that."

the photo did look, as riley put it, great - and though he couldn't quite figure out the little things that made it come together, listening to her talk gave him the brief joy of listening to someone he quite liked talking about something they quite liked. "you're worried about the shadows, i'm worried about the main show," he pointed at himself in the image, made a little explosion noise with his mouth. "someone wife me. gonna have suitors coming out of my ears when they see this one." a little laugh, and then she was offering it to him. "uh -" would he lose it? he didn't think so. he could always ask one of the less volatile hecate campers to give it a binding effect, so that he wouldn't be without it - "yeah. okay." and thus it went into his inner coat pocket, a spot reserved for old and somehow 'sentimental' train tickets, a rock he found on a beach once that was perfectly spherical, and a polaroid photo of him and his mortal companions. it had good company.

"every seagull on the planet is secretly conspiring against you, specifically," orin confirmed, then grinned after his story was told. "i'll take my million drachmas now, if you're willing to cough up."

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬 ！！ x─────ix ♖
x──────i ii thanatos. iii seventeen. iiii tags: ash, quest group.
ivi big house ruins

it seemed that ash had had a bit of his cockiness swayed - the stutter and stammer, the way his eyes shifted. "i'm pulling your leg, mun," he reassured, as much as he would have liked to have continued the charade. it seemed cruel to do so - he wasn't really bothered, not to his core, not yet -
and there it was, like a punch in the chest, teilo's face falling for a millisecond before returning to its blank preset. "i wouldn't try your luck," he said, ever gripped by monotony. "i don't think any monster's going to take pity on us, if i'm being honest."

he didn't mind overtness, nor was he bothered by arrogance, but it was close to home in a way that teilo hadn't anticipated, and the first response was to shut every door in his head that led into rooms that screeched with alarm bells. he scratched the back of his head, looked around at those who had gathered by the ruins, counting mentally. "who're we waiting for?" though he had called ash out for not knowing names, he only knew aiden and mirabelle through exposure alone. the rest might as well have had vast question marks covering their faces. he supposed he'd get to know them on the quest that loomed over the horizon, which still daunted him for its nature.

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐳 ！！ x─────ix ♘
x──────i ii ares. iii eighteen. iiii tags: vittorio ivi cabin area.

"or a pickaxe. that's what you'd need, isn't it? when you dig so far that you hit stone?" leo pursed his lips in a half-genuine smile, looking the boy over in a new light. he seemed to have caught up with himself, jumped back on the train of rational thought that had been barreling away from him.

"so you just... came over here?" started a conversation with no real reason to. it sounded like a nightmare in the making, and the source of most of his problems of the day. leo didn't quite believe him, thought there might have been something else hidden in the rough. if he looked close enough - perhaps he was projecting. the thought left as soon as it came. "it's kinda clear." he didn't intend on expanding, revealing his hand so early. he was new enough that rumours didn't seem to circulate to him yet, and with the way that some of the campers he had passed had looked at leo, he had gathered that they had begun to spread. "who chose to come here?" felt as though camp had been thrust upon most of them. "you don't like it, then? it's alright. if you ignore the people, and the food, and the weather..." was there something positive that he had been planning to bring up? he searched for a moment, through the hallways of his mind - "the training grounds are alright." there. that was a plus. "leo." he returned the name, though doubted that vittorio's would stick. "you're good. forgotten." if he extended the same grace to everyone, he supposed he wouldn't have been in the situations he had found himself in previously that day. "i don't think any of us do. just sort of... waiting. have you been claimed?"

[Kveykva]

──────── 𝐀𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫
[✦] | Athena Head Counselor | 15 | Male | ➡ Big House Ruins | Tags: Questing Group
❝ 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑠❞

"I'm fine."

No, you're not. He didn't say it. She didn't him to say it; Mira already knew. He wouldn't pry, the daughter of Aphrodite was a tough enough nut to crack without an audience. "Okay," he conceded quietly, squeezing her hand as an act of support. "Just remember we're all in this together, okay? Blood is thicker than water and all that. Just don't forget that if no one else has your back, I will. Always." Even as Mirabelle pulled her hand away from his grasp, he flashed her a full, cheery smile. For as much as he hated the little boy act, he was a master at putting it on for people. Just behind the pair were Teilo and Ash, bickering like an old married couple from the looks of it. "Alright buddy, it's getting close to go time." He patted Wayfinder's shoulder before hauling himself into the saddle, having difficulty even reaching the stirrup to do so. That wasn't something he missed about pegasus riding. Wayfinder noted Aiden's struggle and knelt down for him, as he often did for the pint-sized Athena camper.

Of course, Laurel was already present. Aiden assumed she'd already said her goodbyes, but he wasn't too sure he agreed with her taking charge. Daughter of the king of gods or not, Aiden felt she was a little too brash for this kind of thing. Then again, she'd gotten them her aunt's van to borrow for... however long this quest would take. Aggy, Delilah─Dahlia, Jamie, and Skylar were ahead of them as well. Who does that leave? Internally, he did a head count. Externally, he counted on his fingers. "I think it's just Karter." He said aloud, answering whoever asked.

[sweet.peaches~]

nathaniel 'nathan' hart | 14 | he/him | demeter | location: outside cabin 4 | tags: emmie
He had finished watering a few of his plants when Emerson called out his name. As soon as he heard Nathaniel, he knew it was her. After all, she was one of the only few people who called him by his real name. The plants he'd tended to thanked him relentlessly in his head. You are truly a child of Demeter, they agreed with each other. Nathan wasn't quite sure what that was all about. There were lots of mortals who took care of their gardens. That doesn't mean they were children of the goddess of grain. You are a blessing to us, my lord. Without you, we would perish. Being uncomfortable with the topic, he was about to switch the subject until they had already done so, talking about the weather and the prophecy. He let out a chuckle. Even flowers liked to gossip. He turned over to the daughter and Zeus and grinned. "Emmie!" He happily said. "How are you?" He turned him to face her, dropped the tin can gently on the ground, and went over to give her a giant hug. When he pulled away, Nathan answered her questions. "Well, they're coming along very well. In fact, Rosemary," he gestured at a pink rose, "has been struggling with the cold weather but she's really strong. I know she'll make it out. The flowers are betting on who'll survive on the quest as well." He shrugged. "I don't really get it. They don't even have any currency." They weren't very pleased. Very offended at his response, actually.

Nathan picked up his tin can again and continued to look after the rest of the garden. His flower crown was on the verge of falling off but he shifted it to stay on his head. "Of course, Emmie! Anything for you." He beamed. " Where to?" His plants in his head telepathically asked him, Can you bring us some more tea leaves? He often liked using natural fertilizer to help the garden as well as compost too, since some foods provided lots of materials that strengthened the soil. He promised his flowers he would get some soon, perhaps around lunch. He noticed her shivering. Nathan had always hated the cold, especially since it brought bad memories, but he had a good toleration for it. He was glad for his comfy black hoodie even if it didn't make him the most warmest. "Lovely singing," Nathan remarked. When he finished the last of his plants, he placed his tin can next to the garden. "Guard this please," he asked the flowers. "I only have one watering can for you guys." They agreed, although Nathan could swear he heard one of the blossoms say, You call that a watering can? Pfft. He glanced back at Emerson. "I'm free. Let's go!" He offered her his hand.

riley palmer | 16 | she/her | zeus | location: cabin 1 | tags: orin
She nodded. "Yeah, he seems more Athena-like than Ares-like, but that's just my opinion. Smart and strong. Usually Ares' children just have strength and no brains." Riley added. She hoped none of them could hear their conversation. "The Art of War? Oh yeah, isn't it that book about military strategy?" She could see one of the Athena kids analyzing all of that information. However, she couldn't be bothered to do so. Especially if Orin's copy was in English. She laughed, then listened to him continue to talk. "I don't think 'messed-up' and 'kid's stories' should even be together in a sentence," she admitted. "But maybe one day you'll teach me about their violent tendencies." She shrugged. "I guess it really depends on what the troll did. Some tales don't have villains or victims or heroes though, at least not if we get a bunch of perspectives." In Greek mythology, there were monsters and demigods. But in the mortal world? She still wasn't quite sure. Were police officers the true heroes? Or did they have some dark secrets? It was fun trying to guess but exhausting not to know, she realized.

"The main show?" Riley shook her head, amused. "I think that's me. But hey, I'm pretty sure there has to be at least one person who's interested in brown-haired demigods from Ireland." She waited for him to take the picture out of her left hand. When Orin was done, she grabbed her camera with her two hands and slid it right back into her purse. Riley gently put it back onto her bunk. "Seems like it." She sighed. "Wish they could find someone else to bother like, I don't know, annoying campers?" There were lots of demigods she wouldn't hesitate to throw an army of angry seagulls at. She didn't know how to break her curse though. She imagined her confronting the seagulls at camp and nearly burst into giggles. "Do you accept nonexistent drachmas?" She innocently asked him. "They have the same value," she promised. "Just not, uh, real," Riley confessed, shrugging like it was no big deal.

[takara]

➹ | 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 "𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐤" 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫
| 17 | He/him | Apollo/Cabin 7 Head Counselor | Location: Cabin circle | tags: Aiden [Wayfinder]--> [Izzy], Jack, Relia

Hank just laughed and watched the wisdom kid make his exit, rubbing at the spot on his stomach that had been met with a fist. It would leave a bruise, because damn, that kid could throw one. He could heal it in an instant, but that could very well be healing away the last touch he'd get from Aiden. Hank dropped his hand and took a deep breath, diverting the power that wanted to rush to the spot, letting it rush instead to his head. 'So what's it like in Wyoming?' Hank had swallowed hard as he watched the the sunset pour over the horizon. It was big skies, summer storms that made you question if tomorrow would come, chilly nights under a lightshow of stars. It was untamed in a way that made you shake in your boots, but never want to leave it's embrace. 'It's,"' He gulped, the last tendrils of light making the face next to him glow when he turned to it. 'It's home,' He breathed reverently, then winced when he realized that "home" wasn't the best way to describe it to someone who only knew camp. 'I just mean-it's nice.' Maybe, one day, Aiden would understand. Maybe this quest would be the start of that, give him something to live for that was beyond the borders he'd grown up with.

He grinned to himself. I'll take that punch as a knighting. "In a while, crocodile," He muttered the basic response, no one but Izzy within range to hear his utterance. He reached a hand down to rub her head. I'd prefer sooner to later though. He turned back to Jack, would was chatting with an Aphrodite girl who looked more than worse for wear in the cold. Jack was currently trying to fix that, presenting his scarf to her like it was some sort of prize. I'll just leave them to...whatever that is. He decided, cutting the distance between them and reaching out a hand to tap Jack's shoulder. "I'll Whiskey's meds, be right back for ya!" He smiled, not waiting for a reply before letting Izzy guide him to the temporary infirmary.

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

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

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

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

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

✁ | ℜ𝔢𝔢𝔰𝔢 𝔇𝔞𝔴𝔰𝔬𝔫
| 17 | Hades/Cabin 13 | Location: forge | tags: Will, Kade | mentions: NPC Dave

Reese, for his part, was not impressed by the burly kid's mental acumen. He, for one, would recognize that Texas drawl anywhere. Even if it was currently confusing him for some "Dave". Seriously? He tapped his foot as he considered how best to handle the situation. Will, for the life of him, was just making things worse as he prattled on. "Er, Reese? Hades cabin? He sounded incredibly confused. Time to put him out of his misery

Reese took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Reese. My name, as you well know Wilhelm, is Reese." Reese had to look up sharply at the taller boy and it was...certainly a lesson in forced perspective. He blinked, trying to reconcile the image of a shorter, buff but not that much Will with the man that stood before him. He squinted, practically able to hear his Ma hissing 'it is rude to stare!' at him, but he could not help it. Besides, Will had been less than mannered first!

A thought struck him, and he scrunched up his face. "Is that-is that really how you differentiate between people, by cabins of all things?" He was trying his very best not to sound indignant. He sounded indignant, as though this information was a personal affront to him. In a way, it was, what with the blonde spending enough time among the Apollo campers to practically be one. But it was deeper than that, like if you boiled down any old camper to the sum of their parts, you would have a chip off the old block, nothing of note.

He snapped his gaze away to shuffle through the letters again. Plucking the one titled to Will off the top, he held it out to him. "Mirabelle left this to you. She joined the quest." There is nothing more too it, were the unaired words. He took a moment to continue his examination of Will. A few new scars, but the boots are the same. He mused, not mentally up to speed at the moment.

[WitchHazel]

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

"Just don't forget that if no one else has your back, I will. Always."
The tight fist of emotion closed around Mirabelle's heart; squeezing the tender organ in its grasp. She wasn't sure if it was guilt she was feeling, gratitude, or even a mixture of the two. "I - thank you." She returned Aiden's smile, though hers was close-lipped. Convincing as it was, the muscles of her face felt strained. He won't be so keen to support you once he finds out what you've done. Anxiety rearing its ugly head again. But that didn't make the statement any less true in her eyes.
Teilo and Ash had joined them; their banter providing a welcome distraction from her thoughts. She nodded at Aiden's confirmation that it was just Karter they were waiting for. Right. Keep yourself together, Mirabelle. It won't do to have them treating you like a fragile little flower. So quit acting like one. She gritted her teeth as she turned towards Firefly, mentally preparing herself to mount the pegasus.
The mare snorted nervously and pawed at the snow-covered ground. Her ears swiveled this way and that as she eyed the growing group of demigods warily. Mirabelle reached out a gentle hand to stroke Firefly's face, whispering softly to the pegasus in order to put her at ease. Though still cautious of the other campers, the dapple grey's muscles started to lose their tension. Mirabelle wished the same could be said for herself.
In one swift, graceful action, the willowy blonde heaved herself up onto the equine's back. The familiar feel of a saddle beneath her was a small comfort, not to mention the warmth seeping through her clothes from Firefly's large body.
"Right. So we're just waiting for Karter, and then... we leave." She wasn't sure who she was talking to, necessarily. Despite her best efforts, reluctance seeped through into her tone. You're doing the right thing, she had to remind herself. If you stayed here, you'd only go mad with worry over the members of the quest. Besides, this is the best way to protect everyone. You know that. Shifting gears, she eased Firefly a little closer to Thunder and Bolt. Why Laurel was bringing both pegasi was a mystery to her, though she didn't voice it. Instead, she turned to the daughter of Zeus with a pleasant expression.
"Laurel, you'll have to lead the way for now; you're the only one who actually knows where we're going." Mirabelle wasn't sure how she felt being led by someone so headstrong and occasionally reckless, but she didn't have a choice at this point. After they reached Laurel's aunt's house, the daughter of Aphrodite would be able to take more of an authoritative role. She knew where they needed to go, after all, and had already promised to be navigator for Teilo as he drove. She certainly wouldn't call herself the leader. No, that wasn't her, despite her many leadership qualities. But a quest didn't necessarily need a leader - just someone to facilitate discussion and make sure everyone was willing to work together. Conflict between questers could get them all killed. She had learned that the hard way.


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

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

|☽|Kathryn Blackwood|17|She/Her|Hecate|Location: Cabin 7 --> Cabin 20|Lucy; Apollo cabin --> Hecate cabin; Open|

The sound of the lunch horn cut through the music like a sharp knife through butter. Seriously? Right now? I'm kind of busy. But she had promised to lead her cabin to meals, and she had to keep up appearances if she wanted to keep them on her good side. Thankfully, the movement was nearly finished. She would have rather liked to play through all the variations, but she had a promise to keep. Heaving an overly dramatic sigh, Kathryn reversed her summoning spell to return her sheet music to her large collection in the Hecate cabin. She pushed herself to her feet, gave an acknowledging nod to Lucy, and threw open the door into the cold.
Kathryn made quick time getting back to her own cabin. The snow crunched underfoot where it had been packed down by other pairs of boots. When she reached the stone building, she flung open the door with a flick of her wrist. Various cabinmates looked up from their activities at her magnetic presence.
"Hello hello. Are we ready to get some lunch?"


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

"Oh yeah, like, video games!" Chuck exclaimed. "I don't like, play, but uh, it's totally a bomb idea man. Then like, Jules could have something to beat up that's not me." It would be nice to not be on the receiving end of one of Juliet's pranks, for once.
At the mention of live music, his eyebrows nearly shot off his face. "Dude yeah music! Like, totally tubular. Good for feelings, like, you know?" He would've used his reed pipes more often as a form of emotional release, but playing them tended to have unintended consequences. The last time he'd played the panflute when upset, a massive black bear had come out of the forest to give him a literal bear hug. She scared the crap out of a good deal of the campers. "Like, yeah. Revolutionisin' is groovy." His grin matched her own, erasing any prior traces of grief that clung to his face.
"Yeah! Like, super-secret missions," Chuck agreed, laughing a little. "Only one problem, man. I'm like, totally bad at sneaking." It was true - the last time he'd tried to surprise someone, he'd ended up tripping over his own hooves and falling down most of Half-Blood Hill. Still, it would add an almost fun aspect to their serious, heartfelt task.
Almost as if on cue, the sound of a hunting horn rang out through the frigid air. "Wowzers! Wouldja look at that. It's like, totally lunchtime." His stomach gave a comically loud grumble in agreement. "I'll like, see ya there. Gotta truck it before all the good seats are taken." By 'good seats' Chuck meant as far away from Mr. D as possible. He was not willing to risk the wine dude's mood given current events.


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

Zahra flicked her ears back as a cacophony of smells bombarded her sensitive nose. They resisted the urge to paw at her muzzle, shaking their head at the sudden flood. Right, focus on the lioness from earlier. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Drawing in a deep breath, as they honed in on the one scent she sought. There. A little huff out their leonine mouth coloured the air a pale white.
Careful to stay out of sight, Zahra followed the silver scent as it wound towards a gleaming building in the circle of cabins. The last thing she wanted to do was startle some poor unsuspecting teenagers, but they couldn't track someone like this in her humanoid form.
The noise of a horn ringing through the air made their head swivel around to face the grand columns of the dining pavilion. That sounds like the call to a meal. It was about time for lunch, she realised. Well, the time they normally ate. Perhaps I should change course. The scent of the other lioness was leading her to a silver building nearby, however. I can eat later. This is more important.
When they reached the cabin's door, Zahra shifted back into her human skin. They raised a fist to knock politely, waiting for a response from inside.

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳

[♠]17|he/him|Ares (unclaimed)|cabin area|tags: Leo

Vittorio let out a small laugh at the mention of a pickaxe, shaking his head. “Yeah, something like that.” He hesitated for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought. “People here have powers don’t they?” He wasn’t sure he was actually capable of believing such a statement without seeing it, but it’s what he’d been told. “Couldn’t one of them just…” He made a vague motion with his hands, miming an explosion, then seemed to realize what he was doing, face scrunching in confusion at his own actions. He shook his head, letting out a huff of breath. “I think this place is getting to me.”

He frowned a little at the question, unsure why he actually had just walked over and attempted to start a conversation. It wasn’t something he usually did. Under normal circumstances he would’ve avoided others at all costs, especially someone who looked like they’d recently been in a fight—that never went well for Vittorio or the other person—but these weren’t normal circumstances. “Yeah, I guess I did…” He felt a bit guilty about it now. The boy hadn’t seemed to be doing anything, but the way he reacted as if it were such a foreign concept to simply walk up and start talking to someone, he felt like he was interrupting something or annoying him with his presence. It was too late now, so he’d just have to deal with it, he thought, standing up a little straighter.

A half-smile flickered across his face at the question of choosing to come here. It was almost a relief to learn he wasn’t the only one that had been thrust into this life without much in the way of freewill. “No, no, it’s…” he began to defend himself, not wanting to insult the camp immediately, though he wasn’t sure the other was too keen on it either. This thought was confirmed a moment later when he began listing it’s faults, Tori’s eyebrows rising as he spoke. The training grounds… That was it? At least there was one thing, right? He wasn’t sure training grounds would be a good thing for him, especially not if it involved sparring with the other campers, but he kept his concerns to himself.

His lips flattened into a grim line, giving a nod of acknowledgement in response to the forgiveness for his ambushing. At the mention of ‘waiting’, part of him wondered exactly what it was they were all waiting for, but he didn’t ask. He didn’t think he’d actually get an answer, and if he did, he wasn’t sure he wanted it. He shook his head at the question of claiming, something he’d had at least slightly explained to him upon arrival. “No, but some of the kids from the pink cabin said something about Athena…” He frowned again, remembering the group that had snickered as they passed him with his nose stuck in a book. “But I don’t think they meant it in a good way.” He turned his gaze back to Leo. “What about you? I mean, who’s your…” Godly parent. The words still felt wrong to say. He was still waiting for someone to jump out from behind one of the cabins with a camera and tell him this whole thing was some massive, elaborate practical joke.