Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[*Lovel*]

『♕ 』 Elios Castellanos『♕ 』

Son of Dionysus ☺ Cabin 12 ☺ 17 ☺ Bisexual

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Tags: Zeke, Ham
Location: Cabin 7

"Monkey boy? Ha! That's rich coming from you. I've seen you climb a tree or two around here too." Elios had joined the boy a few times up in the trees. They shared the affinity for it, Zeke was also better at directions and prevented Elios from getting lost, though he'd never admit this. Elios rolled his eyes playfully at the knowingly poor attempt at trying to keep him from hearing the jab. "At least I'd be cooler than you in an anime" eyebrows raised "I think I know enough." He said, a hint of a friendly challenge in his tone. He pulled at his whip, dusting the two boys with snow as he swung it in a circular motion. He had full control of the movement so he didn't hit anything but the snow.

As soon as the sound of the dinner horn hit his ears he wrapped his whip across his body diagonally. A rumble from his stomach sounded gotta get my hands on some blue raspberry slushies soon he could already feel withdrawal symptoms starting to develop.Damn dad, gotta make my life difficult. He chuckled at Zeke's sarcasm "My dear Ezekiel, I give you my deepest apologies." Sorrow masked his features. He looked to the boy Zeke called Rapunzel and sized him up, he debated if the boy could help him find blue slushies, perhaps not considering he got beat up by the monsters. He wasn't as worried about enough room at his table as Zeke, unlike the Hermes cabin there were only a handful of Dionysus kids including himself.

〖 ☾ 〗Ash Davis〖 ☾ 〗

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

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Tags: The Mystery Inc. Gang
Location: The Van

Ash just shrugged as Mira looked at him, in his opinion unapprovingly "I took care of the problem" He said with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He looked to Jamie who seemed slightly worried "She'll be fine.... I think." He whispered the last part to himself. To be honest he didn't know much about the side effects of the sand. He should've thought about that more before blowing it in the girl's face but too late now. Aggy went out like a light so easily, so peacefully, what's the worst that could be bugging her.

"I can surely help you sleep," he thought a moment about how that sounded only after the words burst out. "I mean I have sleep inducement, technically don't even need this sand. But it's better to use my fathers sand than exhaust myself using my powers but I don't mind..." doing that for you He was rambling, he blushed and closed his mouth. His blush only turned a deeper red as it was confirmed he'd be rooming with Teilo and with the lack of argument from the boy.

His body felt heavy just thinking about sleep. I've been awake for way too long today. By this time he would've had a nap or two, in-between video game playing of course, the exhaustion of a full day was starting to hit him. You can't fall asleep yet you fool. "Hey Belle, I don't mean to be bothersome but how many minutes till we get to the hotel?" His ears being selective and ignored the conversation of hotel coffee.

【➸】 Finnick “Finn” Vouvali【➸】

Son of Apollo ☀ Cabin 7 ☀ 17 ☀ Questioning

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Tags: Ryan
Location: Cabin 7

Finn caught sight of Ryan struggling a few feet away with the bucket he had given Stella. He searched for the girl but she was nowhere in sight, he let out a little hmm. "I'll be right back dear." The girl nodded with a faint blush. He turned and walked quickly over to Ryan and helped the man with the bucket. "Looked like you needed some help." He said with a smile. "The girl has minor burns, treatment is gradual warming, 20 minutes submerged then 20 minutes off then repeat if the condition doesn't improve." He recited to Ryan tipping his head in the direction of the girl. He hoped Ryan would approve of the suggested treatment, he wanted to know he was right before resuming.

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬

[✩]17|she/her|Hades|Head Counsellor|outside|tags: Orin

It was becoming more and more obvious that he’d been right—not that Auggie would have admitted it, but she wouldn’t have made it to the cabin on her feet. She was exhausted, and barely managed to remain fully conscious as she was brought inside, the ache in her arm the only thing really keeping her awake. The pain didn’t seem to be subsiding, but as far as distractions went, she couldn’t have asked for a better one. A smile spread across her face as she listened to him talk, not really sure how he’d gotten to eels, but not minding the tangent regardless. “Why do you even know that?” A small laugh escaped her. “Better than the weather at least.”

She shifted slightly, wincing at the jolt of pain in her arm as she did. Ignoring it, she slipped the fingerless gloves off, tossing them to the end of the bed before bringing one hand to rest on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat; a reminder that he was really there, that he was alive. They both were, and nothing was going to take that away again. The chill from the outside was fading away, a shiver running through her that had nothing to do with the cold. With the comforting warmth of the cabin, the feeling of being close to him, she could feel her anxiety melting away. The hands running through her hair only worsened the feeling of drowsiness, and she had to fight against her drooping eyelids, afraid to drift off. Afraid that if she did, he wouldn’t be there when she woke up.

“Mm…” came the mumbled response to his question, too exhausted to bother with words. “You sound like...” She hesitated mid sentence. She’d been about to tease him for doting, but she wasn’t really sure who she was going to compare him to. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had cared enough to ask her a stupid question like if she was warm enough, and she was surprised to find that she wasn’t actually annoyed by it. “I’m okay.”

“No,” she responded much quicker to the second question, seeming to come out of her state of lethargy for a moment. The protest, for once, was less to the concept of consuming ambrosia and more to the idea of him leaving. “Stay here.” The last words were muttered sleepily, barely aware of herself anymore, just knowing that she didn’t want him to go anywhere, no matter how quick he promised to be.

“I don’t think I can…” Her thoughts felt like honey, drifting through her mind, refusing to form into coherent sentences. “There’s no blood.” It made sense in her head, she wasn’t sure it was translating well into words. Despite the certainty that she had been shot, and the pain that still remained, there was no blood, no wound. Ambrosia couldn’t heal anything if there was nothing to heal. “Wouldn’t help,” she settled on finally, hoping he’d put the pieces together.

━━━ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐨

[☾]16 (immortal)|she/her|Hunter of Artemis|Outside Cabin 7|tags: Reese, Jane

Her attempt at getting him to breathe steadily didn’t seem to help much, but at least he was trying. As long as he was getting air into his lungs, and not quite hyperventilating, then they had one less thing to worry about. He had become much quieter than he had been when she’d found him, and Stella’s expression was painted with concern as she helped him to a sitting position. It wasn't exactly what she’d been going for, but it was better than collapsing face first into the snow.

She started at the sound of a voice nearby, looking up to meet the gaze of the other hunter, a breath of relief escaping her. “I believe so. He has a chest injury,” she explained. “Should be able to stand. If you can help me get him up we should be able to get him into the cabin.” She did her best to keep her voice steady and calm, not knowing how aware the boy was anymore, but not wanting to send him into more of a panic.

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Hampton Inn Parking Lot|Tags: Quest Group|

"Should be... an hour? That's if we're going about sixty miles per hour, which isn't exactly advisable given current road conditions." It was simple mathematics, yes - but she had still let a portion of her mask slip in the calculations. "Er - I think, that is. I'm not great with math."

If not for Aiden's comment about cooties, she would have forgotten he was a fifteen-year-old boy. He was certainly mature for his age, but it was moments like this that made her realise how old he truly was. Still, she made no comment, though the concept of being called 'gross' was quite insulting.

For a good part of the remainder of the drive, they were behind a blue minivan. This would have been fine, save the massive 'eat more kale' bumper sticker plastered across the back. Mirabelle couldn't help but find it mildly offensive - she ate a perfectly healthy amount of kale herself. Who was that bumper sticker to be telling her she didn't eat enough kale? Besides that, what was it gaining by judging people on bow much kale they ate? How rude.

By the time they turned off on the exit and pulled into the hotel parking lot, Mirabelle was looking rather pale - even for her. There was 'fair-skinned' and then there was 'ashen pallor'. Her stomach had complained the entire way there, no doubt made worse by her role as navigator. Reading a map in the car was not fun by any means, even if she had been holding it up so she wasn't looking down. She counted herself lucky that the drive had been a straight-shot more or less. It was with a sense of relief that she unbuckled her seatbelt and clambered out into the cold air. The wind bit into her soft flesh like a sheepdog attempting to herd her towards the warmth. But it was refreshing, she had to admit. Especially after being cooped up in a car listening to classic rock and various car games being played in back.

Standing out in the cold, breath fogging in the Farmingville air, she allowed herself a moment to decompress. I'll need to focus and keep calm if I am to use charmspeak. She needed her mind clear, her heart set on gaining shelter for her friends. That ought to do it. You've done this before. It's - it'll be okay. Take a breath and calm down.


|⟡|Juliet Pratten|16|She/Her|Hermes|Location: Cabin Seven|Tags: Tulip, satyr/nymph NPCs|

Juliet had been about to try and get herself up when a satyr approached her - Tulip; she recalled. One didn't soon forget a female satyr. "Heya, Tutu, what's up?" She tried on her best smirk, but the fatigue tugging at her bones made it seem sleepy and unfocused. She let loose a small scoff as the satyr asked her question, rolling her eyes a little. "Uh, we were attacked, duh," she informed the curly-haired girl. "A bunch of venti and undead schmucks. You should've seen 'em; it was like a horror movie out there. Except with less stupidity and more yelling." She offered Tulip a lackadaisical grin as she gave the rundown, complete with dramatic sounds and gestures. It was reminiscent of the tale she had told Ryan earlier, though starting at the beginning of the attack instead of summarising the past few days.

Soon after she had finished, the sound of a horn being blown signaled a call to dinner. A late dinner, but dinner nonetheless. Juliet was at loathe to leave the confines of her blankets. Luckily, it didn't seem like she would have to. A flock of satyrs and nymphs soon flooded the cabin, taking food orders from the campers who couldn't leave the cabin. Juliet figured she would simply ham up her injuries and get some free labour out of it. Besides, she was fairly certain one of the Apollo kids would yell at her if she tried to leave. A tall, beautiful nymph was soon whisking out of the building to fulfil Juliet's requests. She had made a face at the quantity, but if there was anything Juliet was known for, it was her large appetite. Well, that and her notorious pranks.

|✂|Liv Keary|15|She/Her|Iris (Unclaimed)|Location: Dining Pavilion|Tags: Corey|

If she wasn't holding a plate full of food, Liv would've crossed her arms over her chest. "Paramore's more my thing. Or Halestorm." She kept her answers short and clipped. If that didn't express her irritation, the deathglare she was giving this... this annoyance certainly did. Her knuckles tightened around the plate when her height was brought up again; eyes flashing dangerously. "I am not short! The only thing I'm short of is temper, so you better watch it."

Holy hell, did she want to punch the smug smile right off that instigator's face. That is, until they... did they compliment her? Did that count? Or was that a compliment at their own appearance? I still wanna punch them. Corey. Corey, that's what their name was. "That's a stupid name." And that was a stupid comeback. But she wasn't here to be witty, not right now. Curses? Surely they meant curse words. What the hell kind of camp is this?

Liv didn't give her name. She didn't feel the need to, not if this whole thing wasn't going to last. With any luck, I'll be kicked outta here within the week. They were still there, though. Looking at her. "Don't you have anything better to do than piss me - wait, is that a horse!?" Her snark was interrupted as a figure rose to his feet - no, hooves - at the head of one of the tables.


|❀|Chuck Oakes|He/Him|Satyr|Location: Dining Pavilion|Tags: Elfie, Hank, (Izzy)|

"Singing!? Uh... dude, I just like, got this from one of the Iris kids, man," Chuck explained, looking down at the hypnotic rainbow patterns. "It was like, a white shirt from the camp store and then like, got one of them to tie-dye it, man."

Elfie was going on about secrets now. Did his shirt have secrets!? He sure as hell hoped not. Still, the conversation made his heart start beating faster than it should have. Orin's back... Not to mention the host of information Mira had trusted him with. Not that she'd had much of a choice in the matter; not at first. "Uhh - like - nope! No secrets here! Uh - totally not! Nope! I'm like, totally an open book, man!" He bleated out an awkward laugh, raising his hands in innocence. It wasn't a lie - not entirely. He didn't have any secrets about himself.

"Wait... I'm an ALIEN!?" Hank's comment sent his head reeling. "Like - oh no - could they have like, messed with my head and replaced all of my memories!? And then like, replaced all of your guys's memories to make you all think like, I'm no one!?" Mira was usually the one to talk him down from this sort of thing. But she was off saving the world or doing gods knows what. "What if we're all aliens and like, the entire place is a simulation!? What if -"

His anxious ramblings were brought to a halt by Mr. D's insistent yelling. "Alright, you little brats! Chiron has some announcements to make. So sit down, shut up, and listen." He surveyed the gathered people with arms crossed over his chest. "Hey! Get back to your own tables unless you wanna become a dolphin!"

Chuck hadn't even noticed that Hank was gone, chasing the delicious scents of food no doubt. He wasn't one to disobey Mr. D's orders, but his stomach gave a mighty snarl. I'll like, just grab a quick bite and then sit.

Chiron started to talk as was promised, rising to his full height at the head of Mr. D's table. "I know these past few days have proven tumultuous to say the least," the centaur began. "I know it has been difficult." That was a massive understatement, but one look at Chiron's face gave the impression that he knew that. "We will make quick work of dinner tonight - it is already getting late, thanks to the latest attack. And thus I bring the heavy news that the funerals will be held at campfire tonight." He paused, allowing the words to sink in. "Most of you have probably heard by now, but we have lost another of our own. Orin Gorman of Cabin One has crossed into the Underworld this day." But he's back! Chuck wanted to scream. He's not dead, guys! Well, he was, but like, he's back! But he had a promise to keep. "I hate to move from one grim topic to the next, but I fear these attacks on camp are far from over. Tomorrow we will begin the process of fortifying our borders and setting up defences against the host of monsters, should they disable the fleece again. I must commend all of you on your bravery and skill in battle on this night." He went on to talk about specifics of defences and funeral arrangements, but Chuck's mind was racing. Man. I guess this is like, war. He had been around for the last few. Mostly cowering in the woods or playing frantic panpipes, but he had been a decent amount younger then. Do we ever get a break?


|❄|Vivienne Isole|18|She/Her|Khione|Location: Centralia, PA|Tags: Nicholas|

"You have to let go."

Vivienne visibly flinched at his words. I - I cannot. Her smile, her laugh, her beautiful indigo eyes - she couldn't let that go. It was like asking her to rip her heart out and leave it exposed and beating on the dusty ground. Besides, even if she'd wanted to - I do not know how. Her gaze fell to the forlorn floor of the abandoned church as he continued on. She didn't have the energy to argue with him on this. She barely had the energy to look him in the eye, if she could bring herself to do it.

He was talking again. Going on about how terrible Khione was, then something about Eris and Tartarus and the end of the world - "Nicholas." She cut him off, gently but firmly. Her voice sagged with the fatigue of the day. "I know you are a god. I do not know if you need sleep. But - I do. And - well - truthfully - I am rather exhausted. Could we -" she hesitated, biting her lip. "Could we perhaps find somewhere to stay the night and talk of these things on the morrow?" With a sluggish reluctance, she forced her head up to meet his violet stare. Enervation weighed her down, dulling the light from her eyes and snatching the fight from her core. "Once you are corporeal, that is."

[sammy,]

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

"i dunno. i'm a useless information sponge. i have a gift," orin said, still rather hung up on the thought of that many eels. he didn't quite want to get into the gritty bits of how he had picked that information up - it might have been in a book he had read, or it might have been something else, something that he didn't particularly want to think about - whatever the source, it didn't particularly matter. what mattered was clear. what mattered was how the hell a fourteenth-century individual had managed to count as high as twenty-six thousand. what mattered was whether or not the eels had been alive at the time of counting. "maybe it was only like, ten eels. but they were really fast, really wily, and they just kept recounting them by accident." he murmured. "it's really - it's bugging me, actually. that's really bugging me. they used to scran those things." better that than something else, he supposed. he was glad for the largest bother of the moment to be the topic of eels rather than something considerably direr.

warm enough to be comfortable, it appeared, as auggie was reluctantly slipping into the realm of half-unconsciousness. it was a nice change from outside. he hadn't had the time to properly breathe for a while, the time by the river removed from account - there had been no breathing going on in particular then, and it had hardly been a relaxing experience, all balls of electricity and memories filtered through the throats of unreliable yet vivid and desperate narrators. he found himself back in that realm of placid thoughtlessness, but not in the same sense. it had been panicky before, the loss of his internal monologue. this was a mellow meander through the fields of calm before the storm that was always promised to follow, but could hazard to be ignored for the sake of basking for just a little while. "good," okay was a miracle. okay was something to be revelled in. "be really inconvenient if you started getting all hypothermic. just wouldn't be on, that, would it?"

"i'll stay," with the hand on his chest and the nature of the situation, leaving felt like an impossible task - and even if he could have, he wasn't sure that there was anywhere else that he would rather be. "i'm not going anywhere." it felt like the reassurance was necessary. auggie was tired. anyone with a lick of sense could have seen that - and yet awake she remained.

he wasn't sleepy himself. he supposed he'd had a bit of a soft reset in that regard. wide awake, thoughts drifting like ripples through water. he had a lot to occupy himself with, things to think about, images to mull over. "stupid method, really. bullets with no wounds," he said softly. "don't see the point in that." he was glad he hadn't been there to see it, in a way. "you can sleep. if you want to," it wasn't like she needed the permission, but it felt worth saying. "think you deserve a bit of kip after the day you've had." it had been a long and arduous one, and the evening was welcomed for the promise of something new once it was shattered by the turn of morning. "i won't tell anyone that the great and powerful augusta reynolds needs a bit of rest every now and then. can't be having them knowing about that." orin's voice was quiet, a low rumble in his chest rather than the practised pitchiness of his usual tenor. "otherwise i'm gonna keep you awake talking about eels. or - or, i don't know, uh -" he thought for a moment. a lot of things were possible to bring up. he had a lot at his disposal, stories to lull her into the grey calm. "there was this guy once who hanged a rat from these miniature gallows for what he called treason. imagine that. tiny little rat gallows. and it was 'cause it had eaten one of the fella's toy soldiers. and that was, like, a ruler. he was an emperor of somewhere or another. i think he got overthrown. probably by rats. can't really hold a fair trial for a rat."

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐞𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨 ！！ x─────ix ✩
x──────i ii dionysus. iii sixteen. iiii tags: hank, chuck, open.
ivi dining pavilion.

chuck wasn't being very convincing, but his mere denial was enough to make the thoughts lift themselves up and saunter away from elfie's mind. no secrets. just the shirt that sang its impossible songs. the more attention she paid to them, the more it sounded like the thing was screeching, melodies distorting themselves into horrific soundscapes of cavernous pits. she didn't want to hear it any longer.

luckily enough, the manifested noise was undercut by the sound of her father's voice, the patronising tones somehow steady enough to ground her back into the present moment. perhaps it was the neutralising effect of his power, an attempt to calm the atmosphere, or perhaps just the knowledge that he was there, that her father was present, that some measure of control had returned to the atmosphere of the camp. whatever the cause, it pieced the moment back together, gave her enough autonomy to walk to her assigned table and park herself there as the announcements commenced.

they weren't happy ones. they never seemed to be nowadays. the reaction was as expected, a note of sombre sadness, faces spotted from across the room twisting, hardening. notably, her eyes landed on jude, who stared straight ahead, a thousand miles away, fork in her left hand as still as a stone. she would've looked like a statue - could have been, would have been mistaken for one by elfie if not for the little tremble in her shoulders as she breathed. the remainder of the mania was making it hard to look directly at her. she didn't feel the same pain, but it felt like it was flying across the room and clinging to her skin like sweat - and as it swirled away, she became confronted with the true facts of the matter. she had used what she had sworn not to use. she had used it and it had had an effect on someone else. a sobering moment of shame. she didn't know whether to apologise to hank or to avoid him completely for the rest of the summer, if they had that long.

whatever would come would come. there was a pit of hunger in her stomach that begged attention. best to get that out of the way before the more serious stuff.

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬 ！！ x─────ix ♖
x──────i ii thanatos. iii seventeen. iiii tags: quest group.
ivi the van

a lot of the drive was just going through the motions, teilo's mind wandering as his body took the helm with the movements. it was a lot of zoning out, the detachment from the tinny sound of the van's speakers and the conversation that occurred in the back that had absolutely nothing to do with him - the brief moments of doubt when a person would appear in the centre of the road and the subsequent shatter of their illusion once they were passed through by the bumper of the vehicle at higher speeds than they were likely used to. there were a lot of breathed apologies as night began to settle on the road, knee-jerk reactions to the offence of running down the confused translucents. on the same vein, there were a lot of muttered curses regarding the other drivers present on the road - a tailgater being denoted as nothing more than a "weeping haemorrhoid," on more than one occasion.

it was a good stress reliever. necessary, he felt, for retaining that little bit of sanity. putting every issue on the morons who surrounded him was a lot easier than thinking about the doom that he was driving them closer towards.

when they arrived, the lights turned off, the engine killed, he hesitated when it came to leaving. all of a sudden, it was all starting to feel real again, his presence solidifying once more after his psyche had been given the opportunity to wonder. he felt like an animatronic as he swung his legs out into the cold air, movements no longer his own.
it was cold. that was anticipated. and there was still no sign of the face he wanted to see. that was also anticipated, but disappointing nonetheless.

bag slung over his shoulder, the best that he could do was try not to think about it. he considered the possibility of spirit summoning, but had no idea how he would go about it; no plan, no skill, just the cold and the hotel and the keys to the van that he flipped absent-mindedly in his ponderance as he waited for the rest of them to filter out of the vehicle. his head ached from the drive. sleep was on the horizon, and he certainly felt as though he needed it.

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬

[✩]17|she/her|Hades|Head Counsellor|Cabin Thirteen|tags: Orin

The feeling of a laugh bubbled up inside her as Orin continued on about the eels. It might have escaped if she’d been a little more present, a little less groggy, instead, she just smiled. “Maybe they counted them as they caught them. One at a time.” Auggie wasn’t really invested in the conversation, just trying to egg him on, to further the evident spiral over something pointless and mundane. Pointless and mundane seemed to have become a rarity, something to be held onto when it happened to show its face, and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to rile him up over something stupid, even in her semi-delirious state.

A weight of worry was lifted from her chest at the reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere. Not that it should have mattered, but it was easier to believe when it was said out loud. It was easier to ignore the fear, but didn’t quite stop her from fighting to remain conscious.

“Hurts like hell, though,” she muttered in response to the comment about the non-existent bullet wound, cringing as she realized what she’d said a beat too late. “Sorry.” At the reminder of everything the day had put them through, she let out a soft exhale that could have been a laugh, but was devoid of all humour. “I’ve never rested in my life,” she stated like someone who wasn’t practically asleep already. She didn’t want to sleep. She’d been away from him for a few hours that had felt like a few lifetimes and it really seemed like a waste to spend any time unconscious now. But if there was going to be a moment in which she actually felt like she could, it was possible that this was it.

Auggie wouldn’t have minded being kept awake, even if it was listening to him spiral about twenty-six thousand eels. Despite the posed threat, she did try, fighting against the pull of oblivion as it seemed to weigh her down more with each passing moment. It was pointless, really, and that was okay. He’d said he wasn’t going anywhere, and she trusted him to keep his word. The fear sated, she stopped trying to force her eyes open, allowed herself to drift off to the low sound of his voice, distant and close at the same time. She hadn’t slept comfortably for a while, discounting the brief moment earlier that day, but she’d still been riddled with anxiety then, and it hadn’t lasted very long.

She managed to catch a bit of what he was saying as she drifted off, though not fully aware of the context. “What about giraffes?” The question didn’t make any sense in relation to his story, but it didn’t have to, she wasn’t awake to hear the answer.

━━━ 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞

[✿]16|he/him|Iris|the van|tags: quest group

Jamie took Ash’s reassurance with raised brows, feeling a bit wary of the uncertainty in the boy’s tone, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Truthfully, he was a bit grateful the menacing whirlwind that was Aggy had been temporarily sedated, she hadn’t exactly been helping his nerves. His gaze drifted to the window as the others began discussing sleeping arrangements, not fully invested in the conversation. He didn’t really care who he was stuck with. He wasn’t sure he’d be sleeping at all with the anxiety pounding in his head, and the tight, constricting feeling that had been in his chest since earlier that day. He did happen to catch Aiden’s comment about girls, his eyes staying on the passing scenery as a small snort of a laugh escaped him. “Sounds good to me.”

The van seemed to be a lot quiet with Aggy knocked out. He almost missed the chaos, but not quite. It was difficult to ignore his worries with nothing to consume his thoughts, so he tried to avoid simply sitting and staring out the window, attempting to initiate a game of I Spy at one point. That was one of the worst car games, especially when there was just a lot of trees and buildings, but he tried regardless.

The arrival at the hotel was met with a fresh surge of anxiety and reluctance to leave the van. It had felt safe for a while, a little pocket of warmth, shelter from the storm outside. He hadn’t really had to think about any of it, relying on Teilo and Mira to get them where they were going. Getting up and walking out of the van put reality back into perspective, but he pushed himself to his feet, stepped out into the cold, shivering at the chill that immediately overtook him.

━━━ 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬

[✦]16|they/them|Kymopoleia|Dining Pavilion|tags: Liv

Corey nodded sagely, ignoring the angry look they were getting. “Alright, I can respect that. Paramore’s got a good vibe.” They couldn’t help the widening of their smile at the outburst, clearly they were really getting to this girl. Maybe they should have felt bad. She was new and dealing with unfamiliar situations--especially this one--was never easy, but they couldn’t help themself. “Well that’s obvious enough. Don’t have to tell me.”

They let out a laugh at the insult to their name, genuinely amused. “Okay, Short Temper. You got a better one? Or am I not worthy of that information?” They raised an eyebrow, prepared to form another comeback to the question, but was cut off by the sudden surprise as Chiron stepped up to make announcements. “Oh boy, you’re gonna love this place. Wait ‘til you see a satyr.” Their grin faded quickly as the announcements began, a surprisingly solemn expression gracing their features as Chiron spoke of the tragedies that had taken place, and the ones that were sure to continue.

[sammy,]

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

"but surely you'd lose count after a while, right?" he frowned. "i suppose they were just built different back in those days. didn't have much to do. counting eels was like their telly." he paused, thought about this for a moment. "i mean, there's that story, right? the one about the shepherd's boy, the brothers grimm one with the - eternity and the diamond mountain, yeah? but one of the questions was, uh - how many stars there were in the sky. and the kid just put a load of tiny dots on paper and told him to count them. but he couldn't. there were too many. maybe that's how they did it." he huffed a breath at the thought. "there are as many eels in this bucket as there are stars in the sky."

the apology upon the mere mention of hell was almost funny. it was that he hadn't even thought about it - the tiny words meaning nothing more than their place in the perhaps-exaggerated simile - but then he was. not only about hell itself, the hurt it caused, but about the fact she cared that much. the quiet whisper in the back of his head, his own voice, told him that she saw him as damaged. the louder part told him that she just cared. she was still figuring things out. so was he, in a sense. "it's okay. it's probably worse, thinking about it. it wasn't all that painful, actually. so maybe you should say it hurts more than hell," orin said, taking the lighter approach once more. "but then you'd sound a bit dramatic." the following, easily contradicted statement rose a weary smile. "well, imagine how powerful you'll be once you've grabbed your first few winks. world-ending,"

"you'd have to have pretty tall gallows to hang a giraffe," he commented, though almost felt it as she slipped into sleep. still, he spoke, the continuation feeling important - even if she wasn't listening, it was proof enough that he was there, not fading the moment auggie stopped being able to pay presumably rapt attention to his mindless rambles. "'cause a giraffe's just a horse with a long neck, really, isn't it? and horses -" he wasn't much a fan of horses anymore. he hadn't been in the first place, but prejudice had taken hold. "well, nothing against them specifically, but they've never really been forces of peace, have they? people have done some dastardly things with horses as their little sidekicks." he hadn't wanted to think about it, but the opportunity had arisen, the drifts of memory taking hold, and the lack of conscious audience was making it easier to let the words slip. "charles. he was a - he tried to kill the queen, you know. the first lizzie. this little group of catholics who wanted mary in and elizabeth on a pike. but it didn't work, it never works. poor planning. there's always a rat. same with guy fawkes. anyway, he - they all got caught, implicated, hanged, drawn, quartered, the lot, and - god, the noise." despite the perhaps gory description, his voice remained measured, low, only crackling at that final word. he paused the combing of fingers. the rock, vin diesel, "and, you know, he was a good guy. really smart. wrote a play. good play. had this life ahead of him, wanted to do something with it, and he got involved in something - you know, something big, and then, that's it. he's made into an example of treason." harry hill, jeff bezos, horses galloping and the swing and creak of the rope. "letter intercepted. execution order sent, and in a blink, he becomes entertainment for the feral masses." he shut his eyes - perhaps the wrong move. the dark behind eyelids made shapes in their void, like he could reach out and touch them if he tried hard enough. he couln't think of a fifth bald celebrity.

"everything they were, becomes breath on a mirror. they're just fog," he breathed a shaky sigh. "sorry." he wasn't sure which bit he was sorry for. all of it, probably. for leaving, for coming back a little bit wrong, for feeding her unconscious mind with the tales that had regaled him into a stupor. "s'not all nasty. i dunno why i started with the nasty stuff. i think those are just the loudest ones."

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬

[✩]17|she/her|Hades|Head Counsellor|Cabin Thirteen|tags: Orin

She hadn’t really meant to make the hell comparison, but she hadn’t meant to apologize for it either, both slipping from her mouth before she had a chance to think. He didn’t seem bothered by either, and she was glad for that. She’d never walked on eggshells around him before, and that wasn’t about to start now. In a way, she was relieved to hear that the experience hadn’t been painful, though there was still a sense of doubt in her mind. Maybe it hadn’t been physically painful, but it had been something, and she got the sense that things weren’t quite as alright as he was making them out to be. Regardless, it had hurt. It had hurt her more than any bullet—real or phantom—ever could. She didn't imagine the feeling in her arm was really worse.

Auggie wasn’t awake to register the response to her half-delirious question, more of a joke than anything, but she didn't completely clock out. The lulling sound of his voice drifted through to her subconscious, fading slightly, morphing into something else. She wasn’t prone to pleasant dreams, especially not ones that pertained to any sort of childhood memory, but a sense of calm had washed over her, reminding her of moments forgotten.

Lying on the couch at her uncle’s apartment, morning light glowing through partially drawn curtains, nothing but the distant sound of traffic and the hushed murmurs of Uncle Jack and Michael talking in the kitchen, trying their best not to wake her up and evidently failing. It was warm. It was familiar. But something was wrong. The shadows that flickered and waved across the walls weren’t the usual shapes of branches and buildings, but strange shapes that crept down the walls and across the floor towards her. The shade of the paint was slightly off, the voices weren’t quite ringing in the right tenors, and there was a feeling of something lurking around the corner, something she couldn't quite make out yet.

It was the crack in his voice that pulled her out of it, dragged back from the shallow realm of unconsciousness she’d reached. Eyes cracked open just enough to look at him, met with his own eyes shut. She could practically feel the stress emanating from him, see the spiral of panic that was taking place inside his skull. She shifted slightly, propped herself up on her uninjured arm with a bit of difficulty, but managed to get upright enough to really look at him.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She paused, gazing at him steadily, the drowsiness seeming to have been wiped away in an instant. She was tired, but that could wait. This was more important, and not in the way that she stubbornly insisted everything was more important than her own wellbeing. Whatever had just passed before his closed eyes was infinitely, unquestionably more important. “I don’t know what you...well, I do. You told me, I know. But I wasn’t...I wasn’t there.” She let out a huff of breath, shook her head. “I didn’t go through any of it. I didn’t see any of it and I don’t—I can’t hear your...people. So I won't pretend I understand more than I do, but you can’t pretend that it’s just....fine. You don’t have to. It’s messed up. It’s really, really messed up.” Maybe that was too far. Maybe he didn’t want to be reminded, but it was too late to stop now, so she barrelled on. It was important. “Not you. This. All of this. Everything. But if there’s messed up things in your head I want to hear them. I want you to tell me and I don’t want you to apologize for it. Because I can’t fix it,” That bothered her, the words creating a constriction in her chest as she said them. “But you shouldn’t have to deal with any of that crap on your own.” Her gaze was still on him, speaking with a tone that expected belief, demanded it—much steadier and surer than it had been moments before. “No apologies.”

[sammy,]

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

the comment on the grimm's tale of eternity felt more pertinent the further that orin fell into the pit of anamnesis. he wished that he could relate to a tale, all these stories that had solidified endings, happy bits and sad bits, but it was difficult when he felt the ghost of the feeling, the sound of a crowd that was long-dead roaring for blood that wasn't his, but wasn't anyone else's any more. and that was just one of them, one of the dozen. the arbitrary obsession with finding a fifth bald celebrity, like that specific technique would wipe the images, was coming up with nothing. all of a sudden, he could remember none. they simply didn't exist. it was stupid and it was him.

he felt the movement before he registered that auggie was awake, and suppressed a jerk when it lined up with whatever the hell it was that he was fixating on. at the voice, which melded with the apparitional screams until cutting through the cacophony, he cracked open his eyes. back in the room. she wasn't asleep. she should have been asleep. she should have at least been trying to be asleep.
johnny o'connor.
and that made five.
it was almost offensive how well that worked. an old habit, fashioned from a superstition about hiccups, brewed in innately different circumstances - somehow, it made the world feel a lot more palatable. it gave him the chance to listen, and listen properly, biting back an apology for waking her up. he was lost for something to say.

and then, after taking in the words, rolling them around for a little while, he wasn't. "it's not fine," he said, glancing away. "but it's - you know, i'm back. that's my consolation prize. i'm back. but something has to balance that out, right? that's how this works. it was never gonna be easy. people aren't meant to come back from the dead. every myth and every legend about it is essentially a warning against it." he breathed a sigh. "it's not even a katabasis. it's just wrong. it's not meant to happen. and - you know, i get why." what would have been a laugh sounded breathy and bitter. his head fell back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "and i get why you have to jump into the lethe to be reborn. that's - you know, that makes sense. having another lifetime attached to you is -" another one. "that's not to say - i'd do it again. i'm glad i did it. i'm glad i'm back, and it's not - it's not that bad. it's just stuff. it's always just stuff. it's what has to happen. i have to have this. it's my - god, it sounds sanctimonious to say - my penance. leave the underworld with an ankle tag, that kind of thing. and that's fine." he looked at her then, moved his hand to touch her face, her real face, her alive face. "it's good. i'm good."

"they're mine now. i'll learn to deal with it. it's just weird. they're good people. they're - they're all such good people. i can't sit here and say it's the worst thing that's ever happened when i got to experience things that no one else will ever touch. one of them, ephraim, he was in world war two. but you would've barely known it. he just talked about the girl he met at a dance hall, and how he knew he was gonna marry her the moment he saw her, and it was good. it was nice. i want that. i wanna - it's not all awful. it's just a lot. that's it. that's all. i'm okay, i swear i'm okay. i'll be okay." maybe a bit of him was trying to convince himself of that, as well. "i don't want you to worry. i don't wanna scare you. i wanna be able to tell you it, i want you to know about them. it wasn't for nothing. it's difficult. but it's okay. they're good. and i'm - you know, i'm coping. i don't want you to lose sleep over it. it's not all messed up. it's just how things are. it's just how it has to be." he breathed a sigh, tried a wry smile. "i've got 'em on a short lead. some of 'em really wanted me to kill vivienne. but i didn't. managed to cut them out of my head. because she was crying. and i'm not gonna kill someone who's crying." that was something else. that was a whole other struggle. "and that's - maybe they should have been a little louder. i dunno if i'm gonna regret that. that's a whole other kettle of fish. or - or barrel of eels." another twist to lightheartedness felt necessary in the context. he wanted this to be happy, for auggie to be happy.

[indigo']

━━━ 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬

[✩]17|she/her|Hades|Head Counsellor|Cabin Thirteen|tags: Orin

The silence hung in the air, breath held, and for a moment, Auggie thought she might have done something wrong, that she should have kept her mouth shut. That was usually the better option. But then the response came, the admission that she wasn’t sure made anything better, but seemed like a step in the right direction. She listened to him in silence, feeling her heart twist in her chest at the implication that he deserved this, that having him there meant it was necessary for him to have to deal with the pain of a dozen other deaths, that he wasn’t supposed to be there at all. She didn’t agree. He shouldn’t have needed to come back because he wasn’t supposed to leave in the first place, but she didn’t speak, just let him continue, ignoring the twinge of guilt in her gut.

She leaned into his touch, wanting desperately to believe the final statement. She wanted to believe him, because she didn’t want things to be worse than they seemed and she was tired of doubting every word that ever came out of anyone’s mouth. The constant scepticism was tiring, years of refusing to put her trust in anything outside herself had taken a toll, and she didn’t want it to carry on forever. But it was difficult, especially when he sounded so unsure.

A smile was attempted, failed miserably. The repetition wasn’t doing much by way of convincing her that he was really okay, it didn’t quite sound like he believed it himself. She exhaled shortly, shook her head. “Nothing you could say could scare me.” It sounded bolder out loud than it actually felt, with the omission of the fact that she was already afraid. That she already felt frightened enough that it couldn’t go any further. “The world’s probably ending, right? It’s just something else.” There was a lot of something else’s, endless fuel to the fire that had broken out around them. Despite the fear, despite the feeling of desperation and hopelessness, she didn’t feel nearly as afraid as she should have in that moment. Not as much as she had before. “And it’s hard to lose something you already don’t have,” she added on the topic of sleep, a hint of a smile on her face that didn’t last more than a second.

“You don’t have to pretend to be okay with me. And you don’t have to deal with them on your own.” It felt like she was repeating herself, but it was important that she got that through to him. She was silent for a moment, thoughts twisting in her head. “I’m glad you didn’t,” she said finally. He seemed unsure about the choice he’d made when faced with Vivienne. “I don’t think...I don’t know. But I’m glad you didn’t.” The mention of the eels was an abrupt turn from where the conversation had gone, but she wasn’t entirely surprised, abrupt turns of lightheartedness were inevitable, innate in his nature. She tried to smile again, but it was weak and shaky, slightly forced.

She slumped back down, resting her head against him, gaze on the ceiling, the same one she’d stared up at earlier that day—the moment after her world had seemed to fall apart, the moment before it really had. They seemed to keep finding themselves in a similar situation, world caving in around them, something brewing beneath the surface, but somehow effortlessly shifting it away, putting their minds to things that hurt less, not because it was easier, but because it was all they really could do. “Maybe he was just a con artist. The eel guy. Convinced some idiot that if he didn’t sell his land for the eels right then that he’d be missing out, so he didn’t bother to check how many it really was and just agreed.”

[sammy,]

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

he hadn't expected to hand himself over, to deliver the qualms and the troubles on a silver platter. it wasn't the way that he did things. it was normally a case of ignoring something until it went away (or ignoring something until it became impossible to ignore, until it was the only thing that he could focus on, until the world was ending and he had to look it in the face and admit its size to himself). this was different. there had been other times, of course, where some form of vulnerable honesty had prevailed, but those nights were filtered with a shade of rage or pushed by a slightly inebriated mind. the candidness in the mixture of placidity and sobriety was new. it wasn't bad, just new. frightening.

ever the optimist, though. he didn't want to lose that. it would be fine. if he didn't have that under his belt, then he had nothing. there were twelve people (who weren't really people at all, but that wasn't something he was going to delve into at that moment) in his corner, and that was good. that was more than usual. people had done more with less. the reassurance was nice, regardless, and then the world - "the world's always ending," he was confident about that. orin knew that to be a fact. there was always something. the world was always at war and the world was always on fire and that had been a consistent factor throughout all of the history that he had willingly bore witness to. he wasn't sure how much he cared about it. he wanted to, but it was hard. hard to be bothered about a planet that was always on the brink. the threats felt empty. they amounted to nothing more than minced words. it was always the end of somebody's world. he returned the smile because it felt right to.

the problem, if possible to be whittled down to one, was that it was difficult to tell what was an act and what wasn't when it had been going on for so long. "okay," he said, more weight in that single word than in anything else he could have mustered up. he believed her. and he was glad that she understood the turmoil. "i don't think i could've," he said. "no, actually, i could've. easily. i just - i don't think i wanted to, which is more of a problem, because i just - she just - she got in my head. harped on the fact that - well, that everyone here sees me as a traitor. that i died as this... this politician-colluding liar because of everything that lucy said, and i just couldn't do it. i was angry. i still am, a bit," at the end of the day, he was glad he hadn't either. he had a funny feeling that all of this amounted to far more than just vivienne. the questers were bound to find something much larger than they anticipated. he wasn't sure whether it was worth warning people about it. with what had happened the last time he had taken that initiative, it was a direr thought than it should have been.

back to the eels. that was good. he was glad for that. "or - or, conversely -" orin paused. "most the historians in those days were monks. and monks are notorious cowards. maybe someone just pointed a knife at one of the baldy-patched idiots and went 'yeah. write twenty-six thousand in there.' because they thought it would be funny to fool idiots like us into thinking they could count that high." he tapped his nose. "i'd do it. gimme a time machine, i'd threaten monks all the time. end up in a version of history that believes that the peasants in the middle ages cut about on - on hoverboards and then destroyed all traces of them in a frenzy one day. that's what i'd do. just really mess with historians."