PJO: New Age of Heroes

J

Jessie Targaryen

Guest
Original poster
►Camp Half-Blood◄
►Location: Long Island, New York
It was the early morning of June 1st, also known as the first day of Summer Session for Camp Half-Blood. Campers had just moved into their cabins the day before, and despite the fact that most of the camp was sleeping just a bit longer into the morning energy could be felt coursing through the air. For most, camp was a happy place to be. Somewhere safe for people like them, Demigods, to train and spend their summers. Of course, there was more to the life here than just training. Already the Satyrs were setting up the volleyball net in the sand-pit, and some nymphs from the forest were playing a rather impressive game of basketball. Lava tumbled through the already warm and humid air of summer, making its way down the ever so infamous climbing wall of the camp. The air itself seemed alive with the noise of various animals, and growls from monsters hidden deep within the forest located in the camp’s borders. All the energy, excitement, and anticipation seemed ready to break at any moment as the campers would be starting to wake for their first day of the summer camp. Some no doubt anticipating a big adventure while others were simply looking to reconnect with their friends. Alas, there was also a heavy sense of tension hanging over the camp of young demigods. As those who had just arrived had already heard from the year-rounders about the news from a couple days past. A new great prophecy had been issued, and as per usual with such things it did not sound like a pleasant experience for anybody involved.
The Serpent’s breath to poison the land, Olympus to meet a swift end, Foes to become friends, And demigods shall write their own fate.
Nobody particularly knew what was meant by the new prophecy, not even the Oracle, nor had the slightest guess. For all the demigods of the camp knew, such a prophecy would not come to pass for years upon end. Still, there was the undeniable tension and fear that hung in the air from such a dark prophecy. Particularly the part that mentioned Olympus coming to a swift end, as many demigods at the camp lamented the idea of what might happen to cause that scenario. Still, most would try to make the best of their situation and roll with the punches as they came. Such was the life of a demigod these days, and besides their summer was just barely starting. As the sun starting to rise further into the sky, Apollo coloring the sky a deep orange with its sunrise, campers would start to wake and go about their daily business. Yet the new Prophecy would be haunting the back of everybody’s minds.


►Ryland Astrapi◄
►Location: Camp Half-Blood || Zeus Cabin ►Interactions: None
It was a familiar enough scene, thick trees towered on all sides of a small clearing and cast long shadows across the ground that seemed to stretch on for miles. The soft cacophony of birds, monsters, and rustling leaves in the trees creating a dull roar over the otherwise peaceful forest. Before him wooden fence that seemed as if it could ward off even the master bolt stood and inside towered yet even healthier and thicker trees. What would have been a beautiful scene ruined by hideous scorch marks across the ground and wood. Beings which he could not place, giants to be certain, but ones wreathed in mighty flames with glowing orange eyes like stories of demons of old lay waste to the fence before him. He knew this scene all too well, and the events that followed. It had been seared into his memory and something he saw every night. He knew the horror he was about to witness, yet at the same time, it never stopped the blow from delivering. No matter how many times he willed himself to turn away, to run forward, scream, do anything. He couldn't move. He was simply a spectator to a horrific act. Yet something was different today, as the massive fire-giants seemed to freeze in the middle of the assault. For that matter, the whole forest became still. Shadows stopped creeping across the ground as their casters froze as if somebody captured the moment in time. To his right, the Daughter of Poseidon stood frozen in the middle of some vague attack. Before him, another girl with brilliant blonde locks raised her shield to defend from a might sword coming down from a giant before it. Everything was frozen perfectly at this moment before the disaster. A calm before the storm that would haunt the boy for the next two years. Yet he did not approach the scene, despite Ryland shouting and willing himself to surge forward and destroy that giant himself. No, instead the boy slowly turned around in this infinite, frozen waste of a forest. Sounds ripped through the calmness that had taken, eerie sounds of creatures fighting. Yet he couldn't quite place what the creatures were. Then they suddenly came into view as one soared through the air before slamming into the ground before him with a mighty thud. A mighty eagle, laying too still. A distant look in its eye, staring forever at something that seemingly wasn't there. Looking up, he could hear the sounds of labored breathing and saw many other animals before him. Some creatures he didn't even recognize. A horse with a sea green mane stood out, accompanied by a deer silver as the moon itself, a cow that seemed to glow with grace, a large and blood red boar, and a dove. All larger than they should be, and seemed as if they had been through vicious fights respectively. Each bore grave injuries, and sat in some ensemble on their knees or splayed across the ground. Yet there was no sign of what had done this to them. His eyes widened in terror at the violent scene, trying to comprehend the meaning behind it all. Then the sounds of battle started behind him once more. Whirling around as if called by some puppeteer, Ryland dashed towards the giant attacking the girl with the blonde hair. He knew what came next, he couldn't allow it. The scene he left behind forgotten as his desperate dash overtook the boy's panicked mind. He would save her, this time things would be different. They had to be. As the distance closed between them, Ryland reached for his shield to throw and distract the giant. Yet a sudden burst of pressure slammed into his chest and he was off his feet. The impact enough that he didn't even remember his time in the air, simply slamming into the ground with enough force to ram the air from his lungs. Gasping desperately, he tried to force himself to his feet but only to be slammed once more to the ground. Coughing up blood and looking down at a searing pain in his abdomen, Ryland's eyes went wide to see a jagged tooth sticking out of his skin. His attention then turned forwards as he heard heavy, wet slithering through the grass before him. Shock coursed through his veins as he couldn't move, frozen in the spot as surely as if Medusa had glared him down. Yet the being before him... was not Medusa. A massive serpent of deep green color, eyes that pierced his very soul glaring him down. With an open maw that could easily swallow him whole, and rows of hideous, jagged teeth that matched the one buried in his side. Behind the creature, he could see a massive pillar of flame shooting upwards, accompanied by those hideous screams of pain that haunted his dreams to this day. The screams of a girl burning as punishment for her foolishness in fighting such a powerful creature. Then the serpent lunged, and Ryland could only begin to scream as its maw surged closer and his vision went black. The scream finished with a loud echo and the creaking complaint of a steel-framed bed. Covered in sweat and with a wild look in his eyes, Ryland tore his shirt upwards to look where his hideous wound had been. Yet there was simply smooth skin there, not even the sign of an old wound healed. Touching his abdomen, he could feel exactly where the tooth had broken out of his skin. Yet it simply... didn't exist. The hammering of his heart finally began to slow as Ryland turned his attention upwards, finally hearing the soft thundering that was always rumbling through his cabin. With a look that went a thousand yards, the boy looked up towards the statue of his father that sat in the far corner of the room. Staring ahead with its emotionless expression, as if uncaring of the obvious experience Ryland had just experienced. He couldn't help but feel more alone than he did at that very moment. It was a firm reminder that he was supposed to be the strong one at camp. So, with the dying screams of his friends still roaring in his ears Ryland rose and went about a quick morning routine. Dressing and such, Ryland tried to make himself look as composed as ever. Whatever he had just dreamed... he needed to think it through. Stepping out his cabin into the orange-colored landscape of a camp at sunrise, Ryland let out a long sigh. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep up this confident facade anymore. Forcing those thoughts from his mind, he summoned the winds to lift him high into the sky as if he were a superhero from the comics he used to read. Summoning the winds once more, Ryland made an easy path through the sky until he eventually landed at the arena. He was going to train with Haydn later that morning, so the boy felt that the arena was the perfect place to work through his inner turmoil. Already knowing he was going to be working up quite a sweat, and that others wouldn’t be coming by for some time, Ryland lazily tossed the tank-top to the side and got to work unleashing his inner turmoil upon the poor dummy before him in the hopes of regaining his composure before Haydn arrived.


►Unknown◄
►Location: The Sanctuary ►Interactions: None
Amid a long stretch of mountains, everything in nature seemed to stand eerily still. As if everything in the world was holding its breath in anticipation of what may come in the next few moments. Snow-capped mountains that each had a sea of green at their base from the massive forests that surrounding these beautiful mountains. Coupled with the lovely blues of crystal-clear waters that flowed down from the melting snows into a large lake in the valley below. Truly, something out of an artist's painting or a photograph one might see on a postcard advertising nature tours or the like. A landscape captured perfectly at a moment in time and seemed perfectly content to hold onto this moment for as long as it could. Of course, none of this actually mattered to the hungry eagle soaring gently on the winds overhead in its desperate search for food. Movement far below, imperceptible to any eye except for that of the mighty eagle. Taking it as a bid for a tasty rat, the bird tucked its wings and ripped through the air at breakneck speeds. Plummeting like a rock to find that tasty little morsel of prey that would feed it for the day as it flew on to find a new home. Yet the bird suddenly stopped its fall and came to land on a branch in the forest. Its head curiously tilted around as its nose was filled with the tantalizing scent of meat. Although these scents seemed to smell sour judging by the bird's unwillingness to move from its perch and instead look around the area. The movement it had seen? A half-eaten corpse of a rabbit rolling down the gentle incline. Now that it was sitting on this branch, the bird of prey was bombarded by the scent of rotting meat floating in the air. It squaked harshly at the scent and took off to find food elsewhere, yet never even made it off its perch. A slab of wood flattened the creature against the tree that paid host to it. The large wooden club belonging to a bumbling creature that looked like a man except much, much larger. With rotting, yellowed teeth and a single eye in the middle of his forehead, it was clear this creature did not belong to the mortal world. With a deep, booming laugh that crossed the mountains, the Cyclops held up the corpse of the bird. "We'se gots a good snack for mama!" It called out to the other walking alongside it with another bellowing laugh. Together the two turned to cross the forest floor ridden with corpses of various animals, and even signs of humans in some places. The grass stained red in some areas, which others bore signs of a struggle. Crossing this land they joined up with one of the two distinct convoys of creatures on the move. Broken shields and sword lay impaled in trees and the ground, a testament that a struggle had occurred here not too far in the past. The column that the two Cyclops joined left this forest and turned south, clearly with an intended target in that direction while the other turned northward. Both columns of horrific creatures that would drive a mere mortal insane led up the mountains to a single opening large enough to fit a warship. From here they left, and within even more of the horrors milled around. An array of slithering, hissing, and other monstrous noises made it a dull roar inside this cave. Yet the middle edge of the cliff, overlooking the entire mountain range was left completely alone. As if the beasts knew better than to stray towards it. From the back of the cave, an eerie green light accompanied by the pained, weak wails of a dying man was barely recognizable. Yet up front in the empty area, two figures stood in front of a stone throne sitting on a carpeted and otherwise well-furnished square. One barely recognizable thanks to the shadows hiding most of their figure. The other, a woman wearing a full body covering with the headpiece occasionally shifting as a rather... scaly head poked out from under. She also wore sunglasses, as if nothing of her body was permitted in the open. "Preparationssss are complete." The covered one hissed as she tucked a scaly body back under the cloth. "We will be lying in wait." She finished before bowing her head and taking a step back. The shadow covered figure leaned forward slightly, making only her deep green lips visible in the light as they twisted into a smile. Then those lips moved to speak in a voice laden with honey and venom, elegance and power.
"So our little game begins."

 
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►Emily◄
►Location: Long Island, New York ►Strawberry Field ►Interactions: Siblings - Mariana Tanny (NPC) and Brendon Fulginiti(NPC)



Cabin 12's morning routine was simple, they got up with the sun, picked berries for an hour, then grabbed breakfast. When Emily had roused her siblings she was already dressed. It didn't take too long for the pair of them to get ready, and then they were out in the field. They were almost done with the hour when Ryland flew overhead. Emily ignored him. She was used to his pompous show-off-ness. What mattered to her was that Marco and her had gotten to spend time with each other the previous night. It was the first time in ages that they had been in the same room and Iris messages just weren't enough.

"He didn't land near the dining pavilion," Mariana whispered. Emily shot her a dirty look. Her sister shrugged and finished picking the ripe berries off the plant she had been working on. Emily marched over to her bin that she had been collecting her berries in, and checked to make sure it was full. Thankfully it was. She didn't dare look back at Mariana. Emily picked up the bin and dumped the strawberries into the crate that would be taken into the city to sell.

"I'm going to breakfast." Emily dusted her hands. "Finish your bins and join me. I'll save you some bacon. Maybe." Emily grinned, waved to the group of Demeter kids, and walked toward. She heard behind her the sound of someone getting a gentle slap. Probably Brendon giving Mariana a playful backhand. "Be nice. Oh, and remember we have the climbing wall today at 10."


 
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►Ozymandius◄
►Location: The Sanctuary ►Interactions: None

Oz awoke from his cabin, the cold sweat that typically adorned his brow present. It had been another night of fitful sleeping, full of nightmares that plagued almost every demigod. It was not a coherent nightmare, more like hundreds of stitched together flashes of memory that burned through his sleep at lightning pace, leaving him with the feeling of primal fear and dread seated in his gut. It was not uncommon for Oz to have dreams like this, four to five times a week, with peaceful sleep coming much more difficultly. He tended not to dwell on the dreams.

He sat up in his bed and kicked his legs over the side, walking to his father's saltwater fountain in the corner, the stream of water gurgling out of the seashell shrine. He offered up a quick prayer to his father, and then turned around to study the room. It never felt normal to sleep in this room. Always he was reminded that he slept in the cabin that had once, not so long ago, been graced by one of the greatest heroes of their age. Percy Jackson. Being a child of Poseidon was daunting on it's own, but being a half brother to Percy Jackson? It would be impossible to ever live to be made of the same stuff as a kid who had been to Tartarus and back, literally.

Oz quickly dressed in his typical clothes, a camp halfblood t-shirt, loose fitting jeans, and belt. Then he slipped his tennis shoes on and walked out the door, heading for the Arena, determined to clear his head. Swordplay always did that for him, allowing him to focus on the day after a bit of a workout, making it easier to carry out his duties as a cabin head. His fished the flashlight out of his pocket as he approached the arena. Who he saw was Ryland Astrapi, the resident child of Zeus. Oz was quite fond of the guy, they were pretty much equals in every way. From dueling with swords to controlling their abilities to age, they were just as good as one another. Not to mention the pair of them were friends. A bond forged over countless hours of rivalry in pretty much every aspects of camp life that had made them good friends with a bit of a bad habit of turning everything into a competition with each other. Oz waved to the guy as he entered the Arena. Oz slipped the flashlight into his pocket and picked up a training sword, carrying it with him. "Hey Ryland, up for a spar today?" He asked as he moved to an unoccupied space in the sand pit arena and began to stretch his muscles, warming up for a bit of training.


 
►Haydn Mercer◄
►Location: Hades Cabin -> Arena


Like any other night, Haydn had slept curled up around a pillow tightly with a pile of blankets over her. Even in the summer, she tended to stack up the covers and sleep in the warmest situation possible. The girl clutched at her body pillow in her sleep, her face buried to face into the item that it would worry a normal person that she might suffocate in there. And with the blankets piled over her and cocooning her inside, one might fear for her oxygen consumption. She never seemed to have a problem with I though, so per usual, she dreamt in her oven of a bed.

Also per usual for her, this dream was entirely lucid. Not that it was special or intriguing in any way. In fact, this innocent image was basically of the girl baking. She simply stood in her childhood home, her younger brothers running in circles while the girl peeled apples. It was simple, but it was sweet, and being able to still have dreams like this was one of the things that helped keep her sane around here. For a moment, she held still to soak in the warm feeling of being home with her family again, pausing in her peeling to close her eyes and listen to her younger siblings laugh and horse around. What bliss. To be able to go back to this and let herself really feel and remember what it was like, while also being able to interact however she wanted. But the moment was ruined when a cold shiver rippled up her spine and a sense of cold started to settle over her dream. Haydn’s eyes snapped open and she frowned at the sense of cold and darkness that seemed to permeate through the room.

But she opened her eyes to her own little blanket oven in her own bed at Camp Half-Blood. It was dark in there of course, but there was definitely no sense of cold. She blinked tiredly, staring into the darkness for a few seconds before working an arm out of the top of the blanket above her head so she could push the mass of covers down and expose her face to the day. So sleepy… With a sigh, the girl pushed herself up and slid out of bed to get dressed. The plan was to go train with Ryland, so taking a shower right now would be stupid. She could do that afterwards. Knowing that exercise would be involved, she dressed in a pair of sweats that were at least one size too large, tied tightly to keep them up, and a peach-colored t-shirt that was exactly two sizes too big for her.

Since they would be doing sword training today, Haydn left her Bident behind in her cabin and instead planned to use one of the training swords in the arena. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail as she walked toward the arena, using two hair-ties to keep it up, and then two more to force the rest up into a bun that would stay on her head, hopefully without falling out. A glance at her watch showed that she was early, as she always was, and she went to go find a sword so she could be prepared to practice. After stepping foot in the arena, sword hanging limply in her right hand, the sound of one-sided fighting alerted her to Ryland’s presence. Haydn moved in slowly, her gaze locked on the shirtless boy as he tried to vent some sort of frustration. Not that she knew that. All she knew was that THAT Ryland was shirtless. And sweating. And he was a good-looking guy. And…. quite ripped. The girl’s head slowly started to tilt a little to the right as she unwittingly found herself staring, a red tinge coloring her freckle-spattered cheeks.



 
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Bronwyn Rae Knowles♥
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Location: Athena Cabin → Woods of Camp Half-Blood Interactions: None

It had been some months since Brynn had been back inside the walls of her second home. Well, her only home, since her father's tragic death the summer before last. She'd spent a whole year at camp, but she'd gotten the 'OK' to go visit and stay with distant relatives for the school year. But of course, summer had come sooner than she was expecting, and that put the girl right back into the mix of things. She'd arrived late, and the only person she'd really seen on her way in was her best friend and sister, Zoey Kepler. Of course, Brynn wouldn't have had it any other way. That girl was the light of her damn life. If anyone could give her a 'Welcome Back', it was Zo.

Brynn took it upon herself to wake up earlier than the rest of the camp normally did, already having had her bag packed and ready as she headed off deep into the woods to train on her own. Sure, the best place to train would have been at the Arena, but there were faces she knew that would be there that she couldn't bear to see just yet. Hell, it was only her first day back. She'd spent most of the morning with her spear, striking just to the sides of trees as to not hurt the beautiful things. It was nice to get back into the swing of things, training and such. She'd spent most of the school year putting most of her focus on her dance performances and routines, that training had been put on the back burner for some time. Some might say that the girl had lost her touch.

It wasn't maybe more than an hour after the sun rose that Brynn finally paused in her strikes to take a look around, seeing the light pouring through the trees all around her. When did it get so bright out? The daughter of Athena smiled to herself and walked over to her bag, grabbing out her water bottle before taking a few sips, tossing it back into the pack as she picked up her swords this time. It had been a while since she had held them. They seemed to have grown heavier in the months they'd gone untouched while she was off pretending to live a 'normal', mortal life. As she began to put in work with her favorite weapons, Brynn blew out short breaths here and there with each swing and jab, losing herself more and more with each movement she made. It was good to be home. For the short time being, anyway.
 
►Marco DePaulo◄
►Location: Long Island, New York- Aphrodite Cabin ►Interacting with:Siblings- Dana (NPC)
Cabin Ten was never one of the cabins to wake early, but Marco was standing in front of the mirror in his little hidden oasis in the cabin. Thanks to a favor from one of the Hecate girls he had his own closet that was full of the latest fashions, areas he could work on his projects, as well as a few other things. He was not sure how to make the orange shirt look any better on him, but he had tried with a nice pair of jeans. His hair was of course clipped short, and he could barely tell he had some circles under his eyes. Yesterday should have been amazing. To be with Emily again, after mostly having to settle for Iris messages and the occasional visits, when Mr. D was in a good enough mood to let Em leave the Camp.

However, the mood had been spoiled by the announcement of the Oracle. A night of being with his lover was mostly ruined by those thoughts creeping in. Of course, seeing the one person he did not get along with didn't help. The last two wars he had two older siblings that had thrown themselves into the war. One had lost her life and was a hero, and the other had stepped up to be a bigger hero than some had expected. It was a lot for Marco to feel on his shoulders, and he could feel the creeping anxiety sneaking up again. Maybe he should talk to Em some more or go find Zoe...

His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Marco walked out of the closet, and looked to see his younger sister Dana there. The half Asian girl looked up at her big brother and raised an eyebrow. "I see we went for jeans today?"

"What do we expect? Orange is not a flattering color. Now, let's go rouse the others before we all miss breakfast." Marco straightened himself up as he looked at Dana and then went to start waking his other siblings. Of course, it took a while as most of them had to do their hair, shower, make up... every morning was a bit of a production in Cabin Ten, and making sure that those orange shirts flattered them.
 
►ZOEY KEPLER◄
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►Location: Long Island, New York
Zoey was sat on her bed, crosslegged with her nose in a book as it always was. Yesterday was move-in day for those who didn't live at the camp year-round, which just so happened to be the category that Zoey fell in. She and Selena had quite the time last night making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. Whether it'd be the books she wanted to read over the summer being on the shelves or her spectacularly boring wardrobe being where it was supposed to be. It was quite the process considering she was alone. Zoey had managed to get to camp a little earlier than her best friend and sister, Brynn, so she had to deal with unpacking and getting settled into camp by herself. It wasn't like she minded, she had her trusty ol' friend, Selena, to keep her company and assist in whatever way she could. Yes, she was a dog, and yes, whatever she was able to grab may or may not have been covered in slobber. However, she did her best and that was all that really mattered.

It was nice to do some morning reading. Her sister had gone off to wherever to train by herself, and most of the Athena cabin had followed suit which meant Zoey had the whole cabin to herself, at least on the girls' side. It was nice and quiet for the most part. You could hear the idle chitchat of fellow cabin members passing by the occasional crashing of swords and shields and whatnot. But this was the ideal reading conditions for Zoey, other than the fact that a certain dog was starting to get a little restless. Selena was a German Shepherd, and a great one at that, but that meant she had a lot of energy and being cooped up in a cabin all night wasn't exactly the most ideal situation for her. Eventually, after dealing with Selena's constant nudges from her snout, Zoey groaned and gave in. Putting her bookmark on where she was, she put her book aside and rolled off the bed. "Alright, alright... I get it, Selena..." Grabbing her leash from a nearby drawer, Zoey clipped it onto the dog's collar and let her lead the way.

Selena was in a rather inquisitive mood today, as Zoey was lead to a MUCH different area than where she usually took her dog to do her business. Instead, Selena seemed like she was on a mission, constantly tugging on the collar and pulling Zoey along. "What is with you today, Selena?!" Zoey asked, as the dog continued to pull her along, sniffing the ground furiously. Suddenly, she stopped, and perked up big time before the noise of branches being whacked could be heard. What could that have been? Zoey looked around to locate the source of the noise. It didn't take the Athena girl long to figure out what was the cause. "Brynn? Hey! What's going on, girl?" Zoey yelled out, as Selena dragged her closer to her sister. Seemed like Selena wanted nothing but to be closer with Brynn, knowing that Zoey wouldn't have minded either.
 
Elatan Rory O' Mory
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Location: Ares Cabin - Arena Interacting with: Chet Wesler (NPC )Stewart Gaugert (NPC) Carter Teller (NPC)
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Ares' Cabin, a scruffly painted cabin with an angry red color adorning it, with barbed wires lining the roof and sandbags placed with a stuffed boar's head on the doorway with eyes that seems to follow you or anyone walking by, And rock music and heavy metal blaring early in the morning.
"Would you guys knock the freaking music out?!" Elatan entered the living room of the children of War, massive stereos and speakers booming loud incoherent screams about war and misery and the sound of a guitar rift blasts through the roof as the beat of drums quake the earth, Elatan covered his ears as the sound was deafening, "Guys, would you please stop the music or freaking lower it down?!" Elatan approached his siblings and asked them [FONT=Marcellus, serif]politely, his siblings Chet, Stewart and Carter put their hands at each others shoulders and ignored him, as the chorus of the song came they all held their hands in the form of the Devil's horns rock sign up high and sang along the chorus, 'RISE, RISE, RISE!' Elatan then went to the back of the stereos and speakers and unplugged them, stopping the deafening music of rock.[/FONT]​
[FONT=Marcellus, serif]"Ey, what the fuck dude?!" Chet said as he stood up, he is near as tall as Elatan but short in a few inches which allowed him to stare directly at Elatan, "Don't you punks have any consideration and care of the others around? It early in the morning and you're playing rubbish too loud!" Elatan said to his siblings whom all seemed unpleased by what he did. "And why do we care? Fuck 'em" Chet said and the other two agreed with Chet, saying 'Yeah . . . fuck 'em' and 'We're the Sons of Ares, we don't care for the rest' which really grinds Elatan's gears. He released a heavy sigh and scrubbed his eyes, clearly newly awaken due to the blasting noises, and looked at his siblings and said. "Look, I'm Cabin Leader here and you follow what I say, got it?!" Elatan said with a slight authority lined in his tone so that he could get his siblings into complying, "Oh yeah tough guy? Why don't you go back to your poetry-making you sissy!" Chet spat out, the room suddenly felt deaf silent as the two had continued to stare at each other, "Uhm . . . Chet . . . I think that's a bad idea!" Carter said as he stood up to take Chet away from Elatan, Chet shrugged off Carter's hand harshly and said, "No it isn't! Ever since this guy came, he hasn't show an inch of Ares' blood in him and when he became Chief we've became the laughing stock of the Camp when our big brother isn't much a fighter and is lily-livered, by the gods he does poetry!! What's next, the Sons and Daughters of Ares doing poetry? What a load of bullshit . . . we should fuckin' show those other demigods who are boss around 'ere, especially those pompous children of Athena, and I think we need a regime change."[/FONT]​
[FONT=Marcellus, serif]Elatan was already fuming in the inside and the rage of his father threaten to overtake him as his brother insulted him, but he calmed himself and hoped that he could deal this situation in a more diplomatic end, "Look . . . Brother it's just the second day and I don't want to fight, we could talk this out like matured indivi-" His words were cut when Chet began to speak up, "Talk? TALK?! That's all you do . . . Fuckin' talk, you aren't a son of Ares, you're a son of a weakling woman that easily beaded by our father!" When Chet said those words, Carther and Stewart looked at each other and quickly took a step back. Elatan clenched his hands into fist and his eyes glared daggers at Chet, deep inside Elatan was trying to control himself and his temper but that insult on his mortal mother was the last straw, he could get over the fact that he was ridiculed and frowned upon by the rest of his siblings and cabin, he couldn't careless if his father even thinks his a failure. But he couldn't get over the fact that someone had the balls to disrespect his mother.[/FONT]​
[FONT=Marcellus, serif]"Take that back . . . " Elatan said in a hush tone, with silent anger laced in it. Veins appeared in his arms as Elatan clenched his fist tighter to stop himself from punching his sibling, "Chet . . . just lay off man!" Stewart said, trying to stop his brother from doing something stupid. "You guys gone soft under him, it's high time we show what the Sons and Daughters of Ares really are!" Chet said to them.[/FONT]​
[FONT=Marcellus, serif]"I'll see you at the Arena, Star-Boy, be there or else!" Chet said, "Let's get outta here, can't even look at our 'fearless leader'" Chet ordered his two siblings to follow outside the Cabin, leaving alone Elatan all fuming deep inside, he couldn't speak back as anger began to cloud his mind, his mind hazes and all he could think was punching Chet's face. Honor demands he meet the challenge as his mother's and his pride is on the line, and as the Cabin Leader of Ares' Cabin he must proved to all that he is superior among the spawn of War. [/FONT]​
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[FONT=Marcellus, serif]Elatan made it to the Arena and saw alot of Demigods doing their daily weapons training and exercise, he strapped on his bracers and shinguards and held tight his sword, Bláth Liath, a heirloom from his family with a long history, he didn't had his armor on and was only adorned in his Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and his denim jeans. He saw Chet with Stewart and Carter waiting for him in the middle of the arena, Chet having a smug look at his face which made Elatan pissed off. He walked towards Chet and saw at the peripheral vision of his eyes two famous campers of his day and age; Ryland the Son of Zeus and Ozymandius the Son of Poseidon appeared to having spar.[/FONT]​
[FONT=Marcellus, serif]As he approached the a near distance near Chet he stopped and said, "This could be averted Chet! Just say your sorry and I'll accept your apology." Chet laughed at his face and began to speak, "Attention Campers! Chet shouted obnoxiously in the arena, trying to get the attention of the other demigods, "I, Chet Wesler, Son of Ares will beat the living shit of our Cabin head, Elatan Rory O'Mory, questionable 'son' of Ares and I want you all to know . . . " He grabbed his sword and pointed at all the campers "That we, of the Ares' Cabin, deserve a modicum of respect and praise, much more so than the garbage house of Athena!" Elatan was ticked, Chet was making a fool out of himself and all of the children of Ares' by making a fool out of himself. "So when I become Cabin Leader, I want you all to know that the Golden Age of the Ares' cabin begins now!" He said as he puts on his helmet and puts on a defensive stance, "Show the others how of a weakling you are, Star-Boy!" Chet mocked him.[/FONT]​
[FONT=Marcellus, serif]Elatan sighed a heavy sigh, it was the second day of the summer session of Camp and early morning and this how it turned out, his life couldn't get anymore interesting. Elatan made ready as he and Chet circled around each other and prepared to duel for the position of Cabin Head with Elatan hoping that he could find another way to end this nonsense with fighting.[/FONT]​
 


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►AELLA PEREZ◄
Location: Southern Woods -> Arena
Interactions: None



Aella Perez, while not exactly a simple girl, did enjoy simple pleasures. Long walks on the beach, punching people, watching the sunset, that sort of thing. Pegasus flying, however, might just be at the top of the list; as she soared above the Southern Woods, the ocean off in the distance, she felt surprisingly at ease for someone a good hundred feet off the ground. At the very least, she trusted her pegasus, Phantom, to not send her plummeting off his back. She actually rather enjoyed being so high up, given how crowded Camp Half-Blood had just become. The first day of Summer Session always felt so hectic...seeing it all from above put it into perspective for her. Besides, pegasus flying was a skill she always needed practice with. She wasn't a Poseidon or Aphrodite kid, so she didn't exactly have any special advantages. The best she could do was practice and hope for the best.

Aella tugged on Phantom's reins, directing him to loop back around toward camp. As the pegasus swung around, Aella found herself holding on just a bit tighter. She knew she wouldn't fall, but...yikes. After a few minutes, she could see the Strawberry Fields below her, as well as some Apollo kids at the Archery Range. Phantom slowly began to descend, knowing the stables weren't far away now. But as Aella flew above the Arena, something interesting caught her eye: Elatan and Chet, sons of Zeus, getting ready to duke it out. She could also see Ryland not far from them, as well as some other familiar faces. She could drop in and say hi, right? Some morning training never hurt anyone.

"Phantom," she said, trying to get her steed's attention. "Down."

Phantom gave a whinny-which Aella took to be acknowledgement-and circled over the Arena for a moment before landing somewhat in the middle. Aella always felt more nervous landing than anything else; she couldn't do much to direct Phantom, she simply had to trust that he wouldn't stumble over and crash. Of course, he never did, but the fear was always present in her mind. Aella climbed off the pegasus's back, her feet hitting the ground with a thud. Phantom was pretty huge, even by pegasus standards; she reached up and pet his face for a moment, before looking over at the Ares brothers. Something told her that wasn't going to be pretty.
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  • Sweet
Reactions: nebula


►Corona Talos◄

►Location: Long Island, New York ►Interactions: Brynn Knowles

So it begins again. For Corona, the past 8 years since she arrived at camp can be summarized into three distinct actions. Eat, Sleep, Forge, Repeat. There was the occasional quest or two but they were nothing more than minuscule ripples in the repetitive rhythm that Corona had found herself in. It was as if all the time she had spent working on machines ended up turning her into one herself. But she has good reason for adopting this kind of behavior. A reason that remained a mystery to everyone at camp, even her brothers and sisters at Cabin 9. There was one thing they were certain of, however. Despite her prowess in building and fixing any machine, a talent that some say would eventually rival that of THE Leo Valdez, Corona had arrived at Camp Half-Blood a broken girl. And going by her own words "a broken machine is easier to fix than a broken person".

That's not to say that she never had the chance to recover. Sure, for the next four years since arriving at camp, she never really established so much as a friendly connection with her half-siblings, but hearing about her Big Bro Leo's accomplishments lit a fire in her that has been burning hot ever since. While she only worked the forges before for the sake of killing time and finding a vague purpose to keep moving forward, finding inspiration and a one-sided rivalry in Leo had set Corona straight. As a result, works that seemed to not possess any purpose nor soul into were turned into unique pieces with their own respectively remarkable functions and personalities. Heck, she even willingly took on the responsibility of being Leader of Cabin 9 when the previous one decided to pursue a "normal" life at the Roman Camp. Consequently, this led her to establishing a friendlier and more caring demeanor towards her siblings. So in a way, Leo had saved Corona from entering a spiral of endless self-loathing and despair. While she is still motivated by the urge to prevent a repeat of her sister's accident, she also yearns to fill the hole Leo left at camp by stepping into his shoes and eventually surpassing her idol.

As a result of her OCD mixed into her strict work ethic, she was already awake before the proverbial rooster could announce the arrival of dawn on the horizon. The first order of business was, of course, a quick check of everyone's personal tools in the forge. They say that a tool is only as good as the person using it but Corona firmly believes it works both ways. A master blacksmith wouldn't be able to produce their magnum opus if they cannot even maintain the tools for the trade.

Next, she inspected the forges themselves as well as their supplies. She needed to make sure that the condition of the place where she and her siblings spent most of their times at camp would continue being a safe working environment. Plus, their stocks of celestial bronze as well as any other resources they would require in their daily activities needed to be checked and replenished whenever they come close to running low.

"Everything seems to be in working order. That's good." Corona mused in a satisfied voice.


Standing on her shoulder, her Panda Ferret, Bandit nodded his head excitedly and made soft cooing sounds as if agreeing to his owner's statement.

The last order of business was a bit more personal for Corona. A walk in the woods didn't sound so bad to the average person, the the woods at Camp Half Blood are filled with all sorts of nasties that can't wait to sink their claws and teeth to the unwary half-blood. Nobody in their right mind would venture out there without so much as a single weapon to protect themselves so she opted to retrieve Cliffbreaker first from her cabin before venturing off to the woods.

"That reminds me, I really need to get you a sitter. I know how much you hate being left to your own devices when I work in the forges but it's really not a ferret-friendly place." She told Bandit who looked away disapprovingly. Despite his penchant to steal snacks from unsuspecting campers, as if he was the ferret version of Hermes, the little fuzzball was quite picky on who to trust. Even Corona took almost a month before she could earn his trust so finding someone who he would be able to bond with just as well would be a challenge.

"Bet those girls from the Parlor Shack would have a field day if I left you with them." the redhead said teasingly.

A defiant shriek was Bandit's response to the half-baked proposal, demonstrating his full on disdain towards the idea of being treated as less of a pet and more of a dress up toy by the aphrodite girls. Corona hadn't seen a ferret with signs of PTSD until that time when Bandit had made the mistake of infiltrating the Aphrodite cabin for food. Then again, she hadn't seen a ferret wearing a mini tuxedo and a top hot until that day either.

"So what do you want? My brothers and sisters are all with me at the forge, the aphrodite kids would treat you as a purse dog, the Mr D's kids and the Demeter cabin are all busy tending the strawberry fields, and don't even get me started with the Ares kids. If you thought the Parlor Shack experience was bad enough, wait till you visit Testosterone Tavern. I'd be surprised if you make it back in one piece. "

If she truly was serious about this pet sitting idea then there were only a handful of people she'd even think of trusting with her best pal.

She was about halfway from the bunker hidden in the woods when she noticed that there was someone else nearby.

Upon further investigation, she discovered that it was one of the senior members of the Athena cabin. More specifically, it was that Brynn girl and judging by how loaded for bear she was, it seemed like she didn't come here just for a leisurely walk in the woods.

"Ah... Umm... I... You see, I don't doubt you could handle yourself in these woods, but it's not really advisable for you to overexert yourself here all alone. For all you know, a monster may end up attacking and you're too tired to fend them off. Sorry... I'll leave now. " Corona said, starting off in a hesitant voice, and ending up in a regretful and apologetic one.

The redhead wasn't sure how Brynn would interpret her advice so she was hesitant to stay there any longer than she needed to but she also didn't want to appear pompous so Corona was also thinking twice whether or not she could leave right away without hearing her out.

"Um... I mean, I have Bandit here to watch my back, isn't that right, fuzzball?"

Bandit climbed on top of her head in response, stood up on his hind legs, and seemingly crossed his front legs out of pride.


 
►Ozymandius◄
►Location: The Sanctuary ►Interactions: Ryland, Elatan, Chet @Brother Gabriel

Oz looked from Ryland to Haydn and chuckled. "Nevermind about the spar Ry, I see your morning is fully booked. Besides..." He jerked his thumb back at the two preparing to duke it out for the sake of honor. "Someone needs to intervene and make sure the pair of them don't intend to kill each other. You know how Ares kids are." He turned and hopped the fence into the other arena, and then placed himself in between the pair, even as they began to circle each other. "Hey guys, I appreciate you want to settle this with swords and all, but there are a few rules that need to be observed when dueling you know? We aren't out here looking to injure each other after all." Ryland smiled and uncapped the canteen at his hip with a few twists of the cap. It hung off the side by the little rope cord. He looked towards the helmeted kid and squinted. "Chet right? You know you can't just start a duel without a senior camper present to watch and referee. Those are the rules." Then he turned his head and scowled when he realized the other was Elatan, the cabin leader for the Ares kids. "You should know that well enough Elatan, especially since this is a dispute between two campers. You don't just get to hop in the ring and beat each other to a pulp, that's not how it works.
 
►Ryland Astrapi || Haydn Mercer◄
►Location: Camp Half-Blood || Arena ►Interactions: None
►Summary: Ryland and Haydn have a brief training session on swordplay down in the arena then decide to go have breakfast together after a brief break for showers and such.
A collab between Jason Targaryen and SoleStride

The boy had already told Oz that he wasn't going to spar that day, as he was waiting on a certain daughter of Hades to come by for a private lesson. It hadn't been long after he had finally managed to shake his friend, that Ryland stopped training and turned to see Haydn nearby. Watching. His face colored slightly as he realized he wasn't wearing his shirt and quickly scooped it up to pull it on, giving the girl a slight wave. ”Morning Haydn, your ready for the lesson?” He asked with an easy going smile, gesturing for her to come down and join him in the arena.

Haydn flushed a little more at realizing that she had been staring, and had been caught as well. The girl cleared her throat, watching Oz remove himself after being turned down before walking forward herself. She tried her best to look at him casually, but it turned into a lot of awkward eye contact. “Ahhh… um, yes.” The girl obeyed by hurriedly pattering into the arena and taking a spot across from Ryland.

As the daughter of hades made her way into the arena, he gave her a small smile. He could tell from the awkward eye contact that she was embarrassed from earlier. Had she been trying to hide or something? Ryland wasn't sure. Not that it mattered too much. ”To start, why don't we have you do a warmup. Grab a sword and give me ten reps of the basic swings I showed you last time. Quickly. Mistakes add extra reps, as per usual.” He said calmly. Ryland was not an easy teacher, often adding alot of extra practice upon his students, but the boy was one of the best at camp. This much, he knew, and intended to keep delivering upon.

Haydn planted her feet where they were, gripping her practice sword with two hands and, with a nod, started her reps. Her attempt at keeping a serious battle face failed multiple times when, in her focus, her tongue would slowly start to poke out from in between her lips.

”Your footing is off, Haydn. Your goal is to try to be balanced, don't let your enemy knock you off balance. Also, nice battle face.” He said calmly, stepping up to a dummy next to hers and just in front of her to demonstrate the proper footing. ”Like this…” He said as he started leading the girl through exercises back to back, allowing very little breaks in between for the next hour. ”Now then, why don't we try a spar? We'll go slowly, so I can watch and correct form. Then next session, faster. Until we build up to full spar. Sound good?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to look towards Haydn.

”Ah! Yes!” The girl tried to change her footing up, making her stance wider and a little more grounded, though she couldn’t be sure it was exactly right. As Ryland tried to show her the right footing, she adjusted again, and again, to try and fix her own. Hadyn hadn’t understood the comment on her ‘battle face’ so she had taken it as a true compliment and not paid anymore attention otherwise. The girl powered her way through the exercises, but she was clearly getting tired from Ryland’s strict teaching and by the time he suggested a spar, the girl gave him a look that screamed impossibility. But the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint him, so Haydn took a deep breath and readied her stance once again, nodding firmly in agreement and once again putting on her serious face. Of course, the thought of sparring with this guy was just a little - no, a lot terrifying.

Ryland looked over her for a few moments before nodding. ”Take a break, get some water and you got five minutes to catch your breath. Then we can pick up. You're doing good today, Haydn.” The boy said with a small smile, quietly appreciating that she needed a break so he had an excuse to go over get some water from his own water bottle. Thankful for the brief respite from having to be the tough guy who wasn't tired. He hated having to look weak in front of others, especially those he felt needed him.

A break? He was letting her have a break? Hardass Ryland was being nice today. The girl gave a nod and relaxed out of her stance so she could walk to the side of the arena and plop down on her butt next to the water bottle she had left behind there. She picked it up and took a long drink, savoring the still slightly cool water. Slumping back, the girl sighed out a long breath, trying to catch it and let her breathing level out.

”Before we spar, what do you think your weak points are when using that sword?” Ryland said as he walked over, deciding to take pity and give her a few more moments on the break. However, he felt like it wouldn’t be worth it to keep wasting time they could be using to learn and work further on her skills. Especially given the horrible nightmares he had been having, and that damned prophecy. It never hurt to be prepared.

”weaknesses…” Haydn thought it over for a moment. There were so many. She took another drink before responding. ”I'm physically weaker. Not as fast as you are. My usual weapon aims more at stabbing motions at a longer distance. Swords require you to be closer, but they allow swiping and slashing which I'm not used to. My brain isn't accustomed to adding those to my list of moves.

”And how can you try to adapt to some of those weaknesses? Make it so the playing field is a bit more level? Walk me through it.” He said calmly, crossing his arms and giving her a half-smile as he waited to hear from the girl just what she thought she could do.

The girl shuffled her feet nervously, looking at the flailing a bit until she decided to cross her legs to keep from looking like she was fidgeting, which she was. She honestly didn't have a great idea how to adapt to a different weapon. Her tone and words showed how uncertain she was. ”Maybe… I don't know… force myself to follow through with swings instead of trying to tell myself to readjust for stabbing. She looked away, shyly unable to maintain eye contact when she was giving such weak answers to someone so skilled. ”Get in closer to fight.. it just feels so… close…” The girl cleared her throat a little.

”Not quite what I would say, no. Instead, we know I'm faster and stronger than you. So you want to find a way to bring me to your level. Perhaps your abilities, distracting me, or going for a stab at something like my legs. You're not used to making swings, so unfortunately you're at a disadvantage. For that, swords can stab but not as well. Maybe practice the movement more. And yeah, getting in closer might help. Maybe if you can get in close enough, you'll be able to catch me off guard.” He said before offering her a hand to her feet, deciding the break was over. ”Let's put you to the test, shall we?”

Haydn nodded to Ryland's comments, trying to commit them all to memory as best as she could, so she could consider and implement them while fighting. He wanted her to use the demigod powers to help her out which made sense, but she felt a little behind the team on those as well. Might as well try though. As he offered his hand, she hesitated before taking it gently and pushing up off the ground. The girl gave him a nod in agreement and they walked into the arena together to get their spare underway.

The spar was slow, deliberately paced to ensure Ryland could question the girl as well as see how she reacted to various actions. It went on for about 20 minutes before the boy called it. After that he helped the girl put away her sword then looked back towards her. ”You did good today, Haydn. Keep practicing but you should do better. Although I think we will focus on your weapon from now on, itll be more beneficial.” He said calmly before seeming to think for a moment. ”I'm gonna get a shower then probably head for breakfast, see you there?”or]

Haydn was tired already. Maybe it was because she was weaker, or maybe Ryland was tough teacher, but she was ready to take a shower as well. She gave him a nod, wiggling her fingers for a moment before clutching the hem of her shirt. ”I uh..need to let lurch out again too. And shower..” She paused for a moment, before adding. ”See you at breakfast.” The girl gave Ryland a smile and quickly made her exit to retreat to her cabin.

 

Brynn Knowles, Zoey Kepler, Corona Talos, Gustav the Box Turtle
►Location: Woods of Camp Half-Blood
Brynn was caught up doing what she did best and lost in thought when something from behind her caught her ear, forcing her to come to a stop abruptly in her practice. Her eyes scanned the woods, squinting slightly to try picking up whatever it was that she had heard. It didn’t take long for her to see the big ol’ fluffball working her way towards her with her sister in tow.

She simply laughed, fixing her stance to a more friendly one with a shy smile and a quick wave, ”Hey Zo. Just getting my morning routine in. I slacked all school year.”

She rubbed the back of her neck and almost looked apologetic. An Athena kid.. slacking on training? It was practically heresy. The brunette Athena girl wandered towards her sister and her dog Selena to meet them halfway, bending down to pet the big floof.

”I know we skyped, called, and text… but, honestly, nothing beats this. I’ve missed you guys.”

Brynn furrowed her brow at the sudden thought of Jacque, wondering where he could be at the moment. She’d left him in the cabin when she went to go off to train this morning, and normally he’d have followed Selena and Zo. Maybe he was catching up on sleep? Jet-lagged pupper, perhaps..? There was yet another voice, that now came from behind where Brynn was currently facing. She peered over her shoulder to see the Hephaestus girl standing there, Brynn’s eyebrow shooting up in a rather bewildered manner. ’When did she get there?’ The girl slowly stood and turned to face her, smiling genuinely.

”Well, yeah. You are right, there. I should be practicing in the arena. I just..” Brynn trailed off a moment, choosing her words wisely. ”I just returned for the summer, and there’s just faces I would particularly prefer to avoid right now. Some of them I know get to the Arena early, as I like to do. I’d rather avoid conflict, so I’m just practicing out this way.”

The daughter of Athena looked the girl over, tilting her head slightly at the clear fact that the girl looked like she wanted to tuck tail and run. Was the brunette Athena girl intimidating..? ...Maybe it was Zoey..? Or the fact Zo had her massive dog Selena with her..?

”You don’t have to leave... I-I’m sorry, I don’t believe I remember your name. You’re Hephaestus’ kid, though, right? I’m Bronwyn, but please, just call me Brynn.” As Brynn spoke, she crossed the distance between the two, holding her hand out with a friendly smile.

Corona was about to respond to Brynn when she noticed that there was another camper present other than the brunette. From what she could remember, the other camper’s name was Zoey and like Corona, she was also a fellow Cabin Leader, the difference being Zoey being in charge of the Athena cabin.

Corona’s face flushed even more when she realized how pompous she may have sounded not only to Brynn but also Zoey. Common decency and etiquette were the only things holding the redhead in place, otherwise, she would have immediately retreated back to camp or made a beeline for Bunker 9.

Once Corona knew the reason why Brynn chose to practice in the forest, it made her even more embarrassed for the way she acted.

“I see. I’m sorry, it was presumptuous of me to think you’d be careless to train in the forest instead of the arena... I initially thought that you were out here to get actual combat experience against monsters but clearly now that wasn’t the case.. The name’s Corona. and yeah, I’m one of the Hammerheads at the Hephaestus Cabin. And I get you. Sometimes, I prefer keeping to myself.” More like most of the time, but she left that particular bit out. Corona was about to extend a friendly handshake with Brynn but she hesitated and almost froze mid-hand-shake when she saw the large German Shepherd near the Blond...

It had been far too long since she had last seen Brynn, and it felt like years upon years since she had last seen her half-sister. But, the wait had been worth it. No amount of digital contact and facetime calls and texts could ever replace the fact that she was now staring Brynn in the face, in person. There was a smile on her face as she made contact with her sister. ”Well, that’s good.” Zoey laughed, before following up, ”Maybe this time you won’t get your ass kicked by me.” Zoey stuck her tongue out to tease her sister, knowing damn well that statement was going to bite her in the ass later down the line.

However, before she could follow up, she noticed another figure pop up out of the corner of her eye. However, what came out of her mouth shortly afterward was something that Zoey didn’t entirely take too kindly to. ”Excuse me?” Zoey really didn’t like that comment from the girl. Who was she to judge Brynn’s combat prowess? She squinted at the girl, folding her arms. She was about to say something, but Brynn cut her off just in time. Zoey shook her head after Brynn spoke and tried to reach out to the girl.

”It’s not a good idea to tell an Athena girl what they can and can’t do. I really don’t like what you said.” Zoey shot a look over to Brynn. ”You just gonna stand there and be quiet? Or are you gonna take responsibility for your actions and words?”

It was at this moment in the conversation between the three that a small box turtle could be spotted by those with a keen eye for movement, walking out of the woods and towards the assembled demigods. Its carapace was mottled black and yellow, the skin was dark ebony and eyes were an orangish red. Its neck was extended to the full length as it advanced, unconcerned with the humans in front of him, and it promptly moved over to Zoey. After a moment of considering Zoey’s boot-clad foot, it promptly latched onto the boot with its beak by the laces, holding on and proceeding to back up while pulling on the lace.

Brynn’s eyes widened at her sister’s sudden outburst towards the Hephaestus girl, turning to give her sister a ‘Really?!’ look as her face flushed red. Not necessarily in embarrassment, moreso in a kind of shock. Well, should she be shocked? Zo had come to her rescue plenty of times against people’s opinions, but Brynn could see this girl was clearly very shy and wasn’t much of a people person. She didn’t want to scare her away, whether her comments may have sounded insulting or not, Brynn usually took things with a grain of salt. It was then that Brynn realized the box turtle at Zo’s feet just as it reached out and latched onto her lace, giggling.

”Uh, Zo… don’t be alarmed, but uh... you got a bit of a problem.” The brunette motioned with her eyes down towards Zo’s foot as if the girl wouldn’t have already felt the thing tugging at the lace.


Zoey was minding her business, practically fuming at what this girl had said about Brynn’s skills before she felt a slight tugging on her foot. Brynn’s giggling and gesture down to her foot only convinced her to look down, where she found what appeared to be a box turtle tugging at her laces. ”...what the?” Zoey looked down at it, watching it pull at her laces with all its might. ”Who sicced their turtle on me?”

As if the tension brought about by the dog’s presence was not enough, the Blonde came at her with enough ferocity to make her dog lose confidence. While Corona did understand where she was coming from, she couldn’t help but get pissed herself with how she confronted her. She may be a blonde Athena kid like the Annabeth Chase, but Corona was certain she won’t be getting along with this girl anytime soon.

Thankfully, the turtle launching a stealthy sabotage mission on the blonde girl’s shoelaces eased the tension even for a moment and provided Corona some much-needed ammo for a snarky remark.

“Ho? That’s something you don’t see every day. Um… you know, it’s hard to take your words seriously with that turtle gnawing on your shoelaces.” Corona pointed out, barely containing a giggle herself...

"Also, I may not have as much 'brain power' as you guys in the Illuminati, but you should realize that none of us are infallible. Not even a child of Athena. I was just worried about your half-sister practicing alone out here. And I admit that I spoke out without knowing her reasons. But nonetheless, these woods are filled with monsters and getting caught off guard here can get you sent to Elysium real quick.” She added solemnly.

The Box turtle did not cease it's attack, not even for a moment. As soon as it realized the shoelace was not going anywhere, it dropped the lace and then turned to ferocious melee attacks that included gently hitting the boot with its front legs and smacking it with its head. Seeing this would make not process, it made an attempt to climb atop the boot, but in the middle of the climbing maneuver flipped onto its back and flailed helplessly, limbs twisting in the air.

The exchange between the two girls had Brynn wanting to up and walk away herself, but of course, she couldn’t just leave her sister here. The girl, Corona, seemed to be able to hold her own, for what it was worth. She kind of respected that. One of the more-or-less non-combative kids standing up to an Athena kid. Ha. She had to have balls the size of Texas. The girl’s attention was taken up though by the tiny box turtle assaulting her sister’s shoe. Brynn tried not to laugh as the poor thing flipped over onto its back, walking over to pick it up gently to flip it back over.

”There you go, buddy.”

Brynn didn’t exactly know what to do with a turtle, she’d never really come in contact with one. Surely, though, it seemed illogical to pet the thing. Her lips pressed into a fine line, sighing.. hoping she at least made him happy by helping in his endeavors.

Zoey rolled her eyes and looked down at the box turtle as it flipped over onto its back. It had it coming. As unfortunate as it was, it was not a smart idea to trifle with Zoey Kepler, whether you’d be a fellow demigod or a mere box turtle. Zoey stood by silently as Corona took the time to make fun of her, before Brynn had the audacity to not even defend her, but instead defend the stupid box turtle. Zoey shot Brynn a glare after she flipped the turtle back over, before looking over at Corona.

”So it’s gonna be like that then, huh?” Zoey huffed, glaring at Brynn, ”Alright.” Brynn’s silence during Corona berating her had quite honestly pissed her off, and really put a damper to her day. ”Y’know what? I’m done with this shit. I’m gonna go somewhere where people actually have my fucking back.” Zoey sighed, before taking Selena’s leash, following along as Zoey turned around. At least the dog seemed to be more loyal than her own half-sister

Well, that didn't end well. Corona only had good intentions when she warned Brynn but her blonde half-sister just had to blow things out of proportion. She even rubbed the fact that they were Athena kids all over her face for crying out loud. As if being one meant being perfect. She knew hubris was a common fatal flaw for children of the goddess of wisdom but seeing it first hand was a bit overwhelming for the redhead.

“Hurray! Way to go girl. You just made your first enemy at camp,“ Corona thought.

The moment Zo and her dog left, it felt like the weight of the sky had been lifted from Corona. As much as she was glad that Brynn had enough reason not to get caught up in the blonde girl's provocations, she also couldn't help but feel guilty that she had been responsible for damaging the relationship between the two sisters. After that whole fiasco, Corona couldn't make herself walk away too. Not without apologizing to the brunette.

“Look… I’m sorry things didn't end that well. I was just genuinely worried about you when I advised you not to train here. I didn't know it was such a big insult to give some advice to an Athena kid. Anyways, you should probably make up with your sister soon. Like you can pretend you hate me too so you both have something you can agree on. It's not such a hard thing to do anyway. But for what it's worth, it was nice to meet you, Brynn. I just wish it would have been under more… favorable circumstances."

As she was turning to leave towards the direction of Bunker 9, Bandit stood on her left shoulder, looked back towards Brynn, and gave her a friendly wave goodbye.

"This is why I don't socialize much, Bandit. I always end up screwing things up one way or another. I don't know why I even bothered. I should have just minded my own business like I always have.” she muttered under her breath.

With just one person left, the ferocious box turtle turned targets to Brynn. It wandered over to her shoes and then tapped them with its front leg. Then it stopped for a moment, turning its head to the side as if to examine the girl. Brynn would hear a deep, rumbling voice in her mind. ”For your aide in my endeavors human, you shall perish last.” The voice would seem to come from Gustav’s general direction. ”I bid you pick me up and take me with you to the place of half-bloods, so that I may send more humans fleeing in fear in this puny camp.” He tapped her shoe with his front leg again.

Brynn’s face twisted in confusion at her sister’s burst of anger. 'Have your back..?' In no way had Brynn really needed Zoey to have her back in the first place. The brunette knew the Hephaestus girl, Corona, wasn’t coming from a place that warranted such a clapback. And if anyone, Zoey should know how much Brynn likes to avoid conflict when she can. More specifically verbal conflict. Maybe given some time, her half-sister may see the error of her ways. For now, the brown-haired sister watched her blonde other half walk off with her floof of a shepherd, frowning slightly. It wasn’t till Corona spoke up that Brynn’s eye contact with the back of her sister’s head was broken, turning to look back at Corona. Her face somewhat twisted in confusion but trying to make her tone sound friendly and reassuring.

”I’m not gonna pretend just for the sake of my sister that I hate you. And honestly, hate is such a strong word. I don’t think I could ever truly hate anyone.” She gave a quick glance back in the direction of her sister, her lips pressing into a thin line. ”Don’t be too upset about it. It was a huge misunderstanding.”

Maybe it had just been so long since they’d interacted face-to-face with real life problems, that all the time away had somehow weakened their bond..? Brynn’s head tilted as she began to chew on the inside of her cheek, her mind spinning with thoughts. Had she really wrecked their sisterhood by just simply staying quiet? As much as Brynn wanted to feel bad for upsetting her sister, she wouldn’t allow herself to be. The girl clearly had a different view of things. Maybe this was just them growing up and beginning to grow apart?

Brynn sighed heavily and looked back at Corona, realizing she’d turned away to go off towards.. Brynn could only assume where she had come from since the girl didn’t actually see her enter the area. She was about to say something when a little figure on Corona’s shoulder caught her eye, causing Brynn to gasp, her hands clapping over her mouth to contain her excitement. A ferret! How had she not seen the little guy before?

”Corona! Oh my gods, you have a ferret?!”

It was then that the girl felt the box turtle at her foot, looking down at it as a deep voice spoke to her thoughts, tilting her head. ’What the..’ Brynn’s eyebrow raised as she slowly bent down to pick the turtle up, holding him with a hand on each side of his shell. The girl pursed her lips, looking around the wooded area. She needed to find Ozy and return his turtle back to him.

Corona breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing Brynn’s reassuring words. Even going as far as to say that it may be difficult, if not impossible for her to truly hate someone and agreeing with her that it was just a huge misunderstanding.

What even surprised her, even more, was the brunette’s reaction to Bandit. Sure a ferret isn’t the usual conventional pet but it looked like Brynn was fangirling really hard on the panda ferret.

“Yup. I didn’t get him from any pet store though. He’s originally from this very forest but he got so used to me feeding him leftovers from my meals that he ended up getting attached to me. We’ve been best buds ever since. “ Corona explained. “You can pet him if you’d like. Looks like he’s taken a liking to you as well, isn’t that right, fuzzball?”

In response, the panda ferret made a series of cooing sounds as if agreeing to the red head’s words.

“Also, that turtle kinda looks familiar. Then again, there’s only one person at camp who owns a pet turtle. That guy really needs to pay close attention to where his pet wanders off. I’m surprised the cleaning harpies haven’t snatched the poor guy away yet.”[/color]

The turtle seemed pleased as it was picked up, exuding a light hum from deep inside his shell, drawing it’s head back and legs bag into his shell, the little lid near the front drawing up naturally as his head retracted until just the eyes and beak was visible. Again, the resounding voice could be heard within Brynn’s head. ”Yes, gooooood. Now return me to the camp so that I can terrorize all who cross my path, and spread the name of the mighty Gustav, servant!” When Corona spoke, Gustav briefly poked his head out of his shell, staring at the girl, and suddenly his voice was in her head too. ”I am no mere pet, puny human! I am the mighty Gustav! Herald of doom for all man! See my mighty shell and tremble in despair!”

Brynn smiled, reaching out a hand to gently pet the ferrets head as she giggled at Corona's comment about only one guy at camp owning a turtle. It was definitely obvious as to who Gustav belonged to. She wasn't wrong. In fact, it was exactly what Brynn had been thinking, too. The girl rolled her eyes at the turtle's telepathic thoughts he pushed into her mind, smirking as she quickly and politely excused herself from her conversation with Corona. Brynn mentioned to Corona that she'd have to have a word with Ozy about how lucky Gustav was that Brynn had found the turtle and not a monster lurking in the woods, but that she would definitely catch up with her later before CTF so that they could hang out a bit more and arrive together. Surely it'd be nice for the Hephaestus girl to have an ally on the field that could no doubt hold her own, and for Brynn to have, well.. anyone. Normally Zoey was her go-to, but it seemed the Athena girls weren't going to be their usual dynamic duo during this week's game. Only time would tell. For now, the Athena girl set off to find the Son of Poseidon.

 
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►Emily & Marco◄
►Location: Dining Pavillion

Emily was grinning as she made her way into the Dining Pavilion. Sibling antics aside today would be a good day. She loved camp especially during the summer because it meant she could spend time with Marco. And of course, CTF was back. She grabbed some food and glanced around the dining pavilion. Tradition said she should eat at her own table, but if Marco were already here she’d sit with him, and all of his siblings.


As if thinking about him summoned him, Marco waved over from the Aphrodite table, and then stood up with a grin. ”Em! I saved you a spot.” There was a tray in front of the son of Aphrodite, and from his shoulder two little eyes peeped up, looking over at Emily.


“Hey.” Emily’s smile split even wider and she walked over to join Marco. She kissed him and sat down. “Get settled in okay?”


”Would have settled in better if I had been able to spend the night with you... “ Marco’s breath tickled Em’s ear as he whispered into it, and then he pulled back with a smirk. With a small hop, Milo the Sugar glider hopped onto Em’s shoulder and nuzzled her softly.


Emily giggled, Marco was the only one who could get her to giggle like that. “Yeah and dad would freak.” She reached up and offered chin scratches to Milo. “I missed you too little one.”


”Of course he’d freak if he knew what you and I did when you came to New York over the holidays.” The smirk on Marco’s face was discernible in his voice as he whispered again to Em. ”How are you doing? How are you feeling about well… y’know? The smirk was gone and replaced with Marco’s less well known serious face. Little Milo let out a chirp of happiness at the scratches.


Emily’s own smile disappeared. “I’m okay. I mean how likely will it be we get involved in some quest. I’ve been here years and only had two. However, the prospect of the bad things that come with this prophecy is not pleasant.”


Marco sighed a bit and his lips twitched for a moment. ”I know it is not likely, but every time war is brought up, my mother seems to be… joyfully involved in some horrible way. No one has forgiven her for Troy.”


Emily made a grumpy face. It was a toss-up of who she disliked more, her own father or Marco’s mother. Well at least her father wasn’t actively trying to cause trouble. “True.” Emily finally said. She wrapped her arm around Marco. “The heroes always win though.”


”You’re my hero.” Marco’s smirk was back as he slipped an arm around Marco. This was followed by the sound of cooing from Marco’s siblings. ”Right, I forgot we have an audience.” He laughed at that and then relaxed more and kissed Em on the forehead.


Emily’s face got warm, but ever the thespian she gave a little bow as best she could while sitting. She started eating. “Change of subject. You ready for CTF tonight?”


The groan that followed the question probably answered it was better than anything else. “Ugh… I can’t believe they are making us all participate. I got a fresh manicure for this camp year!” One of Marco’s siblings replied.


”I think that answers the question, Em. I’m ready, the rest of us, not so much.” Marco turned to his own food and started eating with only one hand.


“If one of my siblings said that I’d have to check to make sure they weren’t a pod person.” Emily laughed, leaned into Marco’s half of a hug. “Mind you we aren’t big on fighting, but we are not a great bunch to run into, especially in the forest.” Emily’s smile turned a little nasty as she imagined wrapping enemies up in vines, preferably blackberry ones with thorns.


”We could attempt to flirt our way out of it. Though you know I can handle my own. As for a pod person… true. You enjoy having dirt under your nails.” Marco held Em close and then he chuckled. ”What thoughts are going on in your mind, love? I know that smile.”


“Oh was just imagining wrapping someone up in blackberry vines.” She told Marco honestly. Out of the corner of her eye, she definitely saw one of Marco’s siblings cringe.


Marco simply chuckled at that and ran his fingers along her side. ”I’ll do my best not to be jealous.” It seemed that flirty Marco was back.


 
►GM POST◄

The day progressed quickly, demigods going about their typical daily activities. This ranged from picking strawberries in the fields to the insane bootcamp that was always run by the Ares kids, to the Apollo Cabin's archery practise, to the weapons training taught by Oz and Ry of the Zeus and Poseidon cabin. Still, right around four o'clock, the assembly conch was heard, and all the campers were called to the Amphitheatre. Chiron, standing in his centaur form and wearing a bow and quiver with medical bags strapped to his body, explained that the campers would be playing Capture the Flag. For the benefit of new campers, he quickly explained the rules.

1. The creek is the boundary line for the two sides.
2. The entire forest is considered "fair game."
3. All magic items are allowed.
4. The flags must be prominently displayed and can have no more than two guards.
5. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged.
6. Killing or maiming is NOT allowed.
7. Guards aren't allowed to stand within ten yards of the flag.

Chiron then further explained he'd be operating as a referee and battlfield medic, and that Satyrs would be patrolling the forest to make sure the rules were observed. Then two captains for each team were picked. It was typically set up so that the campers were divided by cabin, not picked like a basketball team. This time however it was different, as Chiron felt that camradrie between the cabins could be improved by shared effort in the game. The second team captain was Dante from the Hermes cabin. Swiftly, the teams were divided. On each side was fifty campers. Most notably, Ryland picked Aella, Marco, Corona, Emily, Eletan, Bronwyn, Zoey, Oz and Haydn to be on his team. Somehow, likely because Dante was preoccupied trying to pick some of his siblings from the Hermes cabin to join him, Ryland was allowed to get away with this.

Soon after, the teams were sent off into the two sides of the forest, each given an hour to prepare a strategy and decide on placement for their flag, with the limitation that they could not stray to the other side. One might think it wise to prepare a strategy and organize themselves....


►Ozymandius◄
►Location: The Forest ►Interactions: Aella, Marco, Corona, Emily, Eletan, Bronwyn, Zoey, Haydn

Oz was quiet throughout the picking, unsurprised that he was quickly picked by Ryland to join him for the upcoming game of capture the flag. After all, they were best friends, and even if they had a bit of a rivalry, they were formiddable when paired together. Now all that was left was to formulate a strategy, but he thought it best to perhaps get all the senior campers together first, particularly all of the cabin leaders that Ryland had wisely sniped. Getting that kind of experience on your side was key to making sure your cabin came out on top. Oz went around, gathering up various people and telling them to meet near the flag (which Ryland had been given). Funnily enough, the people he grabbed were the same that Ryland had picked first for the teams. Aella, Marco, Corona, Emily, Eletan, Bronwyn, Zoey, and Haydn.

When he was done, he made his way to the flag himself, waving to Ryland and looking around the small circle of faces that no doubt had formed by the time he had arrived. "Did I grab everyone Ry, or did you think there was someone else that should be here?" He crossed his arms as he entered the circle, sizing up the other campers that were here with him.
 
►Emily◄
►Location:The Forest
Emily was surprised that Ryland had picked her. Legitamitly surprised, but thankful since it put her and Marco on the same team. She joined Ozy by their flag. "I can create a diversion by grabbing any kids that come this way. I won't hold them for long so they aren't bound, and I can try to take away weapons with the plants." Emily offered. Emily could easily be placed near the flag, or in an area that would be weak to attacks from oncoming kids. She essentially had an AOE attack with her ability to manipulate plants. "We should put the flag somewhere where there is only one route in, like near a rock outcropping." That was Emily's ideas. If they took them then that was nice, if not all well. No skin off her teeth. She knew she wasn't a tactician.

When Marco joined she reached out and took his hand with a small smile. She'd let him come with ideas of what he would do.



 
►Ryland Astrapi ◄
►Location: Camp Half-Blood
►Interactions: Literally Everyone

It had been a long enough day of classes and preparations for Capture the Flag. Yet he was ready for the games to begin, as Capture the Flag was always a highlight for the demigods of Camp Half-Blood. With that in mind, the blonde-haired boy strolled into the clearing around the flag where Oz had gathered the key members of their team. His usual clothing was covered with a gleaming armor, plates that covered his limbs and chest. Yet they were not covering enough of the boy's body to hinder movement in the slightest. On the chest a simple eagle with a lightning bolt behind it, marking the armor as belonging to the son of Zeus. His sword hung loosely at his side, his shield still folded into the form of a wristwatch. Looking very much the part of a handsome warrior, Ryland wore a confident grin on his features as he looked at those assembled. His gaze lingered for a moment on both Emily and Haydn, but then he was back to buisness. "Seems like it, Oz. Good job bro." He said, taking his place in the group as he looked around once more at the whole group.

"Alright, apart from our Ares guy, we got the entire Ares cabin on the other team. From what I've heard, they're pretty confident that they can overrun us. Fortunately, I think we kind of got the dream team here. However, I am not going to talk you ears off. Lets get straight to buisness. I'll hand it over to our Athena campers for strategy. Ladies, if you will?" He said with a confident air to his voice as he gestured towards Zoey and Brynn. Trusting them to come up with a strategy to help secure the win for their team.

 

►Haydn Mercer◄
►Location: Camp Half-Blood►Interactions: None



After a long walk outside with Lurch, Haydn returned to shower and get changed before making her way to breakfast. Later in the day, the kids were all called to an assembly where Chiron announced there would be a game of capture the flag. Well, it was more training than a game really, but it was a good way to test teamwork and tactical skills. Two things Haydn didn’t think she had much of. Well, she could be a team player easily. Just do what you’re told, follow the leader and there shouldn’t be any problems After all, probably everyone here knew better what to do in this kind of game than she did.

She joined the team she was picked for, surprised that she’d been picked at all, though she supposed everyone had to be picked eventually. She wasn’t sure if there was much she could really do, though she might be the only camper who had some control over darkness. If certain areas of the woods were dense enough, she may be able to provide cover for someone trying to sneak up on the enemy flag, but it was doubtful that with the rule to have the flag prominently displayed that it was allowed to cover it in shadow. The only other option would be to raise the dead, but it took a lot of energy and she wasn’t exactly sure if there were any dead around. With a quiet sigh, Haydn resolved to just wait and do what she was told to do. Maybe the Athena girls could come up with something useful she could help with.


 

Bronwyn Rae Knowles♥
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Location: CHB Forest → Athena Cabin → CHB Forest... again Interactions: Everyone, but more specifically Corona, Emily, Eletan and Zoey​

The rest of the morning seemed to drag on for Brynn after the incident with her sister, but she somehow found it in her to put her troubles aside to go and find her dog, Jacque. It didn't take long for the girl to locate her pup, and once she did, Brynn and Jacque headed back to their cabin to prepare for the activities later on in the day. Normally Brynn would spend CTF days training for an hour in the morning and spend the rest of the afternoon looking through different books, deciding on a different strategy to use for that week. Whether the Athena cabin be the ones to suggest said strategy or not, it was always good to have a backup plan. Brynn of all people knew that better than anyone.

By the time it was time for the weekly camp activity, Brynn and her dog were already waiting where they were expected to meet long before anyone had shown up. She was always the first there, watching the slow flood of campers file into the area. When she spotted Corona, she leaped to her feet and jogged over to greet her new pal. She was sporting her new armor she'd acquired the summer before, feeling like it was slightly loose on her now that she was wearing it for the first time since.. well, last year. Brynn sheathed her swords and clapped Corona on the back of the shoulder lightly, a huge smile spread across her face.

"You ready for this?" But before they could continue in conversation, Chiron began to speak over the chattery crowd of campers, everyone falling silent under his booming voice. Although Brynn knew all the rules to the games, she still stood there and listened to Chiron as if it was her first time playing, repeating the rules as he stated them in her head. Jacque nudged Brynn's leg, then eagerly hopped back and forth on his front paws, seeming to be just as excited about what was to come as Brynn was. He, too, was sporting some custom-made armor. Brynn laughed at Jacque and pat his head. "Almost, bud. Just relax."

When the Captains were called and teams were picked, Brynn wasn't too surprised Ryland had chosen her and Zoey to join in on his team. Not to sound cocky or anything, it was just always something that was never said but was just a factual thing. Plus, the few times Ryland and her had sparred, they were nearly perfectly matched in combat, it was almost scary. Then there was Aella, who was also another equal match for the pair. Having the three of them on one team? Ha. The other team better have something up their sleeve, or this game was going to be a semi-easy win. Having Ozy, a Poseidon child on their side as well would work in their favor. Of course, what was Ryland without Ozy? Those two were practically like conjoined twins. The thought made Brynn smirk a bit. Ozy came around to collect everyone for the team and Brynn eagerly followed, her battle pup right at her heels.

They all gathered around Ryland, with him being the center of attention as usual, listening to him speak. Which, honestly, didn't last too long before Ryland threw the figurative baton to herself and her sister, feeling all eyes on them now. Something Brynn wasn't exactly fond of, being the center of attention. The girl grit her teeth and swallowed nervously, giving a friendly smile to her friends and teammates. "Well, honestly, I don't know if anyone really heard Em, but she made a rather great suggestion." Brynn's eyes fell to her Dionysis sister, giving her a soft reassuring smile that said 'I got you.', not wanting the girl to go unheard or forgotten.

"Honestly, I think it'd be a good idea to set the flag up in a one way in, one way out type of location, and have our guard at the mouth of that opening. Maybe have someone run a sort of diversion at the edge of the boundaries, try and draw some of those Airhead Ares away from the real fight." Brynn's face flushed when her eyes met with Eletan's, quickly muttering, "No offense, E." The brunette's eyes then fell on her sister's, swallowing nervously before speaking to her.. the first words she'd exchanged with her since their spat earlier that morning. "A-anything you would like to add, or change, Zo?

 

►Marco DePaulo◄
►Location: The Forest of Camp Half-Blood ►Interacting with: Everyone. Literally. (Calling y'all out.)
Marco wasn't sure what what surprised him more. That Ryland had picked him, or that Ryland had picked Emily. Of all the people, Ryland had picked the two that probably disliked him the most, aside from maybe Brynn? Marco wasn't sure how the daughter of Athena was feeling about Ryland at the moment. Of course, Ryland immediately ignored Emily, and turned to the Athena campers. He took Em's hand and squeezed it softly, and sighed a bit. This was typical of Ry.

"I agree with Brynn, Em has a good idea. Also, what do you want me to do? Flirt with the enemy team? Though Brynn and Em have a good point. We should set up the flag in an easily guarded spot, while I can volunteer to run a diversion. I think I can use my charm speak to get some of the Ares kids or others to follow me. Maybe Oz or Aella can help me?" Marco knew that possibly his strategy was not the best, but it was something he could offer to do, to show that once again, he was more than a pretty face. Of course, he knew that his ideas could be easily shot down in flames, but it was something he could offer up.