Song of the Wild [IC]

"Camping?" Bellanca asked in surprise. That was one thing they had actually never done before. Usually they were just making do with fortifying abandoned buildings, but she followed Atalanta, trusting her to know what to do. She seemed very certain about it. She watched in fascination as the other girl began pulling things from her pack, and offered to help as soon as it seemed like there were things to do. Vedette didn't offer any verbal help, but began working as well, catching on to the process a lot more quickly and intuitively than Bellanca had. At the end of it all, she was gawping up at a beautiful raised tent. It felt kind of like they were children and had just built themselves a treehouse.

Vedette seemed less awed, though also pretty impressed, for her, and she was the first to go up the rope ladder, pack on her back and duffel bag from the motorcycle slung over one shoulder. She had left the motorcycle chained back in the park parking lot, but it usually carried this one duffel bag that carried the rest of their meager possessions that the two girls' simple backpacks couldn't fit. Mostly just winter clothes.

Bellanca climbed up after her and looked around happily. "This is so nice!" She said, "Do you always make this sort of thing?! It's so nice compared to how we usually sleep." A small note of envy entered her voice, which didn't escape Vedette's notice.


As soon as he said go, Arvid jumped forward with a punch. A ballsy move. Or a stupid one. His lips pulled back in an unconscious expression of satisfaction. Arvid's punch was well-grounded, but that also meant his forward momentum was low enough. Even danced to the left with a deft, twisting step, guiding the thrown fist downwards with his left hand and using his right hand to counter with a punch towards the face. He wasn't really expecting it to land, so only planned to dodge farther away as a next step, either way.

He found himself smiling. Even had the most practice and technique with the sword, since one wasn't exactly expected to fight monsters by punching them, but he had always enjoyed hand-to-hand. It came the most naturally, and there was something nice about it not involving a sense of fatal peril that came with slashing at monsters who wanted to kill and occasionally eat you.
 
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A faint smile appeared on Atalanta's lips at the wonderlust of Bellanca. "Back home, me and my sister usually slept at a nearby cave of made beds out of moss next to friendly Dryads' trees. When we managed to save up enough money, we got this tent that we either used as a warehouse of sorts or as a safe house when the ground wasn't friendly for sleeping." She explained and pushed her backpack to one of the corners of the tent.

"You can put your things to the other corners. It will keep the balance and you'll have easy access to them at any moment." She advised Vedette, who seemed to have the bulk of their equipment. She sifted on her side of the tent so she could reach the middle and began to lift the ladder. tieing it up at the bottom of the small entry on the center and zipping it close again. "Why? Where would you sleep? Don't you have your dads around?" She asked Bellanca as she did the ladder gathering. She was curious. She wanted to know more about the first demigods of her own that she had ever encounterd in the Ancient Lands.
 
Arvid was so stunned by Even's move that his surprise, along with the fact that it was a rather well-executed move, left him unable to react to the counter-attack. His head snapped back slightly as he fell forward, skipping a bit in his steps in an attempt to balance himself. "What the hell." He grumbled, now completely irritated. "Well played, pretty boy. Didn't think you had it in you."​

It should have been expected. While Arvid was sure Even wasn't as good a fighter like him, he should have been smart enough to realize that he would still know how to handle himself somewhat decently in a fight. He shouldn't have just assumed it would be a simple walk in the park. With that in mind, Arvid fought the urge to hold his aching nose and instead leaped to attack again, this time throwing a straight punch for Even's stomach.​
 
Hearing Atalanta talk about her time back home making beds out of moss made Bellanca smile. It was clear the other girl loved her sister very much. She began helping Vedette unpack their few things and balance them around the tent.

When Atalanta asked about their dads, though, Vedette snorted and said in French, "She believes that just because she is unfortunate, no one else has been."

"Vedette!" Bellanca's head whipped around to glare at her sister, scolding tone actually angry for once, and the older girl was instantly subdued, an apologetic look momentarily flashing across her face before she went back to unpacking.

Bellanca shook her head and addressed Atalanta. "Never mind her. It wasn't important." She was smiling gently again, and spoke to Atalanta warmly. Ten years ago, she would've burst into tears, but she wasn't a child anymore. She'd reconciled herself to her father's death. "They're both dead. My father was killed protecting me from an akephaloi when I was small. Vedette's died in a gang dispute. She lived with her grandmother... for a time." She didn't add to that short sentence, as it wasn't her place to talk about, though in the corner, Vedette started muttering curses at the old woman under her breath in furious French. "My father was an orphan, and left behind no other relatives. So you see, Vedette and I are all we have left in the world. We have been together since my father died and mother guided her to me. We usually just find an abandoned building and lock down all of the entrances. It's not always comfortable, but it's usually safe enough." Her tone remained mild and calm the entire way. She didn't want to be pitied. It was their life, and it was a good one, despite the hardships they'd had.


Even was somewhat surprised when his fist collided with Arvid's face, but he was already a few steps away before he could capitalize on it. When the boy threw another straight punch, however, he felt a slight twinge of disappointment. He had thought perhaps that the first move had just been to test him out, but if it kept going this way it was going to turn out to be a slightly disappointing match. He dodged to the side again, and this time smashed his elbow down into the other boy's outstretched arm, instinctively shielding his head from a potential blow Arvid could throw from the other arm as he did so. His sister had once punched him in the face because he'd kept his guard down after she'd thrown the first blow. She wasn't as strong or fast as Arvid, but boy could she be nasty. He followed up his block with two fast blows aimed for the head and a knee upwards towards the stomach.
 
Atalanta's head tilted like that of a curious animal as the two sisters had a brief exchange with each other in French. She couldn't understand what had been said but, for some reason, Bellanca was momentarily angry at her older sister. She blinked when Bellanca smoothly switched back to that gentle and calming tone that her own sister had about her almost always. The similarities were too much to be ignored and Atalanta briefly wondered if that was why the two girls had been sent to join her. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. She was sorry she had asked as it turned out to be a sensitive topic afteral and she was sorry that their fathers were dead. She was also sorry that they had to endure a life on the run that was worse than that of her own. At least she and her sister had nature on their side to make their life easier and friendly nature spirits to act as guardians in the mortal world. It wasn't fair. They had a mother and she was one of the Twelve Olympians for Pans' sake! She could've gotten them to Camp Halfblood or something. She could've gotten them to safety and she hadn't.

"I can see why they sent you. Besides being the closest demigods they could find. You're like us. My sister and me. But we were luckier in a sense. Nature worked with us and nature spirits had been mostly friendly. They helped us a lot when we run away from the foster house. Taught us how to use our powers too." She said and tapped the reed pipes knowingly before beginning a tune that was slow and yet you could tell it was steady and with a surge of vitality to it. It was soft and humming, like the wind rustling leaves or gently swaying grass on a meadow.

As the tune went on, the tent grew darker and rustling noises could be heard from outside as Atalanta worked her woodland magic to create a cover of foliage around the tent that would conceal them from plain view. It wasn't her specialty. Usually that was Chloe's job as her affinity with plants was greater than with animals. Atalanta was the complete opposite. She always needed a reed pipe to perform plant magic and if it weren't those of her magic necklace, the effort left her visibly exhausted and pale. It wasn't something she couldn't fix with some food and a nap, but it could still be a pretty alarming sight if one did not expect it.
 
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A grunt of pain escaped Arvid as he pulled his arms in to defend himself from Even's next couple of attacks. Normally he would prioritize defending his head, but between a punch to the head and a knee to the gut? He'd take his chances with the punch. He was silent when Even's fist met his head and instead hunched over slightly, raising a hand to keep the knee from digging too deep into his gut, moving his torso so that it would slip past him. The hand on Even's knee did not move, however. Instead, Arvid hooked his arm around Even's leg and pulled back towards him while his free hand formed a fist and was sent flying upwards towards Even's chin.​
 
Bellanca sighed a little bit, and shook her head. This was the typical response, and the one she had been hoping to avoid. "There's no need to be sorry. I don't think we were particularly unlucky. Plenty of children lose their parents all the time, and we're just children of Aphrodite. We're not exactly monster magnets, and we don't have any powers we needed to be taught to use. Most things Vedette takes care of with her bat. We've made do well enough, and mother guides us when the going is really hard." She didn't know what the other girl meant about being like them, so she didn't comment on it, but watched in appreciative silence as the other girl began to use her magic to make the foliage bend around them.

She was so enthralled watching the branches rustle and shift, that when the song ended, she didn't realize at first that Atalanta had gotten somewhat pale and shaky, until Vedette said, "Hey, you okay?"

She turned to look and was alarmed by what she saw. Since Vedette had already asked if she was alright, she didn't know what to say and instead went to grab a water bottle from her pack, offering that instead. "Do you need some water? Or- or food or something? I have chocolate, in my bag." She started reaching for that, as well.


With one leg locked in by Arvid's sudden move, Even's quick feet weren't liable to save him from the punch coming. He almost lost his balance, in fact, since the other boy was yanking him closer. He grimaced and twisted hard to the side, the other boy's fist landing a glancing blow on his chin, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. And, well, since they were in close proximity anyways, and Arvid was lower than him and hadn't bothered to guard, Even's left hand went flying down towards Arvid's neck in a knife-hand strike. Goodness knew how effective that would be.
 
With her strenght significantly drained from the effort, Atalanta shivered. For her it had just gotten sgnificantly colder and she grabbed her sleeping bag, opening it like a blanket and wrapping herself in it with shaking hands. "I'm okay. Some food and sleep will fix." She said, visibly trying not to allow her teeth to clatter as she spoke. "It's just that plant magic drains me, even when I use the pipes. That was always Chloe's specialty." She explained and burried her head deeper in the sleeping bag as she went through a series of small shivers.

"Do you guys have any sleeping bags or blankets? Even with the foliage you could really use the extra insulation up here." At this point she looked like a pile of sleeping bag with a head pokig out of it.
 
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Okay, Arvid hadn't been expecting that kind of strike. The boy lost his balance and fell onto his butt. One of his hands instinctively moved to hold his neck while the other supported him in his fall, keeping him from falling flat on his back. The blow wasn't enough to affect his breathing but it hurt a little to breathe. Even was a lot better at combat than he believed. A lot better, and it was pissing him off. "Dammit." The boy half-wheezed, his face turning red from both anger and embarassment. He was stunned, and it only added to his frustration, and in his frustration he made the not-so-wise move of lashing out with his leg, kicking upwards at Even.​
 
"Of course." Bellanca replied, reaching for one of their three blankets and adding it to Atalanta's wrappings without thinking about how silly it was to be giving someone with a sleeping bag a blanket, considering sleeping bags were generally warmer. She handed Atalanta the chocolate she'd fished out, and then several sandwiches they'd bought from a supermarket on the way. They were squashed and a strange temperature, but should still taste fine, and she didn't want to try and start a fire to make something warm in this nice tent. She'd gotten kind of scared for a second, when she'd seen the other girl looking pale and drained like that. She was kind of grateful that magic wasn't a big thing for Aphrodite girls.


As Arvid fell, for a moment, Even thought he was going to, as well. The other boy had let go of his leg, but not before tugging on it with his momentum, and Even found his foot slamming into the ground between the other boy's legs, impact jarring as he tried to maintain his balance. For half a moment, he was stunned, but he recovered quickly, sharp blue eyes staring down at his opponent. He wasn't sure what to do, for a moment. Hitting someone when they were down was kind of low when they weren't trying to kill him. He didn't always play fair, but nor was he-

The thought was diverted, as Arvid made the strangest choice Even could imagine and, still sitting on his butt, kicked upwards. He moved before he could think about it, grabbing Arvid's foot with both hands and yanking upwards, dragging the other boy onto his back. His leg was moving forward to kick Arvid hard in the butt, but he managed to stop himself in time for the blow to soften. A small, "wups" popped out of his mouth, as if the kick were accidental... which it kind of was.
 
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Atalanta nodded thankfully at the offered chocolate and sandwich. Usually she didn't carry any food with her, she didn't need to because she could always count on her foraging skills, buying something on the spot or otherwise making due -cough- stealing -cough- The only provisions she did carry and considered as precious as her reed pipes were a canteen filled with Nectar and a small pack of ambrosia squares that she and her sister were given from a minor river god a couple of years ago. They only used those under extreme circumstances as it was really energizing and with healing properties they couldn't waste lightheartedly.

As soon as the chocolate was devoured, light slowly returned to her cheeks and her shivering stopped. "Thanks. Realy. I didn't have time to go looking for food. I was expecting to sleep on an empty stomach." She said gratefully and dug in the sandwich. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow and you should keep the blanket. The sleeping bag is enough as the tent will get warmer as time goes by. You should put one or two blankets underneath you for insulation."

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Vidar had been watching the match carefully both to detect any foul plays as well as to gain as much information about his two comrades as possible. So far Arvid's strategy hadn't really surprised him, but Even's skill did. He knew the son of Freja could handle himself well in a fight, but this was different. He had not been allowed to run, he had not been allowed to use magic and he had not been allowed to use a weapon. This was really interesting to watch and so far it seemed like Arvid would fail, unless he changed his tactics. Vidar couldn't help himself but snort in amusement when Even seemed 'sheepish' about the kick he had just thrown at Arvid's back.

All the while, the three boys were too busy with their duel to notice that, from the shadows nearby, a pair of icy blue, almost white, eyes were watching their every move.
 
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The kick to the butt was humiliating in and of itself, but the small cry Arvid let out when it landed was far worse. What's worse, Even's "wups" only added insult to injury. "Okay, that's it!" The boy growled. There was no way he was going to let Even kick his ass this easily, no way! He was on his back already, there wasn't anything he could do about that, so in an effort to free his leg from Even's grip, he raised his free leg and snapped his foot at Even, aiming to kick him in the face.​
 
"Oh." Bellanca's face turned just a little bit pink, as she realized how silly she'd been. "You're right, of course." She took the blanket back and lay it down. That was why they had three in the first place. "Don't worry about the food. We travel a lot, so we always try to buy enough simple things for the road if we don't know where our next meal is going to be coming from." She pulled another sandwich from the pack and split it with Vedette.


Even had begun to wonder how Arvid had ever planned to win in the first place. The second kick would have caught him by surprise, truthfully, since he'd been a little distracted trying to decide whether or not to apologize, but the son of Ullr had practically announced that he was going to try something else. He freed one hand to smack the second leg away as he pulled to the side, taking the other leg with him. This was weird. He'd never had someone by the leg before. It was awkward. There was no reason to let it go, since it gave him a decisive advantage, but the only follow up move he could think of to end the match without using a weapon was smashing his foot into the other boy's groin.

He frowned down at Arvid in apparently genuine consternation, and asked out loud, "Can you surrender? The only other thing I can think of is kicking you in the balls."
 
As soon as she was done with her food and had one gulp of water from her canteen, Atalanta said her goodnights and cocooned herself in the sleeping bag, falling asleep almost as soon as her eyes closed. One could tell that she was exhausted as she barely moved from the cuddled position she had settled in from the very beginning.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed until she started to dream. It wasn't the usual demigod dreams, nor the casual dreams. Empathy dreams worked differently. One moment she was at the warm nesting space of the tent and the next she was watching the Norse boys fight eachother. Her link with Skuggi was still fresh and yet they were able to communicate like this without a hitch. She watched the fight as the arrogant one had his ass kicked quite literally by the polite mage while the third boy was watching intently. This almost looked like a duel of some sort, but Atalanta couldn't be sure.

Her dreams of Skuggi went on for a while until eventually, her mind drifted back to dreamless sleep. It felt like the sweet sweet rest only lasted but a second when the darkness was lifted again and, this time, Atalanta came face to face with her sister. She couldn't see her surroundings all that well but she could feel her hands bound behind her back, her body was sore and in pain. Chloe had not moved from the small dark room with no windows and no stuff beside her and a dirty old mattress. "Chloe..." Atalanta breathed to her sister in her dreams. In response, Atalanta's point of view changed and now she could actually look at her sister. She was in a poor state, pale and bruised.

"Atalanta listen to me, we don't have much time." Chloe said urgently and her gentle honey colored eyes zeroed in on her sister's. "They speak French around me or not at all but I made out two words by overhearing. Sacrifice and moon. Whatever they are after, they likely plan to use us." She explained and she looked scared. Extremely scared for both their sakes. "I know they want me to bring my reed pipes to Carnac." Chloe winced as she came to a realization. "The pipes. That's why they took my necklace. They're using me as bait! You can't...." Atalanta shook her head and interrupted a panicked Chloe. "I know it's a trap. I'm not alone though. I have help. I'll get you out of there, you can count on that!" She said with a low growl stemming from anger and protective instincts going highwired.

Before either of them could manage another word, Atalanta was pushed out of the dream by Chloe as the door to the room was being unlocked. At this point, Atalanta's breath had quickened and she was starting to turn more often in her sleep. However the scene of the dreams changed almost immediately. This time it was not the familiar feeling of empathy link dreams. No, this time it was a nightmare. A demigod dream.

Atalanta found herself staring at two men wearing what Atalanta would only describe as 'Brown Gandalf robes with a hood' if she was asked to. The figure on the left wore an antlered deer mask to cover the features that were not concealed by the hood. The figure on the right seemed to only wear the robe and mask out of mere necessity. It towered over both Chloe and the figure on the left. Atalanta's hair stood on end. She could feel the power surging from it. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't a mortal man unlike the other hooded person. "Time is running out Wild child." The figure said with a deep, soft voice that send shivers down her spine. "You better be at Carnac before midnight tomorrow or you will never see your dear sister again." The figure looked at her straight in the eye as it raised a hand in the direction of Chloe, who was currently trying to scramble as far away from the figure as possible. It was, of course, in vain as she was already glued to the wall and there was no way for her to escape. "Bring your necklace with you or I will not be merciful in ending your pitiful existence."

As if on cue, Chloe screamed in terror at something only she could see and Atalanta found herself looking at the masked figure that threatened them only to discover, to her horror, that the face was in fact tangible darkness and the darkness grew. It engulfed her and Atalanta found herself in an uncontrolled fall, listening to her sister's screams and the silent demand of not being late. She woke up with a gasp and was quick to toss off the sleeping bag that had tangled up slightly during her turning. She look wildly around as her vision adjusted to the darkness and she realized she was still at the tent, dangling two meters above ground.

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Vidar burst into boisterous laughter as Even seemed genuine in his plea for a surrender from Arvid. This he really should've filmed from start to finish but he was taking his job as a referee seriously and thus couldn't just get his phone out and record like some carefree bystander. Aside from having a blast, he did nothing else other than ask Arvid if he was willing to yield the duel to Even.
 
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Okay, so there was no freeing his leg, Even wasn't going to let go and he couldn't get any leverage while on the ground. For a few moments, his mind raced, running over whatever options he could think of to try and turn the tides. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't see a single one of them working. And that was when reality set in.

He had lost. For a moment it looked like he was going to blow his top and explode in a rage. His face was far redder than before and his face seemed to be stuck in a rather nasty looking scowl. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of cursing, shouting or even growling, he fell onto his back and let out a heavy sigh of defeat.

"Go ahead, kick my balls. It can't hurt as bad as losing to you." He grumbled, admitting defeat. He had severely underestimated Even, got caught up in his anger and made some dumb moves, and he lost because of it. The unnecessary shame he was feeling right now was visible on his face.
 
Bellanca didn't realize what had woken her at first, but quietly panicked breathing in the corner drew her attention to Atalanta. She and Vedette had chosen to sleep together for the warmth, as they usually did, with Atalanta on the other end of the tent. Vedette had also responded to the sound, draping one arm blearily over Bellanca's shoulders. "The nightmares again? Or monsters?" She whispered sleepily, not opening her eyes.

"Neither, Vedette, go back to sleep, I'm fine." Bellanca whispered back. When her sister obediently muttered something random and receded back into the sweet depths of sleep, Bellanca gently got up and made her way closer to Atalanta, bringing her blanket with her. If they'd been on the ground and she hadn't just given Atalanta the last of her chocolate, she would have started making some very bland hot chocolate, but as it was, she just came over to kneel next to Atalanta, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey there. Atalanta. It's me, Bellanca. You're okay. You're safe. Do you remember where you are?" She adopted a soothing tone, finding it strange to be on the other end of this equation. Vedette had never had problems with nightmares.


Even gave Vidar an unamused expression. He was being serious! Okay, it was kind of funny now that he thought about it, but if he cracked a smile, Arvid was definitely going to take it personally. He fought to keep his expression neutral, biting his bottom lip, until the other boy distracted him by admitting defeat with a loud sigh. He dropped Arvid's leg immediately and stepped back. "Since I don't have to, I'd really rather not have anything to do with your balls, if it's all the same to you." He said, offering a hand to help the other boy up.
 
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Atalanta caught movement in the darkness of the tent. The whispers made her panic and she instinctively activated her night vision. The tent appeared in much more clarity to her now. Her eyes had sifted from their usual doe brown to the intentense yellow of an eagle owl's piercing gaze. Bellanca came over with a soothing voice, assuring her she was safe. Warmth filled her and a tight knot was caught on her throat. It was as if Chloe was there, comforting her from the nightmare. Bellanca was so much like her sister that she found it hard to contain the urge to sob. She blinked owlishly a couple of times to force the tears back and nodded at Bellanca's question.

"Yeah, I'm..... I'm in the tent." She forced herself to say as the nightmare from the unknown small room still lingered in her mind. "I'm sorry I woke you up." She apologized, hugging her knees in an attempt to both get rid of the sore feeling on her body as well as to find some measure of comfort.

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The undignified look of Even's face and the follow up dialogue caused Vidar to crack up, but his eyes were dead serious when he turned to Arvid, despite the chuckles that escaped him as he did. While Arvid seemed to have admited defeat, he hadn't outright accepted it. He hadn't technically yield. "Do you yield, Arvid, yes or no?" Vidar repeated his question. Until that was settled, the duel was not over in the eyes of gods and men, thus the oath couldn't take effect. Vidar hated it when things were in limbo like that. Perhaps it was a trait he shared with his father. Justice had to be decisive and unquestioned.
 
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Arvid fought the urge to slap away Even's hand and instead took it, albeit begrudgingly, as he lifted himself off the ground. As upset as he was about losing, even he had to admit that the boy was quite the skilled fighter. His pride was crushed, he was in pain, and he was embarrassed beyond all hell, but at least there was something he could respect in Even. "Good fight." He grumbled, fighting the urge to shout "You got lucky!" or "Next time it won't be the same!". No, Even didn't need to know he was gunning for a rematch in the future. Not yet. "Yeah, I yield." He told Vidar, somewhat quietly.
 
"Good," Bellanca said in response to the answer to her question. Atalanta was grounded in reality, then. She wrapped her blanket around the other girl's shoulders, not bothering with the sleeping bag around them. It was less complicated this way and meant she'd still have something under her to keep her warm from below. "No need to apologize." She said, calmly. "I had a lot of nightmares after my father died, as well." It was rare, but sometimes she still did. She let that lie, though, and instead made herself comfortable by Atalanta, rubbing her back reassuringly, since it was too awkward to hug in this position. "You just take as much time as you need, and then try and go back to sleep, okay? We should all be well-rested for whatever happens tomorrow. I hope you don't mind if I just stay here with you until you fall asleep." She didn't really want to leave her alone at the moment. She'd only gotten through the nightmares because she'd had Vedette with her.


Even had honestly expected there to be a lot more grumbling once Arvid's defeat had been decided, but he was a lot more gracious a loser than expected. Perhaps he had misjudged the other boy. Well, he had misjudged the boy in other ways, too. He hadn't expected the fight to be so easy, all things considered, but he kept that little thought to himself. Relaxing into a smile now that the match was over, he walked over to where Vidar was sitting with their stuff. "Five minutes a day, then. Starting tomorrow." He felt a little badly for how the match had gone, but knowing that the endless whinging and posturing of the past few days was now in the past made it feel like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It had been worth it. He was going to get himself a timer tomorrow. "Should we go back now?" He asked, cheerfully.
 
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Atalanta was staring holes at the floor of the tent as she listened to Bellanca speak, nodding affirmitively here and there. "I don't mind, but I don't think I will go back to sleep anytime soon." She said, taking a deep breath trying to calm herself down. "This wasn't a regular demigod dream. I'm good at sleep through those. This was a message with a point. I'm supposed to be at Carnac by midnight tomorrow with the pipes or the end will be gruesome. He..... made a point by...... I don't know what the Tartarus he did, but the terror was agonizing. Chloe....... she wished they would just hit her like they did before instead of having to endure..... whatever that was. I didn't see it, but I felt it through our bond." She paused, her fists were now clenched so tight that the bones of her fingers seemed ready to pop. Atalanta growled and it was low, gutteral and animalistic.

"This isn't the first dream like that. But the bastards have gone too far. Tangible darkness or not, I'm sending them a one way ticket to Tartarus." She promised.

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Vidar nodded and announced the duel finished and declared Even the winner and he unfolded his arms from his chest. He was surprised by how the match had ended up. He was expecting a better fight from Arvid, but the boy gained points of respect from Vidar by being a gracious loser despite how Vidar expected him to just explode. He could still see the boy fuming, but Arvid kept it inside and that was impressive. "Yes we should go back and get as much rest and preparations as possible. I have a feeling tomorrow will be packed with action." He said to Even as he handed him over his pack. "And Arvid, since you really want to act, maybe you should put those hunting skills of yours to good use. Scan the area anytime you feel like between now and noon tomorrow. See what you can find of the enemy." He suggested and handed him his pack as well. He was still blissfully unaware of the black wolf that had blended with the shadows and was focused solely on them.