"Anything could have happened to him, he and trouble constantly met half way." For that exact reason, Duke didn't have the slightest idea what could have happened last year for him to change so much.
“He's...he's not well.”
"That, I know. Look, you and staff know him as Keith but his name's Daniel. There was a war and no one had seen him since. And from what I heard, he wasn't in a condition to walk off or teleport anywhere." Duke didn't see what happened to the camp's favorite magician exactly but he knew Daniel was widely believed as deceased.
“I need somebody who was close to him. Who knows what might have happened to him or who's out to hurt him.”
Duke knew it was Evelyn's way of asking, relying and suggesting his assistance in one. He looked off in the distance. Part of him didn't want to tangle with such a case but he couldn't refuse to help. He nodded to Evelyn then left in search for someone. A Valis might have fit the criteria, he knew Alex and Daniel had a brief thing, whereas Ajax was well informed and trust worthy. Then there was Andromeda to consider of course.
"All camp members, new and old... please head to the hall for a meeting."
That saved him going on a wild goose chase. As he headed to the hall, the same place others were being corralled, he saw Wesley and jogged to join him in stride. "Wesley, did Alex give you your arm?" Clearly Wes didn't have the prosthetic arm on, but if it needed adjustments for comfort or size, the sooner they worked on it the better.
He almost missed the short and timid company Wesley was in. Almost. Duke second looked her and smiled slightly. "Hey..." he recognized the girl as the one that had darted by in the training grounds. But that run wasn't one for training or fun. He could ask if she was okay now but that might have risked some unpleasant emotions resurfacing."I missed you before, I'm Duke." He held out his hand.
“Looks like the peanut gallery is gone. What a shame.” At those words, he looked at her again to be met by a smirk. “The blonde one was gorgeous, we could have asked him to join us.”
He snarled, showing his obvious disgust in the comment. Those Aphrodite kids were flimsy and a little too loose for his liking.
“Oh and forgive me if my love radar is screwy, it might be because I’m not related to Aphrodite. I believe you call my mother Hera?” Mason did his best not to give her a reaction, but it was evident he was displeased. Her lies were harmless but gave him a complete different impression than the snake underneath. His confession before suddenly seemed not just gossip but ammunition for her. Mason inhaled through his nose suppressing the urge to charge her and torture her until she turned into the fragile girl she played for real. Then again, taking down spoiled bitches might have been more of Trinity's domain.
“He’s all yours. But be warned he’s a sloppy kisser.” The remark seemed a little out of the way to try annoy him, but got his attention on Sylas. He rolled his eyes and approached the son of Eris.
"At least I got a kiss out of it," he said, for once trying to see the bright side. Once Evangeline was gone, Mason finally smiled. "If I was her, I would have held that card a little longer. She would have had so much potential. But now...tut...such a waste." Mason could throw off her game with other campers if he so desired. Luckily for her he didn't care that much about fellow demigods so it wouldn't be a frequent disruption.
"So what about you Sylas? What have you been up to?" In briefly knowing the guy, it was likely he had been doing something. It was just a matter if the guy wanted to show and tell.
When the announcement came on Mason cracked another cold smile. "I suppose we're all heading to the hall then." And Mason did that without any audible complaints, though not exactly a good pace either. When Ajax came over the system it usually wasn't for personal reasons.
Mason didn't bother sitting, hoping it was at least a brief little gathering they were having then he could slip straight out the doors again. Mason saw something then and slowly moved across the back of the hall, prowling towards it. He didn't want to catch the attention of others, much more for Andy to see it first.
"Do you want to play anything? Cluedo, aahh monopoly, 21, Yahtzee, Operation?" Admittedly they were games better played in a group larger than two but he wasn't one drowning in popularity and options.
Apparently there was no time for a game to come out because Ajax came over the speakers requesting a meeting in the hall. "That's a bummer." Not that his guest likely shared his enthusiasm for a good old fashioned board game.
Keith headed over with Evelyn slowly, his goal walking there being to show he could get there in one piece his own without using the red haired girl as support. He was very pleased with himself when he stepped through the hall doors. He shuffled out of the way of entering and exiting demigods and sat on a table near the back wall. He thought he was pretty safe there, not in immediate view or in the way, a wall behind him, minding his own business..
"Daniel? What are you doing here?" No such luck. The son of Hades wanted to torment him now.
"I was told to come to the hall like everyone else. If you want this spot, just take it." Keith moved to his feet choosing to avoid conflict, but was shoved down again by the shoulders.
"I can't believe you're alive," he spoke in a hushed tone, eyeing him head to toe. Okay, he was useless and uncoordinated, he got that but that was a little harsh. "How are you here?"
Keith noticed Mason was blocking the door from view, cornering him. "A series of travelling methods, you know car, plane..." Mason frowned, apparently it wasn't the answer he was after and he looked displeased. Keith fiddled with his arm cuffs. "How...how were your holidays?"
"Seriously?"
Keith nodded hesitantly as if it were a trick question. There was another heavy silence. Maybe he should just be master of tense moments. He looked around uneasily for witnesses to the assault to come. "You don't have to go into it if you don't want," he muttered.