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To say the Daughter of Apollo felt comfortable with this situation was a lie. Despite the fact that she sat next to Daniel, who was seated next to Rae, in a calm and warmly smiling disposition meant very little. There was no doubt that emotions were running thick in the air - with worry, doubt, fear, bitterness. Her fingers played with the hem of her oversized polka dot sweater, but she tried her best not to appear anymore awkward and apprehensive as everyone else did. After all, she was supposed to be smiling.
Unlike others, she had no words to share with the gods. It wasn't her place, and she didn't enjoy being the center of attention. At least, she wasn't going to let people know that she might enjoy it a little. Her dark eyes drifted to Sylas, head tilted slightly to the right - then flit toward Liam. Her gaze was owlish - curious and large, but they withheld judgment. She had no idea what was going on. Aside from the fact that she knew Sylas had been hurt just the other day, who was she to start imagining scenarios in her head? There was no way to know who was at fault, or if any of them were. Honestly, she just wanted to stay out of it.
Her teeth chewed at her lip as everyone began to embark on their own personal hell, and she wondered exactly what she would go through. Cherise could hardly be as attentive to everyone else as she should have been because she was scared of what was in store for herself. What secrets would come out? She had many shadows to cast, being as bright as she is. Didn't she?
Demigods were facing scenarios like death in scenes that had far too much gore than she wanted to see. They faced loss of all kinds - mental, emotional, personal... a loss of a sense of self. Secrets and desires were laid bare, and people's true faces were shown to everyone that they wished to hide from.
Daniel's would have been confusing had he not finally confessed to her just the other afternoon. Cherise wondered how it must feel to watch one's own self be so easily erased from the memories of their loved ones. A pang of sadness hit her when she realized that people could be erased in this world as easily as one breathes. The gods wouldn't really do that. Would they? She looked up at them quietly as Daniel came back to his seat.
As a comfort, she reached over to him and gently took his hand to hold in his lap without any words.
Then it was Rae's turn, and she watched the Moon-child proudly march herself toward the arena. That woman never did anything without expressing herself to the fullest. Part of Cherise worried deeply for the outcome of the Demigod's threatening words, but... certainly, Rae wouldn't allow herself to become so warped. She never did anything like that despite her brazen personality.
Cherise saw... hesitation in Rae's trial. She understood in a way. Rae always came first in everything. That was just how she chose to survive this world. To see and hear her best friend stepping out of the illusion without realizing that it was over for a long minute or two was painful. Cherise cringed and wished that it would be over. Rae decided not to sit by anyone, and Cherise chose to leave her be because she knew that the woman's dignity and pride were deeply bruised.
How could she be a part of two people's insecurities? The thought made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She didn't like the idea of being any kind of burden. She looked down at her feet, and before she knew it... it was her turn.
Cherise stood up and quietly marched down toward the arena. The woman trembled noticeably, even nearly tripping over nothing at all. She exchanged a brief glance with her father, and he silently gestured encouragement. Of all the gods, he was - at the very least - one of the nicer ones.
When Cherise stepped through the archway, a bare foot landed in something... wet and warm. It smelled like fire, but it also smelled like rain. It felt like she had been in flight or fight mode - in the middle of a battle that had the Sunchild split into two. There was a sense in this scene that this particular unrest had been a long time in the making - a seed watered over time with envy, jealousy, bitterness, etc - so that it could blossom into this violent bloom of war. It was clear that she didn't know her place in this mess that was Camp Athens.
As she walked, people were fighting. Powers could be seen as far and wide as ever - crashing with one another. People ran around her, but no one came after her. They didn't have any faces. They were just bodies with familiar powers and something like... feelings. She knew who they were, and she knew that they were friends. Cherise considered everyone at Camp Athens to be a friend until they showed themselves as the enemy.
People were dying here. She didn't know who to run to or who to leave behind. Who were the enemies? Who were friends? Where were the archaic beasts or the monsters of myth?
You need to choose a side, Cherise, voices whispered to her like a choir in tandem. She knocked an arrow and raised her bow, encircled by these faceless entities.
These entities began to throw their powers at each other - all of them missing her by fractions of a centimeter. Bodies were dropping, she spun around trying to figure out who was the threat and who was not. The feelings that attached themselves to these beings spanned the spectrum from amorous and platonic to confusion and dislike. She loosed an arrow and it plunged into one chest, then she notched another one to do it again.
She thought she had gotten rid of all the negative emotions, so she dropped to her knees and scrambled to save the ones that were attached to love and friendship. When all was done, she stood up and looked around. Faces revealed themselves for only a split second before vanishing, and her eyes widened. These faces were seen by her eyes only, leaving the Demigods to wonder who was who as they looked upon her illusion.
No one was who she thought they were.
A knife plunged into her from behind, and she fell onto the blood-soaked ground. At that moment, just when her final breath was about to leave, the illusion shattered and she was back in the arena. Cherise stayed on the floor, believing that she was dying when she was actually just laying there face down, breathing just fine. Crying quietly. She wondered how she could make such horrible mistakes.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she was on the arena floor. Cherise stood, wiped away her tears, and moved back to her seat. Nothing made any sense as it stood right now. She looked toward Daniel and wondered if he caught his face among those with the arrow in the chest, and she placed her hands in her lap.
She looked up at her father and wondered if maybe this was him trying to tell her that there was a deep wound in this Camp. She thought now that it might not do to be Switzerland in this place. Since she had been here, she hadn't paid close attention to what was happening. Instead, she allowed herself to be swept up in something that easily blinded even the most observant person. Cherise had to train, learn, and find her place. If there was a wound somewhere in this place, maybe she could help it heal before it split the Camp into two.
Unlike others, she had no words to share with the gods. It wasn't her place, and she didn't enjoy being the center of attention. At least, she wasn't going to let people know that she might enjoy it a little. Her dark eyes drifted to Sylas, head tilted slightly to the right - then flit toward Liam. Her gaze was owlish - curious and large, but they withheld judgment. She had no idea what was going on. Aside from the fact that she knew Sylas had been hurt just the other day, who was she to start imagining scenarios in her head? There was no way to know who was at fault, or if any of them were. Honestly, she just wanted to stay out of it.
Her teeth chewed at her lip as everyone began to embark on their own personal hell, and she wondered exactly what she would go through. Cherise could hardly be as attentive to everyone else as she should have been because she was scared of what was in store for herself. What secrets would come out? She had many shadows to cast, being as bright as she is. Didn't she?
Demigods were facing scenarios like death in scenes that had far too much gore than she wanted to see. They faced loss of all kinds - mental, emotional, personal... a loss of a sense of self. Secrets and desires were laid bare, and people's true faces were shown to everyone that they wished to hide from.
Daniel's would have been confusing had he not finally confessed to her just the other afternoon. Cherise wondered how it must feel to watch one's own self be so easily erased from the memories of their loved ones. A pang of sadness hit her when she realized that people could be erased in this world as easily as one breathes. The gods wouldn't really do that. Would they? She looked up at them quietly as Daniel came back to his seat.
As a comfort, she reached over to him and gently took his hand to hold in his lap without any words.
Then it was Rae's turn, and she watched the Moon-child proudly march herself toward the arena. That woman never did anything without expressing herself to the fullest. Part of Cherise worried deeply for the outcome of the Demigod's threatening words, but... certainly, Rae wouldn't allow herself to become so warped. She never did anything like that despite her brazen personality.
Cherise saw... hesitation in Rae's trial. She understood in a way. Rae always came first in everything. That was just how she chose to survive this world. To see and hear her best friend stepping out of the illusion without realizing that it was over for a long minute or two was painful. Cherise cringed and wished that it would be over. Rae decided not to sit by anyone, and Cherise chose to leave her be because she knew that the woman's dignity and pride were deeply bruised.
How could she be a part of two people's insecurities? The thought made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She didn't like the idea of being any kind of burden. She looked down at her feet, and before she knew it... it was her turn.
Cherise stood up and quietly marched down toward the arena. The woman trembled noticeably, even nearly tripping over nothing at all. She exchanged a brief glance with her father, and he silently gestured encouragement. Of all the gods, he was - at the very least - one of the nicer ones.
When Cherise stepped through the archway, a bare foot landed in something... wet and warm. It smelled like fire, but it also smelled like rain. It felt like she had been in flight or fight mode - in the middle of a battle that had the Sunchild split into two. There was a sense in this scene that this particular unrest had been a long time in the making - a seed watered over time with envy, jealousy, bitterness, etc - so that it could blossom into this violent bloom of war. It was clear that she didn't know her place in this mess that was Camp Athens.
As she walked, people were fighting. Powers could be seen as far and wide as ever - crashing with one another. People ran around her, but no one came after her. They didn't have any faces. They were just bodies with familiar powers and something like... feelings. She knew who they were, and she knew that they were friends. Cherise considered everyone at Camp Athens to be a friend until they showed themselves as the enemy.
People were dying here. She didn't know who to run to or who to leave behind. Who were the enemies? Who were friends? Where were the archaic beasts or the monsters of myth?
You need to choose a side, Cherise, voices whispered to her like a choir in tandem. She knocked an arrow and raised her bow, encircled by these faceless entities.
These entities began to throw their powers at each other - all of them missing her by fractions of a centimeter. Bodies were dropping, she spun around trying to figure out who was the threat and who was not. The feelings that attached themselves to these beings spanned the spectrum from amorous and platonic to confusion and dislike. She loosed an arrow and it plunged into one chest, then she notched another one to do it again.
She thought she had gotten rid of all the negative emotions, so she dropped to her knees and scrambled to save the ones that were attached to love and friendship. When all was done, she stood up and looked around. Faces revealed themselves for only a split second before vanishing, and her eyes widened. These faces were seen by her eyes only, leaving the Demigods to wonder who was who as they looked upon her illusion.
No one was who she thought they were.
A knife plunged into her from behind, and she fell onto the blood-soaked ground. At that moment, just when her final breath was about to leave, the illusion shattered and she was back in the arena. Cherise stayed on the floor, believing that she was dying when she was actually just laying there face down, breathing just fine. Crying quietly. She wondered how she could make such horrible mistakes.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she was on the arena floor. Cherise stood, wiped away her tears, and moved back to her seat. Nothing made any sense as it stood right now. She looked toward Daniel and wondered if he caught his face among those with the arrow in the chest, and she placed her hands in her lap.
She looked up at her father and wondered if maybe this was him trying to tell her that there was a deep wound in this Camp. She thought now that it might not do to be Switzerland in this place. Since she had been here, she hadn't paid close attention to what was happening. Instead, she allowed herself to be swept up in something that easily blinded even the most observant person. Cherise had to train, learn, and find her place. If there was a wound somewhere in this place, maybe she could help it heal before it split the Camp into two.