Cayden Stelzner's Story

Earlier that day....

While packing the last item into his suitcase, his fingers fiddled with the buttons on one of his shirts as his mind wandered off into its own world. He didn't know how the rage inside of him was going to treat him, and once thrown into the deep end with a mixture of others who probably had their own problems to deal with, was either going to make him look like the unwanted bad guy with an ego boost or something else. He bared his teeth down against his bottom lip.

"Son." Cayden turned his head to look at his father who stood in the doorway of his bedroom. "I promise you that you'll fit in. Your sister has." Springing a sibling onto him had been a surprise, but at the same time, it had closed the case on his suspicions. His father may have once loved his mother, but now he had gone and made a new family elsewhere which made him feel less important. Ares wasn't there all the time, but it wasn't like he was always absent either.

"So that's why you and mom broke up.. you had another woman and child?"

"No. I never cheated on your mom. I just... sadly didn't love her anymore."

"What's her name?"

"The other woman?"

"No.. what's my sister's name? how old is she?"

Ares smiled. "Her name is Trinity, and she is 19.

"So I have a little sister... okay. When do we leave for camp?"

"I'll get someone else to take you, and I'll meet you there."

before he could ask his father why he wasn't taking him himself, or who he needed to expect to turn up at his door... Ares had gone. He had teleported to god knows where, while Cayden was left lifting his luggage down the stairs.

A few hours later...


Finally, he was there at the infamous Camp his father had told him all about. He knew why the place had been built in the first place, and what had happened last year... roughly. His father was down at the beach with some other God. Cayden held up his hand, and his father returned it with his own before Cayden heard a large group of people in a nearby hall.

Curiosity got the best of him, so he headed that way, dumping his rucksack onto the ground since someone with blonde hair came bursting out the doors, followed by some guy chasing after her.

"God, DAMN!" His voice went up an octave on the last word as he stumbled out of their way. "People walking here. Jeeze." He ran his hands over himself like he was dusting himself off and straightening himself out, then carried on to make his way into the hall. Cayden puffed out his chest and silently slipped into one of the seats at the back. "What did a'miss?" He asked while he leaned to the side towards some dude in glasses.

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xxxxxxxxL I V x P F E I F F E R
xxxxxxxxxxxxxPoseidon

xxxxxx#00CCCC || worried || outfit

Ajax and Zeus spoke about a common thread whether they liked it or not and that was Alex. Once the meeting was concluded, the dark-haired man speaking to Alex got up and pat Duke on the chest. “Just shag her mate.” Duke stood upright and glanced at Alex. It wasn't a bad idea and for a moment he saw himself tipping over Alex and kissing her passionately and things heating up from there. Duke was inching closer to her without realizing but when he caught himself he stopped. It was an entirely inappropriate comment and thoughts that filled his mind. Duke didn't want to 'just shag her' like it was an ordinarily easy task, he felt differently and no man with shaggy black hair was going to tell him otherwise.

He caught her wide-eyed stare at him. "I think he likes you," he told Alex."So who is the new guy, Al? Friend or foe?" Duke decided to cut the options into two since he didn't want a whole speech about the new guy. A name, heritage and brief thoughts would have sufficed.

Duke sighed gently. Alex was no doubt under a lot of pressure with the trial coming up, but Duke had such tunnel vision when his own concerns were involved, besides, maybe it'd be a nice distraction to talk about other things. "I noticed Wes's arm wasn't delivered. I know you have your separate mountain of issues," he added quickly. "But maybe helping other people, doing a couple good deeds for others will make you feel better and help your case." That way, before they left camp, Alex could have left a fresh and pleasant impression on people. She could just be known as a boisterous girl again which is what she was before the murder tainted her appearance.

Old Alex needed to come back again and soon. Duke could remember the bundle of joy and outrageous extrovert but could the others? Duke believed they would speak against her prosecuting her only as the dull monster. "Your brother and father are stressed, Alex. You can help your own case too."

"When we get out of this, the next party or celebration we have, promise me you'll be the life of it." Duke smiled a little.

---

Keith nodded as Zeus answered all the questions openly and honestly then jumped as someone had slid beside him. "What did a'miss?"

Keith looked at the man he was not familiar with and leaned away from him. He was openly owning the space and Keith wasn't a fan. Another brute to torment him likely, hooray. "Um...the daughter of Zeus," Keith pointed in her direction hoping the temperamental children of Zeus didn't spot it and want to kill him for daring to point and speak about her, "is going on a trial. She, uh, accidentally murdered another demigod." God he felt like an idiot. "Accidentally killed" because that happens all the time. She wasn't freaking Lennie from Mice and Men. "We are going to attend and potentially determine her fate," he added uncertainly. That's what Zeus had said but it was a surreal power to have in his own experience.

Keith got to his feet slowly, almost asking permission from the blonde boy if he was excused. "I have to figure out my own side."

An elbow knocked him in the back, making him collapse on the table. He stayed there for a moment, gripping the table and pressing his forehead to the hard surface, letting no one see the tears and frustration in his eyes. Keith straightened slowly and held his stomach where his arrow wound was. He swallowed a lump in his throat and met the new boy's eyes and nodded with as much dignity as possible. "Nice meeting you."

Keith shuffled off. He needed to compose himself in his cabin for a couple of minutes then would meet his no good peer demigods at the beach. He hated camp, why did he even come back.

After he was done moping and worked on pulling himself together, he exited his cabin with a deep breath and treked to the beach.

---

"I don't know, but I hope so. I fear this is her doing. She was the last person to see him before he died." Andy replied. "Will you help me get him to her?"

Mason looked to Daniel. At the moment, Daniel saw Mason as malicious and untrustworthy, it was evident in the way he acted like a cornered child facing bullies so it might have been a bit difficult. "You mean like put a bag over his head and abduct him?" He smiled though if it helped Daniel become himself and Andy's peace of mind, he would.

As the hall cleared out slowly, Andy leaned towards him. "I will testify, if I am called upon... For Jennova and for you."

He looked at Andy and shifted his body to face her. "I appreciate that and I’ve appreciated everything you’ve done for us. You probably will be called because you were one of the first to...see it and handle it all. But you don't need to testify if you don't want to. Ajax hates it when you speak against Alex, I'm used to the looks that say drop dead but not you." Andy wasn't weak and fragile, nor submissive. But he didn't think she could handle being loathed by her boyfriend. "I just don't want you in another ugly situation. It'd probably be good for you to lay low for a while." Mason didn't know why he bothered saying it since he couldn't remember a time Andy was reserved.

There was another thud noise and Daniel was sprawled on the table. What a pathetic sight and it upset Mason all the more. This weasel version had to go before everybody snuffed him out as completely vulnerable. Mason headed out, in desperate desire to get out and change clothes for the trial. He knew better than to look like a bum when he was trying to appeal his case. He wouldn't let it go without a hell of a fight. And it's not like he even had to make up a story or lie.

Mason wrestled with his tie then finally prevailed and smoothed down his tie in the reflection then shrugged into his jacket. He couldn't help but smirk a little. Alex was in trouble. With the final touches done, Mason waited at the beach.

He had not left the hall just yet. He stood staring out of the window, his thumb running back and forth against his lips with the sound of a clock ticking behind him, counting down every second toward the trial.

Hopefully, his son had an idea, because no doubt all would be lost for his little girl if there wasn't. Her bright light would be taken from this world, and into the next.

For years he had kept Hades close to him, trusted him, and all it took for betrayal!? was greed. Hades had been (other than Ares) his most trusted consort. A God that was powerful to be by the Kings side in battle had the honor of facing the Titans that still had their vendetta with Zeus for killing his father Cronus.

No longer wanting to drown within his own head, Zeus left the hall without interrupting his daughter who had the company of Hephaestus's son - Duke, but Zeus did smile at him briefly while he made his exit.

---

---

Even now Duke managed to still make her blush, and for the first time in a while... she actually managed a little smile. She held her palm to her cheek as she turned away from the gaze he had locked on her, due to her own thoughts spiraling as he unknowingly made his way toward her slightly before he stopped.

No doubt his thoughts were just unwillingly made due to Pete's influence, but her own feelings and thoughts were genuine and true. She had to be realistic, Duke had never made it clear about how he felt about her, other than he saw her as Ajax's little sister. She never wanted someone to see her as just his younger sibling, or the one they feel they can't get close to in fear of Ajax grabbing them for a serious talk/warning.

"I think he likes you," At first, she thought he had admitted to liking her, but his question denied it. Pete was actually a good looking guy behind that personality of his. He seemed bad, but not evil. Nice, but not soft.

Alex shook her head. "I doubt that." she told him, fiddling with a bowl that lay empty on the table. The thoughts of him had returned. "It's a shame you don't like me." she wanted to say, but she didn't want to embarrass herself or put an awkward feeling between them both. If that were even possible. With how long they had known each other outside and inside of the camp, surely they had gotten passed that stage by now.

"So who is the new guy, Al? Friend or foe?" She wasn't actually sure, but she was hoping he would be a friend at least.

"Pete. Son of Hera. I... don't really know that much about him, so I don't know yet."

Duke sighed gently. She had no idea what was on his mind as Duke wasn't really the type to talk about his own feelings, but she felt as though he would just as worried about the trial. He cared about her, there was no doubt about that. "I noticed Wes's arm wasn't delivered. I know you have your separate mountain of issues," he added quickly. "But maybe helping other people, doing a couple good deeds for others will make you feel better and help your case." Damn it, how could she have forgotten about her best friend and his arm? her mind, as warped as it felt, had left black spots in her memory. The monster that scratched away at what humanity she had left, was doing its best to make her forget everything. Especially the wonderful person she was before. He was right, she needed to do something. Anything. "Your brother and father are stressed, Alex. You can help your own case too."

"I know, and I'm sorry. You're right. I'll go and get it now and give it to him. After everything he's been through, he deserves something good to come out of all this mess that I've caused. She hadn't said sorry in a while, so maybe that monster inside of her head was finally dying now that Alex was accepting her fate.

"When we get out of this, the next party or celebration we have, promise me you'll be the life of it." Duke smiled a little. She definitely would try. It broke her heart to think she would have to leave him and the others behind.

"That's if I even make it out of there." she says quietly, her voice breaking slightly as the words tumble from her soft lips. She furrowed her brows apologetically as she tilted her head at him, then turned and headed toward the hall's doors.

---

---

The guy had leaned away from him, causing Cayden to smile. He had that effect on most people. "Um...the daughter of Zeus," as he pointed in the girl's direction, Cayden turned his head.

Damn.... she's cute. he thought. Looking her over with a smile.

"is going on a trial. She, uh, accidentally murdered another demigod."

cute, and dangerous? nice. he kept his eyes on her. It was a shame she was already in the company of someone else.

"We are going to attend and potentially determine her fate," he added uncertainly.

"Cool... Is she popular with other guys?" it definitely looked like she was, and Cayden hadn't really been listening to the guy beside him. Not completely. The bits he caught were plenty.

"I have to figure out my own side." When an elbow knocked him in the back, the poor guy collapsed on the table, and stayed there for a moment, gripping the table and pressing his forehead to it. Cayden quickly turned his attention back to him. Looking him over.

"Shit, dude... you okay?" he asked while chuckling. He even placed his hand onto the guys back.

"Nice meeting you." As the strange guy shuffled off, Cayden's grin faded. He frowned and turned his head to see where he had rushed off to. He was like a whippet, gone in seconds. He shrugged it off and headed out to find his cabin so he could get ready for the trial.

He found it eventually as he quickly got a member of staff to help him, and just threw on some clothes that looked decent enough for a trial. Outfit

---

---

Ares waited patiently beside Athena as the Demigods prepared themselves. He could sense that Alex was still on the grounds, so there was no need to go after her just yet.

If anything like her father, then the girl would be smart enough to know that it was pointless to run. Ares would track her down in no time.

With no sign of his daughter yet, if she had decided to go, he watched proudly as his son made his way to the beach dressed casually smart. There was no dress code, but it was nice of them to consider looking their best for Mount Olympus. Was it all for nothing? well, considering the means of travel they needed to take to get to their destination... maybe.

Behind Ares stood a heard of horses, and Cayden froze once he was able to see the wings attached to their backs. "You have got to be kiddin' me, right? for fu--" he stopped himself from continuing with that sentence. "Seriously, dad!? flying horses? I haven't even sat on one, let alone ride it."

"You'll be fine. Hold on, but just... don't pull on their mane too much. They have a tendency to throw people off when they do that." The look on Cayden's face made Ares smirk.

Cayden caught it. "Liar." he laughed before they got into a playful wrestle.

---

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xxxxxxx T R I N I T Y xx W A L L A C E

xxxx Daughter of Ares | Outfit | #461f4b

She continued her little stroll but found Theo had stopped altogether, pulling her to a halt as well.

"It really all depends on the situation. I mean I've done the whole meaningless hook ups thing, and it isn't worth all that much. There's not an ex I even care to see ever again... a model might be a different story," Trinity quirked up a brow. "Ya know, I'd let you come over before my favorite model. No way I'd risk pissing you off for a cheap hook up." That made one smart man in camp. And she thought it was a good thing, a compliment?

“Good boy,” she heard herself say before she could stop it. “That doesn’t really answer my question though,” she said then cleared her throat to rephrase. No one would play her game properly. “Okay, fine, a siren or succubus takes form of whoever you most desire. Your team needs you but you're approached alone by the seductress. How do you think you'd go? I know in the battlefield you kick ass and I know you...like the ladies so how does the big bad wolf respond to temptation?” Trinity supposed it all really did depend on the exact situation. However, Trinity wanted Theo to throw himself in the little dilemma. What if they were on a team and some shapeshifter or charm was Theo's kryptonite.

She gasped as an idea sprang to mind. “Would you be able to smell them? Cause I know - I think I read somewhere we all have pheromones and you're also attracted to the person's pheromones subconsciously? So you might be able to pick up on the different scent, right?” She always got avid talking attacks and counter-attacks. It was a good direction to put her energy and anger.

Arriving on the beach.... Trinity was at a loss. Completely dumbstruck. That blonde played with Wes's collar in the company of Liv. "I have no idea what you're talking about" my ass. God, he was lucky she didn't march over there and deck him and his new toy. Then she hooked her arm around Andy like they were BFFL's - um no, Trinity and Andy were. To top it off, some guy was wrestling with her dad. What the fuck is going on with the world!? Was she in a coma or something and everything changed?

She shifted in front of Theo with her back to him and put the back of her hand on his chest so he didn't trample her. Theo was the only non-tainted one so far but she had the worse feeling he was next. Him, Eve wasn't having. Oh yeah, Trinity caught her name in her little exchange with Pete but she was such a pest! Trinity watched her like a predator watching prey and waited and ached for the next excuse to lunge on her. Trinity's hand on Theo's chest had turned into a tight fist clutching his shirt. If she came over here, Theo better have been lightning fast to contain Trinity. “Theo, can you try make sure I don't do something stupid,” she said quietly. She looked over her shoulder to check his reaction then released his top, which she had unfairly projected her frustration on.

An impatient whiny drew her attention to the horses behind Ares, likely being their transport. “I’d rather ride you than a horse,” Trinity grumbled to Theo, only seconds later realising how it might have sounded. “No, not like the I'm on top, you're on bottom way or moving against you, but the wolf - I want to ride the wolf.” SHUT UP, shut up! Trinity sighed deeply, rubbing her head. She laughed weakly. “Sorry.”

When she could look him in the eyes again she smiled slightly. “You do owe me a wolf transformation though.”

The smile faded as quickly as it came. She did have one more pressing thing to bring up and it was very much handing power to Theo, thus made her uneasy. “Can I...could I...maybe crash at your cabin tonight?” Trinity pulled a face. She was always one to face her problems, not run or hide or ignore them and it made her appear weak. She hated that, furrowing her brows looking down at the sand. Trinity only wanted a night's escape to chill. In the event of Theo's rejection though, she could just bar her door, crank some music up she supposed.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Everything went downhill pretty quickly. When Wesley appeared, it was obvious he was not happy nor interested in their company. He allowed the new girl in, told them he was fine, and simply closed the door sharply in their faces. Heath knew Wes lied about being fine, but that didn't upset him in the lease. He tended to be terse and rude when he was in a bad mood. Granted that rarely happened, but it did at times. Ethan was no lie detector like Heath, but even he figured Wesley didn't mean to be cross.

It was a different thing for Iliana though. She rarely was the subject to negative emotions directly, but when it did, it always shocked her. Did she do something wrong? She knew Wesley was originally upset about something else, but did her appearance only angered him more? The idea that she might have hurt him did not sit well with her. She always did her best to stay on people's good sides. His angry emotions made her depressed and very dejected. She should probably not interact with him again. She also felt like crying again.

Ethan could feel Iliana's chaotic emotions and instantly placed an arm around her shoulders, all the while trying to calm her down with his serenity inducement.


"Hey hun, it's okay, Wesley wasn't angry at you, he was just in a bad mood. I am sure he didn't mean to react that way."

"Ethan is right Lia, why not we return to the beach now okay?" Heath suggested.

Iliana looked at the two and nodded. She had calmed down a bit, but her thoughts were still on Wesley. They eventually led to her thinking about the trial itself. Was she really capable of being unbiased during it? She depended on both Ethan and Heath to keep her emotions intact, and even then it didn't work half of the time and already she had a meltdown. If things got emotionally charged during this trial, she didn't trust herself to keep control of her powers.

When they made it back to the beach, the noticed the horses, along with Ares wrestling with someone who was blonde. They boys decided to ignore that. They saw more people showed up. Heath found himself looking at the group with the short hair blonde girl. He didn't like her behavior earlier, so he decided to keep an extra eye on her. He looked away and paid attention to his mother. Iliana directly approached Athena and wrote something in her notepad before showing it to her. Athena herself had been watching Hades's son and Hecate's daughter and was eying the blonde girl between them. Nothing good could come from that. Her attention centered on Iliana when the young demigod showed her what she wrote.

"Where is Zeus? I need to ask him something."

Athena smiled and replied, "He's still near the main hall dear, but should be here soon."

Iliana nodded and through her notepad, told Ethan and Heath, told them she'd be right back. Heath was surprised Iliana wanted to go off on her own.

"The trial will be happening soon sis. Do you want me to come with you?"

It was obvious he didn't like Iliana going off on her own. Athena intervened quickly.

"Don't worry about her Heath. Zeus knows Iliana. You go on and go Iliana, you still have time."

Iliana nodded and walked off. It didn't take her long to reach the main hall and indeed, she saw Zeus heading from it. She also saw Alex and Duke nearby along with Ajax and a redhead. She wanted to see how Zeus's children were, but decided to 'talk' with Zeus first. The god did know what happened to Iliana. After all, Demeter got his permission to allow Iliana to stay in Olympus the 2 times she did briefly stayed there. He also helped Demeter keep her sanity when Iliana was missing. When Iliana reached the ruler of the gods, she started writing in her notepad. She bowed to Zeus before showing him what she wrote.

"Lord Zeus, I am sorry, but I don't if it's a good idea for me to attend the trial. My emotions have been all over the place and if things get intense during the trial, I don't think I'll be able to control my powers. It was me that caused the intense rain not too long ago and I am scared I'll cause a tempest to appear. Does momma have to attend the trial? I was wondering if it was okay to stay in her area and just wait for the trial to end. I am sorry for my cowardly behavior, I just couldn't stand it if I hurt anyone because of my weaknesses."

She really was terrified of that.

"I know, and I'm sorry. You're right. I'll go and get it now and give it to him. After everything he's been through, he deserves something good to come out of all this mess that I've caused." Duke smiled warmly. No doubt it would benefit Wesley but it would benefit her conscience too.

"That's if I even make it out of there," she said in regards to her being the life of the party again. Duke felt for Alex but he didn't care for that sort of mentality especially when she was already rolling over and showing her belly opposed to trying. She'd let everyone else fight for her cause but not herself and it wasn't fair.

"Alex," he said before she exited the hall. "Try." Otherwise she wasn't worth fighting for.

Duke headed out to the beach giving Zeus and Iliana a nod in acknowledgement as he passed. Arriving at the beach, a problem became evident. There were more demigods than horses available. Did that mean some were going via a portal? Hopefully. "So I can't help but notice there's around 20 demigods going and 12 horses." He didn't want to make it sound like an issue in case there was a quick solution like having some demigods travelling with the gods, or more horses arriving but he did state it aloud for the Gods present to address.

No new horses flew in which meant most of them were stuck finding a pair. Duke headed straight to a horse and mounted it. He didn't know if Alex would want to ride with him or Ajax or take Pegasus instead. He didn't see himself refusing any company, as long as they were light otherwise they might have crushed the majestic creature. Duke couldn't say he was a frequent rider or flyer but he was a mighty fast learner so either way he was quite secure.

Once they were all settled in, the herd took off and accelerated into the sky. At least the creatures knew where to go automatically so it saved Duke from having to steer or struggle for control. Still, he did have some control issues; it was like being on a rollercoaster, the speed, the direction, it was out of control and it was hard for him to surrender it, even to such Godly creatures.

The structure of Olympus killed the wind as the herd lowered onto the grounds of Olympus with a chorus of clapping hooves. When stationary, Duke jumped off and checked everyone had made it in one piece. Actually he had a rather bizarre sensation, from being airborne and travelling faster than he probably even knew to having his feet on the ground again. It made him a bit lightheaded.

---

Keith put in some earphones to avoid being confronted. He walked back and forth with his head down which always risked a safety hazard but he didn't have the energy or mood to lock eyes with anyone. He kicked some sand up and continued his mindless dawdling. He did a half-hearted cha-cha step to the music then resumed his casual walk up and down. In doing that, he bumped into a girl - nothing hard or disastrous but he had walked into her who was likely minding her own innocent business. Immediately, he plucked out his earphones and reached out to the brunette's arm apologetically, while his other arm automatically protected his stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's like I can't even see in these things sometimes." He pulled his glasses off and gave them a quick wipe with his sleeve before replacing them on the bridge of his nose.

He expected to look at her and identify her as someone malicious or nice from last year but there was no bell. Maybe she was another new demigod that fitted in better than he could in his years of attending camp. "Are you going to the trial too?" Keith mentally facepalmed. Why else be on the beach with a pack of demigods gathering to go to Olympus? If he could ask a stupider question, that'd be impressive.

"Umm...coffee?" He conjured one without thinking too hard and offered it to the girl. He frowned at the hot content in the plastic cup that began to heat his hand. "It probably would have been smarter if I got the jacket with it," he confessed in a whisper. "And your order first." He hissed as the burning sensation finally won and he dropped the cup, shaking out his hand. "I've never been much of a barista, there's got to be like 1000 different forms and flavor of coffee."

The more he opened his mouth to this girl, the more foolish he felt so he looked for another subject change. Maybe he should introduce her to others to take some social pressure off him. He spotted the red hair and slim figure of no one other than "Evelyn," he mumbled. "Evelyn!" he said her name twice, one as an idea, one officially calling her. As he approached, he saw her figure was not a joke in that outfit and he let his eyes stray head to toe. She was like one of those Robert Palmer girls in his music clips. Keith snapped out of it and smiled. "Evelyn, this is..." somebody's who's name he didn't catch or bother to ask for. Keith looked at the brunette guiltily. "Somebody I have the urge to call Summer so I'm glad I didn't." Keith wasn't the kind to make names for people as he found it was kind of rude but she did radiate brightness and just look at how she dressed. Very Summer-y. Keith meant it with absolutely no disrespect besides it was a pretty name. He smiled at her.

"I'm Keith." He grinned. Can a meteor come now?

Rather than the meteor, there was the shameless admittance that there weren’t enough horses for them all to ride separately. Well that was awkward but strangely comforting as he didn't trust himself to stay balanced on a horse that shot into the sky.

He had asked too much of Evelyn already and he didn't want to become reliant on her so nervously he turned to the other girl. "Do you mind if we...?" he threw a finger back and forth between them. "We can yell our favorite hot beverages to each other." Given the transport method it was the only acceptable time to yell...it was going to be a windy and insane ride. But rejection was something he was as equally willing to accept, actually he was expecting it.

---

Mason smiled seeing Andy in a cute little dress. "Well it is official, Mr. Hughson. You clean up far better than myself." Apparently Andy had similar thoughts to him, then helped adjust his tie making him smirk.

"Thank you," was all he replied with a smile.

"Oh, by the way," Andy moved beside him and showed the contents in her little bag. "Just in case."

Mason's eyes widened. "What the hell, And- " before he could finish, Evangeline had wormed her way between them.

Mason rolled his eyes and stepped away so as not to be against Evangeline. He was a man that liked his space even if it was a pretty blonde brushing up against him. A pretty blonde that could make people think, say and do crazy shit. “Wow, you really are a girl of many talents.” Mason reached for Andy's waist to pull her to him, but Evangeline had got her arm around Andy's first. Crap. “And you’re just as beautiful as I thought you’d be!”

"We're talking here," Mason told Evangeline. But of course she knew that and it didn't deter her, meanwhile Andy would probably think he was being his anti-social rude self. Especially to someone who just wanted to be friendly and conveyed such bubbly energetic vibes.

“Sorry, sorry. I'm Evangeline. Mason has just told me soooo much about you, that I feel like we’re already friends,” she carried on without missing a beat and Mason showed his displeasure. For a girl, that was a dick move. It was all coming back to bite him sooner than he expected and it showed in her smile. “Right babe?” Evangeline winked and placed a hand on his chest. Babe? And why did he get an urge to throw her a wink back.

Mason shifted out of reach slightly and crossed his arms over his chest, looking off. "Sure, princess." It was true he had spoken about Andy and her relationship, so he felt no need to deny that. And even if Evangeline wanted to let a few of his quotes slip, Andy knew how Mason felt about her and Ajax so it wasn't like it was new information, just unpleasant. But he definitely didn't want Andy to get the impression he had overshared about her.

He kept shifting his weight from foot to foot until he let his gaze get lost in the blue sea. Mason wanted to escape the situation, it was making him uncomfortable but he couldn't leave Andy with her. “And doesn’t he just look hot in the suit? You agree don’t you? Say it.” Mason whipped his head back to Evangeline and Andy. A slither of him wanted to know if Andy would actually say it, the other, protect her from those ugly situations.

Quickly pulling himself together, Mason shook his head. "Andy, you don't have to," he said softly. More suggesting her not to, particularly if it was the false influence of the daughter of Hera. He turned his blue eyes onto the blonde next. "I appreciate you thinking I'm hot but you don't have to get all the girls to confess it," he tried to downplay the situation. "Don't want you getting too jealous now." Since they were a couple or something of the sort.

Mason tried to smirk and pry the girls apart carefully. Better him than have Evangeline hang off Andy any longer. Somebody mentioned a new problem and that was the shortage of horses. Mason counted a few short himself. "So do you mind if I hitch a ride with Andy or would you rather go with me?" He glanced to the daughter of Hecate. "If that's alright with you?" Maybe she didn't even want to go with him and would rather go with Ajax or alone. One thing he couldn't do was let the girls ride together though.

Everything about the situation made him uncomfortable. He would rather jump on a horse alone, but it was the lesser evil to have one of the girls with him.

“I understand your love and loyalty for your sister, but how does she know it was cursed and the source? The beauty of curses is that the object is personified to punish and torment, and the origin, a ghost. If you want my help, I need the truth. Is there a chance, a minute chance, that Alex would do any of it of her own accord?”

She sounded like she was placing the blame on Alex, and accusing him of being a liar. He didn't look at all impressed. Though to be fair, Evelyn didn't know them well enough. Still, it was wrong to think that what Alex did, was how she was naturally. "No. I know her, and this isn't like her at all. She was kind, playful, caring. She said she suffered memory loss and everything that happened that night with our mother, and with Jennova, came back in small fragments of flashbacks."

"If you're so sure this is cursed by who you say, use it as evidence."

"I intend to." He took the item back and stuffed it into his pocket.

“The Gods should be able to identify one of their own, I can only confirm it is cursed.”

"And is it cursed?" he wanted to ask, but she had nodded and left the hall. He could have gone after her, but that would just be wasting time. She was right, though, the Gods would be his better option with this.

At least he had something... that was better than nothing.

Ajax left the hall, ignoring his father with Iliana as he headed back to his cabin to get ready. It didn't take him long to pick out an outfit that he deemed worthy for the day. Casual, but smart still. Without wasting any more time, he made sure he got the so-called cursed item from his other jacket pocket and placed it into the one he now had on, and quickly made his way down to the beach. There were so many there already, and by the looks of things, they were going to be making their way by horse.

Seeing as there weren't that many for all the campers, Ajax chose to fly beside them with Ares and Athena until they reached the great kingdom in the sky. It was much bigger than he had imagined.

Perfectly sculptured statues representing each God lined up alongside each other as they headed down the golden path between them. Their eyes seemed to follow the Son of Zeus, making them seem much more life-like. Of course, it was just trickery of the mind.


The path leads them to the large acropolis hall with the arena beneath their feet.

At the front of the hall were empty seats where the gods would normally sit, and a golden throne reserved for his father only. Magic oozed from it in the form of small golden specks that floated slowly away from the throne, before vanishing like a fires ember.


They were to wait until the gods could join them, to give them directions to where they were needed.

As the others stood in that very hall, Ajax wandered over to the balcony that over-looked the arena beneath them. Placing his hands down on the stone wall before him, he looked down. There was a strange pool of water in the center of that room, which glowed an ominous cyan color. If he wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn that whispers were coming from inside of that thing.

He frowned as he stared at it for a few seconds, then turned his attention to the large wall fountain that gathered into a large marble shaped bowl. Imagine this in marble

About to head to the beach, he stopped in his track. A girl had approached him. "Hello, Iliana." he said, knowing straight away who she was and whos daughter she was. She did not reply to him, but Instead, he patiently watched her writing away in a little notepad which he couldn't help but smile about. Adorable little thing, he thought.


She then turned her pad to him, and he took it from her gently to read it.

"Lord Zeus, I am sorry, but I don't if it's a good idea for me to attend the trial. My emotions have been all over the place and if things get intense during the trial, I don't think I'll be able to control my powers. It was me that caused the intense rain not too long ago and I am scared I'll cause a tempest to appear. Does momma have to attend the trial? I was wondering if it was okay to stay in her area and just wait for the trial to end. I am sorry for my cowardly behavior, I just couldn't stand it if I hurt anyone because of my weaknesses."

"Don't worry," he began to tell her. "There is no chance of your powers getting out of control since there are Gods who can influence your moods to keep you calm, and happy. But, if it is your absolute wish to remain here? then I will not stop you. I will also grant full access to spending time with your mother." Demeter wasn't really needed, so it was a good chance for her to spend it with her daughter. "Remember, though... Gods cannot remain in the mundane world for too long, so after today, she will need to return back to Mount Olympus. Do you understand?"

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"Alex," she paused in the doorway, turning back around to face him. "Try." he told her before he exited the hall.

"Yep," she nodded as she remained stood there for a few seconds whilst staring across the empty room before she left it.

Once outside, her boots sunk into the wet earth, causing Alex to look down at the muddy earth. She hadn't caused the weather to change, so she wasn't sure who else did, or could.

It looked like Ajax had already been and gone since he had left his previous clothes hanging over the washing hamper that sat in the laundry room. She didn't blame him if he was avoiding her, but then again, why would he? maybe her little act of lost control had frightened him since he had never seen her in that way, and Alex had never been in such a state. Truth be told... she also scared herself.

Duke's words had buried themselves deeply. What was the point of anyone fighting for her if she was willing to lay down before all of them, and allow the fate that seemed to be inevitable? - Before all of this, she was strong-minded, the soul of the party, a wild child that others had a hard time controlling when it came to her feisty, bouncy, outgoing nature.

Whoever wanted her dead, other than Mason... they were about to win if Alex didn't mentally slap herself.

"I'm not going down without a fight." she told herself, then quickly got dressed into something casual, and grabbed a black bag that she managed to place Wes's mechanical arm into. It was a perfect size, and luckily, she was around people who wouldn't find it odd or strange to carry a limb inside of their handbag.

She knew she wouldn't be able to grab him before mount Olympus, but she'd have a good moment to get his attention once they had arrived there. Hopefully.

Alex finally made her way down to the beach. Everyone was pairing up on the horses they had waiting patiently, and when she noticed her opportunity to get close to Duke who sat on one of them alone, she couldn't help but smirk. "I hope you don't mind me sharing with you." she climbed up and sat right behind him, lacing her arms around his muscular waist with a second smile of the day.

Once everyone had settled with their paring, and with her brother choosing to fly with Ares and Athena, Alex admired the views as the beautiful beast beat it's large wings as it followed the others high above the clouds.

It was absolutely beautiful. If she had been herself, this would have been the perfect moment to unhook her arms from around Duke. She would have held her arms out to the sides with her head tilted back, shouting out to the heavens, expressing how amazing it made her feel.

Freedom, that is what she longed for as the mild air-swept back her long dark locks.

At Mount Olympus

It wasn't too long of a journey from Athens, and after the horse's hooves touched the ground, Alex hopped down and glanced around at the others. Her brother wandered off to the other side of the room, looking down beneath the Acropolis. She stood with him and slipped her hand gently into his, causing her big brother to swallow. He was doing his best to not allow himself to break down again as she squeezed her hand to comfort her. "It'll be okay." he whispered without looking at her.

"I know." she whispered back with nothing other than a lie. She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes for a second. She didn't know, and neither did he, or the others.

She let go of his hand before she headed back to the group, leaving her brother in peace with his own thoughts for now.

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---

Just as she was about to rejoin Duke, something from the corner of her eye had caught her attention. Black smoke lingered in the dark corner of the hall as it called out to her quietly for only her to hear.

She followed it until it began to twist and form another shape. With her eyes latched onto it, it soon became clear who had coaxed her away from the others. His boney fingers cupped her chin, tilting her face up to him. The air in the room had turned cold as Death himself lingered closely in front of her as he leaned in, his dead eyes latching almost onto what soul she had left.

She narrowed her eyes at his words. "How easy and satisfying it would be to kill you. How easy it would be to suck what little life you have left within you." he smirked.

"Then why don't you do it? something stopping you?" she asked "That's right," she added as soon as she saw his smirk fade away as he drew back from her. "Because you know, that if you kill me now the gods will finally have the proof they need to get rid of you for good. Threaten me all you want to. Your words have no purpose here. A god that harms those weaker than him, A god that uses his own children to do his dirty work for him, is nothing more than a coward." she spat.

"We shall see." and with that, Hades left in the same way he came.

She could breathe again, and quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes as she rejoined the group.

Cayden was at least enjoying himself as he stood by the horse he had taken by himself. He was stroking it while calling it he, when in fact, it was a she. "Good, boy." he offended the beast. "Thank you for not throwing me--ahhh!!!" Alex quickly turned her attention to where Cayden was. The beast had kicked him with its hind legs, sending the son of Ares into one of the stone pillars. "What the hell?" he stood up, dusting himself off. It didn't hurt much, but the beast still packed a good kick.

Alex shook her head and looked to Wes as she held the bag over her shoulder. "Wes..." she called out to him. "Can I... have a word with you for a moment, please?"

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