Heath Taylor's Story

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the entrance of the camp stood three figures. They knew they were late but it couldn't be helped due to the fact that there had been weather issues back in Scotland and one delay at their layover. Ethan, who was use to traveling, took it all in stride. His two companions, Heath and his adopted sister, Iliana, were not thrilled with being late, only for different reasons. Heath preferred it when things ran on time, while Iliana hated staying cooped up in an airport longer then necessary because of the crowds. She might not talk now, but her facial expressions were easy to read at times.

"Well we finally made it, safe and sound!"

Ethan had been looking forward to meeting other demigods and was actually hoping to see ancient Greek architecture at this camp, or something like this.

"I just hope we don't get into any trouble for being a day late," commented Heath, his thick Scottish accent evident.

"No worries, bro. Our mothers did assure us they would let the staff know we would be late."

That earned a small smile from Heath and he nodded in agreement. Still he hoped this lateness wouldn't reflect badly on them, even though things were completely out of their hands. Looking at the place that was to be both sanctuary and training ground, he couldn't help but be curious about the others. Of course he did his research on the gods involved. He never wanted to enter a new situation completely blind. Now he didn't cross personal boundaries when it came to private information, all Heath did was get basic info, which his mother provided. He, along with Ethan and Iliana learned they had half siblings here also. Now whether or not Heath would spend time with his half-sister would be another question because right now it didn't matter much. Iliana was his main concern. Looking at her right now, he hoped and prayed this new place would help her find her voice.

At the moment, Iliana had one hand through Heath's arm and she was gripping him pretty tightly. It was evident by that gesture alone that she was nervous. However her inner thoughts were scrambling and she didn't know what to expect here. She knew she still needed help training and especially needed help coming out of her shell. But she was terrified of getting hurt here too, emotionally at least or worse, she'd hurt someone else. Her mother's last words to her before coming here still rang in her ear.

"You'll do fine sweetie. Just take your time and stick with Ethan and Heath. And remember to breath when you feel yourself panicking. You've made tremendous strides already and I am very proud of you."

~I won't let her down.~ Iliana thought to herself.

Soon a camp staff member greeted them and showed them to their cabins. By special request, all three got to share a cabin with three rooms. Both boys though had a feeling though that Iliana would still probably sleep in Heath's room initially or whenever she had a nightmare. It had been a long standing habit for Iliana to do this when she first lived with Heath and his father because she felt comfortable with him. She had been fine sleeping on her own after a time, but then after her abduction she started sleeping in Heath's room again when she moved in with Heath and Ethan. It was another reason why she moved in with him from her adopted father's house. The poor girl was too scared to sleep at night, in fear she would be abducted again like she was at college. Her adopted father tried to help, but unfortunately him being a human didn't help. Iliana was ashamed of her behavior too, but her mind and heart were in two different spots. She could feel the love and sincerity of the man, but her mind wouldn't let her think straight.

After unpacking, the three were allowed to explore the premises since training had just finished up.

"Wonderful! Darn shame we missed some training, but at least it'll give us a chance to explore. Is that okay with you Lia?" Ethan asked Iliana, referring to her by her nickname.

Iliana's lips curled up a bit and she nodded. She could already feel herself connecting with the land and the eagerness to explore nature override her concerns with meeting the other demigods. Still she carried her notepad and pen just in case, but she intended to stick with Heath as much as possible. Heath didn't mind either. After what happened with Iliana, he didn't want to let her out of his sight. Ethan hoped this wouldn't always be the case where Iliana was too dependent on Heath, but decided not to bring it up.

So locking up the cabin, the three headed out to see what this camp had to offer.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ethan easily took the lead while he and his companions explored the camp. Ethan did most of the talking with Heath talking a bit and Iliana remaining silent, although her eyes looked everywhere.

"I wonder what the other demigods are like?" Ethan wondered.

"We'll find out when we meet them," Heath replied.

"I am surprised we haven't ran into any yet though. Didn't that one guy said they just finished training? I thought we would at least see one of them around the cabins."

There was another reason why Ethan was eager to meet the other demigods. Unlike Heath and Iliana, he didn't grow up with anyone remotely like him and as much as he loved his father, his father didn't have to worry about the things Ethan had to worry about. However he knew better that not everything was going to be hunky-dory. Just like on a construction site when you threw different personalities into a concentrated area, emotions were bound to fly. Add young folk with magical abilities, and things could really get intense. Still he'd be lying if he wasn't excited. He did get a demo from his mother on what happened last year and while he was not looking forward to the fighting part of his training, he did not want to be a hindrance either. He already knew that out of the three of them, his skills were more of supportive type. Heath's powers were more akin to strategy and defense. Ethan knew his friend though wanted to improve in the offensive strategy though. Ironically, the one who had the most offensive skills was Iliana due to her control over wind, rain, and earth, not to mention her potential hazardous skill of induce hunger. In her current mental and emotional state though, Ethan couldn't see Lia being out there in the fray. However he knew she was just as protective of her brother, so it wouldn't surprise him if she did find the courage to help Heath.

It did not bother Heath that they had yet to meet any of their fellow campers. The grounds were massive, so who knew where they were. At the moment he was taking in everything and committing it to memory.

"Don't worry Ethan, I am sure we'll run into a few sooner or later. No need to rush things."

Iliana was definitely in no rush. She was enjoying exploring the area and was tempted to explore every single inch of the camp, but doubted she would. For one thing, she wasn't much of a climber. It was still something she wanted to try though. It could come in handy. She loved nature in general and was considered a 'tree hugger'. She did wonder if Heath would allow her to learn how to climb though. When they first learned that they had to train to be fighters, she remembered how upset Heath was. Oh he never voiced this concerned since it was their mothers who told them this, but his inner feelings were ringing loud and clear. Plus, since he knew he could never hide his true feelings from Iliana, he did admit he was scared of her getting hurt again. Well he wasn't the only one. Iliana certainly didn't want to fight, but she didn't want to feel helpless again either. And even though she'd yet to meet the other demigods, the idea of anything happening to them did not sit well with her.

Speaking of the other demigods, while Iliana could not see any, she could pick up a little emotional turbulence coming from some buildings nearby. The structures were made out of wood and almost reminded Iliana of a barn. And they were heading right for them.

~What is going on here?~ she wondered to herself.

As much as she wanted to stop, she didn't want to be a coward either, at least not in front of Ethan and Heath. Ethan spotted the structures too and was excited.

"Wow, would you look at that wooden structure, it's amazing! I wonder what's inside? I don't see any 'Do not Enter' signs, so I think it should be okay. What do you two think?"

"It looks like we can go in. Is that okay with you Lia?" Heath asked Iliana as he turned to her.

Iliana mere nodded and with that the tree head inside to see multiple stables.

"Hey these are stables right? I've never actually seen something like this. Have you two?"

The others just shake their head and it is at the moment they see someone riding an animal from other doorway. All three immediately guessed the animal was Pegasus, the famous winged horse. When Iliana looked at the rider, she knew she found the source, or at least one of the sources, to that emotional turbulence. Instinctively, she drew closer to Heath, nearly hiding behind him. Heath placed his free hand on top of Iliana's and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I am here," he whispered softly.

Ethan saw Iliana's withdrawal too and started using his serenity on her a bit so she wouldn't bolt. He also decided to step forward and greet the new person. Looking the dark haired young woman over, he figured this was one of the demigods here. Also, he could tell that something was up with this person probably wasn't in the mood to talk so he would keep this introduction brief.

"Hello there, my name is Ethan Knox and my companions and I are new arrivals to this camp. I was wondering if the stables was open to all campers here. If not we'll leave an get out of your hair." he says with a jovial and polite tone.

x

x


andromeda bolton
hecatex|xoutfitx|x#990856

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


sylas astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#064C4B

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


wesley preston
aphroditex|xoutfitx|x#667C0C

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

ＡＪＡＸ ＶＡＬＩＳ
ＳＯＮ ＯＦ ＺＥＵＳ
Hex: Green |

Duke approached and put a hand on Ajax's shoulder, his smile stiff. "She'll always come back." As always, Duke was right. His Wild-Child of a younger sister always found her way back. Even if she was royally pissed at him for about a week, tops. Just like with Alex, Duke and Ajax had been the best of friends for absolute years. Always looking up to him, always offering decent advice.

Duke gently pulled on Ajax's shoulder to steer him away. "How do you travel these days?" Duke threw his head back towards the stables, which Ajax took one last glance at. "Horseback?" He smiled.

"Flying carpet is more my style." he smiles.

"Come on, Aj, if you have any energy to spare we'll train." Duke pats his brother's back, and Ajax let out a sigh as he rubs at his imaginary beard. "Alright, but you asked for it" he chuckles. Half of him knew Duke wouldn't take no for an answer anyway, and the other half of him could do with the distraction and release.

He leads the way down to the training grounds that had always looked like a large gladiator arena, and playfully smacks Duke in the shoulder before he gets into a boxing stance, both fists up near his face with light footwork in the sand beneath their feet. "Ready." he smirks and uses one hand to taunt his brother towards him.

---

---

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It didn't take long for the dark hair young woman to introduce herself as Alex. Ethan figured it was probably short for something like Alexandra or Alexandria. It was also very apparent that she was distracted just by her mannerisms alone. Hearing that the stables were open to them, Ethan was about to thank Alex when another voice rang out.

"Looks like the Counselors aren't giving proper orientations."

The trio quickly turn to see another person at the stable entrance. This one had brown hair and was tall like Heath. Ethan quickly replied to his comment.

"Oh, we just arrived here so if there was any orientation we missed it."

The young women named Alex started walking towards the new guy and asked if they met yet. Looks like not all of the campers met yet. That sounded strange to Ethan since they just trained. It made him curious on what kind of training they did if these two hadn't properly met yet. Maybe they just didn't have the time to socialize regularly.

Heath was silent through the interactions because something was definitely wrong. Iliana had begun to shake and Heath knew this was a sign that she was loosing control of herself. Ethan felt it also and went over to Iliana casually and place a hand on her shoulder to make his serenity inducement more effective. Alex looked like a cage animal ready to strike, and Ethan figured it would be best to get himself and his friends moving. Ethan wanted to help Alex, but trying all he could not to get Iliana to unleash her powers.

"Well, we'll just get explore the stable a bit more. Thanks and nice meeting you Alex."

Iliana was hanging by a thread emotionally. Alex's anger was having a profound effect on her and it was only because of Ethan's soothing energy that kept her from exploding. Anyone looking at Iliana would have seen someone who had gone deathly pale, but her amber eyes had gone dark, a sure sign she was about to explode herself. When Ethan placed his hand on her shoulder, she felt his energy instantly and felt herself regaining her breath and she sighed. She knew this was only a temporary fix and knew Ethan wouldn't be able to keep this up for a long length of time. Still it gave her the chance to look at Alex and wonder what had caused her to feel such anger. Even though Iliana could pick up emotions quickly, she would never know initially who the emotions were aimed at. Themselves or someone else? She was relieved when Ethan and Heath started to move them away from Alex and the other person.

Heath was just as relieved. When they were a ways from the duo, he turned to Iliana and asked, "What was wrong, Lia?"

Iliana looked at Heath, and taking her notebook, she wrote down her answer and showed it to both Ethan and Heath.

~Alex has so much anger within her. It's scary.~

Both young men signed and nodded.

"Do you still want to explore the stables or leave?" Heath asked her.

This made Iliana hesitate. All of her thoughts and feelings were screaming for her to leave, but her instincts were giving her pause. Trying to figure out what they were trying to tell her, she allowed her eyes to roam before settling on the person who Alex was addressing. Something about him did not feel right. Even though Alex's anger was the dominant emotion she was feeling at the moment, she couldn't help but feel that something was off about the brown hair young man. And that made her more scared then Alex's hidden fury.

~What is wrong with me?~ she thought.

Heath and Ethan saw Iliana look at the new man too. Heath could tell that his adopted sister was having a hard time making up her mind because she started gnawing on her lower lip. So naturally, he took the lead and started leading them towards another exit.

---

P E T ExxxxD R A K O S
Hera || #1e1e1e

xxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Pete didn’t know where Eve had gotten to and he didn’t care. They’d arrived at Camp Athens earlier in the morning, and he had separated off almost immediately as he had no doubt that she’d be off skulking around, getting her bearings. Something he had no wish to do. Pete wanted to spend his time relaxing this summer, on his own and under the radar of everyone else.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though fate didn’t want the same things for him. He had thought the stables would be the perfect place to disappear, but apparently there was some sort of beacon attracting people there. He’d been tucked around the back of one of the stables, with his crumpled paperback propped on one knee. He was halfway through Carrie, almost up to the prom scene, when the interruptions to his solitude arrived.

"I was wondering if the stables were open to all campers here. If not we'll leave and get out of your hair."

Luckily, Pete was out of the eye sight, and he was able to fold himself into the shadows of the stall. Unseen unless someone looked hard enough. He hoped they’d move one soon, or else he would. Disappearing and slipping through the shadows without being noticed. However it was a cocky chuckle that caught his attention.

"Looks like the Counselors aren't giving proper orientations." At the end of the stables, a brunette boy with a confident lean against the door, something about him seemed very familiar but Pete couldn’t put his finger on it. So he closed his copy of Carrie and slipped it into his back pocket, staying in the shadows to see what happened next.

Then the brunette girl approached him. She was easy to read, clenching her fists, pulling on her sleeves, she was too easy to read. Clearly, she’d never learnt the art of subterfuge. The girl was a complete open book, almost screaming her angry emotions out loud for everyone to hear. Well, everyone who had a knack for reading body language. "Have we met?"

Well, she didn’t lack for confidence. That was points in her favour, she just needed a little push. Cracking the knuckles on his right hand, Pete got to his feet and wandered out from the shadows, deciding to take action. He was already getting tired of the conversation.

"Do you still want to explore the stables or leave?" The blonde boy said the nervous girl next him.

As if that was even a question, the skittish girl looked petrified as she was making a meal out of her bottom lip. He wandered past the trio on his way, sparing the girl the briefest glance from under his dark hair. “Just run.” He said to the girl, using his magic to implant the action into her head. Saying the words out loud would aid the magic, but he didn’t put much effort into it, he was just pushing her in a direction she assumed she already wanted to go.

Next up was the brunette girl. He wandered up close to her, gently touching her right shoulder as the closer he was to her the better his magic would work. He wasn’t as good as this his sister, Eve, but with the anger he could already read in her, he was fairly certain this would do the trick. “Hit him.” He said the words quietly implanting the action into her mind, but he didn’t care if anyone else heard him directing her into violence. To him violence was justified if it meant being honest to your feelings.

---

x

x


andromeda bolton
hecatex|xoutfitx|x#990856

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


sloane astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#C7B29B

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


wesley preston
aphroditex|xoutfitx|x#667C0C

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


sylas astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#064C4B

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Iliana allowed Heath to lead her towards the exit when she noticed out of the corner of her eye someone approach them and casually walk past them. She heard him whisper words to her and she felt the compulsion behind them and in her fragile mental state, she had no will power to stop them from affecting her.

Like a bolt of lightning, she suddenly took off running at top speed and hardly registered Heath's shout as he called out her name. It was just her need to get away from Alex's anger that cause her to take off immediately, plus the power behind the words. She had sprinted right pass two other young men who had been dueling.

Iliana had no idea where she was going, only that she had to get away from the stables as quickly as possible. She didn't even realize that Heath nor Ethan had followed her, which had been due to what was currently happening with Alex.

Even though Iliana was a faster runner then Heath and Ethan, she didn't have the endurance they had so it wasn't long before she ran out of breath. As she tried catching her breath she saw she was in a forested area and saw someone in front of her, bent down. Normally Iliana would have been terrified of meeting a complete stranger, but before she could walk away, she had caught his calming emotions. Still she was too shy to do anything else. Luckily for her, she still had her pen and notebook.

~Now what do I do?~ She wondered to herself.

---

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ xHeath had instantly saw another person show up and start walking pass them. What happened next shocked Heath that it took him a few seconds to register it. One minute Iliana was right next to him and Ethan, the next second she took off like a gazelle.

"ILIANA!" He hollered, too stunned to do anything.

He would have took off after her, but Ethan grabbed his arm, restraining him.

"Heath! Keep calm and think, you know as well as I do that she's a faster runner then us. Let's not rush off with no direction okay? Remember we have tracking stone that Demeter gave us? Let's go get that from the cabins." Ethan replied.

Heath nodded, but his mind was still racing as to what caused Iliana to bolt in the first place. He always had to figure things out and find a logical explanation to things. He could tell that before his adopted sister took off she was starting to calm down, so what was that happened. It was then he recalled that someone had passed by them. He had looked young like the rest of them and so that meant he was a demigod. Did he have something to do with Iliana taking off? Turning, he looked at the person, who was now next to Alex and the other dark hair young man. It was at that moment he heard Alex to tell one of the guys to let go of her.

Things quickly went downhill from there as both Ethan and Heath felt Alex's power growing and they could hear thunder outside. Ethan groaned. What a way to find out who's daughter Alex was. Only a child of Zeus to affect the weather that way. Even with Iliana's abilities to control the wind, rain, and earth, she couldn't control thunder and lightning. Both young men started backing away. Ethan never wanted to use his serenity inducement so badly, but he couldn't because Alex's emotions were well beyond capabilities and he had just used a bunch on Iliana too.

Both Heath and Ethan turned when another person showed up and approached Alex calmly. Both guys let out a sigh of relief when the fella calmed down Alex and hugged her. Both heard him mention he was Alex's brother. He also turned his attention to the other two guys in the stable. Alex's brother was furious, and it appeared he believed those two were responsible for Alex's outburst. He commanded them to go to the main hall. Ethan moved to Heath's side and whispered in his ear.

"What do you think we should do now?"

Heath thought for a minute. He wanted to find his sister badly, but they couldn't just leave without drawing notice. Plus, Heath didn't want Zeus's son to think they had anything to do with what just happened. Better to address the situation.

Turning to Ethan, he replied, "Let me handle this."

Slowly coming into the view of the others, Heath bows in respect to Zeus's son.

"Forgive the intrusion, but my friend Ethan and I were just about to leave to go find my adopted sister, Iliana. She had taken off suddenly. Miss Alex, I do hope you feel better soon. Again, sorry for the interruption."

With that, both he and Ethan left the stables and started heading back to the cabins.

---

P E T ExxxxD R A K O S
Hera || #1e1e1e

xxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Pete saw it only for an instant, the moment moment between Sylas grabbing Alex and then letting her go with a smile. A hint of suspicion and a power unable to be hidden. Pete would have missed it, if he hadn’t spent his entire life watching Eve do the same thing with her countless victims. He looked to Alex.

Lightning climbed her arms, reminding Pete of the London Underground map, with all the tracks weaving in and about. Daughter of Zeus, of all the people at camp, she was the worst person to choose. Pete had assumed she was just someone who needed a push into anger, but this had far more to do with desperation.

“Shut up.” She clutched at her hair and her eyes clenched close, it made her look younger like a child desperate to block out mean taunts in the playground. Thunder roared through Pete's ears, so loud and hollow it felt as if it shook the earth. Then with a yell, her eyes, a searing white, snapped open. She was breathing heavy as if she’d just run a marathon and Pete felt her power, the electricity, fill up the entire stable. She was angry and out of control, but Pete was transfixed by her raw and honest display.

Of course, her meathead brother had to burst in a ruin the moment. He calmed her down with soothing words until she collapsed into the folds of his arms, a docile fawn again.

Pete didn’t understand, that wasn’t some minor temper tantrum. Whatever that was, it was clear that the pain Alex carried around demanded to be felt. She didn’t need coddling, or to hide those feelings, let her burn the entire stables to the ground if that’s what she needed to do. Her brother did her no favours, he strode in and clipped her wings mid-flight. “You two. Head to the main hall. Now. And don't even think about detouring, or not heading there, because I will find you." Ajax's voice was angry and thundered, a faint echo of the real thunder Alex had summoned, and Pete felt is complication-free summer slipping from his grasp.

Before responding he watched the two from earlier step up to Ajax. Just announcing they were leaving like the whole world needed to know, he watched them go and made a mental note that the one with Fabio hair appeared to be a massive wanker. Miss Alex.

Then it was his turn to respond. He could lie. Spin a tale of innocence, influence some thoughts and walk away from this without a blemish. That’s what Pete would have done in the past, and it’s what Eve would do. And it was probably what Sylas was going to do. One simple manipulation and he’d be back to a solitary, simple summer.

Instead, he caught a glance at Alex’s face, matted with tears and he felt a twinge of remorse. Enough to remind him that he was trying to be better. He stepped forward. “I didn’t mean for all that.” He said the words to Alex, before looking at her protector with wry smile. “Not that it’s worth much from the mouth of a Hera descendant, I suppose?”

With that Pete stepped back away towards the back of the stables and his dark corner. He looked at Ajax with all the contempt he felt. “I don’t take orders from you. But come find me if your feeling bored.” He took three more steps before he let the shadows envelop him and spit him out somewhere new.

He ended up somewhere near the training grounds, and nowhere near main hall.

---

---

E V ExxxxD R A K O S
Hera || #511872

x
xxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxxEve was lingering up against Mason’s door, wanting nothing more than to invade the wall of his cabin. She had an overwhelming curiosity to know what decorating tips she could pick up from a son of Hades. She didn’t get so much as a peek inside though, as he blocked her view then closed the door with a final click. She held back a pout and sigh.

“Do you know where you're supposed to go?" He asked with raised brows.

She shrugged and looked into the woodlands surrounding his, notably dark, cabin. Knowing if she told him a place he'd just point in the direction and wave her off, she forced a meek frown. “I was looking for my brother, I thought he came this way, but now I don’t know.”

When Mason exhaled a cloud of smoke and held out his pack of cigarettes to Eve, she’d knew she’d made a mistake going for an innocent and sweet demeanour, he clearly wasn't looking to play prince charming. Unfortunately, it was too late to change her game plan now. “You smoke?”

“Um, like sometimes?” She said sliding a cigarette out of his pack.

"Wherever you're supposed to be, it's not here.” Oh, how he didn’t know, the only place Eve wanted to be was the places that she shouldn’t be. With one last longing look at his dark cabin she followed behind Mason. “Come on, princess."

"Wander far from the trail, little thing?" He asked.

It didn’t take long to realise that Mason preferred a little more spice to his princess, so Eve decided to try bold. “I prefer not be called by the same name you use for your penis.” Though she backed up the comment by taking a drag from her cigarette and faking a hacking cough as if it were her first cigarette.

After only a millisecond of thinking about it, Eve decided to take a swing. So with another forced blush she twisted her fingers around each other as if she was nervous. “I was just lost in thought. I was wondering what the deal was between Ajax and that Hecate girl, maybe you know?”

She sneaked a glance up through her hair at Mason to gauge his reaction. She raised her hands in mock surrender and flashed her most innocent look. “I’m not trying to pry or anything, but I’m Aphrodite’s daughter so happen to know a thing or two about love.” The lies flying from her lips with ease, she chewed on her bottom lip and glanced around, pretending as if she was reluctant to speak more. “And I can tell, that girl doesn’t love him. She loves-“ Eve haltered her steps, looking up at Mason with deliberately guilty eyes. “Well, someone else.”

Eve didn’t know if Mason loved Andromeda, her gut instincts said he did, but no one around camp could confirm it or not. This was the time to for figuring that out. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, and smiled, “Tell me what you really think.” She funnelled all her power into influencing his actions, through her voice and physical contact. Her magic would be hard for him to fight.

All too soon two voices appeared round the corner of the path, and Eve realised her alone time with Mason was at an end. What a pity.

---

“I prefer not be called by the same name you use for your penis.”

Mason's brows shot up and he chuckled quietly. "That was uncalled for," he muttered. Lucky he was secure enough in his package to not be so insulted. When she saw it, then they could talk.

When he recovered from his shock and her coughing fit, there was a passing thought of silence but Evangeline had different ideas. “I was just lost in thought. I was wondering what the deal was between Ajax and that Hecate girl, maybe you know?”

Mason couldn't help but grimace. Imagining the two together and talking about the two was such a sickeningly popular topic. Also, the deal between the two could get confusing. "It's complicated." But why was the new girl curious and why did she think he would indulge in gossip. Did she want Ajax for herself? He'd recommend the poor soul to stay away, he wasn't worth the drama and cat fight.

As he checked his company, she raised her hands. “I’m not trying to pry or anything, but I’m Aphrodite’s daughter so happen to know a thing or two about love.” There it was. Mason took a long drag, delaying his response for as long as possible. “And I can tell, that girl doesn’t love him. She loves-“ Evangeline stopped and Mason did too meeting her eyes. “Well, someone else.”

The notion that it could be him left him speechless and motionless. It actually hindered him for a moment or two before Evangeline touched his arm. “Tell me what you really think.”

"I -" don't. Don't give this girl an inch. Mason closed his eyes and clenched his jaw to keep from the urge to tell this girl his thoughts. "I think she's doomed," he admitted and opened his eyes on the pretty blonde. "I think they're gonna stay in their toxic relationship until the end of time. She'll never give him up and neither will he. Sometimes I think I could treat her better, that she shouldn't have given herself to him. I can't have her though because I'm not going to be good for her either. And I think your love radar is way off base." Despite the uncomfortable beginning of the confession, he eased into it and found it all rather therapeutic. It was his true belief that Ajax was an ass and Andy an idiot and they were going to be on a roller-coaster with big highs and major lows. As for the princess of Aphrodite, her love radar was bullshit because Andy wouldn't have given herself to a guy if she didn't love them. And if he was loved he wouldn't feel alone.

Mason flicked his cigar away. He heard others approaching the path and wasn't really in the social mood and the shadows had made way for the sun. That left one door for escape without being a venomous prick. "Forgive me, princess." Mason wished he could be slow and steady to avoid startling her, but he wound an arm around her waist, pulled her to him and cupped her face then kissed her. Time was of the essence and a daughter of Aphrodite wouldn't mind, right? It'd just feed their ego, they'd think they're irresistible, it's just a kiss. Public affection was one of those highly uncomfortable things to witness so either she kissed back and he got all 'embarrassed and quiet' and potentially left, or she hit or shoved him away and in his shame, he walked off. Mason was more than willing for the consequences.

---

Ajax's swings got harder and Duke braced himself better for impact. "Sorry." Ajax broke off and steadied Duke a little.
"It's fine." Now he was at least ready for the strength in them. It was more important Ajax kept working it out.

"We're....I don't know. Since Jenn's death, Andy naturally took her friend's side as I would with yours, so... I don't blame her for wanting to stay away from me at this point. I haven't spoken to her since I snapped at her. My pride just, you know? maybe I should try and grab her when she's not around Prince Evil. I can... I don't know... say I'm sorry? but then again... that's just words. How can I show her?" Duke was torn between listening to Ajax and looking him in the eyes and meeting his hard punches.

He didn't have much to say in the way of love advice. "You know her better than me."

They continued training before the next topic was breached. "Well... obviously I didn't want her to murder someone else because that's not who she is. She was pushed too far. I understand Mason's anger and need for revenge, I mean... I'd be the same way if it were Alex who--" Duke just nodded. Who wouldn't. "But, I love Al. I can't turn my back on her. Even if she slaughtered the entire camp, I don't think I'd be able to cut my ties with her. I know it would be my responsibility to stop her if things started to get that bad, but... what if I can't? does that make me a selfish bad person?"

Duke opened his mouth to respond. For the greater good, he liked to think Ajax would intervene but he loved his sister to the ends of earth. Luckily Alex wasn't an evil person, she just let her emotions rule her sometimes. Yet Ajax's attention had moved on. "Duke," he said. Duke followed his gaze to the darkening clouds, a sure sign Alex was in some turmoil or trouble. Duke wanted to run with Ajax but surrounding her, chiding her or comforting her would only suffocate her.

Someone dashed by then as fleet as a child of Hermes. "What the..." He was contemplating which way to go. Towards the storm or after the girl.

Duke left the grounds as the storm subsided meaning Alex had been solved. That other girl was long gone. As the problems disappeared and he wandered around camp, another appeared. Something not right anyway. Evelyn was nearly carrying Daniel across camp. Duke jogged to help out, taking his weight from the red head. "Hey, I got him. Are you two okay?"

---

Speaking of the devil, she came in full form. “Keith! Are you crazy, you look horrible.” Keith hooked an arm around her neck while hers went around his back, though he tried his best to hold his own.

"I feel it," he mumbled.

“I think I know what to try. We just need you comfortable,” she told him lowly.

He frowned and nodded. "Okay. You're sure?" Keith didn't want to doubt his partner in this but there had to be more to the story.

Duke joined them suddenly and took his weight off Evelyn. The son of Hephaestus didn't play around. "We're fine, thank you. There's been tougher days." Pretty quickly Duke was able to get him to his flash cabin. Actually it was like a mini mansion and Keith felt embarrassed by how immodest it was, particularly in front of his company. "I...I really don't know why I'm assigned to this one."

Duke helped Keith sit on his couch. That was the end of his services but he stuck around seemingly waiting for something. "I mean I got shot so that’s why I’m a mess,” Keith said. The explanation was embarrassing but maybe it would send him on his way.

Duke stared a while longer. "And you didn't think to defend yourself with magic?"

"Seri...The idea did occur, once or twice."

"What happened to you?"

"I just told you -"

"Last year," Duke interrupted. He side glanced to Evelyn before his eyes landed back on Keith. "Between last year and this very day anyway."

Keith sat there trying to grasp what Duke was aiming at exactly. His memory couldn't jog on demand and he already had enough problems in that department. "You know, I think we can handle things from here." His dry tone said he had overstayed his welcome. Thankfully Duke didn't protest, instead he lowered his head slightly and left the room.

Keith sighed out then looked to Evelyn with a stiff smile. Comfort could be hard to find for a while but they could spend time idling chatting or playing board games or whatever she liked.

x

x


andromeda bolton
hecatex|xoutfitx|x#990856

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


sloane astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#C7B29B

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


wesley preston
aphroditex|xoutfitx|x#667C0C

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

---

---

x

x


sylas astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#064C4B

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx

xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Iliana observed as the young man interacted with something. She wondered who's son he belong to because she felt naturally drawn to him. Was it his soothing energy or something else? She tried to recall what she knew about the other gods, but was drawing up blank. That was because her memory worked best when things naturally came to her, not when she forced it. Still she slowly approached him and it was then she noticed he was missing an arm. She never met anyone who was missing a limp before. She couldn't help but wonder if he was born that way or lost it another way. Her gut told her he lost it somehow.

She froze in fear though when he turned around and saw her. She would have bolted but he spoke up.

"Don't worry, you're safe."

He then proceeded to try and calm her down and she finally saw he was holding a rabbit. While Iliana had a bigger affinity for flora, she still liked fauna. Hearing the demi-god say that the rabbit was probably more dangerous then him caused the edges of Iliana's mouth to tip up slightly. While it wasn't even a grin, it was probably the closest to a grin Iliana had had in a long time. The person then proceeded to introduce himself as Wesley and that he was Aphrodite's son. Well that made sense since he had this air about him that drew her in. Iliana had only met Aphrodite once when she was a small child and had briefly lived with her mother. It was the time right after her father's death and before she went to live with Heath's family. She had never met anyone more beautiful. She had just learned how to make flower wreaths and gave one to Aphrodite at random when the goddess visited her mother's private greenhouse for something. The Goddess of Beauty loved it and told her she had a knack for making beautiful things. It was those words as to why Iliana still made flower wreaths.

After Wesley finish speaking, Iliana came forward and sat down next to him before writing in her note pad before holding it out. She always used a clean sheet when talking with strangers.

On it it said, "My name is Iliana and my mother is Demeter. I can't talk. I've met your mother years ago. She was nice."

After Wesley read it, she pulled the notebook back to her and looked down. It was very hard to look people in the eye still.

---

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"That was pretty intense back there wasn't it Heath? I've heard how powerful Zeus could be, but to see one of his kids start to use it . . . needless to say I am glad Alex's brother calmed her down before she unleashed her power. I don't think I could have lived through that. What do you suppose caused Alex to get churned up like that? She was already a ticking time bomb." Ethan commented after they left the stables.

Heath thought on that for a moment. While it was true that Alex was already walking on the edge, she didn't appear to start to go over it until after she approached the one guy, who had seemed to also give Iliana some uneasiness.

"This is only an educated guess, Ethan, but it may had to have something to do with those two other guys in the stables. I know there are some Demigods who's powers can cause emotional chaos, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was something like that. It's not our problem anymore so let's focus on the task at hand. Hopefully if we're lucky, Iliana hasn't run into anyone." Heath replied, wanted to concentrate on finding his adopted sister.

She would always come first for him, but he would definitely pass closer attention to those other guys from here on out.

Ethan nodded in compliance and the two continued to walk in silence, but the auburn hair demigod didn't stay quiet for long. He was an extrovert after all and talking came naturally to him.

"You know I can't help but wonder what the true purpose of this camp is. Is it really meant to be a sanctuary?"

That caused Heath to turn sharply and he replied instantly, "Oh course it is. Our mothers promised us we'd be safe from humans here."

"Mmm, yes, from humans, but what about from each other? We don't know anyone here and when you have basically a bunch of strangers with powers together, it's bound to cause drama. And not to mention that I think my mom did say there were campers here from last year. Who knows what kind of relationships were established back then."

"So what's your point?"

"That I really hope this place helps Iliana and she not regress if there's too much drama."

Heath would have responded, but the two suddenly came upon something they thought they'd never see. There appeared to be a couple of sorts kissing. And they were right in site of the path that led to their cabin. Ethan turned away and saw one of the same guys as before leaning against a tree. This was definitely a more awkward situation and so the two just look at each other and decided to take the back route. Quietly, they walked away and went behind the cabins.

---

E V ExxxxD R A K O S
Hera || #511872

x
xxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Eve watched as Mason fought against her magic, clenching his jaw and trying to keep his thoughts hidden. She smirked with some satisfaction, he clearly had some willpower which would make him far more entertaining. She never really found enjoyment in pushing around people who were too eager to bend to her magic.

But alas, he succumbed, letting all the truth of his thoughts flow out. “I think she’s doomed.” They locked eyes, and she raised her eyebrows, Eve was fishing more for hidden feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. But she’d listen to whatever he had to say. "I think they're gonna stay in their toxic relationship until the end of time. She'll never give him up and neither will he. Sometimes I think I could treat her better, that she shouldn't have given herself to him. I can't have her though because I'm not going to be good for her either.”

Eve turned her head back to path and thought over what he’d revealed. He hadn’t said he loved her, and when she looked up at him through he lashes she realised he was not the type to carry around a deep-seeded love someone who didn’t love him back.

She turned her back on him to hide her smirk, a doomed toxic relationship sounded like a situation ripe for manipulating. Eve hadn’t actually laid eyes on Andy yet, but she looking forward to having a little chat with the girl at the centre of it all.

“And I think your love radar is way off base." Eve spun back around to face Mason with wide innocent eyes. She was just considering what route to take with her response when Mason stepped into her. “Forgive me Princess.” His arm slid around her waist pulling her to him with little effort, and then his lips were on hers.

Mason had somehow managed to startle her and catch her completely off guard. Which was something she despised. The cigarette in her hand fell to the ground and she stood there in his arms confused how this situation even came about. Sure, she was no stranger to kissing, but usually she was the one controlling it, she knew how to be irresistible, and could influence the actions of others into giving her a kiss. But she hadn’t done any of that, and so she couldn’t understand Mason’s actions which only frustrated her.

Determined to wrestle back control and come out on top, she rose to her tippy toes and kissed him back, winding a hand up his neck to thread through his hair. Then she used her magic. This is the best kiss you’ve ever had. Their close proximity and physical contact, would make the thought hard to ignore.

Moving her hand back to his chest, she pushed them apart, looking down the path where the oncoming traffic had turned tail and were walking around the cabin. She looked back at Mason, her hand still resting on his chest. She briefly wondered if her ruse was done it, did a kiss from an Aphrodite descendant feel different?

She stepped away from him and ground the cigarette she’d dropped into the ground with the heel of her boot, extinguishing it. “Looks like the peanut gallery is gone. What a shame.” Growing tired of the fragile girl persona she looked up at him with a smirk. “The blonde one was gorgeous, we could have asked him to join us.”

Eve moved to walk away, before looking back at him over her shoulder. “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?” She laughed before trotting off down the path, determined to end their conversation having surprised him. Passing a guy lounging against a tree watching them she pointed over her should to Mason, talking loud enough that he could still hear her. “He’s all yours. But be warned he’s a sloppy kisser.”

Eve wandered off, and it didn’t take her long to find her next source of entertainment. There walking toward the main hall was her brother, only two steps ahead of Trinity. She grinned, it was like the world wanted her to have fun today.

---

P E T ExxxxD R A K O S
Hera || #1e1e1e

xxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Pete found his way to the archery training yard, where there were two blondes practicing their skills. He didn’t watch them long to realise they were far too preppy for his tastes. So from there he followed the path. Considering he’d spent all morning reading in the stables he hardly knew his way around, and while he had no wish to run into Alex’s brother, he was in need of food.

Apparently the blonde girl who had been firing arrows at flying discs had the same idea as she appeared on the same path a couple steps behind him.

Then his sister whooshed in with all her blonde hair and complication. “Petey! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Eve linked her arm through his and gave him a bubbly grin. He frowned, knowing whatever was coming next, he wasn’t going to like it. His sister didn’t so bubbly, or cuddly. “I met someone. This guy named Wesley, he’s the son of Aphrodite, and he was is sooo adorable.” She was gushing loudly like some school girl and Pete looked around at the few people nearby, Eve was speaking to him but these words were clearly meant for someone else to hear. The blonde behind him? The group wandering past in the direction of the training yard? This wasn’t his sister, the two of them didn’t gossip about cute boys. She was acting, manipulating someone, he just didn’t know who or why.

What he did know was that she was clearly up to no good and he shot his sister a dark look. “Eve.” She would definitely go too far if he didn’t stop her.

She laughed and batted his shoulder, too caught up in her giggly act to pay any notice to his warning. Eve did always commit to the role. “I know, I know. But Pete, he asked me out.” She nibbled on her finger nail acting shy. “Well, he didn’t exactly ask me out, he asked me to drop by his cabin tonight. I said no, because I’m not that type of girl but he’s just too fricking cute!”

Pete shook his head and pulled his arm out of her grip. Whatever game she was playing he wanted nothing to do with it.

---

---

---

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If there was one thing Iliana didn't mind, it was when others talked very little. That seem to be the case with Wes. After she introduced herself, he only said one thing.

"I'm sure she was."

He didn't say anything else after that. Iliana couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship he had with his mother. It was none of her business of course, but Iliana be lying if didn't admit she was curious. Her own relationship with her mother was one that was very close. She certainly saw her mother more often then Heath saw his. And her mother very busy. She did wonder if it was because she needed a lot of work, especially with her empathy impacting her own abilities. Of course she got help from Heath's aunts too. In some ways though she felt like she fell them because she knew they tried to help her so much.

Iliana was jolted out of her thoughts though when she heard an announcement.

"All camp members, new and old... please head to the hall for a meeting."

Who was that? He definitely sounded serious. Iliana knew she should follow the instructions, but she had no idea where this hall was. She looks at Wes, hoping he knew where this place was. He was talking to the rabbit though and let him go. He stood up and addressed her. She got up too and started following him. Yep, he definitely knew where he was going for soon she saw a building. They almost made it to the hall when someone called out to Wesley. Something about an arm? Instinctively, Iliana hid behind Wes and simply listen. It seemed like Wes was going to get a new arm. She did know that people could get prosthetic limbs if they needed it. Maybe that's what this new guy was talking about.

Before she knew it though, Wes left and Iliana found herself alone with the other guy. Looking at him, she felt very shy. He was very different from Wesley. Wesley had a charismatic aura about him, this guy had an intimidating air, despite his friendly voice. She barely register his words to her and offering his hand. If one were to look at Iliana right now, they easily could tell she had that 'deer in head lights' look about her. Mentally though she scolded herself.

~Easy there, Lia, he's just trying to be nice and introduce himself. What was his name again? . . . Duke right?~ she thought to herself.

Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly calmed her racing heart and hesitantly placed her hand in Duke's and let him shake her hand. After her hand was released, she quickly wrote in her notepad and already decided this would be her general greeting for anyone else who just wanted to know her name at least. Since Duke didn't reveal his divine parent, she wouldn't either. After she finished writing, she held up the notepad so Duke could read it.

"Hello, my name is Iliana. I am sorry but I don't speak. Nice to meet you."

After he read it, Iliana brought her notebook back to her chest. She didn't know what else to do. She wished Ethan and Heath were here. She was tempted to look inside the main hall, but she could feel anger from inside the building.

Lucky for Iliana, she was about to get her wish. Both Heath and Ethan had retrieved the tracking stone when they heard the announcement.

"Well now, looks like we got this stone just in time. Hey Heath, you had gotten a map of this place right? Do you know where this main hall is?" Ethan asked the blonde.

"Yes, but only from other locations in this camp like the cabins. If Lia is someplace that's not a landmark, it'll be harder to find. We better find Iliana quickly. I don't want to get in trouble."

"Right, that voice did sound like Alex's brother and I certainly don't want to get on his bad side. This meeting might relate to what we just saw."

The two existed their cabin and put the tracking stone to use, which was attuned specifically to Iliana's energy. Surprisingly it led them in the direction of the main hall and soon they spotted Iliana with Duke. Heath was so relieved he started running towards them. Ethan wasn't too far behind.

"Iliana!"

Iliana heard her name and saw Heath and Ethan rushing towards her. Relief washed over her and she ran out to meet them before leaping at Heath and he caught her and hugged her closely. After a few minutes, the two pull back.

"You really had me scared their Lia. What happened?"

Iliana quickly wrote down all that happened, including the part of hearing the order to run and meeting Wesley and Duke. Heath frowned where he read the order part. So it was true she had been influenced.

"Well, I am just glad you're okay. I guess we better go inside now."

It was then they noticed Duke. Ethan was quick to approach the man.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation with Iliana. My friend and I had been looking for Iliana after she had taken off suddenly. One of the campers had given her an order to take off. My name is Ethan and that's Heath. Iliana is his adopted sister and I am just a friend of theirs. I'd wish we could talk more, but there's that meeting here. Thanks for being kind to Iliana." Ethan explained before the trio start heading inside. As they pass him, both Heath and Iliana nod to Duke.

When they entered inside, Iliana saw Wesley sitting next to a blonde girl, who was the one radiating angry energy. She wanted to say hi to Wesley, but the blonde's anger was enough to keep her away. There were others here so Heath led them to an area away from the crowd because he could tell his sister didn't want to be with anyone else. He especially didn't want to be close to that one guy who caused Alex to lose it, who was conversing with a dark hair young woman, who was sitting next to someone who appeared to be of Asian decent. Ethan saw the others too and was hoping to meet some of them but decided to stick with Heath and Iliana for now.

"Wouldn't it be like... decomposing by now?" Duke frowned, even more so as Wes made a disgusted face. "Ooooh. Yeah, no. I haven't seen Alex since Capture the Flag." He finally gave an answer Duke could work with.

He nodded looking off. "I see. Well it's incoming, obviously the courier got held up." Alex had a lot of her own drama to deal with, a prosthetic limb to deliver probably faded to the background. Not that Wes ever made a big deal of the matter but having another arm would make his life a lot easier. It seemed it was just Duke affected by his project.

The girl hesitated for a long time, he thought he might have somehow insulted her culture or similar then she took his hand. He was sure to shake it gently, treating her as delicate as a rose to avoid startling her further.
Wes excused himself as the girl rushed to something on her being. A notepad. She struck him as absolutely lovely, however drawing for him was an odd gesture.

"Hello, my name is Iliana. I am sorry but I don't speak. Nice to meet you." Iliana introduced herself by paper and he smiled suddenly feeling foolish.

"No need to be sorry. You're as fast at writing as you are on foot. Besides, the quieter ones always take the most in." It was a fact. The quiet ones were more observant and in tune with themselves and others. That was a valuable skill and talent to possess.

Duke went to proceed to the hall, opening the door for Iliana then a voice called out for her. The pair ran towards each other and embraced. He watched the exchanged and smiled slightly. Reunions always were very satisfying but it reminded him of a similar sibling relationship on camp.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation with Iliana. My friend and I had been looking for Iliana after she had taken off suddenly. One of the campers had given her an order to take off. My name is Ethan and that's Heath. Iliana is his adopted sister and I am just a friend of theirs. I'd wish we could talk more, but there's that meeting here. Thanks for being kind to Iliana."

Duke had follow up questions for Ethan like "who ordered her to take off? How are you three close? Why doesn't Iliana speak?", however the new trio didn't want to risk being untimely to their first meeting. "Of course, my pleasure. Duke," he said with a hand on his own chest. Since they had given their names it only felt right to give his.

He nodded back to them and entered the hall. Duke wandered over to Ajax, although rather than make himself at home on their table, he leaned on the wall nearby. He scanned the hall and found Trinity on the verge of causing some blood shed. "Aja..." he let his voice trail off. Ajax had enough to worry about. He didn't need containing the daughter of war to be one even if his strength was equal match to Trinity's. Nonetheless, right under their nose, Duke was particularly interested to find Alex had made a new friend. Or something like that. The conversation didn't seem too friendly, but if Alex or Ajax wouldn't fry the guy, Duke would.

There was too much demigod drama to monitor and be in control of.

---

---

---

---

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ethan and Heath watched as everyone else showed up and saw a few fireworks fly. Iliana however was concentrating only on herself for she felt so many emotions at once. She felt so much anger from the blonde next to Wesley, which only increased when another blonde girl came near them. She closed her eyes and try to shut herself down. She couldn't loose control, not hear at least. The boys saw what was happening and saw what was happening with Wesley and the 2 blondes girls too. This was definitely not good. They didn't have time to do anything about it for Zeus's son spoke up talking about his sister. Seems like they were right about the two guys from earlier being the one to push Alex over the edge. Now the question was, what originally caused her to go close to the edge to begin with.

Before either boys could speak up though, there was a commotion and suddenly two gods showed up. One was definitely Zeus, but the other the guys hadn't seen before. Soon Zeus spoke and his words only made the boys even more confused. Alex was to be on trial? For what exactly? It must be grave if the gods got directly involved. Knowing his mother was here though, Heath decided to ask her directly. If he was to spectate a trial, he wanted all the clear facts and his mother was good at that without any bias. She was the Goddess of Wisdom for a reason after all. Plus he wanted to get Lia out of this building, who was now covering her ears and rocking back and forth. He was 100% sure she hadn't heard a word. It was to his relief when the one angry blonde left the building though. He had definitely heard her words to Wesley, who had looked shocked by them. He cursed and took off after the blonde who left. It wasn't long before they could hear shouting. This only caused Iliana to shake even more.

When Zeus asked for questions, several did ask, but the one that caught Heath and Ethan's attention the most was when someone came forward.

"Yeah, I have one. Is Hades going to be there? Since it was his daughter that got murdered, don't you think he has a say or at least the right to witness her trial? It seems fair to me."

Ethan looked surprised at that. A daughter of Hades was killed? That definitely wasn't good. Heath started connecting the dots though. Alex was going to be on trial and Hades's daughter had been killed. Was Alex the reason? He saw how angry she got in the stall. So who was this guy that just asked the question? Ethan wondered if the guy was a son of Hades. It would make sense since he did ask such a question.

Both boys though forgot about everything else when Iliana suddenly grabbed onto Heath's shirt sleeve. This was a signal that she had to get out now.

"Let's go now," Heath said as he helped Iliana up.

Ethan nodded as they left. When they exited the building, they saw Wesley take off. Iliana could feel every emotion he was feeling and it was seriously making her sick in the stomach. She could feel her own tears spilling out. Her own powers started churning and soon the sky open up, causing rain to fall. She herself dropped to the ground and started wailing in earnest. Heath swept her into his arms and continued to walk with Ethan right next to him.

"Uh, oh, we better do something to cheer Iliana up quick." Ethan commented.

Indeed, the last time Iliana was this emotional, she had caused a flood. Heath knew this was a result of her trying to contain her emotions and powers too much. The rain continued pouring and they and anyone else would be drenched by now.

"I've got it. Hey, Lia, can you hear me? We're going to see your mother soon. Do you want to see her?"

Hearing her mother being mention penetrated Iliana's intense emotions and she looked at her adopted brother. Taking a few deep breaths, she nodded. This causes the rain to let up dramatically, and it's now a drizzle. Iliana was emotionally drained though and she falls asleep. The boys noticed she had dropped her notepad by then.

"I'll go and get it. It's probably ruined by now though," Ethan said before rushing back to the main hall.

Ethan nodded and continued towards the coast. Minutes later, Ethan was back and indeed, Iliana's notepad was drenched. He also had the pen she carried. It was a good thing Iliana had several notepads back in their cabin. Both were certain though they could get another notepad from Demeter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The trio finally made it to the beach where Athena was waiting for them. Like them she also was drenched, but it look liked it didn't affect her in the least. Seeing the three arrive, she wasted no time in speaking to them.

"I wondered where the sudden rain came from. It looks like Lia has had a rough time of it."

"Indeed mother, in fact, I am already questioning if coming here was the right idea." Heath stated.

He was always completely honest with his mother since he knew she would not only know if anyone were lying, but withholding information too. It was something he was trying to pick up himself.

"It is son, Lia needs to learn how to become stronger emotionally and mentally. She can't stay hidden from herself or others. I am very much aware that there are campers here who are capable of causing drama, it's in their nature, but there are just as many demigods here who will help her and you boys too."

"She's right Heath. Lia has already gotten treated nicely by that guy, Duke, and Aphrodite's son, uuuhhh, what was his name again?" Ethan stated.

"Aww, that be Wesley I think. Poor boy has been through a lot, but it's not my place to tell you so. And Duke is Hephaestus's son, I believe. Good friend of Zeus's children."

"Speaking of Zeus, ma'am, why is Alex on trial? I was just caught off guard so much that I don't fully comprehend the situation."

"You'll learn soon enough, young Ethan. I will say this though, it has something to do with what happened last year. You and the other demigods will be watching Alexandria's trial. You three will definitely have an advantage coming into this blind. Don't worry all of the facts and questions you have will be answered there. It's best to judge this as unbiased as possible to make sure this is a fair and just trial. I shall see to it. And unlike others, it'll be easier for you three since you don't have close connections to those directly involved."

"That still might be hard for Iliana, mother. She picks up emotions like a sponge after all. She could easily become biased because of her empathy.

"Give her a bit more credit then that Heath. Anyway, why don't you three go change really quick and get a new notepad and pen for Lia here. I believe Zeus was plan on giving you guys an hour to get ready."

It was then that Iliana woke up and saw Athena. Her eyes widen in surprised and she tried to get a grasp on the situation. First thing she noticed was that she was being carried by Heath and her notepad was missing. Then she tried recalling how she ended up like this. Soon all the memories came back to her. Darn it! She had done it again! Let her emotions get the better of her. She was starting to get tired of it. She looked at Athena again with confusion in her eyes.

Athena smiled at the young lady and replied, "Hello Lia. Nice to see you've recovered a bit. You brother and Ethan are about to take you back to your cabin so you three can change and also get you a new notepad and pen. Then you'll come back here and travel to Olympus with the other campers. Zeus's daughter, Alexandria, is going to be put on trial and all of you are to watch it. Don't worry, you'll have time to see your mother. I know Demeter has been eager to see you. Did you understand all of that?"

Iliana nodded and not wanting to be a physical burden anymore, tried getting out of Heath's arms. Seeing what she was attempting to do, Heath set her down and helped her steady herself.

"Let's go, Lia."

When the three made it to their cabin, they wasted no time in changing into dry clothes and getting one of Iliana's other notepads and another pen. This time, Iliana decided to put the items in a small tote bag for protection. They started heading out but soon saw a brunette standing in front someone's door. Iliana was the first to notice and it didn't take her long to feel a bit of emotion coming from that cabin. It was sadness as well as anger. Was it Wesley? She remembered him being very sad. She also wondered who the brunette was. She was very nervous, that's for sure. Curious to see if this was Wesley's cabin, she heads toward it. The boys stop though and follow her. It wasn't common for Iliana to make sudden decisions, but whenever it did, the guys just went with it.

Approaching the cabin, they saw that the brunette spotted them. Ethan was quick to speak to her.

"Hi there, sorry if we scared you. I am Ethan, this is Heath and his adopted sister, Iliana. Iliana here decided to check out this cabin it seems. Uh, Lia, did you want to tell us why?"

Iliana blushed. She quickly pulled out her notepad before writing in it and showing it to the guys.

It said, "Sorry, I think this is Wesley's cabin and I wanted to check on him. He's so sad."

The boys nodded before Ethan explained to the brunette, "Iliana can't talk so she communicates with us through her notepad here. She thinks this cabin belongs to someone she just met and wanted to see he was alright because something just happened to him to make him upset. We still don't know why yet. Do you mind if we wait here with you?"

The last question was directed at both Iliana and brunette. Iliana shook her head. It was fine if they stayed with her.