Heath Taylor's Story

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


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


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


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

Heath lectured on about the definition of monster according to google that he must have memorised. Did he really want an answer? No. Did he deserve one explaining how he came off as another blind worshipper of the Valises who would lick their boots if they asked, and it was a fact to Mason that she was a monster, yes. But the trial concluding held more importance to him so he let it be.

Ajax piped up again going on that there was some cursed item involved then Alex's second vision began. He inhaled sharply then closed his eyes as he heard the awful thump of his sister's head falling from her body. For some time, he kept his gaze averted to the ground until another God spoke. "We have all witnessed that Hades manipulated his daughter to carry out his work against Miss Valis, so, with permission from Zeus himself, the Gods of mount Olympus hereby sentence Hades, ruler of the underworld... banished. To Tartarus."

Mason looked to Hades accusingly, and rather than vanish in black smoke, Hades let himself be grabbed and taken away. Mason let it happen too, no retaliation or final goodbyes from either of them. Mason lowered his forehead on his fist. So Alex was innocent and Hades guilty according to her memories. Now he was as good as fatherless. Now there was no family to appease. Just more murderous thoughts. But he didn't want to brood about it in Olympus. As he got to his feet, somebody approached with a Goddess in tow and turned a notepad around to face him. What the hell?

~Um, hello, my name is Iliana and I am Demeter's daughter. I can't speak at the moment so this is how I communicate with people. Anyway, I just wanted to say I am sorry for your loss. I saw my . . own father get killed by a human . . when I was 5 and I still have nightmares. Momma told me to remember the good times though and that has helped. So maybe you can try to remember the good times. So I guess what I am trying to say is I know how feels to loss someone dear. I remember being very angry for a long time too and I withdrew from the world. I hope you have someone to lean on. That's really what I wanted to say.~

Was she a mute or what? Nonetheless, Mason sighed, preparing himself to be as civil as he could be. "Me too." At the moment it really was him against the world. "Do you know what happened to your father's killer? Did they walk away freely too?" Because they didn't so much as slap Alex on the wrist for her crime. Mason's eyes moved pass Iliana to Demeter. Gods were normally vengeful beings but he didn't think Demeter or Iliana had it in them to make the human pay. Unlike him.

"No disrespect, but if you hold me up, we're gonna have to ride together and you probably don't really want that. I'll see you back at camp." He shifted past her, patting the small thing's head gently and left the Acropolis. Then another dread struck him. The Underworld. Without somebody to keep it in check, many souls would cling to the hope of life, to try climb out of the place when they didn't belong anymore. "Fucking Gods!" He growled. It wasn't like the Underworld was a nice place full of fun and delight. That was already Hades' punishment.

He didn't have any gods or peers to catch up with. There was no reason for him to stick around. Looked like it was back to being a Hermit for a while. Or back and forth trips in the Underworld. A girl with dark hair and pale complexion was already saddled up and ready to go and as he got closer he knew the face. She was quiet and wouldn't bother him with idle chatter or as he recently discovered, writing. Perfect. "Hope you're not reserving a seat," he said and climbed on behind the girl. "Because you're my best bet."

Mason wasn't much for hugging strangers usually but he wanted to go and that took priority at the moment. He held her slim waist gently. "Sorry," he said in case she was uncomfortable. She'd have to deal with it though because he wasn't falling to his death today. He might have been more sympathetic and aware on other days, but today as she probably witnessed, wasn't his day.


Once at camp again, Mason dismounted and offered her a hand down. "Thanks. For tolerating me." Not that he had been much in the way of conversation, but a brooding presence holding onto her. Mason went to walk away but for some damn forsaken reason he couldn't just leave her casually. "Do you want to get food or something? Can I walk you to your cabin?" Even in his state, he couldn't just leave her without something to offer after flying with her. Besides a day or two earlier he was interested in getting to know what she was about.

---

Duke remained a silent and composed observer throughout the remainder of the trial. There were a few demigods tried to strip emotion from the equation, but it was an emotional case, to expect anything else was unlikely. He hurt for Alex seeing her stab her mother then decapitate Jennova. Neither action was truly hers and it was important people saw that, so though it hurt to live through again, it was vital peers saw the truth: that there was an extraneous variable in play, that no murder would be on the table if it weren't for the curse to begin with.

He was relieved when Ares said the final verdict. Apparently Wes shared the relief and enthusiasm giving him a pat on the back. Duke smiled in return. It was over. It was finally over. Part of him wanted to leap down the wall and hug Alex but brothers first. If Duke and Wes were relieved, imagine Ajax's flood of emotions.

So instead, he headed to another demigod. His counterpart in a way, if they were to address their power of elements. "You raised some good points in trial. You should probably just work on execution, might get more respect that way." Liv possessed a real don't give a shit attitude, like an angsty teen so maybe his words meant nothing to her. And judging by the blood on her dress, she had already picked the wrong person to give that attitude to. Maybe she didn't give much of a crap about being respected but what was the point of talking if no one was going to listen? In the end, it all came down to execution.

"Are you ready to head out or what?" He gestured out of the Acropolis, arm out for the taking or decline. Either option was one he could live with. Duke was ready to return to his warehouse/cabin. It had felt like an extensively long day.

---

He just couldn't find a comfortable way to sit, tossing and turning, folding one leg over the other, upright, slouched. Gods, to settle was impossible. When Alex had recovered, she was right back into the pensieive this time to reveal the night of Jennova's death. Keith frowned, upset to find Alex had murdered another in a fit of rage but somehow, as the memories were explored, they found Jennova and Hades had collaborated on a curse on her bracelet.

To Keith it still brought about a debate whether it was right or wrong. Sure, there were other options like a duel or holding Jennova on trial but if he had to fit his feet in Alex's shoes he wouldn't have had the most rational mind either. Nonetheless, the Gods dismissed it finding the villain behind it all and Keith let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

He turned his attention to the pretty brunette and shifted over to her. "So what did we think of that episode?" Despite the bad timing, Keith had to make light of a hefty situation otherwise he'd just crumble. Although it was arguably hyper insensitive. But Cherise didn't seem super PC. "There's so much drama and emotion present, it's actually a pretty accurate capturing of the atmosphere in camp. Are you and your sunshine and blossom up to the task?"

He sat up and looked all around the Acropolis, meerkat like. "Your friend didn't stay long." Self-consciously he thought he might have been the problem again, and almost asked if it was due to him but stopped himself. Keith had recently moved past the whole nervous rambling phase with Cherise and he didn't want to backtrack. He had learned by now the girl didn't bite.

"Did you um...maybe want to catch a ride together on the way back to Camp or...wait around here." Since he had taken so much of the girl's time he didn't see her talk to any God. He didn't even know which one was her parental figure. He'd be happy to wait around because there wasn't much back at camp for him so he was in no rush to return to his loner status.

In fact, a fraction of him saw an opportunity in the scenario of people leaving the Acropolis, either returning to camp or bonding with their parents. Maybe he could have a look at the magic pool himself. The more he toyed with the idea, the more it sung to him like a siren song. Keith had to know what had hurt him and he was attached to the idea that that water held a solution. It had accessed Alex's repressed memories.

Privacy or no privacy Keith edged towards the front row.

"That won't help."

Keith almost tipped over the edge of the Acropolis hearing his mother's voice. "Huh? I wasn't -"

"You've changed so much. It's no wonder Andromeda is upset with me," she said looking Keith up and down. "My poor boy, I do hope you can forgive me." She stepped by his side. "I cannot undo what's been done and consulting the Pensieve will merge memories and warp your mind. But if you bury deep...if you surround yourself with support and those who were there last year, I believe you'll get your answers." Hecate hugged him briefly and left with a smile.

What she really left him with was more turmoil. But at least she gave him hints on how to fill in the blanks. Keith still felt her eyes on him, however, was more preoccupied on who to approach for answers and who he could class as support. When he had enough wondering, he headed to the horses waiting for a partner to appear.

xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Iliana was uncertain on how Mason would respond to her. She wasn't surprised though about the emotions behind his question about the killer of her own father, but the question itself did catch her off guard. She barely registered the pat on the head too as Mason left. Her own thoughts were on his question. What did happen to her father's killer? Try as she might, she could recall. Even the night of her father's death was hazy and between seeing his murder to the time her mother found her, it was nothing. And her mother never told her what happened to him. She was actually too scared to ask.

Demeter saw the look Mason gave her after asking Iliana a question on what happened to her father's killer. She knew and it still haunted her.

~Flashback~

The rain pour down hard as Demeter appeared in front of the house that belonged to her daughter and love. There was silence and that was terrifying. She rushed in to find a horrifying site. Brambles of roots had burst through windows and were currently wrapped around a stranger and he wasn't moving. She check his pulse and found him dead. He had been constricted to death.

"Carter! Iliana!" Demeter cried out.

"Mommy?" a small voice could be heard behind the brambles.

The goddess made the roots go back underground, dropping the dead man, and there was a 5 year old Iliana trying to move the body of her father. He had been shot and blood was all over the floor and all over Iliana. She herself was unharmed though. The little girl was clearly in shock as she look at her mother.

"Mommy, daddy won't get up. I wanted to stop the man. Why won't daddy get up?"

Overwhelmed with emotions herself, the goddess dropped to her knees and swept her daughter in her arms. She didn't care if she got blood on her either.

"Mommy's here now Lia. Mommy will take care of everything."

~End of Flashback~

And she did, at least to the best of her ability. Shaking her head, Demeter brought herself back to the present to see her daughter staring at her. Taking a deep breath, she addressed Iliana.

"Well then, how about you go and apologize to Ajax for your previous behavior hmm?"

Iliana totally forgot about that but nodded in agreement. As mother and daughter approached Ajax, they saw he was with his own family. Demeter addressed them first.

"Pardon the interruption, but Iliana has something to say to Ajax."

Iliana had already started writing something down when her mother spoke. As soon as she wad done writing, she approached Ajax and showed him her notepad.

~I am sorry about my behavior before the trial when I gave you those flowers. I just felt your anger and it scared me. I am . . . able to feel the emotions of others and it directly affects me to the point where I can't control my actions or powers. So I left before I could hurt you and Ethan.~ she admitted, clearly ashamed of her actions.

---

xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ xWhile Heath knew Andromida was telling him the truth about her relationship with Jennova, it was apparent she wasn't going to tell him everything either, like when she dropped the subject. That was understandable considering they just met. He planned on keeping an eye on her too to see which side of the fence she would lay on when it came to Ajax and Mason. He recalled her testimony and it wouldn't surprise him if she was an emotional wreck right now. It would explain why she didn't say if she was okay or not. He watched her walk away and decided he was say good bye to his own mother before leaving with Iliana.

Returning to the Acropolis, he soon found his mother. Athena saw his approach and gave him a small grin.

"You did well today son."

"Thank you mother. Is there anything I should know before we leave?"

"Indeed, keep an eye on Mason and Alex when you're able to. I fear Mason may try to cause her harm. I have a feeling that sides may be drawn soon since not everyone is a fan of Alex either and there are those who would like to see such chaos, like a child of Hera and Eris. If such a time comes, I ask you been the middle ground for as smart as you are, you're not the warrior type."

While Heath agreed about the part with him not being a warrior, he still wished his mother hadn't said it so casually.

"Yes mother. I will do my best to make sure Iliana stays safe too. If such a conflict were to arise, it would be too much for her. I wish there was a way we could block the negative emotions she feels from others."

"Hmm, maybe an amulet of some sort? A stone of might help block them to an extent. Why don't we ask Zeus if he knows someone who can help. I know Nemesis and a child of hers give blessings, but I don't know if that would do the trick."

With that the two head towards Zeus and his family and find Iliana and Demeter there. Seeing Iliana interacting with Ajax, Heath goes right up to Zeus before bowing.

"Pardon me Lord Zeus, but my mother and I have a private manner we wish to discuss with you?"

With the trial now dealt with, and with Hades completely out of his sight, Zeus could finally grab a moment with his children before they'd have to leave him again for Camp. "I would like a word with both of my children."
Zeus said, causing the other Gods to leave the room and the arena. "My children... I have never doubted either of you of being good people, and once Camp Athens is over for the both of you, I want you to decide on something."

---

---

he held his hands together in front of him as he stood there before them, looking between them with a gentle smile. "It is your choice alone, so whatever you decide, I will be happy. You can either come and live here with me, or you can remain on Earth with your step-father." he knew it could be a possible hard choice for them, but he hadn't done it on purpose to get them away from their step-father. Zeus knew as plain as day, what that mortal man had done for both Alex and Ajax. Raised them as his own, loved Susanna when Zeus could not. He honored the man, but he wanted to remain close to his children, to get to know them better than he thought. "You do not have to decide right away." he assured them. "There is plenty of time." he promised.

Just after hugging both of his children, and before he was about to head out, someone else had joined them. First, it was Iliana. The adorable young lady from earlier. It was nice of her to apologize to his son, though Zeus did know or understand what she was being sorry for. Next, was Heath. Still polite as ever.

"Pardon me Lord Zeus, but my mother and I have a private manner we wish to discuss with you?"

"Of course. Follow me." He leads them both to a separate room. "We will not be disturbed here. How can I help?"

---

---

He couldn't contain himself. The second Alex was proven innocent, he vaulted over the wall and landed in the arena before he rushed over to her. He pulled her into his chest with his arms wrapped around her, and almost squeezed the air out of her. He chuckled as she wheezed for air. He let her go.

"You scared me."

"I know. I'm sorry. she said, her brows furrowed.

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're still with us." Mason wouldn't have agreed of course, neither would his own girlfriend, or anyone else behind them... but it didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore. Of course, Jennova was still robbed of life, but no-one could blame Alex for wanting to avenge her mother. So many would have wanted to do the same. Just as Ajax gave his little sister one more hug, their father had joined them.

Ajax stood there staring at him as Zeus announced his proposal to make a choice on where they'd both want to be, and honestly... Ajax was torn. He was already on the path towards Mount Olympus as future king, and Earth would be that home he'd miss once it was gone. Unable to step foot there, again. Unable to see the faces he cared and loved, again.

He knew his father was telling the truth. He had no reason to play manipulation with his children.

Ajax turned his head to look at Iliana with her mother. She was writing on that notepad of hers again. As soon as she was done, she turned it around for him to read it: ~I am sorry about my behavior before the trial when I gave you those flowers. I just felt your anger and it scared me. I am . . . able to feel the emotions of others and it directly affects me to the point where I can't control my actions or powers. So I left before I could hurt you and Ethan.~

He nodded. "Um.. okay..." He was confused as to why she needed to explain herself, but it was clear that she was more sensitive than the other girls, which was fine. Everyone is different after all."I honestly do appreciate it, but you, or your... brothers?" he couldn't remember if they were related or not. "Don't need to keep apologizing for what you believe to be wrong. What I'm trying to say is... it's fine. Just be yourself." He shrugged. "I should be sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, so... as an apology, how about I ride with you back to camp, huh? you can tell me a little more about yourself."

---

---

It felt good to finally be free, and she couldn't wait to get back to camp to be with her friends, her brother, and Duke. It felt good to have that monster inside of her head finally die, knowing that what she did, was not by her own impulse, but a cursed and manipulated one.

She looked up into the crowd, and even though some had left, and some that showed no sign of relief for her innocence... Alex smiled. Wes, Duke, and Ajax were still there, at least. For a little while. Her smile faded.

"Are you ready to head out or what?" She caught Duke say, his arm waiting for someone to hook their arm around it. It was the girl who had made such a long speech earlier. Clearly, she had impressed him for him to give her the time of day, and no doubt a ride back to camp. Alex watched, and expected even Wes to come to her... but neither of them did. Just her brother.

He ran to her and hugged her half to death, right before their father asked them to decide on something that Alex was more than happy to hear come from him. For years, she had wanted to meet him, and dreamt so many times of life beside him where she would get to see him every single day. But now that it was offered to her... she didn't know what to say. She had so much to leave behind.

She hugged her father. "We'll think about it." she answered for herself and Ajax before her father left to speak with Heath and Athena. It sounded important, but Alex wasn't about to eavesdrop. She wanted to be back at camp, so she headed out and made her way to the winged horses where Daniel stood alone.

It seemed he was waiting for someone, but the second some brunette girl arrived, Alex smiled. It was nice to see him moving on. She didn't know the girl, but Alex felt as though she was maybe what he needed to distract him. He had been through so much.

With everyone else partnering up, Alex climbed up onto the free horse, adjusting herself on its back. Maybe riding alone was a good idea. A chance to be by herself with her thoughts.

---

---

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ethan was glad he had the chance to talk with his mother more after the trial. He ended up talking about his plans to return to college when camp was over and Hestia showed him her personal quarters for inspiration for inspiration since he was now taking senior courses in architecture.

"This place is amazing mother! I am just overflowing with ideas now. Do you think I can come back at some point and see more? Possibly areas the other gods watch over?"

"Oh, I am sure Athena and Demeter will allow you if you ask them nicely. I can't vouch for the others however. As far as returning here in general, there's a good chance you'll be coming back here more often then you think. So tell me, what do you think of the camp so far and I want your honest opinion on the results."

Hestia knew he would have to leave soon and she wanted him to think about what might happen next. Needless to say, she was very worried for her son in the coming days and weeks. He was a peacemaker and with the rising tensions between some of last year's campers, she hoped Ethan would became overworked. Ethan told his mother about camp and his true honest thoughts. He seemed to be on the same wavelength as her too.

"I am worried what will happen to Alex though. Some might see what happened as a waste of time and might try to stir the pot. If things do come to a head though, I don't know what I am going to do. I want to ease tensions between everyone, but I know I have my limits."

"Stick with Heath and Iliana. Seeing how all three of you are in the same boat, I can imagine they'll stay neutral as well.

"Good idea. Well I guess I better start heading back though. It was great seeing you mother."

"You too son. Good luck and be careful."

Mother and son embraced before going their separate ways.

---

Ethan returned to the Acropolis area and soon saw Heath and Zeus. Heath spotted his friend.

"Hey Heath, I am assuming Iliana will be riding with you right? Well, I am going to see if I can hitch a ride with someone else, so I'll see you two back at camp."

Bowing to Zeus, the demigod left the area towards where their rides back were. He saw a few others leave, including Pete and Alex. He came upon a red-head young woman, who looked she was waiting for someone to ride. He came up and smiled.

"Excuse me, are you waiting for someone? If not would it be okay if I got a ride back to camp with you? Oh, my name is Ethan and I am Hestia's son."

Ethan held out a hand in greeting.

---

xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After Ethan left, Heath turned back to Zeus.

"What I wanted to ask about concerns Iliana. I wanted to do something to help her with her empathy. She has made strides to become more open, but with all the negative emotions she has felt at camp, it appears like she's taking one step forward and two steps back. I've talked about this with my mother and we were thinking she could have an amulet of some sort to help her not absorb negative emotions so easily. At least until she's strong enough to reflect them on her own. So I was wondering if you know someone who might be able to help in that regard. My mom said Nemesis or one of her children could do a blessing of some sort, but she doesn't know if blessings work that way."

Soon Athena showed up just as her son asked Zeus for his help.

"If you have any other ideas, we would appreciate it. We don't need another situation that happened between Alexandria and Jennova. As sweet as Iliana is, she can become a ticking time bomb herself."

Heath had to agree with his mother and hoped something like never happened again. Both he and Ethan did learn from Athena that Iliana had unintentionally killed the person who killed her father and she had forgotten the whole incident.

---

xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Demeter giggled a bit as Ajax fumbled his words when talking to Iliana. Iliana herself had a hard time understanding the first part of what he said, but was caught off guard when he asked if he could ride with her though. She looked back at Demeter for assistance. Demeter came forward and decided to explain a few things.

"Iliana, I am going to tell Ajax a few things about you okay? Is that okay with you?"

Iliana hesitated, but knowing she could trust her mother, she nodded. Demeter smiled before turning back to Ajax.

"Iliana lost her father at the age of 5, Ajax. It had a major affect on her, so she briefly lived here with me. She eventually ended up living with Athena's son's family and Heath's father adopted her, so they are siblings now. Heath moved out when he was old enough and Hestia's son, Ethan moved in with him when he decided to study abroad in Scotland. Eventually after an incident happen, Iliana came to live with the boys, and she's still recovering from that incident. That incident is what left Iliana mute. Hopefully she'll find her voice again. So Iliana, do you want to ride with Ajax?"

Iliana was relieved that her mother didn't tell Ajax everything. She was still a bit leery of him, but decided she didn't want to be scared of him. She did wonder why she didn't get scared of Mason's anger. Probably because while Ajax's anger was more red hot, Mason's anger was stone cold. Seeing how she still needed to give Ajax an answer, she wrote something down and showed it to both Ajax and Demeter.

~Um, what about Heath and Ethan?~

"I'll tell Heath and I believe I saw Ethan heading for the horses. Both of them are big boys, they can take care of themselves.

Iliana sighed and wrote.

~Okay Ajax, I'll ride with you, but I won't be able to talk with you until we get back to camp.~

"Well then, I guess I'll go and find Heath now Lia. Now give me a hug goodbye okay?"

Realizing it might be awhile before she saw her mother again, Iliana hugged her mother tightly and tried not to cry. Demeter hugged her right back.

"You will be fine dear. We'll see each other soon okay? Stay strong and whatever happens, keep your chin up okay?" Demeter told her before hugging her one last time.

Soon the goddess left the two. Iliana took a deep breath before facing Ajax. She quickly wrote in her notepad again.

~Lia is my nickname. So, after you I guess?~

The blonde was feeling a bit awkward, but would be strong for her mother.

---

~Okay Ajax, I'll ride with you, but I won't be able to talk with you until we get back to camp.~ That was fine by him since he needed to go over his own thoughts anyway about the entire trial. Seeing everything his sister had done due to manipulation, and the feeling of not being able to protect her from it in the first place. He blamed himself, yet again.

~Lia is my nickname. So, after you I guess?~

He could tell she was finding it awkward, or that she was feeling anxious about the entire situation he had invited her into, but she would be ago once he had given her the time to warm up to him.

Ajax motioned his head to the horse with a smile. "Ladies first." he carefully took hold of her waist and hoisted her up onto the horse's back before hopping on behind her, before he took the reins and chuckled as he felt her tense up slightly with his arms either side of her. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you, or throw you off mid-flight. I promise. That's only for those who start singing annoying songs." he joked, knowing that she wouldn't be able to with being quiet. It wasn't long before they were back at Camp. The horse executed its landing perfectly before he hopped off and helped Iliana down gently. "See, wasn't so bad was it?" he asked, and gave her shoulder a gentle, comforting rub. "I swear I'm not all Mr.Angry."



The following day, Ajax woke with the feeling that he hadn't slept that well. The trial still lingering in his head, the feeling of his own girlfriend hating him more than ever, and how everyone was going to be now Alex was free.

There was always going to be tension in the air no matter what, and after yesterday... they needed something normal. Something that could at least allow them to relax for a little while Maybe a beach party like last year? It would be easy to set up. Daniel was the only person, so far, that he knew was enthusiastic about music, or maybe they could set up a cushioned area on the beach, huge fabric screen to watch a horror movie or something like that?

He got out of bed and put on some clean clothes after quickly using the bathroom to wash etc, and headed outside and headed towards the canteen to get some breakfast.

He sat in the far corner by himself, for now, hoping that he wasn't looking unapproachable to those who needed him as the staff announcement came through the speakers. "As soon as you can, head to the staff cabin and vote for the poll that is pinned outside. Movie night and games with drinks and food, or Just a traditional Campfire, music, games, drinks and food." the speakers squeaked slightly as they turned off, and Ajax remained to enjoy his morning cereal of cornflakes. He had voted for the movie night.

(( Zeus post on its way ))

---

---

"What I wanted to ask about concerns Iliana. I wanted to do something to help her with her empathy. She has made strides to become more open, but with all the negative emotions she has felt at camp, it appears like she's taking one step forward and two steps back. I've talked about this with my mother and we were thinking she could have an amulet of some sort to help her not absorb negative emotions so easily. At least until she's strong enough to reflect them on her own. So I was wondering if you know someone who might be able to help in that regard. My mom said Nemesis or one of her children could do a blessing of some sort, but she doesn't know if blessings work that way."

Soon Athena showed up just as her son asked for his help.

"If you have any other ideas, we would appreciate it. We don't need another situation that happened between Alexandria and Jennova. As sweet as Iliana is, she can become a ticking time bomb herself."

Zeus had taken into account of their reasons for turning to him for help, and why exactly they needed it, but he wasn't sure he could help since his powers only reached so far. As he paced up and down before them, his hand stroked at his chin where a beard was growing. "Athena, I ask that you take it upon yourself to help your son find a God that has the exact power to create such an item. Amulets charmed to hold such a power is not what I am capable of producing." he turns his gaze towards her as he stands still. He appreciated that they came to him first than anyone else, but this was something he could not aid them in. "I am sorry that I was not helpful. I know it is what you hoped for, but I must disappoint you. I wish you all the best, young Heathen. For you, and your sister." he waved his hand, causing the doors to the room to open.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

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


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After conversing with the one named Evelyn, Ethan stayed behind to wait for his friends. First to arrive back was Iliana, who was with Ajax. Seeing the two interact, he decided to let them 'talk' before he would go greet them.

Iliana had wanted to smile or laugh at a few of the things that Ajax mentioned. The bit about annoying singing had been one of them, but the best she could do was a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth. However her eyes had shined in amusement. She was trying, but it was a slow go. The ride itself was fine. After he helped her dismount, Ajax asked if the ride wasn't so bad and mentioned he wasn't always angry. She had a feeling that the question he asked was rhetorical, but she shook her head regardless. While it was true he wasn't angry now, who was to say that would change? It was at that moment she saw Ethan. Relieved to see him at least, she turned back to Ajax and quickly wrote in her notepad.

~Thank you for the ride back. I guess I'll see you later.~

After bowing to him, she quickly went over to Ethan.

"Well now, did you enjoy your ride with Ajax there? I guess all that leaves now is your brother. Would you like to wait for him?

Iliana nodded and the two stood together in silence.

It really didn't take Heath long to return to camp. Even though Zeus hadn't been able to help much, Athena and him were able to discuss a few possibilities. She would go to Hecate and Hephaestus for help in making an amulet to help ward off negative emotions. She would deliver it to Heath herself or have someone give it to him or Iliana, hopefully by the end of the week at the most. By the time they finished their talk, all the other demigods had left. Luckily there was still one horse left. When Heath landed he quickly saw his sister and Ethan. As he approached, Ethan was the first to speak up.

"There you are. What took you so long?"

"I was talking with my mother and Zeus about Iliana. We're going to try and get Lia an amulet to help protect her from negative emotions to where at least they won't affect her as much. So what we decided, with Zeus's permission, was to get Hecate and Hephaestus involved. Hephaestus can make the amulet and Hecate can charm it. How does that sound, Lia?"

Iliana looked at Heath in surprise. She didn't know why she didn't think of something like that in the past. It was aggravating on how much influence people's emotions had on her. Want to tell Heath of her appreciation, she wrote something down and showed it to him.

~That you so much Heath.~

She gave him a hug. The three talked about the trial a bit before deciding to go back to their cabin to do their own thing before the day was over.

---

The night had been a rough one for all three. For one thing, several times during the night, Iliana had woken up crying and screaming. She was having nightmares again. This was why she actually slept with Heath, even though their cabin had three bedrooms. Heath never knew what nightmare Iliana was having for she either had nightmares about her father's murder or her kidnapping. This time he wouldn't be surprised if the nightmare was her father's death. He had learned about her conversation with Mason from her. Each time Iliana woke up, Ethan had come in to since he heard her cries. It was sad crying and screaming were the only sounds she made now. On the 3rd time Iliana had a nightmare that night, Ethan stayed in the same room and Iliana finally went to sleep.

She was actually the first one of them to wake up. She noticed that both Ethan and Heath were sound asleep. While she was tired herself, she was more drained then anything. Yesterday after they returned to the cabin she found out where the greenhouse and gardens were. Needing something to calm her nerves and hopefully revive her a bit, she go changed into her 'garden clothes' before leaving a note and left the cabin just around sunrise.

After an hour of gardening in the greenhouse, she returned to their cabin to see them still asleep. She decided to get going without them for once because she was now very hungry. She took a shower, got changed, and left another note she'd be at the main hall.

Walking towards the hall she heard an announcement.

"As soon as you can, head to the staff cabin and vote for the poll that is pinned outside. Movie night and games with drinks and food, or Just a traditional Campfire, music, games, drinks and food."

There was just one problem with that, Iliana didn't know where the main cabin was. And both options didn't sound too appealing to her. Iliana had always been picky about movies and she never been to many game nights. So she wouldn't worry about it at the moment. Reaching the main hall, she saw several people there, including Ajax, Mason, a redhead she didn't recognize, and Poseidon's daughter. What was her name again? Sighing, Iliana focused on getting breakfast and after getting some, decided to sit on her own, hoping that Ethan and Heath would arrive soon.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

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


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nelly kept her words to herself as Mason introduced himself and began talking about different campers. When he mentioned Liv, Nelly spotted her and remembered her from the trial about finding more evidence. Looks like she was a new camper like herself. Liv didn't appear to be a chatterbox, not like her. For one thing she had deliberately sat alone and was reading. Nelly looked back at Mason when he talked about Ajax. He had also mentioned his girlfriend. Was he jealous? She wondered who this girlfriend was. Whelp, she find out soon enough. One thing was obvious though, Mason hated Ajax and his sister. She remembered his testimony. He comment about Ajax screwing around caused Nelly to raise an eyebrow. Wasn't he one to talk? She had gotten a good whiff of Mason when she sat down and he obvious hadn't had a shower yet because she could smell something on him that totally feminine. He'd been with someone. She wonder if she should tell him that, but with Ajax in the vicinity, combine with her loud voice, and her not knowing who he'd been with, yeah things might not go well for Mason. While Nelly was no stranger to trouble, she did try to avoid causing it if possible. She'll just mention it to him when she got the chance.

All thoughts left her mind when he directed her to follow him to Liv's table. She laughed when he mentioned it was time for Liv to babysit her.

"I am a big girl, daddy, but thank you for your concern."

Liv then proceeded to converse with Mason with a very tart reply. Nelly just let her have her say while watching Mason's reaction. The girl could certainly hold her own. Finally the brunette addressed her.

”Well, on that note - welcome to Camp Athens. I like to call it High School, but with a dash of powers, killer demigods, romance problems on steroids, and whatever else you can imagine, but worse than that."

Nelly giggled before replying, "I've never went to HS so this might be interesting. My mother hired tutors for me because we traveled all the time. Still I only got a GED. Never went to college because by then I was making a living off of my pictures. Oh my name is Penelope, but I prefer Nelly. Roles off the tongue easier. Mason told me you're Liv. Do you prefer to be called that? It sounds like a nickname."

Even though her attention was focused on Liv, she made note of those who also showed up. One in particular caught her eye and that guy looked like he went through the gauntlet. Gees, what happened to him? He'd been silent in the trial, but she remembered he had been sitting with the redhead girl. As she waited for Liv to reply, she also saw a blonde conversing with Ajax, but he didn't look like he was enjoying her company.

"I can see what you mean about romance problems on steroids. I only got in last night, but my dad, Hermes, showed me what happened yesterday through a pensive with his memories. Is there anything else I should be aware of because it looks like I got her at tense time?"

That last question was asked in a serious tone.

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

Iliana watched and ate as other campers arrived. She purpose sat in a place where she could see everything. Nothing really caught her attention though until Cherise showed up with one she only saw briefly before, but knew he was on Ethan and Heath's radar. The two had approached a redhead and Keith. Iliana waved back to Cherise when the girl waved to her as she left. Soon Keith wasn't far behind. It wasn't long before that blonde minx showed up. She first went over to the redhead's table and said something. Iliana wished she was closer to she could hear them. Soon the blonde left to get her own breakfast and made a beeline for Ajax. Iliana frowned and would have joined them, but soon the same guy who told her run yesterday, sat down in front of her. She wasn't expecting this at all.

“What's your name again?”

She started writing that down in her notepad, but then he asked her a question she wasn't too surprised with.

“And why don’t you speak?”

She had a feeling that someone here would ask her that one day. She had prepared herself for that too. She already knew she would be as honest as she was able, but not say everything because she didn't know all the answers herself. She wrote down her answers before showing it to the dark hair guy.

~My name is Iliana. What is yours? And I don't know the exact reason why I can't talk because my memory is all foggy and fractured. All I can tell you is that I was hurt . . . by humans last year and it left me traumatized.~

It was then she saw Heath and Ethan enter the hall. The two guys woke up and saw her note. After taking a shower and getting dressed themselves, they headed straight for the hall. Heath frowned when he saw Pete with his sister. Ethan kept his grin on his face though. The two soon got their own breakfast before going over to Iliana and Pete.

"Good morning Lia. Did we miss something this morning?"

Iliana was quick to write down all she heard and saw that morning and showed it to her friend and brother. She also asked one check on Cherise and the other help Ajax. The two nodded and ate.

"Don't worry, Lia, we'll see to it. You take care of yourself then. And you," Heath said turning to Pete,"Next time you tell my sister to run, I suggest you warn us next time. Excuse us now."

With that, the two guys left the hall.

"Ethan, you go help Ajax since you're more familiar with him. I'll check on Cherise. I want to be able to figure out if Sylas had any influence on her and to see what Eve might have said."

"You be careful then. Are you sure you don't me handling that part since Eve and Sylas are able to manipulate people? Since I can influence others myself, they wouldn't be able to affect me."

"That's exactly why I want you with Ajax. You won't be able to get under her influence."

"Righto then. Good luck. Ethan said before returning to the hall.

He approached Ajax and Eve and immediate sat next to Ajax, not even bothering to address Eve.

"Hey, how are you doing? Heath and I woke up a little late, but I thought I heard an announcement. Do you know what is was?"

Heath soon found Cherise, who was with some other guy. He recognized him for he sat with her during the trial.

"Hi there, sorry if I am interrupting. Iliana wanted to see how you were Cherise. She could tell something was troubling you."

Keith didn't mind the silence. It did give him time to wonder just how badly he might have upset Cherise and that she didn't really forgive him but other than that tormenting debate, silence was fine. They were walking in step together so either she was ready to argue or things weren't as bad as they seemed.

"You don't need to apologize. For anything," she spoke after what seemed a lifetime. He visibly relaxed. That could go up for debate, it wasn't fair to see somebody as one dimensional. But he left it alone not wishing to argue or debate.

Cherise linked her arm through his and led him and his attention away from the daunting son of Hades. Keith gave a questionable glance at her touch on his arm. Not that he minded. It was more a matter of 'does she know she's touching me'. She unhooked herself and set down her bowl and the two sat together at a bench.

”I’m the one that should apologize, really. I mean, I got really defensive without considering all that you have been through. You don't know me, and maybe it will take some time for you to trust me. I just want you to know that, as silly as it sounds, my intuition is compelling me to offer you a safe space - something, anything." His brows furrowed slightly. He had to try imagine the extent that would apply. "If you need something, Keith, anything at all - just let me know. But if you need me to beat up the son of Ares, you'll have to give me a few days notice to make sure that I can come up with a clever plan."

There was his answer, to the extent she'd try to outmanoeuvre an Ares son apparently. He hadn't noticed the Ares boy but he did know the daughter and she was a handful without testosterone. "I appreciate the thought. I mean it sounds terrific and terrifying at the same time." He chuckled too and scratched his jaw. "You're here for me though, I get it. And I appreciate it," he stated more seriously so she knew he took her offer to heart. Cherise didn't seem the type to offer things insincerely.

His fingers, whether subconsciously or consciously, skimmed over hers before another male approached and Keith placed his hands in his lap. "Hi there, sorry if I am interrupting. Iliana wanted to see how you were Cherise. She could tell something was troubling you."

Keith smiled at how kind that was. To be looked after from afar and have someone else relay the message...though that part was actually a little strange. Keith lowered his head as he let the two converse and wasn't invited in their conversation. That was until Cherise added a gateway for open conversation, even if it was a lie. "We were just weighing our party options - campfire or movie night. I actually thought that a campfire would be nice if the weather is good for it. How about you?" That wasn't for him then.

Keith drew stray patterns on the bench idly. But maybe he shouldn't let himself get pushed to the background all the time. "I'm a big fan of movies but it's something we can do at any time really with a group of friends if we wish. Campfires are harder to get together so.." he shrugged, not that his opinion mattered, "I'm also voting for the fire, drinks, etcetera etcetera," he told them. Although he wasn't sure if that was including himself or interrupting a conversation.

It seemed fate didn't want him healed or to have quality alone time with Cherise. He wasn't blaming Heath, he seemed a decent guy but it was just a streak of bad luck. When he finally felt he could open up or ask something of her, somebody else was nearby or she had a crossbow. The longer he left it, the more he'd hesitate. He knew it. He could feel the hesitance growing and opportunity slipping. Keith cleared his throat. "Hey, could I ask a favor? Could you heal me?" He rolled up his top revealing his bandaged stomach where an arrow from a crossbow pierced. Very smooth. "This is, uh, my own fault. I played with conjurations and that never goes well. That's like advanced witchery." Keith rolled his eyes to himself and tried to smile. It didn't stop him from feeling like an embarrassed fool. No matter how he downplayed it, he sucked with his powers.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

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


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Oh, it's just Liv. It's not Livianna or whatever else it might be short for. My mother was a cruel, cruel woman. Loved to keep people on their toes."

"Hey that's fine with me, Liv. With my energy I always kept my mom on her toes, but she's adventurous herself so she didn't mind. But anyway it's nice to meet you."

Indeed, she was thrilled to have hit it off with someone so far. Now the problem would be staying in touch consistently. She was always good at making friends, but keeping them was hard for her.

Liv then warned her about the blonde not too far away. She was sitting with a gorgeous guy and as clueless as Nelly could be when it came to 'romance', she could tell that the guy was not interested in her.

"Oh I'll definitely keep an eye on her then. This should be interesting. I do plan on getting to know everyone here. I do remember her from that court scene and even though she wasn't speaking up, I do remember her sitting with another guy. One of my abilities is my photographic memory so that helps."

She continued eating and was almost done when Liv asked if she was a photographer or model. The model part caught her a bit off guard and she laughed in response.

"Definitely a photographer, hun. I am too independent for my own good and do not take direction well. I've met a few models and omg, it's like that have no meat on their bones at all! And oh, I do documentary pictures mostly from landscapes to city scapes."

Suddenly, all hell broke lose when Andy arrived with who Nelly remembered being Ares's daughter, Trinity. The dark hair lady zeroed in on the minx and really laid it on her, even going so far as to physically threatening her and using her powers. Even Nelly was a little scared of her. Her own skills were the 'threatening type' like Andy's so seeing those kind of powers being used now was unnerving. So this was Ajax's girlfriend. Now the pieces were coming together bit by bit. The blonde, Eve, started to leave, but soon had a few words of her own. One part definitely caught Nelly's attention.

“Now that I think about it though, that must make you feel pretty crappy. Ajax is such perfect, loyal boyfriend to you, and you can’t even fake loyalty. Since we all know you're not a one man kind of gal.”

Now that was eye opening. Nelly's gaze looked at Ajax's reaction and saw him clench his jaw. Did Andy have feelings for someone else? She immediately thought of Mason who appeared to have a thing for Andy based on what he told her. Oh lovely, a love triangle and you add Eve into the mix and it was just one big mess. After making a comment about the 'birds and the bees', Eve left and it wasn't long before Trinity as well as Ajax and Andy. Nelly whistled and turned back to Liv.

"Wow! Now that was intense! You know, Mason told that Ajax has been with other girls, yet according to Eve, Ajax is the loyal one and Andy is the one who is having issues. Now I can already tell Mason doesn't like Ajax, so I am wondering in all of this mess, where does the truth lie? My mom is a journalist and that is always her ultimate goal, to find the truth while being as unbiased as possible."

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

Iliana watched as the whole confrontation between Andy and Eve commenced. It was so intense that it left Iliana in shock and she couldn't even take in all the emotions from all parties present. She sensed Ethan using his own serenity inducement immediately to try and help the situation, but it seemed to bounce off of Andy. Only Ajax seemed to be the only one to calm down Andy. Her heart went out to the girl. Her powers were terrifying. Now she had an idea on how Heath and Ethan felt when she used her powers when mad. At least Andy had better control of her abilities because she could have easily killed Eve. Both Ajax and Andy ordered Eve to leave and she did, but not before getting the last word in. She had felt the girl's fear, but there was another emotion she couldn't put her finger on. Well, the girl reaped what she sowed. She looked over at the dark hair guy, read his emotions and wrote down down something before showing it to him.

~Are you okay?~

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

So there was a beach party tonight? Well that was bound to be something, Ethan thought. However all thoughts about a party exited his mind as Andy stormed in, along with Trinity. Immediately he started using his serenity inducement, but Andy's anger was so big that he had no effect on her. This was surprising to him for it was his best skill. This wasn't a good sign. Maybe he needed to practice more.

The confrontation didn't last long and soon all participating parties left. Great, now what? Ethan looked back at Iliana and saw she was in shock. Well, better to be in shock then an emotional mess. He decided he would keep an eye on her for Heath, but also kept an eye on Sylas and one of the redheads in the room. He noticed a completely new face come into the hall, but she soon left herself. Ethan figured he'd meet her soon enough. He would tell Heath what happened soon enough. Hopefully though he was having better luck on his end.

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

"You’re not interrupting at all! Also, I am fine. I think maybe the stress of a new place is kind of getting to me, but I will be just great. We were just weighing our party options - campfire or movie night. I actually thought that a campfire would be nice if the weather is good for it. How about you?"

Heath wondered Cherise was going to be fine. She wasn't lying, but Heath was still a bit pessimistic. Then his thoughts drifted to the mention of a party. He didn't recall hearing about a party. He did sleep in late, so maybe it happened then?

"Was there an announcement this morning about a party? I accidentally slept in this morning so I don't remember hearing one."

He also wasn't sure which party option he would pick. He wasn't the type who went to these kinds of social interactions.

Then the other guy spoke up and Heath finally paid attention to him. Something about the guy seemed 'off'. He was definitely uncomfortable. It wasn't long before he asked Cherise to heal him. Normally Heath was a nonchalant person, but even he couldn't hide the shock from his eyes.

"Wow, it's a miracle you survived. Oh what's your name again? I am Heath by the way. I am new to this camp."

X

L I V X P F E I F F E R

Poseidon x Hex:#00CCCC x Outfit

---

X

C H E R I S E X B O Y S E

Apollo x Hex:#fa8072 x Outfit

---

X

L I A M X O ' C O N N O R

Ares x Hex:#eb641d x Outfit

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
xxxPete had noticed her using the notebook before so he wasn’t shocked when she pulled it out and started scrawling. When she turned it to show him the note she’d written, he took the notebook without asking, leaning back in his seat to peruse her scrawl. My name is Iliana. What is yours? He didn’t spare her a glance up as he mumbled, “Pete” in response and continued reading. And I don't know the exact reason why I can't talk because my memory is all foggy and fractured. All I can tell you is that I was hurt . . . by humans last year and it left me traumatized.

Pete’s response was a low whistle as he tossed the notebook back onto the table for her to snatch back, that seemed a sordid tale indeed. He didn’t have time for any other follow up questions though as the bodyguards/brothers/boyfriends? swooped into the main hall. They sat and ate like men on a mission as Iliana spoke to them through her notebook. Pete for his part slouched back sipping his coffee. He’d make an escape but there was hardly any better choices in the hall.

Eventually they rose to leave, but not before Heath leaned over towards him actually acknowledging Pete’s presence at the table. “And you, next time you tell my sister to run, I suggest you warn us next time. Excuse us now."

“You’re excused,” Pete mumbled to himself as the blonde and redhead left. Noting to himself that he definitely hadn’t promised any sort of warning system. With that he put down his coffee and looked back at Iliana with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve got those two wrapped around your finger, my sister would be impressed. And jealous.” Speaking of the devil herself, Pete’s attention was snapped away by a commotion on the other side of the room. Eve, naturally, at the centre of it. It wasn’t until he saw the flash of a blade though that his whole body became alert, ready to jump to his sister’s rescue the moment things went too far. He wasn’t a fool, he knew whatever was going down, Eve had instigated, but his body was running on the instinct to protect its other half.

Luckily it never got that far, and Eve pranced out of the room like nothing has happened. Of course, he could see she was a little rattled but no one else would. It wasn’t until a notebook was basically prodded at him that his focussed snapped back to Iliana in front of him. Are you okay?.

“What?” He had to the read the note twice more before he realised what she was getting at. He was half out of his seat, he relaxed back into his seat and uncurled his right fist to see that he’d scraped a nail into his palm and drawn blood. Black poisonous blood. Ready for a fight. He looked at it for a minute before wiping his palm clean on his thigh. He scowled darkly at Iliana across the table. “No, not really.”

He’d answered honestly. He wasn’t okay, he was feeling murderous, at his sister for being an idiot, and at himself for jumping up to get himself killed alongside her. “I’m getting the fuck out of here.” He mumbled to Iliana, his version of a politely excusing himself. As he snatched up his coffee and book, prowling out of the main hall.

Heading nowhere in particular, the moment he was far enough away from the crowd he pulled out a cigarette and lighter. Now was the time for a smoke if ever there was one, it was only their second day here and Eve was getting threatened by a knife. Apparently he couldn’t take her anywhere. Taking a long drag he looked out towards the shoreline, “I’m going to fucking kill her.” His threat to no one was sinister and dark even if he had no intention of carrying it out.

His only intention in leaving main hall had been to get away from people, but apparently he’d failed at that as he looked up and saw a brunette only a few feet behind him. Liv something he recalled from the trial. No doubt she’d heard him cursing out Eve and was about to run off and cry murder. “I didn’t-“ He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair trying to figure out how to explain it without actually having to say anything. “Sister.” He figured that was the simplest way of explaining it, after all anyone with a sister had threatened to kill them at one time or another.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

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


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It was pretty evident that Nelly put her foot in her mouth again after a few reactions from Liv and even Andy. She saw Hecate's daughter look at her and instantly felt regret. Nelly knew one of her biggest flaws was to say what she was thinking and that often rubbed people the wrong way. She wasn't going to apologize for it, but she would apologize if it hurt someone. Seeing the couple leave, she made a mental note to apologize later. It wasn't long before Liv spoke to her though.

"I'm only going to say this one time, dear. You will be better off staying out of their drama. These girls here, they don't want help. They want everyone to feel just as sorry for them as they do for themselves. They want all the boys here to revolve around them and their fragile little egos, and these silly boys are more than happy to oblige."

~A little late for that, staying out of trouble at least.~ Nelly thought.

Also, Liv seemed to be jumping to quick conclusions here. She sounded so sure here. Also she wasn't making much sense either. What do these girls not want help with? Nelly couldn't help but look a little perplexed at Liv's statement there.

"I say, let them consume each other's time with all their bullshit. Me, I have training to do - things that are more important than your quest for gossip. Because while all of you are busy playing high school, I will be busy exploring all the ways that my powers could make people pay for their slights."

Ooh, that really burned, but Nelly wouldn't let it get to her. Liv was definitely someone to be aware of. Her being a child of Poseidon meant she was more powerful then her. She would make sure to stay on her good side. And being a gossip wasn't something Nelly tried to be, it just happened at times. Her father was definitely a talker himself. Her thoughts became jarred when someone showed up.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I was just wondering if this seat was taken. I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Sylas."

Liv was quick to introduce herself before leaving. Nelly kept her eyes on the new guy though. Even though she had her normal 'nice smile' in place, if there was one person she'd been told to be wary of, it was this guy. Her father told her Sylas was a Child of Eris when she inquired about him. Hermes knew how bad Eris could be. This was the person who was ultimately the reason for the Great Trojan war so Hermes never pulled pranks on her like he had with others, even Hades. Nelly then noticed that Sylas was bruised in some areas.

"Hi there Sylas, my name is Penelope, but most call my Nelly. And as you can see it's just me here now and I wasn't waiting for anyone. I actually got in last night from another trip. Now I hope I am not being a bother here, but are you okay?" she asked, pointing to his bruises.

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

Pete's answer to her question scared Iliana. Yes he was definitely not fine. He was furious, but unlike Andy's temper, his was more like a volcano about to erupt rather then a storm, and those kinds of tempers could be more dangerous. He suddenly left and Iliana thought about him for a bit. She could tell he wanted to ask her more about her ordeal and in all honesty, she wasn't ready to talk about it. His statement about Ethan and Heath though had caught her off guard. It also made her think. It never occurred to her, but Pete was right, those two did do everything she asked them to. She had gotten use to Heath's attentions even growing up for he always wanted to protect her. He always been that way, especially after what happened to her recently. And Ethan had taken a break from college just to help her. Was she being selfish? Had she come to rely so heavily on Ethan and Heath so much that they didn't have their own lives to live anymore?

"Now that's a serious face. Care to share Lia?"

Ethan's sudden appearance caused Iliana to gasp in surprised.

"Oops, sorry Lia. I should have realized you were deep in thought."

Ethan saw Pete leave and figured he would check on Iliana. Iliana soon calmed down before answering his question. Ethan saw Iliana's serious face again as she handed him her notebook.

~Do I take up too much of your free time?~

"Where did this come Lia? Ethan asked, confused.

~Pete, the guy that was here. He mentioned something and it made me wonder if I demand too much of your and Heath's time. You two are always with me and rarely do anything for yourselves. Ethan I know you took a hiatus from college to help me. I don't want you and Heath to be around me so much if it means it's taking away from you enjoying your lives. I am sorry for being selfish.~

This gave Ethan pause. True, much of his currently life did revolve around helping Iliana, but he had made that choice. He knew how dangerous humans were and it was his choice to help Heath and Iliana. Heath had even told him how grateful he was to Ethan once and it made him feel wonderful to feel useful. Heath wasn't one to dish out compliments, so when he did give one, he always meant it.

"Listen to me Lia. You've been through hell and back in your life and I wanted to help. I think you're one of the strongest people I know and you've made great strides from the tragedies you've been through. You're also one of the most selfless people I know too and I've known a lot of people because you always are trying to help others. You're not forcing me to do something I don't want to do. I want to help. I know there will be plenty of times at this camp when I'll get to do my own thing. For now I am just content to hang out with you two since I am more comfortable with ya'll. Believe me though, I do want to meet everyone in this camp, even the more complicated ones."

Iliana listened and nodded. It was a lot to think of. One thing she knew she was going to do though, try to spend more time away from Heath and Ethan. She didn't have to meet everyone in this camp, or least get to know them, but there was no hurry either. That's when she remembered this morning's announcement.

~We're suppose to vote for a movie night or a campfire party night by the way. I don't care either way honestly, but I think I would prefer the campfire since there be more space so I can be alone if I want to, or leave early. I am going to go walk by myself for now. Can you tell Heath I will see you two later?~

Ethan nodded before Iliana got up, took her dirty dishes away and left. He soon left himself.

After Iliana walked out of the Main hall, she spotted Mason and another blonde. Her name was Trinity right? She remembered her from the trial. She didn't see anyone else though and not knowing what to do, just walked wherever her feet guided her. She ended up coming upon some cabins and saw the state of one of them. It had seen better days. Horrified, Iliana ended up approaching it before seeing two people exit it, one being a huge guy who look capable of damaging the cabin and the other was a dark haired woman. She had yet to meet these campers. They also appeared to be talking with each other. Not wanting to interrupt them, she started heading in another direction. Still the state of that cabin haunted her thoughts.

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

Heath saw he was being a third wheel when he saw Cherise look at the other young man.

"Thanks for the information Cherise and yes, I'll see you two later.

He started heading back to the main hall when he saw Ethan coming towards him. Where was Iliana? He didn't have to wait long because Ethan took initiative.

"Iliana wanted to walk alone and wanted me to tell you that. Oh and a lot just happened after you left." he said before telling Heath everything that happened between Ajax, Alex, and Eve. He then talked about his talk with Iliana. Heath sighed.

"I'll be honest Ethan. I am always terrified that something will happen to Iliana when I am not with her. But my practical helps keep me sane because I know Demeter is even more protective of her daughter. So much so she told me she'll always have something watching her, even at this camp."

"Like what exactly?"

"Like tree nymphs or her own personal servants. Being the Greek equivalent of Mother Nature, Demeter does have a LOT of connections. Only Poseidon would have more since water covers more of the Earth then land."

"So what do you want to do now? Oh, there's an vote we have to do. We need to decide if we want a movie night or campfire party."

"Really? I'd rather stay in my room and read or work on my latest book. But then again the party idea might be best because then I can keep an eye on other campers. I still don't trust Mason when it comes to Alex. And we still need to find out what happened to Sylas."

"How about this then? I've been wanting to find time to work on some architecture ideas so why don't we head back to our cabin so you can work on your book and I can do that. Well we can do that after voting. Then this evening we can do the party. I was going to vote for partying anyway because I've been wanting to meet the rest of the campers anyway."

"Good idea. Oh, thanks for everything Ethan. You've been a great help, and I know you didn't have to be."

"Anytime man! I am just happy that Iliana is trying to do more things on her own."

This caused Heath to smile and the two headed off to make that vote.

X

C H E R I S E X B O Y S E
&
K E I T H X M A D D E N

Cherise caught cheating.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513 ~ x

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


xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sylas was quick on the uptake and replied to her question.

"Oh, I'm peachy."

That obviously was a lie, considering the smile he gave when replying. Oh, well, she'd find out sooner or later. It wouldn't surprise her if he got into trouble and got beaten up for it. Sylas warned her about the Ares kids and about picking her friends wisely. There was a hidden meaning in that. Why the children of Ares in particular? Was one of them responsible for what happened to Sylas? It wouldn't put it past them. Trinity had been told to break Eve's arm if she misbehaved not too long ago and the blonde would have done it. She didn't remember Ares's son name, but she remembered he was a very huge man.

"Thanks for the warning. I like my face as it is."

Soon she finished her breakfast and Sylas took his leave of her, saying he hoped to see her at the party. She waved goodbye too. He was interesting, but she would still be wary of him.

After breakfast, Nelly spent her time exploring the camp and taking a lot of pictures. At one point she also made it a point to exercise at a training facility at the camp. By the time she was done with that, she had enough time to eat an early dinner, take a shower, and get ready for the party. She had been to different types of social events in her life, but none of them had been beach parties. She didn't have a traditional life by any means, which included a regular teen life. Keeping with the 'beach theme' though, she changed into something fun. She thought about taking her 'good camera' since it could take pictures in the dark, but seeing how this would be a party setting and it was a big camera, she decided not to bring it this time. Tonight was a night of getting to know people and having fun.

Exiting her cabin, she walked towards the beach and soon came upon the party. There were people already here. Soon she saw someone she had been wanting to apologize to, Andy. She came up to her with a cordial smile.

"Hey. My name is Penelope, but you can call me Nelly. Um . . I am sorry if what I said earlier this morning hurt your feelings. I am known to say what I am thinking and it's gotten me into plenty of trouble. Just know that whatever my actions are in the future, I would never intentionally hurt anyone. So yeah sorry."

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

Both Ethan and Heath were able to get plenty of work done that day. Each spent their own time working on projects. They did take breaks though to get outside and jog a bit some time after lunch. Neither of them had seen Iliana almost all day. She did text them to let them know she was okay though. Iliana herself been exploring the forest area mostly, all the while keeping an eye out for other campers. At one point she ended up close that damaged cabin again and had felt such rage coming from it, even from a distance. It scared her so much she ran for the trees again. She sat behind a tree and rocked herself back and forth. Suddenly a figure came out of the tree itself and hugged Iliana. This startled Iliana but she settled down quickly realizing what it was. A tree dryad. Her mother told her a number of them had decided to stay at the camp for lookout reasons. Iliana let the dryad comfort her and soon fell asleep. She woke up and checked the time from her cell phone and this was when she texted her brother and Ethan. Seeing how late in the day it was she figured it was almost time for that party. She had no plans for 'dressing up', but she figured she'd better get something else to write on. She had a tablet to write on when it got darker. Decision made, she got up and headed out of the forest area, only to see someone coming out of that damaged cabin. Even from a distance she knew this wasn't one of the two people she saw earlier. Coming up closer and softly, she was close enough to make out it was Sylas. Was he the one she felt earlier that was raging? He didn't seem mad now. She was too far away to make out his emotions and she didn't want to risk getting any closer. She waited until he was out of her eyesight before rushing in the opposite direction, taking another route to her own cabin.

Ethan and Heath had just changed when Iliana came through the door. She was out of breath and both guys took note of that.

"Did something happen Iliana?" Heath asked her.

Once Iliana got her breath, she quickly wrote down all she saw after breakfast.

After reading what Iliana wrote, Heath asked, "Did you happen to get a good look at the two campers that came out of the cabin?"

~Unfortunately no, but I do remember them being male and female. The male was muscular and the female had dark hair. Um, can I take a shower really quick?~

Heath nodded and Iliana left the room to take a quick shower and get changed.

"I don't know about you, but this situation has me confused," Ethan commented.

Heath was trying to piece things together himself. If Sylas had been furious, there had to be a reason for it. Nothing ever happened without a cause. It might have something to do with the pair that Iliana saw earlier. And one of them had been a muscular male. Didn't Sylas have bruises on him this morning? Did they male have something to do with that? Iliana had been fortunate to not have been noticed by Sylas this afternoon, but the same couldn't be said for that couple. He would keep an eye out for two people that fit those descriptions.

"I am thinking that this muscular guy had something to do with the state of that cabin and Sylas's bruises. Now was for why Sylas would throw a fit, it could be a number of reasons. One thing is for sure, that man is dangerous as well as whoever damaged his cabin. We best keep an eye on Iliana too because she doesn't know if that one pair saw her."

"Right. Aw, there she is. I see you used that 'wind' technique to dry your hair, Lia," Ethan remarked as Iliana came back into the room, dressed and hair dried.

Iliana hated hair dryers and would normally let her hair dry naturally, but the only time she willing used her wind ability was to allow a little draft come through the window and it would dry her hair that way. She only used this when she was in a hurry though. Iliana nodded in response to Ethan's comment and grabbed a tablet.

"Lia, I want you to have fun, but let's be watchful and careful too okay?"

Iliana nodded and the trio left for the beach. By the time they arrived, others were there. They saw a redhead greet Andy, along with Sylas interacting with Evelyn. And Mason was with someone too. They had to do a double take. Heath himself looked very perplexed. Was that Keith? It looked like him, but by his mannerisms, he was acting totally different. Wanting to understand who this person was, Heath, followed by Iliana, approached the two.

"Good evening, um, Keith? Did something happen to you? You look different," Heath asked, coming straight to the point.

Iliana watched her brother. She never seen him look so baffled in her life and wanted to see if he would be okay.

Ethan had decided to mingle with others. He soon spotted Cherise with another camper. They looked to be close friends. Deciding to greet them, he headed over.

"Evening. Cherise right? I don't think I've properly introduce myself yet. My name is Ethan, and I am friends of Iliana and Heath. I was studying abroad in Scotland and that's how I met the two since I was staying with Heath. Who's your friend?"

Mason treated himself to a couple predrinks at his cabin. It was just a method that would make the party tolerable quicker.

Somebody clapped him on the shoulder and Mason was about ready to shoot daggers at the person before seeing who it was. Mason slowly let a grin come across his face. That was no useless geek, that was Daniel. He flickered his eyes to Andy but she didn't seem in great spirits despite his return. Mason looked back to Daniel and forced himself to smile then pulled him in for a one armed hug with a bottle in the other. "Come on, you know I don't dance. At least not until I have a few more drinks in me then there's like a 8% chance." Mason leaned towards Daniel. "If the girls want to dance, they'll dance. And if they want to dance with somebody, they do that too." Except for the quiet ones but that was on them to suffer in silence.

"Or if someone dares you." Daniel waggled his brows while Mason scoffed, busying himself by knocking back the rest of the drink. "Think of this as my welcome back party."

He saw where this was going. The burning liquid travelled down his throat. "Who?"

"Your choice. But I've got a bet to win so if anybody asks to dance with you, you dance, okay?" Daniel laughed. Yeah, it was a different threat from most.

Mason smirked. "I'll see what I can do." Accepting his new fate, to make a fool of himself again, Mason began to scan the demigods gathered. There was a body or two he thought to ask because he wanted to dance with them. There was Andy as one, but they weren't on great terms, and this stunning redhead that knew she was hot by the way her nose was nearly in the air and her eyes hungry to break some guy's heart. Eve had other people to flirt with and torment. Trinity drew in too many eyes whether they were loved up eyes or hate eyes.

Then it clicked. And would you look at the duo that approached. "Good evening, um, Keith? Did something happen to you? You look different." Mason chuckled. That was going to be fun for Daniel to explain. So while the stunned deers figured out the mysterious case of Keith and Daniel, Mason shifted closer to Iliana.

"Also here. Thanks. Do you mind if I take Iliana off your hands?" He lowered her tablet that he saw was glued to her, and guided her away. No writing replies were necessary.

The girl still had body language and movement to tell him yes or no. "Do you want to dance? My friend over there, he's a witch, he can play something slow if you prefer?" He hoped said friend also saw him attempting to get a dance from the meek girl. Mason glanced around then smirked at Heath. Iliana was his little treasure, right? And from what he gathered, Heath didn't think much of Mason. Underneath all the torment though, there was a lesson to be learned. "I mean if you don't dance with me, I'm probably going to have to ask that girl that will eat me alive."

xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000 ~ x

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


xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
xxxxxxxxxx#4A766E ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B ~ x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nelly was waiting for an answer from Andy when someone suddenly joined them.

“Look who decided to show. Hey Nelly, I'm Trinity,” the blonde said before shaking her hand.

It was a very strong grip and Nelly could easily imagine the girl breaking her hand easily. She was nervous suddenly, but kept on smiling.

"Hello, Trinity. Nice evening huh? I got in last night so that's why I am late. I am still learning the ropes here so if you have any recommendations, I'll gladly take them. Is this ya'll's first year here or have both of you been here before?"

Of course she knew they were here last year, but they didn't have to know that. She had no plans on letting the others know what she learned about them. It wasn't much of course, just enough to know who was who and right now she was trying to stay on Trinity's good side.

She soon saw the Valises and Aphrodite's son arrive. It did look like Alex and the one named Wesley were close friends after all. She would make sure to watch Mason's reaction to her, as well as Andy and Trinity. If what her father suspected was true, Andy wasn't out of the woods yet. Ajax though looked very down in the dumps though. She wondered what he and Andy talked about. Did they break up? Both weren't too happy for some reason. As curious as she was there were certain lines that even Nelly wouldn't cross.

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

Heath and Iliana were waiting for Keith's response when Mason came up to Iliana.

"Also here. Thanks. Do you mind if I take Iliana off your hands?"

"Huh?" Heath asked before being given Iliana's tablet.

Iliana was just as surprised as Heath when Mason took her tablet away and guided her away from Keith and Heath. Just what was he after? Well she quickly got her answer.

"Do you want to dance? My friend over there, he's a witch, he can play something slow if you prefer?"

Iliana's eyes open wide with that. Why on earth did he want to dance with her? He so didn't seem like the dancing type. One could easily tell she was confused, they just wouldn't be able to discern what she was confused about. Iliana looked around Mason at her brother, who had seemed to recover and was merely watching with his neutral look but turned back to Keith. Iliana took that as a sign that he would trust whatever decision she would make.

She must have been taking too long to make up her mind for Mason said, "I mean if you don't dance with me, I'm probably going to have to ask that girl that will eat me alive."

Now who was he talking about? Iliana didn't care at this point for she had just seen Alex and Wesley arrive and wanting to keep Alex safe from Mason for now, she nodded slowly and let him dance with her. She would also keep tabs on others too. Iliana herself wasn't much of a dancer, but she knew the basics at least so there be no stepping on feet for her.

Heath watched his sister and Mason dance. Just what was Mason trying to do here? He didn't know if he should be perplexed or protective, but he would trust Iliana. He turned back to Keith.

"Sorry, not use to seeing my sister dance. I don't know if you know this, but Iliana and I aren't blood related. My father adopted her after her own biological father was killed. Anyway, back to that question?"

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

outfit

xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
xxx
Eve had to restrain herself from glaring at her brother. She’d gone round to his cabin with good intentions, hoping a good dose of gossip would snap him out of his moody funk. All she received for her efforts were his scowls. Pete nodded across the dancefloor, ”Looks like lover boy found someone new.” Eve’s eyes followed his and saw Mason starting to dance with Iliana, her eyebrow spiked upwards at the bizarre pairing.

She looked back at her brother with a coy smile. “So you were listening today.” She decided that she just had to investigate further so she gave a half salute to Pete and Liv, “Laters. Enjoy being all sulky you two.” Then she delved into the party, heading towards the dancing pair, getting there in time to catch Mason’s smirk towards Heath. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the smirk was about and Eve was almost proud to see him pushing someone else’s buttons.

She decided pretty quickly to help and sidled up to Heath and the guy he was a talking to, hearing the end of Heath’s comment about watching Iliana dance. She smiled up at both of them then flicked her eyes to dancing couple with a smirk “I get to see Mason dancing? Is it my birthday?” She eyed up Heath, flicking her eyes from him to Iliana and back a few times. Deliberately making herself look concerned as she leaned towards him. “You know, I’m super impressed with you. I thought you’d be over there all growly and ripping the two of them apart.”

She placed a hand on his arm using it to influence his thoughts, Be protective of Iliana. Keep her away from Mason. She didn’t say the words out loud, not wanting to give the game away, so her magic would be less binding. But if he was already feeling a little protective or conflicted, her magic would seep in and mould his thoughts like putty.

Dropping her hand she shifted her attention to the brunette with Heath. She eyed him over, he looked familiar, but surely she would have noted a good looking guy like him, not to mention she’d be aware if Mason had a friend. She didn’t count Andy. “And you,” She chucked a thumb towards where Mason was off dancing. “I would have bet serious money on that guy having no friends.” She laughed running her hands through her hair and lowering her voice to a false whisper. “Between you and me, I think he fancies himself as some kind of big scary wolf.” She flashed him a playful grin, to show that she meant no harm. Playing the friendly card until she knew what kind of guy she was dealing with. “I’m Eve.”