Ethan Knox's Story

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P O S E I D O N

god of the seax • x#006578

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wesley preston
aphroditex|xoutfitx|x#667c0c

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sloane astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#c7b29b

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sylas astor
erisx|xoutfitx|x#064c4b

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andromeda bolton
hecatex|xoutfitx|x#990856

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

xxxxxx Daughter of Ares | Outfit | #461f4b

Could it get worse? Trinity didn’t think so, but of course it did. Others tragedies played out, including Theo's and Andy's, her brother's, but didn’t entirely distract her from her own. Only added to the utter defeat. She just wanted to sink lower and lower. Folks were coming out of their trials in another shape.

At last, they seemed to reach the end of demigods to torture. But it didn’t feel over and she didn’t feel relieved because… "I'm going to kill someone." Words from her own half brother. Then Liam lunged. All at once the arena seemed to burst into action. Trinity jumped to her feet, clearing rows and columns in a heartbeat , somebody shouted out and the Gods intercepted moments before Liam could break Heath.

But it got worse than that when Poseidon announced Liam would be going to Tarturus. Trinity’s eyes widened, shaken even further. “N-..no. Hey! That’s a bit extreme!” Her words fell on deaf, or rather godly ears. They went about their business like she was only child with a minor inconvenience. Liam was barking mad and consumed with fury but Tarturus was taking her half brother away to a worse place. It's not like the place would rehab him and he'd come out a refined gentleman.

She already felt stripped and taking him away only added to it. Some demigods took their queue to clear out, others seemed to take the time to process things and she was one of them. She remained frozen, using the seats in front as a brace. Both of Ares children exposed themselves as blood hounds. She felt herself literally pierce Theo and Wes and how angry she was. Every being of her wanted to kill them.

But she could think about this anywhere. Struck by a sudden consciousness, Trinity found herself eyeing the arena and Wes hadn't moved and was accompanied by Theo. She huffed and marched off before being stuck into any eye contact.

She knew there were things to talk about. But it was all an overwhelming amount like there was so much to say, she didn't really want to bother to talk at all. Yet before she could storm into her cabin, she stopped, fists clenched. Nothing was wrong with being her typical self and shutting out everyone after some major exposure and wrecking her cabin but at the same time...she wanted the confrontation. If she saw herself murdered by someone close, she'd wanna square up.

Trinity growled to herself and punched her door. Fine, fine. She spun on her heel and bee-lined Wesley's cabin. And if he wasn't there in a timely manner then obviously they weren't meant to talk about anything they saw. Not that she was or is a believer of fate. She parked her ass against his cabin and ran her hands through her hair in agitation. Where did she begin? "Hey? " "You stupid fool, why don't you fight?" "Sorry I murdered you?" She threw her head back against the wall.

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xxxxxxx E V E L Y N xx M A S T E R S

xxxxxDaughter of Nemesis | Outift | #ffc300

The best thing that could have happened to them was for it to end. Poseidon, being a god of his word, called Liam last, and it should have been a good hallmark. But if his sister was any indication, looking like she was in heaven in an archaic arena, his would be worse.

Evelyn prided herself on her composure, but truthfully, she had stomached and tolerated plenty of bloody scenes and other's traumas already. The occasional wince crossed her features but overall she was distant and foolishly distracted. She had people's true characters and exposures on a platter and she was too consumed in Sylas's to unpack the others'.

There was some major commotion after Liam's trial. By the looks of it, based on the firm restraints and his visible veins about to burst and wild eyes, he snapped causing even Sloane to leap up and shout his name. Meanwhile, Trinity was paused mid-motion staring intently at the scene. To help or hinder, she had to wonder. But even that animal as they labelled, that beast and unhinged of a demigod, had people that cared for him. Even after they saw all the violence and impulse he possessed.

Once they vanished, the area seemed somewhat lighter. Her harsh and less forgiving judgment on herself and others seemed to filter out. She found it slightly less oppressive anyway because she was sure her peers and self still felt unease about their fears and anxieties and greatest challenges being on display. It was plenty to digest for everyone. Personally, Evelyn had a whole knot in her stomach to untangle.

From there, she seemed to navigate herself on auto-pilot once they were officially dismissed. It was like she barely even heard it and just started to rise. Her eyes caught Nemesis's and what stared back was a most stern and disappointed look. Evelyn didn't question why her mother was disapproving but rather, to which part broke that stoic posture. If her mother was a mind reader, things would be worse than some daggers because she still couldn't hate, nor was utterly repelled by Sylas.

Most demigods stuck to themselves. Given the circumstances, it made absolute sense and she was no exception. For one, before she played the social game again, she needed to compose herself and get her head straight. As things had it, she found herself near enough one particular demigod. One that deserved to be spoken to sooner than later given the recent happenings. “Heath.” She quickened to his side. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. Truly. You and your family.” Evelyn referred to the tight-knit trio. Evelyn knew they had nothing but love and empathy for each other. And Iliana...poor Iliana. Ethan would be busy using his serenity powers if he was in his own state of mind for it.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

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xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
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xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nelly had to take a deep breath after Iliana's trial. Now that was rough to watch. It was no wonder why the young woman was the way she was. Right now she looked like a broken doll, rocking herself back and forth. At times like this, Nelly didn't know what to say. She did see Ethan move slowly towards her though.

Ethan didn't know if his serenity powers would work on Iliana at the moment, who didn't even want to be touched, but he wanted to try something. Heath was clearly distraught, having been rejected by her. His mother had been starting to teach him to use his serenity inducement without touch, but that was harder to do accomplish. Ethan was still a bit shaken by his own trial, but he knew by trying to help Iliana, he'd be able to have something to focus on other then anything else. So slowly he sends out his energy towards Iliana. The blonde feels his energy, but is still too consumed with images of the past to fully accept it. She blots out everything else entirely. She was broken, inside and out.

The next trial was Theo's, the late arrival. For Heath, even though it was a trial, it was frustrating to watch someone not come up with a battle plan. Attacking at will was never a good idea. Even though Heath had yet to learn how to plan out battles himself, even he knew you had to have one. He did feel sorry that this was one of Theo's fears though. Also, Heath had never been in that position himself so he couldn't say how he would react. Every minute or two he kept looking at Iliana, grateful to Ethan for trying to help her.

Nelly couldn't help but wonder how she would fare in a battle in general. She knew coming to this camp would would learn to train, but as far as her abilities went, she didn't know where she'd fit in. At the moment she was totally focusing on anything BUT her own trial because it kept filtering in the back of her mind, plaguing her. It was very annoying to say the least. At least she didn't come out worse like some. She would just put those images under 'nightmares' that she had in the past, because she did have them. She also felt compared to most, hers was nothing, even though she had nearly died in the past like her trial revealed. She honestly wasn't too worried about others seeing her fears. Nelly, unlike her father, was a terrible liar anyway, at least when it came to keeping secrets.

After Theo's trial, it was finally Andy's. Heath knew after her it be Liam's and this all would finally be over. Andy's trial didn't surprise Heath too much, at least those who were present in it, given Alex's trial and what Iliana saw the other day. Come to think of it, Heath wondered why neither of the Valises nor Duke were at least present for these trials. He couldn't help but question why Poseidon didn't demand they take it if he was all about being fair. His mother never talk about her relationships with other gods since she wasn't that kind of person, but if Greek myths were to be believed, Athena and Poseidon had a bit of a rivalry between each other. Deciding not to dwell on it, he focused more on the trial, which was brutal. Heath despised those who deceived others. His eyes inadvertently glanced at Sylas. There was someone capable of it. Still, it be wrong to just think Sylas was the only one.

Last but not least it was Liam's turn. Much like Iliana's trial his was nothing but memories, but Heath wondered the context of them. It was all action, no build up. Still the man upon finishing his trial, was like a bull ready for action. Heath tensed up when he said he was going to kill someone. However, what happened next scared him as much as his own trial. The madman made a dash for him. It was like his life flashed before his eyes. Iliana felt Liam's blinding rage heading their way and turned to see the Ares child come upon her brother. She would have jumped, but Poseidon was obviously faster then her and got to Liam before she could get fully out of her seat. She had felt her own rage rise up too and honestly would have probably kill the guy himself if Poseidon hadn't subdue him. The thought terrified her. She really was a monster. She barely heard the words as the gods finally dismissed them and left with Liam. It was then she realized that Ethan had his arms around her as she was crying and screaming again. She hadn't even realized it.

Ethan was trying his darn best to calm down Iliana, but she was going ballistic. Taking everything within him, he pushed all of his serenity inducement into her, which ended up causing Iliana to collapse, having exhausted herself. The weather had gotten bad again when Iliana lost it, but calmed down when she calmed down. But now Ethan was completely worn out and wanted to lay down himself. He felt sick to the stomach too, having seen his best friend almost get killed. It took Heath several minutes to calm down himself.

Nelly was terrified of what Liam nearly did. However she remember that Poseidon said something about his son coming soon. She looked at Liv at that. But the girl was hard to read. Still it seemed like at least between all of Poseidon's offspring there was some kind of need to prove themselves, if Liv's trial was to be believed. She watched as some campers leave. No what she was suppose to do? Looking at Heath's group, she saw Evelyn approaching them. Better let them be for now. Getting up herself, she wandered from the arena area, deciding to finally get some lunch, she was hungry. First thing first though, she got her cell phone out and called her mother.

"Mom. . . . Yeah I know it's early there, but I had to call. . . . . The gods showed up when two campers fought each other and as punishment, had us all do a trial each where are deepest fears or buried memories were revealed. You can guess what mine was about. . . . . Yeah my near death experience and my fear of needles, but there's more. Mom I know you're careful in your line of work, but if anything were to happen to you . . . . . . sniff . . . . Uh-huh . . . I just wanted to call and tell you I love you and to make sure you were okay. . . . Okay mom, I'll let you get back to sleep, thank you. . . . Hehe, I'll try to stay out of trouble. Bye mom."

Feeling a bit better, she headed for the main hall.

---

Heath looked up when he saw Evelyn approach them.

“Heath. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. Truly. You and your family.”

Though still rattled from what happened, Heath nodded.

"Thank you. It's been rough for us. I don't know what will happen now that Iliana remembers everything. Those memories she just saw, most of them were repressed, at least that's what my mother told me. Even I didn't know what exactly happened. A lot worse then I thought. Do you mind telling me what Poseidon said before they left? I was too shaken up to fully pay attention."

Managing to sit up, Ethan also chimed in.

"How you holding up Evelyn? Are you going to be okay?"

He might not have understood Evelyn's trial, but it must have been hard on her, so he wanted to make sure she was okay.

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

xxxxxx Daughter of Ares | Outfit | #461f4b

Wes plucked her up with ease, which she went with. “I – ” There was no time to say anything because his lips landed on hers. A little shocked at first, Trinity's arms went against his chest habitually before embracing the kiss. Her brows furrowed and she wrapped her arms around him, reflecting the same emotions. A sort of pain and longing cross blend.

She drew away slightly only to breathe, pressing her nose against the side of his. “I’d never do that to you,” Trinity muttered, her frown only deepening. Trinity guided his face to hers and kissed him again. She was mainly talking about his trial because she could never guarantee the limit of her own rage, unfortunately. She would like to think she wouldn’t hurt him in a furious haze but Liam showed what they could do indiscriminately. And that gave her kiss a dose of desperation.

She held him tighter and found a few extra tears escaping her. Apparently, she wasn't fully aware of all the emotions racing through her other than it feeling all overwhelming. “Can we go inside?” she croaked to him as she swiped under her watery eyes and cheeks. Crying wasn't the best state for a daughter of Ares to be seen in and though it was only natural, Trinity hated it.

Trinity let Wes lead, taking his hand but avoided looking at him. Whether it was shame or she was afraid to look at him and crumble some more or a mix...she did her best until she was sat down. Expressing herself beyond anger wasn't her strong suit. “Wesley, I'm sorry. For my trial. It's not a matter of a triangle though and....” That awful ache in her chest came back, wanting to make her sink six feet deep. “I felt you die. I killed you.” Her breath shuddered. “And it broke me. It’s like part of me died too. Or I wish it did anyway. I love you.” Saying it to the living breathing version didn’t feel as relieving as she imagined. Probably because it was as vulnerable as showing her heart to the enemy and because she was still upset seeing Wes die and in an alternate reality, could have confessed too late. Trinity extended her arms out to him for a tight and much-needed hug.

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xxxxxxx E V E L Y N xx M A S T E R S

xxxxxDaughter of Nemesis | Outift | #ffc300

She was almost surprised to have got a decent reaction from Heath given their last encounter and how displaying one’s traumas can have people feeling exposed and vulnerable. But she knew it right away when he looked at her. His eyes weren’t malicious or bothered by her.

“Thank you. It's been rough for us. I don't know what will happen now that Iliana remembers everything. Those memories she just saw, most of them were repressed, at least that's what my mother told me. Even I didn't know what exactly happened. A lot worse then I thought. Do you mind telling me what Poseidon said before they left? I was too shaken up to fully pay attention.”

“Understandably,” she commented. “In summary, it was that his own son is coming to keep us in line, be on our best behaviour and don’t make him and the gods come back and that Liam's visiting Tartarus.” She studied Heath to see how he'd digest the information. Or, how he'd take missing such information as a son of Athena. However, it was possible he wasn't as pedantic about things.

“How you holding up Evelyn? Are you going to be okay?”

Evelyn's eyes shifted to the red head male and she smiled a little to the considerate son of Hestia. “I’ll be okay. It’s a lot to unpack, like anyone’s. Thank you for asking.” And she meant that. Something as simple as asking how she was coping in turn was kind to say the least. But that was Ethan. Courteous to the core, not a rotten bone in his body.

She cleared her throat. “I'll let you go about your day. We all need time to reflect and settle.” In the trio's case, form a shell of safety and support. In hers, some self-admittance.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“In summary, it was that his own son is coming to keep us in line, be on our best behaviour and don’t make him and the gods come back and that Liam's visiting Tartarus.”

Heath nodded in appreciation. Ethan was glad Heath asked Evelyn too because he had been too preoccupied with Iliana to hear Poseidon too.

"That's good to know. I honestly didn't think coming here things would be so dramatic right off the bat. Thank you for telling us."

Heath wasn't worried about himself or Ethan. Both were all about following the rules. He didn't know about Iliana. She was generally pretty peaceful, but he didn't know how she would be now and that unnerved him. She could easily turn out like Alex.

Evelyn then told Ethan how she was doing before letting them be. The two young men were grateful for that. It was a time to reflect and calm down.

"Take care of yourself too, Evelyn. Hopefully things will get better, although I wouldn't be surprise if things got tumultuous again."

Standing up, he turned to pick up a still sleeping Iliana. Ethan got up too and turned to his fellow red-head.

"We'll see you sometime."

With a wave he followed Heath. The two headed back to their cabin. After putting Iliana in her room to sleep, they sat down in the living room area.

"Oi, that was just plain crazy. Now that it's just us, be honest with me, Heath, are you seriously okay?"

For once Heath let down his guard.

"No, I am not. This day has only just proved to me just how much I need to train myself. I was seriously not expecting Liam to come after me like that. I've always been so concern about others' welfare that I forget about my own. It's a good thing that Poseidon intercepted when he did because I did see Lia loose it. I don't know what would have happened to her if she had attacked Liam or worse. I don't know what will happen when she wakes up. I really appreciate you stopping her Ethan. You must be exhausted."

"I am. I know it's lunch time, but I think I may lay down myself. But I want to finish talking with you before I do that. I dread what Liam is going through right now. I question how being in Tartarus will 'improve' his own issues."

"We'll just have to wait and see. No use speculating over it. What else did you want to talk about? I'll probably go to the main hall to get lunch and bring food back for you and Iliana."

"Do you really think these trials will help people in the end? I could see a good number of people on edge and definitely a change person after each of theirs."

"Well for me personally, I doubt it. I'll always have these fears. The trick is to learn how to live with them. We'll see if the others can live with theirs. I am more worried on how others may use these fears and memories to their advantage. We don't know these people so who knows if any of them are as honorable as others.

"I think Evelyn can be trusted. She did seem genuinely sincere when talking with us."

"I hope so. She certainly didn't lie right now."

"Did you notice how she deliberately sat near Sloane at one point? I wonder what that was about."

"Don't think about Ethan. It's none of our business."

"You're right, well I am going to grab some snacks we brought with us and veg a bit before laying down. You get some real food, Heath. I'll let you know if Iliana wakes up."

Getting up, Ethan went to a pantry to grab a box of Wheat thins and head for his private room. Following Ethan's advice, Heath headed out to get some lunch.

xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

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xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Heath was slow in getting up. Normally he was very prompt in getting up at a certain time, but after yesterday he felt too lazy to even set his alarm. Checking the time, he decided to get up anyway. Wondering if Ethan or Iliana was up, he got dressed in casual clothes for he didn't feel like jogging that morning. He knew he was not his normal self, but yesterday had been rough so he decided to give himself an 'off day' as it were. He had bad days before but admitted they rarely affected him this much. After getting dressed, Heath went out of his room. He pondered knocking on his sister's room but decided not to. It was then he saw a note on a counter and saw it was from Iliana. It was brief, but it had a major effect on Heath. Not being able to locate Iliana set his nerves on edge. Immediately he checked Iliana's room and indeed she was gone. He also saw the locator stone was missing. Swearing, Heath started pacing back and forth. This was how Ethan found him when he exited his room. He had slept a good 12 hours and was feeling much better. However, his peace of mind was disrupted when he saw how frantic Heath was.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Heath turned and said, "Lia's gone! She took the locator stone with her!"

Ethan saw the note that Heath was holding and merely took it before reading it.

"I am sure Iliana is okay Heath. She just wants to be alone," Ethan said, trying to calm down the blonde with his words.

"But what if she gets lost and I can't find her? She was devastated from yesterday's events. She didn't even eat supper or come out of her room!" Heath shouted, panic and anxiety overwhelming him.

"Heath, chill! Do you really think anyone who works at this camp would allow anything to happen to Iliana? Not to mention there are those that Demeter has instructed to watch over Lia, like the dryads who live in the trees here."

What Ethan said made sense, but in one of those rare moments, Heath's own fears told him otherwise.

"I don't care, Ethan! Iliana's alone and I am terrified of what will happen to her. I need to know she's safe with my own 2 eyes! Mother wouldn't let me see Iliana when she was in Olympus healing and I promised myself that I would always make sure she was safe!"

"Believe me, I remember her telling you that, I was there after all. Iliana is a grown woman though too though, she just might need to sort things out for herself. You saw what she wrote here, she doesn't want to be a burden. If you keep trying to coddle her, that's all she'll ever see herself as! Now Heath, calm down please, panicking isn't going to help."

Ethan didn't want to, but he used his serenity inducement on Heath. He was still recovering though, so he only used a little. Heath, still frantic, did manage to take a few deep breaths.

"I still need to know she's okay Ethan. I will try to give her space, but I need to know she's safe first. I am going to look for her. You're welcome to come with me."

"Why don't you grab something to eat first, Heath. You'll need your energy."

Ethan knew he couldn't stop Heath once he made up his mind about something, but he could at least try to help. Heath looked at his friend and nodded and the two left their cabin.

---

"Do you breathe between sentences? Or is it all across the brain and out the mouth?"

What in the world was that suppose to mean? Of course she could breath in between sentences! Still, Nelly recognized an insult when she heard one, at least by Sylas's tone. This did confirm one thing, he had dropped the 'charming' act. He then commented about their 7 minutes in Heaven session and this confused Nelly even more. So much so that she had to comment on it.

"Um, did I ever say we were friends? I was just trying to cordial, Sylas, which never hurts anyone if you ask me."

He finally answered her question and basically told her to mind her own business and to leave him alone. Nelly was just about to do that, when suddenly she heard Liv telling her she was in her spot. Suddenly her food was discarded and she herself was shoved out of her seat and landed right on her side.

"Ow!"

Getting up and cleaning the mess Liv made she looked at the unpleasant demigoddess and said, "Thank you for assisting me in finishing my meal and out of my seat Liv," and turning to Sylas, "And thank you for answering my question too, Sylas. They say misery loves company, so I wish ya'll a good morning."

With that she took her ruined breakfast to the back and restock. She knew she had the tendency to get into trouble, but she also knew better then to stir things up more too, which definitely would have been the case had to talked to Sylas and Liv in the way they talked to her. Still she didn't like it how rude they were. After getting some more food, she looked and saw a new face. So there were still new arrivals coming huh? This new one was another brunette. With a smile, she approached the young woman.

"Morning! Mind if I sit here? I hate being alone."

After sitting down, Nelly was quick to introduce herself.

"My name is Penelope Givens, but I prefer Nelly. I am a daughter of Hermes."

Nelly held out a hand in greeting.

A few minutes later, Heath and Ethan entered the hall. Heath's eyes scanned the room for Iliana, but didn't see her. He hoped she got something to eat. He saw Sylas and Liv, but wasn't in the mood to ask them if they had seen his sister. He did see Nelly with an unfamiliar face though and figured it wouldn't hurt to ask her.

Nelly saw the guys come in and saw Heath making a beeline for her.

"Nelly have you seen Iliana?"

"Yeah, she was here when I arrived. She didn't stay long though. She didn't have her notebook either. Why do you ask?"

"Because I am trying to find her. Sorry to interrupt you," Heath said, looking at the brunette Nelly was sitting with and nodding before going to get himself breakfast.

Ethan nodded to the two also before following his friend. The two got their food and ate at another table by themselves.

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VINCENT MOORE
Son of Nemesisx|xOutfitx|x#394763

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xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

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xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
xxxxxxxxxx#483D8B

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ethan and Heath watched as others showed up into the main hall. First was was Evelyn, who left after getting her stuff. Mason was next and then lastly Cherise, who sat where Mason sat. The two friends ate in silence and finished their breakfast.

"I am going to start looking for Iliana now. What are you going to do?"

"I think I'll start mingling with some people. Of course, I know I should be careful doing that. Not everyone appears to be in the greatest of moods." Ethan said, glancing at Sylas and Liv's table.

"Okay. I do wish you help me look, Ethan."

Ethan had a serious look on his face when he answered, "Well, I am going to honor Iliana's wishes for privacy. You know she's not going to be happy if you find her."

Heath honestly didn't care at this moment if his sister was going to be upset with him. He did admit, his own trial still loomed over his head. He had to make sure his sister was safe, and that was that.

"See you," Heath said before getting up and taking his dirty dishes to the back before leaving.

Once he got outside though, he saw Evelyn with someone's jacket on with another new face. Deciding to stay out of it, he merely walks in another direction. He figured he should go back to his cabin first to get one of Iliana's pads and pencil just in case he did end up finding her. Decision made, he went there, got her tablet, and left again. He walked around for a bit before hearing something. It sounded like a song someone was playing. Deciding to investigate, he soon sees someone he doesn't recognize either. Looks like more and more campers were starting to show up. Walking towards her, Heath is careful to not disturb her and waits for her to stop playing before addressing her. Already he can feel drawn to her and wonder why that was. He'd yet to be affected by any woman yet. He wondered who she was. Still her need to find Iliana override any other emotion. Soon the dark haired lady stopped.

"Sorry for interrupting you, but I am looking for my sister and I was wondering if you had seen her. She's 5'2" with long blonde hair and amber eyes. She would be walking around with a necklace with a dark stone on it too. Her name is Iliana."

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Sighing, Ethan looked around. He could talk with Nelly and the new girl, but he decided to let them be. Others who were there he didn't think it be a good idea to join them. So deciding to look elsewhere, he took his own dirty dishes to the back and left. He also saw Evelyn and a new guy. What just happened here? He was curious to find out, but Evelyn didn't look too happy at the moment and the last thing Ethan wanted to do was make her any more upset. Looking in another direction he saw someone coming towards the main hall and soon recognized Wesley. He never really got a chance to interact with Aphrodite's son and hoped now was a good time. Walking in his general direction he could see the guy was in a very good mood, if the look on his face was any indication. Hoping to get his attention, Ethan made sure he was in Wes' line of sight. Once he was near he greeted the man.

"Good morning. I hope I am not being a bother, but I just wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Ethan Knox and I am Hestia's son. If your heading to the hall, mind if I accompany you? I've already ate, but I wanted to meet more of my fellow campers," Ethan introduced himself as he held out his hand.

---

Nelly caught the look of confusion on the new girl's face after Heath and Ethan left their table. She would have asked but the camper soon introduced herself as Julia and said her father was Zeus. Nelly's eyes lit up and soon she started talking again.

"Oh wow really?! That is so cool! You know there's two others here who are children of Zeus, but I haven't seen them at all recently. It's like they've vanished. Yesterday, some of the gods visited the camp to make us do a trial, but those two never showed up. I hope they're okay. Maybe they went up to Olympus. Sorry, I have the tendency to say my thoughts out loud when I am revved up. When did you get here Julia? I've been here for several days now. So much has already happened in that brief time. We're suppose to be getting one of Poseidon's sons today too, although I can't remember why at the moment. Is there anything you need help with?" Nelly offered, wanting to not get off on the wrong foot with this new one.

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wesley preston
aphroditex|xoutfitx|x#667c0c

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xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

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xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ethan was quick to notice Wes' demeanor as he introduced himself. It helped that he used to being around people and met different types. Looks like he goofed up in assuming Wes wouldn't mind him talking with him. Ethan might have been a bit too eager in his own introduction.

Wes soon spoke to him again, saying "Sure" in response to when Ethan asked if he could join him.

The man then walked away in silence and Ethan followed him, aware that he wouldn't stay long. He wanted for Wes to get his food and sit down before joining him.

"Hey, sorry. I guess my greeting was pretty sudden. I am also trying to keep the mood light because I don't want to think about yesterday. So I'll let you eat in peace."

He would have left, but then suddenly thought of something.

"Can I ask one last thing though, I know you've met my friend's sister, Iliana. She currently wants to be on her own, but her brother Heath is looking for her because he's worried about her. If you could keep an eye out for her, that be nice. Oh, you don't have to watch over her though, I wouldn't ask that of anyone. Anyway, you have a nice day Wes."

With a smile on his face, Ethan left the main hall again.

"Okay, now what do I do? Maybe I'll just walk around a bit, hopefully I'll bump into someone," he said talking to himself.

Decision made, Ethan just started wondering around, all the while keeping an eye out for Iliana, but he doubt she would anywhere near people.

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

Heath was relieved when the brunette started talking. He knew it was a long shot that she probably saw Iliana, but it was worth asking. Soon the young woman introduced herself as Veronica. Heath raised an eyebrow when she mentioned she didn't have any friends. She was being honest too. He couldn't help but feel bad for her. Still he figured he better introduce himself also.

"Nice to meet you Veronica. My name is Heath Taylor, I am a son of Athena."

Veronica then asked him if everything was okay with his sister.

"Everything isn't okay. I guess you're a new arrival huh? Yesterday the gods showed up and put us all through a trial because something happened. We basically had to see our worst fears or hidden past. Iliana had to relive the death of her father and another experience that left her traumatized and mute."

For some reason, Heath found himself rambling on and couldn't seem to stop.

"Iliana is actually my adopted sister. She actually didn't remember those memories until yesterday and it devastated her. She left this morning before I woke up. While she did leave a note, I still worry what she'll do. Oh, sorry to dump this on you. I am still on edge from yesterday myself due to my own trial. You're fortunate to have arrived when you did. I'll leave you to your playing. You're pretty good."

Heath blushed a bit because of how much he rambled to a complete stranger. It had to be Veronica. There was just something about her that had Heath talking so much.

"Anyway, again, I am sorry for rambling. If I am being honest, I do feel a bit drawn to you. Do you mind telling me who your divine parent is? Normally I am more control of my emotions."

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Iliana walked into a forest area. The sounds of nature did calm her, but her mind was still filled with her memories and thoughts. She had started chiding herself for being a coward. She was aware she was running from her problems, but what else could she do? She was a danger to everyone here. Anything could set her off. She found herself tearing up again as a gentle rain started to fall in her area. She honestly didn't know what she was going to do. She felt lost, that's the biggest thing she felt.

As she continued to walk, she looked up into the sky and wondered what her mother was doing. She wish she was here now, but no, her mother was a busy woman. Why couldn't she be more like Demeter? Her mother was an emotional woman but she complete control of her powers, at least as far as Iliana could see. She had tried so hard, and almost managed to be like her mother, but no, she was a complete failure. Her thoughts soon led her to think of Heath. She wouldn't be surprised if he tried looking for her. Heath might be good at hiding his emotions from most people, but being empathic Iliana could tell he was concerned. She'd rather he not waste him time worrying about her. From his own trial, Iliana remembered how he feared losing her. While Iliana wish she could disappear, she was too much of a coward to take her own life for she feared what the ramifications of that would be.

Finally stopping, Iliana looked up into the trees. Wanting to make sure no one could find her, Iliana started climbing one of the trees. The tree she climbed had thick foliage so she hope no one would be able to see her. She finally stopped as she neared the thinner branches, well, they would be too thin to hold her. Sitting in the tree, she looked out at the scenery and again felt some semblance of peace.

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xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

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xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
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xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In one of the those rare moments, Nelly was caught off guard. One minute she was talking to the new camper, at least to her knowledge, and next thing she knew Julia was saying bye to her. What just happened? She had been nice to the girl and tried to be helpful. As she continue to eat, she pondered over it and was having a hard time coming up with something. Best not to dwell on it for now because she was only going to give herself a headache. At least Julia wasn't rude to her like Liv and Sylas, but then again she couldn't blame those two considering yesterday. Speaking of which, Nelly noticed how Liv left Sylas. No chance she was going to try and interact with him again. Nelly knew she wasn't the smartest person here, but she knew when not to push too far. She looked and saw that Cherise was eating with Mason. Mason was someone who always looked like he didn't want to be bothered, plus Cherise looked serious with whatever she was talking about. Wes was here by himself. Wasn't Ethan with him? Heath was definitely gone. Finishing her meal, instead of talking with Wes, Nelly figured she ought to explore the camp more while taking pictures. She still hadn't seen the whole camp yet. Decision made, Nelly got up, took her dirty dishes to the back and left.

Returning to her cabin, she grabbed her camera and headed out again. After walking for a bit she found herself near some cabins when she saw two people with suitcases walking about. Curiosity peaked, Nelly came closer. The first thing she noticed was the amount of luggage one of them had and it seamed to belong to the male since he was carrying it. Wow, did the man bring everything but the kitchen sink with him? She couldn't hide the surprise on her face before finally coming close enough to speak to the pair. Shaking her head, she put on a smile.

"Good morning, do you need any help? My name is Penelope, but I prefer Nelly. I take it you two are demigods? I am Hermes' daughter."

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Iliana had inadvertently fallen asleep in the tree she was in. So when Duke called out to her, she woke up so quickly, that she nearly fell out of the tree. But thankfully she had been laying on a thick branch and grabbed a hold of it instinctively. Looking down, she saw Duke just as he was finishing up his words. Her eyes widen a bit in surprise to see him. If Duke was back, then were Alex and Ajax back too? She contemplated going down the tree to ask Duke, but remembered she still couldn't talk. Plus she still didn't think it best to be around Duke either, no right now. Her heart was still pounding from the scare though. So she merely looked at Duke as he left her. She looked around and saw no sign of the Valises. What was she to do now? She wanted to avoid people, but she wanted to know if the Valises were back too. Then again, if Duke was able to find her, then that mean others could too. Plus, it might be best to just keep walking around. She didn't want to be caught off guard again.

Carefully, Iliana climbed down the tree and looked in the direction Duke went. Thinking it over, she wondered if it was best to go back to her cabin to grab her tablet. While she didn't want to talk to anyone, she also didn't want to come off as rude either by not being able to talk to them at all. At least with her tablet, she could tell others she wanted to be alone. The hard part was avoiding Heath, or even Ethan. So she would be very careful.

Iliana managed to luck out when she arrived back at her cabin. She hadn't seen either of her cabin mates, much to her relief. She was nervous entering the cabin. Looking around she saw that neither Heath nor Ethan were here. Deciding to be quick, Iliana grabbed her fully charged tablet and was out again within minutes. Walking outside, she headed for the area around the stables.

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Ethan, hands in his pockets, was roaming around aimlessly. He was really starting to get bored. He'd yet to find anyone to interact with. Maybe he ought to go back to his cabin and just work on his own designs more. He did miss college and since being here, he really wanted to get back to one of his favorite activities. He couldn't help but wonder when they would start training too since he knew that was a major reason his mother wanted him to come here. One ability he especially wanted to make use of more was his architectural alteration but he didn't know how that could be used training wise. When Ethan heard the word 'training' he thought of combat situations and Ethan was definitely not good at that. He didn't know the first thing about combat.

As he walked he neared some cabins and saw one of the cabin doors open. He would have passed by, but unintentionally heard someone say, “Now get out of my cabin.”

Hearing the anger and concerned of what may be happening, Ethan knocked on the wall of the cabin and called out, not wanting to enter the cabin without permission.

"Excuse me, is everything okay?'

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”Th-Thank, you. Fortunate might not be my word for it, but I can’t really go back to relaxing since I’d be worried about you, and Lia.”

That definitely got Heath's attention. He definitely didn't mention Iliana's nickname to this woman. The only people who knew her nickname were Ethan, his family and himself. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Heath knew Iliana had interacted with a few people online in the past before her abduction. Was this Veronica one of those people? It was unlikely, but Heath couldn't think of any other reason. He wouldn't think about it right now for there were more important things to focus on, but he would ask her about it at some point.

Veronica offered her services in helping him find Iliana though and in return he could help her about camp.

"Um, sure. I've only been at camp for several days though, so I don't know how much help I can be."

He already knew he wouldn't tell her about all the drama that happened, but he would warn her of a few people if she asked. Heath was never one to gossip so he wasn't about to start now. He did wonder what Veronica wanted to know for there really wasn't much to say about camp.

He listened to Veronica when she mentioned she was Aphrodite's daughter. That made perfect sense. It annoyed him that he was having a hard time controlling himself. He imagined it was frustrating for Veronica too. It then occurred to Heath that Veronica was Wesley's sister, or half-sibling at least. Heath did wonder just how many half siblings he had. He knew his mother was picky when it came to men. Not wanting to think about that at the moment though, Heath turned back to Veronica.

"Thank you for telling me that Veronica. It really helps to know it's not just all me. I'll try my best to not get tongue-tied around you. I also appreciate you wanting to help me find my sister. Hopefully one of the other campers has spotted her. Shall we?"

Heath turned from her and saw two figures nearby. Squinting, Heath saw that it was Theo and Daniel. Maybe they had seen Iliana.

Turning towards Veronica, Heath asked, "Do you mind if I ask those guys about Iliana? I think those two were here last year, so they probably can tell you more about the camp then me. If you don't want to interact with them, it's fine. I'll be right back."

Veronica shook her head, indicating she wasn't going to follow. Nodding in acknowledgement, Heath headed straight for the two men.

"Morning, you two know my adopted sister, Iliana right? Have either of you seen her? She went off on her own this morning and I want make sure she's okay."

He was pretty sure they remembered her since she was one of the last ones to have a trial yesterday. Then again, they might not have paid attention to her trial either.

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B L A I R xC A R M I C H A E L
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xEthan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513

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xHeath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000

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xxIliana Remington-Taylor ~ Demeter
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xxxxPenelope Givens ~ Hermes ~
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Iliana remembered the last time she'd been at the stables. It was the day when she first arrived, which seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened in such a brief time. Alex's trial, the party, and then there was yesterday's incidents. Not to mention all the little things that happened. Iliana didn't know what would happen next. All she knew for sure was she wasn't looking forward to it. So consumed in her own thoughts, she didn't realize that someone was following her.

Reaching the stables, she hesitated. She liked animals, but in her current state, she was afraid of what she would do. She learned animals could sense someone's feelings and could respond to that, especially with horses. One of Heath's relatives worked with horses and she got to see them a few times growing up. Never had the courage to ride one though. Heath did and did pretty well.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of Iliana's neck stirred and she turned around to see someone coming up to her. She didn't recognize him. Confused on what he wanted, Iliana gave the man her full attention.

"Hi there. I'm...I'm completely lost and confused. I've lost my bearings. Would you be able to help me out. I’m looking for the hall."

He didn't look confused, at least not to Iliana. She suppose she could lead him to the Hall, but that would mean running into more people, something she wanted to avoid. Still, she couldn't leave him hanging. She would show him the way, but then leave when she did. Decision made, she started typing her response on her iPad when the stranger spoke up again, talking about the horses before introducing himself as Lochlan, all the while holding his hand out. Iliana hesitated briefly, feeling compelled, placed her hand in his.

"And I think this is the part where you tell me your name."

All thought escaped her mind. She felt this intense pressure within her head. Without thinking about it, Iliana spoke for the first time in over a year.

"I . . . li. . . . na. Iliana," she said a scratchy and low voice.

Shocked, Iliana inadvertently dropped her iPad as she raised her now free hand to her mouth. She spoke. Lochlan could probably figure out she hadn't used it in awhile due to how rough it was. Iliana couldn't believe it. She remembered when Apollo had told her he healed her vocal chords. She had tried speaking then, but nothing came. It was like something was blocking her. Now for some reason she could speak. How did that happen? Totally forgetting about Lochlan, Iliana felt her eyes welling up.

"I . . . can . . . talk . . . . how?" she murmured to herself.

Suddenly a voice penetrated the silence as someone spoke.

"Good morning, Campers, I’m Nicholas Bower, and as you’ve heard from Poseidon, I will be assisting in your training. It is now something o’clock, so be ready at the training arena at 4:30 pm sharp. This training is mandatory. Be dressed for the part, and everything else will be provided for you."

Snapping out of it, Iliana quickly took her hand out of Lochlan's hand and picked up her iPad. It when she heard this Nicholas and some other female. What they said confused Iliana, and that confusion read easily on her face. Deciding to ignore it, Iliana thought about what Poseidon's son said. Training? A look of fear passed over Iliana's face. That was not good. She didn't think that be wise, but knew she couldn't avoid it either. Maybe when the time came she could show up and try to convince Nicholas to sit this one out. Feeling her anxiety rise though, she remembered Lochlan was still there. Looking at him, she tried talking again.

"The . . . hall . . . . . is that . . . way," she said, pointing in the direction of the Hall.

Wanting to be alone again, the blonde took off running, leaving Lochlan alone.

---

Theo was the first to answer Heath's question. He also noticed how the man didn't directly look at him at times, but seemed to be looking beyond them. Heath looked and saw him looking at Veronica. Knowing that she was Aphrodite's daughter, and his own initial reaction to her, Heath wasn't too surprised by Theo's reaction. But at least he gave him an answer. Then Daniel spoke up, but instead saying if he'd seen Iliana, he asked him her age.

"She's 19," he said simply, not understanding why Daniel would want to know that.

It wouldn't but the first time Daniel confused him though. Out of the campers Heath had met so far, Daniel was the most puzzling. At least he came off as a decent man, much like his sister. Before Heath could thank the two men for their time, Daniel spoke up again.

"I'm going to lay a pro tip on you. You're going to be divided one day, whether on your own or surrounded by people you can't trust so....branch out. Make friends in high places. That way, you don't have to worry about your sister every two seconds."

It was very sound advice and Daniel was probably right. He could probably relate to Heath since he had a sister and since both Daniel and Andy had been at camp last year, Heath knew he should follow good advice. Still, Heath's protective nature was never going to fully go ahead. Heath even before Iliana had come to live with him and his family, Heath could recall the times he tried protecting others. It was just innate for him to be that way, for better or worse. But Heath knew he'd would sleep better at night if he knew more people at camp would get along with Iliana. Her recalled Cherise being nice to Iliana, as well as Duke and Wes, at least from what Iliana told him. He also remembered Iliana had hanged around others more then he did. He would hope she would do that again, but first she had to get over the events of yesterday.

"Thank you. I will do my best to follow your advice,"

Daniel then mentioned that Theo was a great tracker. That got Heath's attention, but before he could say anything, an announcement was made. So Poseidon's son was here? Heath then caught Nicholas's voice again along with a female voice. Heath couldn't help but groan. He could piece together what was happening. Waiting a few more minutes, it sounded like the pair had turned off the speakers, much to Heath's relief. Focusing on what Nicholas said, it sounded like they were finally going to start training. He hoped Iliana showed up.

Looking at Theo and Daniel, Heath said, "Thanks for both of your help. If Iliana doesn't show up for training, I'll probably ask you for your assistance, Theo."

Bowing to them, Heath returned to Veronica.

"Looks like we're going to be training soon. I think I'll give Iliana the space she needs for now, so I'll go about my own way for now. Oh, I would recommend letting other guys know you're Aphrodite's daughter since we males might act like fools around you," Heath said with a small grin before continuing, "Thanks for your assistance. I'll see you later."

With that, Heath went on his way.

---

Ethan entered his cabin to see Heath already ready for training.

"Hey, any luck finding Iliana?{/color]

[color=#808000]"No, but did decide to stop looking for her right after that announcement,"

"Aw, well, I am going to get ready for training," Ethan said before heading for his private quarters.

It didn't take him too long for he dressed in workout clothes, the same way as Heath was. Ethan would have spoken up, but the front door opened and Iliana came in. The three stood in silence when Heath suddenly came forward and drew Iliana into a hug. Surprised, Iliana just stood there.

"You had me worried, Lia," Heath said.

"So . . . rry. . . ." Iliana said softly.

For the first time in his life, Heath was shocked. Did . . . did Iliana just speak? Gently, Heath held his sister back.

"What did you say?"

"I'm . . . sorry . . . I didn't . . . . mean to . . . make . . . you . . . worry."

Heath's jaw dropped and he found himself dropping to his knees. Concerned, Iliana dropped before him. Ethan hadn't heard Iliana speak, wanting to give siblings space, but he came forward and dropped next to his friend when he saw him drop to the floor.

"Hey, you okay? What happened?" he asked as he placed a hand on Heath's shoulder.

Tears appeared in Heath's eyes as he looked at Iliana. He honestly thought he would never hear Iliana speak ever again. Hearing her voice, as rough as it was, was miraculous. Overcome with emotion for the first time, Heath cried. Both Iliana and Ethan comforted him. Ethan was confused, while Iliana herself started crying.

Soon, Heath calmed down and looked at Iliana again.

"When . . when were you able to talk again?"

"This morning . . . when I met . . . a new camper . . . named Lochlan."

Now it was Ethan's turn to look surprised since he never heard Iliana talk before. When Heath heard Iliana mentioning someone new, he couldn't help but wonder if this Lochlan had anything to do with Iliana talking now. Well, with training coming up, now would be a good time to find out. Needing a goal to refocus, Heath decided to thinking about training, otherwise he wouldn't be able to recover from the shock he just received.

"Well, you can talk and I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel, Lia. Are you going to come with us to training, Lia? It be best if you did," Heath asked before getting to his feet.

Ethan and Iliana stood up too.

"I will come, but . . . I don't . . . want to . . . train. . . . Might hurt someone." Iliana said, slowly getting used to using her voice again.

"You might have no choice, Lia. Best get ready just in case. We'll see if we can convince this Nicholas to let you skip this session." Ethan said, trying to be encouraging.

Nodding, Iliana left to get changed. Alone once more, Heath decided to confide to Ethan.

"I still can't believe Lia can talk. I don't want her to train either, but I know our mothers want us to train. Mother even told me it's imperative for Iliana to master her powers at some point."

"Hey at least Lia can talk now. And maybe this training will help her."

"Iliana has been training since she was a kid though. I still don't know how being here will make a difference."

"Try to think a bit more positively, bro. Maybe training with other demigods will make a difference. I honestly don't know what to expect, but dwelling on the cons will not help us or Lia."

What Ethan didn't add was he wasn't looking forward to training either. He was not a fighter and knew he was severely lacking in practicing a few of his own skills.

Soon, Iliana came out of her room and the trio left for the training grounds.

---

Once there they saw others arriving, including Nelly. Nelly had a fine time taking pictures and was pleased the images she took. After lunch, she spent the next few hours at her cabin going through all the pictures. She already knew she would be making a scrapbook for her trip here. Her next plan of action was to get pictures of her fellow campers, but knew she'd have to get permission first. First rule in photography people was to ALWAYS get permission to avoid any legal trouble in the future. That was something her mother taught her. However, she knew she would never get pictures of them using their abilities. That was just asking for trouble and Nelly would never do anything that might put her and her fellow demigods in danger.

Once things were settled, a tall dark haired guy came forward and reintroduced himself as Nicholas. First thing he mentioned was how the Valises wouldn't be returning. This got Nelly and Iliana's attention. Nelly was curious for the reason why, but had a feeling she would never know why. Oh, well, at least she knew what happened to them. Iliana knew the Valises had gone to Olympus. Maybe what happened to them was too much for them to handle. She hoped they were going to be okay, especially Alex.

Nicholas then started talking about their training. When he was done, Heath and Ethan got up to get their tokens. Heath drew out a white token and Ethan drew a green one. Both were relieved their weren't sparring with each other. Turning back, they head for their seat. Nelly wanted to see what colors others drew before getting hers. She saw what colors Ethan and Heath drew, as well as a few others. She started heading up when Daniel head up, so she was able to spy his white token. Looks like he was going up against Heath. This should prove interesting. Daniel was Hecate's son right? So he was bound to use magic skills. Heath was Athena's son. She had no idea what his skills would be, but she imagined he would be pretty smart. Well she would wait and see. Coming up to Nicholas, she smiled and reached into the bag to pull out a pink token.

"Aww, phooey, pink? I was hoping for turquoise, navy, or orange," she complained since those were her fav colors.

Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbled, she suppose. Shrugging, she returned to her seat.

Iliana deliberately waited for everyone else to get their token before taking a deep breath and approaching Nicholas.

With desperation in her eyes, she quietly asked, "Do I really . . . . have to . . . train? . . . . I can't . . . control my powers . . . . I've killed before . . . "

She started crying again, thinking about the past once more. Once again, it started drizzling. Looking at Nicholas and seeing he wasn't going to let her be excused, Iliana sighed and grabbed the last token before going to sit down.

VeronicaxxLewis

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Daughter of Aphrodite
#B300B3

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xxxVeronica watched as Heath questioned the other two campers about his missing sister, her eyes slowly moving between the two of them. She was trying to see if she could work out who their parents were, though she’d easily admit that Heath didn’t jump out as what she’d have expected from a child of Athena anymore than she did as one of Aphrodite.

She’d hung back slightly to allow Heath to approach them but as he started speaking she’d gingerly moved closer; so she was standing far enough to be apart but close enough that she could just about make out most of what they were saying. It did help that the voice of the second guy carried easier than the first, who’d seemed a little distant when Heath was speaking to him. And then she realised he kept glancing over Heath’s shoulder towards her, almost stealing glances since he kept looking away a moment later. It made her feel somewhat self-conscious but at the same time she felt the shiver of excitement as the gooseflesh rippled across her skin. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to try and soften them again.

The second guy, who thus far seemed to have directed all of his attention towards Heath, seemed to have started onto some kid of speech that sounded like it was bordering on a lecture. The snippets she caught made her smile a little to herself since by the sounds of it, Heath was perhaps a little over-protective of his sister. She had to turn away slightly to hide her expression, just in case he turned around and thought she was making fun of him, which would be terrible given that so far, he’s the nearest thing to a friend she’s got so far. She glanced back over at Theo at mention that he was a tracker, which seemed an odd thing to bring up before she remembered that they were meant to be looking for Heath’s sister so that actually made perfect sense now that she thought it over.

The exchange in front of her was interrupted by the sound of a somewhat familiar voice that she couldn’t quite place echoing throughout the camp. Though it wasn’t until she heard his tone change to something more seductive, or at least a little teasing that she realised it was the boy she’d met earlier. As his interaction with another girl started to get a little heated over the intercom, Veronica had to almost stuff her hand into her mouth as she burst out into a fit of giggles, almost doubling over as the awkward conversation continued. When everything went back to silence it took her a few moments to calm down and be able to breathe properly without laughing.

She saw Heath walking towards her, and nodded when he suggested she warn these two who she was in case they had a similar reaction to either Heath or Nicholas. She was a little surprised by Heath’s sudden departure but he clearly wanted to be alone after the other boy had given him a bit of a dressing down. So taking a deep breath she walked over to the two campers and did her best to introduce herself.

”um, hey. Not sure if you heard Heath, but yeah, I’m the daughter of Aphrodite. Names Veronica, and as I told him if I had any friends they’d call me Vi. What’re your names?” Her tone varied throughout her introduction, mumbling a little to start before barging straight into self-deprecating humour as she gave her hand a wave towards the two in introduction. Though, one of them had simply turned and walked away before she’d started speaking in earnest and she wondered if the other boy had simply not heard her, but she definitely had the impression that he was ignoring her on purpose. Giving him a curious momentary glance, she returned her focus back to the other boy instead.

---

Veronica hadn’t really known what to do with herself during the gap between the announcement and their gathering at the arena, nor did she really know what she’d do during the actual training itself. After grabbing a little bit of food from the camps canteen, doing her best to avoid anyone else around she filled a water bottle before returning to the arena to wait. She’d kept her guitar with her since it would at least give her something to occupy her time with, so she'd simply lain back and gently strummed a tune while she waited for the rest of camp to filter in.

Nicholas, the great son of Poseidon she’d encountered earlier took centre stage and began to run through some details of what they were going to be doing, and what she presumed was an update on other demigods who weren’t returning to camp. That part piqued her interest, though since she’d literally arrived that morning she had no idea what drama had been going on before. The thought of going into the arena to fight didn’t exactly appeal to Veronica, but honestly what choice did she have. She was glad to finally know the name of the boy she’d sent running into the woods, even if when he’d first announced it over the intercom. She still needed to apologise to him for that as it kind of made her feel a little sorry for him, especially since he was doing his best to be authoritative. Though that had probably went straight out of the window when he’d broadcast his “extracurricular activities” all over the camp earlier.

Leaving her guitar leading against the stand she’d been sitting on she sauntered down to the front and picked up a green token from the bag. Turning it over in her fingers she slowly made her way back to her seat, while glancing around to find the token she’d spotted someone taking just before, and settling on a boy sitting next to Heath. The girl next to them must be his sister, but she looked rather uncomfortable and flighty as if she was about to make a break for it. There was definitely something familiar about her but Veronica still couldn’t quite place it, so it might be worth trying to speak with her later on. And as she watched the girl almost have a breakdown as she went up for her own token, she decided later was probably best. Definitely later.

This was going to be a rough afternoon as far as Veronica was concerned.

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VeronicaxxLewis

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Daughter of Aphrodite
#B300B3

EthanxxKnox

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Son of Hestia
#8B4513

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xxEthan felt bad for Iliana. He knew she didn't want to fight, but rules were rules. He saw her downtrodden look when she returned, orange token in hand. At least he didn't have to fight her or Heath. Looking at his green token, he wondered who he'd have to face. Well, he'd have to wait and see, won't he?

The first duel was between Nicholas and Andy. The duel was very intense, and Ethan couldn't but gap in awe at the two combatants. It seemed to be going back and forth until Andy finally came out on top. However, both she and Nicholas were exhausted. Even watching them tired him out. He knew with his own abilities; his duel wouldn't be as intense since he powers leaned more to supportive and defensive, rather than offensive.

He wouldn't worry about that yet for soon the next duel started and it was Mason and Evelyn. Now this duel definitely interests him more since he had more interaction with one of them, Evelyn. He genuinely like the redhead and hoped to get to know her better. So, it was hard to watch her duel with Mason, who was definitely intimidating. Evelyn did put up a good fight, but Mason did win in the end. Ethan was glad there seemed to be no permanent injuries at least. That was good. Of course, Nicholas did say there was to be none of that anyway, but Ethan wanted to be reassured of what he said was true.

The third duel was between Cherise and Sylas. Ethan watched as the man escorted the girl to the fighting area. Much like Evelyn, he also like Cherise, even though the girl and her friend, Rae, scared the crap out of him that one time when they pulled him in for a dance. Man, had it already been a few days ago? It felt like ages with all that had happened. Ethan didn't know what to expect from this fight, especially with Sylas involved. One thing he wasn't expecting though was to be blinded by an intense light. He covered his eyes much like every else when that happened. The duel didn't last long, even though it was very action pack. Ethan was pleasantly surprised to see just how efficient Cherise was with a quiver, but that's because she was Apollo's daughter right? Still once Sylas got a hold of her, it ended pretty quickly. Looking carefully, Ethan wondered if Sylas used some kind of mental power to make the girl submit. It had to be the case. Looking at Sylas, Ethan wondered if he was just 'playing it safe' for now considering what his trial revealed yesterday. The guy was obviously smart, so that wouldn't surprise him.

After their duel it was Wesley and some new girl. Wondering who she was, Ethan paid close attention to the action. The duel itself was surprising for Wesley had some good tricks up his sleeve, but even in the end even he lost. Still the fact he held out for that long gave him some hope for himself for he had NO fighting experience whatsoever. He couldn't figure out which God the new girl belongs to, but she was definitely cunning. At least the duel ended amicably. Ethan did hear the girl introduce herself as Hera's daughter though. Oh boy, another Hera child, but this one looked and acted decent at least. After the pair left, another new camper appeared. Ethan wondered just how many new campers would show up. He had seen Nicholas lay his head on some unknown girl's lap and he recalled that one bit of commentary this morning after the duel announcement. Not wanting to think of that moment again, his eyes looked at the new guy.

Seeing Liam join him definitely made Ethan nervous. Not even waiting for the arena to change, the Liam just hits the guy square in the fact in a quick knock out. Ethan winced, feeling bad for the guy. At least Liam left the arena without doing anything else. After that there was a very close match between Sloane and Duke, but Sloane managed to win, barely, but she won. It was times like this Ethan was glad the injuries people had would magically go away right after the fight.

His thoughts were interrupted when Liv spoke, and he saw her orange token. His gaze shifted to Iliana, who had turned white. Oh dear, this was not good. Iliana looked stricken and Ethan quickly placed his hand on top of her hand.

He said gently, ”It’ll be fine Iliana. No one can get seriously hurt in these duels, remember? Just do your best.”

He saw Heath nod in acknowledgement too. This seemed to calm Iliana down a bit as she took a deep breath and head for the arena herself. The two briefly interacted before the duel began. Much like the first one it did involve elemental abilities. Ethan winced at the beating Iliana took for Liv was much more aggressive than her brother. At least Iliana got one hit in before being defeated. When she returned, she pretty much collapsed on top of Heath and ended up laying her head on his lap. Heath himself didn't look happy and something seemed to be on his mind, but Ethan would wait to ask him what was up after the duels were done.

The longer the duels went on, the more uncertain Veronica could feel herself becoming; she wasn’t a fighter. Flighter most definitely, given how she’d rarely stuck out any meaningful confrontation in her life. Except when it came to her mother, she thought. The one and only time she could remember standing up for herself was to bemoan her very existence.

Glancing around the array of demigods she briefly caught the gaze of the girl who had recently beaten a guy who could only be her brother; the girl nodded towards the arena and gave her a smile of encouragement and a wink. The moment was fleeting, but it was a rare one of support since it was something she’d often lacked; even here other than Heath she mostly felt alone. Though, perhaps having a sibling might provide her with a sense of stability that her other family had so often failed to do; but she didn’t allow herself to dwell too much on such hopes.

Taking advantage of the lull following the previous duel, Veronica stood up and made her way over to the trio containing her opponent. Holding out her green token she smiled first at Heath then towards Ethan, perhaps a little more nervously than she’d hoped before speaking.

”Hey, I’m Veronica. I think I’m up against you. If you want to go next, maybe?” Her resolve was already beginning to flake as she wrapped her arms around herself tightly, the token tapping against her upper arm while she moved to take a shuffling step back.

Ethan was surprised to see someone come near them. Her words also drew Heath's attention too. Iliana had fallen asleep by this time.

"Oh, sure. I am Ethan, Hestia's son. After you."

Heath wished him luck. Waving at them, he followed Veronica down into the arena.

When Veronica stepped onto the sandy floor of the arena, she could feel the warm air trickling over her skin as it carried with it the sweet scents of her deepest desire that seemed to pull her from the moment into a reverie associated with each. Her attention was brought back as Ethan joined her, with his presence bringing about a more visible change to their surroundings to suit both of the combatants' needs. Greek pillars popped out of the ground and some structures. A table of weapons appeared also. Ethan approached it, but he had no idea what to pick since he had no weapon training whatsoever.

"You know it's a darn shame we can't play a simple game. I love playing dominos hehe," he said awkwardly, trying to make light of the situation. In the end he settled for a bō staff. He didn't know how to use it, but it was better than nothing and he wasn't bound to use a blade for obvious reasons.

The selection of weapons arrayed was impressive and, if she was being honest with herself, rather daunting. Obviously, she’d played pretend as much as any, and her years in drama had seen her make use of dozens of props and tools but that was a far cry from any of the incredibly deadly implements before her. After a failed attempt to lift some of the heavier weapons and sending a sword flying from her hands after a couple of practice swings, she instead settled on a rather plain pair of fighting sticks that she could at least wave around without falling over.

Seeing Veronica picked out her own weapons, Ethan offered his hand and said, "Good luck and let's try to end this as painless as possible."

Veronica paused for a moment as she looked down at the outstretched hand, her eyes flickering to the own before she tucked one of her fighting sticks under the other arm so she could return the gesture, wondering if he’d waited till the most awkward moment to wish her the best. ”Um, yeah. Sure. You too.” She had her doubts she could do much to him, and she had no idea what she was in for especially after some of the spectacles she’d seen from the others.

After that, Ethan walked away from her and stood at a good distance. He wanted to try and think of what he could do before actually making a move. Instantly he went over his abilities and figured his best options were to use his ability to change structure, or he could try to use his serenity inducement to calm Veronica down to the point where she wouldn't want to fight. As he tried to figure things out, he eyed Veronica closely.

She hadn’t known what to do at first but singing softly to herself she’d begun to dance to the tune, her movements starting slowly and uncertainly but becoming more purposeful and driven as a smile spread upon her lips. While she could often struggle in more social situations the grace and majesty she could project on stage was returning as she faced off against her opponent, a warm calm that filled her with purpose. After all, what was the duel but simply a performance of her talents?

The moment Veronica started to dance, Ethan could instantly feel her power affect him and he knew he was dealing with another Aphrodite child. But lucky for him he also had the ability to influence other's emotions, so he had a bit more immunity, but it wouldn't last for long though. He instantly used his own serenity inducement on himself, he had to stay calm. But it was hard, for Veronica was very good with what she was doing. He had to think of something quick or he be done for. He had to prevent her from getting any closer to him. Suddenly it dawned on him on what he could do. As long as he had structures around him, he could manipulate them into any form her chose. This included the bō he held, he held it to the ground, causing it to change form and branch out into many forms, slowly creating a maze around them. It did it's intended purpose, it stopped Veronica from reaching him, but Ethan knew like all mazes, there would be a way to get to him.

Though she had been edging closer and closer to her foe, weaving an alluring figure as she swayed from foot to foot, she had felt the ground beneath her feet twisting as they reshaped to trip her. Rather than closing the gap between them to allow her to attempt to reduce her opponents resolve she could feel her plans unravelling as the arena around them was becoming a twisting nightmare that reminded her of something from Escher; already she was weapon-less having lost one then both as the arena’s maze had thrown her off-balance while it had formed.

Wherever Veronica was, Ethan had to seal all of her exits. First, he had to figure out where she was. Maybe he could change the material the maze was made out of. Thinking for a few minutes, he figured something out. Placing his hand on the wall in front of him, he changes the walls of the maze to become glass. Seeing Veronica, he saw her back was too him. Relieved to see she was okay physically. He changes the structure again so the glass connects to form one big dome around her, effectively trapping her inside. However, he did make sure there were breathing holes.

As she spun around trying to locate Ethan, what she’d at first thought was a hall of mirrors she instead realised was a glass dome that had rapidly formed around her and now seemed to be shrinking ever smaller with her inside. At first she’d tried to break her way free but her fists left no impact and neither did her shoes, so with no way out from her claustrophobic prison she’d had no alternative save but to surrender, curling tightly into a ball.

Once Veronica surrendered, the dome vanished completely. Instantly Ethan went to go check on her. "Hey are you okay? I am sorry if anything I did scared you. You actually did well, for I had to think on my feet there. Can I escort you back to your seat?"

Veronica lay on the smooth sand for a moment, her eyes closed as memories flashed behind her eyelids. It had been a long time since she’d felt trapped like that, and taking her a few shuddering breaths she regained some composure. It had only lasted a few heartbeats but it seemed to have stretched for hours. Uncurling from where she lay, she gingerly got to her feet and accompanied Ethan back up out of the arena.

”Thank you, I’m fine. Congrats on the win, that maze was neat; did you create it from memory or just in the heat of the moment? I don’t even think we ‘fought’ like the others did, like neither of us met the other, you know?” she smiled at him wearily before detouring back to her seat when they joined the others.

Ethan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513
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Heath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000
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Iliana Remington-Taylor ~
Demeter ~ #4A766E
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Penelope Givens ~ Hermes ~ #483D8BHeath watched the duels carefully. He was going to take full advantage of being a spectator and felt watching these duels could help him in his own. No duel was completely the same even though there had been similarities. Even before and after the duels, Heath watched the combatants' demeanors. He decided to not show any bias towards any of the duelists, until it was Iliana's duel. She had been terrified, but Ethan's words calmed her down. Knowing Liv and Nicholas were siblings, he already had an idea of what Iliana was up against. He listened carefully as Iliana interacted with Liv. He didn't like how the woman treated his sister and Iliana didn't seem to notice just how insulting Poseidon's daughter was. However she was telling her the truth too, that was until during the duel when Liv told Iliana was killing her. Iliana had been in perfect control until then. Heath mentally cursed. Liv was smart and used Iliana's fear to her advantage. After that, the duel got more brutal, but Iliana did surprise him in trying to get herself out of the precarious situation she was in. However in the end she did lose, which didn't surprise Heath, but he was still proud of her. Soon she returned to them and ended up laying her head on his lap and falling asleep, obviously exhausted. There seem to be a pause in between duels when Veronica suddenly appeared and addressed Ethan. This definitely caught Ethan off guard, probably because he wasn't expecting to be dueling a woman. Heath knew his friend had been raised to respect women due to his southern upbringing. So it was no surprised that Ethan escorted Veronica down into the arena. This duel was like the polar opposite of Iliana's duel. Ethan definitely went with his strengths. While Heath had seen Ethan use his abilities, he never saw him use them without careful planning. Seeing him think of a quick solution so quickly made Heath proud of him and just like what Ethan hoped, the duel did end without either party getting hurt. Heath had looked in Wesley's direction to see if he had figured out if Veronica was his sister. Even at a distance, Heath had felt her power affecting him even though it had been directed at Ethan.

As the duo returned to Heath, Ethan answered Veronica's question.

"It was a spur of the moment. My dad is an architect and I want to be one too, so I am used to careful planning when it comes to my powers. But I remembered that I can create anything as long as something has form. I can't create something out of nothing like Andy, the one who battled Nicholas."

Once the two part ways, Ethan sat down next to Heath.

"Well done," Heath said before the two friends continued to watch another duel.

Trinity and Rae's duel reminded Ethan of a Rodeo Bull ride when he went to Texas once with his father. Only a lot more intense. It was no major surprise Trinity did end up on top. What was unexpected was that Rae went full frontal and apparently had no problem barring all. Both Ethan and Heath looked away out of respect, but not before getting an eyeful of her obvious beautiful figure. It was a relief when the camper with Nicholas gave Rae something to cover herself. Several guys complained but for two very conservative men, Heath and Ethan were relieved. And that last duel also seemed to be the last one for Nicholas appeared in the arena to mention that. Heath wondered why but saw how much time had passed. Maybe they would pick things up another time. Heath looked down at Iliana and gently shook her shoulder.

"Lia, the duels are done for today," he said.

Iliana eventually came to and was surprised to see she had actually fallen asleep. She did feel a bit better though. Slowly sitting up, she looked at her brother.

"Wha?" she asked, her voice a bit groggy.

Heath smiled when he replied, "The duels are done for now. We can leave. Do you want to get something to eat? The sun is going down."

Iliana nodded and the trio left the arena and headed for the Main hall. They were almost there when they saw Liv leave and headed in another direction. This reminded Heath of the Iliana's duel and he decided to tell Iliana what happened.

"Um, Iliana, Liv lied to you during your duel. You weren't killing her. She did it to get the upper hand on you. You actually were in complete control of your power."

This caused Iliana to pause. Her eyes widen and sudden she felt anger, but not towards Liv, towards herself. She kept getting duped. Liv was a smart person and Iliana did inadvertently told her one of her weaknesses. She knew Heath nor Ethan wouldn't be so easily tricked.

Taking a deep breath, Iliana looked at Heath and Ethan and said, "I guess I better stop being naive then. I need to get stronger and smarter. I just don't know how."

Both guys thought about it before Heath spoke up.

"Why not ask Nicholas or some of the other girls here for help? Ethan and I will always be here to help you, but we're not experienced when it comes to fighting. We definitely need help in that area for sure."

Ethan nodded and the trio finally entered the hall, only to see Nicholas eating. When Iliana saw him, she thought of what Ethan and Heath said and made a beeline for him.

"Um, hi, sorry for interrupting, but I just wanted to ask you a quick question. You're here to help us train better right? I need to become a smarter fighter. Can you help me in that area? If you can't it's fine, I'll ask someone else."

Ethan and Heath allowed Iliana her space and got something to eat and sat nearby so they were within earshot.

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Nelly enjoyed all of the duels. Having perfect visual memory, she knew she would be remembering everything she saw today. For her the most entertaining part was watching Liam knocking out one guy cold before the duel could even begin. She couldn't help but laugh at that, even though she did feel bad for the other dude. She was genuinely surprised when she heard Iliana speak. Wasn't the girl mute? She would ask her what happened when she got the chance. It was very interesting to see new campers show up. Nelly would have tried initiating her own duel, but another one would start up almost instantly. When Rae and Trinity's duel started, she was determined to get up and find out who had the same color chip as she did. That duel was definitely one of Nelly's favorites and she found herself laughing again after the duel was over. Rae had shapeshifted into a lion during the duel and when she changed back, she was in her birthday suit. What made Nelly laughed was some of the guys' reactions, especially Heath and Ethan's. It was obvious that most of the guys were enjoying the view though. Soon another new camper appeared and gave Rae something to put on. It wasn't long after that that Nicholas said the duels were over.

"Well shoot! I wanted to have my duel. Oh well," she grumbled before standing up and going towards the arena.

Approaching Rae, Nelly smiled and said, "Wow, Rae, that shapeshifting skill of yours was so cool. You and Trinity are awesome. Say maybe one day we have an all girls night and go skinny dipping hehe."

Nelly had been raised to be proud of her female body and so wouldn't be shy about baring all either.

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N I C H O L A S x B O W E R
o f x p o s e i d o n
#3a9ef1 || Outfit || Location

Ethan Knox ~ Hestia ~ #8B4513
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Heath Taylor ~ Athena ~ #808000
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Iliana Remington-Taylor ~
Demeter ~ #4A766E
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Penelope Givens ~ Hermes ~ #483D8B"You should at least buy her dinner before trying to get her naked... Don't you think?"

It took Nelly a minute to figure out what the new girl was saying. When she did, she burst out in laughter.

"Good point, but I doubt it'll happen with a girl at least. I am pretty straight. Still I will freely admit I am clueless when it comes to attracting guys. Never had time for it due to traveling a lot and my mother was more focused on her job. Heck she rarely dated herself and said the only reason she hooked up with my dad for one night was because he had this 'aura' about him that attracted her. She had no idea he was a God though. Oh my dad is Hermes. Anyway, my name is Penelope, but I go by Nelly."

The conversation flowed around her, Cherise showed up and Rae introduced the new girl to her. Even though Nelly was a talkative person, this time around she decided to just listen in before responding to anything. The new girl finally introduced herself as Blair, and Nelly couldn't help but wonder who her divine parent was. Her thoughts stayed focused on the three though as Rae commented on Cherise's duel. Yeah, it certainly did seem that Cherise did have the upper hand. She too wondered what happened. After Cherise finished speaking, Nelly decided to speak up.

"I am bummed out I didn't get to duel. While I know I don't have fighting skills like you two, I do wish I could have had the opportunity to test out my skills. Maybe we'll pick up again tomorrow?"

That was when Blair spoke up and it sounded like she knew Sylas. Hearing she had slept with the man caused Nelly to sigh.

"You three really are good with guys. I seriously don't have any game at all. Maybe one of you could give me some tips. I was playing 7 Minutes in Heaven with Sylas for company and nothing came out of it. I think I annoyed the guy honestly."

The other three continued to talk and Nelly was enjoying their banter, even though Rae and Blair did most of the talking. She was a bit envious honestly, but she wouldn't let it get to her too much.

"You know… I haven’t properly met that one. He’s cute."

Nelly looked in the direction that Rae was looking and saw Duke. She never talked to the guy either. Before she knew it both Rae and Blair headed in his direction. Wishing the two luck, she turned to Cherise.

"You're archery skills are amazing, Cherise. That's definitely something I wouldn't mind learning myself. So what do you want to do now? Want to find Daniel?" she asked that last question with a wink.

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Iliana listened carefully as Nick spoke to her. It never occurred to her that what she was lacking was confidence. Thinking back, whenever she saw both Heath and Ethan use their powers, most of the time they had no issues. They did have their fears of course, and with Heath he was scarred of one his own abilities, or not being able to perform it correctly. She wondered if that was connected to being confident in some way.

Finally Nick said, "I’m not sure anyone can help you with those things. You have to find those on your own. Until you know all of that, no one can teach you how to fight. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try."

It was then he offered to start working with her at 5 am tomorrow. Iliana's eyes lit up and she smiled nodding in excitement. Getting up early was never an issue, even though she tended to get up around 6 am to do some gardening.

"Thank you! I really appreciate it," she said before he left.

She watched him as he greeted Sloane and then leave. Suddenly her stomach grumbled and she realized she hadn't ate yet. Getting some food, she returned to Ethan and Heath.

"So how'd it go? Ethan asked.

"He said he'd help me, but I have to be up by 5 am. He didn't tell me where to meet though."

"Probably at the arena since that seems to the area for training. That's my best guess though. Do you want us to go with you?"

"No, this is something I must do for myself."

The trio stopped talking and finished eating. After they finished up, Ethan spoke up again.

"Well we still got time to do stuff. Do either of you plan on doing something?"

"I am going to head back to the cabin. I need to email my father since I promised him I email him once a week. Plus I am sure he'll want to know that Iliana can speak again. Then I think I'll work on my writing a bit since I've been neglecting it."

"Oh, can you tell father I said hi, Heath. I plan on finding either Lochlan or Cherise. I wanted to check on both of them to see if they were okay, plus I miss interacting with Cherise."

"You might find either of them near the arena since that was the last area we were at. Whelp, I am going to go.
I'll take your plates." Heath said before taking the dirty dishes to the back and then leaving.

Once he left, Ethan and Iliana sat a bit longer before leaving themselves, both going in different directions.