xxwesley preston
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Wes didn't watch the other trials that followed his. He didn't care. He sat with his elbows on his knees, staring at his bionic arm. His trial kept replaying in his head over and over. How worthless he was. How he did nothing but get in the way. And looking down at that mechanical appendage only seemed to reaffirm that. He wanted to rip it off, to remove that stigma from him. He wasn't a warrior like everyone else and while Trinity kept begging for him to learn and use his abilities, he always disappointed.
He was stuck on his own personal rollercoaster of self pity when he heard a voice that just twisted in his gut. "Hi... ummmm sorry I missed the memo on the camp meeting, but can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?... Mother?"
"Nice of you to show up," he groaned under his breath. Wes was neutral on his feelings toward Theo. He knew the kid was one of Trinity's friends, that didn't bother him. What bothered him was the way he pined after her. Jealousy. He knew it was there and saw it before his eyes multiplied in the trial. But that didn't make it easier. Regardless of how he felt about the son of Artemis, Wes wasn't his biggest fan at the moment after seeing him kiss Trin in the illusion.
He knew it was dumb to hold such resentment and anger towards a guy who had no part in that vision, but Wes couldn't help it. It made him sad and angry seeing someone else kiss her. And then adding his tardiness and disregard for the severity at hand just about boiled his blood. He almost chuckled seeing Theo with his hand near his bow. What did he plan to do with that? Insult the Gods? Wes imagined they were already insulted at his indifference and lack of punctuality. He hoped that Theo would get a scolding from his mother or Poseidon, but no such luck.
"Fighting? I've only been gone a day and a half..." It's funny what you can miss when you're not around. Wes shook his head as his lips pulled into a tight, annoyed smile. His gaze fell to his hands that were clenched so tight his knuckles were white. Perhaps it was the trials and stress of the whole situation, or maybe Liam's rage was getting to him, but it seemed everything Theo did struck a nerve. "I assume since I'm here, you have a trial prepared for me as well. Let's get on with it, I guess." Damn straight. If he had to go through that bullshit, then so did the tardy wolf. Even Wes wouldn't have been able to bite his tongue if Theo got away without having to enter that illusion.
Wes's gaze was fixed on Theo from the corner of his eye as he took a seat behind Trinity. His jaw clenched as he watched him lean forward to speak with her. Wes was too far away to make out what they were talking about and, perhaps, part of him didn't want to know. He had to fight every urge not to just stand up and walk out of the arena. It felt insulting. Had Theo not just seen his damn trial? Yet he still had the audacity to sit right behind her. Wes wasn't an angry man, but at the moment, his patience was running dangerously thin.
Luckily, the trials proceeded, offering a small distraction from his racing mind. Mason's own torment didn't move Wes in one way or the other. He knew the son of Hades didn't like him much for the simple fact that he was friends with Alex, but no relationships at camp came conflict free. He had no problem with Mason and sympathized for him, but that was all he had to offer. Regardless, it was sad to see his life taken so violently but Alex. Was that what happened with Jennova? With that thought, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell Alex and Ajax weren't also here to partake. They were just as much a problem with all this drama as everyone else was. No matter who their parent was, it wasn't fair to the rest of them to suffer while they got away scot-free.
"Trinity Wallace." Wes instantly looked up and found the back of her head. Even being conflicted about many things after his trial, he couldn't keep himself from wishing to keep her from that archway. It hurt him in more ways than he could count seeing what he did in that illusion, but if going in it again could keep Trinity from having to experience that... he would. Gods the romantic in him was going to get him killed one day.
At first it was an arena, full of blood sport. People were shouting Ares's name while Trinity stood in the center covered in blood. Nothing seemed inherently terrible for the time being. She was in her element, doing what she did best. Her father promised her another pairing to fight for her. And while Wes didn't know what he was going to see stepping out into the arena, he wasn't expecting himself and Theo. It was like a damn merry-go-round, and every time the son of Artemis was there.
The pair began to fight, holding nothing back. The illusion version of Wes fought far better than he's ever been capable of. He was far more enraged than he thought he was capable of as well. Trinity had no choice but to get involved to try and stop the fighting, but all it did was turn their anger on her. It wasn't long before she incapacitated Theo, which left his own evil doppelgänger. And if he thought her taking down Theo was fast, taking down himself was even quicker. In the blink of an eye, Trin had a blade through his chest.
The vision of seeing himself dead didn't rattle Wes, it was Trinity's reaction. He had seen her angry and passionate, but never so desperate and sad. Had he ever even seen her cry? He hated it. He hated seeing her like that regardless of the pain he still felt after his own trial. He watched in desperation hoping that his twin would push through. "I love you. I love you so much."
Wes leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as his hands cupped over his mouth. His chest tightened and he felt like he couldn't breath. She said it. It wasn't to him, per se, and during a high anxiety situation for her, but she said it. As if Wes's emotions weren't conflicted enough, he found himself so unbelievably happy hearing Trinity finally say it. But he also felt guilty for finding happiness in a traumatizing experience for her. And no matter how happy those three words made him, his own trial still weighed heavily at the back of his mind. All the self-doubt and weakness. What the hell was he supposed to do with all these emotions fighting for dominance inside of him?
His gaze followed her as she returned to her seat, but she Trinity never once looked toward him. Part of him wanted to move up to sit beside her, part of him didn't. And before either side could win the argument another demigod was called forward, leaving Wes where he sat. Iliana's trial seemed far longer than all the others. And while everyone else seemed to face terrifying futures, hers appeared to be flash backs. They were dark and grim, with far too much trauma for one person's life. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes he might not have believe it.
Then it was Theo... again. Although this time he had to suffer his own trial. Wes didn't wish this on anyone, but a small petty part of him was happy he wasn't given special treatment. It was strange how similar Theo's trial started out in comparison to his own. Another strangely familiar battle at camp with the demigods all preparing for war. But this time everyone looked to Theo for guidance and he had nothing. No plan, no strategy, just a half baked pep talk before everyone began to run into their inevitable deaths.
Yet again, Wes appeared in a trial. He watched as Trinity ran to his aid when he was enveloped in monsters. She fought hard to help him, but it seemed with everyone monster she killed two more took their place. "Wes, Wes, wake up! Come on! Don't do this! You have got to wake up. I need you Wes, come on! Wake up!" Another shot to the heart. Jesus, Wes couldn't handle much more of this. He looked away, unable to watch Trinity die before his eyes, even if it was an illusion. This had to nearly be the end, didn't it? Gods know he was at his wit's end.
Thankfully, at that point, there only seemed to be two left. Andy's trial forced her to choose between the two men she was often stuck between at camp. Then, as if to make matters worse, once she made her choice, Hades made one last cruel joke and killed the one she wanted to save. Even though they weren't close, her heart break was palpable and was hard to watch. Liam's, similar to Iliana's, seemed to highlight memories rather than potential futures. None of it painted the son of Ares in a good light. It only seemed to make him appear more daunting and reckless. And, as if his trials weren't enough, he lunged at the closest demigod, quickly getting his own one way ticket to Tartarus for the foreseeable future.
Wes sighed out of relief when no more names were called. Thank the Gods. Then they were finally dismissed. And while many of them would inevitably leave, not wanting to be stuck in that arena, or around one another any longer, Wes found himself glued to his seat. If it was just after his own trial, he would have left without a second thought and locked himself in his cabin until who knows when. But instead, he found himself seated in the stands, unmoving... Frozen. He didn't know what to do. Did he go back to his cabin? Did he grab Trinity and kiss her? Did he confront Theo? No. He just sat there, silent and unchanging like a statue, staring where the archway once stood.
xxsloane astor
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Sylas trial was far from surprising, although Sloane doubted any of the campers understood its meaning quite like she did. She had known that truth for far too long. So, watching it unfold before her eyes was nothing new. He would do anything to gain their mother's favor, but no matter what he did and how hard he tried he would never be her. In Eris's eyes Sloane was the prodigy. She had the natural gift and her powers were superior to her brother's. But he had the drive. It was funny how life had to twist things around like that.
Sloane didn't want to be the prodigy or to follow in her mother's footsteps. She's good at what she does, but she doesn't like the chaos it causes. She is not a creature of chaos like her mother and brother. If she could forfeit her powers over to her brother in exchange for him leaving her alone she would, in a heartbeat. She doesn't want them or anything to do with them, yet here she was, burdened. And that only seemed to make Sylas more angry toward her, that she has such gifts and no desire to use them.
Perhaps there was a small sliver of satisfaction seeing a likeness of herself end his life. But there also was another part of Sloane that didn't want to see him die. It was a strange balance. He was a piece of shit to her. That was true without a doubt. But, he is also her brother, whom she cared about and loved, even if that was a complicated sort of love. She loved him out of obligation because he was her brother, but she didn't like him. She would like him more if they existed far from one another and he didn't take out his many frustrations on her. Unfortunately, that was not the life she was given.
Surprisingly, someone moved to take a seat beside her. Beyond Liam and the few people he blathered to about her situation, no one particularly knew her or went out of their way to talk to her. Not that Sloane minded. So when she looked over and found none other than Evelyn seated beside her, she was a bit confused. She could recall seeing her brother flirt with her a time or two before, but that was it. Was she startled seeing some of the truth about him coming to light? Sloane didn't know. And she didn't ask. She was far too lost in her own head to try and dissect someone else's. So, she simply sat there in silence. She didn't ask any questions to break the silence and for the remainder of the trial she hardly passed the red head a glance.
For the following trials, Sloane paid little to no attention. She didn't know many of the campers beyond their name so the truths from their trials would be lost on her. She wasn't like her brother and had nothing to gain from learning the deep dark fears that plagued someone's mind. Honestly, she just felt bad for everyone. She'd hear their screams and sobs, and with every passing test it seemed to suck more of the life from the arena. A person would go into the archway and a zombie would come out. Rinse and repeat. It was degrading and depressing. And Sloane, much like everyone else, was just counting down the time until it ended. Gods did it need to end.
The last and final trial was Liams, just as Poseidon promised. Sloane was not sure how she felt about it. Part of her was still mad at him for pushing her and scared because of the blind rage she saw him unleash upon her brother. And yet another piece of her still cared and worried about what the illusion would do to him. He was already treading on thin ice with Poseidon. One more toe out of line and he'd be taken to Tartarus for who knows how long. He just needed to behave for a little bit longer. That was it. She wished she could will it so, but fate didn't seem to be on her side for many moons.
The scenes that played out were memories, or flashes of a past. It wasn't showing Liam what he was capable of or what he could cause, but devastation that he had already created with his two hands. His mother looked terrified. Her cat was dead on the floor. A lump grew in Sloane's throat and tears filled her eyes as she watched scene after scene play before her like some cautionary tale. What had she gotten herself into? She traded one monster for another. Was this to be her life forever? Traded from angry man to angry man? Her hand started to tremble but she quickly pinned it between her knees trying to hide it. But she couldn't hide the tear that rolled down her cheek. Sloane just sat in a stunned silence, watching. Watching the history of the beast unfold before her eyes.
When Liam came out of the illusion Sloane went pale when she heard him speak. "I'm going to kill someone. Before the Gods could restrain him, Liam was on the move, sprinting at the first person in sight.
Sloane didn't know what had come over her. Maybe it was subconscious, like a gut reaction. She jumped to her feet and shouted out, "Liam!" For someone so small, her voice came out loud and demanding. She sounded disappointed, shocked, but also assertive. Subtly, like carried on the winds of her words, passive persuasion crashed into Liam trying to get him to stop mere moments before Poseidon grabbed hold of him. Sloane didn't intend to use her powers and who knows if it would have been enough to stop him. She stood there, quiet, while her chest heaved from labored breaths. She remained still and waited for him to meet her gaze. She only held it for a moment with tears in her eyes, before she rushed out of the arena.
Poseidon didn't try to stop her and even if he had, Sloane wouldn't have heard it over the pounding of her heart that flooded her ears. She had had enough. Enough of being a spectacle for the Gods. Enough of the trials. Enough of Sylas's malevolence. And enough of getting herself involved with terrible men. She was tired of being the victim or a pawn. Like the flip of a switch Sloane took the reins of her life. She didn't steer it towards Sylas or towards Liam, but down a third path. Her own path.
Her feet quickly carried her across camp to the front door of Liam's cabin. And for a brief moment, she hesitated. Visions from her trial flashed with every blink of her eyes. Sloane took a few deep breaths trying to muster the courage to open the door and step through the threshold. But she remained frozen until she heard a feint bark from the other side. Rocco was just enough of a reminder that the trials weren't real. They weren't.
Sloane opened the door and was greeted by an overly excited puppy that jumped around several times before running down the steps to relieve himself. She left the door open for him to run back inside while she beelined for the corner of the cabin that contained her messy pile of belongings. Sloane knelt down on the ground and quickly began to shove all her clothes back into her bags. She had no idea what she would do, or where she would go. Nothing. She wouldn't return to the cabin she shared with her brother and she wouldn't stay there. She'd search the grounds for an empty cabin, or sleep in the mess hall for all she cared. But not there. Not in Liam's cabin.
xxsylas astor
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Sylas could feel the judgement and lingering gazes from the other campers. All of their trials were base at most, fears of losing loved ones, death or just phobias. While his own flipped the script for what was expected. He liked being an enigma to those around him and never showing his hand. And while his trial didn't reveal all, if anything, it was confusing to many of them aside from his sister, it painted him as a murdered. Regardless of how terrible of a person others might see him as, he has never been a murderer.
Not that Sylas overly cared about everyone else's opinions. It is what it is. But what did seem to sting, although he didn't show it, was Evelyn. The girl looked as if she'd seen a ghost. And as if on cue, she got up from her seat and proceeded to move beside Sloane. He might have looked like a statue, but he was fighting every urge not to bounce his leg anxiously or swallow the lump in his throat. It was fine. She was just a girl after all, right? Plenty more where those came from. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling. He didn't care about Liam's opinion of him, or Trinity's... But Evelyn was one of the few people at camp who took a genuine interest in him. He wasn't expecting the sting from her disapproval, but there it was.
He tried not to get too terribly lost in his thoughts and focus on the trials. Liv's gained enough of his interest. Given everything that had transpired over the past day, he nearly forgot about their hot, but fleeting, moment in the closet together the other night. Sylas couldn't help but notice some similarities, in particular, the disapproving tone of a parent never satisfied and the need to try and gain their approval. It was an exhausting wheel that never seemed to be broken. Yet, he saw it everywhere. It intrigued him, although he didn't show it. And no matter how hard he tried, his mind was still plagued with lesser thoughts.
None of the remaining trials seemed to hold his attention after Liv's. Sylas picked up bits and pieces of useful information, but for the most part was in and out. Ethan didn't want to lose his father. Typical. And he was scared being buried alive. Boring. Mason's showed a bit more but nothing Sylas couldn't piece together. Trinity's actually seemed almost good, for a moment. Then there was the typical death of a loved one, just a bit worse because it was at her own hands. Again, nothing world altering.
Iliana's played out like a lifetime movie of oversaturated trauma that was too much. If Sylas had sympathy, he lost it somewhere during the second act. Everyone has personal traumas, get over it or let it control your life. It made no difference to him. She was mousy and weak, and looked easier to manipulate that a piece of origami paper. A snap of his finger and he could break her. She was hardly worth his time or effort unless he was trying to get to her overly clingy and possessive brothers.
Theo showed up late. Sylas had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. One, he was stupid for somehow missing Poseidon's call in the first place. Even Sylas wasn't stupid enough to intentionally piss off the Gods. But second, if he managed to miss something important like this, where they are all get spanked by their proverbial parents for misbehaving, why in the fucking world would you announce your presence and subject yourself to the punishment. It's just masochistic. Regardless, his trial showed nothing of note beyond he has zero leader capabilities and had the hots for Trinity.
Andy's trial peaked his interest moderately, mostly for the presence of Hades who hadn't made an appearance in any of the other trials. None of it seemed particularly fascinating until, to his surprise, the daughter of Hecate chose to save Mason, rather than her white knight, perfect son of Zeus boyfriend. So, she also holds a torch for Mason. Again, not that surprising, but quite embarrassing to have that revelation broadcasted for all of camp to see. Sylas actually might have smiled a fraction, if only because it was payment for what happened during capture the flag.
Lastly was Liam, who unsurprisingly was a piece of shit before he came to camp. Once a raging violent lunatic, always a raging violent lunatic. Sylas found an extra level of enjoyment out of seeing him go off the handles. Now everyone at camp would see him for the psycho he was. And while that didn't absolve Sylas entirely, people saw his trial wether he liked it or not, Liam's didn't paint himself in a better light. Then, like a cherry on top of a sundae, the person it got to most was Sloane, disturbed from what she saw. She, no doubt, was hurrying back to his cabin to pack her things and leave. Predictable.
Once everyone was dismissed, Sylas slowly moved to his feet and exited the arena. He wasn't in a rush like some of the others and let those in a hurry pass by him without any fuss. If they happened to brush his shoulder he made sure to sprinkle them with the tiniest bit more of self doubt, insecurities and amplified negative emotions. After all, they just had their secrets bared to the world, they're going to be emotional.
He slid his hands into his pant pockets, walking slowly. While Sylas's trial still bothered him, he tried his best to think of anything but. Instead he replayed all the key factors from everyone else's illusions, committing them to memory. He made tabs on how he could get under each person's skin if he needed to... or wanted to, and also recalled the ones he was curious to know more about, like Evelyn and Liv. But one of the aforementioned women wanted nothing to do with him at the moment, so it could wait. Instead he slowly made his way to his cabin allowing himself time to think.
xxandromeda bolton
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There was only one trial left, thank the Gods, but Andy paid no mind to it. You could have asked her two seconds after Liam's trial what happened and she wouldn't have been able to tell you a single thing. She knew something was going on, she could hear it, but didn't register it. She simply sat there and waited. It wasn't until Sloane shouted that Andy actually snapped out of it and looked up just in time to see Poseidon restrain Liam, mention that he would be taken to Tartarus for an unknown amount of time. Sloane, on the other hand, didn't stick around for the closing speech and showed herself out before they were dismissed. Andy thought about following but decided it'd be in her best interest to not piss off the Gods anymore.
Once Poseidon finally said, "You're dismissed," Andy was on her feet. She was one of the first people out of the arena, being sure not to make eye contact with anyone. She was embarrassed and mortified. For over a year she had said time and time again that she wouldn't be forced to choose between Ajax and Mason. It was the one thing she dreaded more than anything. She knew it was inevitable, but not like this. Not displayed like some soap opera for all of camp to see. It churned in her stomach. She didn't know if she was thankful or even more upset that Ajax wasn't there when it happened.
Her feet carried her while her mind raced. Andy trusted her autopilot to lead her back to her cabin while she remained trapped in her mind replaying the trial over and over and over. She knew it was an illusion. She saw Mason in the stands. Yet, her body kept threatening to go into shock and grief as if he actually died. She had to keep telling herself it wasn't real. She would have thought it would've been Hades or the Underworld that traumatized her the most, but it wasn't. Andy still hadn't gotten past her trauma from her last time there. But that practically faded away into nothing in comparison. Now that it was in her mind, she was terrified her trial would become a reality.
Before she knew it, her feet had carried her to the porch. Andy sighed as he lowered herself onto the step and buried her face in her hands. She sat there for several minutes letting it all out. She let herself cry as long as was needed before catching her breath. After composing herself and wiping away the tears she realized her feet didn't carry her where she thought. Andy could have sworn she walked back to her own cabin, but instead she was sitting on the steps leading to Mason's porch.
"Shit," she said under her breath. Part of her wanted to get up and leave before Mason had the chance to stumble upon her. But a bigger part of Andy needed to see him... Just make sure he was alive. She knew he was alive. He was alive. But no matter how many times she told herself it wasn't enough. She'd wait, just long enough to seem him and then leave. That's it. He didn't have to say anything and neither did she. Just... see him and everything would be fine.