Vince Darling's Story

xxxxxxJace Holmes
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HermesxxxxxSpecial xxxxxOutfit: [x] xxxHex#9eb21e
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"BABY I DON'T NEED DOLLAR BILLS TO HAVE FUN TONIGHT! I LOVE CHEAP THRILLS!"
The loud, and clearly off beat, singing was enough to drive Jace crazy. The pre-Agon bash was something every senior needed to experience so Jace couldn't refuse to come. He attended every previous one and it wasn't a party till the top troublemaker arrived. The event brought in plenty of students. Jace had to hold on tightly to his beer bottle if he didn't want to lose it. The theme this year was neon and the students definitely went all out. Almost everyone was painted in some whimsical design or wearing neon or light colored clothing; Jace was no exception. He wore a white shirt he wouldn't mind getting paint on and pair of black jeans, along with sturdy, black running shoes. Half of his face was decorated in curly lines, highlighting his blue eyes. Participation was his one award at every themed party. The decorations were mostly items painted in neon colors; the same for the dance floor and bars. Jace smiled as fireworks light up the dark sky, his own personal firework would be soon. He cashed in on a favor from one of the Hecate kids running the firework stand.

Jace took a sip of his beer, deep in thought. Don't get him wrong, Jace is a party animal. However on a night like tonight, he had more important tasks to do than get drunk at a party. Tomorrow is the big day. He has been training for this moment since he entered Legacy. Jace would get his wish or die trying, no other way. Nonetheless, Jace wouldn't let a good party go to waste. He'll go easy on the alcohol, but he was determined to have fun. A few of his buddies should be here tonight. Jace saw Ryan attempting to dance among the throngs of students. Ryan was one of the few nice guys at Legacy. He didn't know why they were friends, but the two worked well together. His dancing was a bit on embarrassing side, but it worked for him; his endearing, but awkward dance moves. If Ryan tries to get him to dance, Jace will be party stopper. Literally, the party will stop at his horrendous attempts at dancing. He scanned the party trying to find his fellow troublemaker, Ace. The two had already set up a prank for the naïve freshman who were so star struck by two seniors talking to them. He should be around here somewhere. Jace could hang out with his teammates... Vince is definitely here and Blake never misses a social event. Jace groaned remembering himself trying to convince his reserved, serious roommate and teammate to come tonight. He can remember everything.

"Jace, we should be training for Agon not partying."
Jace rolled his eyes at his troublesome roommate. How a troublemaker and the Captain America were put together; he'll never understand. Jace was checking his appearance in the mirror, brushing away one of his curls, while looking into Vince's eyes through the mirror.
"Exactly why we should party. Getting drunk off our asses and having fun is the perfect way to relax before the Hunger Games begin. Besides, I'm starting to believe you don't know what a party is."
The two were as different as night and day. They didn't get along, but they weren't enemies. Jace thought he was stuck up and uptight while Vince found him careless and disrespectful. However, the two worked well together.
"Let loose for once in your short ass life and have a fucking good time." Jace knew of Vince's dislike and disuse of cuss words which only made things more fun for Jace. "Show off your crazy awesome raps too. If you don't by the end of the night, I will embarrass both of us."

Jace smiled at the memory. He knew how to get under Vince's skin, not like it was difficult though. As he scanned the crowd, he made eye contact with an attractive, maybe junior, boy. His face was completely painted. Jace couldn't recognize him in the poor lighting, but he was attractive enough. Jace was never one to turn down a good time. He had a few sidepieces he could call up at any time, but he wasn't about to call someone when the music was loud he couldn't think. The junior approached him coyly. His attempt to be alluring was sweet and Jace always had a sweet tooth. When the two tried to converse, they laughed, not being able to hear each other. The younger boy motioned for Jace to follow him to opposite side of the lake, devoid of most party goers. Jace swaggered over to him, pleased he was lead somewhere private. The two reached the area before the boy changed in front of his eyes. The boy became a man; a man Jace never wanted to see. As Hermes stood in front of him smiling, Jace groaned. How could he be so stupid? He should've know better than to think a junior would approach him so confidently. Jace's eyes narrowed at his supposed father standing before him.
"What the hell do you want?
Hermes's face fell at his son's cold question.
"I'm here to wish my favorite son luck in the Agon tomorrow. I know you've been training hard."
Jace rolled his eyes. He didn't need this poor attempt at a heart to heart.
"Is that it?"
Hermes wasn't going to give up on his son easily. The two are still family whether Jace likes it or not.
"I was hoping we could talk."
"About what? How you almost sent me to jail or how all my relationships ended because of you? I can go on."
"First, you shouldn't have been stealing-"
"I'm the son of the god of thieves! What do you expect!"
"Jace, I am your father and-"
At that point, Jace couldn't control his rage. How can this god claim to have been a father! He started yelling, not able to stop himself.
"A FATHER? YOU NEVER WERE A FATHER TO ME! A FATHER DOESN'T TRY TO SEND HIS KID TO JAIL! A FATHER DOESN'T CAUSE EVERY PERSON HE EVER HAD FEELINGS FOR TO CHEAT ON OR HUMILATE HIM! A FATHER TAKES CARE OF HIS SON AND IS THERE! YOU WERE NEVER THERE FOR ME! YOU ARE NOT A FATHER!"
Jace tried to calm himself. He wasn't going to let the party shut down to listen to a father-son screaming fest.
"All you are is a fucking sperm donor to me. I would trade you for my human dad any day." Jace took a step closer to Hermes, his breathe hitting Hermes's face. "When I win the Agon, Zeus is going to make sure you never contact me again. You will be out of my life forever and then I will actually party. Stop trying to act like you're my parent. You will never be my father. Do you understand? I hate you. You mean nothing to me."
All of a sudden, a firework went off. The firework began to spell letters. A giant "FUCK YOU!' appeared in the sky. Jace's grin was hard to hide. Perfect Timing. Finding an opportunity to slip away, Jace left leaving Hermes shocked about the firework. He ignored his father's attempts to demand he come back. Jace was grateful for one thing Hermes gave him, his speed. He hurried back to the party, reconsidering his idea of not getting drunk tonight. He needed the hard stuff and a distraction too. Luck isn't usually on his side, but it was tonight. Blake was standing, drinking bourbon out of the bottle. Blake's beauty made her appear to be an angel and, right now, she was in Jace's eyes. He approached her, acting as if nothing was wrong. She smiled and winked at him as she passed the bottle. Jace took a long drink of the strong liquor. The burn felt amazing and he could feel his negative vibes melting away. He looked lazily at his favorite companion.
"I need you and this bourbon right now. Care to fool around?"

▉Layla_Athenes▉
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#054357, Interacting with:N/A
"Why aren't you at the party, Little one?" The voice startled Layla into dropping her sword. It clattered to the training floor with a sound that echoed loudly. Layla took a breath as she kneeled down and grabbed the blade, her hands were shaking from overwork."Mother, please don't do that," She said softly. "I appreciate your work ethic, Layla, but if you'll burn yourself out if you continue at this rate." Athena told her, her voice echoing in her mind like the sword's clatter did the room. Layla was used to it though, it had been there her entire life, for the longest though, she thought it was her own voice, an inner voice, or a conscious like Jiminy Cricket, but it had turned out to be her mother, a goddess. Layla wasn't sure about how she truly felt about being left with the family that she was left with, considering that bickered like school children, but her home wasn't a bad one, at least not directly related to her, they loved her for all their faults, but still. They're constant bickering nearly killed her and while she never thought about leaving them for fear that she was the only thing keeping from killing each other, knowing that she had another option, a whole world she didn't know about, she didn't really give it a second thought but that presented new challenges, she wasn't the only one, and she had to be the best of her kind. She still wasn't sure about what this truly was about, beyond Godly pride, which it was most definitely, but there was something else at play here, that the Gods weren't telling them, but her mother seemed to care, since she'd been there her whole life, a face in the crowd, a voice in her head, keeping her safe, from a distance. So she couldn't complain too much. Some of these demi-gods had it much worse.

"Mother," Layla said, unafraid of talking to herself since she was alone in the training hall, what with the school at this party. "Why now?" She asked. Athena was characteristically quiet. "You only chose to make your present known to me, but a year ago, is it truly because of the accident or...is there more?"

"There is more." Athena said. "However, the accident proved motivation, for the both of us." She said and Layla nodded. Her mother never lied to her, not once, but that didn't make her feel better. "You wouldn't have shown yourself to me, otherwise, would you have?" She asked and after a long pause, Athena sighed, which was a strange sound in her head. "Suffice it to say, Little One, I was in a place of indecision, now I am not." She said and Layla nodded. "That's how I feel about this party," Layla said not wanting to think about what would have happened had she not been in the accident. And to think she thought that day was the worst of her lief...now she wasn't so sure. Was it bad luck, or providence?. "Why's that?" Athena asked. "We are expected to party like Dionysius, and then proceed to fight one another, and for what? Your favor, but why do you need to do this for your favor, don’t we already have it?"[/olor] Layla said and Athena chuckled. "You have mine, but this is tradition, moreover, there is the 'more' I referred to, and not so many of the Gods appreciate their children like I do." [/i] She said and Layla nodded, she could hear the smile in her voice. "That's not for you to worry about now, Little one, clean yourself up, dress nicely, and enjoy this time you have as normal teenagers." She said and Layla sighed. That was all she was going to get from that conversation. [color=#054357]"Yes, Mother," She said and with that, she did as she was told, and got cleaned up, and dressed in a lovely little black dress, that hugged her Olympian curves. She had no idea what she was doing here to be entirely honest, parties weren't her scene at all, she didn't listen to this type of music, nor did she appreciate the way that strobe lights and fog laid waste to her vision. She smiled as she entered though. She had to be a normal teenager, that's what her mother wanted, for one night that she was not a demi-goddess, fighting for the right to be beside her mother, but a teenager invited to an unsanctioned, unofficial party for school. "What am I doing here?" She asked herself as she skimmed the crowd for a familiar face.

▉Layla_Athenes▉
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#054357, Interacting with: Vince Darling
As Layla looked around, she noticed someone approach her from the side. She turned to see the gentle giant, Vince Darling, looking oddly nervous. She smiled at him. She'd always been fond of Vince, or rather, fond might not be the appropriate term but she was a bit nervous about what it really was. They could very well be on the opposite side of the Games tomorrow,
Hey Layla. I'm glad to see you made it. C-Can I can get you something to drink?" He said and she blushed. She wished she hadn't, but the catch in his throat made her stomach do a little dance. "Sure," She said as she tugged on the hem of her dress, which seemed to be the thing that caught his attention. This was not her typical attire, she dressed practically, knowing they had physical training, as well as other academic studies, dressing in a dress or a skirt seemed a bit moot. Why get all dolled up if you're only going to sweat out your hair in PT, or stress sweat right through your pretty dress?
Now, however, seemed the appropriate time, and it seemed to work in a way her mother seemed to think it would.
"Do not fear the future, Little one, enjoy the present." Her mother whispered to her mind, startling her a bit. Layla swallowed. "Talk to him, Her mother urged and she looked up at the tall man. "So, Vince?" She began. "Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked, in a sad attempt to break the ice. She had no idea if he liked parties or not, she didn't, but her mother insisted, and one couldn't exactly disobey a Goddess, especially if said Goddess was her mother. It was at the moment that she could hear Abby giving Calden what for, and she shook her head. She is the child of Ares after all, such violence and anger was to be expected. Layla was never one to say she didn't like someone but Abby wasn't her favorite person in the world, she didn't appreciate Layla's attempts at assistance, called her a know it all, and things of that nature, while she does it for attention Layla does it to help. You can't win 'em all, she supposed. She turned her attention away from Abby and whatever that fight was about and noticed Maya having some sort of fit in the middle of the dance floor, She called out for someone as Layla stepped forward to help but she stopped herself this wasn't for her to do, she wasn't a child of Hermes, she had no natural abilities that could help with this, if anything she could talk to her about the fits, and what they might mean but that wasn't it, for now, she swallowed. Her gift was what caused her to be slightly distracted now, she could see everyone's problems, but her gift of gab wasn't going to stop a fight, not with Abby anyway, nor would it help Maya, especially now that the fight was over. "You hear the world's suffering, Little One, it is hard but drown it out, for now, enjoy your night, you've gentleman caller waiting on you now." her mother advised and inwardly nodded and turned her attention back to Vince.

xxxxxxBlake Taylor
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xxAphroditexxxSupportxxxOutfit: [x] xxHex#b21eae
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Dragging Amelie out to dance went better than Blake expect. She would've thought the other girl would resist, but then again, Blake is never turned down. The dancefloor was surrounded by horny teens so this wasn't the best location to hangout with her... friend? Labels for her relationships usually didn't go beyond liking or not liking. Someone would really need to be close to her to earn the title of friend or best friend. When the song ended, she could hear Amelie saying something, but it was so loud at the party. She heard the words: display, more, and drunk. Sounds fun!

"Alcohol. I'm in. Let's go, archer."

Most of the bars were surrounded by drunk students, with few choices to choose from. She noticed the addition of Vince to the party. Jace's good boy roommate and their Agon brawn was never one for these types of social events. His talking to Layla, the brain of their group, was definitely intriguing. Hmmm... interesting. Blake usually isn't nosey, but she can't resist matchmaking. What else is the daughter of Aphrodite to do? She'll leave them be for now. Only the gods know how this will go if she jumps in prematurely. She finally noticed a bar with an opening. Still holding Amelie's hand, Blake lend her to the bar. Blake wasn't thinking about the fight tomorrow. She wanted a blissful night drinking with people she liked. The bartender placed two, yellowish white cocktails in front of them, garnished with a pineapple. Piña coladas are one of Blake's favorite sweet drinks. She raised her glass to Amelie, clinking the two together.

"May the night be fun and the alcohol plentiful! Also to tomorrow, so my team can beat yours ass!

With a playful wink, Blake, almost chugged, drank her cocktail. She could feel the effects coming as she swayed slightly, but was too busy having fun.

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xxxxxxVince Darling
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xxHeraxxxxxBrawn xxxxOutfit: [x] xxxHex#cc640d
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Vince gave an exhale of relief when Layla, hopefully, didn't notice the stutter that come out of his mouth. He wasn't much of a talker, but he had no problem talking to other people. Why was this so difficult? When she responded yes to a drink, he was quick to rush to a nearby bar, not wanting to keep Layla waiting. Vince had no clue what to ask for. Did she like sweet? Alcoholic or non? Crap, is she allergic to anything? Thankfully, the bartender must have had pity on him. He handed him two drinks. "It's a strawberry daiquiri. No alcohol and very sweet." Vince couldn't thank the bartender enough before heading back to Layla with the drinks. She smiled at him, taking the other drink from him. I guess the bartender made a good call. The two of them continued drinking. Layla seemed a little distracted though. She didn't seem like she would attend these types of parties. Was she bored?

"So, Vince, are you enjoying yourself?"

Honestly, he was contemplating leaving before Layla showed up. Jace would've scolded him later for ditching the party to go back to their room to train for tomorrow, but Vince was more willing to deal with that than drunk partygoers. He was about to respond when he noticed Maya was appearing faint. The sunny girl didn't look well. Vince would've stepped in, but Ace and Joaquin appeared faster than Vince even could. Her teammates could take of her and Vince didn't want to get in the way. His minds went back to Layla. He didn't know what to say or how to respond. "Dammit Jace."

"Well, it's a fine party, I guess. I prefer something a little less... eye catching. The other side of the lake is more my speed. Want to go? The other side of the lake was empty of other students and very serene in Vince's eyes. A great place to watch the fireworks too. "I'd like to watch the fireworks without worrying about the drunks here."