❛ The Forest

@[G] Nicholas Gasirkarov "O-oh..."
Aurora pouted slightly as she looked over at him. "So ye can't see any details at all...?" she asked, feeling sad for him. "Ye... Ye can't pick up on anything. Not even how people's eyes look?" She wanted to reach out, touch his shoulder, ruffle his hair. Something. It just felt so weird if he couldn't see more than outlines. How boring must the world not look to him.

"No, it isn't really too personal," Aurora mumbled in reply, rubbing her shoulder as if she was wounded. "I just don't know who it is..." She blushed, feeling almost pathetic for admitting it. Everyone around here knew who their parents were, but not her. She didn't know any of them. Neither the mortal... or the immortal.

She placed her hands at her sides, staring up at the pile. "Cursed or not. They are rocks. Not human bodies or something creepy. I think I'll be fine," she answered, nodding her head lightly. "But... Ye sure you shouldn't have some special rules? Sounds unfair to contend against a blind man."

"Hey, I don't bunch people who don't deserve it. And I /definitely/ don't punch blind people. I'm not horrible either." She glanced over at him before pouting yet again. "And if we don't know our powers either... What then?"

@[R] Aurora Blair Nicholas laughed, “A bat? Almost, but given that we are demigods, there are a few exceptions if mortal logic will be applied. And yes, I register everything the wind touches but all I will receive is a vague multi-dimensional outline. No color, No details. To be honest, it is really confusing. I can’t determine the difference of wood and concrete; fiber and hair. I just need to know the presence of something—whether they are moving or not. How big or small they are. How solid they are. etc.” He clarified, hoping that she didn’t mistake his method of seeing as something that is capable of initiating any form of active or passive malicious act. Nicholas never had interest in anything.

“But seriously though, you haven’t mentioned your godly parent. Is it too personal? If it is, then, I’ll try to understand.” He remarked, nodding at what she said about the southern lights, “Me too. I never get to see them.”

“A pile of cursed rock!” He emphasized before raising both eyebrows, “Of course, I’m not afraid. I just can’t bring a demigod and casually point out that we’re climbing a cursed landmark! But if you’re brave as you sound…” He teased back, “Then I’ll race you to the top. Fair game. No special rules for the blind man.”

He unleashed a huge gust of wind to check out the structure of Zeus’ fist before heading towards the best part of the base. “Okay, rules: first, no pushing or attacking each other. Second, we can’t damage Zeus’ fist—let’s say, destroy of remove some boulders, Zeus will get really mad if that happens. Third, we can’t use our powers. In my case, I shouldn’t use flight.”

“Alright, what do you think? Do you want to race me?”

@[G] Nicholas Gasirkarov "S-so... What ye'r saying is like ye'r some kind of... Bat?" Aurora asked, feeling a tad confused. Aero-location? Even just echo-location sounded hard to believe when it came to human senses, but... Not even using sounds? How was that at all possible?
She let out a small gasp as he grabbed her wrist, her eyes suddenly on him. She could feel her cheeks heating up a little as she fought away the urge to slap him, but he didn't do anything bad. Instead, she felt the light tickle of air blowing between her fingers, almost making her shudder.

As he kept speaking Aurora's eyes grew wider and wider. So if he saw all that the wind touched, every shape that it brushed past...
"H-hey! A-at least don't tell me ye register /everything/ the wind touches. B-because then... I... Uhm..." she stuttered, tugging her skirt down a little in hopes of hiding herself away from his 'vision.'

The young Scott looked at the jacket offered to her before lightly shaking her head. "N-no... No thank ye, I... Think I'll be fine."

"A-ah, guess... Guess Nicholas works then. A-and for me Aurora is fine. Just... Just Aurora," she mumbled hesitantly. No one had really called her anything but Aurora ever, so it was a hard question to answer. "M-my... Uhm... My mom used to speak of them when I was younger. She said they looked like beams of light dancing over the sky. She... She never got to take me to see them though."

"I lived on the streets for a few years... I... I think I've experienced my good share of adventures," she answered him with a light shrug of her shoulder. But as he stood in front of her she drooped her shoulders and sighed. "What? Why not? It's just a pile of rocks. Ye chicken?~" she asked with a teasing hint to her tone. She stood back up straight and glanced over at the rocks. "They don't look /that/ scary. Try climbing to the roof of Aberdeen University; now /that/ is terrifyin'."

@[R] Aurora Blair “Well, Aurora Blair, I have my ways.” He murmured, facing her but his dead eyes seemingly looked past her. “Ever heard of echolocation or bio sonar? Animals use echoes to identify objects around them. Mine involved using the wind or to put it in perspective 'aero-location'. I’ll try to show you. Hmmm, excuse me for a moment.” Nicholas took her wrist and opened her hand, exposing her palm. But it was her fingers that he focused on.

“Can you feel this?” He carefully blew on her fingers while moving his head to one direction. “Can you feel the wind slipping through your fingers? It is similar to that but more complex. Try to put it in a bigger perspective. I can identify something if it blocks the wind. The complexity of this happens when I’m trying to make an outline from the flow of the wind. So this involves a lot of practice and patience. For example, this area... I need to perceive a multi-dimensional outline of the trees, and its leaves; every blade of grass; every insect or bird that passed by, every rock or dead branches; every person. I need to process them: where they place, where they stand; how big there are; how fast there are; how much wind resistance they have...before assembling an accurate picture.”

He let go of her hand and went back to leading the tour, “I apologize if it gets windy. The more wind, the more I can see. So here,” The child of Zeus took off his grey jacket and offered it to the new girl. Now, Nicholas was only wearing a dark blue undershirt. “Take this. Go ahead. I don’t mind. I’m used to the cold.”

“Yes, I am Zeus’ kid. Gasirkarov is Russian. Supposedly Nikolai Gasirkarov but Zeus wanted the Greek variant Nicholas because of it's meaning. But only my mother and my best friend call me Nikolai."

"How about you Aurora Blair? What would you like me to call you?” He asked while poking around the boulder. It didn’t look safe, which means it’ll be a thrill for this young male daredevil. "Do you know the southern lights? Aurora Borealis? They say that it is beautiful. Sadly, even if it belongs to the sky, I cannot see it."

"You took me here to climb?"

“Technically no, but if my statement implies it—then an unintentional yes.” Nicholas chuckled and shook his head. “I just want to know if you’re the adventurous type of girl, Aurora Blair.”

He watched her raise an eyebrow at him and sighed. “F-fine.” She said. Aurora squatted down a little, preparing to get a running start. Nicholas frowned and blocked her by standing in front of her.

“You’re serious? Are you sure you want to climb this cursed landmark?” Nicholas asked, his tone showed a small tinge of worry but majority of it was of disbelief. After that famous battle in the labyrinth; after Kampe' died; no camper would dare climb it. Who knows what will happen in this cursed pile? He can take care of himself, but putting another camper in danger was worth the doubt.

@[G] Nicholas Gasirkarov So, he was blind? It would be the only thing that made sense. The dead eyes, the talk of not having seen anything, not noticing she was new. But how come he didn't have a cane? And how had he noticed her from so far away?
"I... Uhm... A-aurora... B-blair. I... I'm sorry, but... ye'r blind..." she pointed out, confusion brushing over her face. "H-how did ye see me from that far off? It's bloody amazin'!" It was hard to contain it, despite knowing it was probably rude to point out.

A slow build of wind had begun around them as they walked a little deeper into the forest. Aurora hugged her arms, cursing herself for not having put on something more covering than a skirt and a shirt when she had gotten out of bed. The cold gusts would rustle in under her skirt, making her shudder every time it kissed the skin of her thighs.
"A-aren't you cold...?" she mumbled questioningly, looking over at him.

"S-show me some...?" Aurora mumbled silently to herself as she hurried to follow the boy. "H-hey, what's yer name, by the way? I d-don't exactly tend to let mysterious men take me anywhere special without at least knowin' their name." But the words he spoke as they kept walking made her widen her eyes. "Z-zeus... L-like the old greek king of the gods?" she asked, quickly following it up with another question: "Ye'r his kid?"

"Gasirkarov...?" Aurora mumbled a little when he finally revealed his name. "Doesn't sound very greek to me." She quickly shut and listened as Nicholas went on, explaining about the pile of boulders. It was still a little much to take in and she could feel herself halfway falling off. "Ay, this is a little much... Cursed?"

"You took me here to climb?"
She raised a brow as she looked at him. Was he serious? Oh well, it was better than spending her day locked up in that cabin they had assigned to her. "F-fine. Let's do this," she sighed and squatted down a little, preparing to get a running start.

@[R] Aurora Blair Nicholas mentally took note of everything: first, the voice was from a girl; second, she’s a new camper which basically explained her anxious stuttering; third, she must be from Scotland; he was certain because of her accent. The child of Zeus shook his head and chuckled, “I’ve been here for years, but that’s something I don’t take pride on.”

“I’ve been here for years, but I haven’t seen anything.” He sighed under his breath, hoping that the other didn’t hear it. Immediately, he attempted to change the topic. “So, tell me about yourself. Who’s your godly parent? Your name? Uhhh--- anything.”

Gusts of wind would come and meet them in a pattern; every after five minutes or so. Since it disturbs people a lot, Nicholas would summon the wind only when he doesn’t have a clue where he is heading. That’s why he makes his rounds, to memorize the whole place… every nook and cranny. He hoped the young lady wouldn’t mind the cold breezes coming at them.

Listening was a talent, he can distinguish multiple voices and make some sense out of the noise. That’s why as he listened to everything the new girl would say, Nicholas would also listen to his surroundings. The forest can be a noisier place compared to the social gatherings in the camp: because it’s easier to silence people; the woods, however, even the lightest footsteps can trigger a noise that will make wolves or any wild animal run away or toward you. The son of Zeus thought of giving the new girl a better experience in the woods than walking. He didn't want the new camper to feel out of place. “Come on, I’ll show you something.”

He gestured her to follow him, but he was careful not to lose her. “Capture the flag is a tradition in Camp Half-Blood. Often it’s held in the woods.” This was a path that did not need sight. He memorized the majority of the area for one reason: summoning wind during a capture the flag-match will blow his cover. Nicholas continued, “A spot they often place the flag would be Dad’s fist—I mean, Zeus’ fist.”

His face grew red at the mention of the word ‘Dad’, he never called Zeus that way. He only referred Zeus as his ‘Old man”, sometimes “Ser” (the Russian for ‘Sir’) when Nicholas is in a courteous mood toward his father. “Anyway,” He chuckled. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Nicholas Gasirkarov. Son of Zeus. And the pile of boulders over there, that’s Zeus’s fist. It’s hard to climb so it’s a great spot to keep the flag. But a mythological beast, Kampe', died there during the battle of the labyrinth so some campers stay away from it. They say it's cursed.”

He paused, and waited for her to say something before he continues.

“So… do you want to know how it feels to be on top a god’s fist?” He smiled, placing the duffel bag on the ground, preparing to climb it.

@[G] Nicholas Gasirkarov The past few days had been beyond strange for Aurora. Everything around her seemed too much to be reality, but too tangible to be a dream and she was having difficulties trying to make up her mind on it all. But days had gone, and here she was, sitting on the ground and looking out over a large campground as kids of every age came streaming out of a nearby building. She figured breakfast was over. Hard to say, her sense of time was still a little out of whack.

Luckily, no one had really bothered her. She guessed it could be seen as a curse too, though, as she still had not gotten a simple introduction to it all. The only one that had even hinted at speaking for the past days had been her stomach, now painfully growling at her to get food.

And then there was another voice, not very far off. Aurora turned towards it, spotting a guy, closer to her age than most of the other campers, tying his laces by one of the larger cabins, white and grand like an old temple. Next to him was a duffle bag, probably filled with more of the old weaponry Aurora had seen around the camp.

Deciding it was better to not let her mind wander anymore, she pulled out her trusted knife, slinging the hilt out. Her attention went exclusively to the knife, blocking out pretty much anything around her as she attempted some of the more difficult tricks she had seen in the past. The segments flew around her finger, the blade gracing dangerously close to her fingers a few times before one of the handles hit her wrist and the knife cluttered to the ground. She let out a small sigh and went to pick it up, shaking her hand a little to get the pain away.

And there he was, suddenly standing in front of her. With uncertain eyes, Aurora stood back up, closing the knife and sliding it back into the pocket on her shirt. "H-hey...?" she mumbled carefully, raising her hand in a greeting before noticing his dead gaze. What was he looking at? She tried to follow where he was looking, but there were only trees, nothing out of the ordinary. And then he spoke, almost making Aurora jump back in surprise. "N-new? Y-yeah, I guess ye' could say that..." she answered hesitantly, rubbing her shoulder to hide her wounded pride. Wait, couldn't tell? Surely he'd know if she were new or not. Unless... He was new too. With a slight unwillingness, she nodded her head, figuring this was a better introduction than non at all.
"A-are... Are ye' new too...?" she carefully asked, trying her best to not stand out as she followed the guy.

@[R] Aurora Blair The nymphs knew what he wanted, and that brightened his morning: an English breakfast. Although Nicholas was half-Russian, the guy never fancied the caviar his aunt offers during breakfast (back at home)—the puny little fish eggs never filled his belly; they were useless. The young son of Zeus stood up and carried is plate back to the nymphs, thanking them before taking a walk.

He made his rounds at the canoe lake, the climbing wall, and the strawberry fields before jogging back to his cabin to get his equipment for training. When he went back outside, carrying a large duffel bag, he noticed an unfamiliar presence.

Because of his disability, Nicholas relied mostly on the flow of the wind. Distinguishing a person; however, required two things: their voice and scent. Personality comes afterwards, then Nicholas will make a mental stamp: their own unique ambiance he feels around them. For example, there was this Hermes kid that radiated mischief—eventually, he was Nicholas’ prank buddy.

This one is definitely a new camper, and he or she seemed alone. Normally, the time after breakfast is a time of morning social interaction—except for those who wanted to finish their business early: like chores or training.

“Hey,” He called to the person as he sits on the steps in front of his cabin, changing footwear. Nicholas immediately secured the laces of his running shoes and jogged towards the figure. “You seem new here. I can’t tell though.” His dead eyes gazed at a random direction, but his approachable fatherly tone aimed towards the other presence. “Either way, I’ll make my rounds at the woods before training. Care to join me?”

@[G] Karissa Locke Stephen's response was a soft, almost indiscernible nod, but he knew she saw it at least. The male demigod knew better than to let a teammate be injured even before the game started; no matter if even her presence came as disturbing to him.

At least it's only her aura.

In the previous game, he was in the other team, which was his luck—the Mars children would be out for blood this time—but the thing was that the other side has Ceres and Minerva's offsprings, and it would be near miraculous if they managed to win. And yet, in the dark, who could be better than a daughter of Pluto, really?

"Maybe a team of three will suffice," Stephen said lowly. "Take the strongest and most agile fighters with you. This might just work. Stay clear from the waters, the Neptune kids are on the other team."

Looking around, the male listened to their surroundings amidst the quiet chatters of their teammates. So far, it seemed that the other team hadn't gone out of their area yet—the sooner they set out, the better.

"Krause, you'd better go with her," said another child of Mars. "You can be the one to alert us when you manage to disarm them. In the meanwhile, we'd set out in groups of three as well. The rest will defend the flag."

"Fine," came the mentioned male's answer, with a nod. "Look for a reversed thunder—the one coming from the ground, in case either Dad or the spirits of the sky decides to mess with me." With a wry smile, he turned towards the pale-skinned demigoddess, deftly taking the gold pendant off his neck—a second later it glowed and transformed into his quarterstaff; Bacchus said they could kill in the game, but he'd rather not.

"Let's go. From this point on, you're the leader," he said, and although quiet, his words had weight. It was rare that a child of Pluto gets to lead, he knew, and perhaps the other would've suspected that he was doing her a favor, but at that time, he'd only thought that it was just how it should be.

Just then, the horn signaling the beginning of the siege resounded.

@[R] Stephen Krause Last time, Karissa remembered, she had also been teamed up with the Ares cabin – only unfortunately, the other team had successfully pulled off a huge upset. The other team had successfully captured their team’s flag, and the Ares cabin weren’t very happy with the outcome of the previous game. This meant… well, that this night, they’ll be out for blood (not that they weren’t always out for blood). The female joined the flock of demigods as they gathered as a team.

She could see that they were an advantage tonight, though, knowing they had two out of the Big Three cabins – Zeus and Hades. The children of the aforementioned gods are known to rarely get along – but admittedly, Karissa didn’t really have certain issues with children of Zeus. It was only the power they radiated that seemed to make her uncomfortable. After all, isn’t Zeus the king of the gods? Even from where she stood, she could already feel their aura. It didn’t help knowing their leader was a child of Jupiter – she wondered how they could appoint a Roman demigod as a leader; she might say she didn’t have any issues with children of Zeus, but perhaps there’s a certain exception when it came to the children of the gods’ Roman aspect. Until now, like any other Greek demigod, she’s still not yet fully used to the idea of the Romans sharing their haven.

The female had resorted to keeping her attention solely on the acting leaders (who the captain was, she had no idea), and was taken aback upon the bottle of nectar being handed over her direction. At that moment, she had the same baffled look as the other half-bloods who happened to see the child of Zeus – or Jupiter, whatever – handing her the godly drink they use for healing.

Hesitantly, she took the bottle into her own hand, her dark orbs meeting his as though a bit skeptic. She stared at him for a moment before uttering a soft ‘thank you’.

“I can help out with sneaking to the other team’s base. It’s dark, after all.” And darkness was her forte. “But I can only take a few. One or two – three, at most. We might be able to disarm them somehow, before the rest of the forces breach the other team’s defense.”

@[G] Karissa Locke Ah, the expressionless child of Hades, as she's always been. Stephen had never really talked to her—neither did he knew just why was he seemed to always be surrounded by the children of Hell, as he used to term them—but seeing as they're in a team now, it looked like he would have to set their differences aside... again.

Honestly, he often wondered just what if they weren't born with an innate knack of disliking the other just because of the aura they exude; after all, the bright sky and the underworld wasn't a match made in heaven. And now, standing among the children of Hypnos and Apollo, he was the only one who didn't turn his eyes towards Karissa.

He could already sense her the moment she approached. What's the point of looking towards her when it probably came as discomfort? Stephen figured he would want to slip inside unknown, had he been in her position.

Clearing his throat to distract the others' attention, he turned to the Mars child by his side. "So what's our plan?"

"I don't have one... yet," was the answer he'd gotten. "They've got the advantage—I think they're going to play offensive."

"Trojan horse," Stephen muttered, the phrase suddenly appearing inside his head for some reasons unknown to him. "If we can get to their side unknown..."

It's only then that he happened to see the blood trickling down the pale girl's leg, and the male silently handed her a small glass bottle of nectar—his emergency supply. Eyes were on him, but he could care less.

"Locke. Your ideas?"

@[R] Stephen Krause By the time Karissa finished putting on her bronze chest plate, she knew she was already late for the traditional Friday night activity – capture the flag. Then again, she was always late. With her helm tucked in her arm, she hurried to the entrance to the woods, where the teams might have already gathered at as the activities coordinator and director explained the mechanics for the game. She wasn’t usually this clumsy but – well, she didn’t really notice the rock as she hastily fixed the strap of her helm under her chin. Petty hindrance, really, and she’d be willing to bet by the time she arrives there, the game had already begun. It was only lucky that the teams had been announced earlier in the dining hall as they ate dinner. If she was lucky, she’d be able to reach their base just in time to hear their team’s strategy.

That is, if she won’t be able to manage it to the part where the two teams are still gathered in one place. Pausing to catch her breath, she let out a groan – no time for lagging, as much as she hated being active, to be quite honest, capture the flag isn’t something you’d want to miss if you’re in a camp like this. Karissa stood up, dusted her jeans, and darted to where the teams are gathered.

Good news: she arrived just in time before the centaur gets to finish the mechanics for the game (which she didn’t really minded missing had it not been for the sake of being able to join her team as they make their way to their base, knowing she’d already heard the same mechanics all throughout her years at camp half-blood). Bad news: well, she was late. She kept a blank expression, however, as she joined her team despite the attention she was receiving. Good thing for her, she was pardoned for being late – but she guessed there might be some sort of a punishment later on, anyway.

Only when she slowed into a walk did she feel the pain on her left knee. She was wounded from tripping on a darned rock – but she shook it off. Oh, petty hindrances.

@[G] Claire E. Heather (im so sorry ;;/cowers in a corner ;w;)

He nodded his head absent mindedly, "Yeah, i know it's father." Rivaille speak softly, letting his legs dangling in the air. "I can feel he is watching over us the entire time," he murmured, later a small pout formed onto his feature, "though its better if he just show up and we can spend all day playing at the sea," he sighed

Later he looked at his sister, "But then, what Bijou and you said is true, i really need to sharpen my history skills," He laughed softly in the cold of the night, forming another water bubble onto his brown hair, letting it bounce lightly. "I really at it anyway, especially when im still in the human world."

"The letters are dancing all around whenever i tried to read them," he huffed.

@[G] Claire E. Heather Leonidas let out a noise as he felt water move up his back. It felt cool, strange and a little weird. Okay, a lot weird. Who's ever had water travel up something? However, as the water surrounded the wound on his back, he felt a tingling sensation. The water was working its magic, healing him. The only explanation for this was because of Claire, who he had initially thought would've loved the thought of him bleeding out. The more Leonidas thought, the more he realized her life was in his hands and she wanted to make sure they were both going to make it.

He didn't think too much of it at first, but as he hurried towards the edge of the forest, he realized that Claire was a demigod. One of the big Three's kids. He wondered why she had chosen to devote herself to Artemis, and how long she must've hunted with the goddess. Then, as the line of the camp was seen, he finally acknowledged that he was a huge _____ towards Claire. About everything. Oh great, Leonidas scrunched up his face in distaste, something to regret almost entirely.

Adjusting his hold on her once before running into the camp, he ignored everyone's questions about what was going on. The longer he stayed away from the infirmary, the farther she slips out of this world. He even ignored other huntresses, who were demanding details aggressively. Still, he said nothing and headed to the infirmary. "Please, someone help! She's been grazed with an celestial bronze arrow!" Leonidas exclaimed as he laid the huntress/demigoddess on the nearest hospital bed. "I'll explain later but I need her alive!"

Was he even noticing the way he spoke? No, not really. But it seemed that other people were.

@[G] Leonidas Bonaventura The thing about celestial bronze, and imperial gold, was that it imbibed the wish of the wielder. Leonidas had wanted it to hit desperately and it did - just not in the way he expected. It was as he wanted, though, the dimming of her once brilliant eyes. The 'best' huntress had fallen. And honestly, Claire had thought that maybe it was easier to die like that. No more denial, no more hatred. She could let go. And that prophecy will never be fulfilled.

But honestly, if she were to die, she wouldn't die in the hands of a boastful demigod like him - no, he's right, she /has/ to live...

Her strength had begun to left her as the wound ate away her life force, but weak as she was, she tried hard to keep her eyes open. Her head spun, but she still saw how he pulled the arrow out of his back. She would've scolded him really, for it would make him lose more blood - but it was too late. Now their hope was left in the strength and endurance of the young male hunter.

Weirdly, she even had this thought that she wouldn't hear the end of it if Artemis was there. Her, lifted up by a male, bridal-style...

Leonidas had a striking look, she couldn't deny that. He'd even look more handsome from this near of a distance... or was it just because she was on the brink of her consciousness? Claire had no idea. The thought of the wound dripping blood all over their way to camp disturbed her, though. She felt bad because he actually /cared/... and for once, there was a bright bluish glow by the back of her hand.

The shape was clear, the symbol of the sea god. A trident.

Her eyes closed just as water - from the ground - trickled /up/ Leonidas' back, bringing a fresh cool sensation on the wound her arrow inflicted. The bleeding stopped quickly, and when it was healed just like it was never there... her head went limp.

No one except for the huntresses and the gods who'd been around in her time knew that she was a daughter of Poseidon. Not once had she ever showed that she was one, for she felt much more comfortable being a huntress. She'd rather let all of them think she was a mortal girl. But deep down, she knew she couldn't hide forever. It's in her blood.

Her fate awaits.

@[G] Claire E. Heather He yelled out a curse as a wooden arrow hit his back, the pain shooting around the wound in a burst of hot fire, the force putting him on his stomach. It became a numbing sensation, and because it was only wooden, it would instantly be cured with nectar and ambrosia. He just needed to get to camp. But, he was defeated. Claire had won. He let his pride get the best of him. Leonidas cursed again before he head a soft thud on the mossy ground, rather than a nimble pat like he would have predicted.

"Claire? Claire!" Leonidas exclaimed as he looked back to see her laying on the ground. The wound he had inflicted on her was smoking dangerously. He gulped, realizing his grave mistake. He must've forgotten to throw away one celestial bronze arrow. He quickly shuffled upwards, trying to run towards her when he was barely off the ground. "Claire, damn it, I-I-I didn't mean it."

He didn't. He had never meant to truly hurt her. Ever. "You need to live. C'mon, I'll get you back to the camp, just hold on, Claire," he said, his voice wrought with concern and worry. As a way of securing her safety, he grabbed the magic coin that was in his pocket. The magic coin that had the power to change small feats of destiny. With a bite of his lip, he flipped the coin and asked, "Please, will Claire live from this injury?"

Leonidas wished as strongly as he could that she'd be safe. The coin agreed with him, showing 'heads' to mean 'yes'. The young demigod let out a huge sigh of relief. Still, he needed to get her to the camp, to true safety. Just because she'd live from this injury doesn't mean she'll live to see tomorrow. This forest was dangerous. He let out a groan of pain as he pulled the arrow out of his back, to make it easier for him to carry Claire. Then, he hoisted her up bridal-style, holding her shoulders in case her neck was too weak to hold up her head.

If he was right about his surroundings, he would be able to make it to the camp if he followed the lining of the cliff. Quickly, even though his back was searing, he moved as quickly as he could to aid Claire.

@[G] Leonidas Bonaventura Her bronze locks obscured her view just slightly as her hair covered a part of her face; Claire realized she was handicapped due to her habit of tying her hair up, but it was too late. Using the leaves as covers, she scanned the grounds.

An arrow whizzed pass her, and she'd seen it coming- but she had no time to react properly. It left a gash by her waist, something she deemed unnecessary for the time being. Hissing at the wound (which had started to smoke), she aimed towards the male who was running just a distance below her.

She hit him, yes.

But the next moment, an icy chill went through her veins, and her vision was blurred as she fell to the mossy ground.

Celestial bronze is fatal to demigods...

@[G] Claire E. Heather The way she scoped the land from her higher vantage point, he knew that she saw that he wasn't down there. Now, she'd be looking for him. He aimed for her stomach, a fatal shot that'd definitely get him the winner's spot. Ha, she'd have to admit he was the better hunter now.

But then, he took a moment to full examine her. She was pretty, he had to admit that. Well, to put it mildly, she was pretty. She was an ice sculpture indeed, an exquisitely carved one. He grit his teeth. He knew he was a teenager and it was okay for him to have thoughts about women like that. But he was supposed to be hunting her. He was supposed to shoot an arrow that was meant to fatally wound. And besides, she wouldn't like him, she was a Huntress. Probably hundreds of years old and probably hated men with a passion. Why was he wasting his time thinking about this?

When he realized what he was doing, his arrow was lowered and the tension was loosened. He cursed underneath his breath, loud enough for someone close to hear and shot where he had previously aimed. He hoped to hit her stomach and earn that fatal blow, but he didn't even stop to double check that she was in the same spot. To recover from his lingering mistake, Leonidas jumped out of the pine tree, heading towards the moss ground in hopes of being able to outrun her. She was nimble, he had to remind herself and therefore, was probably able to carry her weight a lot easier than him.

@[G] Leonidas Bonaventura A missed shot. Claire doubted Leonidas actually missed her by that much, unless he was somehow playing soft on her. It only fueled her cold anger, for it had - again - brought to surface a certain memory she'd buried deep down...

But even before she'd thought of that, her reflex acted by shooting the arrow she had towards the direction where the shot came from. She knew she'd probably missed, but in this kind of contest, one only has to be ready of anything. Nocking another arrow by her bow, she waited - only to hear the soft thud from a distance.

Seeing would've been better... this was no monster, and he'd try to hide as much as possible.

In response, she momentarily made her bow disappear and jumped up; the next second, she was perching on a tall tree branch with a commendable balance, the bow already back in hand. If he was there, then she'd see him from above.

But it seemed he wasn't.

Though, a cougar couldn't climb like her, could it?

@[G] Claire E. Heather Leonidas was not only searching for the huntress, he was searching for the most advantageous spot for him to stake out. He had finally found out, and took a moment to recollect. He examined his spot. It was on top of a cliff, the bottom of the cliff looking to be most covered with moss. It'd be a soft landing and a good escape plan. He took other factors in - there was a large oak he could hide behind if he were to see back in the forest brush and there was a heavily coated pine tree beside a sturdy birch tree. Both were fit for climbing. Perfect escape plan.

He had his arrow drawn, hiding behind the oak tree in search of the huntress. She'd probably be on the prowl, just as a cougar searching for prey. Bears just salvaged what they came across, wolves hunted in numbers... cougars were one of the best prey to come across. They hunted you just as much as you hunted them. He adjusted his hunting style for such a contest, although he already saw his main hunting trick for the hefty felines.

His blue eyes widened as he saw Claire, walking with silent steps and her silver arrow drawn. He didn't even notice her presence and now she was far too close to comfort. A couple more feet towards him and he could be seen. With a quick breath, he aimed to shoo her away and change his stakeout position. He hit an evergreen a few inches from where she was standing, feigning a missed shot.

As quickly as he could, he grabbed the largest stone he could easily carry, took a few seconds to prep himself and jumped off the cliff. Now, the smart thing to do would be to jump onto the moss and run until he found a suitable stakeout. Instead, though, Leonidas' feet landed on the birch tree and used the branch as a boost towards the pine tree. There, he cloaked himself against the prickly branches, then threw the large stone. The stone thudded convincingly, sounding as if a body had tumbled onto the moss. Now, she had only hoped she took the bait and came looking for him. Claire was a predator but she was a human predator and probably was more clever than a mountain lion. Still, he waited calmly, another arrow of his drawn from within the pine tree.

@[G] Leonidas Bonaventura The forest had been her turf since forever. Claire knew it could be seen as an advantage, but really, in an actual hunt, it made little difference.

You're hunting /someone/ now, not a monster anymore, she kept telling herself as the voices faded behind her. The forests of Camp Half-Blood was treacherous; the deeper she went, the more chance she wouldn't come back. But she'd known the paths she took.

With silent steps and an arrow ready, she utilized her senses. Sea blue eyes scanned the shadows as she walked, hiding behind tree barks but similarly looking for signs.

It's only a matter of who found the other first...

{Closed for Claire Heather. B|}

Leonidas huffed haughtily as she watched the huntress bound towards the forest. She thinks she could win this? Well, he'll prove her wrong! He knew it. He believed it with a burning passion. His hand immediately dove into his pocket, where he held his magic coin, and he was about to flip it so he would win. But, thankfully, he stopped himself. He didn't need luck this time. He didn't need reassurance that he could. He was going to without the help of his mother. Sorry, Ma, Leonidas thought as he ran towards the forest to follow suit.

As loud as he was running towards the student, his steps quickly quieted as he entered the forest. He kept low and kept downwind, so his scent wouldn't catch on the wind. The way he stepped was cautious and calm, much different than his loud and arrogant stride when he usually walked. His cerulean eyes scanned the brush, waiting for a significant indication as to where Claire would be. He heard bushes rustle and twigs snap. Claire and Leonidas weren't alone in the forest, but that's exactly why he chose the place. To throw off their game, to give them a challenge. A huntress would have the same tactics as he, but she was nimble... he should keep watch on the trees as they'd give her a vantage point over him. He took a small breath before drawing his bow when he made it far enough so he couldn't see the edge of the forest. He kept it loose but ready, in case the tension would snap unexpectedly and give away his position.

"Where are you, darling," he muttered as soft as the wind, continuing to scan the landscape for a sign of her grey jacket.

@[G] Rivaille Meadow Claire had wanted to ask, but the change of topic made her stop - at least, to answer that question first. Though in fact, she didn't really know how to answer; how can a huntress' life be? Boring? Nice? Somewhere between?

"Er, you can say so." She nodded, then glanced up at the boy who looked up to the moon. Almost unconsciously, she smiled in secret. Who's to say Lady Artemis isn't beautiful, even if she's an eternal ?

"I suppose you knew our father more or less, then? Since he stopped you and all..."

[ now mine is super short ;; ]

@[G] Claire E. Heather (Lol! Ish okay! /snuggles ♥)

He laughed softly as he received a respond from his eldest sister. Rivaille nod, remembering that time. The water dolphin is now formed and he immediately hug it, letting out a small sigh of content , hugging his favourite animal.

"I didnt kill her. Sadly. I really just want her to dissappear and never stand infront of me. Again.. but..then. at that time someone stopped me from killing her. I dont know if its my imagination but.. i thought it was dad who stopped me from killing her. He wants me to calm down and take a rest. I did what he told me. And the next day, i never talked to my mother anymore. And that day, i met up with Grover. And i was sent here"

He said, now swinging his legs back and forth. "Ah~ oh well, its not that i will meet her again though. I wont go back there anymore. Pretty sure ahe found somebody to play with," he laugh bitterly and huffed a little.

"How about you , sis? How was your life right now? Everything's fine?" He asked, changing their topic. The moon rise higher and Rivaille just had to looked at it, "It's really beautiful.." he looked up, smilling softly.

(I think mine is shorter though ;; /killed)

@[G] Rivaille Meadow “Not even I can escape it, even if I have the gift of immortality,” Claire murmured, her tone almost having a sad tinge in it. It was a choice, but Fate forced her hands as well - she really had no choice unless she’d want herself to turn her back against the god who had sired her.

And honestly, even if she had never meet Poseidon directly, she knew how much he loved her. Gods are hard to understand; they were ancient, and more or less she could see where she herself was going. One tends to deem mundane lives unimportant when one lives a thousand years…

The huntress only watched while her brother seem to play with making shapes. In fact, she’d found no interest in ‘playing’ anymore; a hundred years was already enough to make a human feel ancient. She’d lived for far too long to outgrow her childhood. Listening to the story, though, she could guess more or less what happened, but only nodded in response.

“But you didn’t,” she said.

And it wasn’t a question.

[ /shot for writing short replies again OTL ]

@[G] Eimy Chen He nodded , looking forward as the owl that is comfortably situated onto his sister's shoulder flew away, finding it's prey to fill its own tummy. "Yeah, no one can escape death..eh..?" Rivaille muttered out as he let out a small sigh and pout. "I guess it's our fate, we can't escape from is anyway," he said softly, shrugging his shoulders.

Now that his hands got nothing to do , he eyed the floating water bow and arrow before he held his palm out,forming another water ball once more. This time he began to shape out animals. But before he could do that, a smile played on his lips as he poked the water ball that he formed earlier,now having another idea, before he held out both his palm, forming a bigger water ball, twice the size than the small one.

Beginning to hum onto a soft happy tune, the youngest started his mini project, forming a dolphin, his favorite sea animal with the water ball. There is a reason why he like this animal so much that he even have a plushie of it, placed gently at the side of his bed.

The brown haired male blink, looking at his sister as he heard the question. What happened to his mother? Rivaille hesitated for a moment before he just decide to tell her, besides, its not that his mother will ever visit him here anymore. Probably she found another man to play with. Besides, Claire is his sister, so it doesnt hurt to tell right?

"Uhm.. nothing..happened to my mother, but .. it's just that she changed one day. When i was still small, i thought she is the best person in the world, she would teach me, entertain me, talk about how she and dad meet for the first time, dotes on me and all stuff like that. But when i was at age 9, that's when she show me her true color." He muttered softly

He resume doing his mini project, while talking, "My mother, instead of being her sweet , loving mother, she is actually an abusive, alcoholic, and some kind of _____.. since she started to bring some older men into the house. When she is drunk, she gets really violent too.."

"At age 9, i was slapped by my mother, just because i asked her what did she drink and whether the drink she drank taste nice. I didn't know she drink some alcoholic drinks though," he sighed and pouted. "I lost it when i was 13 years of age. I.." he whimper a little, that day memories resurface in his mind, not looking at Claire, he say it out, "I..almost killed my mother. In anger."

@[G] Jo Youngmin "People come and go. Death is a part of life. I tried not to see it as a scary thing. Besides, everyone dies eventually," Claire smiled softly as she let the owl go to find its prey.

Looking at the shapes Rivaille kept making with the water, she wondered if he actually meant something by them, or if he was just being very creative. It intrigued her that he didn't tire, though. Theoretically, all of them tire eventually... then again, perhaps she had underestimated his strength.

His words struck her as strange; there seemed to be a hidden meaning in that statement. Claire had forgotten a lot of how her life was before she pledged herself to Artemis, but she still had fragments of her past inside her memories,and even when she looked back, she still wouldn't think she was lonely, though she was often alone. But his statement raised a basic question then.

"If you don't mind me asking... what happened to your mother?"

@[G] Eimy Chen "uh..?" Rivaille blinked as he noticed a small water ball separates itself from his own water ball and smiled as he notice that it was his sister's doing. He looked at the water balls as he listened to the other words and another soft smile plastered onto his face, "That's good to hear," the younger male said as he looked at his sister.

Now stopped swinging his legs back and forth, he opened up his palm and allow the water ball to rest onto it, as Rivaille proceed to shape the water ball, into a bow. And he formed another water ball, shaping it until it became an arrow. The cold wind of the night gently hit his skin, his fluffy dark brown hair dance along with the air before Rivaille shivered a little at the cold. "It..must be scary..witnessing the deaths of your love ones..right?" He asked the other softly, now allowing the bow and arrow to float in the air.

Rivaille tried not flinch, but flinch he did as he heard the other's question. What should he answer? True enough when he is small he is always by himself. His mother was there for him before she show him her true color. He never had any friends though. And so, he need to deal problems alone. With no one to stand by him.

Hesitated for a moment, the youngest child nodded helplessly.

"Y-yeah.. before i went into this camp, i was lonely.." He stuttered. He can't help it, and he tried not to think about the past too much, or else he will get a small headache, and he doesnt want to dream the same bitter memories of his childhood.

@[G] Jo Youngmin Immortality is both a gift and a curse; Claire had lived more than just a few decades to know what true immortality meant. The thought of never growing old might sound appealing to a lot of people, but with it came the curse of watching the people you love grow old and eventually die.

She’d learned the art of detachment, to know when to say goodbye, to know when she should forget. She’d witnessed the death of her own mother, the death of her own sister, even the death of her nephews.

And she’d let go of her family just like that. They’ve just reached their time, while ironically, she hasn’t…

Claire’s features were soft as she laid her gaze on the floating ball of water, and for a moment, she thought how best to explain to her brother; but she didn’t have to think for long. By a motion of her finger, a small water ball separated itself from the one Rivaille made, and she turned her eyes to him.

“It’s like this,” she said. “Separated at times…”

And with a small smile, she made the ball zoom back to where it came from, immediately becoming whole again.

“...but can blend right in. I wasn’t exactly lonely, though.”

Her own words caught her wondering, and she couldn’t help but question the boy.

“Were you... lonely?”

@[G] Eimy Chen (Thats long owo;; /snuggles and laughs. Youre welcome :3 if you want do you have any idea? Owo )

He laughed softly and let his leg dangled in the air, swinging back and forth happily, his hands busied themselve by forming a weird looking shape before the male looked up to his sister. "My history lesson?" He said out , head tilting to the side. And noticing that the bow is no more in view.

He gaped a little as he heard the others explaination. "B-but theres a book that said Selena is the Goddess of the Moon. I.think i read it in the library.."the younger male said softly, now obvious is confused as to which one is true and false.

As he is somehow still confused to the fact that Lady Artemis is the Goddess of the Moon, or Selena, he is disturbed when he heard a small little hoot that came from the owl, which is currently situated onto his sisters shoulder.

Again, he is curous as to what Claire might have whispered to the owl. Sheis sure a secretive person. Thinking about it will.only lead to more confusions and it will only make Rivaille having a small headache sooner or later. So he let it slide as of for now.

He looked up at the sky once more, smiles as the stars twinkled happily at them, showing off their brightness on their little body. "Looks like it." He smiles, nodding as he knew the huge age gap between himself and Claire. Maybe a few hundreds years? Thousands? He doesnt know.

But as long as he is not lonely, and as long as he found his siblings at this camp, Rivaille is grateful for it.

"But.." Rivaille turned to looked at her, the water ball that is placed on his palm earlier is not floating in the middle of the air, like a bubble. Waiting for it to be poked. "Arent you lonely.. all this while? Before meeting us?" He asked.

The thought of having to live alone for a few hundred years scares Rivaille.

For he never likes being left alone.

Like in his past.