Young Writers Society

Age: 16
Parents: Zeus
Appearance: 5'8, Blond Hair, Gray eyes (Like a thunderstorm)
Personality: Happy, loves playing jokes. But can become serious. Immensely loyal to his friends, and always honors his allies.
Brief history: His mother was a local actress, but his step-dad is a Demi-God, son of Ares. His step dad taught him how to fight with celestial bronze. When he reached 13, a monster attacked and killed his step father. Travis was guided to camp halfblood by Gleeson Hedge.
Favorite Weapon: Carries a sword on his back. Also has a spear.
Magical Item (if you have one): His armour is really a gold necklace. When you press the pearl, it transforms around his body to full body Greek armour. His war helm is originally a Spurs headband with a gold button on the temple.
Up for love: Definitly.
Other: Took falconing lessons. Has a falcon in his cabin he calls Fury.
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Marxus-Hephaestus
Tuesday afternoon

The conch horn sounded, making me jump. I cursed as I dropped my screwdriver and everything in front of me fell apart.

"Great," I muttered, rushing to gather up all of the pieces that I could. Screws and bolts and metal crashed to the floor. "This is exactly what I need. And just before lunch too."

It took me forever to clean up everything. And when I finally did, I burst out of the cabin and nearly sprinted to the mess hall. I missed breakfast because of this contraption I'm making. It had taken me hours just to get it to the way it was now. And now I have to start all over again. Great.

Everyone is already eating their food. I rush to get a plate and scrape some scraps into the fire.

Dad? Um...could you maybe help me fix this thing I'm making? It's kinda really difficult. Thanks. Hope you like ribs.

The food smelled so delicious burning in the fire. Once I sat down, I scarfed down my food. As I chowed down on some wonderful ribs, I looked around at my fellow campers.

The Hermes table was full (as always). Gemini was over at the Zeus table, chowing down on some weird food. Travis was sitting across from her, trying to strike up a conversation. I didn't want to see where that drama went so I diverted my attention.

The Ares table was deep in conversation, heads bent together, their food forgotten. The Apollo cabin was throwing things at the Area kids. Lexi couldn't stand it anymore. She stood and threw a roll back at them. It was flaming and nearly hit some kid in the face.

"Lay off buggers!" She shouted, followed by an insult she laid on them in Ancient Greek (it's not very nice so I'm going to leave it to your imagination). "You're so going down in Capture the Flag. You better watch your back!"

"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Alexis," Chiron said, standing up from the main table. "If I do recall, I asked you to leave the Capture the Flag announcement to me."

"It's Lexi," she growled. Crossing her arms, she sat down again.

"Right, as Alexis has said, we will be participating in Capture the Flag this afternoon." Everyone started talking at once. It was so much commotion that Marxus could barely think. He had only participated in Capture the Flag five times. And if he remembered correctly, he had just hidden behind a boulder until the flag was found. He wasn't the best at the game.

"The Apollo and Poseidon cabins are our team leaders. Apollo, of course, won our last game." One of the Apollo kids stood and waved the red flag in the air in a celebratory manner. Everyone laughed, including Chiron. "Yes, congratulations in a successful outing last game, Apollo," he continued. "But you'll have to defend your title again today. You very well may lose your flag to another cabin.

"Now, because I've been meaning to keep this a secret from you kids, I'm sure everyone knows about Capture the Flag already. So if everyone has their alliances and weapons, we will be heading into the woods now." He turned and walked away from the Mess Hall toward the woods. Everyone got up to follow him, weapons appearing from seemingly nowhere. Did everyone always carry around weapons like that?

I sprinted back to my cabin to get my weapon and prayed that by the time I got back the game wouldn't have started already. Lucky for me, it took a while to get everyone to the woods.

I fell in line next to one of the boys from the Dionysus cabin. What's his name again? Damon; that's it.

"Hey," I said. He looked at me, surprised. "Um, so whose team are you on? I can't decide."

"Apollo's," he responded. "You should join too. We're gonna win." I shrugged and agreed to join their team. This should be a fun game.

Hi guys, I'm taking a break from the SB. Feel free to use my character anytime you want. I'll be gone for a while.

Ness Derack - Poseidon

I walked back to my Cabin with Harlow after being sent away because of some newbies freaking out over something. Apparently, these people weren't used to the word fun. I knew the waves wouldn't reach the camp, I mean, I was there, they'd barely get past the coastline, let alone the beach itself. But I needed an excuse to make it seem like I wasn't just playing in the water, which I totally wasn't. Totally.

I stepped inside the cabin after wishing Harlow sweet dreams, and walked to my bunk without caring if anyone else was home or not. I finally felt tired, and I wasn't going miss the opportunity to finally sleep. I unhooked my sword and set it on the dresser, picking up my pen and paper after. I didn't plan on sending mom a letter this time at night, but I felt like writing to her. It always made me feel relaxed.

Hey Mom,

Me again. I guess there's lots of stuff going on at camp right now, I wish you could've been here to see it all yourself. The moon turned RED, even I have to admit that was cool. It scared the diapers off the new kids though. The worst part was that they all decided to have a little party at the beach, and once one newbie starts freaking out, they all do. Of course I showed up and got everyone under control, like the good leader I am...

Okay I just went for a swim.

But hey, I didn't tell them to have a party past curfew. I'm surprised it took Chiron that long to get the Harpies out on them. If it was me in his position, I'd show these kids I meant business when I gave them a bedtime. I mean, a few of their friends disappearing would scar them for too long, would it? Kidding. Of course I am.

I can barely keep my eyes open now, but I heard we're having capture the flag tomorrow, let's just say the waves told me, and the best part is, the Poseidon cabin is leading the Blue team. That means there's no way we can lose, but I'll tell you more about that after.

Love you mom,
from your favorite son,
Ne-

* * *

I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up again I was still gripping the paper and pen. I dropped them on to the bed and sat up, stretching. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the cabin. Empty. I must've overslept again.

I got out of bed and looked out the window. Another day at camp, Ness boy. Everybody was up doing their thing, and I was here sleeping. Gods know how you managed to become Cabin leader.

I smiled to myself and walked back over to my bunk. I picked up my letter and finished signing it, digging around in my dresser for a golden drachma. I found one and looked at it, wondering why I never seemed to run out of these things. I'd never recalled being given one myself, and I spent one every time I sent a letter. Maybe it's Hermes' way of showing his appreciation for his favorite customer.

Just as I set the coin down on the letter and was about to leave, I heard the voice from the front of the cabin, "Ness? Can you explain capture the flag?"

I turned to see Aiden, and nodded at him reluctantly. I really wanted to leave so Hermes would deliver my letter.

"And... do you know Miranda? She's on Apollo team for the game, but I don't think she's in that cabin... I don't know... I..." He was stammering like a boy hit with one of Eros' arrows.

I smirked at him, "A girl?" I nodded at the bunk across from mine, "Let's hear all about it, and then I'll explain the dynamics of Capture the Flag."

"Well... she, I met her on the beach..."

"Oooh, how romantic."

He turned red almost immediately. "No, it's no-"

"I'm joking kid, relax. I know Miranda, she's a nice kids, once you get passed the shyness."

"So you got passed it?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I did," he made a strange face, "Look, all you need to know is that she's nice, and quiet, and a Hades kid. And you, you're nice and quiet and a Poseidon kid. See, me the other bog three kids don't really get a long, but you have no problem with them, right? Then you're the perfect match!"

"I didn't mean anything like that!"

"Getting defensive now, are we?"

"What? No! I mean..."

"Listen," I sat down next to him on the bed and lowered my voice, "Between you and me, I hear she has a thing for you. So don't be so scared, go for it dude."

He stayed silent after that, staring a the wall with a blank expression. These kids and their puppy love.

I took his hand, "Come on," We stood up and I led him to the door, "Let's go to lunch, I'll explain all about capture the flag on the way there."

I took one last look at my bunk, making sure my letter and coin were still there, and then set off with Aiden by my side.

* * *

It was about halfway through lunch, after I'd explained everything I knew about Capture the Flag to a start gazing Poseidon child that someone finally brought the topic up.

"You're so going down in Capture the Flag. You better watch your back!" Someone shouted over at another table.

I smirked. "Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Alexis," Chiron said, standing up from the main table. "If I do recall, I asked you to leave the Capture the Flag announcement to me."

I looked over at Aiden, who was still staring blankly at his food.

"Right, as Alexis has said, we will be participating in Capture the Flag this afternoon. The Apollo and Poseidon cabins are our team leaders. Apollo, of course, won our last game." One of the Apollo kids stood and waved the red flag in the air as if they just won again. Everyone started laughing. Ha ha ha shutup. "Yes, congratulations in a successful outing last game, Apollo," he continued. "But you'll have to defend your title again today. You very well may lose your flag to another cabin." You most definitely will. "Now, because I've been meaning to keep this a secret from you kids, I'm sure everyone knows about Capture the Flag already. So if everyone has their alliances and weapons, we will be heading into the woods now."

I smiled again and stood up along with everyone else. I'd already had my sword and my trident with me, so I was ready to go. Aiden on the other hand had his head so far in the clouds that he could see Olympus, so he didn't bring anything.

"Come on," I said grabbing him.

We ran to the armory and I picked out a sword for him. Sprinting back to the Capture the flag grounds, I saw all the members of the Blue team waiting around for their leader to guide them. Your ego will never falter, aye?

I recalled the list of teams on my side; Ares, Demeter, Athena, and... Zeus. I pursed my lips. Those big three kids never were much help, were they?

I shook the thought out of my head and look into the crowd.

"Yo!" I shouted. Everyone turned my direction, "Are we ready to show these Red guys how real demigods win a match?"

The crowd shouted their approval.

"But what's the plan?" An Athena kid asked.

"The pla- Oh! The plan. We'll um..." I turned to Aiden, "Help me out here."

He turned to me slowly, "... what?"

I sighed. This is gonna be a looong game.

Laila- Hermes

I spent the entire morning, roaming around the camp and when I reached the Mess hall, everyone was already seated at their tables. The Hermes table was completely packed, with many unclaimed ones. There was hardly any room for me to sit. Sighing, I grabbed my food, stopped in front of the fire to offer the gods. I really had no idea why we did that, because I was pretty sure Olympus had lots of food.

I didn't pray or ask anything , just took my plate and sat at a seemingly empty table. Too late, I realized, it was Poseidon's table. At the far end of the table, two guys were in deep discussion. By the rosy cheeks of the second guy, I guessed it must be a girl they were talking of.

I ate slowly, pausing to take in everything around me. There were so many items worth steal-able, but I controlled myself.

There was a quarrel from, what I guessed, was the Ares table and Chiron stepped forward to make announcement. "As you know, Capture the Flag takes place this afternoon." Ugh. What was this?

"The Apollo and Poseidon cabins are our team leaders. Apollo, of course, won our last game." One of the Apollo kids stood and waved the red flag in the air in a celebratory manner. Everyone laughed, including Chiron. "Yes, congratulations in a successful outing last game, Apollo," he continued. "But you'll have to defend your title again today. You very well may lose your flag to another cabin.

"Now, because I've been meaning to keep this a secret from you kids, I'm sure everyone knows about Capture the Flag already. So if everyone has their alliances and weapons, we will be heading into the woods now." He turned and walked away from the Mess Hall toward the woods.

Damn, I had no idea what to do. But I saw everyone taking their weapons out, so I did the same. My trusty little dagger. Celestial bronze, of course. It looked harmless, but I had mad knife skills, so I could pretty much slice a monster into pieces before it even registered what happened. I'm not bragging, just stating a fact.

Rand, from the Apollo cabin started calling out each cabin name and I realized he'd called out Hermes as well. So i was in the Red team. I walked over to the gathering and listened to what he was saying.
"So the main objective of the game is, as the name suggests,to capture the other team's flag and cross to victory. Of course, its not that easy. Each team will be guarding their flag, as we will be doing for ours. Each player can use their strengths, powers,anything to stop the blue team from capturing our flag. The woods is a scary place, you have no idea what creatures prowls the forest. But you do what you gotta do to win."
"What if we get killed?"
"Try not to," he said.
That wasn't exactly reassuring. I hoped I didn't encounter any hell hounds or giant spiders.
Rand started assigning people to guard the flag and the rest of us moved to the forest where the blue team were waiting for us.
"We have to win this," Rand said and wishing us best of luck, we charged forward as Chiron blew the conch, commencing the begin of the game.

Miranda Furia ~ Hades

Ever so slightly, I released his grasp on his weapon, careful not to hurt him or let him notice. It pained me to do so, but CTF was later on today, and we were on different teams. We might even have to fight each other.

Fight each other. For some reason, the thought wouldn't leave my mind.

Most of the cabins were empty, because of training right before lunch, and of course, lunch itself. I tried to steer out of the way of people, because they usually don't like to talk to me, and I really don't like to talk to anyone.

I heard my name, though. It was a slight whisper in my ear, but I heard it, so I turned around, hoping for Aidan. It was Rand, leader of Apollo cabin.

"Hey, Miranda," he said, out of breath a bit.

"Hey." I said, trying to manage a smile, but it just ended up looking like a forced grimace.

"So, I'm the leader of the Red Team this CTF, and you're on Red Team as well, so we, I mean, I want you as a Flag Defender."

"Couldn't you tell me this after lunch, like normal people do?" I said, trying not to sink into the shadows just to avoid this conversation.

"I didn't want what happened last CTD to happen again." I shrugged, but I knew his logic was sound. Last CTF was absolutely a disaster, right from the beginning. First, everyone basically called me a freak for just having my name called out to defend the flag. I swear, my own cousins treating me like I'm an abomination.

But I'm used to it by now. It gets pretty old fast.

Rand nodded and set off for, well I didn't really stick around to find out. Our conversation had already attracted some attention. The Apollo Cabin leader talking to Miranda? Impossible.

The nerve of some people. Just wait until CTF.

Lunch was going to start in ten minutes, so I wrapped the shadows around me like a soft blanket and proceeded to walk into the lunchroom...when I saw Aidan. And Ness, my ex-crush-sort-of-kind-of-not-a-thing-thing, walking right next to him, almost right next to me, as they entered the lunchroom.

I backed up, my heart racing, as I let the shadows fall off of me, not bothering who sees me. How could I be so stupid? Of course they were in the same cabin, and of course they would talk to each other. Who wouldn't if they were brothers?

Deciding not to go to the lunchroom, because no matter what I would try to do, they would probably end up seeing me, I sat in front of my cabin door. Facing the Poseidon cabin. Of course.

The inside of the cabin glowed, and it looked like someone was in there. I thought I counted all of the Poseidon kids back at the cafeteria.

Me, being well, me, decided to go and check it out. Well, I wasn't normally like this, but the thought of something happening to Aidan's or Ness' stuff just irked me, and I knew I would be blamed once people found out I was there.

I got closer, my heart thumping. "Hello?" I said, sounding like some dumb blonde who always got killed in the horror movies. Then I realized I sounded dumb for comparing this to a horror movie. The worse that it could be was another camper, and I could easily take them on.

"Ah, hello Miranda." I jumped as a voice replied. That never happens in the movies. I pushed the door open. No one was there.

"Hello?" I asked again, probably making a fool of myself. If someone were watching this on a horror movie, they would probably be dying of laughter.

"Behind you, sweetheart." I turned around, to come face to face with a god.

~~~~

"Why are you here?" We sat in my cabin, so as to not be disturbed.

"This stuff is usually confidential, but I feel you might be able to help him out."

"Him?" I asked, bewildered.

"Ness, son of Poseidon." If my mouth could go down to the floor, it probably would've, but seeing as it couldn't, I just kept it shut. "He sends letters to his mother every so often."

"How do I come in?"

"His mother is dead." He said silently. I suddenly envisioned my father, wasting away on his throne, laughing at all of the merciless souls around him.

My mouth was dry, so I coughed a bit to try and clear it up. "How-how can I help?"

"If you ever go to the Underworld, maybe to meet your dad or something, or just go on vacation, I want you to give these letters to her. Once you're in the Underworld, you'll be able to find her." He handed me a stack of letters, each one in the same kind of envelope with the same kind of writing on it.

"Why can't you do it?" I asked, shocked at the sudden weight this package of mail gave to me.

"Gods and mortals don't really tend to mix, especially in the Underworld. If anyone can do it, you can." He yawned and pulled out a drachma from his pocket. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go return a drachma."

I looked at the papers, snuggled securely between my fingertips. These were something with a lot of emotions and thoughts in this, all gone to nobody, to nothing. All wasted.

I knew what where to keep them. Pulling out one of my old satchels, I stuffed the letters in it and looped the strap around my body, securing it tight to my person. I would not let these leave my sight until I get them to his mom.

~~~~

Even though there was still time left for lunch, I decided to skip it, not bearing to look at Aidan and especially not Ness. For a girl everyone hated, I acquire crushes extremely sudden.

I made my way to Red Team's flag, a couple of yards away from where the rest of Red Team were. I was usually the only defender, and it looks like this time was no different.

Let the games begin.

Capture the Flag had started, and for some reason I felt it was going to be the bloodiest one yet.

Ben Richard- Son of Apollo- Tuesday Afternoon

It had felt like barely two seconds had passed between the moment I talked and joked around with Rand in the forest to lunch to now. It was all very overwhelming but exciting at the same time, I could feel the adrenaline causing me to jitter in place. Eclipse in sword form was strapped inside the same leather sheath on my back and a sleek hunting bow from the Apollo cabin secured snugly behind Eclipse, ready to be pulled at a moments notice.

I watched as everyone dashed into the forest as the sound of the horn ripped through the camp, the game, no, the war had started. Even though I was excited, the thought of fighting other people scared me. What if I went too far? I was in a forest after all, so many dry flammable things. The image of the forest ablaze in the sickly orange and red flames toar through my head. I felt sick.

"Ben are you okay?" Rand asked me, patting my shoulder. I hadn't noticed but Rand had been standing next to me the whole time, even though he was the leader.

I needed to pull myself together, for the Apollo cabin and for Rand. "Yeah, I'm fine, lets go."

Rand smiled and pulled out his bow. "You will do great, I know it."

"Thanks," I whispered, barely audible as Rand dashed into the forest.

I thought I was close behind him as I worked my way through the labyrinth of trees and roots, but it turns out Rand was quicker than I expected. The memories of the snowy Cascade forests brushed against me as I wandered around. I walked in rhythm with sounds of the forest, even taking off my shoes like the huntresses had taught me. I walked swiftly but carefully, each step chosen two steps ahead of the other. I wasn't going to let anyone beat me in a forest.

I stopped after minutes of hearing nothing out of the ordinary. Only the sounds of my soft breathing and the peaceful ambiance of the forest. Then the sound of footsteps and the cracking of leaves sounded somewhere infront of me. I instinctively crouched down and drew out my bow, quickly but silently making my way infront of the prey, sorry, camper.

I reached a place where I could hide and wait for them to pass, my bow in one hand and the other touching the hilt of Eclipse. I didn't breath, I didn't move a muscle, because if I did I would either loose the prey or be attacked and in these circumstances I knew I would be attacked.

But the sounds of grumbling and swearing caught me off guard as a girl passed into my field of view. "Damn, this is so stupid, what if I do get attacked by giant spiders or hell hounds? Now where is that blue flag? Ugh I shouldn't be making so much noise... or talking to myself for that matter."

I stifled a chuckle and sheathed my bow, letting go of Eclipse's hilt in the process. I walked up quietly behind her and was about to say something when out of nowhere she turned around and took out a dagger. But luckily Huntresses used hunting knifes and I was prepared for it, I instinctively grabbed her wrist and in one clean motion unsheathed Eclipse, the back of the blade now held firmly against the underside of her chin.

But it was clear that this girl was no stranger to using daggers or knifes as I felt a warm trickle of blood run down my stomach, luckily it was just a small cut and I had grabbed her wrist. She had not only held her dagger in place, even though I had try disarming her but even nicked my stomach in the process. It was clear that under the circumstances of a real fight, I would of been left with more than just a small cut.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

"Don't worry," I smiled, trying to brush off the fact that she attacked me. "I'm on your side and don't worry I haven't heard any sounds of giant spiders or seen any hell hound tracks, yet."

She blushed and rubbed her wrists as I let go and sheathed Eclipse.

"So you heard that?" she said, looking at the dry ground kicking some leaves.

I shrugged, "I hear a lot of things, besides I have a feeling your a lot more stealthy than you let on. Oh and don't worry about any giant spiders, I'll try to back you up from behind if anybody or thing tries to mess you, after all your after the flag right?"

She looked up and faintly smiled at me, almost surprised. "Alright, thanks. My names Laila by the way."

"Ben," I replied cheerfully.

We both continued on, her in the lead and me slightly behind her to the left. It was a hunting formation that I was taught that usually had three people, the leader in the front who will act as the person who distracts the monster and two on the sides, in the shadows, with bows who will cripple the monster and then have the leader finish it.

But I was improvising here and luckily I had Eclipse if things got too hairy and I needed some upfront offense. I was positive that Laila could handle herself if she needed to, but with lots of the campers wearing some sort of armor or carrying long distance weapons, I needed to defend her where her dagger couldn't.

It was a long, awkward and boring walk as we both made our way through the forest. I knew we were getting closer to the other teams border as the sound of the river grew louder. I tried to strike up conversation but she always replied with closed-sided answers.

We eventually crossed the river, our clothes now wet and my flimsy leather sheath growing more flimsy by the second. We were now in enemy territory and I could almost feel the presence of them looking for anything to attack.

So far it wasn't as exciting and action packed with enemies attacking you on every side as I built capture the flag up to be but I guess it was better than nothing. But my opinion was changed as I heard a twig snap somewhere to me left, I froze and I could feel my heart beat against my chest, how could I of let an enemy get so close to us?

I dove out of the way out of pure reflexes as a sword passed through the air I was once standing. I rolled to the right and unsheathed Eclipse, standing up and moving into a defensive position. I had no secret moves or techniques for sword fighting since the huntresses almost never used swords and I felt instantly outmatched as I looked at the face of a girl who looked exactly my age. She looked like an Ares kid with her intimidating muscles and fierce scowl. In her hand was a fierce looking sword that was clearly not one of the camps hand-me-downs, it looked almost like Eclipse in terms of how painstakingly forged and detailed it looked. It was clearly a sword made by Hephaestus, it was a sword made for a god.

She wasted no time waiting to attack me as she charged forward, she was faster than she looked. My bones jarred as I blocked her first attack, I could tell this was not going to be an easy fight.

"Ben!" Laila yelled from infront of me.

I needed Laila to go on and get the opposing teams flag. "Go on without me! I will try to catch up with you later!" I yelled through clenched teeth as me and the girl were fighting for control in a deadlock, each sword overlapping the other.

Her eyes looked like green flames as I looked into them with my own stormy blue stare. A war for control was waging but I knew that she outmatched me in strength so I used a technique taught to me usually for fighting young bears that are standing upright. I threw myself into a crouched position and tackled her legs, using her weight against her. She was now on the ground but kicked me away in the chest, knocking the breath out of me.

I admit I'm not the "cleanest" fighter compared to the honor of some warriors. And as both of us got up and raised our swords, she attacked again, expecting me to block or doge. But using all of my strength I parried her blow and kicked her in the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards and that is when I used my chance and dove behind a tree, pulling out my bow and notching an arrow.

She looked around angrily, searching for where I could be. I waited for her to turn around and shot her in the back of the leg, sending her down on one knee, good thing she was wearing armor. That is when I took my chance, turning tail and fled, I knew that she outmatched me in combat and was smart enough to know when a match can't be won. She probably thought I was a dirty cheating coward but in my opinion that's better than being a dead dirty cheating coward.

I quickly caught back up to Laila who didn't even ask anything about how I'm still, well, alive and we continued our journey to find that damn flag. I could tell this was just the start of everything we were going to experience during capture the flag.

Name: Lena (Lee)

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Parents: Poseidon and Haley Tran

Appearance: Lena is a tall, slim girl, standing at about 5'9". Her skin is pale but doesn't burn easily in the sun, and her long, wavy black hair is usually in a braid down her back. Her eyes are a vivid blue, with a bright ring of gold around the pupil. Though she may seem frail, she is a fast runner and has some muscle in her arms.

Personality: Lena is a headstrong, independent girl, who is very talkative and loud at times. She has a short temper, but she is kind and doesn't take pleasure from hurting others.

Brief history: Lee never knew her father, but she forced herself to look on the bright side. Her favorite saying is, "Never brood on yesterday, never borrow tomorrow's troubles."

Favorite Weapon: Lena loves throwing daggers, but archery is one of her favorites, too.

Magical Item (if you have one):

Up for love: Possibly...

Other: She has just arrived, and currently has no idea who her father is.

Abri Moreau, daughter of Aphrodite

On normal mornings, Abri would usually just feed and care for the pegasi by herself, and would only ride a few of them if she was in the mood. On those normal days, it would be the crack of dawn, and most people would be sleeping while this happens.

Now Ella is with her, and here they are, soaring through the sky with Philia and Achilla, the two most beautiful pegasi in the stable. Although Abri has only been with Ella for only a few short hours, she knew that she liked this girl already. They were sisters, after all, but so far she was the only sister that laughed and screamed in thrilling glee when riding the winged creature through the sky.

"Wow!" Ella exclaimed, stopping herself from mixing and making a deep laughing sound from thrill with an added horrified scream. "This is...great!" They had to shout against the wind and air whipping in their faces.

Abri smiled in response, every so often checking up on Ella to see if she was doing alright. She was an obvious beginner, but for someone who just recently got into camp and learned that she was a demigod of the Greek goddess of beauty, she wasn't terribly horrible. Sure, she was wobbly, and sure Achilla herself was a little uneasy and irritated that she was pulling and grabbing onto her perfect creamy mane, but overall she was doing just fine.

Still, Abri purposely headed south towards the strawberry fields and avoided town just in case. "Below you are the strawberry fields," she said just in case that Ella had a small enough brain to not figure out what the red dots underneath her was. "It's like a weird hangout place for some of the Dionysus and Demeter kids, and apparently Chiron sells..." She looked back to check up on Ella, but she wasn't there. "...Uh, Ella?"

"Abbbriiiiii!" Ella screamed below with Achilla making helpless and annoyed grunts, slowly losing control of the pegasus and spiraling downward.

Abri barely had time to react. Ella hit the ground hard—well, maybe not so hard since the mushy strawberries and wet soil acted as a cushion—while Achilla shook her off, landing safely on her hooves while plopping a strawberry in her mouth as an added effect.

Abri quickly directed Philia downwards to land next to Ella, first yelling out, "Ella!" in worry, but as she got closer, she started to smile, then giggle, then laugh.

"So not funny!" Ella barked at her sister, examining herself at her ruined outfit filled with strawberry stains, pieces, and soil.

Abri continued to airily laugh so hard, she had to put a hand on Philia to steady herself. "Hahaha, oh gods, you should have seen yourself! Demigods almost never fall off a pegasus!"

"Not. Funny!" Ella snapped again.

Abri let out a few more giggles, then walked her way up to Ella, offering a hand to help her up. "I'm sorry," she said—wait, what, was she apologizing? The popular mean girl Abri, apologizing? Good thing they were out in the fields where nobody was around.

Well, almost nobody. After Ella took her hand and stood up, Abri took a quick sweep around the fields and spotted Abrin, the mute Demeter guy, standing several yards away, looking surprised that two pretty girls literally fell out of the sky and landed on a perfect patch of strawberries.

Abri let out a few curses in French then whirled around at him. "You're good at keeping silent, right?" she tried to say sweetly at him, but couldn't help the venom from rising up out of her tone. Subtly, she used a little dash of charmspeak against her words, but it was like an accent to her, and it was always there anyways. "So do me a favor and keep it shut."

She didn't wait to see if Abrin would say—or, rather, write or nod—anything back, and turned around to head back to camp.

Abri was good with the pegasus and especially Philia, and so she told her to head back to the stables along with Achilla. They obliged, and so Abri and Ella could immediately head back to their cabin.

"Ugh, that was horrible," Ella grumbled. "My outfit is ruined."

Abri twisted her lip back and thought for a moment, fingering one of her perfect bouncy curls. Perhaps Ella crashing was not that bad of an event...


---


"There, all done," Abri announced to Ella, telling her to open her eyes. Ella did, and was taken back to see how Abri artfully applied her makeup on her face. It was stunning, almost like a celebrity's.

While everyone else had went to breakfast, Abri stayed with Ella to change and pretty herself up. They selected a new outfit (which once again had to consist of that ugly orange Camp Half-Blood shirt), applied a new layer of makeup, and Abri even masterfully curled Ella's hair.

"Better, doncha think, darling?" Abri said in her sweet voice, showing off her perfect smile again.


---


The both of them only had a few bites to eat before a mob of people exited with armor and weapons out.

"What's going on?" Ella asked.
"Ugh. Capture the Flag again," Abri replied back.
"What's that?"
"C'mon," she said instead, following the mob while listening for cabin callings.

"...Aphrodite...with the Red Team."

Ugh. This meant Rand was the leader.

Just as their oh-so-fearless leader gave out their plan and started to head to the forest, Abri caught up with him and grabbed his hand as people went past them in cheers. "Stop, Rand," she said in irritation, noting an vaguely familiar new guy next to him.

"What?" He looked down at her like she was some kind of vile bug he wanted to squish in his life.

"Don't be so careless," she said sweetly with impatience laced into her tone. "You know you need me." For a second Rand looked really uncomfortable, and when Abri realized this, she quickly added, "For the game, I mean. Tell me what to do."

The new guy nearby—what was his name...Ben, was it? Yes, it was Ben, she was sure of it—cocked an eyebrow.

"Fine," he sighed, steadying his breath. "Guard the flag with Miranda."
"Ugh, you're kidding me, right? You have to be. I'm not guarding the flag, especially with that weird girl!"
"You asked me to give you a position, and I gave you one! So why are you yelling at me!"
"I'm not yelling!"

"Uh... Rand..." Ben said weakly.

"Ugh!" they both said simultaneously (at least it was Abri that did; Rand gave out a highly annoyed grunt instead), and they both marched into the woods without another word.

The woods was a big place, so Abri was easily out of Rand's sight. Luckily she had grabbed her trusty daggers while she left, but it wasn't like she was all that good in using them. Rather, she stayed true to being the daughter of Aphrodite.

For example.

Some guy aimlessly walked in her direction. Abri paused fully in view, putting on a fake surprised look. The guy was surprised to not see an attack come immediately, but proceeded to take a few steps closer to attack himself, hands shaking that this was the Abri he was dealing with.

"Excuse me, I'm lost," she said instead, using her full charmspeak in her words. "Can you show me the direction to the blue flag?"

This is Abri's real ability. She was the only charmspeaker so far in the camp, and her natural Aphrodite amokinesis ability—to control the emotion of love or desire—intensifies so much more with her charmspeaking abilities. This was a power similar to Circe or Medea with the ability to tell anybody what to do or what not to do, having full control over them. Abri does this often in Capture the Flag, hence why she told Rand that he needed her.

And so the guy's jaw drops as he is mesmerized with her words and eyes and beauty, and then nods. "That way," he says, pointing the direction.

"Thanks, sweets," she said in reply while smiling, dismissing him away while heading towards the way he pointed. The guy stumbles and steadies himself, not sure what just happened, but continues on nonetheless.

This was Abri, daughter of Aphrodite, and she was so going to get that flag without even using her daggers.

Gemini Randa - Arena

Lexi's words had shook me, more than I thought they would. Was I clinging to the small hope that Lexi would be able to abandon her father Ares? I must have been, because I felt as if I just lost my friend, granted yeah, we had our differences. But she didn't hesitate to abandon me, that was the ulimate betrayal. I was finally brought out of my thoughts by Miria who was waving a hand in my face, I knock it away and look at her.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"I just lost a close friend," I said solomly.

Miria didn't say anything, I stayed there remembering the past. But eventually I push it away, I can't be sitting there thinking on the past that much. Miria was quiet for a few more minutes before finally specking up.

"That must have really shook you up didn't it?" she said.

I nodded, "listen, I'm sorry for the other day, I was not in my right mind. I-"

"It's fine, as long as you apologize," she said.

I took a shaky breath and exhale, "we are getting you out of here, I have friends near by, people who I brought along just in case all of Camp Half Blood rose up to fight me. I would never win a fight against the entire camp." I said.

Miria just nods, I remember Capture the Flag was tonight, good, my anger was building anyways. I breath shoving my sorrow and sadness into a bottle as I put my cold confidence back on. I walk forward towards the exit of the arena.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." I said.

She quickly followed behind me, time flew as I was caught in my own thoughts. What would I do when I see Lexi next time? Would I treat her to how I treat my enemies, will I refuse to fight her? What will Lexi do now that she's proclaimed herself as my enemy? These were all questions that I did not have answers to. I soon found myself in front of Half Blood Hill, Miria just off to my left.

"Head up the hill, call out of for my friends, Jamie and Ana." I told her.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm staying, I need to tie up some loose ends," I said.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, if you have any questions about me, ask me them when I leave Camp Half Blood." I said.

I turned on my heel and walked away, and began to run, then I leaped after a couple steps and willed the air around me to carry me. I flew into the sky as I heard the conch horn sound, things were about to get interesting, I pulled my blade from my back. I held it out in front of me, and then leaned my head against it and sighed deeply. The weather around me was being affected by the feelings I had, rage, anger, sadness, despair, hatred. Clouds boomed with thunder, they began to darken and grow heavy with moisture. My feelings were creating a thunderstorm, one that would roar during Capture the Flag, one that could only be commanded by me. I looked up and held the blade at my side, now, I felt only one emotion. Absolute Hatred.

Rand Aloemir- Son of Apollo- Capture the Flag

I was stressed to say the least, running in to Abri instead of avoiding her for the duration of capture the flag. Ben and I were teamed up to go after the flag and were progressing quickly. "Hey Ben I think we're getting close to the flag..." I looked around and Ben was nowhere to be found. It looked like I was on my own for a while, well I could easily handle myself. Without someone to watch my back I'd need to be careful. I drew my bow and reached in to my quiver, it always appeared empty but hid my greatest gift from my father. I had the ability to weave light in to different shapes so I never ran out of arrows.
I pulled the bowstring tight and walked slowly constantly looking about for signs of fellow red team members or for the flag.

I heard footsteps coming in my direction, I released the tension in my bow and grabbed the arrow. I shifted it's shape until it formed an orb, it worked as a light grenade to blind my enemies. I threw it in the direction of the sound of the foot steps and immediately a voice responded, "Hey Rand watch it with those things." Of course it was her, inevitably she would disobey my orders as leader.

I walked over to where the voice came from, "It wouldn't be a problem if you would have listened to me and been guarding the flag."

"Aw, Rand but I know where the flag is," she looked in to my eyes," I could really help you out."

"Don't even try it Abri you've hurt me with your "persuasive" abilities enough for me not to fall victim again." I sighed and tossed my curls back.

She looked at me trying to seem innocent, "c'mon Rand for old times sake."

I knew I shouldn't give in to her, but she said she knew where the flag was and I wouldn't mind ending capture the flag early. "Fine lead the way." I looked at her I hated to admit that she was attractive. "Let's just take it slow and be careful."

This is rather long! So, as to allude you that it is otherwise, I've placed it into two sections so that you only have to tackle one monster at a time

Daemon : Dionysus : Red team

Morning, in his cabin:


Capture the Flag:


Ok, first of all, that's Adrian, son of Athena, remeber BlackNether's charrie? Well she quit so I figured I could kill off her character. Secondly, he's not dead. Well he is but he won't be. I figured if someone came by really soon and gave him some nector he could at least by revived into a coma. That way, if, for some reason, BlackNether want's to come back, there's at least somewhat of a character to come back for, and also Daemon will (hopefully) not be punished as harshly.

Lexi-Ares

I follow everyone into the woods, Barbaros bouncing against my hip. I grip the hilt and grin. I love this blade. I'm so happy I finally found the perfect name for it. The last blade I had just wasn't good enough. But this one-this one works like magic.

Looking around at my team, I get a good look at who we've got. The two Poseidon kids are in the lead. What are their names again? I remember Ness. I'd seen him around camp often. The other boy is Aiden if I remember correctly. I haven't really talked to him much. Both of them are fair fighters, but not so good when it comes to strategy. Luckily we have the Athena kids. If they can't come up with a good strategy, I don't know who can.

Once everyone reaches the woods, the teams split up. We head to the northern end of the woods while the red team jogs off towards the southern end. I catch Abri's eye suddenly. She's on the red team. I almost smile at her, but I stop myself before it can happen. There's too many memories that I really don't want to revisit at this moment. So I look away.

This used to be out thing. Besides out hideout in the woods, Capture the Flag was our safe haven. It was where we could be us and get fighting experience. Usually we were on the same team, wreaking havoc on the other team. We didn't mind being on separate teams either; it was just as fun. Meeting each other in the middle of the woods always made for a good battle. Of course, I usually had Gemini on my team and...

I feel a sudden pang in my chest. Gemini; I remember our conversation earlier this morning. Had I really written her off so easily? My old friend. What did I do to her? How could I have done that?

I was mad, that's why. Her and that stupid idea to kill all of the gods. I don't care if it is her destiny. It's still a suicide mission. But being mad is no excuse. Haven't I learned how to control my anger by now? I should've calmed down and been nicer to her.

But no matter. Gemini isn't the main focus today. Capturing that red flag is the only thing I should be focusing on right now. I can't help but notice the sky though. It's turning a dark shade of gray and clouds begin rolling in. I pay it almost no attention. Storms always pass over the camp.

We eventually stop walking. Everyone gathers around Ness and Aiden and waits for their direction. They don't seem to notice the attention until Audrey, one of the Athena kids, calls out, "So what's the plan?"

"The plan," Ness mumbles, looking slightly surprised. I roll my eyes. "Oh! The plan. Of course. Well...um...help me out here, Aiden." The two cabinmates look at each other, neither of them knowing what to say. I tap my foot impatiently. Finally I can't take it anymore.

"Do you have a plan or not?" Ness looks from Aiden to me and then back to Aiden. I huff. "You don't, do you? What kind of leaders do you think you are?"

"Well, I guess we could--"

"No guessing," I snap. "I need definite answers." The conch horn blows and I know that the red team will be rushing towards us at any moment. "Now preferably. We don't have much time." I cross my arms and glare at Ness. He seems to fold under my gaze and begins ordering people around.

I follow behind him, reassigning everyone. Come on, someone needs to do this right. The Athena kids should not be put on border patrol. Athena is the freaking goddess of war. Her kids should be out in the fight, strategizing against the opponents attacks. And Travis? He's a ligitemant fighter, he should be out there too, not stuck defending the flag.

"I'll leave you with everyone else. Divide them up between border patrol and defense, got it? I'm going to find that flag." I don't even wait to see Ness's reaction before heading out into the thick of things.

To my dismay, I don't find very many people to fight. Either everyone has become much quicker over the years and made it past me already or they're really good at hiding. Either way, the game starts off really slow.

I finally run into someone; Ben from the Apollo cabin. He puts up a fair fight. I'm frustrated when he trips me and then seems to disappear. I search for him everywhere, but he's nowhere to be found. So I leave and walk deeper into the woods.

That's when I really notice the sky. It's gotten darker since we first walked into the woods. My heart beats fast as the clouds just ahead of me turn a deep shade of purple. I duck behind a bush. I'll admit it, this isn't usually something I do. But the sky doesn't look all too friendly and I have an idea who's behind it all.

Sure enough, as I'm hiding, I watch Gemini descend from the sky and land on the battlefield. Now I know that she's technically on my team and all that, but I'm not stupid. There's no way that I am going to get in her way. So I turn and run. It's the first time I have ever run from a fight.

But I don't want to be there when Gemini releases her rage. Some other poor soul can deal with that.

Maya (Blue team for CTF)


[Earlier in the day - at the Sycamore house]

Maya groaned and rolled over, rubbing her eyes. She sat up in bed, blinking sleepily, till she felt a spot of wetness touch her cheek. She turned and looked into the eyes of Misa, her faithful companion of over ten years. The cub she'd found - the little scrawny scrap had grown into a beautiful female with jet-black fur and vivid viridian eyes. She smiled and took the panther's jaw in her hand, nuzzling her in return, content for the moment.

There was a knock on the bedroom door, followed by it being pushed open. Richard Sycamore was a tall man, in his early forties. He had kind brown eyes and a smile that had a childlike quality about - which became even more apparent when he'd found a rare artifact or discovered a new piece of the past at work.
"Good morning sleepyhead. You're up late today - and you're going to be late getting to camp as well, if you don't hurry."
Her eyes widened as she leapt out of bed, remembering that today was the first day back. She had a second where she was torn between wishing her father a good morning properly, and rushing to get dressed. She compensated by kissing her dad's cheek as she ran to the bathroom.
Richard chuckled, recognising his daughter's hasty good morning.

Downstairs, her father had already begun making breakfast. Richard joined his husband of nearly ten years now - Bryan - as he made the morning meal.
Maya was down quickly as well, having changed into travelling clothes, and having given Misa a light wash (which the panther only put up with because she loved her mistress.) The vacation spent with her foster parents had been lovely, but she was eager to get back to camp - Abrin had contacted her earlier to let her know of the capture the flag later that evening.
By the look of things, though, she realised she would have to jump right into the fray - she was definitely going to be late for camp.

She finished her breakfast in a bit of a hurry, picked up her weapons - her pikestaff looking like an ordinary walking stick, and her krestos disguised as a bracelet around her wrist.
She beckoned Misa and stepped out of the house - she would be walking for most part of the journey, because

She turned around and hugged both her dads who'd followed her out onto the porch.
She walked a little way, turned, waved and bounded off. She missed the small smile that passed between her parents, and the little sniff Richard gave as she left.



[Later in in the evening - CFT]

It was late in the evening, when Maya finally crossed into the camp's borders. She was tired, disheveled and had blood running down her arm, from where she'd been attacked earlier by a Stymphalian bird. It was a lone bird, so it was easy to defeat using Hercules' trick.

She crossed the boundary, and headed straight for the Demeter cabin. By the looks of it, a capture the flag game was in progress, but she was too tired to actually join in. She flopped on her bed for a moment, reaching out with her telepathy to find Abrin.
Where are you, brother?
She felt his mind start in surprise, and he responded, By the strawberry patch. They'd suffered some damage earlier today.
I'll be sown there in a moment, she replied, feeling better now that she was in camp. She stopped for a minute and had a bit of Ambrosia, which helped her, and used a light concoction of her own special herbs to revive herself.

Her mind sharpened, and she noticed Misa had gone off- likely to find Pelus. The panther wasn't injured, thankfully, though she'd been furious at the bird that had attacked her mistress, and had defended her bravely from the Minotaur they's run into later as well.

With one last shake of her head, Maya put down the cup of tea she had been cradling and stepped out to find her brother.
She found him kneeling by the strawberries, trying to heal each row individually - it was a highly taxing job, though. She touched his shoulder, giggling when he jumped and lost concentration.
How are you, brother?

She received a glare in return, which was transformed into a smil as she was swept into a hug by Abrin. Alright, alright, then. Let's get to fixing this, shall we?
Abrin just smiled back brightly.

Looks good, Musica. And don't worry, your post is nowhere near the concept of long

Abrin : Demeter : Blue team

I got up at a normal time that morning. I ate my favorite meal of the day, breakfast, eating at least three helpings of my favorite cereals, multi-grain cheerios and honey bunches of oats.

Afterwards I headed off to groom the strawberry patch. I was calmly minding my own business when suddenly a girl and her Pegasus crash-landed to my right. A second landed next to her. I pulled at my hair as I watched the Pegasi's hooves trampled the strawberries beneath their feet. Of course the two girls were too busy laughing at their selves and the state of the one girl's clothes to care. Even with berry-stained clothes and rumpled hair, the one girl still radiated beauty. Aphrodite girls, I'm guessing. I recognized one of them as Abri, the Aphrodite cabin leader or the "mean girl" as some people called her. I didn't like name-calling or labels, but at the moment I was not happy with the state of my garden and her carelessness she felt toward it.

When she spotted me, I saw her cussing in French, probably thinking that she could get away with it because it was a foreign language to most. But having grown up with my uncle in France, it was practically a first language to me. I wrinkled my nose at the foul words. She walked up to me and I saw her say, "you're good at keeping silent, right? So do me a favor and keep it shut." She turned on her fancy heal and walked away before I could respond. She had probably used charm-speaking in her words. I learned from the other campers that it was a gift of hers, but since I couldn't hear the words, it had never had any effect on me. She didn't need to worry about me running my mouth anyways, and I didn't see why it was such a big deal. I guess she was worried it would effect her social appearance. I shrugged and turned back to the mess her and her sister had made.

A good percentage of the garden had been destroyed; plants were crushed, broken and turned up from the earth. I sighed. It could be fixed, but it would take a lot of hard work, and only the hand of a Demeter child could ever hope to repair it.

I worked on it for an hour or so before leaving to fetch a water bottle, my throat was getting really dry. As I was walking through the cabins, I noticed a small gathering at the Dionysus cabin. I see Daemon is getting more social, good for him, I thought as I decided to step in and see what was going on. But it was obvious that Daemon was not enjoying his new social life; the poor kid was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I noticed Harlow and walked up to her; she was cradling a small kitten in her arms. I stayed for a while to chat with everyone and hold the kittens. My favorite one was an all black one, it reminded me of Misa, my sister's pet panther. Speaking of her, I wondered where she was, she normally wasn't this late in arriving at camp.

Before long the lunch bell rang and we all left to eat. Afterwards, capture the flag was announced. Still wondering about my sister, I sent a quick telepathic message telling her to hurry up or she'll miss capture the flag.

I was about to join everyone in getting prepared for the game, but then I remember my dying strawberry patch that was far from being ok. If they didn't get attention soon, there would be no bringing them back. And if those plants died, the Camp wouldn't get enough income the next year and some of the nice things we took for granted wouldn't be here. So instead, I made my way back to the garden.

A few minutes later found me wiping the dirty sweat off my brow as I worked in the hot sun. I concentraited on trying to cox another plant back into life as I tenderly placed it up-right and pat the dirt around it. Suddenly someone touched my should and I must have jumped a foot in the air. I whirled around with a glare, but that quickly melted into a excited smile when I saw who it was. How are you, brother? Maya said, laughing at my behavior.

I scooped her up in a bear hug. Alright, alright she said, squirming out of my greeting, Let's fix this, shall we?

I told her what had happened while we worked, and we caught up on some other things. With two people working, a previously impossible task went by quickly and soon we were done.

Now that we're done, let's head over to capture the flag and see what's left of it. I said, brushing my dirty hands on my shorts.

Thankfully, both of us already had our weapons on us, so we headed into the woods. Out of luck, we ran into our team leader, Ness. "Where have you guys been?" I saw him say. "Nevermind. I need you guys at the flag. We've been so low on people today! "

"Yes sir," I saw Maya say, and I saluted silently.

Just then, I noticed both of them looking anxiously at the sky and I followed their gaze to see it boiling in dark clouds of electricty. Something tells me this wasn't your everyday thunderstorm. An odd vibration went through the air and I'm assuming it was thunder. Ness ripped his gaze away from the storm and said, "You guys had better get to your posts." But before we turned to leave, he added, "Oh, and welcome back, Maya."

She gave him a cute smirk in return that made me frown slightly; like any good brother, I was protective of my sister and didn't like her "playing around" and sometimes she was a little too playful for my liking.

I grabbed her shoulder and steered her towards the place our flag was hidden. I nervously noticed that the storm above us was getting worse; the electricity in the air was so thick that the hair on my arms were standing on air. This should be a fun capture the flag...