Camp Half-Blood

Victiore Hawk

The son of Athena I had been watching turns. He looks surprised, but not unpleased to see me.
"Hey." He says. I give a short nod in response. I typically don't go near anyone, but I must participate in this chariot race. He seems as good a teammate as any. I point to his chariot.
"Um... yeah. That's mine. If you don't mind, I'm working on it." I point again, this time towards it, then to him, then to myself.
"You... want to be on my team?" he asks, obviously surprised. I nod.
"Okay." he replies. I nod again, and then head for the sword fighting arena. I feel bold. Perhaps I will challenge someone.

Raeni~Hekate

"Thanks Gabe, it'll help us knock out everyone else. Then it's just Ares and us, and you'll eat out dust." Raeni said casually. She hooked it up to the chariot, and took out her sharpie. She opened the cap and it spiralled into a silver staff. She muttered something again and the Chariot started glowing. It was very elegant white with black symbols and designs all over. We were the elegant group, mismatched to win.

"Tay, ya ready for your first run, this is gonna rock. You do your thing with the horses, they listen to you, and I'll wipe out everyone else." Raeni shot a grin over at Gabe and twirled around a wrench. She stuck the last piece onto her chariot. It was a celestial bronze drag that would attach itself to another chariot, pulling it backwards. That was for the final lap.

Sena and her posse walked into the room. Sena was fixing her hair again and looking at herself in every reflective object she passed. She looked at my hair, and looked frustrated. "Raeni, teach me how to do that." She said lightly, smiling.
"Trade secret dear." I smiled back, somewhat mockingly. "You racing today?"
"Of course. What did you think?" She straightened her blouse and left, heading towards a hot pink chariot.

"What do ya think Tay. Quite a character?"

*Cori*

As Charlie and I got ready in our cabin, we talked about the chariot race that would be going on today.

"So, are you doing it?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I never really have before. I usually judge with Mr. D and Chiron."

"How is it that all of us have to participate but you?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. Have you ever thought about how you really wouldn't have to do it if you really didn't want do?"

He thought about it. "I guess I always assumed it was manditory."

"Well, remember what assuming is." I said with a laugh.

He laughed with me. It was one of our inside jokes.

"Alright, we'll we'd better get going." he said.

I nodded and we walked out into the din that was the camp.

>>Kevin, Raeni, wanna be friends?<<
(And, sorry guys, I was a little late in seeing the posts. I'm going to plunge in my character a little later. For now, here goes.)

Bia, d/o Asclepius

I watched as Dr. Banter signaled for a break. I let my thoughts take control.
The chariot race would be starting soon. As much as I wanted to be a part of Camp HalfBlood, I wanted to attend this symposium. It's where some of the best doctors congregate and discuss various trends. My stepdad's relative was able to get me an invite to this prestigious event, taking into the fact that I'd be joining a med school soon.

It's been a long while since I spoke to the campers. The last I had spoken to was Chiron, telling him I would be unable to come for the Chariot race.

I wondered about the possibilities. There were lots of good charioteers. I fiddles with my pendant, made of celtial bronze. It is the shape of a sceptre entwined with a serpent. It is Asclepius' symbol, still used for many medical references.

I pulled myself out of the whims as Dr. Banter reappeared on the stage.

>>So, who's next?<<

*I've changed his age to 16 since that's how old most peoples characters are*

Charlie\ Artemis

I walked down the dust path with Cori towards the stables, I wasn't really sure what had to be done on the chariot, *someone want to let him join their team * just as we got their however it seamed as if most of the kids were heading off to the training ring for a bit of practise before breakfast. I hated breakfast for most people it was a good social event but for the rest of us who only had like one or two people in are cabins it's was pretty boring.

"hope Artemis has some more kids soon" I said randomly to Cori. It felt a bit weird calling her mom since we'd only met her a few times between the both of us.

"why?" Cori asked.

"don't you feel kinda lonely I mean are cabins big and were the only two in it, plus we have to sit alone at dinner" I said.

"it's not empty when Artemis's hunters come to stay" Cori said, I sighed. I hated the Huntresses, even though I was technically closer to Artemis than any of them, just cause I was a guy they treated me like dirt.

"oh yeah it's great for you" I said pessimistically remembering their annual trip was only a few days away.

" on the bright side they always clean the room" Cori said. I nodded, suddenly some one patted be on the back.

Tay, daughter of Aeolus

I rolled my eyes as Sena flipped her hair before turning and strutting over to her pink chariot. Sena was a fairly nice girl but I would NEVER be able to understand girls like her.

"What do you think Tay. Quite a character." Raeni said from beside me.

"mm hm," I agreed, nodding my head. I watched as Sena pulled out a hand-held mirror and checked her hair, again. "She does know that this is a chariot race and not a beauty pageant, right?" I whispered to Raeni. The corner of her mouth twitched in reply.

I turned to admire our chariot. "I like the designs," I commented. "And you did remember to add the celestial bronze drag?"

"Of coarse," Raeni answered.

"Good," I nodded, I was going to make sure that Raeni and I were going to make everyone eat mouthfuls of our dust.

I spied the weapons that lined the chariot. "You have got to teach me how to use one of these." I said picking up one of the weapons. "I am definitely not going to let you have all the fun while I drive the horses."

"You're not going to be doing nothing. You are using your wind, aren't you?" she asked.

"Ya," I answered thinking about the past few days that I had been out with the horses practicing with my winds so that they would get used to them. But I still wasn't going to put all of the responsibility on Raeni. "Let me use just one," I pleaded, "I'm a fast learner."

Sena

I go to check on the horses. They are white as snow, like I wanted them to be, ad have beautiful golden mane. It was too bad looks didn't win the race. we would win, hands down. I hold a mirrior up to my horse, Beverly.

"Its okay girl, you look fine." I say when she gives a little snort.

"Sometimes, I wonder about you." Ama says, coming up behind me.

"Hey, the horse wants to look good to, no big deal." Merisol laughs.

"I am not sure which is more vain, the horse, or Sena." Dara said.

"Be nice." Ama retorts. Merisol laughs.

"Hey, if she can distract the guys enough to get them to run into a tree, she is welcome with us any time." Dara comments.

"It worked for the other guys last time. Too bad there not here again." Merisol said, only half-sarcastic.

Daemys, s/o Athena,

As Victoire bends down to help me with the final preparations, I consider my options. I'd been planning on doing this myself, but...I need more people. After showing Victoire how to use all of the concealed tricks and weapons on the chariot, I get up, determined to find someone else for our team.
I see Charlie walking with Artemisia, and figure that a son of Athena is as good as anything. I run up, and pat Charlie on the shoulder.

"Hey, Charlie. Want to be on our chariot team?"

Hey! This exploded in my brief absence! Does anyone care to bring Kevin in?

Raeni:

"Okay Tay," I glanced around the chariot looking a fairly powerful weapon that wasn't too complicated. "This thing, it shoots this tar like stuff that will clog a wheel no matter how fast it's turning. You need to have good aim and a strong arm, it packs a nice kick. Try it out on that chariot." I pointed to an old chariot destroyed in the last games.

"Okay." She took an aim and pulled the slide back releasing a big glob of the stuff. She was shot backwards a few feet, but the tar stuff did hit just above the axle.

"Not bad, practice?" I told her smiling. In no time she'd be a seasoned Camper.

"Hey Kevin!! Ya wanna be on our team?" I yelled across the room as Kevin came in, looking a bit lost. He was a good warrior and we needed at least one more person.

Charlie\ Artemis

"Hey Charlie you want to be on are Chariot team"Daeyme asked. I turned around surprised.

"Yeah sure" I said, Cori smiled when she saw who my other new teammate was, Victoria hawk, I was a little disappointed but oh well she was a good fighter and not ugly, her only flaw was that she was quiet.

"whatever at least I don't suck up to Chiron like a begging dog" I said and Cori smile vanished, that kind of insult about Chiron always seemed to piss her off. I walked off with Cori leaving Cori to her do her thing.

"anything I should know about the chariot"I said.

"Apart from the fact that it's going to lose to are awesome chariot" Raeni said playfully.

"you wish" Daemye said.

*Cori/Artemis*

I watched as Charlie walked away, hurt. Why does he say things like that? It's like he couldn't care less about me feelings. Even though we never really thought this way, we were half-siblings. Shouldn't we get along better than that?

I stalked through camp, now in a horrible mood. I was walking by the Ares cabin when one of the kids threw a rock at me that hit me in the head. It was sharp and I felt it cut my forehead. I stopped, listening to the laughter to the side of me.

I turned my head a little bit. I saw Camilla, the oldest female Ares camper, sneering at me. As I looked at her, I thought, how ugly.

"You know I won't let you get away with that." I said softly.

She snorted. "Yeah right. You can't do shit to me." She stepped up to me so that we were chest to chest. I had to look up at her because she was taller than me.

"Be careful." I said in the same tone.

She pushed me. I stumbled slightly, but turned around and walked away. "Yeah, that's right, puss. Walk away." She said with a laugh. I heard her cabin mates laugh with her.

As quick as the wind, I spun around and ran at her. I got up to her and kicked high, hitting her face. She fell back and started groaning. I laughed. "You are just like your father. You act all big and bad but in the end, you can't take any pain."

I walked away, and heard, "You know, two wrongs don't make a right."

**Thanks!

Kevin (Hermes)

Kevin looked over to where Raeni and Tay were preparing their chariot. He grinned, and walked over. "You betcha," Kevin said, leaning on the wall of the chariot. He ran his hand over the smooth metal chariot wall.

"So," said Kevin briskly. "What are our plans? What do you want me to do?"

"Here," said Raeni quickly, tossing a multi-faceted device toward Kevin. "Figure out what that does."

Kevin grinned. He fiddled with the instrument for a moment, and there was a loud bang. Kevin looked up quickly as a net went soaring over toward where Tay was practicing the tar-flinger. The net wrapped around her ankles tightly. Tay turned around indignantly.

"Hey!" she cried. Kevin laughed.

"Sorry!" he called, and hurried over to untangle the net.

Gabe (Ares)

"Two wrongs don't make a right", I said to Cori as she walked off. She didn't have to insult every other kid in that cabin's father, just because Camilla was making some stupid choices. I tapped Camilla's right arm with one of my hammers. She tried to hit me with it, but it already was frozen in stone.

"What the hell?", Camilla yelled at me.

"She was being a bit of a bitch, but so were you", I said, trying to bring some sanity into her, "You can help to kill them in the race, but there's no use pulling out your energy now"

"C'mon, she has it comin', might as well be now"

"Our father is the god of war, not idiocy", I told her. I believed that pretty strongly. War was a tool more than it was a way of life. It could enforce, it could punish, it could threaten, but idiocy is just shameless fighting. War served a purpose, and it was insulting to see some of the Ares kids that didn't see it the same way I did.

Camilla growled at me.

"Make sure the horses are set to go. Lunch shouldn't be too long from now, and the race is just afterwards. Make sure they're fed, and don't get into more trouble, would you?"

Camilla growled at me again as her arm de-petrified. She walked off to the stables, and I started walking off to the beach, trying to stay calm. I was trying to save my energy for the race, so I was trying best to stay calm until then.

I took a seat in the sand and pulled two oatmeal bars out of my pocket; one for me and one for Thrax. I unwrapped one of them and threw it into the air, and Thrax swooped past me and caught it in mid air. He landed beside me and started chomping. I started eating the other one.

I turned on my iPod to "Cowboys From Hell" by Pantera. I started air-drumming to the song, and closed my eyes, clearing my head of any thoughts. I was in my own little world, forgetting about the camp and the race for a little while.

Victiore, d/o unclaimed

I slashed the head off one final straw enemy. There was only an hour before the race, but I felt like practicing. It had taken me ten seconds to behead thirty mannequins.That was not acceptable.I threw my sword in anger, and it planted itself in the center of a target. AS I walked over to retrieve it, the hand of someone else clamped around it. Camilla, a daughter of Ares. "Nerd. You want it back? Ask for it." she hissed. Obviously, someone else had angered her. But that was no excuse for stealing my sword. I flipped through the air and kicked her in the face. As she recovered from the shock,I twisted my arm with hers and she dropped the sword. She raised her fist for a punch, but I already had the blade to her neck. She backed off."You're a fat nerd. There's no way you could have beaten me." she said. I pressed lightly with the blade, just enough to draw a little blood. Her eyes widened, and she ran away. I wiped my sword in the dirt. The races would start soon.