『It has come to the attention of the gods that Perses, the titan of destruction, escaped Tartarus seventeen years ago actually managed to impregnate a human. Much like with demi-gods the demi-titan is starting to realize his abilities. His father, somehow, has managed to contact the child and is causing him to lash out and create chaos so that the titan may find another chance to escape. Naturally, this is a bad thing and therefor the gods (who are oh so busy) are sending their children to stop this from occurring.
The goal of this quest is to not kill the boy but to stop and restrain him so that more information can be gathered to avoid something similar from repeating itself. Demi-gods with experience dealing with or going through stress, isolation, struggles, etc (not the typical monster attack- I mean like being blind or badly bullied, or something like that) are wanted to try and help the situation in a productive manner, rather than simply scaring the demi-titan off. If left alone immense damage can and will be inflicted upon the mortal world.』
⋞ＡＴＴＥＮＤＩＮＧ ＣＡＭＰＥＲＳ⋟_____________
ｑｕｅｓｔ ｌｅａｄｅｒ⇝【Kathryn Arlovskaya {♀} Thanatos】 {MY rusty h a l o}
xxxxKathryn sat on her bed, very much awake despite the fact that it was barely past midnight and she was usually one to go to bed pretty early. It was one of those days where she was very thankful to have Simon as her elder brother—some other campers may have left or even kicked her out for keeping them up; Simon instead went and sat with her, comforting her and trying to reassure her that the gods weren’t making a mistake and that she was chosen for a viable reason. Although she didn’t believe him at all, the incentive was enough to get her at least a few hours of sleep before she had to head out for her quest the next day.
xxxxThe very nature of the quest was a little beneficial; it was easy to determine where exactly they had to go based on the news. Russia had been having issues with unexplainable building damage, unnatural fires, and the worst storms they’ve seen since WWII. It just sort of screamed: “something is wrong, and it’s not caused by humans” to Kathryn, who had been doing extensive research on the current state of world affairs since the prophecy had been given to her. Russia was the only one with extreme issues, so it simply made the most sense to go there. And thankfully her quest had no ‘time limit’, although the longer it took the more people were put at risk, so it was an easy enough mistake to fix if they went to the wrong place; they could just move onto the next country. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the world ending like was usually the case.
xxxxWhen Kathryn woke up the next day, not quite tired, but rather, emotionally exhausted from fear and thoughts of what could go wrong, she packed quietly. A few pairs of clothes, a single jacket… not that she had anything else, really. Not to mention she wanted to pack quickly so that she didn’t disturb her half brother. She was never sure if Simon even slept at all, but she didn’t want to disturb him if he did. He was lying on the bed, unmoving, with his eyes closed after all. She sighed silently, looking around to make sure she had packed all the meager things that she owned. Kathryn knew it was severely lacking, but it was the best that she could do. She came from modest means and had never needed anything more, not to mention she didn’t have a penny to her name now that her adoptive mother was dead.
xxxxTaking one last almost longing look towards her brother, Kathryn stole silently towards the door, slowly twisting the handle to make as little sound as possible before she was abruptly stopped, a familiar voice ringing out from behind her, “Kat, where are you going? Get back over here and gimme a hug.” she span around quickly, her emotions cracking through as panicked tears welled up in her eyes. Simon was still lying back on his bed, an expression along the lines of curiosity which could really only be described as a ‘Simon look’ on his face. In a few surprisingly long strides she was by his bed, by that time he was on his feet, and her arms were wrapped around him. He was taller than her by quite a bit, so she was stuck burying her face him his torso as she squeezed surprisingly tightly for such a slight girl. She wrapped her small hands into balls when he held her back, affectionately kissing the top of her head before gently pushing her back. Realistically she didn’t want to move. Moving meant that she would have to leave, which meant that she would have to go on her quest and probably not come back. “I’ll see you when you get back to camp.” he said, flashing her his usual grin. Kathryn looked down, almost guiltily; her hands were limp at her side. “If I come back.” she mused disheartenly, looking up at him when Simon ruffled her hair in a familiar manner. “You will.” he said simply before frowning at the scantily packed bag. Without saying anything else he strode back over to his side of the room, folding up the nimean lion pelt which he had brought back from his own quest and forcibly turning her around, opening her bag and shoving the pelt in it. Kathryn couldn’t help but smile—Simon always seemed to be taking care of her, in his own ways. She said her goodbyes, waving over her shoulder, closing the door behind her and regretting every step that she took away from the cabin.
xxxxTaking As Kathryn arrived at half-blood hill she made the slow trek up towards its peak. Realistically speaking she could have left in another forty-five minutes—the designated meeting time was for 6:00 am, and it was barely ten after five, so she was unnecessarily early—but Kathryn was too nervous. It wasn’t that she was going on the quest, although her first quest ever was bound to hit a few nerves, it was that she was leading it. She was responsible not only for her own safety, but for the safety of five other people and the outcome of the quest. The last thing she wanted to do was let her father down, or die and let Simon down. There was also the issue as to how they were going to even get to Russia; Kathryn hadn’t met any of the members before hand, instead simply taking the advice of people who actually knew the members in camp to choose her quest members, and so she hadn’t exactly told them that they were going to the other side of the world. She did know, however, that there was a daughter of Hades and a Son of Poseidon, and that complicated matters extensively. Although Kathryn had played around a very little bit with shadow-travelling in the past she had no idea about the daughter of Hades who was to join her, and Kathryn was very confident that she’d likely kill herself if she tried to transport two people all the way to Russia. If worse-came-to-worse she’d be willing to grovel before the gods to allow them safe passage, but both flying and boating with the entire group seemed to be out of the question and Kathryn refused to allow anybody to wind up alone. Two heads were always better than one—unless one or two of the two were not functioning at all. She sighed, pulling her bag off her shoulders and allowing it to drop at her feet, standing and patiently waiting, the lone figure on the hill, dark in the dim light of dawn.
{|Out.Of.Context.| :: |Quest is now open! emotion_kirakira |} {|Half-Blood Hill|} {||Alone||} Clothing in the first picture, weapon in the second!
xillusion ↻ ▫ ▫Who's gonna fight(☫)for the weak xillusWHO'S GONNA✸MAKE 'EM BELIEVE:❖ xillusion shade xilI'VE GOT A HEROshadeI'VE GOT A HERO xillusion sha☆❜Living in⇡me xillusion shade I'm gonna←fight for what's(RIGHT) xillusion shade xillusT o d a yxI ' mxs p e a k i n gxm yxm i n d xilusio&&!if it kills☬me tonight⋮⊰ xillusion shadeI WILL BE READY TO DIE !!
The cabin of Ares was quiet early in the morning, one of the few times during the day that it was. The only noise that broke the silence was the occasional snore or grunt from one of the campers asleep in the room. One camper in particularly was awake, lying languidly stretched out on a bottom bunk. He was the oldest one in the cabin, a man by anyone’s standards. Dressed in a T-shirt and plaid boxer shorts, he had one arm tucked underneath his head and the other held out in front of his face, holding a small, chipped rectangular picture frame. The photograph it held was surprisingly well taken care of in contrast to the silver frame and portrayed an older man smiling, a park displayed behind him. The man smiled wistfully at the picture, one of the few change in expressions he ever wore. “Ah, Sebastian, it’s been seven years since you’ve left. I wonder what you would say if you could see me now?” he murmured. After a moment, he shook his head. “I’ll buy a bouquet of flowers and lay them on your grave when I’ve returned to Seattle,” he assured the man in the picture before he yawned, sitting up in the bed as he slipped the picture beneath his pillow.
Jacob dragged himself to the bathroom to get showered and dressed, careful not to awake his siblings. They could be annoying enough to deal with during the day as it was—he hardly expected them to be any more manageable at half past four in the morning. Twenty minutes later, he returned to the cabin, shaved and fully dressed. For a son of Ares, Jacob dressed quite stylishly, or as he deemed to be stylish at least. He returned to his bed, sitting down on the edge as he grabbed his backpack from underneath his bed and dropped it next to him in a single fluid movement. He had packed the day before but it could never hurt to double check before he set off on the quest with the other five demigods. Once Jacob had rummaged through it and was satisfied he had packed the essentials (and a few of the non-essentials too), he slipped the picture frame carefully into a side pocket. It was the only picture he had of his adopted father and he had no intention of letting anything happen to it anytime soon. After a moment of deliberation, he slipped a fresh pack of cigarettes into the backpack as well. It really would be irresponsible of him to smoke in front of children, but in the case that he needed to relieve himself of stress and could sneak away for ten minutes, they would be there for him for him to have.
Jacob rose from the bed, slipping the backpack over his shoulder as he glanced out on the windows in the cabin. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky (or lack thereof), he judged it to be a little after five. The agreed upon meeting time for the quest was six but Jacob hadn’t been able to sleep well the night before, which explained why he had woken up so early in the first place. After a moment, he shrugged. He would be the first one there then—what of it? He needed time to himself to think anyways. That decided, he crossed the length of the cabin quickly, closing the door softly behind him before he set off towards Half-Blood Hill.
As he walked towards the designated meeting place, Jacob pondered over the quest they were set to embark on that morning. Chiron had asked him to attend to look after the children and do what he could to see to its succession. Jacob had never been on a quest before himself and couldn’t quite understand why he had been asked to go on this quest specifically. The centaur had been rather vague about the details of the quest itself; the only sure thing he had told the son of Ares was that they would be going to Russia. From the prophecy, Jacob could really only deduce that they would need to find “destruction’s only son.” He would have been more comfortable if he had been given more information, but he decided to trust Chiron and go anyways. Jacob liked Chiron—he was a good man—or centaur, rather—who seemed to truly have his campers’ best interests at heart. Besides, Jacob had no excuse not to go. The university he worked for was on summer vacation and even if he did die on this quest, he wouldn’t exactly be leaving behind too many friends or any family.
As Jacob approached Half-Blood Hill, he noticed a short, petite figure standing alone on the hilltop. As he treaded nearer, he found that it was the daughter of Thanatos leading the quest, Kathryn Arlovskaya. Even before he’d asked Chiron who would be leading the quest, he’d known her simply because she was the younger sister of one of his former students. Jacob barely hid a disdainful grimace. Simon Xander was certainly… well, something to say the least. He pushed the thought out of his mind as he began to ascend the hill though—unpleasant thoughts would lead to an unpleasant attitude, and that wouldn’t help the other quest members’ anticipated anxiety. Jacob was nervous as well, but his calm, neutral expression would never have led anyone to believe this much. “Good morning, Miss Arlovskaya. How are you?” he asked coolly as he stood beside her, looking at her over the rim of his glasses. “It’s a bit early in the morning, wouldn’t you agree? Not that I would reprimand punctuality, but sleep deprivation is less than favorable.”
ooc;Outfit! It's a little shorter than I intended, sorry! ><
Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:56 pm
'Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.' ~Mark Twain
The only reason Kaimu was up early was because Rhodri had woken him up. The big dog had been a little on edge as of late, probably because he could feel that his master was anxious, about something, although Kaimu didn't think the dog knew exactly what. Either way, it meant that the dog was starting to try and take a more dominant role. Anxious was not a good way to be, at least not perpetually, around dogs, even well trained was. If you didn't show them that you were the pack leader, they would assert control. And with a dog like Rhodri, that wouldn't be a good thing. His breed could be rather possessive and protective of their owners, even well socialized ones like Rhodri. The Tibetan Mastiff was an interesting breed, and although Rhodri had been obtained from an american breeder (and as such was not as aggressive and unpredictable as those bred in the east), they were still strong-willed dogs, and a good understanding of dog-psychology was essential. And currently, Kaimu knew he wasn't exactly doing well with that.
Rolling out of bed, to the sound of Rhodri scratching at the cabin door, Kaimu ran a hand through his messy blonde hair and strode forward, grabbing Rhodri buy the collar and jerking the dog sideways. "iie" ("No") he told the big dog in an affirmative tone, although he was sure to keep his voice low, his siblings were still sleeping as far as he was aware, and he didn't want to be responsible for waking them up.
He got dressed as quickly as he could, which, although he was blind, wasn't too hard. He had was a very organized person, so his outfit was already laid out at the foot of his bed every night before he went to sleep, and he had packed everything he needed for the quest well before-hand, with his sibling's help of course. It was still summer at camp, so he didn't actually put on his coat, instead tying it around his waist. The mustard yellow color probably wasn't the nicest thing, but it wasn't as though Kaimu could tell, now was it? At least the blue jeans and simple black t-shirt he had on underneath went well together.
Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he grabbed his 'sunglasses' and his collapsible white cane - which easily identified him as being blind - from where he always left them before going to sleep, and picked Rhodri's harness up from where it had been left on the floor. He put his glasses on and clipped his cane onto his waist before carefully putting the harness on Rhodri. The dog was used to this, so it wasn't as though it was hard. "No wa, hokō Rhodri tame tebanasu." ("Let's go for a walk Rhodri") he murmured, taking a firm hold of the lead and pushing the door to the cabin open.
As they walked through camp, Kaimu focused more on what was reaching his functioning senses, and what Rhodri was doing, than on anything else. It was nice actually. The camp was mostly quiet at this time of the morning, as most everyone was still sleeping, so the sounds of nature, and the nymphs playing in the lake, were clearer than ever. At the same time it happily distracted his mind from the quest. A quest he wasn't sure he belonged on, although Chiron had asked him to go, so there had to be a reason. He wasn't very useful though, and as a child of the big three, would probably only end up causing problems.
Shaking his head, he decided to waste time at the beach, seeing as his internal clock - which he found was very accurate - told him that it was far too early to head to half-blood hill. Following his senses as a child of Poseidon, and the guidance of Rhodri, he eventually made his way. Stepping into the waves (he wouldn't get wet after all), he considered whether or not it was a good idea to let Rhodri off his leash. With a start, he realized that he actually hadn't had much of a chance to play with the big dog recently. No wonder he was acting up. Stepping back up onto the beach, Kaimu took Rhodri off the harness and set his bag down (and removed his coat, cane and glasses for good measure). He patted the dog on the side as if to say 'go' and the big dog let out a loud bark and ran off, only to circle around Kaimu and nudge him forward. Chuckling, Kaimu reached down and placed a hand on the dog's shoulder, allowing Rhodri to lead him back down to the waves.
As soon as they hit the water, Rhodri was off again, running down the length of the beach, barking as he went. "Rhodri! Ochitsuite, anata ga zentai no kyanpu o samasu!" ("Rhodri! Calm down, you'll wake the entire camp!") Kaimu called out with a laugh, running after him. Who cared if it wasn't good to treat your dog as a person, it was just them, and even working dogs needed a chance to play! Kaimu didn't worry about the fact that his dog had raced ahead of him either, he doubted there was anyone to run into, and besides, as a son of Poseidon, he could always find his way better in the water.
Finally after a good bout of rolling about in the surf, which, thanks to his powers as a son of Poseidon, left Kaimu completely dry, and Rhodri minimally wet, Kaimu's internal clock told him that if he was going to get to half-blood hill on time, he would have to leave. Making his way out of the surf, dog at his side, Kaimu murmured "Mitsukeru" ("find") and placed a hand on the dog's head. Rhodri lead the way back to where Kaimu had left his stuff. After getting everything together again, he stood. Time to find their way to half-blood hill.
While Kaimu knew his cabin off by heart, the camp was much too large for him to memorize the number of steps and turns between the various locations, so he had to rely on Rhodri a lot. Not that the dog was perfect either though. Shaking his head, he left the beach.
Together, they managed to get there, where the poetic effect of the lone pair standing on the top of the hill in the early morning sight was completely lost on them, Kaimu being blind, and Rhodri, well, being a dog. Trusting the dog not to let him trip, Kaimu made his way up the hill, wondering if anyone was there yet. As he crested the hill, he heard a quiet 'hi,' and turned to face the origin of the voice. He smiled, a bit tentatively, hopefully at the owner of the voice. "Ah, hello." he said, "I'm Kaimu, and this here is Rhodri." he introduced, patting the dog on the side affectionately, "We're not late, are we?"
|{OOC: outfit Muhahaha! Now everyone else must arrive at a reasonable time razz }|
Minji got ready as she quietly looked around her cabin wistfully. Even if she hadn’t been here at Camp Half-Blood too long, she had grown rather fond of the place. Softly moving about in the darkness, she made sure that she didn’t forget anything as she looked at Shun napping peacefully while she gathered all of her things and put them in a gray suitcase that was adorned with little bits and frills of light pink around the nooks and crooks. Zipping it after her last sweeping glance of the closet, Minji walked over to her dresser and made sure she had packed everything. Sure, she wasn’t too paranoid about people stealing things, but she had heard a few gals from the cabins nearby speaking of a sneaky son of Hermes. Even if she wasn’t paranoid, there were a few certain things that Minji had attributed priceless values to and didn’t want stolen. The Korean girl kneeled down next to Shun and awoke the mini sleeping beast with a kiss on his forehead as her light chuckle echoed softly through the dark cabin. She never really turned on the lights both for saving energy and quite honestly, she liked the dark. There was never a time when she couldn’t see because it was just too dark for her taste. It was always fine even without lights. The darkness complemented the cabin in her opinion.
Though, Minji was surprised to no end that she had been asked along on a quest, but this was requested by Chiron, a nice man, so she went along with it. Of course, Minji didn’t understand why she was needed – her presence was almost nonexistent, and most people didn’t find that to be rather helpful, seeing how pacifistic her values towards violence were. The most violent Minji had ever been was chucking an encyclopedia at a monster. Though, Chiron said it wasn’t her fighting style that was needed – it was her personality. Of course, she had absolutely no idea what he meant, but if she could be of some help, Minji was more than willing. “C’mon Shun-ah, silly goose,” she murmured as she ruffled his fur gently before standing up. Minji wondered who else would be going on this quest, not that she would know anyone, but perhaps she could befriend them. Hopefully she could. The female scooped up her puppy in one arm and walked over to get her suitcase as she wistfully looked at what she had come to reckon as home one last time, well, hopefully not the last. The daughter of Erebus had been claimed not too long ago, but she had found comfort in this cabin, and it made her wonder if she was actually like her father, since it was almost obvious that her traits didn’t take after her social butterfly of a mother.
The girl pushed the door and walked at a reasonable pace. She had left herself more than enough time to get to the destination where she was to meet with the other members and gave some leeway in case she got lost, but that wasn’t very likely. Minji walked in silence as she had set Shun down after a while. She hoped that they would be ok with her bringing along Shun – he was her family, and she would hate to leave him. After all, he’d been with her through thick and thin. Chiron said that they would probably be fine with it. Minji sighed softly as she crunched through the leaves in the dark and checked her watch that read 5:30am - she still had time. The female neared her destination as she noticed a few figures on the hill and paused to tug at her outfit. She was wearing an off white cable knit sweater with burnt orange collared button up underneath and a pair of stretchy gray leggings. Minji adjusted her gray beanie with a rather large pompom on top as she stopped briefly and switched arms for dragged her suitcase as she lugged it up the hill. Minji stood next to the only other female there and murmured a soft hello as she stood patiently for others to arrive.
They seemed to know one another - at least the brunette male looked acquainted with the female, but Minji didn’t know any of the three. She had seen their faces around every now and then, but she wasn’t exactly close with anybody yet at the camp other than Shun. Speaking of Shun… The Asian female turned her head slightly as she saw her adorable puppy making his way up the hill. He was such a cutie. Minji smiled gently as Shun silently sat down by her side, not making any barks like normal dogs would. This duo was remarkably similar in nature. As she stood in silence, she thought about what Chiron had said while asking her to go on the quest. The prophecy, to be exact, was what was lingering on her mind. Chiron said that for the first time ever there was demi-titan born who could potentially cause what they would come to know as the end of the world. Minji couldn’t help but feel at least a bit nervous, after all – this whole ‘fate of the world resting in yours hand’ business was a lot to deal with. Even if she was nervous, Minji wanted to help – in whatever way she could. A pacifistic and lean girl wasn’t always the top on the ideal quest-goer list, but Chiron said that she would be a huge help. Something about the demi-titan needing the soft-spoken ones more than the loud and voracious demigods...
The female smiled just a bit, thinking that perhaps she could be of use as she looked at the dog that the blonde male had brought. On the bright side, she wasn’t the only one who had acquaintances, but the relationship that she had with Shun seemed different than that of the one this particular blonde had. After a bit of thinking and her thought process piecing the ideas together, Minji came to the conclusion that he was most likely blind or maybe there was something else. Looking around at the three near her, she wondered if the trio had noticed her yet. She cleared her throat softly before speaking once more, "Ah, hello," she began with a polite bow, "I’m Minji Seo, daughter of Erebus… Chiron asked me to come." The demigod tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear as she moved a bit closer next to who she perceived to be the “Kathryn” that Chiron spoke of to make sure they noticed her. It didn’t bother her if they didn’t though – that was something that Minji was rather used to by now. In some occasions, it was rather nice. Her mother always warned her of the dangers of riding the bus or train alone, but it never applied to her. Whenever lecherous men were around, they seemed to miss her presence as well. Minji was rather grateful for that, and besides, she wasn’t an outgoing girl to begin with, so she quite liked the alone time. "I hope you don’t mind… I brought my best friend along…" she murmured as she scooped up Shun with her free hand, hoping they would be okay with him as she kept an iron clad grip on her suitcase, not wanting it to fall down the hill.
[ooc]outfit in the side image~ bah. i ran out of things to type x.x
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:17 am
「HAVE NO FEAR《when the night❜ xxxxxxxxxxxxd r a w s n e a r a n d f i l l s y o u w i t h d r e a m s a n d d e s i r e ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ xxxxx⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮ ⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮⋮ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxLIKE A CHILD ASLEEP SO WARM, SO DEEP xxxxx★⇣You will find me their waiting for you xxxxxxxNocturne ❜ never cry, never sigh you don't have to wonder why
Scathach had been up rather early, checking and re-cheking her bag to make sure that she had everything she would need. She had put on rather warm clothes for herself, even though she knew that she seemed shockingly impervious to cold. Still, she at least wanted to look like she fit in. Not drawing attention to herself and her quest mates was a good idea. Most people would already give her a second glance because of her blazing red hair, she could at least dress normally. Almost as an after thought, though, Scathach threw an extra jacket into her bag, in case anyone would need it later on. She was a naturally kind young woman, and wanted to look out for her quest mates, who she hoped would end up being her friends. Which was new for her, because for the longest time she had been a lone wolf type, especially when she first arrived at camp. She hadn't wanted to speak to anyone. She hadn't been mean, but she never went out of her way to try to make friends. That was, of course, until she met Nero. He had helped her come out of her shell, and that she was forever grateful for.... Among other things. She blushed lightly just thinking about her boyfriend, then hurried to finish getting ready.
She said her goodbyes to her siblings, giving Fae and Danny hugs, and looking at Ace with a, 'don't be such an a**' sort of look. To him, she gave a few words, "Ace, I could die. You could at least try being nice." The boy just looked at her and shrugged, "I'll worry about it when it happens." Scathach sighed, shaking her head, "I love you too..." She really did want to be Ace's friend, but he was just so... Aloof and hateful! Insufferable, most of the time. With one last glance and goodbye to her siblings, Scathach left her cabin, heading through the camp at a leisurely pace. She passed Chiron making his morning rounds and gave the centaur a wave, receiving a blown kiss and a "good luck" from her beastly friend. Chiron had actually come to her specifically and asked her to attend this quest, taking into account her gentle nature. He'd said that they needed motherly figures, and Scathach had accepted her horsey friend's request. After all, she did want to help. And this would be her first quest, which excited her to no end. She was Irish, her want for adventure could not be quenched. Even though she knew that this would be dangerous, and she could get seriously hurt, she was excited nonetheless.
As Scathach neared the hill and began to climb up it, she heard voices, several different ones, and realized that she might be late. Cresting the hill, her vibrant blue eyes glanced over the company there, and she saw that she was one of the last to arrive. Still at least she wasn't the absolute last. No, actually, it seemed that her boyfriend was. She couldn't help a small smirk at the thought, mostly because she was happy that Nero was coming along. She did wonder if Chiron had planned that, though. She often spoke with the centaur about her life, the loves of it and the hates, so he knew her well. Scathach, though, decided to push those thoughts from her mind as she raised her small hand in greeting to the campers here, "Hello, everyone," Her thick Irish accent lilted in a peaceful way, showing that she was not in the least stressed or worried. Yet. "I'm Scathach. Daughter of Hades. Like most of you, I believe, Chiron asked me to come." She looked around, then gave a short chuckle, slight red tingeing her cheeks, "I am sorry if I'm late. I lost track of time." She gave a kind smile to everyone, including the two animals that seemed to be tagging along. Scathach had to resist the urge to go over and pet the big black dog or the small puppy that the one girl held. She absolutely adored animals, and had had the pleasure of having several very large dogs when she lived with her mother, as well as a cat, the horses and the sheep. Forcing thoughts of home away, lest she get homesick, Scathach waited for one of the others to say something, or for Nero to show up.
Kathryn jumped slightly, having been relatively distracted by her own worried thoughts, as the first quest member approached. In fact to say she ‘jumped lightly’ was a slight understatement. She practically leapt right out of her skin as she let out a soft cry of disapproval. ”S-sorry.” she stammered lightly, not wanting to appear rude. Animosity amongst quest members— especially quest members and her— wouldn’t allow good productivity. ”I hadn’t b-been expecting anybody for s-some time. I was a little s-surprised.” As she calmed her beating heart and steadied her breathing Kathryn glanced up at the man from the corner of her eye, being sure not to make eye contact a she observed him, smiling a little and shaking her head, ”Simon made sure I got a little sleep.” she said, fondness flowing into her voice when she spoke of her elder half-brother, ”I wouldn’t have slept at all, if not for him; but I don’t usually sleep very much anyways. Thank you for the concern, though. I should be fine.” She dropped her eyes back down to her hands as she picked at her nails; a nervous habit she had picked up some time ago, “You must be Mr. Jacob Arkwright, correct? Chiron told me that you were a son of Ares?” She asked, more than stated. She had honestly been a little bit worried about a son of Ares going on the quest. They weren’t exactly known to be the most… personable people in the world. ”I’m Kathryn Arlovskaya, daughter of Thanatos,” she greeted in her whispery voice, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” she added, bowing her head even more deeply before sighing, distracting herself with her own thoughts. It was a while before sound encroached on the silence again and Kathryn found herself turning slightly towards the next arrival. Did anybody sleep in this camp?
The dog gave him away. Kathryn sighed lightly in relief, glancing over the blonde asian boy with mild interest. This was another person that Kathryn was worried about, although not for the same reason as with Jake. This particular demi-god had been living with problems even greater than most— he was blind. Now what quest leader, in their right mind, wouldn’t worry about having a blind camper on their quest? It wasn’t so much that she didn’t believe in Chiron’s choice but… she couldn’t help but be worried that she would slip up and let something happen to him. Another smile pulled onto her pale lips as the boy spoke, introducing himself and his companion. ”Kaimu Yamashita, right? Your father is Poseidon… I think.” she noted quietly, her voice wavering ever so slightly as she nodded her head uselessly towards them, ”And Rhodri. It’s a pleasure. I am Kathryn Arlovskaya, the quest leader.” she paused slightly, ”Ah, and my father is Thanatos.” she added, just so that everybody would be on the same page who who was who and whatnot. There wasn’t much time before the next arrival, another asian but this time a girl.
Kathryn observed her silently, only noting the soundless approach on basis of paranoia that Jacob had left her with, and the movement out of the corner of her eye. Rather than greeting the girl Kathryn allowed her to speak first, nodding her head slightly when, after a few moments, she did. ”Kathryn Arlovskaya, daughter of Thanatos.” she greeted in return, her voice equally as soft and tentative as she felt marginally guilty— Mr. Arkwright was probably getting sick of this repetitive routine. Kathryn turned her eyes up slightly, regarding the small dog with mild interest. Well, if animals counted as quest members they were already doomed to fail with Rhodri, so she didn’t see why another dog coming along could really cause any problems. She just hoped her judgement wasn’t wrong, for their sake. ”I don’t see any problems with it?” she tentatively asked, rather than stated, clearly unsure in her decision. Again she wondered why in the world the fates would choose her of all people to be the quest leader. Her brother would be much better at it. Nervously she dropped her eyes back down towards the ground, uncomfortably shuffling her feet as she sighed lightly, suddenly glancing up again when the last female member of the quest appeared on top of the hill. Five down, one to go.
”Hello, Ms. Flain.” she softly greeted in return, nodding her head towards the brightly coloured woman. At least, her hair was brightly coloured. All Kat could think of was Autumn and the beautiful leaves that littered the ground. That image brought a small smile to her lips. ”I’m Kathryn Arlovskaya, daughter of Thanatos and…” her gaze dropped even further, ”Leader of this quest. Yes, Chiron invited you all along for me.” she explained softly, sheepishly blushing a shade towards a healthy skin tone. Now there was only one member left that they had to wait on. Nervously Kathryn checked the time, picking at her nails again subconsciously as her icy blue eyes flickered across the ground, glancing up every so often towards the other members of the quest, guilt already settling in; they hadn’t even left yet and she could only feel that this was all some terrible mistake, and that she was going to screw everything up. She inhaled deeply, holding the breath before slowly letting it out. She had to at least try her hardest. She wanted her father to be proud— her brother to be proud— and most of all she wanted all of these people, people who had people that care about them, to be able to come home. She couldn’t allow herself to even think about failing. At least, not until that time came— if it ever did.
Out.Oof.Context:: { One more round before Nero shows, I suppose! emotion_kirakira Location:: { Half-Blood Hill Company:: { Jake, Kaimu, Minji, Scathach
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 11:39 am
xillusion ↻ ▫ ▫Who's gonna fight(☫)for the weak xillusWHO'S GONNA✸MAKE 'EM BELIEVE:❖ xillusion shade xilI'VE GOT A HEROshadeI'VE GOT A HERO xillusion sha☆❜Living in⇡me xillusion shade I'm gonna←fight for what's(RIGHT) xillusion shade xillusT o d a yxI ' mxs p e a k i n gxm yxm i n d xilusio&&!if it kills☬me tonight⋮⊰ xillusion shadeI WILL BE READY TO DIE !!
Jacob’s eyebrow rose slightly at Kathryn’s reaction to his greeting, obviously having frightened her beyond her wits. He hadn’t meant to, of course, but that didn’t excuse him. “I apologize, Miss Arlovskaya. I hadn’t meant to startle you,” he said in the usual, monotonous tone, although he seemed sincere. He nodded as he studied her with a hint of polite curiosity in his eyes. “I don’t blame you. It is quite early in the day, but I didn’t sleep very well last night.” He shrugged. It had been restless sleep more than anything, coupled with a blossoming feeling of guilt and sadness. It had been ten years since Sebastian had died, that day, and although he knew it really wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help the feeling of remorse. Maybe if he’d gotten two part time jobs, Sebastian would have had his surgery and would still be alive today. Maybe he should have entered the U.S. army—the pay had to have been better than any job he could have had at the time. Maybe if he’d just prayed harder. There were so many things he could have done, so many things to ponder at night, it was no wonder he hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Well, at least he had some instant coffee packets in his backpack.
The young professor wasn’t sure if he should consider it rude or not that the quest leader refused to meet his eye. It could have simply been a part of her personality, although he had heard a trickle of rumors around camp about her possessing some strange power that needed eye contact to function… Jacob didn’t like rumors, which had made a good portion of his student life a living hell, so he didn’t pay much attention to them. Nevertheless, he decided not to comment. The poor girl was stressed enough as it was. He nodded politely, although he had to resist the urge to scowl. "What? Big war teacher can't overcome a war in his own mind? Tick tock, Arkwright." He had… less than fond feelings for Kathryn’s older half-brother. That damned psychology major had been enrolled in his first class and Jacob was forced to restrain himself more than once from jumping over his desk and giving Simon a piece of his mind. He hadn’t met many people as irksome as the son of Thanatos, and he’d only been slightly surprised to see his face flashing across the news headlines when he’d transformed into a murderer. Personally, he didn’t trust that man around any child, and it bothered him that Kathryn and another child of Athena seemed so ignorant of the obvious danger. Jacob didn’t know either demigod very well, but if he so much as touched them… well, there was nothing keeping the son of Ares from “accidentally” gutting him like a fish during a swordfight in the arena. Jacob nodded again, on the exterior, as calm as ever. “Very well then,” he said, not making an effort to pursue the subject further.
Jacob nodded, slipping his hands in the pockets of his pants idly. “Indeed I am,” he confirmed dryly. “Although I prefer simply Mr. or Professor Arkwright.” His gaze moved from Kathryn’s features to Camp Half-Blood, taking in the absolute serenity the grounds had so early in the morning. It was usually a hectic mess, save for mealtimes, when the chaos transferred itself to the dining pavilion. He would be certain to make an effort to take a walk around camp this early in the morning if he returned from the quest. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted some worry leaking into Kathryn’s expression. “Don't trouble yourself, Miss Arlovskaya. I won’t cause the quest any trouble because of who my father is,” he assured her to ease her mind. “I’m not nearly as, ah, bloodthirsty as my siblings, to put it politely.” He glanced back at her, pausing a moment to let her speak before holding out his hand for a handshake, as it was the courteous gesture to give during formal introductions. “The pleasure is mine.”
By the time the son of Poseidon had arrived, Jacob had settled himself down on the crest of the hill, near the slumbering dragon, with a thermos of cold coffee that he had left in his backpack the night before. If he was forced to make a choice between coffee and cigarettes, Jacob would choose the caffeinated drink every time. Cigarettes calmed him, but coffee saved his life on a daily basis. He had watched the blind demigod’s progress through the camp grounds, led by a black mastiff with a thoughtful expression. Truthfully, he was worried. Yes, he knew the young man was a son of Poseidon from past observations, which would be useful in battle and make up for any excess monsters he attracted, but he was also blind. That would be, well, bad for all of them, if and when things took a dark turn on the quest, which it very well may. He dearly hoped Chiron knew what was doing… As Kathryn exchanged greetings with the young man named Kaimu, Jacob remained silent, choosing to take another sip of his coffee. He would introduce himself once everyone had arrived, as he did hate repeating himself.
Jacob observed a demigoddess of Asian descent ascend the hill and move to stand at Kathryn’s shoulder, toting a small dog as well. He wondered briefly for a moment if dogs had become a trend at camp he had been unaware of. He didn’t have much of a problem with animals though, so long as they were trained, which the two Kaimu and Minji owned appeared to be. He’d lost count long ago how many rabid dogs had chased him throughout the streets of Seattle as a child. Although, the arrival of the quiet girl did bring up another good point. None of the quest members that had appeared so far seemed as if they could efficiently fight monsters. Jacob was aware it was wrong of him to make such an assumption on appearances alone, but honestly, Kathryn had nearly taken a tumble down the hill when he’d greeted her and Kaimu was blind as bats. That was probably the reason why Chiron had asked him to join the quest, when he looked at the crux of things. Jacob sighed softly, but looked up and nodded politely in acknowledgement to the newcomer.
When a vibrant head of red hair arrived on the hilltop, Jacob was a little more pleased with this choice in quest members. He knew she was one of the daughters of Hades, simply since it was hard not to know who the children of the Big Three were, so that was an advantage in power. She also seemed to be the fighting type – forgive him if he assumed incorrectly – so she was useful in that aspect too. At least he knew now he probably wouldn’t go down alone fighting during a battle with a monster. As Kathryn introduced herself to Scathach, the son of Ares rose from his spot on the ground, since they would be departing soon and it would be rude of him to make an introduction sitting down. He swiftly brushed himself off before he cleared his throat and spoke up for the first time since Kaimu had arrived. “Jacob Arkwright, son of Ares,” he greeted. “However, I prefer Mr. or Professor Arkwright. It’s a pleasure meeting you all.” That said, he raised the thermos to his lips and let the last of his coffee tumble into his mouth, packing it away into his backpack when he was done.
As they waited for the final member of the quest to arrive, Jacob’s attention was drawn to their quest leader. Her body language screamed how nervous and emotionally unprepared she was for this. Admittedly, she wouldn’t have been Jacob’s first choice to lead a quest, but maybe that was the point – to have members who you wouldn’t normally think would join adventures where the potential to die was great. Besides, people had a tendency to shine through as leaders during tough times, especially when the people around them were depending on them. Kathryn just needed a little boost of confidence, that was all. Jacob wasn’t the comforting type, but he did take a moment to step forward and reassuringly squeeze her shoulder once before falling back again. Sometimes, a small gesture like that was all anyone ever needed.
'Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.' ~Mark Twain
Kaimu nodded in response to the female voice that floated out of the familiar darkness he had lived with all his life. It occurred to him that he wouldn't know any of his quest mates, and had probably never met any of them before. That was only to be expected though, after all, he hadn't talked to many people since arriving at camp, and wasn't even all that familiar with his siblings. For the first time in his life he found out that he had relatives other than his mother, and he couldn't even connect with them. And with the exception of that first day, and in the strawberry fields, he hadn't run into very many people. He half-wondered (understandably of course) if people avoided him because of his 'disability,' his lack of sight. He had lived with it his entire life, and despite all the awareness that went out about disabilities and such, many people (especially in the small town he had grown up in) were still very wary of such things. "People fear what they don't understand, or that that is different from them" right?
Of course, Kaimu knew he couldn't put all the blame of the other demi-gods at camp. He himself didn't make much of an effort to talk to people and make friends, or to go looking for other demi-gods. He was nervous of meeting new people, even if he often passed it off behind a smile. Without Rhodri by his side, he knew he would probably be terribly lost. Rhodri had become such a rock to him. Kaimu didn't really want to think of what he would do when he lost the dog (after all, Rhodri was only a dog after all), and even more so if he lost him pre-maturely. That would be the worst, because it would most likely be due to the fact that Kaimu was a demi-god, which made his life a lot more difficult. And more dangerous. It made him sick to think of a monster killing Rhodri while the dog was trying to protect him. That thought had almost made him refuse Chiron when he had been asked to join the quest. What help could he possibly be? Sure his father had blessed him (honestly he still wasn't sure why) but what good could that do? Kaimu wouldn't be any good in a fight. Really, in the end, it had been the desire to do something, anything to help and to not feel like the failure of a demi-god he often was sure he was. It seemed that every demi-god here was expected to be some sort of great hero, but how was that possible for him? He was blind! To be honest, he wasn't even sure how he had managed to live to the age of 19. He would just have to do his best to make sure that he didn't get in anyone else's way on the quest or burden them down.
Shaking the depressing thoughts out of his head, he plastered on a smile. He really didn't want to repeat himself too much, but it would be rude to not respond to the girl. "Ah yes, that would be me. It's a pleasure as well." he responded to her.
The next quest member arrived soon after, so obviously Kaimu hadn't been late at all. He heard her small 'hello' and nodded to her. The first girl introduced herself again, and Kaimu wondered why she wasn't waiting for everyone to show up as he assumed the unknown third person was doing. He knew that they were there, he could hear the rustle of their clothing as they moved.
The next member of their quest arrived very shortly after, before Kaimu could say anything to the girl who had arrived before her. The words the newcomer spoke were very similar though, so Kaimu felt that he was responding to the same question. The thought made him smile slightly. "I think the same is true for all of us." he commented softly.
He tilted his head when the girl asked if it was okay for her to have brought a friend along. While Rhodri was relaxed at his side, Kaimu reached down, and could feel the excitement coiled in the dog's muscles, the urge to say hello to the newcomers, a curious excitement. The dog, however, stayed by its master's side, obeying the unspoken orders the blind boy gave, simply by his stance. It was an unspoken language, and one that Kaimu had trained himself to speak, instead of simply using all the verbal commands people normally expected dog owners to use. The ability to get someone to listen to him, even without speaking was a nice one, as Kaimu often felt that even when his blindness made him the center of attention, no one really listened.
Sighing away the depressing thoughts, he rose to his feet again. "I don't hear Rhodri barking up a storm, and our quest leader says it's fine." he told the girl who he sensed was a timid as Kaimu often was, although less likely (or capable) of hiding it.
The unknown party finally introduced himself, and Kaimu nodded in his general direction, somewhere over near Kathryn. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you." he told them, "Kaimu Yamashita. I'm a child of Poseidon. As much as I can hardly believe it myself." the last part was spoken in a barely audible whisper, something that he wasn't sure that the other quest mates could hear, although he wouldn't complain if they didn't. It was one of those thoughts that floated around his brain, and occasionally found their way out of his mouth.
Frowning he mentally counted the number of people who had introduced themselves, deducing that they were missing one. Worriedly he wondered where they might be.
laetitriumphantes▪▪ ⊱ this is ten p - percent ✄`luck ⋮twenty ❜ ✴percent skill laetitrium&&FIFTEENlae( 15 )PERCENT CONCENTRATED 》 laetitriumphantesPOWER OF WILLlaetiPOWER OF WILLlaetiPOWER OF WILLlae████████████ laetitriumphantesPOWER OF WILLlaetiPOWER OF WILLlaetiPOWER OF WILLlae████████████ lae▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ laetitriumphant❖FIVEPERCENT(5%)♔PLEASURE laetitriumphantesFIFTY PERCENT PAIN AND A HUNDRED PERCENT REASON TO REMEMBER THE NAME
Amadeus blamed his tardiness solely on the son of Thanatos who now seemed to be making an attempt to suffocate him. He glared over at the demigod as he came closer, a silent warning to heed his personal space, but Simon ignored the expression as he pulled the son of Athena into a warm hug, now that he was about to depart for the quest. The Irish youth groaned, trying to push the taller male away but his efforts remained futile. After a moment of struggling, Amadeus sighed and finally gave in, unwilling allowing his head to rest against Simon’s shoulder as he muttered just loud enough for his friend to hear, “Surely, this must be sexual harassment.” Simon only laughed, releasing him from his strong embrace as he fondly ruffled the teenager’s hair. Amadeus promptly slapped his hand away with a scowl, hurrying to fix the hair he’d ruined as he walked back to his bed.
The demigod had no patience for unpunctuality in most circumstances, but in this case, it couldn’t be avoided. Simon had appeared an hour or so earlier and had acted the part of nothing less than an overprotective mother, a role Amadeus had enough experience with in his time. He had been making certain his friend had everything he would need, had forced him to eat breakfast, among a few other things that had forced him to delay his arrival to Half-Blood Hill. Eventually, the son of Athena had decided to simply sit down and allow the storm to pursue its course, so to speak, typing out a few last minute emails on his beloved laptop while he waited. When Simon had finished coddling the younger male, Amadeus had packed his laptop away and stood to go, only to be assaulted with a hug he had not anticipated, nor had ever given permission for.
Amadeus snatched the backpack Simon had provided him with, pulling the single strap over his head and letting it rest on his shoulder. He would have preferred his briefcase or no backpack to be forced to carry at all, but he could hardly fit his clothes in one and Simon wasn’t accompanying him on this journey either. The demigod straightened once he made carrying his belongings a degree more comfortable, raising an eyebrow at the son of Thanatos, who had walked across the room to the door and was currently holding it open. “You’re not walking me there,” Amadeus told Simon firmly. The blonde male didn’t budge from where he was standing. After a minute’s stare down, the son of Athena relented – he may as well have, since his friends and family had a tendency to be as stubborn as he was in some cases.
Amadeus sighed as he walked to the door and out of the cabin, stepping out on to the camp grounds as Simon closed the door of the Athena cabin and fell into step beside him. They were quickly caught up in conversation as they made their way to the meeting place for the quest that morning. Even if Amadeus refused to admit it, he would miss Simon’s presence at his side during the excursion to Russia. The cheerful psychopathic personality was one he had grown fond of over the course of his summer.
Once they had reached the hill that served as the entrance to Camp Half-Blood, Amadeus paused long enough to nod in goodbye to the older male before returning on the path up the hill to where the other demigods were already gathered. He had said his formal goodbyes in the cabin earlier – it was difficult enough for him to make his affections known, never mind making them a public affair. “Be careful, Amadeus!” Simon called behind him, lingering for a moment before the minor could hear his footsteps begin to fade away as the distance grew between the pair. Amadeus crested the hill a moment later, stopping abruptly as his eyes scanned the faces, quickly picking up on names and the information that accompanied them. His lips grew into a smirk as his startling blue gaze fell on one of the girls standing there. “Hello, Kathryn. When will we be departing for Russia? The next flight leaves in an hour.”
