Angelina playfully punched Asher's shoulder when he asked her about his own goggles. "You know it!" she agreed heartily. This was already an upgrade to the situation that went on earlier, especially when Ash became excited about that project she had asked him about. It made her feel good to know that he wasn't completely lost to the stress that their situation brought upon them earlier.
"That's good to hear, Ash," she told him, her hands on her hips. "I myself am excited to see it, but I suppose I'll be able to wait if you wanna figure out some things first." She spoke with a playful tone, smirking at him. When he proposed that they fetch Vasilis and head back to the Cave of the Oracle to meet with the others, she nodded slightly in agreement. They really couldn’t waste much more time. There needed to be a plan.
The group didn’t have a ton of information, after all.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get any words out, she heard the sound of the door to the Big House being flung open. Then, out came a blonde blur, barreling straight towards the two. She almost had to move out of the way, but didn’t when she realized it was just Vasilis, who proceeded to tackle hug Asher to the ground. They both fell, and Angelina had to stop herself from laughing at the site, only giggling instead.
“HEY ASHER!” Vasilis yelled happily and loudly, a big smile etched onto his face as the usual glimmer of joy took its place in his eyes. “I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU, FRIEND!”
Rio almost sighed in relief when he realized that his little motivating speech had indeed worked its charm on Nev, for she thanked him soon after he finished speaking. He had a feeling that he would be making more of those as the quest went on. Maybe that would be apart of whatever role he was supposed to fill, if Vasilis didn’t fill it in for him.
He looked confused when she commented on being as pasty as a glue stick, not seeming to notice that she was acting more expressive than she usually did, the fact flying over his head like some things tended to do sometimes. He began questioning why she was so concerned about her skin, but then he remembered the redness that had spread across it earlier.
“Don’t worry, Nev, you’re not a gluestick!” he tried to assure her, as if it wasn’t obvious already. He concentrated for a moment, summoning a floating glob of pure water out of thin air. This took more energy to do than simply using an existing source, but he felt as though he needed to do it anyway, even though he had just woken up from falling unconscious and having a vision. In fact, he felt as though it never happened, which was peculiar.
“Here, you wanna splash your face real quick?” he asked her, willing the water glob towards her until it was close enough to where she could take some and use it to cool her face down if she accepted his offer. “It works for me,” he added. “When I was in school I’d use it in private, cuz I got embarrassed by a lot of things. Once we were in science class doing a lab involving bowls of water, and I accidentally caused one to spurt up and into the face of another kid. I was the closest to that bowl of course, so they thought I did it - just not in a ‘this kid has powers’ kind of way - and I ran out of the classroom. I was sooo embarrassed!”
He chuckled as he remembered the circumstance he’d been in way back when. “I went straight to the bathroom and splashed some sink water in my face, which was almost red as a tomato, but not quite. It made me feel better. Now that I think about it, it might’ve been because I’m one of Poseidon’s kids, and you know. Water. I don’t exactly recall why the accident happened, but I believe I may have been on the verge of a panic attack...? I just started having issues with my anxiety after I turned 10.”
He paused for a moment before a slight shade of pink crossed his face. “I, um, rambled again,” he admitted, smiling almost shyly.
Seth knew he’d been in some deep s**t the moment he told Karma not to worry about him. He should’ve been able to realize that she wasn’t going to let this go unless a specific outcome occurred in her favor. Nonetheless, he remained sitting, silent, as she began to talk to him. He tried to focus on her words, but some of said focus was being directed towards the usual tiredness he felt.
No. I’m not falling asleep.
He said nothing. He didn’t try to interrupt the girl the entire time she talked to defend himself, or for any reason, for that matter. He knew she was right. If they were your friends, you would trust them more, the taunting words of Morpheus echoed in his mind. He resisted the urge to cringe.
He mulled over her words, his eyes barely readable. It should be easy to just explain what was going on between him and Morpheus, especially since doing so might just help the group with figuring out how to stop Olympus, and by extension the world, from being destroyed... once again. It should be so so easy, shouldn’t it?
He couldn’t just blurt it out, or explain it like it was just another piece of information to educate someone else about. No; this was more personal than that. Morpheus had been in contact with him for years now, influencing his path and trying to convince him that he shouldn’t suppress his ‘gifts’. He thought he would be safe in Camp Half-Blood.
He was apparently wrong.
By the time Karmela was done, asking him if he could tell her about his physical pain, he relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes in consideration, opening them after a split second for fear that he’d fall asleep. If he didn’t say anything, he would only make things worse for the group, and they’d find out sooner or later. He knew Morpheus well enough to predict exactly what he would do if he kept his association with him hidden. There was really no justified point in keeping it to himself. Besides, he didn’t necessarily have to reveal everything just yet.
He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and met Karmela’s eyes again. This time, his own eyes didn’t look completely dull anymore. He felt nervous, as he should, but he would force himself to speak if he had to.
“I think... it’d be fair if I told you more than that,” he proposed quietly. “You know how you just said you lived your life over analyzing everything? I’ve lived all of my life learning to hide what hurts from the outside world, in order to keep everyone else safe first and me last. I know very well that it’s dangerous, and if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll try to stop it. Emphasis on try. It’s the least I can do for causing this ruckus.”
He tried smiling at her, but he felt weird about it, as if it was out of place. He ran his hand through his grey hair. “Damn, I don’t even know where to begin...” he lamented, shaking his head and chuckling under his breath. Nothing was funny.
“Well, you see this leg right here?” he began, motioning to one of his legs, which still hurt pretty badly. “That’s the main reason you rarely see me walk. You saw it this morning, but I hid the limp pretty well. You see... years ago, an incident happened, and now I can never walk properly without crutches or anything of that sort ever again.”
It was already getting hard for him to continue. Just talking about this made the memory resurface in his mind. He swallowed. He had to keep going before his brain decided he’d talked enough.
“Do you know who... Morpheus is?”
He couldn’t stop himself from visibly cringing when he said that name. He didn’t wait for her to answer before pressing on. “He put all of New York to sleep during the battle of New York years ago. He is the God of Dreams, and one of Hypnos’ immortal sons, besides Phantasos and Phobetor, which means, you guessed it, he’s technically my brother! Whoopidy-frickin-do.”
He took a moment to pause, not noticing that one of his hands was now curled into a fist. “Morpheus came to me in that vision,” he continued. He gulped again. No, don’t stop!
“He plans on ruining the world and destroying Olympus, so yes, he is our enemy this time around. He didn’t explain much to me at all, other than that... and then he put me in a nightmare. Like I said earlier, nightmares hurt. When I wake up from them, most if not all of the pain I felt in it comes back with me to the living realm. He willed the nightmare to be specifically designed to abuse me, and... he used it to torture me.”
He took a very deep breath, trying to calm his brain down before it overloaded with stress. He even started to look stressed himself, but he knew deep down that he was making progress. He just wished it wasn’t this difficult. He shook his head before looking Karmela dead in the eye.
“This is why everything feels so personal right now... that man is the bane of my existence. And now I have to worry about him holding someone I care about over my head to get me to do whatever he wants... like you...”
Angelina playfully punched Asher's shoulder when he asked her about his own goggles. "You know it!" she agreed heartily. This was already an upgrade to the situation that went on earlier, especially when Ash became excited about that project she had asked him about. It made her feel good to know that he wasn't completely lost to the stress that their situation brought upon them earlier.
"That's good to hear, Ash," she told him, her hands on her hips. "I myself am excited to see it, but I suppose I'll be able to wait if you wanna figure out some things first." She spoke with a playful tone, smirking at him. When he proposed that they fetch Vasilis and head back to the Cave of the Oracle to meet with the others, she nodded slightly in agreement. They really couldn’t waste much more time. There needed to be a plan.
The group didn’t have a ton of information, after all.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get any words out, she heard the sound of the door to the Big House being flung open. Then, out came a blonde blur, barreling straight towards the two. She almost had to move out of the way, but didn’t when she realized it was just Vasilis, who proceeded to tackle hug Asher to the ground. They both fell, and Angelina had to stop herself from laughing at the site, only giggling instead.
“HEY ASHER!” Vasilis yelled happily and loudly, a big smile etched onto his face as the usual glimmer of joy took its place in his eyes. “I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU, FRIEND!”
Rio almost sighed in relief when he realized that his little motivating speech had indeed worked its charm on Nev, for she thanked him soon after he finished speaking. He had a feeling that he would be making more of those as the quest went on. Maybe that would be apart of whatever role he was supposed to fill, if Vasilis didn’t fill it in for him.
He looked confused when she commented on being as pasty as a glue stick, not seeming to notice that she was acting more expressive than she usually did, the fact flying over his head like some things tended to do sometimes. He began questioning why she was so concerned about her skin, but then he remembered the redness that had spread across it earlier.
“Don’t worry, Nev, you’re not a gluestick!” he tried to assure her, as if it wasn’t obvious already. He concentrated for a moment, summoning a floating glob of pure water out of thin air. This took more energy to do than simply using an existing source, but he felt as though he needed to do it anyway, even though he had just woken up from falling unconscious and having a vision. In fact, he felt as though it never happened, which was peculiar.
“Here, you wanna splash your face real quick?” he asked her, willing the water glob towards her until it was close enough to where she could take some and use it to cool her face down if she accepted his offer. “It works for me,” he added. “When I was in school I’d use it in private, cuz I got embarrassed by a lot of things. Once we were in science class doing a lab involving bowls of water, and I accidentally caused one to spurt up and into the face of another kid. I was the closest to that bowl of course, so they thought I did it - just not in a ‘this kid has powers’ kind of way - and I ran out of the classroom. I was sooo embarrassed!”
He chuckled as he remembered the circumstance he’d been in way back when. “I went straight to the bathroom and splashed some sink water in my face, which was almost red as a tomato, but not quite. It made me feel better. Now that I think about it, it might’ve been because I’m one of Poseidon’s kids, and you know. Water. I don’t exactly recall why the accident happened, but I believe I may have been on the verge of a panic attack...? I just started having issues with my anxiety after I turned 10.”
He paused for a moment before a slight shade of pink crossed his face. “I, um, rambled again,” he admitted, smiling almost shyly.
Seth knew he’d been in some deep s**t the moment he told Karma not to worry about him. He should’ve been able to realize that she wasn’t going to let this go unless a specific outcome occurred in her favor. Nonetheless, he remained sitting, silent, as she began to talk to him. He tried to focus on her words, but some of said focus was being directed towards the usual tiredness he felt.
No. I’m not falling asleep.
He said nothing. He didn’t try to interrupt the girl the entire time she talked to defend himself, or for any reason, for that matter. He knew she was right. If they were your friends, you would trust them more, the taunting words of Morpheus echoed in his mind. He resisted the urge to cringe.
He mulled over her words, his eyes barely readable. It should be easy to just explain what was going on between him and Morpheus, especially since doing so might just help the group with figuring out how to stop Olympus, and by extension the world, from being destroyed... once again. It should be so so easy, shouldn’t it?
He couldn’t just blurt it out, or explain it like it was just another piece of information to educate someone else about. No; this was more personal than that. Morpheus had been in contact with him for years now, influencing his path and trying to convince him that he shouldn’t suppress his ‘gifts’. He thought he would be safe in Camp Half-Blood.
He was apparently wrong.
By the time Karmela was done, asking him if he could tell her about his physical pain, he relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes in consideration, opening them after a split second for fear that he’d fall asleep. If he didn’t say anything, he would only make things worse for the group, and they’d find out sooner or later. He knew Morpheus well enough to predict exactly what he would do if he kept his association with him hidden. There was really no justified point in keeping it to himself. Besides, he didn’t necessarily have to reveal everything just yet.
He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and met Karmela’s eyes again. This time, his own eyes didn’t look completely dull anymore. He felt nervous, as he should, but he would force himself to speak if he had to.
“I think... it’d be fair if I told you more than that,” he proposed quietly. “You know how you just said you lived your life over analyzing everything? I’ve lived all of my life learning to hide what hurts from the outside world, in order to keep everyone else safe first and me last. I know very well that it’s dangerous, and if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll try to stop it. Emphasis on try. It’s the least I can do for causing this ruckus.”
He tried smiling at her, but he felt weird about it, as if it was out of place. He ran his hand through his grey hair. “Damn, I don’t even know where to begin...” he lamented, shaking his head and chuckling under his breath. Nothing was funny.
“Well, you see this leg right here?” he began, motioning to one of his legs, which still hurt pretty badly. “That’s the main reason you rarely see me walk. You saw it this morning, but I hid the limp pretty well. You see... years ago, an incident happened, and now I can never walk properly without crutches or anything of that sort ever again.”
It was already getting hard for him to continue. Just talking about this made the memory resurface in his mind. He swallowed. He had to keep going before his brain decided he’d talked enough.
“Do you know who... Morpheus is?”
He couldn’t stop himself from visibly cringing when he said that name. He didn’t wait for her to answer before pressing on. “He put all of New York to sleep during the battle of New York years ago. He is the God of Dreams, and one of Hypnos’ immortal sons, besides Phantasos and Phobetor, which means, you guessed it, he’s technically my brother! Whoopidy-frickin-do.”
He took a moment to pause, not noticing that one of his hands was now curled into a fist. “Morpheus came to me in that vision,” he continued. He gulped again. No, don’t stop!
“He plans on ruining the world and destroying Olympus, so yes, he is our enemy this time around. He didn’t explain much to me at all, other than that... and then he put me in a nightmare. Like I said earlier, nightmares hurt. When I wake up from them, most if not all of the pain I felt in it comes back with me to the living realm. He willed the nightmare to be specifically designed to abuse me, and... he used it to torture me.”
He took a very deep breath, trying to calm his brain down before it overloaded with stress. He even started to look stressed himself, but he knew deep down that he was making progress. He just wished it wasn’t this difficult. He shook his head before looking Karmela dead in the eye.
“This is why everything feels so personal right now... that man is the bane of my existence. And now I have to worry about him holding someone I care about over my head to get me to do whatever he wants... like you...”
Asher laughed when Angelina pushed his shoulder. The mood seemed much better than before. Apparently all they needed was a chance to defuse from the stressful situation before them. He grinned when the daughter of Hermes sounded genuinely interested in his project. It was rare other campers were interested in this sort of thing and it made Asher very happy when anyone showed interest.
He pat her head, “don’t worry Angel, all in good time.” The tan boy laughed again. If they could keep normal interactions like this throughout the quest they may just make it. They need time to just be the kids that they all are.
The sound of the Big House door being thrown open caught Asher’s attention and he lowered his hand to look. All he saw was a flash of blonde hair before he was being tackled to the grass. He somehow managed to brace himself and Vasilis so they didn’t get hurt. The perks of being in a big family and the third oldest. You get tackled a lot.
Seeing Vasilis’s big smile made an identical one stretch across his own face, “hey Vas, good to see you up and about!” Laying on his back in the grass still he hugged the younger boy tightly. “Never change, Sunshine!”
~~~
Nevaeh rolled her eyes, “you see how white I am?” She rolled the black sleeves of her sweatshirt up pasted her elbows to show the comparison to her very pale skin. Her self consciousness temporarily forgotten in her effort to make a point. “If I’m not a glue stick I’m probably a vampire.” She day back a bit more, resting her weight back on her hands, to stretch her legs. At Rio’s offer she shook her head, “no thanks. Don’t strain yourself. You were just unconscious after all.”
Nevaeh felt bad bringing it back up but it was the truth. She was glad the son of Poseidon was doing better though. As he rambled on about his time in school she watched him with a small smile on her lips.
He looks so happy.
The fact that what seemed to be the worst thing to happen to him at his school was embarrassment did make her a little jealous. The worst thing that happened to her was way worse than that. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
No. You are not thinking about that now. Focus on Rio. Focus on his smile... yeah. That’s better.
The pink that made an appearance on Rio’s face made her chuckle. “No, it’s fine. Besides it’s cute.” The words were out before she could stop them. “Oh god.” She curled up again and held her face in her hands again, “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from...”
Good going Nevaeh. Your going to be deemed a freak and a creep yet again...
~~~
Karmela looked at Seth with a quirked brow when he started to speak. She wanted to remind him not to force himself to tell more than he was ready too but she kept her mouth shut. Sometimes it was best to just listen until they were done and be there for them if they needed it. His smile looked out of place given the subject at hand but she gave him a small encouraging smile to keep going. She nodded at his question about his leg out of habit since it was an obvious answer.
Karmela watched Seth carefully as he spoke, taking note of every move he made. When he swallowed she gently reached out to take his hand and held it. A small act in an effort to reassure him she was there. Sure, he could physically see her but in her experience sometimes it’s easier to talk about things when you have something to hold on to.
At the mention of Morpheus she nodded slowly. She watched Seth worried. Karmela didn’t care about his relation to the God she cared about what the God did to get Seth so shaken by him. After his gulp and continued explanation he answered her internal question.
Despite her best efforts to stay silent and let him finish she breathed out a quite, “oh Seth.” Karmela bit her tongue to keep anything else from slipping out. He finally met her eyes and she held her breath. When he finally finished she pulled him into a hug. “You two may share blood but that doesn’t make him your family. Family doesn’t do what he did. Family doesn’t end in blood. Sometimes it doesn’t start there either. You understand? I’ll help you through this anyway I can.” Karmela pulled back to look Seth in the eyes once more with a soft smile, “I promise.”
Asher laughed when Angelina pushed his shoulder. The mood seemed much better than before. Apparently all they needed was a chance to defuse from the stressful situation before them. He grinned when the daughter of Hermes sounded genuinely interested in his project. It was rare other campers were interested in this sort of thing and it made Asher very happy when anyone showed interest.
He pat her head, “don’t worry Angel, all in good time.” The tan boy laughed again. If they could keep normal interactions like this throughout the quest they may just make it. They need time to just be the kids that they all are.
The sound of the Big House door being thrown open caught Asher’s attention and he lowered his hand to look. All he saw was a flash of blonde hair before he was being tackled to the grass. He somehow managed to brace himself and Vasilis so they didn’t get hurt. The perks of being in a big family and the third oldest. You get tackled a lot.
Seeing Vasilis’s big smile made an identical one stretch across his own face, “hey Vas, good to see you up and about!” Laying on his back in the grass still he hugged the younger boy tightly. “Never change, Sunshine!”
~~~
Nevaeh rolled her eyes, “you see how white I am?” She rolled the black sleeves of her sweatshirt up pasted her elbows to show the comparison to her very pale skin. Her self consciousness temporarily forgotten in her effort to make a point. “If I’m not a glue stick I’m probably a vampire.” She day back a bit more, resting her weight back on her hands, to stretch her legs. At Rio’s offer she shook her head, “no thanks. Don’t strain yourself. You were just unconscious after all.”
Nevaeh felt bad bringing it back up but it was the truth. She was glad the son of Poseidon was doing better though. As he rambled on about his time in school she watched him with a small smile on her lips.
He looks so happy.
The fact that what seemed to be the worst thing to happen to him at his school was embarrassment did make her a little jealous. The worst thing that happened to her was way worse than that. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
No. You are not thinking about that now. Focus on Rio. Focus on his smile... yeah. That’s better.
The pink that made an appearance on Rio’s face made her chuckle. “No, it’s fine. Besides it’s cute.” The words were out before she could stop them. “Oh god.” She curled up again and held her face in her hands again, “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from...”
Good going Nevaeh. Your going to be deemed a freak and a creep yet again...
~~~
Karmela looked at Seth with a quirked brow when he started to speak. She wanted to remind him not to force himself to tell more than he was ready too but she kept her mouth shut. Sometimes it was best to just listen until they were done and be there for them if they needed it. His smile looked out of place given the subject at hand but she gave him a small encouraging smile to keep going. She nodded at his question about his leg out of habit since it was an obvious answer.
Karmela watched Seth carefully as he spoke, taking note of every move he made. When he swallowed she gently reached out to take his hand and held it. A small act in an effort to reassure him she was there. Sure, he could physically see her but in her experience sometimes it’s easier to talk about things when you have something to hold on to.
At the mention of Morpheus she nodded slowly. She watched Seth worried. Karmela didn’t care about his relation to the God she cared about what the God did to get Seth so shaken by him. After his gulp and continued explanation he answered her internal question.
Despite her best efforts to stay silent and let him finish she breathed out a quite, “oh Seth.” Karmela bit her tongue to keep anything else from slipping out. He finally met her eyes and she held her breath. When he finally finished she pulled him into a hug. “You two may share blood but that doesn’t make him your family. Family doesn’t do what he did. Family doesn’t end in blood. Sometimes it doesn’t start there either. You understand? I’ll help you through this anyway I can.” Karmela pulled back to look Seth in the eyes once more with a soft smile, “I promise.”
Vasilis was more than happy to see the huge smile on Asher's face, feeling as though it was currently mirroring his own. He was glad to be back in commission; it sucked to be so tired. He briefly wondered what it was like for Seth every day to constantly be tired, seeing as he was Hypnos' child, but he brushed it off. That was probably nothing to worry about, he seemed as though he did just fine each day. Well, better than the other Hypnos kids, at least.
He immediately hugged Asher back as the latter hugged him. He felt a bit flustered - but in a good way - upon hearing the son of Hephaestus' remark. "Aw, thanks buddy!" he replied, giggling happily. He felt more alive than ever now. "I'm happy to be back!"
He looked up to see Angelina smiling at the two of them. "I'm happy you're back too," she remarked gratefully. "I expect you to tackle more people during this quest, Sunshine."
If it were even possible, Vasilis' grin widened. "Of course!" he agreed, looking back at Asher as he pulled back from the hug to give him room to breathe. The son of Apollo's hug had been pretty tight, after all, but he couldn't help himself. It was his way of showing his appreciation and loyalty to his incredible friends. "Expect to get tackled at least one more time, Ash," he told him, winking.
"So should we start heading back to our other friends now?" Vasilis asked, standing up and helping Asher up off the ground without asking him if he needed a hand. Angelina nodded to him, and he bounced up and down a little in response. "That's good! I hope they didn't miss us too much!" he responded. He then realized something and chuckled a little.
"Huh, I never did get that paper and pen that I went out to get in the first place..." he said randomly. "I was gonna write down the Prophecy since I memorized the entire thing."
Rio snorted as Nev rolled her eyes and showed him how pale she was. "A glue stick isn't alive, you know," he replied, his sassy side managing to shine through. "And I don't see fangs in your mouth, so I don't think you're a vampire, but if you want me to double check I can." The pink blush darkened ever so slightly, but not too much, as he smirked at her. Gods, what just came out of your mouth, Rio?
When she rejected his offer, telling him not to strain himself, he nodded, willing the glob of water to move closer to him. "Thanks for reminding me... to be honest, it feels like it never happened," he admitted sheepishly, staring down at the water and seeing his face in the reflection. He found himself paying the most attention to the white streak in his hair. He'd always felt as though there was more to that streak than just him dyeing it that color, but what it was, he couldn't recall. It probably had something to do with his memory gap.
"Huh, not sure what to do with this," he pondered aloud. "How about I just throw it outside and hope that nobody gets hit in the face? Yeah, that'll work just fine." With that, he turned halfway to look at the curtains concealing the outside world from those in the cave, sending it towards the entrance and making sure it slipped underneath the curtains instead of soaking them. He released it when he believed it was outside, sincerely hoping that no one got smacked in the face with a ball of water that (seemingly) came out of nowhere.
Unsurprisingly, the blush on his face darkened further when Nev remarked that his rambling was cute, but in a good way. He let a slow smile dawn on his face, even when she buried her face in her hands once more. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't apologize, Nev," he said softly. "That's actually the first time anyone said something nice about my rambling. The other responses I've gotten weren't so nice. I've been told that I'm weird and even crazy. It's nice to hear that someone doesn't think it's weird."
He patted her shoulder, focusing entirely on the daughter of Hades. Already something about her always seemed to be keeping his attention, and it wasn't because she was pale or anything like that. Maybe it was her eyes, or her voice, or... it was just her. "Hey, I've got a question for ya," he said, seemingly out of nowhere, but it was just a plan to divert her attention.
"Where is your dream location?"
The walls Seth had built up were giving as soon as he finished his confession. He never thought he'd have to tell anyone of Morpheus, but it finally happened, and he surprisingly felt relieved. He hadn't given every detail of his life, but he had at least proven that b*stard wrong. He did trust his friends, or at least, Karmela, and he did tell her about what just went down. Take that, a**hole, he thought bitterly.
He took more notice of Karmela holding his hand and squeezed it in return for the kind gesture. He'd always liked gestures of comfort like this. Maybe it was because it was something he'd lacked for a long time, but still. It was nice to know that someone was going to have his back on this whole Morpheus issue. He didn't know if he wanted to tell Vasilis, but he knew that he had to.
He also knew that his reaction wouldn't be good at all.
He held his breath when Karmela hugged him, but he leaned into it nonetheless. It was something he didn't really know he needed until it happened. He was doing a good job at not crying, but holding it back was making it hard to speak. He managed to swallow the urge down as she spoke comforting words to him. He let the words sink in, feeling immense relief that someone else was able to share what he had been trying to convince himself of for so long.
Sometimes it doesn't start there either.
He let out a shaky breath as Karmela pulled back and looked at him, promising him that she would help him. He found himself smiling sadly at her, yet he had a very grateful and appreciative look in his eyes, which were slowly becoming less dull. "...Thank you," he finally said. He was starting to perk up, and found it easier to push the nightmare from earlier to the back of his mind, where other traumatic memories rested.
"You really are the coolest," he added, chuckling. He then paused and smirked. "Hmm, this might seem random, but where do you think we're gonna go on this quest? Maybe we'll go to a cool city and we can go get some good food. I'm at least hoping to consume a few cupcakes. I need cupcakes." His tone was a bit joking, mostly in an attempt to get in a better mood so that he wouldn't drag the rest of the group's mood down whenever they reunited... well, that and he wasn't planning on falling asleep again anytime soon.
Vasilis was more than happy to see the huge smile on Asher's face, feeling as though it was currently mirroring his own. He was glad to be back in commission; it sucked to be so tired. He briefly wondered what it was like for Seth every day to constantly be tired, seeing as he was Hypnos' child, but he brushed it off. That was probably nothing to worry about, he seemed as though he did just fine each day. Well, better than the other Hypnos kids, at least.
He immediately hugged Asher back as the latter hugged him. He felt a bit flustered - but in a good way - upon hearing the son of Hephaestus' remark. "Aw, thanks buddy!" he replied, giggling happily. He felt more alive than ever now. "I'm happy to be back!"
He looked up to see Angelina smiling at the two of them. "I'm happy you're back too," she remarked gratefully. "I expect you to tackle more people during this quest, Sunshine."
If it were even possible, Vasilis' grin widened. "Of course!" he agreed, looking back at Asher as he pulled back from the hug to give him room to breathe. The son of Apollo's hug had been pretty tight, after all, but he couldn't help himself. It was his way of showing his appreciation and loyalty to his incredible friends. "Expect to get tackled at least one more time, Ash," he told him, winking.
"So should we start heading back to our other friends now?" Vasilis asked, standing up and helping Asher up off the ground without asking him if he needed a hand. Angelina nodded to him, and he bounced up and down a little in response. "That's good! I hope they didn't miss us too much!" he responded. He then realized something and chuckled a little.
"Huh, I never did get that paper and pen that I went out to get in the first place..." he said randomly. "I was gonna write down the Prophecy since I memorized the entire thing."
Rio snorted as Nev rolled her eyes and showed him how pale she was. "A glue stick isn't alive, you know," he replied, his sassy side managing to shine through. "And I don't see fangs in your mouth, so I don't think you're a vampire, but if you want me to double check I can." The pink blush darkened ever so slightly, but not too much, as he smirked at her. Gods, what just came out of your mouth, Rio?
When she rejected his offer, telling him not to strain himself, he nodded, willing the glob of water to move closer to him. "Thanks for reminding me... to be honest, it feels like it never happened," he admitted sheepishly, staring down at the water and seeing his face in the reflection. He found himself paying the most attention to the white streak in his hair. He'd always felt as though there was more to that streak than just him dyeing it that color, but what it was, he couldn't recall. It probably had something to do with his memory gap.
"Huh, not sure what to do with this," he pondered aloud. "How about I just throw it outside and hope that nobody gets hit in the face? Yeah, that'll work just fine." With that, he turned halfway to look at the curtains concealing the outside world from those in the cave, sending it towards the entrance and making sure it slipped underneath the curtains instead of soaking them. He released it when he believed it was outside, sincerely hoping that no one got smacked in the face with a ball of water that (seemingly) came out of nowhere.
Unsurprisingly, the blush on his face darkened further when Nev remarked that his rambling was cute, but in a good way. He let a slow smile dawn on his face, even when she buried her face in her hands once more. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't apologize, Nev," he said softly. "That's actually the first time anyone said something nice about my rambling. The other responses I've gotten weren't so nice. I've been told that I'm weird and even crazy. It's nice to hear that someone doesn't think it's weird."
He patted her shoulder, focusing entirely on the daughter of Hades. Already something about her always seemed to be keeping his attention, and it wasn't because she was pale or anything like that. Maybe it was her eyes, or her voice, or... it was just her. "Hey, I've got a question for ya," he said, seemingly out of nowhere, but it was just a plan to divert her attention.
"Where is your dream location?"
The walls Seth had built up were giving as soon as he finished his confession. He never thought he'd have to tell anyone of Morpheus, but it finally happened, and he surprisingly felt relieved. He hadn't given every detail of his life, but he had at least proven that b*stard wrong. He did trust his friends, or at least, Karmela, and he did tell her about what just went down. Take that, a**hole, he thought bitterly.
He took more notice of Karmela holding his hand and squeezed it in return for the kind gesture. He'd always liked gestures of comfort like this. Maybe it was because it was something he'd lacked for a long time, but still. It was nice to know that someone was going to have his back on this whole Morpheus issue. He didn't know if he wanted to tell Vasilis, but he knew that he had to.
He also knew that his reaction wouldn't be good at all.
He held his breath when Karmela hugged him, but he leaned into it nonetheless. It was something he didn't really know he needed until it happened. He was doing a good job at not crying, but holding it back was making it hard to speak. He managed to swallow the urge down as she spoke comforting words to him. He let the words sink in, feeling immense relief that someone else was able to share what he had been trying to convince himself of for so long.
Sometimes it doesn't start there either.
He let out a shaky breath as Karmela pulled back and looked at him, promising him that she would help him. He found himself smiling sadly at her, yet he had a very grateful and appreciative look in his eyes, which were slowly becoming less dull. "...Thank you," he finally said. He was starting to perk up, and found it easier to push the nightmare from earlier to the back of his mind, where other traumatic memories rested.
"You really are the coolest," he added, chuckling. He then paused and smirked. "Hmm, this might seem random, but where do you think we're gonna go on this quest? Maybe we'll go to a cool city and we can go get some good food. I'm at least hoping to consume a few cupcakes. I need cupcakes." His tone was a bit joking, mostly in an attempt to get in a better mood so that he wouldn't drag the rest of the group's mood down whenever they reunited... well, that and he wasn't planning on falling asleep again anytime soon.
Asher laughed. They seemed to be getting things back on track for a successful quest. Take that you stupid prophecy! You got nothing on us! He mentally fist pumped the air. Asher watched Vasilis and Angelina's exchange from where he lay on the ground, arms wrapped around the son of Apollo, with the younger boy on top of him. He resisted the urge to make a joke about not being a bottom since he didn’t know how Vasilis would react to it.
As Vasilis pulled away Asher let his arms fall to the grass and pulled himself up to rest on his elbows. Vasilis’s next comment and wink made the son of Hephaestus chuckle, “I’m counting on it.” He winked himself. Accepting Vasilis’s help, he got up. Watching the son of Apollo bounce he laughed lightly at the interaction between Angelina and the ray of Sunshine.
“Do we want to get a pen and paper or just head back?” Asher questioned. “I mean, I’d be cool either way but we have been gone a while.”
~~~
Nevaeh sighed, “you know what I mean.” Rio’s next comment made here quirk a brow, “how would you even check that? I’m not letting you put your fingers on my mouth.” She chuckled. She watched the son of Poseidon sent his water ball out of the cave. Hopefully no one gets soaked with that.
When he told her not to apologize for her weird comment on his rambling she peeled through her fingers at him. Was it the reassuring hand on her shoulder or the fact that she wasn’t the only one who was deemed weird or crazy over something she couldn’t control that gave her this strange feeling in her gut? Was it the way his voice held such honestly or how his ocean eyes held such kindness? Or maybe, just maybe, was it just him.
“Y-You’re w-welcome then?” Slowly she peeled her hands from her face to wrap her arms around her knees once more. Nevaeh offered Rio a small smile. His question caught her a little off guard. “Dream location? That kind of depends on the scenario I guess. I mean, I really like just sitting in my room with a good book or something. I feel at home and safe.” Her eyes met Rio’s, “but I’ve recently developed quite the admiration for the ocean...”
~~~
Watching her friend like this really hurt her. Karmela always felt like she was good at logically assessing things and keeping her emotions at bay but this was proving her wrong. She wanted more than anything to find Morpheus then and there and punch that sadistic b*stard in the face. The daughter of Nemesis knew very well she wouldn’t hold up well in a fight against a God but she’d fight him head-on for Seth.
When the son of Hypnos squeezed her hand she smiled at him gently. It gave her a gentle feeling of relief when he leaned into her hug as well. They were just kids. Why did they have to go through the hell that they did? Why did they get pushed into the quest? Why couldn’t their lives just be normal?
Karmela watched him take a shaky breath, she met his sad smile with a kind one, and her eyes showed just how much she understood his pain. Sure, hers wasn’t as intense but she’s been through hell at too young an age as well that still follows her.
Seeing the light slowly return to his eyes gave her a warm feeling knowing she did something to help him. “You’re very welcome, Seth.” At his next comment she chuckled and batted a hand at him, “oh, stop. You flatter me.” A genuine, joyful, smile found its way onto her face. The conversation was taking a happier tone and she couldn’t be more thankful.
Even when the quest was brought back up the mood still felt lighter than before. Then, of course, Seth brought up his obsession with cupcakes which pulled another laugh from her. “I actually have no idea. I’m kinda hoping we go international just for the sake of traveling and seeing new places!” When she began her second statement Karmela looked rather sheepish, “I’m actually use to not sticking to one place for long so I’m sure staying full time at camp I’m going to go stir crazy.” She tried to offset her sheepish gaze with a crooked smile hoping Seth wouldn’t question the constant travel but he told her something personal so it would only be fair if she shared as well. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t hope she could avoid it anyway.
~~~~
((Adrius will return once the quest starts or maybe a little before!))
Asher laughed. They seemed to be getting things back on track for a successful quest. Take that you stupid prophecy! You got nothing on us! He mentally fist pumped the air. Asher watched Vasilis and Angelina's exchange from where he lay on the ground, arms wrapped around the son of Apollo, with the younger boy on top of him. He resisted the urge to make a joke about not being a bottom since he didn’t know how Vasilis would react to it.
As Vasilis pulled away Asher let his arms fall to the grass and pulled himself up to rest on his elbows. Vasilis’s next comment and wink made the son of Hephaestus chuckle, “I’m counting on it.” He winked himself. Accepting Vasilis’s help, he got up. Watching the son of Apollo bounce he laughed lightly at the interaction between Angelina and the ray of Sunshine.
“Do we want to get a pen and paper or just head back?” Asher questioned. “I mean, I’d be cool either way but we have been gone a while.”
~~~
Nevaeh sighed, “you know what I mean.” Rio’s next comment made here quirk a brow, “how would you even check that? I’m not letting you put your fingers on my mouth.” She chuckled. She watched the son of Poseidon sent his water ball out of the cave. Hopefully no one gets soaked with that.
When he told her not to apologize for her weird comment on his rambling she peeled through her fingers at him. Was it the reassuring hand on her shoulder or the fact that she wasn’t the only one who was deemed weird or crazy over something she couldn’t control that gave her this strange feeling in her gut? Was it the way his voice held such honestly or how his ocean eyes held such kindness? Or maybe, just maybe, was it just him.
“Y-You’re w-welcome then?” Slowly she peeled her hands from her face to wrap her arms around her knees once more. Nevaeh offered Rio a small smile. His question caught her a little off guard. “Dream location? That kind of depends on the scenario I guess. I mean, I really like just sitting in my room with a good book or something. I feel at home and safe.” Her eyes met Rio’s, “but I’ve recently developed quite the admiration for the ocean...”
~~~
Watching her friend like this really hurt her. Karmela always felt like she was good at logically assessing things and keeping her emotions at bay but this was proving her wrong. She wanted more than anything to find Morpheus then and there and punch that sadistic b*stard in the face. The daughter of Nemesis knew very well she wouldn’t hold up well in a fight against a God but she’d fight him head-on for Seth.
When the son of Hypnos squeezed her hand she smiled at him gently. It gave her a gentle feeling of relief when he leaned into her hug as well. They were just kids. Why did they have to go through the hell that they did? Why did they get pushed into the quest? Why couldn’t their lives just be normal?
Karmela watched him take a shaky breath, she met his sad smile with a kind one, and her eyes showed just how much she understood his pain. Sure, hers wasn’t as intense but she’s been through hell at too young an age as well that still follows her.
Seeing the light slowly return to his eyes gave her a warm feeling knowing she did something to help him. “You’re very welcome, Seth.” At his next comment she chuckled and batted a hand at him, “oh, stop. You flatter me.” A genuine, joyful, smile found its way onto her face. The conversation was taking a happier tone and she couldn’t be more thankful.
Even when the quest was brought back up the mood still felt lighter than before. Then, of course, Seth brought up his obsession with cupcakes which pulled another laugh from her. “I actually have no idea. I’m kinda hoping we go international just for the sake of traveling and seeing new places!” When she began her second statement Karmela looked rather sheepish, “I’m actually use to not sticking to one place for long so I’m sure staying full time at camp I’m going to go stir crazy.” She tried to offset her sheepish gaze with a crooked smile hoping Seth wouldn’t question the constant travel but he told her something personal so it would only be fair if she shared as well. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t hope she could avoid it anyway.
~~~~
((Adrius will return once the quest starts or maybe a little before!))
Vasilis stood there for a few prolonged seconds, as if thinking about the answer to Asher's question and mulling it over. Angelina nodded a little. "He has a good point," she pointed out, moving over to Asher until she was standing right next to him. "If they're not distracted by something else, then they must be worried, if not just looking forward to our return. What say you, Sunshine?"
He looked over at the older girl, then to Asher again. He thought for a moment that if he went back for the pen and paper, he'd spontaneously pass out again. Even he knew that that wasn't what caused him to do that; in fact, he had an idea as to why. His father had the power of Prophecy, after all. Still, that didn't make this situation make any more sense. He hadn't received the Prophecy before or at the same time as Rachel, not even a little bit of it. Maybe it was because it was read aloud in his presence?
Stop confusing yourself, it'll be fine! he thought to himself, going along with said self-reassurance. He nodded cheerfully. "Yeah, the pen and paper can wait! I'm sure I'll still remember the whole thing," he replied finally, laughing. "I do bet the others want us to come back. I hope they didn't bail or anything like that because we took so long!"
With that, he immediately started dashing towards the cave, only for him to nearly trip as his legs suddenly experienced a jolt of weakness. He stumbled briefly and stood still until he could gain full control of them again, looking back at his friends. Angelina looked a bit worried, her arms crossed now. "I guess you aren't fully back to health, huh?" she asked him. He gave a nervous chuckle.
"I will be. I got so excited that I almost ran off without you guys, and I tried to stop but I almost tripped," he lied, putting on a big smile like usual. "Anyways, I don't wanna leave them hanging anymore, and I bet you guys don't wanna do that either, huh? Let's go!"
I'm really glad Seth doesn't know about this, he'd be extra worried... he suddenly thought to himself. He didn't show it, but on the inside, he felt a bit more troubled. He had a vague feeling that something happened while he was out, but that was ridiculous. He was sure that everything was fine back there, and even if it wasn't, it would be. He would ensure that.
Rio's face reddened when Nev questioned how he would check that she wasn't a vampire, but he ended up laughing nonetheless, finding it humorous. "I'd ask nicely if you could open your mouth and check with my eyes," he responded with ease, grinning widely. "You'd probably do it eventually just to get it over with, lest I ask over and over until you do!"
He laughed again. It really was like he'd never passed out and received a vision. He was relieved when Nev uncovered her face and smiled at him. That was all he needed. He wished that this was just a normal day, and not the day before an important quest. He didn't want to think about it right now, however. It would put a lot of pressure on him just to think about. He was aware of how hard it was for him to make important decisions, and he knew that there might be plenty of that during the quest.
He listened as she responded to his question about her dream location. He could see her chilling in her room and reading. Sometimes all he wanted to do was hide away in his own cabin, or his room before arriving at camp. He'd usually watch the turquoise lava lamp that he had on his nightstand, or try to solve the damned rubik's cube that always taunted him. He'd be working on his homework, getting the urge to slam his head on his desk whenever math managed to twist his mind into knots yet again. He'd think about the fifth time he and his best friend talked about their future lives at lunch.
Nowadays, he thinks about how normal his life used to seem from time to time.
He snapped out of his stupor when Nev mentioned that she's grown fond of the ocean lately. That made his eyes glitter with excitement. He forget every negative thought he’d ever had in that moment. His mind whispered a small hint to him, something that should click and make him figure out something, but he was too focused on his excitement at the moment to catch it.
"Really? That's an excellent choice! The ocean is very beautiful, especially when the sun rises and sets!" he said eagerly. He suddenly stood, grinning at Nev and placing a hand over his chest in an exaggerated way. "I swear on the River Styx, I will take you to the beach myself, and it can be any beach of your choice! I'll even take you over the water too if you want, but either way, I think you'd like it a lot!"
He looked excited about it and even confident. Though, he didn’t say anything about when he was going to be doing that. Even in this state, he tried to be at least somewhat careful with his River Styx swears. After all, breaking one never meant anything good. He was determined to do the very best he could to make sure Nev got back to her brother. After all, she had sworn on the River Styx that she'd come back.
Seth felt better just talking to Karmela right then and there. He saw something in her eyes that made him feel more safe. He was being reassured that he wouldn't be alone, just from the look in her understanding eyes. It almost made him think of what she had to go through; he was perceptive enough to tell that that look also meant that she knew what it was like to feel this much pain. For a fleeting moment, he thought about asking.
Don't drag the mood down now! Maybe save it for later. I... I don't want to make her feel worse.
He chuckled when she batted her hand at him, telling him that he was flattering her. He winked in response, chuckling. He tried to come up with something clever to say back, but instead he listened as she laughed when he'd brought up his cupcake addiction, and then went on to talk about the possibility of seeing new places. He was about to respond, but then she mentioned not being used to sticking to one place for a long period of time.
It made him think again about her past. He didn’t think it was right of him to be nosy and try to pry it out of her, even though he'd just spilled a truth bomb. She even had a sheepish look. He noticed, but didn't want to ask right now. Besides, they were still in the company of two other Demigods, who didn't seem to hear anything going on between him and the daughter of Nemesis. They seemed wrapped up with each other, which humored him a bit because he could see where this might be going.
"That would be cool, to see new places," he commented after a long pause. "And... I can understand being antsy about staying in one place for a long time. It's all I've ever done, really," he admitted. He resisted the urge to gulp again, knowing it would show nervousness. He hated thinking about how trapped he felt his entire life, but he assured himself that he shouldn’t have to right now.
"If you wanna talk to me about anything, you are more than free, but I'm not going to pressure you. I'll always be willing to listen whenever you wanna talk to me. You can rant about whatever you want, and I'll listen, and I'll be there for you."
He gave her a gentle smile, like a more calm version of Vasilis' usual grin. He meant every word he said, but he hoped he didn’t make it too personal. He felt his heart rate pick up a little. He hoped he hadn't dragged down the mood like he feared he might.
Vasilis stood there for a few prolonged seconds, as if thinking about the answer to Asher's question and mulling it over. Angelina nodded a little. "He has a good point," she pointed out, moving over to Asher until she was standing right next to him. "If they're not distracted by something else, then they must be worried, if not just looking forward to our return. What say you, Sunshine?"
He looked over at the older girl, then to Asher again. He thought for a moment that if he went back for the pen and paper, he'd spontaneously pass out again. Even he knew that that wasn't what caused him to do that; in fact, he had an idea as to why. His father had the power of Prophecy, after all. Still, that didn't make this situation make any more sense. He hadn't received the Prophecy before or at the same time as Rachel, not even a little bit of it. Maybe it was because it was read aloud in his presence?
Stop confusing yourself, it'll be fine! he thought to himself, going along with said self-reassurance. He nodded cheerfully. "Yeah, the pen and paper can wait! I'm sure I'll still remember the whole thing," he replied finally, laughing. "I do bet the others want us to come back. I hope they didn't bail or anything like that because we took so long!"
With that, he immediately started dashing towards the cave, only for him to nearly trip as his legs suddenly experienced a jolt of weakness. He stumbled briefly and stood still until he could gain full control of them again, looking back at his friends. Angelina looked a bit worried, her arms crossed now. "I guess you aren't fully back to health, huh?" she asked him. He gave a nervous chuckle.
"I will be. I got so excited that I almost ran off without you guys, and I tried to stop but I almost tripped," he lied, putting on a big smile like usual. "Anyways, I don't wanna leave them hanging anymore, and I bet you guys don't wanna do that either, huh? Let's go!"
I'm really glad Seth doesn't know about this, he'd be extra worried... he suddenly thought to himself. He didn't show it, but on the inside, he felt a bit more troubled. He had a vague feeling that something happened while he was out, but that was ridiculous. He was sure that everything was fine back there, and even if it wasn't, it would be. He would ensure that.
Rio's face reddened when Nev questioned how he would check that she wasn't a vampire, but he ended up laughing nonetheless, finding it humorous. "I'd ask nicely if you could open your mouth and check with my eyes," he responded with ease, grinning widely. "You'd probably do it eventually just to get it over with, lest I ask over and over until you do!"
He laughed again. It really was like he'd never passed out and received a vision. He was relieved when Nev uncovered her face and smiled at him. That was all he needed. He wished that this was just a normal day, and not the day before an important quest. He didn't want to think about it right now, however. It would put a lot of pressure on him just to think about. He was aware of how hard it was for him to make important decisions, and he knew that there might be plenty of that during the quest.
He listened as she responded to his question about her dream location. He could see her chilling in her room and reading. Sometimes all he wanted to do was hide away in his own cabin, or his room before arriving at camp. He'd usually watch the turquoise lava lamp that he had on his nightstand, or try to solve the damned rubik's cube that always taunted him. He'd be working on his homework, getting the urge to slam his head on his desk whenever math managed to twist his mind into knots yet again. He'd think about the fifth time he and his best friend talked about their future lives at lunch.
Nowadays, he thinks about how normal his life used to seem from time to time.
He snapped out of his stupor when Nev mentioned that she's grown fond of the ocean lately. That made his eyes glitter with excitement. He forget every negative thought he’d ever had in that moment. His mind whispered a small hint to him, something that should click and make him figure out something, but he was too focused on his excitement at the moment to catch it.
"Really? That's an excellent choice! The ocean is very beautiful, especially when the sun rises and sets!" he said eagerly. He suddenly stood, grinning at Nev and placing a hand over his chest in an exaggerated way. "I swear on the River Styx, I will take you to the beach myself, and it can be any beach of your choice! I'll even take you over the water too if you want, but either way, I think you'd like it a lot!"
He looked excited about it and even confident. Though, he didn’t say anything about when he was going to be doing that. Even in this state, he tried to be at least somewhat careful with his River Styx swears. After all, breaking one never meant anything good. He was determined to do the very best he could to make sure Nev got back to her brother. After all, she had sworn on the River Styx that she'd come back.
Seth felt better just talking to Karmela right then and there. He saw something in her eyes that made him feel more safe. He was being reassured that he wouldn't be alone, just from the look in her understanding eyes. It almost made him think of what she had to go through; he was perceptive enough to tell that that look also meant that she knew what it was like to feel this much pain. For a fleeting moment, he thought about asking.
Don't drag the mood down now! Maybe save it for later. I... I don't want to make her feel worse.
He chuckled when she batted her hand at him, telling him that he was flattering her. He winked in response, chuckling. He tried to come up with something clever to say back, but instead he listened as she laughed when he'd brought up his cupcake addiction, and then went on to talk about the possibility of seeing new places. He was about to respond, but then she mentioned not being used to sticking to one place for a long period of time.
It made him think again about her past. He didn’t think it was right of him to be nosy and try to pry it out of her, even though he'd just spilled a truth bomb. She even had a sheepish look. He noticed, but didn't want to ask right now. Besides, they were still in the company of two other Demigods, who didn't seem to hear anything going on between him and the daughter of Nemesis. They seemed wrapped up with each other, which humored him a bit because he could see where this might be going.
"That would be cool, to see new places," he commented after a long pause. "And... I can understand being antsy about staying in one place for a long time. It's all I've ever done, really," he admitted. He resisted the urge to gulp again, knowing it would show nervousness. He hated thinking about how trapped he felt his entire life, but he assured himself that he shouldn’t have to right now.
"If you wanna talk to me about anything, you are more than free, but I'm not going to pressure you. I'll always be willing to listen whenever you wanna talk to me. You can rant about whatever you want, and I'll listen, and I'll be there for you."
He gave her a gentle smile, like a more calm version of Vasilis' usual grin. He meant every word he said, but he hoped he didn’t make it too personal. He felt his heart rate pick up a little. He hoped he hadn't dragged down the mood like he feared he might.
Asher watched the two, waiting for an answer. Angelina agreed with him and moved to his side. He grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders. His brown eyes turned to Vasilis again waiting for his opinion. The younger boy seemed to be in deep thought for some reason but he wasn’t going to read too much into why. If it was something he wanted to share the son of Apollo would say. At Vasilis cheerful reply Asher nodded, “I don’t doubt that. Besides you could always write it down later.”
Vasilis took off towards the cave and nearly tripped. Asher’s arm quickly fell from Angelina’s shoulders and was quickly at the blonde males side. “You okay, Sunshine?” The nervous chuckle and answer he gave Angelina showed he was trying to play off the fact he wasn’t as back to full health as he seemed. Asher wasn’t going to push it no matter how much he wanted to. “Here,” he held an arm out to Vasils, “don’t rush a recovery. Ambrosia can do wonders but you were unconscious less than a half hour ago. Take care of yourself, Vasilis. Rushing into things makes us worry more than you being hurt.”
Asher gave the boy a concerned look, “if you rush in without being at your best you can only get hurt worse. Trust me. I know first hand how bad it can be.” He didn’t want to bring down the mood but it must be said. He wasn’t letting anyone stupidly risk themselves on this quest. The son of Hephaestus didn’t think he could have any more of that on his conscious.
~~~
Nevaeh gave Rio a weird look, “really? If you asked even a normal person that they’d think you were crazy.” She shook her head, “besides, I’m not a dog and I’m offended you would treat me as such.” She laughed, and not a small little one, a full really laugh.
Was this what having a friend was like? Having someone to joke around with and not worry about what they thought was a new experience for her. She just wished the impending doom they would inevitably face after today wasn’t looming over them all like they grey sky before a storm.
Rio’s reaction her her mentioning the ocean was to be expected and it was pretty damn adorable. The way his sea green eyes lit up and the eagerness in his voice as he talked about the beauty of it. However, he was unaware of the beauty he was bringing to her life right now. At his swear however Nevaeh jumped up and grabbed his hand that he placed over his chest. “Rio, that’s a serious promise you just made. You shouldn’t do that over something as unimportant as taking me to the beach. It wasn’t worth what may befall you if you break it.” The worry clouded her steel blue eyes. How could he risk everything just to take her to the beach. It wasn’t worth it. Was it?
She eyed Rio and he seemed full of confidence. The concern for him was evident. She stood in front of him, gripping his hand tightly. Having one of her sleeves pushed past her elbow and the other hanging around her wrist didn’t seem to faze her. All her attention was on Rio and the insane promise he just made. Nevaeh knew she made a bigger one, one she didn’t even know if she could uphold, but if she didn’t uphold her promise she’d be dead anyway. She saw nothing to lose. If Rio broke his, he could lose everything.
~~~
Seth’s chuckle at her actions was proof her antics had the desired effect. Keep the mood light. She saw the wink he sent her and for some reason it brought a faint pink to her cheeks. Karmela shook it off.
Seth mentioning he was ansty staying in one place too, but for other reasons, caught her attention. “I get antsy staying in one place because I’ve moved around my whole life. I was never kept in one place long so I never get attached really.” Karmela’s eyes turned to her lap and she played with her fingers. She was quiet for a moment before continuing, “life of a foster kid, ya know?” She forced a chuckle that was rather convincing if her eyes didn’t give her away.
The son of Hypnos next words surprised her. Not because it seemed like something he wouldn’t say but because only one other person ever told her that before. Karmela stared at him a moment, shocked. She didn’t know what to say.
“I-I know. Thank you.”
She met his smile with a shyer one of her own. The daughter of Nemesis knew he was sincere. Her green eyes searched his just to make sure his voice wasn’t deceiving her. It wasn’t. She could see he meant every word and he was worried.
Without warning she hugged him, face buried in his shoulder, and managed a few muffled words. “Thank you. I really mean it. It means a lot.”
It means more than you know...
Asher watched the two, waiting for an answer. Angelina agreed with him and moved to his side. He grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders. His brown eyes turned to Vasilis again waiting for his opinion. The younger boy seemed to be in deep thought for some reason but he wasn’t going to read too much into why. If it was something he wanted to share the son of Apollo would say. At Vasilis cheerful reply Asher nodded, “I don’t doubt that. Besides you could always write it down later.”
Vasilis took off towards the cave and nearly tripped. Asher’s arm quickly fell from Angelina’s shoulders and was quickly at the blonde males side. “You okay, Sunshine?” The nervous chuckle and answer he gave Angelina showed he was trying to play off the fact he wasn’t as back to full health as he seemed. Asher wasn’t going to push it no matter how much he wanted to. “Here,” he held an arm out to Vasils, “don’t rush a recovery. Ambrosia can do wonders but you were unconscious less than a half hour ago. Take care of yourself, Vasilis. Rushing into things makes us worry more than you being hurt.”
Asher gave the boy a concerned look, “if you rush in without being at your best you can only get hurt worse. Trust me. I know first hand how bad it can be.” He didn’t want to bring down the mood but it must be said. He wasn’t letting anyone stupidly risk themselves on this quest. The son of Hephaestus didn’t think he could have any more of that on his conscious.
~~~
Nevaeh gave Rio a weird look, “really? If you asked even a normal person that they’d think you were crazy.” She shook her head, “besides, I’m not a dog and I’m offended you would treat me as such.” She laughed, and not a small little one, a full really laugh.
Was this what having a friend was like? Having someone to joke around with and not worry about what they thought was a new experience for her. She just wished the impending doom they would inevitably face after today wasn’t looming over them all like they grey sky before a storm.
Rio’s reaction her her mentioning the ocean was to be expected and it was pretty damn adorable. The way his sea green eyes lit up and the eagerness in his voice as he talked about the beauty of it. However, he was unaware of the beauty he was bringing to her life right now. At his swear however Nevaeh jumped up and grabbed his hand that he placed over his chest. “Rio, that’s a serious promise you just made. You shouldn’t do that over something as unimportant as taking me to the beach. It wasn’t worth what may befall you if you break it.” The worry clouded her steel blue eyes. How could he risk everything just to take her to the beach. It wasn’t worth it. Was it?
She eyed Rio and he seemed full of confidence. The concern for him was evident. She stood in front of him, gripping his hand tightly. Having one of her sleeves pushed past her elbow and the other hanging around her wrist didn’t seem to faze her. All her attention was on Rio and the insane promise he just made. Nevaeh knew she made a bigger one, one she didn’t even know if she could uphold, but if she didn’t uphold her promise she’d be dead anyway. She saw nothing to lose. If Rio broke his, he could lose everything.
~~~
Seth’s chuckle at her actions was proof her antics had the desired effect. Keep the mood light. She saw the wink he sent her and for some reason it brought a faint pink to her cheeks. Karmela shook it off.
Seth mentioning he was ansty staying in one place too, but for other reasons, caught her attention. “I get antsy staying in one place because I’ve moved around my whole life. I was never kept in one place long so I never get attached really.” Karmela’s eyes turned to her lap and she played with her fingers. She was quiet for a moment before continuing, “life of a foster kid, ya know?” She forced a chuckle that was rather convincing if her eyes didn’t give her away.
The son of Hypnos next words surprised her. Not because it seemed like something he wouldn’t say but because only one other person ever told her that before. Karmela stared at him a moment, shocked. She didn’t know what to say.
“I-I know. Thank you.”
She met his smile with a shyer one of her own. The daughter of Nemesis knew he was sincere. Her green eyes searched his just to make sure his voice wasn’t deceiving her. It wasn’t. She could see he meant every word and he was worried.
Without warning she hugged him, face buried in his shoulder, and managed a few muffled words. “Thank you. I really mean it. It means a lot.”
It means more than you know...
Vasilis expertly kept his disappointment at himself in as Asher saw through his lie. He was usually good at concealing this kind of thing, so it wasn't good that he'd been seen through like a magnifying glass; though, maybe that was just because the son of Hephaestus and the daughter of Hermes were very concerned about him. His smile didn't fade, but rather, it shrank as he listened to what was being said to him.
He felt a twitch in his legs. He wanted to get back to the cave as quickly as possible, but at the same time, he already felt guilty for worrying his friends, so he resisted the urge to sprint towards where they were trying to go. He tilted his head slightly at the last part of Asher's advice. Firsthand? He wondered what that meant exactly. He looked a little confused and even naive. It wasn't like there were any monsters around attacking them right now; it sounded so urgent, yet it wasn't that urgent...? Maybe it was, but he just couldn't see it.
He still took the advice to heart and appreciated that the Demigod extending his arm out to him cared for him that much. He suddenly wrapped his arms around Asher in a tight embrace, smiling all the while. "Okay!" he agreed happily. "Thanks Asher... I guess I am a little tired." He leaned back from the hug and accepted his earlier gesture, taking his arm. He was blissfully unaware of the fact that his face was starting to hurt again from how much he'd been smiling today.
Meanwhile, Angelina had her arms by her sides as Asher left her side to take care of Vasilis. She had the urge to do it, but he got there first, so she let him say whatever he wanted to say to Sunshine, which was exactly her thoughts anyway. Although, contrary to what Asher was warning Vasilis about, she used to risk herself all the damn time. Not much mattered back then, including her own safety. No one else around her disagreed with her either, so she kept doing it again and again. She knew now that she couldn't afford to do that anymore, or else she'd end up hurting someone else unintentionally, and not the physical kind of pain either.
She finally walked over to the two of them as Sunshine decided to give Asher a hug once more. When he leaned back, she patted the son of Apollo's shoulder. "You know we don't want you getting worse, right?" she asked him, smiling as softly as she could. "We only want the best for everyone on this quest."
Vasilis nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I do," he said, in a quiet voice, but it was audible nonetheless. His smile turned into more of a gentle one. "Don't worry, Angie. I'm just tired, and tomorrow, I'll be all rested up and ready. Promise!" He looked between both her and Asher. "Now I think we should go back," he added before he forgot to say it.
Rio had enjoyed Nev's reaction to his explanation of how he would check her species. He decided that he loved her laugh. It was full, and it was pure to him. He reminded himself that he needed to make her laugh like that more during the quest and even after it. Yes, he was that confident that they would make it out alive, despite being fully aware that he was going to blame himself more than once during the journey. It felt automatic. It was something he couldn't control no matter how hard he tried. It was simply easier for guilt to overwhelm him than others, he supposed.
However, he was surprised when Nev suddenly shot up and gripped the hand over his chest tightly. He stared at her as she reminded him of just how risky the swear he made was. At that moment, he realized the magnitude of the swear, but he found himself not becoming too worried about it. However, the girl in front of him looked very worried, and in turn, it was starting to affect him as well. For a moment, he thought about reminding her that the swear she made was more serious and risky than his own, but he ultimately didn't. She probably already knew.
He smiled gently and placed the hand that wasn't on his chest over the hand that Nev was gripping his occupied hand with. "It'll be alright," he told her. "I didn't say when, so I have all the time in the world to take you. Besides, I kinda already made it... so I'm determined to fulfill it. It can literally be any beach, since I didn't specify which beach I'm gonna take you to either. In fact, I'll take you during this quest! I'll make sure you enjoy it. And, uh, I'll try not to make any other Styx promises unless it's absolutely necessary."
He smiled awkwardly, his shoulders shrugged up in a relatively cute and even shy manner. "Uh, I'll pinkie promise you if you want," he added, trying to stop himself from stuttering. "You know, instead of the, um, Styx stuff. From now on. I know it's little kid stuff, but I kinda think it's cute. Oh! What did I just say? Um, like, if you wanna do something else, that's cool too. Am I rambling again? I'm rambling again, but, you know what I mean, right?"
He let out a nervous laugh as his face reddened. At the same time, he was wondering what was taking the others so long. Angelina, Asher, and Vasilis... they'd been gone for a while. He had no idea what was going on with them, but he hoped they would be alright. It wasn't like the worst could happen while they were still inside the camp.
Seth waited in suspense for Karmela's reaction to what he assured he would do for her. He was good at hiding such nervousness, so it didn't show on the outside. Instead, he kept the smile on his face and the soft light in his bright green eyes persisted.
As he said he would, he listened as the daughter of Nemesis explained the reason as to why she got antsy about sticking to one place. It was for a different reason than his own; while he was too used to staying in one place for a long period of time, she was barely used to it, it seemed. She even admitted that she was a foster child. He didn't want to tell her, but he thought about himself in her shoes, and it wasn't hard to empathize with her. He knew those people who kept him in that damned cabin for so long weren't his real parents, even before he was claimed by Hypnos. Unfortunately, it was thanks to Morpheus that he knew the truth way earlier than when he saw the God of Sleep for the first time.
However, again, he didn't want to talk about his life while Karmela was telling him hers. Besides, he didn't exactly know what she meant by the life of a foster kid; she might've been in a foster home with other kids, which he wasn't. He didn't ask. He wasn't fooled by her laugh, for he was still looking into her eyes, even as they were aimed at her lap. He was at least half-tired all the time, sure, but he'd also learned to have a sharp eye.
All of a sudden, Karmela was hugging him. He hadn’t seen it coming, but he wrapped his arms around her nonetheless, closing his eyes and smiling softly. “You’re welcome, Karma,” he whispered, patting her back a few times gently. He never tried to hide it; he loved hugs. He was a cuddly person in general. Though, he had a loose hold on her for whenever she wanted to pull back. From his experience, some people thought long hugs were awkward. He had to be taught not to do that when he kept doing it to his foster siblings.
Vasilis expertly kept his disappointment at himself in as Asher saw through his lie. He was usually good at concealing this kind of thing, so it wasn't good that he'd been seen through like a magnifying glass; though, maybe that was just because the son of Hephaestus and the daughter of Hermes were very concerned about him. His smile didn't fade, but rather, it shrank as he listened to what was being said to him.
He felt a twitch in his legs. He wanted to get back to the cave as quickly as possible, but at the same time, he already felt guilty for worrying his friends, so he resisted the urge to sprint towards where they were trying to go. He tilted his head slightly at the last part of Asher's advice. Firsthand? He wondered what that meant exactly. He looked a little confused and even naive. It wasn't like there were any monsters around attacking them right now; it sounded so urgent, yet it wasn't that urgent...? Maybe it was, but he just couldn't see it.
He still took the advice to heart and appreciated that the Demigod extending his arm out to him cared for him that much. He suddenly wrapped his arms around Asher in a tight embrace, smiling all the while. "Okay!" he agreed happily. "Thanks Asher... I guess I am a little tired." He leaned back from the hug and accepted his earlier gesture, taking his arm. He was blissfully unaware of the fact that his face was starting to hurt again from how much he'd been smiling today.
Meanwhile, Angelina had her arms by her sides as Asher left her side to take care of Vasilis. She had the urge to do it, but he got there first, so she let him say whatever he wanted to say to Sunshine, which was exactly her thoughts anyway. Although, contrary to what Asher was warning Vasilis about, she used to risk herself all the damn time. Not much mattered back then, including her own safety. No one else around her disagreed with her either, so she kept doing it again and again. She knew now that she couldn't afford to do that anymore, or else she'd end up hurting someone else unintentionally, and not the physical kind of pain either.
She finally walked over to the two of them as Sunshine decided to give Asher a hug once more. When he leaned back, she patted the son of Apollo's shoulder. "You know we don't want you getting worse, right?" she asked him, smiling as softly as she could. "We only want the best for everyone on this quest."
Vasilis nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I do," he said, in a quiet voice, but it was audible nonetheless. His smile turned into more of a gentle one. "Don't worry, Angie. I'm just tired, and tomorrow, I'll be all rested up and ready. Promise!" He looked between both her and Asher. "Now I think we should go back," he added before he forgot to say it.
Rio had enjoyed Nev's reaction to his explanation of how he would check her species. He decided that he loved her laugh. It was full, and it was pure to him. He reminded himself that he needed to make her laugh like that more during the quest and even after it. Yes, he was that confident that they would make it out alive, despite being fully aware that he was going to blame himself more than once during the journey. It felt automatic. It was something he couldn't control no matter how hard he tried. It was simply easier for guilt to overwhelm him than others, he supposed.
However, he was surprised when Nev suddenly shot up and gripped the hand over his chest tightly. He stared at her as she reminded him of just how risky the swear he made was. At that moment, he realized the magnitude of the swear, but he found himself not becoming too worried about it. However, the girl in front of him looked very worried, and in turn, it was starting to affect him as well. For a moment, he thought about reminding her that the swear she made was more serious and risky than his own, but he ultimately didn't. She probably already knew.
He smiled gently and placed the hand that wasn't on his chest over the hand that Nev was gripping his occupied hand with. "It'll be alright," he told her. "I didn't say when, so I have all the time in the world to take you. Besides, I kinda already made it... so I'm determined to fulfill it. It can literally be any beach, since I didn't specify which beach I'm gonna take you to either. In fact, I'll take you during this quest! I'll make sure you enjoy it. And, uh, I'll try not to make any other Styx promises unless it's absolutely necessary."
He smiled awkwardly, his shoulders shrugged up in a relatively cute and even shy manner. "Uh, I'll pinkie promise you if you want," he added, trying to stop himself from stuttering. "You know, instead of the, um, Styx stuff. From now on. I know it's little kid stuff, but I kinda think it's cute. Oh! What did I just say? Um, like, if you wanna do something else, that's cool too. Am I rambling again? I'm rambling again, but, you know what I mean, right?"
He let out a nervous laugh as his face reddened. At the same time, he was wondering what was taking the others so long. Angelina, Asher, and Vasilis... they'd been gone for a while. He had no idea what was going on with them, but he hoped they would be alright. It wasn't like the worst could happen while they were still inside the camp.
Seth waited in suspense for Karmela's reaction to what he assured he would do for her. He was good at hiding such nervousness, so it didn't show on the outside. Instead, he kept the smile on his face and the soft light in his bright green eyes persisted.
As he said he would, he listened as the daughter of Nemesis explained the reason as to why she got antsy about sticking to one place. It was for a different reason than his own; while he was too used to staying in one place for a long period of time, she was barely used to it, it seemed. She even admitted that she was a foster child. He didn't want to tell her, but he thought about himself in her shoes, and it wasn't hard to empathize with her. He knew those people who kept him in that damned cabin for so long weren't his real parents, even before he was claimed by Hypnos. Unfortunately, it was thanks to Morpheus that he knew the truth way earlier than when he saw the God of Sleep for the first time.
However, again, he didn't want to talk about his life while Karmela was telling him hers. Besides, he didn't exactly know what she meant by the life of a foster kid; she might've been in a foster home with other kids, which he wasn't. He didn't ask. He wasn't fooled by her laugh, for he was still looking into her eyes, even as they were aimed at her lap. He was at least half-tired all the time, sure, but he'd also learned to have a sharp eye.
All of a sudden, Karmela was hugging him. He hadn’t seen it coming, but he wrapped his arms around her nonetheless, closing his eyes and smiling softly. “You’re welcome, Karma,” he whispered, patting her back a few times gently. He never tried to hide it; he loved hugs. He was a cuddly person in general. Though, he had a loose hold on her for whenever she wanted to pull back. From his experience, some people thought long hugs were awkward. He had to be taught not to do that when he kept doing it to his foster siblings.
(Time Skip time!)
The Next Morning/Day of the Quest
~|~|~
Asher didn’t sleep that night. He tried to but after staring at his ceiling until 3:00 in the morning, he decided his time would be better spent double checking the Argo III and making sure she was operational. He had managed to doze off in his secret workshop for an hour or so and woke to the sound of the other campers heading to breakfast. Probably the calmest wake up call he’s received in a long while.
Sitting up, having crashed at his desk, Flames witted to life as he fell from his sleeping position atop Ashers head. “Sorry, buddy.” Ash stood and carefully scooped up the mechanical dragon, “didn’t know you were up there.”
Catching a glimpse of his face in the metal plates of his little dragons wings he gently placed Flames on his desk as searched for a clean rag. Grease covered most of his body and his hair was truly a disaster. He didn’t want the others to see just how much the impending doom he felt looming over him was affecting him. Most of them probably wouldn’t be able to tell but he was certain Angelina, and maybe Vasilis, could see right through him. Asher wiped his face and hands before attempting to sort of tame his curly hair. He’d need to pack for the quest later. With one last glance at his warship he moved out of his secret workshop and back into the camps forge. Thankfully none of the other Hephaestus kids where there yet. He threw his dirty cloth into the bin and made his way to a couple of his younger siblings he saw heading to breakfast. Flames bounded after him.
Nothing like a proper meal with his siblings to help calm his mind before heading to his inevitable doom.
~~~
Nevaeh was woken by a hellhound licking her face. “Felan, gross...” she groaned as she gently shoved the dogs muzzle away from her face. She slowly got up and looked around the cabin. No Nico. He went to Camp Jupiter yesterday to visit Hazel and Percy so that was expected. He had wished her luck before he left but that didn’t help the sad feeling that he wouldn’t be able to see her off.
Quickly cleaning up she threw on her usual dark jeans, a long grey shirt under a short sleeved black one, and beaten to hell shoes. After fixing her hair and slipping her rings on she left her cabin. Nevaeh had thrown most of her things together for the quest last night so she didn’t have much to do before they left.
“Felan, c’mon! Let’s grab Rio and get some breakfast.” The hellhound bounded after her happily. She hoped that she’d be allowed to eat with Rio at least. They be leaving shortly to go on their quest after all.
“I hope this quest is easier than it sounds, Felan.” She reached her hand up and gently stroked the hellhounds side as they walked, “I’m just glad that I can take you with me.”
~~~
Karmela was awake before her siblings. A rare occurrence. So rare that it shocked them. That’s how they knew there was something on her mind. They wanted to ask but they knew not to push her. As she was throwing a couple more things into her bag one of her younger brothers approached her. “What are you packing for?” She turned to look at him and she felt the others watching her.
Karmela bent down a bit and gave him a soft smile. “I’m leaving in a quest today.”
“Woah! Cool!” A couple of the other younger ones came over.
“For how long?”
Karmela shrugged, “not sure. But for a while.” She stood and got back to her packing. Trying not to let the weight of this quest crush her.
“We’ll miss you.”
“Yeah, please get back as soon as you can!”
“Yeah, promise us you’ll only be gone as long as you have to!”
A lump formed in her throat at the youngest ones words. It’s been a long time since anyone ever said they would miss her. She had almost forgotten the feeling. It made goodbyes so much easier not having that feeling. The feeling of belonging. Having a family.
She turned and gave them a soft smile, “I promise.”
“C’mon guys! Time for breakfast. Let her pack in peace.” The kids followed the others out of the cabin. The oldest one hung back a moment. Karmela couldn’t hold their gaze. “This is the hardest part. It’s hard to leave them but you can use this feeling as motivation to fight your hardest, on whatever this quest is, to make it back.”
“I feel like I just lied to them. I-I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it back.” She fiddled with the hem of the shirt she just put in her bag. Her brother made his way across the cabin to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Karmela couldn’t stop the tears anymore. She buried her face in her older brothers chest and sobbed. “I-I don’t th-think I can do this...”
He rubbed her back gently, “It’s going to be okay. You’re a fighter. You’ll figure it out. I know you will.”
“How do you know that?” Her hands gripped the back of his shirt tightly. It was as if she was using him to keep her from falling apart right there.
“I don’t. But I know you. I haven’t known you long but I recognize that fire. You’ll fight till the end, tooth and nail, and you’ll win.” As her violent sobs turned to soft cries he pulled back a bit to look her in the eyes. “You’re a fighter, Karmela. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.” She nodded and he helped her wipe her tears. He gently kissed the top of her head and she gave him a smile smile.
“Thank you, Sam. I mean it.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. “Anytime, kiddo.” As the pair left the cabin Sam ruffled her hair to which she sent him a glare. The two made their way out to the dining pavilion together laughing with smiles on both their faces.
Her nerves may be calmed only temporarily but there’s always a calm before the storm.
~~~
Throwing his bag on his back and a small duffle across his shoulders Adrius grabbed his cane. He slipped his sunglasses on, which served no purpose but to hide his eyes, and carefully placed Syra around his shoulders. Using his cane to guide him, he carefully made his way back down the hall and down the stairs to where Phobetor waited for him.
“You ready to go, son?” The way he said ‘son’ made Adrius’ skin crawl. He isn’t the Gods son. He would never be Phobetors son. At least he was never treated like it anyway.
“Yes, Sir.” Was Adrius’ monotone reply.
“You know where you’re going? What you have to do?” Simply business like. Yet a dark, cynical, undertone to his words.
“Yes, Sir.” Those two words again. Devoid of any feeling. It’s only business after all.
“Good.” Phobetor placed a hand on Adrius’ shoulder. “Play your role well, son.” His grip tightened and even though he couldn’t see the Gods face, he knew his eyes were holding his. As fierce and intimidating as his grip on the boys shoulder.
Anything to protect Kaitlyn. This is all to protect Kaitlyn... Kaitlyn.
All he could say was two words. “Yes, Sir.”
(Time Skip time!)
The Next Morning/Day of the Quest
~|~|~
Asher didn’t sleep that night. He tried to but after staring at his ceiling until 3:00 in the morning, he decided his time would be better spent double checking the Argo III and making sure she was operational. He had managed to doze off in his secret workshop for an hour or so and woke to the sound of the other campers heading to breakfast. Probably the calmest wake up call he’s received in a long while.
Sitting up, having crashed at his desk, Flames witted to life as he fell from his sleeping position atop Ashers head. “Sorry, buddy.” Ash stood and carefully scooped up the mechanical dragon, “didn’t know you were up there.”
Catching a glimpse of his face in the metal plates of his little dragons wings he gently placed Flames on his desk as searched for a clean rag. Grease covered most of his body and his hair was truly a disaster. He didn’t want the others to see just how much the impending doom he felt looming over him was affecting him. Most of them probably wouldn’t be able to tell but he was certain Angelina, and maybe Vasilis, could see right through him. Asher wiped his face and hands before attempting to sort of tame his curly hair. He’d need to pack for the quest later. With one last glance at his warship he moved out of his secret workshop and back into the camps forge. Thankfully none of the other Hephaestus kids where there yet. He threw his dirty cloth into the bin and made his way to a couple of his younger siblings he saw heading to breakfast. Flames bounded after him.
Nothing like a proper meal with his siblings to help calm his mind before heading to his inevitable doom.
~~~
Nevaeh was woken by a hellhound licking her face. “Felan, gross...” she groaned as she gently shoved the dogs muzzle away from her face. She slowly got up and looked around the cabin. No Nico. He went to Camp Jupiter yesterday to visit Hazel and Percy so that was expected. He had wished her luck before he left but that didn’t help the sad feeling that he wouldn’t be able to see her off.
Quickly cleaning up she threw on her usual dark jeans, a long grey shirt under a short sleeved black one, and beaten to hell shoes. After fixing her hair and slipping her rings on she left her cabin. Nevaeh had thrown most of her things together for the quest last night so she didn’t have much to do before they left.
“Felan, c’mon! Let’s grab Rio and get some breakfast.” The hellhound bounded after her happily. She hoped that she’d be allowed to eat with Rio at least. They be leaving shortly to go on their quest after all.
“I hope this quest is easier than it sounds, Felan.” She reached her hand up and gently stroked the hellhounds side as they walked, “I’m just glad that I can take you with me.”
~~~
Karmela was awake before her siblings. A rare occurrence. So rare that it shocked them. That’s how they knew there was something on her mind. They wanted to ask but they knew not to push her. As she was throwing a couple more things into her bag one of her younger brothers approached her. “What are you packing for?” She turned to look at him and she felt the others watching her.
Karmela bent down a bit and gave him a soft smile. “I’m leaving in a quest today.”
“Woah! Cool!” A couple of the other younger ones came over.
“For how long?”
Karmela shrugged, “not sure. But for a while.” She stood and got back to her packing. Trying not to let the weight of this quest crush her.
“We’ll miss you.”
“Yeah, please get back as soon as you can!”
“Yeah, promise us you’ll only be gone as long as you have to!”
A lump formed in her throat at the youngest ones words. It’s been a long time since anyone ever said they would miss her. She had almost forgotten the feeling. It made goodbyes so much easier not having that feeling. The feeling of belonging. Having a family.
She turned and gave them a soft smile, “I promise.”
“C’mon guys! Time for breakfast. Let her pack in peace.” The kids followed the others out of the cabin. The oldest one hung back a moment. Karmela couldn’t hold their gaze. “This is the hardest part. It’s hard to leave them but you can use this feeling as motivation to fight your hardest, on whatever this quest is, to make it back.”
“I feel like I just lied to them. I-I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it back.” She fiddled with the hem of the shirt she just put in her bag. Her brother made his way across the cabin to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Karmela couldn’t stop the tears anymore. She buried her face in her older brothers chest and sobbed. “I-I don’t th-think I can do this...”
He rubbed her back gently, “It’s going to be okay. You’re a fighter. You’ll figure it out. I know you will.”
“How do you know that?” Her hands gripped the back of his shirt tightly. It was as if she was using him to keep her from falling apart right there.
“I don’t. But I know you. I haven’t known you long but I recognize that fire. You’ll fight till the end, tooth and nail, and you’ll win.” As her violent sobs turned to soft cries he pulled back a bit to look her in the eyes. “You’re a fighter, Karmela. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.” She nodded and he helped her wipe her tears. He gently kissed the top of her head and she gave him a smile smile.
“Thank you, Sam. I mean it.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. “Anytime, kiddo.” As the pair left the cabin Sam ruffled her hair to which she sent him a glare. The two made their way out to the dining pavilion together laughing with smiles on both their faces.
Her nerves may be calmed only temporarily but there’s always a calm before the storm.
~~~
Throwing his bag on his back and a small duffle across his shoulders Adrius grabbed his cane. He slipped his sunglasses on, which served no purpose but to hide his eyes, and carefully placed Syra around his shoulders. Using his cane to guide him, he carefully made his way back down the hall and down the stairs to where Phobetor waited for him.
“You ready to go, son?” The way he said ‘son’ made Adrius’ skin crawl. He isn’t the Gods son. He would never be Phobetors son. At least he was never treated like it anyway.
“Yes, Sir.” Was Adrius’ monotone reply.
“You know where you’re going? What you have to do?” Simply business like. Yet a dark, cynical, undertone to his words.
“Yes, Sir.” Those two words again. Devoid of any feeling. It’s only business after all.
“Good.” Phobetor placed a hand on Adrius’ shoulder. “Play your role well, son.” His grip tightened and even though he couldn’t see the Gods face, he knew his eyes were holding his. As fierce and intimidating as his grip on the boys shoulder.
Anything to protect Kaitlyn. This is all to protect Kaitlyn... Kaitlyn.
All he could say was two words. “Yes, Sir.”
Angelina woke up to a lot of noise. Her many siblings were just waking up, and they didn't seem tired at all. She couldn't remember what she dreamed of last night, if she even had one. She was just grateful she didn't have a nightmare. That would've screwed her up even more than she already was. She hoped none of the others would be able to tell how pressured she felt.
She groaned and pushed herself out of bed. She would normally be up a bit earlier than a majority of her fellow cabinmates, but her brain likely decided she needed more sleep than usual for this quest. Oh yeah. The quest. She rubbed her face with one hand. She was already aware of what she was about to go off and do, but she didn't want to think about it too hard.
She looked over at her packed things. She had wanted to get it done as soon as possible, and thankfully, she finished just before going to bed. She threw on her chosen outfit for the day; a short-sleeved dark grey t-shirt with a small black image of a campfire and the words "Trouble Maker" on the front, dark red shorts, black shoes, and a black headband. She also decided to put on her goggles. Asher would probably freak out if he saw her without them. She chose to keep her hair down for now.
She smiled to herself. At least Asher would be there. She made sure she had everything ready before heading out the door and walking with a few of her fellow siblings towards where breakfast was being served. A meal would certainly help her fight off some of her nervousness.
Unlike the day before, Rio didn't wake up underwater. He hadn't left his cabin. He didn't need to be falling asleep underneath Canoe Lake again, not when he had something especially important on his schedule. He'd had trouble sleeping at first, but he eventually managed to fall asleep without having any nightmares.
He moaned and rubbed his head as he sat up in bed. He didn't have any siblings to greet him... not that it bothered him or anything. He was used to waking up by himself. That would change after today, hopefully. Maybe. He wasn't sure how they were going to be travelling exactly. He was looking forward to finding out.
He threw on an orange shirt with a trident on the front, a white and blue hoodie, black and white shorts ending just above his knees, and blue and white shoes. He ran a comb through his hair, making sure his hair was nice and wavy. As he got ready for the day, many thoughts circulated through his mind. He gulped. The sea shall fall for the undead to rise... Gods, stop worrying Rio. It's gonna be okay. You're not going to die, and neither will anyone else. It'll be okay, stop worrying, stop worrying...
He hugged himself briefly and took a deep breath before walking towards the door. He slowly opened it and stepped outside. As he was closing the door, he spotted two familiar figures in the distance. His mood immediately brightened when he recognized them. He jogged towards them, a smile on his face when he finally reached them.
"Nev! Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. He hugged her gently, pulling back after a few seconds so he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. "How did you sleep?" he asked softly. He smiled at Felan as well. He was very happy to see the two of them.
Vasilis woke up earlier than the rest of his friends as usual, hanging out with Peleus once more. He probably shouldn't have woken up that early, given his experience the day before, but he was too anxious to get more sleep. He was worried about a lot of things. He was worried about how the quest was going to go, about his friends... and especially about Seth.
The son of Hypnos had looked awful when he last saw him. They had a talk before they went to their cabins. When he was told about what happened with Morpheus, his reaction hadn't been pleasant. He was dreading this quest more than ever now. He recalled having a feeling that Morpheus was in charge of the opposing forces this time around, but having it confirmed shook him nonetheless.
He was especially shaken when Seth had started to cry.
Just the thought of it wiped Vasilis' smile off his face. Peleus seemingly noticed, for he lowered his head and nudged the boy's side. He looked into the dragon's eyes and smiled softly. "Hey buddy," he whispered, rubbing his snout. "I'm fine, I'm just... worried. Yeah, I'm worried, that's all. Don't worry! I'll come back, hopefully in one piece!"
He chuckled, hugging Peleus' snout. The dragon rumbled, playfully tilting his head up and lifting Vasilis into the air. He laughed again, kicking his feet in the air. He managed to climb atop Peleus' head and slid down his neck. He nearly fell off of him, but he was thankfully caught by the dragon's tail. He dusted himself off when he was set on the ground.
"Thanks pal! I'm gonna miss you!" he said cheerfully. Peleus nodded, looking into the distance. He followed his gaze and realized what he was trying to tell him. "Oh, right! Well... I'll see you soon, Peleus!" He waved at the dragon before jogging down the hill and towards where everyone else was heading for breakfast. On the way, he saw Asher with a couple of his siblings and Flames following him. He greeted him with a happy expression when he caught up to him, tapping his shoulder.
"Hey, Asher!" He gave him a sunny smile. He glanced between the siblings he was with as well. "Hello to you guys too! And you, Flames! Hi!" He looked at Flames and grinned at him. He was seemingly brimming with energy, as usual.
Seth watched the sunrise outside of his cabin, struggling somewhat to keep his eyes open. He'd at least tried to sleep at first, but it didn't take long for him to wake up and not want to fall back asleep. He occupied himself with packing, having to ignore the sleep-inducing effects of the cabin, and when he was done, he tried doing other things to keep himself awake. He spent most of his time outside so he wouldn't succumb to the effects of his cabin. He was NOT going back to sleep, not until the gang obtained what they needed to stop Morpheus in his tracks.
He had a conversation with Chiron after he summoned the courage to tell everyone that Morpheus was their enemy this time around. The resulting plan relieved some of the pressure he had. Of course, it would help more when they actually had what they needed. Their first destination was Circe's Island, and they would be going there to barter with Blackbeard and his pirates. They were in possession of charms that would prevent wearers from dreaming, thus blocking Morpheus out. He was the God of Dreams, after all.
He sighed to himself. Half of him really wanted to fall asleep, but the other half was dead-set on not letting that happen. He frowned as thoughts from the previous day invaded his mind. Why must you prolong your fate, child? He grit his teeth, his fists clenched. No. He would not let that man win. Never in a million years.
Consider your options. Make the right choice. Otherwise... you will spend the rest of your life wishing for something as sweet as death.
"NO!" he shouted, his eyes squeezed shut. His voice was strained and tired at the same time.
"No what?"
He was snapped out of it by the tired voice next to him. He turned and saw one of his younger siblings standing there, looking at him with concern. "Oh... sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I had a bad dream, that's all. I'll be fine, pal."
His younger sibling smiled at him and hugged him. He was surprised by the action, hugging him back. Thankfully, he'd cried his eyes out the night before, so he didn't feel like doing it again. Unfortunately, it had to be in front of Vasilis.
The younger boy pulled away. "Are you gonna get breakfast?" he asked sleepily. Seth shook his head after thinking on it for a few seconds. "I'm not hungry."
"You should eat before you leave, Seth..."
"I might take too long eating, and then our quest might be delayed. Plus..." He paused, glancing away. "No one should see me like this."
"Seth, please eat. You'll see your friends there too, I know it. They'll cheer you up."
Seth stared down at the younger boy, finally giving in and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Jeremy," he murmured, giving him a small smile. Jeremy grinned lazily at him. Seth removed his twin pencils and flicked them, transforming them into crutches. He didn't feel like floating today.
He sighed as he went with Jeremy to get breakfast. The other boy was talking to him while he stayed mostly silent. He yawned under his breath. He couldn't wait to get those anti-dream charms so he could sleep in peace and know that his team would be able to sleep in peace as well.
Angelina woke up to a lot of noise. Her many siblings were just waking up, and they didn't seem tired at all. She couldn't remember what she dreamed of last night, if she even had one. She was just grateful she didn't have a nightmare. That would've screwed her up even more than she already was. She hoped none of the others would be able to tell how pressured she felt.
She groaned and pushed herself out of bed. She would normally be up a bit earlier than a majority of her fellow cabinmates, but her brain likely decided she needed more sleep than usual for this quest. Oh yeah. The quest. She rubbed her face with one hand. She was already aware of what she was about to go off and do, but she didn't want to think about it too hard.
She looked over at her packed things. She had wanted to get it done as soon as possible, and thankfully, she finished just before going to bed. She threw on her chosen outfit for the day; a short-sleeved dark grey t-shirt with a small black image of a campfire and the words "Trouble Maker" on the front, dark red shorts, black shoes, and a black headband. She also decided to put on her goggles. Asher would probably freak out if he saw her without them. She chose to keep her hair down for now.
She smiled to herself. At least Asher would be there. She made sure she had everything ready before heading out the door and walking with a few of her fellow siblings towards where breakfast was being served. A meal would certainly help her fight off some of her nervousness.
Unlike the day before, Rio didn't wake up underwater. He hadn't left his cabin. He didn't need to be falling asleep underneath Canoe Lake again, not when he had something especially important on his schedule. He'd had trouble sleeping at first, but he eventually managed to fall asleep without having any nightmares.
He moaned and rubbed his head as he sat up in bed. He didn't have any siblings to greet him... not that it bothered him or anything. He was used to waking up by himself. That would change after today, hopefully. Maybe. He wasn't sure how they were going to be travelling exactly. He was looking forward to finding out.
He threw on an orange shirt with a trident on the front, a white and blue hoodie, black and white shorts ending just above his knees, and blue and white shoes. He ran a comb through his hair, making sure his hair was nice and wavy. As he got ready for the day, many thoughts circulated through his mind. He gulped. The sea shall fall for the undead to rise... Gods, stop worrying Rio. It's gonna be okay. You're not going to die, and neither will anyone else. It'll be okay, stop worrying, stop worrying...
He hugged himself briefly and took a deep breath before walking towards the door. He slowly opened it and stepped outside. As he was closing the door, he spotted two familiar figures in the distance. His mood immediately brightened when he recognized them. He jogged towards them, a smile on his face when he finally reached them.
"Nev! Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. He hugged her gently, pulling back after a few seconds so he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. "How did you sleep?" he asked softly. He smiled at Felan as well. He was very happy to see the two of them.
Vasilis woke up earlier than the rest of his friends as usual, hanging out with Peleus once more. He probably shouldn't have woken up that early, given his experience the day before, but he was too anxious to get more sleep. He was worried about a lot of things. He was worried about how the quest was going to go, about his friends... and especially about Seth.
The son of Hypnos had looked awful when he last saw him. They had a talk before they went to their cabins. When he was told about what happened with Morpheus, his reaction hadn't been pleasant. He was dreading this quest more than ever now. He recalled having a feeling that Morpheus was in charge of the opposing forces this time around, but having it confirmed shook him nonetheless.
He was especially shaken when Seth had started to cry.
Just the thought of it wiped Vasilis' smile off his face. Peleus seemingly noticed, for he lowered his head and nudged the boy's side. He looked into the dragon's eyes and smiled softly. "Hey buddy," he whispered, rubbing his snout. "I'm fine, I'm just... worried. Yeah, I'm worried, that's all. Don't worry! I'll come back, hopefully in one piece!"
He chuckled, hugging Peleus' snout. The dragon rumbled, playfully tilting his head up and lifting Vasilis into the air. He laughed again, kicking his feet in the air. He managed to climb atop Peleus' head and slid down his neck. He nearly fell off of him, but he was thankfully caught by the dragon's tail. He dusted himself off when he was set on the ground.
"Thanks pal! I'm gonna miss you!" he said cheerfully. Peleus nodded, looking into the distance. He followed his gaze and realized what he was trying to tell him. "Oh, right! Well... I'll see you soon, Peleus!" He waved at the dragon before jogging down the hill and towards where everyone else was heading for breakfast. On the way, he saw Asher with a couple of his siblings and Flames following him. He greeted him with a happy expression when he caught up to him, tapping his shoulder.
"Hey, Asher!" He gave him a sunny smile. He glanced between the siblings he was with as well. "Hello to you guys too! And you, Flames! Hi!" He looked at Flames and grinned at him. He was seemingly brimming with energy, as usual.
Seth watched the sunrise outside of his cabin, struggling somewhat to keep his eyes open. He'd at least tried to sleep at first, but it didn't take long for him to wake up and not want to fall back asleep. He occupied himself with packing, having to ignore the sleep-inducing effects of the cabin, and when he was done, he tried doing other things to keep himself awake. He spent most of his time outside so he wouldn't succumb to the effects of his cabin. He was NOT going back to sleep, not until the gang obtained what they needed to stop Morpheus in his tracks.
He had a conversation with Chiron after he summoned the courage to tell everyone that Morpheus was their enemy this time around. The resulting plan relieved some of the pressure he had. Of course, it would help more when they actually had what they needed. Their first destination was Circe's Island, and they would be going there to barter with Blackbeard and his pirates. They were in possession of charms that would prevent wearers from dreaming, thus blocking Morpheus out. He was the God of Dreams, after all.
He sighed to himself. Half of him really wanted to fall asleep, but the other half was dead-set on not letting that happen. He frowned as thoughts from the previous day invaded his mind. Why must you prolong your fate, child? He grit his teeth, his fists clenched. No. He would not let that man win. Never in a million years.
Consider your options. Make the right choice. Otherwise... you will spend the rest of your life wishing for something as sweet as death.
"NO!" he shouted, his eyes squeezed shut. His voice was strained and tired at the same time.
"No what?"
He was snapped out of it by the tired voice next to him. He turned and saw one of his younger siblings standing there, looking at him with concern. "Oh... sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I had a bad dream, that's all. I'll be fine, pal."
His younger sibling smiled at him and hugged him. He was surprised by the action, hugging him back. Thankfully, he'd cried his eyes out the night before, so he didn't feel like doing it again. Unfortunately, it had to be in front of Vasilis.
The younger boy pulled away. "Are you gonna get breakfast?" he asked sleepily. Seth shook his head after thinking on it for a few seconds. "I'm not hungry."
"You should eat before you leave, Seth..."
"I might take too long eating, and then our quest might be delayed. Plus..." He paused, glancing away. "No one should see me like this."
"Seth, please eat. You'll see your friends there too, I know it. They'll cheer you up."
Seth stared down at the younger boy, finally giving in and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Jeremy," he murmured, giving him a small smile. Jeremy grinned lazily at him. Seth removed his twin pencils and flicked them, transforming them into crutches. He didn't feel like floating today.
He sighed as he went with Jeremy to get breakfast. The other boy was talking to him while he stayed mostly silent. He yawned under his breath. He couldn't wait to get those anti-dream charms so he could sleep in peace and know that his team would be able to sleep in peace as well.
Felan spotted Rios approach before Nevaeh did. Thankfully the hellhound alerted her of the son of Poseidon jogging their way. Despite any stress the quest may be putting her through before it even began seeing Rios smile made her smile as well.
“Hey, Fish Boy.” She surprised herself when she hugged him back. No sudden tensing up at the contact or anything like that. She shoved any questions about how she managed to get so comfortable with someone so quickly aside. Now was not the time to get lost in pointless thoughts. “Um, I slept surprisingly well actually. I’m not sure what that says about me given that we don’t really know much of anything about what exactly we’re getting into.” Nevaeh chuckled gently and scratched the back of her head. Now was not a good time to be pessimistic either.
She coughed, her eyes finding their way to her shoes, “so, uh, what about you? You sleep okay?” Her steely blue eyes slowly trailed up to meet the twin oceans that were Rios. For some reason she found the sea green calming. Like the ocean on a clear day. The polar opposite to the stormy seas that her eyes have been compared to. Still she felt at ease.
A feeling she was happily growing used to.
~~~
“You were seriously up at the ungodliest of ungodly hours and went to tinker? Are you mad?!”
His siblings outburst caused Asher to chuckle. “Sorry, Jen. I couldn’t sleep. You know how my mind is.” His sister ran a hand over her face and let out the most exasperated groan ever heard. His brother chuckled at this.
They walked a bit longer in silence before Jen spoke again. “It’s the quest right? You’re worried.” She didn’t look at Asher when she spoke. Her eyes watched their shoes sadly, worried, like she already knew the answer.
“Yeah.”
“What happened with Lucas wasn’t your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself.”
Their brother watched the two. He knew the gist of the story but Asher never really talked about it. Jen was the only one who knows the whole story. She’s been here as long as Asher if not longer so he trust her as if he lived with her his whole life.
“I can’t help is, Jen. You know exactly why I can just let it go and stop worrying about it.”
Jenna finally stops to look at him, “I know. But please, don’t let what happened with Lucas stop you from pursuing something great.”
Asher met her eyes with a gentle gaze. Worry and sadness laced Jenna’s expression. “I promise that I’ll try.”
A tap at his shoulder caught his attention. Vasilis’ sunshine smile caused a smile to grow on Ashers face as well. “Mornin’ Sunshine.” His siblings smiled and greeted the son of Apollo in turn. Flames bounded over to Vas and whirred in greeting. The little metallic dragon proceeded to run around them as it waited.
“We’ll see you in the dining pavilion, Ash.” Jen called as she and their brother continued on their way.
“C’ya guys.” He waves as they left. He turned to Vasilis, “so... you ready for today? We got a lot ahead of us.” A lot I’m not looking forward to but mentally preparing myself for nonetheless.
~~~
Karmela and Sam’s walk was lighthearted. Sam made sure to joke and keep her mood up. He felt bad she was being put through this. Her first quest was a big one.
The young girl was thankful for Sam. He had a way of reading people she wish she had and was always able to make others feel better. Karmela wished she could take him with her but she couldn’t. There was already seven of them going and that’s dangerous enough as it is.
Through the crowd of campers making their way to breakfast she spotted a familiar sleepy form, this time on crutches instead of floating, walking with another boy. She assumed they knew each other well since Seth’s companion seemed to be trying to hold a conversation with him. “C’mon, Sam! I want you to meet someone!” Karmela grabbed Sams hand and jogged over to Seth. “Howdy, sleepyhead,” she greeted happily before addressing the boy with him. “Hi, Sleepys friend.” She smiled before pointing at her own companion, “this is Sam by the way.”
“Nice to meet you.” Sam eyed Karmela for a moment. She seemed in a better mood. Her smile seemed to grow a bit when she saw Seth. It was then he knew Karmela would be okay. Karmela realized that too.
Felan spotted Rios approach before Nevaeh did. Thankfully the hellhound alerted her of the son of Poseidon jogging their way. Despite any stress the quest may be putting her through before it even began seeing Rios smile made her smile as well.
“Hey, Fish Boy.” She surprised herself when she hugged him back. No sudden tensing up at the contact or anything like that. She shoved any questions about how she managed to get so comfortable with someone so quickly aside. Now was not the time to get lost in pointless thoughts. “Um, I slept surprisingly well actually. I’m not sure what that says about me given that we don’t really know much of anything about what exactly we’re getting into.” Nevaeh chuckled gently and scratched the back of her head. Now was not a good time to be pessimistic either.
She coughed, her eyes finding their way to her shoes, “so, uh, what about you? You sleep okay?” Her steely blue eyes slowly trailed up to meet the twin oceans that were Rios. For some reason she found the sea green calming. Like the ocean on a clear day. The polar opposite to the stormy seas that her eyes have been compared to. Still she felt at ease.
A feeling she was happily growing used to.
~~~
“You were seriously up at the ungodliest of ungodly hours and went to tinker? Are you mad?!”
His siblings outburst caused Asher to chuckle. “Sorry, Jen. I couldn’t sleep. You know how my mind is.” His sister ran a hand over her face and let out the most exasperated groan ever heard. His brother chuckled at this.
They walked a bit longer in silence before Jen spoke again. “It’s the quest right? You’re worried.” She didn’t look at Asher when she spoke. Her eyes watched their shoes sadly, worried, like she already knew the answer.
“Yeah.”
“What happened with Lucas wasn’t your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself.”
Their brother watched the two. He knew the gist of the story but Asher never really talked about it. Jen was the only one who knows the whole story. She’s been here as long as Asher if not longer so he trust her as if he lived with her his whole life.
“I can’t help is, Jen. You know exactly why I can just let it go and stop worrying about it.”
Jenna finally stops to look at him, “I know. But please, don’t let what happened with Lucas stop you from pursuing something great.”
Asher met her eyes with a gentle gaze. Worry and sadness laced Jenna’s expression. “I promise that I’ll try.”
A tap at his shoulder caught his attention. Vasilis’ sunshine smile caused a smile to grow on Ashers face as well. “Mornin’ Sunshine.” His siblings smiled and greeted the son of Apollo in turn. Flames bounded over to Vas and whirred in greeting. The little metallic dragon proceeded to run around them as it waited.
“We’ll see you in the dining pavilion, Ash.” Jen called as she and their brother continued on their way.
“C’ya guys.” He waves as they left. He turned to Vasilis, “so... you ready for today? We got a lot ahead of us.” A lot I’m not looking forward to but mentally preparing myself for nonetheless.
~~~
Karmela and Sam’s walk was lighthearted. Sam made sure to joke and keep her mood up. He felt bad she was being put through this. Her first quest was a big one.
The young girl was thankful for Sam. He had a way of reading people she wish she had and was always able to make others feel better. Karmela wished she could take him with her but she couldn’t. There was already seven of them going and that’s dangerous enough as it is.
Through the crowd of campers making their way to breakfast she spotted a familiar sleepy form, this time on crutches instead of floating, walking with another boy. She assumed they knew each other well since Seth’s companion seemed to be trying to hold a conversation with him. “C’mon, Sam! I want you to meet someone!” Karmela grabbed Sams hand and jogged over to Seth. “Howdy, sleepyhead,” she greeted happily before addressing the boy with him. “Hi, Sleepys friend.” She smiled before pointing at her own companion, “this is Sam by the way.”
“Nice to meet you.” Sam eyed Karmela for a moment. She seemed in a better mood. Her smile seemed to grow a bit when she saw Seth. It was then he knew Karmela would be okay. Karmela realized that too.
