forum Camp Half-Blood (closed 5/5)

Started April 20, 2023 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

(bye bye Rhys)

"Vamos, niño. Yo creo en ti," she had whispered as Malcolm took the flag from her and then ran off, with Veronica on his trail. She hoped that Malcolm would make it, knowing firsthand what Veronica would do to him if she caught up. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the two soldiers that were with Veronica. It was those…guards that she had seen at the shore before she found the flag. She stared at them, trying to remember their names. But the only name she actually remembered was Jason's…only because of how arrogant he was, always thinking he was better than the others. She took out her sword and looked at Jason and Amelia grimly. She got into a fighting stance, but she didn't strike. No, she would wait for the others to make the first move. Perhaps there was a way to avoid a fight. At Reo's statement, she looked up at him, a confused expression on her face. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Amelia stopped as she saw the others. She blinked. There was two of them and three of the others. This was exceptionally unfair. Especially because neither she nor Jason were fighters. Amelia relied on, well, her beauty and words to deescalte the situation and Jason used his head. Though, perhaps that was what had gotten them in this psotion in the first place.

She let out a shaky breath as she looked at the other three. It seemed they were at a standstill. Amelia wasn't fighting. If they attacked she was running the other way. She didn't fight. And hitting a dummy was a lot different than hitting someone else. Now that she thought of it, she didn't think she had ever engaged in combat during Capture the Flag.

Jason had put his helmet on but she had kept her back at the base of that tree. She hadn't thought ti grab it when she was having a panic attack. Maybe she coukd get them out ifnthis by talking. The others were more than welcome to run along. She wasn't going to try and stop them from anything. She didn't really care what they did to Jason as ling as she was left alone.

But just as she opened her mouth to speak, the earth began to shake. And not because of some child trying to win the games. The entire camp shook. The ground was breaking and black shadows were emerging from the earth. There was an angry god amongst them.

Being quiet and a people-watcher had it's advantages. Eric started to answer Coral's question about Reo, since he'd noticed the boy's problem prveiously. "Tiene problemas con su sangre-" when the ground began rumbling, shaking, moving under his feet. His immediate reaction was to try to still it, channeling his power into stopping whatever was moving the earth.
It didn't work, and Eric felt his control broken by something with a much stronger grip on the dirt than he had. He did the next best thing, and yanked up a rock base around his ankles, anchoring him in place for the moment.
He grabbed for Coral and Reo, the two closest to him, and got a grip on each of their belts, trying to keep them from falling or getting thrown by the sudden earthquake. Reo especially.
He made eye contact with Amelia and Jason both, and jerked his head, as if to say Come here!. He didn't know if they would listen, but his protective streak was telling him to at least try.

She didn't have time to respond when all of a sudden the ground started rumbling and shaking. At first, she thought it was an earthquake…a rather large one. It wouldn't be the first time, as she had experienced a rather large earthquake when she still lived in Mexico. But then she started to notice the ground breaking and black shadows coming out from the earth. She knew this was not normal. This was the doing of a god. She took a deep breath and concentrated, and vines started growing from the ground. Various vines wrapped around their legs, preventing them from being thrown to the ground. Even if it did happen, the vines would bring them back to their place.

A fight looked like it might not actually break out. Jason breathed out a tiny breathe, neither side was actively attacking the other and if worst came to the worst, he could shove Amelia in the way and run. The other team seemed to be figuring out a problem of their own and not beating the snot out of him. So that was positive.

Jason was just about to make a snide comment that would most certainly get him in trouble when the ground started to shake. His head immediately whipped over to the Hephaestus kid, didn't he have earth powers? Was he attacking them after all? Did he need to throw Amelia? But- Gods, what was his name? In the split-second Jason didn't quite remember, but he did notice the look of confusion, then struggle. It wasn't him. Well that wasn't reassuring.

Instead he anchored himself and Jason's eye's widened. Earthquake safety. Lay low on the ground away from debris until the shaking stopped. Or.. Attach yourself to the nearest rock based demi. Jason sure as hell knew he couldn't do anything with an earthquake and if the others were willing to help him out, that was their own fault. The boy lurched forwards, latching onto the group, doing his best not to fall off. He could still feel his teeth rattling in his skull, which was not conducive to a good thinking environment.

Amelia didn't know what to do when the ground began to shake. It was unstable. It was a miracle she was even standing. The black shadows were creeping up through the cracked ground and she was utterly terrified. The first thing that came tj her midn was that she beeded to hold onto something.

Unfortunately, the nearest thing to her was Jason and that is what she ended up clinging to, even as he moved towards the other people. Her grip was iron tight and there was no prying her off until she released him if her own free will.

Through the cracked ground and shadows, a body emerged. A woman appeared, skin so pale it looked like it had never seen sunlight. Her hair and eyes her black. Shadows where coming from her body. Nyx. It was the primordial goddess, Nyx. And she was angry. She raised a hand, pointing it at the five children. "Someone has taken my child." Her voice boomed. "If Hypnos is not returned to me in fourteen days, I will obliterate the world."

As the goddess slicked back into the earth, another figure appeared. A girl, Cassandra, their Oracle. Her eyes were black and her mouth opened but it wasn't her voice that cake out. It was someone else's. "Five shall answer the goddess' call
All are spawns of the gods of twelve
To the west they will haul
Into the rockies they themselves
Must go. To find the god
They so desire, into Echidna's cave they must seek.
The mother of monster you must prod
She must be the one to speak.
Listen closely, listen clawed,
Or you will never find your sleep."
Then the girl collapsed, and the world stopped shaking and shadow dissipated.

Reo looked over to Coral, speaking at the same time as Eric, “I have a condition-“ Only to be cut off by the ground starting to shake. He quickly spreads his feet, trying to get a more balanced position. He was already bleeding and he didn’t want another cut to have to pay attention to. He looked down at his arm quickly, the blood still flowing down it. Dripping to the dirt and leaving little drops of wetness behind.

He grunts softly when someone grabs onto him, pulling him closer and he looks at Eric, “Thanks.” He mutters, stabling him self again, shifting his balance with the shift earth beneath him. He watches as vines shoot from the ground and he tries to move away from them without jarring Eric’s grip. He didn’t want- the vines wrapped around his legs and he closed his eyes, hoping they wouldn’t squeeze- They were to tight and he stays still knowing the peppering of small bruises that would cover his legs later. And how long it would take before bed to treat them as well.

Then the goddess appeared and the thought about his bruises fled his mind, instead getting replaced with awe at seeing the goddess, and fear at what was going to happen. When she spoke, Reo listened adamantly and then blinks. Who wold take the goddesses child? Who was even stupid enough to do such a thing?

After the goddess, who Reo had identified a little too late, Nyx, vanished, replaced with the oracle. Re kept listening, though the pain in his legs was increasing slightly. Not that the grip of the vine was tightening, but the brushes were making his skin tender, leading to the pain. The prophecy seemed pretty obvious and simple, but sometimes, mosttimes, that was not the case.

He looks to Eric, “Uh. . . Thanks, but you can let go.” He looks to Coral, “And you too, please?” He didn’t really want to see the damage to his legs, but the sooner he looked at them and tended to them, the better off they would be.

When the goddess Nyx appeared, she looked at her in awe and in fear. At that very moment, she didn't know who she was, merely that she was an angry goddess who wanted her son back. Not even with the mention of Hypnos did her mind connect two with two. It wasn't until she disappeared and the Oracle took her place did she realize who she was, and what was happening.

Hypnos was missing. Kidnapped, most likely. And if he wasn't retrieved in two weeks, the world would end. But how did it all happen? Who would be foolish enough to kidnap the son of a primordial goddess? Who would be so foolish to mess with one of the most powerful beings in the world? Her mind was racing with so many thoughts that she almost missed the prophecy. She stayed still and quiet, as Casandra spoke, her eyes all black, and her voice completely different. The prophecy itself seemed simple enough, but she knew that was always never the case. It always seemed like the world itself was against you if you embarked on a mission with a prophecy.

When Cassandra finished and she collapsed, Coral just stared, wanting to go towards her, but at the same time, she didn't want to. Coral blinked and jumped a little at Reo's request. She nodded and made a motion with her hand, the vines loosening around everyone's legs, and then falling to the ground. "I'm so sorry, I should have asked first, but the ground was breaking apart and I was afraid that someone might be thrown." Her eyes glanced toward the cracked earth, from where Nyx had appeared. Somewhere to her right, lay her sword, which had fallen during the "earthquake" as she would call it. As she stared at the crack, Coral wondered if anyone else would come out of the earth. She hoped not.

Eric's eyes widened as he watched first Nyx herself, and then Cassandra the Oracle, speak dire tidings. Heavy stuff. He wasn't sure he caught everything, the poetic phrasing and the sheer craziness of the moment breaking his concentration. But from what it sounded like, the 5 of them were in a mess. A serious mess.
Why they should be responsible to see this Hypnos returned safely was beyond him, especially given that there were adults, or even just older demi-gods. Eric was 14. What could a prophecy possibly want with him?

The ground stopped shaking, and Reo asked him to let go. He did, as well as letting go of Coral.
He smiled down at Jason, who had grabbed onto him in the chaos. That was fine with him, since it meant everybody had come out ok. Mostly, anyway.
He un-anchored his legs, shaking the dirt off his boots, and looked around. Surely more people than just them had heard or seen or felt that.

Reo moves away from the group slightly, deciding that, at the moment, his life was more important than a prophecy. Especially if he was a part of said prophecy. He slowly sits down, pulling the leg of his pants up. He lets out a slow sigh as nothing appears. When he reaches his calf, he finally bites his lip. There was a bruise forming on the back of his leg. Nothing too serious, but still.

He sighs, looking up at Coral, “I have a condition called Hemophilia B. Meaning my blood doesn’t clot. . . Anyone have any spare cloth? I kinda need to stop the blood from this cut.” He motions to his arm, in which still had blood dripping from it.