~Adeline~

It’s time for duelling practice, Chiron paired me with Eliza today. I’m early, of course, and try to smile at her as she arrives in the arena. I know that she hates me because I wear makeup, so it’s harder than usual to stay positive. Nonetheless, I greet her ask her how her day was, Eliza rolling her eyes in response. She’s the youngest in her cabin, so I kind of feel sorry for her.

We spar for a bit, our skill levels about equal even though I’m older than her. As soon as we’re allowed to leave, she dashes off to Mila at the archery place. She obviously didn’t enjoy that, because not only does she hate me, but she hates fighting. I don’t understand how people frown so much! My mantra is, “A smile is the best makeup.” It really is! It makes you so much prettier. Some people are ugly, simply because they are pessimists. That’s why I don’t think Drew is pretty. Positivity is beautiful.

~Jasper~

It’s so nice hanging out with Will. He was the first person who really understood me, who gets me. He also happens to be my only friend, so I don’t have much of a choice, but he’s like family to me, much better than my parents who disowned me. I have had two real friends over the span of my life: Will Solace and Magnus Chase. I wonder where Magnus is now, I hope he’s still alive.

Will and I are walking around the boundary, nothing too exciting. It’s just fun talking with him. Eliza is running off to Zeus’s cabin (she’s an Athena kid, so I have no clue why), and her sister Sophia looks scared for some reason, heading for her own cabin.

Soon, though, I can see why.

Four kids arrive, crossing the border. They must be demigods, but they look so creepy! Terror, pain, malice, and anger seem to surround them. Their hair is black like the pits of Tartarus, and their eyes are the creepiest shade of blue . . .  

Soleil~

"And then what?"
I say it aloud, like I find myself doing a lot when I write poetry. There's never anyone to hear me out in the woods, and I see no reason to not speak. It helps me hear my thoughts from a new angle, one I couldn't see inside my head.

I twirl my pen in my fingers, trying to think of the next line to set in stone. I'm writing about roots today: the big, stairlike ones that haunt the center of the woods. I love marking things like those on my map, natural anomalies that I can't help but marvel at. It makes my maps different, something out of the pack, and isn't that what cartographers want to do? Only the best, after all.

As I stare blankly into space, something shifts in the darkness, and I stand immediately. This isn't the first time I've been accosted by a monster in the forest. Usually I run; one time I had to stab the creature with the tip of my pen, which totally trashed it-- and made the monster desintegrate. 

But what appears isn't a monster-- or not one I've ever heard of. There are four of them, actually, and they're . . . terrifying. Their hair seems to blend in with the shadows, while their blue eyes seem to be illuminated. I back away, breaking a branch, but they don't even blink, marching mechanically.

Wait-- they're going towards the camp!

I panic, almost dropping my stuff, and start sprinting off. They're not taking the fastest route, thankfully, and I can probably beat them there.

Bursting out of the woods, I glance around for someone who can help me. There aren't many people wandering around the cabins right now, though; they're all training. I keep running, hunting for someone, anyone--

There! A very familiar lock of blond hair. I run up to Will Solace, panting, only to see I'm too late.

"Sol," he mutters, "stay behind me."

"Will--" I start, but he shakes his head firmly. I realize there's another kid, too; I know him, he's a son of Hermes, I think. "Will, I saw them in the woods. They weren't-- like they are now."

Which is true. Before, they were walking methodically, mechanically, like wind-up toys. Now, they walk in a more human fashion, at different paces and speeds. "They're acting more-- real. But they weren't like that. They were-- not even sentient?" I blush. Everything's coming out all wrong. Will makes me nervous, honestly. Not only does he hang out (well, it's not just hanging out, I remind myself) with Death Boy Nico, he can be strict when he wants to. Like yesterday.

"You were in the woods? Again?" Of course, he totally misses the point.

"Will!" 

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Jasper, I think I see Tay over there. Could you tell her to get Chiron and say the new kids have arrived?"

Jasper. So that's his name. I watch him hurry off and talk to the Tyche cabin's head councelor. She nods and starts running towards the Big House, not too worried, surprisingly.

"All right, you two, stay back. I'm going to go talk to them, and if there's any trouble--"
Oh, I'd like to split right now. He doesn't even have to finish the thought. Jasper looks differently, though, and I worry I'll seem like a coward to him. I don't know many people, so the people I do know, I'd like to have a good impression on.

_____

Mei, if you'd like to edit anything, that's okay. I didn't give Jasper any lines so I wouldn't mistreat his character, but if you think he'd speak at some point, I'm cool with that.

Sorry for any mistakes-- I have to sleep now and don't have time to read this over.

~Jasper~

I rush off. “Tay!” I call. “Can you get Chiron?” A bit of fear creeps into my voice.

“Why?”

“Um . . . There are new demigods.”

“Oh, how scary! What a fright!”

I grit my teeth. I HATE sarcasm! “Can you go get Chiron?” I repeat.

Smiling, she nods and runs off. I walk back to Soliel and Will, shaking my head.

“Alright, you two, stay back. I'm going to go talk to them, and if there's any trouble, I’ll tell you guys. Okay?”

I nod, and Sol looks anxious, twirling a pen in his hand. I'm pretty worried, too, but I’ve seen things like this before. There are scary people everywhere when you live on the streets!

We watch as Will walks over to them, Chiron trotting into the scene. Chiron says something to them, and they shake their heads. I suppress a sigh, Chiron probably welcomed them and wanted to show them the orientation video. They probably know all about Greek mythology, there's no need for a video.

Are they . . . being sent to the Hermes cabin?!

“Why, why do all unclaimed demigods go to Hermes?” I whisper. Sol shrugs,  but I can see he feels pity.

“Are they even demigods? They look like they come from Hades!

I nod. “They look like acid--” I break off. No one needs to know that.

Sol looks at me strangely but doesn't say anything. Really, Jasper? Just when a feeling of rapport was building, you ruin it!

“Will said to stay back, but I think we should go to our cabins.”

“Are you sure?”

“There's nothing else to do. And of course I’ll delay returning there and procrastinate as much as possible. Bye!”

Miladina~

I sigh as the sun warms my face. I am currently sprawled at the intersection of two thick branches and the trunk, high up in an oak tree that's is located in a clearing a few hundred yards past the stream. This is definitely my favourite way to unwind after a hard training session. Closing my eyes, I focus on the noises of the forest around me. A mourning dove's cry sounds from somewhere to my left. Softly, I echo its call. Dooo dah doo, doo, doo. The morning dove is definitely my favourite bird in this forest.

The mourning dove

Its call so sweet

Drawing us

From peaceful sleep

I open my mouth to continue my spontaneous poetry but fall silent as I hear footsteps pounding against the forest floor. Shifting my position so that my stomach is against the branch, rather than my back, I look down through the branches to see my half brother, Sol, racing through the forest with a look of panic on his face. I wonder what's wrong, briefly, but then decide it's not my business. Groaning in contentment, I let my limbs hang over the side of the branch and lay my cheek against the warm, worn wood. I feel rather like a lynx at this moment, bathing in the late afternoon sun. The thought makes me smile. I used to have a small stuffed lynx toy, which was one of my dearest possessions.

My eyes begin to droop shut as the sun's rays gently relax my muscles. Then, the snap of a branch and lock of night black hair have my sitting bolt upright. Carefully, I drop a couple of branches to get a better look at who the strange, dark aura is emanating from. I see a foursome, likely siblings, picking their way through the forest. Two girls. Two boys. All seem to have a feeling of someone who has lost a person they care for coming from them. I would know. I have felt all of these emotions before. Sadness. Despair. Grief. Betrayal. Regret. Without warning, one of the boys looks directly up at me. My breath catches in my throat as deep, vibrant indigo eyes meet my bright turquoise ones. He blinks up at me. Once. Twice. Then, he breaks my stare and continues walking with his siblings. I wish my one sibling was still alive. Oh, Veranika. Why must the world have been so cruel as to tear us apart? Why couldn't the satyrs come in time to save us both from the monsters?

My thoughts are broken by Will's voice calling my name. Of course he would know where to find me. I've disappeared enough times for him to know where to come looking for me when it happens. With a sigh of disappointment, I slip downwards through the branches of the tree, landing with a soft crunch in the leaves at the bottom of the tree.

"I'm here," I call in response.

A moment later, Will strides into the clearing.

"New campers have arrived," he tells me. Straight to the point.

"Oh? You mean those darkly dressed ones who probably just lost a family member?"

"What?"

"The ones with violet eyes and darkly dressed clothes," I explain.

"No, I'm confused about how you saw them. They exited from a completely different part of the forest."

"They came through this clearing," I state.

"They couldn't have," he shoots back.

"But they did," I sweep past him and begin the walk back to the cabins.

I hear him let out a frustrated sigh, but he follows me in silence.

When we exit the forest, I see several people huddled in a group. As I near, I realize they are all discussing the new campers.

________-

I've got to go! Sorry for the boring place to finish, but I don't want to risk everything getting deleted, so... Bye!

A short post to keep this moving.

By the way, I posted this in CaC as well, but I'll be in Ireland until the 18th and probably won't be able to contribute to any RPs.

Sol~

I say good-bye to Jasper, but then hesitate. I can feel a heat building up in me, a sort of excitement, as I catch sight of the 'campers' once again. I know this feeling, though it's only happened once or twice before.

As if in a dream, I pause where I am and reach for my notebook and pen. The feeling is rising; I can feel my heart beating in my ears. I flip to a fresh page and my hand begins to write.

I describe everything I know about those campers. Their mechanical way of walking, their pitch-black hair, their purple eyes, the way light seems to bend around them and the aura of malice they leave in their wake.

I'm flipping the page unconsciously and suddenly I stop listing and transfer to something different. The words flow; they're not forced or choppy. I'm only half-aware of even thinking of them. And suddenly, it's all over, and I have a page's worth of poetry in my hands.

I smile. It's raw, unedited, but beautiful. I love it. This is really my Apollo power; Mom called it "spontaneus poetry." I read over it, shuddering a bit beacause - I admit - it's terrifying, just like these creatures.

I'm proud until I realize that I'm still standing exactly where I was, and Jasper's still beside me.

__
Do I ship them? Yes. Yes, I do.