TOP!

Top!

Also what if Persephone has gone missing or something? Someone took her and hid her in the labyrinth? Maybe Demeter is threatening to give the mortals eternal famine - or more interestingly, an eternal summer that will last generations and turn the earth into a desert - if she doesn't get her daughter back. Just throwing that out there *flings plot bunny itno void*

*sits down to wait and eats pie* 

Kaya~

Everything had quieted down. Kaya went back to her cabin and talked to Morgan. "What do you think that was all about?" Morgan shrugged. "There shouldn't be monsters here. I'm concerned." Kaya nodded. "Me too." They chatted for a while longer, then Kaya went back outside. She saw the Apollo cabin running around. "What's going on?" She asked. "Moxy's missing!" Oh no, she thought. Running into the forest, she went where the flag used to be. "Maybe she went to go check on it?" She asked herself. But Moxy wasn't there.

Lore~

Huh, the grass looks dry. I bend down and examine the yellowy blades. Strange, why is it like this in the middle of summer?

I've been a hunter for a long time, so the wilderness is my home. And something is definitely off with nature right now. Before I can investigate any further, an Athena girl rushes up to the group, clearly distressed. 

"Has anyone seen Moxi?" she asked. Judging from the silence, nobody had. "I checked the forest, and I didn't see her." 

"Hey, don't worry sweetie. She's probably around somewhere!" LaBelle cooed in a patronizing tone with a hint of Aphrodite charm. Kaya ignored him. I like her. 

"We have to find her!" she insisted.

"What's going on here?" Chiron, the camp leader trotted over, a referee whistle still hanging around his neck. 

"We have a missing camper," Kaya informed him. "Moxy Li." 

"Oh dear. Let's get a search party together. I'm sure Lietenant Lee and the Hunters will assist us with their tracking skills—" 

There's a gasp from a young camper. "Look!" He points to the big house. There's some strange smoke billowing from the attic. 

"The Oracle!" 

<3 Fidelity 

Kyu~~

"The Oracle!" A camper shouts, pointing at the smoke rising from the large house. Kyu vaguely remembered someone talking about the Oracle earlier, though she couldn't remember if they'd said anything important about it. Almost instantly, there was a cacophony of noise as all of the campers began to speculate and theorize about what was going on.

"Quiet!" Chiron said, his voice strong though not cruel. All of the campers clearly respected him greatly as each and every one of them fell silent. "I know you all must be feeling worried right now, but we can't panic. We'll go listen to what the Oracle has to say first--perhaps the spirit of Delphi knows a thing or two about our situation."

The campers assented to this, as did the Hunters. The group made their way into the cabin. Kyu felt her worries slip away, letting room for curiosity. She knew that an Oracle was some kind of prophet, though she'd never laid eyes on one.

The Oracle itself was not what she expected it to be, though it was fascinating nonetheless. It was an old, dried-up corpse-like being, sitting in a chair, somehow upright. There had been a cloth that covered its face, though that had fallen to the floor, revealing empty eye sockets that glowed an unearthly green. Kyu felt as if the glowing-eyes bored beyond her soul. She shivered.

"You will find the lost child of light

And through the Labyrinth you shall fight,

Until eventually you find the answers you seek,

Shall you help the goddess who is weak.

Those with marks shall stay behind,

And the puppetmaster they shall find,

For Spring is not the only one lost,

And there is more than one reason for the eternal frost."

The light in the Oracle's eye sockets faded, and they slumped over, now silent. 

"So, I guess anyone can go search for Moxy?" Someone said. Chiron opened his mouth to answer, but there was suddenly a shout from Shane.

"What's wrong, LaBelle?" A Hunter asked in a mocking tone. Kyu turned to see what was going on. Shane had his arm held out, and there seemed to be a red-hot marking on his wrist.

It was a dove.

~~~

Let me know if this isn't ok.  Anyone else can be 'marked'. I figured they would be marked with symbols of their godly parents?

As for the plot, I went with Persephone being trapped in the Labyrinth, and Demeter causing an 'eternal frost'. However, I also thought it would be interesting if there was more than one god missing, and more than one person casuing the eternal winter? And the 'puppetmaster' is just whoever is behind it all. 

Nadia

After the oracle has spoken, I can't stop thinking about the cavern I found in the woods. Sure, weird stuff pops up around camp all the time, but the hole really did seem connected somehow. 

Anyway, I'm glad that I haven't been "marked," because I just have to investigate. 

That night, I sneak out of the Hecate cabin (which isn't hard, because I'm the only one in it) and head towards the cavern. I bring my staff, because something tells me I'm going to need it.

When I arrive, though, the cavern is gone. In its place is a huge stone statue, though what it forms I can't tell. I groan. I didn't come all the way for nothing, especially since it's started growing colder. I shiver and hug my arms around myself. It's the middle of summer in New York; why is it cold?

Anyway, opening the stone is easy, if you know the right incantations. It slides aside and I notice a ladder descending into the darkness. It's practically begging me to descend, but I resist. Every part of me wants to run down into the cave, but if I've learned anything at Camp Halfblood, it's that this kind of thing is usually not a good idea. You could get killed, or worse. I resolve to come back in the morning with whoever else hasn't been marked.

Oliver

"Hmph," the creature says.

I'm still standing at the edge of the pool. A mer-human just emerged from the water, looking grouchy.

"First Poseidon goes koo-koo and tells us to dry up all the water," they say, "and then he sends me out to do all of the fresh water! I hate fresh water! It's so cold. And gross." The merperson sticks their tongue out at the pool. "I'm almost glad to dry it up."

Finally my voice starts working. "W-what? You can't dry up my pool! You can't! And what do you mean, Poseidon wanted you to--"

But the merperson doesn't seem to have heard. "Well, better get to it," they grumble. After a few confusing arm waves, the water from the pool and the stream seem to be sinking into the ground. 

"No!" I cry. "Please stop!"

"No can do," the merperson says. "I've got specific orders from the big boss not to listen to puny mortals. Well, that's this one gone," they add as the last drops sink into the dry ground. "Better move on, I don't have all day. Adios, mortal!" They disappear.

Ignoring the fact that that's the third time this week a non-Spanish-speaking person has said "adios" to me, specifically, I kneel next to the pool. The ground is dry and cracked, as if water has never touched the ground here. I have a sinking feeling as I rush back to camp.

Let's keep this going! O_O

TOP TOP TOP!

I'm not done with this story by any means, I'm going to post Kai's perspective on Saturday. I would do it tonight but I'm really tired and tomorrow promises to be pretty busy.

so TOP TOP for now!

Maylin

~~

Maylin rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, glancing at the dark silhouette on her forearm (she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under under her orange Camp Half-blood one). The shape of an anvil glared back at her. She hadn't told anyone about the mark... yet. Maylin quickly covered it up before anyone could notice. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, only that it depicted the symbol of Hephaestus, her father.

Something suddenly caught her eye. It was a boy rushing towards camp. As he approached, Maylin recognised his dark hair and glasses. It was Oliver.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the concerned look on his face.

He hesitated, "Poseidon has made orders to dry up all the water."

"What!!" Maylin couldn't help the outbirst. "But... but why? That's just... crazy." 

Oliver nodded.

In the scilence, Maylin's eyes wandered back to the forest. Something told her that Moxi's disappearance and the dryed up water were somehow connected. 

~~

I hope I didn't control Oliver too much.