[center][h1][color=DarkCyan]Erin Marie Chase[/color], [color=004b80]Jericho Brooks[/color] and [color=00a651]Calista Celena Eden[/color][/h1]
[h2]Hades Cabin ~ Camp Half-Blood[/h2][/center]

Jericho's eyebrows shot up as Calista's hand had turned the knob and then proceeded to march through the threshold into Erin's cabin. Obviously the daughter of Hades' reputation for being a raging biotch hadn't preceded her for this camper. In fact, before the incident at the lake, he'd never met Calista. It seemed her track record so far was quite abysmal. Stepping in himself, he moved past Calista and strode into the room confidently. If this was the precursor to his own conversation with Erin, he took heart in the sheer amount of awesome his second gift was. If that wouldn't mollify the she-devil within, he wasn't sure what could. Especially since after he tirade, it seemed she was in rare form indeed.

He had crossed over to Erin, taking Salem with caring hands, letting the feline rest along his strong forearm even as he stroked him from head to down his spine. He knew that Salem loved this and was glad when he responded in kind, a throaty purr vibrating through his arm that served as the cat's bed at the moment. [i]"So how've you been old friend? I trust that you've taken good care of your human?"[/i] Jericho mentally asked the cat. Salem had been the first animal he'd realized he could speak with telepathically, a gift from his patron, Artemis. He had casually strolled back to the couch, about to sit, when Calista made a remark about sacrificing him, even casually referring to him as 'this one' when she damn well knew his name. He bristled immediately, but calmed quickly when he felt Salem grow discontent. 

"This one," Jericho said pointedly, reminding her of the casual flippancy Calista had afforded him, "does not dig that one. Although I certainly have plans for that one." This was directed at Erin, with a sly sideways look and a shit-eating grin. Erin never knew what it was that he'd always hinted at, but something told the hunter that this was the year his subtle suggestions and prodding would finally produce some results. Hence, his desire for her to attend the party. At the mention of a crush, Jericho's ears perked, but not out of self-interest. He'd always felt that matters of the heart were something that Erin avoided like the plague. Jericho had long since pieced together this aversion and the curious circumstances of her arrival at camp. He'd never bothered to ask Grif or Colt about it, knowing the two would never betray Erin's trust. The silver haired young man figured his friend would come clean about it all when she was good and ready. [i]"This one is walking right into the snake pit, wouldn't you agree?"[/i] Jericho put to Salem silently.

What in the name of Zeus was wrong with people… they were either stupid, or had some sort of death wish; but either way it didn’t seem like they were going to be leaving her alone on their own accord anytime soon. Maybe it was both; and more. Erin couldn’t help the disgusted sneer that flickered across her features as she watched Jericho proudly and arrogantly stalked his way into her cabin, her arms tightening slightly around the feline she held within them before finally she gave up, letting him take Salem into his own arms so that the two of them could do whatever it was that they did- she could deal with kicking his ass out of the cabin later; first she had to deal with cupids younger and rather bold sister… She had moxy; barging into deaths den and demanding the attention she thought she deserved… and her words- she could only hope the girl had enough guts to follow through with them.

[i]”After everything that you’ve heard; do you really think I need to look after her..?”[/i] Closing his bright eyes as he shook his fur out of any dust and grime that may have collected in his coat during his time indoors, Salem lightly pawed at Jericho’s arm a couple of times before once more settling back down against his chest, [i]”She’s in one of her infamous ‘screw you’ moods tonight- I heard her getting into it with someone earlier. I didn’t recognize the voice, so I’d say you have a new camper. She calls him thunder-thighs and cousin. All I can say- good luck.”[/i]

“A sacrifice..? Big words for such a little girl; if I agree, you better be willing to go through with it… however, I wouldn’t bother if I were you- I’ve already tried. You see; Jericho is like a cockroach… no matter how hard you hit him, or try and be rid of him from your life; he always finds a way back.” Tearing her dark gaze away from the red head so that she was instead looking at where Jericho stood affectionately petting her cat, Erin's expression seemed to soften just the tiniest amount, a small though almost caring smile playing over her lips for a few moments as she continued to watch on, wondering just what it was that he and Salem were speaking of- the fact that he could communicate with her beloved pet was something that both intrigued her and frightened her all at once; not that she would ever let on to that piece of knowledge… but all the things she had told him, all the things that cat had heard and seen…

Though the moment of happiness and calm, no matter how small a moment it had been was quick to pass; the smile she had held quickly disappearing as Erin’s normal frown once more returned to her features, her brows furrowing together as the red heads next lot of words hit her ears. She didn’t want her to judge her based on her parentage… yet that was exactly what she herself was doing. Responsibility around camp, opportunity comes knocking- did she think that she was popular among all the other campers too..? So this was what everyone thought about children of the big three, “If you’re trying not to be judged, I’ll tell you that you’re making it incredibly hard when you say things like that. Making assumptions about me, just because I’m a child of Hades… tsk, tsk, tsk. And I thought the night was going oh so well…”

Unable to help the roll of her eyes as she heard mention to not only the apparent look she was sporting, but also to the plans that Jericho seemed to have lined up for her, Erin shook her head lightly from side to side as she turned her back to the both of them, allowing her feet to carry her across the hall and into her room; the daughter of Hades not even bothering to close the door behind her as she headed over to the wardrobe. What was the point in fighting with Jericho? They would spend the next half an hour of so arguing with one another, until eventually, she gave in to his demands. It happened every single time he wanted her to go out- she had no choice or say; and if it got him to shut up, then that was just a bonus, “I don’t dress for anyone other than myself. Guys are a waste of time, and a waste of space; not to mention complete Neanderthals-…”

At the mention of experiencing a crush at some stage within her life, Erin seemed to freeze completely on the spot as thought after thought began to flood her mind of the love she once believed she had- she had been wrong… she had been so wrong… Swallowing back the lump that seemed to have risen within her throat, she did all that she could to once more get herself to move, her hands coming up to help strip herself of her clothes in a hurried fashion before she jerked open her wardrobe door; her dark eyes scanning the contents before she reached in and ripped a dress from its hanger, pulling it on over her black lace undergarments before she went searching for her heels. Her love life was the last thing she wanted to discuss, especially with a nosy pain from the Aphrodite cabin, “..so what if I have? It has nothing to do with anything discussed here tonight.”

[i]”More like lions den…”[/i] Lifting his head up from where it had been resting against Jericho’s chest, Salem once again opened his eyes so that he could keep an eye on what was going on in front of them, [i]”Red alert my friend… this is not a topic that she likes to talk about…”[/i]

Before Calista could continue, she noticed something in Erin’s eyes a flicker of a memory. Calista typically couldn’t read memories unless they were so heavily woven in love that it was the primary emotion in them. She also physically couldn’t control reading them, it was like you saw that glimmer of a memory and suddenly you knew everything, but only in paraphrasing and dot jots. It was difficult to explain, even to demigods. But there it was, Erin’s memory all laid out in front of Calista. Fleeting, beautiful yet ever-present and forever holding on to Erin. She saw a widening gap: her family and friends on one side, Erin barely hanging on to the other. A man was that gap, swallowing Erin up as she lost her grip. She saw a home that didn’t feel like home, and a man waiting there for her who felt like a prison guard. She saw effort, real effort to improve herself, torn down by the very same man. She saw blood, scabs, bruises, damages. She saw the night sky, the feeling of freedom. She saw the feeling turn to anxiety, fear. She saw Erin ask, no, beg to be taken away. She saw the Hades cabin, she saw a home that felt like home.

“Erin I—” Calista began, but she realized she was actually weeping. She wasn’t sniffling or anything like that, but tears were streaming out of her eyes uncontrollably. This is the kind of thing that happened when a child of Aphrodite had a memory open up to them. It completely shut them down, tired them out, sometimes it even physically harmed them. This one was bad, it was in fact downright painful. Calista took a deep breath quickly wiping her tears away attempting to not be seen, but more than likely failing.

“I’m so sorry my mom couldn’t – ” Calista attempted to start again before deciding against it. Instead she felt her knees weaken and begin to buckle and she slumped backwards against the door. The pain that Erin had experienced was unlike anything Calista had ever experienced in another person. It wasn’t unlike when her father passed away, however it was different. When Calista’s father passed away it was a terrible pain that dulled itself, but this was an active pain, still today.

Calista managed to stammer out a few words, but she wasn’t able to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled covering her face with an arm. She was shaking uncontrollably, it was absolutely horrendous. But she had training for this sort of thing. She forced herself to stand upon her shaky legs, wiping her face once more, though it did not stop the tears from streaming out still. “I’m sorry for acting like a bitch. Maybe we can talk sometime, about everything. I’ll talk to my mother.” Her voice was the only thing steady about her. She felt as if she was having a heart attack, or being poisoned. But with all this pain she felt, she just hoped she could conceal it well enough for Erin to not be embarrassed. The girl had suffered enough.

Jericho smirked at the cat's confidence in his master, rightfully earned. [i]"Of course not, but you know I always ask you to on my extended trips. You're one of her greatest comforts, my furry friend."[/i] He scratched at the corners of Salem's jaw, where every animal truly loved a little bit of love. [i]"Thunder-thighs and cousin? Sounds like what she'd call a son of Zeus... But I thought that there hadn't been any in years?"[/i] Truly confused, Jericho looked at the two girls, impressed as always by Erin's skill in tirades. When she called him a cockroach, he looked up in indignant offense, but a rare smile and an expression of affection softened the insult to know she didn't truly mean it. Sure, he annoyed her, but Jericho knew that she valued his continued friendship and venting her frustrations on him as a punching bag. 

It seemed that his plan to get her to the party was going to be easier than expected! Seeing her storm down the hallway, he settled Salem on one of the plush pillows on the couch instead of his laugh and jumped over the back of the couch excitedly. "Boo ya!" he iterated in glee, punching a fist into the air. Then he flushed deeply as Erin stripped to her undergarments rapidly. He turned on his heel, not seeing the slight pause in Erin at Calista's question as she selected a dress for the party. He did however, get prime real estate to the show that the daughter of Aphrodite then put on. At first, he thought something was attacking her, the way she reacted so violently to apparently nothing. Then she started weeping, for that was the only thing such intense sobbing could be called. There seemed to be no end as she called out to his friend in apology.

When she fell, Jericho reached out to support her, but at mention of her mother, the pieces began to fit together like a dead trail that led to fresh tracks. The absolute nerve of this new camper! To pry into the private affairs that Erin barely let a soul into like it was a B-list movie, free to stream on the internet! His concerned gaze turned to outrage and his hands of support was retracted as they balled into shaking fists. This was why Erin was the way she was. Someone had broken her along the way and the rage swelled past Calista, to the image of her bruised and battered form that first day Erin had arrived in camp... At that moment, the usually carefree and teasing Jericho had hardened into something very dark indeed and his slate eyes turned to near black. [i]"You're right Salem, as always.. I'm going to get this, this invader out of Erin's home!"[/i]

When he spoke, his voice was very much robotic, a cause of the strain it took to pitch his voice so low that Erin wouldn't notice. "Leave, Calista. Erin isn't the only one you should be worrying about." His hand seemed to stray to a worn sheath, where a simple pocket knife was held in a leather pouch, scarred and made smooth with age and use. Jericho had never felt the urge to kill another demigod, but with murder in his heart caused by the atrocities this mystery man had inflicted on his best friend, he didn't know what he was capable of. His hand closed around her wrist in an iron grip as he twisted the door knob and yanked the door partway open, the signal clear. "You had no right.. to come into her home or whatever it is that you saw. Leave!" This last word came out not as nearly human as he hoped, more of a menacing growl that even set Salem's hair on end. Never had the cat heard such a certainty of threat in the young man's voice, or him being angry, for that matter.

Pity… that’s all she heard in the daughter of Aphrodite’s voice. Something… she wasn’t sure what… but something had caused the red head to be able to slip into and get a grasp of her past life, and of the love she thought she had; the one that went so terribly wrong for her in the end. Love wasn’t a topic she was fond of- nine times out of ten going out of her way to avoid any conversation that went on about it when it came to her private life. There was no one that needed to know the inner workings of her love life; it was a mistake and in the past, and she was being damn careful to never let it happen again. Rolling her eyes at the blubbering apologies coming from the girl who was somewhere behind her, Erin reached out her hand so that it rested atop of the dresser closest to her, her body tilted to the side as she used her free hand to slip her heels one at a time onto her feet before she stood herself up tall once more; her hands dropping down to lightly tug at the hem of [url=http://1513f43de1df8b08e16c-d8d6213b156ba3a73e333057f5885fa8.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/1280-m74snbgacznkw7r9ykf4ywd18qk145wze8p7my1y.jpg]her dress[/url] as she made her way back over to the door, her gaze flicking lazily from one to the other though her expression said it all… she was done.

“..enough…” She didn’t want to hear anymore. Didn’t want to hear anymore pity… anymore apologies… anymore plans that would magically put the world straight once again... and the last thing she wanted was to sit down and talk about crap that this girl didn’t understand. It was pathetic enough that she was standing there, in her cabin, weeping like a two-year-old who had been scolded by their mother; what did she expect was going to happen? That if she brought up something she had no business knowing about, that the two of them would somehow form an automatic bond and become the best of friends? It wasn’t how the world worked, “You bring the bitch of love into my private life; and I promise that it will be the last thing that you ever do… You think that you know me now; that you can sympathize with the daughter of death, but the reality is, that you just walked into something you have no business being in.”

Not even bothering to wait for an answer from the girl in question, Erin pushed her way in between the both of them, taking a hold of the door only long enough for her to swing it open before she reached back behind her, her fingers wrapping gently though firmly around Jericho’s wrist as she began to tug him out into the fresh air, pausing only for a moment so that she could look back over her shoulder at the girl she left standing alone in the Hades cabin, “Stay out of my business, and out of my way. This conversation you think you want to have with me… it’s never going to happen. Now I need a drink, so we are going to leave. And when I get back, you better not be here; because I won’t show the same person mercy twice in one day.”