[img]https://i.imgur.com/2kXbvW7.jpeg[/img] [hr] [center][color=#808000]#808000[/color] ~ Cabin[/center] [hr] Always the early riser, even in winter, Heath had gotten up at 6 am sharp. He put on thick winter wear in order to chop wood for him and his sister since they both had fireplaces. Plus it was a past time of his back home in Scotland. He never fully admitted it, but the snow reminded him of that place. Summers were very short up there, so he was used to colder weather than warm. Ethan was the one who didn't like the cold weather since he grew up in the US South. Heath found himself thinking about Ethan a lot, ever since he left camp. He still remembered when Ethan came to him not long after the Pandora's box incident saying he was going to leave. It shocked him a lot, but Ethan gave him valid reasons. Biggest being his only reason for coming to the camp was to help Iliana. However Iliana didn't need his help anymore. Plus, he felt he was't ready to pick up the mantle of being Hestia's son and wanted to go back to his normal life. Heath couldn't fault him for that. At least he stayed and helped with rebuilding things since that was one of his specialties. He left about a few months ago. Heath couldn't say the same for others. Liam left without warning and Cherise did the same thing. He couldn't help but feel disappointed in both. Iliana had been hurt by Cherise's departure but try not to let it get to her since Rae was one of the loses of the incident, and Heath knew those two were friends. As Heath chopped wood, he thought about that night itself. So much happened. Heath was one of the lucky ones with minimal injuries, so he was able to help out with reconstruction earlier that most. Security was a top priority, so when Andy took charge of that, he was 100% behind her in that regard and tried offering advice and help where he could. While good things happened during that time, the fact that no word had come from their parents had been unsettling. Still Heath would be patient. Maybe this was another test, to see how they would handle the fall out of a catastrophe? Also, his relationship with Iliana had changed too. Her voice was fully back, but she had been wanting to do things on her own more and more. That was a good thing, right? That's what his mind said, but his heart was another matter. He gotten so used to being her protector, and now that she remembered the two most traumatic events in her life, he wanted to be there for her more than ever, but she wouldn't let him. It left him conflicted and without Ethan there, he really didn't have anyone to confide too. He felt he shouldn't complain though, since the camp was more important than his own personal feelings. Finishing his chore, he carried over some wood to Iliana's house, which was a bit of a chore because of the snow, but Heath was used to it. It snowed a lot more in Scotland for in the past it was called the Highlands, and the snow was thicker and deeper at times. He placed the wood in a basket on Iliana's porch. Glancing he saw her silhouette in the greenhouse next to her cabin. One major change was they didn't share a cabin anymore since Iliana wanted her own space. Ethan had personally built her and Heath's first, including Iliana's greenhouse. He knew better to not disturb her when she was in the middle of her gardening, so let her be. He headed back to his own cabin and takes a shower to get ready for the day. It was almost 8 am when he headed for the Main Hall to get some breakfast. It was rare for any camper to be here this early, so he ate his breakfast in silence. Finishing, he started heading back to his cabin to get some writing done. He had no idea what to do today since they had just finished rebuilding the camp. Once inside and taking off his thicker clothing, he went to his room, pulled out his laptop and started typing. He was so deep into his typing that Andy's announcement caught him off guard, which was rare since he knew she always made 9 am announcements. [color=#bd1664]"Good morning, campers. It is currently 9 a.m., on December 31st, New Year’s Eve. It’s currently 15 degrees Fahrenheit, -9.4 degrees Celsius, and snowing. So be sure to wear your boots and winter coats when you leave your cabins today."[/color] Heath couldn't help but chuckle at that. The weather announcement part was always too late for someone like him since he normally woke up earlier than 9. Still it was nice of Andy to mention it anyway. Andy's next words definitely caught him off guard though. [color=#bd1664]"There was a note left at the main office for me to find… from the Gods. Exciting news, new demigods are expected to join us today. The note also mentioned a new leader and, quote, a rigorous training regimen. So, today will be the last day of these daily announcements… at least from me."[/color] Heath caught the sigh in between. She didn't sound too happy, especially when she said, "exciting". So the gods were getting back involved and sending more campers too. Heath didn't know what to expect, but he can't say he's surprised. He just hoped whoever showed up would help rather than hinder. Camp had enough drama between certain campers in the past. Still he would do what was needed to help maintain order. Heath's thoughts were interrupted when Andy made one more announcement. [color=#bd1664]"And last, but not least, tonight at sundown on the Activities Field we will be having a New Year’s Eve celebration. So, I’ll be seeing you, and the new campers there."[/color] A party huh? Heath wasn't much of a party person, but he would see if Andy needed help setting things up. For now, he would finish his writing. [hr] [img]https://i.imgur.com/sk2CPzp.jpeg[/img] [hr] [center][color=#4A766E]#4A766E[/color] ~ Main Hall[/center] [hr] [i]There was blood everywhere. On her clothes and on her hands. She killed them, killed them all with her own hands. The horrible man who dared hurt her daddy and the man in a white coat that did things to her. The little girl cried for her mother, but no voice came forth. That's right, her voice was gone. She destroyed it with her own power. She had to keep her brother safe. They couldn't get to him or others like her. Suddenly the earth shook and the ground open up, as she fell through it. Crying she accepted her fate.[/i] Iliana woke up with a scream. Her heart was raging as it snowed outside. It was pitch black in her room as she took stock of her surroundings and remembered. She was safe. Plus she had her voice back too, all thanks to Apollo and someone else. She still didn't know how she managed to start talking again. Apollo had told her and her mother that her vocal cords were fixed, but she still couldn't speak until recently when she was able to introduce herself to a new camper at the time. Looking at her digital clock she saw it was 3 am in the morning. While the nightmares were becoming infrequent, they still scared her. This one was a blend of two real life events that she recently remembered because of the trials the gods made them go through. Iliana had killed a man as a child when she saw her father get killed right in front of her in their home. And then at college someone saw her using her powers and she got kidnapped and tortured, during the process she did try getting free and did attack the main scientist behind her abduction, but she never killed him. She did destroy her voice though to keep quiet. Thinking about it, Iliana might have gone insane briefly. Her mother had saved her, along with Athena and Hermes. She wouldn't have to worry about being hunted down either. Still, Iliana hated what she had done and become. She didn't want to be a monster. So she won't. Still feeling tired, Iliana found herself going back to sleep. It was a little past 6:30 am when Iliana woke up again. Stretching, she slowly got out of bed and automatically put on her gardening gear. Seeing that it was still snowing, she put on her winter wear also. She was really glad she decided to have a greenhouse. Thinking about it made her think of Ethan. She was really grateful for all that he did. She never questioned his decisions to leave, but she could feel the effects his leaving did on Heath. Her brother might be good at concealing his emotions, but not from her. He really missed him and seemed want to be closer to her. However in Iliana's mind, until she got full control of her emotions and powers, she didn't want to be too close to him. Plus, she really didn't want to rely on him as much too. After all, she had her own life to live and was starting to feel like this was the place where she belonged. Even though she lived in Scotland most of her life and Heath's family was amazing, it never felt like home to her. She wondered if it's because she still remembered her life before her father died. He had been her home. Before going to her greenhouse, she grabs an apple to snack on. Once inside her greenhouse, she got to work. Gardening was one thing that always brought her piece of mind. After she fully recovered from her own wounds from the Pandora's Box event, with no healers at the camp, Iliana came up with the idea to try and make healing remedies, like she once tried doing for Andy. The greenhouse Ethan created was not big, but it was big enough for her have a work station and several rows of flora needed for healing purposes. But most of the things she still grew were crops for the Main Hall. Oh, the camp grew their own goods, but Iliana enjoyed contributing her own crops. But the time she was done, she checked her watch and saw it was almost 9 am and her stomach growled when she did. Definitely time to stop. Normally she tried to get things done earlier, but she had extra things she wanted to work on. Going back to her cabin, she was about to take a shower when Andy's announcement came on. She listened and her eyes widen a bit about new campers and training. She wondered who'd be showing up. The party that Andy mentioned was something Iliana didn't know how to feel about. Best not to worry about it right now. Taking a shower, she gets dressed and decides to take the fresh crops she just harvested to the main hall and then get her breakfast. She also remembered to get the wood that her brother left for her outside. Making she is wearing the pendant her mom got made for her that helped her with her emotions, she went outside, grabbed the crops in her wicker basket, and headed for the main hall. Once there, she drops off her goods before going to the front and grabbed some food to eat.