[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/U5vCM05.jpeg[/img] [sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=808080][color=c7b29b][b]#c7b29b[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/JcBxNzm][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=0a6d6b][b]#0a6d6b[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/SRkchHy][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]arena[/b][/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center] [indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Sylas’s gaze was trained on his sister the second she stepped out from beneath the stone archway, head down and watching every step she took in the usual timid, ‘pretend I don’t exist’ sort of way she floated through life. There was a brief second where she met his gaze. He wasn’t even able to flash her the type of smile that he knew would fester beneath her skin before she turned away, lowering herself onto the closest bench. [i]Disappointing.[/i] But before he pulled his attention from her solitary existence—that had honestly grown quite boring over the past three months—a pair of unfamiliar dark haired demigods stepped into the arena. There was a fraction of a second where he considered it to be no more than coincidence until the boy beelined straight for Sloane and sat down beside her, followed by the girl on his sister’s other side… [i]Interesting.[/i] His brows furrowed as he watched, [i]observed[/i] in a pensive silence. It could have been coincidence or some ulterior motive perchance, but then the boy stretched. It was one of those forced moves that was intended to look nonchalant, but failed miserably. Sylas wondered if it was one of those terrible rom com moments when he watched the guy’s arm brush Sloane, but instead of putting his arm around her shoulders his gaze drifted back over the heads of dozens of demigods until it locked on Sylas. He didn’t look away, didn’t back down, didn’t move. Sylas remained stoic and unchanging like a statue until the boy looked away, refocusing his attention on Sloane. [color=0a6d6b]"[i]Hmm,[/i]"[/color] he hummed to himself as he watched the trio, studying every movement and smile… and the way his sister remained rigid, focusing desperately on not looking back at him a second time. [color=86a8ad]"Good morning everyone."[/color] He sighed, turning his attention forward with some reluctance. Training wasn’t high on his list of priorities, but making sure he appeared competent and made a good first impression for the new campers was… somewhat important. He slowly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees in a way that mirrored a certain redhead… [i]unintentionally.[/i] [color=86a8ad]"If it wasn't already obvious, I am River, your new leader… And son of Poseidon, if that matters."[/color] Sylas snorted softly at the irony but otherwise remained silent. As he listened to River address them and talk about training, he couldn’t help but wonder about the fondness Anissa had for the man. From his perspective, this new leader seemed about as approachable as a puffer fish, but then again he wasn’t the one trying to fuck the man so perhaps his perspective was skewed or exceptionally [i]not[/i] biased. He did, however, get the smallest modicum of an ounce of respect from Sylas for running the course himself rather than hovering, dictating and blowing a damn whistle. Of course, new-leader-boy had to run the course to near perfection and at an impressive speed that even Sylas, in all of his arrogance, didn’t think he could best. [color=86a8ad]"You have 15 minutes to complete the course—"[/color] River addressed them all after his run, covering the last formalities of their training—[i]assessment[/i] before kicking everything off without a shred of pomp and circumstance. [color=86a8ad]"...First up is Sloane, Sylas, Nate, Maylisse and Andy…"[/color] [i]Fantastic.[/i] On the far edge of the arena, Sloane sat anxiously silent as she listened and watched with her hands tightly pinned between her knees to keep herself from bouncing her legs restlessly. She hated [i]all[/i] of this for several reasons, but when she heard the first group rattled off and [i]her[/i] name was the first to fall from River’s lips, she audibly scoffed in disbelief. Sure she wanted it done fast, but that didn’t mean she wanted to go [i]first.[/i] Disappearing somewhere in the middle was her speciality and that comfort was ripped out from under her. [color=c7b29b]"Fuck,"[/color] she grumbled under breath. [color=c7b29b]"[i]Seriously?[/i]"[/color] her voice pitched and face contorted like she was still coming to terms with all of it. Sloane groaned, pulling her elastic from her hair to re-fasten brown mane up into a tight messy bun while muttering curses and complaints beneath her breath. She reluctantly pushed off the bench and turned to face the twins. Her lips parted to offer them some sort of self deprecating parting words, but she was silenced by a subtle shift behind her that sent an involuntary chill down her back. Her head slowly turned in time to find Sylas slotting himself beside her, shoulder to shoulder, with his fake charm and effortless smile that slipped into place like a skilled actor playing the role he had been practicing his whole life. [color=0a6d6b]"New friends?"[/color] Sylas cocked his head to the side slightly, shifting his attention from Sloane to Katryna to Kacper. [color=0a6d6b]"I’m Sloane’s brother—and [i]twin[/i],"[/color] he added in a matter-of-fact kind of way he never did, both siblings often choosing to omit that little fact rather than bring light their [i]unusual[/i] relationship. But he wasn’t blind and he [i]definitely[/i] wasn’t stupid. The two before him were also twins. The easiest opening to a conversation was common ground and he needed an entrance to shoehorn his way in like an invasive species.[color=0a6d6b]"I’m Sylas,"[/color] he offered his name, a charming smile and his right hand extended in greeting toward Kacper in a silent challenge. Sloane’s blood ran cold and face somehow managed to grow paler than her already pale complexion. But where she looked like a ghost or faint, she still forced a smile that had more warmth than it had any reason to be, falling into her own practiced act of a loving sister… Even if that same warmth never touched her eyes like it had when she was laughing at diet black or comforted by the offer of chamomile tea. She faked a laugh that was eerily natural, but the inflection was different, maybe strained compared to her earlier weightless chuckles. She reached out, pushing Sylas’s hand away before Kacper had a chance to shake it. [color=c7b29b]"Оставь их в покое — Leave them alone."[/color] She effortlessly switched to Russian. Her tone was light and casual, like they could be having a conversation about the weather or she was secretly sharing her attraction to one of the twins without being brazen. [i]A farce.[/i] [color=0a6d6b]"Уже защищает? — Protective already?"[/color] Sylas taunted as he studied the pair before him. [color=0a6d6b]"Что это? — Which is it?"[/color] He mused, not seeking an answer but wishing to unravel it himself like a puzzle laid out before him. [color=0a6d6b]"Девушка? — The girl?"[/color] His gaze trailed over Katryna lazily, taking in her more timid nature and the way she hid beneath multiple coats in the warmth of the arena. [color=0a6d6b]"Я вижу сходство. — I can see the similarities."[/color] Then his attention shifted to Kacper, eyes narrowing a faint, almost imperceivable, amount as he studied the boy like he was sizing up a rival. [color=0a6d6b]"Или это мальчик? — Or is it [i]the boy?[/i]"[/color] His head tilted. [color=0a6d6b]"Хотите заполнить пустоту, Liam? Вы всегда притягивали к себе тех, кто сломан. — Looking to fill the hole Liam left behind? You did always attract the broken ones."[/color] Sloane went rigid, back straightening as her smile faltered for just a second. Her gaze focused on something in the distance rather than being able to bring herself to look at either one of them. The tips of her ears flushed but she did her best to act unaware as she forced another laugh. [color=c7b29b]"по крайней мере у меня есть друзья. — At least I [i]have[/i] friends."[/color] [color=0a6d6b]"ты? — [i]Do you?[/i]"[/color] Her eyes narrowed slightly but she said nothing. [color=0a6d6b]"Если бы вы открыли глаза и на мгновение подумали о ком-то другом, а не о себе, вы бы заметили, что сегодня утром трибуны совершенно пусты. — If you opened your eyes and thought of someone other than yourself for a moment, you’d notice the stands are quite [i]bare[/i] this morning."[/color] Sylas pointed generally toward the other demigods that lingered and chatted as they waited for their turn on the obstacle course. [color=0a6d6b]"Сколько теперь? Должно быть не меньше четырёх. — What [i]is[/i] the count now? It has to be at least four."[/color] Sloane’s eyes scanned the waiting campers, sifting through the pool of familiar and new faces alike. She was missing something, she knew it, but she didn’t want to give Sylas the satisfaction of asking. Each second that ticked by made her heart race as she tried to connect the dots. She almost caved until she noticed the stark absence of the one person she had been avoiding nearly as much as she avoided her brother… [i]Ace.[/i] Her eyes widened and she swallowed as her search became a bit more frantic. No Ace… No Anatoliy. No Elysium… [i]No Duke.[/i] Every single person that talked to her the day before… just… [i]gone.[/i] Her chest tightened as the panic churned and constricted. [color=0a6d6b]"Сколько времени пройдет, прежде чем эти маленькие вороны тоже улетят? — How long before these little ravens scurry off too?"[/color] She said nothing. Her gaze was fixated on an empty bench. Maybe if she stared and wished hard enough she could manifest them all… [color=0a6d6b]"В следующий раз, когда мне понадобится от кого-то избавиться, я просто попрошу этого человека подружиться с тобой... Ты стал весьма... эффективным. — The next time I need to be rid of someone, I’ll just have them befriend you... You’ve become quite… [i]efficent.[/i]"[/color] Sylas let out a hardy chuckle as he patted her on the shoulder like siblings sharing playful insults before turning their assessment into a friendly competition. [color=0a6d6b]"We’ll see who crosses the finish line first, [i]sis,[/i]"[/color] he added one final comment in English as if to cement their entire banter was about training and nothing more. He gave her one last pat then turned and made his way toward the starting line. Sloane did her best to never let her smile falter, even after he left… But she couldn’t bring herself to look at either of the twins. [color=c7b29b]"He’s just… [i]really[/i] competitive,"[/color] she attempted to make light of their conversation as she pushed the sleeves of her hoodie up her arms until the cuffs rested in the crooks of her elbows. [color=c7b29b]"I’ll uh… be back after I break an ankle or die."[/color] She tried to make one last joke at her own expense, but it fell flat as she turned from them and made her way toward the starting point of the course. As she approached the tires alongside Sylas, Andy and two others she didn’t know, Sloane quickly accepted her fate as the most likely to fail. She already knew what her brother and Andy were capable of, fully aware that there was no way she could even compare to them. As for the other two… well they looked competent if nothing else, which was already more than herself. She cleared her throat and readied herself best she could. Sylas, on the other hand, was unbothered by the newbies he didn’t care to get to know. The only competition he saw before him was Andy who readied herself on the far end of their line up. While this was an assessment and not a challenge, after Capture the Flag he had a growing [i]need[/i] to one up her. His arrogance blinded him and there was no way he’d let himself be out done by the daughter of Hecate twice. He readied himself and the moment they were told to go, he pushed himself with an added fury and determination. The entirety of the course he was hot on her trail. There was the occasional time where he inched head, if only because of the advantage his height gave him. But while he was physically fit and able to keep up fairly well, he wasn’t aware she was a military brat. So while he struggled at the first few seconds of every obstacle trying to find his rhythm and approach, Andy jumped into them effortlessly with a practiced confidence and speed. By the time they crossed the finish line he was about five seconds behind, cursing and kicking at the dirt once in frustration. Meanwhile, Sloane brought up the rear from the minute the time started. She wasn’t tripping and stumbling through the obstacles like a new born deer, but she lacked the finesse and speed of the others. The tires were the easiest obstacle probably for most people, but once she was faced with the daunting gauntlet of upper body strength dependent tasks… That’s where she started eating away at time. She tried to take a page out of River’s book and take the ascending log hurdles like stepping stones, so rather than jumping or mounting each one, she hopped to the top of the first one then bounced across them quickly. To her surprise that actually gained her some time in comparison to the others, but that didn’t last long. She wasn’t… abysmal at the low crawl. Sloane definitely wasn’t fast, but she pushed herself hard and was short, so she had a little more wiggle room for extra movement. The rope climb on the other hand… She made it to the top… [i]eventually.[/i] After half a minute of struggling and only getting a foot off the ground, River told her she could move on, but if there was one thing that was true about Sloane, she was determined. Her form was horrid but she did it, although she also suffered some minor rope burn on the way down as well. To her own surprise, she did moderately alright on the next handful of obstacles, crossing the bridge effortlessly, swinging on the rope with ease, running across the balance beams quickly before her clumsiness could fuck that up, and diving into the pool with a delicate poise. But after pulling herself out on the other side, tired and out of breath, she was faced with a ladder that looked like it was made for a giant. Her ascension was slow and precarious. She couldn’t steal River’s technique because… Well, she was fucking short. She had to pull herself up each rung one at a time like a kid climbing onto a counter, get to her feet and repeating. By the time she reached the top her palms were raw, her arms felt like noodles and her knees were shaky. Climbing back down proved to be the bigger challenge and two rungs from the bottom her grip was so weak that when her foot slipped and she fell to the ground with a thud that knocked the wind from her lungs. Sloane coughed and wheezed on the ground trying to catch her breath. If anyone attempted to come help her, she shoved their hands away, stubborn, determined… and so damn close to the end. She pushed off the ground when she could manage to move and ran at the last obstacle—well it was more of a sad jog at that point, but she tried. Giving it her best, she jumped but was a few feet short of the end and landed knee deep in the pool of water. Panting and drained of energy, she climbed out of the pool and crossed the finish line. The temptation to collapse right then and there on the ground was [i]high[/i] but she stayed on her feet, bracing her hands against her knees while trying to catch her breath. Her mind was buzzing so much from exhaustion that she didn’t even notice the way her clothes and hair went from drenched to bone dry in a blink. Once she managed to regain enough energy, Sloane trudged her way back to the stands. She briefly caught a glimpse of her brother already seated, looking at her with a smug smile and judgemental squint of his eyes. She didn’t have enough energy to pay him any mind as she half fell back into her seat between Katryna and Kacper. [color=c7b29b]"That—"[/color] she coughed, deep breaths still causing sharp pangs from her fall, knowing her back was going to be black and blue before the end of training. Her gaze fell to her hands, palms turned upwards showing the angry and torn open blisters that clung to her callous-less skin. [color=c7b29b]"—[i]sucked.[/i]"[/color] [sub][i][b]disclaimer :[/b] I do not speak or know Russian. This is google translate BS lol. Their actual words in English follow the Russian… I won’t make you all suffer to try and decipher that lol.[/i][/sub][/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent] [center][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] katryna & kacper [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] river, evelyn, anissa, andy, maylisse & nate [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] myself??[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]