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[color=808080][color=667c0c][b]#667c0c[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/LHEDwTO][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]arena[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Wes didn’t watch or notice as others wandered into the arena. His gaze remained fixed on his sneakers, tapping his feet against the ground to pass the time and numb his thoughts with the rhythmic beat: left, right, left, right. Minutes passed like hours while his thoughts tip-toed around the edge of replaying the night before and his conversation with Trinity. It was all that was on his mind. It kept him from sleeping… from eating. He felt more like a zombie, going through the motions like muscle memory absent thought. It was stupid… [i]He[/i] was being fucking stupid. 

[color=86a8ad]""Good morning everyone. If it wasn't already obvious, I am River, your new leader… And son of Poseidon, if that matters."[/color] Their new leader stepped forward, interrupting Wes’s thoughts from the slippery slope that circled something darker. [i]Thank the Gods.[/i] It was the one and only time he’d be thankful for training… Ironic. 

River continued on, rehashing the dumpster fire that had been camp: Ajax’s failure as a leader, Pandora’s box, the deaths. He even gave Andy some acknowledgement for her part in holding everything together when they had no leader and everyone was nursing deadly injuries. Somewhere in the middle, Wes zoned out taking in their new leader rather than listening to much of what he had to say. River definitely looked more formidable than Ajax, and didn’t seem to have a sister he’d bend the rules for, so bonus. He shared some bit of a resemblance with Nick, from what he could remember, but the previous son of Poseidon wasn’t at camp for long so he didn’t have much to compare him to. Either way, another demigod being sent there to lead them all boiled down to one thing, that the Gods were displeased and now their lives were going to be hell… Well, more hell than they were before. 

Wes tuned in at the mention of three assessments, what those were exactly, he didn’t know. But if he had to guess that meant three back to back days of training. [i]Wonderful.[/i] Andy’s announcement the day before warned them that the Gods’ note mentioned a rigorous training schedule, but damn. He didn’t realize he should be thankful that they were only training once a day, more than that and he might actually have to consider leaving camp. That sounded just… fucking horrible. He sucked in a sharp breath and ran his hand along his thigh as he watched River approach the obstacle course. 

He didn’t know what he expected, but by the look of half of the obstacles he was going to be in [i]trouble.[/i] He watched River run through it and even he didn’t make it look easy, which was concerning. While physical fitness was the [i]only[/i] strength Wes had going for him in a place like camp, he had one arm and half of the obstacles looked to rely heavily on upper body strength. If he had his bionic arm Duke made him still, or maybe even just the good ole fashion arm he was born with, he thought he could pass it well enough. There was no way he could hold a torch to someone like Trinity or Andy, but he could pass. But as the camp’s resident cripple? 

… This was going to be embarrassing.

He sighed and dragged his hand over his face. The one small boon that Wes was given was that he didn’t have to go first. While the small handful of campers made their way to the course, he stood up and started in the opposite direction, climbing higher up into the stands. He only stopped when he was behind every other camper and out of sight. Then to his own dismay, he started stretching extensively, focusing heavily on his arm first knowing it was going to have to carry the brunt of the strain and his body weight. Intermittently he switched to his legs with the thought that whatever time he loses due to upper body strength, he needs to make up for it on the others. There didn’t look to be many obstacles that solely relied on leg strength, so he was likely fucked regardless. But he was trying.

For the most part Wes didn’t pay much attention to the others running the course, knowing that watching them handle it better than he ever could would only psych him out. But when he heard Rae’s name called, his attention finally drifted towards the obstacles. He watched, silent but attentive as he continued to stretch his arm. P.E. was never her strong suit. She was the brains and he was the brawn… and her run was brutal. Wes winced and inhaled sharply with every slip and misstep until she reached the end. There was a second where he raised his hand to clap, almost forgetting he lacked the necessary parts. Perhaps if he and Trinity weren’t in the middle of a tiff that started with Rae’s arrival he would have cheered. But instead he remained silent and went back to stretching.

By the time his name was called, Wes was already glistening with sweat. He reached behind his head, grabbed a fist full of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Trinity’s voice echoed in his mind, making some sarcastic comment about a son of Aphrodite walking around camp shirtless was asking for trouble. The thought made him chuckle quietly to himself as he discarded the shirt on the bench and headed down the stands, not humoring blondie’s hypothetical comments. He was nearly to the end when he looked down, noticing the loose strings of his sweats. There was no way for him to tie them and he could only imagine what an army crawl on his belly in the dirt could do. He cursed under his breath and quickly detoured for Trinity. 

[color=667c0c]"Hey,"[/color] he spoke quietly to get her attention as he approached. [color=667c0c]"Could I get your help so I don’t flash everyone?"[/color] Wes asked as he playfully tugged on one of the strings and gave her a weak, lopsided smile. [color=667c0c]"[i]Please.[/i]"[/color]

Regardless of the tense air between them or the conversation they likely needed to continue, Wes still leaned down and gave her a quick kiss once she was finished before hurrying down the stands and over to the course. He took his place in line next to Evelyn—who he flashed an awkward smile to—and a brunette he didn’t know. Upon quick observation he realized he didn’t know any of the other women he was running alongside. If any of them made eye contact with him, he smiled, but his attention didn’t linger, swiftly returning to prepare for the task at hand. 

When they got the signal to go, Wes took off with tunnel vision. He kept his eyes forward, focused on his current obstacle and nothing else. Running through the tires was easy, he kept his knees high and footfall steady, pushing through it without an issue. When he got to the end, he stopped for a second to study the log jumps. He knew he could clear the first three, maybe four with good momentum and a solid jump, but the last one he would have no choice but to pull himself up and over. That was the crux. Rather than risk wasting anytime relying on one hand when he needed two, he decided to bypass it entirely. He hopped up onto the lowest log, then leapt across to the next, slowly jumping and ascending until he reached the final one and jumped down. 

[i]So far so good.[/i]

The next obstacle didn’t take much consideration, just determination. Wes dove onto the ground and started making his way under the low barriers. He was far too tall or large to attempt anything beyond an army crawl. His left—and only—arm acted more as anchor to direct him while his feet and knees did the heavy lifting, kicking and pushing the dirt to move him forward. Wes didn’t have to see where the others were to know he was losing time. As he got closer to the end he started pulling dirt to try and hurry the final few feet, but it did little to nothing to hurry his crawl. 

When he got to his feet, Wes was faced with the single obstacle that gave him the most concern… The rope climb. He had caught glimpses of others struggling with two hands. How the fuck was he supposed to get enough leverage? He walked around it once, studying the damned rope and height as he ran through various ways to tackle it in his mind. Finally he opted for strategy rather than speed. Wes stepped up to the rope and weaved his arm around it before grabbing a strong hold. He took a deep breath and jumped. His hand slipped, the friction from the coarse braiding burned against his palm as his legs wrapped around the tail and braced against the knot dangling at the bottom. Sweat was already beading along his brown and running down his cheek, and he hadn’t even started the climb. 

He groaned through gritted teeth as he pulled himself up until his chin was at the height of his hand. His knees tucked toward his chest, constricting around the rope as tight as he could manage before he released his hold and quickly reached up. No matter how vise-like his legs were, he still slipped, losing half of his progress as he got a new hand hold. The climb was painstaking and slow, blisters had already formed and been torn open. Halfway up his arm was trembling with every pull, threatening to give at any moment. Wes was nearly at the top when his grip strength failed him. He lost his hold and frantically wrapped his arm around the rope in an attempt not to lose his progress or fall. His body slid down like a fireman down a pole, leaving behind a burning line along his chest and forearm. He had lost his progress down to the halfway mark when his feet got wrapped up in the rope, jolting free his grasp. Like a silk dancer unwinding, Wes spun and twisted out of control as gravity unfurled him from the tendrils until he was free and slammed to the earth with a loud thud. 

[i]Not even halfway through…[/i]

Wes didn’t move for a second, face down in the dirt, chest heaving. The skin on his chest, arm, and palm burned, his muscles ached, and a sharp pain radiated from his nose. He coughed the dust from his lungs and spit on the ground. The normally clear liquid was tinged pink and as he propped himself up on his elbow, noticing a small puddle of crimson soaked into the ground where his face collided. [color=667c0c]"Fucking fantastic,"[/color] he grumbled to himself as she stumbled to his feet. He dusted his hand off on his pants leaving a faint streak of red in its wake before wiping the blood from his nose along the back of his wrist. 

River took a small step forward as concern furrowed his brows, not that Wes could see. He kept his gaze on the ground, trying to push past his embarrassment rather than risk someone’s sad gaze full of sympathy and pity. 

There was a part of River that wanted to tell him he didn’t have to finish, but he also knew that wouldn’t be fair to the rest of camp. He was also familiar with the dangerous look of determination that darkened Wes’s eyes, so rather than give him an easy out, he gave the same guidance he gave anyone else who struggled with the rope climb. [color=86a8ad]"You can move on,"[/color] he offered with a heavy weight to his words. 

[color=667c0c]"Sure thing, boss,"[/color] Wes replied wryly. He spit more blood from his mouth and continued toward the next obstacle without another word. 

A rope bridge… [i]right.[/i] At that point Wes had accepted that his chances of beating the fifteen minute time limit was little to none. So rather than injure himself further, he paced himself and approached the next obstacle tactically. He reached out, steadying the net as best he could. He then stepped forward and leaned his right shoulder against the side of the rope bridge. The way he crossed was less like walking and more like dragging himself along the side because there was no way he could stabilize himself without a second hand. 

At the end, he stepped up onto the platform to be met with [i]more fucking rope.[/i] Wes’s gaze fell to his already angry palm. [i]Fuck.[/i] He pushed his discomfort to a distant part of his mind and grabbed the rope. Before he could regret it or second guess all his life choices that led him to camp, he jumped. Somehow he managed to make it across the pool of water, just barely. His landing was rough and off balance, sending him into a tuck and roll, but it was at least controlled and didn’t end in more injuries. 

Next was the balance beams, which at face value seemed fairly easy… Except for the fact Wes was perpetually off balance now. He had no way to level himself on his right side. He didn’t really have the time to waste considering a course of action. In the end, there were no alternate ways to approach it beyond just… going. The first attempt, he climbed the ascending beam with patience and a steady pace. He made it to the top then tipped over and stumbled to the ground. On his second try he made it as far as the decline, then lost balance again. His third and final approach, Wes said to hell with patience and sprinted through it. There were a couple times where he wobbled but when he thought he would fall again, he jumped to the end and called it good enough. 

While others might have looked toward the swimming as their salvation and temporary respite from the grueling obstacle course, Wes only noticed the ache in his lungs and the trembling muscles that laced his arm. He took a second to try and catch his breath before jumping into the water. He started doing some lopsided breast strokes but mostly relied on his legs to propel him forward. His pacing wasn’t the worst. He mostly struggled with getting his head above the water to take a breath. He already lacked buoyancy, so staying afloat was enough of a struggle without adding breathing into the mix. 

Wes made it to the end well enough and climbed out only to face down the largest and most oppressive obstacle. He was lucky that he had height on his side, but unlucky… because of nearly everything else. At that point, just wanting it all to be over, he approached the giant ladder and braced his hand against the lowest rung. Then he jumped, hooked his elbow over the log for leverage and lifted his leg. It was sloppy and definitely not the most stable, but it worked. Wes repeated this methodically up the structure until he reached the top. Descending was a bit more precarious, so he decided to play it safe and climb down near one of the vertical pieces of the ladder. He wrapped his arm around it like a bear hug and inched his legs over the edge and down a rung. Surprisingly it sort of worked… Well enough, anyway that he was able to reach the bottom without falling. 

All that was left between him and freedom was the long jump. His arm was dead but his legs… They had a little fight left in them. Wanting nothing more than to go die in the stands, Wes took off full speed and leapt over the hurdle, clearing the pool with room to spare. Past the finish line, he let out a triumphant and exhausted sigh. The taste of iron filled his mouth as he became aware of the blood that ran from his nose and over his lips. He wiped away what he could across the back of his hand with a grimace. There was a second where Wes contemplated collapsing on the ground right then and there… And just stare up at the sky until it was all over, but he knew once his legs stopped supporting his weight and the adrenalin wore off he wouldn’t be able to stand up again for… well, awhile. As much as he wanted to sit down, he still waited for Evelyn and the other girl to finish knowing that if he was in last place the support would make things a tiny bit more bearable for him. 

When everyone finished, Wes trudged his way around the course heading for the stands. To his surprise, as he passed River, the guy looked up from his clipboard to make a comment. [color=86a8ad]"That was impressive."[/color]

Wes stopped, taken aback, blinking the confusion out of his eyes before turning his attention toward him. [color=667c0c]"Which part? Failing or falling on my face and breaking my fucking nose?"[/color] he replied with a wry coldness that failed to see the compliment behind the man’s words. 

[color=86a8ad]"The part where you did it all with one arm,"[/color] River clarified plainly before averting his gaze back down to his clipboard. [color=86a8ad]"I couldn’t do that,"[/color] he added barely above a whisper as more of an escaped thought rather than a confession. 

[color=667c0c]"[i]Huh[/i]... uh, thanks."[/color] Wes forced out the words with a grumble then he continued back toward the crowd. He didn’t meet anyone’s gaze, very intentionally staring down at the ground and occasionally wiping his nose as he climbed the stands back to his isolated seat. He scooped up his discarded shirt before laying back on the bench, half collapsing as his legs finally gave out. Rather putting back on his shirt or using it as a pillow, he pressed the white cotton to his nose with a grimace. 

[color=667c0c]"’Go to camp,’ they said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ they said,"[/color] he grumbled, voice muffled beneath the bunched up fabric. [color=667c0c]"[i]Bullshit.[/i]"[/color][/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] river [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] trinity, andry, rae & evelyn [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none[/color]
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