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[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/center]
[indent][indent][indent][color=#808080]The sound of her own name pulled Anissa from her anxious thoughts. She hadn’t been certain Blair was actually awake; until that moment, her friend had been little more than a shapeless form buried beneath a coat. So when Blair’s bleary eyes focused and her voice, rough with sleep, cut through the morning air—[color=#c9bef3]“Anissa! Thank the Gods.”[/color]—the greeting landed with a surprising force.[/color]

[color=#808080]Before Anissa could form a reply, Blair groaned and, with a graceless fling, she shoved the coat from her head as if escaping a tomb. The violent movement made Anissa jerk backward instinctively, and she watched as the coat sailed sideways, collapsing in a heap onto the lap of the young woman seated to Blair’s left. Her face softened into a look of pained understanding as Blair mumbled a slurred, insincere apology. Her friend looked positively ravaged, and the simple effort of holding herself upright seemed almost too much.[/color]

[color=#808080]A sudden, sour twist of guilt clenched in Anissa’s chest. She should have paid better attention last night. But she’d been utterly captivated by the brilliant starbursts of fireworks and, more intoxicatingly, by the flattering attention of one boy named River. As for the later hours, that had dissolved into a glittering, indistinct blur her memory could not—or would not—reconstruct. [i][color=#5a3e85]Blair isn’t my responsibility,[/color][/i] she told herself reflexively. But wasn’t that the point of friendship? The question offered no comfort, only highlighting how new and uncertain she felt in this new world of actual friendships.[/color]

[color=#808080]Before another thought could fully form, a hand shot out and seized hers. The touch was so abrupt that Anissa gasped, stumbling forward as Blair yanked her unceremoniously onto the bench. She was now wedged firmly between her friend and the unfamiliar redhead, only catching herself by slapping a palm down on her seat.[/color]

[color=#808080]Blair didn't immediately let go, her friend peering at her, a silent question hovering in her eyes. It was only when she seemed to think better of asking it aloud that she released her hold, Anissa feeling a wave of relief. Confessing that her own memory of the night’s end was a blank slate, especially with strangers mere inches away, was a deeply uncomfortable prospect.[/color]

[color=#c9bef3]"Anissa, this is my brother Lochlan,"[/color][color=#808080]  Blair declared, gesturing weakly toward the man with a tilt of her head.[/color][color=#c9bef3]"Same dad—mortal—different moms. His is Hera. And then that—"[/color][color=#808080] She then waved a limp hand past Anissa's shoulder. [/color][color=#c9bef3]"—is Fiona, also Lochlan’s sister, but both Hera… It’s all very [/color][color=#c9bef3][i]Once Upon a Time[/i][/color][color=#c9bef3]."[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa turned first to Fiona, offering a tentative smile that served as both greeting and apology for the coat now pooled in her lap. She then shifted just enough to acknowledge Lochlan, meeting his offered hand with a firm shake of her own. She didn’t dwell on the trio’s tangled history. She, of all people, had no room to judge complicated lineages, being an only child raised by a mortal mother who remained blissfully and blessedly unaware that gods played any role in their lives whatsoever.[/color]

[color=#86a8ad]"Good morning, everyone." [/color]

[color=#808080]The voice cut through the morning’s lazy fog, a sound Anissa recognized but now layered with a crisp, undeniable authority. Every murmured conversation ceased as if severed by a blade. All heads turned toward its source.[/color]

[color=#86a8ad]"If it wasn't already obvious, I am River, your new leader… And son of Poseidon, if that matters."[/color]

[color=#808080]As River began a slow, measured walk before the assembled campers, Anissa became acutely conscious of her own posture. She didn’t shift or fidget, her hands resting motionless in her lap with her spine straight without appearing stiff. It was the practiced pose of someone who had learned that the first step toward invisibility was absolute stillness. Yet when his scanning gaze passed over her, it felt like a spark landing on dry kindling. The memory of his handwriting—those confident, looping lines on a simple paper napkin—flared in her mind, causing a private and persistent warmth to gather in her stomach.

[color=#86a8ad]"Now that everyone has had time to recover from the horrors of Pandora’s Box,"[/color] he continued, his voice carrying easily,[/color] [color=#86a8ad]"my focus is going to be on training, the original purpose for camp…."[/color]

 
[right][color=#6e5f7c][i]𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖎𝖙 𝖒𝖊𝖆𝖓𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖌𝖔𝖉𝖘. [/i][/color][/right]

[color=#808080]Anissa swallowed, her gaze drifting briefly to her hands and to the barrier of fabric between her skin and the world. Is that what her father had meant by leaving her that letter and sending her to this camp? Not just [/color][i][color=#808080]come here[/color][/i][color=#808080], not just [/color][i][color=#808080]learn who you are[/color][/i][color=#808080], but [/color][i][color=#808080]prepare yourself?[/color][/i][color=#808080] For inevitability. For the truth that being a demigod wasn’t a static condition but a flashing beacon to every monster, human or nonhuman, that existed in all parts of their world? Her old life, with its narrow misses and the constant, creeping feeling of unseen eyes, was all the proof she needed of this, surely.[/color]

[color=#808080]She forced her attention back as River outlined his plans, her stomach knotting around a single word: [i]assessments[/i]. It sounded exposing, promising timed runs, recorded failures, and quantified weaknesses laid bare for public evaluation. Her eyes followed his outstretched arm toward the obstacle course looming behind him. Moments before, it had been just a structure of wood and rope. But now, with every word he said, it transformed into a gauntlet. Anissa was in decent shape, but the thought of hauling herself up the log ladder or navigating the trembling rope bridge under the collective stare of the camp made her skin prickle with a cold, anticipatory sweat.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa watched River stride toward the course, his exchange with Andy a brief murmur before he took his place at the starting line. [color=#5a3e85][i]He said he would help,[/i][/color] she reminded herself, clinging to his words stated in his introduction. Even if she embarrassed herself today, it wasn't going to be like before. There was a plan now. A teacher. For the first time, she wasn't completely alone in this.[/color]

[color=#808080]Gathering her resolve, Anissa sat up taller, nudging her sunglasses to rest atop her head. River stood poised at the start, every inch the competent instructor—focused, composed, a model of controlled power. She leaned forward, intent on memorizing his form, his rhythm, the strategy behind each movement. She would watch, she would learn, she would—[/color]

[color=#808080]River hooked his fingers in the back of his shirt and tugged it off in one fluid motion.[/color]

[color=#808080]And Anissa’s brain produced a sound not unlike a record needle being dragged violently across vinyl.[/color]

[color=#808080]The world seemed to skip a beat as the steady morning light grew suddenly intense, spotlighting the unexpected view of sun-warmed skin and the shift of muscle as he tossed his shirt aside. Her carefully constructed concentration didn’t just fracture right then. It dissolved into the air, leaving a blank, buzzing silence in its wake.[/color]

[color=#808080]Against her own will, Anissa's gaze traced the lines of his shoulders and the defined contours of his back, her mind helplessly cataloging every profoundly [i]unhelpful[/i] detail. [i]Why was he doing this?[/i] The question popped into her head pointlessly, it offering no rational explanation other than [i]Why the hell not?[/i] in return.[/color]

[color=#808080]With a conscious effort that felt physical, she wrenched her eyes away and fixed them on the packed earth beneath her feet, her cheeks flaming as her treacherous mind, now fully unleashed, began its slow and murderous assault. It supplied hazy fragments from the prior night that felt much more immediate than the bench beneath her. The true torment she knew, however, lay in the space between that brilliant, exploding sky and waking up alone in her cabin. Anissa's fingers drifted to the napkin tucked in her pocket, its corners a tangible proof that felt both like a comfort and an accusation.[/color]

[color=#86a8ad][i]… I wanted to stay.[/i][/color][right][i][color=#5a3e85]...He'd wanted to stay.[/color][/i][/right]

[color=#808080]Yet if that was true, then what filled the hours between the context for that written confession and the harsh morning sun?[/color]

[color=#5a3e85][i]Stop. Just stop.[/i][/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa squeezed her eyes shut, drawing a long, slow breath through her nose and releasing it with deliberate control. When she looked again, she immediately intercepted Blair’s sidelong glance, her friend clearly drawing her own, entirely erroneous, conclusions.[/color]

[color=#808080]But Blair’s assumptions were wrong, and Anissa’s own spiraling thoughts were equally misguided. She knew this because the man now navigating the ropes with effortless and athletic grace wasn’t performing for the crowd. He was simply competent, visibly strong, and dedicated to his role. More importantly, he had called her his friend, a simple yet complicated word that underscored her own inexperience and the persistent confusion that continued to dog her steps.[/color]

[color=#808080]Not that River appeared to harbour any regret, given the easy smile they’d shared. The normal behaviour from Fiona and Lochlan suggested the previous night’s events remained a private matter to them both as well. In fact, aside from Blair’s silent teasing, there were no sly glances or whispered jokes circulating that she knew of. Which meant they hadn’t, it seemed, become a camp-wide spectacle overnight. That, at least, was a small mercy.

[i]Once Upon a Time.[/i] Blair had tossed out the phrase as a convenient label, a way to simplify the messy origins she and Lochlan shared. But what had unfolded with River defied such neat packaging. It wasn’t a storybook beginning; it was something human, messy, and real, born from choices made in vulnerable, disorienting hours when the world felt unmoored. And for now, Anissa decided, it needed to remain exactly that: undefined. A quiet understanding belonging only to them, its meaning waiting to be written by whatever came next.[/color]

[color=#808080]Besides, in a storybook, a moment of pure dread would usually come with a warning. There would be a dramatic chord from an unseen orchestra, a narrator’s grave observation, or at least a sudden flash of insight to untangle the knot of cold fear now tightening in Anissa's chest.[/color]

[color=#808080]Instead, there was only the stark reality of the moment. 

River reached the pool’s edge and dove in without a moment’s hesitation, the splash a crisp, singular sound that vanished almost instantly into the vast quiet of the arena. He slipped beneath the surface with a fluid grace that left no trace, swallowed whole by the deep, distant blue. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa’s breath locked in her throat.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“[/color][color=#5a3e85][i]River…?[/i][/color][color=#5a3e85]”[/color]

[color=#808080]The name escaped before she could stop it, a whisper pushed past her lips. She was on her feet before she registered moving, her knees bumping the bench behind her. Her hand lifted, fingers curling into the empty air as if she could reach across the distance and haul him back by will alone.[/color][color=#808080]Because something was [i]wrong[/i]. The pool was [i]wrong[/i]. Absence rushed in where he should have been. The surface was too smooth. Much too unbroken. A perfect mirror that refused to give anything back.[/color]

[color=#808080]A roaring sound filled Anissa's ears, the rush of her own blood, and for a terrifying instant, she heard it again: the voice from her dream, stretched and distorted by impossible acoustics and carrying River’s name the way a deep current carries debris.

From beside her, Blair looked up as Anissa stood, brows tugging together, confused. Her gaze shifted back and forth between her friend standing and Aquaman swimming in the pool. It didn’t make sense why [i]there[/i] of all places on the course she would be concerned. He was the son of Poseidon, a literal fish-boy, and the single, solitary person who could be Hulk slammed into a pool and be happy about it. 

But the look on Anissa’s face… She looked [i]terrified.[/i]

So slowly and cautiously, Blair stood up next to her, hoping it would draw less attention to her alone. She reached her hand out to gently take Anissa’s outstretched wrist, the other girl jerking involuntarily at the contact.

[color=c9bef3]"Hey. It’s ok,"[/color] Blair whispered so only Anissa could hear. A subtle weave of light humor coloured her voice, if only to try and break through whatever trance her friend was in. [color=c9bef3] "They’re all born with gills or something. He’ll be fine."[/color] 

And while the meaning of the words barely penetrated the static in Anissa’s mind, the warm pressure of Blair’s hand certainly did. She managed a stiff nod, though her eyes remained chained to the unnervingly placid water.[/color] 

[color=#808080] It was only when the surface finally broke, a dark shape streaking through the pool and cutting the length of it with powerful, unmistakable motion, that relief slammed into Anissa so hard it left her somewhat lightheaded. The moment River surfaced, she slumped back down without a word, looking like someone had walked over her grave. Blair said nothing and just lowered herself back down in the spot beside her. She gently started rubbing her back, and, if Anissa had to guess, more than likely she wanted to voice the obvious question on her mind. 

But Blair decided it could be saved for later. This kind of girl talk was private and only for their own ears. 

Anissa let her hand fall into her lap, then bowed her head, pressing her face into her palms to block out the world around her. Inside that self-made darkness, she focused on the only task that mattered: drawing one shaky breath in, and pushing another out.

With each cycle, the ghostly echo of the dream-voice receded, its chilling grip fading to a mere dream. She stayed like that for a while, counting her breaths, because the true horror was finally coming into focus. 

Her fear hadn’t really been about the water claiming River, for in her dream, it wasn't the sea that had killed him.

It, in fact, had been her.[/color]

[color=#808080] At this point, Anissa barely registered the end of River’s demonstration. She only emerged from the private sanctuary of her hands after the fact, distantly aware of the scattered applause and low whistles that signalled his performance had been impressive. She vaguely heard him explaining the assessment parameters, but the words washed over her without sticking, her nerves still humming from the earlier scare.[/color]

[color=#808080]A dry ache had settled in her throat, yet the girl made no move for her water bottle. A punishing thought insisted she didn’t deserve the comfort. It was only when River began calling the first group of names—Maylisse’s among them—that she finally lifted her head. Her eyes found the course just as the starting signal sounded. Bodies launched forward, and she watched, detached, as the daughter of Poseidon moved through the obstacles with an aggressive but fluid grace. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]Of course she makes it look easy, [/color][/i][color=#808080]Anissa thought, a dull resignation in the observation. They were both raised by a God, River and Maylisse, moulded by this world from childhood.[/color]

[color=#8e0047]"You’re like the Powerpuff girls." [/color]

[color=#808080]Lochlan’s comment slipped into her awareness from the side, light and unexpected. Anissa blinked, turning her head toward his voice, though it was difficult to see him fully past Blair. Instead, she glanced down at her own oversized sweatshirt, as if noticing it for the first time. Weirdly enough, a soft huff of laughter escaped her. Which one of the famous trio was she supposed to be, anyway? Not Blossom, surely—too leader-coded. Not Buttercup, either; she didn’t run that hot.[/color]

[color=#808080]That left only one option: Bubbles.
Anissa wasn’t entirely sure she fit the part. But a hopeful part of her really wanted to.[/color]

[color=#8e0047]“So,”[/color][color=#808080] Lochlan began again, his tone casual but intent,[/color][color=#8e0047] “Anissa, since you know our whole story now, who—” [/color]

[color=#808080]River’s voice cut through, announcing the next group. Lochlan’s name was called, followed immediately by Blair’s.[/color]

[color=#c9bef3] "Five bucks says I barf before the pool," [/color][color=#808080]Blair declared, hauling herself upright with a groan. She gave her brother’s arm a feeble tug. [/color][color=#c9bef3]"Come on. Let’s go.[/color][color=#c9bef3] I’ll be shit, so you'll look great. Chicks will love it." [/color]

[color=#808080]As Blair pulled him away, Lochlan’s attention shifted back to Anissa. This time, his gaze was openly curious, as if seeing her clearly for the first time. 

She felt it like a tangible touch on the back of her neck, managing to meet his gaze easily. One brow lifted in quiet challenge before her mouth curved into a knowing smile. If he was trying to piece her together, he’d have to get in line; she hadn’t even managed it herself.[color=#5a3e85]“Good luck, you two,” [/color] she said, watching the two siblings approach the starting line. Despite herself, her eyes lingered on Blair, a knot of unease tightening in her chest. 

Would she be alright?[/color]

[color=#808080]The start of the run confirmed the answer to this question, with Blair missing the initial signal and, even worse, her first attempt at the opening obstacle ending in a jarring fall. 

A flush of heat, born of pure helplessness, crept up Anissa’s neck. She wrapped her arms around herself, fingers digging into the soft fabric of her sleeves, as she watched the other girl shakily push herself back up.[/color][i][color=#5a3e85]Okay. She’s up at least and still moving. That’s good,[/color][/i][color=#808080] Anissa reasoned, trying to hold onto the thought.  But with every obstacle, a little more of Blair’s resolve seemed to crumble. All the while, Anissa found herself leaning forward, elbows planted on her knees, while the rest of the world dissolved into a blur, her entire world narrowing to the struggling figure of her friend.[/color]

[color=#808080]She didn’t look away, not once, following Blair’s painful progress until she finally crossed the finish line. A shimmer of magic whisked the water from her clothes, and for a second, it seemed she might be okay. Then, Blair simply folded, her body giving out as if her bones had turned to liquid.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa was already moving, her bottle of water in hand, as Blair dropped to her knees and retched. She moved quickly, but not recklessly, only stopping short as she registered Lochlan lowering himself beside his sister first. Good. He’s got her. Blair probably didn’t need a crowd, anyway. Shifting her approach, Anissa crouched to place herself just within Blair’s line of sight. She extended the water bottle during a lull in the heaving, her grip loose and the offering easy to refuse. Still, she desperately hoped Blair would take it, knowing all too well the parched agony that was sure to follow.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Whenever you’re ready….”[/color][color=#808080] she murmured, her voice barely there. She held her position, close enough to help but far enough not to crowd, her eyes lowered to the floor as if to grant Blair a small pocket of privacy amidst the arena’s exposure. All the while, Lochlan’s hand moved in slow, steady circles against Blair’s back, his calm utterly assured. [/color]

[color=#808080]When Blair’s trembling fingers finally closed around the bottle, Anissa released it and drew back slightly, giving room but remaining present. As Lochlan gently coaxed Blair upright, she let him take the lead, only moving ahead when he nodded toward their bench to clear a space for them to sit down.

[center][b]End of Part 1[/b][/center][/color][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[hr][sub][color=9b9b9b][b][i]Location: Arena 
Interactions: Fiona, Lochlan, Tapeesa
Mentions: River, Andy, Maylisse
Mini collab-ish: Blair [@Mjolnir][/i][/b][/color][/sub]
[right][sup][color=#5a3e85][b]#5a3e85[/b][/color][color=2e2c2c]...[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]...[/color][url=https://i.postimg.cc/7P1f3XK9/image.jpg][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url][/sup][/right]