[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/aW0nk4U.jpeg[/img][/center] [color=silver][indent][indent]Pallas quickly scaled the steps to get to the seat where his belongings still remained while Ariana did the same with her fluffy pink coat. He pulled his green and gold breakaway track pants back on, and his matching tracksuit top. He took a seat to pull his shoes and socks back on and caught sight of the now coat-clad Ariana looking up at him from below. His breath hitched again, and he felt slightly unnerved as her eyes remained on him, waiting patiently despite her eagerness. He couldn’t chalk that one up to the exercise, so he sought other possible causes. His thoughts travelled to whether this was why his own gaze often had the unnerving effect on others that it had. Whether they were more alike than he first considered. [color=daa520]“All good to go.”[/color] He declared, after the laces were drawn taut on his second. [color=CF328D]“Perfect! Let’s head on out!”[/color] the girl said cheerfully. [color=daa520]“So what does a California Girl feel like eating after a ‘twenty five mile hike in the snow’?”[/color] He asked as he dropped down the steps with quick, precise footwork; quads not showing any sign of abuse from twice completing the course. The attempts at small talk on the other hand… He found himself incredibly curious to hear more from the girl, but his energy level sapped dramatically with every attempt to engage in small talk he managed to make. The ‘twenty five mile hike’ an exaggeration to show her own sense of humour, she had a gregarious nature and was eager to meet new people - which was good, since he wasn’t, but should still make some kind of effort to at least be a thought to others at the camp. Ariana seemed to be just what he needed to start to come to terms with the social aspect of the camp - the part he’d doubtless struggle the most with, if he knew himself at all. Which he of course knew perfectly. [color=CF328D]“What I [i]really[/i] want is a never-ending round of sushi. But what I’ll [i]actually[/i] settle for is something lighter, like a chicken caesar wrap or a poke bowl with a fresh fruit smoothie,”[/color] Ariana replied, walking alongside Pallas in the direction of the cafeteria now. While her companion appeared to be the least bit unbothered by the amount of physical exertion they had been put through, the same couldn’t be said for the daughter of Aphrodite. Her arms and legs felt like jelly, her sides were hurting, and each step she took made her already sore muscles feel even worse. She was certain that if Pallas took a really good look at her, he’d be able to see her struggling even underneath the beauty and allure, so she pulled out her sunglasses from the pocket of her coat and slid them up the bridge of her nose to shield her eyes. Pallas nodded knowingly. A bed of rice, a chicken breast or two and some long greens were all he needed at this time. A clean meal to replace what he’d just used on the course. Sushi would also qualify. He’d fallen into a routine of only having two main meals, with the first being rather plain and more for the sake of nutrition than flavour or enjoyment, and fasting in the evening. But since much of their day was monopolised by demands at the arena, his meal schedule had almost been pushed too far back to still be able to fit in two. He was thankful for the eggs from earlier, but by now his stomach was certainly letting him know it was time. [color=daa520]“Good idea.”[/color] Pallas approved, pointing and misinterpreting the purpose of her sunglasses with a smile matched by the golden flash in his eyes. [color=daa520]“A lot of people don’t think of the reflection off of the snow, to plan for it.”[/color] [color=CF328D]“The snow’s reflection… Yeah…”[/color] she mumbled under her breath, not wanting to let Pallas in on the secret that their true purpose was to save her dignity after the metaphorical beating she’d received with all this unexpected exercise. Earlier, Pallas’ mind had been going a mile a minute finding things to do with his time for today. A run to work cardio, was neither needed nor wanted now. Further exploring the bookshelf in his cabin, and he was even having thoughts of leaving the camp's gates to survey the woods surrounding once again - but the reasons and other activities were all gone from his mind now. For whatever reason he was living in the here and now, without a thought for later in the day. Everything else had left his mind. —-------------------- Pallas opened the door for Ariana as she stepped through the doors to the Main Hall. He dusted the powder off the shoulders of his tracksuit jumper and followed her in. The interior was not what he expected - but he shouldn’t have expected anything. It was a buffet set up, with no sign of any ‘staff’ whatsoever. Gone was the need to set up a morning ‘standing order’ for a regular breakfast. There was nobody to deliver it to, and he suspected any and all needs would be catered to regardless. His mind travelled back to the bookshelf in his cabin - and he was starting to get a sense for how this place worked. He also wondered if his bookshelf was all that special or noteworthy in the first place - perhaps it wasn’t worthy of mention, or unique. Ariana had moved ahead to get her own food, so he chose to stake out a table, to ensure they’d have somewhere to return to with their food. With the interior of the Hall vastly warmer, and more cosy than the winter wonderland beyond the walls, Pallas draped his tracksuit jacket over a seat back, and went to the buffet himself. Its strikingly bright green and yellow presence established a clear landmark for the California girl once she would have her own plate filled, and scan the seating herself. Pallas’ companion had also been true to her earlier word. She had scanned the tables for something that tickled her fancy until her eyes spotted the sushi she had mentioned craving, and after an excited squeal made an excited beeline to the table containing it. She stacked enough pieces atop her plate to fill her up, poured herself a cup of miso soup to go along with it, grabbed a bottle of water and her utensils before scanning the room for a place to sit. Thankfully, Pallas had been ahead of it, and selected a table for the both of them as evidenced by the bright tracksuit jacket draped over the back of a seat. Smiling at the gentlemanly gesture, Ariana walked over to the reserved table and took the unmarked seat, settling in and getting comfortable while she waited for Pallas to return before she began eating. True to his earlier thoughts, he lay a bed of rice, before resting two chicken breasts and some greens upon it. He poured himself a warm mug of tea, and looked to rejoin his prior company at the table. The perfect bulwark to allow the time for clear thought to be conversed, and to provide rejuvenation from the day’s exertions - both physically and socially. [color=daa520]“All good?”[/color] He asked, taking a seat. The brunette nodded enthusiastically. [color=CF328D]“All good!”[/color] she replied, happily sipping on her miso soup. She let Pallas get settled and at least take a bite out of his own food before picking up conversation again. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel like he was getting bombarded with inquiries. [color=CF328D]“So what brings you to Camp? How did you end up coming here?”[/color] [color=daa520]“I think I had a bit of an unfair advantage with that one. I’ve known I was going to come here… for as long back as I can remember.”[/color] [color=daa520]“And I can remember back a long way. As in… when I was a baby.”[/color] [color=daa520]“The whens wheres and whys, of course there’s a lot of blanks in the details. I was kind of always just trusted to - and expected to - figure it out for myself. But yeah. My mother let me know I’d be coming here a loooooong way back. So I’ve put myself through a lot of training and reading since then. Most of my life. Looking around at some of the other people here… I can’t help but think that’s not the case for everyone.”[/color] Ariana listened to Pallas’ response with genuine interest, her curiosity about him growing the more she learned about him. Being able to remember things as far back as infancy was a remarkable ability to have, and being warned about the type of camp he was to attend had proven to be a great advantage for him. [color=CF328D][i]‘Must have been nice to have a heads up…’[/i][/color] she couldn’t help but think. He was absolutely right: the warning was [i]not[/i] the case for everyone. [color=daa520]“And I take it that wasn’t the case for you?”[/color] He put it forward as a question to the Mossos girl, but with a sense that he already knew the answer and was merely confirming his own thoughts. He raised his mug of tea to his lips, whilst she’d take the opportunity to reply, golden eyes soaking in her expressive countenance to sweeten his tea. [color=CF328D]“You would be taking it right,”[/color] she replied as she stabbed a piece of her sushi, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice. The mere thought about how she’d basically been tricked to leave all her lavish comforts behind to live like she was in Amish country filled her with an inexplicable anger she was sure was blazing behind her eyes. [color=CF328D]“I didn’t even know I was a demigoddess until less than a month ago. So much weird shit happened to me and around me my entire life, but I could never find a logical explanation for it. I literally thought I was going insane; but I kept it to myself, because there was [i]no way[/i] I was risking getting locked up in a psych ward or anything like that. It took twenty-one years, but I finally got the answer I was looking for: the woman I grew up with as my mom [i]wasn’t[/i] my mom. My birth mother is actually Aphrodite. Turns out the ‘weird shit happening’ was actually my powers manifesting themselves without me even knowing,”[/color] she explained with a shrug, pausing for a quick sushi break before carrying on. [color=CF328D]“She asked me to come to camp to ‘get to know the other side of my heritage’, and I fought against it for a while. But my curiosity got the better of me, so that’s how I ended up here. Though after the whole ‘training’ thing, I kind of wish I had stayed home. I don’t do athletics very well.”[/color] she admitted with a small laugh. Pallas’ posture stiffened. [color=daa520]“I see.”[/color] The smile still across his face, but no longer meeting his golden eyes. A mind raced. It was a sympathetic story, a struggle for personal identity, a lifetime of deception from those most trusted figures in your life. Pallas' eyes steeled as he reconsidered everything that had happened through the past five minutes. The lingering hand-holding, the difficulty he had taking his eyes from her when he normally kept a distance and struggled with social situations and lengthy eye contact. Still, he couldn’t see any malevolence, deception or manipulation on her end from her own actions so far. [color=daa520][i]Or was that just how he was supposed to see everything that had taken place..?[/i][/color] But it also didn’t change certain things. This was a person. Another person attending the camp, who seemed to be trying to get to know him. And it also didn’t change the fact that it would be beneficial to remain on good terms with people - especially when they don’t seem to be attempting to bring him any harm. From what he knew of Ariana’s heritage - which if her story checks out, may even be greater than the girl herself - her mother was one for making more subtle moves, and plans. Not entirely dissimilar from his own. Being dismissive, freezing the girl out, was not the way to play this. But of course, it would be wise to ensure a distance. Just as her nature was likely to try to ensure he did anything but. The immovable object and irresistible force conundrum of old, given personification. [color=daa520]“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. There’s more to what we’re doing than just athletics.”[/color] He said, as he sliced through a piece of chicken and had a mouthful of chicken with rice. [color=CF328D]“What do you mean?”[/color] the woman asked, cocking her head to one side. She couldn’t think of a single reason why any of them would need to go through this type of ‘training’. [color=daa520]“Don’t get me wrong. If there were things there that you just outright [i]CAN’T[/i] do, you’re going to want to get some help and get it up to just a reasonable baseline. Get yourself some help with a few things. Like the rope climb. Just to be able to do it, even if you can’t finish the course in some lightning quick time. It’s more important to just have the accumulation of skills to help you survi–.”[/color] He stopped to consider how much he should say, and whether he’d be putting fear into the girl. Ariana clocked the way Pallas stopped speaking, which only served to fuel her morbid curiosity. [color=CF328D]“‘Survive’?”[/color] she finished the word for him, a hint of amusement in her tone. [color=CF328D]“What are we supposed to be ‘surviving’? You make this sound like we’re on that TV show Lost or something like that,”[/color] she joked with a laugh, devouring another piece of her sushi. [color=daa520]“I don’t think as quickly around you…”[/color] He muttered a mumbled quick confession of an observation over his leaked thought. [color=daa520]“I don’t care for that shit at all…”[/color] He mumbled through an exhalation.. [color=daa520]“I suspect… that may not be as far from a hidden truth as any of us would want to believe.”[/color] He drank some tea. [color=daa520]“Albeit not how I’d phrase it.”[/color] The girl’s earlier amusement vanished at how serious Pallas had suddenly become. [color=CF328D]“What are you talking about? I thought this whole thing was, like, as sleepaway summer camp type shit; not some sort of wilderness training,”[/color] she argued, taking a sip of her water bottle. If Aphrodite had purposely sent her to a wilderness camp knowing who she was and where she came from, Ariana would probably off herself. [color=daa520]“Good thing is, I do think you’re probably in the best place possible to come to terms with that ‘weird shit’, so you’re not being lied to there.”[/color] He tried to improve her mood. Damn it. Even though he knew now, he was still being affected enough that he [i]WANTED[/i] her to feel better. Or is that just [i]being a person[/i]? [color=daa520]“I mean, ideally, you’d have come to terms with it before you came here. But if you haven’t there’s probably no better place to actually do that. And have people who have gone through what you have, to help you figure out that weird shit.”[/color] [color=CF328D]“I mean, I've come to terms with who I am and what I can do,”[/color] Ariana explained, taking in the last bite of sushi from her plate and washing it down with some water. [color=CF328D]“But I'm pretty sure whatever powers I have aren't exactly conducive to helping me in any sort of ‘Survivor’ type of situation. I highly doubt a creature or an animal looking to kill me would be warded off by my ability to speak French or transform myself into Megan Fox or someone like that.”[/color] [color=daa520]“All the more reason to get those skills up to a decent baseline. Ensure you can last long enough to make a plan to put the skills you do have to good use. Or to last long enough to get your other fellow campers support if they’re backing you up. There’s safety in numbers… which I suspect is part of the point of the Camp in the first place, if my theory holds any water.”[/color] He punctuated his statement with a fork full of chicken, rice and greens. He ran his golden eyes around the room, before returning them to Ariana to gauge how she was taking this information. The brunette remained silent for a few seconds, taking a swig of water while she processed the facts she'd just been informed of. Apparently, this camp wasn't for her to just meet other people and learn to live without her comforts, but to train for potential combative encounters against God knows who or what or when. The more she thought about it, the more unnerved she became at the prospect. [color=CF328D]“If this theory of yours is true, then I'm probably not going to stick around for too long,”[/color] the girl admitted, placing her now empty water bottle atop her tray. [color=CF328D]“I'm not about to be training to be anyone's soldier. That is so far from who I am that I can't even begin to understand why my mother would suggest I come here to begin with.”[/color] [color=daa520]“Well that’d be your decision, but like I said, there’s safety in numbers, and if my theory is true it’d likely eventually work out to be safer in the long run.”[/color] [color=daa520]“And I don’t know that the expectation’s there that we be anyone’s soldier, for whatever its worth.”[/color] He drank more tea, and considered how to parse his thoughts for a newcomer to his line of thinking. [color=daa520]“Let’s take the better known examples of demi-gods out there. Hercules. Well, Heracles, but most know him by the Roman moniker… Perhaps an exaggerated example, from what I could see of the obstacle course, we don’t seem to have anyone like that here - despite some of the more impressive people here. Killed monstrous serpents sent to his crib. By eighteen he killed the mythical Lion of Cithaeron. This was BEFORE the twelve labours. Then all of the other monstrous supernatural creatures that came his way over those years. Perseus tangling with Medusa, the monsters and supernatural threats that awaited Theseus on the road to Athens, before he even had to face the minotaur. We - demi-gods, I mean - don’t live a long time and we burn bright. [i]And the supernatural tends to find its way to us.[/i] I suspect this place is going to be a magnet for the ‘mythologically weird’ with all of us being here, but there’s strength in our numbers, and we learn and grow. And if I’m right… each of us is a little magnet for it anyway. So we either stay here and learn to be able to face what will come for us, or we go out there and figure it out for ourselves when a monster of myth and legend stumbles upon us.”[/color] [color=daa520] “Probably not a pleasant thought. But it sounds in line with everything I’ve seen and heard. I mean, Athena didn’t tell me any of this… but she wouldn’t. Like I said, I’ve kind of always been trusted and expected to figure things out for myself.”[/color] [color=daa520] “If all of that’s right, it would absolutely make sense for your mother to send you here now, wouldn’t it? Going by the mythical examples, the greater the ‘power’ probably the greater the ‘magnet’. Power-wise, the more…. Weird… of my powers, only really came about the last year and I’ve mostly come to grips with that one. Just like you said about yours. That would be consistent as well… Good to know. But, I still don’t know that this would be the same with everyone here…”[/color] He conferred with himself. Ariana had listened to Pallas’ historical info dump with a lot more attention than she would've in normal circumstances. As he dropped bits of what felt like vast insight in the subject of mythology, the daughter of Aphrodite couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at her own lack of knowledge in the topic. She tried to justify it in her head that it was because of how recently she's learned of her godly origins, but that still didn't excuse the fact that she could've done more research into things once she [i]had[/i] found out. To add insult to injury, the facts he was dropping were alarming. If there was any truth to his words (which she had no reason to doubt), then her obliviousness could’ve cost her her life. Her plans of leaving camp and returning home after this knowledge looked laughable now. [color=daa520]“Anyway, how’s the sushi? I saw it up there. Looked good. Might try that myself next time…”[/color] An amused grin spread across the girl’s face as her tension from the conversation momentarily evaporated. [color=CF328D]“‘How's the sushi’?”[/color] the girl repeated. [color=CF328D]“You drop all this wild, crazy lore on me, and all you can say at the end is ‘how's the sushi'?”[/color] she teased with a small giggle. [color=daa520]“Yeah, how’s the sushi? They got inari up there? Shrimp nigiri? What is it they call… Ebi?”[/color] He found the word through a minor haze. [color=daa520]“Man… I really don’t think as quick…”[/color] [color=daa520]“Long story short, I don’t think she wants you ‘to be a soldier’ and I don’t think she did it because she means you harm.”[/color] [color=daa520][i]Now me as the son of Athena on the other hand…[/i][/color] He thought to himself of their mothers’ rivalry with one another. A brilliant idea suddenly struck Ariana like a lightning bolt. [color=CF328D]“Would you be up to teaching me about all of this?”[/color] she asked Pallas, casually batting her eyelashes at him to help persuade him. [color=CF328D]“The way you explained things to me earlier really helped me make sense of it, and it would be faster and more entertaining than having to dig through countless books to make sure I don't miss anything.”[/color] The young woman wasn’t a scholarly person, so having a cute guy break down these complicated topics for her would be the fastest, best way for her to get up to speed. [color=daa520]“Well, yeah, I–”[/color] The words fell out of his mouth before he’d even thought about how to answer the question, giving her the affirmative answer. [color=daa520][i]That time she had to have done something…[/i][/color] He assured himself. The complete absence of thought for a mere second, was everything he had feared. But he couldn’t be sure. How much of what Ariana does is latent, and what part is deliberate. It was a line he couldn’t be sure of, and with that uncertainty he couldn’t meaningfully accuse. [color=daa520]“That is… I could. If you like. But I would suggest you get a few sources on this kind of thing, or you’re leaving a lot of trust in one person.”[/color] His posture straightened and he found his balance once more. [color=CF328D]“I'll do that too! Promise,”[/color] she agreed, putting out her pinky finger towards Pallas as a symbol of commitment. Pallas was hesitant. Especially with what he was pretty sure had just happened. She was ever closing the gap, with the constant draw. And no matter how he attempted to hold a colder distance, she found a counter to force closeness. His hesitancy was almost becoming uncomfortable, but Ariana held strong with her position and the social pressure was powerful. A few beats later and he leaned over the table, linking fingers. Golden eyes made contact with her own hazel gaze. Ariana let out an excited squeal and clapped her hands a few times. Success! New friend and tutor acquired. [color=CF328D]“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”[/color] she beamed, resisting the urge to jump over the table and wrap Pallas into a hug. It was too soon to ambush him with her affectionate demeanor, and she was sure the poor man had been through enough of her antics for one day. [color=CF328D]“I'll make it up to you somehow, I swear!”[/color] she promised him, winking at him for good measure. [color=daa520]“It’s alright, you don’t have to. If it helps oth–”[/color] She winked at him. And stopped him in his tracks. Words were… wording. What had he just been–? [color=daa520][i]You’re just tired from talking with someone so much. You never talk to people this much. Just smile and nod.[/i][/color] He smiled and nodded. Accepting her promise. It wasn’t just the draining of his social battery, and deep down he knew it. But he didn’t have it in him to contemplate everything right now. [/indent][/indent][/color] [center][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] Each Other [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] Nil [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] [@Hound55] [/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]