Moon Child

What Are You Listening To?

Pines Holler - A Small Town SoL Sandbox RP [NOT Accepting]

Interested! ❤️

Camp Athens - Closed

^{#bc2747 ....|..... outfit .....|..... location}

It wasn’t too long after Mikaela started her observations of the field and obstacles scattered around the arena that her attention was called elsewhere. A young man addressed the group, identifying himself as their new leader, River. What followed was a series of subtle lore drops that peaked the newcomer’s interest greatly. Apparently, the previous camp leaders (including one that had passed away, by the sounds of it?) had left a downright mess of things, and a gorgeous girl named Andy had ‘stepped up when no one else did and helped rebuild’ (whom, Mika couldn’t help but think, she would follow to the ends of the earth had she still been their leader). There was mention of something called ‘Pandora’s Box’, which had apparently unleashed horrors that the campers had needed time to recover from– Mika made a mental note to inquire about this later. Finally, the schedule for the next three days and the reason for it was revealed: assessments to get to know the capabilities of all newbies and to personalize and tailor everyone’s training.

River then went on to explain and demonstrate today’s assessment. When Mikaela realized what it consisted of, a gleeful grin spread across her face. River would have no way of knowing this, but Mika used to run the JROTC obstacle course with her best friend Javierback in high school to help him improve his time and earn higher scores in agility testing for Army boot camp. Thanks to her, Javi had taken fifth place out of his entire boot camp class when it came to his agility scores.

Piece of cake.

Mikaela Bravo was as friendly of a person as one could think of. She was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it, and loved to be a part of others’ growth in the sport or athletic goal of their choosing. That approachability, however, was quick to evaporate in the face of individual competition. An aggressive desire to be at the top overtook the daughter of Ares, trumping any lingering feelings of kinship and kindness and turning her into a win-seeking machine. That was why, when her name was called, Mika silently took her spot in the group, taking up position and kept her narrowed-eyed stare fixated ahead like a hawk on its prey.

As soon as the queue to start was given, Mika pounced forward like a tigress reaching for the kill. Her one-track mind seemingly erased everything and everyone around her except the obstacles she encountered along her way. She raced through the tire walk with agility and surprising grace, her legs bent at the precise angle needed to seamlessly complete the task. The first three log jumps were easy to jump over, and she imitated River by using the fourth beam to reach the fifth. Next, Mika tackled the low crawl with expertise, utilizing her elbows and knees to propel herself forward and feeling grateful for the way her chosen outfit protected her limbs from scratches and scrapes. The rope climb was an easy one: after carrying nearly a dozen luggage pieces up an incline by herself, dragging her own body weight upwards twenty feet with a robe was child’s play.

The rope net was where things got a little challenging, with the spikes in the soles of her boots getting caught on the ropes once or twice and taking away precious seconds of her time. With a frustrated grunt, Mikaela slipped off her boots, tossed them in the direction of the finish line and kept on moving. Her bare feet helped complete the rest of the rope swing and the balance beams that came next, providing her with a better grip than her boots probably ever would in these circumstances. When she reached the edge of the pool, Mika slipped off her windbreaker set and tossed it to the opposite end of the space, knowing full well that the fabric would slow her down but that she would get cold as soon as she got out. With a matching red sports bra and boyshort pair, the physically toned Miami girl dove headfirst, surprised at how average the water temperature felt considering it was snowing around them. She wasn’t a competitively fast swimmer, but she was quick enough considering her easy access to pools and beaches back home. More precious time was wasted in sliding on her windbreaker set, but the seconds spent shivering before she’d been fully clothed again had been proof enough that she’d made the right choice.

Before tackling the log ladder, Mikaela dusted her hands and feet to absorb any moisture that could cause her to slip. This once again proved to be the perfect choice, because it helped Mika climb both sides of the ladder and not fall on her ass when crossing the top rung. Finally, there was the long jump, in which Mika was quick in leaping from one side of the pool to the other and landing perfectly on her feet.

The tunnel vision that had kept Mika in focus suddenly lifted like a veil being removed from her face. The girl blinked a few times and shook her head a little, slowly catching her breath with a proud, triumphant grin on her face. Whatever her time was, she prayed it was in the top percentile of the group as a whole. If it wasn’t? Well, let’s just say her bed wouldn’t until her time was up to her impossibly high standards.

“Probably would’ve done better blasting music with my earbuds on or if I hadn’t been wearing those damn snow boots, but I’ll take it,” she said happily, turning around just in time to watch all except but one of her fellow group members reach the imaginary finish line. “Great job, guys! We all made it out in one piece” she congratulated the others, offering them a wave before nearly skipping back to her former seat. She hoped her performance had not only made a fantastic first impression, but hopefully it had earned her the respect of her peers and maybe even opened the door for some conversation starters.

^{interactions ....|.... Rosalia, Lochlan, Zelia............... mentions ....|.... River, Andy
............... collabs ....|.... none}

Camp Athens - Closed

^{#cf328d ....|..... outfit pt 1 .....|.....outfit pt 2 .....|..... location}

While Ariana sulked and pouted in her seat, she couldn’t help but overhear some of the conversations happening around her. At the mention of the word “party” her ears perked up, and she discreetly turned her head in the direction of the speakers. From what she could gather, there had been a party at camp the night before: people had enjoyed a few drinks, danced their nights away, played games, gotten to know each other in basic or more personal ways… The brunette clicked her tongue in disapproval at the thought and crossed her arms even more tightly in front of her, feeling her mood souring further. So not only had she been sent away across the ocean to this hillbilly bootcamp in the middle of nowhere to get nasty and sweaty in the ways she didn’t like, but she had also missed the NYE party back home and the one here at camp… Along with any opportunities to get a head start on making friends and claiming stake to/hooking up with the hottest person at camp.

‘Ugh, what a bummer!’

Mercifully, the daughter of Aphrodite didn’t have to dwell on her first-world misfortunes for too long. A handsome islander man with one of the strongest jawlines Ari had ever seen addressed the group, bidding them a good morning and identifying himself as “River, their new leader and son of Poseidon”. A small smile spread across her pink-tinted lips, thinking of how he probably had siblings named Ocean or Wave or Aqua. This moment of amusement, however, was fleeting, as handsome River went off on a boring explanation about ‘getting camp back on track’, some people named Ajax, Pandora, Valis and Andy; and a plethora of other things Ariana didn’t really pay attention to. She did, however, catch wind of the phrases ‘focus on training not parties’, ‘three days of assessments’, and today’s test being an agility course– a statement that earned a disgusted scoff, eye roll and head shake from the brunette.

This morning just kept getting better and better, didn’t it?

Handsome River explained the course by running it once himself, temporarily pacifying Ariana’s distaste with it all by removing his shirt and showing off a set of chest and arms that seemed chiseled by the gods themselves. It was a lucky thing that she ended up being placed in the fifth group rather than the first one, because the Mossos girl had been too distracted by the eye candy to focus on how to run the course properly. What Ari didn’t know was that paying attention to the actions rather than the people behind them would only grow harder with each group that took center stage.

The first group was composed of a man with gorgeous ginger hair, a distinguished tall man who looked straight out of an European royal family, and three dark-haired, fashionable beauties that reminded Ariana of the Winx club girls for all the right reasons.

The second group was all dark-haired stunners. Two girls with gorgeous sun-kissed skin: one with a head full of precious, luscious curls, and one with tresses so glossy and sleek it made Ari want to run her fingers through them. The other two girls (one of them being Miss Miami Mikaela herself) had paler skins, but their light-colored eyes had the Mossos girl swooning. But the man of the group? He was a sight to behold: movie-star gorgeous, a perfect smile, a glimmer of mischief in those blue eyes… Someone she would definitely love to get to know better.

The third group was an assortment of gorgeousness: a girl with hair and eyes like snow and sea, another with hair and eyes like ebony and gems, one with silky ginger hair and a cheerful aura, another adorable one with luscious ginger hair and breathtaking sapphire eyes, and another handsome, burly man with a jawline sharp enough to kill.

The fourth group? God. Every single member had her weak at the knees. There was a beautiful brunette with dark eyes and facial features that reminded Ariana of a certain goddess mother of hers– a half-sister, perhaps? There was also a tall, muscular, blue-eyed man with reddish hair and a matching beard that made her swoon. Rounding it up were two of the most alluring people Ari had ever laid eyes on; who she assumed were siblings based on the matching pairs of piercing, blue topaz-colored eyes, lustrous dark hair and pale skin. They were so captivating that, were she ever forced to pick between the two, she greedily would’ve chosen both. Unfortunately for Ari, she didn’t have much time to admire the beauties that composed her own group before the signal was given for their turn in the course to start.

The daughter of Aphrodite started the course with the sincere, wholehearted effort to try and meet River's expectations. She tackled the tire walk slowly but successfully, even if she did look more like an uncoordinated child playing hopscotch than an athlete or potential soldier. She managed to make it out of the first obstacle in one piece and jump over the first of the five logs before things took a turn for the worse. On the second and third logs, she used the wooden cylinders to prop herself over them and to the next one. The fourth and fifth ones proved to be more of a challenge. It took a few tries and more time than she had to spare, but she eventually put an end to this painstakingly long part of the obstacle course.

Next up was the low crawl, in which the spoiled princess of Beverly Hills did her best impression of a komodo dragon in the wild. “Ew… Ew… Ew… Ew...” the girl repeated like a mantra every time she dragged herself across the sand, grimacing at both her actions and the feeling of her bodysuit’s fabric constantly getting caught in the tiny sand pebbles. By this point, the other four members of her group were significantly ahead; a fact which the mentally tormented Ariana never even noticed. The rope climb was the next method of torture, and not even the pole dancing lessons she’d taken for fun a few months ago could save her from how slowly she reached the top. Then came the rope net bridge: a fun, encouraging time filled with curse words in a handful of different languages every time her foot got caught in the holes of the ropes.

‘Deep breaths, Ari. Deep breaths. This shit is halfway over.’

The rope swing didn’t look too intimidating, Ariana heard herself thinking upon first glance. She remembered playing in a similar one as a child with her siblings back in LA. Still, that had been many moons and like 80 pounds ago, so things were certainly very different since then. With nervous hands, Ariana grabbed the rope, walked backwards and rushed forward. A piercing, dramatic squeal filled the air as she held the rope for dear life, swung over the pool, begrudgingly let it go… And landed right on behind.

But she’d made it to the other side, though.

Letting out a deep, exhausted sigh, the frustrated Ari jogged to the balance beams. She had watched the luscious locks girl from the second group struggle to complete the task because of her shoes (one of the few things she actually took note of), so Ariana made sure to remove her own before tackling the balance beams. Finally, the brunette put her years of gymnastic and cheerleading skills to good use, and she was successful in reaching the other side without much delay. Without wasting any more time (though she was sure those fifteen minutes had run out a long time ago), Ari rushed to the pool, kicked off her shoes along the way and dove straight in. As luck might have it, her ski suit was waterproof, so there was no worry of clothing pieces weighing her down while she swam from one end to the other.

The girl emerged on the other side with an applause-worthy hair flip, sopping brown locks sticking to the nape of her neck while she moved on to the next obstacle. Remembering yet another case of someone struggling with the log ladder due to slippery feet, Ari lightly dusted her own with some sand before turning into Spider Girl and climbing up one side and down the other. By this point, she was aching all over, but the finish line was finally in sight. The last obstacle was the long jump, which she thought she completed successfully… But just as she reached the other side, her heels slipped in the mud puddle created by the previous failing demigods, causing Ariana to fall right on her behind again and land right in the middle of said puddle.

The mud-splattered daughter of Aphrodite remained seated in place for a few seconds, blinking back the tears of humiliation burning in her hazel eyes. This was the first impression these beautiful, magical people had gained of her: a weak, unathletic, spoiled princess with nothing to offer but a pretty face, a banging body, an effortless sense of style… and a sea of curse words and disgruntled protests.

How. Fucking. Embarrassing.

“God, that was fucking TERRIBLE!” Ariana wailed dramatically to nobody in particular as she stood up and attempted to wipe off the mud and dust off of her behind and the back of her thighs. “I never want to do that shit ever again!” She examined her outfit for any signs of damage and scoffed in annoyance at the nicks, pills and holes in the stretchy black fabric of the areas where she had crawled on the floor like an animal during the low crawl from earlier. Instead of bursting into tears and further damaging her already fragile reputation, the Mossos girl chose to channel the disappointment she felt for herself into each angry stomp back to her seat, holding her head up with a dignity she didn’t exactly feel deserving of. With that glossy pout back in place, Ari threw her signature fluffy pink coat over her shoulders again and wrapped it tightly across her figure, desperately seeking the warmth and comfort she needed in the face of such a disgraceful situation.

^{interactions ....|.... none ............... mentions ....|.... River, Sloane, Sylas, Nate, Maylisee, Andy, Rosalia, Mikaela, Blair, Lochlan, Zelia, Sofia, Callista, Nelly, Mason, Rae, Leo, Veronica, Kacper, Katryna
............... collabs ....|.... none}

Trials of New Rome - TEMPORARY HIATUS

_{A Collab By @Moon Child & @Thayr}

_{Location: Colosseum
Interacting With: Each Other, Ashton @xAlter}

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Luka’s verbal and nonverbal response to her question told Noah everything she needed to know. It was just as she'd suspected: he was beating himself up for the loss. He tried to soften the blow to his ego by mentioning how if the centurions always beat the legionnaires they'd have to redo the training, but it clearly did little to ease the disappointment the man felt in himself.

“You're right about the training thing,” the redhead nodded solemnly, feeling obligated to elaborate. “But just… Don't forget about one thing, okay? Your value as a Centurion and a soldier isn't determined by the outcome of some stupid sparring matches in front of the entirety of New Rome. Your value is determined by your integrity, your character, your bravery-- all of which you got in spades-- and everything you know you can offer your people. Think about it: if my contributions to the Legion were solely determined by my combat abilities and not my smithing, we'd be so royally fucked,” she said with a chuckle, thinking of the ass whopping she had received from Gigi earlier.

”And you? Russo had to have been…interesting.”

“Oh, she totally beat my ass,” Noah quickly responded nonchalantly, wincing at the lingering shadow pains of every blow she'd received from the drop dead gorgeous, yet just as dangerous daughter of Pluto. “I blame Ashton for how aggressive Gigi came at me, though. She and I are actually really good friends outside the arena. But I feel like if he hadn't forfeited the match against her, she probably wouldn't have had all that pent-up anger ready to let loose on me. You know, the other daughter of Vulcan? I bet she was thinking of that smug face of his every time she swung at me,” the girl chuckled, thinking that her mind would be in the same direction had the roles been reversed.

Luka snorted. It sounded like Russo, being frustrated at a forfeit, though the idea of volunteering for the arena only to then do that was strange to say that least. It didn’t sound like an altogether good plan, unless they’d misunderstood the whole idea of it, but then again they should’ve perhaps talked to the organizers or someone instead of forfeiting out on the field, as a surprise to the others. Had Ashton been hurt…? No, then Noah wouldn’t blame them. Luka was almost certain of that. No, no, it’d been a statement, had to be. Nonetheless, the Centurion snorted, shaking his head a little with that ghost of a smile playing about his lips at the whole of it. ”Maybe so, maybe so. But then, your face can be so smug too. Are you sure she wasn’t just looking at you?”

Noah scoffed and lightly smacked Luka's arm, making sure to get the bit of it not covered by armor so as not to give any additional injuries to herself. “My face is not smug,” she debated playfully, a smile of her own on her lips. “Okay: maybe when I end up being right about something or when I get praised on a project I worked hard on, but not all the time. Though, when I think about it, I'd rather be called smug than the poster child for the word ‘stoic’,” she poked back, knowing Luka wouldn't take her seriously. This had been their way of banter for years now, and by this point they both knew to dish it out and take it back.

”Can’t half do anything, you know,” replied Luka, leaning into the light smack just a little. Looking at it from any other angle, he figured it probably looked more akin to a swaying tree over a person than anything else. He had a head over her, after all, and could loom pretty well if they weren’t walking along. A little thought came to mind, one that Luka decided to listen in to, and then act in on. One hand reached up, the armor plates shifting about, to put a hand on the top of her head - a little reminder of that height difference, if any needed to be made. “After all, look what happens when you do. Half the height you could be. See?”

Luka's action and his comment brought out a giggle and a beaming smile from Noah. “Yeah, because not everybody's genes have half-giant in them,” she teased back immediately, sliding away the hand of his from the top of her head with her own but deliberately choosing to not let go of it. She loved it when her friend was playful like this– when he let his guard down and allowed himself to just be: with no second thoughts, responsibilities or expectations consuming him. They always had a lot of fun together when he did, and they were moments she cherished immensely. “That or I didn't drink enough milk as a child like my parents wanted me to. Shame on me, I guess.”

“I think it was the milk.” Luka paused in the train of jokes and relaxings, the ease of it. It was good, yeah, and there was something to be said for it being the little window into what life could be outside the Legion: outside of the trainings and the commands and the idea that someone could very well die; outside of the uniform and armor and weapons. But then…would the little jokes, the little bits of happiness, fill that job, that rigor, that training, that ray of sunshine from the triumph? Luka wished he could say yes, but then he knew that was a lie. He’d tried it before. For all the joys that had been had then, there was something wrong with the Centurion. He knew it, because even though he could work metal, even though he could make a tool, a blade, a fixture, there was so much less joy in that creation than anything else he had done in the Legion. The new train of thought dimmed that little smile, that little crease of worry growing on his brow.

Every damned time. He wanted to go back to the conversation, to go back to that…the jokes and the smiles and the little gestures. To get back into that mindset. There was that deep breath, half an inhale before a too-long sigh, as he looked about. “But then, you wouldn’t need me to help you with the top shelf.” Luka’s tone was different though, markedly different, distant and he knew Noah could tell. She knew him too long and too well for that. And yet, he couldn’t quite find the words to help dissuade her from that, from the question, from the wonder. The Centurion’s mouth hung open for a moment as he tried to find those words, before closing, looking about at the others, at the revelry, at the laughter while they walked through to get to the fields.

The shift in the energy around them was instantaneous; the temperature abruptly dropping a few degrees. Noah instinctively let go of Luka's hand, trying to hide the disappointment she was sure was plastered all over her face while mentally cursing herself. It was always like this. Every time she let her hopes up and thought she'd finally cracked the code, the son of Hercules pulled away into that thick shell he'd built to keep himself safe. It's not like she didn't understand his reasons. They had discussed them at length many times before during his apprenticeship sessions. It was the reason why things between them hadn't gone any further than the sparse-but-heated encounters they'd had throughout the years in the privacy of Noah's cabin, even when it was obvious that there were genuine feelings between them. Still, in her ignorance or naive optimism, Noah hoped that the day would come in which Luka would allow himself to be vulnerable enough to trust her with his heart like she wanted to do with hers. In the meantime, she would continue to offer her unconditional friendship to the man.

The daughter of Vulcan was silent for a minute, lips pressed together as she thought of how to proceed next. In the end, she opted to keep using the same approach as before: humor and teasing. “Sooooo… you plan on wearing that armor the rest of the day to show off or something, or are you swapping it for something a little more comfortable for a change?” Even if Luka remained guarded, the redhead still enjoyed the satisfaction of bringing even the faintest ghost of a smile to his lips.

Another long exhale, the slow shake of the head, that little smile again. Plan on wearing the armor…it was a good little joke, one that poked just enough, and the same with that other phrase. It made him remember the brief little sparks, the brief little moments, even if he hadn’t been wearing any armor those days. That little chuckle followed, too, along with the smile. “Maybe, if you keep on attacking me. I’ll need it.” One hand reached up to feign injury at his arm, where she’d struck.

A little nagging question began, though, on what she’d said before. “You know, though…why did Ashton withdraw?”

Noah shrugged her shoulders, a small frown settling between her brows. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I haven’t talked to him all day. I went looking for you as soon as the match was over and I got checked up at the medical tent.” The young woman felt a trickle of guilt start to creep up on her at both her initial reaction to her brother’s actions and her failure to go straight to checking up on him as soon as her match was over. This was the first time that she had stopped to really think about and consider that Ashton might have a valid reason for having forfeited a competition that had been his idea to join in the first place. And instead of reaching out to her literal brother, she had gone straight to chasing after an unrequited crush. Noah wanted to punch herself. How stupid and selfish could she be?

Well, shit. She’d gone to look for him, worried, instead of looking into the thing that had happened there, that had pissed off Russo. Luka inhaled through the corner of his mouth at the thought, the idea that…well, that Noah just ran-off to go find him instead of figuring out her half-brother. He didn’t know Ashton, not well at least, but had heard things here and there from other people. They said he was confident, sometimes arrogant, that he preferred small groups to the crowds, that he could be distant to the Legion. All sorts of little things that put together a picture of someone who really wouldn’t have made the sort of action as withdrawing suddenly in the arena. The fact that Noah couldn’t take a strong guess at what it was…that only helped to prove that point. “I’m sure he had a reason.” A thought occurred to him at that moment. “You want to go find him? See what’s the matter? I’m sure they won’t miss me at the reenactment.”

Noah's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope that spread across her thin face. In times like these, she was grateful to have friends like Luka that helped her keep an open mind to look at things in different ways while also keeping her focused on the things that mattered. “This is why I keep you around,” she teased the man, linking her arm to his.

With one last playful wink and a cheeky smile, Noah half-dragged, half-led Luka in search for her brother. They walked around while visually scanning and searching the periphery of the colosseum until they finally spotted the son of Vulcan leaning against a marble pillar in a quiet corner out of immediate sight. To his sister's confusion, Ashton didn't show any signs of feeling haunted or perturbed by anything, but was actually looking quite… Content? Relaxed? Chill? Normal?!?!

What the heck? Why did he forfeit the damn match then?

“Hi Ashie,” Noah greeted her brother as she cautiously approached him with Luka remaining a few steps behind, in an almost identical fashion to the way she had done so with her friend earlier. “Is everything okay with you? You forfeited the match earlier, and that's, like, completely out of character for you.”

What Are You Listening To?

Camp Athens - Closed

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In the early hours of the first day of the new year, a yellow taxi cab came to a stop in front of an unassuming hiking trail. The stillness of that snowy morning was momentarily interrupted as a dark-haired young woman dressed in various shades of white stepped out of the vehicle, her winterized brown Jordan Retro boots leaving imprints in the snow beneath her. While the girl retrieved her luggage from the taxi’s trunk with surprising ease, faint beats of urban latin music could be heard reverberating through the pair of black and gold Beats headphones over her ears, cutting through the sounds of songbirds and wind across leaves.

Mikaela Bravo had arrived in Greece sometime after midnight, giving her just enough time to catch a few hours of sleep at a hotel before procuring the taxi that led her here. She’d been thoroughly annoyed at missing New Year’s Eve in Miami with her family and friends, but she figured Camp Athens would be worth the sacrifice. According to her father, Camp was the perfect place for her to not only meet her equals and half-siblings, but also to fine-tune the abilities she had inherited from his divine bloodline. Why Ares had chosen this particular point in time to steer her in this direction was anyone’s guess, but Mika figured ‘oh, what the hell’. The man had never asked her for anything in the twenty-three years she’d been on this Earth, so she might as well indulge his one request. As far as she knew, she could always pack up her shit, hop on a flight and high-tail it right back to the 305.

After closing the trunk door and bidding farewell to the taximan, Mikaela adjusted her backpack, collected her two suitcases and started the hike up the mountain. She made it less than a quarter of a mile uphill before the sound of another vehicle pulling right up to the trail’s starting point caught her attention and stopped her in her tracks.

When Ariana Mossos accepted her biological mother’s request and invitation to attend Camp Athens, she had a vision. She would fly out to Greece in her family’s private jet as usual, where their driver Giannis would be waiting at the airport in the heavily-tinted, black BMW SUV to drive her straight to her final destination… A secluded, resort-style lakeside location with a slew of private, cute, cozy, luxurious cabins surrounding a large bonfire area, with plenty of staff available to cater to their every need. There would be winter sports, bonfire parties, movie nights, spa treatments, movie nights, and endless amounts of peaceful relaxation. In this vision she only had to worry about what to wear, what to eat, and which breathtaking man or woman she would spend the night with– all while learning about her divine heritage in the process.

Boy was she in for a rough awakening…

“I traded the Alps for this…” Ariana muttered under her breath, anger bubbling up in her stomach under the less than ideal circumstances. When Giannis had parked in front of the trail and apologized profusely for not being allowed to go any further, the brunette had laughed and wrote it off as a joke. But as she watched the older Greek man unload suitcase upon suitcase upon suitcase, there was no question that he had meant what he said. Even in the midst of her growing annoyance, Ari made sure to kindly voice her appreciation towards the apologetic Greek man once he had completed the task, reassuring him that she’d figure things out before exchanging goodbyes and watching him drive off. She had turned to glare at her pile of luggage and curse the predicament she found herself in when the familiar sensation of eyes fixated on her ran down her spine.

Ariana’s sights shifted from her suitcases to her surroundings. It wasn’t long before her eyes spotted a feminine figure a short distance away, and she let out a sigh of relief at not being alone in this mess. “Hi,” she quickly greeted the pretty woman with a polite wave and a small smile, putting a pause on her irritation to hopefully make a new friend. “Are you here for camp too?”

Mikaela, who had slipped off her headphones and hung them on her neck, was silent for what felt like an eternity. The moment her green eyes had landed upon the breathtaking brunette standing a few feet away from her, her jaw dropped in shock. She wasn’t a stranger to coming across beautiful people throughout her life, but something about this woman had left her too stunned to speak. The luscious locks of brown hair cascading down her shoulders. The way her bronzed skin seemed to glow like the sunrays that had previously kissed it. The heavy-lidded bedroom eyes with irises shaded like an autumn forest. The rose-tinted lips that looked like they would feel and taste as good as the ripest, juiciest fruit in the garden of Eden…

An overwhelming wave of desire washed over Mika, making her knees weak. She didn’t know who (or what) this woman was, but one thing was for sure: she would absolutely kill to have her.

Realizing she’d been silently staring for a while, Mika shook her head and blinked a few times, trying to clear her head from the yearnful haze that had seemingly overtaken her. “Uh, sorry. Yeah, I am,” she finally managed to stammer, leaving her suitcases behind and retracing her steps to properly greet the new arrival. “I’m Mikaela, daughter of Ares,” she introduced herself, brushing away the weirdness she felt at referring to herself as a child of the God of Warfare out loud to anyone for the first time.

To any other person, the reaction of the girl called Mikaela would have them feeling creeped out and ready to run for the hills. Instead, the silent interaction filled Ariana with an immense sense of pride, elation and delight. No matter how often her beauty and presence left people spellbound, it was always nice to be reminded of the effect she had… Especially on women as beautiful as the absolute doll standing in front of her. That silky black hair, that radiant ivory skin, those sparking jade eyes framed by pretty long lashes, that pair of cherry red lips…

‘She be a fun one to have…’

Smiling to herself at the thought of seducing her, Ariana turned her attention back to the unsuspecting girl. “I’m Ariana, daughter of Aphrodite,” she replied, bypassing the typical handshake one reserved for strangers and going straight for a more personal two-kiss greeting that the other woman corresponded. There was something Ari had noticed in Mika’s voice as she spoke that she couldn’t help but cheekily comment upon. “I hear a bit of a familiar accent peeking through there. Are you from Miami?”

Mikaela’s lips curled upwards in a grin as she nodded. “305, born and raised,” she proudly corroborated, flashing her small inner wrist tattoo of the Miami area code and mini beach scene at the other girl. “I’m guessing you’re from the US too?”

“Mhm! 90210 girlie here!” Ariana confirmed with an enthusiastic nod of her own. What were the odds that the first person she would meet in this adventure was a fellow American? The cheerfulness she was feeling, however, was quickly soured by a sudden realization. “Hold on. So let me get this straight. We literally just did all this transatlantic traveling to get here, and then these gods expect us to go on an uphill hike carrying up all of our stuff?” she grumbled in disbelief before going off on an unplanned, unexpected venting session. “Like, they could’ve at least told us that shit in advance so we would be prepared for it instead of just springing it up on us that nobody could drive us past this point. Like, hel-lo: what the hell am I supposed to do with all of this–?” she gestured to the suitcases neatly lined a few steps away from her as if to emphasize her point. “Nobody told me I had to carry them all myself, so how was I supposed to know that bringing half a dozen suitcases wasn’t a good idea?”

Mikaela nodded in agreement, trying to focus on the conversation instead of the girl’s beauty. She did agree that clearer instructions would’ve been helpful, but she couldn’t really relate to Ariana’s problem of packing what looked like an entire boutique store to bring to camp. Mika wasn’t a light traveler by any means, but she also didn’t require an outfit change three times a day. She did, however, have a possible solution to quell the daughter of Aphrodite’s scorn at the situation. “I mean, I could take both our stuff back up there and come back for you if you want. It’s not like I can’t carry all of this up by myself.”

Mika mentally facepalmed herself. God, she’d sounded so fucking desperate! Clearly, what little she knew about the intoxicating attraction between Aphrodite and Ares seemed to translate to their offspring as well– she would’ve never fumbled like this back home. But it seemed like not all hope was lost yet, because instead of snickering or sneering at her, the California native let out a squeal of delight and rushed forward to wrap her in a tight, grateful hug.

Ariana hadn’t set out to get anything when she’d gone on that rant about her suitcases, but she’d be damned if she turned down the opportunity to skip out on having to become a pack mule. Beaming, the young woman let go of Mika and happily assisted her in the planning and execution of a best course of action. There was no question about whether Mika would be able to carry everything by herself or not, or about her getting tired in the process. She was a daughter of Ares, and that came with the gifts of superior strength and human condition. It took a little time, the clever use of assorted items to use as rope and some strategic, Tetris-like stacking. But finally, the luggage was hoisted onto Mika’s back and arms, and the woman set off on the snowy trek uphill. Ariana would soon be joining her… But there was one thing she needed to take care of first.

As soon as Mika was out of earshot, the Mossos girl pulled out her iPhone from her pocket, unlocked it and called her father. She listened to the ringing on the other line for what felt like forever while tapping her foot, her annoyance growing with each second it went unanswered. Unsurprisingly, the call went to voicemail, and by this point, she was ready to go off in the way she did as soon as the “beep” to leave a message came through.

“Daddy: where the fuck did this woman send me?!” Ariana hissed through gritted teeth; her displeasure for the predicament she had found herself in dripping like venom from her every word. “Giannis couldn’t even take me to the actual campsite, but apparently I was supposed to hike a few miles up a damn mountain with seven suitcases and an overnight bag in the fucking snow to make it up there?” The brunette shook her head and clucked her tongue in disbelief. “Thank God I found a really sweet girl who offered to take my things up that damn mountain, because I have no earthly idea how the hell I was supposed to make it up there by myself…” Ari trailed off with a deep breath, rubbing her pulsating right temple in a weak self-soothing attempt. “You better hope that I don’t die before I even make it to this stupid camp, because if I do, I know you’re going to be very sad and very sorry.” With one last dramatic huff, Ariana angrily tapped her phone screen to end the voicemail, placed it back in her pocket, and followed Mikaela’s footsteps up the mountain.

After a little hustle, Ariana was able to catch up with Mikaela. The two women walked the rest of the way side by side, making friendly conversation and getting to know each other. As much as she hated that she had to engage in this damn stupid hike in the first place, she was grateful to not have to do it on her own. On Mika’s end, the gratitude for having some company was reciprocated. They walked for what felt like an eternity, and just as the brunette was about to wave the white flag of surrender and collapse onto the snow-covered ground, the girls finally came upon a large concrete wall with an imposing iron gate blocking anyone from further passage.

“God, finally!” Ari sighed with relief, sprinting the rest of the way while Mika chuckled at her reaction. She noticed the biometric scanner where the intercom system would be, and followed the directions on the screen, helping Mika do the same once she was completed. With a loud creaking sound, the gates swung inward, granting passage from the new arrivals. The girls soon reached an interactive map of Camp that highlighted all the important locations and instructed them to choose a cabin, and after dropping off Ari’s things in Cabin 29, it was time for them to go their separate ways.

“Thank you so much for your help, Mika,” Ariana thanked the woman in her honeyed voice, wrapping her arms around Mikaela again and pulling her into a tight hug. “I really don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

Mikaela returned the hug with a smile, breathing in Ari’s delicious vanilla marshmallow perfume one last time before pulling away. “It was no problem, girl! I’m glad I could help you out. Us beach bunnies gotta stick together, right?” she said, playfully shoving the other girl’s shoulder. “I’ll head out to my cabin now, but I hope we hang out again soon. I know the hike was hell for you, but I hope I was good company on the way up.”

Ariana laughed at Mika’s beach bunnies remark, returned her shove, and nodded vehemently at her last comment. “Oh, absolutely! You were, like, the best company. We’ll for sure have to hang out again soon!” And after one last embrace, Mika departed the daughter of Aprhodite’s cabin.

Now alone, Ariana walked around and carefully surveyed the space. As upset as she was about Aphrodite not giving her all details about camp, she couldn’t deny that she had impeccable taste. The design choices of her cabin were exactly as she would’ve picked them: a luxurious, girly and classy blend of pinks, golds, whites and beiges that perfectly imitated the style of her college apartment and her bedroom back in the Hills. She was just about to excitedly start unpacking her clothes in that spacious, large closet when a booming, masculine voice cut through the silence.

"Good morning campers. This is your new leader, River, speaking. It is currently 7:30 a.m. on January 1st. Your first training will begin in one hour at 8:30 a.m. in the arena. Please arrive promptly and dress accordingly."

“Training?” Ariana repeated out loud to herself with a bewildered look. “Training for what: the ballet?” Was this a joke? Was she being punked by her father for the many headaches she gave him with her rule-breaking, defiant actions growing up? Surely he would know better than to willingly send her somewhere she would have to engage in athletic activities other than sex, dancing and occasional snow sport…

Right?

The daughter of Aphrodite let out an exasperated huff, feeling even more aggravated than before. She snatched the suitcase that contained her winter clothes and pulled out the only outfit she could think of would that be appropriate for whatever this ‘training’ was: a bodycon black ski suit purposely zipped up right to the middle of her chest, paired with gold accessories and her trusty pink faux fur coat to keep her warm while she waited. Once that was done, Ari reached for her overnight bag, pulled out her makeup kit and parked it by the vanity– because a touch-up was very needed after all that unnecessary walking she’d been forced to do. She’d just finished applying a fresh coat of strawberry lip gloss when a chance glance at a nearby clock not-so-gently nudged her to get a move on.

Out of principle, Ari allowed herself another minute or two of whining before forcing herself to get up and get moving. A strawberry banana protein shake later and the pouting girl was arriving at the arena. She located one of the less populated sections of the space and claimed a seat, pushing her Burberry sunglasses up the bridge of her nose before crossing her arms over her chest as she impatiently waited to find out what in the world this ‘training’ thing was about.

Meanwhile in Cabin 4, the training announcement had injected Mikaela with a dose of enthusiasm. Sports and exercise was something she absolutely thrived on, and she loved that feeling of pushing her physical limits to achieve the desired results or ones beyond expectations. While Ares hadn’t really elaborated on what exactly would be covered during his daughter’s time at camp, she figured that ‘exploring her powers in a safe space’ would involve some sort of training or lessons, so Mika had packed accordingly. She traded her travel outfit for a matching windbreaker and sweatpant set, and pushed her hair out of the way with the help of a headband. A scan of the kitchen cupboards produced a chocolate chip peanut butter protein bar, which Mika scarfed down with a banana before making her way to the arena.

She walked up to the highest row of bleachers once she had reached the location, carefully selected a seat that overlooked the entirety of the arena and sat down. The black headphones that would probably become her signature item at camp were slid back over her head and ears instantly, and those latin urban beats from before came through again. Sighing, Mikaela sprawled comfortably in her seat and pulled out a bright red vape pen from her pocket. The green eyes hidden behind dark shades examined her surroundings while she inhaled and exhaled cotton candy smoke, and she tapped her foot on the concrete beneath her as she waited for further instructions.

What Are You Listening To?

What Are You Listening To?

What Are You Listening To?