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Camp Athens - Closed

^{#0054a6 ....|..... outfit .....|..... By the bonfire}

Ocean heard Pallas begin to laugh, seemingly amused by her water pun and despite the embarrassment she felt originally, she found herself becoming less so.

Pallas kept trying to get her attention, his mirth disappearing and becoming seemingly regretful for chuckling at her pun, though Ocean didn’t know if he really knew what her embarrassment was a result of. It wasn’t because he laughed or enjoyed the pun, but rather her kicking herself over sounding so juvenile. How else did people ask other people to be friends though?

"But then, I started it... I'm the one who went 'diving on in', didn't I?"

Ocean still faced away from him, but her embarrassment all but vanished with his pun and she felt a smile make its way onto her face again.

"But you make yourself a very difficult person to not like. I think you're gonna be just fine."

He thought she was likable, which warmed her heart. Maybe she had a chance of making friends after all, despite her terrible water puns (and hopefully despite lineage). He kept trying to call out to her and Ocean figured she’d keep him guessing a little longer, if only to hear an outright ‘yeah lets be friends’, or ‘you’re hard to dislike, but I still wouldn’t be friends with you’.

"Now this ain't you getting a jump on with the whole ignorin' me because of our parents, is it? Ocean…?"

With that last sentence, Ocean gave a chuckle and finally turned to face him, her face back to normal and a smile dancing in her eyes. She supposed she couldn’t pretend to ignore him any longer. ”You were on a roll, why stop now?” Her tone turned teasing. “I was wondering how deep you’d be able to dig that hole of yours.”

Pallas looked like he was ready to beat himself up and Ocean felt kinda bad. Though it was refreshing to know that someone else can seemingly overthink as much- maybe even more- as she could.

”Though I’m not sure if you saying I’m ‘likable’ counted as a friendship proposal,” She mused, crossing her legs in front of her. Pallas had instilled a bit of confidence in her when he hadn’t completely decided she was a loser, giving her the courage to call him out a little bit.

^{interactions ....|.... Pallas @Hound55 ............... mentions ....|....none ............... collabs ....|.... none}

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Camp Athens - Closed

^{#0054a6 ....|..... outfit .....|..... By the bonfire}

Ocean let out a sigh- almost sounding childish to her ears. “You’re right. You’re dad sounds like a smart guy. There are all kinds of weirdos out there and there’s almost always a lesson to be learned,” she let herself feel validated for a moment. Her thoughts were interrupted by a laugh and she turned to face Pallas, a smile spreading across her own lips. Laughter was always infectious. She felt the pressure to laugh build up in her chest and she gave a light chuckle of her own.

“Take it how you will. He’s a good guy and he cares a lot about those he’s close to, but he can be overprotective and an asshole. Like, sixty percent of the time. I’m just saying that some friends- someone who isn’t his little sister- would do him some good!” Ocean pushed the hostile looks she and River exchanged earlier back into the dark recesses of her mind. She was glad she didn’t tell him about Ace and she was sure he’d be glad to see that she didn’t have his jacket anymore.

Ocean found her mood had improved significantly since talking with Pallas. He was friendly and observant. Sure, a little closed off, but wasn’t everyone here? Ocean felt a little resentment towards Poseidon build up in her gut- not that she didn’t have any before. The one person she wanted to be genuine friends with and he was Athena’s kid. Ocean had been made aware long ago of Poseidon and Athena’s rivalry.

Ocean didn’t really care of the rivalry between their parents and really didn’t want to enforce the warning Poseidon instilled within her before she left for camp. They weren’t their parents, not in the slightest. Even when their parents wanted them to be like them.

"Athena's offspring will be there, along with my brother's spawns. Watch yourself around them. They all have reasons to come for me... For you and your brother. They may try to usurp River, but he is blind to such things. It is up to you to watch his back and observe what he could miss,” Poseidon told Ocean as she polished her trident, making sure not a speck of rust or sand remained on it.

Ocean felt her smile slip off her face for a moment as she remembered the words Poseidon lectured her with. Truth be told, while she mostly listened to her father, there were times she didn’t and ‘rebelled’ against some of his orders. Like when he told her she didn’t need friends since they were a distraction to her training. She had deliberately ignored him, but surely paid the price for it after.

He had pushed her training to the max as punishment, leaving her too exhausted and drained to even think about disobeying his orders. However, despite the possible consequence looming over her head if she were to befriend anyone her father deemed a threat, she found she wanted to ignore his orders once more. But how un-lucky (or just pure naivety) would it be if she were betrayed later on by another person she considered a friend? Poseidon’s warning would still linger in her mind, but for now she’d play nice and attempt to be friends anyways. She turned her attention back to Pallas when he spoke more of his name.

“Pallas is definitely a statement. A dangerous name to be announcing everywhere. I can see why you’d go by Paul instead,” she brought the smile back to her face, not letting her depressing thoughts ruin her newly improved mood. Pallas continued to ask about her parents and Ocean laughed again at her mom being referred to as a hippie.

“Mhm,” Ocean nodded to confirm Pallas’ question. “My mom wasn’t the most original when it came to naming her kids. Doesn't help that she’s a surfer. A… hippie surfer,” Ocean added at the end, her smile turning into a small smirk. Pallas had a smile of his own on his face and Ocean could tell it reached a little deeper than the last one he used. His eyes held a small sparkle and the skin around his eyes wrinkled slightly. She felt pleased that he seemed to be enjoying himself as well with their conversation.

“So, are we supposed to ignore each other? You know, because our parents hate each other?” Ocean felt her stomach start to flutter with nerves over potentially making one of her first friends at camp (or potentially one of her first rivals or enemies if their parents were to be believed, but Pallas didn’t seem like the type. Plus, she didn’t know what Athena was like). It’d be disappointing, in her opinion, if she, Pallas and any of the other Athena kids couldn’t be acquainted. Especially if they got along so well.

“I just think we’d get along swimmingly.”

Ocean blurted it out before she could stop herself and she felt her face grow warm from embarrassment. If she had kept her mouth shut, Pallas would’ve had a less awkward time telling her he didn’t want to be friends. She shifted her eyes away from Pallas’ form and looked towards the ground. Maybe she could… just melt into the grass and dirt. Like a puddle. She cursed her lonely, anti-social childhood.

^{interactions ....|.... Pallas @Hound55............... mentions ....|....Ace, River ............... collabs ....|.... none}

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Camp Athens - Closed

^{#0054a6 ....|..... outfit .....|..... By the bonfire}

Pallas seemed really perceptive and that set off alarm bells in Ocean’s mind. Not that it was a bad thing- high perception was usually really good, but she knew she’d have a hard time hiding things from him. Though, the more she studied him and heard him talk, the more she realized that he probably preferred keeping to himself instead of pointing out people’s flaws and insecurities.

“I haven’t checked the map recently, so I wouldn’t know,” Ocean replied to his comment. “There are definitely a lot of newer faces than the ones I saw this morning.” If she looked over towards the camp entrance, she could still see some people conversing and pointing to the maps in their hands before walking off. She began to feel nervous over the prospect of training tomorrow with and in front of so many people. She was just lucky that she was used to River’s drill-sergeant ways and that she most likely wouldn’t die from exertion tomorrow.

“You’re not wrong, Pallas. The water can be unpredictable. So much so, that even testing the waters beforehand sometimes doesn’t work. It’s fickle and short-tempered,” she met his smile with one of her own. Ocean knew almost everything about, well, the ocean. She enjoyed talking in metaphorical water terms and she felt her mood perk up slightly.

She felt another wave of embarrassment when he apologized for her less than pleasant evening and asked what kind of ‘chaos’ he should avoid. She didn’t know what kind of person Pallas was. From first glance and small talk, she assumed that he wasn’t the sort of guy that would hang out with someone like Ace or that woman he was with, but she knew to not judge a book by its cover. “I befriended someone I probably shouldn’t have and I think it came to bite me in the butt tonight.”

Ocean didn’t want to tell Pallas to avoid Ace. She didn’t want to tell Pallas to do anything that he didn’t want to do. He wanted to ‘test the waters’, therefore she should let him do just that through his own experiences, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t point out some of the people she knew and what she thought of them. “Some of the people just seem really…”

Ocean didn’t know the right word to describe some of the faces and things she’s seen over the night. There’s been flirting (some done on her behalf), major alcohol consumption, and a bar orgy- amongst other things. Ocean never went to a party like this before and she may seem like a prude to others, but shouldn’t she stick to her own set of morals and boundaries? “Out there,” She finished her thought, terming the people here with something more neutral and nicer than what she wanted to say.

“There are definitely some nice people here as well, though. That woman over there, talking to the surfer dude? That’s Iliana. She’s really sweet, but is a bit timid. The surfer guy is my brother, River. He’s nice-ish and could really use some friends,” She pointed to Iliana and River talking a few paces away. “I’m afraid I really don’t know anyone else besides Andy. She was the camp leader.”

She looked away from her brother and Iliana, fixing her eyes on Pallas once again to see if he was even interested in looking in the direction she was pointing. “Pallas is an interesting name. I take it your godly parent is Athena?” Ocean wasn’t a pro when it came to Greek mythology, but she’s heard of Athena being referred to as Pallas before in some of the textbooks she’s read when she was younger.

^{interactions ....|.... Pallas @Hound55 ............... mentions ....|....Ace, Blair, River, Iliana, Andy ............... collabs ....|.... none}

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Camp Athens - Closed

Hey @Palindrome, I want to give Ocean a hug, poor thing. Also Welcome back!

@Pristine1281

Thanks a bunch Pristine! School and mom duties were kicking my butt, but it’s calmed down a ton now so I can give ya’ll my 100% again, haha. Good to be back!

And yeah, poor Ocean feels really dumb right now.

Camp Athens - Closed

^{#0054a6 ....|..... outfit .....|..... By the bonfire}

Ocean watched as River walked off, mixed emotions swirling around in her chest. She heard someone call for shots and excused herself from her discussion with Marlen- not particularly feeling like having conversation after River’s accusatory looks and tone. She grabbed Ace’s jacket from where it sat across her lap and stood up, aiming to use the restroom for a minute before coming out and finding River once again, but more commotion by the bar stole her attention. Various gasps and chatter spread around the area and Ocean turned to see what all the fuss was about. A woman sat on a table, legs spread and a mop of messy hair that she recognized had his head between her legs. Ace’s jacket felt hot in her hand and confusion knotted its way into her stomach lining, along with… disappointment?

Her face heated up with embarrassment over the spectacle and she dropped Ace’s jacket onto the seat she just vacated. Ocean turned away from the scene and made her way to the nearest bathroom which happened to be in the main hall. She hadn’t taken Ace to be the kind of guy to do something like that. Sure, he had his quirks and he had that ‘bad boy’ vibe that River most definitely wouldn’t approve of, but being someone’s sex toy and publicly? It put a bad taste in Ocean’s mouth and she wasn’t entirely sure where she stood with Ace. He was friendly, flirty, and seemed genuine. Ocean liked Ace and wanted to get to know him better.

Shame replaced the confusion as she stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom. Little strands of her hair had come loose from its updo and her cheeks were slightly rosy from sitting so close to the bonfire, but all she could see was a gullible woman who lived under a rock her entire life. She felt stupid that she pegged Ace as someone she could get along with. Not romantically, she wasn’t looking for that, but as a genuine friend she could confide in. Someone who understood and empathized. Ocean heard and felt the water in the pipes around her creak, like they did earlier in the day when she got flustered. She took a deep breath to keep them from exploding and turned the faucet on, running her hand underneath the cold water. It cooled her off and seemed to give her the energy she needed to go back out there and ignore everything that she saw. She’d leave Ace’s jacket where it was on the chair- he’d find it eventually- and she’ll sit down and socialize with anyone who decided they wanted to talk to her. Or she’d find River.

Ocean left the bathroom feeling less embarrassed, but more closed off than when she first originally showed up at the party. The bonfire seemed just as enticing as had before, so she made her way back to it, opting to sit as far away from Ace’s abandoned jacket as possible. Ocean glanced around to see if Ace and that woman were still going at it, but they were gone and Ocean felt something akin to frustration bury itself into her chest. New faces since this morning were littered around the activity fields and Ocean realized with a pang that she was more alone than ever- even with all of these people around her. Even with her brother here. Her eyes spotted him talking to Iliana and a part of her wanted to go and say hi, but she didn’t. River needed to make his own friends without her interfering.

A few moments passed of her just people watching and being lost to her own thoughts when a guy she hadn’t seen today sat down a few spots away, nursing a plate of food. Oceans' stomach grumbled a bit at the sight of the food, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. ”The crowds too much for you? I’m not much of a solitary person by choice, but there’s something calm about being by the fire and removed from the chaos, don’t you think?”

She fixed her eyes on the guy sitting next to her and apologized internally for seemingly interrupting his train of thought. He froze for a second before meeting her eyes and chewing in thought. It was silent long enough to make Ocean slightly uncomfortable and she was about to apologize for intruding (especially after telling herself she wasn’t going to mingle anymore for the evening), when he gave her an answer.

”It’s a lot of new for one night. Might as well start a fresh year as well.”

Ocean raised her eyebrow at his reply and gave him a grim smile. ”You’re not wrong. I only got here this morning and all I’ve seen so far is a few friendly faces, chaos and public indecency. Definitely not my scene,” Ocean studied the way his shoulders maintained their awkward rigidity and she was stricken by familiarity in the way he held himself in such a public space. He was clearly trying to find somewhere to blend in with the background and avoid socializing. She was like that for a long time growing up, especially after her water incident at her public elementary school. ”I’m Ocean. Did you get in earlier this evening?”

^{interactions ....|.... Pallas @Hound55............... mentions ....|....Ace, Blair, River, Iliana, Marlen ............... collabs ....|.... none}

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Camp Athens - Closed

^{#0054a6 ....|..... outfit .....|..... By the bonfire}

Ocean approached River just as he introduced her to his companion. “Nice to meet you, Marlen.” She tried to give him a little smile, but it probably turned out to be more of a grimace as she locked eyes with her brother. He glared at the jacket she wore and she saw all the questions flash through his face. Ocean hardened her eyes and stared back, unwilling to feel guilty for making friends and wearing Ace’s jacket. “You look nice, River,” Ocean stated, though her voice held a sharpness to it. If Ace were here, he’d probably get whiplash at how fast her tone changed. She shook her head slightly as a way to say ‘we can talk about this later’.

Nevertheless, she cleared her throat slightly and turned back to Marlen, eyeballing his guitar. “Do you play?” Ocean realized how stupid of a question that must seem, but there were definitely a lot of interesting characters around and she didn’t want to assume anything. Maybe he just carried a guitar around for fun? “I never learned to play an instrument, but I admire people who have.” She stepped closer to where River was sitting and plopped down in the spot next to him, though this time she took off Ace’s jacket and let it lay across her thighs. Ace was sweet, but she was starting to feel warm, especially since they were by the fire. Plus she hoped it would get River’s glare off her.

*Same disclaimer for Ocean. She'll call Marlen 'he/him' until she's corrected.*

^{interactions ....|.... River, Marlen ............... mentions ....|....Ace ............... collabs ....|.... none}

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Camp Athens - Closed

Ace & Ocean Collab

.....|..... Near Bonfire > Food/Drink Table




Ocean jolted awake at the sound of her alarm, blearily reaching out to silence the thing. She hadn’t remembered setting an alarm when going down for a nap, but she did remember setting one to remind her about the party. Dim light came from the windows in her room and she sat up with wide eyes, realizing the sun was almost completely set and she had slept almost the entire day away. She groaned and brought her hands up to her eyes. The jet-lag really was something else. Flying from Hawai’i to Greece was bound to mess with her internal clock and now she wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight.

Ocean made her way to the bathroom and turned on her curling iron. While waiting for that to warm up, she brushed her teeth and touched her makeup up a little bit to make it seem like she hadn’t just slept in it, though she really didn’t care too much. She had slept in it and Ocean wasn’t known for wearing a ton. Some blush, mascara, sparkly eyeshadow and highlight was usually all she needed to feel presentable. Once her hair was done, she slipped into her dark blue mid-thigh length dress and slid a white hibiscus flower clip into the small half up bun she made. Her outfit wasn’t very practical for winter weather, but she wasn’t too worried about the snow getting her wet. She’d just keep the water off her.

When she was satisfied with how she looked, she checked her thermostat to see how heavy of a jacket she’d need to bring, but blinked in disbelief when it said it was in the seventies. Rushing to the front door, she opened it and stepped out onto her balcony, bracing herself for the cold, but it never came. The snow didn’t seem to be melting, but the air was warm. Ocean let out an incredulous laugh before shaking her head. Weird god-magic or whatever. She grabbed a light cardigan just in case and closed the door behind her, ready for whatever this party had in store. She made the snow part in a way that kept her shoes and legs from getting wet and made her way through the darkening area to where she could hear some music and chatter. If there was one thing she loved about being a demi-god, it was the ability to manipulate the water. Being wet all the time in the snow seemed like it would be miserable.

Cute lights and tables of food and drinks greeted her as she approached the activities field and she stopped for a second to see who had shown up and if there was anyone she recognized. Iliana was there, but she didn’t see River and she felt slightly disappointed. She’d actually have to meet other people.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned to see Ace standing not too far away from her, watching the scene ahead of them. She raised a neat eyebrow. It wouldn’t be weird… if she said hi, right? She hesitated for a second before steeling her nerves and approaching. “It seems to have just started, but there’s still quite a bit of people,” She stated her observation as she came to a stop beside him and fixed her eyes on the scene ahead of them. “Unfortunately, I think even more will show up as the night goes on.”

Ace stood still half-lost in the heat rising from the bonfire, letting it wash over him. The warmth reminded Ace of home, not the place, but the feeling. Ace could’ve stayed in that haze forever, until Ocean’s voice broke through and snapped him back to reality. His eyes continued watching the scene unfold before him as people flooded in, half dressed to impress, laughter growing louder. Ace was here earlier, however, and had watched the two girls set up from the beginning. He heard little of their words, and was unsure if they even noticed him. And if they did, they clearly didn’t care to show it. The display was, frankly, marvelous and unlike anything he’d ever seen. And you see a lot of shit in Holbrook, Arizona. What was in store for him? Was he too far behind everyone? The thought infuriated him, so he found himself standing motionless at this one spot as his mind wandered. Until this very moment.

“Every party in my life has taught me to enjoy the calm before the storm, especially when people get bored,” he shrugged as a smirk crawled across his face, “so I think you’re onto something.”

His gaze fell onto Ocean. She was bathed in soft light, wearing a navy blue dress that curved and flared like it was tailored for her. The dress hugged her just right, while the pleated skirt moved just slightly as she shifted weight. The hem of that navy blue dress lifted just enough to reveal the soft contour of her thighs. It wasn’t overt, and nothing about her was trying too hard. She was graceful, and sharp. It left enough to the imagination but it was hot to him all the same.

“Damn girl, you’re smokin’,” he teased, as his smirk became a grin, not caring to speak casually or play it cool. “Guess I’m underdressed… lookin’ at everyone else.” And maybe he was, but he was clearly as comfortable as ever.

Ace wore a jet-black, slim-cut, leather jacket with a worn in texture that perfectly hugged his frame. The stitching was clean and deliberate, however. Underneath, a deep charcoal mock neck shirt. His pants were black with a silver chain hanging at his hip, clipped to a belt loop. His black boots were combat-style, but polished. His hair was tousled as usual, in a way that made it unclear if he’d just woken up or not. His eyes had a tiredness to them, slightly bloodshot, darkened beneath, but focused on her like he forgot to be tired.

Ocean gave a light laugh at Ace’s teasing compliment and shook her head at his statement. ”I don’t think it really matters. If anything, I feel overdressed. It’s the middle of winter and yet here I am in a dress. I almost showed up in sweats.” Ocean raked her eyes up and down Ace’s figure and outfit and tried to push down the heat in her face. Men in mock necks and turtlenecks made her weak in the knees. She hoped he wasn’t paying too close attention to her expressions and that the heat from the fire covered for her tomato face. “For the record, I think you look nice. That jacket looks comfy. How did looking through the lost and found go?”

“Thanks, O,” Ace replied. “Believe it or not, this is more or less what I wear back home, so… either I just got extremely lucky, or Hermes finally did something fuckin’ decent for me.”

Ace shrugged before sliding the jacket off of his shoulders with a low creak, revealing tattoos that adorned his now sleeveless arms. On his right arm, an endless coil of chained skulls ran from his bicep to wrist. Each skull was slightly different, one cracked, others grinning, one crying a single tear of oil. Wrapped in heavy links like a cursed rosary, the chains tangled with thorned vines pricking and twisting around the bones. Flames licked upward from his forearm, the smoking curling into various images… faint faces, of lost friends or maybe even the dead. Ace’s left arm was less of a sleeve, rather containing individual pieces. A nun with bleeding eyes, hands folded over a mechanical heart. A pair of lovers falling backwards into a pit, their spines exposed and laced like barbed wire. A half-open coffin with a mirror instead of a body inside. Just above his wrist, a delicate tattoo of a single eye, wreathed in smoke, stared unblinking.

Ace stepped closer to Ocean, gently draping the heavy jacket over her shoulders. “My mother would’ve killed me if I didn’t let you have this, magical heat or not.” Ace continued studying her face, each nuance expression as color flushed to her cheeks. He reached down, gently taking her hand. “Let’s grab a drink, we can continue our conversation from earlier.”

Ace nudged his head towards the bar before leading the way, making sure Ocean made her way off the incline they were standing on just fine. “So, what’s the story of getting hit in the face with a Trident? I hope your face didn’t turn out like mine.”

Ace would release her hand once they were closer to the entire party. He was sure the last thing any of them wanted was a rumor, or attention in general, for that matter. Ace shoved his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning their surroundings almost instinctively. People were sledding, and grouped up playing various games. Ace had little to no interest in it all, and was only here to get his mind off of the other night. The hot women were only a plus, in addition to the free alcohol.

Ocean glanced over Ace’s tattoos, curious as to what they meant to him, but looked away once he draped his jacket over her shoulders and grabbed her hand. The jacket was still warm from his body heat and while it wasn’t super cold outside, Ocean didn’t mind the extra warmth. Though, she didn’t bring up the fact it was 70 degrees. She wanted to wear Ace’s jacket a little longer, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe it was because he was her first real connection here at camp.

“My face was just as bad, I think. It was a long time ago. Poseidon would train me and my brother once a year once we got old enough. He taught me how to use a trident- but you can probably imagine how that went.“ Ocean gave a light, humorous chuckle, gripping the sides of her dress once Ace let go of her hand. “It was humiliating, but I eventually got better and got hit less.”

Ocean poured herself a small amount of… whatever concoction was in front of her, but she didn’t take a sip. She wasn’t much of a drinker. When she was fifteen, she and River had snuck some Alcohol. She was throwing up all day and vowed she’d never do that again, though she’ll have a small drink if it was in social settings. She glanced around hoping to catch a glimpse of her brother. If he wasn’t here, she was going to drag him out of his cabin. She turned back to Ace and caught River’s familiar form sitting by the bonfire, though it looked like he was talking to someone. Ocean didn’t know if she wanted to interrupt whatever friendship he was currently forming.

“ Do you know how to fight with a crowbar? Or did you just get hit by them?” Ocean didn’t know if fighting with a crowbar required precision and skill or if it was just… swung, but she was curious to know.

Ace grabbed a cup, pouring himself some jungle juice. He would keep it light, for now. Ace grabbed two bottles of water, sliding one in front of Ocean as he sipped his poison. He didn’t know if she was a heavy drinker, so a chaser was always nice for people like them. Ace laughed at the question, as it told him a lot about the girl alongside her backstory of being a trained fighter.

“Just hit by ‘em, but I assume it’s pretty easy to swing and hit someone off-guard.” Ace almost spat the words out before downing his drink as the memories flooded back, pouring himself another right after. If his injuries were bad, they should have seen the other guy. Ace would definitely need something stronger as the night went on. “There’s no formal training in a street fight. The goal is to do as much damage as possible, so you can make it back home safe at the end of the day.”

Ace glanced around once more, eyes landing on Sloane who had walked in with a man unfamiliar to him. Ace didn’t recognize the guy from the gates earlier, so he only assumed he was already staying at the camp. It wasn’t Ace’s business, however, and figured he would get Sloane alone tonight regardless of the relation those two shared. For now, Ocean had his undivided attention. His eyes fell back on her.

“My uncle was in the military and taught me a thing or two, but that's nothing compared to a God training you.” Ace took another sip. “What else were you taught over the years? Maybe I could get a lesson sometime… see how good you really are at wielding a trident.” Ace didn’t realize the implications of his words until afterwards, but instead of being embarrassed his smirk just widened.

Ace genuinely was interested in seeing, and studying, the things she learned from Poseidon. Especially since he lacked any formal combat and power training, despite being very confident in his own fighting abilities.

Ocean pulled Ace’s jacket around her a little tighter at his question. “It wasn’t… that bad, maybe?” Ocean only phrased that as a question because she didn’t know anything else. She didn’t know what it was like to be trained by someone other than her dad. “Poseidon was really hard on me, but more so on River. He was ruthless and beat us down repeatedly, but sometimes I like to imagine he had some sort of compassion towards us. Even if the only compassion he had was because he wanted us to be his child soldiers or whatever.”

Ocean took a sip of her drink at Ace’s suggestion and his stupidly handsome smirk that made her heart beat a little faster. It burned her esophagus. Ocean may not have much experience when it came to flirting and relationships (whether that be romantic or platonic), but she wasn’t stupid. She cleared her throat and gave Ace a small smirk of her own. “I wouldn’t mind showing you a few things, but are you sure you can keep up?”

Ocean didn’t have a doubt that Ace could keep up. He had some sort of training and street experience, so he’d be okay. Ocean wasn’t terrible at sword fighting either- maybe that was something she could teach Ace? She didn’t know the specs when it came to tridents and other demigods, but she had a feeling it would be hard for anyone else to learn a trident.

Gods using children as soldiers was a thought that crossed his mind before, and Ace was glad that someone else at least considered it. Why else would there be a camp full of powerful demigods? Surely not to protect them from normal humans. At least in his case, his father showed up entirely too late in his life. If it wasn’t for a literal get out of jail free card, Ace would still be home. He still wouldn’t allow himself to be a pawn in whatever games the Gods were playing. It was him over everyone, by any means necessary.

Ace was pleasantly surprised when Ocean returned a statement of her own. He was used to girls like her shutting down shyly, or turning into a stuttering mess. Clearly there was more to this girl than he originally thought. He leaned in just a little, just enough to test how close he could get without making her pull away. His tone dropped further, playful but dipped in real interest now. “Keep up? I’m not worried about keeping up, High-Tide, I set the pace.” Ace’s eyes flicked downward, once again not bothering to hide the fact that he was checking her out.

He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now, relaxed by the fire, drink in hand, shadows licking up her figure beneath his jacket... Ace saw it. Her arms were lean but sculpted, with legs that carried the kind of strength that came from fighting, not gym selfies. His jaw flexed slightly as he drank her in. Ace gave a low whistle through his teeth, half to himself. Then, with that lazy, lopsided grin returning to his face, he leaned back and let his eyes meet hers again.

“Speaking of your brother,” Ace switched the subject, though he genuinely had no interest in River at the moment. Ace just knew not to push his luck in the flirtatious department, even if it were being reciprocated at the moment. “I figured you two would show up together… What's his take on the whole, ‘daddy training us to be his underlings'’ ordeal? No offense to your old man, but it definitely sounds less like parenting and more like building weapons.”

Ocean pauses to think about Ace’s question, attempting to ignore the way her heart sped up when he leaned in close and called her ‘High-Tide’. River didn’t confide in her too much about his emotions, but Ocean knew River tried his hardest to please their father and live up to his expectations. She didn’t think it was her place to reveal anything about how River felt though. She’d embarrassingly shared more than she wanted to about herself and she barely knew this guy. “Not sure. River can be closed off sometimes,” Ocean deflected. “I also expected to show up with him, but I overslept and was in a rush. Plus, his cabin lights were off so I figured he’d be here.” Ocean pointed to the fire where he sat. “That’s him, there.”

She took another sip of her cup before setting it down and deciding she’d already had enough. “So what kinds of new year's traditions do you have? Besides making your ‘Vicodin quota’ and outrunning cops for the holiday,” Ocean teased, changing the subject.

Ace cocked one brow as he looked Ocean’s brother up and down. It wasn’t difficult to spot the relations, they looked spot-on. But River had more of a… purposeful air to him. The type of air that surrounded valedictorians, that had every inch of them pre-approved by some invisible board of excellence. The nice way of saying, he looks like he had a stick up his ass, even in casual clothing. It took everything in Ace to keep from laughing. Instead, he took another swig of his drink as Ocean teased.

“Well…” Ace sat his cup down. “News Years with the Crimson Pistons, we hit our bikes and ride to The Velvet Vixen. Whole crew gets wild. Shots, strippers, loud music.”

“Truth is, I wasn’t even old enough to get inside most years. Bouncers knew I was with the Pistons, but rules were rules. The boys went in, and I posted up outside on lookout duty. But I would lean just right of the window…” Ace mimicked the motion with his hand, “and caught a peek.” His grin widened.

“And my buddy Diesel, he’d sneak me a shot or two when no one was lookin’. Only fireball. It burned like hell everytime, but it was something to keep me warm besides this.” Ace nudged his head to the jacket around Ocean’s shoulders. “And it kept me from feeling like an odd man out, but I appreciate that time looking back. Things were simple then.”

Ace then teased, “So, what about you? Anything special or do you swap spit like everyone else?” He then motioned to the party. “Anyone catching your eye tonight?”

Ocean gave an awkward laugh before shaking her head. “When the sun started to set in Hawai’i, my mom would watch River and I race each other while surfing. Even though she was a professional surfer, night surfing can be dangerous and she’s just mortal, so we didn’t let her near the water. But we’d wear glow stick necklaces or some sort of lamp and we would race each other in the dark on surfboards with my mother as referee. Then, we’d sit around a beach fire, light some sparklers and just spend time together. No training, no working, no spit swapping… just fun,”

Ocean gave Ace a bigger smile this time as she reminisced. She wondered how her mom was doing. A big surfing competition was coming up and Ocean knew how much it meant to her mom. She decided she’d pray to Poseidon tonight in hopes that he’d watch over her and keep her safe in the competition.

“And no. I’m not really here looking to kiss or anything more than that.” She tilted her head up slightly to look into Ace’s dark eyes and found them staring back right at her. “Feelings change, though. Ask me again later.”

There was a slight pause and Ocean took a gulp of water that Ace had thankfully placed in front of her earlier. The water felt refreshing going down, soothing her throat after the alcohol from earlier had irritated it.

“So? Anyone catching your eye?”

Ocean’s life was far from the life Ace knew. It was like a scene straight out of a damn movie. Sparklers and glow sticks, mom by the fire pit watching. It was soft, but a good kind of soft. Not weak, just untouched by the kind of hell that raised him. Ocean spoke about it in a no big deal sort of way, like she didn’t know how rare that kind of peace could be. Or maybe she did, and Ace just didn’t reach that deep yet. He was smiling at her retelling of the memory, nonetheless.

”That’s the kinda memory that keeps the world from going cold,” Ace acknowledged, though the closest he got to glow sticks was a busted taillight in the junkyard. ”Makes ya’ wanna sit around the fire and hear more of ‘em.” He glanced down, thumb rubbing the rim of his glass before he downed the rest of his drink.

There was something in the way Ocean moved. There was fire and softness wrapped into one. Careful, but not scared. Guarded, but open. Cautious, but curious. Her last words were like gasoline on a lit fuse. He leaned back slightly, fingers drumming against the edge of the table. ”Hmm, someone catching my eye?” He glanced around for only a second. ”Hard to tell in this lighting, but there is this one girl. I’ve been trying not to look, but she makes it impossible.”

Ace ran a hand through his hair, calloused fingers brushing over the scar near his temple. He grabbed a half warm bottle of beer off the table, popped the cap, and took a slow swig.

”I ain’t one to leave a good thing hanging, but, there’s someone I said I’d check in on tonight.” Ace closed in, his free hand reaching out and tugging the lapel of his jacket on her shoulders. ”Hold onto this for me. Gives me a damn good excuse to find you and ask that question later.” He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, gaze locked. With that, he drained his bottle, tossed it aside, then turned and walked off before she could respond.

Ocean held her breath as Ace leaned in and tugged on the jacket that she wore around her shoulders. Only when he stepped away to go find his other friend (perhaps that girl he mentioned?) did Ocean release her breath. Her face felt hot and she suddenly wished it was twenty degrees out- if only to cool herself off. Ocean ditched her water and took another swig of her alcohol, relishing in the slight burn. Maybe she should’ve stayed in public school just to get the experience of talking to men who flirted with her.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before throwing her cup away and heading over to where she saw River. Ace was friendly and flirty, but… mainly friendly? Ocean wasn’t looking for anything more honestly, so she decided right then and there that she’d push it to the back of her mind, focus on their friendship, and return his jacket to him later in the night or in the morning. She hoped no one talked about it- though it wasn’t like anyone knew her or Ace. She doubted any silly rumors would be produced because she wore his jacket.

River lingered by the bonfire, talking to a peculiar figure that was engulfed in a parka and Ocean tilted her head to the side curiously. Wasn’t that person hot? The two seemed to be engaged in a conversation and Ocean hesitated for a second, not wanting to interrupt, but she hadn’t seen her brother since that morning and she wanted to catch up before training tomorrow.

^{interactions ....|....Ace ............... mentions ....|.... River, Marlen, Blair ............... collabs ....|.... @expllo}

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Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny smiled at Christian, the silence of the night air calming her mind. "Well then, I'll make sure you are able to experience everything the world has to offer, Mister Reaper. That's a promise."

A warm wind blew through her hair, pushing it into her face and she quickly brushed it back. The fire was starting to die out and the embers remained hot and red in the burnt pile of wood. It was most likely nearing midnight and Penny was starting to feel her eyelids grow heavy. She gave Christian one more smile before standing up and pointing to the small bucket of water that sat by the dying fire."It's bedtime. I got a few books for you to read if you wish to. Feel free to do or rearrange whatever to make yourself comfortable for the night. When you're done with the fire, be sure to pour that water over it. Just to be safe."

Penny gathered whatever was left outside before stepping into her camper. "Goodnight."

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny felt her face grow hot when Christian pointed out the mess on her face, slightly embarassed she had gotten so messy. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her face off before handing one to Christian for his own face. "I'm glad you like them. They're my favorite."

After eating a couple more, Penny put the roasting sticks away and stored the s'more ingredients. When finished, she went back outside the camper and sat down in the cool grass beside the fire. It had gotten quite late, but Penny couldn't go to sleep without sitting and enjoying the night sky and a good campfire. "Ahhh this is the best. It's been a good day," She mused aloud, leaning back on her hands and tilting her head back to look at the sky. "I'm hoping we have more days like this."

'I hope I have more days like this with you, Chrsitian,'she thought to herself.

"Now that you're in the human world and you're sticking around- supposedly- is there anything you've always wanted to do? Something you've never been able to becuase you weren't supposed to make contact with anyone or... just didn't have time for?"

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny nodded, but felt a little worried at Christian not always being there to help her. He was right though. She couldn't rely on him her entire life.

Penny had roasted her two marshmallows perfectly and was placing them on a graham cracker and chocolate when she heard a plea for help. She turned with an eyebrow raised before laughing when she realized his marshmallows burned away in the fire. She handed him the smore she finished and took his stick, placing a few more marshmallows on it. "You're holding it too close to the fire. Eat that while I make some more," She smiled and hummed a small tune under hear breath while she made sure the marshmallows were nice and golden. She wanted to giggle when she thought back to how cute Christian was as he watched his marshmallows burn, though her face started to burn right after. He was just a friend. No more, no less... though Penny wondered if friends often wanted to kiss other friends on the cheek and if doing so made their hearts beat faster.

When she was satisfied with the marshmallows, she pulled them off the stick and made a few more smores. Her mouth watered as she placed the last graham cracker on top and bit into it. "They're so good! I can never get enough of these things." She looked at Christian, waiting for his response. She hoped he could taste it.