Arrival
- Location
- Australia
You're in a car headed on the I-95 to Long Island and the sun is setting. Jade is at the wheel, humming along to her own batch of punk music and Birch is sitting in the front with the chair reclined all the way back. Resting his hooves on the dashboard.
"You seriously didn't notice?" Birch asks again as he notices you looking at said feet or lack thereof for the third time that evening.
"I had other things on my mind at the time." You defend yourself but you're still not quite sure how you never noticed that those legs weren't human at all.
The satyr turns back around. "Luckily, we don't need you for your observation skills." He remarks. "We've got a couple of hours before we hit Camp, so if you've got questions, we've got nothing better to do."
"You don't." Jade remarks as she keeps her eyes firmly on the road. "Others here are trying not to kill us, thank you very much."
Questions flood through your mind, but the first one is obvious.
"You guys said my mother was a God, you don't happen to know who she is do you?"
The car brakes a little as Jade glances at you through the rear-view mirror. Apparently, her desire to keep you all alive wasn't stopping her from taking part. You feel a discerning eye raking over your reflected features before she shakes her head. "Sorry, no idea."
"We could make a few guesses." Birch continues for her after she stops speaking. "Athena's kids are all silver eyed, Aphrodite's kids look like the most beautiful people you've ever seen, and they've never been much for combat, so I don't think you're in either."
"So how do I find out?"
"Most of the time, your parents tend to claim you a couple of weeks after you arrive at the camp." Jade says.
A couple of weeks! Why would she wait that long? You think to yourself and you must have been thinking aloud because Jade answers the question on the tip of your tongue.
"They tend to wait for you to do something impressive, or to be a part of something impressive." Jade says. "Win a duel in the training ground, slay a monster near the campgrounds. Something that makes both of you look good. Failing that, you tend to get some of your traits from your parents. So if I watched you for a few weeks, or knew more about you as a person I could probably make a better guess than right now."
"Like Ares kids." Birch says. "Strong as oaks and twice as flammable."
"That's not the saying." Jade tells him and he shrugs.
"Some actually catch fire, so it works."
Silence falls again as you think. It was true that your eyes weren't silver, and while it was a little hurtful you didn't qualify for Aphrodite levels of attractiveness it wasn't surprising. Maybe you were a child of Demeter? Although your plant growing skills were non-existent, and you sure as hell couldn't do what Birch did earlier, summoning those plants to trap Lamia.
"That stuff you did back at the house," You ask Birch, "That's magic?"
The satyr nods. "Jade has some tricks of her own as well. Satyrs are nature spirits so that song I played was just a nice little ditty."
You don't quite believe that given what you saw.
"A little ditty?" You repeat and the man nods.
"You should see me with the rest of the satyrs, what I did there was child's play." Birch says. "Meanwhile Jade here is a little less good with plants, but she's got some other tools I'll let her tell you about in her own time."
Judging from the lack of any addition from her, you assume that her own time will wait until later.
"Biggest question, I guess." You say at the end, pausing as you try to find a way to phrase it.
"How the hell does all of this stay secret?"
"Magic." Jade says.
"No seriously, until today I don't think I'd ever seen a monster in my life." You say. "Now two tried to kill me, I've met a half-goat with magic powers, and you threw me car keys that turned into a spear and a woman turned to dust in front of me. How does any of this stay secret?"
"Magic." Birch repeats for Jade, holding up a hand as you go to protest. "There's dozens, hundreds of little types and pieces of magic out there and almost all of them play a part in keeping this secret. Biggest one for keeping all of this hidden is Mist."
"Mist?"
"It's the divide between the magic and the mundane. Demi-Gods can see through the Mist because you're magic yourselves. Some humans, probably your father can see through it because they're blessed with the ability to do so. So, you might see a woman that's half snake, but to everyone else it's just a woman who walks weird. If you're a human you don't really think about it once the information enters your head, and you immediately forget about it the second you don't see her." Birch explains. "Mist disguises everything and distils it into something a human could relate to."
"Hecate and her kids usually watch over it." Jade tells you. "They can shape it, shift it, can make people see if they want or they can make everything fade away. A few other Demi-Gods can manipulate it if they want but none are as gifted as those."
"So, it's not just the Olympian gods that exist? There's others?"
"Yeah, there's kids outside the main twelve. Most are fortunate and their scent doesn't really develop, they spend their lives like regular people, they might come here for a summer or two but the type of monsters that'll go after them are small and easy to handle."
"You mentioned that before." You tell her. "What's a scent? Why do I have it?"
"Monsters can sense magic. I can sense it too as well as other satyrs." Birch explains. "It leaves a trace, and the stronger you are and the stronger you become the more that trace grows. We call it a scent because we can literally smell it, demi-gods can't but the name stuck."
"And would you look at that." Jade says. "We're here."
The car comes to a stop in the middle of nowhere.
All you see around you are trees, branches your immediate vicinity lit up by the moon but any more than two or three metres in front of you and you can't see a thing.
"You're sure we don't need to keep driving for at least a few minutes?" You ask.
"Nah, it's a five minute walk in…" Birch says, pausing as he touches the ground for a few moments. "This direction." He finishes, whirling around and heading left.
You hear rumbling along the forest floor, the last time you'd heard that you'd seen smoke and red eyes.
And so you turn to run, dreading what's coming next but Birch grabs your arm and shakes his head.
From the trees erupts a golden dragon, soaring through the air before tucking its wings and landing in front of you, talons digging into the forest floor. It let's out a burst of flame, roaring at the moon before it surveys the three of you. The first thing you notice is that it's made of metal, but as it turns towards you know there's intelligence to it as it nods its head and disappears back into the forest as quick as it came.
"Festus." Jade says. "He guards the camp, let's us in and keeps the Monsters out."
"It's a machine." You say dumbly, still looking in the direction it disappeared, wanting to see it again.
Birch looks with you at the path of destroyed branches and cracked trees, wincing at the damage to the forest. "Made by Hephaestus's cabin a couple of decades ago. Does it's job, but the plants are never happy."
"And who doesn't want a pet fucking dragon." Jade says wistfully. "Asked the Hephaestus cabin to make me one like four times and they keep saying no."
"Because they know you'd set half the cabins on fire by next week." Birch mutters before walking in the direction he's pointed to earlier. "It's getting late, let's get you sorted and into bed.
Silence takes over the three of you, Birch confidently leading the way, Jade next to him and you struggling to not trip over every root that makes up the forest floor.
And then as quickly as you'd been shrouded in darkness a whole new world comes to light.
You're at the top of a hill, stars glistening above you. A lakeside camp sits underneath. Paths are illuminated by torches who's flames you can see flickering as they show the way down. To your left an imposing amphitheatre sits in darkness obscured from the moon which shines down over the lake by the curve of the shore. On your right is a racetrack, a field and a wall still spewing magma. You watch with wide eyes as it sloshes into the ground and disappears before more erupts from the wall yet again.
"Hephaestus cabin forgot to turn the damn wall off again." Jade huffs as she begins to march down the stairs from the top of the hill to the shore.
You push past Birch, his hooves requiring him to take slow, measured paces when all you want to do is run. You chase after Jade who is already headed towards one of the buildings, it's lights still. By the time you get there you see two men sat around the table playing cards.
"Yo Chiron! We're back!" She shouts to him, and the man turns to at the sound of her voice. He lets out a sigh of relief as he sees the two of you and looks past to see Birch hobbling behind.
"By the gods we were wondering when you'd return." The man says, placing his cards face down on the table and standing up.
When first you would've probably noticed the ferocious mane of fiery red hair and a beard, knotted down to his stomach, the first thing you notice is the section where his body stops being that of a well-toned man, muscles rippling as he pushes off the table, to that of a horse who's tails swishes behind him as he sizes you up and down. Arms crossed as he puts his weight on his hind legs.
"Hector isn't it?" The centaur asks and you're stuck dumb that the only thing you can do is nod slowly.
"Your father called ahead this afternoon, pleasure to meet you and welcome to Camp Half-Blood." He says, trotting over to you and offering a hand which you take silently.
"Chiron? Like Achilles?" You ask him and the man, horse? Nods pleasantly.
"One of my earliest and best-known students. I've overseen this camp for over two millennia." Chiron says eyes sparkling. "Others and I around the camp will be available to teach you, and help you gain the skills you need to survive in the outside world, now tell me Jade," He says, turning towards the girl. "Any trouble getting him to camp?"
"None on the way over, none on the way back. We did run into a monster when we got there but we dealt with her."
Chiron strokes his beard as he listens to her and Birch expand in greater detail on the Lamia and the bull that had attacked you earlier in the day. Eventually he claps you on the back, his hand digging into your shoulder. "Two monsters in one day is a struggle I wouldn't wish on any demi-god, how are you holding up?"
You rub the back of your head under his attention and shrug. "Seeing them was horrifying, now I'm tired beyond all belief, but after everything I've seen today, it's not like I can say you're all mad."
You don't notice the three of them pale as you continue.
"The monsters I get, because I've seen them, but I'm still sort of wrapping my head around the whole God side of it."
The other man in the room who hadn't been paying attention until now places his cards on the desk. "Is that so?" He asks, and you look at him clearly for the first time.
Ragged beard, slightly greying hair but his eyes are a blur of colour and as you stare into them the room begins to take on less and less meaning. You see fire and flame, a bonfire, with dancing, screaming people running naked on the sand. You look at your own clothes, how offensive they are, how you want to do nothing else but join the frenzied throng of people. How you want to dance until your feet bleed, until your mouth is dry and then you want to quench that first with wine and keep on dancing as your blood drains into the earth...
You were always meant to dance.
And then your vision clears, and you find yourself on your knees. Your shirt ripped nearly in half as Jade has her hand on the man.
"Dad, your oath." You hear her say, and the man nods slowly.
"Take him to the Hermes Cabin." He replies, his voice giving no room for argument.
And maybe there is no room for argument, but you'll argue anyway. "What the-" You go to say but Birch slaps a hand over your mouth and wrenches you away from the table. "I'm terribly sorry for this offence, Lord Dionysus."
Dionysus shakes his head. "Make sure Herbert over there returns with better manners next time. Dismissed." He says before he says to Chiron. "Go Fish."
The centaur looks at you in worry before turning back to Dionysus and as the god points at his chair again the centaur nods slowly, settling back into his seat.
You struggle against Birch for a few moments but he's surprisingly stronger than you and you're hauled out of the cabin.
"What the hell was that?!" You yell as you continue to try and fight against the Satyr but your feet fail to find any footing against the sand and you're slipping over and over.
"Use your head. Dionysus." Birch says. "Doesn't the name mean anything to you?"
Knowledge Roll: (Washington DC Origin = Automatic Pass)
Dionysus… The second you actually let the name roll around in your head, instead of wanting to pick a fight with the man it clicks and you blanch at what you've just done.
"God of Wine?" You ask.
"Wine, Grapes, Orchards and more particularly in your case, Madness." Jade says cheerily as she strolls out of the room and clips you on the ear. "You're lucky I was around or dad would probably have put you in a mental asylum, or turned you into a plant."
"I think he'd make a great rose, all prickly." Birch murmurs, just loud enough for you to hear and if he was hoping for a chuckle his hopes die as he realises that now was not the time.
It felt like Lamia all over again, twice in a day that you've felt utterly powerless, compelled.
Defeated at a game you don't know how to play.
You hate it.
And he's a God, and you just insulted him to his face.
And you hate it anyway.
You feel a hand on your shoulder as Jade takes over from Birch.
"I need you to settle down." She says, as she guides you to a bench. "All you'll do is run back in there and you won't like how you come back out."
You clench your fists in front of you and take a deep breath, nodding once you get yourself sorted. "It's my fault really," Jade confesses. "Dad doesn't like it when Chiron sends me on missions, and we also didn't tell you that there were any gods at the camp."
"Why is the God of Wine here, instead of on Olympus?" You ask them before you turn to Birch. "Is Olympus a thing?"
The satyr nods as Jade points to a cabin and starts walking towards it, following in her footsteps.
"Not much to it." Jade says. "Dad liked a nymph, Zeus liked the nymph. Zeus sent dad here after dad kept chasing said nymph. Man brought it on himself."
"For future reference, the gods above all things do not like to be treated with disrespect." Birch tells you. "Greet them with a bow, call them my lord or my lady unless they tell you otherwise and unless it's your own parent never talk back unless absolutely necessary. Do that and you can probably go a lifetime without getting turned into an animal or cursed in some manner."
The cabin that the three of you had been walking to is wide open and you take note of the dozens people all inside it as Jade forgoes knocking on the door and just yells out.
"Oi! Amos! We've got another one for you!"
A scruffy haired boy peeks his head out from underneath a mattress at the back of the room and jumps to the floor. He weaves his way through about four or five other people in the cabin with practiced ease before he comes to a stop in front of you, bags under his eyes.
"Another one for the fam huh?" He asked Jade as he sizes you up. "You heard already, but the names Amos." Offering you a lazy salute.
"Unclaimed, his dad's very much mortal." Jade says.
"Well, even if it's temporary welcome to the family." Amos tells you as he turns his head to the inside of the cabin. "Hermes Cabin take care of all new recruits, whether you're part of dad's brood or not, so we'll treat you like one of our own for however long you end up staying here."
You nod as you tug slightly on your bag. "Thanks." You say. "Name's Hector, by the way."
"Well, welcome to your new life!" Jade says, clasping her hands together. "Breakfast starts at six, training grounds open at eight and if nothing's changed here you'll probably have had a few items from your bag stolen by nine!"
That small tug rapidly transitions into a grip that almost has your knuckles turning white as Amos arches an eyebrow at her.
"Still holding onto that huh?"
"Every day for the rest of my life."
Amos looks at you and shrugs.
"Hermes is the god of thieves, most of us are likely to steal something from each other at some point. Can't help it. Usually, the big stuff like jewellery or something will go untouched since you're a cabin member, but shower gel and toothpaste are all fair game. Just keep your valuable stuff in your trunk and remember that if you leave something on the bedside table someone is probably gonna use it."
And with that quick rundown he steps aside, and with a firm shove from Jade you walk into the cabin.
"I'm gonna head off." Birch says as you begin to move in. "Best of luck, kid." He tells you and he turns to canter into the forest before you even get to say thanks.
You watch after him, then turn and realise Jade and Amos have already gone five steps without you and you take off after them and into your new life.
You never expected it to be so big. From the outside it seemed a little smaller than your own house, but once you step in it's almost a hundred metres of bunk beds and kids your age chasing after each other, locked in games or already trying to get some shut-eye.
"It's a nice little piece of magic dad cooked up." Amos explains. "The more people here the longer it gets, but you're always near the exit."
"Make way for the new recruit!" Amos yells out after one close call featuring a toy airplane, your eyes and kid a few years younger than you diving through the air you were about to walk through.
"A few of the older guys left last month and now I'm in charge of the cabin, so there's a few beds near me if you want one."
"How often do you get new kids like me?" You ask, spotting one near a window and throwing your bag on it.
"Usually, two or three kids turn up a month, maybe half of them get picked up by another cabin in a few weeks." He tells you. "If your parent isn't one of the Olympians then you stay at Hermes cabin anyways, but we're a talkative bunch so we're happy to have you."
"You better get some rest." Jade says, staring at where you've put your stuff before giving an approving nod. "Tomorrow you'll get taken to the training grounds to see what we're working with."
"We?" You and Amos say in unison.
"He's part of Hermes cabin." Amos adds. "I'll try and find time to add him to the schedule tomorrow."
"Or you can just let me do it." Jade says. "I've got no siblings, an open schedule and Hermes Cabin trained me so it's only fair I help out."
"Uhuh…" Amos says, voice lathered with sarcasm. "Where was all this reciprocity with the other kids that walked through here?"
Jade shrugs. "I brought him in here, and you know you're busy with the rest of the cabin. You really going to say no?"
Amos stares at her again, then looks at you before turning back to Jade, trying to puzzle out her motives. Eventually he just sighs and nods. "Fine, you take the new kid."
She nods and her face forms into a soft smile before she turns and begins to walk out of the cabin. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood by the way." She tells you. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The two of you watch her leave and Amos shrugs. "She's pretty good at what she does so it's not like you're going to suffer. Just watch what you say around her." He tells you. "She's got a temper like you wouldn't believe."
You remember the afternoon. Patient nods, warm smiles and generally helping you survive put at odds with what he just said.
"I'll keep it in mind." You tell him, trying to hide your doubts.
He nods with a warm smile and then slides onto his mattress. "Let me know if you need anything, when I said we look after each other here, I mean it."
Soon you finish unpacking your stuff, left with just two items. The necklace your father gave you a few years ago and a photo of the two of you he took at your birthday last year. Amos told you to look after your stuff and as you survey the room you come to a snap decision. You put the necklace on and then frame the photo of your dad on the bedside table, confident no-one would want it. Then feeling the effects of the day, you pass out almost instantly as sleep claims you.
And then you are claimed by the land of dreams.
You are of the Earth. You feel it as you walk. Each step you take teems with life as the blades of grass caress your skin, cushioning your every step. A pack of wolves rest in the mountains above, a colony of ants are hard at work beneath your feet. No matter how big, or small you feel every living thing in the world around you.
And it feels you. It longs for your touch.
As you make your way through the forest, the old trees stretch and bend, craning to feel your touch and you meet their outstretched branches with a gentle caress. The bows shuddering in delight as your touch renews them, making them as sprightly as any sapling yet as wise as their many centuries should leave them.
You emerge from the woods towards your destination, from the trees sprouts an old dirt road. One you've taken time and time again until time ceased to be worth measuring. It's here that nature ends, and humanity emerges.
Loving, devoted humanity.
You take the path, grass exchanged for dirt, rock hard beneath your feet, unable to be as forgiving as its rival.
Up ahead and two the left two women are conversing. You continue to walk towards them until one sees you out of the corner of their eye.
Promptly, they crash to the ground, heads lowered to the dirt, their hands prostrate. You smile as you walk past, taking their hands and helping them raise themselves from the ground. One falls into step behind you, bursting into song while the other runs to the town as fast as her feet can take her to tell them of your presence.
Their Goddess is here.
At the end of the road sits a temple, old and faded against the trappings of time but one that fills your heart and mind with warmth.
You are powerful here. You are powerful everywhere, but here you could move the stars.
Rhythmic chanting begins to build behind you as the town comes to rejoice in your arrival. Your feet step upon stone steps, cold yet firm.
The torches upon the walls are lit, at the end of the temple sits a throne.
The throne is yours because you are The Mother of All.
You take a seat and bask in their devotion.
You bolt upright, cracking your head against the top of the bunk. You wince, rubbing your head, as you replay your dream again and again in your mind. You can almost feel that same power in your veins as your legs rest against the wooden frame of your bunk. As you look around the room to make sure you haven't disturbed anyone you see a boy, illuminated by candlelight, a closed book in his hands as he stares at you, unblinking.
You look away and fall back onto your pillow, your mind abuzz with questions but mainly one.
Who is the Mother of All?
A/N Welcome to Camp-Half Blood! From here we'll be going with a schedule system to progress through weeks. This week will have 4 events open and from the following we'll go to 6.
Plan the Week Ahead:
Use Plan Format in your votes
Social Events
[] Birch helped save your life and the satyr didn't seem terribly bothered by your company. Seek him out in the forests outside the camp and see what he's up too.
[X] Jade has offered to train you on your first day, you'll report to the training grounds and give her a look at she has to work with.
[] Amos is head of your cabin and is looking for someone to come with him as he prepares for an event at the end of the week. He's more than happy to give you a tour of the camp while he goes about his business.
[] The Hermes Cabin is filled with people, and with that comes the chance to make some friends… hopefully. (Roll DC:???)
[] While you're encouraged to make friends with your cabin, there's nothing stopping you from going outside and making friends with others. You'll explore the Camp and see who you come across.
Camp Activities
[X] Each week three cabins are expected to take part in patrols along the Border Fence to watch for Monsters or signs of threat – This week the Hermes Cabin will be joined by the Ares and Hephaestus Cabin.
[] The Children of Demeter and Apollo spend their time tending to the fields, while you have no real plant powers as far as you're aware a little bit of manual labor will be appreciated.
[] The Forest outside of the Camp is home to many nymphs, Dryads and is filled with a sense of magic and mystery. You will explore it and see what you find.
[] Camp Forge is the home of the children of Hephaestus but is also welcome to demi-gods willing to learn the way of the forge, how to create and maintain weapons and armor. You will go down for an introductory lesson.
[X] Capture the Flag is a game that takes place in the forest each week, the winner gets bragging rights and reduced duties until their reign as champions ends. As a new member of the cabin, this'll be your first game ever.
[] The Molten Wall is a rock-climbing challenge for campers to test their skills. You'll go there and work on your climbing skills. (Perks???)
[] The Amphitheatre tells songs and tales of home or is the proving grounds of battle. (Benefits to History or fighting skills)
[] The Pegasus Stables offer lessons to those wishing to learn how to ride the pegasi, take to the skies.
So I know I said this was going to be a DC based game but you'll see the Perks and options for boosts and bonuses with some actions. I'll make it simple. You do an action, and then when you need to perform that action in quest, the roll to achieve it will be smaller. Say you do rock climbing this plan, then if you need to scale a mountain or hang onto something later on in the story it'll be easier for you since you've learned how to do it. Sound fair?
Thanks for reading.
"You seriously didn't notice?" Birch asks again as he notices you looking at said feet or lack thereof for the third time that evening.
"I had other things on my mind at the time." You defend yourself but you're still not quite sure how you never noticed that those legs weren't human at all.
The satyr turns back around. "Luckily, we don't need you for your observation skills." He remarks. "We've got a couple of hours before we hit Camp, so if you've got questions, we've got nothing better to do."
"You don't." Jade remarks as she keeps her eyes firmly on the road. "Others here are trying not to kill us, thank you very much."
Questions flood through your mind, but the first one is obvious.
"You guys said my mother was a God, you don't happen to know who she is do you?"
The car brakes a little as Jade glances at you through the rear-view mirror. Apparently, her desire to keep you all alive wasn't stopping her from taking part. You feel a discerning eye raking over your reflected features before she shakes her head. "Sorry, no idea."
"We could make a few guesses." Birch continues for her after she stops speaking. "Athena's kids are all silver eyed, Aphrodite's kids look like the most beautiful people you've ever seen, and they've never been much for combat, so I don't think you're in either."
"So how do I find out?"
"Most of the time, your parents tend to claim you a couple of weeks after you arrive at the camp." Jade says.
A couple of weeks! Why would she wait that long? You think to yourself and you must have been thinking aloud because Jade answers the question on the tip of your tongue.
"They tend to wait for you to do something impressive, or to be a part of something impressive." Jade says. "Win a duel in the training ground, slay a monster near the campgrounds. Something that makes both of you look good. Failing that, you tend to get some of your traits from your parents. So if I watched you for a few weeks, or knew more about you as a person I could probably make a better guess than right now."
"Like Ares kids." Birch says. "Strong as oaks and twice as flammable."
"That's not the saying." Jade tells him and he shrugs.
"Some actually catch fire, so it works."
Silence falls again as you think. It was true that your eyes weren't silver, and while it was a little hurtful you didn't qualify for Aphrodite levels of attractiveness it wasn't surprising. Maybe you were a child of Demeter? Although your plant growing skills were non-existent, and you sure as hell couldn't do what Birch did earlier, summoning those plants to trap Lamia.
"That stuff you did back at the house," You ask Birch, "That's magic?"
The satyr nods. "Jade has some tricks of her own as well. Satyrs are nature spirits so that song I played was just a nice little ditty."
You don't quite believe that given what you saw.
"A little ditty?" You repeat and the man nods.
"You should see me with the rest of the satyrs, what I did there was child's play." Birch says. "Meanwhile Jade here is a little less good with plants, but she's got some other tools I'll let her tell you about in her own time."
Judging from the lack of any addition from her, you assume that her own time will wait until later.
"Biggest question, I guess." You say at the end, pausing as you try to find a way to phrase it.
"How the hell does all of this stay secret?"
"Magic." Jade says.
"No seriously, until today I don't think I'd ever seen a monster in my life." You say. "Now two tried to kill me, I've met a half-goat with magic powers, and you threw me car keys that turned into a spear and a woman turned to dust in front of me. How does any of this stay secret?"
"Magic." Birch repeats for Jade, holding up a hand as you go to protest. "There's dozens, hundreds of little types and pieces of magic out there and almost all of them play a part in keeping this secret. Biggest one for keeping all of this hidden is Mist."
"Mist?"
"It's the divide between the magic and the mundane. Demi-Gods can see through the Mist because you're magic yourselves. Some humans, probably your father can see through it because they're blessed with the ability to do so. So, you might see a woman that's half snake, but to everyone else it's just a woman who walks weird. If you're a human you don't really think about it once the information enters your head, and you immediately forget about it the second you don't see her." Birch explains. "Mist disguises everything and distils it into something a human could relate to."
"Hecate and her kids usually watch over it." Jade tells you. "They can shape it, shift it, can make people see if they want or they can make everything fade away. A few other Demi-Gods can manipulate it if they want but none are as gifted as those."
"So, it's not just the Olympian gods that exist? There's others?"
"Yeah, there's kids outside the main twelve. Most are fortunate and their scent doesn't really develop, they spend their lives like regular people, they might come here for a summer or two but the type of monsters that'll go after them are small and easy to handle."
"You mentioned that before." You tell her. "What's a scent? Why do I have it?"
"Monsters can sense magic. I can sense it too as well as other satyrs." Birch explains. "It leaves a trace, and the stronger you are and the stronger you become the more that trace grows. We call it a scent because we can literally smell it, demi-gods can't but the name stuck."
"And would you look at that." Jade says. "We're here."
The car comes to a stop in the middle of nowhere.
All you see around you are trees, branches your immediate vicinity lit up by the moon but any more than two or three metres in front of you and you can't see a thing.
"You're sure we don't need to keep driving for at least a few minutes?" You ask.
"Nah, it's a five minute walk in…" Birch says, pausing as he touches the ground for a few moments. "This direction." He finishes, whirling around and heading left.
You hear rumbling along the forest floor, the last time you'd heard that you'd seen smoke and red eyes.
And so you turn to run, dreading what's coming next but Birch grabs your arm and shakes his head.
From the trees erupts a golden dragon, soaring through the air before tucking its wings and landing in front of you, talons digging into the forest floor. It let's out a burst of flame, roaring at the moon before it surveys the three of you. The first thing you notice is that it's made of metal, but as it turns towards you know there's intelligence to it as it nods its head and disappears back into the forest as quick as it came.
"Festus." Jade says. "He guards the camp, let's us in and keeps the Monsters out."
"It's a machine." You say dumbly, still looking in the direction it disappeared, wanting to see it again.
Birch looks with you at the path of destroyed branches and cracked trees, wincing at the damage to the forest. "Made by Hephaestus's cabin a couple of decades ago. Does it's job, but the plants are never happy."
"And who doesn't want a pet fucking dragon." Jade says wistfully. "Asked the Hephaestus cabin to make me one like four times and they keep saying no."
"Because they know you'd set half the cabins on fire by next week." Birch mutters before walking in the direction he's pointed to earlier. "It's getting late, let's get you sorted and into bed.
Silence takes over the three of you, Birch confidently leading the way, Jade next to him and you struggling to not trip over every root that makes up the forest floor.
And then as quickly as you'd been shrouded in darkness a whole new world comes to light.
You're at the top of a hill, stars glistening above you. A lakeside camp sits underneath. Paths are illuminated by torches who's flames you can see flickering as they show the way down. To your left an imposing amphitheatre sits in darkness obscured from the moon which shines down over the lake by the curve of the shore. On your right is a racetrack, a field and a wall still spewing magma. You watch with wide eyes as it sloshes into the ground and disappears before more erupts from the wall yet again.
"Hephaestus cabin forgot to turn the damn wall off again." Jade huffs as she begins to march down the stairs from the top of the hill to the shore.
You push past Birch, his hooves requiring him to take slow, measured paces when all you want to do is run. You chase after Jade who is already headed towards one of the buildings, it's lights still. By the time you get there you see two men sat around the table playing cards.
"Yo Chiron! We're back!" She shouts to him, and the man turns to at the sound of her voice. He lets out a sigh of relief as he sees the two of you and looks past to see Birch hobbling behind.
"By the gods we were wondering when you'd return." The man says, placing his cards face down on the table and standing up.
When first you would've probably noticed the ferocious mane of fiery red hair and a beard, knotted down to his stomach, the first thing you notice is the section where his body stops being that of a well-toned man, muscles rippling as he pushes off the table, to that of a horse who's tails swishes behind him as he sizes you up and down. Arms crossed as he puts his weight on his hind legs.
"Hector isn't it?" The centaur asks and you're stuck dumb that the only thing you can do is nod slowly.
"Your father called ahead this afternoon, pleasure to meet you and welcome to Camp Half-Blood." He says, trotting over to you and offering a hand which you take silently.
"Chiron? Like Achilles?" You ask him and the man, horse? Nods pleasantly.
"One of my earliest and best-known students. I've overseen this camp for over two millennia." Chiron says eyes sparkling. "Others and I around the camp will be available to teach you, and help you gain the skills you need to survive in the outside world, now tell me Jade," He says, turning towards the girl. "Any trouble getting him to camp?"
"None on the way over, none on the way back. We did run into a monster when we got there but we dealt with her."
Chiron strokes his beard as he listens to her and Birch expand in greater detail on the Lamia and the bull that had attacked you earlier in the day. Eventually he claps you on the back, his hand digging into your shoulder. "Two monsters in one day is a struggle I wouldn't wish on any demi-god, how are you holding up?"
You rub the back of your head under his attention and shrug. "Seeing them was horrifying, now I'm tired beyond all belief, but after everything I've seen today, it's not like I can say you're all mad."
You don't notice the three of them pale as you continue.
"The monsters I get, because I've seen them, but I'm still sort of wrapping my head around the whole God side of it."
The other man in the room who hadn't been paying attention until now places his cards on the desk. "Is that so?" He asks, and you look at him clearly for the first time.
Ragged beard, slightly greying hair but his eyes are a blur of colour and as you stare into them the room begins to take on less and less meaning. You see fire and flame, a bonfire, with dancing, screaming people running naked on the sand. You look at your own clothes, how offensive they are, how you want to do nothing else but join the frenzied throng of people. How you want to dance until your feet bleed, until your mouth is dry and then you want to quench that first with wine and keep on dancing as your blood drains into the earth...
You were always meant to dance.
And then your vision clears, and you find yourself on your knees. Your shirt ripped nearly in half as Jade has her hand on the man.
"Dad, your oath." You hear her say, and the man nods slowly.
"Take him to the Hermes Cabin." He replies, his voice giving no room for argument.
And maybe there is no room for argument, but you'll argue anyway. "What the-" You go to say but Birch slaps a hand over your mouth and wrenches you away from the table. "I'm terribly sorry for this offence, Lord Dionysus."
Dionysus shakes his head. "Make sure Herbert over there returns with better manners next time. Dismissed." He says before he says to Chiron. "Go Fish."
The centaur looks at you in worry before turning back to Dionysus and as the god points at his chair again the centaur nods slowly, settling back into his seat.
You struggle against Birch for a few moments but he's surprisingly stronger than you and you're hauled out of the cabin.
"What the hell was that?!" You yell as you continue to try and fight against the Satyr but your feet fail to find any footing against the sand and you're slipping over and over.
"Use your head. Dionysus." Birch says. "Doesn't the name mean anything to you?"
Knowledge Roll: (Washington DC Origin = Automatic Pass)
Dionysus… The second you actually let the name roll around in your head, instead of wanting to pick a fight with the man it clicks and you blanch at what you've just done.
"God of Wine?" You ask.
"Wine, Grapes, Orchards and more particularly in your case, Madness." Jade says cheerily as she strolls out of the room and clips you on the ear. "You're lucky I was around or dad would probably have put you in a mental asylum, or turned you into a plant."
"I think he'd make a great rose, all prickly." Birch murmurs, just loud enough for you to hear and if he was hoping for a chuckle his hopes die as he realises that now was not the time.
It felt like Lamia all over again, twice in a day that you've felt utterly powerless, compelled.
Defeated at a game you don't know how to play.
You hate it.
And he's a God, and you just insulted him to his face.
And you hate it anyway.
You feel a hand on your shoulder as Jade takes over from Birch.
"I need you to settle down." She says, as she guides you to a bench. "All you'll do is run back in there and you won't like how you come back out."
You clench your fists in front of you and take a deep breath, nodding once you get yourself sorted. "It's my fault really," Jade confesses. "Dad doesn't like it when Chiron sends me on missions, and we also didn't tell you that there were any gods at the camp."
"Why is the God of Wine here, instead of on Olympus?" You ask them before you turn to Birch. "Is Olympus a thing?"
The satyr nods as Jade points to a cabin and starts walking towards it, following in her footsteps.
"Not much to it." Jade says. "Dad liked a nymph, Zeus liked the nymph. Zeus sent dad here after dad kept chasing said nymph. Man brought it on himself."
"For future reference, the gods above all things do not like to be treated with disrespect." Birch tells you. "Greet them with a bow, call them my lord or my lady unless they tell you otherwise and unless it's your own parent never talk back unless absolutely necessary. Do that and you can probably go a lifetime without getting turned into an animal or cursed in some manner."
The cabin that the three of you had been walking to is wide open and you take note of the dozens people all inside it as Jade forgoes knocking on the door and just yells out.
"Oi! Amos! We've got another one for you!"
A scruffy haired boy peeks his head out from underneath a mattress at the back of the room and jumps to the floor. He weaves his way through about four or five other people in the cabin with practiced ease before he comes to a stop in front of you, bags under his eyes.
"Another one for the fam huh?" He asked Jade as he sizes you up. "You heard already, but the names Amos." Offering you a lazy salute.
"Unclaimed, his dad's very much mortal." Jade says.
"Well, even if it's temporary welcome to the family." Amos tells you as he turns his head to the inside of the cabin. "Hermes Cabin take care of all new recruits, whether you're part of dad's brood or not, so we'll treat you like one of our own for however long you end up staying here."
You nod as you tug slightly on your bag. "Thanks." You say. "Name's Hector, by the way."
"Well, welcome to your new life!" Jade says, clasping her hands together. "Breakfast starts at six, training grounds open at eight and if nothing's changed here you'll probably have had a few items from your bag stolen by nine!"
That small tug rapidly transitions into a grip that almost has your knuckles turning white as Amos arches an eyebrow at her.
"Still holding onto that huh?"
"Every day for the rest of my life."
Amos looks at you and shrugs.
"Hermes is the god of thieves, most of us are likely to steal something from each other at some point. Can't help it. Usually, the big stuff like jewellery or something will go untouched since you're a cabin member, but shower gel and toothpaste are all fair game. Just keep your valuable stuff in your trunk and remember that if you leave something on the bedside table someone is probably gonna use it."
And with that quick rundown he steps aside, and with a firm shove from Jade you walk into the cabin.
"I'm gonna head off." Birch says as you begin to move in. "Best of luck, kid." He tells you and he turns to canter into the forest before you even get to say thanks.
You watch after him, then turn and realise Jade and Amos have already gone five steps without you and you take off after them and into your new life.
You never expected it to be so big. From the outside it seemed a little smaller than your own house, but once you step in it's almost a hundred metres of bunk beds and kids your age chasing after each other, locked in games or already trying to get some shut-eye.
"It's a nice little piece of magic dad cooked up." Amos explains. "The more people here the longer it gets, but you're always near the exit."
"Make way for the new recruit!" Amos yells out after one close call featuring a toy airplane, your eyes and kid a few years younger than you diving through the air you were about to walk through.
"A few of the older guys left last month and now I'm in charge of the cabin, so there's a few beds near me if you want one."
"How often do you get new kids like me?" You ask, spotting one near a window and throwing your bag on it.
"Usually, two or three kids turn up a month, maybe half of them get picked up by another cabin in a few weeks." He tells you. "If your parent isn't one of the Olympians then you stay at Hermes cabin anyways, but we're a talkative bunch so we're happy to have you."
"You better get some rest." Jade says, staring at where you've put your stuff before giving an approving nod. "Tomorrow you'll get taken to the training grounds to see what we're working with."
"We?" You and Amos say in unison.
"He's part of Hermes cabin." Amos adds. "I'll try and find time to add him to the schedule tomorrow."
"Or you can just let me do it." Jade says. "I've got no siblings, an open schedule and Hermes Cabin trained me so it's only fair I help out."
"Uhuh…" Amos says, voice lathered with sarcasm. "Where was all this reciprocity with the other kids that walked through here?"
Jade shrugs. "I brought him in here, and you know you're busy with the rest of the cabin. You really going to say no?"
Amos stares at her again, then looks at you before turning back to Jade, trying to puzzle out her motives. Eventually he just sighs and nods. "Fine, you take the new kid."
She nods and her face forms into a soft smile before she turns and begins to walk out of the cabin. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood by the way." She tells you. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The two of you watch her leave and Amos shrugs. "She's pretty good at what she does so it's not like you're going to suffer. Just watch what you say around her." He tells you. "She's got a temper like you wouldn't believe."
You remember the afternoon. Patient nods, warm smiles and generally helping you survive put at odds with what he just said.
"I'll keep it in mind." You tell him, trying to hide your doubts.
He nods with a warm smile and then slides onto his mattress. "Let me know if you need anything, when I said we look after each other here, I mean it."
Soon you finish unpacking your stuff, left with just two items. The necklace your father gave you a few years ago and a photo of the two of you he took at your birthday last year. Amos told you to look after your stuff and as you survey the room you come to a snap decision. You put the necklace on and then frame the photo of your dad on the bedside table, confident no-one would want it. Then feeling the effects of the day, you pass out almost instantly as sleep claims you.
And then you are claimed by the land of dreams.
You are of the Earth. You feel it as you walk. Each step you take teems with life as the blades of grass caress your skin, cushioning your every step. A pack of wolves rest in the mountains above, a colony of ants are hard at work beneath your feet. No matter how big, or small you feel every living thing in the world around you.
And it feels you. It longs for your touch.
As you make your way through the forest, the old trees stretch and bend, craning to feel your touch and you meet their outstretched branches with a gentle caress. The bows shuddering in delight as your touch renews them, making them as sprightly as any sapling yet as wise as their many centuries should leave them.
You emerge from the woods towards your destination, from the trees sprouts an old dirt road. One you've taken time and time again until time ceased to be worth measuring. It's here that nature ends, and humanity emerges.
Loving, devoted humanity.
You take the path, grass exchanged for dirt, rock hard beneath your feet, unable to be as forgiving as its rival.
Up ahead and two the left two women are conversing. You continue to walk towards them until one sees you out of the corner of their eye.
Promptly, they crash to the ground, heads lowered to the dirt, their hands prostrate. You smile as you walk past, taking their hands and helping them raise themselves from the ground. One falls into step behind you, bursting into song while the other runs to the town as fast as her feet can take her to tell them of your presence.
Their Goddess is here.
At the end of the road sits a temple, old and faded against the trappings of time but one that fills your heart and mind with warmth.
You are powerful here. You are powerful everywhere, but here you could move the stars.
Rhythmic chanting begins to build behind you as the town comes to rejoice in your arrival. Your feet step upon stone steps, cold yet firm.
The torches upon the walls are lit, at the end of the temple sits a throne.
The throne is yours because you are The Mother of All.
You take a seat and bask in their devotion.
You bolt upright, cracking your head against the top of the bunk. You wince, rubbing your head, as you replay your dream again and again in your mind. You can almost feel that same power in your veins as your legs rest against the wooden frame of your bunk. As you look around the room to make sure you haven't disturbed anyone you see a boy, illuminated by candlelight, a closed book in his hands as he stares at you, unblinking.
You look away and fall back onto your pillow, your mind abuzz with questions but mainly one.
Who is the Mother of All?
A/N Welcome to Camp-Half Blood! From here we'll be going with a schedule system to progress through weeks. This week will have 4 events open and from the following we'll go to 6.
Plan the Week Ahead:
Use Plan Format in your votes
Social Events
[] Birch helped save your life and the satyr didn't seem terribly bothered by your company. Seek him out in the forests outside the camp and see what he's up too.
[] Amos is head of your cabin and is looking for someone to come with him as he prepares for an event at the end of the week. He's more than happy to give you a tour of the camp while he goes about his business.
[] The Hermes Cabin is filled with people, and with that comes the chance to make some friends… hopefully. (Roll DC:???)
[] While you're encouraged to make friends with your cabin, there's nothing stopping you from going outside and making friends with others. You'll explore the Camp and see who you come across.
Camp Activities
[] The Children of Demeter and Apollo spend their time tending to the fields, while you have no real plant powers as far as you're aware a little bit of manual labor will be appreciated.
[] The Forest outside of the Camp is home to many nymphs, Dryads and is filled with a sense of magic and mystery. You will explore it and see what you find.
[] Camp Forge is the home of the children of Hephaestus but is also welcome to demi-gods willing to learn the way of the forge, how to create and maintain weapons and armor. You will go down for an introductory lesson.
[] The Molten Wall is a rock-climbing challenge for campers to test their skills. You'll go there and work on your climbing skills. (Perks???)
[] The Amphitheatre tells songs and tales of home or is the proving grounds of battle. (Benefits to History or fighting skills)
[] The Pegasus Stables offer lessons to those wishing to learn how to ride the pegasi, take to the skies.
So I know I said this was going to be a DC based game but you'll see the Perks and options for boosts and bonuses with some actions. I'll make it simple. You do an action, and then when you need to perform that action in quest, the roll to achieve it will be smaller. Say you do rock climbing this plan, then if you need to scale a mountain or hang onto something later on in the story it'll be easier for you since you've learned how to do it. Sound fair?
Thanks for reading.
Last edited:
