⇺ [ Ozias Fotakis ] ⇻
Male • 18 • Child of Hades
Mentions: Verena (Directly) / Aries, Aurelia (Indirectly)

Ozias half expected the explanation he received, yet it didn't stop him from being surprised his little theory that they were connected somehow proved correct. "Really now? Fascinating," he responded. "That's quite the way to discover you have soul manipulation abilities." He reached a hand out to Tiye, allowing her to sniff it before attempting to stroke along her spine. He wasn't quite sure what was considered proper petting etiquette for a Genet but he was certain Tiye would set him straight if she didn't appreciate the touching. "Only pain then?" He asked, his reaction overall a bit underwhelming.

"I can do necromancy as well. That realization wasn't pleasant but I think it's safe to say you win as far as distressing first times are concerned," he murmured thoughtfully. After a moment his gaze drifted back to the crowd, wondering what had become of Aries and Aurelia. "Would the two of you like to meet anyone else? I have a few people I could introduce you to. I'm fairly new myself mind you, in fact, I only arrived yesterday, but I've caught a few names here and there. There are some very interesting people to be found here."

((As always your post was wonderful so fret not!))

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⇺ [ Erin Clearwater ] ⇻
Fem NB • 17 • Child of Chimera
Mentions: Nathan, Jaclyn

For someone who didn't often have anything especially comforting to say to a person in distress, Erin thought Nathan handled the situation remarkably well, nodding her agreement. "It's really no trouble at all. Like Nathan mentioned, we all needed something when we first arrived. It was hard for me being so far from my family. I brought a lot of keepsakes with me. Things that would remind me of home," she paused, wondering if her commentary would actually be helpful. By all accounts, this girl had lost everything beyond the clothes on her back and pup at her side. She cleared her throat awkwardly and an apologetic smile crossed her face.

"Anyways, as stated before, we're happy to assist. Not sure what our superiors have planned, but if you want to get some rest I could show you to my cabin. There's still plenty of room." As Nathan brought up Jaclyn's strange pet Erin glanced in the pup's direction, recognization lighting her gaze and a more genuine smile replacing the formerly anxious one. "They're a coyote, right? How did you ever come across one? I've heard they're difficult to tame. I'm sure there's a wonderful story behind how you two met. If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to hear it." Perhaps merely conversing with the girl would help distract her, and make her feel more at ease with them.

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⇺ [ Jasper Montgomery ] ⇻
Male • 19 • Child of Mania
Mentions: Edward (Directly) / Peter (Indirectly)

Jasper watched closely as a glove was removed, fingers reaching out to stroke the leaves of the nearest weed. The once resilient plant, managing to grow in a place where the sun never reached, almost immediately shriveled at Edward's touch. "Sweet," he muttered under his breath, fascinated by the wilted remains. As Eddie went on to explain his gifts in more detail Jasper's blue gaze drifted back up to his face, regarding him with an unreadable expression.

"Sounds to me like you ain't too thrilled to be Hydra's kid, huh?" It was understandable. Jasper wasn't so out of touch that he didn't recognize most of the people here just wanted to be normal, whatever that was supposed to mean. "Don't worry too much. The higher ups will help make things more manageable for you. Pretty soon you might not even need the mask and gloves anymore." After a while, it seemed as if Edward had grown more comfortable with his presence. This would be a rare instance of befriending another camper rather than victimizing them, if all went well, it would seem.

All things considered, Peter could use some competition for best friend status as far as Jasper was concerned. Would teach him right for always trying to make him be a better person. "Yeah, in more ways than one. Got punched in the face my first week here. Guy broke my nose. No worries though, what I did to him was much worse," he replied with an, honestly, worrying grin. "I imagine the same can be said for you, being half monster and what-not."

Name: Pan | Mentions: Persephone, Ptah, Aver, Selinus

“Indeed.” Came Pan’s agreeable murmur as Selinus rather as-a-matter-of-factly laid the foundation for what seemed to be the best way to go about an already fragile situation, in spite of God’s questionable behaviour earlier? There seemed no trace of such nerves now, only faltering into discomfort as Aver was understandably, briefly, brought to tears by all that they’d been through.

It occurred to him then more than ever, how lacking his skills seemed to be in contrast to either of his fellow Gods. It was not that he did not sympathise or pity the young demigod before him, more so that it felt out of place to provide any sort of comfort or assurance to them, though that in itself also extended towards all mortals; half or otherwise. As a result, his attention turned to Persephone in the hopes that she could and subsequently would take over, having the good grace to at least not appear flustered when Aver’s emotions had eventually gotten the best of them. Whether or not it was best to leave Selinus and Ptah to their discussion, he was unsure.

Nonetheless, he rather admired their ability to manipulate mist, by the looks of things at least, curious, almost.


-----

Name: Nathan Young | Male, 17 | Mentions: Erin Clearwater, Jaclyn (directly)

“Sparrin’” Echoed Nathan thoughtfully, gaze lingering briefly on the coyote for no more than a moment as Jaclyn scratched its ears, yet he himself daren’t touch it “-I’m pretty sure we could figure somethin’ out…” That in itself was somewhat of a joke all things considered, ‘cause that seemed to be all anyone seemed to do half the time, they were even graded on it. Naturally, with that in mind, his ‘swordsplay’ was usually piss-poor at best; and while you couldn’t exactly go hand-to-hand with monsters? That didn’t usually stop him from offering that option to his fellow campers when he was disarmed.

He hadn’t bothered to offer his own attempts of reassurance and encouragement once Erin had spoken, for even on the occasion he didn’t somehow manage to make himself an insensitive prat, his ‘natural charisma’ didn’t seem to hold a candle when compared to how at ease she was in comparison; thus, it was only once Jaclyn’s story had subsided that he would speak again.

“-Have ya named him anythin’ yet? He’s...Cute.” The lie remained convincing because Nathan supposed he would have been cute under normal circumstances, if not for the disaster that had brought them to Halfblood’s hill. Now, however, it’s singed appearance made him feel only pity, something he expressed better for animals than he did people. At the very least, the story she told seemed far more pleasant when he reflected on the fact the coyote hadn’t been entirely abandoned; for Jaclyn herself, was there to find it.

“At least his story has a happy endin’, though... He’s with you, now, an’ he seems pretty happy about it. Does he bite? ‘Cause Meeko, Meeko bites.” Hand absently scratching at the bites in question, which were really no more than nips, his wry smile was quick to return as he sought to elaborate a little further. “Meeko was a gift, I think, but he doesn’t act like one. He’s this weird lemur-lookin’ thing.” He seemed almost puzzled, features furrowing in confusion before he ultimately offered a dismissive wave of his hand. A ‘lemur-lookin’’ thing seemed as accurate a description as he could provide. “Maybe I’ll show you sometime, o’course, I’d have to catch him first…”

-----

Name: Peter Lovel | Male, 19 | Mentions: Jasper (indirectly), open

Outside of Jasper’s earlier departure, Peter appeared to be one of the first to stray from the still bustling pavilion. Anti-social as it might’ve sounded, he was simply keen to get away from its steadily overcrowding benches, though he wasn’t sure exactly what it was he walked in the direction of, other than a break from constant noise. Had his night been better, it was entirely likely that he’d’ve introduced himself to a few campers here and there, for Peter didn’t often like to think himself as the ‘brooding’ sort; nor the type to be so stiff and unwelcoming towards new faces.

Large crowds took a toll, however, and so his departure had been rather needed. As much as it was rather tempting to have simply called it a day and returned to his cabin, sleeping seemed to be something he was doing too much of at a worryingly consistent rate, to such an extent he was keen to do anything other in spite of how he physically yearned for such. It was with this in mind that he ventured towards the unofficially nicknamed ‘training grounds’, more likely to spend a few hours beating on practise dummies and targets than he was spending time at the stables.

Horses, like most animals it would seem, didn’t tend to like him very much. The pegasus’ kept within the camp were no exception to this, trained enough not to throw him off then and there, their discomfort wasn’t easy to miss.


-----

Name: Aurelia Ornery | Female, 17 | Mentions: Ozias, Verena, Aries (indirectly) open

“Making friends, Owen?” The fact that the half-siren saw fit to have made her way over and then join the small conversation on the topic of ‘interesting people’ seemed almost ironic, though perhaps it was entirely expected, for the childish wonder of...Well, children could only be entertaining for so long. Her intentional mis-naming of the rather reserved Hades boy remained a force of habit, though her small smile seemed to indicate that she was still very unhappy his name began with the letter ‘O’, which then, therefore, meant she had to actually think about it. ‘O’ was a terribly limiting letter in contrast to others, as far as she was concerned.

The fact the girl before her was an unfamiliar face seemed to have little impact upon the bubbly confidence she seemed to radiate, clearly not the sort to be in any way timid in the presence of ‘new people’, she did not necessarily attempt to introduce herself either. While Aurelia seemed to look upon the stranger with a warm smile and slightly tilted head in light of the conversational question she uttered, it simply appeared to end there, dark eyes undoubtedly watchful as she studied her. Rather unabashedly ‘people watching’ at this point, her earlier ‘selectiveness’ seemed to diminish in her boredom, and perhaps she half-hoped that the boy she had earlier spotted with Ozias would join them, simply on account of her own curiosity.

In any case, it was rather clear that Aurelia was either waiting to be introduced or waiting for the stranger to have introduced herself, arms casually folded across the vibrantly orange shirt Camp Halfblood’s campers were often seen in. A child of monsters as she might’ve been, she’d certainly seemed to embrace the ‘camp spirit’.
-----

Name: Vanessa De Luca | Female, 18 | Mentions: None, open

The dispersal of other campers was gradual but had admittedly seemed to rise in number by the time Vanessa appeared to finish with what remained on her plate, after dutifully having queued to deposit a considerable portion into the sweet-smelling brazier. Like most of her half-siblings, she had made little to no effort to converse with anyone outside of their admittedly attractive bubble and likewise seemed to have no intention to do so once it appeared to be time they left.

It was not because she was timid or even necessarily ignorant, it just simply didn’t interest her. She was perfectly comfortable with the friends she had found within her cabin, people with whom she shared small or similar interests in. That was not to say she would out-right ignore an opportunity to become that little bit more educated on why they had a sudden influx of unfamiliar and injured faces, more so that she did not openly seek it.

Having left the pavilion with the intention to escape the noise, she would soon be found settled upon the grass alongside a number of others, attention directed to their chatter and gossiping.

-----

Name: Reyna Vane | Female, 16 | Mentions: Merdia, Flynn, Verena, Ozias, Aurelia & Jaclyn (indirectly)

Her enthusiastic chatter seemed little more than just that. While both her expression and the encouraging words she had spoken in passing seemed to suggest that she herself would surely tackle the issue of ‘mingling’ head on, the minute she had left to table to move through the sea of people, her actions became rather regrettable, courage having otherwise dissolved into the same tired concern that seemed etched deeply into Deshret faces. A furtive glance back towards the area she had formerly lingered in, however, indicated that retreat was not an option. The girl she had previously attempted to optimistically reassure was now speaking to two other, even more, unfamiliar people; and the other girl she had noticed - now stroking what seemed to be a coyote or odd dog of sorts - was just the same.

A small frown, cursing her apparent lack of courage and failure to follow through on her own optimistic outlook - did that make her a hyprocrite? - she simply...Stood, for a moment, gaze flickering across a variety of different faces in an effort to analyse her best options. It was not the best way to go about selecting potential friends, but it currently seemed to be the only available option she had.

Settling for a rather quiet table, on which she had noticed a boy and a girl - neither of which seemed particularly familiar to Reyna’s often scatterbrained mind - she’d rather literally put her best foot, her right one, forward as she uncertainly strode over with wavering, poorly conceived, confidence; attempting to offer what she had hoped would be a rather pleasant smile upon drawing close.

“-I don’t suppose either of you mind me interrupting? I’m Reyna, from...From the other camp, I guess….Reyna Vane. Most people call me Vee, aaaand I guess you could say I’m a little forward.” It might have been an awkward introduction, but it was an honest one, which seemed to sum up Reyna’s essence rather well. Awkward, but honest, perhaps even mindlessly so.

⇺ [ Silenus ] ⇻
Male • Old • Camp Halfblood Staff
Mentions: Aver, Persephone, Ptah, Pan (Directly)

Once Ptah agreed Silenus let out a sign of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. “This will be difficult, I understand that,” he replied gently, “but it is the right choice, and I will be with you. I might not look like much, but I can assure you I’m tougher than I appear,” he added with a good natured wink.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Silenus confirmed. “I’d suggest opening a portal outside of the camp, but closeby if possible. Should your enemies still be there, we won’t want to advertise your return.” He shared a brief glance with Pan, assuming he didn’t have any objections. “We’ll be back soon as we can, hopefully with any missing campers in tow.”

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⇺ [ Ozias Fotakis ] ⇻
Male • 18 • Child of Hades
Mentions: Verena, Aurelia

“Well, you know me Audrey. I’m always willing to make a new acquaintance,” he responded as Aurelia made her way over to the table, purposefully speaking the wrong name, a small game they'd picked up after the first time she’d called him something other than Ozias that would likely continue until one or the other ran out of options. “Oh, where are my manners? Abigail, this is Verena and her lovely assistant Tiye. Verena, Tiye, this is my dear friend Amelia,” he introduced them, motioning a hand from one to the other.

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⇺ [ Erin Clearwater ] ⇻
Fem NB • 17 • Child of Chimera
Mentions: Nathan, Jaclyn

Erin reflected on how it was often the people who did the most for others who had a difficult time accepting help. “It’s about time someone looked after you in return then. I’m afraid we can’t use our phones here. No service. I can help you send an Iris message to your mother though if you like. It’s uh...well it might startle her honestly, but I’m sure once she sees you this form of communication will be even better than a phone call.”

As she listened to the tale about the coyote pup’s discovery and Nathan’s subsequent pet story she remembered Meeko’s introduction fondly. “He still needs to get used to you is all,” she defended the odd creature, hoping her claims were true. “I have a Shiba Inu. His name is Riku. His story isn’t as exciting, he was gifted to me for my birthday last year,” she explained. “I’ll have to bring him to see you once things have calmed down.”

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⇺ [ Jasper Montgomery ] ⇻
Male • 19 • Child of Mania
Mentions: Edward

As Edward’s voice grew shaky Jasper shifted a bit uncomfortably, not as a result of his origins or what he was saying, and more out of complete cluelessness for how to handle someone getting emotional. He wasn’t exactly the guy anyone came to if they were looking for comfort and the look on his face practically screamed, ‘please don't start crying’.

“That’s rough buddy. Assuming those etiquette classes didn’t work out, huh?” He asked jokingly. “I bet if you talked to some of the other monster kids they’d have similar stories. You ain’t alone here. Focus on learning how to control the beast instead of letting it have its own way. Trust me, once you’re in control of this shit it’s gonna feel awesome as fuck," he encouraged, talking as if he might have some experience with such.

“Yeah, he’s still around, last I heard anyway. Don’t see him much. Starting to think he’s avoiding me. Honestly, I’m hurt,” he replied in an overly dramatic tone. “Let’s just say if the director ever found out about it I probably would have been expelled and dear Matthew now has a life-long fear of pinecones.”

((These are so short I’m so sorry y’all writer’s block got me in a headlock tonight.))

°• ♔ •° | Verena Rozamond Feenstra | °• ♔ •°
19 | Female | Daughter of Anubis
Mentions: Ozias, Aurelia [Directly]

Verena much preferred Ozias' reaction to that she'd gotten from others, his calm acceptance of her explanation bringing a sense of normalcy to the situation. She needed that in the strangeness of this new environment. "Yep, only pain," she confirmed. Her finding out that he also had the ability of necromancy was fascinating. She'd probably bring it up to talk about it with him another time, but for now she wanted to focus on getting to know more of the campers.

But before she had the chance to respond to his question, it seemed another person had the same idea. She looked up at the new voice, her gaze falling upon a younger woman, one of the Camp Halfblood members, who'd gotten Ozias' name wrong. At first she might have thought it was an honest mistake, but after Ozias called the woman by three different names, she figured it was probably intentional. She smiled at the girl. "Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you, Amanda."