Yes. You read that right. Greece has fallen...or at least the camp that has catered to Greek demigods for over three millennia has fallen. Camp Half-Blood had a traitor in their midst. A traitor with powerful allies who quickly burned the camp to the ground. Some were lost, some killed, and the rest who remained began the long trek across the country to the only place where they might be safe: Camp Jupiter.
Chiron banded what campers they had left, told them of the other camp and sent word to Camp Jupiter pleading for shelter. Chaos now threatens the camp daily with the arrival of new Greek campers to this foreign camp. This camp with strange customs and rules. While on the Roman end the Praetors are forced to hold up a balancing act of providing sanctuary while also trying to find the traitor before their home suffers the same fate as Camp Half-Blood.
New alliances are forged, new enemies are made, and these two worlds have to find some way to work together for the future of them all. Which side are you on? Which position will you take? It's time to jump in the fray because Greece has fallen.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Welcome to our site! We are so glad you are here my friend. Pull up a seat, set your weapons down and let's chat. We are a non-canon, percy jackson RP site based in Camp Jupiter. Both Greek and Roman demigods allowed. Legacies are limited. We have a very small word requirement for posting and we're pretty relaxed around here. We like drama but not the RL kind so keep this place nice and friendly. If you've got questions don't hesitate to ask!
GHF is the product of the mind of Addi; inspired by the percy jackson and heroes of olympus series by rick riordian. this is a work of fiction. names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. several beautiful remodels (including mini profile, profile) were designed by deltra of gangnam style and edited by Haya to fit the site's concept and needs. most images and gifs used for the skin are taken from assassins creed, the percy jackson movies and various google finds. all contents are copyright to their original owners. all characters belong to their original creators, and may not be used or replicated without permission. all images are copyright to their original owners. if you see an image/gif which is yours and you would like us to specifically credit you or remove it please do not hesitate to let us know in the cbox with a link.
female - eighteen - hypnos - hetero - in love - unclaimed - two years
shy. sweet. caring. empathetic. trusting. naive. loyal. quiet. follower. protective. hardworking. team player. puts in effort. not easily frustrated. even-keeled.
Punishment. How laughable. Refuse to wake up at 4AM and automatically you were deemed a traitor to the legion. Dani couldn't understand how anyone could wake up at such a ridiculous hour of the morning just to suit up and go for marching drills, which by the way Dani felt was also pointless because anyone who attacked Camp Jupiter wouldn't care in the least if the demigods could march. The daughter of Dionysus could imagine it now, an enemy cresting the hill, their army behind them, stopped at the gates in shock at the sheer impressiveness of teenagers and twenty-somethings stomping in sync. Get real.
And so she had skipped the marching drills a few too many times and had been assigned armory duty. She didn't even know what that meant, but she sure as heck was not doing what she was supposed to be doing. In the last hour she had been there, she had cleaned and polished a grand total of two swords, one helmet, and one chest plate, and was now fantasizing about a random, faceless male wearing the chest plate and nothing else. Look, Dani was bored, and a bored Dani was a crazy Dani. Already, the madness was itching under her skin, wanting to be let out and let loose, but there was no one around for it to infect and so it had seeped unhappily from her pores, wanting to just be, even if there was no one else around to be affected.
That was, until someone spoke, and Dani looked up from the gleaming chest plate, her daydream interrupted. There was no guilt on her face, because she could hardly care less if some centurion decided she wasn't doing her punishment good enough or whatever. Dani was going to put as much effort into cleaning the armory as she had attending the drills: that was, not very much effort at all. But as her eyes met a familiar gaze, Dani decided it might not be so bad to be trapped in the armory by herself after all, because it was none other than Jax From First Cohort himself, leaning against the wall. Dani couldn't help herself smirking at him, tilting her head slightly as she put the chest plate to the side. She didn't need that any more for any kind of daydream.
"Hey yourself," she replied, her voice low and eyes already promising more shenanigans. The madness surged, ready to spill out of her at the sight of another person. The whole scenario at the last War Games had been hilarious, and since then, she had somehow managed to evade Jax' attempts at revenge. She knew she was in quite the precarious situation here considering they were alone in a not-necessarily well-travelled area of camp, but instead of being afraid, Dani felt herself shiver with excitement. After all, no matter what Jax threw at her, she could probably not only hold her own, but she could pay it back in spades. Her smirk widened as she continued, "What, no friendly kiss from my very own knight in shining armour?"
It was all for a show, of course, Dani was well aware of that. Oliver had some plan cooked up, and she was always down for any kind of crazy ride. But still, the feel of her in his arms, of his hands on her back and his lips on hers - it was Dani's favourite kind of drug. The warmth and proximity and sheer excitement that was palpable in the air, partly their own chemistry and the mingling of their darkness together and partly the audience around them, it all fed Dani's madness. Her lips curved upwards in a smile even as they continued their dance with Oliver's, the euphoria and the strangers' celebrations around them serving to act like champagne bubbles in her veins. It didn't matter to Dani in the least that some complete random had just taken a photo and she didn't even know who, it didn't matter that they were in the middle of a fairly unknown city, just two demigods in a sea of mortals and possibly monsters. There was nothing in those few minutes but Oliver.
It was only when they had separated and the son of Hades spoke that Dani realised she hadn't even waited for an answer to her 'proposal'. She laughed gleefully as he finally said yes, the sound of her laughter drowned by fresh hollers and cheers from the crowd around them. They should probably go on with the rest of their night with a little less exposure considering two demigods probably smelled stronger to monsters, especially as Oliver was the son of a Big Three, but Dani was hardly thinking of any kind of danger. Oliver was slow in putting more distance between them, and for just a few moments longer, Dani reveled in their proximity and the show they were putting on. If this was what it felt like to get or give a proposal, she could understand why people wanted to get married - and then divorced - multiple times, over and over again.
When Oliver grabbed her hand and began leading her out of the centre of the crowd, she intertwined her fingers with his, still putting on the perfect just-got-engaged-couple act. There were plenty of wide, innocent, 'can't believe this just happened!' grins at the various strangers congratulating them. This was such a high, and Dani nearly stumbled as they finally departed the scene, laughing the whole time like she couldn't believe they'd just gone through that. Any and all thought of Romans and Greeks and camp politics and their whole heritage was just a distant blip in Dani's mind as she sought to drown herself in the euphoria of the night.
Her companion seemed to still be in the roleplay they had found themselves in for the jewellery heist, and Dani only giggled again before replying, "No, there's no rules on taking last names. You can take mine - which is Lennox, by the way - or I can take yours, or we can just keep what we have." She shrugged, the ends of her blonde hair moving from her shoulders at the movement. It hadn't been the best idea to wear the heavier letterman jacket, after all, because she was feeling a bit warm now from all the excitement and adrenaline, but it didn't matter. Perhaps it would get colder later on in the night. As they walked back towards the jewellery store that Oliver had seen, Dani swung their joined hands, bright smile on her face. It felt so freeing to be back out amongst the mortals with nothing and no one to worry about.
As they neared the entrance of the store, Dani lifted Oliver's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, switching hands so one hand still remained tangled with his while her other snaked around his waist and rested in the pocket of his pants. Acting loved up was nothing new to Dani, and the dilation of her pupils only served to help with the whole cute and adoring look. Leaning her head on his shoulder, the pair walked into the store looking the perfect picture of a couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other, Dani still with the light blush on her cheeks from the whole situation outside. A mischievous idea entered Dani's mind as they began slowly wandering around the store, tilting her head on Oliver's shoulder to press gentle kisses on the side of his jaw and on his neck. Would he be able to concentrate on whatever idea he had if she kept distracting him?
As soon as the Heph girl told her she had no idea, Dani deflated, slumping back down against the tree, the rough bark merciless on her back despite the clothes she wore. Not that it mattered; the daughter of Dionysus was well on her way to getting drunk. It was one of the few small mercies she had of being half human. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to need so much alcohol to get even the littlest bit drunk. At least her human side allowed her to lose tolerance, and while she'd been salty about it at first, as the beginnings of oblivion flickered at the edges of her vision, Dani found herself marginally more thankful that she could get to the pass out stage faster.
Then again, perhaps that was only the madness in her soul letting her brain know it had taken over. Not that Dani doubted in the least that it would - it had been what she had been hoping for, after all. The daughter of Dionysus was just about to reach for the bottle when she looked down at her hand and found her fingers were already holding on to it. Strange, she didn't remember the exact moment when the girl had handed it back, but it didn't matter now. Tilting her head back and feeling her hair catch on the bark of the tree but not really feeling it, Dani poured more alcohol into her mouth, not caring that it burned down her throat and up her nose and activated her gag reflex. She was going to get through this as quickly as she could.
When she'd sculled as much as she believed she could, Dani straightened, lowering the bottle back to her side. She didn't know when it had happened, but her face was already wet from the tears she had inadvertently shed, partly from sheer desperation and hopelessness, partly from the burn of the alcohol as it warmed her insides. The blonde demigod wiped the back of her hand against her cheek, making a mess of the light make up and spreading dirt over her cheeks, but she was well past the point of caring. "Drink," she said, handing the bottle to the girl without looking at her, instead fixing her gaze back to the sky.
They were so far and so pretty and Dani spread her arms to the sides, tilting her body upwards as though she could lift off through nothing but her own willpower. Imagine if she had been a daughter of Zeus, able to just fly up into the sky through her own abilities. She could have struck that dammed monster with lightning and knocked him right off his smelly little monster socks. Maybe she wasn't close enough to the sky - it definitely didn't feel like it. How else was Zeus going to adopt her for his own, and turn back time, and teach her a whole new life? Before the bottle could even be offered back to her, Dani had snatched it back and it swung haphazardly from her loose fingers as she fought to stand, using the tree for balance. As the blood rushed from her head and she felt her body warm as the alcohol circulated even better throughout her limbs, she pointed a finger at the other girl in one last moment of lucidity. "Don't look for me." And with that, Dani stumbled off deeper into the forest, her soul calling out to the darkness and imploring it to take her whole.
Dani was a bit surprised that Oliver had requested she be the one to 'do the honours' - she had thought he'd be too entrenched in his old-timey ways to ever even consider their roles being reversed. But Dani quite liked that he was ready go to along with her madness, too, and they both seemed to be having quite a good time just bouncing off each other's crazy. That was Dani's favourite kind of person. While poking fun at sticks-in-the-mud and people who had things shoved up in unpleasant places was also quite fun and funny, it was always far better hanging out with people who not only could appreciate her recklessness, but could also get in on her fun. Having more than one crazy person in a group was always fun, even if the size of the group was just the two of them.
With another laugh and still grinning uncontrollably, Dani pushed strands out of her face as she held on to Oliver's hand with both of hers. She kept her eyes fixed on his as she sank to the ground on one knee, not minding the dirty San Franciscan street in the least. With exaggerated dramatics, she held up his hand clasped between both of hers, and said in a slightly louder voice, "Oh Mr Belmont, from the moment I saw you and you offered me a smoke, I knew we would have many adventures in life together. Would you do me the honour of becoming" - and here, Dani paused for dramatic effect, gasping exaggeratedly and tilting her head to the side before continuing - "my husband?"
She then leaned forwards conspiratorially and pretended to whisper: "You can't actually say no." She laughed again as she waited for his reaction. Their little dramatic act had gathered a few spectators, but no one was commenting about her being the one on her knees rather than the male demigod. Dani wasn't sure if this was how females were actually supposed to propose, but she didn't really care. For one, it was all fake, but even if it had been real, for two it was also no one else's business. If Dani had actually wanted to get married and had wanted to be the one to pop the question, and if anyone dared to comment, Dani would slice their mind in half. This was the twenty-first century - people could do whatever the Hades they wanted. They lived in a free country!
It was an odd segue, and one that Dani wasn't sure she enjoyed. The daughter of Dionysus was sure she would never get married. She never wanted to get attached to anyone, and besides, she didn't even want kids. Her life was already a bunch of crazy and she didn't need to add to it. She already fought with the monster in her veins, always threatening to take over her mind at any moment; she didn't need madness in the form of tiny versions of her running amok. Besides, that involved looking after them, feeding them, caring for them - Dani didn't have the time nor the inclination for it. They were sticky and smelly and too small and fragile. The hazy image of small fingers taping a child's drawing to a fridge swam in her mind, and Dani forced it away viciously. This was her night of craziness - she was not going to let her past interrupt her present.
Oliver had barely given her his answer when Dani immediately stood up and reached for him. She needed a distraction now, before the memory could force itself into her brain and impact her mood for the rest of the night and maybe even the rest of the week. Almost desperately, her hands flew to Oliver's face, fingers of one hand running smoothly and automatically to the back of his head and digging into his hair, the other resting on the side of his face as she pressed her lips to his. It was not as gentle as their first kiss in the forest, which now seemed so long ago. No, this time Dani was running from something, and she sought to drown in the sensation of something else - anything else.
Her madness reacted along with her, also reaching for Oliver just as much as her fingers had. It seeped out of her skin and permeated the air around them, and if Dani had been paying attention to the small gathered crowd around them, she would have noticed them immediately start hollering, their emotions rising along with the show she had just put on as well as the craziness she had just started exuding. But the daughter of Dionysus was too hellbent on her singular goal, and it was only a sharp, piercing whistle from one of the bystanders that served to catch her attention and bring her back down to earth. As she pulled away from the son of Hades, she opened her eyes to look at the son of Hades, wondering if she had just crossed a line, curious if she cared or not. Her pupils were dilated in the darkness due to his proximity and the low light, the madness practically a solid force in the cornflower blue of her irises.
It was a somewhat rare occasion that Dani would feel creeped out by something, considering she was usually the one doing the creeping out - part of the madness that ran through her veins and skimmed over her skin like a menacing, invisible current. But the voice that rumbled through the quiet evening made Dani wonder if the madness was talking to her now, because no way in Hades was that a normal human voice. It seemed to reverberate inside her skull and echo in the empty hollow of her chest, and Dani's curiosity was so piqued that she actually sat up and looked around, only to find a pair of legs and looked up to find an unfamiliar demigod.
Now, Dani knew she wasn't particularly popular in her own camp, but she felt she could recognise any Greek. This demigod should be Roman, but he didn't seem to have any of that spear-up-the-backside attitude in him as he walked up to her. The fact that she - an unknown and possibly dangerous Greek who could have burned down her camp - was out and about wandering illegally in the strict legion camp didn't seem to faze him, just asking her if she couldn't sleep and if she'd come to see the stars.
As she looked up at him, her eyes focused on his face and wondering if it was pretty or haunted, she told him frankly, "Dude, your voice is f*cking deep." Dani was not known for her subtlety, nor any kind of penchant for politeness. She placed a hand on her solar plexus as she continued, "I feel it in here and that's crazy. Have you ever spoken into a microphone and blown the speakers out?" Dani hadn't tried it for herself, but she had always been curious if she could scream loud and high enough to break glass like they do in the movies. Sadly, her only experience with damaging things through sound was breaking her friends' eardrums at drunken karaoke. Those had been fun times.
The madness reached for him, wanting to feel the bass of his voice on its own skin, but Dani forcefully laid herself back on the ground, breaking eye contact and looking back up at the night sky. Her feet were still submerged in the lake, toes practically numb by now, but the daughter of Dionysus didn't pull them out of the cold water. It was comforting now, an additional force to help keep the madness controlled. One side of her lips bunched up as she shrugged from her position, now directing her words upwards as she continued to look at the stars. "Beats looking up at the underside of the bunk with Adam's fricking snoring keeping me awake," she replied truthfully. "Stars are overrated, but it's better than that at least. What about you? Why are you skulking about? Isn't it against the rules?" The implied quotation marks were heavy in her sarcastic words.
Despite her craziness and the automatic metal-edging of her tongue and the pettiness and the way that she preferred others to hurt than have her hurt, Dani could appreciate the pretty things in life. Of course she could, and had - it was how she had always ended up flirting with any mildly interesting boy who looked her way. Sure, she had always done it out of entertainment rather than any true feelings or attachment, but it wasn't as though she went with literally any Tom, Rick, and Harry. The prettier, the darker, the better, and Oliver ticked all of those boxes. So when he met her gaze with an intense one of his, telling her he wouldn't be here with anyone else and asking her if she trusted him, of course Dani was going to go along with it. She had played the part of adoring sidepiece before, it was no different now.
She was just about to respond in kind - because Dani was nothing if not gracious when it came to flirting - when Oliver asked her to help pick an engagement ring and her mind nearly stuttered to a halt. She didn't know if this was another thing that Oliver hadn't shed from three hundred years ago, but that whole sentence was just all sorts of weird. Did that mean he wanted to pick an engagement ring out with her, for her? Or was he wanting help with an engagement ring for someone else? While neither sounded particularly palatable, Dani would gladly take the latter if only because she would not be the prime candidate for any sort of engagement - and also because it would be crazy fun chaos to mess around with someone else's love life.
Still, for clarification, Dani felt the need to ask, "What?" It was probably uncouth of her and not very ladylike for someone who was three hundred freaking years old, but considering the suddenness of the situation, Dani felt she could be excused. Also, she was not a lady and had never aspired to be, so courteousness could hang itself on a noose. The daughter of Dionysus was about to repeat her question with a little more emphasis, when Oliver began to explain his plan for what could only be termed as a heist, and Dani found herself smiling as he talked. Finally, when he grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers, she burst out laughing, loudly and with her whole body thrown behind it. She thought she had heard her fair share of crazy ideas, but never one quite like this, and by Tartarus, she was ready for it.
Fluttering her eyelashes at him coquettishly and pouting her lips, Dani smirked at Oliver before commenting, "I hope that wasn't your version of a marriage proposal, Mr Belmont. Where have your manners gone?" And so saying, she turned and began walking towards a slightly more crowded area, not too far from where they'd come out, but at least not in a rank old alley. As they reached a slightly busier street, Dani looked around, her hand still holding on to Oliver's. She could see a pretty domed building, but it looked to be another bit of a walk, perhaps too far from the shop that Oliver had already spotted. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned to the son of Hades and flashed him a grin. "Do you want to get down on one knee or shall I?"
It was probably not the greatest idea considering they looked entirely too young to be wondering about by themselves in this rough neighbourhood, and they were sure to attract the wrong attention soon enough, but Dani had always been fearless. She could knock a man flat on their back if she so desired it, her power seeping into every nerve of their brain and force them to do something they normally wouldn't do. She could make them get on their hands and feet and yap around like a dog, chasing an invisible tail. She could break their minds as easily as cracking open a peanut shell; of course, it would take her a lot of energy and she wouldn't want to spend this very promising and fun evening laid up looking like a vegetable. Besides, if anyone or anything dared attack them, she had no doubt Oliver could hold his own, too.
The daughter of Dionysus turned now to her soon-to-be fake-fiancee, smirking uncontrollably as she waited for his decision. Part of her wondered if he'd be the three-hundred-year-old gentleman that he was and let his social norms dictate his next move, or if he'd want to see her on her knees instead, literally. Dani was fine either way, considering this was just part of an act. Sure, they could have walked into the jewelry store with just their plan in place, but Dani liked to think she could have been a method actress. Besides, to be fake-married sounded like the most hilarious thing ever, and Dani was always up for crazy. The madness bubbled along in her veins, amplified by her exhilaration at both being out of the demigod camp as well as the madcap idea of her companion.
She couldn't sleep. It was hardly surprising, considering what they'd just been through with everything. Dani sincerely doubted she was the only Greek to have too much on their mind to be able to find any peace; she just had the unfortunate curse of having just that extra crazy, literally. Dani's demon was the darkness in her mind that always threatened to suffocate her, partly her best friend and mostly her worst enemy. Even tonight, it refused to let her close her eyes, so she had gone to seek out a distraction - while the little river had been her usual go through, Dani needed somewhere a little closer. Besides, she wasn't quite feeling like stepping through twigs and having leaves in her hair the next morning. No, she knew of somewhere that would provide her with something similar.
Her bare toes sank into the cold, still water of the lake. The daughter of Dionysus briefly contemplated going all the way into the water, before deciding that would require too much of an explanation if she was caught. The feeling of the cold against her feet was enough for now, although she did lower herself at edge of the water, stretching her legs out so her limbs did not leave the cold. The stones hurt as she laid her back against them, the back of her head on her joined palms as she stared up at the sky. If she had been someone who appreciated the stars, she might have spared them a thought. As it was, all Dani could appreciate about them was that they were cold and so far away. She wished she was a star.
The cold seeping into her body slowly calmed the darkness in her mind, and Dani breathed out. She was dying for a smoke or a drink or anything that could serve as entertainment - she was even considering going up against some Romans in the Ludus tomorrow morning just to feel something. Getting beat up sounded far more fun than this feeling of nothing, and probably safer than fighting a battle on the inside. If she only cared for any of the Romans, she might have had her fun flirting while fighting with them. Dani's tolerance for boredom was very limited, and it had been fraying thin for days. A bored Dani always evolved into a crazy Dani, and the Romans didn't really want to experience that, did they? The blonde demigod idly wondered if she should bother trying to sneak past some of them that night.
There was a crackle of twigs as someone approached, but Dani didn't look up. It didn't matter who caught her out here, be they Roman and centurion or Greek and cabin leader. It didn't matter if they sympathised or not, if they wanted to scold her or not. None of them or anything else mattered, because Dani was doing the one thing she had always strived to never do: slip into the darkness in her mind and allow the madness to take over. It was a combination of the emotions brought about by the f*cking lanterns, only made worse by the alcohol working through her veins. This was what happened to people who hadn't had a sip of it in months: tolerance lower than any reasonable, workable amount, that was what.
It was through the haze of darkness that Dani heard a female voice ask her if she was going to keep the bottle to herself. A part of her wanted to throw the middle finger up and wave them away, bring their own demons or escape plans somewhere else and not anywhere near the daughter of Dionysus. If everyone was using tonight to pay tribute to their fallen, well then Dani would like to be left alone with her own, even though she was hardly going to be paying tribute to anyone. Drink herself into a stupor was far more likely in the cards for her tonight.
But perhaps the madness had already taken over more of her brain than she'd anticipated, because Dani did nothing more or less than to pass the bottle over, before she rested her back leisurely and haphazardly against a tree trunk, her eyes never leaving the flying lanterns. A part of her soul was flying up with them, desperate to be free and to escape. The lowered barriers allowed a chilly breeze to sweep through the woods, but despite the cold numbing the tips of her fingers, Dani felt the hole in her chest was far colder than any other part of her body.
"The barriers are down," she murmured, as though to herself. An idea was trying to form in her brain, trying to tell her there could be so much fun that could happen with this fact. Another crackle reminded her that she had company, and Dani sat up again, bits of tree in her hair as she looked up at the person who had joined her. It was another Greek, Hephaestus cabin if she remembered correctly. A crazy thought entered her mind with that revelation. "Heph kid, right? Do you know who burned down camp?"
The look in Oliver's eyes were familiar. Dani hadn't been a stranger to the male gaze, not for years. She had tried as often as possible to catch it, after all, considering she had a strong desire for attention and being popular. Or she had been when she had been a young teenager; these days, males were just a means to an end, a distraction to enjoy but never get attached to. Still, the feel of Oliver's stare on her body sparked the familiar prickling over her skin, and Dani felt a little light-headed from it. She had missed this, this being alive and wanted. And he was different from most others - he wore his darkness on the outside, too. It felt like two versions of shadow, circling each other.
The rising relief and bubbling... elation that she had been feeling at the sight of him stuttered a little at the unfamiliar word. Cotillion. Was he speaking in another language to her? Dani vividly remembered his age, a very disconcerting fact whenever it showed so obviously like it did just now. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she asked, "What the heck is a cotilli-thing? No, wait, do I want to know?" The daughter of Dionysus easily disregarded the thought as she allowed herself to be distracted by Oliver and the feeling of his hands on her body - the closest they'd ever been considering they hadn't exactly touched a lot when they were kissing last time, before the flames had appeared and they'd both forgotten what they'd just been doing.
She was only a few inches shorter than the male demigod, so Dani tilted her chin to keep her eyes on Oliver's own shadowed ones. Dani stood waiting, feeling the madness in her rejoice at being in close proximity to a familiar host; she made no attempt to control it, and it swirled happily, oozing out of her pores and into the gentle afternoon. Her closeness to Oliver had her body tense, ready for whatever the male demigod might do next, but Oliver did not take her face in his hands like she'd thought he would. Instead, he talked, and Dani was confused, wondering if she was receiving mixed signals or if Oliver preferred her to take in charge.
"Wouldn't miss it," she replied, actually meaning it, because no way would Dani ever turn down the opportunity to get out of camp. Not only would it mean escaping Romans and Greeks and powers and tension and demigods in general, it would also mean illicit indulging. It would mean freedom, and Dani had been rattling the bars of her metaphorical cage for far too long. She needed to be out of camp weeks ago.
She shrugged, curly blonde hair flying slightly over her shoulders. Dani didn't know all that much about San Francisco, but all the cities were the same - it was like she could follow the scent of alcohol and puke to the best places in the bowels of the centre of urbanization. "No, but it'll be fun to explore and get lost. It'll be an adventure!" And by the gods, Dani was itching for an adventure. She couldn't wait to taste all of the various things one could find on the streets of a city. San Fran would be no different; the aesthetics and the culture and the vibe might be different, but Dani had no doubts it would be just as easy to find things to keep her entertained for days.
Oliver pulling her closer to him had her automatically reaching out to anchor herself to his body. At first, Dani thought he was finally going to show if he was disregarding their kiss or not, but instead the son of Hades talked about possibly slipping away into the void and Dani's excitement rose even further. She really should have been more nervous or concerned at Oliver's seemingly casual tone about what could go wrong, but Dani had never backed away from complete recklessness - this was just another thing she'd be keen to experience. "Possibly slide away into oblivion - you really do sell your powers, don't you?" she quipped, even as her fingers tightened on Oliver's shirt as she followed his instructions. Did she really trust her life in the hands of this boy she had known for a grand total of half an hour, an hour at most? Why, of course.
And then the shadows descended upon their forms, and before Dani could fully appreciate the idea of shadow travelling, the world around them came back into screaming focus. The sounds were the first things Dani heard of their new environment: it was traffic. Blessed mortal traffic. It was the sound of thousands of tyres and crowds of people and music blasting away into the twilight and the distant wail of a police siren. It was the sound of life. And then the smell hit her, and it was disgusting and foul and yet so welcome after months of nothing but demigod stink. No child of Demeter or Persephone or whatever else flower god there existed would ever let any kind of camp they lived in to smell dirty. Now that Dani was back in an urban jungle that smelled of stale piss and garbage and mold, she realised just how much she had missed living somewhere normal.
Luckily, they had arrived in a bit of an alley, so they hadn't completely scared any random mortals like they would have if they'd appeared anywhere more public. Dani untangled herself from Oliver just as the male demigod pulled away. Any thought about what had happened or still could happen with her companion was promptly pushed aside as Dani led the way to the mouth of the alley, lips slightly apart in slight surprise at being back in the middle of civilization, just like that. Her cornflower blue eyes had darkened slightly as her pupils expanded in the shadow of the alley, and they reflected the sparkling lights of the buildings and signage around them as Dani looked up and around, heart soaring and madness floating as she took in the sights around them. This must have been what Alice had felt like when she'd stepped into Wonderland; really, Dani wanted to raise her arms and do a spin, right there on the sidewalk, not caring in the least about what others might think of her. Belatedly, she remembered Oliver only when he spoke to her, and she turned back to him, the sparkles still in her eyes and a wide grin on her mouth. "I don't know if we're in San Fran, but it doesn't even matter because this is the right place."
Dani's little bubble of peace was shattered as a nervous male voice permeated the air, and she looked up. Her eyes landed on an unfamiliar face, Roman judging by his self-importance of asking her what she was doing in the gardens. The amusement in her eyes sharpened as she watched him descend into stuttering, the blush on his face giving away his clear embarrassment, and Dani had the funniest idea that it would be hilarious to mess around with the poor demigod. She had always been one to make a flustered person become even worse, taking no pity on anyone, and gladly making the 'nice' ones miserable. As long as someone else was suffering instead of her, and as long as she wasn't bored, there were very few lines Dani wouldn't cross.
Not getting up from her seat, Dani pursed her lips and fluttered her eyelashes, putting on her prettiest face as she addressed the demigod, "I'm here for a blind date - my cabin mates set me up." Lie, but this was a great crazy idea for Dani and it was too fun to pass up the opportunity to tease. Her eyebrows rose a little as her lips widened into a smile. "Was I set up with you?" Her head tilted slightly to the side as she studied the male demigod. A trait she had learned in high school was how to smell weaknesses in other kids, especially with nerds and geeks. It was also a way to defend herself, by knowing what not to show and by picking on others who were weaker than herself. Survival of the fittest, after all, and Dani would be danged if she was ever weaker than anyone else.
This one, despite being Roman, was nothing like the rest of the legion. He seemed shy and curved into himself, and if Dani understood the way their cohort system worked - and how much everyone in Camp Jupiter apparently valued combat abilities - this one was definitely on a lower rung. All the better for Dani, of course. Despite the smile on her face, the madness inside her mind sharpened, ready for a new victim.
As the days had passed, Dani's previously bright mood had sunk further and further as she felt the loss of the nicotine. On top of that, Oliver had not been subtle in the least about avoiding her, not that she had been seeking him out, anyway. She still wasn't sure what his quick escape had been about, and as the days passed without him seeking her out, Dani's patience with him had grown thin. She would have given him a piece of her mind (and maybe pushed him up against a wall because angry make out sessions were always fun), had she actually been able to find him. Then again, Dani hadn't exactly tried too hard, either.
Now, though, there was nothing left on her mind but to get out of camp like Oliver had promised. She didn't know if he would still want to go with her, considering how he had left so abruptly last time and she wasn't sure if he had just been polite, but Dani figured even if he wasn't there, she'd just go on ahead and sneak out herself, anyway. It was with this sullen, bleak mood that Dani picked her way through the forest again, heading towards the creek she had found last time where Oliver said he'd meet her. The entire five-minute walk there, the madness ruminated in Dani's mind, as always ready to charge at a moment's notice.
To her relief, she saw Oliver's silhouette before she actually got to the creek. She hadn't realised just how much she was actually looking forward to this outing - but she truly did. Dani needed to let loose, probably find some smokes, and if available, alcohol. If there was some mortal party that she could gatecrash, she'd do it, too. Literally anything was better than this dreary camp with too many rules and too much combat training and not enough Romans who could spice up her life and take her on an adventure. At least she had Oliver - she couldn't imagine how much more she could take living in Camp Jupiter if her madness didn't have a friend in the son of Hades.
As she stepped closer, she could better appreciate Oliver's outfit. Dani wasn't a particular purveyor of fashion, but she could appreciate when something looked good. Her eyes travelled appreciatively down Oliver's body, not in the least bit ashamed about her obvious ogling, before grinning at the other demigod. "I think I'm underdressed," she told him, amused, opening her arms to display her own outfit in full. The red Letterman jacket she'd picked up at a party some time during her high school years and had just kept since then - finder's losers, after all - was big on her petite frame, the pale blue jeans tight against her legs, and a pair of unbranded and slightly beat up sneakers on her feet. She didn't have a lot of clothes left since camp burned down, but she sure as heck wasn't going anywhere with her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt.
Dani wasn't sure where they'd end up going, so she decided to dress as normal as possible. Her curly blonde hair hung loose and heavy about her shoulders, shifting slightly in the breeze, and Dani stuffed her hands in her pockets and hunched over slightly against the chill. She stepped closer to Oliver, her eyes on his face, wondering what was going to be next; was he going to act like their last meeting had never happened, or was he going to say or do something? Dani didn't much care either way, but she needed to know what boundaries the male demigod was going to set. While Dani had no problems setting fire to said boundaries, she also didn't want to do it if it meant Oliver would leave her behind. Dani needed to get out, and if Oliver had control over shadows, he might be able to use his abilities to get them out of camp, or at the very least, hide them as they tried to sneak past the guards. A lot of Dani's escape hinged on Oliver; getting out by herself would be a little bit trickier.
There was an extra jaunt in Dani's steps as she walked from the main area of camp towards the gardens. She'd had nicotine, she'd had a kiss, everything was suddenly just that little bit brighter in Dani's world. The daughter of Dionysus liked to think her life, wants, and needs were very simple: distract her from the madness that steeped like bad tea in the back of her mind, and she was golden. Of course, the metal in her words and her eyes and practically in her nails were a given, but Dani never came without the bad.
With a hair flip and a fleeting wave at one of the few familiar Roman faces, Dani headed for the vineyards. They were her favourite plants by default; due to her heritage, the grapes loved her, and Dani always liked to pass some time with them. As she neared them, the leaves rustled and some of the vines practically reached out to her like metal seeking out a magnet. She reached out her hands to them, a slight smile on her lips, not realising that she was actually... happy. It was a foreign concept for her considering the past few months and her life in general.
As the resident vines made her acquaintance, Dani walked parallel to a row of plants, fingers running by leaves and stem and fruit. Reaching the end of the row, Dani seated herself gracefully on the grass, the closest bunch of grapes being lifted into the air by its home vine and bringing it closer to Dani. Grinning at her chlorokinesis, Dani picked a grape off the bunch and popped it into her mouth, chewing and savouring the juice of the fruit as she savoured the afternoon. With the new demigod friend she'd made and the promise of adventure, Dani was much more looking forward to raising Hades with the Romans.
Dani wasn't sure she was flattered or a little creeped out at the idea that someone else out there could possibly be causing the black flames around them. They weren't actively doing anything, of course, so it wasn't like the person meant them harm... right? No matter how much closer her skin got to the fire, it did not burn or hurt her, as though it was practically just shadows manifested with a more physical form. It was a strange magic, and Dani couldn't help but be fascinated by it. She had always been a curious and adventurous type, and the very real danger was completely ignored as Dani went to experiment with the flames.
Finally, her fingertip prodded the darkness, and it seemed to like her, hopping on to her finger like a cute little pet. A tendril - heavier than light, lighter than air - wrapped around her finger, and for a moment Dani watched it in fascination. She turned to look at Oliver when he told her it liked her, and she smiled at him briefly, before turning her attention back to the little thing. Before long, though, it started tightening its hold on her finger, and Dani tried to shake it off from her. When it refused to move, Dani's instinctive reaction was to call on the madness within her - only to find it had never receded completely like she'd thought. A hint of it permeated the very air around her, and she'd just been too distracted by the son of Hades to realize it. It bubbled over her blood, over her skin, saturating their environment.
With no clear defense and no idea how to stop the little black flame from choking her finger, Dani began to pull away, thinking that maybe distance would break the tendril from its motherlode. But before she could stand and try to escape the literal ring of fire, Oliver spoke from beside her. His tone was sharp and serious, and Dani's gaze whipped to the side to look at him; she wouldn't have guessed he'd be capable of that tone, but then again, he was a son of the Underworld. That particular god had never had the best temper, from what she'd heard. Unsurprisingly, the flames disappeared, and the world looked oddly... brighter. Less dark, less blacks, and Dani couldn't quite put her finger on why everything looked different.
She was still gathering her wits when Oliver spoke, making a joke about her survival instincts, and Dani only grinned. She gladly turned her back on the little mental voice that tried to rationalize her actions when it came to entertaining herself; she was surprised she still had a rational voice in the first place. It didn't often speak up, and when it did, Dani usually ignored it. "I like playing with fire," she teased back, smirk on her face once again implying a double meaning to her words. And then Oliver was talking again, and Dani's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Something weird had just happened between them, a misstep. Dani didn't know what it was, but she supposed she didn't really want to find out - people never truly felt comfortable around her. In fact, she was surprised he'd lasted this long.
Of course, that was the moment he bowed slightly to her - was that a thing from 300 years ago? because Dani was not a fan of the formality - and escaped before she could even tell him she'd be here. Was he just being polite? Was she that desperate to get out of camp and go for some smokes that she would come, even though it didn't feel like a genuine invitation anymore? "Alright, bye," she muttered sarcastically to his retreating back, volume too low to be heard. She sighed as she looked after his retreating figure. Demigods were freaking weird. Give her mortals any day - at least they knew how to party. With another glance around her as though she still wasn't sure what had just happened, Dani concluded she'd spent enough time in the woods by herself, and the nicotine had calmed the madness enough that she could go back to camp and pretend. She would be fine; she always pretended well.
Ave, demigod! Over the next month, all new threads created may be attacked by the Fates at any time, unless specified in the subheader. All random events will be based on prompts from the randomizer. Please refer to the event guide #2 for further and more detailed information about your character's possible fate.
GHF is the product of the mind of addi; inspired by the percy jackson and heroes of olympus series by rick riordian.
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