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.
As his barrack-mate looked away, Espen waited two or three seconds before turning to look for the girl again. She had gone from where he'd seen her last, and Espen looked around some more, now a bit distracted from his responsibility. When he couldn't see her hair or face anywhere nearby, he figured she must have gone on, maybe with spotted some people she knew and went to stand with them. The field was swarming with Greek demigods, with perhaps too few Romans mingling with them - Espen could understand that. This tribute was for the fallen Greeks, anyway; he could only imagine how awkward the legionnaires would be feeling, attending something that felt so private and belonged to a different group.
Deciding he'd catch a glimpse of her another time, Espen mentally shrugged before turning his gaze back at the patch of wood he was supposed to be keeping an eye on. It was probably a good idea that she'd gone, anyway, he really couldn't be caught slacking like that again. He was lucky it had only been one of his own barrack-mates; imagining if it would be one of the centurions or gods forbid the Praetors, Espen knew he could really cop some flak over a lapse in focus. Settling himself into the proper mindset, Espen shifted his neck to stretch the muscles, readying for a night staring out into nothing.
A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Espen's first thought was no way, really? monsters? One hand was immediately on his gladius, but he didn't pull it, not yet. It could have been anything, really -- and clearly it was, because there, halfway up a tree, was the girl he'd been looking for earlier.
Incredulous, Espen was frozen for a second, before he walked towards her, wondering what in Tartarus she was doing. Then his eyes spotted a lantern that had gotten caught further up the tree, clearly the girl's destination. It must have been one of hers; Espen couldn't imagine any other reason why she would be up there looking to free it. Deciding to not speak too loud in case he frightened her, Espen called out to her as he came closer, "Hey, uhhh... Are you alright there? Do you need a hand or something?" To be perfectly honest, it had only been a polite question; Espen was not a particular fan of climbing trees, and he was pretty sure his weight would have had him breaking a branch before he could even get up to the height she was now.
A Roman girl came up near him to choose a spear for herself, and Espen was distracted from his contemplation of a fellow legionnaire when she asked him a question. She was familiar enough; she was one of those warrior-type demigods who Espen always saw sparring or training. Not that there were all that many different types of Romans in Camp Jupiter. But he'd seen her go up against members of his own cohort, and Espen could respect that considering what he remembered of her being from somewhere in the middle tiers. Anyone who could kick a first cohort's gluteus maximus was always worthy of some respect.
Espen grinned at her question. He supposed it would be odd to see him participating in a Game - it wasn't really his usual style. Most people would figure that a legionnaire would go for something in combat at the very least, but Espen didn't particularly feel the need to fill that stereotype. Besides, spear throwing was something new and potentially fun; if he did end up being particularly good at it, he might even make it a regular thing to practice after the Games. Espen never minded learning a new skill, and it might even be useful one day.
"Yeah, just this one," he acknowledged, his eyes back on the other Roman legionnaire he'd been looking at earlier who was now spinning the spear he'd taken, twirling it like a baton and passing it between both hands as it spun in rapid circles. Espen cracked a smirk at that - some people just couldn't resist showing off even in something like just throwing a stick with a bit of metal at the end. Bored with the other legionnaire, Espen turned his attention back to the girl - Claire, if he remembered her name correctly. "You in any of the other games today?"
Carefully, Espen watched the area he'd been assigned to guard during the lantern festival. He wasn't actually on the usual guard duty roster - despite incessant nagging from some of the higher ups - but he'd volunteered to do it for that evening's event. The legion just preferred to be prepared, and considering how much higher the likelihood would be that they would be attacked by monsters with the barriers down for the tribute, they had bolstered guard duty with extra campers. It was fair and valid, and when someone came knocking to ask him if he'd be down for tonight, he'd signed on straight away. Besides, he'd only planned to participate in spear throwing for the Games; he wouldn't be too tired or injured from any of the other Games. Or so he'd hoped, anyway - one never could tell when it came to demigods and violence. Thankfully, his prediction had come true and he'd emerged from the Games unscathed, although of course lacking a laurel, not that it bothered him too much. He wasn't competitive enough to care.
A casual hand ran over the weapon strapped to his hip, just to reassure himself that it was still there. The other guards were the same: careful, watchful, ready as always. There shouldn't be anything - short of a Titan - that could take the legion down, even if the barriers weren't in place for a few hours. The guards weren't uneasy or uncomfortable, just alert, like Espen. While the idea of standing around on watch for hours may have seemed boring, which is why he didn't do it on a regular rotation, in hindsight Espen realised just how glad he was to have taken this post instead of mingling with the Greeks during the lantern festival. This was about their campers, their traditions, their family. It didn't feel right for Espen to join them when he had lost no friends of his own.
As he looked over the demigods assembled, his eye caught the girl. She was the one he'd watched a couple of times in the gardens, had seen her look so peaceful and relaxed in the company of no one and nothing but the flowers. Her ebony hair was silky and caught the reflection of the lights as they twinkled, and unknowingly, Espen had started to smile slightly seeing her here. The uncomfortable feeling of being watched prickled at the back of his neck, and Espen turned to catch one of his barrack-mates rolling their eyes at him. Coughing slightly, Espen looked away, attention back to the horizon. Sloppy. And embarrasing.
Espen wasn't a particularly competitive person. He could pull his own in any kind of combat, of course, because the alternative to that would be bruises and injuries, both to his physical body as well as to any kind of reputation he might like to have as a Roman legionnaire. Fighting was part of their blood, part of what made them demigods, so Espen could understand all that. He just didn't feel the need to actually win at every event or show off at every opportunity or push himself to his limits for the glory, unlike some people he knew in the second cohort.
Not particularly wanting to deal with the bloodthirsty competition in the combat arenas and chariot racing, and not being particularly fleet-footed, Espen's only choice for the Games was spear throwing. It was enough for him to say he'd participated, especially when he didn't really care all that much about winning. As a legionnaire, though, it was expected of him to take part in something that involved the Olympics, and so Espen found himself standing in front of the row of standard camp-issued spears, selecting one at random. He whirled it around, testing its balance and weight as he had for years. It was the exact same as the ones they used for training; there really was nothing special about these weapons at all.
As he strode over to the side, watching the current round tee up for their throw, Espen watched the other demigods participating in the Game. He knew most of them by face, of course, but he didn't always know their names - mostly because Espen wasn't the most extroverted demigod. He'd never really been one to strike up conversation first, and so he just watched the others, seeing if he could judge strengths and weaknesses just by the way they moved and the way they gripped the spears. He wasn't truly scoping out the competition - just practicing his strategic skills and seeing if he should make bets with his barrack-mates about who would win.
One of his barrack-mates had decided to throw down a wager, a little inter-cohort bonding that involved spears and the Ludus and probably a lot of injury. Espen liked to think he was as decent as any other legionnaire, but the truth of the matter was that he preferred swords. They were less wieldy, they were bulkier and heavier and he could get their balance better, and there were more ways of attacking with them than just running them through someone, like a spear. But apparently his friends were keen to practice with those in the evening, so Espen had just shrugged and offered to collect them. Unlike his barrack-mates, Espen didn't feel the particular need to put in extra hours for Latin; he'd be the only one free that afternoon to collect whatever they needed.
With a hand in his pocket and the other reaching for the armory door, Espen heard a loud crash from within. That wasn't entirely unusual, of course, considering the sheer amount of weaponry and equipment housed in the building - they were a Roman legion, after all - but what was unusual was the colour of the spears. As Espen stepped in and took in the sight of chaos, his eyes were instantly drawn to the sole occupant of the room and the pile of orange spears around her. The complete unexpectedness of the whole scene, as well as the deliberately nonchalant tone of the girl in front of him who was trying her darnedest to look innocent, made Espen laugh loudly.
Still grinning, he took a step towards the girl. She was Greek, judging by the fact that she apparently tried to pick up a whole bunch of spears only for them to all come crashing down about her feet, as well as the lurid orange colour of the weapons. He didn't know what kind of god had that sort of power, and Espen wasn't sure he wanted to find out. The son of Pluto sincerely hoped this wold be a better interaction with a Greek female than his first one with the girl from the gardens. "Do you... need a hand?" he asked, confused despite the grin on his face. "I'm not sure I can change the colours back - that's all you - but I can put them on the wall for you." Without waiting for her answer, Espen bent down to start retrieving spears. He needed them for that evening, anyway, although he wasn't sure he could explain their colour to his friends.
Espen didn't look up as the girl talked, although he did grin at her words. Like her, he kept his eyes on the ground, watching their somewhat synchronised steps so he wouldn't accidentally put his own booted feet over hers. "Probably. Might get my official pride of Rome stamp across my forehead." His tone was only slightly sarcastic, not meaning to be mean - just a self-deprecating joke. "Maybe a feast to celebrate our cooperation. The Praetors will probably have to give a speech; it'd be great." The mental image of Dareios standing at a podium with Espen and this girl off to the side, giving a speech about camaraderie while trying to keep the expressions on his face neutral and Morrigan prodding him to continue talking - it was awesome. Espen considered making it a reality. He'd sacrifice a few minutes of being on ceremony with the girl beside him if it meant Dareios would make a speech about togetherness.
The internal voice telling Espen to ask again if she was sure she didn't want him to carry her back to camp was a bit louder this time, impatient at their slow progression. It would be easier and faster, for both of them, and he was hopeful that she would be a bit more agreeable to the idea now that she'd seen how much of a struggle it would be for her to walk back in her state, even if he was helping her as best as he could. But then again, their peace was a thin string, easily breakable, and Espen didn't want to tempt fate. He wasn't sure if he could stand another round of insults with this girl, and if she flambeed him again, he was pretty sure he would be leaving her behind, gentleman or not.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the expression on her face when she thought he wasn't looking. This journey wasn't easy for her at all, and Espen wondered just how proud this girl could be that she'd rather put in all that energy and pretending she was fine and she could do this, than accept the help that he so willingly offered. Women. He could never understand them, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to. He knew just enough about them to make sure he kept well out of their way when they were feeling stabby. Except, apparently, this one, because there he still was, helping her, despite her obvious attempts at getting him to leave her alone. As though he'd been the one to stumble over her.
It was time for a rest. He'd had enough of seeing her face pinched like that. If they had been on somewhat friendly terms, Espen would have made a joke about her face staying that way, but that would probably offend her delicate sensibilities, so the son of Pluto wisely kept his mouth shut. He did have some sense of self-preservation, after all. "I think we should take a break," he said lowly, trying to phrase it so that he didn't think she was weak. Although, considering the girl's personality, she could probably read two and a half nuances and a psychological explanation for his personality with just those words. "We're about halfway there by now."
One hand still on her arm so she didn't topple over, Espen concentrated his power with his other hand, biting gently on his lower lip as he sought to focus the shape of the earth. He didn't want a whole gods-danged mountain right here on the path back from the gardens. Just a little mound, half as tall as the girl beside him so she wouldn't have to bend her leg to sit on the ground. A crook of a finger, and the mound flattened slightly at the top, curved at the edges so she'd be comfortable. No one could say Espen wasn't considerate. The son of Pluto himself walked a few steps away from the Greek girl, stretching his legs and his back from the odd hunched position he'd been for the duration of their walk. Besides, he didn't really know what to say to her now that they were having some kind of awkward truce.
"I think we might move faster and you'll hurt less if you rested more of your weight on me," he finally said. The topic of her injury seemed the only safe point of discussion between them right now. He shrugged casually, letting her have her choice even though it seemed obvious to Espen what the right one would be. "You'd have to put your arm around my shoulders, though, so I can half-carry you." A vindictive part of Espen wanted to put a special bit of emphasis on 'half', a sarcastic nod to her previous accusation that they'd look like they were in a relationship if he carried her into camp. But he was too tired to want to pick a fight with her, so his tone was even through his sentence, because he truly and genuinely did just want to help her - get back to camp faster, of course, where he could pass her off to the healers and be done with this whole afternoon.
Never had Espen been more pissed off in his entire life. Sure, he had gotten irritated or annoyed, like when some drunk mortal decided he'd make a good target outside a poorly lit gas station on some back road somewhere. His anger had been manipulated by some children of Mars during a War Game. He had pulled on that anger to put in a good effort for his side. Espen knew what it felt like, of course, but he had never enjoyed actually being in a bad mood - and this one single Greek girl had somehow managed to poke him so hard that his anger was taking on an unfamiliar form. Espen knew he was going to need to get out of camp tonight, take Jett and disappear for a few hours, hop on a train with no destination in mind except get away. The fumes of her rage would continue to follow him for miles, he knew, but he was hoping he could wash it from his skin with distance and the loving attention of his loyal best mate.
Her arm was thin in his grip; she was not built like the Romans. Espen focused on that as he supported her, telling himself over and over that if he lost control, she would break like a twig. Breathing long and slow through his nostrils, Espen mentally chanted to himself, Do not slap a Hellhoundess; Do not get in trouble with Morrigan. Camp was only a little while away, he could survive until then. After that, he would ditch her at the healers' and not look back. He'd been sympathetic to the healers having to deal with her, but now he just wanted any responsibility of her off his hands, even if that meant bringing her to someone else to look after. Look at Espen Bekker being all proper gentleman.
To his surprise, they made it a few steps in complete silence. The Greek girl had actually kept her word and leashed in her lovely personality. Espen might have toppled over in surprise. With his hold on her, he felt her whole body prepare to speak, and the male demigod gritted his teeth, readying himself for another round of verbal lashing. If she was going to keep picking at him, he was actually going to leave her there, chivalry be danged...
It was a cool and confident thanks, and Espen was so caught off guard by the civility that he only grunted in response. His eyes flashed to her face, studying her profile to see if she was just being sarcastic, but found no outright hostility in her features. That was probably the nicest thing she'd said to him all afternoon. A part of Espen wanted to niggle at her about being capable of civility, but if she was going to make the effort, then gods be danged, so was he. "It's nothing," he answered, dropping his eyes again to look at her steps, making sure he wouldn't step on her by accident. A part of him wanted to offer carrying her again, but considering how well she'd taken it last time, Espen decided it probably would be a better idea not to. The sounds of the insects singing their serenade to the afternoon bloomed in the silence around them.
Espen was trying, absolutely trying as best as he could, not to lose his temper, but it was getting harder the more the girl talked. It was as though her mouth was incapable of spewing nothing but vitriol. Were all her camp like this? If he had to deal with someone like her all day, he was sure he'd have burned the camp down just to get her to shut up. Heck, he probably would have noped out of that camp if he'd have to stay there for a day more than he could stand. She had some inescapable quality that made Espen want to throttle her. He hadn't wanted to pick a fight with her, he had tried to be cool even in the face of her open hostility, and yet he was the one she was blaming.
His mouth dropped open slightly in exasperation, the wide smile on his face now completely sarcastic as he ran his hands through his hair. "Yes, I'm going to lecture you on respect," he snapped back, words sarcastic but voice no longer playing. Espen didn't know he had a limit to his patience, but apparently he did, and this girl knew how to make him reach it faster than anyone else had ever before. "Yes, because that's what I just did, didn't I? All I suggested was you could try to be nice, two sentences max, and you took that as a lecture - clearly my words were wasted because you are absolutely incapable of it." He really should go away to calm down. Frustrated and completely spent with this conversation, Espen's back thudded against the ground as he lay back down, his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to see her annoying face. IF he could close his ears without appearing like a child, he'd do it, too.
Apparently, he would never be at peace while he was around her. Sitting straight back up, the look in Espen's eyes were sharp now, even if the grin was still on his face, turning dangerous now in his temper. "I didn't ask for your judgement! I didn't ask for you to kick me in the f*cking ribs just by lying down on the ground - which, by the way, anyone else can see from miles around. Do you need glasses? Is that your issue? Are you going blind and can't take being unable to see your face in the mirror anymore?" He was descending into pettiness, an ugly colour on him and not one he knew he was even capable of wearing. The ground rumbled under him as he felt his mood fray.
Fingers previously running through his hair now skimmed through the grass as he both tried to calm himself using the earth's steady gravity, as well as try to prevent his emotions from affecting his surroundings. It had been a very long time since he'd needed to deliberately tamp down on his powers - he had been in control of himself for as long as he could remember. He disliked her all the more for it. When he opened his eyes, finally getting his and the earth's heartbeat to a normal tempo, he found the girl had tried getting up by herself and was now holding on to a tree trunk. A savage exhale punctuated Espen's upwards movement as he stood, resolute on leaving her there and letting her walk herself back to camp. Hey, if she had no respect for him or apparently anyone else, he didn't even care? He was for sure not going to be responsible for inflicting her on their healers; she would probably have plenty to say about the Roman medics, too.
Gritting his jaw, he started walking back to camp, passing her within a few long strides. His eyes were cold and his lips were tugged down at the corners as he focused on not looking at her as he passed, because he just knew he was probably going to snap and probably end up doing something he'd get into huge trouble for. Striking injured legionnaires wasn't well-looked upon in camp, considering it wasn't a fair fight, but Espen was horribly tempted to break that rule just for this girl. Another click of his jaw, another few steps. He would do it, he would leave her behind. A hand ran through his hair before snapping to the side in a disgusted movement.
"Can you keep your attitude to yourself for fifteen minutes?" he snapped even as he turned back, using one hand to pull her away from the tree and keep her balance. His grip on her upper arm was not gentle, but at least he wasn't actually shaking her like he wanted to. Calm.Breathe. His face was like a thundercloud, eyes closed and lips determinedly smashed together to avoid saying another thing, even as he coaxed her slowly forward, keeping pace with her slow and broken steps.
male - nineteen - pluto - hetero - future plot - claimed - five years
humourous. not easily offended. cool. chill. not easily ruffled. impatient. restless. explorer. traveller. down to earth. confident. self-assured. self-aware. fair. chivalrous. experimental. witty. go with the flow. independent. up for fun.
male - twenty-two - mars - hetero - future plot - claimed - nine years
serious. calculating. not chatty. responsible. gravitas. expectations. regal. high standards. thinker. not easily ruffled. a bit of a stick in the mud. perfectionist. private. chivalrous. gallant. polite. fair.
female - twenty-one - mars (legacy of vulcan) - bisexual - future plot - claimed - nine years
loud. proud. confident. passionate. ambitious. enjoys violence. brave. can be reckless. charge first. humourous. vindictive. fair. brash. in your face. upfront. honest. brutal. relentless. gives her all. intense.
male - eighteen - mercury - hetero - single pringle - claimed - one year
stylish. kooky. self-confident. self-assured. hilarious. witty. beautiful. perfect skin. perfect teeth. perfect hair. all around awesome. speedy af. non-committal. drama king of camp jupiter. unique.
male - nineteen - bellona - hetero - single - claimed - two years
hot-head. violent. impulsive. bullied. uncomplicated. not a thinker. tank. point and shoot. rampager. no self control. confused by emotions. reckless. acts first. doesn't ask a lot of questions. shallow.
male - twenty - laverna - hetero - single - claimed - six years
lazy. careless. mood swings. heartless. doesn't care about consequences. self-centered. prankster. witty. thief. charming. flirty. gets away with a lot. brazen. does whatever he wants. confident.
male - twenty - fortuna (legacy of mercury) - biflux - single - claimed - four years
chatty. smooth talker. enjoys having the last word. has something to say in every situation. loyal. morally questionable. oozes confidence. flair. dramatic. good vibes. crack shot. lucky. vain. mom friend. hype man.
male - twenty-three - vulcan - hetero - single - claimed - WIP
chill. loyal. determined. stubborn. humourous. relaxed. go with the flow. up for fun. adventurous. just glad to be here. proud. long patience. hard to calm when he goes off. WIP
i love plots! big plots, little plots, simple plots, complicated plots, bring me everything (: feel free to reply here or dm me on discord for any historical plots, but i'm a bit more hesitant on future plots unless we have some kickass ideas that possibly involve a plotted shared past. i prefer any kind of future plots (friends, romantic, enemies) to be organic, but feel free to throw thread ideas at me and we can see how we go <3
And there it was, the explosion of lava and stinging defensiveness. He had watched the blush rise in her cheeks and her eyes grow even more heated until they were practically spitting sparks. Her words were like poison arrows, and Espen would have flinched if he hadn't been already so over her high-and-mighty attitude. The story she painted of their camp was one he already knew from reports amongst the legion, but it had been the first time he'd heard it from a Greek, from someone who had actually been there. If this had been any other time and she had been any other person, Espen thought he could have found it in him to sympathise. Instead, only the tiniest etchings of guilt made its way under his skin, the son of Pluto decidedly far too irritated with her to care about what she said now.
He pulled away to widen the distance between them a little, more for her benefit than his. Espen didn't particularly care if she decided to hit him or shank him in her anger - he had always been far more in control of his emotions and he wouldn't have acted brashly. Despite his usual cool and collected demeanour, though, Espen was taking no crap from this Greek girl. His shoulders rose a little in a shrug, his eyes sharp and unflinching as they gazed back at her. He knew what he'd said had been a little mean, but he wasn't going to apologise for saying the truth. "Can't take it when someone dishes your own back at you?" he enquired politely, the hint of a cold smile playing around his mouth. "You can't talk crap about my legion without exposing your own. And considering you guys were the ones who came here, I think a little more respect would have been expected from you lot."
At that, Espen leaned back onto the ground again, this time using his elbows to keep his upper body at a bit of a distance from the cool earth. It was his way of showing he was pretty done with this conversation, but also still keeping the proverbial door open should she want to keep talking. Espen wasn't one to back down. He may have preferred to be a pacifist, but he wasn't a coward. He was also ignoring the other girl's directive, just as he had when she'd demanded for a healer, because technically this had been Espen's spot first. The desire to move away like she'd told him burned through his bones, but his sheer willpower anchored him to the ground; he wasn't going to back down like a dog with its tail between its legs. She couldn't just make him leave because she'd taken offense to something he'd said. "You know," he said conversationally, now with his eyes looking out over the gardens rather than directly at the girl, "I know Camp Jupiter is better than yours, but I wasn't the one who started that kind of talk up in here. Have you ever considered that actually being nice might get you further in the world than insulting people?"
Espen's tone was even and not in the least bit condescending. He wasn't being patronising or being sarcastic to this girl. Despite her apparent ability to get under his skin, the way she had exploded and now sat in offended stiffness had cooled Espen's own temper down in turn. He had always strove to be level-headed and collected, never having been the sort of person to let his emotions get the best of him - he didn't even have very strong emotions in the first place. She may want to have another go at him if she wanted, but Espen at least was trying his frackingedest to keep his tone civil. Trying apparently being the key word.
Espen would like to say he'd copped similar attitude from the female legionnaires in Camp Jupiter, but he'd never quite gotten this level of sass, and he just shook his head in disbelief again. It was like the Greek girl knew nothing but snark and sarcasm, and while Espen could appreciate that in a person, he was also not in the least in the mood for it. First, he'd gotten a kick in the ribs when he'd been minding his own business, then he'd gotten nothing but this? Espen liked to think of himself as a patient person, but he'd never been into babysitting, and this one was acting like the epitome of a brat.
Rolling his eyes again, his retort came with a hard grin and a flash of his eyes, his teeth practically bared threateningly in pretense of a smile. "You can repay my kindness by keeping your sarcastic comments to yourself. How does that sound?" The son of Pluto wasn't even the least bit surprised when she dropped her fake nice act within seconds; he had the funniest feeling that if she kept the look-at-me-I'm-pretty-and-innocent look for another second, her face would melt straight off.
As he was examining her ankle and she went off about her perceived lack of modern culture in the legion, Espen only chuckled. The sound was mirthless and quite dry, and his eyes as he looked back up at her were much the same. A smile was dancing around his lips. "I'm not going to try to explain the legion to a Greek whose camp burned down from the inside while they were no doubt watching movies and having dances and exploring the world." And Espen really wasn't. While any other legionnaire may have replied angrily about the superiority of Camp Jupiter in its defense, Espen found he didn't need to bother. Just the fact that the Greeks were the refugees spoke volumes about how well their camp was run and just how superior their culture was. They may not have movie nights or dancing around the campfire in Camp Jupiter, but at least no Roman demigod would dare turn against their legion.
To his surprise, a bit of pink appeared on the girl's cheeks - Espen was half-tempted to reach forward to lay the back of his hand against her forehead. Was she catching a fever? Was the sprain in her ankle reaching her brain? He was even more taken aback when she actually surveyed him, her eyes flicking up and down, before telling him she thought he was handsome. The son of Pluto wasn't really one concerned about his looks or his effect on the opposite gender - he knew he was decently alright and wouldn't really have a lot of problems with girls if he so chose to explore that area. He hadn't told her the things about him being a gentleman and was she embarrassed to be seen with him like he was fishing for compliments. The fact that she'd given him one made him wonder just how much pain she was in to be saying crap like this. His head tilted slightly in an almost-mirror image of hers. She didn't look like she was in that much pain...
He opened his mouth to tell her that yes, a Roman legionnaire being carried like a sack of potatoes would most definitely be grounds for mocking, when the Greek girl then smoothly continued on about being perceived to be in a relationship. Espen blinked once, then blinked again, then blinked once more for good measure. Wow, she had read this whole situation completely wrong, and jumped to some very scary conclusions. "Wait," Espen said, putting a hand up as though physically stopping her words from reaching him. "You think people would think we're in a relationship if I carried your injured gluteus maximus into camp?" His forehead furrowed as he squinted in disbelief at her, lips twisting upwards at the corners. "... What the heck kind of camp did you guys come from?" More importantly, what the heck kind of demigods had infiltrated their legion?
Espen couldn't help the light chuckle that escaped from his mouth at the girl's sass. Despite being injured and unable to move to even defend herself should Espen attack, she was still going on and on about this whole thing being his fault in the first place. If he'd been any other member of the legion, Espen was sure this girl would be copping it right now if at least to get her to stop talking. In Camp Jupiter, talk was backed up by action, and considering she had sprained her ankle just from tripping over his body - which, despite her insistence was his fault, was truly completely her mistake - Espen highly doubted she could back up all the vitriol coming out of her mouth.
Shaking his head slightly, the scowl on his face being replaced with a grin as he kept his eyes fixed on probing her injury as gently as he could - a testament to how much he was not taking her insults personally - Espen murmured, "You're awfully rude for someone I could just leave here to hobble back by yourself." His tone was conversational and casual, as though the two of them were just discussing the weather. "And no, I'm not a healer, but I've been in the battlefield enough to know enough about ankle sprains." Deciding there really was nothing he could do about her ankle, he offered her two options of carrying her back to camp, but of course even that graciousness and chivalry was met with stubborn resistance. Espen resisted crossing his arms and facing her down in a mirror pose, because he wasn't quite that bratty.
To his utmost surprise, the Greek girl actually managed to squeeze a nice word out from between her lips: a very begrudging Please. If he had been a lesser person, Espen may have lorded it over her and sneered, but instead the son of Pluto just had a quick quip: "Gods, did you hit your head, too?" A flash of a smirk, before Espen shrugged his shoulders and continued more somberly, "We have this thing in Camp Jupiter - it's called efficiency. Why take twice the time to get your ankle looked at when it could be done at quicker?"
His head tilted slightly as he pondered the proud set of her shoulders and her haughty expression. If he didn't know any better, it looked as though she was embarrassed about her injury; it was the same look on many of his own barrack-mates when they were felled by something small or stupid in the War Games. The son of Pluto hadn't thought the Greeks would feel the same; considering they were all so hopeless in combat training, he'd thought they just no longer felt shame about such things. Was this girl an outlier, like a child of Ares? He'd heard stories about those from some of the legionnaires who's gone up against them in the Ludus. Personally, Espen wanted to strike up a conversation with one just to see if he could irritate them to the point of combustion.
"Are you... embarrassed to be seen with me? Or just embarrassed to be carried?" A light shrug interrupted Espen's words, but he kept his gaze on the girl to show his sincerity - something the Roman felt the Greek was a little undeserving considering her attitude, but at least he could say he'd tried to be civil. "If it's the first, you should know I'm a gentleman - Pride of Rome is my nickname - and if it's the second, I mean, I can let you hobble along with me, but it's a bit of a walk back, especially considering you can't actually walk."
After a few seconds of contentedly lying back and trying to resume his daydream after ignoring the girl, Espen's face twisted slightly after there being no sound of movement to his side. Was she going to be a bratty princess and decide to pick a fight with him after he'd dismissed her so easily, ignoring her jabs as though they were foam arrows? Or was she gearing up for another kick to his ribs while he lay there with his eyes closed? The second possibility had Espen cracking open one eye to peer at where the girl had been, and to his surprise she was still there and not even paying him any attention any more. He watched idly and with only a small amount of curiosity as she tried to sit up, before landing back on her backside with a small cry of pain.
With a flash of impatience that had Espen sitting up again, he turned towards the girl with a look of disbelief on his face. He ignored her request to call a healer like he was some servant who was going to run off to fulfill her every wish and dream. "Did you honestly twist your ankle just tripping over me?" he asked, not sounding the least bit apologetic. An irritated eyeroll punctuated his words, a scowl on his face as he continued, "What are you Greeks made of, spun glass?"
Despite this, though, Espen grudgingly leaned forward to place gentle hands around the Greek camper's ankle. He was purely only doing it so the Praetors would at least know he tried to check out her 'injury' before she told them he'd caused her fall. Espen didn't think Praetor Dareios and Praetor Morrigan would put it past him to do that to a Greek. Which he thought was highly unfair, as Espen had been completely courteous to their new house guests. Where was the trust?
Soft fingers ghosted over the ankle in a shadow of a massage, not pressing down enough to actually hurt in case she had broken it - which wouldn't surprise Espen in the least - but just enough to see if he could tell it was swelling. He was no healer, but he'd dealt with a couple of ankle injuries himself, just enough to be able to tell if it was sprained or broken. It was difficult to tell with this one, though; it hadn't started swelling yet, but he could tell by the look on her face that it did hurt quite a bit. Despite his irritation with the girl, it never even crossed Espen's mind to leave her to fend for herself.
Lips turned down a little at the corners at what he had to do next, Espen looked back up to meet the Greek girl's gaze, eyebrows raised as though daring her to challenge his next words. "Alright, princess. How do you want to be carried back to camp: like a baby or like a monkey?"
The sudden feel of a shoe in his ribs brought Espen out of the peaceful relaxation he had been sinking into. It didn't hurt exactly, because gods knew he'd taken something worse than that to more painful parts of his body, but the unexpectedness of it - as well as the whumph of someone landing partly on him - had him startling to alertness. The earth, previously still and heavy beneath him, felt a bit of tremor even as the son of Pluto strove to rein back his power before it caused something worse which would potentially get him in trouble with his Praetors. He didn't feel the particular need to get an irate Dareios threatening him with a spatha so early in the week.
Upon sitting up to look at whichever gods-be-danged demigod had been so blind as to miss his stretched out form so completely, Espen spotted long brown hair and slim ankles. If he'd been any less of a gentleman, he would have taken advantage of his position behind her - as well as her angle on the ground - to have a better look, but for the most part, Espen was more concerned about if she had potentially been hurt. To be fair, the son of Pluto hadn't realised he'd needed to put up a Caution: Demigod Lying Down sign for the new Greek campers, of which this girl was clearly one due to the lack of the legion-issued purple Camp shirt. He knew the Greeks would be nowhere near as skilled as the Roman legionnaires, but he hadn't guessed they'd be so blind or just so lackadaisical about their surroundings. Had whoever set their camp on fire done it right in the middle of them all, without them noticing a single thing? Espen wouldn't be surprised in the least.
His concern for the Greek girl lasted approximately two seconds. His mouth had been open and his hands had separated from their woven hold to each other at the back of his head, ready for an apology and maybe to ask if she was okay. That was, until she'd snapped at him as though he was the one at fault for minding his own business and causing her to trip over his body. The whole situation was so funny to him, and rather than be offended, Espen merely smiled.
"Oh, my bad. I'll get our best engineers to set me up a chair right here," he replied, the grin clear in his voice. If the girl had been looking at him instead of studying her hands for cuts and scrapes - like she could get them from the grass, fragile Greek princess - she would have seen the sparkles of mirth in the Roman's eyes. "Here, let me help you up." And with that, Espen resumed his position lying down on the ground, hands once again cushioning his head and closing his eyes, content to slip back to his easy daydream, not the least concerned about the Greek girl who was probably only even more irritated by his not paying any attention to her.
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.
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