Bloody Welcomes (Open/Finn)

[Danny Murphy]

It seemed like forever. Forever since he had been back in New Orleans with his friends and father. Forever since he had a king cake, though they were only sold on Mardi Gras, or forever since he had joked with his friends. Since he had seen Layla. Everything was so strange. He had gotten so used to being around them all that it was like he was going through a withdrawal. But the real unreal thing was that he had just spent a week and a half on box car full of manure being chased by monsters on his way to some camp his father told him would be 'safe'. The only place he thought he'd feel safe though was with his family and friends. Not to mention with what he'd seen the camp better be pretty well fortified.

It was bright sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. The man he hitched a ride from had driven away already and Danny stood at the foot of a large hill. He sighed slightly as he looked up the walk ahead. He wanted nothing more but to wake up from this nightmare. To go on his date with layla. To talk with his friends. To play pool at the clubs. To hop back in the ring and continue practicing so he could defend his silver gloves. Danny moved his right hand up and felt the silver gloves necklace he wore that his father gave him. He also wore his grandfather’s dog tags. Danny then began to casually walk up the hill still holding the celestial bronze dagger his father had given him in the same hand that he held his suitcase. But he wasn’t a killer. He was too merciful. He was too good a guy to kill something . . . he still hadn’t came to the full realization that they’d just come back anyway. But besides it was still killing. He knew that if he could come back from the dead he still wouldn’t want people killing him.

Danny wore his faded Aerosmith smith under his unzipped black leather jacket his brother had given him, worn out jeans, and shoes. Danny wondered what hell Zack might be going through now. Probably at some college party or trying to get a college girl. Having fun and not realizing what hell Danny was going through. He eyed the dagger in his hand with a slight frown. He liked it . . . he had done amazing things he thought he would never be able to do or rather never thought about doing . . . but he didn’t want to do those things. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. It was dangerous. It was all different from being in the boxing ring. There were rules and regulations in boxing . . . all of this seemed to defy even the laws of nature he knew. It was a disturbing thought. Hell everything that was happening was disturbing to him. He looked back up the hill which he was half way up now. He couldn’t wait to take a shower or to actually see a bed or people. He had met a few nice people. They’d given him rides and what not but . . . this was supposed to be his new home or something. He didn’t want a new home though. He was perfectly fine with New Orleans. There were plenty of nice people there. Not to mention he had finally bulked up the courage to ask Layla out on a date and then blam! All hell breaks loose after she says yes.

Danny heard the familiar sound behind them. The low but fierce growl. The signal of the end all be all. The end of the road. No more yellow bricks today. He slightly turned his head to view the large black hounds. They drooled relentlessly to the ground as if they didn’t noticed and their eyes were full of hatred. You could tell they were hungry. Their teeth were barred bad their fangs stood out. One moved a front paw closer letting out another growl before Danny sped off. Maybe if he could make it up the hill he could have the upper ground and upper hand. His mind raced as he tried to get the thought of how huge the monsters were out of his mind. monsters… he had seen them, he had bleed from his left arm because of them and he had seen them blow up into gold dust but something about it still seemed unreal . . . impossible. It went against everything he always believed in. everything that he knew. It was all a lie. He was being punked. He would have a huge laugh with the guys and go on his date with Layla. It just . . . it just . . . couldn’t be . . . real, could it?

As one of the three hell hounds tried to scrape the back of his leg, Danny jumped up kicking off of a tree making a one hundred eighty degree turn as he dropped his suitcase to the ground and right hooked the monsters eye. He tossed the dagger into his right hand as he was ambidextrous, something he loved. He twirled it in his hand for a moment letting the blade face the ground. He lifted it up so that he was holding it back handed and the blade faced the dog as it growled. Its eye was half closed and it was injured a bit but . . . somehow it just made it angrier and made it look more menacing. One of the hell hounds tried to jump on him from behind but he turned quickly kicking it in the face as he tried to not use the dagger. He wasn’t a killer . . . but he didn’t see a way out of the situation without using it. Just as the hell hound skidded back like a car the other hell hound jumped on him from behind knocking him down. The dagger flew from his hand and clattered against the ground a few feet away. He held the hell hound at the throat with his left hand as he reached his right hand across towards his weapon but it was to no avail. He couldn’t reach it. He clenched his right hand into a fist as the hell hounds jaw gnawed and snapped just out of reach from eating Danny.

“Bad – dog – get – off – of – me,” Danny said loudly through gritted teeth a punch between and with every word.

word count: 1,073

[Ilu Watson]

Ilu was only mildly upset. Someone had blown up the Arts and Crafts cabin with some asbestos dust, so she wasn't allowed in. That meant that the majority of her tools were off limits until the cancer-particles were out, but it also meant that she could just work on something outside, in the sun. But she didn't know where she wanted to go. The riverbanks and the beach were crowded with other campers, and she didn't want to be surrounded on all sides by people. So, maybe up by the pine tree and the dragon Peleus would be the best place. The creature didn't mind her, as long as she left it alone, and just kept quiet. Which the teen was more than happy to do. So she started her way up, fingers twitching with her 'knitting needles' between them. They gleamed gold, and Ilu smiled to herself. The needles were a gift from her father, a magical item made of celestial bronze. It could morph into any tool she needed. Even knitting needles.

She sat down just inside the border, looking over the camp as she pulled the ball of yarn from her pockets and started the first loop that would end as a scarf or a bunny or maybe even a spider. She knew her fellow Athena campers were terrified of the things, but she didn't mind them. Maybe it was because her blood wasn't as strong or maybe it was the influence of her mother's bloodline, but spiders didn't seem to target Ilu as much. It was much the same as her and Peleus, a mutual avoidance that benefited both groups. But maybe this mutual agreement could benefit from a gift. Ilu resolved to knit a spider, stuff it, and stash it with the collection of other crafts in the box under her bunk. Hopefully one of her aunts or uncles won't go snooping and get a heart-attack. Hopefully.

She would ensure that the knitted spider would not fall into the hands of the Hermes cabin, however. That could be bad for her cabin-mates if it did.

She thought about that. It seemed strange that, technically, the people she lived with were her great-aunts or great-uncles, half-siblings to her grandmother when some of them were younger than her. One of the many puzzles about being a descendent of the gods. It was also frustrating that she wasn't as powerful as them. Sure, she could make some amazing crafts. But Ilu didn't have the same wisdom that they did. She didn't have such a clear way of thinking. She dreamed while they planned. Sure, she could memorize and fight just as well as them, but when it came down to it, there was something obviously different.

Just then, a low growling caught her ears, and Ilu turned her head to see a trio of hell-hounds. She was initially unconcerned, since she was inside the magical boundaries of camp and therefore was safe. But then she saw what they were looking at and her eyes widened. She stood, watching the boy yard in the grass, forgotten. She picked up the needles, and they transformed into their original form, twin daggers. And she watched the hounds carefully, analyzing the terrain. The boy had a blade, but he seemed unwilling to use it. He had an excellent right hook, however. The Hell-Hounds, however, were clearly in the advantage here, since they had the numbers and no qualms about killing the demi-god right then and there. She watched how they circled around him, waiting for an opening, mostly going for his back than the front where he could see them coming and swing the blade.

Ilu was finished studying. The boy was down and it was time to intervene. She ran forward the few hundred yards, keeping her footsteps silent. She used her height and a tree to gain height as she jumped over one of the hounds, slashing the hound on the boy's chest in the flank. The monster yelped and jumped off, snarling to face the new opponent. She stood by the boy, and glanced down at him, "Are you going to use that knife or what?"

She turned as one of the three monsters had circled behind her and lunged, lifting her foot to kick it in the neck. It retreated a little with a yelp, and Ilu again glanced at the boy, "Get up!"


WC: 736

[Justin Judge]

"Damn, guard duty really is the worst," flowed through the mind of Justin Judge for what had to be the tenth time just that day. Sure the duty of checking the boundaries around Half Blood Hill was important to the camp's defense, but there must of been other counselors better suited for the job. At least he knew of others who could 'watch' the boundaries better than the blind son of Themis. His aura sensing ability could only go so far. His time was better spent patrolling the camp searching for pranksters.

An approaching bright tan light of aura reminded him that even now he was never truly alone. "An excellent job as always Remus," he praised the intelligent German Shepherd as it dropped a slight wet tennis ball into his outstretched hand. Despite the enchanted silver collar fastened around his neck granting the canine a human's intelligence and lifespan, the seeing-eye dog was still a dog and craved the exercise from chasing an assortment of balls and sticks. Reaching back Justin gave the chewed up ball a great throw down the hill and wipe his now soggy hand on the grass as he watched the glowing aura of his beloved companion give chase.

Before he could return to his braille imprinted book, a sudden irritation around his eyes shattered his short-lived focus. Removing the leather band from his face he rubbed the slightly flustered area to relieve himself of the aggravation. If there was anyone around to observe this action, they might have had the chance to glimpse the pure white glass-like eyes that Justin possessed. Justin never felt comfortable with the thought of people staring at his unique 'disfigurement' so he always did his best to conceal them behind either his band or dark sunglasses. A quick sniff of the band before placing it back to its original position made it clear that thick material was ever so damp with sweat. Justin made a mental note to himself to wash it later on. Taking a moment to feel around with his hands, Justin also noticed that the air was cooler about three feet to his left. He deduced that the shade from the large tree he was leaning against had shifted in the last hour, quickly heating him up in the summer sun. Repositioning himself in the cooler spot, Justin once again settled down with his book.

But once again, his focus was broken by Remus' swift return. As Justin reached over the grasp the worn-out ball where he heard it dropped, Remus' low growl stopped him. Remus would only growl with nearby trouble, Justin quickly gathered himself off the ground while trying to scan the area surrounding him. It was easy for him to spot the trouble, three very large black auras that moved like shadows were advancing up the hill. Hellhounds. Justin relaxed for a moment, the hounds were outside the barrier and wouldn't be able to reach the camp, but he tensed up again when he noticed a fourth aura ahead of the beasts. Justin didn't recognize that particular life energy which could only mean one thing.

"New Camper under attack! Hellhounds on the hill, hellhounds on the hill!" the counselor cried out as he moved towards the menacing figures. If they were any able-bodied fighters or other counselors n the area his call would surely rally them. As he ran Justin desperately attempted to shove a simple black fingerless glove on his left hand while his right was grasping his white can. As the he clasped the glove into place, the young demigod pressed the image f a set of scales that were woven onto the back of the glove and flicked his cane once. His confidence soared as the familiar weight of his heavy clawed gauntlet formed from the glove and the can morphed into his silver bladed sword.

Equipping his weapons cost him a few precious seconds however, during which one of the black beasts descended upon the small unfamiliar aura. Justin became terrified of being too slow to save the new camper, until another light drew the beast away. He couldn't get a good look at the new arrival but he could tell from the light Grey core that they radiated marked them as a descendant of Athena. He could also sense the magic coming from the two small bronze blades they carried. Satisfied that both newcomers were safe for the time being Justin focused on the wounded hound. To Justin's sight, it appeared that the beast was slowing losing a dark red energy from its side. Without any hesitation, Justin reached forward, parried strike from the monster's wild fangs, and plunged his blade straight where he knew the head would be. The shadowy aura quickly began to disintegrate until there was nothing left.

Turning back to the younger camper he called to them with as much authority as he could muster to the one whom was standing, "Get them back over the boundary! I'll hold these creatures off. You too Remus, back off," he added to the faithful pet who followed him down the hill. Remus wasn't much of a fighter and there was no way Justin was going to risk him in a fight between two other dog monster three times his size. One of the dark shapes suddenly lunged forward as Justin was distracted and pinned him to the back. Fortunately, he was able to bring up his gauntlet to intercept the monster's vicious fangs. With his left arm trapped with the hellhounds maw, his body pinned under its great weight, and the maneuverability of his sword arm greatly reduced, Justin could only hold of the beast with a few desperate strike with his sword's hilt in an attempt to stun the creature.

OOC: If you two want Danny or Ilu to have a specific color of aura, life engery, for Justin to sense just PM me and I'll be sure to add it in my future posts.

[Danny Murphy]

As Danny pushed up the dog and continiously punched the hound all he could think about was how the heck Layla was ever going to believe this story. He needed to survive. Instincts kicked in and for a moment he considered killing the hound like he did to one or two on the way to camp but he quickly ran the idea from his mind. Killing wasn't a solution. Killing was wrong. Killing was the worst thing you could do. Besides . . . He couldn't kill. Or rather he wouldn't. It was immoral. The He'll Hound had a fiery and crisp breathe that smelled horrific. The dog began to whine and Danny hesitated for a moment but the dog attacked again.

"New Camper under attack! Hellhounds on the hill, hellhounds on the hill," Danny heard a male voice exclaimed as he held the hound up again punching it.

"Quit it," he ordered the hell hound. He heard a different barking the was slightly different but he didn't have much time to pay attention to it as the next thing he heard was the hell hound yelp and jump off to face a girl with a weapon like his. He didn't wonder who she was or anything like that but rather breathed a relieving breathe. Thank God . . . Or I guess gods Danny thought to himself relieved. Before he knew it a man and a dog were there as well. The thing that happened next made Danny wince a bit as the man jabbed his blade into the head of one the hounds. It wasn't something he was accustomed to yet. He wasn't a killer he was a competition fighter. Killing was just so . . . violent and unmercifully.

"Are you going to use that knife or what?" the girl asked standing next to him. Danny's mouth was open the slightest bit as he actually debated it in his mind. Knives . . . Weapons . . . He was a boxer. It was even against the boxers code to use weapons. It made things unfair and gave one side an edge. Weapons were used for killing.

"Get up," the girl exclaimed bringing him out of his mind and back into the world! Danny had forgotten he was sitting on the ground in the middle of a battle. It was unfair. It was stupid and it was wrong but he felt somewhat out of the league of these two fighters. He wasn't a killer he was just too normal. He didn't have it in him. The lust or whatever it was that took to kill he just didn't have it. As one of the hell hounds attempted to pounce on him he instinctually rolled to the side grabbing the knife and parrying away a second blow from the hound and stabbed his dagger into the paw of the hell hound pinning it to a tree.

"Get them back over the boundary! I'll hold these creatures off. You too Remus, back off," the older man order with authority and Danny hesitated a nod he was about to give. The man was wearing some sort of blind fold, could he really take on the hounds? He didn't want to leave him behind. He wanted a plan. A strategy. His Athenian blood began to kick in as his mind rushed but before he could figure something out a hound jumped onto the back of the man. Fear invoked inside Danny as he saw it and for a moment believed the man was a goner but snapped out of it. His face showed something of a warrior for a moment as he rushed at them.

"Look out," Danny said loudly as he ran towards the man and the hound with speed while the man tried to stun the hound with his sword but he could reach it a lot. Danny jumped forward in a dive like he would in baseball but instead of catching a ball he got his right arm under the belly of the hound and intertwined his hands together simultaneously ripping the hound off the man mid dive and landing in a roll with the monster before landing beneath it. He gritted his teeth as he managed his way from under onto onto with what looked like a complicated maneuver but it came natural to Danny especially with the boxers strength. He pinned it down as he pounded on it with quick jabs and left and right hooks. The hound was looking rather weaker but it gnawed and snapped it's jaws as it relentlessly but futilely attempted to escape. Danny caught himself however with his mouth open slightly disturbed by what he was dong and instead held down the struggling monsters paws to the ground.

"Cut it out," he ordered the hell hound. He was confused with what was happening. He was going to kill the beast a moment before. But that wasn't who he was. He wasn't a warrior. He was a fighter and a handyman. He was a tender and compassionate laid-back, passive aggressive type of guy. Hell he was even impotent. He had enough problems with not being able to talk with girls he crushed on and not understanding them. He didn't need monsters trying to kill him and he most certainly didn't need more confusion than what he was already going through.

(ooc: I'm goi g to edit in the word count tomorrow sorry iPad)