Searching for Darkness (The Band)

[Serenity Grace Derion]

"Led by sound, and not sight,
Swallowed by darkness, a world hidden from light
Spawns of memory are hidden by powers of loneliness and desire
That only the children of art can find.

Hidden by the clutches of death and protected by the pain of the heroes' pasts,
Four must fight for the freedom, and appease the heart of the lonely at last.
The voiceless, the loveless, the sorrowful, and the perfectionist,
All must join forces to bring what they love most back to the world."


Serenity knew nothing about leading a quest. If it weren't for Keelin and Juliyetta, she wouldn't even know what to do or how to do it. Keelin had had a vision before Skye's prophecy that was relevant to their quest, so she and the Athena Cabin Leader had gotten together and created instruments that could transform into weapons using similar magic and "technology" as Cody's guitar pick. According to Julie, it was easier said than done.

So here they were... Serenity with her guitar/twin daggers and the rest of the band with their modified instruments as well. Keelin had accepted the role of drummer. James had become their bassist and Cody was leading the actual band as the lead vocalist and rhythmic guitarist. Serenity played her guitar, which was originally an acoustic, but could sound electric depending on her pick. If the quest had to do with less fighting and more music, then they would be set. Unfortunately, a monster's mindset didn't work peacefully.

Serenity l0oked at the others, questioningly. Were they ready for such a dangerous quest? And, if Julie's and Keelin's guess was right, all the way into the Underworld? She didn't even know if she would be able to handle the overwhelming darkness down there... why was she even chosen, anyway?

[James Darkwood]

It was all kind of strange. When auditioning for a band, James really had no idea what was coming next. Gigs at bars, concerts? But honestly, a quest? He had never dreamed on going on a quest. He wasn't usually the type of demigod that got picked for heroism. He had other tasks at camp, matchmaking, dating. He had his own agenda. Or maybe it was the fact that people usually underestimated his fighting abilities. Eros isn't exactly a war god, after all. Everyone saw him as a bit of a softie. He was pretty much the opposite. James and his brother had lived on streets for long amounts of time, sleeping on park benches and buses going nowhere. Although he had only been at camp for a bit, James had easily caught the hang of fighting with a bow and arrow, a natural skill that was probably passed down from Eros. He now had a bow and arrow altered to turn into a bass guitar at his will. A very handy weapon for a musician demigod, he had to admit. It was a clever idea, too.

Serenity, their leader, was sweet and sincere. Though she was mute, James had a somewhat easy time reading people. She was pretty and innocent, kind of like a baby deer or something. She just radiated innocence. Cody was a bit like her voice. He did the talking between the two of them. James had never wanted to ask what happened to Serenity, why she was mute. It felt rude to do something like that. What if it was an accident? It could be a very sensitive subject to her. Losing an ability like communication? It must've been hard.

Cody was a nice, happy, country boy. You could just picture him in Texas or something, walking into town with a charming smile on his face every single morning. He was patient, though he was a bit naïve in James's opinion.

Keelin was sweet, and probably a perfect fit for music, being a child of Apollo. She was pretty much upbeat and optimistic, a very light person. She was agreeable, even if she was a bit too hyper and bubbly for James's taste. People tended to grow on him very easily, though, so it would be fine. James considered himself outgoing; an extrovert. He was social; he liked to talk and he wasn't shy about his opinions in anyway whatsoever. Some people found it extremely annoying. He liked to blame it on his ADHD, but that couldn't always be the excuse.

James had prepared himself as best as he could for the quest. Saying goodbye to everyone he was even remotely close to. He would miss camp but he had to think that he was a bit ... excited to be doing something like this. Not every single demigod was chosen for a quest or given weapons that turned into guitars. It was an opportunity to help, and James loved helping. His intentions were always good, even if some people couldn't always see that.

[Cody Thompson]

*Some will call it sacrifice
They'll look at this and never see
The beauty or how much it means,
The blood that runs inside of me
I know you understand
That there's no map for this, no plan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Figuring out who was who for the quest had been easy. Really easy actually. Of course, though sad, Serenity was the voiceless. Though Cody and her were friends, he never asked why she was voiceless. He figured it wasn't in his place to ask. It could be many things really. He was the loveless. He didn't believe he could ever fall in love. Just didn't think it was possible for himself. After all, who could love someone like him. Someone who put everything he had into his music. Heck, he was already working on a song for when they came back from this quest. He had the rhythm. Just no words. He hoped that the quest would clear that up. 

Keelin was the perfectionist. She had to have everything perfect. And with her vision before the prophecy, he had no doubt that she could help lead this quest to perfection. Or at least, to make sure no one died. Cody didn't want that. Though he hardly knew James and Keelin, he didn't want them dead. They had just formed their band! And they seemed like really nice and decent people. But then again, almost everyone did to the young boy. This left James to be the sorrowful. It kind of confused Cody a little. He didn't seem to sorrowful. But, maybe he hid it. 

Cody really didn't get why he was included in this quest. He wasn't a fighter. He knew a little of how to use a sword, but that was about it. He didn't even have his own weapons, until recently. Julie had somehow managed to turn his iPod into a vast array of weapons. All dealing with a certain song choice that was really a series of chords. If he played a certain one, the iPod would turn into the weapon. He didn't really get how it worked and he didn't want to know how either. The process seemed difficult. Almost as difficult as his pick turning into instruments thanks to his mom. 

His mom whom he had yet to even meet. He had hoped to meet her by his sixteenth birthday. But that had passed. As they exited camp and into the mortal world, he turned to look at his group. Where to now? "Do you guys think that the Grey Sisters' Taxi can take us where we need to go?" He knew they usually only took people to camp. But maybe they could make an exception just this once? 

*WORDS, 419
*LYRICS, Where We Left Off by Hunter Hayes
*TAG, Serenity, James, and Keelin
*OUTFIT, I'm lazy so hush and click it
*CREDIT, THIS AMAZING THREAD TEMPLATE IS MADE BY CC! OF CAUTION 2.0.
KEEP THIS CREDIT ON HERE OR I WILL CURBSTOMP YOU (IN THE MOST LOVING WAY POSSIBLE!)

[Keelin Renée Wyebourne]

Never before had Keelin imagined herself leaving camp, but she had done it twice - once after she had discovered she was carrying Adam's child, and now, on a quest she would never have pictured before. She would never have labeled herself as the type of camper to go on a quest; no, that kind of adventure was reserved for the Ares children who devoted themselves to their training and wanted to prove themselves, or perhaps for campers who wanted to impress their godly parent. Keelin herself was as content as a girl could be at camp, working in the infirmary and spending her spare time stretching herself musically. And yet, ever since her encounter with Dylan where she had spilled everything, the world seemed slightly off-kilter. It bothered her, and perhaps a change of scene, however dangerous or unfamiliar, was just what she needed.

And then there was the vision she had had prior to the beginning of the quest, and the prophecy that the blond Oracle had delivered at the band auditions. It was all so eerie to Keelin, a person who would ordinarily stay inside her comfort zone at all costs. She remembered that afternoon at the auditions so well, as if it were yesterday - a shiver had gone down her spine, as if signifying a part of that prophecy was describing her. And honestly, it was spot-on. A child of art, a perfectionist, an individual longing to bring something back to the world, though she knew it was impossible. Living with regret.

"Do you guys think that the Grey Sisters' Taxi can take us where we need to go?"

Cody Thompson's gentle voice pulled Keelin from her reverie, and she looked over at him before answering. "I don't see why not... I mean, they probably could." It seemed to her as though all her bandmates had much more experience with this kind of thing than she did; as the oldest, she held a sort of responsibility that she didn't feel ready for. Now there was no turning back; the quartet would stay together for weeks or months.

[Serenity Grace Derion]

Everybody seemed ready to go... everyone but Serenity herself. She had a son of Eros, so she figured that it was obvious who was going to be their diplomat. At least it wasn't going to be her who had to do all of the talking for them. Nobody could resist the child of love (or the grandchild of beauty, in fact.) That was proven many times by campers. She'd hear passing comments on how adorable he was, or how he was better looking than most of the Aphrodite boys themselves. Serenity would have had to agree, but she wouldn't have said it out loud. He was good looking, but she couldn't think of him in a romantic way. It would make her blush too much, and he was just not her type. Even if he was a gifted bassist.

Cody seemed to understand her the most of everyone. He was just as musically inclined as she was, if not more. She couldn't help but be a little jealous of him, seeing as he was able to play any instrument, like her, AND sing. She missed being able to sing to her father back when he was alive, but her jealousy could never prevent her from liking him. He was far too sweet, charming and a good listener, so to speak. She wondered if he'd be able to fight when the time came down to it, but she was sure that he would be more likely to do it than her.

She didn't know much about Keelin other than what she'd discovered since the girl was chosen for their band. Sure, she was a counselor, and she was just as sweet as the rest of them, but quite a bit bubblier. She and James would both make such a great diplomatic team. Maybe it'd be easier to find room and board than she'd originally thought.

Cody said something and Serenity looked over at him with a smile. The Grey Sisters? Why hadn't he been chosen as the leader? He was already far better at it than she was. Serenity nodded, approving the idea, though she wasn't exactly sure how far they could carry the band. Maybe to the other side of New York? That was probably as far as they could get, but it was worth the trip.

She pulled out a handful of drachmas and American cash that someone had mysteriously sent her and shrugged. It was all she had, but hopefully, together, they could afford a cab trip.

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