the messenger. (open) (PLOT)

[Skye Jade Remmington]

Skye was worried.

And why shouldn't she be? A crap load of people from camp were sick. More than she'd ever seen before in one place, even at school in fifth grade with that crappy flu/cold thing. And this was kind of like the flu, but a...demigod version? Godly flu? Was that even possible? Skye contemplated this as she walked out of her quarters in the Big House to the Mess Hall for dinner. Even though she was late, the various tables at the Mess Hall looked desperately bare. At least Skye could eat anywhere she wanted.

Sitting down at an empty table—apparently the occupants were all sick, or not there yet, probably the latter—Skye realized she had forgotten to get her food. Epic fail. Putting a sandwich and some strawberries on her plate, getting some Vanilla Coke, and scraping some of the strawberries into the fire burning with offerings to gods, Skye finally sat down again. Spearing a strawberry with her fork, she lifted it to her mouth and took a tiny bite.

Then she was aware of a faint buzzing in her ears. A familiar feeling that she'd only felt...what, once before?...but would never, ever forget or pass off as a coincidence. A buzzing in her ears. This meant something important was about to happen. But it was waaayyy more specific than that...

...Oh, yeah. Holy crap. Next thing she knew, after feeling dizzy for several seconds, she wasn't Skye anymore. She was soulless, a mere shell with a monotone, loud voice. The Oracle stood up. Everyone turned their heads as the soulless Skye-copy recited a prophecy that was predicting the epidemic to come.

"...A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight..."

Pause. The sawdusty Oracle voice ceased abruptly, like a wilting machine in need of oiling. Then it began again, oblivious to the gaping. You could hear a pin drop.

"And ending at the Garden of Death's stems
will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end?"

The Oracle/Skye hybrid turned, stiffly sat back down and surveyed the petrified trio of Demeter girls who had been making their way to the offering fire. Then her eyes glowed and Skye was back, her eyes widened. Everyone was staring at her. She didn't remember those Demeter girls being there. Their ChapSticked mouths were open in shock.

Breaking the silence felt sinful, but Skye did it anyway. "What...what happened?"

[Heather Landon]

Strawberries… it was always strawberries. No matter what day it was, no matter what meal, Camp Half-blood always had some kind of flippin’ strawberries on the menu.

Too bad Heather hated them.

With a sour smile on her face, the half-blood moved down the pathetically short line of campers straggling down the buffet table. That stupid purple blotch sickness had left the camp practically desolate, so now it looked like one of those ghost towns one saw in Western movies. It almost made her wish to be somewhere around the Big House, where everyone else seemed to be. Regular moans/screams/yells had also been regularly issuing far over at the infirmary, though, and that was basically the only thing that kept her from barging into the infirmary with sleeves rolled up and her bruise thingy full in view.

Wishing that something exciting would happen (in her opinion, getting sick was definitely not exciting), Heather picked up her plate and grabbed a couple of sandwiches --- yes, a couple. This half-blood had no intentions of starving herself to look weak and skinny like certain other children of Aphrodite she could name. After all, a rebel needed to keep her strength up to be… rebellious. In such a direction her thoughts went as the daughter of Nemesis silently made her way to an empty table. It wasn’t as hard to find one as it normally was, which was disturbing in itself. The whole thing was disturbing. Sickness? She’d always had a persistent feeling that there was just something wrong about it. Like it was something that shouldn’t have happened, shouldn’t even exist.

Suddenly a commotion on the other side of the mess hall caught Heather’s attention. Was that… Skye Remmington? The oracle? With glowing eyes? And what in Tartarus was she saying, for gods’ sake?

"...A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight..."

Awkward pause.

"And ending at the Garden of Death's stems
will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end?"

Heather’s mind was whirling. Was this… a prophecy? A prophecy? For what seemed like the millionth time, she wished she’d been longer at camp; more experience would have come in handy with figuring out all the wild things that happened there. But apparently the rest of the camp was also in shock: everyone was staring at poor Skye, and the silence felt like the hush of a tomb.

“What… what happened?” Skye looked a little ill at ease.

“Oh, it was nothing,” Heather blurted out on an impulse. “Apparently you got taken over by a freaky spirit thing and it said some Apollo go to the stems of a macabre garden and maybe die. But then, that’s normal, isn’t it.” Crossing her arms, the demigod looked bored, but her mind was racing now.

Land of misty bodies and gems… The Underworld, for sure. Hades was supposed to be the god of the dead, but also the god of wealth. Her school had been one of the kinds that made you start learning about Latin and Romans in sixth grade, and Pluto, Hades’ Roman form, was more wealth-based. Demigod’s blight… Well, that was obvious enough. Fevers, throwing up, purple blotches… yep, definitely a “blight.” Son of sight… An Apollo child. God of prophecy, yep again. Garden of Death’s stems… probably that gloomy place where the myth involving Persephone having to stay in the Underworld because she ate a couple of seeds from a pomegranate… Meeting the start of the end? Heather didn’t even want to think of that.

Words: 602
Muse: Rambly but good. (:
Notes: YAY! I’m so glad the quest is starting! But I really wish I’d made Blanche (daughter of Hades) before this. It would have been so much fun to RP a father-daughter thing… all awkward. xD

[Seri Winchester]

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Seri was in a foul mood. Sickness was thick in the air of Camp Half-blood, making the Ares teen anxious and paranoid. If there was one thing the advanced fighter didn't want, it was catching some weird flu.

So far she had stayed far away from anyone who even sneezed. She didn't think demi-gods could get sick-well not anyone but Hermes children that is. It just seemed odd that a sickness could capture so many people as it did. Something wasn't right, she knew that much. Along with the aura of sickness in the air, there was a small tinge of happening that made the hairs on the back of Seri's neck stand on end. She felt it the moment she rose from her bed. A feeling she had felt many times before from dozens of battles. The annoying strings of fate were starting to twine.

Whether it involved her or not, she did not know, but she could taste the metallic sense of battle at the tip of her tongue. Was this why Ares forced her back to camp from her quests? Was this why she was here and not somewhere in Arizona killing a Minotaur or hellhound? The thought brought a primal hunger to Seri's veins. If Ares brought her back to participate in a fight of her lifetime, she would forgive his earlier blunders to be sure. She'd may even perhaps refer to him as father, or maybe not. That was pushing it a bit.

Seri moved through the nonexistent line, piling the food of champions onto her plate-basically a ton of meat. Any sickness was terrible, but there was one single benefit to the crazy epidemic. A cold smirk rose onto Winchester's features. The Mess Hall was practically empty compared to most days before people began getting sick.

Sitting at a empty table, Seri thoughts began to turn to more important things. Training had been going good for the past few week, however her techniques needed sharpening. Camp half-blood was to safe for her liking. She needed more action, which meant she needed to find some more monsters to kill later tonight. If only she could-

Seri was snapped out of her thoughts as a chorus of whispers erupted around her. Sharp, narrowed eyes focused on the young oracle. Seri wasn't too sure of her name; Shy, Sky? She didn't know, but didn't need to. The girls glowing eyes was all Seri cared about.

Pushing her tray away, Winchester leaned forward intently.

"...A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight..."

A journey equaled quest. Seri's eyes sparkled intensely. The gods...A quest! Biting her lip, the ares child focused on what else the girl spoke. A land of misty bodies and gems. Only one place came to mind- The underworld. Immediately, excitement filled Winchester's gut, she could finally fight Cerberus the Beast of Hell. To think, if she killed the three headed dog of Hades, Zeus would perhaps allow her to battle her place into Olympus.

To end the demigods blight, shall be lead by the son of sight obviously referred to the weird sickness and...She paused as she thought about the second bit. Son of Sight? That didn't sound like an Ares at all. It sounded like an Apollo. Seri's fist, subdued with patience, pounded into the table cracking it's surface.

That couldn't be right.

An Apollo was leading the quest? An Apollo? Why not send the experienced Ares cabin leader who was bred for this kind of thing? In fact, Seri hadn't heard any mention of a child of war. Were the fates playing with the Ares child? She would hunt them down and cut off their heads- or at least give them a stern talking to. They did have her thread after all.

"And ending at the Garden of Death's stems
will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end?"

What kind of prophecy was this? She didn't even try to finish analyzing the rest of what was said. Her foul mood had worsened. Apollo, really? A hiss escaped her lips as she pounded her fist into the table, breaking it in half.

“What… what happened?” The oracle asked. Seri pushed away from the broken table in disgust watching the oracle with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, it was nothing,” Seri turned to gaze to Heather. “Apparently you got taken over by a freaky spirit thing and it said some Apollo go to the stems of a macabre garden and maybe die. But then, that’s normal, isn’t it.” Crossing her arms, the demigod looked bored, and Seri let out another small hiss.

"A quest," She folded her tattooed arms disgusted, "lead by an Apollo into the pits of the underworld? The fates are fools."

The furious Ares pointed an accusing finger at Skye, her toned tattooed muscles tensing along her upper arm. "I, Daughter of Ares should be leading this quest. Who can boast having more experience in fighting and killing than me? Send me, alone, and I'll have this sickness settled with in a matter of days."

There was not a single person in camp who had killed as many monsters as her. It was her life. Why wouldn't the Fates send her? Was it the fact of her true purpose of becoming a god that intimidated them? Seri's blood boiled.

Word Count: 900
Muse: ------------
Notes: Hopefully I suppose to post in this. o.O *cough cough* Hopefully my post is okay for your guys <3

[Ossac Aero Edyn]

Ossac slouched in his seat at the bench at the Apollo table. He was never a guy to be ravenous when it came to appetite, but today he was shoveling in his Mac-and-Cheese, Strawberries and Mashed potatoes like there's no tomorrow. He had a feeling he was getting some strange looks from his siblings over the food collecting on his chin, but frankly, he didn't care. He had been so stressed lately with all the extra paients in the infirmary, that hopefully the other Apollo kids could sympathize with this newfound comfort in stress-eating. It wasn't like he was gaining weight or throwing up over it or anything.

Finally, as his plate was empty, he sat back and pushed the empty dish away with a sigh. He grabbed a napkin and mopped up the mess on his chin. He glanced back over at the table of food. He had thought he was full, but the second his eyes saw chocolate pudding, he couldn't resist. He rose to his feet and scurried over to get in line and scoop some up before it was gone. It was weird not having to wait in a line that reached out the entrance to the dining pavillion. He was so used to getting pushed around in line by the Ares kids, but now that there were so many demigods in the Infirmary, there wasn't much competion when it came to getting some eats, which was suprisingly uncomforting.

As he got to the place on the table where the bowl of creamy, delicious chocolate pudding sat waiting for him, he snatched up a bowl and started spooning the sweet goodness into it. But as he turned around, his mouth hung open and he dropped the bowl, splattering the pudding at his feet. Some Aphrodite girls screamed as they saw what was before every Halfblood's eyes.

Skye. She was in her Oracle element, and honestly- it REALLY freaked him out. The way her eyes lit up And her voice echod was creepy, but strangely entrancing. He couldn't stop staring. As his ears heard the words that Skye- er the Oracle- said, there was a stirring deep within him. Like a pinch, like something he should know. He gasped as he remembered his dreams

Ossac had been having a lot of strange dreams lately. But not just the normal crazy damigod dreams, but dreams that seemed prophetic. His heart pounded against his chest in rapid succession . He licked his lips. He definitely wasnt hungry anymore. He felt he was about to lose all that lunch now.

The words echoed in his head over and over even after the Oracle was Skye again.

"...A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight
And ending at the Garden of Death's stems
will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end?"

It went from a quiet whisper to a screaming in his head. He was genuinely terrified, and he defiantly wanted to run away. His hands shook and his eyes darted around as others began to argue about the prophecy. But all Ossac could do was sprint off into the woods. And once he was alone, he screamed to the sky and wondered why. He had no proof, but so far things were looking worse and worse for him.

[Skye Jade Remmington]

Everyone was staring at her.

The dining hall was silent. Not a sound could be heard... it seemed as though even the trees had stopped to hear the Oracle's message. And then, an incredulous voice answered Skye's inquiry. “Oh, it was nothing. Apparently you got taken over by a freaky spirit thing and it said some Apollo go to the stems of a macabre garden and maybe die. But then, that’s normal, isn’t it.”

Skye had opened her mouth, despite the fact that she had no idea what in Tartarus to say to the girl. But, somewhat thankfully, another voice interrupted her train of thought so she didn't look completely idiotic. But then... she realized that Seri Winchester was accusing her of... well, something. Seriously, Seri was kind of terrifying to her.

"A quest lead by an Apollo into the pits of the underworld? The fates are fools. I, daughter of Ares, should be leading this quest. Who can boast having more experience in fighting and killing than me? Send me, alone, and I'll have this sickness settled with in a matter of days."

Way to kill the messenger. "I... I... I'm, uh, sorry," she stammered. "But I'm not the one who, uh, sends people." She didn't know what to say or what to do. She wanted to slip into the woods and disappear, like a shadowy figure just had. She didn't know who it was, but they had gotten up from a table and just... gone. As though they were scared or angry or afraid. "I'm confused, too." Okay, that was probably the stupidest thing she had ever said in her fourteen years of life. But it was relevant, at least in this situation.

Then the first girl's words came back to her. Apollo. She surveyed the Apollo table. There was one face missing. One earnest, honest, kind face.

Ossac.

She tried to dredge up some memories. What had she said? Surely she could remember... yes, it flooded back to her. "A journey to the land of misty bodies and gems to end the demigods' blight shall be led by the Son of Sight." The Son of Sight. There was only one of those.

Yes, it was Ossac.

Sometimes, Skye hated being the messenger. Everyone thought that what she said was her fault, her choice. It wasn't. She had no control when the Oracle took over... her... she was somebody else entirely.

She tried to rein in her thoughts. A journey to the land of misty bodies and gems. Heaven was her first thought, and then it came to her. Of course it was the Underworld. To end the demigods' blight. Easy... to kick the sickness in the ass once and for all. Shall be lead by the Son of Sight.

Skye honestly felt bad for Ossac. She shared something with him. They both had been dragged into all this business. Neither of them had any control, no. She had been the messenger... the one to deliver the message, and everyone was going to pin everything on her. And now Ossac was going to lead a quest, something he hadn't known about five minutes ago.

And ending at the Garden of Death's stems. Skye wasn't sure what that would be... could it involve Persephone?

The last line troubled her the most. Will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end? The start of the end. The end of what? Life? Their individual lives? The end of the Greek gods? Whatever it was...

Well, Skye didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about, well, anything.

[Camille Devraux]

Camille had never paid much attention to the Oracle. She had never seemed anything special. A mere mortal, and she had never heard any sort of prediction come from the girl's mouth.

The other Aphrodite kids were chatting about the boys in their magazines and their hair, but Camille was only halfway listening. She had more important things to talk about than who was deliciously good looking. After all, it was more fun to get the guy than talk about them.

Her thoughts wandered. What was she going to wear tomorrow? Which of the many lovely boys was she going to win over? Her eyes trailed around the room. Finn. Regan was somewhat adorable, but not her type. Perhaps Jamie would be a good match. He didn't like anything serious, and neither did she. It might be nice to have a fling without breaking a couple hearts every once in a while.

A couple gasps at the Aphrodite table made Camille look up. Was someone else pulling a prank? She followed their gaze to the Oracle and she watched, curiously.

"...A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight..."

Pause. Camille listened, intently. Was there any chance that she might be chosen? What was the point, though. She had never been picked for anything, and why would she now? After all, Daughters of Aphrodite weren't good enough for missions. They didn't deserve quests. All they were for was looking good. She rested her chin in her hands and continued to listen to the girl speak.


"And ending at the Garden of Death's stems
will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end?"

Camille lifted her head back up at the end and glanced around. Who would be chosen to go? An Apollo child was supposed to lead. That was for sure. As for the others, it was a mystery. Probably an Aries child. Or even that new girl, Bobbi. She was a big three, so that was possible. Camille shrugged and glanced down at her plate before pushing it away as the Aphrodite girls started talking about their nails. Figured.

[James Darkwood]

Damn good food.

Yup, the food at Camp Half-Blood was delicious! Jamie Darkwood was currently shoveling child-like pizza down his throat, and it tasted delicious. He was hungry for some unknown reason. He finished that one bite, then winked at an Aphrodite girl, Camille Deveraux, who he saw was looking at him. Cinder Lynn, his maybe girlfriend, gave him a cross look, and Jamie held up his hands in silent surrender, then went back to eating.

He had always loved the food at camp. Since day one, he had always adored the food. He commanded his goblet to fill itself with Mountain Dew, and then began chugging at it. The bubbly soda sloshed down his throat with a satisfying shine.

He heard a few whispers and gasps, then the whole room went quiet. This caused him to look up from his goblet, and then he found himself locked eyes with Skye Remmington, well, in this case, she was the Oracle. She recited this super creepy prophecy, which made Jamie feel all vomity in the stomach. He glanced around. Skye asked what happened, Heather Landon said that she got posessed or something, and Seri Winchester said how she could go on the quest solo ... blah, blah, blah. His gaze slided over to the Apollo table, searching for the Son of Sight. And there was only one Son of Sight:

Osaac Edyn.

Who had absolutely no color in his face. And was starting to seriously scare Jamie. The son of Eros looked around at the shocked faces of all of the campers. Some started picking at their food distastefully, and Jamie saw one throw up in thier mouth. He looked at Skye, who appeared to be the center of attention. The mess hall had an ugly tension that was piling up in Jamie as well.

And he damn hated it.

[Cinder Maebell Lynn]

Cinder clenched her hand on the table. Jamie just winked at an Aphrodite girl. The one that is insane, and if he lets her know he likes her will throw a fit if she doesn't get him. What in Tartarus was he thinking. If he was going to go after Cinder, he was going to only go after Cinder, or else he wouldn't get her. He, honestly, needed to prove that he was devoted to her – which, thinking about it, might be impossible for someone like Jamie – because she was totally determined not to get her heart broken, and end up in a crying mess for a few weeks, thereby throwing away her reputation and her never-get-angry attitude.

She shot him a look like ''WHAT IS WITH YOU!?'', but all Jamie did was hold up his hands in surrender and go back to eating. Cinder did nothing but lean on her hands while still not putting her elbows on the table, looking down at her plate. Jamie had ruined her appetite... she really should eat more to stay curvy, but one night was a acceptation.

''..A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight...''

Cinder's head snapped towards the voice. Skye Remmington, the Oracle, was saying it. There was an awkward pause, where the daughter of Iris waited for the rest. She didn't want to go on a quest, but she was pretty sure she could do a good job if she was chosen.

''...And ending at the Garden of Death stems,
will the Chirldren of Olympus meet the start of the end?''

Cinder's head spun from shock, her love life forgotten. She clutched the table hard so that she wouldn't faint. Something was said, Skye asked what happened or something, then someone answered. But the Iris girl wasn't paying attention. A boy – Ossac, she thought, – jumped out of his seat at the Apollo table, and he ran out the door. Something clicked in her brain.

Son of Apollo... son of sight... Ossac!

A voice brought her out of her thought process. ''I, Daughter of Ares should be leading this quest. Who can boast having more experience in fighting and killing than me? Send me, alone, and I'll have this sickness settled with in a matter of days.'' Seri Winchester said. Cinder, of course, thought she was being arrogant and ignorant.

''Seri,'' Cinder said, getting up from the table. ''You're no better then Winter O'Hera if we go against the fates!'' She was talking a bit louder than intended, but at the moment she was scared, angry, and done with all this bubbly shit. One night isn't going to her her reputation, especially because, even in this state of mind, Cinder wouldn't let it get that far.

''You lead, and we all die. The sickness will win.'' Cinder crossed her arms, honestly thinking she was right. The fates are the fates, ''fools'' or not.

[Reverie Shaeda Anali Belladon]

TWO THINGS INDICATE WEAKNESS

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[white]FIRST[/white]

TO BE SILENT WHEN IT IS THE PROPER TIME TO SPEAK

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Reverie wasn't hungry. She wasn't sure why. Using her fork, she picked a little at her carrots, than set it down. Reverie sat almost alone at the table- so many people were sick. Although, it wasn't as if she was accustomed to having much company at meal times. Most kids didn't like to sit near her because when they do, they know she can comprehend their thoughts. Her "eccentric" powers (as most liked to call them) had never been a great people magnet. 

 She grabbed her goblet and mumbled under her breath for a glass of sweet iced tea. That's all she wanted. Bringing the rim to her lips, she took a swig of the drink. She mentally commented that it would be better with a splash of rum. Too bad they dont let kids at camp have alcohol. 

She pushed away the carrots and sat with the tall glass of tea, taking a sip every few moments.  She pulled her hoodie back up on her shoulders and zipped it up halfway. Summer at camp was supposed to be fun. It's when all the "strictly summer" campers come. You get to see old friends, do more stuff. This year there was this terrible sickness- it ruined everything. She hoped it would blow over soon.

She took another gulp of tea an then laced her fingers together and tried to cast out her powers. She strained them out, but didn't pick up anything new or interesting. Everyone was melancholy over the sickness- nothing new. She let go of the outer stream of consciousness when she heard a strange voice booming behind her.  Casually turning turning her head she saw what it was.

Ah. The lovely Oracle had emerged from Skye. Some Aphrodite chicks screamed, and Reverie shot them a stare that clearly scoffed their behavior. Honestly, everyone seemed all freaked out except Reverie. Hadn't they seen enough weird stuff being a half blood to not flip out when something like this happened? Looking back at Skye, she listened to the prophecy that emerged from her lips.

"...A journey to land of misty bodies and gems
to end the demigods blight
shall be lead by the son of sight..."

There was a pause, and Reverie took a sip of tea.

"And ending at the Garden of Death's stems
will the Children of Olympus meet the start of the end?"

She had to admit, it was a pretty harsh prophecy. It probably scares the pants off of a lot of the kids here.  "The start of the end"? That sounded kinda scary. Ends were never good. Well, most of the time.

Reverie didn't react externally like most of the kids. But inside the gears in her complicated head were turning, thinking about the possibilities, dangers and opportunities a quest with such a prophecy held.

 While Reverie thought, most of the kids were up and arguing and being pushy about it, trying to interrogate skye. They were never going to accomplish anything this way. Some kid from the Apollo Cabin had turned tail and ran. A second glance showed it was Ossac. The healer kid. Probably scared the prophecy was about him. He could be skittish when it came to facing things. 

Above all the ruckus, it was hard for her externally sensitive head to function. She didn't like drawing a lot of attention to herself, but she had to do something. Finally she stood up and shouted in her rarely used raised voice shouted. "HEY! Why don't you stop slinging around words and actually discuss this?!" and after a hard stare, she seated herself once more and retreated again into her quiet world.

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[white]SECOND[/white]

TO SPEAK WHEN IT IS THE PROPER TIME TO BE SILENT

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