Event ϟ Cabin 11 vs The World

[empirestategods]

Who: OTA
When: May 31st
Where: The woods
What: Capture the flag!
Warnings: Violence! If anything specific, please mark it in the subject lines!

Friday morning, before training, Chiron pulls each of the campers aside to the armory. Everyone is fitted with a breastplate and helmet, and loaned the weapon of their choice. Parent by parent, of course, starting with Zeus’s children, and ending with the unclaimed in Cabin 11. Yeah. Sorry about that. Cabin 11 is outfitted with red-plumed helmets. Cabins 1-10 and Cabin 12 are given blue plumes.

Keep it safe, you’ll need it later if you don’t want severe head injuries, he says. Completely casually. Like that’s not worrying.

Mr. D and Chiron wait at the edge of the forest, just after lunch, waiting for the demigods they’ve informed of the mandatory meeting. It’s time for a time-honored camp tradition to come off of hiatus. Though Chiron seems enthused at testing the thus-far-unexamined skills of the new campers, Mr. D is obviously just here because he needs to be.

Nevertheless, he steps up to explain.

"Right. So."

He's already rolling his eyes. Evidently, someone can't wait for this to be over.

"For those of you who have never had the privilege to play this exciting game. You people," he points at those with the red plumed helmets, "and you people," now at those with blue plumed helmets, "each get a flag. Each team picks a part of the forest, and puts their flag someplace visible. While I don't particularly care, if you put more than two people there to guard it, we will be here all day, so don't. The rest of you, go out and grab the other team's flag, and try not to kill each other because that is a mess nobody wants to clean up."

A sigh. He looks so put upon, honestly, why can't you kids already know all this?

"Right. The creek will be the borderline, so if one team manages to grab the other flag and carry it all the way across, they win. Questions?"

He doesn't actually wait for anyone to speak up.

"No? Good."

“What,” Chiron sighs, trying not to seem exasperated, “Mr. D means is that we are playing this to help prepare you for what’s really out there. This is to see how your skills have progressed, where you still need work, and how you all work together as a team. When you become more accustomed to camp and more of you have been claimed, you will choose your own teams. Each of you have your own strengths and weaknesses. Now, it’s time to see what they are.”

He smiles at the campers. He’s ridiculously fond of you all already. He likes that no one’s died yet! It might very well be a record. “You’ve all been here for a month and aside from one or two... incidents, you’ve performed well. Continue to do so and rewards might be in store. It isn’t uncommon for the unclaimed to find their parents in this game.”

He looks Very Meaningfully at Cabin 11.

“I will reiterate what Mr. D said, however. You are not to purposefully maim or kill any other campers. You’re all on an even playing field at the moment. Play fair, work hard, and most of all, have fun. Guards of the flag can be no closer than ten yards away at any given time, magical items (when you have acquired them) are allowed, the flag must be displayed in your territory--it cannot be hidden, and the game is won when the flag crosses the river.

“Now, go make your bases!”

The blue team’s flag waves with a beautiful painting of Mount Olympus--all the Olympians but one. The red team, a caduceus--the symbol of Hermes.

Fight hard, tiny demigods!

[OOC: It was determined via coin toss that the Blue Team will be the victors this round. How close you want this to be is up to you guys and don’t forget, we do have a plotting post!

Please feel free to make your own threads, but the mods have a thread for both the blue team base and red team base!]

Comments

[pheromonecoffee]

Oh shit. Minato heard an angry scream. And then a lot of screams. That does not bode well. And Minato's first instinct is to bolt toward those screams hoping someone wasn't seriously hurt.

Man it is a good thing he's on the swimming kendo track team. He doesn't run out of breath, and he's fast, too. Even with the armor and helmet bogging him down.

And then he sees them and they're really, really not what he wants to see. He goes to leader mode without a second thought. His expression hardens, and he draws his sword.

Son of Hades, right? That meant his dad was lord of the dead or whatever. So it's his job to deal with them.

He hasn't quite realized Ange is the one who summoned them, yet.

"Get behind me."

[airdives]

"What-- why?" She's startled, because it hasn't yet occurred to her that there are creepy spirits bearing swords and screaming standing around her. They look pretty menacing, glaring at Minato.

Oh. Oh. "Where did they come from?" She seems in complete shock.

[pheromonecoffee]

He shakes his head. He has absolutely no idea where they came from or how they got here. But they seem seriously dangerous.

"I'll keep you safe."

That's laughable, Minato. You're stringy and quiet and almost always have that sleepy look. But if he can get himself between her and all of them--

Well, he'll probably die if they decide to attack.

Whatever. He's done that already. He takes a step toward her, keeping an eye on the dead miniarmy.

[airdives]

The army doesn't seem to be interested in him, probably because he's on the same team as Ange. Though they do lower their spears (swords, bows) to point right at him.

"Hah." But Ange can almost bring herself to get behind him -- standing slightly to the side and back is behind, right? She hates being protected, but he's better at the sword work than she is, she can tell.

"Why aren't they attacking?" The dead soldiers all look at her, so clearly the best option is to speak to them. "Hey, clear out."

[pheromonecoffee]

Minato is used to monsters pointing dangerous things his way, but he's also more accustomed to having people with him. And Persona. Definitely a persona.

But they're dead, right? Minato should have some sort of power over the dead if his dad was lord of them, right? He has to have more skills than causing widespread blackouts. He doesn't want to move forward for fear of leaving Ange open, but it's difficult to fight from this distance. He watches them, glancing over his shoulder to follow their gaze.

"... They're waiting for you." Whether they're going to attack her if she moves too much or they're waiting for orders, he's not sure. He's just going to keep a sword between the dead things and the currently live ones.

[airdives]

"Waiting for me?" But if they really are, she's not really afraid of her own death, and certainly doesn't want this almost stranger to get hurt because of her.

So of course, the most natural thing to do is to yell at them to go away. "Get out of here! Go back to where you came from!"

...the soldiers nodded, and began sinking back into the ground.

[pheromonecoffee]

He's a little surprised she can do it. And then it dawns on him. He turns to her, pretty sure danger has passed, his weapon lowered. "Hades?"

... He might have a sister. That's weird.

[airdives]

"I think so. That's what this means, right? Hades?"

It's weird for her too; when she says it, it's stiff and uncertain.

[pheromonecoffee]

He tugs on his necklace, showing her the gold part. The sign of Hades on the back.

"Like this?"

[airdives]

She nods. "...yeah. That." At least, that seems to be hovering still, slightly, above her head.

"Thank you for coming to rescue me. Next time, it won't be necessary."

[pheromonecoffee]

"Glad you're okay." He'll show up next time, just in case. He just wanted to be sure, even if he's now sure she can take care of herself.

[airdives]

"...Thanks. I'll try not to summon the dead next time and bother you about it."

Which means, she's glad that he's okay as well. She just does't say it properly.

[pheromonecoffee]

There's a moment where he considers leaving, already turning away, before he shakes his head and looks at her.

"... I've never had a sister before." He's almost embarrassed when he says it. It's weird and kind of corny but... he hasn't. Maybe he still can't consider her one. But... she is, technically and he isn't quite sure how to feel about it.

[airdives]

She looks at him, almost critically, as if judging his sincerity. She's never had a brother younger than her before. In her heart, she's always been the youngest -- six at heart, forever.

There's a pause, and she sighs. "...I have a brother. Battler nii-san." And another pause. "...I could add another."

He could never replace Battler. That would be insane. But maybe...he could be a brother of a different kind. She's not quite as attached, not quite as devoted -- but he did try to help her.

[pheromonecoffee]

He lets his head drop a little, his hair falling back into his eyes, sword sheathed and hands in his pockets now.

"We have to look out for each other." From the way the myths spoke about Hades, they might not be the most popular kids in camp about it. And they definitely won't be the most popular among the gods. Worse, they're trapped in Cabin 11 forever. "No one else will." No one's gonna look after Minato, anyway, despite the amount of friends he has. Dead-senpai has his own business, Ken's just a kid and new as well. Minako is too vastly different from him, and no one else even remembers who he is.

He wonders, for a second, if it's the same for her. Feeling alone. If they're both Hades' kids, it might make sense right?

Is it weird? To think something like that. He has no freaking clue. He's got a lot of waters to test with Ange.

[airdives]

"...Right. I usually try to take care of myself."

But that doesn't mean she dislikes his suggestion. She's just used to going off on her own, avoiding everyone in her search for the truth. She's distant by design -- it keeps people from loving her. From wanting to protect her when she draws a gun and has furniture slaughter her enemies. Keeps them sheltered from reality.

[pheromonecoffee]

He nods. He understands. It's a thing and people do it and hell, he does it. Most of SEES does it. ... That doesn't mean he doesn't worm his way in and that they don't end up emotionally dependent on him. That's just how things work sometimes.

No one can shelter Minato from any sort of reality at this point. So it's probably good he hasn't argued.