Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) |

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Chacha real smooth right passed my responsibilities

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Apr 29, 2015 20:09:12 GMT -5

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Post by Teddy on Apr 29, 2015 20:09:12 GMT -5

POV: Fletch Kealoha
_________________

I woke up that morning feeling completely exhausted, eyes feeling as if they were glued shut with fatigue. The Apollo cabin radio blared Wake Up by Arcade Fire to stir it's inhabitants from their sleep that morning. I couldn't lie, it was a nice song to wake up to. I liked the melody of voices in the beginning, but it was the heavier guitar riffs that had given me a surprise and startled me from dreaming of pillow forts.
"Fletch! There's a note for you slipped under the door," one of my siblings called over the loud music, causing my eyes to open faster than I would have intended otherwise.
"Hm?" I sat and rubbed my eyes, regarding her with a tired grunt. She crossed the room and tossed the dirty note into my lap. I picked up the crumpled piece of paper, and tried to read with a mixture of blurry vision and dyslexia.
"met us ate he dinnies oavillon."?
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes once again, a lot more violently this time and brought the note closer to my face.
"Meet us at the dining pavilion.
-Luke"
See, now that made a lot more sense. I sat confused for a moment, wondering why I was meeting Luke at the dining pavilion before I remembered last night. A shudder trickled down my spine causing me to cringe. The black hole eyes of the Oracle burned themselves permanently into my brain, making me want to curl into a ball to hide from the memory of the intense stare I had shared with the dead old lady.
I shook my head to try and clear it, my heart still beating relentlessly in my chest at the thoughts of last night. I threw my blanket from on top of me and placed my feet on the hardwood floor of my cabin, flexing my toes as I yawned.
I got up and retrieved the old, floppy canvas backpack I'd started carrying around with me lately and proceeded to stuff it with a light supply of clothes I may need for my journey. I searched through the drawers of my dresser and retrieved a bag filled with some Drachma's and some cash left over from the last quest I'd partaken on. After I'd packed those, I took my violin from my bed and stood it upright in the bad beside it's horse-haired violin bow. I then zipped up the backpack until it met the neck of the instrument and the bow.
I searched through the remaining clothes I had and pulled out a fresh pair of jean shorts, a white shirt with a graphic of a black silhouetted palm tree in front of a sunset, then threw on a light blue button up shirt. Before walking out I tied some beat up, light brown Chuck Taylors shoes onto my feet and swung my floppy backpack over my shoulder.
"Alright, dudes," I said, addressing my cabin in a tired sounding voice, trying to be heard over the loud music. A few of my siblings looked up at me, others went on about their business, so I just assumed they were listening.
"I'm going to be gone for a while... I don't know how long, but while I'm out I'm going to leave Roxy in charge of you all... So be good for her."
I was asked where I was going by a younger brother of mine, to which I replied with the truth. My siblings saw me out of the cabin with many well wishes and flurries of "good luck!"

Once out of my cabin, the music now muffled, but my ears still ringing, I hurried to make my way to the dining pavilion, hoping I wasn't late to meeting the others.
As I walked by the cabins, it didn't look like they were very busy. The Apollo cabin were always early risers. Usually, I was up at the crack of dawn to make my way down to the lake to watch the sun rise alone. I felt as though it was the thing that energized me most through the day. Unfortunately, my body clock had completely ignored it's usual wake-up call.
As I looked around, I realized how strangely peaceful camp was. There was not a soul in sight, everything was completely vacant and deafeningly silent. I took a deep breath in through my nose, taking in the dewy scent of early morning camp and let a long breath of air out of my mouth. I got momentarily excited about the thought of spring being here. Spring meant summer, and summer was my favourite season above all.

My walk to the dining pavilion ended with me being greeted by nothing but the sound of morning doves that chilled out in the tree's near the building. I looked around in search for the others, but deducted that they weren't here yet.
I made my way to the steps of the building and sat down, stretching myself out in the most relaxing and comfortable position possible. I took out my violin and it's bow from my backpack and began inspecting them, making sure they were in wicked condition for the adventure ahead.
I ran my thumb over the glossy wood of the instrument, only to be interrupted by the matte texture of paint I had let Morgan, a daughter of Demeter with righteous artistic skill apply to it. She had painted in white, black and yellow, decorating my instrument with a stylized sun, accompanied by some nicely painted Hibiscus flowers and a few rustic arrows.
Getting bored of being on my own, and doing my best to prevent creeping thoughts to crawl into my mind, I placed my violin into the crook of my neck, resting it nicely on my shoulder and tucking my chin into the black area on it's body.
I played around with the strings for a few moments before I got worked into the low, slow beat of Hozier's Work Song.

Strikr

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Apr 29, 2015 22:29:41 GMT -5

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Post by Strikr on Apr 29, 2015 22:29:41 GMT -5

Eli of course had gone back to the armory after the quest talk with Luke and Azima to fix his weapon after it malfunctioned for no reason. He finally got it to work after rewiring the specific parts that he'd recently added, for example the fire absorbent module he had begun to need for a fire blade, as well as the spikes on the tip, three in all. Around 3 o'clock he passed out and then awoke at 06:45. "Ah guess its about time to get ready." Eli spoke as he walked to his cabin, he realized soon that the camp was awfully quiet for noon. "That's odd..." When he arrived at the cabin his cabin mates were all up, wondering where he was, "Uh about that, you see i'm kinda going on a quest and needed to fix my weapon and-" He was stopped in the middle of the comment by Ashton coming from behind him and hugging him then kissing him. The whole Hephaestus cabin oohed at the sudden romantic setting. He packed a mechanical backpack that he'd made with clothes, candy, his new sunglasses, 2 squares of ambrosia, and some nectar. "Okay," He pointed to Kenneth, "You're in charge while i'm gone." He said as Kenneth jumped up and down at the comment. As he left his home he was wished good luck and more positive feelings. "I'll be back soon guys, I promise."

Eli arrived at the meeting place they had established, the dining pavilion, as he heard the violin he knew the one person that was already there, Fletch. "Fleeeeeeeeeeetch heeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!" Eli yelled to his friend, "You ready for this?"

Last Edit: Apr 30, 2015 18:13:20 GMT -5 by Strikr

Lord Brown Bear

Camp Counsellor

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Apr 30, 2015 20:48:48 GMT -5

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Post by Lord Brown Bear on Apr 30, 2015 20:48:48 GMT -5

Leaving the Hecate cabin, Azima had on his backpack. As told by Luke, Azima had a few changes of clothes, some food, and all of the cash he could scrounge up... all twenty dollars. Azima also had his staff strapped to his back under his backpack, as if he were trying to hide it. Obviously it didn't work for anyone who could see him, but Azima had been told that Hecate children could manipulate the mist. He was unsure if he himself could do it, but if he could, he could deal with a number of potential complications, primarily any weapons the group might be carrying.

Instead of his usual orange camp half-blood t-shirt, Azima had on a black button up shirt, a pair of black jeans, and black walking shoes. IT was the kind of stuff he used to wear before he came to camp, all black so he didn't have to think about how colors matched. His tight curly hair was tied into a bushy ponytail as usual, his clothes said 'ready to go' but the bags under his gold hazel eyes said 'death'.

Azima had awoken at five, anticipating this meeting, hoping that he'd be more awake by now, but he wasn't. Likely due to the lack of sleep. Azima had became too anxious, and wasn't able to get any rest the night before. Before he left the cabin, he left a note leaving Ario in charge. Azima knew he would regret that decision, but he's cross that bridge when he got to it. For now, he simply had to make his way to the dining pavilion. As he approached, he heard violin music, giving away that Fletch was already there.

As he got closer for his eyes to confirm that was indeed Fletch playing that music, Azima waved at him. The last time he saw Fletch was when he and Azima encountered a mad satyr at the edge of the forest, recalling the incident, it was frightening how a single satyr overpowered both him and Fletch individually. Shaking off the thought, Azima was about to open his mouth to speak to Fletch, but was cut off by the sound of a familiar voice yelling. Seemed like Eli was here too, all that was left was Luke.

Porter

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 5, 2015 21:08:13 GMT -5

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Post by Porter on May 5, 2015 21:08:13 GMT -5

((sorry for the late reply, I'm actually doing this thread in between work :/, I'll try not to make this a habitual thing))
((Also powerplaying Fletch with Teddy's consent))

I dreamt in pitch black.

I thought I was simply dreaming of nothing, until I realized I could move my limbs and look around. There wasn't much to see, and there wasn't anything to do. This is weird, I found myself thinking, usually my dreams start resembling an acid trip, or at least a nightmare with... well, THINGS in it. Now? Now I found nothing. I stuck my arms out in front of me, only sensing they were outstretched, I couldn't see them. It was cold, as if I dipped them in the Camp lake early in the morning. I stood there, all alone, for what seemed like hours. I tried to walk, but I couldn't even tell if I was going anywhere. Eventually I sat down, shaken and scared. All I could do was stare ahead of me, taking in the consuming darkness. Out of nowhere, lightning painted the sky in a deafening crackle.
I jolted awake, throwing the bedsheets off of me. I felt too closed in and claustrophobic, and yet too out in the open, exposed. I sat upright in a panic, trying to better regain my surroundings as light slowly seeped back into my eyes.
I didn't get too far.
"Ow!" I exclaimed, my forehead coming in contact with something hard.
"Crap, man!" A familiar voice responded.
I blinked the remaining darkness out of my eyes, rubbing the developing bruise on my head. A blurry face came into view.
"Fletch?"
The face began to sharpen before my eyes and I could make out large sky blue eyes staring back at me, a painful look in them as Fletch rubbed his forehead.
"I prefer the morning wood." He muttered out.
My face went red when I remembered the last incident involving Fletch waking me up that I had on my previous quest. I really to figure out how to get an alarm clock when questing season comes around.
"Well maybe if you weren't standing so close-"
"I was trying to wake you up! You scared me for a bit... you were so still..." Fletch trailed off, not wanting to finish his thoughts.
"What time is it?" I asked, frowning.
I didn't want to heard the rest of Fletch's sentence either. That dream was about nothing at all but it was still the creepiest thing I've ever experienced. Give me the nightmares about Charlie and monsters any day.
Fletched pursed his lips. "Uh, like 7AM now?"
"7? You know, I kind of had '8AM at the dining pavilion' in mind when it came to meeting up for the quest." I suggested.
"We were going to, but everyone ended up waking up before then so I just figured to fetch you so we could leave early." Fletch shrugged.
I couldn't help but be relieved instead of annoyed, I didn't want to stay in that nightmare for any longer than I had to. Without complaining, I jumped out of bed and ran towards my cabinet, grabbing the first few shirts in my drawer and shoving them in a worn out backpack that hasn't seen the light of day since my third quest at camp. Wow, I felt old.
"I'm a bit disappointed, you're not wearing your smiley boxers!" Fletch pointed out.
I looked down, realizing that I was wearing a boring pair of striped blue boxers.
"What can I say? I'm saving the more exciting graphics for the quest." I responded.
I scanned the cabin for anything else I might've missed as I finished stuffing everything in my bag.
"Uh, let me at least take a quick shower." I muttered out, taking a good whiff of the cold sweat that had formed under my arms while I was sleeping.
"And then wear your smiley boxers?" Fletch asked.
"Only for you." I winked at Fletch before slamming the bathroom door shut, and trying to wash the heebie jeebies off of me with body wash and hot water.

I nudged the strap over my shoulder, adjusting to the new weight of the backpack as I walked down the cabin steps. Fletch followed suit, and I glanced over at the defaced Zeus statue before Fletch shut the door on his way out. I tried to take a quick shower, it only must've taken five minutes tops, but it made me nervous to make everyone else waiting. I felt like I should be setting a good example after spending a good five years getting my ass kicked around by monsters. I'm like, a professional punching bag by now. I watched the sun peak over the pine trees of the off-limits forest, its rays of light glinting in my eyes. I squinted and covered my face with my hand. I wondered if Fletch got energized by uncomfortable things like sunburns and sun blindness.
"So, you excited for your first ever time leading a quest?" I looked back to the son of Apollo.
I knew I was anything but excited the first time 13-year-old me had lead a quest. More like terrified, lost, and nervous. I just hoped Fletch a little bit better than my younger equivalent.
"Do you know where we're going first?" I asked, figuring we should get that straight before we consulted Azima and Eli, yaknow, to look like responsible seniors.

Last Edit: May 5, 2015 21:09:31 GMT -5 by Porter

Teddy

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Chacha real smooth right passed my responsibilities

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 6, 2015 20:53:06 GMT -5

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Post by Teddy on May 6, 2015 20:53:06 GMT -5

(OOC: Hello yes I am also powerplaying Luke with Porters consent.)
_________________________

I closed the regal Zeus cabin doors behind me as I left the building, following Luke down the porch steps before walking beside him. A scoff followed by a shaky laugh managed it's way out of my mouth in an unfiltered reaction to his question.
Was I excited to lead a quest for the first time? Gods, more like I was absolutely terrified. There was a part of me that wanted to be excited, though, there was a part of me that wanted to come off as fully confident in my abilities to lead four demigods, who's lives I felt responsible for, on a perilous journey outside of the camp border to an institute for mentally ill youth. I just couldn't shake my uneasiness to let the more positive thoughts through, not after what had happened to me that night. As my mind replayed the fresh new memory crisply before my eyes, I tried to conceal the shudder that threatened my body. I had never heard of such a thing happening in all of my years of being at this camp. Never once had I heard stories of the Oracle visiting campers after they had asked her for prophecies... Apart from at the camp fire, when senior campers would tell tales of the Oracle creeping around camp looking for fresh bodies to steal back to the dark attic, to scare the newer and younger additions to camp. I tried not to listen to my instincts, as they whispered to me that my visit could be an omen to something on this quest, it just made me even more uneasy to lead it. If any of these campers died, or got seriously injured while partaking on this quest... I didn't know what I'd do.
"I don't know if I'd say I'm too excited about it..." I murmured. I managed to perk up at Luke's second question, bringing my gaze to meet his, trying to lighten my mood, my worries taking a back seat as they swirled around my crammed and very tired brain.
"Well, I know the mental institute we have to go to is in San Angelo, Texas. It's called the Lindale Youth Psychiatric Hospital." In my dreams, I had seen a sign displaying those words in bold over the receptionist desk located at the front of the building. I had used the computer in the Big House to do some research on the location of this place. I had even printed out a Google Map that I had folded up in my right pocket.
I pulled out the piece of paper and handed it to Luke, so that he could see the area I had marked with big, bold arrows drawn in red ink.
"See? I came prepared," I said proudly.

Luke and I made our way at a steady pace to the dining pavilion where I'd requested Eli and Azima to wait up. We talked about the quest and it's whereabouts. I described to him the layout of the hospital as best as I could from what I remembered from my dreams.
It was a building painted white, it's walls stained and cracked in different places. It's windows were decorated with bars I could only relate to a prison. Different hallways overlapped each other, leading to many different doors. I told him about the girl I always saw with Charlie. She seemed to resist him the best she could, staying as far away from him as possible. The other faces of the patients were always more blurry to me. This dream had reoccurred so often for me, I was confident in where I would need to go once we reached Lindale. It felt like I knew the place like the back of my hand.

A silence had fallen over Luke and I as we walked. Although it was a comfortable silence, I didn't really like it very much. My doubts and worries began to resurface in my mind now that I wasn't thinking about the psychiatric hospital. I shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked, looking around me, but not so much taking in my surroundings. It wasn't long before I decided that enough was enough.
"Hey, Luke?" I prompted, breaking the silence.
"Hm?" He replied, bringing his gaze from ahead to meet my eyes.
"What do you know about the Oracle coming down from the attic?" I asked vaguely. Luke look kind of confused. He knit his thick eyebrows and blinked a few times, causing my focus to momentarily dwell on how long his eyelashes were. I hadn't really noticed before.
"What, like actually?" His eyes got a little wide, a nervousness danced in them. "She... Uh, she can't actually do that, right? I mean, Fletch, that's just a story."
"I- well, um." I stuttered my words as I searched for a way not to freak him out. "Last night, I woke up and tried to turn over... But I couldn't. My body was frozen. Y'know, like sleep paralysis?"
Lukes eyes grew wider as I talked, his gaze never leaving my face.
"Uh- and so, I ended up opening my eyes... Big mistake... And, like, she was there, dude. Like right there. She was just staring at me with her cold dead eyes and I couldn't do anything but stare back. She caressed my cheek, dude."
"SHE CAN DO THAT!?" Luke exclaimed.
"I GUESS?" I exclaimed back. Luke brought his hands up to his head, running his fingers through his sandy coloured hair in disbelief.
"Holy Hades," he muttered. "You sure you weren't dreaming it?"
"Very sure," I confirmed. "... Do you think it could mean anything?"
Luke shrugged, mouth agape as he searched for answers. "I mean," he started. "The Oracle probably hasn't been on a date in a while?"
"Oh, Gods," I cringed. "She's... She's really not my type."

Our conversation was cut short as we approached the dining pavilion, greeted by Eli and Azima. Luke and I pocketed the topic as we got closer.
"Hey, guys. Sorry that took so long... Luke had to shower." I looked at Luke with a side eyed glance and pulled a lopsided grin across my face.

Strikr

God

705 posts

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 13, 2015 15:08:27 GMT -5

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Post by Strikr on May 13, 2015 15:08:27 GMT -5

Eli had almost fallen asleep when the final two members of their quest arrived,he sat up from his position, "I was literally 5 seconds from falling asleep,why?" He asked,more to the gods than anyone else but that didn't matter. "So, where are we going first?" He asked Fletch and Luke, obviously they'd talked about it on their way to the place Eli was currently in."That is, if you feel like sharing." He then gave Luke a small glimpse, he tried to make his facial expression say 'Mom?' he couldn't tell if he understood or not, so he simply continued, "And are we leaving yet or what cause I'm ready when you guys are!" He exclaimed as he took out a piece of wooden cotton candy, and ate it, while he ate it he looked at Fletchs expression, priceless.

Lord Brown Bear

Camp Counsellor

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 16, 2015 16:58:08 GMT -5

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Post by Lord Brown Bear on May 16, 2015 16:58:08 GMT -5

Azima gave a sigh of relief as Luke and Fletch arrived. He'd gotten too anxious waiting. He picked up his bag from the floor and shouldered it, ready to go wherever they needed to go. "It is good that you finally arrived." Azima's African accent was still present. "Are we to leave now, or is there somewhere else in camp we should go first?" Azima couldn't think of where they'd need to go, honestly. Right now, his mind was set on leaving camp... for the first time since he got here... into a world of monsters.

He seriously was unsure if he was ready. He hope that they'd leave immediately, lest Azima continue to get even more anxious.

Porter

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I survived the Marvinpocalypse 2015 (but only barely)

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 18, 2015 21:18:51 GMT -5

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Post by Porter on May 18, 2015 21:18:51 GMT -5

I almost began jogging towards the dining pavilion, too embarrassed to keep his questmates waiting even longer. Damnit, Eli even started falling asleep.
"Sorry for the wait, guys." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly as Eli started complaining to the gods about his interrupted sleep and Azima was nervously shouldering his backpack. "I guess I should've anticipated that you all were morning birds and planned ahead a bit better."
The easier I can get us out of here, the better I can make up for it, I thought as I looked for ways to speed up the departure process.
I shook my head in response to Azima's question. "We should have everything ready. Argus is probably waiting to see if we need him to carpool us to New York city, we usually fend for ourselves after that."
I looked to Fletch for a more solid decision, it was his quest after all, so he'd be calling the shots on what we'd be doing.
I raised my eyebrows at Eli's comment about keeping it to ourselves. Was that supposed to be suggestive of something? Did that even make any sense? We haven't even left camp and I'm already getting sideways glances from Eli, and it's safe to assume it's about Fletch.
Then Eli proceeded to make a strange facial expression that felt like I should've known the context to. What a weird kid.
"Um, yes. I think we're fine with explaining the direction we're going in." I replied, pulling out the printed out Google Maps page Fletch had given me.
"San Angelo, Texas." I pointed to the big arrows marked on the paper. "Um, from what I can gather, We have to go really south."
Despite my urges to get moving on this quest, I couldn't help but pray that I didn't have to go on another airplane. My heart skipped a beat just thinking about having to board another flight. I only hoped Fletch would avoid that choice of transportation as well.

Teddy

Administrator

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Chacha real smooth right passed my responsibilities

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 19, 2015 16:34:14 GMT -5

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Post by Teddy on May 19, 2015 16:34:14 GMT -5

It took me a minute, but I was able to pull myself out of the trance I had entered as I watched Eli begin chewing on a plank of wood. I briefly looked towards the other two for an explanation, but Luke waved his hand dismissively and I decided it was probably best to drop the subject and get my head in the game.
"Uh... Yeah, Luke's right. Argus will probably be waiting for us at the camp entrance... So, we should, like, get a move on." With that I began to turn, shouldering my floppy canvas backpack as I made my way from the dining pavilion towards the big welcoming Camp Half-Blood sign on the top of Half-Blood Hill.
Although Eli's wooden snack had trumped my appetite pretty quickly, I couldn't help but think about breakfast. It was way too early to go bursting into the dining pavilion for food... The Harpies would have given us a whole lot of trouble for that. I figured we'd have time to stop by a Krispy Kreme or something and figure out or next move once we'd gotten to New York City.

I tried to think of how we had started off the last quest I had been on, and the memory quickly became a vivid reminder of the many things that were awaiting us outside the border of camp. Our plan had been to catch a plane, and it would have been fine if it hadn't been for the fact that it had crashed after a violent monster attack. Luke had managed to save it from getting too ugly, but it was an incredibly close call I didn't want to re-live. Still, it would be a hell of a long journey if we didn't use some sort of quick transport such as a plane.
"We have a long way to go," I found myself muttering out loud to no one in particular. "I hope you guys are ready... And thank you for coming, by the way." I added, now addressing the group of guys that followed me to our mode of transportation.
Despite the doubts I had in my own ability to lead a quest as dangerous as this one, I was confident in the group that had gathered to complete it.

It didn't take us long to reach Argus, who stood leaning on the Camp Half-Blood truck decorated with advertisements for the Strawberries they sold in the city. He greeted us with his usual silence, facial features blanketed with a layer of blue eyes that seemed to follow you no matter where you stood. When I had first met Argus, his copious amount of eyes had given me an understandable sense of uneasiness. By the time we had reached New York I had grown comfortable with him, and now saw no need to be uncomfortable around him.
"Hey, Argus," I greeted with a lazy shaka sign formed on my hand and a smile playing on my lips. The blonde haired man dipped his head in response, mimicking my hand hand gesture with his own thumb and pinkie finger. I wondered if he got dizzy when he moved his hand around quickly like that. Best to not wonder out loud, I decided to get on with introductions.
"Azima, Eli, this is Argus... I 'dunno if you've ever met him before but he's a pretty chill dude. He's the one who's 'gonna be driving us out to the city." Argus nodded his hello and began to make his way to the front of the car, taking his place in the drivers seat to wait for us.
I raised my eyebrows briefly in anticipation as I regarded the group. With my mouth parted and my teeth clenched, I searched for words to say.
"...I call shotgun." I turned around after that, opening the truck door and hopping into the passenger seat, placing my backpack on my lap so that I didn't crush my violin.

Strikr

God

705 posts

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) May 31, 2015 17:17:26 GMT -5

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Post by Strikr on May 31, 2015 17:17:26 GMT -5

Eli had heard stories about Argus, which were intended to scare him, but it just made Eli think he was
even more amazing. "Hey man, long as you're a good driver i'm cool with it." He stated, and since Argus had multiple eyes, it was really unlikely that they'd wreck into anything...at least he hoped that was the case. Even before Fletch called shotgun Eli had started climbing into the back seat, he needed time to think, and this would likely be his only chance.

Lord Brown Bear

Camp Counsellor

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Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Jun 1, 2015 21:25:02 GMT -5

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Post by Lord Brown Bear on Jun 1, 2015 21:25:02 GMT -5

Seeing Argus, Azima offered a nod in greeting, and nothing else. Following the others into the car, Azima went into the backseat, laying his belongings on the floor of the car. After a minute of awkward silence, Azima spoke up to voice a concern. "So..." he began, his African accent thick as ever. "...We are going into Texas?..." Azima had been to places heavy with American Southern culture before. He wouldn't say anything about it, accept he never did enjoy his stays there. Azima began to direct his speech more towards Fletch. "I have no problem accompanying you anywhere. Just know that if we're going to a place like Texas, all of you will be doing the talking."

Teddy

Administrator

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Chacha real smooth right passed my responsibilities

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Jun 7, 2015 20:02:28 GMT -5

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Post by Teddy on Jun 7, 2015 20:02:28 GMT -5

Once everyone had climbed into the truck, Argus started up the engine. The car vibrated into motion, inevitably lulling me into an even sleepier state. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the passenger seat. The vehicle was old, and the seats weren't as soft as a pillow might have been, but it would have to do. It didn't take very long before sleep began to cloud my initially fatigued mind, but I was shaken from my rest by the thick African accent of Azima. I opened my eyes once more and blinked drowsily, bringing myself to attention as I detected the uneasiness in his voice. I twisted myself in my seat, getting into a comfortable position to throw a laid back grin over my shoulder in the Son of Hecate's direction.
"I've gotcha' covered, dude," I assured him lightly. Never having had trouble talking to people, I was confident in my ability to converse with the locals of Texas. I'd heard many different things about the state, but I was sure not everyone that belonged there conformed to their stereotype. Sure, I expected to see the odd redneck or two, maybe even a cowboy if I was lucky, but I was certain that it was filled with generic people that might even look like they could be from New York.

I turned myself around again, nestling into my seat comfortably, this time staring outside my window and watching the trees pass by as we made our way farther and farther from camp. Seeing it become so small in the rear view mirror caused butterflies of nervousness to resurface in my stomach. It was a feeling I recognized from years ago when I had left my home with my keeper Casper Firlie to make my way to camp. The feeling of leaving home always made me feel slightly queasy.
To shake the butterflies, I drowned them by inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, a practice I seemed to be executing more than normal.
As we continued to drive I started to get fidgety with apprehension. My mind seemed to be jumping so many places I couldn't keep track, and planning the next steps of this group was proving impossible for me at the moment. I drummed my fingers on the passenger side door, tapping my feet repeatedly in no particular tempo. I decided that in order to calm my loud brain I needed some music, so I turned to Argus, who regarded me with the blue eyes that covered the right side of his body, while keeping the eyes on his front forward and on the road. I couldn't help but wish I was covered in eyes so I could see what was going on around me at all times.
"Do you mind if I play with the radio?" I asked him, gesturing to the buttons and knobs on the dashboard of the car. Argus shook his head and gave me a thumbs up, to which I smiled happily and pushed the on button of the radio excitedly. I made sure to turn the volume dial down low, not wanting to disturb the others if they were trying to think. I was aiming more for background music anyway. It took some searching for me to find a good song, but I settled on Lonely Boy by The Black Keys in the end.
"Just out of curiosity," I spoke up, regarding the quiet three that sat behind me in the car, "what's everyone's preferred method of transportation?"
"Not airplanes," Luke answered. Grinning in response, I turned my head to the side to look at him.
"Right," I answered. "Yeah, it's a bit too soon for that. If we go on a train are you gonna throw me out again?" Humor played in my words as the memory of being thrown off of a moving train by Luke during one of his thunderous freak-outs revealed itself to me. I couldn't, and refused to blame him for the incident because he'd been out of his mind. Plus, I didn't think he'd actually want to throw me out of a train.
Luke's face contorted into a mixed look of guilt and reminiscence at the sudden memory.
"S'alright, dude," I chuckled lightly. "I ticked off 'jump from a moving train' off my bucket list... I'm counting it." Bringing my attention to Eli and Azima, I continued with my question.
"Alright, so we'll be avoiding planes most of the time. What do you guys suggest we do?"

Strikr

God

705 posts

at camp

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Jun 14, 2015 13:04:23 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Strikr on Jun 14, 2015 13:04:23 GMT -5

(Sorry guys, i just need to skip this time, ive been really busy this week, would've said this sooner but i thought it was poe's turn :/ )

Lord Brown Bear

Camp Counsellor

235 posts

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Jun 16, 2015 15:19:03 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Lord Brown Bear on Jun 16, 2015 15:19:03 GMT -5

Azima took a moment to think about an answer to Fletch's question. Flying was evidently out of the question, Azima would have to ask why later. Texas obviously didn't have a sea route to use to get to it. A train was a possibility, but also a complication. "What about a taxi?" Azima inquired. "We would have to take more than one, obviously, but if we have the money, it might be viable, though it may take a much longer time than a train would, they are private, so the only way monsters could efficiently pursue us is if they are the taxi driver themselves." A taxi might be good to start or end with, but it would take too much time for sure if it was used exclusively.

Porter

Administrator

1,093 posts

I survived the Marvinpocalypse 2015 (but only barely)

Four Flew Over To The Cuckoo's Nest (Porter,Strikr,LBB) Jun 19, 2015 22:38:18 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Porter on Jun 19, 2015 22:38:18 GMT -5

((Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, finally finished school!))

I flung my backpack over my lap as I was the last one to squeeze into the truck. With one last look at us meddling demigods in the back seat, Argus let the engine roar to life with a flick of his wrist. I took a look at my companions who were pensive in thought as we discussed our method of transportation.
"I wouldn't mind a train," I began. "I mean, if Fletch doesn't either..."
I cast a sheepish glance in Fletch's direction.
"Uh, sorry about throwing you off a moving train that one time." I apologized.
I pondered over Azima's suggestion of a taxi. "I don't know... that would cost so much just to get from one city to another...."
I turned my head back towards the car window as I watched the trees thin out, an indication that we were travelling further out of the forested areas of Long Island. Fog began to stretch out over the ground in an early morning haze.
"Man, if only Apollo were here again." I wished out loud. "Fletch's dad has his own taxi that could rocket us right out of New York." I explained to the other passengers.
Argus chuckled in response, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"Try the Gray Sisters'" Was all he said before bringing most of his eyes back on the road again.
"The... who?" I asked, urging Argus to extend his maximum word count.
Without turning his head (who would need to when they have eyes everywhere?) he poked Fletch's backpack, the eyes on his arm looking at him expectantly. Fletch looked concerned, and also like he was going to be sick from all the eyeballs turned towards his direction but he complied and unzipped the backpack. Argus dipped his hand into it, rummaging around while pressing his foot further into the gas pedal until we were speeding off at 80 miles on the deserted road, a rate that I small truck full of strawberries probably should not be going at. I pressed my back against the seat, suddenly regretting asking Argus for clarification. I glanced at my quest-mates, wondering if they had any more idea as to what was going on. Argus pulled out a baggy full of drachmas from Fletch's backpack, keeping it clenched in his hand as he put it back on the steering wheel, driving straight into the city.
He finally began to slow down once cars became frequent on the road, and soon he pulled over to a stop near an empty Denny's parking lot in Queens. Just the sight of the familiar yellow-and-red neon sign of the family restaurant made my mouth water. We all got out, still a bit confused about Argus's strange antics. Honestly, if Chiron didn't trust him with his life I would've been afraid that he was going to vaporize us with lasers shooting out of his eyes or something. Argus picked a drachma out of the baggie he stole from Fletch, and threw the bag back at him.
"Watch carefully." He said, the only two other words I'll probably ever hear him say again.
That being said, my eyes began to drift towards the inviting Denny's door. My stomach took over my brain and I slipped out of the group, to get a Red-white-and-blue Slam. By the time I was back, shoveling a plate full of strawberry-covered pancakes into my mouth, a taxi had appeared out of nowhere, as if it had been formed straight out of the fog around us, with shadows wrapping around us. Heads looked back at me once people realized I had been gone throughout the whole voodoo process. Argus looked annoyed as he rolled some of his eyes at me, as if I didn't deserve all of his eye's attention.
"What? I was going to offer to buy you guys some too." I explained myself between forkfuls of whipped cream.