A Rabbit Hole Would've Been Nicer (Teddy)

POV:Fletch Kealoha

I walked the border of camp with my hands stuck in my pockets and my mind at furious work. It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon, and I was on border patrol alone. I had to admit, border patrol was incredibly enjoyable in autumn. Outside of the invisible barriers walls, leaves turned warm colours that reminded me of the most relaxing things, like warm drinks, cozy sweaters and crisp smelling air. Part of me wished we could have some weather like that inside the borders, instead of the constant sunny heat, but I loved the sunshine too much to let it go. I took advantage of my lonely afternoon to have some Fletch time.

As I walked, I thought about too many different things at once. I thought of my friends, I thought about my responsibilities, but mostly, I was thinking about the dream I'd had last night. This dream had been recurring to me for weeks now. I hadn't told anyone but Luke about it... Oh, and Liam, but everything from that visit was sort of a blur to me. Everything around camp had been so busy lately that I hadn't gotten the chance to bring it up to anyone. I began making a list of people I should consult about it. I thought about talking to my half-sister Roxy, who had now encountered Charlie twice. Maybe she could give me some information on what he's like.

Halfway through my delicate list of people to tell, I heard yelling coming from just over the hill I was walking up. I was shaken from my mental solitude and sent into complete defense mode. My hand didn't hesitate to make it's way over my head to grasp the top right tuning peg of my violin that hung from my back. In a burst of light the instrument was turned into my familiar and much loved long bow and quiver. I lifted the bow over my head and brought it to my side in a tight grip as I ran up the hill. At the top, I brought an arrow from my quiver and knocked it to the tough thread of the wooden bow.
It didn't take me very long before I noticed the struggle happening at the bottom of the hill. I skipped down a short distance so that I could get close enough to see what exactly was happening.
A satyr with black curly hair on his head to match his black furry legs stood with his back turned to me, facing a camper who struggled to get his legs out of the grounds grasp.
The scene reminded me of my own first encounter with an insane Nymph, who had lost control of her tree when it began to strangle Luke and I during a game of Capture the Flag.

I lifted my bow and pulled the arrow back tightly, until the familiar feeling of arrow fletching brushing skin caused a tingle of ready anticipation to crawl it's way down my back. As quietly as I could, from my position on the hill, moved to the side so I could get a better view of the reed pipe that sent a flurry of chaotic sounding music through the air. Never would I ever harm a Satyr or Nymph who had lost his or her mind, but I didn't mind stripping them of their weapons. I'd be sure to replace every reed pipe I destroyed when all of this was over.
I took aim once I had a clear shot and confidently sent the arrow soaring through the air towards the satyr, who hadn't noticed the guy standing behind him until his reed pipe was ripped from his hands and planted into the ground.
With the music gone, the vines began to retract their hold on the camper, but it wasn't over yet. The Satyr turned on me with a murderous glare in his brown eyes. I imagined for a moment that if the circumstances were different, and he wasn't influenced by Charlie, his eyes used to be warm and welcoming.

I quickly pressed a button on the buckle of my quiver strap and turned my bow and arrow into my violin once again as the Satyr prepared to charge me. Every muscle in my body was tense as I lifted the instrument from my back as quickly as I could and set it on my shoulder ready to play. By the time I had done that, the Satyr had dashed towards me and closed the distance between us. Curse those speedy goat legs of theirs.
Before I could attempt to hypnotize the forest creature, he threw himself at me and brought the two of us down to the ground. I tried to keep my violin and it's bow in my hands, but as I hit the ground flat on my back, crashing my head hard into the ground, my grip on them loosened and they fell from my fingers.
With the satyr on top of me, I tried to roll and unbalance him, but he dug his hooves into the ground and stabilized himself. He took his chance and began to engage in hand to hand combat, which I tried my best to counter while on the floor.
I prayed to the Gods that the kid I had saved from the vines hadn't run the first chance he'd gotten. I needed help.

(Sorry for taking so long! This kinda got buried. :c)

Disoriented, I could have sworn the Satyr had been frozen in place and lifted into the air by some invisible force. The weight of the goat-man left my body right before he was about to aim another fist towards my face. He was thrown across the clearing and met with a tree.
Oh, crap. I tried getting up, but my head ached so loudly in protest it made my vision blurry. The satyr had definitely gotten a few good hits in. As I lifted my head, I suddenly felt something trickle from my nose. Crap. I lifted my fingers to inspect the damage. Sure enough, a heavy flow of blood ran down my aching nose. I wiped it with my arm, streaking it with red.
A voice brought me back from my personal checkup.
"Thank you for your timely rescue. I'm not sure how I would have fared on my own." The voice carried a thick accent along with it, but it was nothing I couldn't understand. Before getting a good look at the owner of the voice, I decided to take the hand he had offered. Making sure I used the hand that hadn't been used to wipe my nose blood from it's course, I allowed him to help me up. The dark skinned boy was a few inches taller than me. I had to look up to meet his magnificently coloured, nearly golden eyes.
"Hey, no problem," I said with a smile. "I assume it was you that got the Satyr off of me, I totally appreciate that." Suddenly, I remembered that the Satyr had been flung through the air. My concern for the Forest Creature re-surfaced.
"Speaking of..." I turned away from the boy to get a better look at the damage done to the Satyr. I understood that some of these creatures had to be harmed in order for a demigod to live, but I really hoped the collision with the tree hadn't somehow broken the Satyr's neck or spine. I liked to avoid killing the forest people as much as I could. As I began to speed walk over to the Satyr, I waved for the boy to follow.
When I reached the goat-man, a lump formed in my throat at the sight of his limp body, but it dissipated as I noticed the steady rise and fall of his chest. Still, I had to check for any breaks or other things. I'd have to make a splint out of some sticks if that were the case. At least it wasn't like last time I had to heal a Satyr, where I had been pushed out of my comfort zone to stitch it's arm up.
I felt around the Satyr's back, arms, and legs in search of anything that could be broken or fractured. I also ran my fingers gently over his head, through his mess of black curls. There was a bump where his head must have made contact with the tree, but other than that, it looked like his only damage was a few bruises. I hoped the bump on his head wouldn't cause a concussion. What I hoped, was that he would lose his memory, or maybe have some sense knocked into him.
I decided to drag his limp body as close to the boarder around the forest as I could. Maybe he would just go back.
When I was finished, I suddenly got self conscious. How rude of me to pretty much completely ignore the dude that had just saved me from getting my face pounded in? I turned back towards him with a guilty smile on my face.
"Hey, uh, sorry about that... I always take it upon myself to see if these guys are alright after a run in, y'know? They can't help it... They're brainwashed. I don't like treating them like they're evil. A lot of them are my friends and..." I trailed off as I realized I was rambling a bit. I let out a deep sigh. "Anyway, thanks a lot for helping me out. Are you okay? You're limping, do you want me to take a look at it? I'm Fletch, by the way. Fletch Kealoha."

ooc: Gods, sorry my replies are always so delayed. Teddy's been busy. :c

I had almost offered to step on his foot when he had told me it was asleep. That was a sure fire way to get rid of the television static feeling that ran up and down your legs like hoards of angry insects when your circulation was cut off. Instead, I decided to let a smirk cross my face at his comment on Satyr's and their hard heads.
"Yeah, I guess they do," I replied with a light chuckle.
For a short moment, Azima and I stood and shared a silence. I took that opportunity to make my way back to where my precious violin had been shaken from my grasp. I clipped the violin bow into it's hold on the side of the clear case and shouldered the instrument, letting it position itself gently on my back. A feeling of comfortable security seemed to wash over me whenever I had the violin with me. I never left home without it. I was able to breath a little easier now that I knew it was back with me undamaged. I'd probably have to clean the white Pegasus hair strung into the bow later on, but I could worry about that when I got back to the cabin.

My attention was brought back to Azima when I heard him speak again. At first, I couldn't believe he didn't know the deal with the Forest Creatures.
"Are you new here?" I blinked in disbelief a few times before I realized my words had come out a little rude sounding. "I mean- I didn't mean for that to- Uh, sorry about that, man. I just meant, how new are you?"
I knew I hadn't seen the tall, dark skinned boy around camp, and if I did, I obviously hadn't payed much attention with everything else I had going on.
"Have you heard anybody talking about this guy called Charlie? He's a son of Dionysus. From what I know, he left Camp to be on his own... I guess Camp life didn't suit the guy too much. He's currently our biggest threat. He wants to take over Olympus so he can 'bring equality' instead of having the Gods rule over us up there. It all started when he used his Demigod abilities to turn the Nymphs and Satyrs in the forest insane. He's manipulating their minds and has them brainwashed to attack and do violent things towards us because Camp Half-Blood is just in his way."
I found my gaze sadly rested on the dark haired Satyr as he lay motionless, all except his steady breathing, on the floor close to the forest. I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I couldn't imagine having no control over myself, and if I knew Forest Folk, I knew they were a peaceful people who cared about the well being of others and the environment.
"That's why I like to take care of them... Because they don't know what they're doing, and if they do, they can't control themselves. I hate seeing them killed by other Demigods... Even if it was in self defense. Mr. D had this genius idea of keeping the Satyrs and Nymphs trapped behind an invisible barrier like the one that runs around the border of camp, which would have been all fine and good, until we realized he was keeping the sane Nymphs and Satyrs in there too. We had to get them out of there... Can you imagine? Being trapped in there with dangerous killing machines? Dangerous killing machines that used to be your friends?"
I continued to talk about how Luke and I had lead an escape plan, co-directed by Quintyn Avilov, a daughter of Athena we had really only just met a couple days before. I explained how we had made a hole in the barrier and had the Nymphs and Satyrs sneak out with the help of a Satyr named Leo, who Luke had an empathy link with, and had been trapped in there giving us updates.
"There was a recent quest to the place where Charlie has been hiding himself and his followers. This 'Larchie Cabin Motel.' Apparently he's got Forest Folk that are stationed there too... Along with some of our own who've decided to join our cause."
I paused for a moment, considering telling Azima about my reoccurring dreams about how Charlie is getting his power source. I decided that it was better to let him know the whole truth instead of leaving things out.
"I've been having these dreams that take place in a mental ward. Charlie is always there, talking and interacting with the mortal kids that don't really know what's happening. I think that might be how he's getting his power source. Of course, it's draining him as much as he's draining those poor kids. There's always this girl who stands out the most... I think she might be able to tell me about what's been going on there. She seems to stand out from the others." I looked at Azima, pausing to see how he was taking all of the information I had just hurled at him like a pro baseball player.

(aw man that yellow tho)

I smiled softly at Azima. It was nice to hear him so enthusiastic to help. A lot of campers around camp went out of their way to help with the situation, and it always gave me a fresh sense of hope. I had been walking around for weeks now carrying a weight on my shoulders brought on by Charlie. I was doing everything I could to save the home I had known and loved dearly for two years now, as well as free the forest folk, who had welcomed me like a natural part of their family upon my arrival. Help was amazing, and it made me remember how passionate everyone around me was about Camp Half-Blood.
"Thank you, Azima," I replied gratefully, taking a quick moment afterwards to figure out something he could do to help.
"For now, we always need campers on the lookout. If you see anybody who looks suspicious of spying, take note of them and report them to Chiron. They're not so easy to find... Literally anyone could be spy so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. Also, if you manage to run into another crazed forest creature, try your best not to hurt them too bad. When all of this is over we want them alive and well and happy like before... If I manage to find anything else you could help with I'll be sure to come find you. Keep in touch with me too. I like knowing what goes on around here concerning our dilemma." I paused for a moment, wondering if I should bring up the quest I was planning concerning my dreams. I hated mentioning it because it was so far from being set in stone, but I pushed back those feelings and opened up to my newly acquainted friend.
"I've... Been sort of planning on requesting a quest from Chiron," I started, throwing my hand up to the back of my neck and sticking my hand in my pocket. "The dreams I was telling you about earlier? I think they're trying to get me to visit the institution they're always set in. I think I need to talk to the girl that always seems so prominent. I think I need to save those mentally ill children from being Charlie's source of power. I think if I do that, then he'll be significantly weakened and we might develop an edge in this battle... If it does go through, I'd be happy to have you along."
I wasn't quite sure why I was offering for Azima to come along. Something just told me he was one of those intelligent people you'd want with you on a life threatening trip to a mental asylum for unstable kids. I waited for his answer, a large part of me hoping he'd be interested in coming with me.

I felt the corners of my mouth turn up slightly at the question. I was glad Azima was so enthusiastic to go on a quest, though I didn't think he knew what he was getting himself into.

"Well, usually a quest will be given to a camper who has had some sort of message sent to them... Like in a dream. Most demigods are given dreams to hint to quests. When a demigod thinks that their dream is hinting to a significant thing, they'll go tell Chiron about it and request permission to leave camp to investigate it... If Chiron approves, then you're sent to the Big House attic to meet with the Oracle...
Which I've heard is not a very fun experience at all."

Before leaving for my last quest, my good friend Luke had been told to face the oracle for a prophecy. I remembered him looking especially freaked out after coming back downstairs. I hadn't been sure if it was the fault of the prophecy or the Oracle herself.

"The oracle will give you a prophecy, telling you how the quest will play out... But in a really vague way that will have you wondering throughout the whole thing... Usually, only three demigods go on a quest, but the last couple times it's oddly been four... It's pretty bad luck to be in a group larger than three..."

I trailed off, a gut wrenching memory slamming into the forefront of my mind suddenly, like a car crashing into another at full speed. The last quest I had been on there had been a casualty. One of the younger members of the camp, a son of Hermes named Justin. I hadn't known him personally, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread every time I thought about the death. During the quest, Luke had lost control of his powers and had brought the building we were in down on us. Sadly, Justin hadn't made it out and was squashed by the falling debris. I always thought about how his last thoughts were influenced by Charlie's mind control. I had passed out after getting Luke out of the building, and had dreamed about Justin finding his way into Elysium with his father who stood beside him in line, spending some final moments with his son before they parted. Justin had given me a happy wave and an enthusiastic thumbs up.
I tried to shake the mournful look I realized circled in my expression and pulled my mouth into a lopsided smile.

"Quests are incredibly dangerous anyway. There are monsters at every turn waiting for demigods that stroll out of camp. You've got to have your wits with you, y'know?"

I brought my hand up to my shoulder, the one that now sported a large scar left by an angry Phoenix I had been faced to defeat during my quest. I never really thought about that scar much until I noticed it in the mirror or the sudden thought would pass through my mind.
I dropped my hand and raised my gaze to meet Azima's.

"So... If you're still interested... I'll let you know."