"oh come on, every warrior deserves a weapon. just don’t tell your parents i gave you this.” while crouched down, corine hands one of the young satyrs a dagger with a wooden handle. she figures that it’s going to fit their fighting style and still match their color palette. it’s important to be coordinated, even during a fight. “use it whenever you think you’re in danger, alright? even if it’s that a.i. raphael just blabbing on about a historical battle and you want to get him to shut up.” she dusts her hands off and stands up. corine finally locks eyes with the other person as she turns around. “don’t you give me shit about arming him. i can’t be around 24/7 to protect all of them.” 

heyo besties ! this right here is corine, blessed by hera. you can find her about page HERE, but below the cut are some quick bullet points.

blessed by hera and was put in the custody of a successful lawyer in d.c. 

he was murdered and she was shortly adopted thereafter 

grew up with 4 adoptive siblings in the south 

very popular in school, but also hardworking

those she favored seemed to prosper, those she didn’t seemed to fail 

found out her adoptive parents killed her dad 

was chased out of school and her gf (undercover nymph) told her the truth of who she was and brought her to camp half-blood 

starting training to be able to kill her parents, but was talked down 

now she kills people that go after those at camp instead 

WANTED CONNECTIONS 

rivals - maybe like a very macho man that she just seems to detest or people that remind her of her adoptive parents 

people she’s helped - could’ve had a charge to protect and bring to camp, or someone could have gotten attack at / near camp and she helped. after that a bond formed 

frenemies - she can be a bitch sometimes and nice at other times, so people that she’s cordial with but against wouldn’t be rare 

sugar and spice - someone that can match her shifting moods, be the sugar when she’s the spice and vice versa 

ex flings - could’ve dated someone just because it would’ve gotten her liked at camp lmao im not sorry she uses people! 

Ryan Destiny by Raoúl Alejandre. Hair by Malcolm Marquez. 

h e r a

x x x

@taghypnotits​ 

the entrance to his dreams is like a big security room. there’s several monitors mounted up showcasing different scenarios as dreams. raph is looking over at them deciding which one to go to next. he’s looking over at the battle strategies, moves that’s he’s learned int he past but can always perfect in the future. 

that’s when he senses it. the son of athena looks away from the screens and around the rest of the area, a simple white room with vines on the ground. “don’t trip.” raphael simply speaks before he turns around back to the monitors. “if you want you can choose a scene from one of the things on the wall. most of them are more mechanical than other dreams, so don’t expect anything loopy.” 

𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦  ➵ 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥

ophelia : i wouldn't call what i got a present

ophelia : i don't know what to do with it

ophelia : ( unsent ) i know you shouldn't be the first person i text about this but i didn't know where else to go

raphael : i only did because that's what the letter said

raphael : maybe we have to put them back together ?

raphael : ( unsent ) i don't think you should sleep alone tonight

shiv.

“well i think you’re not following the logic right, then, sorry. it’s: you mind your own business. then we just stop there. i’m not under the same obligation, maybe that’s the confusion.” 

shivanna let her head fall forward a little, dead-staring raphael in his eyes with her own larger (and prettier) ones. “you’re forreal? you think asking a killer. about their film classification system. will help anyone catch them? you’re wild bro.”

shiv was really just hanging in there out of spite at this point, and even that was wearing thin. she was thankful raph slowed down as she massaged the stitch in her side, trying to figure out if she could do another jump or if she’d have to tuck tail and walk. “i guess that depends if you’d tell on me or not. if you would, trust me when i say: i would never. ever. eat a boy.” 

“maybe you’re right then in the fact that we have to mind our own business. if we start discussing it then i’m just going to find more flaws in the argument and then you’re going to make up some excuse that can’t be found in a book.“ 

raphael’s eyes were more blank as he looked back at shivana. he didn’t carry the same emotions as some of the others and sometimes there was a void in his orbs. “don’t knock it till you try it. a system can help found out how they speak instead of how they sound.” 

when a log was coming up on the path he flipped over it, first touching it with his hands and then standing on them. he walked along the log with his hands the whole way before he bent over and touched the forest ground with his feet again. “i wouldn’t have to tell on you because the statistics of one of us also getting away with eating campers is also low. eventually the ones in charge will spot you unless your plan is full proof so it’s not something i have to involve myself in. unless of course i’m a target.” 

elio.

“Definitely a sports guy,” Elio announces with the usual pride a frat guy would. “But my loyalty lies more with hockey. Football is the next best thing if there’s nothing else on TV. Nowadays I’ll take anything though. I just miss watching at TV mindlessly. You know? It’s a whole miracle our phones still support texting.”

The little creatures fumes a bit but doesn’t seek out vengeance. Eventually it moves out of sight and Elio relaxes. “There, now you’re avenged.”

“Sure it is, there’s movement and you get a workout in. You know what I never thought of as a sport? Chess.” Elio snaps his fingers, as if making a point. “Which you look like a fan of.”

“Hockey is one of the most aggressive sports out there. So is football when you think about it and factor in all of the brain injuries the players have to face.“ Raphael’s head is ticking away like a computer pulling out the facts about the sports. He remembers to breathe slightly to bring himself back. “I can hack it for you if you want.” 

The corner of his lips tugs into a small smile when he realizes that the cherub is going away from them. “My knight in shining vengeance. Thank you Elio, I’ll make sure to pay you back.” He just doesn’t know how yet. 

“Is that an Athena stereotype?“ Raphael nudges the man’s side with his elbow. “You’re not wrong though, I’m into chess. There’s a lot of move predication and analysis that goes into it, exercises the brain instead of the body.“

ophelia.

          raphael  is  a  novel  she’s  read  cover  to cover  (  more  times  than  one,  in  fact  ).  his  metaphorical  pages  are  dog-eared,  the  margins  crowded  with  pencil  notes  and  her  eyes  have  glanced  over  the  words  of  her  favorite  passages  so  many  times  that  she’s  almost  convinced  she’s  penned  them  herself.  for  years,  she  could  confidently  decipher  every  quirk  of  an  eyebrow,  twitch  of  a  lip,  depth  of  a  sigh  …  and  yet  now,  he  seems  further  than  ever,  and  ophelia  can  find  her  fingertips  clawing  at  the  side  of  the  cliff  she’s  falling  off  of.  out  of  sight,  and  out  of  mind.  ❛  right  …  so  there’s  no  chance  we’ll  ever  figure  out  who’s  behind  this.  or,  rather,  there’s  only  a  very  slim  chance.  you  know,  if  we’re  being  optimistic,  ❜  her  disheartenment  mirrors  his,  as  if  the  two  are  suddenly  once  again  in  perfect  emotional  lockstep  with  one  another.  something  which  feels  particularly  comforting  for  someone  who’s  wondering  if  she  might  just  be  blowing  a  few  off-kilter  texts  out  of  proportion.  ❛  wait,  you  got  a  phone  call?  i  got  a  series  of  bizarre  text  messages.  they’d  repeat  anytime  i  didn’t  answer,  or  answered  vaguely  …  ❜  she  marks  a  pause  and  silence  settles  between  them  for  an  instant,  before  ophelia’s  curiosity  gets  the  best  of  her,  ❛  what  did  the  person  on  the  other  end  sound  like  ?  were  they  using  some  sort  of  voice  filter  or  did  they  sound  like  a  regular  person  ?  ❜

          almost  as  if  she’s  actually  his  sun,  he  finds  himself  moving  around  her  like  he’s  not  even  thinking  about  it.  ophelia  makes  him  rotate  and  revolve  and  it’s  something  that  he  appreciates.  he  always  needs  to  be  moving.  being  stationary  means  potentially  being  attacked,  being  caught  of  guard,  and  he  can’t  have  that  happen  to  him.  that’s  why  she’s  his  savior  on  some  level.  ophelia  keeps  raphael  alive  because  she  keeps  him  on  the  edge  of  his  seat.  for  that,  he’s  always  going  to  be  grateful  for  her.  still,  no  matter  how  much  he  appreciates  her  he  cannot  help  the  change.  the  son  of  athena’s  movements  turn  robotic.  they  don’t  produce  life  like  earth,  they  produce  mechanisms  like  a  robot.  “  yes  if  we’re  being  optimistic  and  also  factoring  luck  into  all  of  this,  there’s  a  slim  chance.  although,  with  every  call  we  get  that  means  that  they’re  going  to  give  us  more  ways  to  find  them.  ”  raph’s  face  is  blank,  but  his  hand  moves  up  to  rest  on  ophelia’s  upper  back.  being  someone’s  warmth  and  comfort  doesn’t  come  naturally  to  him,  but  at  least  he’s  trying.  “  what’s  your  favorite  horror  movie  and  all  of  that  ?  they’re  really  trying  to  act  like  they  want  to  get  to  know  us,  but  the  fact  that  they  already  have  our  numbers  mean  that   they  know  more  than  they  lead  on.  ”  a  soft  sigh  escapes  his  lips,  like  a  laptop  slowly  powering  down.  “  static.  almost  like  three  filters  at  the  same  time.  ”  

shiv.

“i actually think it’s a long standing female tradition. you just wouldn’t know because you haven’t been invited. you just worry about your gentleman duties, okay? don’t worry about us.”

shiv was really just talking shit now to stall while she caught her breath and tried to get her energy back up. “why would you be concerned with minor details when a stalker’s around, raph? is that your fear response?”

realizing raphael was walking away, shivanna pumped her arms and jumped a few times, psyching herself out of fatigue. with one last desperate burst of energy, she skipped across shadow to end up in front of him again… though she was about 5 ft short of where she’d been aiming. “jennifer’s body. we’re not worried about becoming or unbecoming anything.” referring to herself and the titular character, of course.

“if one starts to think with that logic then the same thing could be said about the gentlemen’s club. that means that i’m not going to know what’s ladylike and you’re not going to know what’s supposed to be gentleman like.“ 

balance was something that was important to him. if there was a push, then there was going to be a pull. “because the minor details could be what get them caught. have you never watched a murder mystery?” 

the display shivanna was doing was entertaining, but raphael started to wonder who she was doing it for. if a tree fell in the middle of the woods but no one was around to witness it, did it still fall? was persephone watching them? “if someone starts eating boys around here then i guess i know who to tell.” he slowed his steps down, but he didn’t know if it was for shiv or for himself. “unless of course you’re the one that’s doing it.” hopefully that wouldn’t be the case.

elio.

“Your problem is you don’t shoot back,” Elio explains, easy answers always at his disposal. Raphael might need to lift his head higher to catch sight of the sun born demigod laying on the flat roof of a nearby cabin with a loaded crossbow. How he got it is anyone’s guess (couch Heph cabin cough).

To answer Raphael’s question:“I like Super Bowl Sunday,” Elio says, catching a glimpse of his target nearby. He closes his left eye, mainly because he’s incapable of winking with the right, aims and shoots. The dummy arrow knocks the little sucker into a nearby tree and by the time the cherub starts looking around for the culprit Elio had slid off the roof and into Raphael’s lap. “Sorry, didn’t mean to crush your nuts,” he grins, moving over to take the free space on the bench. “Do you like holidays?”

Hearing Elio’s voice was enough for Raphael to know his positioning on the roof. That was why his mind started calculating the angle that the arrow needed to be shot with to hit the cherub. Much to his surprise, the son of Apollo managed to do it perfectly. Before he could get a chance to congratulate him, he felt his hands supporting the man on his lap.

“So you’re a sports man or do you like all of the commercials that they give and the halftime show?“ Raphael moved his right arm to rest behind Elio. He acted like nothing happened, so he wasn’t even looking in the direction of the winged creature. “I think I like sports for the mathematical component and the things I can pick up from them.“ The moves when he watched a scene. “That’s why my favorite is probably martial arts. Is that a sport?“ He shrugged the comment about his nuts off.

𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦  ➵ 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧

ophelia : ok i know i don't usually text so late

ophelia : or text you at all

ophelia : but something just happened

raphael : did they give you a present too?

raphael : whoever this person is, they're twisted

raphael : ( unsent ) i'm glad it wasn't you

ophelia.

          theirs  is  now  a  relationship  filled  with  dichotomies  :  they  know  each  other  like  the  back  of  their  hands,  yet  maintain  a  distance  reserved  for  acquaintances  and  strangers  between  the  two  of  them;  they’ve  shared  everything,  and  yet  nothing  but  distant  memories  remain.  and  truth  be  told,  ophelia  can’t  make  sense  of  it  all.  ❛  and  i  can’t  tell  if  they’re  getting  a  new  burner  phone  because  the  number’s  always  going  to  be  blocked  and  invisible  …  right  ?  ❜  the  question  at  the  end  of  her  sentence  almost  feels  like  an  odd  flashback  to  their  friendship  and  relationship,  to  the  days  where  she  sought  out  his  knowledge,  his  reassurance,  his  mere  presence.  it’s  as  he  echoes  back  the  four  words  she  first  saw  appear  on  her  screen  that  she  realizes  the  two  of  them  have  yet  to  make  eye  contact.  before  she  even  has  time  to  wonder  what  staring  into  the  other’s  eyes  will  stir  up  in  the  depths  of  her  chest,  she  looks  up  and  meets  his  gaze.  ❛  wait,  raph  …  ❜  the  nickname  slips  out  before  she  can  help  it,  but  she’s  too  focused  to  pay  it  any  mind,  ❛  you  got  those  too  ?  ❜

          being  close  to  lia  reminds  him  of  the  tale  of  icarus.  for  the  longest  time  at  camp,  she  was  his  sun,  the  center  of  the  universe,  someone  he  would  give  everything  up  for.  yet  he  flew  too  close  to  her  and  bit  off  more  than  he  could  chew.  after  the  relationship  ended  the  reasons  as  to  why  were  muddy,  at  least  in  his  mind,  and  they’re  still  foggy  around  her.  it  seems  like  the  daughter  of  aphrodite  has  left  someone  blind  with  love  heartbreak.  ❛  yeah  basically  burner  phones  can  be  traced,  but  they’re  normally  disposed  within  twenty-four  hours  and  you  need  to  be  on  the  call  for  a  while  to  establish  the  connection.  ❜  even  thinking  about  it  he’s  disheartened,  a  sigh  slipping  from  his  lips.  ghostface,  or  whoever  this  person  was,  probably  already  got  rid  of  the  burner  phone.  he  takes  in  a  deep  breath  when  their  eyes  lock,  like  the  sun  he  cannot  pull  away.  ❛  a  weird  text  followed  by  a  creepy  phone  call  ?  yeah,  i  wasn’t  a  fan  of  the  whole  interaction.  i’m  also  sure  i  bored  them  to  death.  ❜  if  only  that  was  the  case. 

shiv.

a last second sprint saved shiv from a physical fight, and in the chaotic dash, she could just barely make out the wide-neck asshole who was about to…trip her? and then what? “oh, okay then.” one deep breath and she mustered the rest of her energy to run to a third location, ahead of him, but stayed deep in shadow. “do you just like to hear yourself talk? get your hand off your blade before you upset me, this isn’t very becoming of a gentleman.” there was almost disgust in her voice on the last note. shiv couldn’t help adding: “and obviously all that counts, it’s all horror; you’re being pedantic.” 

hold on, wait a minute. was she really getting defensive when she was the one that snuck up on him? raphael was certain now more than ever than some people needed to remember not to test their powers if they weren’t ready for something in return. still, he just crossed his arms over his chest and tried to put his pride to the side. 

“it’s not ladylike to sneak up on people through the shadows and then run away when they’re getting serious.“ he scoffed before he continued to walk through the woods. “if you don’t want me concerned with minor details don’t ask me questions a stalker is, shiv, it’s very unbecoming of you.“ raphael rolled his eyes before he thought about the question again. “texas chain saw massacre. what about you?“ 

@eliobrooks​ 

"if one more cherub tries to shoot me with an arrow i’m going to have to find eros myself and get them to stop.” he’d ask the children of aphrodite, but he already has an ex from that cabin. he figured they want to see him get hit in the face with the sharp end of an arrow. raphael sighs softly as he moves the ice bag closer to his eye. “do you like holidays? in the general sense of course.” with everything going on he doesn’t know how people can get in the mood to celebrate. then again, he’s always been more cynical than most.

shivanna.

[ location: btwn cabins and mess hall ] [ open to everyone! @conquerstarters​ ]

shiv’s problem was always that she did her best work at night, but was always tired. so as much as she could, shivanna flexed her schedule to allow for a large nap in the afternoon, to play and practice in the dark. tonight was good for shadow work because of the bright moon. shadows could be inkier, deeper, without it, but they would stretch farther and allow her less space to travel between them on nights like this. plus shiv was new to this, plus shadow travel was hard, plus she was lazy. regardless, she had to push herself some, to grow and learn, to be better than everyone else. so tonight found her skipping between the pools under trees, behind buildings, and everywhere the light couldn’t quite reach. you could occasionally see her stuttering shape at the edges, more and more as she progressed and grew tired. but hearing someone approach gave her the burst of energy she needed and test her skill–while making work fun. she zoomed behind them, trying to manage the quick chaos of shadows and still focus. “what’s your favorite horror movie?”

taking a stroll through the camp at night was supposed to be peaceful. no one really bothered raphael anymore after a couple of incidents during competitions, namely with the ares children. how could he know that hanging someone upside down on a branch that was hanging right over the lake was against the rules? the knot was near perfect too, he watched enough sailing videos to get it right. 

still, that didn’t seem to stop the darkness from trying to catch him off guard. almost like he was watching a movie, several detective shows and action films ran through his mind. his eyes temporarily went golden as his body got accustomed to the scenes and he prepared himself to copy the move precisely. 

he tried to hook his foot behind the person’s leg and then quickly twist around to knock them down on the ground and choke them. yet the second his foot seemed to touch wisps, air, instead of something more solid he stopped himself. raphael ended up just turning around abruptly, grabbing the dagger in his holster. 

“that question is entirely limiting because horror movies are expansive. are sequels allowed or just the first films? am i bound to a certain timeframe? do book adaptions count?“ yes, he was this annoying to the person that called him on the phone earlier. shivanna was getting a reenactment of that interaction. 

ophelia.

📌  —  somewhere  by  canoe  lake 💬  —  open  to  all  (  @conquerstarters​  )  !

          as  life  bustles  around  her,  ophelia’s  eyes  remain  fixed  firmly  on  her  phone  screen,  tapping  away  at  the  letters  on  her  keyboard.  the  questions  she’s  receiving  every  other  second  are  more  than  striking  enough  to  make  her  uneasy.  and  so,  her  focus  seems  unbreakable.  that  is,  until  a  fellow  demigod’s  shadow  enters  her  peripheral  vision  (  and  prompts  here  to  quickly  press  the  lock  button  on  her  phone  ).  ❛  odd  question,  but  when  you  block  a  blocked  number  does  all  the  blocking  just  cancel  out  ?  or  does  it  actually  block  the  number  ?  ❜

          being  friends  with  someone  and  then  trying  for  something  more  that  didn’t  work  out  left  raphael  in  a  tricky  spot.  even  now  as  he’s  approaching  his  ex.  the  question  prompts  him  to  furrow  his  brows  together  while  he  remembers  anything  he’s  learned  about  cellphones  throughout  the  year.  ❛  there’s  a  way  to  block  anonymous  or  blocked  numbers  from  reaching  out  to  you,  but  it  doesn’t  work  if  the  person  is  just  getting  new  burner  phones.  ❜  there’s  hesitation  in  his  movements  before  he  decides  to  take  a  seat.  ❛  you  bark,  i  bite  ?  ❜  it  can’t  be  a  coincidence  ophelia’s  asking  about  this  now.