Claiming:Camp/Ryder Leighton

Name: Ryder Leighton

Age: 15

Species: Demigod

Godly Parent: Nike

Mortal Parent: Mason Guirre

Appearance: Ryder is a blond with brown eyes. Tall he is at 5’7, also fit enough made by the works he does.

Personality: He is a nice boy, a kind and helpful one. Nevertheless, since his ‘father's’ spiteful treatment, he became a bit hard and vicious, too.

History: Mason Guirre was an elite soldier, a general commander in Germany. One time, he went home from a little struggle between some of the politics and rebels. He visited a park near his house for a while. There, he met Regine, who was chilling off the cold air. They talked for a while, having no one as company. They agreed to meet again the next time.

And so it happened again and again until they fell in love and everything went nice for them. Months later, Regine gave birth to a baby boy, whom Mason was so happy to see and named the child Ryder.

Three days after his birth, Regine told Mason that she should leave for some business. Mason agreed, and took care of his own child. He didn't retire in his job though, but he had a lot of work offs that time.

When Ryder turned five, Mason unexpectedly passed away due to a sudden heart attack. Regine came back and took Ryder to someone who could take care of him, even though she knew it was dangerous.

She brought him to the U.S. and gave him under the care of Robert Leighton, a man who she had a child with. Regine, as Olivia to Robert, made him believe that Ryder was their second child, a brother of their own child Xander. Of course, Robert was happy to know about it.

But sooner enough she left them, with an excuse for 'work to do'. Ryder, who was a year younger than Xander, became close with Xander and took in believing that Robert was his father and Xander was his older brother. He went to the same school Xander was in. There, his closest friend besides Xander was Maryse. She was older than him for two years. Whenever Xander wasn't with him, Maryse was. They were close as ever.

One day, 11 he was, Ryder went out for a walk in the city by himself. Unfortunately, a harpy was nearby, sensing a demigod was near. Spotting him, it tried chasing him, with Ryder noticing it already. He ran as fast as he could, though the harpy just took up with him. Ryder dashed dangerously at the road to the other side. The harpy was flying low, and since it was following him through the street, a large lorry came running fast and crashed the harpy hard, turning it to golden dust. The lorry just continued its drive. Though Ryder didn’t look back anymore. Coming home, he decided not to tell anyone of what happened.

On the edge of 12, it was the same kind of monster when he came home late from school. He ran again, even though he wanted to fight the freaking life out of it, but the problem was he didn’t know how to. The only difference was that the harpy suddenly disappeared in golden dust, with Maryse standing over it and calling for him to wait. He doubted she’d kill the monster, but fought against the desire to tell his friend and forget it all over again.

The next years were terrible for the brothers. Their father, Robert, started having bad habits, including drinking, other women and gambling. Soon enough, he almost finished all their money in bets and losses. Ryder and Xander needed to stop in school and work to help support themselves. They took a job in a small farm near theirs when Ryder was 13. Both of them happily worked with their joyful master.

<p class="MsoNormal">Though the money they saved wasn't that much, they made it enough for themselves. Well, with also a part for their dad. But Robert became worse. He said he saw a lot of monsters wherever he went, and blamed the boys that they were the ones behind all the magic and sorcery. Of course, both kids didn't believe him, and thought it was all the hallucinations their father has—which was true, since he was always drunk. Sometimes, their father thinks they were now the monsters, and treated them worse.

<p class="MsoNormal">When Ryder just turned fourteen—a year after his second attack, his brother made decision Ryder thought Xander would never think of. Xander told him he wanted to run away, which was madness to Ryder. He pleaded him not to go, and Xander also begged him to come. But Ryder decided to stay, and Xander left him, with no idea where he was going.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ryder continued working and stayed alert about any news that might happen to be about his brother for almost a year. Maryse helped him, though she looks overprotective. One time they were alone,  Maryse gave him something like a short cane. It was made of glinting bronze with a Chinese dragon's head atop it. It was beautiful to look at, but he didn't understand why she would give him that. Maryse told him he will need it, and told him that she will find him after something happens. Ryder wanted to ask what she meant about it, but she left and did not come back. Anyways, he kept her gift.

<p class="MsoNormal">A week after Maryse left, his father started blaming him again for things he didn't understand. One of them was that Xander died, which Robert said a dream of his showed him. Ryder became furious when his dad said that, and he knew Xander wasn't dead. Robert kept saying that the men in his hallucinations will kill him if he doesn't give them both his kids. Crazy, he started throwing things, deadly or not, to Ryder and said he was doing black magic. Ryder got enough. When he was near Robert, he swung the cane, intended to just hit Robert in the head. Instead, the second the end of the cane was to hit him, the bronze rod starting from the end of the dragon head turned sharper. It had passed through Robert, like he was nothing but air.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ryder was terrified, both by the cane-now-sword and his father. But his father collapsed like a ragged doll. Ryder was sure the dragon-hilted sword did not touch him. He turned his father around, and saw his hand around a knife hilt, its blade buried in his chest. His dad suiciding in front of him wasn't what he expected. His only problem now would be the police.

<p class="MsoNormal">Ryder immediately ran away, not touching anything to prevent evidence about him. He didn't know where he was going, but he stumbled upon a forest far from crowds. He kept running until he saw a large black dog sniffing in the air, several metres away from him. It looked different, bigger and scarier and more vicious—a hellhound. Once it was near to spotting him, Ryder climbed the nearest tree, up to where the monster possibly couldn't reach him. Seconds later the monster dog ran and jammed itself in the tree. It kept bashing the tree, and Ryder almost fell. With no other ideas, he jumped with the sword pointed straight down. He landed on the back of the creature, while the sword buried in its neck. A howl and it collapsed, dead. Ryder took off and did not look back.

<p class="MsoNormal">He wanted Maryse with him, for she could help. However, she was nowhere. Moreover, he was alone. Sooner, he attended foster home. The head, Ms. O’Conner, was very kind. She treated Ryder like her own son more than she treated any of the other kids. Ryder happily stayed, but during his half-year stay, another thing happened. It was past midnight when Ryder decided to stay outside to breathe in some fresh air, bringing the bronze rod with him—always for it was his only reminder of his friend. Sitting on a swing, he heard slithers and hisses near a bush, which made him curious. Unfortunately, it was a mistake. A snake-legged woman—a dracanae—suddenly appeared and almost got him. His instincts took over: he swung the rod, which eventually became a sword. It slashed the woman’s torso deep. It tried to lunge at him, but a tip of another sword rose from her chest. Immediately, she turned into golden dust, revealing his friend Maryse.

<p class="MsoNormal">Maryse begged him to come with her, to somewhere safe, but Ryder didn’t agree. He wanted to stay with his foster parent. She kept begging, but no such luck. Months later, another attack took place from two harpies, who were defeated by Ryder with the help of Maryse. She continued pleading to Ryder, but it took more months for him, when he turned 15, to say yes. As soon as he said it, they rode a bus to Long Island. Maryse called for a stop, ran into the forest on the side of the road, and Ryder followed.

<p class="MsoNormal">Soon enough, a camp’s entrance was what he saw. Ryder’s look gave Maryse the signal to tell him everything. She started with the basic—the Camp Half-Blood, demigods, Olympus, and that she, too, is a demigod. Ryder asked about the sword, to which she replied that it was a Celestial bronze intended for Xander, but she arrived to give it to him too late. This triggered Ryder’s brain, and asked where Xander was. Maryse just smiled and took him in the camp, with Ryder hoping his brother was safe.

<p class="MsoNormal">Weapon:  A Celestial bronze sword, a Chinese dragon-headed bronze rod as its mundane form