The Preface:
Athena and Ares have feuded and bickered since ancient times. Both have often done things to get underneath each other's skins but with Ares threatening to throw the world into turmoil with another war to get a rouse from his war counterpart, Athena would like to put a stop to it forever (or for the time being, at least). Choosing Aphrodite and Eris as her confidants, Athena has stolen Ares' helmet and given it to a group of demigods and nymphs to cause chaos around the world under the name of Ares. Aphrodite and Eris have distracted Ares, rendering him unable to stop the acceleration towards war under his name. Both goddesses have joined in for different reasons; Aphrodite for Ares to stop being so grouchy and hot-headed all the time and Eris for thriving off the discord. Ares has suspicions on where the helmet has gone and has ordered Ryder, the Head Counsellor of his cabin, to retrieve it for him. Overall, this quest is a challenge devised by Athena to place Ares back in line by showing him the effects of his actions on the world and his children. Will it work in the long run? Who knows, but Athena's willing to try for the safety of the earth.
The Questors:
- Ryder Crest [ Ares; Head Counsellor - Oli ] - LEADER
- Beau Crest [ Cybele; Head Counsellor - Brocky ]
- Kalena Fossett [ Cybele - Gaby ]
- Maia Bạch [ Hecate - Time ]
- Danica [ Dionysus; Head Counsellor - Sirene ]
Monsters:
- Hellhounds [ Abdera ]
- Stymphalian birds [ Abdera ]
- Skeleton Warriors [ Aegospotami ]
- Boar [ New Zealand ] + a hydra
- Demigods & Nymphs [ Niue Island ]
- Daughter of Athena
- Son of Zeus
- Daughter of Boreas
- Tree Nymph
- Fire Spirit
- Owl Guardian
The following dream came to Ryder late one night;
The following message took place during a dream:
Dear Ryder,
"I don't know how much time I'll have to send you this message, Ryder, but I need your help. Whilst I cannot prove it, I think someone has stolen my helmet. It isn't where I have placed it last and Aphrodite and Eris are stopping me from searching for it. I believe it's fallen into the wrong hands as turmoil is growing on Earth far beyond what I could conjure on my own. If it weren't for these goddesses, I'd find it myself but, I can't, so I need you to find it. I can't offer you any other advice other than Thrace is a good starting point. I need your help, son - someone's threatening my honour!"
-Ares
This dream was then followed by a second one, this time from Athena;
The following message took place during a dream:
Dear Ryder,
"Ryder. I have every right to believe, now, that your father has contacted you regarding his helmet. Be vigilante in your search - your father's honour and status on Olympus may very well rest on how well you and those you choose to help you complete the quest. May the counsel I preside over guide you well."
-Athena
- Camp Half-Blood
- This is where the questors will meet up with one another and get to grips with things. For sake of ease, they will have all been briefed prior and we can just get moving straight away.
- JFK International Airport, Queens
- Here the questors will board the plane to the first location of the quest; Abdera, Thrace in Greece. There are no attacks but questors will be aware that they are being watched as if someone knows exactly what they are doing as they look like teenagers going on Spring Break otherwise, bar Woo Hoo. Perhaps there can be a small interaction between one of the questors (Ryder?) and a random person where they pass their trip off as Spring Break and have to lie about Woo Hoo.
- Abdera, Thrace, Greece
- Here is where the questors will go to examine some of the ruins in the region that is touted as Ares' birthplace. At the entrance of the tomb, they will fight three rouge hellhounds. Here they find the plume of Ares' helmet within a tomb. It is confirmed to be the plume of Ares as it is draped over a part of the tomb's ornate interior that pays respect for Ares. This, in turn, confirms that Ares' helmet has been stolen and now the demigods must locate it. The questors are attacked by some already agitated stymphalian birds, chasing them to one of the forests nearby the ruins. This is another giveaway that Ares' helmet has gone missing as the birds were reared by Ares himself and thus unlikely they'd attack those sent by Ares himself for assistance. It is in the forest that they find an envelope that details the Battle of Aegospotami during the Peloponnesian War and has a map on how to navigate the Aegospotami. The questors take this as a hint and go in that direction.
- Aegospotami, Turkey
- After deducing that, whoever stole Ares' helmet and left the plume in an tomb at Abdera had come up the Aegospotami, the questors take a boat up the river. Here they might recount how this was a deciding battle during the Peloponnesian War wherein Sparta, whose patron is Ares, defeated Athens into eventual surrender. There may be some questioning as to if Athena is really behind this, linking back to Ryder's dream from Athena that he would've kept a secret until now. As they contemplate travelling to Athens and maybe Sparta, believing this to be the clue, they are attacked by skeleton soldiers on a ship. Judging from the ship's construction and the armour that the skeletons wear, they are the remains of the Athenian soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of Aegospotami. A fight ensues in which, afterwards, the questors find clues on the wreckage of the skeletal boat of the believed perpetrators making their way to an island off the coast of New Zealand with no further details than that. Stumped, the questors make camp for the night on the shoreline of the Aegospotami and discuss their next plan of action. They'll eventually decide to take a chance and IM Ares to get intel on any particular New Zealand island and why might people be heading there. It is revealed to them that the island of Nieu is where Ares has historically stored some weapons, given the island's small population and being adorned the 'Rock of Polynesia;' a place of greatness. Though the message is short, Ares theorises that whoever has stolen his helmet is going there to retrieve some old weapons of his to further implicate him in the growing turmoil of the world. He is, notably, relieved to see the plume has been recovered and is in the hands of the questors.
- Istanbul Airport, Turkey
- The next place the questors are roleplayed at is Istanbul Airport. Again, they won't face any monsters here but the feeling of being watched will be even more intense than at JFK International Airport. They will definitely get the feeling that they are intruding in on something and, subsequently, realise that they are going in the right direction.
- New Zealand
- At Wellington, they make their way towards the north-western shore of New Zealand to Auckland where, there, they will catch a plane to Niue. On the travel across New Zealand, the questors will fight off multiple boar. They do notice a few owls uncharacteristically circling the area which further confirms Athena's involvement. The questors, when they do make it to Auckland, have very few obstacles remaining until Niue.
- Niue Island, New Zealand
- Here, at Niue Island, the questors will be face to face with those who stole Ares' helmet. They will be led to the Avaiki cave system and venture inside one of the deeper chambers that is typically not accessible to tourists. Here they will be faced with three demigod children and two nymphs. A third nymph will stand at the side-lines, holding Ares' helmet. After a fight ensues and the demigods and nymphs retreat out of the cave and leave the helmet, the questors go to IM Ares once more to deliver the good news before receiving an IM from Athena. She instructs them to go to Athens where she will meet them.
- Athens, Greece
- Here at the Parthenon in Athens, Athena meets with the questors at night as to not be disturbed. She tells them of her intention by stealing the helmet and giving it to the demigods. She apologises that Ares had them run around but hopes that, through seeing the demigod children suffer and struggle to defend his honour, he'll cease the constant arguments and teasing nature. She thanks them for teaching him a lesson, taking the two components of the helmet. She reassures them that they'd each get something as a reward and that Ares will be fine.
- Camp Half-Blood
- At Camp Half-Blood, the questors end their quest. They are commended by Alexander who has since been filled in and are praised for their resilience. It is here that they receive their gifts from Athena. They then part ways, knowing they helped stop the world from entering a Third World War - or worse.
- For sake of ease, these gifts will be determined closer to the time.
The Quest[]
Please add your name to this order when you join in! We'll keep to this for as long as we can. [ Oli, Gaby, Brocky, Sirene, Time ]
Camp Half-Blood[]
- Ryder: It'd been a while since Ryder had been on a quest, let alone led one himself. His dream from Ares had been unsettling enough but a further one from Athena that explicitly told him to worry about his father's reputation? Well, let's just say he hadn't told anyone about it - not even Beau. He stood at the bottom of half-blood hill as he waited for the other people to arrive, backpack slung over one shoulder that contained all of the essentials; drachmae, dollars, ambrosia, a few extra weapons in small mist forms, tightly packed clothes - a lot. He hoped this'd be a short quest but he had been at Camp long enough to not expect this to be the case.
- Kalena: There's no reason why Kalena would miss a quest led by her brother-in-law. Objectively, she knows she has no say in the quests she goes on, but everything worked out well enough that she was skipping down half-blood hill with a backpack slung over her left shoulder, an excited bounce to her step. She doesn't know if he knows, but if he didn't, her colossal mess-up definitely gives her away as she trips over a rogue tree branch and promptly rolls down the final third of the hill with a cry muffled by her arms. "Oh my g — fuck!" Kalena's voice is recognizable as she yells, equal parts embarrassed and pained as she finally stops at the bottom of the hill, not far from Ryder. Fucks sake. And here she was, not wanting to embarass herself. Ugh. Whatever. "Don't say a word," she warns, scowling, as she shifts to pat the dirt and grass off her trousers. With a wince, she finally stands up, walking off the pain she's feeling in her hips, thighs and butt. "Christ. Am I seriously the only one here?"
- Beau: Beau wasn't all that long after Kal rolled up, granted he would have been earlier had Ryder woken him when he was leaving rather than what had happened, which was Ryder letting him sleep in despite Beau telling him the night prior not to. Walking down the hill with his backpack slung over his shoulder Beau saw both Ryder and Kal standing there and mentally prepared himself for the torment he was about to walk into. Of course he loved the two, Ryder being his husband and Kal being his half-sister after all, but he had to psych himself up in their presence due to the teasing he knew would come his way.
- Danica: Cabin politics was an interesting thing although Danica had never witnessed an issue first hand, yet when she was informed of a throwaway promise she'd made to Ares' Cabin more than five years ago the weight of her words finally dawned on her. She wasn't that mad about it, she'd needed an escape from the insular community of camp and New Athens and this was the perfect opportunity. Much like the rest of the questors, she came prepared with the basics; a couple changes of clothes, a first aid kit, cash and, of course, her emergency flask. Her staff hung on her belt, retracted into a much smaller form and her bag slung over her shoulder - a little haphazardly but maintaining the particular cool aesthetic Danica favoured nowadays. As she approached the group of people convening at the bottom of the hill, she made note of their faces. She wasn't intimately familiar with many of them - only really knowing Ryder and Beau from counsellor meetings but maybe this was a chance to forge a new friendship. "The weather's not that bad for a quest, hopefully it keeps up." She took a quick glance around her, her raven hair flowing in the gentle breeze. "I hope everyone's prepared, does anyone want a strawberry? Freshly picked this morning, I managed to grab a couple on my way out of our cabin." She offered up a small handful on strawberries.
- Maia: Maia had come with the absolute necessity-bubble tea-she was walking to the meeting point with a smile that suggested nothing was wrong with the world. Sure, she was going on a potentially fatal quest but she had downloaded all of lemonade in the scenario they lose signal so God was in her corner. She had a pink backpack tossed over her shoulder she smiled at the other four. "Hi guys!" She said with a beam before she noticed the strawberries. "Oh my god, is that from the field?" She asked, forgetting to introduce herself. "Can I have one?" She had all the vitals in her bag, clothes and weapons, but she was going to be focussing on her powers and she was well aware of it.
- Ryder: Ryder felt better knowing that three of the five of them were counsellors; they worked together often and being a counsellor often meant proficiency within the cabin. That being said, he had heard good things about Maia and he was sure if Kalena knew he was heading a quest and didn't get a space on it, he'd never hear the end of it. He stifled a laugh as he raised an eyebrow at his sister-in-law's entrance, nodding. "I might have to say something to Beau later." As soon as his husband arrived, Ryder moved to be beside him and link their hands, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He likely knew the son of Cybele would be annoyed that Ryder had let him sleep in but, if the dreams were anything to go off of, it'd be a tough quest. With Danica and Maia rounding up the quintet, Ryder offered them a smile. Nodding as he took a strawberry or two, Ryder hummed. "I'll never say no to Dionysus Cabin strawberries." He ran a hand through his hair as he cleared his throat. "So, um, we all know the basic of the quest right? Ares has lost something and Athena's said it's serious. Like, forgot to do your camp duties serious. I asked Alexander on where he thinks the best place to begin would be and he said Abdera 'cos that's where Ares was born. I hope we're all willing to make blessings to Zeus because the air's the quickest way to get there."
- Kalena: "Hey, loser," Kalena greets in jest, grinning broadly at her half-brother as he joins her and Ryder. "Here I was thinking I'd be the last one to get here." She could've gotten five more minutes of sleep, she's quickly realizing, and feels a bit cheated out of it. Even if she'd cut it very close, sleep is sleep, and five minutes of it do wonders. She turns around when she hears Danica's voice, startled, but smiles and shakes her head. "I'm good, thank you." Camp's strawberries have nothing on the ones back home. She goes to say something else, but it's then that Ryder goes off on his mini-tangent so she wisely quiets down, paying close attention to what the son of Ares has to say. The mention of having to fly brings a small frown to Kalena's face, immediately feeling a little uneasy. She had imagined planes would be involved — or flying chariots, at least — but to receive verbal confirmation is wholly different. She instinctively glances at Beau, wondering if he feels as concerned as she does. She's always been prone to air sickness, but not as bad as her sea sickness. She just... does better on ground, is all. Must be an earth goddess thing. "I take this means we're going to JFK airport?"
- Beau: Looking around at the group as everyone arrived, Beau felt pretty satisfied knowing he knew almost everyone involved. Having known Danica from counsellor meetings, then obviously Ryder was his husband and Kal was his
annoyingloving half-sister. Maia was the only one he didn't know prior, but he was sure he'd get to know her sufficiently during the quest. With greetings out of the way rather quickly, Beau figured they'd be getting into business soon. "Is Abdera meant to be a place we as demigods should know, or am I just dumb?" Quickly, knowing Kal's antics, Beau turned his head to face her. "Don't answer that." - Danica: "Well if no one else is interested..." She raised an eyebrow at Kalena declining the strawberries, usually no one did...maybe she just wasn't hungry. The name Abdera rung a small bell in Danica's head, although she wasn't quite confident why it was ringing. She shifted on her feet, eyeing the other four with a quiet caution while also trying to be her usual self, "Other than it being the place Ryder's dad was born...I don't know...What exactly are we looking for again?" She took a shaky breath, looking behind her - it was her first quest in a while so it would take her a while to get back into the swing of things. Her hands maintained their grip on her staff as she distracted herself from the more troubling thoughts in her mind - images from back in the hunt fading as she instead focused on her current surroundings, she was here now, yesterday didn't matter.
- {{Post|Maia|Maia was happy to go along with what everyone decided. Glancing around, she realised that at least three of them were friends with each other. Well, close. She wasn't sure. She took a few of the strawberries, putting them in a small container that she kept in her pocket. She didn't know when she was going to get hungry. She had casted a few spells on it to make sure nothing rotted either. Being a child of Hecate was so useful, especially considering Hecate didn't really have any qualms with the other Olympians so her daughter flying shouldn't be a whole lot of an issue. In fact, she liked flying. Staring out the window, feeling like time doesn't exist waiting in an airport, seeing discounted things in the tax-free area that she could afford–good experience all around. She was pretty sure, though, they weren't going to stop in the airport for this though. "Happy to do that! But it would be good if we knew what we were looking for..." she trailed off, as she pushed herself back onto the back of her heels.