Note: A Camp equivalent of the quest will be happening and, depending on the progress, the outcome of Akela could go either way - she may end up at The Spire, she may end up at Camp.
Overview[]
Champions. For years we have been planning this mission, one that is extremely important and beneficial to our cause. The Council have handpicked each of you as we believe you will benefit us the most and will help us achieve our goal. Speaking of, the goal sounds a lot simpler in theory. You must go to the Nevadan workshop of Hephaestus where you shall find one of his children guarding it. She holds the power to control Greek Fire which, as I'm sure you all know, will benefit us greatly. There are obstacles though. Alongside her are the most proficient of the god's children who help create things and she herself has a small circle of automatons designed specifically to protect her at all costs. This will be challenging but, should you succeed, you will be rewarded aptly."
The mission goers must go on a quest from The Spire to Nevada in order to capture Akela Kalili. From there, they must traverse back from the workshop to The Spire without losing her.
Since missions don't work like quests in that they have monsters actively waiting for them, I'll just be outlining where they should go. Every so often I'll post with a challenge like a band of demigods but I won't tell you when - you'll have to look out for my posts!
- The Spire
- Outskirts of Nevada
- The Nevadan Workshop in the middle of a desert
- Battle against the kids of Hephaestus and Akela's automatons
- Capture of Akela
- Traverse back to The Spire (here Camp may intercept them.)
The Mission[]
Posting Order: Nata, Sophia, Queen of Anarchy, Jaye, Dirael
Leaving the Spire[]
Rory: Punctual as usual, Rory leaned against the Spire's grandiose entrance hall, his right index finger tapping a rhythm against the cool stone wall. His other arm held a briefcase containing a spare suit, first-aid materials, ambrosia and nectar, and his crossbow supplies. The Council hadn't briefed him much about the mission, but he could infer that this would likely be a small operation, not a large-scale battle. While Rory had the utmost confidence in his own abilities, he had yet to meet his teammates for this mission and could only hope that they would be competent. As he waited for them to arrive, his phone buzzed with a message from his chauffeur. The limousine was waiting for them at a safe spot in a town a few miles away, if his teammates chose to travel in such a manner. Rory didn't trust his chauffeur with the exact location of the Spire, but having access to a motorized vehicle would certainly make the journey faster.
Kara: Kara was just making her way to the entrance hall as she rather habitually did a double on her supplies; bow, claymore and arrows, all check. She was dressed in a sleeveless jumpsuit, some slight modifications here and there to ensure a little more protection, but otherwise, she was confident in this. The mention of Greek Fire had her slightly concerned; Greek Fire is more resistant to water than normal, but if one of her teammates can counter it, then no issues there. She offered a slight smile to Rory in acknowledgement, "I don't suppose you're one of the people I'll work with on this mission?"
Jezebella: Her nefarious outline stood like a sore thumb in contrast to the imperious Spire, long white curls stirring with a gust of wind that swept up the hillside by otherwise didn't seem to bother the girl. Jezebella's galling brown eyes first swept over the larger frame of Rory before quickly flitting over to Kara, the unfamiliarity of the two leading to silence on her behalf. Apparently she wasn't one for jabber. Her aplomb fingers tinkered with what appeared to be a hunk of gold that was just barely corcusant after all these years as she remained silent, her interest soon fading to a former cumbersome state.
Donovan: To anyone who doesn't know him will only see a strikingly handsome young man in his twenties, with dark fitted jeans, combat boots, a grey shirt and a black aviator jacket. Moreover, if you squinted, you'd realize there was a familiar golden glint poking out of each of his boots, and if the sunlight hits just right, something is inside his left sleeve, too. He runs a hand through his hair, fixing the nonexistent mess - he's a perfectionist like that. At the sight of the other three in The Spire's entrance hall, he immediately recognizes them as the people in the mission with him. They have to be; he doesn't believe in coincidences. He nods at them, his face a blank mask. He shoves his hands into his pockets and leans back into one of the pillars, waiting for the final mission goer. "Donovan - son of Lelantos," he says simply, knowing it will suffice.
Hope: The daughter of Eos came in confidently, with her short honey blonde hair freshly washed, wearing a red crop top, leather jacket, black jeans (with some pieces of eather armor underneath) and, of course, her bracelet. In her backpack, she had a few pieces of ambrosia (she was sure that no one else would be clever enough to bring it), extra arrows and some clothes- her slingshot was safely hidden in her pocket. She leaned against the wall, her brown eyes looking at the others suspiciously. She wasn't familiar with any of them, except Kara. "Hope", she said, not willing to talk.
Rory: Nodding in greeting at the people whom he presumed to be his teammates, Rory introduced himself. "Rory Maximillian, son of Mnemosyne." He stopped leaning on the wall and straightened up, silently perusing their pasts using his powers as he moved. All of them were well-trained, and their diverse powersets--Eos, Kronos, Lelantos, and Tethys--reflected their diverse roles within the mission. Rory didn't forsee any major conflicts between their personalities, either. Excellent. "Pleasure to meet you all," he stated cordially, moving on to business. "There's a limousine waiting for us several miles away from the Spire. While it's a bit of a walk, it's much more efficient than traveling the entire way to Nevada by foot. Along the way, we'll have plenty of time to introduce ourselves." He pushed open the Spire's entrance and held the door open for the person behind him. "Ready to go?"
Kara: She would have introduced herself, had it not been for the fact that they get a move on, now that they're all here. "After you." was her reply as she went outside and motioned for Rory to lead on.
Jezebella: Marked with a hallmark scowl of disinterest, Jezebella lurched forward and began to shove her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she listened to the others confer among themselves while they walked. The destination wouldn't be an issue for her - she had walked longer distances before. Although, it had been some time since she had a chance to see the world again and a certain zeal began to bubble in the pit of her stomach. Jezebella sucked in a fresh breath of air and allowed her declamatory glances to soon cease, attention now directed toward the scenery around them.
Donovan: He pushes himself away from the pillar, standing straight on his feet before he breaks into a walk towards the Spire's exit. Knowing the rest of the team will likely follow suit, he continued to walk, head held high as he studied the surroundings of the Spire. He'd been her thousands of times before - he knew this place and the areas that surrounded it like the back of his hand. Moreover, having five people with ichor in their veins would still garner unwanted attention from monsters. He just wanted to cover all his bases. Jezebella's sharp inhale doesn't slip past Donovan, nor does the way Rory holds himself confidently; he knows immediately he's not totally been screwed over by the Council with incompetent team members. He continues to walk, silent and broody.
Hope: Hope walked out along with the others. Feeling a gentle breeze in her hair, she smiled unwillingly, appreciating her surroundings. She didn't even know that she missed being outside until she finally got there. "Whoa..." she whispered, mostly against her will again. The others were talking, but she focused on the wonderful feeling of freedom she had now. "This is amazing."
Rory: On the way down from the Spire, Rory struck up a light conversation with Kara, who seemed to be the most outgoing among his teammates. "I don't believe I caught your names yet," he spoke to her, glancing over at Jezebella on her other side who had also withheld her name during their introductions. Rory had already learned their names from skimming through their pasts, but it was polite to ask anyways. As he talked, he noticed the narrow, winding path from the Spire flattening out towards the base of the mountain. The wrought-iron gates separating the Spire grounds from a road leading into town swung open magically when the mission-goers approached, closing with a resounding thud behind them once they passed through.
Kara: The closing of the gates to the Spire internally shook Kara a little, but this wasn't the time really. "Kara. Kara Jensen." she said in return to Rory's remark.
Jezebella: The girl's disregard for the others was unparagoned, her attention straying to seemingly everything else but her fellow mission-goers. Jezebella tucked a wisp of white hair behind her ear and pressed forward in silence, not bothering to engage in social interactions unless she was called upon to do so. Was her name really privy to them?
Donovan: "A lack of trust will get us nowhere," Donovan pitches in, craning his head to stare blankly at Jezebella. His gaze is piercing, and he hopes she'll open up soon. Not knowing one another, not knowing what each other are capable of, will place a barrier between them - one that shouldn't be there if they wish to get away with such a pivotal mission in terms of gaining an advantage over Camp Half-Blood. "Who is your titan parent?"
Hope: Hope looked at Donovan, a little surprised, and thought about what he said for a little while. "You know, I'm aware that you weren't talking to me, but I think you're right. I'm generally not very outgoing, but I do think we should all know each other at least a bit. We're a team after all. So maybe let's do a quick introduction or something. I can start." She paused. "As you already know, my name is Hope, I'm a daughter of Eos. I'm British and my weapon of choice is a bow and arrows, but a slingshot is ok too. As far as my hobbies go, I like kickboxing and hard rock music." She looked at them. "Your turn."
Rory: Donovan seemed to have a solid head upon his shoulders, Rory noted with approval. "Excellent points, Donovan and Hope. Rory, son of Mnemosyne. I'd prefer to use a rifle if I could, but for this mission my weapon will be a compound crossbow," he said, lifting up his suitcase. "I don't have many hobbies, but I'm fond of hunting game and learning archaic languages. Additionally, the limousine we'll be taking today is one of my father's."
Kara: So one of them is rather serious. Okay. "I'm Kara, a daughter of Tethys. My weapon of choice is a claymore, but I carry a bow which I can assemble whenever I need with me. As far as hobbies.... I don't really have any of worthy note."
Jezebella: The girl's dark eyes slid toward Donovon and lingered dangerously long before she tossed a childish eyeroll in the opposite direction of the group. She listened as the names that were presented and placed each face to a plethora of information. "Jezebella Matthias, child of Kronos," she finally introduced, her words giving away to a thick and oddly familiar accent. "I spent the last few centuries in the Fields of Asphodel, forgotten by Hades himself. κύντερος" she spit and resumed tinkering with whatever was in her hands.
Donovan: "Donovan, son of Lelantos. My weapon of choice is a compound bow, though I hold my own with a sword. My hobbies include training, reading on different cultures and learning languages - old and new alike," he supplements, in a monotone voice. He's briefly surprised to hear a child of Kronos is accompanying them, but maybe he shouldn't be. He's fairly certain nepotism runs in the organization. "How far are we from the limousine right now, Rory?"
Hope: Hope listened to the others carefully. They seemed a group unlikely to work together- especially the girl who seemed not to care, but who knows. She too figured out that the presence of a daughter of Kronos may be arranged, but kept quiet, which was quite unusual for her- but after all, she was the one who talked about teamwork. "Yeah, where exactly is it waiting for us?", she added after Donovan's question to Rory.
Rory: "There's a manor at the edge of town with gardens open to the public on weekends. According to my chauffeur, it's secluded, discreet, and has a spacious parking lot where our vehicle is parked. We should be only ten minutes away," he said, glancing at the street signs to confirm their location. "The chauffeur won't be accompanying us on the trip, but I have a copy of the keys in my case. Are any of you fond of driving stick shift?" he asked his motley crew of teammates.
Kara: "Normally, I wouldn't mind, but I'm not a very good driver, so I'll pass."
Jezebella: "I've never learned to drive," she admitted with a casual shrug. Cars didn't exist the last time she had walked this world.
Donovan: He can't help but roll his eyes. "I learned how to drive at the age of fourteen. Raised with or without drivers, it's essential for anyone with ichor in their veins to know how to drive. An automobile could provide a quick getaway," he says. It seems nobody here was as competent as he originally believed. "I'll drive, then."
Hope: She raised an eyebrow. "Don't roll your eyes, Donovan, I can drive, altough my father did have a driver. But I probably shouldn't do it unless you don't mind speed tickets."
Rory: "I'll take the way back," Rory offered, not bothered by the minor squabbling. He knew his teammates would work together--everyone here valued the mission too much to let it go awry. The team walked onward for a few minutes. "Up ahead, take a right at the avenue lined with flowering pear trees. The gardens' parking lot should be towards the end of the road, on our left."
Kara: She held no sort of reaction to Donovan's remark, if anything, she had something she wanted to add, but arguing is better saved for a safer place than the open streets. She kept to herself as the team continued on.
Jezebella: She slid a backpack off her right shoulder and began to rifle through the contents until retrieving a granola bar to snack on. Jezebella started to become glad when they finally neared the parking lot, her excitement bubbling like fire beneath her skin.
Donovan: He pointedly ignores Hope's remark. He's already commit to driving - he's not going to back out now. He pushes on, still walking ahead of them with his hands shoved in his back pockets, until the limousine crosses his line of sight. He nods at it. "That it?"
Hope: Hearing Donovan's question, she looked the way he did and saw the limousine. "Whoa", she comments. "Fancy".
Rory: "That's it," Rory nodded in response to Donovan's question. He unlatched his briefcase, holding it open with one hand while retrieving the keys with the other. Originally he had planned to throw the keys to Donovan, but since his teammate had his hands in his pockets, Rory strode over to him and proffered the keys in his free hand. "It's about an eight-hour drive from the Sierra Nevada to the desert. Shall we begin?"
Kara: She effectively comes to the conclusion that Rory prepared himself the most for this, and it internally makes her feel unprepared in turn, but she shows nothing of it. "Let's hope we don't get ambushed on the way there."
Jezebella: She swiftly threw her white-blonde hair up into a ponytail and rounded the side of the limo with full intention to snag shotgun. Her hand rested on the handle as she patiently waited for the door to be unlocked.
Donovan: He removes his hands from his pockets, taking the keys and unlocking the limo. Donovan slips into the limo and shuts his door. He inserts the key, pushes the clutch pedal the whole way down, and turns the key. He silently waits for the go-ahead to leave the premises.
Hope: Hope felt a thrill of excitement. "It's finally here" she thought. "Alright, here we go" she said, looking at the Spire- maybe for the last time- and getting in the limo.
Rory: Rory opened the back door and filed in, buckling himself into the forward-facing bench seat at the back of the limo. Perhaps in another time and place he would have held the door open for the girls, but that sort of smarmy chivalry was unwarranted in this setting. Kara and Hope didn't seem like the sort of people who would appreciate being treated daintily, as if they were incapable of entering a car themselves--for Othrys' sake, they were on a mission to kidnap and even kill their enemies. Besides, the mission was pressed for time, and the sooner everyone entered the vehicle, the sooner the journey could begin.
Kara: She took no time to enter the vehicle, despite never having been inside a limo before.
Jezebella: She slid into the seat adjacent to Donovon's and buckled herself in after tinkering with the seatbelt for a while, apparently new to the whole concept. After figuring everything out, Jezebella leaned forward and began to change the radio station.
Hope: She eyed the limo's interior, then looked at Jezebella, trying to recall some good radio stations. "Do me a favor and find some good old rock there, can you?"
Limo Ride to Nevada[]
Rory: Several hours into the trip, the rock station they had started listening to had fizzled off into static. Rory personally thought the static was an improvement, but he kept his mouth shut and his eyes focused on their surroundings whizzing by. As the mountains flattened out and the mission-goers approached the leeward side of the Sierra Nevada, the landscape grew more desertlike with each passing mile marker.
Kara: "Someone please turn that sh*t off. It's getting annoying." she remarked, a little salty at that. She wasn't admiring the landscape as much; she was more or less trying to daydream as she was looking again at a picture of herself with her once-girlfriend. Yes, it still can cripple her to think about it.
Jezebella: "Ask nicely next time," she bit back with a certain fire that hadn't been present before and shut the music off entirely so no one else could complain. To pass time, the blonde noiselessly drummed the beat to an ancient song against her thigh. "Do you know what baffles me the most about this era?" she suddenly spoke up. "Drive-thru. I would have never envisioned the concept of fast food back in my time."
Donovan: He stays focused on the road ahead, but nonchalantly says "I take it you aren't from around this time period." in response to Jezebella's remark.
Hope: "Believe me, drive-thru is much better than some things I got to eat. My father made me go to restaurants serving caviar and stuff. Ugh."
Rory: Rory chuckled in response to Hope's declaration. "My cousin owns a restaurant serving 'caviar and stuff.' He'd probably agree with you in your distaste for it, though. Every family reunion he makes a point to bring the cheapest hot dogs he can buy as a form of mild protest." Rory paused, looking away from the window and around at his teammates. They'd been driving for hours, and Donovan could probably use a break, too. "Speaking of fast food, are any of you hungry? The closer we get to the desert, the fewer towns there'll be along this road, so we might not be able to find a place to buy food in a few more hours."
As the group of demititans drive along the rode, in the distance a group of four nymphs wait for them to get closer. The four nymphs (fire, ice, lightning and healing) are dispersed around a small settlement around the road. The settlement contains only a few houses whereby each of the nymphs is hid behind. They received an IM from Alexander the Great and was told to eliminate the vehicle (they had gathered information due to kids of Zeus and various animal guardians alerting them).
Their attack starts off simple. The ice nymph makes the road in front of the limo icy, causing it to swerve out of control. The fire nymph begins to manipulate the heat within the limo to make those inside uncomfortable, whilst the healing nymph forces the mission goers to feel sickened, making them less able to fight. The lightning nymph flies above the limo, watching it, ready to strike down with lightning.
Kara: As the limo loses control, Kara is among the first to realize this wasn't expected, and in a desperate attempt to escape the out of control - and gradually uncomfortable - limo, "Stop the limo!"
Jezebella: Jezebella skillfully snagged the wheel from Donovon's grip and hoped he would slam on the breaks quick enough to slow them to a halt. In the meantime, she used a free hand to automatically roll down all the windows to allow the heat to escape.
Hope: It was too calm so far, something like this just had to happen. While Jezebella took care of the limo, the daughter of Eos tapped the bracelet on her wrist, which immediately changed into her bow and a quiver full of arrows. Hope opened the window next to her as wide as possible, then, despite feeling a bit sick, attempted to shoot at the one of the nymphs outside- the one that seemed to be manipulating heat.
Rory: The seatbelt scraped painfully against Rory's neck as the car swerved, but he ignored it. This felt like... ice? "Don't slam on the breaks! The vehicle will spin out of control. Take your feet off of the gas and let it coast to a stop," he shouted over the din. Was someone in the settlement ahead causing the mysterious ice on the road and the heat within the limo? He needed to get his weapon ready. Since the briefcase holding his crossbow was currently sliding across the floor of the vehicle, Rory pulled out a folded piece of paper from his suit pocket and scanned it until he found what he wanted. Repeating crossbow, he read, summoning the weapon and the bolts it fired into existence.
Seeing that they had been attacked, the nymphs retreated out of view once more and, with that, all their effects had subsided. One thing was clear though - the limo had swerved enough where it'd take them a few seconds to get back onto the road and continue with their journey, and this is when the nymphs made their next attack.
Taking her chance, the lightning nymph jumped down onto the windshield of the limo. Given that she was high in the air, the force of her landing would crack the glass and shatter it everywhere. Some of the other windows would certainly feel the same force and some would crack, becoming dangerously close to shattering. Following that, she hid behind one of the houses out of sight, needing time to recharge her energy. Seeing as her previous attack did nothing, the healing nymph decided to up her game and paralyse everyone within the limo, definitely preventing them from not only attacking but moving too fast either. (Can y'all actually adhere to this, this time >:c). The ice nymph became the defensive force of the nymph squad. Creating a dome shaped shield of ice, she was able to block any arrows launched at the fire nymph. After, she pushed the shield over in front of the limo, encasing half of it. This was on the side that the nymphs were on, so now it was anyone's guess as to where they were. Again, the fire nymph made the climate inside the limo somewhat unbearable and, given the healing nymph's paralysing was still a thing, it would be incredibly hard for those inside to move, let alone get out.
Kara: "Ugh... I can't feel most of myself..." Kara desperately wanted to get out, and this was really bad. They needed cover and they need it now. Using whatever energy she had left standing, she chose to bash the window closest to her with her head so that it'd shatter, hopefully away from her.
Jezebella: In a last ditch effort to throw the ice nymph off with her defense, she attempted to use her abilities to warp the sense of time and stun the nymph. The feeling of intense nausua had her slightly gagging, teeth gritting down to stop the forced coughs that followed. The worst part was that she could hardly even budge a muscle, the need to push the shattered glass eating away at her mentally. So instead, she chose to focus all her strength and attention on the ice nymph.
Hope: "Damn! This is bad, y'all!" Hope shouted, retching. The shattered glass didn't cause very severe damage, but still she had some painful cuts. Desperately trying to move, she attempted to grab the door handle with her teeth.
Rory: The weapon Rory had just summoned slipped out of his hands as he slumped forwards, motionless, in his seat. A wall of ice obscured the front half of the limo, and whatever the people in the settlement were doing prevented him from turning around to check behind him. Since he was seated at the very back of the limo, the glass from the front windshield didn't reach him, though he could do nothing about the ominous cracking sounds coming from the rear windshield behind him. The seatbelt cutting into his neck again hurt like hell, causing Rory to mutter a few choice curses under his breath as he attempted to work out what was going on. A small spark of strength flashed like electricity through his lethargic body, startling him out of his thoughts. Oh, right! In the past Rory had discovered that uttering creative insults granted himself a fleeting burst of energy. "The feeble-minded degenerates who orchestrated this paltry attempt at an ambush could learn a lesson in duplicity from the pathetic, deceitful mockeries of deities whom they so blindly revere," he mumbled, putting as much contempt into the words as his sluggish muscles would allow. By Othrys, it was working! "I pity the poor mothers of these chicanerous embarrassments, though noting the mind-boggling incompetence of their offspring, natural selection has likely granted them some measure of mercy by providing an insurmountable barrier to their extended survival." In this vein he continued to insult his unseen enemies, mustering up the energy to unbuckle his seatbelt. Slowly and laboriously he managed to turn around and push the rear windshield outward, the heavily cracked glass thankfully providing little resistance. Exhausted by fighting the paralysis, he slumped back against the seat as the boost from the insults wore off. "The back's open," he called to his nearest teammates, sweat trickling down his brow as he recovered.
Kara: Meanwhile, Kara's more focused on something else. Something must have hit them, because windows don't break by themselves. If that something was still around... it meant trouble, and with them being in the state that they are, they needed everything they can get. So Kara was trying to create cloud cover that would ideally surround the limo that they'd be able to get out.
Jezebella: Despite the blood that now welled along the surface of cuts that littered her body, Jezebella continued to exert her main focus on attempting to mess up the nymph who made the ice wall by morphing the sense of time; hoping it was enough to stun and daze the wretched little creature.
Hope: Seeing that Jezebella is trying to dispose of the ice nymph, an idea flashed in Hope's mind. Although the blood from a cut on her forehaed was getting into her eyes, she focused on the ice wall outside the car. Reaching for her last amount of energy, the daughter of Eos created a beam of light, aiming it at the wall. Hopefully it'd melt.
The cloud that Kara had created only played into the nymphs' hands. The lightning nymph, having recovered some of her energy, saw the said cloud and took advantage by assuming control of it herself. She caused the sound of thunder to cackle from it, indicating that lightning could very well be on it's way but she was still too drained to fully cause the lightning to strike so she had hoped the sound would derail them enough.
The ice nymph, seeing that her ice shield was still up, was able to slink back into a hiding spot as she was stunned and dazed. She slumped near the healing nymph who too her attention off the limo for a short time to heal her ally. This would mean that the effects of the paralysis would be wearing off (not too quickly or y'all get shit from the nymphs >:|). With Hope's beam of light melting the shield, the fire nymph did what she knew would be effective and use her telepathic link to summon more nymphs to the area. Sadly, the closest set of reinforcements wouldn't come for another good five minutes so, in a desperate attempt to hold the demititans off for a little longer, sensing that they would be coming onto their position soon, the fire nymph started to create some fire near the limo.
Rory: The back of the limo, which was farthest from the cold ice wall in the front, grew uncomfortably warm. Rory was unable to see his surroundings through the smoky back of the limo--though the thunder sounded ominous indeed--but trapped inside he would be a sitting duck for whomever was targeting the CoO. Perhaps he would be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, though he reasoned that the fact that someone had paralyzed his teammates meant that his enemies wanted to keep them in the limo, so he should do his best to escape no matter the risk. "I'm heading out the back," he called again, letting the other mission-goers know his plan. "A cluster of saltwater oysters could devise a better attack than this travesty. Gratuitous property damage does not a successful assault make. I'm fairly certain that as a toddler I was a more competent strategist than the floundering imbeciles who coordinated this dumpster fire." Through a series of such insults Rory mustered the energy to fight the paralysis and crawl through the broken back windshield. As he cleared the ledge, he relaxed his efforts, sliding limply down the back of the vehicle onto the pavement. He was too tired to keep moving but looked around the ground. "We're surrounded by fire!" he shouted weakly.
Kara: The sound of thunder. From her clouds. That gave something away. "Whoever's messing with us... can mess with clouds." she remarked weakly. She too began to crawl with what little she had to try and escape as well. "Don't worry about the fire, I can handle it." She added on, when Rory said there was fire.
Jezebella: She mulled on what Kara had said as she removed her seatbelt from around her and snatched her twin stygian blades the second the paralysis wore off enough. "Demigods?" she inquired loudly to the group and began to climb from the front seat into the back, liking her odds in the second part of the limo. "Fire and clouds?" she called out in confusion.
Hope: She was as frightened as the rest, but decided to hide it as much as she could. Since the paralysis weakened, she could finally crawl to the back along with Jezebella, clutching her bow and quiver again. "Whoever it is, they're damn powerful. What do we do now? To be honest, I doubt we have the energy to win a fight now. We're a bit drained and that's pretty visible."
Using the telepathic link all nymphs had, the lightning nymph told the others that at least one of the demititans was out of the limo and was aware of the fire. To try and deter and confuse them further, the nymph made the sound of the thunder loud, more threatening, as if lightning was to strike at any moment - and maybe it would. By now the effects of the healing nymph's paralysis and sickness would be subsiding and consequently the demititans would be able to be a little more mobile, though there'd still be a lingering effect - like one would feel in the ending days of a cold or virus.
The ice nymph moved out of her shadows to make the entire area cooler despite the fire. This would present a unique obstacle for the demititans; there was fire that was seemingly growing and would soon engulf the limo and the temperature was dangerously cold. The latter effect, however, would last for only a minute or so. As mentioned, the fire nymph was slowly increasing her fire, ready to destroy the demititans' transport. Via her telepathic nymph, she learned that two nymphs were advancing on the position to help - an animal nymph and a discord nymph.
Rory: Pushing himself up off of the ground at last, Rory brushed himself off and re-summoned his crossbow while outside of the vehicle. He felt ill, standing unsteadily for a few seconds before regaining his bearings, and strange chills ran down his spine. Glancing ahead a few seconds in time using his powers, he realized that, despite the growing fire, the temperature around the vehicle was physically dropping to a dangerous level, likely having something to do with whatever was causing the ice. "We need to get out of this limo immediately. Someone's trying to burn us or freeze us to death, and there's no way we can fight them from inside." He beckoned to his teammates from the opening at the back of the limo, offering a hand to anyone who needed to climb out so they wouldn't have to fall like he did. "If any of you can reach it, can you toss me my suitcase on the floor? Also, can anyone near the front get a glimpse of who's attacking us?"
Kara: "If it were demigods, why would they not outright kill us instead of torturing us like this?" she remarks, before decisively choosing to first get Rory's suitcase before she makes her way to the broken rear window of the limo. She passed over Rory's suitcase first, before sliding out herself. She took a moment to breathe but in a moment like this, a break is hard to come by.
Jezebella: With her backpack still tightly secured to her body, Jezebella swiftly slid through the slot in the back of the limo that allowed for an easy escape and was relieved when her feet finally hit the pavement. The bag dropped to the ground and twin stygian iron blades spun skillfully in her pale hands as she pressed herself against the van and peered around the corner, toward the source of all the attacks. A look of concentration and annoyance pulled at her lips, causing a slight twitch as she tried to get a good look at what they were dealing with. "Nymphs?" she finally inquired, honestly just offering a shot in the dark at this point. "Ranged elemental attacks," she pointed out and then continued to search for movement. "It's uncommon for a nymph to be in the heat of a battle, which leads me to believe they aren't demigods or otherwise they would be here, trying to subdue us."
Donovan: As he was the least to exert himself, Donovan is likely the one who was able to preserve the most energy. Given he was in the driver seat, he tried to look through the open windows to spot the attackers. "Nymphs," he confirms. He tries to wiggle his way out his seat, aiming to leap towards the back to follow his teammates out the limo. He briefly feels relief when he lands on the ground, but the sensation is swiftly thrown out the window. He doesn't move further out in hunt for the nymphs. Instead, he tries to become camouflaged before he moves out. "Get them. Cause as much damage as you can," he says, through gritted teeth. "They probaly won't relent - we'll need to put them down. If we can even find them."
Hope: She grabbed her bow, arrows and backpack and slipped out of the car. Finally outside, she dealt with an intense feeling of dizziness for a short while, before speaking. "Nymphs. Damn nymphs were beating the crap out of us." She squeezes her bow. "We should take care of ourselves first. I should have some ambrosia in my backpack", she says and starts searching for it.
It was about time before they were spotted at the nymphs knew that. Hearing the conversation being had, the lightning nymph tells the others through their telepathic connection that they've been found out. Not holding anything back, the lightning nymph makes the thunder sound out again before a few lightning bolts strike the ground around them - none would be hit but there would perhaps be some close shaves. After, the nymph dissipates the cloud, despite not having conjured it herself.
By now the fire nymph's flames had made contact with the limo, engulfing it in a slow flame. She didn't do much more in the attack - the fire had been drained of a lot of her energy and she had hidden out of sight in an attempt to regenerate it. Like before, the ice nymph made up a large shield of ice to conceal them from the demititans, buying them some time. Whilst the limo was on fire, the cold air meant that it would be able to stand for a good while on it's own - given the nymphs time to regroup. The healing nymph, taking out her bow and arrow, fires a few arrows in their direction. None intend to hit and none would, but the reasoning behind it was to startle them. By now the discord and animal guardian would be advancing on their position and it would be a matter of minutes.
Rory: "Hope, I've got some ambrosia in my suitcase, too. Ah, thank you," Rory said to Kara as she handed him the item in question. He unlatched his suitcase and removed a small tin of ambrosia squares, taking one for himself before tossing it to Jezebella. "Donovan, keep us updated on where our attackers are when you spot them. Kara, you said you could handle the fire?" Lightning and flames burned near the mission-goers, casting eerie flickers of light across their surroundings. Rory assembled his crossbow with a few clicks and climbed back on top of the limo to reach the ice wall without walking through fire. Several arrows whizzed by as he made his way forward. "Watch out! If they're shooting at us, they've got a line of sight on us, but that means we can also see them." He looked in the direction the arrows came from and readied his crossbow. Shivers ran down his back from the cold, but he'd been hunting in colder weather before. With any luck, his aim would remain true.
Kara: She closed her eyes for just a brief moment, and held her hands close as she focused... to form a crossbow out of water. She opens her eyes, before a small grin appears on her face. It's nothing impressive sure, but it might just work. She pops up from behind the limo using her, while shooting blind at the flames surrounding them.
Jezebella: Using a free hand, she carefully captured the tin of ambrosia from Rory and hastily opened it. Taking a square, she broke it up and made sure every one of the mission-goers got a piece before eating her own. She stuffed the tin into her back pocket and sized up the ice wall that surrounded them, using the tip of her blade to test the ice. If they couldn't get through it, they'd have to either go under or over. Jez glanced down at her blades before backing up. She then charged and attempted to use her twin blades like ice picks to clamber up the side of the wall.
Hope: She turned to Jezebella and raised an eyebrow in response to her 'torch' question. "I could try to make another light beam and melt it, but I may not be strong enough." With that, she used all the energy she got after eating the ambrosia and focused another beam of light, aiming it at the ice, trying to melt it.
The ice nymph, seeing her shield was in danger of being melted, let Hope get one hit on it. The hit would melt a substantial amount before the nymph shattered it, causing each of the mission goes to be hit with at least one shard of ice. Even with it gone, the temperature is still cold despite the fire and Nevadan heat. The healing nymph continued with her arrow firing, running behind the concealment of the fire and smoke to different areas, firing arrows at them.
The fire nymph, seeing the two other nymphs in the distance, created another small fire near the mission goers, hoping to distract them from the upcoming nymphs. Still, the lightning nymph shot down lightning bolts from above, near the limo - some even hitting behind the mission goers as to keep them in a confined area now they were out of the vehicle.
The two new nymphs, the discord and the animal nymph, remained hidden behind a building, discussing telepathically on what to do next. Using her power effectively, the discord nymph made it so discord would happen amongst the mission goers, meaning they'd argue about what to do next, aiming to hinder them.
Rory: Having already coordinated with his teammates about what they would be doing, Rory did not falter in his decision to observe where the arrows were coming from, though he did feel somewhat more argumentative than usual. Just as he was about to fire a bolt in the direction where the most recent arrows were coming from, the ice wall before him shattered. As one of the closest people to the explosion, he received several lacerations from the ice shards, which tore through his sleeves and scraped his arms when he used them to shield his face from the blast. "Vile, mindless followers of false idols, forever unable to see beyond their own meager prospects in their eagerness to hew to tradition and stifle progress," he muttered vehemently, using the brief energy boost to fortify his reflexes in case of a follow-up attack. When the majority of the lightning and fire seemed to focus on the back of the limo where the rest of his teammates were, Rory snatched up his suitcase and crossbow--still intact, thank Othrys--and reloaded. He watched the path of the arrows: they seemed to be coming from ground level, and from a moving source--someone running? Whoever was firing the arrows was definitely shooting blindly, as the thick cloud of smoke obscured vision on both sides, but the moving pattern of their arrows betrayed their position. Calculating where the arrows would come from next, Rory fired three bolts in quick succession at the spot, aiming a little lower each time to account for a shifting target. Immediately he rolled away from his original spot to avoid any reciprocal attacks. His arms stung from the motion, but when he got out of this fight, he would have time to heal up with ambrosia again.
Kara: She was stung hard by an ice shard, and right in the thigh where it hurt. She made as much haste as she could to get back behind the limo, but the lightning made her reconsider her thought. Her back firmly against the side of the limo, she found herself at a sudden unease and internal conflict about what to do next. She struggled to make her mind up.
Jezebella: The daughter of Kronos landed on her feet and spun behind cover so that she could attend to her wounds. The girl then pulled a small shard of ice from her side and dropped it, making sure to peer occassionally for any attacks being lobbed her way. Then she snagged the tin of ambrosia from her back pocket and took another bite of the square she had broken up earlier and quickly zipped behind each of the mission goers, feeding them a section as well. "I'm close range," she shouted out, "I need a path to get through so I can start picking some off!" Normally, such a rash plan would have never came to fruitation in her mind but the influence of discord nymph was starting to affect them all.
Donovan: An ice shard is imbedded in one of his - quite literally - buttcheeks. But he knows pulling it out will be too big of a headache. He needs to deal with the threat right now. He realized what Rory was up to and followed suit, aiming and shooting towards the same areas the other boy did every time he had to stop shooting for one reason or the other. He stopped briefly, long enough to yank the shard out of his asscheek and take the ambrosia square, but even then he wanted to take full advantage of the adrenaline and try and do away with at least some of the nymphs attacking them. He hears Jezebella and racks his brain for a plan. Then, he comes up with something. "Kara, help Jezebella out!" he shouts. Armed with his bow and quiver of arrows, he taps into his power supply. He intends to hover high in the sky by manipulating the air around him, and stay up there long enough to try and send a monumental amount of arrows to any and every nymph he may possibly get his eyes on. Fingers crossed it works, or he at the very least distracts them long enough for Kara & Jezebella to make a damn move.
Hope: A shard of ice caused a painful cut on Hope's cheek. The discord nymph's influence made her fire a few blind arrows towards the limo. She felt a similar internal conflict as Kara, but somehow managed to shoot once in the direction Rory and Donovan chose. Then the feeling became so intense that she couldn't help the others anymore.
The blind firing of arrows in the direction of the nymphs was, in theory, great for them. It showed the nymphs that the demititans were confused, encouraging them all to move closer. Seemingly with fate, the healing nymph was hit with a large amount of the arrows fired, causing her to recoil. Not needing her to be injured anymore, the remaining nymphs call for her to go with the lightning nymph, seeing now that the latter wasn't needed as much, bringing the total back down to four.
The animal nymph, hidden behind a building, changes into her animal (a bear) and lets out a resounding roar, alerting the CoO of her presence. The fire nymph continues to fire arrows and the ice nymph makes the air cold again, all whilst the discord nymph's power of making the group argue amongst themselves intensifies, wanting to stop them momentarily.
Rory: "Donovan, what in Tartarus are you doing? Get down, you'll be an easy target in the sky for their archers! And Jezebella, if you charge ahead without knowing our opponents' numbers or positions, they're going to shoot you down before you can reach them," Rory shouted urgently over the din of battle. He frowned, feeling far more argumentative than usual again. Was it a lingering effect of his insult-powered energy boosts, or was it something the enemy was inducing? An ill-tempered haze was making it difficult for him to think. A loud roar interrupted his thoughts. "They've got... a bear," he concluded, remembering the sounds of the creature from his hunts. "Stay away from the fire as best as you can and watch the flanks for anyone charging towards us," Rory shouted again.
Kara: She gritted her teeth. If it really was nymphs... well, they're giving them hell and it's embarrassing. Some rather colorful words in German escaped her mouth. As she cannot be arsed to have to deal with her teammates arguing, she assembles her bow, although the first time was a terrible job, since she's shivering. The second time worked though and she drew three arrows at once, before firing blind... upward. Her thought? The arrows in an ideal scenario would fly an arch trajectory, down to wherever they land, and if they hit something that they should, all the better.
Jezebella: "No," she snarked loudly at Rory, lowering her twin blades and turning to face him. "Donovon needs to protect my ass so I can at least deal with some of these little bast-" she stopped arguing with him when the roar ripped through their words. "You've got to be kidding me." She pointed the tip of her blade toward him, the influence of the Discord Nymph causing her anger to brew. "He covers me while I charge. You look after that bear." Not waiting for Rory to argue further, she took off in a sprint toward where the nymphs were located.
Donovan: Donovan is too elevated and focused to hear Rory's words. Had he paid any attention, he would have likely yelled at him before returning to what he was previously doing. He does what he can to evade arrows thrown in his direction, rapidly retaliating in the direction of which the fire arrows were coming from. He knew they weren't much of a threat, because if cooled enough, it should technically not be able to vaporize enough material to sustain the combustion. The bear alarms him, but Donovan's focus is nailing the other threats first; the discord, fire and ice nymphs. They were the most problematic, he recognized, and he was confident his team could handle the bear on their own.
Hope: Hope was really angry by now. Couldn't these people actually think before they do something? Being under the influence of the discord nymph, she didn't bother to remember that recklessness was one of her flaws as well. "Geez, guys, you can't possibly do something right, can you? NO, let's just float in the air and shoot into the air to make them see us even better when there's a frickin' bear to take care of! You know what? I'm going there. So sorry that I don't trust you enough to let you deal with, well, anything." After that, she ran off into the nymphs' direction after Jezebella.
With the nymphs satisfied that their work was done, paired with an unwillingness to hurt themselves, they fled from their location - each running in a various direction, so much so that it'd be hard and costly to try and locate them all. The bear nymph, still close to the demititans, roared a few more times before she to fled the scene, leaving the band on their own. The discord nymph's power would be lingering, just enough where the group would be irritable and argumentative.
Rory: As the fog dissipated and the fires died down, Rory stared at the nymphs' retreating forms contemplatively. This lucky break was mysterious indeed, but there was a lot to be gleaned from the nature of the attack in the first place. Camp Half-Blood was attempting to slow them down, or perhaps to warn them not to proceed further. In any case, the limousine was inoperable, so proceeding would be arduous, to say the least. They were still many miles from the workshop. If they wanted to get there before sundown, the mission-goers would have to hitchhike with a generous driver... and then pay back that poor mortal's generosity by commandeering their vehicle and setting off separately to the workshop. "Thank Othrys our enemies decided to grace us with their departure, otherwise half of us," Rory spared a withering look at Jezebella and Donovan and Hope, "would likely be dead." He blinked, startled by the ire in his own voice. Now that his head was clearer, none of his teammates had behaved characteristically in that fight. They were all decently competent, and even though some may have been more prone to recklessness than others, no one was foolish enough to lash out to such a degree. "My apologies," he quickly responded, rubbing his temples and clearing his suitcase from the icy rubble. "The enemy may have had a discord nymph or mental manipulator of some sort," he deduced. "I presume you all felt like you weren't in your right minds at the end of that encounter?" Rory still felt some lingering annoyance towards his teammates, but he told himself that it was due to external forces and suppressed the urge to snap. He had had plenty of experience dealing with annoying children back in boarding school. A few more minutes would be tolerable.
Kara: She finally stood up, and dusted herself lightly, before placing a hand on her head. "Not in the right mind is putting it mildly." she remarked, part in sarcasm. She'd take apart her bow, but at this point, she really cannot be arsed to do much. "I don't suppose anyone has any bright idea as to how we're going to make it on time?"
Jezebella: Her anger flared when the nymphs fled and she subsequently grew quiet as she walked back to the group, her blue eyes sweeping among the others. "I can try to find a pay phone or snag some mortal's cell and call an uber?" she inquired, trying to pitch in an option.
Donovan: "Oh, because surely involving mere mortals in such an important mission that will undoubtedly determine the course of Greek history? I don't think so," Donovn shakes his head, giving Jezebella a clear what the hell is wrong with you? look. "I believe carjacking one is a better idea."
Hope: Hope's anger decreased too, but it was still enough to make her annoyed with the others. She tapped her bow and quiver, changing them into a bracelet, which she put back on her wrist before shrugging and rolling her eyes. "What are we gonna do if the Uber guy calls the police? Not everyone wants to drive a bunch of people who are all sweaty and cut by something. If we're carjacking, then I'm driving."
Rory: The son of Mnemosyne checked the phone which he had used to contact his limousine driver at the start of the mission, but it had stopped working after the fight. "My phone's dead. Cell service might not extend this far into the desert, either. And this highway seems pretty empty, so hitchhiking might be more difficult than I thought," Rory commented, noting that no cars had passed them during the entire duration of their fight against the nymphs. "There might be a few cars in this settlement old enough for hotwiring to still work on them, though. Are any of you mechanically inclined? I've read books on the hotwiring process, and I can guide you through it if we find a suitable car."
Kara: "I'm not exactly mechanically inclined, but I could probably figure it out quick enough." she remarks.
Jezebella: "Who said anything about involving mortals?" she snarked in return and allowed a hand to run through her blonde locks to ease her urge to verbally tear into Donovan. "I was going to suggest we utilize some of Rory's abilities to help alter his imagination. The driver wouldn't even know the truth about us," she said absentmindedly and crossed her arms. Sadly, she was born in a era where cars didn't exist so she would be little help. "The hotwiring idea works too."
Donovan: His eyes narrowed down on Jezebella. He was visibly bothered by her remarks, but was able to hold himself back before he lashed out at her. It wouldn't be pretty and he was sure the council wouldn't be happy if he killed one of their own. He clenches his jaw, remaining silent due to not having much to contribute to the conversation. Hot wiring any car was fine by him. Though shortly after, another thought occurs to him. "If we have the luck of finding a second viable vehicle, it may be in our best interests to split up. Not only would the scent of ichor lessen and thus attract less monsters, but we also could rely on a second car should the first malfunction."
Hope: She looked at Donovan, frowning. "Splitting up? Brilliant idea. Just brilliant. To lessen the scent, the groups have to be pretty far from each other. But how are we gonna communicate? You can't be sure you'll be able to create a godsdamn rainbow. And none of us have a cellphone." She crossed her arms, ready to respond if someone had a problem with what she said.
Rory: "Unfortunately, memory alteration doesn't seem to be part of my arsenal, so the only way I could erase a mortal's memories would be through committing homicide," Rory lamented. "Donovan, while Hope is correct in saying that communication will be an issue if we split up, you have a valid point in splitting up into two vehicles. In case any Camp-allied hooligans damage one of our cars, we'll still have a way to leave this godsforsaken desert. If we manage to find two suitable vehicles, we could drive one behind the other on the road, flashing the hazard warning button if we ever need to pull over and group up. It's not an ideal solution, but it bridges the lack of communication somewhat while still providing a backup plan for departing the workshop."
Kara: She remains silent, not really having much to add to the conversation at hand.
Jezebella: Her eyes narrowed in response to Donovon, lip curling in disgust as urge to get her fingers around his throat intensified but instead of dwell, she trained her attention on the others.
Donovan: Well, at least Rory was able to see some form of sense. He inclines his head, sporting a saccharine smile. "Then I suppose we ought to find ourselves some cars," Reigning himself in, Donovan turns, stalking away from the group, with the intent to contribute to the search for viable vehicles.
Hope: She closed her eyes for about a second, the sighed, still angry. "Okay. But if something happens, I warned you". With that, she followed behind Donovan.
Rory: Along a tree-lined side road of the settlement, Rory found a 1995 Buick Estate, the driver side parked facing away from the house it was in front of. The car still had a carbureted engine, making it much easier to hotwire than newer models. "Kara, I could use your help here," he called, signaling towards where she was standing.
Kara: She came to Rory as she heard him calling. She took a moment to observe the car; it was fairly old, probably older than her? As if that mattered too much though. "Shall we? Although, you might need to guide me a bit, just so I don't screw this up and end up destroying one of the cars unintentionally."
OOC[]
Jaye: I'm disappearing on Monday, as I'm going on vacation for around 11 to 12 days. I won't be able to post. That said, I give full authorization for you guys to either skip over Donovan or post with him until I return, whatever might be more beneficial to the mission. Just wanted you all to know.
Dirael: Alright, thanks for telling us! ^-^ Since it's Donovan's turn now, shall we skip it or pick someone to post instead of Jaye?
Nata: Unless Queen or Dirael would like to post for Donovan (since you two are next to Jaye in the posting order and it'd be easier for you to do two posts at once), I say let's skip over him for now. Enjoy your vacation, Jaccretion disk!
Dirael: Alright, I'll skip him.
Nata: According to Oli, whichever group (CoO or Camp) finishes their mission RP first will canonically be the one to arrive at the workshop first. Let's go guys!
Queen: A reminder that Jezebella had already used the buttons (beside her in the passenger seat) to automatically roll down all the windows in the limo during the first attack. The windshield is the only thing that would have shattered, alongside the back window from the force of the nymph.
Dirael: Oh gosh, I forgot. I'll change the post.
Oli: I would like to remind you all that, as of right now, the nymphs are all concealed and it would be highly unlikely that any of them would know what's attacking them or who. One of the mission goers saw one which, technically, shouldn't have happened because I did state they were hidden but I let it slide. Please keep stuff like that in consideration otherwise, as I said in my post, y'all get shit from the nymphs >:|
Jaye: Um, I'm sorry, I didn't see there was an OOC section, so I kind of just... posted that. Shit. Okay, well, Dirael posted, so it's not like I can change my post, so allow me to extensively apologize, because I think that by doing that I kind of effed shit up for our characters, but like... sorry, I didn't realize. Seriously. >.<
Nata: No worries, Jaye, and welcome back from vacation!
Sophie: I think that was meant at an earlier post, not at the one you did, Jaye.
Dirael: For a change, I'll be on vacay between January 13 and probably 20, but I'll try to post anyway. If I don't for a long time, feel free to either skip or post for Hope. This shouldn't be necessary, but just in case.
Jaye: Skip me in this round, because I'm torn between following what Oli said and following what you guys have.
Oli: Just to clarify now - the nymphs can't be seen. From the arrows, it can be deduced where they are but, for the most part, they're still very much hidden. I don't know if there's confusion over it but this is to clarify. Also, the ice is around the demititans, not the nymphs.
Vic: The last person to post on this mission was me on the 17th. Can everyone please post?
Nata: After the next set of posts in which the mission-goers find suitable cars, would you like to do a timeskip to them being on the road and closer to the hideout?
Sophie: I don't know about the lot, but I don't mind that. Might be nice actually XD
Dira: A time skip would be great.