Blowing off some steam... (PRIVATE: Anime)

((I was bored and totally over-exaggerated Zahra's head rush LOL))

"I'm fine," Zahra said, laughing. "Just a head rush; I got up too quickly. It's still freaky, though," she said, shrugging. "No need to make a fuss," Zahra said, shooting him a smile and beginning to lead the way toward the courtyard so they could get rid of their picnic basket. After doing that, they made their way to the arena.

--

Alison blinked, returning to reality. Somehow she processed what Will had said while she'd been zoned out and she managed a grin. "Wow, you're so short," she said sarcastically, though the joke was weak as it'd come too late. She was acutely aware of his curious eyes studying her, and she shuffled her papers uncomfortably between her fingertips, organizing them and looking to him after a couple of seconds.

"Sorry, I kind of zoned there. I get lost in thought sometimes; it's not a big deal. A lot has gone on today, so I'm a little bit out of it," Alison explained, shifting her weight as she quickly determined what else would slip out of her mouth.

"I've been giving myself a bit of grief over contacting my foster family. I left them so abruptly, and even once I was out of harm's way I didn't really think to call them for a bit. They're probably running an investigation, wondering if I'm dead or something. I should turn myself in sooner rather than later, but it's still going to be odd, explaining how I would up in New York and how I'm going to be living here from now on. I lived with them for eight years, so even though they're not really my family it's almost like they are." She shrugged passively, meeting his eyes for a fleeting moment before once again glancing down at the papers.

She did not tell him about her nerves over the prospect of going to school, because he would try to relate and tell her that she would love it and that she would do fine, but that kind of stuff never really helped. Plus, it was embarrassing to her. She didn't know him well enough to just say these things. She wasn't even sure why she was telling him about her foster family, her kidnapping... though he knew little about that. Maybe the events of the day had loosened her edges a bit. She'd opened up to Salone and Danielle more easily than she'd expected to, but that was different. They were with Riley, and Riley was someone she could trust. She had no idea who this guy was, but she kind of liked him. Alison had pretty good judgment, though she didn't always trust it.

--

"You're right," Riley said with a grin, and he pulled away from her. "I did lead us here, and I might just agree with you. Sometimes, it's nice to do nothing." He sighed as she led him downwards away from the cliff, into the clearing by the forest. It was lush and beautiful, and the temperature was perfect. Riley had grown to love camp's regulated weather patterns. He laced his fingers through Salone's loosely as they walked, but he couldn't help but look at her incredulously as she spoke of his training.

"Dance classes?" he asked, a mixture of horror and amusement crossing his face. He began to laugh, and for a brief moment all of the weight of everything he'd gone through over the past few months was lifted off of his shoulders. He was just Riley and Riley alone, not carrying the burdens of war or family or or guilt or injury. And it was beautiful. "I could be an interesting challenge, right. I don't know if you remember, but I wasn't ever exactly graceful, and now that I've had a fall from grace, I'm just going to fall flat.. on my face." He wrinkled his nose in distaste as his poor, unintentional use of rhyming words.

"Anyhow, I'd rather not be Riley Peterson, son of the god of old age, one-legged ballerina. It's one less adjective I'd like to have added to my personality description." He chuckled heavily, and just Riley had been concealed once more. "I'm going to take it day by day. Obviously I'm going to get back into weapons training as soon as I possibly can, but I need to be able to handle myself better before I can do that, which means I'm going to have to learn to run and navigate hills and stairways more easily. I'm still planning on doing a bit of therapy while at camp, but honestly it's not going to be very helpful for my purposes."

He chuckled again after a few seconds. "Somehow, I cannot see Fabian dancing. Then again, the Fabian I know, or just barely know, is probably a lot different from the Fabian you knew then. I've also never thought of you as a dancer, but I can kind of see it. I've just never thought about it. I don't think of a lot of things, come to think about it. I just act." He realized his pun too late again this time, grinning amusedly. "Come to think about it. Of course."

Jance offered her a smile before dumping the basket into the Aphrodite cabin. Several of his half sisters ran by and waved as they passed. Jance offered them a smile before continuing on their way. When they reached in the arena Jance stretched and drew his sword, waiting for Zahra. Jace gave his girlfriend a crooked grin.
***
Will listened to her and arched an eyebrow, her story intrigued him.
"You can call here from camp, there is a phone here in the office." Will suggested, his eyes roving around the office for the phone. It was an old black phone, the one with the cone and a dial like you see in black and white movies. His blonde hair fell into his eyes as he turned his eyes back to Alison.
"So you're foster parents don't know about-" He motioned around the room with a long fingered hand, of course the centaur cuckoo clock was a bit disconcerting. He remembered being in shock about finding out he was a hero,but Will had been more happy with the explanation of why he could turn himself and other people into four year olds.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone grinned at the look that crossed Riley's face at the mention of dance classes, "I told you I would get you for calling be gorgeous and dance class helps you become more coordinated and strengthens your core." To emphasize her point she slapped her palm against her stomach. Her palm made a solid thumping noise as her skin came in contact with muscle. She laughed at Riley's description of himself, "Love, I think you have one and a half legs not just one. "
She gave him a small smile and then mentally kicked herself, Why did she say that?
Salone laughed lightly at Riley's joke. "Very punny, Casanova."
She saw the shadow descend once again upon Riley, her soul groaned in pain for him, and she squeezed his hand lightly.

Zahra followed Jance to the arena, readying herself with her dagger. She had a strategically hidden second dagger at her hip, but she'd abandoned her throwing knives. It was obvious that she wouldn't need them for this spar. She stretched as Jance did so, prepping herself and returning his grin. She was nervous in the slightest bit, in the same way that she always got when she was sparring. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as her nerves kept her on her toes.

"You ready?" she asked, standing upright and readjusting her grip on her dagger. She stepped forward into the arena to face him.

--

Alison nodded, her gaze landing broodingly on the phone. She knew she needed to make the phone call; she just didn't want to do it. William spoke again and Alison looked back to him, trying to ignore that blonde hair of his and the way it fell just over the tops of his eyelids when he blinked. She took a breath at the mention of her foster parents, glancing back to the phone.

"Don't know about my whole demigod situation? No, my foster parents know nothing," Alison confirmed. She leaned back against the desk that stood in the office of the Big House, propping some of her weight up on the palms of her hands that were braced against its surface. "I don't think that I can tell them about it. If my mother were alive it'd be one thing, but this is different. They would think I'd gone insane. No, they can't know about this. They have to think I've left them, which makes the situation more complicated, but it's alright. I just need to bite the bullet and make the call. I mean, it wasn't like I was so close to them, but I lived with them for the latter half of my childhood. Charlotte, my foster mother, practically raised me, even though I used to like to pretend that it'd been different." She shouldn't be telling him this. Riley didn't even know about this. But Riley wasn't here and this Will guy was, and even though Alison wouldn't realize or admit it she needed some sort of guidance in her life. And so the job fell to poor William by default, as he'd been the lucky one to encounter her on that day.
--

One leg, and half of a leg that isn't too functional, Riley thought, but he said nothing as he looked to her, lightening as he laughed at her statement. She squeezed his hand in understanding of his disdain, and he held on for her. He would get through all of this crap, and it wasn't going to matter that he'd lost part of his leg because he'd get better.

"Oh god, not you calling me casanova too," Riley said with mock annoyance. "But whatever you say, love," He lifted his t-shirt halfway, glancing at the planes of his muscled torso. He wasn't really that built, but he definitely had some muscle definition going on there.

"I think my core's strengthened, but thanks for the offer," he said teasingly, looking to her. "Though I could use some help with the coordination part. Dancing may be helpful, but..." Riley trailed off with an obvious look of distaste on his face.

Jance flashed another crooked smile, intentionally trying to disarm her.
He pulled out his sword and bowed at the waist.
"My Lady," he answered, he had been reading medieval books again, Jace's secret addiction. Then he attacked, his blade becoming a silver blue blur.
***
Will nodded, "That could be an issue, I bet if you asked Danni to come up with a story to cover for you. She does work with the Demi-god division of the FBI. I bet they could come up with something. Like the witness protection program, that you saw something you shouldn't and now it is safe to come home. I dunno, I read too many books."
He readjusted his position against the filing cabinet, his hands casually in his pockets. "The bad thing about that idea is we would have to wait for Danni to get back and that could take weeks."
Or months... or a year or so.
Will didn't complain about listening to Alison and he didn't mind this task had fallen to him.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone laughed at his retaliation, "Well if you don't like Casanova, I could always call you Romeo."
Upon seeing Riley's torso she poked it lightly, "I dunno Riley. You are still kinda squishy."
She winked at him before tugging him closer to her, "Come on silly, its this or something painful like gymnastics. As far as weapons go, this should help too."
Salone had taken dance starting at age 12. Her mother wouldn't pay for it obviously but Salone had worked there as a child in exchange for lessons. She had been rather good at dancing. Her mother had been furious when she found out.
The big brown eyes owned by Salone blinked up at Riley.

((I'm terrible at RPing fighting, just warning you LOL I can try))

Zahra laughed as he lunged toward her, but she dodged his blow expertly, shifting to the side and allowing him to slash at the nothingness where she had been. She rolled behind him and lunged, her dagger aimed to catch him around the throat so she could hold him in a locked position. Her other arm was out defensively to prepare herself for escape, if necessary.

--

Alison shut her eyes, thinking for a moment before looking again to the phone. "I can't wait any longer; I've already waited for over a month to make this call. There are probably legal ramifications that need to be addressed, but I at least need to let them know I'm alright. I owe them that much." Her gaze flitted back to Will, and she shifted uncomfortably. She wished Riley were here, because he'd find a way to make this easier. He always did. But she needed to learn to live without a Riley; she always had, and she needed to adjust to the demigod thing independently, or so she believed. "Do you think it would create issues if I called now, if I just told them that I was okay?"

--

"Okay gorgeous," Riley replied, smirking. His resolve softened slightly as she silently pleaded with him, and on impulse he leaned forward as if he were going to kiss her, but instead he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, putting on his best woe-is-me face... not that he had a good woe-is-me face in the first place. He needed to put his bargaining chips in the right places.

"Seriously, Salone? Silly? I can't dance; I'm going to look stupid, and with my luck I'll wind up hurting myself even further. I'm sure there are plenty of other options besides this and gymnastics." His thumb traced her cheek before his hand fluttered down her neck toward her shoulder, in an attempt to distract her. "What kind of dance were you suggesting I do, anyway?"

Uh oh. Bad job changing the subject. Riley mentally kicked himself.

((I think we have already had this conversation But i stink at battle scenes too))
Jance flailed for a fraction of a second before spinning and he had a dagger at his throat, in lock position. He brought the hilt of his sword down towards her fingers, any person would flinch back making an escape possible. Their blades clashed as Jance's blade collided with Zahra's. Sparks flew from the weapons.
**
Will moved to one of the chairs thinking, "I guess so. But I would say you can't say anything about it right now. But they will have all their information soon."
Will massaged his forehead thinking about it still before pulling out an sucker, unwrapping it and popping into his mouth. He failed to notice the candy was a tootsie pop. But he shouldn't change until he reached the center.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone grinned, "Careful or that face will stick."
She poked him again lightly for calling her gorgeous and she thought. It needed to be easy and she winced as Ballet came to mind, even though it wasn't easy.
"No idea, whatever fits you I guess."
Salone grinned at his failed attempt at subject changing. She leaned up against the tree behind her and picked at the bark with a nail. Her bangs falling into her face again. Salone liked the forest, it was calm, quiet, and filled with animals.

Zahra parried his blow, twisting to the side beneath the weaponry and escaping the reach of his sword within the nick of time. She cried out in pain, grabbing at her neck as if his sword had scratched her. "Jance," she gasped, her voice strangled with emotion and expert false desperation. It would be difficult for anyone to realize she'd been feigning pain, unless of course they were absolutely sure they hadn't touched her. She held her dagger out against him, keeping up her defense as the hand he couldn't see crept almost imperceptibly to the hilt of the hidden dagger at her waist. The curled ends of her hair had fallen in the way of her neck so he wouldn't be able to tell if she'd really been injured, and she stole a glance up at her with her glassy eyes. Now, if she just waited for the right opportunity...

--

Alison watched him as he took out a lollipop, growing impatient as he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. She took a seat in the chair beside him, next to the table with the telephone. "So I can just... call?" she asked. She felt kind of uncomfortable doing so with him in the room, but it might be better as he could act as her filter. He would prevent her from giving out too much information, maybe. She lifted the antique phone off of its receiver, recalling the number in her head as she watched him, waiting for a response.

--

Riley watched her make a face at his question and he groaned. "No, you can't be serious. I will not do ballet," he said, though his expression changed. "And now you're rethinking this and realizing that it was a bad idea, right?" he asked, a twinge of hope in his voice. He examined her as she looked him over. "Though I suppose maybe I might dance, if it was under the right circumstances."

Riley got a devious look on his face, quirking an eyebrow slightly. Salone might just kill him for this idea.

Jance lowered his weapon slightly, he was almost positive he hadn't hit her.
"Zahra?" He asked with a questioning tone, becoming worried. He wasn't quite sure if he had hit her or she was playing a dirty trick. He was seriously hoping it was a dirty trick. Otherwise he would have a hard time forgiving himself. He came forward slowly placing a hand on her shoulder.
**
Will nodded and continued to suck on the sucker. He rolled it around in his mouth as he stood and moved to the desk picking up a book to turn it over to see what the person was reading. Then he gnawed on the sucker and it cracked, allowing him to taste the chocolate. Abruptly he pulled it out of his mouth and chucked in the trash before checking the wrapper.
"A tootsie pop?" He asked incredulously before he began to feel funny all over. "That isn't real chocolate."
His voice turned squeeky and then he began to shrink. As soon as Alison blinked there was a four year old standing in too large clothes. A small boy with bright blue eyes, cherub cheeks, and blond faintly curly hair. The boy was struggling with his clothing before he gave up and sat down.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone winced, "Sorry, I would recommend trying aqua therapy but considering your situation..." She made a face and leaned forward slightly, feigning confusion.
"What would be the best situation then?" Salone asked, arching an eyebrow to tell him she knew Riley was up to some no good shenanigans. She cocked her head to the side and watched him. She leaned back again feeling the bark catch at the back of her shirt, a light orange one with black and silver flowers.

Zahra waited for him to rest his hand on her shoulder, looking at him emotionally. "Y-you-" she began before springing into action, swinging out with her second dagger and pushing herself forward and latching onto his arm to prevent him from motion for a moment. She aimed one arm to hook around his neck and the other to lock around his waist, his arm caught in hers. Her plan was flawed and he could probably escape easily with his sword, but she did have the element of surprise on her side even though he may have possibly seen through her little acting shebang. She knew that wouldn't necessarily work in battle, but it was still a good skill to have, and Jance hadn't said she couldn't play dirty.

--

Alison stared at the phone, and she was about to dial the Murphy's number before she heard William speaking. Startled from her reverie, she set the phone down on the table and watched in awe as he began to shrink, his voice changing, and her mind processed what had happened. He'd eaten one of those lollipops with the Tootsie Roll center, oh gods. She tried to keep her amusement off of her face as his features shifted, becoming much more boyish, and then he was the size of a four year old and it was so ridiculous but he was adorable. She struggled, failing to be so serious as four-year-old William trudged over to his chair and sat down, too small for the wide chair with clothes that were far too big for him.

"Oh, no," Alison said, delayed and watching him curiously. "Do you need any help, want me to get you anything?" she asked seriously, understanding how it was to shift, especially after she had seen Riley shift a couple of times. Her mind betrayed her though, and a smile played on the corners of her lips. "You're going to hate me for this, but you look so ridiculous sitting there in your too-big clothes that it's cute. Kind of odd, though, since you were older than me about a minute ago."

--

"I could try swimming," Riley said, shrugging. "I've gotten very good at suppressing my shifting. I just don't know how it'd be, swimming with one leg. Dancing is probably safer, even if I'm not too keen on the idea, but I was thinking that maybe there's a situation that I would be willing to dance for if I had to." He caught the look on Salone's face and grinned.

"You know, my mom has been asking me to come back home and visit frequently after my injury, but this wouldn't be specifically for that. There's this spring dance back home run by the town, and a lot of my old friends from school go every year, and I used to go on occasion before camp or when I would come home for a bit to see them again. Now that we're older, most people take dates, and I had a thought just now that maybe I could drag you with me. You had promised me a proper date before I left, and while that promise is probably moot at this point it's a win-win situation. You get me to dance, and I get to see my mom, show my gorgeous girlfriend off to my immature mortal friends, and take you on a proper date... though I feel like there's more win on my side than on yours," he spoke, looking at her deviously. He didn't peg her as the formal dance type, but then again she'd proved him wrong many times.

Jance escaped the hold, spinning around, grinning his blade flashed and blocked her dagger.
"Well now, you are a faker. You also play dirty." He said, sidestepping and creating a false slash at her lower abdomen before aiming at her chest the last minute.
"Does this mean I am allowed to?"
He gave her a crooked grin, his dark hair falling into his eyes. Jace back up and spun his sword in his palm.
**
William struggled to keep his shirt from falling down over his shoulders and he glanced at Alison.
"This is really embarrassing..." He answered in his squeaky kid voice. "I am starting to dislike tootsie rolls too. They are chocolate knock offs."
Will's converse fell off of his feet. When talking to the four year old Will people generally noticed he had a lisp. A very faint one but a lisp nonetheless. Despite his struggles with his camp shirt it drooped over the sides of his shoulders exposing his tan four year old chest.
"Sweet Hades," He muttered, pulling it up again. Then he realized Alison had spoken and he saw the grin she was trying to hide.
"I swear, a word to anyone and I will turn you into a four year old."
It was pretty hard to take a four year old cherub child seriously when is threat sounded something like, "i thwear a worth to anythone an I willth turn you inti a four year old."

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone grinned, "Riley Peterson, are you asking me to Prom?"
Salone never had much more than an eighth grade education but she knew what Prom was, mainly because Fabian's cousin had freaked out when a guy bedecked her car in chocolates. The idea appealed to her girly side but not so much to her warrior hiding side. The first thing that came to her mind was pockets, the dress would obviously have to have pockets to store weapons... Wait a second, she had the Du'at, she was good on weapons.
"Sure I will go, I never miss a chance to be paraded around," She smirked. "When is said formal? Also known as 'The event I will have to wear heels to and most likely kill myself in.'"
Salone arched her eyebrow and tilted her head back to get a better view of Riley.

((Bah, my biggest pet peeve, Prom. As far as I'm concerned it can go die in a hole...))

Zahra laughed, distracted slightly by his words, and suddenly his sword was at her chest in a kill position. She huffed in resignation, sheathing her second knife and twirling her good dagger in her fingers. "Yeah, I suppose I was asking for that. I'm a good actress though, right?" she asked, a smug expression on her face. "You were concerned."

She moved toward him, taking a step forward with her dagger still in hand, though relaxed. "I didn't get to get to the good part, though. You stole my thunder," she said with a look of amusement.

--

Alison smiled, though it wasn't a grin of cruel amusement so much as it was of understanding and warmth. It was kind of funny when he spoke with his little kid lisp, though.

"Don't worry; I wouldn't tell anyone. Remember that I can told into an elderly woman. Why would I subject you to that?" she asked, laughing lightly. She felt slightly uncomfortable as his shirt slid across his torso, but it wasn't so bad as he had the body of a four-year-old. "You don't have to be so embarrassed. I've seen my brother turn into an old man, which is arguably more weird. At least you look cute," she said with a smirk. "Though one can argue that old men are cute... but I do not necessarily agree. On the bright side, at least you're a guy. The shirt falling problem may be more of an issue if you weren't," she vouched. She picked up the telephone receiver again, staring at it for a moment. Her stomach was doing flips within her, and she needed to get this phone call over with. On impulse she dialed the number, assuming that William wouldn't mind. After all, he was a four year old with baggy clothes. He couldn't do much at the moment but sit and wait to shift back.

The phone rang four times before she heard the thick voice of one Charlotte Murphy on the other end of the phone. "Hello?" the woman spoke, and Alison curled her fingers around the wooden arm of her chair, squeezing it to stop their trembling.

"Hi, Charlotte? You're not going to believe this probably, but this is Alison speaking."

Silence greeted her on the other end of the phone for a few tenuous seconds before the voice responded. "Alison, you're there?" the woman asked, clearly shaken.

"Yes Mrs. Murphy, I'm on the phone, and I'm okay. I don't know what assumption you've made after my disappearance, and I should have called you earlier, but I couldn't seem to get the chance. I'm so sorry; things have been-"

"Where are you?" the voice asked. Alison's stomach clenched and she shut her eyes, taking a breath. Her foster mother sounded anxious, while shocked and relieved that she was speaking to her on the phone.

"I-" Alison began, trying to think of an appropriate answer. She struggled, capping her hand over the phone's speaker. Eventually she glanced to William, hoping that maybe he would know what would be safe to say.

--

Riley laughed at her reaction, relaxing slightly. Had he really been tense in the first place over asking Salone of all people to this stupid dance? "It's not a prom persay, but it's similar. It's not affiliated with the school and it involves people aged 12 to 18, so it's interesting, and it's less formal than a prom, but it's still pretty formal." He shrugged. "I've never been a huge fan of the dance, but it's been an excuse to keep up with a few old friends and so I go. Having you with me might make it slightly more bearable," he admitted, thinking of the stuffy suit he'd had to wear to the last one and the third-wheeling he'd done with his friends' girlfriends.

"I promise that I will not be letting you kill yourself in your heels, though. Hell, maybe they can even be used as weaponry," Riley suggested with a wry grin. "But said formal is quite soon, in a week or two. I'll have to let my mom know we're coming, of course, and obviously you are very finely trained in the art of dancing and you'll have plenty of time to show me how to dance properly," he said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Maybe you can dance, and I'll sit and watch... though I did make you a deal, and I will stick with it."

"Yes, I was concerned," Jance said, sheathing his sword across his back and interlacing his fingers with hers. "But only for a second because I was pretty sure I hadn't hit you. So, yes, you are a brilliant actress."
He gave her a crooked grin before pulling her closer to him, he slid his arms around her wait.
"It appears I have a prisoner," The son of Aphrodite joked, "What are you going to do now?"
***
Will struggled with transforming back and made it just in the nick of time, though his shirt ripped down the seam.
"Dang," He said, pulling it over his head. The shirt would have been useless anyway. As a surfer he was tanned all over and was decently muscled, especially in the arms, shoulders, stomach, and back.
He picked up a notepad and wrote quickly what Alison should say or what he thought she should say.
I can't say right now, but I promise you will know soon.
Then he passed it to her before texting Danni about the situation. His blue eyes fixed on the phone before he sent the text. He rubbed at his jaw far a few seconds before looking up at her.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone grinned and shrugged slightly. "Same difference in my mind. Thats the only school dance I know considering I left school at a young age." She looked down, her bangs hiding her face. She didn't let just anyone know she was a school dropout. It was a sensitive topic for her to touch base on, Salone liked learning and she was quite advanced in reading but that was about it. But she was hopeless at science, math, and history. She began picking at the bark again, suddenly finding it very interesting. "As far as the dancing goes maybe later."
She smiled slightly, looking up at him before looking back down at her feet. Salone's childhood was a near irreprochable subject because there were more painful memories than happy ones.

Zahra grinned, shoving her good dagger into its sheath. "Yes, you have a prisoner. Do I want to escape?" she asked, leaning in on instinct to kiss him and wrapping an arm up around his neck with a glint in her eye.

--

Alison watched incredulously as Will shifted back to his usual age, tearing his shirt in the process. She blushed faintly, averting her eyes for a moment as he adjusted himself. He instructed her on the paper and she could vaguely hear calls of "Hello," emanating from the phone. She read his message and looking to him for a second, biting her lip subconsciously due to her nerves. This was what she had thought she should say, but she wasn't sure it would go over well. She picked up the telephone, holding it to her ear. "Mrs. Murphy; I'm sorry, someone had to ask me a question." She could hear the relieved exhale on the other end of the phone as the woman spoke.

"Charlotte, you know that honey. But where are you?" Alison took a breath.

"I wish I could tell you where I am right now, but I can't. I am perfectly safe and my situation is being taken care of by the government, and you'll know what's going on as soon as I can tell you. I don't think I'm going to be coming back home anytime soon, though, if at all," she explained, her stomach turning once more. The silence on the other end spoke louder than words, finally, after about thirty seconds, the woman spoke.

"Okay, okay. I'm glad you're alright, how are you?" she asked, trying to change to subject.

"I'm fine," Alison replied, her fingernails digging into the wood of the chair. "How is everything?"

Mrs. Murphy breathed. "Things have been pretty hectic with your disappearance, and I don't like to tell you this over the phone but Pop passed away a little while after you left so we've been going through a lot. Everyone's okay, though, so don't worry about us," the woman spoke measuredly, her voice filled with worry. "Are you sure you can't tell me anything? Maybe I can call your social worker, the court, or something, to try and get you home sooner," she spoke, softening as she spoke to the girl. She continued to speak about political foster parenty crap and Alison tensed, forcing herself to stay on the phone. Pop had passed away? He had been like a grandfather to her, helping her more than even her foster parents had. Mrs. Murphy was clearly worried about her, and she had no idea what to tell her. She held the phone, leaning back and shutting her eyes for a brief moment. "Alison?" the woman's voice spoke through the receiver, and she knew she'd have to respond sooner rather than later.

"What?" she responded automatically, obviously distracted.

"I asked you what I could do to help you," the woman spoke, her concern seeming to grow.

"Oh," Alison responded, taking a breath. "I- I don't think you can do anything. I'm fine, Charlotte, and I'm safe and happy where I am. You can trust me; don't worry. I'll talk to you soon, I promise, but I have to go." There was silence on the other end yet again, and Alison leaned her head back and shut her eyes. This was too much. She wished that Will wasn't here, because this was incredibly embarrassing. Everything that'd happened today was too much. Her mind couldn't process it all.

--

Riley brushed Salone's hair away from her face as she gazed away from him, obviously uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" he asked her, even though he could tell by the way that she'd regarded school that it had something to do with that. "If this is about leaving school, you shouldn't be embarrassed about that. I left school around about ninth grade, so I'm not entirely educated... though my mom did make me finish out with my coursework and 'graduate.'" He spoke softly, hoping not to set her off.

Jance muttered, "That is your choice," in response, his eyes dancing. "As long as you don't try and stab me."
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, after a moment he deepened the kiss. Not particularly caring they were in a public place. Jance stopped caring about what other people thought a long time ago.
**
Will fixed his gaze on his phone, reading the text and looking up to see Alison with her eyes shut.
"I'll meet you outside," He said, standing and went outside. He examined the rip in his dark t-shirt. It was fixable, the rip was only down the seam. Will pulled his phone out when Danni responded and grinned. Count on that girl to get into trouble. He responded and put it back into his pocket, leaning against the poll.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone flushed faintly, "I left school halfway through 8th grade."
She bit her lip, "I am not very proud that I did."
The daughter of Anubis moved away slightly, "It's good you did, now you have a chance to learn more."
She poked her nose from around the tree trunk and gave Riley a grin before starting up the tree, bare foot. She dangled from the branch with, her feet a foot and a half from the forest floor. The muscle in her arms were taut and a strip of her muscled stomach showed. Behind her you could see the pale scar on her lower back.

"Okay," Zahra managed before his lips were upon hers and she was lost for a brief moment as he deepened their kiss. Her free hand managed to reorient itself and she reached cautiously for her dagger, trying successful not to draw too much attention to it as she allowed him to deepen the kiss, cooperating easily. Very slowly she eased her arm up around his neck, twisting it around and holding his neck in a lock, her dagger inches in front of it so he would be unable to escape. She pulled away from him, face flushed as she drew in a breath.

"Well, I promised not to stab you, but you never said anything about holding a dagger to your neck casually," she spoke breathlessly, grinning as she released him.

--

Alison managed to conclude the phone call, trying to disregard Mrs. Murphy's pleas for her to listen, speaking of how she could help her and how she would be able to come home. Her stomach sank, and she almost wished that William hadn't left even though she'd been embarrassed, because his presence had kept her from falling apart. She hung up the phone after an abrupt goodbye and pillowed her head on the sleeve of her denim jacket, pressing her forehead to the crook of her elbow and forcing herself to breathe. A few quiet, ragged sobs escaped her throat, but she managed to contain herself, pulling together and wiping her tears as best she could, though she couldn't eliminate the red in her eyes that was a dead giveaway that she'd been crying. She sighed resignedly, gathering up her slightly crumpled school application forms and stepping outside, breathing measuredly.

"Hey," she said, trying to put aside her embarrassment and just go. [color=gold"Did Danni tell you anything about my situation?"[/color] she asked, putting on a brave face and talking about it bluntly.

--

Riley watched her amusedly as she climbed, though the bitter shadow over him caused invoked a slight feeling of frustration that he couldn't move as she did even though he knew it was irrational and he was lucky to be standing at all, let alone walking.

"You know," he spoke, leaning against the tree's bark, "you can still finish your education, even if you do the most basic coursework as I did. Dropping out of high school is not the end of the world. I hear that GEDs are not so difficult to obtain, and you can go to college if you'd like if you pass the GED test. It's not a terrible idea, even though some of the school subjects that are required are kind of useless in life. At least you'll have some options," he spoke, trying to show her reason. It was obvious that she was embarrassed, but she shouldn't be. Riley wondered how many other kids at this camp dropped out of their education. Probably a lot.

Jance eyeballed the dagger and several scenarios went through his mind before Zahra released him.
"If you ever become an assassin," He told her, "Remind me never to kiss you."
He smiled at her before stealing her dagger and darting away from his girlfriend, a look of a mischievous person on his face.
***
Will nearly dropped his phone, startled.
"Hey," He said, picking it up off the carpeted floor. He guessed that had saved it from breaking the screen. He slid the phone into his pocket and looked at Alison, leaning against the hall.
"Did Danni tell you anything about my situation?"
Will looked at her for a few seconds before shaking his head,"As far as the government is concerned I try not to get involved, so far it has worked. To them I am just a beach bum for Hawaii who happens to be smart."
He shrugged and started towards the main door, "Have all of your paperwork?"

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone nodded, "I have considered that but I am not in a position to do so... Life likes trying to kill me too much."
She hauled herself up over the branch and proceeded to stand and do the same thing to the branch above her. She looked down at Riley before jumping to the next branch several feet away. Salone balanced herself before coming down.

"What are you doing?" Zahra called, chasing after him, delayed. "Give that back! It was from my dad," she countered, serious though she knew Jance wouldn't do anything bad with it. She trusted him completely, even though maybe she shouldn't trust him so much.

--

Alison forced a smile as he spoke of his governmental situation, trying desperately to hide the fact that she'd just barely stopped herself from crying hysterically a few minutes ago. She took a breath, knowing that he probably wouldn't make fun of her for it anyway. She'd learned that much about his personality. She allowed her expression to sober up as he moved forward and asked her about her paperwork.

"Yeah, I have it all," she said softly, allowing him to lead the way out of the Big House. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, now. Fill out some of the paperwork. Eat something. Sleep. Dwell on what had just happened... though she was doing that already. Mrs. Murphy was desperate to help her in any way. Pop was dead. Pop was dead, and even though he'd been elderly it felt like she'd lost a relative. She thought about it as they walked. How old had Pop been? Maybe 90, closer to 100... her dad- wait. Alison froze abruptly. She clearly recalled the words of one of the organization's workers.

"You can do more than you think, girl," he'd spoken, watching her through the thick glass wall of her captivity room. "And that is why we want you. The god of old age? Imagine the implications. You could keep someone alive for years and not even realize it."

Pop. Pop was over one hundred, Alison was sure of that now. He'd been diagnosed with cancer, but he'd lived far past his life expectancy with Alison. And then she'd left so quickly, and now he was gone. It couldn't be a coincidence. Tears flooded her eyes and she choked them back, trying desperately once more to avoid waterworks. Gods, this was embarrassing. She shifted so her hair formed a curtain between herself and Will, forming a barrier as they made their way back to the cabins. What if he did make fun of her? She would be asking for it. He wouldn't understand.

--

"But that's not what I mean. You don't have to go take classes at a school. Granted, my mom helped me get through, but I did a lot of coursework on my own from textbooks and video lessons. They weren't all so difficult. You should consider it. You could get work done from camp. It's not the greatest way to graduate, but at least you'll have options," Riley said.

"If you mean going to college," he spoke, looking to her as she swung herself through the tree. "There are other, safer means of doing that as well. To be honest, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. It's kind of scary to think about. My mom has been encouraging me to go to school, but I'm not sure if that's the best move for me. Probably not."

Jance stopped, turned to face her then he stood on tiptoe and held the dagger over her head.
"What's the password?" He asked arching an eyebrow, there was actually no password Jance was just in a stinkery mood. The boy winked at her before giving her back the dagger.
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
***
Will stopped and turned around to ask Alison a question when he realized she was close to tears.
"Hey," He said gently, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into a hug. "It's going to get better."
Thats is what happened 88% of the time, things generally got better. Will held her for a few seconds before letting go and getting the door for Alison. William was a notorious player and if he wasn't careful he may end up breaking Alison's heart. He looked around at the courtyard and spotted Penny walking across the courtyard.
"Hey!" He waved her over. In a lower voice he said, "She has the coolest power on the face of the planet."
Penny had pale skin, with wide dark brown fawn eyes and thick dark brown hair.
"Hey Will," She said softly, stopping by the tree. Her eyes landed on Alison and she studied the other girl with interest.
"This is Alison and Alison this is Penny. How was the date?" Will asked her.
Penny made a face, "It could have been worse, anywho I have to go. Bye." She waved before walking off to the Athena cabin.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone grinned slightly, "I do want to go to college."
She hadn't given it much thought and now that she was turning eighteen soon it would probably be something she should start looking into. Salone leaned back against the tree and bit her lip deep in thought... she would have to leave camp soon and Salone wasn't looking forward to it. Her bangs fell into her face and she brushed them out of the way.

Zahra didn't bother to give him a password, but she shot him a look that said she meant business. Her face broke out into a smile as he handed her back her dagger and she sheathed it, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. "You're kind of evil, you know. I didn't think you were capable of it, but you've proved me wrong," Zahra spoke, teasing him.

--

Alison was shocked as Will grabbed her, pulling her in for a hug. She stiffened at first but allowed him to do so, a couple tears escaping from her heavily guarded eyes, and she wiped them away from her faintly reddened cheeks as Will pulled away from her gently and got the door. She hesitated for a few seconds, gathering herself before walking out.

"Thanks, Will," she spoke softly as they descended the stairs to the Big House. It would be clear to any passersby that she'd been crying, so hopefully- oh gods. Will had called someone over. At least she'd had noticed. She swallowed, trying to clear her face up as best she could and make herself look cheery. Gods, she was falling apart today. She wished she could talk to Riley, but then again Riley was busy with Salone and eerything... which she supposed she understood. She shouldn't be so selfish.

Anyway, Alison waved to the girl, trying her hardest as Will interacted with this girl... Penny. She presumed this was the same girl who owned the martin.

"What's her power?" Alison asked interestedly after the girl left, leaving Will and Alison alone once again. Alison wondered vaguely if his interest in the girls' date experience meant something; he certainly held her in high regard. She couldn't tell. Why did she even care?

--

"It- I feel like it might be a good experience. I'm just... I need time to jump into it after everything, though now when I'm most detached from camp would probably be the best time to go. Though I don't think all aspects of college will be for me. I've had drinking experience, and..." Riley shuddered, blushing in embarrassment. How had he gotten into talking about that. "Anyway, it didn't end well." Riley stopped himself, looking to Salone and watching her curiously.

"What would you want to study, in college?"

He didn't say anything about where she would be going or where he would be going, because that was an aspect of college he didn't want to think about at the moment. He'd grown so comfortable at camp, and he didn't want to think about leaving Salone again for the moment.

Jance pretended to look affronted, "I am perfectly capable of being evil."
He poked her lightly in the ribs to prove his point and he gave her a crooked grin. Jace slide his arms around his girlfriend and pressed a light kiss to her brow.
"So, what do you wanna do now?" He asked.
***
Will itched the back of his blonde head,
"Penny is the daughter of Athena and she is what most people would call a copycat. She has muscle memory, anything she sees she can do. It's quite fantastic to watch. But a bummer if she watches you fight. Needless to say you'd be squashed like a bug under her toe. She also has a photographic memory which helps."
Will had several bruises to attest to Penny's fighting ability and he had the shadow of one on his ribcage and his muscled stomach. The daughter of Athena used him as a portable punching bag. But, she was his best friend so he didn't complain.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone cocked her head to the side looking at Riley, "Drinking experience?" Her lip twitched in amusement. She had never even seen alcohol let alone see the effects of such a liquid. She shook her head and then laughed. "I forget I am not having the same teen experience as most people. Forget I asked. As far as College goes I don't know. I just kinda wanna go for the experience."
Salone had heard about College when she was a child. Her Mother used to get all misty eyed when she talked about it, mainly because it had been when she had met Anubis.

"That is pretty cool," Alison agreed after a moment, her voice still soft after her tears. Gods, that was embarrassing. "I'd be squashed in a battle against pretty much anyone, though. I'm not too experienced yet. But that skill will come with time, I hope." She shrugged, looking to him tentatively. They made their way back toward the cabins, and Alison figured it was probably time for them to part even though she wasn't looking forward to being alone with her emotions.

"These are all the papers I'll need, right? Nothing too complicated?" She held them up to indicate what she was talking about, though it was pretty clear.

--

Riley shrugged. "It's fine. Most teenagers... I don't know. They definitely don't have the same experiences as I do, though this one is pretty normal. I was a stupid freshman and I had established myself at my school, and I thought that it would be good to mix in with the 'cool' crowd and hang out one night. They were drinking, and I thought I was hot shit to be doing it with them. It went on for a few weeks of me being stupid before I made a really stupid, drunk move and got myself stuck in the woods behind my high school in the rain. I was a skinny old drunk man wandering the roads and my friends had no idea where I was, and there was a search for me and my mom got involved and it was bad. My friends never found out what had happened to me, as it was my mom who located me..." Riley grimaced, not wishing to recall the gory details of the incident. He remembered blacking out and winding up really, really sick, and he wondered vaguely how much he'd even had to drink... probably not much, as he was a lightweight. "I was an idiot. End of story. Needless to say, I haven't had a drink since and I don't really plan on it."

He took a breath, laughing slightly at his own stupidity. "Anyway, I always kind of had the thought that I'd go into military, especially from when I was young, and my mom always tried to discourage me. I suppose that's not an option now, though," Riley spoke, glancing down subconsciously at his leg. "Even if I was fully capable, I don't know if I'd be able to go through all of it after everything," he said.

Will grinned, "Well let me put it this way, she grounds Danni's face into the floor on a regular basis."
Casually he leaned over and wiped a stray tear off of Alison's cheek like he did such a thing every day.
"I wanna stop by my bunk and get a shirt. Then I shall help you with your paperwork. It gets a bit sticky."
He lead the way to his cabin, offered a chair to Alison, and he pulled a grey t-shirt out of his trunk. Will walked over to his side table and offered her a large AP text book and a pen to write with. He sat down next to her to answer questions.

Salone Newton
"I suppose brilliance is just madness and shenanigans in disguise."

Salone made an amused noise, "We are all allowed to act idiotic at one time or another. Luckily your rampage only lasted for a few months."
She gave Riley a small smile and then moved to stand in front of him. "I would prefer you not to play soldier boy. " She slid her arms around him and rested her cheek on his chest for a few seconds before looking up at him. "But if you must I have a couple of squirt guns you can play with if you get desperate."
She gave him a look that an innocent wide eyed child would be capable of. But, this look only showed Salone was up to no good... again.

Alison looked away, her face flushing as he wiped a tear from her face that she hadn't noticed. She was oddly comforted by his gesture, but again, she was embarrassed. She never let herself get like this; she was usually the rebellious independent girl who tried desperately not to betray her emotions, and she supposed she retained some of that even though she was a mess at the moment. She looked back to him as he suggested they go back to his cabin and she nodded, her face lightening.

"You may want to do that, but I don't think that the girls over there mind so much," she spoke, tilting her head toward the posse of giggling girls across the way. Her face reddened slightly, but not so much that it was perceptible. She took another breath, feeling better as he offered her his assistance. She needed to be busy right now. They entered the cabin and Alison graciously accepted her chair, taking his book once he'd put on a proper shirt and propping her paper up atop it. Most of the questions were simple, name, date of birth, and she breezed through them easily, but once they got to the more complicated, provocative questions Alison started to have difficulty. Most aspects of her legal documentation she'd had memorized, like her social security number, but there was certain information she couldn't provide, including that of her foster parents. Was she even supposed to do that, anymore? She glanced back up to the "Parent/Legal Guardian" slot, which she'd left blank.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked, looking to Will as if he'd know. He might. Once again she felt helpless, left to rely on someone she barely knew, though he was probably a good person to have to rely on. It disconcerted her. She found herself growing anxious once more and she took a breath, loosening her grip on her pen.

--

"Well, you won't have to worry about that now," Riley spoke softly as she pressed herself against him. There was a sort of remorse in his voice, like he had lost something from his childhood, and he had. "But again, I think it's for the better. Even if I was physically perfect, I don't think I'd want to go through war after everything demigod related. It's too much, you know. And there are things, people who I wouldn't want to leave behind. Take my sister, for example," he spoke, gazing down at her and pointedly excluding her from his words, even though he clearly wouldn't want to leave her again, not at the moment and probably not for a long while.

Riley caught the look on Salone's face and quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head down so their foreheads nearly touched. "What?" he asked, a smile playing on the edges of his lips.

William snorted something that sounded suspiciously along the lines of 'Stupid Afros' but one couldn't be too sure. He looked at her forms she had just filled out.
"You're going to need a guardian signature but I think we may be able to get those when Danni get's back."
He itched his arm and looked over the papers. "You're going to have to write an essay for the scholarship bit."
He noticed her tense up and he pulled the pen out of her fingers, "Ok, break time. You can raid our mini fridge."
She had been sitting there for about an hour.
***
Salone smiled slightly and kissed him softly, "You're adorable and very easy to read, you know that?"
She tucked her head under the crook of his chin and inhaled his scent, a thought struck her.
"Aren't you a bit worried at the shenanigans Alison could be getting into with Danni leaving her all alone?" Salone asked, arching an eyebrow. Her bangs fell slightly into her face and she blew them out of the way.

"Alright," Alison said, nodding and letting him take her pen away from her even though she was determined to get through the paperwork. Hopefully, all would go smoothly. She knew she'd probably have to call Mrs. Murphy again, even though she was dreading it. She scoffed lightly as he warned her of the essay.

"God, the essay is the least of my worries," she responded, getting up and grabbing a bottle of iced tea from the fridge. Alison was actually an excellent writer, though she wasn't very well-recognized. She didn't share a lot of her creative pieces with many people, but she was talented. She knew what to write and how to write it, and putting things together was a piece of cake. Apparently, she didn't suffer from the dyslexia issue that many demigods had. She took a sip of her tea, sifting through the paperwork. She'd gotten through most of it, save for certain technical portions that involved information Mrs. Murphy would have and the scholarship forms. She skimmed through the essay topic out of curiosity.

Write about your favorite color. What is its significance?

Oh god, that one was dumb.

Write about a time when you've had to endure hardship. How did you get through it?

Well, that one was out. "I got kidnapped by a medical organization who wanted to harvest my DNA!" What a fantastic essay idea. The next few topics were also dumb, but slightly more appealing.

Write about your favorite book. What about it is so entreating?

What do you wish to accomplish in your high school years?

Compose an allegoric story involving a spoon, a purple hamster and a boy who suffers from a permanent case of the hiccups.

Alison couldn't help but laugh. "Well... this will certainly be interesting," she spoke, smirking slightly.

"Obviously, someone has a lot of time on their hands... this is almost offensive, actually."

--

Riley leaned in to kiss her, grinning as she pulled away and wondering not for the first time how the hell he'd even convinced her to get back together with him after what he'd done. It didn't matter though, as he was entirely happy at the moment and that wasn't about to change. "I know I'm easy to read," he said, holding her to him gently. With his luck, he might just fall over backwards on his still unsteady prosthetic. She looked up to him after a moment and spoke, and what she said struck him by surprise. He hadn't really been thinking of Alison while he was out here, and he felt a slight pang of guilt at having forgotten about her. They'd been away for a while, and while Alison could fend for herself he had barely even shown her camp, which he promised he would do.

"Now that you mention it, I am," Riley said, his mouth quirking up into an amused half-smile. "I told her I would show her around, but I kind of got distracted," he said, looking pointedly down at Salone and laughing.

"I should probably go make sure she's settled, though, and that Danielle hasn't taken advantage of her or turned her into a cold hard killer," he said with a small shrug, still looking entertained by the idea.