Practice (PRIVATE WITH DRAGON)

ZEUS!!! Zephen shouted out his father's name as he ran into the battle with a single thought on his mind, saving the campers who needed saving. Just as he made it to the edge of Camp, a sword appeared out of nowhere and slid through his chest and heart. The son of Zeus collapsed in a pile of limbs as his sword fell from his hand and the shield clattered to the ground. Within minutes he was on the ground dead and the world was one less demi god.

Austin had been out of the cave last and therefore when he got out there and saw a demi god pulling his sword from Zephen's body, Austin went ballistic. The son of Nike stepped forward and his sword cut the other demi god in half before running forward with enhanced strength.

Kodee and Dallas had ran into the battle side by side with their blades aiding each other but neither of them saw Zephen fall or Austin avenge his cousin's death.

Dallas saw the incident with the arrow and suddenly he had a dark aura around himself and his swords were flashing at nearly blinding accuracy. The blades sliced through several people who tried to kill him and then the son of Hades saw Anna get stabbed in the side. His eyes blinked and rage filled them right as he leapt forward and kicked the demi god to the ground. His swords were inches from the kid's throat when Kodee suddenly pushed him aside and shook his head. By that point Kodee had seen Zephen on the ground dead and Rosie on the ground dead as well as others who were dying.

We don't need so much death right now. Just knock the kid out and continue on. Kodee moved back as Dallas nodded and slammed his fist into the boy's face. Then Dallas pulled Anna up into his arms, looking at Kodee for support. The son of Thanatos moved in unison with Dallas and started defending him. As they moved, Kodee spotted Ashley and Austin. He called out and made sure Austin saw that they were to meet them over at a hill where they could heal anyone who needed it.

Austin ran up onto the hill with his sword still drawn as Kodee and Dallas laid Anna down on the ground. He pulled the knife out of her side and quickly bandaged it before giving her a square of Ambrosia. Is everyone else alright?

Kodee smiled weakly but after the fighting had ended, his cousin's death had really sunk in with him and now the boy was nothing but a wreck as he fell to the ground. A sob escaped his throat and Kodee wrapped his arms around his legs as he curled up into a ball on the ground. Yes he had saved many lives today but at what cost and why was it seeming like there were things that were constantly going wrong. Then Kodee looked up and he saw something that made him actually bust out crying. Lying on the ground dead was Kat who had been the only person to help him when they were still unsure of who they were. His little sister was dead and the last expression she had was one of shock and she was looking at Zephen's body.

Kodee curled up even tighter and sank into a deep depression that he wasn't sure he would come out of any time soon. As Kodee fell to the ground, Austin sighed and walked over to the two Greene bodies. He picked them up and carried them to where the others were being collected. He was sad but Austin had gotten to where he accepted things without getting very upset anymore. Dallas stood there stunned because he had never expected to see Kodee so upset and Austin so withdrawn while Anna and Ashley were happy. He was just too stunned to do much of anything besides stare at the crowd.

Ashley started to go over to Kodee, but Anna stopped her.
"Ashley, let me." Their eyes locked and an understanding passed. Anna had seen more, and been through more than Ashley had, and she could understand more than Ashley could. Anna went over to Kodee and pulled him to his feet. One look at him and she knew she had her work cut out for her, but she pulled him into a hug anyways. Anna pulled away and looked into his eyes, and she smiled lightly. "C'mon." She said simply, and gripped his hand in a comforting way, and the two walked into the forest.

Kodee didn't respond in any way as Anna pulled him to his feet and into a hug that was meant to comfort him but wasn't helpful in the least bit in this situation. Most people didn't deal with losing their mother, sister, and cousin all in less than ten years time. This was one situation where Kodee would've turned to Kat but she was gone and even the thought of how she would have helped him made him cry again. Still he would have to move on or things would get bad and at the time Kodee needed to be on his best for the upcoming whatever happened in case another fight broke out. The two walked into the forest and the trees seemed to surround them as Kodee sniffled pitifully and looked up at Anna. He still couldn't say anything but maybe he wouldn't have to at the moment.

Kodee shrugged and blinked away the rest of his tears as a layer of stone covered his heart and he grew another layer of skin hypothetically. He wasn't going to mope around forever and this was the quickest way to get over things was by hardening toward the world and refusing to let the world in. There was only one thing that could reach him and make him feel happy and that was being with Ashley. She was all he cared about anymore and so if he lost her then Kodee would go insane. The son of Thanatos stood up straighter and walked toward Camp. He couldn't deal with talking about losing Kat and Zephen, much less his mom dying when they were younger.

Austin looked over at Dallas and motioned for him to walk over a ways away and talk to him quietly. When the thirteen year old did, Austin lowered his voice and spoke urgently and quickly. Kodee has lost three of his family members and now you are like his brother and best friend. Take care of him and try to comfort him like Ashley will. There are few things you can count on Kodee for but he will end his life if he feels he is alone so don't let that happen. Austin made sure Dallas knew he was serious before he walked away with his head down and his feet dragging in the dirt.

Dallas sighed and nodded as he looked up to see Kodee walk out of the trees without Anna at his side while he kept his head down just slightly. The boy was seriously upset and Dallas could tell that whatever Anna had said to him in the forest had only had a reverse effect instead of making things better. Dallas walked toward Kodee but then thought better of it and walked into the trees toward Anna who he could now see was sitting on the ground by herself with her arms wrapped around her knees. He is just upset right now but I'm sure Kodee will talk to you again sometime soon. Dallas sat down and ran his fingers over Anna's cheek lightly, brushing hair from her face and behind her ear.

Kodee looked up and saw all of the campers milling around like lost sheep while he felt like a lost soul in a crowd of random people. Just then Kodee saw something that made him gasp and choke for a second. Kat and Zephen were standing side by side smiling and waving at Kodee before pointing to themselves and then to him. They were saying that no matter what, they were always with him. This wasn't some random insane vision but was his powers at work. Kodee was able to see the dead at times but he couldn't speak to them or hear them. The boy felt fresh tears leak from his eyes but nodded and turned to go find Ashley. He walked around until finally the boy saw her just ahead. Wait, Ashley, please! His voice was ragged and so rough that it could cut through even the thickest of hearts at the moment.

Ashley turned sharply on her heel and sprinted to Kodee, before wrapping him in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Kodee." She whispered.
Anna was silent a moment. "Was it ever really going to work? I mean, I tried to have everyone get along." Her voice was a whisper is the darkening forest surrounding them, creating what some might call scary, Anna called home.

Kodee laughed half heartedly as he wrapped his arms around Ashley and held her close to him. Kat and Zephen may be dead but that doesn't mean they are gone from my life forever. They will always be with me in my heart and in my mind and that is all that really matters. Besides, I can't go and fall apart when I still have you and Anna and Dallas and Austin to hang out with. The ten year old stepped back to look into Ashley's eyes and actually smiled for real. You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.

Dallas smiled at Anna and pulled her over onto his lap and into a hug that was meant to comfort her while at the same time keep her close to him. He didn't know what to say so instead he rested his head on hers and just stopped to think about what everything meant now that Kat and Zephen were both gone. I didn't know them well but Zephen was the reason I talked to you and ended up telling you how I felt about you. Just because he's dead doesn't mean that we should just let everything fall apart. We can still be friends with all of them and since Kodee and I are now best friends after being enemies then I think it will work out.

Austin walked back toward where Zephen and Kat had died with his head down and his guitar on his back while he carried two shields that had the self designated Greene crest on them. Two more had been made and were resting on his back with the same crest. The crest was a setting sun with green plains and two soldiers, Greek and Roman, fighting. Over that was a single line in Ancient Greek that spoke of strength and loyalty from your fellow soldiers. Austin laid one of the shields over Kat's body and another over Zephen's. Then he walked to Kodee and handed the third shield to his little nephew. Now the two surviving Greene family members had shields and they matched the two shields that their lost relatives had. I had these made when you started dating Ashley and planned on giving them to everyone tonight. Now...now we can have them but it won't be the same. I want you to have Kat's after the burial and I will keep Zephen's.

((Anna must be one hell of a thief if she can take a guitar and move it over Austin's head without him noticing since he is like two and a half feet taller than her.))

Austin turned as the guitar started sounding and actually smiled before reaching out and taking the instrument back. You are good but not good enough. He moved his fingers expertly over the body of the guitar and soon the strings were playing harmoniously through the grieving and through the hearts of the living. The tune was slow and soft while it spoke of patience and mourning as well as love and joy. This was a song meant to show that while there were times where life was sad, there should also be times where everyone was happy and just leave their mourning behind. While the notes played, Austin started a softly beat against the body of the guitar that soon turned into a drum beat while he played the notes so that it became more than just a guitar solo.

Two Apollo kids walked by and saw Austin playing and instantly stopped to stare. Soon one had a violin in his hand and was adding the soft and high notes to the guitar while the other had a pair of drum sticks and was playing a percussion beat against a trash can. The courtyard had more people walking in and then there was the entire camp standing there watching as these three played a song to remember the dead but also to celebrate the living.

Anna gave him a look. "Oh really?" She said. One of her sisters brought out Annas guitar and she strummed along a moment before busting out in a guitar solo that Slash would be impressed. Her fingers danced along the neck of the guitar.

Austin chuckled and plugged in his guitar to the amp that some kid had brought out in anticipation of the concert. He had been offered to play with Slash at one point but that was about the time he had been on a mission to go to Mexico for some family emergency he had never found out about. Now that the guitar was plugged in, Austin started playing one of the most complicated guitar solos he could think of that required utter concentration from those who had played for years. Yet he was busy looking around the group and laughing while the notes were played perfectly. Some times it paid off to have been a musical genius at birth and a master guitarist by the age of ten.

Austin felt the crowd grow larger as the two began to have their battle of the bands and the rest of the musicians backed off. Even one person had pulled out a cell phone and was busy recording the whole thing as Austin and Anna played the most complicated series of chords and notes that had been composed by anyone in history. People were cheering and taking pictures as more phones began to record and Austin was certain that the videos would wind up on the internet within the next hour at the most.

Austin smirked and in like a split second Kodee and Dallas were at his side, both of them grabbing an arm. The two of the younger demi gods were small but they were strong for their size which meant they were able to pick Austin up and throw him into the air. As Austin flew into the air, Kodee disconnected the guitar from the amp and watched in awe as Seraph flew down in an arc toward the ground. Austin played quickly and soon he was flying into the air on the back of his Pegasus while pyrotechnics went off. Some Hephaestus kid had set them up and when Austin was thrown into the air, he had set them off in a pattern that showed a burning guitar from the air. Beat that!

Austin shrugged and flew to the ground where Seraph landed with a regal trot at the end before the son of Nike jumped from the back of the Pegasus and landed on his feet lightly. There are many things I could do to show my talent but I have already done that and... Just then a daughter of Aphrodite ran up to him and started shouting about something that he couldn't understand. Finally she stopped and spoke reasonably calmer. "A recording label wants you two to play for them and maybe you will land a record deal with them. Oh and an agent for Slash just called and said he heard you were playing again, Austin. He wants both you and Anna to go play with him soon." The girl giggled and ran off when Austin winked at her and then turned back to Anna with a smirk.