(no subject)

[ensared]

[ Rainbows seem kind of impractical, if you ask Gale. Quicker than the messengers they'd used in New Rome, at least, but there's so much that could go wrong with these IMs. If you're hunting when you get one, you could kiss your prey goodbye. What if you're in a life or death situation that relies on stealth? Good luck getting out of that one. What if you just so happen to be taking a bath - or if you're in any other sort of compromising situation - when someone decides it's time to sit down for a nice chat? And on top of all that, you have to hope there's a rainbow nearby, or you can't even send your message.

All in all, he prefers the messengers. There's less risk involved, as far as he's concerned. So when this IM goes out, he's looking rather unimpressed with it. ]

So. Camp Half-Blood, huh. Nice place, I guess.

[ Not as nice as New Rome, even if he didn't get to see the nicer parts of it very often. It's still better than what he and his family had, being on the poorer side of the Fifth Cohort. ]

But you can't stay here forever, right? Where do you go when you leave? How do you expect to keep your families safe outside of these borders?

[ As he mentions families, his expression darkens. Gale still hasn't found his own family. But he keeps silent on that end, bottling the anger and frustration up and letting it simmer for a while longer. He'll find them, no matter what. And when he does...

After a moment of silence, he shakes his head almost imperceptibly and continues. ]

I know I can't be the only one from the Fifth left. Has anyone else made it here?

Comments

[ IM ]

[annieisntokay]

We're supposed to stay here, now, [Annie explains. She's sitting on her own bunk in Cabin 3, though she pretty much runs the whole place right now, with Percy on a quest.]

All of the Pantheons brought together... Working together... But, uhm, when people leave... I don't know. I haven't really asked. We had New Rome. I think.. Gabriel Novak is talking about making a place like that, for us. Here. [She chews on her bottom lip. This is a lot of talking for her. But, well, she is a centurion.]

But I don't know much about it.

There are a few others from the Fifth. Most of us are here... Some still trickle in... Sorry. I'm probably talking too much.

IM

[eye_of_isis]

Yeah, that's what my question was when I got here and learned that you Romans had a town but the Greeks didn't. Bit unfair, if you ask me, but one of the Greeks is making plans to start building a place.

[ensared]

[ Okay, so this one's neither Greek or Roman. What were those other pantheons the centaur told him about? ]

Right. And you're... Norse?

[eye_of_isis]

[She makes a face and Gale can hear a baboon screech in the background. Khufu is unamused]

Egyptian, thanks. I'm Sadie.

[ensared]

[ Shit. If he'd known Crazy Annie was here, he wouldn't have broadcasted that part about families. That's insensitive, even for him, and he knows it. ]

I saw the praetors around. Not many people from the Fifth.

We should help them build it.

[ Seriously, he is all for it. Especially with these Greeks being more... individualized than the Legion, with less emphasis on reputation and who your parents are. Gale likes that. ]

[ensared]

[ He raises an eyebrow at the sound. What in the name of Olympus was that? He's been in the woods for the past few months and nothing out there makes that noise. ]

Funny. You don't look Egyptian.

[ He doesn't mean to be rude, honest. ]

Gale, legacy of Invidia from the Fifth Cohort.

[eye_of_isis]

Yeah, funny story about that. Turns out after several hundred or so generations, people tend to not look like their ancestors. Technically, I'm American though I consider myself English but I thought you wanted to know which group of gods were mine so I left that bit out.

[Sorry Gale.]

In-who?

[annieisntokay]

[Yeah. She didn't exactly have a family to protect anymore. Neptune could take care of himself, as could Percy, if you counted him. But she doesn't assume it was anything cruel.]

I'm sorry.

[She nods.] I think it'd be nice. So you can keep your family safe, and the others can, too. [She was starting to have suspicions about what exactly had gotten her family. Maybe if she'd brought them to New Rome, though would have been safe... At the thought, she starts to play with the ends of her hair.]

You have younger siblings, right?

[ensared]

Nothing to be sorry about. [ His voice is gruff, covering up his guilt at making such a stupid mistake. His mother would smack him if she knew. ]

Three. Two brothers, one sister. Rory just started in the Legion; he's still on probatio. [ He gets quiet after that, still bothered that he doesn't know where they are or what's happened to them. He should still be out there, looking. ]

[ensared]

[ You're not impressing anybody with that snark, Sadie. ]

You'd think after so many generations, the bloodline would be so diluted that it wouldn't matter anymore and you'd just be a normal mortal. [ Exhibit A: legacies that are considerably weaker than their predecessors. ]

Invidia, the goddess of revenge.

[eye_of_isis]

You'd think, but apparently since magicians aren't descended from gods, just pharaohs, it makes a difference. Don't ask me.

So what does all that revenge goddess mess involve?

[annieisntokay]

Oh. Right. [She offers a weak smile that doesn't quite meet her eyes, and vanishes almost immediately.]

Rory. I think I saw him at Jupiter. He's... 12, isn't he? [Wouldn't Briley be around that age now? She can hardly remember.] I'm sure he's okay, Gale.

[notagraveman]

I figure my family's pretty good at keeping themselves safe on their own. 'sides, horse-man said monsters and such are attracted to demigods, right? So they're safer without us around.

[ensared]

[ This girl - Gale doesn't understand her, though it's becoming clear why they pick on her.

He nods. ]

Twelve, yeah. But I'm not worried about him; he can take care of himself. [ At least Rory has some training from the Legion. The two youngest don't even have that. ]

[ensared]

[ He just. Raises an eyebrow. ] It could make sense. I've heard people say the gods don't have DNA like mortals do.

[ Shrug. ] Exactly what it sounds like, I guess. Holding grudges, getting revenge, fighting injustice. [ All listed with a slightly sarcastic tone. ] And they say we're supposed to have some kind of bloodlust.

[eye_of_isis]

Oh, sounds fun. Remind me not to let Khufu play you in basketball.

[A screech from the baboon off screen]

[ensared]

They're not mortals. They're legacies too, so whether I'm around or not doesn't matter. Monsters will still find them.

[ensared]

[ Now both eyebrows are raised. ]

Who gets that worked up over basketball?

[eye_of_isis]

Baboons.

[ensared]

[ Wha - okay, you know what? He's not going to ask. The Legion has an elephant, anyway. ]

Right. I'll try to steer clear of the basketball courts, then.

[eye_of_isis]

I wouldn't insult the Lakers either, just in case. Khufu is touchy.

[unstinting]

Most of our families are safer when we're gone, at least for us Greeks. We don't usually have legacies like the Romans. I think the situation's probably similar for the Norse and the Egyptians.

[He worries about his guardian, though- Delaunay is as much a demigod as he is.]

As for leaving... the last time it was tried en masse, at the end of summer holidays, we had a bit of trouble.

[ensared]

Legacies attract just as many monsters as demigods, and there's three of them.

[ Consider him intrigued about what happened. ]

What kind of trouble?

[unstinting]

You must be worried about them. I'm sorry.

[He sighs.]

All the campers who tried to go home at the end of summer vacation were kidnapped. We had to mount a rescue operation.

[ensared]

I don't even know if they survived the destruction at Camp Jupiter. Yes, I'm worried.

How exactly did they manage to kidnap half a camp of demigods?