[IRIS MESSAGE: Saturday, May 25th]

[serenesuccessor]

[Naomi's standing in front of her weed-covered cabin desperately hoping she sent out an Irish Message properly. Fiddling with the hem of her orange camp shirt she looks over her shoulder at the cabin before looking into the rainbow. She's doing her best to stay strong, but it's clear she's frazzled with tears just waiting to fall. Anna's gone on a quest (which admittedly sounds like an awful lot of fun), and none of the other Demeter kids have arrived, so it's up to Naomi to fix this mess.]

U-Um. I donno what happened but my cabins covered in weeds a-and I know that's not something that's s'pose to happen...

[She bites her lip.]

I know everybody's got their own problems going on but... Um, help? I-I'll pay you back! Promise!

Comments

[againstallodds]

-You know what let's just see if we can get these weeds to go away.

[Athena really doesn't like him, okay. For quite a lot of reasons. That are rather complicated. And don't really make a lot of sense to him. Come on Athena, he's saved your butt how many times now?]

[But Percy's brought a bucket with him from the Poseidon cabin, and that bucket is full of water. How's that going to help, exactly? Well, give it a second and she'll find out.]

So I can never tell which plants you guys want up there and which you want to get rid of. Think you can tell me?

[serenesuccessor]

[She doesn't really notice that Percy side-stepped her question. Turning to look at the cabin she bites her lip.

It doesn't look nearly as bad as when she sent out the Iris Message - mostly thanks to other campers coming to help - but it's still a mess.]

Ummmm, I really like those?

[She points to the hydrangea struggling to survive among the weeds, mostly because she has not idea what the actual name for them is.]

What's the bucket for?

[againstallodds]

[And he gives a smile at her question.] You'll see.

[And he can at least tell the flowers are supposed to be there, because, y'know, flowers, so presumably the weeds choking the bush are not. So Percy gets down to business - he holds a hand out, over the bucket, and as he concentrates a stream of water rises from the bucket like a hose (but without the hose). Another wave of his hand and it's moving forward, the tip of the water-rope diving into the ground beneath the weeds, starting to move through the soil in a circular pattern. He uses the small current it creates to yank the roots of the weeds out of the soil and make them fall over so they can just be picked up when it's all done.]

[serenesuccessor]

[She tilts her head, puffing out one cheek and completely confused as to what he means. Then she watches him, her eyes going wide as the water rises out of the bucket. She continues watching in utter awe until it's all done, and then she just turns to look at Percy.]

Super. Hero.

[No. Seriously Percy. No changing her mind now. You are a superhero.]

[againstallodds]

Nah, not more than any other half-blood - have you tried using your powers yet?

[Considering she's a child of Demeter, she should have some grasp of plant-power.]

[serenesuccessor]

I only really used it one against the gorgon...

[She frowns, scratching the back of her head.]

I've tried though! I mean, 'm trying but it's hard with no one else around.

[againstallodds]

[He raises a hand to scratch his head - he's never had to teach powers before, but his own experience just came from instinct and, well... experience. So in theory she should be able to do stuff just on instinct, right?]

I'm not a Demeter kid, but the first stuff I did was all just because it happened. Usually I was really irritated or in danger or something and I guess that helped? But you don't have to be irritated or in danger to use them. Ummm...

[He'll glance over the mess of plants, and finds one that even he can tell is a weed and points to it.]

Try that. Maybe just go over and touch it and try to will it to uproot?

[serenesuccessor]

[She gives Percy a confused look, not really understanding what he means. But she'll trust him, after all she did just watch him control water.]

Okaaay.

[There's a bit of hesitation as she walks to the weed, looking down at it then at Percy. Biting her bottom lip she returns her attention to the weed, remembering how he held his hand out and tries mimicking that.

Her eyebrows knit together as she focuses, imagining the weed uprooting itself. Nothing happens at first, and she's tempted to give up, but she crushes that urge and focuses harder. It still takes a little while, but soon the weed is actually moving and Naomi gives a little gasp with it comes away from her cabin. Unrooted.

All she can really do is stare at it, eyes wide.]

[againstallodds]

[Water is his thing. Plants should be her thing. Demigod abilities are mostly just continuously testing your limits until you find where they end. Hopefully without sending your class swimming in a shark tank. But he just nods encouragingly when she looks back at him, waiting. And while it might be a little longer to wait than with Katie or Anna, eventually- yup, there's some movement. A grin spreads over his face as the weed slowly topples over without either of them actually yanking it up.]

See? You can do it. You just have to keep testing yourself.

[serenesuccessor]

Oh wow...

[It's the only thing she can actually say for a minute or two. Then she spins around, eyes lighting up as she rushes back over to Percy and nearly tackling him with a hug.]

Thank you!

[againstallodds]

Whoa! [He did not expect that, okay?! Meaning she actually knocks him back a couple steps. At least he doesn't go down all the way, but (with the exception of Annabeth) he's not used to girls just throwing themselves at him.]

Hey - no problem, okay? You'll learn it better from Anna or Miranda, but using demigod powers is pretty much just trying something and seeing if it works. You'll be fine.