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Post by pallas on Jul 7, 2024 22:36:41 GMT
Chiara had been up in the library, pulling one of her occasional all-nighters. No, it probably wasn’t good for her, but if there was any chance it might prove to be good for the people stuck in the exiled base she would take that deal. She was in the library so often that it was no surprise that Echo knew she had a decent chance of finding her there, awake. It wasn’t difficult for Chiara to ascertain that the girl had been struggling with nightmares - it was an easily anticipated consequence of what Echo had been through.
Chiara didn’t know why Echo had sought her out, since there were others Echo was a lot closer with. Perhaps it was just convenient because Chiara was awake. But regardless, Chiara was kind and patient with her. Let Echo take her walking around the pantheon, which actually was very pleasant. It was a gentle companionship between them, and she hoped she was able to provide Echo with some comfort.
But that was when they spotted the light from the portal room. Chiara’s heart quickened at the sight, a sudden rush of anticipation. Good or bad she did not know, but there was hope in it. Echo had released her and taken off towards the room, and Chiara followed in hot pursuit. They couldn’t really be home, could they? Was it some sort of trick?
She entered the room moments after Echo to be greeted with the sight of Jason and Theo. They didn’t look good, but they were alive. They were alive and safe. She gasped when she laid eyes on then, but hung back to let Echo hug and greet them before she stepped forward to greet them herself. It took all her effort to walk to them rather than crossing the room at a run. There was not often she felt this emotional.
She hugged Theo first, the boy who’d called himself a brother to her and Luka. The boy that at first she had thought she would never understand, with them being so different. But she did understand him, she really did. And she saw so much kindness in him. It was perhaps a slightly lopsided hug, with the grip from her injured arm being weaker than that of her uninjured arm, but she was too happy to feel self conscious about it.
”Theo,” she greeted, her voice wobbling and so quiet it was barely above a whisper, ”you brave, foolish, good-hearted idiot.” She couldn’t put into words how much she’d missed him, but the relief and emotion was rolling off her in waves. She hoped he understood how happy she was to see him.
Then she hugged Jason next. Her library buddy, whose measured and insightful presence she’d always enjoyed so much. She’d been worried about him, despite the fact that she knew how capable and smart he was. She’d never doubted him for a second, but she had been concerned for him.
”I’m so glad you’re alright.” she said to Jason, though she caught Theo’s eye when she said it so he knew she meant it for him too, before turning her gaze back to Jason. ”It really hasn’t been the same without you in the library.”
After greeting both boys, she stepped back a little. What to do now? The others should know they were back, but would the boys want the whole circus around them when they’d barely stepped foot back in? Either way, first priority was making sure they were alright before informing anyone else of their return.
”Are you both okay? I think it would be better if we get you to Medbay for now…” she suggested, glancing at both boys and at Echo to see what she thought. It seemed the most sensible decision; neither boy really looked okay and it seemed sensible that a healer look them over as a priority.
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by Leo/ Clundy on Jul 8, 2024 2:24:38 GMT
Jason stumbled through the portal and heard it close behind him. He sighed heavily are the familiar sounds of the pantheon. tall ceilings where you could just barely hear a gentle wind pass through each doorway. Not like the cold harsh winds in the exile base mixed with the buzzing of black fly wings. It felt warmer too.
Like home.
He didn't recognize the first person that hugged him at first. But guessing on height and lack of talking he took a educated guess and said it was Echo. He sighed heavily and held onto her tightly happy that she was back home too. That she was safe and still moving around.
He knew Echo and Daniel had made it home but couldn't really believe it till he saw it for himself. Or at least felt for right now.
Then he heard Chiara next to him talking to Theo and them coming to hug him. He assumed her arm was still messed up because he only felt one arm around him when he hugged her back.
He smiled softly and relaxed a little in her embrace. "Trust me I missed reading," he muttered. Though she was mentioning getting him and Theo to medbay and he tensed again shaking his head.
"Mmmm no. Not yet and Pascal or Lucien can fight me about it," Jason started a bit of an edge to his voice. With the info he got and the info that Luka gave him they didn't have the luxury of waiting in case Jason's mind decided it wanted to start suppressing the experience against his will.
"I need to speak to the remaining leaders right now. What time is it? Doesn't matter," He spoke quickly and started moving around Chiara with his hands slightly away from him to feel any nearby surroundings just in case.
"Stay with Theo. Please," He called to Chiara behind him as he walked. "Echo can you get River, Lucien, and Dillon? And I'll go get Cleo. Great. Break," He finished as he made it to the door way.
Before he could fully escape the room, he misjudged the placement of the doorway and bumped his shoulder into the door frame before turning the corner and disappearing.
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Post by Nari on Jul 8, 2024 15:24:53 GMT
Stepping back into the Pantheon after the weeks he’d been gone was surreal. The date on Gwen’s phone told him it was the 8th of December, and he was sent to the Exiled base on the 22nd. Around 2 weeks at least. Though with the days he spent in agony, feeling as if his stomach were being ripped apart inside out, how he could barely keep food down because of how ill he felt, it genuinely felt like more time had passed.
A darker part of himself grimaced at the fact the others survived a whole month of that, but he could barely last half that time. It was so much, too much, but it was over, right? Not yet.
His thoughts were pushed aside when their presence was noticed. Echo and Chiara. He felt the younger girl wrap him into a hug with Jason and he couldn’t help but force a smile.
“Glad you’re doing better,” he said before she released him, and he was suddenly hugged by Chiara. It was unusual for her and he’d blink a little in shock. When she started saying they should head to the medbay, he turned his eyes back to where they came from.
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t. He looked ill, ragged, and was noticeably bonier. Still wearing that stained sweater. The only thing that looked healthy was his hair, and even that looked like it lost some shine. “I’m waiting for Luka and Laurie to come through.”
He paid little mind to Jason stepping away and pushing himself further than he should. Instead, Theo just sat down on the floor and stared at the wall for the portal to open again.
“They’ll be here any minute,” he mumbled under his breath.
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Post by pallas on Jul 8, 2024 16:52:29 GMT
Both boys refused Chiara’s offer for them to go to Medbay. She couldn’t say she necessarily agreed with the decision; she certainly didn’t believe Theo when he said he was okay. One look at him told her a very different story. But it was their decision to make, after all, and she couldn’t force them to go. Besides, Jason was so eager to see the leaders that she figured there must be a good reason and she wasn’t going to argue with him.
”Alright,” she agreed with a nod. If they did need medical care she’d leave that for Pascal and Lucien to discuss with them. She watched Jason leave, followed by Echo. Hopefully the girl would also get Irene, since Jason didn’t yet know that she was back.
The least Chiara could do was obey Jason’s instructions to stay with Theo. She was happy to do so, anyway. She’d missed her friend.
She had hoped to maybe get some decent food into him or something, but Theo very quickly made it clear that he had no intention of going anywhere. He sat on the floor, declaring that Luka and Laurie would be following at any minute. Chiara had no way of knowing if he was right or not, but it became clear that Theo wasn’t moving anytime soon. So, Chiara just sat down and settled herself on the floor beside him. If he was waiting, she would wait with him. ”Okay, we’ll wait here a while,” the blonde responded patiently.
She couldn’t get a proper meal into him, but she could at least offer him something to eat. Because she had a habit of forgetting to eat when she was stuck in a study session in the library, she often carried snacks with her just in case. So she reached into her pocket, producing a snack bar and holding it out to Theo in a silent offering. If he didn’t accept it she wouldn’t make a big deal, but ideally she really did want him to eat something.
”What would be best for you right now?” Chiara asked. ”It’s up to you if and how much you want to talk about everything. I can sit in silence with you if that’s what you want, or we can just chat about anything else but that place.”
She wanted this conversation to be under his control. The girl was painfully aware that it was Luka who was a fun conversation partner, not her. But if she could be there for him in some way right now, she would.
If he wanted to talk about what he went through, she would listen. But she’d never ask him to share what he went through if she wasn’t sure he was willing to volunteer it. She wanted him to know there was no pressure.
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Jul 8, 2024 18:13:09 GMT
Echo smiled when Theo commented about her feeling better, a sad look in her eyes, but a smile none-the-less. She was surprised to see Jason back and immediately starting in on business. Then again, that made sense for Jason.
When Jason instructed her to get the other leaders, she nodded. She turned back for a moment, to make sure Chiara and Theo would be fine, but then she turned and ran off down the hall.
She went first to the Greek Wing, running by doors until she skidded to a stop by one bearing a symbol of Ares. She frantically knocked at the door then, because Jason seemed to be in a hurry, and whatever was going on required immediate attention. River would be able to help her get the others. She couldn't explain what was going on to anyone, and he was someone who wouldn't look for an explanation to being woken up at such an early time, or late, depending on your take.
Plus, Lucien and Dillon were in this same hall. Irene wasn't, not anymore, but they could run by the Norse Wing to get her. Without waiting for River to even open his door, she ran down to Lucien's, knocking frantically, before going over to Dillon's and doing the same.
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Post by pallas on Jul 8, 2024 18:50:23 GMT
In response to the knocking on Lucien’s door, the muffled sounds of stirring could be heard followed after a short delay by footsteps heading towards the door. The blond pulled it open, clearly having only just woken up. His hair was sticking up a little, though he ran his hand through it to tame the worst of it, and his eyes were bleary. However, given the threats of the recent months, it was clear he was also still a little on alert. There was a tension in the seventeen-year-old, set across his shoulders. And his gaze sharpened with concern and dread when he opened his door to see that Echo was already knocking on Dillon’s door too.
Something must be urgent for her to be waking up the leaders.
”What’s going on, Echo?” Lucien asked with some concern. Before Echo could give him any response or indication of what was going on, Dillon’s door opened. The other boy looked tired but less like he’d freshly been woken up, so Lucien was willing to bet he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep that night. They all had those nights sometimes.
”Is something wrong?” Dillon looked between Lucien and Echo with concern and question registering in equal measure in his expression, but all Lucien could do was give him a helpless look in return to indicate that he had as much idea of what was happening as Dillon did before returning his attention to Echo in the hope she’d direct them all to where they were needed.
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by Leo/ Clundy on Jul 8, 2024 19:25:01 GMT
Jason managed to navigate his way back to the Egyptian wing successfully. He counted the doors as he touched them, remembering the distance between his room and their's. Oh how he desperately wanted to go to his room and sleep in the familiar linen's. Feel the gentle glow of his lamps that allowed him to read at night when he couldn't sleep."Cleo!" He called as he pounded on their door. He leaned against the door frame. Exhaustion was starting to catch up with him and he was starting to feel both hungry and nauseous. "Hey, I need you to come with me."~~~~~~ River opened his door groggily. Looking completely disheveled with his hair sticking up in several places. He blinked his furrowed his brow when he saw who was standing at his door before she ran off to knock on another. "Echo?"He watched her knock specifically on Lucien and Dillon's doors. So this was a leader thing that was happening right now. Alright.Rubbing his face and grabbing a jacket, he pulled it on and closed his door behind him. Waving to the other boys to follow, River started moving towards the meeting room out of assumption. Echo would correct him if he was wrong."Come on. Obviously something happened."
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Jul 8, 2024 19:59:08 GMT
Cleo was awaken by the sound of frantic knocking and a voice that they were sure was a figment of their imagination. After all. Jason was gone.
That's it, they thought, solemnly as the shoved their head deeper into their pillow, I'm losing my fucking mind.
Well, it was going to happen sooner or later. The freak out about that could happen in the morning.
But then it continued, and they opened their bleary eyes again, grunting slightly, "I'm coming, I'm coming," they said, lacksadaisy in getting up. Who would be getting them up at this time? Was Dillon having an issue? Did Lorenzo need help?
Wait, but, it sounded like Jason, and Jason was gone.
They moved quicker then, throwing open their door, and gasped when they did see him, rushing out into the hall in a plaid pair of black pants and a plain grey shirt. "Jason!?" They whisper-yelled, reaching out to grab his shoulder to see if he was even real, "How-What-When-How are you even here?" Still, they made to follow him. Obviously something was going on.
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Jul 8, 2024 20:07:48 GMT
Echo was relieved when the boys started making their way out. River, thankfully, didn't ask any question. But Lucien and Dillon did, and she was uncomfortable for a moment. She tried to open her mouth to explain, but all that came out was a rather painful sounding croak that had her cringing.
River took charge, but he was heading in the wrong direction. Narrowing her eyes, she walked over to River, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket, and tugging him behind her. Then she glared back, pointing at the two other boys then herself.
Follow me.
Then she started tugging River again. Towards the Norse Wing. She passed Haleema's abandoned room and Luka's vacant one, and knocked on the one bearing the symbol of Thor. Irene's.
It was frantic, non-stop knocking. Echo was put on a mission, and her mission she would complete.
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Post by pallas on Jul 8, 2024 20:19:50 GMT
Lucien felt bad when his and Dillon’s questioning had led to Echo trying to speak, which was clearly painful for her at the moment. He looked apologetic and was just about to tell her it was okay and not to strain herself when River took charge.
He evidently went the wrong way because Echo soon redirected him, but there were also clear instructions for everybody to follow. Still thoroughly confused, Lucien ducked inside his room to grab a hoodie to throw on before catching up with Dillon, River and Echo. He’d considered grabbing his bow, which Apollo had already replaced for him, just in case but he assumed if it was that kind of important leader issue Echo would’ve given them some sort of indication of that.
He pulled the hoodie over his head as the group navigated their way out of the Greek wing and toward the Norse wing, presumably to grab Irene. His prediction proved to be correct as they stopped outside of the newest occupied room in the Norse wing. Lucien leaned against the wall opposite the door while Echo knocked on it, Dillon standing nearby a couple of steps behind River and Echo.
The door to Chiara’s room further down the corridor was slightly ajar, telling him that Chiara was probably awake and out in the library pulling one of her little study sessions.
”Irene!” Dillon called, just to support Echo’s knocking. If Chiara was awake, after all, there was nobody else on the corridor to risk waking up.
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CHARACTER PROFILE IMAGE CREDIT: ElenaA via Picrew
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Post by pallas on Jul 9, 2024 9:36:49 GMT
THE MORNING OF THE 9TH NOVEMBER THE EXILED BASE
Laurie had known that Luka had intended to free the boys the night before, and was going to put her plan into action to get her hands on their keys. He’d been aware of Ripley getting up, and from the moment he left had been terrified for Luka. He’d prayed, silently, to whoever might listen that Luka would succeed in her mission. And that after that, she’d come find him quickly to minimise the danger for both of them.
He became more and more worried as the shadows shifted and the dark gave way to dawn. But morning came, and he’d heard nothing from Luka. The radio silence concerned him.
His only solution was to head out into the base as if this were a normal morning, as if he knew nothing of Luka’s plan, and maybe try and find any signs of what might have happened. It was clear from the commotion around the base that morning that the boys had in fact actually been freed, a move that was dangerous for both him and Luka and would put them both under suspicion. Getting to safety afterwards had been vital for their plan. So what of the rest of the plan? What had happened to Luka?
It didn’t take him too long to find something.
He smelled the burned smell first in the hall, an acrid scent that hit the back of his throat. That already had dread seeping icily through him, but then he laid eyes on it. A piece of black fabric on the floor. The boy approached, bending to pick it up. A piece of black cloth, stained with what had to be blood. It was dry, but he could still smell the tang of it.
He knew he could no longer deny then that Luka’s strategy hadn’t gone to plan. She’d hoped to get it all done without any struggle or fighting, ideally. And he had a horrible feeling about how wrong this had gone. He was terrified for Luka now, and also very aware of what this going wrong could also mean for him.
If he got any blame for the boys going missing, if he couldn’t somehow convince Ripley that he’d known nothing about Luka’s plan and had nothing to do with it, he was in a kind of trouble he didn’t think he could get out of. He wouldn’t last long if those accusations got thrown at him.
But mostly, he just felt a crashing wave of guilt. It seemed that Luka had gotten hurt - and perhaps worse - because of him. To get him out. If he hadn’t told her to focus on the boys first, perhaps it could’ve been different. She wouldn’t have had to do things the way she had, under time pressure because of the boys being gone. If he hadn’t been such a coward, maybe it all would’ve gone okay.
He just had to pray that Luka was alright. Maybe she’d still succeeded in getting the keys and was just injured. Maybe she was hiding somewhere in the base until all the commotion died down. He didn’t know, but until he had more information there wasn’t much he could do.
______
Gwen was going to be in so much trouble.
She’d discovered at the end of her watch that the boys were gone. She hadn’t understood how the boys had gotten out, as they couldn’t go out one way without risking Fenrir and they couldn’t have gone out the other without meeting her. And nobody could’ve brought in their keys without her seeing them either.
But she knew the boys hadn’t escaped on their own. They couldn’t have, not without at least someone bringing them their keys. And it was obvious to her who the suspects were for letting them out. Luka or Laurie were the obvious candidates. Luka she was especially suspicious of, as the girl had made her lack of loyalties very clear. She was smart, she was sneaky, and Gwen had never trusted her from the beginning. Laurie… Ripley would insist he was loyal to their cause and he had him under control but Gwen still questioned whether Ripley’s little lamb was entirely as docile and obedient as he seemed to think. He obeyed, certainly, but his loyalties seemed half-hearted. Ripley’s rule of fear may not be enough.
Worse, Gwen had gone to contact the boys to raise the alarm about this only to remember that she’d forgotten her phone while on watch. But when she headed to her room - raising the alarm around the base as she went so at least word would spread - she’d found that the phone wasn’t there either, where she’d assumed she had left it.
Well, the only other place she might have left it was in the leaders’ meeting room. Besides, with the prisoners gone she and the boys would need to have an emergency meeting anyway, presumably, to discuss what they were going to do about this whole mess.
She tried not to think about how afraid she was at how they’d react to the prisoners escaping under her watch.
So Gwen headed to the meeting room. She pushed the door open, but stopped halfway into entering the room when she laid eyes on the scene.
What seemed to be a crown lay on the floor of the room, seemingly having fallen to the ground. The burnished metal reflected the blood which lay around it. Gwen stepped into the room, approaching the object and picking it up. She didn’t recognise it, but she could feel Ceto reacting in the back of her head. Whatever this was, it was a powerful object. A godly object.
The Dane’s attention then returned to the blood on the floor, which she noted seemed to form a trail moving towards the door. She didn’t know what exactly had happened here, but it was obvious that there’d been a fight. Some sort of struggle and someone, injured, had made their way to the door.
What the hell had happened last night?
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Post by Nari on Jul 9, 2024 18:38:10 GMT
There was a pounding at Irene’s door, and she muttered out a groan in confusion. She tried to wrap her head around what reason someone would have to be making so much noise at this hour. Not for anything good was her first assumption.
She rolled herself out of bed and threw a bathrobe over her shoulders. Her feet met the slippers next to her bed, and she snatched a lamp from her nightstand before berraling at the door. When she opened it she looked ready for a fight, and was understandably shocked at the group standing in the hallway.
Echo, Lucien, River, Dillon. Echo seemed to be leading the charge and looked ecstatic about something. She stared at them, puzzled, ignoring her aching wounds from her sudden activity, “uh, what’s going on here?”
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Post by Leo/ Clundy on Jul 14, 2024 18:16:13 GMT
Jason let go of a breath he was holding when Cleo did open the door. He was afraid he'd maybe miscalculated where Cleo's room was. Guess his memory of how to get around the house was still good.
Standing up straighter when they opened the door and fretted over them, Jason shook his head and started backing up. "I'll explain that when everyone is together. Come on," he insisted urgently.
He didn't want to get a confirmation, he just turned and quickly made his way back to the meeting room area. Bumping into furniture and things as he went.
~~~~~~ River let Echo take the lead, surrendering to her direction and letting himself be dragged along by her. She made her way to the Norse wing of the house and for a moment River forgot why. Right Irene was in the Norse wing now. Echo knocked on the door and waited fo Irene to answer. And when she did she looked ready to fight. Understandable. It was the middle of the night. At her question, River shrugged deeply and rubbed the side of his face with his free hand. "Leader shit i'm guessing," he answered tiredly. Then he gestured for Echo to continue pulling them in a direction. "Lead the way, Echo."Before he could really be dragged away, River leaned over to Irene and lowered his voice to a hush. "Five bucks Cleo is dragging us out of bed," he grumbled with a tired look.
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Post by 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕪 on Jul 14, 2024 22:21:43 GMT
Cleo was still confused, but chose not to press the matters anymore. How did Jason get back? Where was Theodore and Luka? Were they back too? What about Laurie?
They bit their tongue, however, and took off after the boy. When they noticed him running into things, they thought about trying to help guide him, but he obviously had a set path in mind.
It became clear soon. And they weren't the only one there. Echo had also lead a group to the same hallway, and when they got there, Cleo looked between the other leaders, opening their mouth to speak, but before they could, Echo pushed into another room. As the group followed, they came upon Chiara and Theo.
Cleo gasped themselves, one hand in front of their mouth as they stepped forward, almost as if they couldn't believe it.
They looked between the two returned Champions, their eyes wide, "...How?" They started, looking between everyone in the room, "I-I don't understand."
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Post by Nari on Jul 17, 2024 16:00:12 GMT
Irene’s brow creased into a brow as River spoke, and rolled her eyes at the thought this whole thing could be somehow Cleo’s doing. She leaned back over, keeping her voice low as well, “if it is, then Echo is way too excited for boring shit.” The Champion of Ma’at was too straightforward to send someone else to gather everyone together. None of this seemed like typical leader stuff if there was no booming announcement telling all the leaders to meet in the meeting room.
When they entered the portal room, the woman’s jaw gaped. Cleo and Chiara were already there, but among them was the missing Theo sitting on the floor staring at the wall, and-
“Jason!” Irene couldn’t hold herself back and she rushed over to the boy, wrapping him in a tight and rough hug.
“You- grrr I knew you wouldn’t be gone long,” she shook, her voice pained. Her injuries ached as she did this, but she didn’t care. They were back and that’s all that mattered.
Meanwhile, Theo barely turned his head to look at the group as they entered before he went back to what he was doing. It was apparent he didn’t want to look at the lot of them, or else he’d feel some kind of emotion.
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