take me out -- private

Subject: take me out -- private Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:09 pm

Ethan Stark
| The sun was high in the afternoon sky, but the air was still damp with cold. The cold was similar to that of autumns in Iowa, but for Ethan the seasons were hardly comparable. He couldn't feel the grease on his hands from working on the combine (which never worked anyways); he couldn't smell the cornfields right outside his doorstep. Camp Half Blood had yet to feel like the demigod's home, even after two years of continuous residence.

Audible breaths and the scent of sweat was welcome; it comforted Ethan to know that despite the large city miles out, people still worked hard here. He knew that people worked hard everywhere, but it had been engraved in his head long ago that if your hands weren't dirty at the end of the day, you hadn't worked. Right about now Ethan's hands weren't particularly dirty, but they were very calloused from his extensive trials on the climbing wall. The demigod actually hated climbing. But he was not a good climber, and he needed to get better. So he had, and thus: callouses.

Ethan had been told that training was probably optional for him, because of his parentage. He couldn't help but feel offended by these comments. He liked working. It gave him a sense of accomplishment, even if he hadn't accomplished much. The arena was full of campers of all shapes and sizes at this time, and it made him uncomfortable. Ethan knew their eyes weren't on him, but it felt like it. He could feel their gazes burning into the back of his skull, watching his every move and critiquing them.

His skin itched under his worn tee shirt as he took another swing at the training dummy. Hephaestus children had created awfully life-like dummies, but they didn't react the same as a person. Ethan wouldn't know, honestly, but real skill came from experience. Running a hand through his dusty blonde curls, the son of Zeus scanned the crowd for an opponent. His training group had already left, but a new one had come in. Hopefully he could manage to find a sparring partner.

Clear eyes scanning the crowd, he found someone. Only this someone did not look particularly friendly, or particularly kind. The teenager seemed tense and dangerous, as if one wrong syllable could cause Ethan's demise. Ethan decided to take his chances as he sauntered over to the other demigod. "Hey," he began casually, putting on his best I'm-a-decent-guy voice. "Could you be my sparring partner, just for a while?"

Subject: Re: take me out -- private Wed Oct 28, 2015 4:41 pm

take me out -- private Tumblr_nt435iedqA1uuzg4qo6_250

take me out -- private Tumblr_nt435iedqA1uuzg4qo2_250

Eamon McCormac
son of athena.

Eamon crossed the threshold, stepping out into the cool, autumn wind. The sun shone high in the sky, illuminating the colorful scene before him. The trees had just started to turn so that the woods looked like wildfire. Everything looked more inviting this time of year, Eamon thought as he trudged through piles of leaves across the courtyard. The wind picked up suddenly, the leaves dancing around his legs and swirling in the sky above him. He tugged his sleeves over his hands, bringing them to his mouth to blow hot air onto them.

As he entered the arena, he noticed just how crammed it was. He tugged on his gloves as he walked to his usual spot. Not many people practiced on the punching bags, so most of the time Eamon had the entire space to himself. As he reached a red bag, he dropped his rucksack and kicked it to the side. This was routine to him but, no matter how many times he did this it still made him homesick. Even the smell of the punching bags make his stomach tie itself in knots.

Lately, it seemed everything reminded him of home. Sometimes it was the food served or, just a phrase heard it passing. Eamon couldn't seem to avoid it. Cullen hadn't answered his calls in weeks and he was beginning to worry. He sighed heavily and starred at the bag in front of him. It looked so similar to the one that hung in the farmhouse basement. The one that he had trained on since he was just a child, and it made him angry. He wanted to be able to forget like everyone else at camp did. He wanted to be able to grow and expand on his own, without being held back by his family. He cared too much.

Eamon's brow furrowed and he punched the bag so hard it came off the hook. Grunting harshly, he stomped toward the bag and slid it back on the hook. His breathes came heavy as he mercilessly pounded the bag with his fists, 2 second inhales and 4 second exhales. Just as his father had taught him.

It wasn't until he'd been training for nearly an hour that he heard a small voice from behind him. Whipping around, fists still held in front of his chin, he starred at the boy in front of him. The first thing he noticed was his height. He lowered his fists, unclenching them by his sides. The boy was definitely taller than Eamon, which was a rarity. He then realized that he was speaking to him. "Uh, sure. Yeah." He took a few steps back, picking up his rucksack to take his sword out of it. "Lead the way." He tipped his sword toward the sparring area.

ooc: sorry this is so crappy :/

Subject: Re: take me out -- private Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:47 pm

Ethan Stark
| He could feel sweat trickling down his back. It was strange, being warm from effort but still having goosebumps from the autumn chill. Several of the other demigods had hoodies and sweatpants on, but Ethan stood there in his tee shirt and basketball shorts. He didn't notice the cold. In his younger years he would go hunting with his uncle and cousins in ankle deep snow, standing still for countless hours. Training was nothing in comparison to that cold. However cold the memory, Ethan missed it. He hadn't gone out on deer opener in years.

His search for a training partner hadn't lasted a long time. Cabin six and seven were in the arena, along with a few stragglers, but most of them were working on archery. Ethan was half tempted to join them, but it was crowded and he wasn't feeling particularly social. Apparently this guy, angry as he seemed, wasn't particularly social either. That was enough of a reason for the demigod to chose him.

As Ethan asked his question he sized the guy up. When he turned to face him, he first noticed his fists. The son of Zeus was taller than him, but only just; he felt shorter, though. The teenager relaxed as the stranger's fists did. When he agreed Ethan smiled, not one of those average smiles either - the kind of smile that Zeus would have: bright, charming, arrogant. It was the kind of smile that Ethan hated but always seemed to create. "Yeah? Thanks, man," he replied.

Swiveling on his feet, he changed directions back to where he had come from. Unfortunately the spot he had been occupying had been overrun with smaller campers. "I'm Ethan, by the way," the demigod said over his shoulder, continuing to stride to the open area. As soon as the kids noticed the son of Zeus they whispered to each other. Ethan couldn't make out what they were saying, but they moved before he could ask.

He ran a hand through his curls with one hand as he turned back to the guy, getting into a battle stance. "Ready whenever you are." While he waited for a response or action Ethan shifted his weight from one foot to another, just like he used to before football games.

no dude you're fine!

Subject: Re: take me out -- private Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:40 pm

Eamon McCormac
son of athena.

As the other boy sized him up, Eamon noticed just how big his presence was. No matter that this boy was much taller than he, he felt smaller than the son of Athena. Like he was trying to take up as little space as possible, folding into himself. Eamon could understand completely. He didn't like attention, either. He preferred to keep to himself, observe and not participate.

What really threw Eamon off balance though was when Ethan smiled. It was a bright smile, regal in every sense of the word. Something rapped against his ribs and widened his eyes. He ignored it as the tips of his ears grew hot, moving forward. His legs moved in big strides so he could catch up to the demigod in front of him.

Eamon looked up through his eyelashes as the other boy spoke. Ethan. He exhaled heavily, slowing his pace a bit. "Eamon." It was short, precise. His accent was clear then, words all mellifluous and made of molasses. It made him cringe, reminding him of where he came from. He lifted his sword to his shoulder, resting the blade there lightly. As the demigod in front of him walked towards the sparring area, every child in sight moved for him.

It was odd but, Eamon felt intimidated by this also. This boy, this tall but, somehow small boy, had made tens of campers move just with his gaze. He couldn't tell if it was intentional or not but, nonetheless Eamon swallowed thickly. His worn combat boots clicked on the floor, attracting more attention than he would prefer. He kept his head down now, watching the ground rush past as he walked into the sparring area.

When Ethan stopped, Eamon drew his sword. He spun his hand a couple times trying to gain a better grip but, mostly trying to impress the other demigod. It was a lousy attempt, and he wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to in the first place. He tried to rationalize this, furrowing his brows while doing so. "Maybe it's his height?", "Is it his stance?" Eamon sighed and nodded toward the boy. "You wanna make the first move or..?" He trailed off, raising his eyebrows in question at Ethan.

Subject: Re: take me out -- private Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:40 pm

Ethan Stark
| Ethan wished the campers hadn't moved. He could guess what they were whispering, and he wanted none of it. People were always moving for him, and he hated it. He wanted to earn their kindness and respect, not inherit it. The demigod strove to be his own person, but somehow that only made him seem more like his father. The peoples' willingness to accept him, no matter how genuine, only drove him further away. Ethan cast a glance over his shoulder, wondering if his sparring partner noticed how the crowds parted. He hoped not.

The boy, who introduced himself as Eamon, had a certain accent that Ethan couldn't place. He knew he had heard it before, the sweetness reminded him of slow afternoons, but he couldn't place it. Out of sheer curiosity he asked, "Where you from?" The son of Zeus would occasionally be told he had a Midwestern accent, but he was losing it. He seemed to be losing a lot of home these days.

He saw the gleam off of Eamon's sword before he saw him. While Ethan flinched, he said nothing and didn't spin his sword in return. Something about this guy was strange. The demigod couldn't place that either. He probably didn't need to know, but curiosity still pulsed through him. Ethan couldn't help but think, 'What happened to you?' Some campers just had that look about them, as if their secrets and sorrows were trying to escape. Then again, how would Ethan know? His struggles were minuscule when compared to that of the average demigod.

"Oh? Yeah, sure," Ethan replied dumbly, tightening up his stance before attacking. He advanced with his right foot, stabbing at Eamon with his sword hand. The teenager's eyes were slightly narrowed, causing his already thick eyebrows to appear more so. He wasn't being particularly aggressive yet; he needed a feel of his opponent's fighting style first.

Subject: Re: take me out -- private Wed Nov 04, 2015 4:50 pm

Eamon McCormac
son of athena.

Eamon's eyes darted to the wall behind Ethan as he inquired about his accent. He was hoping he wouldn't notice. "Um, Virginia. I lived on the coast, in Norfolk. W'about you? Where're you from?" He looked at the demigod as he spoke. Eamon had a fairly difficult time accepting that he had an accent. Partially because he was ashamed of where he came from, and partially because of the permanence of it. He'd tried to cover it up, tried to conceal it but, it still slipped through. He flared his nostrils, taking sparring stance.

When Ethan lunged, Eamon was prepared. He'd been doing this for five years. He'd fought in the zombie apocalypse, kicked ass in capture the flag. He was ready for anything that came at him, or at least he thought he was. The demigod came at him with his right foot, stabbing at him. Eamon took a step back with his left, and blocked the blow with his sword. The son of Athena stepped forward aggressively, brows furrowed in concentration. He swung wide with his right hand.

ooc: sorry this is late, and so so short.
i had a massive physics test this week so i was quite busy.

Subject: Re: take me out -- private Wed Nov 04, 2015 9:33 pm

Ethan Stark
| Ethan hadn't always been a curious kid. He did what he was told all his life, until he came to camp. As his life shifted, so did his perspective. The demigod realized the world was not black and white, but different shades of grey. Ethan hadn't met teenagers from other states prior to the move. "Ackley, Iowa. You probably haven't heard of it," he answered, shrugging his shoulders at Eamon. The teenager wondered what Eamon's reason was for hiding. Ethan could tell he wasn't comfortable; he knew the feeling well enough.

He knew his attack was weak the second after he moved. Ethan, for some seemingly unknown reason, could not focus. As his attack was parried the son of Zeus took a small step back, anticipating swipe in return from Eamon. Ethan watched his opponent's sword with his eyes, raising his left arm to block the attack. He hadn't reacted quick enough, though, so he nearly tripped backwards to dodge the blade. "Shoot," he muttered, regaining his balance. After composing himself, Ethan took another slash at Eamon, side-stepping just after to avoid a speedy counterattack.

occ: that's fine! I hope you did well on your test.

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