Which way was the exit...? [Summer]

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Alexis Castle, daughter of Apollo, found herself tripping over yet another invisible force on her way through the corn maze, falling to her knees. She cleared her throat and straightened herself up, brushing her shoulder-length, straight blond hair out of her face. She took a moment to wipe away the leaves that stuck to her jeans and hugged her jean jacket around her more snugly.

"Why did I even do this," she mumbled under her breath, trudging forward. She mumbled a few other things to herself. She asked herself why she was not just calling for help, why she was not cutting through the corn, why she kept coming to dead ends, why she went in alone, why she didn't bring someone with her... it was a slight mental breakdown. She eventually just took a moment to calm down and take a breath. Then things seemed to grow eerily quiet all around her, the silence broken only by some rustling and a low, terrifying growl. She didn't scream. When she got scared, she just froze and tensed up. All her senses seemed to wake up and she became frighteningly aware of her surroundings.

With the next snap of a twig, she actually got up the courage to move, backtracking to no where in particular. Her fast-walking morphed into a run. 'This is just a maze... of corn. People have survived the Labyrinth. You're fine,' she told herself, trying to give herself a confidence boost. It didn't help. If anything it made things worse, because she spotted a figure after making her next turn, and she couldn't suppress a scream.

|| ✉ OOC: None ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 268 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Alexis quickly cupped her hands over her mouth as if trying to keep the scream in, but the effort was about a second too late by the look on the camper's face. Alexis Castle, daughter of Apollo, piercing targets, hearts, and eardrums. At this point, Alexis was bent over a bit with her hands on her knees, her breathing uneven out of fear, not her short run. "I'm so sorry," she said breathlessly. "I was running from-" she gestured behind her. "And then I saw-" she gesture toward him.

When he spoke, she froze, slowly standing upright. His emotionless tone was not a good sign at all. And how did he know she was a daughter of Apollo? Did she know this guy? She racked her brain for a name, but she was a little too freaked out to worry about that at the moment. That was just her luck, running into someone working the maze, scaring other campers. Alexis took an instinctive step back. "Um... greetings," she repeated with a nervous chuckle.

|| ✉ OOC: None ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 173 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

Again he had to force down the urge to smile, he did it, successfully, and continued. "At this part of the maze, you cannot turn back." He gestured to the path behind her, and the corn moved to cover up her previous path, leaving her back facing a dead end. "And you have two choices." Conrad moved aside to show her the two paths in which she could choose. "One will lead you to the center of this maze, another will lead you out of camp, and you may never find it again."

Conrad was actually standing in front of a T-shaped dead end. But of course, the girl couldn't have known that until she had passed him. Either way, she would never know, for even as they conversed, he was willing the maze to change. Slowly, the ends parted ways, forming a new path that ended in a double square that would lead a camper right where he started. Either way she chose, she would come back to the exact same place. Hope she can take a little kidding around, he mused.

He smiled at her, awaiting her choice.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Alexis jumped when she heard rustling behind her. She looked over her shoulder a moment even though she was just told what happened. Sure enough the path behind her was gone. No turning back. She faced the guy in front of her again, shifting uncomfortably. She wondered if this was what it was like in the labyrinth with paths shifting and random figures popping up to give you choices that really just throw you off and wind up freaking you out. If she was regretting entering the maze alone before, she was really regretting it now.

"Oh gods," she sighed. "You people are taking this way too seriously," she decided. One could tell she was freaked out by her tone of voice. Alright, yeah, this was all part of the festival experience, and he was probably just messing with her, but he was doing a really good job. They would not really make a path that led out of camp and leave a camper stranded would they? Even after more than two years at Camp Half-Blood, she wasn't sure she knew the answer to that question. Based on the warning she remembered hearing about the haunted forest, she was leaning toward 'Yes.'

Alexis' gaze moved from one path to the other, then back to the boy waiting patiently for her to make a decision. She pointed to the path on her right, watching him carefully for some kind of reaction to determine whether or not she was making the right choice, but there was no change. She approached, making sure not to have her back to him and turning around down the path once he was out of sight. She followed the path, not reaching any forks or turnoffs. She made a few turns through the narrow path before she reached a opening similar to the one she had started at. In fact... it looked almost identical to the place she started. Sure enough, the same boy was standing there, staring her down. Alexis recoiled when she saw him, putting a hand on her chest. "Whoa," she began. She turned and glanced down the path from which she just came before turning her attention to him again. "Did I... get turned around, or are you going to appear and terrorize me every time I hit a crossroad?" she asked.

|| ✉ OOC: None||
|| ✎ Word Count: 389 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

An mildly amused smile graced his features. Conrad made no reply to her questions but stated thoughtfully, "Perhaps you would like to choose again."

He wondered if she would figure it out, but then again, it had been pretty spooky in there, and she probably was too freaked to think much if it were a ruse. He unconciously hovered a few centimetres above the grass, leaning against the wall of corn, and tilted his head to the side, waiting for her reply.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Alexis sighed and again shifted her gaze from one path to the other. Maybe she did get turned around. There was no other explanation, right? Her mysterious acquaintance has said that one path would lead to the center of the corn maze, and that the other would lead out of the camp to certain death and all though... or you know... whatever. Bottom line, one path was safe and one wasn't.

Maybe appearing back here was a sign. Instead of taking the right path, she was supposed to take the left. That made as much sense as this whole crazy situation. Alexis looked to the boy and studied his face a moment, registering his amused expression. "You are totally messing with me," she chuckled dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. She shook her head and scanning her surrounding again. Sure, it was true that this guy was messing with her, but she didn't relax yet. She didn't know this guy. She could still be in a dangerous situation.

|| ✉ OOC: None ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 169 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

Conrad raised his eyebrows and stared at the girl with an unfathomable gaze, a gaze that usually made people feel uncomfortable. "You sure about that? Wouldn't want to get that assumption wrong, would you?" he suggested casually, with a degree of solemness.

He deliberately paused for a few more moments, letting the atmosphere linger, knowing that the girl was wary and unsure, before allowing a slight amused smirk to form. Conrad inclined his head, resting his feet back on solid ground again, a wry smile upon his face. "Well, that certainly was fun while it lasted," he commented.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Alexis shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to think of the boy at that point. Again, he had her eating up his mysterious vibes, freaked out and uncertain. He seemed to have knack for that. She bore a more serious expression, tainted with a bit of confusion, while she contemplated whether or not he was still just using the fact that she was already shaken by the maze to freak her out even more. She was still trying to decide when he finally gave in, flashing an amused smirk and letting his hovering figure touch back down to the ground. She was still a bit awestruck by the fact that he was levitating, but she did let herself relax a bit more than she had before.

She scoffed when he commented on how much he enjoyed the last five nerve-racking minutes of Alexis' life. It was fun while it last? "Maybe for one of us," she chuckled dryly. "I almost had a heart attack," she exclaimed, though there was amusement in her voice. She was not the type to overreact about a prank. She took a moment and let out a sigh of relief. "I would totally curse you to speak in rhyming couplets if I didn't think it would just sound like you were speaking prophecy or something and freak me out even more."

|| ✉ OOC: New template. What do you think? It's experimental ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 224 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

"That was the point, wasn't it?" Conrad said, chortling, "Its Halloween, in Camp Half-Blood. I'm surprised there isn't more to this Oktoberfest, seeing we're demigods." As he spoke, the maze moved back to its previous positions.

"Well, as I did say, one leads out of camp. The corn maze is actually situated out of camp, being the previous place for a temporary camp. And we're in the center. Neither was better than the other. Now what are you going to do?"

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Actually the point was if she did not try to get through the maze, she would hear it from her brothers and sisters back in cabin seven. What he said made sense though. This was Camp Half-Blood. They training against very real monsters with very real weapons, rock climbed in the midst of boiling lava, and generally almost died on a daily basis. If you thought about it, the place should have been a lot scarier. Perhaps at heart, the campers were just a cheesy as mortals when it came to Halloween. Alexis had been such an easy target for this guy. She was scared by the idea of what might be in the maze. She went in there scared. Of course she was going to freak out. The boy was basically telling the truth about the maze and her two choices earlier, he just made it all a lot creepier when he told her the first time. Hearing him explain, she was a little embarrassed, maybe a bit annoyed.

As for what she was going to do now, she shrugged. She would probably try to get out and make sure that she calmed down a bit. She was only scared because of her expectations. She listened to the maze revert to normal and looked toward the place she had first entered. The path had reappeared. She had to ask, "So, how did you do that? Manipulate the corn? I don't really take you for a Demeter kid," she said.

|| ✉ OOC: None. ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 250 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

"Certainly not. I'm Conrad, son of Athena. That was simple telekinesis," he answered, a pebble on the ground floating up beside the girl to emphasise his statement.

Conrad had already mastered that skill, and to him, physical strength did not matter when lifting or moving objects. It was a mental ability, and the fact that one has to be focused enough not to get distracted, else the levitating object would wobble and most likely crash into things. It differed for each demigod, like some Hecate campers only able to maneuver objects they can physically carry or move.


(( Ahhhh sorry for my short posts ))

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ A son of Athena, she should have known. Watching the pebble float up next to her, Alexis instinctively reached out her hand, positioning it a few inches below the suspended object. For about a second, she pretended that she was the one levitating the pebble. I mean, really, what kid didn't pretend or at least wish they had telekinesis growing up? "Cool," she breathed. Snapping out of her childhood memories, she let her arm fall to her side again, plunging her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Alexis turned her attention to the boy, Conrad, again. "Well, I'm Alexis," she introduced. "Daughter of Apollo, as you said... So did you, like," she paused a moment, searching for the right word, "deduce," she decided, "my parentage, or can you read minds, too?" she asked with a light chuckle. Of course, she wasn't exactly joking. Sure, most of the Apollo kids shared her blond haired and blue eyed characteristics, and the bow and quiver slung across her shoulders were also good indicators, but the boy could move things with his mind; mind reading did not seem that unlikely.

|| ✉ OOC: Lol, don't worry about it :) Love your new sig, btw! ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 186 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

"Well Alexis, I'm good at analyzing campers and deducing their respective cabins. I did not have to mind-read you to know of your parentage, you just looked like one to me," Conrad said wryly, watching her, before letting the pebble drop back onto the ground.

He did not directly answer her last question, neither confirming nor denying the fact he could mind-read. It usually creeped campers out: and some campers reacted rather... drastically. He preferred to avoid the hysterics.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ "I'd expect nothing less from a son of Athena," Alexis chuckled. That was cool too. The deduction thing was very 'Sherlock Holmes.' Alexis liked to read. While she did focus on poetry and on her mother's published works, she remembered adding a copy of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, translated into ancient Greek, to the small collection of books she had at her bedside in cabin seven. The book was an interesting read. It definitely kept her entertained. She had never seen either of the movies though. She took a moment to wonder if they were any good.

Her mind did that some times. Moved from one topic to another. She could be absentminded. She thanked the gods that she did not talk that way. Maybe it was an ADHD thing. She wondered if that ever happened to Conrad or any of his siblings, then she decided it was probably a good thing he could not read her mind. He would probably think she was an idiot. Of course he probably already thought that, considering how easily it was for him to mess with her earlier. "It's probably a good thing that you couldn't read my mind," she said thoughtfully. "It would probably drive you insane," she said with a nervous chuckle.

|| ✉ OOC: OMG, Cameron Bright /dies/ lol Change approved :P ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 216 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

You have no idea, he thought dryly, but did not elaborate further or acknowledge the fact. She would find out sooner or later anyway. Conrad did not make it a habit to delve too deep into the minds of other people while he was in camp. Most minds of demigods were full of nonsensical thoughts and images, and some minds were twisted or magical, making it easier for them to notice his intruding. He did not want to attract trouble because of that, and neither did he wish to go insane.

However, in the mortal world, it was a different case. He kept his mind open to surrounding beings, so as to be alert to danger. Mortal minds are less complicated, as are animals or creatures. He had no problems reading or controlling those minds when needed.

"Perhaps so." Conrad agreed, his senses suddenly shifting to a large rapidly-approaching figure. "You really shouldn't be standing too long at any one place in a magical maze," he advised.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ As he spoke and Alexis sensed a change in him, she took her bow from over her shoulder and turned toward the direction of the approaching beast. It kind of bothered her that he said "you" instead of "we." Like it was her fault or something. "If you hadn't been so easy to fool, we wouldn't still be here." It took her a moment to notch her arrow, thrown off by her thoughts.

What stood before than was a giant, two headed serpent. Alexis remembered learning or reading about it somewhere. The creature was dragon-esque, though where the tip of its tail should have been was another serpent's head, as terrifying and rabid as the other. She remembered some different stories... it was... something about its bite, only fatal if bitten by both heads. She had a feeling though that this thing could take off her whole arm in one bite. A second one wouldn't really matter at that point.

Regaining her composure, she backed away from the creature until she was directly at Conrad's side before she took aim. She let her first arrow fly and the tail-head caught the arrow in its teeth. "Wonderful," Alexis muttered. The creature let the arrow drop to the ground and both heads lunged.

|| ✉ OOC: None. ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 211 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

Conrad had seen many Amphisbaenae since he joined camp. There were regular sized ones that looked like normal snakes until you caught sight of its other head, small ones that generally did not bother many people, and there were giant ones with trunks a foot wide in diameter. But he had never before seen one as large as the one that had rudely barged right through the corn wall into the middle of their conversation. It was about three times the size of the largest Amphisbaena he had previously encountered, which is to say, very, very big.

It took up three quarters the space of a path in the maze that was catered for fighting. Three feet wide, that's how monstrously big it was. There were two fangs in each mouth, oozing with venom at it latest meal-to-be. "Don't ever let any venom touch you," Conrad warned to impress upon her its importance, "It's acidic properties doesn't have to penetrate the skin to function."

He backed away as the Amphisbaena hissed, splattering venom around. He calculated the possible reasons for the humongous growth, coming to rest at the most logical. A Hecate camper had most probably panicked and hit it with a spell that had gone awry, causing the serpent to swell up as a side effect. Great, now we have to get rid of it and undo a spell, else we'd never be able to move this thing away. Conrad wasn't too worried on both parts, since he knew he would definitely find a solution somehow. There goes my fatal flaw again, he thought cynically, flicking his hand to swipe away droplets of snake spit mid-air before it could reach him.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ She kept at his side, watching the heads of the beast and glancing at Conrad every so often. See, that was her fatal flaw, and he probably wouldn't like it, but she had this annoying overprotectiveness. She couldn't stand when the people around her were hurt. This son of Athena would probably hate that while he was trying to figure out a way to stop the huge two-headed serpent, Alexis was trying to figure out how to make sure niether of them got hurt. He was very capable of taking care of himself, but she couldn't help but feel that way. People had died around her before. She was adamantly determined to make sure that never happened again.

One of the heads snapped at her and she expertly dodged the venom spit, notching two arrows. When she released them, each hit their mark, seemingly harmless at first. The serpent heads just snapped the arrows in two and basically ignored her, until the arrowheads exploded in a flurry of low-voltage sparks. She had higher voltage arrows, at the moment though she was just trying to get its attention away from Conrad. The creature was stunned a moment. Eventually it shook itself like a wet dog. The heads gave off electrostatic discharge as they both narrowed their eyes on Alexis. That was good. She slowly inched away from Conrad and the serpent followed her, though the head closest to Conrad gave him a few subtle glances and hissed his way to shower down more venom. 'Okay, Smart Guy, I know you're formulating a plan in that pretty little head of yours,' she thought to herself. ’Feel free to share.'

|| ✉ OOC: None. ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 277 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

Conrad dodged another spray while deciding on the fastest way to penetrate the thrice-hardened scales of the creature. It was simple, he could just... remove them. "This is not going to be pretty, " He told Alexis, before mentally reaching for his power and tearing the scales on the top of one head off. He winced, that was the biggest understatement of all time. It was absolutely revolting.

Blood splashed profusely from the giant gashes as he let the scales drop onto the ground with multiple thunks. A sharp hissing shriek pierced the air. The snake was enraged beyond control, it reared up, towering over both campers, red eyes gleaming, blasting a rain of acid at them. Conrad deflected it by sending a chunk of the corn wall smashing into its head. "I suppose you can shoot it now," he said mildly, shoving another hedge to the side, keeping the other head occupied for a moment. But underneath that calm demeanor, Conrad knew it would take more than that to kill the first head, much less the second.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ "Gross," Alexis muttered simply. But, hey, it was a plan. The last flurry of normal arrows she shot did bounce right off the creature's scales with a "cling!" Ripping off the scales to expose the flesh was a pretty good idea; she just hoped shooting that exposed flesh would kill the first head and solve half of their problem. She tried her best to keep from getting hit with venom or scales or blood from the creature as it thrashed around in pain and anger, but it was pretty distracting. The scene was disturbingly grotesque.

When the injured head showered acid down on them and Conrad deflected it, a decent sized drop hit her left arm. She instinctively tore off her jean jacket, but her forearm did feel a little numb afterwards. She shook out her hand a moment before she nocked and released two arrows, one after the other, and aimed for the top of the serpent's first head. Both arrows imbedded themselves into the flesh, but the creature faltered for only a moment. "Well that's... unfortunate," she sighed. She shook out her arm again and reached for one of her elemental arrows, an electric arrow with a higher voltage than the others. The high concentration of electricity produced a sound of a cluster of birds chirping as the arrow soared toward the serpent. It struck the same spot as the other two arrows, but this time the head was shocked to Hades and fell limp. She hoped with everything she had that the head was dead but she had a feeling it would only be unconscious for a short time.

"One down," she said anyway. She did not sound too optimistic though, clenching and unclenching her left hand while watching the anger pass across the expression of the second serpent head.

|| ✉ OOC: None. ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 303 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

"Not bad," Conrad commented as she shot those arrows, which from him, was pretty high praise. Just then the other head threw off the tangle of plant stalks and shrubbery, towering over them. Alexis shot a high voltage electric arrow right into the injured head, the other head thrashed and shuddered as electricity passed through the length of the creature. Good, that will keep it down for a few minutes, or probably till the fight is over unless we agitate the other head too much, he thought, at the same time noticing the venom that fell onto her arm.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the serpent. He made a mental note to give her some nectar later. I need something sharp, he realised, casting his mind out for anything nearby. He came across a simple celestial bronze sword, the type that was made by the dozens int he amoury, lying a hundred metres away, dropped by a camper. Conrad willed it towards him, and it shot past pathways, slashing plants at fifty miles per hour, and almost skewering an unfortunate camper in the way. Deciding to get rid of the moaning threat once and for all, he channeled the sword straight through the first head, impaling it in the thick skull. One down, one more to go, he thought grimly.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ "Yeah, I'm fine. I can still shoot," she assured, absently opening and closing her left hand again. One thing. One thing he warned her not to do: let the venom touch her. Oh, how great she was at following instructions during battle. It was reassuring that he commented positively on her shooting though. Or maybe it was a neutral comment, who knows, she took what she could get. She had a feeling he didn't offer praise much or at all. Alexis was glad she was able to stun the first head, though she felt a lot better when Conrad willed that celestial bronze sword to come out of nowhere and actually finish the job.

The creature should have been a lot slower, pulling the deadweight of the other head with it as it moved, but Alexis found her own reflexes slower, her stamina fading, and her agility shot. She felt like she was having lapses in time. The creature snapped at her, as it had before, but it was a lot closer than she realized and she was startled, falling back into a sitting position. The creature raise its head high, then snapped down at her baring its teeth. In one motion, she nocked and released an arrow into its open mouth. It jerked back and thrash, spewing venom down at her but she was able to shuffle backwards out of the way before getting to her feet. "Caught me off guard," she said breathlessly, nocking another arrow to be ready.

|| ✉ OOC: None. ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 251 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||

Conrad reached forward and pulled the sword out of the head. It was covered in blood that stung like hot wax if touched, but had no lasting damage. Right, now we can actually do something, he thought. He didn't have to glance at Alexis to know that the venom was already seeping into her body.

"Try not to move your left hand too much," he advised. "If you feel like fainting or anything, please don't do anything like jumping onto the snake." He again deflected a shower of venom from the both of them, then leaping forward and jabbing the sword into the eye of the serpent. It gave a piercing scream, a sound unimaginable, the sword stuck in the socket. Conrad winced and stumbled back, temporarily disturbed by the sharp pitch.

And something he least expected. A blast of fire shot out of the Amphisbaena's jaws as it reared up, creating a whirlwind of flames shooting up into the sky. He was amazed. How interesting, very little has been recorded about the Amphisbaena, but none have said anything about breathing fire. Perhaps another side-effect? Or a defense system? Well, either way its not too good for us. Time to try another method.

He mentally reached out to the snake, bracing himself for the half-crazed mind.

Alexis Castle

Daughter of Apollo

➳ Alexis flinched when Conrad retrieved the sword, watching pain cross his facial features only a moment when he touched the creature's blood. She relaxed a bit though when it seemed to pass. He would not have touched it if it wasn't safe. Listening to his instruction, she sighed audibly. "If I don't move it, it goes numb. If it goes numb, I can't shoot, and if I can't shoot than I'm pretty much useless and I refuse to be useless," she explained, focusing on the creature as best she could, considering. She aimed another arrow, but Conrad seemed to have things well in hand, which relieved her a bit. She kept her arrow aimed on the creature though just in case he needed the assistance. All Alexis would be able to do if she lost the ability to shoot would be to heal Conrad, should he need it. The worse drawback of her healing abilities: she could not heal herself. If she did wind up fainting, it would feel a little too... damsel in distress. No thanks. She just has to shake it off and stay focused.

The rest of his comment seemed to register at that moment and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Why on earth would I jump onto the-" She was cut off by the high pitched scream that erupted from the creature. She stumbled back a bit as he had, though she nearly lost her balance because of the effects of the vemon. She actually did lose her balance when the Amphisbaena showed off its next little trick, spewing flames.

"Oh gods," she muttered, watching the flames shoot into the sky. The thing breathed fire. Really? They couldn't catch a break, could they? She instinctively looked to the son of Athena. He was kind of just... standing there. He was certainly level headed throughout this battle, but this was kind of different. "What are you doing?" she wondered out loud. The creature was acting just as strange. Alexis moved to get to her feet, but she felt a wave a nausea, settling for getting to her knees.

|| ✉ OOC: LOL Summer you in trouble :P ||
|| ✎ Word Count: 356 || ❤ RP Partner: Summer ||