Lilythe Rayne

Nodding softly, she smiled at Mateo. "I'll ask her while you're gone. But... you should let her know your plan." Lilythe said gently, but encouragingly. "It's not my place to patch your relationship. You're going to have to do that on your own, Mateo." She fixed him with a look that conveyed both sympathy, but also tried to impart a sense of urgency. "I'll support you two in any way I can though. I promise." "You can grab any weapon you want out of the armory. They're just celestial bronze, but they'll have to do. I don't have anything fancy from the gods lying around that I'm aware of." She pursed her lips and put a finger to them as she thought, before continuing. "It might be a good idea to take something both in melee range and for distance. That way you'll have both styles of combat covered, in case you encounter something unpredicted." She walked alongside him as they moved closer to the exit to The Big House. In many ways, Lilythe worried about Mateo. She knew he was more than capable of handling the task. But the emotions that seemed to be stirring within him were likely overwhelming. She wished that she could do more than offer what she had. "I hope you find what you need out there, Mateo..." Lilythe said gently, before gesturing out the door. "I hope Tyche favors you." END

Lilythe gave Rissa a half-smile as she tried to warn her about trying to be friends with her ex. "I know... but I wouldn't be me if I didn't at least try." One of her biggest flaws was that she cared too much, and gave far too many chances to people who didn't deserve it. Part of it had come from her role at the camp--being the only stable figure for a lot of kids with their own issues, sometimes meant sacrificing more of yourself than was healthy for the greater good--but a lot of it was just something she had been inherently born with. Lilythe rolled her eyes but laughed at Larissa's response to her comment about Azrael's arms. "Alright, fine..." She said, chewing her lip nervously as she was prompted to begin. "Azrael Pro, he is dependable. If he says he'll do something, he really will follow through and do it." Lilythe couldn't remember how many times she had asked her friend to help her when they were younger, but he had always been there. "And he's good with kids..." She blushed slightly at that one, but it was valuable for more than just her own future desires. Being able to help out at camp was something that could really help as a partner. Shadow was terrible with kids--or at least, had never really shown her an aptitude for working with them--and Azrael being able to help share the burdens of the camp with her and the other older campers was really beneficial. As far as a relationship was concerned, though, she wanted to have a family someday and he seemed like he would be a good partner for that. "He's determined--if he puts his mind to something, he'll achieve it. I like that." "Am I going too fast? Should I slow down?"

Lilythe blushed as she felt his hand against her. Azrael was such a sweet and caring man. She wondered, briefly, if she was asking too much of him in that moment. It didn't need to be dirty or intense for her to enjoy herself. But she also had wanted him to know that he didn't have to hold back. That she could withstand anything he wanted to try, and that she wanted to be the one he tried it with. However, when he spoke she could tell that he was adapting to the change in their arrangements, and felt herself relax. Anxiety abated for the moment. The vibrator began to buzz against her and she shivered slightly. As it moved to her ass she let out a soft moan. His lips up against her neck, drawing out another moan and sigh of bliss from her. "Yes, sir." Lilythe blushed as she answered his question. His body over the top of her was intoxicating. She could feel his cock hard against her. The heat of his breath rolled across her skin and sent more shivers down her spine. He seemed to awaken every nerve in her body, and she was acutely aware of his presence. "Please play with me." She begged, desperate for a continuation of what had seemingly awoken in him in that moment.

Lilythe's eyes widened. She couldn't imagine what anyone might even remotely say about her that could have Vienna worked up this much. "Calm down, Vi." Lilythe said, turning to her and gesturing at one of the seats. She knew it was probably an exercise in futility to encourage her to sit down, but nevertheless. "It can't be that bad. Whatever it is, I'm sure they were just being kids." Everyone got frustrated with Lilythe once in a while. It was one of the curses of being the effective mom for so many of them. She couldn't always be their friend first, and sometimes had to tell them things they didn't want to hear. When they got frustrated, the inevitably said things they didn't mean out of frustration. Lilythe was fairly certain that must have been the case with whatever Vienna had heard. However, the next words out of her mouth made Lilythe's eyes widen and then she blushed a bright shade of red. She wasn't sure how it was anyone's business who she was sleeping with around camp, but obviously the cat was out of the bag. "Vienna, I am sleeping with him again." She chewed her lip, slightly, before continuing. "We're not... together. Not really. I'm weighing my options. Shad's done a lot of work on himself. He's doing much better than before. He knows I'm seeing Azzy too, and he hasn't even tried to stop me once." The real issue with her and Shadow had always been how possessive he was. Right now, Shadow seemed to have control over his more jealous side. However, Lilythe had developed feelings for Azrael and she wasn't ready to throw that away simply because Shadow seemed to have improved. "I'm... giving them both a chance."

Lilythe blushed softly as Azrael responded sweetly. It seemed so at odds with his animalistic and passionate behavior in bed, but it was in complete alignment with the romantic she knew he was. Lilythe melted into the kiss, enamored of Azrael. He was, at his core, everything she could have ever asked for in a partner and so much more. Lilythe knew that if she hadn't been trying to recover from things with Shadow, she would have fallen for Azrael a long time ago. He's exactly what I need. She thought to herself, not yet ready to say it aloud. "You're welcome, sir. But... you don't have to be so sweet. During sex, I mean." She nuzzled him softly. "I told you, I'm yours to play with as you please tonight." She chewed her lip softly. Feeling Azrael rolling over beneath her, she was half-tempted to lift the blindfold and see what he grabbed off the table. She had really only brought over some fairly gentle accessories, all things considered. She hadn't wanted to scare Azrael off with her level of depravity. She was starting to feel more confident in sharing this side of her with him, now, however. And hoped that he would continue to enjoy it as he seemed to be. Lilythe remained in her spot, curious what Azrael would grab and bring over to play with her. She didn't have to wait long before she could feel the soft vibration up against her leg. Blushing, she bit her lip.

Lilythe shrugged. She didn't know Helena nearly as well as Mateo did. The girl had been claimed fairly quickly after her arrival to camp, and Lilythe had never really gotten much opportunity to speak with her one on one. She couldn't really answer Mateo's question about her preference in location. "You'll have to ask Lena that yourself. I can offer... but I'm not her. I can't know if she would prefer to be here or in her cabin." Lilythe offered a comforting smile. "But I'm sure that once you fix things, wherever she stays, I'm sure she'll want you there. And the offer stands if you guys decide to go that route." It was like something had clicked in Mateo. He suddenly seemed ready to acknowledge the changes he needed to make in order to make a life with Helena feasible. She could hear his thought process as he explained everything, and she couldn't have been more proud of the growth he had made in a mere matter of minutes. Lilythe had no doubt that the soul searching on the trip would be enough for him to come back to camp a new man. The changes were already starting. "I look forward to your message, and hearing that Helena received her letter." Grabbing a set of keys off a nearby counter, Lilythe passed them over to Mateo. "You'll need these for your job anyway... might as well take the truck now. Just... get your license before you get caught without it." She winked.

Lilythe blushed as Azrael praised her with her lips wrapped around his cock. Lilythe loved when he would tangle his hand in her hair. It gave him more control, and she hoped that was why he did it. To her it was the security of knowing that she couldn't ever mess up too badly as long as he held onto her. It made her feel like he was taking care of her even in that moment. She felt absolute satisfaction when she heard him say he was about to cum. She was just about to pull back up for some air when she felt the involuntary thrust of his hips. His cock pushed even further down her throat, lodging itself deep inside. She pressed her free hand to his thigh, pushing just enough to be convincing that she wanted him to let go, but not hard enough to actually free herself. She happily swallowed down his release as it flowed into her throat. Once his cock finished pulsing, she pulled herself off of him and gasped for air, blushing bright red. "Was that what you wanted, sir?" She chewed nervously on her lower lip. With the blindfold on she couldn't read whether or not he approved of her efforts. She had needed to go by feel and tone of voice alone. Both of which could be misleading.

Lilythe nodded. "I know you didn't lie." She offered a soft pat on the shoulder. "But that didn't mean it was easy for her to hear. Just like it wasn't easy for you to hear that she was pregnant." Lilythe shrugged at that point. She could see the wheels turning in his head. In that moment, Lilythe could almost swear that she was watching Mateo's entire identity shift in a matter of moments. The once reclusive and mysterious playboy, known for his affinity for remaining unattached, suddenly found himself thinking about making a home and a family. It warmed her heart to see it, and she truly believed that if he could manage that change of identity, then those two might actually make it. "At least until the baby's born, anyway." Lilythe confirmed as Mateo stated he would have to do most of the fighting. "Does that mean you won't be staying at camp?" Lilythe quirked her brow curiously. "I could make up a room here in The Big House. At least, temporarily..." One of the few things she regretted for her campers was that, unlike Camp Jupiter, there wasn't really a Camp Half-Blood version of New Rome. I'll have to talk to Mr. D about it... we could call it New Athens or something. She thought to herself. Mateo's next question brought Lilythe back to the moment. "A job? Now that is something I can handle." She gave him an impish smile. "We need a delivery driver for the strawberries. Might need to go get your license while you're in town, too. If you haven't already. But you can drive the truck for Delphi Strawberry Services." She pursed her lips. "We can talk about pay when you get back. But figure out the cost of a decent apartment nearby, and we'll go from there. At least until you find something better."

Her cheeks flushed as Azrael promised to find the things she enjoyed. She wanted to tell him that he was what she enjoyed. Whether he participated in her kinks or not. She would happily continue on as they had, no frills, as long as he didn't leave her again. But she wasn't ready to say that out loud. She was barely ready to start admitting it to herself that she might actually be ready to date him. The thought of a life with him, where they spent their time together, filled her heart with joy. She imagined travelling with him, and running around camp with him. Lilythe had to pull herself out of the daydream to continue her task. Lilythe could feel his hand attempting to guide her further down, but she was already at her limits. She blushed and shook the restraint breathing a sigh of relief as he finally managed to cut her free. She let herself continue her trail of kisses down his chest, to his pelvis, and finally his cock. As she reached the base of his shaft, she took a hand and grasped it firmly to hold it in place. Moving her lips to the tip, she slowly took him in, letting her tongue run the length of Azrael's shaft. She took him into her mouth as deep as she could comfortably before pulling back to the tip, and moving down again. Three times, four times, until his shaft was absolutely slick with her saliva. Then, when she was confident she had lubricated him enough, Lilythe took him deeper. Inch by inch she took him into her, pushing past the barrier of comfort.

Lilythe sighed and spoke softly as Mateo replied and confessed what he had said. Oh no... Mateo, you didn't... Internally, Lilythe could feel herself wanting to slide her hand down her face in disappointment. She wouldn't though. It wouldn't help the situation for her to facepalm in front of him. Lena's a sweet girl, but when you piss her off... and Mateo's got a short fuse to begin with. "Well if Azrael or Shadow told me they didn't want to be a father after getting me pregnant, I'd probably show them the door too." She held up her hand to stop him from responding before she could finish. "I'm not saying that she should have said it. I'm just saying she was hurt and mad, and probably didn't mean it. In her mind, with the way you responded you were pretty much telling her that if she wanted to be with you, she had to give up her child. A child that she probably has already grown quite attached to..." Lilythe looked at him meaningfully. "A child that, now that you've calmed down a bit, you seem pretty attached to yourself." She offered a comforting smile. "I'm not saying that she doesn't owe you an apology. I think words said in the heat of the moment often require apology when we sober up from our feelings. I just think that it might help you heal to remember that she said it out of pain, not because she meant it..." "If you're worrying about them... I'm told that's basically what being a parent is." Lilythe smiled. "It's how I feel about all of you guys all the time. So... sounds to me like you're already thinking like a Dad." She winks at Mateo. "Your secret's safe with me though. I'll let you tell Helena, when you're ready. She looked a bit puzzled at his next question. Lilythe wasn't really sure what would happen with a pregnant demigod. "I've never seen a pregnant demigod before, so I don't know if it amplifies their scents at all. But I can't imagine that she'd be very helpful in combat other than her charmspeak as she gets further along..." "As for the monsters... I'll leave that up to you. You can bring up to two others if you want. You could probably handle it alone, but it would take longer. But I want you all back to camp by June. If you still need more time after that, I can send you back out, but at least come back and check in. So I know you're okay."

Lilythe felt a bit of relief as she could see Mateo's body language calming. He was still upset, and he had every right to be hurt, but he was calmer than he had been before. Thank the gods. She had hope that if she could get him calm, she could also get him to do the right thing. It seemed like he was leaning towards doing that on his own anyway, the way he spoke. "For what it's worth, I don't think anyone handles finding out that they're unexpectedly going to be a parent, well I think both of you handled it the best way you knew how in the moment." She said, trying to reassure him. "I really doubt Helena truly wants you to leave. She loves you. She's just hurt. She shouldn't have said it, but we all say dumb things we don't mean from time to time." Lilythe was fairly sure she knew Helena well enough to make that claim. "But if you need some time to think and clear your head... I don't have any quests, not really, but I did get word from Chiron that there was a small nest of harpies out in New York City that was getting bigger than it should." She was going to ask Azzy or Shadow to take care of it, but this could kill two birds with one stone. Mateo would get to work out some of that anger of his, and maybe while he was out there he could figure out what he wanted. New York City was huge, and had just about everything someone could want from a city. If he couldn't figure himself out there, Lilythe wasn't sure where he could. Plus it's not that far away if something goes wrong...

Lilythe smiled. Codie seemed like a really sweet kid. Too sweet to be one of my siblings, sadly. Hermes children were impish and mischievous by nature, typically. Their father was the god of thieves after all. Lilythe had been born with an insatiable wanderlust, herself, and seemed to primarily take over his travelling domain. But she found that the camp had given her plenty of travelling over the years, and she always found her way back here. It was home. "Definitely. But my friend James is a much better story teller than I, and he'll teach you about a lot of the stories in his course." Lilythe said. "We teach a lot of things you'll need to know here at camp." She said by way of clarification. "Well, all of us have traits passed to us from our parents that I guess you could call powers. For example, as a daughter of Hermes I'm incredibly fast." Lilythe said with a smile. "The children of Aphrodite can feel love in other people and manipulate those feelings here and there." She said as another example. "The children of Hypnos tend to be able to work with sleep and memory." Lilythe offered. "As for costumes, I won't stop you if you want to make one, I guess, but we don't really do that. They would make us too noticeable by the monsters, and they already can smell us. We tend to just kind of blend in when we leave camp as best we can." Lilythe smiled Code seemed to get excited. As he said he was ready to tour the camp, she stood up from her seat. "This is The Big House. We're a bit literal here sometimes." Lilythe chuckled. "We always have a cabin leader up here to help greet new campers, and generally help Mr. D with things." She paused briefly before continuing. "Mr. D is the Dionysus. Greek god of Wine, Parties, and Madness. If you respect nobody else here, I'd recommend respecting him--no matter how disrespectful he is to you--or else you may very well find yourself turned into a strawberry plant." That was not an exaggeration. Mr. D was not exactly fond of the half-bloods to begin with, and any excuse to turn them into a plant was taken up at every opportunity. "And no, I'm not kidding." Lilythe moved out to the porch and gestured towards the campgrounds. "Over there are the volleyball courts. And that building is for Arts and Crafts." Lilythe pointed to the courts and the greek-looking buildings off to the east of the house. "To the west are the strawberry fields, and only some of those plants are former campers. Not very many. Mostly the strawberries are a cover for curious mortals who drive by on the road beyond camp. Mortals can't really get here when the boundary is up, but we've had it fall a few times in the past during some crises and having a good alibi is helpful." Lilythe said with a smile as she started walking down the steps, taking strides towards the grounds. As she walked up the trail, she gestured. "Over there are the Forge. The Hephaestus kids spend a lot of time there. Though anyone's welcome to help them." Cody didn't really seem the forge type, but one never really knew. It was good to have a hobby around here, because things could get really boring otherwise when there weren't quests or events happening. "Behind the forge are the Pegasus stables and to the north is the Armory." Lilythe kept walking along the path, letting her newest camper follow her. "Up ahead we have the Arena where we practice our combat skills, and then just beyond that are the cabins. In the middle of all our cabins is a large bonfire. We gather every night before bed, sing some songs, roast marshmallows, and sometimes the godly parents claim their kids. And the showers are to the east of the cabins, and the mess hall is to the north." Lilythe stopped along the path and gestured further up. "If you follow the path you come to a lake where we do some canoeing, the forest where we play capture the flag will be to the northwest of the cabins, and beyond the lake further up the path will be the Amphitheater and the Climbing Wall. The path ends at a beach, where the Long Island Sound is." Lilythe turned back around and faced the young boy. "While you're here we'll train you to be a hero. So that you can protect yourself against the monsters that hunt you simply because you smell like the gods. You're not trapped here. You can leave at any time with Mr. D's or my permission, or Chiron's once he gets back. But we have a magic boundary that helps protect us from the monsters here, and it's a safe place for you for as long as you want it." She offered a warm smile to Codie. "I know it may not feel like it yet, but I hope one day it feels like home." She genuinely meant it. After the wars, Lilythe had worked hard to foster an environment around camp that helped support one another and really keep the place safe for everyone. When she took over Cabin 11 from her half-brother Conner when he left to follow Travis at college, Lilythe had doubled those efforts to ensure that every camper had a warm welcome. Even the ones that were more rough around the edges. "You will be staying with me in Cabin 11, where the 'travellers' and children of Hermes reside. But I have a feeling your parent will claim you soon. You look like you'll be 13 soon, and they have to claim you before then." She reassured him. "Do you have any questions before I turn you loose?"

Lilythe blushed as Azrael spoke. "Well... I put them for atmosphere this time. But if I know you like wax play I can bring more appropriate candles next time." Lilythe said, biting her lip. It wasn't as easy to talk about her wants and desires as it was to demonstrate with grand gestures. She had spent so long as a subservient 'baby girl' for Shadow that she wasn't even sure that she knew what her own preferences were. Though she was happy to explore those with Azrael. Azrael's comment about his familiarity with kink and toys filled Lilythe with a mix of emotions. On the one hand she was glad that he seemed comfortable taking the lead and wouldn't necessarily need her to guide him. She had been afraid that this might be too much for him, and knowing that he had some ability to work in this realm was of comfort to her. The other hand, however, was a small pang of jealousy. He slept with someone else? She knew it was irrational, but part of her had believed that when he had confessed being in love with her this whole time that he might have waited for her. She brushed off those thoughts, knowing how toxic they could quickly become if she let them. She had seen it happen so easily with Shadow. Lilythe didn't want to become that for Azrael. He's allowed to have a past just like you do. She reminded herself. Lilythe took the hint as he laced his fingers in her hair and began to guide her lower and lower. She kissed her way down his chest as far as she could still being partially chained to the bed by one arm and one leg. She couldn't make it much lower than what she estimated was the top of his abdominals before she ran out of comfortable reach. Even if she pushed herself she could likely only get an inch or so lower. So she waited for his next bit of guidance, or for him to release her other hand from captivity.

Lilythe shook her head. "I don't think everyone knew. Most of the rumors I heard were about it were about how you handled finding out... I just heard them today. I would have heard something sooner if that were the case." She didn't really want to go into much detail. Largely because she wasn't trying to make him feel bad. On the contrary, she was trying to help him make sense of things. "But gossip travels fast around camp once it's out there." Lilythe confirmed. "Still, two months is a long time to wait. I can understand why you're frustrated with her." Lilythe conceded. Her thoughts went to Helena and what the poor girl was probably going through right now. However, right now Mateo was probably just as stressed and she wanted to make sure that she had him in a better headspace before she went to go check on the girl. "I don't think she meant to hurt you, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt you." Lilythe said with some level of experience on the subject. That had been true for both Shadow and Azrael. Neither boy had ever meant to hurt her with their actions, but they had both managed to in their own way, nonetheless. "Before I say this, I want you to know that I agree with you that she should have spoken sooner, but... she was probably scared. That girl has loved you for so long, the last thing she would want to do is anything that hurt you. She probably blamed herself for getting pregnant in the first place..." Lilythe offered a hand on his shoulder. "She should have told you sooner. And you get to be upset about that. But... don't let that anger keep you from figuring things out with her. Whatever that looks like." Lilythe wasn't going to push him one way or the other. She definitely had her idea of what she wanted things to look like for them, but it wasn't her place to push that on him. He needed to figure that out for himself, and talk to her. "Figure out what you want, and talk to her."

It was clear to Lilythe that something was definitely wrong. There wasn't much that could shake Mateo that Lilythe could think of. This had to be what she felt like it was. "Well... do you want to talk?" Lilythe started to try and begin her normal regiment of comfort when he continued. And his question only confirmed it for her. Helena was pregnant. "I didn't know for sure until just now. You know how rumors are at camp..." Lilythe offered him a look of sympathy. Gesturing towards the living area, Lilythe guided him over to the couch. "I bet it came as quite a shock." She could offer very little by way of comfort. It wasn't like the two of them were particularly close. She had dated his brother, so she knew Mateo about as well as the rest of the Hecate cabin, but that was only to say that she had spent a lot of time in that cabin and knew their quirks. She couldn't, with any degree of sincerity, say that she truly knew very many of them. Not knowing how to help in this situation made her feel a bit nervous, but she tried her best not to show it. Mateo needed someone to support him right now, not someone else burdening them with their own anxiety.

Lilythe had been upstairs trying to figure out what kind of situation she could work out for the current situation occurring at camp. Rumors had travelled faster than they ever had before about a certain child of Aphrodite and child of Hecate expecting their own child in the coming months. There wasn't really any precedence at Camp Half-Blood of campers coming up pregnant. The news had shocked her, and she assumed it could only have been more shocking to the two of them. Immediately she had gone into caregiver mode and started searching The Big House for a space that would work to raise the newborn in. She was in the middle of this when she heard the voice of one of the very campers she was trying to help. Immediately she started to walk down the stairs, but because she had been so far up, it took a while before she managed to make it downstairs and he had already moved to the kitchen. As she reached the bottom step, she called over to the kitchen, "Mateo?" She started to walk over that way. "Are you alright?" Lilythe tried not to give away much, because she wasn't even sure if the rumor was true. Though Mateo never came to The Big House, so she had to figure something was going on at the very least. "Did you need something?"

Lilythe could hear the banging on the door of Cabin 11. The cabins weren't ever really locked, but it was strictly against the rules to go into a cabin that wasn't your own without being invited by someone who was. So banging on the door wasn't really an uncommon occurrence. Especially with how many campers there were, and with Lilythe being a source of comfort for many of them. This voice, however, was not one of the younger campers, it was her best friend. She would have recognized that voice anywhere. "Vee? What's wrong?" Lilythe looked at her friend, her eyes quizzical. Gesturing to invite her in, Lilythe walked over to the chairs in the large central area. She took a seat on the couch, and gestured for Vee to take a seat with her. "What's got you so worried?" It had been a long time since she had seen Vienna worked up like this. Something was definitely bothering her best friend, but she couldn't figure out what it possibly could be. <

Lilythe blushed as Azrael spoke, chewing on her lower lip. She had been so nervous before she came over to his cabin, that she would be doing too much. But she needed to find out sooner, rather than later, if this was something he could handle. If I date him, he needs to know, right? Seeing that he didn't seem to have a problem with it--even if maybe he didn't have experience with it like she had somewhat hoped he might--really helped relieve a lot of the anxiety she had about a potential future with him. She let out a soft sigh as he squeezed her thigh. As his nails raked up her leg, she let out a soft gasp. "Mmmm. I do enjoy following your lead when we're alone." She kissed his chest softly. Blushing as he asked about the toys, Lilythe bit her lip. "I... well... Candles are pretty obvious, and umm... I brought a few toys in case those interested you to play with." Talking about sex had never been easy for Lilythe. She could flirt, she could do innuendo, and she could do just about anything he could fantasize about. Talking about it though? That was difficult. "Is there anything specifically you have questions about?"

As Azrael let her loose from her bonds, she offered no resistance when he pulled her close to him. She blushed bright red. "I don't want you to have to force it, if you don't enjoy it." Lilythe said honestly. Sex for her was just as much about the person it was with, as it was the action. If Azrael couldn't handle a more kinky sex life, Lilythe determined that she could find a way to cope with it. It was a relief as he voiced his understanding of her interest. It was so freeing to feel seen and understood in that way. She didn't have to describe it. She didn't have to explain. He just knew. "Only if you're comfortable though..." Lilythe hadn't really ever given much thought to Azrael's sex life before her. Now she found herself wondering if he had proclivities of his own, or if he had explored interests with others. In some ways she hoped she was the first he dabbled with, and in others she hoped she wasn't. It was a strange mix of emotions both being jealous of girls she had never met, and sympathetic and anxious that she might overwhelm him if she were the first. She chose not to ask. If he feels I need to know something, he'll tell me.

Lilythe chuckled a little bit as Codie spoke about the version of Heracles he was most familiar with. "Yeah, I saw that movie when I was a kid too. But it didn't exactly go like that. Sometime I'll have to tell you the story of the real Heracles. Remind me, okay?" She beamed at him. The kid seemed sweet, and was easy enough to like. He'll do fine here. Lilythe thought to herself. She could easily see him making friends with some of the more mellow cabins like Demeter or Apollo. "You'll stay in my cabin, Cabin 11, until your parent claims you. And then, if your parent isn't the same as mine--Hermes--you'll go to the appropriate cabin for them." Lilythe said with a smile. "Think you can handle staying in a bunk in my cabin for a night or two?" One of her favorite things about being a daughter of Hermes was that it allowed her to meet all the new campers as they joined camp. Usually, unless they were claimed instantly, she was the first cabin leader for the kids. She was the first friendly face, and she tried her best to remain one for the duration of their stay at Camp Half-Blood. It would break her heart if Dionysus and Chiron ever decided to kick her out for getting too old. Thankfully, they still seemed to want her help running the camp. "I can take you on a small tour of the camp and then get you to your bunk, if you want. Or we can go straight to the bunks now. Up to you." She gave him the choice. It didn't bother her either way.

Lilythe's cheeks flushed at Azrael's words. "You weren't so bad yourself." She said with a smile, her breathing still a bit winded from their encounter. The warmth of his body felt comforting and intoxicating all at once. Lilythe found herself wishing she could capture this moment and hold onto it forever. There was something about the way her and Azrael connected that was raw and passionate, and exactly what she needed. He is what I need. Lilythe thought to herself, not yet ready to admit it aloud for fear that he would run away again. As she lost herself in thoughts of what a life with him could be like, she heard Azrael speak once more. "Hmmmm? Oh..." The red on her cheeks deepened with embarrassment. "I... I suppose I got rather used to, and comforted by being able to surrender control in the bedroom." She admitted. Lilythe hadn't really talked about her sex life with anyone besides Shadow. In fairness, before Azrael, Shadow had been her whole sex life. So there really had been no need before now to have a conversation with someone else. "We... we don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable. But..." She bit her lip absentmindedly. "Yes... I like it. I... I hope you don't mind." Sex with Azrael was nothing like it had been with Shadow. Sure, both of them were dominant, but Azrael seemed to have more passion and carnal desire than Shadow ever had. Shadow had always been slow, calculating. Lilythe had never known any different, and had always left satisfied, so she hadn't thought there could be more. Azrael's passion is what had been missing. His deep desire for her that echoed through his love-making. Lilythe knew now that she preferred this.

The last person Lilythe had anticipated walking through the door to her little birthday party had been Vienna Pimm. Vee had been one of her best friends since childhood. They had been thick as thieves since the moment the girl arrived, even if Vee's walls had been firmly up until after the Second Giants War. Vienna was one of the few people that got to call Lilythe 'Lithe', which was a play on both her name and the fact that she could be very forgetful. But she had gone off to New Rome to find some much needed normalcy in her life, and Lilythe had thought she would never return. Content to keep in touch with Iris messages and letters. Having her best friend returned to her, in the flesh, had been the most wonderful gift anyone could have ever given her. And Lilythe knew the only person who could have arranged it was Azrael. She didn't know why, or how, but she knew that he had managed to bring Vienna back. The fact that she was planning on staying for a while was doubly fantastic. So after making sure that she had properly thanked Azrael for his gift, Lilythe found herself a bottle of wine and grabbed it to bring to Cabin 12. "Hello! Paging Vienna Pimm! I come bearing Merlot." She said with an impish grin.

His next question was one that came up frequently. Kids always wanted to know how nobody else saw the monsters they saw every day. "That's both very simple and very complicated all at once. There's something called 'the mist', and... basically it kind of shields mortals from what's really happening. For their protection, I suppose. It's probably easiest to just think of it as magic, but it's something that we as demigods can see through. Hecate controls it." It was a concept that was hard to put into words other than 'it's magic' to make it make sense. She hoped she had done a good job, but it wouldn't be the first time her explanations left the camper more confused. She was always ready to have to clarify things where possible. Lilythe chuckled at Codie's out loud thought. "I'm sure you're not the first camper to wonder what we taste like to monsters. I assume it's probably something like how ambrosia tastes to us." "Well that's so sweet of you to say Codie!" Lilythe could tell that this kid had a kind heart. She hoped that his parent was someone that would give him an equally warm and inviting home. "Not everyone is like me, but most of our campers are friendly enough. Even the Ares kids aren't so bad once you get past their general hot-headedness." She chuckled. One thing was for certain, Codie lacked the underlying lair of rage that all Ares campers seemed to have boiling inside them. Definitely not cabin 5. She thought to herself. And there it was, the question she got almost one-hundred percent of the time in all the years she had been greeting new campers. It was natural that they would want to know who their parent was. Lilythe could vaguely remember what it was like to wonder about that part of you that you had felt was missing. "Our godly parents will claim us. Trust me, they make it known. Usually by evoking their symbol above a kid's head. Unfortunately, it's very rare for the Gods to actually come and visit us. If they pay attention to a mortal, even a half-blood mortal like us, it generally doesn't go well for them. Do you know the story of Heracles?" Lilythe said by way of example. He was the most famous demigod of all time. He had been favored by his father, much to Hera's dismay. And as a result Hera had made his life a living hell. Demigods who attracted the attentions of a God, especially their favor, typically met a cruel fate. It was better that their parents ignored them, even if most of the campers didn't see it that way. "But your father will have to claim you before your thirteenth birthday. So I imagine you'll know who he is soon enough!"

There were so many campers that a birthday party could be taking point at almost any given day of the year. The campers didn't always celebrate in a party, but those who did often had an open attendance party. Lilythe had seen James's little sister, Andralyn setting things up the night before. She figured it was worth at least checking out, since she hadn't been to a party in a while. So when Shadow suggested that they go together, she didn't see the harm in it. Nobody else had asked her, after all. Azrael. Lilythe's heart stung briefly at the thought of the other man in her life. But as quickly as that thought and pain came to her, it left. Her mind entered that haze it always seemed to when thoughts of him came up, and once more Shadow came to the forefront. She had been in the middle of getting ready when Shadow sent the Iris message. Pulling up the black sleeves of her dress, she blushed but affirmed she would be ready by the time he got there. Lilythe quickly jumped over to her mirror and began putting on her makeup. She had just finished putting on her lipstick when Shadow walked into the room. "You don't look so bad yourself." Lilythe beamed. He led her by her hand to the party and Lilythe smiled brightly at the others. She waved to Sage and Dahlia before turning to the birthday girl. "Happy birthday Andralyn! Hope it's your luckiest year yet!" She didn't have much time to focus on greeting the girl before Shadow pulled her off to the couch and sat her down on his lap. "If all you wanted to do was sit and cuddle, we could have stayed in my room for that." Lilythe chuckled before leaning into his arm.

"Yeah, I guess so." Lilythe knew that Larissa was right. She didn't really have a very good reason to not at least weigh the pros and cons. And if she couldn't keep them straight without writing it down, there was no harm in putting pen to paper so long as she made sure it was properly disposed of later. She could see the concern on Larissa's face as she talked about Shadow. "Look. I know how toxic and controlling he got. I left him for a reason. I'm a pushover. He needs someone that... won't give in just to make him happy. Something that couldn't turn as codependent as we got." Shadow's jealousy had been the real problem, but codependency wasn't that far-fetched of a description for it either. Shadow was insecure and that led him to be afraid of pretty much every male potentially taking her away from him. And she had enabled him in letting his jealousy control their relationship. It might not be the classic case that people think of. But it did check a lot of the same boxes. "I hope he finds someone else that can make him happy. I'd like to be able to be his friend again someday." Lilythe turned her attention back to the pros and cons list for Azrael. "I mean, there's a lot of other traits but right now all I can think of are the superficial ones." Lilythe smirked. "Have you seen his arms now?" When Azzy had left, he hadn't been scrawny by any means. But somehow now he seemed so much more toned and built than he had been before. "And I'm pretty sure I could use those abs as a washboard if I needed to..." She blushed bright red as she talked about his body. She felt like a high school girl again, crushing on some popular boy. It took her a little bit to snap herself back into the conversation instead of daydreaming about touching his body, kissing his lips... "But I don't want to really talk about the shallow things. And... I don't know if he even has the same personality traits I remember him having from when we were younger. I mean, he was a good man--if a bit judgmental at times. Guess that can't be helped with who his mother is though. She literally is the goddess of retribution and vengeance. I suppose he's predisposed to be a bit judgy."