Henrietta Abbot

"Gods, I knew you'd be a sleuth about this, Sage! Relax, Sherlock, it's probably just some guy I saw in a movie once." Henry was quick to dismiss her sister's enthusiasm, but she had to admit that the idea had crossed her mind before. If he did turn up around camp, what would she even do? As bold as Henry was, she'd never had a real, proper crush before. And 'Hi, I've dreamed about you loads, here's a marble bust of you I made' would be an awful pick-up line. This guy might not even exist and she was already making a fool of herself for him. "Oh, Sage, noooo!" Henry committed to the bit, falling to her knees and keeling over in a dramatic death scene. "Sister, how could youuuu...." Once Henry felt her point had come across, she jumped back up to her feet and bowed, proud of her performance. "Come on, I'm hungry. Maybe I'll let you see the bust on the way to the mess hall. If you behave yourself. And no note-taking!" Henry gave Sage a stern look. She knew her sister well enough to know that her stories would be dutifully transcribed into the girl's notebook.

"The wrath of Sam, don't even get me started. She caught me smoking out of the window the other day, I honestly thought she was gonna tear me to pieces!" Henry huffed. She loved all her siblings, but safe to say some a bit less than others. Sage would always be her favourite, though, that was for sure. "Hopefully Evelyn brings out a new side to her." Henry mused. That coupling would definitely be interesting. "Gods, keep your voice down! Half the camp must've heard you!" She blushed bright red at her sister's excitement. She trusted Sage, but nobody else. Henry being a secret hopeless romantic would be big news. "He's just always there in my dreams. Really handsome. Like proper Greek hero handsome. I just can't resist sculpting him, you know? If I can do a face like that justice, I'll know I'm talented." She caught herself, disgusted at the sappy crap she was spouting. "Gross, I sound like you! I'm giving you a free shot, strike me dead now!" Henry spread her arms out in a dramatic pose of surrender.

Henry swallowed a lump in her throat at the conclusion of Petal's story. She felt like a real a-hole for making the poor girl relive that; in truth, Henry had expected Petal to think about the question and come up completely blank. Seeing her light dim a little in real-time? That was too much, even for stone-cold Henry. "Oh, Petal... I'm so sorry." Henry wanted to say that she knew she wasn't at fault, that it was an honest mistake coming from the best of intentions. That seemed a really pathetic response, though. Nothing Petal hadn't heard before and felt the guilt of anyway. Instead, Henry reached out and squeezed the girl's hand. It was the only thing she could think to do. Pulling her knees to her chest once again, Henry watched as Silvio's turn came around. She really wished she'd just asked Petal who she was crushing on.

Henry laughed, her nose wrinkling slightly. "Yuck, the pegasus stables? I hope they were freshly cleaned for your sake, Sis. Who knows what medical ramifications there would be for rolling around in dung like that!" She was being facetious of course. In actuality, the whole affair sounded very romantic... Henry had a passionate love for the rain, so that aspect she could appreciate. Certainly not bad for a first time. From what Henry knew, anyway... how strange that rebellious, grungey Henry's virginity would stick around longer than sweet Sage's! Henry made a face at the new gossip her sister offered. "I can't imagine how those poor boys feel. That's literally my worst nightmare." Henry lunged forward with her sword. "Speaking of... I keep having these dreams. I don't know if it means anything, but this boy is always there. I've sort of been... sculpting him. You don't think he's, like, out there somewhere?" Henry said cautiously. This was a secret she'd been keeping to herself for some time. She knew of some campers who's dreams were in some way prophetic, or had hidden messages. Henry was growing redder and redder by the minute, half regretting bringing it up at all.

"Oh shut it, flower-child. It's just hard to improvise shit like that, that's all." Henry snapped, but there was a slight twinkle in her eye. She had a soft spot for Petal, however much she'd like to deny it. When the child of Iris chose truth, Henry had to light up another cigarette to help her think. What did she want to know about Camp's pastel golden child? She exhaled a puff of smoke thoughtfully. "Okay Petal, what's the worst thing you've ever done? And don't say you forgot to sacrifice some food to the Gods or something. I mean something seriously messed up." Henry grinned, keen to hear Petal's answer. If she had an answer, that is. Henry couldn't imagine her doing anything wrong or unkind in her life, really. But one thing about demigods is that they'll usually surprise you, if you give them an opportunity. @ Petal Price

Henry couldn't hide her scowl, however much she wanted to keep a brave face. She was not well-versed in 'sensual', let alone with an Ares camper. It was a fantastic dare, but Finley deserved no credit as far as Henry was concerned. She caught the Drachma, giving the Iris boy a wicked glare. "You'll pay for this, Fin, I promise you," she growled, before tossing the coin through the nearest mist of water. After praying to Iris, a figure emerged in the water. Liam Santos. He was famously disliked by the Athena cabin, and personally so by Henry. They never talked much, but something about his arrogance and temper rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe she saw a bit of herself in him. Either way, I have to pretend he rubs me the right way... gross. "Hey, baby", Henry said through gritted teeth. "Just wanted to say... was pretty hot when you took your shirt off in training the other day. Maybe we should try one-on-one next time." The words sounded like they were being tortured out of her. That wasn't far off from the reality, actually. When the connection cut out, Henry fake vomited dramatically. Immature? Maybe. Completely justified? Yes. But Henry would never back down from a dare. "Forget you all witnessed that, or I swear on my mother I'll infest your cabins with pit scorpions. Okay... Petal! Truth or Dare?" @ Liam Santos @ Petal Price

Henry put the flower crown on her head at a jaunty angle, determined to retain at least some of her rebellious dignity. "Gods, I hate to think what I look like in this... total cutesy bumblebee bait just like you, I bet." But really, Henry was pleased, and trying to hide her blush. Something about Petal put her at ease, like she was safe to be herself. Though, with all of the walls Henry had built up, she couldn't place exactly who 'herself' was. "Let's say, hypothetically, I wanted to make you one of these. How would I go about it?" The words surprised even Henry, who was expecting to say some other smartass remark. She really did want to make her a crown to match. The truth was, she wanted to repay Petal for her kindness; an appropriate way to do that seemed to be to participate in the girl's dreamy world. Even if it was only for a while. To punctuate her sentence, Henry sat down cross-legged and winked at Petal playfully. "Get your pastel ass down here and teach me a lesson in flower child-ery."

Henry smiled at her sister's embarrassed flush. It was really cute, how much she clearly loved Loukas. Henry couldn't help but feel the slight sting of jealousy somewhere inside her. She pushed it down with a barely perceptible shake of her head. No way. I'm Henry fucking Abbot! I don't need anyone. "Next level? Sage, you don't mean--" Henry feigned a look of shock and horror, "Intercourse?" She was teasing, of course, but some of that shock was genuine. Sage always seemed so sweet and innocent; not that Henry pictured the relationship's consummation to be anything but idyllic. Like, real first-time fantasy, rose petals and shit. Nevertheless, this seemed a new side to Sage, and one that Henry was keen to hear all about. "Elaborate please, my oh-so scandalous sister!"

Henrietta Abbot was covered in dust. Marble dust, that is. Strictly speaking, she shouldn't have been sculpting without proper ventilation. She never could resist the call of the Arts and Crafts Center, though -- it was a favourite place of the children of Athena. Sure, training was fun, but creating art? That was freedom, as much as you could have while staying within the camp boundaries. The bust she was carving was of nobody in particular, just a collection of the prettiest features she could think of. Generally she practised sculpting the Gods, preparing for her inevitable future as a sculptor to Olympus itself. Today, though, she was keeping it humble. She was blowing dust away from the bridge of her creations' nose when she heard a noise behind her. Henry's head snapped around, scowling and ready to berate the intruder. "Gods, do you knock? You scared the shit out of me!" @ Rebecca Jones

Henry watched as a few more rounds unfolded around her, glad to see that the game was picking up steam. This was about the calibre of dares she expected: stolen kisses, hidden secrets, lies, etc. Classic teenager stuff. It was nice to forget the near-constant peril of demigod life every once in a while. Even if the perils of being a teenager seemed equally tumultuous at times. Shocked at having been asked to go next, Henry choked on a cough. She figured the others would be far more interested in each other, and expected to take a back seat as usual. Finley was looking flushed after his passionate kiss with Silvio. Henry had had a mild interest in the child of Iris for some time; he was an artist like her, and easy on the eyes to boot. She was tempted towards truth, but she didn't exactly trust anyone in the group just yet. Stubbing her cigarette out on the arm of her chair, she sat forward with a grin. "Hit me with a dare, Finley." @ Finley Walker

Henry was shocked at Sage's answer, and instinctively looked over her shoulder to see if Loukas was coming back yet. This felt like something he shouldn't hear. "Gael? Are you serious?" Henry could've sworn that Sage hated that boy's guts, and the two of them seldom kept secrets from one another. Shaking her head slowly, Henry took another drag. "You little minx, Sage! Who would've thought?" It was a pretty classic dynamic, Henry realised. 'Girl Next Door' torn between a nice guy and a bad boy. She'd be sorry if this made its way to Loukas, but it would definitely be interesting. "Well, you passed 'truth' with flying colours.. Your turn to ask someone, Sage!" @ Sage Roberts

"Truth? What a shame, I would've dared you to join your boyfriend," Henry gave her sister a wicked grin. She'd seen how red Sage had gone, even at the mere mention of Loukas's dare. She and Sage were close, but that just meant she knew all the buttons to push. Same as any sibling relationship of course, affection just looks different. "Truth...", Henry mused, drumming her fingers on her chin. "Okay, if you had to kiss anyone at camp aside from Loukas, who would it be?" It was a classic question, but she felt a little bad asking. She figured that if Sage didn't want to answer, she could say she had no interest in anyone else. That may well have been true, anyway; Henry saw the way she looked at Loukas. It's pretty damn hard to miss. Henry wiped some brownie crumbs from her mouth with the back of her hand, raising an eyebrow at her sister. @ Sage Roberts

Henry laughed at Loukas's demeanour; he seemed like he was bravely walking into the battlefield, rather than going for an evening swim. He was definitely Sage's kind of boy, cute in a dorky way. Only the best for my sister, she thought as Loukas's white figure splashed into the water. "I guess somebody else takes a turn while he's gone," she answered Alyssa. "Any takers?" Having gone first, Henry hoped somebody else would step up and keep the game going. Being a smart-ass Athena's daughter isn't an incredible legacy, but failing to host a simple game of Truth or Dare would be even worse. She punctuated the request with a puff of smoke and a quizzical look around the group of teenagers. Hearing a new voice, Henry hurriedly waved her hand in the air to dispel the smoke. Seeing the newcomer, who she recognised as Silvio, Henry smiled in relief. She knew he could keep a secret. Holding out a palm, she said "Shame they're not laced, but I'll take one anyway. You wanna join us?" @ Silvio Suarez @ Alyssa James

Henry gave Miro a playful wink before turning her attention back towards Loukas. His decision had surprised her, actually -- he definitely seemed like a 'truth' kind of guy. Maybe he was showing off for Sage, in which case, Henry wouldn't hold back. "I would dare you to wake up at 7 tomorrow, but I'm not that wicked... okay, I dare you to skinny dip in the lake." It was pretty cold that evening, so it was challenging without being too mean. "Skinny dip being a loose term, of course. Your pasty ass in the moonlight would blind us all." Henry sat back in her chair and took a drag of her cigarette, grinning at the boy. She half expected him to refuse, but his dignity would suffer slightly either way. But hey, that's pretty much the name of the game. @ Loukas Makris

"'Course, Miro. The more the messier!" Henry welcomed the newcomer with a mischievous smile. He looked deep in thought, maybe a little troubled. There was so much interpersonal drama at camp, it was hard to keep up, especially for an outsider like Henry. She knew Miro to be one of Aphrodite's sons, so deductive reasoning drew her to one conclusion: romance troubles. So, he was probably here to distract himself. On that front, Henry felt she could deliver. She fumbled in her pocket and produced another cigarette, putting it between her own lips to light it before handing it to the boy. Something about Aphrodite's children always brought out a boldness in Henry, which she liked. Probably some love magic inherited from the lady herself. "No judgement! But if Mr. D comes calling, you didn't get that from me." @ Miroslaw Mihailov

Henry grinned as the seats filled up around her; she had trusted her sisters from the Athena cabin to spread the news of the game she planned. Obviously, they hadn't let her down -- they seldom did. Athena's children tended to be very loyal towards one another. Sure, it was probably more about battle techniques than affection, but it was nice nonetheless. There were a few familiar faces: Sage, Loukas, and Katie. The rest were people she only knew in passing. When Celeste sat down, Henry figured she was ready to start. More people could show up and catch on. Even the dimmest of campers could navigate a simple game of Truth or Dare. "You all know why you're here, so why don't we start with... Loukas. Truth or dare?" Henry knew how gentle the boy's nature was, especially where her sister was concerned, so she hastily added "Don't worry, I won't jeopardise your relationship!" with a smirk. @ Loukas Makris

Henrietta Abbot was sitting in one of the circular seating arrangements around the grounds. Her knees, bruised to the underworld and back from that morning's training, were pulled up to her chest. It was evening; the empty chairs around her were illuminated by the flickering light of a fire. If only the camp borders kept out those gods-damned mosquitos, Henry thought bitterly, blowing smoke from her lips in an amateurish cough. If a camp director -- or a particularly strict cabin leader -- had seen her, she would've been badly scolded for smoking within camp grounds. However rebellious a 15-year-old daughter of Athena might be, she would be uncharacteristically stupid not to have a fire nearby for quick disposal and plausible deniability. Henry may have been completely unwilling to admit it, but she was lonely. Being a grungey outcast was a cool image, but not a sustainable one for a place like Camp Half-Blood. The more connections you had, the safer you were as a demigod. You needed people to fight alongside you, or at least make perpetual summer camp a bit more interesting. As annoying as most of the campers are, you couldn't accuse them of being boring. Secretly, Henry had chosen this spot for its proximity to the more active places on the grounds, hoping to make a friend. Or an enemy. She wasn't picky.

enemies to lovers? that is, if we got to the 'lovers' bit before killing each other... doubtful!

Liam Santos! I think you could fix him >:-)

I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE

Listening to Sage's story, Henry's face cycled through a series of expressions. It was common for the camp to be drenched in drama -- teenagers, hormones, monsters, demigod abilities, etc -- but not so common for Henry to be at all involved. Henry was used to being on the sidelines, a grungey shadow with a scowl. It was really only through Sage that she connected to anyone at camp. Privately, Henry was lonely and craved a connection of any sort. Friends, enemies... something more... Henry shook her hair as though the offending thoughts would fly away. "My bet's still on charmspeak," grimaced Henry. "I don't trust anyone who only has to flip their hair to get someone on their knees. Literally, in this case." Henry smirked at her joke and twirled her sword, passing it between her hands in a gesture that looked far more impressive than it really was. "Speaking of... how are things with Loukas? Have you guys, like, sealed the deal?" Henry wiggled her eyebrows teasingly at Sage. The couple were very cute together; however protective a sister Henry was, she had to admit she liked the two of them together. In a dorky, high-school sweethearts kind of way.

"Listen, if you don't like him then neither do I. If there's anything I can do to help you take him down, you know I will." There was a slight fire in Henry's eyes now, a bright quality ignited by the thought of her friend being in danger somehow. She spun her sword in her hands a little. This was a nervous habit of hers that had persisted since she first got her hands on the camp practice swords. "You won't lose Loukas, Sage. He adores you, more than he'd ever adore Shadow." seeing that Sage was upset made Henry draw herself up slightly, correcting her posture. "If we're gonna take him down, you need some more practice. Your parry is so weak I could get past you blindfolded!" Henry grinned and took stance again.

Henry swallowed, listening to Petal's words attentively. Still avoiding eye contact, the girl nodded slowly along to show she was taking the advice in. She had expected a smug resolve, maybe a bit of teasing. Petal was completely sincere though, her tone of voice gentle. Henry cleared her throat, leaving a silence between the girls for a few moments. "Coukd you make me one of those things? Please?" Henry signaled towards the flower crown still being woven in her friend's hands. However different the girls might have been, maybe their 'flowers', as Petal had put it, could be the same. She felt a little better, especially now that she felt Petal could be trusted. "You're super annoying but, maybe, I'd like to be a bit more like you. In some ways. Maybe."

Henry, flushed slightly with embarrassment, rolled her eyes. Petal's hands continued to weave the crown as she talked, as though it were second nature to the girl. It was a slightly mesmerising sight. Slightly nauseating too: the bright sun, bright colours and wildflower scent in the air made Henry light-headed. "Joys of tie-dye? Gods, you make me remember Camp is technically a commune. If you weren't so sweet," the word came out with a completely neutral connotation. "I'd be scared you were a hippie cult leader." She was just stalling now, eager to put off the conversation she had come here to have. Sometimes being brave isn't about storming into battle, though. If only, thought Henry bitterly. Shifting on her feet, Henry crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, Petal... you know why I'm here. I need your opinion on something. I-" Henry stumbled over her words before loudly cursing in ancient greek. "I'm lonely. I barely know anyone outside of my cabin, I train all day and study all night, I have no quest assigned to me and no way to prove my worth, I-- how do you know you belong somewhere? I had to ask you because... well, you seem so happy. Like, it's annoying how happy you seem." Henry avoided eye contact with Petal, humiliated at how it all came tumbling out. Those were feelings she'd had bottled up for years.

Petal was hard to miss. She glimmered with colour from head to toe; Henry had always thought she looked like a rainbow shifting through a spray of water. Fitting for a child of Iris. Henry dragged her feet as she walked towards the girl in the meadow. Petal was practically her opposite in every way. Their playfully antagonistic relationship meant that moments of sincerity were few, far between and, to Henry's guarded nature, deeply uncomfortable. But Henry needed advice, and Petal was essentially the go-to busybody at camp. Happy to help, etc. "Petal! Can I talk to you for a minute, or are you too busy being 'world's most wholesome flower-child'?" Henry called from a few feet away. Petal did look busy, mumbling to herself as she picked flowers from the meadow. She appeared to be weaving them together for some reason. The two girls must have looked comical together: one colourful and sweet, the other grungey and ill-tempered.