Truth, Dare or a Secret Third Thing

[Henrietta Abbot]

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. 

[Loukas Makris]

As the moon began its ascent in the sky, Loukas found himself drawn to the isolated figure seated in one of the camp's circular seating arrangements. The glow of the fire lit up her face, making her bruises all the more prominent. Loukas recognized her as Henrietta (though if he remembered she preferred Henry) - a spitfire daughter of Athena. He saw the cigarette between her lips, it wasn't surprising to find Henry bending the camp rules; that's just who she was, stubbornly independent and a bit of a rebel.

Approaching her, he called out softly, "Mind if I join you, Henry?" His voice was gentle, not wanting to startle her. Despite the strong undercurrent of his power rising with the night, Loukas maintained a relaxed posture. He felt a strange pull toward the firelight, but more importantly toward the girl sitting by it. Whether this would lead to friendship or an enmity, he was ready to take that chance. After all, in a world of gods and demigods, things were seldom boring. 

@ Henrietta Abbot

[Sage Roberts]

Sage heard about her sister's idea for a game which sounded like a ton of fun. Getting ready in the cabin before the time she thought her sister told her to be at the seating circle around the fire. Sage put on her camp half-blood t-shirt and some shorts as she headed out. Looking up at the moon she admired how beautiful it was and smiled as she knew Loukas would be up this time of day. The night time was always when the hecate campers thrived and even more during a full moon. The countless time she tried to pull loukas out bed before noon was too many to count!!!!! Laughing at this thought she saw some figures ahead of her as she beamed at them as she approached. 

Looking from Loukas to Henry she giggled "Hello you two, I am not late am I?" She saw a seat around the fire, moving towards it she plopped down as she patted the seat next to her as she looked up at him. "Henry doesn't bite.......well she kind of does" she giggled at the joke as she looked a Henry. 

[Finley Walker Rare]

Fin had been out at the sound again as he was trying to catch the summer waves. He knew that California this time of year was pretty rad and part of him missed being there. But when he came in from surfing, someone told him of a truth or dare game which he was so there. That might mean some babes would show up and he could get a kiss or two. After that capture the flag when his heart got crushed from Elena....he was trying to get his mind off it all. Even some of his sisters were mad at him like he had been the one to like two people at the same time. 

Well anyways Fin went back to his cabin, he freshened up before heading out when it got dark towards where the game would take place. His hair was flowing in the breeze as he arrived when a few others were there. "Great I made it on time" he said nodding his head. Looking at the girl (Henry) with the cigarette he smirked "Such a rebel" he then looked for a spot and took a seat hoping more people would show. 

[Katie Rose Rare]

Katie had been feeling good after the capture the flag event. Their team won and she was proud of their team once again. She recalled that the last year was the red’s victory so she was impressed with their glory and continued fighting. She was daughter of Athena so failure doesn’t really bring her down, it actually just made her wanting to improve and get better each day. Besides she had her mother’s blessing everyday , she could feel it. She heard about the truth and dare event and when she knew it was her sister who started it, she went immediately to support her game. They were the best at games and so she knew it would be always be interesting. But truth or dare though……..would it be a weird game if if included kisses or touches or…… Yeah she wasn’t all that about love at the moment , but she was interested to see others do. If it happened to her then well she would gladly accept it too, for fun! She was still a wee 14 so still kind of young eh. She arrived at the grounds where most of them were gathered for the game. It was such a crowd and she knew it was getting popular these days. Not sure why though. "Hey sis, nice game you have here. “ She grinned , greeting Henry then Sage, eyeing Loukas a little, and then took a seat, facing the rest of them who she weren’t familiar yet.

[Park Shi Jin]

Shi Jin wasn’t really interested but w truth or dare game but he was seeing many arriving towards the hot spot, so he wanted to check it out as well. Maybe he could do some truth, or dare if necessary. Right now, he just wanted to have some fun and see some younglings enjoy together. What kind of fun do they have these days? He was eager to find out. He walked towards the grounds as the others so happily did, wondering what the fun was all about as he rarely joins this kind of activity even when he was younger at camp. Or maybe he did but he forgot. Anyways, he came towards the little party and took a seat among the circular seats. Smiling, he watched the little gang seeing most were younger than him. He was one of the older campers now so they were very few out of many. Calmly he awaits for the game to start. He didn’t recognise most of them so he waited to see if he would see any he knew later. If not he would gladly meet new people too. 

[Celeste Hadzis Rare]

Celeste had heard from her brother Theo that there was a sort of game going on tonight. Well she wanted some DRAMA in her life so she thought why not go and have a bit of fun while she was at it. Maybe Arsen would join and she could toy with his emotions a bit as she ohhh so loved to do!!!!! Sneaking out of her cabin as to not bring Lilythe's attention to this as she would be the BIGGEST PARTY POOPER in the world!!!!! Sometimes he even wondered if she was a hermes child or not. But anyways rant over, she then left the cabin as she made her way to the spot where she noticed the others. Smirking when she saw Shi Jin she took a spot next to him "Looks like we are the oldest here...should make for some fun right?" Her smirk then grew on her face as she looked over to henry who was smoking....now this was her kind of girl!

[Henrietta Abbot]

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

[Miroslaw Mihailov Rare]

When Miro found out from some of his brothers, who discovered it from Athena's boys that.... in short, a mess! There was a game of truth or dare and he, to distract himself a little from the whole mess of her love story with her, to find at least one second in which he wasn't thinking about Elena, had decided to participate. He arrived just in time for the start "Excuse me! Can I join?" and sat looking at Henry hosting the game, then saw Fin and tried not to stare too much…damn, for once he didn't want to think about it, well at least it was far enough away from him and hopefully he wouldn't they would be spoken. His attention returned to Henry and he saw her with a cigarette in her hand and he thought 'we need more people like her in this field, it would be fun' and he smiled a little, spoke shortly after and was amazed himself at what she said: "Henry , do you have another cigarette?" he wanted to relax and if the smoke and that would do the trick he would accept, he just hoped to have fun with people who wouldn't judge him. 

[Henrietta Abbot]

"'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

[Miroslaw Mihailov Rare]

He chuckled a little when he heard Henry's answer, actually he had the feeling that the game would degenerate beyond belief, in short, it would be fun. "Thank you" he said as he took Henry's cigarette, she had been kind and even lit it for him, he took a drag and then exhaled the smoke feeling better and more relaxed, he didn't really consider himself an addict, he only smoked sometimes. But now it seemed necessary to distract himself, this was enough for him and a game between people that he didn't know all that well. He was careful not to watch Fin too much and he didn't want this to end badly so he would check himself in case of any strange happenings. He was still thinking when he heard Henry's answer, he smiled "You didn't give me anything... what are you talking about?" he joked, pretending not to understand and to have always had a cigarette in his hand. "Well...shall we begin?"

[Loukas Makris]

Loukas glanced at Sage smiling. He always felt a sense of comfort and happiness whenever she was near. But when Henry directed the truth or dare question to him, he suddenly felt nervous. He wanted to say truth, that was usually the 'easer' and less embarrassing answer in this game, at least from his limited experience. But the desire to impress Sage and not appear like a chicken in front of her made him want to choose the dare instead! It wasn't that he didn't trust anyone around the fire....well....maybe Celetse, but he knew this could get crazy, but he was ready for whatever. Loukas looked at Henry, meeting her mischievous smirk with one of his own. "Alright, Henry, hit me with your best dare," he challenged confidently, his voice was a mix of excitement and nervousness. He knew Henry's dares could be unexpected, but he was ready to take on the challenge. Deep down, he hoped that whatever dare she came up with would bring him closer to Sage and make their bond stronger. With a smile playing on his lips, Loukas leaned back, bracing himself for the dare that would test his limits.

@ Henrietta Abbot

@ Sage Roberts

[Henrietta Abbot]

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

Edited July 10, 2023 by Henrietta Abbot

[Loukas Makris]

Loukas felt his face flush at Henry's dare, the blush intensifying at her joking comment. Even more so in the fact he'd be doing this in front of two of Sage's sisters! His heart hammered in his chest, this dare was both thrilling and mortifying. A part of him wished he had chosen 'truth' now, yet he found himself rising from his seat, the words already leaving his mouth, "Alright, challenge accepted." He flashed a quick glance towards Sage, trying to gauge her reaction, as if to say 'I'm only doing this to impress you!'.

Taking a deep breath, he started towards of the larger trees that offered a bit of privacy. "I'll be back in a flash!" he called out. Even as the words left his mouth, he felt the knot in his stomach tighten. But the thought of backing down now, especially in front of Sage, was unthinkable. He quickly shed his clothes, he didn't linger too long in the cool night air, anxiety and anticipation propelling him towards the water's edge. Taking one last deep breath, Loukas sprinted towards the lake, doing his best to try and maintain some modesty! The shock of the cold water did little to dull the thrill of the dare or the pounding of his heart in his chest. His mind was a mess of thoughts but the most prominent was how much he hoped Sage would be impressed by his daring feat!

@ Henrietta Abbot

Edited July 10, 2023 by Loukas Makris

[Alyssa James]

Alyssa had been on a walk when she saw a group of campers. Curious, she wandered quietly over that way so as not to disturb them, in case she wasn't meant to join or overhear. As she got closer, however, it seemed to be a bit of an impromptu game of truth or dare. Stepping out from the bushes, she grinned impishly. "Truth or Dare? Count me in!" She said and popped a seat near the fire. She could just about make out the faces of most of the campers.

As the game began, she listened to the exchanges between Miro and Henry, two campers she hadn't really gotten to know much about yet. And of course Loukas and Sage could be seen together. Those two were practically inseparable. She hadn't really noticed that Finley was there, partially obscured by the fire light, until the game started. She hadn't seen him since that party in the forest a few weeks ago.

Before long, Henry dared Loukas to plunge himself in the lake. Thankfully she clarified that she didn't actually want him to get fully naked, because Alyssa definitely didn't need to see that level of pale in the moonlight. "So...uh... what do we do until he gets back?"

[Silvio Suarez]

It was quite late already but Silvio was just about done cleaning up everything in the kitchen place from the dinner session earlier. Being a cook means cleaning up the mess you have made, which sounded silly but Silvio did not mind the work. He liked working, it gave him something to do, something to distract himself with. He could use substances for that but he felt like he was better than that. He had read about herbs and their many uses and he did not want to go through any kind of addiction of withdrawal, he knew better. But he was desperate. 

He let out a short breath of relief as he was done with everything, he looked around to see if he had missed anything. He did, there were some leftover brownies. He wanted to throw it in the fridge but when he opened it it was full, as always. There were still a lot of the brownies left and he did not want to waste it by throwing them away. So he walked out with the tray of brownies in hand, hoping to find a group of adolescents and teenagers who were still hungry at this hour, which a lot of them are.

Under the moonlight the silver chain he wore around his neck and on his collarbone glistened. He was just wearing a plain white tee, some part of it still wet from all the cooking and cleaning. He could use a shower. Thankfully the mint he wore did not make him smell of body odor from all the sweat from before. He paired his white tee with a ripped tight black jeans and a pair of sneakers. His usual cook attire you could say, light and breezy. Comfortable to move in. 

As he walked he saw a bunch of people gathered around the fire. He walked closer towards them. When he was within their proximity, he said "Hey we got some leftover brownies, you guys wanna finish them?" while showing the tray still filled with the sweet looking brownies. 

Silvio did not really care what they were doing gathered together so late in the night. He was used to seeing kids doing stuffs like this. Especially when he came back late from the kitchen just like that night. He noticed two of them smoking as well but he was not one to talk much or mind other's businesses, let alone snitch. "Oh and they are not pot brownies if you're concerned," he grinned. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Silvio Suarez

[Henrietta Abbot]

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

[Sage Roberts]

Was Katie giving Loukas the side eye when she arrived???? Shaking her head she watched as more and more joined the group. But it wasn't until her sister told Loukas he was up first did her face break into a smirk. What would Henry have him do? The blush was soft at first but then her whole face went red when the task was revealed. LOUKAS SKINNY DIPPING????? Would he do it thou. Looking to him he ended up agreeing which only made her blush harder. Part of her wanted to go over to Katie and cover her eyes as she was so young plus it was her boyfriend!!

Seeing his white butt she giggled a little as he jumped in. That was when Alyssa and Silvio joined in the group. Raising an eyebrow at the brownies she shrugged and took one. "I will go next Henry....I chose Truth" she said with a smile. 

@ Henrietta Abbot

[Henrietta Abbot]

"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

[Sage Roberts]

Of course Henry would have made her join in on the dare that Loukas had done if she had picked that. Maybe that was why her mother gave her good wisdom to chose the truth instead??? Shaking her head, only Henry would be able to push her buttons and get away with it all. They were so close it age that, it was like they bonded the moment they met. 

"Ohhhhhh" was her first reaction as she looked towards the water where loukas was at. Well at least maybe he wouldn't hear her say it right? Or would it get back to him??? Her mind raced but one person came to mind. It was a demi-god who everyone thought she hated but deep down she wondered what his lips would taste like on her own. Snapping out of the thought she then looked at her sister "Gael Masterson, child of phobos" the words came out of her like a deep deep suppressed thought or memory. Would they have ended up together in a alternative realty? 

[Henrietta Abbot]

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

[Sage Roberts]

Sage was blushing as her sister reacted to her comment. Yes this was something she burred deep down as no one would have guested it! Gael was someone on the outside she hated but still a part of her wondered what was he like? Loukas was great of course, he was her best friend but Gael seemed to be someone who be dark with and explore things with. Maybe things would be that way too with Loukas but for now they just started to be more intimate with each other. 

"Okay okay" she laughed as he looked around the circle, @ Park Shi Jin  came to her mind as she smiled "Truth or Dare Shi Jin?" she asked him wondering which he would chose after all!

[Park Shi Jin]

Shi Jin smiled at the new arrival, Celeste, someone from the Hermes cabin. He knew about her well known lock picking and all Hermes stuff, but he didn’t mind as he was quite calm to all these weird ongoings that happened at camp. He was glad that most of his age or close to his knew each other quite well. Well they would have to as they had spent the years since young right? "Hi Celeste. True, and it’s just like old times right?" He chuckled recalling this game that had been played for so long time now, though he hadn’t been active in these games. Right now he just wanted to see how the youngsters do around camp, and get some ideas for new games too. The next he saw was Loukas leaving for his dare. He was watching partly admiring how brave he was being naked……. Anyways he watched as the other take turns until Sage asked him which became his turn now. Omo what should he pick? Giving a light thought he smiled with his answer. "Truth."

[Sage Roberts]

Sage then thought about it hard as he chose a truth. That was when it hit her, the perfect question she could ask that would get him to spill some tea. Then she could go back and put it in her files she was making on the camp. "Okay" she turned to him happy to have everyone's attention on another now. "Shi Jin, what is the darkest thing you have used your good luck on? " Her words hung in the air. What would it be? Stealing something to maybe even to get a girl or i don't know???? There was so much she didn't know about this older camper she leaned in and waited! Those Tyche campers were always a wild card you know. 

[Silvio Suarez]

Silvio was just glad that they took the brownies so he could be rid off it. He handed the tray to one of them so they could all pass it to each other. He guessed that it would be finished in a couple minutes with how crazy teenagers' appetites are like. He was thinking of leaving until Henry invited him to join them. He did not know what they were all up to nor did he knew many if not any of them. But a memory then came to him, a voice of someone he knew saying how he should try to socialize more. Guess this was his chance. 

He was too tired to walk all the way back to the cabin anyway, so why not chill for a bit. "Yeah sure why not," he said as he took one of the empty seats next to @ Finley Walker . He looked at him for a bit before he looked at everyone else in the circle. He felt a bit awkward being there but hey the summer night breeze were nice so he focused on that as the group continued playing truth or dare. 'Huh so it's just truth or dare,' he thought to himself, anybody would knew what the rules were.