Here's To Never Growing Up

[Aislynn O'Neil]

Aislynn was bored, and that was everyone else at the camp's problem. It didn't take her very long to convince her siblings that an absolute rager of a party was long since overdue at the camp. Quickly they began to shove things to the side to clear room in the cabin for dancing and drinking. Aislynn grabbed her guitar from under her bunk and plugged it into her amp. A few seconds later she strummed the chords.

"Hey there party peeps! Here's to never growing up!" With a free hand she reached for the table beside her and raised a cup of questionable liquid above her head in a cheers salute, then downed its contents. Flinging the empty cup across the cabin she began to sing and play the guitar to get the party rolling. 

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James had put Octavia to bed after all the excitement of being claimed. He just had a feeling about who was her parent. A smug smile was still on his face as he walked through the camp to check on different cabins when he stopped outside the Dionysus cabin. The sound was clear they were having a party more like an all out rager like they always did!!! Laughing he walked up to the cabin door and opened it to see Aislynn playing the guitar and singing. The two of them had very different taste in music but he would not mind a fun party now and again with music like this. "Heyyyy someone want to play any games of luck" he joked walking in as of of the others handed him a glass full of what looked like jungle juice. 

[Mateo Sanz Rare]

The claiming had been an interesting one to him. The two back-to-back Hypnos children, however, almost got him to pass out right then and there. He was sure everyone was telling the god to not do it again or they would all just have fallen asleep at the bonfire until morning. However, what shocked him a little more was the fact that they had two younger-looking campers, hell they couldn't have been older than nine. He was always a little heartbroken for those kids that came into the camp a little early as they did. He didn't know their back story but he knew it wasn't good to have them there. He was on his way to meet up with Helena once again for another night of fun when he saw James go into the Dionysus cabin saying something about a game of luck. Mateo just smirked and he started walking to pick up his girl. He could say that right? He had made sure to tell her to wear something sexy because he needed that in his life at the moment. He waited outside her cabin for a few moments before she arrived and he smirked. "So there's a party. We're going." He said to her as he started walking in the direction of the other cabin. As they arrived he walked in and smirked. "Glad I walked by." he mused as he was given a glass filled with some jungle juice as well. He passed it to Helena and grabbed the other one before turning to her, bending down to whisper in her ear. "Have fun." He mused as he knew that he was going to be watching every move that she made as he went over to talk to James. "Hey, man so about that game of luck." He mused with a chuckle.

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Today had been a very eventful day at the bonfire. Several of the new campers were claimed, and it was definitely a cause for celebration. So when Mateo showed up outside the Aphrodite cabin, Lena was not surprised in the least at his news. "Cabin 12?" She was glad she had opted for a strappy black dress rather than her usual jeans and v-neck top when he asked her to wear something sexy. A party seemed the perfect place to debut the new ensemble, and she was determined to test just how much Mateo was willing to let her walk away from him while looking this good. "It's bound to be a good one. Aislynn's back this summer." The child of Dionysus had a reputation for creating just a bit of mayhem. Both sides of her father were alive and well in her.

She had to admit she was a little surprised when, as they got to the party, he handed her a drink and sent her on her way. But it was no matter. By now everyone knew they had arrived together, and she would make sure that they left together too. Taking a sip of the jungle juice, and kissing Mateo's cheek, Helena waved to James before heading out onto the dance floor.

As the music played, she let her body sway to the rhythm. It wasn't long before her fellow campers joined her. Some of the more brave ones would reach a hand out to her, and she'd gladly oblige with a twirl or two before moving elsewhere in the crowd. Helena, despite feeling most comfortable in the shadows, had learned to accept the attention that came with being a daughter of Aphrodite. She would just need to have some down time and recharge after the festivities of tonight. It's all worth it, if it keeps him interested. Lena thought to herself.

[McKayla Johnson]

McKayla had turned 17 in the last year so now she was becoming one of the older campers who had been here for a while. Finding herself strutting around camp like she was the hot stuff. There was some noises coming from the Dionysus cabin which meant one thing PARTY TIME. Well she thought maybe Dustin would be there and a smile came on her face. A few older campers walked into the cabin so she followed them in there. So far Aislynn was playing the guitar with drinks being handed out. Smiling she squeezed into the cabin "Count me in" she said to those around her. This was going to be a fun as always with the Dionysus cabin! Going up to someone who was handing drinks out, she found herself getting handed two drinks. 

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James got into the party only moments before a bunch of other campers came in behind him.  Moving into the cabin it was one of those places that was always lively and never had a dull moment. Mateo and Helena arrived together which just made him smirk as those two had an interesting relationship. Not that he had a problem with it, if both parties are willing then go at it. But it wasn't his sort of thing. "Ohhhh sweet, I have just the thing Mateo" he said with the biggest grin on his face. Pulling out a deck of cards out of his pocket he began to shuffle it as if he had been a card dealer his whole life! Waving back to Helena he felt himself get excited for the games to happen that evening. 

But just as he found a bed to sit on to play the game he had in mind. McKayla walked in, raising an eyebrow he laughed "Are you even old enough to join?" he joked as he just found herself involved in the activities quite fast. Laughing he went back to the game at hand. "Okay the game is black jack" he said with the biggest smirk as he loved watching the others play against him. His mother gave all her children such a way with luck! "Who is in?" he asked the crowd. 

[Zoren Panganiban Rare]

Parties were not very much his thing until McKayla had convinced him otherwise.

It was not because of her, but because he was told he needed to socialize with the campers more. While he still considered himself to be entirely an introvert, he still finds himself enjoying the plenty of conversations he had with the rest of the campers. This party is just the latest in the long line of events that could help him endure out of his shell despite his working socialite persona. Zoren was preoccupied with his own thoughts, reminiscing back to the days when he first got claimed by his mother- Athena when it got interrupted by chatter of a party in the Dionysus cabin. He was not surprised as the cabin members are known to start such social gatherings, given the nature of Dionysus himself. Following the other campers, he found James heading inside followed by Mateo & Helena and then McKayla.

Music filled his ears as his foot stepped inside the cabin and it seemed to boost his mood along with confidence, especially when the music falls under one of his favorite genre to listen to. Hearing James inviting people to play black jack brought him to snicker- he was one of the people that fell for his trip and lost to him, simply because of Tyche's children having favorable luck. Even so, he had always liked to test his intellect with his luck. But when he saw McKayla holding two cups of drinks in her hands, he brushed off the game and proceeded to approach her. "17 and drinking. I suppose you're competitive in whoever can tolerate alcohol the most." A smile curled his lips as he gazed at the young woman. "Here." A hand moved to grab a drink from her hand. "Want to play?"

[Aislynn O'Neil]

 

As people started to trickle in, the party began to really get growing. When she saw James walk in Aislynn immediately thought he had come to shut the party down. He was a cabin leader after all, and he wasn't their cabin leader. Thankfully, he chose to be fun and joined in. Aislynn gave him a salute as he asked who wanted to play some luck game. He always was one of the fun ones. To say she had problems with authority might have been an understatement, but James wasn't here to kill her fun so she was more than happy to have him along.

Next walked in Mateo and Helena looking a bit cozier than they had started the summer. Interesting... Aislynn smirked. Things should get interesting. Both had a reputation for being elusive and hard to tie down. She wondered exactly how long this would last. If it's even a relationship. It was also very possible the two were just entertaining one another for the moment. This summer is going to get very interesting indeed.

The next campers she saw join the party were McKayla and Zoren. She was surprised to see that the Child of Nike had managed to get the reclusive Child of Athena to come out of his shell and join her. If this kept up, the party was sure to be a total success. They were getting people she hadn't dreamed would come. Aislynn signaled one of her siblings to bring her another cup. This time she just sipped at it. She could handle her alcohol, but she wanted to maintain the integrity of her voice since she was going to be singing. Striking another few chords, she grinned impishly before saying, "For all of us fed up with following the rules, I think it's time we say what the hell!"

[McKayla Johnson]

McKayla was happy to be at a party as nothing like this happened back home! She knew she could count on the Dionysus cabin for a good time and this time she got her best friend Zoren to come along. He not normally a party person but it was good for him you know. Come in, she got two glasses of jungle juice before James made his comment "Ha ha very funny, I have heard stories of you partying at my age so HA" she said giving him a wink then laughing. James was a cool guy who she knew she could count on. He was one of the campers she met when she came to camp at age 13! Taking a drink of the glass in her right hand, she began to smirk when Zoren walked her way. "Well DUH and its good to see you here. I hope you have fun tonight, it seems to be the recipe for a good time." She did this with a wink and laugher.

 

Zoren then took a glass which made her have a sad face cause she was going to drink both of them....well maybe that wasn't the best idea but she wanted to have the best time out of everyone here!!!! "Well I don't think I can win against james, he is really good" she smirked knowing the tyche kids were always trying to win one over on her. Then looking to the dance floor she saw Helena watching as she danced the night away and a part of her wanted to do that too. Looking back at Zoren she leaned in "We should dance some time tonight!" She told him rather than asking him. Looking towards the door she wondered where Dustin had gotten too. Tilting her cup up more she began to drink more of the jungle juice which made her feel relaxed. When Aisylnn spoke again into the mic "Hell yeahhhhhhhh" she yelled back laughing holding her glass in the air. 

[Mateo Sanz Rare]

Mateo had been pretty pleased with the look of Helena tonight. He would say that he even had a little drool coming from his mouth. Maybe they should have just skipped the party all together? It would have been fun either way. "Agreed." He said to her as they walk to the cabin.

He had surprised himself as he told her to go have fun and the fact that she had kissed him on the cheek. He smirked and nodded his head. He was going to be keeping his eye on the girl and she knew that. 

He chuckled as James pulled out his cards and right then and there, Mateo knew that he was going to be in trouble. He had never been good at luck games. He had won one time and that was it. His eyes glanced up at Helena as she was dancing around. He could feel himself move forward to go to her but he stopped himself. He only watched for a moment more when he heard James's voice again. McKayla was here? He turned to look at her and nodded his head. If he didn't know any better, he would say that she had a major dislike of him and his siblings. Though he had no idea as to why. He turned back to James and smiled this time. "So black Jack it is huh." he told him as he took a drink of his jungle juice. 

[Zoren Panganiban Rare]

"James?" Zoren asked, confused as to what she was talking about. He flashed her a grin as he narrowed his eyes as if he was already drunk and he was attempting to focus on her. "No, I meant a drinking game. Are you drunk already? No wonder you have two cups already in hand." His tone was playful followed by a snicker, a hand covering his mouth momentarily out of glee. "I still play with James. I like the challenge even though I'd lose. Not today though, I'm not about to lose in a party and every camper in the entire area will know." The thought of the humiliation made him shiver, only to recompose himself at Aislynn's sound. Zoren raised his glass along with McKayla and gulped the jungle juice down until it was empty before placing the cup on the table nearby. Pointing at her, he continued as he walked away from her to explore other areas he might be interested in mingling in. "You better not drink too much."

Zoren began creating small talk with the other campers with another drink in his hand, showing how much he improved when he was more of a recluse last year. Face lighting up as he heard their stories about them outside of camp, he followed by telling his own ventures. High school graduate and going to college this fall. Competing in e-sports tournament and will again later this year. Still, the camp activities he has here are irreplaceable. There is no place that is a home for demigods like this as far as he knows. One of the campers brought up their reaction from seeing as if he was a different person as last year. Zoren was still growing at his own pace so his socialite persona might have come off as a surprise more than others. 

[McKayla Johnson]

MK looked at Zoren a bit confused then realized what he meant, a blush came on her cheeks as she realized her mistake "Ohhhhh yeah my bad, I thought" the blush was growing more as some of the jungle juice was doing its job.  "I guess, I just wanted to have a good time but maybe subconsciously I am" she laughed a bit embarrassed. Holding up the cup she had she began to drink more as she looked around until her eyes landed on Zoren again. Nodding her head as she drink more and more. It wasn't too long until her first glass was gone and she was looking for another when Zoren's comment got to her. "Heyy I can handle myself" she stuck her tongue out at him as she moved to the dance floor and shrugged. Seeing Helena there she began to dance close to her laughing. Holding her hands up in the air she was moving her body to the music rocking out. MK wasn't the young 13 year old she was when she arrived at camp.

Hoping that Dustin would walk in, her eyes went to the door before she began to drink her second glass of jungle juice.  Moving her hips and curves to the music this was beginning to be so much fun. That was when an Apollo kid came up and started to dance with her. He was also a year older than MK, so he was in the same class as Dustin and Zoren. 

[Zoren Panganiban Rare]

Before he knew it, he found himself socializing with more campers than he could count. With having a more sociable disposition meant for a charisma that draws people which made Zoren a prime example of that. Even better when several years ago, he would be shut in his cabin and only talking to a select few. Too many people, he thought as he was feeling exhilarated though he could never be as relaxed as James when dealing with a crowd. He did his best to entertain every single one but eventually burnt out and told that he's going somewhere else to recharge. To his shock, he noticed an Apollo camper dancing with McKayla- a sight that did nothing but vexed him terribly. When he could potentially have his hands at her hips, he gulped as a rising level of confidence and dare fired him up, sending him to place a hand onto the camper's shoulder's. Looking at him directly in the eyes, he spoke with a firm, but playful tone. "Woah there, buddy. That's my girl." A forced chuckle parted his lips, mostly to annoy the camper as he stepped back and moved on. What was he doing? Is this the effect of the jungle juice?

Zoren took the moment to recompose himself, gathering every bit of rationality he has left on his conscious. "If the invitation is open... I'd like to dance with you outside." He was not sure if that performance he did would affect her answer as the behavior falls outside of his usual "think before you act" approach. He was not sure if anyone else saw this as well but at the moment, he did not care. All he cared about was the Nike woman in front of him who was dancing to her heart's content. He had always knew she has a crush on Dustin, given her glances towards the door. To his luck, he has not shown up yet.

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Lena could feel Mateo's gaze on her as she danced with the other campers. Good. She thought to herself. If he wasn't going to join her on the dance floor, she was going to make sure that he regretted that decision. With a smirk, she began to dance with some of the Dionysus boys that were there on the dance floor. She wouldn't let them touch anything more than her hands or back--she wanted Mateo to be envious of them, not angry with her. It was a fine line she was walking. It would have been far simpler to use the natural abilities that came with being her mother's child, but Helena didn't want him like that. She wanted him to want her for her. It wasn't worth it otherwise. So she would settle for just a little bit of envy that she danced with other boys. 

[McKayla Johnson]

MK was having a good time dancing as she felt carefree as the summer was going to be full of so much fun! She always looked forward to the summers as she was safe in the boundaries of camp plus she got to be with half-bloods like herself. It was one of the only times she got to see her best friend Zoren. She had met him in her second year at camp but since the two had been inseparable except for when they went home for the year. But they wrote letters and video chatted. 

Dancing with the Apollo boy had been fun as he moved along with her, letting his hands move along her body she smirked. His face was one of excitement as he looked down as she moved. That was when someone put a hand on the kids shoulder, confused she stopped moving to see it was Zoren. Smiling she looked at him with a smirk "So you do want to dance?" she laughed as he called her his girl. Zoren had always been protective of him just as she was of him. If any girl hurt him then they would have hell to pay from her. He was one of the nicest guys she knew. 

Tilting her head she watched as he asked to dance outside "Sure, do doing okay?" she leaned in and asked him. Knowing this was a lot of people for him. Even if he was doing well tonight it didn't mean this wasn't too much for him. 

[Zoren Panganiban Rare]

He gulped. He needed to do this. Dustin could show up and take away this sacred opportunity...

Zoren had always been happy to see her ever since they got along. They became each other's outlet and soon grew to be the best of friends. What he did not account for are these feelings he grew to have for her despite being an avid supporter of her crush to the Ares child. Even though he thinks that he can let her go, he does not think he would. Not now. Not in forever. If Dustin were in that Apollo camper's shoes earlier, he still would have done the same. Waiting until the end of summer only to not do it, the missed opportunity is going to haunt him. Nodding at her question, he spoke with half-confidence. "Yes, I do." He thought nothing of what he did and someone could bring it up tomorrow, but all he wanted now was to tell her how he felt.

"I am. I just prefer... a little more privacy. Plus, it's getting a little loud in here." Zoren gave her a soft smile as he softly grasped her wrist and lead them outside of the cabin. Eyes were on them leaving momentarily before they resumed back to the party, not paying mind to the couple who sought to leave early. Really, the party wasn't finished yet- for our Athena child.

EXIT.

GM rights given w/ express permission.

Edited July 30, 2022 by Zoren Panganiban

[McKayla Johnson]

MK was a bit concerned for Zoren as she had never seen him like this before and they had been best friends for years. Her feelings were on her face as she asked shockingly if he wanted to dance which he answered he did. "OKAY well do you want to dance here?" she asked but then he asked to go. But he then soon answered her question with his reasons to not do it here. "That is fine, then lets go." she said this as she finished her second cup real quick. Putting it down she smiled ready to leave with him. Not sure what was going on with him? For someone being her best friend, things were a bit confusing from time to time with him. Zoren grasped her wrist and the two of them left the party together. Maybe they would come back? Or they would go find somewhere to talk deep into the night like they use to do in summer previous!

 

EXIT

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James could not help but smirk at MK response to him because she had him there. He was one to party at a young age with the other half-bloods in the camp. As Aislynn saluted him he laughed and shook his head as he made his way to the area for blackjack. Maybe he was excited for the fact the others wanted to see their luck against his. It was one of those things that most mortals felt in the casinos as they tried to win large sums of money. So he began to deal the card out to those who said yes. "Okay" he said looking at the cards then flipping the first one which was a 9. He looked to the others who were going to flip their own. 

A smirk on his face as he had been playing this game since he was very young indeed. Would they be able to beat him???? Well only goddess Tyche would give him the luck to win it all!!!! But maybe she had her eye on another as well! 

[Mateo Sanz Rare]

Mateo smirked, knowing the child of Tyche was surely going to win this. Honestly, he had no idea what he was thinking when he wanted to join in with James. He knew that he was going to lose. Maybe he could use a little magic to help him out. However, he knew that wasn't going to work on in his hand. The man next to him always had the upper hand in this. He watched closely as James began to hand out the cards. He didn't think that James would cheat, no, but he didn't trust the others that were there. He eyed the others and the watched as James flipped over a nine. He blinked and watched the others flip theirs over. Then it got to him, and he flipped over a two. He sighed as he knew that he could keep going with it. "Hit me." He told James as his eyes traveled over to Helena. The normal smirk that placed on his lips were no longer there. It was of course gone as other boys were around her. He watched carefully where the boys hands were. Would he start something in the middle of the party? Surely not, he had no desire to do that, he didn't want be that person. He blinked and turned back to James, the other guys smirking at him knowingly. 
 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Dancing became boring after a while, but she wasn't going to stop. After all, Mateo was engrossed in his game and it wasn't like he was going to be paying attention to her much until it was over. So Lena kept dancing but let her eyes scan the room. Parties always seemed to bring out the intense emotions in people, and she could literally feel when others around her felt love. She searched for the sources round her that she could give a little nudge to as a means of entertainment. Helena would never attempt to make someone love someone that they didn't already have feelings for, but she wasn't above giving people a small push to get things started.

As she scanned the room her eyes fell on McKayla and Zoren. The tension from the boy was palpable. It was clear that he had feelings for her and she was oblivious. Though, if Helena wasn't mistaken, there was just the tiniest spark in McKayla too. That's all I need. She subtly moved her fingers in their direction. Just the tiniest little push. Lena hoped she hadn't overdone it. Manipulating people's emotions was difficult and it was too easy to go too far. That was largely why she had sworn never to mess with anyone that didn't already have those feelings. It was too easy to create an obsession, and outright controlling people against their free will seemed a bit gross to her. 

As the song ended, Helena smiled sweetly at her current dance partner and excused herself to turn to the next boy. She could feel his adoration immediately and almost felt a little guilty dancing with him. I don't really want to lead him on... She also didn't really have a way to politely reject him. Her and Mateo hadn't really had the conversation about whether it was a real relationship or just casual. Lena made a mental note to remedy that eventually. But not just yet... Helena lost herself to the music once more, smiling over at Mateo whenever his eyes drifted back to her. 

[Larissa Souza Rare]

All the excitement had claimed down for the night and she had seen the way that James had hugged the little girl and she couldn't help but be happy for him. As she knew what his feelings were toward that, so she couldn't help but smile. She had sung and danced around with her siblings as they waited along the bonfire. It had been a whole year since she had been able to get into camp half-blood and she was ready for the fun. So when she heard about a little party at cabin 12, she couldn't help herself at all. She dressed nicely and walked to the party with some of her siblings. Now, don't get her wrong she wasn't the type of sibling to tell the younger siblings no, but she was the type to keep an eye on them. So that was what she was going to do. 

As they got there, she noticed a group of people playing cards. James is the ring leader in that one. She couldn't help but laugh as some of her brothers went over there to watch and take bets. She had found Aislynn and nodded to her. Giving her a silent thanks for this compliment and walked herself over to the dance floor, where she began to dance the night away. Of course, she was having fun with herself and the others. She caught James's eyes and waved at him as she did a turn with some other campers, laughing along the way. 

 

outfit

[Aislynn O'Neil]

All in all, Aislynn had to admit this party was far more successful than she had anticipated it would be. It seemed like just about every Cabin that had kids in it had sent them over. It was obvious that James and Mateo were well into their game of Blackjack by now. Aislynn looked around the party and beamed at the dancing that was going on. She saw that Larissa had joined the dance floor. 

It was pretty clear that with the help of Helena this party was getting just a bit more interesting. She couldn't help but chuckle internally. Aphrodite kids are always so handy at parties. After all, was it really a party if people didn't start pairing off by the end of it? Aislynn was more than happy to allow the Dionysus cabin to be the start of all the new summer romances. She watched as McKayla and Zoren left the party together. Oh boy... She strummed a bit on her guitar before leaning over to the mic and continuing her performance. "Feels like it's starting to heat up in here, doesn't it guys? I'm so hot!" The song began and she winked at Helena with a knowing smile.

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was having a good time tonight as everyone around him was ready for the game he had chosen. A smirk on his face he had his first number, next was an apollo kid who got a 5, Mateo who got 2, and another that got 10. Mateo was the first to ask for a hit so he did and he got a 7. He then did it again for the apollo kid who got a 10. This was going to be fun he thought to himself as he began to look at them all trying to gage them all. The mood in the room was one that could be cut with a knife as it was charged. That was when he looked up to see Larissa giving him a look which caused a smile on his face. He had seen her earlier that day which was nice as it had been some time since he had seen her. Smiling he waved as he turned back to those around him to see what would happen next. 

[Mateo Sanz Rare]

Mateo was having a pretty interesting night. He was playing cards with some people and having Helena do her thing, which he was still pretty much-paying attention to because he knew how her siblings were. He wanted to make sure that he was in the clear and not being played once again as he had been with Megan. However, after he said he wanted another hit James handed him a card and it was a seven. He blinked and looked back up at James with a smirk on his face. He only had nine in his hand at the moment. "Hit again man." He told the Tyche child and waited to see what he got back from him. 

However, he noticed that James had looked over to Larissa who had entered the room and smirked, and caught two others leaving at the same time. His eyes went to Helena and shook his head. It had to be her, however, she only smiled back at him. He muttered under his breath and smirked her way. She was playing a game and he knew it, just what kind of game was he playing. 

[Helena L'Amour Rare Rare]

Helena smirked as her opportunity finally walked through the door. Larissa was back. As she waved over to James, Helena felt that flicker of lust that she had recognized in so many of the other campers in the room. And as he waved back, it was returned. So that's how it is? That was all too fortuitous. It would have to be the most subtle of movements. If Mateo saw her, Lena knew he would get grumpy with her for interrupting his game. But what was she supposed to do? He brought her to a party and then proceeded to tell her to entertain herself, effectively. It wasn't like she was hurting anyone. All she was doing was nudging people into the direction they were already headed. 

Lena excused herself from her dance partner and made her way over to Larissa. She smiled sweetly, "Welcome back to camp." The older campers that had been around for a while knew one another's faces fairly well. It wasn't unheard of for them to return. "How was university life?" Lena reached over and poured herself a bit of the punch. Taking a sip she realized her mistake, it was definitely more Jungle Juice. Whoops! Lena continued to sip on it, however. After all, she was still trying to figure out how to organically convince Larissa to go over and talk to James.

Peering over her glass, she raised it towards Mateo and winked as she drank more.