New Camper! Live and In Color

[Emberlynn Knight Rare]

Live and in Color

Emberlynn looked quite uneasy as she approached the "Big House." That was what Atlas has called it, wasn't it? She looked to the friend beside her for confirmation, forgetting momentarily that the boy did not possess the power of telepathy. Then again... perhaps he did. Ember didn't know the first thing about Satyrs. She'd only just found out that her best friend happened to be one! So if he'd suddenly developed mind powers, it wouldn't even be the craziest thing she'd experienced today. The dark thought had crossed her mind tht he may not be her friend at all, keeping secrets from her like that. But she wouldn't let it take hold. For the sake of her bond with Atlas and her own sanity, she chose to believe the creature must have good reason for hiding his true identity. Furthermore, there must be something - anything - about her that had drawn him to her. Not just her lineage. If the car ride explanations were to be believed, he was sent to seek out her kind and protect them and bring them to this camp. But that couldn't be the only reason they were friends. All those long conversations, the projects they'd done together, the inside jokes they'd shared... they had to be real. He must be her friend. If she chose to believe otherwise, it may well have broken her.

Atlas could not, in fact, read minds. But over the last several months he had gotten pretty good at reading Emberlynn. He saw the doubt in her eyes when she looked at him, and did his best to offer reassurance. "It's okay, Em. Camp Half-Blood's a heck of a place. Filled to the brim with weirdos just like us! You'll fall in love with it, I just know it!" He had apparently mistaken her apprehension about him for a general nervousness at her new surroundings. He may have been good at reading her, but he was far from perfect.

Still, the "weirdo" remark got a smile out of her. She took a deep breath, placing a hand on the door. "So, I just walk up to the front desk and introduce myself then?"

"About sums it up. I could do the intro for ya if ya like."

Emberlynn debated taking him up on that offer, but ended up shaking her head "no". First impressions were important, no matter how insane her day had been. And it would certainly leave a better impression to go in herself. Tough as far as impressions went... She reached into her purse and pulled out a small hairbrush, taking a moment to combat the mass of rainbow friz that had developed on her head. "Hey Atlas, do I look okay?"

Such a question at such a time may have seemed vain to many, but Atlas knew Ember quite well by this point. "Vain" was not a way he would describe her. "Eccentric" maybe. Perhaps even a little "crazy". But not vain. It was plain to him that the girl was a nervous wreck, and her attention to her appearance was simply a coping mechanism. Her own way of clinging to a sense of normalcy. So instead of the usual joke or jab he would have made, he simply gave her a soft "You look just fine, Em."

With the rainbow mass sufficiently tamed and a triple-check on her makeup, the 12-year old straightened up to some approximation of confidence. She still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but what kind of actress would she be if she couldn't put on a happy face? And with that she strode through the door. Atlas followed a few steps behind, giving a small wave to the man behind the desk. Emberlynn approached the same figure. Her movement, however, were anything but small.

"Well hello there, sir!" Her voice was almost too cheery, a stark contrast from her nervous questioning a moment before. "Are you the man I ought to see about registration?"

---

@ James Selway

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was just doing his typical thing sitting at the front desk as it was his day to do so. The new campers had been coming at a constant pace which was not too surprising as it was summer after all. This summer would make it 12 years that James had been at camp half-blood. Each year he felt more and more at home as he truly had found his place here. Being a Cabin Leader for Tyche made him proud as he got to represent his mothers cabin. It also meant he had to be at the Big House so many days of the week to welcome the new campers that arrived. It had been a long week with several new campers all arriving around the same time. The Satyr's had been working overtime as the half-bloods numbers had been multiplying like crazy.

James was sitting back on the chair with his feet up on the desk, guitar in his arms as he lightly strummed a song. He was trying to come up with lyrics to the melody he was working on. Music was one of the things that brought him so much joy in this life. That plus Rissa, his siblings and teaching at camp.  But then the door was opened and a girl (emberlynn) walked in. Putting his feet down, a smile came on his face "Hiiii welcome to camp half-blood" he welcomed the girl as he took in her appearance. He had a really good guess who her mom must be but would wait until the claiming to see this for himself. 

"Whyyy yess, I am James Selway and I am one of the Cabin Leaders here at Camp Half-Blood" he finished saying as he placed his guitar to the side. Standing up he stretched as he then waved her to follow him to the living room where it would be a bit more comfortable. On the table was a plate with a huge pile of cookies. "Help yourself to some of the cookies if you like" a smile on his face as he took a seat on the chair that was next to the couch. Getting comfortable he waited a bit to make sure she was settled before he would continue as they had a lot to talk about before they would go take a tour of the camp. 

[Emberlynn Knight Rare]

Emberlynn cocked her head slightly as she examined the man behind the desk. He had a laid-back demeanor that served to calm her nerves a bit. Perhaps that was why he'd been chosen for the job? Or perhaps Camp Half-blood had a far more arbitrary was of assigning such duties - the new arrival could hardly be expected to know. But regardless of the reason for his post, the guitar player did instill a bit more confidence in the nervous girl. She gave another winning smile. "Excellent! I'm Emberlynn. Emberlynn Knight. Like the ones with swords and shining armor, not the time after sunset." When mentioning weapons, she couldn't help but picture the massive battle-axe Aunt Amelia had wielded when fending off that horrid dog-creature. She'd been told she'd learn to defend herself here. Did that mean learning to fight with weapons like that. The thought was at once frightening and terribly exciting. Well, she supposed this James Selway person would answer those questions for her in due time.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Selway." The girl gave a polite greeting. "You know Atlas, I assume?" Maybe this person knew each of the satyrs, maybe he didn't, but the former assumption was less likely to lead to embarrassment on her part. In general, she'd found people were far more offended when told they didn't know something they actually did than when thought to have knowledge they didn't. She motioned to the boy who filed in behind her. He gave a small wave, followed by a shrug as if to say I'm following her lead on this one. The two followed the older gentleman into the living room, looking to him for their queues.

"Ah, thank you very much! I'd love a cookie." Ember quickly snatched up a couple of cookies from the plate, tossing one to her friend as they took their seats. "So I suppose this is... an orientation of sorts? You called yourself a cabin leader, so I assume we're to be divided into cabins like a normal summer camp. But..." she shivered a bit, again picturing the horrifying creature that had attacked her. The rush of the day's events still clouded her brain, and it was all she could to to keep up the appearance of confidence. "Well, clearly this isn't a normal summer camp, correct?"

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James was happy to see the young girl standing in from of him. He was always happy when he got to meet the new campers who arrived. James had a passion to help the next generation of Half-Bloods to make it in the world. Most ended in tragedy but he was determined to change it! Seeing her smile at him made him feel warm. "Well that is good to know. It is a pretty cool name" he finished saying hoping her feel welcome. It was already hard enough to take in all the information as it is with their parents being demi-gods. But then to feel welcome to a group that mostly knew each other. 

Nodding his head to Emberlynn question about Atlas, a smile was on his face. "Oh yes he is a great satyr" he was happy to tell her. "All of our satyr are very dedicated but Atlas is one who is super kind." He finished saying. Emberlynn was a lucky girl that Atlas was assigned to her once he found her. It was their jobs after all but it was one they loved to go. James knew it was not an easy job to have as they are always on the look out for the signs of a demi-god. The ADHD, monsters and even abilities that might start early. 

Sitting in the living room he was comfortable sitting down so they could have their talk. Cookies was just a way they loved to keep the younger campers happy plus a nice welcome! "Great, take as many as you like" he watched the two of them settle into seats. "Yes it is, there is one cabin leader for every cabin which is the children from either minor or major god." He said watching a shiver come over the girl as he spoke. It seemed she had some experiences herself. Just when he was about to ask, he listened to her new question. "You are right, the only ones who can come here are half-bloods or some may call you a Demi-god. They are children from one of the god's who had a relationship with a mortal. For me my dad fell in love with Tyche Goddess of luck and good fortune." He took a pause to let her take it all in "we prepare the demi-god's here for the life they will have which isn't always the easiest." 

[Emberlynn Knight Rare]

Emberlynn's eyes widened. So all this "god" business truly wasn't an exaggeration. There were actual honest-to-goodness Greek gods roaming the world and impregnating mortals. Aunt Amelia had told her something along those lines, but she had assumed she meant her father was a dangerous and powerful businessman or her mom was a crime lord or something. Someone untouchable and dangerous - godlike. But to hear so bluntly that this whole ordeal was about actual, literal gods... if her head hadn't been spinning already, it certainly was now. "Tyche... luck and fortune... I see. Well, it must be great fortune that we've met then!" She made the joke both as a friendly gesture and to ease her own nerves. Though her words were calm and sweet, she was still clearly shaken. Axel reached over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That's right Em!" He said reassuringly. The satyr had been beaming since hearing the cabin leader's compliments. "It is lucky. Cause now that you're here, you'll be safe. And Mr. Selway's great at his job! You'll get it in no time, promise!"

Emberlynn looked at her friend. Her best friend... she'd thought she knew everything about him until just hours ago. Now, she wasn't sure she even knew anything about herself. Speaking of... "Ah, there may be an issue Mr. Selway. You said cabins are divided by our - ah - deific lineage? Unfortunately I'm an orphan by birth. And my adopted father, well, he's no god." She chuckled a bit to herself. Mr. Knight wasn't horrible or anything, but he did certainly play favorites. But now Em was a real life demigod. She had to wonder what her "perfect sister" would think of all this. Then again, perhaps she'd be handling it with more grace. "If I don't know who my parents are, then where will I stay? And, well... is there a way I might find out?"

There was also the issue of the other thing he said. Life for demigods was "not always the easiest." The incident with the dog came to mind, along with a few other suspicious occurrences over the last year. But she had a feeling that wasn't the extent of it. Perhaps... well, she hoped that was something she wouldn't need to ask about.

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

Explaining this stuff to new campers was part of James job as a cabin leader. Sometimes the campers got it fairly easy but then others had a bit harder time. Either way they had to make sure they understood everything so that they would not be in even more danger than they were. "I would agree" he laughed as sat forward with his gleaming smile. Looking between the two sitting in front of him. He wanted to make them feel comfortable as to always feel like they could come to him. "Some call me a lucky charm" he laughed again "As much luck as a demi-god could have."   

Nodding his head at Atlas, he was happy to hear that he was great at his job. At times he was not so sure when he heard of another demi-god's death or if got hurt. He just put so much pressure on himself to help the campers as much as he could. Hearing Emberlynn's remark about her parents he nodded in understanding. "Well it isn't the adoptive parent but the biological one....well we might not know now but tonight at the bonfire you might be claimed thanks to percy jackson" a smile flickered back on his face. "Plus you stay in the Hermes cabin until you are claimed as is our tradition" he continued to say after her next comment. 

Taking a deep breathe, James wanted to sooth the girl "Here at camp we train demi-gods to protect themselves and have an easier time with life. For we all have a smell that monsters love to find." He pointed to the wall above the fireplace, it held a bunch of swords and weapons. "We train you and have fun while at it. I am a teacher in monster and creature lore while my friend Dustin who is a son of Ares is the hand to hand combat trainer." This wasn't the easiest of information to take but he wanted to make it as easy to digest as possible. 

[Emberlynn Knight Rare]

Emberlynn nodded. So that thing that attacked her had done so because she was a demigod. In a strange storytelling kind of way it made sense. "So, I'm here to train." She repeated. That, to some extent, was comforting. She pictured herself briefly as a warrior princess from one of the cartoons she loved to watch. If gods and monsters existed, so too could people like that. And perhaps... one day... But this was no cartoon, she realized. This was real life. Her life. And she wasn't sure if that was terrifying or awesome. "I suppose it's good to know I'll have a place to stay at least. And it would be nice to know more about my birth family."

Em had been raised knowing she was adopted, but had long been discouraged from asking questions about her lineage. You're a Knight and that's that, her parents used to say. She'd gotten the impression that her curiosity hurt them, so had long ago learned to keep silent on the matter. Yet here was a chance for answers. A weird, nigh unbelievable chance, but one she couldn't help but latch onto. My parents... right! She wondered what they were going to think of all this. It was one thing to let their teenage daughter study the ats in New York for a few years. It was entirely another to let her train to fight monsters at a summer camp for - for...

"Ah, Mr Selway?" she inquired suddenly. "Just how long is this program? Thing is, if I miss too much school..." There was a play she had wanted to try out for, but a string of absences was a good way to get her banned from extracurriculars.

Atlas suddenly burst into laughter. After a moment, he got a hold of himself. "Sorry, Em. It's just... you're really worried about school right now of all times?"

"Well..." she replied a bit defensively. "It's a valid question. Just how long will I be staying here?"

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

Explaining the life of a demi-god was one they had to do when the campers arrived as it was for their safety in the world outside of camp. That was why Satyrs had such an important job in finding the half-bloods as they were clueless in the danger they were in. If they failed then that would mean the end of a demi-god's life before they even knew why they were being hunted. The mist was one of those things that hide the truth from the mortals and demi-gods for a while. At times they could get glimpses but it would probably confused them. "Yes, you are here to train and learn, but also to have some fun as well. As the monsters cannot get you here so easily as they can out there" he pointed towards the boundary line where most crossed. Most of the time the demi-gods did well and survived the trials they had. "Well we can tell you about your immortal parent once you are claimed and maybe we can try and find out more about your mortal one too" he said trying to reassure her. James remembered learning about his mother who was Tyche. It made more sense about who he was and why he was the way he was!

Laughing when she called him Mr. Selway....that sounded so old to him. "You can call me James" he smiled at her with his kind and calm manner. The man had a way to make people feel at home and relax. "Well we do camp during the summer for all campers but most go home to do school during the year and return the next summer. But some that don't have a home or that it is too dangerous stay here year around like me" he pointed to himself. He wanted to reassure her that she did not have to give up her home life. Camp was one of those things they tell you is a good idea in the summer to come and do but never mandatory. "Just know you don't have to come even in the summers but we do ask you too for safety in your training." 

 

[Emberlynn Knight Rare]

Well then, I guess the play's definitely out. While it was a relief that at some point she'd be allowed to go back to her fine arts school and see her friends again, the fact that she was brought here in the middle of the fall semester spoke volumes. There obviously need to be some level of training before they just sent her back out into the world. Still, this could prove to be an exciting new adventure. James - it seemed she could call him James now - appeared to be a very kind man.  "I see. Well, this is exciting, isn't it! I guess it won't be so bad, and learning to defend myself is a definite positive. What do you think, Atlas? Are we ready for our next escapade?"

"Oh... Emberlynn..." Atlas gave her a sheepish look, made all the more distinctively sheepish by his now-visible hooves. Oh dear... Ember knew that face. Mythical creature or not, this was still Atlas sitting beside her, and she'd always had an uncanny ability to read him like a book. Actually, Emberlynn had that ability with everyone. A "gift" from her godly parents, perhaps. Or maybe just an innate talent. Regardless, the face was all too clear to her. Bad news incoming.

"The thing is... I'm not staying. I can't. I'd love to be here with you, I really would. You're my best friend, and I hope you know that all of this-" He gestured about to the big house as well as the camp itself outside the windows "doesn't change that one bit. But, as a satyr who works for Camp Half-Blood, it's my job to find demigods and bring them here. There are other kids in danger, Em. Just like you were. And New York's had a whole wave of 'em recently so it's all hands on deck out there. I gotta leave you here with James and the gang and get back to work. You understand, don't ya?" He looked at her wide-eyed, almost pleading. Saying anything but an agreement would be cruel.

Ember's heart sank. She'd taken it for granted that the both off them would be embarking on this journey together. To start on her own - without her best friend - was not nearly so exciting. "Oh..." visibly defeated, the cheer had drained from her voice. Today had been a mess of emotions. First fear, then confusion, then excitement... and now an overwhelming sense of loneliness. "I... I understand." The girl nodded, but her eyes were welling with tears. It had been a long day, and her mask of confidence was basically in tatters at this point.

"I'll be back, Em. Promise!"

"You'd better be!" She cracked the fakest of fake smiles. Hurt as she was, she wasn't about to send her friend off with ill feelings. "I'll hold you to that."

She turned back to the leader, trying very hard not to show her inner turmoil. It likely wasn't working, but she had to retain some sense of dignity. "Mr. Sel - ah - James? Could you possibly show me to my cabin? I think I have a better idea of what's going on here, and it's been a hell of an evening."

[James Selway Rare Rare Rare]

James knew the life of a demi-god was no play in the park, which is why they wanted the half-bloods to be at camp. It was safer for them here with the magic fleece giving them boundaries safe from most things. Plus it was nice for them to have a place to put their guard down and just be themselves. Growing up here was something was something he would always be forever grateful for. Seeing that Emberlynn was happy with the fact she could go home during the year but come to camp in the summer put a big smile on his face. His gaze going from the satyr to the demi-god in front of him as they spoke to each other. 

Atlas broke the news before James could which might have been a good thing. With the God's more active than ever, the amount of Demi-gods out there with no help was pretty abundant. He could see that Atlas did not like telling Emberlynn this but it was good to let her know. If anything, James would be there if she needed to cry it out or stick with him for a while. He had  huge heart for the campers, especially the new ones that were trying to understand everything. 

Seeing that Emberlynn was trying to hold to together it made his heart ache "Hey it will be okay, I promise to be by your side today okay. Tonight you will be in the hermes cabin until you are claimed by your parent at the bonfire." He said getting up hoping if she needed a hug he was there for her. Maybe he would get his guitar and play some music or her....or they could do go arts and crafts.  "But come on, I will get your stuff and help you to go relax a bit and then maybe we can do something fun to take your mind of things." He finished saying as he moved to go get her things. Picking them up he got back to the room as he looked at Atlas "safe travels my friend. Find the demi-gods and bring them home...safe" he nodded to him!