We Have Mad Skillz

[Shyfire]

Sure, Bex heard Eva's comment about the last time they'd used an intruder as a dummy. However, it took the girl a few seconds of blank staring to finally get the joke. She cracked a grin at Cameo and nodded. ”I know!”, she complained, ”But I think it would be worth the trouble to do it again”, she said with a matter-of-fact tone.

Then the boy had the nerve to insult her training. Who did he think he was exactly?! PLAYING?!. However, as a daughter of Athena, Bex knew better than to outright call him out on it. Bex was indeed at the top of her class at outright physical attacks, the result of years of rigorous training, it wasn't her main offensive weapon. Everyone at the Camp knew Bex was also the top of her class at strategy. Sure, maybe the spy was stronger than she was, but that didn't necessarily mean he could beat her in battle.

None the less, Bex was most definitely planning to give a verbal thrashing to the overconfident boy standing with that nonchalant look on his face. She had just opened her mouth when she heard Eva's words, challenging the boy. Bex gave an approving nod and a challenging look to the spy. ”You think you're so much better than us, show us!”, she added. Even if she lost, she'd get a feel for the boy's skills, knowing exactly what she was up against.

Already, Bex was probing the boy for weaknesses. There had to be something to make the boy beatable. A dominate side, a trick shoulder, anything. And Bex was determined to figure out what it was and use it against him, a tactic most Campers were well aware of, and Bex happened to be especially good at, given her short stature.

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[brinazarski]

"Joke?" He blinked, confused. Did he sound like he was joking? He didn't detect any sarcasm in his voice, nor did he believe he phrased it oddly. "I haven't been joking..."

Cameo rolled his eyes as they joked about using him as a practice dummy, and then shifted uneasily as they wanted to see his skills, his smile fading. Just walk away... Mother won't like this... walk away now...

"I never said I thought I was better. I only said I thought you we're playing." Though, in some way, he felt he might be stronger, but who was he to judge? Maybe there was some secret to this play-like training. Demi-gods, he had heard, had gone on Quests to aid gods, who were too busy to do it themselves. Yet, the semi-titans were always told, that they were to be much more powerful than the gods themselves. Someday, with training, they would be.

"One day, you will see how I fight," He said, his voice dark and ominous. "But that day is not today. It would not be good." Cameo's eyes lost their glow as he turned to Eva, his voice clearly trying to hide his lack of enthusiasm. "Maybe I should go..." Before receiving an answer, he looked them both over quickly- particularly Eva- and turned away, walking ahead. "It was nice meeting you two," The boy said, not looking back. "But I hope I am not unfortunate to see you again. Farewell." The next time he saw them, in would most likely be in bloodshed... something he was not looking forward to...

Neither of them seemed afraid of him (though why should they be? He came in peace.) These girls seemed brave, as many members of the rest of the camp seemed. Always, he was told, that demi-gods were nothing but cowards. Cameo found this hard to believe, hearing of their strength and their Quests... it all seemed so unlikely...

[Sunfur]

(OMG GUYS I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. BUT IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS I'LL BE DONE SWEENEY AND BACK.)

Placing her hands on her hips, Eva shifted her weight to the right and rolled her eyes. "Meh - I just don't want to be scrubbing the bathrooms again. After the Aphrodite kids are done in there, it looks like a pink sparkly puffball exploded in there." Clearly the raven-haired girl was not a girly-girl who enjoyed make up or clothes of any sort, as shown by the tone she dictated her disgust in. Of course, she was only elaborating on the lie she was spinning with Bex, and she hoped even as she went that Bex would catch on for once and help her along. But then again... it was Bex... and that wasn't guaranteed.

As Eva voiced her physical challenge, she could tell that her best friend was already analyzing the boy in the way she had, sizing him up and ready for any weakness he could show. On the other hand, the demi-god's muscles were tensing slightly, despite the pangs of reluctance sneaking in the bottom of her feet. All the same, when Cameo insisted that he wasn't joking, her face fell in confusion, for once understanding the perplexed nature of Bex's encounters. "What? You had to be - everyone knows the Aphrodite kids are the prettiest ones. I'm just normal." Shrugs accented her speech at the end of her words, and Eva's eyes probed Cameo's for any trace of dishonesty, although remained confounded when none arose.

Now this was her turn to roll her eyes. But the way he was talking was causing a pit of angst to grow in her stomach, as he mentioned leaving them. At the same time he mentioned coming back another day, although the way he would come back seemed ominous. Biting her tongue, Eva had to work against her heart that was screaming at her to yell for him to come back, and her foot took a step ahead of her body before she could stop it. Her expression would easily be read if Cameo looked back at this point, but within moments Eva regained control over her features and straightened her posture, unable to draw her gaze from Cameo's retreating frame.

[Shyfire]

Bex wasn't one for jokes in the normal circumstances; however, the golden haired demigod was beginning to understand Eva's joke- and, frankly, found it quite halarious. She was about to comment once again on Eva's joke, when she was interupted by the boy's leaving.

Who did he think he was, leaving like that?! The small demigod crossed her arms and watched him leave, giving an indignant snort as he did so. She looked at her friend in complete disbelief. "He actually thinks he's doing us a favor by not fighting us!", she exlaimed. Then she noticed the oddly torn look on Eva's face. "Eva...?", she asked, "You ok...? You look like you've been out in the heat too long. Your face is all red". There was complete silence. "Evaaaa!", Bex yelled in a tone that was half irritation half whining, an obvious attempt to snap the older girl out of whatever trance she was in.

Bex sighed and looked down at her dusty tennis shoes. "It sure would've been nice to beat that guy...", she thought longingly. She kicked the dust with her shoes and watched the small dust cloud it made with her alert gray eyes analyzing everything.

Where did he come from? And he said he was coming back. That ment he wasn't from Camp in the first place. Where could he have been from, then? He obviously wasn't a mortal or a monster of any sort. Bex was racking her brain in an attempt to discover what else could enter Camp Half-Blood, but drew a blank. "I'll find out.... one day...", she thought to herself.

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[Sunfur]

It took a moment for Eva's focus to shift back towards her friend, but in that time Bex had already seen that she was elsewhere. Cursing Eros under her breath, Eva reluctantly turned her head away and grabbed at her ebony hair, securing the tendrils in her fist to make a ponytail before she sighed, turning her head too late, as Bex's screech assaulted her ears and she winced, bringing her hair down over her right shoulder. "Eesh, Bex - think you can awake Cereberos with that?" Eva said with a slight hint of irritation. The truth was that in the seconds it took Eva to address Bex, she'd lost sight of the mysterious boy that had approached their camp, and had lost precious seconds in her longing.

"Yeah... just the heat. C'mon - d'you think it's dinner time yet?" The girl asked her companion, searching for anything to change the topic to. Her optics had changed to their lightest shade, a clear indicator that her mind was elsewhere, and finally drew herself into motion as she watched Bex's dust cloud dissipate. Heading off in the direction of the mess hall, it was a few moments before she realized that the easier path was in the opposite direction, and the woman turned around mid-step and followed the other path, a grimace on her face. "Say nothing." She growled, annoyed at herself for allowing her mind to be so distracted by the face that was now haunting her eyes.

[Shyfire]

Bex's eyebrows raised into a questioning gaze as she observed her best friend. "Remind me to take you to the Apollo cabin. Something's not right with your head..",, the blonde headed girl said in a serious tone as concern krept into her eyes. She walked alongside the older girl for a few moments, her thoughts unable to drift away from the spy that had just left their Camp.

When a thought occured to her. "Eva...", she said in an even tone, "Should we have followed him to the border?". The more the daughter of Athena thought about it, the more she realized they should've made sure the boy had left Camp.

Or even better, they could've kept the spy at Camp. What was it her mother had said to her once before? "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer". Bex couldn't supress the triumphant smirk that overtook her face. "If we keep him at Camp...", she began explaining to her friend, though giving her no prior knowledge her brain had been thinking along such lines, "We can make sure he doesn't report back to whoever he's supposed to. It would give me more time to learn his weaknessess, too. And maybe even where he came from...", her gray eyes traveled up to meet the eyes of her companion.

Of course, it wouldn't exactly hurt Bex's feelings if the boy refused to come. There were always other ways to force the boy to stay in Camp. If he got hurt in a few of them, it would've honestly only made Bex happier. Her conflict with the boy was personal now- no longer just a matter of Camp security. He'd come into Camp, and had the nerver to insult her training methods- some of the most rigerous in the Camp- then waltzed away as if she wasn't worth his time. Nothing more than a spoiled child. As a result, the teenager resembeled a hungry lioness, yards away from where a helpless zebra stood. She had the same cold calculating look in her eye, and her golden hair only added to the image. Yes, she surely hoped the pre-spy gave a little bit of resistance.

None of this was said aloud, however. Her dangerous thoughts were spoken only in her mind in the space of a few moments of a daydream. She almost hoped her friend did not ask about the temporary lapse of attention. Eva seemed to be compelled by the dangerous boy (for what man refuses to fight when challenged?) and Bex didn't want to hurt her by telling her the thoughts running through her mind.

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[Sunny At School]

Turning her gaze to meet her friend's eye, Eva gave a half-shouldered shrug as finally Cameo's frame completely disappeared from sight. "My head's fine, Bex." She sighed, her tone almost as if she was talking down to the girl, and slightly irritated. Not only was Eva concerned at the reaction that the stranger had induced on her, but she was in no mood to be picked apart by her best friend, who always seemed to be able to pick up on her weirder moods, or whenever anything bothered her. But this time she didn't find comfort in that; instead opting for annoyance.

She didn't let Bex's gaze pierce her own, instead keeping her eyes trained on the ground in front of her. One step at a time... that was all she could focus on right now. But as Bex's voice probed at her mind once more, the black-haired woman merely tilted her head as the thought occurred to her. It would be an excuse to be with the stranger some more... No. She couldn't think like that. She was a logical, rational daughter of Zeus who wasn't subject to the whims of her emotions. Whoever in Hades could manipulate her emotions like this was definitely someone to be watched... but not necessarily by her. For the first time, Eva was questioning her judgement and neutrality around this strange man - and that frightened her. If she ever had to interact with him again, she would play the stone mask - blind justice. She could not let him manipulate her again.

Keeping him at camp? No - no, no, no. That would only exasperate the problem-that-wasn't-entirely-a-problem. Keeping this spy around would wreak further havoc on Eva, and that could not be allowed. But at the same time, she couldn't betray to Bex that she was affected so much by this. Clearing her throat, Eva still kept her gaze trained elsewhere as she began speaking, simply conceding what her wiser friend said. "You're the smart one around here; whatever you think. But Chiron should be informed regardless." A simple, almost obvious solution to the problem, Eva could only take baby steps as she recovered from the abnormality.

If she hadn't been distracted by other thoughts plaguing her mind, Eva would definitely be alarmed by the fact that the usually talkative Bex was lapsing into silence, which usually meant a plan of some kind. Instead, all Eva wanted to do was head back to her cabin - the cool, still, empty cabin with just enough noise to give her the so needed distraction. "Bex I'm going to lie down in my cabin for a bit. I'll meet up with you after dinner, alright?" The daughter of Zeus said quickly. Not wanting to give her friend a moment to try and stop her, Eva lifted herself with the winds, carrying herself towards her cabin before lighting down in front of it, preferring to open the door and shut the heavy frame herself, without any manipulation from anything else. Keeping the lights off, Eva charted a direct course to her bed, making sure her head met the pillow in record time, wanting nothing more than to forget the boy.... or meet him again. Either way, she wanted to decide where she was.

---

OOC: Shy, you can have Bex go after Cameo and bring him back so when Eva comes out of her downtime she sees him and is all "WTF?!?! *hides*", but up to you & Spot.

[brinazarski]

Though his body seemed to move homeward, his thoughts retracted back to Camp Half-Blood. Back to Eva.

Everything about the demi-god was flawless. Every limb within his body screamed for him to turn back to her, but he willed himself otherwise. Scenery flew past the teenager, ranging from lonely cars speeding along highways, to leafy trees in forests, closely huddled like birds in a nest. Silence was occasionally broken by sparrows chirping into song, yet Cameo noticed nothing. Her voice blocked out all tones; her face blocked out all views.

For hours he walked aimlessly, not caring where he was going, or why he was going that way. The heavens animated themselves into a purplish-bluish gradient, with few stars speckling the evening sky. Cameo felt no passage of time, nor did he tire from the journey. Now he was miles away from where he left. If Eva would have left his mind for just a moment, he might have noticed a familiar presence shaping herself before him...

Bump! Eva disappeared, replaced with another female- his mother.

"Cameo." She hissed, her voice lacking the warmth of many mortal mothers. "What did I tell you about sneaking out?! You are gold among filth, and yet you act no different than the trash of the poorest of mortals. How DARE you disobey ME!" Now it was more than a hiss, more like a snarl.

Cameo said nothing. Instead, he bowed before his mother.

"And what's worse?! You went into enemy territory! Of all the terrible crimes you committed, this is, by far, THE WORST!"

Cameo's eyes widened, turning to look up at his mother. She saw me?! The semi-titan tensed uneasily. Of all the trouble he had ever been in, this would be, by far, the worst. "Mother, you don't understand! It was an accident-!"

She cut him off. "You could have given us AWAY! You IMBECILE! How do you know they didn't learn your weaknesses?! Now they will be ready to fight us! I bet you expected them to think you were a demi-god, and to welcome you with open arms! What an idea!" Her titany powers manifested themselves into the physical. It was obvious that in a matter of seconds, Cameo would bare a scar so horrid, it would put the Phantom of the Opera to shame...

"... what an idea." A sudden turn of events, her powers faded. Fortunately for Cameo, there would be no scar-receiving today... hopefully. "You brilliant child! How could I have doubted you? You had it planned all along, didn't you? She chuckled softly, as Cameo stared at her with confusion, and even slight astonishment.

"Uhm... actually, I-"

"This is PERFECT. Cameo, I want you to return to Camp Half-Blood right now."

Cameo stared at her, seemingly frozen.

"NOW!"

Her powers returned to the physical, but Cameo was quick to dodge and obey. With lightning speed, he ran back towards the camp, suddenly remembering the root he had taken from the camp, though he had not been paying attention. Maybe it was instinct that led him, but he only had one thought: Eva.

The moon shone brightly, as the semi-titan found his way back inside the camp. He had returned exceptionally faster than he had left, and still, there was only one thing on his mind. Eva.

The teenage faded into the shadows, his footsteps mimicked the sound of nothingness. Cameo searched all around, for that beautiful, beautiful girl. He dared not call out her name, in case someone else were to hear. Soon, he was sure... soon, he would see her again.