Just exploring (open)

Day after day here at camp was the same. Every day, without exception, Lys threw himself into his training. As a son of Ares, he was already good with every weapon he used, but his favourites were his dagger and his sword from his father. So in the training, what Lys had basically been doing was building up his muscle, so he could fight with more force. It was a monotonous routine, the same thing day after day, and Lys was growing bored with it. He wanted to try other things, but as a son of Ares, he wasn't welcome. So far, he was the only Ares kid in his cabin, which he thought was a good thing. If there was more than just him, then there would probably be arguments and fights, something Lys wasn't really too keen on. He wanted peace in his cabin, he wanted people to see that not all Ares children were brutes that loved to fight, that the cabin was built upon honour and discipline.

Today, Lys had decided to do something different. Instead of just sticking to the armoury to train, he'd gone into the woods. He'd wanted to explore them since he'd arrived on Olympus, and now he was going to. It could come under training, if he found a monster as he looked around. Luckily for him, the dryads didn't seem to instantly hate him for who he was, so he managed to have a wonder around without been attacked by a tree. The sun was high in the sky, and it was warm. Lys decided to take a break from the walking and sat down, leaning against a boulder in a clearing. From here, nothing would be able to attack him from behind and he had a decent view of what was going on around, so if a monster turned up, he'd be ready.

Lys blinked and yawned, rubbing his eyes. He closed them as he thought about how things here were so much different from camp. It really was a warm day....

A growl ripped through the quietness of the woods, and Lysander jumped up, instantly awake. He couldn't believe he'd fallen asleep and let his guard down! He turned his ring into his hand and his sword appeared, and Lys was ready for action. He looked over to where the sound had come from and saw a hellhound stalking towards him. It was large, the size of a horse at least, and had jet black fur, and eyes that gleamed with a red light. It lifted a lip in a snarl, revealing a row of teeth as sharp as knives, the canines as long as Lys's dagger. It was a well built beast, but Lys knew he could take it on. Preparing himself, he set his feet firmly in the dirt beneath them, sword ready to attack or defend.

With a roar, the hellhound leaped at him, and Lys ducked and rolled away, turning as he came up and slashing at the space now occupied by the monster. He got it across one of it's hind legs as it turned around with a yelp and swiped at Lys with one of it's paws. Lys jumped back, the claw just missing him. He darted forwards and jabbed at the hellhound, drawing more green blood, and the hellhound jumped back and crouched down, eyes on the demigod who dared to fight back.

With a roar, it jumped again. This time, Lys was ready and threw himself onto his back as it passed overhead, stabbing his sword up and using it's own momentum to cut it's belly open. The monster disappeared into a cloud of green dust which was blown away by a slight breeze that was going through the woods. Lys let out a deep breath and started to calm down, the adrenalin that was rushing round him calming down, his hearteat going back to normal. All that training in the arena had paid off, and Lys had defeated his first monster here on Olympus. And he'd escaped without a scrath, which was quite lucky. He sat down again, but kept his sword out in case anything else was crawling through the trees.

Lily walked around Mount Olympus, she had arrived only yesterday and was still getting used to things. She wandered aimlessly not really paying attention. Until she saw a shadow fall over the ground in front of her, looking up she saw she had entered the woods. She looked around for monters, she had no weapon but she knew how to fight with her bare hands. Not seeing anything she continued to walk. After a while she heard some noise. Clenching her fists she walked a little closer. Peering a round a tree she saw a boy fighting a monster. Before she could make up her mind o help him the boy killed the thing. Impressed, Lily walked towards the boy as he sat down, she saw that he kept a sword next to him. He seemed to be a year or two older than her. Almost the age of her youngest brother. When she was in front of him, she stopped. "Hey, I'm Lily." she said. As she waited for a reply she put her hands on her hips and waited.


((sorry, that was an epic fail of a post))

Lys looked up as a girl came out from the trees as he sat down, putting her hands on her hips. She introduced herself as Lily. She looked to be a year or two younger than he was, adn had blonde hair that was tied back.

"Hiya Lily. I'm Lysander, but please, just call me Lys. Nice to meet you. Wanna sit down?" Lys patted the spot next to him where his sword wasn't. "You got a weapon on you? The woods can be dangerous, and fists don't do well against a monster...you can borrow my sword if you want. I've got a dagger to use as well."

Lys didn't say about who he was claimed by. No one would guess from his personailty that he was a son of Ares, he was too nice. As soon as they knew he was an Ares kid, they judged him to be the same as the rest of his cabin had been at camp, not even trying to get to know him. All they needed to know was he was an Ares kid, and they thought after that that he was violent and stupid, who only started fights or broke stuff. Lys wasn't like that at all. He was a respectful person, and wasn't clumsy or mean enough to break something on purpose. He didn't like getting in fights, either and couldn't stand bullies.

"Hiya Lily. I'm Lysander, but please, just call me Lys. Nice to meet you. Wanna sit down?" Lys patted the spot next to him where his sword wasn't. "You got a weapon on you? The woods can be dangerous, and fists don't do well against a monster...you can borrow my sword if you want. I've got a dagger to use as well." Lily sat down next to him. "I dont have a weapon. I just got here yesterday, so I havent had time to get one." she said, "You sure i can use your sword? I wouldnt be much good with it. Only fighting i ever done was with my older brothers, they taught me to fight." She thought of the time when her godfather had come home to find her with a black eye and a cut lip, because her brothers had tried to teach her how fight.

"Yeah, sure you can. I've got a dagger anyways... and I can always find something else to use as a weapon...." Lys said, as Lily sat next to him. "So have you been claimed yet? I've only been here a couple of weeks, and I got claimed on my first day. You'll never guess who by. Really, you won't. I was as surprised as anyone. It just doesn't seem to fit."

Lys had always been a good fighter, but that was just self defence. After all, you need to be able to look after yourelf on the streets if you want to survive. He'd been beaten up a few times, though, but he'd got a few punches in. And that was when a group had started on him. If it was one on one, he usually won. He never started the fight, though.

"I had to teach myself how to fight. Before I got to camp, I lived on the streets of Manhattan, and if you want to survive, you need to learn pretty quick. If people have a bad day, they'll take it out on a homeless person, or if they see something they want. The cops don't care about us, so we have to look after ourselves. It's a tough life, but it makes you stronger, and you learn how to survive."

"Yeah, sure you can. I've got a dagger anyways... and I can always find something else to use as a weapon...." Lys said, "So have you been claimed yet? I've only been here a couple of weeks, and I got claimed on my first day. You'll never guess who by. Really, you won't. I was as surprised as anyone. It just doesn't seem to fit." Lily listened. "No, I haven't been claimed yet. Well I sure that whoever you were claimed by is proud of you, an that even if you don't think you fit as their kid, you are just getting used to it." she said, wondering who is parent was, but if he didn't want to tell her, she wouldn't pry. "I had to teach myself how to fight. Before I got to camp, I lived on the streets of Manhattan, and if you want to survive, you need to learn pretty quick. If people have a bad day, they'll take it out on a homeless person, or if they see something they want. The cops don't care about us, so we have to look after ourselves. It's a tough life, but it makes you stronger, and you learn how to survive." Lys said. Lily thought about that. "Well, I think it's rude that cops don't care about the homeless. My oldest brother was thinking of becoming a cop, and he had some leaflets and one said that, to be a cop you would serve all people and keep everyone safe. So I think that, ignoring homeless and less fortunate people is just cruel and against what the cops stand for." Lily said. Then she blushed a little. "Sorry, I can get really worked up about things and unfair treatment." she said sheepishly. She had always stood against bullying at school, mainly because she was bullied for being to much like a guy.

"I doubt he'll be proud of me til I beat someone up for no reason." Lys said, a bit of resentment in his voice. "And I hate unfair treatment too. I can't stand bullies... which is why I don't really fit into my cabin that well. I'm an Ares kid, Lily. How weird is that? I hate having to fight, I hate bullies and refuse to do it, I prefer to use words instead of weapons.. though words are a weapon in a way, I guess. I'm nothing like the other Ares kids are. But most people don't see that. As soon as they find out I'm an Ares kid, they want nothing to do with me, because of what my cabin mates down in camp are like. I'm the only Ares kid up here so far. That makes me cabin leader, and I want the Ares kids here to be different. Ares isn't all about killing. There should be honour, and discipline. That's what the cabin is made from, that's what it's meant to be, not a group of bullies that push everyone round just cos of who our dad is."

Lys remembered before his mum died, when he was back at school. He had been one of the popular kids, but one who didn't bully anyone, stopped his friends doing it and stood up to any bully he saw. He had been bullied himself for having ADHD, the worst thing was been called a retard. He wasn't one at all. Just because he had a short attention span and found it difficult to concentrate and stay still for long periods of time didn't make him a retard. If it did, most kids would be. It really annoyed him, but not many people called him it. Popular people didn't usually get bullied, because it was usually the popular people doing the bullying. Just like with his cabin mates, Lys had been different. Then his mother had been killed, and everything had changed. He'd gone from having a family and friends to living on the unforgiving streets of Manhattan, where there was no one to talk to, where he had to find a different place to sleep each night to get away from the monsters that went around the city. Lys had taken to sleeping when he could during the day, because there were more monsters out at night. Then he'd found out he was a demigod and everything had changed again, and now here he was, on Mount Olympus, a son of Ares.

"I doubt he'll be proud of me til I beat someone up for no reason." Lys said, a bit of resentment in his voice. "And I hate unfair treatment too. I can't stand bullies... which is why I don't really fit into my cabin that well. I'm an Ares kid, Lily. How weird is that? I hate having to fight, I hate bullies and refuse to do it, I prefer to use words instead of weapons.. though words are a weapon in a way, I guess. I'm nothing like the other Ares kids are. But most people don't see that. As soon as they find out I'm an Ares kid, they want nothing to do with me, because of what my cabin mates down in camp are like. I'm the only Ares kid up here so far. That makes me cabin leader, and I want the Ares kids here to be different. Ares isn't all about killing. There should be honour, and discipline. That's what the cabin is made from, that's what it's meant to be, not a group of bullies that push everyone round just cos of who our dad is." Lily thought for a second. Ares, she recalled, was the god of war. Well that explained why Lys was a good fighter, even if he didn't like fighting. "Well, I think that he'd be proud of you, just for being you." she said. "I think your right, Ares is about more than just killing." she said, "I can't stand bullies either. Seeing as how I was there favorite topic and punching bag. That's why my older brother taught me to fight. So I could fight back when bullies used me as a punching bag." she said softly. Then she turned towered Lys, "I think that you will be a great cabin leader. You'll be able to make people see the good in the Ares kids." she said

"Why would they bully you, though? I think it's horrible that people put others down just to make them feel better about themselves." Lys said, when Lily told him she had been used as a punching bag, which was the reason she had learnt how to fight, so she could fight back and defend herself. "So, did you do it then? Fight back? That would have been a shock. Bullies hate it when people fight back, because it shows they don't have any power over that person anymore, and they know better than to bully someone who can stand up for themselves. Cowards, the whole lot of them."

He chuckled as Lily said he'd make a great cabin leader and would be able to convince people that Ares kida aren't all like that.

"Thanks, Lily. But I think it will take a lot of convincing. As soon as people here found out I was an Ares kid, they wanted nothing to do with me. The Apollo kids won't let me join them when they play basketball or music, the Hephaestus kids won't teach me how to forge, the Demeter kids won't let me plant in the fields. Heck, even the water nymphs don't like me! They tipped me out of my boat when I was rowing! If I want to convince others that Ares people aren't all bad, I'll have to convince them that I'm not first. I don't know how to, when people won't come near me, won't talk to me. I'm a nice guy, but I don't get the chance to show people that. In a way, I can understand how most Ares kids end up been how they are. No one wants anything to do with them because of who our dad is, and they feel bad, and start acting like bullies just so people will notice them. Just so they have something to do, have a bit of power over something at camp, like the Demeter and Dionysus kids do over plants, like the Hephaestus kids do over the forge, like the Apollo kids do over healing and music. All we can do is fight, but so can everyone else here, because they learn to fight monsters. It's just that we're better at it."

Why would they bully you, though? I think it's horrible that people put others down just to make them feel better about themselves." Lys said, "So, did you do it then? Fight back? That would have been a shock. Bullies hate it when people fight back, because it shows they don't have any power over that person anymore, and they know better than to bully someone who can stand up for themselves. Cowards, the whole lot of them." Lys said. Lily sighed. "They made fun of me cause I dressed and acted so much like a boy, growing up with 4 boys and my godfather with no woman in the house. So I didn't really dress like a girl according to the kids who made fun of me. And yea I fought back. Got suspended a lot since I was the new kid and the others would always say that I had attacked them first. They got mad but eventually they stopped. I started to act more like they thought I should but not totally" she said. She was a little reluctant to say that she had decided to become a cheerleader, because cheerleaders were usually thought of as rude, obnoxious, and prissys.

"So they bullied you for been a tomboy? That's ridiculous! So what if you weren't a girly girl? Well, I guess people will find any reason they can to try and put others down... And it's not fair that your teachers believed them over you just cos you were new." Lys said. "Plus, growing up with just boys is bound to run off on you. Still, at least you showed them you wouldn't take any bullying from them. And... how did you start to act more like they thought you should then?"

If there was one thing that was certain about Lysander, it was that he wouldn't try to change how he was to please other people. Luckily, he hadn't really had this problem. He was a nice guy, he was good at sports and he didn't really give people much reason to bully him. Been popular helped, too, because people thought if they started on him, all Lys's friends would stick up for him and beat them up. That had never happened though.

Lys asked what she did to become more like them. Lily blushed. "Well, I uh… kinda join the cheerleading team, on top of my other sports," she said. The she looked down. She didn't want to see Lys' face. "Don't laugh at me," she whispered. She loved sports and cheerleading was just that, a sport. She loved the action. She had been a flyer, on of the people on the top of pyramids. She waited for Lys response. As she waited her mind flashbacked to the day she told her brothers about her joining. They all looked at her and laughed. Her oldest brother had laughed for a little then had stopped when he had realized she was serious. After that he had appeared to be deep in thought. But in the end he had supported her and tried to stop her other brothers from teasing her. He had also stayed after school to drive her home and had been there at all her games, rain or shine.

"Laugh at you? Why would I do that?" Lys said, as Lily told him she'd joined the cheerleading squad. "It's still a sport. Not all cheerleaders are horrile people. Just as long as you did it for you, not for them. Never change yourself to get others to accept you, Lily. Stay as who you are. That's the most important thing, self respect. I know how difficult stuff can be... Popular people have just as much peer pressure put on them as others... all the parties I went to, people tried to get me to get drunk. I didn't most of the time. I did a couple, because I was there to enjoy myself. One of my frieds took advatage of a drunk girl... he wasn't my friend for long after I found that out. If it made you happy, and you enjoyed it, then it's good. But if you didn't, if you did it just to fit in, to make people leave you alone, you made the wrong choice."

Lys remembered a lot of it. All the parties, the dancing, the people throwing up. Drink did stuff to people that changed them, and it wasn't always pretty. Girls acting silly, doing stuff they wouldn't have if they were sober. Guys starting fights and trying it on with girls. Lys wasn't one of them. He didn't have a lot to drink. Yes, he had got drunk a couple of times, but not as drunk as everyone else. If a girl came near him and tried it on with him, he told them to go away and leave him alone. He didn't want any of that kind of thing happening to him.

Lys talked about how she should never change to get others to except you. He started talking about peer pressure. Lily nodded. "I did it because i love sports. I play five sports. Three of them year round, one of them a spring and fall sport and one only in the winter." she said. "I do it because its fun. Being accepted was just a bonus." she smiled. "I wouldnt be friends with anyone who did that either" she said to what Lys said about one of his former friends taking advantage of someone. She remembered when her middle brother got in an accident from drunk driving. Thankfully no one died but he and his friend had been hospitalized. SHe had been so scared and worried about him. She had never seen her godfather so angry or scared. When they first found out he had been a nervous wreck. Her oldest brother had to drive. When they got to the hospital her godfather had calmed down because his son was okay, but then he start yeling in a way at her brother. About how stupid and foolish he had been. How he could of been killed. And then he had started to say something else but stopped when he saw Lily was still in the room.

"I didn't really play any sports for my school team. I just played for fun. Usually it was basketall or soccer, but I played a little bit of football every now and then, and sometimes I'd play some baseball or softball. I remember back when I was a little kid, I used to play dodgeball all the time. You know, I just do it for fun. Of course, I haven't really been able to play any for a while, seeing as I lived on the streets, and then went to camp for a bit. And now, here I am." Lys said. "And at least now, no one tries to force any booze down my throat."

Lysander stood up and started to pace. Thanks to his ADHD, he found it difficult to stay still for long, and even more difficult to stay sat down for ages. That had been a problem of his at school. He grew bored easily and started fidgeting, and staying on one topic for long wasn't exactly an easy thing for him to do. His mind always wandered, random thoughts going through his head continously.

"Well..." He said. "I'm bored. Shall we go explore? I bet the woods up here aren't too different to the ones at Camp. You've got my sword to use there if any monsters decide to come at us."

Lily watched as Lys stood up. "Well..." He said. "I'm bored. Shall we go explore? I bet the woods up here aren't too different to the ones at Camp. You've got my sword to use there if any monsters decide to come at us." he said. Lily stood up. "Why not. I may not have a sword but i can fight." she said. Then she looked around. "why dont we go this way?" She said, pointing across the clearing. She began to walk towards the oppisote side.

((Lily, you've got Lys's sword XD))

"I may not have a sword, but I can fight." Lily said to Lys. Lys looked confused for a second.

"Lily, I just gave you my sword to use, cos I've got a dagger..." He said, looking round. There, on the floor, was his sword. He wasn't losing that. He went over to where it was and handed it back to Lily. "You sure you've not got any short term memory problems?" He asked, in a joking way. "Haha, it's okay. Heck, I've done the same kind of thing before, where I've put something down and the next second, I've totally forgot about it."

Lys walked with Lily, and as he walked along he pulled out his keychain, with a boars head charm on it, pressing the back of the boar's head and turning it into his dagger, the present he got from his father, Ares, when he was claimed. After all, you never knew when a monster was going to jump out. He hoped they'd be left in piece, but better safe than sorry. It always payed to be prepared.

((Shoot, sorry i forgot about that.))

Lily almost hit her head when Lys reminded her about his sword. "Yea I have tons of short term memory problems" she replied jokingly. "Im sorry, my mind was somewhere else." She smiled.They were just walking along. It seemed peaceful to Lily. She hoped it stayed that way.

((should there be a monster attack?))

((yeah, sure, why not? XD))

"No need to apologise... ADHD acting up? It happens to me all the time. I just randomly zone out." Lys said, remembering how easily it happened. He could just be walking along and his head would be in the clouds. Or he could be thinking something and it just carried on winding on and going off topic, and so on and so forth... And here it went again. He shook his head to bring him back to earth. On the plus side, the ADHD really helped in battle, especially with the adrenalin pumping round him. It was like time slowed down a little and he noticed every little thing. "You know, I think it happens to most half bloods. After all, the majority of us have ADHD... it's meant to have us battle ready, and I guess it's true. It works."

Lys heard a twig snap, and his attention was drawn to the trees bordering the clearing. He heard a growl and got his dagger ready.

"Lily... looks like we have a monster attack on our hands. I hope you know how to use that sword..."

Of course, if Lily didn't, Lys could probably handle it himself. It was times like this where been an Ares kid actually came in handy. He was born to fight, even if he wasn't happy about it.

((You can choose what monster it is. We had a hellhound at the beginning of the thread, so maybe not that... but if you can't think up of any other monster, it'll be fine XD))

Lily laughed a little when Lys comented on ADHD, "Yep. It gets a bt annoying at times." she said. She hated it, it effected her when she had to read books or do school projects or stuff like that. Then she heard a twig snap and Lys made a comment about them haveing to fight a monster. She turned around and saw an dracane ((sp)) she gulped as the serpent lady walked closer. If she couldnt fight with a sword she would fight with her body.

Lysander looked up and saw the Dracane walk out of the woods, if you could call it walking. Lys would say it slithered, but it had two legs, like a snake's body and tail, both as thick as tree trunks. He gulped and let out a small groan. He hated Dracanae, they were a pain in the ass. The armour they wore was quite thick, and there weren't may weak spots in it... it was like the armour was made by an evil version of Hephastus.

"Aw man, I hate these ones..." He said, an angry frown on his face. He looked over at Lily. "If you can't use that sword, I suggest you pass it to me and step back, or you can use my dagger. I guess this is when been an Ares ki comes in handy. This monster is going down!"

Lily looked at the sword. She was wished she had bow an arrow instead but she would have to make do. She slowly hadn't the sword to Lys. "I'll take the dagger."She said. She wasn't going to miss this. She would just Have to chance it. She took a deep breath. Her second day and was already in a fight.

"Fair trade... just try not to lose it. It was a present from Ares when he claimed me." Lys said, as he handed the dagger over to Lily and took the sword. He didn't like fighting... but it was different with a monster. A smile crept over his face as the adrenalin started to pump round his body, as he started to notice everything from his ADHD kicking in, as his body got ready for the battle. His neck was a little stiff from the sleep earlier, so he bent it to the side and cricked it. Ah, that was better. He was ready now.

"Be careful, Lily... this thing is vicious and it's gonna be a pain to find the weak spot in that armour." With that, Lysander attacked, taking a swing at the Dracane. Now, the armour protected the chest of the snake lady but not her snake like legs, so Lysander had swung his sword at that. He heard a hiss of pain as his sword made contact and cut a deep gash in one of the legs. And then he felt the air get knocked out of him as he was hit by the shaft of the monster's spear, and he landed on his back. He rolled out of the way, the spear head just missing him as it slammed into the ground where he had been laid just a second before. Lys pulled himself back onto his feet and stood in a defensive stance, looking for his next opening. And it would come. Patience was the key.

Lily grasped the dagger and watched as Lys attack. She bit her lip when the dracaena almost speared him. She took off towards the monster and dropped down in a slide tackle. She grabbed the spear ad turned it on the monster. She had a spear in one hand and a dagger in the other. She held the spear out to the monster. The monster took the bait and pulled the spear. Lily used her cheer reflexes to pull herself up with it and flipped over it. As she went she tried to jab down into the monsters neck. She missed. Landing on her feet she waited for the monster to turn around. She shifted her grasp on the daggers shaft before she did anything else.

Lily attacked as Lys got up, taking the monster's attention away from him, and also taking it's spear, though the Dracane got it back soon enough. Lysander was surprised for a second when he saw Lily flip over the monster, but then remembered what she had told him about been a cheerleader, and loving sports. Well, it definitely helped here.

As Lily landed behind it, the Dracane turned to face and attack her, leaving it's back exposed. However, the armour on the monster's back was just as thick as the armour on the front. Lys squinted as he noticed something that seemed to stand out to him... there! The armour on the shoulder blades wasn't as thick where it joined up with the rest of the armour. That was a weak spot! He just hoped he could get it.

Taking a few steps back, Lysander ran at the monster, jumping about a meter before he got to it, sword ready in both hands to stab down at the weakness in the armour and hopefully kill the monster...

((And you can write the monster's reaction, see if it gets killed or turns and knocks Lys away XD))