Post by Sloane Taylor on May 22, 2021 17:45:52 GMT -5
So I’m basically going into my third year here (I knooooooow, it doesn’t seem like it but it also kinda does??), and just… every year things seem to get a little bit better. I mean, that second one was a roller coaster, but beside that… here I am. Sloane Taylor. Me. Top of the hill. The one with the target on my back and not just because I said or did something the newest baddie doesn’t like (Seb says I’m not using baddie correctly here, but I think I am and this is my journal so 
).
Anyway. It’s Outlast again, but this year… it’s different. No, no, it really is this time because not only is everyone coming for the flag? There’s also a key to win. See? It’s not just me that’s different, everything is. My first year here, I was still all shiny and new and then I had that really awkward thing that happened that I’m super thankful no one really talks about or references anymore, so… I was still learning the ropes kinda. And then the second year, I couldn’t join in on the festivities because I was injured. So now here we are, third Outlast… and I’m the one everyone is watching, the one everyone’s talking about. I know they are, I see how they look at me, but I’m not being conceited. It’s not because of me, not really, it’s because of what I carry and what I represent.
And I know a lot of them look at me and see what’s gonna be an easy task, but oh no, it’s not going down like that, buddy. There’s a lot of people who have lost at Outlast, (Seb just last year, sorry buddy!) and I’m not adding my name to that list.
Sidenote: Ask Seb what NOT to do.
I fully expect the next time I write in this? I’ll still be the top of the pile. I should be nervous, I know I should be and I kinda am.. But I’m also kinda not. Not that I think any of them or less than me or anything, I know how good everyone here is. They know the tactics, what to do, where to go, who to work with (even if that changes every few weeks). I know what’s coming for me, I just happen to have a little more faith in myself than whatever they can throw at me…
“You’re here late.”
Sloane trailed off in her writing, looking up with a momentarily startled expression. She’d heard the voice but it took her a moment to translate what he’d said.
“Can you blame me? Might be the last time I have this here. For a little while anyway.”
Sloane angled her chin toward the golden flag she knew Dave had to have seen. She felt a pang of guilt over the faintly petty action when his eyes followed her movement.
“If I have anything to say about it? It will be.”
Sloane winced inwardly. It wasn’t personal, not really, she knew. It was just an opportunity not to be passed up. Did it always feel this way for the one with the target on their back?
“I know I said it before but I wanted to tell you in person. Thank you for getting between me and Donovan. You didn’t have to do that. You don’t like me and... really I don’t like you. But I can respect that,” she’d expected the words to sound hollow, but instead? She realized she meant them.
“You’re right, I don’t really care for you, but I respect what you did. You won it, you earned it. That’s what I want to do, and when I do? I want it to mean something.”
Sloane nodded and then shrugged.
“It’s better when it does. Maybe the reason Donovan doesn’t get that is because he’s done it so many times. But it’s new to me. It would be new to you too. That wasn’t a dig,” she said hurriedly, realizing what that must have sounded like, and sure enough, Dave’s eyes narrowed just a little.
“Sounded like one.”
She sighed and crossed her arms.
“Don’t be so defensive, it wasn’t. If it was, I’d have said so,” she said, unable to entirely keep the irritation from her voice. All the egos around this place, and his was particularly volatile, though she suspected it would only be worse if she mentioned anything about ‘daddy issues’.
Not that she had much room to talk.
“Well, perhaps word it properly. Otherwise it’s going to land you a kick in the face. Besides, not everyone actually says what’s on their mind without being an asshole. Take it from me, I’m a big offender of it.”
Sloane’s eyebrows rose. That was a remarkable bit of self-awareness from him. Probably another thing best kept to herself. She could fill her journal at this point.
“Yeah, it’s not like that’s something you really hide,” she said as blandly as she could muster, and then suddenly, as if she couldn’t wait any longer, she spoke again. “What’s going on with you and Angie? Or is it her mom?”
“What?”
She’d managed to catch him by surprise with that one.
“What?” She parroted, the faux innocence she frequently employed as a distraction apparent. Thanks, Mom, she thought briefly.
“That was an abrupt subject change.”
Her attention was snapped back to him with his all-too-obvious statement. Sloane bit back her sarcastic response that threatened, making her blue eyes wide as she looked at him.
“I was abruptly curious,” she said by way of explanation. Innocent. Cute. Harmless. Except Dave knew better. Everyone did.
“It’s none of your business—“ he began, but she cut him off.
“Considering what you did to Angie two years ago? At Outlast, might I add? When she was #TeamJellyBeanToes? Totally is my business. You. Sus,” she said emphatically and perhaps a little sharply.
“Listen. Regardless of who thinks it’s their business, it isn’t. But I’ll bite. I did some stuff two years ago that I’m not proud of. At the time, I wanted to hurt anyone who didn’t have my back. And from where I stood, I had a lot of people against me. Despite my best efforts, I felt alone. That’s no excuse for what I did, but I did it. And I’m trying to make up for it. Angie is giving me a chance to do that. I hope and pray that Demeter will as well, but I have to start somewhere.”
His seemingly heartfelt speech surprised her, and Sloane was quiet for a moment as she considered him.
“Well. I guess if Angie’s giving you a shot, I can too. Not that you’d care if I did or not, but so you know? It’s still there,” she said, prepared for him to slap the offer back in her face.
No, I do care,” Dave said, surprising her again. “You and I probably won’t ever like each other. But you and I currently stand for the right thing. The sanctity of the good name of this Camp. And despite us not getting along, I respect you. This is my home. Very few people are trying to keep it in good standing.”
He had a point.
“This place is a thing of pride for me, and I’d feel that way whether I was in my position or not. I’m glad there’s others who feel just as strongly about it. But just because you’re turning over a new leaf doesn’t mean I’ll take it easy on you,” Sloane half-joked, giving a little laugh, surprised she was doing so with him of all people.
“And just because I’m turning over a new leaf, doesn’t mean I won’t do whatever I absolutely have to to get that flag from you. And I know it’s hard to believe it, because I’m not a trustworthy person at the moment, but I swear that I won’t do anything behind your back. You’ll see it coming.”
Normally, Sloane wouldn’t have believed him, not considering their history. But… he’d stopped an underhanded attack on her recently, as if a son of Hermes knew anything but underhandedness, she thought as she considered Donovan Hastings. Actually, that wasn’t fair… but it wasn’t something she could consider just now with Dave stood before her.
“I can respect that,” she finally said. “Good luck out there,” she offered when he turned from her and started to walk away.
“You too,” he called back, and once more, she knew he meant it.
Sloane watched him disappear into the darkness that surrounded Camp. He’d be on his way to the Ares cabin now, to rest before the coming event, and she knew she should head back to her own. But it was so… lonely there. Since she’d made the decision to join with Artemis, to ride with the Hunters… she looked over at the golden flag that stood proudly beside her.
And then this…
Her fingers wound around the wooden staff that held the banner, a grip that at first had been so unfamiliar to her she’d wondered if she would ever get used to holding it. Had everyone else felt this the first time they’d held it? Others in the camp had, some multiple times even, but this time… this time, it was her. This time, they would all come for her and she would defend until she couldn’t anymore. A bold voice at the forefront of her mind told her that in the end? She would still be standing with the flag waving proudly, but niggling doubt crept in.
Was this the last time?
Sloane pushed that aside and rose, tucking the journal she’d been writing in beneath one arm as she strode out from beneath the shelter of the Dining Pavilion to overlook the scene below.
Illuminations of various kinds danced below, each of the thirteen cabins with its own design, its own varied occupants. Excitement and eagerness hung in the air, and she knew that while she pondered and worried over the coming trials? The others below held no such real concerns. Even if they failed in their task to take the flag themselves, they wouldn’t lose anything, not really. She was the one who stood to lose it all.
This was Outlast, and while they had many competitions throughout their time at Camp, though there were several capture the flag scenarios, this one was the ultimate. One winner, the rest losers. One who would stand tall at the end of everything and raise that flag high.
One who would have to have used every bit of the training at their disposal.
It should have intimidated her, should have cowed her, but ever since she’d earned the right to carry the flag, she’d felt a strength within that she hadn’t realized she had.
Whoever truly thought to take this from her at Outlast had a world of surprise coming for them.
Sloane made her way down from the crest and toward the cabin that glowed softly silver in the moonlight.
Sloane awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed, her eyes wide.
“Definitely way too many for one person to take care of,” she said suddenly to no one in particular, which was good as she was alone. She pondered for a moment, a frown settling between her brows. “I lost track of them waaaay too easily,” she muttered, and though she knew it had been just a dream, she still scanned the floor before she lowered her feet.
Sloane carefully leaned forward, knowing all-too-well what happened when she straightened without moving out from beneath the bunk bed that lay above her own, and though she’d managed not to bonk her head this time, she still rubbed the spot that most often took the damage when she didn’t.
It was still nighttime, the moon high and full overhead. Sloane found herself wondering where the other Hunters were, where Artemis was right now. Were they riding through the sky in their silvery outfits so like the metallic color of the curtains that shielded the windows from curious gazes? Probably. She missed it, missed them, but she belonged here, at Camp, holding the flag.
Just thinking of it brought her attention to where it stood beside the crackling fireplace. Hers. It was hers, even if that was just for a little while longer— no. She wouldn’t think about it.
Sloane rose, moving about the cabin quietly though there was no one else there with her. She knew there was no going back to sleep for her, not right now with the excitement coiling within her much like one of the snakes from her dream. Free-range snakes. Artemis would have enjoyed that, though her favorite animal was the stag as evidenced by the many carvings that decorated the Hunter’s cabin.
It was so different from where she’d stayed before— before she’d made the choice to ride with Artemis and her Hunters. Before then, she’d been in the Aphrodite cabin with her siblings, other daughters and sons of Aphrodite. Where the Artemis cabin was silver, Aphrodite’s was a mix of pinks, pastel blues, and white trim. Lace curtains, trunks at the foot of each bed with their names painted on them, potted carnations by the windows, and the ever present scent of designer perfume in the air.
She’d made the choice to join the Hunters, and though she’d only been acknowledged by her godly parent when Aphrodite had claimed her and when she’d first taken the flag? Sloane couldn’t help but feel a twinge, knowing she’d probably been disappointed by her choice.
Movement from one of the cabins drew her attention, and Sloane forced herself to focus, a grin slowly spreading over her lips. Zeus’ cabin, which meant Seb and Lucy were awake.
Perfect.
She quickly found her shoes and started to leave, pausing with the door half-open to look back to the golden flag. She felt no qualms about someone sneaking in to take it, knew there were traps left in and around the cabin that would prevent anyone but the Hunters from accessing it. She knew because she’d helped to lay them herself.
Without another thought, she closed the door behind her.
When Sloane entered Cabin 1, the one dedicated to Zeus and any of his progeny, she couldn’t help the feeling that she was an interloper. She always felt it. Maybe it was the fact that it looked like a mausoleum, all marble and heavy columns; maybe it was the big bronze double doors that seemed simultaneously to be too much and not enough with the almost holographic lightning bolts etched into them; maybe it was the ominous thunder that seemed to constantly roll through the building, as if the high Olympian were constantly displeased; but likely it was the statue of Zeus himself that stood at the center of the room, clothed in a traditional Greek chiton.
His eyes seemed to follow her everywhere.
Before the current inhabitants of the cabin, there had been no furniture within it, and the effect had made it look like nothing more than a cold, empty bank.
But Sebastian Everett-Bryce the III had changed that, and because he was a doted upon son of Zeus, every luxury had been afforded to him.
And Lucy was here too.
Sloane saw the half-siblings as she moved further into the cabin, Seb seated on a couch next to Lucy as they studied something. The light made Sloane squint, and she blinked her eyes blearily, realizing that maybe she wasn’t quite as awake as she’d first thought.
“Strategizing?” She asked. Her appearance didn’t seem to startle the children of Zeus, however.
“What?” Seb asked.
“No, I’m just trying to decide which one is best,” Lucy offered, still looking down at the paper, Seb with her. Sloane moved over beside them, sitting on the arm of the couch as she looked down too, though she felt she might be struck by lightning at such informal behavior. When she wasn’t, she looked at what she knew to be the map of Camp Half-Blood.
“Not very defensible,” she observed, indicating the spot just beneath Lucy’s finger.
Both Seb and Lucy looked at her like she’d just grown two heads.
“What?” Sloane asked.
“Sometimes I think I’d like to see how your brain works,” Lucy muttered.
“It doesn’t,” Seb put in, ignoring the frosty look Sloane shot him.
“Excuse me, my brain works like everyone else’s unless I’m tired or I’ve been asleep or I’ve had a lot of sugar or caffeine. But that’s why I’m up, I just had the craziest dream,” she said, suddenly remembering the dream that had had her sitting upright in bed.
“Oh no,” Seb groaned.
“Can we stop it?” Lucy asked, ignoring Sloane for the moment to look over at him.
“Probably not,” Seb said with a sigh, washing a hand over his face.
Sloane paid them no mind, continuing on.
“So, I was…”
“Let me stop you right there…” Seb broke in. Sloane watched as he got to his feet and slowly walked towards a table away from the couch. He pulled out the chair and sat down before turning and smiling. “There. You have a captive audience. Continue.”
Sloane glared at him reproachfully for a moment before looking to Lucy and dropping down on the couch beside her.
“So anyway, I was addicted to buying snakes, I just couldn’t stop, and I was like… one more snake, just one more snake… and they were free-range snakes. I just let them go wherever they wanted to, mostly in my barn… I had a barn in my dream… and when I’d go feed them, it was in a doggie dish because I guess snakes can like that too, but when I’d turn around to leave I would forget they were there and then I’d turn back and back it was like… Ah! Snake! You know, if I can be vulnerable with you guys for a second, I think I was in way over my head,” Sloane mused.
“You? Nooooo,” Seb snorted.
Sloane glared at him a moment and then looked back to Lucy, who shook her head and sighed.
“No shit…” the blonde said, knowing the girl who was far too bubbly for this late at night expected a reaction.
“It’s probably because of what I was thinking about before I went to sleep,” Sloane said with a nod.
“Snakes?” Lucy asked, and she had to admit it made sense. Sloane was a Hunter after all, and—
“No, pottery,” Sloane answered, and she felt Lucy’s eyes on her, as if she were trying to work out a math problem.
Sloane hated math.
“Lucy… you’re falling down the rabbit hole…” Seb cautioned.
“Shut up Seb-- Wait a minute… Pottery?” Lucy asked, likely already realizing she would hate herself for it.
“Like going through the glazing process specifically. So, it’s like cool and all at first, you’re just getting painted on and then you get dipped in this stuff or it’s poured over you or whatever it is they do with the glazing and then it’s like battle armor? It’s kinda cool, kinda claustrophobic at the same time— what are you giggling about?” Sloane looked over at Seb who was practically sputtering at some of the word choices she’d used.
“— why—?” Lucy’s question brought her attention back.
“Why was I thinking about that before bed? Because I painted my nails and when I did the clear coat I got a little on the side of my finger and then when it dried my skin felt all tight but also tougher and not quite like skin so I thought that must be what it feels like to get glazed,” Sloane said as if it all made perfect sense.
Seb lost all composure, his laughter echoing off the walls.
“Like pottery,” Lucy stated, as if for clarification.
“Like pottery,” Sloane confirmed.
Lucy shot Seb a look when he continued to howl.
“What is your deal, dick boy?” She asked aggressively.
“Oh, nothing, nothing - Just Sloane away in her bedroom imagining getting glazed,” he said with obvious innuendo. Before Lucy could snap at him again, Sloane gasped.
“OMG, I’m here, you’re here, Seb’s here, we should totally strategize! I’ll get drinks. Well, cups anyway,” she amended, knowing that whatever they wanted in the cups, they would find them filled with their preference.
As long as it wasn’t illegal, of course. Or alcoholic. Seb had tried several times.
Sloane didn’t even wait for their approval, and instead rushed out with a skip in her step to get the cups, only realizing later that she hadn’t fully formed her plan for their strategizing get together, and had left most of it unsaid.
She sighed heavily, realizing that once again her brain had moved faster than her mouth.
Sloane breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the two figures beneath the Dining Pavilion, or Mess as it was sometimes called, where she’d met Dave earlier. Had that only been hours before? Either way, Seb and Lucy had seemed to understand her intent though she hadn’t spoken it aloud.
The pavilion was framed with Greek columns and sat atop a hill, overlooking the sea. Torches blazed from the columns along with a central fire that burned within a huge bronze brazier. Sloane knew that it was the goddess Hestia who sometimes tended the fire, though she didn’t see her tonight.
Sloane rushed forward with the three empty goblets, handing one to Seb and one to Lucy. Her own filled with ruby red grapefruit juice, and she grinned, never growing tired of the magic of this place. She drank, watching as Seb and Lucy did the same, wondering for a moment what might be in theirs. What had they wanted.
“Right, so, strategy,” Lucy said, looking down at the same map she’d been looking at in their cabin.
Sloane frowned.
“The map isn’t updated with the Hades Cabin, but it’s still a good representation,” she noted.
Seb and Lucy looked up at her.
“If you have to worry about utilizing the Hades cabin at Outlast? You’re already lost,” Seb said. “You do realize he’s coming for you if you do manage to hold onto the flag, right?”
Sloane hissed in a breath, knowing that Seb didn’t mean the god of the underworld himself, for all that mattered. His son could be just as bad.
“Guess that’s as good a place as any to start,” Lucy said, pointing out the blank spot on the map where the Hades cabin should be. The map seemed to shimmer, and the dark representation of the cabin appeared.
None of the trio questioned it, instead considering who they knew resided there.
“Gabriel is probably one of the biggest dangers out there for Outlast, not that I’m discounting anyone,” Sloane stated hurriedly. “But he’s been… relentless. He’s already bested some from Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, and Demeter, all worthy challengers. And you’re right, because of those wins, he’s close to being able to challenge me for the right to carry the flag.”
“He has one more trial to get through after Outlast,” Seb said grimly. “Just watch out for that sword of his. Stygian iron. It can suck away your soul if he has a mind for it, and you know he will.”
“Of course. And… just as likely he won’t be alone,” Lucy said, indicating another cabin on the map.
“Hades and Athena; did you ever think you’d see a time when the kids of those two gods worked together and did it as masterfully as they do?” Seb asked.
“Do we know that Eden will even be there?” Sloane asked. “I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t be ready, but after Mr. O had her disciplined—“ she began.
“And used Hide and Johnny to do it,” Lucy interrupted, reminding Sloane to move cautiously here. She was Eden’s friend, after all, as much as anyone could be.
“— I was just saying, can she even compete? Has she been cleared by the healers?” She asked.
Lucy didn’t answer for a long moment.
“I don’t know. They’re keeping it quiet, even from me,” she said quietly. “Still, even if Eden isn’t there, you can bet that any intelligence she has or whatever battle strategy she had devised on her own? She’ll share it with Gabriel, and that’s dangerous. Her mother is Athena, after all.”
“Well. At least one of Athena’s children will likely be off by himself,” Seb said, crossing his arms.
“That doesn’t mean he’ll be any less trouble that way,” Sloane put in. “Not when he carries the Helm of Darkness.” She shuddered. “Phrixus always creeps me out. Seems more like a Hades kid than an Athena one. He’s nothing like Eden.”
“Have you seen the journals he keeps? I doubt there will be anyone on the field with as deep an understanding of the participants in the battle. The problem with Phrixus is that sometimes his abilities match up to his cleverness, and sometimes they don’t. It’s a coin toss, really,” Lucy put in.
“Hmm,” Sloane said, studying the cabins. “Looking at who all will be there, who do you think will work together? At least at first?”
“I don’t see many cabins that will all go one way, but to start…” Seb sighed, indicating a cabin.
“You think Tempest will join with Gabriel?” Sloane tried to keep the note of concern out of her voice. “Athena, Poseidon, Hades… that’s..”
“Possible, but unlikely. Tempest is a wild card, and I have it on good authority that he and Eden are.. not at each other’s throats, but it’s definitely looking like that isn’t far off,” Lucy said.
“What happened there?” Sloane asked.
“Well, Poseidon and Athena don’t particularly like each other for one thing, but for another? You know how the Athena kids hate spiders? Especially Eden?” Lucy asked.
“Yes,” Sloane said slowly.
“There’s been some tension between Tempest and Eden, and from what I understand? Tempest sent some creepy crawlies from the Mariana Trench after her. Stuff of nightmares. Eden reacted as you’d expect Eden might and now Gabriel is trying to piece together a fractured alliance,” Lucy said.
Sloane took it all in.
“Tempest is a wild card at the best of times, much like his namesake. He could actually come for me and the flag… or he could just as easily hunt down that Hermes kid, Montague… or he could come for you,” Sloane said, looking to Seb who actually grinned at the prospect.
“I welcome it,” he said.
“What about the other Poseidon spawn?” Lucy asked.
“Konrad?” Sloane said his name and then shook her head. “I don’t want to negate the threat of anyone, anything can happen at Outlast, we’ve all seen that, but Konrad…” she trailed off. “Has he managed to master anything other than… cold water?”
Seb snorted and then shook his head.
“He can’t even master his emotions much less his powers, and until he does? He’s more a threat to himself than to anyone else. But he won’t stand alone, we know that. More than likely, he’ll pair up with Carlson from the Hephaestus cabin.” Seb said, indicating another cabin that looked like a clockwork trap ready to spring.
“That should go well, one who either blasts everything including himself with cold water, and one a Hephaestus kid who has never built anything that successfully works,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.
“Still… stranger things have happened. If I do lose the flag? It won’t be because I’ve turned my back on anyone or overlooked any threat they might pose. There’s always a first time. Look at me,” Sloane said.
“Yeah, well, take it from me, the bigger threat from the Hephaestus cabin is this guy, though thankfully he won’t be competing,” Seb observed.
Sloane stared at Seb, wide-eyed.
“Did you just actually admit that Johnny is a threat? You?!”
Seb rolled his eyes, his face heating.
“He’s one of the few Hephaestus offspring that have the god’s immunity to being burned. You can hit him with everything and he’ll still keep coming, still keep running his mouth. Plus he’s good at the forge, and that’s where his threat lies, in the weapons he forges. Out of people,” Seb said, and this time, Sloane indicated another cabin, this one with a tree atop its roof and various plants along the outside.
“You’re talking about Hide.” It wasn’t a question, Sloane knew very well that was who Seb referred to when he spoke of a weapon forged by Johnny.
He said nothing, and she knew he was thinking of last year when he’d been in the same position she was in now… when Hide had taken the flag from him.
Sloane didn’t think now was the time to remind him that she’d been the one to take it from Hide.
Seeming to sense the tension in the air, Lucy cleared her throat.
“Hide is always a threat, but he’s one you can see coming. He’s honorable, and that means he won’t be underhanded about it no matter how hard Johnny pushes him, though I don’t think Johnny would push him with you. And there is the fact that Hide could just as easily forge his own path that runs headlong into Gabriel and Eden if they’re there. It just depends on whether his desire for revenge outweighs his desire for the flag, though judging by that last trial against Gabriel? I’d bet he’s going for them,” Lucy said.
Sloane nodded.
“I’ll be ready for Hide, he deserves nothing less, but I think you’re right in his motivations. His eyes are on another prize just now,” Sloane said. “But that does leave his half-sister..”
Seb seemed to snap out of the trance he’d gone in as he considered last year’s Outlast event, snorting a laugh.
“Did you know Angie replaced all the plants outside the Demeter cabin with chili pepper plants and catnip?” He asked.
Lucy’s eyes widened.
“How did the satyrs handle that?”
“Oh, they didn’t. Last I heard, they were actually diving into the lake and not just chasing the nymphs there,” he said with a smirk.
Sloane giggled.
“I bet she was upset to hear that. Regardless of how she chooses to wield her natural abilities, Angie is going to be one to watch, even if she doesn’t usually do well at Outlast,” Sloane observed.
“She’s had some recent interactions with Andy from the Apollo cabin. Could be an alliance there,” Seb put in. “Honestly, her alliances could come from anywhere. She’s generally and genuinely well liked.”
Sloane had a mischievous grin on her face.
“Oh, I think I know one in particular who will be in her corner,” she said, pointing to a cabin.
Lucy’s eyebrows raised.
“Who? Dave?!” She asked.
Sloane nodded.
“I talked to him last night. Well. A few hours ago. He was out late and I was writing in my journal and… well anyway, I asked him point blank about Angie. You remember what he did a couple years ago,” Sloane said and Seb’s face darkened, Lucy frowning. All three of them had been working with Angie then.
“And what did he say?” Lucy asked.
“He said he’s trying to change and that Angie is giving him a chance. I think he’ll stand with her as long as he can,” Sloane paused and cleared her throat. “Plus… he’s trying to get in good with Demeter again.”
Seb and Lucy both looked at her.
“What?” They asked simultaneously.
Sloane grinned.
“I said he’s trying..” she winked. “To get in good,” she winked again. “With Demeter again.” Another wink.
“Why are you winking like that? Were you cursed on the way here?” Seb asked.
Sloane frowned.
“I’ve seen you do it over things, thought I’d give it a shot.”
“Don't copy things Seb does,” Lucy put in hurriedly and then looked back to the map. “So. That’s two who will very likely work together. Ares and Demeter. What of Dave’s half-sister?”
Seb made an “o” with his mouth, his eyes wide as if sensing trouble.
“Remember when she showed up and was telling everyone that she was the daughter of Aphrodite?” He asked. “I mean, she looks the part—“ he began, stopping as Sloane elbowed him in the ribs.
“As an actual daughter of Aphrodite, I don’t know whether that was a compliment or insult,” she said.
“You don’t count anymore, you joined the Hunters,” Seb put in.
“Atara shot herself in the foot with her big mouth,” Lucy said. “I’m all for believing in yourself and putting that out there, but she does it without backing it up. Oh sure, she managed that one trial where she took down Travis from the Apollo cabin, but haven’t we all done that at least once?” She ventured.
“She carries Katoptris,” Seb said.
Sloane rolled her eyes.
“Look, I like Atara, but Lucy’s right. Sure she carries Katoptris, but instead of actually using it for the weapon it is? She checks her reflection in it. Just like Helen of Troy did. No, my mom wouldn’t be happy to claim her,” Sloane said.
“But Ares was,” Lucy put in. “She's got all the potential in the world and she just wastes it. Pity. But she could always actually show up and try, and if she does that… my money’s on her working something out with the Centurion.” Her finger fell on another cabin.
“I’m not sure they’ve worked together before, but they’ve at the very least crossed paths quite a bit,” Lucy said, both Seb and Sloane nodding.
“Andy’s tough, but if Atara isn’t up to actually putting the work in? He’ll leave her in the dust, because he very much is. He just lost one of his big trials, but even if he hadn’t? He’s just itching to prove himself further. What better way than taking the flag?” Sloane said.
Seb nodded.
“Take it from me, he’s tougher than he looks.”
“Oh, I know that firsthand. He’s honestly one of the main ones I’m watching for, though I’m hoping he falls victim to his own stunts. Andy has a habit of going into things with the same attitude every time, that he’s the best and none can compare, and while that’s very much reminiscent of his dad, Apollo? It does have the option of making him fall on his face when he can’t live up to his own hype,” Sloane said.
“Careful, you’re talking about your adopted Mom’s twin brother,” Lucy teased.
“Artemis isn’t my adopted mom,” Sloane said quickly. “Aphrodite is my mom, I just… made a choice… anyway, Travis is in the Apollo cabin too, and even though we’ve all gotten over on him at some point, we can’t overlook him.”
“There’s a few Travis could align with here. You’re one of them,” Sloane said, looking at Seb pointedly.
His eyes widened.
“Me?! Why me?”
“You’re awfully friendly with him sometimes,” she said, and Sloane noticed Lucy watching Seb carefully with narrowed eyes.
He sputtered a protest, Lucy waving it away.
“Just remember, Seb, generally if Travis does anything it’s with a reason. He’ll happily use you for his own gains and toss you aside. I think the only person he wouldn’t fully stab in the back is Eden, and that’s just because he’s hoping to get her out of the Hades cabin where she almost permanently resides,” Lucy said.
“I know that!” Seb snapped. “Anyway, I think it’s more of note that Sloane’s half-sister will be making her debut, and not just for Outlast, for any real trials,” he said, pointing at a familiar cabin.
“Angel… I don’t think she’s ready for Outlast, but I suppose we’ll see,” Sloane ventured. “At the very least, maybe she’ll take out some of the ones coming for me and the flag, and… can we really discount her? We don't know her really or what she’s capable of,” Sloane said.
“She’s a daughter of Aphrodite,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes before she could catch herself.
“So am I,” Sloane said evenly. The two stared at each other for a moment before Seb spoke, breaking the tension.
“We still have the Hermes cabin sitting there. Bunch of thieves,” He groused, clearly wanting to de-escalate things, though there were far better cabins to do that with.
Sloane’s face darkened as she looked at that cabin in particular, her hands gripping the table before her until her knuckles turned white.
Lucy cleared her throat.
“Well, Montague for one will certainly be coming for the flag, but… I don’t think that’s his point of focus here,” she said, deftly discussing the one least likely to draw a rise from Sloane.
“I think so too. He’s going to be hunting for Tempest, and Tempest may well be hunting for him. You won’t be the only one with a target on your back out there,” Seb observed, and Sloane knew he was staring a hole through the Poseidon cabin drawing. “Tempest has a pretty big one himself. I know I’d like nothing more than to snatch his face off and feed it to one of his beloved sea monsters.”
“Yeah, well, if you could keep Montague and Tempest occupied, I’d thank you,” Sloane said, not missing the look he darted in her direction.
Seb would be coming for her, just as Lucy and everyone else would be. But if he ran into Tempest on the way…
“And of course… Donovan,” Lucy put in.
Sloane’s jaw tightened to the point she thought it might crack.
“I sincerely hope he gets to me,” she said softly. “He’s gone out of his way to try to make me look a fool, and he’s only succeeded in turning most of the rest of the camp against him, including Ooley and Mr. O.”
“He’s dangerous,” Seb said, Sloane holding up a hand.
“You don’t have to tell me that, I think I know just how dangerous he is all too well. He’s a snake in the grass, even if he is one who’s held the flag more than anyone else here. I want to be the one to take him down; I want him to get close, to be able to just taste victory, to almost feel that touch of gold against his fingertips, and then I want to take it away from him. I want him to see me standing over him with the flag that he couldn’t take,” Sloane said, her voice hard and angry.
Lucy and Seb shared a look over her head.
“Well. That’s the main ones we can expect to make an appearance. Of course there’s Duncan,” Lucy said, indicating the Hermes cabin again.
Seb snorted, his earlier unease over Sloane’s words fading.
“I wish he would. I’d love to run into Duncan in those woods and remind him exactly why he never fared well here at Camp Half-Blood,” he sneered. “No, he had to enter our trials by joining with a band outside the camp, and then just as quickly tucked tail and ran.”
“He wasn’t even good enough for his godly parent to claim him,” Sloane said with a touch of mirth though she still looked as though she were focusing on Donovan. “I think that was the last straw for him, being stuck in the Hermes cabin with Donovan and Montague and knowing he was unwanted and unclaimed. I don’t think he’ll show up, but if he does?” She shook her head. “I think we’re ready to see that traitor this time.”
Lucy tapped the map again.
“He could show up too. Randy,” she said.
“Doubtful. He’s probably laid out in a ditch somewhere, and best left there,” Seb said.
“Honestly, it could be any number of people who show up. The boundaries are dropped for Outlast, Camp Jupiter could even make a surprise attack then. There’s every possibility that the flag— doesn’t even remain with Camp Half-Blood,” Lucy said.
Sloane shook her head firmly.
“No. The flag will stay here. I’m making sure of that at the very least,” she said. “I failed at the last camp trials because of Donovan. It won’t happen again, for any reason,” she said, and there was steel in her voice.
Seb and Lucy shared another look before Lucy sighed tiredly.
“This was helpful, but we should really try to get some rest. We’ll need our strength for what’s coming.” And then she and Seb said their goodbyes, the two of them making their way back down to the marble mausoleum they called home.
Sloane watched them as they left, her finger resting over the representation of their cabin.
“Two of my biggest competition just spent the past few hours going over the entire battlefield with me,” she observed to herself.
“Both children of Zeus, both in the top of their game. And only a fool would think that because of our closeness they’ll take it easy on me. I know they won’t because I would never take it easy on either of them,” Sloane said. “And despite what everyone thinks about me? I’m no fool.”
She paused a moment.
“It’s been years since Lucy carried the flag, and now that she’s gotten a taste for winning again with the way her trials have been going? She’s going to want it even more. I expect to see her reach me, but if she thinks for one second that I’m just going to allow her to take what’s mine, what I’ve worked so long and so hard for?” Sloane shook her head. “If she wants the flag, she’ll have the same task as everyone else in the end… be better than me at my most hungry, at my most focused. If she can do that? She’ll earn it.”
“And Seb… he’s my best friend. He knows what it’s like going into this particular trial carrying the flag. He did it last year, and..”. Sloane sighed. “I remember how that hit him. I understand it now. I can’t imagine putting so much in only to fall… but that was him. It will not be me. IT WILL NOT BE ME!” She shouted, bringing her fist down on the map on the table.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself.
“Maybe they’re right, maybe I should try to get some more rest. Clear my mind, and trust that in the end… I am the favored among the demigods. Me. Sloane Taylor. Daughter of Aphrodite, and one of the Hunters who rides with Artemis.” Sloane looked down at her hands and then the sky above her, catching the flash of the stars, and she knew she was seeing Artemis’ chariot.
The Huntress smiled down on her.
It was the morning of the trial, and Sloane had been awake for hours, staring out one of the windows of her lonely cabin, watching as the fog lifted from the ground. The absolute peace that surrounded everything seemed to be a lie considering the impending violence she knew the day promised. While their bouts of capture the flag were meant to be seen as training, and while it wasn’t the norm, there were those who had fallen in the forests that surrounded the camp before.
All it took was a well-placed magical blade, a demigod caught without their ambrosia squares to heal them, and then…
They would be burning a burial shroud.
It wasn’t something she had spoken of with her companions the night before. No one went into this thinking it would be their last act, and yet…
And yet…
Sloane felt as though she could see the turn of the earth, see the hour swiftly approaching, the battle coming for her and there was no way to slow it down or stop it. Not that she wanted to.
In one hand, she gripped the shaft of the flag she carried so proudly, staring up at the gold fluttering above her head. In the other, her fingers curled around a curved silver bow, a quiver of arrows lying against her spine. Her throwing daggers were strapped to her forearms and thighs. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. She knew her abilities, trusted in them, and had honed them to a fine razor’s edge. She could do this. She would do this, and in the end? It would be her standing, still holding onto the flag—
Movement at the edge of her field of vision caught her eye. Just there on the lake, she watched with narrowed eyes, her spine as taut as her bowstring, as a dark figure piloted an eerie boat closer and closer to the shores.
The boundaries were lowered, others would come for this trial. Sloane sucked in a breath when she recognized the one who stood there in the boat, his green-eyed gaze looking in her direction as though he could feel her attention on him, though she knew he couldn’t see her. She had the enhanced vision given to the Hunters by Artemis, but the smile on the face of the man in the boat told her he had other ways of sensing her. He did, indeed, sense her.
“Let the games begin,” she murmured to herself, hands steady on the flag and her bow as the Ferryman drew ever closer to what would become the field of battle.
). Anyway. It’s Outlast again, but this year… it’s different. No, no, it really is this time because not only is everyone coming for the flag? There’s also a key to win. See? It’s not just me that’s different, everything is. My first year here, I was still all shiny and new and then I had that really awkward thing that happened that I’m super thankful no one really talks about or references anymore, so… I was still learning the ropes kinda. And then the second year, I couldn’t join in on the festivities because I was injured. So now here we are, third Outlast… and I’m the one everyone is watching, the one everyone’s talking about. I know they are, I see how they look at me, but I’m not being conceited. It’s not because of me, not really, it’s because of what I carry and what I represent.
And I know a lot of them look at me and see what’s gonna be an easy task, but oh no, it’s not going down like that, buddy. There’s a lot of people who have lost at Outlast, (Seb just last year, sorry buddy!) and I’m not adding my name to that list.
Sidenote: Ask Seb what NOT to do.
I fully expect the next time I write in this? I’ll still be the top of the pile. I should be nervous, I know I should be and I kinda am.. But I’m also kinda not. Not that I think any of them or less than me or anything, I know how good everyone here is. They know the tactics, what to do, where to go, who to work with (even if that changes every few weeks). I know what’s coming for me, I just happen to have a little more faith in myself than whatever they can throw at me…
“You’re here late.”
Sloane trailed off in her writing, looking up with a momentarily startled expression. She’d heard the voice but it took her a moment to translate what he’d said.
“Can you blame me? Might be the last time I have this here. For a little while anyway.”
Sloane angled her chin toward the golden flag she knew Dave had to have seen. She felt a pang of guilt over the faintly petty action when his eyes followed her movement.
“If I have anything to say about it? It will be.”
Sloane winced inwardly. It wasn’t personal, not really, she knew. It was just an opportunity not to be passed up. Did it always feel this way for the one with the target on their back?
“I know I said it before but I wanted to tell you in person. Thank you for getting between me and Donovan. You didn’t have to do that. You don’t like me and... really I don’t like you. But I can respect that,” she’d expected the words to sound hollow, but instead? She realized she meant them.
“You’re right, I don’t really care for you, but I respect what you did. You won it, you earned it. That’s what I want to do, and when I do? I want it to mean something.”
Sloane nodded and then shrugged.
“It’s better when it does. Maybe the reason Donovan doesn’t get that is because he’s done it so many times. But it’s new to me. It would be new to you too. That wasn’t a dig,” she said hurriedly, realizing what that must have sounded like, and sure enough, Dave’s eyes narrowed just a little.
“Sounded like one.”
She sighed and crossed her arms.
“Don’t be so defensive, it wasn’t. If it was, I’d have said so,” she said, unable to entirely keep the irritation from her voice. All the egos around this place, and his was particularly volatile, though she suspected it would only be worse if she mentioned anything about ‘daddy issues’.
Not that she had much room to talk.
“Well, perhaps word it properly. Otherwise it’s going to land you a kick in the face. Besides, not everyone actually says what’s on their mind without being an asshole. Take it from me, I’m a big offender of it.”
Sloane’s eyebrows rose. That was a remarkable bit of self-awareness from him. Probably another thing best kept to herself. She could fill her journal at this point.
“Yeah, it’s not like that’s something you really hide,” she said as blandly as she could muster, and then suddenly, as if she couldn’t wait any longer, she spoke again. “What’s going on with you and Angie? Or is it her mom?”
“What?”
She’d managed to catch him by surprise with that one.
“What?” She parroted, the faux innocence she frequently employed as a distraction apparent. Thanks, Mom, she thought briefly.
“That was an abrupt subject change.”
Her attention was snapped back to him with his all-too-obvious statement. Sloane bit back her sarcastic response that threatened, making her blue eyes wide as she looked at him.
“I was abruptly curious,” she said by way of explanation. Innocent. Cute. Harmless. Except Dave knew better. Everyone did.
“It’s none of your business—“ he began, but she cut him off.
“Considering what you did to Angie two years ago? At Outlast, might I add? When she was #TeamJellyBeanToes? Totally is my business. You. Sus,” she said emphatically and perhaps a little sharply.
“Listen. Regardless of who thinks it’s their business, it isn’t. But I’ll bite. I did some stuff two years ago that I’m not proud of. At the time, I wanted to hurt anyone who didn’t have my back. And from where I stood, I had a lot of people against me. Despite my best efforts, I felt alone. That’s no excuse for what I did, but I did it. And I’m trying to make up for it. Angie is giving me a chance to do that. I hope and pray that Demeter will as well, but I have to start somewhere.”
His seemingly heartfelt speech surprised her, and Sloane was quiet for a moment as she considered him.
“Well. I guess if Angie’s giving you a shot, I can too. Not that you’d care if I did or not, but so you know? It’s still there,” she said, prepared for him to slap the offer back in her face.
No, I do care,” Dave said, surprising her again. “You and I probably won’t ever like each other. But you and I currently stand for the right thing. The sanctity of the good name of this Camp. And despite us not getting along, I respect you. This is my home. Very few people are trying to keep it in good standing.”
He had a point.
“This place is a thing of pride for me, and I’d feel that way whether I was in my position or not. I’m glad there’s others who feel just as strongly about it. But just because you’re turning over a new leaf doesn’t mean I’ll take it easy on you,” Sloane half-joked, giving a little laugh, surprised she was doing so with him of all people.
“And just because I’m turning over a new leaf, doesn’t mean I won’t do whatever I absolutely have to to get that flag from you. And I know it’s hard to believe it, because I’m not a trustworthy person at the moment, but I swear that I won’t do anything behind your back. You’ll see it coming.”
Normally, Sloane wouldn’t have believed him, not considering their history. But… he’d stopped an underhanded attack on her recently, as if a son of Hermes knew anything but underhandedness, she thought as she considered Donovan Hastings. Actually, that wasn’t fair… but it wasn’t something she could consider just now with Dave stood before her.
“I can respect that,” she finally said. “Good luck out there,” she offered when he turned from her and started to walk away.
“You too,” he called back, and once more, she knew he meant it.
Sloane watched him disappear into the darkness that surrounded Camp. He’d be on his way to the Ares cabin now, to rest before the coming event, and she knew she should head back to her own. But it was so… lonely there. Since she’d made the decision to join with Artemis, to ride with the Hunters… she looked over at the golden flag that stood proudly beside her.
And then this…
Her fingers wound around the wooden staff that held the banner, a grip that at first had been so unfamiliar to her she’d wondered if she would ever get used to holding it. Had everyone else felt this the first time they’d held it? Others in the camp had, some multiple times even, but this time… this time, it was her. This time, they would all come for her and she would defend until she couldn’t anymore. A bold voice at the forefront of her mind told her that in the end? She would still be standing with the flag waving proudly, but niggling doubt crept in.
Was this the last time?
Sloane pushed that aside and rose, tucking the journal she’d been writing in beneath one arm as she strode out from beneath the shelter of the Dining Pavilion to overlook the scene below.
Illuminations of various kinds danced below, each of the thirteen cabins with its own design, its own varied occupants. Excitement and eagerness hung in the air, and she knew that while she pondered and worried over the coming trials? The others below held no such real concerns. Even if they failed in their task to take the flag themselves, they wouldn’t lose anything, not really. She was the one who stood to lose it all.
This was Outlast, and while they had many competitions throughout their time at Camp, though there were several capture the flag scenarios, this one was the ultimate. One winner, the rest losers. One who would stand tall at the end of everything and raise that flag high.
One who would have to have used every bit of the training at their disposal.
It should have intimidated her, should have cowed her, but ever since she’d earned the right to carry the flag, she’d felt a strength within that she hadn’t realized she had.
Whoever truly thought to take this from her at Outlast had a world of surprise coming for them.
Sloane made her way down from the crest and toward the cabin that glowed softly silver in the moonlight.
Sloane awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed, her eyes wide.
“Definitely way too many for one person to take care of,” she said suddenly to no one in particular, which was good as she was alone. She pondered for a moment, a frown settling between her brows. “I lost track of them waaaay too easily,” she muttered, and though she knew it had been just a dream, she still scanned the floor before she lowered her feet.
Sloane carefully leaned forward, knowing all-too-well what happened when she straightened without moving out from beneath the bunk bed that lay above her own, and though she’d managed not to bonk her head this time, she still rubbed the spot that most often took the damage when she didn’t.
It was still nighttime, the moon high and full overhead. Sloane found herself wondering where the other Hunters were, where Artemis was right now. Were they riding through the sky in their silvery outfits so like the metallic color of the curtains that shielded the windows from curious gazes? Probably. She missed it, missed them, but she belonged here, at Camp, holding the flag.
Just thinking of it brought her attention to where it stood beside the crackling fireplace. Hers. It was hers, even if that was just for a little while longer— no. She wouldn’t think about it.
Sloane rose, moving about the cabin quietly though there was no one else there with her. She knew there was no going back to sleep for her, not right now with the excitement coiling within her much like one of the snakes from her dream. Free-range snakes. Artemis would have enjoyed that, though her favorite animal was the stag as evidenced by the many carvings that decorated the Hunter’s cabin.
It was so different from where she’d stayed before— before she’d made the choice to ride with Artemis and her Hunters. Before then, she’d been in the Aphrodite cabin with her siblings, other daughters and sons of Aphrodite. Where the Artemis cabin was silver, Aphrodite’s was a mix of pinks, pastel blues, and white trim. Lace curtains, trunks at the foot of each bed with their names painted on them, potted carnations by the windows, and the ever present scent of designer perfume in the air.
She’d made the choice to join the Hunters, and though she’d only been acknowledged by her godly parent when Aphrodite had claimed her and when she’d first taken the flag? Sloane couldn’t help but feel a twinge, knowing she’d probably been disappointed by her choice.
Movement from one of the cabins drew her attention, and Sloane forced herself to focus, a grin slowly spreading over her lips. Zeus’ cabin, which meant Seb and Lucy were awake.
Perfect.
She quickly found her shoes and started to leave, pausing with the door half-open to look back to the golden flag. She felt no qualms about someone sneaking in to take it, knew there were traps left in and around the cabin that would prevent anyone but the Hunters from accessing it. She knew because she’d helped to lay them herself.
Without another thought, she closed the door behind her.
When Sloane entered Cabin 1, the one dedicated to Zeus and any of his progeny, she couldn’t help the feeling that she was an interloper. She always felt it. Maybe it was the fact that it looked like a mausoleum, all marble and heavy columns; maybe it was the big bronze double doors that seemed simultaneously to be too much and not enough with the almost holographic lightning bolts etched into them; maybe it was the ominous thunder that seemed to constantly roll through the building, as if the high Olympian were constantly displeased; but likely it was the statue of Zeus himself that stood at the center of the room, clothed in a traditional Greek chiton.
His eyes seemed to follow her everywhere.
Before the current inhabitants of the cabin, there had been no furniture within it, and the effect had made it look like nothing more than a cold, empty bank.
But Sebastian Everett-Bryce the III had changed that, and because he was a doted upon son of Zeus, every luxury had been afforded to him.
And Lucy was here too.
Sloane saw the half-siblings as she moved further into the cabin, Seb seated on a couch next to Lucy as they studied something. The light made Sloane squint, and she blinked her eyes blearily, realizing that maybe she wasn’t quite as awake as she’d first thought.
“Strategizing?” She asked. Her appearance didn’t seem to startle the children of Zeus, however.
“What?” Seb asked.
“No, I’m just trying to decide which one is best,” Lucy offered, still looking down at the paper, Seb with her. Sloane moved over beside them, sitting on the arm of the couch as she looked down too, though she felt she might be struck by lightning at such informal behavior. When she wasn’t, she looked at what she knew to be the map of Camp Half-Blood.
“Not very defensible,” she observed, indicating the spot just beneath Lucy’s finger.
Both Seb and Lucy looked at her like she’d just grown two heads.
“What?” Sloane asked.
“Sometimes I think I’d like to see how your brain works,” Lucy muttered.
“It doesn’t,” Seb put in, ignoring the frosty look Sloane shot him.
“Excuse me, my brain works like everyone else’s unless I’m tired or I’ve been asleep or I’ve had a lot of sugar or caffeine. But that’s why I’m up, I just had the craziest dream,” she said, suddenly remembering the dream that had had her sitting upright in bed.
“Oh no,” Seb groaned.
“Can we stop it?” Lucy asked, ignoring Sloane for the moment to look over at him.
“Probably not,” Seb said with a sigh, washing a hand over his face.
Sloane paid them no mind, continuing on.
“So, I was…”
“Let me stop you right there…” Seb broke in. Sloane watched as he got to his feet and slowly walked towards a table away from the couch. He pulled out the chair and sat down before turning and smiling. “There. You have a captive audience. Continue.”
Sloane glared at him reproachfully for a moment before looking to Lucy and dropping down on the couch beside her.
“So anyway, I was addicted to buying snakes, I just couldn’t stop, and I was like… one more snake, just one more snake… and they were free-range snakes. I just let them go wherever they wanted to, mostly in my barn… I had a barn in my dream… and when I’d go feed them, it was in a doggie dish because I guess snakes can like that too, but when I’d turn around to leave I would forget they were there and then I’d turn back and back it was like… Ah! Snake! You know, if I can be vulnerable with you guys for a second, I think I was in way over my head,” Sloane mused.
“You? Nooooo,” Seb snorted.
Sloane glared at him a moment and then looked back to Lucy, who shook her head and sighed.
“No shit…” the blonde said, knowing the girl who was far too bubbly for this late at night expected a reaction.
“It’s probably because of what I was thinking about before I went to sleep,” Sloane said with a nod.
“Snakes?” Lucy asked, and she had to admit it made sense. Sloane was a Hunter after all, and—
“No, pottery,” Sloane answered, and she felt Lucy’s eyes on her, as if she were trying to work out a math problem.
Sloane hated math.
“Lucy… you’re falling down the rabbit hole…” Seb cautioned.
“Shut up Seb-- Wait a minute… Pottery?” Lucy asked, likely already realizing she would hate herself for it.
“Like going through the glazing process specifically. So, it’s like cool and all at first, you’re just getting painted on and then you get dipped in this stuff or it’s poured over you or whatever it is they do with the glazing and then it’s like battle armor? It’s kinda cool, kinda claustrophobic at the same time— what are you giggling about?” Sloane looked over at Seb who was practically sputtering at some of the word choices she’d used.
“— why—?” Lucy’s question brought her attention back.
“Why was I thinking about that before bed? Because I painted my nails and when I did the clear coat I got a little on the side of my finger and then when it dried my skin felt all tight but also tougher and not quite like skin so I thought that must be what it feels like to get glazed,” Sloane said as if it all made perfect sense.
Seb lost all composure, his laughter echoing off the walls.
“Like pottery,” Lucy stated, as if for clarification.
“Like pottery,” Sloane confirmed.
Lucy shot Seb a look when he continued to howl.
“What is your deal, dick boy?” She asked aggressively.
“Oh, nothing, nothing - Just Sloane away in her bedroom imagining getting glazed,” he said with obvious innuendo. Before Lucy could snap at him again, Sloane gasped.
“OMG, I’m here, you’re here, Seb’s here, we should totally strategize! I’ll get drinks. Well, cups anyway,” she amended, knowing that whatever they wanted in the cups, they would find them filled with their preference.
As long as it wasn’t illegal, of course. Or alcoholic. Seb had tried several times.
Sloane didn’t even wait for their approval, and instead rushed out with a skip in her step to get the cups, only realizing later that she hadn’t fully formed her plan for their strategizing get together, and had left most of it unsaid.
She sighed heavily, realizing that once again her brain had moved faster than her mouth.
Sloane breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the two figures beneath the Dining Pavilion, or Mess as it was sometimes called, where she’d met Dave earlier. Had that only been hours before? Either way, Seb and Lucy had seemed to understand her intent though she hadn’t spoken it aloud.
The pavilion was framed with Greek columns and sat atop a hill, overlooking the sea. Torches blazed from the columns along with a central fire that burned within a huge bronze brazier. Sloane knew that it was the goddess Hestia who sometimes tended the fire, though she didn’t see her tonight.
Sloane rushed forward with the three empty goblets, handing one to Seb and one to Lucy. Her own filled with ruby red grapefruit juice, and she grinned, never growing tired of the magic of this place. She drank, watching as Seb and Lucy did the same, wondering for a moment what might be in theirs. What had they wanted.
“Right, so, strategy,” Lucy said, looking down at the same map she’d been looking at in their cabin.
Sloane frowned.
“The map isn’t updated with the Hades Cabin, but it’s still a good representation,” she noted.
Seb and Lucy looked up at her.
“If you have to worry about utilizing the Hades cabin at Outlast? You’re already lost,” Seb said. “You do realize he’s coming for you if you do manage to hold onto the flag, right?”
Sloane hissed in a breath, knowing that Seb didn’t mean the god of the underworld himself, for all that mattered. His son could be just as bad.
“Guess that’s as good a place as any to start,” Lucy said, pointing out the blank spot on the map where the Hades cabin should be. The map seemed to shimmer, and the dark representation of the cabin appeared.
None of the trio questioned it, instead considering who they knew resided there.
“Gabriel is probably one of the biggest dangers out there for Outlast, not that I’m discounting anyone,” Sloane stated hurriedly. “But he’s been… relentless. He’s already bested some from Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, and Demeter, all worthy challengers. And you’re right, because of those wins, he’s close to being able to challenge me for the right to carry the flag.”
“He has one more trial to get through after Outlast,” Seb said grimly. “Just watch out for that sword of his. Stygian iron. It can suck away your soul if he has a mind for it, and you know he will.”
“Of course. And… just as likely he won’t be alone,” Lucy said, indicating another cabin on the map.
“Hades and Athena; did you ever think you’d see a time when the kids of those two gods worked together and did it as masterfully as they do?” Seb asked.
“Do we know that Eden will even be there?” Sloane asked. “I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t be ready, but after Mr. O had her disciplined—“ she began.
“And used Hide and Johnny to do it,” Lucy interrupted, reminding Sloane to move cautiously here. She was Eden’s friend, after all, as much as anyone could be.
“— I was just saying, can she even compete? Has she been cleared by the healers?” She asked.
Lucy didn’t answer for a long moment.
“I don’t know. They’re keeping it quiet, even from me,” she said quietly. “Still, even if Eden isn’t there, you can bet that any intelligence she has or whatever battle strategy she had devised on her own? She’ll share it with Gabriel, and that’s dangerous. Her mother is Athena, after all.”
“Well. At least one of Athena’s children will likely be off by himself,” Seb said, crossing his arms.
“That doesn’t mean he’ll be any less trouble that way,” Sloane put in. “Not when he carries the Helm of Darkness.” She shuddered. “Phrixus always creeps me out. Seems more like a Hades kid than an Athena one. He’s nothing like Eden.”
“Have you seen the journals he keeps? I doubt there will be anyone on the field with as deep an understanding of the participants in the battle. The problem with Phrixus is that sometimes his abilities match up to his cleverness, and sometimes they don’t. It’s a coin toss, really,” Lucy put in.
“Hmm,” Sloane said, studying the cabins. “Looking at who all will be there, who do you think will work together? At least at first?”
“I don’t see many cabins that will all go one way, but to start…” Seb sighed, indicating a cabin.
“You think Tempest will join with Gabriel?” Sloane tried to keep the note of concern out of her voice. “Athena, Poseidon, Hades… that’s..”
“Possible, but unlikely. Tempest is a wild card, and I have it on good authority that he and Eden are.. not at each other’s throats, but it’s definitely looking like that isn’t far off,” Lucy said.
“What happened there?” Sloane asked.
“Well, Poseidon and Athena don’t particularly like each other for one thing, but for another? You know how the Athena kids hate spiders? Especially Eden?” Lucy asked.
“Yes,” Sloane said slowly.
“There’s been some tension between Tempest and Eden, and from what I understand? Tempest sent some creepy crawlies from the Mariana Trench after her. Stuff of nightmares. Eden reacted as you’d expect Eden might and now Gabriel is trying to piece together a fractured alliance,” Lucy said.
Sloane took it all in.
“Tempest is a wild card at the best of times, much like his namesake. He could actually come for me and the flag… or he could just as easily hunt down that Hermes kid, Montague… or he could come for you,” Sloane said, looking to Seb who actually grinned at the prospect.
“I welcome it,” he said.
“What about the other Poseidon spawn?” Lucy asked.
“Konrad?” Sloane said his name and then shook her head. “I don’t want to negate the threat of anyone, anything can happen at Outlast, we’ve all seen that, but Konrad…” she trailed off. “Has he managed to master anything other than… cold water?”
Seb snorted and then shook his head.
“He can’t even master his emotions much less his powers, and until he does? He’s more a threat to himself than to anyone else. But he won’t stand alone, we know that. More than likely, he’ll pair up with Carlson from the Hephaestus cabin.” Seb said, indicating another cabin that looked like a clockwork trap ready to spring.
“That should go well, one who either blasts everything including himself with cold water, and one a Hephaestus kid who has never built anything that successfully works,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.
“Still… stranger things have happened. If I do lose the flag? It won’t be because I’ve turned my back on anyone or overlooked any threat they might pose. There’s always a first time. Look at me,” Sloane said.
“Yeah, well, take it from me, the bigger threat from the Hephaestus cabin is this guy, though thankfully he won’t be competing,” Seb observed.
Sloane stared at Seb, wide-eyed.
“Did you just actually admit that Johnny is a threat? You?!”
Seb rolled his eyes, his face heating.
“He’s one of the few Hephaestus offspring that have the god’s immunity to being burned. You can hit him with everything and he’ll still keep coming, still keep running his mouth. Plus he’s good at the forge, and that’s where his threat lies, in the weapons he forges. Out of people,” Seb said, and this time, Sloane indicated another cabin, this one with a tree atop its roof and various plants along the outside.
“You’re talking about Hide.” It wasn’t a question, Sloane knew very well that was who Seb referred to when he spoke of a weapon forged by Johnny.
He said nothing, and she knew he was thinking of last year when he’d been in the same position she was in now… when Hide had taken the flag from him.
Sloane didn’t think now was the time to remind him that she’d been the one to take it from Hide.
Seeming to sense the tension in the air, Lucy cleared her throat.
“Hide is always a threat, but he’s one you can see coming. He’s honorable, and that means he won’t be underhanded about it no matter how hard Johnny pushes him, though I don’t think Johnny would push him with you. And there is the fact that Hide could just as easily forge his own path that runs headlong into Gabriel and Eden if they’re there. It just depends on whether his desire for revenge outweighs his desire for the flag, though judging by that last trial against Gabriel? I’d bet he’s going for them,” Lucy said.
Sloane nodded.
“I’ll be ready for Hide, he deserves nothing less, but I think you’re right in his motivations. His eyes are on another prize just now,” Sloane said. “But that does leave his half-sister..”
Seb seemed to snap out of the trance he’d gone in as he considered last year’s Outlast event, snorting a laugh.
“Did you know Angie replaced all the plants outside the Demeter cabin with chili pepper plants and catnip?” He asked.
Lucy’s eyes widened.
“How did the satyrs handle that?”
“Oh, they didn’t. Last I heard, they were actually diving into the lake and not just chasing the nymphs there,” he said with a smirk.
Sloane giggled.
“I bet she was upset to hear that. Regardless of how she chooses to wield her natural abilities, Angie is going to be one to watch, even if she doesn’t usually do well at Outlast,” Sloane observed.
“She’s had some recent interactions with Andy from the Apollo cabin. Could be an alliance there,” Seb put in. “Honestly, her alliances could come from anywhere. She’s generally and genuinely well liked.”
Sloane had a mischievous grin on her face.
“Oh, I think I know one in particular who will be in her corner,” she said, pointing to a cabin.
Lucy’s eyebrows raised.
“Who? Dave?!” She asked.
Sloane nodded.
“I talked to him last night. Well. A few hours ago. He was out late and I was writing in my journal and… well anyway, I asked him point blank about Angie. You remember what he did a couple years ago,” Sloane said and Seb’s face darkened, Lucy frowning. All three of them had been working with Angie then.
“And what did he say?” Lucy asked.
“He said he’s trying to change and that Angie is giving him a chance. I think he’ll stand with her as long as he can,” Sloane paused and cleared her throat. “Plus… he’s trying to get in good with Demeter again.”
Seb and Lucy both looked at her.
“What?” They asked simultaneously.
Sloane grinned.
“I said he’s trying..” she winked. “To get in good,” she winked again. “With Demeter again.” Another wink.
“Why are you winking like that? Were you cursed on the way here?” Seb asked.
Sloane frowned.
“I’ve seen you do it over things, thought I’d give it a shot.”
“Don't copy things Seb does,” Lucy put in hurriedly and then looked back to the map. “So. That’s two who will very likely work together. Ares and Demeter. What of Dave’s half-sister?”
Seb made an “o” with his mouth, his eyes wide as if sensing trouble.
“Remember when she showed up and was telling everyone that she was the daughter of Aphrodite?” He asked. “I mean, she looks the part—“ he began, stopping as Sloane elbowed him in the ribs.
“As an actual daughter of Aphrodite, I don’t know whether that was a compliment or insult,” she said.
“You don’t count anymore, you joined the Hunters,” Seb put in.
“Atara shot herself in the foot with her big mouth,” Lucy said. “I’m all for believing in yourself and putting that out there, but she does it without backing it up. Oh sure, she managed that one trial where she took down Travis from the Apollo cabin, but haven’t we all done that at least once?” She ventured.
“She carries Katoptris,” Seb said.
Sloane rolled her eyes.
“Look, I like Atara, but Lucy’s right. Sure she carries Katoptris, but instead of actually using it for the weapon it is? She checks her reflection in it. Just like Helen of Troy did. No, my mom wouldn’t be happy to claim her,” Sloane said.
“But Ares was,” Lucy put in. “She's got all the potential in the world and she just wastes it. Pity. But she could always actually show up and try, and if she does that… my money’s on her working something out with the Centurion.” Her finger fell on another cabin.
“I’m not sure they’ve worked together before, but they’ve at the very least crossed paths quite a bit,” Lucy said, both Seb and Sloane nodding.
“Andy’s tough, but if Atara isn’t up to actually putting the work in? He’ll leave her in the dust, because he very much is. He just lost one of his big trials, but even if he hadn’t? He’s just itching to prove himself further. What better way than taking the flag?” Sloane said.
Seb nodded.
“Take it from me, he’s tougher than he looks.”
“Oh, I know that firsthand. He’s honestly one of the main ones I’m watching for, though I’m hoping he falls victim to his own stunts. Andy has a habit of going into things with the same attitude every time, that he’s the best and none can compare, and while that’s very much reminiscent of his dad, Apollo? It does have the option of making him fall on his face when he can’t live up to his own hype,” Sloane said.
“Careful, you’re talking about your adopted Mom’s twin brother,” Lucy teased.
“Artemis isn’t my adopted mom,” Sloane said quickly. “Aphrodite is my mom, I just… made a choice… anyway, Travis is in the Apollo cabin too, and even though we’ve all gotten over on him at some point, we can’t overlook him.”
“There’s a few Travis could align with here. You’re one of them,” Sloane said, looking at Seb pointedly.
His eyes widened.
“Me?! Why me?”
“You’re awfully friendly with him sometimes,” she said, and Sloane noticed Lucy watching Seb carefully with narrowed eyes.
He sputtered a protest, Lucy waving it away.
“Just remember, Seb, generally if Travis does anything it’s with a reason. He’ll happily use you for his own gains and toss you aside. I think the only person he wouldn’t fully stab in the back is Eden, and that’s just because he’s hoping to get her out of the Hades cabin where she almost permanently resides,” Lucy said.
“I know that!” Seb snapped. “Anyway, I think it’s more of note that Sloane’s half-sister will be making her debut, and not just for Outlast, for any real trials,” he said, pointing at a familiar cabin.
“Angel… I don’t think she’s ready for Outlast, but I suppose we’ll see,” Sloane ventured. “At the very least, maybe she’ll take out some of the ones coming for me and the flag, and… can we really discount her? We don't know her really or what she’s capable of,” Sloane said.
“She’s a daughter of Aphrodite,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes before she could catch herself.
“So am I,” Sloane said evenly. The two stared at each other for a moment before Seb spoke, breaking the tension.
“We still have the Hermes cabin sitting there. Bunch of thieves,” He groused, clearly wanting to de-escalate things, though there were far better cabins to do that with.
Sloane’s face darkened as she looked at that cabin in particular, her hands gripping the table before her until her knuckles turned white.
Lucy cleared her throat.
“Well, Montague for one will certainly be coming for the flag, but… I don’t think that’s his point of focus here,” she said, deftly discussing the one least likely to draw a rise from Sloane.
“I think so too. He’s going to be hunting for Tempest, and Tempest may well be hunting for him. You won’t be the only one with a target on your back out there,” Seb observed, and Sloane knew he was staring a hole through the Poseidon cabin drawing. “Tempest has a pretty big one himself. I know I’d like nothing more than to snatch his face off and feed it to one of his beloved sea monsters.”
“Yeah, well, if you could keep Montague and Tempest occupied, I’d thank you,” Sloane said, not missing the look he darted in her direction.
Seb would be coming for her, just as Lucy and everyone else would be. But if he ran into Tempest on the way…
“And of course… Donovan,” Lucy put in.
Sloane’s jaw tightened to the point she thought it might crack.
“I sincerely hope he gets to me,” she said softly. “He’s gone out of his way to try to make me look a fool, and he’s only succeeded in turning most of the rest of the camp against him, including Ooley and Mr. O.”
“He’s dangerous,” Seb said, Sloane holding up a hand.
“You don’t have to tell me that, I think I know just how dangerous he is all too well. He’s a snake in the grass, even if he is one who’s held the flag more than anyone else here. I want to be the one to take him down; I want him to get close, to be able to just taste victory, to almost feel that touch of gold against his fingertips, and then I want to take it away from him. I want him to see me standing over him with the flag that he couldn’t take,” Sloane said, her voice hard and angry.
Lucy and Seb shared a look over her head.
“Well. That’s the main ones we can expect to make an appearance. Of course there’s Duncan,” Lucy said, indicating the Hermes cabin again.
Seb snorted, his earlier unease over Sloane’s words fading.
“I wish he would. I’d love to run into Duncan in those woods and remind him exactly why he never fared well here at Camp Half-Blood,” he sneered. “No, he had to enter our trials by joining with a band outside the camp, and then just as quickly tucked tail and ran.”
“He wasn’t even good enough for his godly parent to claim him,” Sloane said with a touch of mirth though she still looked as though she were focusing on Donovan. “I think that was the last straw for him, being stuck in the Hermes cabin with Donovan and Montague and knowing he was unwanted and unclaimed. I don’t think he’ll show up, but if he does?” She shook her head. “I think we’re ready to see that traitor this time.”
Lucy tapped the map again.
“He could show up too. Randy,” she said.
“Doubtful. He’s probably laid out in a ditch somewhere, and best left there,” Seb said.
“Honestly, it could be any number of people who show up. The boundaries are dropped for Outlast, Camp Jupiter could even make a surprise attack then. There’s every possibility that the flag— doesn’t even remain with Camp Half-Blood,” Lucy said.
Sloane shook her head firmly.
“No. The flag will stay here. I’m making sure of that at the very least,” she said. “I failed at the last camp trials because of Donovan. It won’t happen again, for any reason,” she said, and there was steel in her voice.
Seb and Lucy shared another look before Lucy sighed tiredly.
“This was helpful, but we should really try to get some rest. We’ll need our strength for what’s coming.” And then she and Seb said their goodbyes, the two of them making their way back down to the marble mausoleum they called home.
Sloane watched them as they left, her finger resting over the representation of their cabin.
“Two of my biggest competition just spent the past few hours going over the entire battlefield with me,” she observed to herself.
“Both children of Zeus, both in the top of their game. And only a fool would think that because of our closeness they’ll take it easy on me. I know they won’t because I would never take it easy on either of them,” Sloane said. “And despite what everyone thinks about me? I’m no fool.”
She paused a moment.
“It’s been years since Lucy carried the flag, and now that she’s gotten a taste for winning again with the way her trials have been going? She’s going to want it even more. I expect to see her reach me, but if she thinks for one second that I’m just going to allow her to take what’s mine, what I’ve worked so long and so hard for?” Sloane shook her head. “If she wants the flag, she’ll have the same task as everyone else in the end… be better than me at my most hungry, at my most focused. If she can do that? She’ll earn it.”
“And Seb… he’s my best friend. He knows what it’s like going into this particular trial carrying the flag. He did it last year, and..”. Sloane sighed. “I remember how that hit him. I understand it now. I can’t imagine putting so much in only to fall… but that was him. It will not be me. IT WILL NOT BE ME!” She shouted, bringing her fist down on the map on the table.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself.
“Maybe they’re right, maybe I should try to get some more rest. Clear my mind, and trust that in the end… I am the favored among the demigods. Me. Sloane Taylor. Daughter of Aphrodite, and one of the Hunters who rides with Artemis.” Sloane looked down at her hands and then the sky above her, catching the flash of the stars, and she knew she was seeing Artemis’ chariot.
The Huntress smiled down on her.
It was the morning of the trial, and Sloane had been awake for hours, staring out one of the windows of her lonely cabin, watching as the fog lifted from the ground. The absolute peace that surrounded everything seemed to be a lie considering the impending violence she knew the day promised. While their bouts of capture the flag were meant to be seen as training, and while it wasn’t the norm, there were those who had fallen in the forests that surrounded the camp before.
All it took was a well-placed magical blade, a demigod caught without their ambrosia squares to heal them, and then…
They would be burning a burial shroud.
It wasn’t something she had spoken of with her companions the night before. No one went into this thinking it would be their last act, and yet…
And yet…
Sloane felt as though she could see the turn of the earth, see the hour swiftly approaching, the battle coming for her and there was no way to slow it down or stop it. Not that she wanted to.
In one hand, she gripped the shaft of the flag she carried so proudly, staring up at the gold fluttering above her head. In the other, her fingers curled around a curved silver bow, a quiver of arrows lying against her spine. Her throwing daggers were strapped to her forearms and thighs. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. She knew her abilities, trusted in them, and had honed them to a fine razor’s edge. She could do this. She would do this, and in the end? It would be her standing, still holding onto the flag—
Movement at the edge of her field of vision caught her eye. Just there on the lake, she watched with narrowed eyes, her spine as taut as her bowstring, as a dark figure piloted an eerie boat closer and closer to the shores.
The boundaries were lowered, others would come for this trial. Sloane sucked in a breath when she recognized the one who stood there in the boat, his green-eyed gaze looking in her direction as though he could feel her attention on him, though she knew he couldn’t see her. She had the enhanced vision given to the Hunters by Artemis, but the smile on the face of the man in the boat told her he had other ways of sensing her. He did, indeed, sense her.
“Let the games begin,” she murmured to herself, hands steady on the flag and her bow as the Ferryman drew ever closer to what would become the field of battle.
