to: all, with apologies to nico di angelo

[areou]

( the message is deliberately written in ancient greek. for most summoned, the network will auto-translate, but she's hoping there might be others who recognize the original text. )

WILL SOLACE COME RETRIEVE YOUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GOTH I'M NOT HIS BABYSITTER

( helpfully, she adds an illustration that no one asked for: )



( then, because nico seriously needs more friends and it's her duty as former head counselor of the ares cabin to embarrass any and all younger campers: )

↖  BTW THIS IS NICO
HE LOVES LONG WALKS THROUGH THE UNDERWORLD AND BROODING IN GRAVEYARDS
HE'S SPOKEN FOR BUT I'M SURE HE'LL BE THE AFTERLIFE OF YOUR NEXT PARTY
CHALLENGE HIM TO A GAME OF MYTHOMAGIC TODAY!!!

ALSO IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS SEEN THESE DEMIGODS CONTACT ME ASAP
LOOKS LIKE ZEUS IS SUPER FUCKING PISSED AGAIN AND WE NEED A GAMEPLAN

( more shitty doodles follow, this time vaguely resembling percy and annabeth, although this time she labels them: )



— CLARISSE LA RUE, DRAKON-SLAYER, DAUGHTER OF ARES

( she figures she may as well cover all her bases here since all of this feels like a ren faire on steroids anyway.

ooc | threadjacking is more than welcome and, frankly, encouraged. let's all go hog boar wild. 🫡 )

Comments

[kobes]

That's an interesting way to look at things.
Have you found anywhere to stay yet?

[areou]

If you lived my life, it wouldn't be so interesting
Not exactly planning on leaving the barracks
They'd probably frown on it, too, considering I joined up

[kobes]

No, maybe not. Still, you seem to be enjoying yourself all the same.

[The network doesn't really communicate just how flat Koby's tone is re: this.]

You did already? What's it like?

[areou]

I was born for shit like this
Almost reminds me of home, only with more weird ren faire nonsense

( as if her life wasn't already practically a ren faire. you lived in the woods and dressed up in ancient armor with a bunch of medieval weapons, clarisse. )

Honestly, it's exactly what you'd expect from the military
Strict routine, no privacy
It's familiar

[kobes]

[He's not entirely sure what a ren faire is, but Koby's gotten a bit better at adjusting his constant desire to know and understand everything. In a place with myriad worlds in it, that's sort of a requirement.]

Born for it? How so?
Wait, you know Will. Did you also go to that military camp thing that he insists wasn't a military camp?

[It's starting to come together!

Ugh, that literally sounds like Koby's ideal. The routine, the known expectations, the sense of being part of something. But -- well. He'd promised himself he wouldn't join up unless he actually believed in what they were trying to accomplish. And he doesn't.]

The military where I'm from is very
Idealistic.
Is it the same here?

[areou]

Ares, my dad, is the god of war
Demigods getting kidnapped by unknown forces and told they're needed for some greater purpose is pretty much a regular Tuesday

If by "military camp" you mean Camp Half-Blood, yeah
Not strictly speaking military, but it is a training camp for demigods to learn the skills they need to survive in the real world
And every now and then we end up fighting a war to save the gods from getting destroyed 🙄
The real military camp is Camp Jupiter, our Roman counterparts
Their whole thing is the Legion and serving Rome and shit
Us Greeks are just trying to live to see another day and keep getting roped into shit because he wasn't supposed to be born, but now he's missing, but now he's mortal

( she's not naming names, but she's looking at you percy and apollo. )

All militaries are idealistic, Koby, that's the whole point

[kobes]

[Well then. Honestly, Will's talked enough about the camp and the whole demigods thing enough that it isn't completely insane-sounding to Koby, but it's pretty damn close.]

I see.
Will definitely gave me the more positive viewpoint of everything.
I sort of suspected it, but I appreciate the honesty.
Who's "he"?

[Ruining it by being too nosy, the Koby story.]

I suppose. The one where I'm from is very good at
PR, I guess?
"We're the ultimate force of positivity and good and nobility in the entire world" sort of thing.

[areou]

Oh, sorry, did you want positive?
We also have arts & crafts and sing-alongs!

He is none of your business, cupcake

( at least not at the moment. weirdly, she's not feeling a strong urge to roast percy or apollo right now. that would require too much setup. )

If by PR you mean propaganda, sure
How else do you think they convince new recruits?

( to be clear, she didn't enlist because she necessarily believes in what they're selling (which might be sacrilege considering who her father is, but she's slowly learning to push back against his ideals). it's just ... easier. familiar. and why the fuck would she want to get a real job when she's good at the soldier thing already. )

[kobes]

No, no, I don't need positivity necessarily, I'd rather have the truth. That makes a bit more sense.

Right, right. Sorry.

[He isn't, he is actively keeping a list of every other person Clarisse is speaking to and may or may not be stringboarding it later.]

I guess that's one way to look at it.
I guess I sort of hoped it'd be at least a LITTLE genuine?
If not at home, then here?
But it seems like that's too much to ask for.

[areou]

The truth is it's not easy for demigods to live in the mortal world
Camp is a safe haven for us
Even with all the ups and downs of putting a bunch of hyperactive, battle-inclined, prepubescent kids in one place and expecting them to get along
I don't expect you to understand

( which is to say: calling it just a military camp seems a little reductionist. at the end of the day, camp is her home. her family is there. it's unconventional, sure, but their whole lives are unconventional. )

Listen, I should be the first one singing the military's praises considering who my dad is, but I'm not that naïve anymore
Every military in history has an agenda and they want you to believe in it so you'll be willing to die for it
It's that simple