OnexOne with Mystikmage

OOC: We could just leave it for now, and if one of us is suddenly inspired, come back to it =]

((Yea that sounds good to me.))

((Hmmm...I've got an idea..))


The sun was just rising over the hill that marked the entrance to the camp that laid in secert within the valley. The son of Apollo was already awake, the tug of something much stronger pulling at him to awaken. The air was crisp, marking the begining of november, but he wasn't worried about the weather. It may get cool, but never cold, not now anyway. Those days were in the past, much much farther in the past. Three years had passed since that horrible winter...but it had only been a few days since Keith had returned from Moutain Olympus, fully healed phsyically, but emotionally Leo knew he was in peices.

As he left the small cabin he still inhabited, Leo's mind raced back to the day he and Sara and returned to camp from their honeymoon. It had been a nice day, but Chiron had greated them with solom faces and a heavy story.
Aria took a turn for the worst...she may not make it much longer...the internal damage done to her body is irrversible...
We've heard the whole story...she reversed time seven times to try and rewrite the chain of events...trying to change the past in order to gain a safer future, and this time she succeeded...she'll be recognized as a hero someday...

Leo ran his fingers through his hair, his heart feeling heavy as the next memory that related to Aria came nearly two and a half years later, when Keith returned to camp. Leo firgured it wasn't by his choice that he was here...the Gods must have sent him for some reason, but whatever reason that was, the Son of Posideon had been quite this whole week. The whisperes around camp was that Keith had been there when Aria had passed...and it hadn't been pretty.

Leo knew of a few people who now understood what Aria had done and respected her for it, and he had heard that Tania was trying to get a small memorial put up. Nothing big at all, in fact, when Leo walked though the woods to where it was place, he found that it was just a small patch of tulips and some other small flowers. Leo's mind flashed him the memory from when he'd last been this far back into the forest...
Aria had stood, straight and tall, though she'd looked like the grim reaper, pale as a ghost, and somehow managed to drive her sword straight into the ground, disrupting the camp's defense field, letting in an endless amount of monsters and starting a bloody battle that left behind thick scars.
Now, the ground was healed, except for the small patch where Aria's sword had made contact. The grass was gone, leaving just dirt for the newly planted flowers.

Tania was there, kneeling as she shoveled dirt back around the flower she'd just planted. Her hair was cut short now, though still the dark blonde of all children from Hermes. She was a bit tougher now, having worked through the years as the new fighting instructor under Chiron, as Leo was the archery instructor for the camp.
"Hey..." Leo murmured. Tania turned to look over her shoulder with a small nod. She sat back on her knees, brushing her arm across her forehead before fully standing up and dusting the dirt from her legs.
"It's the least we could do." Tania said, her voice sounding tight. "I honestly didn't think it would come to this...she was almost confident this was the only way it could end."
"I know." Leo said, rubbing her shoulder tightly. "Is Keith still here?" he asked curiously, to which Tania shrugged her shoulders.

OOC: Brilliant =]

BIC:

Sara sighed, sitting crosslegged in the grass as she watched a few small sons and daughters of Hermes hold a mock battle. She had no idea where Leo was, though she suspected he had gone to Aria's memorial. She herself had just gone the day before. She still remembered that terrible day in which she returned to camp with her husband. It seemed like a lifetime ago, she didn't regret anything in her life, but her heart still broke as she thought of her best friend whom had passed away and of Keith. She hadn't seen him in a few days now, but when she did she knew he was not the same. The tall, dangerous son of Posideon was not the same goofy Keith who had travelled with them on their journey. He was changed, he wasn't kind anymore, he was dangerous and harsh. Most of the children here at camp were in awe of the hero and terrified of him.

She brushed a stray hair from her face and glanced around, keeping a close eye on the kids. Leo was camp director in training, or whatever as well as archery instructor. She had taken on a different role. She was teaching painting as well as taking on a counciling capacity. She spoke to the kids, helped them through their issues and she felt extremely rewarded in doing so. She rose carefully, stretching a bit as she did so, smiling as she made her way back towards the small house she and Leo shared. It was very similar to their cabin, though larger and a bit more adult and further away from the campers.

-----

Keith was seated once again on the dock near his cabin. He had come back to the camp at a request from his father and the gods. He was needed here and frankly no one in Olympus or under the sea wanted to put up with him anymore. He knew he was changed, seeing Aria die as she had had destroyed what humanity he had had left. He was a shell, empty, devoide of feeling anything beyond anger and pain, and he held onto those two feelings with all he had left. He knew if he let them go he woud never survive, nor would the people around him.

Shaking his head he raked his fingers through his hair, heedless of the water bubbling in the lake beside him. A snarl curled itself on his face as he desperately tried to push the memories and emotions away.
"You Promised Keith" He heard her voice again. He had promised Aria he would go on, he would live, but it was so hard.

Leo stayed there with Tania for a while until the sowrds of swords clashing and the nymphs running through the forest caught their ears. That meant the camp day was starting, and they would be needed. Tania sighed deeply and rubbed her face. Leo squeezed her shoulder after a one armed hug. She merely smiled in gratitude and went off to teach her class. Leo stayed, looking back at the ground of flowers.

Kneeling, Leo brushed aside the dirt and stroked a petal of one of the tulips. A weird sensation shot up his arm, like somone was pouring ice cold water over him and then heat shot through his head. The heat caused the colors to shift around, making new images. Leo could barely make out Keith, trident strapped to his back, somewhere dark and cold. Leo shuddered, knowing exactly the place Keith was and the shudder broke his vision.
Snapping his hand away from the flower, Leo swallowed hard and looked around. He cursed in Greek before standing up and heading over to the cabin of Posideon, where Keith was more than likely to be. Hearing the lake water stirring told Leo to be careful, but Leo wasn't really phased by Keith's change as everyone else was. He understood the feeling; Leo had lost Sara that winter, and he had gotten her back, and after this vision, Leo knew he could help Keith if the son of Posideon wanted him to.

"Hey...." Leo called, knocking gently on the doorway, not wanting to be rude and just barge in.

----------------

Tania whistled shrilly, causing the fighting scrimage to stop entirely.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on them Sara." Tania said as everyone scrambled to put away their gear and head off to their afternoon activities.
"And thanks for coming down to the memorial opening yesterday..." Tania said with a small smile as she looked over at the daughter of Aphrodite. "It really means a lot to me, and some of the other in Hermes."

Keith turned as he heard Leo calling from the other side of the makeshift door. A small frown furrowed his brow though he glanced up, the distraction of his old friend's voice breaking his thought and the lake stilled beside him.
"Hey" He called back, his voice harsh even to his own ears. He rose, a towering, imposing figure built of pure muscle. Keith was an adult now, a man, he was no longer a lanky teenager, but a powerfully built twenty one year old male. Immortality had been offered to him, Leo and Sara by the Gods, he had accepted, he had nothing to live for, but he would be damned if he died now. He would no longer age, as for Sara and Leo, he wasn't sure if they had accepted the gift but he sincerly hoped so.

He turned, watching the door with stormy blue eyes, the water sloshing behind him in small waves, crashing against the dock though he paid no mind. He forced his expression to neutrailty, needing not scare Leo or cause another disaster. He had almost destroyed camp when Aria had died and it wouldn't do for that to happen again.

Pushing his hair back he watched the son of Apollo almost wairly. Despite their long friendship Keith no longer trusted anyone, it was a thing he had discovered in his short yet long life. Everyone betrayed you in the end. Perhaps thats why he couldn't move past Aria, she in a sense had betrayed him, they all had.

----

Sara glanced at Tania, smiling lightly.
"I wouldn't have missed it" She said gently, "She was one of my best friends Tania, my sister" She looked at the other girl with green eyes that had seen far to much for her young life.
"And I don't mind watching them either" She nodded at the rambunctious campers, "Its nice" She murmured, "To see things returning to normal" She sighed, "At least for some"

Leo flexed his fingers gently which were hot now after his vision. It had never happened to him before, and he was worried though a bit esatic that it had happened in general. Like Keith, Leo was twenty one, and although he was lean and well bult, not at all to the same extent as Keith was. Having wanted to give KEith soem space, this was the first time Leo had come to see his friend, and he was both surprised and confused at the physical state Keith was in. He looked bigger...tougher...and then it hit Leo why and his eyes grew a bit wide.

"You took the immortality..." Leo murmured, not at all meaning it to sound like a question. Part of him almost couldn't believe it. Crossing his arms over his chest, Leo scanned over Keith quickly and nodded to himself. "You look good. Have you been out here this whole time? I've hardly seen you around camp." Leo said, rubbing his neck gently. He simply wanted to talk to Keith for a while. He'd been worried about Keith, and just from the small glance, Leo could see how deep this ran, not that he was surprised.

------------------

Tania smiled genuily and nodded again. "As she was for me." Tania said. "Just with all the confusion..." Tania said, trailing off since there was still a lot of animoisty around the whole situation since many kids still didn't understand what had happened. They only thought of it as a betray, so it meant a lot to Tania when somone changed their thinking, as Sara and Leo had.
"It'll get better." Tania said with a nod. "It'll just take time." Tania murmured before nodding a goodbye and heading off to start her training class.

Keith glanced at Leo, his eyes wide for a moment, a hint of the familiar light blue shining in them before they returned to a stormy grey colour.
"Yea I took it" He murmured, "Didn't you two?" He was a bit surprised, he had figured they would, maybe they had? He shrugged, "I had nothing left Leo, nothing" He spat the last word, the lake bubbling violently behind him as he did so. He smirked as his friend tried to make small talk.
"Where else would I go? I don't fit in here anymore, not with them" He jerked his head towards the sky, meaning the gods. "Or with them" He nodded in the general direction of camp. It was true, he no longer felt like he had a proper place here, anywhere really. In the water he was content, but he couldn't stay there forever.

Tania had been by to see him once or twice but the conversation had been strained and he had lashed out angrily at the girl. She had wanted him to go to that damn memorial of Aria's yesterday, wanted him to go and say his goodbyes. He'd never say goodbye, not until everything was fixed, until she was avenged. He knew that the bastard -he wouldn't even say his name anymore, he didn't deserve that- was still out there, biding his time for the next gullible, hurting person, and he'd be ready. He knew it was him they wanted, he knew that was still happening, but he'd sure as hell make sure that if he was going down he was taking them all with him.

----

Sara waved to Tania, tucking her hair behind her ear and heading towards the main house. Her office was in their, Chiron had set her up an office in there in order for her to work privately with troubled campers. She dealt with anyone from homesickness to abuse cases, giving them all the time they needed. She was content with helping the kids, though one day she hoped she could have her own children. Leo's mom was harassing them constantly, in a teasing fashion for grandchildren, though she never atually pressured them, just teased.

Leo smirked inwardly when he noticed the tint of blue come back to Keith's eyes. It disappeared the next instant though and Leo sighed heavily.
"We haven't deicded yet." Leo admitted. "They were giving us time to think about it." he explained, watching paitently as Keith had his moment. He knew Keith needed to get this off his chest, needed to let out the anger and frustration. That was why Leo was here; his knew Keith's anger wasn't directed at him, so he didn't take it personally.
"It makes sense..." Leo agreed with a gentle nod. "I can't say that I know what happened, but I can say that I know how it feels. You'll remember I lost Sara that winter. I got her back...and I think you could do the same."

Leo's eyes darkened a bit as his vision came back to him, mostly because he remembered the relm of Hades, and the memory assiociated with it. Leo sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. Maybe this wasn't sure a good idea to tell Keith yet, though at the same time, Leo knew Keith should know. The vision had been about him...

"I just had a vision, and it's never happened before, but it was about you." Leo explained. "You were at Hades' Gate. Literatly at the front door to his palace. I couldn't see anything and I don't know what happens beyond that but I think that's up to you."

------------------------------------------

Katie shoved her hands in her pocket as she trudged over to the Big House. She'd grown a lot in the past three years. She was a bit taller, her hair was longer and a deep almost copper red. Her style had changed as well, and today due to the slight chill in the air she was wearing a pair of tattered dark jeans, a emerald green tank top and a thin denim jacket over it. Her gray eyes were stormy and dark today, mostly because she had her mandatory session with Sara today.
Chiron had made the session mandatory after Katie's last 'episode.' The daughter of Athena was haunted by nightmares, short-tempered, and slightly anti-social. With the haunting shadow of the titan's return, Chiron didn't want to take any chances with another camper being vunerable.
Katie didn't exactly like the sessions but she liked Sara. And most of the time they just talked, and if they got to a subject Katie didn't want to talk about, Sara wouldn't push her.
Knocking once, Katie opened the door and walked in.
"Hey." Katie murmured slipping off her jacket and tossing it onto her chair before flopping down with a huff.

Keith turned and looked at Leo, "Oh" He said in a dull tone, as if he didn't care when really he cared more then he could admit. He wanted them to be immortal, he couldn't handle losing Leo and Sara ontop of losing Aria. They were his family, though he couldn't tell them that, couldn't make himself vulnerable to those emotions. Conflict showed in his eyes causing the water behind him to once again splash, painting the dock in dark colours as it hit the old wood.

His eyes grew wide as Leo spoke, his heart thundering unevenly in his chest. Could he save her? Gods he wanted nothing more, but to go to the realm of Hades and get her back? He knew others had done it, Orpheus had done it, Hercules had done it, but could he do it? Would the gods let him? Would Hades let him? He frowned, his eyes taking on a wild, dangerous light, he had to try, but how? He had, at this point, completely forgotten Leo was there, to consumed with the thoughts of revenge and of Aria to even remember he was standing mere feet away from the camp, something he could so effortlessly destroy if he didn't reign in his emotions, and soon. Waves raged behind him, thrashing about an extention of Keith's hurt and confusion. Water splashed over him and Leo, pooling at their feet, reaching blindly for the nearby shore, terrifying the children nearby.

----

Sara glanced up, mentally sighing when Katie appeared, though she offered the girl a smile. She had forgotten it was her session with Katie today. She liked the girl, but talking to her was like pulling nails.
"Hey" She smiled, stretching out and pulling her feet onto her chair, Sara was nothing if not informal. She didn't believe in that whole "I'm the psychologist and your the patient" setting, instead she preferred the informality of just sitting and talking, it seemed to work too.
"Whats up?" She asked curiously, playing absentmindedly with a lock of her dark hair.

Leo cursed in Greek. He say the instant when he lost Keith's attention, and he recognized too late that Keith was loosing control.
"Keith..." Leo called. Nothing happened. "Keith man, come back to earth." Leo said, snapping his fingers in front of the man's face. Nothing.
"Keith, damn it all!" Leo half yelled, grabbing his shirt and shaking him. After a second thought, Leo let his heat slip a bit, knowing it affected Keith differently than anyone else.

"Calm down." Leo said strongly though with kindess so Keith didn't flip entirely. "You might be immortal but you need to think this through and not loose your cool again." Leo warned once he thought he had Keith's attention again. Looking down, Leo shook his head at the water that was now flooding Keith's cabin. Sighing, Leo turned his attention back to his friend.
"Think about this. Don't make any decisions now. When you do decide, let me know. You helped me get Sara, I'll help you get Aria." Leo said reslutely. If Keith did decide that attempt, which Leo had a feeling he would, then Leo would accept the immortalty and go with Keith. He'd have to tell Sara all of this later.

Leo ran his fingers through his hair; this was starting to feel familiar again...so much happening all before noon. Hopefully the next few hours would be alright. Speaking of afternoon...Leo glanced over his shoulder and nodded to himself, figuring out what time it was.
"I have a class in twenty minutes. I'll catch up with you later." Leo said, nodding to Keith to make sure he was somewhat alright before turning to head down to the archery field.

-----------------

For some reason today, Katie sighed and a small part of her caved. "I had another nightmare last night...I scared one of my younger sisters..." Katie murmured, picking at her fingernails for a moment, silent as her eyes watched her fingers.
"Someone told me that demi-gods only dream because it's a message from the gods about something..." Katie said, looking up at Sara then. "So to these nightmares have something to do with my future or something like that?" she asked, looking curious on top of confused.

Keith winced as Leo's hot hands distracted him from the pent up emotion burning inside him. He stared, wordlessly at the other man before watching him say something about class and running off. He sighed, collapsing down onto the wet deck, letting the cool, wet wood ground him for a moment before he dragged himself inside his cabin to survey the damage.

Lovely, water everywhere, again. Shaking his head he waved his hand carelessly watching the water disappear for the moment while he sat down on a chair and stared into the empty fire place. He had heard Leo, but he wasn't sure what to think, could Leo even come with him? Would he allow it? Keith didn't work in teams anymore, he couldn't. Aria had been livid with him when she had found out about his own little mission to find her. He risked his life over and over again with a callous disregard for his own safety, that was only intensified now with the fact that he was immortal. Oh he could die, but he'd go live with the gods and odds were they'd just send him back here. He fisted his hands in his hair, staring blankly into the fire pit for a moment before forcing his attention elsewhere.

He needed to do something, to leave or something just for a little while. Chiron would never allow it though, he was on orders from his father, Zeus and a whole wack of other gods to stay here and Chiron had been busy enforcing that rule. He hated it, he felt like a kid being babysat though he knew the reason why.

----

Sara frowned, listening as Katie talked her green eyes widening.
"Well it is said that demi-gods only dream messages from the gods" She murmured, "But it's also know that traumatic events can trigger nightmares. I suppose it depends on the nightmare itself" She looked at the younger girl.
"Can you tell me about it?" She asked softly, "You don't have to, but if you tell me I might be able to tell you if it is a message or just a bad dream"

Katie took a deep breath as if Sara's question had physically pricked her. She flexed her fingers once and looked out the window for a moment. She wasn't sure where to even begin to explain her nightmare.
"They're full of emotions....I always wake up feeling completely overwhelmed." Katie said. "They all differ...but...last night was pretty bad." Katie murmured, scratching her head gently for a moment, looking a bit uncomfortable, like she was battling herself about this.
Wincing after a moment, Katie sighed heavily. "I almost always see my brother..." Katie started, swallowing hard since the subject of her brother still hurt. He'd been killed during the raid that-in Katie's mind-Aria had started in cold blood. Sure it had been three years since the attack, and Katie was close to being fourteen rather then ten, but Mike had been the only family Katie had had at the time.
"Each time he dies...sometimes in the way I remember, sometimes in different ways...but it always ends the same..." Katie said with a heavy sigh, brushin her hair from her face. "Last night though...I heard...this voice...and it was...laughing....just as Mike..." Katie shook her head gently, a chill running down her spine and goosebumps rasing on her arms. She wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her legs up onto the couch, as if trying to make herself smaller, less vounerable.
"I can't shake the feeling that I've heard that voice before..." Katie added, staring distantly at the floor.

-------------------

Leo huffed a heavy sigh as he walked back to his and Sara's house. He stopped just outside the door, taking a moment just to admire the cabin that obviously had a woman's touch. There were flowers and other plants potted around and the steps were swept; Sara almost always seemed to keep things neat. Smiling to himself as he rubbed the golden band on his fingers, Leo headed inside, closing the door behind him gently.
"You shouldn't have told Keith about your vision so soon."
Leo jumped at the sound of his father's voice, turning sharply to see Apollo sitting on the windowsill, almost blending in with the afternoon sunshine that was streaming into the room.
"Why not?" Leo asked. "It involved him."
"He wasn't ready to hear it yet." Apollo said.
"Then why did I have the vision?" Leo counted. "Things always happen for a reason don't they?"
Apollo smirked though set his son with a small glare that demanded a bit more respect. Leo sighed.
"I'm sorry. I've never had visions before so it caught me off guard. Keith's a grown man though, unless you haven't noticed and he's capable of taking care of himself."
"Like he took care of himself after you told him about your vision?" Apollo asked and Leo winced, realizing his father had a valid point. "Are you set on going with him?" Apollo asked then, crossing his arms over his chest.
"He helped me. I have to return the favor." Leo said with a small shrug. Apollo nodded to himself almost before looking back at Leo.
"Let me know when you're ready." Apollo said before disappearing with a flicker of the sun. Leo cursed under his breath before going to shower to cool off.

Sara moved so she was sitting closer to Katie and wrapped a comforting arm around the younger girl. She rubbed her back soothingly, "It sounds like a message from the gods for sure" She murmured, "I can't tell you what it means though Katie. The gods, and I know this sounds ridiculously cliche, work in very mysterious ways" She sighed, mentally kicking herself for the corny statement.
"But maybe Mike is trying to tell you something?" She suggested, "It might help if you write down everything that happens in these dreams in a journal, right after you wake up. You can document everything from what you saw to how you were feeling during the dream. It'll help give you a clearer picture of what the gods are trying to tell you" She said gently though she cast an angry glare at the ceiling and through the ceiling, Olympus. Hadn't the girl been through enough, she had seen her brother killed in cold blood, she didn't need to be haunted with images of her dead family. She sighed, rubbing Katie's back again as she shuddered lightly. Death frightened her, she'd already been trapped in the underworld and she had no desire to think of that place again. She knew she was an adult and she had to be strong but she was plauged with her own nightmares occasionally.
"Mike would want you to be strong Katie and you are. You're one of the strongest people I know" She said gently.
"Do you still go and talk to Keith?" She asked, sensing a change in subject was needed at this point. Katie was like that, she'd open up but you wouldn't get more out of her until the next time. Katie was one of the few people who seemed able to talk to Keith, despite their different stance on the subject of Aria.

Sara knew the girl detested the daughter of Hermes and honestly she couldn't blame her. Aria had done what she had thought was right, but there had been a huge cost to her belief. She had long since forgiven her friend, but she would never forget the cost of the battle that had taken place, nor the toll that Aria's death had taken on Keith. Sometimes she wished Aria had been stronger, had been able to resist the charms of the oldest God but she knew things seldom turned out how you wished they did.

Katie rubbed her face furiously in a way that nearly mirrored her younger self. She nodded though, to show she was listening.
"A journal..." Katie mused. "I never thought of that." she said, likeing that idea. Maybe Sara was right, and she would be able to figure all of this out if she kept track of it. She'd start that today.
Looking back up at Sara at the mention of Keith, Katie shook her head.
"I had practice with Tania and then came here." Katie murmured. "I was thinking about going down to see him after this, but I heard he's not in a very good mood today." she said.

"Some of the first years were spooked down at the beaches because the lake started stirring on its own like there was a bad storm." Katie said, knowing she didn't need to explain anything else to Sara. They both knew how powerful Keith was, and know that he was fully healed, he seemed to have less of a cap on his abilities.
"I might go today anyway." Katie said with a sigh, grabbing her jacket. She knew about Aria's death, since it was the latest talk around camp. Keith had only just returned at the end of last week, alone. In Katie's mind, she was indifferent. She'd hated Aria, and therefore felt nothing about the girls death. What angered her the most was how badly Keith had been affected by her passing. He'd cared for her, and now he was a wreck.

"I'll see you around." Katie said, shaking the thoughts from her mind as she stood up, jacket in hand. "And thanks...I'll definitely start writting." Katie added when she was at the door, giving Sara a small smile before heading down to see Keith.

"Let me see your journal sometime, maybe I can help you figure stuff out" Sara called, letting her mind wander to the problem of Keith. She was worried sick about her friend, she had no idea what had happened to him when he had disappeared after Aria's death only to be brought back to camp a week ago by Apollo, Hermes and Posideon. It had seemed like the three gods were struggling greatly with the boy and the mess that camp had been after that fight was still being cleaned up.

Sitting up she checked her scheduel, seeing that she had no more appointments that day she decided to head home and check on Leo, if he was back yet. Grabbing her appointment book, she trotted out of the small, yet cozy office space, trotting down the familiar path towards her cabin. She inhaled the crisp spring air, beyond relieved that Summer was finally coming back. Leo was happy about that, he hated winter even more then she did.

Getting to the cabin she pushed the door open, most campers knew where they lived and she could often find two or three here talking to Leo or generally taking up space. Leo had a bit of an open door policy, as did she, so it was a bit of a surprise to find the place empty.

---

Keith sighed, pulling on a grey t-shirt and a clean pair of jeans since his were soaked. He still wasn't sure what to make of this situation and his tenuous grasp on his emotions was starting to wear him out. He felt more like an emotional two year old then an adult. Maybe he needed to go back to Olympus, Athena had been working with him as had his father but he had been so reluctant for help that it had ended disasterously. He was still reluctant for help but he didn't know what to do anymore.

Leo was getting dressed when he heard Sara wandering into the house. Quickly pulling on his shorts, Leo walked over to her, shirtless due to his carelessness, and engulfed her in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a long moment before easing up and smiling at her lest she worried that something was wrong. Something was wrong, Leo just didn't want to pile it on Sara so soon.
He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her casually. "How'd your day go?" he asked, as was the general routine, wandering back into the bedroom. It was almost nice that Leo and Sara had seperate jobs because at the end of the day it gave them something else to talk about, which was always nice.

------------------------


Katie knew instantly that something was up since some things were still soaked and wet from Keith's flood. She wandered inside after a small tap on the door frame, looking around critically.
"Last time I checked, it was only supposed to rain outside, not in." Katie murmured in her dry, sort of sarcastic humor that she had. "One of the first years piss you off or something?" Katie added with a smirk to show it was joke as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Looking Keith over, Katie noticed the differences almost instantly. He looked healthier...bigger...buff too. Katie was sure he could take the biggest Ares kid and not even break a sweat. Katie chewed her tonge gently before looking up at his face. And therein lied to tourmoil...his eyes were dark, hardly blue now. Katie thought better than to say anything about it though.

Sara shrugged, "Had my usual session with Katie" She said, though she didn't mention what about. She had doctor-patient confidentiality to keep, though she sometimes did share with Leo if she was dealing with something really tough like an abuse case.
"But that was it really. Oh and kept an eye on Tania's Ares kids, they're quiet the group" She said, smiling against his shoulder before breaking away and sitting down at the kitchen table. She was exahusted, beyond exahusted though she had no idea why. Dealing with Katie often left her drained though she tried not to let it get to her.
"What about you?" She asked curiously, arching an eyebrow at her husband and smiling lightly.


----

Keith started a bit when Katie's voice inturrupted his thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh no, just had a shitty morning" He said flopping down in a wet chair, though the water was gone the wetness remained, not that he minded. He looked the girl over once or twice before offering her a shy sort of smile. He had always gotten on well with Katie, in fact he actually really liked her.
"How are you then?" He asked, opening his arms meaning she should come give him a hug. He was bloody tired from his emotional melt down earlier and had no desire to get up.

He noticed Katie looking him over though he made no comment, she'd find out soon enough anyway, they all would. He surpressed a groan at that thought, he had no desire for the pack of brats that lived here to find out he was immortal and come and harass him about that. They harassed him about everything, despite being scared and everyone warning them away they still came in droves.

Leo tossed on a shirt before joing Sara in the kitchen, hunger driving him to make something for dinner. He listened to Sara, nodding to show he was paying attenting as he pulled out pots and ingredients to make stir-fry.
When Sara asked about his day, Leo winced, though his back was towards her as he was turning on the stove.
"It was..." Leo trailed off for a moment, tring to find a word to describe his day. "One of those days." he finally said on a sigh, dicing vegatables. He told Sara about going to Aria's memorial, and even told her about the small vision he'd had. He told her about going to see Keith, but went light on the emotional state of their friend. He decided against telling her that he'd relieved his vision to Keith and offer to help, and left out his meeting with his father. Leo had a feeling that he would have time to break that subject to Sara gently.
He knew the underword was a scary idea for Sara, since she'd been taken hostage and dragged there. Leo couldn't blame her; he liked it no more than she did. His palms grew hot just thinking about it, and he nearly melted the knife in his hands.
"Other than that, it was pretty normal." Leo said with a shrug as he mixed up the stir-fry on the stove.

-------------------------

"I hate mornings." Katie said, walking over to Keith to give him the hug. She sighed softly before pulling away after a moment and looking back at him.
"You look really different from the last time I saw you." Katie mumbled, avoding Keith's question and her blunt honesty getting the best of her. That was one of the main reasons Katie struggled with making friends; she was brutatly honest and couldn't help it.

Keith was one of the few people that didn't seem to mind. She walked around the cabin then, her ADHD kicking in for a moment before she walked back into the room with Keith.
"I kicked some serious ass today at fencing practice." Katie said, grinning slightly. "Tania seemed impressed, but I guess it comes with being a daughter of Athena...apparently we're all like sword masters once we get the hang of it." Katie said with a small shrug, folding her arms over her chest and leaning against Keith's desk.

Sara was surprised Leo had a vision though she didn't comment on it. Instead she nodded her head, and chewed her lip thoughtfully.
"Seems like we both had a nice normal day for a change" She knew Leo wasn't telling her something though she wasn't one to press. She was rather good at picking up things like that within her line of work.
"Your mother sent mail again, she was wondering when we coud come visit" She murmured, Chiron had given her the letter earlier when she had ran into him and she now slipped it out of her book and offered it to her husband for inspection. She knew Leo missed his mom and she did as well. She had grown to really care for the woman and loved visiting whenever they had the change.


----

Keith sighed, knowing that Katie was more observant then most kids. He listened to her for a moment before breaking into a grin.
"Good job kid, make sure to keep kicking ass" He teased, he was proud of her, in the absence of Mike, Keith had always felt a bit like Katie's older brother though he knew he wasn't around long enough or often enough for the girl. Besides his emotions over Aria he knew Katie was one of the few people still keeping him here.

"When I went to Olympus Zeus made me an offer" He murmured, "I accepted, I'm immortal now" He explained in a soft, worried tone. He wasn't sure how Katie would cope with this news though he hoped she wouldn't freak out or something.

Leo glanced away from his cooking as Sara mentioned his mother. "Did she now?" he asked, though it was light hearted and a small smile was on his face. That was so like her...still sending packages and letters like they were attending camp rather than running it. It was always nice though.
"Hmm...maybe we can sneak out before all the campers get here for the summer." Leo teased, glancing at the letter. It was in English and Leo's dislexia was horrible, so he spent maybe half a second before he gave up not wanting the headache that came with trying to read English; Sara was much better at it than he was.

"Hungry?" Leo asked, getting a plate to serve the stif-fry he'd made since it was starting to smell delicious and his stomach was acting like a mad angry beast.

----------------

Katie smirked and shrugged again at Keith's praise though her eyes brightened. She turned serious again when Keith mention Olympus, and she was practically on edge as she listened. Her eyes went wide, but there were no loud exclamations from her. She merely looked at him and rubbed her lips gently.

"So they still offer that to hero's huh?" she asked. "I thought that was only in the stories." Katie said, sighing and raking her fingers through her hair.

Sara nodded, "Starving" She said with a grin, slipping out of her chair and making herself up a plate.
"Is now really a good time to leave?" She murmured to her husband as she sat back down at the table, "What with Keith being back and everything?" She wasn't sure if her and Leo taking off, even if it was just for a few days, was a great idea. She shrugged it off though, she did sort of want to go, especially since camp was already stressful and the summer wasn't even here yet.
"I wonder how many campers we'll get this summer" She mused, it seemed like more and more children of the gods had been cropping up, especially in Hermes, though no one else from Zeus, Hades or Posideon had appeared, it seemed that Keith was he only one, thank the gods. She wasn't sure she could handle another demi-god with that much power.

----

Keith shrugged, "I suppose so, I had no idea it was something they offered heros. I think my dad talked them into it" He shrugged again, smiling softly at the little girl.
"So you ready for summer? There's gonna be a whole wack of irritating midgets running around again" He half groaned though it was playful. It seemed that when around Katie, Keith resorted more to his normal self then with anyone else.

"Good point..." Leo muttered. Better than he wanted to admitt. Leo sighed. "It might have to wait until after the summer than." he said, rubbing his face gently before taking his plate over to the table and rummaging in the fridge for something to drink.

His mind wandered as he ate, and Leo could hardly focus on anything else. 'Sara was right' was the main point his mind kept going to. They couldnt' leave now...especially if Keith decided to leave...
"Mm, stir-fry wasn't that bad today." Leo said after a content sigh, pushing his empty plate to the side a bit and sitting back in his chair.
"How many campers? The Gods only know." Leo murmured, shaking his head gently. It was almost a good thing though, that camp was flureshing. It was a dangerous life outside of camp for a demi-god, not knowing who you were, the power you held and the attention you attracted could cause a lot of damage. Camp was a safe haven for demi-gods, and necessary to a lot of members like Katie, who didn't have much of a home, and other who were too demi-godish and drew a lot of attention. Demi-gods like Aria...Leo remembered her saying that monsters would always find her...
"Hopefully it'll be a good summer, like last year." Leo said, taking up his and Sara's plate once she was finished.

------------------------

Katie chuckled. "Lucky." was all she really said to the subject of the immortality.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms tight over her chest. "Yay." she mumbled sarcastically. "I'm soooo excited." Katie muttered, shaking her head gently. "Maybe Tania will take me on as her assistant that way I can beat the crap out of the really snooty and snoby tikes." Katie mused, shaking her head again though there was a slightly devious smirk on her face now.

"Actually...that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Katie said, chuckling to herself and rubbing her face with a long sigh.
Looking back at Keith, Katie's smile slowly lessened. "Are you gonna stay the summer?" she asked, reaching back on his desk for the small baseball that was always resting there, tossing it lightly between her hands.

Sara sighed, "Thats an ironic statement" She teased Leo, "The gods only know, sheesh" She rose from her chair, nodding her head in agreement with his statement, "It would see that you're cooking is improving love" She teased as she wandered into the small living room to go over her notes. The cabin had been expanded since her and Leo lived her permanently now, it had a kitchen, two bedrooms-one for guests or campers who needed it-and a small living room. All in all Sara was pleased with the place since it held so many happy memories for her and Leo both.
"Last summer was rather nice" She agreed, pulling out her book and putting her notes on the campers into their files. She kept all the files in the small living room, part of which served as a joint office for the couple.
"Hopefully we don't have any more major meltdowns" She added, Katie had caused a few problems along with a few other survivors of 'Aria's war' as it had been dubbed.

---

Keith sighed, "I'm staying" He murmured, "My dad talked to Chiron and so I'm here for awhile, at least until they deciede what to do with me" He added, he knew Katie was only fourteen but he was probably more honest with her then with anyone else. She knew what was wrong with Keith on some level and listened to him but didn't badger him.

"I bet Tania would take you on as an assistant" He murmured, his voice sneering a little at the mention of Tania's name. He was still rather annoyed with the girl, she never seemed to want to leave him alone.

Leo rolled his eyes at his wife as he put the plates in the sink. "I would hope my cooking has improved..." he grumbled, shaking his head. "I've only been trying to get better for what three years now?" he asked, though he was teasing, brown eyes dancing slightly in enjoyment. As Sara left the kitchen Leo tidy up the kicthen since he had made a mess due to his cooking.
"Things happen..." Leo answered back to Sara plea of no more meltdowns. He was drying his hands off with the dishtowel as he wandered after her, kissing her forehead gently and wrapping his arms around her neck.
"You know I love you." Leo murmured softly into her hair, resting his chin on the top of her head.


---------------

"Aww damn that means shits really going down." Katie muttered, hearing that the gods were forcing Keith to stay. She shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, a habbit Katie had picked up whenever she was slightly stressed about something. Sara was right, her dreams were messages from the gods...Katie was thoroughly convinced now, hearing that Keith would be staying here. He was the most powerful demi-god on the planet right now, so if he was needed here and not else where, then something had to be going on...what did Katie's dreams have to do with it though? She really needed to start that journal.

"Oh...yea, I'll probably talk to her about it..." Katie said, hearing Keith and pulling herself out of her thoughtful revene.