Getting back to basics(Private)

Nathan looked out from the tree he perched upon, taking in the fresh air of the fields and the sweet scent of the growing grapes and strawberries. It had been some time since he'd been here, almost months it seemed to feel like, not even registering the passing of time. Many things had gone on, most thing unable to recall, though he heard whispers of the talk of war, war with some apparent Roman camp. 'Ridiculous..' He thought. He didn't want to consider the thought of Roman demigods nor did he want to register that people in the camp were stupid enough to start a war over nothing. As his thoughts traveled he thought back to the last thing he felt like he could remember had happened.

He found his thoughts back in D.C. where his sister now lived and the day he had gone there to visit her and their father. Often he wondered how his sister dealt with the thought that her little brother was a demigod and more than that his mother was the goddess of Ghosts. It seemed like a cruel sense of irony that her mother had died some time prior to his father and Melinoe meeting and dating one another. It was a strange thought, though Nathan didn't dwell on it for long. Had it not happened he wouldn't exist and the thought of never being at all was a strange one to think of. Nathan felt little fear if any at all, but on rare occasions the thought of never existing at all haunted him, how different the people he's known would be if he hadn't met them. Rather egotistic in a certain light but it isn't a question that should just be tossed out for the faint of heart.

He sighed focusing his thoughts and then freeing them in order to pass by the thoughts of never existing or of strange family ties. Instead though he thought of what had happened after the visit. He ran into someone and that caused a large chain of events that led up to a random night in a motel. He knew he wasn't drunk because he could remember the details clearly, but it seemed like he was searching for a name for the person he met. Almost as if his mind had blanked it out trying to forget the day after the family visit. He remembered every detail save for the girl's name and yet, he knew that he felt...something..for the girl. Not hate, if it were hate the details would be even more vibrant than what they were. Suddenly he was a flood of more memories of the girl, fights, traded insults..a kiss...and waking up in the motel the next day beside her, all be it in shock.

Specter climbed the tree and rested in his lap, Nathan going through his thoughts and then as if a light cutting on in the middle of the darkest night he whispered.."Chiara.."

Nathan glanced down at the fields after his revelation hearing some movement in the plains he watched over. He saw a girl standing down there with a basket, the most obvious thing about her to stick out was her vibrant, curly red hair. Nathan shouldered his bow and vanished from the tree, landing in the exact same position on the ground next to his swords and his quiver of arrows, the three he had with his in the tree being the exception to this.

On the ground, Nathan stood silently, placing the arrows back into their quiver and then putting the quiver on, replacing the bow once more and then sheathing his two swords, perfectly made stygian iron, Nightingale Blades. His bow an exact replica of the Nightingale Bow. He glanced down at his sleeping pet and then shook his head silently as he turned toward the girl and walked toward her.

"What an unpleasant surprise. Here I thought you got eaten after not seeing you for so long" Nathan stated in an even toned voice as he got the girl's attention.

"Oh yes I totally missed the war child that wants my head on a pike." Nathan said in reply to her first question, thinking back to every time they encountered involved some kind of fight. He heard her jib at being an obedient little soldier to which he merely ignored given it wasn't worth the fighting about with her. Truth be told he hardly ever slept, or stayed in his cabin. He was often out at all hours of the night, mostly just roaming through the forest seeing the shades of the dead that passed through the borders of the camp.

He glanced back at her when she looked up at him and saw that she still had the same appearance he knew her well enough for. Though he did notice the new scars on her face. He heard her question but took a moment to choose his answer. "Well. It's simple really, I like the peace and quiet, and aside from the heart of the forest, nothing is quieter than the berry fields that everyone seems to avoid unless they are picking them. I see you're here under forced conditions." He stated calmly, showing little notice of care in his tone of voice as he went about the conversation.

Nathan shrugged at her reply. "Well when all you do is fight, you never really notice much beyond the aggressive side." He told her referring to the fact that they always seemed to fight. It was...interesting to for once talk to her and not have it be an insulting contest between them. Though he wasn't sure how long this peacefulness would last.

As per how it normally goes either he'd say something that she'd take more offense to than she should, or she would say something that was meant to get under his skin and which she would turn it into calling him chicken for denying the fight at first. It had become such a routine that he was almost bored by the concept of how predictable it was becoming

"Oh wow, I'm shocked." Nathan stared, "That almost sounded like a compliment."

He glanced sidelong down an empty path between the bushes not sure if he saw something though at the same time not bothering much of a care either. He questioned how long this mock peace they were having would last before they returned to trying to cut each other's heads off like a duo of mindless monkeys.

"So how long till we try to cut each other's throats open again?" Nathan asked getting right to the point. He was growing bored and actually would've preferred a fight to get his blood flowing than this awkward conversation they seemed to be having. "I's been so long since we were in DC getting attacked by giants and jumping out of airplanes." He said, not mentioning the other things that happened back then.

OOC: How long on our timeline before the big reveal about Chiara and Nathan helping her get closure again?

"Are you asking for a fight, Maxwell?" Chiara asked, standing up to exhale the smoke at his face. Which, since she was shorter than him, required her looking up and straightening her back to get as tall as possible without getting on her toes. "I'd gladly do anything that doesn't require picking berries "

She felt weird at his mentioning DC. They had agreed that their waking up cuddling or even their accidental kiss had never happened, which Chiara was just fine with, but she sometimes caught herself thinking about how they saved each other's lives several times. She may hate Nathan, but like always when she fought at the side of someone, she felt closer to that person. Perhaps a good punch in his mouth would wipe that away.

OOC: I don't know, next topic if you want. You mentioned Nathan seeing something in the bushes, are they gonna get attacked?

Nathan blew away the smoke that she forced in his face and smirked at her when she assumed that he wanted a fight. He glanced down the stray path again noticing the almost inaudible rustle and caught a stray paw. 'Wonderful..dead dog smell...' He thought annoyed at the prospect of the hellhound attack.

"Of course I'd always enjoy your ass out on the ground. But I think we have some mangy mutts wanting to hop in on the fun" He stated just as one of the 3-4 hounds growled and tried to rush them, Nathan vanished and a black blade found a place right in the middle of the beast's mouth, absorbing the essence of the dead dog.

Nathan saw Chiara cut down the other two hellhounds with ease and saw two trying to flee the failed attack. "Aw, that's cute. They want to run with their tails between there legs." He said to the daughter of Ares pointing out the two trying to escape. He pulled out his bow and notched at arrow, aiming at one of the hounds and loosing it watching the beast dissolve from the impact.

The other one made way into the woods before Nathan could get a shot and in response the son of ghosts put his bow away. "Useless mutts.." He said, turning back to Chiara.

"I don't, perhaps it's your excellent conversational skills there dear." He said to her, returning to his usual sarcastic quips. It was well coming they both knew but he wasn't sure when he needed to return to it. He figured after they were attacked right before they were about to fight would be a wonderful opportunity for such. "So tell me now, we were about to beat the hell out of one another right? Or have you lost the nerve since the hounds decided to interrupt us before we could start?" He asked her, knowing that she wouldn't turn down the opportunity to try to hurt him.

OOC: Let's..make things interesting hehehe

BIC: "Begging? Oh no I don't beg, especially not to someone as sorry as you. But what I am saying is that I'm pretty sure we were about to have an interesting fight." Nathan stated, but before he could say another thing he was caught by something behind Chiara watching them

It was a ghost, Nathan could tell that much from the faint glow and the lack of legs or most of a lower body. What struck him off though was that the ghost was starting, quite intently, at Chiara. Nathan turned his head to the side a little trying to understand what the specter was doing here but then he noticed something that made his eyes widen. The ghost looked like Chiara. At least somewhat like her, given the form it was currently in he couldn't make out the resemblance easily, but it was definitely there. "...Who..is that?" He asked slowly, not sure what to think

Nathan was completely dumbfounded by the sudden reaction she had after the specter vanished. He had no idea what was going on but then she asked if he thought that was funny and she was clearly ready to rip his head off. "With every shred of sincerity I have. I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I didn't summon that ghost..I have no idea who he even is." Nathan said to her. His voice was even an calm, what he didn't realize was that he had slipped into speaking Italian when he stated that. It was a subconscious reaction to such anger turned against him.

He stepped back slightly looking down directly at her, eyes locked as he tried to figure out what it was that had turned her to such rage. 'They had the same gestures...it's..it's someone close to her..an uncle? No..someone closer..her..stepdad? He thought out as he waited to see what she'd do to him, he was wary of the knives in her hand and was trying not to upset her more than she already was. "..That..was your stepdad..?" He asked her still speaking in Italian rather than English.

Nathan was knocked to the ground hard and he felt the breath leave him for a moment as she yelled and then what he assumed was lie at him. She said that it wasn't her step-father but what other end could it be? She had the eyes of pain, hatred, sorrow, and most of all madness. It had to be a father figure of some kind or else he had no idea what to think of this situation. She made a clear threat with her question and he swallowed the first insult that came to mind before he had grown quite friendly with the knife that was next to him.

"This is the truth, as plain as I can make it. I did not summon him. I did not do anything, anything of any nature to call him here. I don't even know whom he is, my powers don't work like that. I can't summon ghosts unless they have some kinda tie to my life or if they are a figure that is recognizable by history. I don't know who that was and I did not summon him, nor made any attempt to summon him. He appeared by another means on his own accord." He told her very clearly and with every shred of sincerity he had. He couldn't lie about something like this.

Nathan closed his eyes ready to vanish before she could actually leave a knife in his skull, but then Clarisse and the rest of Ares cabin that followed her around were there and the leader had told Chiara to stop and let him go. Nathan coughed as Chiara got off him and he stood, dusting himself off. Clarisse took Chiara's knives which the red head shouted in protest of but ultimately Chiara made her way to camp not allowing anyone to speak to her. Nathan sighed..he was upset that she had gotten that way but at the same time he felt a little hurt that she thought he would be the one to do it, even if he could've Nathan made a point not to cause anyone that kinda of pain and anger. Not if they didn't deserve it.

"Gods the hell I've found..." He said, not sure if anyone heard him though at the same time he didn't care. He picked up his bow and then took his swords and put them in his quiver with his arrows. He wondered what he could do to fix this issue but wasn't sure what. "May I have the knives?" He asked Clarisse expecting her to deny, but he knew that Chiara wouldn't have gone that extreme without reason, and she didn't really deserve her knives being basically stolen right in front of her