Eye

Camp Jupiter was a wonderful place. The structure of the people she housed, the architecture she held, and the uplifting feeling she carried. It was a place Dimitri wouldn't soon be forgetting. But it wasn't Camp Half Blood, and that's where Dimitri belonged until he could go home. The people there were his friends, and he worked hard to keep everyone uplifted. It was there that he could create joy and happiness among his own people. And so, that was where his course was set to. And hopefully not long after he settled back into camp, he would be leaving again for home. He couldn't wait to lose the feeling of lost when he finally got home.

Of course, the demigod wouldn't forget those that he met at Camp Jupiter. There was one person in particular, a daughter of Jupiter, that he had an unusual experience with. He'd caught her up on Temple Hill, and shortly after their meeting, Dimitri was caught in another bear trap. He'd said some dark things that he couldn't even begin to understand. He didn't know why he said what he did, and it shook him a little bit to know that a part of him that was dark hid under all of it. Dominika still helped him out of the trap, and brought him to water. He couldn't get her to talk about something that was clearly bothering her, but Dimitri promised himself he'd repay her one day.

The young demigod was skiddish and worried about the grass he was stepping in. The thought of hearing that snapping sound again brought terror to Dimitri's chest. He was en route to Camp Half-Blood, but he hadn't made it far from Camp Jupiter. He was cutting through some unmarked part of a nature trail, and he decided from there he would make his next move. The demigod glanced behind him, up to the sky. The storm clouds in the distance brought an odd smile to his face. It had nothing to do with the relevance to his mother though, it had to do with the sweet gift of water. It was water that kept his leg feeling as good as it did, despite the now several scars from the bear traps.

Dimitri continued on his walk. It was a large trail, but he didn't worry about the monsters, just the bear traps. The odds he would actually ever step on one were practically non-existent. The odds didn't matter to the demigod though, he could feel the phobia burning inside of him, as though he was afraid of heights and looking down from a skyscraper.

But he knew in his heart he had to get passed it. He had a lot to face if he wanted to make it home.

Ever since Dimitri had left, Nika had been slightly terrified of bear traps too. Those things had a deadly grip on them and if there was no release latch you were basically screwed. Remembering the oozing blood that would have trickled down his leg time after time. Blood wasn't for the faint hearts to see, and thinking about it now made Nika a little uneasy. Blood made her dizzy a lot of the time, but generally in the moment of something her brain blocks out the images.

Today Nika decided she wanted to see outside of camp again. It had been awhile and she decided she needed a new bubble space and somewhere away from camp where she could try and feel normal again. In that camp it surged an energy in you as if you were something special, as if you were different from everyone else but yet the same. Nika hated it. She hated being a child of Jupiter, she hated that she was even a demigod or whatever they called them now a days. Why did this even exist? How was it possible? It still made absolutely no sense at all.

As she was walking the streets in a small town, she looked into many shop windows. She was content until she saw her reflection and noticed it was terrifying and disgusting. She hadn't had a good sleep in gods know how long, her hair hadn't had a proper combing for a couple days, and dirt was smeared on her forehead a bit. Nika went through her pockets a bit trying to decide if she had any money for anything. She had a fair amount left over, but nothing too much. Walking into a dollar store of sorts, she picked up a brush and a small cloth and bar of soap. After paying she managed to find a water source.

After cleaning up and brushing her hair she sighed almost content. She had actually walked a bit a ways from camp, by now and hadn't been near the coast as much. She was about to sit back and relax when she heard a snap somewhere and she was alarmed. Nika got up fast and looked around at her surroundings. It wasn't safe here. She isn't the one to run but she didn't exactly bring her weapon, because she wasn't thinking.

Soon she was running, she could see the clouds up over head, and no doubt were those storm clouds rolling in her way. Great. Nika thought and continued to run through the trees weaving in and out, she thought she could hear something running after her, but every time she looked back she still saw nothing. As she continued to run she quickly looked behind again and that was when she tripped and slammed into the ground. "Shi-" Nika said grumbling and just decided to lay there for a moment and looked up to see a person right there, as she looked again she realized it was Dimitri. "Fancy seeing you here." She mentioned with a smirk on her face.

Dimitri looked out in the distance, over a rocky cliff-like structure. It wouldn't be a great place for someone who was afraid of heights. Dimitri wasn't one of those people. The last time he'd fallen off of a tall height was some time back. He remembered it fairly well though, he'd been pushed off by a serpent lady. He woke up in water, God bless it. That was when he'd first met Katarina. The demigod couldn't help but think about her every now and then. He cared deeply about her safety. He couldn't control himself in that aspect, he'd thought about her brilliant red hair real often. They shared a moment of affection for one another in a tree once. Dimitri wondered if he would feel something so enchanting every time he fell off of a cliff.

Dimitri yanked the calling card she'd given him as her going away gift. He kept it in his hand, and looked at it. He could contact the hunters whenever he wished with it, though, he suspected doing so would be nothing short of the worst choice in his life. He could imagine the silver sharp tips of weapons aimed at him. Then Dimitri heard the footsteps, of someone running, not far from him. Dimimtri was pulled away from his fantasies of a pretty hunter, and forced back into reality. Dimitri's hand reached for his dagger, without hesitation, until he saw who it was that was running.

Dominika tripped, falling next to him. The sudden ally being with him was enough to bring a smile to his face. It was good to not be alone. Dimitri quickly slipped the calling card in his pocket, he was hoping it didn't arouse many questions from her. "Yeah, you too." Dimitri replied with his overpowering southern accent. "Careful, you coulda fallen off. Guess that ain't a problem when y'know how to fly though." Dimitri jested, he knelt down and offered his hand to help her up. "Didn't think I'd see you again. 'Least for a while."

Nika had looked up and over at the cliff and she shrugged. She really could just catch air and fly before she hit the water, but cliff jumping had always seemed appealing to Nika. She heard of many doing it before but she had yet to do it herself. Soon before she realized what happened she watched him slip a card in his pocket and she raised an eyebrow, but it all shifted down to the bottom of her priority list when he offered his hand and she shook her head, getting up herself. "I don't like physical contact unless I absolutely have to, and I initiate it." Nika said in a matter of fact tone, almost in the way a snob would as she raised her nose.

"Oh you know, I decided to get away from camp for awhile." with another shrug, she stood there to survey the land that was upon her and in front of her. It was absolutely beautiful. The grass was blowing a bit with the light breeze that was coming up off the water. Giving him a sideways glance she looked over at him. "So what's the card for?" She asked going through possibilities in her mind, but that was the problem. Nika wasn't very educated on much so she had no idea what it could be.

Sighing she noticed the clouds still. Please just be rain clouds. As predicted she watched the clouds roll in and she could feel little bits of rain drops bit by bit. It wasn't time to panic and find somewhere to hide yet. Could she just wander off and hide somewhere or no? Without making it too obvious, Nika's eyes scanned what she could for possible places to hide. It'd be ideal to find a building, but if she had to, she could find some trees to be under or something for the sort.

It was a rude gesture to ignore someone's hand up, or ignore someone requesting to shake hands, where Dimitri came from. He didn't display any anger or upset though, he instead tilted his head slightly. "To each their own." Dimitri replied to her statement. He didn't know anything about her in that aspect. And some people were just born with a deep hate for physical contact. "Don't worry, I won't go 'round presssin' you to shake my hand or anythin' like that." Dimitri said, a chuckle escaping his throat. He imagined his dad meeting Dominika, and the dozens of questions he would ask her. He wasn't rude in the slightest, but he sometimes didn't understand diversity. That would be one interesting day.

Dimitri gave her a smile when she said she was getting away from camp. He knew that feeling. The world wasn't a warm place in the slightest, and sometimes being at camp wasn't good. Some demigods just had to be out here to remember who they needed to be. He related with her in that sense. And then she mentioned the card. He could nearly feel the sweat start to trickle down the back of his neck, as his chest sank. A look of fear formed in his eyes. He froze up, one hundred percent unaware of how to reply. His sorrow for Katarina turned into fear in that moment, as though he was facing the end of his life. "It-it's just..." Dimitri took a literal step back away from his Roman friend, as though she was dangerous. Silence overcame the demigod, as though his voice had been erased.

Suddenly the sound of thunder hit in the distance. It didn't even phase him, nor make him look in the distance. It was almost as though Jupiter himself was assaulting the ground, demanding the demigod tell his daughter what he wants to know. "Was uh. Was that you?" Dimitri asked, in reference to the lightning.

Nika watched as Dimitri had taken a step back from her and he had a sort of fear look across his face. A pang of hurt had surged through her body to see that he was taking a step away. Why would he do that? Weren't they friends? Even though the confusion Nika still composed herself though and she watched him. He seemed to be in a panic, she was about to open her mouth and say something when the thunder came rumbling in.

Startled she tried hard not to show it and when he asked if it was her who summoned it she shook her head. "No not me." She then began to scan the area again. The rain began to pour down hard at this point. "We should find shelter or something." Nika said softly thinking about it, she wanted to hide before the next bunch of thunder sounded and she had wrapped herself up in her own arms a bit. Trying to keep herself warm.

"You don't have to tell me about the card by the way." Sighing she started to pace a bit wanting to move before the storm got worse.

Dimitri stayed silent at her comment about not having to tell her about the card. He'd desperately wanted to confide in other people, but it was different, they didn't know he owned the card. Dominika did. Even still, there was risk. God forbid she find out and tell the hunters about it. Not only would Katarina be gone from her family, but Dimitri wouldn't even have the card anymore. The rain started pouring down, which was pretty sudden, though it didn't phase Dimitri. His mother was the goddess of sea storms, and land storms were never as fierce anyway. The water made him feel empowered as it was.

"It's just a little water. Lightnin' too, but like my dad always says, you'd have a better chance at winnin' big in Vegas." Dimitri said in reference to the storm. Rain had saved his life before. He kept pace behind her anyway, though. She'd seemed somewhat adamant that they find shelter, and Dimitri wondered if it was because of her lineage. Did lightning simply attract to her? If anything like that was the case, he was hoping the daughter of Jupiter would say something.

Dimitri didn't get wet, the pouring rain simply dropped off of him as though his entire body, clothes included, were like a duck's back. It was one of the perks of being able to will water. He could go for swims without getting wet. Even still, the thoughts of the card were deep in Dimitri's mind. He could feel the weight in his pocket, as though it was an anvil. "Dominika." Dimitri called for her. "I think I can trust you. Can I?"

The storm started crashing down, Dimitri hadn't seen rain this fierce in a long time. Even still, it didn't matter to him, as the water ignored him as though he was a human-shaped umbrella. He listened to Dominika's response, that he could trust her. He took a deep breath in, he knew that talking about this with someone would make it better. Someone who maybe even understood love that could explain it to him. And if not, at least someone would be able to help him carry the burden for at least a little bit. "Just, prom-" Dimitri opened his mouth to speak, but when he turned back towards the daughter of Jupiter, his chest literally sank at the sight below him. It tore his heart out to see one of the strongest demigods out there on the floor. He knew something was wrong, and it wasn't allergies.

Dimitri instantly was knelt beside her in concern. She was crying. She was frightened. "It's okay." Dimitri assured her, his voice was as welcoming as always, but Dimitri was sure that whatever was hurting her was buried deep within her. "Just close your eyes. Breathe. Pretend you ain't here." Dimitri said to her in an assuring tone. The position she was in bothered the demigod even further. She was terrified. What in the name of God happened to her? There was an overwhelming sense of darkness that affected her, but Dimitri had no way of knowing what it was. But he could help her. He knew it. There was no such thing as too much dark to save someone.

His arms gently went under the daughter of Jupiter to lift her off the ground. All of the water that was soaked in her clothes and hair instantly traveled to the edges of her body, where they all fell down. He could keep that water off of them. And somehow, he felt it was important to keep Dominika dry. "Keep your eyes shut. And just talk to me, Dominika. Talk to me about anythin'. I promise I'll get you out of here." Dimitri made the promise, with determination in his voice. His phobia of bear traps had temporarily faded from his mind as he rushed through the woodsy area. He couldn't see any buildings in the distance. But he did see a rocky structure.

It wasn't a deep cave, hardly more than five feet deep, but it was dry and covered. Dimitri brought his friend in, allowing his willing powers to rest. He'd been practicing them, and he was glad for that. "We're safe." Dimitri said, though he didn't let her down. He was sure that she would make it clear when she wanted to be let go. "Dominika. I can trust you." Dimitri began. "And you can trust me too. You can tell me what's wrong."

It was weird to be picked up. She hadn't been picked up since she was probably five and she'd have her mother carry her once in awhile. It was a strange feeling but she knew it was the right choice. It was the fastest way to get out of here, her energy wasn't there enough to fly and she was unable to hold her own body weight for the moment. He had asked her to shut her eyes but that scared her more, she didn't know what images could flash in her mind.

"Closing my eyes might be worse." She said softly and she could slowly feel herself become dry. Magical powers were still confusing to her but she wasn't going to complain about it. While he was going through the wooded area, she started to get dizzy a bit so she just took his advice and she shut her eyes. She didn't know what to think about, no place had really given her joy or was better than where she was now. Nika did have the idea of burning down her home back in Russia though. She wanted that bastard to suffer so bad, still to this day, he affected her life.

By the time he had found somewhere safe, Nika didn't feel like being let go of, yet. She found a strange comfort in being held. "T-thank you." She said softly, and her tears had still kept going. He said that she could trust him and she thought long and hard about it, could she really? Maybe she could start out small and just mention her fear of thunder. She hated that her small fear and the string of words had broken her apart.

"I-I'm afraid of thunder storms." She said as she leaned her head on his chest and her eyes were still closed. "There's more but I don't know if I can tell you."

Dimitri took a seat on a rock. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it was worth it to make sure Dominika had some comfort for the moment. It was typically in the demigod's nature to look out for others, but he had a special soft spot for the roman demigod. She had previously seen a dark part of him that no one else had seen and accepted it. Even saved him.

The demigod listened to the daughter of Jupiter carefully. "You can tell me anythin'. There's no kind of darkness that can't be pierced with light. Dominika, let me help you find your light." Dimitri asked of her, gently. She was still cradled in his arms, but he didn't mind it. When thunder sounded, he slightly squeezed her to assure her he was still there. "It's okay. I'm here." He promised.

"Let's take turns." Dimitri said gently. The rain was violent at this point. Dimitri was almost glad they were put of it. "I'll tell you somethin' that has happened to me. And then you. And then me again. And anythin' you aren't comfortable sharin', you don't need to. The card you saw belonged to a hunter of Artrmis. She kissed me and we shared a really strong moment. I haven't seen her since."

Dominika felt the warmth from Dimitri as they sat there and she could hear the rain drop one by one. She felt a bit safer while she was under cover and away from the thunder, would it actually hurt her? No it wouldn't but yet she was still afraid of it. Was it because she had a deep fear of meeting her father who often times was the cause of these things?

When the next strike of thunder goes off she could feel Dimitri hold her more tightly and squeeze her, and oddly enough it did give her some sort of comfort. When he proposed a deal she slowly nodded it seemed fair but she didn't have much to tell. "Well I don't have much to share just a lengthy story." She said softly but she listened to what he said.

"So what does the card do, does it just call her or something?" She asked and wiped her tears away. She waited for his response but then she took in a rigged breath and she was prepared to tell Dimitri. She was putting a lot of trust in him and she'd be crushed if it was broken. "I swear if you break this amount of trust that I am about to put in you, you're a dead man Dimitri." She said in a stern voice.

"Before I came to America, when I was younger, my mother had new husband. He was a fairly trust worthy guy for the most part." Nika had to pause for a minute trying to collect her thoughts and try not to break down. "When my mother was gone a lot of the time I had to rely on him, and I confided in him... but eventually he broke that trust." Her voice cracked a bit and she couldn't continue what she was about to say and she began to feel the gush of tears again, and they wouldn't stop. Eventually it turned into an uncontrollable sob.

(not colouring it.)

Dimitri answered her question in the gap of silence that she left him. "I assume it calls all of the hunters. She gave it to me with the last thing she said to me. And it was all in camouflaged words, so that the hunter near her didn't know she cared for me. I can't bring myself to use it anyway. God knows how many years she's been with them. No, even if I wanted to, I couldn't willingly take her away from her family." Saying that out loud was actually comforting in a sense. Dimitri yearned to feel Katarina's body pressed against his one last time. The sense of unity and belonging was overwhelming in an unreal way. Dimitri, dare he feel it, almost felt home when she had kissed him. But still, it didn't make it okay. Her home was with the hunters. And Dimitri's home was far away from any encampment of demigods. But perhaps in a different world.

Dimitri listened intently, however, when she said she was going to put trust in him. He wanted this, because it seemed clear to Dimitri that Dominika had walls stronger than a fortress. But every fortress had inhabitants. It had to have people who lived their, and kept is safe and secure, otherwise it would be nothing but hollow and abandoned. That was no way to live, and to Dimitri, it wasn't a burden or an effort, but more of an honor to be able to be someone who was here for Dominika.

She didn't like physical contact. That fact would not leave Dimitri's mind, it simply couldn't. He was holding her, after all, but it was a rare occasion. Eventually, she started to cry. And that cry quickly turned into a sob. Dimitri's arms shifted slightly more over the demigod, as though to embrace her more. "Shhh, it's okay. He's not here, he can't do anythin' to you." Dimitri's heart sank as he saw the girl break down in his arms. His thoughts raced, what had this man done to her? And yet, his thoughts set still. All he wanted to do was to make things better for the daughter of Jupiter, to fix those allergies. "What did he do?" Dimitri asked, his tone was still soft. "You don't have to tell me."

"I'm going to hug you. If that's okay with you. If not, that is okay too." Dimitri said it as a request, though he truly felt she could use it.

The sobs were more frequent; it was almost as if this was his way of not allowing her to confide in someone. All she wanted to do was cry her heart out but to have someone this close to you it almost seemed like she owed him an answer and so when she calmed down she would give it to him. But how do you say that a man took advantage of you? That could mean many things in someone else's mind.

Nika could feel Dimitris heart beat and the continuity of it was comforting and soothing enough. Focusing on that she slowly returned the previous sobs to tears rolling down her face. "You can hug me." She spoke softly, as she allowed the demigod to hug her. It wasn't often she let anyone in, but this Greek demigod was an exception.

"He took something very important and special to me, he took it and he abused his authority, at first it seemed innocent and it was just a hug or a kiss on the forehead goodnight, but it developed to much more and there was nothing I could do" Nika began to gush out more warm tears unable to stop and that was when she buried her head in his chest, "I can't have back what I lost and he still haunts my mind to this day."

(Crappy phone post)

Dimitri's mind cycled as the mighty daughter of Jupiter spoke. And although she was in tears, Dimitri still considered her to be more strong than ever. Confiding in someone who could die the next day and lives on the other side of the country, in a land where there are only two places safe from beasts. That in itself was an act of bravery, though for Dominika, Dimitri suspected it was much harder to do for the demigod than it would for other people. His mind scanned her words, trying to figure out exactly what she was saying. The sobs broke his heart, Dominika didn't deserve any of this. Then suddenly, what she might be saying crossed his mind.

Dimitri's expression turned into a shocked one. The took the girl he was holding, and he adjusted her onto his lap, and he hugged her tightly. He didn't let go either, he simply kept her in his arms. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, it was one of the most disturbing things for a human being to do. "It's okay to cry, Dominika." Dimitri said in a hushed voice. He guided her head to his shoulder, and didn't bother to will any of her tears away from him. Magic was the last thing on his mind when he was presented with a world so black and white. So horrid. Had he not been trying to comfort his friend, he might have cried himself.

"I'm so sorry." Dimitri said, cradling the daughter of Jupiter. Lightning sounded, and Dimitri mentally cursed at the god of thunder. "It's okay. Cry it out. Nothin' is gonna hurt you here, I promise." Dimitri just focused on keeping her body embraced with his, he knew she didn't like physical contact. But he remembered when he was just a kid, a hug made anything feel not so bad in that moment. He hated Jupiter, he could feel it. How could he assault the land and scare his daughter while she was going through this? The anger was so dull though, compared to the concern for his friend. He continued to hold her tightly.

Feeling her body being enclosed in by the arms of the demigod, she couldn't even fight it. Not that she would, it was nice to have comfort in a way she normally doesn't get. She could trust Dimitri though, at least she hoped she could. Nika had already let loose of some skeletons that were in her closet. Although it was hardly a closet at all, more like a tightly sealed vault with no clues of how to enter it. Yet it opened a short bit for Dimitri. It was amazing how many tears she could shed and still have a bunch more to go through.

Nika could feel her body tremor a bit, and she tried to focus on making it stop. She needed some sort of continuity and something that was similar to a schedule, it could help her. When she heard him mention it was okay to cry, she shook her head. "Crying is weakness, you never show weakness." Although that's exactly what she was doing now. Pathetic, was the only word she could think of for herself. She let that man take over her life, he is there in every haunting moment, and the reason she can't be close to others. It was so pathetic, who let someone dictate her life like that? Why was she so weak? It almost made her blood boil over with anger, but her lack of energy would prevent much from happening.

Leaning her head up against his shoulder where he was guiding it. She wiped her tears away for more to form and flow over. "You know why I hate my father? The one making this horrid storm? Is because I know he doesn't have many children, he had all the time to watch over me, and he could have stopped it, he could have done something, but he's a f***ing useless tool." She said with such distaste for the man, and as she said it, a loud crack of thunder could be heard echoing through the small spot they were in.

Dimitri didn't say anything. He wanted her to let everything out, if that was even possible. All the sadness in frustration that had been hidden away in the daughter of Jupiter, it was horrible. But he knew, there was a way for her to let it go, there just had to be. He listened to her words about her father, Jupiter. He was portrayed as an almighty god, the one that rules them all. But as that loud crack of thunder sounded, loud enough to make people yell from the surprise, Dimitri didn't move an inch. His expression darkened at the thought of Jupiter, on his throne feeling high and mighty, like his daughter had no right to talk about him like that. He didn't like the god. And now, he could feel a sense of hatred in him. Jupiter, who followed no rules, couldn't be bothered to save his daughter from years and years of misery.

Silence overcame him, but not for long. "Cryin' ain't weak." Dimitri said softly to Dominika. "Cryin' is just a release. You need this. Christ, Dominika, you've needed this for so long, I'd bet my life on that." Dimitri was whispering into her ear at this point. He wasn't sure if the sound of rain would be calming or frightening to her, as rain was calming, but it also was an indicator of thunder. Most things were absent in his mind, he hadn't even thought about Katarina or the calling card, not with the horrific terrors unfolding in front of him. All he could think about was how cruel life had been to Dominika. He hadn't even mentally acknowledged the curse, which was something he never did.

Dimitri was always careful to never speak ill of any god, especially not by name. He would be suggestive, but never blunt about his negative feelings against gods. "I'm sorry your father didn't do anythin'." Dimitri said, a shaky breath leaving his throat. The horror she'd been through was so much, the young demigod could hardly believe it. Dimitri didn't know where the words came from, but they simply rose; "I hate Jupiter. And I hate your mother's husband even more." Thunder cracked down even harder to them, but it didn't phase Dimitri. Somewhere within him, he'd misplaced his fear for angering the gods.

And somehow. He'd learned to hate.

Staying silent as the rain could be heard trickling down, and the smell of wet dirt could fill her nose. It wasn't a bad smell so to speak though. Rain had never really bothered her, she already knew there was a thunder storm going on and there was nothing to stop the bolts from striking the earthen ground. Hearing the words that Dimitri said she was a bit stern about them. It wasn't okay to cry though. Look how weak she was just being held in someone else's arms, crying unable to stop and lacking energy to move. It really was the most pathetic sight that could probably be seen in Nika's eyes.

She was shocked at the fact that he spoke out loud about hating Jupiter. Looking at the boy you wouldn't peg him to be the type that would have hatred in him. You would think of him to be the one who enjoyed everyone or welcomed everyone, giving them all a chance. Was this her doing? Or was it the bear traps? The boy had said some dark stuff last time he had been stuck in a bear trap and it made her wonder how he really viewed the world now a days.

Nika knew her view of the world wasn't that everyone was a bad person, just more so, there wasn't many people to trust. She hates her past and what happened to her and she hates the people involved. Such as her mother, step father, and father. They were all cowards and there wasn't enough hatred in the world for Nika to radiate off. Every fiber of her being was meant to hate them, and she wasn't sure if she could forgive them. Even if she were to, she'd never forget. For the most part, the tears on her face were starting to dry, and her sadness was just being replaced with the hatred. "Well if I needed this, then I refuse to do it again. I let it out, so now it can be pushed back down for another crap ton of years. I can't let my guard down again." Speaking with a mildly stern but oddly soft voice as she spoke, but she didn't move from her position yet.

The sternness in her voice shook Dimitri. He felt as though she'd let him into a door, and that she was closing it now. A connection, one that clearly wasn't a common link for the daughter of Jupiter, so it seemed, was being severed. Dimitri didn't know what to say, a trait that he once rarely experienced, though now it was something he felt more and more commonly. Dimitri's expression turned into a blank look, while he thought about everything that had happened to the daughter of Jupiter. And the powerlessness in him awakened, despite being a person who could use water to heal wounds and breathe in water as though it was the purest oxygen. Despite having taken on cyclopes and serpent monsters, in the one way that it mattered, he was powerless.

He didn't let her go still, though it wasn't like he was forcing her to hug him. What had happened? He was hugging her, and he was making sure she was okay. And as though a cosmic force was at work, suddenly she was okay and he wasn't. He almost wanted to cry himself, in place of her fallen tears. He'd thought that watching her cry was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, but it turned out that watching her  not cry was even harder. Imagining the torment within her made him feel pure misery. And he couldn't figure out why the world had seemed so dark to the young demigod suddenly.

He stood there in silence. Everything was so dark and awful again, just like when he'd gotten caught in the bear trap. He was an animal waiting to be hunted, and it seemed as though Dominika was someone who hunted, rather than was hunted. "Yeah..." Dimitri said, a darkness within him now becoming abundant. He thought about never seeing his family again, which was the ultimate cost to him. If he was prey, didn't that make them the same? "I- I uh. I understand. I wish you didn't feel this way, but, I understand."

The demigod began to be silent after she said what she did. Dimitri didn't seem to take it well. Slowly she could feel her energy come back, although she was convinced it was just good time, it was due to the searing anger inside of her. It was just starting to bubble. She couldn't be so weak, and she couldn't believe the crap that had happened to her. She was shaking her head now, thinking only it was happening mentally but it wasn't.

It was almost as if the caged demons within her were now being released at let to roam a bit. She could feel it now and she could be close to a breaking point, although this one wouldn't end in tears, this one would end in mass destruction. Perhaps even in the destruction of herself. "You don't understand, that's the thing. Last time I let my guard down and was vulnerable I was taken advantage of with no one to save me. If I leave myself open and vulnerable I am just asking for it to happen again." Nika's fists were balling up at this point and a single tear streamed down her face but she refused to cry again, she rejected it from happening. Although her fists were shaking as they were balled up.

Dimitri's words halted and faltered, and quickly too. What was he supposed to say? It wasn't like he was a sponge that was saturated with good faith any longer. The young demigod was once full of ambition, optimism, and pride. It was now that every loose nook and cranny was full of doubt, depression, and hopelessness. Dimitri had formerly been hugging her, but at this point his arms were pretty loose around her. His eyes weren't wandering anywhere, despite the storm going on and the person in front of him. His eyes simply focused on the dirt in front of him. He became overwhelmed with the choice in front of him; to admit that she was right and that it was hopeless to try or to take on some past form of himself and try and do what he would have believed was right.

There was no revelation. It was almost as though it was a coin toss to decide.

"I get it." Dimitri was completely unaware with whatever was going to come out of his mouth. But in any case, they came out as hopeless words. As though they were the last of their kind in a world where they were hunted. "I get how it looks. That things ain't ever gonna be different." There weren't any more words to come afterwards. He was on empty, with no particular path to take.

Moments and moments passed. He didn't even know how long he waited, much less did it even manage to bring any concern to him. "It can though. It has to be able to. You need to be able to come back from this." The desperation was abundant in his voice. At this point it seemed like he was saying something in hopes it was true, rather than saying something because it was true.

Dominika hated how weak she felt and how hopeless everything was. She didn't know how she wanted to feel. She wanted to keep putting up the strong front that she had developed to do. The conflict between wanted to be completely broken and act together was the worst.

Her eyes glossed over and the tears were welling up. The beating of her heart felt more like clenching and she could feel it get tighter and it made her want to just curl over and hunch over and forget everything that she knew and the world she lived in. She wanted to just be an empty vessel, she wanted to feel nothing and be nothing. Nika felt herself holding on to a ledge and her knuckles becoming white trying to hold on to the last piece of light she had before she slipped into complete and eternal darkness.

Nika had lost all fight in her body and her small frame collapsed against his, she wanted to punch him but at the same time she couldn't. She had been leaning up against him. "How? It's been years since I have been tormented, how do you come back, Dimitri?" Nika could feel her lip tremble and the pools in her eyes flood over. "It feels like I am stuck in limbo and I can't go to either place and I'm stuck and I don't want to be." Her voice was quiet and soft, and hardly audible by the last word. She felt shattered and broken, but physically she was perfectly intact.

Dimitri didn't have any answers for the daughter of Jupiter. For a long time he had been standing on the edge of outstanding morals and actions. To do the right thing was simply his way, up until now. But then, horror after horror, setback after setback, loss after loss, he was gone once more. Everything he'd ever known was a sham, and he could no longer try and deny it. The truth was that things weren't going to be okay. Misery would fill up every ounce of him, quite possibly even take the place of his blood. And by the time he had realized it all, it was too late for him to save himself any grief.

He was a foolish boy who lived in an unsafe camp. In a world full of monsters that would hunt you down and do whatever it took to destroy you; and those monsters weren't all the kind that were huge and scaley. Some of those monsters were in the shape of people, people who looked like they were good. But the reality of the world was that good people didn't exist. They all died.

It wasn't Dominika's weight against Dimitri that caused him to fall down, but more of the mental and emotional exhaustion. Dimitri fell backwards onto the rocky surface, the back of his head clipping a dull rock. Dominika had his body to fall on, provided she hadn't caught herself from falling. Dimitri's body attempted to release his emotions, in an attempt to keep him stable. Sudden sobs rose from his throat and tears dwelled in his eyes. He couldn't manage to speak calm or legible sentences any longer. The demigod was gone.

"I-I-I d-don'" Dimitri couldn't get out full words. He attempted to speak, again and again. But he couldn't, with the intensity of his crying he was hardly breathing enough choking breaths to stay conscious.