A New Foe (LEAR PLOT, Open, Romans invited)

Evander was quiet for several moments listening to people discuss things. He was inclined to agree with Dimitri. "I am inclined to agree with Dimitri, we might very well do better sending people out to investigate this... Lear. Whoever he is. And keep ears and eyes open for anyone acting funny in camp. Either camps, since the Romans know where we are as well."

Given normal circumstances, Eloise would not be here. She was the type that stayed out of the drama, preferring the company of a laptop and netflix. She wasn’t the warrior or the leader type. Yet fate had decided to throw her out of her comfort zone with nothing but her sanity and the desperate need for closure.

Perhaps she would be in a better state if they knew who had done it. It was hard to get past something when it was all people could talk about. It was an open wound that kept her from getting better and there was no amount of “talking about it” or netflix marathons that could fix it. At this point, all she needed were answers.

Louie knew she was late, but it had taken a lot of willpower to show up. She had paced back and forth in front of her bunk, trying to decide whether or not she should even come. But she did. She quietly slipped in the room, her eyes going straight to the objects on the table. Pictures, of course there would be pictures. She just wished some of them had been when Ari was alive. She could’ve provided some. The note was there too, still slightly crumpled from where she had held it in her fist.

Louie looked around at the other demigods in the room. She didn’t say anything, just listened, standing near the back of the room. After seeing the photos, part of her wanted to bolt from the room. But her feet seemed to be stuck in place, as if some part of her was saying you need to be here.

Ooc: hopefully it isn't too late for me to join

Dimitri's head titled up, and he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. He took in everything that was being said to him, though he was grateful to have Evander on his side. Evander had taught him to fight way back when he'd first decided he was ready to start wandering outside of camp. Dimitri had learned most of his survival and combat instinct outside of camp when he'd gathered the courage to leave, but at the end of the day, it was Evander who inspired that spark. Dimitri wouldn't be as capable as he was today if Evander hadn't agreed to teach him. He returned a nod to Evander.

His head turned to Dominika. He knew so much about her, and her struggles with social affairs was something he knew about all too well. It was something he'd never struggled with in the slightest, but he felt sadness for her. She would recover from all the damage life had done to her, she was strong, Dimitri was sure of that. Dominika had done so much for Dimitri too. Despite the person he was now, he hadn't forgotten his roots. These were good people, and they deserved a better tomorrow. Dimitri approached Dominika. and the girl in the corner. He put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We'll find those answers. We will." Dimitri promised, to the entirety of the room. He stepped away from the pair, he didn't want to talk about his old home, but he knew that was the only lead they might have for Lear. "Listen, we've gotten through a lotta things in the past. I'm not sayin' this will be easy, we've all lost somethin', but that doesn't mean we gotta lose somethin' else." Dimitri made the statement, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to settle with that. Maybe everyone; maybe nobody. "We've done so much, together, all've us. The titans, the giants, Hephaestus's robots, all the monsters that hunt us. We've conquered, and we'll conquer again. I think I know where a lead might be for Lear."

Brianna waited patiently, but she was becoming anxious. Now some of the campers were questioning if it hadn't been one of their own. Niall felt her stomach churn slightly. She'd always had to fight monsters, not other demigods...if there was one weak point to her fighting style, it was that she never accounted on trying to best one of her own kind... Part of her didn't even process the idea that someone from this camp, a safe place, would even consider doing something so...foul...
If they really were going to investigate this Lear, they'd literally have to be in several places at once--at both camps, and on whatever trail Dmitri had mentioned before--In her own personal experience, splitting up your ranks was worthwhile if you had the intel or the bodies to spare. They had neither. What other options did they have but to try and get to the bottom of things? It was a precarious decision to make.

"Morale's awful low 'round camps to be goin' off wandering after phantoms. We still need folks here, strong folks, folks that people look up to. We pull too many people to go lookin' around, and it'll just make campers feel more anxious," Niall noted, going back to chewing on her hair, nodding her head over to Dominika. "An' the lass there's right, there's no need to go assuming anything 'til we have a sure lead," she added.
"I don't like the idea o' leavin' camp, even if it were a small number, t'go off chasin' leads...but, 'f we don't look, we'll like s'not lose this he or she's trail. On the one hand, we need folks to keep eyes on things here, n' on the other, we need to look for clues. Normally I'd not suggest we go splittin' off our forces, but'n this case, we got no choice. N' any case, a choice's gotta be made here on our next move, n' we best pick it carefully. S'no reason to go stormin' off into somethin' and it end up making us a bigger target." She drummed her fingers along her arms again. "This Lear's experienced. S'not a whole lot of folks that can go about doin' something so accurate 's snappin' necks. That takes practice, an' a lot of discipline, with somethin' that clean. Like s'not they're already a few steps ahead o' whatever it is we're gonna plan out, 'specially if it's true that they're one of ours. What'er we decide, we best do it quick, n' do it smart. S'no point in takin action if it aren't thought through first."

With a hearty shrug, the Norseling took her position away from the outer circle of the group, stepping forward. If nothing else, Dimitri had gotten her riled up. Gods be damned if she wasn't going to contribute somehow in making this horrible situation right...to bring the law to this ghostly, murderous monster. Everybody had lost something here. Now was the moment where, perhaps, they could get something back...and give something back as well. The pride and promise of getting beyond the things that had happened to the Camps, through the wars, through the skirmishes with one another, and through the hardships of all these new faces (and pantheons) showing themselves...yes, a lot of it had been shattered. Hope was dimming quickly...anybody who'd entered the camp from the outside could see it. Niall had sensed it just by stepping inside its boarders. This one incident had all but broken that promise of a better tomorrow, clouding it with fear and mistrust.
They could stop this. They could end this pain. Together they could bring back the hope and passion to these campers...these demigods...these kids.
They were all just kids, after all. They deserved to live life well, didn't they?

"N any case, consider me y'first volunteer, for what'er you decide t'stick me on."

A girl approached Louie, someone she had never seen around camp before. Then again, she didn’t recognize anyone in this room. But the fact that the girl understood her situation, and offered her words of support, well that made the whole ordeal just a bit more bearable. She gave the girl a nod, and said “Thank you,” quietly.

But then her attention turned back to the matter at hand. Another boy joined her and the girl, giving words of wisdom. Louie had to admit, she was expecting there to be less morale building and more “oh my god we’re going to die” talk. That was another surprise that kept her from leaving the room.

Another girl volunteered to fight for the cause, and in that moment, Louie found herself saying something she had never expected.

“I want in too.” It was then that Louie realized she wanted something more than answers. She wanted revenge.

Nestor doubted his claims. They knew nothing about Lear. They didn't even know if Lear was a he or she. All they knew about him slash her was that she murdered Hawthorne. And she wasn't planning on stopping her killing spree.

"Fine. Count me in. Whatever this lead is."

Dimitri couldn't help but see himself in the girl. She'd lost something she loved so dearly, and she wanted the killer to pay. Dimitri still felt an ocean of waves washing over into sadness within him when he thought about his parents. He'd finally tried to go back to them years later, and it had been too late. They'd been fed to monsters like they were animals, and the image was forever burned into the demigod's brain. He yearned to tell them so much, to just have one conversation with them to tell them he loved and appreciated them. That conversation would never come. Dimitri just knew that Louie must have the same regrets.

Dimitri had his revenge. It hadn't fixed anything, but he wouldn't dare try to talk her down from it. It was something she would decide for herself when the time came. Dimitri decided he was going to make sure she would have that chance, regardless.

A long forgotten sense of hope returned to Dimitri. So many of these people in the room meant something to him, and they were there to stand with him. So often at Camp Half-Blood, strong personalities collided instead of forming together. But, here and now when they needed it the most, people were agreeing. He was proud of everyone, especially Brianna, he knew it wasn't so simple for her to play on this team. But he also knew she'd always stood for the right thing.

Even still, Dimitri felt a dull sting in his chest when Dominika didn't speak up. He wasn't sure if people would stand with him, but he did feel certain Dominika would. Having the opposite happen left the demigod uneasy. He cared so deeply for the daughter of Jupiter, but he felt as though there was a void that had slowly been opening between them. He hadn't gone to visit her when he skipped camp, and every time he'd written her, he didn't send the letter and ended up burning it. It was a dark time, but Dimitri was beginning to realize how much he wish he'd gone to see her.

His hand slowly crept down to hers, entangling his fingers with Dominika's. Whether or not she was happy with him, he was sure she wouldn't knock him away. He gave her hand a quick squeeze. He wanted to talk, but this wasn't the time or place for it. He'd make it all up to her one day.

"There's a farm, in Wyomin'." Dimitri said. "I know it ain't really right next door, but it's the one place we can at least start. Last time we had these sorta monsters, workin' for people, we cleared the hills they occupied. The farm ain't fully cleared yet. These monsters were trained by people, and there could be evidence still layin' 'round there. Even if we don't find anythin' incriminatin' to other people, we should still see what we can learn from these monsters. They were obidient. God knows what they're capable of showin' us. Dimitri spoke as though there was nothing wrong. But on the inside, he didn't feel ready to see where his parents were killed again so soon.

But he had to be, right now. Everyone did.

Evander cocked his head, looking between Brianna, Dimitri and the Roman Nika. He ran a hand over his buzzed short hair, then made a noise in the back of his throat. "Mmm. What's to say this guy that was training monsters as pets has anything to do with this Lear fellow? Seems a bit of a stretch to me to connect them. Although I guess we don't have much else to go on. Ain't something we've had to deal with before."

The son of Ares took a seat, shooting a look over to the letter that was on the table. "It is true that it's hard to kill someone by breaking their neck. You have to be quick and strong, and that makes it a hell of a lot more likely that it is a demigod. Why don't we send out a small team, no more than three, to investigate this farm, but also check around for which demigods were out of camp during that time. Anyone who's been talking against the gods and what not. I'll go ahead and say my father is a right b@stard, but I don't have a problem with the rest of the pantheon."

"Alright ya miserable gits." Nestor imitated Johnny Quick from Justice League - Crisis on Two Earths. The movie was excellent. And so was that guy's British accent. Back to the point, if they were going out in a group of three, not everyone were getting out of Camp. On the other hand, if they went in groups of 5-7, every monster within a 888 miles range can smell them and trace the scent, thus destroying their entire plan. "I agree with Sir Ares Demigod here. We should send 3 or less demigods to investigate this matter. To the place" he gestured to Dimitri. "he mentioned. The farm. And maybe if we wanted to check who left and entered Camp, we can ask Chiron. He supervises things around here." Nestor shrugged.

"Yeah, good thinkin'. But even Chiron only has one pair of eyes, he can't be everywhere at once. Maybe seein' if Argus saw somethin', or even gettin' the harpies involved could be helpful. W'could always talk to the cabin leaders, too. Let's not forget, there's a whole other camp we oughta communicate with, get them to do the same." Camp Jupiter was far more organized than Camp Halfblood, Dimitri figured it might be a lot easier to spot anomalies there than in their own camp. "We should send word to their praetors. Have them do a similar investigation." Either way, Dimitri figured it might be a little tricky. Lots of demigods, himself included, could have been outside while Ariadne was.

Three, that was the number that was so sacred when it came to the Greeks. They were looking for strays, and so in that sense, having a bigger team may have proved useful. Dimitri didn't voice that opinion just yet; he could work with just a group of three being sent if need be. Brianna had a good point especially; strong people also had to be at camp. "Three people could work. I've made it there'nd back alone. Either way, I'm goin'." Dimitri just had to go, it wasn't an option. For him to sit out on something so close to him seemed so wrong. He'd rather face the hell than run from it. "Does anybody want to come with me on this?" Dimitri figured if he had volunteers to go with him, it would be easier to decide how many people would go.

"If we're bein' honest, puttin' our views on the table. No, I ain't a big fan've many gods. Just a small few." Not that it mattered; Dimitri couldn't lie to save his life. He would have said the same thing, even had Evander not come out with his own thoughts. "But I am a fan of a lotta demigods." Dimitri felt that was enough. He'd stood with Camp Halfblood as long as he could remember. He'd never hurt, much less kill, a being's children to hurt them indirectly.

So that was two out of three positions occupied. There was one more slot. But who? Eh, who am I kidding Nestor thought, before standing up. "I'll go." he said, though he wasn't sure they were gonna accept. Probably a reject. "I'm a strategist. You know, since my mom's Athena."

Louie stayed quiet as all three spots were taken. Although she wanted to be in on the action, she just wasn’t ready to jump in right now. Besides, she had to stay alive until she could get her revenge and a house full of monsters didn’t seem like the best idea. Not to mention her lack of fighting skills. Part of her wished she could go back to her sixteen year old self and shake her, telling her to practice more. Maybe then she could’ve been more confident in volunteering.

But she still had a role in this, she would just have to wait and figure it out. But she wasn’t keen on being a victim, or girlfriend of a victim.

Listening to the many volunteers after Dimitri's speech made Niall almost smile.
Almost.
Still, the Greeks and the Romans had their little traditions. Three was the magic number, after all. She was glad the Norse weren't so terribly superstitious, but it also meant she wasn't going to be on the expedition. Brianna cursed her sh1te luck under her breath, but showed nothing past her usual resting face. Someone had to stay behind. Someone had to keep this camp safe. With no place for the living Norse children to go, this was as much her home now as any of the other Greek children.

She really didn't have much of an option, anyway. It was better the Greek go investigate the matter on their own. After all...the victim had been one of theirs, the crime committed on their territory. At least staying put here, she could look further into people lingering around the area...Stupid as she found it for anybody associated with the negative face of this event to be sticking around, it wasn't unbelievable that Lear might leave a lose end. Even Demigods, if this Lear was one of their own, made mistakes...and those mistakes would be the way they'd begin to seek justice out on them.

"I'll keep behind," Brianna muttered, biting back on her disdain of keeping in one place with all her might. "Asides from not wanting to be a fourth wheel an' all, I can keep a look on things. I've lived long enough a time out in the boonies t'know how to see the abnormal when I come across it. I'll search around the area...see if I can't find some manner o' clue as t'anybody who coulda helped out our friend Lear." With a shrug, she folded her arms across her chest again. "I aren't no Sherlock Holmes, but I c'n spot things in nature at least that aren't supposed to be there. On the matter o' who around here coulda been the helpin' hand, if there are such a thing in this situation, it'd help me some t'have someone who's been here for longer than the few minutes I have."

Niall knew this wasn't something her father would be particularly proud of, but out of respect, she was going to stay put on her decision, no matter how much she hated keeping put. Besides, if something happened in one of the camps again, it wasn't left to chance that there'd be someone to defend. If this happened again, if this wasn't the first victim...at least she would be around to try and prevent it, maybe even catch the person behind it. It was a long shot, but Brianna had a sinking feeling in her stomach...This Lear fellow was trying to send a message, and the chances were that they weren't quite done talking just yet. She wasn't about to gamble lives for the sake of her own pride.

"Well, okay then." Dimitri said. To him it was beginning to look like the plan was a done deal. He felt a sense of content, if not a little unease to go with it. The plan seemed simple. There was still a feint smile on the demigods face. As long as they all continued getting along, things were going to work out just fine. His hand was still entangled with Dominika's; he didn't have any desire to let go any time soon. Dimitri looked around the table, at his friends. In the moment, he realized they might be more. This camp, and these people, maybe they were his family.

"We'll keep an eye on people comin' and goin', keep it all logged from here goin' forward. Dominika, Nestor, and I are gonna go to the farm. When we come back, we'll talk 'bout what we found and see if we can't figure out who our mystery person'is." Dimitri looked to Brianna and Evander. He'd feel safer with either one of them around; they were both excellent fighters. But he was more than confident in his own abilities after everything he'd been through. "Everyone be safe." Dimitri said.

"Anythin' else we need'ta cover? Any questions?" Dimitri asked, checking for any loose ends. The meeting was coming to a close, relatively quickly too, compared to other meetings. It was a pleasant change of pace, especially when things were so urgent.