The Phrontistery (aka Victoria's bunk)

Oh, dear, another bower. Athena was flattered -- although the feeling was dulled by centuries of being bowed to, anyway -- and nodded at Victoria to stand up. "Hello, my daughter; I see you've been taking care of yourself nicely. Please, stand -- this is not a formal occasion, just a friendly checkup visit."

She took a quick glance around the cabin, noting that she'd have to talk to Dionysus about maybe installing another window or two -- the lighting was very poor, but then again, that might have been because Athena had been laying in the dark pondering her strategies for the potential war in her Olympian home before coming to check on Victoria. Athena's hand drifted over to her notebook to pick up the pen, which she twirled between her fingers as she gazed at her daughter. "I suppose you've been having a good deal of fun lately?"

"Mhmm. Well, I would say I'm fine for the time being -- what with all the events with Gaea and the war that may or may not come, all of the gods are... stressed." Athena sighed, shaking her head sadly. They had just gotten out of the second Titan War, only to be forced to be on high alert in case of further war events. It was tiring that all the old gods were attempting to rise to power again -- almost cliche, to Athena's exasperated mind.

"But I'm not here to complain to you about Olympus," the goddess continued, clearing her throat. "I also have a bit of a present for you; it's a bit too early to consider it a Christmas present, but perhaps we can excuse it as a... birthday present? I don't know. I don't give presents often." And with that, the gray-eyed goddess waved her hand and, on Victoria's bunk, appeared what seemed to be only a giant lump wrapped in a blanket. Athena eyed the package cautiously and turned back to Victoria: "Open it carefully; it has a tendency to cause... panic. Almost."

ooc: Sorry this is a bit late.

OOC: It's absolutely alright =)

BIC:

Victoria listened to her mother with a smile; she was unsure of how to react to her immediate presence. Athena acted as if this were only a casual visit, like she was coming round once every week for a cup of tea - had she any idea of Victoria's astonishment and delight? The fourteen-years-old couldn't take her eyes off the goddess.
She had inherited her blonde hair and piercing gray eyes as well as her athletic built, she noticed. However, Athena had much stronger features than her; her chin, cheekbones and swan neck just seemed to be carved out of marble, and she walked and moved with an assurance and majesty Victoria doubted she possessed - on the other hand, she wasn't a goddess.

However, as Athena announced she had a gift for her, Victoria couldn't restrain her eyes from widening. A gift from one's godly parent was a rare honor. In fact, she would be the only one of her cabin, along with Annabeth, to own something Athena had given her.
Annabeth had a Yankees baseball cap that could make her invisible, what would Victoria get?

A piece of cloth appeared on her bunk bed, it was obviously wrapped around something. A bit unnerved by Athena's warning, Victoria stalked over to the bed and carefully pulled one corner of the cloth aside. It revealed something metallic, of matte color. Victoria identified it as celestial bronze - was she about to be given a weapon? Her hyperactivity took over and she pulled the whole cloth away.
And let out an involuntary scream.
She was so scared she had the impression that ice had been injected into her veins, even the capillary ones, freezing her blood. It was worse than when the spiders had found her at night, when she had been younger.
But there was no mistaking to what it was.

"Aegis," she whispered, closed her eyes tightly in order to escape the frightful sight, turned around and opened them again to look at Athena. "This is Aegis... well, a replica of Aegis, your breast plate, isn't it?"

Victoria knew that Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, carried a shield named Aegis, where the head of the Gorgo Medusa was depicted; Victoria now owned the same, but the horrifying face of the monster was pictured on a breast plate instead of a shield. However, Victoria had already seen Thalia's Aegis, and hers was more frightening than Vic's. Well, she was the daughter of Zeus, so it was probably normal she had mightier weapons than a mere daughter of Athena.
But Victoria was immensely pleased by the present and she addressed her mother a deeply grateful smile.

"Thank you, mother," she stated.

ooc: Aaannndd again, sorry for the delay; I've been swamped with school stuff lately.

bic:

Athena was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, partly out of curiosity towards her daughter's reaction and partly because this posture was somewhat comfortable to her, as she watched her daughter open up her present -- and scream. Of course she would have, it was a replica of Aegis she was unveiling so rashly. The goddess was slightly amused, but she hid it by sighing and shaking her head slightly. Apparently, even the most intelligent people can make a -- dare she say it -- stupid mistake. "Yes, a replica of my breastplate; you don't know how many drachmas it took to get Hephaestus to make a copy of it. He isn't much of a fan of looking at the thing either, even though he is a god.... But you are welcome. Use it carefully."

The goddess proceeded to stand up and, in two long strides, had reached Victoria's bunk and was leaning over it. She picked up the covering and threw it back over the breastplate, shaking her head slightly as she glanced back at her daughter: "You must be more prudent. I understand you have ADHD, but when I warn you about its effects you shouldn't open it so suddenly like that. I have seen demigods have heart attacks when regarding something like an Aegis copy so suddenly, and I wouldn't like to lose more children of mine so soon."

Straightening herself, Athena found that she was basically looking down at the top of her daughter's head. Aah, yes -- the godly stature, when they choose to assume a mortal form. It was a wonderful tool for intimidation, but for now, the goddess wasn't looking to scare anybody, much less her own daughter.

OOC: It's alright. But I need Victoria now, before the Halloween dance starts^^ Two people want to RP with her.

BIC: Victoria noticed her mother's sigh and head-shake; and she flushed. She knew she had made a mistake... she could've deduced it even before opening it! She had seen something metallic, like an armor, and Athena had said it might provoke panic. Of course it was Aegis!
... Or the Kuneion, but that was Hades's attribute, not Athena's.

Her cheeks still red with shame, she nodded.

"I understand, mother. I am sorry."

Sometimes, ADHD could be very tricky. Victoria had managed to get over her dyslexia for the most part, but it was outbalanced by a strong ADHD. It was nasty, since it often disturbed her when she was trying to concentrate.

Suddenly, the Aegis seemed to fade away under the cloth until it was a grey Harvard vest; Victoria's eyes widened, and she smiled at her mother, but the goddess had already disappeared.

The young girl sat down on her neat bed and took the cloth away, revealing the grey Harvard shirt. There wasn't only 'Harvard' written in wine red letters, but also a stylized Medusa head (which of course doesn't look scary) in the same color, just under the university's name. Victoria felt the urge to put it on, and slid it over her narrow shoulders; it was perfectly her size.

I knocked on the door, to see if anyone was there. When I didn't hear a response, I opened the door to see my half-sister Victora and her friend Jason sitting on the bed. Perfect timing, I wanted to go as a group to the Halloween dance. I wanted to get closer to my sister and wanted to make some more friends so why not invite Jason and Victoria? I mean I didn't have many friends so I was trying to socialize.

"Hey Victoria, Jason. I have a quick question, so the Halloween dance is coming up and I wanted to do a group thing so do you guys wanna go with me?" I said with my voice squeaking a little.

I relized that they were right in a conversation, and I interupted. I let the ADHD get the best of me, when I get to exited all the common sense leaves my brain and I just ramble. I saw a Harvard sweatshirt on the bed. My eyes widened for I wanted to get into Harvard someday.

"Whoa, is that a Harvard sweatshirt? That is really awesome! So did you get in?"

I was playing 20 questions, my sister was smart enough to get into Harvard early. Even though she was 14 she is a daughter of Athena and is very smart. I almost forgot about the Halloween dance, if they wanted to go with me to the dance I kinda had an idea for the coustume.

As soon Victoria finished speaking, Lizzie burst into the cabin. She was wearing the regular orange Camp shirt and a pair of jeans. Her blonde hair was loosely hanging around her shoulders.

"Hey Elizabeth," Victoria stated. "Jason.. this is Elizabeth, my younger half-sister. Elizabeth, this is Jason, from the Apollo cabin."

Victoria didn't say Jason was her boyfriend. She didn't even know if Lizzy knew it... probably not.

She had mentored Elizabeth when she had come to Camp, a couple of years ago, and Lizzy had looked up to her ever since. She started talking about the Halloween dance, and Victoria's eyebrows rose.

"You know, Lizzy, I'm not much the party type. I don't even know how to dance," she said.

OOC: Yeah. Jason's gonna convince her XD

BIC: It was true; Victoria had never been invited to a party, let alone attended one. She had no experience of that kind of things, at all; the closes she had ever got to a party was when her father had taken her to a scientific meeting in a beautiful mansion in Geneva, when she was twelve, where the party guests had sat in various rooms, drinking expensive wine and eating petit fours and other snacks provided by caterers while discussing complex physical subjects.

Even though most people would find it boring, Victoria had had a lot of fun; she had impressed quite a lot of scientists by her knowledge and quick understanding. The party guests soon stopped condescending to her because of her young age.

Lizzy spotted Victoria's Harvard sweat-shirt and Vic smiled.

"I'm not going to Harvard yet, little sister," she smiled. "I'm only in eleventh grade."

Well, 'only'.
She was in eleventh grade, and she was fourteen. She had skipped three grades at school, so saying she was 'only' in eleventh grade, scientific section, and being fourteen, was a bit ironical.

"However...."

Should she tell Elizabeth about Athena and the gift? It felt so personal.... She didn't know. She didn't want the whole Camp to know it, even if they eventually would. She wasn't the boasting type - even though she loved proving others wrong.
Besides, she was very secretive, her relationship with Jason proved that.

She decided to tell it anyway.

"It's a gift from Mum," she says. "It turns into a breastplate, the Aegis breastplate, like Mum's. Basically, a breastplate with a chiseling of Medusa's face. It's pretty scary," she added, "even more than spiders in my opinion."

My eyes widened, did she just say the Aegis breastplate? I then saw the little button under the Havard symbol on the sweatshirt. Mom never visited me, but maybe just maybe she would visit me if I did better in training. I can imagine how scary that mus be, if it is even more scary then spiders. Im scared of spiders more than most Athena children, for once when I was 6 was walking home from the park and a gigantic spider appeared out of no were and tried to kill me. My dad said i probably just had a dream that was so scarry it was realistic. A couple years later it happened again, but that time my dad sent me to camp.

"D-did you say it turns into the Aegis breastplate? And that it is even more scarry then s-spiders?"

I was impressed by Victoria's gift, I can see why mom likes her so much. Well better than she likes me. I want to be like Victoria, but Im 12 and im in lame 8th grade. When I turn 14 im going to be in 10th grade not 11th like Victoria. I probably won't be as good as Victoria becuase I have focusing issues and really bad ADHD. I still can't hurt to try for she got a visit from mom.

"You should go Victoria. Please it will be fun, we don't have to dance, I can't dance for my life"

Once my dad took me to Christmas Dance and tried to get me to dance. I stepped on his toe and probably ever one else's toe in the room. He ended up dancing with a lady with no partner and I ended up reading the full works of Shakespeare which my dad brought with him so if I got bored I could do a bit of light reading.

"Also Victoria, being 14 in 11th grade is better than a 12 year old in 8th grade. When im 14 im going to be in 10th grade unless I skip another year." I said frowning a little.

I hoped it wasn't to oblivious that I looked up to Victoria that much. I was always comparing myself to Victoria, for she is always going to be better than me. After the halloween dance I want to invite her to watch the constilations with my dad and I. My dad is coming out to New York with his co-workers to study a un-heard of star constillation. He was working with some astronomers (who named them that? Who missed out on the chance to call them Skyintists XD) out in New York. He said I could invite 1 friend becuase this is very important and I think Victoria would like it.

I suggest you to wait, you interrupted three of my posts I was ready to post... I'm a little bit slow... :wink:

OOC: I invited her to join.

I looked at the sweatshirt carefully.

-Whoa...Indeed! I said narrowing my eyes when I saw the medusa's head as a tiny graphic on the cloth. I wouldn't be so scarred, but don't appear in front of me wearing it out of the blue sweety! I said softly amazed by the godly gift.

-I didn't knew, we do have a capture the flag game this Friday... I said but then remembered why I was here!

-Ermmm...Vic, I came to ask you...uhh...I scratched the back of my neck nervously. I knew her so long and we were officially a couple, but I wasn't sure about this suddenly... I just...Umm...Thursday..you know, it's...

Before I get to finish my tangled words, a half-blood came in and interrupted me. I flet so awkward. I blushed. The half-blood, looking like a sibling of Vic, asked us exactly what I had in mind. My moment was ruined...

Vic indroduced me to that little girl called Elizabeth, a half-sister as I guessed.
-Hey Elizabeth, I said trying to hide the irritation in my voice.

But then, I heard Vic saying she's not willing to go to the dance. What a disappointement...

-I could teach you to dance! I said smiling. Apollo, god of poetry and sun! I could handle it, even if I wasn't the best. I looked at the other girl a bit annoyed, as she was constantly interupting to make chatter coments. I didn't like chatter people. I had to be polite though, and don't judge her this way right from the start.

I watched them while talking for a while as Elizabeth was amazed from her mother's gift to Victoria as well as I was. I saw something else though. The way she spoke to her, and the way she looked at her...I caught a glimse of enviousness into her sparkling eyes. She wasn't jealous with the bad way, she just seemed to have Vic as her Idol. I felt glad that Vic was so important to her simblings, but I decided to watch Elizabeth more carefully from now on.

-Victoria, please! I know it's not your preferable way to celebrate, but I promise you it's gonna be fun! I'll be with you! I'm not good in this neither...I said and smirked. Of course I was, if the gods were judged by their party mood, first would be Mr. Dionysous, and right after, my father!

OCC: I know, sorry for being kinda rude, but I had to write an answer while studying, and everytime I was ready to post, I saw there were more for me to add! xd!

I wasn't a pro at reading people's faces but I could tell Jason was slighty annoyed. I was 2 years younger than him so of course im going to be annoying, but I don't think he knows the reason Im happy. My father contacted me after 2 years, for he gets very caught up in his work. He told me he was coming to New York so I couldn't help to be excited. Normaly if you knew me I was the shy girl, the one who perfers books over people. My dad told me I could bring a friend to the star seeing but the problem was that I don't have any friends. I was already on the okay side with Victoria but her friend seems to not like me. It wasn't normal for me to ramble on and on like this.

"Im sorry Victoria, im just really excited thats all. My dad well called me today to say he was coming to New York to study a bunch of uncommon stars with some pretty well known Astronomers. He said I could invite a friend so I was also wondering if you wanted to come to that."

I asked it infront of her friend but by the way he is blushing and looking at her im guessing there more than 'friends.'
I had trouble talking to people becuase I was always called a freak. I was bullied pretty badly becuase I skipped a grade and no one wanted to hang out with someone younger than them. I was called a freak of nature for being so smart but I usally just ignored them. Once they insulted my father, and that was the last straw for me. I got into a fight and most of the moves came naturally. No one talked to me after I beat up the strongest kid in school. Instead of going outside, I went to the library and I would read. Finally my father made me a year rounder at camp so I wouldn't have to deal with bullies. Sometimes I think it was becuase he didn't want me around ruining his studies. I haven't seen him or talked to him in 2 years so I am really happy to see him. My father never really believed that I could be so special he just thought I was a nerdy kid. Once the signs started that I was a demigod he sent me to camp, not wanting any monsters around to distract him from his work. He used to be a good person but his work is so important to him he is greedy. He may have changed, but I highly doubt that. I must not think like this, my father wants to see me so he must have changed. I am now frowning thinking like this. Maybe I will stop acting so hyper, now that Im not nearly as excited.

"So yes to both of them Victoria?" I asked hoping she would say yes.

"Plenty of rare stars is all I can really say. Im warning you now, my father is a strange man. He may be nice one moment and then a second later he explodes. He is usally nice for the most part. They have noticed strange sightings and stars in the sky so I thought you would like that."

I smiled and thought about our coustumes. We could probably go as 'nerds' for halloween. Like get nerdy glasses and put scotch tape around it and get suspenders and wear to small shorts. We could also have button up shirts with crazy bow ties and crazy socks. That would be fun, a group of nerds. We wouldn't really even have to act nerdy becuase we already are smart and carry around books and do 'light reading' of a 1,000 page book.

"Well I was thinking that we could..um..be nerds for halloween. Like the ones with the big glasses and that wear suspenders with to small shorts.....Only if you want to.....Um..Um"

Now I was back to being the shy, quite girl. I felt my face get hot, I wasn't really a social butterfly and I started to mumble when I got nervous and thats what happened. I would have been fine with just Victoria but Jason was here so I was a little shy now that the excitment left me. I looked at Victoria, hoping my coustume idea wasn't to stupid.

"Um..We can go as whatever you want....I just want to go to the dance as a group....Im trying to make friends and I would like to be friends with Jason too so I thought this would be the best way to make friends."

This time when I was rambling, it wasn't becuase I was excited. It was because I was shy and didn't like talking out loud.

"Well im not to sure yet, my dad says it is a suprise for not you know contacting me in 2 years. He said it was going to be a really rare thing, that only happens a couple times."

I thought to myself, it wasn't going to be short short just to small shorts. Like a size to small, they were going to be down the knees. Well Victoria seemed to have a better idea so I decided to let her speak. Her eyes sparkled and she smirked. I knew that it had to be a good idea.

"Oh yes I know we are all praticly nerds, but I thought we could just try to be the funny ones."

I went over to my side of the room and put down the book I had been carying. I saw one of my half-sister's makeup on my bed and picked it up with disgust. Why would people feel the need to cover up their natural beauty with artifical makeup that makes you look like a clown. I threw it in the trash, it was on my bed so I could throw it away if I wanted.

"Who feels the need to put on that stuff? It's so un-Athena like, we are not children of Aphrodite." I said in disgust.

Only a couple of my older sisters seemed to like make-up more than studying which I pittied them for that. I loved books and math, but most of all I liked Science. It was so amazing but I quickly pushed the thoughts out of my head when I remembered what Victoria said.

"So what are you going to be?" I asked quitely.