Just Waiting (PM to Join)

"Ouch" Abriel muttered to herself. The 9 year old girl was laying on Half-Blood Hill, just on the other side a whole new world. . . . world that should've belonged to them. A place they could've shared, but no. Things had to be settled harshly. The thought of it sickened her. Sharing was something simple that everyone learned back in pre-k of course now they had to fight for what was rightfully theirs. Those kids on the other side who DARED calling themselves demigods made her stomach churn. She would admit that some probably didn't know the truth and that wasn't their fault. At the same time she could also be the one unaware of the truth, but it didn't matter to her. Wherever her brother went, she would follow.

Well most of the time. Just recently he had been sent off to go recruit more demigods. Yes, Abriel was sad she couldn't go with him, apparently everyone thought she was too young. Sometimes people could be so stupid. It wasn't like she couldn't fight or anything, she was really good at sparring, but they still said it was too dangerous for a kid. That really upset her because everyone in their army was nothing but a kid, so why would she be singled out? She was the youngest. It always worked out that way and it wasn't fair.

Running her fingers through the yellow grass, Abriel sighed as she closed her eyes. The sun was irritating her, but a grin still managed to escape as she pulled up some of the grass and let it float away with the breeze flowing by. It was a decent fall day, it was somewhat cloudy and the sun was out, shining a little to brightly, but there was nothing she could do about that. The sun was there shoving its light in her face and she could only sit there and take it.

Her grin grew to a smile as she thought about the other demigods seeing her now, seeing things as she did. A battle between the sun and herself. Then they would see how tough she was. Then they wouldn't just send her off to do nothing when work was to be done. She could've been training or attending to the injured, something. It wasn't like they had much to do around their camp anyway. Besides there wasn't even anyone else her age there AND her brother was gone!

With Abriel's other hand behind her head, a sudden shade covered her. Her eyes opened, one at a time, to see someone standing over her. They were probably just coming over to see who was sitting on the Hill and why they weren't working, but when they would see her they would just make up some excuse like they thought she was a demigod headed for Camp Half-Blood. They always did.

A rather large and nearly irreparable rip in the top of the rather dirty tent was letting the sunlight filter through to the dead and dying grass on the floor; thankfully it was in the center of the tent and not over the cot-thing that served as a bed nor over any of the other sparse furnishings in the enclosed area. So when it rained (which didn't appear to be happening anytime soon) the floor would be wet... but it wasn't a floor either. It was just grass and... dirt. Like outside, except that this grass was dead from lack of sunlight. But none of that mattered. No, it didn't matter, they probably wouldn't have to be camped here much longer. If everything went well... Astra knew that new demigods were coming in every day. Soon enough there would be enough demigods to move forward, to advance her plans...

Which reminded Astra that she hadn't yet spoken with her other two commanders on the subject she had been brooding over over the last few days. The subject she had been thinking over was the fact that it was fall. Fall meant the school year had started for the children and teenagers at Camp Half-Blood. Fall also meant Winter was fast approaching, a thought that Astra didn't like. If everything didn't go perfectly, her demigods would be forced to stay in tents over the winter, freezing, and with the colder weather coming they would probably also be more prone to giving into their instincts of finding proper shelter and those urges would win out over the desire to follow Astra and perhaps make her demigods want to slip away more. Therefore, they needed to keep both a closer eye on their half-bloods and make battle plans. Because if they could overthrow the camp by Winter, they would make it through with no problem.

Astra decided then to find the two leaders. Rising from her cot where she had been sitting and silently brooding Astra went to the door of her tent (pausing briefly to look up at the sky through the hole) and opened it to the outside world. It wasn't particularly bright out but the day had a certain shine about it that seemed as though it should be hotter. But it wasn't warm. When a breeze ruffled the auburn leaves on the trees and skittered across the camp Astra mentally sighed and closed her eyes for a second. But the fall wind recalled her mission and brought her mind back on what she was doing now.

However, something strange stopped her. There was a person on the hill, and they were a small person. And then a memory struck her, of one of the demigods who'd been there on her side from the beginning. He (oh what was his name?!?) had gone off with his mortal family to look for other demigods in places not around Manhattan... and he had come back not long ago with a child. Just a very young child, only around eight or nine years old. How such a young person could be useful to the 'cause' was beyond Astra, but nevertheless the girl was a demigod and she needed somewhere to go and it was certainly NOT going to be Camp Half-Blood. Now they were going to be saddled with children as well... Astra tried to ignore the girl and go on her way but something stopped her. She would go see to the child, now, because the older demigod remembered when she was that age. When Astra was young... she'd shattered her life. And now she just wanted to see, only for a moment, what she might have been back then. Just to see what that sort of youth was like once more.

In a second she was near the girl, observing her briefly. She had to be about ten years younger than Astra herself, and she had rather dirty brown hair that was falling back from her scarred face slightly. There were three parallel scars running down her face, and they made her look slightly older somehow. Astra was wondering what had happened (not that she cared at all) and before she noticed that the child knew someone was there the demigod opened her blue eyes and looked up. Only half thinking, Astra fell to a knee and said "So, what are you doing? Or more appropriately, what aren't you doing?" It wasn't like the girl would be able to do anything helpful but Astra wanted to elicit a response at least and see what she was made of. They couldn't have weak people around here, even if they weren't even ten years old.

Astra. Astra Gahne was sitting over Abriel. Immedietly the girl sat up when Astra kneeled down. She would admit that the leader of their group was quite frightening, but she still only hit number 3 on the scariest things to her. Not that she had anything to really fear. Fear was for those without courage, at least in her mind.

Looking at Astra, she smiled her cutest smile before speaking, "What aren't I doing? Welllll I'm NOT training, I'm NOT hunting, I'm NOT helping out around camp. . . . Hmmm so what am I actually doing. . . ." She questioned herself as she put her index finger to the side of her lip, the one with her keychain on it. "I suppose I'm doing nothing! I mean, I COULD be training, but apparently I would be 'in the way'" Abriel did air quotes as she continued to grin away like the happiest little kid around. She was quite annoyed about it too. Young didn't mean useless. The higher ranks Astra had chosen were no kids of Athena, but she supposed that they were the best she could do. . . . and that was sad.

After her words had come out, Abriel realized she probably should not have spoken the way she had. Just a little bit of her other side seemed to seep out and she hadn't meant it to. She was supposed to be the innocent little girl nobody expected. How could she do that if she was mean and harsh? She couldn't.

"I apologize ma'am. I shouldn't have bursted out like so. I'm far from useless though. . . . no matter what anyone thinks. . . " The last part she murmured, half hoping Astra didn't hear it. It would probably just end up getting her in trouble or something. Worse then that she would probably go on and on about how speaking in such a tone to her elders was rude and blahh blahh blahh.

Gah! What was she thinking? Abriel was the little bright happy, sunny kid! More and more she was letting her darkness come out. It was more difficult for her to contain it without her brother.

The girl sat up instantaneously. Astra was actually impressed by her quickness to respond, but it didn't show on her impassive face. "What aren't I doing? Well, I'm not training, I'm not hunting, I'm not helping out around camp..." the girl began in rapid sequence yet Astra was only slightly surprised. There wasn't much surprising in the manner of someone with apparently one ear and scratches all down her face, even if she was a child still. It was strange, though, the girl didn't seem in the least intimidated by Astra although she generally considered herself intimidating. Even to someone who was young, naieve...

"I mean, I COULD be training, but apparently I would be in the way." The kid did a thing with her fingers in the air, with her voice sounding perfectly like a maniacal child serial killer from some obscure horror movie. And the happy-go-lucky smile on her face was more than a little disconcerting. Not that Astra was really afraid, should the kid really turn out to be a lunatic she had a weapon nearby. But then in about as much time as it had taken her to deliver her little speech/rant thing, she turned almost somber with the words "I apologize ma'am. I shouldn't have bursted out like so. I'm far from useless though..." And mumbled something that sounded vaguely like the words "no matter what anyone thinks." Astra raised a light eyebrow and said "I see then." She was getting slightly tired of all the ma'aming everyonee as giving her, it didn't seem really fitting to someone who was preparing you to go on a presumably bloody slaughter in the near future.

"And who are you, anyway?" Astra said, returing to the role of brusque leader; that was one of her many faces and the one she chose to display now. Of course, Astra knew sort of who she was, but her name was a subject yet undisclosed. "What's your name?" She added a little belatedly. The kid wouldn't exactly know what she meant if Astra left it at 'who are you'.

Nameless demigod had said she wasn't useless, although Astra slightly doubted that much. It wasn't really like an eight year old would know much about fighting, nor about gathering food or 'helping out' around camp. And someone would have to train her. Someone who wouldn't train her incompetently, considering that she was still young and impressionable and easily trained... there were few people around her camp that Astra trusted that explicitly, and those had been strangely absent around the camp recently. Most likely they were around either the sound camp or the woods camp and Olympus knew that camp needed it. The only ones left Astra felt comfortable training a 'new' demigod were... well, herself. And she didn't have the time or the motivation to, so why would she?

"So what can you do?" She said quickly and in a very pointed manner. "Can you fight, can you think, can you build things easily, what do you do?" Astra said, again expounding on an earlier question. "And don't call me ma'am, I'm Astra and my name is sufficient."

Not being able to help the sigh that came from her mouth, Abriel looked away. Nobody knew her name and nobody actually cared to know her name. She was just the useless, annoying little kid nobody wanted to deal with. The only one with the 'patients' to help her out was her brother and he was off trying to recruit more demigods. It didn't matter though. She would still fight beside these people, that is if they let her fight, and act as if they would leave their life in her hands if it came to that. Of course this was not true and only a lie so she wouldn't feel quite so upset with herself.

"My name is Abriel Willis," the girl stated plainly. Her cute act was gone, even though a small grin kept its place on her face. Maybe if she could get Astra to be on her 'I'm not useless' side then the others would be convinced as well. It was somewhat likely to happen. If the leader believed one thing their followers were likely to. . . .well follow along.

When Astra asked the question she knew was coming, Abriel froze up in thought for a moment. What could she do? She hadn't really tried to do anything much, nor had she the oppertunity to try anything. The only thing she had been able to try, and be decent at it was fighting with her scythe. Even that she wasn't very good at. Taking a breath, she spoke:

"To be honest Astra I haven't had a chance to try anything besides fighting. I'm decent at that and I'm a pretty quick thinker." Abriel would be sure to leave out, 'but my plans don't usually follow through and I sometimes zone out, thinking about what could be and other fantasy-type things.' That would definetly kill her chances of doing anything productive at camp.

"I just need a chance."

((*two months later* I'll reply tomorrow, I promise))

"My name is Abriel Willis." Said the young girl, and something left her face as she spoke the words. She suddenly seemed a little bit older, a little more mature, a little different. But she was the same person and she was still very young. Astra didn't forget that, and she wasn't about to no matter what Abriel protested. Still, though, she knew that she didn't know. Astra wasn't in the mood to explain herself to herself but she knew that she meant something that made sense. And she wasn't sure what to say but it turned out she didn't really need to say anything: Abriel was ready to speak again and she did so after thinking a little while. "To be honest Astra I haven't had a chance to try anything besides fighting. I'm decent at that and I'm a pretty quick thinker."

Astra settled herself on the ground next to the girl and folded her legs indian style, resting her chin on the palm of her hand and observing the youg girl critically. "I just need a chance." Abriel said. "Mmmhmm, you've already insinuated that much." insinuated... Astra was rather pleased with herself for knowing the meaning of the word, especially considering that she probably had about the same amout of traditional schooling as Abriel. But that didn't matter, she was older and she'd learned more in other ways, usually the hard way.

"Well I can't say I don't believe you." Astra said finally, after a pause of quite a while, and she folded her hands in her lap and watched the younger girl carefully, realizing she probably wasn't as intimidating as she should be anymore. When she thought of that she took a dagger out of a sheath she'd strapped to her leg (she'd finally gotten a new one after her other one broke... what use was a hilt without a blade?) and began tossing in up in the air and catching it, a time-killing sport she'd become rather proficient in. "And I can't say I won't give you a chance, I'd probably give anyone a chance... but I don't understand why you're getting so worked up over it." She focused her attention back to te girl, letting the spinning blade settle down into the earth. But at a second thought, Astra asked another question than the one she had intended to: "How long have you been here?"

((THAT. IS. SO. SHORT!!! SORRY!!!))