Return O' The Failcase MIA Kyriakos ((Open, Preferably To Somebody I Know))

Kyriakos climbed out of the icy ocean, padded across the smooth sand, and picked up his towel. He pressed it hard into his eyes, trying to clear out the water and the salt. The cool morning air stung his body as he stood there, but the sensation wasn’t altogether unpleasant. It reminded him of certain mornings back in Greece when he would wake up to find a thick layer of fog covering the town, the bright red rays of the sun pushing over the distant horizon…

Lost deep in thought, it took him several long moments to pull himself back to the present in the United States. He pulled the towel slowly down his face, wiping away salt, sand, and sea. He kept his eyes shut for a few seconds, took a couple deep breaths in through his nose, then opened his eyes on the world presently around him. The grey ocean stretched out endlessly before Kyriakos, flat as a pane of glass. There was no sun rising over the horizon this morning, and the vision in his head rapidly faded.

Shaking the water out of his hair, Kyriakos wrapped the towel tight around his waist, pulled his sweatshirt over his head, and made his way down the beach towards the rocks. There was a slight outcropping slightly further down, and it made the perfect place to sit and just think. If a person climbed far enough down between them, he would be hidden from view. If anybody was trying to avoid being seen, or just wanted some peace and quiet for a while, the place was ideal.

Slowly making his way down, dropping from rock to rock, Kyriakos found his favourite spot. One portion of the rock wall was carved out to fit the perfect form of a chair. Whether it was accidental or purposely done, Kyriakos was thankful for it. He settled in, back pressed flush with the wall, and pulled his knees up to his chest. He stared off across the ocean, slipping into his own world, hoping to eventually see Apollo and his chariot crest the far off place where the sky met the water.

Camryn was in a daze after being claimed, she decided to walk along the beach and figure out what to do next. She got to the beach of Long Island Sound, sat on the damp sand, opened her brand-new drawing set and her drawing pad, and was about to start a sketch of the ocean when she heard a splash.

Looking up, Camryn saw Kyriakos walk out of the ocean and shake his hair, He kind of looks like a puppy when he does that! She took a mental photograph of him and decided to draw it later, but right now she wanted to follow Kyriakos.

Slowly, she crawled on her belly, probably looking like a Marine in training. Finally, Kyriakos slumped into a little alcove of rock in the shape of a chair. That's strange. I think I'm going to ask him about it. Standing, Camryn walked up to Kyriakos and held out her hand, "Hello, I'm Camryn Lyric, daughter of Iris, and I have some questions for you."

((Slow response. Lo siento. I've been bombarded with homework as of late.))

Kyriakos jumped when he heard a voice behind him. He spun around, looking up into a face framed by a mass of long, brown hair. The girl looked slightly familiar, but Kyriakos couldn’t quite place where he knew her from. Obviously he must have seen her wandering around camp before, but he felt like he knew her from more than just that.

Suddenly, it hit him. This was the girl he had helped take to the Big House when she had first arrived. At that time, though, she had been covered in dirt, blood, nature, and gods only knew what else. She had looked like most demigods did when they arrived—a complete disaster. Almost everybody looked like they had been to hell and back, and honestly, that wasn’t completely untrue.

Now, though, the girl looked good. Her hair had a slight shine to it, despite the lack of sun, her eyes held what Kyriakos interpreted as a sort of fierce determination, and she looked like she was ready for anything the day threw at her.

She stuck a hand out to Kyriakos, introduced herself as Camryn Lyric, and said she was a daughter of Iris. Kyriakos pushed himself up to his feet, smiling, his eyes easily conveying the happiness he felt for the girl. He took her hand, shaking it firmly as he spoke.

“Pleased to officially meet you, Miss Lyric,” he said, his Greek accent as strong as ever. “I don’t believe I had a chance to properly introduce myself the last time we met. I’m Kyriakos Areleous, son of Athena. You’ve been claimed by Iris? Goddess of rainbows. Συγχαρητήρια on being claimed so quickly.”

Kyriakos paused, wanting to give Camryn a chance to comprehend all he had just said before continuing on. “You have questions for me? About what? I suppose I’ll know when you start asking them. Anything you need to know, I’ll be happy to answer.”

((That's fine. I know just how you feel!! ))

Camryn was surprised about how cute Kyriakos was up close and his accent made him even better.
"Ok, first, what do we do here? Second, did you make that chair? I already know who you are, Laura told me about you and the other children here. It's really amazing that everyone here is related to the Gods! Ok, third, why are you over here in the first place, there's tons of places to hide and you choose the ocean, arent Athena and Posiden enemies? Finally, can I draw you?" When Camryn finally finished talking she was nervous that she scared her new friend away. I always seem to do that when I talk. My family always said that I need another hobby then reading all the time.
Sitting down, she once again pulled out her sketchpad and drawing kit and began scraping the charcoal, waiting for Kyriakos to answer all of her questions.

Kyriakos laughed at Camryn’s spitfire way of asking questions. “Alright,” he said. “One question at a time. I can’t keep up with all of that.” Camryn looked a little nervous as she waited for Kyriakos to answer her questions, and he smiled reassuringly at her. He didn’t want the girl to feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t like he was going to bite her head off or anything like that for asking questions he had just said he’d be happy to answer.

Turning out to face the ocean again, Kyriakos sorted through all of Camryn’s questions, trying to find the easiest one to start with. Finally, he just decided to answer them in order. “What do we do here?” he repeated, still staring off across the water. “I guess the main goal is to train. As demigods, we obviously attract monsters, Furies, creatures of the Underworld, things like that. Unless we want to become part of a demigod pot roast, we have to learn how to defend ourselves against such dangers. It’s bigger than that, though. Have you heard about the latest Titan War? Gods forbid that ever happens again, but in the event that it does, we need to be ready to fight.”

Kyriakos looked back at Camryn, searching her eyes for any sort of reaction. He realised he would have been more disturbed if she didn’t show any emotion than if she showed fear at what he had to say. His gaze didn’t waver, though, as he answered the rest of her questions. “No, I didn’t make the chair. I just found it one day. I like to think one of the gods created it after a visit to camp one day, but I’m probably wrong on that. You realise pretty quickly that the gods rarely come to visit.

“Athena and Poseidon can have whatever rivalry they want, but that doesn’t mean I have anything against Poseidon. I’m here because this spot reminds me of home. My grandparents lived near the ocean on Salamis Island. We went to visit them all the time. When I’m here…I can almost imagine I’m back in Greece for a moment…” Kyriakos trailed off, his eyes drifting back to the ocean and taking on a faraway look. After a minute, he shook his head and turned back to Camryn. Her last question was a little strange, but Kyriakos answered it anyway.

“If you really want to, I suppose you could,” he answered somewhat hesitantly. He wasn’t a fan of posing for pictures, so he wasn’t sure how it would be posing for a drawn portrait. “Um…is there somewhere in particular you want me to sit or stand?” he asked.

Camryn was only half listening to Kyriakos, because she hoped his answers would settle her mind but instead set up a whole new batch of questions. There was a lull in what he was saying so Camryn tried to backtrack what he just said, He lived in Greece, I think he wants to go back! I should find a picture of it for him.

Then she noticed how Kyriakos was hesitant about being drawn, thinking it was because he doesnt like pictures of himself she said, "Oh, I dont have to draw you if you dont want. I just thought it would be nice to draw my new friends here at camp! Also, if you dont like being posed you could just be doing something you like and then you'd be in a natural positiong for yourself and I could draw you then."

While she was talking, Camryn started drawing a picture worthy of a museum of the beautiful sunset.

((Again, sorry for the delay. Massive amounts of homework have kept me from properly RPing.))

Kyriakos was admittedly slightly startled by Camryn’s response to his question about the picture. It wasn’t what she said he could do while she drew him that caught him off guard. It was what she said immediately before that. She just wanted to draw her new friends. Kyriakos hadn’t had too many friends growing up. It was usually just him and his brother. Aniketos had been his best friend, the one who was always there for him. The close bond the two of them shared was rarely ever understood by anybody else, and that usually made him a bit of an outsider. To be approached the way Camryn just had, to be called a friend so quickly, was something that was completely foreign to Kyriakos.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of being called Camryn’s friend already, but he tried to push that away for a few moments in order to respond to her.

“I think…I’ll just sit here and have you draw me, if that’s okay,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t want you to draw me. It’s just…nobody has ever asked to do that before. It’s just different, I guess.” Kyriakos shrugged, hoping Camryn understood that there was no harm meant in his words. “I think sitting here would probably be most natural,” he said. “Is that alright with you?”

Camryn could tell that Kyriakos was still kind of nervous about his picture He really shouldn't be, he's cute! Camryn said to herself, giggling.

I think sitting here would probably be most natural, is that all right with you?"
"Ya, sure." Camryn answered settleing in. "Truly, if you dont want me to I wont draw you. You dont even have to be my friend it's just that I want to start over here and you looked really cool with water dripping from your hair. My mother always told me that if you want something you should seize the oporunity. Carpe diem and all ya know-" Camryn stopped short noticing that she was rambling again and that she just let her embarassing Minnesotan accent shine through.

Quickly, she finished sharpening her charcoal and pencils and started Kyriakos's outline on the brand-new sheet of paper, so creamy white and soft it could have been made from the clouds themselves.

Camryn started talking about how cool Kyriakos looked with water in his hair, her mother, the age old philosophy of carpe diem, and the idea of starting over. Kyriakos smiled and took a deep breath. Relax, he told himself. There’s nothing to be nervous about. She’s just trying to be nice and do what every other demigod here wants to do. She’s just trying to do what you wanted to do. Start over and take a chance at making new friends. Just go with it, and see what happens.

Camryn started sketching Kyriakos’s profile, and he watched her pencil flow smoothly across the beautiful white paper. As she drew, Kyriakos focused on what she had said before. Rather, not so much of what she had said, but what she sounded like. The demigods at Camp Half-Blood came from anywhere and everywhere, and each one of them had a different accent. Kyriakos figured his was by far the strangest as he didn’t even come from the United States, but it was still interesting to listen to all the different dialects and figure out the origin of each one.

“Your accent,” he said. “It’s different. It’s not like Laura’s, so I’m guessing you’re not from around here. Where are you from? Were you born somewhere in America, or did you come from a different country like me?”

Camryn was so nervous about messing up the drawing that she almost completly missed Kyriakos's question, the only thing that brought her back to reality was his accent.
...Where are you from? Were you born somewhere in America, or did you come from a different country like me?

Camryn erased a few lines on the paper and looked up at him. "Well, I am from America, I was born in Minnesota. Do you know where that is? Well, it's kinda in the middle of the U.S. but on the northern border if that makes sense. I always used to say how I hated it there but now that I had to move I wish I knew what I had be-before I had to l-l-leave." Finally, Camryn had to move her sketch pad so it wouldn't be ruined from the tears pouring from her eyes. "I'm s-sorry but it's just so *hic* emotional for me to be away from *hic* my family and friends." While she was talking, Camryn was picking up her things and started to leave, embarassed all over again for having cried infront of a stranger and a boy at that.

"We can finish this later, I'm going to see if my cabin is ready yet. Goodbye" With that Camryn walked away, hoping that he would follow her.

Kyriakos nodded as Camryn explained where Minnesota was. He had seen a United States map more than once before, but he still hadn’t memorized which states were which. He was trying to fit a name with one of the states on the map in his head when Camryn started to cry. She apologized for showing emotion, and before Kyriakos could stop her, she walked off. He stared after her for a moment before jumping to his feet and chasing her down.

“Hey! Wait!” he called after her. “Where are you going?” Catching up to her, he gently laid a hand on her shoulder, and turned to look her in the eyes. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize for missing your family and friends. If anybody understands that, it’s me. My accent is strange to you, yes? That’s because it’s Greek. I was visiting Florida with my family when a hellhound killed all three of them. I miss them, I miss my friends in Greece, but you know what? I can’t go back there. I don’t know that I can ever even leave here. Word travels fast. Somebody saw me alive, running from the hotel where my family’s bodies were found, and they reported that to the police. You know what that means? I’m the number one suspect in my family’s murder. The easiest way to get back to Greece is to fly, and if I so much as set foot in an airport, I would be arrested immediately. I understand missing friends and family. Camryn, look on the bright side. Your family and friends are still alive, yes? At least you can write them or IM them. I can’t even do that.

Kyriakos paused and stared off into the distance for a moment. Dropping his hand from Camryn’s shoulder, he turned to look at the cabins. “Do you want to come see the Athena cabin?” he asked. “I…want to show you something.”

Camryn heard Kyriakos calling after her but didn't bother turning around. If he wants to talk to me, he can follow me. Much to her surprise, she felt a large hand fall onto her shoulder and was spun around to face him.

Camryn was still crying silently so it was hard to listen to what Kyriakos was telling her My accent is strange to you, yes? Camryn nodded her head. That's because it's Greek. I was visiting Florida with my family when a hellhound killed all three of them...Somebody saw me alive, and reported it to the police. You know what that means? I'm the suspect in my family's murder... look on the bright side. Your family and friends are alive, yes?... I can't even do that. Camryn only heard bits and pieces of what he said, but was sure she got the gist.

She opened her mouth to comfort Kyriakos when she noticed he seemed to be contemplating something. He dropped his hand from her shoulder and she couldn't help but feel scared and a little empty without the feeling of that pressure holding her to the ground.
Do you want to come to see the Athena cabin? I want to show you something.
Camryn tried hard to control her excitement about seeing another cabin while she nodded again. Grabbing Kyriakos's hand, she attempted to drag him across the sand, then she stopped and asked "Where is the cabin?"

Kyriakos laughed silently as Camryn grabbed his hand and dragged him down the beach. She was definitely a daughter of Iris if she could cheer up that quickly. He smiled as he trailed along behind her, but stopped suddenly when she pulled up short. She asked where the Athena cabin was, and Kyriakos laughed aloud. “Same place as all the others,” he laughed. “It was one of the original twelve. Athena’s cabin sits between Demeter’s and Artemis’. We don’t get much trouble from the Artemis side, but Demeter’s kids enjoy making grass grow out of our roof. Somebody from Athena’s cabin usually fights back by sending them some sort of automaton. There’s a minor rivalry going on, but it’s nothing major. It’s all in good fun.”

Kyriakos smiled again and tugged gently on Camryn’s hand. “Come on. I’ll show it to you.” As he walked across the sand and back onto the grass, he pulled the towel from around his waist and draped it around his neck. The morning air was a little cool around his bare legs, but he didn’t mind much. Slightly lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t stop until they reached the centre of the cabins. He wasn’t sure how much Camryn had gotten to know in her time there, so he didn’t think it would hurt to point out his cabin. “See the one there?” he asked, pointing to the silver cabin with the owl above the door. “That’s Athena’s. The owl is her patron animal. The one on the left,” he said, pointing to the flowery cabin, “Is Demeter’s. And the one there,” he pointed to the one on the right, “Belongs to Artemis and her Hunters. They haven’t come while I’ve been here, but they apparently stay there when they come to visit.”

After staring for a minute, Kyriakos seemed to come to his senses. “Well, what are we waiting for? Come on.” Stepping forward, he pushed the door open onto a thankfully empty scene. At least, it was empty of other demigod inhabitants. Laura was probably off reading already, and Annabeth had likely pulled everybody out of bed for an early morning combat training session. Not a soul was in sight, but the cabin was far from empty. Bookshelves lined many of the walls, cabinets ran below most of the books, and tables filled a majority of the empty space. Bits of metal, scraps of paper, and pieces of gods only knew what littered the tables, countertops, and floor space. Bunk beds were shoved into the remaining empty space, almost as an afterthought. Kyriakos smiled, leading Camryn over to his bunk. He dug in the cabinet next to his bed, pulling out a pair of jeans. “Wait here,” he said. “I’m going to go change if you don’t mind.” He walked towards the bathroom in the back, stepping over tiny robots as he went. Reaching the door, he called back to Camryn over his shoulder. “Oh, be careful what you touch. Some of these things really do bite.”

With that, he closed the door and quickly changed. When he emerged, he returned to his bunk and threw his dry swim trunks back in the cabinet he had just pulled his jeans out of. “So,” he said, standing up. “I intended to show you something. Of course, I don’t have to if the Athena cabin is enough for now.”

While walking behind Kyriakos, Camryn looked around the camp and followed his finger wherever he was pointing.

See that one over there? That's Athena's. Then owl is her patron animal. The one on the left is Demeter's and the one over there belongs to Artemis and her Hunters.

They came to stand infront of the Athena. Kyriakos pushed open the door and let Camryn into the room first. He seemed relieved that the cabin was empty, Camryn was not sure why though.

She looked around the room and noticed the books, papers and everything else covering the floor and walls. It looked like the inside of a military academy training room. While she was looking around she glanced over at Kyriakos who was pulling a pair of jeans from a drawer. I'm going to change if you don't mind. Oh, and be careful what you touch, some of this really does bite.

Having said this, Kyriakos walked into the bathroom and changed. When he emerged, he threw his trunks into the drawer he just took his jeans out of. Camryn was thinking about how sweet it was that Kyriakos was afraid she would get hurt, *AGAIN* she thought to herself, when she was pulled out of her reverie.

So, I intended to show you something. Of course, I don't have to if the cabin is enough for now.

Camryn smiled and said "Of course I want to see what you want to show me. But only if afterwards I get to show you MY cabin."