Calling all Demigods! discussion

"Excellent," Hayley praised with a grin. True, it hadn't hit it's mark, but she had been doing it for years. "Great job for your first time."

((agh. gtg))

"Thanks," Hannah muttered. She knew she hadn't had enough focus on what she was doing.

((aw, bibi.))

"Don't sweat it," Hayley encouraged. "It'll be like breathing pretty soon."

Hannah shrugged. "I guess..."

"Hey, Hayley," Ajax called out as he stepped towards the archery range. He checked the bins for the tallest bow and accompagnying quiver, strapping it to his back, his mouth curved slightly in distaste. He didn't like archery or the amount of focus it required.

"Hum? Oh, Hi Ajax!" Hayley called over a brightly, nodding at Hannah. She scampered over to him, wriggling with excitement and happiness. "Char says hi."

Hannah smiled at the new boy. She pushed a stray hair behind her ear. She ran her fingers down the bow as her thoughts wandered.

His normally intense gaze melting into one of pure happiness, Ajax grinned, firing his arrow a little too enthusiastically so it burrowed itself deep in a tree trunk, fifty yards off target. "Really? What'd she say?"

"Um," Hayley paused, squeezing her eyes shut for a thoughtful moment. "She said hi, I didn't get a chance to let her finish," she smiled sheepishly. "I was talking to my new half-sister, Hannah." She gave a quick nod at the girl. "But she was having fun with Tom and she's brilliant at canoing! I forget where the pair went..."

Ajax grinned. "Nice to hear she's having fun," he allowed himself to say before notching another arrow.
She's just playing him...
I thought he was gay?!
I heard that she's actually a huge...
Ajax erased all the doubts and gossip he'd heard over mealtimes, putting it all in a smile so bright it was blinding.

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Hey, erm, Hayley? Do you know Cassidy?" she asked tentatively.

"I think she's got more energy than me," Hayley continued in an overexcited chatter. "And I wasn't last this time with the canoes." She stopped abruptly, swallowing hard. It felt like she was talking to Caspar...was that a bad thing?
Hannah's voice dragged her out of the thoughts. "Um, yeah."

"Do you know where she went?" Hannah continued.

Frowning, Ajax lost the concentration and his arrow fell short of the target once again. "Oh? What do you mean by that?" He hoped to coax her into talking to him again, and he was confused as to why she'd stopped so abruptly.

"Um, nothing," Hayley mumbled uneasily, turning half of her attention to Hannah. "No," she said with a shrug. Her eyes flicked to the arrow that missed it's target, and she pulled one of her own from her quiver.

Hannah sighed. She pulled off the quiver. "I'll go look..." Hannah muttered as she put away the bow and arrows.

Shrugging slightly, Ajax let loose his third arrow, smiling when it thudded against the outer ring of the target. Nice, he thought appreciatively.

Hayley's arrow flew right after his, and landed right in the center, as though it was correcting the first. She hadn't meant to do that, and hoped her didn't think she was trying to show off. When Hannah left, her face, smiling so brightly before, curved downward into a frown. "Bye."

"Nice shot," Ajax said with a grudging smile.

"Yeah," Hayley said with a shrug, glancing at his arrow's position. She would have said the same, but couldn't. "Hum..." Reaching over with an outstretched hand, she gently tapped Ajax's bow upwards. "Shoot," Hayley instructed in a commanding tone. It probably wouldn't hit the center, but it would be a much better shot.

Phillip aimed another shot at the bulls-eye. This one bounced off the centerpoint- the second one, aimed just as quickly, stick into the target. Phillip smirked. "Well, well..." He put his pouch away and strapped his sling around his waist.

Ajax pulled back the bow until the string was so taut he could almost feel it vibrating. Feeling the arrow whiz past his cheek as he released, he felt a surge of shock and pride as it split Phillip's arrow neatly, quivering, dead-on in the center.
"Holy sh*t, Hayley, thanks!"

((sorry, forgot to mention, he's using a sling.))
Phillip smiled. Good to see other campers knew how to aim...

Hayley shook her head. "No problem, simple fix."
"Nice shot." Just as Hannah left, Holly walked, somewhat timidly, out toward the two. "Hey, Hayles, Ajax."

"Hi," Ajax answered, his good mood filtering through his low tenor of a voice.

((And trust me, I've been listening to that guy's voice all day long... *swoons*))

"Hayley's officially a genius. She helped me hit the target." Ajax gestured to the split arrow on the target, an incredulous smile playing about his features.

((XD))

Holly chuckled, resuming her walk forward with a more welcome feeling. "Mm, that's twice I've heard that. You must be extremely intelligent, Hayley."
"I may be dyslexic, but I'm not stupid. Plus, I'm offspring of a god." Hayley said in a jokingly sarcastic attempt at modesty.

"Well, so are we," Ajax countered with a grin. He fingered the spacer of his right ear thoughtfully. "But you seem to be awfully intelligent for a twelve-year-old demigod." He frowned, twisting his face into a mocking stereotype of that famous Greek statue, The Thinker. "I wonder... could it be that your father is Apollo and that's why you're so great with arrows? Naw, probably not."

"Pfft, whatever gave you that idea?" Hayley asked, letting her voice trail with a scoff. "And don't even try to imply that it's because my best friend's a Hunter. Or that I've been training for, like, ever."

"No way," Ajax said, shaking his head with a grave expression on his face. "You're probably just magical."

Hayley shook head, grinning widely. "Nah, I'm just smarter than all of you. Cower in fear of Hayley, know-it-all, archery expert, and strawberry killer. Roar."

"That was pitiful," Ajax said with disdain. "Let me hear a real roar."

"Meow," Hayley replied with a roll of the eyes, sending an arrow at her target. Bull's-eye, again.

Phillip took out a dagger, weighed it in his palm, then sent it towards Hayley's arrow. It landed a hair's breadth away from the still- quivering shaft.

"Nice," Ajax nodded to Phillip. "I'm Ajax Gremm, who're you?"

Hayley narrowed her eyes at the dagger, it seemed like a signal for challenge. Either way, she wanted to have the last hit. Pulling on her bow, she released with a killer aim, though it collided with the dagger's end and fell to the ground. Dam*it.

Phillip smiled. "Nice shot. I'll get it." He ran over and grabbed his dagger, his mislaid stones, and Hayley's arrows. "Shall we start again?"

Whimsicality wrote: ""Nice," Ajax nodded to Phillip. "I'm Ajax Gremm, who're you?""

"Um, sure, but that wasn't a nice shot. That's what I call a fail," Hayley corrected, somewhat rudely as she walked over to retrieve the arrows herself.

Phillip turned to Ajax. "Phillip, Nike cabin." He pocketed his stones and stuck out his hand, if not a bit awkwardly.

Ajax gripped the offerd hand in a firm handshake. "Nike, eh? Explains your aim."

Phillip smiled. "Thanks. I try to work on it."

Henry walked up and squinted around, wondering if he recognized anyone. He picked up a golden colored bow with detailed artwork that grabbed his attention. The arrows were finely made with grey feathers. Hope I don't break any of these, he smiled.

Phillip looked over, walking up to Henry. "I wouldn't use that, if I were you. That looks like a Hunter's bow."

Henry looked down at the bow with shock. "Really? Yikes!" He gently replaced them and gave them a little pat to make sure they were 'safe'. "Thanks," he smiled, turning around.

Phillip nodded. "They can get nasty when you touch their stuff. but I don't think they're in any condition at the moment..."

Henry nodded, eyes suddenly turning sad. "That sickness stinks. I feel so bad for them. Though they hate most people....including me," he added with a shrug.

"They have a certain.... dislike for all guys- don't feel bad." Phillip smiled. "Use mine, I'm working on knives."

Henry nodded his thanks as he picked up the ___ (insert color ^-^) bow. He held it appreciativly and strug it in a quick motion. "This is great. Who made it?"

((^^dark brown^^)) "One of the Apollo campers, a while back. They're great with those sort of things- the arrows are fantastic, too."

Henry nodded, honey brown eyes sparkling. He lifted the loaded bow and aimed at a target 20 feet away. With a twang the arrow zipped faster then an eagle toward the bullseye(sp? I'm so sorry!). It stopped, quivering, at a few inches from the center. "Drat," Henry muttered, "I always envied the Apollo kids when it came to archery."