Hidding in the dark... (open)

[Lilith McKinnon]

Things at Camp Half-blood weren’t the best in the world. A camper died and the rest of the campers were very nervous about it. All of them wanted to find someone to blame for that, fear, Minor God Phobos, for sure was the one who allowed that to happen. Campers in general didn’t care about the truth, they only cared to get a guilty one so they could sleep in nights. They had some ideas to whom they could blame for that, including Lilith McKinnon, daughter of Thanatos. She had a very dark past, yes she had killed before, but only one person and only because she was scared, angry and lonely. She didn’t have anything against the one who died days ago. She was innocent, but most of the campers didn’t care to listen to her. She was still there because Chiron and few campers supported her story.

Since the camper died, she tried to be as far from other campers as she could, she didn’t feel comfortable in areas with other campers were. So that day she went to the forest. She knew there were some creatures and beasts that could kill her, but she didn’t fear them. She wasn’t there alone, Kólosi, her hellhound went with her to have that walk. Kólosi was a 6 feet 5 inches tall hellhound, it was almost a teen dog, so he was always playing around. Lilith always felt happy when her pet was with her. She grabbed a huge, thick stick and threw it away, Kólosi ran after it and seconds later he came back running with the stick and left it at her feet. She laughed and then grabbed it again and threw it once more. She laughed and continued walking into the forest.

She looked around and smiled at the river and the few draids that she could see, the nymphs also waved at her, some of them also trusted her, others feared her and her pet. It was obvious, she was after all daughter of living death. She sighed and continued walking. Then she heard a noise coming closer, steps, but… who could it be? Friend or foe? It was very difficult to scare Lilith, usually people got scared by death, of dying, but in her case she wasn’t scared of that. In a way she was scared of pain, and she thought that if campers wanted to punish her for the dead camper’s death, they would make her suffer a lot before finishing with her life. “Hello?” she asked looking around.

[Tessa Sinclair]

Tessa had watched the camp fall since the death of the camper, the one she had killed. It was an accident, she would never thought a person could die from fear, but it happened. She had told her best friend and no one else, and that was out of the friendship code. She knew a secret was best kept to yourself, if necessary you can tell one other person. Three people on the other hand, a secret could never be kept. This one persons death made the entire camp not trust anyone, even the gods did not trust the campers anymore. It really was ridiculous, sure their friends needed to be upset, but why would anyone care about people they did not know. It had to be the fact someone in the camp murdered, there was no other explanation. It was once a safe haven, and now it's not. That must be the reason everyone was upset.

Tessa was caught up in her thoughts as she walked through the forest, trying to find a place where she could talk aloud to herself. It helped her work though problem better to talk about them, though the other person need not give feedback. Her own reflection in the lake would do, but she had to make sure no one was around and that she had a view of the space which her voice could travel. There was also the fact of why that little spy was going around camp. This was also because of Tessa, she would do near anything to feel something other than this minute jealousy for other people and their emotions. She had always wondered if killing someone would leave remorse or something, it had not. She had to do something bigger, even the fact the camp was in disarray because of her left her with the fleeting feeling of wanting to apologize.

A voice broke the natural quite that existed in the forest, looking around she noticed she had simply been traipsing through the forest like a gorilla, leaving an obvious trail and probably making a good amount of noise. It was regretful, but the person now knew someone was here, and though she could not directly be placed at the moment she did not want to leave this girl here for future personal safety. “I didn't think anyone was out here.” she spoke with a bit of surprise in her voice, if anything Tessa might become an actress when she left camp for good. She walked in the direction she heard the voice and came across a child of Phobos people had been targeting lately. There were several people who had been targeted, and Tessa had not bothered to learn their names. “I recognize you, people have been hounding you about that....that tragedy. They really need evidence before doing stupid things like that.” she said shaking her head, which was true. Tessa thought it stupid people would blame someone just to blame them.

[Lilith McKinnon]

Lilith looked around trying to find the source of the noise, the forest was a very special place, you could found anything in it. Maybe it was the spirit of a tree or bush, but they wouldn’t make any noise out there, right? They would be completely silent. So it would be for sure a camper or other kind of creature. She placed her hand on her dagger handle, ready to defend herself if it was necessary, when she heard a voice. She looked at the source of it and it was a pale girl with blond, long hair. She had seen her around, she was the head of Apollo’s cabin. She saw the surprise in her face and made her to feel relaxed, at least she was surprised, so maybe she wasn’t expecting someone to be out there. “I’m sorry if I scared you, I came out here to… think” She smiled at the girl, she didn't want to admit that she was kind of running away from the other campers.

But her next words made her feel insecure again. She recognized her as the girl that everyone had been blaming and haunting about the murderer of that camper. Maybe she would decide to end the threat right there. Being an Apollo’s daughter would have very good skills in combat with weapons and maybe would also have another kind of gift, like her voice or the use of the sun, who knew how amazing gifts would that girl have from Almighty Apollo. Lilith nodded at the beginning of her statement, but then as the girl continued talking, she felt relaxed again, she said it was a tragedy, she said no one should blame others without any evidence. Lilith frowned a bit but nodded once more.

“Yes, I’m Lilith McKinnon, daughter of Thanatos. Maybe that is the reason they are blaming me for that guy’s death.” She sighed but tried to keep a smile on her face, tried to feel less depressed about her luck. “I’m also trying to get some information, some evidence that could help my case.” She said and then smiled a bit more. “I’m sorry I don’t know your name, I’ve seen you in the Apollo’s cabin, though.” She stretched out the hand that was on the handle of her dagger to shake the girl’s hand. She wanted to act friendly, she still didn’t trust her, but she didn’t find any reason to act unfriendly or rude at this girl. Even less because she had acted so civil at her, she really seemed to believe that she wasn’t guilty about that horrible crime.

[Tessa Sinclair]

Tessa smiled warmly at the girl, she was being blamed for something she had done and for nearly anyone else it may have been a problem. That conscious that tells you it's wrong, and that you should turn yourself in, all that would have been coursing through her heart if it was possible. She did have something akin to pity, or guilt that seemed to gnaw at the inside on her chest. It was a pleasant feeling for her, not so much that the feeling itself was pleasant, but that she was glad to have some emotion. It was an interesting combination, the slight happiness that came with feelings and the guilt that started it. More emotion that she had in a long time, but still only a drop of what she craved. She needed more emotion. “Don't worry, there are plenty of just people and gods that will do their best to clear the innocents names. You can be sure that I will try, I'm tired of good people being blamed for others wrong doings.” she said, as wonderful a liar as any child of Hermes.

The mistake had been Tessa's, she needed to learn her minor gods better, a child of Thanatos. It was no wonder she was being hounded as a murderer. “I see, the whole apple, tree thing. It's silly. Are they going to blame every death on someone just because of their parents? Besides, call it a hunch, but I don't think you'd even hurt someone without a very good reason.” she said putting a bit of passion behind her words, it was something she actually believed so it wasn't hard at all to feign conviction. She had talked about it a few times before, and not often did people disagree.

“My names Tessa Sinclair, nice to meet you. I am a daughter of Apollo, but I can only do little tricks with light. It sucks that I'm not great with a bow or anything like my siblings. Sorry, maybe a bit too much info right? Did you want me to leave you alone to think?” she said purposely relieving a bit about herself, it was easy enough to fool people when they think you can't do anything spectacular. The fact she was better at daggers than bows had nothing to do with it, and it was something she always kept quite about. She had little need for a dagger anymore, now that she knew people could so easily be killed by an illusion.

[Lilith McKinnon]

Lilith looked at the blond girl and tilted her head, she couldn't believe that the daughter of Apollo was being so nice. Not that she knew her, but she had known other Apollo kids, they all acted as if they were the best thing that had happened to the world, right under the way that the Aphrodite girls acted. Most of them did things to hurt Lilith, they said she was an odd girl and well, no one wanted to be with an oddity, right? but this girl, she was civil, she tried to be nice to her and her words were some kind of... bright message to Lilith. If only one Apollo kid thought that she was innocent, then she could have some chance to show others that she wasn't the one who killed that guy!

"Thank you... I know there are just gods, and people... but they are kind of shy here, because they usually don't speak up" smiled at the other girl and bit her lip. Just or not, since that guys died Gods hadn't spoken to them. They seemed to be angry, to be maybe disappointed on the campers, maybe they thought that halfbloods didn't deserve their guidance and love anymore, not at least if they were killing each other instead of fighting monsters outside. Maybe they feared other traitor in the camp, other event like what led to the Manhattan's war three years ago. She had read about it, and also there were some ghosts of campers that fought back then, who told her more or less what happened, as far as they remembered from back then.

"Nice to meet you, Tessa." She had heard that name before, but she didn't know where. Maybe she had heard it from other camper, from a ghost... well she didn't care in that moment, she just smiled gently at Tessa. there were some ghosts near there, but they tried to stay away, some of them didn't like to be seen by other campers, only by Hades or Thanatos kids. Lilith looked at them and half smiled at them, they seemed to be... happy for her to be talking to someone with pulse! then she looked back at Tessa and tilted her head again when she mentioned that she wasn't as powerful as her siblings.

"Fighting isn't all what Lord Apollo has, he is an artist, a healer... Maybe you are not a fighter like your siblings, but you for sure have the brightness of your father in you, right?" she asked and smiled. something in the back of her head told her that she was wrong, but she decided not to listen to it, Tessa was being nice to her and she wasn't going to misbehave to her, she didn't have motives or the right to do that! "Don't worry your info is in good hands." she wouldn't be teeling everyone about that. "I'm good with in archery and daggers, but I think that... a scythe is what I manage the best." she shrugged and smiled shyly. It wasn't the best idea to tell others that her skills with that weapon were her best option in battle, a scythe wasn't well seen by most of the campers.

When Tessa asked if she wanted to be left alone, she shook her head and smiled a bit more. "No, I'm fine. It is good to talk to other camper that doesn't think that I'm guilty" She walked a couple of steps more. "what were you doing out here?"

[Tessa Sinclair]

Tessa had played her cards right, the girl believed her and was starting to trust her. She only needed a little bit of peoples trust, and knew better than to let them get too close. She had made that mistake with Nora, and she saw through her cloak of lies. Nora was nice enough, and continued to be her friend and Tessa was even allowed to feel the joys of friendship, however people where not being to be trusted. The emotions they had were the main problem of that, however it also made them more interesting. “You're right, I'm not bad with art. Medicine and fighting, you know all the useful things, are what I can't do.” she said with a sad smile, something she had seen on others faces often enough. An easy thing to fake.

“That's wonderful!” she said with a smile “Just holding a scythe would discourage anyone opposing you. Imagine playing that right, the goddess of death on our side would make any enemy quake in their boots!” her smile was radiant, and she wondered if her acting ability came from her father also. The god of the arts sure could be crossed over into a lot of peoples domains. Acting and lying were two sides of the same coin, and her use of imaginary could have done Phobos proud, if she was his child. Tessa knew her acting was shallow, the lack of emotions could only be covered up so much. She didn't care about repercussion though, there was no fear in her heart about being found out. There had been a drop of fear about loosing her best friend should the information be let out though. She knew that drop of emotion meant she should be feeling worlds of it, but she did not.

Tessa had been waiting, planning on what to say about her question. The idea that this girl may talk to ghosts registered in her mind, and ghosts could easily over hear her speeches without her notice. They mad no noise after all. “I had really wanted to get away from my underlings. I love my siblings, but sometimes they can be a little annoying. I'm the head of the cabin, so I have to track everyone down to get their reports on the people with injuries. They like to bug me back.” she said with a bit of a laugh. It was true that being the head of the medical unit cabin, while still being unable to do the healing others could do, would be frustrating, but Tessa did not feel that way. She wondered if she would should she have had the ability to. She wished so much to find out. It was the only desire that was caved into her heart.