THE QUEST TO TAKE BACK STOLEN ITEMS

[halfbloodhillmods]

Who: Leo Valdez, Ventus Bradford, Tony Stark, Margot Sullivan, Cosette Fauchelevent and Annabeth Chase
What: Taking back stolen items.
Where: Chicago, IL
When: February 23 - March 2
Why: It's time to perform a little search and rescue.



Camp Half-Blood was broken into by the Gaea-aligned Red Room organization a month ago, in the hubbub of the camp also being invaded by a deadly werewolf pack and monster hunters. Since then, the camp has been locked down - no one leaves, only key people get in. Meanwhile, Chiron and Mr. D have been really putting their heads together, trying to organize a crack-team of campers to go retrieve the items that the Red Room stole, and it's high time they went out on an little rescue mission.

This is what was stolen from Camp Half-Blood by the Red Room:

The books from the Athena cabin
Heather O'Toole's shield
A hammer belonging to Sky Smith
Nicodeme Feuilly's books
Sojourner Ayers-Silva's teddy bear
Derek Hale's sword
Books belonging to Lydia Martin
Annie Cresta's porpoise
Daenerys Targaryen's three young dragons
Dean Winchester's car, a 1967 Chevrolet Impala
Jean Prouvaire's heart

The directors have chosen campers based on their skills and intellect to set out to find the items. In addition, Rachel Elizabeth Dare has issued this prophecy for the group:

In the city of swirling winds
Six campers' quest begins
The building dwarfed by only one
Brings riches untold and lives undone
To see the truth behind the lies
One must look with unburdened eyes

The questers are expected to leave at noon on February 23, and are asked to try and return by March 3. They will be equipped with backpacks containing a small bedroll, two vials each of nectar (one-half of the vial will cure most wounds, a whole vial will cure fatal wounds) and one piece of ambrosia (one half will cure most wounds, a whole piece will cure a fatal wound), mortal first-aid equipment like bandages, matches, a length of rope, and three golden drachmas to facilitate IMs with. They may take their weapons to aid them, as well as any special items they may have on their person at this time.

Good luck.

Comments

[the_futurist]

[Of everyone, it seems Tony has the least personal stake in this quest. Whether that will be a help or a hindrance remains to be seen. For his part, Tony is packing light, an assortment of tools and gadgets and incomplete circuitry also coming along for the ride in his backpack, because who knows when you might need to rig something to explode, right? He also nabbed a humble array of small knives from the armory, because better to be prepared than not. He's never been to Chicago, but he's intimately familiar with a couple other big cities, and that sounds like heaven to him.

He's not expecting any tearful goodbyes, but won't exactly be surprised if more than one person shows up to encourage him not to fuck things up. So, he'll be hanging out outside cabin 9 until such a time as the group gets going, tinkering or sketching something or other.]

[polishfan]

Hey.

[So here's a Feuilly striding over to wish Tony luck or something like that, and, well, to press something on a string into his hand.]

Seeing as you're playing delivery boy for some of my shit, the least I could do is charm an amulet for you. It's supposed to be for preventing great bodily injury or anything along those lines. Yeah, I know they'll send you off with stuff but...

[He's offering a little shrug there.]

Figured something personal should factor into it too. So you know, wear my favor or whatever and I'll swoon from the distance.

[Which is way of saying good luck and all, and that he likes your friendship, Tony.]

[the_futurist]

[Tony just stares at Feuilly for a moment, processing exactly what the hell he's talking about, before he opens his hand to actually look at the talisman. And it's not exactly what he'd come to associate with the word, but after assessing it a brief moment he looks up at Feuilly and grins.]

Does this make me your knight and you're my lady in whose name I doth defeat the bad guys?

[He's still grinning, but kinda awkwardly rubs the back of his head]

Uh, thanks. Seriously. Pretty sure I need all the help I can get. So. Thanks.

[Likewise.]

[polishfan]

It was about the only metaphor that came to mind. I COULD just be the lazy prince sitting on his ass if we prefer. Of course, that's got a whole lot of other messes attached to it, like who the hell everybody else in this thing is.

[And then he's actually turning serious himself.]

Really though. I'll be pissed if you let yourself get hurt or anything. So, least I could do.

[the_futurist]

Well, you might prefer that, but I prefer my princes a little more motivated. [followed by an excessive eye-roll] And let's not actually get started on everyone else, that's a whole cluster we don't have time for.

[He actually smiles a little at Feuilly's next statement, and it's sincere, not mocking, but a little self-deprecating, somehow.]

I'll be pissed, too. [He half smirks, but it falls a little flat.]

But I will do my best to return with every appendage I leave with. Just for you.

[And he's grinning again, because damn, no, he's not going to psych himself up about this whole quest thing yet.]

[polishfan]

In which case, I'll be the mastermind sort of prince, holed up in the dungeon, why it's always the dungeon, I'm not sure, practicing magic with which to help you save the kingdom. But definitely not. It's a work in progress, right?

Not that I expect you'll do anything but come out of this awesome.

[And he means that. There's something about Tony that tells him you can trust the guy with just about anything, even if he might be hiding it, deep down.]

Good luck. And I appreciate it.

[the_futurist]

Because dungeons embody pain and suffering and darkness and all those mystical things you have to embrace and overcome to be worthy of power, etcetera.

[Then he's literally waving off his own explanation like he didn't just quote it out of a literature textbook.

Tony will never feel worthy of that trust. Anyone's trust. But he's going to try his damnedest, nonetheless.]

Damn right I'll come out of this awesome. Maybe with a gnarly scar to enhance my already overwhelming sex appeal. [His grin says he knows he's BS'ing.]

[Tony reaches a hand out to Feuilly. If Feuilly takes it, Tony pulls him in for a one-armed-man-hug, because bros.]

Thanks.

[polishfan]

I suppose that's SOMETHING to do with it. Well then, I'll become a master of the dark arts whilst you are following your hero's quest. I hope I can figure out the turning people into frogs thing. That sounds useful.

[Then he's turning serious again, and definitely taking the hand to return the manhug, because definitely bros.]

Hey, any time.

[the_futurist]

[He smiles and claps Feuilly on the shoulder, letting his hand rest there.]

Try not to burn the whole place to the ground while I'm gone, alright? I'd like to actually have somewhere to sleep when I get back. I hate camping.

[polishfan]

I can't promise what everybody else is doing but...

[Have a bit of a smirky grin.]

I'll do my best to keep them all in line. But I'm not too sure about Dany.

[creepyfreezone]

*Tony, you get to have the honor of the first hug from Sky. Now that she has two arms to hug with. Given this was your work it seemed appropriate. She spent the morning fine tuning the joints so she didn't need Leo or Tony while they were both gone.*

You seem to be bringing a lot with you! Do quests usually need so much.

[the_futurist]

[And sudden hug from little sis-bot who has a lot more momentum and strength than anyone her size has any right to]

Oof! [But after he gets a breath he hugs her back]

Hey, I have no idea what to expect, so I'm going with prepared.

Now wait a minute, let's see that thing in action. [he motions to her arm] How's it feel?

[creepyfreezone]

That makes sense.

*She steps back and holds her arm out and goes through a series of movements.*

The weight distribution is different, so I needed to re-calibrate. Your reinforced motors were a little too strong, so I wound them down to match my other arm. At least until you or Leo can adjust my code for the new strength. As for your new toy...

*She held her palm up, the three metal contact plates were all that made the arm asymmetrical to her original arm. Electricity arced between the three plates.*

It seems really neat, I'm still learning how to limit the level of power. But I've added four safeguards to prevent it from accidentally discharging. It's also really pretty!

[the_futurist]

[He watches her go through the paces, assessing the movements, and frowns when she mentions toning down the power in the arm, but he gets it. He'll just have to improve the other one so she can still have a sense of balance. A wide grin spreads across his face as the electricity arcs in her hand.]

Gorgeous. And powerful, so no trying to use to when shaking hands, alright? [He knows she wouldn't, but he would, so he's warning all the same.]

[pyrkagia]

[She may not know Tony well - not as well as the other brother the directors have sent - but that doesn't mean he's not in her thoughts. It's so rare that two siblings get called to go on the same quest at the same time.

She puts most of her faith in Leo, of course, but she has to. He has the Oath hanging over his head, and to break the Oath is a fate worse than death. So when she approaches Tony, crouching down to meet him while he works outside Cabin 9, she has one request for him.]

Keep Leo safe.

[the_futurist]

[Tony, for his part, has not exactly made himself available to be known well by her, or most anyone. He's still struggling with this new concept of "family" but he's trying. And frankly, she's kind of terrifying, but he respects her, and as much as he is able, he understands that the dragons that were taken from her are her children. No one should have to go through that. And he will do what he can to bring them back to her.

He meets her gaze warily when she crouches down to his level and immediately sets aside whatever he's working on. She commands his attention.]

I will do my best.

[pyrkagia]

I'm putting my faith in you.

[Saying it's a small gesture, of course, but it's what she can do right now, especially since she's not as close to Tony as she is to Leo. But he is the blood of Hephaestus as much as she is, and he's...he seems to be a good brother, not like the one who raised her.

She hopes.]

[the_futurist]

[He refuses to bend under the weight of that. Sure, this is all a big deal and he gets that, but not being one to take things seriously on the surface, this is more than a little overwhelming for him.

He's not good at family. But that doesn't mean he won't protect what he can. He wants so much to tell her she can trust him, but that's not his decision to make.]

Pretty sure he can take care of himself.

But I will keep an eye on him, alright?

[pyrkagia]

Oh, I know he can.

[But just because he can doesn't mean he will. They're children of the forge, of progress and pressing forward and sometimes they keep pressing forward, breaking their limits all for the sake of getting something done. And that's what worries her most, because she has those tendencies, too. It's written all over her, plain to see in her tired eyes.]

I know. Thank you, Tony.

[She presses a hand to his shoulder, and it's the start of an affectionate gesture.]

[the_futurist]

[Tentatively he reaches up, placing his hand over hers for a moment, at least, and his eyebrows raise a bit as he meets her tired eyes. His own have the marks of insomnia, and he knows well the folly of progress for the sake of progress. It would have been in his blood either way, and that is the world he was raised in and for.]

Sure thing.