Crime and Punishment | Callista

[Virginia Grace]

Some deeds were better done in the shadows. Genie knew that as well as anyone. Rules were usually good things but if you couldn’t fudge them just a tiny little minuscule bit just once every so often then how good were they really? Whether it was letting your foot get a little heavy while driving on a long empty road, or making your chariot out of really cool super reflective chrome that blinded other teams during the race or if it was even borrowing a few strawberries from the fields so that you could have a late afternoon snack there had to be exceptions sometimes and this was one of those times.

Genie knew she had promised Lydia that she wouldn't snatch strawberries form the field any more but she also knew she had built the camp's strawberry pickers that made the work so much easier so if each of her picker automatons happened to keep back a small store of the berries that she went by to collect each afternoon was that really so bad? It wasn't like she was hurting anyone. In fact she was actually helping someone...mainly herself...to a little break and who could fault her for that? Certainly no one that was sitting with her here behind the arena so clearly there wasn’t a problem.

Those were Genie’s thoughts on the matter in any case and as she set under a nearby tree sprawled out in a lawn chair and snacking on a freshly picked basket of the delicious red fruit she was completely guilt free in he own mind. If anyone had any arguments they could bring them up and Genie would sweetly explain to them the situation. They would have to find her first though and as far as Genie knew no one came out to the fields this late in the day.

Callista DeWitt

[Callista DeWitt]

my skin has turned from porcelain to ivory to steel.

There was no doubt in Callie’s mind that today wasn’t a pretty day within the camp. Not only was the warm sun shining through the trees, or the water by the edge of the camp cool enough to dip one’s feet into. But it was just a good day, and she thought that it was a sign. Something terrible would inevitably happen on a day that she felt content, couldn’t it? Maybe that was her negative demeanor, a part of her that hide deep within her persona that she showed the world. She may show herself as a positive, outgoing person – she was the opposite on most occasions. From what she learned about the camp and being a demigod, darkness always waited just out of reach.

Callie walked among the other campers, teenagers from different godly parents. It was weird to think they were all related in slightly odd ways, mostly because the gods didn’t know what to make of themselves. They breed like crazy, even with their own family, and thus, her family tree went from three to like thousands among the world. Sometimes she even wondered how many more demigods out there were her half-siblings or half-relatives because of the Gods.

With her bow strapped to her back, along with a thing of arrows, she walked back from the training and headed in the direction of the cabin that she belonged to. Because her mother, Persephone, was considered a minor god, she shared a cabin with other demigods that weren’t of her mother’s decent, and while it wasn’t weird, it was different. Other campers just slumbered with their half-siblings near them, but not her cabin.

Moments after she dropped her bow and arrow off at the cabin, hidden where she usually kept it, she made her way through the camp once more. It wasn’t long before she found herself in the strawberry fields, hoping that her friend was there. Genie was a year older than her but was in love with the strawberries that hide within the vines. It wasn’t long before she noticed her, seated beneath a tree with a basket near her, she rolled her eyes rather amused and drew closer to her; “Picked some strawberries, did you?”

Virginia Grace

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Virginia Grace]

There was nothing more relaxing than sitting out on a warm day snacking on freshly picked strawberries at least not in Genie’s book in any case. In fact the girl was so absorbed in her tasty treats that she didn’t even notice anyone approaching her until Callie was right there beside her. Genie of course hadn’t been expecting anyone and when Callie finally spoke up it caused the Hephaestus girl to squeak in alarm and almost drop her bowl. That would have been a very sad turn of events indeed but fortunately after a few moments of juggling Genie regained her composure and her snacks were saved.

“Hey Callie! Boy, that sure was close one.” She said to the girl that had joined her while she made sure the bowl was once more securely resting on her knees. Hopefully no one else would be sneaking up on her but if they did the strawberries would be safe now which was the most important thing. It was then that she turned all her cheerful attention on Callie as if she hadn’t been doing anything at all wrong hiding out here. “Oh these? Naw I didn’t pick them. They were given to me.”

Technically it wasn’t a lie. Genie hadn’t really done any work for the strawberries herself. Her strawberry pickers had done all the actual labor and ‘technically’ they had given them to her after they were done. It was all true, it just depended on what point of view you used to look at the situation. Obviously Genie didn’t think she had done anything to be ashamed of in any case and who could argue with that bright smile and sunny disposition?

Changing gears almost instantly the daughter of Hephaestus nodded to the spot beside her in invitation. “Want to join me? If you don’t have anywhere to be the weather’s nice and these berries are really delicious.” She giggled a little as she offered the bowl to Callie. “There’s plenty to share and I wouldn’t mind some company.”