Epic Fail (OPEN)

[Deleted]

It was finally time. Finally time for Frank to step out of her comfort zone and work with a weapon she'd hardly used before. A bow. She was rubbish with the thing. It wasn't her style to hide in the back and pick people off, so she didn't know why she had to learn. But Chiron gets what Chiron wants, and if Chiron wanted her to learn how to use the stupid piece of wood, she would. Hence why she was currently trying to figure out how to properly hold a bow, while the other campers in the arena kept their distance. They weren't stupid enough to approach her while training. They really weren't stupid enough to approach her, ever, especially since her break-up and the intense attitude change. She was a little more docile than before, but if she was bothered, you'd be picking yourself off of the ground in a matter of seconds.

"Okay, Frankie. It can't be that hard, right? Just...Put the thing in the um...Thing...Then pull the string." She mumbled the words to herself as she stood a good few feet away from the target, slipping an arrow from the quiver on her back. She fumbled with it for a second before she finally got set up. She took a breath to control her concentration, and pulled back on the string, releasing it a second later. A frown formed on her face, though, when the arrow landed only a couple of inches from her foot. "Damn it all.." She grumbled as she went for another arrow, trying to figure out what she was doing wrong.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon was sitting in the stands around the arena giving a final check to his rifle. He had finally made some bullets, both regular and celestial bronze to use in fighting. He had also fixed a celestial bronze bayonet on the front of the barrel. Checking his last mag he loads one of the 100-round mags into the rifle before putting the rest in his cargo pockets. Looking down into the arena he watches as a girl fires an arrow, only for it to land right in front of her. He can't help himself, he busted out laughing. The campers around him looked at him like he had signed his own death warrant. He called out to her, "It helps if you lock the arrow onto the string you know!"

[Deleted]

Frankie had been ready to let another arrow loose when she heard the shout. Of course, nearly the entire arena had gone quiet, and she couldn't help but smirk as she turned her head towards the voice, spotting a lone camper in the stands. Ah. Newbie. That explained it. Without a single word, knowing the other campers were wondering how she was going to retaliate, she pulled one of her smaller daggers from her arm sheathe, chucking it in his direction. Thank her father for her abilities. She aimed for the left of his head, and that's where it went, planting itself into the stone of the seat above him. "It helps if you don't sit where I can reach." She called back to him, instantly turning back to the task at hand. Yes, she knew that Ares children were supposed to be good with all weapons, but she just couldn't get the hang of the bow.

She took the obnoxious males words in as she set the arrow in place before letting it fly. Head shot. "Well that wasn't so hard." She couldn't help but smirk to herself as she stared at the feathers sticking out of the target. "You were saying?" She shouted out once again, turning back to the stands with her arms crossed. The usual chatter picked back up, the other campers figuring that there wouldn't be a fight.

[Leon Orcot]

Seeing the knife flying at him, he notices it will his beside him, so he just sits still and lets it impact the stone beside his head. He grabs it out of the stone and jumps down to the floor of the arena, rifle and knife in hand. He chuckled at her words, "I'd sit out of reach, if I knew where that was." He noticed she followed his advice before getting a head shot on the target. He let out a slow clap for a second, "Good job, you hit the unmoving target. I'm proud of you." Reaching her as she turned around he handed her knife back to her. His face set into a flat look, "Of course you hit the target, you listened to what I said. You knocked the arrow correctly. You want to see a real feat? I'll climb back up into the stands and split your arrow with a round from this rifle standing at the top." He shrugged his shoulders as he said this. He didn't like to brag, but his expert marksman certification said enough for him to be right.

[Deleted]

She hadn't moved from her spot, simply waiting for his retaliation. Ah. There it was. The arena had gone quiet again, and this time, Frankie couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Oh sod off, will ya?" She addressed the whole of the arena, which skirted away and went back to whatever they had been doing to make their meager lives better. At the boys attempt to brag, she couldn't help but bark out a laugh, stabbing the sharpened edge of her bow into the ground. "Oh. I'm so scared. Big shot thinks he's the only one who can shoot a gun." She wiggled her fingers in the air, her voice feigning fear before she rolled her eyes yet again. Who did this kid think he was? Sure, he looked like he could be older than her, and he was obviously taller, but there was no way she was going to be afraid of him. She was a child of Ares, it wasn't how they rolled.

Frankie knew that she could do the exact same thing with her military background and the fact that her father had been her drill sergeant for the longest time, and he expected the best."Are you done? Or is there anything else you'd like to attempt to brag about, hot shot?" She crossed her arms over her chest again, trying to ignore the eyes she felt on her. Even though the other campers listened, they never quite stopped staring at her, always wondering what she was going to do next.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon smirked at her poking fun at him. This was something he had missed since he had left the military, a woman who didn't take his crap. The girls back home we all timid and submissive, except for Lillian. He didn't like that, he wanted someone to trade little jabs with and laugh about it later. It seems he had found that here at camp. "Nah, I know lots of people who shoot guns. I know several better then me. I just enjoy it more then most of them do." He shrugged a bit at that, before listening to her again. He chuckled a little at her words. He knew he had bragged a bit, and there was one other thing to brag on, just because she had asked, "Well now that you mention it. I do have a pretty sweet ride. Customized by yours truly." He put his hand out to her for a handshake, "The name's Leon, son of Hephaestus, retired US Marine. A pleasure to meet you Ms?" He let the question die off there, fully expecting the girl to answer.

[Deleted]

Frankie had no idea how to respond to the male. Normally, she would be screaming or attempting to stab them in the face. Instead, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she placed her hand in his, shaking it twice before re-crossing her arms. "Frankie Duchannes. Daughter of Ares, former Army Reserve and almost graduate of West Point Military Academy. Proud owner of a Hellhound named Walter who could probably eat your precious car." She grinned at the end, just to point out that she was joking about the last bit. She would never let Walter eat a car, she didn't want her baby to get a tummy ache.

Of course, during the exchange, she heard the beginnings of whispers. She let out a groan, holding up her finger to Leon, motioning him to hold on while she turned around, glaring at the gathered group. "Yes. I smile! You've seen it before. Next person that says something goes in the ring with me." There was a collection of widening eyes while some people actually ran. She couldn't help but smirk as she turned back to Leon, a smug look on her face at the fear she could cause in her fellow campers.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon's eyebrows rose at the mention of West Point, that was an impressive way to open a conversation with him. Giving her hand a firm shake he heard her mention her pet hellhound named, Who names a hellhound Walter? Crazy Ares kids. He heard her say something about eating his car and his face turned serious before seeing her grin. He grinned a bit back, "For Walter's sake, I'm glad that's a joke. Otherwise you may find yourself down one hellhound friend. That car is my baby, I love her." 

Seeing her hold up a finger he watched on curiously as she threatened the campers that were whispering nearby. He laughed a bit when several of them took off running. She turned to look at him with a smug look on her face and he couldn't help but crack a joke, "I didn't know you could smile. Does that mean we have to enter the ring now? I'm still a little tender from last time I fought with a woman in the ring." He idly ran a hand over his chest where Audrey had stabbed him with a knife a week before, smirking, "Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin your tough rep by thrashing you around with my other baby." He patted a wrench by his side made from celestial bronze.

[Deleted]

"Then you may find yourself without a head, because Walter is my baby." She was smirking as she spoke, glad that he wasn't actually a pretentious ass, and it was nice to have someone joke around with her without secretly wanting to stab her in the throat with an arrow. She couldn't help but let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Nah. Blood Seeker and I could probably thrash you, and I don't feel like causing humiliation to an injured soul." She chuckled again before she pinched his cheek, talking in a baby voice for the last bit. "We can always save that for another day." She nudged him with her elbow, glad that the other campers had moved on from watching her act like a human instead of a stone with a stone.

"Frank! Roscoe's sick again!" The new voice caused Frankie to turn, shaking her head as she saw one of her younger siblings run up to her. "Well take him to the infirmary, Nate. It's not that hard. There are other counselor's, I'm kinda busy right now." She motioned to Leon, and Nate nodded in realization before he ran off again. "Stupid boys need to stop giving Roscoe peanuts. He's six, and highly allergic. My siblings are idiots." She sighed out before she pulled her hair out of its pony tail, running her hand through it right after.

[Leon Orcot]

He gave a laugh as the play threatened him. "Blood Seeker, what an original name. So unlike anything I've ever heard before." It was always fun to poke at the names of other peoples weapons. His was simply his baby, no formal name to speak of. His eye twitched a bit as she pinched his cheek and spoke in that baby voice, Time to get touchy, eh? Well two can play at that game. He gave her a good finger poke to the forehead after she nudged him with her elbow. "I wouldn't mind a spar some time later I suppose, but for now let's just talk." 

He watched as some kid came running up and exchanged words with Frankie. Something about someone or something named Roscoe. He watched as the kid ran off to take care of the problem, hearing Frankie talk about her idiot siblings. He chuckled a bit as she sighed and let down her ponytail. As she ran her hand through her hair he took the time to admire the way she looked. She was an attractive young woman, not too much younger then himself. She had a good figure, at least in his mind. "So who's Roscoe?"

[Deleted]

"Hey, don't you diss my sword. Dad gave him to me after my accident. So you're insulting the God of War." She couldn't help but laugh a little bit before the exchange with her sibling. Of course, she still didn't know how to respond to the poke to her forehead. Usually, people were too afraid to touch her back, but it seemed that this more than slightly attractive male wasn't afraid of her. It was a change, but it was a nice change. "Roscoe's one of my little brothers. Bad allergies. The older kids think it's funny to watch him blow up like a balloon. He's the closest I have to a full-blooded sibling." She admitted without hesitation. Most people who saw Frank and Ros together noticed their bond. Frank would stab anyone that tried to mess with that little boy.

"It's too warm." She complained as she wiped her hands off on her fatigues, debating on taking off the jacket or not. She only had her black tank top, which meant that her scars would be showing, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She hardly ever showed her scars, minus the small ones on her face, and she especially didn't show them to people she just met. That caused too many questions, and questions caused flashbacks. Those were the one thing Frankie still couldn't handle. She gave a sigh as she plopped down onto the ground next to the bow. She had to adjust the sword at her hip, though, so she was more comfortable, before she leaned back on her hands, simply zoning out on the target for a moment.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon put his hands up in surrender, "I'm not dissing your sword or your old man. I'm just saying he has a bad naming sense. Like naming a dragon Toothless or something." He heard the care in her voice when she spoke of Roscoe. It seemed she liked this little one and cared for him at least a good bit. He smiled at that. He frowned when he heard the older kids like to mess with him like that, if they weren't careful it could kill the small one. "I say you find the one who did it and give them a good thrashing. That kind of thing isn't much of a good joke in my opinion. And I think I know good jokes."

He watched her brush off her hands, complaining about the warmth of the day. What did she expect wearing fatigues? They were hot as Hades. He wondered why she didn't just deblouse and cool off like they were allowed to do on warm days like this. He shrugged a bit watching her flop down on the ground, adjusting her sword to be more comfortable. She seemed to zone out on the target she had been shooting earlier before a devious idea came to his mind. He moved to stand beside her, silently pulling out a bottle of water. He then dumped it over her head unceremoniously while saying, "A little warm are you? Perhaps this will help you cool off." He laughed a bit as he did so before flopping down beside her, pulling the rifle off his back to rest it across his lap, barrel pointed away from the young woman. There may not have been a round chambered, and the safety may have been on, but he was taught better.

[Deleted]

"I happen to think Blood Seeker is the perfect name for the sword of an Ares child." She mumbled the words, crossing her arms again for a second. Of course, she frowned a little bit when she thought of her siblings that tormented poor Roscoe. "He's the youngest in our cabin. He can't even lift a sword yet. They see that as weakness, and they have a huge problem with authority, which is me." She gave a shrug like it was the most normal thing in the world. To her, it was. The Ares cabin was constantly fighting. There was never sunshine and rainbows with them. Someone was always arguing, there were constant duels, and Frankie was always in the middle of it, being one of the cabin counselors.

She was still waging her internal war about her jacket when she felt ice cold and wet pouring over her head. A gasp passed her lips and her hands went up in defense, her eyes closing. She simply sat there for a few moments, not really knowing what to do before she opened her eyes, staring at her lap. "You didn't.." She whispered the words before she pushed the wet hair back and out of her face. If she didn't feel comfortable around this guy, he would have just signed his own death certificate, but because of the odd air of familiarity she felt, all she could do was laugh. It wasn't a quiet laugh, either. This was a full out, tilt your head back and put your heart into it laugh. She knew the other kids were probably staring again, but she didn't really care. It wasn't every day that a random person dumped water on your head. It actually reminded her of the summer days at the Academy, when she and her friends would have hose fights to cool down after training.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon put his hands up in a placating manner as he heard her mumble a sheepish grin forming on his face, "Alright alright, you win. It's a great name for a sword." His grin faded as he heard about the Ares cabin and their idea of weakness. He wasn't happy with how they thought but it wasn't his place to say anything. It wasn't his cabin, he wouldn't advise someone how to run their own business. But he had to make a joke and his smirk came back onto his face, "You're the authority in the cabin, who's idea was that?" 

Leon's smirk grew as she gasped and raised her hands up to defend against the cold water, eyes closing on instinct. He heard her whispered words and wondered for a moment if he may have crossed the line and would need to start running. That was until she threw her head back and started laughing, real genuine laughter. He would never admit it of course, but he though she had a wonderful laugh. He started laughing himself after a moment. "I'm glad I could help you cool off, but now I'm getting warm myself." He wasn't sure why he did it, as he normally hid his scars from most, but there was this familiarity and comfort in her that he didn't mind. He felt she wouldn't judge him for all the scars on his body, so he shrugged of his jacket and shirt, leaving him bare chested in the sun, his scars bare for all the world to see. There were four very prominent, three from bullets that ripped though his lower right torso, tearing what used to be a kidney to shreds and then a stab on the upper left chest that was still somewhat fresh. That one was from a fight he had a week prior and was still healing up a bit.

[Deleted]

Frankie's laughter slowly faded as she ran a hand through her hair again. Of course, when he stated he was warm, she turned her head to Leon, raising an eyebrow before she quickly turned away. Oh gods. His shirt was gone, and Frankie wasn't quite sure how to handle that. Of course, she caught something from the corner of her eyes. Scars. She felt her walls go down just a little more as she turned to face him, examining them. Of course, she winced when she saw the knife wound on his chest. "Oh wow, you weren't kidding, that looks brutal." She hissed a bit as she spoke, tucking her hair behind her ear to leave some of her own scars exposed. Usually, people didn't mind the ones on her face, they were barely there. It was the other ones they whispered about.

She waged an inner war with herself as the fatigue jacket clung to her skin, making her warmer than she was used to. She stared at her lap for a moment before she finally settled on unzipping it, peeling the fabric away from her skin. Once her arms were free, she tossed the jacket towards her duffel bag, stretching her arms a bit. She was a little bit worried, though. Her scars were her one real weakness. And they were everywhere on her side. Sometimes she still wondered why her dad hadn't saved her from the explosion..