Blood Or Water?

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Maybe it was the festive time of year or some unknown ailment but the question of family had been on Desdemona's mind for a few days. She knew that the Usurpers [curse them all to the Styx] were certainly not destroyed but were either biding their time or planning their next offensive quietly behind the scenes, although she had no concrete proof. If they were still around, then the Cabins were not just important, they were vital in the defense against civil war. The Others Cabin may not be counted as much in the eyes of the Olympian Gods but the sky dwellers were wrong. For inside its walls rested those who could provide vital assistance or destroy them, and they were mighty indeed.

Speaking of which...there was one in particular who she wished to speak to. There had never been much love between anyone from the bloodline of Nyx, for they were a dysfunctional family full of negative emotions and dangerous powers. Still, she could afford to be magnanimous and her half-nephew and she could always be a little closer. Getting up, she carefully placed the bookmark between the pages she was reading of the Euclid and carefully picked her way down to his section of the cabin. Her pale white hand knocked once on the door, as she stood there in the entrance.

"Hello Phoenix, " her whispering voice spoke. "Would you have time for your aunt to come and talk?"

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Phoenix was not quite sure what he thought of these usurpers. They were beyond a doubt trying to bring down the reign of the Gods and while this amused Phoenix, he was not sure he was willing to dedicate his life to that cause. He hadn't achieved his own personal plans yet and well, he had no intentions of letting anybody get in the way of that. He was in his own section of the cabin, a small box in his lap. Inside the box which was usually locked was a small picture. There he kept his secret, his Moira and Naomi. He had burned all the letters he received about her but only kept that one picture around, hidden carefully and locked away. He would not let others know his one weakness. The stories he'd heard about this group along with their actions suggested they held a grudge against the demigods as well as their parents though, and this was something Phoenix did not support. He believed that choices were to be judged, not parents. He too hated the Gods and wanted them gone, but he found the details on what should fall with them to lie in another place than that of this other group.

He locked the picture away once again, his eyes having stolen that glance at Moira that would help in remember why he bothered being nice to people. Why he bothered to behave and not let his lust for blood get the better of him. There were few within the cabin he actually truly tolerated. Most of it was for show, most was just to make sure that he could gain what he needed before he would strike. It wasn't his nature to act rash or take the lead from others. He would bide his time and wait for the right moment to make his move. He had time, plenty of it. Within the safety of camp he could endure and should that safety fall away, he'd abandon the camp without a second thought and make his own way in the world once more. He was a capable enough fighter to believe he could endure, although it might take some trouble.

He heard the singular knock on his door and hid the small box with the photograph before walking over to the door and opening it. The soft words spoken by the one declaring herself an aunt of his brought a smile to his lips, although it didn't carry through to his eyes. "To what do I owe this pleasure Desdemona? Forgive me for not calling you aunt but the age difference is not particularly large. I would prefer to see you as a friend rather than a relative, mostly because our parents are not quite the same." He said politely with that slight smile still in place. He didn't actually want to be her friend but since he had nothing positive to say about either of his parents, he preferred not to see anybody as family in this place. Perhaps his half siblings could get that privilege but if they expected him to truly care they were mistaking. He could pull of the act without a doubt but had no love for anybody in this place. To have anybody declare themselves family only brought on a brief flare of hatred toward his father. He had killed the man and would love to bestow that favour upon all wishing to gain his allegiance by proclaiming themselves family. Family was nothing but a bunch of people that so happened to be related to you. It certainly wasn't a positive thing in his book.

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"I would not take it amiss,' she replied lightly to his comment about not calling her aunt. There were not many people in this camp who called each other by familial names anyways, the idea was outdated in a way. They might call each other brother or sister as an annoyance but family ties were not as binding these days. She preferred the elegant, older manner of things more than others, she supposed. Still standing at the door, she gave him a smile that didnt reach to her eyes either. There could be much read in a smile and if he bothered to read her expression, he might get coolness or half-openness but never actual enjoyment. The world before Camp had robbed her of much of her ability to enjoy things and also, she didnt trust him. Sure, he was family, but family wasn't the be all and end all. He would have to earn her trust and her love, even more because he was of her bloodline, for he was of Nyx and Eris both and that was a bad combination. Still, no need to be rude.

"To be honest," she continued, 'our families are probably not the best people to be going around calling each other in those terms. After all, you and I are manipulators and my brother also. I would not be surprised if we were at each others throats. But that is not why I came."

Summoning the shadows so they lapped around her feet, she rested her hands against her chest gently in a stance of neutral awareness. "I came to discuss something that our lines should not ignore. May I come in?"

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"Family is a strenuous term to some." Phoenix said as he waited for her to get to the point. "Despite the fact Eris is my mother I do not desire to be associated with her. I'm from her bloodline but not necessarily the same." He said, explaining his dislike to being seen as family to others. His mother was chaos and even if he had shown his true face in the world out there by causing pain and chaos, this camp was not the place for that to be a known fact. His home was far from here, as were the rumours. In a small town freedom was limited and in a way, camp too was a very small town. Just a small town full of power hungry idiots that all attempted to one up each other on a daily basis. He had no love for any of those at camp, or really any within the entire world. Only one had that privilege amongst the living and she was safe away from him.

When she asked to come in he kept his face neutral as he opened the door to let her in. He didn't really want her in his own personal space, even if it told little about him. His walls were not decorated and only the fact there were clothes and the likes present betrayed the fact a person even lived here. Phoenix wasn't the type to settle down anywhere and his personal items were carefully hidden away. The only ones he cared about were kept safely at a distance from the bothersome people at camp. He didn't trust a single one of them, not even with the knowledge about his daughter. It was a weakness he couldn't afford to give away. His dear Naomi was all he had left in this world to care about. Things would truly turn dark if she was taken from him. However, he was willing to hear out his so called aunt to see what she had to discuss with him. He'd be willing to listen and consider what she had to say, even though he wouldn't risk himself for this camp.

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[Finally, my computer is back!]

"My thanks," she half spoke, half whispered as she entered past him into the room. Lowered lashes kept up the illusion of neutrality, hiding the bright eyes looking keenly around at her new location. Rooms and abodes could tell you many useful things about the state of mind of the person living there. His allotted space told her many things - he was not attached to this place at all. The lack of any outward trappings signified that this was only a temporary place to live, that he was cautious and kept things to himself. Indeed. Arranging her skirts as she stood in the centre of the room, her eyes keenly watched him from under those lashes as she seemed to concentrate on rearranging the materials making up her clothing so they were just right before raising her chin in readiness to speak.

Focusing on his face, she laid her hands in her lap and spoke after a while of silence. "Normally I do not seek out those who are not in my immediate circle. I find the exertion taxing and the consequences often too negative. I have no love for the children of the Olympian Gods. As I am sure you do not. I think you have no love for anyone but your own circle and I know that I am not in it. We barely know each other, familial blood aside. However, children of the Primordial Ones and those of the Olympians have a common enemy. The Usurpers."

She brushed imaginary dust off her skirt. "What do you feel about these Usurpers and their goals, Phoenix?"