The Fog is Rising || Theo

[Cleo Price]

Foggy mornings like this were always Cleo's favorite to take photos of. The Lake had just that perfect layer of fog just resting over the glass like water. Cleo was sitting on the banks of the water, her pants rolled up to her knees and one foot submerged in the water while the other was bend, propping up her camera like a tripod. Photography was one of the few things that she found herself truly passionate in. It was peaceful and meaningful to her. Document things that people took for granted that one day might not be there. She had been here for a while, just relaxing and taking photos.

Her siblings had been driving her up a wall, for a cabin that was suppose to be based around intelligence they were all idiots. All they wanted was power and status, they acted like a bunch of Aphrodite kids. At least her brother was slightly pure, she hoped that he was going to be a good leader for them. Anyone but her Satan of a sister. She didn't understand not everyone wanted to constantly look perfect, Cleo loved being below average in everything. She knew her own worth and didn't need anyone to praise her for it. Screw that she would say, she had no interest in battle plannings or tactics, she just cared about making life mean something.

[Theo Dean]

Foggy mornings were the best time to practice his craft. He wasn’t sure if it was his mother’s influence over the mist that made being surrounded in fog so relaxing but whatever it was he always seemed to concentrate better on days like today. Not only that but it looked freaking cool to work magic in the fog and if there was one thing Theo liked it was making his magic look impressive. It might be something as simple as a few overly dramatic flashing lights but if it freaked a few campers out then it was worth a few chuckles.

No flashy lights this time however. Today Theo was trying out a few levitation spells he had come up with. Currently he was floating a few inches above the surface of the water and drifting out of the fog like some ghost in a horror movie. Sure, it wasn’t anything fancy but it would have definitely put David Blaine to shame and that would have at least made his mom proud.

Glancing around as he came out from behind another small fog bank Theo also noticed something else. He apparently wasn’t the only one at the lake today. A girl was sitting on the shore taking pictures and that was just perfect. It meant he had an audience and he planned on making good use of it. At the very least he could give her an interesting picture to show her friends or whatever.

Theo quickly traced a symbol in the air calling up some fog to follow along after him as he approached the shore and then added a few minor dancing lights to give the air around him a spooky, otherworldly look. With any luck the girl would catch the scene as he landed. If not it would be a major disappointment to waste all this good magic.

[Cleo Price]

Needless to say it was kinda hard to miss the floating kid that hovered into her shots. Cleo looked up from her camera for a moment and blinked a few times before laughing slightly. He was setting a stage, she could tell that much. The fog was following him, and he it looked like one of the scenes from a horror movie. The fog, the silhouette against the rising sun. Oh this was too good to miss. She smirked a took a few shoots before noticing that he was actually heading this way.

She was looking at the shots when he finally made it within speaking distance of her.  "That was quite a shot." she said with a smirk. She broke down everything the manipulation of the fog, the floating. Probably a kid of a air god, or maybe hecate. Regardless of who he was he did enough to entertain her for the moment. She slowly set her camera to the side and looked at the guy with a cocked eyebrow. "So what was that about? Just felt like floating on the wind or were you posing?"  

[Theo Dean]

Theo touched down on the shore a short distance away from the girl. As he did he dispelled the magical effects letting the fog break off and drift away behind him. He supposed he could have kept up the show just to see if he really could impress the girl but part of being a good showman was knowing how to leave your audience wanting more. Sometimes less was more and judging by the girl's voice when she called out to him he thought that he had made the right choice here.

“Oh that?” He said casually as he turned to face her with a grin. “I was just making sure you were paying attention.” Theo watched as she set her camera to the side and was pleased for the moment that she had enjoyed his spells. There didn’t seem to be any fooling this one though so he decided that he wouldn’t play up his powers, at least not at the moment. “Maybe I just like to make an entrance. What’s the point in knowing magic if you can’t show off every now and then? As for posing I guess that would depend how that picture you got turns out.”

[Cleo Price]

Cleo scoffed slight at the boy but couldn't help but find herself smirking. He was clever and well spoken.  Interesting, very interesting Cleo though, her psychologically background making her want to learn more about the depth of how clever he got. It wasn't often that someone peeked her interest, whether in a positive way or a patient way. That she was paying attention? "You wanted a audience." she said with a smirk as she pieced together pieces in her brain. Very interesting indeed.

"I'd say that was quite the entrance. It looked like something out of a indie horror movie, fog effect and all."  she smirked when he cleared up who he was. Hecate kid, magicians and people loosing their psyche. It was clear which one he is. She smirked and looked down at her camera, pulling up the shot. It was clean and the silhouette against the fog made a perfect natural contrast. Oh yeah, this one was completely worth a print or two. She looked back at the boy before holding the camera out to him. "Look for you self houdini. It's okay, whoever took this is clearly a good photographer though."

[Theo Dean]

“Thanks.” Theo said with a chuckle at her compliment. He hadn’t really intended to spook her with his effects but he would be lying if he said that he hadn’t used the setting to his advantage. That being said it was nice to meet someone who could appreciate his work and even play along with his joking. It showed she didn't take herself too seriously and Theo could dig that.

"A good photographer hmm? I'll be the judge of that." Taking the camera Theo spun it around and looked at the image displayed. He had to admit that she was right. He had never gotten into photography himself and didn't know all the technical aspects that made up a good picture but the girl definitely seemed to know what she was doing. "Looks like you've got some talent there. You must have had experience snapping pictures of guys floating across lakes before."

Handing the camera back over to her Theo began to wonder what she was doing out here herself. Coming out here to get a few pictures was one thing but he bet she could have gotten those back at camp if she had wanted. Why then was she all the way out here alone unless it was for the same reasons as him. "The name's Theo. I don't think I've seen you around before."

[Cleo Price]

Cleo had to admit, this guys sarcasm was a good match for her own which was hard to come by. For once her smirk wasn't leaving her face and she was actually enjoying talking to someone. She chuckled slightly when he made a comment about her experience. "I wouldn't say experience, more like I know how to capture things that are." Her smirk grew slightly "Magical."

"I'd hope I have some talent or else I have wasted so many so many years on a skill i'm not even good at." The idea of that sank in her soul, geez how much of a waist of life time would that be. She saw no point in wasting life, she wanted to use as much of it as she could before she enviably died. No one lived for ever and she knew that much. "Good, then my strategy has worked this long." she joked when he sad he had never seen her around. That was sorta hypocritical though. Didn't want to waste life yet she spent most of her time alone in her cabin. She lazily held up her hand in a slight wave "Nice to meet you, I'm Cleo." Yes she did completely ignore her actual name, no one was allowed to call her that though.

[Theo Dean]

“Magical huh? He said as his grin widened. ”Guess you’ve got me there though I typically go with descriptions like amazing and magnificent. You know? That kind of stuff.” Theo could already tell that he liked this one. She was funny, laid back and had a certain sarcastic attitude that he could appreciate. It wasn’t every day that he found people that he could get along with this easily but this girl seemed to be pretty cool.

She did talk like she was a little down on herself though and Theo wondered why. He liked the picture and nothing was a waste of time if you enjoyed doing it. Maybe she was just being hard on herself because this was more than a hobby to her but it still sounded like she could use a little pick me up if he got the chance to give one.

“Hey, nice name. Short, simple and to the point. I’ll even give you bonus points for sounding like mine.” He figured that the name was probably short for something like Cleopatra which was also an interesting name but he chose not to say anything about it. He did the same thing with his own name for a reason and if she wanted to go by Cleo that was fine with him. “So you’re a sneaky girl with a cool name who likes taking pictures? That makes you pretty interesting Cleo and I like interesting people. They usually turn out to be the most fun.”

[Cleo Price]

“magnificent huh?” Cleo raised a eyebrow at the similarly named boy and laughed. “Must be some sort of magic to earn a magnificent.” she smirked slightly before looking back at the water. It was some sort of trick. Most people wouldn’t know now to handle that kind of happenings, her overly logical brain took over before she could do anything really.

She laughed at what he said. “Bonus points?” This kid was something else she’d give him that. “I’ll guess I’ll take them. Cash them in for a prize later” She recognized the look in his eyes, that said he had seen pass whatever wall she put up. Few people did, maybe he earned some bonus points of his own. He said nothing of it though and that was the real surprise. Most people didn’t know how to keep their mouth shut or keep things to themselves. Some serious bonus points, she thought to herself. Interesting. He thought she was interesting? Cleo sorta stopped at that second. Cleo had always seen herself as someone who was unoriginal and plain. This guy thought she was something else. “I wouldn’t say interesting.” she said simply, looking out at the fog settling on the lake “I just am how I am”

[Theo Dean]

"Well I don't usually brag but since you said so I won't deny it." Theo chuckled and continued smiling at her. He already suspected that she wasn't really the type to be fooled by the smoke and mirrors show he often put on, she was far too observant for that, but at least he was making her laugh and that was okay in the magician's opinion as well.

"Rewards are nice but you better make sure you cash them in before they expire. Nothing worse than expired bonus points." He said keeping up with the lighthearted flow of their conversation since Cleo didn't seem to mind. It was good to meet up with someone who could match with his sarcastic sense of humor. It served as a nice change of pace from Theo's usual interactions.

Cleo did seem to have some self-confidence problems though judging by her response to his 'interesting' comment. Granted it might be nothing but generally you didn't correct people when they complemented you unless you had a low opinion of yourself. Theo would have to keep an eye on that in the future but for now just getting that overly serious look she had off her face would be a good start. "Oh don't say that." He said cheerfully. "You are interesting enough not to fall for my magic show, certainly interesting enough to catch my admittedly limited attention span and I bet that there's a lot more to you than just a girl who takes pictures. In fact, I would say that the people who think they have the least to offer are usually the most interesting of all." Plopping down on a fallen tree trunk behind her Theo watched the girl as she looked out over the lake wondering how she would take all of that. Of course she might blow him off as just being full of hot air but he did think there was more to Cleo than she was letting on. Maybe she just needed to come out of her shell a little.

[Cleo Price]

"Oh of course" she said with a pleasant ring of sarcasm. "I'd hate to loose my points. I worked very hard for them." Cleo twinged a smile onto her face as she spoke. As much interest as he seemed to have towards her, she had towards him. Theo was interesting and by far the most eye catching to this guy. No in looks, Cleo didn't care about that stuff, inside of him. The way he spoke, his thoughts and his personality. He was interesting.


She watched as he sat down next to her and spoke for that is all she could really do. Most people found her snarky, cynical and ill to be around. Theo actually sat down, he didn't leave and joined her. A lot more to her? Cleo didn't even know if she believed that. She didn't even know who she was, yet he saw more. Call her bewildered. "If you are right than i must be extremely interesting." she said sarcastically before shaking her head. "I don't know about all of this greatness you are thrusting upon me, you barley know me. Besides you are the one with the magic illusions. You are far more interesting than I ever will be."  

[Theo Dean]

All of Cleo’s sarcasm earned a couple of chuckles on Theo’s end and why not? She was definitely funny. Granted not everyone appreciated good snark when they heard it but those people were usually boring, bland and liable to take offense at the tiniest little thing or let a good sarcastic comment go right over their head completely. The world was far too whacky to take yourself that seriously and if you couldn’t laugh at yourself and those around you Theo thought that would be a very sad life indeed. Cleo definitely seemed like she could appreciate a little sarcasm and that made her pretty awesome in Theo's book.

The boy chuckled again as she made her comment about thrusting greatness upon her. That pretty much confirmed what he had thought about her from the beginning, that she needed to break out of her shell a little, and maybe he was just the person to do that. “Oh that makes me giving you some kind of burden and I’m definitely not the burden giving kind of guy.” He said in mock offense. “I just have a good eye for reading people.”

It was a little funny that Cleo seemed like she was so opposed to the idea of having any standout qualities. It was almost as if she was predisposed to thinking of herself as nothing more than ordinary. Theo wondered what would cause her to think like that. “Besides, being interesting can mean different things to different people. Isn’t it enough to know that at least one person sees something that really separates you from the rest?”

[Cleo Price]

Theo was something else alright. Cleo wouldn’t believe anyone that said that this kid was going to come and do this to her day. Was it a bad thing? So far not, but he seemed to dig into places she wasn’t use to being dug into. It unsettled her slightly, not that she’d ever tell. Maybe she was just not use to people trying to get deeper into her, she prided herself in making people run and making them run fast. The girl with no emotions, the fearsome lurker of the Athena cabin. As if.

A Good eye for reading people? Cleo was spectacle and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Reading her huh? She highly doubted his ability to read her, but then again who knew what magical little abilities he had. “Just as long as this reading doesn’t include tarot cards or a crystal ball.”

Isn’t it enough to know that at least one person sees something that really separates you from the rest?

That made the girl stop her joking for a moment and turn serious? Was he for real? She doubted it but, if it was true. That would be a first. She had gone her whole life without anyone and without being wanted. Interesting wasn’t in her skill sets, she didn’t know how to react to someone, well, complementing her. Her hand around her camera tightened slightly as she thought for a moment before putting back on her clear face. “I Guess so.” She said very simply compared to before. She didn’t know how to take that information, it wasn’t fact or theory it was opinion and it messed with her rational brain. “Being interesting isn’t something I strive for. “

[Theo Dean]

“Unfortunately no one really believes in crystal balls anymore. As for tarot cards they hardly ever give anything useful but at least you can make a show out of them.” Theo paused a moment and gave the girl a conspiratorial wink. He had never been above doing a little fortune telling to earn some extra cash when he was out on the road, he was actually pretty good at it compared to a lot of the phony card readers out there, but just reading fortunes could get boring. That’s why Theo usually liked to have a little fun with it. “It can be pretty awesome to freak people out with it though.” He wondered if Cleo would enjoy those laughs as much as he did. He could tell their senses of humor ran pretty close together but Theo did seem to take things above and beyond sometimes.

For whatever reason though Cleo did not want to think of herself as anything special and he wondered why that was. To make matters worse she was missing the whole point. He didn’t want her ‘striving’ to do anything. She didn’t have to especially if it was just to try and achieve some undefinable end goal. That’s what he wanted her to understand. “You’ve got it all wrong Cleo. You’re not interesting because you strive to be. You’re interesting because you just are. It’s something inside you, not something you can touch or see.”

Theo sighed. He was going to have to work harder on this one than he thought. Oh well. He had never been one to turn down a challenge and if Cleo was anything she was definitely a challenge. “Look,” He said as he hopped to his feet. “The best way is for me to show you and you’re not going to see it out here. The mess is about to be open and personally I could go for a sausage biscuit and some fun. What do you say Ms. Cleo? Want to take a chance and discover how interesting you really are?” Leaning in slightly he made a show of whispering to her despite the fact that they were alone. “By the way the correct answer is ‘Sure, Theo let’s get going’ because this is so going to happen.”

[Cleo Price]

Cleo was slightly rattled. She didn't take complements well and didn't know how to take what Theo had said about her being interesting. She was interesting without trying to be? What did that even mean? If she was just being herself how could she be interesting. Interesting in her mind was having skills or powers, all she had was a photographic memory and she was sure half of the time it was a curse not a gift. Interesting was having powers like the mist like he did. "It's easy to freak people out, just tell them what they don't want to hear." she said referring to the cards. Personally she was more a fan of hard facts and building your own path rather than have a few cards tell you your future but what ever made people happy.


Once again Theo shocked her. He actually wanted to hang out with her?  He was interesting indeed. She didn't know anything about what he meant by inside her and she couldn't see it but she decided it was best not to argue, he seemed very serious with it. She laughed slightly at his words and looked down at her camera before looking back at him "Well I guess since you are giving me such a choice Sure, Theo let’s get going" she said in a higher, mocking voice before chuckling again. She calmly stood up, dusting off her pants and strapping her camera back it its bag. "Shall we Mr. Theo?"