Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Jag on 07-05-2011, 02:42:49</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>07-05-2011, 02:42:49</strong>
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				<div align="center"><strong>Hephaestus's Forge</strong><br><br>(http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7874/hephaestusforge.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/hephaestusforge.png/)</div><br>No demi-god or immortal beyond the Gods themselves knew exactly where his forge was. It had been in Mount Saint Helen, but as that was also the prison for a Titan he had moved it to some where more private. Somewhere that mortal tourist were not always gawking again. Hera approved of the move since it took Hephaestus even further from the lime light and pushed him away into some little hole where no one could see him. Most couldn't figure out where he could move since most figured he would prefer a volcano.<br><br>Truth was that he did prefer a volcano, but American didn't have many good ones of those. Hephaestus knew that if he buried himself far enough into the Earth he would find fire. The center of the Earth was molten and hot. His domain. He could plant his forge anywhere so long as it was far enough into the ground.<br><br>Not many in history had seen Hephaestus' forge. It was his private sanctuary, but he did enjoy letting his children come once in a while. Even his own wife had never been here. Too dirty for her tastes. Even after having built her a special room so she could have a clean, non-forge like space she still refused to come down. Not that he was sure what he would do if she did come down. Aphrodite had made it very clear that she would never let him lay a hand on her. Though she didn't seem to mind letting every other god and mortal man do that. He was sure that it was mostly because Zeus had forced her into marrying him. <br><br>It was the beginning of summer, or he assumed it was. He assumed this because around dinner time his head was flooded with the sound of his children sending prayers to him. Having been listening to these for several thousand years he was decent at not letting it distract him...and he did like the smell of the food sent to him. Meat, cheese, and fruits. It always smelled wonderful. While the Gods could eat, they didn't have to. The smell of the offerings their children made were usually enough to tide them over.<br><br><em>Please accept my offering, father Hephaestus.&nbsp; Please, let this camera thing work out?</em><br><br>While it was common for him to get requests for things to work out and for help, this was a voice he didn't hear often. Vanessa Concepcion. He remembered all of his children and their mothers. She'd been a pretty woman, though not in the same sense that Aphrodite was. She was so focused and strong willed. Her creative sense for her work is what he'd been the most attracted to. It pained him when he realized that Vanessa was 'lame'. He felt that it was his fault and had no reason to think otherwise. Many of his children were lame in some way. Those that weren't born that way usually ended up that way in the end. Vanessa was just as creative and mechanically minded as her mother.<br><br>Hearing her not asking him for help, but simply wanting him to hope that her camera worked meant a lot. She wasn't asking him to fix it. She wasn't asking him to build it for her. And she wasn't asking for his help. While most of his children were self-sufficient enough to build things themselves without help, most didn't even ask for his blessing on projects. Vanessa had never asked him for anything, not really at least.<br><br>It had been a while since he'd see one of his children. Vincent Masterarm was the last one and that was a very short meeting. Without meaning to think he, he knew that they were two of his favorites. Parents shouldn't pick favorites, but even he knew many did. Vincent was one of his few non-lame children. He was strong, brave, and mechanically intelligent. He'd had a difficult life before finding his way to Camp Half-Blood. Then there was Vanessa. Quiet, kind, weak-hearted Vanessa with her weak body. She had the same fondness for beautiful things, even if his fondness was more mechanically oriented. He also felt she was much prettier than she seemed to realize. <br><br>Lifting his lumpy, hulking form from the oversize la-z-boy type chair covered in bronze and silver gear. The steel brace on his leg creaked and sparked as he moved towards the one source of cool water in his forge. A small, compared to his size, pool of sea water with a hammer coming out of the middle and more water pouring out of it. Poseidon had made one of these for all the Gods 'homes' as a quick way of contact. He had a feeling that Hermes was part of the reason for these to help keep down the amount of short messages the Gods needed to pass on. They were a surprisingly easy way to contact their children at camp too, or rather Chiron or Dionysus.<br><br>Pulling a small, golden drachma from his jumpsuit and tossed it into the pool. The water splashed up and created a small rainbow, "Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering," maybe it was that silly saying that was the reason most Gods didn't use this method of contact, "Chiron and Dionysus, Camp Half-Blood," the image of the rainbow was distorted to show the inside of the Big House at the camp. Chiron was in his wheelchair, something Hephaestus had created, and Dionysus was sucking down another diet coke (years of sobriety had not been kind to the God of Wine). He coughed and cleared his throat to get their attention.<br><br>Chiron was the first to respond, "Oh, Lord Hephaestus! What a surprise," the centaur wheeled himself closer and Dionysus just waved a hand as he went back to his drink and playing some card game with himself, "What can I help you with?"<br><br>"I wish to speak with my Daughter Vanessa and my son Vincent," his voice was deep, almost sounding like rocks grinding together.<br><br>"Ah, yes. Vanessa and Vincent. I believe they are still at the pavilion eating dinner...I can go get them if you would like, but as a God and, more specifically, God of Fire, you do have right and ability to use the center brazier to appear through. You can speak to them directly that way if they are still there..."<br><br>The God nodded. He had thought about that and would prefer it to using these rainbows, but he had also thought about not wanting to scare the living daylights out of new campers or upsetting those that would find his appearance unsightly, "Yes...I could. I just thought that might be a little rough for the new children..." but that did seem like the best way. He hated paying for these messages every five minutes, "I suppose it would be best for me to...invite...them in person," or at least in vision.<br><br>Before Chiron could think about the crying younger children when they saw someone like Hephaestus, the God of Forges was gone. He was already heading out of the door when he heard a few screams from the pavilion. Hepheastus had knocked over the brazier and the hot coals and fire were enough to use. The flames shot at least ten feet in the air, sending any camper near it running. The great, hulking God was standing in the middle of the pavilion. He was an imposing sight, even if it wasn't his physical body standing there, "Vanessa Concepcion, where are you?" he called out. <br><br>Abigale was bombarded with young, new campers crying as they tried to cling to her for safety. The children of Ares had drawn spears and swords. Apollo's kids had their arrows held like daggers. And anyone under the age of 13 was either hiding under a table or clinging to their cabin leader like what was happening Abigale.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 02:55:13</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vincent, Vanessa and Chiron head to the big house...</em></div><hr><br>"You know..."<br>Vincent began as he walked along side Chiron towards the house with his sister silently following behind them. <br>"Last time I was brought to the Big House I was in trouble..." <br>He added with a little suspicious as if Mr. D was waiting to ambush the two of them even if the reason behind being called to the big house had something to do with their father's unexpected visit. Vincent glanced back to make sure his sister was still with them before he looked over towards Chiron who had not said much of anything during the entire walk. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 16:23:15</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Chiron</em></div><br><hr><br>The centaur was glad when things started to settle down and he lead the two children of Hephaestus to the Big House. He smiled when Vincent said the last time he'd been there was when he was in trouble. It was true. Most kids only came there when they were injured or in trouble. That was common, "Don't worry, neither of you are going to be in trouble."<br><br>"Also, I agree with Abigale. You should both talk it out over who else you would like to come with. Abigale is a good choice. She's been to Mount Olympus several times and met her own father as well as yours. She's been here a long time and I don't think she's going to be coming back next year. That means she probably won't get as many chances to do things like this anymore," the centaur lead them up the stairs where his wheelchair was sitting. It would be impossible for Chiron to function in the modern world without that wheelchair. He didn't question how it worked, he just knew that it did and it was thanks to Hephaestus. <br><br>The centaur fit himself into the chair, turning himself into the crippled, old man that most on the outside world thought he was. He covered the front of it where his fake legs were with a blanket. Wheeling himself into the House, he invited the two inside, "I hope you both understand what a big honor it is for you to be invited to the home of your parent. Most never get to even hear their parent speak, much less get to meet them on such a personal level. Hephaestus has always been some what of a recluse. I can't say that either of you will get the kind of...attention or affection most would expect from a parent."<br><br>"No one knows where Hephaestus' new forge is and you both will likely not be shown the exact location. I expect that he will arrange for some sort of transport for you. I asked you both to come here to discuss everything because I don't want the other campers influencing your choices," he said with a smile, "I also think it would be best if you both decided what project you would like to bring with you. I know it would be nice to bring everything to your father, but I'm sure focusing on one or two things would be for the best."<br><br>"Would either of you like something to drink? I think all we have in cans is diet coke..." he wheeled himself towards the kitchen to let the two talk.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 22:47:56</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa adjusts in the Big House</em></div><hr><br>Wide-eyed and mute, Vanessa stoically followed them toward the Big House.&nbsp; It was hard not to read a lot into Hephaestus' visitation.&nbsp; He'd come bursting out of the fire, his voice resounding with the authority of a millennium.&nbsp; She felt shaken, humbled to her very core, and everything seemed only a shadow cast from his divine flame.<br><em><br>I wonder if this is what the children in Lourdes felt like,</em> she wondered to herself as Chiron and Vincent chatted.&nbsp; She shuttered these thoughts away, figuring that the analogy didn't quite pan out.<br><br>"Would either of you like something to drink? I think all we have in cans is diet coke..."<br><br>"Uh no, thank you," she replied.&nbsp; Chiron looked strange to her in his chair to Vanessa.&nbsp; Having spent so much time around authentically handicapped people, watching someone transition from being large, stout, and powerful to being coddled in a chair with a blanket over him just made her brain twist.&nbsp; Besides, he didn't look right when she didn't have to look up at him.&nbsp; There were some people, she thought, whose heads you were never meant to see the tops of.<br><br>She stood awkwardly, unwilling to sit unless directed.&nbsp; The Big House was just that: too large to be comfortable.&nbsp; Even though the furnishings were designed to accommodate half-bloods and regular-sized gods, it still seemed somehow too big for her.&nbsp; Since coming to camp, she would have these sort of disconnects, the feeling like the world had become too strange too suddenly.&nbsp; It was like being Alice.&nbsp; One day, she wished to find a blond, little half-blood to dress up and take a series devoted to that alien sensation she now silently endured.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 23:09:57</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vincent gets a ton of bricks dropped on him...</em></div><hr><br>"No thanks..."<br>Vincent said somberly as the news of it being Abigale's last year at camp hit him hard. What was there after camp? He was not sure what Chiron meant by Abby not being back the year before, it was not like he could assume anything? Questions filled his mind. Had she found someone else? Was she getting kicked out? Was she being taken in as a god, he could have sworn he heard that happened once in a while, specifically with Hercules. The trip to his father's forge no longer mattered as he followed the man in the wheel chair to the kitchen. <br>"Hey, Chiron, what do you mean she might not be coming back next year?" <br>He asked with knitted eyebrows, deeply concerned as if the one sure thing he knew in life. The camp and Abigale's friendship seemed like it was being pulled out from under him! Vincent looked back at his sister and helped her find a seat before he did so himself and withdrew into his own thoughts for a while. For once he was strangely silent a trait not common for the leader of cabin 9. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>10-05-2011, 01:45:26</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Chiron</em></div><br><hr><br>Despite the two of them declining the diet cokes, he brought them back out anyway and set them on the table, "This is a training camp, Vincent. In the end, everyone leaves. Some stay longer than others, but eventually they all leave. When it comes down to it, I'm the only person that ever stays here," Chiron wasn't really immortal. He'd asked the Gods to let him live for as long as there were demi-gods that needed him to train them. When the time came that there were either no more demi-gods or none of them needed him then he would die. Even Mr. D wasn't bound to this place once his punishment was up, "Abigale has been here since she was thirteen. She'll be twenty next year. There is little else that she can learn here. Like many others, she'll probably come to visit from time to time...but like the others she will stop doing that too one day."<br><br>"Now, Vanessa, do you have any idea of what project you'd like to bring with you? You have never met any of the Gods before, have you? It can be intimidating at first, but he is your father. Hephaestus isn't as bad as he may look," many though that the god of forges was a big, scary beast of a man, but he wasn't. Hephaestus tended to be a lot tamer than most of the Gods, "Other than attempting to capture his wife and her lover in nets and on camera to embarrass them, he doesn't really cause any problems for anyone. Most that take the time to get to know him find him to be a rather pleasant person," Chiron smiled lightly.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 00:20:43</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa</em></div><hr><br>She overheard the exchange between Vincent and Chiron.&nbsp; In a way, she knew how he felt.&nbsp; School had been small for her and had encompassed the same ages as the camp tended to attract.&nbsp; When students graduated, she knew many of them would simply continue on as they were, wards of their parents or the state.&nbsp; A few stepped out into a world they could never prepare for, an unkind one.&nbsp; Vanessa would cry when she saw them accepting the principal's handshake, knowing she might never see them again after so many years together.&nbsp; Though she had been a bit green at Abigale's monopoly of her eldest half-brother's attention, Vanessa knew he cared about her a lot.&nbsp; Even if foster kids like him were usually hard-hearted, he seemed vulnerable when it came to the tattooed, pierced, and dyed girl.&nbsp; Maybe she was as vibrant inside as she was outside.<br><br>"...Capture his wife and her lover in nets and on camera to embarrass them, he doesn't really cause any problems for anyone. Most that take the time to get to know him find him to be a rather pleasant person."<br><br>Vanessa snapped out of her quiet sympathy.&nbsp; Camera?&nbsp; Wasn't she working on a triggered camera?&nbsp; Hadn't she prayed with her offering about it to that same fire he had burst from?<br><br>"Camera?&nbsp; I'm working on a camera!" she exclaimed.&nbsp; "Do you think he'd want to see that?"&nbsp; She pivoted in her seat, seeming to ask the both of them at once.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 02:24:27</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vincent</em></div><hr><br>What could he say? He listened to Chiron explain things as if it was how it was meant to be and would never change and he simply accepted it whether he wanted to or not. Camp had just become home to him but "training" camp? He thought about it a little more, it seemed like he had just got to camp half-blood and already the one person he always thought would be there might be leaving soon. It made sense, who wants a thirty year old demi-god around a bunch of pre-teens and teenagers, it just sounded creepy. <br><br>His attention was pulled back to the reason they had been called to the big house and while Vanessa talked about his project he was thinking of the one he had been working on after he finished a quest for his father. He never took to fighting very seriously before, Vincent had not been a big fan of combat but after barely being killed weeks ago he thought it was time he began to out some of the weapons he forged to good use. A smile spread across his face when Vanessa mentioned making a camera, he had no doubt that with her love of photography and their parents gift she would really make something amazing! His mood was starting to rise at the though of his sister's success he did not want to take away the focus from her. <br>"Yea, I think your idea is great sis."<br>He agreed and nodded with his head a few times. <br>"Are you excited?"<br>Vincent added looking at her in a new light. If Camp Half-Blood really was just a transitioning point in life he swore to himself he would appreciate it more. He was not eager to move the discussion in his direction again but if asked he would tell Chiron about the weapon he wished to forge for himself and how he would show it for his father the next day. His mind was already planning on sneaking into that little window located around the back of cabin 11. Vince hoped Vanessa did not mind if Abby went with them to the forge the next morning but he could bring that up later before lights out back at their cabin with the rest of their siblings. He thanked the gods that the bunks for all of those in Hephaestus's cabin where private and transformed into their own private rooms or Vanessa and he would be the target of their jealous sibling's wrath that night! 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 19:41:31</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Chiron</em></div><br><hr><br>The centaur was glad when Vanessa brought up this camera she was working on. While he was alright with explaining why campers would or wouldn't be back in future years, he much preferred to talk about Vanessa's camera, "I think that would be perfect. Hephaestus has a TV Channel after all. He enjoys cameras very much. It's mostly reality programs, but he seems to like reality. After all, how well would a fantasy sitcom do with Gods and Demi-Gods," he said with a smile, "A lot of the time he sets up traps for his wife and her lover so he can embarrass them on live-TV. A bit petty, but can't really blame him," it was one thing when Aphrodite took a random, mortal lover, but it was another when she stayed in an affair with a God for over three thousand years. Chiron would leave the specifics of the camera to Hephaestus and Vanessa. Modern technology was usually lost on the old centaur.<br><br>"As for you, Vincent, Hephaestus has always had a love of automatons. Mainly animal ones. I'm sure he would be impressed with your horse. Even if you wanted him to assist you with something else, I'm sure he would still like to see Invincible," he was more focused on Vanessa since it was her that Hephaestus had first called on. He was sure whatever either of them brought would be looked on proudly by their father. Hephaestus was one of the few that was openly proud of his children.<br><br>"You two should get some sleep. Mr. D will be releasing the harpies soon and I don't really want to explain to your father why you can't show up tomorrow because you got eaten by harpies," he smiled lightly, "If you'd like to pack and come back up here, that would be fine too. There are plenty of rooms here," Chiron yawned a little bit, "I should be off to bed myself," while he didn't always feel like a 3,000 year old creature, his body felt it from time to time, "I'll see you both in the morning," with that, he started to wheel himself off to the back. Campers may not have come to the Big House often, but it was hardly off limits to them. Most just didn't because of Mr. D.<br><br><br><div align="center"><em>Abigale finally gets to sleep...</em></div><br><hr><br>It had been a long day and Abigale was very much looking forward to sleeping. She feared leaving Hermes Cabin in the hands of her two brothers, but she knew they wouldn't do anything to actually hurt anyone. At least she hoped not. After all, if she did decide not to come back next year, this would be their job anyway. Maybe the responsibility for a few days would be good for them. Of course, that was only if Vanessa and Vincent decided to bring her along.<br><br>In truth, she did want to go. It was an amazing opportunity and one not many would ever get.<br><br>Sighing, she shut to door to her closet bedroom and climbed into bed without even changing. Sleeping in her clothing was never a big bother. Hell, she could sleep on a rock if she had to. It didn't take long for her to tune out the sounds of the camp and fall asleep.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>12-05-2011, 22:11:16</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa is an excited puppy</em></div><hr><br>Her mouth hung open slightly as she nodded.&nbsp; "Yeah!" Vanessa replied to Vincent before eagerly listening to Chiron explain her father's reason for his interest in cameras.&nbsp; It all made sense now!&nbsp; The laser sensor would make for an excellent trap to catch whatever divine going-ons without wasting tons of storage on mundane people or animals.&nbsp; Someone could set such a camera up for days and only catch pictures of the gods, half-bloods, and monsters, all the things that made for great television!<br><br>Vanessa bit her bottom lip, knowing there was no way she get getting any sleep tonight.&nbsp; It had to be finished and perfect before they left in the morning, and Vanessa was wired to spend the entire night tinkering her way into her divine father's heart.<br><br>"I'm going to go stay in the cabin tonight," she said.&nbsp; "I want to make sure it is all ready before we go!"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>13-05-2011, 05:09:06</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vincent heads to Cabin 9 for a bit, before sneaking into Cabin 11...</em></div><br>"Yea, I think I will do that..."<br>Vincent said, thanking Chiron for the offer to sleep in the big house but liked the idea of sneaking into cabin 11 much more. Vanessa gave him a reason to walk her back to the cabin and with the meeting coming to an end he motioned for her to follow him if she wanted company back to their cabin. He mostly walked in silence on the way back to their cabin, both his hands where resting on the top of his head as he walked at her pace. The evening was nice and he was enjoying it as they made the walk back around to the cabins that housed the others. "Big day tomorrow..." He finally spoke, looking over at Nessa with a smile as the gears at the front of their cabin began to spin before the hydraulic and steam doors began to open to let them in. Moving to his cluttered corner of the cabin he pulled up a keypad and entered his codes in. From underground his private locker came out of a slot in a wall and he packed a few things. A change of clothes, his tool belt, a car magazine, the auto trader (very old out of date issue) and a large looking hammer he slung into one of the loops in his jeans. Everything seemed packed before he was stepping outside. <br>"Night guys."<br>He said to them, leaving with his pack on his back. The doors closed behind him and he moved to the backside of the cabin where a make shift stable had been made for Invincible. It was not like he could not leave his horse in the stable, the opportunity never came up. It was clear the mechanical horse was nothing like its live counterparts, for one, Invincible was better then all of them in every way. The mechanical beast let out a snort as it saw Vincent, almost like a real horse would which had him petting the cold steel of its cheek a rub. <br>"Hey you, I need a wake up call in the morning, you know the window and here take this with you." <br>Vincent ordered the creature as he removed his pack and hunt it on the horse. It's eyes flared before they dimmed again, replicating "sleep" mode once more before he was jogging off in the dark towards cabin 11 wary of harpies! Abby's window was rusty and in need of a little WD-40, pulling the small can from his back pocket, how it got there would make surprise him at times so he rarely thought of it anymore. A few sprays where made before he opened the window with no sound and he silently crept in to her sleeping form. A smile spread across his lips as he removed the hammer from the loop in his jeans and set it down on the windowsill before placing his t-shirt over it. Slipping under the covers would be the hard part but he managed to do it after a little tugging on the sheet before he pressed his chest to her back. A arm slipped under her pillow as the other wrapped rested on her body before he gave the pack of her neck (mostly) hair a kiss and feel asleep. They could deal with his actions the next day if she wanted to bring it up, they where just sleeping together like before...<br><br>Vincent dozed off before putting to much thought into what he had done. He quickly feel into a synced sleep next to Abby. If he ended up over sleeping, Invincible would be there to wake the two of them with a very loud and steam pressurized whinny. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>13-05-2011, 19:34:50</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>The Next Morning</em></div><br><hr><br>Abigale didn't wake up when Vincent slipped in through her window or when he climbed into bed next to her. But when she felt his arm wrap around her and his body nestled up to him, Abby smiled in her sleep and cuddled back up to him. Last summer this was a common occurrence. At first it had been a little difficult to get used to having someone else in her bed, but she got used to it quickly. Over the past nine or ten months while she was away from camp, it had been even harder to get used to not sleeping next to someone. School had been great, but going back to the small room her father had paid for her to stay in alone was hard. Even during the off season at camp there was always people here. Abigale hadn't been that alone in six years. There were times she'd enjoyed it and times that she hadn't. For now, she just cuddled up against Vincent and slept. He smelled like oil and metal. It wasn't a dirty smell or a bad smell. Just one that she associated with him.<br><br>The night passed and after ordering the satyr to block off the Sound, the morning horn was blown. Abigale yawned and stretched out as she heard people groaning and complaining s they got up. For a moment, she didn't realize that it was Vincent in her bed and she popped up quickly, ready to kick who ever was in her bed out till she realize who it was. A smile crossed her lips as she laid back down and snuggled back up to him. It felt nice to be like this again. At the same time she felt a little bad that she hadn't got to talk to him yesterday and they hadn't wrote or anything while she had been away. It wasn't like writing would do them much good. Most demi-gods couldn't read English very well anyway and she hadn't though that Vincent had taken enough Ancient Greek lessons for them to trade letters. Cell phones were forbidden on camp grounds and not recommended outside of camp either, "Shouldn't you be at the Big House by now?" she asked with a smile as she nuzzled into his neck, "Wouldn't want to be late to meet your father, now would you?"<br><br>Meanwhile, Chiron had the body of the dead Naiad delivered back to her sisters before he headed into the cabin area. Most of the campers were awake and heading to the pavilion for breakfast. A few were lingering. He'd been heading to Cabin 9 to gather Vanessa and Vincent and whoever they had decided on taking with them, but stopped when he saw a shirt hanging out of Cabin 11's window. He sighed as he realized it was the window into Abby's Cabin Leader room. The old centaur did encourage the campers to try and live as normal as possible lives. This involved relationships and it was generally easier for them to date other demi-gods rather than try to explain it to a mortal. Last night Vincent had seemed upset that Abigale might not be back at camp after this summer and the boy was already in her bedroom.<br><br>Walking over to the window, he gave it a small tap, "Abigale...Vincent...Vincent, I think you should be heading up to the Big House. The gods don't like to be left waiting," he said calmly before walking off. Normally he didn't mind catching campers curled up together, but he was a little down today due to the Naiad.<br><br>Once that was done, he went back to his path of going to Cabin 9. Once there, he knocked on the window for Vanessa. It was nearly impossible for him to get into the cabins in his true form, but it was impossible for him to get the wheelchair through the grass and over the hills, "Vanessa? Are you ready? Please head up to the Big House when you are. Mr. D is going to take care of getting you and your brother to the forge," he was sure their siblings were jealous, but that was normal. Some children were simply shown more favor. It was impossible for the gods to show equal affection to all of their children.<br><br>With that done, he decided to head back to the Big House himself, only to see Zachary Williams heading towards it as well. It wasn't often that campers chose to go to the Big House, so he decided to head the son of Poseidon off. Vanessa and Vincent could handle Mr. D on their own for now.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>14-05-2011, 19:28:37</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vincent, Abigale, a centaur and a mechanical horse. </em></div><hr><br>After she had turned to snuggle back into him, he knew he would not be going back to sleep. He had woken up when she had begun to move, about to protest when he felt her head burrowing into his neck and chest. A hand moved to caress down her back, from between her shoulder blades all the way down to her lower back. The smile on his lips was slowly starting to spread across his face.<br>"You need to be there also, you are going with us."<br>He whispered softly into the top of her head, tilting his face down to deliver a kiss when he was interrupted by Chiron. Vincent shifted in the bed, looking at the centaur with an annoyed gaze. <em>Really...of all times...</em> He thought but grunted a good morning to him, unaware of the gruesome discovery that morning or he would have been more polite. Before anything else could be said he was already gone which had him sitting up in bed then onto his feet as he looked over at Abby.<br>"Common, let's go meet my old man."<br>Vincent said nonchalantly like it was not a bid deal he was about to actually meet a god! He had told her the night before she was going with him and Vanessa didn't protest so that was that!<br><br>Invincible the self snoozing mechanical horse passed Chiron as he made it to Cabin nine to wake up Vanessa. How it had managed to forget to wake up Vincent until after it saw the Centaur was a mystery to the creator, it was as if the creature had a mischief drive to it at times. It snorted when it arrived at the window, its red eyes mellowing to a yellow to show that it was not in an aggressive mode. <em>Wakey wakey, here is your wake up call</em> Vincent felt like the horse had purposely been later to have Chiron find him in Abby's room. "Yea, thanks for waking me up on time jerk" He angrily replied to the horse non verbal greeting. Invisible whinnied but to Vincent it felt as if it was laughing but he only shook his head in amusement. <br>"Yea yea I missed you too, let's go, you better have my pack on you at least or you are becoming a tin can opener." <br>He threatened the horse as he walked to the window and pulled his shirt on then looped the hammer into a pant belt hoop like he did the night before. <br><br>"Abby, I'll meat ya at the Big House ya? I'm gonna get a quick shower in."<br>He said as he turned back to face her, kneeling on her bed and delivering a quick kiss to her lips before he slipped out of the room with ease. Invincible and Vincent where soon walking off to the shower area, the two bickering back and forth in ways only they could understand one another. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>14-05-2011, 20:16:51</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa runs out of midnight oil</em></div><hr><br>The siblings' walk back to the cabin was quiet, though in her mind, gears were turning.&nbsp; Mentally, all the pieces she needed were falling into place, like a Tetris game playing on its own perfectly at high speed.&nbsp; Her fingers unconsciously flexed until they arrived, eager to get to work.&nbsp; She muttered her good-night to Vincent before settling in her own small, cluttered bunk.&nbsp; Flicking on an overhead light, she shuffled off her orange flip-flops and entered a flurry of work, uncaring of the time.&nbsp; The pieces began to come together in her hands as they had in her mind; the yet uncreated bits formed and molded into their needed shapes.&nbsp; It was like a wondrous magic to watch, nearly separate from herself though she knew it was her own stiff and limp fingers dancing like broken dolls over the parts, their awkward performance the enchanted wave which made her mental creations real.<br><br>Like shoemakers elves, her bizarre little hands continued to work as she began to doze off.<br><br>"Vanessa? Are you ready?"<br><br>Her head shot up, sleep-blinded eyes blinking wildly.&nbsp; "Huh!?"<br><br>"Please head up to the Big House when you are. Mr. D is going to take care of getting you and your brother to the forge"<br><br>Vanessa sighed, closing her almond-shaped eyes.&nbsp; "Uh-huh..." she said, nodding unseen in her bunk.&nbsp; Groggily, she wrestled out of the orange "Camp Half-Blood" shirt she'd worn for the last two days.&nbsp; She hazily decided that she should wear something nice or at least something clean when she arrived at her father's godly home.&nbsp; She stuffed a couple shirts and jeans into her backpack along with the clean underwear the disembodied voice of her mom in her head chided her to bring.&nbsp; On top she carefully folded a nice sleeveless blouse of muted cream.&nbsp; Her camera bag was already packed with the exception of her newest creation.<br><br>She sighed as she deleted the first images it had taken: four hundred shots of Vanessa's sleeping face smushed against her workbench with a golden dot of light on her shoulder.<br><br>Vanessa made her way hastily past her half-siblings.&nbsp; Any reaction of theirs, even their congratulations or begrudged silence, would only make her lose her determination.&nbsp; Her head down as she stomped toward the Big House, she wondered if she could just throw herself off the dock instead.&nbsp; She didn't fear her father, but the uncertainties were worse than his wrath.&nbsp; What would she even call him?&nbsp; It wasn't like she could just call him "sir" forever.&nbsp; Her excitement had grown cool over night.<br><br>Hypocritically enough, Vanessa thought little of meeting Mr. D at the Big House.&nbsp; Her path, however, crossed with Abigale's first, and she greeted her with a mute, nervous smile and a nod of acknowledgment.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>15-05-2011, 20:27:02</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>The Big House</em></div><br><hr><br>Abigale was a little upset that he left so quickly. She kept thinking that they should sit and talk about things, but something always kept popping up. Or rather someone always kept popping up. It was starting to be bothersome. Sighing, she supposed they would have a little free time together eventually. <br><br>Moving about her small room a bit, she didn't really need to pack as she hadn't had the time to unpack last night. In fact, she removed stuff from her shoulder bag since she wouldn't need it all. This allowed her to slip out of the cabin rather quickly and start off towards the Big House. It didn't escape her attention that something was going on down at the Sound. It had never been blocked off like that before. She wanted, very much, to go investigate...but she didn't. If she really was to go with Vincent and Vanessa, then she couldn't take time to wander around and figure out what those satyr were up to.<br><br>It didn't take her long to meet up with Vanessa along the way. The two had never really talked before. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to get to know the daughter of Hephaestus. The problem was that there were a lot of kids running around here. It was impossible to get to know everyone. The muted greeting was enough to tell her that she may not have wanted Abigale here. Abby wondered if Vincent had even talked to his sister about it. What if Vanessa had wanted someone else to go and was just too shy to say so? Abby didn't want to stand in the way of that, "Hey, Vanessa...uh...thanks for letting me come along. I told Vincent to talk to you about it after he invited me. I know we've never really talked or anything, but I do love the pictures you take," she said lightly, "I've never been any good with cameras...except stealing them," Abigale tried really hard to ignore the theft urges she got whenever she saw something she liked. It had been a while since she stole something and Abby wanted to keep it that way. Though she had been very tempted to steal all those pictures Vanessa had taken of Vincent for other girls last summer and burn them.<br><br>"Have you ever met your dad before?" Abigale figured a little conversation wouldn't kill either of them as they trudged towards the Big House, ignoring the smell of wonderful food.<br><br>Once there, Mr. D was sitting at the inside table sucking down probably his tenth diet coke for the day. He didn't pay the two girls any attention and simply sat there playing with his cards till Abigale cleared her throat, "Huh...oh, you two. Amelia and Valeria," he commented as he waved his hand a little, "Wait for Vernon and I'll send you all off. I won't be upset if you decide to stay there forever. In fact, I encourage it. Or you could do yourselves the favor of not ending up in a brutal death by throwing yourselves into a forge fire. Either way."<br><br>"...just a ray of sunshine..." Abigale said very quietly and sarcastically. She settled down in a chair as far from Mr. D as she could. Abby had never really liked the God of Wine. He seemed like a lazy bum to her, though she knew better than to say that to his face.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>16-05-2011, 01:42:05</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa creates a complicated reaction: small talk</em></div><hr><br>The younger half-blood wiped her eye with her fingers, realizing she'd forgotten to wash her face before she left her cabin.&nbsp; Her hands felt grubby with the distinct texture of <em>work</em>: smooth, clinging oil traced with grit in the lines of her hands.&nbsp; It felt good to wake up with it already on her skin, knowing the semi-transparent layers would only build as the day went on.&nbsp; Although she had spent most of the night awake and building, Vanessa's mind still buzzed and whirled with designs.&nbsp; Meeting her father had sent her on a frenzy of creation, and knowing she was leaving to visit him did nothing to slow her.&nbsp; Pausing to converse seemed nearly a difficult feat.<br><br>"Hey, Vanessa... uh... thanks for letting me come along. I told Vincent to talk to you about it after he invited me. I know we've never really talked or anything, but I do love the pictures you take.&nbsp; I've never been any good with cameras... except stealing them."<br><br>Biting her bottom lip, Vanessa tried to focus on what the vibrantly colored girl was saying.&nbsp; Momentarily, she grew bemused.&nbsp; Had she let Abigale along?&nbsp; Had Vincent talked to her about it?&nbsp; Were any of her cameras missing?&nbsp; In reply, she smiled rather blankly, trying to weave together some kind of polite response.<br><br>"Have you ever met your dad before?" Abigale finally said, saving Vanessa from the tumble of thoughts in her own mind.&nbsp; A part of her realized that she had taken too long to say something, making it seem like she was stupid.&nbsp; Vanessa wasn't too worried about her reputation at camp though, knowing everyone in orange had to be a little weird in some why.&nbsp; She resolved simply to shake her head and finish their journey to the Big House.<br><br>As Mr. D casually predicted their dooms, Vanessa dared not correct his names for them.&nbsp; She knew those kinds of things didn't matter to gods; they could rename you anything they wanted if they really wanted.<br><br>"...just a ray of sunshine..."<br><br>Vanessa took toward the chairs, her foot catching on its legs.&nbsp; The knocked chair scuffed loudly on the floor before Vanessa sat in it.&nbsp; Vanessa hardly thought of Mr. D as a god, having seen none of the great divinity he hid.&nbsp; Still, he respected him to his face as much as any adult who had a controlling hand on her life, accepting that not all leader-type jobs were done where everyone could see.&nbsp; Some things took a long time to make and not all work could be done with people watching.&nbsp; No doubt Mr. D's job was like that, Vanessa assumed as she settled in to wait for her half-brother.&nbsp; Despite their nervous energy, she again flashed a quiet smile at Abigale, unsure if Vincent's... whatever-she-was really wanted to go with them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>16-05-2011, 03:52:24</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Vincent, last to arrive! (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=105116.msg4649102#msg4649102)</em></div><hr><br>The sandwich he had hastily made was half gone by the time he was walking up the steps and into the big house. Invincible was left outside to stand at the front of the house as if it had been hitched, it made an annoyed sounding half horse-half machine sound before going silent. <br><br>Vincent's boots seemed loud on the wooden floors inside of the big house, he made his way in then towards the room he heard activity in to find Vanessa and Abigale sitting across from the always sour face Mr. D. <br>"Morning!"<br>He greeted everyone as he took a bite out of his sandwich. Vincent had never really cared about Mr. D. and his disdain for demigods. A smile spread across his face when he saw Abby and Nessa, which had him fetching a chair to sit on. <br>"Hey Mr. D. how's the diet coke today?" <br>Vincent asked the oblivious question. Once Abby had told him never to mention alcohol around him, specifically wine, but never realized why he chugged diet coke so much. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>17-05-2011, 03:23:52</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Abigale, her Father, and the Forge</em></div><br><hr><br>The pierced girl was glad when Vincent finally showed up. It wasn't that she had anything against Vanessa, but small talk was obviously not working. Though when Vincent started in on Mr. D, she felt her jaw drop a little. She wondered if they would all find themselves wrapped up in vine coffins here in a few minutes. Abigale was tempted to smack Vincent over the head and ask him what the hell he was thinking. Mr. D was not someone to be joked with. <br><br>Thankfully, for the three of them, Mr. D seemed either not to hear or care about the diet coke comment or that Vincent was a little late. Instead he looked at them all with bloodshot eyes. It was amazing that he could have gone so long without wine and still managed to look drunk, "Since it will be impossible to get you three to the Forge through any mortal means of travel, we've arranged an immortal travel for you. As I told Amelia and Valeria, feel free to toss yourselves in to the forge fire and do us all a favor."<br><br>Abigale thought for a moment and then stood up quickly, "Wait. Immortal travel? You don't mean...my dad, do you?" oh she hoped not. That was the last thing she needed. They hadn't ended the summer on good terms. Her father had wanted her to continue working in his New York office instead of coming back here. He said she was too old for training. Defying your godly parent never had good consequences. A god didn't simply bend you over and spank you or give you a time out. They could make your life a living hell. While Hermes was a bit more relaxed about punishments, that didn't mean he didn't know how to give them. He even admitted that he was the one who had sent the cops after her for hot wiring that school buss when she was thirteen.<br><br>"Who else would it mean?" he snipped at her and before she could respond a middle-aged man with an athletic figure-slim and fit with salt-and-pepper hair with Abigale's slightly upturned, elfish nose came in through the door. <br><br>Gods always seemed to have the worst timing or perfect timing. He was wearing nylon running shorts and a New York City Marathon T-shirt. In his right hand was a caduceus with two snakes wrapping and unwrapping themselves around it. They hissed in Abigale's direction, "<em>Abigale, got a rat?</em>" one of the rats spoke up and the other snapped at it for speaking, "<em>Leave her alone. No one brings rats for you. Stop asking demi-gods for rats.</em>"<br><br>"If you two start up already, I'm turning you back into a cell phone," the God snipped before turning his attention to the three demi-gods. Despite being one of the 'relaxed' gods, even Hermes was rather intimidating. At least for Abigale, likely because he was her father, "Abigale," he spoke her name with that fatherly tone and she felt like crawling back to her cabin and hiding under the blanket, "Vincent, Vanessa...I am the only current God that has access to Hephaestus' Forge, other than Hephaestus himself. It's actually rather simple to get to if you have the right means of transportation. Since I do not actually have a delivery scheduled for there till the end of tomorrow, you'll just be using the quick way," which made Abigale wince just at the mention of it, "These coins will transport you there much like Poseidon's Pearls that transport whoever smashes them to the sea. Just think of where you want to go, flip it, and when it lands back in your hand you'll be in the Forge. They only work twice, so don't play with them. Keep them safe till it's time for you to come back to camp and do the same thing to get back here," he held out three coins for the demi-gods, "I'll see you all tomorrow night. I need to go now. Ares gets upset when his deliveries are late," the winged shoe god started back out of the Big House before turning back to Abigale, "I'll speak with you tomorrow night," his eyes flicked over to Vincent for a moment in a slight glare before he disappeared out the door.<br><br>Not wanting to think about or talk about the small, quick encounter with her father, Abigale grabbed her bag and flipped the coin up in the air. The 'teleporting' was mildly painful. It felt like someone was grabbing her spine and pulling it as hard as they could. It was rather unpleasant. When her feet felt solid ground again, she also got a blast of hot air to her face. <br><br>When she opened her eyes she saw a giant fire barely ten feet away and quickly stepped back. The whole room was made of stone and smelled of Earth, fire, steel, oil, and leather. It smelled like Vincent after he was done working in the cabin forge. She saw anvils, hammers, tongs, and molds all over the place. Even through her tennis shoes, the ground felt warm. The ground looked tiled and the fire came out of a giant pit in the flooring. There was hardly a tile without a crack in it that lead to the fire. There was rack, after rack, after rack of weapons of all kinds along the walls. Most impressive were the automatons that were standing around. There were a few that looked like giant humans in armor, but there were many that were animals. She even thought she saw a bunny automaton hopping around near the back of the fire. Abigale was in awe of it all. She'd never been in a god's home before (except her father's). She also hoped that the other two made it here safelt and soon.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>17-05-2011, 19:40:37</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vincent and the forge of his dreams! </em></div><hr><br>A confused look came across his face when Mr. D mentioned something about falling into the forge. What did he mean? It was not like it would burn him up. He had never put much thought into it but he was among the only of his siblings who could work by the forge without the heavy smock to prevent the flames from grilling him alive. Most of his siblings, the forge workers, had burns all along their arms, chest, one even had one from his chin to shoulder but Vincent never seemed to be affected by the fire. He had some scars, his hands where still calloused and rough but none of that was from burns. He was about to ask Mr. D about it when Abigale seemed to panic and he quickly turned to look at her. <em>Her dad?! uh-oh...</em> Vincent thought to himself and before he could even talk to Abby about it, he had appeared. Vincent was very familiar with meeting with&nbsp; the fathers of the girls he was seeing in the past, it never seemed to go well for him, ever. <br><br>He stared at the man, looking at his snake wrapped scepter and wondered if he would try to clunk him over the head with it. Vincent and Abby had a fling the previous summer and he was sure if it would pick up again this summer since he was not sure exactly what he wanted just yet. The fact that he was a god was enough to deliver a reality swift kick to the testicles for him. When it was about his father, a god himself, he did not think twice about it, but he was messing around with the daughter of a god. Before he was able to formally introduce himself, he met the man's glare and he froze, that inner Hephaestus's social inability surfacing for a bit. Luckily he was gone which had him looking for Abigale to talk about it!<br><br>To late! Abigale seemed in a sudden rush and flipped her coin and vanished. Sighing deeply he looked over at Mr. D. <br>"See ya Mr. D."<br>He excused himself, tapping his sister's shoulder to remind her to get moving and not stay in the big house with the disgruntled jerk. Vincent had to get to Invincible to make sure he went with him to the forge since Chiron had mentioned showing him off to his dad. Outside the horse greeted him which made him forget the awkwardness of the morning as he mounted the horse to make sure it went with him. His backpack was hung on a ridge of metal that looked like a saddle horn, the hammer was in his belt loop and his sandwich was gone. <em>Damn, did I eat it all? </em> He thought as he absently flipped the coin and felt the jolt of pain of travel! Vincent was not used to this form of travel at all! In the forge he had lost his balance and fall to the ground with a thud. <br>"Fuck me..."<br>He groaned as he pushed himself back up to his feet to finally look around him. <br>"Fuck me sideways..."<br>Vincent said in awe as he scanned the entire forge with wide eyes. He was not even aware that Abby was there nor Vanessa. His hand reached out to rest on Invincible's back as if he would collapse again. There was so much, he just wanted to go and play and make something. Invincible snorted and walked over to one of the nearby piles of scrap and began to graze on it leaving Vincent off balance for a while. Across the room he saw Abigale and wondered how they had all been separated so much he began looking for his sister. <br>"Damn, I want a forge like this..."<br>He said to himself, pretty sure no one would hear him. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>17-05-2011, 23:40:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa catches up</em></div><hr><br>As if tugged by the same magnetic force, Vanessa's jaw dropped as Abigale's did.&nbsp; She knew Vincent was a bit flippant and perhaps too comfortable about godly things, but talking to Mr. D about his Diet Coke punishment was like building a toothpick bridge: only little kids did it and no weight should get put on it.<br><br>Then as if to punish Vincent in turn, Abigale's father appeared.&nbsp; Though she had been at camp for a while now, Vanessa could not think of when she had met with so many gods in such a short time.&nbsp; Hopefully divinity wasn't like radioactivity.&nbsp; If it was, she hoped it would be more like comic book radioactivity and give her superpowers and not like real radioactivity which would probably give them cancer.&nbsp; Could demigods get cancer, anyway?&nbsp; Too much ambrosia would probably give it to you.&nbsp; While Hermes handed out the enchanted coins, Vanessa eyed them suspiciously.&nbsp; Maybe prolonged exposure to gods and their trinkets should come with warning labels.&nbsp; How would you cure a demigod if they did get cancer?&nbsp; What if they had a developmental disorder... or a degenerative one...?<br><br>Vincent's tap on her shoulder brought her a bit out of her darkening thoughts.&nbsp; Before she could ask him any of the thoughts plaguing her mind, he flipped his coin and was snapped away from his chair.&nbsp; With wide, worried eyes, she turned her attention back to Mr. D.&nbsp; The god simply sipped his Diet Coke through a straw, staring vaguely out the front window as a group of satyrs approached.<br><br>"What are you staring at, Vanna?" he said, his back still turned to her.&nbsp; "Get going already.&nbsp; I'm a busy man."<br><br>Maybe Mr. D's Diet Coke had curative properties.&nbsp; "Sorry, sir," she mumbled.&nbsp; She stood, her bags swaying off her shoulders with the motion.&nbsp; Squinting, she balanced the coin on top of her her right thumb cautiously.&nbsp; The tucked digit was loose under her finger, and her attempt to toss it resulted more in a urgent upswing of her arm than a flick of the thumb.&nbsp; The coin slid sluggishly off her hand.<br><br>"Oh!" she gasped, trying to catch it.&nbsp; Hermes had said it worked only twice.&nbsp; What if she just dropped it?&nbsp; Would that count?&nbsp; Would the coin leave without her?&nbsp; Panicked, her arms flailed in a vain attempt to catch the spinning disk in the air.&nbsp; The coin flashed as it tumbled through her fingers, turning in the air like a loose gear.&nbsp; As the golden coin fell past her hands, Vanessa chased after it bodily.&nbsp; Falling forward, she managed to cup the coin as it fell.&nbsp; Both coin and girl hit the floor and were gone.<br><br>A blunt blow to her chest, a visceral crunch, a blinding strain on her back and skull, and then it was hot.&nbsp; Sprawled on the floor of her father's forge, Vanessa's body locked in confused pain for a moment and she tried to remember what had happened.&nbsp; She rolled onto her back, easing the hard ache in her chest but sending a tear-squeezing spasm along her spine.<br><br>"Ow..." she whispered, lying still until the pain ebbed.&nbsp; Grabbing the metallic leg of a seemingly inert automaton, Vanessa pulled herself up.&nbsp; As she sat, her face was turned down into her lap.&nbsp; "Oh no..." she moaned before hurriedly unzipping her camera bag.&nbsp; Inside, she found the source of the crunching sound: the lens of her camera had smashed into rings of glass and plastic.&nbsp; Hunched over the remains, Vanessa muttered frantic, indiscernible words as her bent fingers made a manic dance over her broken joy in effort to make it good enough again to show her father.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>20-05-2011, 20:52:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Hephaestus</em></div><br><hr><br>Abigale heard the faint popping sounds of two other people arriving. It was much too hot here and it made her wonder if they were under a volcano. That would make sense. There were many dead and active volcanoes in the United States. They could be under any one of them. Hephaestus was the God of Volcanoes, wasn't he? It made sense that they would be under one. Then again, the Gods were strange in the choosing of homes. She wondered, momentarily, what she was supposed to do. Most of the time a demi-god was summoned so they could complete some kind of task or quest for their parent. A family-friendly visit was hardly ever normal.<br><br>As the three demi-gods got their footing back and Vanessa tried to fix her camera lens, the God of Forges was making his way from the back. He was a taller than average man. He was a huge lump of a man with his shoulders at different heights and a huge, bulging, misshapen head and his leg in a steel brace, with a wild brown beard that sparked fire from time to time. He was wearing a jumpsuit smeared with grime and oil with the name <em>Hephaestus</em> embroidered over the chest pocket. He was like some kind of monstrous car attendant. As was the myth, Hephaestus' deformities came from being tossed off Mt. Olympus after birth by his mother, Hera, of all people. It was unknown how ugly he was before the fall down the godly mountain, but Hera had done it because he was bone ugly. It was safe to assume that the fall from Mt. Olympus had only damaged his leg and the rest of his deformities were from birth.<br><br>His steel brace creaked a bit as he walked out to the main area of his forge where the children were. He saw Vincent looking around eagerly, Vanessa sitting on the floor working on something, and then there was Abigale. His nose wrinkled a little. While he understood his wife's affairs with mortals, after all he'd had plenty of his own, he disliked when she took immortal loves. Abigale's father had been one of those immortal lovers for a short time. They'd even had a child together. But at least it was no where near as horrible as his wife's affair with the God of War. Everyone expected it of Hermes to fool around, but his wife crossed the line when she stayed with one man for over a thousand years.<br><br>In truth, these were the first demi-gods to step foot in his forge in a long time. Hephaestus wasn't exactly a social butterfly. He found it difficult to relate to children. Other than the Big Three, he was likely the most anti-social when it came to his kids or any demi-gods. He was proud of them and showed them affection through gifts and things of that nature, but face-to-face conversations and interactions were difficult, "Vanessa, Vincent, and...Abigale. I'm glad to see you all made it safely," his voice was deep, "I see Hermes finally got those coins working. Last time he sent a demi-god anywhere with one, only half the demi-god showed up," it had been gruesome and Abigale's eyes went wide when she realized her father hadn't told any of them the dangers of using the coins. She'd used them all fall and winter when she worked for him and never once did he bother to tell her that it could kill her!<br><br>The god seemed unsure of what to say. It wasn't like this was a common situation for any of them, "Feel free to look around. There is very little here you can break or damage that can't be repaired," as he talked, he pulled a few bits of wires and gears from his jumpsuit pocket and started fiddling with it in his big hands. It was amazing that someone with such big, rough hands could build such delicate things. It seemed to be a nervous habit for him to need something to do with his hands. Hephaestus might have been a God, an old one, with a lot of power...but socially he was a nervous teenager. At least around demi-gods. Within moments, the wires, gears, and small metal plates was transformed into a tiny bird. He turned the key in it's back and it flew out of his hands. Abigale didn't know about the other two, but she was amazed. Even her dad couldn't make stuff like that.<br><br>"Thank you for allowing me to come, Sir," the pierced and tattooed demi-god finally spoke up.<br><br>The lump of a man nodded, "So long as you keep making your father upset with those tattoos, you're welcome here anytime Vincent and Vanessa come. I believe he mentioned something about a caduceus tattoo on your back that you got on Halloween at the last gathering on Olympus," Abigale's cheeks flushed and she nodded, "He was very upset about it. There was mention of punishment," to which Abigale's already pale face went bleach white, "If you would take your things down the hall there," he pointed off to a cave like opening in the wall, "There are three rooms. Chose which ever one you want, I'd like to speak privately with my children for a moment."<br><br>Abigale responded wordlessly with a nod, picked up her bag, and headed off, "Vanessa," she was the one he'd most wanted so see. He'd met Vincent briefly once before, but Vanessa had never met him. Nor had she ever really asked anything of him, "Don't worry about that camera. We can fix it later. I'm sure you both have questions," demi-gods always had questions, "I'd like to give you both the attention you deserve. To keep things even, Vanessa you will be spending today with me and tomorrow you will be able to explore the forge or rest as you please. Vincent, today you can do as you please around the forge and tomorrow we will work on what you've brought with," it wasn't really a question or request, but more of what was going to happen and there was little either of them could say to work around it, "So Vincent, go find yourself a room," he pointed to the cave hallway that Abigale had gone down, "And Vanessa, we'll get to work on that camera. Vincent, you don't have to stay in the room the whole time," the forge was a big place with hundreds of rooms. He was sure Vincent would find something to keep him occupied and there really wasn't any off-limits rooms.<br><br>"Vanessa, this way," he motioned towards a small forge room for them to go over her camera. Hephaestus liked cameras and he was interested in finding out everything she planned on doing with it. The small room he lead her to was the main room for his Hephaestus TV channel. There was a whole wall filled with TV screens. The control panel in front of the screens had hundreds of buttons, switches, and panels. There were displays of monsters, demi-gods, the Gods, and one that had the label <em>Embarrass Ares</em> above it. That one had a constantly moving cameras, obviously meant to catch the God of War doing something with his wife so he could air it for everyone to see and embarrass the two once again. There was also a large work area filled with camera parts.<br><br>"So, Vanessa, what exactly do you want your camera to do?" he asked bluntly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>21-05-2011, 00:25:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa talks shop with her dad</em></div><hr><br>As Vanessa managed to fumble effectively with her camera's lens, her father, Hephaestus, approached them.&nbsp; Without the sudden awe-inspiring eruption from a pit of flames, little about the man betrayed his divine nature with the exception of his height and an intangible air of competence about him.&nbsp; As she saw him now, he seemed exactly the man Vanessa mother had described.&nbsp; Dressed in his functional coveralls, the stout form wasted none of its constant, careful motion.&nbsp; He moved like a great, purposeful beast, like an elephant Vanessa had seen in a circus giving children rides in slow, measured circles.&nbsp; Like her mom had said, he wasn't a good looking man at all.&nbsp; The night Vanessa had finally gained the courage to ask about what her father looked like, Pilar had curtly said of her fateful lover, "Your papa <em>no era un hombre hermoso,</em> but there are more important things than that."<br><br>Pilar had been at her wits end when she became entangled in the affairs of the god.&nbsp; Her subcontractor that handled her kitchen work had quit after a client was too demanding and elaborate in the designs he wanted.&nbsp; The contract was too profitable to pass, so Pilar was determined to do the job herself.&nbsp; After months trying and failing to construct and install to the client's desires, she took a break to calm her frustrations.&nbsp; Standing outside in the darkness of the construction site, she stood in the sandy dirt smoking a cigarette when the large, lame man approached.&nbsp; Pilar gave her daughter no further details on their relationship, but Vanessa always sensed an unspoken longing and guilt in her mother.&nbsp; Perhaps that was when she thought of him.<br><br>Vanessa put her full attention on her father though her hands continued their work doing their best to reconstruct the damaged lens.&nbsp; The cracked plastic required glue, but the components snapped gently back in place as she listened.&nbsp; Hearing him condone Abigale's rebelliousness, Vanessa gave the older girl a scandalized grin which she retained until the other two demi-gods had been dismissed.&nbsp; Once alone, Vanessa realized she'd changed, having expected their journey to take much longer.&nbsp; But as her mom had said, "there are more important things than that."<br><br>When she saw the control panel, her hand brushed over the knobby surface with a cautious affection.&nbsp; Her eyes scanned the screens.&nbsp; "I don't know, sir," she answered weakly.&nbsp; "I saw a show where they made a trap for lions at night to take pictures of them when a motion sensor went off.&nbsp; But they take all these pictures of all these others animals instead.&nbsp; So I thought..."&nbsp; She shrugged, pulling out the small, metallic box with an amber circle on one side.&nbsp; "I make a sensor that only detect god-things, like the demi-gods and monsters and things.&nbsp; And if I attach it to camera, it going to only take pictures when those things are there."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>21-05-2011, 11:11:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vincent, a quick word with dad then to work! </em></div><hr><br>Vincent had ended up with Vanessa and Abigale during his exploration of the forge. His mind was quick at work, he wanted to play with everything! Some of the designs and automatons looked worlds apart from his own creations and he felt it topple his ego. His prize creation, the mechanical beast Invincible was his pride and joy and it was stupidly grazing scrap metal as his dad's seemed to be doing other things! The young man nodded when his dad asked him to go find a room and do whatever he wished, Vincent did not feel he needed his dad to baby sit him. This was the perfect time for him to speak to Abigale but his mind was focused on one thing, work! <br><br>He did not even bother looking for a room, he moved right for his father's ore piles and forge! The forge back at camp was nice, but it was not like his dad's! Vincent reached into the back of his pant's pocket and pulled out his lucky black bandana. He had lost track of Abigale, his sister and his dad after he had called Invincible over. Pulling out an I-pod, he opened a small hatch in the horses neck and plugged in the device to make the horse a walking stereo system. Punk rock,ska and rock and roll played from Invincible's body, the sound was clear and perfect as if the creature had a home entertainment system wired inside of it. The bandanna was wrapped around his head, something to catch the sweat while he worked. Hephaestus's forge was unfamiliar to him, as he approached it he looked at the flames and stoked the fires as he looked for inspiration. Vincent wanted to do it all, his hand had moved to his hammer, the weapon of choice he had chosen to use in quest an sparring. All the ideas where drowning him, choking his ability to create until he looked Abigale with a grin then back to his horse. Her father traveled the world with winged sandals, why couldn't his horse? <br><br>Finding himself inspired he went for the scrap metal and grabbed ingots of others, mostly celestial bronze. As he searched he saw something he was not familiar with, ingots of black and gold looking metal and it perked his interest. He took one of each and examined it, the gold one calling to him for some unknown reason. The black metal ingot caused a chill up his spine. Despite the caution he had with the black metal he would try to use it eventually, but for his initial plans all he needed was celestial bronze. Manning a pair of tongs he got to work heating up the metal, pulling it to an anvil and hammering it flat and long before heating, hammering and forming all over again. Between the music and the goal in mind, Vincent found himself carrying himself away in his work. At time he would look for Abigale but had failed to spot her, he hoped she would not be annoyed the next few days as both children of Hephaestus tossed themselves into their projects. Working in their father's forge was something he never expected and he planed not to let the opportunity go to waste! 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>27-05-2011, 20:03:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Abigale</em></div><br><hr><br>Abigale knew better than to get between a god and his children. She knew she hadn't really been invited here by Hephaestus. She was merely here to keep his two children company when he wasn't with one of them. Abigale would never pass up the chance to watch a God work or to get to meet one. All of them were powerful and could teach demi-gods a lot of things. But for the moment she just felt out of place. And it was really hot here. Didn't Hephaestus have a fan anywhere?<br><br>Finding a room, she tossed her bag onto the bed. It was like a mix of Hephaestus and Hermes cabin in here. It was hot, filled with wires, gears, and bits and pieces of machines like the Hephaestus cabin; but it was old and worn like her own cabin. Even the bed squeaked a little when her bag landed on it. She wondered if it was simply made for their comfort to be worn in like this or if the rooms manifested themselves to what they were most comfortable with. Either way, she had no complaints. Even the heat was bearable.<br><br>Laying out on the bed, she wondered what her dad would have to say to her tomorrow night. He'd said he'd talk to her and Abby was a bit worried. In her heart she knew that he meant well. He cared about his children and Abby was one of his oldest. He just wanted to make sure that she didn't make mistakes with her life, at least not big ones. Hermes felt she was too old for Camp Half-Blood and wanted her to go to school full time and work in his shop during the summer. The fact that Abigale had decided to come back this summer instead of staying in the city like he wanted was like a slap in the face. Demi-gods defied their parents all the time, but never to their faces. She was sure he would have some sore words for her tomorrow. And the look he'd given Vincent was horrifying. It was embarrassing to know that their godly parents could know who their children had been fooling around with.<br><br>With a sigh, she hauled herself up from the bed and wondered if her father would try to talk to Vincent. Gods she hoped not. It was awkward enough that her dad knew. It was best if she prepare Vincent rather than throw him to the wolves. Despite how large the forge actually was, it didn't take her long to find where he was. Already he was working away something. She stood in the doorway watching him. It was always interesting to watch the different demi-gods do what they did best. The kids of Apollo were amazing with shooting arrows. The children of Ares were amazing in the arena. Even the children of Aphrodite had their talents. Vincent seemed so at home here and it made her remember how good it felt to go on those morning jogs through Central Park over the fall. Sometimes there were some of her siblings there to run with, sometimes her father, and a lot of the time on her own.<br><br>"What you working on?" she asked out over the sound of the music. Abigale had enough common sense not to walk up behind someone with a hammer and white hot metal. <br><br><br><div align="center"><em>Hephaestus and Vanessa</em></div><br><hr><br>Hephaestus remembered all of his children and their mothers. Pilar had been a beautiful woman and he could see a lot of her in Vanessa. He remembered every moment from when he met her to the last time he saw her. It was always difficult leaving the women he cared about, but he had his duties and it was considered wrong to take a mortal as a long term lover. It was difficult keeping up with a mortal relationship. More so when he had an immortal wife. There were many times he wished that Aphrodite would just love him or he could be rid of her and take a wife that did care for him. Unfortunately, divorce was strictly a mortal thing. If it wasn't, the Gods would be having weddings and divorces left and right.<br><br>He listened to his daughter explain what she wanted the camera to do. Kind of like National Geographic for godly things. He nodded lightly. It wasn't that strange. His own spider cameras were all over the world. They were invisible to mortals, mostly because of the mist. So long as Hephaestus infused it with Ichor. The golden colored, blood of the Gods could make nearly anything covered by the mist to mortal eyes. Demi-gods had some Ichor in their blood, but it was such a small amount that it wasn't able to be seen when they were injured, "That actually won't be all that complicated. Motion sensor is fairly common these days. It's getting it to only capture things that you want it to that is the hardest."<br><br>Reaching over, he picked up the camera she'd set out as gently as he could with his massive hands. Hephaestus was probably one of the only Gods whose children didn't look much like him. Generally, their children took on many of their features. Kids of Hermes tended to be blond haired with elfish features. Children of Hades were dark haired and deathly pale. Those of Aphrodite were beautiful and even though few of them actually looked the same, the air about them was the same. But the children of Hephaestus were drastically different. Many of them tended to be Hispanic though. The only thing they tended to share was that many of them were born with or ended up with some sort of physical disability or disfigurement. They didn't share personalities, eyes, hair, skin, or anything really, "We'll need to take it apart and I'll show you how to infuse your Ichor into the wiring. That's the only way to make the mist hide it and it'll help to program it to only take pictures of other thing with Ichor. While Gods are the only ones with complete Ichor blood, even monsters have it in them. That's why they turn into gold dust when they die."<br><br>"We could just use my Ichor, but then you wouldn't know how to do it yourself in the future. For myself, I just have to coat the wires with my blood, but we'll have to separate the Ichor from the mortal blood for you. It's a lot like donating plasma. Just use a centrifuge to separate it all and then you'll be able to see the Ichor and we can draw it out," while medicine wasn't Hephaestus area of work, most godly duties tended to cross over. While one God had the knowledge of something, it involved working with another God to make it practical. Hephaestus had helped create the centrifuge in the first place. <br><br>"Have you ever given blood before?" he wanted to make sure she'd even done this before. If not, well, they'd still need to get the Ichor somehow. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>27-05-2011, 23:19:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vincent and Abigale and&nbsp; a short break </em></div><hr> <br><br>The heat of forge was not the reason he was sweating, it was the constant hammering action on the anvil that did it. When one arm felt tired he switched, his ambidexterity only extended to his crafting he could hardly write a legible sentence by hand. His music had moved to a span of rock and when combined with the rhythmic hammering and the guffaw of flame from the forge it seemed as if Vincent was actually try to remix the music into horrible industrial music&nbsp; that gets played in warehouse raves. The normally "air headed" leader of cabin 9 was deep in concentration hammering impossibly perfect curved long sheets of celestial bronze that looked like the feathers of a bird. &nbsp;(http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/128/2/a/Steampunk_wings_lineart_by_rocknro8907.jpg) Off to the side was a table full of gears and machines that was starting to take form with a drawing of Invincible 2.0 scribbled sloppily over the top of the schematics. The writing itself was terrible but the blueprints, the plans, of what he had created in his mind was neat as if a computer had printed it out.&nbsp; It would take a long time to put it all together but he had the building blocks and every tool in the world at his disposal. <br><br>Vincent felt Abby since there was no way he would have been able to hear her due to the various sounds all around him. He made sure to get the last hammers in, nodding his acknowledgement to her as he carried one of the shorter feathers to the water pit to cool down with a sizzle before he pulled it out and slid onto a table to cool with the others. <br>"Hey." He greeted with a smile, his shirt was clinging tightly to his chest from the dampness of his sweat. Both his arms where smudged with ash and even slivers of drying metal but they had not burnt into his skin. Vincent moved towards her, the music lowering to kill some of the sound going on in the forge. A bead of sweat rolling down the side of his nose was trickling down slowly, annoying him, before he got rid of it with the back of his hand leaving a smear of ash on one side of his nose. Assuming what she had asked he pointed at the plans and beckoned her to follow him. <br>"You know how much I hated the camp chariot?"<br>He began by reminding her why he loathed the one the camp had since he had almost died the first time he had gotten into it with a chuckling reminiscing memory. The main reason was because he had not made it himself, the one he designed for the race was much better then the camp's but it had been destroyed by Invincible himself, the mechanical horse did not like the idea of dragging a cart and any attempts to fix it resulted in another broken chariot. Invisible snorted as the mentioning of the word chariot, looking at Vincent with a defiant flash in his eyes that went back to "normal" as it munched on more scrap metal. <br>"Well I am going to try to make Invincible a pair of wings to mound on his back but first I want to make a prototype to see if it feasible, its in my mind that it can and while I was working on it I thought maybe I can make two sets, it would be awesome to fly, don't you think?" <br>Vincent rambled, the idea flowing out of his mind where like a drug to him, he was smiling wide as he spoke and shared his ideas with her. He had not noticed just how much he had pushed himself his heaving chest was starting to calm at last and when he felt the pang of thirst he went over to a bronze cooler and pulled out a bottle of lemonade to chug down. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Star Safyre</strong> on <strong>28-05-2011, 20:13:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Vanessa and her dad get to work</em></div><hr><br>As they huddled together over the camera and sensor box, the awkwardness between them seemed to fade away.&nbsp; Vanessa knew well that getting someone to work on a project with her was a sure-fire way to erase the usual uneasiness she had with other people.&nbsp; She might not always know what to say to someone or how to look at them and be looked at back, but having work between them was the best social lubricant Vanessa knew.<br><br>She watched as her father manipulated the camera in his great hands, silently marveling at his gentle touch.&nbsp; She had been told that she herself had a light hand when it came to objects that few suspected merely by seeing her limp digits at rest.&nbsp; Vanessa wondered if this was how other people saw her.&nbsp; After all, he was her father.<br><br>Her tongue protruded thinly between her lips as she listened, envisioning his instructions.&nbsp; The camera had needed something; the celestial bronze was not enough to make it react solely to immortal subjects.&nbsp; Perhaps the Ichor would be exactly what it needed!<br><br>"It's a lot like donating plasma. Just use a centrifuge to separate it all and then you'll be able to see the Ichor and we can draw it out, Have you ever given blood before?"<br><br>Vanessa shook her head, her black hair tossing over her shoulders.&nbsp; "Not on purpose," she replied.&nbsp; The joke was weak and self-deprecating, well suited for its speaker.&nbsp; "Are we going to have to strip the wires to apply it or should we coat bear wires and then insulate them?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - Father of Blacksmiths</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>12-06-2011, 20:31:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Abigale</em></div><br><hr><br>Abigale would be a liar if she said she didn't enjoy watching Vincent work. Okay, she'd be more than a liar. She'd be an idiot. There was a reason girls paid his sister to take pictures of him for them. He was handsome, strong, and and incredibly talented. While he wasn't the brightest when it came to non-mechanical means, he made up for it easily. She remembered <em>trying</em> to explain Camp Half-Blood to him when he first got there. It had been one of those headdesk moments...but he caught on quickly and managed to fit in quite well, "Yeah, I remember," she said softly as he mentioned the camp chariot. It had been nearly destroyed in Vincent's attempt to make it useable for the Hermes cabin for the race. Hermes always got the worst of everything. It was difficult to get so many teenagers and children to work together on anything or keep any form of management that they usually ended up using whatever anyone else had discarded. Like the chariots. It was only when they managed to get an unclaimed child of Hephaestus that they got anything really done. Thanks to Vincent, the camp chariot had been destroyed and they had worked together to make a new one. <br><br>Of course that one had been destroyed as well, but at least that was by the mechanical horse and not them.<br><br>Abigale listened to him talk. Despite him not being the brightest about certain things, he always had interesting things to say. She couldn't say that Vincent was the most amazing person she'd ever met, hell it was impossible to say that about anyone at the camp, but he was so...gods she didn't even know what word to say about him. He was just hard to ignore or forget about.<br><br>"Going to make yourself a mechanical pegasus? That does sound awesome," and it did. The flying horses were amazing creatures and very intelligent, but they were just animals. Invincible was better than them in many ways. He seemed to understand things easier, "What do you think of that, Invicible?" she asked as Vincent went to get a drink and Abby walked over to the horse, "You want to fly? So long as you don't take a bite out of airplane," she teased as she pat on his metal side. Abby liked pegasi, but she liked Invincible more. There were very few creatures in their world that she actually liked. Most of them usually tried to eat her. <br><br>The tattooed girls took a deep breath before walking over to lean against a currently unused work table, "So how was your fall and winter? Dad had me running all over the place after my class ended. It was pretty cool though. It was the first time I'd been inside his house. It's nothing like this place," her eyes wandered around a bit before continuing, "All my dad has in his extra rooms is tennis shoes," truth was that spending so much time with her father the past seasons had made her feel a bit more bitter towards him. The 'amazingness' of having a God for a Father had worn off over the years and seeing him actually in 'action' was kind of the nail in the coffin. Hermes did little in life. He was a glorified paper boy, but she would never say anything like that to him or anyone. She understood that he hadn't been made a God for no reason. He was powerful and he had his amazing points...but after running boxes around all over Olympus, it was a bit disheartening. The children of Hermes really had little to look forward to, in her opinion.<br><br>"I bet if Invincible impresses him enough, Hephaestus will let you come here more often," she nodded a little. Gods did show favor among their children. It took a great deal of impressing or upsetting them to get that attention. Vincent seemed impressing enough to gain that from his father.<br><br><br><div align="center"><em>Hephaestus</em></div><br><hr><br>It had been a very long time since Hephaestus had allowed anyone into his camera room. In fact, he couldn't remember letting anyone in here before. If she'd not been working on a camera, she probably wouldn't know it existed. Working like this was the only way he knew how to interact with his children. Sitting down with a cup of coffee for a chat was beyond his capability. He needed to have something to work on to feel comfortable with a mortal. He needed something to tinker with as he thought and talked. <br><br>His dark eyes glanced over to her and he saw her tongue poking out just a bit from her lips. It was an instant flashback to her mother. Pilar used to do that when she focused on things. They'd been together such a short time, but Hephaestus remembered everything about Vanessa's mother, "It's always best to not cut corners, so let's strip it down to it's barest."<br><br>It was easy to notice how similar to Pilar she was, "We'll use some of my blood for the first few, just so you can see how to do it. Then I'll show you how to use yours. That way you can know how to do it for future products. You can even take one of my centrifuges," he had one in nearly every room he kept wire work in.&nbsp; It wasn't like the mortal ones in appearance, but it worked the same way. Instead of looking like some sterile, medical device; Hephaestus pulled up a large, polished, bronze box. With a few light touches an IV hose popped out. From the bottom a small drawer opened and inside was all the supplies a person would need to draw blood from themselves. Needles, rubber hoses to tie off their arm, cotton, disinfectant, and medical tape. While Gods didn't have to worry about infection, Vanessa would.<br><br>"Watch close. The machine will do most of the work. All you need to do is get it in your arm. If you need help doing it, ask someone. There is no shame in asking for help," he knew his children sometimes had trouble with that, "Go ahead and start stripping the camera down," he wasn't about to touch her work till it was ready to be fiddled with.<br><br>Hephaestus fixed the needle up and easily slipped it into the crook of his elbow. The machine turned on on it's own and within seconds gold coloring blood flowed through the tube and into the box. Since it his blood was pure Ichor, it simply pumped it into a small container. It was like gold paint. The machine shut off once the container was filled and the Olympian pulled the needle from his arm and the machine pulled all its components back into itself for cleaning and disinfecting.<br><br>It would be impossible for him to ignore it. He always had to know since he so rarely interacted with anyone, "How is your mother?" he asked as he looked away and let his eyes focus on the container of Ichor.
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