nysalogs | March catch-all

Entry tags:

March catch-all | open

Who: Percy Jackson (

phykios) & OPEN
What: Rebuilding, investigating, helping out.
When: March
Where: Flona Cove and Olympia, mainly.
Warning(s): None. Will update if needed.

» What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.

[ percy had been thinking about coming to flona cove after the riots anyway, so when he hears of work that needs doing out in that direction, he decides to kill two birds with one stone. he wants to know who decided to make the city go crazy -- or at least contribute to the city going crazy -- with the weird aggression-causing water they're now saying made up that mist. besides, water is sort of his wheelhouse. if there's anything he should be helping investigate, it's this.

maybe your character came with to investigate. or maybe they run into each other while asking around. if he recognizes a familiar face also investigating, he'll approach, asking, ]

Had any luck?

[ he'll also be heading away from the merchant areas of the harbor towards the ocean. you might catch him diving into the sea and just...not surfacing for a while. like, a while. or maybe your character just happened to be by the ocean whenever he does surface, completely dry, and clearly not out of breath even though they definitely did not see him go under. or maybe they notice him chatting with a dolphin. or some other sea creature. it's fine, this is normal. ]

» In and around Olympia.

[ around olympia, he's trying to help with rebuilding efforts. he can be found helping to clean up and rebuild any of a number of businesses around the city, but he makes sure to visit a particular vendor of glassware he ran into during the riots. percy had promised to return and help, and he does that now, helping with clean up and rebuilding (and trying not to break...anything else...).

he can also be found with some little kids. babysitting hadn't exactly been on his to-do list, but when harried parents had asked if he could, please, they need the help while putting their lives back together -- he hadn't had the heart to say no. there's a brother and sister seated near him, engrossed as he tells them a totally, 100% fictional story. (that more or less happened in his world. shhh.)

he also involves himself with trying to stop vandalism, providing bodyguard services to healers from the sanctuary, gathering supplies for shelters, and supervising community service, so feel free to wildcard any of these options! ]

[ feel free to hmu for a personalized starter! ]

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[William's thrown himself into the rebuilding effort, both out of civic duty and to prove himself a good citizen. It might be futile, but he's hoping such efforts will keep the populace from turning on him next time. And it gives him a chance to put his organizational skills to work.

And right now he's in this glass shop, a piece of paper in hand, writing out a list of everything that has been damaged verses everything that's still in tact.]

Well, I suppose it could be worse... [William says with a glance at Percy.] But it's not great either.

[The sea has always made You Watanabe's heart feel at ease. The constant crashing of waves has been the background music for her whole life, growing up just steps from the shoreline; the salty sea air makes her feel invigorated.

Flona isn't her sea, she knows. It's not Uchiura, with its tiny islands and cliffs she knows so well. It makes her heart hurt a little. But in the aftermath of the chaos, You feels like she needed to recharge in the one place she knows will alleviate the burdens on her heart, if only for a short period of time.

It's a cold day, even if it's getting warmer as spring rolls in, and the gray skies reflect down on the water. Not even she really thinks about swimming when the ocean is almost certain to be freezing. But some people are going swimming! It's crazy, but she sees a figure out in the water, a young man by the looks of it.

He goes under and... doesn't come up. You's eyes suddenly zero in on the choppy surface of the water, because suddenly, this is serious. She looks to the left and the right-- maybe he'd started drifting one way or the other?-- but sees nothing. There's no time to go get help.

Instantly, You kicks off her shoes and socks and pulls off her wool sweater. There's a boy in trouble, and she's dashing into the ocean to save them--!

It's really cold.]

Yeah, [ percy sighs. ] The guys who came through here weren't exactly worried about damage control.

[ or more like: they were eager to cause as much damage as possible. percy had fought a few of them outside of the shop, he was aware some got in and -- well, clearly trashed the place. ]

How bad is it?

[ flona isn't any of the seas percy knows either, but it is the ocean. just breathing in the salty air makes his lungs feel cleaner, his head feel clearer, and his whole self feel better. the churning waters do feel different -- powerful and alien -- than the sea under his father's domain, but it's still a relief to be out here. he'd started to feel himself going a little stir-crazy in olympia. to be honest? he's been missing the ocean pretty much since he woke up on the orbiter. he would've come out here even if there weren't things to investigate.

and that's partly, also, because of a run-in he had with that giant vulture attacking the sanctuary. not only had he not managed to kill the thing, but it'd raked its talons down his shoulder and left him with a nasty wound. in the absence of ambrosia and nectar, healing food of the gods, going into the ocean for a while had been the next best thing. water always healed him, salt water best of all.

it's kind of embarrassing that he hadn't thought to make sure no one was around. or -- he had, but he hadn't put a lot of thought into it, had figured no one would notice him go under and stay under.

except then there's you crashing into the ocean even though it's freezing, clearly swimming his way. she'll notice, probably, that he's not swimming so much as just sort of floating upright, though he moves to surface when he sees her and hopes she'll do the same. ]

-- You? What are you doing?

[ because, clearly, he's one to talk. ]

[Honestly, this really sucks.

You's an excellent swimmer, especially given that she doesn't have the whole child-of-Poseidon natural advantage, but the water is choppy and cold, and the only thing keeping her going is the knowledge that somewhere in this little cove there is a boy who needs her help. She's already starting to feel a little numb by the time she reaches the last spot she saw the head before it went beneath the waves. She takes a breath and dives underwater, keeping her eyes open even in the dark seawater--

--and practically comes face to face with Percy, just chilling there underwater.

It takes her a second to realize that she knows the boy and that he's clearly not drowning, and when he moves to the surface, she follows, treading water.] P-Percy?!

[She says, her teeth already chattering.] --you went underwater! I thought you were d-d-d-drowning!

[ it's not that percy doesn't feel the cold, but it's blunted, more uncomfortable than the obvious chill you's feeling. which probably adds insult to injury, whoops. he can't help with that, but he does summon the currents to circle around you's feet, making it easier for her to stay up there; it'll feel a lot like the ocean's calmed, specifically where she is.

also percy is completely dry, because of course he is. ]

Wh -- oh. [ he does, at least, have the grace to look abashed. ] Oh, gods, I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was around.

It's going to hurt him for a bit. And some of the pieces have enough chips that he'll have to sell them at a loss. I imagine some people will be in the market to buy new glassware, but more artistic pieces will not move and that will make it harder to recoup.

[He frowned, tapping the pencil in his hand.]

It's a shame we can't just sue whoever started this. Maybe a joint suit even...

[You knows what it feels like to swim in the sea. She's second only to Kanan in time spent in the ocean, and Kanan's cheating because her family's home is a dive shop. Which means that she knows that it is exceedingly unusual for the current to specifically buoy her up like this, and for the choppy sea to calm around them.

That's a few concerns taken care of, but not the fact that she is now very acutely aware of how cold she is.] I-- I c-c-came down here to r-relax, and I saw someone g-g-g-go under the surface, s-so I went in!

How are you dry?!

Magic.

[ plenty of people here seem familiar enough with the idea that he'll leave it at that unless you asks him more about it. he frowns, concerned; if they don't get out of the water soon, you could be in danger of getting hypothermia. ]

I'm sorry. Since, uh, no one's drowning, let's get to shore.

[ BEFORE YOU FREEZE TO DEATH. ]

Especially when people are still rebuilding their own homes. Redecorating's not exactly going to be a priority.

[ glassware is probably not going to be at the top of their lists of stuff to buy. he frowns, holding onto the broom he'd just been using two-handed. ]

Uh, no offense, but what would that do?

[ the idea of suing the attackers -- or tbh anyone -- hadn't even occurred to him... ]

[Haru's gig with the Royal Guard leaves her with little free time even on a good day - and, frankly, the past couple of weeks have been anything but. Still, she doesn't feel particularly comfortable with just going home, kicking back, and relaxing once her patrols are over, either.

There's so much that needs doing. And if she has the energy to do it, she feels that she should, whether she's officially on duty or not. Right now, she's got rags and a bucket of water, and she's doing her best to clear off a particularly nasty bit of graffiti insinuating rather unkind things about Simwe and who she chooses to share her bedchambers with.

...around the corner, though, she hears a burst of raucous laughter. Frowning, she heads on over - just in time to see a pair of vandals with paint snickering about what they're going to deface the wall with next. Well, she's not having that.]

You two, drop the paintbrushes!

[...they drop them and run in the opposite direction. Right toward Percy, actually, who Haru recognizes; she calls out a warning to him as who he is registers on her.]

Oh! Look out, they're coming your way!

Oh, ok-k-k-kay. [She says, through very chattering teeth now.

And she feels really, really dumb.] Y-yeah, th-that's a good idea. Um, y-you aren't even c-c-cold? [Just going to... start swimming back to shore now, as best as she can.

The good news is that her body has gone numb. That is also the bad news.]

Definitely not. But we'll just have to hope he makes due for a while...

[He raises an eyebrow at that question.]

It would give the victims some restitution. Though obviously it's impossible to sue every rioter. But if one could find the instigator and if they were, by some possibility a man or lady of means, then yes, payment could be extracted.

[He can dream his absurd dream, okay?]

[ This has been a profoundly shitty week. Month? Miles has lost track of time, if he's being honest with himself. After making sure Byerly is safe (if not sane), Miles finds himself just needing to go out in Olympia again. Checking in on people, trying to do do anything that makes him feel useful again. God. Fat lot of good his strategic mind does him if he can't even do anything.

He encounters Percy near the Sanctuary; he'd been heading there to look into some options for his own health problems. As well as to offer what he can to them in the wake of everything that had happened. He's no bodyguard, but maybe there's something else he can do. ]

Ah - Percy, was it?

[ He doesn't feel up to the smile on his face, but he tries anyway. ]

[ hades if percy can keep track of how long it's been since they got here, to be honest. it seems like it's been one thing after another, since before they even hit the ground. literally. in a way, he doesn't know why he'd expected anything else. ]

Yeah. And you're Miles, [ he remembers. miles is hard to forget, from his distinctive appearance to those even more distinctive gray eyes. if percy weren't positive they're from different worlds (universes? gods, he has a headache), he'd wonder if miles weren't an athena kid.

then again, maybe he is. who says the gods are still on earth in miles's version of reality?

percy, for his part, is a little ragged around the edges in the wake of the rescue. his voice is hoarse, and there's evidence of healing burns on his skin. still, it could've been a lot worse -- and he knows it. ]

How've you been?

[ it's a little more polite than point-blank asking if, for instance, miles was one of the taken. ]

[ of course, percy finds himself thinking, those random vandals run right towards him. why wouldn't they? even when he isn't going looking for trouble, he has a knack of finding it anyway. or maybe just being found by trouble.

in any case, haru's warning gets his attention. he turns immediately, takes note of her and -- more pressingly -- the guys running straight towards him at top speed. percy draws his sword, riptide springing to life in his hands; and he profoundly hopes that the intimidation factor's going to be enough to put a stop to these vandals. ]

Going somewhere?

[ action one-liners™ ]

[ HE'S SO...SORRY....

he grimaces. ]

Not as much as you, clearly.

[ and don't worry, you; he wills the currents to help push her to shore, and himself too, so they can get out of the water as fast as possible. ]

[ percy is trying so hard to keep up, he swears...but he just doesn't see the appeal. ]

That sounds like a lot of "if"s, [ he points out. ] Besides, if the instigator had that much money, wouldn't they -- I dunno -- not want things to change?

[ whatever else isn't clear about the rioters, they did seem to pretty obviously want to be heard. ]

[She does feel the current at her feet, pushing her with the waves, even if she can't feel much else.

When at last she's pushed up onto the sandy beach, she stumbles a little, standing to her feet and hugging her arms to her chest. Oh god, it's even colder now that the wind is blowing on her.] W, well, I'm glad it wasn't... actually someone drowning! Ha-haha, that'd have been really bad! I don't know if I'd have been ab-b-ble to make it b-back to shore with them!

Um, I'm gonna get my stuff and t-try to find a place to dry off... [And warm up.

She is trying to be cheerful but really, this sucks.]

[ gods he feels so bad!!! ]

Uh, hang on.

[ percy pulls off his jacket, which is as dry as the rest of him, so he can offer it to you. it's not exactly warm after he went into the cold ocean, but it's probably a lot warmer than you is right now. ]

Here. You have to be freezing.

[Her teeth continue chattering as she pulls the jacket over her shoulders. It's dry, which helps, and he's a little bigger than her, so she just pulls it around her.] I-- t-thanks.

My sweater and shoes and socks are over there by the edge of the beach-- [She points in their direction] --b-but if I put them on right now, I think they'll just get, uh, kinda cold and wet, so... c-could you get them for me?

[There's a pause.] Y-you were the one doing all that stuff with the w-w-w-water, right? Can you... make me d-dry or something?

[ Who knows, man. The one real hole in that argument is his mother, of course, though if you told him that Cordelia was secretly the goddess of wisdom, he probably wouldn't actually argue much.

Anyway. He looks up at Percy in turn, taking in that raggedness. The burns, the general sense of malaise radiating off him. Then again he likely radiates the same sense of pain and unhappiness. It's been a rough couple of weeks. ]

Better than some. Most, even. But one of my subjects was captured.

[ Pain and guilt shoot through his voice; he has no idea what he could have done, but he should have done something. ]

[ percy blinks, and then he remembers miles saying something about being an emperor. so one of his subjects actually means someone from his home. ]

I'm sorry, [ he says, and means it. he understands every bit of the feeling guilty, feeling like he should've been able to do, somehow, more. he opens his mouth to say something, checks himself, and then makes a face. ] It's stupid to ask if they're okay, but...how are they?

[ Basically, yes. Miles' own grasp on the throne is a bit tenuous, but. He takes it seriously. As he does now. His gaze is downcast, his expression pained. ]

Intact, which is more than I can say for some.

[ percy exhales, nods. ]

Yeah.

[ even in their own rescue operation, a couple of the captives they were saving died. and he's started hearing stories about what was done to everyone, enough to know the truth of miles's assessment. ]

Some of my friends were taken, too. They're... [ he shrugs ] ...healing.

[ Miles hadn't been involved in the operation itself, but he's heard enough. Too much.

He glances at Percy, his gaze settling on those bones. ]

And yourself?

[ he starts to go to find her stuff, but stops at her question. ]

I'm not sure, [ he admits, frowning thoughtfully. he can will himself dry even after getting wet, but that's not a magic that extends to other people. but...he remembers when he, jason, and piper had nearly been drowned in a nymphaeum in rome. he'd been able to get water to leave jason's lungs, helping him come to.

it's worth a try, at least, and this is sea water. so he focuses on the stuff, pulling it out, and...some of the excess water dripping off of you coalesces into a sphere of water in the air. percy can't actually make her dry, but she's not quite. as. soaked as before. ]

[ percy raises his eyebrows. ]

I wasn't captured. [ but he notices miles's scrutiny and adds, ] There was this chemical stuff they left out to keep us from getting to the hostages. Reacted badly with magic.

[ which actually. infuriates him. there's a flash of anger in his eyes, for all that he tries to keep his voice light. ]

But I wasn't about to let that stop me -- none of us were.

[ there were a lot of magic users in their group, and none of them had a good time. ]

[ A chemical that reacts with magic? Miles winces a bit, though he doesn't look horrified; he's all science, after all, and not much for magic in the first place. Percy's anger speaks enough by itself. ]

I can imagine. If I had anything of the sort myself ...

Yeah, I wasn't a fan.

[ he took magic and a magic sword to rescue people and found some anti-magic chemical there in wait....it wasn't great. ]

[ Miles, ironically, might have done better. ]

Are you healing well? And - your friends, are they?

Edited 2018-03-25 18:05 (UTC)

[ truthfully? he really might've. ]

Yeah, I'll be fine. And they're healing, [ percy repeats, a little helplessly, ] but it's going to be a while before they're okay. I don't know how long.

[ meanwhile percy just needs to find himself a river to hop into, and he'll be good as new. ]

What about your -- um. Subject?

That seems to be a theme here. Healing, but not well.

[ Speaking of which. ]

Byerly is much the same.

[ he'd thought he felt helpless before. at least there had been investigating to do, instigators to fight, people to save. but now? he watches people, including people he cares about, struggle, and feels at least ten times as helpless as before. ]

If there's anything I can do, tell me. Not just -- like, right now.

There's nothing you could do right now anyway. [ He says this with a touch of sympathy. And a lot of guilt. ] It's entirely too late now.

Whenever, [ he says firmly, because if he thinks too hard about it's entirely too late now he's going to -- he doesn't even know. ] I mean it.

[ Miles falls silent a moment. Not wanting to argue with that much either, for his own sake. ]

We can look after the survivors.

Well yes, it is a lot of ifs, which I why I know it's not possible. It's just nice to think about.

[He paused a moment though.]

But if rioters do have a wealthy patron, that raises a lot of questions. Are they sincerely interested in the cause or is there something else at stake for them? Hah, to be a fly on the wall during that meeting...

--whoa! [You stops and stares as the water slides off her skin, a little out of her clothes, into the air. She hadn't actually... expected it to work like that.

And she's still a little soggy and still very cold, but even just that feels like an improvement.] Wow, uh.

T-t-thanks again! [Temperature status: "Borderline hypothermia" has been upgraded to "freezing."] So, how do you d-do that?

The whole staying d-d-d-dry thing, I mean.

[ percy moves the water orb thing a little away from them before letting it drop into the sand. he's trying not to splash you again or...anyone else.

he shrugs at her question, which is definitely helpful. but that won't be his whole answer -- he definitely feels she deserves more when she just DOVE INTO THE OCEAN to keep him from drowning. ]

It's a power I have. Like the controlling water and breathing underwater.

Whoa... that's so c-cool... [She takes a breath. The air feels way warmer than she is, even if it's still a chilly early spring day.] Man, I w-wish I had p-p-powers! That sounds so useful!

[She huddles deeper into her arms.] Thanks for all the help, P-Percy.

I think, uh, there's a c-c-c-cafe nearby that I can warm up in...?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

March catch-all | open

In and around Olympia

the sea

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oh my god lmao poor you!!!!

i saw the opportunity and went for it

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wildcard » cleaning up olympia/stopping vandalism!

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Olympia - Aftermath

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crawls back slowly

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