rage, rage against the dying of the light

Tayla Knight || 20 || Previously of the Third Cohort || Daughter of the Sun God

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

“I wouldn’t do it if I felt like I had to. I’d do it because I want to, and I want to make sure you’re okay and healthy because I care about you. Always.” She admitted, looking over at her. Tayla was extremely important to her and plenty of other people. Seeing Tayla burnout was something Blossom didn’t want to wait around to see. If Tayla wasn’t going to take action, or if she didn’t want to, she would do it for her. Then, Tayla admitted some of what was wrong and with that Blossom pulled her a little closer to her. Making Tayla think about what was going on in the war wasn’t Blossom’s intentions, she just wanted Tayla to see how important her own health was. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think about that stuff. I just- I want you to understand how important you and your health are.” She said softly, biting her lip. “But if it would help, I could teach you meditation. Would you want to do that? If you meditate before bed you should be able to fall asleep pretty quickly.” She offered. She wanted to help. Well, she always wanted to help but she really wanted to help Tayla battle the demons in her mind.

Blossom couldn’t help but laugh as Tayla called her stubborn. “I don’t see it as stubborn. I see it as helping other people see their true potential and worth. Call it what you want though.” She teased.

Glancing up at Blossom as she insisted she’d only be doing it out of care for her Tayla did smile a bit, but also exhaled a short sigh. At the end of the day she knew it was Blossom’s decision whether or not she was going to try to help her, and Tayla was sure she’d do it no matter how vehemently she protested and said she didn’t need it. But logically knowing that it was up to Blossom didn’t make the idea of allowing someone else to worry over her any easier. It’d always been her preference to try to take care of others, not the other way around. “I care about you too, Blossom. That’s why I don’t want you unnecessarily worrying about me. But there’s nothing I can say that’s going to stop you, is there?” Her arms tightened around Blossom as she was pulled in closer and she tucked her head back into her shoulder, biting her lip. She hadn’t wanted to think about the war again, but now that she had she wasn’t sure she could stop. “I know, it’s not your fault. I was going to think about it again at some point anyway.” She murmured quietly before taking a deep breath as she tried to gather her thoughts and shove the memories back down. “If you think meditation can help then I guess it’s worth a shot.”

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

Blossom knew that in a way, Tayla was right. Her work was important, extremely important, but her work would be useless if she was doing it tired. She was glad though that it seemed like Tayla heard and understand what she was saying. “You can afford it. Your work will be useless if you don’t have a clear mind a good night’s rest. Caffeine doesn’t last forever.” She said, half knowing that Tayla would use coffee as an excuse to not need sleep. “Plus, you can’t be the only one qualified or with your powers. Are there enough of you guys for you to have shifts and alternate? Or are you just not taking those opportunities where someone tells you they’ll cover you and to go rest?” She asked. Then she took in a breath and slowly let it out. “I’m sorry if I seem overbearing, I just care about you a lot and want you to take care of yourself. If you won’t, then I’ll make sure you will. And that’s not an if and or but, that is a definite fact.” She stated, also knowing that Tayla may try to convince her to do otherwise. “And yes, this technically counts as relaxing but if you’re going to count this as your only relaxation then I will refuse to hang out with you until you prove to me you have relaxed throughout the day.”

“I’ll let you believe what you want to believe, how about that?” She asked with a smile. She wasn’t going to convince her otherwise, but Blossom knew there were plenty of people out there better than her. “You, however, are also amazing and don’t ever forget it.”

Tayla immediately opened her mouth to protest, but before she even could Blossom stole what she was planning to use. Sometimes it worked against her that Blossom knew her well enough to know she’d rely on caffeine as long as she could. “We have alternated. That’s why I’m out here right now.” She answered quickly, but conveniently didn’t answer the second part of Blossom’s question. Because truthfully she was recommended to rest between her shifts, and probably should have been. But on top of the guilt of resting while people were dying, it was hard to sleep when every time she closed her eyes all she saw were the memories of the battlefield, relived over and over again in vivid detail. Sighing, she frowned gently and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. You don’t need to, and I don’t want you to if you’re only doing it because you feel like you have to. But, I guess it is nice that someone wants to make sure I’m okay.” She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on the ground unsure of how much to admit. Blossom had clearly already figured out that she wasn’t alright like she had claimed, but there was still the struggle of balancing how much to tell her. “I just- I can’t handle sitting and doing nothing. Not right now. It was really bad out there Blossom, and even if I try to rest or sleep during my breaks it’s not going to do me any good. Not when all I can think about is that whenever my eyes are closed for more than a few seconds.” 

Thinking on it for a moment, Tayla nodded in agreement and smiled softly. “Sounds like a good compromise to me.” But of course Blossom still had to tack on that she was great, and she shook her head. “You’re impossibly stubborn you know.” 

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

It seemed as though the point she was trying to prove was going right over Tayla’s head. Either that, or she didn’t want to acknowledge what Blossom was saying. Regardless, Blossom wanted to drive her point home if she could without being too forceful. All she wanted was for Tayla to be as okay as she possibly could be in the middle of a war as a healer, and if she kept going the way she was she was going to destroy herself. And Blossom really didn’t want to see that. “That’s true, but if the steel is run down it could break or be worn so thin to the point that it’s really not holding anything up anymore.” She said with a small sigh, looking over at her. Blossom was concerned, very concerned. She looked down at the ground below them to try and find a visual. “There!” She said, pointing down at the ground below them at a group of flowers. “Those flowers right now are alive and well because they’re getting enough water and sunlight. As a result, they’re producing pollen which helps out the bees. If the flowers don’t get enough sunlight and water then the flowers start to die. Without the flowers, the bees have nothing to pollinate and could die without them.” She explained, looking over at her. “You’re important, just like those flowers. You need to take care of yourself, just like those flowers. Self-love and self-care are so important to your health, Tayla. I just don’t want you to lose that.”

Once Tayla accepted her hug and laid her head on her shoulder, Blossom lightly rested her head on top of Tayla’s with a small smile. “Well thank you. While that’s flattering, you don’t give yourself enough credit either. You’re way more amazing than I am, and I’m so fortunate to have someone in my life like you and a have you as a friend. You’re a real package deal.” She joked with a small laugh.

Blossom had a point, and in the deep recesses of her mind Tayla knew she was right. And she did want to be in the best possible condition to make sure she was useful to those in the infirmary beds. But she could tell herself that all she wanted, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel guilt the second she tried to stop and rest. Maybe it was the healing abilities that called to her, but she didn’t feel like she had time to rest much at the moment, not when some injuries were worsening. Glancing down at the flowers, her eyes only stayed on them for a moment before they flicked back to Blossom a gentle smile on her lips from Blossom’s persistence. “I know, and I get what you’re trying to tell me Blossom. But I just can’t afford to spend too much time relaxing right now. I can’t justify it to myself when I know that I could be helping save people. You’ve seen firsthand what I can do, so you know better than anyone that I need to be down there whenever possible. I have to help them as much as I possibly can for as long as I possibly can.” Shrugging, she sighed before smiling a bit. “Besides, I am technically resting right now. I’m taking a break up here with you, aren’t I?” Asleep or not, it counted as a break in her books. 

There Blossom went again, making her laugh when she felt moments away from crying. Her smile lingered and she lifted her head slightly only to shake it. “I don’t know about that. It’s going to take quite a lot to convince me you aren’t a blessing sent from the gods.” She was joking and she did laugh, but it really wouldn’t have surprised her to find out she was somehow right. 

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

Blossom really didn’t want to bring up the current events, but knew she had to. With Tayla helping in the infirmary, she had to of seen a lo of things that no one should have to see. It could be tramatic, and probably was, which was why she still wanted to check in. Of course it was a known fact that Blossom would always be there for her, but reminders were always nice. Plus, she really did wanted to know if she was okay. By the way Tayla reacted when the question was brought up though, Blossom knew it was a lie that Tayla was ‘fine’. She watched her body language carefully, and could tell she was a little far from fine, but didn’t want to push anything. If Tayla didn’t want to explain, she didn’t have to. Blossom wasn’t going to force any emotions out of her. She simply nodded as Tayla talked to show she was listening. “I know you can handle it. You’re as strong as steel. But sometimes even steel bends, and that’s okay.” Blossom explained, hoping Tayla got her little metaphor. It was okay to not be okay, and she hoped Tayla knew that. At the mention of a hug though, Blossom couldn’t help but grin. “Of course you can have a hug.” She said and wrapped her arms around Tayla, rubbing her back lightly to try and soothe her a bit.

Tayla’s lips quirked up in spite of herself, and she even let out a short and soft laugh at Blossom’s metaphor. She didn’t feel like steel at all, but it was still nice to hear from someone whose opinion actually mattered to her that they thought she was strong. And while she knew that Blossom was trying to tell her it was alright to not be okay at the moment, Tayla just shrugged a bit unsure how to handle it without letting on that she wasn’t all that fine. “I know. But right now steel is what’s needed. I’m useless to all those people down there if I’m anything less.” The patients in the infirmary that she would need to go back and continue treating in mere hours needed her at her strongest and she couldn’t afford to show any weakness in their time of need. Her time to process what happened could wait until later. Once she felt Blossom’s arms wrapping around her, her smile widened into one of relief and she angled herself to return the girl’s embrace. Holding onto her, she tucked her head into Blossom’s shoulder allowing herself a moment to breath and relax. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in awhile? Cause you really are.” The war was awful, but she was still glad she had come to Camp Jupiter in the first place if only because she got to meet Blossom. 

[tayxdelknight]

martiemcfliest:

She was not going to die like this. She refused to die like this. After everything she had suffered through, she wasn’t going to fucking die in battle. Sure, it would be an honor death, but did that help anyone? Dying honorable wasn’t going to get her son the money he needed, it wasn’t going to help end this fucking war. It was just a nice way to say that someone was going to be buried in the ground soon. It was no comfort to Martina. She wanted to die when she old and grey. She wanted to die when she saw her grandkids all grown up. She wanted to die when she was ready for it. Not in someone dark corner all bloody and soon to be forgotten. She refused to go out quietly.

At the approaching person, Martina bared her teeth and growled. She wasn’t sure who it was, she was a bit dizzy from the pain, but she grabbed her dagger and held it in front of her with a shaky hand. She squinted her eyes, trying to focus on who it was. Seeing Tayla, her half-sister, her hand shook. She didn’t want to kill her. (Not that she could at the moment.) “Why would you do that? Leaving me out here to die would be easier,” She hissed, sure that a Roman medic would be by soon enough. “You’re just going to try to get a clean shot when get over here aren’t you?” She accused, her teeth baring again. 

Martina’s growl was met with Tayla momentarily pausing her steps. While Martina was injured, that didn’t make her any less dangerous if she managed to grab a weapon and throw it. Sighing, she shook her head quickly. “Because believe it or not, I don’t want anyone to die. That’s why I’m out here.” As much as she was trying to be out there to fight alongside her fellow Greeks, her biggest motivation to head out onto the battlefield had been to act as a combat healer. While she had no problem killing monsters, she wasn’t made for combat against other demigods. If it was at all possible Tayla wanted to avoid the fighting and avoid hurting anyone. 

It was fair to assume she was going to try to harm her, but Tayla still frowned as Martina threw that accusation at her. There was little she could actually say that would make Martina believe her. So instead of speaking Tayla sucked in a breath and hoped she wasn’t about to make the stupidest decision of her life. Putting her bow down beside her, she gently lifted the quiver over her head then placed the quiver down as well before stepping away from it and looking at Martina again. “Believe me now? Every second we waste talking you’re losing blood. Please, just let me help.”

[tayxdelknight]

magikolina:

As much as she disliked many things that Camp Jupiter represented now, she couldn’t help but miss it. It had been her home for so many years, it had seen her through so many things. She had found purpose there. She had found confidence. Perhaps her teaching again was her attempt at normalcy. Even after this war, she didn’t think she would be a Centurion again. She couldn’t… Not after she had been the hand that took some of their friends lives. “I try to hold two a day, morning and evening. Honestly, though, if I’m not in meetings or sleeping, I’m in the training room. We… We need to keep ourselves in shape.”

While the battle was hard on everyone, Tayla had to imagine Lina was suffering the worse. She had fought and worked with the Romans for so long. It had to be hard to fight against them now. If she hadn’t known Lina was strong before, the fact that she even seemed to be holding up okay proved it now. “I tend to head to the infirmary first thing in the morning to check up on patients and such, but I’m sure I could make it to the evening one.” If she worked her schedule right, she should be able to get some downtime between the infirmary and training. Frowning at the last part of Lina’s comment, Tayla held the coffee cup a little tighter in her hands and glanced down at it nodding her head. “Unfortunately, I have to agree with you there. I can’t see things getting any better now.” 

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

As Tayla climbed, Blossom tried to read her expression and body movement. Of course in times of war, no one was their normal selves, but with the new battle developments Blossom still wanted to know how Tayla was doing. With her working in the infirmary, she probably was super busy and distrubed by all the injured people coming in. Had she gone on the battle field to save people? Blossom wasn’t sure. But, she really had no intentions of talking about the bad stuff. She wanted good vibes only, unless of course Tayla needed to rant to her about the recent events. 

Blossom smiled at her as Tayla joined her on the branch. “Yeah, its a nice view up here. I found it a few days ago while I was out here. I marked it, I carved a line into the bark with a dagger.” She explained with a small shrug. She looke ddown and the ground beneath them, swaying her legs back and forth as they dangled. “We don’t have to talk about everything that just happened, you know in the disagreement.” War. She meant war, but couldn’t bring herself to say it. The idea of war alone made her sick. “But, I just want to make sure you’re okay. You know you can come find me whenever you need me, right?” She asked, looking back over at Tayla. “Whether it’s a listening ear, needing help in the infirmary, or simply just a hug, I’m always here for you. No matter the time of day.”

Carving in bark seemed like a much better use of a dagger than having to wield it as a weapon against others and Tayla smiled gently. She sincerely hoped that was all Blossom would ever have to use hers for. “That’s really smart. I’ve never been that good at recognizing differences between trees without some kind of marker so I might have to use that idea too.” It was nice to just sit up in the tree with Blossom. Something about the other girl had a calming effect on Tayla and she found herself slowly relaxing while swinging her legs beside her. 

However, as Blossom brought up the battle she dropped silent and looked out into the other trees. She knew that she was just trying to be nice and offer support, but Tayla was enjoying the distraction from it. Forcing a soft smile, she looked over at Blossom again and shook her head. “I’m alright. You don’t have to worry about me. I can handle this.” She couldn’t, but she wasn’t about to admit that. Her smile turned a little more genuine now and she nodded, looking down at her legs and swinging them as Blossom was. “Thank you Blossom, I appreciate that. I know I just said I’m alright, and I am. But can I still have that hug now anyway?”  

[tayxdelknight]

brooklynstrickster:

Brooks could only imagine what she might have seen or even had to do during the battle. He wanted to comfort Tayla, to magically know the right words to say or the right thing to do to help her. But he barely knew how to even make friends. He surely didn’t know what it took to keep them or aid them when they needed it. He figured the most that he could do now to help Tayla out was to just be available for her. Sit by her and listen to what she needed to say. It was the least he could do.

“You don’t have to talk, if you don’t want to.” He looked away from the sky for moment so that he could glance over at her. “We can just lay here if that’s what you need. I want to do whatever I can to help.” The next time a battle like this occurred, Brooks wouldn’t be left behind. He would be by Tayla’s side, fighting with her. “Just tell me what you need.”

Contemplating what he had said, Tayla turned her head to look over at him and managed a little smile to show her appreciation. It was nice of him to not try to push and force her into speaking if she wasn’t ready. Though at the moment she couldn’t see herself ever truly being ready to talk about it. “I would if I could, but I don’t really know what I need.” Sighing gently she turned her eyes back up to the sky, wishing for once there were some clouds instead of the bright sunshine. At least that would give her something to look at and be distracted by. 

“You know, I’ve never wanted anything to do with my father, but some godly interference would actually be nice right about now. It feels like they might be the only ones who could end this before it gets worse.” Not that she truly believed they would step in and be willing to help, but after what she saw on the battlefield fantasizing about an end to the war was all she could do to avoid a breakdown. “I was trained to fight monsters, not people.” 

[tayxdelknight]

During the battle

Every inch of Tayla was screaming to help every wounded soldier she encountered, Greek or Roman, and she tried her best to follow it through. She moved whoever was alright enough to be moved to a safer place and handed vials of nectar or squares of ambrosia whenever she could. But this was a battle and she didn’t exactly have time to stop and actually heal people, as much as she would have liked to. It was too dangerous, and would leave her too exposed for those few moments. Not to mention how the singing would only serve to call attention to both herself and the wounded. So she did as much as she could and prayed that those who were hurt would survive their injuries long enough to get actual treatment. 

Ducking through a building to avoid being seen by a horde of Roman soldiers, Tayla emerged and turned her head only to catch sight of someone on the ground in clear need of help. It took a moment, but she soon registered the woman was Martina, another daughter of Apollo. She knew of her more than she actually knew her, but lack of familiarity didn’t change the fact Martina was still her sister. Weighing the risk, Tayla bit her lip for a second before sighing and running over to where Martina was. As she approached she tucked her dagger back into its sheath on her hip and raised her now empty hands up to show she was coming peacefully. “Martina? Look, I know you don’t know me, but I promise I’m not going to hurt you. That cut looks pretty bad and I just want to help.”  

@martiemcfliest

[magikolina-blog]

Lina knew that others had to feel the same that she and Blossom felt about training. People were restless and after that battle, they knew that they needed to keep themselves in shape. Lina was attempting to help with that, holding classes and sparring with people when asked. She hoped it boosted morale. Yet, there were still quite a few people who didn’t know she was having these classes. Once she stumbled upon Tayla, she smiled widely. “Tayla! I don’t know if you’d be interested, but I’m doing some training classes, if you want to join.”

@tayxdelknight

[tayxdelknight]

After finishing changing bandages and healing some wounds that had progressed to within her healing abilities, Tayla decided a brief break was necessary. Their injured were currently doing well enough that she felt it was safe to grab a cup of coffee and sit for a few minutes. But hearing Lina’s voice, she glanced up and returned the woman’s smile with a small one of her own. “Hey Lina.” While the idea of even touching another weapon anytime soon wasn’t one she wanted to deal with, Tayla found herself nodding at Lina’s offer to join training classes. If that battle proved anything, it was that they needed to be ready and the only way to make sure they were was through training. “Sure, I’d love to join. When are you holding the next session?”

[brooklynstrickster-blog]

The aftermath of the attack on the Roman camp had been both physically and mentally depressing. The crew looked rough when they returned, but moral seemed to be even lower. Brooks could not know from experience of course, Brooks had stayed back at camp during the attack. His lack of any formal training would have only made him a liability out there in the fight. He would have either ended up dead or ending up getting someone killed as they tried to save him. As much as he hated the idea of feeling useless during the attack, he accepted the logic and stayed behind, focusing his time on training to get his mind off of what all could be going wrong during the attack.

Though he was too afraid to ask too many questions to people he barely knew, one person he did feel comfortable talking to about the unsuccessful attack was Tayla. The two had met soon after he had arrived in camp. She had flagged him down in the middle of camp after noticing a couple of nasty bruises that Brooks still had on his face and arms. Bruises and cuts were not uncommon when living on the streets in New York, but Tayla had been nice enough to offer to help heal them. It was the first time that he had ever witnessed what demigod medicine and healing was capable of. Though he was still riddled with a few scars that he had accepted would never go away, he walked out fresh and free of bruises and new wounds. After that day, Tayla and Brooks had caught each other around camp a few times and had begun what Brooks could only describe as a friendship. It was nice to think he was capable of it after all.

Now, Brooks was taking a break from training to sprawl out among the grass and stare upward at nothing in particular. His arms resting behind him and substituting as a pillow for Brooks head, he looked up only briefly when he noticed Tayla coming his way. He smiled and gave a small wave before returning to his original position. “Hey there, how are you doing?” He asked her gently. Who knew what she had seen in that battle? “Want to talk about it?”

@tayxdelknight

[tayxdelknight]

Tayla needed more rest, badly. She hadn’t had a proper sleep for days now, but every time she closed her eyes for long she was running the risk of dreaming of the battle. Since the battle all of her dreams had been haunted by the faces of those they couldn’t save, or the blood on her dagger from whenever she’d had to defend herself, and it often left her lurching awake with a scream ready on the tip of her tongue. That wasn’t something she wanted to deal with at the moment, so instead she wandered and eventually made her way outside hoping the fresh air could jolt her awake for awhile. 

She was just getting ready to give up on walking around when she caught sight of Brooklyn laying in the grass and she managed to crack a small smile. It was a friendship that had caught her by surprise given she hadn’t been meaning originally to strike one up, but one she was glad for now. When they’d first met she had merely been trying to be helpful by healing the bruising he had, but he’d been so polite that she couldn’t help but find herself enjoying his company whenever she ran into him. Though if she was being honest, at the start of their friendship Tayla had been making every effort to be kinder to him because she felt bad. Brooks had arrived just as the war was breaking out and hadn’t had the opportunity to get to know New Rome when it wasn’t in major conflict. In the months Tayla had before the war she had grown to love the camp and city, but Brooks never got that. He was unceremoniously shoved into conflict and it wasn’t fair to him. Regardless, she now considered him a genuine friend so while she had been fully intending on being alone for awhile she willingly walked over to where he was. 

“Hey.” Taking a seat next to him, Tayla also laid back looking up at the sky and shrugging gently. “I’m fine. About as good as can be expected right now.” She could tell his tone was gentler than normal and she smiled a bit, appreciating that he was trying not to push. But when he asked if she wanted to talk about it she paused for a second to think. Did she want to talk about it? Talking wouldn’t make it so it never happened, but it could be helpful to at least have it out in the open instead of bottling it up. “I don’t know if I particularly want to, but I guess I can see how it would be beneficial to. I don’t even know where to start though.” 

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

To say that the newest battle in the war disturbed Blossom was an understatement. When she heard the news, she had to just escape the hustle and bustle that was the underwater training room due to all the injuries. She had been finding herself outside more and more lately ad an escape, and she had found that the forest had been the safest option. There were a few trees that were easy to climb so she would crawl as high as she could so she could go unnoticed. 

While sitting in the tree she heard noise from underneath her and saw Tayla. Once she got under the tree Blossom dropped an acorn to get her attention. Once they made eye contact, Blossom flashed her a smile “I’m happy to see you’re okay.” She admitted. “I wanted to come out here and enjoy nature. I figured climbing up into a tree would be the safest option.” She admitted. After her last incident with Marcus, she had learned to be extra careful of where she went. “Wanna come join me up here?” She asked.

The only real relief Tayla could bring herself to feel about the battle was the fact that Blossom hadn’t been out there. She hadn’t had to face the fear of Blossom getting injured again, or worse, and it was at least good to know that one of the few people she cared about was safe. Though at the mention of her being okay, Tayla just smiled again this one smaller and much more forced than before. Physically she was fine albeit a little battered and bruised, but she was more shaken up by what she had seen than she had been letting on while in the infirmary. Blossom didn’t need that worry on her though. It was best if she believed she was alright. “Good idea. I’ll have to remember to do that whenever I come out here.”

At Blossom’s offer to join her, Tayla nodded. “Sure, I’ll be right up.” Grabbing hold of the branch closest to her she started to climb her way up to Blossom, using the branches to pull herself up and finding footholds whenever she could. Once she was up to the branch Blossom was on, Tayla settled herself down beside her and smiled softly. “It’s much nicer up here. You picked the perfect tree to hang out in.”

[tayxdelknight]

fireandneurosurgery:

Biting her lip gently, Bobbi yawned in response to Tayla’s yawn. She hadn’t realised how exhausted she was until that point, but she wasn’t about to stop working now. Not when people needed her. “Thanks,” she said quickly, rubbing tired eyes before taking a few flasks of nectar and beginning to seperate them out, “how much experience with helping the wounded have you got?” she asked curiously, “Because we need as much help as we can get.” 

Bobbi looking physically exhausted, and it briefly occurred to Tayla to wonder just how long Bobbi had already been working. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter much though how tired they were; not when they couldn’t take a break. People needed help, and in the life of healers and doctors that meant powering through exhaustion until the job was done. “Over four years. I’ve been working in the infirmaries since I started at camp back in New York.” What she wouldn’t give to be back in New York now, in the safety of Camp Half-Blood. But those were thoughts for another time. Now she just nodded and looked around. “Did you need help here, or do you want me to go start on someone else?” 

[fireandneurosurgery-blog]

“I need more nectar, 12 packs of O-negative and as much saline solution as we’ve got,” Bobbi snapped to the nearest person she could, she’d been working through the night doing her best to patch everyone up. She’d not slept in 18 hours but that wasn’t going to change, the disaster of a battle in the Eastern District had not helped and she wouldn’t let anymore life be lost. She’d already declared 34 Greeks dead, not to mention all the Romans who’d been brought to her anyway. They were at war, but they weren’t savages. Not yet anyway. “Is there something I can do for you?” she asked the person in front of her. 

[tayxdelknight]

When Tayla had returned from the battle she’d immediately thrown herself into the infirmary. It was the only thing she could think to do, and the only thing that could keep her mind busy from confronting what had happened. Besides, there were so many Greeks facing serious injuries and she felt compelled to help while she still had the strength to do so. She was exhausted by now, but she forced herself to keep going. Hearing the order barked out by the other woman, she turned and immediately set about finding the materials asked for and returned as quickly as she could. “Oh, um no.” She shook her head, fighting off a yawn and wishing desperately for a cup of coffee. But that would just have to wait. “I just got the things you asked for. Where do you need them?” 

[tayxdelknight]

After returning from a raid Tayla desperately needed to get some air. Everything went right and they had returned with the supplies that they were expected to collect, but every time she went out on a raid she found herself getting more and more anxious. Her and the groups she’d been sent out with had been lucky so far in avoiding Romans, but that would only last so long. As much as she was training wise prepared to fight, the idea of hurting someone, or worse killing someone was not one she wanted to confront. After ensuring all the supplies were put away properly Tayla made her way out into the woods to clear her head and get some time away from everyone else. She always felt she did her best thinking when she was alone anyway.

A combination of the sunlight and fresh air calmed her considerably, but just as she was passing under a tree she felt an acorn drop onto her shoulder and she flinched out of instinct. Realistically she knew she was far enough in Greek territory that she shouldn’t be encountering any Romans, but that didn’t stop her from going on full alert. Her fingers immediately moved to wrap around the hilt of the dagger sitting on her hip, ready to pull the weapon out if she needed. Flicking her eyes upward she scanned the branches and let out a sigh of relief as she spotted the familiar blonde hair. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Blossom would be hanging around in a tree, but her lips curved into a smile and she shook her head slightly. “Blossom, what on earth are you doing up there?” 

@peacefully-blossom

[tayxdelknight]

peacefully-blossom:

Tayla was right, that being confined for so long was getting to Blossom. She wanted nothing more than to be on her own and roam around. Going outside would be nice, considering she hadn’t been outside for so long too. Fresh air was always more comforting to her than just sitting indoors. At the mention of how Tayla has saved her, Blossom shook her head. How could Tayla deny such a thing? But, she was right in saying that Blossom wouldn’t believe her because she truly wouldn’t. So, she decided to drop the subject entirely, since it seemed that they had two different opinions. Once they got outside,  Blossom’s smile got even bigger. It was nice to be outside in fresh air. She finally felt free. “Can we watch the sunrise? Maybe we can go sit down somewhere and watch it. Then the surprise. How does that sound?” She asked, looking over at Tayla. Hopefully, she wasn’t ruining her plan.

Seeing the joy on Blossom’s face just from finally being outside again caused Tayla’s smile to grow as well. She turned toward horizon, toward the beginning rays of the sunrise, and closed her eyes soaking it in and sighing contently. It was amazing how just a little bit of air and some sun could instantly refresh her when she had just moments before been feeling so tired and borderline drained. But before long Blossom’s voice answering the question she had posed broke her out of her thoughts and she turned back to the other girl with a smile and nod. “Of course! That sounds good to me. This is your first morning free so we’ll do whatever you prefer.” Scanning the shoreline, Tayla quickly spotted an area by a group of trees that looked nice. The water didn’t quite reach there so it would be dry enough to sit on, but overlooked the water and would give them a perfect view of the sunrise. “How about right there?”

[tayxdelknight]

sonoftriton:

Caspian pondered on a thought that just occurred to him. They should make a safe house above water so that people could try and get some sunlight and fresh air. Perhaps they could set up some makeshift farms with the Demeter kids. He made a mental note to mention this to Percy. 

“Yeah, I helped him, barely though. My uncle is pretty powerful on his own. I am better at control small portions of water really well. Like changing the waters phase and even pushing the moister in the air together to turn it into liquid. So I can basically pull water out of thin air.” He smiled. “And you? Can you shoot sun rays and stuff?” He had heard somewhere that a son of Apollo was able to bend light, maybe she could do it too? 

“Well yeah, Percy is incredibly powerful, but that doesn't make your help any less valuable. Even the strongest people need help every once in awhile. Plus pulling water out of thin air sounds pretty damn awesome if you ask me.” She said with a smile. When she had first gone to Camp Half Blood she recalled spending a few months wishing she’d be gifted with better abilities. But as she had learned to heal and honed her archery skills she’d given up on those previous desires. While her talents didn’t necessarily make for good party tricks they would suffice for keeping her alive, and in the life of a demigod that was important.  

“If you’re talking about actually manifesting sun rays myself and shooting them out of my palms, no, as cool as that would be, I can’t do that.” At least she didn’t think she could. She’d never spent enough time on her light abilities to know much about them really. “I can manipulate them though, to a certain degree. I haven’t quite figured out how to utilize that though. I’ve always focused more on the healing and archery.”