Like Father Like Son (Skipper)

Dominic stood in the arena alone with a quiver of arrows in one hand and a bow in the other. It had been several months since his encounter with the dreaded serpent Python. The brutal fight had lost him his power of healing through touch and left him several nasty scars, but it had also given him a powerful gift. The wrath of Apollo, the power of plague.
It was a difficult ability to master considering that he never had much of a chance to test it out. He didn't like the idea of anyone but Destiny knowing he had such a power, and didn't quite enjoy the idea that it made him a human biological weapon. But what was worse was how difficult it was to control.
The first time he had used it he had needed the monster to almost bite him in half in order to infect the creature. It seemed as if the power could only be controlled through close contact. Which would hardly be helpful in the middle of a battle.
But there had to be another way of using it...a way for it to be of use to both himself and the camp.

Skipper was murmuring some really dirty Greek curses to herself. It was sunny and hot, her least favorite type of day, and she had been having a really nice peaceful walk in the woods when a huge hellhound had come out at her and scratched her face! Rude! Of course, out of shock and anger, she had ripped out her sword and sliced it, but still, don't you people know not to bother a cranky girl? So now her face was cut and scarlet, and she was still in a bad mood. Sword grasped, knuckles white, she stormed over to the arena. If she couldn't take her anger out on trees, she would do it on plastic battle dummies. She stormed in, her face looking very mad, and saw Dominic.

Oh, just great, just the person she wanted to see on a day like this.

"Oh, you're here," she said, her face placed in a scowl, looking very hostile. Like her day wasn't bad enough. At least his back was to her so she didn't have to see him quite yet.

'Pleasure to see you too.' Dominic called back to her whilst examining the tip of an arrow before notching it slowly on his bow. He stared down a dummy before releasing the arrow. It soared through the air and struck it in the middle of its chest.
A smile crossed over Dominic's face. He was getting better with a bow and arrow. Soon he would be able to shoot alongside his brothers and sisters without feeling embarrassed.
'Have you got yourself cut up again?' Dominic asked as he notched another arrow. 'Every time we meet you're usually cut up and bloody.'

"I have not gotten myself cut up!" she retorted, throwing her sword at a dummy, who, in a few seconds, got hit in the square chest with a very pointy sword "I was just...working on my combat techniques with a hellhound,"

He sighed and shook his head before turning to face her.
'Lets see the damage' He spoke before his eyes landed on his torn up cheek. He rolled his eyes and sighed again in frustration. 'Di Immortalis Skipper. You have got to stop getting yourself banged up like this. You've got to be more careful!' He scolded and walked over to her before pulling out a piece of paper. 'One of these days you're gong to get yourself torn in half. And I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't learned how to put people back together with healing magic.'

"I don't need you to put me back together, Moss," she said, a scowl perched on her face "I'm perfect on my own, thank you very much,"

'I'm sure you are. You'd just heal all of your the wounds and broken bones with your own healing powers.' Dominic said and rolled his eyes. 'You're not immortal Skipper. You can't walk around with your neck hanging off and think; 'oh no biggie. I'll deal with that later.'. We're Demigods, not zombies.'

"Well I don't give a crap about your common sense," she said coldly "because once the wind comes back, I'm going to pound you..." she paused for effect "...hard."

'Flattered but I have a girlfriend.' Dominic replied. Before Skipper could say anything else Dominic began chanting as he read from the paper. Light outlined Skippers wound and lit up the arena. Slowly but surely, the wound closed.
'There. All done. No need to thank me, I know all about how in awe of me you are.' Dominic said, hiding his grin, which wasn't a hard feat considering he was panting heavily and looked ready to drop.

Skipper put on a very nasty scowl "You ask for it." she warned, and punched him in the face, possibly breaking his nose, and knocking him over "I've knocked out Ares children." she reminded him "That was a bad choice on your part."

The last time Skipper had punched him he had yelled out and cursed from the pain. Now, after being repeatedly beaten up by Ares campers and pretty much bitten in half by a giant snake a punch to the face was nothing.
He reached up and brushed blood out from under his nose before turning to Skipper.
Ordinarily Dominic would have shouted at her or made her feel like an idiot. But this time something else happened. Something bad.
Unleash me, The power within him whispered and before Dominic knew it his hands stretched out to his sides and began to glow with a pale sickly aura.
Images flashed before his eyes of cities crumbling to dust, insects devouring crops and people falling victim to disease.
'Run Skipper.' Dominic managed to whisper before his mind fell to the power and the wrath of Apollo took over.

OOC: mind if I join? I love these kind of roleplaying thingys

Estelle's eyes widened. She had seen the scene unleash from the start, and never thought.. this would happen.'Run, Andromeda Skipper Parks!'she screamed as she half-dragged her friend away.Should she get the head councilors? No. too much time. She must have read something about this..Then she had an idea and called out at Dominic'I know it's hard, but try to control it. Think of the things you love. Think about Destiny!' she suddenly thought, I can't help him.Again. Tears threatened to well up, but she knew that it wasn't the place to cry. She needed to think of something. Calm down, Estelle. You've have been in worse situations than this. Well, I hope soshe breathed deeply and decided that she would give dominic a chance. But first- she would get Skipper out of here. The wrath was most likely triggered by her. Maybe her advice might help, but Skipper needed to get outta here, now. Or else- Estelle shook the thought away

ooc: I don't mind but please ask before you post. This isn't an open post.

The advice fell on deaf ears. Dominic was no longer in control. Just the anger.
He walked towards them slowly. His eyes were blank and milky and his face was emotionless.
A practice dummy stood between him and the girls. He picked it up with one hand and then smiled as he watched it decay into black dust and rotten shards of wood.

Skipper bit her lip, which she had always had a nasty habit of doing. She knew that it was some crazy, uncontrollable powerful mess that Dominic had gotten himself into. She wasn't afraid or anything. She turned to Estelle, who was standing near her. She picked up an anonymous sword on the ground. Time for some reality fighting. If Dom killed her, so what? She would be known as the girl who was killed by mistake. She wouldn't blame him. She was sure that she couldn't help this. "Stay back, Estelle," Skipper told her "Do not make a single move." Skipper stood there, staring into Dominic's cursed eyes. Skipper took a shaky breath. "I know you're there, Dom," she said "And I know that this will blow over. You can kill me if you want, but I'll always know that you were innocent." she slowly cocked her head. The only sound present was the tension and Skipper's heavy breath, which smelled like strawberries. She thought of the only thing that fought evil.

Love.

"Think of your past, Dom, think of Destiny. Your brother. Yeah, think of Clyde!" her voice sounded unusually optimistic. Her eyes glazed over with tears, and a light shade of pink crossed them "I know that you can fight this. You're stronger than evil, Dom. You can do this." she bit her lip, praying that he didn't kill her, or do something worse.

The air around them was beginning to taste stale and putrid. The aura around him was expanding. Worms and insects began to merge from the dirt beneath their feet and scuttle around in a mad dance.
Dominic's eyes turned to them. His smile had faded. His hand outstretched towards them slowly.
The power was twisting his every thought. Who were these brats to decide what he could do? One of them even had the gall to attack him! He would make sure they suffered. He would let disease brew in their veins and turn their bodies green with sickness. They would crumble and fall just as the Greek encampment fell during the Trojan war. The silly weak little people rotted away like nothing, all because of Agamemnon's insult to a priest of Apollo. His little mistake had brought the wrath of Apollo, and now the two girls would know exactly how they felt.
Dominic's eyes narrowed and the palm of his hand stretched out. Flies buzzed around it, preparing to dart submerge their victims in their dirty diseased bodies.
Skipper first. Then Estelle.

'If you get into trouble or need anything. I've got your back' Dominic spoke.
'Like always' Skipper added.

The sudden memory made Dominic's blank expression crumble for a moment. His face became confused, baffled by the memory of him and Skipper in the volley ball court.
'RARGH! Dominic roared before jerking violently to one side and thrusting out his fist. An invisible wave of death rippled across the arena, missing the girls and instead striking a whole line of dummies that crumbled to nothing instantly.
'You don't get it! You never get it Skipper! Never! Ever!' Dominic yelled whilst clutching at his head with his fingers, tugging at strands of hair. The aura around him intensified. Bugs were swarming around him like a tornado of critters.

"Don't try and help him, Estelle," Skipper warned, her voice sharp "He has to fight this himself." Skipper backed up, careful not to crawl into his path. She wanted to help him. She really, really, really did. But this wasn't her battle to fight. Her breath was shaky, and her vision was smeared from fright, but she kept her eyes locked with Dominic's panicked, bloodthristy ones, her stomach flipping.

'Never get it. Never understand. Never think about it.' Dominic screamed whilst tugging at his hair in frustration. The aura was beginning to kick up dirt and swirl around him in the foul smelling tornado of disease and bugs.
'Getting hurt all the time. Always arguing. Always taking offense when I lend a hand. Always bickering with me over the smallest things.' His gaze turned to her and he snarled before attempting to hold up his hand and direct the waves of destruction towards them, but his other hand grabbed his wrist and held it down.
'Don't you get it? Don't you see? I don't like it when we fall out. I never want to heal you're wounds.' Dominic yelled before throwing himself to the floor and directing another blast of pain at the ground itself.
'Don't you get it! You're my friend Skipper! I don't want to see you hurt! I just want you to be happy!' He yelled out before screaming in agony as the power surged through his arms and burned his every muscle with pain whilst the ground beneath him turned dark and muddy.

Skipper looked at him, her lip swelling up from her biting it so much. She took a shallow breath, trying to control the rapid winds, but it was no use. She may be talented with the breeze, but this was out of her control "You, too!" Skipper screamed at him "Except you let me argue and force yourself to heal me! And we're going to get out of this mess!" She shoved some fingerless leather gloves onto her fingers, the ones that always gave her luck. Which she would need plenty of. Plus, they were great with the wind. It took her all of her willpower, but she tried her best to clear the muck from the arena, and succeeded little. "You need to clear your thought, Dom!" she shouted over the unbearingly loud sounds of wind and dirt and bugs "Think about everything that you've ever been happy about! You're stronger than you think." her voice cracked, and was barely audible by the last sentence. Her eyes were bloodshot from determination, and, maybe, tears. "You're stronger than you think." she whispered again, the comment soft on her humidified tongue.

Dominic's body was breaking down. The wrath of Apollo wasn't just attacking the area around him, it was decaying his own body. His veins began turning green and his flesh became pale and sickly. He was no longer in control of his voice. All he could do was scream.
It seemed impossible to think about what could possibly make him happy. Right now all he could think of was what made him angry; monsters hurting his friends, his dumb father leaving him alone, that evil serpent that tried to kill Destiny, his failure at saving Alexis, his failure at protecting Fred, his failure at stopping himself from making so many mistakes at the cost of others.
That was what made him angry. His powerless to protect what mattered most. He hated that more than anything. And right now he was about to kill his friends, all because he was too weak. All because of his mistakes.
And then it came to him. Her face. Her voice.
'Just because you may mess up, don't mean you'll get anyone killed like that! Look, there's always going to be something wrong in your life. I know what it's like to not be able to sleep.' Destiny spoke as he recalled one all important moment of comfort. 'You're strong, Dom. Stronger than you know.'
Dominic's fists clenched and his eyes shut tight. Another face flashed before his eyes.
'Dominic you are a strong one.' His mother spoke to him. A beautiful woman with long black hair and hazel eyes. Her skin glowed like bronze from her tan. 'You are always so quick to fight. To protect your brother from whatever the world throws at him. You will grow up to be a protector. But remember, you are strong enough to say no to violence. Don't forget that. Because if you do...you could risk losing what matters most.'
Dominic let out a yelled before his right hand shot up and punched himself across the face. The world spun before his eyes. The aura of destruction stopped and Dominic collapsed on the ground.

"Dom?" Skipper said hoarsely, about three seconds after he collapsed. She didn't trust herself to go over to him, because she knew she would do something wrong. She always did everything wrong. She blinked. The silence was never-ending "Just to something to show me that you're okay before I have a heart attack because I just watched someone die?" she winced at the thought of him dead. What the in Tartarus would she tell anyone, particularly Destiny, that Dominic Moss was dead? That would really suck. She blinked, not daring to move, just in case one of her limbs betrayed her.

Dominic let out a groan before slowly sitting up. He clutched his head and felt a surge of pain from the swelling that sprung up around his eye. He groaned and sat up straight before glancing around and blinking dumbly.
He turned to Skipper and blinked again before raising his arms, 'So...do we hug now?'

"Gosh, I dunno," said Skipper with a shrug "Is this a cheesy drama movie that's supposed to represent the meaning of friendship? Or is it just a really awkward moment?"

'Well its us so...we should probably start arguing with each other and you should make fun of me.' Dominic said before slowly getting up off the ground, ignoring the burning pain in his muscles and the unpleasant gurgle in his stomach. He turned to Skipper and smiled weakly.
'But...you stopped me from going Hulk on the entire camp so...why don't we make an exception this once?' He asked before putting out his arms. He stood silent before awkwardly glancing up at the sky.

Skipper muttered something about serious movie moment, then realized that Dominic was a child of Apollo, and that they feed off of drama "Alright," she said grudgingly. Skipper was about the last person you expect to hug anyone, because she liked her asexuality the way it was. But she hugged him anyway, because she was kind of in the moment of all of the drama.

'You drive me insane.' Dominic said as he hugged her back, ignoring the moan of pain that threatened to escape his lips. 'We argue all the time. You pick on me and I annoy you. You're reckless and a little dumb sometimes and I'm really stupid and head strong.'
He held her and closed his eyes for a moment as he took in the moment. A few seconds ago he had come so close to vaporizing her.
'But I never want that to change. I really like you Skipper. You're my incredibly annoying crazy friend and I never want to loose you.' He said before biting his lip, 'I'm so sorry for what just happened.'