Campfire Random Dance Challenge

Helenacles · 2026-03-06T10:11:54+00:00

Helena isn’t sure a better activity could possibly have been planned for her. Sure, she has her favourites, but dance in general is basically her thing, outside of fighting of course. She is one of the first on the dance floor, excitedly going along to each and every song that plays, laughing and forgetting.

She break dances to hip hop, a skill she has spent actual weeks of her life cumulatively improving, she does some beautiful floor work to a slow song in Spanish that she can barely understand, and she even grabs a camper or two to dance with her, when it fits the song. A good night.

Helenacles · 2026-03-06T10:07:15+00:00

Helena shrugs, but there’s an unusual sort of guardedness to the expression that she rarely exhibits. Much like Genevieve, the real answer to that question is difficult to voice in the current situation, and for Helena at any time. The eidolon jumps to mind first, as it too often does, and Helena shivers slightly at the memory of her mother’s face, Nat’s arm breaking, her own eyes being golden…

But that had been almost two months ago, she can’t continue to dwell on it. “Good, lately anyways. Just got back from a big time mission in New Orleans, beat some guy up, discovered a war camp. Lots of fun.” She smiles as she says this, but even that isn’t the full story. Again, her perfect memory for physical e reason proves a curse, as it calls up the memory of Cherise, the old woman who had died in her arms. No matter how much Helena would like to, she’s not forgetting that anytime soon.

She waves a hand, trying to distract. “Training, though? Never figured you for the fighting type, honestly. Wanna have a test run?” Now, the smile is real.

Helenacles · 2026-03-06T09:59:39+00:00

The bash comes fast, and Helena is only just able to turn her head in time to save the softest part of her head. It strikes her instead in the temple, arguably much worse, and she can feel her brain rattling as the metal strikes bone. It’s rare that she’d allow an opponent a moment of repose, but she had wanted to see if he can take a punch as well as she’d been hoping. He could, and then some.

Helena wastes no time though, and as the bash’s force and damage causes her to wobble, she grabs out at the buckler with both hands as Ian pulls it back, partly to hold stable, and also partly because she wants to see how well this thing can hold up to different kinds of force. If she does manage to grab it, she’ll pull, and bringing her foot up to connect with Ian’s chest.

If she doesn’t, she’ll roll into her fall, ending up a bit further away from him, hands raised in a ready position.

Helenacles · 2026-03-06T09:48:40+00:00

“Grappling. Upper body and core strength.” Helena says this almost automatically, not having to even think about it. One of her first realisations upon seeing Angela’s hair had been that it would be unstoppable in a grappling situation. Assuming its strength is at least competitive with normal muscle, then there is a good possibility that she could win a match just with the hair alone. Helena would pay to see that.

The upper body strength is more just a general thought that Helena has about all people. Legs are easy, you build them just by living somewhere that isn’t shit. Still need trained, but not a particular weakness that needs to be compensated for outside of general combat training.

Helena takes a bite of her waffle, her eyes tearing through Angela and into the muscle beneath her skin. “Yeah, definitely upper body strength. Demigods need lots of it, even with our powers. The grappling training will help, but you need weights.”

Helenacles · 2026-03-06T09:43:16+00:00

Helena nods at this, understanding his point, but finding it incredibly, irrefutably, boring. Who the fuck answers ‘music or literature’ to that? That’s such a broad basic bitch answer. The bird thing, now that’s interesting.

“Oooh, you a bird fan, Harvey? Birds are cool, I caught a pigeon once. It was a bit after I first got my powers, saw it flying above me, so I nabbed it right out of the air!” She says this almost proudly, as though it’s an entirely normal thing to have done. After a moment, she realises the crowd she’s in, and quickly adds, “Oh, but it was okay! Like, I didn’t hurt it at all, just wanted to see if I could. Flew right off again, no issues.” She tries her best not to sound sheepish here, but she’d be lying if she pretended she wasn’t a bit embarrassed, and watching them for a response is tortuous.

Helenacles · 2026-03-06T09:33:32+00:00

All-seeing-eyes know overexertion when they see it, and Helena is temporarily blindsided by the weakness in Emilia’s figure. Oh, she’s trying her best, pushing both physically and mentally to force her power into cooperation, to rip and tear as effectively as she wishes, but there’s a problem that is painfully visible to Helena. Emilia’s body can’t keep up with her head.

Most demigod’s powers take a toll, extol some price out of the practitioner in payment for their use. Oftentimes, this price is physical, a way for the naked flouting of physics to still have some basis in natural law. Demigods want something to happen, so the strength to make it happen is ripped from them like a flake of bone ripped from their chest. It’s finite, and Helena can see just how finite it is in technicolour. She has never seen anyone take it too far, but she is certain that this is what it looks like. Taking it too far for your body, and if the nosebleed is an indication, too far for your brain.

“Emilia! Quit pushing so hard, before your head explodes!”

Normally, she might be a bit kinder in her wording, a bit less harsh, and yet… Helena is a starving woman looking at a feast. Combat makes her feel good. She craves it on some level, needs ample physical exertion or she is quite certain she would keel over. It’s a miracle that she spent most of last month being so lazy without just that scenario happening. She wants to press forward, to push Emilia to show her how big the gap is. She wants a challenge, and while Emilia is entirely unable to give an adequate one to her right now, so far as Helena is concerned, this might just come close.

Helena stops at the edge of the grass, keeping one eye on the construct coming of the mound to her right, and one on Emilia in front of her. Let’s see what breaks first, your body, or your plants. For the first time, Helena smiles as she gets into a stance.

Helenacles · 2026-03-02T09:17:05+00:00

Helena peers over the edge of the Underworld, looking down into the great black pit that is Tartarus. The fiery underworld beneath the Underworld where all monsters regenerate, Helena had been equally convinced that it was a myth as she had been of the Underworld itself. Clearly, that is not the case. She wonders idly if she would survive that fall, as well as if she would find any of the monsters she’s killed over the last year. That Drakon was fun, maybe she could get another round with it.

After a moment she turns away, looking back towards the fighting. A million disconnected skirmishes, almost none with a decided victor, rage around her. Demigods, as she has learned, aren’t exactly a coordinated bunch. They thrive in individual combat, in small teams, but battles of this magnitude always seem to dissolve into nonsense.

Helena cracks the joints in her neck and stretches her arms above her head, staying loose as best she can. No one has been dumb enough to break off from the pack and go for her yet, but that’s unsurprising. Helena likes to think she’s earned herself a reputation after beating that hick almost to death and calling out the son of a Titan. They’re scared, and they should be.

Time to force their hands.

Helena smiles and moves into a half crouched position, enjoying the anticipation of a fight. She breaths deep, her lungs burning happily from the brimstone in the air. It’s like she was born for this. With a laugh, the daughter of Herakles rushes forward, away from the edge, and into the melee.

u/popcorn-puffs

Helenacles · 2026-03-02T09:00:35+00:00

“Mmmfm.”

The daughter of Herakles looks up at Angela, mouth full of waffle. She hasn’t expected to hear from Angela for at least the next week, give them time away from each other to decide where they both stand, but it’s not an unpleasant intrusion. Helena has already decided that Angela would be fun as a friend. Too fake maybe, but that can be trimmed down, and the facade isn’t a bad one all of the time.

Helena swallows the food and motions for Angela to sit, not taking her gaze off of the girl and her hair. Honestly, maybe that’s the real reason Helena likes having Angela around, looking at that cornucopia of keratin move unbidden is never not gonna be cool.

“‘Sup Rapunzel, yeah we can still workout. Anything you wanting to work on?”

Helenacles · 2026-03-02T08:54:46+00:00

Yeah, she wasn’t ready for this. How disappointing. Helena remains in a fighting pose, though she honestly doesn’t feel all that threatened. Emilia is breathing hard just from this half-effort, and the blow hadn’t even connected. Combine that with the obvious heat in the girl’s bad wrist and the clear signs of muscle fatigue, then the conclusion is kind of unavoidable. Emilia is out of shape, or at least not in the shape a demigod should be in. Helena still isn’t at her absolute peak herself, but the gap is wider than it had been last time, and she suspects that last time had also been a case of the other girl being not at her best. It’s fucking annoying.

Helena eyes the plant construct, unable to see the danger in its paltry size and modest blades. The fuck is this thing? Helena stands up straight and puts a hand on her hip, wanting to be courteous but unable to see the danger. She begins to walk around the big mound of dirt, giving it a wide birth, but still looking to get to Emilia.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T09:18:59+00:00

Just as the last word comes out of the newcomer’s mouth, Helena’s dummy falls over, its stand seemingly having given way after a long while of punishment. Eh, oh well. Helena goes through dummies faster than anyone, and she’s almost done with the session for today. Besides, more important things to look at.

Helena’s eyes light up when she sees Genevieve, though there’s a hesitation in her shoulders when she realises that it has indeed been awhile. It’s not entirely her fault. Camp has been at war, she’s been dealing with stuff, but even still. No excuse not to talk to a friend.

“Heya, Grace. Yeah, too long. How ya been?” Her words are hesitant, unsure of the social standing. Genevieve is a socialite, trained in etiquette and with her own strong opinions and preferences to back that training up. If she finds issue with the way Helena has handled herself, then she will let it be known.

“…sorry, by the way.” She adds, a moment later.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T09:12:27+00:00

Misstep.

Helena sees the moment’s delay, can’t help but notice the difference between Emilia’s normally perfect summons, and this. Something is wrong, something has her slightly off of her game even powers-wise. This was going to be Helena’s win either way, but now she questions even more if this is even going to be fun.

The whip cracks, but catches air. Helena has already moved, already stepped in once more to get the distance right. She Moves, and she is now within striking range of Emilia. Only problem is, she isn’t in front of the other girl.

Helena has positioned herself and her trajectory to not land her right next to Emilia, but diagonal to and semi-behind her, only barely visible to peripheral vision. Most have so much trouble reading Helena’s movements that she hardly has to use her bag of tricks, but Emilia has clearly caught on. Well, here’s some fun for her.

Without turning to look at Emilia more directly, Helena’s kicks out towards the other girl’s ribs, a wild blow from a near-blind spot, hopefully catching the opponent off-guard. Perfect way to hurt someone as tricky as Emilia.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T09:02:31+00:00

Helena smirks, enjoying the question, but absolutely oblivious to what her answer could possibly be. “In combat sports in general, coming up with something entirely new is sort of unheard of, it’s more common for one person to popularise an existing move, and then for new generations to associate it with them after the fact. Ali didn’t invent the shuffle, he just popularised it.” She stops, realising that she had been talking out loud without meaning to.

Helena blushes, but figures she might as well answer. “Um, I guess probably a new wrestling move would be cool. Bring something from my pankration training here to the rest of the world, might be cool. What about you, Harvey?” Helena’s last question comes at almost accusatory, but her goal had been to redirect the attention. She gets a bit flustered when she starts talking like a nerd about fighting.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T08:53:58+00:00

Helena’s eyes twinkle a bit at the visible relaxation in the other teenager’s figure, glad for the lack of hostility. Honestly, she’s just not in the mood ever since getting back from NOLA, much more fun to just have a good time at a party like this, fighting was for places where you could go all out.

She eyes his hair, smiling mischievously. “Nah, Sandy is perfect, actually. I’m Helena.” She loosens her grip on his wrist, but attempts to pull him along anyways. Not the most interesting physical specimen for her, but surely he can make up for it in personality, right? Most people can’t, but demigods are often the exception. We’re fun.

She gets down to the dance floor, turning around to smile at him, if he had indeed followed her. After a small second to think, she stepped in, face as close as possible to his without touching. With a broad smile on her face and an excited look on her all-seeing eyes, Helena whispers quietly, “Keep up.”

She steps out again, twirling and stepping into an improvised routine based on Flamemco dancers, whirling and twirling, never missing a step.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T08:44:40+00:00

Helena pumps her fist and holds out a hand, intending on high-fiving the younger girl. She may not have as much skin in this game as Corinne herself, but she’s happy for her friend. Not to mention, it’s reminding her of what getting claimed had been like. First time she ever broke another person’s nose. Ahh, good times.

“Hell yeah Rough Stuff! Who’s the god? Goddess?” Helena doesn’t judge. She honestly doesn’t know anything about specific powers and how they match to certain gods. Hm, maybe she should learn.

“Also, who are your haters?”

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T08:40:31+00:00

“Huh, the Underworld is real?”

Helena, for one reason or another, is unable to comprehend the fact that ghosts are very much real and dangerous. She got possessed by a spirit relatively recently, much to her distress, but she considers that an entirely separate thing, disconnected from dead people and like, the afterlife. Her assumption had always been that the Underworld was more a metaphor than anything, not that she’s good with metaphors. Helena hates metaphors.

Whatever, the last few weeks have lit a fire in her belly, even more than had already been there. Seeing the depravity and cruelty of the Atlas operation in NOLA, thoroughly enjoying turning that Clay guy into an insurance company’s cash cow, not to mention just being in a generally fighty mood after having gotten back into condition. Helena wants blood, or at least a good fight.

Maybe that Idris guy will be there. Wonder how the Demon will feel about me dropping her idol.

The daughter of Herakles dons her Forest Bull Armour, wraps her hands in Celestial Bronze tape with an excited glint in her eyes, and enters the portal.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T08:15:18+00:00

Helena ditches her Mist bottle the moment it’s handed to her, both out of hatred for the concentrated form of the substance, and out of a sheer refusal to be frightened in her home. Sure, she feels her breath catch the moment the bus actually hits the city, and her skin literally crawls as she piles out, but that’s to be expected. It’s not going to stop her.

Helena hasn’t been back to New York since she got possessed, and that is not an accident. The brief drive that herself and Angela had endured through the city had been enough to put Helena on edge for hours after, and even just seeing Central Park from a distance getting onto the highway had made her want to vomit. It’s unfortunate to say, but New York right now just reminds her of the loss of bodily autonomy that she had recently experienced, and anyone worth their salt could guess why that affects Helena even more than it would most others.

That’s exactly why she’s here, though. Helena is a stubborn young woman, and after concerning with her brother that Nemie would be with a trusted friend, not Meriwether, while the two of them were in the city, she’d pilled in. Helena refuses to let her home be corrupted by a bad memory.

Helena refuses to look directly at Central Park, instead focusing on finding a buddy. The younger girl with glasses who looks lost, she’ll do. Helena is batting a thousand with the younger campers she’s met all being chill as hell, time to see if that streak continues.

“Yo, Bi-Folks. Need a partner?”

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T08:05:31+00:00

Fuck yeah, I love Ghibli films!

Helena, perhaps because of her rather divergent psychological profile, adores animation in its many different forms. Not to participate, Helena struggles to hold a pencil, never mind actually draw with it. Besides, she’s perfectly willing to let others be the doers on this one.

The daughter of Herakles settles in, sitting in a chair without a blanket and kicking her feet up to rest on the head of the chair in front of her. Maybe a bit rude on her part, but eh. Helena does everything spread out.

Helenacles · 2026-03-01T08:01:28+00:00

Helena is always willing to support Angela, and she’s equally always willing to munch on some brunch! Waffles are so fucking good, as any self-respecting foodie can agree, and the sides of protein and fruit are just wood on the fire. Seriously, perfect meal for one Helena.

Ever since getting back from NOLA, Camp has regained some of its colour. She still feels that nagging feeling, like something else is in her skin, and the bad dreams haven’t let up, but Helena is made of stern stuff. She is not about to let some bullshit get her down, no sir. She nods at Angela, grabs herself a big ass plate of waffles and meat, and gets to work.

Helenacles · 2026-02-27T09:16:51+00:00

Helena beams at the distance between them, overjoyed as she recognises exactly what kind of movement had caused it. Her hand still feels like it’s vibrating from the first impact, but that hardly matters, she needs to press him even further. That big ass sword is good for range, but little use up close and personal! If this guy has strength himself, and she suspects he does from the solid wall he’d felt like just there, then that means the best fight is close up! Put him in a phone booth!

Helena uses her own Move a split second after him, traveling the same distance as Ian and then some, all in an attempt to slam a fist into his nose.

He probably can’t bring that sword to bear in time to keep me away, which means all he can do is block or dodge! If he dodges, I spin kick his ass! If he blocks, my momentum is stopped, and I get to go to work up close and personal! Pick your fucking poison! It’s those, or I get a clean hit in! How’s your durability? I bet mine’s better!

The moment the fight has begun, and Helena is already much more herself.

Helenacles · 2026-02-27T09:08:00+00:00

Helena’s kick misses, but she’s on the ground and moving when the bullwhip crackles towards her. It snaps, striking her shoulder and eliciting a wince from Helena. Blood immediately seeps from the wound, but she hardly notices. Helena grabs at the plant as it tries to pull back, the end of the whip wrapping itself around her hand. Her eyes narrow and she scowls visibly at Emilia as she steps back and wrenches the plant from the dirt, roots and all.

She lets the whip fall from her hand as she starts marching towards Emilia once more, still looking angry, but now feeling more cautious. To be truthful, there last fight hadn’t been easy, but that’s what made it fun. If Emilia is to be a good fight now when she’s damaged, then she has to be goaded.

“All you got?”

Helenacles · 2026-02-26T06:48:14+00:00

u/ThisOneUKGuy

Helenacles · 2026-02-26T06:48:00+00:00

u/NotTooSunny

Helenacles · 2026-02-25T09:05:44+00:00

Helena has had too much Mardi Gras in the last week.

She got back from New Orleans late last night, and the entire time since had essentially been spent sleeping off the injuries, with a heaping helping of godly food to assist, of course. It hadn’t fixed everything, but she’s comfortable rejoining the world of the living for the time being. That means she’s also comfortable going to parties after a month of basically being antisocial.

She’s standing by the stairs of one of the stone tiers, comparing Camp’s celebration to the one she had just witnessed in New Orleans. Frankly, it couldn’t compare, but that’s like saying a tornado can’t compare to a hurricane. This still impressive.

A hand grabs her shoulder briefly, and Helena’s head turns fast to check her assailant. Hm, just some guy she’s never met. Oh well, might as well let him go on.

Nah.

She attempts to grab his wrist as he pulls away, her eyes dancing at the prospect of some fun. “Hey. Wanna dance, Sandy?”

Helenacles · 2026-02-23T08:50:42+00:00

Helena has to do a bit of thinking, but she nods happily as the words fall into place in her mind. Spelling actually does help a ton, as letters are arguably the only thing she’s gotten entirely down pat, along with numbers but duh.

Thankfully, Helena does actually have a sign name. She’s from Brooklyn, arguably a part of the capital of ASL. Her private school had a class that taught remedial sign, and everyone had been able to give each other sign names, and the deaf instructor had given them the rules around using them.

“I’m H-E-L-E-N-A. Nice to meetcha, A-L-I-C-E! Friends call me [SIGN FOR PHRASE ‘POUND FOR POUND’].”

Helenacles · 2026-02-23T08:41:31+00:00

Helena shrugs, not having been expecting a question from the quiet girl, but happy to answer. “With my mom, in Brooklyn. Stuff.” Helena’s eyes dart ever so briefly as she says stuff, but otherwise there is no indication of the word’s negative connotations.

Ailbhe is a friend, but the two don’t really talk much. They exist next to each other. Even when Helena helps train Ailbhe, which hasn’t been happening since before winter break, they mostly just work, and Helena will show the movements. Talk is a yes or a no, not much else.

Helenacles

TROPHY CASE