#rick flag senior

[eris-perish]

Made a poster of the sillies im only 4 episodes in but if they kill any of these characters im coming after james gunn (not really love u james)

[metalichotchoco]

You are liable to get burnt old man

I really like the dynamic that Dr phosphorus is touch starved in actual canon, like you could infer that by his own nature but it’s nice to be given that I hope people run with that to the bank

[gammasquad]

Silver Hair? ✅

Beefed up? ✅

Has a dead son? ✅

Of course I started salivating the second he came on screen.

[breezemachine]

Quick sketch of Rick Flag SENIOR

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

My DC Cinematic Universe - Creature Commandos: Part III

Chapter Three: Flags and Walls

(Warning before we start, this one's a little long, but better than it looks! Some big images in this one.)

So, before we get anywhere else with our conversation on the Creature Commandos and...well, Creature Commandos, we need to talk about something regarding the set-up for the team. In particular, we need to talk about its leadership. And admittedly, this is a bit of a nitpick, but also a genuine problem the DCU now needs to handle. Bear with me here, this is important to my point.

Episode 1 of Gunn's series, Collywobbles, introduces us both to the team, the seemingly central conflict of the series, and briefly to its leaders and administrative controls: Amanda Waller, Rick Flag Sr., and John Economos. And yes, believe it or not, I'm also going to touch upon Economos here.

Now, having these characters in charge of the team is not inherently a bad idea. At all, actually. It's understandable that Gunn would attempt a tie between his previous projects and the new DCU, retroactively incorporating them into this universe, and giving the audience an immediate connection via the previous material they've been seen in. However, this is also a massive problem when you think about it, because that means Peacemaker is canon, and that's basically confirmed in the first five minutes, when Flag mentions the role Waller's daughter played in the continuity of that series, and the wider DCU. And again...this is a problem. Why? Oh, and spoilers for Peacemaker, by the way.

Because now, Gunn has to explain this scene away.

Sure, you could say that Barry wiped the events of Peacemaker out of reality, but then the crack about Amanda's daughter doesn't make sense. So, now, we need to go back and explain that in Peacemaker S2, probably. But wait, maybe that did happen in canon, and it's just David Corenswet up there and an unseen actress as Wonder Woman. Cool. Uh. Ezra Miller's Flash and Jason Momoa's Aquaman were prominently featured in this scene. And it's DEFINITELY THEM, no question. And that's an issue, because Momoa was JUST CAST AS LOBO in the DCU, and he's definitely not playing Aquaman! Gotta assume that, since everybody else has been cast, Miller isn't coming back as Barry either.

So, that means we need to rewrite the events of Peacemaker to fit in this new universe, and/or we need to maybe reshoot or recontextualize that ending scene to maybe include Corenswet, and whoever is playing the others, just to show it took place in this universe. And that's just talking about the complications involved in one line of this series, and not THE CONTINUITY OF AMANDA WALLER AND RICK FLAG IN THE NEW DCU. Because we now need to explain and recontextualize Gunn's other project, The Suicide Squad, which means we need to discuss both the original Suicide Squad, and potentially even Birds of Prey!

AND I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO THEMYSCIRA YET

...OK. Let's be completely fair, and say this may not be a big deal, at all, if handled correctly by Gunn in future projects. After all, a few throwaway lines in Peacemaker season 2, maybe a quick shoot that fixes those problems (which is unnecessary, but still), or maybe even just establishing that the events of these films happened with a few minor changes, thanks to Barry rewriting the universe in The Flash. Still has a hell of a lot of holes in it, but OK, fine. We can fix it, and I'm making a big deal out of very little.

...Of course...there was another way to handle this situation. Now, this is a bit off the wall here, and a little bit crazy, but hear me out. Maybe instead, you could've just...NOT. Just, like...don't. Don't include the events of those series. Don't reference those events. And maybe most importantly here: change the characters in charge of the Creature Commandos, and start with a new goddamn slate altogether, which I will remind you, IS THE ENTIRE POINT OF BRINGING GUNN ON IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I know, I know, I'm making too big a deal out of this, but to make this mistake at the very top of the supposedly new DCU baffles me greatly. But OK, what's done is done. Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad, at the very least, are in the DCU now, with as-yet unseen changed to their stories to make them work in continuity. So using Rick Flag Sr. and Amanda Waller is completely worth it and necessary, right?

...Right?

I think it's hard to deny that Amanda Waller is having a bit of a moment in DC Comics right now. This is a character that's been around since 1986, meaning she's going to have her 40th anniversary next year. And let me be clear about something right now: I adore Amanda Waller. She's always been one of my favorite characters in DC, ever since I got into this whole comic book fanboy thing. She's a no-nonsense taskmaster who cares about two things: her country and her family, in that order. The most lawful neutral character that's ever existed, with the occasional tip-over into lawful evil. And that word, occasional, is very important. Because Waller's personality has resulted in her...kinda being messed up in recent years.

Amanda Waller starts in comics in the way that most black female characters start: a single mother originally from the ghetto who clawed her way up to the top. And OK, it's incredibly overdone and mildly offensive by today's standards. And yet...I honestly think it works for every incarnation of Amanda Waller. This is an incredibly tough woman, and she has been through some shit. Doesn't matter what that shit is or was, because what matters is that she's at the top of her game now, and she's gonna stay there, no matter who she's standing on top of. And why? Because she's best for the protection of this country, and you'd damn well remember that. And she'll use anyone to get her way, no matter what happens to them, and no matter who stand in the path to victory. And because of that, she has no friends. Only subordinates, enemies, and those who are both.

Amanda's been a major player in comics for years, running Task Force X, AKA the Suicide Squad, from the lit shadows, having them do the dirty work for the USA beneath the radar. And they were good at it, because they knew they needed to be, or be killed in the process. Waller was a manipulative asshole, but she was an asshole on the side of good...probably. She ran organizations like Checkmate, Argus, and very prominently in the DC Animated Universe, Project Cadmus. I mention this because the DCAU is almost certainly the best incarnation of the character in other media. CCH Pounder's version is incredibly iconic, leading her to play the character for years. I won't spoil anything else about her, but if you haven't seen Justice League Unlimited, PLEASE FUCKING DO I BEG YOU.

Outside of this iconic iteration of the character, Waller's appeared in Young Justice as the warden of Belle Reve (playing the same role with slightly less authority than usual); in Batman: Assault on Arkham as head of the Suicide Squad once again; in Smallville as head of Checkmate (and played by Pam Grier, ooooooh); in Green Lantern, as head of the Department of Extranormal Operations (and played by Angela Bassett, OOOOOOH), in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay as the New 52 skinny version of the character (don't ask, it was a stupid, sexist, fatphobic era for the character. Oh, and played by Vanessa Williams, ooh); and most recently in Suicide Squad: Isekai, doing this:

That show is a fucking trip, and not one I really wanna take again. Yeah, I have issues with that one too, don't ask. If you really wanna know, ask me after I get over this essay series. Anyway, like I said, she's having a moment, and understandably; she's a great character. Which is why DC Comics has been turning her into a straight-up villain over the years, which I think is a mistake. Most recently, she went full-on, straight-up supervillain, taking charge of her own government division responsible for destroying all superheroes permanently, in exchange for her own little Legion of Doom. She lost, and was thrown in a prison of her own making...which is a choice, and maybe not the best for the character. I dunno, watching Amanda lose is fun, but we all knew she'd lose the fight. You go up against the Justice League, you best not miss, is all I'm saying. And, uh...she missed. Badly.

Fact of the matter is, to paraphrase a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude, you never go full villain. That's a surefire way to lose. But OK, enough about the comics version and other adaptations; I just love Amanda, and it kinda sucks to see her mistreated in recent years. What about Gunn's version?

Let's start this (again) by saying Viola Davis is basically perfect casting, and obviously loves playing this character. She's genuinely an excellent version of the character, and one of the only things about David Ayer's film that I thought was almost perfect. Almost perfect. Waller, unfortunately, shares something with her modern comic book counterpart, in that she dips into the villainous a little too far sometimes. In the first film, she murders a room full of technicians in cold blood, no remorse. Waller's not the type to get her hands that dirty, frankly, and doing so with no qualms makes her...well, straight-up evil. "No witnesses" isn't exactly a heroic statement.

And funnily enough, that leads to the main problem I have with Davis' Amanda: she loses a lot, and makes a lot of mistakes. Amanda is one step ahead, always, even compared to powerhouses of planning like Batman. But she makes a number of mistakes in her live-action appearances that are...bad. Most egregious is Suicide Squad, where her complete lack of preparation unleashes Enchantress on the world (yeah, entirely her fault, that one, hard to unsee that). The Suicide Squad spins out of her control, but her actions in and of themselves aren't the cause of the problem. Peacemaker is similar in that way. Finally, there's her role here in Creature Commandos. While she technically doesn't make any massive mistakes, the show proves she would be very easy to fool, in multiple ways. The master manipulator is manipulated. Twice.

We'll get to Circe later, by the way, because that's an even crazier situation that I straight-up don't understand the logic of. But as for Amanda Waller. She's obviously a favorite character of James Gunn's, understandably. But does she need to be the organizer of the Creature Commandos? To be honest...I don't really see why not. But also, no, not really? She's not a horrible choice, but she's far from the only choice available. Government leaders are a dime-a-dozen in the DC Universe, and while I think giving Waller an appearance in this series isn't a bad idea, I honestly don't think she needed to be in charge of this team. More on this later. Let's raise the flag real quick.

OK, real talk here: why Rick Flag, Sr.? This is a completely arbitrary choice that makes very little sense to me? Is it because he has a connection to Rick Flag, Jr., played by Joel Kinnaman who died in The Suicide Squad? Maybe, must is that a character that people were super-devoted to? He was great in the end, and I like Kinnaman in that move for sure, but...did it have to be a character associated with him? Is it because Rick Flag Sr. has a link to the Creature Commandos? Well, no, he's got a link to the original Suicide Squad, who fought in the 1950s. Yeah, that's a whole other thing. Is it because he's hot? No, you made him hot, and sure, that was an important plot point, but any character can be hot! WHY RICK FLAG, SR.?

I guess an important question is, why NOT Rick Flag, Sr.? Well, first off, you wouldn't have to have that awkward-ass scene where he explains how he's so seemingly young, but had a son in his 30s. Plus, you also wouldn't have had a scene where a man in at least his early 50s HAS GRAPHIC SEX WITH A WOMAN IN HER 20S? KINDA WEIRD, GUNN! Granted, you didn't need that anyway, except, again, it was an actual plot point? That's...questionable, at best. Anyway, without using Rick Flag, Sr., you also wouldn't need to establish that The Suicide Squad was canon. Maybe that was the point, though. Maybe Gunn really wanted to establish that that film is canon. Real weird, though, that Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Blue Beetle weren't confirmed to be canon, despite happening after Gunn's projects. Huh. That's not nepotism at all, NOW IS IT???!??

It's also at this point I should mention John Economos, played once again by Steve Agee reprising his role from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. This is another blank slate character from the comics, having been the warden of Belle Reve Penitentiary that housed the member of Task Force X. Gunn and Agee's version of the character? Fine. I think Agee is fun in the role, and there's also nothing inherently wrong with this character. But again, there's no real reason to include him outside of being one of Gunn's favorites. In the show, even, there's not a lot of reason for his presence outside of comic relief, and there's already a LOT of that in the series. So, is Economos necessary? I don't think so, frankly. Plus, again, his appearance is confirmation of the events in Peacemaker, considering his broken leg, and mention of an alien invasion in episode 4.

It's at this point that you may be thinking: "Wretch, you're complaining A LOT. Don't just criticize; make constructive suggestions!" Yeah, yeah, OK, you're right. Who should be the humans in charge of the Creature Commandos? And a second question: which one? I won't go into my full planned roster(s) as of yet, but I will say this: I love the idea of the team in my hypothetical series being the modern Creature Commandos, succeeding a previous long-gone team of Commandos that fought during World War II, and possibly more. But for now, let's focus on the leaders of the modern team, sans Economos' replacement. Like I said, his role isn't entirely necessary, so let's simplify things for the time being.

Last thing, though. I don;t think Waller and Flag are inherently bad choices for leadership; I just think they come with a lot of baggage and complication, and it feels like the only reason these characters are included is to form a connection with Gunn's previous DC projects. And is that enough of a reason? Not sure that it is. Having an opportunity to build up the DC Universe further feels like more of a priority to me than having something we've already seen. Maybe this was a choice to make the series more attractive to the unaffiliated, but I'm not sure anybody's going to be brought in by specifically Amanda Waller and the father of a previous character. Just saying. Let's look for more interesting choices here.

So, as I said in the first post, I'll put up two proposals: the purist option and the creative option. The former will try to stick to the comics as closely as I can, either through homage, or through direct adaptation. The latter will examine these characters narratively, and look at who can make the most sense (for has the most fun storytelling potential) for this role. Without further ado...

The Purist Choice: The General and the Hunter

For the administrator role, if we're choosing from the comics, let's put Wade Eiling in this role. A modern choice in the comics, but also a genuinely interesting character to use here. Like Waller, Eiling is an ardent believer in putting his country first and foremost. He's also a believer in making controversial decisions in terms of soldiers. In the comics, Eiling is a part of Project Atom, which aims to turn a soldier into a nuclear-powered super-soldier, and succeeds...almost. Said soldier, Nathaniel Adam, disappears for years, after Eiling had blackmailed him into being altered for the project. He seemingly dies, and Eiling honors his memory by...marrying his wife and having children with her. Ah. Yikes. Not a great guy.

Bringing Eiling in means that we not only get the possibilities of Captain Atom in this universe (which is awesome), but also get the possibility of Eiling turning into a monster himself, as he becomes a character known as the General in the comics. The Creature Commandos could not only be Eiling's second attempt at the super-soldier game, but also would be foreshadowing for his own villainous future. Plus, in the purist spirit, this is replicated by the recent comic-book run of the Commandos. Honestly, even without that series, I think this is a good choice. We'll also assume in this universe that Eiling is inspired by the original Creature Commandos. As a general of high clearance, he'd be made aware of that group, and seek to replicate it thoroughly. And to do that, he'll need a human agent to control the Commandos in the field. So, let's stick to tradition.

Our human field commander is Miranda Shrieve, a badass monster hunter, and granddaughter of Matthew Shrieve, the original field commander of the Commandos. Not only is this tradition, which would be important to Eiling as a conservative patriot, but Shrieve is a blank slate of a character that you can do anything with. Technically, this is a version that doesn't even exist in the mainstream universe of DC Comics, so go nuts! For our purposes, we'll say that Miranda was inspired by her grandfather's legacy to join the military, and was trained as a hunter by him when she was young. An excellent tactician with a stellar record of service, she's an obvious choice for Eiling to lead his new commandos as a liaison. And, honestly, she should hate it. But again, her personality is somewhat of a blank slate, which can be modified in whatever is the best creative direction.

Having Miranda here is not only an homage to the original Commandos and the Flashpoint team, but also references the Flags. If Waller hadn't snatched him up (and perhaps if he hadn't died in The Suicide Squad, if that's canon in this universe), maybe Rick Flag, Jr. would've been in charge of this group. Instead, we throw a different legacy character in the role, and the Shrieves are in charge of the Commandos then and now. She should be played, ideally, by someone in their '30s, and portrayed as such. Race, by the way, if flexible here; just saying. Broadens the field considerably, and the same goes for Eiling.

So, out first set of options: Wade Eiling and Miranda Shrieve. We're also solidly placing this team under the purview of the military, now. Let's get into the more inspired possibilities for these roles.

The Creative Choice: The King and the Soldier

For the administrator role, let's throw King Faraday into this iteration of the DC Universe. Faraday is a classic character in DC, essentially a more hand-on Nick Fury. A spy that was young when the Cold War was old, he should be played by an actor in his '60s or so (maybe late '50s), and should be mostly no-nonsense. The Creature Commandos, in this context, is a government-approved organization with a bit more oversight than Waller's Suicide Squad, and you can even reference them in the beginning of the show and have fans question what exactly is canon, if anything. The idea of using superhuman assets, however, is a good one, and Faraday would approve of it.

I also think it's a fun idea to see Faraday interact with Waller, as two allies with somewhat opposed moralities. Waller runs her Task Force X with no regard for human life in sacrifice for a presumed greater good. Faraday also serves the greater good, but puts more value in life, human or otherwise. Also, unlike Waller, Faraday should be played as somewhat of a cool customer, more seemingly relaxed, but frighteningly competent, even in his age. Again, similar to Nick Fury. A secretly scary customer, and somewhat of a monster himself, he should be able to prove himself pretty much immediately against any threats. You come for the King, after all, you best not miss.

My inspired choice for human field commander is...definitely controversial. But hear me out, I beg of you.

John Edward Brown is a veteran of the Iraq War, having served since he was 18, and climbing the ranks to become a sergeant, and known for an excellent service in the process. Still a member of the military over a decade later, he's called back for active field service by King Faraday, who brought him in based on his reputation, and upon rumors about certain aspects of his service. Regardless of this, when Brown is brought into this group, there's a serious question as to why. Oh, and he's Black American. Vital to his character, and absolutely cannot be changed.

But over time, he proves himself as an incredibly effective field commander, who also seems to be able to access surveillance information...without performing surveillance. He's not a metahuman, magic, or otherwise psychically gifted, so there should be no reason for this, outside of the occasionally heard mutterings and whispers to himself, often tinged with frustration. But we won't find out the reason for this until close to the series finale, possibly the penultimate episode. Turns out Brown is part of a long line of military men, with the family having served in every post Civil-War conflict. However, during his service in Iraq, John became the first military man in his family...to die. Not for long, however. When John, now a sergeant in charge of an armored tank division, and his command were ambushed by the enemy, John's heart stopped for exactly 31 seconds, until being restarted by his troop. However, when he awoke, they were still under attack...only to be saved by something truly unexpected.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST HEAR ME OUT

OK. So, the ghost of a Confederate Army general, J.E.B. Stuart, is protecting the members of this armored tank troop. After the dust settles, it appears that he's protecting Jeb Stuart, a young soldier in the tank troop from Virginia, named after this famous general who died young. Everyone in the tank can see him, though, including Brown, who's understandably not pleased about having a Confederate ghost in the tank. But, he's actually incredibly valuable, if not also very intolerant and stuck in his old ways. However, Stuart does begin to get along with the group, despite their differences. Except, of course, for Brown, who's literally named after abolitionist John Brown, whom J.E.B. helped to kill during Bleeding Kansas. But still, whatever, there's a ghost on the team, he's helpful and folksy.

But then, Jeb leaves the troop. Maybe he's reassigned, maybe he's injured, doesn't matter. Jeb leaves, and J.E.B....stays. He's still here. Huh. I guess he just haunts the tank now, rather than protect a descendant, right? Well, uh...no. He's still protecting a descendant. But it turns out that the descendant was John Brown. Yeah. Oh shit.

So. Again. Hear me out. The Haunted Tank is one of my favorite forgotten DC characters, and a GHOST most certainly would fit in the Creature Commandos, not to mention a military ghost at that. But obviously...this could easily be a problem. But it's one that I think somebody like Gunn could actually work with.

The Haunted Tank actually dates back to 1961, and is one of the classic weird war characters in the DC roster. However, that ghost of J.E.B. Stuart actually did haunt a good ol' Southern boy in a tank named Jeb Stuart, who was his descendant. But then, the character disappeared after an appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. Vertigo Comics, an R-rated subsidiary of DC, brought the character back in 2009 in the series pictured above, starring Jamal Stuart instead of Jeb, and set in 2003, during the Iraq War. And lemme tell you...DON'T READ THIS SERIES. Holy shit, this book is offensive as shit, so if you'd rather not read a racist (and especially Islamophobic), overall offensive MESS of a 5-issue series, ignore it. It also RUINS J.E.B. Stuart as a character at the very end, and while I won't spoil it...it explains how he has a black descendant. In unpleasant detail. It's just not the most fun read in 2025 hindsight.

Again, though, I think this character would be Gunn's vibe. And even without Gunn, I think this is a character worth adding, and sets up a tank in the last episodes of the series. And really, who doesn't like a tank? I recognize that this is a crazy choice, but I also think it's an interesting one, and a good excuse to bring in a human character, especially with some of the characters I have in mind for the creative version of the Creature Commandos.

OK, this post has obviously been very long at this point, but I had a lot to say about both Waller and Flag, and needed to establish their potential replacements. Feel free to comment your thoughts, opinions, questions, etc., etc.! There are more posts to come, and the next one is going to jump forward to episode 2, The Tourmaline Necklace. Didn't really "review" episode 1, but that's coming in the future when we discuss the villains of the piece. Because lemme tell you...I have problem. Still, next time: the Frankensteins.

See you next time (maybe, no pressure)!

Part One: Introduction and Adaptation Part Two: The Original Creature Commandos Part Three: Amanda Waller and Rick Flag, Sr. Part Four: The Frankensteins Part Five: G.I. Robot

[creaturefeaturecommando]

Spirit Albarn and Rick Flag Sr are the same fucking character and I will not elaborate all I know is male characters need to stop having kids at 18 and being whores

[bed-wed-behead-your-fave]

Rick flag senior from creature commandos?

[dc-tournaments]

Why do they deserve to win?

Thomas Wayne

Rick Flag Sr.

[jamesrb4th]

My question is if it was only eight children that were involved in the weasel incident where the hell did he get the twenty-seven number from? They don’t look like or are even very mathematically related, unless…

DAMN IT RICK FLAG HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO WEIRD AL WHILE READING THE DOSSIERS AGAIN?!

[sammispook]

I felt so seen

Holy SHIT is DC comics really out here uplifting the old man fucker community

[little-miss-fandom-freak]

Bad Chemistry

Summary: A new inmate has arrived and joins Task Force M on their mission; everythung about this new member confuses, yet intruiges Dr Phosphorus and is determined to find out why

A/N: Idk if I want to make this an X Reader or a Canon X OC so I'm leaving it up to interpretation for now :)

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Flag watched as his new "team" hit the floor from an electric shock, directly admitted from a device Waller held. "Meet Task Force M; 'M' for Monster. Also known as the Creature Commandos. " Waller said as she tossed Flag the device. She walked out of the room with him trailing behind. "There is one more member who will be arriving shortly."

"Arriving? Why aren't they in Belle Reve with the others?" He asked as he pocketed the device.

"Let's just say The Batman and I had a long chat before I had to agreed to keep her in Arkham." Waller and Flag stopped in front of a glass wall; behind the wall was a pair of doors that slid open. An unconscious woman on a dolly was pushed into the room. Flag watched as a doctor with surgical gloves came out from behind her with a large needle in hand. He peeled back her eye light and injected its contents into her eye. Flag cringed as the woman - now conscious - screamed in pain.

Waller spoke over the cries. "Meet Android 10; or as the Joker called her, The Ten of Spades."

"Wait, The Joker?"

Waller nodded. "Joker wanted a group of Androids who would do his dirty work. 20 Androids were created, only 5 made the cut for his "Royal Flush Gang". Each one was built with a different set of abilities. Ten was given super strength, intelligence, and aviation."

"A real triple threat, huh?"

"Indeed." Replied Waller. "It's taken me years to convince Batman to take her to Belle Reve, so use her wisely Flag."

The two watched in silence as Ten regained her composure. As she stood up, her piercing red eyes glared into Flag's. Her eye was red and tear-filled from the shot, and there was nothing but hate and anger behind them.

"Good afternoon, Ten. My name is Amanda Waller. Welcome to Belle Reve."

Ten charged at the glass, slamming her fist against it. "I demand to speak with Batman. I demand to know why I'm here."

"That's a lot of demanding for someone trapped in a cage. Unfortunately for you, he's not here. And you won't get to speak to him again unless you comply." Ten's teeth grinded as she kept her glare on Waller; when she realized the woman wouldn't back down, she sighed.

"What do you want from me?"

"That is on a need to know basis. And all you need to know for now is that you'll be taking orders from General Rick Flag Sr." Waller said, gesturing to the man beside her.

Ten crossed her arms as she examined Flag. Her face read that she was unimpressed when she scoffed. "Emphasis on the 'senior' bit." She mumbled.

Flag let out a sharp chuckle. "Real spit fire, isn't she?"

"Ten, for this mission, I will need you to play nice with your new teammates. We don't want a repeat of the last time." Flag watched as Ten's cocky, confident demeanor shift for a split second. Her eyes flickered down before meeting Waller's once more.

"So, when do I meet me new team?"

---------------------------------------------------

When the rest of the team emerged from their cells and out to the landing pad, a few of them were puzzled by the woman standing beside Waller and Flag.

Waller greeted the group as they stood in frontof her. "Task Force M, I'd like for you all to meet your new teammate, Android 10."

Ten took notice of their unimpressed looks, but in her opinion, they weren't anything special either.

"Do we really need another member?" The Bride complained. "There's already enough brainless fools on this team.

"I can assure you Bride, this one is anything but brainless." Waller spoke as she walked away from the team. "General Flag will give you the run down before you enter Pokolistan."

---------------------------------------------------

Phosphorus didn't know what to think of the new girl.

Taking subtle glances at the robotic woman beside him (one of the few times he was thankful for not having actual eyeballs), he tried to get a read on her. She kept to herself; avoiding the banter the rest of the team shared and ignored any and all questions or comments directed at her. He tried taking glances at her exposed skin, trying to find the creases in her joints or the screws that would keep her together, but he found nothing.

Phosphorus had let himself get too wrapped up in his thoughts; his head turning half of an inch too much, caused Ten to take notice. She turned her head, making deep eye contact with the skeleton beside her.

"Got something to say, Skelator?" Her voice rumbled in his ears. He was taken back by her sudden question, but like always he doesn't stay shocked for long.

"I was just thinking." He said, keeping her in suspense.

"About?"

He paused for a moment, deciding if he really wanted to known. "What's so special about you that they kept you out of Belle Reve?"

Ten looked away, bringing her attention back to her boots. "That's none of your concern." She said quietly.

"I think it is." He said, leaning back. "We are a team after all; how am I supposed to trust you if I don't know you?"

"The only thing you need to know, is that I won't kill you simply because there's a shock chip in my brain that I'd rather not trigger."

Before Phosphorus could continue to pry, Flag addressed the group.

"Now look team, I know you all aren't exactly enthusiastic about this mission," he started. The Bride and Ten rolled their eyes in unison." But-"

"General I think you've read us wrong." Phosphorus cut in. "We're delighted to be here and delighted to serve our country."

"Are you smiling?" The bride asked quizzically. Phosphorus hummed with acknowledgment. "Sarcastically?" "Yeah." He said with a shrug. Ten scoffed at his childish behavior, but Phosphorus took it as a chuckle, which boosted his ego a tad.

Ten blocked out the rest of the conversations, just wanting this mission to end already so she can get back to her lovely cell back in Arkham. A place that would drive most people insane, acrually brought her a sense of peace. The isolation from people was just what sher needed, especially since her life has been nothing but chaos sinc ethe day she woke up. But her cell wasn't the only thing about Arkham she missed...

The shake of the plane landing ripped Ten from her thoughts. The team was lined up, waiting for the ramp to lower. When ut did, it revealed rows and rows of silver-clad soldiers with their general in front.The general lead them all to the military vans that would take them to the castle. Ten regeted mentally complaining about sitting close to Phosphorus and The Bride; the van was 10x smaller and more compact than the plane had been, with everyone pressed against each other in some way. The close contact with Phosphorus only got worse when Weasel began to piss on the seats.

"Is he pissing?! Oh my God he's pissing!" Phosphorus cried as he tried to scoot as far away from Weasel as possible.

"Ugh! Get off of me, Glow Stick!" Ten grumbled as she tried to push Phosphorus off of her. She could feel The Bride tense behind her as he pressed the three of them together more as he cried. "Oh dear God, it's on my leg! Did no one think to take him out for a walk after a long trip?" He asked the group, his head facing twords Bride. "You better not be looking at me." She gritted.

Phosperpus turned his "gaze" to Ten. His sarcastic words died on his tongue when he realized how close their faces were. 'Were her eyes always that color?' 'Her hair has a nice shine to it, is it real?' 'Is that lotion I smell? Do they just give out scented lotion in Arkham?' While his mind was whirling with questions, Ten grew irritated by his emotionless stare.

"What? You think it's my job to care for that thing?" She spat, snapping him out of his daze. "I'm not a dog trainer."

Before he could think of a witty comeback that would save him from this situation, the van stopped. Phosphorus straightened himself as they filed out one by one. 'What the hell was that?'

Upon entering, the first thing everyone noticed was the... "incestuous-looking" royal family portraits. Phosphorus snickered at each one, Ten couldn't help herself but smirk in disbelief.

"You can really tell they're a close family." Phosphorus joked to no one in particular; but Ten was the only one who heard it, trying hard to suppress a chuckle. Her quiet sounds drew him in. Her began to observe her as by they waited for the Princess to arrive.

This android - this "woman" was a total mystery to him, an enigma of sorts. Belle Reve held the worst criminals in the world, being held there for Waller's twisted Task Forces; team that are expendable, where no one would care if you lived or died. No one outside of Belle Reve was ever added to a Task Force (at least to his knowledge); so why was she here? What can she do? What are her strengths? Her weaknesses? Her limits? Can she feel emotions like a human? Being the man of science he was, Phosphorus was determined to find the answers to his questions.

---------------------------------------------------

Ten watched in disgust as the people around her tore apart their meals like cavemen. She didn't know about the conditions in Belle Reve, but she had too much dignity to engage in the "monster" idea that people held for her. Next to her, Phosphorus was devouring the steak in his hands.

Ten rolled her eyes as she picked at her meal. The final straw was when a piece had ripped off and flew at her, hitting her cheek. She was disgusted. "You know they gave you a fork, right?"

Phosphorus stopped his movements to look at her. Gulping down the food in his mouth he chuckled. "Sorry princess, am I too messy for you?"

Ten groaned in disgust.

"Don't try and sit there like you don't want to tear that chicken of yours to the bone." He said, gesturing to her untouched meal. "I've spent a short time in Arkham, highly doubt they've improved their meal plan. Go on, enjoy yourself! Who gives a shit anymore?"

She scoffed. "Just because I've lived off of prison food doesn't mean I need to act like some barbaric monster."

"Hate to break it to ya sweetheart, but we're all monsters here, even you. You can try and hide behind that synthetic skin and fake hair, but your not human. Your just as much of a monster as me."

A fork was slammed into his plate, splitting the steak and cracking the glass plate beneath. The room went silent at the shake of the table, their attention drawing to the end of the table. Ten leaned in close, his green heat reflecting off of her skin.

"I'm nothing like you. You are nothing more than a murderer and a freak who knows nothing more than bloodlust. Don't ever act like you know shit about me because I can assure you, you will never know anything about me."

She shoved herself off of the table and stormed out of the silent room. Flag cleared his throat, trying to break the alward silence. "Uh, sorry about that, Ilana."

"Will she be okay? I can send someone-"

Flag raused his hand, polierly silencing the princess. "She'll be fine. I think she just needs space from a certain someone." Flag turned to glare at Phosphorus, who wasn't paying attention at all.

His gaze was still on the door Ten had exited from when The Bride began to speak. "The hell did you say?"

"Nothin'. She's just being dramatic." He said with a shrug. Turning back to his food, he couldn't help but be even more curious than before.

---------------------------------------------------

That night, Phosphorus slowly snuck out from behind the door of his room. When the door silently shut, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped with fear; turning around, he slammed his enflammed fist into the face of the person behind him. It took him a second to realize his fist had been caught; behind him stood Ten, casually holding his fist with her bare hands. He jumped back, concerned that the hall wpuld now smell like melting flesh.

"What the hell!? I could've killed you!" He quietly exclaimed.

Ten scoffed as she dropped his fist and crossed her arms. "Yeah, okay." She replied sarcastically.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his "nose". "Look, I don't have time for this. So whatever you have to say just say it so I can go."

"Go where? We're not supposed to leave the grounds. Hell, we're not even supposed to leave our rooms without permission."

"I'm not leaving the grounds I'm-" He stopped himself from sharing too much of his plan. "Just get on with your business!"

Ten sighed, her gaze going from him to her feet. "Sorry about my freak out. Shits been tough since leaving Arkham, it's just stress."

Phosphorus didn't know what to say. Apologizing wasn't a thing he's been accustomed to, with himself or from other people. He just... stood there. Giving her a dumbfounded look. "Are you serious?"

Ten raised her brown. "Excuse me?"

"You don't apologize!" He said, his arms flinging outward. "We are literally war criminals, who the fuck apologizes for possibly hurting someone's feelings?!"

"Look man I could give two shits about your feelings!" Her voice began to rise. "I was just trying to be a mature adult and try to make up with my teamate-"

"Temporary teamate." He corrected.

Ten scoffed. "Ugh! You are so immature!"

As Ten and Phosphorus argued, their voices began to get louder until they weren't even whispering anymore. Phosphorus stopped mid sentence when he saw a light around the corner.

"Shit!" He grabbed Ten's wrist and tugged her into his room and threw her against the wall.

"What the hell are yo-" He slammed his hand over her mouth, though it was a little harder to do since she was taller than him by a good few inches. When she tried to fight him off, Phosphorus pointed at the light shining against the door. That shut her up quickly. The two of them stayed frozen against each other, trying to keep their breathing down as they waited for the light to pass. After a few moments, the two sighed with relief as the guard left. They leaned against the wall, regaining their composure. Ten chewed the inside of her lip as she turned to Phosphorus.

"Let me help you with... well, whatever it is you're planning on doing." She offered.

He raised as non-existent eyebrow. "You wanna help? Why?"

She shrugged. "Can't sleep. I'm bored. And I guess if you won't accept a verbal apology, maybe my actions can speak louder."

Phosphorus chuckled in disbelief as he stood straight. "Alright. Deal."

Phosphorus and Ten crossed the hall to the room Flag resided in. Picking the lock to his room, Phosperpus quietly cracked it open.

"Keep watch out here, make sure no one comes by." Ten nodded as she readied herself.

Phosperus snuck into the room and softly knelt in front of Flag's dresser. He carefully moved things around, searching for the device that activated their chips. When he found it, he had a silent victory before he heard footsteps behind him. Turning his head, he was face-to-crotch with Flag.

"Uh.... hey-" Flag slammed his foot against Phosperpus, sending him back into the wall. Ten heard the thud and went running for the room. When she slammed open the door, she watched as Flag chased after Phosperpus in a room lit with flames.

"What the hell Doc?!" She yelled over the flames.

Flag stopped when he heard her voice. "Ten?! The fuc-" Flag stopped when he was forced to dodge Phosphorus' flaming fist charging at him. He threw Phosperpus to the wall and attempted to punch his face, but was quickly met his the intense flames of the doctor's skull.

"Hey Arkham?! You were supposed to keep watch!" Phosphorus yelled as he dodged several of Flag's swings.

"You told me to keep watch outside, asshoel!" Ten yelled even louder as she danced around the flames. Fly out if Flag's hand, the device caught Ten's eye, but when she went to grab it Phosphorus slammed his fist down to the ground. Flames surrounded the three if them. With one step, Phosphorus froze as he heard a creak beneath them.

Ten groaned with annoyance. "You idiot- AAAHH" The floor caved in and by they went tumbling down. The three of them landed in the kitchen below them. Without any thought, the two men went right back to fighting, the device bouncing back and forth between the two of them. Exhausted from the impact, Ten simply sighed before she made her way to the stove where a bottle of wine stood. She leaned against the wall, drinking it as she watched the men fight.

Flag eventually gained the upper hand, kicking Phosperpus across the floor so he could grab the device. His thumb hovered the red button as Phosperpus tried to attack him once more. Ten's attention was redirected, remembered that she too will be shocked.

"Phosperpus, you idiot!" Flag exclaimed. "You think Waller would give me the only remote? You'd be hopping around like a Mexican jumping bean for days if you escaped. Or, if i told her about all this! I'm not here to torture you- any of you." He said, looking at Ten. "We're supposed to be on the same damn team." Phosphorus looked down in shame. It was stupid to even try but he had to. The feeling of being set free just to be tied down again was taunting him, making him go insane.

Ten sighed, tossing the bottle aside she made her way over to the men. Grabbing Phosperpus by the shoulders and hauling him up, she stopped for a moment and made eye contact with Flag; the two had a silent understanding before she helped Phosperpus limp to the nearest bathroom.

At one point he came to his senses and shoved himself off of her, limping the rest of the way to the bathroom. He set himself down on the toilet seat and held his head in his hands. Cautiously, Ten kneeled infront of him and began to run a scan.

"The hell are you doing?" He asked, feeling uncomfortable under her stare.

"Scanning for any other injuries. I'm going to have fix your-" Ten watched as Phosphorus grabbed the back of his leg and cracked it back into place. She stared at it, a wave of confusion, concern, and pure disgusting rushed over her features all at once.

"Oh.... didn't know you could do... that..."

Phosphorus chuckled at her choked up reaction. "No injuries, babes. Just a bruised ego..."

Ten shrugged. "You gave it a shot. It's not entirely your fault, Waller is just freaky when it comes to being prepared. Guess she was right about doing it though..."

"Yeah..." He trailed off, losing himself in his thoughts.

The two sat in the bathroom in complete silence. Ten leaned her back against thw wall as she picked at the grout. Phosphorus watched her, like he had been, but this time he was actually able to see her.

He didn't mind what he saw, finding a strange sense of peace when watching her mindlessly pick at the floor. Maybe he cpuld get used to this...

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

There is no better feeling than finally being able to write the fanfic you've been thinking about for days. It's not the best, but it's been a long time since I've written anything, so I'm pretty rusty. I realized in the middle of writing the the character I "kinda" came up with is basically just Android 18 from DBZ lmao. Thanks for reading!!!

EDIT: There will be multiple parts!

[aroaceleovaldez]

Hi, i was looking on multiple websites and i couldnt find any specific camp halfblood scedules for all the demigods, or at least none of them matched up to each other.

Do you have a version or even your own idea of how the days work? ( bcs ur ideas are usually pretty good lol)

Thanks!

My interpretation of it was always that each demigod has an individual schedule, probably tailored to their specific training needs and if they're a year-round camper or summer-only and whatever else may play into that. So each camper would get an individual schedule. I also generally presume that campers will generally have similar or the same schedules as their siblings within their cabin, like for example all the Apollo kids may go to archery together, all the Demeter kids may go to pegasus riding, etc etc.

Adding a read-more here cause this got very long - Beyond this point, here there be lists from canon of camp activities:

So we know some of the general activities available that they might participate in. Percy goes over a couple in Sea of Monsters:

And in PJO: The Ultimate Guide (ghostwritten by Mary-Jane Knight, fun fact!) we also get Percy's camp schedule over the course of a week (only weekdays - presumably campers get the weekends off). I can't get a scan of it currently, but his schedule includes (roughly verbatim) (it uses military time which i don't feel like translating right now cause I'm too dyslexic):

Breakfast and cabin inspection (Every morning 8-9)

Ancient Greek (Every morning 9-10:30)

Lunch prep (Monday), Store checks (Tuesday), Cleaning stables (Weds), Picking strawberries (Thurs), Polishing armor (Fri) (10:30-11)

Archery (Mon), Javelin throwing (Tues), Sword skills (Weds), Monster assault techniques (Thurs), Pegasus riding (Fri) (11-Noon)

Greek mythology (Every day 12-12:30)

Lunch (12:30-13:30)

Weapon-making (Mon), Ride the rapids (Tues), Tracking skills (Weds), Wrestling (Thurs), Volleyball (Fri) (13:30-15:30)

Letters home (Mon), Cabin clean-up (Tues), Laundry (Weds), Wood-chopping (Thurs), Firework-making (Fri) (15:30-17:00)

Free time (17:00-18:00)

Dinner (18:00-19:00)

Volleyball league (Mon), Unarmed combat (Tues), Archery knockout (Weds), Trials of strength (Thurs), Capture the flag (Friday) (19:00-21:00)

Campfire singalong (21:00-22:00)

There are notes as well that: Cabin inspections are carried out by senior camp counselors in rotation (which we've seen in the books), Ancient Greek and Greek Mythology are taught by Chiron and Annabeth, Sword-fighting is in the arena, Weapon-making is at the forge with the Hephaestus cabin, Archery is taught by Chiron (which again we know from the books - see the excerpt from SoM), Wrestling is with Clarisse, and Dog-handling (not featured above) is with Mrs. O'Leary.

Based on what we know from the books, it seems like the post-dinner activities are general for all campers and are slightly more opt-in. Maybe it's a matter of campers are encouraged to participate in at least one after-dinner activity a week, but if they don't wish to they can just spectate instead. I'm presuming the activities immediately before free time/dinner are also shared by all campers, probably in rotation though so that hopefully all of CHB isn't doing their laundry at once. I'm also going to presume that certain campers may do certain activities significantly more often than others, again based on their specific training needs - like, I imagine "ride the rapids" is probably usually a Percy-specific activity. Other campers may also participate in it, but Percy may have it on his schedule much more regularly.

And we know from other misc. books and Percy's progress report (also from the old Rick Riordan website) some other general camp activities include:

Music lessons (taught by Woodrow the satyr, at least as of TOA)

Chariot racing

Footraces (and one-legged races, in TOA)

Of course, as mentioned previously, rock-climbing (at the lava-wall)

Border patrol (again mentioned in the SoM screenshot - we know it somewhat fell out of practice after TLO due to the Golden Fleece strengthening Thalia's pine, which in turn strengthened the camp borders, and since there was no longer an active war it wasn't as needed, but presumably campers will still do it, or at least maybe Chiron will make the rounds.)

Washing dishes (in lava) (they get gloves, don't worry) (Usually carried out by the cleaning harpies, but may be assigned as punishment)

Gardening (presumably mostly in the strawberry fields)

Some campers are implied to have specific individual jobs, such as Will being camp medic and implied to be in charge of the infirmary. Also presumably someone is manning the camp store (I can't recall if it's canon or not that the Stolls are/were in charge of that but I just always say that they are cause it just feels right). And for awhile "generally taking care of Mrs. O'Leary" seemed to be a specific camp job that Beckendorf and Percy usually did.

According to Sea of Monsters and Sea of Monsters only, allegedly there are just. Normal horses in CHB. So taking care of them and also general riding lessons with them are presumably also in the schedule somewhere, unless that's a job for the nymphs and satyrs.

Alongside ancient Greek it's implied the campers are also potentially given Latin lessons. Presumably also taught by Chiron, given he was a Latin teacher.

It's also implied that CHB has some form of year-round schooling available for the year-round campers. So their usual camp activities may begin to lean heavily into more standard classes during camp's off-season.

And then there's this example schedule from the old Rick Riordan website:

Hope this helps!

[randomnoteforfuturereference]

Yeah honestly Rick is an idiot for someone who's clearly a military expert or whatever, even his son wasn't this terrible and dumb in the last suicide squad

He literally got the hots over a Princess who he didn't freaking know all that much and it didn't even make him incredibly suspicious at all that she was being weirdly seductive to someone on a diplomatic mission

One fuck ain't gonna mean she's the perfect Disney Princess, Flag, though I admit I do like Ilana though, at least the woman knows her tricks, Rick lost himself over a younger woman who he definitely didn't know shit about and he thought the perfect heiress princess who's the future queen is gonna be cutely innocent?!

To be fair, Senior even acknowledges that Junior was a way better dude when explaining his background.

But yeah, the fact that he could barely keep it in his pants when he first saw the princess was damning. And especially since it was blatant enough for the Bride to notice.

[harryandpedro]

uppercut - seven (Maisy's POV)

summary: Pedro comforts a fragile Maisy, a kiss is shared between them.

parings: boxer/singledad!pedro x nanny!fem oc

warnings: twelve-year age gap, Pedro is extremely soft and sweet, fem!mc is in a rough mental state (self-loathing/self-deprecating), use of pet names (sweetheart, flower, sweet girl, babygirl(!!))

wc: 3.1k

series masterlist here

Maisy

A week passes and every night before bed, I recall the low timbre of Pedro's voice as he put Nathan on the spot in the bar.

It appealed to me how protective he was of me and the jealous glint in his eyes when he saw Nathan touching me. It appealed to me entirely too much.

His—perhaps overbearing—behaviour at the bar last Saturday lit a fuse that's shortening by the day, and I'm not sure what happens when it burns to the end.

Each time he's within arms reach, he sends my brain into a sea of nothingness. I have to ward off every thought that features me wanting to climb him like a child would a tree.

I still get phantom sensations of his leather jacket around my shoulders and can still recall the pressure of his calloused palm holding mine.

He's messed up my brain chemistry to the point sometimes I think he is too attracted to me. Randomly, I think I catch him staring at me with those warm, deep-set brown eyes. Much of the time, he appears as if he's fighting an internal battle; it feels like he wants to touch me but decides against it at the last second.

It's stupid, really, because Pedro means nothing to me. I'm supposed to tell myself that he's the intimidating boxer who is trained by my dad or the untouchable father of the boy I look after.

But as I wake today, I'm done lying to myself.

Over the last week, I've come to terms with the fact that I am attracted to a man twelve years my senior. And there's nothing I or anybody else can do about that.

I've come to like him a lot. How he is with Oliver, all gentle and warm. How he is in the ring, all lethal and dominating. And I like how he is with me. I've searched for red flags so I could stop myself from harbouring these feelings but I've come up short.

I like him so much so that I'm starting to think it's not just a fleeting crush.

×××

I should've been smarter, thinking that sitting in on Pedro's training session wouldn't affect me.

I'm exceptionally good at self-sabotage.

Oliver and I set up camp in a lesser frequented corner of the gym from where we have a clear view of Pedro exhausting his body.

His workout is a mix of conditioning and strength training.

Right now, I'm watching him bench-press two times my bodyweight, and he reps it.

When he finishes with his set, he reracks the bar and sits up.

A cutoff t-shirt and basketball shorts grace his body. He pulls at the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and wiping his face with the fabric.

Oliver squeals, handing me one of the wooden building blocks he's playing with. I tear my eyes away from his—very hot—dad and help him stack the pieces on top of each other.

Halfway through his session, Pedro takes off his shirt.

Rick is demonstrating for him, moving back and forth in a fighting stance to avoid the swinging of the punching bag and Pedro's eyes move to me before promptly focusing back on my dad.

Heat radiates off my body. I feel like I'm on fire.

Now my dad's wearing mitts and coaches Pedro to punch his palms in a series of reaction drills.

Sweat drips down Pedro, cascading in ripples until it falls prey to the crevices of his taut ab muscles.

When he fixes his gaze on me once more, he catches my eyes drifting across his torso.

I guiltily jerk my gaze back to his face. He's smirking impishly.

He keeps my eyes captivated. I chew on the inside of my cheeks. His smile lingers, and his gaze falls over me like a blanket.

I'm reading way too into this.

He's just trying not to make it awkward for me by being nice. He probably thinks of me as a child anyway.

×××

My Pedro-infused fantasies aside, Oliver and I have grown closer. On Wednesday we took the subway and explored the market stalls on Union Square. On Friday we spent the forenoon in Central Park, playing in the shade and he fell asleep on me on the way back home. An older woman smiled at us on the subway, said to me what a sweet boy I've got. I didn't correct her.

In such a short time, I have gotten attached to this little boy. He's so smart and vibrant. I enjoy spending time with him, and the more time that passes, the more I hope Pedro doesn't find a replacement nanny. I want to be Oliver's friend, and being his nanny has given me this one thing that I seem to be good at.

On Monday of the next week, while he's in his play area, I open my laptop and go through my emails. I delete a ton of junk mail, a reminder to pay my credit card bill, and then find a response from a recruiter. Dread gurgles through my gut. The dread of being rejected intertwines with the dread of being hired.

It's a rejection letter.

A part of me wants to make dad happy by landing a good-paying big-girl job. Another part of me wants to leave the corporate world behind, and learn another profession, maybe nursing, or go fully academic. And for the life of me, I cannot decide which voice to obey.

I descend into my head over it.

The internal battle takes me out of it for the remainder of the afternoon and by nighttime, it occupies most of my headspace.

Bedtime goes smoothly. We read two chapters of Oliver's current favourite picture book and he dozes off in my arms.

I tuck him in, turn on the baby monitor and his white noise machine before tiptoeing out of the nursery.

In the safety of my room now, I plug my earphones in, put on a playlist that's intended to make me cry and surrender to the heaviness that's been nagging away at me all afternoon.

×××

I rarely let my inhibitions fall and this is one of those rare occasions.

I sway my body while Guilty as Sin? by Taylor Swiftblasts in my ears. I let the music tune out all my self-destructive thoughts and close my eyes.

As the song fades out, I blink away the beginnings of tears.

As my eyes accustom to the dimly lit conditions of my bedroom—the lone source of light is the syrupy lamp on my nightstand—I spot a looming, shadowed figure in my doorway. I recoil in horror.

I do a double take and I'm relieved to find Pedro standing there.

"Jesus Christ, you scared me," I whisper-shriek.

"Shit, sorry, didn't mean to pry," he says apologetically.

I work against the tremble in my hands and unplug my earphones.

He seems to read my mood as he slowly edges into the room. "Hey," he drawls. "Everything okay?"

"I—I, yeah. Everything's okay," I say past the lump in my throat, trying to smile.

"Are you sure?" he probes, approaching me. "It doesn't seem to me everything's okay." His eyes are as warm as the summer sun as he wanders my face.

I can't cope with his attentiveness. "No, please, don't," I beg, my bottom lip quivering. "Just—just don't care about me, okay?"

His brows furrow in concern. "What's going on?"

I squeeze my eyes shut, not bearing his intense gaze, and shake my head at him.

I feel him there, standing over me like a giant question mark.

"Sweetheart?" he calls on me in that honeyed voice, using the same endearment he used in the bar.

Instead of analyzing the effect the petname has on me, I zero in on the stinging pain I inflict on myself by snapping the hair tie on my wrist.

I go to sidestep him, but he catches my wrists in light, loose circles. His thumb moves back and forth over the inseam of my wrists. I get the sense he's trying to soothe me. It's working.

"Hey," he croons, "You can be vulnerable with me, you know?" He lets go of one of my wrists and lifts my chin with his index finger hooked under it, making me look at him.

He studies me, his gaze raw, diligent, unwavering.

"I can tell something is bothering you. Now, if you want to talk about whatever it is, then we'll do that," he coos, maintaining eye contact. "And if you don't, then we'll talk about something else. Let me help you slow it down, flower."

He smoothes my frown and the tenderness of his touch makes the world fall away. "Sounds like a plan?"

"Y-yes," I stutter, incapable of not melting into his touch.

"So, what's it gonna be?" he prompts, gifting me with a placating smile.

I shrug, not planning on saying anything, but suddenly finding myself pouring out words, the comforting warmth of his presence making me say things I wouldn't normally admit aloud to anyone.

"It's just that...I—I'm shameful of my lacking life," I blurt. "I feel like I've been left behind. It's like I've missed the train, like there went my chances to feel how exhilarating and blind first love is."  The tightness in my throat threatens to turn into crying. "All my peers are in relationships, planning their weddings and thinking about when they'll start trying for babies, while I'm stuck in this cycle, not meeting people and with no prospect in life." I choke on a swallow. "I'm getting older but not achieving any milestones I thought I would by now."

His stare wanders my face as he listens intently, not a hint of judgment in his expression. Despite the tightness in my throat, I continue.

"And I know I've got all the time so why do I feel rushed?" I ask no one in particular. My shoulders lift then sag. "A part of me just wants to finally experience what I'm missing."

"I've never had a boyfriend, have never been kissed, have never held hands romantically. Nathan aside, no one has asked me out on a date." The beginnings of tears tickle the back of my throat. "I can't help but wonder if it's me. If I'm an uninstresting ugly prude who’s unlovable," I say, choked up.

Saying these thoughts that have sat on my chest for quite some time now feels overwhelming. Facing my feelings isn't liberating, it's crushing.

"Stop," he grumbles, his face grimacing, "Don’t talk about yourself like that."

I blink rapidly to try to withhold the unshed tears. I refuse to cry in front of him. I refuse to.

"It's okay. You can cry. There's no shame in crying," he tells me consolingly then. "You can fall apart and I'll hold you."

A wrenching sob surges into my throat then. As I begin to crumble, I try to apologize to him, but my words come out jumbled and incoherent. And then he speaks into my darkness and the tears spill down my cheeks.

"You're fine, sweet girl," he murmurs.

It's spoken in a way he might say those words to his son if he fell and bumped his head. It's gentle and steady, and works far too well on my chaotic brain.

I don't stop the onslaught of emotion this time. I break, and just like Pedro promised, he's there to catch my pieces, holding them together and keeping them safe until I can piece myself back together.

"Listen to me Maisy," he murmurs, low and serious. "Where you are in life right now is exactly where you should be at. Everyone has their own trajectory. Just because you're at a different stage than what you think your peers are, doesn't mean you're falling behind. Don't compare yours to others," he tells me slowly, allowing me time to take it in.

"And you are loved and worthy of love. If only I could show you," he whispers into my hair.

Hearing his words is like bear-hugging the sun.

I let my pretence fall and just cry.

It's uncanny how comfortable it feels to let myself lean against him in one of only a handful of touches to pass between us in the weeks we've lived together.

He's holding me like he's mastered the art of hugging long ago.

One of his hands cradles the back of my head, applying the right amount of pressure, and brings it to rest against his chest. His other arm slithers around my midsection, and his squish grounds me.

I breathe in the scent of his cologne, and cling to him. He keeps cooing sweet nothings at me, and the deep timbre of his voice accompanied by his stable hold lulls me into a soft stupor.

I peel back a little once I feel semi-normal, trying to apologize for oversharing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dumped all of that on you. I—I—."

"Stop. Don't apologize," he drawls. He sweeps the tip of his finger underneath my eyes, wiping away my dried tears. "You can always unburden yourself with me," he says, bringing my head to lay on his chest once more.

The tears start anew. I cannot place his unconditional kindness. I'm not sure why he is the way he is with me.

"Oh, now you're crying again," he observes quietly. "You're okay, babygirl. You're okay." he croons in a tender voice, petting my hair.

The endearment makes me sob harder.

I cry until I'm a rag doll in his arms.

He supports my weight and holds me upright as we stand there, him rocking us side to side. The predictable rhythm sedates me.

There are no sounds around us, only our inhalations and exhalations. He nuzzles his lips against my temple. I ball up my fists in his chest.

Periodically, headlights pass the window pane. An ambulance whooses past. We listen to its wail.

I inhale against his t-shirt. It's a weathered yellow Lakers top. "I like your scent," I tell him, the afterthought slipping me. "Sorry, that's weird to say."

His chest vibrates with a chuckle against my cheek. "I showered after the gym."

I draw back enough to look at him. And the achingly soft expression on his face makes me pout.

Without consciously deciding to do it, my eyes dip to his smooth, raspberry-pink lips and the moustache atop them.

He's Pedro, the way-too-old man whose son I nanny. I need to let go of him. I repeat these sentences in my head.

Instead of obeying my morals, my hands scrape up his arms. They feel amazing. My fingers instinctively follow the ridges of his protruding bicep veins. His muscles flex under my touch. I follow the curve of his shoulders and the breadth of him makes me swallow thickly.

"Maisy," he says warningly.

When I reach the back of his neck, he folds over me, slowly, one of his hands coming to press lightly on my waist. There's a moment of hesitation as our mouths hover close.

I should break this tension that's been building.

But at the same time, I want him to make me feel warm.

I do the bad thing, tip my chin up and press a close-mouthed kiss to his lips.

It's fleeting and feather-light. Our lips barely brush.

My first ever (almost) kiss.

I draw away then, suddenly embarrassed and panicked.

He's going to tell me to pack up my stuff and leave.

To my absolute surprise, he chases me with his mouth and gives me another peck.

My knees buckle.

I fall back on my toes and he follows me, bending to keep our mouths touching.

My body involuntarily lifts towards him.

"This is bad," he grunts against my lips. "We—I shouldn't...want this. I shouldn't want you."

That's when he takes my mouth.

My hands hold his face, loving the way the scruff pricks at my skin. He moans into our kiss, and then his tongue slides against mine. He kisses me deeper, one of his hands curving around my throat to bracket the back of my neck as the other finds purchase on my hip.

"Fuck," he cusses between pulls of my lips. The word, its delivery sends a shock through my spine. I get full-body chills.

His imposing touch makes me feel small and the deliciously domineering way in which he kisses me makes me feel entirely out of control.

"Pedro," I breathe, feeling so much. The heat of desire, the fear of regret, the need for more of this—of him. All of it wages within me, knowing we shouldn't do this and not caring enough to stop. And then, like cold water on a burning fire, a noise stops us both— Oliver's cry pierces the charged space between us.

We separate, my hand automatically touching my kiss-slicked lips. I still feel his mouth on me.

"I'll go," he coughs, his eyes filling with a pang of sadness I don't quite understand.

And then he storms off.

I just stand there, trying to link what just went down with my head.

All my life I've been anticipating the consequences. Whatever just happened, it was new and fun and exciting. I want to give casual Maisy a turn at the wheel.

In a few short minutes, I hear him trudging up the stairs. I steel myself and step out into the hallway. "Pedro?"

He freezes in his doorway, his back to me. "What happened... it was wrong," he sighs, his voice tired.

I feel my courage building, the words rising. Right as I open my mouth to tell him I don't think it was wrong, or even if it was, I might like a break from smart decisions, he exhales heavily and goes on: "It was wrong and it shouldn't have happened. Your father is my coach, and you're Oliver's nanny, goddamnit!" He groans, leaning his head against his door. "If that alarm didn't..." he trails off before adding, "It won't happen again."

I should disagree with him, tell him that I want this—him, us.

I lack the courage.

"We both know it was a mistake," he says definitively, disappearing into his bedroom and taking a shard of my heart with him.

What a perfect timing for my identity crisis; he wants to abide by properties while I want him to do unspeakable things with me.

I shut myself into my bedroom and let the full-body embarrassment consume me.

[daughterofthemuse]

Thoughts on PJO TV Season 1 - Episode 2 (Part 3 of 11)

You can also read this on Wattpad

Link to First Part

Link to Part 2

OH MY GODS! WELL DONE TO WALKER, ARYAN, LEAH, CHARLIE, DIOR, RICK AND EVERYONE ELSE ON THE TEAM IT IS SO GOOD! If I hadn't been to Camp myself, I would've thought they filmed at the real location!

I honestly thought Mr D was going to offer to turn Percy into a dolphin, but what he did say was just as good. And the Έρμης (Hermes) kids have had to dissuade people from asking Rachel or Estelle for a prophecy for their vineyard quest.

Also, those signs? Seriously? I could NOT read it for the life of me! Like, what the Άιδης (Hades) is it? Does the sign for what I think is the Δημήτηρ (Demeter) Cabin say de-phi(φ)-eter? And the signs for the... stables? and archery? If I switch it to lowercase, it's sταβlσs & αrcησrψ, which is clearly absolute nonsense! 

Also, the guy who's been doing everything with Luke? Yeah, that's Chris Rodriguez. I'm guessing he's the junior Cabin Counsellor? We have two Cabin Counsellors, the first one (senior) organises everything & the second one (junior) supports them & leads when they're not there. Which is why the Stoll brothers could co-lead - Travis was technically the Senior Counsellor bc he's older

Percy needs to take his helmet to the Forge and get it fitted properly

I forgot to mention, we don't do that face-off thing in Capture the Flag

Link to Part 4

Link to Final Part

[deke-rivers-1957]

ECU High - Tulsa's Badge

Born with Creek heritage, Tulsa felt the need to live up to the family name. He used to hear his 90 year old grandmother tell him stories about her parents living on the reservation. He felt so moved by her stories that he would do everything he could to make their struggles worth it.

When he learned that his grandfather was a war hero during WWII and grew up with his father in the military, he decided to follow in their footsteps. As soon as he got the chance, Tulsa joined the JROTC.

One day, Tulsa wakes up exactly at 6 am. He immediately dresses in his uniform and goes downstairs for breakfast.

"Mother. Father. Mr. Reno wants me to arrive early today. I'm responsible for setting up the JROTC's recruiting booth. The school's going to have a club fair today so I want to make the final touches. May I be able to drive to school today?"

His parents look at each other and then his father, Rick McLean puts his hands on Tulsa's shoulders.

"I'm going to let you drive with me today, Tulsa. But first, I think you should eat breakfast. You're going to be very busy today, so I want you to have enough energy."

Tulsa smiles.

"Yes sir."

He goes to make his own breakfast when his mother, Dela clears her throat.

"I already made you breakfast son. I know you have a big day, so I made you a high protein meal."

He nods and then sits down.

"Thank you. I appreciate what you do, mother."

He dutifully eats his breakfast and prepares everything to get ready.

"Mother, I hope you have a wonderful day today. I hope to be home by 4 pm. If there's any delay, I'll make sure to contact you ahead of time."

She smiles and kisses Tulsa on the cheek. He confidently walks out to the car and spends almost 10 minutes making sure everything is in order. Mr. McLean feels the need to interject.

"Son, I'm sure everything is exactly as you left it the last time. I know it's important to check your mirrors, but it's also important to do these checks quickly."

Tulsa looks up.

"I understand you loud and clear, father. I'll follow everything you tell me."

His father checks his watch.

"Just follow the speed limits and make quick decisions when looking around you. Driving is something that requires rational yet timely decision making. Taking too long can also cause accidents."

Tulsa nods.

"Yes sir. That's good advice and I'll be sure to follow it."

Tulsa backs out of the driveway and goes exactly 25 mph until he reaches the main road where he speeds up to exactly 35 mph. Numerous cars honk and pass him, but Tulsa adamantly sticks to the speed limit.

"Ok Tulsa, just try to find a parking space and shut off the engine."

Tulsa nods as they enter the school's parking lot.

"I found the perfect spot. Now all I need to do is make sure I'm perfectly parked in between the lines."

He spends about 5 minutes going back and forth trying to park.

"Tulsa I know you want to park in between the lines properly, but I'm going to be late for work. I also don't want you being late for Mr. Reno. Can you please put the car in park?"

He parks the car for the final time.

"I understand father. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

He grabs his backpack and departs inside the school. Rick gets into the driver's seat shaking his head.

"I need to tell Dela about this. That boy's going to give himself an ulcer if he keeps stressing over small details."

Tulsa makes his way to Mr. Reno (Clint's brother Vance's) office and salutes.

"Tulsa McLean at your service Mr. Reno, sir!"

Vance looks up from his paper work.

"At ease Tulsa, at ease. I know this is your first year as a recruiter. All you need to do is organize the forms and flags that will be at our table. I will do all of the talking while you sit next to me."

He pulls out a badge from his desk.

"This is your recruiting badge. As the senior member of the JROTC, I trust you to uphold our organization's values and to guide the freshmen to the best of your abilities."

Tulsa's eyes light up. He tightens his hall monitor's sash even more.

"Oh yes sir!"

He quickly gets everything ready as all of the students enter the boy's gym. He sits down next to Vance.

"I hope we get new members today, sir."

Vance looks through the crowd.

"I have my eye on one possible recruit in particular."

"You do sir?"

Vance looks at Tulsa.

"Yes, I have a younger brother who's a freshman. His name is Clinton. I know that he's very proud of my service and might want to be like me one day. Now I won't push this on him, but I certainly won't stop him from joining."

"Oh I hope he signs up sir. I would absolutely love to work with your brother. I think he would be a great member."

Vance sighs as he sees students walking by without even a glance. Some students stop to ask questions but after 2 hours, no one said they will sign up.

"Look sir, there's your brother now."

Vance looks up and sees Clint walking up to their booth with Pacer.

"How ya doin Vance? Ah jus had ta come over wit Pacer ta see ya."

Tulsa is a little shocked that Clint's so informal. He hold his tongue since Vance would know how to handle this.

"Ahem. Clint. Would you and your friend like to hear about the JROTC?"

Pacer looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Ah'll see ya at the gardening club booth, Clint."

Clint watches him walk away then turns back to Vance.

"Sure Vance, Ah'll take a packet. Ah'm sorry if Pacer seemed all rude an all. Government and military types scare 'em."

Tulsa is absolutely shocked. The government and military are supposed to protect people. Pacer has darker skin sure, but unless he's a trouble maker, why would authority figures scare him so much? He shakes himself out of his thoughts and holds out the clipboard.

"Would you like to sign up for the JROTC, Clinton?"

Clint looks at Tulsa and then at Vance.

"Uh, no thanks. Ah don't wanna turn ya down, but Ah wanna see what other clubs there are. Ah gotta think bout it."

Clint walks away and Tulsa sits down. He looks a little disappointed.

"I don't understand it sir. I thought being a part of the JROTC is a source of pride. Doesn't everyone want to show their faith in their country?"

Vance looks at Tulsa and sighs.

"It isn't that, Tulsa. I think it's because a lot of students just want to focus on having fun. The JROTC is a serious organization that requires a lot of time and dedication. It's definitely not for everyone."

Tulsa looks at the clipboard.

"No one signed up. We had so many people say they might join, but no one ever said yes. I just don't understand it."

Suddenly a freshman boy wearing a Boy Scouts event shirt walks up to the booth.

"Excuse me, can you tell me more about the JROTC?"

Tulsa looks up and watches Vance explain what the organization values and what would be required of members.

"What's your name?"

The boy straightens up.

"My name's Josh Morgan sir."

Tulsa looks at his clipboard.

"Would you like to be a member of the JROTC, Josh?"

Josh looks at the packet again. Tulsa closes his eyes for a second, thinking he'll be disappointed again. He hears the pen scratching and opens his eyes to see Josh sign his name.

"I would love to join, sir."

Vance stands up.

"Welcome to the JROTC, Josh Morgan. We will have our first meeting in my office in exactly one week from today. I hope to see you there so you can become an official member."

Josh shakes Vance's hand and then looks at Tulsa's badge.

"Wow. You must be the oldest member of the JROTC. I hope I could get a badge like that one day."

Josh puts his hand out. Tulsa smiles softly while standing up to shake it.

"I'm glad that you want to join us. I hope that you will become a fine member of society one day."

Josh smiles an un-ironically salutes Tulsa.

"Yes sir."

He then walks to another booth.

Tulsa sits down smiling.

"Sir, I'm really proud of my badge. I always wanted to be a source of inspiration to others and help those in need. Josh signing up today is exactly what makes this all worth the hard work."

Vance smiles.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Tulsa."

AN: Thank you for the feedback @xanatenshi, @arrolyn1114, and @theelviseffect.

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