OOC:
Below are all the published chapters of Sandman: Homecoming, for your convenience. Enjoy!
Chapter 1 - The Forgemaster's Assistant
Chapter 2 - The Shelf Cloud
Chapter 3 - The Birthday Present
Chapter 4 - The Old and the New
Chapter 5 - The Son of Phobetor
Chapter 6 - The Guilty and the Innocent
Chapter 7 - The Son of Phantasos
I felt bad leaving Camp without much an explanation to my friends, but it was like Brandon said. Sometimes people just leave Camp. I guess I understood what he meant now.
“Last stop, Manhattan station. Everybody out!”
I got off the bus, my now expired, expensive, one-way ticket shoved in the pocket of my signature jacket as I hopped down onto the concrete, muscling through some of the adults that had been on the trip into the city with me. My backpack, the one with the wings, was in my hand, and my Plate of Medusa was on over my shirt and jeans, but none of the passengers seemed to give me much of a glance. My dream-catcher key-chain was shoved into my pocket too. All that was left was-
“That’s one hell of a frisbee, son,” the attendant said, a short, round man with a dark combover style haircut. He wore glasses that made his eyes look larger than fishbowls. He’d been unpacking the bus for the passengers, and was now holding the shield that Jay had given to me, which I took and slung over my shoulder. He continued. “And you’re wearing a… bullet-proof vest, too?”
“Competitive frisbee is pretty hard,” I said simply.
“You’re damn right it’s hard,” he said, a smile now adorning his face. “Don’t let anyone tell you that’s not a sport to be proud of. Go get ‘em, son!”
“Thanks, have a nice day!” I waved at him, then I made my way through the terminal and into the greater city of Manhattan. I’d seen a bit of it from the bus window while riding over the bridge, but it was different up close. I’d been so used to the Greek and cozy architecture of Camp Half-Blood that I’d almost forgotten about the skyscrapers and city streets beyond the Camp’s forcefield border. They looked a lot different now then they did during the Cull, when streets were nearly flooded with blood.
I wondered just how many monsters lurked around the corner, waiting to eat me when I found myself alone. I shifted my dream-catcher key-chain out from my pocket and into my hand.
I got directions to The Henrietta and made my way across the city, crossing every corner thinking it would be my last. When nothing happened, and I made it to the lobby of the Henrietta, I found myself faced with a new concern. The lobby alone looked like something out of a King’s castle, with chandeliers made of more glittering jewels than I’d seen in my entire life. Rich people in fur coats came and went with bellboys following them like shadows, carrying loads of equipment I figured even the Heracles kids back at Camp would have had a hard time with. The adults, all dressed to the nines, gave me some pretty sour looks. No doubt I looked a bit shaggy, and I got the feeling that your average thirteen year old wasn’t even allowed in the lobby of a place like The Henrietta. Was I sure this was the place Albert had wanted me to meet him at?
I fished around for money in my pocket, pulling out a few crumpled twenty dollar bills and some drachma in change, coins I doubted would do me much in the way of favours at the front desk. The man there stared me down like I was a stray dog. He was tall and thin, with white hair kept perfectly clean and suave. He had a pencil thin mustache of the same colour, and a fed up expression. I imagined dealing with rich people all day didn’t make you very accommodating.
“Your business.” The thin man was talking to me, leaning over the pristine counter lined with gold and red velvet. “Are you here to sell... chocolates, perhaps? One of the local school donations?”
“Uh, no,” I said, wondering what he saw when he looked at me, carrying a shield on my back, and a linothorax over my clothes. “I’m… uh, well, I’m meeting a friend, here.”
“I highly doubt that,” the man said, rolling his eyes as he went back to his computer terminal. He didn’t seem in the mood for any further conversation. “Run along now, street rat. I’ll call security if you’ve forgotten where the exit is.”
“No, that’s fine,” I said. “I can make my way out.”
“Perfect. Leave please.”
“Right,” I said. I felt embarrassed. Clearly this wasn’t the right place. I turned to leave, but my suspicions were proven false by the figure that now stood in the threshold of the sliding glass doors of the Henrietta.
He was almost taller in person, I thought, but he was much more clean looking than the last time I’d seen him. Maybe he’d finally gotten some sleep, now that we had an agenda. Albert strode into the lobby wearing a plate set of celestial bronze. He was more shiny than the decorative furniture. His black hair was freshly styled short and clean, and his beard was trimmed down to stubble once again. His blue eyes were piercing azure in contrast to the dull orange glow of his armour. I wondered what all the mortals saw when they looked at him.
“I have a reservation,” he said calmly, giving me a wink as he walked towards the front desk. “I see my friend was trying to check in? It should be under Albert Ethans. The Observer’s Suite, top floor.”
“Ah, mister Ethans,” the thin man said, though he didn’t look apologetic in the slightest, simply looking quizzical as he sorted through some documents on his desk. “You’re the… Twitch… Streamer? Is that correct?”
“Yep,” Albert said. He looked like he was trying to stop himself from laughing.
“And you’re paying in… cash.”
“Yep.”
“Very well,” the thin man said, “you seem to have cleared this with my superiors over the phone.” The man turned from his computer and folded his hands, grinning wider than I’d seen most people capable of. “Your receipt should be in your bag, as is listed in your file.”
“Right, right,” Albert said, and he knelt down in front of the desk. Suddenly, seemingly from no source at all, grains of sand started to formulate and solidify, like a small sand structure of a duffle bag. Albert placed his hands on the sculpture, and suddenly it wasn’t one anymore, but instead a solid bag, a bag he then unzipped to show rolled wads of cash. It looked like something a bank robber might have. He smiled at me again, closed the bag, and as quickly as it had appeared, the bag simply crumpled into the ground like any sandcastle might under the slightest amount of pressure. In a few more seconds, the sand was gone entirely, and Albert had paid for our rooms with more cash than I’d seen in my entire life. I followed Albert to the elevator, watching as he pressed the top-most button and closed the doors behind us.
“What was that?” I asked, still thinking about the bag, “and… he didn’t even, like no one noticed?”
“Barry, come on,” Albert said. “I’m wearing a full set of armour, and no one noticed that either. Mortals see what they want to see. That little trick was no different.”
“Hell of a trick,” I said.
“It’s one you can learn,” Albert said with a smile, leaning against the wall of the elevator as it shot upwards to the suites of The Henrietta. “Once the Dreamscape trusts you, it can keep things for you. Have you ever noticed how you always have your stuff when you go to the Dreamscape? The connection works both ways.”
“Oh,” I said, as the golden doors of the elevator opened, and an equally exuberant hallway stretched out before us. I followed Albert, who seemed to know where he was going. I continued to speak. “Well, I’ll get practicing.”
“Sure, but another night.” Albert had stopped before a set of double doors and swiped a keycard he’d gotten from the thin man at the desk. A light at the base of the doors shifted from red to green. “Tonight we’re just gonna hang out. We catch our train tomorrow.”
~
It turns out that you can do a decent amount of hanging out in a luxury hotel suite, especially when you’ve got nothing to do until tomorrow morning.
Camp Half-Blood had easily been the best place I’d ever lived, but even inside its magical borders there were amenities it couldn’t afford. The Henrietta, on the other hand, had anything a thirteen year old boy could ever want. Our room had a hot tub, a crazy big TV with endless cartoons, game systems, room service - which I tried for the first time - and brochures for free fast food. It was a paradise.
“There’s a place like this in Vegas,” Albert said, taking a slice of pizza and folding it in half as he took a giant bite. “The Lotus Casino, I think it’s called. Just remember that name if you ever take a trip there.”
“Awesome,” I said, my thumbs fumbling over the controller as I tried to play Super Smash Bros, a game I’d played with Brandon on occasion. I was getting in a lot of practice tonight, but I was still pretty terrible. “I’ll look it up.”
“Well, no,” Albert said with a chuckle, “I mean you should try and avoid it. Monsters own the place. They use it for luring demigods and trapping them with luxuries. Time works differently there, so you could be trapped for years without even realizing it.”
“Oh,” I said, looking towards the clock on one of the many nightstands in our gorgeous room. It read 1:13am. I’d realized I’d lost track of time pretty quickly, which meant I probably wouldn’t survive my trip to the Lotus Casino. “Well, thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“No problem, Barry,” Albert said, dipping his pizza crust in some sauce I didn’t know the name of. “It’s a big world out there, you’d do well to- Wait, pause the game.”
I hit the start button on my controller, and looked over to Albert. We were both in pajamas, essentially, wearing t-shirts and sweatpants. Even in something so casual Albert had a cautious, almost terrified look on his face.
“What is it?”
Albert held his hand out to me to silence my questions. I tried to listen for something, to hear what Albert was hearing. I didn’t hear anything unusual, but I realized I must have left the shower running, because there was hissing coming from a different room.
But… I didn’t leave the shower running. And the bathroom wasn’t in that direction.
“Shit,” Albert said, and he rolled off the bed to grab his sword. It was a simple thing made of weathered celestial bronze, with more dents and grooves than I’d seen on any training sword at Camp. It had seen more fights than I had, that was for sure.
“What’s happening,” I said, grabbing my key-chain out from my pocket. “What’s going on?”
The door burst open, and there I saw monsters I hadn’t seen since my first summer at Camp Half-Blood. I’d only barely made it away from them before, but that was before my training. Still, even with all the knowledge of combat Jay had managed to shove into my brain, nothing really prepared you for the real thing.
Three scythian dracanae hissed at the threshold of our suite, and after a moment of silent pause, they pounced.
OOC:
Thank you so much for reading! Barry has officially left Camp!
Next Time in Sandman: Homecoming
A familiar face talks. Barry holds a grudge. There’s an explosion in New York.

I feel like I’m being so selfish by posting this, but whatever. It all really started in fifth grade, my family which at the time was me my sister my mom and my dad moved to Indiana with the help of my aunt, life was great there for a while, our aunt would spoil us and all that but my dad is an alcoholic and would hot my mom, so my sister and I spent most of our time at our aunts house. Eventually I got home sick and stayed home while my sister went to my aunts, and I realized my mom would stay gone for multiple days at a time and thinking back on it, even in fifth grade I was super depressed from this. I remember one night I heard banging on the wall and I figured my dad was just being an asshole again, so I gave it a minute but when I left my room there was a drawing of a body on the wall and it says something around the lines of this is what I’ll do if you leave and my dad has plunged a knife into the wall where the heat is. My aunt was already there and I left. One day she took us to Michigan on a trip where she told me that my parents were getting a divorce, she already told my sister, and my dad was already gone, he went back to oregon. I cried, but not because my parents, I knew this would happen, I cried because I knew I’d never see my best friend again. We lived with my aunt for a few months after that, and even started a new school year. However the issue of my mother was still there, my mom started doing drugs, that’s why she was never home. I didn’t believe it until I visited my mom, who was staying at her crack head boyfriend’s. I won’t lie I was ignorant and had fun with them, I wanted to believe my mom was who I thought she was. About a month later my mom said we were going to oregon to see family, I didn’t want to go, but we were kinda forced. We thought we were going back I was even wearing a necklace my aunt bought me, and then our cousin called and accidentally told us we weren’t going home, I instantly texted my aunt and flipped shit. We were on a greyhound bus at the time and I was trying desperately to go back, and my mom grabbed me by my necklace and broke it. That’s when I realized there was no going back. When we got to oregon we stayed with my aunt summer, not to be confused with my other aunt, it was her, my uncle josh, and my four cousin’s. After the first week of school dad contacted us and said could visit, he lived with my brother Corey who we liked, so one weekend my sister and I went to visit dad. Which was awesome, Corey’s house was great as far as we could tell his girlfriend Karen was cool and Dad has always been the fun one. When we got back mom wasn’t there, we wouldn’t see get for a long time. At this point josh and summer were basically our parents, which was weird we never really liked them, so when dad got a house we moved in instantly. Dad and Karen instantly changed, this was when everyone started hating me. Karen would hang out with Sandra leaving me constantly alone because my dad worked late, he’s in construction so he went straight to bed as well. Karen never tried bonding with me, she always had something against me. My dad was also still an alcoholic, but instead of targeting Karen, he’d threaten me for annoying her. I remember my sister and I would sometimes have to barricade the door. Still every morning he’d wake us up, kiss our foreheads, tell us he loved us lots and we’d go to school, where I was extremely unlikable apparently, to the point where I was so depressed I’d try to Kill myself in school and got bullied for it, it sounds weird but it was like pulling my shirt to suffocate myself. And at home my dad gave me a knife and I remember when he’d get violent sometimes I’d sit there, my sister had a loft so she couldn’t see and I’d hold the blade to wrist and think about killings myself, praying for forgiveness, but I never did anything. Eventually my brother Corey wanted to bring Sandra and I to a hotel casino, I was so hyped. But Karen talked him into just talking Sandra, which is my sister, I don’t really care for the anonymous stuff right now, if you know me you know me. And I was so depressed, until my brother Brandon came over. I realize I should explain my sibling’s, I have eight and I’m the youngest 4 brothers 4 sisters. Brandon realized I was sad and asked if I wanted to go to his place, I asked dad and I was allowed over. The following week Sandra came over as well. We went every weekend, making memories and having fun. One night Karen couldn’t find the tv chord which was get this plugged into the tv she she threw a little plastic chair at me and the tv remote, at which point I told her to “screw herself with her dildo” because I thought I was funny. My dad didn’t. The next day he had Sandra and I pack our stuff and dropped us off at Brandon’s, we knocked and there was no answer, he looked at us and said to just wait until they get home, luckily the door was unlocked and Ashley, my sister in law was asleep upstairs. We told her what happened and when Brandon got home he told us the truth, they couldn’t afford us, so we got sent back to summers. And in my head to this day, I paint an image of my father that is the best possible and that he’s a great guy and I believe it. Even though he never gave a shit, but it was even worse when summer cut off our communication. We couldn’t talk to dad or Brandon or Ashley. No explanation, we just couldn’t. However our sister teesha who’s a fucking saint was living upstairs, we spent our time there. One day teesha had enough of summer, who was always super disrespectful and mean and brought up Brandon and Ashley and said she was moving in with them, they just got a new apartment. Hearing this gave me the courage to finally ask if I could visit and josh didn’t know our communications were cut, he said yes and Sandra and I spent a whole summer over there. Even saying we lived with them. Again, they couldn’t afford the apartment, but they weren’t gonna lose us again. This is the hardest part. We all moved in with dad, which Brandon convinced us was a good idea. I went with it. On the first day, dad and Brandon walked me down to a bench that was just on the side of the road. And I remember this whole conversation. Dad said I can’t disrespect Karen anymore, and yelled at me for about a minute before saying, you need to apologize to her and ask for another chance, otherwise I can’t have you here. And Brandon joined in the yelling. I realized what I got myself into. I asked Karen for another chance in tears, knowing this was my last chance. She said no. And lied to my dad. I remember I immediately ran from the room to the porch and hugged Brandon, drinched in tears. And yelled, she said no. And he just gave dad a look, they didn’t say anything except calling me a lier. I went to the room and bawled while Sandra was with Ashley I think, my dad came in the room and said she didn’t say no I just talked to her. I felt so betrayed. I had to go to sleep every night an hour before my dad because Karen didn’t like me, the second night Brandon came in the room to get Sandra and said since she didn’t do anything wrong she could stay up. I began to resent her because she was the favorite, but she still loved me beyond belief. When I told her she was the favorite, she stayed in the room anyway and we’d watch chowder on the Xbox. One night we lost the controller and used my tablet, which I got for Christmas from my aunt in Indiana to screen mirror it. Branson busted in the room pissed and grabbed me and asked where the controller was I said I don’t know, I used my tablet and he yelled bullshit and pulled the Xbox out of the room saying if you’re gonna hide my shit you don’t get to use it and stormed out. Keep in mind it’s only been about a week. A few days later, everyone was gone, just Karen was home. And she was talking shit about my mom and I told her not to. She said you can stop yelling or you can leave my house. Sandra and I packed our shit and sat out front, calling our aunt julie and looking at bus schedules. Then Brandon got home and we went inside. The next day, I get home from school and sit down. All of a sudden my mom busts through the door and kissed my forehead. I could swear I was hallucinating. I went to the front porch and asked my dad what was happening, he said it was moms turn to have us, I said I didn’t want to leave and he looked me in the eyes and said I know you don’t son but it’s your moms turn. And we left. We went to summers again and mom left. We were there for three years, and all I can tell you is it was the worst experience in my life, I started smoking weed in eighth grade, and I also started cutting. I never felt so alone. Alyssa, my cousin told josh and summer I cut and they didn’t care, they said there was nothing they could do about it, then Alyssa started cutting and josh made her sleep in their room. Wow, if that doesn’t show how it was there. Alyssa was always their favorite over everyone. Even with that Sandra and I were always treated as under them. We couldn’t talk to dad or Brandon and Ashley, which I still longed for. But winter break eighth grade summer finally let me see Brandon, I think it was because she knew we’d leave and didn’t want us there. One time, the counselor found out I cut and called summer, she said she knew and was going to get me evaluated. I didn’t know what the hell that meant. I thought she was gonna do what dad did and just leave me somewhere. But no, she got me mentally evaluated and told the people I was going to kill her and her family she was trying to dump me there for I think three weeks or so, luckily they knew she was lying. She said I couldn’t come home so I moved in with Brandon and Ashley, A week later Sandra did too. Sandra is extremely anti social and wanted to do online school. Brandon and Ashley said they would enroll her but never did, and essentially took her out of school to watch the kids and clean the house. Meanwhile at school, I fell in love with a girl we’ll call d, she had liked me since 7th grade and she finally asked me out, I said yes because I was extremely lonely and I easily fall in love. And she was the light of my life. I hung out with her everyday, gave her all of my love that I could. And on the month mark, she broke up with me. I was broken from that. Still am. I think about her everyday. One day dad came over and invited us to coreys and we said yes. We told him everything. Sandra told him everything. And he got us out of there. We knew he couldn’t afford us and we’d go back to summers, still Sandra asked me every hour if this was what I wanted, I always said yes. A week later the day came when we said goodbye. I left Sandra at summers and moved in with my best friend Ben. 9th grade. I saw Sandra in the mornings and would always have serious conversations. Like I went back and saw Brandon within a week. And with Brandon I saw dad. And we’d talk about that. And then COVID happened. And the summer was fine. I don’t leave. Don’t see family. I only see the daylight through the window. I found out that they do drugs at summers, not like just weed, shrooms and acid and all that shit. And my sister teesha, which I guess I forgot to mention moved to Indiana. I hadn’t seen her in three years came to visit and I begged to see her. And was told no, Sandra visited with her. And went home with her. Sandra now lives in Indiana with teesha. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. I didn’t even know they were leaving. Now I have nobody, I have no real reason to stay in oregon other than Ben and his family whom I love deeply and my dying dad, Who’s 60 now, that’s why I care. I’m in tenth grade now and have officially given up. It’s the day after thanksgiving. And I’m starting to realize it’ll be my first Christmas without Sandra. My constant. I still think about D, In fact that’s why I’m typing this. I got back into contact with her, and I told her how I feel and she we’ll figure it out and that she does care about me, and there’s a personal reason that I’m not gonna say that explains why we broke up. And I still love her. But I can’t tell her because I know she doesn’t care. Recently, she posted something on her story basically saying that she doesn’t think about Me, and have replied to me since. I know not a lot of people will care, but writing this down helps. A lot. Thank you to anyone who cares. I should probably sleep. It’s 6am as I write this. Have a good one.

OOC: It’s worth noting that Martin does not know any of this information yet; for ease of posterity though, this reintroduction will be written impartially and to reflect that at the end of the day, he is still Saul Kaufmann.
Name: Saul Elazar Kaufmann
Theme Song: Tracers
Birthday: (December 14th, 18 years old).
Hometown: New York City, New York
Family:

• Athena, Lady of a dozen epithets. Goddess of Wisdom and War, fighter of Pallas, patron of Athens, bright-eyed healer, shipwright, victor. In Saul's life, Goddess of Snakes. He's come to a bit more of an understanding regarding his Mother over the past year. She is not his favorite Olympian, but his image of her has recovered in the past month.
  
• Martin knows that he has a father, step-mother, sister, and an uncle with twins as well. Saul’s sister Katriel was kidnapped before his claiming, and recovered following The Forgotten Tourney. Amanda Kaufmann is married to Yissakhar Kaufmann, a warrant officer. His father is aware of his heritage, but Amanda and Katriel are blissfully unaware.
  
• David Kaufmann, Saul’s uncle, passed away a few years ago in Germany. He doesn’t recall seeing him much when he was younger, but knows that his father all but despised his brother. “A drunken lush who disgraced the family name, no wonder Father disowned him.” He knows of David’s discharge, but not the true explanation behind it, as that’s a secret Ezra and Priscilla will take to the grave.
  
• Speaking of the twins, Ezra and Priscilla are the children of Martin’s supposed uncle. Children of Nemesis, the two spent several years at Camp and are now freshmen at New York University.
  

[Appearance and Personality:]
Height and Build: A simple 5'8", Saul’s time at the Academy and at Camp has added muscle to his average height frame, resulting in a somewhat stocky appearance. His left arm still carries the scars from his fights on Tetepare Island, though the functionality has largely returned.
Style wise, he dresses in drab colors, favoring dark blues and greys. The Camp shirt gets frequent mileage though, usually beneath a hoodie or a similar sweatshirt.
Hair: Saul tries to keep his hair well-maintained, wanting to look as uniform and presentable as possible in case any eyes happen to be lingering over him. He stays clean-shaven as well, Yissakhar and Amanda finding a beard to be “distasteful” for a young man such as their son.
Eyes: He had rich brown eyes, the defining Kaufmann trait. Unlike Ezra’s exhausted eyes or Priscilla’s warm ones, Saul’s are sharp and analytical, always scanning a room to keep up to date on whatever situation seems to be brewing. With his claiming though, they have become the storm gray of his step-siblings, the identifier of the Athenian brood.
Personality:
Clockwork. Methodical. Industrious. A puzzle piece knowing where it should be, only for the puzzle to be lit on fire and the ashes tossed into the air to create a new picture. That last one is perhaps the most recent aspect of his personality; Saul will find the demigod life akin to the life of a fish who discovers that he can actually breathe fresh air as well. His previous life was one of regimented order and authority, and while he can doubtless find that in camp as well, the level of independence he’ll have would have been unheard of even a month ago.
After cashing out of the Lotus, he’s grown far more suspicious. Without a base to build solid knowledge on, the Lethe has done more than take away memories, it’s also taken away the idea of security and truth. He has no context for knowledge, and everything is subjective. There’s no point in dealing in absolutes, not when Martin isn’t Martin, and Saul is no longer Saul. With that said though, he’s driven, almost mechanically so, towards finding a cure to his doseage of the Lethe. Stamatios the Tragic said time would undo the damage, but he doesn’t have that luxury.
With the successful reclamation of his mind from the Spring of Mnemosyne, Saul is more... content with his life. He knows he still has work to do to make sure no one else has to deal with this, but he has also been given a sense of introspection that very few have ever experienced in their lives. He won't take that for granted.
[Powers]

• Enhanced Intelligence/Wisdom: Saul is coming to terms with this; information comes to him at inopportune moments. It's as if his mind is trying to reconcile the fact that it's missing information. For Martin, he can’t tell the difference between what is an old memory, or what is a whisper from the Akashic.
  
• Combat Expertise: Simply put, Saul's good at fighting, and thinking on his toes. He's logical in his fighting, and while he doesn't view himself as war demigod strictly, he's certainly more than willing to use deceit and trickery to come out ahead, along with other methods. The winner of a fight is the last person standing after all, the ends will justify the means with monsters. Martin doesn’t have much experience, but through dreams he knows the potential is there.
  
• Amokinesis Immunity: False affection and trickery falls on deaf ears with Saul [M E N T A L F O R T I T U D E]
  
• Snake Communication: As simple as it is in the label; Saul can talk to snakes. This ability dates to the Minoan roots of Athena as the Snake Goddess of the ancestral tradition.
  
• Pet- Ophion: Ophion is a child of the Guardian of the Acropolis, Protector of Athens. While not the primordial being that his ancestor is, Ophion is no slouch himself. He boasts a truly painful venom that is lethal, and boasts constrictor traits as well. In times of peril, Ophion can grow in size, from his Ottoman Viper form of roughly ten feet to thirty, with an increase of diameter to ten inches thick. While not immortal, his scales boast similar resistance to a manticore, where multiple hits with bronze weapons are needed to dispel the snake. Also, he likes Hostess snacks.
  

[Items]

• Celestial bronze poleaxe: Crafted by Brandon the Forgemaster, the reach weapon takes the form of a plain bronze ring when not in use.
  
• Celestial bronze meteor hammer: Unknown to Martin or Saul, the bracelet given by the Lotus Casino is a rather unique ranged weapon. Two weighted spheres connected via a length of chain between them. One orb is blackened, while the other is snow-white
  
• Lotus Cash Card: Martin walked out of The Lotus with this; he’s used it to purchase necessities on the trip out of Vegas, and hasn’t used it since.
  
• Lethe Water: One mouthful, to be exact, and kept within a small earthenware bottle stoppered with pine wood. The offer given by Stamatios the Tragic, he keeps it safe… just in case. The dose of Lethe water has been returned to the Fountain of Lethe within the Bluespring Caverns.
  

Now

Martin’s head bounces against the taxi’s window with every bump of the gravel road. Two and a half days on a bus, with the only brief reprieves being for food and sleeping in bus station terminals. Only to get out in New York, and to find a taxi. Long Island Sound? Well, sure, but where? Martin just handed him his card to swipe, and said,
“I’ll know it when I see it.” What he didn’t add was the, I hope, that suffused his being. How does he know what he’s looking for? He doesn’t. All he knows is that it’s somewhere in New York, on the Long Island Sound. The cabbie runs the card, and his eyes light up, practically turning into comically large dollar signs as he hands it back to his most lucrative patron.
“Uh, sure thing, Mister-?”
“Mister Gale, works.” Martin notes. “But can we get underway? I… I want to be where I’m supposed to be.”
“Uh, sure thing Mister Gale. Right away!”
“Fucking… middle of nowhere… camp…” Martin pants. Five hours had passed, and the slow, criss-crossing path that he and his cabbie had taken bore no fruit. Still, Martin wasn’t keen on going back to New York, the city seemed… hungry, hungry in a way that he wasn’t comfortable with. Instead, the cabbie had dropped him off on a stretch of road in the middle of nowhere, though it had taken a hundred dollars extra to get him to do so.
“Glad to know I have a silver lining, at least…” He mutters as he stumbles through the trees and onto a gravel path. Well, that’s promising, he thinks. Following the path, Martin slowly rises with the elevation. Soon enough, a tall pine tree rises skyward as the moon begins to set, a mere wisp of a crescent. Shrugging up his second-hand jacket tighter to him, Martin finishes his ascent. A reptilian eye opens beside him, a serpent-like creature coiled around a tree boasting a golden sheet of fabric glimmering even in the ruby pre-dawn glow. The scaly head sniffs once, then twice, before seeming satisfied and coiling higher up the tree. Martin hardly notices the creature though.
His eyes are focused instead on the gigantic statue that dominates the hilltop. Standing tall and imperious, the woman holds a spear and winged figure in outstretched hand. She’s impressive, that’s for sure. Martin lingers, watching the dying whispers of moon and starlight play across her form. He could even swear that she glows; literally, she seems to be luminous in the nighttime. Martin stands, awestruck like this, for what feels like an hour. For his time in the Lotus, it could’ve been a year and he wouldn’t know. Eventually though, his appetite gets the better of him. Reaching into his bag, he pulls out a granola bar. Munching away, he turns his attention to the other side of the Hill, where dozens of cabins and other buildings await.
“Guess it’s time…” Martin murmurs to the statue. As expected, there is no answer. Still, after three days of sleeping in a bus or on a bench, he’s ready for even the floor of somewhere he knows his bag won’t be stolen. With boots crunching against the gravel path, Martin turns his back on the Athena Parthenos and descends into Camp. A brief wince of discomfort flits across his face as pain makes a brief appearance in his temple. I’ve done this before, he realizes. But I don’t remember… Where do I go?
So Martin makes his way into the belly of the beast, drifting between the festive camps buildings and merry campers beginning their Christmas revels. A familiar face in a strange old world with no idea of where he is going or what is going to happen next.

Oklahoma City's event list.

Wednesday, Mar 4th

• Achieving Wholistic Health (Norman Public Library - Norman) Start Time: 11:00am Cindy Merrick, certified physical therapist from Therapy in Motion, will share expertise demonstrating several exercises and discuss the importance of good posture and healthy nutrition. This program will involve some exercise. Registration is not required. This project is funded through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries with a federal grant…
• 🎭 Anastasia (Civic Center Music Hall - Oklahoma City) Day 1 of 2 Start Time: 7:30pm Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical ANASTASIA is on a journey to Oklahoma City at last!
  From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out…
  
• 🍴 Anthem Drown Night! (HiLo Club - Oklahoma City) Our local friends at Anthem Brewing Co. have some great beers! Every Wednesday night from 9pm to close enjoy $8 Drown Night! Their Power Pils will be flowing!
  
• Bi-Weekly Meetup (51st st. Speakeasy - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 5:00pm
  
• Oklahoma City Blue vs. Memphis Hustle (Chesapeake Energy Arena - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 11:00am Watch NBA basketball in OKC, and provide an educational experience for students! The Oklahoma City Blue, the NBA G League affiliate of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, will be playing a Field Trip Day game at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday, March 4. This unique game experience pairs the excitement of NBA basketball with an educational…
  
• 😂 Brandon Patrick (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City)
  
• 🎨 CAC Film Series and Lunar Sooners Present: Interstellar (Storm Shelter Plus - Norman) Start Time: 6:00pm Enjoy free food while watching Interstellar! Brought to you by CAC Film Series & Lunar Sooners!
  
• Chamber Ambassador Meeting (Del City Chamber of Commerce - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:30am
  
• 🎓 Community Baby Shower (Firelake Arena - Shawnee) Start Time: 10:00am Citizen Potawatomi Nation Workforce & Social Services hosts a community baby shower at FireLake Arena on Wednesday, March 4. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees can enjoy refreshments, learn about community resources, participate in educational sessions, win door prizes and more. The event is free and open to the public to honor pregnant mothers…
  
• D2L Foundations (University of Central Oklahoma - Edmond) Start Time: 9:00am
  
• 🎨 deadCenter Docs + Art Moves (Oklahoma City Museum of Art - Oklahoma City) Day 1 of 2 Start Time: 2:30pm Join us for our FREE series of deadCenter Documentaries! Screening at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. 01/24 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (2009 / 90 min) Director Bradley Beesley 02//28 | Beauty is Embarrassing (2012 / 88 min) Director Neil Berkeley 03//27 | Dealt (2017 / 85 min) Director Luke Korem 04//24 | Tower (2016 / 82 min) Director…
  
• 🎨 Disney's The Little Mermaid (The Sooner Theatre - Norman) Day 1 of 2 Start Time: 7:30pm In a magical kingdom beneath the sea, the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney's The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award…
  
• Freedom Oklahoma Lobby Day 2020 (Oklahoma State Capitol - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 9:30am Sign up, show up, and speak up! Join us and Oklahomans For Equality at the Capitol at 9:30 for advocacy training. We'll break into groups at 11:00 to visit representatives' offices, followed by lunch sponsored by our friends at Dell Technologies. Please RSVP using the ticket link
  
• FREE Team Trivia (Othello's of Norman - Norman) Start Time: 8:00pm Join us at Othello's every Wednesday for FREE Team Trivia! Hosted by Challenge Entertainment, every Wednesday the fun is at Othello's! Play solo or bring a team of friends. There is no cost to play. Prizes available for top three finishing teams.
  
• 🎭 Having Our Say (Lyric at the Plaza - Oklahoma City) Day 1 of 2 Start Time: 7:30pm Celebrate the story of a century with 103-year-old Sadie and 101-year-old Bessie, famously known as the Delany sisters. From the old Jim Crow South, to renaissance Harlem, and ultimately as a professional teacher and a dentist, respectively – their stories weave a rich tapestry of lives lived triumphantly. While making dinner (live, on stage)…
  
• 🎨 High School Open Figure Drawing Night (University of Central Oklahoma - Edmond) Start Time: 6:00pm
  
• 🍴 Junction Coffee Wednesdays (Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:00am Wednesdays, 7am-3pm Junction Coffee will park its double-decker bus curbside at the Devon Lawn
  
• Reading Wednesday (Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 10:00am Reading Wednesdays Every Wednesday, at 10 am The Visitor Center FREE Best for ages 2 to 5 NO READING WEDNESDAY ON DECEMBER 25 AND JANUARY 1 Bring your toddler for story time each Wednesday at 10 am. Books are nature-themed and selected based on the season. We’ll begin with an interactive song and children will enjoy creating a small craft…
  
• 🎓 Tech Workshop (Edmond Chamber of Commerce - Edmond) Start Time: 8:30am Speakers Jennay Wangen and Stephen Dayton, Back40Design Topic: Optimizing Your Google Listing RSVP Required; Cost: Free Presented By: Back40 Design https://www.chamberdata.net/webforms/EvtListing.aspx?dbid2=okedmd&keyword=5491767
  
• ♪ Trippie Redd (The Criterion - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:00pm
  
• ♪ Vladimir Lande and Siberian State Symphony Orchestra (Armstrong Auditorium - Edmond) Start Time: 7:30pm Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, two of the most evocative works in classical music, are paired in this all-Russian program featuring violinist Pavel Milyukov. Direct from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, the Siberian State Symphony Orchestra embarks on an 8-week U.S. tour commencing in January 2020, under the direction…
  
• 🎨 Weatherschool (Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City)
  

Thursday, Mar 5th

• ♪ ACM@UCO High School Night (University of Central Oklahoma - Edmond) Start Time: 6:00pm
• 🎭 Anastasia (Civic Center Music Hall - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 7:30pm Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical ANASTASIA is on a journey to Oklahoma City at last!
  From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out…
  
• 🎨 Art Moves: Rachel Lynch (Mary Eddy's Kitchen x Lounge - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 12:00pm Take a break from the work week and enjoy lunch with a side of music at Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge with folk singer-songwriter Rachel Lynch. ABOUT ART MOVES Art Moves is an Arts Council OKC initiative that provides free arts events in downtown OKC each work day from Noon-1:00. Events may include artist demonstrations or musical performances…
  
• 🎨 Brown Bag Lunch Series: Andy Warhol Did Western Art? (Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 12:00pm Join Seth Hopkins, Executive Director, Booth Western Art Museum, as he explores Warhol and the West and the range of Western imagery Warhol produced. New scholarship will examine how Warhol’s Western work merges the artist’s ubiquitous portrayal of celebrities with his interest in cowboys, American Indians and other Western motifs. His work…
  
• Champagne & Oysters (Boathouse District - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 6:00pm The third annual Team OKC Champagne & Oysters fundraiser will be Thursday, March 5 inside Devon Boathouse. The evening is full of champagne, fresh oysters flown in from the state of Washington, and a live auction. All proceeds benefited USRowing National High Performance Center athletes. Tickets are $45.
  
• 😂 Chris Porter (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) Thru Sat, Mar 7th
  
• Cody + Jess (VZD's - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:30pm Cody + Jess return to VZD's on Thursday March 5th at 8:30 pm!
  
• ♪ Concert Series Benefit Night (Historic Campus Corner District - Norman) Start Time: 5:00pm Come join us for some food! Restaurants TBD.
  
• Cosi fan tutte (Reynolds Performing Arts Center - Norman) Start Time: 8:00pm OU University Theatre and School of Music present Così fan tutte. Mozart’s sparkling music amplifies outrageous humor as well as the heartbreak of da Ponte’s cynical comedy. The story revolves around two wealthy, but rather innocent, young sisters and their fiancés who are enjoying a summer vacation in Venice. Their wedding plans are…
  
• 🎨 deadCenter Docs + Art Moves (Oklahoma City Museum of Art - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 2:30pm Join us for our FREE series of deadCenter Documentaries! Screening at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. 01/24 | Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (2009 / 90 min) Director Bradley Beesley 02//28 | Beauty is Embarrassing (2012 / 88 min) Director Neil Berkeley 03//27 | Dealt (2017 / 85 min) Director Luke Korem 04//24 | Tower (2016 / 82 min) Director…
  
• 🎨 Disney's The Little Mermaid (The Sooner Theatre - Norman) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 7:30pm In a magical kingdom beneath the sea, the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney's The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award…
  
• 🎨 Educators After Hours: Andy Warhol's West (Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 5:30pm Socialize after hours during a free K – 12 professional development session at the National Cowboy Museum. Seth Hopkins, executive director of the Booth Western Art Museum and curator of Warhol in the West, leads educators on a tour of the exhibit, featuring Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians portfolio, the last major project before his death. It…
  
• ♪ The Emo Night Tour (89th Street Collective - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:00pm Imagine going to a show and hearing Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance and many more, all only playing their best songs...all night long. Welcome to The Emo Night Tour. The Emo Night DJ’s will be spinning all the angst your teenage dirtbag heart desires all night long and make you feel like you’re at…
  
• 🎭 Eurydice (Oklahoma City University - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:00pm Join us for EURYDICE by Sarah Ruhl on March 5–8, 2020 in the Black Box Theatre. Directed by Kelsey Bray. In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her…
  
• 🎨 Gallery Opening: Shelly Presley (Edmond Fine Arts - Edmond) Start Time: 5:00pm I often call my world "The Dog and Pony Show" I have always loved horses and the companionship of dogs, my life would be incomplete without them. Painting beloved animals for people brings me great joy. I have shipped portraits to people all over the United States, making many friends along the way. Maybe I will see you at the next horse show.
  
• 🎭 Having Our Say (Lyric at the Plaza - Oklahoma City) Day 2 of 2 Start Time: 7:30pm Celebrate the story of a century with 103-year-old Sadie and 101-year-old Bessie, famously known as the Delany sisters. From the old Jim Crow South, to renaissance Harlem, and ultimately as a professional teacher and a dentist, respectively – their stories weave a rich tapestry of lives lived triumphantly. While making dinner (live, on stage)…
  
• ♪ High School Night! (ACM @ UCO - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 6:00pm The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma presents HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT, 6 p.m. March 5 at the ACM Live Room, 25 S. Oklahoma Ave., in Bricktown. Admission is free! LINEUP: • Downer • The Major Fifths • Dr. Deuss • Chloe Batson Doors open at 6 p.m. and music begins at 7 p.m. ACM@UCO presents Metro Music…
  
• 🍴 JAKE FM's Birthday Bash (Riverwind Casino - Norman) Start Time: 7:00pm The biggest birthday is back in 2020, and we’re going all out to celebrate Jake FM’s 10th birthday with Texas country legend Kevin Fowler! For more than 20 years, he’s been headlining honky tonks and beer halls all across the country, featuring hits like “Beer, Bait & Ammo,” “Long Line of Losers” and “Beach Please.” Dillon…
  
• 🎓 Let's Move! Discover the Power of Dance (Norman Public Library - Norman) Start Time: 6:30pm Join us for the first session in a five-week dance series. Professional dance instructor and choreographer Juan Cabral will lead this series to help you discover the dance within you and the power of moving naturally. Cabral will help participants gain confidence and skills to get out on the dance floor at your next big event. All skill levels…
  
• Lunar Ever After Tour in Oklahoma City, OK (Best of Books - Edmond) Start Time: 6:00pm Join Marissa on her Lunar Ever After Tour. See individual events for details and ticketing. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marissa-meyer-at-best-of-books-tickets-84053671795
  
• Marissa Meyer (Best of Books - Edmond) Start Time: 6:00pm Join Best of Books in welcoming Marissa Meyer to our store! The Lunar Chronicles are getting new covers, reveal coming soon! Tickets are required to attend and each ticket will admit one person. Additional books will be available for sale at the event. Marissa will personalize one of the new Lunar Chronicles titles and one additional book of the…
  
• Marissa Meyer: Talk & Book Signing (Memorial High School - Edmond) Start Time: 6:00pm Join Best of Books in welcoming Marissa Meyer to our store! The Lunar Chronicles are getting new covers, reveal coming soon! Tickets are required to attend and each ticket will admit one person. Additional books will be available for sale at the event. Marissa will personalize one of the new Lunar Chronicles titles and one additional book of the…
  
• ♪ Oklahoma Christian University Spring Sing (Oklahoma Christian University, Edmond, OK - Edmond) Start Time: 7:00pm Each year, OC's social service clubs and many other students come together to put on a musical variety show with choreography, singing, parody and friendly competition. Thursday night is dedicated to OC's faculty & staff, so come out and cheer on your students! Ticket sales will begin in February.
  
• Romeo & Juliet (Oklahoma Shakespeare In The Park - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:00pm What if your first true love was someone youd been told to hate? Two young people torn apart by a divided society and forbidden love will risk everything to be together. The most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion and an irresistible desire for change. Will this spark a civil war, or will division continue to tear…
  
• 🍴 Uncorked: A Wine Pairing Dinner (Skirvin Hilton - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:00pm Wine and dine for a one-time Wine Pairing Dinner in our very own Park Avenue Grill! Enjoy a night out with a speciality crafted six-course meal paired with wine from the line "Locations" by David Phinney, creator of Orin Swift Cellars. "Locations" is inspired from different regions of winemaking around the world, with grapes from France, Spain…
  
• When Worn: A Contemporary Jewelry Exhibition (Melton Gallery - Edmond) Start Time: 5:30pm
  

Friday, Mar 6th

• 😂 Chris Porter (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) 1 day left
• DelQuest Committee Meeting (Don's Alley - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 8:00am
• JOHNNYSWIM VIP Meet & Greet Upgrade (Ticket Not Included) (Chesapeake Energy Arena - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:30pm This Meet & Greet VIP upgrade package does not include a ticket to the show. You must already have purchased a ticket if you want to purchase this package. This package does not include a ticket.
• ♪ Lauren Daigle (Chesapeake Energy Arena - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:30pm
• Trolls LIVE! (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Mar 8th Start Time: 6:30pm Any child who has celebrated their first birthday must have a ticket.
• Trolls Meet & Greet (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) Thru Sun, Mar 8th Start Time: 6:30pm Upgrade to join the Trolls Live! Meet & Greet Party! The Meet & Greet includes: Post Show Meet and Greet opportunity with Poppy and Branch VIP merchandise item and souvenir lanyard Sing-a-longs, exclusive photo ops and more!
  Please note: Each adult & child (age 1 & up) must have a main event ticket plus Meet & Greet upgrade ticket to attend. …
  

Saturday, Mar 7th

• 🏃 Adrenaline Run 5K & 10K (OU College of Pharmacy - Oklahoma City) Proceeds of the Adrenaline Run will benefit The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy through expansion of contemporary education, research and service. Through these funds the OU Foundation will help the college develop unique pharmacy practices, increase innovative research and encourage student development.
• 🏃 American Lung Association Fight for Air Climb (Leadership Square - Oklahoma City) Participants will challenge themselves to climb 2 towers totaling 70 floors of stairs, in honor of those we have lost to lung disease, or those who are currently struggling to breathe. The purpose of the Climb is to bring awareness to such lung diseases and raise funds for research and our health programs. An After Party and awards ceremony to…
• 😂 Chris Porter (Loony Bin Comedy Club - Oklahoma City) Last Day
• 🏃 Deer Creek Classic Community Festival (Deer Creek Intermediate High School - Edmond) All proceeds and benefits will Be given as a gift to families affected by Moore accident and long time PCO coach battling ALS. $10 untimed $15 timed mile runs
  www.ohstrack.com
  
• 🏃 DUCK Week 5K (Piedmont) This is a charity event to support our DUCK Week recipients who are children and families affected by a serious illness
  Online registration available or register the day of race
  https://www.duckweek.org
  
• 🏆 OKC Energy FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks (Taft Stadium - Oklahoma City) Start Time: 7:00pm Gates to Taft Stadium open 1 hour before match time.
  Children require a ticket once they've reached their 2nd birthday.
  
• 🏃 Panera Beacon Run 25K, 15K, 5K (Lake Hefner East Wharf - Oklahoma City) This event is directed by the Oklahoma City Running Club. This is a great training opportunity for those planning to participate in the OKC Memorial Marathon or Half Marathon. Proceeds to promote healthy lifestyles through recreational walking and running. http://okcrunning.org
  
• Trolls LIVE! (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) 1 day left Start Time: 6:30pm Any child who has celebrated their first birthday must have a ticket.
  
• Trolls Meet & Greet (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) 1 day left Start Time: 6:30pm Upgrade to join the Trolls Live! Meet & Greet Party! The Meet & Greet includes: Post Show Meet and Greet opportunity with Poppy and Branch VIP merchandise item and souvenir lanyard Sing-a-longs, exclusive photo ops and more!
  Please note: Each adult & child (age 1 & up) must have a main event ticket plus Meet & Greet upgrade ticket to attend. …
  

Sunday, Mar 8th

• Trolls LIVE! (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) Last Day Start Time: 6:30pm Any child who has celebrated their first birthday must have a ticket.
• Trolls Meet & Greet (Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City) Last Day Start Time: 6:30pm Upgrade to join the Trolls Live! Meet & Greet Party! The Meet & Greet includes: Post Show Meet and Greet opportunity with Poppy and Branch VIP merchandise item and souvenir lanyard Sing-a-longs, exclusive photo ops and more!
  Please note: Each adult & child (age 1 & up) must have a main event ticket plus Meet & Greet upgrade ticket to attend. …
  

Monday, Mar 9th

I was unable to find any published events for Mar 9th.

Tuesday, Mar 10th

I was unable to find any published events for Mar 10th.

See Also

• OK Gamers
• Techlahoma