Basically....I told you so. (Mel/Open)

Aimery really didn't give a damn about how the person and Mel were pretending that nothing was happening.  He knew that there had been something stewing.  He had heard it, and most importantly, he saw the look of irritation on Mel's face.  That was enough to make him want to turn invisible and do something not pretty, but again, he wasn't here to be dominate in Mel's business.  He merely raised his eyebrows at Mel in a slightly mocking expression.  "Oh, but you normally seem pleasant in your dealings with others, dearest sister, even with the most wayward of beings.  I was not aware that menial discussions about your department and contributions to the Battle of Bridges with a friend should make you feel otherwise," he said smoothly before glancing back at the Calloway creep.

And then Alex came in.  Aimery smiled at the sight of him; ever sine Alex returned to them, Aimery couldn't stop smiling at him.  He was so glad to be reunited with his beloved brother who he had missed sorely.  Aimery knew that Alex had been fine in the Underworld with their father, but he was happy that Alex was living and within reach nonetheless.  Knowing that someone was alright and wanting them close by were two different things.  He smirked at what Alex did and said.  "Father also ensures that those who are below him stay within the confines of their places," he said nonchalantly.

Finally the guy found it fit to leave and Aimery was quite pleased to have him go.  However, Ethan decided to give him a chance to stay.  Aimery was not as objective and kind as Ethan was.  Whoever made Mel the least bit upset was welcome to be thrown out of the window of his cherished home.  "Exclude me from that statement, Ethan," Aimery said, glancing up at his brother with all of the calmness of the world.  "I wouldn't mind in the slightest if he stopped on my account.  Well, actually, I suppose I don't care at all.  As long as any one of you is willing to accommodate him, then he's a revered guest...otherwise--" He looked at Mel.  "If there's no one here who he has business with, then his unwanted presence does bother me."  He waved his hand in dismissal.  "I shall go back to my own business now.  Alex, do you want to go out to the grounds with me? I can use some fresh air," he said to his brother with a smile.  He had said all he wanted to say and figured that there was nothing else for him to do here.  No need to tarry.  After all, weren't his older siblings more in the know?  He also wanted to spend more time with his brother and cover up for all of the years they'd lost being apart from one another.               

Alex was oddly amused by all of his siblings. He'd only been back for a short time, but the differences between his sister and brother were pronounced. By now, Melanie would have called that blond dude to come take care of someone bothering her, but now she seemed fairly capable of handling her own. He doubted that he would ever get used to that.

"Behave with my sister. She's under more stress than you can comprehend." Nodding towards Aimery, Alex tightened his arm around mel before stepping back. "And I know that father wouldn't mind, mel. Just make sure you know his power before hand so I can practice later. Not that I need much help with that. " necromancy was the best power ever, his especially. It might have also been a slightly veiled threat.

"Come on Aim. We've got catching up to do and practice to attend to."walking out the door, he didn't even look back to see his sisters reaction.

Jason opened his mouth to respond to Ethan when Aimery spoke, to which his eyebrows raised. He laughed aloud at him.

"What a joke..."

He may not like the odds but he didn't feel threatened, and half her siblings seemed more interested in fighting him than making allies. He wondered if everyone in the house of Hades were so rude. Mel seemed to jump at his throat whenever he tried to talk to her about something deeper, one sibling seemed to think his shit didn't stink, another wanted to know his weaknesses....he would sigh, before taking a deep breath and turning to Mel.

"I...don't really know what to say to all this. Do they want to kick my ass or think I'm a waste of time? I'm confused."

He said it with a good-natured grin, trying to lighten the mood once more.

Melanie was shaking her head by the time the boys left and trying not to laugh. Alex was going to bring life back to Aimery and herself, she could tell already. Turning to face Jason, she had almost forgotten that he was in the room. "They." She said, pointing at her brothers' retreating backs. "Are brothers. They mean well. The only two you really have to worry about are the little one, Damien who has spent WAY too much time with our dearly beloved father, and Zane who wasn't present. Zane is a former Praetor for Camp Jupiter and now the Magister for Pluto. He's also the one you probably should be talking to."

"I don't disagree with you, but I think you are blaming this on the wrong things Jason. Yes, we were placated and soft, but even a full war-time force couldn't have stopped this. Octavia...this shouldn't have happened. Your looking for reform in the wrong place and believe me I tried there. That innocent girl was brain washed, had her memory wiped, and spells placed on her that would make even a sane person's head spin." She had tried to tell the chancellor that Octavia was alive, but she hadn't been listened to. Ember Lynn was going to have some serious damage control to work on whenever she finally resurfaced, that was for sure.

Jason chewed his lip. What she said did make sense but he still believed the whole island needed a new mindset. He would take his seat one more time, looking away for a minute. He didn't know exactly how he should respond before he would look up to Ethan and back to Mel. He supposed...being honest was again the best way to go.

"I'm just...pissed off. I was there at the wedding, when the men broke through the trees and began cutting up guests. I've never....had to deal with that before. I came from a fucking boat house for Gods sake. Seeing people I was sitting next to trying to hold their intestines inside their bodies....and yet it feels like all I can do is just strut along without voicing my concerns for the fact that there is no Navy, there are not as many patrols, the army and it's branches aren't taken to task, and that someone was allowed to hold a knife to the chancellors neck because there were not guards."

He set the water bottle down.

"What do you do, then? Just...stuff it inside and wait for the next attack? I can't live like that. If I can't get a group of friends to go with me to the chancellor and get answers then I will go alone. I just thought....you might want to stand with me."

Melanie sighed and nodded at Ethan to give them some space for a moment before sitting back down. "Jason, let me tell you something. You are looking from the outside in. Give it a few days, start looking at things from the Garrison's side." Now it was time for the talk she hadn't been able to give him last time. He was one of them now.

"You say there aren't enough patrols, but that's what my people do. I found you your first day here because of a plain clothes patrol. You don't see us, but we see you. You say there were no guards, but the Commander himself was at that wedding." Pausing to give him a minute to contemplate what she was saying, Melanie took another drink and briefly wished it was whiskey instead of tea. "you need to slow down, Jase. Organize yourself, organize your thoughts, and see the problem from the in side.

Jason watched her face, ignoring her brother for now. Slow down...? Was he moving too quickly? He just had too many ideas and too many things he felt he wanted to do but it was true- he had only been there a short time. And in the military he had only joined a few days back as well. He chewed his lip some more. Owain was there as a guest- if they had been guarded as they should have been they could have engaged the enemy. Most the people there had no weapons too. He and only a few others were prepared, and him only because he wanted to be. He felt like everyone else just....didn't.

He would give an easy smile.

"Maybe you're right. I know I want a thousand things to happen. But I guess....I know I'm an outsider, that I just arrived and now I talk like i've been here all this time. I know that- but in the short time I've been here there are people I've met and care for that I want to protect. I don't want the next dead body to be yours or Tere's, or Embers. Slowing down means I have to just...not ask questions and watch this sort of thing happen again? Like...if what you say is true, that there are patrols and the army is fit and ready and there are guards and everything militarily is secure....why did so many people die then? Is is really just because Ember kicked her feet up and did everything wrong?"

That was what really bothered him. So much death. Though they won and crushed the attacking force, the enemy lost only soldiers. They lost people. Civilians. That...was what frustrated him so much.

Melanie sighed before replying. "Here's your first problem. Under no circumstances are these things normal. This isn't mortal warfare, which is what I think your drawing your experience from. People here are always armed in some way. Everyone has a power. Everyone who isn't new has had the same training the Garrison still does." That was one thing he needed to hear. All of the survivors, all of the older ones, had been trained before. If they didn't make it, it was because they had forgotten their training.

"And your sister was cocky. She was new and full of ideas on what was important and what wasn't and you couldn't tell her any different. One bad choice cost all of those lives and an innocent child five years of her life." Melanie's knuckles were white against the glass in her hand by that point. "Slowing down makes you smart. Slowing down gets you allies, and most importantly...slowing down keeps you alive. You are a son of Poseidon, a fairly powerful one at that from what I've heard, but even that won't save you if you keep running in to things like this. You'll be gone before the end of the next battle." It was a harsh truth, but it was one nonetheless.

Tch.

Jason would search her face. He would take a deep breath as he looked away.

"Alright. Fine. I'll take your word for it, and when this happens again...who do you recommend I turn to? Should I just say "shit happens" and keep on going forward? Because if so...."

That seemed like a pathetic way to fight an enemy, if that was the case.

"No. You get smarter. You get stronger. You wait for the right time. Right now isn't the time for change. Everyone is still scared and broken. The time for change comes in the weeks to come. You storm into the Magistrate demanding change right now and they will laugh you out of that room." Melanie stood to walk over and stand in front of him, forcing him to look her in the eye. It was a bold move, but she wasn't worried about it.

"If you do this right, I will help you. On one condition." Jason wasn't going to like it, but some day he would understand that she was right and that she was only doing this for his own good.

Jason still felt a tight anger in his chest, but would stare up at her.

"And what's that?"

The condition...could be anything. And he got the feeling he wasn't going to be excited about it.

"You wait a month. One month, and we have this discussion again. A month to get smarter, faster, stronger. The Garrison is on full alert, so chances are they won't be back soon." Melanie started, leaning back against the wall. "Not to mention, we gave them a pretty big hit, despite being so ill prepared. They need to regroup more than we do."

"Take that month and train. Work with me, work with your people. Learn the ropes and see where the real problems lie. When that month is over, then you can go in there prepared and as a real member of the Garrison, not just the new guy."

Jason would watch her, thinking. A month...it seemed like such a long time. She...lost her air of coolness though. Of anger. Of spite. In the same way, he realized, he'd lost the fire and the attitude he walked in with. He would leave the bottle behind, indicating his trust in her, placing himself in her hands outside the reach of a war-like resource. Something that would give him a big edge. He stood and offered his hand to her with a small smile.

"Deal."

If she took his hand he would pull her into a hug and give a small chuckle.

"Deal deal. Thank you, Mel, for listening. I'm sorry I know I can....be sharp."

He would turn to Ethan and take a deep breath.

"Guess that means your brothers don't have to kill me after all, right?"

"You are, but you'll learn." She said out loud, leaning on towarss his ear whenever he pulled her close. The next part she would say in a whisper. "Meet me at the Cove tonight after dark. We can discuss things further without...little ears." It would be a sacrifice on her part, allowing him to be in his element, but she would be in hers as well. That way, they would be almost evenly matched if things got heated again.

"And I don't believe you actually met any of them. The only one that would have any use with you being dead is Alex and he appears to show restraint." Then again, he had only seen the boys in over protective mode. If it had been any other day, they would've been fine. Maybe even friends.