#I don’t have Acheron yet so the men stand a chance

[praiseofhighmorals]

My collection of hot women in star rail and my collection of hot men in genshin. Bisexuality.

[onthesandsofdreams]

From Dust Returned

Summary:  The war might no be over yet, but she knows what she must do. And she must do so quickly. As soon as Charlie, Sameer and Napi are with her, she looks at Napi in the eye and says, "I need to get to the Acheron river, as quickly as possible." Napi, who understand well enough, nods. "I will get you there." "Thank you," she's grateful for his help. "Why do you need to go there Diana?" It's Sameer who asks. "To get Steve back." Characters: Diana, Steve, Chief, Charlie, Sameer & Hades Words: 1874 Notes: For @wondertrevnet‘s WonderTrev Week. Day 7: Reunion.

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Diana stands, watches at the sun rises on the horizon. Closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, her job is done, Ares is dead. But so is Steve.

The war might no be over yet, but she knows what she must do. And she must do so quickly. As soon as Charlie, Sameer and Napi are with her, she looks at Napi in the eye and says, "I need to get to the Acheron river, as quickly as possible."

Napi, who understands well enough, nods. "I will get you there."

"Thank you," she's grateful for his help.

"Why do you need to go there Diana?" It's Sameer who asks.

"To get Steve back." Her answer is simple and direct. Making both Sameer and Charlie's eyes widen in surprise. "But I must do so quickly."

They rest for the reminder of the day and the night, making for Greece on the following day. Diana pushes them to move as quickly as they can, they only have a certain amount of time to bring Steve back, she's not sure how long (for that is never told amongst the Amazons), but she knows that the sooner the appeal is done to Hades, the better.

She also hopes that Hades is alive, only he can grant Steve's return, should it please him.

But she also knows that she must follow some rituals, and nearly despairs when she is told that black rams are rare and not easy to find.

But she pushes on, she had to have hope that she will be able to bring Steve back. She has to believe she will be able.

"Are you sure this is possible Diana?" Charlie, ever the skeptic asks.

"My mother told me so. She would say the Gods could be move to help and us, perhaps if Hades is alive, he might be generous and give us Steve back."

Charlie doesn't respond, but she doesn't miss the uncertain look on his face. But she keeps her chin up and carries on.

They make to Greece after some weeks of travel. Diana's heart beats loud in her chest, what if she doesn't get the ram? What if Hades is dead? What if Hades denies her request?

But on their fifth day in Greece, they stumble on some rams, and Diana watches as a black one is among the rest. She feels her heart in her throat, "Give me a moment, I need to get the ram."

The men watch as she darts forward and catches the ram, slack jawed as she ties it up and brings it with her, "The black one Diana?" Sameer asks.

"Sacred to Hades," Diana replies. "I must observe the proper rites to enter the Underworld, and hopefully have some luck convincing Hades to return Steve."

They press forward until they reach the Acheron, Diana's nerves kick in and she excuses herself to change back into the clothes Steve bought for her in London.

She asks for some space and Napi, Charlie and Sameer back off from the river and from Diana, she proceeds with the ritual. Takes the now dead ram and looks at Napi, "Please, look after my things, I will return as soon as I can. With some luck, Steve with be with me."

Napi simply nods and Diana throws the ram at the river and then jumps in, follows as the ram floats and then begins to sink, darkness and cold surround her, the sounds of the river disappearing and she feels like she's going in deep.

The next thing she knows, she's at the banks of another river under a cave. The entrance of the Underworld. She walks until she finds a boat and the man who ferries it.

The man watches her as she approaches, "And who are you?" He asks.

"I am Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of Amazons of Themyscira. Daughter of Zeus."

At that, the man's eyebrows shot up, "Daughter of Zeus, eh? Well, I am Charon, the ferry man. And what brings you here?"

"I wish to speak with Hades."

"Do you have your coin, daughter of Zeus?"

She's a warrior, she always carries a coin or two with her at all times, so she reaches into one of the pockets and then lifts a golden coin, "I do."

"Then get in," Charon moves aside to let her into the ferry.

The ride is made in silence, only after she has crossed and is about to disembark does she give Charon the coin. Then runs, full speed forward. She doesn't know how she knows where to go, only that she must keep going. Doesn't stop until she reaches a palace and stops abruptly. There's a man standing at top of the steps.

Diana stops and makes a deep bow. The man acknowledges it and begins walking towards her, she remains in place.

"And what brings a daughter of Zeus to my real, I wonder," the man speaks once he is near her.

'Brave Diana, be brave,' she thinks. Out loud she says, "To beg for a boon."

"Ah," the man nods his head. "Tell me who you are, what is that you wish of me and we'll see if I can - or will - grant it."

"I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta. I have come to beg for one soul, a man who I love and bravely gave his life to save millions of others."

The man says nothing, but narrows his eyes and Diana takes this chance to study the man, he is tall, handsome too. Tanned skin with olive green eyes and dark hair, well kept beard. Then he sighs, "As you might have guessed already, I am Hades. And as to your request..."

"I know I ask much without offering something in turn, but well, I do not know what you would want from me."

Hades laughs, "Child, you already did want I wanted. You killed Ares. The boy needed to die I'm afraid. And you did observed the rituals. So I might feel generous and grant you this soul. Now, what is this boy's name?"

"Steven Rockwell Trevor," she says, voice firm.

Hades summons a servant, "Find me Steven Rockwell Trevor." The servant vanishes, to do what he's been asked. Hades then turns to Diana, "Listen child, I grant you this boon as a thanks for avenging those who died at Ares' hands. But hear me well, I make sure you don't look back, else your boy will remain. You hear me? Do not look back until you are back on mortal's land."

Diana bows deeply, "You have my gratitude my King." She then hesitates to ask, but finds that her curiosity wins over her hesitation, "Did some Gods survived? When Ares attacked, I mean."

Hades looks at her, eyebrows raised, "Of course they did. They are probably hiding. Ares alone couldn't kill everyone, they probably ran the moment the attack started. They will probably go back now that Ares is dead."

She's about to respond when the servant reappears, "Steven Trevor is in the Elysian Fields my King."

"Take my niece there and then return," Hades turns and looks at Diana, "Remember child, no looking back until you're back on mortal land."

"Of course my King, thank you," she watches as Hades turns and returns to his palace, then she turns to the servant, "lead on please."

The servant dashes forward and she follows. Everything is a blur, her mind set only on getting Steve back. They only stop at the entrance, "I can't go further in Lady Diana, you must get your Steven Trevor yourself."

"Thank you," she says and walks into the fields. They're much more beautiful than Themyscira, but she supposed that virtuous souls deserve it. She begins wondering around, "Steve!" she calls for him as she looks everywhere.

It's a good while before she hears, "Diana?" out loud and she looks at the direction her name came from. Steve is standing there, in his uniform, looking quite worried. She rushes towards him.

"Oh Steve, I found you!" She says as she wraps her arms around him. He's solid, just as she is and she wants to weep, but doesn't.

"Did you died too?" Steve holds her strongly, voice quivering.

"No, I came to get you back."

"How?" Steve takes a step back and looks at Diana.

Her hands go and take a hold of his face, "Hades, my uncle, he's allowing me to take you back."

Steve turns and lays a gentle kiss on her hand, "Are you sure?"

"I am. Had he not allowed it, I wouldn't be here. We can go back, together."

"How?"

"We leave the Underworld by the same place I came, but I can't look back at all. Once we leave the Elysian Fields, if I look back, I loose you."

Steve nods, a serious look on his face, "Then I won't say anything at all until we're safe."

"Thank you, let's go." She takes a hold of his hand and squeezes.

They make their way back, slowly, Steve following Diana in silence, she struggling to not look back. But she can't afford to make a mistake and loose Steve. With every step they draw closer to the entrance. "We'll need to swim upstream Steve, can you do it?" She asks once she's reached the Acheron, fighting the urge to look back.

"Yes, I think I can."

"Then brace yourself, we're leaving."

They jump into the river and swim upwards. The waters are cold and dark, but the push forward. They don't know how much time it passes, but suddenly, Diana can see the water becoming clearer and clearer. They're close. Her heart races and she prays all goes well.

Then, she can see trees and knows the shoreline is close and without much more effort, she pushes forward once more and she comes up the surface. Night has fallen and everything is silent. Pulls herself out the river and still not looks back.

Then she hears, "Diana?"

"Steve, are you out of the river?"

"Yeah, I'm on the riverbed."

Only then she turns, Steve is standing there, a tentative smile on his face and tears cloud her vision. But she swallows them up and embraces Steve. Then tears fall, "I thought I'd lost you."

Steve gently sways her, "You got me Diana. I'm never going to leave you."

She cries, all the stress and worry finally coming to the surface, Steve simply does his best to comfort her. She says nothing until her tears have stopped, "You're back."

"I'm back, thanks to you." Steve whispers in her ear.

She holds him close, and feels as he embraces her just as hard, neither of them wanting to let go. This reunion is something she worked hard for, but now they have time together.

"I love you," she whispers. "Now we have more time."

"I love you too," he whispers back. "Thanks to you."

They remain in each other's arms, until they hear, "Steve?!"

She looks up and finds Sameer looking at them, looking quite pale. Steve lets go and says, "I'm back."

"We're back," she says and takes a hold of his hand, walking towards Sameer. "And we're here to stay."

[indurarinks]

the mardi gras conundrum

( 3. ) Silence reigned. For a good fifteen seconds. The collective expression easily painted on their faces would have been hilarious had Bonnie not been dead serious with her ultimatum. That alone spoon-fed the demon in her that pulled her down a path of anger and blind vision. Until raucous laughter rang in her ears. She was fast on her way out of the room with determined steps that boomed beneath her feet. The congregation of asphyxiating testosterone was in for a good lesson, Bennett-style. But there was one whose laughter refused to become anything other than a myth. The one whose thunderous voice, enriched with the thickest accent she had ever heard, effectively stopped in her tracks as hesitation gripped her conscious and her infamous innate willingness to help those in need kicked her teeth in. Her fingers had just grazed the doorknob. “We need your help, Bonnie.” There was no mockery, no laughter in his tone. Only seriousness, a sense of urgency and honest need for assistance. A humility she found incongruous with the creature that had said them. But Acheron Parthenopaeus was nothing but a dichotomy in the flesh. Amusement had fled the scene with its tail tucked between its figurative legs. Her gaze lingered on her hand hovering just inches above the cool metallic doorknob. —Fine, she thought to herself. She turned around and, once again, she saw herself reflected on the dark lenses of those sunglasses. —Arrogant prick! To her complete shock, the corners of his lips twitched as if he had been privy to her private name-calling. Had she said it out loud? She wondered. No, it wasn't possible. The two remaining pairs of midnight eyes, oddly identical in shade, stared at her with a relevant degree of apprehension in them. Absolutely stunned with Bonnie's unexpected combustion. —Okay. . . She was clearly surrounded by powerful creatures. Too powerful, perhaps. Her senses tingled with the unfamiliarity of such power. Raw, untamed, volatile. Yet, she held fear at bay. For unknown reasons, each one bled protectiveness, and in their unreadable eyes, she found pain, betrayal and scars that ran too deep. No one with souls as mutilated as theirs could aim to cause pain by their own free will. She was safe, she decided. “So...?” She prompted. “Alright. We haven't been completely straightforward with you. The darkness of our world in desperation for a win against the good guys,” Acheron pushed his hand forward toward his two companions, “has formed an alliance with the darkness of your world.” “How?” Bonnie's interest piqued, she drew near the mysterious leader of this bunch. “The lord and master of the Daimons, our own version of vampires, has unleashed a ploy to turn New Orleans into a rich, delectable banquet of souls. Long story short, the witches, wolves and vampires of this city are being manipulated into hating each other. The three factions of the supernatural are coveted by our Daimons because of the great power embed in their souls.” Trying to wrap her mind around the avalanche of information he was dumping on her, with a promise of chaos and apocalyptic doom, Bonnie fell unceremoniously onto a chair. He took no mercy on her. “Their feud, if not contained, will end up being the death of all of them. We suspect a member from the Mikaelson family to be working alongside Stryker, the leader of the Daimons. We can't find out who though. But we know you have come in contact with this family before, back in Mystic Falls. And the Bennett name is whispered in New Orleans with reverence, with utmost admiration. Your lineage is considered to be royalty amongst the witches around here. And you, Bonnie Bennett, are the most powerful and skilled of all. Rumors on you spread, emphasizing your prowess, your battle-ready fire impossible to be quelled. The prophecy speaking of a witch wielding great power, seduced by darkness but never welcoming it entirely, rises from the ancient books of destiny.” Nervous laughter spilled from her lips. “And you think that's me? You're all nuts!” In denial, she struggled to breathe and her ears buzzed. Slapping her hands on the metallic table before her, she forced herself to stand but her legs weakened under her weight and she stumbled back onto her seat. With lines of worry creasing his forehead, Acheron lowered himself to her height with probing eyes. He hid the intensity of his gaze behind that wall of black from those sunglasses she was starting to despise. “Breathe, Bonnie. Slowly.” Sensing the decrease of her panic, his lips twitched again before adding, “I know you know people feel quite intimidated by you. They even go as far as crossing to the other side of the street so they don't have to walk by you. Humans are quite perceptive in their paranoia. It's like they know we could be a threat to them. Potentially.” Including himself in the rejection from humans, he paused halfway whilst reaching for her fingers as if silently asking for her permission to be touched by him. A mist of confusion descended upon her mind. Why on Earth would a creature as powerful as him be so hesitant to touch another? Surely not. . . Promptly repressing the thoughts rooted in darkness and ugly depravity, Bonnie's fingers closed about his. His aura was nothing but an encrypted message with a multitude of inconsistencies that were at war with each other. A walking contradiction. She licked her lips, suddenly aware of his proximity. Toying with the idea of revealing the colour of the eyes he so adamantly hid, her fingers practically flew to the sides of his boyish face, marked with ages of wisdom. “Careful what you wish for, Bonnie...” He warned. But paying no heed to his forewarning, she finally drew the proverbial curtain with a gasp of wonder. He had been stunning with the sunglasses on but without them, he was a creature of absolute perfection. Innately beautiful, it was as if he had been touched by Aphrodite herself. His eyes held untold wisdom in them. And unfathomable sorrow. But it was their swirling silver shade, reminding her of poisonous mercury, that held her captive. They were mesmerizing. “Why do you hide them?” She whispered, lost in a dream of perfect beauty or beautiful perfection. “They're beautiful.” The raw, unfettered agony radiating off him in crushing waves nearly drowned her. Yet another mystery left to unveil. . . Why would something as innocuous as the eyes cause him so much pain? Unsurprisingly, he ignored her words. “You should probably go find that stubborn, most likely bitching Greek asshole. He's outside, pouting in a corner because he got yelled at. You take your time to think about this, alright? I know this is a lot to take in... and there's a lot to consider. But the most important thing is, no one is going to hold it against you if you think the best thing is to walk away now.” The simple touch of her fingers from earlier had untethered the channel that made it possible for him to see into her fate. But for her touch, he would still be able to monitor her future and what was to befall her. But Acheron could never be so lucky. And those three little bitches hated him with a passion that was nothing but irrational. The Fates could sever Bonnie's thread of life without his knowledge and that scared him already. A cursed god, and the Atlantean god of Final Fate, he was forbidden to share the company of his protective mother and his powers were banished to those he stupidly cared for. Eleven thousands years later and he still hadn't learned the most important lesson of all. To never get attached, especially to humans. His interference could ultimately lead to catastrophic consequences. Not only his omnipotence was limited to himself, that restriction was also extended to those who managed to worm their way into his dark heart. Inwardly, he damned himself for allowing this to happen yet again. He watched her stand, slowly. Bonnie was evidently still recovering from her innate inability to recognize the most basic thing about herself. Panic won her over every chance it got. She was rendered impotent against it the moment another confronted her with unshakable truths about her and her witchcraft. Her natural defiance and refusal to stay down for any longer than absolutely necessary inspired him, making him long for that same spirit. She was vibrant, warm, emotional but surprisingly prudent. She held a warrior's spirit. He had been around too many to recognize it when he saw one. At the main entrance, Bonnie sought for Dev in hopes he might hold any information on Kyrian's whereabouts. One quick glance through Sanctuary had been enough to know he couldn't be found in the premises. Strangely enough, she felt him at a level she refused to analyze for the time being. It was as if he was calling out for her with something akin to a siren's call. Pointing down the road, Dev indicated her where Kyrian was headed when he left. According to him, Kyrian had been in quite the rush to leave. Flustered, even. With a mild groan of irritation, she followed Dev's directions whilst pushing her mind to neglect Acheron's words about her. She had never been the proficient witch they all claimed her to be. Alright would be the appropriate term to describe her knowledge and skills when she dabbled in witchcraft. Moreover, she couldn't even understand her desire to seek Kyrian. Or her yearning to soothe the blisters caused by Acheron's earlier spewed accusations. In fact, she should be furious at him for his antics. —What is wrong with me? In her inner battle of unwanted thoughts, a group of exceptionally beautiful, blonde men circled her, until she had no other way out other than through them. Confused, and frankly momentarily dazed by their ethereal beauty, Bonnie stumbled on her feet. One of them smirked, giving her a glimpse of the tip of his fangs while another prevented her tumble to the ground by griping her arm. Vampire! Her mind screamed at her. Summoning her magic, she was ready to strike back when the smirking blonde surprised her by conducting an attack to her mind. His powers were nothing like she had experienced before. The creature overpowered her with an eerie effortlessness that Bonnie was not accustomed to. She saw her own soul being absorbed into the center of the chest of the blonde, relishing in her magic and strength. To elongate their lives shortened by Apollo's curse, result of a series of disastrous events in a far past that lived no more (even in history books), these creatures with characteristics of wild animals (also a consequence of the curse) found a loophole to their sentence of a life of mere 27 years. Souls. As long the souls they drained from others lived within their bodies, they extended the limit to their lives. And the stronger and more powerful the soul, the more and longer it would sustain them. “You're a... Daimon.” Bonnie mumbled already half unconscious, finally understanding the difference between these sucking creatures and the ones she was familiar with. —So this is how I die... It dawned on her that this was what Kyrian and the others fought against. Protecting humanity in the dark, and spurned by those they vowed to protect. Nobility truly came from those you least expected. Mocking laughter rang in her ears again. Only this time, it was as commemoration for her imminent demise. That was until a bellow of untamed fury and the promise of merciless vengeance cut through the air with similar artistry of that of a sword. “Bonnie!” Like a wild predator bent on cutting the finish line earlier to the pack of hungry dogs around Bonnie, Kyrian extended his retractable sword with unrivaled grace before assuming the warrior side of him, deadly and without mercy. Dancing through the walking corpses that collapsed in an explosion of dust, he was mesmerizing as he bled courage and thirsted for victory with every blow he delivered. Whispers of the ancient world brought Bonnie into this one as she regained conscious and admired the trained soldier effortlessly putting the rabid dogs down. « “On the battlefield, with a sword in your hand, you are invincible.” » Uncertain of where she conjured those words from, Bonnie's magic sizzled as an unfamiliar recognition wrapped itself around her heart. Somehow she knew the words were familiar to Kyrian. “At least they clean after themselves. It would be a bitch if I had to hide all these bodies. Nifty, huh?” He said, laughing whilst strapping his weapon on the inside his leather jacket. Closing the distance between them, he winked at her with a boyish grin plastered to his face as bent down to carry her on his arms, bridal style. Bonnie closed her arms around his neck, grateful that her soul remained intact and with wonder reflected in her eyes, her lips curled in amusement. Then, to her complete surprise, he dipped his head and claimed her lips in the most ardent kiss she had ever been given to. “I've wanted to do that all night.”