#Poseidon is wiping a fake tear from his eye

[tagzpite]

Fishysseus’s size depends on the size of the format I draw him in and that’s literally it

Consistency? Never heard of it

Although I do like finding creative ways to fit as much of his tail in as possible

[nanamismoonchild]

deceiving the moon chapter 2 --> ferryman

pairing: god!namjoon x goddess!reader

genre: fluff, angst, smut , greek god based au

warnings: choking, mentions of death, blood mention, hair grabbing, reader gets a lil scary 

Summary:   You’re a beauty. He is handsome. You’re Life. He is Death. You love him. But does he love you? There’s only one way to found out. And it’s by being the Queen.  

prev. / next

It was a lovely day out in the forest by the home you shared with your mother.  Warm and the Sun God, Hoseok, drove his chariot proudly across the blue sky. The flowers had been blooming and the tree nymphs were growing strong green leaves. The river bubbled and babbled as you dipped your feet into the coolness. 

It had been a long harvest for the people who lived on the Earth and you had promised the children that you would play with them while the parents worked to pick their vegetables and fruits. Your mother, the goddess of the harvest, had been quite generous this year and the harvest was bountiful and would feed many for a long time.  It took weeks for the harvest to be picked, stored, and then reseeded again. Needless to say, the children had run you ragged. A dip in the river was what you needed to relax your worn bones. 

Slipping off the dress you wore, you slide further into the deep water and lie on your back.  The river would take you anywhere it pleased and you would let it.  It would be a symbolism of you letting the fatigue wash away.  

Close your eyes. The river whispered.  Relax. 

Smiling, you did as it said, knowing the river wouldn’t cause you harm. 

It was night by the time you reopened your eyes.  Selene was driving her chariot high in the sky just as her sibling was a few hours ago. You swam over to the bank and lifted yourself out of the water. Water dripped off of your body, but it didn’t bother you. The aches from your played-out bones were lifted. You felt rejuvenated. The wind blew across your body, making you shiver, but drying you off. 

You had no idea how far you had drifted with the current; however, the tree nymphs would more than know.  

Touching one leaf from a tree, you asked the natives of the forest, “How do I get home?”

Nothing.  

“How do I get home?” You asked a little louder. 

Still nothing. 

“What is wrong? Have I angered you? Is Pan angry?”

Pan was the infamous Jimin, companion of the nymphs and god of the wild. Whenever he was upset, all of the forest beings he tended to become upset as well. 

However, they would always talk to you. No matter what. 

“Hello?”

The forest stayed quiet-unhelpful in your plight to return home to your mother who would be wondering about your disappearance. 

“Please, help me,” a voice called out. It was hoarse and disembodied. 

“Who’s there?” “Please, help me,” it called out again. 

You stepped around the tree that still gave you no answer, and found a man with a blue aura surrounding him.  

Your eyes widen as you realize why the nymphs aren’t speaking. 

There was a dead man in their view and it was uncomfortable and a sight that is not normal. He should have gone straight to the Underworld instead of remaining on land.  

“Sir, are you lost? Why has Thanatos not come to lead you down?” The man simply gazed at you, his dark eyes seeing right through you almost. 

“I have not a clue how to help you. Thanatos is the only one who knows where the Doors to the Underworld are located…” you trailed off, remembering information your mother had told you years before. “Actually, I do know where to take you. Please, follow me. “

You knew you should have just started the trek home. The pity for the lost soul had overwhelmed all of your common senses. The natural leader and innate care that was inside of you wanted to take the man where he would not suffer and turn into a ghoul.  A suffering soul wanting nothing more than to be alive.  

Also, your mother was the goddess of the cycle of life and death. It would tarnish her reputation if the daughter she bragged about could not uphold her name.  

The man had no footsteps, but you could see the blue aura following you as you trekked across the mossy terrain. The directions your mother had given you had been based on the location of your home--the navigation was tricky and the only hope you had were the stars as the nymphs were still silent with the spirit in their presence. 

“Always follow Orion,” your mother had told you. 

Orion pointed in the direction--north--and you followed not wanting to get more lost than you were. You were still naked with a strange man following you. The thought almost made you pause, but the need to get rid of the poor man and get home to hot tea kept you going on. 

Finally, after walking for miles it seemed, you came across the clearing that your mother told you to steer clear of. It was one of the many ways to get into the land of the dead. 

She always feared that the man who ruled the dead himself would rise up and kidnap you. What a worrisome woman. No man would dare. 

The man behind you stood next to you, awaiting instructions.  

“You are to tap the grass three times. Do you have a drachma?”

He shook and lowered his head in what you deemed as shame. Your pity for him grew. He died a poor man or he was robbed and killed for his money. No wonder he had stayed on Earth.  He could not pay the fee to Jungkook, the ferryman, to cross the river Styx.

That had always angered you as a child. Why should the dead have to pay to cross the river? It never made sense! 

“Fine. I will take you down myself. My earrings are drachmas. One should be enough to pay for you. Let us go. “ You saunter to the middle of the field and tap the ground three times with your foot.The man did the same.  After a minute or two nothing happening, you turned towards the man, hands on your hips. 

“Well, this is a waste of-eep!”

The ground had opened without warning, dropping the both of you into a tunnel before closing. Had you been wearing any sort of clothing, your butt would have been saved from the pain, but alas, you were not. Your butt throbbed from hitting the cold ground. 

Groaning, you picked yourself up and wiped the dust off of you. The man had fallen perfectly onto his feet. 

“Say not a word to any of your ghastly friends.”

He nodded, a tiny smile appeared faintly on his face. 

Making your way through the tunnel, you find yourself hearing the moans of the others who had faced Death. A woman could be seen with tears in her eyes as she looked forlornly at a couple who hugged each other near her. 

“We’re here. Now we just have to find Jungkook and pay him his fee.” 

You moved around a few of the dead folk in line and searched the banks of the Styx. There was no boat and no Jungkook in sight either. He must've already taken a load to the other side. There was no telling how long it would take for him to come back.  

There really needed to be a change in this realm. Paying to go to the other side? Having to wait hours on end to wait on the ferryman? The ferryman should have something faster and bigger than the boats that humans use. Odysseus’s boat had travelled far and wide, facing great dangers before being ripped apart by Poseidon in a great rage.  Why couldn’t the ferryman of the dead have the same or better?

Fuming, you failed to hear the tell-tale ding of the boat that the ferryman rode, signaling his arrival back. The blue man waved an arm in front of you, forcing you out of your annoyance. 

“Thank gods we did not have to wait so long.  I simply want to get you on that boat and then get back home.”

At that, you grabbed the blue man’s hand and stomped over to the arriving boat. He was to be the first man on the boat if you had your way. The drachma earring was already in his hand after you took it off while waiting for the ferryman. 

Jungkook docked the shabby small boat that could only fit possibly 3 people including him. He was a ghastly white and seemed to have the most brittle bones. He moved slowly without care. 

“Could you move a little faster? I have to get home.”

Jungkook peered at you through the hood that he wore, his doe eyes being the only innocent feature that the gods had graced him with. 

“You are not dead?” “No. I am the daughter of Demeter. You know me as Persephone. I would like for this man to cross. He was wandering around the forest and scaring the tree nymphs.”

The ferryman blinked at you before turning to the blue man, who had been making it a point to look everywhere but at Jungkook. 

“Let me see your payment.”

The blue man glanced at you for assurance before presenting the earring drachma. His hands shook a little. 

Jungkook paused and scoffed. A sound that you did not want to hear. 

“This is not sufficient. This is an earring.”

“Yes, but it is a drachma. I pierced the drachmas and placed them into my ears for emergencies. This is an emergency. They are more than sufficient. Please let him on board. I will only beg this once. He is confused and lost. I want to see him cross into the Underworld.”

Jungkook’s eyes flashed. His doe eyes had narrowed and become menacing. 

“They are not sufficient.  It is fake. And you are fake as well. Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, would have no business leading the dead into the Underworld. This man will stay on the banks of the Styx and become a wraith since he does not have sufficient payment.”

A demented laugh erupted from you. You try to cover your mouth with your hands, but it was a failed attempt as the crazed giggles came in waves. Thankfully you didn’t snort. How unladylike that would be. 

“You are a fool. Talking to me as if I am not higher than you. If I were not humble, I would look down upon you.” 

You took the drachma from the blue man’s hands and kicked Jungkook so he would kneel in front of you.  Grabbing a tight fistful of his matted wet hair, you yanked his hand up and shoved the damned silver coin into the ferryman’s throat, making sure it cut his gum and bled.  

“You should know better than to call me a fake. I have all the business to bring the dead into the Underworld. Let this man on your boat and take me as well. I would like to speak with the god of the Underworld, Namjoon, himself. There needs to be some changes around here. Starting with you.” 

You let him go. He sputtered and spit out the blood that had been accumulating in his mouth before rushing to grab his rower and ushering you and the blue man onto his boat. 

He dinged his bell and pushed the small boat off of the dock. 

He uttered not a word the entire short journey. 

[gingersaremytype]

Fight Me - Percy Jackson x Reader

Masterlist

Percy Jackson x Reader

Reader and Percy go head to head in Capture the Flag.

Warnings: None

Word Count - 2.2k

You had moved to Camp Half Blood four years ago, after discovering Apollo was your father. Since then you had lived there each summer in Apollo’s cabin with your brothers and sisters. It was years ago that you met the infamous son of Poseidon; Percy. He was… different. Yeah. Different. Not strange, not abnormal but a little bit awkward and special.

The day you and Percy had first ‘clicked’ had been memorable but not for all the right reasons. It had been the day Luke betrayed you all. It hit Percy hard. You didn’t know him too well at that time but you were still friends and had spoken a few times to each other. He had been crushed by Luke and the whole experience.

You looked around camp for him but had no luck until you reached the water. He sat by the edge looking out, you assumed he had been talking to his Dad. But now he was just sat there staring solemnly at the world. “Hey, Percy?” You said as you approached him. “You alright buddy?” He didn’t turn around. You tried again. “Percyyyyy?” You walked in front of him, dangerously close to the edge. That was when you saw his face, pale and tear stained. “Are you okay?” you sighed when met with the sorry sight. He looked up, quickly drying his eyes when he saw it was you. He must of been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard you. “oh, um, yeah, I’m fine.” He lied.

You looked deep into his eyes. They were so so sad. It dampened your own mood just looking at his deflated image. You walked over and sat next to him, looking out to the water.

“You’re not expected to be. You know?” You glanced across at him, “You don’t have to be fine. You don’t have to be the hero.” He looked across, his eyes meeting yours, “I do.” He whispered.

You took him in. All of him, his tousled dark hair, huge bloodshot eyes and his pink lips. Wow. Those lips, you couldn’t help but look at them. You must’ve looked at them a fraction too long because you noticed his cheeks flush red and his face falter. You returned the flush and averted his eye contact. “Thank you.” He muttered. “Huh?” You faltered, forgetting what you had said only seconds before. “What you said, about not being expected to be fine. It’s just…” He stopped, struggling to find the words. Percy’s hand was resting on his knee; you moved your hand to his, hoping to console him. He looked back at you and continued, “It’s just, the fact that no one else seems to understand. I mean not even Grover and Annabeth do and they’re meant to be my best friends. I just feel so alone. Who chose me to be the hero?” He shook his head. “And I’m just so angry at myself for ever trusting Luke.”

“Hey,” you said sternly, “you cannot blame yourself for what happened with Luke. We all trusted him, none of us knew what he was capable of.” You saw a tear trickle down his cheek before he wiped it away with his free hand. “It’s okay.” you whispered, “You don’t have to be so strong. The world isn’t yours to hold up.”

He removed his hand from his face and you could see he was smiling slightly. You could look at him smile all day, his white teeth lighting the pained expression. You felt comfortable seeing his smile, that was the Percy you knew, not the broken boy you saw before you. He sighed loudly then looked at you. You thought that he was staring at your lips but you knew it was just your imagination. “Y/n?” “Yeah” “Why did you come find me just now?” You shrugged. “I don’t know?” You hoped your cheeks weren’t looking as flushed as your insides were feeling. “I thought you might want so company. I… I can go if you want.” You began to stand up, understanding if he wanted to be alone. You stood up but he gently grabbed you arm. “No,” he responded, “don’t go. Stay… please.” You sat back down and he looked at you, his face unreadable. Suddenly a sheepish smile smeared across his face. You returned it. He reached across with his hand and touched your cheek. “How come you’re the only person in the whole world,” he began, “who understands what I’m feeling…” he looked deeply into your eyes, “Wow, y/n, you have really beautiful eyes.” A gaze of admiration and a slight flick of confusion consumed Percy’s face. Before he smiled slightly and leaned closer towards you. You leaned in as well closing the small gap that had stood between you. He gently placed his lips on yours, kissing you slowly, longingly even. You kissed him back, softly but passionately.

And that was how your relationship had started. All of that, all those days, and nights spent together and now you were here. One of the most serious challenges in your relationship; Capture the Flag. Everyone at Camp Half Blood knew that you two were the closest two people on the planet but at the same time the most competitive. The two of you were always put on opposite teams for two reasons: 1) You’d be way too good if you were on the same team and 2) It was so entertaining to watch you guys fight each other.

Just before the beginning of the game Percy came up to you and outstretched a hand, “No grudges?” He winked playfully. You smiled and shook his hand and planted a kiss on his cheek but before you could pull away he grabbed you and kissed your lips briskly. You pulled away and whispered in his ear, “It’s war.” Then you walked away back to your team.

Your team had devised a whole plan with defence, attack and overwatch. But the main goal was that it would be you vs Percy in the end because you were the best defender and he was the best attacker. Even though judging by the stories of his first game, he was pretty pathetic and clumsy. But now he’d matured and he was pretty boss although still kind of clumsy at times.

You headed out to the woods with the rest of your team and set up. Looking at the red team opposite you, you spotted Percy lurking at the back of the group. He locked eye contact with you and you gave him a steely stare which he returned. "CHARGE!!!" You yelled, to signal the beginning of the battle.

Whilst the front lines of your team ran into battle, you slicked off to where your flag was hidden. You had made sure to keep it away from water so that Percy couldn't use it against you and your team.

You took a leaf out of Annabeth's book and hid up a tree, waiting for Percy. You could hear the sound of swords clashing in the distance but it wasn't until it had been around ten or fifteen minutes that you saw a red haired helmet emerge from the trees.

Percy looked around cautiously after catching sight of the blue flag stuck firmly in the ground. You had left your helmet sat at the bottom of the flag for ‘dramatic effect’. "Y/n/n?" He said, tauntingly, dragging out the sound whilst removing his helmet. You threw a stone behind him to make him think you were behind him. He fell for it and turned around, you took the moment whilst his back was turned to drop down to his level.

He whipped round and smiled disapprovingly at you. "Oldest trick in the book, babe. Dropping from the trees. Annabeth would be proud." He chuckled as he winked at you.

"Whatever." You stated, pulling your sword out the sheath and pointing it at him. He mirrored your action. "You ready?" You asked him. "Born ready." He smirked "Sure about that?" "Don't you remember what happened to Annabeth when she tried with me?" You rolled your eyes at the cockiness emerging from your boyfriend. "I don't know if you've noticed... But there's no water to help you this time." "Mmm you're right. The person that planned where to put the flag most know me quite well." He raised his eyebrow at you. "Apparently so..." He smiled at you but then his eyes flicked to the flag. You took your chance and swung at him, but he dodged. "Ooooo we've got a feisty one here." You narrowed your eyes, "shut up." You moved forwards and swung at his leg but he jumped and pressured you back. This time, he swung at your arm but you sidestepped him putting him slightly off balance. "Ah there's the clumsy boy I know." "And love?" He smirked. You rolled your eyes. A crowd started to emerge behind you as the other campers lined up to watch the two of you. You went in with your elbow, aiming at his chest and pushing him backwards. He stumbled backwards causing the crowd to 'ooooo'. You smiled at the reaction. "Still got it in you, babe?" You asked. "Don't need a drink of water?" "I'm fine thanks. What about you?" "Never better." You winked.

Percy made a dummy move to your left but dived on the right. After falling for the first move, you were rammed in the side by him. You fell back to the floor and dropped your sword. As Percy went to reach for your sword, you rolled over, taking him out in the process. You moved towards him and sat on top of him, straddled around his torso. A wolf whistle emerged from the crowd causing Percy to go slightly pink. You raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "This kinda reminds me of last night, Y/n." Percy said, loud enough for the crowd to here. This triggered even more wolf whistles and laughter. You punched him in the arm. "Give it up, babe. You've lost." You snatched your sword out of his hand and held it against his throat threateningly. He faked a face of fear.

Just then, someone ran through the crowd, holding a red flag. You looked up and smiled. "Maybe next time, Perce." You said standing up and offering a hand. He gladly took it and stood up; admitting defeat.

You walked over to your team and high-fived the guy with the flag.

Later on in the day, you were sat in your cabin talking to your sister when there was a knock on the door. You got up, opened it and was greeted by Percy. He smiled at you brightly and offered his hand to hold which you grabbed. You stepped out the door and followed him round into his cabin. His brother didn't live at Camp anymore so it was just Percy in his cabin which was a luxury for the two of you because it meant you could be alone whenever. And this time you were glad of it.

When Percy opened the door, you walked in and went and sat down on his bed. You looked back at him and smiled and his crossed his arms and stared at you. "What?" You laughed, "why are you looking at me like that?" He smiled and walked over. Sitting down next to you he put a hand on your face and pulled you close. "Because," he whispered, resting his forehead on yours, "earlier today, I wanted to do something that I couldn't do whilst everyone was watching." You raised an eyebrow at him. "And what might that be?" He smiled before lying down and pulling you along with him so that you were in the same straddle position you had been in earlier that day. He reached a hand up and tucked your hair behind your ear. Then he pulled you down towards him and kissed you softly but soon sped up to a more passionate kiss. Pulling you closer and closer towards him. He rolled you over so that he was on top of you. He started kissing your neck and collarbone. His hands started to roam your body until he had one hand on your neck and the other on your hip.

BAM BAM BAM

Percy sighed heavily, it was a knock on the door. "Yeah?" He called out. "It's Grover, dude come unlock the door." You laughed, classic Grover. Percy rolled his eyes before getting up and opening the door. You sat up as he did so.

Percy opened the door and Grover walked in. "Oh hi, y/n." Grover said, seeing you sat on the bed, "I was just gonna ask if you guys wanna go eat." Percy looked at you and you smiled and nodded. "Yeah sure, let's go." Percy replied. You got off the bed and Percy held out his hand for you to hold again. That was your thing, holding hands.

"Aw look at the two camp lovebirds." "Aren't they cute.” Mocked your fellow camp mates, causing the two of you to go similar shades of pink.

"Whatever." Percy whispered in your ear. Causing you to smile and you leant your head on his shoulder as you walked over to where dinner was. "You know I'm gonna win next time, right?" Percy said to you as you sat down. "Haha," you chuckled, "keep on dreaming, Perce." You winked. Percy just laughed and held up a glass of nectar. "Truce?" "Truce."

[cabinofimagines]

A Good Deal

Request: A Percy proposal lmao I can’t really remember what it said.

Pairing: Percy x Reader

Fluff | Smut | Angst

A/N: THE ENDING IS SO SHIT I’M SO SORRY. THIS WHOLE THING IS SHIT TBH BC I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING RIGHT NOW.

-Day

Of course, Ares would lose his freaking shield in a battle of Troy reenactment. It didn’t surprise you honestly as he does have a habit of forgetting his items when he’s having a good time. He requested that Percy and a child of (g/p) fetch it for him, saying that it was his preferred duo. That’s why you were here, in a dirty tent, wearing a white bedsheet that somehow was fixed into a chiton; In armor next to you was a certain son of Poseidon, expertly strapping on a young boy’s armor. You smiled at the sight, Percy has always been with small kids, finding them adorable and constantly pointing them out to you when one catches his attention. Which happens a lot.

“There you go, little dude. Now go kick some butt!” Percy said with a smile, messing up the kid's hair playfully before placing the helmet on him, the red plume a bit battered from it falling off constantly. The little boy grinned up at your ebony haired boyfriend, “You got it, dude!” he said marching out of the tent, his armor clanking as he went.

Your attention averted to your boyfriend who was walking towards you with a bliss filled face, “Cute kid, huh?” He mused while wrapping his long tanned arms around your waist, looking down at you with adoration. You nodded in agreement, pecking his lips and placing your hands flat against his armored chest, tracing the details absentmindedly.

“I want one.”

“What?”

You couldn’t believe your ears. He wants kids now of all times? Your brows furrowed and you backed away from him to finish getting ready, slipping on the bracelets while you talked,

“Now? Percy, we aren’t even married yet, I thought you wanted little tots after marriage? “

He shrugged and fiddled with the straps on his armor nervously, “Yeah I do.”

Now you were confused. You parted your lips to ask him what in Zeus’ name was he on about when Amanda– a shy yet bossy redhead and the overseer over the participants– drew back the curtain and peered in with her clipboard gripped tightly to her chest, “We’re starting now, squeaked!” She squeaked before disappearing behind the white sheet.

Percy snatched his helmet off the rickety table before gripping your hand in his own and walking out towards the fake armory to gather his weapon and hopefully Ares’ lost shield.

“Percy!” You called out, “ I’m not supposed to get armor, remember? I’m just a nurse for ‘wounded’ warriors.”

He rolled his eyes and kept tugging you forward, muttering something about other men being pervs to nurses under his breath.

———

…………………….

Of course, Percy had no luck on nabbing the shield from the huge pile of weapons before a rather large man by the name of Bryce picked it up and took off. So now he had to participate in something he barely knew about; he wished he paid more attention in Greek myth class.

You watched from the comfort of your own wooden stool in a shaded area beneath an oak tree, sighing when the warriors would purposely ‘wound’ themselves to be tended to by the nurses who were supposed to fawn over them. You perked up when you spotted a familiar mop of black hair shuffle towards you, mouth open in a pant as his hand went up to wipe away the beads of sweat that decorated his sun-kissed face.

“Is there any water over here?” He asked with a small grin.

You laughed at his disheveled appearance before standing and fetching a water bottle for him from the ice tub.

“Need some patching up, maiden.” You heard a husky voice say from behind you, surprising you so much you turned quickly and hit his nose with the bottle. He yelped and stumbled back, clutching his hook nose in his veiny hands.

Percy grunted in discomfort and took a protective step towards you, a scowl on his face darkening his usual comforting sea like eyes into an unsettling hurricane.

You stuttered out an apology, handing Percy his water before turning back to the ice tub and wrapping ice in a towel, handing it off to Bryce who still stood there whining about his nose. Grumbling, he took it from you, going to sit on your former seat with a pout on his pinched face.

Percy took something out of his pocket and looked down at it with unsure eyes, almost as if he was at war with his inner thoughts. He huffed and shocked the object back in his pocket before marching over to you with confidence in his step, “I need to talk with you,” he mumbled lowly, staring at Bryce with distaste, “Alone.”

Bryce rolled his eyes at Percy’s actions and continued to gaze at you with hungry eyes raking up and down your body. You felt uncomfortable around him and yet you’ve only just now spoken to the guy.

“We can go back to the tent if you want,” you offered with a shrug, “I can ‘fix your wounds’ or something. “

“Excuse me but I was here first. Just because some inexperienced pretty boy asks to speak with you does not mean you get to leave.”

You and Percy both glared at the overly sweaty boy, Percy’s gaze hard and fuming with hatred, “Just because some rude, pig-faced, mortal needs an imaginary wound fixed does not mean she gets your attention.”

Your eyes widened at his words, quickly stepping in front of Percy before he gets too protective over you, "Okay now, simmer down and walk away."

You expected the situation to resolve immediately after your interval, but it didn't unfortunately.

Bryce stood up quickly, scooting the stool he sat on backward just a little, knocking it off balance just a little bit. He stepped forward and shoved you to the side, effectively making you step on the hem of your toga and fall back on your bum.

"You're just trying to bring home some girl from a reenactment, creep." The fuming boy spat in Percy's face, shoving his stumpy finger roughly into his chest as if he could push him back with the mere force of his finger.

You huffed angrily at the fact that you just got shoved by some idiotic mortal who believed you were some damsel in distress. You stood up just as Percy pushed the red-faced reenactor away from him, stating very clearly that he was no creep and that he came here with you.

"Oh yeah? There's no way she's your girlfriend!"

"You're right," You heard Percy say as you fixed your toga and marched over to the two of them with fury in your step, "She's my wife."

You didn't even register what was said until after your fist collided with Bryce's face. The sound of Bryce yelping in pain and the blood that started to gush out of his now crooked nose meant nothing to you as you turned to Percy with furrowed brows, "Say what now?"

Percy couldn't help the small grin that spread across his face, his eyes only focused on you and surprisingly not on the weeping boy who left the scene in a hurry behind you. He reached around to the back pocket of his jeans, pushing the armor aside to reach inside and grasp the box that held his grandma's engagement ring; his mom was able to retrieve some belongings from her parents, the wedding rings were one of the few items to make it.

You bent down and lifted Ares shield into your arms, brushing off dirt and fake blood off the golden brim with the hem of your white toga.

"Y/n."

You glanced up at Percy at the sound of your name being called, there he was, holding a silver band with three diamonds atop it right in front of you, "How about we make our future together official?"

You laughed at his words and nodded, fighting back tears of happiness, "Yeah okay, seems like a pretty good deal to me."

[writerly-blonde]

Star-gazing

Hey guys, I’m shaking it up a little this time with a Voltron fic! Team bonding, not really shippy, and set before the fever dream that was season three. I don’t see enough fics of the team simply existing so here you go!

Summary:  Each of the paladins reflect back on their love for the stars and begin to feel a little less alone in a foreign galaxy.

WC: 3217

Find it on AO3!

Enjoy! ~~~

There are stories in the stars. That has always been one of the constant truths in Lance’s life. Sundays are cleaning days, his niece squeals when she’s tickled, the sun rises in the East, and the stars hold stories.

The constants in his life…gone.

Lance sinks against the navigation console, and stares up at a sunless sky he doesn’t recognize.

“Mijo?” Aleja Mcclain’s voice called out, the screen door sliding closed behind her. Lance tilted his head back from his spot on the grass to watch the upside version of his mom walk towards him. “It’s late.”

Lance returned his gaze to the stars. “Can I stay out here a bit longer?”

She chuckled and settled herself next to him. “It’s a nice night so, why not?” He beamed and she offered him a steaming mug. “Hot cocoa?”

Lance shifted so he was sitting up and nodded, taking it with a grateful smile. The warmth of the drink seeped through his palms. His mom cast a look up. Sighed contentedly.

“I’ve always loved the night sky. All the stories.”

At this, Lance had paused.

She slanted him a look and smiled, pointing at the stars. “Look. Those five stars? Cassiopeia sitting on her throne. To appease Poseidon’s monster, she and her husband sacrificed their daughter and chained her to a rock.”

He was horrified, to say the least.

His mom only gave a soft laugh. “Greeks,” she said like that explained everything. Her hand shifted as she pointed to another cluster of stars. “But look mijo, there’s Andromeda, alive and well after Perseus saved her from the monster.”

His horror faded slowly to fascination as his mom gestured from star to star, mapping the sky in her stories.

“Lance?”

He jerks, scrambling to his feet. Hunk stares at him from the doorway. Curiosity melts into confusion which turned to understanding. His eyes flick from the windows, from the endless sky, and back to Lance, who shoots him an awkward smile.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Like he wasn’t just lost in homesickness.

“I can’t sleep so I thought I would see if anyone else was up and the navigation room is sometimes where everyone goes so I figured I’d check here.”

Lance only has to sort of fake his laugh. “Yeah, of course. I’m not sure if this is the most comfortable place though.” He gestures at the console. His back does ache a bit from the awkward angle he was sitting but…he got a better view sitting on the ground than he did on the chair.

Hunk shrugs, his smile warm. “It’s fine.” He crosses the room and sits down. Lance follows his lead after a moment, the tension in his body lessening the tiniest bit. Hunk glances at him. “So what were you looking at?”

“Just the stars.”

Hunk follows his gaze. Pauses. Stars dot the sky, swirling and shining through bright galaxies and the dark night. It’s breathtaking. Hunk smiles. He nudges Lance.

“I wish my mom could see this,” he says, not taking his eyes off the sky, “She would sit here and paint for hours.”

Lance gives him a look filled with curiosity and slight teasing. “I thought that she’s an engineer?”

“She is.”

Sefina Garett peered up at the sky her son loved with all his heart and raised a brush. Hunk crouched a couple feet away, up to his elbows in his motorcycle. The waves crashed on the beach far behind them. Above their light chatter, the ocean breeze whispered.

“How was school?”

“The usual,” Hunk said with a laugh that quickly faded as something in his bike gave a loud clank.

His mom glanced over her shoulder. Dark, intelligent eyes assessing the damage. “Brakes?”

Hunk shrugged and checked. Sure enough, there was a broken link deep within. “Yup, that was it.” As he set about fixing it, Hunk cast a look at his mom. “Man, this just keeps brake-ing.”

There was a beat of silence, and then a long suffering sigh. “For Pete’s brake Hunk.”

“Can’t put the brakes on these jokes.”

His mom laughed, her brush moving as fast as her puns. And just like several nights before it, they spent the hours working and keeping each other company.

Hunk leans back against the console. “She painted the most beautiful nights.”

Lance crosses his legs under him. “Did she paint the canvas hanging above your head? At the Garrison?”

Hunk laughs then, loud and contagious. “The one you convinced me to sneak in? Yeah.”

A knock on the wall behind them has them both nearly jumping out of their skins. They glance at each other before peering around the console. Pidge stands at the door, already walking in, lips curled in a held back laugh at how ridiculous Hunk and Lance look, only their heads visible from the edges of the console.

Hunk is the first to recover. “It’s late, what’re you doing up?”

“You guys talk loud.” She plops down between Hunk and Lance. “And I don’t sleep much.”

Lance laughs. “Join the club.”

Pidge leans forward, pushing up her glasses before resting her elbows on her knees. “Is this a stargazing slumber party?”

Hunk shrugs. “Pretty much.”

“Team bonding,” Lance says. He peers at the two of them before grinning. “The Garrison flight team, back together.”

Pidge groans, but her lips curl up. “I’m forced to join this team bonding, aren’t I?”

“Yup! You rejected all of our other attempts.”

At this, Hunk snorts. “Our attempts? More like you dragging me along to whatever scheme you had planned.”

Lance splutters. He can’t really argue with that. So instead, he shoots back, “Don’t tell me you didn’t have fun!”

“I couldn’t tell over the multiple heart attacks you gave me.”

Their laughs echo through the large room before it fades to silence. Silence that allowed the three of them to simply gaze up and stare. Silence that reduced their conversations to nudging each other at the sight of a twinkling star, or wondering at a foreign planet, or simply pointing out that galaxy right up there on the left.

Silence that was eventually only broken by Pidge tapping them and pointing at a far star, blurting out quick bursts of fact. How that one got its glow. How to really tell a yellow sun from a red sun.

“A yellow dwarf sun is a G-type, while a red dwarf is a K or M type.” Matthew Holt said, leaning away from the telescope to let his daughter peer into it. They were originally trying to find Mars and Saturn but had unsurprisingly gotten off topic.

Katie looked through the telescope. Bundles of stars danced before her as she scribbled down notes. Keeping track of the telescope position and their conversation. “Our sun is a yellow dwarf right?”

She didn’t have to see her father’s face to know that he was beaming. “Correct!” She heard him shift and after a moment, “You take after me with note-taking.”

Katie laughed. “Completely unreadable except to us?”

“Unfortunately so.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her away from the telescope to check it for himself. She stepped away, not at all bothered considering she’s done the same thing to him far more times than she can count.

As he adjusted the telescope, she moved back to her journal. Little columns of notes decorated the sides of her paper, describing everything and nothing. An entire notebook filled with facts she’s learned from both books and from nights like these with her dad.

Katie paused mid-note. “I’m going to miss you.”

He pulled away from the telescope to pull her into a hug. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

She swallowed hard. Tried to keep the tears at bay as she attempted to laugh. “You’re taking Matt with you, you can take your time.”

Her dad held her tighter, calling her out on her lie. “We’ll miss you too Kit-kat.”

“You better bring me back space dust.”

He let her go and gestured to her notes. “Only if you can tell me what compounds make up the moon.”

Katie gave a watery smile and nodded.

“Was the red sun the one from Krypton?” Lance asks, ignoring how Pidge jumps a little.

She pushes up her glasses and wipe at her eyes, voice unsteady. “Uh yeah…yeah, I think it was actually.”

Hunk sees the tears gathering under her eyes and scoots a little closer. He doesn’t say anything, but Pidge still relaxes as if he had hugged her. She gives him a grateful look and takes a stuttering breath.

Lance scoots closer as well and wraps a hand over Pidge’s. “You okay?”

She nods. Leans her head on Hunk’s shoulder while gripping Lance’s like a lifeline. Secure as a hug. It’s been a long time since she’s felt steady. Since she was able to breathe without her family and see the one she’s accidentally made here.

Footsteps from the corridor has all of them freezing. Hunk and Pidge hold back their laughter as Lance gives a long, dramatic sigh.

“Whoever it is,” he yells, “We’re in here and you’re welcome to join us!”

“Uhh…” Keith’s voice echoes back, “Alright.”

By the time he joins them, Pidge feels a little steadier. Keith’s gaze sweeps over them all before he settles himself next to Lance. Next to the spot that still has a little bit of console to lean against.

Hunk chuckles. “If anyone else is going to join us, they missed out on the comfortable spots.”

Laughter rolls through the line of them, half agreeing, half noticing that they aren’t really comfortable leaning up against the awkwardly curved metal. But still, it offers a nice view of the sky and allows them to stretch their legs so it’s good enough.

Pidge leans forward, catching Keith’s gaze. “Couldn’t sleep either?”

“Not really,” comes the reply, “I typically go to the training deck but-”

“But you heard our awesome conversation and investigated?” Lance says.

“Basically.” Keith’s lips quirk up. “So what are you guys doing here?”

Hunk gestures at the huge windows that take up most of what they see. “Enjoying the view.”

“Sounds nice.” It’s been awhile since Keith truly star-gazed and he’s been meaning to but…things kept getting in the way. So now he scoots forward, away from the group just to be that tiny bit closer to the stars that lazily swirl above them.

“Communication’s down!” Tess announced, flouncing back in her seat.

To Keith’s side, Jason sighed. “Show time everyone. We’re on the clock and I want to get a headstart.” He moved to unbuckle himself. “Keith, please make our landing soft, I don’t feel like getting a concussio-”

Keith’s arm shot out to pause Jason in his tracks. “Or…we continue with the plan.”

The silence that descended over the cabin was oppressive. Jason’s stare burned holes into Keith’s head. “Are you crazy? Section 9 dictates that once communications go down we need to land and get it back online.”

“For what?” Keith was already placing his hands back on the handles. “For them to tell us that we still need to get the parcel?”

“To restore communica-”

“That’ll just add precious minutes to our final time.”

Keith didn’t have to hide his smile as Jason reluctantly buckled himself back in. He cast a glance back at Tess to make sure that she’s secure before taking off once more. Away from the digital planet they were supposed to land on.

Every simulation was more or less the same. Double check every single move with the Garrison. But still get a good time. Keith shook his head, setting his course on the pick up mission. A parcel in which they already know all the details to.

He ignored Jason’s warning and sped off. Towards success, his way, not theirs. He would deal with his officer’s reprimands and grudging respect later. He’d focus on Shiro’s disapproving stare when the time came.

For now, he flew. Letting the thrill of it run through his veins in a way he would never tire of. Towards the stars that he longed for so long to reach, enjoying how they turn to brightly colored streaks that he flew past them.

“What time do you think it is?”

Keith blinks. For the briefest second, he wants nothing more than to get into the Red Lion and take off into the night. Another second, and the feeling passes. He scoots back to the console, watching as Lance considers the question.

The answer he rattles off goes over everyone’s head at first before they convert it.

“It’s freaky how quickly you caught onto Altean time,” Pidge teases.

Lance grins, puffing himself up. “What can I say? I’m pretty and smart.”

The groan that stretches across them only makes his grin grow. He gives a laugh and collapses back against the console, bravado faded back to a level seen only at his calmest moments.

Hunk peers over at the doorway. “Do you guys think we should go get Shiro?”

Pidge fiddles with her glasses, eyebrows knit. “No. He’s probably asleep.”

“Not really,” Keith says, “He sleeps about as much as us.”

The reason why hangs above their heads. A storm cloud no one knows how to address. So they don’t. Instead, Lance gestures dramatically. “Going by how this night is going, Shiro will be here any second now.”

Keith glances at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Watch, he’ll show up.”

“Shiro never comes here at night, he never even leaves his room.”

“I’m right. In fact,” Lance readjusts himself, crossing his legs under him and holding up three fingers. . “He’ll be here in three….”

Pidge stares at him. “It’s nearly statistically impossible for-”

“Two…”

Hunk shrugs. “Just let him have his moment. He’ll learn from it when-”

“One!”

“-Shiro doesn’t show up.”

A new voice joins the fray. “Guys…why aren’t you all asleep?”

There’s silence for the span of a single heartbeat before the three of them suck in a breath and unleash the sounds of victory, disbelief, and incredulity, in that order. It’s difficult to say who screams first. Though, it’s a good bet that it’s Lance.

“I KNEW IT!”

“WHAT? HOW?”

“OH MY GOD LANCE!”

The wall of sheer volume slams into Shiro and in the several seconds it takes for them to calm down, he stands there. Staring. When they finally run out of breath, he blinks. Once. Twice.

“Guys…” What the fuck?

Shiro doesn’t need to say it for everyone to hear it. Out of everyone, Keith is the first to crack. He gives a spluttering laugh that quickly morphs into a whole one that spreads across the line.

Through giggles, Lance notices that Shiro hasn’t moved. He waves him over and watches as Shiro takes a tentative step, as if wondering if they were going to start screaming again. “We were just wondering when you’d show up. Want to stargaze with us?”

Shiro nods. As he crosses the room and sits next to Hunk, he says, “Looks like I’m late to the party.”

Hunk shakes his head. “We’ve all been trickling in.”

Shiro nods again. He sits ramrod straight, posture sure and instinctual, as he gazes up at the stars. “Glad to know I’m not the only one who still loves them.”

Pidge chuckles, the sound nothing more than a simple exhale of breath. “I’ve loved them since I was a kid. I don’t think I’ll get over it.”

Keith catches her eye, smiling. “Me too. I used to want nothing more than to reach them.”

“And now?”

He shrugs, the grin resembling more of a smirk. “I can’t get enough.”

There’s a beat of silence before Hunk chimes in. “When I see them, I see swirled paint and calm ocean nights. It’s hard not to love them.”

Lance leans forward. “What about you Shiro?”

A little boy quietly shoved his window up, glancing back to check that he didn’t wake anyone up. No one stirred. With a book tucked under his arm, and a flashlight in the other, Shiro pushed himself up onto the windowsill.

He climbed up onto the roof, movements sure from experience. Crept a little farther up so that the entire sky stretched above him. With stars that looked so close you could almost touch them and stars that looked so far away that his mind swam with possibilities of what could be out there.

With eyes reflecting the night sky, Shiro opened his book on his lap and clicked on the flashlight. Constellations spread out across the pages, scientific reasonings, and explanations for the universe he knew he was going to see one day.

Shiro peered up at the stars. Compared it to his book. Constellations and positions of them, the names of the stars, everything. He sat there for hours, too enthralled to even care that he wasn’t comfortable.

And when he finally felt his eyes grow heavy, he reluctantly went back inside. Crawled underneath his blankets and fell asleep with the last thing he saw being the glow-in-the-dark stars and planets stuck to his ceiling.

The Shiro in the here and now simply smiles. “I’ve loved them for as long as I can remember.”

The five of them share a smile at their shared past. Until, Lance’s fades. He looks down, swallowing hard.

“Does it…does it bother anyone else that it’s the wrong sky?”

Lance’s words settle over them, bringing back the storm clouds. Pidge is the first to react. She looks up at the sky with a large, sad gaze that says everything they’re all feeling. “I didn’t want to be the first to say it.” She sighs. “I can’t recognize any of it.”

One by one, Hunk, Keith, and Shiro murmur their agreements. A shared love for the stars, the universe brought them here. But what they’ve spent so long staring at, dreaming of, is gone. The stars they knew, the planets they were so used to orbiting their Earth, are so far away it seems like they’re gone for good.

Lance sniffs. “I used to be able to name every constellation in the sky. I could tell you their stories. But now…”

“Lance…” Keith starts, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Whatever he was about to say next is interrupted by Hunk’s gasp. “Hang on!” He jolts up so he can see everyone. “Why don’t we make our own?”

Pidge catches on before everyone else. A slow smile tugs at her lips. “This sky is completely foreign. Who says we can’t?”

“I’m with Hunk and Pidge,” Shiro says, “Let’s make our own constellations.”

And that’s how it starts. The five of them peering up at the stars that are so far from the ones they grew up but aren’t any less their own. Fingers trace out invisible patterns in the galaxies, the planets.

A young boy sitting and a woman pointing at the sky.

A woman painting.

A girl peering into a telescope.

A young pilot flying his ship.

A little boy on a rooftop with a book and flashlight.

In a sky none of them recognized, they mapped out the stars with their own constellations. Because in any sky, anywhere, there are are stories in the stars.

[jflashandclash]

Blood of a Mayan

Thirty-Two: Axel

This Gives “Keep Your Mouth Shut” a WHOLE Other Meaning

Warning: More adult and violence and blababla. Read at your own discretion.

Axel wanted the muzzle caging his fangs to dissolve more than he’d ever wanted anything before. His face was pressed into Santiago’s shoulder. It would be so easy to end it here.

Pax sobbed once aloud.

Santiago pulled away. He gave them a critical smile. Gently, Santiago placed his free hand on Pax’s face.

Pax went still.

“There’s no room for wilting flowers here Ajax. Smile and wipe away your tears.” As he spoke, Santiago rubbed the watery streaks from under Pax’s eyes.

Pax swallowed, choked, and smiled. “Yes, father.”

Santiago released him and threw his hands open in a grand gesture. “Today is a day of celebration! My strongest cubs have returned—” Those seated pounded their fists into the dinner table in applause. Axel could guarantee that Marvin was a half-second late. “Furthermore, I shall rejoin my beloved goddess today! And we have new guests. Please, step forward and state your ancestry.”

At the words state your ancestry, Axel had to withhold a flinch. Santiago was debating on whether or not they were royal war prisoners. If there was one tradition Santiago did like to uphold, it was sacrificing royal war prisoners.

Hiro dragged Calex forward first. Although blurry eyed and leaning heavily on the tinier boy for support, he managed to raise his chin, seeming to realize this was something important. “I—I’m Calex Rupin McKenzie.”

“And your parents?” Santiago patiently requested. His hands had settled back onto the top of his cane.

“I’m the son of Tiwa McKenzie and Eros,” Calex stated.

Hiro rolled his eyes and exhaled dramatically, dragging Calex over to the table. He shoved Calex in front of the blue ice cream sundae, in the middle of the table.

Santiago grinned. “Welcome Calex, son of Eros and Tiwa.”

Axel’s muscles clenched. Santiago was looking at them as war prisoners.

Hiro and Lapis brought the others forward one at a time, all with similar announcements, Santiago properly welcoming each of them with their parent’s titles.

Merry still looked calm and disoriented, mumbling, “Maari Blythe, the bodacious daughter of Shreya Blythe and the God of Theater and Religious Ecstasy and not caring after 5:00.”

There were giggles from the table behind them.

Euna seemed more inattentive as usual, glancing around, but not at the other members of Santiago’s entourage. At the tables. “Uh—Euna Song, my dad’s—”

“Gods, you’re bad at this,” Joey interrupted. She stood tall beside Euna, despite being several inches shorter.  “We’re daughters of Demeter and Song Hyun-Woo. I’m Song JooYeon.”

Euna scowled at her little sister as Lapis directed them over to the table. Lapis chuckled. “You’re cute Grass Hippie,” she said.

Kally was pushed forward next. “I—um—Kalypso Kassand, daughter of… of… Lorna Kassand and Apollo.”

Axel could hear the discomfort of announcing Apollo as her dad. Kally flinched when Santiago laughed.

“Kassand? As in Kassandra?” Santiago asked, his smile growing.

“Dad—” Pax pleaded.

“Quiet,” Santiago whispered.

Pax silenced and paled.

“And a connection to Apollo…” Santiago mused. “Oh, my poor flower. You should ask Ajax the story of his namesake. Welcome Kaylpso Kassand, daughter of Apollo and Lorna.” He motioned a hand towards the smaller table.

Kally glanced at Pax in alarm before Lapis sat her at the seat with cherry ice cream.

Santiago nodded and turned back to Axel, Pax, and Kouta. “Now, before we begin…” Santiago raised his eyebrows at Kouta. “You shot your brother.”

“He started it,” Kouta grumbled. “He bit me.”

“Boys,” Santiago said. There were some chuckles from the larger table. “How are we ever going to get a good Christmas photo with all these slings?” He gestured behind his throne. On the wall, Axel knew there was a family photo, one taken days after Santiago had captured them. In that photo, Axel’s other arm was in a sling.

“Maybe we could all wear matching ones,” Santiago joked.

“You celebrate Christmas?” Kally whispered. She must not have realized she had spoken aloud. She immediately went red and covered her mouth.

“We’re Catholics, Red,” Lapis said. “Among other things.”

This appeared too much for Kally to process as she glanced around at their hedonistic alter in bafflement.  

“Axel, Ajax, you may go sit with your friends for the ice cream social. I’ll need Ajax’s and someone else’s assistance in a minute. Hiroyuki, Kouta, and Lapis, play nice with your brother’s toys,” Santiago said.

Axel wanted to snarl at him. Somewhere in him knew that Santiago had hoped Axel would collapse during the conversation. The throbbing in his shoulder was now difficult to ignore, but Axel tried not to look too relieved at the thought of sitting down.

Axel’s chocolate sundae was placed between Pax’s and Lapis’s seats, across from Calex. Hiro plopped down on Pax’s other side, across from Euna. He dumped an oblong, striped beach towel between him and Euna. Axel sighed. He doubted Hiro even knew what Backbiter was.

Euna was already halfway through her ice cream. Axel had to admire her unwavering appetite, though he supposed they hadn’t eaten in over a day. Her face had healed completely, earning some suspicious glances from Hiro. Every so many bites, she’d pause, shake her head, then resume eating.

Joey, across from Pax, frowned at her strawberry ice cream. “Uh, Mr. Pax? How did you know our favorite flavors?” she asked.

“Santiago is fine dear. Lapis and Hiroyuki have been following you since that River Styx incident. Hiroyuki was wise enough to take note of what kind of Kool-Aid you wanted at the blacksmith’s shack, because he knows that food is the most important way to get to anyone’s heart,” he said.

Hiro winked at Joey. He raised his hands to sign but Pax quickly shoved them back down. Axel would have to thank Pax for that later.

Dumb didn’t properly describe Axel’s feelings. He should have smelled Hiro and Lapis. He’d been so obsessed over getting Backbiter, he’d completely lost awareness of his surroundings. Xibalba, he’d even trained Lapis how to stalk people and vehicles without being detected.  His absentmindedness was pathetic.

“We’ve been paralleling each other for longer than either of us realized,” Santiago continued. “I hope you’ve enjoyed all those quests we set up for you.”

The seven of them stopped looking at—or eating in Euna’s case—the ice cream to stare at Santiago.

“What was it that Atë said to you? About how gods can’t mess with other Olympians, but heroes… heroes can go anywhere,” Santiago’s handsome smile grew to crinkle the wrinkles around his eyes. “Well, here are your heroes.”

He nodded towards Lapis, Kouta, and Hiro. Hiro bowed as deep as he could from his seat. Lapis glared at Santiago, clearly already bored with whatever speech he had prepared. Kouta smirked and puffed his chest out as best he could with his injured shoulder.

“Huh,” Merry murmured. That summarized the reaction from the group. Calex and Merry were too out of it to comment much further. Kally had gone pale. Joey glanced over to make eye contact with Euna, but Euna was considering her ice cream, still shaking her head every few seconds.

Axel slumped into his seat, trying to ignore the pain that shot through his shoulder and the exhaustion blurring his gaze. Everything? Their father had planned everything?

That couldn’t be right—he knew Pax had gotten the original idea from—

“We were the ones who tricked Artemis and Apollo into hunting the Teumessian Fox, who set Athena and Poseidon against one another for a museum, who sent Hephaestus a fake postcard from his wife and her lover, who started an argument between Zeus and Hera, who released rats into Harmonia’s[1] bed—”

“That had nothing to do with any of this,” Lapis whispered to Axel. “He just hates Harmonia and wanted to flirt with Ajaxapax’s mom”

“—and I personally knocked over the grains in Hemera’s kitchen,” Santiago finished with a crazed smile.

Joey’s jaw dropped in irritation and she set her ice cream spoon back into the dish. She glared across the table at Pax, who looked near tears again. “Your big, evil father is a practical prankster?” She huffed the pink bangs out of her face. “Gods, you make SO much more sense now.”

Santiago gave a heartfelt laugh. “Oh, my dear, it was for so much more than that. I needed some of the more attentive deities distracted. In particular, I needed Hemera focused on frivolous matters so I could set up a trap for that lovely, primordial Goddess of Day. What better a heart to eat than that of a goddess whose powers have weakened from lack of use, but are so raw and pure.”

“You captured Hemera?” Kally asked. Her eyes widened and shot to the Golden Net on Lapis’s shoulder. Axel wondered if Lapis could ever untangle from that.

Santiago shook his head at the net. “There is more than one way to capture a god, little flower. I gave her to Ajax’s mother for safe keeping, but she’ll return Hemera to me at sunrise.”

“To… eat her heart?” she whispered.

Santiago’s plot for ascension became clear to Axel. A lump formed in his stomach.

“There are two parts to this plan. A Greek one, and a more traditional one. My children have been gathering pieces of the first, to contribute to my empire’s rise to fame.” He gestured towards the larger table and the guests sitting there. Another gaggle of laughter erupted from the occupants.

Santiago stepped away from his throne to walk alongside the sputtering black fire. He walked slowly, purposefully. Axel knew it was partially to cover a slight limp in his left leg. Frasco said they’d been playing in the jungle as children and Santiago had fallen from a tree. Frasco had also told other renditions of the story where Santiago had been cursed by an ancient stone “for being a coatimundi’s butt.”[2]

“I spent my childhood in poverty—” Santiago began.

“Ah-Puch[3] save us,” Lapis grumbled. Hiro rolled his eyes and Kouta slumped back into his seat. Pax sat up in excitement.

“This is it,” Pax whispered.

“—and struggled to build up my own company, a pharmaceutical distribution company, something respectable by title and power. We help people.  We happen to provide trazodone, alprazolam, lorazepam, diazepam, and clonazeplam--among others—to hundreds of thousands of troubled individuals around the world.”

Across from Axel, Calex frowned in confusion. “Antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds,” Calex murmured.

“Very good, Mr. McKenzie,” Santiago said. He tapped his cane against the stone floor. “It’s why Hiroyuki had ready access to what you ingested.”

Calex shook his head. Axel could tell from the strained look on Calex’s face that he was trying to keep focus; he knew something was wrong but couldn’t fight the effects of the drug. “B—But Mandrax[4] isn’t legal—” he said.

“Not in every part of the world,” Santiago agreed. “But we provide to many countries. How do you know so much?”

“My mum is a nurse...” Calex trailed off, but kept eye contact with Santiago. Axel clenched his jaw. After Nilley had died, it took Axel months to refer to her in the past tense. In Calex’s current state, he had to wonder if his friend even remembered his mother was dead.

“Ah, an excellent occupation for Tiwa. She’ll be able to witness first hand what’s about to happen over the next few days,” Santiago said. He paced closer to their group, standing alongside the pithos alter. “We’ve been crafting a new drug to replace those drugs. This one will take maybe… 24—36 hours to take effect. We wanted the delay. This will function closer to amphetamines, lysergic acid, or phencyclidline, to increase paranoia, agitation, disassociation, and aggression.”

Calex’s frown deepened. “Those are… really bad drugs. That’s… that’s PCP and LSD. That’s going to make—”

“—a lot of very vulnerable people violently aggressive and paranoid,” Santiago finished. He smiled at the pithos. “ But that wasn’t quite enough for me. That would only make them feel invulnerable. I wanted to give people who took my drug temporary godly invulnerability while having something burn them on the inside, to give them more reason to murder those around them.”

“So you’re using water from the River Styx?” Kally asked. She looked queasy. Axel wondered how many of her friends were on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. “Won’t that… kill mortals?”

Santiago shrugged. “We’ve been testing it. A small enough doses boiled into the medication—” He waved his hand to the boiling black fire. “—unlikely. You must understand, little flower, Dionysus ascended because he made something wonderful out of the blood of a dying friend. Then he made a cult to follow it. He moved the masses with madness. I plan to follow in his footsteps.”

Merry opened her mouth. Axel was glad Kally immediately put a hand over it to muffle her.

“That’s the Greek part of the plan. I already have my worshipers. The first shipment of the improved medication goes out in the morning once this is done brewing,” Santiago continued with a small smile at the two them. “According to more standard traditions, the second part of my plan involves my little Discordian followers giving me a sacrifice at dawn: Hemera. And then I’m going to eat her heart. And you brought me the blade to make a godly sacrifice possible.” He gestured towards the towel between Hiro and Euna.

Pax shuddered and whispered, “Dear Python. Take note: this is how you do a good evil monologue… albeit with an overtly complicated plot.”

Axel could tell Pax’s little moment of bravado was an act. Tears were rimming his eyes.

“So… so Mom set us up?” Pax blubbered. “Sh—she told us to get the sword and Golden Net to come after you. She—she—” Pax gulped like this was the worst part. “—makes plans!”

Santiago chuckled and made a motion to the table behind them. Winry and the man from before must have reentered. They stood behind Axel and Hiro. Axel wished he could think clearly. Between having Winry behind him and the muzzle strapped across his mouth, he felt more trapped.

“No, Ajax. Your mother never picks sides,” Santiago said with a smile. “She gave us the same amount of information. She told us to go after the same things. I’ll bet she even let you spy on one of my conversations with her, just like she let me spy on one of her conversations with you.”

Pax shrugged sheepishly, glancing between Winry and the other man. Winry gave him a comforting wink.

“Your mother just puts bombs on the field and giggles as they go off. I recognized what she was doing before you did, though I didn’t know you’d be trying to bring order to the gods. It does explain what she was talking about when she said she gave you high ratings and hot peppers on RateMyDemiGod.com. It must have been to keep you busy.”

That took a moment to sink in, but even Axel had to grumble, “Augh,” at the thought of Pax’s mom giving him hot bars. He could picture Hemera scrolling through some weird god website with pictures of him and his brother doing acrobatics. AND Hephaestus probably had done the same thing, furious to see Aphrodite had upvoted them.

“She’ll be here at dawn to deliver Hemera to my worshipers and celebrate with us,” Santiago said. “You can ask her then. You see, we used something else to capture Hemera and handed the goddess over for safe keeping. That way, when my Queen gets here, I can invite her to take me as her official consort.”

Santiago tenderly stroked the pithos. Since it was just a pithos, it treated the caress with indifference. Santiago shrugged and turned back to face them. “If she refuses, I’ll capture her with the Golden Net, kill her with the blade, and take her place as a God of Turmoil.”

“Dad!” Pax cried.

Santiago put a hand up for silence. “You’ll understand when you’re older, son. Love does funny things to you.”

Joey folded her arms and glared over at Pax and Axel. She mouthed the words, What is wrong with your family?

Hiro put his thumbs out, crossed his hands overtop each other, flattened them so they were palm up, and uncrossed them. The ASL symbol for: everything.

After the evening’s events, Axel couldn’t really contradict the assessment.

“So, you get the gist. Distribute the new drug to the unwary, eat a primordial goddess’s heart, marry my Queen, and ascend as a god myself. An excellent dinner show for all of you,” Santiago said. He lowered his hand to place both hands overtop the cane. “Dionysus had one last ingredient that I’m missing, but instead of a satyr’s blood… I think I want a few drops of something a little more chaotic.”

As he said it, the color drained out of Pax’s face. Winry and the other man grabbed either of his arms and flipped his chair as they picked him up.

“¡Ay! ¡No otra ves!” Pax screamed and kicked. His combat boot nailed the ice cream dish, splattering the Reese’s sundae all over Joey. “¡No Papá! ¡Basta!”[5]

Axel tried to stand up and almost blacked out. He collapsed back into his chair, feeling Kouta’s fingers grip his bullet wound. The room went white temporarily as Axel struggled to maintain consciousness.

“He’s just being a baby,” Kouta snarled.

Axel didn’t care. This was a mockery of their heritage and an insult to their gods.

When Axel could steady his breathing enough to focus, he could see Santiago had pulled something off his neck. It was an honorary necklace, a string of obsidian thorns. He withdrew a scroll of parchment from his vest and dropped it at his feet.

Winry and the other lackey struggled to drag Pax in front of their father. Once Pax was level with Santiago, he went still, legs dangling uselessly above the floor.

Kally’s hand had slipped under the table, likely into her messenger bag. She breathed heavily, but glanced at Axel for affirmation to attack.

Joey scowled at Hiro, who tapped on the table with a dart. Euna shook her head, seeming as unaware of the situation as Merry or Calex.

Santiago slammed his cane into a crack in the floor so it could free stand. He leisurely took off his jacket to hang it on the cane and carefully rolled each sleeve up past his elbows. Once done, he straightened his posture and smiled.

Pax stared at him in silent terror.

“Ajax,” Santiago cooed, brushing his son’s cheek with a finger. “Stick out your tongue.”

“Don’t you usually tell me not to stick out my tongue? It’s rude and—”

“Ajax, I only do this because I love you,” Santiago assured him with that calming, charming smile.

Pax choked back a sob. “If this is love, I don’t want to be loved—!” Pax’s shout blurred to incoherent whimpers as Santiago pinched Pax’s mouth open.

Autosacrifice. Axel remembered the first time Frasco taught the Pax children to use their birth right of Mopan royalty. Frasco used it for cheap circus tricks to make people laugh. He’d given them red Kool-Aid to practice with. Axel had used it in Kronos’s army, to become the monster of the Labyrinth with Hecate’s help. Most properly, it was supposed to be used to call upon the Vision Serpent. But it had to be done to oneself, hence auto, and it had to be willing.

This was heresy.

Although Axel couldn’t see Santiago’s fingers at work, he could hear Pax squeal as Santiago pulled the string of thorns through Pax’s tongue. He could hear drops of Pax’s blood as they dripped off Santiago’s elbows onto the piece of parchment. He could see Kally’s hand go over her mouth in horror and how Joey recoiled with a, “Augh!”

Pax’s boots squeaked as the tips barely touched the surface of the floor. He writhed.

Axel shook his head at Joey and Kally. They couldn’t do anything.

But Joey Song didn’t listen. She stood up. “Stop!” she snapped. “That’s…. disgusting. And Kally is eating red ice cream and you shouldn’t hurt your son like that!”

Hiro glanced at their father, waiting for an order to dart her. Lapis sighed. “Well, if that isn’t an understatement. You should see what happens to us when we forget to take out the trash,” she grumbled.

Santiago pulled the last thorn through without any indication of hearing Joey. Once done, he hummed softly, picking the parchment off the ground. Just as methodic as how he’d rolled up his sleeves, he wiped as much of the blood on his hands and arms onto the parchment as possible. Then he dabbed up the blood sputtering down Pax’s chin.

Pax coughed, spitting red speckles on Santiago’s grey shirt. He tried to sob, but this only made him cough more.

“Thank you, Ajax,” Santiago said with genuine gratitude. He kissed Pax’s forehead—a gesture he only did when he was very proud—and motioned him away.

Winry and the lackey carried Pax back to his seat. Blood still streamed down his chin. The lackey released him and righted Pax’s chair. As soon as they sat him in his seat, Pax curled into a ball and leaned into Axel’s shoulder.

Axel didn’t even have the strength to wrap an arm around his shoulder. Instead, he leaned his head down on top of Pax’s, furious with himself. He’d promised Pax this would never happen again.

Without waiting for permission, Kally stumbled to her feet and dashed around the table. She’d already withdrawn a small med kit from her messenger bag. Axel could have kissed her for how she took Pax’s hand, hugged him, then scrambled to grab the right medical supplies.

While Kally tended to Pax’s tongue, Joey hadn’t sat down. She stood there, scowling at Santiago. Axel hoped Euna would reprimand her, but Euna had her head in her hands, muttering to herself. Axel wanted to shout at Joey that she needed to stand down. Now was not the time.

But Santiago was already turning his attention to her. He gave her a roguish smile. Instead of putting his jacket back on, he slung it over one shoulder and picked up his cane. He calmly answered, “Miss Song, my son has the most powerful blood out of any of us. I’ve almost ascended to godhood before, it was right when I met my dear Mistress of Chaos. And that’s when Pax was born, more god than mortal. So his blood will make the most powerful sacrifice. Plus, by using his blood, it will increase his chances of godhood later.”

She snorted. “Oh, because your blood is too weak? And you’re too much of a coward to do…” She gestured vaguely at him. “Do…. Gross stuff with your tongue? You assault a—a puppy.”

Although Pax couldn’t get the words out with his injured tongue and Kally’s fingers in his mouth, Axel knew his whines were meant to say, I am small but mighty!

Santiago laughed.

The members at the table behind them all went, “oooooOOOOOoooo.”

Axel could hear Marvin mutter, “Oh, this is gonna be good.”

Axel tried to clear his throat to tell Joey to sit down, but his voice came out like a whisper. His body wouldn’t react like he wanted it to—he’d pushed too hard. Now, he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“I said I would require an assistant Miss JooYeon Song. Would you like to volunteer?” Santiago asked and motioned to his side. “It’s the most rewarding position in the temple. “

“An assistant?” Joey snapped. She stormed around the table and towards Santiago. Her hand jammed into her pocket. Axel had an exhausted moment of hope. Had she snuck some walnuts into her pocket? Had Santiago accidentally armed some of his prisoners?

Maybe Joey could escape through the top of the temple. He hadn’t thought about it—but she could make a tree. How would they get everyone out though? Something was clearly wrong with Euna, Pax was demoralized, and there was no way Kally could take Calex and Merry up a tree on her own.

Once Joey leveled with Santiago to stand between the pithos and the fire, Santiago chuckled again. “You remind me of my late Haruko,” he said.

Hiro flinched at the first name of his mother.

Although Axel couldn’t see Joey’s face, he could see her shoulders go rigid. He could envision her snarl now of, I’m Korean, not Japanese, you blind jerk.

Santiago lifted the hand holding the cane and reddened rag, offering out the piece of parchment soaked in blood. “My plans culminate on this, my darling. What would you say if I left its fate up to you.”

Axel could see what Santiago was doing. He’d done this to Axel multiple times before. But Joey was younger than Axel and hadn’t dealt with this kind of manipulation. She took the bait.

Joey snatched the paper and tossed it into the boiling black flames beside her.

Exactly where Santiago had hoped.

As soon as the Royal Mopan blood touched the blaze, it sputtered a brilliant turquoise, casting a cooling hue around the entire throne room. The torches that lined the walls popped and crackled, puffing into darkness. The pressure dropped in the room and Axel could feel his ears pop.

Joey had been pulling something round from her pocket, but, as the flames exploded beside her, she screamed and flinched.

Santiago chuckled and released his jacket. It fluttered to the floor. He snatched her hand, withdrawing the walnuts therein.

Joey didn’t look at him. She gawked at the flames. The monster from her nightmares that had been plaguing her for months.

Axel tried to shout at her to run, but his voice still wouldn’t work. It took all of his strength to keep his head in position to see what was happening. The most rewarding position in the temple. Axel felt stupid for missing it. There were two ways to go straight to paradise and Santiago had meant that as the reward.

“It’s almost perfect, isn’t it JooYeon?” Santiago laughed, marveling at the boiling mix of the River Styx, drugs, and Pax family blood. “But I think it’s missing something.”

Something in his voice broke Joey’s paralysis. Her wide eyes met his and he released his cane to take both of her hands. Santiago’s roguish grin widened. He leaned down to her ear. Even with Axel’s ears straining, he could barely hear his father’s enticing whisper over the roar of the flames, “It needs more… body.”

Joey tried to wrench back. She went to kick Santiago in the smartest place she could, but he’d anticipated her move. As soon as she went off balance to attack him, he shoved her backwards into the flames.[6]

Thank you for reading! One more chapter to go! Has any of this been surprising for anyone?  I know there was foreshadowing but was... at least 200 pages ago. Regardless, I hope you're still enjoying! Er.... um.... well, even if you're probably a bit mad at me right now >>''

[1] Goddess of Harmony and Concord. NOT Hemera, the primordial goddess of day. Two different goddesses.

[2] These are Coatimundi. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/77/0a/0e/770a0e9bf266d63e99e6b01c96c0716c.jpg

Now you have another cute animal to “aw” at ^.^

[3] A Mayan god of death (among other things…)

[4] Methaqualone. Also known as White Pipe. To be far, it’s stronger than how I’m portraying it. Merry and Calex should be falling over more often. (Also, it isn’t an antidepressant. It was originally marketed as a sleep aid before they realized it was dangerous.)

[5] Translation: “Not again! No Dad—Stop/Enough!”

[6] Sooooo, in the original version of this story, Joey’s heart was cut out in old school Mayan fashion as you would with a noble sacrifice. I thought that might have been *ehem* a little too violent for this book… so…. Ta-da! Homage to a great movie instead.