#Save a Greek Stray

[revon-aurora-borealis]

Dear friends

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸❤🤍💚🖤

thanks to your donations and participation, we are approaching the halfway point of the goal, with only less than €950 left.

I hope to reach it today with your participation and donations.

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸❤🤍💚🖤

took a long time answer this but im still posting it

DONATE AND/OR REBLOG

[beautifulheartandspirit]

Part 2

If you want to read Sandy’s story and help her out please message me for the link..❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥺please be human ❤️say no animal cruelty!!

[artria-melody]

I hope you, your family and your loved ones are well

We are not well. We are now homeless and in a very dangerous area. Tanks are now approaching us and missiles are above us Can you donate to me today so we can escape from this area to a safer area

The cost of the transportation vehicle is $100. I hope you can afford half. We are now in the street

and it is late at night

I hope you can help me, my dear

https://gofund.me/57ddaa99

https://www.paypal.me/IbrahimHussein771

Hi!! I can't donate unfortunately so I'll share instead so your campaign reaches those who can! I hope you reach your goal, may Allah protect you and your family! ❤❤

[bet-on-me-13]

Wes ruins everything

Wes had finally done it, he had finally realized why nobody ever belived him about Fenton and Phantom! It made so much sense now, he had been looking for an answer for years, thinking he was going crazy because everybody refused to see the Obvious!

He was Cursed!

He literally had an Ancestoral Curse on his Bloodline that made it so that all those born with the gift of Prophecy would be ignored! A Gift of Prophecy that he apparently had.

It was Cassandra's Curse, the one from Greek Myths. Apparently she was his Great×1000 Grandmother and passed down the Gift (and Curse) of Prophecy to him. And he knew how to break it!

All he needed to do was gather the right resources, chant the correct incantations, make sure not to accidentally summon a Demon in the process, and he could just foist the Curse onto some other poor schmuck. Sure it would suck for them, and he would loose his Gift of Prophecy, but Wes had been ignored for Years at this point, he needed validation!

So he did the Ritual, and he didn't mess it up, and he managed to get rid of the Curse.

Now all he had to do was convince everybody that he was right for the first time in his life! This was going to be great!

...

Cass didn't know what was going on.

A while ago, she had started getting these...gut feelings that she couldn't explain.

She would look over the details of a Case her Family was working on, and see a patern that the others were seemingly ignoring. Like when she realized that The Penguin was about to raid the Docks on the East Side, but the others were convinced it was going to be on the West.

But when she had tried to tell them, they had brushed her off. "We've already concluded that he will begin the Raid on the West side, no need to go to the East."

She had gone anyways, and low and behold she had been right. But nobody even acknowledged that she had been right at all, they had just wondered how they had missed the signs, not even questioning how she had known.

It wasn't limited to Cases either. Even small things, like telling her brother's where the TV remote was were brushed off, and hours later they would still be looking, never even having checked where she told them.

It seemed that no matter what, nobody cared about her point of view anymore. They kept brushing her off, telling her she was wrong, actively ignoring her ideas.

And it was getting worse. They were starting to ignore her more and more, forgetting she was in the room, not calling her down for Dinner, even forgetting to check in on her during Patrol.

She knew that there must be something going on, Magical or otherwise, but when she tried bringing it up with her Dad or JLD, they would also Brush her off.

Her Family was forgetting her. And they didn't even realize it.

...

Danny was not okay at the moment.

When he had gone to school a few weeks ago and noticed everybody staring at him, he didn't give it much thought. Maybe Dash or Paulina had spread another Rumor about him again, not too out of the ordinary.

When his name had been called over the Intercom, he hadn't thought much of that either. His grades were falling even more than usual, so he assumed his Guidance Counselor wanted to have another talk with him.

When he walked into the Principals Office to see both of his Parents and some GIW Agents, that's when he realized something big must have happened.

He didn't have much of a chance to react when the Shields went up, but he did react when the first Ecto-Blast scorched the wall behind him. His Parents began to scream at him as they fired their Blasters, something about replacing somebody? He didn't know, he was pretty preoccupied at the moment.

It took more effort than he cared to admit to escape the Room, but a stray shot to the hidden Shield Projector under the Principals Desk proved to be his saving grace. Unfortunately the moment he escaped the Office, he was met with a veritable Army of GIW Agents, all armed to the Teeth with Weapons he had never even seen before.

He managed to get away for a moment, hiding in the Bathroom as the Agents chasing him passed it by. That's when he met Wes.

He obviously hadn't been expecting him, but the moment he saw him Wes put on a smug look. "Oh hi Fenton, trying to get away from the other students?"

Danny had replied with confusion, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I finally managed to convince everybody about you, now everyone knows that you're Phantom! I'll bet you're hiding from all of the other Students hounding you for questions right?"

"...it was you?"

"Yeah, so? I finally get to be right!"

"...You absolute MORON-"

That was the last Danny got to say to Wes before an Ecto-Blast launched him through a Wall, seeing his face morph into a look of Shock just before the dust cloud covered it up.

Since that day, Danny had been on the Run. Nowhere was safe anymore now that the GIW knew both his Human and Ghost's faces, but he had to keep running. He crossed state Lines already, and was on his way to the next Ecto-Rich City he could sense, somewhere in New Jersey.

He cursed his Fenton Luck every day. Why had everybody believed Wes this time?! Nobody had ever belived him before, nobody even seemed to acknowledge his existence after a while! What had changed?

Danny just wanted to rest already.

...

Cass had taken to Patrolling alone recently. She had taken to doing a lot of things alone, actually.

After the first month, it seemed that nobody could remember that she was in the room with them, even if she was within their eyeline, she just faded into the background. By the 2 Month Mark they had stopped talking to her entirely, although occasionally she would get a Text or two from her dad. By the 3 month Mark she was completely invisible, and By the 5th she had been forced to get used to it.

She didn't know what was going on, was it a Meta Ability? Magic? Alien Tech? She had no idea.

She had begun to cook for herself after the first time Alfred forgot to set her Plate at the Table. The same with Washing her own Clothes, Cleaning her Room, and Paying her Phone Bills. At the very least the Automated Allowance Payments to her Account had kept up, or she wouldn't have been able to go to her favorite Cafe anymore.

It was bittersweet for her. She used to go to that Cafe every week with Alfred, but he didn't even come on his own anymore. Had he only come for her? Did she really mean that much to them? It hurt, she finally had a family that cared for her and suddenly she didn't exist to them.

She sat alone at a Table, ignored by everyone in the Cafe as usual, when a new face walked in. He looked about her age, a little roughed up, walking with a sort of cautious gaint, as if he was scared of something. His Body Language seemed to agree with her assessment, as his body practically screamed "Worry" in its movements.

Cass stopped watching at that point. Just another Gotham Teen, probably worried over something like getting not having enough money or getting mugged on the way home. It was a Common sight in Gotham.

She attention was pricked again for a moment when she heard a voice speak up. "Uh, can I sit here?"

She ignored it, he wasn't talking to her.

"Um, excuse me? Miss? Could I sit here?" He repeated.

She ignored him again, he wasn't talking to her. Nobody talked to her.

"Hello? Do you have Earbuds in?" He said, and he waved his hand in front of her face.

Her face. He waved his hand. In front of Her Face.

He was talking to her.

She looked up at him sharply, seeming to startle him for a moment before he asked, "So, is that a no?"

"You can see me?" She asked.

He looked a bit bewildered, but replied "Uh, yeah? Why would I not? Are you...a Ghost?". That last part sounded a bit suspicious.

"No. Not a Ghost. But nobody sees me. Ever. Nobody remembers me." She replied. She had never spoken this much to anybody outside of her Family, but in the past few weeks she had been starved for interaction.

He seemed slightly interested, and sat down at her table. He looked her in the eyes, and said "Do you...talk about it?"

She smiled. He could see her.

[violentdelightsandviolentends]

Vienna. Two.

you want to shake him, scream at him, bare your heart to him. you don’t dare. not yet, anyway. you don’t know how to feel - and carmen doesn’t either.

pairing - childhood bestfriend!carmen berzatto x female reader

warnings - cursing.

word count - 2k

authors note - part two, baby! I hope you can start to understand their dynamic here - they’re like magnets. they’re a perfect match until they’re not. this is going to be fun… <3

part one. series masterlist. masterlist. inbox.

Everything is the same. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed. Nothing is the same.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

“We haven’t done this in a while, huh?”

You shake your head as you adjust the strap of your bag on your shoulder, taking a moment to look Carmen up and down.

He’s dressed up just for you, even attempted to style his hair. He’s wearing trousers and a linen shirt, loafers on his feet instead of the usual beat up sneakers. His jacket is slung over his arm, rings adorning his fingers. He looks handsome.

Although, admittedly, he always looks handsome to you. You’re not blind to the way girls look at him, how they looked at him when you were growing up. He’s always had this unassuming charm, this subtle, quiet beauty. He’s got striking features. Strong jaw, sloping nose, unruly curls.

He was always a skinny, lanky kid. Limbs too big for his body. He had a habit of tripping over his own feet, making both of you laugh no matter how many times it happened.

Now, he’s grown into himself. He looks strong. Broad shoulders, thick biceps, prominent thighs. He’s toned, muscled, built slightly like some sort of Greek God.

The realisation hits you all of a sudden, standing outside of The Bear. It takes you off your feet a little, causing you to sway sideways and into Carmy. His arm wraps around your hip as if by reflex, warmth from his palm bleeding through into the material of your dress. His cologne is woody and musky, and you know if you stand close enough to him for long enough that you’ll smell like it too.

“I’ve never had to do this,” he murmurs, breaking you out of your daydream. “Get seated at my own damn restaurant.”

You chuckle, fixing a stray curl that’s fallen into his eyes with gentle fingers.

“You ready? We’ve been stood here for like ten minutes, Carm. It’s kinda cold.”

You think that maybe this is all a little overwhelming for him, so you’re letting him take all the time he needs. He’s about to eat in his restaurant, the place he’s poured his heart and soul and savings into.

He nods, and you link your cold fingers with his warm ones at your side.

“Relax, Carm. Tonight is going to be incredible, alright? Just you, me, and some damn good food. We’ll be yapping each others ears off soon enough, and you won’t even be thinking about the service, or what’s happening in the kitchen.”

“You’re right,” he mumbles, squeezing your hand. “Just you and me.”

“The way it’s always been.”

You smile, and the smile you receive back is enough to light up your bones.

“Let’s fucking do this.”

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Richie seats you at the back of the restaurant, tucked away just out of sight. You’re grateful for the cover, and for the fact that Carmy can’t see into the kitchen.

“You nervous about them doing a night on their own, or about having dinner with me?”

His bright blue eyes snap up to meet yours, head tilting in confusion.

“Nervous?”

“You’re shaking the entire table with your knee, Carmen. I think you might be shaking the entire restaurant, actually.”

You reach out under the tablecloth to place a hand on his leg, his jitters stopping instantly.

“Sorry. Fuck, sorry.”

“Don’t apologise.”

“I need to chill the fuck out.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to be the one to say it.”

He laughs, then. Loudly. So loudly that Richie spins around to look at the two of you, fighting a smile as he does it. He hasn’t heard that sound coming from Carmy in a long time.

“Okay, okay. I’m relaxed, I swear. Sorry. It’s just, uh… a lot to process, I guess.”

“I get it. Just remember that I’m in the exact same position as you are, alright? I mean, I’m not about to eat dinner in my restaurant, but you get my point.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. Sorry.”

“I haven’t heard you apologise this much since I had to get stitches in fifth grade.”

“Oh, shit. Don’t remind me of that, please.”

It’s your turn to laugh now, your entire being lighting up with it.

“I have never seen you look so guilty in my life, Carm. Thought you were gonna cry every time you saw me.”

“Stop,” he groans. “I felt so bad. It was all my fault, and there was so much blood.”

“You didn’t know I was gonna hit my head.”

“Yeah, but I used to forget that I was stronger than you. Especially when I started growing taller.”

“When did that happen? You got taller?”

“You’re such a bitch,” he laughs, kicking your shin under the table.

“Careful, Carm. That might need stitches.”

“I hate you,” he all but yells, beaming grin plastered across his face. “Shut up and decide what you want to drink.”

You pretend to look at the menu, eyes scanning across it.

“This is hard to read.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s a terrible choice of font, Carmen. There’s no way anyone older than sixty is deciphering this.”

He snatches it from your hand, studying it carefully. After a moment of silence, he speaks.

“Fine. It might be a bit difficult to read.”

You feign passing out, sagging back in your chair like an award winning actress.

“You’re apologising, you’re telling me I’m right… who are you, and what have you done with Carmen Berzatto?”

He laughs again, still loud and real. What a joy, to make your best friend throw his head back in amusement after all this time.

“It’s fine. I’ll just get you to redo them.”

“Oh, you will, will you?”

“Of course. It’s your speciality, and it means there’ll be a piece of you in the restaurant too.”

You think about it for a second, holding his gaze.

“Fine. But only if you ask me nicely.”

“Vienna,” he begins, grabbing your hand across the table. “Will you please do me the honour of designing me some new menus?”

“Carm,” you grin, squeezing his fingers. “I would love to. It’d be my pleasure, in fact.”

“Perfect.”

Richie appears, then, smiling like he knows something you don’t.

“Drinks, kids?”

“Two waters, and two wines that’ll go best with dinner, Cousin.”

You nod in agreement, winking at Richie.

“You got it, Boss.”

When he leaves, you turn to Carmen.

“You guys are… good? You and Richie?”

He looks a little taken aback by your question. Bristled, almost.

“Yeah, uh - yeah, we’re… fine. We’re good. Yeah.”

“Sounds it.”

Another kick meets your shin under the table.

“Fuck you, Berzatto. Those fancy leather shoes hurt.”

“I hate when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Look at me like you’re reading my mind. It’s annoying.”

“You’re annoying.”

“Real mature, Vi. Real mature.”

Richie appears seemingly out of thin air, placing your drinks on the table. He still has that look on his face.

“Food won’t be long, besties.”

“Besties,” you laugh, shaking your head. “Haven’t heard that in a while.”

“That’s what you always were! The Besties. Honestly, I was always a little jealous. I asked Mikey if we could have a cool nickname for our friendship, but he fuckin’ refused. Asshole.”

The offhand mention of Michael hits you like a punch to the stomach, solid and unflinching. It still makes you want to cry, even after all this time.

“You were always Mikey and Cousin,” you tease, hoping they can’t hear the shake in your voice. “A world famous double act. Never one without the other.”

Richie laughs as he walks away, which in turn makes you smile. He always laughs so wholeheartedly, so fully. It lights up a room.

“I don’t know who’s happier that you’re back - me or him.”

“Oh, definitely him.”

Carmy shakes his head as he chuckles.

“I don’t know about that,” he says quietly, after a minute. “I missed you like hell, Vi.”

“I missed you too,” you murmur, linking your fingers with his atop the table. “I wish you’d answered the phone more.”

“I know. I know. I, uh… I guess I just… I didn’t think you could ever miss me as much as I was missing you.”

“That’s not true,” you whisper, brows furrowed. “That’s not true at all, Carmen. You’d know that if you called. You could have asked, and I would have answered.”

“Yeah, well. Didn’t wanna bother you, I guess.”

“You being my friend isn’t you bothering me, Carm. It’s the exact opposite. That’s kind of the point.”

“Too late now.”

You drop his hand, withdrawing yours into your lap.

“Yeah, it is. Because you were my best friend, and then all of a sudden it was like you didn’t exist. Do you understand that?”

“I thought it would be better-”

“If I lost you and Michael? Because that’s what it fucking felt like, Carmen. He died, and you were gone. Actually, you were gone long before he died, which somehow was worse.”

He doesn’t know what to say - it’s written all over his face. You don’t break his gaze as you sit across from him, the rest of the restaurant unaware of the heated conversation you’re in the middle of.

Richie brings your first course over in silence, as if he’s sensed the change in mood. He places both of your plates down, squeezing your shoulder gently as he walks away.

“You know you’re allowed to love more than one thing, right? You don’t have to choose between food and me, or between food and your family. You never had to choose. No one ever expected you to,” you take a deep breath, exhaling carefully. “And yet, for some reason, you made yourself believe that you did. And you chose food. And I got left in the dark. We all did.”

He goes to speak, but you cut him off before he can.

“There is nothing you can say right now that isn’t going to piss me off. So don’t try.”

You pick up your fork and begin to eat, trying to focus on the food. It’s delicious, admittedly. Not something you’d usually order, but clearly very carefully crafted. When you’ve finished, you look up at Carmy to find him already watching you.

“How was it?”

You consider it for a moment, making him wait.

“It was beautiful.”

Some of the tension leaves his shoulders. He values your opinion so much, even if he’d never admit it. His brother used to tease him about it, his constant need for your approval. Even as kids.

He nods, not wanting to step over the line again.

“I don’t want to spend tonight fighting with you, Carmen. We can do that some other time.”

“Can we talk about this properly, though? Later, or tomorrow, or something?”

You chew your lip, tasting slight vanilla from your lip balm.

“Yeah. I think we need to. It’s long overdue.”

“Okay,” he breathes. “Yeah. Later. Or tomorrow, or something.”

“Yeah.”

You sit in the silence for a minute, listening to the noise from the restaurant.

“So come on, Carm. Tell me about what’s on this menu tonight.”

He launches into a language you barely understand, but you listen intently anyway. Flavour palettes, texture combinations, acidity and sweetness. You take all of it in, watching the way he lights up with every word.

You wonder if maybe he did make the right choice. Choosing food, instead of you.

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

Everything is the same. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed. Nothing is the same.

@agirlcandream84 @diorrfairy @raging-panda @melancholicmelanin @nolita-fairytale @jacxx2 @huang-the-geek @2guysonascooter @stxxllaaa @an0nym1ss @thereisnoowl @amataadriana @dreamingofleon @gabbycoady13 @stilinskisensation @prongsprincessworld @arieltwvdtohamflash @clairesjointshurt @gnocchisworld @buzzcutlip

[eraenaa]

From The Underworld and Beneath (Greek Mythology AU)

Aemond Targaryen x Reader Tag List

Synopsis: You, the Goddess of Spring, were captured by the King of the Underworld, who was intent on keeping you there.

Warnings: Mature 18+, Fingering, Grinding, Stockholm Syndrome, Abduction

Word Count: 3080

Perfect and pretty, perched upon a stone, picking at petals. Pure, sweet relief. That is what you are. Not a thought bothers you, sweetling. Pampered and protected by your mother. A heavy price would be paid if anyone dared bother the perfect peace you always had. 

A breathy sigh escaped your lips. You were in paradise, but why did a frown adorn your pretty face? Goddess of the spring, you are. Sullen, you are, as well. You continued to pick at the petals. The same thing every day. The same faces before you. The same task was presented. You were growing of your little routine. You wanted something different. Something that would disrupt the perfect peace bestowed upon you.

“Are you well? What bothers you?” They ask as they play in the field. You sighed once more, deflated shoulders shrug. Your complaints not wanting to leave your plump lips. Should you not be grateful for your station? Everything was provided before you. The ground you walked upon, worshiped. You were adored by many. Then why should you feel such melancholy? 

You faked a smile, not wanting to seem ungrateful. They bought it easily, returning to play once more as you sat somberly upon the stone. You stared upon the bud; you picked off the petals, naked and bare. Now vulnerable with the touch of the world. You brought the bare flower to your lips, the bud brushing upon your flesh before you discard it. You stood and searched for another flower. Another to feel, another to asses, another to bless with your touch. 

You hear the chatter and laughs of your other friends as you stray further away. Searching for something to bring you excitement. Searching for something to bring you pleasure. You bent down when something pretty caught your eye. Greedily picking on it, ripping it away from the home it had known. 

Then, all of a sudden, the ground you stood upon shook. You looked around in panic, searching for something, anything— but what would that help? You had no clue what to do. So you stood. You stood there until a chariot came into view, dark as night, and did not sit well upon the field of light you prance upon. Your brows furrowed again, but that did not matter. Because one moment, you were picking pretty flowers, flowers as pretty as you, then the next, a stronghold placed itself upon your waist, and you were whisked off. The last thing you saw was your friends running and calling after you, but it did not matter. You were already taken. Taken by a man who would never relinquish his hold. 

“What happened? Who dare take my daughter? Answer me!” Your mother demanded, a group of nymphs before her. Her face filled with fretting rage. “It was your brother… Aemond, we are certain of it,” They said, and your mother’s heart pitted. You were taken, and she had no idea how to rescue her precious daughter. “How can we save her? We’ll do anything!” Your friends pleaded, but Rhaenyra only shook her head, clueless as well on how to proceed. The only thing she could think of was to come to your father for assistance, for guidance, for vengeance.

You stare wide-eyed as you sit on a lap. A lap of a man you did not know. His hold on your waist had never left, strong, cold hands steady on it’s hold. You had not uttered a word, enveloped in shock, and you would say fear as well, but it did not feel as if it were the right word. It was more of confusion, confusion as to why you were taken, and confusion as to why you did not feel fear trickle inside you.

 “Who are you?” You dare ask at the man whose lap you were perched upon. You still had not lifted your gaze; you had not met your abductor’s eyes. You simply stared at his dark leather robes, stiff and smooth against your white dress. You hear a scoff leave his lips and feel his hold tighten; his other hand moves to twirl your hair. 

Aemond hummed as your gaze was still cast down. His fingers ran through your silky hair; he took a deep breath and eased on his throne as he smelt you and the flowers in your hair. He had been watching you for a while… had been wanting you for a while as well. And finally, he had enough of watching from afar. He was done hiding in the gardens to catch a single glimpse of you. He was done fantasizing about holding you— touching you. He had to take you. “I see my sister has neglected to warn you about me,” he watched you as your back stiffened by the mention of your mother. Aemond felt his breath stutter as you finally placed your gaze upon him. “You are her brother— Aemond?” You asked and watched as the ball on his throat bobbed and how his lone eye closed. Aemond felt a wave of pleasure rush through him by the mere act of you uttering his name. 

“Why have you brought me here?” You asked as you finally realized where you were. Somewhere, the sun did not shine; somewhere, the flowers did not grow; somewhere, you did not belong. “Please, you must return me to my mother! She—“ Words died on your tongue as Aemond opened his eye, his grip on you growing tighter and tighter, pulling you closer to him. “She had neglected her precious daughter… I have seen you… so sullen, so melancholic.  Things you must never be, little flower.” You held your breath as his face drew closer to yours. “It is not her fault!” You defended. “I…I had just…I— please, you must return me to her!” You begged. Looking before the man, skin pale, eye dark. A black, sharp crown upon his hair of platinum. You held your breath as his cold hand went to caress your cheek, him humming in satisfaction. “Never,” He swore. 

Pleasure was something Aemond never felt. He was deprived of it— starved of it. But not now. Not when he placed his lips upon yours. Sweet and plump, another something he had never felt— never tasted. Aemond felt himself turn rigged as a whimper left your lips, certain you would pull away and be another to deny him pleasure. But you stayed still; you kept your lips upon his. You let your blessed touch cup his cheek. His mind was made and fortified; he will never let you go. No, he could never let you go.

“Daemon, he has taken my child! Our child!” Rhaenyra screamed through the whole of the heavens. “I demand you to demand him to bring her back to me!” She cried for her child. “That is something I cannot do.” Rhaenyra felt the eyes of the others watching them. “And why not?” She questioned with desperation. She watched the man before her, thinking him the most powerful and rightful of all. But now, as he sat on his throne, gaze shielded from her pleading eyes. She saw him as nothing but a fraud. “Fine. If you do not bring me my child— I shall do it myself.” Rhaenyra swore and raged out, going through the ends of the world in search of her beloved child. In search of you, who had your lips dancing against your captor’s. 

As Aemond moved you to straddle him— for both of you to feel each other… you froze at his touch. Questions swirling in your mind, great questions that muddled the great pleasure you felt while in the king of the underworld’s arms. You hear a deep whine leave Aemond’s throat as you part from him. His head moved, lips still puckered, and wanting to feel it against yours, but you were persistent in asking your questions. “Why—why have you brought me here?” You breathlessly asked, hands on his shoulders, trying to push him and keep the distance between your lips. You watched his eye, dark and filled with wanting. Your eyes copied his as every moment passed. Wanting fueling both of your beings. 

“It is simple… I want you.” Aemond uttered and moved to kiss your sweet lips once more, but you shook your head. You feel your heart spike as he tightens his hold on your waist. His lips pursed, and you felt yourself waver by the look he gave. “You, my little flower, will be my queen.” You feel yourself pale at his words. “But— my mother— I must see her.” You insisted. But instead of answering your plea, Aemond placed his lips upon yours again. The taste of wine on his tongue intoxicates your senses. You flutter as you feel his strong hand slowly move and cup your cloth breast. You gasped in shock, and he retrieved his hand. Trepidation swirling, but you took hold of his hand and urged him to keep it there. The initial shock turned to excitement and, dare you say, pleasure as his cold hands met with your pebbled and warm flesh. 

“Aemond,” You mewled as he kneaded your tits. You panting, as you had never felt such a sensation before. Had never encountered such a touch before. Beneath you, you feel his length, prominent and grazing over your cunt. Your wanting body had muddled your mind, and you boldly moved your hips, brushing and pressing against the god of the underworld’s length. A sound rumbled on from his throat— a deep growl that made more color rise to your cheeks. That made you want him, a stranger, even more.

You feel his hold on your waist again. Him guiding you to grind upon his cock. The friction against your cunt was another thing you had never felt. Things you had never thought of before, sensations you had never experienced, anticipation and excitement you had been longing and searching for presented themselves in the form of the man whose lips were peppering kisses on your neck. Whose bulge perfectly met with your needing cunt. Whose hands had found home in your waist.

“Ae—Aemond?” You called, and he hummed as he continued his torment on your neck. His lips left his mark. “I… want you— I want you to take me.” You breathily whispered and felt him tense beneath you. You captured his gaze, indigo eyes darker than they had ever been before. “You do?” He gritted. You bit your lip and nodded. You took his hand and guided it downwards, wanting his cold, strong hand to be met with your warm, dripping cunt. You watch his eye grow wide by your actions. 

Aemond had never thought that it was possible for him to want you more than he already did, but by your actions… your boldness and eagerness to let him touch you in such a way, all he wanted to do was bend you over his throne and fuck you until the whole of the world and heavens hears the pleasure he gives. Aemond moved to kiss your swollen lips once more, his fingers starting to draw circles on your needing cunt, but you backed away from his lips. 

“I want you to take me… make me your queen, but only after I’ve seen my mother. I must say my goodbyes.” You said and pouted as the pleasurable movements of his fingers ceased. He raised his brow at your ultimatum. “Please…” You begged and pressed yourself further to him, letting your ample breasts rest against him. “You will return?” He asked. Aemond tried not to let doubt seep into his mind and tried not to grow distracted by your body. He had you— you were finally with him. How could he ever let you go? 

You eagerly nodded, “I swear… I will return, and after we— we can continue.” You slyly said, not missing the way his lips twitched upward. You watch him for a moment of still silence. And after, a sigh left his lips. His fingers remove themselves from your wet cunt, and you feel yourself grow alight as you watch him lick the digits that succumbed to your essence. 

Aemond smirked as he watched you grow red in shock. A sound of pleasure leaving his throat by the taste of you. Every part of you was sweet and tart— tastes he thought he had no care for now made him grow addicted. “Very well then,” he conceded. “You can return for your mother to say your goodbyes,” He permitted and watched as a sweet, blooming smile came to your lips. A smile that made the breath catch in his throat and made his immortal heart stutter. “Thank you!” You beamed and placed a kiss on his lips. Aemond hummed, “But first… you must eat. You would need sustenance as you ascend to the world above once more,” He whispered against your lips. He watched your innocent eyes grow confused, but still, you nodded. 

You watched as Aemond took hold of fruit, you still seated on his lap and watching as he unpeeled the foreign fruit for you. You watched him cut open the red sphere in his hands—the skin of the fruit thick and white on the inside. You watch him delicately take the seeds and place them in his palm for you to take. You look at him uncertainly, but he simply nods and urges you to eat. You hesitantly took a seed into your mouth. Aemond watching as you eat the fruit. You delight at the taste of it, sweet and tart— just like how you tasted to Aemond. He smiled as you took two seeds to your mouth next, a grin spreading across his lips as you took two more again.

Though you have sworn you would return, Aemond could not gamble on the possibility of empty promises. So he took matters into his own hands. The fruit that he fed you was an informal contract that will bind you to him forever. Just a few more seeds, and you will have no choice but to stay in his arms for all of eternity. As you took the sixth seed into your mouth, a deafening and shrill call of your name sounded through the whole of the underworld. 

Aemond placed his protective hold on you as he was certain whose voice it was calling after you. Your mother’s eyes were frantic as she saw you perched upon the lap of his brother, his arms around you; the seed of a pomegranate slipped past your lips. “No!” He screamed and traded closer, but a three-headed hound appeared from behind Aemond’s throne and growled at your mother. Aemond saw the fear in your eyes as the beast continued to growl at your mother, but he ran his fingers through your hair and hushed your fretting self as well as his hound. 

“Welcome, sister,” Aemond said and moved you to un-straddle his lap but still made you sit upon it, only moving your frame to face your mother, who seethed in anger from where she stood. “I am glad you have finally visited me in my kingdom after so many years,” You tilted your head in question as you saw the clear anger in your mother. “I demand you to release my daughter!” Rhaenyra screamed, and you turned to Aemond, a sly smirk on his lips. “That… I cannot do. She has agreed to be my wife,” Aemond smiled and placed a kiss upon your temple. You watched in further question as to why your mother kept her angered demeanor. “Say your goodbyes now, my flower,” Aemond whispered in your ear, and you nodded. Standing to meet your mother who stood at the end of the steps of Aemond’s throne. 

“We must leave!” Rhaenyra said as you neared, you turned back to Aemond. Him laxly sitting on his throne watching you. A pout started to form on your plump lips as your mother began to pull you. “But I wish to stay,” You stated, and your mother looked at you perplexed. “I want him.” You added, and Aemond smirked as he heard your words—a new surge of wanting coursing through him by your statement. 

“No! You do not belong here, my child; come now, let us leave!” Your mother urged, and you shook your head, staying your ground as she tried to pull you away once more. “I want to stay.” You insisted and saw the betrayal in the eyes of your mother. A wave of guilt crashed through you, but the desire for Aemond and to be his queen was much greater that you disregarded your mother’s plea. Stepping away from her, you returned to your seat on Aemond’s lap. The smirk never left his lips, but his hold on you returned as both of you watched your mother dejectedly walk away. 

The guilt forming in your heart could not announce itself properly as Aemond returned his hand to your cunt. The folds were still slick and wet from his earlier touches. The hurt you caused your mother could not be processed as pleasure was now seeping its way through you. 

“More… please,” You asked Aemond as his fingers were slow and teasing against your cunt. “Aemond, please,” you were quick to plead again. The king of the underworld smirked and obliged your wanting. One of his hands drew circles upon the bud of your cunt whilst the other moved to cup your tit once more. Feeling and squeezing the soft flesh. Aemond felt you move your hips once more, spreading your legs wider for him. He hummed in satisfaction to feel you flutter against him. 

You called his name again, a sensation new and somewhat unsettling. You gasped as you felt your insides wanting for release. It was almost a ticklish feeling, but it was wholly more. You harshly bit your lip, uncertain of what is to happen. “Come for me, little flower,” Aemond commanded by the shell of your ear and bit the lobe of it. You were not certain how to do it— uncertain on how to come, but you supposed you have done it as wetness from your cunt grew, and a hum of satisfaction from Aemond sounded through your pleasured daze. You could only watch as he brought his wet fingers with your essence to his lips once more. “So, fucking sweet.” 

[cranberryjuice-posts]

So don’t freak out

Synopsis - Clarisse is Bad at keeping secrets

Pairings - college! Clarisse x mortal fem! Reader

IMPORTANT - this FIC takes Place after PJO and HOO and is during TOA, so spoilers are ahead, this is basically cannon clarisse outside of camp

It had been a year since clarisse left camp. After the war against the Roman’s and Gaea she was just ready to finally attend college and be a ‘normal’ girl.

So far everything was going great. In an advance intro to Greek mythology and culture course mainly she took since she needed a fine arts credit she met you. You were just some mortal girl, at first she didn’t really notice you but after being assigned on a project together she quickly realized how much she liked you.

Even after you introduced clarisse to your friend group and invited her out to eat she just couldn’t get you out of her mind. She would pray to her father and Aphrodite in hopes for advice little did she know Aphrodite was playing match maker against ares better judgement.

After a few months clarisse caved and asked you out.. Even after a few dates she was still to nervous to ask the question so you did, that’s how you two started to date.

Your relationship was perfect. You loved spending time with clarisse and her mother, you also love playing with her hair and watching her when she would dominate the court no matter what sport it was in the gym.

——

You were sitting by clarisse in her dorm room as you did an assignment. “Uh huh, you know you really enjoy the story of achilles and Patroclus”

Clarisse rolled her eyes. “Shut up”

“I’m serious!” You joked “I don’t know it’s just the way you talk about him and write his story it’s like you are him, or maybe you lost your Patroclus so you relate” you smiled at first but soon straightened your position when she grew quiet. “Did I..”

“No.. no” clarisse sighed and set her pen down before rubbing her eyes.. she let out a sigh and looked over at you gently grabbing your hand. “About two years ago.. there was this big event in my life. I had a best friend named silena.. she was my everything and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love her.. silena had recently lost her boyfriend and when she had died in the accident which was my fault, it hurt.. a lot. I did everything I could to save her and I even got vengeance for her, so In a way yeah I lost my Patroclus but that’s ok.. I have you now” she leaned over and kissed your cheek wanting to cheer you up some.

You rubbed her hand softly.. you had so many questions but decided against it not wanting to press the issues.

——

It was Saturday. Clarisse was messing around with you as you two were walking back towards the college campus while laughing together after going on a date. You let go of her hand and walked ahead before stopping so you could take some pictures of her..

Once clarisse caught up and took your phone out of your hand she leaned down and kissed you. “You know your dumb right” you rolled your eyes. “Yeah I’m aware”

There was a loud bang from an alley way.. while you thought nothing of it You noticed clarisse tensing up. “Babe-“

She grabbed you and forced you behind her. “Don’t move” she instructed. You were confused, what you saw was a stray dog eating some trash but clarisse was acting like she saw a monster. “Y/n” she whispered and grabbed your waist. “We’re gonna run”

“Lise what’s going on”

“I’ll explain later but we need to RUN!” She yelled and grabbed your hand running down the street with the barking dog now chasing you.. you had never seen clarisse act like this..

Turn after turn after turn. All you knew was that clarisse continued to run with you in her hand, you looked back and for a moment the dog chasing you… it wasn’t a dog it looked bigger meaner.. hellish even. You didn’t understand and you didn’t want to.

Eventually clarisse threw you into a random gas station and slammed against a shelf panting.. the dog sat patiently outside not moving but eerily watched as you and clarisse caught your breath. Clarisse dragged you to the bathroom and locked the door. “Look—“

“Clarisse what the fuck is going on!” You yelled, your dress now messed up along side your now frizzy hair and sweaty face. “It’s a dog!”

She held her head down before looking at you with concern. “It’s.. a dog” You spoke however this time less assure in yourself.

Clarisse shook her head and opened the bathroom door.. she walked out for a moment before coming back and nodding her head in a different direction. “Common this way” she softly took your hand, you squinted your eyes thinking you were seeing things.. it was almost like clarisse had a spear? In her Hand more specifically an Ancient Greek style spear. You shook your head and the spear disappeared leaving only clarisses keys in her hand.

You left out the back way and took a longer way back to campus.. neither of you spoke until you got to clarisses dorm.

You sat down on her bed and watched as she hung her keys on the wall.. there it was again the spear but it left as soon as you saw it.

“Claire”

“Hm” she flatly spoke and opened her computer.

“That wasn’t a dog was it..” you spoke quietly. She sent an email before sighing and walking infront of you taking your hands. “No.. no it wasn’t”

“Can I Tell You something Crazy” You mumbled, clarisse nodded while squeezing your hands. “The dog…. It almost looked like a hellhound like from Mr. Anthony’s talk on Greek monsters, I know I sound crazy.. but it only lasted for a second”

“That’s” she gave a dramatic sigh. “That’s because it was a hellhound” You looked up confused. “Y/n.. there’s something you need to know”

This was to much. You didn’t like any of this clarisses tone the apparent hell hound chasing you NOW the spear on the wall clear as day not disappearing. You faced clarisse again and nodded. “All those myths you know and love.. their real and I am a daughter of ares”

At first there was silence until you started to laugh. Clarisse looked back at you offended all while you just laughed. “You’ve gotta be joking!” Clarisse was starting to grow irritated, you calmed down.. noticed clarisses face you Just scoff. “Right because Zeus and hades and fucking ares all exist? Clarisse baby I love you but if your seeing things we can get you help I mean me seeing a hellhound of everything was probably just a result of the alcohol I had earlier and some adrenaline”

Clarisse tapped her foot before letting go and going to her night stand. You watched as she rummaged through until she pulled out a golden coin. “What are You Gonna do with that” You asked with a smile.

“Prove to you I’m not lying” she sighed and grabbed a crystal her roommate had, she propped it up on a table and flashed her phones flashlight through it to make a prism and stepped back. “Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering."

She tossed the coin into the cystals light and it dissolved..your smile dropped and was replaced by confusion. “Camp halfblood Dionysius”

The prism shimmered and soon showed a reflection of a middle aged man sitting at a table with a centaur beside him.

Chiron looked up and smiled. “Ah clarisse daughter of ares, what can I do for you”

Mr.D looked over and rolled his eyes. “Clementine always a pleasure” his tone clearly sarcastic

Clarisse rolled her eyes. “You mean clarisse”

“Same thing”

You had a look of horror on your face as you watched the scene before you. “Claire.. did you say Chiron as in the centaur guy” The two men exchanged looks wondering what the call was really about.

She nodded and held her hand out now showing Chiron and Mr. D You.. there was some silence until Mr.D complained.

—

She ended the Iris message and turned to face you. “You believe me Now” You nodded slowly, she chuckled and walked over grabbing your cheeks and kissing your forehead.

“I.. have a shit ton to explain” she sighed but smiled as you hugged her in response. Clarisse was worried, you were a mortal now stepping into her world but one thing clarisse knew was that you weren’t gonna get hurt she would make sure of that.

Clarisse - and uh that was the battle of manhatten

Y/n - YOU KILLED A DRAKON IN ONE SHOT

Clarisse - …Yeah? THATS ALL YOU TOOK FROM THE STORY

——

Y/n - so have you met Hecate

Clarisse - no Just because I’m a demigod doesn’t mean I’ve met every god, but why her?

Y/n - because she’s cool as shit that’s why

——

Y/n - you shoved a kids head into a toilet because he killed the Minotaur

Clarisse - SUPPOSEDLY killed the Minotaur I mean Percy’s strong now but he was a runt then

Y/n - oh my god clarisse 😭

[uldahstreetrat]

Im trying to take note of real world influences in XIV for some projects going forward, like languages used in areas (French names in Ishgard, Roman terms in Garlemald) or like in aesthetics I suppose (like Radz-at-han in particular reminds me of Istanbul), and I'd like to hear others' thoughts about those kinds of influences that they've noticed

(little more context on things im working on under the cut)

right now this has a lot to do with things like stamps lmao I have in fact gotten kinda into stamp collecting now and I'd like to design some for XIV areas based on similar irl counterpart countries? like regular stamps and stuff like a sort of Garlean version of US postal war savings stamps? so having irl countries to reference for stamp styles would be helpful to like figure that stuff out

and honestly all of this is just part of making a physical copy of Q'ihnn's journal more complicated than it needs to be but never let it be said that I dont have a love of unnecessarily dense world building

plus by having a list of reference countries I can also build out other kinds of like, souvenirs? in the journal from the places visited across msq - a lot of things I see people keep in journals, especially travel ones, are stuff like wrappers or other packaging, pieces of maps, receipts (that's its own rabbit hole ive gone down), ticket stubs, and other various little paper things along with photos and drawings (which are much easier to manage in comparison)

cause a lot of this shit doesnt extensively exist within the game often beyond a mention in a stray line of dialogue or two so there's advantages to having irl cultural and historical reference to make something that feels real - plus im often off in lala fantasy land in my head because im stuck at home a lot, im not exactly well traveled, so im sure its easy for me to miss especially like language use in certain areas (I didnt even notice how French Ishgardian names were until someone else made a joke about it, it just doesnt occur to me)

like some of these influences are fairly obvious, right, like Doma and Kugane being Japanese inspired and Greek influence around Sharlayan (which the Greek/Roman dichotomy that Sharlayan and Garlemald have going on is its own whole thing I could go into btw they're so similar yet different in such interesting ways) - but places like Ul'dah?? not a clue. Ala Mhigo? no idea. The Crystarium and Eulmore in the first??? oh I'd put my head through a wall trying to thing of a real world counterpart for reference

granted now having said that someone is going to point out something obvious that I just entirely missed some way or another lmao but like that's why im asking, right? anyway if you have nerd ass thoughts too just hit me up

[trophycannibal]

Stray Gods Orpheus DLC Eros/Medusa Guide

Here's my guide on how to get either Eros or Medusa at the bar. It depends on the choices you make at the speed-dating event.

I'm going to start with if Orpheus rejects everyone*. Choosing either the Red (Middle) or Blue (Right) options will make Orpheus reject that person. Consistently picking either of those options will lead to this choice:

*Note: Orpheus will reject the man who looks intelligent (Ancient Greek History) even if you choose Green (Left).

If you pick Green (Left) and continue to reject everyone, then you will end up at this choice:

Choosing Red (Middle) will lock you into Medusa and choosing Blue (Right) will lock you into Eros. There are a couple more dialogue choices after this, but they don't matter as you will already be locked into either Medusa or Eros. You can tell which one you've been locked into, because your save file will either be named THIS ISN'T RIGHT (Medusa) or IS THIS LOVE? (Eros).

Now if Orpheus doesn't reject at least 1 person then you will get this choice:

Choosing Green (Left) will let you choose one of the 3 possible people Orpheus could have not rejected earlier*:

*Note: anyone Orpheus rejected will be grayed out and unavailable to choose. So you can still be locked into Eros here.

If you choose the one who missed her lost love! (Left), then you will get locked into Eros (the save file will be called IS THIS LOVE?), but choosing either the money man from earlier! (Middle) or found them at the very end! (Right) will lead you to another option. The save file will be called TAKE CHARGE.

Choosing I'll have to keep trying (Left) will result in meeting Eros at the bar and choosing This was never going to work (Middle) will result in meeting Medusa there instead.

[echantedtoon]

Demonstober Day 29 Werewolf

In folklore, a werewolf[a] (from Old English werwulf 'man-wolf'), or occasionally lycanthrope[b] (from Ancient Greek λυκάνθρωπος, lykánthrōpos, 'wolf-human'), is an individual who can shape-shift into a wolf (or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction (often a bite or the occasional scratch from another werewolf), with the transformations occurring on the night of a full moon.[c] 

(Genya and Y/n are both 20 for this so slightly aged up Genya.)

Tagging: @lavenderdropp @six-eyed-samurai @trancylovecraft @shadyd3ar @cherrysuzaku

@nousija @mspurpl3

Remember if you want to be added to the spooktober taglist lemme know

You really should've just stayed home tonight but no. You just HAD to go to that party. You just HAD to offer to stay late to help clean up. You just HAD to decide to walk home to save money. And you just HAD to decide to take the short cut through the woods home to save you time. Well now you were lost in a stupid costume from the party and stranded in the dark!

The moon shined red as blood tonight as shadows moved.

Quiet night. Unholy night of beasts. Feasting their sights upon the stray women who dare stay out at night when the full moon rises, lighting the pathway for the beasts to claim their prey. Gnashing teeth, snarling fangs waiting to take a bite into innocent flesh where the terrible claws miss. Waiting to snatch you away down into their dark abyss never to return. She was none what so ever concerned about traveling alone tonight. She had better places to be and anyone who dared be foolish enough to tangle with the night would never be heard from again. One look at it would deter most creatures away. But hier business was not with them.

You shivered in the wind that picked up clutching your phone and the small bouquet of flowers closer as you rubbed your shoulders in a vain attempt to bring what limited warmth you had back to your body.

Partially through what was left of the limited moonlight, you passed by some wild trees that made your stomach flip but it came a different feeling.

The feeling of being watched.

It didn't start out that way. At first it was just an aspect in the back of your mind you brushed of as paranoia of the manor's old ghost stories echoing in your mind. The feeling first came around when the sun had just started to set and it wasn't strong enough to warrant anything more than a two second thought and hand waving them off. However thing's changed. The sun soon disappeared over the horizon to be kissed good night by it's counterpart, the moon, and the walking woman was glad that it was a full moon, for it brought moonlight strong enough for you to see the pathway as your feet continued to walk. With it came the feeling but tenfold. You've only felt this way before back at Zephyr University whenever someone wanted to get your attention, that same feeling also returned with the feeling of being followed, but every time your head snapped over your shoulder towards the Darkness behind you....

There would be nothing.

Literally nothing. Nothing but the cold wind starting to pick up. You brushed it off as just your paranoia getting the better of you and you set your jaw against the wind. There was nothing there anyways so what did you have to worry about?

You shivered letting shaking your head. It's just shadows in the dark and your mind playing tricks on you. It urged you to walk faster and faster. 

"Come on, Y/n." You thought to yourself with a shake of your head and a deep inhale. "You're just being irrational is all. You need to get your barrings and figure out what to do with a clear head."

It was probably just an animal. Yeah. The world was full of animals so they must've been a deer. Footsteps fast approached you from behind as you walk. Just a deer. A very BIG deer! You picked up the pace walking and walking soon turning to sprinting with the fast footsteps right behind you following you through the dark forest until you got to a clearing. You ran until you made to the middle of it before sharply stopping and snapping around- 

Only to be met with nothing.

Your lungs heaved as you stared at the dark trees behind you with nothing but limited moonlight and shadows. You heaved at the silence other than the rustling of wind through the leaves. Nothing was behind you. No footsteps. Nothing was chasing you. Just..Nothing was there. You inhaled before giving a large sigh of relief before turning around.

And your shriek echoed throughout the night as you were met with shattered blue and yellow eyes.

A. GIANT. FIGURE. WAS. STARING. AT. YOU!!!

A beast of large dark furred mass. Riding up high with the height of a bear, two yellow eyes gazing down at you as another shriek called out into the night.

She didn't hesitate for a moment. Not even a second. Not when the woman turned around and RAN.

Every runner knows that the first warning sign of danger is a sense of dread, a feeling of impending doom. You are about to run away from a monster. But how do you prepare for this? Y/n had always hated dark forests with its lumbering tall trees. It was a place where she felt fear. The dark teased like taunting bullies, each sway of a branch creaking it's maniacal glee and every whistle the wind whipped by your ears whistled their sick pleasure in watching her panicked state of mind. THUD, THUD, THUD!! Went the sounds of her heels against the GROUND ground and curling tree roots, like spiderwebs under her feet, ready to snag her and make her join the abyss any moment. The darkness caged you in with the mockery of noises, a canopy of night shrouding the way out. But for now you only knew one thing.

RUN.

Your body felt light, only being able to feel every time your feet slapped against the ground which would surely be sore later, but you didn't care. You could be hurting for the next ten years for all you cared! Please gods just let you get away! Your eyes darted around for any signs of escape only being shown endless darkness instead. Your only hope was to get back to Taylor! Or to get back to the manor! A place you could at least take refuge. Your arm were partially extended in front of you, to push and swipe down any bush, branches, and other plants in your way as you ran, other hand holding up your dress in a vain attempt to keep from tripping. Stumbling and half tripping over large tree roots and clumps of grass in your wake, but still making good distance. Until the burning in your lungs threatened to make you drop, and you were forced to start slowly down step by step until you were hugging the side of a tree for life, your arms desperately gripping the rough bark until the imprints were deep in your palm and your knuckles were deep white, forcing your body to step around the tree until you reached it's front and you hid yourself behind it from the direction you just ran from. Your back hit the hard tree and your head tilted towards the heavens, hands clutching your pounding heart. And there was silence other than the mockery of wind and branch creaks. Your throat and lungs were on fire. Your heart pounded almost painfully in your chest. And you did not dare move in fear of seeing that-...that-....MONSTER somewhere behind you.

That-....That wasn't real r-r-right? It COULDN'T be real! It was just a figment of your imagination projected by your fear! T-That must've been the case!...But then..How were you able to make contact with it if it was just a hallucination? You felt your hand make contact with that thing's grip and you felt the struggle you gave. You stood there, shaking harder than a tree in a tsunami in dead of winter. Other than the gasps of air your body forced you to make, you dared not make a sound. Not a noise. The whole time you stayed perfectly still as ever so slowly your heart rate decreased the longer the silence went on and the longer nothing appeared. Slowly your lungs and throat's fire extinguished with the help of the cold wind you swallowed, and what was left behind was just a dull soreness. The rapid beating of your heart calmed slowly until it was just a little above what it would normally be beating. Your eyes slowly regained focus from the sheer panic. And your body calmed down but not your mind. Your mind still raced in fear from what you just saw and you stared straight up at the creaking branches of the tree you hid behind. The panic still clear and making you do nothing but listen in anticipation, like a rabbit hiding from a pursuing fox. But still...nothing but silence. And when your eyes slowly looked to the right and your face followed until your cheek and side of the face was pressed against the rough tree bark awaiting for any sounds, but nothing still came.

It was a stupid decision...A bad one really but-..

You slowly scraped your back against the back of the tree slowly inching your way to the side of the tree, and ever so slowly, poked your head out. Not all the way. Just enough to look out at the direction you ran from and saw...nothing. Nothing but darkness and trees. And that made you pause. There was...nothing? Nothing at all? Slowly you pushed your head fully out to see better, and took your time grazing your eyesight around the darkness, straining your eyes in the limited light that seeped between the leaves and branches. Quietly listening for anything running after you, but still nothing came. ...You-..You must've lost whatever that was. You exhaled a shaky sigh of relief and slumped back against the tree. Eyes closing as a wave of relief washed over your tired body.

''What am I doing!? Don't just stand there like an idiot!! RUN!!''

You listened to your inner voice, you turned on your heels and began running again taking the opportunity given to you by the gods. You didn't care if you got lost this time, you only cared about living. And so through the darkness the abyss had to offer, you again ran. Not which direction you were heading. Not sure who you'd run into or if you got more lost, but you were darned determined to not be eaten tonight by anyone! Not today demons! Or..zombie.OR WHATEVER THE HECK THAT WAS! You only did what you did before. Your heels clicked against the ground which would surely be sore later, but you didn't care. Your f/c eyes darted around for any signs of escape only being shown endless darkness instead. Your arms were partially extended in front of you, to push and swipe down any bush, branches, and other plants in your way as you ran. Stumbling and half tripping over large tree roots and clumps of grass in your wake, but still making good distance. Until the burning in your lungs threatened to make you drop, and this time the roots claiming your feet snagged onto a particularly large root, and a few feet you went tumbling.

Your screams of tumbling over a few feet were cut short as it felt like you hit every single root, rock, and hard spot on your way down. Pain exploded everywhere your body made contact with the ground until finally with a final thud, your body fell hard onto soft grass. Knocking the air out of your lungs and you gasping for air on your side. Your body was in pain from everywhere your body hit the ground and you were sure it would leave bruises and scratches later. You coughed and gasped for air, lungs burning but you nearly stopped breathing again when load ghost like moaning came from up the path that was DEFINITELY NOT wind making your body feel like it was dipped in ice as your heartbeats sore. No. Not more of them. Not again! Adrenaline kicked in now as your body wobbled and felt so light, not to mention hurt, as you forced yourself to stand and start walk-running away, swaying as you still gasped for air but your panicked state didn't care about the pain or anything as you somehow quickly got your balance back and started running through the dark. The sounds and darkness of the forest blocked almost all moonlight as you blindly ran to try and get away from the giant demons, to keep from being eaten. You ran...and ran...and ran blindly in the dark with your hands in front of you. Branches and other plants hitting your legs and face as you did, the sounds of the things behind you disappearing as you kept running. At one point you had the brilliant idea to look behind you to see if anything was following you-

"AH!"

Your foot once again got caught on something. You screamed as your body went tumbling head over heels down a hill in the dark. Your already sore and hurt body becoming even more so as you rolled and rolled and rolled until you finally came to a stop at the bottom of it onto your back, with your body facing the sky. Your vision swam and your head spun as you stared up dizzily at the sky as your vision slowly went around and around and around until it focused. And you gave a cough as your burning lungs heaved against your chest. Your heart feeling as if it'll explode any moment it was beating so fast, you couldn't stop it! You just sat there gasping and panting and clutching your chest. Your brain felt foggy. No...No. Don't black out now! Get up! COME ON GET UP!! Muscles burnt. Barely able to breath. The dirt and grass felt stinging cold and burnt your skin as you turned on your side to weakly lay on your stomach, your face gasping the sweet scent of grasses for a moment as you laid there for a sweet few silent seconds, before you allowed yourself to look up and you stopped..gasping heavily and staring at what was before you.

A pair of feet.

Slowly you looked up at where the feet were attached to crouched legs and the legs were attached to a torso. You looked up higher and higher until you were inches away from a pair of yellow eyes. And you froze.

The moonlight shown down from the sky and illuminated the face of a-..Man. You blinked as a man's face looked right back at you with a curious expression and tilt of his head. He looked early twenties and had a scar running across his left cheek over part of his nose. He suddenly leaned forward causing you to help and scramble back away from him as he sniffed around the air.

What the heck?!

He also paused as you scrambled back and you both stared at one another. It was then that you noticed something else. A pair of fluffy black ears sprouted from the top of his head that twitched. A giant bushy black tail swaying side to side with the next tilt of his head. What in the-  Was another person out here lost in the woods wearing a costume? He stood there for a long time before his face turned a pink and he looked at the side lightly.

"Um...D-Does this mean you accepted me now?"

You stared at him for a while before blinking. "What?"

"W-Well we were playing chase, and I-I caught up-..You were-..." He suddenly looked very very guilty. "W-Were you not p-playing hard to get?"

"I-...What in the world are you talking about?"

He blinked finally looking back to you. "It's full moon." He said gesturing to the moon in the sky. "Once a moon we always go out to find life partners. How come you don't know that?"

...You slowly stood up still incredibly confused about what this man was trying to say. "I have no idea what you're talking about about. Or why you're running around in that ridiculous costume."

"Costume?"

"Yeah. Costume." You reached up and shocked him when you pulled off the headband that still had your fake wolf ears from your costume still attached to it. He looked absolutely shocked as you held it up to him. "It's Halloween. Everyone dresses up for it."

"I-..I-..." He sputtered in a panic looking between your headband and you clearly shocked and panicked. Before he finally gulped. "Oh no... Sanemi's going to kill me when he finds out. W-W-Why are you running around in the woods wearing that?!"

"I was taking a shortcut but I got lost then you showed up and chased me through the woods."

"I'm sorry!" Immediately his face busted out red again. "I thought you were BEAUTIFUL and no other shewolf had bothered to give me the time of day so when you didn't try to attack me and ran off I thought you were just playing chase and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! Time out!" You held up your hands to stop the word vomit coming out from his mouth and blinked. "First of all why would you think me running away in terror was me 'playing' and secondly what the heck are you talking about?"

"Im..a werewolf." You only stared at him before he gave a kicked puppy whine and grabbed his ears pulling them down in worry. "This is bad. This is bad. Now a human knows about me and I'm still single. I mess up everything. Sanemi is going to kill me and think I'm still a wimp-"

You stopped listening after he said 'werewolf'. Werewolf?...This guy who was having a midlife crises was a vicious man eating werewolf? There wasn't anything even remotely monstrous about him! Well other than those ears and the tail and his black and yellow eyes and his black claws and those fangs- OK! He DID look monstrous but he didn't look like that stereotypical werewolf you've seen in movies and books. You jumped when you noticed that he had stopped the second round of word vomit and looked at you hopefully. 

Face red and ears back tail wagging like a storm. "I-...I have a solution. W-Will you please be my partner?"

You blinked. "Will you be my partner?"

"YES!" You jumped as he suddenly grabbed your shoulders with a bright red face. "I accept! I-ILL be a good husband I swear! I can't wait for you to meet my family!" With a cute smile he looked relieved. "They'll love you too! I promise."

What..just happened?

[revon-aurora-borealis]

Hello everyone, I am Dina from Gaza 🍉🇵🇸🍉🙏 I need your support for me and my children. Please donate to me and my children even if it is a small amount. I am asking for a donation according to your ability. Please, your donation will save my children and my campaign is not going well. You can make a difference even with a dollar. Don't underestimate your donation, please 🙏 Through this, I am also the sister of @mahmoud1995. If you want to make sure of that, please donate to my children. The link is https://gofund.me/6c684011. My account has been verified by @90-ghost

my bank account isnt separate from my zionist parents yet, so i cannot donate, sorry :(

PLEASE DONATE IF YOU CAN!

https://gofund.me/6c684011

[raeikma]

Last week I finally had a chance to play Stray Gods and when I finished my first playthrough (SPOILER: I saved Freddie and turned her into the Muse but I still ended up romancing Apollo) my friend commissioned me to draw Grace and Freddie hugging. So here they are! 🥰🎶

If you love greek mythology and enjoy music give the game a chance! Choosing how the songs go is incredibly funny and the musical difference between the choices is amazing!

[seat-safety-switch]

My neighbour has a dirty ass. It's completely filthy and it disgusts me, it's so obviously repulsive. The least they could do is go to a car wash once in awhile. Sorry? Oh, yes. Their Ford Escape has been picking up a lot of dirt on the rear bumper, because all modern cars do.

The cause? Aerodynamics. That's Greek for "wind shit." You see, when your car is driving through the air, it's forcing that air aside. Air can't occupy the same space as your car, because it's matter and all (believe it or not.) Some of that air goes to the side of your car, sure, but not most of it. Most of it gets forced up your hood and windshield, and over your car. This causes a lot of wind resistance, which is why airplanes are shaped like lawn darts and Priuses are shaped like the cough drop a Gundam would take.

Here's where things get really crazy: the air that flew over your car now needs a place to live. Unfortunately, the air you didn't drive into is there, because it had rich parents that bought it a nice air condo. So it has to slum around the road, in the vacuum left behind by the place that your car now isn't. All this results in a little spinny vortex of air behind your car, which sucks dirt and crap off the road directly onto your car's departing ass.

This is a relatively new phenomenon. Back in the day, sure, tailgates on trucks got dirty, but so did the rest of the truck. They had the aerodynamics of two bricks, because that is basically what a truck is. My late-1970s Plymouth had innovative new fuel-saving strategies like "don't put the windshield wipers right in the middle of the windshield" and "mirrors probably should be a little curvier."

To help my neighbour, and maybe even you, I've come up with a new strategy. Sure, it's gonna hurt your fuel economy, and maybe even doom the planet. But at least the front of your car will become appreciably dirty. It's called "putting a snowplow on the front of it." With this giant sail in front of your car, you'll collect every stray bit of grit, dirt, filth, and mule deer that crosses in front of you on the highway. And when you get home, you'll look back at all that gunk stuck to the front of your vehicle, and feel like you did some serious driving.

[that-ari-blogger]

Stray Gods vs Change, Part 2

Why does Stray Gods keep mentioning family?

That was a genuine question, I'm not sure what the answer is. This post is going to be my thoughts and I'd really appreciate some discussion in response because again, I'm not quite sure.

SPOILERS BELOW

So, to say that Stray Gods mentions family dynamics several times is an understatement. Persephone, Orpheus, Hermes, the whole deal with the Idols list goes on. And there is a distinct repetition that comes up. Most of these dynamics are dysfunctional.

The Idol family is the obvious one. The myths of the Greek Gods can be summarised by one main quote from Disney's Hercules, of all films.

Essentially, the Greek Deities are one massive family tree. It doesn't have the healthiest of dynamics (to put it mildly), but they coexist. In Stray Gods, there is a notable absence of Hera and Zeus, the two parent figures of the Olympians. Dameter is also deceased, and her direct daughter is one of the main characters. As a result, the Idols feel directionless, there is no closure there. On a similar note, Apollo's sister is missing as well. Essentially, they feel like a shattered family.

Athena has become the mother figure, although she's not good at it. She's a sister trying to be a parent and you can tell by her demeanor. She's overcompensating and antagonistic and a lot of elder siblings in real life who have been through similar experiences show similar characteristics.

On a different note, Persephone has killed Hades, for understandable reasons. It's a horrifically abusive relationship that ended in bloodshed.

Similarly, Hermes makes a passing reference that i noticed when asked how they knew the old Hermes.

This keeps coming up.

But then we get three relationships I thought were interesting. Grace and Freddie, Asterion and Hecate, and Aphrodite and Eros.

Grace and Freddie are close. Historians will say they were the best of friends. Even if you don't romance Freddie, the two are family. Best friends who live together, etc. If you do romance Freddie, you get an Orpheus plot to bring her back to life, literally meeting the previous Orpheus as you go. But where Orpheus failed his quest because of a lack of trust, you can succeed, or not, I'm not gonna tell you how to save Freddie.

Then we have Asterion and Hecate. First of all, I didn't consent to have my freestyling singing capability so perfectly replicated by my sweet minotaur boy, and Summerfall will be hearing from my lawyers. On a serious note, this relationship is so wholesome and I love it, if you make it work in the story. They are proof that there can be a healthy relationship in this weird world.

Finally, we come to my favourite moment of the entire musical. I've already gone into detail on the Ritual as a song in a different post, so go check that one out (I crave validation from the internet people). But the challenge here is can you soothe this broken family here? Can this work? If you choose the green path, Eros gives a fantastic verse.

"Mother, I've stood by your side, now I no longer see, the purpose of love, when it tears at the centre of me. My arrows are rusty, forget the bow, and I won't be begging you not to go. But when you're away, you leave us a broken home..."

My arrows are rusty, forget the bow. Is a phenomenal metaphor for a loss of purpose, but I would like to focus on the last two lines. When you're away, you leave us a broken home, and you leave me alone. The characters here are aware they are falling apart and they are desperate to try and reconnect, and if you play your cards right, you can help. You don't "fix their relationship", you just give it a nudge. You don't repair the scars in this family, but you convince them to talk to each other.

That, my friends, is a microcosm of the entire plot of the story. Can you fix this broken family? No. But you can get them to talk to each other and convince them to try.

The story goes out of its way to say that some relationships cannot be salvaged. Some families are too far separated for that, but in this situation, you can give people who are hurting a nudge towards peace.

So, why does this musical keep bringing up family? And what does that have to do with the title of this post?

Well, because it is a story about change, and how to move on into a different world. Grace quits college before the story begins and doesn't know what to do, and the Idols have no idea how to navigate the new world.

The theme that the story presents (in my most humble of opinions) is this: "for things to get better, you have to be willing to change." You have to step out of your comfort zone to find the love of your life. You need to change direction and start running together instead of away to find peace with your family. And, you have to take the lessons you have learned and become someone more mature, not necessarily someone different, but someone who is capable of adapting to a wild world.

Part 1

[mikaila-orchard]

One thing I will absolutely praise Stray Gods for is how they just do not humor the idea that Persephone's marriage with Hades was in any way healthy. The Hellenistic myth says that Hades kidnapped her and this is one of the few instances in modern media that doesn't shy away from that. Like, I get wanting to make the myth more palatable, especially if you're going for romance, but greek myths are the absolute wrong place to go for palatable.

I don't know about you, but a story about a woman who was taken away from her home, forced to marry the bastard who kidnapped her, abandoned by the family that she thought would save her, fooling herself into thinking she was actually in love to cope, later realizing that she was only ever just a possession in her husbands eyes, deciding enough is enough and just icing the bastard yourself only for your supposed 'family' to punish you for doing something inconvenient and forcing you on a path of individualism is much much much more compelling than your controlling mom not approving of your boyfriend.

You wanna make a slighted goddess more proactive in her own myth, this is how you do it.

[jakegooglyeyes]

Naiad - 1/3

This is a shorter series I've written for quite a while. I need a little fluff to help cope with stress. I came up with this solely because Jake is a Sagittarius. Prone to a lot of mistakes because I wrote and edited this sleep-deprived.

Next

Pairing: Centaur!Jake x Nymph!reader (f)

A centaur has fallen in love with a naiad for a very long time. He deems himself too brutish to be near you, satisfied with watching you from a distance. Until one day, he hears the river goddess cries out for you, her child who was taken by humans.

Word count: 2300

Warning: mild violence/gore, butchering of Greek mythology, Jake's self-loathing and mild horny thoughts, repeating the word "gentle" about a thousand times

Tagged: @gyllenhaalstories (as promised)

Minor DNI

Your breath catches in your throat, a ragged gasp as you realize you cannot remember how long you have been running. Exhausted and thirsty, your legs are about to give out, and painful cuts cover your bare feet.

You try to call out to your mother for help, but you have strayed so far away from the river that your voice can no longer reach her. Looking behind, all you can see is towering trees and darkened sky. Crawling into a hollowed tree, you pray to the gods that the humans will not find you here. You are so frightened by the thought of what they will do if they capture you.

Just as the footsteps get closer, you hear a twangling sound of a released bowstring and something sharp piercing through the air. Whoever attacks them must have caught the humans off guard. They scream and curse in words you can not understand as bodies hit the ground one after another. The bowstring sings its song a few more times. The last human let out a pathetic grunt and then, deafening silence.

You cautiously peek out from behind the tree, the stench of blood and smoke hitting you instantly. A gruesome scene lays out in front of you: several bodies sprawl on the ground, arrows protruding from their chests, their faces twist in agony, illuminated by the flickering flames of fallen torches. Judging by their bloodstained clothes and scattered weapons, these dead men were your pursuers a few moments ago. Now they lie still without light in their eyes.

"Are you hurt?"

A rumbling voice calls out from the darkness between the trees and the tall grass.

Startled, you retreat into your hiding spot once more, eyes fixating on the shadow in front of you. You can only make out a tall figure moving through the bushes and hear the sounds of hooves treading on the ground. Your heart pounds with dread. Your legs feel like lead, aching with exhaustion, and even if they could still move, there was no way you could outrun a horse.

"Please, come out. I mean no harm."

The figure comes forward, emerging from the shadows, and into the flickering light of the torches. You realize the sounds were not from a horse. Instead, they belong to one of the centaurs guarding this part of the forest. The chase drove you far from your home, leading you into the dense forest of the beast-men.

You slowly crawl out from the hollow tree, the silence of the forest amplifying every creak and groan of the branches beneath you. You eye the centaur with every bit of caution. Even though he saved you, and there has never been enmity between your kind and his, you cannot trust a stranger, especially one that looks half a human male and half a savaged beast.

"You don't speak the tongue of man?"

You do not understand what the centaur is saying, but you can at least tell there is no hostility in his voice. So you remain still, waiting for his next move. Your eyes are glued to him as your heart thumps loudly in your chest.

He lowers his equine body into a kneeling posture, his muscular legs folding gracefully, to reassure you he is not a threat. Then, his hand reaches out, his fingers gently closing around your ankle in a reassuring squeeze. He carefully assesses your injuries, ensuring his fingers never brush against the open cuts.

"Thank the gods you didn't sprain your ankle, but your feet are still bleeding. Let's get you out of here before more humans come."

As soon as you feel his touch on your skin, thoughts flow into your mind. His genuine intention is apparent, and you can almost feel a sliver of his emotions. It's warm, like a mother's tender embrace, a comforting river enveloping you, yet with an untamed wildness that you have never experienced.

His powerful arms close around you, one supporting your trembling form, the other gently cradling your knees, as he effortlessly lifts you into his broad chest. Feeling safer in his grasp, you cling to him for support, letting the centaur carry you away into the dark.

You think to yourself as you watch his eyelashes flicker in the dim light; they are so long and beautiful, like that of a cow. The short, bristly hairs on his face catch your eye, sparking a bit of curiosity. Mother had said only men grow hair on their faces. His enigmatic charm held you spellbound, making it impossible to look away.

The centaur, unaware of your gaze, moved silently between the trees, the rustle of his hooves the only sound disturbing the forest's silence.

"If the humans purposely chased you away from the river, they might have set up traps in case you try to find your way back. So we must take the long path around the hills to avoid them."

Though his words are a jumble of unfamiliar sounds, his voice has a calming effect, easing your fear-struck mind.

The hands holding you are firm and secure, keeping the sharp branches away from you as he treads through the forest like tracing lines in the palm of his hand. The exhaustion washes over you as you nestle against his chest, his steady breathing comforting you.

The centaur knows that your kind can pick up on the emotions of others through touch, but he is unsure how much you can actually perceive. So he tries to focus on getting you to safety, hoping to suppress his deepest desire enough that it will not disturb you. Never in his life could he imagine being this close to you, let alone being allowed to touch you like this.

For the longest time, he was content with watching you from a distance. He often came by the river where you and your sisters bathe at the heat of noon, shielding himself behind the trees, for the nymphs would vanish at the sight of anything resembling a man. The centaur would spend hours gazing at your naked form as you rest on the mossy stones, eyes unable to tear away from the contour of your body.

He never asked for more, never dared. Seeing you every day was enough to soothe his aching heart.

The goddess' cry for her daughter stirred all the creatures in the forest this morning, including his herd. He raced down to the river bank, every instinct urging him to find out what was going on. He couldn't stand the thought of something terrible happening to you, his mind and soul reeling at the thought.

His heart sank as he scanned the faces of your sisters, unable to find the one he sought.

The human footprints in the dirt, still damp and fresh, guided him along the trail until he found you, fortunately, in the domain of the centaurs.

The gods knew how much he wanted to trample those despicable men, to pulverize their flesh and bones under his hooves, making them pay for thinking they could defile you with their filthy hands. He would have gouged out their eyes, ripped out their tongues, leaving them to suffer a slow, agonizing death, but he held back, wishing to spare you the gruesome sight.

He wouldn't want to frighten you anymore than you already are.

The gentle rocking with each step, the earthy scent of crushed grass, and the warmth of the centaur's embrace lull you into a deep sleep. His chest rises and falls with each breath, and you can feel the steady thump of his heart against your ear. It reminds you of the sun's warmth on an afternoon you would spend with your sisters, coming to the shore to pick flowers and watch little creatures foraging.

After some time has passed, you are roused from your slumber by the feeling of the centaur lowering you down on a patch of soft moss. You open your eyes, blinking against whatever light the stars can provide, and see that he has carried you to a small cave, the scent of damp earth filling your nostrils.

The remnants of sleep linger for a moment, but your senses start to fully return.

The memory of being chased by the humans is still fresh in your mind and your body tenses in reaction. He notices your discomfort and kneels down to meet your eyes.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said, his voice low and gentle.

"Please do not be afraid. You need rest, and I need to find something to treat your wound. The humans will not be looking for you this deep into the forest."

You feel his gentle hand stroking your hair and your cheeks. As he drapes his fur cloak around you, the scent of wood smoke and wild musk settles over you, and you feel your fear melt away. He leaves the cave to confirm there are no predators nearby and to allow you some rest.

Time seems to slip away, and when the centaur finally returns, his hooves thudding lightly on the ground as he carries a handful of fragrant herbs with him.

He carefully cradles your feet in his hands, and you can feel the heat of his palms as he works meticulously to treat your wound. The centaur scoops cool water from a nearby creek, gently washing your wounds and soothing the pain. He then secures a clean cloth tightly around them, stopping the flow of blood.

You reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, indicating that you are thankful for what he has done for you.

The centaur glances at you, his eyes briefly meeting yours, before he averts them with a hint of shyness. He is not used to being this close to you. He was in a hurry when he carried you here, so he only had enough time to take in a glimpse of you.

He is relieved to see you safe. And now, as his eyes scan your form, he can't help but notice the graceful curves of your body, the very same ones that has haunted his sleep for so many nights. He remembers the times you would appear in his dreams, bare and soft, lazing in his arms, humming your alluring songs.

In those nightly delusions, you would allow him to kiss and caress you, to worship you like his own goddess. Mouth would taste your burning skin, and hands would knead your yielding flesh.

Yet as you sit in front of him now, in person, he feels filthy and unworthy.

His kind has always been wild and violent. Sure, he has shamelessly begged for a favor from Aphrodite. But he was sure the Goddess of Beauty shuns creatures like him.

A delicate touch on the centaur's cheek, soft as a butterfly's wing, pulled him from the depths of his self-loathing. He looks up to see your captivating eyes filled with concern. You must have felt his anguish even though you do not understand what or why.

"Are you trying to comfort me?"

A bitter laugh escapes the centaur's lips. He wants to avoid you, but he cannot. He becomes greedy for your touch, driven by the longing for your affection, even if you are just worried about him because he saved you.

The sorrow you felt begins to fade, replaced by a quiet peace. It's maddening, this inability to communicate with the centaur. You want to thank him and ask him about so many things. But alas, you can only "talk" through gestures and listen to his little thoughts whenever you touch him.

Thank you.

You tell the centaur, hoping he can understand. He seems shocked that you are willing to speak to him.

Your voice fills his head with the most beautiful melody he has ever heard in his life. He would gladly follow, even if you commanded him to plunge into the depths of the underworld or to slay a mighty god. He wants to tell you how much he adores you. His mouth opens and shuts, but no words come out.

"I… Don't worry about me. You must rest. We need to leave in the morning."

After a few words, he fixes the cloak that has slipped off your shoulders before guiding you onto the moss layer. You understand he wants you to sleep.

You shiver in the freezing cold of night, tapping the space next to you, signaling that he is invited to sleep beside you. It will be warmer that way. The centaur's mind wrestles with his heart, reason clashing with desire. The internal struggle is quite clear.

Eventually, he sighs and surrenders. His equine body lowers until he gets into a position where his human half can lie down.

You move your mouth to utter a word, hoping he will understand. Your name. He looks on with disbelief, then delights. He takes your hand and presses it against his chest, letting you feel the raw, beating pulse of his heart beneath his ribs.

"Jacob."

Jake.

"It's Jacob."

Jake.

"It's… Never mind. Jake it is."

You repeat his name, earning a wide grin from him. He does not seem to mind that you decide to shorten his name. Actually, he looks a little too eager, practically bursting with excitement.

He pauses to indulge in the way you look at him before whispering in a hushed voice, not worrying that you do not comprehend his words.

"I swear on my own flesh and blood, I'll let nothing harm you."

The centaur wraps you in his arms. His initial reluctant fades away. When your steady breathing and a slight smile reassure him he did not repulse you, he pulls you into a tight embrace, silently praising Aphrodite and her miracle.

While he knows he is asking for too much, he wishes Eros would spare him from the coarse and unsavory thoughts that were forming in his mind. The golden arrow was painful enough.

The night goes by as you rest snuggly against the centaur's broad chest. You drift off into a sweet dream, comforted by the gentle embrace.

His thoughts are so tender. Though there is something else, deeper, darker, and far more primal. But you are too exhausted to notice.