#and has more of a connection with mortals than lots of the other Olympians by far

[iamchickenhearmesquawk]

I’m really amused that (at least so far) Mel genuinely has respected Dionysus’ request to not tell Athena or anyone where he is.

It’s also so funny how polite and like, respectful she is in conversing with this absolute shitfaced god (non derogatory I love him, despite him clearly not doing well rn) like literally anyone else who is fighting chronos/fighting for Olympus would tear him to shreds if they found him, and she’s still like “greetings respected Olympian, here is some nectar for your festivities. Hey maybe now isn’t the time for a party idk cause the mountain is burning? Moonlight guide you 🙏”

Her interactions with the unserious characters in general are some of my favourites, especially if she thinks they deserve deep respect, like with Skelly.

It makes me look forward to her interacting with an awake Hypnos.

[katerinaaqu]

Hey katerinaaqu,

I was wondering if you might know something about apotheosis/deification of mortals in greek mythology. Specifically how it was decided what domain they would become a god of. From what I've gathered it seems like actions in their mortal lives tends to lead to what their domains in divinity is.

Thanks for any help/info you can provide!

Oh that is a very good question. I believe there are indeed plenty of examples in greek mythology of Apotheosis.

Arguably the first one is Dionysus himself. Given how Dionysus is born out of a mortal mother (Semele) and an Olympian god (Zeus). According to Orphic traditions, Dionysus was probably set for divinity since he was born once more as Zagreus before dying and being reincarnated through Semele. It seems like he would prbably be another demigod like Heracles if it weren't for Zeus to finish the pregnancy himself by sewing him into his hip so in a way he got extra divine essence from Zeus. After that he experienced the persecution of Hera and madness induced by her before earning his place as a god among the Olympians

Ever since Dionysus we do see other examples of humans turning into gods. There also seems to be a difference between an Apotheosis and a worship of a hero. For example Heracles was known to become a god after death but not others like Achilles at least in Homer it is not implied that Achilles becomes a god and yet along with Patroclus and Antilochus he is given offerings to his tomb, worshipped more as a hero rather than as a god.

So what is the factor that makes a mortal a god? Well there are many. It could be the mortal's connection to a god as a parent (see Dionysus, Heracles etc) or marriage (Ariadne and Dionysus) or other reations (Dionysus reviving Semele and giving her immortality). For others it seems like it has to do with their heroic deeds on earth. For example we have Heracles who arguably became the greatest hero of Greek mythology or Diomedes who spread Greek culture to Italy by founding plenty of cities. It could also be linked to a mortal have some sort of attribute that is considered sacred or divine in the first place. A good example is Ganymedes who was having the attribute of beauty and youth that are on their own divine properties, thus leading Zeus take interest in him and thus offering him immortality and making him his cup brearer.

Now when it comes to Dionysus for example yes his attributes seem to be reflecting his life. He was the god of rebirth and regeneration of nature (due to his Orphic tradition of dying as Zagreus and coming back to life) or god of madness since he was induced to madness himself. Now for the culivation of vine and winemaking of course depending on the myths involving him like the beautiful satyr, Ampelus could be an indicator. Also the vine is a plant that comes out during late summer and early autumn which again is linked to the regeneration of nature. Also the wine-making as coming from the crushing of grapes and passage of time for alcohol to froment also rings to me the bell of Dionysus's story of regeneration (almost the opposite of Persephone who comes out of the Underworld with Spring, Dionysus is celebrated a lot in winter (see his celebration of Dionysia in December), symbolizing the constant mystery of nature. With his connection to nature seems to be also reflecting his madness and his several roaming about the world in a mad and disoriented state thus he is also considered god of wilderness and several of his followers are satyrs and Maenades, reflecting his roaming and primitive state at that time. The induced madness and alcoholic beverange association and in his life also links to his attributes of divine ecstasy, disoriantation, confusion and daresay savagery. He was also linked to prophetic powers on occasion since he is also known for coming and going from the Hyperborean lands due to his trips in mythology and taking over from Apollo to the sanctuary of Delphi thus sharing the sanctuary. Consequently to that of course and with the above he is also linked to theater; while roaming in the wild he was not himself the same much as the sacred nature of theater is also linking him to rituals and offerings. A sample of theater is the full masks and costumes, which resembles a lot ancient rituals in which masks or even skulls are involved to cover one's face and linked to dancing, singing, unifying of masses etc. Arguably some of the dionysian celebrations of that kind are some of the most ancient known celebrations in Greece and certain festivals even nowadays are said to have the roots to them. All in all he is linked a lot to thinks that have to do with humanity and that is probably because he comes from it himself.

So, having in mind examples such as Dionysus whenever a mortal turns into a god might or might not get an attribute but I believe most of time their attribute or fields are determined by their life story or their mythology. They are also heavily inspired by local traditions in regards to the hero (for example if they are worshipped as city-protector, as protector of youths etc) so it depends on what kind of mythology they have behind. On the occasions we discover offerings or hymns attributed to the deified mortal we can also make assumption on their worship. Oftentimes a sanctuary is also linked to a hero's death or life stops. One example that comes to my mind is a series of mentions to the sanctuary of Protesilaus, the man that stepped first in Troy and losing his life first. The sanctuary is placed in several places according to the sources and they seem to memorize the hero's courage in battle.

So yes it seems that by n large their mortal lives or local myths do determine their domains and attributes. I hope the examples help a bit. I will be happy to dig deeper if you want.

[wisebeth]

LISTEN. im not a big fan of love triangles, mostly because they're usually pointless or there to stir up unnecessary drama but i will admit i genuinely liked the rachel-percy-annabeth love triangle.

but i personally think the rachel-annabeth represented something deeper than just two girls who like the main character. rachel and annabeth both symbolised two different aspects of percy's life. while annabeth represented his demigod life and godly heritage, rachel represented his mortal upbringing. percy is a bridge between these two worlds, while he is a demigod and it'll forever be a part of him, he also grew up as a mortal child and being a mortal gives him a sense of normalcy, and choosing one over the other is percy choosing which life he chose to identity himself with.

annabeth chase links him to his godly heritage

percy met annabeth and the whole chb when he was struggling as a mortal kid, he felt like an outcast in school, his stepdad was a shitty man, and then ultimately he lost his mom. his experience in the mortal world was not good at all. in fact the only thing which happened to him that time was becoming grover's friend, who once again, was a part of the demigod life.

finding chb was a blessing to him. he met kids who are just like him. he made friends who genuinely care for him. he found the love of his life there. he found a way to get rid of smelly gabe and get his mother back. he met his dad. the start of percy and sally's better life started after percy learned his demigod heritage. it gave him a second place to call home.

and annabeth was a part of all of it. annabeth was a demigod. she associates herself with the demigod world. she is proud of it. she was one of percy's first friends. she was also one of the major reasons why chb felt home to percy. she was an important of his whole demigod journey. she fought by his side. they risked their life for each other. they understood and felt home to each other. they were for each other at their lowest points and even happiest points.

“See, Annabeth wants to be an architect when she grows up, so she’s always visiting famous monuments and stuff. She’s weird that way. She’d e-mailed me the picture after spring break, and every once in a while I’d look at it just to remind myself she was real and Camp Half-Blood hadn’t just been my imagination.”

– percy jackson and the sea of monsters

rachel dare reminds him of his mortal upbringing

while chb gave him another home and true friends, being a demigod also had its cons, such as he constantly has to be on guard and watch out for monster attacks. his life is far from normal and stress-free, he rarely gets time to act like a teenager. on top of that, he has to watch his friends die, get betrayed by someone he looked upto and now there's a war coming up. no child deserves to go through that.

percy needed a break and a sense of normalcy, and that normalcy in this case was the life he could lead as a mortal. no monster attacks. no war. which means no stress and no further trauma. he can be a teenager for once. living his life as a normal highschool student is far better than this.

rachel was a mortal, and like percy she grew up as a mortal. she wasn't connected or involved to any of the demigod stuff. she was just percy's mortal friend who helped him when he needed. percy spent his entire summer right before the war with her. away from chb. because she provided him that normalcy at a time of war. she provided him the temporary break he needed.

“We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself that the mortal world was still out there, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bag.”

– percy jackson and the last olympian

It's not a coincidence rick used similar words to describe how annabeth and rachel made him feel

percy ending up with annabeth also signifies how he ultimately chose his demigod life.

while rachel provided him a break from all this stress, and he enjoyed her company, his feelings and connection with annabeth was too deep for him to suddenly go out with rachel just because he and annabeth had a fight. even if he tried to go out with rachel instead, he wouldn't have been happy with her.

just like how the mortal world could give him a temporary normalcy, he could never truly escape from his demigod life. it will forever be a part of him. even with all its flaws and cons, camp half blood was his home and the only place he feels understood. he can never turn his back on it, even if he tried, he would fail.

[dracoroma]

Advice of writing pantheons, from a polytheist

There's quite a few tropes I've noticed that pop up fairly often when fantasy tries to represent polytheistic religions, and I need to get it off my chest as a polytheist. And I bring them up because there's so many misconceptions that I want to challenge.

This is my god, the one that I worship

A lot of fantasy falls into a trope of basically becoming a bunch of monotheistic religions. This is most common in trrpgs, like d&d, where players are even less experienced at representing these things than professional writers.

But, to explain the trope, this is when a character denounces the worship of other gods, besides the one they worship. And in a polytheistic framework, this is frankly stupid. To put it simply, one should think of the gods being built around the religion rather than the other way around. Each one has a purpose in the religion, and the world.

While the worship of a single deity out of the pantheon is a thing, known as henoism, it is my no means the normal for religions with multiple deities. This concept likely confuses henoism for tutelary deities, the deities that are in your life the most. These include gods related to your profession, passions, any that you just like the vibe of, or gods related to the area you live in. As such, people living in a polytheistic tradition would likely have multiple gods they hold as Tutelaries, which isn't even to mention spirits that would be honored. Additionally, one would worship deities outside the Tutelaries. Just because you don't regularly worship a deity doesn't diminish their importance in the working of the world

On top of that, most cultures historically did not deny the existence of the gods of other cultures. At most, they would do something called syncretism or equating gods together. For example, one greek myth had the olympians turn into animals, in an attempt to explain the strange animal gods Egypt had.

Overall, the idea that a religious person is constantly denying other gods, inside and outside their religion, is not polytheism. It's a completely Christian (and abrahamic, but I'll use christian as a shorthand) behavior. Someone living in a world where the gods are proven real and have a physical impact on the world would not insist that their god is the only "real" one. And that's why this is a good point to start the discussion off with, because that will become a theme.

The evil god's cult

Now, this trope is a little more nuanced. Of course, in a fantasy world, some entities with power might not have the best interests of mortals at heart. And, of course, some ill-advised cults to powerful, malicious entities may form. But it's important to remember why religions came about. The world is scary, with many things that can kill you. It's why ancient people put their faith in spirits and deities, to try and represent and curry favor with some aspect of the world.

In ancient Egypt, the regular flooding of the nile was crucual for their culture to survive. The aztecs told stories of the world being made of a giant monster that they had to feed to stop earthquakes. Religion is a way for us to feel connected to the world, to ask someone out there for help.

Death gods also disproportionately get represented as evil when they're just trying to do their jobs. Sure, there was not as much household worship of death gods, as well as other intense things like war or revenge. But this is because death or war, or revenge, are powerful and scary. You don't want them in your personal life to be used against you.

So, if you have an evil god in your story, why are they there. What purpose do they have? What keeps people coming to them?

The gods are jerks

In the same vein, many people come at writing religions with the gods as either uncaring and distant or as malicious. While the above point is important to this discussion, we also need to address where this comes from.

The idea that gods are uncaring or actively malicious comes from two places. The first is the rationalization Christianity has had to do. If *G*od is all powerful, all knowing, and absolute good, then why is there bad in the world? Because there's a plan!

Except many religions don't have to deal with this problem. The theoi, vættir and tuatha de dannan are not all powerful, or absolute good in the human sense (that second one is a more complex discussion I am nkt equipped for). They don't need that same explanation.

The other place is an uncritical reading of the existing stories. We all know the joke that Zeus tried to bang anything that moved. But it's important to remember that these were stories that a culture was telling about the entities they worshipped. Why would they protray their gods that way?

On top of that, a phrase floating around is " the god in the story is not the god in the temple." These stories were metaphorical and fictional, ways to explain phenomena or traditions

Weird themes

Along with other themes, it's weird to me that many games associate divinity with light primarily, as it's not something many gods would engage with on a regular basis. Healing and banishing evil spirits are understandable, but light is something that specific deities would have in their repotuoir.

Along with this, there's an often theme of copy-pasting christian priestly structure. Calling priests brither, sister, father and mother superior. Using an organized religion. The simple matter is that, for a lot of polytheism, priests would act mostly as experts in the worship and interaction with the gods, where temples would be liek the god's home.

Finally, I want to touch on how prayer works for many non-christian religions. Being, it's not always praying for something. Yes, a lot of prayer is asking the god to help you in their field of expertise, such as asking an agriculture god for a good harvest. But fiction does not represent devotional prayers nearly enough, prayers that are done fully in the honor of a god. This can be to a Tutelary deity, or on a festival day.

I hope this helps someone out there, and I hope it inspires people to look into things themselves.

[hermesgoestojuvie]

do you have any permes hcs or fic ideas?

oh anon u have no idea what you've unleashed. the permes fic ideas are all i have some days, alas, im not that accomplished at the whole idea to words transition as i wish i was. i'll go into a few more concrete ones under the read more

Quick note: So like. All the things I plan to write happen when he’s 18+. and there's no sibling or parent incest. (bringing that up cause i got an. interesting dm once.) So this is just a quick disclaimer of sorts. And I’m not hating on anyone who wants to write or read something dark! I mean for instance I have a time travel Percy/Hermes brainworm that is considered dark and probably not what a lot of people want to read, so i'll tag it as such.

The One Where There is a War

Explained a little more in detail here but I have no problem talking a little about it again. It was inspired by this one perpollo fic that I'm still looking for so I can link it, bc trust me, it is GOOD. (edit: FOUND IT!!!! HERE it’s by @ghost-bxrd)The premise of that fic was a war between the gods and demigods, and my fic is meant to draw from that as well as some elements from Lore by Alexandra Bracken. It takes place post-second Giant war, but I'm toying with the idea of having the war and all related events, like gaea's rising, happen when percy is maybe 19-20? I'm not sure yet though. I might keep the timeline as is instead. For now, just know that it is post-second giant war.

Anyways, the premise is the new war the demigods have waged on the gods, when Percy, already a conflicted party to the war, comes across an injured Hermes when he is separated from his group of scouts.

2. Warning: Untitled For Now But It Is The Dark!Hermes One

you ever read child surprise by aphroditesfavorite or the breezeblocks series by violetmoreviolent?

Both are perpollo, and while I've not caught up to child surprise (i'm two chapters in, its been in my marked for later for a while, and ive had the tab open for ages, i just keep getting distracted lol) i know that it does deal with a time-travel trope, with percy, post-second giant and titan wars, waking up in the past, the day athena and poseidon compete over athens.

from what i hear, where child surprise is perpollo, there is a dark, forcecful hermes scene, which is absolutely not meant to be shippy btw! i heard from a friend who has gotten farther than me that the aphroditesfavorite has also stated that the shippy comments received about that hermes scene has made them uncomfortable so like, dont go reading it for that guys please.

breezeblocks meanwhile has a take on dark!apollo, a more ancient apollo, in a way. an apollo that you remember IS an olympian and all that may entail. i actually have caught up with the latest updates, and it takes place in the present. i dont want to go spoiling, but I will say that like, the way its all unraveling and unfolding is just so interesting, im high key invested.

@ashilrak and @mrthology have also written an absolutely heartbreaking, gutwrenching, exceptionally glorious banger of a fic, HAUNT ME, THEN- that also really captures the otherness and ancient, almost older, aspect of the olympians.

anyways, the reason i bring these fics up is because i just really love the idea that percy was born from the sea, while also acknowledging that one of my favorite parts of the whole book series in the first place is percy's connection to mortality and to his mother. reading child surprise really was root of a lot of ideas of percy emerging from the saltwater fountain in athens at the time of poseidon and athena's competition, with the idea that the trip to the past coincides with unwanted percy's ascension. it is not the birth of percy jackson the demigod, but in half, percy jackson the deity (the other half near coming to fruition in tartarus before he forced himself to stop.)

all that^ was just a very long way to say, this fic, im not sure WHAT it is yet, or where the direction its going in is, but we have established permes in the modern era, the time slipping happens when percy is struggling with keeping his impending ascension at bay, and then percy deals with a hermes at his like. prime? if thats the word. having to reconcile that with the softer versions they know later.

3. The One I've Been Struggling With

i'm just gonna copy/paste some stuff from my outline, like just the first two pages. this is the most concrete fic wip i have lmao. its all very rambly bc thats how the process goes for me so sorry abt that! anyways, starts below:-

an au that is not modern times, but perhaps in the past? Ancient Greek times? So more “ancient greek minded hermes.” Or if you think there is a better alternative, that would work too, I’m all ears. Trickster god Hermes (which he is) and minor immortal(?) Percy.

i dont know what percy's situation is yet. need to figure that out

i was looking at a comic and thought, trickster god Hermes would definitely pull something like this on Percy. And then I thought, what if, trickster god Hermes, sees this one man (Percy) and falls in love with him. But this man seems to pine for a woman who doesn’t love him back, and so Hermes takes her shape. (I don’t know who this woman would be. Annabeth? It could be her, but I also love the bond Percy and Annabath have in general, she and him are incredible friends. Rachel? I loved her friendship with Percy too.)

Anyways, Hermes taking their shape made me laugh a bit because wow Percy is getting catfished by a god. And then I was like WHAT IF- Percy himself is a minor immortal like. A young nymph-ish type. A prince of Atlantis? A demigod turned prince of Atlantis? I am not sure what he is, but, I am going to use nymph as a placeholder until I figure this out. 

So sure, Percy is immortal, newly or otherwise, but he’s young and still not fully like, aware (I don’t know if that's the right word) about what it means to be immortal because he literally was born 20 years ago, which is normal mortal young man age. And Percy is like, “I’m as old as them and I want to live as them. I was them.”

His father is protective of course, he is aware of the way of the gods and how they chase pretty people. Poseidon warned him about gods, how they come and go, how he should never fall for one because loving one usually ends in tragedy or heartbreak- that to them hearts are easily won by tricks and discarded as easily. (Thinking again: mortal Percy turned immortal by marrying/mating with Hermes? Except, then I thought, Poseidon wants Percy to be immortal–if he thought Hermes showing interest and Percy reciprocating would allow for Percy to choose to be immortal he would probably begrudgingly allow it. So then….immortal Percy? Need to think)

The big Hermes reveal is when Percy is attacked or injured, or some other god shows up, and Hermes saves him but reveals his true form in the process. 

BACK TO THE PLOT!!!

Hermes was like, I will have this nymph, and that is FINAL. And Percy is kind even though he is not necessarily always NICE, (it may be ancient greek but new yorker percy is timeless) he's sweet and cares so much. he’s a hero and so loyal. he's brave and mischievous and genuinely good, and Hermes is just. Blown away, by the way Percy loves, so deep and it consumes you, to be the one Percy cares for, Hermes thinks there is no feeling like it.

Hermes tells himself that Percy can't possibly be deserving of mortal love. So what if golden haired Annabeth (placeholder for now, still dont know if we're going the annabeth route?) is a warrior who can run like the deer and loves the very woods Percy does. No, he needs a god's adoration, a force to be reckoned with at his beck and call to fulfill his every whim the way Percy himself makes others feel. If people would be loved the way Percy loves, everyone would be a god. 

I am laughing at Hermes taking the shape of Annabeth while talking to Percy, but also using the moment to talk up Hermes. Like if Percy is in his starry eyed about Annabeth phase, Annabeth wanting to have a sit down would be so exciting for him, and Hermes as Annabeth would be petty enough to be like lemme proselytize about myself, “have you heard of the great wonderful god Hermes?”

Percy being like, “Yeah my dad tells me every day, stay away from these people and then gives me a list of gods, why?”

Hermes immediately pissy

Percy is still talking, “so yeah Hermes is on the list too- why, Annabeth? Did something happen? you look...not well. Are you sick?”

Hermes, through gritted teeth, “with all due respect to... your father, I think you should hear about the god Hermes because he's not... whatever it is your dad said.”

Percy: Well, apparently the god Hermes fixates on pretty people and tries to get into their pants using trickery.

Hermes as Annabeth: CHOKES

Hermes-Annabeth: THAT IS SUCH SLANDER. I have never.... ahem, i have never heard of that about the god Hermes

^That was the first two pages. there's 11 more of me realizing writing is hard and i have commitment issues. but hopefully i finish at some point bc this is the fic ive poured some serious time in!

anyways, that was the three main fic ideas ive been tackling. i have had more that i immediately forget about, but just know, i can think about them all day!

[apollomes-supremacy]

LO Dionysus design 🍇🎭

| Apollo | Persephone | Hermes | Ares | Artemis | Ganymede | Aphrodite | Eros | Zeus |

This will be a long post since Dionysus isn’t a character yet so I had to create him from 0.

The beginning of Dionysus’ introduction started on EP 93 (with Semele, Dionysus’ mother), but it has been more than 100 episodes and we got absolutely nothing from that plot, which is bad considering that other gods get involved in the og myth (Zeus, Hera and Hermes, mainly), but none of them (before and after the time skip) display any knowledge or memory of the event, especially Zeus, who is the one who accidentally kills Semele in the first place.

I already talked about it here, but im 100% sure that the child mentioned in episode 218 is Dionysus. He should be 10 yo right now and he’s the only character (vaguely) introduced who is around that age. Not to mention, Dionysus does have some connections with the Underworld. My main theory is that he will be adopted by HxP and will remain a child for the rest of the series (probably skipping the majority of Dionysus’ myths). And that’s honestly such a waste of potential. So I decided to give my take on him if he was in LO, like the redesigns I did with many other characters.

Design

My main inspo was 60′s and 70′s Hippie fashion, with a lot of patterns, accessories (crystals, evil eyes, beads, rings, etc), loose clothes and a more lazy/cozy look. He’s two shades of purple that split his face, which is meant to represent his duality as the god of parties and joy & god of wrathful madness. Hermes gave him nymph ears to use as a disguise when he was young, but he doesnt want to change them back because he grew up and feels comfortable with them. He has a very androgynous/feminine look, which leads to a lot of people thinking he’s an actual nymph.

In his true form (which can come out voluntarily, but usually happens when the god gets so mad that they are unable to control themselves) he can get really big. Leafs and grapes sprout everywhere, he gets another pair of arms made of plants’ stems and his eyes go full neon green.

Story

His story is very similar to the og myths, with just some small differences. He is born from Zeus’ thighs and goes to live with Demeter and Persephone as one of their nymphs to escape Hera’s wrath. There he starts to question a lot about himself, like his gender and his origins (he doesn’t know he is not an actual nymph), and when puberty hits, his body and his powers go crazy. Its also around that time when he meets and falls in love with Ampelos (and you know how that story ends).

When the wine he creates starts growing in popularity and Dionysus starts getting worshipped by some cities, Zeus decides that there’s no reason to hide him from Hera anymore, so he brings Dionysus to Olympus and reveals the truth, inviting him to become an Olympian. Dionysus says yes without thinking twice, so he moves in and starts to get prepared for his ceremony and his new life.

But there’s a problem. The Olympus lifestyle is way too different from Dionysus’. People are sophisticated, modern and even mean-spirited, while he is the complete opposite. It’s hard for him to fit in and he just wants to go home with the nymphs and satyrs, and he eventually does... illegally.

Personality & relationships

Dionysus is very outgoing and funny. He’s kind to everyone around him (not discriminating against nymphs, satyrs or mortals), but he can get very emotional very fast. He gets easily annoyed, which will prob just result in some unwanted vines around the house and a grumpy look, but the moment he gets mad is when everything falls apart (wrath form). Anger issues + no control over powers = no good.

He sees Demeter as a mother and Persephone and the nymphs as older sisters, while Silenus and the other satyrs served as fathers. His favorite brother is Hermes who kept an eye on him during his entire childhood and still cares deeply for him. He also has an interesting relationship with Apollo, he is very scared and intimidated by him (I understand why lol) but wants to start a friendship. Except for the fact that Apollo already has a soft spot for him, Dionysus is just oblivious to it. Ares is also scary and kinda mean, but he likes Dionysus and cares for him. He’s very indifferent towards Zeus, Hera hates him (he hates her too) and everyone else is pretty neutral, considering he doesnt know a lot of people outside of the nymphs and satyrs.

Powers

Dionysus is a fertility god (which in this universe doesnt mean that much), this means he has powers over vegetation (like Demeter) and mortals’ desires (like Aphrodite). Being the god of madness also means that he can make people so mad to the point of committing atrocities and completely losing their minds. In his true form, simply looking at him can lower your sanity. He also has the powers all the other gods have, like changing forms, cursing and blessing people, being summoned by mortals, etc. 

That’s all I have the energy to write rn. I tried to replicate the LO art style, and honestly I really liked the result! Hope you guys liked it too <3

(Also, Dionysus would be around his 20′s when the story takes place. He is Pansexual and is still confused about his gender but he’s fine with any pronouns).

[comicaurora]

(Urban Fantasy Thing)

You said that the faeries alone remain as ephemera, so I take it everything else in that category is either still a god or dead, so who is still around? Did the Olympians remain such a large part of the forefront of culture that they were sustained even as active worship died out, or did they fade slowly, confined to things from old myths and Aesop's Fables or a cameo as an allegory in a mideval romance until, unlike the fey, they did not have enough belief to sustain themselves?

Does a demonized figure that is nonetheless recognized as an extent demon gain strength from that belief?

Who or what is Santa Claus?

Most old gods retreated into their realms when their worship started drying up. They're still out there, just a lot more separate from Earth than they used to be. The Olympians have never been forgotten, so their influence is still present, even if the symbiosis of worship-for-help has largely been broken.

The problem mostly hit the gods that were forgotten or purposefully overwritten, because they were still connected to the world while their worship was drying up or being excised. The Tuatha Dé Danann and most old Celtic religion has been so thoroughly erased and lost that the only remnants of it are in fairy tales. The reason Nuada is the only one who can still get anything done is because being a dead god is different than being reduced to a fairy or a sorcerer - it changes the way the being can interact with other realms. It's all a bit wibbly because, again, the connection between mortal belief and divine power is a little bit of a chicken-and-egg thing, but the general rule is that being disbelieved is much less damaging than being forgotten. It's unclear if a forgotten being dies or if their realm simply becomes totally disconnected from Earth, making it impossible to access. Nuada doesn't actually know if the rest of the Tuatha Dé Danann are gone or if they just can't reach Earth anymore, and only Manannán has maintained an active presence in the realm of Lír keeping the Fomoire contained - and the fact that he's being forgotten is draining his energy significantly.

The realness of Santa Claus is hotly debated. Any confirmed sightings are impossible to distinguish from Odin fucking around, and impersonating Santa is a favorite pastime among fey and especially eccentric wizards. Unexplained presents very rarely appear under christmas trees.

[aroaceleovaldez]

Something I think the first series “great prophecy” has that the latter prophecies don’t is that it has all the elements of a really strong prophecy that’s lacking in later prophecies.

With the first Great Prophecy, it’s just vague enough that you can interpret it a ton of different ways, but still specific enough that it’s not infinite and all of those different interpretations end up ringing true. “A half-blood of the eldest gods” could mean a lot of things, and throughout the series we’re given a lot of different options for who we think the child of the prophecy will be.

Then also the prophecy is self-fulfilling, and the characters think they way more agency than they truly do. Luke is dead as of The Lightning Thief - ye olde Doomed By The Narrative. We know he is doomed from the second we see that yarn be cut (even though we don’t know that’s his life string yet). But he doesn’t die until four books later. He was always going to die. Chronologically, when the Olympians first learn of the Great Prophecy, Zeus makes Hades give up his children as part of the oath the Big 3 make. Hades refusing to do so makes Zeus try to kill them/kill Maria, which makes Hades put his children in the Lotus Casino and curse the Oracle. The Oracle being cursed makes May Castellan go insane, which Hermes can’t do anything about because it’s Hades’ curse and that results in Luke becoming jaded to the gods and running away from home. Then Luke meets Thalia, who is a result of Zeus breaking the oath, and Hades kills Thalia in vengeance towards Zeus for breaking the oath that cost him his mortal family, which makes Luke even more jaded towards the gods and directly sets him on the path to raising Kronos.

Then on top of that, once the di Angelos re-enter the picture, the Oracle literally physically marches on down in front of everyone (specifically including the siblings) to deliver the prophecy for the quest that will ultimately kill Bianca and make Thalia fully give up on Luke (and decide to evade the prophecy by becoming a Huntress), and those events make Percy decide to take on the role of the child of the prophecy to spare Nico from it. The thing is, Percy isn’t the child of the prophecy! He never was! It was Luke all along! Percy was only the one who turned 16. Luke was the one who made the decision “Olympus to preserve or raze.” And Luke made that decision because he saw the heartbreak Annabeth had suffered because of all of this - losing Thalia, losing Luke, nearly losing Percy twenty times over. It all comes back together. Percy never had the agency to chose being the child of the prophecy - it was never him. It was never a child of the Big 3 anyways and never was going to be. The gods making the oath to try and avoid the prophecy is what seals their fate. The Oracle’s curse and Thalia’s death only serve to further guarantee the course of the prophecy. Every character, the gods included, think they’re making decisions that are changing fate but they aren’t, they’re only further cementing what was destined all along. The only decision made with actual agency is Luke’s final decision - preserve or raze. But even then no matter what Luke chose, he was going to die in that moment. He was always going to die. It was just a matter of if he would take Kronos out with him.

Prophecies in the later series are generally either direct instructions or very specific. Heck, by TOA they do a literal crossword that LITERALLY SPELLS OUT that they need Reyna on their quest. “A half-blood of the eldest gods” is just perfectly vague enough that it could mean a ton of things, but isn’t too vague as to be meaningless. A child of the Big 3? A legacy? A demigod of an even older god than Kronos’ children? Historically old gods? All on the table! stuff “Wisdom’s daughter” and “Bellona’s daughter” are kind of on-the-nose. “To storm or fire the world will fall” weird dichotomy but okay I guess. Why one or the other? What’s the connection (other than us later learning that Hera adopted Jason and raised Leo)? Like, okay, presuming specifically this means a demigod that gives us... Thalia, Jason, maybe Percy (storms), Leo, and Frank (fire), more or less? It’s too specific! But if it’s not a demigod then it’s way too vague! Just storm or fire? It’s that easy to defeat Gaea? Then why hasn’t someone done that already?! Even just like “Hera’s champion” would be better because then who’s Hera’s champion? She has like, a ton. All the Argo 2 crew is technically her champions. Now we’re working with something. None of that “Three letter word starting with D” stuff unless you’re gonna do something interesting with it. Where did your wordplay go, Riordan?! Your prophecies stopped making sense! You had a really good one! We need more of that!

[songsofdivinity]

@nectaric asked: was becoming a priestess of athena something medusa chose for herself? if so, why? what is her general opinion of the gods? did she devote time to worship all of them, or only athena? what is her opinion of athena / the gods AFTER her transformation?

She did indeed choose for herself to become a priestess of Athena. Why? Because Athena is formidable. A goddess with both smarts and the ability to skillfully defend herself; something the young gorgon admired greatly. So many women in their world met unfavourable fates at the hands of men, but Athena carved herself a place in the world and among the Olympians, and did so with grace. Medusa wanted some of that - to learn to be a strong woman - but eventually she found herself devoting more and more of herself to Athena because it gave her a sense of purpose.

As far as her general opinion of the gods pre-punishment, I think she had a healthy respect for them, being that she herself is of divine lineage. She knows the gods a bit more intimately than the average mortal though, and I think that made her a little bit lax with fearing them. She would pray to others occasionally, but she was devoted only to Athena, and I think she felt especially close to her because of that. Her worship made her feel connected to her, and that also perhaps contributed towards her feeling less afraid than she should have when Poseidon came around.

Speaking of, she did of course enjoy being with him as well. His attention flattered her, because attracting a significant figure like him was far different to the mortal men who gave her their affections. I think she got intoxicated by the thrill, and ultimately that is what led her to allow him to deflower her, even though she knew it would lead to trouble. I think maybe she hoped that her lineage, her dutiful worship of Athena, and having Poseidon's affection might spare her of anything more than a stern scolding.

After her punishment, she definitely felt betrayed as a result of that thinking. Truly, I don't think she expected such a harsh punishment, even though she knew she fucked up badly in hindsight. Initially I think there was some resentment towards Athena as well. "After all my service, she did this to me?" kinda thinking. It hurt, especially because it stripped her of her beauty and the affection of others, and forced her to isolate herself. It was a shock, because she was very privileged; she was beautiful and able to walk among people much more easily than her monstrous siblings. Being thrust into a monster's body and forced to live a life she wasn't used to? Yeah, she was very hurt.

Poseidon didn't escape her resentment either, because I think she was hoping he might help her, or defend her. But she got that double feeling of betrayal when her supposed lover left her to her fate. She was very angry, upset, and broken-hearted for quite a while.

However, her feelings didn't stay that way. The hurt never really left, but isolation gives one a lot of time to think, and she was able to admit that she made her own bed and now she had to lay in it. She realised that she betrayed Athena by breaking her vow, and disrespected her by defiling a temple with a god she didn't have the best relationship with. It took her a while to do it, but eventually she does work up the courage to start praying to Athena again. By that point, her feelings are definitely rooted in contrition, though she doesn't necessarily ask for her punishment to be reversed. She figures the best way to show she's sorry is to show Athena she is still devoted to her, and that she doesn't hold any ill-will toward her. For Athena, she holds nothing but love, admiration, and guilt for betraying her in such a way.

Definitely now she has a much healthier fear of crossing the gods too. She's learned her lesson, and while she does still feel hurt by Poseidon's actions, she doesn't carry a grudge towards him. If she were ever given another chance, I think she'd conduct herself very differently, and remember that while her parents are primordial gods, she herself is not above divine punishment for offending the gods.

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO NEFE COSMIA, HERMES. 🌓

ꕥ  — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: Twin age: 21+ pronouns: She/they ooc contact: Twin_Destinies on Twitter  other characters in xc: Nicholas Rush, Dex-Starr, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, Inosuke Hashibira

ꕥ  — IC INFORMATION;

name: Hermes age: Immortal (Appears Mid-40s pronouns: He/Him, any  series: Percy Jackson canon point: post The Last Olympian

app triggers: 

personality:

Hermes is a much kinder God than most, and his connections in the mortal realms makes him much more personable than most of them, too. Hermes is the messenger for the Gods, and acts as something of a connecting point between the realms. He spends a lot of time in the mortal realm -more than most of the other pantheon members- and he doesn’t dislike it, either, though sometimes he feels a little shafted for not receiving the accolades he had been anticipating when first taking the job. 

But more than being a Messenger God, Hermes also acts as a guide for recently departed souls to the afterlife, and also as someone who helps mortals deal with divine events when they get a little carried away and the mist is not enough. With these difficult tasks also under his jurisdiction, he spends a lot of time with mortals on the whole. While that doesn’t always grant him the insight he might need not to act like a prick sometimes, it has given him a deeper appreciation for mortals and humanity that most of the other Gods can’t claim to have. He likes them. He likes learning about them, and of course he likes spending time with them. Not just to make children or have fun, but to interact with them and learn their stories. 

He often finds himself wishing he could help the mortals -both the demigod and regular variety- but he takes his job as a God much too seriously to break the rules too often. Gods are not supposed to directly interact in the lives of mortals, and he keeps that in mind at all times, even when it’s extremely painful for him to hold firm to those beliefs. Though he is a trickster God, he loves what he does and does not want to risk punishment or losing his positions by angering Zeus. He also understands how easily Gods can ruin the delicate balance humans exist in, largely due to how much time he spends with them. He knows his place, as much as it breaks his heart not to always help his demigod children when they need him. (Though more recently, he has learned a willingness to break the rules in regards to them that he had not had before.) 

Though bound by the rules of being a God and unwilling to bend on them too much, that doesn’t mean he’s entirely unflappable. He is still willing to help the mortals, and the demigods, when he can. His methods just tend to be more roundabout, like seeing what they might need in the future and leaving helpful items around for them to happen upon in a time of need. He’s also not above showing up and bringing seemingly strange gifts. Because he can see the future to some degree, he uses it to indirectly help where he can. Since the rule is not to DIRECTLY interfere, he’s totally not breaking the rules. That kind of willingness to dance close to the line but not cross it stems from his trickster side. He can be a bit of a prankster from time to time, too, and loves to test his thieving skills out on his fellow Gods. More than one of them have ended up with items stolen because of him.  He has a good humor about him, despite everything, and tends to be a very cheerful God. 

Overall, Hermes is a God many find easy to get along with. He is energetic and friendly, as well as incredibly insightful and wise. He also has no problem treating mortals and Gods similarly, and is usually kind and helpful to everyone. Very few Gods in the pantheon share this light-hearted nature. 

Having nothing to do makes him incredibly irritable. He’s easily bored and doesn’t like having idle hands. His job keeps him constantly working, and it’s something that he truly loves. He can be a little impatient as a result, though he tries not to let it become a problem for others. And exasperation he feels, he keeps to himself. He is not all sunshine and rainbows all the time, of course, and falls into the same glooms and angers as anyone else, Godly or otherwise. He gets especially angry when people imply he doesn't love his children, and takes great offense over anything negative about them. Not being able to spend time with them or help them makes him terribly sad. 

While some Gods can be arrogant towards or disconnected from humanity, Hermes is the kind of God you could have a beer with. 

something your muse struggles with: Breaking from the rules of the Gods and helping mortals when they need it. 

your muse’s greatest strength: A lack of arrogance despite being a God, making him willing to learn about others

history / background:

Hermes was the son of Zeus and a Pleiad named Maia, born in a mountain. Though still a baby, his brain developed rapidly and he immediately decided to be a little shit and steal Apollo’s cattle. Though he was ultimately caught and brought to Zeus for punishment, he managed to weasel  his way out of anything too severe by offering an apology gift to the pride-wounded God. He created for him the Lyre. Apollo liked the gift so much it was part of the reason he ultimately took music in as one of his domains- he absolutely loved the little instrument. (which was, again, created by basically a newborn baby. Gods are wild.) 

Aware of Apollo’s love of music almost immediately, Hermes soon created a new kind of panpipe to trade with Apollo, too. The older God offered him his Caduceus and a beautiful and powerful golden sword for the instrument, as well the ability to see into the future by rolling dice. 

Amused and intrigued by the wit and power of his infant son, Zeus ultimately allowed him a place among the Gods when he came of age, granting him the duty of messenger and plethora of domains to call his own. 

Hermes’ time as a God was full of bright myths and tales, including being the first to create a turtle, and becoming a guide of the souls in the underworld. He helped many  demigods and heroes in his time, back before it became a rule not to directly interfere with their lives. Perseus, Achilles, and Odysseus all benefited from his aide, and even his fellow Gods were helped more than once thanks to him. He saved Ares from a trap (albeit reluctantly) and mended Zeus after he was badly wounded by a titan. He even took in the young Orpheus as his ward when the boy  was abandoned by his muse mother. 

Time rolled along and eventually the Gods took more of a backseat in the ways of man. Hermes contented himself with his messenger service, delivering all sorts of things to Gods across various realms, as well as within the mortal realm. He also kept his duties assisting with the souls in the underworld, guiding them and spending a lot of time among the mortals. As the mist was introduced to cloud the minds of mortals and make it impossible for them to know when something supernatural happened around them, Hermes was one of the first to start helping the mortals deal with what was going on. On the whole, he spent most of his time still assisting and spending time with mortals, though in more of a backseat roll than he would have liked. 

He had many mortal children over the years, but being a God meant not being able to interact with them as he might have liked to. It burned him to do it- he hated it- but he knew how easily the mortal realm could be corrupted by the ways of Gods. One such son was Luke, whom he considered his favorite child despite Luke’s apparent dissatisfaction with the limited involvement of the Messenger God in his life. He hadn’t been in Luke’s life, and further strained their relationship when he gave him a quest he’d given another hero in the past- one Luke failed to complete, in the end. His actions, and inaction, only furthered problems between them. 

Hermes knew to some degree the fate that awaited Luke thanks to his dice, and wanted to help him despite not being allowed to. He sought out Percy Jackson, a young demigod entangled in the same future as Luke and indirectly asked him to save his son from himself.  Though Percy ultimately failed in this, Hermes still believed there was hope for his son.

powers / abilities: Split by domain because this man has too many powers. Each bullet point is a power set of its own. 

Roads/Travel/Heralds/Couriers - He never gets lost- he instinctively knows every road and path open to him. He can impart this power on others and aid them in their travels. Hermes can create wings on his (and other’s) shoes that allow him to fly and travel at supersonic speeds. He can also ensure travels are safe and prevent dangers from meeting travelers on the road. He can ensure messages are delivered on time or late, or not at all depending on his mood. In his presence, any fatigue or injury from travel (specifically) goes away. He can make you feel ready for the next journey.

Gymnasiums/Athletes/Speed - Naturally, Hermes’ senses and physical strength are much greater than a human’s. He can lift up an entire house with ease. His speed is unrivaled amongst even the Gods, thanks in part but not entirely to his winged shoes. Hermes has top tier swordsmanship skills, which he has passed down to many of his demigod children. He can make you feel refreshed and ready for the next contest. 

Diplomacy/Orators/Persuasion- It’s probably no surprise that Hermes has a natural charm about him, and can be very persuasive when speaking. It’s unclear if it’s an actual ability or not, but either way he knows how to get people to listen to him. He can also sing very well, and it is said that his voice can charm others much like the sirens. 

Thieves - Hermes has the ability to steal from others without them noticing. It is supernatural in nature, and can go undetected by most, particularly if they have no sensitivity to divine power. But even other Gods are not entirely immune to his abilities, as he’s stolen from others in his pantheon for shits and giggles and to test himself. Alongside this, Hermes has the power to unlock just about any lock by sensing the way the lock works within as long as he can touch it. Most than this, Hermes can also sense when a lock is booby trapped or cursed, which helps in avoiding complications while stealing. He is capable of deactivating most traps in a similar manner. Hermes can also detect theft, knowing who and what was stolen.

Cunning/Trickery/Deception - Hermes can see when people are lying, and aid or inhibit it as he sees fit. Mostly he uses his other powers that lend themselves well to this domain, like transformation and his persuasive speech. 

Commerce/Trade/Luck - Due to his connections to luck and money, Hermes has the ability to manipulate money as he sees fit, like changing stocks or altering value. He can also manipulate the luck of others, or his own, allowing him to win at various gambling games and generally making him very annoying to play poker with. Luckily, Hermes has no great need or want for money, so he tends to only use this power to assist others on their quests.  

Sleep/Dreams/Oneiromancy - Hermes can allow mortals to see prophetic dreams when they sleep. He also sees them himself. He can control when people fall to sleep and for how long. 

Hospitality/Feasts/Banquets - Hermes can create large quantities of food! Party on, dudes. He can also use his powers to ensure guests are treated well, no matter where they stay. 

Birds of omen/Divination/Magic/Alchemy - Hermes can send birds to appear in front of mortals with omens, usually messages from the other Gods. He has a wide range of magic power and divination skills, though they play more into general Godly powers than anything specific to this domain. Though he does have a natural affinity towards magic and can learn it easily. He gained the ability to read the future by rolling dice after a trade with Apollo. His ability with Alchemy was something he mastered later on, but he has the ability to manipulate matter both on a scientific level and a supernatural one. 

Invention/Learning/Memory - Hermes has invented many things throughout the timeline of humanity, including (allegedly) the internet. He also invented the lyre and a flute. He has a deep love of inventing, and enjoys seeing what humans come up with. He understands most inventions on sight, and his intelligence is only rivaled by other Gods with competing domains. He can create or alter enchanted items for the quests of heroes, like multivitamins that remove curses, or a thermos containing the north wind.  He never forgets anything he learns, and is an extremely quick study. 

Rustic Music/Animal Fables - Not much to this one but he can make people feel inspired and also plays pretty much any instrument placed in front of him as though he had been playing it for years. 

Animal Husbandry/Herding/Guard Dogs - Hermes can bless herds both domestic and wild. He can ensure their safety and fertility, and keep them from getting attacked by predators. He can likewise bless guard dogs to keep flocks safe as well as homes, keeping them safe from thieves. Hermes has a natural gift with herd animals, though he does not speak to them directly. He’s just very good with them and there’s some kind of inherent understanding with them. Same with dogs. 

Communication/Language/Writings -  Under these domains, Hermes can understand any language, and use them both written and spoken without trouble, even if it’s the first time ever hearing it. 

Messenger of the Gods - Due to his position as a messenger God, Hermes can travel between the realms without restriction. This includes Olympus, the mortal realm and the Underworld, as well as other worlds associated with other pantheons. This ability is, of course, suspiciously locked and he can no longer access it to the same extent, though he can still travel through (open) cosmia without trouble. This ability helps him in his job as a guide for the dead. Hermes also exists outside time and space, allowing him to do much more in a day than should be possible. (He’s much like Santa Claus, in that way.)

Guide of the Dead - Hermes can see and speak to spirits, as well as help them feel comforted in their journeys. He’s naturally good with ghosts and the undead. He does not control or expel them, only comfort them and ease their suffering. He can also allow people to see their dead loved ones in their dreams as a final send off of sorts, or as a way for the dead to bring warnings to the living. 

General God powers -. He is extremely intelligent. Like most of the other Gods, he has several non-specific abilities including teleporting and changing his form at will. He can appear however he pleases, though tends to stick with a middle-aged man. He has a God form, but rarely uses it, as being in the presence of a God in their natural state can drive a mortal to madness.   

He has the ability to manipulate the world around him, transforming objects and people into whatever he likes, though when it comes to punishing people by turning them into animals, he tends to stick to his three sacred animals: Rams, Tortoise (or turtles) and Roosters (or hawks). His caduceus can similarly be transformed, spending most of its time as a phone. It can also be changed into other weapons, like a cattle prod. 

He can bend space to his will as well, warping the area around people to disorient them or send them somewhere else entirely. It can feel like the world has literally flipped upside down. 

And, of course, Hermes is immortal. He cannot be killed and has never been sick, though perhaps some curse could promote either outcome under the right circumstances. He can, however, be injured and bleed, though a God’s blood is a golden ichor instead of the usual red. 

Hermes can bestow his powers on others in the form of blessings or curses. These all resonate with the domains he happens to be the god of. For example, he can bless someone with the ability to pick any lock, or he can curse someone to set off every booby trap they come across. Curses and blessing can only relate to what he’s the God of and he decides if they are temporary or permanent. (He can lift permanent blessings or curses at any time anyway, though.) 

inherent abilities: For the sake of ease his only inherent ability will be having his mortal form as default and he will have to earn back his God form. 

items / weapons: 

Gold Sword - Hermes has a sword of adamantine and Imperial Gold, which he also traded from Apollo. 

Winged Shoes - His winged shoes allow him to travel quickly and easily, though the wings can actually appear on just about any shoe. They do not have to be the sandals of legend. He can also make winged shoes for others, though they’re not nearly as powerful.

Caduceus - A short staff with snakes wrapped around it and wings at the top. The twin snakes on his Caduceus are actually sentient- a male and female who bicker like an old married couple. They are called George and Martha, and are his attendants. 

Gold Helmet - A golden helmet that has white wings on either side of it. It’s just a normal helmet, but it completes the Godly look.

starting ability: Invention  starting item: Caduceus 

extra: Greek myths are wild.

discord id: godlymailservice

[mythvoiced]

“what makes me so special?” - hermes :3

@astremourante | more random dialogue prompts | ♥

---

Hermes blinks.

What an odd question.

And what an odd response. The great and swift God Hermes, known for his cunning, for his thirst for wit, so often depicted as silent and obedient in tales and myths and epics because it's easier to portray him doing his job than acknowledging how much faster his mind works than that of any other Olympian.

He'd followed Zeus around villages, watched as the old man disguised himself to test mortals, and he'd been silent.

He told Calypso to free Odysseus - he'd helped him remain human before the eyes of Circe.

He'd bedded Circe - or let her bed him.

He gave Perseus his shoes, connected him to Athena.

A lot of things have been recounted of him.

Stole Apollo's cattle, invented an instrument to give him, for the fun of it.

Befriended the ferryman himself.

He navigates quickly enough, and knows how to play by the rules smartly enough, that no one would assume him so inclined to further his own domain, to float and laugh over the heads of thieves and merchants alike, to beat paths into deserts if he found one suited to a crossroad, to invent melodies for Apollo's lyre with the clinking of his coins he'll never let him hear.

In a way, he's almost as aloof as Artemis.

Just much better at hiding it.

But here he is. A god, at the whims and commands of a woman, a mortal assassin. Had he chosen someone like Circe again, well, not many would have blinked twice. Had he tried to pursue Diomedes, Athena's favourite, wittier than Odysseus for his lack of hubris, no one would have batted an eye.

Cunning, witty, kings, goddesses, generals, hold power and dominance over large areas, witches, strategists, fools.

Amelia is by no means stupid, she glows with well-masked intelligence, hidden away as masterfully behind her frivolous, facetious exterior as her physical prowess, her pain.

What does make her so special? Some might argue she's lesser than others he's had.

He might argue she's so much more.

There's life in her he's so rarely sense in others. Pain and a thirst for justice and vengeance overpowered at times only for her thirst for punishment, familiarity over the ever so dreaded hoped for future. There's almost no future for her in which she won't crumble one way or another, if she succeeds and has nothing left to bleed for, if she fails and let's it define her.

And Hermes is no Fate, he cannot look into the future, has only ever seen the threads of life once cut in the souls he carries to Charon, or splendidly vibrant like Amelia at his side, so he can't guess how wrong he is, can't fathom if he's right.

When you're a god, you meet a person perhaps twelve times. Not the same one, but you can only go so far before behavioural patterns repeat, before you meet a character that reminds you so eerily of someone else. Yes, all mortals are unique, thank the gods or it would be rather dull to be in such close proximity and frequent exposure to them, but they aren't being invented a-new with each new generation.

Old traits, new media format.

And yet... and yet...

Hermes counts the freckles on Amelia's face. They look like cinnamon powder dusted over a bright, dangerous grin, or a soft threatening touch of vulnerability. She'd wanted him with malicious ferocity, with a bite hidden somewhere in her morals that had made him wonder if she'd wanted him because it would hurt to get him, or to prove something, or for this or for the other reason rather than the simple concept of bliss.

She'd pushed him away with a sense of self-respect he'd come to both expect from her but also be surprised to see. She gives him whiplashes, with the desperation she'd tried to drag a kiss out of him, coupled with the viciousness with which she'd demanded he play nice to get one.

Maybe it's that.

Maybe it's just a feeling.

"I'm not sure," he admits. He doesn't throw his usual smile into the mix, he seems... pensive, contemplating her being. "I just can't help but feel like, in hindsight, I'd been missing something, all the time leading up to knowing you."

"I can't give you a specific answer. I don't think about other mortals enough these days to remember what to compare you to."

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

I do recall suggestions that they give the throne to *others*, to create a new Olympian- similar to how Hestia did Dionysus. (How does THAT apply?)

You're right! There was discussion in The Tower of Nero about replacing Apollo's spot on the Olympian Council, so the thrones can't be too connected to them.

Plus, they didn't even have those thrones until Hephaestus arrived (I have that in my timeline as after Ares & Athena's birth, but before the twins', so the Elder Olympians and Ares & Athena did not have thrones for a while.)

Hestia abdicating technically doesn't come from the myths, and was the assumption about why sometimes Hestia is the twelfth and why it's Dionysus other times, but since that's what happens in the RRverse, we're just gonna roll with it lmao

Anyway, the above does support the idea that the thrones themselves are not connected to the gods- so this leaves the question of why was Dionysus so concerned then?

I propose now: The thrones are manifestations of human culture. They are made up of the domain whatever god the throne is assigned too. So just like Dionysus says, if they thrones are destroyed, so is human culture and the gods will weaken alongside it, since the thrones are connected to human culture, and more specifically, their domain of human culture.

Which also leads to the question- if Zeus has such control over immortality, why hasn't he taken it from his brothers? Or any other he deems a threat?

Zeus has taken it from Poseidon once! But I personally headcanon that the Laomedon servitude did not completely drain him and Apollo of their immortality, since it is myth-canon that they are both still very much gods during this timeframe, and both use godly skills to get the job done (ie, Poseidon uses his super strength and Apollo his lyre).

With Apollo's time with Admetus, I think Apollo was drained a bit more of his immortality, but he still had it in him because, as Apollo himself tells us in The Hidden Oracle, he made Admetus's cows have twin calves, a clear indicator of godly power.

ToA is when Apollo was sucked dry. And honestly, during the first two times, I don't think Zeus has much interest in depriving Poseidon or Apollo of their power- or at least, not all of it.

If he is willing to do so at the point of ToA...then why hasn't he?

(the below thoughts are inspired by @tsarinatorment, mainly from authors notes/behind the scenes thoughts)

I think it's because, unlike Hades, Poseidon, and Apollo, Zeus has not gotten a power boost from his own belief. Zeus's belief stems from a paranoid need to be in power and to stay in power- that is not a very good cornerstone for self-belief.

Tsari once said something along the lines of "the tighter he holds on, the more power slips through his fingers" and I think that also applies here. The more he hunkers down and insists he's in the right, that he has all the power he deserves, the more it slips away.

And how about granting immortality? Beyond apollo- and dionysus- ascending on their own, the gods have been known to make *other gods*, seemingly independent of worship- and possibly, the self belief of the individuals they immortalize.

Granting immortality seems a little trickier to pin down. Apollo tells us in The Dark Prophecy;

It is no small thing to make someone a god. The general rule is that power trickles down, so any god can theoretically make a new god of lesser power than him or herself. But this requires sacrificing some of one’s own divinity, a small amount of what makes you you—so gods don’t grant such a favor often. When we do, we usually create only the most minor of gods, as I did with Parthenos and Hemithea: just the basic immortality package with few bells and whistles. (Although I threw in the extended warranty, because I’m a nice guy.)

This is an interesting concept, but also one I scratch my head over because a lot of mortals have been made immortal over the course of mythology, and also I just don't quite understood why a god's power would have anything to do with creating a new god. I think @fearlessinger once talked about this in the Discord but I don't quite remember what she said XD

Plus, Dionysus wasn't made a god- like you said, he became one himself. And Artemis's hunters! They have immortality (albeit with strings) but it's still immortality! But Artemis is no weaker than the other Olympians (I think Rick kinda shot himself in the foot here lmao).

putting on our clown hats to figure out What The Fuck Is Going On in the big wide world of the RRverse haha!

what are your thoughts on the olympians’ thrones? we know that they are connected to the power of the gods, and that kronos’ tactic was to destroy olympus/their thrones in order to weaken them (so when kronos destroyed the arm rest of ares’ throne, did that weaken him during the battle with typhon?)

but why should the destruction of their thrones weaken them? isn’t the source of their power, their divinity, well, themselves? and what of minor gods? or what about during the first titanomachy? sorry for the lengthy question but it’s all very confusing and im interested in hearing your take.

SO

THE OLYMPIAN THRONES

first let's see what Dionysus had to say about this in The Last Olympian

"Whichever! Now listen, the situation is graver than you imagine. If Olympus falls, not only will the gods fade, but everything that is connected to our legacy will also begin to unravel. The very fabric of your puny little civilization—"

"Yes, yes. Your entire society will dissolve. Perhaps not right away, but mark my words, the chaos of the Titans will mean the end of Western civilization. Art, law, wine tastings, music, video games, silk shirts, black velvet paintings—all the things that make life worth living will disappear!"

"—the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to save Olympus yourselves—"

Let's look at the third part first! Dionysus tells us that the gods are manifestations of human culture. And as we know, in the RRverse, the gods have moved around with the flame of progression, where the most human power is allocated. This is why they are in the US in the RRverse, and why they tend to reflect a more American culture (ie, Zeus in a CEO suit, Poseidon as a fisherman, Ares is a biker, ect.)

So what I'm getting from Dionysus's explanation here, is that the gods and human culture are intrinsically intertwined with each other. You can't have one without the other and all that. If human culture fades, the gods weaken, and if the gods weaken, human culture fades.

Something interesting to note here is that Dionysus says that the gods will fade if their thrones are destroyed...interesting, considering Dionysus and Percy also discuss how Pan faded.

But Pan didn't fade because of a lack of human belief/culture - he faded because his domain was being destroyed. Helios and Selene faded because they lost faith in themselves.

I think Dionysus might be overexaggerating a bit here. I don't think the gods would have necessarily faded if their thrones were destroyed- just significantly weakened. And perhaps, weak enough that if they ever just decided to give up...they would fade.

(Which brings up an interesting notion of Dionysus fearing them fading, because maybe that implies he thinks not all of them have the willpower to push through that...food for thought)

Kronos destroying Ares's arm rest is curious, since after the defeat of Typhon, we see the Olympian gods and nothing is out of the ordinary, even with Ares. So I'm guessing the arm rest getting cut off didn't exactly affect Ares, but if a larger piece of the throne or even the throne itself was sliced up? We'd have a different story.

I believe the source of the gods' power comes from a variety of places- mortal belief, their thrones, and belief in themselves. We see the latter occurring with Apollo in The Tower of Nero especially, where he's able to bring himself back into immortality on his own willpower, and I think we even see this happening with Hades and Poseidon, leaving their respected realms to come to the aid of Olympus and leaving behind their grudge (Hades) and ego (Poseidon) for the greater good.

This brings up an interesting idea, then. The Olympians have three main sources of power. But are they even aware of the third?

Because think about it. People, in series and out, have automatically assumed Helios and Selene faded because of a lack of mortal belief. But, that is not what happened, for they were still majorly worshipped- instead, it was a lack of faith in themselves. They lost their sense of self.

So I think the "power ranking" of these sources go as follows;

Belief in self

Mortal belief

Thrones

Mortal belief is often talked about, especially in ToA where Nero tells us mortals gave him a prolonged life and eventually immortality. He does not have a throne like the Olympians, though he does have a fasces, where his immortality is stored.

Could it be that the Olympian's immortality is stored in their thrones? Maybe. But remember, Nero is a wannabe god. There has to be drawbacks to that, and I bet the fasces was one of them. He has to contain his immortality in something, while the Olympians do not, because they are immortal. Full stop.

Now minor gods...this is a bit trickier, but I think minor gods have a power scaling of their own. The Olympians are on another level for godly power- they are The Squad so to speak.

How powerful minor gods are I think depends on their domain, as well as mortal belief/their own belief.

Hecate, for example, is probably exceptionally powerful for a minor goddess because of her position as the goddess of magic, the Mist, and crossroads among other things (did you know she has some influence over prophecy? ;3 she and Apollo were two sides of the same coin when it came to prophecy).

Iris is probably not as powerful as Hecate is, because, uh, rainbows aren't exactly powerful when it comes to magic XD

As for the Elder Olympians' power during the Titanomachy...that's also interesting to think about. Imo, I think their power grew over the time of the war, since they didn't really have the opportunity to fine-tune anything what with being in Kronos's stomach and all lol

Zeus probably got more practice in when he was young, but probably not as much when he became cupbearer. And I also think the symbols of power of the Big Three help channel their power- which now has a funny image because here are the guys learning how to focus their power with training wheels while the girls are just fucking around and finding out.

Demeter probably strangled a few people with her plants. Hera probably unleased a hoard of peacocks on someone. Hestia no doubt set a few things on fire.

lmao, that's funny to think about.

Anyway, finally got around to this one!!! :D

[chironshorseass]

Okay, so I have several things, but I’ll just send in multiple asks. First, what are your thoughts on Percy’s Styx fight with Hades? He not only annihilated the army, but knocked Hades out of the chariot and pinned him down, scaring one of the Big Three. He also controlled the Styx when he yelled out and it exploded

that’s actually one of my favorite moments in tlo ok fine idk which one’s my favorite moment but i love that one. 

and this edges more into the topic of how the curse of achilles affected him. i think with this demonstration of power after his bath in the river styx (percy controlling the styx itself when just a moment before he couldn’t even breathe in said river???omg??) explains a lot about why rick took away the curse in the son of neptune. 

like, he easily defeated that entire army of undead soldiers in SECONDS and then he fucking. comes for hades. it makes sense, i suppose, for rick to want to take that advantage away if it meant that percy would be this powerful. but what he forgot in his moment of stupidity is that percy’s also a hundred times more vulnerable! I mean!! i love the contrast between this scene, where bullets ricochet off his body, where swords break in contact with his skin, where no one can stop him and his connection to the ocean grows tenfold...and then have him absolutely come undone at the sight of sally and paul asleep in their car in the middle of the invasion of manhattan. he is so upset, in fact, that pandora’s pithos appears in the backseat (i believe?), because he loses hope quicker than a lightning strike, quicker than he would’ve, had he not been under the curse’s influence. there’s also the williamsburg bridge scene, which is *chef’s kiss,* in which he starts fucking laughing as he kills the monsters (the same way he did in the underworld!!!) and he just. becomes a one man army all over again. he is vicious and unmerciful as he takes on the minotaur and other creatures and even demigods. but...that moment of utmost control in the battle ends the instant he hears annabeth’s scream, when he sees that she’d just gotten stabbed and likely saved his life because of it.

the point is that everyone, even the writer himself (lmao) got scared of what percy was capable of. literally rick and the gods where like, “this is too much.” and the topic of percy getting rid of the curse is meant for another post, but what’s actually interesting in the pjo universe are the—you guessed it—immortals. because i’ve mentioned this before, but percy was practically a god at this point. he scared the shit out of hades—as well as nico. he is invincible, and all he needs is the elimination of that weak spot at the small of his back to fully become a god.

here’s the thing, though...that weak spot is crucial as well as deadly. having that vulnerability not only tethers his soul to his mortality, but it also gives him plenty of freedoms.

gods are limited to doing whatever they want by the so called “ancient rules.” they can’t interfere in many things as well as can’t go into another god’s domain without permission. they can’t steal directly from other gods, can’t interact too much with mortals...but demigods can. they are the connection to the mortal and immortal world. technically, they can do whatever the hell they want. so the concern here is that percy can do whatever the hell he wants, is waaay too connected to the ocean for their liking, and the worst part of all this is that he is nearly a god himself. his powers grew drastically with his bath in the styx, and the gods are terrified. he is one of them, but at the same time, he isn’t. kronos realized this when he fought percy at the williamsburg bridge. he said something to percy along the lines of “you should’ve been my host,” when he noted how strong percy was in comparison to luke.

now to the topic of the gods: all they need to do to keep percy in line is to know his weak spot. the problem is that...they don’t. so what zeus does, at the end of the titan war, is offer percy immortality. that’s their last desperate measure to control this wild card that’s going rampant in both worlds, where there’s countless possibilities for said wild card to overpower the olympians since he’s still a hero. they can’t risk an uprising happening, can’t risk percy getting too comfortable with his immortal side—the side of the ocean. so their logic is to make him a god and make him follow their rules.

obviously he doesn’t accept the “gift”, so the discomfort is still there. the gods hold their breath, now that percy is more dangerous than ever before. i guess it’s calming to them that between tlo and hoo, percy has control over his life. that his loved ones are safe. because when that’s not the case, well...

imagine the possibilities of percy struggling to connect with his mortality during hoo, which was the moment he truly began to see how the gods don’t change. that maybe, luke was right. imagine him coming after the olypmians like he did with hades (!!!!) like, i have little doubt that he’s capable of this still even without the curse, but the curse adds an edge to him that we don’t see in any of the books. every weakness within him arises tenfold, as well as every strength. i can only wonder how much easier it would be for percy to lose it, for him to battle with his fatal flaw, and how every link, every control he has over water, over storms, over earthquakes—could snap like the thinnest of threds just by a stab in the back.

[pjo-whore]

Percy Jackson At Hogwarts

Chapter 1: Wizards Are What Now?

Look, Percy never wanted to be half-blood.

Being a half-blood – the child of a mortal human and a god – was dangerous. It was scary. Most of the time, on top of having neglectful parents and a dysfunctional and incestuous family that wanted you dead for petty reasons, it got you killed in other painful, nasty ways.

There wasn’t a day that went by where Percy didn’t feel envious of the kids who didn’t have to deal with the mythological world.

Percy Jackson was seventeen years old. Until a month ago, he was fighting a war against a Greek primoradial, the Earth Mother incarnate, Gaea – also known as his great grandmother. Before that, he fought in a war against his grandfather, Kronos, Greek Titan of Time, who wanted to overthrow the Olympian gods and take over the world and the Empire State Building. Somewhere in between he also found time to spend a month in literal Greek hell, Tartarus, who also happened to be his great grandfather, and who also tried to murder him on sight.

Was Percy a troubled kid?

Yeah. You could say that.

And right now, he was still trying to clean up the mess from the Second Giant War.

Now that there wasn’t a war looming overhead, the gods’ recent exploits were coming to light, and new demigods were popping up everywhere, everyday. The number of demigods skyrocketed now that they were actively searching and not waiting for them to stumble into Camp on their own.

But that also meant there were new kids to train, more demigods for the gods to claim, and less time to recoup from the recent war.

Less than a month had passed since Gaea’s defeat.

The days were filled with helping each other get back on their feet, rebuilding the camps, and trying to keep the fragile peace in order.

There was still a lot to sort out, and the gods weren’t as hands-on as most would like. There was conflict building up. News spread about how the gods helped the seven demigods of the prophecy fight the giants, because a giant couldn’t be killed by a mortal alone, and this made many jealous and angry. The gods could pop in for a single battle when it was their own ass on the line, but not when a group of their own literal kids needed to rebuild their home that was dedicated to the gods?

Besides Chiron and Dionysus, the only god to physically stay at Camp Half-Blood following the battle against Gaea due to his punishment from Zeus, there were no other adults. The oldest demigods were barely twenty. Despite age, most, if not all, the demigods looked to the prophecy demigods for guidance and leadership.

Annabeth, Jason, Percy, Piper, and Nico.

The brunt of the responsibility fell on the daughter of Athena, and the son of Poseidon. They led their Camp through the Second Titan War, and now they were survivors of another war.

Things weren’t easy for a long time.

The Camp was completely ravaged.

During Gaea’s seize of the Greek demigod Camp, the cabins were burned by the monsters and toppled by Gaea’s massive earthquakes. Not even the Big House – the staple of Camp Half-Blood, the oldest building on the lot – survived the attack.

Camp Jupiter didn’t fare any better, but their buildings had been more structurally sound, thicker and built of material that didn’t burn and crumble. Enough buildings were still standing well enough to inhabit.

Everything had to be rebuilt for Camp Half-Blood.

Nobody could be sent home – to their mortal homes, with mortal parents, and a mortal life, mortal being the slang for “normal” among the mythological world – despite the new lack of residency at Camp Half-Blood. Kids needed to heal. There were nightmares and PTSD. Trauma and concussions. People to be counted, bodies missing, some so mauled they were impossible to identify. Several bodies were unearthed from the ground, sucked in by Gaea’s attack and suffocated beneath the dirt.

Shrouds were made for those who could be identified, the unknown buried in unmarked graves to be remembered. Those who were missing were given honorary shrouds, unknowing if they were in one of the unmarked graves. The Romans were unable to do their traditional funeral rituals, transporting the bodies all the way to Camp Jupiter, and were burned in shrouds alongside the Greeks.

Mortal parents simply couldn’t help.

They couldn’t fathom their children being in a war.

There were fears that demigods would be taken away from Camp Half-Blood by their mortal parents, horrified at what their kids were put through. Chiron especially worried about demigods who would be kept from Camp by parents, forcing them to live alone without any mythological world support, to defend against monsters on their own, without any magic or special weapons.

So, among the remaining able-bodied demigods, Greeks alongside Romans worked together to erect the new Big House. Tents from the Romans’ siege on Camp Half-Blood were gifted to the Greeks to provide residency until the new cabins were built, while the Romans started to march back home.

During all the chaos, Percy didn’t have any time to sit down and process all that happened.

The whole Camp looked up to him as a leader, but Percy didn’t feel very strong or wise.

He only felt bitter.

There were some who walked by and whispered “lucky” and “prophecy.”

Some who stopped talking as soon as he walked into the room.

Those who acted like he wasn’t even human, just some untouchable hero; but they ostracized him.

Percy was aware that he was one of the so-called “lucky” campers; lucky being compared, because at least he walked away with all his limbs intact.

It didn’t feel like he was lucky.

He wasn’t unscathed. He bore many scars, visible and not. His time in Tartarus was an impossible nightmare on bad nights, and a shadow on good days.

Percy was learning that he had triggers.

He was learning Annabeth did, too.

Neither liked using elevators.

Annabeth’s expression went tight when Percy used his powers around her. She turned away, sometimes completely leaving the area.

She got antsy in the dark, a childhood fear resurfaced.

There were other little things; at night when she had nightmares she would toss and turn in bed, sweating through her clothes and sheets, despite the breeze being cold. Sometimes Annabeth would completely avoid Percy, acting snappish, always coming back and apologizing in the end, and they would hold each other like they were hanging over the chasm again.

Annabeth refused to talk about what she saw in her nightmares, and Percy never pushed. He was one of the only people who could understand what she was going through.

Sometimes all they could do was sit and try to drown out the memories of The Pit.

Percy’s triggers were different.

He developed a deep-seated hatred for empousai. The moment he saw one, his body started to shake with adrenaline and nerves, fire flashing before his eyes.

Percy could no longer look at the stars without feeling a deep loss, tears pricking at his eyes.

He prayed to his father, Poseidon, more often, as if trying to re-establish his connection to the sea, to re-establish his connection to the Overworld, as if that could cleanse him of what happened in The Pit. As if he could wash away the touch of The Pit.

Percy’s nightmares were always blurry and violent. He wouldn’t snap awake like others. He didn’t startle or jerk upright. He didn’t make a single noise. He would wake silently, and lay there in bed, eyes open and unseeing, that shattered glass feeling he always dreaded at the bottom of his stomach. After he could never go back to sleep, and he would get up and sit on the tile in his cabin for hours and look in the mirror and wait for the image to change. He would wait for it to reflect what he feared, though it never did.

*

“Okay, so, how big is the situation? Is it like, ‘Aphrodite lost her hairbrush again’ big? Or is it ‘Gaea has risen again’ big?”

Annabeth frowned. “I don’t know. All Chiron said was that a god needed our help – and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the sound of that.” She chewed her bottom lip in thought as they headed toward the Big House. They had been asked to attend a private meeting with Chiron, outside of the camp counselor meeting. “He sounded serious, too. Whichever god it is must be an asshole to seek help so soon after the war.”

She wasn’t wrong, Percy thought.

Jason was appointed Pontifex Maximus in Camp Jupiter, and as such he was responsible of advising the praetors, ruling over the Camp Jupiter counsel, and overseeing the work and prayers to the minor gods. His promise to Kymopoleia to bring worship and awareness for all minor gods became his fulltime job, and it was ruled that most gods must go through Jason to request help from either demigod camp.

A god asking for help directly after a full-scale war? Using Chiron as their connection? It was a hit below the belt, and it made Percy frustrated.

A few demigods raised their heads in greeting as Percy and Annabeth passed by the arts and crafts center. Conner and Travis Stoll, who were trying to build bombs with bits and pieces from the forge, took one look at Percy, then at Annabeth, and wiggled their brows suggestively. Percy unsubtly stuck them the bird, and they started to laugh their assess off.

The Big House was smaller now, after being rebuilt.

What could be scavenged from the attic was saved, but most of it was lost. Magical artifacts and ancient texts were burned and crushed. Now the Big House served mostly as the infirmary, aside from the drop-by medicinal tent near the Apollo cabin, where more medical supplies were. The Apollo and Hephaestus cabins had been the first to be rebuilt because they gave needed services.

Aside from the infirmary, the Big House had a commons area for meetings, and housed a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

Checking in the commons area, Chiron was in his wheelchair. Nico was sitting at the beloved ping pong table, which had somehow survived the siege on Camp, and Thalia was sitting backwards on a chair by the new counselor table, which no one ever used.

Percy sat next to Nico and twirled the ping pong paddle between his hands, Annabeth taking her usual seat during counsel meetings.

Chiron looked tense.

“Now, I know that only a month has passed since the end of the Second Giant War, but –”

The air practically sparked with the collective tension that built.

“– a new quest has been issued.”

Annabeth leaned forward in her seat, interested. “Chiron, you can’t have an official quest without a prophecy. And the last time I checked; the Oracle of Delphi wasn’t working right now.”

“Well, it’s a good thing this isn’t a quest from the Greek pantheon, then.”

Percy cocked a brow and shared a look with Annabeth.

“The Roman pantheon doesn’t have an oracle, and their last augur exploded himself, so –”

“It’s a friend of Lady Hecate, the Triple Goddess.”

Dead silence.

“The Triple Goddess?” Percy parroted. “I don’t follow.”

“The Triple Goddess is of the Old Religion, once practiced in Europe hundreds of years ago by the druids and magic users in general. It belonged to Albion, a land of five kingdoms, before it split into the United Kingdom and Ireland.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Nico said.

“All those years ago, in the middle ages, after the golden age of the Greek pantheon, the Old Religion became very popular in Albion. Magic was something that anyone could practice even if they weren’t born with the innate talent, with the proper training. Through the ages, though, the religion declined, and the New Religion rose and became the staple. While the Old Religion relied on the magic of the land, sea, and sky; the New Religion relied on your inner magical core, and so not everyone could do this new magic.”

Chiron shifted in his wheelchair and pulled out a small stack of photos, but when he tossed them onto the ping pong table, the demigods saw that they held moving pictures.

In one photo, it showed a person standing over a boiling cauldron, on the wooden table beside them, old parchment with a quill that moved by itself, writing on the paper. The picture moved slightly, the character stirring the cauldron. Then the animated picture reset and repeated.

In another photo, two persons stood facing each other, holding purposefully shaped wooden sticks, pointing them at each other. Bright lights exploded from the tips of the sticks, and their robes and hair swayed with strong winds.

In the last photo, a person was wearing a uniform of sorts, with a helmet and pads on their knees and elbows. They held an old broomstick between their knees, and metal hinges held on the back close to the bristles, like a hitch for the feet. In the picture, the person grabbed onto the end of the broomstick and shot into the air, like magic. It gave image to the stereotype of witches flying on brooms in the night.

“The Old Religion died out because the land lost its magic. Only select spots held magical creatures and natural magic. Magic was only preserved through the New Religion, and those who practiced the New Religion became witches and wizards. The lot of them went into hiding and created their own society – the wizarding world.”

“In today’s day and age, magic is passed down through genetics. And sometimes, those with magic cores can be born to those with no magic at all. The population of magic users stays stable, and there is balance in the world of magic …” Chiron winced. “Mostly.”

“But these people have lost contact with the Triple Goddess. They no longer worship or prayer to her. They rely solely on their own magic, not what comes naturally from the land, like in the Old Religion. And recently, war has passed for them. The Second Wizarding War ended four months ago. And this has severely depleted their resources and magic. There is a school for the magic users, used as the stronghold during the war, and now the wizarding world’s hero is returning to finish his studies.”

“His moniker is ‘The Boy Who Lived,’ and he’s called Harry Potter. But he was only a child – is only a child. He and his peers are children who have been used to fight a war that they shouldn’t have had to fight.” Chiron looked very grim.

Percy bitterly sank back in his seat.

“We were kids, too.”

Chiron sighed. “This war has thrown the balance of magic out of whack. The natural magic has been depleted for too long, and there are those who are actively tipping the balance to sabotage the magic for their own gain. It’s suspected that the dark forces from the war – Death Eaters – are still operating in the shadows. It is because of this that the Triple Goddess has called upon you as heroes to help restore the wizarding world and save magic.”

“You would only be obligated to attend the school of Hogwarts until you uncovered the source of oppression over magic, so the Death Eaters can be caught and restrained. If you choose to accept, of course.”

Percy eyed him sharply. “You say that as if we have a choice.”

Chiron pursed his lips. “Despite what you think, yes, you do.”

“But this is from a whole other pantheon,” Nico said. “A group of magical people who don’t even believe in the goddess who brought about their magic. Why do we have to fix this?”

More silence.

Chiron looked down on them unapologetically.

Percy shifted uncomfortably, looking over at Annabeth. Chiron seriously expected them to just up and leave Camp for this quest. Barely a month had passed since their own war, and they were getting by as they were. Percy didn’t believe Camp Half-Blood could afford to lose any support or cabin counselors, even for a short period of time.

“So, let me get this straight,” Percy said. “Basically – if I just ignore the little prologue, you gave there – you want us to go to this magical school, on orders of a goddess that’s almost faded, stalk a kid, and watch out for people who like to try to rob the world of magic – magic, which they use themselves.”

Chiron looked pained. “No, I don’t believe they’re purposefully robbing the world of magic.”

“Oh, well that clears everything up.” Percy threw his hands in the air.

“Regardless, you understand what’s being asked. This is a quest, technically coming from Hecate, as a favour for the Triple Goddess. It’s valid as a hero’s quest. It was decided it would be best that you go undercover as transfer students and secretly watch over Harry Potter, the target for most Death Eaters. Your goal is to prevent trouble before it gets serious, though I doubt that will be hard, as trouble always manages to find you –”

“Wait, hold on,” Percy said, still hung-up on the quest. “How are we supposed to fit in at a school for the magically gifted? None of us are wizards.”

“Oh, that is something that can easily be fixed,” Chiron said, dismissing the problem.

“Excuse me?!” Thalia said.

“Hecate considered this quest from the Triple Goddess for a long time before coming to me.”

Percy rolled his eyes. Out of everyone in the room, he had the least faith in the gods. They never gave him anything to have faith in.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at the camp director. “And how exactly does Hecate plan on ‘fixing’ the problem? I don’t see any obvious solutions. We’re demigods, not wizards.”

Chiron shifted awkwardly. “She has not shared that with me. I have only gotten the request that you undertake this quest for the Old Religion, and that she will visit to prepare you.”

Percy felt like grinding his teeth. “Oh, so she just expected us to accept the quest. She never considered us refusing? Why can’t the wizards fix their own problem?” Chiron said nothing. “Camp is still in shambles – we don’t even have all the cabins rebuilt yet! We can’t leave, not now. There’s still too much work to do here, and too many new demigods to watch over and protect. And have you even considered that maybe we don’t want to go on this quest? That maybe we want a break? My entire childhood was prophecy after prophecy, quest after quest, serving the gods. We’re under no obligation to do this. You can tell Hecate that she can stick her magic wands up –”

He didn’t get the chance to finish because Annabeth had already taken a ping pong paddle and smashed a ping pong ball in his direction, the mutual action used to keep order in camp counselor meetings.

“BALL!” Annabeth yelled, slamming her paddle across the table.

Percy scowled and took his seat again.

“Now, Percy,” she said sweetly, leaning over the table. “Where did you say Hecate could put those wands?”

“Nowhere,” he muttered.

Annabeth acquiesced and put the paddle down.

“Where is this school anyway?” Nico asked. He frowned. “And Hogwarts? What kind of name is that?”

“It resides in Scotland, its exact location unknown and hidden by powerful magic. Outside of the school, which is an ancient and famous monument for the wizarding world, there are other magical establishments. One place you will be required to visit is Diagon Alley, a wizarding market. That’s where you’ll collect your resources for going undercover at school.”

“Again, you’re saying all this like we’ve agreed to go,” Percy mumbled.

He was ignored. Thalia raised her hand, her features etched with confusion. “Okay, I hate to be the one to say it – but how are we supposed to blend in with wizards and witches? We can’t use magic, and we know nothing about their world.”

Chiron admitted he didn’t know how Hecate would find ways around the problems. “She has informed me that, only once the quest is accepted, will she come and discuss the details. In fact, she should be arriving any moment –”

What happened next could not have been anymore dramatic.

There was a blinding flash of light – the glow filling the entire room – and it forced the demigods to cover their eyes lest they go blind from laying eyes upon a god’s true form.

All eyes landed on the goddess, technically titaness.

Hecate appeared as a tall, thin woman. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a kekryphalos, the shining coil twisting and adorned with intricate gems and metals. Loose strands of hair framed her sickly pale face, which held sharp chartreuse yellow eyes. She wore a dark chiton robe that draped over her thin figure, and it seemed to ripple like a heat hallucination, like ink spilling off to the ground.

At her feet, she was accompanied by a black Labrador retriever and a polecat.

The demigods all stood as one and politely bowed, as was common for all gods. Percy glared up through his bow as he followed reluctantly.

“Rise, my young heroes.” The goddess’ voice was smooth and rich. She sounded monotone. “You have done more than enough to prove your worth to me, and for that, I know that I can trust you. I have called you four here on special request from the Triple Goddess, who has observed your acts of heroics. She believes you can save the wizarding world, her beloved kin, and magics.”

“You will use the ways of the Old Religion to learn magics and go undercover. As demigods, you already have magical cores. They just need to be trained; refined.”

Percy scowled.

“And will the oh-so-gracious Triple Goddess be visiting us herself?”

Annabeth shot him a scathing look.

“Percy!” She hissed.

Hecate eyed Percy again, as if reappraising him. “No,” she said, after a tense silence. “You will be sent to get your wands from one who still practices the Old Religion and can pair you with an appropriate wand. Your cover stories are fabricated and with the wandmaker. The Triple Goddess does not appear without dire need.”

“Her entire world being in trouble seems pretty dire to me,” Percy muttered under his breath.

Annabeth elbowed him harshly.

Hecate narrowed her eyes.

“This,” she said, pulling a laminated piece of paper out of thin air, “is called a portkey. It is an enchanted item; when touched by the intended people, or random persons, it can magically teleport you to a predetermined location.”

She held it out to demigods.

On it, in fancy letters, it read: Littletree Farms, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts.

“Touch this, all at once, and you will have accepted the quest.”

Chiron gave them an encouraging nod. The demigods all shared exchanged looks.

“Our responsibilities …” Thalia started, subconsciously reaching up to grab at her lieutenant circlet, from the Hunters of Artemis.

“Will be forgiven for the time while on quest,” Hecate assured. “The Triple Goddess does not ask favours lightly. This has the potential to spill into the real world; to affect our pantheon. The Old Religion is younger than the Greek pantheon, but its reach goes far and wide. The Triple Goddess is powerful; no harm will befall your precious little Camp while you are away.”

Nico hesitated, but was the first to reach for the paper. “If this is really that important … why ask for us specifically? A larger group, organized and planned, could do better.”

“The Triple Goddess has observed you, and believes you are the right heroes to help save magic.”

“But right now? This instant? Can’t we have time?”

“You will come back to your little Camp before you leave for Europe.”

Annabeth pursed her lips, then also reached for it. “Okay.”

Percy looked at her, askance. “Okay? Just like that?”

Annabeth shrugged. “A quest is a quest, and someone needs help. We are in peace right now and have no threats. I don’t see why not.”

“Fine,” Percy said, tone short. He looked over at the laminated paper. “So, this will take us where? What’s in Boston that could be so magical?”

“A wand wood farm,” Hecate said, smiling thinly. “And your quest starts now.”

Percy’s eyes snapped to the paper, where Hecate had pushed it into their collective hands unwillingly. Then the world began to spin, and there was a sharp tug in his gut, yanking him out of time and space.

*

[c-is-for-circinate]

More Hades thoughts:

Chaos just told me, "This space grows more interesting when you occupy a small amount of it." Chaos is, without doubt or exception, my favorite family member. They are so completely different and removed from everything and they still love us. In their own primordeal strange way that does not experience love in any mortal sense and yet still experiences emotions of good and yes and approval when Zagreus is near, when they can see what we're doing, when we come by to talk. I put their aspect on my shield. They are my stepmom's parent and that makes them my grandparent, sorry, no take-backs, you used to play hide-and-go-seek with Nyx when the universe was little, and you told me about it, and now I love you forever, kthxbye.

I continue to love the family relationships in this game entirely. We have seen more and more cracks between the Olympians, where they don't entirely like or trust each other even as they put on big smiles and talk about being a Big Happy Family Up Here, Come On Zag, What's Taking You So Long, Why Would Hades Ever Want To Leave This? (The dialogue for Zeus and Aphrodite's duo boon makes me cringe, it's perfect and also perfectly awful). The game does such a good job of being subtle about highlighting some of the issues within this family. Athena is the Reasonable One, who talks about how Nyx seems sensible in the same breath that she mentions how the Olympians don't have much to do with cthonic gods, of course, and also that underworld is simply wretched, let's get you up here where you belong--and okay, the underworld is wretched for Zagreus, but also, hey, I just put down new rugs and installed an oven in the lounge kitchen, it's not that bad, and not only has Nyx been endlessly kind to me, you are currently under the impression that she's my mother, so maybe don't give me that "you won't be judged for your parentage up here on Olympus" like she's something to be ashamed of, ok?

Speaking of relationships, I've finally met Thanatos, and, welp. First of all, he is great (his accessory gives me more attack if I don't take damage in a room! He doesn't want Zagreus to get hurt!!!). He is terse and full of Emotions that he pretends not to be experiencing. He is also, based on the way he said "you didn't even say goodbye" the first time I ran into him, very clearly Zagreus's actual, current boyfriend (unlike Meg who is very clearly his ex), who we didn't actually technically break up with before we started trying to escape Hades and get up to the surface, so that's Extremely Awkward. (Achilles called him our "closest friend". Why not just call him our "dear companion", Achilles, come on, and also yes I am still keeping an eye out for your boy, he's got to be in Elysium somewhere do I need to nectar you up to get you to spill details come on.) Like, you could make a case for platonic affection with a vast unplumbed reservoir of UST, I guess, but that is not the most obvious interpretation. (Also awkward: given the timing of everything, Zagreus probably last saw Than before the Persephone-discovery, which means that if they were in fact dating, then, welp. Congrats, Zag, you are definitely a Greek god. Thanatos and Hypnos's dad is canonically Nyx's brother in the first place, it's probably fine. Do love that dialogue line they decided they had to put in about 'I should've known you couldn't be my mother, Thanatos and Hypnos couldn't possibly be my brothers', though. Got to be very delicate about admitting to such things when you're making a game about Greek mythology.) Anyway love the dynamics of Meg who loves but also feels owned by her job enough that she has to try and stop us, vs Thanatos who pretends he's not helping us while absolutely helping us, vs Nyx who knows so much more than she's telling anybody but has an agenda here that we can only be glad is probably for our benefit. (Fun fact, in the Aeneid, the three Furies were the children of Nox and Pluto, aka Roman Nyx and Hades, so like, there's that, too.)

You know, running the same gauntlet of enemies again and again should get boring, and at points it does, a little, but there's something almost meditative about the pattern of it. And I think the really rewarding thing might be that as Zagreus gets stronger, I do too. I might do a little more backstab damage and have a lot more hit points than I did when I started, but none of that matters if I can't position myself to do the backstabbing. I think I may have figured out how to take out the giant purple crystal miniboss without absolute misery and spending fifty hit points on it, and that's not just Zag's build getting better, that's me as a player. Hell yeah.

It's increasingly clear how this game intends to keep going even after I reach the surface, which I am almost going to manage to do. (Yes, it's going to take me ninety runs. Whatever.) Because, look, it says right in the codex: "The darkness, having taken root within, connects the bearer to the Underworld and makes them inseparable." Unless I strip every point of Darkness out and make a full run with zero buffs--which, spoiler alert, is NEVER going to happen--Zagreus is gong to be four thousand points into the darkness by the time I get up to the surface no matter how many times I try. It's not the pomegranates, it's the dark of he underworld itself, and whether we are going to be the Persephone of this myth or simply take her place so she doesn't have to descend again and again each year, we will never get to stay on the surface for long. We can visit, maybe, if we're willing to battle our way back out past every enemy and exit each time we go. But we're not going to live on Olympus, and we're not going to move in with our mom in her little cottage by the sea. Not right away. Maybe not ever. Even though the Fates have prophesied that we'll escape--the reward for fulfilling that one is so much more Darkness. We will leave, soon. But that sure doesn't mean we're going to get to stay.

[dehydratedpercy]

So, when I hear about the Prophecy of the Seven, I thought about Luke being the one "foe" that they would see on the Door of Death. I love Bob, and Damasen, but now I think that there was a Big Wasted oportunity.

Because while in Tartarus Percy starts to really understand Luke's view. And imagine him there?!

First. "Why" it's the question. It was his punishment? Please, Zeus wanted to send his family that wanted to form a democratic Olympus and he didn't because the one that helped him made him promise that he wouldn't.

Bringing Kronos? Free Pass to Tartarus. And Percy and Annabeth how would react? And Luke, would he want to help them o Gaia or Tartarus make him work for them?

But maybe not? He was actually in the Fields of Punishment, and as a Son of Hermes, the God That Can Do A Lot Of Stuff, like travel between other god's domains, he may manage to escape the Furies. And his dad the Messenger Divine Dude he may have heard some way that Annabeth and Percy were on Tartarus and he... jump to join. Three is better than Two, right?

So either the motive, we have Luke. In Tartarus. Along with Annabeth and Percy. Who are so done with their fate.

And how would that be? Luke as "Oh, the gods didn't respect their words? I'm so surprised" or "Mood. Let me help you save the world this time". Luke as "Goofy Ex Villain". And either he sacrifices himself, or manage to escape along them. Or try to betray them? A sort of Marvel's Loki? Who knows?

Who knows?!

I'm gonna just go ahead and assume you're talking about in canon, and not in PoR bc PoR Luke doesn't get a redemption arch.

But I've heard mention of this idea before and I really like it! Damen and Bob were okay, but they were very much disposable characters that were created just to serve a purpose, so it'd be interesting to see an alternate option.

I like the idea of Luke escaping the fields of punishment bc he's a willy son of Hermes-- maybe also, it's easier to escape if you literally escape to tartarus? So like, maybe his punishment included him walking near an entrance to tartarus or something (maybe he had the leaky bucket punishment) and he always looked at it and then one day he heard a rumor that Annabeth and Percy were down there and he was like oh worm??

So Luke jumps down to tartarus, bucket and all. He's still very much dead, but dead in a "fields of punishment" kind of way. This means he can't sleep, he can't eat, but he always can't exhaust himself (he's supposed to walk, carrying this heavy bucket, for all eternity, which means he'd be constantly tired but could never run out of steam). Let's say, more specifically, his punishment involves walking a long distance, past a pit of tartarus, dumping his bucket in the river Styx (or another river), which burns his hands and makes them raw, and then he has to walk back to where he came from and dump the water out, but by that point most of it had leaked out anyways. There's no way to keep the bucket from leaking, and his hands heal naturally, so every time he dumps his bucket in the river there is fresh pain from his hands burning again and again.

Which sucks. BUT. When he escapes into tartarus, he retains those traits, which means that he can't tire, he doesn't need food or sleep, and he heals automatically (though slowly). This would be a big advantage in tartarus.

I imagine him jumping down and saving Annabeth and Percy from a baddie at the exact right moment. They're fucked, they're injured and weaponless, the fight is not going well, and then the monster is about to make its kill shot when BAM! It's hit over the head with an enchanted celestial bronze-infuzed leaky bucket, and it dissolves into dust. And there's Luke.

Who's to say how Percy and Annabeth would react. I'm gonna go ahead and guess "poorly", because damn, they almost died and now here's fucking /Luke/. Maybe, they were told that Luke went to Elysium because he was a hero in the end, but the gods had actually lied, always intending to send him to the fields of punishment for betraying and trying to overthrow them (regardless of how he was manipulated into that choice, regardless of how he changed his mind and defeated Kronos in the end). So now Percy is feeling /really/ fucking betrayed, because shit man, the gods really are just liars and cheats and torturers.

I feel like this would naturally settle into a very of HoO that ends with the gods being overthrown as well. Which, imma be honest, its not my favorite version-- who would run the place? Will demigods die out? Will the current demigods absorb the old gods powers and rule like they did, eventually becoming more and more corrupt? I don't know. BUT, I feel like in this version of the story, Luke helps Annabeth and Percy through tartarus and his mere existence feeds into Percy's already-present anger at the gods and subsequent rejection of them. Luke dies at the doors of death, idk how, but somehow he is the sacrifice, and there's no coming back this time. His soul will be scattered in the wind, not going to the Underworld again, and in some ways its a tragedy because he deserved Elysium, and in some ways its good because he was never meant to stay in one place for all eternity, and now the willy son of Hermes is free for good.

So Luke's gone. Annabeth and Percy go up to the mortal world again. Grover is there (in this version, he'd be there instead of coach hedge), and he knows something is very very wrong, but Percy won't talk to him about it. Eventually Annabeth does, though, so Grover understands why Percy does what he does next.

Gaea rises in Greece, and Percy and the others fight her, and make it seem like they're just killing her. But, at the same time, they manage to connect all of the Olympian life forces to her, so when she goes down, they go down with her. The gods only realize too late. They are killed, and their power is transferred, making the 7 questers the New Olympians.