#but no worries about the apollo touched thing. i can totally roll with that.

[ofspvrta]

Kassandra's brows raised in surprise at the man's statement. There was something unforgettable about her, not too many women of her stature in the Americas, and her Greek accent stood out easily. Still, this man was unfamiliar to her, so his statement gave her pause. "I don't believe so, I only just came to port yesterday... unless you saw me there."

@ofspvrta / the delphic voice

"--you seem familiar to me. Have we met before?"

[nofingjustaninchident]

omg i’m so excited for this surprise event you don’t understand 😻

if you’re taking requests for the event, could you possibly write something fluffy between a daughter of apollo and jason grace? maybe she’s teaching him how to shoot a bullseye or how to properly apply a splint? and then it just turns fluffy and cute with some playful banter here and there?

if not, that’s totally okay and you can ignore this :’)

YAY FOR JASON GRACE!!!

ᯓ★ it’s your golden hour

summary jason doesn’t say no to an opportunity of spending an evening with his crush.

warnings like two curse words

word count 1.2k

now listening to golden hour by jvke

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

the sun was high in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over Camp Half-Blood. jason walked towards the archery range, his heart light with anticipation. he had been looking forward to this day all week - spending time with y/n, his favorite daughter of apollo. in general, the apollo kids were known for their knowledge in archery and in medicine, which were two things that jason learnt and perfected back in camp jupiter.

but how could he deny an excuse to spend whole afternoon close to his long-time crush? it’d be stupid, wasn’t it?

y/n was considered by many the best archer in camp. while she was really good at the infirmary and tended to spend most of her time there, she indeed was one of the greatest archers that camp had ever seen.

jason spotted her frame at the range, her bow slung casually over her shoulder. she was looking down at her hands, and she probably was holding something. but, at that distance, jason couldn’t see much. when the girl realized that her apprentice was there, she raised her eyes and smiled at him.

obviously, the girl would never admit it to anyone other than herself, but ever since jason feel out of the sky in that burning chariot, she had been extremely attracted to him. and now that she knew him for who he was?

“ready to become an archery pro?” y/n teased, handing him a bow.

jason chuckled, taking the bow and examining it. “i’m ready if you’re ready to teach. im more used to wielding a sword, you know.”

that wasn’t a lie. he did prefer fighting with swords, but he already knew how to shoot perfectly. but you offered so kindly, and he just couldn’t say no, could he?

she laughed, positioning him in front of a target. “don’t worry, i’m a great teacher. just follow my lead.”

she stood behind him, adjusting his stance, her hands warm on his arms as she guided him. jason felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine at her touch. it wasn’t quite electric - and he knew enough about electric touch - but it was pleasant. warm.

she was so close to him that he could smell the faint scent of wildflowers coming from her hair.

“okay, now pull back the string and aim for the center,” y/n instructed, her voice soft and encouraging.

jason cleared his throat, trying to put his focus back on track. he did as she said, his eyes narrowing in concentration. he released the arrow, watching as it flew through the air and landed just shy of the bullseye. he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“not bad!” she praised, stepping back with a grin. “you’ve got potential, sparky.”

jason smirked, a playful glint in his eye. “maybe i just have a great teacher, hm?” he asked, teasingly.

y/n rolled her eyes, laughing. “alright, let’s see if you can do it again.”

after a few more tries, jason’s shots improved, each arrow landing closer to the center. she cheered him on, her excitement contagious. eventually, he managed to hit the bullseye, and they both erupted into cheers.

“see? i knew you could do it!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a spontaneous hug.

for a beat, he didn’t respond to the hug, to stunned to do anything about it. but, when his soul went back to his body, he hugged her back tightly, circling his arms around her waist and spinning her in the air.

jason’s heart was pounding, and the time just froze in those few seconds they were hugging. he memorized everything. the smell of her hair. how soft her body felt against his, how her own heart was also beating fast.

she pulled back slightly, her arms still around his neck and his own around her waist. their faces were inches apart, and jason couldn’t have missed the way she stared to his chapped lips.

well, maybe he was imagining it, but still.

“uh, so,” jason said, breaking the silence and pulling away completely, “what’s next on our agenda? maybe you can teach me how to properly apply a splint?”

at this point, he was clinging to anything to spend more time with her. maybe if that spark appeared again…

she grinned, nodding. “sure thing, mr. hero. follow me.”

y/n led him to the infirmary, where she gathered the necessary supplies. she demonstrated the proper technique, showing him how to support and immobilize a limb.

“got it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

jason nodded, concentrating hard as he practiced on a training dummy. she watched him, her heart swelling with affection. he was so earnest, so determined to get it right.

gods, wasn’t he handsome doing it.

“perfect,” you said, smiling. “you’re a natural.”

Jason looked up at her, his blue eyes warm with appreciation. “thanks. for the whole teaching part. you’re really cool, you know that?”

she blushed, shaking her head. “flattery will get you everywhere, sparky.”

he chuckled, stepping closer. “good to know. but i do have to test if flattery will take me somewhere i want to be.”

y/n gulped. what was happening right now? jason was easily one of the most socially awkward people she knew, and now he was doing this? he couldn’t be talking about flirting, right?

“you’re so damn pretty, you know that?” he continued, running a hand through her silky hair. “you’re smart, you’re fierce, you’re funny. and beautiful. so damn beautiful.” he muttered.

suddenly, he pressed a feather light kiss to her cheek and pulled away. she shivered when he was out of reach. she missed his warmth and his comforting smell.

jason smiled brightly, as if nothing ever happened. “thanks for today. i had a great time. we should do it again someday.”

his exterior was calm and collected, but he was freaking out. his mind was racing two hundred miles per second and it all revolved around her. what if she didn’t like that? what if it was way too forward? he could’ve just killed the beginning of a really good friendship.

but, before he could leave, y/n walked over to him and, tip toeing, pressed a soft and light kiss to his lips. “sure, just say the time.”

he blushed and smiled, waving to her as he left the infirmary. y/n stood there, staring at the door with a stupid grin on her lips.

“come on!” she suddenly heard, and turned around to see an annoyed looking will. “in front of my meds? really?”

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

a/n: happy fourth, you americans! this means absolutely no fucking thing to me, but yeah, have a good holiday!

[hopeisour4letteredword]

don’t play with your food

Summary: Apollo brings snacks with him to hang out with—to go over case files with Klavier. The snacks are for eating. Eating is what the snacks are for.

According to Apollo, of course. Now if you ask Klavier, on the other hand...

Read it below, or here on AO3.

"You know, there's a game people play with that biscuit."

Apollo, who had been crunching along on a piece of pocky and minding his own business, stops and looks at Klavier suspiciously. Klavier smirks back. They're supposed to be going over old case briefs together, which Apollo has increasingly realized is just their mutual excuse for hanging out. Not that it's not fun to argue about old cases with Klavier, not that it doesn't keep Apollo's critical analysis warmed up between cases, not that he doesn't learn from it, but... well, earlier today he'd thought to himself I should pick up snacks on the way over to Klavier's office. And snacks are usually a hanging-out-with-Clay thought. Not a professional-visit-with-my-colleague thought.

Apollo and Klavier are friends, not just colleagues. This is not news. Apollo—mortifyingly, horrifyingly, to Ema's great disappointment in him—likes Klavier. This is also not news. But there's still some weird tingle of embarrassment he gets every time he realizes how much space he's making for Klavier in his life.

Maybe it's because he can't pin down how Klavier feels in turn. He knows Klavier thinks of them as friends, too. That's not in question. It's just that Apollo thinks he might have to dig a hole through the Earth's crust to throw himself down if he finds out Klavier's flirting is just humoring his pathetic little crush. How's Apollo supposed to know if it's sincere? The guy has a rockstar persona to maintain. And if Klavier isn't the same way with Ema, Apollo kind of figures Klavier knows she would resort to violence if he was this heavy-handed with her.

For instance, he's pretty sure Ema would beat Klavier senseless with the box of pocky if he brought the pocky game up to her.

"I know what the pocky game is," Apollo finally says. He fishes another stick of pocky out of the box. Klavier's smirk grows. "It's a waste of a snack."

"So cynical, Herr Forehead. You don't think it's even a little cute?"

"It's either a game of chicken, which you could do without wasting good food," Apollo says, pointing the pocky at Klavier emphatically, "Or it's a stupid excuse to kiss someone you would have kissed anyway, which you could also do without wasting good food."

Klavier props an elbow on the corner of his desk so he can prop his chin on one hand. "I would have thought someone who bluffs as much as you do would be more tolerant of creative games of chicken."

"Rude," Apollo says. He waves the pocky sternly at Klavier. "They're boring. I always win."

He's too prideful to back down, after all. That's why the bluffing works too. He'll win because he has to win, because he refuses to lose.

"Always?"

Klavier is grinning now. Oh, no. Apollo has made a mistake.

Too prideful to back down, indeed. He jerks his chin up, haughtily, and repeats, "Always."

Klavier slowly, maintaining eye contact, reaches over and plucks the piece of pocky out of Apollo's hand. As Apollo watches, Klavier tucks the tip of the pocky between his own lips. He leans forward in his chair and raises his eyebrows at Apollo again. A challenge.

Fuck. God dammit. Bastard.

Apollo's face burns. He fights to keep a stubborn expression, not as mortified as he feels when he shoves himself up from his chair to step over to Klavier's. Klavier has to sit back, now, with Apollo looming over him while he remains seated. Apollo tosses the rest of the box of pocky to the side on Klavier's desk and braces his hands on the armrests of Klavier's chair, leaning in.

It's just chicken. It's just a game of chicken. Apollo always wins at chicken. This is fine, it's fine, he's fine—

He gets his mouth on the other end of the stick of pocky. Inches away from Klavier's own mouth. Three inches, maybe. Tops.

He is not fine.

But Klavier challenged him. And if there was ever anybody Apollo was not willing to lose a game of chicken to, good grief, it's Klavier. He would be so incredibly annoying about it. He hasn't even won yet and he's already being annoying about it, that cocksure smirk a vivid pink where it wraps around the other end of the pocky.

No. Apollo won't back down. He can do this. He's fine.

But following through will mean—

Apollo inches forward. Klavier's blue eyes are dark in the shadow of his eyelashes, blond and fine though they may be. Is Apollo imagining it, or does his smirk soften, just a bit? That sharp pink curve of his lipstick gentled to something more like a real smile.

The thing is—the thing is. Klavier is also not willing to lose to Apollo. Apollo knows that. It's why they work well together in court. Klavier will not give him a victory he hasn't earned, even if he believes in Apollo's client too, because he knows Apollo can do better than that. Klavier doesn't roll over and let him win. So Klavier isn't going to back down, either. In fact, he nudges his mouth further along the stick of pocky, now, too.

So the thing is: if Apollo isn't going to back down, and he knows Klavier isn't going to back down, what the fuck is he doing agreeing to play if he doesn't want his heart broken?

And the other thing is: if Klavier isn't going to back down, and he knows Apollo isn't going to back down, what the fuck is he doing by challenging Apollo to the pocky game?

There's a single inch, if that, between them now.

This is fine. This is totally fine.

Klavier leans a smidge forward, barely any pocky left separating them, metaphorically placing the last move in Apollo's hands. Finish it or don't. Chicken out or don't. Kiss Klavier or don't.

It's fine, he's fine, he's fine—

Apollo's hands tremble where they grip Klavier's armrests as he pushes the rest of the way forward and his mouth nudges against Klavier's.

Klavier exhales. Not a sigh, but a soundless, steady thing, like settling into place. His mouth is softer than Apollo would have expected. Clay made them both try lipstick in their teens, and Apollo remembers hating how tacky it felt, but whatever Klavier's wearing doesn't feel that way. Just silky smooth. And he smells nice. Apollo mostly ignores his cologne, since it isn't too intrusive from a respectable distance, but it's—it's good.

Kissing Klavier is good.

...This is really weird with pocky still in his mouth.

Apollo bites down. Klavier startles at the soft crunch of it, blinking with confusion when Apollo pulls back to chew and swallow. For a brief instant, his expression flashes hurt—in the next moment, it smoothes over. He swallows his own mouthful of pocky and gives Apollo a new smirk that doesn't reach his eyes. So this isn't a joke to him. This was—this was the second thing Apollo said, this was an excuse to kiss him.

"So much for always—"

"Shut up," Apollo says, and dives in to kiss him again. Klavier makes a sound of pure relief. The hand on Apollo's bicep jerks down to his waist, and the next thing that Apollo knows, he's being dragged sideways into Klavier's lap. Apollo instinctively scrambles to stay stable so he doesn't topple out of the chair. He shouldn't have worried, though. He's not going anywhere with the way Klavier clutches at him. Klavier's other hand tangles into his hair to keep him close, like Apollo would get up and leave now.

They stop to breathe after a minute, foreheads resting against each other. Klavier looks about as dazed as Apollo feels. The gentle smile is a lot better than that shitty fake smirk had been.

After a few beats, Klavier says, "I still won."

"You are so fucking insufferable," Apollo says, ruefully. He can't believe he likes this idiot so much. Klavier laughs with unrestrained delight. "You didn't win. Neither of us backed down."

"You did back down—"

"I did not! I wanted the stupid pocky out of the way. And I'm still right about it being a waste of food, what's wrong with you that you couldn't just say something—"

"I've been flirting with you for months and you weren't picking up on it!" Klavier pouts. He shifts his hand out of Apollo's hair to stroke knuckles over his hot cheek. "Besides, you were cute about it."

Apollo wants to protest that assessment, but he has the sinking feeling that insisting he isn't cute will open a can of worms he isn't emotionally prepared to deal with right now. Instead he says, "If that was your master plan, I definitely won, because you were counting on me not backing down for it to work."

"Maybe so," Klavier says, airily. He pats Apollo's cheek. Apollo can't help but lean into the touch. "Your stubbornness is a sure bet."

"I prefer determination."

"Semantics."

"You don't get to lecture me on semantics, you pretend to be German to look cool."

"That's not sem—mmph." Klavier laughs at him again when Apollo retreats from his haphazard attempt at a kiss, muttering an apology. He'd come in too aggressive and more smushed their faces together than anything else. The hand on Apollo's cheek shifts to cup his jaw. "Here, Schatz, let's try that again."

Loathe though Apollo is to admit it, things are easier when he lets Klavier guide him in. Apollo has tried not to imagine what it would be like to kiss Klavier, but if he was pressed, he would have guessed it was a moment of one of them giving into frustration. Fueled by passion and restless leftover energy from courtroom antics. But this isn't Apollo grabbing fistfuls of Klavier's ridiculous popped collar and shoving him back against the nearest wall. It's too gentle for that. It feels strange to insist that it's chaste, what with Klavier pulling him into his lap, but it is. It's just the soft pressure of lips on lips. Apollo's eyes drift closed as he presses into it.

"Should've brought pocky to the office sooner," Klavier mumbles.

"...Me or you?"

"Either. Both." Klavier steals another kiss. "Or you could've just stopped being so clueless. Where was that incredible perception of body language this whole time?"

Apollo splutters, red-faced again. "It doesn't help with this stuff! Insincere flirting isn't lying!"

"Poor baby," Klavier says, with absolutely zero sincere sympathy. "If only I had been completely blatantly obvious, or something—"

"You could have just asked! What's wrong with just asking?!"

Klavier pulls him snug up against his body with both arms wrapped around Apollo's lower back, and kisses him soundly on the mouth. Apollo growls with frustration and throws his own arms around Klavier's neck. This is more like his reluctant daydreams.

It's a good long while before they pull apart again. Apollo has to rest his forehead against Klavier's and pant for breath. Klavier says, softly for all that he's amused, "Please don't yell like that. I'd rather not inspire my colleagues to come check on us."

"They don't come check on us when I'm yelling about cases," Apollo argues, although the idea of another prosecutor coming to see what the fuss is about only to find him in Klavier's lap does make him want to die a little. Volume modulation is not his strong suit, but he'll give it some extra effort to avoid that.

"Your impassioned yelling about cases sounds less distressed," Klavier says. He squeezes Apollo around the waist. "Are you really so annoyed with me?"

"You are very annoying," Apollo says, as sourly as he can manage with Klavier's breath huffing gently against his mouth. "Don't make fun of me for not being able to tell whether you meant it. You're always like that, how am I supposed to know?"

"Always like that with you, maybe."

"Oh, just shut up!" Apollo slumps again him, face well and truly burning now. Klavier laughs quietly. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"I don't know what to tell you," Klavier says. He strokes a hand over Apollo's back. "I really don't know what else I could have done to make myself clear. Fräulein Detective was already irritated with me for being, in her words, 'gross' about it."

"Ema's always irritated with you," Apollo says, half-heartedly. Hell. No wonder Ema has been so exasperated with him about Klavier, if even she thought Klavier was being that obvious. And Apollo's going to have to tell Clay he was right, too. A losing round on all counts, aside from the fact that he gets to kiss Klavier now, apparently. "That doesn't mean anything."

"She's very mean to me, it's true." Klavier steals yet another kiss. "Well, if you want to be asked in plain words so badly, consider this my offering: I like you quite a lot, Herr—"

"Finish that nickname and the answer will be no."

"Herr Justice," Klavier finishes, innocently. Apollo laughs despite himself, curling forward to drop his forehead against Klavier's shoulder. His face still feels hot. He doesn't think it's going to cool off any time soon. "Would you like to get coffee sometime, and perhaps kiss some more?"

"We already get coffee all the time," Apollo says, into Klavier's collar. It's true. They have been on astounding number of coffee not-dates for two people who aren't dating.

"Is that a no?"

"Course not, idiot."

"...Of course not as in—"

Apollo kisses him again to make him stop talking. It works, but only temporarily. As soon as Apollo breaks off, Klavier pouts again and says, "All that whining about me not using my words and you won't even say yes."

"Yes," Apollo says. "Yes, ja, hai, sí. How else do you need me to say it? I let you challenge me to the stupid goddamn pocky game, asshole. Yes, I'll date you."

It turns out Klavier can still be insufferably smug even when he loses. Apollo already knew that, though.

[roses-ruby]

BTS as types of Yandere

Warning: Yandere themes, Abusive relationships, Psychological manipulation, Selfharm, Submission, BDSM mention

The Gentleman.

Seokjin is the perfect man.

Sure, he acts goofy but he’s also handsome and polite. He jokes around with you, he cooks for you, he doesn’t even befriend other women and he’s even a big romantic at heart. Your friends want him and your parents adore him - you couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend! So, in return, when he kindly asks you not to talk to other men or not to go out too much, it’s only natural that you listen. You taunt him about his slightly conservative and traditionalist nature. But what kind of a man who was raised with high standards and morals wouldn’t have one? When he tells you not to wear something in public - you don’t fucking wear it. When he tells you you’re going to be a stay at home mom - then that’s the end of the fucking discussion. And if you disobey him, then you deserve to be verbally berated until you change your mind. People call it abuse, but he calls it love. Trust him, he only has your best interest at heart. It’s the only way you’ll learn to obey your man and gain value as a female.

It’s the only way you’ll become his perfect woman.

Lowkey.

You never expected a grown man to be so whiny, especially not one who seemed so intimidating initially. “You were gone too long.” - “Why do you have to leave so often?” - “Who were you with?” - Holy shit, the way he was bombarding you with questions made you feel like you just came back from committing a statewide murder spree, even though you were only gone grocery shopping for approximately thirty minutes. But it’s fine, your husband was harmless. It was definitely strange being married to a rapper. You heard most of their true feelings and inner thoughts only came out when they wrote or performed. So it did worry you when he wrote a song about binding you in a cage and keeping you chained like his little pet. But you passed it off as kinks or some shit. And it definitely worried you when he freestyled about torturing and killing your guy best friend in graphic detail on stage, which ultimately led to said friend cutting off all contact with you. But you passed it off as adrenaline-filled, in-the-moment jealousy. Sure, Yoongi was either testy or silent for the majority of your relationship - but that didn’t mean the “real him” was a temperamental and obsessive psychopath.

...did it?

My way or the highway.

Hoseok made his standards clear for you since day one. This relationship will go by his terms, and only his terms. Which meant he got to go out whenever he wanted, yet you never did. He got to touch you when he felt like it, yet you had to ask permission. He got to have female friends, yet you didn’t get to have any - of any gender. You’ll understand one day, he tells you, but you think years will pass before that time arrives, because the truth was you didn’t and might never truly understand him. It terrified you how Hoseok, the friendliest, most carefree man you’ve ever met, can turn into someone so menacing. Someone who threatens your well-being when even the slightest part of his rule is broken. A section of him was detached, while the other section was a pure freak. All of his punishments were sexual, from bondage to torture. Sometimes you think he punished you on purpose just so he could teach you your place. You’re not sure if he had an addiction to total domination or if he just craved mummification and impact play.

All you know is that he had certain habits, and they all happen to revolve around you.

Daddy.

You roll up the door to your room.

Namjoon knew everything. At least that’s what it seems like. He was the smartest guy in your city - actually no - the smartest guy in your whole country. No other man could ever compete with the intellect and raw talent he possessed. You greatly admired him - which he also knew, of course. The one thing he understood the most in the world was you. He memorized your habits, every inch of your curves, the moles in your skin and even the pattern of your breath. He told you when to eat, when to sleep, who to [not] meet, and what to do for the day. Your needs had never been fulfilled to such an extent until he appeared by your side. And you knew then that no one could understand you better than him - not even yourself, which is why you took his words for scripture. Since then, you’ve done everything he told you to do without question. Crawling into your room, you turn around and roll the cage door back down before settling into one of the cushions in the corner.

It was almost 7, which meant daddy would be home soon, and then you could eat.

Kerosene in my hand.

Today in psychology class you had learned about psychological manipulation. You didn’t want to think like this, but the definition of the word reminded you of your boyfriend. Like when the professor talked about using underhand tactics to change social perceptions, you thought about the time Jimin kept flirting with your best friend until she fell for him, even while knowing you liked him. It led you to completely ostracize her from your life. Or when the teacher mentioned using deceit and lies to influence the thoughts of others, it made you remember the time Jimin told you about the things people were saying behind your back until you lost trust in everyone but him. Somehow, the whole ordeal of being gaslit really resonated with you, and you’re not even sure why. Jimin only did these things to protect you from others, you reason. You shouldn’t think like that - not when Jimin is the only person in this world who cares for you. Regretting what you just did, you beat yourself in the head with your fists in dismay. What kind of horrible person thinks these lies about the person who loves them more than anything?

The pain from your head and heart surrounded you in an agonizing heat as you began to cry, sitting down on your bed to text Jimin. You wanted him to come over, you wanted to tell him what you did and you wanted him to forgive you, so you could forgive yourself. He’d be able to tell your bad thoughts to go away, he’d be able to make you feel safe again. Jimin was right all along - the only thing you ever needed was him.

Artist at heart.

“Say ah~”

“Fuck you.”

“Oh my! Doll, you’re too pretty to be cursing.” Taehyung replies with a gasp, feigning shock as he places the caviar back on his plate. You roll your eyes and scoff. It’s usually a good thing if your boyfriend treats you like a priceless artifact, right? Well, not for you. Not when your boyfriend can actually place a price on you. $10,000 to be exact - $10,000 to a random thug so he could break the arms of the man who asked you for your number in the coffee shop.

“I heard about the man you hired, Tae. How many times will I tell you I’m not an object?”

“Everyone’s an object, doll.” Taehyung smirks, casually wiping his mouth with a linen napkin, “Some are just more...costly than others.”

You stare at the unbothered man in annoyance. His whole room was filled with original paintings, marbled statues, golden gadgets and silver trinkets. And in between it all, you had also started to feel like one of his art displays with the way he dressed you silk and bathed you in luxury - refusing to let others sully you by their dirty looks or touches. But then again, it isn’t too bad, you think as he brings the caviar and cream up to your lips yet again. He never hurts you - he’s never even raised his voice at you. You’re too precious for that, he says. And well, at least you’d never get injured or feel lonely with all the love and care he gives his possessions. So, with a sigh, you bite into the dessert he was offering you and watch him break out into a boxy grin.

He wasn’t so bad - just a little artist at heart.

Baby Boy?

(Are we surprised? No)

Your boyfriend was an enigma. Baby-faced, but with the body of Apollo. But he wasn’t just physically confusing. You had a hard time understanding him mentally as well. For one, he’d sternly tell you to do something but then get all teary-eyed if you dared say no. Then there were times where he’d swear he wasn’t jealous but he’d become green, red and purple at the mere mention of a guy in your life. In bed, he always preferred to be on top but the slightest pressure you applied turned him into a crying and whining bottom. You just didn’t get him, but it was definitely fun to press his buttons. It never occurred to you just how much you might enjoy making a tall-ass, jacked man into a whimpering and pouting mess, but you definitely enjoyed it nonetheless. Other girls would kill to be in your place, you were just so lucky. Everyday you’d get braver with your tests, whether it was flirting with other men or wearing skimpy outfits. His jealousy was endearing and his possessiveness made you squeal with glee. The bolder you became with your crusades, the more you failed to realize that everyone had their limit. And once they’re pushed past it, the consequences can be jarring. Especially if they’re someone as mysterious as Jungkook.

Then again, there was no better way to find out then to try. So keep trying him...just so we can see how lucky you truly are.

_

A/N: I’m back I think? This is for the rock anon, I hope you like it doll ;). anyway i wrote it in an hour and i was telling myself not to make it basic and sht readers read like 100 times in this tag but whaddya know i failed. lmk what you think cause i need a compliment.❤

[dreamyaqua]

Helloooo~!! I'm the same person who talked about Hyunjae and Haknyeon's rising signs! When I first wrote it, I wasn't deep into astrology yet. I've researched and tried to learn more about the Greek gods, the mythology, planets and associations to better my understanding. So, this time, I present all 23 members of NCT. To form an opinion on this, I watched their personal variety on their YT channel, took note of their physical habits and appearance, and read first impression stories. (1)

Also, don't worry about answering this right away! I just got very excited and wanted to share this :DD we currently have 5 members with confirmed risings; Johnny, Taeyong, Kun, Doyoung and Jaehyun. That's 18 members left, still! Also, I relied much more on their first impressions of each other as well as their appearance, habits and their neutral face because idols put up an act, which is enforced by their company. I'm running out of words so– (2)

(I decided to put the rest under a cut as the ask has gotten really long and I also put your asks together in regards to each member, I hope that’s okay!^^)

First up, Taeil! My first guesses for him were Scorpio (ruled out immediately lol), Capricorn and Taurus. I went with Capricorn at the end. Taeil just has a home-y, fatherly aura which Earth signs have. According to the members, he has that strong vibe that makes you want to learn from him. And we know that Capricorn is ruled by law and structure loving planet, Saturn. Saturn is associated with Cronus and Hestia. (3) Hestia is peace and home while Cronus was briefly the ruler of all. So, in short, a parent. Taeil as NCT's grandpa is accepted by many czennies. Which fits well. A typical Capricorn rising could have a petite stature as well as a wide-ish body type. Earth risings do tend to be stocky. Lips are usually either thin and wide or round but when they smile it's bright and feels familiar. It all starts from home~ Next up, Yuta! (4)

Yuta? Scorpio rising. I did try to see if he fits anywhere else but landed right back to Scorpio. One main reason, when he smiles, it's real. His healing and genuine smile is definitely a Scorpio rising trait. He's also pretty quiet in general but can get wild *insert clip of Yuta and Taeyong's chair race* and maybe even stir things up. Scorpio is associated with, Hades. Hades is generally a warm soul unlike his gruesome depictions. He's just a peaceful yet lonely guy. When he loves he LOVES (5) Traits seen in our double Scorpio royalty, Yuta. Winwin, Mark, Shotaro and Jungwoo is his Kore and Cerberus (you decide who's who). 

Easy tackle, now we've got Ten! Your local cat mom. As I say that, I guess Leo. Leo risings have feline features and traits, which Ten definitely has. When you watch his relay cam, his day's pretty chill and made more fun by his cats. They're just positive morning people and Ten really has that effect. Leo is associated with Apollo and Heracles (and more). (6) Apollo's a talented man (if you read Lore Olympus, I just hope you don't associate those characters with the actual deities) and so is Heracles. What do they have in common with Ten? Well, both Apollo and Ten are artistic, gifted with languages, and talented in music. With Heracles? Well, we know he's a hero, an ace. Leo is also the sun. The core of our system. We can definitely agree on Ten being NCT's talented ace, which all supports my guess of him as a Leo rising. Next, Winwin.

My first guesses for Winwin were either an Aries or Leo rising. Though, at the end, I settled for Aries. The entirety of NCT is in love (obviously, exaggerated) with Winwin, and fire signs naturally have that magnetism. Aries rules the head area, and one frequent habit of Winwin's is scratching his head. He also tends to put his head forward (called a nerd neck, due to book reading) which is typical of an Aries rising. He also appeals with his eyes when he wants something, also very Aries. Winwin as an Aries rising just feels true and self-explanatory. 

Next on our list is Jungwoo. A total Slytherin. Be a fool and fall for them, I dare you–oh never mind, you already have. Safe to say that Jungwoo is a Libra rising. Libra is Aphrodite afterthewholebeingbornoutofcastratedtesticlesthenformedfromseafoamshenanigans. We all know that Librans are pretty people. So pretty it's sickening, I'm getting too personal now. BACK ON TOPIC. I also had the thought of him being a Leo– I mean, if you've seen NCT World, Jungwoo definitely shone. Leos and Libras are similar in my opinion so it could be why I'm so unsure about it. Not many know but Aphrodite is a war goddess. Her role is very watered down, maybe because war was just not sexy to the Ancient Greeks. Still, Aphrodite conquered hearts, and Jungwoo has that main stage. Life is like a runway, especially with the way he walks. He also loves connections and making people laugh, both an Aphrodite and Apollo trait. Reason why I settled for Libra is that the first impressions of Jungwoo is that he looks serious, radiated sophistication but also wild. Aphrodite, being a magnetic and adventurous (iykwim) mad lad, has a definite influence on Jungwoo.

The next member is Lucas (12 more to go!). Lucas tries his best to make people happy. He loves seeing people be happy. And seeing how he says sorry when things don't seem to be exciting or done his usual way, I'm convinced he's a Libra rising.

I've written notes down but I have school so I'll complete this after LMAO

Back (new classes today so I'm hnghh). Okay, Mark! I believe he's where I left off. Mark is an Aries rising opinion. Also, while trying to hunt for their birth times, I stumbled upon someone saying Mark's birth time is 10:34pm. I tried it and it was Aries rising! Some habits that Mark does that's total Aries; touchy, laughs a lot, swears more than most, loud personality. He also has the Aries t-zone. His lovely gullbrows~

Next, Xiaojun. I was honestly stuck on him until I watched a fancam of him walking to the airport. His steps seem very grounded. Possibly, Taurus. I also thought he was a Scorpio and Leo but with the way Xiaojun gets defensive doesn't feel very water or fire (Aries is an exception). Xiaojun also enjoys food and cooking. He finds comfort in work, likes the easy way better, he's also quite practical. He's also hardworking. Probably either finishes homework the day it gets handed or when he's stressed. No in between. (I erased everything, I wrote by accident...) 

Hendery has the Air sign look and also the Earth sign vibe but in the end, I settled for Sagittarius. Why? Well, Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter (Zeus) and we all know that Zeus can get impulsive. Hendery seems to be so. Sag is also associated Dionysus, the stereotypical wild "people love people" drunk. Which Hendery also seems to be so. That's all for him. Next up Renjun.

Renjun has a habit of scratching or just touching his ear and head, his fight instinct is on 24/7, gets frustrated when something doesn't go right, very attentive when people tell stories, uses his whole body when laughs (stomping, throwing his neck back like it don't break). I guess he's either a Gemini, Pisces or Aries. The easily bored so they make chaos but also is helpful when needed trio, Hermes, Poseidon and Ares. Renjun just has a distinct style I can't pinpoint. No solid guess.

Dream's papa, Jeno. I believe he's a Capricorn rising. He just has that long faced, big nosed and intense eyes that Capricorn risings, from what I've observed, tend to have. I've also took up Libra and Taurus as other options but I went with Cap. Even if his go-to noises is confusion. I probably don't make 100% sense but I hope it's good enough. Anyway, Jeno has a potential to become a leader and Caps are great leaders. Not perfect but great. He also has some competitiveness in him.

7 more left! Haechan's turn! Haechan really does twist and turn people's heads. He could be a Gemini rising, mostly because he uses his hands whenever he talks, laughs, sing. He's also a trickster. Maybe Scorpio since he has that rbf and the presence that makes you quiver when you meet him in person. Another possibility is Aries, he's wild, impatient and banter skills are top notch. His silhouette either looks Arian or Scorpian. Face, Geminian or Arian. What do you think? 

Next, Na Jaemin. Virgo rising. Jaemin knows how to smile, like he knows how to attract people with it, and we all know his smile is beautiful. He also has that motherly attitude towards his friends. A total introvert as well and is just calm (but can get naggy and fastidious). CEO at eye rolling, even if habitual and unintentional. GenZ Artemis. 

Next, Yangyang. I'm dead sure on him being a Cancer. The way he walks is so baby? and my Cancer rising friends tend to do little skips and sometimes waddle. Whenever an opportunity arises, he takes it. He also enjoys comfort. These may be Taurus rising traits as well (they're similar in many ways) but when I watched ETC, Yangyang seems to have a protective side. A clingy side. So, I went with Cancer. 

Shotaro is next! Always smiling, gentle voice, admires people and loves fun. Libra. A possibility is Aries. This is based on appearance. Arians tend to have weak chins (chins that don't stick out). He also has the "always look forward to tomorrow" vibe.

I-I don't remember who's next...

I suddenly forgot what I wrote before this. I should've planned this. SUNGCHAN. My Virgo buddy. When I first saw him his vibe screamed Virgo, he just had that short face Virgos tend to have. It's a mutable sign so it tends to get overpowered but every virgo I know has a short face despite being different ascendants. I was struggling figuring him out but I decided on Pisces. I'll be taking a stretch here. So descendant is how a person views the world. His being Virgo. Sungchan seems to look at the world as structured so he could feel the want to rebel. He seems to enjoy chaos but probably helps mediate the situation for the sake of doing so. My thoughts are slowly getting tangled.

CHENLE. Chenle's a virgo rising and mostly because his rbf is piercing. He always looks like he's observing and silently judging people. It makes more sense for him to be a Scorpio as well. Yes, he's bright and fun but Scorpios do have that side. Just more serious and a lot of roasting.

FINALLY THE MAKNAE. Jisung Park. Libra rising. He just likes peace but when he's chaotic, he'd want you to match his vibe. A balance, in a way. He also seems to get frustrated/stressed easily, gullible, awkward hands, and he's always quite pretty. Calming to look at. That's all. What do you think their signs are? I want hear your opinion :DD Also, I hope your exams went well!! You probably put in your 100% best so of course it did!!

//

First of all, thank you so much for your support! My exams actually went well and I’m so relieved I got it all over with for this semester.^^ And now, as you’ve already noticed in an ask I’ve answered earlier, I don’t cover NCT on this blog and therefore, I haven’t really given their rising signs much thought so far, so I’m not going to really have an opinion myself but I wanted to thank you so much for your hard work with all of this and for sharing it with us!! It was super interesting to read and I can only say that I think all of guesses make sense to me.

As a Leo rising myself, I felt super flattered while reading Ten’s paragraph - I’d feel super honoured to share my rising sign with him and I also feel like his energy is familiar to me, so I could totally believe that to be true!^^ And also, omg, I’d love for Yangyang to be a Cancer rising! I seem to attract Cancer risings left and right and he’s recently become one of my ults, so that would be great :’) (I’ll definitely start to analyze him more in the near future haha)

Oh, oh!! Btw, my close friend @jacksvnshine made a very in-depth analysis of Mark’s possible rising sign and she guessed him to be an Aries rising like you did! She’s so amazing at what she does and if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t know a thing about astrology. So I can highly recommend checking out her blog and I also really want to link her analysis for you here as you might find it interesting to read, and it’s exceptionally well made!^-^

I’m sorry that I can’t really give you my opinion on their rising signs, I haven’t studied them enough in that sense :( and I personally struggle with rising sign guesses because I always feel like I don’t know enough to make an “accurate” guess but oh well- a guess is a guess, we can never know for sure but my mind doesn’t really want to accept that. :’)

I truly enjoyed reading through your messages and guesses, thank you again for sharing this with us!! I’m sure there’ll be others who’ll find it interesting to read as well!^-^

[seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana]

The Girl in The Blue Dress

Chapter 18: Underneath the Surface

@megatraven and @aallotarenunelma​

Hehe some Rose being more open content >:)). BUT then there’s some mentions of blood after the scene where Rose and Apollo both run down a hallway. Just some warning :)). And there’s proofreading but my bad if there’s some stuff wrong-

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After meeting with Hera and seeing the grave, he wanted to go to Aphrodite and ask who this Goddess is, but he realizes he shouldn’t push the emotions.

“She always seems so sad when I bring up the woman. Even a little guilty,” he thought. He wasn’t a man for understanding his emotions, but he could usually tell how other people felt, and he knew Aphrodite felt guilt and sadness without telling him, or even showing it. Him remembering her and Hera’s emotions related to the woman, he decided to give it a break. 

Instead of asking about the woman again, he talked about different topics with Aphrodite and eventually left to go back to Rose. 

.

And then a few weeks passed. He did some jobs with the crew. Rescue some people from islands, help find some people, get some things for people, and do some random things. However, he was one day hit with a completely different task.

It was late in the evening, the sun almost completely down, and one of the crew members went to his room and told him that he was needed on the deck by Sam. He was confused as to why he wanted to talk to him, but he went up there and found him by the middle rail of the ship. He went over and Sam noticed him before he even spoke. 

“Do you want to go to this job with us?”

Apollo stood beside him, looking out into the ocean with his arms crossed. 

“What kind of job?”

“It could involve a murder,” he said bluntly, as if it was no big deal. 

Apollo blinked multiple times and shook his head as he took in what he said.  

“We’re going to kill somebody?” He looked over at him with a shocked face.

“Maybe, but don’t worry, it’s not someone innocent. We would never accept jobs like that.” 

“We?”

“Me, Rose, and sometimes the members of the crew, and maybe you,” he said with his arms crossed and some kind of pride in his voice. 

He thought about the idea and there was a part inside of him that was excited and intrigued, but another part of him was ashamed and worried. He hadn’t hurt anyone on purpose in a long time, and he thought he could bury that side of him away, but now that spark of excitement came back. 

“My sister would really appreciate it, ya know?” Sam’s voice was suddenly soft and he had a small smile on his face. He never really saw that on his face. He usually looked at him with disgust or distrust, but now he seemed more willing to be nice.

And then he realized what he called Rose.

Apollo’s eyes widened slightly and his mouth opened in a quiet gasp.

“Wait, she’s your sister?” 

Sam threw his head back in laughter at his face. 

“What did you think she was?” He looked genuinely curious and confused, but after a moment he realized what he thought. “EW! We would never date. She’s totally not my type.” He stuck out his tongue and scrunched up his face with disgust.

“Oh, my bad. You just seem really close and I didn’t know-”.

Sam held his hand up, motioning for him to be quiet, and laughed again.

“It’s okay, Andy. Many people mistake us for many things. But that’s not what we need to focus on. We need to focus on the job.”

Apollo nodded and they went to Sam’s personal room. There was a desk covered in papers, a lantern on the edge of the desk, and a sword resting against the wall beside it. There was a bed against the wall on the right, the covers neatly made, and a few books scattered on it. The room seemed very comfortable to him.

They both walked over to the desk and Sam messed with the papers. He moves them in a hurry and eventually finds the one he’s looking for. 

“This,” he gave the paper to Apollo, “is all the information we have on the person we’re meant to either detain or kill.” He leaned against the desk with his arms crossed. “He’s important, but not too important. He’s been doing terrible things and we finally found his location.”

He read through bits of the paper and knew many things about the man. Apparently, he had been kidnapping people who spoke against the law, killed innocents in the streets, and he seemed to be planning to kill the king. When he reads, “king,” he remembers Sam working with the rulers of another place. 

“Are we going to the same place I first met Rose?”

“Yes. It’s why she wants to leave as soon as possible.” He looked down with a sad look. “I really want the rulers to be safe.”

“They will be,” Apollo said with confidence. He may not have been taught by Rose, but he knows how to fight and when to fight. He just needed to learn how to be quiet and patient.

“Go see Rose before you go to bed. She’ll be in the room she’s always taught you in. You’ve got a lot to do tonight,” Sam said with a slight laugh. 

Apollo let out a little laugh as well and bid him goodbye as he left. He went to the stock room and saw Rose wearing her normal clothes. She was sitting in the middle of the room, reading a book, and humming quietly. 

“Are you teaching me to read tonight?”

She looked up in shock and closed her book in a hurry. She cleared her throat, embarrassed, and stood up with her book in a tight grip. 

“No. I’m going to have you spar with me,” she said with her voice quiet. She was looking down at the ground, but he could see a blush on her face.

“Why exactly?” 

She looked up at him and shrugged. 

“Well, I know you can fight and protect yourself and everything, but I still want to be careful with you. You’ve only been here for a few weeks and I need to make sure that you’ll be okay if we get separated, which we most likely will.” She rambled her words out and she sounded a bit scared.

He walked closer to her and held out his hand. She was still for a moment, looking at his hand, and she eventually took his hand and he squeezed it lightly. That little comfort managed to put a small smile on her face. She then put the book on a table nearby and looked back up at him and sighed.

“Now, we’ll spar in different ways, okay? I’m not going to use any real weapons, but I need you to imagine like I am, okay?” 

“Of course.” His voice was serious, yet it sounded like he was in awe. In awe of her. 

She moved away from him and picked up two long, wooden poles from the corner of the room. She threw one to him and he caught it in a tight grip. 

“Strong boy, eh?” 

He did a little bow with a laugh.

“What else would I be?”

She shook her head and let out a fond sigh. 

“Okay, now it’s time to actually be serious. Tomorrow is another game, like the one where you got poisoned at. Heck, it’s the same place,” she said as she waved the wooden stick around in the air, trying to do something with her hands as she talked. 

“I see. Now, boss, please teach me how to do whatever you need me to do,” he said with a smirk on his face. It caused her to roll her eyes, but she then got into a position. 

“Well, come at me.”

.

.

They sparred for over an hour. They worked on dodging, knocking your opponent down, how to find a vulnerable place, and how to come back if you’re in a vulnerable place. When they were done, they were sweaty, tired, and panting. 

“I think that’s enough for tonight.” She was panting and had a tired smile on her face. 

“If you say so,” he said with a shrug. He never believed there was nothing he couldn’t learn, but he knew she was struggling to keep up, despite all her attempts to. 

“Why don’t we go somewhere?,” she said with excitement in her voice, the tiredness hidden. 

“Where is this somewhere?”

She smirked and tilted her head against the pole in her hand. 

“That’s a secret!” Her voice was excited and giddy. 

How could he say no?

“I’d be delighted to.” 

Her face lit up at his response and she grabbed the poles and put them against the wall. 

“Well, let me get ready and meet me at the dock! And you should bring another set of clothes.”

He tilted his head in confusion, but then nodded and left with his excitement rising.

.

He got a second set of clothes and he met Rose at the dock. Instead of her other clothes, she was in her blue toga, and had a red toga in her hand. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and gave him a big smile.

“Ready to go and find the secret?” She leaned forward and rubbed her hands with a smirk. 

“I’m ready for anything,” he said with his voice sounding playful and excited. 

She grabbed his wrist and began to drag him as they ran to the other side of the beach. When they got there, they threw their spare clothes on the sand and began to walk slowly into the water. 

“It’s really cold at night, so just get used to it,” she said with a light laugh as she walked into the water. 

“Oh! It really is cold,” he said with a shiver, which caused her to laugh. 

“You’ll get used to it, I promise.” Her voice was kind and patient as they slowly walked into the water. She was standing by his side and slowly walking with him. 

Eventually, they got deep in the water to where they couldn’t touch the sand anymore. She then let go of his hand and pointed to something in the distance.

“There’s a cave over there. That’s the secret!” Her tone was loud and filled with child-like excitement. 

“Well, are we going to the cave?” 

“Duh!” 

She took in a deep breath and went underwater, swimming towards the cave. Even though he was still freezing, he followed her underwater as well. He looked around when he was underwater and he saw many pretty things he didn’t usually see. There were little fishes avoiding him, some coral, and the ocean itself. It looked really beautiful from what he could see, so what was she going to show him? 

After only five minutes, they swim up to this big rock, and he becomes confused. 

“I thought you said it was a cave?”

“It is,” she said as she lifted her hand up and pointed back down to the water. 

She dived back underwater, going straight down, and stopped at the entrance, waiting for him to get to her level. When he got there, she pulled herself into the cave and they swam up to the surface. When they broke the surface, Rose pushed her hair back and let out a breathy laugh as she looked at one of the most beautiful sights.

“Isn’t it so pretty?” She gestured to the walls of the cave which were covered in glowing rocks.

“It really is,” he said in awe. He never seen these type of rocks. He doesn’t even know what they are and how they’re here. He doesn’t know if it’s the moonlight, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, or what it is but they’re actually glowing and it really is a beautiful sight to see.

“How did you find this place?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure actually. I believe I was a little younger and just swam around and found this area. I was a little scared to tell anyone about it actually,” she said with a shy tone. “I didn’t want to get in trouble for swimming too far.” 

He hummed in response and they both just stared at the rocks. He wondered how they got here, and thought maybe Poseidon put them here. 

“Oh! I also love this place because of what I can do!” She suddenly shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. 

He jumped a bit from the sudden shout, and looked over at her with a curious look.

“What can you do here?” He then put on a smirk. “Look even more gorgeous than normal?” 

Rose let out a “HAH” and laughed. “Well, yes, but that’s not all!” 

She began to swim to one side of the cave, resting her back against the wall. 

“Close your eyes for me!”

He let out a fond sigh and did what she asked. It was all silent for a moment, but then he began to hear a slight hum. After a few moments, she started singing words. Her voice was in a whisper as she sang, but the walls made it all echo everywhere in his head, and it sounded like she was right beside him. Then, her voice slowly got louder, words held out longer and echoed even more. As he listened, he began to feel calm, his body felt warmth everywhere, and it made him feel like the world was okay. Like everything outside of this cave was safe and everything was going to be okay. 

And with her by his side, he truly believed everything would be okay. 

On the final word of the song, she held it longer than normal, and her pitch became higher and higher. He’s never heard what a siren sounded like, but he believed this was what it sounded like, and he loved it. 

When she ended her song, it still echoed on the walls, slowly fading out. She then swam back over to him and tapped him on his shoulder. He only then noticed his eyes were still closed. He looked over at her and saw her smiling. 

“Isn’t it mesmerizing? I love practicing here and imagining that I am a siren, living in my own cave, surrounded by my own rocks that glow just for me. And it makes me think that maybe the Gods aren’t all that bad.”

He looked at her and being this close he got to see all her features. The freckles on her cheeks and nose, her brown hair even darker from being wet, a little scar on her left cheek, and her beautiful, blue eyes staring back at him. They matched the water and they always looked at him with...this certain look. He didn’t know how to describe it, but he loved it, and he wondered what she saw in his eyes. Could she see the love he held for her? Could she see the happiness that radiated off of him? What did she see when she looked into his gold eyes?

Rose cleared her throat and looked away. “We better head back. We have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow.”

He nodded and took a deep breath as he went underwater. They both swam back to the beach, changed into their other set of clothes, and walked back to the ship. It was silent, but not an awkward silent. It was a comfortable silent, and they both loved it. 

.

Rose let out a sigh as she as she was getting dressed. She was in the dressing room of the palace they were at. She looked in the mirror and admired her look. It was a beautiful dress, but it was also very restricted. It was tight around the waist and the chest, but it thankfully had a slit showing her thigh. She wasn’t one for showing off, but she loved the dresses that have a slit in them, so she also loved showing her thighs. The dress was also white and had diamonds on it. Many people would like it, and she liked it, but...it was too glitzy for her taste. 

She let out a small gasp of shock as she heard someone knock on the door. 

“Come in,” she called. Her voice was wavering slightly with nerves. She turned around when the door open and smiled when she saw Sam walk through. 

“Are you ready for tonight?” His voice was concerned and quiet. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said with a sigh. She hadn’t killed anybody in awhile and it always gave her anxiety. She’s trying to avoid murder, but no one knows the future, or how she may have to react.

He walked up to her and gave her a side hug, squeezing her to him in a comforting way.

“You got this, Rose. You always do. If you feel like you can’t do it, find me. You know where I’ll be.”

She nodded and looked at herself one more time, making sure nothing was out of place. She let out a sigh and walked out of the room, heading for the ballroom. 

“It’s more like a hunting ground than a ballroom,” she said under her breath. No matter what the king and queen did, people always managed to kill in the palace, always managed to ruin lives, or cause some kind of trouble. That thought reminded her why she was here again. To kill a person who was threatening multiple people, and who has killed multiple people already. 

She walked through the door leading to the ballroom and walked to the railing above the actual ballroom floor. The floor she was on was a square, and people were on every side. She looked around the room and saw people already looking at her, eyeing others, probably saying threatening words to others, and beginning to prowl. She stood up straight, puffed her chest slightly out, and put on her golden mask.

It was her turn to join the hunt.

.

After Rose entered the room, Apollo and others followed. His mask was black like last time, and he wore a dark suite at this place. He took in the room and the people, and knew he couldn’t trust any of these people. 

“They’re beautiful, no?” A voice said beside him. 

He jumped and looked beside him and saw the woman with red hair again. She was wearing a yellow dress, simple and plain, and had a red mask on.

Once again, he felt fear radiating off of her and he felt intimidated, but he was able to move this time. 

“Who are you?” 

The woman smiled as she looked over at him. 

“My name is Oizys, good sir,” she said with a smirk, as if he should know her. And as he stared at her, he did begin to remember her.

“You’re the goddess of despair? Daughter of Nyx?”

She smiled at him and let out a gasp of surprise. “Wow! You really do know me. Now, do you know my sister?” Her voice was teasing and she was making fun of him.

“You literally have one thousand siblings!” His voice was a whisper, but it was clear there was confusion and anger. Anger at her teasing him and making him look like a fool. 

She tilted her head and gave him an innocent look. “Oh, that’s right. I do have over a thousand siblings. I guess you’ll never know the answer.” She then began to walk to the railing in slow footsteps, and he felt compelled to follow her.

She laid her hands on the railing, both spread out from each other. “People are so...fascinating, aren’t they?” 

He stood beside her and knew he wouldn’t get anywhere by being angry or petty, so he answered her simply. 

“Yes, they really are.”

“And their relationships and ways of living are as well, aren’t they?” 

“Yes,” he said slowly, a little confused as to why she kept asking these questions.

She then looked at him and her smile was gone and her voice became monotone. “Just like little Rose and you. A mortal with an immortal, loving each other, even if both are ignorant to the truth. Both hide something away from the other, fearful of saying it, fearful of what would happen afterwards,” her eyes closed and her voice became quiet, “and one of them knowing the ending of the other. Always seeing it coming, no matter what they do.” 

Dread and sadness fell over him as he looked at her. It was all true. He knew the ending of Rose and was always afraid of words that never manage to escape his lips. They were in his heart, running around in his head, written on his heart, but never managed to be spoken. Or have they? Has he said them and just forgot? Or do the words keep begging to be released to her? 

Oizys cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes. She took a moment, opened her eyes, and a teasing smile appeared on her face. “You always know the ending, yet keep playing the game. You think you know all the rules, but do you really?” 

Without being able to reply, she turned around and walked out the ballroom, leaving the palace. However, even if her presence was gone, her words and effect was still on him, and his mind wandered. 

‘What am I not understanding?’ he said in his mind. He was frustrated at not knowing what was happening, and he wondered if he would ever know the truth. He just looked back at the people and waited for something to happen. 

Someone touched his arm and he looked behind him to see Sam. He was pinching Apollo’s elbow, slightly, and didn’t look him in the eye. 

“Go to the room over there. It’s where the man is and where Rose is heading to. She’s going to need backup, and you need to go. I’ll manage here.”

Apollo nodded, not even questioning the plan, and walked all the way to the other side of the room, walking down each side of the floor, ending up at the door. He managed to see the back of someone walk through the door, and he assumed it was Rose. He walked towards it, slowly opened the door, and walked into a dark area. 

It was another room. Bookshelves were to the left of him, placed against the wall, a table in front of it, and there were stairs a little’s in front of him leading up to another hallway that was brightly lit.

This time, instead of the person quietly walking, he heard heels tapping against the marble floor, and the person was running. He worried if it meant she was in trouble, but he decided to slowly walk up the stairs. He made his footsteps quiet, but what happened next was not quiet. 

He heard a door slam shut, something heavy fall over, and a muffled man shout. Then, he heard something else that made him go cold. 

“Apollo?” 

He looked behind him and he saw Rose closing the door silently and looking confused. 

“Weren’t you supposed to wait for me?” Her voice was joking, but he couldn’t laugh or joke back. His eyes only widened as he realized that that person wasn’t Rose. 

“If you’re here, then who’s in there?” His voice was quiet and the words slowly came out, as if trying to process them. This caused Rose’s eyes to widen, and it put her into motion.

She picked up her dress and started running. She ran up the stairs and they both ran down the hallway. They could hear a struggle still going on. But when they reached the door, they paused at the quietness. Rose put her hand on the doorknob and counted to three quietly. She then pushed open the door only to see a sight that made her blood run cold. 

She’d seen a lot of death. That was practically a part of being a mercenary or just life. But this was something cruel. She looked around the room and saw two bodies in total. The man was at his desk, sitting in the chair, and his face was against the top. She saw many spots of wounds and knew that wasn’t peaceful. Then, she looked over at the body on the ground in front of the desk, and tears rushed to her eyes. 

This was someone she knew. 

She was a woman in her crew and she was getting the man his tea that was meant to put him to sleep. She looked at the desk and saw said tea and steam still coming from it. She was close to doing what she set out to do, close to helping Rose do her job, but someone beat her to it, and killed part of her family. 

Even if she didn’t want to, she had to see what had happened. She walked over to the body of her friend and saw many stabs wounds, all meant to make her hurt as she died. She got on her knees and the tears she held back finally fell down her face, and she couldn’t stop the sob that came from her. She placed her forehead against her friends and the sobs kept coming.

“I’m so sorry...”, was all she could say. 

Apollo couldn’t take the sight either. He knew that woman for a few weeks, and he remembers how kind and funny and caring she was. She didn’t deserve this, and even the sight of the man dead bothered him. Rose told him she didn’t know if she was going to kill him or not. She was going to expose him or kill him. She always looked for a second option, the better one, but now the choice was taken out of her hands. 

He walked over to Rose and placed one hand on her shoulder as he got on one knee beside her. Rose pulled away and turned to Apollo and looked at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, cheeks slightly red from her sobs, and her dress had spots of blood. She looked defeated and hopeless. It was the first time he’d seen her like this in a long time. 

He joined her on his knees and pulled her into a tight hug. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and continued to cry. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and she began to hyperventilate. He heard her try to form words, but they couldn’t come out. Just syllables repeated over and over again. 

After a few minutes, she pulled away and he wiped her eyes and placed his hand on her cheek. She leaned into it, seeking the comfort of someone, and stayed there for a few minutes. They only pulled away when he squeezed her cheek and pointed to something next to the window. 

There was a piece of paper hanging from a knife on the wall. Rose got up and pulled the knife out and held the paper in her hand. There may have been a hole in it from the knife, but they could clearly read what was written.

“Your move, Dagger. Meet at the Athena statue, or more people will suffer. Maybe your mother will be next.”

The paper began to shake from Rose’s hands shaking. Fury was going through her and she knew exactly who did this. She looked over at Apollo and they both said her name.

“Adonia.”

.

.

.

Hehe. Get some fluff of Rose being open and happy only to destroy it at the end. The next chapter or the one after that should be the end of this life time >:))). And the appearance of Oizys and her name reveal is important and I’m excited to show more of her character as well >:). I’m just excited for everything even if it’s all traumatizing bfjkeds. I feel so bad for Rose and Apollo sometimes lol.

Anyways hope you both enjoyed!

[anythingbutmyname00]

solangelo + "you're trembling"?

Solageno for prompt #23: “You’re trembling.” This one was asked by two different people!! 

I’ve never written Solangelo before so be kind!! I also...haven’t read past the first half of the first Trials of Apollo book so I apologize if I get something or the dynamic wrong. I set this between Blood of Olympus and Trials of Apollo.

—

Despite his best efforts and most stubborn arguments, Nico was confined to resting at Camp Half-Blood for the foreseeable future. He had no issues with the camp itself, he actually rather liked it there.

He had an issue with how he felt when he was there. Some people are just outsiders, it happens. The thing is that they’re usually outsiders because they don’t like how being a part of things makes them feel.

Everyone wants to belong somewhere, right?

Despite himself, Nico actually loved Camp Half-Blood, and he wished he could stay.

Since the war ended, he thought he might actually have a reason to try harder this time, but Nico wasn’t one to get his hopes up.

Though, the son of the sun god made a pretty compelling argument. Nico had wondered if he might just consider-

“Nico!”

Nico snapped to attention towards his left side and saw Annabeth with a desperate look on her eyes.

“Gods, I called your name twice I said ‘do you understand what you have to do?’”

“Ye-yeah.” Nico said and shook his head a little, clearing it up.

“Yeah?” Annabeth said. She lowered her head a little and her gray eyes bore into him. He suppressed a shudder, the stare was oddly chilling.

“Yes,” he said, with much more confidence.

“Yeah Annie we got it don’t you even worry.” Connor Stoll jumped in. She glared at the nickname but he ignored it. He threw his hand on Nico’s shoulder and Nico promptly picked it up without looking and dropped it, letting it fall back to Connor’s side.

“See? We’re so in sync. I totally knew he would do that! Don’t worry about us!” Connor added, which, if anything, made Annabeth’s stare turn from commanding more towards distressing.

“Great.” She said and immediately turned to give out the next order.

Nico sighed and turned his head away from the intense blonde back towards the tree line again. He didn’t know why she was talking this so seriously anyway.

It was just capture the flag.

Apparently, Nico’s “doctor” was okay with—no, extremely vocally supportive of—his participation in capture the flag, but allowed no child of Hades demi-godly power drawing at all, much to Nico’s complaint.

Nico thought his “doctor” was a little too partial, but that was an opinion ruled irrelevant.

Somewhere in the distance, a horn blew signaling the beginning of the game.

Connor tapped Nico on the shoulder again and said “come on, we’re off.”

“Man, don’t touch me.” Nico said, but started a slow jog behind the son of Hermes in the direction of the tree-line closest to the beach.

Annabeth had strategized for two days leading up to this game. Nico had to sit through her run down at the beginning of the war games counsel as to every possible place the flag could be hiding and which was the most likely.

Zeus’ fist was overplayed. The field where the council of cloven elders met was too visible. It could’ve been at any random point in the woods—no landmark to draw the enemy to—but Annabeth doubted it, or so she told Nico and the other bored demi-gods waiting to here their strategy.

She had decided the other team would go for the far corner of the woods where there was only one possible path towards the flag. The Long Island Sound guarding one side of the flag left less ground for necessary defenders. It also would provide a pretty unmatched advantage for the captain of the other team—Percy Jackson.

Yeah, Nico had thought it was a bad idea for Chiron to captain the opposing capture the flag teams with Percy and Annabeth, but everyone else seemed to have a good laugh about it. Within days of the announcement, a betting ring had circulated camp, led by the Stoll brothers of course.

Nico didn’t participate in that either, he didn’t trust the Stolls not to pocket his money.

Outsider, right?

His and Connor’s job was to be the runners. They were to scout ahead and try and tell early on if the flag was in the aforementioned proposed area. If they had a chance, they should try for it, but most likely they were just ensuring the strategy would work as it was supposed to and no last minute adjustments needed making.

Connor was by far one of the fastest people at camp, which is clearly how he ended up with the job. Nico, on the other hand, was chosen because he could blend in and run by without people taking too much time to look, or notice for that matter.

He repeats: outsider.

Him and Connor had a nice pace going, they knew their path and they followed it easily enough. They didn’t pass many campers as they ran along, and if they did they were sure to keep their distance.

They arrived to the general area in which Annabeth suspected the flag would be located. Nico could hear the waves of sound. It was a nice day, the water sounded calm.

This is when Nico realized Connor had been talking to him.

“What?” Nico said.

Connor rolled his eyes “Dude, I said, ‘look, it’s almost too easy.’” and Nico followed where his finger pointed which was towards a little cluster of trees where the foliage was a more dense. the flag stood right in front of them. It followed the rule that the flag had to be in plain sight, but it was cleverly placed so that if you scanned the area quickly, you might just miss it.

Percy was on guard to the side closest to the Sound, for obvious reasons. There was Mark, son of Ares in the middle, and Clarisse guarding the other side farthest from the water.

Nico could hear Clarisse grumbling about something and Percy giving her shit about whatever it was. Mark looked extremely uncomfortable standing between them.

Connor and Nico made eye contact, and Connor nodded his head a few times towards the way they’d come from. He was clearly saying ‘come on! the plan! We go back!’

Nico was a little shocked at Connor’s insistence to follow the plan, but he didn’t think even he would pull some shit to screw up the plan lest he would have to face Annabeth’s wrath.

Nico held up a hand to say hold on, and then looked back towards the scene in front of them.

Percy had clearly thought two of the best fighters should be guarding the flag, but he hadn’t considered how him and Clarisse in close quarters would cause obvious distraction and arguing.

They were clearly not paying as much attention as they should be. They thought no one could get behind the flag with the Sound and the vegetation, but Nico had a way. The plant life created the perfect shadows for shadow travel.

He could easily get in and out with the flag, and then all they’d have to do is cross back over the creek.

It would save everyone a lot of trouble, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to be the hero just this once.

He looked back at Connor. “I can get the flag.”

“What! are you crazy?” He jerked again in the direction back towards base. They could hear the distant sounds of a makeshift battle now as the game got more intense. “What are you gonna d-”

He looked at the flag, and then at Nico.

“Uh-oh.” he said with a smirk. “Somebody want’s to disobey doctors orders.” Nico blinked, clearly bored by the joke. “He won’t be happy.” Connor chuckled.

“Does it look like i’m concerned?” Nico asked.

It was hypothetical, but Connor responded anyway. “No,” he said “but I heard that you care a bit more than you let on am I ri-”

Nico closed his eyes and jumped into the shadow of the tree he was hiding behind before Connor could finish the sentence and “jokingly” jab him with his elbow in a “see-what-I-did-there” kind of way.

He felt the shadows mold around him, and he admits, he got a little nauseous at first—more than usual. He took his time and uprighted himself before going towards the shadows of the foliage behind the flag.

He took a step forward but his foot never connected with the ground, it kept going down as if he were, well, as if he were walking on a shadow. He “woah-ed” and pushed himself forward, unbalanced and unstable.

This was nothing like what shadow travel was supposed to be like.

Instead of gliding, Nico was dipping and spinning. He couldn’t keep his eyes trained straight towards where he wanted to jump.

Get a grip, he thought, and for a moment, he thought it worked and he’d jarred out of it. He saw the green of the trees getting clearer and thought he was almost to the flag.

Instead, what he was seeing was the ground coming quickly towards his face as he fell out the other end of the shadow he had entered. He was but maybe 6 feet closer to the flag, and unfortunately was deposited directly in front of a bickering Percy and Clarisse, whom were now standing in front of each other with Mark clearly trying to mediate a sort of peace.

Nico made to speak, but shadows swallowed him once again. He wasn’t in control of his limbs this time. In fact, he wasn’t even sure they were there. He felt like he was swimming in tar. The shadows that surrounded him were becoming ghosts now, faces bleeding out of their dark ambiguous shapes. They grabbed at Nico, and he couldn’t move or speak to stop them.

He watched them mentally grab a hold of him, and then like someone clicked the button on a TV remote, he flickered out and went black.

—

“I told him, no, I told him that this was a bad idea he doesn’t listen.”

“Give him time, he will listen now I’m sure. He will have to.”

“Gods, no that isn’t good enough, he should have understood the first time I told him.”

“Go easy on him, he is still weak.”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t be if he just li-”

Nico groaned. He hadn’t been eavesdropping on purpose. He had gained his consciousness a moment before the ability to open his eyes.

The people who had been talking before had stopped and Nico, using so much more effort than it should have, tried to focus on who was standing at the edge of his bed.

It was Will Solace and Chiron. Nico’s mind was still really foggy, but he could make out some things. He was in the infirmary. He felt like ice cream that was left out on the counter to melt and then thrusted back into a freezer and starting to refreeze.

His eyes focused a little more. Both Will and Chiron were staring at him. Chiron didn’t look disappointed, which was a good sign. He looked more...worried. Worried for him, he guessed, but also Nico caught a slight glance at Will and then back to him. That couldn’t be good.

Nico then decided to look at Will. He still looked like walking sunshine despite the fact that he had a deep scowl on his face. Nico had never seen him look so angry. It took a lot to make Will properly angry, and Nico hadn’t found that breaking point yet, until now he guessed. His eyes blue eyes usually shone like the clear sky on a summer day. Right now, they looked like the middle of a summer heat rain. It looked unnatural. Nico looked him up and down again and noticed—

“You’re trembling.” he said. Will was shaking head to toe like someone turned a dial in him up to a level he almost couldn’t handle.

“I’ll leave you two to discuss. Glad to see you’re okay, Nico.” Chiron left the infirmary, and Nico kind of hoped he would stay seeing the way Will was looking at him.

They were alone. Nico thought maybe it’d be best if he started.

“Okay, I was stupid, I know, but I-”

“Stupid?” Will exclaimed incredulously. “You almost died, Nico. Died.” he said, his arms no longer crossed but thrown out to his sides.

“Okay,” Nico said, a little exasperated. He didn’t understand. He specialized in this sort of thing. Did he know it was stupid? Yes. But did Will reprimanding him about it help him want to follow his instructions? not at all. He opened his mouth to continue but—

“No!” Will continued “No ‘okay.’ You almost died, you don’t listen. I told you how dangerous it was. I said you needed to slow down.” He looked like he was about to start steaming. He still hadn’t stopped shaking.

“No,” Nico said. “I might have struggled a bit, but I wasn’t in any real danger I would’ve felt it.”

“Your heart stopped, Nico.” Will yelled. “For 20 seconds your heart stopped. They got you. Whatever is in the shadow realm, it got you. We did CPR and it didn’t help. We had to send Clovis in through his dream space or whatever. He had to pull you out and then we could save you.”

Nico was stunned. “My heart stopped?” He asked.

“Yes.” Will said, much more choked up and quieter this time. Nico didn’t buy that he was over being angry though.

Shouldn’t he have been able to tell his heart had stopped, even momentarily?

“How could you be so selfish?” Will said next. Nico thought the yelling was done but he almost missed it. Will being angry-sad was worse. Nico hated that he did that, but he was stubborn.

“Selfish?”

“Yes, selfish. Don’t you get it? You’re decisions don’t just affect you. Gods, if you had died...” he trailed off. “Don’t you see?”

Nico didn’t answer. He didn’t see, no. What was Will trying to say?

“Is this just a joke to you? Something to tide you over until you feel good enough to leave again, and then I’m still stuck, just, here?” The shaking had stopped. Will stood miraculously still; which was shocking for someone with both ADHD and the energy of one Will Solace.

“No.” Nico said. He wasn’t sure what else he could say. He’d been sort of seeing Will he guessed for some time. They never really talked about it though. Nico hadn’t thought this was why. He assumed that’s just how Will was. He was a go-with-the-flow sort of guy. “You’re not a joke to me.” Nico said, and then immediately cleared his throat, hoping to move a little further past that now.

“okay.” Will said, quiet as a mouse. That didn’t seem like he was pleased.

Nico sighed, “Will, look,” he said to begin with. “I know I should have listened to you. I know it was stupid. I can be a little...” He choked on the word, swallowed, and said “stubborn.’

“No kidding,” Will said, his arms once again crossed. His face set.

“I didn’t think that,” Nico thought for a second, “I didn’t think that if anything happened to me it would...matter.” It sounded like crap, he knew that, but he wasn’t kidding either.

“That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Will deadpanned.

Nico raised his eyebrows and looked away, nodding a little. Will reeled himself back in a little.

“It’d matter to me a lot.” He said. “But I can’t do you not even trying to stay safe. You’ve gotta listen, Nico, really listen. You were lucky this time, but next time...”

Nico got the gist. He wouldn’t come back next time, at least yet.

“Okay.” Nico said. This time it was enough.

Will smiled, the sky in his eyes cleared and summer returned. Nico suspected they were okay again. Like he said, Will angry was unnatural, he couldn’t hold it long.

“Now,” Will said, “your doctor recommends tons of bed rest for at least a few days. Can you handle that? Or should I strap you down now and save myself the trouble?”

Nico rolled his eyes and sighed. “Whatever you say, doc.”

“Good!” Will said and climbed onto the bed with Nico. He rolled into Nico’s side. lifted up his arm, and draped it around himself.

Nico didn’t fight it but he gasped “Now, what would my doctor say about this? I don’t know, I was told to get a lot of rest...”

“Shut up.” Will said, “Human contact is good for convalescence.”

Nico didn’t argue, he wouldn't have wanted to anyway; even if he hadn’t used up his reserve of energy for the time being fighting a losing argument. He supposed some arguments were worth losing.

—

Ran a little long, lol hope you enjoyed!! I have 4 more prompts to write but I am still accepting! just know I am still in class right now and am pretty busy, so I can really only write one a night! If you submit one please be patient :) Thanks!

[intelligentdumbass]

Can't I Get a Break? (part 1)

(Again, beware of typos. I have no idea how this turned into what it is now, but it is what it is.)

Hermes pushed the door open and nearly tripped on one of goldie’s many stray brushes. The floor was also littered with paintings and marble statues of varying shapes and sizes scattered all over.

“Apollo?”

“You need something Herms?”

The blonde was in the corner, sitting down on a cushion, his eyes still focused on the canvas on his lap even when his brother was already standing over him.

“Dude, what’re you doing here? The wedding is about to start!”

“Eh? I thought it wasn’t until two months from now?”

Hermes stared, and wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Look, I don’t know what day you think it is, but I wasn’t lying when I said that the wedding is about to start.”

Apollo frowned, but then laughed when his instincts told him Hermes was telling the truth.

“Ah, shit. The girls are probably wondering where I am-” He immediately stood up and ran off into another room. “You can go on ahead Herm! I swear I’ll catch up.”

When the god took a glance at the painting he left on the cushion, he suddenly understood. It was a work in progress of Asclepius’ worktable covered in ashes.

---------------------------------

Olympus’ garden was breath-taking; bioluminescent flowers blooming under the moonlight. The gods were having the time of their lives, drunkenly singing under the serene night sky.

Hermes couldn’t help but subtly gaze back at Apollo every now and then. Despite all the fun the sun god was having dancing with the muses, their conversation in the studio made him felt like something was off.

Then someone caught him off guard by wrapping an arm around his shoulder, and he instantly knew who it was the second he smelled the wine in his breath.

“Jealous?~” Dionysus wiggled his eyebrows.

Hermes raised an eyebrow. “Jealous of what?”

Dionysus motions to the muses; it was at that moment that Calliope had her arms wrapped around Apollo’s neck as the god gave her a small kiss. Hermes rolled his eyes, but oh little did he know, he was faintly blushing.

The younger brother sighed.

“Look man, if you’re going to keep this up, then you‘re absolutely hopeless. I mean, at this point literally everyone except the distracted dumbass you haven’t confessed to knows that you want a piece of that-”

“Hahahaha, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, have you seen Eris? I heard she wasn’t invited-”

“Hey! Don’t change the subject.” Dionysus glanced back and frowned. “Huh, where’d he go?”

Hermes followed his gaze and sure enough, Apollo was nowhere to be seen; just the muses chatting amongst themselves, along with a few other immortals. The wine god scanned the rest of the guests at the party, and gave his friend a confused look, who just shrugged in response. Then before he knew it, Hermes was being dragged by the arm over to the group of gossiping sisters.

Urania saw them first and waved, while Thalia gave the messenger a knowing grin.

“You looking for Apollo?”

He internally cursed. His brother was right, everyone did know. Before he could say a word, his companion answered for him.

“Yeah. Wasn’t he with you guys just a minute ago?”

Melpomene and Polyhymnia gave each other a look, before turning to Calliope. She sighed.

“He said something about taking a break.”

“Apollo? A break?” Dionysus looked up, at the moon. “But it hasn’t even reached midnight yet.”

The goddess’ smile became just a tiny bit strained. “I know.”

Hermes frowned. “Did you manage to catch where he ran off to?”

---------------------------------

The garden was huge; its depths filled with paths most don’t even know of. Luckily Hermes knew his way around it like the back of his head. After all, he’s got good experience sneaking inside the garden from one of its many secret entrances.

The other deities’ slurred laughter were getting more and more muffled, until it was replaced by the crickets and the foliage crunching under his steps. Then out of nowhere came the familiar sounds of a certain lyre. His brisk walk slowed into a halt. He found the god of music sitting down on top of a small hill, back resting against the trunk of an old oak. He had a feeling he would’ve found him here. This spot was one of their favorites, because it also happened to be right in front of a giant crevice that overlooked a big chunk of the earth. The view was spectacular.

Apollo didn’t notice Hermes’ presence until he had already sat down next to him, which made him flinch.

“H-” “Hermes!” He glared.

“What?”

“You could’ve at least said something! Gods, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

The messenger resisted the urge to laugh and just innocently grinned, while his friend sighed. His gaze then went to the turtle lyre in the musician’s hands.

“I still can’t believe you kept that. I mean, it’s not just that you kept it. It’s the fact that I always see you actually use it.”

Apollo smiled, with a look in his eyes that basically said, ‘Why wouldn’t I?’

“It’s a very good instrument, even if it was just made by some annoying toddler. Besides, the other one gives me bad memories.” He pauses for a moment. “What’re you doing here? You couldn’t find someone to flirt with?”

“I was looking for you.”

“Did someone need me?”

“Nah, if that were the case then I would’ve already told you. I was just… concerned?”

The blonde seemed confused; now Hermes was the one who sighed.

“Did you really spend two months just, holed up in that room?”

“Maybe, what of it?” The lyre went silent.

Hermes frowned, but after a few moments of thought decided to stand up.

“Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but considering what happened, you probably just wanted some alone time-”

“Nono, it’s fine.” His voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear it. “Please don’t leave.”

And so the god sat back down, this time inching a little closer so that their sides were touching. Apollo saw him glance at the lyre again.

“You want to play something? Go on ahead.” He hands it over. “I suddenly don’t.”

For a few minutes that’s all it was, Hermes strumming on his lyre while the crickets sung; Apollo staring into the distance.

“Wait.” For a brief moment, Apollo’s eyes lit up like a pair of miniature suns.

“Hm?” Hermes paused.

“Nonono, keep on playing. It was just… isn’t that the song you played to me? When you tried to convince me that it was totally worth trading half of my cows for?”

“Y-” “Yeah.” He was surprised. ‘How do you still remember that?’

Hermes continued to strum, but now his cheeks were starting to burn up. It doesn’t look like Apollo noticed though.

“Am I unreasonable, Hermes?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m one of father’s older kids, hell, his literal oldest son. You’d think I’d get used to this now.” He picks up a handful of dirt and just lets the soil fall through his fingers.

“Well, it… wasn’t really a natural death now, was it? Dude, if that happened to my kid I’d be pissed at dad too even if he had a reason for it.”

“I don’t know I’m just… I’m so tired of this.” At first it was a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly ended up hugging him; pulling him even closer and wrapping his arms around the messenger’s waist. “I’m so fucking sick of this shit.”

Despite how much that had startled him and the fact that he was internally screaming right now, Hermes still managed a smile. At this point, the blonde had his face buried into his shoulder. The younger god stopped strumming on the lyre and gave his friend a gentle pat on the back.

“I know that I shouldn’t be making a big deal out of this but-” “but I can’t not!” His rants were loud murmurs; like yelling but in soft whispers with the occasional muffled sniffs and whimpers. “I can’t stop thinking about things like this. I don’t know why. Is there something wrong with me? I know everything dies and that what Asclepius did was a crime against the fates, why can’t my brain just shut up about it!”

“Hey, Hey look at me.”

After half a minute of silence, Apollo reluctantly looked up.

“Don’t beat yourself up like that.” Hermes putted the lyre aside and wiped away some of the tears trailing down his cheeks. “You’re not unreasonable. I mean, have you seen the shit the rest of this fucked up family tree of ours has been up to? I’d argue you’re actually one of the most reasonable.”

“Oh, of course you’d think that-”

“Shhhh” He cut him off by giving him a small kiss on the forehead.

Apollo faintly blushed and then started staring off into oblivion again; resting his head on Hermes’ shoulder.

“I guess at least…” He murmured. “At least you guys aren’t going to suddenly die on me.”

“I don’t know about that. I can’t exactly guarantee that I won’t do a very stupid prank that might get me kicked into Tartarus.”

“Tch. Well, there might be a chance that I would’ve been stupid enough to do it with you, so at least with that we’ll both get chucked down into the abyss. Hey who knows, Dio might join us too.”

Hermes laughed, and even the blonde himself couldn’t help but crack a smile.

---------------------------------

“Well” Apollo sighed. “Thanks for putting up with that.”

“Of course.” He takes a quick look at the moon. “Maybe we should go back now. Someone might get worried.”

“I guess.” For a moment there, the god looked like he really didn’t want to leave.

“I mean, I don’t mind spending a few more minutes here if you want to-”

“No, it’s fine. You’re right; we really should be going back now.”

Apollo stood up first, and picked up the lyre; the messenger standing up not long after. The two deities had started to walk back when the younger god suddenly stopped.

“Wait.”

“Hm?” Apollo turned around and frowned. “Something wrong?”

“I… I need to tell you something.” He suddenly felt a little nervous, and couldn’t help but stare a little; maybe even briefly glancing at his lips.

Hermes took a step closer.

“I-” “ACH!-”

But before he could do or say anything else, he felt something hard smack him right in the face. He probably would’ve fallen back onto the ground if Apollo hadn’t caught him.

“Are you alright?”

“What…” Hermes rubbed his nose. “What the FUCK was that?!”

Then there was a distant cackle, and it sounded oddly familiar; almost like it came from a certain goddess of chaos.

Out of the corner of his eye, Apollo saw a speck of yellow on the ground. It was an apple made out of solid gold, and there was an inscription scribbled onto it, but that wasn’t why he was staring.

Once his brother had fully recovered from the shock, he let go, for him to stand on his own. The fruit glimmered and sparkled under the ambient moonlight, enticing the immortal to come closer. He crouched down and picked it up. It glowed against his hand, and it flashed against his eyes.

First he felt the heat, like the sun’s solar flares were gently flicking and liking his skin. Then he smelled the stench of thick, red, mortal blood. His limbs were heavy and his stomach tied itself into a knot; his head filled with the slow rhythmic beat of drums, except it wasn’t drums. He wasn’t in the garden anymore; he was in a temple, his temple. He knew because of the statues, but they weren’t the only company he had in this large, hollow room.

There was a stranger in front of him; their steps the source of those loud, steady thumps as they gradually got closer, and closer…

He was a god, he knew he could easily kill them, but instead he found himself backed up against a wall. Then they grabbed him by the throat, and drew their sword. In the heat of the moment, he somehow managed to catch a glimpse his reflection in the glint of their blade.

What he saw wasn’t his face.

But the face had his eyes.

Apollo instinctively dropped the apple and cursed fruit quickly fell back onto the ground. His face was drenched in sweat; his fingers twitching; breath hitching and heaving.

“Apollo? Goldie?!” Hermes rushed towards the blonde and cupped both of his hands. “Hey buddy, what’s wrong?”

The god inhaled, and exhaled; closing his eyes. He squeezed both of the messenger’s hands and forced himself to calm down. When he started coming back to his senses, he glanced around, but the apple was already gone.

“Hermes, where did that cursed piece of golden shit go?!”

Hermes blinked, surprised. “I… don’t know?”

But what he did saw, was a few black feathers as dark as the sky above them. They were scattered along the path that led back to the main event.

“…Hermes I need that fucking apple.”

“Huh? What? Why-” “Hey, HEY! APOLLO WAIT!!”

Apollo had started to run back towards the wedding, and Hermes was right behind him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next

[canarhys]

valdangelo headcanons

hey guys. so... i reached 500 followers last night. and i’m really happy that you fuckers can deal with my dumbass posts because jesus, i never thought i’d get this far.

so in return for the amount of souls i have stocked up, i have redone the valdangelo headcanons i did for 100 followers a long time ago.

let’s fucking go.

• the two of them are meant for each other simply for the fact that nico sleeps all the time and eats so much junk food he has cavities while leo hasn’t slept for an entire month and hasn’t eaten in three days.

• they don’t like grand, fancy dates and instead go for drives through the city at night and hang outs at a fast food joint. (“nico stop saying mcdonald’s we’ve been eating there for the past week i’m starting to hallucinate ronald mcdonald.”)

• they don’t show much affection in public. usually it’s just hand-holding (it’s basically their second nature) and cheek kisses but when alone they’re touch-starved and cuddle all the fucking time.

• they play video games together obviously. when they compete (say, mario kart), it’s a ruckus because they’re both equally good so the entire camp watches and places bets because it’s so intense. when they play together, it’s usually nico on his nintendo 3ds playing pokémon with leo resting his head on his shoulder, making jokes and occasional pointers.

• i’m all for the idea that they two of them could hold conversations without even talking. nico and leo share a look, nod, and somehow they know what the other is implying. it’s insane.

• they get matching tattoos not just because it’s a couple thing but because it’s fun. they decide to get star tattoos on their ankles.

• nico: lend me a hand.

• leo: throws his prosthetic arm to him

• nico: thanks.

• i just love the thought of them having such funny ass laughs. nico cackles and it almost resembles a wicked witch. leo wheezes like a balloon losing air. also nico slaps people whenever he laughs while leo is stuck in a position for a fucking hour.

• and i just imagine when one is laughing the other is silently watching them with an adoring smile. despite the fact that the one laughing looks so fucking stupid.

• when they laugh at the same time it sounds like a hospital delivery room, ngl.

• they argue all the time but it’s over stupid shit like which superhero wins or who can be the most edgy/annoying. it’s all playful banter but it goes on for hours on end and everyone is about to kick them out.

• they’re fucking dorks; they watch jojo’s bizarre adventure and binge stupid instagram videos and recreate tik toks that are somehow worse than the original.

• they can’t give each other flowers because nico always ends up with lifeless, drooping ones and leo somehow manages to set all of them on fire so they just pack snacks and lunches for each other.

• they have to coax each other into taking care of themselves because they’re self-destructive little shits. nico often drags leo to bed when he’s working on a project. leo cooks nico healthy foods and forces him to brush his teeth. when one of them is sick, the other is by their side all the time.

• they share earbuds a lot. they both really like the arctic monkeys, they’re basically their soul band and whenever one of them is listening to them, the other senses it and immediately grabs the bud out of the other’s ear.

• i like the thought of them trying to be like buzzfeed unsolved and recording videos of themselves strolling through haunted houses and searching for cryptids but it would be so... disastrous.

• nico, playing don’t mine at night on a stereo at goatman’s bridge: come out, bitch.

• goatman: i’m fucking begging you to stop.

• leo, recording: fucking wheezing

• or they would try to be like game grumps and record themselves playing retro games like donkey kong or sonic but it also yields some fucked up results.

• leo, playing sonic adventure dx with tears in his eyes: screaming at the tv and trying not to have a nervous breakdown because the game is so fucking bad his brain functions have gone haywire

• nico: laughing so hard he knocked over twelve vases on the table

• they call each other by their last names a lot. it used to be an insult when they were arguing a lot back then, but now they use it as fun little nicknames with mild malice (unless one of them fucked up).

• they also have some personal ones for each other! nico calls leo “firebug” and “bombshell” and leo calls nico “sunshine” and “angel.” (they totally call each other “amor” and “bébé” as well.)

• they have small picnic dates at the strawberry fields in camp since leo loves strawberries to death and nico likes seeing leo’s adorable face as he eats them. usually they eat those along with chocolate dip and some milkshakes.

• leo has tried to teach nico how to cook in the past but it resulted in the inflammation of the argo ii’s kitchen and buford sending nico angry “glares” due to leo having to scrub off all the excess smog off of him.

• leo buys nico a fuck ton of hawaiian shirts as a joke but nico had worn all of them in less than a month and rocked all of them. leo now has taken the duty of buying as many as he can because damn, if his boyfriend didn’t look so cute.

• the two of them wear each other’s clothes all the time. leo uses the excuse “i’m cold” in order to achieve nico’s jacket or sweater. nico has started using it as well and leo hands him his hoodie or mittens. it’s cute.

• also i love the idea of them either wearing complementary clothing or drastically different ones, with no in-between. one day leo is wearing a soft rainbow-striped shirt under some overalls while nico wears a floral striped hawaiian tee, the next nico is in all black and leo is wearing a neon green jumpsuit. everyone gets whiplash from it.

• i feel like after the giant war and during apollo’s mortal quest, they go with him to indiana to search for meg. and they find themselves at the waystation and after the entire commodus fiasco, the two of them decide to stay and live there. both of them are going to visit chb in the summer but they like the thought of having normal lives and being normal teenagers, plus jo and emmie basically adopted them into the family and all of the kids there love them (especially georgina).

• at camp, they usually hang out in bunker nine or the hades cabin since both of them don’t like crowds and get overwhelmed by them. also they talk about conspiracy theories all the fucking time.

• leo: what if... in a parallel universe... we were straight...?

• nico: holy shit.

• they’re such horror movie fanatics. leo’s favorite is texas chainsaw massacre and nico has a heart for alien. both of them have confirmed that killer clowns from outer space is the best horror movie of all time and have watched it exactly thirty-six times.

• they both had serious discussions of which horror tropes their friends are. they are still categorizing to this day.

• nico: piper would be a final girl, that’s clear. what about jason?

• leo: first one who dies. that fucker is literally dead and hanging in a hotel.

• i also think the two of them love horror/thriller shows. stranger things, tales from the crypt, ash vs. evil dead. especially ash vs. evil dead. leo literally dressed up as ash for halloween, chainsaw hand and everything. nico, in turn, dressed up as a deadite.

• speaking of halloween, it’s like the culmination of their entire beings. because they both a) like dressing up, b) like free food, c) love halloween decor and shit, and d) love seeing each other’s happy faces during the holiday.

• both of them are incredibly dedicated to it, wearing black and orange and hanging up the majority of the decorations around camp. they buy the candy, organize the activities, and take a roll of what campers are dressing as so if someone is worried that they’ll have the same costume as another person, they can check with them. percy says they should get married on halloween just because they’re that into it.

• both of them hyper-fixate a lot. leo gets so invested in a project that he forgets to eat or sleep or even acknowledge anyone else around him, so nico makes sure to not disturb him unless it’s time for lunch or bed. he wraps his arms around leo as he works and buried his face in the crook of his neck and leo always smiles.

• leo does the same for nico, as the guy is incredibly invested in nerdy things that he tries not to tell anyone lest they make fun of him. so leo lets his boyfriend infodump as they lay in bed together, stroking his dark wavy hair and watching nico’s mouth move and continue to describe a dnd campaign he’s been watching recently. leo has to use all his will to stop him and get him to brush his teeth.

• they’re not really much to make future plans as they’re pretty pessimistic about everything due to their pasts but one day they found themselves discussing about getting an apartment or even a house together. leo said he’ll probably open a garage if they become the next caretakers of the waystation or even get a house and ask annabeth to help with the design. nico joked that they could have a floral shop there too since they’re both bad with flowers. and suddenly the conversation shifted to them planning a round-trip across the world on festus and one of them mentioned “kids.” then the two realized what they were doing and stopped, albeit hesitantly.

• i love the idea of persephone being a total mom to them (i don’t care about canon, she loves hades children no matter that her husband cheated) and having garden parties with them down in the underworld. she started teaching them how to take care of flowers better — which was sort of relevant since nico brought up the flower shop at home thing — and soon their blossoms almost stopped wilting or catching on fire.

• persephone: hey, you guys want some pomegranate?

• leo: yeah s—

• nico: n o w e ‘ r e g o o d .

• persephone wasn’t trying to trap leo in the underworld but nico couldn’t take chances.

• leo’s pretty good with instruments because of tool proficiency and is a master at the drums and guitar. nico actually has a nice singing voice and recently got into guitar as well, so you bet your ass that they have jam sessions constantly.

• leo is the gay that can drive while nico should not be within a steering wheel in any circumstance, so leo usually drives them to their dates. that, or they enlist the help of nico’s zombie chauffeur to drive them there.

• both of them share this soft and tender expression with each other that they don’t express towards other people, not even their other friends. it’s sort of like a face saved for them, for their little world and it’s cute.

• nico is way more touchy than leo and likes to wrap his arms around leo’s waist a lot. he often peppers his face with kisses and shit and leo gets really shy about it. when this happens, he nuzzles his face into nico’s shoulder or chest to stop his boyfriend but nico is resilient.

• i just... love valdangelo being so soft towards each other. every single banter they have they do with heart eyes and they usually just cuddle in content silence because they’re not big on talk, communicating better by actions. when they kiss, it’s like a perfect mix because nico is cold while leo is warm. they often lay in bed, smiling as their limbs are tangled together. maybe they’ll start up another conversation or game file. but for now, they like the quiet.

[yungimmortals]

phone numbers | jaime (ft. risa)

date: december 26, 2020

summary: a long-overdue phone call, a heavy dose of salt in an old wound, and a very low battery

An unknown number flashed across his screen. Never one to pick up the phone unless he absolutely had to (and definitely not one to pick up when he didn’t recognize the caller), Jaime let it go to voicemail, tossing his phone onto his bed. 

Swiveling in his desk chair, he spin in a full circle before returning his focus to  the project he had been working on since getting back to his apartment earlier that evening. Christmas with Katie’s family had been fun; now it was time for Jaime to recharge. Restoring a vintage typewriter -- Jaime’s Christmas present to himself -- was the perfect thing to do. In the last hour, he had polished it, ridding the typewriter of years of rust and grime. All the type-levers were in place, all the knobs and buttons in working condition. Now it was time to work on the carriage lever and the platen, time to get the machine ready for writing. 

Dismantling his typewriter was a delicate process, interrupted again by the ringing of his phone. “Where is it?” He mumbled, turning is his chair and taking a dive at the bed when he spotted his phone. Snatching it up, he recognized the same number that had called earlier but was saved the trouble of a debate as to whether or not he should answer it when his screen went dark once more. A moment later, a voicemail notification flashed across his screen.

Curiosity piqued, Jaime unlocked his phone, raising it to his ear to listen to the voicemail. The last voice he expected to hear drifted out of the phone’s speakers and he dropped it in surprise. 

Jaime, it’s me. I need to talk to you. I hope this is still your number.

Without hesitation, he returned the call. There was one ring, then two, then three. Jaime bounced his leg up and down before spinning around in his desk chair, his stomach a pit of nerves. As the line continued to ring, he was almost positive he had imagined the voicemail. But then there was an audible click, followed by the sound of his sister’s voice.

“So this is your number. Rowan’s handwriting is absolute shit, I couldn’t tell if that last number was a seven or a four. Can’t believe she wants to go to art school with that chicken scratch.”

“Risa?”  

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, I, er. That is-”

His sister’s laughter sounded tinny, far away. “Jaime, relax. Oh, and Merry Christmas. Did you get our card?”

Jaime switched the call to speaker phone and placed his phone on his desk. He stared at it blankly before scrubbing his face with his hands. “Card?”

“Yeah, Ro made you a Christmas card in her risography workshop. She’s building her portfolio for college but I’m sure she told you that since you talk, like, all the time.” Risa sounded bitter as she spoke, changing the subject quickly. “Anyway, I need to talk to you about something. Is this a good time?”

In eight years, his middle sister had never once called of her own volition. Even convincing her to be a part of Jaime and Rowan’s ‘family phone calls’, had taken a few years of their littlest sister badgering her. Now Risa was calling and it sounded important��and Jaime couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He must have been silent for too long, he realized, hearing his sister clear her throat.

“Jay, if you’re busy, just tell me. I’ll find another time,” she said, though from her tone, Jaime could tell that if they didn’t talk about what was on her mind now, they likely never would.

“No! I mean, no, I’m not busy. I was just-- yeah, no, I’m here. What-- what’s up?” Jaime pushed his typewriter to the side before rummaging through his desk drawer for a notebook and pen (just in case he needed to take notes). He chuckled as Risa told him to buckle up, already welcoming the familiarity with which she was speaking to him, no matter how strange it felt.

“This isn’t what I’m calling about but I might as well tell you while we’re here. Dad’s sick. He said you cursed him or some shit, but it’s all bull. He went off the deep end a few years ago. Totally cuckoo. I figured you didn’t know, since you and Ro have your stupid agreement to never mention Charles to each other. Says he’s seeing things. Monsters and shit. Which I would call bull, but I remember that creepy guy. You know, the one waiter at the Dog & Pony that would always stare at you and Mom when we all went for dinner? He only had one eye. I don’t mean like an eyepatch. I mean one freaking eye, right in the center of his head. Don’t know if you ever noticed that, but I did.” Now that Risa had started talking, it seemed she couldn’t stop. “And that’s not the last time I saw something or someone weird like that. There’s a girl who works at the nature center in the park and I swear, Jay. I freaking swear that she melts into the trees. She’s a dryad right? I got lunch with your aunt last week and she filled me in on some stuff. I don’t know how she got in touch with us. Said something about your dad, I don’t remember. But, anyway, we got lu-”

“My aunt?” Jaime interrupted, feeling guilty for doing so, but not seeing where he could get a word in edgewise if he waited for her to pause.

“Oh, shit. Wait, there’s a picture, did I mention a picture? Before I forget. It’s with your card. I was digging through some of Mom’s trail crew stuff in the attic a while back, looking for her old boots, and I found it. It says ‘David’ with a heart next to it on the back. That was his name, right? Your dad?”

Jaime blinked, surprised at both the abrupt subject change and the mention of his father. He didn’t want the subject of his aunt to drop but the photograph won his curiosity. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Okay, so you’ll see it, but, like, it’s totally weird. There’s a lens flare on it but it’s, like, just across your dad. Kinda ruins the whole picture, you can’t see him at all. It’s like when you try to take a photo of the sun. Mom looks beautiful though, but she always did. I think they were at Otter Cove, and I know that was one of your favorite trails.”

Like trying to photograph the sun. Jaime almost laughed. Risa had no idea how close to the truth she was. Which reminded him, “You had lunch with my aunt?”

“Dude, yeah. And she’s, like, so cool. If you’re related to so many cool people -- myself and Ro included, obviously -- how did you turn out like this?” 

He could hear Risa laugh on the other line and just rolled his eyes. He glanced down at his notebook where he’d written a collection of words: cursed, Cyclops, dryads in Acadia? The latter was underlined several times, whether from surprise or excitement, Jaime couldn’t remember. He realized his sister had started speaking again. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” 

“I was saying, if you were paying attention, that we went to Geddy’s -- that veg place on Main? -- for lunch and she was telling me about some fancy neo-classical city? New Athens or some shit like that, I think. In New York. Is that where you live? Ro told me you were like, weirdly into Greek mythology one time. But honestly, that tracks with some of the stuff I’ve seen. Hey, how come your aunt was looking for me, not you? She said something about mist but it was. like, not even a foggy day. We could see out over the harbor. Crystal clear.”

“The Mist,” Jaime correctly automatically, then pinched the bridge of his nose. The list in his notebook grew longer as their call stretched on. “I don’t know,” he admitted, in response to Risa’s question about his aunt. “Did she tell you her name?”

“Artemis? Which I was like hello, weird, since I was literally just thinking about you and your Greek mythology phase. I asked if she was David’s sister and she said ‘if that’s what he’s calling himself now’. Do estranged siblings run in your side of the family or something?”

At that, Jaime made a choking sound, staring at his phone. The resulting crow of laughter from his sister made it clear that she’d been expecting, no, hoping for that reaction. 

“Just messing with you, Jay. Relax. Anyway. She’s got this, like, wild grrl gang of hikers that travel the country? Gave me a pamphlet, told me to consider it. She said I could tell Rowan too, but when I did, Ro didn’t seem to care at all. She’s just got art school on the brain, I think. Your aunt had told me that would happen, said that the Mist was thicker around our sweet baby sister. But, uh, do you know what the Mist is? I’m, like, pretty sure you do since you corrected me a minute ago.”

“I-”

“Yeah that’s what I thought. So anyway, Aunt Artemis said you’re a demigod. Guess your dad’s name isn’t really David, huh? Last I checked, there’s no Greek god of boring dad names. Care to fill me in? Is that why I’ve seen some weird, like, mythological creatures around the harbor when we were growing up? Oh and Grandma Hana says hi.”

A distressed sound escaped Jaime’s lips. He had forgotten his sister’s habit of bouncing from subject to subject and here it was, smacking him in the face with more new information than he could handle at the moment. Christmas wishes had been exchanged with his grandmother the day before, so he didn’t have to worry about acknowledging that topic, thankfully. His brain was working in overdrive and he could practically feel Risa’s impatience, the longer he was silent.

“Jaime,” she prompted. 

He sighed, massaging his temples as he stared down at his phone. “His name isn’t David, it’s Apollo. Artemis’ brother. They aren’t named after the Greek gods, they are the Greek gods. So yes, that makes me a demigod. And it sounds like...you can probably see through the Mist. At least a little more than most mortals.”

“Holy shit. And you never thought ‘hey maybe I should tell my sister this super freaking weird but also totally cool thing about me’? What the shit, Jaime!”

He opened his mouth to tell her that he hadn’t known until after he left, until after he read the letter their mother had left for him, but Risa was steamrolling ahead.

“Wait...wait, so that was the Artemis? Your aunt is the Artemis? And she- and she invited me to join her immortal Hunt?” He heard a muffled shriek, like she had covered the receiver with her hand. A small smile spread across his face. “Well, I’m saying yes...obviously.”

“Okay, hold on a second there. That’s a big decision, don’t you think you shou-”

“Oh no, no. I’m going to stop you right there. You don’t get to play the big brother card here, Jay. You don’t get to keep secrets for years and then tell me I need to think about accepting an offer from a goddess. And don’t say some shit about me looking after Rowan. She doesn’t need anyone to look after her. You’d know that if you were here. Honestly, she does a better job looking after me than I do her. Shit, wait. Does that mean Dad’s not crazy? Did you really make all those people sick all the time? Did you...make Mom sick? Isn’t Apollo the god of healing?”

“I wasn’t playing the big brother card!” He protested weakly. As she continued, Jaime blanched. Several times. First at the mention of his absence, then at the mention of Charles’ theories, and again at the mention of their mother. “I’m sorry,” he started, hoping Risa understood that he was apologizing for leaving. They would have more time to unpack that later, he figured. 

"Charles is definitely still crazy. I didn’t make all those people sick. Mom either. I, uh, I only did it once. Made someone sick, I mean. It was a boy that bullied me at school during the years Mom was sick and Charles wouldn’t listen to me about it. One day the kid was beating me up and hitting me and, and I, I don’t know what happened. I pushed him and pushed? I don’t know, energy? At him, and I gave him the chicken pox or something, at least I think that’s what the school said. Chicken pox,” he scoffed, ducking his head, despite the fact that Risa couldn’t see him. “He’s the god of many things. Music, the arts, the sun. Healing, yeah, but plague and illness is the flip side of that.”

“Like the plague arrows he shot at the Greeks. Before you say anything, yes, I’ve read the Iliad. And The Song of Achilles, which, if you haven’t read it, you have to.” As if realized she’d gotten off track, Risa was quiet for a moment. Jaime was thankful she didn’t push him on the subject of his powers; he wasn’t sure what he would have said if she had. When his sister spoke again, she sounded farther away, her voice detached. “Artemis told me there are other children of Apollo. You have other family.”

It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation -- that was clear. When Jaime answered, he sounded tired. “I do, yeah.” Though his sister couldn’t see it, his expression was one of regret. “But it’s, it’s not like that, Ris.”

“I didn’t ask what it was like,” she snapped. After a moment of tense silence, he could hear her sigh. “I’m going to contact Artemis. Learn as much about your world as she’ll tell me. And then I’m going to join the Hunt.”

With a click, the line went dead. 

Jaime stared at his phone in silence until the screen darkened, battery dead as well. He heaved a sigh, detangling himself from his desk chair to plug his phone into the cord on his nightstand to charge. So much for recharging, he thought to himself, knowing his own battery was dangerously low. Exhaling a groan, Jaime sunk onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling once more. To the constellations on his ceiling, he murmured, “That went about as well as it could have, all thing considered.”

[ilu-writes]

Hidden Moments

Days and Nights (Solangelo)

Rating: G | Warnings: None

AO3 | FF.net

Prev | x | Next

It’s not the easiest thing in the world for Will and Nico to keep their relationship under wraps, so they’ve resort to sneaking around in an attempt to hide it. 

In theory, both Will and Nico knew they were going to have to stop sneaking around at some point. The camp wasn’t that big, and people already had their suspicions about the whole situation. The entirety of the Apollo cabin were just waiting for them to slip up and reveal themselves.

In practice, the sneaking around made the whole relationship feel almost safer, like they could somehow use that to protect it from everything that happened in the real world.

And honestly, sometimes a little escapism was exactly what they both needed.

That didn’t make coordinating their ‘meet-ups’ any easier.

Nico kept his head down as he ducked around the back of the infirmary, as if that would stop anyone seeing him. Thankfully, the only people nearby were too entranced in their volleyball game to pay attention to him trying to sneak past.

The back of the Big House itself was empty as always, which Nico didn’t find at all surprising as he waded through the weeds. Between the waist-high, untamed plants and the wall of trees that lined it, the area was about as fun to climb through as trying to have a feast with a hoard of skeletons.

Which was to say, not fun at all.

Still, he tried not to get too frustrated as he awkwardly untangled his leg from yet another weed. It was a convenient passage way to the infirmaries little-used back door, which meant he could slip into one of the back rooms without anybody seeing him. And right now, that was all he really cared about.

The door swung open just as he reached it, and a pair of tanned, freckly hands practically hurled him into the room to give him a hug.

“Hi,” he mumbled trying to keep his stomach from fluttering. For some reason, hugs felt different than just kissing – softer, somehow, more intimate.

Will pulled away and gave him a quick once over, taking in the bits of leaf and plants that were now stuck to his boyfriend as Nico closed the door behind him. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, picking one of the leaves off him. “I’m probably not going to be able to get away from the infirmary at all today-“

“Don’t worry about it.” Nico stepped forward and pressed his lips quickly to the other boy’s. “I figured as much.”

“I hate summer,” Will sighed softly, tugging him even closer so they were basically nose to nose.

“No, you don’t,” snorted Nico.

“No, I don’t,” agreed Will, laughing softly. They were closer enough that he could feel Nico’s breath on his lips. “But I do hate not being able to see you often.”

“It sucks,” agreed Nico, reaching up to rest his hand on the other boys chest. “So instead of talking about it, why don’t we make use of what little time we do have? How long do you have?”

“Probably ten, fifteen minutes, tops.” Will shrugged apologetically. It wasn’t as long as either of them would like, but it’d work.

“Better than nothing,” Nico said aloud, pushing himself onto his toes a little so he could brush their lips together briefly. “Thank the gods for pointless back doors, I guess.”

“Technically, it’s not pointless,” Will mumbled, keeping his voice soft. “We use it to-”

“Don’t tell me,” interrupted Nico quickly. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what they used that door for, and he didn’t want to think about it right now. Instead, he curled his hand into a fist, his fingers tangled in the other boys shirt, and slammed their lips together. Thankfully, Will conceded immediately, melting into the kiss and sliding his own arms around the other boys waist.

After a second, Nico moved his hands up to tangle it in Will’s hair, tugging at the strands as he pressed their bodies even closer together. Will responded immediately, hands tightening on Nico’s back, stumbling forward so that they bumped into the wall.

Nico let out a soft bubble of laughter as the medic mumbled a soft apology into the kiss, not bothering to respond. Kissing Will always made him feel hot inside, like he’d downed a bowl of hot soup, and even now his stomach fluttered at the contact.

He was just about to reluctantly break for air when he heard a voice calling out for Will in the hallway, and he froze for a second before pulling away. Will had an equally surprised-and-kind-of-unsure expression on his face, and he tilted his head slightly towards the door.

A second later, the voice called out again.

Will cursed internally, quickly pushing himself away from the wall and trying to straighten up his clothes. “Cupboard,” he hissed at Nico, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, and a second later the son of Hades sank into the shadow of the wall.

Technically, Will had meant walk to the cupboard, but he supposed that worked. He was still trying to tame his hair when the door clicked open and he spun around to face Austin, who looked confused.

“Will?”

“Hey,” said Will, trying to act calm. “What’s up?”

“I… was looking for you,” his brother explained uncertainly, glancing curiously around the room. “What are you doing here?”

Lie, lie, lie. “I was… looking for extra sheets.” He said, cringing internally. “I figured we might have some in here.”

It was a bad lie. Austin raised his eyebrow, as if he couldn’t believe that was the best excuse he could come up with. “Sheets.” He repeated, slowly, and Will wished the floor would swallow him whole.

“Yeah. You know. In case we… run out.”

“Right.” Austin’s face remained completely unconvinced. Will couldn’t blame him.

Alright, new lie. Or… new half truth?

He sighed as if he’d been caught in the act, letting his shoulders slump as the tension left his body. “Fine. I wasn’t looking for sheets,” he conceded, and Austin tilted his head and widened his eyes in faux surprise.

“You weren’t? But I was so convinced!” A smile tugged at his lips, and he rolled his eyes. “What were you doing in here, then? On your… own?”

His voice lifted up a little at last part as if he was expecting Will to correct him about it, but Will pretended he didn’t notice, keeping his deflated stance. “I was hiding,” he admitted, as if was something he really didn’t want to talk to about. Austin, true to form, just seemed to get more curious about it.

“Hiding?” He repeated, his interest piqued, and Will let out another breath.

“It’s just- it’s been a really busy day- week, really. And I figured, y’know, while there was a lull in patients… I could sneak off and just take a quick breather.” He folded his arms. “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t need me for a bit – I’m sorry. I know it was kind of dumb-“

“No, no,” Austin held up his hands, his expression softening a little. All of Will’s siblings acknowledged how much he worked, especially since it was the main reason they didn’t have to. “I get it, you’ve been working yourself to the bone this week. I was just confused that you disappeared-“

“Yeah, sorry.” Will scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I, uh, probably should’ve mentioned it, I know, I just-“

“Wanted some alone time. That’s totally fine.” Austin backed up a little towards the door. “I’m sorry I interrupted-“

“Oh, it’s not-“

“Hey, you’re allowed some alone time. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.” He reached the door frame and cracked a smile. “Just, y’know, come out when you… feel better. We haven’t got a lot of patients right now anyway.”

“Okay,” Will smiled sheepishly. “I will. And, Austin- thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it. You deserve the break.” Austin assured him, reaching for the door. Will tried to keep his semi-guilty expression on his face until it shut properly.

Technically, he wasn’t faking it, he did feel guilty for sneaking away from his duties without telling anyone.

Not that guilty, because, y’know. He got to kiss Nico.

But a little guilty.

Speaking of- he made his way over to the closet and opened it smoothly, barely managing to hold a laugh in at the sight. A disgruntled-looking Nico was balancing awkwardly on the boxes of medical supplies, squished uncomfortably in the tight space. He scowled when he saw Will’s face.

“Don’t think I don’t see the irony of this,” he muttered, trying to his legs around so they could touch the ground.

“Of what? You hiding?” Will’s mouth twitched. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

Nico rolled his eyes but accepted the proffered hand to pull himself out. “You should have bigger closets.”

“Sorry, we forgot to factor hiding demigods into the design plans,” said Will drily, not letting go of his hand. “Besides, it worked.”

“I probably could’ve just hid outside.”

“Too risky.”

“How?”

This time, Will let himself grin, tugging his boyfriend closer. “Hey. I got Austin to leave, right?”

“Yeah, by lying,” hummed Nico, raising an eyebrow.

“It was a half-truth.”

“Isn’t Apollo the god of full truths?”

“Whatever.” Will dropped his hands to hook his fingers in Nico’s belt loops, tugging him even closer. “The point is, we can continue what we started.”

“Hm. Until you need to leave again,” pointed out Nico, leaning against him.

“I still brought us some time,” muttered Will, tilting the other boys chin up and kissing him softly. “I intend to take full advantage of it.”

“That I can get behind.”

[solangelover]

Considerations and Steps

A/N: Do I express my feelings through Nico? Almost always. Am I Nico di Angelo? Yet to be seen.

Read on AO3 or FF.Net or Wattpad

“I think I made a bad decision.”

“Nico, you’re being unreasonable.”

“Hazel, this is literally me being the most reasonable being, ever.”

Nico was currently pacing the Hades cabin as Hazel sat cross-legged on her bed. He had just realized he had feelings for Will and was freaking out, just a little.

“Nico, literally nothing has even happened yet. You haven’t done anything except nervously pace for the past hour.” Hazel rolled her eyes at her brother, feeling her patience wear thin.

“Yeah, but like, I like him.” He stopped and turned towards his sister, eyes wide. “I like Will. Will Solace!” Nico threw his hands up in the air and resumed his pacing.

“Yes,” Hazel drew out, “We established that. An hour ago.”

“Sooo, what I’m saying is that I made the decision to like him. I somehow thought that was okay. And now that I’ve admitted it, and told someone,” he vaguely gestured in her direction, “I can’t take it back. That, right there, is the bad decision. What I should have done was keep it out of my mind and proceeded about life like normal, because now I can’t.” Nico’s hands were now bunched up in his hair, and Hazel was worried he was on the verge of ripping it all out.

“Nico,” she said sternly, causing Nico to look at her as she meaningfully patted the empty space beside her. “Sit down and listen before you either go bald or full white.”

Nico stalked over and plopped down beside his sister, all slumped and pitiful-like. Hazel had to stifle a laugh and re-channel her legionnaire-command voice. “Have you ever considered that this is a good thing? Or that maybe you’re overreacting?” Nico frowned up at her through his bangs, but before he could respond, she forged ahead. “You like Will. Okay, that is duly noted. Next step is to ask him out? Or tell him somehow? Because you’re currently freaking out about the fact that you like him, which will really never change until you do something about it.”

Nico was glaring a hole into the floorboards of their cabin. Well, at least the rambling stopped, Hazel thought to herself.

“But—” Nevermind. “I think you’re forgetting the in-between consideration of if Will likes me back. Or even the step before that of whether or not Will even likes guys. But before that—” Hazel groaned loudly, throwing her head back, but Nico was determined to say his piece. “I think it just makes more sense for me to not do anything. I think we can just let this realization blow over and just, forget about it.” He shrugged, trying to emphasize how unimportant this was. “It’ll be fine, nothing will change, and—”

“And,” Hazel continued for him, “you can let this eat you alive every time you see Will, which is very often, mind you, until you go insane.” She raised an unconvinced eyebrow at him. “Tell me why, exactly, this is a ‘bad decision’?”

Nico squinted his eyes at her. “First off, I can control myself, Hazel. Second, it’s a bad decision for many reasons.” He stood up and began pacing again, to which Hazel promptly fell back on the bed with an even louder groan than before. “One,” he ticked off on his fingers, “Will might not like guys, so that would just be utterly embarrassing for me.” Nico cringed at the thought of seeing Will look disgustingly at him. He knows Will would be better than that, but still. He couldn’t imagine living through the humiliation of liking a hot, straight guy twice in his lifetime. “Two, if Will does like guys, he might not like me since I’m a weird, dark, creepy son of Hades, which is the literal opposite of him. He’s all sunshine and happiness and healing and wonderful and…” Nico realized he would’ve kept going if he didn’t literally snap his mouth shut. He glanced over at Hazel, who had rolled over and propped her head up on her hand, looking up at Nico with a smirk. His face heated up.

“Can I just say—”

“No,” Nico stopped Hazel before she could interrupt. “Let me finish my list, then you can say whatever.”

Hazel looked at him incredulously. “How long is this list??”

Nico ignored her question and continued. “Third, even if Will did like me, I’m sure I can’t be what he needs. I have no idea what to do in a relationship, I hate physical touch, I can barely—no, I can’t hold a conversation, and I don’t know what else because I haven’t been in a relationship, but I’m sure I can’t do it.” Nico frowned in thought. Maybe he wanted to hold Will’s hand, but in front of others? No way. But if Will wanted that, who was Nico to stand in the way? Will should get to express his feelings how he wants, and he should get all the perks of being in a relationship. Nico couldn’t promise him anything close to that.

Nico shook his head. “Fourth, even if we did date, I am 100% sure I’d ruin it.” At this, Hazel sat up, a protest on her lips, but Nico quickly kept going. “I would, it’s not like it would be his fault. If anyone would mess up, it would be me. I’m not meant for happiness like that. I have so much schist in my life, there is no way I am tainting William ‘Literal Sunshine’ Solace. He deserves to be happy and I can’t be selfish and take that away. I’ll say something wrong and it’ll hurt him, I’ll run off randomly and worry him, I’ll do something and Will will get the negative effects.” Nico had stopped pacing at this point, staring dejectedly down at his feet. He knew all of this in his head, but saying it out loud, Nico knew he couldn’t let his crush grow to anything more than that. He couldn’t, wouldn’t bring Will down with him. He was basically a bad luck charm – looking back on his life, that wasn’t hard to believe, especially in the love department. Death and destruction followed him. He would hurt Will. “I just know it,” Nico whispered.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped themselves around his torso and brown curls filled his vision. “Oh, Nico,” Hazel whispered into his chest. She looked up at him, her expression concerned but understanding. And then, “You’re so dumb.”

Nico was taken aback. “W-What?” he stammered.

Hazel sighed, pulling him to sit back on the bed. She brought her legs up and fully faced him, holding on to both of his hands. “Nico di Angelo, you are an amazing person, and don’t you forget it.” Nico’s eyebrows creased in confusion and opened his mouth to speak, but Hazel put a finger to his lips. “Na-ah! My turn now,” she smirked, then sobered up once more and continued. “You are a hero. You fought in two wars. You saved countless lives. You rescued me,” she smiled fondly at him. “You went through so much to help Percy and defeat Gaea. You, dear brother, single-handedly transported the Athena Parthenos and two passengers across the Atlantic. You almost died saving the world, several times probably. You,” she poked him in the chest for emphasis, “are so incredible and awe-inspiring. You just need to see it. Don’t you dare think that you are anything less.”

Nico was at a loss for words. He expected a few things from this conversation, but not this. He didn’t know how to handle being praised so highly. It didn’t make sense to him.

Luckily, he was spared from responding as Hazel moved forward. “Now, I wasn’t going to tell you this because I thought you should find out on your own, but I now see how hopeless you are.” Nico squawked indignantly as Hazel rolled her eyes. “You are. Anyways,” she flicked her hair back and looked Nico directly in the eyes. “Will is definitely into guys, and he’s definitely into you.”

Hazel waited for that to sink in. She would have to wait for an eternity, because that was not processing at all in Nico’s brain. Will is into guys? Will is gay? But he could’ve sworn he heard something about an ex-girlfriend. Can he like both? Is that a thing? Wait, wait, back on track… wait, Will is into Nico? That’s not possible… wait, “How do you even know that?” Nico voiced. Hazel doesn’t go to this camp, there’s no way she could pick up on that in the few times she and Will have interacted.

“Nico, I know all things.” Nico gave her a deadpan look, and Hazel gave it up immediately. “Okay, okay, so Piper has told me things. But also,” she held up a finger defensively. “I can tell by the stories you tell me about you and Will.” She smiled, remembering how every Iris message they had involved the healer somehow. “You guys hang out all the time! So, obviously, he doesn’t not like you. So, you can cross that one off your list.” She motioned sweepingly, as if throwing out the list completely. Nico frowned, not appreciating his list being dismissed so easily. “Will totally likes you, Nico, or he wouldn’t nag you about your health,” now she was the one ticking things off on her fingers, “insist on you sitting at the Apollo table, ask you to help in the infirmary, sit by you at the campfire, stay up late talking outside your cabin until the harpies begin to swarm—”

“Okay, okay, enough. I get it,” Nico cut her off before he could become more embarrassed. In this context, it did sound like Will paid more attention to Nico than a normal friend would. But— “Will is a nice guy, though,” Nico protested. Why am I protesting when I want this to happen? Oh right, because— “That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t know what I’m doing and I’ll mess up somehow, and then my friendship with Will will be gone too, and I can’t…” Can’t live without him, Nico realized, and that scared him even more than the crush.

Hazel put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “No one knows what they’re doing in relationships, Nico. It’s something you figure out together. That’s the beauty of it,” she threaded her fingers together with Nico’s, “you get someone to walk alongside you, to figure out life together. It’s not always easy, and it’s rarely ever simple, but it’s real as long as you’re real. And honest. And the most honest thing you can do right now is tell Will how you feel.” Nico took a breath, ready to object, that no that still seems… scary, but Hazel already knew what he was going to say. “It’s scary, terrifying really, but it’s the most real thing you can do. I can’t make you any real promises,” though Hazel very much wanted to, “but I am confident that you won’t regret it. You can’t have this weigh down on you forever.”

Nico deflated, all fight leaving his body. He couldn’t say much to that. The thought of getting it out in the open sounded… freeing, but also paralyzing. But his sister seemed really sure on the Will liking him part, and he trusted her, wanted her to be right.

He still felt like running away, like burying his feelings would make them go away, but he knew better than that. And, as paranoid as he was, this felt different from Percy. He was an infatuation from the start. But Nico had been friends with Will for months now, he didn’t have any grand illusions about him. They knew each other, and somehow, their relationship didn’t seem as impossible as Nico had thought pre-rant.

For the first time, Nico actually felt hopeful.

He turned and hugged his sister tightly. “Thank you,” he said softly into her hair. He felt her smile against his shoulder and squeeze just a little tighter.

She glanced up at him suddenly, a teasing smirk on her lips. “William ‘Literal Sunshine’ Solace, huh?”

Nico pushed her away and rolled his eyes, feeling the blush in his cheeks betray him. “Shut up.”

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

I don't know about you, but I feel like we need more of Luke and Tori being normal and cute and other people finding it weird because they've built them up in their head to be Powerful and Other

you right

and lord knows i love writing domestic tori/luke fluff

so here we gooooooo ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

so a hows abt an au where everyone lives, like the war still happens (idk the exact logistics of that; and i don’t care bc that’s not what this post is abt) but like...everyone lives (fucking fite me)

[x]

a new kid comes to camp and is escorted by an old-timer, right

and...let’s say tori had been playing her guitar out on the porch of the apollo cabin or smth, but is called away and leaves it on the chair out there (bc she knows no one would dare do anything to it. not after The Incident)

and the newcomer is looking around, overwhelmed and spots the guitar, and like is curious, has long-since zoned out their tour guide and goes up to the guitar wondering why it’s just sitting there and wow it’s really pretty

and just before they can touch it, their tour guide is like, “whoa, don’t touch that!” like it’s a live bomb, and directs their hand away from the guitar, back down the steps of the apollo cabin’s porch and into the green again

“why?”

“oh it just belongs to someone who’s really protective of it. like really protective. one time someone stole it as a prank and she almost burned the camp down” *non-concerned laugh*

“what”

“don’t worry abt it kid, just don’t mess with her guitar”

“...who is she?”

“her name is tori. that’s the apollo cabin back there. generally i’d suggest don’t interact unless she interacts with you, ya know”

and like the tour guide says that as in, “she’s generally really nice, but it’s hit or miss if you try to talk to her bc you never now when she’s in a bad mood bc she always looks like she’s in a bad mood”

but the newbie doesn’t know that and added on top of The Incident, they’re silently like, “oh shit i seriously dodged a bullet. who is this girl and why is she so scary???”

and they get to the hermes cabin and the tour guide is like, “and this is the cabin of the kid who almost ended the world by raising the titans again! not to mention he’s a wicked swordsman. best in the last three centuries” *light-hearted laugh again*

to the tour guide, it’s all look-back-and-laugh, but to the newbie who knows nothing jon snow it’s fucking terrifying

bonus: “tori is dating him, actually. match made in heaven.” and the newbie is just like... “wtf i’m going to die here”

but they’re also intrigued by luke and tori, bc they have yet to see them and who doesn’t love a good Power Couple(TM) huh?

so they ask around abt them and they start to get all the rumors

abt 10% of it actually what happened during the titan war--so it paints them as scary, powerful, unstoppable forces, they give monsters nightmares, etc., and seriously like the Ultimate Power Couple(TM)

90% of it’s totally confabulation/salacious

“luke/tori is flawless”

“i heard tori’s bow-ring was made by apollo and hephaestus” (i mean this is true, but it sounds fake bc like gods don’t care abt their kids lol and if they do, you can tell who they favor *cough by the gifts they’re given *cough*)

“i heard luke can just wink at someone...and fall in love with him”

“they like to watch macbeth in the big house on the weekends”

“one time an aphrodite girl told tori she was pretty”

“one time luke accidentally stabbed me during sword practice...it was awesome”

pls laugh at my poor attempt at a demigod-spun mean girls reference

so this poor newbie’s view of them is so inflated it’s laughable, but not to them bc they’re scared shitless

then they finally see luke and tori in person and that all goes down the drain, and they wonder not only why they were scared in the first place, but also why those weird, inflated rumors spread around the camp. they even begin to wonder if the true stuff has been inflated (and it probably has a little...or a lot)

it’s the little things at first

they’ll see luke and tori run out of their lines on the way to breakfast/lunch/dinner and greet each other with a hug and kiss

they’ll watch them interact--the little glances, silence conversations, and little brushes/touches

they’ll see them chatting down by the lake, their feet hanging over the pier and in the water--they’ve both got flower-crowns on and tori shoves luke into the lake before dashing off before he can pull her in too

later, at dinner, he shoves a whole pie in her face to exact his revenge

which inevitably starts a food fight that tori and luke then have to clean up by themselves

they exchange witty banter and jokes while they do, throw food at each other, laugh, and dance around. tori starts singing fun songs from like disney channel original movies (and luke joins in, even tho he can’t sing at all)

once, during dinner, tori got up and ran off for some reason the newbie didn’t know, and luke was on his feet before tori could make it outside the pavillion

he catches her right on the edge of the pavilion

she goes to hide behind a pillar, but luke’s still out in the open

they exchange words, and the newbie is trying desperately to read luke’s expressions, but even then it gives them nothing

at first he looks upset, or concerned? then his eyebrows furrow more fiercely, but he doesn’t look mad per se. then his face smooths out and he reaches up toward tori to caress her face

he says something with a gentle smile and the newbie sees tori’s hands shoot out to grab the front of his shirt and pull luke behind the pillar with her

whispers break out among campers in the pavilion and there are a lot of giggles and snickers

they kissed if you couldn’t tell

when they emerge, they’re both smiling like love-sick teens, and holding hands

they walk back through the pavilion like no one else is there and sit back down at their tables, but the newbie can see the reluctance in letting go of each other and they just think...these two? give monsters nightmares?? since when???

one time luke accidentally stood tori up bc he’d snuck out of camp to get some bargaining chips and encountered a monster--it really was supposed to be easy and quick; he’d even left in the morning so he’d be back in time to get ready

so he came to camp with a stuffed bear almost the size of him and presents it to tori while apologizing immensely, explaining his situation, and begging for forgiveness using that cutesy stuffed animal voice

all the while the aphrodite cabin are watching from the bushes, whispering and giggling like mad

tori couldn’t stay mad at him for very long after that

then the newbie starts just watching them out of fascination and sees a lot of the bigger things

on valentines day luke gets tori another stuffed heart-candy pillow. it’s pink this time with bright green lettering of SUN SHINE (she gets him a beautiful leather-bound journal)

though a newbie, they get to teach a class and so goes to scheduling meetings in the big house

they come into the big house to find luke and tori stretched out on the rec room’s sofa, napping

well, tori is. luke is dozing and gently stroking his fingers through her hair

when the newbie comes in, he gently wakes tori

they murmur smth too quiet for the newbie to hear and exchange a chaste kiss before tori realizes the newbie is even in there

when she does, she starts and blushes, trying to get out of luke’s arms, but he holds her tight and laughs

“oh, it’s not that embarrassing”

“let me up, asshole”

so they get up as more demigods filter in along with chriron

tori is mad at luke so sits across from him at the ping-pong table

she purposefully avoids his gaze the entire time

but he just rests his elbow on the table, chin in his hand, and gazes at her unashamedly with such a soft, loving expression the newbie wonders how that’s the same guy who’d tried to help kronos take over the world

half-way through the meeting, tori sighs and finally looks at luke, whose smile grows bigger

she rolls her eyes, but smiles and holds her hand out for him to take

they stay holding hands for the rest of the meeting

the day of one of the camp’s rare dances, tori goes “missing” that afternoon and luke is all worked up abt it, despite being reassured by lacy that she’s all right (not wanting to spoil the surprise *wink wink*)

so the time of the dance comes up and luke’s siblings have somehow gotten him to calm down long enough to get him into a tux

then he’s told to go wait outside the aphrodite cabin, and he does, though he’s annoyed and frustrated, he’s been worried abt tori all day

silena (hey i did say everyone) comes out, dressed to the nines, and announces tori

and luke’s like ????? but waits as patiently as he can

all the aphrodite siblings file out, concealing tori

the rest of the camp is watching with rapt attention

luke has finally stilled and is waiting with baited breath to see tori

and when the aphrodite kids step aside and he finally sees tori, luke’s shoulders relax, all the worry completely disappears from his body and he lets out a relieved sigh, a small smile stretching across his lips

then he really sees her and his smile drops bc his jaw drops open, and his eyes widen. he swallows hard and is frozen to the spot

the campers watch, whisper and giggle as his neck and face turn a deep shade of red the longer he gazes at tori

bc she’s absolutely and completely stunning

she slowly makes her way toward him and his heart is beating out of his chest, his words are scrambled in his brain, and his face is still beet red

he’s such a dork and so in love like jeez

she smiles shyly up at him, waiting for him to say smth but that does him in. his knees buckle and he takes a spill

when he comes to, tori’s leaning over him with a worried expression. but as soon as he opens his eyes, she sits back slightly and smiles down at him, exasperated but oh so in love

“you’re such a dork”

luke reaches up to caress her cheek and she leans into it, putting her hand over his

“but i’m your dork”

“you are. you know i’m surprised you couldn’t hold it together mr. calm, cool, and collected. your image is ruined”

“i only care abt one person’s opinion of me”

tori sighs and rolls her eyes, but bites her lip on a huge grin stretched across her face

during the dance, they are inseparable

they’re physically touching in some way the whole time

when they’re dancing, they’ve got their arms wrapped around each other, leaving no space between them

they basically never stop smiling, exchanging glances

luke likes to whisper jokes to make her laugh

tori likes to whisper dirty things to make him blush

at some point, when they’re chatting with their siblings and friends, tori’s back is pressed to luke’s chest, and luke’s got his hands resting on her stomach, with tori’s hands resting over his, and they just sway like that the entire time

okay so this next one may be like extremely ooc, but listen, luke is a HUGE dork with a soft heart and cares a lot and deeply abt the ones he loves--it’s canon, fucking fite me

on tori’s birthday, luke acts the usual way on her birthday, but doesn’t immediately give her a present (or lil gifts throughout the day) like he usually does

so it’s a lil strange, but it’s not like she needs material things from him. she just likes being with him on her b-day (even tho she’s like literally with him all the time anyway)

but at the end of the campfire that night, her siblings usher her off stage as will makes an announcement that there’s going to be a special performance

and none other than luke steps up onto stage looking nervous and scared as ever (seriously this is the guy who is supposed to be this incredible sword-fighter, monsters are scared of him, lead an army???)

tori has to take a seat bc she’s so excited and confused and nervous

luke’s hands are shaking and he grips the microphone he was given like a lifeline

tori’s siblings have now brought a variety of instruments on stage

after swallowing hard and taking a few deep breaths, luke shouts, “give me a beat!” and points to tori’s siblings

“did i mention” from the descendants starts playing and tori’s jaw drops

she jumps, when behind her, the crowd joins in, like in the movie--they planned That??????

it’s a good thing tori is kinda oblivious sometimes bc the whole camp really was in on this

and like luke’s been planning and working on this for six months, bc he can’t sing for shit, but over those six months tori’s siblings have been coaching him and now he’s got a baritone voice like an angel and oh fuck it makes tori’s heart beat so fast

she feels like she might faint, like she’s 14-15 again and is just starting to fall in love with that blond-haired, blue-eyed boy who took time to see her

and like the song is so cheesy and hilarious, but luke performs it so well bc he really is ridiculously in love with tori

the campfire shoots higher than she’d ever seen it and it’s a brilliant golden color

she still can’t believe he got the whole camp in on in tho, that must’ve taken a lot of bargaining chips and she can’t imagine the amount of chores luke agreed to to get this to happen

and once the song’s over: “i love you, tori. happy birthday.”

she’s sobbing and laughing and goes up to the stage to hug him. when they kiss, the cheers grow louder

it’s very cheesy, end of the disney channel original movie-like, but neither of them could be happier

and the newbie (now a whether camper themselves) can’t imagine at all why or how these two in-love dorks have such a scary reputation

this was so fun to think abt and write holy shit

domestic luke/tori is my fucking LIFE

thanks for sending this in bc i want to write abt them together way more, but it’s kinda hard when luke’s fucking dead like T_T

me @ me:

but anyway, thanks so much again!!! i hope you enjoyed reading this ^_^

FEED ME SEYMOUR

[shanastoryteller]

I know you've gotten a lot of Hades/Persephone asks, but I've spent the last three days listening to Hadestown by Anais Mitchell - I have a burning desire to know how your Hades and Persephone would handle the Orpheus and Eurydice mythos?

Thefirst time he hears of Orpheus is when Ares comes to him, in spring, when hiswife his gone. Ares only comes to him when his wife is gone.

“Apollohas a son,” he says, dark eyes darting around like there’s something chasing him.There is always something chasing the god of war, and many of them now residein Hades’s realm. No matter how many times he’s tried to reassure Ares thathe’s safe here, he doesn’t believe him.

“Apollohas many sons,” he returns, dry. He reaches out and places two fingers underAres’s chin, sees the bone-paleness of his skin against the rich red-copper ofthe younger god’s, and swallows. “You look tired.” Crescent purple bruises arecarved deep beneath his eyes.

Aresdoesn’t shrug off his touch, but neither does he lean into it. “I,” he finallymeets his gaze, and Hades smiles, warm. Ares’s lips twitch up like he wants toreturn it, but can’t. “I haven’t been sleeping. There’s a war in the East, andthey’ve been invoking me for weeks. I think I need to go there.”

Heknows. There’s been hundreds of new people in his realm every day. Thanatos andCharon haven’t slept in weeks. Neither has he, for that matter.

“Whatwill you disguise yourself as this time?” he murmurs, “Another general?”

Thatwas the wrong thing to say. Are’s eyes go impossibly distant, and his skin gainsa sickly grey hue. His hands aren’t shaking, so Hades has no reason to takethem in his own. He can’t decide if he’s disappointed by that or not. “No. I –no. Just a foot soldier. Less guilt that way. Less – less. Just, less, thatway.”

Lessnightmares, less fear, less blood on his hands. Less of the constant,inescapable battle-fury that keeps him alive, but also keeps him from sleep,even on his best days. When Zeus declared his son the god of war, this probablywasn’t what he had in mind.

Hadeshopes it isn’t, at least.

“Becareful,” he says, and Ares flinches.

Hegrabs Hades’s wrist before he leaves though, and squeezes it so tightly that itwould snap if Hades was a mortal man.

There’sthat, at least.

~

Persephonewears not the vibrant red that marks her as queen of the underworld, but thesoft green that names her the daughter of spring. She sits on a smooth rock inthe middle of the sea, her curly dark red hair brushing her bare shoulders.It’s the last day of summer. She goes home tomorrow.

Demeterdoes not strain to keep her daughter at her side anymore. Now she’s merelycontent to keep her away from Hades.

“Wereyou waiting long?” a voice like lapping waves asks in her ear, and Amphitritesits at her back. She presses a kiss to her shoulder, and her long green hairtumbles down Persephone’s front and blends into her dress.

Shetilts her head, allowing Amphitrite to trail salty kisses up her neck. “No.Have trouble sneaking away from your husband?”

Shesnorts. “I do not sneak.”

“Yousaid you had news from my husband,”Persephone reminds, does not allow herself to become distracted. Not yet.

“About,not from,” she uses a single claw to cut through the back of Persephone’sdress. It falls down to her hips. “They’ve been waging war for months. A bloodyhorrible thing. And rumor is Ares was in Hades’s realm. People are saying thatAres sends the dead to your husband as tribute.”

Peopleare idiots. Besides, she likes Ares. She does not mind that he visits herhusband; she only wishes he would visit her as well. “Is that all?”

Amphitriteshrugs then bites at Persephone’s ear, “Won’t you come to the sea with me? Mypalace has many places more comfortable than this rock.”

Sheleans back, pulling Amphitrite down with her, and does not answer.

Sheis not Poseidon. She does not forget that Amphitrite possesses, but is not tobe possessed, and she dares not follow this personification of the sea itselfinto her domain.

Amphitriteloves her. She may not give her back.

Persephoneis not Helen either. She will not be the cause of any wars.

~

Thanatos,the boy who Hades still calls Icarus, sits with his head in his hands. Hades reaches out and absently runs a hand up and down his spine, thinks notfor the first time that he must have been a sight to see with his golden wings,for that glorious moment before he fell. “Persephone should be crossing theshore soon. Why don’t you go and wait for her?”

“Iknow what you’re doing,” he says, voice muffled, “Styx can bring her. Or shecan walk herself, since there’s not a thing in this realm stupid enough toattack her.”

Hadesleans down and kisses the top of his spine, “She likes it when you’re there tohelp her off the boat. Please?”

Icarusturns and glares at him. Hades kisses him below his left eye, lets his lipslinger on the delicate skin there. “You’re cheating,” he accuses, a blush highon his cheeks, “this is cheating.”

“Stopworking for a couple hours and go get my wife,” he commands softly, “The armiesof traumatized dead will still be here when you return.”

Icaruslistens ­– finally – and slips away to the river.

Hadeslooks back over the map. The problem with the dead is they never go anywhere,so his realm only gets bigger. He’s going to need get Hecate so the two of themcan raise another city at this rate.

There’sa push in the air, and he startles. No one enters his realm without permission,but he recognizes the outline of the person trying to push through, and allowsit. Ares tumbles from the air, and into his arms. He’s covered in blood, hislong black hair is soaked through with it.

“Notyours, I assume?” he asks, gripping Ares’s forearms. He’s strung so tightlyhe’s nearly vibrating.

“Iwish it was mine,” he says, somewhere between a scream and a sob. Hadeswishes this was the first time Ares had come to him like this.

Areslocks his wrists around Hades neck and pulls him down, knocking them both tothe floor in his exuberance. His mouth connects to Hades’s, slick and tastinglike sulpher and metal. “I have to go back soon,” he gasps, dragging his lipsalong the edge of Hades’s jaw, “they’re invoking my name. Distract me untilthen.”

Hestill has hours until Persephone will return home, and besides she would notdeny him this. “Okay,” he whispers, and when he rolls them over they’re nolonger in his office, but his bed. Ares keens and strains his body up towardsHades, and he grabs the young god’s wrists and pins him to the bed. “Do not worry,”he says, and Ares’s whole body glistens red with blood that isn’t his own. “I’vegot you.”

Aresrelaxes, just the smallest amount, under his hands.

He’lltake what he can get.

~

Shecan tell Ares was there before even steps foot in her palace, and knows it forsure when she enters her bedroom to find her husband naked on their bed andcovered in blood.

“Howis he?” she asks, and he startles, having been so deep in thought he hadn’tnoticed her.

“Persephone,”he greets, his whole face going soft as he pushes himself up. He holds out ahand to her, and she doesn’t hesitate to drop her cloak and crawl over the bed tohim. She hikes up her dress and straddles him, arms crisscrossing behind hisneck. She kisses him slow, licks over the places where Ares had bitten hislips. “I’ve missed you.”

Sherolls her hips downward, and is gratified by the way his hands flex on her thighs,“As I have missed you, husband.”

Shekisses mortal blood off his skin, and tries not to worry too much about the manwho left it there.

He’ssurvived every war since his birth, and he’ll survive this one too.

~

Aphroditeenters his realm, her hair piled atop her head and held together with copperpins fashioned in the shape of delicate flowers. “Apollo has a son,” she says,biting at her bottom lip.

Heand Persephone share a glance before he says, “Apollo has many sons.” He feelsas if he’s had this conversation before.

Shequirks her lips in a half smile, “This one is different. He plays the lyre, heplays it better than his father even. He plays it so well that – that there arerumors that he can sooth any beast to sleep. And,” she adds, even quieter, “thatAres himself is soothed by his playing.”

“Whyare you telling us this?” Persephone asks coldly. Hades places his hand on topof hers. They like Aphrodite, afterall.

“BecauseI know Ares cares for Hades,” her eyes flicker over to him, “and I believeHades cares for him as well. I – I could not accept his proposal. My love wasnot the peace he thought it would be. But I wish him well.”

“Wecan neither kidnap nor kill a son of Apollo,” Persephone says. Hades feelscompelled to add that they shouldn’t wantto either, but he can already tell this is a situation which is quicklygoing to spiral out of his control, if it hasn’t already.

Aphroditeraises a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, then lowers it when she realizedher hair is already up. “He loves a mortal girl, Eurydice. If she were to die,he would be beside himself in grief. Enough to take his own life, even.”

“Really,”Persephone says flatly.

Aphroditecontinues, “Then he would be a subject of your realm. You could compel him tohelp Ares, could you not?”

“Ihave subjects, not slaves,” he says, “I can’t make him do anything.”

Persephoneputs her hand on his arm, eyes bright. “I have a better idea.”

~

Aphrodite’splan had merit, but this is better. Smarter. It gives Apollo less reason to beupset at them later, since his son comes to them now on his recommendation. Althoughhe’s far too attached to all his limbs to dare cross her regardless.

Orpheusbargaining with her husband now, and she’s given Hades strict instructions,that Orpheus must agree to play in their courtyard for eternity if he fails. Hewon’t cross her either, even if he wants to, even if he’s not totallycomfortable with this plan.

Sheknew when she married him that he was too soft hearted for his own good. It’shalf the reason she married him in the first place.

Fornow she circles the girl that the half-god had been so willing to riskeverything for. She’s attractive enough, but plain, and she has no particulartalents nor is she overtly clever. “What makes you so special?” she asks, whenshe sees nothing but an average young woman.

Eurydicesmiles then, and she’s much prettier that way. “He loves me,” she answers, cheeksflushing. She hesitates, but asks, “Will you really let him take him me back?”

“Aslong as he listens, as long as he leaves the underworld without looking back atyou, you are free to follow him and return to the world of the living,” sheagrees, but knows that will never come to pass.

Orpheusloves her too much to risk leaving without her, and his doubts will overcomehis hope. He will look back, and become trapped here forever.

~

Thewindow of one of the spare rooms is open, and the most beautiful playing comesthrough. Hades sits at the edge of the bed, and reaches to run the back of hisfinger across Ares’s cheek.

Thewar still rages. A war always rages. Yet Ares sleeps, the bruises under his eyesbecoming lighter by the day.

Heturns toward Hades, straining in sleep for his touch. Hades hesitates, but hisrealm is stable enough for now. He slips beneath the covers, and almost immediatelyAres curls into his side, tangling their legs together and pillowing his headon Hades’s chest so he can feel Ares’s damp exhales on his sternum.

Therewill always be another war, and Ares cannot stay. But for now he sleepspeacefully in Hades arms, and that will have to be enough.

~

Persephonesits in her garden in the courtyard, listening to the same beautiful song.

“Thisone is my favorite,” Eurydice says, seated besides her and beaming.

Sheglances over to Orpheus, who grins wide as he performs a love song for hisbeloved wife. Behind him is the cottage tucked in the corner of their courtyardwhere Eurydice and Orpheus live.

“Minetoo,” she says.

Hadeswas too soft hearted for his own good. She’d known that when she married him.

gods and monsters series, part xi

[jafreitag]

Grateful Dead Monthly: Nassau Coliseum – Uniondale, NY 3/29/90

On Thursday, March 29, 1990, the Grateful Dead played a show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

We’ve covered this venue before – GD 3/15/73, GD 5/14-16/80, Phish 4/2-3/98, and Phish 2/28/03. The Coliseum opened in 1972 on a former Army airfield seven miles east of Queens. It was the former home of the NBA’s New York Nets and the former/current home of the NHL’s New York Islanders. It’s an 18,000 capacity shed, not unattractive from outside, and one that has hosted some incredible shows.

3/29/90 is near the top of them.

In early 1990, the Dead were in good form. Archivist David Lemieux has called the band’s 25th Anniversary tour that spring “exceptional” and “really some of the best, and most consistently great, Grateful Dead music I ever saw.” Check out his seaside chat video regarding the Spring 1990 box set that features one show from each of the tour’s six stops.

Nassau Coliseum was the penultimate of those, and the band played a weeknight Wed-Thurs-Fri (or WTF) run there. The middle show is our focus here – “one of the all-time great[s],” according to the Grateful Dead of the Day blog. What makes it so great is the guest appearance of saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

At the time, Branford was already well-established in the jazz community, featuring (along with his older brother Wynton) in an early-80s iteration of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and popping up in bands led by Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. And he gained notoriety in the rock idiom for his work on Sting’s 1985 solo debut, Dream of the Blue Turtles. But he wasn’t familiar with the Dead. In a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, he told scribe David Fricke, “Guys who play jazz and don’t only listen to jazz knew those guys.” Bradford only knew Truckin’. And the the lack of familiarity was mutual. According to GDOTD, “Before Branford showed up at the show, Phil was the only person in the band who knew who he was. Annie Uzdavinis, the Dead’s press person was cousins with Jim Lewi, a musician Branford was working on a project with. When Phil heard of the connection, he had Annie get in touch and invite Branford to the show.”

When asked in the RS interview about his first impressions upon arriving at the venue, Marsalis said:

“I walked backstage and Phil goes, ‘Hey, man, glad you could make it.’ The rest of the guys were like, ‘We don’t know who you are, but it’s nice to meet you.’ [Laughs] I came up for ‘Bird Song,’ and after the set was over, I said, ‘Thanks for letting me play, guys.’ And they’re like, ‘No, no, stay! Play the second half of the show. We’ll do Dark Star. That had no significance to me. I’m like, Dark Star? Okay. What is it? ‘Oh, you’re gonna love it. It’s free, it’s out.’ Great, I can play out. [Laughs] They start playing that lick, and the audience goes fucking bananas. Later, I started getting these phone calls on my private number: ‘Man, you were great last night. Thanks for getting them to play Dark Star. They haven’t played it in six months.’ I’m like, who are these people? . . . I had no context. I got people calling my house: ‘That was a fantastic show.’ Hey, how did you get this number? ‘We’re everywhere, man. But don’t worry about it. We’re harmless.’

I was an anthropologist that night, just checking this shit out. But it was a serious throwback to how I view music. There wasn’t a set list. They barely spoke to the audience. And the audience didn’t perceive that as disrespectful. The crowd was there to listen. When most people go to concerts, they say, ‘I’m going to see such-and-such.’ Dead fans – they went to hear the band.”

Marsalis also spoke about the music itself:

“This wasn’t foreign territory. I’d already toured in Sting’s band. And I didn’t grow up just playing jazz. This was like going home. New Orleans is a culture where it’s all there. We don’t have those sharp divisions. With the Dead, I could imagine one guy as the folk guy, another as the jazz guy, someone as the rock guy. There was almost nothing they couldn’t play – and make the shit sound authentic. They were all listeners. There is a point where musicians who establish themselves stop listening to music and start listening to their own rhetoric. The Dead didn’t do that. It was obvious in the way they approached a song.

That 7/4 time [in Estimated Prophet] was not a big deal to a guy who plays jazz. Where jazz guys fuck up playing with pop and rock bands is they seem insulted by the simplicity. In the jazz guy’s world, there isn’t a song that exists that I can’t make better with my know-how.

The hardest thing to understand is that it doesn’t always need your innovation. The trick for me was not to go for all the little jazz styling. It’s about playing the song – what you hear instead of what you know. . . . The thing the Dead appreciated about me, if I can blow my own horn about anything, is that when I played with them, I was actually playing with them. I wasn’t just playing my thing.”

And GDOTD adds:

For Branford, it was like the best jazz gigs where you can just jam without worrying about anything. [He said,] “When I agreed to sit in with the Dead in 1990, I didn’t know what to expect, aurally or visually. What I experienced was what I remembered music to be in my younger years, something that I’d felt was lost long ago. Process over product. No set lists, light shows and costumes required, but music first. It’s an experience I will always remember with great fondness.”

So will we, and none more than LN editor, and head ‘head around here, ECM. He was at this show, and provides this recollection:

Has it really been 30 years since I was fortunate enough to see jazz saxophonist extraordinaire, Branford Marsalis, play with the Grateful Dead on March 29, 1990 at Nassau Coliseum?

This show has attained legendary status among Deadheads. It is held in the same conversation as some of the band’s greatest shows including the mighty Cornell. I’ve heard people refer to 3/29/90 as “the Cornell of the 90s.” Without getting too carried away with comparisons, I think we all can agree that it certainly is an exceptional moment in GD history. The stats certainly don’t lie…

There are no less than 5 official releases that contain 3/29/90:

Without A Net (1990) – “Eyes of the World”

Infrared Roses (1991) – “Drums” (i.e., “River of the Sorrows”) & “Space” (i.e., “Apollo at the Ritz”)

So Many Roads box set (1999) – Bird Song

Spring 1990 (The Other One) box set (2014) – the entire show

Wake Up To Find Out (2014) – the entire show

There are 21 different audio sources on LMA and the show has been downloaded a total of 335k+ times.

Many of the songs performed on 3/29/90 are among the most highly rated by fans on heady version.com:

“Bird Song” – Ranked #3 (after 8/27/72 and 6/22/73)

“Eyes of the World” – Ranked #2 (after 8/6/74)

“Estimated Prophet” – Ranked #7 overall; #1 of the entire 80s and 90s

“Dark Star” – Ranked #15 overall; #1 of the 1990s, #2 of the 80s & 90s behind 10/26/89 (Miami)

Having attended 3/29/90, my feelings are best described by John Dwork, who authored The Deadheads Taping Compendium:

This concert is what “IT” was all about – that all-too-rare “miracle show” one spent years pursuing. This was one of those events at which, with mutual ear-to-ear grins, we nodded to each other, knowing that what was happening would be remembered forever. It’s what the Deadhead’s “hero’s journey” is all about.

 Let’s dive into the show, shall we?

March 29, 1990 was the third of four shows I attended during the great Spring 1990 tour. The mind-blowing performances in Hartford (3/18) and Albany (3/24) were a clear sign that the band was playing the best they had since returning after Garcia’s near-death diabetic coma. The origin of this creative peak can be traced back to the previous fall when they busted out “Dark Star,” “Help>Slip,” “Attics” and “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” – songs that had been absent from the repertoire for many years. The Spring tour brought even more bust-outs with the return of “Loose Lucy” (3/14/90) and “Black-Throated Wind” (3/16/90), both of which were last played on 10/19/74. It was an exciting time to see the band. They were totally on top of their game, they knew it, and there was a sense among fans that “anything can happen.” And, on March 29, 1990, it did.

My brother’s best friend, Scott, picked me up at my office in New York City and we drove to Nassau Coliseum together. It was the first and only time I traveled to a Grateful Dead concert in a Porsche 911 – “Might as well travel the elegant way!” Of course the primary topic of conversation was the current Dead tour. Scott was a taper and had attended every show except the two nights at Copps Coliseum in Ontario. Since there was no internet back then, I was eager to hear about the opening night of Nassau which I had missed. The big news was the debut of “The Weight” along with the unusual placement of “Cumberland Blues” and “Hey Pocky Way” in the pre-drums slot of the second set. I was a little bummed that I missed “Loose Lucy” (which had been busted out in Landover earlier in the tour) along with the first “High Time” since 12/9/88 and the extremely rare cover of the Beatles, “Revolution” which was played a total of 11 times – this being the final performance.

Since Scott planned to record the entire Spring tour, he asked all of his friends to request “Taper’s Tickets” by mail order. I was the fortunate friend of his who scored Taper’s Tickets for the March 29th  show. Scott had gotten excellent seats via mail order in the lower level, dead center behind the soundboard so I gladly exchanged my tickets with him. For the initiated, let’s just say that the Taper’s Section can be a little intense. However, I am extremely grateful for the work they did to document the concert experience of the Grateful Dead.

We arrived at Nassau Coliseum around 4 PM and met up with my brother, Dan, and some friends to take in the “Shakedown” scene in the parking lot which was low-key compared with other venues. Nassau had a bad reputation for harsh treatment of Deadheads and the unusually high number of arrests by the Nassau County Police. It was so bad in fact that the Dead refused to play Nassau for a long time. This was their first trip back since 1985. Many fans actually boycotted these shows for that reason which resulted in lots of extra tickets. The word was that you couldn’t give tickets away on the first night of the run. The great performance from the previous night caused some fans to re-think the boycott but there were still plenty of tickets available for the 29th.

We settled into our seats and waited with great anticipation for the band to take the stage. The opening combo of “Jack Straw” > “Bertha” was a big crowd pleaser but I remember not feeling the same energy that most of the people around me felt. I am probably in the minority with this view but from my perspective the first set was pretty average up until the “golden moment.” In fact, when I listen to it today, I still sense that the band was a little restrained. Perhaps they were holding back for the musical guest who was waiting behind stage.

After the band finished “Masterpiece” there was a pause and then Weir approached the microphone to make an announcement: “Well ok, we’ve got a special guest tonight.” The crowd noise swelled at this unexpected turn of events. Garcia peeled off a practice run on the riff of “Bird Song” but there was still no sign of a guest. Weir attempted to avert the awkward confusion with humor by adding: “…I think.”  And then out of the shadows appeared the jazz great, Branford Marsalis with soprano saxophone in hand. Stumbling a bit over his name, Weir formally introduced him: “Y’all wanna welcome Branford Marsalis.”

I can attest to the fact that most people in the audience did not know who Branford Marsalis was. I certainly didn’t. In fact, nobody in the Grateful Dead even knew who he was except Phil Lesh. Annie Uzdavinis, the Dead’s press person was cousins with Jim Lewi, a musician Branford was working on a project with. When Phil heard of the connection, he had Annie get in touch and invite Branford to the show. For that matter, Branford had never heard any Grateful Dead songs until he stepped on stage with the band. The next day, he allegedly went to Tower Records and purchased the entire GD catalogue. Another interesting tidbit about Branford’s appearance is that he was supposed to play with the band on March 24th at Knickerbocker Arena in Albany but due to scheduling conflicts he couldn’t make it so it was rescheduled for March 29th at Nassau Coliseum.

Anyway, after Weir introduced Branford I saw a lot of shoulder shrugs and people huddled together trying to figure out who the mystery man with the sax was. The last name, Marsalis, sounded familiar because of his brother, Wynton, the great jazz trumpet player. Some people vaguely remembered that Branford played with Sting’s jazz-influenced solo band when the bass player left The Police in 1985. Needless to say, there was a lot of head scratching and even some cause for concern because musical guests generally were a disaster for a Grateful Dead concert. The last person to join the band on saxophone was Clarence Clemons and that collaboration was met with very mixed results. Moreover, musical guests at a Grateful Dead concert in general meant less jamming and less getting weird which were the very reasons we obsessively followed this band around the country. However, those fears would quickly be dispelled. We were about to get our faces melted and nobody saw it coming. With that, Garcia led the band into one of the finest versions of “Bird Song” ever played. The way Branford used his tenor and soprano saxophone to add texture and counterpoints to elevate this jam is otherworldly. Amazingly, it sounds as if he had been playing with the Dead for years.

John Dwork describes the moment with poetic perfection in The Deadhead’s Taping Compendium:

“Bird Song” establishes that Branford can talk the Grateful Dead language. The interplay goes back and forth, going higher and higher. Jerry and Branford, twin flames dancing above the same candle. This is not a massive psychedelic storm. This “Bird Song” does not melt or even drip. It is a gentle dream of consciousness poem. It is zen in motion – like the water in a mountain stream gently laughing as it dances on its way.

A very hot “Promised Land” follows – it’s a sort of celebration of the “Bird Song” and Branford’s presence. As the house lights went on at set break, I looked around the audience and saw lots of smiles about what had gone down. Supposedly, the band was even more excited. Many of us in the audience assumed that Branford’s appearance on “Bird Song” was a one-shot deal and that he would not return for the second set. Apparently Branford had assumed the same thing. The story goes that he was already beginning to pack up his instrument when the boys in the band prevailed on getting him to play the rest of the show and told them that they wanted to play “Dark Star” with him. Branford recalled the experience:

They said “Hey, let’s play Dark Star – we hadn’t played that in a while.” I was like “Oh, I don’t know the song.” They said “Oh, you’ll love it. It’s right up your alley.”

The crowd roared as the lights dimmed for the second set and Branford appeared on stage again. With that, they launched into the now immortal version of “Eyes of the World.” Opening any set with “Eyes” was extremely rare so the band must have really been excited to play it. The jazzy chords and open space make it a perfect choice for their guest to shine. There were two things I distinctly remember sticking out: (1) the beautiful lighting that accompanied this performance – luscious and serene colors of purple and green bathed the stage and audience; and (2) the slower, more deliberate tempo than usual. For years the band had favored a speedy tempo so this was a very welcome change. It was almost a throw-back to the great versions from the 1973-74 era. For 16-minutes, we were treated to delightful extended jams – Jerry and Branford trading solos. At one point Jerry began using a MIDI Choral/Flute combo and continued a theme that Branford had been playing with his sax. As one reviewer commented, “it sounded like angels were flying into the Nassau Coliseum.”

After an extended final “Eyes” jam, Jerry switches over to his Mu-Tron. After a few saxophone and keyboard flourishes, the music gently washes out and slowly comes to a very brief pause. The drummers tap on their high-hat’s to count in the next song – “Estimated Prophet.” Whoa! Talk about switching things up! This was a major switch from the usual sequence of the classic combo, “Estimated > Eyes.” A quick check revealed that the band performed it this way only twice before – 11/4/77 (Colgate) and 11/5/79 (Spectrum). I didn’t realize at the time just how rare this was. By now, Branford was so comfortable playing with the Dead that he begins soloing within 8 seconds of the start of the song. But he doesn’t just solo, he DEVOURS it. It’s quite impressive when you consider how quirky “Estimated” is with its odd 7/8 time signature and the unusual chord choices – F# minor and B minor. This version of “Estimated” is incredible save for a minor hiccup when Bobby prematurely ends the “California” jam before Garcia is ready. It’s a very subtle flub that is hardly noticeable which is a testament to how well-oiled this band was.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give special recognition to Brent who laid down some of his finest and funkiest keyboard work ever during Bobby’s rave-out segment. Behind Weir’s shrieks, Branford’s riffs create a syncopated, rhythmic dance while Brent bounces on and off beat. To this day I am unable to stop my body from involuntarily gyrating when I listen to this magical interplay. Branford takes the first solo and my God is it smooth and dripping with soul. He passes the ball to Garcia who has his Mu-Tron dialed in and ready to go. The mood instantly changes to a smoky and spacey realm.

The “Estimated” jam gracefully drifts into a segue opportunity. Garcia noodles, hinting ever so subtly at “IT.” Tension filled the air and the audience fell silent as we held our collective breath, hoping and praying for the only song that made sense at this time and at this place but none of us dare said it. In fact, many of us (me included) wondered whether “Dark Star” was even a possibility. The band had played it only four times in1989 – all on the Fall Tour. Was it just a “Warlocks” novelty song that had been retired, never to surface again? Nobody was dancing anymore. Everybody was frozen as we hung on to Garcia’s every note. My brother, who was standing next to me, put his hand on my shoulder with anticipation. A few descending notes later…a brief silent pause… and then….they played it! “Dark Star!” Nassau Coliseum exploded. Having recently experienced the crowd reaction to “Dark Star” at the Meadowlands on 10/16/89, which was deafening, I can assertively say that the reaction to the Nassau “Star” was even more intense because it was totally unexpected.  Here’s what Branford had to say about it:

They started playing the song and the audience went absolutely ape s–t. They went bananas. I’m looking at them going bananas and I’m going “OK, this must be an anthem.”

For those who enjoy stats, the transition from “Estimated” into “Dark Star” was yet another unique song sequence for the band. In fact, this was the first time that happened. It was also the first “Dark Star” of the 90’s and it is easily the best of the decade and quite possibly the best since 1974.

The band stayed close to the main theme for the first five minutes. The mood of the music mirrored the audience’s reaction – joyful and celebratory. However, after dispensing of the first verse, what followed was 11 minutes of the most outside, exploratory music I’ve ever heard. The band took a deep dive into the cosmos of the psychedelic, acid-jazz universe, pursuing a multitude of themes. The interplay between the musicians was astounding. The entire band rose to the challenge, and then raised the bar. It was like nothing I had ever seen before or again.

Here is what Branford had to say about jamming with the Dead:

The Dead were a 60s rock band. It was almost impossible to have a rock band in the 60s that wasn’t influenced by jazz. Not that they were going to be going to be great jazz musicians but they grew up listening to that kind of music so it was a very improvisatory, experimental nature to the way they played. It was very interesting to be on the stage with them….The first time I played with them at Nassau Coliseum it was a very special night. It was really on.

Here is what Branford had to say about playing with Garcia:

It was a joy to play with him and it was actually more of a joy to listen to him…Musically, he meant business, man. He didn’t smile much when he was on stage. When he and I would hook up on a little line and he would give me a little sly grin. It was like that jazz thing…a returning acknowledgment, a little achievement, a little success but then it was back to the matter at hand.

You can watch the entire interview with Branford from 1996 on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnnoHPFMs3U

The rest of the show was gravy. The re-entry into “Dark Star” out of “Space” was perfect as was the gentle segue into “The Wheel.” Although the band skipped the “ballad” song on this particular evening, how could anybody possibly complain after all of the magic that had occurred already? Bobby led a strong version of “Throwing Stones” and instead of automatically defaulting to “Not Fade Away” which the band had gotten accustomed to, they wisely opted for “Lovelight” which afforded Branford an opportunity to show off his rock n’ roll chops.

“Knocking on Heaven’s Door” was simply gorgeous and served as the perfect palate cleanser for this evening of long and complex jams.

The comments by Jim Lind on jerrygarcia.com sum up my feelings as the show ended and the house lights came on:

I don’t believe I ever saw Garcia as happy as he appeared to be on this night as the smile on his face throughout the show made it clear that he understood what the other 20,000 people in the building had come to realize; what was happening here was something special. As the house lights came on after the encore, 20,000, in unison, let out an incredibly loud, appreciative cheer. As we exited, I took delight in seeing the look of bewilderment on so many faces as if they were asking, “Did that really just happen?”

My brother and I met up with Scott and a bunch of other friends in the parking lot. Big smiles, high-fives and hugs were everywhere. We drove to Scott’s beach house in Quogue and partied all night listening to his recording of the show we had just attended. It is something I will never forget.

You can pretend that you’re next to Ed and watch the whole show on a fan-shot YouTube HERE.

As Ed mentioned, the Eyes of the World from this show first appeared on the live album Without a Net that documented the Fall ’89 and Spring ’90 tours. The whole show was later released as Wake Up to Find Out. As an official release, it’s on Spotify. Here’s the widget:

If you’re not a Spotify person (aside: why?), Ed did the legwork on alt sources from the Live Music Archive and Relisten.org. Here are the links:

LMA (SBD Source) – https://archive.org/details/gd90-03-29.sbd.miller.26341.sbeok.shnf

Re-Listen (SBD): https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1990/03/29?source=97979

LMA (AUD Source) – https://archive.org/details/gd1990-03-29.nak300.andrewf.83612.flac16/gd1990-03-29d2t04.flac

Re-Listen (AUD) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1990/03/29?source=124361

LMA (Matrix Source) – https://archive.org/details/gd1990-03-29.mtx.hansokolow.97118.flac16

Re-Listen (Matrix Source) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1990/03/29?source=97672

More soon.

JF

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[redroseworks]

I want to kiss you

The first time Kayla saw Hazel, the latter was being praised for being one of the seven. She was gorgeous Kayla thought. Kayla, at the time, was helping Will out with the infirmary. Hazel looked like a princess in a t-shirt  and jeans. She had gotten yelled at for staring while other campers needed help. ❤❤❤❤ The first time Hazel saw Kayla it was during a game of capture the flag between the Romans and Greeks. Kayla was arguing with Annabeth's brother. Hazel snuck past them to get the Greek’s flag. She stopped and stared at the ginger girl after she had it and unfortunately Nico catch her. The Romans ended up losing the game. ❤❤❤❤ Kayla talked to Hazel for the first time in front of the camp fire. “Is this pretty different from Camp Jupiter?” Kayla asked. “Very much. It's more… fun.” Hazel smiled. A bit of marshmallow was on her lips. “Are Romans no fun?” Kayla raised her eyebrows. Gods was she flirting or was she sounding like an idiot. Probably both. “A lot of them have a stick up their ass.” Hazel chuckled. “And here I thought they were carefree and party animals.” “Some are, like Dakota. He's the guy who seems like he's drunk. He's not though. But other than Reyna and those in the fourth and fifth cohort, are a little uptight and full of themselves.” Kayla laughed. “Sounds like lovely people. How did you end up with them?” “Nico took me there after- uh some events. It's a long story.” Hazel looked over to where her brother was with Jason Grace. “I enjoy long stories and it isn't even time for the sing-a-long. I'm Kayla by the way.” Kayla said. “Hazel though you probably knew that already and my story is not really long, just strange and uh complicated.” Hazel frowned. “Oh. Alright, well then tell me what you like to do for fun?” “I like to draw and ride horses.” Hazel said. “You guys have horses?” “No. There's this really fast gold eating immortal horse named Arion that I can summon. Hylla, the queen of the Amazons and Reyna’s sister, says only the bravest female warrior can tame him. According to Percy he curses a lot.” Hazel smiled. “That's badass. Think you can give me a ride someday?” Kayla asked. Damn. That was impressive. “Sure.” Hazel said. “I can't wait.” Kayla smiled. “What things do you enjoy doing?” Hazel asked. “Archery mostly, my dad, my mortal dad took me to an archery range since I was a kid. I also like poetry and painting.” “Your mortal dad?” Hazel asked. “Apollo is my godly parent and well he decided to have a biology kid with a cisgender man. There's not a lot of demigods like me.” Kayla looked down at her hands. Before the Second Titian War she and the Dionysus twins, Pollux and Castor, were the only demigods of her kind that she knew of. Chiron told her that there were others before but it wasn't until more demigods started getting claimed did she finally believe him. Now there was seventeen demigods with same sex parents. “Oh. Okay. I never heard of a god or goddess having a child with a mortal of the same sex before.” Hazel said. “Well now you have.” Kayla said. “Kayla! We're about to start the sing-a-long, get your butt over here.” Her brother, Austin, yelled from where her siblings were sitting. “See ya around.” Kayla said as she left. “Yeah, I’ll see you around too.” Hazel said. ❤❤❤❤ Hazel petted Arion’s mane as he eating the gold she gave him. Kayla was standing nearby, starting in awe of Arion who had seemed to come out of nowhere. “Just a quick ride for my new friend, okay buddy?” Hazel whispered to him. Arion neighed and Hazel hoped that was a 'Sure Hazel.’ To be honest, it was probably a 'Why the fuck not?’ knowing Arion. “Alright, Kayla, you ready?” Hazel asked. “Definitely.” Kayla said. Hazel climbed onto Arion and held out her hand to help Kayla. ❤❤❤❤ Kayla had never before went so fast as she did while riding Arion. It was incredible. She flinched as they reached the edge of a lake but instead of falling into the water, Arion ran across it. Amazing. ❤❤❤❤ Hazel looked at Kayla. She was heading back to Camp Jupiter. “I'll Iris message you when I can. I'm glad we've become friends in these last few weeks.” Hazel said. “I'm glad too. I've never really had a girl for a friend before unless you count Drew, through she's more like an older cousin to me. And you better Iris message me or else I will do it and chances are I will do it when you are in those amazing Roman baths like you did to Reyna.” Kayla hugged her. Hazel hugged her back. “I should get going. But I mean it about calling you. I really want to stay in touch until I visit Camp Half-Blood.” Hazel said. ❤❤❤❤ Another war. Another battle. More deaths. Kayla stood in the infirmary once again, helping her healer siblings and her dad take care of wounded demigods. This was worst than the Second Titan War and Second Giant War combined. So many dead. So many injured. Kayla walked over to a bed. She was surprised to see a familiar Roman with brown hair laying there with her arm wrapped in bandages. “Hazel?” Kayla said. “Hey Kayla. Looks like I didn't keep my promise to Iris message you. It's good to see you.” Hazel said. “Yeah but oh well. I'm as okay as I can be. My dad is a god again which is good. What happened to your arm?” “Just a big cut. Apollo said I should be fine.” Hazel smiled. Gods Kayla loved that smile. It was so sweet and joyful. And real. “Good. When things settle down we should hang out. Maybe sneak out of camp to go see a musical. There's one I really want to see called Dear Evan Hansen.” Kayla said. “Yeah. Sounds like fun.” Hazel said. “Okay, well I got to get back to helping the injured. I'll come by and change your bandages later and we can make more solid plans.” Kayla said as she walked away. “Flirting with patients is inappropriate.” Austin said as he walked passed her. She rolled her eyes. She hadn't been flirting. Okay she was but it's not inappropriate, Austin is just annoying. ❤❤❤❤ Hazel smiled when Kayla came by to change her bandages. “Hi again.” She said. “Hi. Tell me if I hurt you by accidentally, I'm not a healer so I'm not that good at this stuff.” Kayla said as she started taking off Hazel's old bandage. “I will. So you were saying something about Dear Ivan handsome?” Hazel asked. “Dear Evan Hansen. It's a musical about a guy with social anxiety and fake emails. Damn this is a big cut.” Kayla said. The old bandage was halfway off now. “Sounds cool and swords normally leave big cuts.” Hazel said. Kayla's hand brushed against Hazel's. “Well it's good you don't have any worst injuries.” “I'm tough.” Hazel flexed her free arm. “You are totally tough.” Kayla said. “I am. This cut is nothing.” Hazel said. “What's the worst injury you have ever gotten? The worst I have had was a broken arm and I got stabbed in the stomach.” Kayla finished taking off the old bandage. “Well I've died.” Hazel said before she could stop herself. It wasn't like it was a big secret. But yet Hazel didn't think it was something she should tell people. Kayla was staring at her. “In 1942 Gaea tried to raise Alcyoneus. She made me help her but I stopped it all, killing me and my mother in the process. Nico found me in the Fields of Asphodel and my father gave me another chance at life.” Hazel said. Kayla still stared at her, her hands still on Hazel's arm. “I know it's weird but- “Saving the world before Percy Jackson was even a fertilized egg in his mother's womb. And yet people are all like 'Percy is the greatest hero of our time’ course sometimes it's Percy and Annabeth are the greatest heroes. It's weird but amazing, admirable. You gave up your life for the world. You are the greatest hero of our time.” Kayla said as she started to put on the clean bandage. “Thanks.” Hazel blushed. ❤❤❤❤ Kayla laid in her bed. Her thoughts were full of Hazel. Hazel's arm. Hazel's smile. Hazel's eyes. Hazel's hair. Hazel's everything. She sighed. She was developing more than a little crush on Hazel. Fuck her life. ❤❤❤❤ Hazel stood at Thalia’s tree, waiting for Kayla. The sound of footsteps behind her made her jump. “Don't worry, it's just me.” Kayla said. “Oh good.” Hazel said. She noticed how lovely Kayla looked in the moonlight. “Alright, we have to walk for awhile but I can probably call an Uber.” Kayla said. “Or I can shadowtravel.” Hazel said. “You can do that?” “Yup. Not as well as Nico but I bet I can get us to the city.” Hazel said. “Great! Let's go!” ❤❤❤❤ Kayla laid on the grass next to Hazel. Hazel was playing with an emerald that had popped out of the ground. “It matches how your hair was during the war with Nero last year.” Hazel said. “It does.” “Have it.” Hazel handed it to her. “What? No. I can't.” Kayla handed it back. “Sure you can.” Hazel said. She put the emerald back in Kayla's hand. This time Kayla kept it. ❤❤❤❤ Hazel flopped down on her bed in Cabin 13. “What's up?” Nico asked from his bed. He was playing with a deck of Mythomagic cards. “I want to kiss Kayla.” Hazel said. “Really?” “Yes, really.” “Than tell her that.” “But what if she’s straight? Or if she doesn't like me that way?” “Hazel, I'm dating Leo Valdez who acted like that straightest person in the world, I thought the same about him. Also come on, no girl who wears that much flannel is straight. And she makes heart eyes at you all the time.” Nico said. “Heart eyes? Also the flannel thing isn't true. And heart eyes?” Hazel sat up. “A, Kayla looks at you like Clovis looks at a bed. B, I know it isn't. And c, see a.” Nico said. “If I tell her and everything goes wrong, I'm partial blaming you.” Hazel said. “That's fair.” Nico shrugged. ❤❤❤❤ Kayla sat on top of Zeus’s fist. Hazel had told her to meet her there. Soon she saw the Roman girl walking towards her. “Yo! Hazel! What's up!” Kayla yelled before she jumped down and landed on her bum, “I am okay!” “That's good.” Hazel giggled. “So again, what's up?” Kayla asked. “I… I like you. Like like you. Like want to kiss you like you.” Hazel said. “Really?” Kayla asked. “Yes.” “Well I want to kiss you too but I'm on the ground and you're standing up.” Kayla said. Hazel smiled and laughed before jumping on top of Kayla. “Ow!” Kayla said. “Sorry. I was just happy. Can I kiss you now?” Hazel asked. “No shit.” Kayla said before kissing Hazel. They parted after a short while, “You kissed me but I didn't kiss you.” Hazel said as she kissed Kayla back. ❤❤❤❤ Hazel laid in the grass with her girlfriend. Kayla's hair was purple like Hazel's shirt. Hazel could still see hair dye on Kayla's ears. Hazel thought Kayla was the most beautiful person in the world.