#dolus & alecto

[alectocarrion]

with: @dolusmendacius when: january, 2130 (before the summit)  where: pontius (kalavria)

Alecto was still trying to find familiarity in her new living quarters. Be it her actual room, or the ship as a whole. Despite having been born among these waters, there was nothing that Alecto could recall. Would she want to? Would that make this easier? Maybe in time, she would look towards the water and see where she and her sibling ran, or where her father cast his line from a boat that was more tin than propeller. Regardless, what didn’t do Alecto any favors was dwelling on such things. She’d managed to board Pontius under the guise of needing a new home, and now it was time to actually work. 

Whether that was Poseidon’s work assigned, or whether it meant digging into the crevices of what could cause Pontius to split into two, Alecto hadn’t quite decided. 

Still, it was easier to slip into the skin of an awkward newcomer than it was to create something authoritative out of herself. How would that fly with those around her? 

Alecto doesn’t drop their gaze quickly enough as somebody -- she thinks their name is Dolus ( had that been right? introductions had been quick ), rounds the corner. They nearly run into him, but a hand meant to steady snaps out and presses against shoulder. 

“Sorry. The hallways keep coming up on me.” 

[reushq]

(tw: violence, body horror, blood, death)

The final evening dawns upon the Summit with sure swiftness, and Pontius has spared no expense in giving its first Summit a worthy sendoff. As the Aegean sky grows dark and stars start to blink alight, guests have loaded up in speedboats or pontoons or ferries – depending on the size of their gathering – to drift towards a spot designated by hundreds of floating lanterns and candles. Attendants speed out to meet them on their own vehicles, offering each party a plethora of indulgences, including champagne and assorted delicacies, just as the fireworks begin to paint the heavens above with images of thundering horses and frolicking mermaids and titanic sea monsters.

As the last of the fireworks dissipate into the night sky, the various boats and rafts ferrying Pontius’ guests make a turn back to the home ship. The first sign of something amiss is spotted by ZAGREUS, ARES & MENELAUS, who notice a lone Pontius-branded speedboat in the far distance, moving in the opposite direction of the rest of the flock, with a familiar figure at it’s prow – that of CHARON, Tartarus’ Head of Finances. As Pontius itself comes into view, DIOMEDES spots a second speedboat in a strange position, this one floating, empty, a little ways away from the dock. The Quorum member turns to make mention of this oddity to BRISEIS, just as ORPHEUS, CLYTEMNESTRA & PATROCLUS notice something truly alarming – a smear of blood, stretched across one end of the dock, with patches trailing back towards the main boat. GANYMEDE, hearing the whispers begin to break out around them, looks over to see what’s awry, but his eyes first catch on a strange shape floating by the dock. Frowning, he points it out to AITE, who gasps: there’s someone in the water– a body!

As the boats finally pull up alongside Pontius, NYX, CIRCE & APOLLO are the first to reach, and officially raise the alarm. MINOTAUR dives in and pulls the figure out of the water and onto the dock, but no one moves to make any medical interventions, as it’s clear even from a distance – whoever this water-logged, mystery person is, it’s far too late for them.

POSEIDON makes a call for all guests to return to their rooms until they can deal with the emergency, calling on ALECTO for help ushering everyone safely away. SCYLLA, HEPHAESTUS, POSEIDON, HERA & ZEUS are the only ones to remain behind, waiting until the last of the guests have returned to the main deck before examining the body. There is no doubting it – the corpse is that of SISYPHUS – Thersander to the Pontius crew. But there is something very, very wrong. It’s not just the facial expression that is stuck in a permanent shock – it is the gnarled and shifting features that blink between what might be familiar to what isn’t, glitching even after its host has passed. Dysfunctional augmentations, Scylla notes, with growing dread. Botched, outdated, perhaps a black market version of what Scalpel has proved capable.

Back on Pontius, the rest of the guests break into groups to return to their rooms. On their way, ODYSSEUS, ARTEMIS & PROMETHEUS run into a bloodied ACHILLES and begin to question him, but are cut short when MEGARA appears to bring him back to HADES. Elsewhere, DOLUS, HYPNOS & HERMES notice something strange, passing through one of the hallways of guest suites: CHARON’s door, cracked open. As they approach, one of them points out something even more alarming– a smear of blood across the doorknob. The group enters the room to discover a grisly scene, pulled from nightmares: ARIADNE’s dead body on the floor, a dagger stuck squarely in his chest.

Further down the hall, ATHENA hears the commotion in Charon’s room, and runs inside. Upon realizing what has transpired, she goes to find help, intercepting EURYDICE, HYACINTH, & PAN on their way back to their own rooms. Elsewhere, THESEUS, DUSA & TISIPHONE run into a bloodied THANATOS stumbling back to his room, and rush him into CHARYBDIS’ quarters for treatment, taking care not to be seen.

LITTLE DO THE GUESTS KNOW… While they were enjoying their night, there was an undercurrent of bloodshed happening right under their noses, secrets and betrayals long simmering rising to the surface. Earllier in the night, unbeknownst to most of the party-goers, Thanatos doesn’t go on the boats with the rest of the guests, but meets with Charon. Their meeting, initially cordial and familiar and soft-spoken, takes a tense turn, then violent as Charon pummels Thanatos to the ground and does not let up until blood mars his fists and Thanatos is barely moving. 

Charon swiftly leaves the scene to return to his room, but Ariadne catches him as he’s retreating, sees the blood splattering his fingers, and demands to know what the financier has done and who he’s hurt. Perhaps Charon mentions Thanatos - perhaps Ariadne makes the connection on his own. Whatever the case, Ariadne erupts with promises of retribution, threatens to go to Hades with proof that one of his most trusted confidantes has been going rogue, sending his prized fixer on business and missions irrelevant to Tartarus’ interests and wholly pertinent to his own. It’s a long time coming, he says; finally, the crooked financier has broken a rule from which there is no coming back, attacking one of Khton’s own, and Hades’ judgment is sure to be swift.

Then, the abrupt strike of blade to flesh. Ariadne falls to the floor, grasping weakly at the dagger stuck squarely in his chest, and Charon does not wait to watch the light leave his eyes, turning heel and running back out to Pontius’ docks, quickly boarding a speedboat while the fireworks reach their climax.

Minutes after Charon has made his escape, Sisyphus makes his own way to the dock. The deckhand takes no notice of the missing boat, and acts with no knowledge of the blood being shed and life lost behind him, too busy putting into action the culmination of weeks worth of plotting and preparations. Faced with increasingly fewer opportunities for survival, let alone escape, the plan Sisyphus has landed on is simple: he stows a bag on one of Pontius’ speedboats, with plans to flee on the boat while everyone is away at the festivities, and make a break for the nearest coast — and his new life.

Sisyphus is about to set out on the speedboat when he hears a sound behind him, and finds his former friend and current adversary, Achilles, running down the dock towards him. Sisyphus attempts to run for it, knowing that the consequences of being caught fleeing his post — after already being afforded his second chance — are likely to be dire. Inevitably, Achilles catches him, and they fight fiercely for control of the boat. But in the flurry of action, Sisyphus slips on the wet floor and falls headfirst, cracking his skull against the corner of the navigation console on his way down. 

The impact rings out, a sickening crunch followed by the strangest electric crackle, like a signal gone astray. The bootlegged augments, already twisted far beyond the use they were designed for, previously damaged in another fight, do not take well to the impact. With one final crack, like a bolt of lightning crossing his face, the augments go through a final, fatal glitch, electricity zapping across his features, around his bones, into his brain – and killing him on the spot.

Achilles leaves Sisyphus’ body a few yards out from Pontius, where the boat chase ended, floating in the water; at first glance, the death looks like a tragic boating accident, an unfortunate step and a hard fall, followed by a slide into the sea. Achilles is just parking his own boat as the silhouettes of the guests’ boats break over the horizon, and he makes his swift escape back aboard Pontius.

ADMIN NOTE

Welcome, Reus members, to the culmination of our second event: the RED DAWN’S RUIN mini-event, a night of bloody revelry! This event will run for a week, starting this evening (Friday, April 15), and take place in both the IC server and on the Tumblr dashboard, though we’d prefer dash threads to take priority. Please note: for the portions of the event occurring once the guests have returned to Pontius from the festivities, the specific individual roles outlined above are still subject to plotting and approval of the muns involved – so, not mandatory! Also, feel free to plot your own interactions in addition to those described above – while guests are told to return to their rooms, whether or not they follow that request is entirely up to you!

[reushq]

ABOUT

Full name & known aliases: Hercules Mendacius Faction: Pontius Occupation: Security Officer on Pontius Age: 34 Gender & pronouns: Cis man, he/him Faceclaim: Jordan Calloway Can be seen: Patrolling around Helicon at all hours of the night, doing push-ups to the rhythm of old sea shanties, fishing with Dolus on a rowboat, talking at Alecto during security briefs, resetting his Tala password for the fiftieth time, observing Scylla from afar.

STATS

Influence  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Charisma  ★  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Protection  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Information  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Experience  ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

CODEX

It is not known yet if the phoenix that is Hercules’ spirit will ever rise from its ashes. But he makes such a show of bravado and strength, that no one would dare question it. As was the way of difficult island life; nary an opportunity to parse over hardship, when there was work to be done. No one would mistake the Mendacius’ for high in the in-step, or bolstered in pedigree. As with all older siblings, strength is demanded. Fortunately, he provides it in spades. An innate physicality for a young boy, he is the cornerstone of their humble operations. Yet the more he worked, the further rest became. Children with shinier shoes and smoother hands ran amok. The chasm grows, and so too does his impressionable envy.

What a dangerous thing it is, to want without culpability. It is not long before the name echoes as part of a cautionary tale. The fisherman’s boy whose naivete and insatiable desire put him at the forefront of a heinous crime. Really - he meant no harm. But the might of his fist was always stronger than his will, and those caught in the crossfire of his escape bare their formidable injuries. Caught on an island three days later, it is the last time he felt the sand between his toes in seven years. 

The world is not quick to forget folklore, and Hercules emerges with few prospects and unanswered letters. Following the same path as his illicit past is  a non-starter. Still - a man needs to eat, and the young whiz-kids of the University promise to keep him fed. Looking back, one has to wonder if he was better off with the devil he knew, than the one he did not. Scalpel’s untoward practices prompt grave consequences, and he pays for his naivete once again. Yet he should be grateful - far kinder souls bare worse consequences of childish whims. As the young students are trudged through the mud and the consequences of their actions are swept beneath the university’s rug - Hercules finds his voice. The sole conscience in the eye of the storm, unmoving even as wealth is promised in exchange for discretion. This time, he would not compromise. 

His need for redemption leads him to the many corners of Gaia; to the homes of Scalpel’s survivors, to the island where it first began, and even to the spot in Arcadia where his crimes unfurled. Yet forgiveness only comes when he looks his sibling in the eye. Grown, now, and a success for the ages - Hercules finds his new purpose. He washes up aboard Pontius’ vessel and commits his physical endurance to the protection of its residents. Yet it is not his vocation. No. Hercules’ strength was never his physicality, but his willingness to endure.

CONNECTIONS

Familial connections: Dolus Mendacius (the reason for being, the better of the pair).

Professional connections: Poseidon (employer - a necessary confidant), Alecto (stoic, no-nonsense, begging to be bothered), Hermes (quite brilliant and with the humor to match), Circe (incredibly brilliant, pays for it with no sense of humor), Ariadne (mystery to be unfurled).

Social connections: Sisyphus (sinners always find their own), Aphrodite (a disposition like his own), Apollo and Artemis (entertainment while in confinement - starstruck at every appearance), Diomedes (a worthy contender), Minotaur (bird of the same feather), Scylla (bane of his existence).

ORIGINAL CHARACTER WRITTEN BY C.