#hecate destiny

[synnthamonsugar]

DESTINYTOBER: Day 31 - Festival of the Lost

Read it on AO3

. . .

Eris Morn and Toland the Shattered curl together on a tufted green loveseat, lost in their respective reading and the idle touch of each other. The windows of their little house on the City outskirts are half open to the fall air, crisp with the waft of woodsmoke and fallen leaves, just turning chill as the golden hour fades. The hearth is warmed by a fire reduced now to hot embers. 

A soft knock at the door shakes them from their reverie. Toland is laying atop Eris, so he gets up to check. Eris thinks about staying on the toasty couch, but curiosity gets the better of her. She trails a few steps behind, tying her veil as she approaches. 

"Trick or treat~" harmonize the small flock of costumed children at the door, bags outstretched in anticipation.

Toland turns to look pleadingly at Eris. Having spent most of their Festivals of the Lost in the Tower or on the Moon, they can be excused for forgetting the old custom of children roaming door to door soliciting treats that had been syncretized into what was otherwise a solemn remembrance of the dead.

"...give me a moment," says Eris, shuffling away to rummage through the pantry. She returns shortly with boxes of raisins in hand. Bought to hand out to Guardians from her post in Sanctuary several years back, most had remained at the back of the cupboard through lack of interest.

The children look askance as Eris dispenses the treats, but that doesn't stop one, dressed as a ghost, from shyly complimenting: "Your costumes are so cool." 

"What costumes?" asks Toland, horned head tilted and thee eyes narrowed, to a round of laughter from the kids and Eris' growing irritation.

Another, decorated as some manner of non-Guardian undead, pokes their head inside the door. 

"Sick — ! A haunted house!" 

Haunted house echoes among the children in furtive excitement until another speaks up: "Can we see?"

Eris hasn't decorated this year, a fact that pangs her heart. Of the holidays, this is her most cherished, but she'd been busy with too many other things, and preparations had fallen by the wayside.

"It's a mess," deadpans Eris, sotto voice, noting the cobwebs in the corners and layers of dust hanging on overfilled bookshelves. The candles dripping down the mantle, and the colorful gourds harvested from the City's gardens awaiting cutting on the kitchen table…

"It's perfect," reassures one of the children, dressed in a cardboard-and-facepaint approximation of a hive acolyte, brushing past Toland to get a better look. The crowd's murmured pleas to enter intensify.

Toland was nothing if not vulnerable to flattery. Eyes brightening, he gestures for the guests' entrance.

Eris supposes the house is haunted, just not in the way the children think. Its occupants comprise a spectral émigré from the Ascendant Plane; a woman alive but dying in the manner of mortals; and an actual Ghost (though Eris lost track of Hecate after she loudly wretched at the sight of her mentors petting in the living room and flitted away). To say nothing of all the memories here — old journals, mementos of lost friends, trophies from their time as Lightbearers.

Still, the children ooh, ahh and ew at the skeletons and wet specimens, pick up curios, skitter from the darkness and strange shadows cast by flickering green lamplight. They ask questions, so many questions, all of which Toland thrills to field— in his typical roundabout ramble that constitutes a half-answer at best, and causes more confusion at worst.

Eris follows for a bit, but eventually goes back to reading. Body heat has long faded from the cushions, but Eris finds herself pleasantly warmed by the enthusiasm of their guests. While she adores their home, she never had strangers over, hardly even friends, assuming no one would understand hers and Toland's style. To hear people not only accept but enjoy being here buoyed her spirit.

Toland bids farewell to the children and returns to be with Eris, arms wrapped around her waist, head laying on her lap. Eris absentmindedly strokes his hair as she reads, sinking both deeper into relaxation.

He feels almost asleep against her when there's another knock. Both spring to alertness.

No one asks, but Eris reflexively offers the group of kids on the doorstep raisins. They decline, saying instead —

"We came to see the haunted house. May we see?"

Eris glares at Toland. 

"It would be unfair to decline them," he says flatly.

"I'll permit it, as long as you don't dawdle as you did with the others." She presses a quick kiss to his cheek, before whispering: "Let it be remembered that I also enjoy your company."

He returns the kiss. "I cannot and will not forget, dearest Eris." 

To his credit, Toland moves at a brisker pace, keeping the kids on track and himself off of tangents … insofar as he's able to. They're chatting about the "cauldron" of soup bubbling on the stovetop when there's another rap at the door which Eris answers. 

Two costumed adults, smiling brightly in the low porch light. "Is this the haunted house?"

Eris rubs the bridge of her nose, just below the third eye, and waves them in.

"What did I miss?" asks Hecate, finally materializing from wherever it was she fled to.

"Our home appears to have become an attraction."

"And you thought you'd missed this year's festivities," the Ghost offers, bumping her malachite tines against Eris' shoulder. "I … like it. It feels nice."

"You're saying that because it means you don't have to see us kissing," Eris half-jokes. 

Hecate laughs. "I'm a loner too, but sometimes it's good to be with others. It's funny to say, but you and Toland taught me that."

Eris lightly touches her tines before she buzzes away to greet the guests.

 "I suppose so."

When the revelers stop arriving, and the night is late enough to extinguish the light by the door, all three of them retire to the parlor again. Hecate rests on a wingback chair, tome open before her. Eris and Toland resume their books on the couch, forgetting neither their place in the pages nor the fit of their bodies against each other as they snuggle together and drift off to sleep.

[writing-for-life]

Sandman Comics Re-Read

Issue 2: Imperfect Hosts

We’ve discussed issue 2 of the comics over the past week in our community, and as usual, here are my contributions for later reference.

If you’d like to see comments and the posts of everyone else, or if you want to be part of the discussion (we are starting with the rewatch of Netflix episode 2 today), join us!

[flurty]

i've decided to start carrying a tarot deck and whenever i have a question for myself i've been pulling as many cards as i feel the situation calls for after shuffling them, and i'm often able to find a direction to focus on in life.

today, i was having a bit of a panic attack and decided to take four cards and came up with, in this order: the devil, the judgment, the hermit, and the moon.

take from it what you will, don't let cards dictate the course of your life, but i'm so happy that random probability was able speak to a part of me that i rationally couldn't speak to; so i was able to let go. like destiny sat across the table from me and said, "don't you worry, we feel ya."

[splooosh]

“HO HO HO”

Romeo Tanghal - Dan Adkins

[lostpeace]

Hekate.

She aided the Olympians in the Titanomachy, and was thus granted dominion over the earth, the sea, and the heavens.

[god0x1]

[sibbydoo]

[⚔️🏹] CAMP HALF-BLOOD

It’s been a while since I’ve drawn my Camp Half-blood OCs! Meet Danny, Cherra, and Zeno <3 there’s more info on them below the cut +my first proper sketches of their redesigns from last year!

CHERRA [❄️🎸] — Child of Boreas

“I don’t think we really stop being afraid. We learn to be braver about it, though! No one ever tells you that.”

Cherra is not a half-blood, but more an actual spawn of Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind, and of winter. Her father is known for his cruelty. Tangled between a curse that Boreas plans to unleash into the world, and being made as the catalyst to make that happen, Cherra did the only thing she could think of: she fell from the sky, and away from her father’s domain. No one in Camp is sure how she ends up a few miles from the borders, but she awakens with no memory of the fall, nor the destiny that was forced upon her. Will an eternal winter come for the world after all?

ZENO ADARES [🌊🏹] — Child of Apollo

“The sun’s gonna explode at some point, but it won’t happen tomorrow. Breathe. Think of now—whad’ya wanna do?”

Growing up a surfer kid and being an absolute geek about all-things-ocean, literally everyone thought that Zee was Poseidon’s kid before he revealed the god that claimed him. Zeno is a charming, sprightly young demigod who stayed in Camp since he was eleven, and in the years since he proven himself to be good at many things; mainly being a great archer, an even better, and being, I quote, “Camp’s Best Brother”. To those who hated the sun, he had a way of getting to you. Kinda like sunbeams peeking through a heavy curtain. Heck! Not even Hecate’s kids are safe from the guy’s…weird ability.

DANIEL FALLON [🌙🔮] — Child of Hecate

“Oh, please. The cards only tell me what’s ahead. But my choices? All mine. These cards’ got nothing on how I choose my future.”

From a long line of witches came this fella, with his stacks of weathered books, cool cards, and a resting bitch face that could…possibly rival Ares’. Children of Hecate tend to follow a ‘trifecta’ of knowledge, possibly due to the trio nature of their mother goddess: Maiden-Mother-Crone, Three torches, Three moons. Daniel leans toward divination, the Mist, and necromancy. He has a cat who can talk—well, more like he can hear her. It was an accident involving communing with the dead, and now a spirit possessed her. Her name is Sabrina.

SOME SKETCHES FROM LAST YEAR:

[freddie-77-ao3]

mainly chb campers who are also legacies

thalia and jason (hecate, grandmother, part of why thalia can influence the mist so well.)

malcolm (hecate, grandmother,)

percy (venus, grandmother or great grandmother)

annabeth (freyja maybe? some norse deities in very distant past)

meg is canonically a very distant legacy of poseidon

drew (poseidon, grandfather)

sherman (persephone, very distant)

michael (the morrigan is his great grandmother, part of why he's so war driven. also the destiny thing is part of why he has such a prophetic part of apollo powers)

connor and travis stoll (hades, greatgrandfather? source @jg-ggw )

clovis (athena, grandmother, source @ebony-reine-vibes )

ellis (hypnos, great great grandfather)

any other ideas?

[maryhale1]

Oh gorgeous Hecate 🔮🦇 The goddess of crossroads . Is she visiting you?

🔮🔮🔮🔮

In shadows deep, where mysteries dwell,

Hecate's embrace, a powerful spell.

Candles flicker, herbs entwine,

Manifest my will in this sacred shrine.

Goddess of crossroads, guide my way,

Through moonlit paths, both night and day.

By magic's weave, my desires unfold,

In Hecate's realm, my destiny is told.

With whispered words, and moonlit dance,

I call upon her, in a mystic trance.

By earth and air, by fire and sea,

Hecate, empower this spell for me.

[genericpuff]

I wanna add to the whole “hades keeping persephone’s things in a drawer” controversy. I watched all her videos the she uploaded patreon and I specifically remember Rachel herself saying that she was VERY aware it was creepy and she would not be okay with this behavior irl. She laughed it off saying that lots of romantic tropes like this would not be okay in real life—but in movies and media they get a pass because they frame it as something endearing. So she IS self aware about the whole thing at least🤷🏻‍♀️

Ugh, that just makes it kinda worse tho tbh LOL Like being self-aware of something being toxic doesn't make that toxic behavior 'okay', especially if you're intentionally romanticizing it or never making the FL in your comic aware of what her now-husband has been doing since day 1, especially in a comic that's trying to be "feminist".

Like I know it's something sold to teenage girls a LOT that it's "romantic" if the guy they "finally" ended up with was holding onto "keepsakes" from them before they dated ("omg, they were in love with me the whole time!") But a lot of people in their 20's and upwards can tell you that it's not so "romantic" when you realize that much of your relationship may have been manufactured or that the guy you're with was essentially stalking you prior to getting with you. It can make the relationship feel far more disingenuous and targeted rather than something that grew organically. Especially when it's really intimate shit that the other party should not have access to like personal letters you wrote in confidence to a friend.

Shit, I know it's not something that's "real life" because it's fantasy, but even Hades going so far as to ask the Fates for a tape of his memories that involved Persephone is a HUGE red flag - they make it VERY clear that you can't just do that, you need consent from the other parties who are involved in that memory, WHICH MAKES TOTAL SENSE, but they give it to him anyways because "aww he's in love and it's his future qween :>"

The irony that LO tries to be progressive with the notion of consent but then stomps on it every time it involves anything that isn't blatant assault. Consent applies to more than just sex. Persephone did not give consent to Hades taking the letter she had sent Hecate, she did not give consent to Hades taking the tape of memories that involved her, and she was never made aware of Hades keeping intimate objects that either belonged to her or were affiliated with her (ex. the mug with her lipstick print).

Like... is this romantic? Really? Because it seems more manipulative than anything else. I know being above the gods and even their own destinies is the nature of the Fates but that's why they typically don't directly involve themselves in the lives of mortals and gods (and in a lot of media that references them, they typically speak in riddles or don't fork over the information plainly) otherwise what would be the point of "fate" to begin with if anyone could walk up to the Fates and be like "hey, tell me something I'm not supposed to know so I can change the path I'm on."

God of War does this better than LO with the Norse equivalent of the Fates, the Norns:

Being self-aware of Hades shitty behavior does not make it okay to romanticize, it doesn't absolve Rachel of writing a toxic romance and selling it as "couple goals". Especially in a comic that claims to be feminist and aware of the importance of consent. If that's the case, Persephone needs to learn the meaning of the word 'no' and Hades needs to learn that he can't have whatever he wants just because he's a King.

[dreamingwisdom]

So..

I have this headcanon that if pjo and the dc universe where the same, Billy Batson definitely would be a Hecate’s son, or a Hermes. It depends on how you wanted his actions to be.

Like, in the middle of the whole Cronos against gods war during the books, the 10 year old Billy came across a super powerful mage who grants him powers, and then the mom he never knew, Hecate, who really never cared about saying “hi” to him appears and tell him to help her defeat some sick gods because it’s his destiny or something like that. And he’s just like “Are you nuts ma’am?” And he’s going to help someone he never met, who deliberately says that’s his mother, but he’s a street kid, he knows better, and fight in a goddamn war, against a bunch of kids and monsters.

Well, he doesn’t accept right. And then he just goes in the old normal way of becoming captain marvel. But either way Hecate keep coming and trying to convince him, but when she sees that the mage haven’t actually taught any magic to Billy she puts that in first hand, maybe helping the stubborn kid coming to the Titans side.

He doesn’t go, but he’ll learn some sick magic anyway.

[thel1m1nalspaces]

The Liminal Spaces

The Liminal Spaces

A liminal space is defined by the fact it is an in between place. Not quite here here or there. This can be transitions in life, transitional or transformational things or places. A space between where you've been and where you're going.

Liminial Spaces: Stairways Airports Hotel Lobbies Parking lots Waiting rooms Break rooms Elevators Trains Bridges Abandoned buildings

Liminal Space Character: Cloak and dagger Alice from Alice in wonderland Neo the matrix Coraline Harry Potter Dr Strange Loki Scarlet Witch Ghost Rider Raven The flash

Liminal life transition: Divorces Deciding on a partner Graduation Puberty Menopause Having a child Literally transitioning Job loss Break ups Periods

Liminal times: Midnight Noon Equinoxes Solstices

Liminal Weather: Fog Overcast days Land meeting sea Fall Spring

Liminal Feelings: Surrealness Nostalgia Bittersweet Conflicting emotions

Liminal space animals: cats Bats Butterflies Dogs deer pigeons rats hedgehogs rabbits and hares swans sparrows ravens squirrels Owls Frogs Snakes

Liminal Deities: Hekate (Hekate (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, divination, the night, liminal spaces,the moon, ghosts and necromancy, crossroads, doorways, boundaries, and has dominion over the earth, skies and ocean too. She can be linked to herbalism, and shes a protector of the home, and family.)

Hermes (Hermes is known as the god of travel, commerce, communication, and thieves. He’s also the messenger of the gods, boundaries and transitions.)

Janus from Roman mythology, the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings.

Persephone from Greek mythology, who moves between the underworld and the living world.

The Morrigan from Irish mythology is a war, death, liminal spaces, destiny, fertility, and motherhood

Brigid the Irish Deity of liminal spaces, fire, healing, poetry, childbirth and children, warfare, crafts, wisdom,

Dionysus Greek god of wine, festivity, and theater, and is also known as the god of vegetation, fertility, and insanity

Hermod is the messenger of the gods and is known for his speed, communication, and bravery in norse mythology

Odin from Norse mythology, who can travel between worlds.

Anubis from Egyptian mythology, who guides souls to the afterlife.

Chiron from Greek mythology would transport souls but was also known for being a teacher, healer and oracle

Closed Practice Liminal Deities (Idk much about these so feel free to add more and or correct me)

Papa Legba from Haitian Vodou, who stands at the crossroads between the human world and the spirit world.

Baron Samedi from Haitian Vodou, who’s the guardian of the cemetery and the afterlife.

Nabu from Mesopotamian mythology. He's the god of wisdom and writing, and he acts as a bridge between the mortal world and the divine through knowledge and communication. It's like he stands at the boundary between human understanding and divine insight.

Veles from Slavic mythology He's the god of the underworld, waters, and magic. Veles often crosses between the realms of the living and the dead, making him a classic liminal deity. He's also associated with cattle, wealth, and poetry, which adds even more layers to his role.

Ellegua from Yoruba mythology, often worshipped in Santería and other Afro-Caribbean religions. He's the orisha of the crossroads, communication, and doors. Ellegua is known for being a trickster and a protector, and he plays a crucial role in opening and closing pathways between the human and spiritual worlds.

Anansi from African mythology, the trickster and storyteller who often moves between worlds.

Inari from Japanese mythology, a deity of rice, fertility, and foxes, who bridges the human and spiritual realms.

Ereshkigal from Mesopotamian mythology, the queen of the underworld.

Kali from Hindu mythology, who represents both destruction and rebirth.

Ganesha from Hindu mythology, the remover of obstacles, often invoked at the beginning of new ventures.

Tlazolteotl from Aztec mythology, a goddess of purification and transformation.

[cam-stopped-eating-candles]

Everybody is so sleeping on the idea of Hazel and Rachel being best friends. Both of their relations to the idea of prophecy and destiny… Rachel being the oracle, seeing into the future and Hazel being an apprentice to Hecate also seeing into the future. Miss “I can see your future” and Miss “I make my own future”… They’re both artists with two completely different styles (Rachel being more abstract/experimental with statement pieces, Hazel doing more realism homey feeling pieces). You can’t tell me Hazel wouldn’t bring up different gems and crystals for Rachel to make jewelry with. I just think they’d get along great + Hazel needs more close friends

[apiswitchcraft]

the greek/roman gods

Format is GREEK NAME/ROMAN NAME: description

starting at the beginning,

CHAOS: the void, everything and nothing, sometimes a deity, sometimes a stasis.

then there were the Primordials, that arose from Chaos and were more concepts than gods,

EROS (the elder)/PHANES: love and procreation

TARTARUS: the original deity/representation of the underworld

GAIA/TERRA: mother earth, the ultimate creator

EREBUS: darkness

NYX: night

AETHER: child of Erebus and Nyx, day

HEMERA: child of Erebus and Nyx, light

MOROS: child of Erebus and Nyx, doom

THANATOS: child of Erebus and Nyx, death

KER: child of Erebus and Nyx, violent death

MACARIA: death of the blessed

HYPNOS/SOMNUS: child of Erebus and Nyx, sleep

MOMUS: child of Erebus and Nyx, mockery and blame

GERAS/SENECTUS: child of Erebus and Nyx, old age

OIZYS/MISERIA: child of Erebus and Nyx, misery

NEMESIS: child of Erebus and Nyx, retribution

PHILOTES: child of Erebus and Nyx, affection

APATE: child of Erebus and Nyx, deceit

ERIS/DISCORDIA: child of Erebus and Nyx, strife

MOIRAI/PARCAE: child of Erebus and Nyx, the three fates

CHARON: child of Erebus and Nyx, ferryman of the Underworld

CHRONUS: the elder primordial of time

ANANKE/NECESSITAS: destiny

OUREA: created by Gaia, the mountains

NESOI: child of Ourea, the islands

PONTUS: created by Gaia, the sea

THALASSA: child of Pontus, a sea goddess

NEREUS: child of Gaia and Pontus, god of the sea

CETO: child of Gaia and Pontus, sea goddess

THAUMUS: child of Gaia and Pontus, a sea god

IRIS: child of Thaumus, goddess of rainbows

OURANOS/CAELUS: created by Gaia, the sky

TYPHON: son of Gaia and Tartarus, volcanic forces, the father of all monsters

CRONUS/SATURN: son of Ouranos, god of the harvest, slayed/castrated his father

then came the Titans, the children of Gaia and Ouranos (unless specified otherwise),

RHEA/CYBELE/OPS: goddess of fertility

OCEANUS: god of the oceans, conceived the Oceanids with Tethys

TETHYS: god of the rivers

TYCHE/FORTUNA: one of the Oceanids, goddess of good luck

STYX: one of the Oceanids

HYPERION: god of light, but more in a sunlight sense

THEIA: goddess of light, but in a light of the blue sky sense

HELIOS/SOL: child of Hyperion and Theia, god of the sun

SELENE/LUNOS: child of Hyperion and Theia, goddess of the moon

EOS/AURORA: goddess of dawn

CRIUS: god of the constellations

EURYBIA: child of Pontus, sea goddess

ASTRAEUS: child of Crius and Eurybia, god of stars and planets

PALLAS: child of Crius and Eurybia, god of war

PERSES: child of Crius and Eurybia, god of destruction

THEMIS: goddess of law and order

IAPETUS: god of mortal life

ATLAS: child of Iapetus and Asia (an Oceanid), carried the celestial sphere, god of astronomy

PROMETHEUS: child of Iapetus and Asia, god of foresight, creator of man and giver of fire to humans

EPIMETHEUS: child of Iapetus and Asia, god of hindsight

MNEMOSYNE: goddess of memory

COEUS/POLUS: god of the celestial axis

PHOEBE: a moon goddess

LETO/LATONA: child of Coeus and Phoebe, goddess of motherhood

ASTERIA: child of Coeus and Phoebe, goddess of falling stars

HECATE/TRIVIA: child of Asteria and Perses, goddess of magic, ghosts, and necromancy

ZEUS/JUPITER: god of sky, weather, and kingship

then the "modern" Pantheon,

ATHENA/MINERVA: sprung from Zeus' head, goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts

APOLLO: child of Leto and Zeus, god of the sun, healing, prophecy, music, and poetry

ASCLEPIUS/AESCULAPIUS: son of Apollo and a nymph, god of medicine

ARTEMIS/DIANA: child of Leto and Zeus, goddess of the moon, hunting, and the wild

HERMES/MERCURY: child of Maia and Zeus, messenger of the gods and patron of thieves and travellers

PAN/FAUNUS: child of Hermes, god of nature and shepherding

DIONYSUS/BACCHUS: child of a mortal and Zeus, god of wine, festivity, and madness

DIKE: child of Zeus and Themis, goddess of justice

EUNOMIA: child of Zeus and Themis, goddess of good laws

EIRENE: child of Zeus and Themis, goddess of peace

HERA/JUNO: goddess of women and marriage

ARES/MARS: child of Hera and Zeus, god of war and courage

EILEITHYIA: child of Hera and Zeus, goddess of childbirth and midwifery

HEPHAESTUS/VULCAN: child of Hera and Zeus, god of blacksmithing and fire

HEBE/JUVENTIA: child of Hera and Zeus, goddess of youth, cupbearer of the gods

DEMETER/CERES: goddess of agriculture

PERSEPHONE/PROSPERINA: child of Demeter and Zeus, goddess of springtime and queen of the Underworld

POSEIDON/NEPTUNE: god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses

TRITON: child of Amphitrite and Poseidon, messenger of the sea

HADES/PLUTO: king of the Underworld and god of the dead and wealth

HESTIA/VESTA: goddess of the hearth and home

APHRODITE/VENUS: sprung from the sea foam created by Ouranos' body being thrown into the sea, goddess of love, beauty and pleasure

HERMAPHRODITES: child of Aphrodite and Hermes, god of androgyny

EROS/AMOR/CUPID: child of Ares and Aphrodite, god of love

NIKE: child of Styx and Pallas, goddess of victory

ZELUS: child of Styx and Pallas, god of zeal

KRATOS: child of Styx and Pallas, god of strength

BIA: child of Styx and Pallas, goddess of force

[seaweedbraens]

okay question: I'm currently in the middle of designing a cover for my bookbind of WCWSTHWAS (bc it's a masterpiece that I need on my shelf) and I just need to know for the back cover:

What's your favorite quote from each chapter? Which ones are you most proud of?

AAAAAAAAAAH im sorry this took so long its just that every time i opened the fic i could NOT decide on a quote! ive shortlisted a bunch down here but feel free to choose whatever you like!! i mostly just skimmed since i know that i'll start wanting to go in and correct things if i do a deep dive haha (and that's a never-ending project)

ALSO HELP if anyone sees this and has a quote you like pls remind me of it!!! i have realized that i dont really write. like. memorable lines HAHAHHA or maybe this fic is just so big that they're all bleeding into each other. anyway. HELP

(also i'm so honored you're bookbinding my fic!!! i'd love to see pictures if you have em <333)

ch1:

To say that Percy’s doing water magic seems like a grave insult to his skill. He is not performing magic, he is magic, just as he is water, flowing and fluid and gorgeous. He does not have to speak incantations as children of Hecate do, and yet he pulls liquid from thin air in a never-ending stream, making the water in his hands appear alive.

ch2:

He’d been stupid to think he’d get what he wanted back when he was thirteen. Now, at nineteen…well, he’s still stupid.

ch3:

It’s hard to fight the urge to run and leave it all. He wants to grab the Fates, if they’re still around, and shake them by the shoulders. He wants to yell in their face, “Find me another destiny!”

ch4:

Bunker Nine. Warm forges and the sound of metal bashing metal as the children of Hephaestus worked on their weapons talking and laughing over each other, competing at who could be faster. Beckendorf winking at him as he passed by, Leo swooping in and out of the skylight atop Festus, Percy conjuring dolphins from the bathwater, Annabeth carefully pinning up sketches on the walls. Travis and Connor trying to trip him up at every opportunity, Silena passing him beauty products with a sly little smile, Harley and Gus latching onto his legs and pleading with him to teach them a new fighting move. Nyssa offering him the last of Leo’s tacos, Butch accompanying him silently on supply runs, Grover playing them all songs on his pipes on quiet night - Jason can hear the music now, slow and mournful, the sound of wind making its way through the leaves of a tree, the sound of water trickling over rocks.

Bunker Nine is family. Bunker Nine is all of these things, and more, but mostly it is Piper, holding out her hand in front of the Bunker Doors, kissing him lightly and welcoming him home.

ch5 (I CANT CHOOSE)

He’d…he’d just wanted to be loved so much, had assumed he would remain without having felt it for the rest of his days, and all along he hadn’t noticed he’d had it since forever. There’s love in the way Jason had clapped his back, so hard that he nearly went flying every time. There’s love in how Annabeth rolls her eyes at his jokes, in how she nags him to stop stealing all the spare paper. There’s love in how Beckendorf forces him to take breaks in between projects, and love in the way each of his siblings come sit next to him silently when he’s working. There’s love in how Hazel and Frank hug him, so hard that they nearly crack his ribs. There’s love in how Festus creaks happily at the sight of him, wires in his head sparking with joy. There’s love in how each and every one of them have each other’s back, and how they’d do anything to keep each other safe. And Leo – he loves them, too. Like, so fucking much, man.

His mother. His father. The cabin. The sea. The screeing of seagulls, the heaviness in the air, the way seafoam would gather on his little feet as though trying to keep him there. “I’m going to Bunker Three,” he says. “I’m going home.”

“I know we lost last time, but this War…this feels different.” She steps forward, her whole body tingling at the rush of energy that’s suddenly picked up in the room. “I know you feel it too – every line of the Prophecy coming alive. This is it, guys. We get to finally take our fate in our own hands. We finally get to spill all the dust and ichor that have caused us pain for so many years. We get to avenge the deaths of our friends, brothers, sisters, parents. We get to win.”

 Her thoughts, which had a certain dispiriting quality to them, lift, now, leaving her marveling at how the tiniest sliver of hope - hope for a future beyond the War, hope where a stupid old prophecy will not dictate their lives – can make her this happy.

They’re all too fucking young for this.

Percy is one of the most powerful demigods of their age, and the way he looks at her…the way he holds her? It makes Annabeth feel powerful, too.

Whatever the outcome of this battle is, Hazel thinks, at least they’ll finally be free.

It’s a silly little joy of his, he guesses. Making people laugh. It’s…it’s always made him feel wanted, feel like a part of the group. Every group of friends needs a Funny One, and that’s Leo.

He…loves himself. Kind of. Leo’s got a complicated relationship with himself, because, like Percy had said, he doesn’t think he’ll ever really forgive himself for letting his mom die. But…it’s taken many years of hating how he looked in the mirror, and hating the fire that would light up his fingertips unprompted, and hating how he never managed to do anything right, for him to finally accept himself for who he is. For him to…well, maybe not be super duper in love with himself, but be at peace with himself. And that’s what you’d call character development.

So, with Hazel’s dying breath, she and Nico will bring back Varus’ Fifth Cohort, and Frank will use the eagle to lead them into battle, clearing their name, and giving him the opportunity to show New Rome that he’s truly his mother’s son, capable of so much greatness. Her death will mean certain victory for their troops - if not for Percy. It’ll mean the start of a whole new chapter for New Rome. It’s the perfect plan. The perfect end to her story. “It’s sick,” she whispers, tipping her head back. Her tears wash down the sides of her face, and drops of them slip into her ears, curving around her head and into the mess of her hair. She is so angry, so sad. She wants to live in this brave new world, after all, with her hand in Frank’s and the sun shining on her back, filling her up with warmth. “It’s sick, isn’t it, the way it all works out so perfectly.” And Nico smiles, sardonic, and pats her shoulder. “That’s life, I guess, Hazel,” he says, a little sadly. “That’s life.”

“OF COURSE THERE IS!” Frank yells, so loud that the trees around them shiver. “Of COURSE there’s a choice, Hazel, and you’re choosing to DIE!” And there it is, finally, out in the open, screamed raw into the universe, writing it into history. Hazel is choosing to die. Again.

Like a dream, like a memory, Percy imagines hands placed across theirs. Jason’s large one, Leo’s bony one, Hazel’s delicate one, Nico’s pale one, Bianca’s clever one. His mother’s hand, a little wrinkled with age, but with love packed in every touch. So gentle, so kind. They all add strength to his own, filling him with courage. 

"Prove me wrong, Annabeth, Percy. Show me how you’ll make things better."

They crash together like two collapsing stars, and the universe falls away, leaving just them and a fierce, unspoken relief that fills Percy up with a coiling, growing warmth.

“He is not who I would choose for you, Annabeth. But he is, indeed, the best choice.”

Percy watches the stars twinkle and listens to the sound of the rustle in the trees, and tries to think about a life where he needn’t constantly be on his toes, a life where he won’t have to worry about a destiny and a Prophecy, a life where he and Annabeth could build a home.

epilogue:

He supposes – and is slowly coming to accept – that this fear might be so etched in him, so deep-seated that nothing will truly remove it from him. But he’s trying to remember Leo’s words. That fire isn’t just something that takes away, but it is heart and light and warmth and happiness. It’s camaraderie and kinship and deep bonds. It’s love.

Whatever he does, now, wherever he goes – he will never be alone again.

Time, she supposes, will go on.

In the end, there isn’t much they can do to fix the hurt. She supposes it’ll always be a part of her. But she gives her own explanations and apologies, and he does the same, and they just – choose each other, and they choose to move forward, and that means the world to her.

And so, with smiles that shine and feet that intertwine and hands that have held up the sky, Percy and Annabeth start making plans.

Maybe…just maybe, one day, he won’t have to look back.

again, pls feel free to choose your own!!! and thank you <333

[raining-tulips]

Destiny 2 Deck of Whispers Oracle/Tarot Card Meanings

For those that play destiny 2 and bought the deck of whispers, and were wanting to use it in oracle and tarot readings, I have tried my best to create some meanings to attach to the cards based on the game's lore. I have only played d2 for a few years, but my bf whose played since the dawn of d1 helped me out.

Of course, these are just my interpretations based on the game and my expierence in the spiritual community. Feel free to add your own, share an idea in a comment, etc.

I The sisters - femininity, power in three, three, Hecate, the non-nurturing mother but the protective one, knowledge, partnership, family, sacrifice, transformation, growth, regrowth, starting over, hatred

II The witch - Savathun, lies, deception, cunning, trickery, buried honesty or honesty hidden in riddles, riddles, confusion, trust vs. untrusting, getting what you want, manipulation, taking what you want, dark mother, cost of change, cost of growth

III The adherent - (these are dedicated snipers) focus, dedication, aiming, all for a particular goal. Tunnel vision. Setting your mind to something, rigidity, stubbornness, inaction, stagnation. Goal setting, productivity.

IV The harbinger - Eris Morn, witchy, magic, prophecy, foresight, divination, knowledge, sacred, divinity, mediums and mediumship, listening for signs and messages, similiar to the judgement card, announcements. Vengeance, justice, fighting for what's right.

V Blades - sword logic, control, what you are willing to do to feed someone/something, are you balancing between give/take, death, death of self, war, aggression, internal hunger, gnawing hunger/gnawing desire

VI Lacuna - void. Gravity, time, distortion, manifestation, emptiness, nothingness, and thus infinite possibility, death, negation, the unknown. Safety in the unknown. Pause. Invisibility, moving without being seen, keeping secrets for good reasons.

VII Liminal - arc. Electricity, shocking, wake-up calls, unexpected, static, messages through the air, sudden realizations and epiphanies, things clicking into place, inner knowledge, intuition. Change is inevitable and needed.

VIII Ascension - solar, fire element and everything associated with fire. Passion, energy, movement, anger, creativity, power, fortitude, inner child, children (think the sun and strength cards). Destruction and creation.

IX Lament - Oryx, Trans people and trans rights. Masculinity. Divine masculine. Absolute destruction. Feeling like you break everything. Hurt, pain, grief. How strong is your will? Are you being influenced by others? Defeating/breaking boundaries of outside influences. Freedom from chains. Terrible-truth. How knowledge changes you.

X The lie - the Witness telling Savathun the Traveler was bad, thus making them turn to the worm. Lies, deception, darkness, otherness, gossip, outside-influences, expectations, society, disagreements and disputes. Chaos. Relying too much on others, gullibility.

XI The Truth - The traveler chose the hive, unexpected decisions/consequences, deception, lies coming to light, moon tarot card, there is no correct path only results of choices, choices,

XII The Wish - Ahamkara, bargaining/trading, blend of light and dark balance- manipulate and use both. Unlimited possibilities, dreams coming true, love, uniqueness and creativity