#league of angels athena

[dannyphantom-justiceleauge]

So. We love the “Jason is Liminal/half-dead/a reverent” thing and having it affect his interactions with Danny.

But we are missing a great thing:

Hal Jordan was the Specter when he was Dead. Hal was half of one of the most powerful supernatural beings in the DC universe. The Spector, who was only outlived by Wonder Woman in the Future State comics. Hal was a ghost sharing a body with a ghost/Angel and actively reforming this vengeance being/spirit into a Justice Being/spirit.

I propose that Hal should be just as effected by Ghost King stuff or general Danny-Ghost-Weirdness.

Sorry it took so long to reply to your awesome ask.

But I'm not sure Ghost King! Danny would be able to sense the ghost-ness? of other characters in the DC universe since there are so many types of supernatural beings in the comics. I think it's a very cool idea but at the end of the day, a boy can only have so many powers. Would he know? Most likely. Would his ghost sense go off in his presence? I don't think it would. But this would be a really cool one shot. Danny just getting into the Big Hero League and he is now finding out there are a lot more living dead people than his small town self knew. If he could sense them all I think he would go crazy like he did with the Box Ghost.

Or

If there was another ghost of villain that could control the dead, maybe it would affect all the living dead characters in the DC universe and Danny would have to figure out a way to stop him from turning everyone into a full ghost. Potentially. Who knows, It would be really cool to see that though. But in my professional head canon opinion, I think some things are a good surprise for an up in coming hero.

-Athena the God of Headcanons.

[timelessxmemories]

Goddess/Legend!Lock AU:

Tags: @gmilfwhore , @cupid-beatricereden , @ghostlyplacetobe , @blackcatsnbooks

First off, songs suited to this AU of Lock.

All The Things She Said — Poppy

Hidden In The Sand — Tally Hall

Legends Never Die — League Of Legends

Warrior of The Mind - EPIC

I / Me / Myself — Will Wood

Hey Kids — Molina

Meteor Shower — Cavetown

Soldier Poet King — The Oh Hellos

She Used To Be Mine — Waitress

History Hates Lovers — Oublaire

Panic Room — Au/Ra

Follow Me — TryHardNinja

A lot of people who believe in her legend calls her Goddess of Wisdom and Master of War. She's essentially the Athena in the FF7 universe.

Decades ago during the Renan War (A group of knights and lords decided fuck you and began attacking all of the citizens for some dumbass reason.) Lock managed to take out an entire Empire in Y'sov, Gaia in the year 32 BCE So it was.. a long time ago to put it simply.

On top of all of that she ended up saving millions of innocent lives during the Renan War by creating something by the name of: The Life Crystal which ended up being the soul of Gaia.

The Life Crystal once every year is lit up in blue flames and a moment of silence is held out of respect for its life and soul. And then a celebration is held which is named: The Butterfly Rebirth. The Life Crystal is located somewhere outside of Junon in a cave named: The Moon Cave. The Moon Cave is a widely known area. It's considered a sacred place.

Lock supposedly died after sacrificing herself using her magic: Sacrificial Resurrection. However, she didn't die, she disappeared, the legends say that her body was never found. Little to their knowledge she's been here this whole time, hiding her identity and keeping herself hidden away from any unsuspecting people.

A lot of people all over the world looked up to her and still do to this day. Nobody knows whether or not she actually existed except for herself of course.

Due to all of the deaths from her taking down an entire Empire and her having the blood on her hands, after it happened all she could do was stare at her blood-stained hands and scream in terror. She still feels that guilt to this day.

She uses two particular spells that have MAJOR significance to her character:

Day of Reckoning: Casts a spell that uses dark magic which turns the sky dark and casts shadows around her figure, this spell resembles the Hell that she's been put through over and over again, this spell allows her to put the opponent in a trance to her advantage.

Sacrificial Reasoning: Casts a spell that uses holy magic which turns the sky into an almost sunset colour and causes angel feathers to fall from the sky resembling her angel wings and the kindness and compassion she's shown for those around her, this spell allows her to calm the opponent down to her advantage.

[ao3feed-toshinko]

My Hero Academia: Rise of the Timekeepers

by Seasprin

In a world where 80% of the world's population have powers called "Quirks" Some use it for good, others use it for evil. But what if I told you there was a special quirk that no one knows about? A quirk that doesn't include in the 80% of the world's population? The Time Quirk.

Upon the The League of Villains kidnapping Katsuki Bakugou, a time anomaly had occurred. Making the villains more powerful and dangerous. It is now no longer just in the hands of the pro heroes and Class 1A to stop them. They now require the help of a group of individuals known as the "Timekeepers" Their sole purpose in life, is to use their Time Quirk to make sure the timeline goes exactly the way it's supposed to.

And now, the number 1 Timekeeper, the strongest of them all, must now help and protect Class 1A from the Villains.

That number 1 Timekeeper is a 16 year old girl by the name Makana Graves, from the United States. She tries very hard to do her job but there are certain obstacles that stand in her way. And maybe along the way, she'll find out her own future that she has been dying to know all her life.

WARNING: CONTAINS ADULT THEMES THAT ARE NOT SUITED FOR AGES UNDER 18.

Words: 1092, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), Loki (TV 2021), The Sandman (TV 2022), Lucifer (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Bakugou Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Class 1-B (My Hero Academia), Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Inko, Sensei | All For One, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Set (Ancient Egyptian), Horus (Ancient Egyptian), Osiris (Ancient Egyptian), Isis (Ancient Egyptian), Hades, Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy (Character), Easter Bunny (Character), Athena (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Thoth (Ancient Egyptian)

Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki/Original Female Character(s), Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Original Female Character(s), Todoroki Shouto/Original Female Character(s), Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks, Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Tokoyami Fumikage/Original Character(s)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, bakudeku, bakudekutodo, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Eating Disorders, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Multiverse, tododeku - Freeform, todobaku, BakuDekuTodoOC, Soulmates, Angels, Religion, Mythology References

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54518653

[the-antiapocalyptic-man]

What is the headverse's King Faraday like?

Weird

uh, to elaborate: I've taken the idea of Faraday as DC's Nick Fury (something Waller's largely supplant him in) and run with King as a fun house mirror version of Fury.

His entry point in the AU is being the partner to Special Agent Calvin Swanwick, The Bronze Wraith aka J'onn. A lot of my characterization of Faraday spins out of his relationship with J'onn, since he's well aware they're definitely weird and probably an alien, but never rats them out. Not because it's useful having a Superman-level being in his back pocket, but bc he just likes them. Which is good, because King does some fairly heinous shit to people he doesn't like.

I see Faraday as a character of extremes. He's cordial, caring--loving, even--with two daughters (Angel and Athena) he cares out, he's artistic, just a general renaissance man, but he's also a bolt cutters and electrical wires guy. He's an unhinged black ops creep who happily sells any meta (or even just costumed baseline) to Waller for no other reason than he sees her personal army as useful for his own ends.

If anything, the biggest mistake Waller makes is freezing King out of her presidential administration, so he doesn't stop her publicly debuting Slade on her Justice League of America, rolling out into Markovia's invasion of the US.

He also writes comics with his daughter Angel's partner, Sam Simeon.

[meyhew]

seed i need you to know i have stored in my head any info i came across about your novel and whatever you want to share abt it (even just a lil detail you wrote lately) pleeeease share it i am so curious —lyde

LYDE 🥹 well firstly here are my beloveds (zahra & connor in the foreground, musa with his angel wings in the back)

the details are still very much coming to me at odd times but i can tell u that it follows zahra & connor (and musa) thru their late teens and 20s. i dont wanna spoil the plot but it's basically wrong person, wrong time then right person, tragedy strikes then right person, right time.

u can have a little bit of connor's backstory as a treat he's a rich white boy who means a lot to me <3

Athena was the first person Connor confided in when he applied to Boston University. He knew he couldn’t go directly to his parents. His mother might have understood, but there would have been no reasoning with his father. It was a fight he didn’t want to have then and there was no reason to have it; it would only be real if the university accepted Connor. 

Of course, there was no real possibility of them rejecting him. His academic record was stellar, his extracurriculars were exemplary, and his family pedigree spoke for itself. Even the essay he’d written had gotten a stamp of approval from several adults at school.

“Dad won’t be happy,” Athena had told him, though she needn’t have. Connor already knew that. 

“He never is,” he’d said. 

There was little he could do that would make Wallace Carter happy. 

But he had been living by their rules his entire life. He had gone to the schools they picked for him and practiced the sports they wanted him to and learned the instruments they thought he should play. Every aspect of his life up until now had been carefully curated by them, with little to no effort or real involvement. They thrusted all the responsibility onto Cadence.

Connor would be eighteen soon. He would move out of this house and live on his own, regardless of where he went. He wanted that decision to be his. 

So he sat his parents down in the living room and presented them with his acceptance letters—from Duke, Stanford, and five Ivy’s. All the places he had applied to, bar his safety option.  

His father read each letter thoroughly, while his mother skimmed them all. She smiled warmly as she glanced at the letterheads and then got up to hug Connor. It was an awkward maneuver because Athena sat on the arm of the chair Connor was in, but he didn’t mind.  

“I’m so proud of you,” Marion said. 

He wanted to believe her, so he did. 

Then she went back and sat on the couch. They made a nice picture of success, the four of them: husband and wife side by side, their dutiful children across the room barely an arm’s length away from one another. It was a picture of success, if success were defined as a nuclear family in wealthy New England suburbs going through the youngest’s latest accomplishments. 

“Well done, son,” said Wallace. He regarded Connor with the same satisfaction one might hold for a dog that’s finally mastered a new trick. “You’ve nearly outdone your sister.” 

Nearly. Because Connor would always fall short of besting Athena. 

Athena had applied to and been accepted to all eight Ivy Leagues. She hadn’t entertained the notion that she might not get in. She hadn’t had a safety net. Then she went on to study neuroscience at Brown. 

Connor wasn’t upset about it. It wasn’t his goal to outdo his sister. He knew she was the smarter sibling and he didn’t see why he should bend over backwards trying to prove himself when he was already secure in his intelligence. 

That didn’t stop the backhanded compliments from cutting just deep enough.

“Have you given any thought to where you might go?” Wallace asked. “Dartmouth isn’t too far and they always loved your grandfather. There’s a legacy there.” 

Yes, the legacy. Connor grew up hearing about the legions of Carter men and women who attended Dartmouth College. He’d seen countless grayscale and sepia photographs of family members past in gowns and graduation caps. 

He didn’t want his own face to be added to the pile. 

“Actually,” he started. 

Stopped. 

The weight of his father’s stare was too expectant and the words clogged his throat. 

Then his sister’s foot pressed against his shin. He realized he’d been bouncing his leg alarmingly fast. 

“They won’t be able to stop you,” Athena had said to him a week ago. “They’ll give you a hard time and bitch about it for a while, but ultimately it’s up to you. They won’t make you not go to college.” 

Athena wasn’t the kind of person who said bitch about it very often. Connor had found it strangely, immensely comforting to hear. 

He squared his shoulders. “I was actually thinking about the Boston area.” 

“Well, sure, that’s just as good. Harvard has a stellar reputation, though, of course—” 

“Not Harvard, Dad. Boston as in Boston University.” 

Wallace Carter wasn’t taken aback by much, so it was a great feat that he was rendered utterly speechless. He looked back and forth between his children, like he expected them to start laughing and say Oh, we got you good! Then he looked at his wife, who simply blinked back at him. 

Finally his dark eyes settled firmly on his son. 

“Carters lead by example,” he said. “We invest in our education, and do so by entrusting the most prestigious institutions with it. Why on earth would you possibly want to attend a mediocre school when you can enjoy all the privileges and benefits that come with a place like Dartmouth?” 

This was a precarious line he stood on. Teeter too much one way or the other and he would fall over. 

“I’ve been to places like Dartmouth,” he said carefully. “All my life, the schools I’ve been to have been miniature Dartmouths and Harvards. I want to explore something new. I want to know how other people are living their lives.” 

Some muscle ticked in Wallace’s jaw. “You are not other people. You are a Carter and you will behave as such. We have invested too much in you.” 

“Invested? You mean you’ve given us the basic necessities all parents are to provide their children with?” 

“Son, you know we have done damn well more than that.” 

Athena’s voice cut in quietly, firmly. “Dad, don’t do that. Don’t make this about you.” 

“And who else should it be about? We pay for your education but we can’t express an opinion? We can’t guide you when we see you making erroneous decisions?” 

“He got in. He’s still good enough for your prestigious institutions. Why can’t he choose the one that makes him happy.” 

“It’s not about getting in. It’s about making a commitment to what is right,” Wallace explained as though he were speaking to a child and not his grown daughter. 

To Connor he said, “The son we raised would not disappoint us like this.” 

Connor slipped. Toppled over the tightrope.

“Because I’m not the son you raised. You didn’t raise me. Candace did.” 

There it was. The thing they never talked about. The thing none of them ever wanted to talk about. The thing that was so normal for them it had always been a nonissue, except for the times kids at schools asked why they never saw Connor’s parents.

[mischiefxmanagcd]

for @cehcelia. prompt:  My muse is dead. Tell me how yours is dealing with it.

Life never did give Harper a decent hand. Sure, her parents were decent people, though they’d had their own issues before everything that happened in Minnesota. Harper had been a good kid, until she’d gone in with the wrong crowd and found herself shipped off to a boarding school, where she spent less than a year before tragedy struck and she and Bobby were moving to Los Angeles for a fresh start.

Even here in LA, Harper hadn’t found it easy to fit in. She had way too much trauma in her background, and letting new people into her life was difficult. She kept away from most people at school, finding most of them pretentious. At first, she tried to keep her head down, not wanting to let people in and then have to face the inevitability of them leaving her one way or another. 

Eventually, she’d heard of a hockey league and signed up; it had always been her favorite pastime back home and hearing about California having a team had actually stirred up some excitement. It would also be the catalyst for her running into someone who would become an older sister to her. 

After a particularly gruesome game, which had ended with Harper in the emergency room with a couple of broken fingers, she’d been treated by Cecelia Carter. What started out as a simple treatment between doctor and patient would soon turn into something even bigger and better. It started after Bobby came home one day, telling Harper that Doctor Carter was wondering how her fingers were healing. The fact that a doctor - especially one in a busy hospital in Los Angeles - even remembered her as a patient, let alone her name, was astounding to the teenager. 

A few more incidents at hockey practices (and some run-ins with students at school) and Harper found herself getting further acquainted with Cecelia. The shift from simply being acquaintances to friends happened after Harper came in one day, complaining of stomach issues. It turned out to be nothing serious, but in the process, she admitted to the doctor that she thought it was likely from anxiety and stress. Her father was moving on with another woman and the teen wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Cecelia had listened, and then offered Harper her phone number. She had to go finish her shift, but promised to talk about this further with the brunette later. It was the start of the two bonding over their similar pasts. As time went on, the two became thick as thieves. Anytime Harper had an argument with her father, she ran to Cecelia’s place. She could talk to the doctor about things she couldn’t open up to anybody else about. 

Which made the news even more heartbreaking. 

When Bobby had walked in to the house, the look on his face gave away that something was wrong. He only had that particular grimace when there was something unpleasant he had to tell someone. Harper didn’t think too much about it, figuring it was something that had happened at work and he needed to speak with Athena about it when she got home later; but then he was coming over to Harper, and she could see the faintest trail of water on his cheeks and her heart skipped a beat.

“Who died?”

The question was blunt, but that look ... she could remember that same look from when he’d had to inform her of the death of her mother and siblings. It was a look she’d never forget, so seeing it again, her mind was already wondering who it was. 

“Just tell me,” she pleaded, needing to know. “Was it Hen? Buck? ...Athena?” The last name came out rather thickly, because she didn’t know if she could handle losing another mother.

“No, sweetheart ... it’s Cecelia, she...” Anything Bobby said after that fell on deaf ears. Harper heard the name and her head started spinning. Cecelia? No. She’d just spoken to her earlier that day, before her shift. That couldn’t be right. There was no way. This was some kind of joke. ...Right? 

Bobby was still talking, but Harper wasn’t listening. “I, I have to go,” she finally said, standing up, still not processing this as actually happening. Bobby didn’t want to let her leave but she was already out the door and in the car, driving the familiar route to Cecelia’s apartment. She should be home by now; her shift was over an hour ago. Harper was supposed to wait until she heard from her to make plans but she’d just assumed her shift had lasted longer.

By the time she was pulling into the parking lot outside the apartment buildings, she was imagining walking inside, laughing at how silly Bobby was. He had confused another person with Cecelia, clearly.

Using her spare key - the one Cee had given her when she was having a particularly rough time with Bobby, to use whenever she needed an escape, even if Cecelia wasn’t home - she opened the door, expecting to see her friend sitting on the couch, waiting for her; probably wearing one of the vast items of clothes Harper left here on a near daily basis.

But she wasn’t there.

“Cecelia? Cee - where are you?” 

No response.

Now she was starting to get worried. Pulling out her phone, she called the phone number she’d dialed early that morning, and waited, but all she got was the voice mail.

That wasn’t right, either. Cecelia always had her phone on. Even if it was on silent, she always left it on. A way to know if she’d been contacted and could call back later. 

She dialed again, and once more got the voice mail. A feeling of doom started to settle in Harper’s stomach. She closed her eyes, trying to recall what Bobby had been saying. Words that had been said, but not paid attention to. Maybe if she thought hard her brain would allow her to comprehend them now.

No, sweetheart ... it’s Cecelia, she was in a car accident. She didn’t make it. We tried everything we could, but she was already gone by the time we got to the scene. I’m so sorry.

As soon as what he’d said pierced her and she fully understood what had happened, Harper felt herself collapsing onto the couch behind her. The couch she’d been expecting to see Cecelia on. The couch that was made up from their late night talk the previous night. Pulling the blanket around her shoulders, Harper laid down on the sofa and cried.

[cfimpurities]

(—)   ♥   spotted!! everleigh sinclair on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 33 year old looks like blake lively, but i don’t really see it. while  the actress is known for being endearing my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be reckless i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song looking at me by sabrina carpenter  {she/her; female} - sushi

♥  𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 ,

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥   𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞   :   everleigh venus sinclair .  𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬   :   ev, evie, leigh .  𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞   :  november twenty third , nineteen eighty nine . 𝐚𝐠𝐞   :   thirty three .  𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞   :   los   angeles ,   california .  𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭  𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞   :   malibu ,   los   angeles .  𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫   :   cis   female . 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   :   heterosexual .

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬   :   patrick   sinclair ( actor ) , annalise hilton ( socialite ) .  𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬   :   unnamed   sinclair  ( younger brother ) .  𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫   𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲   :  persephone sinclair ( cousin ) , athena sinclair ( cousin ) ,  austen   sinclair   ( second cousin ) ,   archie   sinclair   ( second cousin ) .  𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬   :   english ,   french ,  italian   𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   :   actress  (career claim : keira knightley ).  𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   :   harvard business school (dropped out after first year .  𝐳𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜   :   sagittarius .  𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫   𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬   :    serena  van  der  woodsen  ( gossip  girl ) ,   thea queen  ( arrow ) ,   cassie howard   ( euphoria ) ,   natasha romanoff  ( mcu ) ,   meredith grey   ( grey’s anatomy ) ,    aria montgomery  ( pretty little liar’s ) ,   fiona gallagher  ( shameless )  .

♥  𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 ,

oldest child of actor patrick sinclair (rarely ever there father) and socialite annalise hilton (of the hilton hotel chain and overbearing mother)

was expected to take on the hotel chain at some point, even if she doesn’t want to

sent to an all girl’s boarding school, mother thinking she couldn’t possibly get into any trouble there, and yet everleigh brought her worst fears into fruition by sneaking out to parties, drinking under the age and getting high off of a multitude of drugs; gets caught her junior year and is subsequently expelled

homeschooling ensues for the last two years of high school; parents paying off the boarding school to remove the expulsion from her file to ensure she gets into an ivy league which she ultimately does; going on to study business at harvard, thousands of miles away from her mother much to everleigh’s relief, where she does everything but study quickly falling back into partying ways before convincing her father to help her get her first role in a movie which would end up being a one elizabeth bennett in pride & prejudice and ultimately dropping out of the ivy league school to begin her acting career.

at age 25, everleigh marries castmate, orlando bloom, after six months of dating ; it is unknown why the pair ultimately divorced a year later but it appears that the two are still friends

2016; everleigh is cast in jack ryan: shadow recruit opposite actor chris pine; the pair hit it off and began dating before getting married a year later. relationship lasts five years before they too are divorced; reasons are again unknown but pair still seems amicable

♥  𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐈𝐃𝐒 ,

once told her mother off at a debutante ball when she was 17

hasn’t spoken to either of her parents since she was 20

does not speak to persephone and athena’s parents either having not agree with how controlling they were over older cousin’s life

has been the face of many designer clothing lines

sinclair is the face of an Amnesty International campaign to support human rights  

co-hosted A Night to Remember, part of the Green Carpet Challenge, a charity event highlighting sustainability within the fashion industry.  

she backed Made By Dyslexia, a global campaign to help teachers address “dyslexic strengths”.  

she was confirmed as the new celebrity face of Chanel's perfume Coco Mademoiselle and has endorsed Chanel Fine Jewelry's collection Coco Crush  

was named amongst the most bankable actors in 2009 at the age of 20

won a libel case against the British tabloid Daily Mail after it falsely claimed that she had an eating disorder; turned around and donated the money to Beat, a charity for those with mental illness and eating disorders  

a man was sentenced to eight weeks in prison after harassing sinclair outside her home and stalking her in December 2016  

In April 2009, sinclair appeared in a video to raise awareness of domestic abuse entitled Cut shot for Women's Aid. The video created controversy, with some sources calling it too graphic, while other groups support the video for showing a realistic depiction of domestic violence. (rumors spread because of this which she has publicly addressed in regards to both orlando bloom and chris pine respectfully stating it was not her saying she had experienced it first hand in her own relationships but that she was merely trying to help raise awareness, to speak up for those who couldn’t.)

♥  Acting Career ,  

Upcoming

Boston Strangler Loretta McLaughlin Completed 2023

Past

Silent Night - Mell

Charlotte - Charlotte Salomon (Voice)

Misbehaviour - Sally Alexander

The Aftermath - Rachael Morgan

Berlin, I Love You - Jane

Official Secrets - Katharine Gun

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms - Sugar Plum

Colette - Colette

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Elizabeth Swann

Collateral Beauty - Amy

Everest - Jan Hall

The Imitation Game - Joan Clarke

Laggies - Megan

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Cathy Muller

Begin Again - Greta

Anna Karenina - Anna Karenina

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - Penny

A Dangerous Method - Sabina Spielrein

London Boulevard - Charlotte

Last Night - Joana

Never Let Me Go - Ruth

The Duchess - Georgiana

The Edge of Love - Vera Phillips

Atonement - Cecilia Tallis

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Elizabeth Swann

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Elizabeth Swann

Domino - Domino Harvey

Pride & Prejudice - Elizabeth Bennett

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Elizabeth Swann

[theherosreturn]

Athena, with a disturbingly genuine sense of curiosity and with Raven’s sword akin to a mere toy to her: Ozpin? I must say, that’s the first time I’ve heard of such a being. Perhaps after I’m finished with my plans for you, I should this “Ozpin” out…

After a moment of silence, with Raven’s futile attack proving useless against the Theos…

Athena: Of course, I must make it clear that I bear no such semblance as you know them as, not do I intend on gaining any. My magicks, powers you could not dare hope to understand if you solely think of this “Ozpin” as the sole source of magic, is more than sufficient for my end goals and needs. Maybe some experiments would help you understand this fact?

As she said this, what looked like effectively a twisted Angel appeared from literally nowhere behind the fallen Bandit leader and grabbed Raven by the back of her clothes, leaving her just able to swing her sword at Athena still, but with no effect even against the Theos’ skin. It was probably obvious that not even Salem compared to Athena, a being powerful enough to create functioning, living life from nothing. Nothing but her own Aether itself. The fact she had a gentle smile probably did nothing to help.

Raven, while barely hiding her fear now: Who...What are you?...What kind of monster are you....?!

???: "She" is one of my better investments apart of my league...*The fallen Bandit Leader soon felt that cold feeling of dread plunge itself into her like a dagger as she saw who it belonged too...* Hello Raven~...

*The one whose very presence could cause an entire room to be silent was a Maskra who wore spartan like armor, a spartan helmet with horns made entirely out of crystals, one arm made entirely out of pure corruption and Sadist Crystals, and a mask that was once used for a simple sport and is now the very symbol of the one who caused the world to become what it is now...Cosmic Sam, within his true form, had arrived to meet her personally*

Raven: You're with him?! (Cosmic Sam: Indeed and it seems you're still too energetic for your own good...We should fix that to properly do the procedure...) Do your worst!!...

[girlcalypso]

League of Angels lockscreens

→ like or reblog if you save

[buckleyblueyes]

For buddie: 23 & 56

Performer AU + Awful First Meeting. Yes, I did stretch the definition of "performer" and what about it?

Eddie "Diablo" Diaz is Major League Baseball's most infamous hothead. He's arrogant, he's obnoxious, and worst of all, after making baseball history by pitching three no hitters in a row, and leading the Texas Rangers to two consecutive world series titles, he might just be justified in thinking so highly of himself.

Of course, the people who know Eddie best, his family and his teammates, know better. The Eddie they know is a loving single father who is so insistent on not leaving his son alone that he hired a private tutor, Carla, to homeschool him, just so he can take Christopher with him when he has to travel for work without disrupting his education. The Eddie they know is funny and kind and would do anything to keep playing baseball.

Including pretending to be an asshole on national TV so the franchise can sell merchandise with "Diablo Diaz" and little devil horns on it--all the big players have personas, Eddie. If the Giants can sell stuffed pandas in little jerseys, we can sell the devil--and who is Eddie to say no when his contract is on the line? So, when the fans and camera are watching, Eddie becomes an entirely different person.

He'd hoped that getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers would be a fresh start for his public image, but unfortunately the team manager Athena has other ideas. She sought him out to intentionally stir up controversy (well, and because he's a great pitcher), and she's not about to pass up the opportunity to make money off the Diablo Diaz persona.

Luckily, his teammates all seem to understand that "Diablo" isn't really him. He makes fast friends with the Han brothers, Chimney and Albert (catcher and shortstop, respectively), and the team doctor Hen Wilson (if Eddie hadn't been drafted to the major league, sports medicine had been his backup), during Spring Training, and he feels more supported by Bobby Nash than he ever has by any of his previous coaches.

Opening Day at Dodger Stadium comes on a crisp April afternoon, and while Eddie is nervous to throw the first pitch, by the second inning he’s feeling a lot better. By the time Bobby pulls him out and puts in the relief pitcher, Ravi, he’s feeling pretty good. As he’s walking off the field between innings, though, his attention is caught by the mascot, a brown dog in a blue Dodgers uniform, who is waving him over. Eddie scoffs and shakes his head in an exaggerated fashion: Diablo Diaz doesn’t play with mascots. The mascot keeps trying, though, and so Eddie does something a little stupid and puts one leg out to purposefully trip the mascot. It’s a tried and true older brother move, one that Adrianna and Sophia hate. 

And it works. The mascot topples over into the dirt, and Eddie heads to the dugout. Chimney gives him an incredulous look and he just shrugs. He knows it was a little extreme, but he has a role to play here. 

A few weeks later, Chimney invites him out for drinks with Albert, Hen, Hen’s wife Karen, Chimney’s girlfriend, Maddie, and Maddie’s brother, Buck. Eddie accepts easily. Eddie has a great time. Well, almost. See, Karen and Maddie are great, but Buck? Buck won’t give Eddie the time of day. According to everyone else, he’s a human golden retriever, sunshine personified. But for some reason he just hates Eddie’s guts. 

It’s a damn shame, since the man is drop dead gorgeous.  

After a few similar outings and gatherings, Eddie finally snaps. “What’s your problem, man?” “Okay, you. You’re my problem.” “Why?! What did I ever do to you?” “Seriously? Maybe if I lie down face first on the clay, you’ll recognize me then!” Buck stalks off, and oh. Oh. Oh, fuck. 

Buck’s the mascot. Eddie flashes back to the look Chimney had given him on Opening Day and suddenly it all falls into place. Immediately he goes to find Chimney. “Why didn’t you tell me Buck was the mascot?!” “I thought you knew...” “No! You said he was an actor!” “Well, he is.” 

So, now Eddie knows why Buck hates him, but he’s not really sure what he can do about it besides try to show Buck that he’s not actually an asshole. But it’s hard to do that when so many of their interactions involve Buck in a ridiculous mascot costume and Eddie contractually obligated to be a dick. Eventually it comes to a head on the 4th of July. 

Eddie is ducking out of the team party early, and Buck just can’t help but make a snide remark. “Too good to hang out with the rest of us?” he sneers. Eddie grits his teeth. “Actually, I have to go home to my son.” Buck looks shocked. “You’ve got a kid?” 

“Christopher, he’s my world.” He shows Buck a picture on his phone. 

“He’s super adorable, I love kids.” Buck’s entire demeanor has softened now, to the point where Eddie thinks he might be receptive to an apology, so he sighs and puts his phone away.. 

“Look, I’m sorry about how I act during games, and about tripping you. But you have to know that it’s all a performance. A marketing scheme. It’s not really who I am.” 

“Oh.” Buck shakes his head. “I feel really dumb now.” 

“Don’t worry about,” Eddie smiles. “Let’s just start over. Friends?” 

Buck shakes his hand and returns his smile. “Friends.” 

Of course, the “friends” thing can only last so long because Buck is, as previously mentioned, gorgeous. But he’s also thoughtful and sweet and endearingly dorky now that he doesn’t think Eddie is a total dickhead, not to mention Christopher adores him. So, yeah, Eddie’s a goner. Lucky for him, it kinda seems like Buck might be just as gone. 

They’re together by post-season. Somehow, Albert won the bet. 

[kiatheinsomniac]

Huntress IV

[ I ]  [ II ]  [ III ]  [ IV ]

Every single one of her hairs stood on end as she sat in the corner of the room on the floor, stressing. She had given into the vampire, yes, but that didn't mean that she had any intention of staying true to her word. She had been on this journey far too long to just cut it short now. She needed vengeance.

But she was in a corner both physically and mentally. Her hands raked through her loose (h/c) tresses as she kept her knees close up to her chest. It was something she did to calm her stress: get somewhere where she knew she could be safe and just think.

Ezio had told her to meet him later that night at a particular church on the west side of the city. She didn't know what to do. He had played to some of her deepest desires perfectly and knew exactly what she had been yearning to hear for years. But that didn't mean she trusted him. Why would he promise her, specifically, a safe life if his goals were freedom for all unless he had a hidden agenda? Once more, she lacked every piece to this elaborate puzzle. The light of the fireplace quickly began to take over the golden light of the setting sun that was slipping down over the horizon - making the sky seem like one of the paintings that (Y/n) had seen in Leonardo's workshop earlier that day.

Her heart and mind were torn. Hell, she didn't know what her heart wanted anymore. She previously thought that it wanted vengeance for her coven but now, it seemed to sing a different song: one of an easier life where she would be safe and cared for, free to be who she was without being killed the way her sisters were; free to love and be loved and to not have to think of all the innocent blood that was being spilt each and every day.

Yet, her mind was in disagreement. It wanted to finish this long quest, saying she would never truly be at peace until it was done. It said that humans and witches alike would be so much safer with the vampires gone. It told her that no one would care for her because of the path she had chosen to go down and that her best possible future was to finish this journey and be at peace in solitude after.

Ezio most certainly had not been wrong when he told her that she was in over her head. She had since snooped around the Doge's study again and had uncovered letters and pages about his plans - even the Pope was involved! She was merely a witch hunter, not an assassin, not a Templar, not a monumental leader. Should she just continue to play her part then? To kill the vampire and return home, leaving the Templars to rule over Italy then surely the rest of the world soon after? Or should she finally allow change? To help Ezio and secure freedom? Wasn't that the whole stigma of her revenge? Lack of freedom? Injustice?

Her head swam with a million questions. She could not distinguish between truth and lies at this point, this damn puzzle seeming impossible and as though it was made only to be swiped off a desk in the frustration of its impossibility.

She shot up to her feet and began pacing up and down the room rapidly. No! Her heart was foolish, her heart desired to love another and to be loved, to lead a happy and unbothered life. She knew that being a witch forbade this, it isolated her from society but she refused to give up who she was so she would simply have to continue playing her part. She knew where Ezio would be tonight. She had to end this.

♰♰♰

(Y/n) had since explained to the Doge that she had encountered the vampire while out in the city, being very careful in the way she narrated her story by leaving out any incriminating details. He had given her command over a league of guards who would be able to assist her in attacking the church, trapping the vampire inside then killing him.

The witch hunter had supplied the guards with smoke bombs and cherry bombs. Vampires had heightened senses so taking sight away could throw them off and bright flashes of light or sudden loud sounds could stun them momentarily. There were very few advantages when fighting a creature that was biologically superior in strength and sensitivity to humans, but (Y/n) had learned throughout her career to take what she could get and to make the very most out of those few precious moments which they provided.

She stood alone, the tall abandoned church dwarfing her figure. Shadows whispered and clung to the buildings like an audience anticipating the spectacle that was soon to unfold before their eyes.

The Doge’s men were hidden in nearby alleys, prepared to attack at the first suspicious noise. (Y/n) lifted her hand and beat her fist down on the large doors, causing one of them to creak open on rusted hinges, the sound echoing through the hall inside and the deathly silent streets outside, running along the cobbles and dissolving into alleys.

“Ezio? I’m here as you asked!” She called inside. She had to lure him out because she knew all too well that she could be easily taken by surprise if she entered.

“Come in, dolcezza!” His voice drawled from inside. But she could hear in his voice that he knew, she could feel it in the air.

Something powerful urged her to look up, to slowly raise her head to a statue of an angel that was perched on a ledge high up on the entrance. Beside the angel sat a woman.

Her hair was not styled, therefore, freely fell around her shoulders to her midriff. It was a toned-out brown and her skin was pale as the patched autumn moonlight. Her eyes were a vibrant green that glowed, letting off their own light and applying the only colour that she could bear. Her neck was tilted to the side at an angle and upon closer inspection, (Y/n) could see two punctures over her artery. 

Her first thought was that this naked woman was a vampire — Ezio’s accomplice and possible lover. But then the familiarity of her caused the witch hunter to freeze momentarily.

Elizabetta.

‘Leave’ she mouthed, her voice reduced to silence for the ears of a witch.

“Are you not coming in?” She was snapped back to reality by Ezio’s voice. She could see his figure in the shadows just past the threshold of the door, he reached out to offer her a hand.

“No, I want to discuss this matter with you outside.” (Y/n)’s (e/c) orbs flickered back up to Elizabetta, only to find that she was gone.

“Do not pay her any attention, she likes to play tricks.” Ezio smiled, knowing that the ghost of his victim would try to foil his plans by warning the hunter of how out of her depth she was yet again. 

“Could you step outside?” She asked again. Ezio sighed.

“No, I feel safer here and I am the one being hunted, after all.”

“So you invite the hunter into your home?” She contrasted. 

He wasn’t the one being hunted here. 

It took a mere second for her own words to sink in before he lunged forward and grabbed her arm, tugging her inside and throwing her to the floor. He knew exactly what she would do and had been anticipating an attack.

(Y/n) jumped to her feet a drew her sword.

“There are men coming now!” She exclaimed, hoping to alert the armed guards. The sound of running steps outside made her relieved.

“Wonderful.” The vampire spread his arms as he backed up to the end of the church, the doors flying open.

They were there but not. None of them wanted to be seen so (Y/n) was unable to notice them as she had with Elizabetta but they were all there: ghosts. Ragged spirits with the crooked necks of all ages and appearances. Yet they all looked the same to her: a blur of invisibility with little sparks of amber. Her mouth fell open. The guards would be utterly unaware of them.

The witch hunter tried to keep her eyes on the door without turning her back to Ezio.

“Stop!” She yelled, “They're ghosts every—“ but the guards had already come pouring in. They were violently dragged inside, toes barely scraping the floor before they were smashed into walls and the floor, two even being flung to the ceiling and cracking the plaster before falling to their deaths.

The sight of a soldier’s ghost smashing a guard’s helmet in on the floor until it broke his skull made her feel sick. She turned back to Ezio who looked disappointed.

“I truly wanted to help you, mia bella.” He sighed, drawing his own sword from his hip, “We could have made the world a much better place together but instead, you stand by those who would end you. Why?”

She didn’t want him questioning her personal choices, to know what made her who she was, so she chose to lunge at him instead, swords clashing.

The blades locked for a moment and they were pushed closer to one another, her eyes scorching with murder and lust of vengeance as they met his.

“You smell of cinnamon. Have you called the goddess of war to aid you?” He smirked, withdrawing and they circled the other while the guards struggled to face their unseen enemies. “Your gods are dead.” He taunted, trying to get her angry enough to slip up. But her swordsmanship skills were impeccable.

“The new god is false. Fake gods are paid for with wine and song, the true gods take blood and fire.” Her teeth gritted as she swung her blade. She didn’t plan on speaking again, it would only allow him under her skin which is exactly what he wanted. 

“Oh, I hear your gods take many things. How I’d love to watch you worship Venus or Eros.” Her eyes flared and cheeks flushed at this, flustered and angered all at once. “Just give up and come to me, you know you want to. You want me to hold you while you tremble and tell you that everything’s alright, that it’s all over.”

Those last three words made her heart ache. Even out of context, that was all she needed to hear. But she couldn’t relent, not when she was this close.

He went to slash at her while she had no time to use her sword as a defence.

“Athena!” She cried out. Instead of losing her arm, Ezio’s blade came down on an arm guard that gleamed goldenly and let off a faint light. An owl’s eye was carved into it alongside other intricate Greek patterns. She kept her eyes on him.

“You cannot see the gift you’ve been given, can you?” He spoke as he withdrew the blade and the bracers vanished.

“I feel them!” She growled as she stepped forwards, sword poised. Calling on such divine favour drained her of almost all the energy at once and she knew that she had to end this fight fast.

(Y/n) made a risk in prying his sword from his hand and tossing her own one behind her shoulder but it paid off. He no longer had a sword and would have to rely on weapons that weren’t as long-range.

Before he could pull out a dagger, she rammed her shoulder into him and sent him stumbling to the floor. As she fell, she threw his sword out of reach and flung herself at him. She landed, straddling his waist, and pulled out a stake from a pouch on her belt.

The hunter gripped it tightly in her hands and raised it over her head, poised to strike. Quick as a viper, she brought it down, only to freeze just as it was about to come into contact with his clothing.

She couldn’t move.

Her eyes widened in panic as she tried to bring it down into his heart, only to remain frozen. She tried getting off his lap but couldn’t move anything other than her eyes.

“Oh, carissima, did you really think I’d let you kill me?” He laughed deeply, the sound rumbling in his chest. “No, no.” She slowly stood up against her will and stripped herself of all her weapons. “You have so much to learn still. You have to find out for yourself that it is best we work together.” He reached forward to caress her cheek with his knuckles, ever so lightly stroking her skin. "You'll see that you're on the wrong side. I'll come back for you, I promise." With that said, he took her jaw in his hand and pressed his palm to her skin.

A terrible pain bloomed in her head and she let out a cry before darkness took over. Clever, he had caused her body to shut itself down.

Robes swirling in the night's breeze, Ezio gathered up all of his papers and fled into the night under the obscurity of darkness.

♰♰♰

The last three days had been hell.

When (Y/n) awoke, she was chained in a prison cell under the accusation of witchcraft that the few remaining guards had witnessed. The number of witnesses confirmed that there would be no trial before her execution.

She just prayed that they wouldn't burn her.

The hunter had demanded to speak to the Doge over and over, only to be told that he dismissed each and every one of her requests; 'too busy' the guards had told her.

She was beginning to feel filthy in that small cell with no bath and its dirty floors. The poor excuse for a bed had left her with aching limbs - it was merely a sack of straw on a wooden board.

The brick walls were covered in grime and the small barred window only allowed light in once afternoon had passed. Currently, she sat in near darkness, the candle burning low on the bare desk. (Y/n)'s ears picked up the jingling of keys contrasting the silence, echoing off her cell's walls. She jumped to her feet, hoping for her request for a meeting to have been fulfilled or, even better, to be given a drink.

She hastily got up, facing the door and readying herself for whatever could be waiting on the other side of that damaged, thick wood. Her legs felt weak and her stomach ached for something other than the measly slice of bread which she was given each evening.

Her hair had become greasy and her skin was dirty from the unclean environment which she was being held in. She regretted ever taking baths for granted. On the other side of the door was the guard captain whom she had only ever spoken to when she had to arrange the attack on the church that had got her into this mess.

Her arm was roughly grabbed and her hands were bound behind her back as she was forced out of the cell.

"The date's been moved." Was all he said.

"To when?" She replied in a weak voice. She already knew the answer and the last thing she wanted was to hear him say it but she needed confirmation of her worst fears.

"Now." The guard replied harshly as he dragged her through the dirty corridors of cells. (Y/n)'s eyes burned with tears, the grime-coated stone blurring to a murky grey around her. She had thought that she would be strong enough to not cry, but now that death was looking her in the eye, she realised that she had been foolish to think she would keep her chin up.

'Don't burn me, don't burn me, don't burn me'

The words were a mantra in her mind as she prayed to each and every deity she could name, hoping that one of them would hear her and rescue her from her fate. But she could feel nothing over the fear which swallowed her whole, making her fall to her knees as a sob escaped her and the captain had to pull her to her feet again as they began to descend a flight of stairs.

She was taken out into the courtyard where a line of guards stood to attention on the right. To the left, the Doge stood alongside a priest. He had a nonchalant expression on his face, knowing he was killing both a witch and a loose end to the Templar Order. (Y/n) fell to her feet again when she saw what had been set up in the middle of them all: a wooden beam, standing upright with kindling around its base.

They were going to burn her.

She was dragged back to her feet as the light of the sun began to slip down over the horizon, painting the world fiery reds and oranges; much like the fire that would soon consume the young woman. That was it, she couldn't bear it.

She had been weakened in the last three days but that didn't stop her from trying to fight back. She tried to run back inside, to escape the guard's grip. But he grabbed her by the hair and pushed her to the ground, kicking her in the side before grabbing her bound wrists and pulling her up once more now that she was too sore to fight back, pain blooming over her ribs and making her cry as she was dragged over to what would be her deathbed. She refused to take a step, her feet scraping against the ground. Eventually, she was being bound to the wood and blessed with holy water as the last of the sun's light died behind the horizon, letting way to a dark sky of stars.

"Hurry up!" The Doge snapped, looking around the area. (Y/n)'s brows furrowed as her head began to ache from her crying, chest shuddering with each breath, lungs beginning to feel like lead. Why was he so paranoid? Why had he sped up the execution date? So many similar questions filled her mind before she realised what the answer was. The words echoed through her mind - his words:

"I'll come back for you, I promise."

Was he coming to save her? Is that why the Doge was so hastily trying to get rid of her? She could only hope that he would be here soon if he was, in fact, going to try and rescue her.

Her questions were answered when three guards fell to their knees, eyes bulging and blood dribbling from their lips in thick tendrils. The last rays of sunlight were gone. A torch was thrown to her feet and fear gutted her insides as she felt the heat sear at her ankles and lick up her calves.

The arguments of metal rang in the evening air but grew lost to her screams of agony as her skin blistered with the ever-growing heat and invading flames. She struggled and fought with all her might but the past few days had weakened her significantly.

The smoke assaulted her eyes, forcing her to close them against the pain as her cries were broken by the coughs provoked by her lungs filling with that very smoke.

She hadn’t noticed that the noise had stopped, only that she had fallen forwards into the kindling which danced with flames and heat, further burning her body. Though, she was quickly pulled from those hot tendrils, her pain intensifying when she felt hands on her severely burned legs, patting out the fire and suffocating it but prodding the burns painfully nonetheless.

She continued to sob and cry out in protest against the agony until she could open her (e/c) eyes, meeting the familiar dark brown ones that belonged to Ezio. He held her close to him with one arm while the other cupped her face, making sure she kept her eyes open.

“You’ll be ok. I’ll get you to a doctor. You’re safe.” He soothed her as he picked her up bridal style, a yelp escaping her throat when her burned flesh knocked against the fabric of his clothes, feeling like salt being rubbed into her wounds.

“Where’s the Doge?” She asked weakly.

“He got away but I’ll get him another time. You need a doctor.” She now regretted betraying him. When they first met, he told her that he would kill her if she remained in his way. She had planned a direct attack on him no less than three days ago and now he was the one saving her life when the people she had betrayed him for were the ones who had planned her execution.

“We’ll get him.” She corrected, taking a deep, shuddering breath and closing her eyes, “You were right. I should have—“

“Now’s not the time for that. We need to get your wounds treated.”

♰♰♰

Ezio sat beside her as she rested on the bed at the infirmary. He had cleaned her face with a damp cloth, carefully brushed her hair for her and made sure there was something prepared for her to eat and drink for when she woke.

He softly squeezed her hand and could feel the pulse thrumming in her fingers. It was dark in the room, minus the dim moonlight that filtered in through the window, summoning obscurity around the edges of the room. The light reflected from the water below into the window, causing silver-blue ripples to dance on the walls like an organised dance at midsummer.

He watched her gently stir, the breath of air that she took in as she awoke and how her lashes fluttered momentarily. She opened her eyes only to be greeted by more darkness, eyes yet to adjust to take in the dim light in the room. But (Y/n) could feel his cold hand holding hers and she brought it up to her chest, tucking it under her chin and closing her eyes again in thought. “Ezio. . .” She sighed, knowing it was him.

However, he withdrew his hand to light a candle and pass her a glass of water which she accepted gratefully.

He took it from her when she was finished and she pushed herself up to sit. She noticed that he reached forwards, hands ready to catch her or ease her back down if necessary. His eyes held worry for her and she didn’t fail to notice.

“Are you alright, mia bella?” He asked, having been reminded first-hand of how fragile mortality was.

She nodded her head, “It still hurts but it’s not as bad as when it happened.”

“Do you want something to eat?” She looked up eagerly to the orange that he offered her and she took it, uttering a ‘thank you’. She began to think as she peeled it.

“Why did you come back for me?” She asked as she reached over to drop the peel piece into the empty glass.

“Because you deserved a second chance. You were so out of your depth that the water was blinding you to what was truly at play.”

“Poetic.” She teased with a little smile as she pulled out the first segment. He chuckled.

“Really though, I knew that you had no idea what was going on. All you knew was that the Doge had something to hide and you had a vampire to kill, no?” She went silent for a moment before nodding her head, taking a bite of the fruit in her hand, “It was risky but I wanted you out of harm’s way. The Doge willingly put you in the crossfire to buy himself some time in this war and you had no clue. But you needed to see it for yourself to believe it and I’m sorry that it ended up like this.” He glanced down to where her legs were under the blanket, wrapped in bandages. He knew that she would have the scars for the rest of her life.

She glanced to the side, sighing. “I should have listened, you—“

“You don’t need to apologise. None of this was your fault.” He replied.

“But if I had met you at the church instead of planning that attack, all of this could have been avoided.” There was a pause, “I was so stupid. I shouldn’t have trusted the Doge after everything I found out, I should have made up my mind for myself instead of allowing myself to be manipulated. I should’ve met you at that damn church.”

“(Y/n),” Somehow, the use of her name caught her attention far more than any of the various petnames she was used to hearinf spill from his scarred lips, “you’ve spent the majority of your life hating and hunting my kind, did you truly expect me to believe you when you agreed to meet me? You tried to kill me before that conversation and you thought I didn’t anticipate you gathering numbers against me?” She thought over his words, feeling rather silly when she thought about it.

“If you knew that I’ve spent so many years hating vampires, why are you still helping me?” She shrugged, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to kill me now and make sure I can’t turn on you again?”

He leaned back in his chair, tossing his head around a bit in thought as he crossed his arms over his chest and spread his legs a little, clearly relaxing. “It would make more sense, yes-“ He agreed, “-but I don’t want you dead. I told you that I serve a higher cause as an Assassin and I stand by that. Besides, you hunting vampires doesn’t really come from hatred, it comes from guilt, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t want to talk about that, please.” She dropped the subject, not wishing to dwell on her lost sisters during a time in which she was supposed to be recovering.  She ate another piece of orange during the silence that fell over them.

When she finished the orange, he advised her to rest some more and she complied, settling down into the pillows and quickly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Ezio left through the window to where his new hideout was. He had work to do and things to prepare still, after all. (Y/n)’s recovery was important to him but the Doge had now escaped and time was of the essence.

[miraclesnail]

1000 Ways and I Can Name You One

A thousand ways to tell the Stoll brothers apart and I can name you one. Travis and Connor centric oneshots featuring characters from PJO/HOO.

Chapter 32: Michael - Food 

Plus the whole 9.7k fic under the read more but with funky formatting 

Michael — Food

Michael (14) — Travis (13) — Connor (13)

Early June 2007

Pre Sea of Monsters

[8:07 AM]

The whole drive to Camp, Lee has been saying the weirdest things. 

‘This camp is special.’

‘This camp is for children of Greek gods and goddesses.’

‘This camp helps the said children harness the godly gifts inherited from said gods and goddesses.’

‘This camp is top secret and no matter what, you cannot tell your mother about Camp Half Blood. Not a word. Not a complaint. Not even a compliment. Michael? Are you listening? Ar—are you laughing?! Michael, I’m not joking around. This is not a joke.’

Did Michael take Lee seriously? Not at all. Not even to humor him. What does Lee take him for? An idiot? Like, he doesn’t really have many friends at school (none actually) but even he knows when someone is trying to pull a prank on him. Lee typically goes for jump scares, but it’s good to see him broaden his horizon and try new things. 

Yeah. 

Michael wholeheartedly believes Lee is 100% kidding around. 

It’s kind of a shock when he walks through the camp and sees flowers being grown in someone’s palms, men with hooves and horns trotting around, a goddamn girl rising from the lake like some kind of b-grade horror movie but minus the sunken eyes and gray skin and tattered white dress. 

It’s a big shock. Kinda earth-shattering actually. Very disorientating. It’s taking all his mental capability to process the fact that the Greek gods are real , that the Greek myths are real , that his atheist beliefs are all wrong and holy fuck?? God is real . 

It’s probably why when that SOB Shermie or Sherlock or whatever his name is picked a fight, he welcomed the easy distraction and picked one right back. 

In hindsight, he should have maybe exhibited more self-control. 

“He shoved me.”

The utter stare of incredulity has Michael quickly rephrasing his initial statement, fiddling with a loose string on his t-shirt. 

“He shoved me first. ”

“And so you decided to turn it into a slugfest?” Lee says, arms crossing as they stand on Cabin 11’s porch. 

“To be fair, to be fair,” Michael says, scrambling for excuses as his eyes dart from cabin to cabin, “to be really fair, that Sherm-guy started it.”

Lee didn’t buy it, not that Michael expected him too. 

“You promised me, Michael,” Lee says, disappointed, and Michael looks away with guilt. 

He did promise Lee. Right before they left the apartment complex, Lee explicitly said, “Promise me, Michael, that you’ll be on your best behavior?” And he said he will. 

“Mike, I don’t want any phone calls from the head honcho again, okay?” his mom said, exasperated. He said there wouldn’t be any.

“Mikey, please tell us all the fights you’ll get into!” his four little siblings — Leo, Raphie, Carly, and Sam — screamed together with cheeky, smug, knowing grins as he got into the car with Lee. He said ‘in your dreams.’ 

Not even one full hour and he failed two out of three. Possibly all three if Travis and Connor decide to hand his ass to the director. 

“I’m really sorry, Lee,” Michael says, head lowering, “I promise for real this time. I won’t get into any more fights. I swear.” 

Like clockwork, the frown and crossed arms drop for a bright smile and a hair ruffling, like he actually believed Michael can do it. Lee’s weird like that. He believes in people and their lies despite what their actions are saying, believes in him even with the 14 years of experience that Michael cannot follow through on that promise. 

It’s that same idealistic, stupid belief that has Lee clinging to the hope his birth mom will one day want to actually be a mom. 

Michael slinks back into the cabin as quietly as he can. Miranda catches his eye and waves him over, patting the empty spot next to her. Michael hesitates (still remembers the way she tosses a boy a whole head taller than her like nothing) but thought better of it. 

The promise, he thinks. Remember your promise. 

He sees Sherman sitting on Miranda’s other side. As he slides down to sit cross-legged, he’s mentally preparing himself for a jeer. But Sherman is just staring at Miranda, wide-eyed and star-struck and totally ignoring him which is perfectly fine with Michael. 

Miranda angles her body towards him, a slight smile on her face as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just want to warn you that you’re in Connor’s bad book right now.”

“Should I be worried?” Michael says, glancing at the brothers talking on one of the upper bunk beds.

To which Miranda smiles sweetly. “You should keep your head down. I heard he gets a bit prank-crazy with people he doesn’t like.”

A sharp whistle brings his attention upfront. 

“Okay, so hey, everybody! Exciting first day, I know. Welcome to Camp Half Blood,” one of the pair says with a big grin, standing on top of the upper bunk bed. The other sits at the edge, feet swinging over. “We’re already late for breakfast so I’ll make this super-duper quick. My name is Travis Stoll. I am one of your head counselors. This is Connor, my little brother.” 

Connor waves, his smile matching Travis’s.

“I’m also your counselor. Any problems you guys have whether it be life problems, camp problems, prank problems, you can come to us. Lucky for you guys, you have two of us. Most cabins just have one,” Connor says. 

“Where’s Luke?” someone in the back yells. 

“Luke is gone now. If you see him, either in person or in a dream, tell us right away. Please come talk to me after this meeting if you want more details,” Connor answers, still cheerful but Michael kinda feels like his words are too curt. There’s definitely bad blood between this Luke person and them.

“Moving on,” Travis follows after, “the beds are all taken. Any more fighting over them will result in the instigator getting a timeout. For everybody else, sleeping bags are available and we will make room. Your stuff can be placed in the closet or tucked in your sleeping bag. I know this cabin’s patron is the god of thievery, but please show respect and decency towards your fellow cabinmates and don’t steal from each other. Steal from other cabins instead. Apollo’s kids are the easiest to steal from. So are Aphrodite’s if you want to practice before moving onto the big leagues. Athena’s and Hephaestus’s cabins are where the real challenge is.”

“What about the claiming rate? Someone said the gods would claim us more now,” a girl asks, standing from her sitting position with a bounce, hope in her eyes. 

“Uh, um...” Travis falters, looking down at Connor for guidance. It’s hard to notice but Connor bites his cheeks and just barely shakes his head.

“Claiming, yeah. I’m not too sure about that. I’ll talk with Chi — Tantalus about that. Tantalus is the activity director now in case you all don’t know,” Travis answers. 

There’s a chorus of groans. 

Someone grumbles, “It’s been years.”

“What happened to Chiron?” another asks.

“Temporarily relieved of duty due to, uh, an investigation of his effectiveness on the job. Which, if you ask me, Chiron has been doing a fantastic job of and we should all write a very strongly worded letter to Zeus to get him back on his job.”

A boy in front of Michael shoots his hand up. 

“I heard Luke went all ‘Anakin Skywalker’ on us and joined Kr—”

Connor blows an air horn and interrupts the boy before he could finish. Travis’s smile is strained as he says, “Okay, first rule on Camp Half Blood for the foreseeable future! No mentioning any of the bad guys by name. Names have power. Instead we will refer to him by initials. The evil titan guy will be called K.T. K for his first letter and T because he controls time.” 

“Can we change it to K.K. Slider?” the same boy says.

Beside him, a girl socks the boy in the arm. “No! How dare you sully K.K.’s name like this?”

But Travis is already jumping down his bed, landing with grace. “K.K. Slider it is. That’s all for the morning announcements. Now everybody gets in a straight line. We’re going to the pavilion for breakfast and it is the best thing ever. You can literally get whatever you want. All you need is the power of imagination. Well, imagination and common sense. Don't imagine something you won’t eat. It’s not a contest to create the grossest food.” 

Connor follows down after his brother with a grin and shrugs. “But if it was, I would win.”

Growing up, Michael is what everybody called a ‘problem child.’ Absolutely zero friends not helped by him picking and starting fights for the ‘smallest’ reasons. No remarkable talent except for his athleticism. Mediocre to poor grades due to inability to focus (and it doesn’t help that he’s dyslexic and that his teachers all hate him and that he has a homing device for all the school’s bullies). 

The teachers blamed his mother for his attitude and academic abilities. But they don’t know shit. His mother helps him with his homework after coming back from work. His mother searches for ways to help him manage his ADHD and dyslexia. His mother is raising five kids all by herself with zero help from his deadbeat dad. Going to their extracurricular activities, funding their education, making time to have game and movie nights. His mother is literally Superman for finding time to do all that across five children. No. Make that six. Mom always attends Lee’s band performances and includes him with all their activities and outings and supports him the way Lee’s own mom should be doing. 

Michael’s pretty sure his mom isn't the problem.

Besides his four younger siblings are literal angels. Clearly, the problem is him. Not his mother. 

That’s why going into high school he had every intention of becoming a better son, a better brother, and a better student. Set a better reputation for his family, you know?

Unfortunately, this whole mess with him being half-god kinda put a pause on his plans. 

And put every weird thing Lee ever did into perspective. 

That one time Lee slapped his brand new Nokia cellphone out of his hands and ended his cell’s short life by stomping the hell out of it? Those dozens of times Lee lectured him about not using technology with his stupid excuse of ‘it rots your brain, Michael. Don’t touch it,’ despite Lee himself using a phone and a laptop on a daily basis?? Those hundreds of times Lee excused himself from dinner, movies, and the middle of game nights to ‘use the bathroom’ and coming back with a thin layer of gold dust??? Those weird dreams he gets of standing on top of a broken, tethering bridge and falling thousands of meters to his death in a ravine and Lee saying, ‘it’s just a dream. Don’t worry about it’ with a high-pitched, forced laugh that says he should be worrying????

Now he sees what it was all about. Obviously a metaphor for the earth-shattering revelation of his heritage. 

He’s half- god . A demigod. Some part of him came from an immortal being.

It makes him see his dad in a whole new light. 

Like, Michael always knows his dad is an asshole, leaving his mom and whatnot. 

But now? Knowing his dad is a literal god in the Greek myths he read back in 6th grade? Those freaky assholes with their crazy sex adventures and ego-driven tantrums?

At least the fantasy asshole dad he had in mind didn’t commit mass genocide or is an egotistical, narcissistic jerk or had sex with their siblings, parents, animals, and who knows what else freaky shit the gods like to stick their dick in to. 

And the most bizarre thing is that he’s expected to honor them by throwing the best parts of his meal into the fire. 

Well, he’s not gonna.

“Throw your food into the fire, Mike,” one of his counselors says beside him as he tosses a bag of M&M into the flames. 

“Why should I?”

“So the gods don’t get angry,” says the other counselor, throwing half of his strawberries — Michael stares at the plate. It’s just strawberries. Nothing else. That’s not healthy — into the fire before turning to help the others. 

“They’re gonna threaten us if we don’t worship them? Sounds like a pretty unhealthy parent-child relationship,” Michael says. 

The one that tossed the M&Ms shrugs. “Just toss something in. It can be anything. Even something you ha— don’t care about. That’s what I do. I don’t think Hermes minds.” 

But what Michael hears is that this Hermes fella doesn’t give a shit. 

A small boy with round glasses wedges in between them, frowning, and tosses in a sausage link. “Don’t listen to Connor. You’re never going to be claimed if you listen to him.” 

Connor shrugs again. “Hermes hasn’t disowned me yet.”

“That’s because Hermes is busy with other things. The other gods don’t have a child plotting to usurp—” the kid starts to say but at Connor’s harsh nudging and loud cough and not so subtle nod towards the others in the pavilion and (kind of scary) glare, he shuts up. A second passes before the boy says to him, “Everybody likes to feel appreciated, Michael. Even gods. It’s good to remind them we’re here for them. Now more than ever.”

Michael frowns at the exchange. Child? Usurp? Usurp who? The gods? Yeah. Like that is even possible. 

“What were you trying to say—”

“So I see you got over your embarrassing loss,” Connor interrupts with this infuriating smug grin. “Man, I would have hidden my face for like a year after the way I kicked your ass.” 

And just like that, Michael forgets everything but that day back in March when he met the brothers. It’s an obvious bait and Michael just lunges for it like the dumb fish he is. 

“No, I kicked your ass. Kicked it all the way down the stairs,” Michael huffs at Connor’s heel as they walk to the table. Connor slides into the first open spot he sees and Michael sits down across from him, elbow to elbow to his cabinmates. They need a bigger picnic table. 

“Ass?” Besides Connor, Miranda’s head swivels to face them, her smile innocent but Michael knows better now. Behind that sweet smile is a demon. “Who kicked whose ass? ” 

“We met Michael back in March when we hopped in Lee’s car and we’re not using that language, Mikey,” Travis says, sitting down beside Connor slurping a mouthful of cereal. 

“So? Who won?” Miranda asks, leaning over to slide scrambled eggs onto Travis’s plate and picking off 75% of Travis’s many, many strawberries from his plate. 

Travis stares at the egg with disdain. “Connor won, of course. And I don’t want that. Take it back.” 

“Will said you need something more than just strawberries in the morning. Doctor’s orders. Disobey and you’ll feel his wrath,” Miranda says. 

For half-a-second, Michael thinks Travis is going to fight but he turns back in his seat and just grabs his fork. 

“There’s nothing wrong with just strawberries for breakfast,” Travis grumbles, stabbing his fork into the scrambled eggs. “Right? Nothing wrong with strawberries.”

“I think that depends on the quantity but don’t worry, Travis. I totally got you,” Connor says, pulling out a basket of strawberries and ducking from Miranda’s sudden lunge for it. With ease, Connor holds Miranda back while Travis indulges in his unhealthy obsession with a satisfied, blissed smile. 

Michael thinks of the half Travis threw into the fire and before he knows it, he’s saying, “You really love strawberries, don’t you?” 

Travis nods, mouth full. “Favorite food in the world.”

“Then you must like your—” 

But Travis’s eyes shoot to a girl entering the pavilion, heading straight towards the table with the plant-speaking kid, and Michael knows his words are falling on deaf ears. Travis nudges Connor and whispers into his ear, a shit-eating grin sprouting on Connor’s face as he looks over his shoulder. 

Miranda catches their grins and stands, yelling, “Katie, wait!”

But Katie sits down and Michael hears what is probably the world’s loudest, strongest whoopee cushion rip through the pavilion. Travis and Connor laugh as Katie stands back up, cushion in hand and face flushed tomato red.

“Welcome back, Miss Tattletale!” Travis yells. 

“That was months ago, you pieces of — of — fertilizers! Give me a break!” Katie roars. The ground rumbles as a tree sprouts beside the table, hooking Travis and Connor up by the back of their shirts. They’re way too calm as they’re dangling several feet in the air. In unison, both brothers pull out squirt guns and aim them at Katie. 

And it is definitely not water judging by the smell. 

[9 AM, Sword Fighting]

Lee said he was a demigod. That monsters are real. And that they sometimes must fight off the monsters that come to eat them. 

Michael never really thought about what it entailed. What they’re supposed to fight the monsters with. 

Dimly, he’s aware of his counselors talking. Something about introduction to swordsmanship and the bare basics plus safety today, then tomorrow they will be training with Ares? Apollo? ‘Some god with the letter A’ cabin and learning a few techniques. He isn’t really paying attention to them as he stares at the blade in his hands. 

It’s real. It’s a real, metal blade. And by the looks of it, everyone has one. Even the little 9-year-old. What the fuck? That’s how old the twins, Sam and Carly, are and holy shit. The thought of them with a real sword? The thought of them having to use it to battle some mythical monster? It's enough to make him vomit. 

“Michael? Michael, hey.” Someone is snapping their fingers in front of his eyes and he knocks the hand away, glaring at … at … well, it’s either Travis or Connor, staring at him blankly, but he can’t tell who’s who yet. They should have worn nametags. 

“What?”

“Have you ever used a sword before?”

Michael kinda felt it should have been obvious, but he shakes his head. 

“Okay, well imagine you’re holding a kitchen knife and you’re cutting some veggies for a veggie soup but instead of a broccoli, it’s a monster and instead of small dainty cuts, you’re making big, wide, full power slashes. So nothing like what I told you to imagine. Forget I said that. You want to grip it like this with both hands—” Connor (or Travis?) demonstrates and Michael mimics the action, “—for the most control. You can try one-handed but the strikes tend to be flimsy at best unless you’re gifted like Clarisse or Percy. You want to kill the monsters as fast and in one go as you can while still being safe. Here’s—” he is walked over to a hand-made, hand-stuffed dummy with straws sticking out its seams. A happy face on a yellow sticky note stuck to where it’s head is. “—a practice dummy for you. Give it a few swings and get a feel for the weapon. I’ll be right back with more pointers after helping everyone. You good to be by yourself a bit?”

Then Travis (Connor?) is leaving after Michael hesitates to say ‘no, I’m not good’, taking off with a thumbs up and a crooked grin.

Michael almost called him back, but they’re a big cabin.  Only a quarter of them have been gotten too, the other three-fourths goofing around while waiting their turn. Michael has never been to a summer camp before, nevermind one as strange as this, but he guesses they’re on a tight schedule. 

So he looks down, readjusts his grip, and swings, missing spectacularly, losing his balance, and nearly taking his eye out. 

[10:00 AM, Archery]

Michael didn’t need much help here.

The bow feels right in his hands. His body knows what to do, his arms pull back the bow like it has done this a million times and his first shot lands dead center in the bullseye. 

The next five shots are the same.

“Woah,” his counselor mutters, face scrunched in thought before it lightens up, blue eyes shining with a gleam. “You’re a natural. Hey, you wanna be the archery tutor? I’ve never seen anyone aim so well and had such perfect form. Not even Annabeth.”

Michael lowers the bow and tries to figure out how he did what he just did despite never once using a bow before in his life. 

[11:00 AM, Greek Mythology]

Michael knew Lee was a decent teacher, tutoring him in both English and Math, so it’s no surprise he’s decent at teaching Greek mythology too. All the campers are in the amphitheater with hand made wooden desks courtesy of the girl from breakfast. Lee is in the center with an overhead projector just having the time of his life explaining what each of the 12 Olympians plus Hades represents with a mind map. 

He tries to pay attention. He really did. He gets through listening to Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and part of Demeter’s history before his attention is pulled away by Travis and Connor. They’re far away from the group, beside the cabins,  hunched over a … birdbath? It looks like they’re arguing to the birdbath, but Michael squints and with his perfect vision sees that there is a person. On the surface of the birdbath. A girl with blonde hair. There’s a girl in the water of the birdbath. 

There’s a girl. In the water. Of a birdbath. 

Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. Food pops into existence with a thought. A girl can grow fullass trees without blinking an eye. Miranda can toss a boy almost twice her weight over her shoulder.

So what if the camp has a Moaning Myrtle?

Before he knows it, Lee is done, Michael misses the other 8 Olympian’s tales, and everybody is packing up their notes to head back to their respective cabins.

They’re ending early to have enough time for a tour of the camp. Which is kind of telling where their priorities are when they hold training first over the tour. 

It’s kind of even more telling what the camp’s view of safety is when there’s a climbing wall that spews lava and when asked about why there’s lava, Travis and Connor say cheerfully in unison,  ‘it’s more exciting that way.’

“Hey, Travis,” a kid starts, tugging on one of the brother’s sleeves. 

“I’m Connor, but yeah?” Connor corrects, turning to face the camper.

“Um, I heard from someone in the Ares Cabin that because of us, we’re in war with Kro—K.K. Is that true?”

Connor smiles and shakes his head. “No. We didn’t do anything.”

He didn’t refute the war part though. 

And as if Connor hears his thoughts, he addresses the cabin, “You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to. But monsters are still a thing so you still have to go to the morning training. No way out of those. Sorry.”

[12:30, Lunch]

Michael is starting to think Travis is some kind of strawberry fanatic and that’s putting it lightly. 

There’s another concerning amount of strawberries on his plate coupled with a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad, yes, but that’s way too many strawberries for one day.

“No such thing,” Travis says, scraping half of his ungodly amount into the fire. 

“I think there is a limit though.” Connor shrugs, tossing a bag of M&M right after.

Michael follows them to the table, even more cramped now. Five new campers, unclaimed, arrived late because of road traffic. He tucks himself into the first opening he sees, shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow. Many inches too close in his opinion. 

“Travis,” Michael starts, thinking back to breakfast, “You’re claimed, right? You know who your godly parent is?”

“Yup, Hermes. God of Pranksters,” Travis says, stabbing his fork into a lettuce and turning to wave it at Lee’s table which is much more roomier. Lee catches the action and nudges a boy beside him with an elbow, snickering. The boy turns and rolls his eyes at Travis. 

“You like your dad, right?” Michael asks. 

A quarter of the cabin immediately stops talking and not really subtly turns to them. He’s pretty sure he’s breaking some sort of taboo. Not that it bothers Michael all that much. 

“Yeah, of course I do. He’s pretty cool,” Travis responds, rolling a cherry tomato around with a fork and not looking him in the eye. 

“Why?” It feels like everyone in the cabin is staring at them now, but even then Michael can’t stop.

“‘Why?’” Travis repeats, twirling the fork. Michael can’t help but notice Connor gripping his fork tighter and he has a vivid image of the boy stabbing it into him. Connor seems like the type. “He’s my dad. I think I’m supposed to like him.”

“But he never talked with you though, right? He has never been there for you. How could you possibly like him?”

Travis shrugs. “He’s a god. He’s probably busy.”

Michael frowns. His mom is busy too. Granted, busy with normal things like a job but she still finds the time to tuck his siblings to bed. Still finds the time to cook breakfast and dinner for them. Still finds the time to make movie nights. Still tell them every day, without fail, that she loves them. Is still there for him and his siblings. 

“So it doesn’t bother you? The way your relationship is with him right now?” Michael pushes. 

Travis fidgets with his strawberries, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like French. 

“What was—” Michael starts to say, but Connor glares, hard. Michael thinks he can see the promise of pain and suffering Connor will inflict upon him. Guess he’d just written his name in Connor’s bad book in Sharpie. 

“Look, Michael, it’s the social norm around here to not talk about our godly parents. Especially in ways that demean them.”

Social norm? Like he cares about something as trivial as that. 

“I just want—”

“Drop it, Michael. Travis’s relationship with our dad is none of your business,” Connor snaps. 

Travis is quiet, a hand resting on a cheek as he stabs into a strawberry, red juices spattering over lettuce and grilled cheese. 

“I want his approval. He’s my dad. What kid doesn’t want their parent’s approval?” 

Lee pulls him aside as lunch wraps up, leading them a bit away from the others.

“Michael, can you chill with the public grilling for a bit?”

“I just don’t get the worship around here for them though,” he argues. 

Lee falters, thinking about his words. “Michael, for some of us, our godly parent is the only one that cares.”

“Wait, are you saying your dad talks to you here?” Michael says. He doesn’t really know what the whole deal is going on with Lee and his mom, but he knows enough to know that Ms. Fletcher deserves the worst mom of the century award. 

Lee frowns a bit and shakes his head. “We talked once when I was claimed but other than that, no. Not really. And none of my half-siblings said anything to me about him either. But he’s already doing so much more than the other gods.”

“Really? Like what?” 

And Lee answers without hesitating, “He claims us as his.”

Michael recalls the talk before breakfast and the questions. About claiming. About waiting. About giving up. The bitterness in their voices. The longing. The yearning. And a sinking feeling grows in the pit of his stomach. 

“How long did it take for you to be claimed?” he asks. 

“I was claimed the second I stepped onto Camp. Apollo tends to be rather fast when it comes to claiming his children. The longest he ever went without claiming is one week. Demeter claims fast during the fall and winter months when Persephone is away. Hephaestus takes on average a month or so to claim.”

“And the slowest god at claiming?” 

Lee’s eyes narrow in thought. “Let’s see… Ares, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hermes seem to be the slowest.”

“How slow?”

“Slow as in… months, years.”

“Why?”

Lee looks away in discomfort. “Who knows? We shouldn’t speculate though. That’s just asking for a curse.”

He catches up to his cabin gathering for the next event and when he asks around about the claiming rate, he gets a mixture of answers. 

“Because we’re not their favorites,” Miranda says cheerfully, while arm-wrestling (and clearly winning) with a flushed Sherman. 

“Because we have to prove ourselves first,” the kid with the glasses states, eyes fixed on his shoes.

“Because they forgot we existed,” others say. 

“Because they want something from us.”

“Because they don’t want the responsibilities of a parent.”

“Because they don’t care.”

“Because they don’t think we’re worth it.”

“It’s because they suck ass,” one of the older campers says with dead serious eyes as Travis chokes on his strawberry, tossing the rest of the fruits into the fire, plate and all. 

“Shh! Celise, you’re gonna get cursed! Everybody, no bad-mouthing the gods or you’ll be turned into a snail and as cute as snails are, I like you all as humans.” 

The camper shrugs and whispers, it’s true . 

Trust me, they whisper next as they’re pulled aside by Travis’s frantic tugging.

They don’t care.

All of this is truly making him appreciate the gods more. 

Connor whistles for everybody’s attention, standing on top of a rock with a piece of paper. 

“It’s free choice from now until 3:30. Each counselor is hosting a different event. Travis and I are doing canoeing. Silena will be hosting horseback — that needs to be changed to pegasi — riding. Malcolm, you will take over for Annabeth since she isn’t here yet for the intro to Origami. Katie will be watching over the wall climbing. Lee, intro to guitar and lyres. Beckendorf, intro to welding. Pollux will be taking over Clarisse’s place at the arena for additional sword and archery lessons. And Castor will be teaching DIY soda. Here’s a map for each of you where everything is. Any questions? Yes, you, in the back. Hao, right?”

Michael takes the map, finds Lee’s name, finds the corresponding location, and then crumples the flimsy paper in his hands. 

But before he can walk away, Miranda is there in front of him and tugging him by the arm with a beaming smile. 

“Follow me for a sec? I want to show you something. It will be quick, I promise.” 

 [1:30 PM, Free Choice]

“Everybody gets a celestial weapon,” Miranda explains as they walk to the armory, “It KOs the monster and turns them into gold dust if it nicks them in the flesh just enough.”

Gold dust… like the gold dust Lee comes back sometimes covered in? 

She leads him to an unassuming building beside one of the cabins, opening the door and revealing shelves stocked full of weapons. Miranda strides to the back without a double-take. Like it’s normal for a summer camp with children to have a stockpile meant for war. 

“Do you have a preference?”

“I… uh…”

“Want some help? Based on what I saw in training, I think you’re better suited with something long-range. You looked uncomfortable with a sword. Aha! What about this?“

Then Miranda pulls out a rifle from one of the boxes. 

Michael stares at it for a full second, wondering if he’s imagining it, wondering if Miranda is kidding, wondering if this whole day is just one big funny dream. But, no, Miranda remains standing there with a big ol’ grin and rifle in hand and waiting for them to say something.

“No.”

“What? Why not?”

“First of all, it’s a gun. Second of all, I share a room with two of my siblings who get into my shit all the time. Third, my mom would literally kill me if she sees me holding a rifle. And fourth, it’s a fucking gun .”

”It’s okay. This is a magic rifle. If you engage the safety and remove the magazine clip, it turns into a telescope.” Miranda demonstrates it for him and would you look at that. It actually became a telescope. “See? No problem. Mom won’t find out and plus! It actually works as a telescope! You can go stargazing with this thing and also kick any monster-butt.”

“What happens if it goes off and a bullet hits someone?”

“That’s okay too. The bullets are made of celestial metal. It can’t harm mortals.”

“But it’s a gun. And I don’t have a license.”

Miranda shrugs. “You can’t kill a mortal though. I don’t think you need a license if you seriously can’t hurt anyone. But if you don’t want a gun, then we can get you a bow. Apollo’s cabin is full of them. Come on.”

And as Michael follows Miranda out, he mutters under his breath, “Why are you all like this?”

Miranda laughs, spinning around her heels to face him. 

“And you’re like a completely normal kid. If you didn’t pass the barrier, I would have thought Lee brought someone fully human.” 

[2:20 PM, Free Choice]

“What is that?”

Lee does only a cursory glance at where Michael is pointing before going back to tuning his guitar engraved with his name and last initial on the Big House’s porch. “It’s Thalia’s Pine. Someone poisoned it unfortunately. A couple years ago a girl sacrificed herself to save her friends. Her father turned her dying body into a magic tree that protects all of camp. We’re trying to fix it, but it’s kinda slow-going right now.”

“That’s cool. That’s cool, but I’m talking about that .” 

And Lee really looks at where Michael is pointing at. A … well, he doesn’t want to say robotic because there’s no way a robot can move that fluidly, but fine. A metallic bull the size of an elephant is charging towards them, running full speed but going nowhere. It’s like an invisible wall is holding it back. Just a bit aways are five people in a line in full bronze armor and a variety of weapons with two more people running towards them. A girl with a gruff voice is ordering to get into position. 

“Is this some sort of play?” Michael asks, waiting for Lee’s answers but when there’s none, he turns to face him. “Lee?” 

Lee is pale. His guitar falls out of his hands as he stands. 

Michael tenses, alarmed. “Lee?” 

“Shit,” Lee curses for the first time ever. “Fuck.”

Now Michael is really worried. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” 

Lee whirs to face him and Michael doesn’t like the fear, the panic he sees in Lee’s usually calm eyes. 

“Michael, Beckendorf is in the forge. Get him first. Tell him there is a Colchis Bull at Half Blood Hill. Then go get Travis and Connor next — Hey? Michael, are you there?”

A second bull crashes into the invisible wall and they break through. They’re breathing fire. People are being set on fire. People are having their armor melted off. People are being burned. People are being trampled on. People are— 

“Michael!” Lee shakes him hard by the shoulder. “Don’t look at it. Just go run and get Beckendorf.”

Then he’s forcibly turned around and pushed away to the sound of terrified screams and dying cries.  

[3:00 PM, Free Choice]

So that’s a monster. 

And he’s expected to fight one of them? 

The guy who took out the first bull —Percy he thinks is the name — Percy did it with a little help with a flame-resistant man and Percy is about the same age as him. And Clarisse took out the second bull all by herself. So it’s definitely possible. With training and maybe a bow instead of a sword, Michael can do it. 

He can do it. 

…

Just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it’s right. Doesn‘t mean it’s normal and fuck. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

How can anyone not see how messed up this whole thing is? Monsters exist and they eat twerps like him? They’ll hunt him for as long as he lives? He’s always going to have to watch his back? He’s always going to have a weapon on him? This is what his day will be like every day? This is normal?  This is what being a demigod means? 

From the porch of the Big House, Michael watches Travis and Connor, amongst a few others with just as many beads on their necklaces, triaging the injured. Passing around nectar bottles and ambrosia brownies, helping them stand, checking their wounds all with an air of professionalism.

They were trained for this. They prepared for this. 

Michael doesn’t like that little fact. 

And speaking of little facts he doesn’t like, one just sits down next to him. When he’s not standing around like a dumbass, he goes to get more nectar bottles from the infirmary where a team of two people is running around tending to the patients. One is Lee. The other, and the clear leader, is the boy in blue scrubs and yellow flip flops. The kid barked orders left and right, telling people where to go, where to place the patients, how to treat the minor wounds until he can get there, basically keeping everything orderly and efficient, all with this air of confidence and calmness. It would have been very reassuring if the kid himself wasn’t this little, baby-faced 11-year-old.

And said 11-year-old is now sitting down beside him, downing a bottle of water then downing half a bottle of red Gatorade. 

Michael is starting to see why Lee doesn’t want his mom to know where Camp Half Blood is. If she ever visited and saw how the camp is being run primarily by pre-teens and teens… well… she’ll probably lose it. 

“Hey,” the kid says.

“Hey,” Michael replies, cautiously. 

Then, silence.

The most awkward silence he has ever experienced as they just sit side by side. 

The kid takes another sip from the Gatorade. 

“You’re Michael, right? You’re Lee’s upstairs friend?”

Michael bristles at the words. “How did you—“

“When the cabins burned down, we stayed at Lee’s apartment for a couple days,” the kid explains, staring at Travis and Connor milling about the battlegrounds. He fidgets with a bandaid on the back of his hand. “This is going to sound really weird, but I thought I heard his voice and your last names match so it might not be my imagination. But do you have a younger brother named Raphael?”

“Yeah, I do. How do you know that?” Michael says, trying and failing to tone back the defensiveness in his voice. God please don’t let Raphie be a demigod like him. 

The kid breaks into a big smile and it really makes him look like the child he is. “We used to be in a class together with Mrs. Rem. How is he by the way? Is he still watching Ninja Turtles? What did he think of the newest episode?”

Distantly, from a dinner chat a long time ago, Raphael mentioned a ‘Will’ who left class because of a stomach ache and was never seen again. He remembered Raphael being really worried. He remembered Raphael even saying that ‘Will doesn’t ever get sick’ and he remembered dismissively saying, “Don’t worry. The kid’s probably fine.” 

There’s no way the kid next to him is that Will. It has to be a coincidence. It got to be. Forget how this kid knows Raphael is a fan of Ninja Turtles. It’s a popular show right now. Somewhere, in this 6.6 billion populated planet, there’s got to be a Will and a Raphael who both go to the same school with a 5th-grade teacher named Mrs. Rem and both watch Ninja Turtles and both love Raphael the sai-welding turtle.

“You went to Hodgkins Elementary School?”

“Yeah.” 

There’s still a chance this is all a coincidence. 

“Your favorite turtle is Raph?”

“Well, it’s Leo now but I used to like Raph.”

Still a coincidence.

“And your name’s Will?”

“It is.”

Just one big coincidence. 

“And you left the classroom—” Michael wracks his brain — when, when did Raphael talked about the kid? — “Because of a stomach ache back in October?” 

For a minute, Will is silent. A minute filled with nothing but the whistle of the wind and commanding yells of campers. Will chuckles, low, as the plastic bottle crinkles in his hands. But when Will speaks, his voice is carefully blank, devoid of emotion. “Not exactly, no. I saw something strange at school that nobody could see and I called my mom, er, my aunt. But she raised me so I considered her my mom. She said to get out, even if I have to lie. So I did. A stomach ache was the easiest to fake. She picked me up from school. I think she was going to take me to camp. But on the drive here… a cyclops showed up and totaled the car. We ran. She told me to go ahead and get help. And I did. Without looking back. I found Lee and he took care of the cyclops but mom… ” 

The kid’s voice is still blank. Emotionless. 

“She died because of me.”

A bitter smile. 

“Because I was too weak. Because I was too scared.”

The bottle bursts in his hand, the red dripping off his hand and staining his scrubs. 

“No one is ever going to die because of me. Not again. Not ever.”

The kid leaves, running back inside when someone screams bloody murder and another voice yells, “Solace!” 

(“Will’s last name was on our vocab lists,” Raphael had said a long time ago. “Solace. It means comfort. That’s so cool. No way can I forget that.”)

Michael continues to sit there, watching the battlefield empty out one camper at a time until everyone injured has been attended to. 

(“She died. Because of me. Weak. Scared.”)

Weak. He understands. Too scared. He understands that too. He experienced all that today with the bulls. 

If it had been at home with his family, at school with his classmates, even at the park with random strangers, what would have happened? He would have fought, right? Adrenaline would have kicked in and he would do something. Or would he have frozen? Just like he did today? Just stood there, watching his family be stomped and kicked and lit on fire until someone kicked him into gear? (“Run, Michael. Don’t look back.”)

No. 

No. Fuck no. Three months. He has three months of this summer camp / orphanage / ‘let’s-all-become-child-soldiers-together!’ hellhole.  He has three months to kick this stupid deer in the headlights reaction. 

(“She died because of me.”)

He’s not going to let anyone die.

[5:00 PM, Free Time]

He finds them in the cabin, one slumped on the bed with an arm over his eyes and the other sitting at the foot with a sketch of the cabin in one hand and a pencil in the other. 

They’re talking about something secret because as soon as Michael slams the cabin door open, their conversation stops. He catches the last sentence though. Are the nightmares getting worse? And god, if these two are okay with everything that just happened today, just handled it all with a face that says this is nothing, then Michael doesn’t want to know what kind of nightmares are troubling them. 

“What’s up?” Connor or Travis, the one on his back, asks, trying and failing to get upright. The arm moves and tired eyes peek at him from underneath. 

“Is it Lee? Does he need us again?” the other asks, tossing the drawing under the bed. 

“You said, whatever problems we have, we can come to you two,” Michael starts. 

They nod together in sync. 

“Then I want you guys to train me until I drop dead. Now until the end of summer.”

[6:00 PM, Dinner]

He barely has his food on the plate when a bright light shines over his head. Flashy. Illuminating. Almost eye-blinding. Michael looks up, squints, and sees the sun with 21 arrows surrounding it, representing the sun’s rays. 

Distantly, he’s aware of a bored voice proclaiming him as a child of Apollo. But all he’s really focused on is his cabin’s, ex-cabin now he guesses, reactions. He can see all their faces down the line. Most are happy. They smile and cheer for him, patting on him on the back and congratulating him. But he can see it, beneath their grins, beneath the genuine elation, is frustration, jealousy, longing. 

(“It's been years.”)

Travis, with his pile of strawberries, bumps him in the shoulder with his own. “Hey, congratulations. Apollo cabin is a lot roomier than ours so you get to actually sleep on a bed.”

Connor nods, tossing an M&M bag into the flames. “Too bad you’re gonna miss the experience of being crammed like sardines on the floor. It’s actually pretty cozy.”

Michael frowns as he conjures up a PB and J sandwich exactly how Mom would make it, cuts it into halves, and toss it in . “Are you guys still going—”

“We’ll still help you,” Travis interrupts, but his smile is impish, borderline devilish.  “But—”

“It comes with a price now.” Connor follows with a just as sordid grin. “Two conditions. One, you have to help us with archery. We’re not bad but we’re not good either and could use a bit more work. Annabeth and I have this sparring contest every week to see who is more proficient in what weapon. She beats me every single time when it comes to archery, but that’s ending this year. And two, you have to be our inside man.”

“Inside man?” Michael asks, already kind of knowing what that means.

“Let us into your cabin. Help us set up pranks in your cabin. Tell us everything we want to know about your cabin. You know. That sort of thing,” Travis says flippantly. 

And before Michael can reject, accept, do literally anything, Travis turns around and walks to the table with this unbearably cheerful hum. “Will is going to regret ever messing with my diet.”

Connor falls in step with a fond smile. “But seriously, Will has a point. You need to balance your meals a bit more.”

For such nice people , Michael thinks as he’s corralled towards the Apollo table by an ecstatic Lee , they can be such dicks. 

[7:00 PM, Volleyball]

“Hey, Lee, when did the monsters start coming for me?” Michael asks as he twirls the volleyball in his hands once, twice and tosses it to Lee. In the background, Michael can hear the yells and cheers of the far more serious, far more competitive match going on. Apparently, there’s a tournament between the cabins and the winner gets bragging rights and no cabin inspection next month. 

Lee isn’t participating. “Our cabin is always clean and orderly,” he had said with pride, though that didn’t stop his half-siblings ( my half-siblings) from making a team and participating. 

“Eh? The monsters? Uh, l-last year,” Lee says, fumbling the ball just like he’s fumbling the lie. 

So it’s been more than a year. 

Michael bites his cheeks as he bends his knees and extends his arms to bounce the ball back.

“And you’ve been taking care of them all this time?” 

“Well, not all of them,” Lee admits, catching the ball with both hands. “A lot of them went away on their own.”

Liar , sings his guts. He’s lying . 

Because Lee is way too nice. Way too selfless. Way too noble to tell the truth that would most definitely hurt. 

“Why? Why didn’t you take me to camp earlier? When the monster started coming? Why now?” he bites out, just barely holding back the snarl. You could have saved yourself years of pain, years of trouble. 

“Because…” Lee looks over to the courts, to where Travis and Connor are arguing with Annabeth (the moaning myrtle girl, Michael realizes). Something about which team Percy should be on. 

(“Your dad is the god of Athletes. Your cabin already have an advantage.”)

(“Okay, but consider this, only Travis and I are claimed. Everyone else on the team could be anyone’s child. And your team is completely made up of god-tier and gifted strategists.”)

(“Your #4 is literally speaking ten languages. He’s got to be a son of Hermes.”)

(“That is a stereotype. Abraham could just be remarkably smart.”)

Lee’s eyes go back to him. “Because I wanted you to have a normal life, to know that there’s more to life than just this. Besides, I’ve been watching you for years. You learn how to do something like it’s nothing after a few minutes. It’s kind of ridiculous and I am lowkey jealous. But if you feel like you’re not ready, I can always—”

“Shut up, idiot. You’re not dropping out of school for me,” Michael grumbles, Lee’s stupid chuckle not at all comforting. 

“I heard you guys are in a war,” Michael says, “Are you fighting in it?”

Lee serves the ball over, high and easy to hit. “Yeah. It feels wrong not to.”

And Michael spikes it back as hard as he can. “But you’re going to college in a few months.”

Lee shrugs, easily leaning forward and kicking it back high into the air for another easy hit. “Julliard is close enough to camp.” 

Michael catches it, tucking it under an arm. “That’s not what I meant. What’s the point of going to college if you might lose an arm or leg fighting in this stupid war? You should just focus on school.”

Lee laughs of all things. “That’s nothing. Will fixed worse.”

Michael bristles at Lee's casualness. “Well, if you’re gonna fight, then I am going too.”

Lee laughs again, tenser this time. “You think your mom is gonna let you?”

“She lets you!”

“Because she doesn’t know what I’m doing. And I’m not the one living with her. Besides, do you even know what we are fighting for?”

“Of course, I do! The enemy is K—” Crap. He never got the full name or title of the bad guy. And somehow he feels like saying Cabin 11’s made up name isn’t going to make Lee take him any more seriously. “I’ll learn more about it. Besides, you’re a great guy. I’m sure you’re fighting for the good guys.”

“Michael, your faith in me is nice but getting involved without knowing the full story is dumb. You’re not fighting.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I —”

Lee’s face hardened the way it does when he’s mad or worried or dead serious. Like that one time Leo microwaved a spoon. Like when Raphael tried to jump down a flight of stairs for a dare. Like when Carly and Sam ran onto the streets without looking. And crap. Michael is 14, practically an adult. He shouldn’t be cowing under Lee’s hard stare anymore. But he is and he’s (slightly, only just slightly) scared. 

“No, you’re not,” Lee says, “Because I don’t want you to fight when you have so little experience. Because your mom will literally kill me if something, anything happens to you. Because something bad will happen to you if you do join this fight. So no. You’re not going to fight. You’re not going to participate. You’re only here to train and enjoy camp life.”

“Fine. Fine. I won’t,” Michael grumbles, ducking his head. “Sheesh, you make it sound like if I join, the camp is done for.”

The hard stare melts back into that familiar, soft, (almost) carefree aura with a shrug and small smile. “I just have a feeling. It’s good to trust your instincts.”

And my instincts are telling me right now that you need to quit. But Michael is pretty sure Lee won’t appreciate it and moves the conversation to the climbing wall and why it’s on fire. 

[9:00 PM, Campfire Song]

“Mom,” Michael says, the phone pressed against his ears. He looks out the window, watching the vibrant flame of the bonfire climb high into the starry skies and the circles of cheerful campers surrounding it. 

“Michael, I was wondering when you would call. How’s camp? Do you like it?” 

“Camp is…Camp is great. Lots of activity. Really unique. I—” I like it dies on his tongue. He doesn’t like it. He might have if there was a bit less training. Luckily his mother didn’t catch that pause.  

“That’s great! Made any new — Carly Yew, are those markers I see in your hands? You better not draw on the walls. Get some paper, baby, okay? Made any new friends?”

“A few.”

“You should invite them over! We can have a nice little movie night together.” 

Michael frowns as he recalls someone, somewhere, saying not to gather in more than threes outside the barrier. It attracts the monsters apparently and Michael isn’t about to test that. “They can't. They’re busy. They’re like—um—they’re head counselors, you see, and have a lot of duties.” Like practically running the camp but he doesn’t think Mom would appreciate knowing that. 

“Well, it’s nice to see you make friends even if they’re a bit older.”

Are Travis and Connor older than him? Possibly. They exude confidence that no normal teen has. Or maybe they have just been here for a long time. And that is all kinds of sad. 

His mom asks him about his day, what he did, if he has something he really likes, and for the next hour, Michael goes into a heavily censored, G-rated, parent-safe tale of his first day at Camp Half Blood. It could have been worse. On his way to the Big House to use the phone, he overheard an older boy telling a couple newbies how a kid fought a Minotaur on his first day here and a girl having to sacrifice herself for her friends. 

Wow, it would suck to be them. 

[11:00 PM]

He meets dad in his dreams. 

Michael doesn’t know why, but he thought Apollo to be a refined god. A serious god. A graceful god. 

Instead he sees a teenager sporting pilot shades and leaning on a flaming red sports car in the dingy parking lot of Camp Half Blood with the early morning sun just breaking the horizon. 

“Dad?” Michael says, (who else could it be?) but still not really sure. “Uh, Apollo?”

And the teen waves, flashing a smile that nearly blinds him. “Michael! It’s so good to finally meet you.”

Before Michael could react, the teen — Apollo — dad — pulls him into a crushing hug that knocks all the air out of his lungs.

Apollo is strangely… warm. But not overbearingly warm. Warm like first snuggling into bed under the covers. Plus he smells like laurel leaves, sweet and bright. And Michael has a vivid flashback of his mom — younger, much much younger —  in the hospital bed smiling at a man in his mid-twenties with a bundle of sheets in his arm.

Michael blinks as Apollo pulls away, holding him at arm's length and looking him up and down with a musing stare. 

“You resemble your mom more than me,” Apollo says with a nod, “Most of my children tend to take after my looks, but you’re different, Mike. I have to say, I like it! I can’t stay long. Godly matters I have to attend to, you know? Here, I got you a gift for making it so far in life. Tell Audrey I miss her and think sweetly about the time we spent together.” 

Apollo is pressing a guitar into his hands with his name engraved in the body and stepping back to get into his car. It’s exactly the same as the guitar Lee has except for the engraving. So not unique by any means. But it is a gift. And mom would kill him for rejecting a gift. It’s rude she says, but Michael doesn’t care about Apollo enough yet to give a fuck. Besides if Lee’s experience is anything to go by, this is probably the last time he’ll ever talk to his dad. He needs to make this moment count for something. 

“Wait.”

Apollo pauses just as the engine roars to life, purring sweetly and the window rolled down. 

“I want to ask for something else.”

Apollo blinks and Michael can see the inkling of annoyance in the young face, but Apollo nods and says without a lick of irritation in his voice, “Sure, shoot.” 

“I want you to spend more time with Lee.” Then Michael has a realization. “You know who Lee is, right? The oldest one in the cabin? About to go to Julliard? Want to become a teacher?”

Now Apollo is definitely irked, a telltale wrinkle in his brow. Michael can now add ‘gods’ to the list of people he can make pissed off. “Of course I know Lee, my little music enthusiast child. How could I not? But I’m a God, Michael. There’s only so much free time I have.”

“Then just a few minutes a week, or even a month. So he knows you care.”

Again a slight scowl, but it lingers for a few seconds more. 

“I do care but okay. Okay, I will.” Apollo shifts the car into drive still a little annoyed. Michael thought that was it. Any minute now he’s going to wake up and start the day, but Apollo sighs, leans back in the leather seat, and hangs an elbow out the window. “Michael, you’re so much like your mother. Caring. Gutsy. Compassionate. It’s crazy how much you resemble her. You’re going to do great things. You’re—” The annoyance drops and for a brief second, Apollo looks grief-stricken. And once again, Michael dreams of falling, of a bridge, of a boat wafting through a chasm of fire. But Apollo smiles that blinding smile, fond, and shakes his head. 

“Don’t worry so much about your family. They’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”

Michael wakes up just as the car drives off, his gut itching. 

Apollo is lying to you.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Stark’s New Intern” Chapter 20

"Welcome to your life There's no turning back Even while we sleep We will find you acting on your best behavior Turn your back on mother nature Everybody wants to rule the world

It's my own design It's my own remorse Help me to decide Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure Nothing ever lasts forever Everybody wants to rule the world"

Tears For Fears – "Everybody Wants to Rule The World"

Erik watched Maria down a shot of tequila and squeeze a sliced lime into her mouth. He sipped on a glass of ginger beer and watched the festivities aboard Le Sirene, Stark's 456-foot-long custom-built yacht. Scalloped sides, silver and turquoise accents and large glass facades gave panoramic views inside the interior. Sailing off the coast of Malibu, the balmy air and fresh smell of seawater relaxed Erik.

Stark spared no expense to wine and dine the interns. Everyone around Erik were in various states of good humor, ecstatic thoughts of the future, and varying degrees of sobriety.

Athena accepted a job with a completely different company in Paris.

Giselle would start a mid-level position in Stark's New York offices.

Valentina accepted a generous package with Stark in Los Angeles under the thumb of Janine.

And Maria…she had two top Stark Industries choices. Stay in Los Angeles with Valentina, or take an opportunity to work for Stark in D.C.

Only fifteen percent of the interns were offered jobs with Stark. The fact that all off his female friends received the careers they worked so hard for pleased Erik to no end. He was also looking forward to being right next to Tony. As soon as Happy from security gave him his new clearance, Erik had access to offices and buildings within the Stark sphere of influence.

Once he was removed from the interns, Erik spent two weeks shadowing Pepper Potts. She informed him that she would guide his transition into more of a junior assistant role. Erik liked Pepper's directness. She wasn't a fun person to hang around. Her tight lips and tight ass personality hid a core rooted in needing to keep the world around her extremely organized. Erik recognized the signs of obsessive behavior. He had it too.

Pepper was easy to read and she seemed to be irritated with Erik's relaxed stance around Stark. She dug into him during a lunch meeting the two of them shared.

"You need to be the one to keep Tony grounded. He's really just a big kid in a candy store and even though he is brilliant, he is also very brash. Impulsive. The key to doing the job right is to keep the riff-raff away from him and make sure he stays focused on the task at hand. He doesn't need another sycophant. Everyone wants a piece of him, so don't be afraid to be rude or abrupt. You and I will be in direct contact and I will be in charge of your itinerary with Stark daily. Any changes that need to be made go through me first."

Pepper always regarded him with a bit of detachment and triple-checked his work often. After two weeks of realizing that Erik was more than capable of handling Tony as her junior, she let up a bit. Just a tiny bit. Erik had to adjust to how he would stomach those other looks she gave him. Looks that always made it seem like she pondered how he was in Tony's orbit. This Black kid with the genius I.Q. and Oakland attitude. So many overly pedigreed interns and Stark chose Erik above all of them. A guy not even out of his teens yet.

Erik also learned another little tidbit about Pepper.

She was annoyed with Devika.

Maybe not annoyed…more like jealous.

The two women maneuvered around each other professionally. But more than once, Erik caught Pepper giving Devika catty looks when she was in Stark's inner office. This piqued Erik's curiosity even more, making him want to know what type of relationship Devika really had with Tony. It made Erik's stomach hurt sometimes to think that his boss had been with his girl in that way.

His girl.

Erik's eyes swept over to the open bar on the yacht's third deck as Devika picked up a champagne flute and tipped the glass against one of the female interns next to her. Prior to coming on board the luxury boat, Erik spent the afternoon with Devika at a café looking for an apartment for him. A basic one-bedroom in a decent neighborhood close to work was averaging three thousand a month.

Money wasn't a problem. Stark made good and gifted Erik with a hefty players fee from the poker game. Erik sent portions of his winnings to his relatives and banked the rest. He could afford a fancy apartment or even a condo himself if he wanted. But spending the night with Devika made him want one thing: to be with her.

He whined to her about having to spend a grip of money in a hotel and hinted that he would look for a roommate situation to ease him into a new living situation. He already had his belongings in her apartment and they were now sharing a bed. He wanted to stay with her during his fellowship. But she was concerned about Tony finding out about them. He was too chickenshit to ask outright if he could live with her hoping she would suggest the idea herself. She didn't.

Erik watched Pepper approach Devika and as the two women spoke to one another, he moved to the other side searching for the man himself. Jazzy tunes were piped in throughout the yacht and Erik tried to go where he last saw Tony.

A wet kiss on his cheek caught him off guard and Giselle's face came into view as she slid around him.

"You're real quiet tonight. Everything okay?" she asked.

"I'm good. Just looking for Boss Man."

"I never got a chance to properly congratulate you on your fellowship. Stark was right about you. From Day One. You were the man to beat."

"You haven't done so bad yourself."

"New York, baby!" Giselle squealed. She closed her eyes and did a little happy dance, "They loved my work with the Expo and I was a good fit for his team out there. I am over the fucking moon. I am going to kill out there."

Her eyes glinted with endless possibilities and Erik caught a glimpse of Tony walking toward him.

"Stevens."

Giselle slipped away from him to join a raucous group dancing in an open space. Tony handed Erik a glass of champagne.

"You missed my grand going away speech," Tony said.

"No, I heard it. I was just up here. Taking it all in."

"This is just one of the many perks of doing what I do. Showing appreciation for everyone giving their best."

"Do you ever get bored with it? I mean, all this," Erik said glancing around at the grandeur and all the decadence.

"Not really. When I was younger, I used to get bored…not with the money, but with the same packs of roving cliques. Money is never boring. Rich people? Yes. Money? Never. I just learned how to spend my money well and surround myself with interesting characters."

Erik drank from his glass and Tony moved closer to him.

"Pepper says you are ready for the big leagues. It's going to be quite a shift from being an intern."

"I can handle it."

Erik followed Tony around the ship, and as the night progressed, he longed to be alone with Devika and just watch a corny movie. She flitted around, and the yearning grew in his heart. It was a new feeling for him. Wanting a one on one. Athena and Giselle were open to him having a goodbye tryst with them, but he wasn't interested, and that shocked him. Turning down exceptional pussy? An abomination in his previous life, but now…

The black sheath dress Devika wore shimmered with tiny crystals at the hem. And she wore the heels that he loved fucking her in. Her hair was tucked into a loose bun on her head and she decorated her forehead with three dark green bindis. He followed her to the starboard side of the yacht and her eyes looked startled to see him come upon her as she stared at the dark water below them.

"Hey," he said, allowing his shoulder to bump into hers.

"Hi."

"You look nice."

"Thanks," she said. Her eyes darted behind him to make sure they weren't being watched.

"I'm on my best behavior, don't trip," he said giving up a bit of space between them.

"I needed a little break from the action," she whispered, folding her hands on the railing she leaned on.

"Pepper and you have been chatty Cathy's."

Devika's eyes narrowed at the sound of Pepper's name.

"Devika, be honest with me. Did you and Tony-?"

"No."

Her tone was curt. But her eyes were soft.

"I didn't cross the line with him. Not all the way. I was…I was really young when I took this job. I was also really good at it. Tony took a shine to me, but it was just an excellent working relationship in the beginning. But shit happens. Late hours. Last-minute trips to exotic places. Billionaire crowd. Working for him is both surreal and astounding at times. The people that he has on speed dial? You would be shocked at who I have called up out of the blue for him."

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I had a huge crush on him and he has always been attracted to me. We've had dinners together that had nothing to do with work. There have been times when I could've allowed us to cross the line, and I didn't. Then I met my fiancé and my life changed. Pepper is in love with Tony, and she hates that he still feels something for me even though there is nothing between us."

She turned and looked at Erik.

"I had an emotional connection to Tony and I ended it for the sake of my career. My dignity too, I guess. I look at Tony as a boss and a friend. Pepper hasn't found a balance for her feelings, and we sometimes butt heads."

"Does he still want something with you?"

"I don't think so. He was happy when I first got engaged. Maybe it was a relief for him."

"Does he feel anything for Pepper?"

"I don't think so. She treats him like a child. It annoys him a lot. I think it's why he blows her off a lot. But she is good at what she does so he puts up with her scolding. What's it like for you working with her?"

Erik looked out at the water and gripped the railing with his hands.

"Annoying as fuck. But I'm used to people like her. She doesn't like that I'm not invested in the gig as much as she thinks I should be."

"If you're not invested, why do it? You should go to M.I.T."

Her words made his chest hurt.

"You don't want me around?"

"This has nothing to do with me. God, I hope you didn't take the job just to be around me."

She laughed but then stopped when his face stayed neutral.

"Erik, seriously, you took the job for your future career, right?"

"I have a lot of reasons to take it. You were part of it too."

"Oh…Erik…"

Her eyes dropped away from his.

"Devika…"

"You have to make life choices that benefit you and your dreams."

"I'm still figuring that out, but you're a big perk."

She reached out and rubbed his arm.

"You are so sweet."

"I'm not trying to be sweet, Devika. I'm tryna be your man."

The words not only shocked her, but they made him tumble back from the railing. The champagne had him loose-lipped. Too loose.

Her eyes regarded him with quiet understanding.

"So sweet," she said.

He watched her lean away from him as if she were leaving him. He grabbed for her hand and pulled her toward him.

"You heard what I said, right?" he asked.

"I did."

"You like me, right?"

"I do."

"I wanna be with you. Not just friends."

"We should slow down."

"What?"

His neck tilted to the side.

Hours earlier they had been in her bed and she had whispered crazy things in his ear that made him feel invincible and so grown up. Was she playing him for good dick?

Two weeks of sharing her home together, making him feel like they were a legit couple, and she was standing there telling him they should slow down. He tasted sour spit in his mouth and the muscles in his stomach felt tight.

"You need to focus all your energy on being the best you in your new position. Don't get caught up with me and lose track of your future."

"Caught up?"

He could barely get the words out of his throat. Her words sounded like she was patting him on his head like he was a cute puppy that she no longer wanted to play with. He felt his lower lip tremble and he stepped further away from her.

"Erik…"

"I gotta get back to Stark. I'll see you later."

He felt a little wobbly as he searched for Tony. Once he found him, he stayed by the man's side and finished the evening on his motorcycle by the pier the yacht was docked at. Instead of returning to Devika's condo, he took a room at a Hilton hotel and drank up the liquor inside the minibar.

His cell phone rang and when he checked it, Devika left several messages for him. He called her back at three in the morning after a good hour of sleep.

"Where are you?"

"A hotel. West Hollywood."

"Why?"

"Why? You told me not to get caught up—"

"Erik, you know what I meant."

"I heard what you said."

"Come back here."

"Why should I?"

"Let's talk—"

"We're talking now—"

"Get over here."

"Why?"

"I want you here. Your stuff is here."

"I'll get my stuff later."

"What I said to you earlier…I wasn't trying to be mean. I was being honest with you."

"I don't want to slow down."

He could hear an exasperated sigh in her voice.

"Erik, I'm trying to make you see what I wish someone had told me when I was younger. I'm not trying to hurt you."

"I want to be with you. We get along. You know that. Tony won't find out about us—"

"We need to talk in person—"

"It's late. I'll come over when I check out."

He hung up.

Lying on the hotel bed nude, he stared at the walls.

An hour ticked by.

"Fuck."

He jumped up and put back on his silk shirt and slacks. Throwing on his dark biker's jacket and helmet, he hopped on his motorcycle and roared out of the hotel parking lot.

The highway was quiet as the sky lightened. When he reached Devika's condo, the pink and orange morning glow made him feel easier in the chest.

She answered the door after his third knock dressed in one of his sweatshirts and nothing else.

"Let's talk," he said.

She nodded and he leaned forward to kiss her lips. Her mouth was eager to have his and they took their time with slow drawn out smooching in the doorway. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Suckling his tongue, Devika made him feel that what he needed most was for her to be in his corner. He held onto her ass cheeks to keep her pressed against him, and when she finally released his lips, he had her panting. He slipped a finger down her ass and let it rest against the cotton of her underwear. He could feel how damp she was, her slick saturating the panties. He rested his forehead on hers.

"Tell me your mine," he whispered.

She traced the fingers of her right hand across the back of his scalp sending tingles up his back. His lips touched her lips again and he looked into her eyes.

"Tell me," he demanded.

He walked into her condo with her still wrapped around him and kicked the door closed.

"I'm your man. Say it."

The bass in his voice made her eyes widen. He sent his fingers down into her panties and stroked her swollen vulva.

"Devika, say it…."

He unfastened his pants and pulled them down with his underwear.

"Devika."

Sliding her sticky panties to the side, Erik lifted her up and guided his dick inside of her. She whimpered as he fucked her standing up, her face pressed against his face, her arms laced around his neck.

The squelching sounds coming from her pussy made Erik give her hard strokes as he lifted her up and down his stiffness. She still wouldn't answer him and just gave his ears thrilling moans and yelps from the pleasure he gave her.

His calves began to strain from standing in one place and holding her weight so he spun around and jammed her up against the door. Pressing her into the solid wood, he drilled into her hard and fast, his aggression needing release. She refused to give him what he wanted and it aggravated him.

"Devika…"

"Erik!" she screamed.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and he felt her pussy contract up and down his dick. He reached up and grabbed her throat, his fingers squeezing and pushing her head back. The throbbing in his dick made his back hunch up.

"I want you!" he shouted releasing into her, his head dropping onto her chest as his legs trembled.

He groaned when he felt another sudden wave of semen spurt into her and it made him drop her down to her feet. He faced her with wrinkled clothes and semen still dripping from his tip. He kicked his feet out of his pants and Devika took his right hand and led him to her bedroom.

They made love until Erik was too exhausted to do anything more than stroke her hair as he held her in his arms.

The unspoken was made manifest.

He was going to live with her and she let be known by her loving that she belonged to him.

The world at that moment was his.

Chapter 21 HERE.

###

Tag List:

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[sangfielle]

💎🍭🌠💫 about any you’d like

doing this for borderlands because um. aurelia :)

💎 When and how did you discover your special interest? - I'm not super sure, i wanna say like a year ago? I played borderlands 1 for like a few days and the gameplay was too janky for me to get into but i liked the concept, and i followed a few people into borderlands and sort of. forgot about it? until i saw a mutual I liked talking about it and i was like Oh yeah right so i threw myself into bl2

🍭 What’s a headcanon/theory you have about your special interest? - i don't really have. theories about bl and some of my hcs are very. personal. so i think i will do lgbt ones. the entire bl1 vault hunter crew + maya + zane and amara + ellie + sasha are trans and bi, fl4k is agender and bi, zer0 is genderfluid and bi, nisha is bi, aurelia and angel are nb lesbians, moze + athena and janey are trans lesbians, clay + alistair and wainwright are transgay, lorelei is an nb shegay. wilhelm, axton, vaughn, and tannis are cishet. theres more but thats kind of off the top of my head.

🌠 What’s a past special interest? - trying to think of one that isn't embarrassing and the first thing that comes to mind is soccer? I'd probably still be really into it but I am a little too disabled to play in sports leagues now. ballet also used to be up there but on top of having a bad foot i no longer have the body type for that.

💫 Favorite fact about your special interest? - oh man idrk but i think it's neat how nobody knows what's going on with zer0 like if they're an alien or a robot or what. they're just here :)

[thevividgreenmoss]

are you in the mood to share you favorite albums of 2019? it would be appreciated! :)

Moodymann - Sinner | KDJ-48; 2 Chainz - Rap Or Go To The League; Prince - Originals; Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs; Alex G - House of Sugar; 03 Greedo - Still Summer In The Projects; Megan Thee Stallion - Fever; Chelsea Wolfe - Birth of Violence; Sudan Archives - Athena; Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains; Angel Olsen - All Mirrors; Maxo Kream - Brandon Banks; Big Thief - U.F.O.F.; Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell; Little Simz - GREY Area were all in heavy rotation, I loved the new Earl Sweatshirt & FKA Twigs also but haven’t revisited either very much yet also I still haven’t listened to Kim Gordon, Roisin Murphy, Nick Cave, a bunch of other stuff probably lmao

[thedcdunce]

Donna Troy

“I'm Donna Troy, bitch.” - Donna Troy

Real Name: Donna Hinckley Stacy Troy

Aliases:

Wonder Girl

Darkstar

Goddess of the Moon

Wonder Woman

Troia

Princess Donna

Donna Prince

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 9″

Weight: 140 lbs (64 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Race: Amazon

Powers:

Divine Empowerment

Abilites:

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Tactical Analysis

Swimming

Photography

Equipment:

Donna Troy's Lasso

Lasso of Persuasion

Bracelets of Submission

Troia Costume

Amazon Armor

Universe Orb

Darkstar Exo-Mantle

Amazonian Weapons

Donna Troy's Lasso

Lasso of Persuasion

Universe: 

Earth-One

New Earth

Base of Operations: New Cronus, 14218 Athena Drive

Citizenship: American

Origin: Magical clone of Wonder Woman

Marital Status: 

Widowed (Terry Long; husband)

Divorced (Coeus; husband)

Occupation:

Photographer

Guardian of the Universe Orb

First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #60 (July, 1965)

Last Appearance: Justice League of America Vol 2 #60 (October, 2011)

Powers

Divine Empowerment: As a magical replicate of Diana, Donna possesses most of her powers. At various times she has lost and gained her powers, even abilities unique to her.

Accelerated Healing

Charisma: Donna has truth-coaxing powers like Diana; even without a Lasso of Truth people find it almost impossible to lie to her.

Flight: Donna can glide on wind currents for short periods of time.

Psychic Link: While Wonder Woman has a psychic rapport with animals, Donna has a psychic rapport with her. This allows one to feel the other's emotions, dreams and even thoughts.

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Durability

Superhuman Reflexes

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Stamina

Superhuman Strength

Abilities

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Like all Amazons, Donna is well trained to fight with various weapons and in the martial arts, and often practices with a kind of staff which seems to be her personal weapon of choice.

Archery

Weaponry

Tactical Analysis

Swimming: Donna is able to navigate through the depths of the oceans.

Photography: She has studied photography at New York University, and was a co-founder of Aurora Photo Studio.

Equipment

Donna Troy's Lasso: Donna's original golden lasso.

Lasso of Persuasion: Anyone who is held by the silver lasso of persuasion and with less will than Donna is compelled to do what she tell them to do.

Bracelets of Submission: Donna possesses a pair of bracelets that are common among Amazonian women. She is able to use these bracelets to deflect ranged attacks such as gunfire, missiles, and lasers. In close combat, Donna can use them to deflect punches, kicks, and melee weapons.

Troia Costume: A costume composed of various items gifted by the Titans of Myth, including an amulet of Cronus, a mystic net from Oceanus and Tethys, golden armor forged by the sun itself from Thiaand Hyperion, an earring of balance by Themis, a bracelet that used to belong to Phoebe, and from Criusand Mnemosyne a cloth from the starry firmament. This cloth became an important part of her later costumes, as it allowed her a map to everything, including New Cronus.

Amazon Armor: A heavy and ornate battle-armor much like her sister's, but made of a silver-colored metal.

Universe Orb: The Universe Orb is the repository of all knowledge and history of Universe.

Darkstar Exo-Mantle: As a member of the Darkstars, Donna wore the standard Darkstar Exo-Mantle as part of their group, granting her superhuman strength, speed, and agility. The exo-mantle also possessed a personal force field for protection against physical impact and energy attacks. The main weapons were twin maser units that fired energy blasts with pinpoint accuracy; however, it seems that Donna did not undergo the surgical procedure to attain the instant mastery of maser control that the other Darkstars had, and had a split-second delay in reaction time when wearing the less powerful deputy version of the exo-mantle. A powerful shoulder mounted cannon complemented the maser system of the Darkstars' exo-mantle. With the exo-mantle, one could achieve high speeds during flight, all the while protected from wind friction by the force field. Since leaving the Darkstars, Donna no longer possesses the exo-mantle. 

Amazonian Weapons

Donna Troy's Lasso

Lasso of Persuasion

Origin

Donna was created to be a playmate for the young Wonder Woman by the sorceress Magala, who used a magical mirror to create a duplicate of Diana, though with her own personality. She was abducted by Dark Angel who mistook her for the real Diana, and cursed her to experience a cycle of countless tragic lives, given the name Donna Troy as a cruel joke to her origins. But it would not be until the intervention of Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, and the Flash years later that she would learn this.

In one of the lives she ended up living, Donna was orphaned by her birth mother, Dorothy Hinckley, a dying unwed teen who had given her up for adoption. After Donna's adoptive father Carl Stacey was killed in a work-related accident, her adoptive mother Fay Stacey gave her up for adoption again, unable to raise the toddler because of mounting expenses. Donna remembered being rescued from a fire by the goddess Rhea who, being one of the mythological Titans, brought her to New Cronus and raised her as one of twelve Titan Seeds, orphans from various planets who would have died if Rhea had not saved them. Each one was given the name of a place that worshiped the Titans, and Donna was given the last name of Troy in homage to the ancient city. She was returned to Earth at age thirteen, where her memories of New Cronus were erased until such a time that she would return and take her place among the Seeds as gods.

Wonder Girl and Troia

When Donna experienced having superhuman powers and abilities, she adopted the identity of Wonder Girl. Donna became one of the founding members of the Teen Titans, even suggesting the name of the group from a residual memory.

She married Terry Long, a college professor, and soon became pregnant. This incited the Team Titans group from the future to confront her, claiming that her son would threaten the future as Lord Chaos. Donna voluntarily gave up her powers to prevent this. She later requested for her powers to be returned but was denied. She was inducted into the Darkstars and rejoined the Teen Titans as a Darkstar. Terry later divorced Donna citing that her superhero role put the family in danger and gained sole custody of their son. She turned to teammate Kyle Rayner for comfort, but left him after Terry, Robert and Jenny Long, were killed in a tragic car accident.

The tragedy caused Dark Angel to appear and make Donna start anew with a totally different life, causing everyone but Hippolyta and Wally West to forget her existence as the Donna Troy who became Wonder Girl and Troia. Together with Wonder Woman, Hippolyta and Wally helped restore the life of Donna Troy, breaking her out of the curse that Dark Angel had bound her to. She was then adopted as a daughter of Hippolyta. Consequently, Hippolyta decreed that Donna, as her daughter, would be granted the privilege of a royal station and a title. As such, a coronation was held and Donna was thereafter referred to as Princess Donna amongst the Amazons.

Death

An android named Indigo appeared, badly damaged and in need of repair. In her attempts to repair herself and call for aid from other androids, she caused a Superbot to go rogue during a meeting of the Teen Titans and Young Justice; Donna and Omen were killed during the attempts to stop it.

The Return of Donna Troy

Donna Troy had discovered that, like every other person after the destruction of the multiverse, she was an amalgam of every alternate version of Donna Troy in the former realities. Unlike everyone else, Donna was the repository of knowledge of every alternate universe version of herself. She learned that her counterpart on Earth-Two was saved by a firefighter and raised in an orphanage, while her Earth-S counterpart died in the fire. She also discovered that her sworn enemy of the past, Dark Angel, was in fact the Donna Troy of Earth-Seven, saved from certain death by the Anti-Monitor, just like the Monitor had saved Harbinger. When the parallel realities were condensed into one, Dark Angel, who had somehow escaped the compression of every Donna Troy into one single person on the new Earth, sought to kill her. Every life she forced Donna to relive was, in fact, an aspect of an alternate Donna, as a way to avoid the merging and remain the last one standing. When she was defeated, Donna became the real sum of every Donna Troy that existed on every Earth, a living key to the lost Multiverse.

Donna had been reborn after her death at the hands of the Superman android. The Titans of Myth, realizing that she was the child who was destined to save them from some impending threat, brought her to New Cronus and implanted false memories within her mind to make her believe she was the original Goddess of the Moon and wife of Coeus. The Titans of Myth incited war between other worlds near New Cronus in order to gain new worshippers. They used the combined power of their collective faith to open a passageway into another reality, where they would be safe from destruction. Donna was another means to that end, until she was found by the Titans and The Outsiders who restored her true memories. This was not without casualties, however. Sparta, who was restored to full mental health and stripped of the bulk of her power, had been made an officer in the Titans of Myth's royal military. She was sacrificed by the Titans of Myth in an attempt to lay siege to the planet, Minosyss, which housed a Sun-Eater factory miles beneath its surface. Sparta's death had inadvertently helped trigger Donna's memory restoration. Athyns had also reappeared by this time, and aided the heroes and the Mynossian resistance in battling the Titans of Myth. It was then that Hyperion, the Titan of the Sun, revealed Donna's true origins to her and ordered her to open a passageway into another reality by means of a dimensional nexus that once served as a gateway to the Multiverse itself, within the Sun-Eater factory's core. This turned out to be the Titans of Myth's real target. Donna did so, but fearing they would simply continue with their power-mad ambitions, she banished most of them into Tartarus. However, Hyperion, and his wife Thia, were warned of the deception at the last moment. Enraged, they turned on Donna, intending to kill her for the betrayal, but Coeus activated the Sun-Eater to save her and Arsenal. As the Sun-Eater began absorbing their vast solar energies, Hyperion and Thia tried to escape through the Nexus, but they were both torn apart by the combined forces of the Nexus' dimensional pull and the Sun-Eater's power. Coeus, who had learned humility and compassion from Donna, vowed to guard the gateway to make certain the other Titans of Myth remained imprisoned forever. After this, Donna gained all knowledge of her alternate selves and was entrusted with the Universe Orb by Harbinger.

Infinite Crisis

Donna led a group of heroes to New Cronus to deal with a rip in space caused by Alexander Luthor, attacking him through the rift. The team suffered loss, including the death of Jade and several others who went missing. Donna also procured a "red sun eater" in order to defeat Superboy-Prime. Afterwards, Donna returned to New Cronus where she analyzed the history of the universe as it had been recorded in Harbinger's old Universe Orb.

One Year Later

Donna Troy assumed the mantle of Wonder Woman. Diana stepped down, feeling the need to "find out who Diana is". In the midst of a fight with Cheetah and Giganta, Donna was overwhelmed when Doctor Psycho manipulated her into believing that Diana was attacking her with deadly force. At the same time, Diana, posing as a government agent, arrived on the scene. Circe is behind the attacks and capture.

Donna worked alongside ex-boyfriend Kyle Rayner, who had taken up the powers and title of Ion again. They fought against one of the Monitors who attempted to remove them from the newly rebuilt time-stream, claiming the two were unwanted anomalies. Donna returned to earth with Ion in time for him to say good-bye to his dying mother.

Donna later joined several former Teen Titans in their battle against Deathstroke and his Titans East team.

The Challengers from Beyond

Donna soon after attended Duela Dent's funeral with the Teen Titans. After the burial, she was confronted by Jason Todd, who sought her out as a kindred spirit. She repeatedly ran into the helpful Jason while trying to investigate Duela's murder. Her investigation was put on hold once she discovered the Amazons had invaded Washington, D.C. She traveled to the city and confronted the recently revived Hippolyta to put a stop to the invasion. The Amazon Queen informed her that she would consider a withdrawal, only if Donna could include Diana in the peace talks, Donna left to find her sister, discovering that Jason Todd had followed her to Washington as well. Jason told Donna that he believed the Monitors were responsible for Duela's death, but before anything else could be done, both warriors were attacked by the Monitor's aide, Forerunner. They were consequently saved by the seemingly benevolent "Bob," and recruited to help locate Ray Palmer. Their journey took them across the expanse of the new Multiverse, whereupon they were also joined by Donna's former boyfriend, Green Lantern as well as Ray Palmer's successor Ryan Choi. This loose confederation of adventurers became known as the Challengers from Beyond. After several haphazard missions in the Nanoverse, they eventually found Palmer in the parallel reality known as Earth-51. Shortly thereafter, their colleague Bob the Monitor betrayed them, and Earth-51 was destroyed as a result of the Morticoccus Virus. With Palmer in tow, the Challengers eventually returned to their home dimension. Donna, Ray and Kyle agreed that with the growing individuality of the fifty-two existing Monitors, there was too much room for corruption. They all agreed to serve as a watchdog group in order to "Monitor the Monitors".

Return of the Titans

Returning to Earth, Donna reunited with her old teammates the Titans. The group reformed after discovering that the children of one of their deadliest foes, Trigon, had been systematically hunting down members, both old and new.

Blackest Night

Donna had a horrific encounter with her deceased son Robert and husband Terry, revived as undead beings in the Black Lantern Corps. She was bitten by Robert, becoming "infected" by the Black Lantern's power. Donna, along with Superboy, Kid Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and several other resurrected heroes, were targeted by Nekron, the being responsible for the Black Lanterns. Donna's previous deaths made her vulnerable to the Black Rings. However, unlike the other heroes, Donna was converted by being infected with the Black Lantern's power rather than having a ring forced on her.

Justice League

Donna Troy became part of the new Justice League's lineup, along with Mon-El, Batman, and Hal Jordan.

Her recruitment began when she volunteered to help Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla track down the supervillain Prometheus. She accompanied them to the JLA Watchtower alongside Starfire and Animal Man, only to discover that Red Arrow had been mutilated by Prometheus. During the ensuing battle, Donna was impaled through the wrists, but freed herself, taking down Prometheus after he defeated the rest of the team. Unfortunately, the villain destroyed Star City via a teleportation device.

In the aftermath, Donna was told by Wonder Woman that she could benefit from being a part of the JLA. To that end, she officially joined the team, even recruiting Cyborg and Starfire as well.