#melinoe and her story are just different

[wegog]

Once again about Melinoë... The reason why she has her own flaws and still needs reconsidering some certain things (besides she's a well-written character) is Melinoë will have her own development! Not only the main plot will be revealed but also the protagonist! She's not Zagreus who was more like 'our guid of the story' and didn't change a lot, but just changed his attitude towards others on the understanding of their motives and circumstances. He perceived this story together with the player. His reactions often coincide with ours. Melinoë, in turn, is an integral part of the plot. If we compare these two wonderful games with a puzzle, then Zagreus is who solves the puzzle together with the player. While Melinoë is an important piece of this puzzle.

[cutesilyo]

you know how there was a running theme with the NPC encounters in hades? that sisyphus, eurydice, and patroclus were all involved in stories about being unable to escape death?

and its something thats explicitly discussed within hades itself, at least for sisyphus and eurydice. sisyphus had attempted to cheat death three times, one of the most notable being when he bound thanatos in chains. orpheus had found a way to bring eurydice back to life, but couldn't follow through with completing hades' challenge. achilles had a prophecy hanging over him during the war; die in glory at troy or live long unremembered. he chose the war and patroclus followed. they didn't survive. they are all different manifestations of the axiom zagreus is fighting against: that in hades, there is no escape.

so i was thinking. in the hades 2 playtest, we get dialogue from nemesis about how mortals had it better during kronos' time. we get dialogue from arachne too, about being distrustful toward the gods because of her curse.

i wonder if the running theme for the npcs in hades 2 will be people maligned by the gods in some shape or form.

arachne is already confirmed as the npc encounter for erebus. proud athena cursed her into being a spider. will we see victims of a love gone wrong in the next biome, like daphne perhaps? will we see those offered up for sacrifice just to appease the gods, such as andromeda or iphigenia? maybe those who were killed, perhaps unjustly so, because they dared fly too close to the heavens, like bellerophon or icarus? demigods that were cursed because of their birth, ala heracles? its long been a joke that the greek myths are just full of people suffering because of the incomprehensible acts of the gods. if hades 2 goes down this route, theres a lot of material to draw inspiration from.

and its an especially interesting direction because we know that its kronos waiting for us down the line. kronos, who ruled the golden age. when it comes to those wronged by the gods, you cant get much worse than being waged war against, your mountain stronghold so damaged from the attack that it loses height, and then being cut up into tiny pieces.

kronos, the crooked one. i bet he'd have a hell of a time trying to convince melinoe that the gods cant be trusted. and melinoe would be surrounded by all these narratives that would just prove his point.

just like how zagreus was in hades, who was surrounded by all these narratives about how death had no escape. and yet, his story is about how life and love bloom despite it. i cant wait to see what melinoe is fighting against now.

[babyrdie]

ALERT OF HADES II SPOILER

Okaaaayyy....seeing a considerable number of people act shocked at how Odysseus is in Hades II and think it's something against Odysseus, and now I'm wondering if they actually paid attention in the first game…I know everyone talks a lot about Hades' art, but I didn't think that was because it was the only thing you guys were really paying attention to.

It makes sense to be disappointed that the characters weren't treated the way a fan would have liked (for example, I'm not a fan of Hades, but I don't really like the idea of him in the game although I understand why he's the way he is), but I think it's weird to be that surprised by it or treat it like it's personal. Hades never fully followed the myths. They didn't do this because they haven't read Homer or because they don't like Penelope or hate Odysseus…it's simply because they don't follow the myths authentically. They don't specifically have anything against Odysseus or Penelope, it's just the way they do things. If this were the first game, I would understand this being unexpected… but it's the second game, we already know that they won't faithfully follow the myths because they didn't do that in Hades I.

I'll admit that I also didn't expect what was done with Penelope and Odysseus, but it's not really such a "wow! I could never imagine!" when it comes to Supergiant (I'm playing the technical test, for context). And I hoped they would already be together without relationship conflicts, because I really wasn't looking forward to a repeat of Nyx and Chaos, Patroclus and Achilles, Orpheus and Eurydice. I know most people wanted this, but I think it would be lazy to repeat this and I'm still hoping to not have this quest, whether with Odypen or other characters. And yet, even if I didn't expect it, I don't think it's as unexpected for Supergiant as some are making it seem.

Examples:

Melinoe and Zagreus are children of Persephone and Hades, and in mythology they aren't children of Hades.

Zagreus and Dionysus aren't the same person. The game makes humans believe that they're because the two played a prank on Orpheus, which made him invent a song with that story. Clearly a joke on the Orphic hymns.

Theseus is proud to be a demigod, but Poseidon denies that he's his father. Clearly a joke with the different versions of Theseus' birth, in which some he is Poseidon's demigod and others he's mortal.

Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and a mortal, not Zeus. For that reason, she and her children bleed red rather than gold.

Persephone isn't actually kidnapped by Hades. The kidnapping was an act that went wrong. Yeah, Odysseus wasn't the first character to have his non-con and dub-con aspect erased.

Achilles has a different personality than in myths. The game explains this as him maturing in the afterlife.

Patroclus is distant instead of communicative as in the myths, also explained by post-death events.

Asterius (Minotaur) is much more humanized than in the myths and he and Theseus are best friends.

There is a character heavily implied to be Medusa (Dusa) and she definitely doesn't behave like a monster.

Sisyphus is a kind and helpful guy, which is explained in the game with him having regretted his actions after his years of punishment.

Artemis and Callisto are on good terms even though they ended tragically in mythology.

Hades has a much more difficult personality to deal with than in mythology.

Thanatos, Megaera (one of the furies) and Zagreus are in a romantic relationship, which definitely doesn't exist in the myths.

The last aspects of the weapons to be unlocked do not even make reference to Greece, but to other figures. For example, the Twin Fists have the "aspect of Gilgamesh", a figure who is definitely not Greek.

Aphrodite says "You do know that I'm married, don't you love? I forgive you if you didn't. For my husband, he's always... busy with his work. I'm grateful that you are there for me to talk to" about Hephaesthus...her husband, she says. Hephaestus and Aphrodite are often divorced in mythology, including in Homer. And it's not because it wasn't yet at the time they got divorced, after all the Trojan War had already happened and they were already divorced at that time.

Also, they clearly don't use Homer as their only guide, so I don't know why you guys are saying "but Homer!" Patrochilles is there and not really canon in the Homeric tradition, but in Classical Greece they were considered a couple in certain sources (Aeschylus mainly). They use the name Asterius for the Minotaur (something Pausanias mentions, for example) although it wasn't the most common, they play with the various versions of Theseus' lineage, they reference Orphic hymns, etc. Like…it's really VERY obvious they took inspiration of more than one source.

On the Supergiant website, part of the Hades presentation is "Greek myth comes from stories of ancient gods and heroes filtered through new points of view; we’re excited to share ours." This already makes it more than evident that certain aspects were purposefully changed. It wasn't a surprise even before Hades I was released, for anyone who bothered to read it.

On Twitter, Kasavin (Creative Director) has already said that "it is a concerted effort over time, although Hesiod and Homer were very significant among the many authors we explored", which makes it clear that they don't focus on a specific source, although he recognizes that Homer and Hesiod are very influential.

In an interview available at Rock Paper Shotgun, he even said that he read more than one translation of the Odyssey and cites other sources like Diodorus Siculus.

Also, Odysseus cheating Penelope isn't even a modern invention, there were already versions of this in the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus (I'm talking about Callidice). And giving an unpopular opinion here: while I agree that Calypso in The Odyssey is undeniably an SA situation, Circe is more debatable than you guys like to make it out to be, it isn't undeniably. Both the interpretation that there was SA and the interpretation that there was no SA are valid, because the text itself doesn't make it explicit as it does with Calypso. In Circe's case, not necessarily not making it a relationship with SA makes it something that deviant from the myths.

Again because I don't want to be misinterpreted: what I'm taking issue with here isn't the disappointment in how Odysseus was portrayed. This is valid! I'm questioning the idea that this was done because they don't know about the myths or that it was something specific to Odysseus and Penelope. They know the myths, they just purposefully choose not to be completely authentic. They have nothing specific to Odysseus and Penelope, which is precisely why they aren't exempt from the changes they also made to other characters. They are no more special than Persephone, Hades, Zagreus, Melinoe (to name a few who had changes), that's why they receive the same treatment (that is, being changed).

I would never recommend Hades to someone who wanted complete authenticity to the myths. I wouldn't do that because I KNOW that's not the game's purpose. I thought everyone else knew too. You don't go to a vegetarian restaurant that you knew was vegetarian because you had eaten there before and be surprised because they don't have real meat dishes, be serious.

Edit (01/05): guys, you're talking about Epic, but I admit that I've never even heard that musical and I'm not part of the fandom. So I don't really know if Epic has an influence on that mindset 🤔and also my reblog develops a little more what I think based on Hades I if anyone is interested in theories for the narrative.

[gnomeonamelon]

Hello! Part 2 of my designs: Thalia Grace and Nico di Angelo!

In honor of reading (/listening to) The Demigod Files for the first time, I decided to do the other Little 3: Greek Edition) next! For the sake of reference, Thalia is 27 chronologically/ 17 physically and Nico is 19 (I'll explain).

The rules I set myself to for these redesigns were explained in Part 1 where I did The Trio.

Notes Below (and a poll please I need help):

Thalia:

The ears probably need the most explanation here: I like the idea that becoming a hunter changes you more than simply immortality. They are made up of humans (demigod and mortal) and nymphs, so I threw traits in the blender- the humans become more nymph like, and the nymphs become more human like (always including their bond to a specific place/ thing in nature being broken).

The only other thing of significance I did that wasn't just design flavor was change her hair color from black to brown. I just thought the color worked well with her complexion and differentiated her from the others more.

I keep bouncing around with who should get Aegis after she becomes a hunter (I'm almost positive she never uses it again after TTC)

Nico:

When I was working through the seven total children of the Big 3 and their ages, I realized that I wanted to make it conceivable that any of them could've been the child of prophecy (or seen that way) at some point. I was able to do this fairly easily for everyone else but had to get more creative for Nico. Currently, I'm working with the idea that Nico and Percy are the same age, they have the same birthday.

Once Nico is introduced and Bianca joins the hunters/dies, no one knows who's going to fulfill the prophecy. This adds more tension as he is seemingly evil, and no one knows where he is most of the time. This would probably make everyone but especially Annabeth really suspicious. It would go back and forth for a while before eventually turning out to be Percy.

Ok! On to the actual design: I wanted to go with something different for Nico's outfit as he has a couple early in the series. My personal favorite of these alternates is the black trench coat, so I went with that. Combined with the heeled boots, curved, almost cutlass looking kopis, and cross the body sash for the sheath, he looks very piratey to me with his more formal shirt and pants all being 1940s inspired.

He also has a lot of elements that I at least always forget about. He has a chain belt in BotL that I have never seen in fanart before, so I wanted to include it. I also wanted him to wear his (now skeleton themed) armor since the poor boy needs armor if he's going to go to Tartarus.

It's hard to see at a distance, but there is a key embedded in Nico's sword. Given that the Underworld is described with prison/ door motifs (ex: The Doors of Death), I like the idea that underworld gods have different keys.

When fighting Melinoe, Nico finds (steals) a key that allows him to summon ghosts without the ritual (its criminal that the Ghost King didn't come back in this story).

[aliciavance4228]

So... Did Hades Have Any Children At All?

It's very hard to tell wheter or not Hades indeed had any kids. The main reason for this is that Hades is believed to be impotent or at least infertile (though this is never specified in ancient sources) in about 90% of the myths. Which makes sense, considering the fact that he's the God of the Dead and rules over a realm where 99% of its residents are mortal souls.

But what about the other 10%? Well, he has less children than his brothers, that's for sure, and their number varies depending on the myths.

In some myths the Erinyes are considered to be his daughters, whom he conceived either with Nyx or Persephone. But both of these possibilities are labeled as weird by Greek Mythology Nerds because a) Nyx usually conceives her children either asexually or with Erebus, and b) it's very likeable that by the time when Persephone was kidnapped the Erinyes already existed. So people stick to the version where they are the daughters of Nyx and Erebus, and them being reffered to as the daughters of Hades is rather related to the way he treated them.

Another strange case is Plutus. Sometimes he's the son of Demeter and Iasion, sometimes the son of Tyche and Iasion, and sometimes he's the son of Demeter and Hades. Which would be cringe on many levels. Even weirder, Plutus is depicted both in the company of Demeter and Persephone, as well as in the company of Hades, and he's considered the younger brother of Melinoe and Zagreus even when they have completely different parents. My personal theory is that Plutus, being the God of Riches, was basically adopted by his uncle Hades (who's called The Rich One as Pluto) and he's currently treated like his son because they share some attributes. Also, Iasion was killed by Zeus, so he probably needed a new father figure (or someone who rules over the realm where the soul of his father lies now). Furthermore, Plutus is usually depicted either as a young boy or even as a child, so he's literally a babe.

And now, we will talk about the three divinities that are labeled as their children by the majority of this fandom: Macaria, Melinoe and Zagreus.

Macaria

Macaria is the one we know few to no things about. She is a daughter of Hades (who was basically mentioned only once in the Suda and that's how we know about her existence), and she's generally associated with a Blessed Death, being a softer counterpart of Thanatos. To make things a little bit complicated now, Heracles also named his daughter Macaria, so it's pretty hard to separate them both when you try to talk about any of them. Her mother is never mentioned, but technically it should be Persephone.

While specific descriptions of Macaria’s appearance are rare, she is often imagined as a serene and comforting presence, embodying the peace that comes with a blessed death. Unlike the fearsome depictions of other death-related deities, like Thanatos and Hecate, Macaria’s visage would likely be gentle, reflecting her role in easing the transition of the souls to the afterlife.

Since there are no recorded myths about Macaria, we can only guess about her personality based on the few mentions of her name and role. As the goddess of Blessed Death, Macaria would be compassionate and understanding. She represents the aspect of death that should not be feared. Instead it should be accepted as a natural and potentially beautiful part of the life cycle. Her demeanor would be calming, reassuring those on the verge of death.

Also, just as a little Fun Fact, some people ship her with Thanatos and consider them to be a natural pair, considering the fact that their attributes are making them complement each other. It's probably one of the most famous non-canon couples from Greek Mythology at this point.

Melinoe

Melinoe is the Goddess of Ghosts, and is also associated with Nightmares and Madness.

Now, about her parentage... *sighs*

The earliest versions of her story appear in Orphic Greek Mythology, which is completely different and complicated compared to your typical Vanilla Greek Mythology. So depending on the versions, her mother is Persephone, whereas her father is either Zeus or Hades (or both).

The most common version of her myth is that Zeus took the appearance of Hades and impregnated Persephone on the banks of the River Cocytus. Some people are arguing though, claiming that a) Hades was sometimes reffered to as Zeus of the Underworld due to the fact that people were too scared to say his name, and b) In Orphism Hades and Zeus are sometimes believed to be one and the same deity (I've told you that it’s complicated, guys!). What we know for sure though is that Persephone gave birth to her on the banks of the River Cocytus as well, while Hermes was acting like some sort of a bodyguard. One can hope that he got a raise after that...

There's also another version of her myth, though this one was transmitted orally rather than written. In this one Persephone remained pregnant with her after a midnight tryst with Hades on the Nysion Island (Ooo...).

Melinoe is described as being half dark and half pale (though this description might be metaphorical rather than literal, but at least Hel has a twin sister now), representing her dual nature, and is considered both a daughter of the Underworld and of Mount Olympus whoever her parents are.

It is believed that there's a strong connection between her and Hecate. Both preside over realms that are shrouded in mystery, and their domains often intersect in the world of spirits, night, and the unknown. Despite her eerie domain, Melinoe wasn’t inherently malevolent. She was a guardian of spirits, guiding them through the night. However, her association with nightmares and madness meant that she was often perceived with a mix of fear and reverence by the Ancient Greeks.

Melinoe’s primary role was to guide the spirits of the dead during the night. She would roam the earth, accompanied by a host of ghosts, ensuring they did not harm the living. It was believed that the reason why dogs bark at night is because they would see her and her ghosts and get scared. Additionally, she was the embodiment of nightmares, bringing forth visions and dreams that could both terrify and enlighten mortals. Her responsibilities also included maintaining the balance between the world of the living and the realm of the dead, ensuring that neither was disrupted by the other.

Zagreus

Ah, Zagreus... Where the hell should I begin?

Zagreus is firstly mentioned in Mycenaean Mythology, and it seems that he had a great importance thousands of years ago, but for some reason he lost it in time. In the earliest mention of Zagreus, he is paired with Gaia and called the highest god, though perhaps only in reference to the gods of the underworld. Aeschylus, however, links Zagreus with Hades, possibly as Hades' son, or as Hades himself.

In the most famous version of his myth, which appears in the Orphic Hymns, Zeus raped Persephone in the form of a snake/dragon when she was FUCKING FOURTEEN and hidden in a cave, due to the fact that her mother decided to keep her there so that no god would take advantage of her (Spoiler Alert: it didn't work.). Later, when Zagreus was born, Hera found out about him and threw him into Tartarus, where he was dismembered by the Titans. Athena, however, managed to find his heart and gave it to Zeus. Zeus then asked Semele to eat that heart, which she did and soon after that she got pregnant with Dionysus. This is why Zagreus is sometimes called The Orphic Dionysus, why he is associated with rebirth and reincarnation, and why in some versions of the birth of Dionysus it is Persephone the one who raised him.

There are also people who claim that Zagreus is in fact the son of Hades and Persephone that later got merged/syncretized with the Orphic Dionysus, who is the son of Zeus and Persephone.

And last but not least, in the later versions of his myth he is simply the son of Hades and Persephone, and the God of Orphic Mysteries. In this version he is generally depicted as a skilled hunter who hunts during nighttime and sometimes even eats his prey raw. Also, he and Dionysus share a lot of attributes in common, because yes.

Now, it should be ALSO pointed out the fact that in the Orphic Greek Mythology Hades, Zeus and Dionysus are sometimes believed to be one and the same deity. A small hint that many people use as an argument in order to prove the connection between these three gods, more specifically between Hades and Dionysus, is that during the time when Demeter was searching for Persephone she refused to drink wine even when it was offered to her. But that's an idea and a concept that would take me hours to unpack and explain, and I'm already tired.

*Fanarts by Arbetta*

[djsherriff-responses]

Nit picky and quick edits because I don’t think Melinoe suits being a dirty blonde. I think her design is good, just has some small elements that make it weaker compared to her brother

(I only watched play through when the game came out so I may get some details wrong, but this is just opinion more than anything else)

The heterochromia eyes work for Zagreus and his story as he’s meant to be first and foremost the Prince of the underworld , who is trying to escape being under his father’s domain and get a place among the Olympians. Him having such a strong resemblance to his father Hades is a visual reminder of how Zagreus is essentially living in his father’s shadow, feeling doomed to be a reflection of his father instead of his own person. Zagreus having one green eye however hints to his own personhood separate from his father , a hopeful little bit of a spark of a colour connected to nature and life in a design that’s otherwise death and hellfire. It also helps visually connect him to the narrative mystery surrounding his mother and her situation in the game

But for Melinoe? Her family is captured by grandpa Chronos and she’s been studying witch craft to one day take back her Underworld kingdom and reunite with her family. The moon symbolism fits this , and her ghost arm along with the heavy use of teal for magic effects suits this , but I don’t see how her being a blonde Zagreus fits all that besides to make her look related to him , and even then they could’ve taken advantage of Demeter being her grandmother and given her features separate from her brother

I know it’s only the beta that’s out and the full game is far from finished, but I can’t help but feel like the design team couldn’t figure out a way to make an interesting design that conveys her being related to Zagreus and went “fuck it, we’ll swap the eye colour placement and give her Persephone’s hair colour”

makes me wonder what’ll happen if Persephone had a third child

To me , it’s especially obvious when you see her colour palette is orange and teal , much more vibrant than Zagreus’. Zagreus having a limited palette of reds and black makes his green eye more visually interesting and makes you think “uh, what an odd detail., while for Melinoe her clothing palette being orange and teal , her two different eye colour of red and green , and her being blonde, makes her colours fighting for dominance and less coherent

“But they’re siblings!” And these two are meant to be twins

The team is more than capable of making siblings be different from each other

[jesperr-fahey]

played the first couple hours of hades 2 tonight after avoiding all of the spoilers i could and oohhhh my god. oh my god.

the new characters alone are SOOOOO good!!!! losing my whoole mind over hestia, i love her design. and arachne!!! what a fun first world friend!!! i can't wait to find out who we meet on the other levels. tons of great new character designs and dynamics already. i wish odysseus was a bit more of a little shit but maybe we'll get there

and god. that first backstory section... small child melinoe playing hide and seek with hecate... she's been training her whole life to fight and kill but hecate knew she was still a child and took that into account and that's SO GOOD to me!!! she's a great first boss fight, i haven't beaten her yet but i've faced her a couple times and had a great time

i'm still getting used to the mechanics- i'm more of a "run in and smack as hard and often as you can" kind of gamer, so i'm not using the magick as much as i probably should, but we'll get there. and i do like that some boons let you have a different style- like the ones that sacrifice your mana for extra boosts! since i'm not using magick as much, those are usually worth it for me

truly the only Bummer for me right now is charon's design, i think that's a biiig downgrade from the first game! it's such a drastic change that i almost wonder if there's a story reason for it...? like, he's trying to stay more under the radar or something? i hope so, because otherwise it's just kind of a bummer. i miss his hat.

overall: loving the game so far!! so so curious about the story, and love how it's being revealed slowly. where's my boy zagreus!! is he okay!! can i help him!!

[bscully]

What is happening in Hades 2?

Spoilers ahead!

Also note that I am not familiar with the Chronos myth so I'm writing based on what I've seen of the game so far.

So let's start off with Chaos.

If you look at how Chaos looks in this game, it looks like Nyx and Chaos merged somehow ever since Zagreus reunited them in the first game.

The design looks like someone who resembles Nyx holding the head of the original Chaos character as seen in Hades 1 in her hand. There is no sign of Nyx or any signs that she somehow has retained her old form. From what little I remember about the original myth is that they in fact merged so that's probably a permanent state for now.

Apart from that this character design is so fucking rad.

Now that Chaos and Nyx have merged, is that the reason the Underworld as whole fell into disarray? Mother night's protection and influence returned to that of the primordial creator and decreased from of the rest of the Underworld (?) The ensuing chaos (hah) probably gave Chronos an opportunity to invade the House of Hades with ease. After the 10th or so run you are being given the information that the surface is also swarming with shades now. Is Zagreus reuniting Nyx and Chaos the "mistake" Chronos mentioned when you meet him the 2nd or 3rd time...?

What is also interesting is the fact how Shades look like. Look at Chaos here.

And then the shades themselves. Particularly the eye section.

It's like we are dealing with a whole new generation of shades. Something BIG happened here

So where are Hades, Persephone, Zagreus?

I think they are still alive. Just based on the first few encounters with Chronos and how he teleports you into a different dimension of the sort, I'm thinking they might be caught in a timeloop hex. Only a sorceress like Melinoe would be able to escape one... Which is probably how you'd rescue them. Need to play more to say for sure. The story is unfolding beautifully, loving the pace and world building so far.

[scorchdragon87]

I HAVE MADE A DISCOVERY

First and foremost, spoilers.

So i was playing the new update, just beat the new boss and came back down to base and talked to Dora. And i got a few voice lines that very much hint at Dora's identity. I'm not good with computers and cant screencap for the life of me so I will just be typing it down here.

Dora: So hold on, how is it you're going after the Titan of Time way down below, but he's also attacking Olympus up top? Is he two separate guys or just the one?

Melinoe: Chronos isn't attacking Olympus personally, Dora. He's just sending His legions there. He has a dangerous commander leading the assault... a different Titan called Prometheus.

Dora: A different Titan called... Prometheus...? Prometheus... huh...

Melinoe: Yes, the Titan of Foresight. Even you probably know the tale of his punishment for stealing from the gods.

Dora: No, it's... I think... ah, don't worry about it. See you later Mel!

SO. I'm pretty confident I know Dora's identity. For anyone who doesn't know or hasn't connected the dots, Dora is Pandora. The first woman. This might be obvious in hindsight, with her name just being shortened and all, but I don't think i ever saw anyone say anything about it. I'm not smart enough to see what's coming next, but I do reckon that this can have some impacts on the story as a whole.

[meggannn]

what are your favorite narrative tropes, romance and ship tropes, tropes (all) in media?

i'm not actually sure if i have an answer, i have stories i like and tropes i roll my eyes at, but there's nothing that i think "oh this has that trope? i'm definitely checking it out." it's usually about execution and then i look at the tropes it has after and go "neat" but don't think about it too much.

i have noticed in a few ships of mine (claudeleth, shakarian) there's a woman in a leader role who helps a guy figure out who he wants to be or how to achieve his goals, whether she helps him intentionally or just by being his leader. then she's gone (dead) for a while, and when she comes back, he helps her pick her life as both a thank-you to how she helped him, but also they grow closer as a result.

there is a subset of female character that i like: angry, depressed and/or bitter women on a mission that will kill them (aloy from hzd, breq from imperial radch, melinoe from hades 2, mizu from blue eye samurai, lysithea from fe3h, helena from orphan black). but there are tons of other female characters like that that don't interest me at all lol so it really does come down to execution and just if i vibe with them.

i do like when a story brings an element back that meant something specific earlier, but now the exac same phrase/element means something very different after several dozen hours.

[happyk44]

Still kind of miffed that the sequel series wasn't Olympus versus the underworld like it was kind of setup throughout PJO. like the whole ending to the underworld stuff was sort of... boring. when you look at it. like hades gets blamed in TLT despite no proof, TTC his daughter dies and her body just disappears (and it's never brought up why they couldn't find her body, like??) and his son runs away, TBotL shows how powerful and deadly children of Hades' can be

(in a way that Percy really hasn't shown with his own powers imo, like Percy and his usage of his powers doesn't really happen very much until TLO, it's generally just small things like healing himself, or swimming, etc. nothing particularly big. like the most notable event prior to TLO is blowing up that volcano, and that's fucking four books in, bro, Percy please. why is the first time you summon a hurricane in the middle of a battle, baby, please hyperfixate on something other than your sword)

anyway Nico also states that children of Hades have never been accepted at camp (why, why, why - like the implication is because no one trusts Hades, but what does that mean for his children when they do go to camp? Plus Hades saying his kids rarely have happy endings in BoO, like WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, this is why my headcanon is they literally got bullied into suicide or "accidentally" killed off by other camper, and they just. fucking accepted it because they had to protect the other underworld kids and better they got beat and harmed than the children under their wing - they can handle it, they're stronger and they're not afraid of dying)

and then in one of the side stories we find out through Persephone that Hades may never have actually been on equal footing as his brothers, that Melinoe might've helped Ethan with Bob (and thus was on Kronos's side to some extent.

and in TLO we find out morpheus, born of the underworld, is on Kronos's side and also that Zeus straight up tried to kill Nico and Bianca and judging from Hades' insistence w/ trying to get Maria to agree to go to the Underworld with him, it's not a surprise to him that this happened, if anything it was anticipated - which means it had to have happened before, either with him or with anyone. he knows that if he refuses his brother's demand (his brother who is not a king to him, mind you, olympus has no bearing on the underworld) that his brother will strike and he will not be able to do anything direct about it because conceptually the underworld is smaller than olympus, and has few, probably none, allies outside of its underground walls, so he would be risking everything if he fought back at his brother for the death of his beloved and his children

it's also why my headcanon is that zeus wanted all his niblings rounded up into one place, and then he sent down the seed of "hey, kill your cousins to save the world" to his kids and there was a big all out battle, and everyone died (because it's so easy to blow up people without anyone noticing your involvement when lightning is being flung everywhere) and like. i am. jsut

this would've been so cool

but also rick probably would've effed it over so lmao because he's not the best at nuance and complex situations - see Hermes as an Olympian and a Chthonic deity, where would he sit if he had to choose, what side does he pick?

see Annabeth as a child who has grown up in camp, who views things from a logical perspective and can see why Nico would be dangerous to keep around, the risk he carries from the death that oozes off his fingertips with ease, who can see why past campers tried to get rid of him and his ilk.

see Percy who has no loyalty to Olympus or camp, he is only loyal to his friends and his friends belong to Camp, Annabeth belongs to camp, Grover is literally akin to an olympian deity right now, but Percy intrinsically feels the need to protect Nico and Nico belongs to the Underworld - what does he do when his heart belongs to different powers? does he steal nico away while his family burns and lets the kids hate him again, so long as he's safe? does he help him and watch the place he just worked so hard to save be brought to its nees? does he try to be diplomatic about it? try to mend things back together?

the complexity of it - the choices you'd have to make and the reasonings you'd have to apply to the characters so nothing seems out of place, but also so that no one is enraged by the characters they loved making decisions they don't agree with, so maybe it's a good thing this story never got told

but it would've been so cool to see, if it had

[eienshi09]

Just a quick and MOSTLY SPOILER-FREE rant about Hades II to get some of my initial impressions out of my head.

It is certainly MORE Hades, but they have enough new ideas while expanding on existing systems that it does definitely feel like more than just a DLC. Even in the Early AccessTM state, Hades II feels like its own game. Melinoe plays and feels distinct from Zagreus with her own kit and moveset; even when some of her weapons are quite similar to Zag's, they still play kinda differently due to the new combat mechanics before adding in all of the new boons. The framing that Melinoe was raised as a witch and uses their craft for her attacks and even to unlock meta progression systems is a nice bit of flavor and really cements that the game and its protagonist has its own identity apart from their predecessors.

I do have some complaints and have seen a couple of gripes here and there. For instance, I'm not super hot on the resource gathering system here for the materials needed to unlock stuff. That, along with some early reports of a certain character showing up just to be a progression gate for folks who are running through the game too fast, really feels like they have a certain number of runs needed to get through the story. Hopefully, this is for the Early Access period while they finish up some of the story content or, at the very least, they actually need that many runs and character interactions because the story is just actually that massive; instead of them trying to justify the new game by padding out the content. All that said though, and despite me not normally bothering with Early Access because of how much flux the game is still in, I trust Supergiant to deliver a phenomenal experience. And even if I didn't, what's already there is proof enough that Hades II will be of the same quality as the first, if not better.

[phantomwitch16]

With getting to know more about Melinoe and the general feel of the story, I've been wondering about the what would occur after beating Chronos. Especially when it comes to brainstorming the potential family dynamics between them after she sets Hades, Persephone and Zagreus free.

Given the context of the game, with Mel only holding a vague sense loyalty to them, I can imagine that their early interactions are going to be uncomfortable for her. She's only heard stories about them, knew that Hecate was a close friend along with some other details but not much else.

It going to be difficult for them to grow their relationships with her, especially for Persephone and Zagreus who for them, literally saw Mel as a baby a few moments before they were frozen. Knowing the events of the first game, you know that they are going to be devastated.

It took Persephone less than a second to recognise Melinoe and realise what happened. It didn't take much consideration especially when looking around the room or even the rest of the house.

As for Zagreus, I have the feeling that he would be in a brief case of denial upon first getting set free. Which is reasonable because what do you mean his literal baby sister killed Chronos and set him, and everyone else who was in the house free? He saw her two minutes ago!

I think the whole situation would be tough for them, especially if Mel is probably going to deal with the fallout of Chronos rule, tracking the more threatening beings still under his rule. Because, just because Chronos is vanquished doesn't mean that everything becomes okay right away. I think it would be an 'all hands on deck' situation with everyone on Olympus, the Underworld and at the Crossroads working together to deal with the traitors still working under Chronos.

Every once in a while, Mel would come back to the Crossroads to see a roster of characters there and away during each night. Each time, we see her slowly understand how much she meant to her family before the house was sacked.

Hades would make occasional visits there to see how she is. Even to talk to Hecate on occasion to talk about her childhood.

Persephone would be up at the Crossroads, more often than Hades would be, being the more active participant in trying to get to know her and learn more about her life.

Zagreus would come too, not as often as his mother but more than their father, sometimes found talking to talking with some of the other gods and shades around the camp or sometimes looking exploring different parts of the camp before he has to make his eventual return to the Underworld.

(Mel has offered to do the same spell for him and Hades to remain on the surface but they refused. They have jobs to do, much like everyone else and doesn't her waste her magic on them. At least not for now.)

And although happy with her family's return, things are still...odd. She doesn't really know what to talk or interact with them about that isn't about the war. Similarly, no one really knows how to really interact with her as well. in the quiet moments when they don't show up, Mel is grapples with the fact that she is relieved that no one showed up because she doesn't have to put up with the awkwardness.

It's during their visits to the Crossroad is when the foundation of their relationships are made.

Hades is the easiest for her to talk to. They talk about her studies, training and her exploration throughout the realms. Even discussing Hypnos at some points. There are some mentions of some happy childhood memories, but sometimes he would get a little bit upset. Hades would talk with her about if she will be taking the time to develop some hobbies now she has more free time. Mel hasn't and frankly wants to keep herself busy before she gets to that point.

Persephone meanwhile, is a little more difficult to interact. Her mother wants to discuss about to everything about to life, wanting to make more of an effort to establish a relationship with Mel. It isn't as smooth with her as it is with Zagreus but with Mel being similar to Hades, the two of them eventually find some common ground. Hades encourages her to give Persephone more time while Zagreus offers her hint to help with figure out what to talk about.

Zagreus however, she has the hardest time to understand. He's like their mother and father, but not... He's chatty, always smiling like their mother, making friends with so many others. But in the moments where he is alone, she sees more of a resemblance with their father. Quiet. Even melancholic.

He takes the time to learn about Mel, while letting her come to him on her own time. When she does, he shares combat tips with and even fighting her on an occasion too whenever she wants to fight with someone one-to-one. He also give ideas on what hobbies to explore whenever she want to go ahead a pursue them. E.g. fishing (mainly to feed her animals). He doesn't know whether or not he's please to know how much she takes after their father. If she does make it to Tartarus, like with Than, he makes it into a game.

Although initially seeming fine about the whole situation, in the more quiet moments, their true feelings about the situation are revealed.

Hades muttering to Hecate about wanting Mel to not have to deal with Chronos or his war. She shouldn't have to deal with this, fates and other Gods be damn. Melinoe should've had a childhood, not raised to deal with his familial mishaps. It reminds his own mishaps as a parent and being chained up for so long gave him ample opportunity to do so.

Persephone whispering to Nyx about being upset for missing another one of her children's lives. She had always wanted to be a mother to children, and while she is eternally grateful for Nyx raising Zagreus, she never got to be there for him as Nyx. With Melinoe, she thought she had her chance to be there for her, to at least one of her children to grow up. And then, in a matter of moments, her little nymph is now a fully grown goddess. Persephone was denied the chance of motherhood not once but twice. It reenforces some feelings that destiny seems to be against her. Though, in reality she knows its not true, with Nyx telling her so, Persephone can't help but feel that way.

Zagreus while not as affected as their parents, is just disappointed. He was really looking forward to being an older brother to her, even though he knew from Meg and Than that siblings could be complicated, he was still excited to have her at the house. Because he promised himself that even if things got complicated, he would be there for her even if their parents weren't. But now that Mel is fully grown and he kind of doesn't know how to navigate it. But he will be there, along with their parents for her develop their bond and says that to her.

This would be a turning-point for Melinoe and how she evaluated her familial relationship. To be more open minded to her father's advice and develop more hobbies when at the Crossroads, more initiative with Persephone and a chance to spend time with Zagreus to figure out where they are. It's not smooth by any means but its appreciated.

Along with this, Nyx and Thanatos are reunited with their family, talking about what happened since the house was captured with Hypnos essentially being in a comatose state since. Plus, learning what Eris had been up to since.

At the moment, we don't really know what's happening with the other Furies, at least i don't think so. With Tisiphone and Alecto not allowed in Tartarus, its likely the two of them escaped upon hearing the house was conquered, serving either as intel for the Crossroads or as its guards and defenders. Fighting for their captured sister.

[iiota]

my unasked for hades 2 overview for no one that asked

first off im gonna say this game is so much fun and wildly different than the first game which doesnt make it feel as repetitive as i thought. a lot of hades 2 focuses on longer range attacks which definitely will take a while to get used to as someone who replayed hades 1 a bit before playing thinking itd be similar playstylewise

the main new introduced gimmick is charged attacks and a change cast that is a circle placed on the ground over a launcher which i LOVE now but the weapon charge attacks are really hit or miss for me. im also a tad disappointed with the weapons i like the staff and the skull but the axe and twin flames arree kinda difficult to use with how i play. the sickle im neutral on and i think theres one more i dont have unlocked

the environments are gorgeous. end tweet the only time i remember im playing an early access game is coming across placeholder assets.

a bit of the combat feels like itll get rebalanced later but its not the Worst. its not really buggy besides like 3 really minor things most ppl wont notice (my timer turning off when i reopened the game, sometimes damage numbers dont show when i hit hecate, not being able to change my monitor in settings)

i do not like how you cannot trade ur tools once you get into a run..i forget what i have sometimes..the tarot card upgrades are a cool concept and fit the witchy theme

i feel..less attached to a lot of the characters than the first one which is funny bc i didnt really care too much about them in the first bc the story writing in 1 is awful but character interactions were fun sometimes. melinoe's design is. not Bad but its not really great it feels a bit too disconnected from..like everything when it feels like shes supposed to be a mix of hades but with evidence of being raised by hecate but the orange and blonde hair............girl i do not like it are they allergic to giving a woman dark hair (minus like.. nemesis) (in trying to make melinoe the opposite of zagreus they kinda just made her into a very bland Woman she should have been a slob too idk shes kinda just like..perfect)

I DO like nemesis more than i thought. much more fun to have some woman come antagonize you other than just helping. but dora is the best character so far..my weed smoking shade roommate. i feel like my feelings on the designs are obvious but i will give a pass to chaos because i do think its a bit of a slay but i cant help but laugh at the bishounenification

scylla's songs are way better than all the vocal tracks from hades 1 like no contest in the blood sucked

the story is fairly non existent atm mostly bc i havent beaten a run yet..its..fine i guess. better than 1

the nude headshots from the bath cutscenes are so scary they need to back the fuck up

[philomenie]

MOON HILL

4 Beings from a different time, a different world than today. Rivals, friends, allies from the beginning of time. 4 magical beings, long separated, now reunited to save what means the most to them. Moon Hill

Nicholas: Peuchen, vampire-like winged serpent, demon Joakim: Fenris, Fenrir, wolf-like demigod Nick: Kerberus, hellhound Noah: Yokai, demon, Chi o nomu hito, blood-drinker, also Kyuketsuki, vampire

CN Fantasy, Mystery, Mention of Blood, Torture, Killing, Betrayal

Collage from @aubrey-melinoe 🫶🏻

FIVE

Reader

When Elin leaves the bathroom, Skadi is waiting for her.

"Are you going to warn me now too?"

"I don't have to warn you, I think you know exactly how risky everything is!"

Elin looks at her closely, "Skadi, you're not hiding anything from me, are you? I mean nothing more?"

Skadi sighs, "I have a hunch, but no proof, what I do know is that you must be directly descended from the first Völva!"

"And what do you suspect?"

Skadi chews on her lower lip, thinking about how to tell Elin.

"I'm waiting, Skadi, and I've run out of patience! I want answers!"

"I suspect you could be the reincarnation of Hella!"

"WHAT?" Elin didn't suspect that now.

"Your effect on Noah is just like Hella's, Folio told me all about it. Even your connection to Joakim, say you're attracted to him, right?"

"I .... " Elin swallows "Attracted.... I feel comfortable with him, safe, like I've known him for ages. The longer he's here, the stronger the feeling becomes. When I touch him..." she breaks off.

Skadi nods thoughtfully "That would fit. Hella and Joakim loved each other very much!"

"You mean that's not real? Not my real feelings?"

"No, I don't mean that, your feelings are real, your blood remembers him! But that doesn't mean you're at his mercy!"

"And him?"

Skadi shakes her head, "I don't know and I can't ask him, I think he'd kill me on sight if he had the chance!"

"Understandable, I saw what he suffered, felt his pain, how he gave up!" Elin's voice harsh.

Skadi looks to the ground "I have to live with this guilt, I can only hope he can forgive me one day. If not, I'll have to accept it, but I won't die without a fight!"

"You really think he would kill you?" Elin asks incredulously.

"Elin, you've never seen him at full strength, if he's still changing, the Fenris wolf is.... Why do you think Odin wanted to subdue him and then, when that didn't work, render him harmless forever?"

Elin swallows.

"He's powerful, he's strong and he's a threat to his enemies! You haven't seen them all shapeshifted.... They may seem harmless to you in their human form, but they're not! I know they won't harm a hair on your head, they'll defend you to the death, but don't forget, they're all immortal creatures who have been on this earth for eons!"

"Just like you....."

Skadi sighs "Just like me, yes!"

"As a child, my mother told me the old sagas and stories, the Edda.... I can't remember everything. Especially not about Ragnarök. That's why I'm asking you Skadi, is there anything else I need to know that's important?"

Skadi looks at her sadly, "Yes Elin, there is something else. Something that you probably won't like at all and was another reason for Odin's actions!"

"Tell me, everything!"

"The Fenris wolf triggers the twilight of the gods, the world conflagration, by killing Odin. He himself is killed by Odin's son Vidar.... That's what the Edda predicts."

Elin stares at Skadi, stunned. "But I thought the Nothing threatened everything? That the shrine is under threat, that the imbalance will trigger the end of the world!"

"I suspect that the Nothing could take hold of Joakim and use him.... That's why I was prepared to keep him imprisoned!"

"But it was your fault that the power imbalance happened in the first place, wasn't it, because you betrayed him?" Elin gets louder and louder.

"Elin, yes, it's that complicated!"

"No, it's not complicated, if you had left him alone, nothing would ever have happened!"

"You don't know that, the Edda says it just like that.... That it's already underway now, a complication!"

"Complication?" Elin gasps.

"By keeping him prisoner, you've forced it, damn it! If he's so dangerous and powerful, why didn't you leave him alone?"

Skadi lowers her eyes guiltily.

"It was a mistake... I..…"

But Elin has heard enough, angrily turns around and leaves Skadi standing there.

Elin slips back into the guest room, Joakim is still asleep.

She quietly lies back down next to him and just as she is about to take his hand again, he is startled out of his sleep and sits up, his hands raised in defense.

With glittering eyes, he stares at Elin, who sits up.

"WHO are you?!"

Elin shakes her head "I don't know anymore!" She feels tears gathering in her eyes.

Joakim slowly lowers his arms and Elin can see his carotid artery pulsating.

She carefully places a hand over his. He flinches at the touch, stares at her hand and swallows.

"I've felt it too, ever since you were brought here. Gently at first, then getting stronger and stronger. With every touch. It pulses through my veins. I can't explain it, but it's as if I've always known you....."

Joakim looks at her wildly, "Hella?!" his voice dies away.

Elin shrugs her shoulder, "I don't know, her blood, her spirit.... Something in me remembers you and something in you remembers me, or my blood!"

Tears are now streaming down her face.

Joakim is still staring at her in disbelief, too afraid to admit the thought. Afraid of feeling nothing but pain again.

"It can't be, Hella is dead... I...." Abruptly, he pulls his hand back from her.

"I'll go, if that's what you want!" Elin offers.

Joakim nods silently and looks away.

Elin leaves the room and lets her tears run free. Damn, why does it hurt her so much when she doesn't even know him.

In the kitchen, Skadi and Folio prepare breakfast and Elin leaves the house unnoticed by either of them. Thor and Freya follow her like shadows.

She would love to ride out with Asa right now, but Noah and Nicholas..... are in the stables.

Will she manage to get her horse and bridle unnoticed? Don't vampires sleep during the day? Oh damn, she has to try!

Elin leaves her dogs waiting for her outside the stables, first fetches the saddle and halter, then Asa from her stall.

With enough distance to the stable, she saddles her horse, mounts and rides off into the forest, Thor and Freya at her side again.

Noah

He has rested worse, but also better. He is irritable, he also realizes that he needs blood, he needs to nourish himself.

It's broad daylight, but fortunately no direct sun, it's cloudy.

Direct sun does not kill him, but it and the heat weaken him and make his transformation more difficult. That is why it prefers the night and coolness.

Nicholas, who is still sleeping on his lounger, has no problem at all with the sun, in fact he loves it. He's more bothered by the cold and wet.

Noah twists one corner of his mouth in amusement, ironic that they are limited by such mundane things as sun, cold, wet and heat.

Folio and Joakim, on the other hand, don't have to struggle with these things at all.

He briefly considers waking Nicholas to go hunting with him, but then abandons the idea. He prefers to let him sleep, to rest.

Nicholas and he can also eat human food, but that makes them both rather sluggish. Without blood, they are weakened and do not have their full strength, which they need now.

Noah quietly leaves the chamber. When he looks up, he sees that the stable door is open. His gaze wanders over the stalls. Damn, her horse is missing.

Surely she won't be foolish enough to ride out alone?

Noah's anger boils up. He is in the house in a flash. He hears voices in the kitchen.

"Where's Elin?" Folio and Skadi flinch, startled.

"At Joakim's!" Skadi is the first to find her voice again.

Noah growls out... "Her horse is gone!"

"That can't be, I saw her go into his room!"

Noah only half hears because he is already on his way to Joakim's room, he pulls open the door, looks around.

Joakim sits up immediately, knowing the look "What happened?"

"Where is she?"

"Elin?"

"Yes, Elin, she's not here.... Her horse is gone and she's not here!"

Joakim groans out, "Damn!"

"What did you do!" Noah growls, his eyes now blood red.

Folio joins in "She's not in the house, I've looked in all the rooms, her bloody dogs are gone too!"

Noah snarls, Joakim closes his eyes.

"I'm going to find her! Wake up Nicholas, Folio!" Noah's orders short.

Joakim wants to get up "I'm coming with you!"

"YOU stay here, I have no idea what you did to her or what you said to her, but she's gone now! So you're not going to do anything!"

Joakim winces, staring angrily at Noah, "I'm coming with you, you're not going to look for her on your own!"

"You're not a help, you're more of a hindrance!" and with that, Noah is gone.

"What did you say to her?" Folio's voice calm.

"I... She, Folio she's.... I... " Joakim can only stammer.

Folio nods, "Her blood, isn't it, I can feel it too, it's like that time...."

Joakim nods silently.

"Skadi thinks Elin might be a reincarnation of Hella..."

Joakim's head snaps up in a flash "SKADI?" he gasps.

"Bloody...." Folio grits his teeth.

"You're not going to tell me THAT THIS BITCH IS HERE! HERE WITH YOU??"

"Joakim, please, calm down....."

But he doesn't want to, too much anger has built up, too much has happened, not tearing Folio's throat out has already taken all his strength, but the fact that Skadi is here is too much.

With a furious growl, Joakim lunges at Folio, pulling him off his feet. Folio is stunned by the force and power that is back in his friend. Frozen, he looks at the face distorted by rage, sees the eyes glowing red, hears the deep growl coming from Joakim's throat.

Noah looks around outside the house, where could she have gone? In all directions really... it would take too long to find her on his own. Damn, he needs the help of the others to find this stubborn woman.

At the thought of Elin, he feels that sweet desire in his chest again, can feel her under his hands again.

He growls, he must either continue to stay absolutely away from her, or he must have her, in any way he can think of, and yes, he can think of many ways to do that....

Noah is the first to wake Nicholas, who is immediately on his feet, his expression worried.

"We have to find her, she's not safe alone. Who knows who's looking for us, and then we don't know if the Hollow is aware of her role."

"Bloody hell I know! And that blasted wolf is to blame!"

"What did he tell her?"

"I don't know, but she disappeared after she was with him..... The look on his face when I confronted him.... Something's happened!"

"Let's get Folio and Skadi, the four of us will probably find her quicker!" suggests Nicholas.

"That was exactly my plan!"

When they re-enter the house to get Folio and Skadi, they both realize that the situation has changed somewhat.

Folio is lying on the ground, the Fenris wolf with glowing red eyes above him, its mouth around Folio's neck, ready to bite.

"Damn it, Joakim, not now!" Noah is indignant.

WHERE IS SKADI! Joakim's voice in all their heads.

"Joakim, please, let him go, we have to find Elin first, I know you want your revenge and we won't deny it to you, but not now!" Nicholas' calm voice seems to get through to the wolf, because he pulls away from Folio, growling.

I'm coming with you, we'll find Elin and then I'll tear Skadi to pieces! Joakim's eyes glow even more than before.

Folio has picked himself up from the ground, glaring at the Fenris wolf, "You won't kill her, I won't let you!"

Joakim growls angrily at him.

"Joakim....." Skadi steps into the hallway, a mistake.

Blind with rage, Joakim lunges at the Asin, tearing her clothes to shreds with his claws, leaving deep gashes on her skin.

Folio gasps and rushes after him to prevent the worst, beginning to transform in the process.

Noah and Nicholas stare stunned at the scene before them.

Joakim has Skadi in his clutches, all he has to do is bite, seal her fate.

Folio leaps at his friend from behind, his heads bite into the wolf's back, causing it to yelp and loosen its bite around Skadi's neck.

Skadi can then slip away downwards.

Panting, bleeding and with eyes wide open, she looks at her opponents.

Joakim snaps at Folio's head, writhing, his claws tearing at the hellhound's chest.

Noah finally breaks free from his stupor, grabs Folio and tries to pull him away, Nicholas tries to clutch Joakim.

Both fight back vehemently, snatching and scratching.

The four bodies are intertwined like a ball, Noah's and Nicholas' fangs extended, ready to bite.

Joakim throws himself against the wall with Nicholas clinging to his side to get rid of him. Nicholas gasps in pain, loosens his grip and Joakim shakes him off. He bares his teeth and attacks Folio again with Noah on his back, biting into his shoulder and catching Noah, who sinks his fangs into the Fenris wolf's neck with a snarl.

Driven by the pain, Noah transforms, his limbs stretch, become stronger, his clothes tear and fall from his body, his skin snow-white, blood-red, black-rimmed eyes with a piercing gaze. His jaw jumps forward, he tears open his deadly mouth and bites again.

Joakim howls in pain.

Nicholas has also shifted and shoots like an arrow between Noah and Joakim, preventing Noah from tearing open the Fenris wolf's throat.

Noah lets go.

Gasping and bleeding, the four stare at each other in rage.

[firstofthenewguard]

Blood of Zeus Season 2 thoughts (There's alot of them)

I watched Blood of Zeus when it first came out in 2020 and the pandemic kept us trapped in our caves. I really liked the first season, mainly because it’s one of the few media outlets for Greek Mythology that isn’t wildly inaccurate, awkward, or just plain bad. It also set up a lot of interesting possible plotlines, and when the trailer for season 2 came out last month my hopes for those stories could not have been higher. I watched season 2 twice and… I have some notes (unfortunately)

First of All things I liked:

The entirety of episode 3

Hades and Persephone NOT being villains

Hades and Persephone being the only successful and functional couple in this show

The look of Hades’ Palace

ZAGREUS AND MELINOE!

The fact that Typhon is on a “He-who-shall-not-be-named” level and this time it actually has consequences

Other gods actually getting lines instead of just being backround characters on Olympus!

Hades using shadow teleportation, and using his bident like Mjolnir, only cooler

Other races in Hellas being acknowledged

More monsters; the Hydra being an ocean species is a very interesting take

Seraphim getting more development

Gaia and Hecate looked amazing

Problems with the Season:

Okay, a gripe I had with season 2 was Hades motive, and let me be clear I love the idea of Hades wanting to ascend the throne so Persephone wouldn't have to leave for 6 months, but to have him hate being in the Underworld seems like a stretch. In the myths, Hades knew the responsibility of ruling the dead and he did it with pride. It would have made more sense to have him hate being alone in the Underworld. They could've tied into the fact that Hades was the first to be swallowed by Kronos and was in his stomach alone for who knows how long.

Along with that, the season felt disjointed, like they were focusing on the wrong things, at the wrong time, for WAY too long. There were just some scenes that took up big chunks of the episodes and they didn't need to be that long, especially scenes with Heron. I know he's "The Main Character" but if you're going to make him that then please try to make his writing interesting enough for that much time to be devoted to his plot. I know that he's lost so much but his writing honestly felt clunky, it felt like he needed different scenes to make his choices more believeable. His dialouge also seemed stiff and I don't think his voice actor helped either.

We could've had a scene where Hades is talking to or doing something with Zag and/or Meli, showing how he's a better dad than Zeus, but we never got that.

If your going to give Hera a redemption arc GIVE HER A SCENE/EPISODE WHERE SHE CHANGES! Instead, the second she shows back up she's already redeemed? Really?

So, The Demon problem is just over? I don't remember them burning the giant flesh, and on that note where did Seraphim and the Demons move the giant flesh?

Ok, let me get this straight, they could've imprisioned the Giants' bodies in Tartarus the whole time?!

Also the giant problem felt like it was resolved way too early.

They didn't really focus on the open throne idea, yes the 3 trials were to decide the next king, but they needed scenes showing who the other Olympians thought should be in charge, show that scene about Ares rallying others to his side, maybe apollo did the same, or there could’ve still some loyal to Hera.

Minor: I loved Hestia but she looked WAY too young

Minor: Why are Horses just always the ones pulling the Gods' chariots, that's boring! I know most divine chariots are pulled horses in the myths, but for the love of mike be creative!

Minor: The giants guarding the hidden realm looked way to human.

Minor: They kept using the forest backround when they were in Tartarus, isn't the whole place on fire? I wanted to see some lava.

Minor: The other races that showed up for the funeral should've had varying respones to Zeus' death, like Hephaestus said.

The whole Eluesian Stone plotline seemed rushed and felt like it just came out of knowhere. The show said that Zeus drawing the stone from 3 others was how he became ruler of the Heavens, but wasn't the reason in season 1 being because he married Hera who was already queen of the Heavens?

Evios and Kofi didn't really get enough scenes for their characters to really do anything.

Alexia had the same problem she kind of just went along with Heron's whole thing this season, she didn't really do much except (sorta) talk to him.

They really should've brought all of Zeus' misdeeds to the trial, Prometheus especially.