#of course I doubt he can take him to Olympus

[fall-or-fly]

continued from x

@helluva-hazbins

Apollo regarded the fallen angel, watching his expressions change in minute details that showed a myriad of emotions, each one as complex as the last. Something bordering on anxiety flitted upon the Morningstar's face, uncertainty perhaps... the signs of an underlying depression, which made itself known in many ways. He dealt with depression himself, he would know the signs as clear as day...even if he weren't a god, he would know. For he had once been mortal...and some part of him would always be.

Depression,anxiety, complex PTSD, Narcissism...and those were just what was going on in the man's mind...never mind the angel's physical form. But it was not his place to comment on such matters. And that wasn't why he was here, anyway. He'd invited the Morningstar out, and by the Fates he would deliver.

At the angel's sudden shift to excitement and joy, a smile brightens Apollo's face. Joy, as they say, is contagious...and given what he was witnessing? He was inclined to agree. Though he had not come with an actual plan, per say...

"Well I didn't come with a plan, unless you count flying by the seat of your pants and going where the winds take us to be a plan? Though I have a gift for you first. Call it a thank you for your willingness to continue correspondence..." from his satchel the deity procured a bottle of a lightly glowing, glittering liquid, golden in color. "Ambrosia." he explained "Among my people such a gift is intended to be a sign of good will and well wishes. From one god to another." the unspoken truth is that Apollo perceives the angel on equal footing to himself.

Perhaps that is why today his signature glow is more subdued, his eyes not having their usual glow, rather appearing a very human looking hazel green with flecks of gold.

[lilislegacy]

i love how in heroes of olympus, there’s a boat full of couples (+leo☺️). and yet even if you didn’t know when each couple started dating, it’s so blatantly obvious that percy and annabeth have been together the longest, and are the most serious

cause frank and hazel are still pretty nervous/unsure with each other. they JUST started dating, and are so pure and adorable. they just haven’t quite figured out the romance part yet

and jason and piper have their moments, but they’re just so… distant. like not physically, of course, but they just don’t really seem to connect on a deep level. and they aren’t super affectionate, at least not physically or openly. piper is constantly unsure about where they’re at, and while jason has thoughts about how great piper is, he doesn’t openly show his feelings too often.

but percabeth? they’re the oldest in age (physically), have known each other the longest, and have been romantically committed to each other for the most time. they act like they’ve been together for eternity, which is funny since they were technically only dating for 4 months before percy got abducted. but they just have such a deep history together and such an intense connection. they’re in it for the long run. there’s no doubt or uncertainty - and it shows. like…annabeth is so wife girlfriend. there are so many funny/cute little moments, like her scolding him for putting too much syrup on his pancakes, and telling him to take a shower when he smells bad. and when percy suggests him and jason should go on a dangerous quest instead of annabeth and piper, instead of being like “omg he cares so much about me😍” (which hazel and piper would have done) annabeth is like “what seaweed brain?? you think two guys can do better than two girls??” and percy is immediately like “uh uh NO nope i definitely do NOT think that!!” he knows better. the immediate fear is so husband boyfriend of him. they simultaneously have the most disagreements (remember when percy called annabeth out when she thought she should navigate through rome alone, and basically called her stupid for thinking it was a good idea, and then they argued and had a face-off, which percy won) - while also being the most lovey dovey (they’re constantly putting their hands on each other - annabeth putting her hand on his chest to calm him down, putting their hands on each other’s arms for support, percy having his arm around her when they’re at the edge of the ship, always giving each other a kiss on the mouth or the cheek when they separate, etc). and they have no issues sneaking off in the middle of the night to do some talking and kissing. and quite frankly, making out in front of piper in BoO (remember that? when piper got super uncomfortable at how long their kiss was lasting, and then annabeth let out, and i quote, “grunt-whimpers”). they are just so natural and comfortable with each other. piper says it herself.

i just think it’s so funny. little frazel being adorable and blushing when they hold hands, jiper is happy to be dating but they’re also a little angsty and uncertain, and then there’s percabeth just being the old married couple they are. (and leo is being cute and fixing stuff)

[writer-room]

Listen when people say they want Percy to go on a villain arc most times I see it as they want him to go dark, want him to start murdering, maiming, going full Luke, etc. And I support that. If anyone deserves to kill people it's this kid.

However, let us be realistic for a moment, because I quite like the other alternative. Villain arc Percy usually entails "he's finally had enough of the Gods bullshit & will do things his own way". Let us think on this. What would Percy most likely do in this situation? Would it really be murder right off the bat?

I think he'd be the pettiest, annoying little shit there is. And because one can't usually threaten the Gods in a way that truly matters, but they can make them sweat really hard.

This goes beyond ignoring their calls and leaving them on read. He refuses to give food offerings unless it's the nastiest shit known to man. Bribes the cyclops into hucking huge objects up Mount Olympus before they all scurry off. Finds the olive tree Athena gave to Athens, and while he wouldn't have the heart to destroy it, he'd for sure rip off a branch & mail it to her (Annabeth nearly had to put them in witness protection).

Eventually it gets to the point he has Nico on speed-dial and offers him a shit ton of fast food & a 'get out of Percy's quest bullshit free' pass if he could hop into the Underworld and yoink up some annoying spirits or dead monsters to piss off the Gods. When the Gods get pissed at him Percy just silently pulls out some safe-for-demigods phone like "hang on I wanna see how many happy meals I owe Nico for bringing Typhon back up". They know he is not bluffing.

Could the Gods counteract him? Yeah, sure, Hera gave him amnesia and it was like 90% effective for a while. However, he kind of went off the rails, everyone else went off the rails, and then they had even more Roman nonsense to deal with. If anything it both solved but also made even more problems. And a much angrier Percy. So, frankly, they're very confident it could work, but they're a little worried about what the aftermath would be.

Ares suggests just killing him. Poseidon takes offense to this. Artemis scoffs and says even Ares couldn't beat him. Everyone stops for a moment. The question is not asked verbally. But it is seen in the darting eyes and shifting seats.

Can they kill Percy Jackson?

Well, sure, they must be able to. He's a powerful kid, no doubt, with powerful allies, but they are Gods. Of course they can kill him. So that's not the real question, they wouldn't dare really entertain such a thing to ever confirm if it was true, but this is rather the layer of frosting hiding the real atrocity of a cake underneath it.

What will they lose trying to kill Percy Jackson?

What will remain standing in the face of some 18-year-old who lived one of the hardest knocks of life, loves so much it makes them sick, is so completely unaware of his own strength not even they know its full extent, and currently has absolutely zero fucks to give about the end of a reign longer than he will ever understand?

They decide to quietly shut the lid on that whole fiasco and let Percy do whatever he wants.

Unfortunately, they can't exactly ignore everyone else. And everyone else is who Percy cares about the most. So, think of it more like leaving a grenade in a locked box in the attic. Just hope and pray you've moved out before something gets curious and starts rummaging around up there.

[lostrgirl]

In God’s Hands

Aphrodite (God of love)!Huening Kai x Mortal Being!Fem Reader

Side character: Apollo! Soobin, Ares! Taehyun

Summary: As the god of love and beauty, Huening Kai the most beautiful creature that ever exist. He never met someone who are prettier then him. But one day he met a girl that is so beautiful and Kai think she's a threat for him.

He hates her, but later his hatred towards her become obsession.

Trigger Warning: Kai kind of misogynist, M@sturbate.

Other TW will be put on.

This is the story of a girl, named (your name),

And it starts with the forbidden fruit.

Chapter 1

As the god of love and beauty, Huening Kai is the most beautiful creature that ever exist. He never met someone who are prettier then him. And because of that he became arrogant and tend to underestimate other creature even other gods.

Also because of that too, he never fell in love to anyone nor has sexual desire. Because their ugly face (Kai’s opinion) make him lose his desire to have a sex. For the god of love and beauty, sexual activity is a mortal being’s thing to fill their emptiness because they can’t do the things that gods can.

Unlike the other gods who spent their time having fun in mortal realms, peeking through the woods watching the maidens take a bath or changing themselves into animals and rape them. For Kai that’s a disgusting thing to do, and it’s very disgraceful behavior.

If there's one thing that Kai likes and it's definitely better than sex or woman is Peach. He love that fruit, he even make a peach garden at mount olympus. And the peaches from his garden is the most sweet and juicy in the whole world, heaven, and hell. Other gods agreed that the peaches from his garden is the best.

One day his brother, Taehyun decided to play a trick on him. He told Kai that there's peach garden that produce peaches sweeter and bigger than his garden. Because of that Kai got curious and want to proof Taehyun's word, he doesn't like the fact that a peach that are plant by human are more tastier than his peach, than him, a God.

Little did Kai know, he got tricked by his brother. Of course Taehyun lie to him because Kai's peach is the sweetest thing he ever taste and there's no chance a land of human can grow a tree that produce a fruit sweet like a sugar. It's not peaches that Taehyun wants his brother to see but a girl.

Taehyun know how proud is Kai about his beauty and like to underestimate other. Says that no one ever compared to his beauty and no one can make him fall. Kai is so arrogant he even didn't wants to take a look at the mortal realm because he knows human can't beat god's beauty. But Taehyun know one girl who lived in the forest, her house located near to the river. She has a face that he so sure can defeated Kai's ego. Her name is-

"Y/N! Where are you? Can you help me with the dishes please"

"Yes mother! I will come, wait a minute" she replied.

You has no doubt that you heard a sound of a falling peach to the ground and want to check around because those naughty kids already stole peaches from your family garden three times this week! But before you can find those rackals your mother already called you. You took a deep breath before finally turn your body and leave the garden.

You didn't has any clue that someone was peeking behind the trees watching you in silent. Huening Kai watched you walked into the garden with your long silky hair, skin like porcelain, and face like heaven. He's too stunned with your beauty that he drop his peach (he took it from your garden earlier to check if this peach taste better than his) he just took one bite untill you came.

When he dropped the peach, you immediately look at surrounding, try to find the peach thieves. Indeed there's a peach thieves, but he's not a rascal kid nor a human, but God itself. After you get into the house, Kai fly away leaving that place fastest as he can. His heart go pit-a-pat, he never feel his heart beating this fast. He can't believe it that a mortal being can make him feel like this and he's to embarassed to admit that You, are beautiful.

Taehyun asked Kai his opinion about those peach but Kai refused to answer and got mad. Those peach taste terrible blend, didn't have chance at all to compete his peach. Seeing Kai's reaction Taehyun hid his smile because he knows that his brother must be already met you.

As time pass by, Huening Kai drawn in madness. He can't help to go to your garden and see you from afar silently watching you picking the fruits. You didn't know that you are not alone and carelessly wearing thin fabric showing the curves and silhouette of your body. The cold breeze sweeping through your clothes and hair, making your nipple became hard and stiff stand out behind the fabric.

Kai feel something weird about himself when watched the scenery, he feel hot, and for the first time he saw his dick raised up and became so hard. Without any doubt he slowly caress his manhood up and down, he didn't know about this at all, his hand moved by its own and he start to fasting his movement and let out a little moan while his eyes watching you and his dick looking in turns.

He finally come and leave his cum trace on the tree.

After that he fell sit to the ground with mixed emotion. He felt relief, angry, disappointed, and embarassed. Then he fly go back to his place and make a promise to himself that he will never come to your garden again, he didn't want to see you again. To Strengthen his will, Kai start to denial and plant hatred towards you.

He think there's no way a human can have that beauty, is his father (Zeus) have other Illegitimate child that Kai didn't know and it could be you. A face combination from god?

Did that thing work? Did Kai really does stop coming to your garden? Absolutely not.

He can't help but continue to come to you and see you in silent, watched you doing your daily activity while he's masturbating behind the tree behind the bushes. He do it aggresively because he can't help to deny his feelings meanwhile his body say other words. But looking at you from afar is not enough, he want to see you closer, he wants to know you better so he can hate you even more.

So one day he decided to met you, he change himself to human, hides his wing.

He is so sly, he acted dumb playing with you. Suddenly approach you asking for direction so he can be closer with you. He saw your face clearly for the first time and he can’t hides his happiness by giving a wide smile and blushing.

You are in the middle of picking peaches when a yound handsome man came to you. You never see him before, and you are mesmerized by his beauty. You thought he always has that rosy cheeks while it only shows at you. Then he said his name is “Hyuka” what a lovely name.

.

.

.

Chapter 2 (Upcoming)

[queenjunothegreat]

*(rings cowbell)* Who wants some Lost Trio content? @demigod-shenanigans has been Unwell™️and asked for sick!Piper fic, and who would I be to deny such a request? It took me ages to finish it, but that's beside the point. Enjoy!

“Are you okay?” Leo asked gently. She nodded, careful to keep her sight set on one point above Leo’s shoulder in order to avoid getting dizzy again. Leo looked even less convinced than before. “You don’t look too good. C’mere. You can chill out in here with me and we’ll–” “No,” she interrupted sharply, taking a step back from him. “Look, I’m fine. I told you, I’m just tired. You and Jason go have fun on your date, okay?” “What? No, are you–” “I told you I’m fine,” she insisted, her tone turning a little snappish. She turned to make her retreat back down the hall, but before she could go anywhere, she felt overly-warm fingers wrap around her wrist. She looked over her shoulder to see Leo frowning down at their connected hands in shocked confusion, and she snatched her wrist back before he could do some weird fire power thing and deduce her temperature down to the tenth decimal or something. “Bye, Leo. Have fun with Jason.” Before he could say another word, she fled. *** Piper got sick every summer because the world hated her. Fortunately, she's on a boat with her best friends in the world. Unfortunately, said friends are busy.

Piper hated being sick. She doubted anyone loved being sick, but it held a special spot on the shelf of “Well, this sucks” in her heart. When she was little, being sick meant bowl after bowl of warm black bean soup while her dad coddled her and brushed her bangs off her forehead and recited any story she requested in her weak, scratchy voice. But it had been a long, long time since he’d done that. Instead, being sick started to mean disinterested assistants coming into her room every hour on the hour to make sure that she hadn’t died since the last time they’d checked, and maybe a phone call from her dad, assuming he even remembered she was sick in the first place. And even that was only if she was lucky enough to be sick at home, of course. If she got sick at whatever school she’d been most recently shipped off to, she had to brace herself for even less than that.

There had been one time at Wilderness when she’d come down with the flu during that time she and Leo had been roommates. She’d woken him up with her coughing and sneezing in the middle of the night, and she begged him to go back to sleep and just ignore her. At first, it seemed like he was going to do what she’d said, but then he’d mysteriously wound up with a 102 degree fever the next morning, which had miraculously only lasted for as long as she was sick, too. He hadn’t done much, he couldn’t really, but he sat at the foot of her bed and chattered while he tinkered with his little contraptions and made sure she had plenty of water. He’d even snuck into the communal kitchen and made her a bowl of instant ramen with what he swore was vegetable broth instead of chicken. Unfortunately, she’d been hit with another wave of nausea and puked it up less than an hour later, but the gesture was still appreciated. 

That’s where her mind wandered when she woke up in her bed on the Argo II, feeling like she’d been run over with a truck and her skull had been over-inflated. Great. A summer cold. She got them basically every year, for some reason, but she’d been convinced that her shiny new (well, new-ish) status as a demi-god would ward it off this time around. She should have known she wouldn’t be that lucky.

Without wasting what time and little energy she had on an internal debate, she was on her feet, shuffling down the hall, and knocking on the door to Leo’s cabin. 

Surprisingly, he answered. If she’d been even a little more cognizant, she would have expected him to be in the engine room and covered in grease, but he was neither. She blinked slowly at him and squinted. “What are you doing in here?”

He laughed at her, the sound loud and bright and ringing painfully in her skull. “This is my room, Beauty Queen, remember? Better question is what are you doing here before you’ve downed your usual pot of coffee?”

She furrowed her brow at him, ignoring his question. “Why aren’t you covered in gunk?”

He looked a little exasperated now, and his cheeks were starting to flush pink. “I do know what a bath is. You know that, right?” 

“Yeah, but why?”

“You’re the one who said that a man’s gotta make a good impression when he goes out, even if it’s not a first impression.”

Piper froze. She suddenly remembered Leo barging into her room a few nights before, his whole face scarlet and near-about hyperventilating as he recounted Jason sheepishly asking if maybe they could go get ice cream or something next time the Argo II had to make a pitstop. She’d shrieked right along with him, and together they picked out his least grimy pair of cargo shorts and his least embarrassing t-shirt. “We’ve stopped somewhere?”

Leo nodded, and the frown he wore dug a little crease between his furrowed eyebrows. “Uh, yeah. We’re right outside of Barcelona. We talked about this at dinner last night, remember?”

“I– yeah, of course I do,” she lied. “Sorry, you’re right. I definitely need to properly wake up.”

Leo didn’t look entirely convinced, but he still gave her a little smile. “Yeah. You want us to get you anything while we’re down there?”

She shook her head, then squeezed her eyes shut to fight off the wave of dizzy nausea that followed. She took in a short, sharp huff of air and flinched when she felt Leo brush his knuckles across the back of her wrist. She blinked a couple times until Leo’s concerned frown finally came back into focus. His mouth was still moving, so it was obvious he’d said something she didn’t hear. “Huh?”

“Are you okay?” Leo asked gently. She nodded, careful to keep her sight set on one point above Leo’s shoulder in order to avoid getting dizzy again. Leo looked even less convinced than before. “You don’t look too good. C’mere. You can chill out in here with me and we’ll–”

“No,” she interrupted sharply, taking a step back from him. “Look, I’m fine. I told you, I’m just tired. You and Jason go have fun on your date, okay?”

“What? No, are you–”

“I told you I’m fine,” she insisted, her tone turning a little snappish. She turned to make her retreat back down the hall, but before she could go anywhere, she felt overly-warm fingers wrap around her wrist. She looked over her shoulder to see Leo frowning down at their connected hands in shocked confusion, and she snatched her wrist back before he could do some weird fire power thing and deduce her temperature down to the tenth decimal or something. “Bye, Leo. Have fun with Jason.”

Before he could say another word, she fled. 

She stumbled her way back to her bed where she collapsed in a heap. She shivered violently and burrowed her way under her blanket. She’d be fine. She’d been sick before all by herself, and she could do it again. She just needed a nap, and when she felt a little better she’d go get some Nectar or Ambrosia or whatever out of the bathroom medicine cabinet. If thad didn’t work, and she was feeling really desperate, she’d go ask Coach to give her some of that gross Nature Healing Gatorade he’d given her on their quest to rescue Hera. It was gonna suck, just like being sick always did, but it was gonna be okay. 

She’d be fine. 

Piper was not fine. 

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but her body ached like she’d been suffering for a thousand years and her head was stuffed to the brim with cotton balls. She was still freezing cold, so she shuddered and pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders. With a soft, pitiful groan, she rolled over and pressed her face into the firm stomach in front of her, determined to only emerge when the world was a less awful place to be. 

Wait a minute.

She froze to let her brain sluggishly get back up to speed before she tilted her head back and pried open her crusted over eyes to see Jason beaming down at her with warm affection and amusement. “Hi there.”

She just squinted at him. After a moment, she opened her mouth to ask what he was doing there, but that was definitely not what came out. “Who are you?”

“That’s Mickey’s friend Pluto,” Leo’s voice piped up from behind her. She made a half-hearted effort to roll over and look at him, but Jason’s stomach was warm and she was very tired, so she gave up pretty easily. 

When Jason spoke, she could practically hear the way his face puckered at Leo’s claim. “I don’t know who that is, but I don’t think it was a compliment.”

“It wasn’t,” Piper confirmed on an exhausted mumble, hiding her face away again. “I hate Pluto. And Goofy.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can tell Superman all about the injustices of the anthropomorphized world of Mickey Mouse and friends later,” Leo told her. “Right now you have to eat this.”

She whined, but let Leo roll her over onto her back and force feed her a spoonful of pudding. Instantly, the flavor of ramen noodles flooded her mouth and her face twisted up in displeasure. “Gross. What did you just make me eat?”

“Well, it’s Ambrosia, so you’re the one in charge of the flavor, not me,” Leo defended. He pressed the back of his wrist to her forehead and frowned. “Geeze, Beauty Queen, you’ve still got a nasty fever. No wonder you mistook Jason for a yellow cartoon dog.”

 “She did not! That was you!”

“Literally whatever,” Leo dismissed. He sat down on the floor next to her bed so they were practically nose-to-nose, and he frowned at her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling bad earlier?”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Piper warned, ignoring the question. “You’re gonna get sick yourself. Both of you.”

Leo made an incorrect buzzer sound at her, but thankfully it was a lot quieter than the obnoxious noise they normally did. “Try again. I literally can’t catch whatever you have. Unlike you squishy organics, I’m too hot for germs and shit.”

“Well, what about Jason?”

“I had Coach make some immune-boosting Nature Healing stuff, so I’m good,” Jason said. His nose wrinkled. “It’s still gross, in case you were wondering.”

Piper chuckled, but quickly ran out of breath, so she quieted down. Then she frowned again. “Wait, I thought you two were getting ice cream. What are you doing here?”

“We were down there for maybe fifteen minutes before Leo spilled about you acting weird earlier,” Jason told her. “It sounded pretty bad, and we were worried, so we came back and checked on you.”

Piper grimaced. “You didn’t have to do that. Sorry.”

“Well, I’m glad we did it,” Leo frowned. “Piper, you looked… bad. Why didn’t you say something? You were, like, sick-sick. I’m talking full-on unresponsive, we’ve been giving you Nectar on and off for the past hour kind of sick.”

She shrugged and let her eyes slide shut. Their conversation hadn’t been long, but it was exhausting. She kinda just wanted to go back to sleep. “You were busy. I didn’t want to bother you.” 

A heavy silence fell over her little cabin, and she felt like she’d said the wrong thing. She squeezed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath through her nose, determined to deal with whatever they said next with at least what little dignity she had left.

Then, a set of calloused fingers combed through her bangs, gently brushing them away from her forehead. “You’re not a bother, Piper,” Leo said softly. “You’re never gonna be a bother. Not to us. You and me, remember?”

Don’t cry, Piper told herself firmly as she squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She didn’t normally have a problem with any over-emotional bawling sessions she deemed necessary, but they usually left her feeling dehydrated and a little light-headed, which was the opposite of what she probably needed right now. Instead of crying, she grabbed Leo’s wrist and pressed her face into his palm and took in a deep, shuddering breath when he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. “I’m tired.”

“Then sleep,” Jason ordered kindly. “We’ll be here when you wake up.”

“I’ll get you something to eat, too,” Leo added. “Maybe something better than shitty instant ramen, yeah?”

She sniffled, but she couldn’t help but smile. “Promise?”

She kept her eyes shut, but she could hear their answering smiles. “Promise.”

[pastelpousay]

“Ask the Girl”

A/N: Fun fact I wrote this entire thing on paper 🙈 I’m so silly right 😋😽 I mostly wrote this so I can get used to writing them interact before I work on the second chapter which should be done by Late October if I lock in but yayyyyy Hadina content!!

Warnings: thoughts of self doubt, slightly ‘possessive’ thoughts (from Hades of course what else could you expect) kind of ooc Hades, this is really really long 😭but that’s it I believe.

For the longest time now, Rina has had a massive crush on Hades, and with how well he was able to read people— he sure as hell took notice after at least a couple months. It was so incredibly obvious, the fact he hadn’t noticed her behavior sooner damn near made him want to laugh out loud. How had he not realized? All the signs were there; she did everything he asked without much question, always taking over his work when the both of them were far too tired to, her mood boosting practically any time she saw him. All this on top of the general respect, kindness and compassion she showed towards him. She had never did any of that out of fear of him, he could look into her eyes and tell how utterly sincere she was and gods— that look she gave him was just everything to him. It was sweet like honey yet soft as the clouds on Olympus. Gods it just made the man melt, but oh- did it irritate him so. That lovey dovey feeling in his chest whenever the two of them held eye contact made his nonexistent heart thump. Why did he feel this way? It make him feel so…weak.

Hades took a moment to lean back in his office chair as he let out a rather exasperated sigh. He couldn’t believe this was happening right now, what the hell was wrong with him? As of recent he had been a bit on edge, how had Rina not noticed his so obvious advances? It practically drove the God mad. Was she that obvious with her feeling and that oblivious to his? You’d think an offer to be a God’s plus one to an Olympic party would be enough to get the point across, but apparently not. Perhaps he had misinterpreted her behaviors into something he would rather it be than just plain kindness.

‘I’m overthinking all this- I need forget about it— besides I’m Hades, lord of the dead. I don’t need to be worried over such a nonsensical thing— it’s only a little rejection, no biggie.’ Hades sat there for a moment thinking it over. Had she actually rejected him? Why was he even still thinking about this— he had work to do, he didn’t need to be stressing over something as futile this.

Hades sat forward in his chair, attempting to reassure himself that rejection was no big deal, he was so used to it after all.

But, it was a big deal to him, it really was. He could lie to anyone else about that but not to himself. He hated that feeling more than anything else in the world, and to be rejected…rejected by Rina…it felt like a stake to the heart. Soon enough the poor God began to overthink more and more as seconds passed by, the papers on his desk collecting dust at this point.

Maybe he had misread her kindness as a sign that she had been harboring feelings for him, perhaps she were like that with everyone? That thought…oh boy did it make his blood boil. He knew Rina was a kind soul but, he had to be the only one Rina acted like this with, that gave him little offerings, that smiled at him so warmly, that spoke to him in such a kind and sincere way. Because in his somewhat

‘sick and twisted’ mind she was his and he was hers, and it would have the stay that way. Dare he saw her that close with anyone else and he’d lose his damn mind.

‘…my gods— I’m starting to think Aphrodite might have something against me with all this bullshit.’ Hades thought to himself, trying to provide reason for all these thoughts and feelings that plagued him. Trying to ignore them was pointless— he just couldn’t get that girl out of his head.

He had to be honest with himself…he wanted to go to that party with Rina, badly. He didn’t even want to go to the party if he were being honest. He just wanted to be with her, not doing any work, hell— they didn’t even have to be talking he just wanted to be next to her, holding her, looking into those gorgeous big brown eyes of hers and practically drowning in them. That’s all he wanted…he wanted her. And if he wanted her, then oh boy was he gonna have her.

Now Hades really wasn’t focused on his work. Perhaps he needed a break, or was that just an excuse to run into Rina?

‘Holy fuck I needs some coffee—‘

…☆…

All day Rina had been running back and forth from her chores and her usual tasks. She had been hyper-focusing on cleaning the kitchen since Pain and Panic decided they were ‘above doing dirty work.’ Gods- as much as she loved the two, the fact she had to work twice as hard because the other two were slacking off. She honestly couldn’t care less not though, she were far too tired to and cleaning wasn’t much of a big deal to her anyways, well…compared to the usual work she was given so she didn’t mind it all too much.

She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been looking over at the doorway the entire time…waiting for a certain someone to make his entrance in the room. She knew he was probably busy but this had to be the area where the two ran into each other the most— at least when he hadn’t called upon her.

‘Whatever— need to get back to work anyways.’ She waved the thought away as she continued mopping, thinking mindlessly as she did. What was that girl thinking about? Was she even thinking at all? The thoughts began to start flooding to her again. They always did it’s like they were haunting her, taunting her with something she didn’t even think she deserved.

What even was it about him? That charm, the jokes he made that always had her giggling, his so honest behavior that she dearly appreciated. Why was she so stuck on Hades in the first place? The thought of him being near her made her legs feel like led, she couldn’t help but hate and love that feeling all at once.

Then she thought back to when he asked her to go to that party with her…why did she say no?

Rina was well aware that she lacked most basic social skills and were far too nervous to talk to people unfamiliar to her— especially the gods but, wouldn’t it be worth it to at least have a reason to be with him other than just sorting papers?

Seems this girl had jinxed herself quite a bit, because the very man she had been thinking of had just walked in.

She could already tell it was him thanks to the hollowness in the walls of his abode, you could practically hear a hair drop from a mile away.

“Hey, you’re…cleaning? Again? I swear I saw you mopping in here two days ago—“

Hades inquired.

“Oh, yeah- yeah I was. I’m just in here trying to tidy up a bit” Rina explained.

“Yeah, yeah, because mopping the entire kitchen floor is definitely just ‘tidying up’.” He said chuckling a bit at her explanation as he walked past her.

“Well I would like for it to stay as clean as possible.” She responded in a slightly agitated tone, usually if it were anyone else he would have something to say but the sound of Rina’s rather quieted voice saying it amused him to no end.

“You neat freaks I swear—“

“Hey! I can’t help that I like it clean! Besides it’s nice, and it keeps everything in an organized manner.” She said with a huff in her voice.

“Shall we take a look at your room?”

“We shall not—“

“Mhm, thought so.” Hades said smiling, rolling his eyes a bit at her amusing antics.

“Coffee, at this hour?” Rina asked pausing for a moment tilting her head, she seemed a bit tickled at this behavior, not that it was unusual per say but it was only half past 2 by this point.

“I need something to keep me awake, I shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night” Hades said as he started fixing himself some coffee.

“Heh— what time did you go to bed?” She inquired.

“Maybe 3-2am give or take.” Rina looked at him like he had committed several war crimes. She knew he was a god, and probably used to staying up so late but— to go to bed for two hours before getting up was an insane idea.

“How- why— how does one do that?” she said giggling a bit, not even because she thought it was necessarily funny but rather from the pure absurdity of it.

“No clue, I’m honestly surprised I didn’t pass out when I got up today.” Hades said turning to her as he let the water in the coffee pot heat up, Rina shook her head at his words continued with her cleaning.

He kinda loved these little moments, where the two of them didn’t have to be endlessly working— well they were supposed to be, or rather he was at least. But he liked talking to her, as much as she made his cold black heart feel like it was beating out of his chest, speaking with her calmed him, it was nice. The two of them were rarely ever serious, most of the time it was just playful back and forth bickering or just the two joking. Gods he loved it. He adored hearing the sound of her voice, the way their eyes met when he was talking to her, he just couldn’t get enough of it.

Then he began thinking back to his earlier thoughts, about that ‘date.’ Perhaps he hadn’t made it clear enough? Maybe he wasn’t forward enough or perhaps too much. Although a thought popped into his mind…Should he ask, again?

“Sooo— how was work so far? Boring as ever I assume?” Rina said, breaking the silence that had momentarily fallen over them. Hades quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts, although he still wondered if he should go through with it but, he needed a plan.

“Oh yeah, yeah. Boring…, y’know nothing gets me going like a good pile of paperwork.” Hades chuckled to himself before taking a sip out of his cup.

Rina only shook her head, giving a small chuckle before proceeding with her task, that silence returned yet again leaving Hades to return to that dreadful place, his office.

…☆…

“Okay boys…” Hades started, taking a pause as he paced back and forth in front of his desk. The two imps in front of him anxiously waiting for what he was about to say next. It had been almost a full 48 hours since Hades finally decided to stop lying to himself about the emotions he were experiencing, all the while He had been silently questioning himself whether or not he had been correct about Rina’s affections for him, or if he should even attempt to ask her out one last time before he finally accepted he was probably gonna be alone for the rest of his; sad, miserable, eternal life. Or at least that’s what he would’ve gotten from that.

Hades had managed to practically drag the two imps out of bed, they were both still half asleep by this point, but as a alert as they could possibly be with the confusion and all.

“Uhh— sir, it’s 3:50 almost…we usually don’t get started till 4 y’know—“ Pain finally begged to question, pausing to check if what he said would upset Hades or not, and we’ll…it didn’t seem to. There he was, still pacing back and forth deep in thought.

“Ya think he’s okay?” Panic whispered to Pain, almost nudging him a bit.

“Hell no—“ Pain whispered back before continuing.

“Look boss, what we’re askin’ is—“

Hades interrupted “I know, I know it’s early boys, but work with me here,” he said sighing a bit leaning back on his desk before continuing.

“I need to know— and since Rina doesn’t shy away when talking to you two idiots—“ He said the last bit in a quieted tone, trying his absolute hardest not to roll his eyes. “I gotta ask…does Rina like, y’know…how does she view me? What’s her view on me? Just out of plain curiosity.” Hades asked crossing his arms as he waited for the pair to respond. He usually wouldn’t shy away from asking a question outright but knowing that Pain and Panic had a tendency to spill out secrets that weren’t to be shared, he couldn’t…especially when Rina was the only other person there to be told anything of the sort, especially if it were about her.

Pain and Panic paused at the question, blinking for a bit and doing a double take…did he really just ask them that? He could’ve asked Rina that himself so why was he up so early worrying them over it?

“Uhm, I mean…she likes you of course.” Pain answered confused at his question,

“Yeah, it’s pretty obvious.” Panic followed up.

“No— I know she likes me, but…look—“ Hades let out an exasperated sigh

“We aren’t getting anywhere with this,” he said rubbing his forehead a bit, he already knew beating around the bush wouldn’t help, considering how balloon headed his two lackeys were. If he had to risk Rina finding out about his plan, so be it. He’d be asking the girl out later anyways.

“Rina’s not like…Secretly engaged or something, right?” Hades questioned further. Pain and Panic exchanged glances before looking back at Hades.

“T-that’s what all this is about?” Panic asked, looking a bit baffled. Did he really get them up at almost 4am just to ask if Rina had a crush on him, did he not understand that she obviously did?

Well the thing is he did know, it was painfully obvious she treated him far different than anyone else, and he knew it couldn’t have been out of plain fear, she was far too kind. The doubt in the back of his mind seemed to have crept in however, he had been thinking maybe…he read her actions as something else entirely.

He waited, in an almost anxious manner for the two imps to say something else.

“Can you just tell me if she actually likes me or not?! goddamn it—“ He further restated his question, more than a bit firm this time. She had to have told them about her feelings, if she really did like him like had assumed before…right? They just had to know right?

“…sir it’s incredibly obvious.” Panic finally responded

“Mhm, very.” Pain relayed

“You’re sure?”

Pain and Panic nodded exhaustedly

“Okay, but— you’re sure, you’re sure?”

“Yes!” The two of them exclaimed getting pretty irritated at Hades rather oddly nervous behavior…okay who the hell was this god and what happened to the real Hades?

“You feelin’ alright, boss?”

“Yeah, you seem a bit on edge..?” The two said exchanging worried glances before looking back at Hades again, who has right now about ready for formulate a plan to ask the woman he so dearly cherished out on a date.

“Oh please— I’m fine,” Hades said rolling his eyes as he smirked a little, finding the question rather random, although it was only warranted with how off he had been acting. Gods- he had been getting really desperate again. Who knew it would only take two days for his desperation to truly shine.

“Alrighty then, boys! Time for daddy to start courtin’!” Hades said rubbing his hands together before walking over to a chalk board, just left of the table. Oh gods.

‘Holy Hera-ing fuck- he has this planned to a T.’ Pain and Panic announced to themselves simultaneously. Figuring that he had everything planned out with this oddly new found confidence.

“Did he have too much ambrosia today?”

“He sure is acting like it—“ Pain responded, in a rather comically concerned manner.

The pair watched as their boss turned the chalk board around with it now facing them. Surprisingly it was blank, nothing was on there yet. At least he wasn’t up all night scribbling on the board over some date like a complete psychopath.

“See, the reason I called you in here is because—“ Hades paused, dragging out the last bit of the word with a wavering tone of uncertainty. So…he didn’t have it planned out, at all.

“I need your help…quite obviously I have not a clue what to do for a date, ya feel?”

“You want us to…come up with an idea?”

“Yes you dumbass- look, just throw me an idea, I’ll do what I can and guess who’ll be setting it up” Hades said in a sing-song voice, and with a faux toothy smile to go along with it.

“Us?” Pain and Panic said in unison

“You sure as hell will be— now c’mon boys…ideas? Hello, hello, hello—“ he restated trying to get the pair back in focus.

“I dunno— I mean…it’s Rina we’re talking about, she doesn’t really like uhh— stuff all over the place y’know?” Pain answered tilting his head.

“I know, that’s why I’m asking you two imbeciles.” Hades said with his patience slipping a bit more than it already was.

“Just— look, y’know what don’t give me a specific idea, just tell me what type of date you’d think she’d like to go on.” Hades said, basically further simplifying the question he had already asked the two.

‘This is exactly why I don’t ask for advice.’

“Uhm uh, well…Rina isn’t much of a tough customer,” Pain paused as Panic followed up

“Yeah! She’s more of a ‘sit down and have picnic.’ type girl than anything else.”

“Hmm I see…” Hades said nodding his head along a bit, trying to come up with a date idea, but he knew he needed plan of action to actually ask the girl out.

“How about a stroll out next to the Styx! That sounds fun!” Panic said enthusiastically, whilst attempting to keep Pain, who was barely even awake to begin with, up and at em’.

“Huh— oh yeah! So fun, whooo whooo… whooo…” Pain said in a tired voice before mentally and physically clocking the hell out, and using Panics shoulder as a pillow cushion.

“Fine, fine, whatever. I can make do with that…alrighty then boys, see you in…,” Hades paused again, looking like he was debating on something almost

“I’m feelin’ generous today, you have an hour before you two need to get haul assin’ so, take with that what you will.”

Hades said dismissing the two of them as Panic rushed out, dragging Pain along with him.

As soon as Pain and Panic had left the room Hades let out a sigh of relief.

‘Oh gods— how in Zeus’ name am I gonna ask her?’ Hades thought to himself, rubbing his left temple as he sat down on his desk behind him. He had to ask her out, he just had to. That and his feelings of uncertainty towards Rina’s feelings for him, had practically been eating away at his mind for the past 2 or so days now. God— he felt like such a creep doing this but he couldn’t be stopped he wanted Rina, and badly. He needed to know that she had in fact liked him back, and even though he knew Pain and Panic were far too stupid to lie to him about such, he couldn’t help but wonder,

Had she them fooled as well? What if they figured no better than him previously?

Only Rina’s answer to Hades’ big question would truly be the thing to tell.

…☆…

Now here he sat, waiting. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to see if his assumption on his darling assistants feelings were true, waiting for the perfect moment to finally ask her out.

Some hours had passed since he finally planned this entire thing out— although he didn’t plan too much, he knew he didn’t need to go all out with it, it was just a date not a wedding ceremony, it’s not like he was gonna propose…so there was no need to be so nervous over it right? Right. It was only ten past twelve, and Rina had been on her break time as of right now, as she had been doing paperwork up until then. Hades had dismissed her a while ago, as he couldn’t focus much with her right in front of him, he was never able to to begin with but, now more than ever it seemed.

He was getting antsy now, should he ask now? Was it too early? Wrong time, wrong place? It’s not like he had many other options other than this one break they had in the day, so he knew he had to go for it now, If not Hades figured he might as well forever hold his peace.

‘Fuck it— I’ll just ask her now.’

Hades quickly got up from his chair, and headed out of his office looking for Rina. He didn’t have time to debate over it now, sure he could wait, but he didn’t want to. If Hades wanted something he was going to have it no matter what. Even if that something was Rina, he’d have to have to at least try. Rina usually at this time would be in the kitchen, getting a snack after all the work she had done, or somewhere in the library, checking out some of the old scrolls in there just out of plain curiosity. He had figured the latter since she had left a while ago, so he headed off to the library although he was sure to pass by the kitchen, just in case she had actually been there.

Hades finally made his way there, opening the doors rather slowly, being sure not to alert her too much if she were really there. The library was big, but not too huge, it was mostly just a maze of bookshelves and scrolls that had been tucked away, and covered in dust. He knew Rina had always liked to sit in the very back, in one of the chairs, so he slowly inched his way over there before spotting her just beyond an empty top of a shelf, curled up in one of the chairs reading a book. He nearly froze up when he saw her. She hadn’t noticed him yet thankfully, she practically had her nose buried in the book she was reading. She looked so at peace however, it oddly almost warmed his cold and empty heart, it always did truly but, he wasn’t just here tp sit here and admire her, unfortunately. He had something to do.

“Knock, knock, knock~” Hades said in a sing-song-y voice again as he knocked on the side of the shelf ye had been standing behind momentarily.

Rina looked up, finally noticing the tall, dark, and fiery god that was her boss.

“Oh— hi, hello, sorry! I was reading.” Rina said closing her book up, chuckling to herself a bit.

“You’re all good babe, don’t worry. I uh…psh— I just came here to ask you something is all…” Hades said awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, doing his best to calm himself down. Not like he were going to let himself freak out in front of her— oh gods no. The anxious, nervous behavior he had been so scared of exhibiting…he couldn’t have Rina notice that, just yet.

“Oh, really? What is it?” Rina asked tilting her head off the the side a bit as she sat there waiting, listening intently.

“…do you…I wanna like, hmm, I dunno— want a break?”

“I am on break…”

“That’s…that’s not what I meant,” Hades said laughing a bit awkwardly, as he looked down at the ground, refusing to meet Rina’s gaze.

“I mean do you wanna go…out?” Hades went a bit silent, the faint, light hearted smile still being shown on his face as his dark eyes finally meeting Rina’s warm chocolate ones, the look and his eyes held nothing but anticipation and anxiety.

“Can you…be more specific please?” Rina giggled a bit, unsure of what he meant…or perhaps she did know what he meant, or what it could mean rather. Did he really just ask her that? Had he? Or maybe she were misunderstanding

‘Maybe he meant something different?’

“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow, sir—“ Hades cut her off.

“You don’t— you don’t have to call me sir, please…Catarina…you know exactly what I mean.” Hades said, their eyes practically locking at this point, as if they were trying to read each other, like a book almost.

“…you mean us, go out? Like—“

“Yes, just you and me. No body else. Just us, that’s all I want.”

“You’re not like trying to—“

“Rina, I’m asking you out on a date, I’m not trying to do anything but be with you.”

‘Did I really just fucking say that?’

Hades internally cringed as he then noticed the silence that had fallen over them. Rina’s eyes went wide, well now she knew for certain that’s what he was asking, and it’s not like she couldn’t just not answer his question.

“Uhm— I-… I’m sorry,” hades let out a stifled chuckle “I’m sorry I didn’t—“

“I would love to go out with you” Rina said fully closing her book as she gave him a content smile.

“Excuse me?” Hades said confused, asking her to repeat again,

“I said, I would love to go on a date with you, is that not what you asked?” Rina said getting a bit cheeky now, almost teasing him a bit but she was far too slick with it for her own good.

“…” Hades went silent for a moment.

“Really?”

“Yes, I mean it”

‘Holy fuck that was easy, I didn’t even have to bribe her!”

“Well, okay then,” Hades started as he straightened out his robes.

“I’ll uh- I’ll have Pain and Panic come get you at six O’ clock— sharp. I’ll see you then, you can have the rest of the day off it ya want.” Hades said contently, as he turned away to leave, Rina watching in surprise as he did. Rina opened her book again before bending over and putting her head in her lap and in her book. She sat in a fetal position almost, doing her best to suppress the smile that almost spread across her features.

‘Did that just happened?’

Rina questioned to herself she almost couldn’t possibly believe it, no one had ever went out of their way to ask her out, especially not someone who she enjoyed the presence of so dearly. Perhaps she had finally gotten what she wanted…she had won.

…☆…

As the hours in the day passed, it finally hit six O’ clock. The anticipation was practically killing Rina from the inside out. She had been in the bathroom that both her and Hades shared, doing her best to look at least half or more presentable than she usually did, but nothing too fancy. It was just a date after all its not like he asked her to marry him or anything— then again it’s not like she’d be all too opposed to that idea either.

‘I wonder where we’re going?’ Rina thought to herself. ‘Damnit— I should’ve asked him that! Ugh— mm..it’ll be okay I guess, at least I’ll be spending time with him’ Rina thought, smiling to herself as she finally finished fixing up her hair, pulling down a small coily strand with her finger as she let it go and watched it bounce back up.

Soon enough she had left the bathroom. Where the hell were Pain and Panic? They were supposed to come and get her right about now. She quickly shrugged it off, figuring they were probably on their way anyways.

Rina continued walking a bit further away from the bathroom, not to anywhere in particular, she was more so just wandering about as she waited for the pair of imps to finally make their appearance. Oh boy soon enough, they sure as hell would.

As Rina continued on walking for a bit longer she felt a presence from behind her, was it Hades? She had noticed it before after she had left the bathroom, however she wasn’t expecting it to pop up right behind her, and sure as hell didn’t expect to go and snatch her up and blindfolded out of basically nowhere.

“Augh— hey! Lemme go!” She exclaimed as she struggled against the person who had been obstructing her view with a cloth.

“Whoa— calm down sister!”

“Yeah, quit— quit strugglin’!”

Rina almost deadpanned on the spot as soon as she heard those voices, gods— of course it had been them, none others Pain and Panic. How had she not figured that? Rina stopped her struggle as the Blue and Red imps finally finished tying her blindfold

“…so— mind telling me what the freakidy fuck is this about?” Rina said crossing her arms, which usually they’d take pretty seriously but now they honestly couldn’t be bothered to.

“The boss asked us to.” Pain stated like it was no big deal. Rina would’ve rolled her eyes at this but she didn’t bother to, as she thought it didn’t matter if they couldn’t see it.

“Okay, well, why am I being blindfolded? Where the hell are we even going to anyways?” Rina asked as she lifted a brow, confused you the situation, as pain and panicle began leading her somewhere.

“You’ll see in a bit…”

Pain and Panic said in unison, it was almost a bit uncanny, although she payed it no mind. It hadn’t mattered, and either way she was more concerned about where she we’re going, as well as hoping for Hades to be there waiting for her.

…

Soon enough Rina had finally arrived to said date location, she, to be frank had no clue where she was at. She had been blindfolded before she even arrived, and hadn’t been paying much attention to where they were headed. The half of it was a complete blur, and her excitement to actually be going on a date with the man of her dreams seemed to be overpowering her emotions of curiosity about wherever the hell she were at right now.

Pain and Panic finally let go of her hands before turning to finally leave. Rina overheard some of their chattering as they walked off, likely back to the cold, dark, and gloomy underworld.

“Ugh— they grow up so fast” one of them said from off in the distance, she couldn’t help but giggle a bit at their little comment. Rina started to take off her blindfold before another presence seem to pop up from behind her,

“Sorry ‘bout all that, babe. Hopefully they didn’t freak you out too much.” Hades said, startling her a bit as he began helping her take off the cloth from around her eyes.

Rina hadn’t said anything just yet, soon the blindfold was off and her eyes became adjusted to the scenery around her. She knew it, the air didn’t feel warm and dense like it did in the underworld, the breeze was cool and refreshing, and the wind flowing past the many trees that were surrounding the river in front of her, the sounds of the water rushing past the rocks in the river, all of it was music to her ears. He had taken her back home, back on earth.

Her eyes soon trailed down to the very lake she stood In front of, taking in the sight of it and the reflection of the red colored sun that was still sparkling in the ever deepening blue shy, the gorgeous evening scene and the colors Rina so enjoyed, it gave her peace.

“Thought I’d take you out of the underworld some time soon y’know, figured you’d gotten homesick.” Hades said as he lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to finally say something— although she did admittedly looked rather shocked as she gazed upon the beautiful scenery.

“This is— this is so…gorgeous,” Rina said softly still taking in the scene before she turned to look at him, giving him a warms smile. He took in the red and orange colors of the sun shining on her almond skin and deep brown eyes, holy hera she looked like a dream.

“Thank you so, so much for taking me here.”

“Not a problem babe— oh, and I’ve got one more thing I wanna show you,” Hades put out his hand, silently offering for her to take it. Rina hesitated for a moment, what could he possibly have to show her that could make this little date of theirs any better?

Rina gave him her hand, silently taking note of how much larger his hands were compared to hers, she had noticed a while ago— and gods, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t make her heart beat a least a little bit faster. Hades quickly look her hand in his, rather macro-scaled, palm. He began leading her over through the grove of trees, and further down the bubbling river. She kept her eyes on the water, watching as the copper suns light hit it, although she did glance back up at Hades a few times throughout.

“You see that light up top?” Hades said breaking the calming silence. Rina looked over at him a bit confused by what he meant, before she looked forward, a bit further over in the bunches of trees.

She hadn’t seen anything yet, no light other than the ever sinking sun in deepening darkness of the sky.

“I’m not seeing anything…I don’t get it, what light?”

Hades let out a breathy chuckle before replying,

“Mmm you’ll see em’ soon babe, you’ll love it just know it.”

As they continued, Rina spotted some light coming from up above in the trees, along with a boat along the shore of a small pond the river had lead up to. It wasn’t a large boat, but it was big enough for two, and it even had two seats with cushions on them, pretty fancy, in Rina’s book at least.

Rina stopped momentarily for a moment taking in the sight in front of her. The golden light from the trees now shining in the darkness of the night that had just begun, she started walking over the the small grove of trees around the pong, looking a little closer at the golden tree leaves. It wasn’t just the shining tree leaves however, it was clusters upon clusters of gleaming golden blossoms that resided there. Gosh— they almost looked like stars.

Hades looked at Rina’s starry eyed gaze as she looked at the scenery, finding it a bit endearing if he were being honest. He kept her hand in his, although her rather small one began to slip so he intertwined her pinkie in his. Gods— she was just so sweet he almost couldn’t handle it.

“These are beautiful…, what are they?”

Rina said, her gaze never breaking the golden glow of the starry flowers that had captivated her.

“I’m not too sure actually,” Hades started, letting out a slightly amused laugh at Rina’s fascination.

“They call em’ Star Lily’s or something, I believe, I thought you’d like em’.”

“I do— they’re lovely,” Rina said looking back at him momentarily, with a small smile on her face.

“Uhh, what’s that boat for? It’s not for us is it?”

“What�� I thought it would be nice to just…I dunno- sit on the water and talk y’know. You don’t get sea sick or anything do ya’?”

“No, no—I’m not I just didn’t, I mean I did but uhm—“

“What? You wanted to take a dip in the pond?”Rina let out a small chuckle at his comment.

“No! I just, I mean I uhm…I didn’t expect it is all…,”

“Do you not wanna?” Hades raised a brow, asking genuinely a bit confused by all Rina’s worried rambling.

“No, I do! I do, I’m sorry—it’s just…I don’t wanna fall in.” Rina said chuckling, covering up her face a bit from the embarrassment, but there was nothing she said that was really embarrassing. Perhaps she said if wrong?

“Sorry— I’ve…I’ve never been on a date before I don’t know how to—“

“You’re just fine, babe. Just relax, and take a load off. Just be happy we aren’t out here doing paperwork” Hades said laughing as he walked over to the boat with Rina, as she took a slightly tighter grip of his hand.

“You wanna get in first?”

“Hm? Oh sure uhm…how do I get in without it y’know…tipping over?” Rina said holding her free hand up to her chest as she looked over the boat. Hades shook his head at this with a smile as he kept her hand in his and help it up, guiding her into the boat.

“There you go m’lady.” He said chuckling a bit as she finally stepped in and sat down.

“Don’t call me that,” Rina said deadpanning a bit almost, despite the small grin spreading on her face.

“uhm…well..now what?”

“Hmm…uhh— we’ll see, just— give me a sec to figure this out, will ya’.” Hades finally let go of her hand as he stood up, and put a finger up to his chin. Thinking about how the hell he was actually gonna get this boat into the water, along with himself.

…

About 15 minutes later of Hades completely embarrassing himself and almost falling in the water— at last they were both finally in the boat.

Hades let out a rather loud sigh as she finally relaxed in his seat, leaning forward a bit closer to Rina.

“Goddamn—“ Hades said relived, just before turning to look at Rina who was doing her very best not to giggle.

“Oh c’mon, babe— don’t laugh at me now,”

“I’m not, I’m not, it’s just—“ Rina finally let out a laugh, giggling as she put her head down to her knees as she did.

“You almost fell in—“

“Oh you are just too tickled about that, aren’t you?” He lifted a brow, laughing along with her.

“So…,” Rina finally stifled her laughter before she continued,

“Now that we’re in this boat…now what?”

“Mmm, I’m not sure…”

Hades paused a moment, the both of them locking eyes once more. This moment felt like magic, the golden glow of the flowers reflecting in her warm eyes as they continued to drift down the pond and into the river. Rina eyes however kept trailing down towards Hades lips, but only for a second.

‘Are we about to kiss?’ Rina thought to herself as she looked back up at him.

“You have really pretty eyes…” Hades said smiling to himself.

“Huh-“

“They look they have stars in them,”

Hades went silent for a moment as he internally cringed once again.

‘Ew— did I just fucking say that?’

Rina smiled as she put a hand over her lips trying to hide it as she giggled a bit again.

“Um, thank you…I uh…I’m- I’m not sure what to say” Rina said with a huff while snickering a bit to herself.

“Yeah, I’m sorry—“ Rina swiftly cut him off.

“No, no, don’t apologize I appreciate it. Uhm��, I think you look handsome today…” Rina said with hesitations she looked away from him and down at the Running water just below them in embarrassment.

“Thanks, babe,” he paused before continuing on,

“So…your day so far?”

“Oh it was good, I uhm…I read.” Rina replied, her eyes fluttering up at him for a second before returning to focus of the water.

“Ohhh, she reads okay then. What have you been reading in the library anyways?”

“Uhm..books”

Hades practically bursted out with laughter at her rather vague response.

“What’s so funny?” Rina ask furrowing her brows a bit, seemingly offended and confused by his abrupt laughing

“None— nothing, babe. You’re just being a little silly is all.” He said in an amused huff.

“It’s not my fault! I dunno how dates work— I don’t even know why you asked me out of all people isn’t this supposed to be like romantic or something?…” Rina asked a bit frustrated and confused.

“Is it not romantic out here?”

“It is! I just dunno why you would ask me…?”

“Why not?” Hades asked chuckling, simultaneously getting on Rina’s nerves while he was at it.

“You’re not helping.” She crossed her arms as she sat back a bit in the boat away from him.

“Okay fine, fine,” He let out a sigh before he followed up,

“I mean what’s so bad about asking my assistant out on a date?”

“…do you want me to answer that?” Rina lifted a brow.

“No— look I- I dunno, if I could tell you I would but I just…look, I like ya’ enough to take ya’ out, or somewhere where we aren’t just doing paperwork.”

“…” Rina unfolded her arms, seemingly no longer upset, or not as upset as she was before.

“I could ask you the same y’know,”

“Hm?”

“Why you said yes?”

“I dunno…I mean a date with you doesn’t sound that bad…and I like being with you.”

Hades’ smile grew a bit whisper at her words.

“See you get it. I uh…sorry ‘bout all that—“

“It’s my fault I’m sorry, but let’s just enjoy our time here while we have it.” Rina said smiling as she took his hands in hers. Gosh— now that practically just warmed his heart, it damn near made him jolt, to say the least he hadn’t expected that.

‘Is she trying to make a move on me or…?’

Hades took in her hands, pulling her a bit closer to him.

“So…what do you wanna talk about?”

“Rina,” Hades announced sternly, making sure his eyes made contact with hers. She was giving him that look again, god how he loved her oh so dearly.

“What? I don’t know what to talk about…,”

“Y’know what people do when they have nothing to talk about on a date?

“What?”

Hades pulled her a bit closer, his hands now resting around her waist. Her nose and lips practically touching his, if they weren’t already that is, and before Rina was even able to realize what he was about to do, he leaned forward, with their lips finally meeting, much to Rina’s surprise.

She returned the kiss before they soon parted a moment afterward. Too bad heaven only lasted about 5 seconds, and Rina had been in complete surprise for at least half of them.

“Woah…”

Rina said before looking up at him again a small smile plastered on her face, more than ready to lean in for another kiss.

🍬Hi!! Thanks a lot for reading my story!! :3🍬hope you like it, I worked really hard on it!! :3. If you have any criticisms please let me know how I can improve my writing!! But other that I hope you enjoyed!!

Divs by @.Brokenhearted

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Resonance [Chapter One] Fate [Qin Shi Huang]

A/n: this will be a short story collection. I will put the masterlist out shortly. Please enjoy. Let me know if you'd like to be tagged. The updates for this might be slow.

Warning(s): gender-neutral reader, Greek lore, questioning worth, lucid dreams, soulmate au.

No Minors Allowed!!

This is a dream. 

You know because you've had it before, more times than you would like to admit. And like those times before, it always ends the same way; with you on your side, writhing in sheer pleasure as someone wrecks you beyond reason.

It is realistic and carnal, as though it is not a dream. You can feel every single thing; the surges of pleasure and the rise and fall of their chest on your back as they thrust into you. It is no wonder you wake up each time a needy, hot mess, wanting more.

This morning is no different.

When you come to, the first thing you feel is the lingering touch on your heated skin, a phantom sensation that tickles your sex. However, they soon fade and yet again you are left with an itch you can not quite scratch. It is infuriating. You have tried, whether it be bringing someone back to your room or masturbating. No matter how enjoyable either is, neither of them compares to the phantom in your dreams. 

There is just something unique about them. It is the best sex you've ever had and that is truly sad. 

With a frustrated sigh, you leave your warm bed and go into the bathroom to wash up. Helios waits for no one, already bringing light into the world with his chariot. You can feel its warm rays pour through your window as you prepare. Once you are dressed, you leave the room and wander outside to take in the fresh flower-scented air. Chloris, the goddess of flowers appears to have visited. The sweet scent permeates your senses, inciting a hum. 

You rush down the stairs from your remote palace and pace across Olympus to the dwelling of your mentor. The Goddess of hearth and home had been kind enough to take you on as her mentee the moment you came to live here. 

No, you are not one of the main twelve, but during the Gigantomachy, a war between the Greek Gods and the Giants, led by Gaia, you had done much to assist Zeus and as a reward, he had granted you residence on the mountain, a generous offer that you could not decline, for you had no real purpose before as a lesser deity.

But now I do.

At the edge of the mountain overlooking the town of Litochoro, you come to a two-floor stone villa. Various Bosnian pines surround the house and to the side is a fenced-in pig pen. You walk up to the door and let yourself in, as Hestia had instructed many times before, hurrying into the living room where a gorgeous fireplace sits.

Picking up a bronze lantern decorated with a key pattern from the mantle, you ignite the lantern with a wooden stick using the flames in the fireplace, then you attach it to your belt. 

A gentle laugh turns your attention to Hestia, who walks into the room from the upper floor; a veil rests over her long blonde curls.

"I almost thought I would have to send for you," she states with a kind smile.

An embarrassed heat spreads to your face. 

"I apologize. Sleep did not come easy to me."

You opt not to mention the heated dream. 

"Morpheus has not been kind to you? I shall have a word with him," Hestia retorts.

"My mind wanders. It's not his fault," you lie.

You do not want to get Morpheus in trouble. It is doubtful that the God of Dreams and Nightmares is the one who gave you the lewd visions. 

"I hope you put to rest whatever thoughts might be troubling you," the Goddess states.

You do too, even though oddly, they are pleasant.

"If this task I have given you should become too much, you would let me know, would you not?" Hestia asks. 

"Of course," you answer. "But it is not too much. I rather like aiding Olympus in your stead." 

It is your task to maintain the hearth fire of the twelve, minus Hephaestus, of course. With the lantern, you can handle the flame from Hestia's hearth. It's a minor duty, but you take pride in it.

 

"I should get on. The others are waiting," you point out.

Hestia smiles and nods briefly. She then sees you out, waving as you rush from her villa back toward the way you came. 

For the next half hour, you traverse from palace to palace to complete your task, collecting a share of some form of material sacrifice from each of the deities, as promised to Hestia. 

It is when you visit Hermes, the God of trade and wealth - among many other things - in his abode that your life turns upside down. 

A mass of flames rests in your open palm as you sit in front of the burning fireplace in Hermes' home, waiting for him to return. You toy with it, rotating it around your hand and contorting it into the shape of a songbird. The heat does not bother you, though unfortunately you doubt you can manipulate all flames, only the ones given by Lady Hestia herself. 

That is why I must use the lantern when transporting them.

Or else her flames would vanish.

The soft sound of footsteps turns your attention to Hermes as he walks back into the room with a jar in his hand. You send the songbird back into the lantern and stand to meet him.

"Honey for my dear aunt," he points out.

You accept it from him. 

"She will be pleased," you state.

"That I hope," Hermes states. 

His calculating eyes trail over you for a moment, then he hums. 

"There is something different about you today."

You raise a curious brow. 

"Sleep deprivation perhaps." 

"No," Hermes states. "That is not it. You often come here looking tired."

Whether or not he notices your glare, he doesn't make mention of it. His keen eyes trail your body again before he widens them. You are taken off guard having never seen Hermes express such a strong emotion. 

"What is it, Lord Hermes?" 

He points a gloved hand down to your footwear, and when you raise a leg, you notice a thin red string tied around your ankle. There is another tied around the opposite and the length of them spreads further than you can see, leading outside the palace.

"What is this?" You ask in shock.

You try to remove it, but the string slips through your fingers as if it is intangible. It flashes in and out of sight for a moment before remaining seen. An air of panic consumes you. You fear this might be a curse.

"That is peculiar," Hermes states with a hum. 

"Do you know what this is? What does it mean?" You ask. 

The black-haired God hums. 

"I haven't a clue."

He leans down to examine the thread, watching as it slips through his fingers. 

"At first I thought it could be a prank. These strings are identical to the Divine Weapon that Apollo uses, except for the fact they can not be touched."

And the fact they are not shining like the sun, you opt not to mention.

"So I assume the Moirai put them on you for some reason," he adds.

Your eyes widen. Why would the Fates do this to you? What did it mean?

"Am I…about to die?" You ask in fear.

Hermes looks unconcerned. He stands and walks over to the fireplace to look into the fire. 

"Who is to say? I suppose you could ask the Moirai of your destiny. Running tasks for Aunt Hestia must not be what you are meant to do."

If not that, then what? You were certain that you had no worth other than helping out the Twelve Gods of Olympus. 

"I assume I will have to ask Lord Zeus for his permission to seek their aid," you utter. 

"That would be the best decision," Hermes agrees. "Though I suppose if you ask nicely enough, Apollo might offer you some incentive."

You groan. 

There is nothing wrong with Apollo, he is just extremely narcissistic.

"I shall speak with him tomorrow then. There is still much to do," you state. 

Hermes nods. 

"And I shall tell Lord Zeus that you might be coming by."

You are thankful. With a respectful bow, you leave his abode, intent on returning to Hestia with her share of the sacrifices.

I have a job to fulfill after all. 

Even though it isn't your true destiny. 

A dark cloud rests over your head, filling you with despair. You can feel Atropos, the Inflexible One, turning her scissors to your thread.

[my-pjo-stuff]

God, I can’t believe that you prevented the tragedy of Manhattan by putting little Luke in a box and shipping him off to Germany. Astounding how easy that was. Great commentary on how fucked up USA’s (and, by extent, the god’s) system is.

But now. Without Luke in the place to initiate the rebellion, the situation all the unclaimed demigods were in would have continued for many more years. At some point, someone, perhaps the child of a minor god, would have noticed the unfairness of Olympus and would have became the new target for Kronos. Which raises the question: how would the second Titan war have gone if Luke was not Kronos’s chosen?

Idk, I’m just having thoughts 🤷‍♀️. An AU where Alabaster for example hosts Kronos could be really interesting…

Turns out that Germany can solve a lot of problems in PJO actually, who knew XD Also thanks a lot for the compliment 💖

NOW ONTO THE QUESTION : Honestly? I think that the revolt still would have started the relative same- but instead of Luke it would have been Chris starting it. I mean just think about this logically! In the books it was mentioned that Chris was with Luke from basically the very get-go. He remained unclaimed (afaik) for a good chunk of time and was among the oldest Hermes campers. He would have been the next best starting point. Later in canon he did join back up with CHB of course, but the thing is- I doubt that in this AU he would have gone on that labyrinth mission in the first place. He takes Luke's place in this AU- and Luke obviously wouldn't go around doing simple missions. Chances are that just some other, random Halfblood took over Chris' mission and was driven to madness. Otherwise..... I don't think that too much would have changed. Atleast not until TLO. I suppose some changes would have to be made with TTC, since Annabeth wouldn't have had any reason to take the sky from Chirs. That's easily remedied tho by saying that Clarisse was the one being kidnapped for the plan instead. She's also a maiden, Artemis couldn't care less whether it's Annabeth or Clarisse in that regard. Since Clarisse has a crush on Chris she'd have a reason to take the sky- she also has a strong enough will to carry it. I'm sure. From there on it would still go the relative same. Percy probably would still go off to save Clarisse- even if it's just to get Atlas taken care of. Chris would be the one to get possessed by Kronos. TLO will probably change the most though- I still assume that Luke's the Hero of the Great Prophecy for this part- which means that we somehow needs to get A)Luke from Germany to the US and B)Percy to realize that LUKE's the hero. Kronos would probably be revived later than in canon since he doesn't have Luke there. The way Kronos can come back is by a certain amount of demigods swearing loyalty to him, remember? The thing is, without Luke there as the one demigod who swore loyalty first Kronos is missing one more demigod post Ethan. Who would that demigod be? Idk and idc. What matters here is that TLO would turn to being a race against time for both Percy and Kronos. For Kronos, it's finding and getting one more demigod to join him.

For Percy it's finding the Hero of the Great Prophecy. Which is why I think that the plot of TLO would change to Percy and co. trying to find out who the acctual Hero of the Great Prophecy is.

Hestia's involvement here could possibly be pointing Percy into the right direction. Or in this case, sending the our MCs to Germany. From there on we'd probably take some time getting to know german!Luke, since this would be his first appearance. Possibly starting out with Luke being the one providing Percy and Annabeth some aid? They are two minors in a foreign country afterall where they don't understand the language or culture. In that case Luke would props have to be on leave during the plot or something, since he's in the military. Anyway, so plot happens and sooner or later people realize Luke's the Hero of the Great Prophecy. By that time probably would have run out, with Kronos finally getting his last Halfblood and taking over Chris. Enter : The Battle of Manhatten. Hestia and the gods at that point still have their own issues to deal with, so I doubt Hestia would be able to ship them around the world again. And a normal flight would take ages. So Luke decided to do something a little desperate. He throws on his military uniform, tells Annabeth to throw on her Invisibility Cap and keep quiet and follow him and Percy. He gets everyone in the car, drives up to the military basis and basically starts lying through his teeth. He tells the guards that he decided to shorten his break on a short notice, since something else came up in the future which ne needs the leave for more. Percy is Luke's nephwe, and currently doing an internship for the military. He has been assigned his caretaker for the duration of the internship. Luke being considered a prodigy and already being well respected and high up in the military, aswell as some demigod talents get the guards to let them through with an invisible Annabeth trailing after them. Putting his talents as a son of Hermes to use, Luke basically steals a military helicopter- loads both Percy and Annabeth up into it and decides to commit impromptu treason and takes off. One short prayer to Hermes later, and the trio find themselves miraculously back in Manhatten. From then on more plot happens, Luke manages to get into the fight and from there on it pretty much goes as canon again. Chris/Kronos being defeated in this could possibly come from Luke figuring out Chris' Achilles Heel by analyzing how he fights, and going for it. Getting stabbed by Kronos' scythe in the process and thus dying. Short note tho, since Luke had to throw on his uniform to steal the helicopter this means that Luke's pulling up to Manhatten wearing one of those two drips.

(Head covering and badges vary, since those are diffrent ranks than what I imagine Luke to be)

ALTERNATIVLEY

In an AU where Luke ISN'T the Hero of the Great Prophecy, I think it would honestly just switch to Percy. 'cause well.... who else? The plot would props go as everyone would have expected it to go, with Percy dying at age 16 probably also to Kronos' scythe. In that case Luke props wouldn't even rly have noticed anything going down in Manhatten.

[miramilocamimira]

May I Kiss You?

Sometimes, Hera’s found, asking meant more than the action.

Hera remembers when Zeus first started it. It was after Porphyrion’s attempt and she had wanted to feel like she did before. She wanted to be as close as they had been before.

Zeus had barely pressed their lips together when she started shaking. Her mind brings memories of the giant nearing, of unwanted hands placed upon her. Zeus had stopped immediately, backing away with his arms open.

He had held her gently as she cried into his chest.

A week after that, she was blaming herself for not being better. It had been nearly two years. She should have been over it by now. It's not like anything had actually happened! Zeus and Heracles had saved her before that.

Zeus kept telling her it was fine. That it’d take time to heal. That it’s normal. He kept saying he loved her and would no matter how long, if ever, it took.

But it's not. Normal was when she could miss her husband without fear overtaking her. Normal was being able to walk around Olympus without fear.

He surprised her. First, when it took an additional three months before he agreed to try again. Again, when he sat on the edge of the bed beside her. And finally, when he turned to face her, his eyes searching her face.

She remembers feeling scared. Thinking, ‘Does he finally see how broken I am?’ As much as she wanted to change her mind, she couldn't. She wouldn't get better if she fled.

“Beloved, may I kiss you?” Hera had barely registered his words. She had let out a ‘what?’ in response. “May I kiss you?” He repeats, proving she hadn’t heard wrong.

“I- yes.” She’d stuttered and he hadn't moved. “Yes, Zeus, you can.”

Her husband moved slowly, bringing a hand to her face and pressing their lips together. His thumb gently rubbed her cheek as he slowly deepened the kiss. They didn't go further but it was even better than sex ever could have been.

At least, to her it was.

Zeus kept doing it too. “May I kiss you” and “May I touch you” became a huge part of their life. No matter the phrase, no matter the request, she always had to say “Yes.”

If she hesitated, for any reason, he would not touch her. And the ease it brought her. The relief in knowing nothing she didn't want would happen. It was a comfort she didn't know she needed.

If only she had thought about why he’d done it. Or if he’d told her sooner, she wouldn't have been so kind as to let Gaia sleep the first time.

She’d thought that she'd have problems seeing Porphyrion again. She didn't. However, her husband was not the same. Gaia rising had him as distraught as her- even if their family had not noticed.

Fury flares even as she takes a deep breath. She needed to calm herself. She had a king to find.

Zeus is on their bed when she finally finds him. He's shaking as he awaits her. Hera knows why. The second Saturday of every month was their “date night” as mortals called it.

She doubts he would be up for anything. She knows he’d try to push himself through it though. She walks in and sits on the edge of the bed. She hears him prepare to speak and the words come tumbling out.

“W-what?” At first, her instincts tell her to backtrack, to pretend she didn't say a thing. But, if he’s feeling even half the way she did…

“Zeus, may I kiss you?” She looks him over, settling on his eyes when she has. He must have holed himself up in here for hours. His eyes were puffy.

“Y-yes, of course, you can, Hera.” His face turns away from her, eyes downcast. He stuttered. She didn't move. “Beloved?”

“Zeus.” She says his name calmly and he looks back over. “I will not do anything you aren’t ready for. If you need more time that's fine. I would wait out eternity for you.” She means it too.

Zeus is silent and she can hear nothing but the beat of her heart and their breathing.

“I..” He starts, “Could we just lay together instead?”

“Of course, my love.” It takes a minute but they end up lying on the bed, Zeus in her arms as she brings a hand through his hair. She hums softly as his breathing evens out.

As much as she wishes to, she does not press a kiss to his head. She said she wouldn't, after all.

[mask131]

The myth of Dionysos (1)

What’s better to complete this Christmas season, alongside some Arthuriana and some ghost stories, than some Greek mythology?

There is a great book in France that serves as a key research reference, and that is called the Dictionary of Literary Myths, composed under the direction of Pierre Brunel. Within this bookthere are several articles covering the complexity and evolution of the Greek gods, both within their own mythology and within European literature as a whole (with a strong focus on French literature, of course, being a French book). Given I do not know if the book was ever translated or not, I thought I’d share some of the text within it. And to begin, I will focus on one of the several articles dedicated to Dionysos – the god you English speakers known as “Dionysus” (even though the whole -us thing stays completely weird for me who grew up with all the Greek names ending in -os). This first article, written by Alain Moreau, is titled “The Antique Dionysos: The Elusive One”, and as the title says, it is a study of the figure of Dionysos within Antiquity.

I will offer here a vaguely-faithful translation of the text – and given it is a longarticle, I will break it down over several parts.

THE ANTIQUE DIONYSOS: THE ELUSIVE ONE

Of all the gods of Olympus, Dionysos is the one whose character is the hardest to define. Despite his many historical uses and the numerous interpretations of mythologists, we cannot fully understand the god. His origins, his childhood, his physical appearance, his behavior, his role in the city, his symbolism… It is all rich, all complex, all fleeting. Dionysos is the god of metamorphosis: the elusive one.

I) The origins: Old god, new god

The impossibility to confine Dionysos within a specific setting already manifests in the beginning of this investigation: the research of the god’s origins is puzzling. There is no doubt that Dionysos is a very ancient god. He was called “Dendrites”, “god of the tree” – and he was even depicted with branches growing out of his chest – which links him to the oldest deities of vegetation and fecundity, the ancient mother-goddesses. For example, the Greek Demeter: Callimachus’ Hymn to Demeter says “Everything that huts Demeter also hurts Dionysos”, and Pindar names him “the consort of Demeter” in his Isthmics. Dionysos is also linked to Cybele, and though her to the Syrian goddess Kubaba – the Dionysos-Cybele link is made clear in Euripides’ Bacchants. There is also the Phrygian mother-goddess Zemelo, whose name sounds strangely like Dionysos’ mother’s, Semele. And all these deities were worshiped in Asia Minor, in Thrace, in Crete, and in the Aegean world. In Athens, very ancient festivals partially celebrate him; Anthesteria, Apaturia, Oschophoria… It explains why Tiresias, in the Bacchants, speaks of “traditions that come from our fathers, and whose age is as old as time itself”. All points out to the Dionysian cult having pre-Hellenic roots. During the Mycenaean era in the middle of the second millennium BCE, his presence was attested by two tablets found at Pylos written in linear B. The name of Dionysos is found in its genitive form: “diwonusoyo”. Bacchants gives us another clue about the ancient nature of the god: beyond the tragedy-of-impiety that is the death-punishment of Pentheus, one can sense a second level of comprehension, maybe hidden to the play’s creator, but that mythologists and ethnologists all perceived. That is to say, a ritual of human sacrifice – the tragedy takes its root in a primitive rite.

And yet, the historian Herodotus claims in his Histories that the name of Dionysos is the last one that the inhabitants of Greece learned when discovering their gods, while Pentheus and Tiresias in Bacchants both call Dionysos a “new god”. A new god, because he is foreign, supposedly coming from Thrace or Asia Minor. Ancient Greeks analyzed his name as coming from a fabulous land, whose exact location kept changing from person to person, but that was always outside of the Greek world: Caucasus, Ethiopia, India, Arabia, Egypt, Libya… Numerous myths tell of the strong difficulties that the cult of Dionysos had to face when implanting itself in Greece – especially in Boeotia, the land of Dionysos’ mother, Semele (who herself was the daughter of Cadmos, the founder of Thebes). Mythologists themselves were fooled and, up until a recent date, most of them believed that Dionysos was a latecomer to the pantheon, an imported god.

Where does this contradiction comes from? It is probably because of how unique the worship of Dionysos was: religious possession, orgiastic rituals, running races throughout the mountains… It always made him an eccentric, isolated god, a god of the people rather than a god of the aristocracy (he plays almost no role within the works of Homer), and as such a much less prestigious deity than the other Olympians. But Dionysos had his revenge: starting from the 8th century BCE onward, it seems that the god “woke up” and was brought back under the spotlight, thanks to women, who spread his cult. Various religious movements coming from Phrygia, Lydia, Thrace and the Greek islands also helped this renewal by revitalizing the old forms of the cult and accentuating its orgiastic aspect. The rise of Oriental cults in Athens at the end of the 5th century made everything go even faster. All these outside additions explain why the Greeks themselves felt that Dionysos was a foreigner and a “new” god. All in all, this look at the god’s origins accentuates one of his most fundamental characteristics: the impossibility to clearly define his personality.

II) A very complicated childhood: births and rebirths

The childhoods of Dionysos all bear the same strangeness. He is a god that is constantly born and that constantly dies, before escaping those that hunt him down, and finally imposing himself definitively. Let’s take a look.

1) Semele, beloved by Zeus, follows the wicked advice of the jealous Hera, and asks the king of the gods to appear before her in his full, shining glory. Zeus, who had made the solemn promise to grant any wish Semele would make, has no other choice but to obey. He appears to her wrapped and surrounded by thunder and lightning, and the poor Semele dies because of it. She was in her sixth month of pregnancy – and Zeus saved Dionysos from death, by ripping the fetus away from his mother’s belly, and placing it in his own thigh. There, Dionysos finished his growth during three more months, before finally being “born” out of Zeus’ leg. This is why one of the etymologies of “Dionysos” means “the god born twice”. In France, it also led to the common expression “se croire sorti de la cuisse du Jupiter” ; “to believe one’s got out of Jupiter’s thigh”.

2) The god Hermes, by order of Zeus, gives the child to king Athamas and queen Ino, rulers of Orchomenos. They raise the little Dionysos by forcing him to wear feminine clothes, in hope that Hera will not recognize him disguised as a girl. Unfortunately Zeus’ wife is not fooled, and she turns Dionysos’ foster parents insane. Zeus then transports his child towards Nysa, and entrusts him to the nymphs of the region. This time, it is said that he was turned into a kid (as in a baby goat). In the Homeric version of the story (found in Iliad, VI), Nysa is replaced by “the divine Nyseion”, a Thracian mountain where rules king Lycurgus. Lycurgus ended up hunting down the nurses of the child and wounding them – the terrified Dionysos jumped into the sea to flee the attack, and ended up protected by the goddess Thetis. [Note: Jeanmaire offered an alternative reading of the Homeric tale, proposing that maybe the Nyseion was actually the name of the "country of the Nysai", aka the land of the Nymphs, which would make it an Ancient Greece version of Elfland or Fairyland]

3) Finally, there is the Cretan legend of Dionysos-Zagreus. While the legend was only recorded by very late text, in truth it seems to be a very ancient story: the name Zagreus first appears in the 6th century BCE in the Alcmeonis, and then came back in the first half of the 5th century within Aeschylus’ Sisyphus the Runaway. In the Zagreus story, Dionysos is given a new group of nursing parents: the Kouretes. As they dance with their weapons around the child and do not pay attention, the Titans discreetly reach Dionysos-Zageus and lure him away using toys (a ball, a spinning top, a mirror, a fleece, jackstones, apples, a bullroarer…). Once they had him, the Titans killed him, dismembered him and cooked the pieces of his body within a cauldron before roasting them and eating them. Zeus struck the Titans with his lightning, but hopefully could resurrect the young god, using his still-beating heart that had been saved by Athena from the Titans’ gruesome feast.

Next time: The Shapeshifting God, and A Complex Personality

[roguerambles]

Rebellion

God of War Fic 

Warnings - 18+Only. Descriptions of violence, domestic violence, blood, the Gods being awful.

Something of a sequel to Secrets in the Garden. I wanted Poseidon to get his comeuppance, and for Reader to escape Olympus. Where oh where will she end up...?

-

The world outside was crumbling.

Atlantis was gone. The Titans were free. Kratos marched against Olympus, had stated his intent to take Zeus’s head. The Gods had gathered upon Olympus, a show of strength, but you could feel it. Fear gathering above their heads like a storm cloud, a tremble in the air as Kratos approached. The Underworld itself had failed to contain Kratos and his rage, and now he brought war upon the heavens.

You needed to escape.

The Ghost of Sparta had no reason to resent you specifically, but you did not want to wait for the fallout of his actions to crash upon you, as it no doubt would for all living under Olympus and its shadow. Anyone and anything in the God of War’s way, inadvertently or not, was in danger, and you had no desire to wait in his path. You did not care if that made you a traitor, or a coward, or whatever insult would be cursed at you later. Kratos could have Olympus, he could grind it to dust under his heel, you wanted to finally be free of it all.

Poseidon’s chambers on Olympus were familiar, and you had hoped to sneak away while the Gods bickered and fretted at the mountaintop, hurriedly working to secure their defences. Fear gathered like a storm cloud, indignation at the audacity of one of Zeus’s bastards pointing his blade at them.

There was little you wished to take with you. You were not even sure where to go, your only real destination being away. You waited as long as you dared, listened as the sounds of raised voices and thunder cracked high above, before making your move, darting quickly for the corridor beyond Poseidon chambers—

“Going somewhere?”

Your heart dropped into your stomach. Zeus’s white, clouded eyes peered at you from the shadowed hallway, his voice low. The King of the Gods paranoia had only worsened since news of Kratos, since Apollo and Artemis and Dionysus had refused his summons and disappeared, presumably abandoning the upcoming fight. He was possibly the worst person you could have run into, and you tried to resist the panic slowly coiling its fingers around your neck.

“I was looking for Poseidon.” You lied, dipping into a low curtsey as Zeus approached, the torches casting shadows across his face.

“Is that so?” Zeus did not believe you, you did not have to look up at his face to see that.

“Yes.” You kept your voice level, but the quiver was still there, and you felt your fingers digging into your palms. “I…I am afraid, Lord Zeus.” It was the truth, you thought, as you lifted your head, trying to look as delicate and helpless as possible. “I am afraid of what comes.”

Perhaps hearing you admit fear gave Zeus a distraction from his own, gave him something to look down on, to direct his distain at someplace else. He scoffed at you, a smug, humourless smile on his face. “I defeated the Titans once, woman, I can do so again. Kratos will rue the day he betrayed Olympus.” He held out his hand to you, his voice soft and condescending. “There now…you have no reason to be afraid.”

You reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to guide you to your feet, forcing a smile onto your face that you hoped conveyed relief.

“Yes. Of course. You are correct—"

Zeus’s palm was against your cheek and you went still, cold dread seizing your chest. You looked up, finding his cloudy eyes staring at you intently.

Oh no, oh no, oh no—

“My brother does not take care of you.” His fingers drifted down your cheek, trailing over your neck and you barely resisted the impulse to slap his hand away. His gaze roamed over your body, a hunger you had grown wearily used to his eyes. “Come to my chambers. You’ll be safe there.”

Zeus’s personal quarters were at the very top of Olympus. You would never be able to slip away from there. Panic dug into your chest like icy talons, your tongue frantically trying to produce something that would allow you to refuse him without drawing his ire.

Fates, help me—

“Brother.” Poseidon’s voice boomed from somewhere behind you, colder than winter. You did not think you had ever felt such relief at his presence.

Irritation flashed across Zeus’s face, his eyes snapping towards Poseidon as he strode down the hall towards you. “Poseidon.” He made no attempt to remove his hand from your neck, a sneer curling his lip when Poseidon’s large hand closed around your wrist, yanking you roughly away from him. “Shouldn’t you be securing your forces?”

Poseidon’s grip on your wrist tightened. You flinched and tried to pry your arm free, but he simply pulled you close again. “I came to check on my wife.” He muttered lowly. Zeus scoffed, and for a horrible moment you thought both Gods would come to blows.

Instead, Poseidon began to march you back towards his chambers, and your heart sank into your stomach. You felt Zeus’s gaze on your back until the doors swung shut, and Poseidon growled in your ear.

“What were you doing?”

Poseidon’s luxurious bedchamber suddenly felt far too small, the marble walls too close and getting closer. “Nothing.”

“Do not lie to me.” His hand clamped around your upper arm, squeezing painfully, and you wanted to scream, to tear at his fingers and eyes until he bled. “Where were you going?”

Something in you snapped. Anger flared in your gut as you spun to glare up at Poseidon’s face – you placed your hands on his chest and shoved. It did little; his grip on you only tightened, but surprise flashed across his face at your sudden defiance, although anger rapidly replaced it. “Away.” You spat. “I wanted to get away. To go—"

“Go where? Nowhere is safer than here.” Poseidon’s fingers dug into your arms, hot as pincers. “Do you think Kratos will spare you? Just because you whored for him whenever I wasn’t looking—”

You tried to pull away, to push at his chest, to try and put some distance between you but he only gripped you tighter, his expression growing darker and darker. “Let go of me—”

“Or maybe Zeus?” Poseidon yanked you closer, his hold tighter than any shackle. “I see how he looks at you. Is being my Queen not good enough? What more could you possibly want—?”

“I didn’t want to be your damn Queen!”

It was as though he didn’t even hear you. Or perhaps he just wasn’t listening. Since when had Poseidon ever truly listened to you? His grip tightened and you cried out. “You’re hurting me!”

You knew it was futile. Poseidon did not care if he hurt you. He never had.

Poseidon sneered and threw you against the bed, looming over you, voice rising with fury. “Who else? Who else have you been spreading your legs for while I fight to defend our home? Helios? Hercules? I will have answers, you—”

“Nobody!” You pushed yourself back to your feet, shoving against Poseidon’s chest, your entire body screaming at you to flee, but there was nowhere, nowhere to go. “I haven’t!”

“Do not lie to me!” Poseidon bellowed, his hands grabbing your shoulders and squeezing hard, the pain making you cry out and squirm under his grasp.

“Poseidon, stop! Please, just stop!” Your eyes stung and your vision blurred, you refused to weep, not in front of him, but your cries seemed to give him pause, and he looked down at your arms, bruises already forming from where his hands gripped.

He sighed, a drawn out, long suffering sound, and pulled you close again, and you wanted to scream. Poseidon buried his face in your neck, sighing heavily, his grip loosening only slightly. “Why do you anger me so?” His hands wandered down your body, heavy and grasping, preventing you from pulling away. “I do hate quarrelling with you…”

You bit down hard on your lip, the taste of blood on your tongue, swallowing the bile threatening to climb up your throat. Your eyes fell on his Conch Shell, staring at you from the table just behind him. You remembered the day Kratos had come for it, and the day he’d returned it, how you’d had him in Poseidon’s own bed afterwards, how you’d enjoyed his body against yours, on every surface that could take you both in Poseidon’s palace.

You were under no illusions that any possible affection Kratos conceivably had for you did not go much beyond physical. There was every chance that now he was coming to destroy all of Olympus, if you didn’t get out now you would be crushed under the rubble.

Poseidon’s teeth grazed your neck, his hands sliding under the fabric of your dress. His body pressed insistently against yours, pushing you back towards the bed, and you reached out, your fingers grasping at the Shell. Kratos and his anger flashed in your mind, and you reached for it, reached for that rage that made him brave or mad enough to challenge the Gods, to make even a piece of it yours. You thought of Amphitrite, discarded and forgotten and gone, and fury flared within you so fierce and hot you couldn’t breathe.

“My Queen…” Poseidon murmured, his breath hot against your neck. “All is forgiven…”

“Get off of me.”

You brought the Shell down as hard as you could, slamming it into the back of Poseidon’s skull. He cried out and threw himself back away from you, more from shock than any real pain. He stared at you, wide eyed, and you stared back, chest burning, your knuckles bleeding white as you clung to your makeshift weapon.

Rage filled Poseidon’s eyes, frothing like the sea during a violent storm, his handsome face twisting into an ugly snarl as he lunged for you like a starving shark.

“You ungrateful, scheming whore—”

You screamed as you swung the Shell again, it’s spiked edge cutting into the side of Poseidon’s face just before he could reach you. He roared like a wounded beast, crashing into you and sending you both tumbling from the bed. His hand clamped around your wrist, and you screamed again, fear laced with anger and disgust as you kicked and scratched and struck at him, the Shell’s spikes digging into the flesh of your hands.

“Let me go, let me go, let me go—”

“How dare you, you treacherous—!”

Poseidon was cut off as you slammed the Shell into his face again, throwing your entire body into the swing. He cursed and yelled, his hands clawing at you as you threw yourself on top on him, bringing the Shell down on his head, over and over. Blood spat across the floor, across your dress, but you kept swinging, shrieking with panic and fear, and so much anger, spilling out like a tidal wave.

You swung and swung, and did not stop, until something cracked and so much red spilled onto the cold marble beneath you. The Shell, coated crimson, tumbled from your hands, crashing noisily to the floor as you stared down at the ruined mess of Poseidon’s face.

You fell from him, turning your head and promptly emptied your stomach, bile mixing with Poseidon’s blood.

Get up.

You retched and heaved, tears coating your cheeks as you stumbled to your feet. You had not killed him, the Gods did not die so easy, but you had hurt him. His chest still rose and fell, the pool of blood beneath him already beginning to shrink as his body fought to repair the damage you had inflicted. He would wake, he would be angry, and you had to be gone.

You fumbled towards the door when something gleaming caught your eye. Your head snapped towards it, your throat growing tight.

The Queen’s Trident - Amphitrite’s Trident, for it had never felt like yours – hung on the wall, untouched since your wedding day. You stared at the weapon, the symbol of your marriage to Poseidon, of your position as his queen, his property.

Take it.

In the end, you did not know if you really heard someone’s voice, or if your frazzled mind was playing tricks on you, but your fingers closed around the Trident and you pulled it from the wall, cool and unfamiliar in your hand.

You did not look back. You opened the door, and you ran.

[phoenix--flying]

what does hidden ta au mean lol

let me cook

This is an AU where instead of starting the Titan Army and fucking off after TLT, Luke stays at camp and raises Kronos right under the gods noses :)

Everyone, except for four counselors, are completely unaware to any of this happening. There are no quests, except for one in the Labyrinth for Daedalus so they can build Kronos a body.

Who are these counselors you may ask? Well Luke, of course, as well as Silena Beauregard, Lee Fletcher and Charles Beckendorf :D

As in many of my AUs, Lee joins Luke after the Hespirades quest since Kronos has started speaking to both of them. Silena joins later, but still before TLT when she overhears the two of them talking about it. Charles joins during TLT, when Lee and Silena bring it up to him.

They do this under the guise that there won't be major fights, their siblings and the other demigods will not be in danger. Sowing seeds of doubts in the Olympians over the years, subtly convincing the other campers the Olympians don't truly care about them.

Beckendorf and Daedalus create an automaton body for Kronos, unbeknownst to the titan that the body was designed to fail and cause him to lose. This is the only major battle that they needed to fight, Percy defeats Kronos once the automaton begins to fail and is deemed the savior of Olympus.

Simple, right?

Until the Olympians call out the four who caused this :D

Now, of course this is a major shock to the other campers, especially their siblings and the other counselors. These four are major pillars at camp and they did this? Sure, they never intended for Kronos to win, they designed a body destined to fail so he couldn't win, but still.

The Olympians, of course, don't take this treason very lightly. So what do they do? Well they kill them of course. Specifically their respective parent bc angst ehehe

Or they think they do, because Aphrodite, with the help of Hecate and Hera yoinks them and puts them somewhere safe

river and i have bounced several ideas of where they end up around actually LMAO like Camp Jupiter, or Rome, even with Trimvuirate, my favourite is throwing them in Rome because, for one, the Olympians wouldn't look for them there. But also because it allows them to like live a normal life.

Until they find a greek warship in their local park

[muqingapologist]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

this is such a hard question because i’ve gone through so many phases of obsessing over pieces of media in my life, and sometimes it’s really hard for me to parse which characters are lasting favorites and which are just part of that phase. but i’ll try! keep in mind, lots of sentimentality ahead…

and this is in no particular order.

1. wei wuxian (the untamed)

ok so this kind of goes along with a previous post i made discussing my feelings of the mdzs book vs. the untamed. when i first watched the untamed at the recommendation of a friend, it was so unlike anything i’d ever seen before. and wei wuxian was so unlike any protagonist i’d ever encountered before. his determination to do what’s right no matter what others do, but also not being above experiencing doubt and uncertainty about his decisions, really touched me. also of course his carefree attitude toward life is something i repeatedly try and fail to achieve myself. it might also have to do with xiao zhan’s acting choices, but he really touched me as a character. it’s hard for me to say if the wwx of the book did the same organically because i read it over a long period of time after watching the show, so im just going to count the untamed version.

2. shizuku tsukishima (whisper of the heart)

this one is probably pretty niche but allow me to give my most heartfelt recommendation of whisper of the heart, my favorite ghibli movie and one of my favorite films of all time. shizuku is the protagonist of the film. she’s a young girl, probably about 14, and so far, her life has been defined by satisfying her imagination by always reading fiction, immersing herself in stories. inspired by the love interest of the film seiji, she decides she wants to try to be a writer. the film is kind of like a slice of life over a few months of this time, and we see shizuku struggle with perfectionism and wanting to follow her dreams and inability to take criticism, etc. i rarely cry over movies but i cried at this one because i had just never felt so seen by a character. everyone please watch whisper of the heart!🙏

3. prince zuko (avatar: the last airbender)

i think 50% of the reason he’s on here is sentimentality since avatar was a show i watched so much throughout my childhood and of course again more recently with its resurgence in popularity, but also what can i say? his character arc is unmatched. i won’t rehash the details. i will say uncle iroh would probably be here instead if we knew any more about his past because he’s off-screen journey is just so fascinating to me.

4. percy jackson (percy jackson & the 12 olympians)

PURE sentimentality but ya know….also im only considering this character how he exists in the original series. he kind of lost me in heroes of olympus. but yeah percy jackson was the first character that really impacted me back when i was 9, and i think i still carry that impact to this day. i also think the original series still holds up reading it as an adult.

5. kim wexler (better call saul)

kim nation!!! reveal yourselves!! i watched better call saul a little over a year ago and damn, it’s so rare to find such interesting, well-developed, flawed within reason female characters in a tv drama like this. her intelligence and her tendency to get carried away with jimmy don’t contradict each other but work together. her emotional journey….UGH!! kim x post-prison jimmy, who else hopes?

6. xie lian (tgcf/heaven official’s blessing)

so this one is new and i’m not completely sure the deep impression will last yet, but i’ll explain. when i first read tgcf about two years ago, i kind of skimmed because it was so long, and the feelings i had toward xie lian were…not super favorable. i was kind of bored by him and….i saw him as a lesser wei wuxian. AND I WAS WRONG!!! because i reread tgcf finally a couple of months ago, no skimming, really thinking about what i was reading and now i love him. his journey from optimistic prince who had never before suffered to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders to nearly collapsing under that weight but despite all odds, pulling through and once again finding that optimism, or at least hope. it touched me so much this time around!!! also i don’t know why i thought he was boring first time around. this guy is funny as hell! anyway, lots of lessons to apply to my own life and whatnot.

7. ninth doctor (doctor who)

guys….hear me out. notice im not saying “the doctor” because i think most of doctor who is just nonsense. but that one season with the ninth doctor (and okay i like the tenth doctor’s seasons well enough, or i did really love them. less so these days…). so much potential. so when i say he’s one of my favorite characters ever, i accept that it’s mostly the version of the doctor that lives in my head and isn’t subject to the bad writing decisions made later in the show. it’s a lot of sentimentality, but i am really fascinated by this traumatized alien guy who just lost his entire people, finding himself devolving into more violent, unforgiving tendencies, but meeting rose, jack, whoever else along the way is able to remind him of not who he was but who he could be. of course doctor who is forever ongoing though so character development can only go too far lol.

8. nozue (old-fashioned cupcake)

this is also brand new so not sure if lasting because i only just read and watched ofc, but man. this guy’s journey from being defeatist about getting older and turning 40, being afraid of trying anything new, to allowing himself to experience new things, one of those things being falling in love! his whole concept of using regret as fuel for happiness, transmitting that idea to togawa who transmits it back to nozue later!! ahhh!! so like my love for this character might actually just be love for the entire story but i can’t not mention it every five seconds rn so….

9. isabel archer (portrait of a lady)

so this is the protagonist of henry james’s portrait of a lady, which i finally finished reading last month. and gosh! well the book itself was amazing, but i was especially touched by isabel’s character, mainly because she just felt so realistic. her motivations, her goals, her shift, her sorrows, they all feel earned, creating an incredibly vivid character that i think most people can find something in there to relate to, especially other women who have always been told they are clever and imaginative and yet find themselves struggling internally to live up to those expectations.

10. natasha rostova (war and peace)

it’s been years since i read war and peace in my university freshman seminar, so it’s hard for me to speak on the details of why exactly this character is here. but also it’s no surprise because this is a character that continues to be the star of russian literature. what i can say, she’s another bright, carefree character (clearly symbolizing aspects of russian culture but even beyond that) who it’s impossible not to feel deeply connected to. she goes through some pretty life-altering stuff in war and peace (everyone listen to the musical called natasha, pierre, and the great comet of 1812 for those details!!) and as the reader, you just really feel for her. idk man she still stands out in my mind, but also this is also much thanks to the musical i just mentioned above.

i kind of came up with these on the spot so like…who knows how accurate this is, but i like to talk about the things i like so sue me. thank you for the question though!!

[tagthescullion]

Diplomacy: a Net of Embellished Lies

Fandom(s): Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus

Rating: G

Summary: Five times Nico lied to the people around him, and one time he told the truth.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5

AO3 link

Chapter 6: The Truth

I may have used you, but Nico used you and lied about it.

That’s what Gaea had said. But Gaea would have said anything back in that suffocating mud in Alaska for Hazel to let go.

You’re wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I.

Jason’s words had cut deeper than Hazel was willing to admit out loud. 

The few months she’d known Jason before his disappearance the year before, he’d always seemed like an agreeable boy. Perhaps a bit reluctant as a leader, Hazel had always found his jolly disposition faked to a certain degree, it made her think he wasn’t all too sure about what he was doing, but he’d always been honest and hardworking. And above all, he’d been understanding.

That empathy had clearly dissipated like hot steam when you opened the window after a shower.

Hazel sat on a comfortable armchair in her cabin, next to the sleeping form of her brother. 

After the absolutely ghastly day they’d had, she thought he deserved to sleep properly. And that he wouldn’t do if he was alone after the whole ordeal he’d been through. Much less on a ship with hostile allies.

She wasn’t sure how long he’d actually rest, he’d refused to go to bed for a long while, offering to take up the first few watches above deck, but eventually Hazel had coerced him into at least trying to get some shuteye.

He looked small, exhausted, too thin and gaunt. And yet, there was such an angelic definition to his sleeping face that Hazel had no doubt the prophecy’s line, ‘twins snuff out the angel’s breath’, wasn’t only referring to his surname.

Angels, however, weren’t supposed to lie.

Hazel’s idea of an angel was heavily influenced by the nuns in her childhood school. Sammy had once commented that biblical angels weren’t the cute cherubs they painted in churches, but in spite of all the reasoning he’d given, Hazel had still imagined a young-looking, humanlike creature dressed in a white tunic, and who did acts of good in the name of an all-forgiving God.

Hazel couldn’t quite believe in God after everything that had happened both to her and to the people she loved, but in her mind, Nico di Angelo was nothing short of a guardian angel.

He’d rescued her from death itself, guided her in a world that had changed almost entirely, led her to a safe space where she could try to belong. He was a shoulder to cry on, and a source of knowledge of all things mythical. Every time Hazel had felt everything was overwhelming, or whenever her blackout memories were happening too frequently, Nico had been there to offer his support. All of that in exchange for nothing. 

Had it been in exchange for nothing?

Hazel’s brain was battling itself. 

One side was falling prey to Gaea’s, Octavian’s, Jason’, even Leo’s mistrust. Nico had lied. He’d hidden important information from her, he’d lied openly to Percy, he’d betrayed Camp Jupiter’s hospitality by refusing to acknowledge the existence of another section of demigods.

The opposing side called all of that bullshit. Nico was her brother, the only family she had in this century. None of his lies had been personal, nor had he kept information for nefarious purposes. 

“You look troubled.”

Nico’s sluggish voice startled her.

He’d woken up and was looking at her with concern.

“It’s nothing,” Hazel said, trying to clear her expression.

Nico raised an eyebrow. His manner reminded Hazel of their father.

He stretched like a cat, crossed his legs, and leaned with his back to the wall and her comforter around him like a cocoon, despite the Mediterranean summer’s heat. 

“You are a terrible liar,” he said.

Unlike you. But Hazel couldn’t tell him that, could she?

Hell, of course she could. But whatever anger or mild betrayal she felt wasn’t strong enough to want to hurt him.

“I hope you’re feeling better,” she said instead.

Nico shrugged. “Physically, yeah, I guess.”

“Is your Catholic guilt acting up again?” She asked. 

Nico snorted. He seemed to be on the brink of despair. “It was my fault. I should have been quicker.”

“I could have been quicker too,” she told him. “And the rest. But even demigods have limitations.”

Nico wasn’t looking at her. 

“If they didn’t have to rescue me,” he muttered. “Percy could have gone to Annabeth sooner.”

“Even Percy has limitations, Nico,” she argued. “They would have fallen earlier, perhaps. What if they fell and we didn’t even know what had happened to them?”

He didn’t look much relieved. 

“We will find them,” Hazel promised. 

Finally, Nico looked her in the eye.

“Yes,” he agreed. “We will. I owe them that and more.”

“Why?” She asked.

“Why what?”

“Why do you ‘owe them’ so much?” She wondered.

“This and that,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.

“No.” 

The firmness in her own voice surprised her. And her brother too, his eyes snapped up to meet hers again.

“It’s always the same with you,” she told him. “You hide your past and expect the rest of us to ask no questions because ‘Pluto sent you’ and nobody dares challenge that. But it wasn’t Pluto who sent you, was it?” Hazel breathed in to give herself some courage. “It was Hades. You’ve been lying to us —to me— since last year!”

Nico had the decency to look ashamed. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were fixed on the sky outside her window.

“He told me not to—,” Nico started. “Father, I mean. He told me to pretend to be one of you guys. He said it would be easier if I made myself pass for a Roman demigod. Children of Pluto may be considered bad auguries but they’re better than a Greek demigod —you’ve seen how Octavian’s like—.”

“How did you find out about Camp Jupiter?” She inquired. 

“Father told me,” he answered. “I saw Jason and Reyna last year in Mount Tam. They were scouting the enemy lines, and so was I. I was curious because, well… because I’d never seen them before, and demigods that age weren’t likely to be alive without some training.”

“Did father tell you then?”

Nico huffed. “As if. He told me they weren’t enemies, that was all I needed to know, and that I stayed well away from them.”

“Which of course you ignored,” Hazel guessed.

Nico made a more-or-less gesture with his hand. “Father knew I wouldn’t leave it fully alone. But the war had begun, and I had to spend most of my time convincing him to be part of the battle.”

Hazel swallowed down the envy she felt at Nico so casually being invited to converse with their father. Pluto had ignored her for her whole life with the exception of two minimal conversations, yet Hades had allowed his 12-year-old son to convince him to take part in a battle. 

Still, it wasn’t Nico’s fault. 

“And then I saw you,” Nico continued. “I knew you were one of them, whatever it was they were, not a Greek demigod. But you were also my sister, I couldn’t leave you down in the Underworld if you could have another chance!”

“How did he react to that?” Hazel had never asked that before. Maybe she’d been afraid the answer would be awful.

Nico shrugged. “He wasn’t exactly happy I was messing around with life and death. But he was glad, I think. Your death was an unfair thing, he’d been upset about that.”

Hazel doubted Hades, or Pluto, or whatever he wanted to be called, had been upset necessarily, but it was kind of Nico to suggest it.

“Anyway,” her brother said. “He had to explain then, I couldn’t just take you to Camp Half-Blood. Chiron realised Jason didn’t belong immediately. He’d have known about you too, and he doesn’t like me at all, he wouldn’t have let you stay.”

“What about the ambassador thing?” She wondered. “Was that real or was it just an excuse to give you some leverage?”

“He told me to use that name,” Nico said, giving her a funny look. “I would never have come up with that alone, I don’t think I fit very well in the diplomatic category.”

“You know how to bend the truth to your convenience,” she argued. “A pity you hate people, you could have gotten far in life with that.”

Nico gave her a wry smile. “My grandfather was a diplomat, did you know?”

Of course she didn’t. She didn’t even know his mother’s name.

“I see you got the unsociable genes from the other side of the family,” she commented.

“Or from his wife,” Nico offered. “My nonna hated people too, but she was cleverer than I, because she knew through gossip you could blackmail others so she endured social events all the same.”

“Sounds charming,” Hazel deadpanned. 

“Hard times, I suppose,” he said. 

“Because of the war?”

Nico shook his head. “Because she was a woman born in the nineteenth century, more like.”

There was a moment of silence. Not too charged, Hazel thought. She’d learned more about Nico in a quarter of an hour than she had in almost a year. 

Nico leaned forward and took her hand.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Hazel knew he meant it. “I should have told you sooner. I…” He sighed. “At first I didn’t know if I could trust you. Don’t take it personally! I— I hate being disappointed by people, it’s easier to keep everyone at arm’s length. And then, as the time passed I thought —perhaps I hoped— that I could ditch the Greek side. In Camp Jupiter people may be wary of me, mistrustful now, but they’re not scared. I liked being there as if I belonged.”

Hazel squeezed his hand. She wasn’t sure why Nico owed so much to Percy Jackson if he wanted to leave that part of his life behind so badly, but she thought Nico had told her enough, it could wait for another day.

“You’ll always have a place in Camp Jupiter,” she promised him. “When we get back—” Not if, when. “Well, either we’ll be killing each other or we’ll leave all this resentment and hate behind. Let’s hope for the second one.”

“Mild difference, those two outcomes,” he stated.

Hazel rolled her eyes. “Let me put it in other words: either we’ll both be dead, or you’ll have a place in the Twelfth Legion if that’s what you want.”

Nico snorted a laugh. “Sums it up nicely.”

“Now let’s go eat something,” she pulled from his hand and got him up, comforter poncho included. “I’m starving, and I want you to eat something too.”

“I—”

“At least a couple of grapes, as an apology to me,” Hazel insisted. “And to whoever else you’ve been dishonest to in the past year.”

Her brother didn’t look amused. 

“Fine.”

[fauxraven]

The Time Paradigm [IV]

pairing: Dream of the Endless x fem!reader

summary: love, love, rubies and seeing him again

warnings: good ole gore (but with eloquence?), awkwardness, booze, godly plonkers, Dream

word count: 2.6k+

Enter the Dream, weary traveller

Chapter IV: Endless First Impressions

She speaks, sees, hears and understands Greek.

She doesn’t know how, but she doubts her five-ish Duolingo lessons have payed off so well in so little time.

She doesn’t want to know.

Idly, a nagging thought tells her to take the small victory—everything else is already hard enough. She grasps it, holds onto it, a new lifeline in this strange world.

But then what happens if she actually does speak Greek? Will it translate into English? What sort of English then? What if she suddenly had a southern accent?

She’s got an aunt lost somewhere in the depths of Georgia, and she’s watched a few episodes of The Closer when in Rome, so she knows that most definitely would not be a good thing.

Why was she going on about accents again?

Oh, yes. Greek.

She doesn’t know any words; carrot and water, maybe, but one can hardly make a full sentence with carrot and water. Of course they’re not simply just carrot and water, they’re carrot and water and water and carrot but maybe she’s deflecting because she’s about to step through gilded doors and see Dream and he isn’t going to see her and she’s going to die inside and she wishes it were over already but she also wishes she could just jump into his arms and never let go and—

‘’Stop fretting. It is unladylike.’’

Her brain short-circuits; she’s a seven-year-old Iphone whose cracking charger has been pulled from the socket mid-software update. In other words, she won’t last the night.

‘’I’ll fret if I damn want to.’’ She replies, shakily.

Her nail worries at the skin of her finger, a nasty habit she’d eventually dropped with Morpheus’ help.

But he wasn’t here anymore. Or rather, he was—but not for her. How she wishes she could simply run to him and tell him how she loves him and how she’s so very sorry for everything and how she wishes things had been different. And everything else left unsaid.

But there are so many things she still doesn’t know.

Why here? Why now? How?

To punish her, is the answer to all of the above. Allow her to atone for someone else’s sins.

She doesn’t know why the sun beats so fiercely upon Ancient Greece, or how Mount Olympus seems to catch the rays so painfully, from its shelter stretched above the clouds.

She doesn’t know what Chiron thinks when he comes at night to replace her spoiled bandages.

She doesn’t know what the Fates know about her.

She doesn’t know what the armoured guards are waiting for, posted on either side of the door, eyeing her critically.

With Adiona, it’s different.

It’s all too much and not enough at the same time.

She is not necessarily nice, but not unkind either. She reminds her of Lucienne, only sterner; possibly older. She isn’t old by any means—actually, she’s quite young in every way that really matters, but there’s a certain air about her, something that doesn’t quite unsettle her, but almost. Something godly and nurturing that despises fretting ladies.

‘’So what is this?’’ She wonders aloud as the doors begin to creak open, desperately trying to still her nerves. ‘’A council of some sort? A debate? Do you have a debate team? Who makes decisions here? Zeus? Is this a crisis meeting, like in Percy Jackson or a—‘’

The ancient gilded sigils fade away, revealing the most praised and highly-regarded gods of all Olympus, sat around tables, sharing trials and tribulations and stories of war and love and conquest and… wine?

The word hedonistic stems from Greek. It means pleasure, leisure, failure—could be any of the above.

‘’There’s a killer on the loose,’’ she notes as soon as Adiona gives her jaw a light tap, forcing her gaping mouth shut. ‘’And you’re… partying?’’

‘’What do you think the guards are for? Come now, you’re making a fool of yourself.’’

And what a fool… amongst fools.

She doesn’t know any names, only vaguely recognises faces forever etched in stone, symbols of office, tools and the faint flutter of feathered sandals, but she doesn’t know anyone.

Too many faces, too many fates, too many things.

Someone or something is plucking the strings of a harp out of frame. The only constant she can grasp—wine. Loads and loads and pitchers and… is that a fountain?

‘’How very cliché of you.’’ She mutters, treading past the doors.

So what if she’s stumbled into Grecian Coachella? She’s here to see Dream. Her dream. Her hope.

The doors snap shut behind her, echoing thud deafening in her ears.

A tear rips through the universe; a large wormhole swallowing all hope of light and sound and life. The eerie harp melody drops, a few chalices full of wine spill over, the condensed chatting of a thousand mingling voices stops—the world has stilled for her, like a Renaissance painting.

‘’No pressure.’’

A distant figure approaches, Adiona spares them a glance.

The stranger-traveller-saviour-turned-curiosity finds herself frozen in place, pinned to gargantuan doors by impossible shades of gaping eyes. Suddenly, she’s taken back to a fifth grade’s pale imitation of a Midsummer Night’s Dream where she plays Puck and her mom holds up a VCR and there’s only a hard tumble down a stage to keep her from dying of shame.

She counts to ten in her head.

She’s seen the end of worlds, fought against gods and demons, backed the Kindly Ones in a corner; she will not yield before wine-drunk gods.

She takes a step forward. Two steps back. Puck rhymes with duck. Luck. F-

The universe mends the wound in its swirling violet fabric, sheds some light on the stage, and she is no longer falling in front of the entirety of the student body.

She’s floating on a cloud made of candy floss and he’s beside her, holding her, telling her he loves her, kissing her. He’d done another thing—just one more, one so significant she’s completely forgotten.

A flash, a promise, and then Dream Country, her second favorite place in all the realms stands before her.

The road to Hell may be paved with good intentions but the path to him is sprinkled with tiny specks of golden sands.

They lead her across the room, inviting like a dance partner, twirling her once or twice so she can spare a wide-eyed stare at a creature with the body of a stout woodcutter and the head of a bull. With every twirl, the path of sand vanishes beneath the sole of her feet, and they all stand, gaping, but her eyes are for him alone.

A mirror of his own, Destiny will recall, many aeons past.

Dream of the Endless sits at the oblong table at the very end of the festive room. Surrounded by his kin, all on a diamond pedestal, he is the first thing that she really sees. He is the only one who looks as sullen as she feels. How she loves him.

Their eyes met—and simply never looked away. His elder sister’s words.

She runs to him, pushing and pulling; she’d rip apart the universe for a split second with him, just to see, just to touch.

In the past few days, everything she’d felt had increased tenfold.

Unable to see him, to call to him.

Any torture of Morningstar’s design pales in comparison. It felt like being trapped in a glass orb, never quite able to reach out to the other. A fever's dream in a street magician's basement.

Yes, yes, Brother Dream and Sister Traveller and puppies. Loads and loads and loads and loads of puppies. Long-eared and blue-striped. They’re fuzzy around the edges and they’ve got liquorice for legs! And they’re full and full of love—Like Brother Dream and Sister Traveller; they fill up like balloons and then they pop and they paint love all over us. Have I ever told you about the time I made a boy go ‘pop’?[…], is delivered to you from Delirium’s Unwritten Hazardous Memoirs, the last series ever unwritten.

In the real world, far from Mania's Domain, something falls; drops. A bullet, fired by a rifle that’s not hers.

She shoves her elbow through the thin crack webbing across the sphere and takes a deep breath.

But what is love? If not the outcome of creation and destruction?

She’s here, finally. She stands before him, in a green peplos and sandalled feet and jewels that are not her own. She feels inadequate; like she’s betrayed him, somehow.

Loving, is protecting. And that would not change. If I were a bear, a flower or a bee, I will always take care of you.

The memory slips away with a sharp crack of pain whipping close to her heart.

‘’Are you…’’ she can’t find the words. Somewhere deep down, a part of her is vaguely aware of all the eyes trained on her being, beyond her being. She does not care. She only cares that he’s alright, that he’s not hurt, that he’s hers. But what if he wasn’t? What if he were terribly hurt and she hadn’t done anything to stop it?

The functional part of her brain takes over and curls her fingers, channeling universality and all that is known to man in a single, unfinished question.

Across time, countries, civilisations and universes, the King of Dreams would know her; would know what she means without the need for words.

Slowly, barely, gently, his chin dips into a nod.

Relieved, the universe sighs with her. He blinks; she keeps from laughing.

She would give him her heart if she could. She already has.

The organ hasn’t much to offer—save for a few misplaced beats and halfhearted thrums, but it does acknowledge the tension in the room, feels its palpitations. Everyone and everything in the whole of creation is looking at her.

‘’They are waiting to make proper introductions,’’ A sterling silver necklace with a woman’s voice explains as it drops around her neckline. A simple silver chain with a clasp and a plant carved in a coin. She does not recognise either. ‘’It is custom.’’

She lifts her gaze from the coin, offered by a graceful hand. ‘’Thank you… um, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’’

The woman smiles, enchanting. It blinds her, this much beauty found in one vessel. ‘’I greet you, Traveller. I am Calliope, Daughter of Zeus.’’

‘’Thank you, Calliope.’’

She fades away with a bewitching smile, stepping into the gaping crowd. No, not quite gaping—they’re gods—rather, entranced?

She hasn’t the faintest idea how to describe it either. Then, she remembers Calliope’s words.

My name.

What’s my name?

You don’t know your name?

Of course I know my name!

Confusion takes over, then sadness and then the King of Dreams’ blue-blue eyes. Her name becomes a stammer, a secret carried by the ether, whispered for his ears alone.

The wind carries it elsewhere, everywhere, and suddenly, the crowd erupts in a chorus of chants, all preaching her name on Mount Olympus, saviour of their dreams.

It dawns on her again like whiplash—no, she’d rather get whiplash. There’s a killer hiding in their Ivory Tower, and they’re drinking. To their credit, some aren’t—they’re knocked out cold, cup dropped within reaching distance of twitching limbs in a way she’s only seen dogs and shitfaced drunks do.

The observation doesn’t last. The harps pick up on an unchained melody, and she’s dragged from the pedestal by eager hands.

She tries to look for the Dream of her dreams—in vain. He’s on his honorary table, surrounded by family members she hadn’t even acknowledged in her haste and they’re all around her—pushing and pulling, the irony. Gripping, fondling in some places—their idea of dancing, she realises with a groan. When a cup is thrust into her hands, a resounding baritone echoes through the room.

‘’Enough.’’

The Dream King does not raise his voice.

Ever.

He sulks, which is even worse.

But that even tone of his pours over her skin like honey and the fantasilk of a shared bed, a fabric woven by dreams, the softest material found in the known universe.

His voice alone, rippling with quiet authority is enough to spin the nine worlds on their axis. It leaves her wanting in each and every one of them.

The hands fall away, the dream is over.

He looks at her with intent, all the way across the room and the rest just fades away. He can read her, he knows how to, he just has to look close enough and he’ll know everything about her. About who she is. About who she loves. He can’t.

In the collective blink of a thousand eyes, he stands next to her.

‘’Are you…’’ he stops, measuring his words. For a moment, she thinks she might laugh, but there is nothing funny in the cool unperturbed face he displays, even if the slightest crease dips his dark brow. The façade of a king. ‘’Alright?’’

She is here. She is with him. ‘’Better than alright.’’ She is bleeding.

He sees it before she does, alert blue eyes narrowing as they zero in on a secret spot just below her ribs—a spot he’s unknowingly kissed and kissed a thousand times over.

‘’Oh. Oh!’’ The lovely forest green protecting her heart has turned a dull maroon shade, like dying branches in the cold of a Canadian winter. She presses a feeble hand on the wound wishing a world of shame would just swallow her whole. ‘’It’s okay, happens all the time.’’

It does nothing to ease the thinly-veiled concern etched on his features. ‘’It should not.’’

And their eyes met again, a wild torrent of desperate longing coursing through their veins at the mere thought of each other, naked in the sack. Delicious, tells a melodic, mocking voice.

Desperate, echoes its twin wistfully.

The air clogs in her throat. He cannot look at her like this—not while she is this; not his.

She runs away, muttering an unintelligible apology as she tears through the crowd.

Two minutes. Two earthly minutes and sixteen and a half Daxamite clicks.

That was how long she could handle an interaction with him. And yes, sixteen and a half Daxamite clicks was pitiful.

But he was alright.

He wasn’t hurt; he’d healed, she’d healed him. She could breathe now.

In the hallway, she exhales a thin breath tickling her throat. She squirms, feeling the tickling spreading through her bones, to the problem of her problems.

The bandage peels off easily, like a one-layered onion. It certainly shares its colour.

Now—she relishes the knowledge that she has been surprised by very little in her life since discovering her uncanny abilities, but this—this is insane, worthy of the freakiest episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved.

Her blood is red. Crimson. Scarlet. All shades of red she can think of and those only seen by shrimps.

But below the barely crusted blood are sprinkled specks of gold leaves, etched within the healing skin.

Nothing has contaminated her wound; nothing has even touched it—nothing but bandage after bandage and lukewarm bucket water.

This—whatever this refers to—is sprouting from within.

‘’What on earth—‘’

Rustling.

Pinching.

Hiding.

Any onomatopoeia that dutifully describes all of the above but sneakily.

She turns in the direction of the sound, pressing the bandage to the scar.

She releases a breath.

There’s nothing there.

Nothing but pearly pillars and gilded walls and the faint outline of a cloaked book, hanging by a shackle.

Due doctor follow-up appointment in Chapter V: Library of Everlasting Deceit

[a-french-coconut]

Protector of Youth

Chapter 4: Niobe

His mother, Apollo esteems, is one of the strongest women he knows.

Joining the gods during the war, despite herself being a titan.

Enduring months of pregnancy because Hera's jealousy, braving dangers like that lecherous Tityos and the vile Python.

Both of them, Apollo slayed, one admittedly way easily than the other.

He thought he had made his point crystal clear.

Nobody, wether they are divine, monstrous or merely mortal, has the right to offend his mother in any way.

And yet, on Leto's day, on his mother's day, that arrogant queen of Thebes boasts, praises her womb and the fourteen children she put in this world.

"She is her father's daughter." Artemis scoffs next to him, her cold silver eyes looking with disdain at the woman below them.

They are standing on Thebe's palace, hidden to the mortals but they can hear every word Niobe says to her friends.

"I don't see why Leto should be celebrated for birthing twins," Niobe scowls, "I birthed fourteen children ! fourteen ! And I'm not a goddess, which makes my labor even more impressive !"

Apollo hisses when the flock of women surrounding Niobe agree with their Queen. Some of them, to his satisfaction, look at the sky with fear.

"My Queen," one of them murmurs, "while you are right to be proud of your womb, perhaps it is not wise to insult Lady Leto." She looks at the sun, "you don't know who could listen."

"One is wise" he whispers to Artemis with amusement "not that it will spare her at this point."

"You want to kill the servants ?" She frowns, "I doubt the Queen cares much about them."

"We have to punish her somehow," he shrugs, taking out an arrow and notching it ,"she has to learn the price of hubris."

"Oh please !" Niobe spits, "That woman has nothing on me ! All my children are beautiful ! My daughters will be as fertile as me and my sons as brave and smart as their father, King Amphion. I should be the one celebrated !"

Apollo grips his bow tightly and the sun flares, heating up the mortals below.

"My Queen," the wise woman wails, feeling the sweat on her skin, "please, I beg of you, don't say such things anymore."

"I should be the deity of motherhood !" Niobe continues, ignoring the advice, "What does Leto have on me ? Nothing !" she spits, "Two children whereas I have fourteen, my pride and joy !"

"Pride and joy," Artemis repeats before smiling darkly, "wouldn't it be a shame if they were to die ?"

"They're children." He says, his voice strained, "it goes against my domain, Artemis."

"If you ask me," Niobe exclaims loudly, "Leto shouldn't even have a day of celebrations ! She isn't worth it !"

He grips his bow so tightly he's afraid to crack the divine material.

The other gods on Olympus must be wondering why they hadn't shot her by now.

"We could kill her, and her husband for not stopping her." He proposes to his sister.

"No," she snarls, a feral sound like a wolf, "killing her is not enough. She must understand the price of her hubris, of what it means to disrespect the gods, especially our mother." Her silver eyes meet his golden ones, "or are you willing to let her insult Leto even more ?"

"Of course not !" He growls, "Must I remind you who went to kill those who attacked her, sister ? It was me."

"Then avenge her once more, with me !" Artemis presses on, "Let's show our brethren on Olympus and those mortals that our mother is not one to insult."

Apollo looks at Niobe's children.

Seven boys.

Seven girls.

All guilty only to be that arrogant woman's offspring.

"And between us, sleeping with a married man !" Niobe scoffs, "how can a whore be the goddess of motherhood !"

Apollo sees red.

"I kill the boys and you take the girls." He says, notching seven arrows as Artemis do the same.

He aims, each arrow targeting their hearts.

The least he can do is offer them a quick death.

He is the Protector of Youth, after all.

They both reveal themselves to the crowd below them, towering over them in their bright chitons, floating in the air.

"Queen Niobe of Thebes !" Apollo bellows, "You claim yourself better than my mother, Lady Leto."

In one second, the women surrounding the Queen flee her side, leaving Niobe alone. Amphion, her husband, comes to her side, protectively putting her behind him.

"Our mother," Artemis continues, "protected us against all dangers," she smiles, "if you manage to do the same with your fourteen children, we will accept your claim."

At her words, Niobe finds her pride again.

"Of course I can !" She boasts, "what are the dangers I must protect them from."

"Us." Apollo smiles, showing sharp teeth, "we are the danger."

Before Niobe can blink, Apollo releases his arrows.

Before Niobe understands what is happening, Artemis lets her own fly.

A hollow sound echoes in the street, followed by another, and another, and another...

Fourteen bodies fall on the ground, each of them an arrow in their heart.

"MY CHILDREN !" Niobe wails, falling on her knees and pulling out her hair, "MY CHILDREN !"

"You have failed !" Apollo screams over her mourners, "for comparing yourself with a goddess, for succumbing to hubris, consider this your punishment, Niobe."

Amphion roars, pulling out his sword, and he runs towards Apollo.

He makes it to his sons's corpses before an arrow pierces his throat.

At her husband's death, Niobe howls, a shrilling sound full of grief.

"You have brought this on yourself." Artemis says coldly, "For seven days, the corpses of your children and husband will rot in front of the palace, a reminder of your foolish pride. Anyone tries to interfere, I will turn them into a stag and hunt them."

"Or I will plague your entire family." Apollo adds, "depends on which one of us catches you."

Hastily, the crowd step away from the bodies and from their queen too.

"Remember this lesson, mortals. Do not insult the gods for you will pay the consequences." Apollo warns in an ominous voice, willing himself to glow to add to his declaration.

In two flashes of light, one golden and the other silver, they leave the city of Thebes and appear on Olympus.

He immediately goes to find refuge in his palace, leaving Artemis alone in front of the mass of dryads, satyrs and deities eager for the bloody details.

His footsteps echo in the hall, in the corridor leading to his room.

He feels like he's being torn apart.

Murderer, a part of him hisses, recoiling from his very essence.

Murderer of the children you ought to protect !

He wills himself to take that form, that aspect of him.

In the mirror in face of him, a young man stands before him, long golden hair reaching his waist.

Apollo, Protector of Youth.

His hands are red, slick with blood dripping on the marbled floor.

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

On the eight day, at dawn, Niobe carries herself her family's corpses to the funeral pyres.

She is covered in ashes, a sign of mourning, and she cries when she lights the fire.

Apollo watches her leave in exile, walking all the way to Mount Sipylus and cry next to the lake.

She cries for days and nights, dryads curiously getting out of their trees to see the woman of the lake.

One day, as a dryad comes see her, all she finds is a stone, the stone of woman kneeling by the lake, small droplets of water falling from her eyes.

I tried to at least make him hesitate about killing the children because Apollo is my fav and he deserves more than being a cold child murderer (:

He still becomes one at the end but lets give him credit for trying to have a conscience.