#origins of olympus reimagined

[insirisarts]

Origins of Olympus - Reimagined

Chapter 1: Welcome to Camp Oasis!

The sun beamed down onto the sand; the sky was clear of any clouds. The heat of the desert would’ve been unbearable for any human unlucky enough to be caught in its never-ending expanses. After all, mortals could not find their way to a place like this, especially not to its oasis. Even if they did, the gods would smite them for trespassing onto the sacred land. A place where the finest of greenery and produce grew; food was abundant, the water was so clean, you could drink it from the source, and filled with fauna so docile, even tigers could have been considered house pets. However, these individuals are by no means ‘mortals’. For these people are children of the gods. Blessed to walk the lands of Gaia with the grand powers of their parents. Striking the earth with powerful volts, bringing the motions of the tides, guiding souls to their final resting place, and even becoming the light of the sun themself.

An echidna stood tall on the entrance platform, backlit by the magic doorway behind her. Orange scales shining in the mid-afternoon sun. Her large wings sat solidly on her back, accentuating her posture. The woman's human upper half was covered with a red-orange dress, which was trimmed and decorated with gold. Gold bracelets were also placed on her upper and lower arms, and on the end of her serpent tail. Each of these bracelets were jeweled with three bright orange stones which matched her fiery irises. Scales traveled up the young woman’s body, spotting her shoulders, ears and face with the same burnt orange as the asymmetrical horns buried in her dark brown hair. Her heavy-lidded eyes surveyed over the slowly building group. Demi-gods to be specific.

“Hello everyone, I am Kaykrea and welcome to the Oasis of Demeter.” Kaykrea introduced, catching the attention of the present demi-gods. She had situated herself on the marble steps leading to the entryway of the camp, which was blocked by a form of powerful magic that none of the others could quite figure out. 

Beside her was a girl who had arrived earlier that day, a harpy named Marshie. She was white winged harpy, in a dark crop top with a long striped light purple shawl that fell past her shoulders. Her laurel was decorated with small golden sunflowers and sat atop her long strawberry blond hair, some of which had been pulled back to make a cute loose ponytail. Her outfit was finished off with some jean shorts that stopped above her more eagle shaped legs and taloned feet. They had taken time to chat during the wait and already found that they got along rather well.

“I will be your designated camp counselor.” Kaykrea's large, scaled wings spread to frame her sculpted body; her lower serpent body raising the human half to stand tall over all of the campers. “Today will just be a simple meet-and-greet with a tour of the campgrounds. Then we will have a short session with The Oracle later this evening.” 

Many already had looks of admiration or excitement on their faces; except for a man with long shaggy white and red hair off to the side, who simply rolled his eyes at her. She figured that this one may eventually become a problem and mentally noted to keep an eye on him. “First will be introductions, we will start with you.” She stated, pointing at a man with black hair and yellow highlights, frizzed by what appeared to be static. 

The man stood a bit straighter now that the attention was on him, his black eyes widening slightly from being singled out, “I am Mario, son of Zeus, God of storms and lightning!” Mario proclaimed. His looks only pushed the idea. His toga was black and yellow with hints of white under the garment and light blue accents. Lightning motifs could be found in his laurel, arm armor and his white sash in the form of a lightning shaped fibula brooch. Throughout his arms and legs, his veins seemed to glow an electric yellow on his sun-tanned skin. He stood with confidence, almost looking like he was about to burst with unstoppable energy.

The Echidna nodded in approval; a child of Zeus was sure to bring some excitement. “Thank you, Mario. Now you, the one in blue.” She moved on, gesturing to a man with a much shyer demeanor, as he sat much more hunched over compared to the rest of the group.

“Uhm… Jakey, one of the sons of Poseidon.” Jakey mumbled, just loud enough for Kaykrea to glean. Besides the small, high collard coverup on his shoulders, he was shirtless, showing off his swimmer's body. The armor over his left pec was layered and traveled over to part of his back, with large light blue inset jewels glittering in the light. At his hips sat a blue 5-layered skirt-like bottom that split at his right hip, the exposed part of which was covered by a cloth tied to the skirt. His arms and legs were protected by silver armor shaped like fish and similarly jeweled like the rest of his armor; his hands were covered in dark blue fingerless gloves. A tasteful crown was planted in his brown and blue hair with the same light blue gem, his hair had been put into a french-styled braid on both sides of his head that then came together into a long skinny braid in the back. On his back, sat a long bident with jewels spotted on the head, and the end had a shark fin shape.

Kaykrea nodded in satisfaction and was about to move on to the next camper when a new voice joined the group.

Distant shuffling sand could be heard from the distance. “I’m sorry, I’m here, hold on-!” Shouted a young man with short white hair. His ears were pierced with round red earrings and accompanied by golden ear clips covered in rose leaves. His neck was adorned with a red choker. A cropped himation draped over his right shoulder which was pinned by a sort-of star shaped fibula brooch. His two-layered red skirt with gold trim swayed with the movement of his legs. He had shoulder pads that appeared to have rose designs that matched the rose on his dark gray belt, which matched the leather armor on his arms. Small white wings flared from the shoulder pads and his golden shoes. Two hooked swords were connected at the hilts which gave the shape of an S sat on his back along with a small satchel, assumedly a physical god pocket, likely it had all of his other essentials in its magic confines. He skidded to a stop with the rest of the group; bending over to catch his breath, using his knees as support.

“I, huf, apologize, hrff, I was distracted, hooh…” He rushed between labored breaths; his body lightly shook from overexertion.

“And… who might you be?” The orange serpent inquired, drawing out her sentence. 

With one last deep gasp of air, the white-haired man responded, “I’m Bryan, the son of Aphrodite; the goddess of love, beauty and passion herself!” Bryan flicked his hair back haughtily and stood with his head held high. The motion made him look back and lock his eyes onto Jakey. This made him freeze in the middle of his display; a light pink softy grazed his face, and he awkwardly took a few steps back to get a proper look at the other man, honey brown eyes holding an intense stare.

‘…Poor guy…’ Kaykrea sympathized, even though the boy in blue didn't even seem to notice Bryan. However, she quickly corrected herself and went back to the meet-and-greet. “Thank you, Bryan. Now then, let's move on to… you.” She brought attention to a man with ashy skin.

The man with the sides of his head shaved and a braid going down the back of his scalp, a chunk of which was bronze. Thick sideburns lead to a scruffy but well-trimmed beard. He awkwardly lifted his hand in a wave. 

“Ah, Xylo. Son of Apollo.” Xylo greeted. His laurel also had a bronze color, sporting, strangely enough, pomegranate leaves. Bronze spartan armor on his torso and lower legs, along with a layer of leather pteruges at his waist along with shoulder pads that had sun designs glazed on. Over his protective layer there was a bright multi-colored sash, going from a dark purplish blue to a bright sunny yellow curving around his body to also become his belt and dangling the leftover fabric in the front. The cloth was pinned down by bronze peronai on his right shoulder and where the cloth hung off at the belt, they were in the shape of the sun with four points, inside being bright yellow glaze. He had single point claw gauntlets in a similar sun shape attached to thick fingerless leather gloves. At his hips, an open hip cape hung to his knees, a bright pattern depicting a sun in a wavy sky adorned the garment. Another odd part of his look were his dark purple eyes, it almost looked like they didn’t belong, or that he didn’t belong.

Kaykrea had scrunched her nose in frustration, heavy lidded eyes glaring aggressively, bowing her head to show off her dark orange horns at the ashen man. Apollo… Apollo… Mother…

“Ah… thanks.” She bluntly stated.

Xylo had an expression of mild offense but decided to leave it be for the time being.

As the rest of the meeting went on, more of the godly children introduced themselves. A second son of Poseidon named Mitch. He too, lacked a shirt and wore a coverup on the upper part of his torso and wore a far more gaudy golden crown. Although, his face was half covered in black scales. He was much darker than Jakey, with a more deep sea/ocean look to match with his black and blue clothing, with small bioluminescent adornments. He also held the trident, at this mention, Jakey made his own snide remark about poor choices in part on their father. 

The man KayKrea had taken note of earlier was named Brandeen, who was a son of Ares. His style leaned towards more human than Olympian it appeared, not that it was any concern to her as plenty of gods and demi-gods had spent at least some time around mortals and their ever-expanding culture. His overall appearance was dark, his disheveled black and white striped shirt and ripped black pants made up part of his look. A dark red pleather biker jacket with the sleeves measly ripped off, which was accented with smaller bits of a brighter red, brought it all together. Around his arms were bandages with blades tied at the ends that pulsed with divine energy; those must be his weapons.

Further back was a Satyr woman named Relena, the adopted child of Artemis. Her hair was a subtle mix of light and dark brown and subtly blended into the fur on her ears and face; which were both rather animal-like. She was dressed in much more casual human clothing, having a halfway split turquoise and light pink short jacket over a plain white crop top, the pink matching her horns. The jacket had its sleeves ripped off, showing her strong arms. Her jeans were intentionally ripped at her knees, keeping it out of the way of her more animalistic legs and hooved feet. An attempt was made to paint her hooves the same pink as her horns. Slung across her hips sat an ornate silver bow with a quiver of arrows.

At the end of the lineup stood a man almost completely clad in black, battle armor being placed over his original clothing. His name was Brick, one of the very few children of Hades. He had a black war helmet with the holes for the face covered by a bright purple energy. His speech was short and abrupt, only giving his name and heritage in a sharply cold manner.

Kaykrea knew there were other campers yet to arrive, but she had to start with the tour before it got too late in the day. So, with a large flap of her orange wings, she instructed the present campers to follow her for the tour of the grounds. With an expert waver of her hand, she dispelled the magic that blocked off the entrance to the camp.

Entering through the enchanted doors of Camp Oasis, guarded by large spear-wielding statues, they followed a small path. The path led to a sort-of roundabout, which had small sections of path that lead away to other parts of the camp. Surrounding the group was a quaint little garden, and at the roundabout’s center was a marble fountain that poured water as blue as the sky. Many flowers covered the area surrounding the outer rim of the path around the fountain. However, Bryan took particular interest in the Rose bushes.

“Oh, I heard about the nature here!” He exclaimed with adoration and fondness, earning him odd stares from the others. “About how it all seems to live or even thrive! These roses are beautiful, what do you do to make them grow like this?” He would have continued to fawn over the red flowers if he weren't interrupted.

“Bet you sure know a lot about this junk, huh?” Mario taunted. It sounded playful, but that didn’t stop Bryan from shooting the other with a sharp glare.

“Sure do…” The white-haired man mumbled. Mario sucked in his lips, like how one would with something sour, he figured that he shouldn’t have spoken up.

“Alright!” Kaykrea interjected, clapping her hands together to catch the two boys' attention. “Let's get a move on up the path!” She ushered, wanting to avoid a first day conflict.

Up the path was the training area. Fully packed with dummies, targets and even a small sparring ring with a little viewing area. A good handful of campers took potshots at the targets, using either their weapons or godly powers, with varying rates of success and accuracy. Further down was a sports area, consisting of both old Olympic sports and modern human sports. Next to the sports fields were the cabins. They were charming, being made in a rustic style and crafted from the same wood as the surrounding towering trees. She said that cabins would be assigned after the tour, during dinner. Most were able to house two or so people and stood overlooking the surprisingly close gulf that led out into the ocean. Nearby, a dock sat with fishing boats stranded on the shoreline. Fishing equipment had been provided on the dock, along with some outdoor cooking equipment in a small shed nearby. Next was the camp hall, for campers to meet and socialize. A bonfire circle sat just beside the mess hall, it had yet to be lit, although it seemed to have been recently stocked with firewood. 

“This is where we will have our rendezvous after you settle in and have dinner this evening.” She explained, letting everyone gather before continuing. “Then The Oracle will come and give us a free prophecy. Afterwards, you will earn the right to meet with them eventually, but that is a discussion for later throughout your stay.”

Then the mess hall. The Hall was very large, it would have no trouble fitting the entirety of the camp once they were all there. A heavenly smell came from the building, a mixture of sweet and savory that caused the campers mouths to water with anticipation. Finally, was the shower and bathroom area, having both separate and unisex washrooms, and a small bath house.

She pointed to a distant building. It was a small temple, with a securely locked door. So secure in fact that there was no lock, only magic.

“That is where The Oracle resides. You are not to bother them unless you are given passage, or they decide to summon you.” She declared with finality. Asserting that the building was fully off-limits otherwise. 

  With that the campers were released and left to their own devices. Some had gone to chat by the cabins and others went to either look around the camp or to use the training area. Kaykrea herself went to the mess hall to finish preparing for that night's feast.

Soon enough, they were brought back to the mess hall, where an entire buffet was set up. Different tables had different types of food. Fruits and vegetables were set to one side of the buffet. Large fruit bowls held exotic fruits not even native to their part of the world, and the veggies had been grown right on camp property and harvested that day. A range of different meats sat in the middle of the arrangement, from the finest steaks to moist and well-seasoned fowl and poultry, to fish from both fresh and saltwater. At the other end were deserts and drinks. Pies, cakes and pastries alongside juices, nectar and ambrosia. It was now bustling; some others had arrived at the camp over time and joined in on the festive atmosphere.

During this time, Kaykrea went around telling campers to take a card from a small deck. The cards were in pairs of colors and a cabin number, and those with matching pairs would bunk together. On occasion, some did not get a cabin mate, not that any of them seemed to mind, like Mitch. However, most did have two people. Xylo and Jakey, Relena and Brick, even Brandeen had a cabin buddy. Although, she had not learned his roommate's name yet. Glancing around, she could see the Demi-gods socializing, looking for anyone who had a matching card or simply enjoying the food. Bryan approached her to receive his card, fittingly, red. Not that she knew if anyone else had a red card, but she had caught a glimpse at his. She internally chuckled at the mild irony.

“Did anyone else get red?” He inquired over the crowd, causing a brief awkward silence as everyone else double checked their cards.

“Over here!” A voice replied, a hand darting up over the crowd to display their card.

Bryan made his way over to his roommate for the summer. Only to come face-to-face with Mario. He could hardly hide his disappointment. Obviously still salty about the comment made earlier that day. Mario held a poorly disguised expression of awkwardness, not knowing how to tackle the subject. Kaykrea was about to confront the two about perhaps changing cabins before the man in black and yellow asked if the shorter boy would be willing to meet with him outside. With a stiff nod, Bryan followed the fellow demi-god out the door. Just to be safe, the serpent woman discreetly accompanied the two.

The full moon hung at the edge of the sky, the final dim glow of the setting sun moments from vanishing. Cool night breezes chilled the earth from the heat of the summer day. The pair stood in silence, not sure how to begin the conversation. The tension was thick enough to be sliced by any blade. Which Mario dared to do.

“Listen, I’m sorry about earlier… I thought it sounded joking enough, but I could tell it flumped entirely.” He kept his warm black eyes on the ground, not really wanting to see the look the other man was possibly giving him.

“Yeah, I get that.” Bryan spoke blankly, staring off in a random direction. “But it still hit a cord… kinda sounded like my mom…” This came out far more dejected.

“Really? Why would Aphrodite, of all gods, judge flower stuff?” The raven-haired man replied in mild shock.

Kaykrea was inclined to agree, very odd for the goddess of love.

Bryan continued, waving his hand in circles to sort his thoughts. “Not so much the flower thing, more so just not really understanding or accepting my interests…” The other supplied, “Me not being like my siblings… or her.”

“Whoof, I feel you there, my dad doesn’t really give me much thought. Given that he has so many other kids.” Mario chuckled at his little jab at his father; he was right after all, Zeus wasn’t known for his… marital devotion.

Kaykrea had to quickly stifle laughter at the thought. She couldn’t risk getting caught.

“Not to mention that a lot of them have become either legendary heroes or have impacted history in some major way.” Mario ended his sentence with a light huff of amusement and an awkward lean “Those kinds of expectations can make someone pretty awkward huh?” he asked rhetorically, obviously trying to railroad to find common ground. 

Quickly, under his breath the black-eyed man added on, “and dad can’t keep his clothes on so-”. The smug smirk that plastered his face made the other demi-god snerk a little, a light red came to his cheeks and ears in embarrassment as his lips scrunched to a futile attempt to hide his amusement.

“Gross-“ the man in red shot back with a humorous sly grin, gently shoving the other. “-but… same… only with my mom.” He amended, “Anyways, no one likes to think of the goddess of love and beauty being a violent god, despite her history. I just can’t help but wonder about it.” This came in a more soft-spoken cadence, walls starting to fully drop.

“Yeah?” Mario tentatively eased. “I’m sure it must make things awkward?” He raised an eyebrow. Although drama in the Aphrodite family was not surprising, nor unheard of, seeing that outward facade be shelved for honesty and openness took Kaykrea aback slightly. Maybe she shouldn’t have eavesdropped on this conversation. It was beginning to become a little too personal and raw.

Bryan began to lean in, speaking both softer and with sincerity, the haughty persona being fully abandoned before responding.  “Mhm.” He started with a small nod. “You see, I’m a huge fan of the legendary wars and heroes of the past. That led to me digging, especially since my mother was one of the main causes for the biggest war in our history…” his eyes seemed to shine excitedly, passion bleeding from his slight movements and the small grin on his face.

“I couldn’t help myself.” Bryan continued, “I just wanted to understand why we had to throw that part of our past away. Just because our family represents the many forms of love doesn’t mean we couldn't enjoy combat or sparring. Heck, I even got a gift recently that-”.

All of a sudden, Bryan trailed off, his eyes becoming listless, losing that excited bright shine. The feeling of discomfort filled the still air, and his muscles tensed.

“What?” Mario cocked his head, “Something else on your mind?” He pushed.

Bryan backed off, glancing to the side in embarrassment. “Sorry, shouldn’t have said anything…” he muttered under his breath, shoulders sinking subconsciously.

The black clothed man quickly waved his hands, trying to brush off the others embarrassment. “No, no! I was just… uh.” He took a pause; he was ruining this again.

“It’s ok. Not many people know about my mother’s past with war. Especially after The Iliad was published.” The shorter man chuckled, starting to backtrack “But I want to know… even if she doesn't really like me digging into it.” Bryan was standing normally now, a lot more bashful and uncomfortable talking about his family.

Mario planted his hand on the other in a comforting gesture, rubbing small circles into his back. In return, Bryan leaned into the touch slightly, the muscles near his shoulders flexing oddly. It was like he wasn't used to touch, or at least it had been a while since he's been comforted. Although, from what Kaykrea had observed, and her prior experience with the Olympian gods. The awkward nature of the white-haired man seemed to suggest the former.

Bryan lifted his head to look at Mario, taking a small calming breath before speaking again. “To be honest, I don’t think I know much anyway. A lot of my own memories are fuzzy…” This earned him an odd look from Mario, and Kaykrea couldn’t help but do the same. It is rather strange that he would have a bad memory. Was this what the smaller was trying to talk about before? Well, whatever the case may be, the black-haired man let it be and merely nodded in acknowledgment.

It seemed the two had spoken their peace. Overall, a little more comfort had been built between the two. Mario stuck out his hand, offering an apology and a truce to their minor conflict, which Bryan accepted with a small smile. Kaykrea huffed a small sigh of relief, glad that a fight hadn’t broken out on the first day, nor that any enemies were made. She made a quick escape back into the mess hall, moments before the other two made their reentry. It was felt in the room, everyone could tell that whatever issue was happening between the two, it had been sorted out. They went off to join the others again, starting to take far more enjoyment in each other's company than before. At least that was resolved.

About two hours had passed at this point, Kaykrea taking the time to clean up as the festivities came to a close. Many campers had joined together into small groups or cliques and every once in a while, there would be thunderous laughter that would trail back into a comfortable buzz and light chatter. She was frankly quite surprised; no fights, mild and quickly resolved conflicts, and not a single misunderstanding! It was almost as if they were in a normal human camp and not a camp full of physical embodiments of natural concepts. Although she knew that it all had to come to an end soon, it was almost time to meet with The Oracle and she needed to pick up the mess hall before then.

“Okay, everyone!” Kaykrea called, waiting for the campers' conversations to end before she announced, “It is almost time to meet The Oracle, I would like all of you to go to your cabins and drop off your things, decide who wants what bed and such. We will meet back at the bond fire, I will move on with the night whether you make it or not, so be there if you wish to listen to The Oracles’ predictions.” With that, she went to clean the tables of the leftover dishes and scraps of food.

The campers had left for their cabins to drop off their things and to get sorted before heading to the large bonfire. When it seemed that all had arrived, Kaykrea used her flaming blade to ignite the kindling, and soon enough, a fire was brought to life. The flame was large and danced with the slight breeze of the night. Cracks and pops from the wood soon followed, allowing the meeting to officially begin. Xylo, with hardly any regard for the current evening event, suddenly pulled out a large bag of marshmallows, announcing a query of whether anyone wanted some. Most around the fire whooped at the human treat, receiving their share from the armored man.

Mitch had grabbed two and offered one to Jakey, who had taken it upon himself to grab his own from the son of Apollo rather than accepting one from his brother, Mitch practically looked scandalized. Mario had done the same with Relena, who happily accepted the offer, and Bryan, who simply denied the sugar pillow after giving it a questioning glance of uncertainty. Brandeen seemed all too eager to receive the food from the violet-eyed man. The two had been talking a lot earlier and appeared to have hit it off in some fashion, although Xylo did give him a standoffish look. Kaykrea was far from amused, seeing how all began to disregard what this meeting was about. She simply rolled her eyes and slithered away when Xylo attempted to offer her the bag's contents. In return, he merely shrugged and received a plush confectionary for himself.

The fire in the center of the gathering began fully burning in a bright blend of reds, oranges and yellows. Accenting the woman's appearance and making her look just as bright as the flames. With a faux clearing of her throat, she called to attention all of the present campers for the night's announcements.

“I’m sure some of you all are anticipating the reason as to why we are out so late.” She began, more so wanting to give a reminder to the campers. She continued “First, I do have a few announcements. Starting off, in a few days we will be having the Trial of Ares, which will be a sort of… death match.” This statement brought a few panicked faces and alarmed exclamations to the campers “However, with less… death involved. Close to death, I should say.” Her amendment melted some tension, but the atmosphere still weighed heavy in the group. “It will allow us to see who is at the top, and where others' experiences lie before we get into the real training.” Uncertainty followed the final word of the first announcement, nervous glances were shared between the others.

“Will we get anything?” Was a quick question from Xylo.

“Excuse me?” Came the indigent reply from the camp counselor.

“If one of us wins the trial. Do we get anything?” He clarified.

“That will be discussed at a later time” Was the firm response from the brunette woman.

“Now then. Secondly, as you all know, there is a special guest for you all tonight. They would like to pay a visit to all of you.” Suddenly the meeting area was filled with gasps of awe and excited mermers at Kaykrea’s reveal, some nodding that they did, in fact, remember the prior mention. “There is a message that they would like to give you all, a prophecy.” Her voice suddenly hardened as she followed up with a demand. “I do ask that as a way to show respect to The Oracle, you must stay completely silent, and to not have… snacks, while they are here…” This prompted Xylo to quickly hide the bag of marshmallows and for everyone else to swiftly finish their part of the treat. “Are we clear?” The serpent finished, allowing for any present questions.

Xylo ended up asking another query, the primary one on everyone’s minds. “What if we have questions about what they say?” Soon pipings of agreements followed and Kaykrea was quick to respond.

“There will be no questions for The Oracle at this time.” she asserted. “Although, perhaps in the future, but not today. Am I clear?” She took a pause so the campers could give their affirmation, albeit tentatively. “Alright. Introducing… The Oracle.” The winged woman slithered back as the flames of the bonfire began to grow unnaturally, responding to the approaching powerful presence. The once gentle breeze started to pick up and blow back locks of hair. Even the moon appeared to shine brighter as a soft flapping of wings could be heard just over the cracking and popping of the fire. A small shadow formed in the glowing space above the flames, and as it came closer to the light, The Oracle was revealed.

They were small, looking no bigger than the length of an arm vertically and horizontally if the wings and tail were fully stretched out. Right, they had a tail, covered in small iridescent scales that transitioned from black to a deep blue to a bright green, speckled throughout were small white spots, it’s unclear if those were the scales shining or just part of the pattern. Underneath was a black belly with long smooth scales that came up to the main ‘head’. The bat-like wings shared similar traits to the tail, with the black, blue, green with white speckles, pattern. Their head could hardly be considered a ‘head’, since it was just a single large eyeball. The unnerving sight was only enhanced by the odd shaped iris and pupil, which had the shapes of diamonds. The iris itself shared the previous color pattern of the tail and wings. The eyelashes themselves didn’t help either, being large and thick. The top half was long and had two protruding chunks on either side that enhanced the bat-like look. The bottom came to multiple sharp points. Large openings where the eyelids met showed the connective corners. It all was so disproportionate and unnatural, yet here they were, right in front of the small crowd.

A voice, as soft and smooth as the nearby ocean waves, whispered through the open air. Despite not having a mouth, The Oracle spoke as though projecting their message straight into the minds of the camp's inhabitants. “Ah, and so arrive the children of the gods…” Like a knife through butter, the voice cut through the silence, demanding the attention of all those present. The single eye glanced with a piercing gaze over the group, barely stopping on anyone specific. But still, The Oracle already was seeing the future of the campers. “How interesting… hmh… very interesting.” The eye began to glow in rings, looking like the flaring of the sun when looked at through a window or from a recording. The fire began to build, and the smoke rose in large plumes as the small bat-serpent form took to hovering over the pit. Finally, they spoke of what they were seeing. “Darkness looms over the future for one of you, and with it will come terror and destruction. Greatness follows another, a coming day where you will become a great hero. But, not without great loss of those who you love and believe to be close friends. And one of you will assist to break open the earth, and free The Titans from Tartarus. The Future is filled with bloodshed.”

With the final declaration from The Oracle, the fire suddenly is extinguished, leaving all to be shrouded in the darkness of night. The Prophecy held very few good omens it seemed. An unnerving silence filled the air as the small eyeball-bat disappeared into the star-filled sky, swiftly blending in and vanishing from the scene. Soon hushed whispers filled the area as uncertainty and fright began to grow. Kaykrea was quick to initiate the ending statements for the night and sent the campers back to their designated cabins to rest. Although, it would best be assumed that not many got much rest, whether if it was discussing the words of the Oracle, concerns on the upcoming trial, finishing unpacking, or ponderings on how the summer may be more interesting than at first predicted.

Kaykrea stood at the shoreline straddling the camp, nearby was The Oracle’s abode, where the small creature was resting. She didn’t want the others to see, but the prophecy frightened her. She knew that the lives of gods and demi-gods could get dangerous, but… bloodshed… terror… The Titans. What would this mean? Was everyone here doomed right as they crossed the threshold? Perhaps even before they arrived? Not only that, but nothing said that The Oracle was safe either. It appears that maybe She has bitten more than she could chew. But she would do anything for the camp, anything for The Oracle.

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Please watch the original Origins of Olympus series, while this story does make major changes; the series made by the Origins MCRP crew is important to understanding the Reimagining, and it's good to support the original material if you can. It's free on YouTube with multiple perspectives. If you see any way that I can improve my writing, or any grammar/spelling mistakes please let me know!

[saresai]

Part of my original art series “Interstellar Olympus”, a reimagining of Greek mythology combined with elements of space.  

[genericpuff]

Is there a real difference between something being a reimagining of Greek myths and something being inspired by it?

I mean, it's a difference that's kind of subjective IMO but the way I personally see it, it comes down to what the story itself is trying to be. Is it trying to be a retelling, or is it trying to be its own story that just happens to take elements from the myths for the fun of it?

A myth retelling will typically be doing just that, retelling a mythical story with its characters with maybe some aesthetic changes, artistic liberties, or tweaks to fit a new generation. Example: Stray Gods, Hades, Hadestown, Lore Olympus, etc. All these stories are retelling myths and tales while putting more modern or subversive twists on them. Hadestown may feature a version of the Underworld that's built on coal mines, but it's still the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hades may feature a version of Hades and Persephone who genuinely fell in love (Persephone was born to Demeter and a mortal man instead of Zeus which also removes the incest, and Persephone genuinely wanted to leave Olympus and saw marrying Hades as her way out), but they still gave Demeter her affiliations with winter and grieving the loss of her daughter.

Something that's simply myth inspired isn't necessarily trying to be accurate to the myths or retell them, they're just yoinking elements out of myths either directly or indirectly for the sake of fun and creativity. A recent example is Attack on Titan which is clearly referencing a lot of Norse mythology by the end with Ymir. Though an even bigger example of this is JRPG's, a lot of them tend to reference Greek and Norse myth in obvious or subtle ways, but aren't necessarily retelling those stories. Persona 3 uses a lot of Greek myth as the foundation for its story. The Ascians in Final Fantasy XIV go by Greek myth aliases such as Hermes and Hades, while there are raids in the game with Greek naming conventions (there's literally a raid boss in the newest set of Asphodelos raids named "Athena"). Tales of Symphonia is WWII meets Norse mythology, featuring subplots that tackle deep topics like discrimination, segregation and genocide (the "human ranches" are literally concentration camps) while also taking artistic inspiration from the Norse myths featuring the Great Kharlan Tree (the tree of life, Yggdrasil) and even the final boss' name is Yggdrasil, in the game's final cutscene Lloyd is given the opportunity to name the new reborn tree and while the audio fades out before you can hear what he names it, when you learn of Norse myth and how it inspired the game you just know he named it Yggdrasil (unfortunately they played it safer with the name "World Tree" in the game's sequel Dawn of the New World, but we don't talk about DotNW lmao). There are also a lot of religious allegories in JRPG's, particularly with Christianity, but that's another topic.

Point is, something that's simply taking inspiration from Greek myth or other mythologies isn't necessarily trying to retell those stories directly or even at all. Sometimes a piece of work is simply referencing them or enjoys the naming conventions or messaging of those original stories that it makes for a good parallel.

Not every story inspired by mythologies are attempting to retell them, but every retelling is inspired by the mythologies upon which they're based.

[riddlerosehearts]

so like i absolutely believe that a female character doesn't have to be some kind of fighter or #girlboss to be strong and for her story to be valuable, but i really do love these disney lorcana cards. honestly, i'm not very clear on what the story/lore behind lorcana is, i mostly just like the art, but i know that there are storyborn, dreamborn, and floodborn cards. storyborn cards are just what they sound like, a card depicting the standard canon version of the character. whereas dreamborn and floodborn cards tend to depict alternate realities and reimaginings of things, some being more drastic than others. there's not just knight cinderella, there's also aladdin as a vigilante hero, hades as the king of olympus, vanellope as the princess of sugar rush (and happy about it as opposed to what happens in the movie)... there's even a card of gaston as an "intellectual powerhouse" lmao. and cards of belle as a sneaky archer, as a skilled engineer, as a powerful mystic, and just as the wonderful bookworm that she is! all 3 of these cinderella cards i posted above are floodborn/dreamborn and there are other storyborn cards depicting the canon story. but the flavor text on the knight-in-training card says "she's always had the heart of a champion--now she'll have the skills, too" and i love that. i think the idea isn't that she isn't already awesome the way she is, just that if being a knight was what cinderella had wanted, if her heart's deepest wish was for her to have a sword so she could fucking fight her way out of her stepfamily's control, or if, idk, the canon story still happened and then later she told her prince that she wanted to learn to fight, she would have the courage and strength to do it. lorcana isn't ignoring or taking away from cinderella's original story, it isn't saying she has to be a knight or that her becoming a knight would've be better anymore than it's saying vanellope should've been happy to be a princess or hades should've taken over olympus. it's just a fun alternate exploration of cinderella via cute art on trading cards, and i like it a lot!

[ae-neon]

Hades and Persephone

Disclaimer: this rant is not about fanfic - fandom is a free space and what the next person does is none of my business.

This is more YA and how certain works may influence and harm young, impressionable readers.

It's also about misogyny in shallow "feminist" retellings

I have work to do so of course I'm going to procrastinate in a very random way: Hating on the modernised, girlboss but actually misogynist version of the myth and turning the camera back to who the story is actually about: the bereaved milf Demeter.

Obviously, as a whole the Greek gods are not meant to be pillars of modern or even ancient moral values. And there's nothing wrong with imagining Hades as more than creepy uncle.

But reimagining this exact myth in a way that demonises the loving and concerned mother Demeter is misogynistic.

Won't get into how reimagining it as Persephone being not just wiling but the mastermind puts the "blame" of kidnapping and sa on the little girl and sounds eerily similar to how predators speak

The Hymn is a song of praise for Demeter, the story is not "told from her perspective" the story is about her.

And I often think it's done by people who are mostly unaware of any real knowledge of the myth outside of pop culture. That's not a dig, not everyone has the time, resources or even the want to read up on it.

But, maybe, if you're gonna write about something - even if you don't plan to stick to the original - a little research would help.

So here's most of the original story

(Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White)

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter

[Hades kidnaps Persephone while she in a field of flowers]

He caught her up reluctant on his golden car and bare her away lamenting. Then she cried out shrilly with her voice, calling upon her father, (...)

[Persephone screams for help so loudly her voice carries over the Earth and reaches even Olympus but her father (Zeus) doesn't help because he agreed to it already]

So [Hades], that son of Cronos, of many names, who is Ruler of Many and Host of Many, was bearing her away by leave of Zeus on his immortal chariot – his own brother’s child and all unwilling.

[In her 'final' moments, Persephone takes in the Earth - her natural domain - and yearns for it, her mother and Olympus]

And so long as [Persephone], the goddess, yet beheld earth and starry heaven and the strong flowing sea where fishes shoal, and the rays of the sun, and still hoped to see her dear mother and the tribes of the eternal gods, so long hope calmed her great heart for all her trouble...

[Demeter hears Persephone screaming, rushes to her and looks for her - completely distraught and wrecked by grief]

Bitter pain seized her heart, and she rent the covering upon her divine hair with her dear hands: her dark cloak she cast down from both her shoulders and sped, like a wild-bird, over the firm land and yielding sea, seeking her child.

But no one would tell her the truth, neither god nor mortal man; and of the birds of omen none came with true news for her. Then for nine days queenly Deo wandered over the earth with flaming torches in her hands, so grieved that she never tasted ambrosia and the sweet draught of nectar, nor sprinkled her body with water

[On the 10th day Hecate takes Demeter to Helios, who witnessed the kidnapping, and Demeter pleads to him:]

"(...) Through the fruitless air I heard the thrilling cry of my daughter whom I bare, sweet scion of my body and lovely in form, as of one seized violently; though with my eyes I saw nothing. But you – for with your beams you look down from the bright upper air over all the earth and sea – tell me truly of my dear child, if you have seen her anywhere, what god or mortal man has violently seized her against her will and mine, and so made off .”

[Helios ultimately tries to comfort her saying Hades isn't a bad match in status but before that says:]

And the Son of Hyperion answered her: “Queen Demeter, daughter of rich-haired Rhea, I will tell you the truth; for I greatly reverence and pity you in your grief for your trim-ankled daughter. None other of the deathless gods is to blame, but only cloud-gathering Zeus who gave her to Hades, her father’s brother, to be called his buxom wife. And Hades seized her and took her loudly crying in his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom.

[Demeter is further saddened and enraged by the added betrayal]

But grief yet more terrible and savage came into the heart of Demeter, and thereafter she was so angered with the dark-clouded Son of Cronos that she avoided the gathering of the gods and high Olympos.

[Demeter disguises herself as a mortal and takes on the form of a weathered, 'elderly' (more likely middle aged) woman. She then goes to the city of Eleusis.]

Vexed in her dear heart, she sat near the wayside by the Maiden Well, from which the women of the place were used to draw water, in a shady place over which grew an olive shrub. And she was like an ancient woman who is cut off from childbearing and the gifts of garland loving Aphrodite, like the nurses of kings’ children who deal justice, or like the housekeepers in their echoing halls.

She meets 4 daughters of King Celeus (Callithoe, Demo, Callidice and Cleisidice) who are probably around the same age as Persephone and described as "like goddesses in the flower of their girlhood".

The girls don't know her - not just as the goddess but as a person - but nonetheless they worry about her and tell her to come into the town to be with other women, older and younger, who would "welcome [her] by both by word and by deed."

Demeter tells them her name is Doso, from Crete, and that she was captured by pirates and brought over but managed to escape. She asks the girls if there's any work in the household for a woman her age - including housekeeping, teaching younger women or nursing and rearing a newborn child.

[Callidice tells 'Doso' about good households that might be in need of help but says that in their own house, their 'elderly' mother - Metaneira - has just had a son]

She has an only son, late-born, who is being nursed in our well-built house, a child of many prayers and welcome: if you could bring him up until he reached the full measure of youth, any one of womankind who should see you would straightway envy you, such gifts would our mother give for his upbringing.”

[Demeter arrives at the house and Metaneira, who feels her prescence right away, gives up her chair despite being a nursing mother with her baby in her hands and the wife of the king.]

But the goddess walked to the threshold: and her head reached the roof and she filled the doorway with a heavenly radiance. Then awe and reverence and pale fear took hold of Metaneira, and she rose up from her couch before Demeter, and bade her be seated.

But Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of perfect gifts, would not sit upon the bright couch, but stayed silent with lovely eyes cast down until careful Iambe placed a jointed seat for her and threw over it a silvery fleece. Then she sat down and held her veil in her hands before her face.

A long time she sat upon the stool without speaking because of her sorrow, and greeted no one by word or by sign, but rested, never smiling, and tasting neither food nor drink, because she pined with longing for her deep-bosomed daughter, until careful Iambe – who pleased her moods in aftertime also – moved the holy lady with many a quip and jest to smile and laugh and cheer her heart.

*[Iambe is the slave of king Celeus but also daughter of the god, Pan and the nymph, Echo. She is the only one who made Demeter feel better.]

[Demeter accepts the offer to nurse and raise the Queen's son, Demophoon, and promises to protect him. However, still unaware that Doso is the goddess, Demeter, Metaneira is distraught when she finds out how Doso holds the baby (above or in) fire every night]

And the child grew like some immortal being, not fed with food nor nourished at the breast: for by day rich-crowned Demeter would anoint him with ambrosia as if he were the offspring of a god and breathe sweetly upon him as she held him in her bosom.

But at night she would hide him like a brand in the heart of the fi re, unknown to his dear parents. And it wrought great wonder in these that he grew beyond his age; for he was like the gods face to face.

And she would have made him deathless and unageing, had not well-girded Metaneira in her heedlessness kept watch by night from her sweet-smelling chamber and spied.

But she wailed and smote her two hips, because she feared for her son and was greatly distraught in her heart; so she lamented and uttered winged words: “Demophoon, my son, the strange woman buries you deep in fire and works grief and bitter sorrow for me.”

[Demeter literally drops/throws the baby (he's fine) and yells at Metaneira, the forces the town to become the site of the annual Eleusinian Mysteries which were performed in worship of Demeter and Persephone]

“Witless are you mortals and dull to foresee your lot, whether of good or evil, that comes upon you. For now in your heedlessness you have wrought folly past healing; for – be witness the oath of the gods, the relentless water of Styx – I would have made your dear son deathless and unaging all his days and would have bestowed on him everlasting honor, but now he can in no way escape death and the fates.

Yet shall unfailing honor always rest upon him, because he lay upon my knees and slept in my arms.

But, as the years move round and when he is in his prime, the sons of the Eleusinians shall ever wage war and dread strife with one another continually. Lo! I am that Demeter who has share of honor and is the greatest help and cause of joy to the undying gods and mortal men.

But now, let all the people build me a great temple and an altar below it and beneath the city and its sheer wall upon a rising hillock above Callichorus. And I myself will teach my rites, that hereafter you may reverently perform them and so win the favour of my heart.”

[Demeter throws off her disguise and leaves]

When she had so said, the goddess changed her stature and her looks, thrusting old age away from her: beauty spread round about her and a lovely fragrance was wafted from her sweet-smelling robes, and from the divine body of the goddess a light shone afar, while golden tresses spread down over her shoulders, so that the strong house was filled with brightness as with lightning. And so she went out from the palace.

Demeter is a MILF, a hottie, stop portraying her otherwise

[The temple is built but it doesn't cure Demeter of her sorrow and her depression causes a year without crops of harvest]

But golden-haired Demeter sat there apart from all the blessed gods and stayed, wasting with yearning for her deep-bosomed daughter.

(...)

So she would have destroyed the whole race of man with cruel famine and have robbed them who dwell on Olympos of their glorious right of gifts and sacrifices, had not Zeus perceived and marked this in his heart.

First he sent golden-winged Iris to call rich-haired Demeter, lovely in form. So he commanded. And she obeyed the dark-clouded Son of Cronos, and sped with swift feet across the space between.

She came to the stronghold of fragrant Eleusis, and there finding dark-cloaked Demeter in her temple, spake to her and uttered winged words: “Demeter, father Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, calls you to come join the tribes of the eternal gods: come therefore, and let not the message I bring from Zeus pass unobeyed.” Thus said Iris imploring her.

But Demeter’s heart was not moved.

Then again the father sent forth all the blessed and eternal gods besides: and they came, one after the other, and kept calling her and offering many very beautiful gifts and whatever rights she might be pleased to choose among the deathless gods.

Yet no one was able to persuade her mind and will, so wroth was she in her heart; but she stubbornly rejected all their words: for she vowed that she would never set foot on fragrant Olympos nor let fruit spring out of the ground, until she beheld with her eyes her own fair-faced daughter.

[Zeus sends Hermes to persuade Hades to let Persephone out to see her mother so Demeter will calm down, Hades basically has no choice and agrees but...]

And [Hermes] found the lord Hades in his house seated upon a couch, and his shy mate with him, much reluctant, because she yearned for her mother. But she was afar off, brooding on her fell design because of the deeds of the blessed gods.

And Aidoneus, ruler over the dead, smiled grimly and obeyed the behest of Zeus the king. For he straightway urged wise Persephone, saying: “Go now, Persephone, to your dark-robed mother, go, and feel kindly in your heart towards me: be not so exceedingly cast down; for I shall be no unfitting husband for you among the deathless gods, that am own brother to father Zeus. And while you are here, you shall rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore.”

When he said this, wise Persephone was filled with joy and hastily sprang up for gladness. But he on his part secretly gave her sweet pomegranate seed to eat, taking care for himself that she might not remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter.

[Hermes and Persephone go to Demeter]

And when Demeter saw them, she rushed forth as does a Maenad down some thick-wooded mountain, while Persephone on the other side, when she saw her mother’s sweet eyes, left the chariot and horses, and leaped down to run to her, and falling upon her neck, embraced her.

But while Demeter was still holding her dear child in her arms, her heart suddenly misgave her for some snare, so that she feared greatly and ceased fondling her daughter and asked of her at once: “My child, tell me, surely you have not tasted any food while you were below? Speak out and hide nothing, but let us both know.

For if you have not, you shall come back from loathly Hades and live with me and your father, the dark-clouded Son of Cronos and be honored by all the deathless gods; but if you have tasted food, you must go back again beneath the secret places of the earth, there to dwell a third part of the seasons every year: yet for the two parts you shall be with me and the other deathless gods.

But when the earth shall bloom with the fragrant flowers of spring in every kind, then from the realm of darkness and gloom thou shalt come up once more to be a wonder for gods and mortal men. And now tell me how he rapt you away to the realm of darkness and gloom, and by what trick did the strong Host of Many beguile you?”

Persephone then tells her mother "(...) he secretly put in my mouth sweet food, a pomegranate seed, and forced me to taste against my will." and recounts her kidnapping "(...) in his golden chariot he bore me away, all unwilling, beneath the earth: then I cried with a shrill cry. All this is true, sore though it grieves me to tell the tale.”

Still they're happy to be reunited

So did they then, with hearts at one, greatly cheer each the other’s soul and spirit with many an embrace: their hearts had relief from their griefs while each took and gave back joyousness.

[Zeus calls on Demeter and promises her, Persephone will stay with her for 2/3rds of the year and in Hades 1/3rd. Rhea, their mother also comforts Demeter and urges her to accept the peace offering and she does. She then goes to teach certain Kings and cities the Mysteries.]

The End.

anyways >>>>>>> over the same old child bride mary sue Persephone falling in love with old emo Hades who empowers her.

Like all myths there are other versions, I'm sure, but the version of Persephone said to be a frightening Queen of the Underworld actually predate Hades so how about adapting and writing that instead of some creep edge lord and his child bride flower crown princess

[a-rose-for-gold]

So I had this really fun idea recently for a Lore Olympus AU.

I thought it would be really fun to reimagine Once Upon a Time characters as Gods from the acclaimed Lore Olympus webcomic by Rachel Smythe. (Not Greek Mythology - not matching characters with specific Gods. I mean Rachel’s interpretation and art style specifically) I absolutely LOVE that series’ art style and the way Rachel uses color to tell the story.

So obviously I had to start with my favorite character!!!

Rumplestiltskin

God of

Textiles

Fatherhood

Dark Magic

Wealth

and Deals

(He’s an old God - he’s been around and is the deity of a lot of things.)

I have also drawn Belle but am yet to color her. I’m thinking she’s going to be the goddess of learning, stories, books, and redemption, and she’s going to be all shades/tints of light blue.

What other characters/gods & goddesses would you like to see?

Also some notes about my design/thought process and some other ideas about Rumple in this AU if anyone’s interested:

I put a lot of thought into Rumple’s design and what colors I should use for him. I wanted to incorporate gold into it obviously but I thought that all gold would be more appropriate for King Midas and Catherine. (And I wanted to try for something more original since Hera in LO is all gold) That, and I didn’t think all gold would fit all of his vibes. So eventually what I decided on was this:

Rumple’s main color was inspired by amber for a couple of reasons.

I thought oranges and browns would suit him well at all stages/phases of his life, from the spinner then the dark one to Mr. Gold then Detective Weaver.

Because amber fits well with the design concepts I have in mind for Fiona, Malcom/Peter Pan, and Baelfire.

Because his coloring is inspired by amber, which is a translucent stone, he can look different depending on the lighting he’s in or his mood, which suits him really well as an ever-shifting, complicated, and at times unpredictable character.

His hands however, have been corrupted by him overdoing it with his powers, so they’re black up to the elbow. Save his fingers, which turn gold when he’s spinning.

I also had the idea that his ankle was injured in the war against the titans, leaving him with scars that hurt and bleed ichor from time to time.

Also his like “god form” when he’s angry or otherwise using a LOT of power at once is either all gold or black with gold speckles/stars. I haven’t decided yet.

And I put him in the blue outfit for the sake of this drawing because I thought it would contrast nicely with his skin.

And the sparkles around the gold straw may be a little overboard and were a last minute decision but they were ✨fun.✨ ☺️

I had a lot of fun with this and probably won’t be able to resist drawing the God of Wealth again.

[rainsoakedpavement]

I was forced by my friend to promote her fanfiction so…

Read her story!

(It’s actually really good if it wasn’t I wouldn’t promote it.)

[litapeanut]

The retelling of Medusa's story isn't getting better

A review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians season one

I've not read the source material, but from what I watched, the series is a generic mainstream fantasy show, with Percy being the blandest protagonist ever, despite everyone else around him stating he is special, he literally does and says nothing that resonates this specialness.

Particularly, the thing I found irksome is the third episode where Percy goes on to kill Medusa. Sure, the show made a point that she is no mere monster and included her origin story, but, she is still seen as a quest to be accomplished, and she gets beheaded anyway ( just censoring that with the invisible cap doesn't make it less brutal, I also saw people applauding the invisible cap treatment, as if women being brutalised is okay as long as they are brutalised in a more humane way😂), and furthermore, her head is shipped to Olympus like a common parcel. None of the micro progressive changes matter, because she still ends up the way she is in the original story. I'm not against female characters dying, but female characters dying in a tropey and pointless way.

Let's look at the original Greek mythology, it is a story so well-known that non-classics-professionals are familiar with. The essence of the story boils down to: 1) Medusa is a victim of feudal misogyny and victim blaming; 2) she is being objectified as a quest to conquer and a weapon to use even after her death. The original story is ugly. If you want to keep the story as it is, you have to keep the ugliness too, no wishy-washy sanitisation is going to make it "better". One good way to handle this is to acknowledge the ugliness and offer modern critique, especially in a fantasy show set in contemporary times. The series' way of handling is dodgy, since it is literally a retelling that preserves the core element of the original story invented thousands of years ago, without any updated criticism. (Well, if I want the original version of the story, I'd read a non-fiction book about this matter, not watch a modern fantasy story.)

Perhaps my disappointment came from my expectation that I hoped Medusa could somehow become an ally without having to die, since it's the 2020's now, we probably moved on from the binary hero-vs-monster trope. I still remember that episode from the 90's Hercules cartoon series I watched as a kid (also produced by Disney) in which Hercules came to understand that not all monsters are malefic, and he makes friends with Medusa in the end; more importantly, Medusa lives. This is yet another good way to reimagine the old myth by taking a wild leap. It's sort of sad that a silly cartoon show made more than twenty years ago has a more nuanced understanding than our current production.

How we view non-human beings in the fantasy world, more or less, reflects our attitude on other people who are different from ourselves in real life.

[lifebeginsat8bit]

“God of War” (2018) not only reimagines the core gameplay of the series but also Kratos as a character. The vengeful, deity-dispatching Kratos of the four mainline games in the series (and two very good PlayStation Portable adventures) is softened by the time we meet him in his 2018 incarnation. Though he remains haunted by the demons of his past and the atrocities he committed, he is trying (and often failing) to be a father to young Atreus.

Gone are the fixed camera angles and Kratos’ signature, long-reaching chain blade weapons from the original games. In their place is a singular, camera angle behind Kratos’ shoulder that displays the entire game with nary a cut and the much more intimate Leviathan axe. The axe may be recalled like Thor’s hammer and allows Kratos to go on a punching spree when he throws it away. 

Streaming tonight at 7:30 Central: The gods of Olympus could not defeat him. The Sisters of Fate could not control him. But is Kratos ready for fatherhood? We’ll find out as Life Begins at 8-Bit continues with the games of 2018. Twitch.tv/lifebeginsat8bit

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Witness what the gods do after dark in the fourth volume of a stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology, featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe. “I don’t always get to do as I please.” The rumor mill of Olympus is constantly churning, but Persephone and Hades are all anyone can talk about. With the constant gossip creating intense pressure on the pair, they decide to slow down their budding romance and focus on sorting out their own issues first. But that’s easier said than done. Hades struggles to find support in his personal life, with Zeus trivializing his feelings and Minthe resorting to abusive patterns in their relationship. And while Hades tries to create healthier boundaries where he can—like finally putting a stop to his sporadic, revenge-fueled hookups with Hera—he still feels lonely and adrift. Persephone feels equally ostracized as her classmates shun her for her connection to Hades, and she can find no refuge at home, with Apollo constantly dropping by unannounced and pushing his unwelcome advances. And on top of it all, the wrathful god of war, Ares, has returned to Olympus to dredge up his sordid history with the goddess of spring, threatening to surface Persephone’s dark and mysterious past and ruin her tenuous position in the land of the gods. Despite agreeing to take it slow, Persephone and Hades find themselves inextricably drawn toward each other once more amid the chaos. The pull of fate cannot be denied. This edition of Rachel Smythe’s original Eisner-winning webcomic Lore Olympus features exclusive behind-the-scenes content and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel. This volume collects episodes 76–102 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

Review:

The fourth volume in the series, picking up where the last book left off with Persephone and Hades working out their feelings for one another while Hades struggles to deal with his feelings about Minthe and their abusive patterns in their relationship as well as Hades dealing with trying to put a stop to his sporadic, revenge-fueled hookups with Hera. Persephone is feeling left out by her classmates for her connection to Hades as well as the fact that she can barely be in her home because Apollo is constantly stopping by unannounced and pushing his unwelcome advances onto her.  To also throw in the mix is the god of war Ares, who has finally returned to Olympus and he has his own history with Persephone...... Can Persephone and Hades work out their feelings amongst all this chaos? I love Lore Olympus so much and I appreciate getting to see these characters grow!

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: More Fantasy Graphic Novels

Bright World by Stan Stanley

The Hazards of Love follows the story of a queer teen from Queens who makes some mistakes, gets dragged into a fantastical place, and tries to hustle their way back home.

Amparo's deal with the talking cat was simple: a drop of blood and Amparo's name to become a better person. Their mother and abuela would never worry about them again, and they'd finally be worthy of dating straight-A student Iolanthe. But when the cat steals their body, becoming the better person they were promised, Amparo's spirit is imprisoned in a land of terrifying, flesh-hungry creatures known as Bright World.

With cruel and manipulative masters and a society that feeds on memories, Amparo must use their cleverness to escape, without turning into a monster like the rest. On "the other side," Iolanthe begins to suspect the new Amparo has a secret, and after the cat in disguise vanishes, she's left searching for answers with a no-nonsense medium from the lesbian mafia and the only person who might know the truth about Bright World.

This is the first volume in “The Hazards of Love” series. 

Long Lost by Matthew Erman

Long Lost is the story of two estranged sisters who find themselves drawn back to their small southern hometown after an invitation from an otherworldly creature. The pair is compelled to unlock the disturbing mysteries that are hidden in Hazel Patch in the hopes of uncovering the bizarre circumstances surrounding their mother… but they must deal with each other first.

This is the first volume of the “Long Lost” series. 

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love - witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This is the first volume of the “Lore Olympus” series.

Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy

Welcome to the Adventure Zone!

SEE! The illustrated exploits of three lovable dummies set loose in a classic fantasy adventure!

READ! Their journey from small-time bodyguards to world-class artifact hunters!

MARVEL! At the sheer metafictional chutzpah of a graphic novel based on a story created in a podcast where three dudes and their dad play a tabletop role playing game in real time!

Join Taako the elf wizard, Merle the dwarf cleric, and Magnus the human warrior for an adventure they are poorly equipped to handle AT BEST, guided ("guided") by their snarky DM, in a graphic novel that, like the smash-hit podcast it's based on, will tickle your funny bone, tug your heartstrings, and probably pants you if you give it half a chance.

This is the first volume in "The Adventure Zone Graphic Novels” series. 

[insirisarts]

Origins of Olympus - Reimagined

Chapter 2: (Not) So Nice to Meet You!

(art to be added later)

The camp tour had come to an end not too long ago. Xylo had taken his horse, Shadow, and began to wander around the camp. With each step his thoughts began to wander, he was lucky to find the steed after they were separated during a minotaur encounter on his way to the camp. Godly powers tended to leave a distinct signature that certain companions and creatures could follow. It had made tracking down the horse easier, along with the loud anxious squeals of the animal. It took a lot of snacks and a good petting session to calm Shadow down.

The image of the minotaur combusting into flames was still fresh in Xylo’s mind. He could clearly remember the roaring shrieks of the monster. He wasn’t even sure if it was dead or not. He didn’t see it die. Something had been wrong with it as well. Minotaurs' were already territorial, but this one had behaved almost rabid…

He considered himself to be very lucky, a little bit of bruises and mud was worth getting out of that encounter alive. At the sound of a content snort from the horse, he was brought back from his thoughts.

Xylo figured that it would be best to get to know the other demi-gods. While he wasn’t the best at making small talk, he figured it would be in his best interests to at least be able to know the others' names and tie them to their faces. Well, he would have if everyone else hadn’t gone off to do their own things. Some had gone to the beach, but Most of them had meandered back to the cabins or to the beach area. He couldn’t see what the people by the cabins were doing due to the trees, but he could only assume they were just exploring and getting an idea of the cabin interiors. 

He remembered the rustic look of the small buildings. Rectangular in shape, with flat and stout, A-frame roofs. Each one had a section of balcony that curved around part of the structure, simply decorated with a small wooden table and two chairs. There were openings in the balconies that had small sections of stairs that lead straight to the door. The cabins all had windows, however, they also seemed to have blinds, so Xylo hadn’t been able to look inside. The most he could do was assume the insides were simple but cozy.

Catching himself spacing out again, Xylo shook his head and refocused his efforts on looking around. Most of the area was trees, very tall trees. He didn’t recognize the types, whether the reason was magic or exotic, he didn’t really care. There was also plenty of shrubbery and smaller plants, similarly magic or exotic, but he could see some that he knew. Finally, he finished his one-eighty spin.

He could now see the beach area, and he even managed to spot Jakey and Mitch. They, and the small group with them, were checking out the dock. It had an old, aged look to it, dark water-stained hardwood coated in algae, lichen and muscles. Despite the obvious age, it looked to still hold up quite well. Some were also looking at the various beach related games present. The lighter blue man even took a moment to submerge himself in the water, closely followed by his brother. While tempted to join them, Xylo wasn’t interested in getting sand in his shoes again. He had gotten enough from the desert. Sighing quietly, he continued further into the camp.

As he glanced around, he spotted Bryan near the path that led to the training grounds and bathhouses. Stepping closer, he could hear the shorter man speaking to… no one? Well, there is a small flock of sheep that held his attention. Was Bryan talking to the sheep? Xylo squinted his eyes, looking at the shorter man, focusing on his mouth. Yep, he was talking to the sheep.

Xylo decided it was best to leave him be. After all, everyone knows better than to get caught up in crazy. As he turned to walk away, he found he could pick out bits and pieces of the one-sided conversation; something about ‘Protecting them from the more violent sorts.’ or ‘Thank you’s for ‘Sharing that info with me, little guy!’, followed by loving head pats. Xylo just shook his head and moved to leave. Shadow, however, began to cock his head to the side with perked ears as the distant man talked absently. Still, Xylo felt it was best to leave Bryan to himself.

He briefly thought about Mario and his satyr friend, ‘What was her name again?’, but he recalled that they went off to look at the perimeter of the camp. Xylo himself had already taken a glance around the surrounding wall before the tour, so he didn’t think it was worth it to bother looking for them. He figured that there would be other times for him to catch up with either of them. 

Kaykrae, or ‘Kay’ as he had taken to calling her, had promptly vanished into the mess hall after the tours’ conclusion. Although, he didn’t mind as much since she seemed to not really like him that much. That left the son of Apollo with very few options in which to spend his time. Xylo crossed off another mental box. He tried to look deeper into his mind for who he wanted to see or where he wanted to go, not finding much coming to him.

Walking Shadow had done its work in killing some time, but one could only walk by themself for so long before it became boring and rather sad. Xylo sighed as he scratched his beard with his thumb and index, lightly rubbing over the scruffy parts on the sides of chin. There really wasn’t much for him to do was there? No one was around for him to talk to at the moment, walking was not cutting it anymore, he had already seen most of the camp.  What was there to do?

His eyes were drawn to the distant bright colors of the sparring arena near the training grounds. ‘Well, I don’t want to get rusty I suppose’ he distantly thought. Slowly making his way down the path.

Xylo came to a stop in front of the target section of the training area, he had gone ahead and loosely tied Shadow to a nearby post, allowing the steed room to idly graze on some grass. Meanwhile, he attempted trick shots with his bow and tore into the dummies with his clawed gauntlets. His arrows managed to hit the targets, albeit barely most of the time. Despite his heritage, he was never a good shot. Swapping again, he tore through the dummies with ease, even without the use of the single claws on his fists, his hands made quick work of the thickly stuffed hardened leather.

“Hey.” At the same time a new voice spoke up behind him. As he turned around -and very much not jumping and gasping in surprise, thank you-, he locked eyes with Mitch, the darker son of Poseidon he had seen earlier. Xylo hadn’t gotten a good look at him before, so now he took the chance to take in the other parts of his appearance. The dark-blue man stood to be at a similar height to him, only just slightly shorter, although his gold crown did add on a few inches. He matched Jakey to a point. He had dark blue hair, rather than just dyed tips, a shawl, and heterochromia; his right eye being a mix of a dark purple sclera, magenta iris and white pupil, and a far more normal-looking dark blue on his left. A piercing on his nose bridge helped fill in the space between his eyes. His mouth was covered by a mask on the shawl he wore. There also appeared to be a pair of shark-like fins on the man’s back mixed in with tiny scales covering spots of his torso and face in patches. He looked to be far more fitting for the deep sea and not the land.

“Hello?” Xylo replied, a questioning turn to his voice. “Are you here to also use the dummies n’ stuff? If so…uh-” as he turned to gesture to the training grounds, he finally noticed the carnage he left; hay, sand and stuffing littered the area, and it looked like a bull had run a rampage through it. Lifting his hand to scratch the back of his neck he continued “-Well, I was going to offer to let you take part of the place, but I don’t think I noticed just how much damage I did…” he ended his comment by lowering his shoulders. Frankly, he felt pretty bad.

“No, no, it’s fine. I didn’t plan on using any of this stuff yet.” Mitch replied, waving his hand dismissively. “Just thought you could use a buddy to chat with.” he ended with a laugh.

“Ah… y’know what? Yah, I could go for a chat. I probably need to take a break anyway.” Xylo agreed, nodding his head in the direction of the nearby bleachers sitting in front of the sparring arena.

As they settled down, Xylo took a moment to stretch, a loud crack coming from his back, followed by a big sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized just how stiff he’d gotten. Thinking of it, he hadn’t gotten time to relax at all since his encounter with the minotaur. As he sat down, he could feel his legs burn slightly from finally getting the chance to rest after hours of overuse. He groaned involuntarily, as his body fell semi-limp.

Mitch chuckled at his dramatics. Rolling his shoulders to relieve tension as he shifted on the stiff wooden structure, making the old sun-bleached wood creak. He looked over to Xylo with a lift to his eyes, giving away a hidden grin despite his face covering.

“Funny man you are, bein’ all dramatic! What? Went on a ten-mile hike before coming here or something?” The masked man jabbed, a mild sarcasm to his voice.

“Definitely an ‘or something’” Xylo returned exhaustedly; he felt himself relax further into the bleachers. ‘Man, who would have thought that old hardwood could be so comfy.’ He thought briefly.

Mitch continued to eye him. Gaze flitting between him and to the side, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. His hands, which sat planted on the junction between his knees and thighs, flapped with soft patting sounds following each repetition of the action. The guy was very obviously nervous. A soft whistle of air left him before he spoke.

“So, I didn’t want to say this in front of the others; but -uh, you are a son of Apollo, right?” Mitch questioned, not necessarily sounding aggressive or accusatory; but, all the same, Xylo heaved a loud, annoyed sigh. This caused the blue-haired man to lean back and look away awkwardly. He laughed dismissively before speaking again. “I-I don’t mean anything by it! Just wondering because -uh, not to be rude; but you don’t look like you go outside, like, ever.” He finished off, exaggerating a shrug.

Xylo shot him an annoyed look, having gotten this question plenty of times. It was always over one thing or another about him. His ashy skin, his violet eyes, his incompetence in archery, and even his preference for the later parts of the day. It always came back to questions about his heritage. Frankly, he just believed that his other parent was merely not as aligned with the sun and daytime as his father, though he’s never really felt the inclination to tell anyone that information. He also never really believed it to be anyone else's business, he didn’t need to explain himself to anyone. Often, he refused to acknowledge questions like that usually.

Truthfully, he has never felt like an Apollo kid. He had never managed to bond with his siblings, nor did he have any of the primary Apollo traits, no gift of prophecy, he hardly understood medicine, and he often found himself drifting towards staying up during the evening and night, and he felt far more drawn to the miasma of plague over cursing mortals with it. He never could understand the ways of his father. But, no matter what, those issues were his own. He did not wish to share them.

He could tell that Mitch was getting uncomfortable with his staring. Good. His family life was honestly no one’s business. However, the awkwardness was getting to him as well. Maybe just something small to explain his discomfort with the topic. Get the other to drop it.

He simply stated, “I am, and there is nothing else to it.” It was sharp and cold, hopefully getting his message across. From the looks of it, it did. Mitch simply nodded and muttered a short apology.

Xylo took a moment to calm himself. Breathing slowly and leaning back so that he was effectively laying down on the next level of bleachers behind him. Lifting his hand, he used it to lightly rub away the sweat on his face before letting it brush up over his scared eye, through his hair, and behind his head to act as a pillow. His eyes were shut now, letting himself take in the rays of the sun for a moment. Finally, he cracked open his eyes slightly to look at the other man, who had decided to lean himself against the railing of the bleachers.

“Listen, I get it, but it’s really none of your business, man.” Xylo addressed Mitch in a resigned manner.

“I understand; my bad.” Mitch ended off his statement with a humorless chuckle before huffing out an anxious breath.

A stifled swear gave both men pause as they looked to the noise's origin. Kay was on the path leading to the mess hall, on the ground were assorted fruits and vegetables, likely dropped by the older women. Swiftly, Xylo and Mitch made their way to the echidna’s side, leaning down to help retrieve the fallen produce. She quietly readjusted herself as she took back what she lost. With everything now more secured in her arms, she stiffly nodded with a huff then continued on her way.

“You think she’s got a problem with us, or is she just… like that? Maybe just a bad day?” Mitch commented once Kay was out of earshot. Looking to his companion and nudging his head in the direction the serpent women went.

“I’m not sure.” Xylo shrugged, “I think it's first-day jitters or something. She’s not used to all of this excitement.” He vaguely gestured to the outdoors in front of them.

“Sounds about right…” The blue man agreed. Stretching his arms out above his head, he followed up with a strained groan to his voice, “Whelp-, wanna follow up on that offer earlier? We could see who has the worse aim.” He joked, summoning his trident and lifting into view. 

“Sure, I could do to kill some more time anyways.” The armored man agreed as they made their way back to the targets.

Hours had passed and it was coming to the hottest point of the day. Xylo took the time to look for any nearby stables but found there to be none. He could always ask later he supposed. For the time being, he left Shadow tethered in a well shaded spot, and with Mitches water abilities, managed to fill a nearby barrel with cool fresh water. The horse puffed contently, satisfying Xylo with his work. With one last firm pat to the steed's shoulder, he left to continue his little competition with the other man.

The two had seen new campers arrive over time and betted over who they thought they were the kids of. But otherwise, none had come to talk to the pair.

The day continued on as they found ways to try and one-up one another with their ways of eviscerating dummies and tearing targets to shreds. Xylo had been taking his time with a particular dummy, tossing it around and attempting to strike it in midair. However, as he was going in for the finishing blow, a blade tied to long, wide, white fabric struck straight through the leather and pulled it away. It was pulled to the ground and tugged until it stopped under a scuffed red tennis shoe. The shoe lifted then suddenly stomped down on the head of the dummy with a muted crack, causing sand to fly in all directions.

Finally lifting their eyes, both men saw one of the campers from the tour. If Xylo remembered correctly, his name was Brandeen. His face was contorted into a sly smirk, showing off his sharp canines. A black laurel came up to form the shape of foreboding horns on his head. His long white and red hair had been tied back into a messy ponytail, likely in anticipation of using the training grounds. He let out a boisterous laugh as he stepped over the fallen dummy and approached the other two demi-gods with long, confident strides. The tethered blade was spun in large, lazy circles at his side. He truly fit the criteria of a child of Ares.

“Well-” He began “-Xylo and Mitch, yes?” He stated in a far-too-proud tone, aiming his sharp red eyes at the respective person he was addressing. “The sons of Apollo and Poseidon. Have to say, it’s an honor.” He continued, in an almost taunting manner. One hand sat planted on his hip, his chest puffed out, attempting to show his muscles through his shirt and the thick material of his pleather jacket. A large platinum chain necklace clinking around his neck as he moved.

Having been taken aback by the sudden arrival of a third person, Xylo sputtered, struggling to find the words to counter the red man's abrasive attitude. Although, the moment had been taken from him once again as Brandeen came to meet him in a far too close face-to-face. Despite his confident demeanor, the man had to adjust his gaze to meet Xylo’s eyes. Although, that didn’t stop him from attempting to step down onto the taller man's exposed toes. Xylo had just barely managed to pull his foot out of the way of the oncoming shoe.

He scoffed at the boy in front of him, agitated at the overconfidence and aggressive attempts to provoke him. He steadied his breath and did his best to hide the frustration he was feeling.

Brandeen responded in kind, an airy chuckle slipping past his clenched teeth. Breaking the eye contact he held with Xylo, his head lazily drifted over the mess of a training area the sons of Apollo and Poseidon had left. Like Xylo had left it earlier, only if a small tornado had run through it afterwards to rub salt into the dummies' unfelt wounds. The abrasive man whistled at the mess and shook his head as that smarmy smirk returned to his face.

“Damn, you two did some damage here, didn’t ya?” He mused rhetorically. “Now imagine if it was a battlefield!” He gleamed, eyes shining at the prospect of bloodied battle.

Xylo glanced at Mitch, seeing that his companion held a reserved uncomfortable expression. Mitch returned the action, likely seeing the same look on Xylo’s own face. They both were not welcoming the new company so far.

“Aw-, are you two not big fans of that idea?” Brandeen continued, His smirk sharpening slightly before his face finally relaxed into a more lax grin and his body falling into a slight slouch. His demeanor had done a full one-eighty, becoming far more subdued. While he still looked confident, his body language read as less challenging. The tethered blade he had been slinging now hung loosely and his shoulders were pulled back along with his back in a mild lean. His hands raised in a placating manor, lightly pushing at the air. “Alright, alright, sorry” He pacified, no longer having a sharp sting to his voice. “Should have seen your faces though; gold. Pure gold.” he chuckled.

The other two demi-gods looked at the pleather-clad man, unimpressed. Xylo, despite his best efforts, let out a deep sigh. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose, he prompted a stiff “What do you want?” As much as he didn’t want the frustrating man in front of him to see, Xylo could feel his patience visibly waning.

Brandeen’s eyebrows quirked slightly, and the corners of his mouth tightened, a minor expression of amusement. “Do I gotta want something to strike up a chat?” He challenged. 

Xylo couldn’t help but feel put off by the red man. Something about him felt wrong. The cold distant look in his eyes, even during his moments of exclamation. Only matched by the vague stiffness to his muscles, even when relaxed; something that a man who moves like he does wouldn’t have. Even his skin -pardoning Xylo’s own hypocrisy- was strangely pale. His gut was telling him to not humor the shorter man. But, at the same time, he felt bad for immediately possessing such harsh judgements, even if his first impression of the other wasn’t the best.

He bit his lip just a little too harshly, stepping back and rolling his shoulders to release his stress. Sill, something felt wrong. He was obviously strong, but his muscles seemed to lack the trademark definition of that strength. Despite his chosen form of fashion, he didn’t seem bothered by the temperature, not even seeming to sweat. His body moved in a way that was almost mannequin-esque, going from one pose to the next. Something was wrong. He knew that something was wrong. He just couldn’t place it.

Xylo continued to look over the man in front of him scrutinizingly, trying to figure out why he seemed so wrong. Only to have his concentration broken by a hand clasping his shoulder.

It seemed to be at this point that Mitch decided to step in, waving out his hand in view of the two before moving between them. “Hay, yah, so I think we all got off on the wrong foot here.” The covered man eased. “But I think we should all have a seat and get proper introductions out of the way, alright?” Despite the lift in his tone, Mitch had left little room for argument as he began his trek to the same sun-bleached wooden bleachers that he and Xylo sat on earlier. His shoulders relaxed as he heard two sets of footsteps follow him.

“So, a son of Aries, yah?” Xylo tested, even though he already knew the answer.

“Bingo.” Brandeen replied simply.

“Mmh” Xylo hummed, it looked like he wouldn’t be getting anything out of the guy yet.

The bleachers came into reach allowing each member of the trio to settle along the first lengthy portion of wood, Mitch at the end with Xylo to his side. A small amount of distance stretched between them and Brandeen, who was closer to the middle of the sitting space.

Now that they were seated, Xylo couldn’t help but take in more of the newcomer. While he didn’t appear awkward, there was now a strain to his expression that hadn’t been visible before. Xylo tilted his head as he caught a subtle sideways glance from the warmonger. While he trusted his gut and knew that he shouldn’t let down his guard around the man, he couldn’t help the twist in his stomach over his judgment of Brandeen. Why did this man make him feel so uneasy? It wasn’t just the behavior from earlier, he could tell that wasn’t it. Nor was it his slightly off appearance and body language. There was just this… off aura about him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, what was the word?

“Look any harder and your brain’ll explode.”

“What?” Xylo reeled. Had he been staring that hard?

“You look like you're trying to pick me apart with your mind, what’s up?” Brandeen leaned back lazily onto an outstretched arm, drifting his gaze to the armored man. “You ain’t subtle, Sunset” he addressed. At this point his face had fallen into a relaxed neutral expression, eyes half lidded as he maintained eye contact. 

“Sunset?” Xylo echoed, stone faced and flat.

“Well… you don’t exactly look like the embodiment of sunshine.” Mitch butted in, shrugging his shoulders.

Xylo grunted a stunted response, choosing not to indulge the topic. “I don’t know how to feel about you, Buddy. You didn’t exactly give me much of a reason to like you…” He bristled at the look Brandeen gave him. The, at this point, frustrating man had an amused lift to his features. Although, his expression was soon schooled as he laxly leaned over himself partly and clasped his hands.

“Alright, yah, fair enough-” Brandeen nodded in detached agreement. “-Nothing against you, more so… testing the waters.” He chuckles quietly, motioning his hand in lazy circles.

Xylo dipped his head side-to-side amicably. While he still didn’t necessarily have any good feelings about the man of war, he felt it was best to avoid antagonizing him for the time being. Instead, he chose to continue studying the man.

“-You know how it is, Gods and fights for dominance- hay!” he shot up and snapped his fingers, a far more natural grin spread across his face “That would be a good way to meet everyone properly! A big ‘ol group sparring match!” His body widened at the suggestion, arms spreading and legs kicking out to visibly express the scope of his sudden idea.

Xylo found himself doubting the intentions of Brandeen’s idea. He didn’t think that the guy went out of his way to talk to people unless he could get a reaction or a favor out of it. Considering his behavior earlier, he likely just wanted to see bloodshed.

“Right” Xylo drawled, absently scratching at his scruff.

“Aaahh, I’ll iron it out later!” Brandeen dismissed. He stood from his position on the bench, stretching his back, earning some soft pops from his spine as he did so. “Whelp, since the targets are a bust, guess I'll be seeing you two later.” With one last salute, the man in red was on his way. Still seated on the bleachers, the original two campers watched blankly as the man drifted down the path away from the training grounds.

The two leftover men glanced at each other before looking at the forgotten mess laid before them. Without saying a word, they both left their seats and proceeded to separate sections. Mitch busied himself with cleaning the strewed stuffing, straw, and leather. Meanwhile, Xylo got to work clearing the targets of projectiles and replacing the dummies with ones he found in the nearby storage building. Even if the work would be shabby, it was better than leaving the area how it was.

The pair had just finished their work when a booming horn sounded over the camp. Looking to the direction the sound came from; they could just barely see Kay standing in front of the building Xylo remembered being the mess hall. Quickly, he realized that it must have been the call for dinner. He looked down and began to dust himself off while going into a light blind jog, soon followed by Mitch, doing a similar motion. All they could recall of the meal was the wide expenses of food and the drawing cards for roommates.

Xylo frankly could not relax during the bonfire, he still hadn’t gotten the chance to chat up the other campers, not even during dinner. He had believed that his offering of a human snack, ‘Marshmallows’ if he remembered correctly, would help, but it had barely done anything to release the tension in his gut. Brandeen also seemed to be sticking close. It wasn’t in the ‘staying close because I know you and I’m awkward’ way, but rather a ‘I’m studying you for the future’ way. It was made even worse when Kay would be so cage-y when answering his questions. The worst part, however, were the foreboding warnings given by The Oracle. He couldn't help his relief when the event finally came to a close.

That’s where the day left him now, with Xylo standing in front of the cabins he still had yet to truly look at. He had finally found the stables and had left Shadow to rest in them. Beside him was Mitch’s younger brother, Jakey. They had drawn the same-colored cards during the banquet and were now roomed together for the summer. If He could notice his and Mitch’s minor height difference, then he could tell he dwarfed Jakey. Not only in height, but in body mass too. The guy was built to be a swimmer, thin with long limbs, and his sparse clothing only served to make him seem smaller. More streamlined. Xylo believed he could snap the guy in half if he really felt the need. The only thing that threw him off was the shorter man’s pale complexion; he expected that from the more deep-sea appropriate Mitch, not the light river-like colored Jakey.

Either way, Xylo was too tired to truly care at that moment, and so too was his roommate.

Jakey immediately stumbled towards the closest bed, falling face first into the sheets and groaning in exhaustion. Xylo could relate honestly; his muscles and head were killing him. Spending his entire day from before sunrise till after sunset either on his feet or having social interactions had almost fully drained him. He simply waved his hand to open his small godly pocket storage and threw out his belongings just so he could get to his personal pillow and finally lay down in the other bed. He would worry about looking at the cabin interior in the morning.

Quietly, as he slowly drifted into the heavy beginnings of sleep, his mind slipped into thoughts of earlier in the afternoon with Mitch and Brandeen. Something was still bothering him about the whole interaction. Brandeen still found the ability to worm his way into Xylo’s mind. What was the feeling? It was wrong, he knew it was wrong. What is it? What is it?

Xylo shuffled uncomfortably in his bed, laying on his back and clasping his hands on his stomach. His face was now covered in sweat as he stared at the ceiling. Something deeper was going on at this camp. Their godly parents had to have known; they had to.

Xylo doubted he would be getting any actual restful sleep that night.

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First chapter

Please watch the original Origins of Olympus series, while this story does make major changes; the series made by the Origins MCRP crew is important to understanding the Reimagining, and it's good to support the original material if you can. It's free on YouTube with multiple perspectives. If you see any way that I can improve my writing, or any grammar/spelling mistakes please let me know!

[saresai]

Part of my original art series “Interstellar Olympus”, a reimagining of Greek mythology combined with elements of space.  

Purchase wall art, metal cards, and other accessories featuring the series at my Online Store.

[genericpuff]

Hello! As a previous fan of LO (back when there was actual effort in the art and I mistakenly thought certain themes and symbolism would be carried through the story) I’m really excited to see what you do with these characters! I was honestly pretty invested in the whole fertility/death goddess dissonance I initially thought was going on, so you can guess I was mega disappointed with where the story went. And I’m already way happier that you’ve begun to build off their relationship as something tangible and emotional, rather than insta love.

Honestly, when I first started reading I thought a major plot point was gonna be Persephone having to balance these two sides of her self that are in conflict, and come out to be a goddess of spring and new growth from decay and death. I thought it was gonna be clever, since that’s kinda what springs like, right? New life and growth from death and rotting matter of the previous seasons. That and the whole ‘red eyed wrath’ thing she had going seemed like a fun hint that she was suppressing her real emotions, and a lot (but not all) of her overly sweet personality was to cover that and be what she thought she was supposed to be. Kinda sad in retrospect, but that’s part of why I’m excited to see where your reimagining goes!

First off, been loving the asks I've been getting from y'all the last little bit, it's a great way to keep stuff updated here in between new Rekindled uploads and essay dumps LMAO so keep 'em coming!

Moving on-

I was really hoping to see that same kind of dissonance carry through the story as well, and it's proooobably one of the biggest things I'll be tackling in this rewrite because it was the one thing I was most disappointed to see fall through in LO.

Fun fact, a lot of my writing over the past decade has focused on dualities like this, alter egos, buried trauma, light vs. dark, host vs. parasite, etc. many of which were concepts you would find in stuff like Undertale, Omori, etc. but like... before those things even existed (I've been writng and making comics online for... a looong time.) I suppose it's the weeb in me that's drawn to these types of personifications of personal dark sides that are present in elements like Chara, Headspace/Black Space, etc. Needless to say, playing games like Undertale and Omori was like, super validating LMAO (if not a little oof because it also reminds me that my ideas aren't that original but that's not a bad thing, there's no such thing as an original idea anymore and that's what makes writing such a great process!)

So like... I weirdly feel that the plots and character dynamics/tropes I usually write and thought no one was interested in has prepared me for this one specific thing??? And it's for a fucking Lore Olympus rewrite comic jfc-

The universe has a funny way of preparing you for things you never expected to be guided to, I suppose. The only fallout is I'm not really eager to share my normal work on this blog due to how rabid/pervasive Rachel's fanbase is (and, y'know, Rachel herself) and I'd rather just protect my usual projects from that potential mess because my usual projects are the ones that are wholly my own, and I intend to still be working on long after Rekindled is done.

But trust me, it's out there and its heartbeat is in perfect sync with that of Rekindled's.

Maybe that'll be the essay I write at the end of all this.

[itsawritblr]

How one work inspired another: Hades and Persephone.

I don’t know the origins of Lore Olympus because experience has taught me that the more I learn the backstories of my fandoms the more the magic is sucked out of them.  So I intentionally have no idea whether Lore Olympus’ creator Rachel Smythe ever heard or saw Hadestown.  But the musical was first performed in 2016 and Lore Olympus debuted in March, 2018.

If Hadestown inspired Smythe to read the myths and create her wonderful story isn’t really important to me.  What I love is how one story, one myth from millennia ago, continues to inspire creative work.  Someone, somewhere, thousands of years ago, first came up with the myth about why we have the seasons, and entertained friends, family, community with it. Eventually it was recorded, it was illustrated, it was acted on stage and in royal courts.  What a wonderful thing!  To bring from your imagination something that lives and grows thousands of years after you’re gone!  The myth may well have been embellished, expanded, added to, edited, shifted, over the centuries.

That’s happening even today.  My father was a professor who taught Comparative Religion and Mythology, so I grew up with Greek legends.  For most of my life few people talked about Persephone and Hades because it was only seen as pro-abduction and rape; some school libraries banned books about the Greek and Roman myths because they were chock full of rape, murder, even cannibalism.  When I was young reimagining and reinventing stories wasn’t done, except in the shadows by those of us who wrote fanfic and drew fanart.  It wasn’t until the Internet that people really began sharing their personal headcanons.  Children’s authors rediscovered the ancient tales and gave them a modern spin or incorporated portions of them into their work -- JK Rowling and Rick Riordan, for example -- and sent kids in search of books with the legends.

Now we’re free to share our reinventions worldwide, and I’m so happy about it.  I love seeing each new invention.  Hadestown is one.  I love Anaïs Mitchell‘s unapologetic romance between Persephone and Hades.

[brightonposters]

The Timeless Allure of Travel Posters, Studio Ghibli Posters, and Greek Mythology Artwork

Art has always been a gateway to storytelling, culture, and imagination. Among the many genres of art, travel posters and Studio Ghibli posters stand out as captivating expressions of creativity that merge visual appeal with thematic depth. Similarly, the enchanting world of Greek mythology artwork and movie posters creates a bridge between ancient tales and modern cinema. These forms of art continue to inspire, captivate, and ignite a sense of wonder among enthusiasts worldwide.

The Golden Age of Travel Posters

Travel posters have been a staple in advertising for decades. Emerging in the late 19th century, they reached their peak during the early-to-mid 20th century. These posters were more than mere advertisements; they were windows into distant lands, luring travelers with their bold designs and striking imagery.

The charm of vintage travel posters lies in their ability to convey a sense of adventure and nostalgia. Artists would use vibrant colors, simple yet dynamic layouts, and evocative scenery to depict destinations like Paris, the Alps, or tropical beaches. Today, these posters are revered not just for their aesthetic appeal but also as a testament to a time when traveling was as much about the journey as the destination.

Studio Ghibli Posters: Whimsy and Emotion

Few studios capture the magic of storytelling as effectively as Studio Ghibli. Founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli has produced some of the most beloved animated films of all time. Accompanying these films are the iconic Studio Ghibli poster, which embody the studio’s unique artistic vision.

From the lush greenery in My Neighbor Totoro to the intricate cityscapes of Spirited Away, these posters are more than promotional materials—they are standalone pieces of art. The attention to detail, harmonious color palettes, and emotionally resonant themes make them a treasure for collectors and fans alike.

The Mythical World of Greek Mythology Artwork

Greek mythology has been a source of artistic inspiration for centuries. Whether it’s the tale of Icarus soaring too close to the sun or the epic battles of the gods on Mount Olympus, these stories have fueled the imaginations of artists and audiences alike.

Greek mythology artwork ranges from classical sculptures and frescoes to contemporary digital illustrations. In modern contexts, this art often reimagines ancient deities and heroes with a blend of traditional and innovative techniques. Popular pieces include depictions of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Hades, the god of the underworld, with a mix of realism and fantasy elements.

The timeless allure of Greek mythology is its ability to convey universal themes such as love, betrayal, and redemption. Artists today continue to reinterpret these myths, making them accessible to new generations while honoring their ancient origins.

The Power of Movie Posters

If travel posters capture wanderlust and Greek mythology artwork immortalizes ancient tales, movie poster are the bridge to cinematic worlds. From minimalist designs to intricate collages, movie posters have evolved into a form of storytelling in their own right.

Classic examples like Casablanca or Star Wars demonstrate how a single image can evoke curiosity, excitement, and emotional resonance. Modern movie posters, inspired by trends like digital surrealism, have pushed boundaries, blending photography, illustration, and graphic design to create visually stunning masterpieces.

Art in the Digital Age

The digital era has revolutionized how these art forms are consumed and appreciated. Platforms like Travel Posters & Studio Ghibli Poster Greek Mythology Artwork Movies Poster bring together diverse art styles, showcasing the work of artists worldwide. These platforms also make it easier for collectors and enthusiasts to find and purchase art that resonates with their personal tastes.