#the other islands are from Ars

[derp-craft]

although in desperate need of some texturing I'm getting p proud of this island/mountain/hill/thing

[yzegem]

Sirens of Encounters in the Frontier.

In my setting, sirens are a kind of shark, descendants of a creature most similar to an epaulette shark, wich adapted to hunt fish and mollusks trapped during the low tide and eventually evolved to be fully lunged and mostly amphibian.

There are 3 species of sirens, all 6 limbed.

-The continental mernewt is native to the vast beaches and coral reefs of the southeastern coast of the continent. It's similar in bodyplan to a mudskipper and just as agile. They have jaws strong enough to open shellfish and don a venomous spur next to their tail fin, wich can kill small animals and cause pain, swelling and even necrosis of the limbs in larger animals like humans.

Male mernewts are known to "fence" each other as they are very territorial during mating season. This fights envolve leaps into the air, stabbing with their spurs, biting and their characteristic shriek.

These animals are very important in the culture of the warrior caste in the Sun Empire and represent masculine violence and war, sometimes positively (they are kept in artificial ponds ocasionally) or as a critique in poetry of the futility of war, since the mernewts are vulnerable to birds of prey or other predators while exhausted after a fight.

-The lesser siren is the most terrestrial of all sirens. Its native to the eastern and southern coast of the continent, the north of alwaysummer and the Twisted Islands.

These creatures feed mostly on fish stranded during low tides but many hunt seabirds by staying still between rocks in the shore until the perfect ocasion to leap and catch its prey with their clawed pectoral fins. They usually drag their prey to the water and drown it there. They are very capable of climbing rocks and can be quite fast in short bursts of speed.

They can get quite large and pose a significant danger to some cattle and humans.

-Sirens are native to the Twisted Islands and are the most aquatic of the three, even though they can still return to the sea if they get stranded.

They spend most of the day in underwater caves and are actually quite good at hunting in the sea floor, as they use their long arm like pectoral fins to move rocks and expose mollusks and other small prey. Still, their prey of choice are terrestrial animals. Sirens are indeed quite intelligent animals, though far from sapient, as they resemble the intelect of a marine crocodile, wich manifests in very specialiced hunting tactics.

They have learned to attract land animals close enough to the water by leaving small pieces of fish in the shore as bait for seabirds or imitating animal cries for help to attract unsuspecting predators or worried members of the imitated species. When they get the chance, they rapidly extend their arm-like fins and drag the animal to the sea.

Some sirens have specialiced in hunting humans, specially those on boats, wich is a big problem given how common reed boats and low canoes are for transport in the twisted islands, often used to also transport cattle.

Sirens can easily climb on top of these boats or colaborate between many to topple a ship.

They don't hunt in organized groups, rather they all hunt individually but at the same time, if that makes sense, and later fight for the prey.

These human eating sirens have learn to stand on small islands or unlit shores ar night and waive their arm-like fins while screaming (they can imitate a great variety of sounds) to lure humans closer to them.

The Iliryi people (those native of the twisted islands) have developed many methods to sail safely, such as covering their boats with down facing spikes, tying themselves to the boat or just carrying harpoons and being ready for action. Still, these tactics are not very efective when overwhelmed by a large group of sirens.

The government of the twisted islands hires whalers and fishermen from all across the eastern sea during their low season to work as sirens hunters, wich escort other ships and keep the siren population at bay. This is a high risk high reward job for these fishermen.

[warning-boredom-causes-daydreams]

Can we discuss how Percy and Piper are like the only ones with any knowledge of pop culture??

Like Leo probably has some, but he's also been in the system for a while so he probably didn't have much time to be watching movies or being online.

We talk about Annabeth not knowing references all the time, but I feel like we don't talk about the others much.

Frank also might have some? But I can't see his grandmother letting him sit down and watch movies or anything.

And we don't know a ton about Will, but he's at camp full time so assuming he was also quite young when he arrived he also probably doesn't have much.

Nico and Hazel for obvious reasons are lacking in that area.

Reyna was on Circe's Island for quite a while, and has so much trauma from before that I doubt she does.

Jason was raised by wolves, they weren't showing him any of that stuff.

Clarisse is also a year rounder, and since everything she did when we first met her was try to make Ares proud, I don't think she was researching popular media.

Thalia didn't exactly have time between babysitting her mom, raising Jason and then being on the run and then being a tree.

Luke might have? He was at home for a while before everything happened and he found Thalia, but not anything after that.

Percy is the really the only one that regularly gets out of the greek hero headspace. Like he goes home, he tries to go to regular school every year, he still talks to his mom and Paul.

And Piper most likely stays updated on social media things because she wants to see what her dad is up to.

We need more headcanons and fanfics about Percy and Piper educating everyone on pop culture moments and references.

[starboye]

Kinktober Day 23

starring: john 'soap' mactavish x male reader

request: soft dom soap x sub male reader where reader tries to be bratty to push soap but soap just treats him kindly like “oh you poor thing have I been neglecting you?” But like not in a mocking way and reader breaks kinda quickly and is good for soap enter babbling reader while soap coos praises

warnings: smut, cursing, praising, bratty!reader, unprotected sex, creampie, teasing, fucked silly

johnny had been ignoring you all day with his work, sitting at his desk in his shitty office (it's not really shitty you're just mad) and no matter how many times you tried to get his attention he just didn't care so you had to get his attention some other way.

you started acting like a little brat, ignoring his questions like how he ignored you, also just being bitchy in general like wearing a pair of his favorite lace underwear with his shirt on knowing it drives him absolutely crazy but the moment he tries to touch you you push him back.

"c'mon you wearin' this and don't want me to touch you" he snarks with a cocky smirk "well seems like you didn't care about me enough earlier" you mutter trying to get a rise out of johnny, turning around to face him, your hands gripping the kitchen island firmly.

"oh you poor thing, have i been neglecting you" he doesn't say it in a mocking way but a sultry caring way, pulling you against his body by your waist, the way he was grabbing you had you falling apart and that wall was coming down as fast as soap was pulling down you panties.

kissing your neck as he mumbled some sweet words to you that you could barely make out from hearing your pounding heart and your spinning mind "want me to make you feel all better" he asks tilting your drooping head up to look at him, his lip tucked in between his teethe as he ran his hand over your ass.

you let out a whiny 'mhm' as queue johnny having you bent over the kitchen island fucking you like he hates you while still saying all sorts of sweet things in your ear "you look so pretty in my shirt, and damn your hole keeps sucking me in so fuckin' much" he had his hand wrapped around your neck to keep your ear right next to his mouth so you could catch every one of his words.

not like you could hear him though, from feeling him so far in you it felt like he was breaking your hole and the overwhelming amount of heat coursing through your body you were basically a brain dead fuck toy for soap to use and abuse you puckering hole.

"you wan' me to fill your pretty lil hole up" johnny asks, his hips still fucking hard into you but all you could do was eagerly nod, all you could think about was his cum loading you up, giving you the tiniest little bulge in your stomach "y-yes... i want it s'much" you incoherently hic out.

"so slutty for me" he grips your hips and plows your hole a couple more times before splurting out his load into you, forcing your load out in one big shot, a loud moan following behind as you both come down from your high with heavy breaths "was that enough attention" soap chuckles "mm i think i might need a little more" you tease rubbing your ass against his now hardening cock.

taglist:@mailmango@spermeboy@ghostking4m@gayaristocrat@addictedtomalepits @staarb0y @crispysoup318 @its-ares @gargoylesworld09 @kadenvatsune @fuckshft @wompwomp-1mh3re

[blessedbyahuntress]

Blessed by a Trickster

Chapter Four: The Scary Part? He's Tiny

Prev/Next

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 763

You stood at the helm of the ship, next to Eurylochus, who kept glancing at you when he thought you weren’t looking. He’s rather awful at judging that.

“Is something wrong?” You asked, turning to him.

“What?”

“You keep looking at me weirdly.”

Eurylochus hummed, debating whether or not to tell the truth. He settled with telling half of it.

He shrugged. “Nothing’s wrong.”

You raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe you in the slightest.”

Eurylochus was saved from having to try and stutter out an excuse by Polites, who sprinted up to you, barely acknowledging the second in command’s presence with a small nod as he turned to you.

Polites’s glasses kept slipping off his nose and he continued to adjust them as he spoke. “There’s an island- Ody thinks it might be- what the lotus eaters were- talking… about.”

You blinked. “Oh,” was all you said.

Polites raised his eyebrows. “Oh?” He demanded. “That’s the first thing you think to say?” You shrugged. “Pretty much, yeah.”

Eurylochus snorted in amusement and Polites narrowed his eyes mockingly at his friend.

Then the world seemed to move in slow motion. Eurylochus was speaking to you, but you couldn’t hear a word he was saying. You yourself seemed to move fine; you could shake out the stiffness in your arms and legs in normal time. You snapped your fingers in front of Polites’s face, but you didn’t get a reaction.

You heard laughter from above your head, and you looked upward.

“Reveal yourself,” you ordered.

“Hm… I don’t think I will.”

You smirked. “I meant, please reveal yourself, Lord Hermes.”

A handsome yet short man appeared before you. He had a mop of curly light brown hair and a black mask covering his eyes. The snakes that were curled around his staff flicked their tongues at you as the tiny wings on his sandals flapped. “How did you-” He looked down at himself in surprise and yelped. 

He gave you a reproachful look. “Please don’t do that again, little lady,” he said, shaking his caduceus at you.

You crossed your arms. “Hello, Lord Hermes. Please stop stalking me.”

Hermes giggled and glided around you, studying your stance and scars. “Now, now,” he chided. “You shouldn’t talk to a potential patron like that!”

You raised your eyebrows. “Patron?” You asked, unable to keep the skepticism from your voice.

“Oh, yes.” Hermes came to a stop in front of you, still hovering a few feet above the ground. “I’ve been watching you for quite some time, Y/N of Ithaca.”

“Yeah, I sort of got that part. Your voice in my head and all.”

Hermes laughed again. “Ooooh. Quick-thinker, too, I see.” The tips of his sandals skimmed the deck of the ship as he looked at you thoughtfully. “I think of myself as lucky to have reached you first, before any other god could offer to be your mentor.”

You blinked.

“Come on,” the god urged. “I’m sure Odysseus has told you of his own mentor, Athena? Shame she abandoned him.”

“I-I…” You couldn’t finish, your mind skimming through the possibilities of how this could end. “What could you offer? Why should I not wait for a different god or goddess like Ares or Artemis?”

“So glad you asked!” Hermes beamed. “I am the god of thieves. I will teach you how to steal more than objects in the heat of the moment. I will teach you how to detangle hidden meanings and important information from the most confusing of sentences.”

You tilted your head slightly. That skill sounded useful.

“I am the god of travelers,” he continued. “I can aid you in your journey home.”

“I am the god of speed. I can train you so hard, you’ll have more stamina than any man. You’ll be as fast as Achilles was.”

“I am the god of language, and I can teach you the skill of negotiating-”

“Let me sleep on it,” you interrupted.

“Oh.” Hermes gave you a sad smile. “You won’t be sleeping tonight.”

“What do you-”

Suddenly everything sped up, leaving you stumbling. Eurylochus grabbed your shoulders to steady you. You could feel Polites’s concerned gaze on your back as you grabbed Eurylochus’s forearms in an attempt to make the world stop spinning.

“Whoa,” Eurylochus said as you swayed slightly. “What’s wrong, Y/N?”

You opened your mouth to respond, only to slump forward.

“I forgot about how fragile mortals are,” Hermes giggled inside your head. “You might be having that sleep earlier than either of us expected.”

Then you blacked out.

[noxoutloud]

things about epic the musical & its fandom that would’ve undoubtedly sent Homer into a coma: an ongoing saga

Zeus’ metaphors

All the jokes involving There Are Other Ways

Everything about Telemachus (especially his Disney Princess™️-esque music that we all know & love)

Ody’s abstinence

That one animatic after they kill Polyphemus’ sheep where Polites is just like 😃

The sheer number of movies/ shows/ books that people have found follow a similar plot to the Odyssey

“We’ve been away from home for… about 12 years or so”

The Jorge & Hermes clips

Similarly, the Hermes & Tiresias clips

Jorge’s OG versions where all the voices are him

The sound effects

Terminology. Specifically words like canon

The fast order-giving at the start of The Horse and the Infant

Anything depicting Poseidon being depressed after losing to Odysseus

Similarly: HOW Ody won against Poseidon in the end

Aeolus being voiced by a woman(?)

Ody not meeting Achilles/ etc in the Underworld

Most of the animatics

All the misheard lyrics, especially “Well done, you LIED TO ME, what’s your name?”

The medley at the start of Love in Paradise

OPEN ARMS

The fandom’s portrayal of Polites

Six Hundred Strike, what happens in it, & the animatics associated

Every time someone draws, says, or even THINKS about Eury imitating Circe in Pupeteer

The SHIPS especially Polites & Ody

Any AU fic ever

Absolutely everything about Hermes

Every joke about Tiresias singing “I see” when he’s blind (especially a recent TikTok that just blared LIE every time he said it 😭)

These kinds of videos: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WRRtAm1WLUQ

Specifically this post below:

@theinfamousodysseus

That one TikTok of the confusion saga

Ody’s slaying lines in Hold Them Down, but especially this:

@songb1rd

The wrong kind of “floating island”

Aphrodite’s part of God Games (the wow factor)

Ares’ part of God Games (the AAA SCARY factor)

“You’re adorable, bow down now to the immortal ✨Calypso✨…”

[necromancer-at-abattoir]

The thing about HOO is that it's either egregious, or amazing, or just......really plain and boring.

It retcons and ruins Nico and Percy's relationship. It ruins Percy's characterisation in PJO. Piper and Leo are 15 and haven't been attacked by monsters or brought to camp yet.

It depicts Piper and Hazel in a racist way (light hair and eyes to make them more attractive, both Hazel's parents have dark hair and eyes and no one else in the Aphrodite cabin has Piper's kaleidescope eyes)

It has a 14 year old date a 16 year old which is not entirely taboo but not entirely acceptable either, so it's controversial.

ALSO, it fools the readers into thinking that Frank is 16 and Hazel is 13 because Rick wrote Hazel saying that Frank is 3 years older than her and while Hazel is actually fourteen, RICK NEVER CONFIRMED IT. So Rick was in fact writing a 13-16 year old dating dynamic.

Reyna calls Percy dumb in front of a whole group and Annabeth laughs and agrees with her.

It has Nico's acceptance arc be smashed to pieces. It has Nico be forcibly outed.

It has Frank's fatness magically disappear after being given the blessing of Ares.

It has Percabeth be abusive (Annabeth making Percy promise not to use his poison powers again when it could save them, not accepting them even though they're a part of Percy, her laughing at his trauma when he says Tartarus smells like Gabe, her bringing up Rachel to make Percy nervous, her agreeing with Reyna in front of an entire damn crowd that Percy is dumb and couldn't find his way out of a paper bag without her apparently).

It doesn't release Calypso from her island when in TLO the gods swore on the Styx to do so.

And it puts a millenia old goddess in a relationship with a teenager, and Rick even depicts Calypso herself as a teenager while saying that she romanced adult men.

It has a wolf goddess who eats children who aren't good enough according to her standards, when those children could be amazing at something else instead of just physical training and survival.

And I do NOT know how HOO wasn't a YA series based on the last one alone.

But there are also those moments with characters where they really accept themselves, like Piper growing out of her internalised misogyny, or with Jason and Leo, or with Frank learning about and using his abilities to be a badass magical warrior, or having a nice moment with Reyna and Nico. Or how it shows Clarisse and Coach Hedge's relationship and Hedge's backstory and his understandable fear and concern for his wife.

And then it's just kind of boring at times. Jason is an underdeveloped character (with SO MUCH POTENTIAL MIGHT I ADD!!!) He should've been able to wipe the floor with Percy, Nico, Hazel and Thalia. And then his relationship with Reyna was barely expanded on. And Octavian, while initially set up to be an interesting character, was reduced to an absolute clown. Gaia could have been such an interesting, morally gray character, possibly the most complex in the Riordanverse, and Rick could've sent a message about environmental pollution and how we need to do something about it, which would definitely impact a lot of people, seeing as PJO is one of the most if not THE MOST popular book series globally. But she was just made into a cartoon villain instead. And Jason and Thalia's meet up was........dryer than the Sahara Desert, if I dare say so.

This series had so much potential-since the millenia long abusive systems are broken, why not have the camps discover each other after the Titan war? I will always mourn what HOO could have been.

[r4d0m-13]

Ranting about God Games (Specifically Apollo)

I’m so normal about this.

So the live stream just came out and AAAAAAAHDA TO ESTHFRR DE H

ok.

So a lot of people are talking about how Apollo really didn’t even have much of an argument and really didn’t want to be involved much. I raise you, he wanted to make it easier for Athena. Apollo and Athena are Knowledge and Wisdom, they get along well. They probably have tea and talk about what budding civilizations will grow into mighty empires. And they have probably broached the topic of Odysseus multiple times, once Apollo had gotten over the sacking of Troy. (enough for Apollo to be familiar enough with him to USE HIS NICKNAME)

So when Zeus chooses Apollo to be one of the Gods who needs to be convinced, he has no idea what to say AND wants to make it easy.

Another thing is the visuals, (THE ANIMATOR FOR HIM DID SUCH A GOOD JOB AAAAA) every other Deity shows Athena have to visually struggle even just a bit to convince the others.

Hephaestus was not that big of a struggle, Athena has to maneuver her way through his forge to get through to Hephaestus. He and Athena have a more passive relationship so she has to navigate more carefully than she would for someone like Artemis.

Athena and Aphrodite have a much more antagonistic relationship. Athena has no interest in love as an Eternal Maiden. Aphrodite has always had problems with that in myths. So they don’t like each other. Because of that, Athena has to stop her from dismissing the conversation and get her stop and think about it. Ares interrupts and he and Athena have that sibling rivalry as they are both war gods and Athena is more favored. They physically fight and argue and Athena has to win to convince Ares and Aphrodite in extension.

Hera and Athena could have varied relationships, but they seem somewhat cool with each other so it’s just a dance battle. All Athena needed was one good move but she didn’t know what was good enough for Hera, so she went for the “He respects the sanctity of his marriage” card.

However for Apollo, they were just in a pleasant spot with him playing his Lyre while they talked. He put up a small qualm he could reasonably have with Ody, and Athena responded in kind. It was a short exchange as they both agreed that he needed to be let go but they needed to put on a show of disagreement first. He didn’t want to waste time while Ody was wasting away on the island and sent Athena off fast as he could.

YOU SEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[jnkgrnde]

— can you stand the rain?, clarisse la rue, pjo

FREE PALESTINE: LINKS TO HELP

summary — in which, you and clarisse get into an argument that causes you to kiss in the rain.

pairings — clarisse la rue x black!fem!reader (daughter of poseidon)

content includes — arguing, kissing in the rain, best friends to lovers, jealous!clarisse

authors note — TELL ME BABY CAN YEWWWW STAND THE RAINNNNNN 🗣️🎤 this is def butt but this has been in my drafts for way too long so!

it was a beautiful, sunny day in long island. the smell of strawberries from the fields established themselves as today’s scent for the camp, the lake was cool enough for a dip.

it was a perfect day.

and it was a perfect day for you and clarisse to hang out with each other. you wanted to convince her to take a day off from training and take a swim in the lake to cool off for the day, before eventually doing something stupid later.

you knew clarisse was up because she was always up before you, so you decided to knock on the ares cabin door first to find her. her younger brother told you she wasn’t there and that you could find her at the sparring field. you thanked him with a smile before leaving to find her. lo and behold, there was clarisse la rue in her armor with her electric spear, training with a dummy.

you didn’t know how long she’d been out here, but the training dummy looked about out of comission. “d’you wake up on the wrong side of bed or did you add him to your hate list?” she halted her movements, dust flying beneath her shoes.

“did you need something, sweet thing?” and there she went with the nicknames. she knew you loved them, and she also knew you’d get tripped up by them. “so i was thinking we’d take a dip in the lake today.” and you knew what she was gonna say,

“y/n, you know i have to train today—“ “but that’s what you do everyday, clar! please? just for today?” you begged. you gave her your infamous puppy eyes, ones you knew she couldn’t turn away from. she groaned dramatically. “… you got me. i’ll meet you by the canoes in ten.” you grinned with excitement. “thank you thank you!” you kissed her cheek before running off.

she stood frozen for a second before a smile started spreading across her face. her cheek felt tingly in the spot you kissed her in.

you wore a white overshirt with a blue swimsuit underneath, paired with jean shorts. you carried a bag, sunglasses in your hair. you walked over to the lake, a smile on your face knowing you could be in one of the places you loved most.

you saw clarisse standing near the canoes watching the water. she had a towel laid out and was just taking her shoes off when you covered her eyes. “boo.” clarisse feigned annoyance, but still let a smile grace her lips.

you set down your bag on the sand, taking your shirt and shorts off. “not gonna join me, clar?” “nah. gotta keep watch, y’know, for butterflies and stuff.” you rolled your eyes with a smile before walking into the water, eventually going deep enough to wear you can float. you swam out enough for the sun to beam down on you, and just let yourself feel the water.

clarisse watched you. she loved watching you anytime, but she especially loved when you were in your environment. she took note of the smile on your face and how you occasionally paddled your hands to make sure you kept yourself afloat, although with your powers and everything, it wasn’t hard.

clarisse admired her surroundings before her eyes caught a boy staring at you — carter from hephaestus cabin. he was deeply tanned with a good build and curly hair, and had scars all over his hands and face from working on weapons for the camp.

carter watched with a small smile. he held a gold necklace in his hands, twisting them around. it had a sea turtle pendant, and it shined in the sunlight.

clarisse furrowed her eyebrows. she didn’t like what she was feeling — you were just friends, right? it’s just her being protective over you. she didn’t want you to get hurt or anything. she was sure that’s what it was.

it was a while before you decided to get out of the water. you didn’t realize how long you’d been there before noticing that it was starting to get a little cooler. you swam, then walked back to shore, but not before being stopped by carter.

to you, carter was a sweet, caring boy, just not for you specifically, because you had your sights set on someone else. he was starting to show he liked you, and got bolder as time went on. “hey, y/n. i made you something.” he told you nervously but still with a smile. he held out the necklace to you, the sea turtle shining in the light.

you let out a genuine smile before thanking him, not noticing the burning daggers being glared into the back of his head. he offered to put it on for you, so you turned and he slowly locked the chain together.

“thank you, carter.” you smiled before walking over to clarisse. you found her not so happy, actually stuffing things into your bags. “hey, clar, what’s wrong?” you reached out to touch her arm, and she pulled away like you were a hot pan burning her.

you furrowed your eyebrows in hurt and confusion. her face was scrunched up and she looked at you like you disgusted her. she shoved your bag to your chest before storming off back to the main campgrounds.

“clarisse!” you slung your bag on your shoulder and ran to try and catch to her, but she was already gone. your heart squeezed in your chest and you frowned before continuing to walk to your cabin.

a million thoughts swirled around in your head — why was she acting like this? you were just friends, right? you knew she was protective of you, yes, but not to this extent. you opened the doors to the poseidon cabin, where it was empty. you assumed percy was probably out with annabeth on a date, probably.

clarisse didn’t know why she felt this way; she hated it. she hated the way she acted when you touched her, or how she felt giddy and mushy inside whenever you look at her with your pretty eyes. she hated feeling the way she did around you, because she usually feels guilt, anger, or needing to please her father. that’s how she thinks she’s supposed to feel, how she’s wired to feel.

you make her actually feel like a good person, and she knew she impacted you with the way she acted that day.

it was later at night at the dining pavilion. torches were lit, dryads were flying around with silver platters with food, and campers from different cabins were chatting and laughing with eachother. the energy was high, seeing as there was a planned campfire tonight, with the apollo cabin leading the sing along.

you and percy sat at the poseidon table. his plate was full, and he had blue soda on the side. you gave him a small smile. “have you not eaten since breakfast?” you asked. “nah. annabeth wanted to go on a hike and i forgot to eat after.” you flicked his forehead. “why didn’t you tell me? i have a secret stash in the cabin!” you whisper-yelled. “i’m sorry!” he whined. you both laughed as the conversation flowed.

clarisse stole many glances from the poseidon table, specifically from you. despite what happened earlier in the day, you still smiled. her chest squeezed at the sound of your laughter. she poked her tongue against her lips before looking down at her plate.

it was after dinner where you and clarisse actually saw each other. she was sitting with the ares cabin, and you were sitting with percy and a couple other mutual friends. every time you looked up from the fire, there was clarisse who was staring at you no matter what. you quickly looked away every time you made eye contact.

the empty seat next to you was soon filled, but not by who you actually wanted it to be. carter sat next to, playing with his hoodie strings and smiling at you. “d’you need something, carter?” you asked. you didn’t mean to sound annoyed, but you weren’t as enthusiastic as you were earlier.

“well, i wanted to know if you were free later this week? i-i had something planned and-“ “no, she’s not free.” and standing in front of you was the woman of the hour.

you snapped your eyes up at the familiar voice. she held a glare directed at carter. before anybody could say anything, chiron announced that the campfire had to end early, seeing there was a storm starting to move in. “so, um, are you coming?” carter persisted. “i’ll get back to you on that, carter.” you gave a small smile before getting up. you shot clarisse a look before walking back with percy to the poseidon cabin.

the night was dark, and thunder started rolling in. the camp turned in for the night, all except for one. there was a tapping on your window, waking you up from your sleep. you groaned, already starting to yell at whoever it was before you recognized clarisse.

you furrowed your eyebrows, “what are you doing here?” she held her hand out without a word. you hesitated, looking back at percy to see him fast asleep. you looked back at clarisse, and she looked desperate. you slipped on your shoes before taking her hand and letting her guide you out the window.

she walked with you, out to the woods and seemingly to your secret spot, the spot that was reserved for you and clarisse only. “clarisse, why are we out here?” you asked her once you finally stopped.

your emotions were already starting to heighten, the rain slowly following. she stared at you for a second. “i’m sorry.” she apologized. “why? you left me with no explanation like i was some animal on the street and ignored me. why?”

she breathed out a heavy breath. “him.” she whispered. “what?” “because of carter!” she snapped. you were confused, “what does this have to do with him?” clarisse looked at you like she begged you to understand, like you were supposed to know why.

“because he likes you,” she put out simply, “and i don’t want him to.” you blinked while taking in her words. she was closer to you than before now, her breath on your face. she soaked you in, watching the rainwater run down your face. she came to the realization.

“i like you,” she barely spoke. “i like you, and i don’t want him to like you.” you stood in shock. clarisse liked you. she liked you back, and you had no clue. you cupped her jaw and pulled her down to your lips. it was passionate, like she would die without feeling you again. you pulled away, “so, you stormed off because you liked me?” clarisse rolled her eyes with a smile. “well, when you put it like that.”

you pulled her back with a laugh and the rain getting lighter throughout the kiss, eventually allowing the stars to shine.

[cobrakaisb]

what was i made for?

summary: everybody hates you, but luke could never see you that way; luke hates himself, but he’s always going to be the center of your galaxy.

word count: 2.3k

featuring: angst, reader and luke share a vape (sue me🙈), but also friend dynamics, and official godly parent reveal 🙌, reader and luke are basically together (without the labels).  

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“i hate it here,” you announce, taking a seat at the hermes table for breakfast. 

chris, luke, and katrina all exchange glances. you can sense their nerves from a mile away, and their unease only seems to heighten when you slam your plate and goblet on the table. chris opens his mouth, ready to comment on your behavior, but he decides not to when you throw a nasty glare his way. 

“wow, you’re hera’s daughter,” katrina teases, nudging your shin with her own from across the table. 

“no shit, really?” you reply, stabbing a lone strawberry on your plate.

“no seriously, your glare is exactly like hers. i can see her staring at me in disapproval and everything,” katrina continues with a wide smile on her face.

you flash a tight-lipped smile in response, but don’t take the bait that’s dangling in front of you. over the past few months, you’ve established quite the reputation at camp half-blood. aside from being something akin to a forbidden child -- because it was always assumed that hera would never have children -- your nasty temper, smart mouth, and enormous ego have led to a number of fights. all of them were petty, with campers making claims about you that were so far into leftfield you were surprised they even caught on. 

“what happened this time?” luke asks, his shoulder brushing against yours when he leans forward to rest his elbows on the table. 

“that stupid fucking lava wall,” you grumble, taking a bite of your pancakes. 

“okay…” katrina prompts, waving her hand in a continue motion. 

you swallow your food before answering, “i love the lava wall, it’s such a good workout, but i hate that my time slot is the same as the ares kids.” 

“nothing new, but what’d they do now?” katrina asks. 

“annoy me,” you answer.

luke says your name in the same tone he uses when travis and connor get caught pulling some master prank. you can hear the disappointment in his tone, and that elicits an eye roll from you. he doesn’t even know the full story, and he’s already picking a side other than yours, typical. 

“sorry, that we can’t all be the golden child like you,” you sneer, getting up from the table to throw the rest of your food in the burning fire pit.

everybody knows you prayed to your mother when the flames flash a deep purple before flickering back to their normal orange. 

“i’ll talk to her,” katrina says, standing up from her seat. 

luke lifts up his hand, shakes his head no, and replies, “i got it.” 

he follows you out of the dining pavilion and into the woods. you know he’s there because you can hear the cracks of twigs and rustling of bushes as he matches your step. only two people are crazy enough to follow you, but only one of them knows when to walk in silence.

“go back to camp luke,” you demand, pushing a branch out of the way. 

“not until you tell me what the fuck happened at the lava wall,” he answers, dodging the branch before it makes contact with his nose. 

you stop short, looking at long island sound through a small gap in the trees. luke knows the spot; you two come here frequently. he waits for a moment, admiring your straight back. even when you’re feeling your worst, you still muster up the courage to walk with the confidence of a princess. 

“the same old shit. you know the story,” you mumble, eyes squinting from the glare of the sun. 

luke sighs. he doesn’t understand why you put up this mask with him. why do you feel the need to continue being the strong, confident, arrogant, and put-together, daughter of hera when it’s just the two of you? he steps closer to you, standing directly behind you so his arms can wrap around your waist. you lean back into his chest, shoulders sagging in defeat. 

“i never used to care what people thought of me, now it’s all i can think about. this was supposed to be different, luke,” you whisper. 

luke doesn’t say anything in return. he drops his forehead against the back of your head, and squeezes your hips just a bit tighter. camp was supposed to be different. you were meant to feel wanted and seen; he was meant to become a hero with ultimate glory. from the looks of it, neither of you are anywhere close to getting what you deserve. 

—

some days were harder than others, luke knew this. yet, it didn’t make it any easier when one of those hard days came around. each and every time he feels utterly dead to the world, wanting nothing more than to rot away in the comfort of his bottom bunk in the hermes cabin. being head counselor doesn’t afford that luxury. so, he takes a deep breath, musters up every ounce of courage his body could possibly possess, and walks out the door. 

usually, the training arena is quiet in the mornings. nobody, not even the most dedicated warriors, is willing to get up earlier than they need to. sleep is a hot commodity at camp half-blood. and so is privacy. so, luke relishes in the quiet mornings where he’s surrounded by the soft tweets of birds, the slash of his sword, and his heavy breathing. he trains and trains, searching for a way to be good enough again. he used to pray, but after years of going unheard and unanswered, he gave up on connecting with his father.

he thinks of his mother, alone in their house in suburban connecticut. she never doubted hermes, even when he left them for worse; her faith kept her loyal. luke wishes that he had her loyalty, but he doesn’t. instead, all he feels is anger and resentment towards his father. he swings his sword again, cutting through the outer layer of the dummy, and watches as the stuffing falls gracefully to the ground.  

“that’s a lot of slashes,” you comment, and your voice draws him out of his own head.

he ignores you, continuing on with his practice session. 

“you know you can take a break, right?” you ask, coming to stand behind him. 

luke’s arm falls to his side, his sword resting against his thigh. his head falls forehead, and he takes in a deep breath, letting the clean air fill his lungs. your hand sneaks between the strap of his bronze breastplate and his bright orange t-shirt. he takes another breath, and your chin digs into his shoulder before you drop a kiss on the exposed skin by the collar of his shirt. 

you don’t say anything, and luke appreciates that about you. ever since your arrival at camp, he’s tried to pinpoint what exactly draws him to you. every time he comes up empty handed, but at this moment he knows it’s your willingness to just let him be. you never force him to be happy or content with the gods’ and their behavior. you embrace the darkness slowly rising inside of him, even when he tries to suppress it. 

“i just want to be good enough,” luke whispers, finally allowing himself to be vulnerable. 

your arms tighten around him, and you reply, “you are good enough.” 

“not for him,” he mumbles. 

“he’s not good enough for you,” you say assertively. 

luke doesn’t comment on your words. the conviction in your voice is enough to inform him that there’s no changing your mind. he wishes he believed you, but he doesn’t. 

“you’re not the one who failed their quest,” luke mumbles. 

you openly scoff at his words, letting go of him. he waits patiently for your next move and stumbles when you pull him towards your face by the strap of his armor. your eyes met, and luke swear he’s never seen such fury brewing in them.

“don’t ever use that as a determinant of your worth. that quest was impossible luke, and he knew that,” you seethe. 

luke blinks, letting your words sink in. he can’t believe them; he doesn’t believe them. 

“it was my chance, my one chance to show him that i’m worthy,” luke whispers, leaning his forehead against yours. 

you let out a shaky breath and luke can feel the anger and frustration radiating off you in waves. he knows that if he wasn’t holding you in his arms, olympus would fall. he blinks, and you’re standing there, in the middle of crumbled temples and the debris of ancient ruins with the fiercest look in your eyes. you’re hera’s daughter, and you’re loyal to a fault, he thinks.

“i just don’t know how much longer i can do this,” he confesses, kissing your earlobe. 

“me too,” you answer, squeezing him tighter. 

—

the two of you are sitting on the dock, feet dangling over the edge as your toes barely graze the surface of the water. you always meet here after all the campers in the hermes cabin settled into bed. when he was able to sneak out and away from their curious eyes.

“i hate it here,” you whisper, leaning further back into luke’s chest.

“you don’t hate it here,” he mumbles, fumbling around in the pocket of his cargo pants. 

“i do,” you answer with certainty. “everybody here hates me. except maybe you and katrina,” you continue. 

luke doesn’t accept or deny your statement. instead, he just hands you the orange stick. you scoff at him, but take the vape from his hands anyways. one thing about luke, he feeds your addictions; every single one of them. instead of thanking him, like you normally would, you bring the vape to your mouth, inhaling deeply. you wait a second, letting the toxins fill your lungs, and then release the smoke in one puff. there’s nothing sexy or hot about the action, but luke squeezes your side, pulling you a bit closer. 

“i can’t believe my plug is my boyfriend,” you joke, but there’s no happiness in your tone. 

luke pokes your side. you switch the vape to your left hand, holding it out to him. you wait patiently for him to take it, but he doesn’t. that confuses you. you turn to face him, forehead bumping against his chin. it hurts, but you just grit your teeth instead of saying anything. luke grimaces, leaning down to plant a kiss on your forehead. 

“there are other people here who like you,” luke says.

“name them,” you demand, taking another hit. 

luke takes the item from you, uses it, and then answers, “chris.” 

“is your friend not mine,” you reply. 

luke rolls his eyes. “connor and travis,” he continues. 

“enjoy torturing me, not my company. besides, they’re like ten,” you say. 

“okay then, what about clarisse?” luke asks.

now it’s your turn to roll your eyes, “clarisse tolerates me.” 

“that’s more than i can say,” luke answers, and you snort at his response. 

luke smiles softly at you, and you feel your cheeks heat up. you hate when he does that. when he looks at you like you’re the only person he could possibly dream about. there are days where there's such deep admiration for you in his eyes, you wonder if he leaves burnt offerings in your name instead of the gods.

you turn his face in the opposite direction and whisper, “don’t do that.” 

“do what?” he asks nonchalantly.  

“you know what,” you answer, shooting him a pointed look. 

luke grins. it’s proud and cocky, telling you that he knows exactly what he’s doing. his brown eyes crinkle at the corners, and his scar bunches up with the upturn of his lips. you think he looks the prettiest in this moment; in the dark of the night, with messy curls, grimy skin, and a vibrant smile. you turn again, so that your legs are draped across his lap, and wrap your left arm around the back of his neck. luke’s left hand, the one previously resting against your side, lands on your right thigh, and he squeezes the flesh there as he kisses your temple. 

“do you think we moved too fast?” you ask, taking the vape from his right hand. 

luke waits, expecting you to take a hit, but you just look at him with eager eyes.

“i think we’re doing everything right,” he explains. 

his words hold a deeper meaning that you refuse to acknowledge at the moment. you know what’s going on, but you don’t want to think about it. what would mother say?, you wonder. you lean your head against luke’s shoulder, nose brushing against the crook of his neck, and close your eyes.

“do you think icarus knew he was falling to his death?” luke asks, breaking the silence.

it takes you a moment, but you respond, “maybe. i’m not sure.”

“i mean he was flying the whole time, and then suddenly, he’s plummeting into the mediterranean,” luke continues, taking the vape from your hand.  

“maybe he wanted to die,” you reply, tilting your head to meet his brown eyes. 

a confused expression overcomes luke’s face, propelling you to continue on: “he must have known that the sun would melt the wax, and then his wings would break. i think icarus meant to die, trying to send a message to daedalus or even maybe the gods.”

luke ponders your words for a minute. the gears in his head turning as he contemplates the truth behind your theory. is that what we’re doing?, he wonders. the brewing plans between the two of you linger over his head like a dark cloud, but he can’t bring himself to regret anything.

“so icarus had a greater purpose…like us,” luke observes, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

“exactly,” you answer, leaning into his side. 

luke hands the vape back to you, and you pocket it for good this time. he exhales deeply, engulfing you in a cloud of mango-scented smoke. it burns your lungs, but at least you feel something, which is more than you can say as of lately. 

“i just want to be happy,” luke announces. 

“happy and free,” you decide, kissing his cheek delicately.

taglist: @percabethlvr @iwantahockeyhimbo @hottiewifeyyyy @loveryoushouldcomeoverr @used2beee @harrysnovia @cami-is-reading @mxtokko @cxcillia @obxstiles @maraschinocherry3

[beautyofaphrodite]

Aphrodite Epithets

okay okay I know I talk a lot about Her epithets I know. But I just posted a bunch of polls about Her epithets and didn’t add the meanings and also some of my other lists of epithets aren’t this detailed so here you go!

Domain Epithets

Ambologêra: Delaying/Postponing Old Age

Anadyomene: Goddess Rising from the Sea

Androphonos: Killer of Men

Anosia: Unholy

Antheia: The Blooming

Apatouros: Decieving one

Aphrogenia: Foam Born

Apostrophia: Averter of (Unlawful Desires)

Apotrophia: The Expeller

- “Expelled from the hearts of men the desire after sinful pleasure and lust” (theoi.com)

Areia: Of Ares; the Warlike

Despoina: The Ruling Goddess; The Mistress

Dia: Divine; Shining

Dionaea: Daughter of Dione

Dios Thugater: Daughter of Zeus

Doritis: Bountiful

Eleemon: Merciful

Enoplios: Armed

Epistrophia: She who Turns to (Love)

Erototrophus: Mother of Love

Euploia: Fair Voyage

Eustephanos: Richly Crowned; Well Girdled

Gamêlii: Protector or Goddess of Marriage

Genetyllis: Protectress of Births

Hera: Of Hera; Of Marriage

Hoplismena: Armed

Kallipygos: Round of Form

Kataskopia: Spying;Peeping

Khrysee: Golden

Kopois: Of the Garden

Limenia/Limenitês/Limenodkopos: Protectress of the Harbor

Makhantis: Deviser; Contriver

Mechanitis: Skilled at Inventing

Melaenis: The Dark

Migontis: Union (Marital)

Morpho: of Fair Shape; of Shapely Form

Nikêphoros: Bringer of Victory

Nymphia: Bridal

Ourania: Heavenly

Pandemos: Common to All People

Peitho: Persuasion

Philomides: Laughter-Loving

Philomedes: Genital-Loving

Pontia: Of the Sea

Pothon Mater: Mother of Desire

Praxis: Action (Sexual)

Psithyristês: Whispering

Skotia: Dark One

Symmakhia: Ally (In Love)

Tymborychos: Grave-Digger

Xenia: of Foreigners

Location Epithets

Akidalia: the well Acidalius near Orchomenos where Aphrodite swam with the Graces

Akraia: Temples were situated on hilltops

Amathusia: Amathus in Cyprus

Amyklaios: Of Amyclae (Laconia)

Aphakitis: Aphace in Coele-Syria

Aracynthus: Mount Aracynthus

Kastinia: Of Mt Castium (Pamphylia)

Knidia: Cnidus in Caria

Kôlias: Attic promontory of Colias

Kypria/Kyprus/Kyprogenia/Kyprogenes: Cyprus-Born

Kytheria/Kytherias: Cythera in Crete, or from the island of Cythera

Erukinê: Eryx, in Sicily

Idalia: Idalion in Cyprus

Melinaia: Argive town Meline

Migônitis: Migonium, in or near the island of Cranne in Laconia

Paphia: Paphos in Cyprus

Pyrenaea: Of Pyrenees Mts (Gaul)

Syria Dea: Syrian Goddess (Syrian Aphrodite refers to Astarte, a Syrian goddess similar to Aphrodite)

Zephyritis: Zephyrium in Egypt

Zerynthia: Zerinthus in Thrace

Sources: theoi.com and wikipedia mostly

[storiesofsvu]

Decadent Desires Ch 17

Emily Prentiss x reader warnings: language, alcohol, super late night deep somewhat emotional conversations, explicit and not so explicit smut. 6.5k

There wasn’t a single spot on the entire island that wasn’t stunning, sun soaked, full of fresh air and the utmost of relaxation. No matter where in the resort that you and Emily wandered off to, you always found yourselves in a tranquil oasis, bonus points if it had unlimited delicious food and heavily poured drinks. The Nava Beach Club was in the heart of the resort, on the crest of the beach surrounding various pools with stunning lagoon views. Much like other areas the entertainment varied throughout the day, a DJ currently setting the fun tone for an ideal afternoon. Beach loungers, high top and low top tables scattered through the space; certain areas seemed to have servers while others appeared to be bar service only. You and Emily were closer to the bar, opting to stay at a small table that had a huge umbrella blocking the beating sun, thankful for the shade and breeze coming off the water.

You’d decided on sharing multiple plates of food, wanting to try as many of the different offerings as you could while slowly working your way through the drink menu. Your free hand lay across the small table top, Emily regularly picking it up in hers without even noticing, her fingers tapping along to the rhythm of the music against your palm. You let out a soft breath as a breeze wafted through the air, nearly shivering at the way it made the loose hairs along your neck tickle at your skin. Emily’s eyes drifted from what had been turned into a dance floor and a group of younger guys attempting to breakdance to the table so she could pick up her drink. They drifted a little further and landed on you and she did her best not to stare. You’d certainly got some sun over the last couple of days, your skin practically glowing, your hair was still in the braid she’d put in, though many more pieces had come undone, drifting around your face in the low wind. Her hand reached out, fingers deftly picking a larger piece, tucking it back into its appropriate spot in the braid. Without even realizing it, your lips curved up into a soft smile and you leant into the touch.

“You planning on swimming when we get back?” She asked, hand returning to her glass to take a sip.

“Hmm?” You pulled your eyes away from the shoreline, turning to face her.

“Your usual nightly dip in the ocean?”

“Oh, yeah.” You laughed, a blush across your cheeks that she was certain wasn’t from the sun, “gotta take advantage while I can.”

“Good.” She smiled softly, her hand reaching out to tuck another large piece back into the slightly mussed braid, “your hair will hold a tighter braid if it’s wet.”

“And here I was thinking you didn’t know anything about hair care.” You teased, a laugh sweet as honey coming from your lips and Emily felt her cheeks heating this time.

“I know enough.” She shrugged, “and I think you’d look pretty cute with two braids.”

“Oh?” You raised a brow, “we’re going for cute now?”

“Oh—ar—c’mon.” She groaned and you laughed, scooping up your glass.

“I’m only teasing.” As you stood, you leant over, your free hand directing her face to yours to steal a kiss, “I’m gonna swing by the bathroom then grab another round, what’d you want?”

“Anything but that fucking blue drink.”

“Alright.”

With a small smile on your lips you picked up her now empty glass, crossing the space to drop them off at the bar before disappearing inside. Emily kept her eyes on you the entire time, partially out of instinct and partially because it was hard as hell not to, the bikini you’d chosen today was clearly a Tony pick. Smaller than the others, extremely form fitting and minimal yet somehow giving your tits the perfect amount of support. You had a cover up tied around your waist in a mock skirt like fashion, but that still left pretty little to the imagination.

Her hands picked at the basket of fries in front of her, half playing with her food as she was lost in thought before she finally managed to pick one up, popping it in her mouth and her eyes shifted back to the beach.

“Excuse me,” an elderly voice broke through her daydream and she glanced towards where it came form, “I’m so sorry to bother you.”

“Oh, no worries.” Emily let out a small laugh, nearly shifting into professional mode as she took in the older woman who’d stopped at their table.

“I know this may sound weird, but you two have been in our eyeline all afternoon, we couldn’t help but notice just how adorable you are.” She glanced over Emily’s shoulder and when Emily did the same she saw an older man, assumedly the woman’s husband a few tables back giving her a bright smile and wave that she returned. “Something about new love in paradise just makes us so nostalgic. You seem so happy, are you celebrating your honeymoon?”

“Oh!” She stuttered suddenly, “Uh, thank you, oh! Oh, no, no…. we’re just uh.. on vacation.” Her eyes darted over to where you’d disappeared to and the woman chuckled at her reaction, especially as Emily tensed, fidgeting in her chair.

“Oh…” she grinned, “perhaps it’s too early for that kind of celebration?” She raised a knowing eyebrow, “don’t be so nervous about it sweetheart, you’ll give away the surprise.”

“No, I,” She laughed awkwardly, “no, that’s not. I dunno.”

“Mum’s the word.” She smiled softly, “either way, you and your girlfriend enjoy your vacation. I’m sure you’ll make memories you’ll never forget.” She winked at her, a hand reaching out to squeeze her shoulder, “my husband and I got engaged here too and we do our best to make it down every couple of years. A place like this, you always want to come back to.”

“Yeah… thanks.” Emily mustered up the best smile she could, not bothering to correct any of the woman’s missteps.

It would take too much explaining, too much awkward explaining and that wasn’t even if she started to include the whole sugar baby thing. Something about the entire interaction, as flustered as it made her, also made her stomach fill with butterflies. There certainly was something about this place that she was sure she’d never forget. Beginning to chew on her thumbnail she was suddenly craving that fresh drink, a couple ounces of eighty proof rum disguised in tropical juices would certainly calm her racing pulse.

Rather than actually being able to calm down, a jolt was sent through her at the sound of your laugh wafting across the area. Her brow furrowed for a second until she found where it was coming from, catching her lip between her teeth at the sight of you somewhat cozied up to a shirtless man at the bar. A sinking feeling dropped into her stomach as she slouched back into her chair, her eyes narrowing at the man as he reached out, playing with the tie on your cover up. You at least playfully swatted his hand away, a glittering smile on your cheeks as you scolded him, shaking your head in his direction. Emily let out a muted grumble, picking up a cold French fry in an attempt to distract her, her eyes drifting back to the breakdancing bros. Whatever you were up to she didn’t need to watch it all go down.

“Bet you can’t do a shot without flinching.” The man offered up with a cocky smile and you scoffed.

“Are you choosing the shot?”

“How do you feel about tequila?”

“Only if it’s top shelf.” You bartered back, watching as he flagged the bartender over to order.

“You want anything else?” He asked and your head tilted.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, get whatever you want.”

You tried to hold back the smirk on your lips, your hand squeezing gently at his bicep as you turned to the bartender, “two Mai Tai’s please.”

“So she’s a fruity drink girl.” He teased, sliding the shot over to you, “you sure you can handle this?”

“You had no idea what I can handle.” This time you let the smirk take over your lips, clinking your glass against his before throwing back the shot. You’d spent enough time rallying in political circles, hard liquor didn’t affect you, especially not smooth expensive tequila, your lips remaining curved in a smile as you watched the man wince, immediately reaching for a lime wedge and a small giggle broke out from your mouth.

“Damn.” He pulled the lime from his mouth, tucking it into the empty shot glass, “you really are built different.”

“So I’ve been told.” You replied with a smile, leaning up against the bar with crossed arms, your chest pressing up even more and you could feel his eyes lingering. “You here with friends?”

“Yeah.” He gestured back to the group on the dance floor, some of whom were successfully breakdancing, “boys trip. Celebrating a big win at work.”

“Mmm.” You nodded to the bartender as your drinks were slid over to you, picking one up to take a sip as you studied the man in front of you, “let me guess…. finance?”

He pulled a face, surprise taking over his eyes as he let out a small laugh, “how’d you figure that?”

“Wall Street boys need coke to have fun.” You ticked it off on your first finger, continuing to do so as you went, “blue collar boys would be an at all inclusive in Mexico not here, politicians are either at home with their families or somewhere like this with their mistresses, and lawyers don’t know how to have that much fun.” You gestured in the direction of his group and he laughed.

“Wow. Right on the nose.” He picked up his drink, “and what about you? Model? Actress? Something with fashion?”

You snorted into your drink, holding back an eye roll. At least the guy was complimentary without being sleazy, he could give Tony a run for his money. “Yeah right.”

“Well,” he nudged at your arm, “what’re you into?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Then how about, I put your drinks on my tab for the rest of the weekend, and you let me in on at least one?”

“You’re insane.” You laughed, knowing there was no way this guy had enough money to cover a tab like that with the costs of the drinks here.

“I mean, pretty girl like you, doesn’t deserve to pay for drinks.” He shrugged, “how about we settle for the rest of the day?”

“I guess I’ll have to accept.”

“There we go.” He clinked his glass with yours, a grin on his lips, “and I mean, after dinner, maybe if you’re interested, could always swap over to room service, you could come check out how nice the beach front villas are?”

You chuckled softly as he shifted closer, daring you to make the next move and you could feel Emily’s eyes burning into your back. “As enticing as that might sound, I really don’t think she would like that to much.” Your voice nearly husked into his ear as you pushed at his shoulder, turning his back to the bar and you were both able to catch Emily staring. “Beach front villa must be nice but she already splurged on an overwater one for us.”

The man let out an embarrassed laugh, as if he was caught passing notes in class, his cheeks tinging as he raised his drink in Emily’s direction. “Sorry, my bad.” He sheepishly waved at her, glancing between the two of you as he recollected himself, “damn. Look at the two of you, talk about a pair of hotties, your girlfriend’s a minx.”

You let out a loud laugh, to unbothered to correct him “okay, that’s enough.”

“I’m not flirting, promise, I’m just stating the obvious.” He defended with a laugh, pulling another one from you.

“Don’t I know it.”

“Hey,” he caught your hand before you could pick up Emily’s drink, “let me buy you a second round and some shots, I didn’t mean to step on any toes.”

You didn’t deny him, shrugging as the bartender signalled for someone to help you bring the tray of drinks back over to the table. The man gave you a small wave, saying he’d see you around and wishing the two of you a good night.

Emily felt the tension leaving her body as you reapproached the table, the man turning back to the bar, she figured at the very least he’d be staring at you the entire walk over. Her eyes widened at the tray of drinks beside you, her brow furrowing when they were all placed down onto your table.

“Did…did you just flirt your way into free drinks?” She asked and you laughed.

“Not intentionally. But it worked didn’t it.” You took a sip of yours, “and we’re on his tab for the rest of the day.”

“Damn.” Emily whistled, picking up her drink, “those extra skills really do work.”

“I think it was less about my political navigational skills and more about the fact that my tits are basically falling out of this top.”

“Hey, he’s not complaining.” She teased, “and if I not only get free drinks but also get that view, neither am I.”

“Please.” You chuckled over the rim of your glass, “you get to do a lot more than just look at them.”

“Yeah?” Emily’s hand slid up your thigh, “last time I checked, you liked that…”

“Mmm… very much so.”

She leant in, stealing a kiss from your sticky lips, “maybe we should take the rest of this back to the villa?”

“I wouldn’t complain about that.”

**

Emily found it amusing that no matter where in the world you were, or what you were doing, you still couldn’t break a morning routine. Practically every day of the trip you’d been up and gone from the villa for the beachfront yoga, making sure to get your body moving and stretched out as the sun rose. She enjoyed the mornings she got to wake up tangled in your limbs, but she had to admit the yoga mornings were nice too. Today she’d made coffee and picked up a book, settling herself on one of the loungers outside to get a start on her day.

She didn’t hear the lock beep, you’d likely come in through the terrace, she was so focused on her book it was only the splash you made while diving into the ocean that brought her back to earth. She watched as you surfaced, brushing a couple of loose hairs off your face before swimming a couple of laps to help cool your skin off. She was now very much not focused on her book as you pulled yourself up onto the deck and your bikini was absolutely clinging to your skin, leaving basically nothing to the imagination. She gulped, feeling a tingling between her legs and the deep desire to lick the water droplets off your skin. You squeezed out what you could from the flimsy fabric, crossing to the outdoor bar to grab a juice, glancing up when she spoke.

“I have to admit, this warm weather’s nice. Getting to see you wandering around in nothing but a bikini is an incredible bonus.” The smirk was ever present on her lips and you laughed, a sparkle in your eye as you glanced around, placing the juice back down.

“Well… we’ve got a totally private villa, terrace and pool. Who needs a swim suit?” Your hands swiftly went to the knots, undoing the straps and letting the fabric fall to the floor. With a little grin, your body now completely bare you picked up the juice again, along with a hand towel so you wouldn’t damage your own book as you approached the other lounger.

Emily though, had other ideas, not even giving you the chance to sit down before she grabbed your hand and you let out a little yelp as she yanked you down onto her lounger. Her lips immediately wrapping around a nipple, sucking it into her mouth and a moan was falling from your lips.

*

If asked, neither of you would have been able to figure out how many rounds you went that day. Once Emily laid eyes on your naked body walking around the villa there was no way she was going to keep her hands to herself and if she started to lose steam it only took a few seconds for you to flip her over and have your way with her.

What started on the lounger with hands and mouths roaming each other’s bodies morphed into something that needed more space and you were stumbling over to the daybed overlooking the ocean. More freedom to move around, more angles and positions to explore, the subtle rocking of the bed intensifying the sparks firing through you. On the breaks where both of you were out of breath, left panting against the bed, bodies glistening in a sheen of sweat, there were breaks for snacks, water and most importantly, cocktails, endless amounts of cocktails. Sometimes the post orgasmic haze got the best of you, the sun warm on your bodies, Emily wrapping her cover up back over her as the heat coaxed both of you in and out of little cat naps throughout the day.

As the sun sunk in the sky you stumbled your way back inside, still intoxicated with each other, the fuzziness of the cocktails driving you even more wild to keep your hands wandering. It was well past midnight, the moon high in the sky, rain drizzling from the few clouds floating around by the time you were both finally so physically exhausted you’d gotten your fill of each other. It wasn’t clear if it was humidity brought with the rain that was hanging thick in the air, or your endless amounts of orgasms, sweat and saliva that was making everything feel a little sticky. Heat wafting off both of your naked bodies, the bed covers were shoved aside, the floor to ceiling windows pushed wide to take advantage of the breeze.

The television was turned on, the usual middle of the night rom com playing on mute, your eyes drifting between it and the moonlit sea. You were laying on your side, half draped over Emily, her arm around you, her chest rising and falling in time with the waves crashing against the sand. It was almost too peaceful, listening to the rain gently hitting the ocean, the water rippling with each drop.

Your fingertips tickled across her skin, highlighted by the moonlight, it wasn’t often Emily left her stomach exposed, if she wasn’t busy fucking you she’d pulled her cover up back on. There was a heightened part of her skin, practically glowing in the moonlight and your fingers couldn’t help but trace a featherlight trail over the scar. Emily’s hand began trailing up and down your spine, lulling you into a sense of comfort, your breathing matching hers and the waves, there was just enough alcohol left in both your systems to have you utterly relaxed, comfortable a middle of the night blanket thick over any worries you’d had before.

“It was a long time ago.” Emily finally spoke, feeling your fingers begin their third trace around the faint scar in her abdomen. Your hand stalled, one finger at a time lifting off her skin before tapping gently and continuing its pattern, as if you weren’t sure you wanted to know. Emily’s lips brushed against the top of your head, reassuring you that it was okay, “he’s dead now and I’d do it again to protect who I was protecting.”

You pressed a kiss into her collarbone, your hand stilling, falling curved around her waist as you pondered on your next words. “You must have to be really strong to do your line of work, incredibly brave.”

Emily practically snorted, a laugh leaving her lips, “I’m not sure if you’d call it brave or self reckless endangerment.”

“You have a bit of a wild streak?” You asked with a tease and she nodded. “How many times have you been hurt in the field?”

She paused, pulling her lower lip between her teeth, wondering if you actually wanted her to list every single one of them off. The sound of rain pattering on the villa roof and the feeling of your heart beating against her side reminded her that this was a comfort space, not really a time for show and tell.

“Enough that it doesn’t scare me anymore.” She replied.

“Somehow I think that’s even scarier.” You murmured softly, your fingertips beginning to rub at her body again, as if memorizing the shapes on contours of her skin.

Emily hummed, not ready to agree and say that you were probably right, instead she pressed another kiss to the side of your head. “I guess it comes with being married to the job. I’ve been doing it so long I’ve kind of accepted my fate, I’ve walked into the hands of death before, maybe it isn’t actually so bad. If putting myself on the line is what I have to do to make sure my team doesn’t get hurt and stays safe then…so be it.”

Your hand stalled in its movements again, curling deeper around her so it was buried under the small of her back, tucked against the bed as you nuzzled deeper into her. She felt a wave of comfort soothe through her, as if you were her own personalized weighted blanket, calming her heart and racing mind, keeping her safe.

“The other members of your team aren’t the only important ones.” You finally spoke, voice hushed over the noise of the waves.

“I guess…” she half acknowledged it with a sigh, “they’ve got family, kids, people who expect them to come home in time for dinner, best I’ve got part time custody of an elderly cat who I’m sure isn’t going to be along for much longer.”

You didn’t reply, simply continued tracing patterns across Emily’s skin, her eyes glanced downward to see if she could get a read on you but all she could see was your eyes staring out toward the ocean, a ghost of a smile on your face. Finally, your lips kissed her body again,

“Your team is your family, they are your friends, and I bet they feel that way too.” You shifted your head up, your eyes glittering in the moonlight, the corner of your lips threatening to curve up and she new there was some kind of a tease coming, “besides, who else is gonna keep me company and spoil me with lavish vacations if you’re not around?”

Emily barked out a laugh, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she swatted at your ass. You let out a playful shriek as she suddenly flipped you onto your back, caging you into the bed.

“Oh? Keep you company and take you on trips? That’s all I do? Really?”

Her eyes darkened at the devilish grin on your lips before you surged up to kiss her, tugging her body down onto yours.

**

Emily’s head was thrown back into the pillows, her eyes scrunched tightly shut as her pussy pulsed around your fingers. The small bag of toys lay off to the side of the bed, she’d intended to spend the afternoon using them on you and after one round you were quick to remind her she deserved pleasure and ultimate relaxation as well. Your fingers thrust in and out of her, juices leaking down your wrist, your face nuzzled into the crook of her neck, sucking and nipping at the supple skin. She was already panting, her hands grasping at your body when her peak hit her, crying out as her thighs shook.

“God…” you muttered, “you’re so hot when you come.” Your lips left a trail of messy kisses across her jawline as you sat up on your haunches, fingers still slowly pushing into her, “can I fuck you?”

“Thought you were already doing that.” She replied with a chuckle, her breath catching in her throat when your finger tips brushed the sensitive spot inside her.

“Technically.” You purred, pulling your fingers out, sucking them clean between your lips and she let out a low swear, “but you look so pretty coming on my fingers I just know you’d look even better coming around my cock.”

All it took was half a pout of your pretty lips and Emily was swearing again, her hand quickly digging into the bag to get what you needed. You let out a small giggle, leaning down to quickly kiss her before getting ready. Your hands soothed up her thighs, spreading her legs, double checking that she was okay before you ran the tip of the toy through her folds. A low groan escaped from the back of her throat and the moment you sunk into her pussy every single thought left her brain as pleasure took over everything. Stars blinked through her vision when you began to move, your body meeting hers with each thrust, lips wrapping around one side of her chest while your fingers toyed with the other. It didn’t take long for fireworks to begin bursting under her skin, her limbs wrapping around you, pulling you impossibly close as you fucked her. The weight of your body on hers sent a warmth blooming through her that had nothing to do with the way her pussy was squeezing around your cock or how hot your breath was on her neck as you urged her on.

A week in paradise and it wasn’t just the stars in the sky that Emily was seeing.

**

Your last night on the island came before either of you were ready, the little reminder about your yacht transfer back to the airport hanging on your doorhandle when you went to accept the breakfast room service. You lounged around in the villa, not wanting to ever leave or forget the incredible views, knowing you only had one last chance to fall asleep and then wake up to the ocean ever again.

Throughout the day you wandered the resort, taking advantage of the amenities you hadn’t gotten to yet. Snacks and drinks at the various beach huts, lunch at the delectable main restaurant and another dinner down at the beach barbeque as it had become your favourite. Though this time you didn’t stay long enough to see the sunset, instead, Emily grasped your hand in hers and lead you to a dock you hadn’t explored yet.

You were greeted with a small, glass bottomed boat, a captain and a steward to complete your journey out into the ocean. There were tapas to eat, and unlimited champagne offered as the boat coasted out into the water, the bottom giving you a birds eye view of the incredible wildlife. You came to a stop once you were out far enough, the steward telling you which directions to keep you eye on as there were always dolphins at this time of night that were incredibly friendly.

You naturally sunk into Emily’s side, a happy grin on your face as your eyes scanned the horizon, little surprised gasps leaving your lips at the sight of a dolphin breaking the surface of the ocean. Emily’s fingers tickled at your shoulder, though her gaze was just as distracted as yours and you couldn’t help but smile, admiring the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Leaning in you pressed a kiss to her shoulder and her arm wrapped tighter around you, her eyes finally tearing away from the water. With admiration taking over her face she leant in, kissing you softly, her lips moving with grace against your own and you let out a gentle hum into the kiss. If a perfect night to end a perfect vacation existed, this was it.

*

Emily stirred in her sleep, while she had become completely accustomed to the sounds of the ocean overnight something about it was louder than earlier and she began to wonder if it was storming. She rolled over in the lush bed, her arm landing on what should have been your waist only to find your side of the bed empty. Opening her eyes she glanced around the room and immediately found why it was louder in the villa, one of the sliding doors had been pushed all the way open and she figured you must be outside.

She debated leaving you be, rolling over and going back to sleep for the rest of her last night in the almost too comfortable bed. But after a minute her brain had snapped fully awake, she knew that being up in the middle of the night wasn’t always a pleasurable thing and maybe company would help. So she slipped out of the bed, glancing around the deck, her eyes squinting in the dark moonlight, nose scrunching when she couldn’t see you. She stepped back inside, double checking the bathroom was actually empty before returning outside and making a sweep over by the daybed in case you’d fallen asleep over there. She was about to check if maybe you’d taken one of the bikes out for a mid night ride when she heard something softly splashing in the water off to her left.

Approaching the side of the deck she stopped with her feet at the edge, staring down at you in one of the overwater nets, your eyes gazing out to the horizon as one of your feet and hands trickled through the water.

“Ocean keeping you up?” She asked quietly.

You’d heard her coming, probably could have called out to let her know where you actually were before she started to panic, but you’d been having such a tranquil moment you hadn’t wanted to disturb it.

“No.” You replied, rolling your head to face her with a dreamy smile on your cheeks, “I love it.”

“You okay?” She thought she may as well double check.

“Perfect.” You sat up slightly, extending your hand to her, “c’mere.”

You tugged gently and Emily somehow gracefully tumbled into the net with a soft laugh, sitting beside you. You dropped back down, sprawling across the net as one of your hands returned to the water, your other one interlacing your fingers with hers.  Your gaze drifted to the sky above you, that happy smile returning to your face.

“The stars are so bright out here, I’m gonna miss it. And even in the middle of the night the water’s warm.” Your head tilted again as your hand flicked at the incoming waves, a quiet laugh escaping your lips, “god I love the ocean. I guarantee you I was a mermaid in a past life.”

Emily chuckled, her thumb brushing across your knuckles, “yeah? You grow up wishing you were Ariel?”

“Every fucking day.” You replied, your finger tips trailing through the water, “she was my favourite.” You let out an awkward laugh, “and I had a huge guilty pleasure for Aquamarine.” Your head rolled back to face Emily, a blush creeping into your cheeks, “I was probably too old for it when it came out but there was this bit about her wearing mini starfish as earrings and they’d whisper compliments and positive affirmations to her all the time. I loved it. Stupid, I know…”

You ducked your gaze, starting to chew on your lip as your hand began to play with Emily’s, she laughed softly, having absolutely no idea even what form of media you were talking about but she definitely didn’t think it was stupid.

“No… that’s adorable.” Her free hand reached out, pushing a piece of your now loose, wavy hair back behind your ear, her fingers lingering a little bit, gently pinching at your earlobe and lack of earrings before trailing down your jaw. “Was it strictly a mermaid thing? Or do you secretly have a hard on for Prince Eric?”

You snorted, cackling out a laugh, your hand clutching as your stomach, flicking salt water over the both of you that Emily didn’t give a care in the world about.

“If there’s anyone in that movie I had a hard on for it was Vanessa.”

“She was… the undercover version of the sea witch, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Your lips curved up on the side, amused by Emily’s description as your head rolled back to the side, looking out over the water. “I always identified with Ariel. She felt trapped somewhere that she didn’t belong, her dad never trusting her or letting her do what she wanted or go off and be herself. All she wanted was to be part of a different world, a chance to explore something new, something she was forever curious about. Rather than support her he forbid her, making her sit by the sidelines watching all these incredible things happening that she could be experiencing if it wasn’t for his doubts.”

You let out a soft sigh, both of your hands resting on your stomach now as you played with Emily’s hand in yours, your fingers tracing each one of the lines on her palm over and over again as if you were trying to memorize them.

“I think that must be why I ended up in the career field that I did. I always saw these really important, confident, powerful people, they knew exactly what they wanted and they got it. I wanted to be a part of that. To be important, impactful, have my own sense of power. I knew there was something different out there, something bigger, more fun, more influential. I always felt trapped whenever I was at home, like no one ever understood me, ya know?” Your head rolled back, your eyes searching Emily’s as she gazed down at you, an understanding smile on her face.

“Completely…” She nodded, a wave of relief washing through you as you let out a breath.

“Something about the ocean… it just makes me feel… free…”

 Emily’s free hand was on your hip, her thumb soothingly rubbing back and forth over the skin peeking out from your pj shorts. She knew exactly what you meant, the world seemed to stand still on calm nights like tonight with this view, everything was peaceful, everything was perfect. Which is exactly what you were thinking when you glanced back up to her, moonlight glittering across her skin, shining in her hair and she could see the stars sparkling in your eyes. It was the perfect moment. Your hand reached up, pushing her hair behind her ear with a soft smile on your cheeks, you couldn’t help the breath of a laugh, your gaze daring to duck.

“What?” Emily asked, lips curving up into a grin.

“Nothing.” You shook your head, your fingers trailing down her cheek, “you just look absolutely stunning right now.”

Blushing, she ducked her gaze, her eyes landing on her hand tangled in yours, warmth soothing through her from the touch as she breathed in the fresh air. You squeezed at her hand to get her attention, then tugged on it so she would topple over in the net, your arm wrapping around her, gently catching her. The hand on her cheek remained, thumb stroking at her soft skin as you leant in, kissing her tenderly.

Emily’s entire body relaxed into you, her arms loosely wrapping around your waist as your lips moved with grace. It was nothing hurried, nothing fierce, no huge fire behind it, hands didn’t roam, simply stayed in place, finger tips or thumbs rubbing soothingly as you held each other. Your tongue traced the seam of her lips and Emily let them drop open, easily welcoming you into her mouth. It wasn’t lazy, but it was relaxed, almost peaceful to be in the other’s arms as the ocean gently rocked underneath you. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d kissed somebody like this, the last time you’d felt this sensation of bliss, that it had felt so right to be exactly where you were with you who were with. There was absolutely no desire to be anywhere else, you were right where you were meant to be.

Your hand slid up Emily’s cheek, threading into her hair and she didn’t have a care in the world that it was wet, dampening her previously dried locks. All she cared about was the feeling of your lips on hers, moving with such perfect grace that it was like an invisible string had connected you all along. Her lips slipped off yours as the net rocked, her eyes fluttering open to find you gazing at her with a happy smile, she couldn’t help but return the gesture, leaning in to kiss you again and as much as she wanted to stay in that moment forever, her shoulder was beginning to cramp up. Very reluctantly she pulled away, leaving a kiss on the tip of your nose as her hand trailed through your hair.

“Okay as incredibly relaxing as the ocean is, I’m way too fucking old to spend any longer in this net.”

The laugh that left your lips was loud, your eyes glittering as Emily joined in, thankful for moments like this. She climbed out of the net, reaching her hand back down to help you out, her arm winding around your waist as you padded across the deck back to the villa. You paused in the doorway, turning back to the ocean and starry sky and let out a soft sigh.

“I really am gonna miss it here.”

“Well…” Emily’s lips brushed your temple, “guess that just means we’ll have to come back.”

Your head titled to face her, a childlike wonder written in your eyes, “yeah?”

“Yeah.” She smiled, leaning in to kiss you once more, a warmth wrapping around both of you as you giggled softly into the kiss, pulling her impossibly close to you.

“Thank you.” You murmured, your lips brushing against hers as you spoke and she hummed in response, unable to tear herself away from you, relaxing deeper into the kiss. Sparks flickered through you, feeling her lips against yours, her finger tips rubbing at the back of your neck, the warmth blooming through your chest.

If you absolutely had to leave paradise, if there must be a final night for you to feel the salt air on your skin and listen to the soft waves at least it was a night like tonight. A night that you thought you were going to spend hours watching the ocean alone, dreaming those far off dreams from when you were a kid. But instead of being on your own you were met with a force of warmth, compassion and support and it just so happened that force was in the shape of Emily.  

__________________

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[witless-winion1]

Reread your fic and it got me thinking:

God Games reprise/parody but it's the crew in the afterlife discussing whether to help Odysseus during 600 strike. Different arguments and stuff but same musical structure.

After getting Perimedes but to the tune of the Aphrodite name intro in God Games stuck in my head, I need to share this concept with someone. Uh, Polities is Athena and the one in Odysseus's defense. Eurylochus gets Ares' bit (the Ares, Ares intro chant is Euryl-ochus). Elpenor gets Apollo's part. Idk who the others are. Zeus's bit is Hades because they're trying to convince him to let them leave the Underworld temporarily to go kick his brother's ass (except he's not a sore loser).

oh my god

oh my god

OH MY GOD

OH MY-

HOLY SHIT THATS-

wiaitwoaiyeaitwaitwaitwait

H A N G ON

Thank you for rereading my fanfic!!! :)

I feel like Eurylochus would be better as Hephaestus because he has MANY MIXED FEELINGS that cancel out to become a real emotional neutrality, like Hephaestus’s stoic neutrality, and both are one push away from deciding in the other’s favor. Does that make sense? I’m incomprehensible when excited

There’s not enough named men in EPIC to fill every role, so we might have to get…creative…

Thank you, you’ve cursed my brain to loop ✨~Periiimeeddeeesss~✨ or elPEnor 🦜

Zeus- Hades

Athena- Polites

Apollo- Elpenor (argument: Ody didn’t care enough to notice when he died on Circe’s island) (counter argument is that he was stressed tf out and still high on moly, he wasn’t great at counting heads, also it was Elpenor’s fault for getting drunk, like how Athena basically says “the sirens were trying to kill him, you dolt”)

Hephaestus- Eurylochus (the argument is literally the same as Hephaestus’s, but he’s on the verge of tears) (Poli just kinda murmurs something about it being many people’s fault, including Eury’s, and then hugs him, and Eury just barely chokes out his agreement)

Aphrodite- Perimedes (argument: is sacrificed six men to Scylla! And he gestures to six traumatized souls in the corner— counter argument is that there was no other way unless they’d all rather get thrashed by Poseidon instead of only six being eaten by Scylla) (or maybe he just points out how stupid it was to fix himself to the Cyclopes, and Poli goes “..a guy can make mistakes, can’t he? He’s just a man…”

Ares- ……an older, gruffer solider that’s bitter with Ody for just giving into Zeus’s demand to choose instead of using his Buff Brain like he has been this whole time (with the counter-argument that it’s LITERALLY ZEUS, KING OF GODS)? Or Hades pulls up a Trojan guard/solider that got killed, but idk how Polites would convince him…

Hera- I’m thinking either a) Persephone (because Zeus used his wife and also Persephone wanted to be included and Hades wasn’t gonna tell her no), and she’s already kinda “I’m fine with letting him go but I wanna mess with this funny little pancake boy” or b) a killed siren that Hades fetches, but he accidentally grabs a younger one that had no idea what was really happening during the massacre and is really confused so she just goes “uh-um, who? Some guy who wants to get home? Sure go help him but first you gotta sing with me” (like Hera’s disco battle)

it’s be fun if we could add Tiresias, Anticlea, or Astyanax in, but that probably wouldn’t work because

Tiresias- I can see him being irritated by Ody screaming in his face like an angry owl; he would be a good option, but I can’t see him fitting anywhere here

Anticlea:- are you kidding? That’s just Hades rigging the game in Polites’ favor. She’d say “YES GO GET MY BOY BACK HOME. EVERYONE’S WWAAAAIIITTIIIINNNNGGG FOR HIM” before Polites could even open his mouth. The entire verse would literally just be harmonizing the Waiting motif.

Astyanax: it’s a baby.

I’m actually so tempted to write the song or a fanfic about this, bestie you’re a fucking genius I hope you understand that

if anybody has any ideas or points, please please share them!!! This is such a cool concept

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Outside the Lines 6

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsessive compulsive behaviour, kidnapping, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Reader has her routine and her fellow patient gets in the way of those.

Character: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, (lumberjack AU)

Note: I am tryn rotate through fics and such. Thanks for all your patience.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

You put away the last of the dishes. The smell of bacon hangs in the air as your stomach mulches the few bites you managed to swallow. You're trying but it's very hard to get used to it all. Dr. Makira always says change is difficult. 

Everything is just new and strange and confusing to you. Not just the walls you don't know but the men within them. You know that Steve is a hero and Bucky too, but you really don't know them. 

"Hey, sweetheart," Steve startles you as he enters behind you. "Looks good in here. Good job cleaning up." 

"Yes, sir, er, Captain," you correct yourself as you face him, looking down to keep between the borders. 

"Bucky just went to go get that label maker so it'll be just me and you for a bit," he nears the island and leans his elbows on it. Even as he curls his shoulders forward, he seems inconquerably large. "Do you want to do something fun?" 

"Fun? Oh, do you have books... Captain?" You tug on your ear three times and mouth the last word again. 

"Um, maybe later I'll dig some out. I was thinking we could play a game." 

"Play a game? Like, er, go fish?" You ask. 

"Yeah, how about... battleship?" 

"Battleship? I've never played that." 

"No? I thought it was really popular," he says. "Guess we can learn together." 

"Okay, I can do that, but uh... Captain? Don't I have other chores? Laundry?" You wonder. 

"Later," he assures you as he comes around the counter. He offers his hand. "You earned some fun." 

"Yes, Captain. I'm trying real hard, don't you know?" 

"I know it, sweetheart. I see it." He takes your hand and tugs you across the tile. You teeter and squeal as you arch your feet and walk on your toes to keep from crossing the lines. 

He brings you into the front room and points to the couch. You dutifully go ahead and sit in the middle. He goes to the standing cabinet at the wall and opens the doors. He takes out a box and nears. He sits beside you, close enough to touch you. 

He lifts the lid off and reveals a cluster of small pegs; red and white. They're all mixed up. It makes you feel itchy. You reach and take a handful and start dividing them by colour. He doesn't stop you. 

Instead, he takes out the boards and opens them like cases. There are grids marked with numbers and letters. 

"Alright, so, we can't look at each others' boards," he grabs the instruction booklet and scatters the pegs. You continue to sort through them. "Sweetheart, are you listening?" 

"Oh, yes, uh..." you keep your handful of pegs and pluck up a cushion, "I'll sit on the floor." 

"You don't have to, we can move the chair." 

"It's okay," you hurried circle the table and drop the cushion. You sit on your legs and keep sorting the pegs. You don't like that there mixed up. 

"So, you put your ships on the board wherever you want. I do the same thing. And then we guess where the other put theirs," he explains. "The red, you use to mark hits on your ships and the white, you mark up on this," he points to the verticle board, "your hits and misses too. The white are misses." 

"Hm, okay," you say as you keep the red and white pegs from rolling into each other. 

"Here are your ships," he takes out a handful of the little plastic boats. 

"Thank you, Captain." 

"Good girl," he praises again and you look up at him over your board. 

"Am I good?" 

"Of course," he smiles. 

You take the boats and line them up by size; smallest to biggest across the top row. That's nice and tidy. Steve takes longer to finish his. 

He looks up with a pinch between his brows, "you ready?" 

You nod. 

"You first," he says. 

"Me? What do I do?" 

"Guess. So you can look at your board and guess where you think I put my ships. So like... E4, and if you hit, I'll tell you. You can put red if you do. If you hit every spot on a ship, then you sunk my battleship." 

"Oh, right, right," you say. "Um, er..." you look on the board. "G2?" 

He glances down, "miss." 

You take a white peg and mark the space. He hums before he makes a guess. 

"I9," he says. 

"Miss," you chime then check the board, "hmmm, C4." 

"Nope," he puts a peg in where he missed. The board looks tiny in his large hands. "B2?" 

You shift and check the board, "hit." You pout and takes a red peg. "A8?" 

"Miss," he replies. You mark it. 

"B3?" He says. 

"Hit. Erm, D2?" 

"Miss. What about... B1?" 

You blink. All your ships are together. Oops. 

"Hit." 

Your next guess is a miss too. Then he hits. He sinks the smallest ship with A1. 

"Oh, I lost a boat," you say. 

"It's not over until you lose them all," he says. "How about we add some extra fun?" 

"Um, what?" You ask. 

"We could make it more interested. How about, each time we sink a ship, we... give the other person a kiss." 

You squeak, "what?" 

"Yeah, it'll be nice," he goads. 

"But... but..." you chew your lip as he stares at your mouth. 

"Just a peck, sweetheart," he purrs. 

"Mmm, but, mmm, I don't know." 

"Come on," he pleads. "It's just a kiss." 

"I... I..." you stare at him. It must be a part of the plan. You're not very good at being close to others. Touching is tough but you've been working to move past those things. "Okay." 

"So... I sunk your ship," he taunts with a playful tilt of his head. 

"Um, right," you push yourself up with the table. You reluctantly traipse around and wring your hands together.  

He offers his cheek and taps it. You bend and hover just before it. You quickly peck, his beard tickling you, then retreat, ducking to hide behind the board. 

"Oh, your lips are soft," he says. 

"Thank you, Captain," your voice comes out in a whisper. 

"Your go," he prompts. 

"Oh, uh... E9." 

"Hit," he says. 

"Oh!" you grab a red peg. 

"Good job," he returns and gives a thoughtful hum. "Mmmm, C3?" 

You mutter, "hit." 

"Alright," he comments with a hint of surprise. He probably didn't expect so many together. Did he figure it out? 

"E10?" 

"Miss. B3?" 

You groan. He knows! You could move it. No, you wouldn't be able to do it without moving the whole board. 

"You sunk another," you utter. 

"Ooh, other cheek?" He wonders hopefully. 

Your face is on fire. You stand up and go around the other side of the table. You stare at his flannel shirt. You can't bare to look him in the eye. You bend and plant another kiss, one he leans into until your lips smush on his cheek. 

You recoil and once more resume your place on the cushion. He purrs again. 

"You're go," he urges. 

You guess randomly. You forget to check where you hit. It's another miss. You don't even want to sink his ships. The kissing is too much. 

Several back and forths and a third ship goes down. You feel like crying. You didn't really think about the rules before you put the ships on the board. You're so stupid. 

"Come here," Steve cooes. 

You get up, slouching shyly as you approach. You bend to kiss his cheek but he surprises you as he turns and you meet his lips instead. His hand catches the back of your head before you can react. 

He smothers you, locking you in place, and you push on his chest. You whine as his tongue slides over your lips. You don't like that. 

He lets you go and you stumble back, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. 

"What's wrong?" He asks. 

"Captain, I... I'm not used to it. I never... I'm sorry," you stop and sway on the other side of the table. 

"Ah, sweetheart, of course, it's alright. The more you do it, the better it'll be." He coaxes. 

"Oh, okay," you get back to your knees. "F9?" 

"Shoot! You hit. Sink." 

"Huh?" You flinch at the last word, "really?" 

"Got the small one," he says as he gets up. "My turn to pay my dues." 

"Oh, that's... that's-- You don't have to." 

"Fair is fair," he reaches for you, latching onto your upper arm to force you up.  

You stand knowing that resistance is not an option. Not only is he stronger, but you want to be good. You want to get better. That's all you've ever wanted.  

He guides you to face him and you tremble. It's much more intimidating like this. He cups your chin as he gazes down at you. You gulp. 

He bends and your body goes rigid. He tilts your head and presses his mouth to yours. The tip of his tongue flicks along the crease of your lips but he doesn't persist. He parts with a pleased drone. 

"See, we both win," he says. 

You pull away and sit. Your scalp is on fire. You don't know how much more you can handle. Dr. Makira always said change shouldn't come all at once. 

He clears his throat and sits again. He grins over his board before he refocuses. He rubs his chin as his thinks. His blue irises glimmer. 

"D1." 

Yep. You figured. 

"Hit." 

It isn't difficult for him to go down the ship. Hit. Hit. Hit. 

He wins again. 

"Steve-- Captain," you say as fidget. "I don't think-- I can't." 

"Aw, sweetheart, you already did it. You're so good." 

"But... er, I'm... I don't know." 

"Here," he waves you up and shifts over on the couch.  

You flick your lashes and stand. You go to him as he extends his arms. He puts his hands on your hips and draws you between his knees. 

"I just think you need to slow down. You're not taking your time," he says.  "So, just go at your own pace," he brings his hands up to frame your face, pushing your hair back, rubbing your cheekbones with his thumbs. "Alright, I'm yours, sweetheart." 

He closes his eyes and puckers expectantly. You stare back. He's being nice, you think. He's not angry. He hasn't hurt you. You'd like to keep it that way. 

You gather your courage and lean in. You put your hands on his shoulders and close your eyes just before your lips meet. His beard tickles you again as his hands stretch around your head. 

He holds his lips to yours and gently opens his mouth. He pokes with his tongue and you twitch. He keeps you in place. You surrender to his diligent effort and let him in. 

He tilts his head as he invades your mouth. You garble around him and clutch the seam of his shirt. You feel his muscles beneath. He's stronger than you, remember that. 

When he finally pulls away, you're woozy. He lets his hand fall down your neck and he feels along the top of your dress. As his speaks, his voice scrapes in his throat. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asks. 

[sweetteaanddragons]

Maedhros in Troy AU: Outcome

Okay, so with the Maedhros in Troy AU, I have spent way more time on Maedhros than Odysseus.

BUT.

I think Odysseus might be the key to how this whole situation gets resolved.

Consider:

Odysseus finds Elured and Elurin and tries to find a way out of the woods. In the process, he comes across some of the other refugees from Doriath, who are very relieved to see their princes and very grateful to the man who rescued them. For lack of better ideas, Odysseus stays with them.

(He doesn't recognize these stars. How is he supposed to get home if he can't even recognize the stars - )

The refugees head to Sirion. Eventually, they manage to get past the language barrier well enough to communicate.

None of the elves know where Ithaca is, sorry, or how he might have gotten here, they don't know anyone who would know - except the Valar, of course, ha-ha -

The who? Odysseus asks, very interested.

Oh, well, the Valar, these superpowered not quite all knowing beings who live across the ocean -

That ocean? he asks, pointing, just to be sure.

(This is the man who saw Aeolus's island and decided he was going to climb it. Who was told to go to the Underworld and didn't hesitate. He is absolutely going to try to sail west.)

This is a bad idea, the elves say hastily. Everyone who has tried to sail west has been forced to turn back or die.

Odysseus tries anyway.

He is forced to turn back.

He keeps trying.

In between attempts, he picks up some knowledge of the Silmaril. He doesn't care about it particularly; he just can't avoid picking up on some things about it.

Like the fact the Valar, at least at one time, badly wanted it.

Odysseus steals the Silmaril and makes another attempt.

The Valar have so many questions for him when he shows up.

He does get back to Ithaca, though.

In less than twenty years.

(The Valar, in fixing this situation, also get Maedhros back. There are many awkward things about this situation; the Valar have the Silmaril but don't really consider themselves to rightfully hold it given how Odysseus got it in the first place; Maedhros is an exile who is not supposed to be in Valinor and who does not want to be here, and now they have to decide what to do about that - )

(It does not help the awkwardness that Maedhros, who has had to deal with Zeus's tantrums over his refusal to kill a baby, Aphrodite's tantrums for reasons he's not sure he wants to understand, Athena's demands to know where Odyssues is, Hephaestus and Ares being what they thought was helpful, Apollo's curse on Cassandra, and everyone's general surprise when he didn't think human sacrifice was the best solution for placating the storms - )

(Maedhros looks at the Valar thoughtfully and decides that, for all his problems with the Valar, he respects the fact that they are not the Olympians.)

(The Valar are deeply concerned with what they hear about the Olympians.)

(This may influence their decision that while the Trojans can't stay here-here in Aman, they can stay in Middle Earth.)

(Maybe with the Edain on that island they were thinking of raising . . .)

[reasonsforhope]

"The New York City Council voted to ban most uses of solitary confinement in city jails Wednesday [December 20, 2023], passing the measure with enough votes to override a veto from Mayor Eric Adams.

The measure would ban the use of solitary confinement beyond four hours and during certain emergencies. That four hour period would be for "de-escalation" in situations where a detainee has caused someone else physical harm or risks doing so. The resolution would also require the city's jails to allow every person detained to spend at least 14 hours outside of their cells each day.

The bill, which had 38 co-sponsors, was passed 39 to 7. It will now go to the mayor, who can sign the bill or veto it within 30 days. If Mayor Adams vetoes the bill, it will get sent back to the council, which can override the veto with a vote from two-thirds of the members. The 39 votes for the bill today make up 76% of the 51-member council. At a press conference ahead of the vote today [December 20, 2023], Council speaker Adrienne Adams indicated the council would seek [a veto] override if necessary.

For his part, Mayor Adams has signaled he is indeed considering vetoing the bill...

The United Nations has said solitary confinement can amount to torture, and multiple studies suggest its use can have serious consequences on a person's physical and mental health, including an increased risk of PTSD, dying by suicide, and having high blood pressure.

One 2019 study found people who had spent time in solitary confinement in prison were more likely to die in the first year after their release than people who had not spent time in solitary confinement. They were especially likely to die from suicide, homicide and opioid overdose.

Black and Hispanic men have been found to be overrepresented among those placed in solitary confinement – as have gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

The resolution in New York comes amid scrutiny over deaths in the jail complex on Rikers Island. Last month, the federal government joined efforts to wrest control of the facility from the mayor, and give it to an outside authority.

In August 2021, 25-year-old Brandon Rodriguez died while in solitary confinement at Rikers. He had been in pre-trial detention at the jail for less than a week. His mother, Tamara Carter, says his death was ruled a suicide and that he was in a mental health crisis at the time of his confinement.

"I know for Brandon, he should have been put in the infirmary. He should have been seeing a psychiatrist. He should have been being watched," she said.

She says the passage of the bill feels like a form of justice for her.

"Brandon wasn't nothing. He was my son. He was an uncle. A brother. A grandson. And he's very, very missed," she told NPR. "I couldn't save my son. But if I joined this fight, maybe I could save somebody else's son." ...

New York City is not the first U.S. city to limit the use of solitary confinement in its jails, though it is the largest. In 2021, voters in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, passed a measure to restrict solitary confinement except in cases of lockdowns and emergencies. The sheriff in Illinois' Cook County, which includes Chicago, has said the Cook County jail – one of the country's largest – has also stopped using solitary confinement...

Naila Awan, the interim co-director of policy at the New York Civil Liberties Union, says that New York making this change could have larger influence across the country.

"As folks look at what New York has done, other larger jails that are not quite the size of Rikers will be able to say, 'If New York City is able to do this, then we too can implement similar programs here, that it's within our capacity and capabilities," Awan says. "And to the extent that we are able to get this implemented and folks see the success, I think we could see a real shift in the way that individuals are treated behind bars.""

-via NPR, December 20, 2023