#they're demigods let them bite

[helyeahmangocheese]

does riptide the pen have a chew-friendly cap because I can guarantee you that the end of that pen would be absolutely destroyed if I had it for 5+ years, anxious, and questing all of the time

[yslende]

cabin 16 ー children of nemesis headcanons

| author's note: yeah i only really made this because i figured out that nemesis would be my godly parent. quite a few of these are based on me. probably not going to do any more of these, if only because i'd be unable to emulate this amount of detail again.

vindictive. do i even need to say it.

ambidextrous. the lot of them.

all of them have stares that seem like they look right through you. 

insane resting bitch and poker faces. nothing shows unless they explicitly let it.

⬆️ however, any emotion they feel, they feel it STRONGLY. happiness? more like euphoria. sadness? more like depression. annoyance? more like fury. (the furies *wish* they had what nemesis kids do.)

they're the type of people to be fashionable by default because all they wear is black, red, and Leather Jacket (which is a color in itself.)

⬆️ despite this, they don't mind the camp shirts, if only because everyone else is wearing them.

three options: read rulebooks for fun, be the reason rules are created, or both. 

they treat death like a trip to the dentist: an unpleasant inevitability. 

unshakeable loyalty. once you've got a nemesis demigod on your side, they'll follow you to tartarus and back.

⬆️ likewise, if you harm them or their friends, there is nothing they won't do to get back at you. nothing is beneath them. be terrified.

natural skeptics. nemesis is a daughter of nyx, so some of her kids have likely been to the underworld. they've met shades. even so, they'll passionately argue against the existence of ghosts.

weirdly good memory. of course, they remember every insult said about them, but they also remember how many arrows you shot into the woods at archery practice last tuesday. especially good with remembering strings of letters or numbers.

⬆️ they're some of the few demigods that can do math. they do it for fun, that's how bad it is.

really good at strategy, but often people don't go along with their plans. see: nothing is beneath them.

geese fucking love them. a common sight at chb is watching geese try and bite everyone's faces off, then trip over themselves to be pet like drugged cats by the nemesis cabin.

all super good at board games, especially chess, settlers of catan, and monopoly. uno skills are 50/50.

they're the type of people to save every deus ex machina item in a video game for later, and then proceed to never use them.

great sense of balance. they're great at tightropes, and can do triple pirouettes (a type of turn in ballet) easily. they like perching in trees and watching during capture the flag if they're not fighting.

if you're unwilling to debate or close-minded, be prepared to find spiders in your underwear. *especially* if you're an athena kid.

⬆️ probably have a tarantula as a cabin pet, named 'houdini,' because he keeps ""escaping"" to the athena cabin. it's super unfortunate like that.

⬆️ they also probably have a favorite wild goose, too. 

there are no extroverted nemesis demigods. if one seems like an extrovert, they're either in denial or masking super hard.

they're the type of people to do all of the group project work alone. they have no patience for anyone who can't pull their weight.

each have their own methods of organization. if you touch their stuff you will die. they always know.

can't sleep without the ends of their blankets tucked underneath the mattress and the sides perfectly even. it just feels off to them.

socialism. communism. literally anything except pro-capitalist. look at me in my face and tell me i'm wrong.

optimistic pessimism? very 'the glass is half-empty, but at least there's something in there' vibes.

about as blunt as a club. if you want the brutal truth, ask a nemesis kid about your swordsmanship. you'll come out crying.

they take things very literally. jokes often fly over their head, but they catch sarcasm and veiled insults faster than hermes runs. 

always take things seriously. even things that aren't supposed to be taken seriously. like 'packing rocks in snowballs' seriously.

all of them despise bullies with all of their being. there isn't a nemesis demigod who won't introduce their knee to a bully's crotch for fun. hades, they'll *pay* you to let them do it.

their fighting skills and athleticism increase when serving justice, revenge, or vengeance. like normally, they're really good, but then someone steals their marshmallow or something and then they get REALLY good.

like to put extra effort into scaring and prank new campers before being nice to them. trial by fire, i guess.

however, after the inital hazing, they protect unclaimed kids with their lives. again, see: nothing is beneath them.

want to know everything, including but not limited to why you didn't put any grapes on your plate to every single reason why your godly parent acts the way they do towards you. once again, see: nothing is beneath them.

fight best with either a sword or a shield, but they're especially good with both. 

(sidenote: their favorite swords would probably be executioners' swords, which imo are super fucking cool. their favorite shields would probably be aspis (roman: clipeus) but specifically the ones with faces or figures carved in them.)

nemesis isn't a super caring mother tbh. she punishes her children mercilessly if they do something wrong or malicious. however, likewise, she praises them lavishly whenever they complete a quest or do something that demonstrates the power of cabin 16.

⬆️ her kids either have huge problems with authority or zero problems with authority. most swing wildly between the two, but that's what balance means, right?

friends with cabins: 1, 5, 8, 13, 15, 20

chill with cabins: 3, 9, 12, 14, 17, 19

does not get along with cabins: 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 18

[spotlightlowlife]

Helluva boss has a glaring social issue

The hierarchy is not taken seriously and how disposable are those at the bottom?

In a previous post that highlights the hypocracy of the characters and a lot of the audience in their views on Mammon. I asked why it was of any surprise that he got mad when Fizz made a literal song and dance calling him out, insulting, wishing death on him and letting him know he's irredeemable before quitting on stage, quitting being the issue, when we previously watched his fellow princes Ozzie and Bee quicly threaten and intimidate leading characters Millie, Moxxie and Loona in reaction to disrespect.

Yet what if M and M didn't "GTFO" but decided to continue with their defiance?

What would have happened?

What if Loona didn't decide to be considered of her new friend who she made uncomfortable with her behaviour and stop with her rudeness?

What would have happened?

The leading characters are supposed to be at the bottom of society yet they easily mingle with those who are as good as royalty and demigods to them, they get into their nightclubs, house parties and sporty competitions as easy as city people get into supermarkets, they can befriended and date which had been a big deal but was rendered no big deal with Bee and Tex (why?) yet become big deal again with these past two Fizz and Ozzie centred episodes.

Seriously though, sidekick of a side charater Tex has a girlfriend, she hosts parties anyone's welcome at, this is her, she's also a deity world leader. Bee was introduced like she was nobody.

Then reduced to a love rival.

Love interests aside, there's no fear of or carried out consequences for stepping up to these big scary powerful beings. In the everyday world, peaceful and not so peaceful protests happen and those involved are taken note of, yet these beings who are not only upper class but whole laws onto themselves have commoners in their houses being rude, confrontational and oppositional with the confidence of a keyboard warrior.

Yet nothing.

But it's clearly not a thing that there's nothing to fear, because we have Crimson, an actual successful gangster of many years put together an operation to blackmail Ozzie that involved threat, kidnap, extortion, mobsters and a tedious contract that was important enough to go through, all whilst protecting himself.

And

If it was a thing that there was nothing really to fear because they're so low down in society that they're used to being disposable, like every unnamed extra easily slayed without care, they had nothing to lose and that'sjust how things are, then why would we be following their tragic backstories?

Animation is full of characters who are around eachother for no particular reason forever bickering and back biting, sassy and sarcastic characters are a standard and I often get the impression that ensuring this is the content we get all the time comes before the story.

Now Hazbin Hotel is about to start, where we instead follow Charlie who sits right at the top, but works with, befriends and dates the no doubt tragic individuals below her. Will hierarchy really make a difference at this point?

[fanficfindereks]

Percy Jackson Outsider POVs

Only a glimpse into the lives we lead- With all the wars and prophecies finally compete Will decides to take up his mom’s offer to return home for the school year for the first time since he was nine. After everything he’s been through it’s a little strange to go back to the mortal world once again, and people in his town take notice of how different he seems. Or… A series of interconnected one-shots of people from Will’s hometown noticing there’s something different about him throughout the one year he spends going to school in the mortal world.- Archive Of Our Own

A strange string of disappearing children: cult or coincidence?- "So you guys know how Drew and Lacy are big true crime fans?" Piper said, biting her lip to hide the amused smile on her face as she addressed all the demigods who had gathered together in Rachel's cave. Drew and Lacy were currently sitting with their hands over their mouths to hide their own smiles as they waited for Piper to reveal what they had discovered a few days ago, "Well one of their favorite channels did a video about us." Instantly everyone was rushing to crowd around the laptop she was holding to try and see the mentioned video. Piper shushed them quickly, fearing the noise would alert one of the patrol harpies that they were all out of their cabin after hours and with mortal technology no less. Once everyone quieted down, Piper looked at the group with a grin, "Lets watch it. " Or... Buzzfeed unsolved make a video looking into a handful of different demigods and how their disappearances all seem to mysteriously overlap with one another. When the Aphrodite cabin finds the video they gather all the other cabins together to do a watch party and maybe to cause a little chaos once they learn just how interested the country is in their current whereabouts.- Archive our Own

we'll pass around the easy lie of absolutely no regrets- Nell Brackman has been a high school guidance counselor for a long time. She’s seen troublemakers in every variant, dealt with more kids with shitty situations than she likes to think about, and practically has the understanding, comforting, yet firm tone on lock. Her wife thinks the job can be too tough on her, being the one to see Nell deal with the frustration of not being able to do more for kids who just won’t help themselves the way that they need to, but at the end of the day, there is nothing she would rather do more. That’s what she thinks most of the time, at least. The sheer chaos of Percy Jackson’s file might be something that ticks today over into one of the times where she starts feeling differently, though.- Archive of our Own

Introducing: Dock Guy- “I thought we were going to the lake?” Fern turns them around, fidgeting nervously. “Yeah, sorry. Maybe later. Just… you should stay away from the guy on the docks.” That doesn’t sit right with Mel, but they mutter, “Okay.” They’re not really sure what’s gotten into Fern. He befriended Mel, the Crazy of Casper, after all. They're pretty sure that Fern could get along with just about anyone. Mel glances back at the docks. They hadn’t noticed before, but there’s a person sitting at the edge. Dark hair and facing away from them. A pair of shoes are set aside and his feet are dangling in the water. Even from here, he looks deep in thought. They wonder why people, why Fern, is avoiding him. Or, a new camper is told to avoid Percy. They think it's because Percy is the 'weird kid' of camp. They're wrong.- Archive of our Own

Think of the Children- Lauren Bennet has dealt with plenty of overzealous parents before, but this one takes the cake. Maybe they could skip the holiday pageant next year.- Archive of our Own

someone's halls are getting DECKED- “Paul, school let out 3 days ago, and I know damn well you just showed those kids The Muppet Christmas Carol the last few days instead of assigning them any actual work you’d have to grade. Just come over! It’s Christmas, and the last time you saw any of the family was at Thanksgiving 3 years ago. We’re your family, sweetheart, we’re supposed to be together for the holidays. You shouldn’t be spending them alone in your apartment with a cheap fake tree you bought at Lowe’s. Give me one good reason why you can’t come home, no shoddy excuses.” Cynthia said with finality. On the other line, Paul let out a shaky sigh, then went quiet for a minute. “Well?” “Mom, uh… You might want to sit down. I have some… news.” or the blofis family don't know about percy or sally. that is, until paul brings them home for the holidays.- Archive of Our Own

[iys-cloud]

hello to everyone in the void that is Tumblr, a single conversation with @arrowheadedbitch made me create a whole ass Mbav x Pjo Au and now it's everyone's problem

SO the Au starts with Ethan, Benny, Sarah, Erica and Rory going to new york for vacations and they tun into nico, leo, percy and will (nico is there bc will forced him to come along lol) in like, a remote part of a park or smt. and nico, being the son of hades and all low-key just... Senses smts wrong with the vampire trio And tells the others, leo, being as subtle as a bull with bells, points at them and says something along the lines of

"them? They're the 'dead feeling' guys??"

fast forward a lot of discussion and accusing later they're all fighting, Leo managed to stab Erica and, used to the monsters dissolving into gold powder, turns around. Erica being the petty bitch she is BITES him because that's SUCH a great idea cue everyone panicking bc at the moment the gang™ had been trying to be subtle about what they are (not that they accomplished it) and the demigods had only pulled a normal sized dagger that looked well, normal.

Rory, seeing the mess, fucking flies away, leaving the chb kids dumbfounded, sarah grabs erica and drags her away from leo, benny BOOKS IT and Ethan's on the floor wondering why can't anything go Right for them, the chb peps are wondering what new pantheon they just stumbled across and procced to get incredibly concerned because LEO IS QUITE LITERALLY DYING ON THE FLOOR.

Ethan seems to process the fact and panics but oh would you look at that, there's a bigger problem, Nico's there and since the mf can sense death he panics even harder because Leo is DYING and starts questioning them on "what the fuck is happening to him!?" And everything is kicked right back into a frenzy

Anyway long story short, the gang (minus rory and benny) ends up locked up in camp Half-blood for ✨ questioning ✨ and stay in a locked up room in the main house till Percy comes to drag Ethan and Erica out because Leo just woke up and apparently he's attacking people and making a mess out of everything???

Ethan SOMEHOW managed to convince Percy to take Sara with him instead ( "if you take Erica it'll just get worse, believe me" )

And oh boy the infermary looks like a war zone, Also are Leo's eyes glowing yellow??

He barely notices their entrance seeing as hes too busy trying to rip anyone who even comes clos eto shreds.The piper, who has been debriefed in the matter,nico, and will have sort of restrained him (pushed him into a corner with weapons).

And that sounds great and all but the thing is, Sara doesn't have the fake blood she usually drinks bc it's in her purse which the chb peps confiscated, so now they have no way to deal with the starving agitated fledgling

"well fuck" is the only thing she can think to say as she gets ready for a lot of struggling

They ( Sarah and Ethan) try to get the demigods to get Sarah's purse but they won't listen.

after a lot, and I mean A LOT of fighting, some (a hella lot of) begging from Ethans part and a little wake up call that ' hey somethings wrong!!!' (Leo throws Percy motherfucking Jackson into a wall with so much force it KNOCKS THE AIR OUT OF HIM) they do listen to them and from there it's a game of ' let's feed the starving fledgling without the other weird people finding just what we're giving him'

It somehow works because Sarah opens the container and Leo's head SNAPS towards the thing, they manage to get him into a 'safe' position while he rips into the (weirdly red) liquid with the desperation of a starving man.

everyone is trying to get air back into their lungs after the heart attack and proceed to glare daggers at Sara and Ethan

"okay what the actual fuck is happening!?!?"

[i-love-ulysses-butterflies]

Nico dies (not really) au

What if in the final battle, instead of Gaia falling to "storm or fire" she gets killed by the death kids

what if Hazel and Nico try to do what hazel did in the 1940's (they're father helps them because they are both greek and roman) and bring up lots of amethysts'. But right before she falls asleep she tries to take them with her

Nico with the last of his strength pushes Hazel away to safety, as Gaia drags him underground. Picture a weak and tired Hazel, slowly crawling and reaches her hand out grabbing onto Nico who is sinking into the ground, she grabs onto his wrist when his other hand is trapped underground, he does whatever he can to free himself and manages to scratch/bite her wrist the let go of him, before he gets pulled into the ground

The battle was finished this was the final showdown, and the demigods were watching this happen. The battleground completely silent.

This battle didn't have many deaths so there was enough time to properly mourn him. They were surprised at the amount of people who came to the funeral, he was always so quiet at camp

Years later when they all grow up and move on. They still come and visit this spot, have picnics, and what not. Sometimes when the kids stray just a bit too far, a quiet breeze and soft words guide them back to their parents. when a new camper comes running through the woods, they see the silhouette of a boy guiding them. When they finally get to camp they're told that's Nico di Angelo, they're told stories of his life and bravery in death. But no he's not dead, he's been trapped for years.

As the seven's kids get older they see the figure of a boy he looks scary but reassuring in a way, but whenever they ask they're parents, they get very quiet. Eventually They see the boy and suddenly, he doesn't seem so scary he was small, only 13 barely a teenager,

[silverynight]

Underworld

<---Previous

Part XIII

Spending time with a friend really helps him feel much better. Uraraka has been visiting him lately, which Izuku truly appreciates; they're often in the demigod's field or inside his house because his mother and Uraraka get along quite well.

That morning they're in the field and Uraraka is trying to make one flower crown with her own hands (she insisted) while she listens to Izuku talking about all kinds of plants and what they're used for.

"So I can make something to treat wounds with these flowers?" Uraraka asks, fascinated.

"Yes, if you combine them in the portions I told you and leave them in a jar for a couple of days. The paste that comes from them could be used on injuries and it prevents them from getting infected."

"That's amazing. I try to make some myself."

Izuku nods, always happy to help people. When he's about to add something about the red lilies he spots Ashido in the distance. He gets happy and a little bit sad at the same time: seeing her makes him think about Bakugo and how much he misses him.

"Hi! How are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you," she says immediately, completely serious, eyeing Uraraka for a moment.

"It's okay," Izuku says. "She's my friend, she can stay."

Ashido nods, before Izuku makes the introductions. Although the expression on Ashido's face makes him worry a lot.

"Okay," she takes a deep breath. "This is what happened..."

When she's done, Izuku is concerned, but a bit irritated too. He doesn't like when others try to choose for him.

"I'm going to talk to Shoto," Izuku assures her. "And I'll make sure he doesn't do anything like that again."

"I'm sure Todoroki did it because he was worried about you," Uraraka cuts in.

"Blasty is worried about you and he misses you a lot," Ashido suddenly says, prompting Izuku to look back at her again. "You should go talk to him too."

He should... But there's no way to go back to the Underworld except by taking a bite of that pomegranate. Is the right thing to do? Isn't he supposed to stay here? Besides, he's not sure what could happen next. If he takes a bite will he be able to return to the mortal realm?

What should he do?

"Talk to Todoroki first," Uraraka says then, earning a slightly irritated expression from Ashido. "Let him explain himself."

"You're right." Izuku agrees, feeling sad suddenly because he also wants to see Bakugo. "I should listen to what Shoto has to say first."

***

He spends the next day thinking about what happened, about how much he doesn't want his friends to fight each other or to argue with each other because of him.

Bakugo is still his friend; the time he's spent away from the god has made Izuku realize how much he enjoys his company. And even though it doesn't make things right, he knows Bakugo is truly sorry about it.

And yet, Izuku feels like he needs to talk to him again, to understand why he did what he did that day.

He needs to go back because he's almost sure Bakugo still feels so bad about what happened he won't agree to meet Izuku in the mortal realm.

"Kacchan..."

Izuku is so immersed in his own thoughts, he gets quite startled when he hears someone approaching him; footsteps against the grass, fabric making contact with plants and flowers...

Todoroki is in his field now. It seems he has no idea Izuku found out about what happened because he looks as calm as always.

He takes a couple of steps closer, his hand ready to touch Izuku's cheek, like he always does, but gets surprised and a little bit hurt when Izuku moves out of the way.

"Izu–"

"You went to the Underworld to threaten Kacchan?" He asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You mean Bakugo?" Todoroki narrows his eyes, he's clearly upset now. "I just told him to never do that to you again. That I'd come for you–"

"I told you he wouldn't. You shouldn't have done that, Shoto."

"How can you trust him after what he did?"

Izuku narrows his eyes as well, taking more steps back. Even though Todoroki notices it, he doesn't make any attempts to close the distance between them.

"We have talked about this already," Izuku reminds him, getting irritated too. "He's sorry and I trust him."

"Well I don't."

"That's okay, but you should trust me." He sighs, trying to calm himself down; he's not usually like this, but he's so overwhelmed by his own emotions he can't help it. "Besides, I didn't ask you to do this. There's a reason why I didn't tell you about Kacchan in the first place."

"I... I'm sorry," the young god finally mumbles, looking down. "I still don't like him."

"I know," Izuku takes a deep breath, surprising himself by how tired he sounds.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I will... someday."

Todoroki wants to protest, he clearly doesn't like the idea (if the smoke coming from the left side of his head is any indication) but he manages to control himself and nod.

"Are you angry with me?"

He looks so sad, Izuku can't help but soften immediately.

"No, I'm not. But I didn't like that you went there without telling me and tried to decide for me."

"I understand that and I'm truly sorry."

Finally, Izuku feels himself relax.

"Can I get a hug? Please, Izuku..."

"Sure," the green haired demigod nods. He tries not to gasp when Todoroki pulls him into a tight embrace; the young god breathes into his soft curls and nuzzles against his cheek.

Izuku worries for a second because it looks like Todoroki doesn't want to let go.

"Well... I need to go back. I promised a young couple I'd take care of their crops today," Izuku says, pushing Todoroki away, although he tries to be gentle.

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

"I... I'd like to be alone for a while. I need time to think," Izuku mumbles, noticing the way Todoroki grimaces in pain.

"Okay... I understand."

Once he's alone again, Izuku looks up at the sky, feeling like there's something wrong, although he convinces himself it's just him projecting his negative feelings into the near future.

Or at least he hopes that's the case.

***

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[doodle-do-wop]

I am asking abt the other cabins, I totally have not been hypnotized to ask

OKAY OKAY OKAY

so this is gonna be one long ass post (possibly) and it's going to be formatted weird because I rambled about this on discord ages ago

Sophie Foster: Daughter of Zeus

girly can fly, shoot lightning, and is mega powerful with enough low self esteem to match

as stated in a different channel she's picture perfect to be a demigod with her origin story

fatal flaw: ambition (reasoning being she tends to do things on a whim a lot and that can also be chalked up to hubris but let's not forget Sophie is a genius by all definition of the word. She was going to go to college based off of pure intelligence alone but there's a certain type of bite that comes with power and it's the realization you can do more)

Keefe Sencen: Son of Aphrodite

literally the goddess of love and beauty, emotions are her forte and thus the best godly parent for Keefe's powers to fit into

he can still be the funny sarcasm guy, kids can have more than one personality trait

also beauty and love don't just apply outwardly and only romantically. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, self love and platonic included

fatal flaw: low self esteem (literally look at that sad wet noodle of a boy and tell me he thinks he's worthy of anything)

Biana Vacker: Daughter of Athena

vanisher fits Athena to a T and yet even with a cool ability she's overshadowed by Fitz still

smart girl, was a brat in the beginning but grows into one of the most capable fighters around while keeping a caring side to her

once again, kids can have more than one trait and girls in STEM can like make-up and sparkles. It's usually the girls that have a cute blouse and know what they're doing that are the most lethal (mostly because the blouse might have a knife)

fatal flaw: Loyalty (sure she kinda abandoned Maruca but this is a new universe and look at how much she's gone through with Sophie and been a consistent and stable rock for her best friend. Girly has tackled multiple murders for her friends, she is insane)

Fitz Vacker: Son of Athena

while not a total perfect fit Athena has always focus on the mind, strategy, and being ahead of the game. What better way to do that than to make a son with the power of the mind itself, a telepath

a shining rebound ability that gives him enough pizzazz to overshadow Biana (not on purpose) but also keep him from being super socially gracious (because he ain't)

smart boy but can get a little too ahead of himself in things and send focus in the wrong direction

fatal flaw: Wrath (the boy's got a fighting temper and it's caused rifts in his relationships and even extreme pain for himself. If anything would take him down it would be his own anger)

Dex Dizznee: Son of Hermes

"doodle he's the technopath" Dex is also expecting things often only to get something else completely out of left field

the trickster god of travelers and roads ain't limited to putting a bucket over a cracked door, technological pranks work in his domain and let's not forget Dex did spike Stina's drink and make bombs

what better way to set your expectations high and get them destroyed than to expect Hephaestus or some minor god only to get the dude with wing shoes

fatal flaw: Grudges (we've seen I in action before, Dex can let a grudge like jealousy or his general dislike of the Vackers blind him out of many things including being a good friend at times, sure this was more prominent when he was younger but he still has a lot to hold against Stina even after she's shown herself to be a friend)

Marella Redek: Daughter of Ares

"but Leo is a fire powers" Marella? A daughter of Hephaestus??? Besides I doubt someone with Ares' rep can't spawn a child with fire powers

Marella's whole main goal, the very core of her motivation is her mom, she'd do anything for her and even if it meant being claimed by Aphrodite or Athena (evidence her father was unfaithful to her mother) Marella would've given anything to do something to help her mom

just to be claimed by the one god she never wanted to be claimed by, war and bloodshed, fear and hate are all Ares' domain, his kingdom of stacked skulls and crushed souls

fire is not easy to control and the path of 'easy' is almost never on the Ares' agenda

Fatal flaw: Loyalty (her relationship with her mom is a good point but also the fact that Marella was abandoned, essentially betrayed by someone she considered a friend and immediately turned cold and bitter for quite some time. She only came around because she knew she could do something to help the greater good)

Linh Song Wildwood: Daughter of Poseidon

hydrokinetic=ocean man

personally I have no idea where else she fits

the sea is a powerful thing that can't always be contained and controlled perfectly down to the last atom and Linh could've definitely had some trouble controlling the pull of the water causing the Songs to abound their demigod children once and for all leaving the twins to fight for themselves before a saytr could find them

fatal flaw: Ambition (the girl flooded Atlantis, the pull of the water is often too much for her to handle and that's the call of the sea challenging her and Linh giving into the temptation of more)

Tam Song Wildwood: Son of Poseidon

"dont you mean Hades" guys that's not how twins work

Poseidon isn't just about water and he's had kids that don't even possess his power over the ocean (ex. Chrysoar)

the ocean has depths, depths so dark and deep there are parts unexplored and uncharted due to the crush and pull of the water, a single sea current could blast you from here to another continent if you're not careful

the sea is dark but there's also light, balance, calm waves gently blanketing over sandy beaches, the moon waving between high and low tide. There is more to it than what's bobbing on the surface

fatal flaw: Loyalty (Tam is the most normal dude in a group of weirdos but those are his weirdos. Tam had always put Linh before himself and has even held an escape plan in his boot in case things got so bad he had to go back home. If Linh got kicked out Tam was going with her and staying by her side no matter what)

Wylie Endal, Son of Iris, goddess of the rainbow

he's a flasher this is quite literally his entire power scheme

each color of the rainbow possesses a slightly different kind of magic inside of it so Red might have a different affect than Blue or Green and its difficult to master the entire rainbow like Iris can

fatal flaw: Grudges

[reinedeslys-central]

anyone else want to see children of athena talented at weaving? like - I want to see more of the 'normal' talents. the hermes kids have their pranks, let them be really good runners? other things? secondary abilities? are all the athena kids rlly good at chess? settlers of catan? who weaves tapestries of every battle? who's the one all the little ones in the camp turn to for advice? who has tea with chiron and gets nicknamed the 'old soul'? who's obsessed with bad movies and good ones, too, because they love picking apart the plot, the direction, the cinematography, and everyone's like, if you dislike it so much, why are you watching it? but they don't get it.

I don't know, can't remember how much of this is expanded on in canon, but who's the one that painstakingly redoes textbooks for the others to read that are more dyslexia-friendly? who's the one working with the hephaestus kids to code apps for demigods, hacking, making interfaces, safe wifi access? sidenote what happened to daedalus' laptop. who's the one that also works in the infirmary because they wanted to learn how to treat a spider bite if they ever got one because they're terrified of them, that doesn't feel 'talented' like the other demigods, and hey, why is it only apollo campers mentioned in the infirmary anyway? how could that be fair? and they become a healer. they can't do the hymns - or can they? they pray so hard, they work so hard, they learn, they strategize care routines and supply runs and the filing system has never been so organised, will could cry. who's the one that makes sure the wood for the cabins is weather treated, that the old buildings get shored up, that has a little project making a whole replica of something on the side? a kid that grows up playing minecraft at home and turns to dioramas and small sculptures at camp, bored out of their mind. eventually they meet the dryads, and maybe they do something with landscaping.

who's the one that weaves the burial shrouds, tears dripping, fingers working almost on autopilot if it weren't for the tremble in their jaw and the pain climbing up their throat? who's the one that hears the calls of the owls in the night and strokes their back? who's the protector, maybe not the parent per se but the protector? who's the one studying for their LSAT? Who's the really impressive flautist who gets along with the apollo and hebe kids and maybe the satyrs too? 'Aria of the night' like a silly game post-campfire, or a mystical adventure in the middle of the night. who's the one that wants to learn, anything, everything? hyperfocused with an interest in language. in weapons crafting. in design. in architecture. in music. in weaving and knitting and throwing clay. maybe a disciple of hecate, baking enchantments into their creations, weaving illusions through their flute music, painting sigils on their dioramas, blending magic into their hymns in the healing center, getting called out for cheating at chess, making their tapestries seem alive.

I want to see more athena kids and their various abilities TT

[twoidiotwriters1]

Almighty (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I didn't add Percy's new book to the plot but let's imagine Ara was there and she dissociated big time -Danny Words: 2,935 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

X: Yes Boy, Give Us Nothing!

Ara stands next to Apollo and Meg, looking down at camp with a loving expression, she loves this view... if only she could keep it safe and sound forever.

"How come I've never heard about this place?" Meg says in awe. "Do you need tickets?"

"It's harder for satyrs to find you if you live in the streets, so... if your godly parent isn't looking for you..." Ara doesn't want to discourage Meg, the fates will take care of that later. "Don't worry, being yourself is enough to get a spot here."

Peaches bites off a patch of grass and spits it out growling. "He doesn't like the taste of this place," Meg informs the other two.

"It's alright, I'm giving you a free pass as long as you promise not to kill any nature spirits or demigods living inside, Peaches," Ara raises a brow questioningly.

"Something doesn't feel right," Meg comments anxiously. "Those woods... your brother said they were wild and enchanted."

"That isn't bad. I've spent a lot of time in the forest and I'm okay! Besides, Pollo will keep the dangerous stuff away."

"Who?"

"My lion," Ara steps into the forest.

"You have a lion?" Meg forgets her worry and follows her in, Peaches moves forward reluctantly and Apollo hurries to catch up.

"Yeah, you'll love him—but tell Peaches to keep calm, Pollo is my baby and I won't hesitate to kill if he tries to hurt him."

"Noted," Meg pats Peaches's head as they keep moving.

Ara whistles, the sound echoing through the trees. She waits five, ten, twenty seconds. "Hmm," she frowns. "That's weird, usually he shows up right away. Maybe he's napping. Don't worry, he'll hear me coming and show up soon. Let's go, the sun is close to setting."

The forest is keeping them away from camp. Ara pauses and scowls at the trees, she's certain they're moving. "Something's up."

Meg sits down with weariness. "I told you..."

"Yeah, but this isn't..." Ara looks around, feeling watched. "Don't freak out."

Apollo huffs. "That is a terrible thing to say."

Ara scowls. "I'm talking to Meg, you shut up. "

"Yes, not freaking out," Meg gestures at her to continue.

"We've had some issues lately," Ara looks around trying to find the right path. "Campers have been going missing... And I think the forest is the reason behind it, but no nymph can shift the forest's paths like this... something else is going on."

"Maybe Peaches can help," Meg turns to her pet. "Hey, can you find us a way out of the woods?" Peaches poofs out of sight and the girl jumps to her feet. "Where'd he go?"

"Perhaps he went scouting," Apollo suggests nervously. "Perhaps we should—" The boy bends over gasping, he lifts his hands and covers his ears.

"What's wrong?" Meg looms over him with concern.

"We can't stay here," Apollo's face pales. "Attend me, mortals!"

"Excuse me?" Meg scowls.

"Uh, I mean come on!"

Ara turns Almighty into a crossbow. "Stay close to me."

Apollo drops to his knees without warning. "Hey! Get up!" Meg stumbles beside him.

"You didn't hear that?" He gasps.

"Hear what?"

The boy faints, taking them by surprise. "Pollo!" Ara calls out again, now truly disturbed by her lion's absence.

"Apollo! Come on! We can't carry you!" Meg whines.

"I can," Ara picks up the boy. He may be as tall as Percy, but he's thinner, so Ara throws him over her strong shoulder without a problem. "Walk ahead of us, Meg."

Apollo's getting her clothes wet, making her shiver in the winter chill, and therefore worsening her mood. He laughs stupidly. "I—I heard—" He squirms around like a fish out of water, hurling them back to the ground. He throws up beside her.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" She growls, pushing him to the side.

Apollo keeps giggling while Ara pulls him to his feet, she whistles again, harder, and the noise comes out so loud that Meg covers her ears wincing. All of a sudden, Pollo runs into them roaring as if he's been fighting to get through, and she fully believes he did. Ara yanks Meg closer, helping her to climb on the lion's back, gets Apollo next, and then climbs at the very back.

"Fast, boy!" Apollo—the lion—runs forward, the trees moving out of his way as they go. 

Meg is muttering something, eyes tightly closed as she clings to the lion while the trees seem to open a path for them. In a matter of seconds, they go from lost, to running straight into the middle of the amphitheater. The campers stand and salute the moment they spot Ara, and she looks at them with bright, urgent eyes, speaking in a choked voice. 

"We're in trouble."

Apollo slips sideways and lands flat on the grass, he laughs stupidly again. "Oh, hi! I'm Apollo!" 

Ara watches him faint a second time. "He's the real deal, believe it or not." The kids burst into questions and the girl whistles again, so everyone goes silent. "Where's Will?"

"Here!" He rushes up to them while Ara hops off from Pollo's back. "Is he really..."

"He's mortal now, I think he had some kind of breakdown..."

"He was hearing voices," Meg counts as Ara helps her down from the lion.

"Yeah, that," Ara looks down at her. "This is our new camper, Meg. Apollo brought her to us. She's unclaimed—and something tells me that'll change quickly, so you stay with me, kiddo."

"Austin, help me out," Will calls his brother, taking Apollo to cabin seven without asking any more questions.

Ara walks towards the big house, Lily and Nico joining her promptly. "Meg, don't stay behind!" The girl rushes to catch up, Pollo skipping close to them purring loudly. "Nico, you stay on the porch to keep an eye on Apollo, Lily, you're with me."

Ara rubs her brow, a habit that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. She's draped over the couch, with Lily checking her pulse and mumbling in Italian about getting her lemonade.

"I'm sorry Mr. D is not here to welcome you," Chiron tells Apollo once they're settled. 

"Mr. Dee?" Meg questions.

"Dionysus," Apollo clarifies. "The god of wine. Also the director of this camp."

"After the battle with Gaea, I thought Mr. D might return to camp, but he never did. I hope he's all right."

"Ghosted us," Ara mutters, earning a glare from Chiron. "What? It's true, the gods are gone and all we have is this guy," she gestures at Apollo. "And he barely counts."

"I don't know anything," Apollo admits. "I'm a bit behind on the news. I was hoping you could fill me in."

Chiron sighs. "I see...."

Lily places a chocolate in Ara's palm. "Your blood sugar is low, Queen B—what did you find in the forest?"

Ara makes a face. "It's about what we didn't."

"What is your crisis?" Apollo asks Chiron. "You have the same look Cassandra had in Troy, or Jim Bowie at the Alamo—as if you're under siege."

"You know that during the war with Gaea, the Oracle of Delphi stopped receiving prophecies. In fact, all known methods of divining the future suddenly failed."

"Because the original cave of Delphi was retaken," Apollo says, unable to meet their eyes.

"Oracle of Delphi," Meg teases Seymour the leopard, and Ara pulls her hand away shaking her head discreetly. "Percy mentioned that."

Chiron looks at her. "Percy was with you? Where is he now?"

Ara and Apollo recount their adventure and the girl mentions having to be home before dinner, so she asks for permission to take Blackjack. Chiron agrees, though Lily makes a face of disapproval, she doesn't want her to leave in the middle of such chaos.

"Percy said he would drive out this weekend if he could," Apollo adds.

"At any rate," Chiron speaks tiredly, "we hoped that once the war was over, the Oracle might start working again. When it did not... Rachel became concerned."

"Who's Rachel?" Meg asks.

"Rachel Dare," Apollo explains. "The Oracle."

"Thought the Oracle was a place."

"It is."

"Then Rachel is a place, and she stopped working?"

"The original Delphi was a place in Greece. A cavern filled with volcanic fumes, where people would come to receive guidance from my priestess, the Pythia."

"Pythia." Meg snorts. "That's a funny word."

Apollo looks at Ara pleadingly but she doesn't silence the girl, she looks at Meg with fondness. Ara was just like her at that age. "Yes. Ha-ha. So the Oracle is both a place and a person. When the Greek gods relocated to America back in... what was it, Chiron, 1860?"

"More or less."

"I brought the Oracle here to continue speaking prophecies on my behalf. The power has passed down from priestess to priestess over the years. Rachel Dare is the present Oracle."

Meg hums, taking a cookie. "Mm-kay. Is it too late to watch that movie?"

"Yes," Apollo continues impatiently. "Now, the way I gained possession of the Oracle of Delphi in the first place was by killing this monster called Python who lived in the depths of the cavern..."

Ara spaces out, as usual. Meg is inquisitive as any little demigod, and Ara doesn't mind it, but she's got too many things going on at the moment, so she lets the adults explain while she organizes her mental turmoil. Priorities, priorities, what the hell is happening with the camp's forest?

"So where is Rachel Dare?" Apollo pulls Ara out of her thoughts. "Perhaps if I spoke with her...?"

Chiron glances at Ara and Lily. "Rachel planned to visit us during her winter vacation, but she never did. It might not mean anything...."

"Or?"

"Or it might be part of the larger problem. Prophecies are not the only things that have failed. Travel and communication have become difficult in the last few months. We haven't heard from our friends at Camp Jupiter in weeks. No new demigods have arrived. Satyrs aren't reporting from the field. Iris messages no longer work."

"Iris what?"

"Two-way visions," Apollo explains quickly. "A form of communication overseen by the rainbow goddess. Iris has always been flighty..."

"Except that normal human communications are also on the fritz," Chiron continues. "Of course, phones have always been dangerous for demigods—"

"Yeah, they attract monsters," Meg nods. "I haven't used a phone in forever."

"A wise move. But recently our phones have stopped working altogether. Mobile, landline, Internet... it doesn't seem to matter. Even the archaic form of communication known as e-mail is strangely unreliable. The messages simply don't arrive."

"Did you look in the junk folder?" Apollo asks.

"I fear the problem is more complicated. We have no communication with the outside world. We are alone and understaffed. Ara goes back and forth between camp and the city almost daily, you are the first newcomers in almost two months."

Apollo looks at Ara with a scowl. "You and Percy failed to mention this."

"I didn't know at which part of your bitching it was right to interrupt and tell you the world no longer revolves around you," she replies with a straight face.

Chiron speaks before Apollo can curse her. "Winter is normally our quietest time. For a while, I was able to convince myself that the communication failures were nothing but an inconvenient happenstance. Then the disappearances started."

"The disappearances, yes. Ara did mention that. Tell me about those."

"Three in the last month," Chiron lists while Ara munches on a cookie angrily. "First it was Cecil Markowitz from the Hermes cabin. One morning his bunk was simply empty. He didn't say anything about wanting to leave. No one saw him go. And in the past few weeks, no one has seen or heard from him."

"Children of Hermes do tend to sneak around," Apollo nods.

"At first, that's what we thought. But a week later, Ellis Wakefield disappeared from the Ares cabin. Same story: empty bunk, no signs that he had either left on his own or was... ah, taken. Ellis was an impetuous young man. It was conceivable he might have charged off on some ill-advised adventure, but it made me uneasy. Then this morning we realized a third camper had vanished: Miranda Gardiner, head of the Demeter cabin. That was the worst news of all."

Ara stiffens. "Miranda's missing?"

Lily glares at the plate of cookies as if they're to blame. "We don't know how it happened, no one heard or saw anything, and believe me, we've tried."

"Why is that the worst?" Meg asks with curiosity.

"Miranda is one of our senior counselors," Chiron explains. "She would never leave on her own without notice. She is too smart to be tricked away from camp, and too powerful to be forced. Yet something happened to her... something I can't explain. Something is very wrong, Apollo. These problems may not be as alarming as the rise of Kronos or the awakening of Gaea, but in a way I find them even more unsettling, because I have never seen anything like this before."

"These demigods..." Apollo shifts awkwardly in his seat. "Before they disappeared, did they act unusual in any way? Did they report... hearing things?"

Chiron glances at Lily and Ara, and they both shake their heads. "Not that we're aware of. Why?"

"It seems to me, that our first priority is to bend all the camp's resources to helping me regain my divine state. Then I can assist you with these other problems."

Ara leans forward ready to strangle him, Chiron places one hand on her shoulder while stroking his beard with the other. "But what if the problems are connected, my friend? What if the only way to restore you to Olympus is by reclaiming the Oracle of Delphi, thus freeing the power of prophecy? What if Delphi is the key to it all?"

"That makes sense," Ara speaks. "Which brings the question: Should I help this ninny?"

"Yes!" Apollo argues. "In my present state, handling this alone is impossible. Right now, my job is to serve this demigod, probably for a year," he points at Meg. "After I've done whatever tasks she assigns me, Zeus will judge that my sentence has been served, and I can once again become a god."

Meg shrugs. "I could order you to go to this Delphi place."

"That would be very wise, Meg," Ara's ready to slip charmspeak into her words, but Apollo intervenes.

"No!" He squeaks out. "You should assign me easy tasks—like starting a rock band, or just hanging out. Yes, hanging out is good."

"Hanging out isn't a task."

"It is if you do it right. Camp Half-Blood can protect me while I hang out. After my year of servitude is up, I'll become a god. Then we can talk about how to restore Delphi."

"Apollo," Chiron tries to reason, "if demigods keep disappearing, we may not have a year. We may not have the strength to protect you. And, forgive me, but Delphi is your responsibility."

"I wasn't the one who opened the Doors of Death and let Python out!" Apollo exclaims. "Blame Gaea! Blame Zeus for his bad judgment! When the giants started to wake, I drew up a very clear Twenty-Point Plan of Action to Protect Apollo and Also You Other Gods, but he didn't even read it!"

Ara stands up, not losing her composure, but looking very capable of murder. "You jumpstarted this mess by telling Percy my prophecy before time—you gave Octavian your blessing!"

"Only one out of those two is maybe my doing," he stands up too. "And from what I remember, you weren't complaining until you got the real workload—which comes off a bit unprofessional."

"I still think it's your fault," Meg tosses another chunk of a cookie to Seymour, who stirs and growls. "Hey, look! He's awake!"

Chiron moves on his chair—staying in between Ara and Apollo—and points at something. "My dear, in that jar on the mantel, you'll find some Snausages. Why don't you feed him dinner? Apollo and us three will wait on the porch."

He glances at her. Enough. Ara glares at Apollo, turning around with Lily following close, glimpsing at Apollo torn between annoyance and concern.

"She's just like you," Lily nudges her arm. "Meg."

Ara tries to smile. "Don't worry, she just needs some guidance and soon enough she'll be nothing like me."

"Then it's great that she ran into you."

Ara looks at her without understanding. "Is it?"

"You can guide her," Lily rolls her eyes when Ara wrinkles her nose. "Don't give me that look..."

"Tell me," Chiron comes out with Apollo. "What did you hear in the woods?"

Apollo claims a voice asked him to search for them, someone whom he's not sure could actually be real, and considering how creepy and overly hostile the woods were, Ara can't differ.

"We will have to warn the campers to stay away from the forest. I do not understand what is happening, but I still maintain it must be connected to Delphi, and your present... ah, situation, Apollo. The Oracle must be liberated from the monster Python. We must find a way."

"Yeah, Lester," Ara raises a brow. "And you better be quick about it."

Apollo glares at her. A god is above taunting, but he's slowly forgetting his etiquette, fitting more and more into the teenage body he was forced into, and the god Ara worshipped throughout the years, is turning into the one kid in camp she detests.

"Come, come, old friend," Chiron pats the boy's shoulder. "You have done it before. Perhaps you are not a god now, but the first time you killed Python it was no challenge at all! Hundreds of storybooks have praised the way you easily slew your enemy."

"Yes... Hundreds of storybooks," Apollo lowers his gaze. 

A horn announces dinner, and Ara's time to go home. The centaur turns to the girls. "We will talk more later, eh? For now, let's celebrate our god's arrival."

"Yeah, things are about to get better," Ara hums, not wanting to bum out the others. "Gotta leave now, Percy has to go through his manuals..." she shrugs, feeling lost. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

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[streamdotpng]

sending an ask bout pjo au bcs i miss them, although i can see why everyones talking bout the bodyguard au (i saw your latest drawing and god damn 👀👀) 

considering you mentioned that tyler was devastated that he couldn't ruffle percy's hair as easily when they get older i'm gonna assume that they're close? or grew close? what's their dynamic like (enid, sally, annabeth, percy, tyler)? does enid know that they're all demigods? if so, does being a werewolf play a part her figuring it out (like can she smell them the way saytrs can, wait is she a werewolf in this au as well?? bcs i think i read so somewhere but i'm not too sure)? also did knowing that percy was a demigod have any influence in her hiring sally or did she find out later? does she know their godly parents? wait is tyler even a demigod?? how did they get to camp? what were chiron and dionysos reaction to enid coming back, to idk drop off the kids or check in on them (also the reactions of campers who went during the time enid went, i mean, if there's any still alive 💀) also what's the fight w zeus about? what kind of godly quests did enid complete before she found annabeth (and did she get any rewards for it)? and also in your drawing of younger enid, you can see a scar that shows a XIII and i was wondering the story behind that👀👀?

(btw just wondering for future reference do you prefer long lists of questions or the questions being spaced out in separate asks?)

-🦕

I don't mind either! I like long asks bc it makes my brain think

But lemme explain, Enid picks up Annabeth after a few years on working under the God's directly. Immediately, she starts the sweets on America business to make sure Annabeth has a stable life compared to what she gone through. Being a demigod is hard, it's only right Enid makes sure it's easier for her daughter

When Annabeth needed to go to kindergarten, Enid made sure to hover around, after all she's rather aware of her daughter's lineage. It's where she meets Sally and well, they hit it off considering that they're both young parents.

Then the school day ends and wow, those eyes are rather familiar, enid thinks as she reaches the classroom with Sally.

As Annabeth smiles up at Enid, her eyes catch the grinning boy next to her.

Oh fuck, that's her uncle's eyes. Talk abt making this shit complicated. So now Enid stays around because one, that's her cousin and two, she may not be a hero but she cares.

After a month or two, when Sally loses a job, Enid offers her a spot at Sweets on America. Now they're pretty close, three years later :) does Sally harbor feelings? Who knowsss

Enid met Tyler a year after that, when he stumbled in bc Sally was offering samples when he was twelve something.

--

As for Tyler, he is very much a normie! Just a tad clear sighted like Sally. He was kinda freaking out because his dad has been telling him that he's seeing things like his mom, whos also clear sighted

And well.. The mom had an experience rather similar to Luke's mother in the books so it's no wonder he clings to Enid so much

Since Annabeth and Percy meet alot earlier compared to Canon, Percy tends to loiter around the shop with Sally

This is where he meets Tyler! And vice versa

They're kinda a lil family! Except, Sally couldn't fully embody the mother role. She's more neighbor essentially.

As for Enid being a werewolf, she was cursed. It's why she got that bite scar along her wrist but luckily she got cured during one of her first few quests after her exile. She's okay now, just a few leftover instincts but that's about it.

Since the present pjo au takes place when Enid is 30, Annabeth being a young 7 and Tyler a simply 14 something so they won't be going to camp for a while

Besides, you think Enid is going to let them go there? After what they did to her? Absolutely not.

Enid is also a child of zeus!! So any fight is practically a fight between father and daughter

I purposefully made their ages young so Wednesday can easily settle into the mother role, also bc domestic life with a child is pretty cute. Especially when a smart-ass like Annabeth is there to make sure her parent is dating someone worth her time

The scar? Enid wakes up with it after a near death experience, she doesn't understand it but it exists

[gutsybitsies]

Based on this post about a separate camp for Chthonian demigods

Jason mumbled to himself the words of the prophecy that led to him and Katie Gardner following Connor Stoll deeper and deeper into the woods. Piper and Leo were back at camp, waiting for them to come back from this pre-quest to begin their actual quest.

"Don't freak out when we get there," Connor told her and Jason. "It will just make them want to scare you more." He looked excited though, almost bouncing off the walls despite the heaviness of the two prophecies they had received. The backpack that he carried held cartons and cartons of box mix brownies, blondies, and lemon squares. Lou Ellen's favorite, Katie Gardner said through tears as she stuffed them in.

"So all we need to do is to ask for forgiveness?" Jason asked. "And this Nico, you're sure he will do that?"

"It wasn't our choice," Jason remembered their explanation before they left. "The gods, they refused to listen to us. After Nico and the the demigods who rebelled came back from the quest, their siblings and the rest of the Underworld demigods were cast away from the camp. We begged our parents for them to be able to stay, but the borders were closed, and they were shut off from Camp Halfblood since then."

"Nico is all talk and no bite," Connor said. "It's not him I'm worried about. It's getting to his council that I'm worried about." He made a surprise left turn and jumped over some hedges. "I can feel the pull of their council more and more these days. It means that they've erected a shrine in my father's name recently. They're settling down."

"Demeter as well," Katie said. "I feel her influence."

They came to a clearing in the woods, Jason looked around for an entrance to this other demigod "hideaway" that the rest of the campers talked about.

"It's not here, this is a red herring." Connor said. He closed his eyes and sensed the path underneath their feet. "That way."

They walked into the woods for an hour more, there were strangely no monsters around.

Connor stopped and lifted his finger up to his lips, he pointed at a somber poplar tree on the side of the road. He closed his eyes again and felt the mist around him, and he sensed for the tug of the destination he had in his mind.

"I am Connor Stoll, son of Hermes, god of travelers, merchants, messengers. Son of Hermes, psychopomp of the Underworld, the guide that leads souls from the plane of living to the plane of the dead. And I request an audience with the Ghost King."

"We brought you guys cookies and brownies!" Katie supplied helpfully. "And cereal as well."

The tree shook, and slowly wilted away. The Mist around the area faded as well, and Jason was treated to the sight of a huge, ghastly solid black iron gate. It was ghastly because on the door hung rows of the heads of very much dead monsters. Their jaws were slack in death, but their eyes betrayed horror of a violent end.

The gates creaked open, and the three of them walked in gingerly.

"I'm glad they're able to-to stay safe," Katie remarked.

"You won't stay safe, not for long!" Suddenly arrows fired at them. Jason blasted the projectiles away with a gust of wind, but the distraction was enough. A net blew up from under them and caught the three of them in a trap. Teenagers and children rushed in to surround them, leading the charge was Ethan Nakamura, his one eye squinting in triumph at the capture.

"Good job, everyone." He said. "Now where should we put them?"

A skinny kid with way too many freckles in an oversized armor raised his arm. "We should put them in a jar and throw them to the fishes!"

"No," another one glared at Connor Stoll. "We should just let them rot in that cage with no food or water."

"Is this because I spiked your food with ghost pepper one time?" Connor asked. "Because it tasted delicious either way."

"Also because you stabbed me during the war," the kid said. "But mostly because of the ghost pepper, yes. Fuck your hazing!"

"Language!" gasped Katie.

"Hi Katie, hi Connor!" Lou Ellen popped in from behind Ethan Nakamura. "It's so nice to see you again! I got your care package from my dad, everyone loved it."

Jason could see that Lou Ellen looked really happy to see the two campers next to him. Along with her, some of their other ambushers smiled and waved at both Connor and Katie. She had an ugly scar that ran from under her chin down to her collarbones. She smiled brightly at them nonetheless.

"You mentioned brownies, right?" Another kid said. "I want brownies. Ethan, if we let them out the cage we get brownies, don't we?"

"We are not letting INTRUDERS into our camp for brownies," the apparent leader, Ethan, said.

Five minutes later, Jason finds his arms tied up as he trots down a beaten path to this camp's version of the Big House while their guards on either side munch down on the Betty Crocker brownies that Katie had brought.

There were shrines in this camp. Many, many shrines. Many more than the ones in Camp Halfblood. Off in the distance Jason could see and hear construction of some cabins being built. The builders shimmered, some looked like stone, some looked like...bones.

The three of them were marched toward the entrance of a cave, blocked by a boulder. Ethan marched through like it was nothing, it turned out to be just an illusion. Another Mist creation. Katie and Lou Ellen were quietly conversing, as was Connor and a sandy blond boy who had similar dimples.

They were led down the cavern. Torches lit up as they walked past as if they were motion sensitive. The dark, somberness of it pushed down on Jason, who felt constricted and hard to breathe. Connor and Katie looked fine however, something about their essence seemed to shift when they walked into the camp and down underground.

There were symbols etched on the cavern walls, mysterious Greek glyphs that Jason couldn't read. They passed by a mosaic of poplar trees and a wailing woman beside a river. Mosaics of courts of law, judgement, swords, battlefields. Punishment.

Eventually they made their way into a large clearing in the cave. It became warm, and the decor changed. It was a round room. There were tall Greek columns around a beautiful indoor veranda. On the outskirts of the room were a bunch of sofas, ping pong tables, two TVs, and an array of video games scattered across the floor.

"You guys have a flatscreen?? Two of them??" Connor said excitedly.

"And the latest Super Mario," the kid Jason assumed was his brother grinned. "And we have a computer room! With a bunch of apple laptops! And look at this." He holds up a pager. "We can use pagers here." It was at this moment that Jason noticed that this kid had two fingers missing on his left hand.

Jason noticed that it seemed like all of the members of this place had some sort of physical sign, a mark. A punishment, a warning, his mind supplied. He felt sick at the thought.

"Enough talk. We convene," Ethan said. "Bring them to the room."

The room was connected to the activities center. It was a rectangular space, supported by columns, with a hearth in the center. It felt like a throne room, accentuated by a large gloomy throne at the head. The jagged throne was made from melted swords, knives, arrows, and other presumably Greek weapons that Jason couldn't recognize. It was empty, it was looked to be the only chair there. Looked to be, Jason realized as the other campers convened and sat on seats of their own that materialized as they made themselves comfortable, was a made assumption to make in this place.

The throne was still empty, but Ethan and a stringy looking brunet with freckles took their place next to it.

The air shifted again from the warm hominess of the activities room. This place felt more potent in magic than Camp Halfblood. There was more intent, more pressure. The kids in the room gazed at them with heavy eyes.

"So what brings visitors of Camp Half Blood here?" The skinny brunet asked. "Are we to embark on another quest to be punished for our crimes, or to prove our loyalty? Is this camp too blasphemous?"

"It's good news, Alabaster, I promise!" Katie said. "Where's Nico?"

"He is not here at the moment. We will inform him when he is ready to hear from you," the teenager, Alabaster, said. "We make the decisions here as a council."

"Nico can veto, though," A sleepy looking boy supplied helpfully. "He vetoed Alabaster's last vote to burn down Camp Halfblood. He also vetoed the chocolate fountain in the agora."

"Shut. Up," hissed Alabaster. Maybe he was mad because he really wanted the chocolate fountain, Jason thought halfheartedly.

"Did you not call Nico?" Someone asked, her seat was emblazoned with the symbol of Thanatos.

"We're not calling him until we know what they want," Alabaster argued. "That's what they want. We can't give them what they want yet!"

Jason glanced at Connor, who was about to speak.

"Katie's right. It's good news. Well, also bad news. More bad new than good news. We've lost contact with the gods, and Annabeth is missing."

"Nico's little crush," said Ethan. "That's why you wanted him here, because he'll do anything to help find Annabeth."

Alabaster looked like he was about to say something, then stopped.

Katie and Connor both looked surprised, but moved forward.

"We don't need you guys to do anything, I-I would hate to request anything from any of you, I'm so glad to see that you are all doing great." Katie said. "Jason here will be going on a quest soon, we think it's related to Annabeth's disappearance and the gods' lack of contact. But the oracle sent us here first."

Connor stood up straight and spoke the prophecy that poured out of Rachel's mouth.

"Before the quest proper, bring the Betty Crocker.

Seek the angel and ask for his blessing and pardon,

Confront the Olympians' choice with might,

Right their wrongs and restore balance and light.

As a family we began,

As a family we shall end."

"I think the oracle is saying that the Fates-they're saying that you can come home. That you can come back to Camp Halfblood now," Katie said. "The gods- the Olympians were wrong. We've always known that, but now we can make amends."

"You weren't there, when this happened," snarled Alabaster as he ripped away his shirt to show a ugly, piercing burn that covered half his torso. "When our parents are dishonored. When our siblings, our family, our brothers and sisters in arms, were refused proper burial at that Camp of yours. When I had to drag Luke's body away from the border of the camp because that king ASSHOLE decided he wanted no rites, no rest, no HONOR, for him! For any of us!"

"I'm sorry that I was busy burying my own sisters and brothers! Busy burying Percy Jackson who stayed dead for you! For this!" Katie snapped back.

"Hey, hey let's calm down," Connor said. "You know that we fought for the people in this room. Katie and I, the rest of the head counselors. You know that. You know what happened."

The room quieted. Jason apparently was the only one who didn't know what happened when Katie and Connor fought for the campers here, but he wasn't about to ruin to somber atmosphere.

Suddenly the light dimmed, the torches in the chamber flickered. The throne of swords seemed to glow with inky darkness.

Shadows moved around the room, they didn't obey the laws of physics. They curled around Jason's feet as if they had physical form. The temperature dropped lower, and lower, until he could see a figure forming out of the darkness on the throne.

Two gloved hands gripped the sides of the throne as the figure leaned forward slightly. His face, Jason could see flickers of it now in the whimpering torchlight, seemed to glower without glaring at them. He was gaunt, with a sickly pale sheen to his cheeks. His eyes stared deep into Jason's soul. Power emanated from his small form, even as he himself was almost drowning in an oversized aviator jacket. Jason didn't fear a lot of things, but he felt fear then.

"I smell the blood of Zeus," he said quietly, his dark, handsome and mysterious eyes still boring into Jason's soul, pinning him to his station. "Connor, Katie, why have you brought the scion of Olympus to this camp, to this safe haven for us outcasts?"

Lights flashed again, but this time it's the sudden glint of weapons appearing in the hands of the all the demigods that surrounded them. The room glinted of celestial bronze and- and Alabaster holding an Imperial Gold sword in the direction of Jason's neck.

"Hold your horses," Nico raised a hand, and most the weapons that were drawn lowered. "I said, hold your horses."

Alabaster and Ethan reluctantly stood down and lowered their swords.

"Now, what did you say happened?"

_____________________________________________________________

"Jason must go on a quest, but we need your blessing, and your forgiveness," explained Connor. "That's why we're here, this is a sort of pre-quest."

Nico was silent, before speaking in a somber tone. "There's nothing to forgive. Not from me." He glanced at Clovis. "I volunteered to lead our past quest and exile. Ethan and the rest of the followers of Kronos had to pay their toll for their peace right now. That is balance. But there are others who didn't deserve it at all."

"Ask for their forgiveness, and I will give you mine," Nico paused, then stood up from his throne. The shadows fell from him as he stepped into the light.

He was shorter than Jason expected, especially for someone who legitimately scared him a lot. His cheeks have an olive undertone now, in the torchlight. He made his way in front of Jason, staring down at him.

"But my blessing is freely given." Nico looked unsure for a moment, as if to say how does a child of the king of death give blessings? He awkwardly placed two hands Jason's shoulders and bent down to give him a light kiss on the forehead. "I bless you, go forth on your quest with the blessing of Nico di Angelo, however helpful this might be."

He looked up to the council that convened, and out into the room where the rest of the camp waited to hear what was going on.

"I think we should have lunch. And maybe Connor and Katie can have some conversations."

Lunch was a crowded affair again. This camp had a similar setup to Camp Halfblood. Each parent god had a table of their own, but Jason saw that the campers here freely mingled during lunchtime with each other. Katie and Conner were surrounded by a bunch of campers, happily speaking with each other. Some of them were crying and jumping with joy at the prospect of being "able to go home." Others looked unsure and suspicious.

As lunch ended, Jason saw groups of them go up to Nico to have a short talk. All Nico did was nod and listen, occasionally glancing at Connor and Katie.

As the invisible nymphs (they had invisible nymphs here as well, but nymphs from the Underworld), swept away the plates, Jason saw Connor and Katie head towards Nico for a talk. They gestured for him to stay put.

Eventually, after a long talk, the three of them came back. Katie and Connor made a beeline to the group that was waiting for them, Katie threw her arms around one of the girls and started sobbing. The girl began sobbing as well, and soon all those campers were crying.

"You shouldn't be here."

Jason jumped. Nico had materialized behind him.

"I-I'm glad I'm here. It was nice to see other demigods," Jason said. "I heard so much about you guys from Camp Halfblood."

"All bad things, I'm guessing."

Jason admits he did hear the word "traitors" being thrown around. But not just that. "They miss you guys. A lot."

"Lou Ellen and Clovis and the rest of them miss Camp Halfblood, too." Nico said.

"Were you..."

"No. I fought on the side of the Olympians. So did Lou Ellen, so did Clovis, Damien, they all fought for your father and the safety of Olympus. They were spared the quest, but they couldn't go back. At least we have this place," Nico said. "Here, it's hard for the Olympian gods to reach us, it's dedicated to the Chthonian Pantheon instead. For the ones who never got recognition. To bring balance back."

"Even you were banished? But aren't you the son of Hades?"

"I-" Nico's somber face hardened with grief. "I need to protect this place. Too much has been sacrificed for this, for peace and balance."

"I think you're doing a great job, by the way," Jason said. "Just so you know."

Nico looked surprised. "Oh, thanks."

"The way you commanded them to stand down was impressive, I thought I was about to be kebab," Jason joked.

"Half my job now is just to keep Alabaster from trying to burn down Camp Halfblood," Nico said with a tight grin. "And from installing a chocolate fountain in the agora."

"Maybe he has a point. Why not a chocolate fountain? People can have chocolate dipped food anytime with that."

"Jason, your name's Jason right?" A little color comes back to Nico's face as he whirls on Jason, more animated than he's ever been in the short time that Jason has seen him. "You know how you get ants? That's how you get ants!!!"

"Not if we enchant it!!!!!!!!" Alabaster's voice is heard from across the clearing.

The three of them were about to leave, after having given away all the Betty Crocker desserts to the ravenous demigods of this camp, but Nico stopped them.

"Jason's quest sounds urgent. Let me shadow travel you back to Camp Halfblood," He looked at some of the other campers. "Is there anyone else who'd like to come with?"

Lou Ellen jumped out immediately, and two other kids as well.

Before Jason could ask what shadow travelling was, his hands were grabbed on either side by Connor and Katie, and experienced one of the most sickening and nauseating experience of his life. When they reappeared underneath the shade of a tree (not Thalia's tree) in front of Camp Halfblood, he almost fell to the ground puking. Instead, he stood up while puking.

There was a pregnant silence, with the Chthonian campers afraid to make the first move past the boundaries of Thalia's tree.

"The last time I tried," Lou Ellen said, "I got this." She pointed at her scar.

A tall demigod put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then marched straight through the border, and beyond. He disappeared, but the rest of the campers gasped and rushed in after him.

Nico stayed behind. He had a quiet smile on his face as Lou Ellen popped her head out of the boundary and yelled "I'M BACKKKKK!!!"

"I forgive you," he said. "A wrong has been righted."

"You should join us for campfire sing a longs tonight," said Connor. "We can have a party!"

"No, I'm going to make a few more trips to bring some other people back," Nico said. "I'll be staying at my camp. Good luck though," he nodded to Jason before melting into the darkness.

"See, what did I tell you? All bark and no bite," Connor said, smiling as he jogged back in camp. "Come on, let's get you prepared for your quest!"

Jason followed behind, with the vision of the other camp, and Nico as well, haunting him. Not in a bad way though. All bark and no bite.

[ananke-xiii]

(Mothers)Of Gods and Monsters

The (male) fears and horrors surrounding pregnancy are self-evident in both Eve's and Kelly's story.

One of the most striking things to me is the fact that they are both single mothers and mothers without men are always considered a threat to male authority. Therefore, they both must die.

What sets them apart, however, are two opposite yet very connected, harmful and mysoginistic beliefs: that of the male seed forming and causing generation and that of the maternal immagination.

The first, in Kelly's case, creates demigods who have the capacity to become Gods by themselves; the second, in Eve's case, creates monsters that will always be connected to their monstrous mother.

Both characters seem to share the somewhat contagious "power of touch": Eve touches you and you become a monster; Kelly touches you and, via her kid, you see visions of the future. They can also both resurrect but only once and only with their children's help. Interestingly, Eve can be killed with phoenix's ashes which is a well-known symbol of life, death and rebirth. Ironic.

They are both associated with the mother of the narrative which is Mary Winchester, Eve very much visually (that scene with Dean-as-food telling Eve-as-his-mother to "bite him"... what was that? That is years on the psycoanalyst's couch) while Kelly only thematically. They're also indirectly connected to AU!Michael doing... whatever the hell he was doing in s14... because he represented a twisted conflation of the theme of terrifying motherhood in his pseudo-god-like creation of super-monsters.

Another thing they have in common is... Castiel.

In "Mommy Dearest" Dean asks Cas if "mom[Eve]'s making [him] limp" where "being limp" is a metaphor for being de-powered but it's also signalling deviancy and anomaly. Interestingly, when Cas tells Bobby that Dean's "crippling and emphatetic response" is dangerous he's basically saying that Dean's been crippling him. So it's not just Eve who's making Cas "limp", it's Dean too. The most famous character who has a limp is none other than Oedipus. Oh-oh. Someone will make a "huge, tiny mistake" this season.

In the episode both Dean adn Eve also try to emasculate Cas several times but in different ways. Dean by basically calling him a baby in a trenchcoat who whines and Eve, who's compared to an angel and who displayes the name-tag of "Angela" on her uniform, contributes to that by calling Cas "flaccid".

On the other hand, Cas is almost willing to surrender his power to Kelly. He has no limp and no crippling emphatetic response anymore: he's free to move as he pleases. When Kelly abducts him and steal the Impala he says he could stop her but he doesn't. He lets himself be physically moved by Kelly. Not even just physically, they literally relocate together in another state. Unlike with Eve, Cas is so energized with Kelly that he ends up revisiting outdated notions about paradise and destiny and, really, it's season 12, Cas, come on.

Both Kelly's and Eve's arcs are connected to major Castiel's deaths. In the after-life they are both waiting for him. Sort of. Castiel has matter to settle with both of them: in Kelly's heaven he's reminded of the promise he had made and which he had failed to keep. This, among other things of course, will prompt him to make the deal with the Empty. Not to mention Purgatory where we know Eve is waiting for him to avenge the death of her children and all Cas did in s6.

There is so much more to say! The thing is that when talking about monsters... one cannot simply not talk about mothers too.

[macawritesupdates]

Wait wait wait yuuji files is coming to an end 😭 😭 😭  it makes sense all good things must Come to an end but damn I'm going to miss the anticipation of waiting to see where the story will go with each new chapter haha. Ah, it's already cemented it's place as a favorite of mine though that won't change even when it ends. Ten more chapters to enjoy, alright!

Ahh man Sukuna was so cute in this chapter in his own way, like just climbing Yuuji when he wanted to be carried and wanting to go cow tipping and biting gojo. I love this guy ok. Yuuji telling him to calm his tits was great too. Also biting Yuuji a bit to remind him he's still there and cuz he got a bit jealous, the man saw one look between Yuuji and another person and had to stake a claim immediately he's not risking any dramatic camp romances or something love that guy. The dynamics between Yuuji and the Kyoto kids were great him I really liked how most of them start the chapter suspicious of him and end it helping him kill a god. Todo of course was perfect I have a soft spot for him love Yuuji's brother showing support. The Tokyo kids were also top notch they've just accepted Sukuna as one of their own. Yeah this is our classmate the calamity king of curses, yes he did commit many atrocities, yes he does bite, what of it? I hope that killing a god together leads to the Kyoto kids also accepting Yuuji and Sukuna. honorary Kyoto students, they're just chill now. I do enjoy seeing Yuuji and Sukuna slowly earning peoples respect and making friends maybe one day they'll have a whole generation of scorcerers who are their friends and allies. Can't wait to see if Sukuna learned enough from being in the afterlife to make his domain even more powerful. One of my favorite things about him as a character is he's a huge nerd ok the man is literally always learning and trying new things it's great I'm so glad you show that aspect of his character I hope he comes up with something fun. I really like that in this series it feels like everything escalates in a positive way as opposed to the constant negative escalation we get in cannon. Like they're fighting more powerful opponents but they're together and get to grow from it instead of suffering endlessly. Mai staying behind is actually a nice parallel to Maki having to leave the clan huh. It hurts that they have to be separated but Mai has to do this so she can live the way she wants with her head held high damn. Love Yuuji adopting yet another person into the household.  I hope Toji learns how to be a good dad from Yuuji or something. That or he just becomes the family pet assassin. Mans just here eating the food and placing bets on sports games whenever Nanami comes over to watch a one. He never wins any money though because Nanami and Sukuna will not let him bet against their teams no matter what on pain of death. He gets into trouble and Yuuji just sprays him with a squirt gun like a misbehaving cat. Poor Sukuna though he's fallen for a guy who loves people and will not stop reaching out a hand to others in need no matter what..

how awful for him… back to the purgatory thing for a moment I think my ideal version of that is Yuuji's grandpa comes to join them because he doesn't want to leave Yuuji there without him. Then Choso joins them too. Then Nobara ect. ect.  Until it's just this one portion of the afterlife where everyone comes to rest together until they can reincarnate. No one has to be alone there. Some of them may not reach heaven but they can stay together just outside hell. Is Hana the way she is because of Yuuji's demigod descendant status then? How would the heavens view the adopted named and claimed daughter of the hero who killed a god? Hmm is Susumu going to be smug when he finds out about this the little guy already clocked the whole divine sun thing. Now his dad/patron god has achieved something great. Really can't wait to read more! Thanks for writing and sharing with us!!

The Yuuji Files must end eventually! More as I think the narrative has a good conclusion where I've had it end, wrapping everything up <3

But think the next ten chapters are the strongest yet in terms of ideas as they are very contained and focused in my opinion c:

I really like the building of the conflict and people coming in contact as Yuuji slowly acclimates his murder curse to society like getting a cat use to new faces XD Sukuna still his a horrible murder hobo, but Yuuji is finding ways to get him distracted by providing proper enrichment! Also I think the Kyoto kids get the short end of the stick as far as characterization went...so wanted to give them some proper love, especially Mai :< The purgatory idea is also so very cute ; w ; his family just always wants to be there <3

[snowflakethewise]

Ms. Crush and Mrs. Love

When a person is under a crush they may feel like boulders are weighing on their chests. Ms. Crush may whisper in a person's ear "That stranger is the dove among pigeons, the demigod among men, the knight among villagers. Well, I bet my bottom dollar, that he would rescue you of any dangerous situation. I mean look at that hair and those amazing eyes. But he might see you as a mere mortal, not worth his godliness, a laughing stock among his pride." She turns and speeds her talk, shouting at the person, "No! You must look your finest to him. You must flaunt him with your every charm. But when things go south. Well... I can't help you. I'll have to leave because I live in only perfection. A peasant to princess story you see. Let me know how it goes."

Meanwhile, when a person sees all the other people for who they are. Flaws, strengths, activities, and feels calmness around them that is love. Mrs. Love would say in a gentle quiet tone. "That person whom you care about is amazing. He might be an average Joe or Janet, but they're your Joe or Janet. They have traits you enjoy, like compassion, kindness, stability, and many more. The list goes on. They also have flaws that you don't like." She asks to sit down next to the person and continues in an understanding quiet voice, "Like them biting their nails or their height, but you learn that their flaws help you enjoy things you never thought you had. Like reaching to the high shelf for them and looking at how adorable they are. Or how they enjoyed that horror fic from last night, and you knew from them biting their nails. You two have the most unique love lives. Even though you argue about where to place the toaster or how to do laundry, you two figured it out in the end. Whether it may be a compromise or a third idea you make it through. Your guys' love life is not a movie or fairytale but it has a good feel to it. It is an ever-changing feel and mental state for you. You constantly learn from each other every day and support one and the other in happiness and sadness. Now, if you have problems between now and next Saturday, call me. I'm always available."

Even though a crush can form into love, It takes time, learning, growth, and consistency to make anyone fall in love.

So, Disney, when are we gonna have an accurate love movie that is good, again? Like, come on, Man.

[the-consortium]

"That makes sense, I guess. He's kinda like your dad, isn't he? In that way that primarchs tend to be. I've read about them. All of them that I can, but still I think it'd be neat to meet one in person."

Gingerly, she reached out and patted the spot just below his shoulder blade and with her other reached for a pillow she didn't really care about and placed it in the World eater's hands. Giving him something to vent on if he so needed.

"Also, is he gonna be okay?" Her tone conveyed worry, and even a measure of compassion for the odd killer. Seeing them in person was so much more revealing than reading a book. That was for sure.

Arrian doesn't seem to notice the cushion at first. He whispers to himself. Incomprehensible and with pauses, as if it were actually a conversation. Then he blinks and reaches for the pillow. He stares at it as if he doesn't know where he is for a second.

Saqqara moves restlessly, clears his throat. It's obviously important to him to distract from Arrian's condition. A strangely touching, possessive gesture. As if what others think of the World Eater is important.

"Yes, he only needs a moment. His Primarch has changed considerably more than mine. And, let's face it, they already started at very different levels." He bites his lower lip. Apparently, for all his realism, for all the time he's spent here with the Consortium and what he remembers of the Shadow Crusade and the burning Nuceria, he still finds it hard to speak ill of the Red Angel in the slightest. Even if only in direct comparison to his Primarch.

"And it's true - they're probably the closest thing to a father figure when you can't remember who originally sired you. More than that. They are our spiritual focus. Each in their own way. Even if you fight them the way Chief Apothecary or Duco do. You may not want to admit it, but these men, demigods…" he gestures to the holovideo "… they are our fathers. Our centre of gravity and a good part of what defines us."