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chibiplumbobs · 3 months

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. Sims 4 Greek Gods Legacy Challenge .

I first came across this challenge by simmer CheetahAlyssa and wanted to put my own little spin on the creative idea she originally came up with :)

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This challenge is SPECIFICALLY meant for base game meaning no extra add on mods or external cheats outside of the game's original programming are needed to participate.

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Overall Rules:

The genders of the sims aren't specified to their referred God/Goddess. The challenge is based on personality rather than physical appearance, so have fun with creating your sims.

Autonomy must be switched ON. I recommend a long lifespan for your sims.

If your sims unfortunately pass during any time during the challenge before you can at least get the next heir ready, you automatically lose the challenge and have to start over (whats the point of a challenge if there's no challenge? Hehe)

If you participate, make sure you tag me with the hashtag ChibiGodsChallenge.

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Generation 1: Hestia "The Homemaker" (Goddess of hearth/home)

You begin your origins as Hestia, the first born child of the titans Kronos and Rhea.

Rules:

Must start as YA

Cannot woohoo or get married

Must have the Neat, family-orientated, and good traits.

Household funds start at base game amount.

Must remain a virgin and can only have one child through adoption. (The child must be adopted as either an infant or toddler).

Must like to cook and bake.

You must not have a job but earn money by selling food (via food stand, etc)

**BONUS: If you use a mod that requires more traits, then you can add the foodie and generous trait as well.

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Generation 2: Demeter "The Farmer" (Goddess of harvest/agriculture)

Used to life as the only child, you developed a love for the outdoors, and growing your own food from the ground. You spend your days surrounded by plants, the life of the country satisfies you more than the city.

Rules:

Must start when sim becomes a YA

Must have the traits loves outdoors, rancher, and green fiend

Must not have a job, but earn money by gardening.

Master gardening skill

Cannot marry.

Must have a child through a one night stand. Must not see the parent sim after pregnancy.

Relationship with child must be strict, and does not allow child to have contact with other sims.

Generation 3: Hera "The Queen B" (Goddess of Marriage/Women/Family)

You were destined to be at birth, and your mother gave you nothing but the best being the only child, but you grew up naive due to being so sheltered.

Rules:

Must start gameplay when you become a teen.

Must have the traits romantic, jealous, and snob traits.

Must fall in love as a teen with a noncommittal sim.

Marry your first love. (Partner must cheat during marriage and produce multiple children. A cheat can be used on partner for this purpose)

Have a bad relationship with your husband but never divorce or break up.

Must have a career as a style influencer, and reach the branch "trend setter".

Must have three children.

Must have bad relationship with third and last child, and kick them out during their teen years (this sim begins next generation)

**BONUS: If you use a mod that requires more traits, then you can add the high maintenance trait as well.

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Generation 4: Poseidon "The Surfer" (God of the sea, storms, and earthquakes)

Your childhood started off rocky due to the complicated relationship with your parents. You find yourself in Sulani and feel the call of the ocean.

Rules:

Must start as a teen and runaway to Sulani.

Must become a mermaid by eating kelp in the aspirations.

Must have the traits child of the ocean, romantic, hot-headed.

Must not have a job until you become a YA, but can earn money through fishing.

Get a career in Conservationist and branch in the Marine Biologist career once you become a YA.

Must fall in love and marry a mermaid.

Must have three children and all but one can be a mermaid. (If all three spawn as mermaid, you can change one to human by using a cheat. This child starts next generation)

Must have at least one child outside of your marriage.

Must master fitness and fishing skill before YA.

Complete angling ace aspiration.

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Generation 5: Hades "The Misunderstood" (God of the underworld/the dead)

Being the only human of your family, you often felt different from your family, choosing solitude instead of being surrounded by numerous people. Others think you're nonchalant and mean, but deep down you desire love and understanding.

Rules:

Must begin as a teen

Must have the traits loner, socially awkward, and loyal.

Always dress in black

Fall in love with a sim that has the loves the outdoors trait.

Must befriend at least 3 ghosts, and have at least one high friendship.

Must own three dogs

Must join the business career and join the investor branch once reached YA.

Cannot have children, but can adopt one infant or toddler.

Must have good relationship with both spouse and child.

**BONUS: If you use a mod that requires more traits, then you can add the romantic trait and dog lover as well.

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Generation 6: Zeus "The King Of Heartbreakers" (God of the skies and thunder)

From birth, you knew you were destined for greatness, to be the "wonder kid" of your parent's eyes. You were perfect at everything you did, and your parents spoiled you rotten, which is why you don't feel the need to settle down with just one person.

Rules:

Must start as a YA.

Must have the non-commitment, romantic, and self assured trait.

Must have a career in politics and branch into politician.

Must marry a sim, but cheat throughout entire relationship and marriage and spawn children from each side relationship.

Must have three children with partner.

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Generation 7: Athena "The Professor" (Goddess of wisdom/warfare and handicraft)

Your parents always considered you the "wise" one because you were always the child solver as opposed to being the problem. You spend your days with your head in a book, but deep down you have a angry side.

Rules:

Must start as YA

Must have the traits ambitious, genius, bookworm

Must not marry or woohoo

Can only have children through adoption

Must have a career in education through the professor branch.

Must master logic skill

Complete nerd brain aspiration

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Generation 8: Aphrodite "The Serial Lover" (Goddess of beauty/love)

You considered yourself your parent's favorite due to them fawning over your beauty your entire life. Life always came easy for you because your looks got you everything you wanted. Unfortunately, your beauty makes it hard to stay loyal to just one.

Rules:

Sim must start as a teen

Must have the romantic, high maintenance, and self-absorbed traits.

Must have multiple suitors through teen years.

Get married as a YA to a sim you don't attractive, then fall in love with another sim during marriage.

Have a baby with side partner. You are not allowed to have children with your spouse.

Your sim and spouse may NEVER divorce or break up.

Must complete serial romantic aspiration.

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Generation 9: Ares "The Troublemaker" (God of war)

Labeled the "trouble maker" as a child. You see the world as your own personal game board, ready to set chaos upon the planet. You enjoy fighting, and causing mischief for anyone you see fit.

Rules:

Must start as a teen.

Must have the traits hot headed, erratic, mean.

Must like mischief

Must fall in love with a sim already in a relationship.

Must never marry

Must have a child through a one night stand.

Must have a career in the military or criminal career (any branch).

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Generation 10: Apollo "The Superstar" (God of music/light/poetry)

There was no doubt in life that you were meant for stardom. You spent your childhood learning to play different instruments and singing in the mirror. One day, the world will recognize who you are.

Rules:

Must start as a child.

Must have the traits music lover, self-assured, and romantic.

Must reach level 5 of any instrument before teen years, then master it before YA

Must only pursue sims in a relationship.

Must not have a job but earn money through music (writing or performing)

Must have a child through a one night stand.

Must reach high level of celebrity status sometime in YA years.

Complete world famous celebrity aspiration

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Generation 11: Artemis "The Animal Lover" (Goddess of the hunt)

Ever since you were a child, you found yourself falling in love with the outdoors and the animals that lived there. A modern day princess, your soft spot for animals leaves your heart a little cold for humans. You decided to devote your life to helping the animals.

Rules:

Must start as a YA

Must have the traits animal lover, loves outdoors and Adventurous

Must own at least four pets of different species.

May never marry or woohoo

Can only have one child through adoption.

Must like animals, rock climbing, and skiing.

Complete friends of animals aspiration

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Generation 12: Hermes "The Mischievous One" (God of mischief/travels)

Since a child, you were a fan of pranks, and mischievous things. You often drove your parent crazy from the amount of bad deeds you did for fun, and found humor in watching people get upset. You gained popularity from being the jokester.

Rules:

Must start as a child

Must have the traits outgoing, goofball, and good.

Complete chief of mischief aspiration.

Enter the Entertainer career and branch as a Comedian.

Must like comedy and mischief

Must master comedy and mischief skill by YA

Must have 4 lovers, and have children by only one.

Must never marry any of these lovers or enter an exclusive relationship.

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BONUS!!!!

Generation 13: Persephone "The Gardener" (Goddess of Spring)

You lived most of your life in solitude due to your parent's paranoia. All you've ever known in your life is your home, and the plants in your garden. You yearn for me, and wish to break away from your parent's strict rules.

Rules:

Must start as a teen

Must have the traits outdoor lover, romantic, and green fiend

Must master the gardening skill

Must complete botanist aspiration

Must not have a job, but make money by gardening.

Must fall in love with one sim your parents do not approve of (their interactions should always be negative).

Must marry first love and have children.

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Check out the official Discord Channel HERE for updates and chats with other simmers!

Happy simming!!

#the sims 4 #simblr #ts4 #chibichallenges

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nicosavior456 · 9 months

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Adventures of Chika Hanabusa: The Restoration of Earth

Disclaimer: This book follows the events of Percy Jackson and Heros of Olympus fanfic, This fanfic will not include Trails of Apollo, The Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase.

Chapter 1: School Attack

Chika PoV

The alarm clock was going off and I quickly got out of bed. Today was Friday so I put on my green and white cheer uniform. The cheer uniform is a white pleated skirt with a green trim line, and the top is white with green spelling that says Oakwood Senior High School. I also pick up my scythe, which can transform into a pencil. I walked downstairs and saw my dad making scumble eggs and getting ready to work on the farm. My father is a buff Japanese guy who has scars around his arms, and he has a ponytail and a beard. He is wearing a farmer hat, flannel shirt, and jeans. His name is Isshin Hanabusa, and he use to be part of the Japanese military, but he decided to move to America to become a farmer. He met my godly mother, Demeter, at an agricultural convention and both fell in love with each other.

"How is your sleep, my precious princess? By the way, did you pack your scythe?" he asks as he hugged and kissed me on the cheeks. I’m very lucky to have a good dad, he taught me how to deal with the stresses of life and how to deal with the mythological world.

I hugged him back and kissed him on the forehead, "I did put my scythe in my pencil pouch in pencil form. Hey Dad, I’m happy that we get to have the farm and take care of animals. Once the game is over, I might make dinner later on.” I say as I winked at him.

He smile a calm smile and say in a soft voice, "Don't worry about dinner, I was thinking that we can have some food from Quickway Hibachi. Have fun at the game and maybe find a nice girl at your school.”

I blushed like crazy and say “Maybe, well anyway I must get going.”

“Don’t forget your pompoms and be a kickass cheerleader as always.” As he laughs while he hands me the pompoms.

“I will forever be a badass as always dad, maybe I could save a princess or a queen from danger. I can be like a superhero who can control plants or even the Earth.” I chuckle as I say that. I’m glad that my father accepted me as a lesbian demigod, I truly love him and I hope I can make him proud someday. I wonder if I can spend some time with my mother Demeter. I know that she's a goddess that must look after the Earth and feed all living things, someday I hope I can lighten her burden. I remember Demeter gifted me a scythe and told me the truth about what I am and hugs me very tightly and says she loves me and doesn't want me to be part of her world. She is still traumatized by how Hades just kidnaps her daughter and Zeus lets it happen. Mother doesn't love her brothers for what they did to her, and she will gladly sock all three of them in the face. Mother does get along with her sisters and always says nice things about Hera and Hestia to me and how all three of the girls are best friends. Mother also told me how she lived in Grandad Cronus's stomach and how she and her siblings defeated him in combat. Mother is very anxious for my safety, and she comes over from time to time and helps train me in case I have a huge prophecy. I'm the only one in the last thousand years to have a huge destiny for her kids, I guess she makes sure that none of her kids must deal with the mythological world or be pawns of other gods. I'm so glad that Mother is honest with me and lets me in her thoughts at times, hopefully, she is like this with my half-siblings. I wonder if I ever going to Camp Half-Blood or even Camp Jupiter.

I left my house, and I went to the bus stop. I get on my bus and it’s full of loud kids, I share a seat with an overweight kid who is growing a beard, his name is Dean Arlovski. Dean is not a bad kid and is always nice to me. He could have a crush on me because I do catch him staring at me a lot but I’m not sure, I may have to get a shirt that says I’m gay.

“I guess that today is a football game, you look nice in your cheer uniform. I hope you slept well. I’m curious, are you dating a football player.” Dean says in a shy, bumbling tone.

“Just because I’m a cheerleader doesn’t mean I date football players, I rather date volleyball players because they are just so awesome and cute. No offense Dean but you watched way too many high school movies, people are just way more than what activities they do. I do think that we should stop with the high school stereotypes, for example, I do karate on Mondays and Tuesdays, and I’m part of the environmental club. But those are just fun activities I do, my goal in life is to help improve the earth's ecosystem, travel the world, and analyze some wildlife." I say to him with an upbeat tone and I have to catch my breath.

“Those are very cool goals; I didn’t know that you have scientific goals.” He say in a surprised tone and had an excited smile and looking at me as if he made a scientific discovery that cheerleaders are more than just football players girlfriends.

The bus stops in front of my school which is a wide two-story building and the bricks were covered with white and green painting. I got into the school building and was greeted by a fellow cheerleader named Aisha, a curvy black girl who has a well-toned arm, I find pretty attractive.

"How was your sleep? I can't wait to pass the finals" Aisha yawned as she say that, she must have not slept well.

“Luckily finals are two months ahead, I got to go to my first period which is biology," I say in a high voice, which causes others to look at me weirdly. Curse my loud voice.

“I wish I had your enthusiastic nature. Btw I saw a scary regal-looking Latina who is trying to find you. She shares the first period with you, and I guess the counselor put you in charge of helping” Aisha says in a low, quiet voice.

"Oh, right I did volunteer, ok thanks I will find her," I say in an anxious tone, and my hands start shaking, I don’t want the new student to hate me, Relax Chika that’s just your anxiety talking, Chika take calm breaths I say to myself.

Just as I was about to run, The new student came behind me and say, “I guess you are my guide, I need to talk to you privately. My name is Reyna and I’m here to recruit you to Camp Jupiter.” Reyna says in a loud authoritative voice. Reyna is so pretty with her long braided dark hair, her nice, tanned complexation, and her dark eyes. She somehow makes a purple shirt and jeans look hot. I swear she looks like a queen who has been to wars with her toned arms and her legs have a lot of muscles hiding behind jeans. I notice she has a small facial scar as well; she could be a half-blood like me.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Chika Hanabusa and I will be your guide. You didn't tell me your last name but I'm pretty sure it's not important." I say while sweat is coming down my forehead while Reyna looks at me with the fiercest glare, I bet Reyna could literally stare at monsters and they start peeing their pants and ran from her. Chika, you must keep your cool in front of the attractive new student.

“It’s fine, I’m not comfortable with people learning my last name. I guess you are already aware of the fact that you are a half-blood. We must go before they appear." As Reyna finished her sentence, a group of huge burly men with big noise appear as the school rings, signaling first period. I know what these monsters are, they are the Laistrygonian Giants. One tried to punch me, but I ducked under the punch and give the undercut to the throat which caused him to hold his throat in pain. While he held his throat in agony, I took out my pencil and it transformed into a celestial bronze scythe. I sliced the giant head with my scythe, and I saw Reyna take out some gold sword and proceed to kill half the giants left and right. She cut these huge monsters like they were nothing, they were just lambs in a slaughter. Reyna must have killed monsters when she was kid, she makes like so easy.

As I was busy admiring her, the other giant front kicked me in the chest, and I was sent to the locker room. Oww, that hurts, luckily my backbones are fine and not broken. I moved out of the way while the giant charged toward the lockers, and I sliced him in the back with the scythe while his head is stuck in the lockers. I should have stayed focused on the enemies; I proceeded to dodge the blows of the two other giants and sliced both of their arms off. They screeched in pain and tried to tackle me to the ground, but I moved backward, and I jumped in the air and kicked both in the face and I used my scythe to slice across their necks and watch them down to golden dust. Reyna thrust her golden sword into the giant chest, and he shrieks in pain while he's turning to dust on Reyna's blade. The last giant managed to knock the scythe out of my hand and managed to bear hug me.

“You killed my brothers’ puny demigod, watch as I crush you with my holds. I am the strongest of my brothers, my name is Fraciso.” He says in a thick French accent while he’s laughing like one of those cartoony villains. Luckily, I managed to use my plant abilities to make the roots grow under him and tie around his body. The roots strangle his body and he cries in pain while I managed to free myself from his bear hug.

"I can't break out of these cursed roots, the roots are too strong. I can't believe I will be killed by plant roots." Fraciso says while he's trying to crawl against the constantly growing roots that become branches. I decided to just behead him with my scythe.

“There will be more monsters that will be coming. We will have to leave now; I will take you to camp. Don’t worry your father told me where you are, and he knows that you will come to Camp Jupiter” Reyna says as she takes her breath while she finishes off the last giant.

"Camp Jupiter is for Roam demigods, why am I going to Camp Jupiter," I asked in confusion.

"Because it's the closest to where we are at. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter decide to work together to recruit more demigods and we are allowed to look for Greek demigods while Camp Half-Blood is allowed to find Roman demigods. Why you didn’t use your powers that much?” Reyna asked as she’s giving me a questioning look and analyzed what my response will be.

"I didn't want to use my powers that much because my powers are not suited for places like the school or the office. Had we been on the football field, I would have been spamming my plant powers to kill as many monsters as possible. Before we go to Camp Jupiter, I want to cheer in the football game and just finish up the school day." As I explained in a calm voice. My back still aches from the bear hug and the kick to the lockers.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that; you will put your mortal friends in danger. I got a Pegasus waiting outside for us. Your father already packed your clothes and other belongings” Reyna says in a regretful tone, her eyes look sympathetic at me, it’s like she’s saying that I’m sorry that your life is not normal anymore. I was preparing for the day to leave my regular life, but I wish I had more time, hurray now off to death quests. I didn’t bother to change out my cheer uniform and we just walked straight to the parking lot with a white stallion with wings and my dad just waiting on it.

@sakuraazharuno @miuyuki-snowfall @thecreatorandcreation

@xxsmexyprincess6969xx @0lympian-c0uncil

#pjo #pjo oc #pjo fanfic #reyna x oc #reyna avila ramirez arellano #demeter

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ask-narratordoe · 2 years

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Does Lumerde have any holidays like Nightmare Night?

Novi sent by @splungecoyote and @briarborealisart

In LHK, we have a week-long event called the Spirits Risen Festival. I'll put all of the information about it below the cut, if anyone wants to know all about it! It starts on the 24th of October and ends on the 31st. October 31st is called Spirit's Eve. Of course, at the end will be a TL;DR rundown of events and practices, but I highly recommend reading as much as you can.

🔓 The Spirits Risen Festival will take place from October 24th to October 31st. Any events pertaining to the Spirits Risen Festival, Nightmare Night, or Halloween will be answered during this window. Stay tuned for more event information! -Mod Doe <3

The History

Haustonne

Haustonne was the first created of these traditions. Each year, during the last week of harvest (now established from October 24th to October 31st), ponies would celebrate their bounty through festivals.

The first day is a day of work, where every pony would gather together and assist farmers with collecting their crops. The second day, new crops are planted to hibernate during winter and begin their blossoming through spring. On the third day, the crops would be sold or traded throughout the village (and neighboring villages) and food not being used for the feast would be preserved. The fourth day was a day of rest, where ponies were able to lounge and relax themselves.

The fifth day was spent on more work, preparing food for the upcoming feasts. The sixth day was a small feast, where ponies would eat with and appreciate their families. On the seventh day, ponies would spend partying and feasting together while thanking their respective deities for good weather. This deity depends on each village, of course, with many thanking Hestia, Solaris, and the stars themselves. However, a select few gave their thanks to Astraea, Celeste, other asterin/deities, or no one at all.

On the seventh day, because it was held later in the night with food outside, would attract many critters looking for food to steal for the upcoming winter. Many ponies took to dressing in costumes to the festival so they could scare away the animals and protect their food.

Spirits Risen Day

Spirits Risen Day was a tradition started in the 12th century. During the autumn months, foals were very easily frightened during the night due to the falling leaves and dropping temperatures. To ease their foals, a village previously called Sunrise (now known as Rosewood) took to celebrating death and spirits during the last day of Haustonne. This eased their foals’ fears, and taught them to respect the ponies who passed before them.

Some ponies from a neighboring village, Bellen (modern day Belleside), took a different approach. On the last day of Haustonne, they would dress as animal-like monsters to scare their foals in bed before quickly removing any masks to reveal themselves. This turned the scare into a fun game for some foals, but a worsening effect for others.

These two traditions meshed, with the sixth day of Haustonne becoming Ancestor’s day, and the seventh becoming Spirits Risen Day. As a compromise, rather than scaring the foals in bed, they would take to spooking them during the party itself where energy was already high, while comforting the foals once the party ends. These practices spread throughout the kingdom, and eventually the entire nation.

Modern Day Practices

Spirits Risen Festival

The Spirits Risen Festival is a traditional autumn festival, celebrated throughout the Lunar Heavens Kingdom for generations. Each year, every city and town opens a Spirits Risen market. These markets are open to the public, where anyone can hold a stand. This is a very profitable period for small businesses and farmers, with sales skyrocketing in the market. Many vendors choose to also offer costume material, toys, trinkets, and generally spooky, death-related merchandise.

Larger cities will also open a carnival, with more merchandise, rides, games, and food. The admission prices vary, but the first day is always free admission. Attractions are geared towards the fear factor, and many young foals are turned away from larger, scarier attractions. It’s also common for “scare actors” to wander around after sunset and frighten attendees.

Ancestor's Day and Spirit's Eve

Feasting is still a factor, with Ancestor’s Day landing on October 30th. However, more focus is usually centered around Spirit’s Eve on the 31st, where foals (and sometimes older ponies) are off critter crawling.

The purpose of critter crawling was originally to mimic the animals on the last day of Haustonne. Ponies dress as animals (or any other costume of their choosing) and go door-to-door, visiting anyone with decorated doorways. They knock on the door, and demand the resident’s harvest. The phrase depends on location, but the most popular are, “Critters are here!” and, “Share the feast with hungry beasts!” (shortened to “share the feast”).

Residents have two options: they can either give the crawlers some of their candy, or “scare them away.” Many who participate have taken to preparing a haunted-house experience to scare the crawlers away, and others have widened their array of “harvest” options. Doorway decorations have evolved to be coded for more experienced foals-or foals whose parents tell them. A door with spider webs usually means a scare (if the spider webs have fake spiders and bugs in them, it means intense scare), and a door with pomegranates (a fruit symbolizing death, fertility, and linked to Hestia as her favorite fruit) meant treats. Different fruit colors have more recently been thrown into circulation, with red pomegranates being normal treats and black pomegranates being treats safe for all ponies to eat (or non-food treats).

November 2nd is a national holiday, known as “Spirits Sunset,” for rest after the festivities and cleanup. Festivities tend to bleed over to November 1st, due to the fact that many Spirit's Eve events take place past midnight.

Summary

October 24th-October 31st: Spirits Risen Festival

Small businesses and farmers opens stands at local markets

Various fairs and attraction open for the week, typically with a spooky theme

Sometimes actors dressed as monsters will wander the parks after sunset

October 30th: Ancestor's Day

Ponies feast with their living family members and take time to remember those in their families who have passed on

October 31st: Spirit's Eve

Critter Crawling/Parties after sunset

Critter crawling is usually reserved for younger ponies, but sometimes older ones participate

Ponies go door to door, with "trick-or-treat" phrases varying on location

Many doors are coded in their decorations, with different kinds of decorations noting what any critter crawler should expect

November 2nd: Spirits Sunset

Day of rest after the festivities

Also useful for extra clean up that hadn't been completed the day prior

#spirits risen festival 2022 #doe amberwood #ask narrator doe #story bits #mod speaks #answered #mlp #mlp ask oc #mlp ask blog #asteros au #unicorn #pony ask blog #pony #mlp g4 #ask-narratordoe #splungecoyote #briarborealisart #halloween 2022 #spooky season

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withlovefromolympus · 1 year

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BESTIE GIVE ME DEMETER HC! PLEASE! <3

Of course!! Here are a couple that are mostly centered around her role as goddess of agriculture! and nothing to do with hades :)

She snacks on fruits and veggies throughout the day and it’s a bit infuriating to the other gods because they’re jealous of how healthy she is. They try to be on her level of fresh eating but they just can’t

She was the second most mature of the five in Kronos’ stomach (hestia was the first), but she was also the scariest. Her siblings knew not to fuck around cuz she’d have them find out! She was also more terrifying as a fighter than her brothers during the subsequent war

She’s very protective of wood and river nymphs since she sees them as an important part of nature. (They’re basically her children.) Anyone who threatens them gets a good ol’, free decapitation service via demeter’s 9 ft scythe

Like other gods, she loves animals and doesn’t mind when mice and other critters make homes in her crops. Instead of killing them, she simply relocates them somewhere else

She and Persephone are big fans of baking shows and will place bets with each other on who will win when watching them together :)

She’s very fond of honest farmers and blesses them with good harvests, as long as they’re thankful and not greedy about it

She’s absolutely massive in height. Taller than even Zeus himself, not many people talk back to her, which is for their own good.

#I’ll try to write more in the future!!#she’s so cool #greek mythology #greek gods #demeter #headcanons

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booksbeansandcandles · 8 months

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Sabbats: Lughnasadh Basics and Correspondences

Lughnasadh is one of the four Celtic Cross Quarter Festivals, also referred to as the fire festivals. It is the first of three harvest festivals held in the fall. As the grain and corn are gathered and preserved for the season, farmers celebrated the last of the long and warm days of summer.

The cross quarters are linked to an old farming calendar. This was a time when people were very close to the land and their lives were governed by the changing of the seasons and the need to grow enough food to survive. Modern Irish Gaelic calls the month of August Lúnasa which is the modern variation of Lughnasadh. The name originates from Lugh, a mythological hero to some, sun god to others.

NAMES: The festival was adopted as Lammas “loaf mass” during the conversion of old ways to Judeo-Christian ways. Lammas (Anglo-Saxon – “hlaf-mass” = “loaf-mas”), Lughnasadh (Irish-Gaelic), First Fruits Harvest, Festival of Wheat Harvest, Cornucopia, Thingtide, The Feast of Bread, Freyfaxi, Frey Fest

DATES: February 1st (southern hemisphere), August 1st (northern hemisphere)

ENERGY: Waning

COLORS: Red, Yellow, Orange, Gold, Copper, Bronze, Brown, Tan (the colors of the sun and of grain)

ANIMALS: Calves, Lambs, Crow, Pig, Rooster, Salmon

CRYSTALS: Citrine, Amber Tigers Eye, Golden Topaz, Sardonyx, Hag Stones, Opal, Ametrine, Carnelian, Tourmaline, Brown Agate, Desert Rose, Jasper, Fossilized Wood, Yellow Aventurine, Obsidian, Lodestone

PLANTS, FLOWERS, HERBS, TREES: Rosemary, Sandalwood, Rose, Heather, Sunflowers, Grains, Marigolds, Oak, Acacia, Sage, Thyme, Cumin, Curry, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, Myrrh, Frankincense, Daisies, Chamomile, Passionflower, Hollyhock, Mistletoe, Cedar, Myrtle, Rosewood, Madrone, Alder, Redwood, Ginger, Patchouli, Basil, Apple, Blackberry, Blackthorn, Clover, Goldenrod, Ivy, Peony, Rose Hips, Vervain, Yarrow, Zinnias

ASSOCIATED GODDESSES: Demeter, Ceres, Persephone, Sif, Cerridwen, Habadonia, Hathor, Eriu/Macha (Irish Goddess of the Land), Danu, Alphito, Anat, Bastet, Hestia, Ishtar, Isis, Libera, Luna, Rhiannon

ASSOCIATED GODS: Lugh, Adonis, Llew, The Sun God, The Oak King, The Holly King, Dionysus, Tammuz, The Green Man, Cernunnos, Attis, Baal, Cronus, Dagon, Lahar, Neper, Osiris, Freyr, Odin

THEMES: First harvest, abundance, richness, fruitfulness, afterglow, the beginning of the end, generosity, celebrating gifts, sacrifice, turning towards darkness, justice and karma, human and personal rights issues, freedom from abuse of any kind; promotion and career advancement and the regularizing and regulation of personal finances; for holidays and journeys to see friends and family or on business and the renewal of promises, loyalty and fidelity; also willing sacrifice for a long term gain or made in love, trusting the cosmos to provide by giving without seeking immediate return; also for all matters concerning people in their forties and fifties.

ALTAR/DECORATIONS:

Yellow or orange altar cloths

Green, yellow or orange candles

Herbs

Small baskets

Bread can be baked (even from packets) and herbs added to make magical bread

Any straw object such as a corn dolly, grain mother, braided grain, a corn knot, a straw hat or a straw animal tied with red ribbon

Harvest flowers such as poppies or cornflowers, sunflowers and marigolds

Dried grasses, wheat stalks, long ears of grain

Stones with natural holes

Threshing tools, scythe, sickle

Summer vegetables, fruits and squashes (corn & gourds)

Cornucopias

The athame

#Lughnasadh #sabbats #witchy community #witchy #witchy vibes #witch aesthetic #witchcraft #witchythings #pagan

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studentinpursuitofclouds · 4 months

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Our Farmers as a memes, because Idk what the fuck I'm doing (part 3):

Pssss... @poxy-domain, @vilochkaaa, @sapphicastral, @g0atmama, @lavendel081 :3

#farmer hestia #farmer eris #farmer may #farmer asra #farmer willow #sdv oc #sdv

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bungiri · 9 months

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There's an herb in the Highlands thats like catnip for Hestia and the hatchlings. Lance has witnessed his wife high as a kite.

HJDIJDKWK THIS IS SO FUNNY ?????

i hope i captured her vibe well enough <3 she's so pretty

bonus

#farmer hestia #my art 𓈒˚⭒#bunnymail ⸝⸝ 💌 ★

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g0atmama · 1 year

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Posting this again but just the art this time because. Shakes it. Shakes it around. Look at it. It's got me so happy!!

Art done by @bugsband!! Go look at their comm page their art is wonderful they deserve it.

Anyway. Lance and Hestia being sweet. Being cute.

#farmer hestia #hearth sparks #sve lance #stardew valley farmer #stardew valley #stardew valley expanded #PLEASE look at this i love it so much #i also wrote a tiny ficlet to go with it but.#i might. write another.

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thewrathfulwitch · 9 months

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Lughnasadh

To Hestia, Fumigation from Aromatics.

Daughter of Kronos, venerable dame,

who dwellest amidst great fire's eternal flame;

in sacred rites these ministers are thine,

mystics much blessed, holy and divine.

In thee the Gods have fixed their dwelling place,

strong, stable basis of the mortal race.

Eternal, much formed, ever florid queen,

laughing and blessed, and of lovely mien;

accept these rites, accord each just desire,

and gentle health and needful good inspire.

Orphic Hymn 84 to Hestia (trans. Taylor)

To Apollon

Blest Paian, come, propitious to my prayer, illustrious power, whom Memphian tribes revere, Tityoktonos, and the god of Health, Lykoreus, Phoibos, fruitful source of wealth: Pytheion, golden-lyred, the field from thee receives its constant rich fertility. Titan, Gryneion, Smyntheus, thee I sing, Pythoktonos, hallowed, Delphion king: rural, light-bearing Daimon, and Mousagetos, noble and lovely, armed with arrows dread: far-darting, Bakkhion, twofold and divine, power far diffused, and course oblique is thine. O Delion king, whose light-producing eye views all within, and all beneath the sky; whose locks are gold, whose oracles are sure, who omens good revealest, and precepts pure; hear me entreating for he human kind, hear, and be present with benignant mind; for thou surveyest this boundless aither all, and every part of this terrestrial ball abundant, blessed; and thy piercing sight extends beneath the gloomy, silent night; Beyond the darkness, starry-eyed, profound, the table roots, deep-fixed by thee, are found. The world's wide bounds, all-flourishing, are thine, thyself of all the source and end divine. 'Tis thine all nature's music to inspire with various-sounding, harmonious lyre: now the last string thou tunest to sweet accord, divinely warbling, now the highest chord; the immortal golden lyre, now touched by thee, responsive yields a Dorian melody. All nature's tribes to thee their difference owe, and changing seasons from thy music flow: hence, mixed by thee in equal parts, advance summer and winter in alternate dance; this claims the highest, that the lowest string, the Dorian measure tunes the lovely spring: hence by mankind Pan royal, two-horned named, shrill winds emitting through the syrinx famed; since to thy care the figured seal's consigned, which stamps the world with forms of every kind. Hear me, blest power, and in these rites rejoice, and save thy mystics with a suppliant voice.

Orphic Hymn 34 to Apollon (trans. Taylor)

Mother Hestia, we honor you by blessing you with the first of the season's offerings, for you are the first and you are the last, the one who tends to the Holy Home.

Blest Apollon, we honor you, in thanks of you blessing the lands with the rays of the Sun provided by great Helios, to allow our land to grow the harvest that farmers tend to.

Queen Persephone shall soon join King Hades back in the Underworld. Blessed Dread Queen, you shall be home soon and we shall live another winter until you return to your mother.

The wheel must turn on and on, for life and nature is a balance. All that must rise will eventually fall.

#hellenic pagan #hellenism #lughnasadh #wheel of the year #greek gods #theoi worship #theoi #lammas #hestia #greek pantheon #apollon #apollo deity #hestia deity #persephone #hades and persephone #persephone deity #autumn #persephones descent #hades deity

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dandthegods · 2 years

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Thoughts on Devotional Acts

So, I went to my city’s art museum today, and it got me thinking about my relationship with the Gods. As today is the day before the traditional Lughnasso period (and I’m celebrating it today due to scheduling), my pagan practice and the Gods have been on my mind. Anyway. As I was there, I thought about the practice of devotional acts - or devoting things you do to the Gods. Acts don’t have to be complete activities or things that you do for a long period of time. They can honestly be anything, but I want to get some ideas of devotional donations out there. Just places and ideas for places that you could donate and support honoring the Gods. Do what you can, don't over stretch yourself or your means, and all in all, do it with respect and love.

This will obviously be Hellenism focused, but feel free to add any other gods you follow to this list, or add any other places that could work. And some things will be repeated for multiple gods as they can apply to each god’s realm of influence.

Cheers!

-D

Places to donate in honor of the Gods:

Zeus

Local or national food pantry

Homeless shelter

Disaster relief funds and non-profits

Minority advocacy groups such as Black Lives Matter and native people’s groups

Hera

Local or national women’s shelters

Homeless shelters

Planned Parenthood

Women’s health advocacy groups

Artemis

Local or national women’s shelters

Homeless shelters

Planned Parenthood

Women’s health advocacy groups

Animal shelters

Animal rights groups (NOT PETA, FUCK PETA)

Environmental conservation groups

Becoming a pet foster home (if able)

Poseidon

Disaster relief funds and non-profits

Apollo

Art or history museums (art museums are especially underfunded and receive the least donations)

Local indie artists (donate by buying something or through “just because” donations)

Ares

Homeless shelters

Mental Health shelters and non-profits

VFW and VA hospitals

Suicide Hotlines and Emergency Help Lines

Hephaestus

Art museums

Local indie artists (donate by buying something or through “just because” donations)

Supporting local small businesses and speciality shops

Dinoysus

Women’s shelters

Homeless shelters

Art or history museums (art museums are especially underfunded and receive the least donations)

The Trevor Project and other LBGT+ advocacy groups

Suicide Hotlines and Emergency Help Lines

Local indie artists (donate by buying something or through “just because” donations)

Local theaters and small theater productions

Planned Parenthood

Women’s health advocacy groups

Hades

Homeless shelters

Mental Health shelters and non-profits

VFW and VA hospitals

The Trevor Project and other LBGT+ advocacy groups

Suicide Hotlines and Emergency Help Lines

Persephone

Local or national women’s shelters

Homeless shelters

Any local or national food banks or food pantries

Hestia

Any local or national women’s shelters or homeless shelters

Any local or national food banks or food pantries

Hermes

Supporting local small businesses and speciality shops

Adopt a Highway programs

Athena

Local or national women’s shelters

Homeless shelters

Any art or history museum (art museums are especially underfunded and receive the least donations)

Planned Parenthood

Women’s health advocacy groups

Local or national food banks or food pantries

Demeter

Local or national food banks or food pantries

Farmer’s Markets and small produce sellers

Food Co-Ops

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mutifandomlover · 1 year

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200 Words Challenge:Day 3(Greek Pantheon).

From:@creativepromptsforwriting.

Aeolus:Aeolus is the son of Ares and some unnamed woman. He was raised by his father and taught him how to fight as a soldier. He is a bit of a hot head, and he's easily annoyed by people. He often distances himself to avoid others and train so that he can be the best warrior to ever live and make his father proud.

Bryson:Bryson is the son of Hestia and a dragon named Vasilios. Bryson was a bit of an accident since Vasilios was a good friend of Hestia, and he helped her run errands for her temple. They fell asleep together every now and then, and one day, Hestia got pregnant with Bryson. They didn't want Zeus to find out, so Vasilios took care of Bryson for most of his life. He worked in his mother's temple as a priest. He vowed never to reveal who his godly parent is to avoid consequences from the gods.

Lilly:Lilly is the daughter of Demeter and a lilly flower. Demeter was tired of not having company when Persephone was in the Underworld with her husband. So she decided to have another kid by impregnating herself with a flower since she didn't want a relationship with anyone. Lilly is a lot like her mom and is an excellent farmer. She's also younger than most of the Demigods. She's considered one because Demeter made her part human for reasons unknown.

#dropkickwritersblock #writing challenge #original character #writing #may challenge #monthly writing challenge #MythMay challenge #mythology

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bluepenguinstories · 11 months

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Remoras Full Intermission VI: Found Family

Hestia

We arrived at the diner only to find it already packed. We were supposed to be the guests of honor, right? Well, I wasn’t the guest of honor, but I meant mom and her new wife. So why were there already people here before us? It is perhaps sad. Just a little bit, but sad, nonetheless. See, the most important people: Aphrodite, my girlfriend, Hermes, my brother, my mom, and Hera, my new other mom. Last but not least, there was me, Hestia.

It wasn’t like I was the most important person, no. But what about mom? Didn’t she matter at all? This was her party! We were supposed to get the VIP treatment!

But whatever. It was chilly outside, but weather was nice. It was bright and sunny. Worst thing I could say was the chill, but considering we landed the jet not far outside of the tall building called a diner. It was already taller than most diners I’ve seen in my lifetime, not that I’ve been to many diners; greasy food just wasn’t my thing.

The building had at least three floors, and while the exterior was a nice mahogany shade, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone mistook it for gold. Yes, it was like viewing a tall mansion or a royal palace.

I guess Hera would want that royal treatment, but seriously? Why does a diner have to be this flashy?

“I sense hesitation, Hestia, dear. There should be none of that. This is a time of celebration,” Hera nudged me. If she nudged any harder, I might have had a hernia.

Hera had that white hair with curls look that you might have seen in other older, affluent women. She claimed she was “strawberry blonde” but bitch, I saw no strawberries in that hair of hers. She liked to walk as if she was on her way to a business meeting, and stood at 175cm. Her nails were crooked, in a downward droop, and painted a milky pink color.

I had no idea what mom saw in her.

“I’m not hesitating, miss new mommy. I am simply admiring the place,” I corrected her.

If anything could be said about me, it was that I was the oldest of my siblings, and thus, the wisest. In other words, I was the most mature. I made sure to keep my shiny blonde hair straight at all times. In at least one of my pockets, there was a brush and/or comb. I never left home without it. There was nary a blemish upon my face, save for the freckles which surrounded my cheeks, which some people have mistaken for chicken pox. Those people were fools and uncultured.

Everyone, all four of us, had large, puffy gray overcoats. It was only appropriate in the current weather. Once we were inside, we’d have to dress down, but until then, even a few minutes outside meant that keeping warm was most important.

“I can’t wait. I hope there’s plenty of hot guys,” Aphrodite, my girlfriend, rubbed her smooth sienna hands together. Oft, for as elegant as she was, she liked to coat her hands in cheese puff dust, and I’d have to remedy the situation by applying hand lotion.

“That’s not why we came here,” I reminded her. She was one of those easily distracted people, like a bee in a greenhouse. Whenever she saw someone attractive, I had to put a metaphorical leash on her.

“Right. We came here for the free food,” she nodded. At last, she understood. I knew she had it in her.

“That is right.”

I’ll be honest: when I first met Aphrodite, I wasn’t impressed. I had my day off from floor planning at my architecture job and decided to visit a farmer’s market. I even volunteered to load and unload some crates for certain booths, because that’s the kind of person I am. I spent all day just being a saint and doing all that I could to get into everyone at the farmer’s market’s good graces.

Meanwhile, there was a buzzing fly hovering around several booths. And by ‘fly’ I meant ‘approximately 167cm beautiful woman with a dark brown mullet and rich brown skin with a low cut V-neck denim t-shirt (no bra, this detail is important) and a plaid mini-skirt’ and by ‘hovering’, I meant, ‘leaning against each stall and flirting with various men and women while lifting one leg behind her and failing to impress anybody’.

I was next to a truck, and there should have been no way for her to see me. I was inconspicuous, as I had made sure to wear a monocle and top hat that day, so anyone who knew me wouldn’t recognize me. Of course, I saw her, and I saw many flashes of her panties. For the most part, I ignored her (and said flashes) as I’m sure everyone else was doing the same. I will be the first to admit, I may have had some stigma in my mind, as while I wished not to shame her for her appearance or mannerisms, I did have such thoughts like:

I bet you’d look much better without panties on.

Seriously, if she wasn’t going to wear a bra, what was the point of wearing panties?

Anyway, I wasn’t turned on, and I just did what I was doing. Somehow, she found me, as if I was a buried treasure.

“Hey there, sweaty,” I heard someone nearby croon.

I can ignore this, I thought.

“Oh, sorry, I meant sweetie,” that same person nudged the side of the truck and the truck vibrated with such a force that I dropped the crate I was carrying on my foot.

“OWW!” I screamed.

With rage, and almost tears in my eyes, I turned to the menace who caused me such distress. Some carrots fell out of the crates. Those carrots meant nothing to me.

Before staring into her neon purple eyes, I wanted to yell at my tormentor, shove her to the ground, and pummel her. But once I did so, I knew I was defeated.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and with the most heavenly voice I could muster, groaned:

“What do you want?”

Now, needless to say, I was not wooed by any of the pickup lines that I dare not repeat. She was very direct, too, about how horny she was and how she wished to strip for me and become a wet mess (‘cleanup on aisle 3,’ in her own words).

I think the reason we ended up going out was because weeks after, she kept following me around and begging me to make her mine. While any sane person would have gotten a restraining order, I had a different idea: what if I put a collar and leash on her and made her my pet?

For the record, I’m still sane. Just practical.

“I could go for some hot guys,” Hermes nodded along. He walked behind Aphrodite and I (I didn’t bring the collar and leash, for mom just didn’t understand. Still, I knew I could get her to behave as long as I brought treats) with his hands on his hips. Something told me that were it not for ruining perfectly good clothes, he would have ripped the sleeves off his overcoat just to show off his muscles.

Hermes wasn’t a very bright brother. Not to say he was dumb, just that his expertise lie not in academics. He liked to strut and walk tall, but he was only 155cm, and the third shortest of the Root family (Demetria still took the cake at 147cm). I was the second tallest, at 170cm. Log, who our family could never seem to get in contact with, but he liked to leave clues in the mail that he was still alive, was the tallest, at 190cm.

Hermes had small, brown curly hair. Chubby cheeks. He was something like what the kids nowadays called a ‘short king’.

“Hey, I’ll help you look for some,” Aphrodite nudged Hermes.

I rolled my eyes.

“Why don’t you just make up with your boyfriend? There are more important things than not skipping leg day, you know?” I suggested.

Apparently Hermes and his boyfriend, which I knew not his name because I cared not for such trivial affairs, got into a fight over something fitness related. Since then, they’ve been ‘on break’, but as far as I was concerned, they were still officially together. I saw no reason for Hermes to buzz around other guys when he was still in a relationship, the specifics not withstanding.

“Aw, you kids are so lovely,” Hera sighed, “I’m sure you can’t wait to be reunited with your darling sibling, Demetria.”

“Oh yeah! I hear she’s gotten swole!” Hermes said with undue eagerness.

“Yes,” I groaned.

I actually was interested, if for nothing more than to meet her supposed girlfriend, Remora.

According to mom, this ‘Remora’ broke Demetria’s heart once, and somehow had the gall to crawl back into Demetria’s short, stubby arms.

If Aphrodite tried that with me, the only way I’d accept her back is if she agreed to sleep on the couch for at least a week and abstained from sex for a month longer than that. Not to mention, she’d have to go without wet food. That meant no ice cream or pudding.

We arrived inside, no more hesitation. If all of us had shades to wear, we would have. There was a coat rack next to the door, and each of us took off our overcoats.

“Aw, look, we’re the main event,” mom pointed to the sign which hung from the ceiling:

‘WELCOME, SEQUOIA AND HERA.’

A little tacky, but it at least showed they had reverence for their guests.

For as many packed seats as there were, I held my objections in. The five of us who entered stood in the middle and assessed the situation.

“Somewhere among this crowd, Demetria awaits,” I muttered.

“Aw, you really do miss her,” mom gushed.

“Of course, she’s my dearest sister,” I smiled, all while scanning the area; wherever Demetria was, a Remora was sure to follow.

“Well, I’m gonna hit the snack bar,” Hermes raced off toward the table far off against the back wall where a cloaked young woman sat behind with a cauldron. Carrots and olives weren’t a surprise, nor was a bowl full of tropical fruits juice, but the cauldron was a shocker.

“You do you, bro,” I waved him off, then continued my search.

“Hun, I’m scared: there’s not many guys around,” Aphrodite whispered in my ear.

“So? There’s plenty of hot women. Even if most of them are taken, you can still mingle. Flirt to your heart’s desire. Just remember who your owner is at the end of the day,” I smirked. She licked my cheek and ran off.

There was a large redhead whose hair went down to her ankles with her legs on the table and several chicken drumsticks on a plate beside her. Men and women crowded on the seats beside her. She was loud, with a booming voice, and talked about ‘conquering Ottawa’ or something. I seriously doubted such a boisterous and annoying woman was Demetria’s girlfriend.

At another seat were two tall ladies: one blonde with red streaks, and another with an almost bald head (shaved black hair). The almost bald one was to the right of the blonde one. And, to the right of that buzzcut lady was a third lady: one with pigtails. In other words, my cousin Juniper.

Juniper and her wife had their heads rested on each side of the almost bald lady’s shoulder.

“Well then,” I huffed.

“Look at them, hun: all these people. Here to witness our love,” Hera had one arm around my mom’s shoulder while she used the other arm to hover over the mass of people in attendance.

I bet most of these people don’t even know who you are, I thought.

“Hey mom. Hera,” greeted the voice of a pipsqueak. The three of us (mom, Hera, and I) turned and saw Demetria, the short, green haired menace with her wavy green hair, form-fitting black shirt, and leather shorts.

“Ahem. I’m here, too,” I placed my hand on my chest and smiled.

“Right,” Demetria turned to me and looked up, “snooty bitch. What’s up?”

My blood boiled, but I kept it in. There were more important things than getting into a fight.

“So, where’s this girlfriend of yours? Or did you make her up?” I asked.

Demetria’s eyes shifted around.

“She’s..uh...in the bathroom. Probably.”

“Right. You know, you could just admit that she’s imaginary. No one’s going to look down on you for that.”

Mom scowled.

“Can you two PLEASE be nice to each other just once?” She asked.

I fluttered my eyelashes.

“What could you ever mean, dear mother?”

“Oh, dearest Demetria, how wonderful it is to see you again!” Hera looked like she was ready to drop on her knees and squeeze Demetria tight.

“Yeah. Hi,” Demetria shrugged.

Please, Hera. You act like you adore my sister more than you do my mom, I thought.

Some tall woman (I suspect about as tall as Juniper’s wife) walked up behind Demetria. She was muscular and wore a cardigan, as well as ripped jeans. Totally unwise attire. Unlike the buzzcut lady between the two wives, the tall woman had red hair in what I suppose some called a ‘pixie cut’.

“What’s going on here?” The redhead asked in a gruff voice. “Heard someone was picking on my Demetria.”

“Your Demetria?” I raised an eyebrow.

Demetria’s jaw hung low and let out a half-moan as if to protest.

“Yeah. I’m her girlfriend.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” mom held out her hand. “You must be Remora.”

Demetria’s girlfriend [citation needed] shook mom’s hand.

“That’s...uh...yeah,” Remora (doubt) replied.

“Come on, you aren’t really her girlfriend. You look too good for my sister,” I argued.

“Oh, no, if anything, Demetria’s too good for me,” the supposed girlfriends pulled Demetria in and squeezed her tight, “isn’t that right, babe?”

“Uh…” Demetria gave a concerned look upward, but when she faced me, her expression changed to a smug one, “that’s right. You really doubted I could pull someone as cool as her? Ha.”

Hera and mom walked away with a smile, seemingly pleased to meet Demetria’s girlfriend. I still had my doubts, and as I walked away, I heard something which confirmed said doubts:

“Why did you cover for me?” Demetria asked in a low voice. “You don’t even like Remora.”

“I just didn’t like the way your sister was talking shit about you. I wasn’t about to stand for that. Anyway, I’m going to sit back down. Cybele reserved a bowl of shrimp for me and we’re going to feed it to each other.”

“Intricate rituals and all that,” Demetria muttered.

So that confirms two things: 1) Remora was real. 2) That redhead wasn’t Remora.

Hermes

Olives, olive oil, olive bread, garlic, garlic salt, garlic bread. All of those things got shoveled into my chiseled jawline.

Many, many cheeses lined the snack tables. Ricotta, cheddar, reblochon, mimolette, provolone. Those too met my insides.

“Hello, good sir, I see you found your way to the snacks,” came an utterly mysterious voice. Enchanting. Like an old witch in a 90s RPG.

I looked up to see a cloaked young woman sitting in a chair behind the snack table. She had a ladle in her hands.

“Yes, I have. And you are?”

“I am the witch, Hecate. I have procured many potions for this ceremony. Would you like to drink one?”

“Um. Are they safe?” I asked.

Look, I’d drink lots of stuff: protein powder, testosterone, grapefruit juice, goat milk, you get the idea. But “potions”? Nope. Never once tried that.

“They’re only as safe as you believe them to be. Is there something you might wish for?”

“Well...the relationship with my boyfriend’s kinda on the rocks. I’d like us to patch things up,” I confessed.

“I see. Please describe how you met your boyfriend and what the problem may be.”

This’ll sound really weird, as she was no doubt no therapist, and I didn’t believe in some new-age occult mumbo-jumbo, but to hell with it, I told her what the problem was.

“His name is Keto. We met at the gym one day. He agreed to spot me while I bench pressed. We ended up bonding over our love of muscular men. Next thing you know, we took turn carrying each other home. I didn’t even know I liked men before I met him, but I won’t say I ever felt anything toward women, either. Mostly, I liked being fit. Keto’s been skipping leg day at the gym in favor of baking bread, and while I’m happy for him, I’m sad for his legs. I told him as much and he said we should take a break from dating. So here we are.”

I didn’t say all that much, but Hecate’s head drooped down and it looked like she was nodding off. She jolted her head up, and with wide, blue eyes, answered:

“I think I have the potion for you, traveler.”

She reached down and pulled up a vial which contained some kind of thick, red liquid. One wouldn’t be blamed for mistaking it for blood. However, I noticed what looked like small orange bits, and clear, white flakes, as well as what seemed to be eggshell noodles.

“Again is this safe?” I asked as she reached the vial out to me.

“It is. Or your money back.”

“I swiped the vial from her hand. I couldn’t argue with that logic. Or, I could have, considering I didn’t spend any money, but at the time, it seemed like a pretty good deal, and I drank that shit right up. It tasted like…

“Hey, is this minestrone?” I asked after chugging the whole thing down. No doubt, there was a distinct smooth tomato flavor to the whole thing. Not to mention carrot, onion, and spice.

“That it is, good customer,” she smiled.

“I’d recognize that taste anywhere.”

“You have good taste, customer.”

“Yes. Minestrone is one of my favorite potions! In fact, I’m sure things will work out with my boyfriend now that I drank that! Thank you, wonderful witch.”

“ASSISTANT!” Shouted Hecate, the helpful witch.

I turned to my right and saw a girl with long, brown hair pass by, although I couldn’t get a good look at her face, as she held a wooden cutting board in front of it.

“Look at me, assistant! What if I faint on the job?” Hecate shouted once more.

The brown haired girl lowered the cutting board and I saw an olive-skinned young woman with watery eyes and her cheeks turned red. Her lips quivered.

“Please don’t use that against me…” The shy young woman groaned, while looking down and off to the side.

“We may have started sharing a room again, but you still haven’t touched my boobs!”

“I thought you didn’t like that!”

“I like it when you do it!”

Should I be here right now? I wondered.

“I guess we have a lot to talk about…” Proserpina sulked, then wandered off.

Hecate turned back to me.

“Sorry you had to see that, good customer. As you can see, there has been some business ‘complications’ as of late.”

I just laughed.

“Sounds like you two could use some minestrone as well.”

“Oh ho ho, believe me: we’ve been having nothing but minestrone these past few days.”

I waved goodbye to her and wandered off. There wasn’t any specific goal in mind, but when I saw a familiar pair of blonde pigtails seated at the end of one of the middle tables, with two tall women to her left, I knew I had to jog over.

“Yo! Cuz!” I greeted.

All three women looked up. I backed away one step. I only meant to get one person’s attention, but I suppose something like that was inevitable.

“Who talks like that?” The one in the middle, with a buzzcut (or pixie cut) asked. “I get ‘bro’ or ‘sis’ but what’s this ‘cuz’ business?”

“That’s because he’s one of my cousins,” Juniper explained.

“Just how many do you have?”

“I don’t know, but at least four, since Demetria and her siblings count. This is Hermes,” Juniper pointed to me, then gestured to the buzzcut lady, “and this is Rachel.”

“I am at the moment,” Rachel said.

“Just what does that mean?” I scratched the small bits of brown hair I had atop my head. I may have been balding or something, but I wasn’t worried about that. I still had plenty of hair on my chest and legs.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“And this is,” Juniper gestured to the one staring wistfully out the window.

“Oh, I know. That’s the wife.”

The wife, Ves, looked my way with a perplexed expression.

“The wife? Is that all I am?”

“Pretty much,” Rachel replied.

“Et tu?”

“You know, I could stab you at least 17 times if you’re going to imitate Caesar.”

Ves dropped her head on the table and groaned.

“I see your posture hasn’t gotten any better, either,” Rachel continued to berate poor Vesuvius.

“They’re fine. Probably. Just some healthy banter,” Juniper explained.

“Yeah. No one needs to get rushed to the hospital. So what do you want?” Rachel turned to me.

“Oh, I just came by to say hi,” I scratched the back of my head and grinned awkwardly. I didn’t know what else to do.

“Hi. You can go now.”

“Hey! Stop being rude!” Juniper scolded her.

“I’m not being rude. I said hi. That’s all he needed, right?”

“That’s right. There’s plenty more people here, and besides, I wanna see what my lil sis is up to.”

“Probably no good, if you ask me.”

“We’ll see about that. Well, nice to meet you, Rachel.”

“Was it?”

“I’m not sure, but so long!”

I hurried off, though as I did so, I heard Rachel say, “why do people say ‘so long’? What is the long thing being referred to?”

“It’s just a way to say goodbye,” I overheard Juniper explain. “And what about that ‘I am at the moment’ thing?”

“What? It’s just like what I told you. When we’re not at home, I should be Rachel. I still can’t be certain I don’t have enemies.”

I shuddered. Just who was that Rachel person and what relationship did she have with those two?

Nope. None of my business, I decided.

I was only a mere fitness instructor. Just like when I was in the track team in high school, I knew to stay in my lane.

As I walked away, I failed to notice what, or rather, who was in front of me, and I bumped face-first into a wide figure.

“Oh, sorry about that!” Said a soft-spoken man in his thirties.

He didn’t look much unlike me, except taller and wider, with a bit more of a belly on him. He also had a more full head of hair, with his fuzzy brown hair.

In other words,

“Oh, hey other cuz!” I greeted.

“Hermes, was it?” Trent, the brother to Juniper, and thus my other cousin, asked.

“Indeed it is! So how are things with your boyfriend, cuz? Y’know, Fern?”

Trent reeled back a little.

“Ugh...how do I say this?” He explained and looked off to the side in shame. “We broke up months ago. He kept wanting to have sex, but it was always at such inconvenient times, like when I was in the middle of a boss fight in one of my RPGs.”

“Oof.”

“Well, it’s not all bad. We’re still friends. I guess he’s dating a guy named Shrub, now.”

“Always those silver linings, huh? I’m still with my chunk of meatloaf, Keto, but we’re not exactly doing so hot at the moment.”

“Aw. Wanna talk about it over some beer? I already met Ray, the owner of this place, and he serves some of the best drinks I’ve had.”

Now, I wouldn’t classify myself in the alcoholic camp, but I was known to partake in some liquid courage from time to time. There was only one traumatic experience I had, and it was when I chugged down a bottle of tequila before going for one of my morning jogs. Needless to say, I’m not sure why I thought that would ever be a good idea.

“Sure thing!” I smiled, and the two of us walked over to embrace some good spirits.

Sequoia

If you think my life’s gone by pretty fast these past few months, you wouldn’t be the only one. I went from lonely without so much as a ferret to my name and only the occasional calls with Hestia (who I knew wasn’t as kind as most of the family thought, but she’s still one of my kids, and I still liked to hear from them) to finding a new love, getting married, and having a ferret which my new wife and I named Ares.

Quite a rush, right? And to think, I only happened to meet Hera due to going to an exhibit on ancient Greece at my local museum. I believe I was staring at a vase which displayed imagery of Apollo parading around a group of rats, when an elegant looking woman with a lace gold dress walked up to me. She had her hair all puffed up, and she kept patting it down, even as she spoke.

“Fancy cookware, huh?” She asked.

“Cookware? I don’t think they cooked with this. It was probably meant to store wine in,” I suggested, and looked up, already captivated by her beauty. Her skin was cracked in such a deliberate manner that even her wrinkles seemed to dance about in a rehearsed manner. Her crow’s feet served just to highlight her beauty, and the bags under her eyes gave off a shy impression, as if to distract the viewer away from her serene green eyes.

Ahem.

“I bet it held so much wine, too,” she crooned.

“Ah. Do you like ancient artifacts like this?” I asked the stranger.

“Some might call me an artifact,” she boasted, or at least I think that’s what she was going for. “But to answer your question, I’m interested in history, not necessarily the material. Don’t get me wrong, I have all sorts of decorations at my mansion, but the only one I see any value in is the text I have by Pliny the Elder.”

“YOU know Pliny the Elder?!” I gasped.

“Not personally. I may be getting up in age, but old men aren’t my thing.”

I laughed. That was meant to be a joke, right?

“Miss madam, would you give me the honor of creeping behind you while you partake in the exhibit? And then, maybe afterward, we could converse about our discoveries through a nice cup of espresso, no?”

I laughed again.

“Sure. But just know, if I find anything particularly interesting, you’ll have to listen to me talk about it for several paragraphs.”

“I would expect nothing less, madam.”

Maybe a little vain, maybe a little out there, but she was quite polite, and well-informed. Sometimes, when I would go over something in mythology, she would add onto it something I hadn’t heard before.

So naturally, we ended up going to a cafe afterward. Or rather, there was a cafe in the museum already.

We talked, and when she told me her name was Hera, I’m a little bit ashamed to admit that my inner fangirl jumped out. Yes, I knew she wasn’t the actual goddess, but then she mentioned having previously been married to a guy named Zeus, and then I gushed harder. I mean, say what you will about King Womanizer, but that god sure was a force of nature, huh?

Anyway, to make a long story less long, some other things happened and she moved in with me. Yes, you heard right: I could have moved with her to her mansion, and we did visit Olympia, where her mansion was, too, but we decided on a compromise, and she bought us a penthouse apartment. There was some downsizing to be done, but she had no problem with it.

The only thing was, I didn’t even know I’d be marrying someone rich.

No, there was another thing: we were already married by the time she proposed throwing a party to celebrate our marriage. Our whole thing was less than a wedding and more of signing of papers, as she already said she didn’t feel like being too flashy, so when she announced her plan, I guess she must have had a change of heart.

I wouldn’t have gone along with it, but I did want to see Demetria again, and her ever elusive girlfriend, Remora (to be fair, I guess they only just started making it official). Not to mention, I was curious to meet Ray in person, since we had only talked a couple times before on the phone.

So there we were, standing in the middle of a crowded restaurant/hotel in what was once a diner. So many conversations going on at once, all filling my ear, but no specific words registering. It was nice to see so many people getting along, but I wish I knew more people. It was hard having all these faces around me, but so few familiar.

At one table, I saw two young women, one with short white hair, and the other with long and thick brown hair. They looked like a young Hera and I. The white haired one was shoving a pile of waffle fries into her mouth, and the brown haired one was taking individual fries from the white haired one’s plate.

Hera pulled me close to her. Perhaps she sensed my uneasiness.

“Look at all these people,” she gestured, “and they’re all here to witness our love.”

“I bet most of these people only came here because they heard there was a party,” I looked up at her and sneered.

She ruffled up the top of my brown hair, stacked in many buns, and just like that, the tower of buns was toppled.

I turned my head behind me and saw a child with red and orange striped hair in a mullet run around. She stopped in front of Aphrodite, Hestia’s girlfriend, and Aphrodite crouched down.

“Hey, wanna see a magic trick?” Aphrodite asked.

“Sure!” The child roared and held her hands up like they were claws.

Aphrodite dug into her pocket and pulled out a quarter.

I looked away. I already knew what the trick was going to be. The old ‘quarter behind ear’ trick.

Imagine my shock when a minute later, and the kid went, “ooh! How did you do that?”

I guess classics are classic for a reason, I thought.

The tip-taps of footsteps behind me and a poke on my shoulder as if a spider had landed on me and I leaped up, only to turn around and see Aphrodite herself.

“Hey, Miss Sequoia,” Aphrodite said in a rather quiet tone, like she was all nervous. Quite the contrast from her otherwise flashy appearance (plaid skirt, thigh high rainbow socks, a button down denim shirt).

“You can just call me Sequoia, you know. Mom is fine, too, seeing as you two have been together for a little while.”

“Heh. Momquoia,” she twirled her hair and giggled.

“Okay. Please don’t call me that.”

“I wanna tell you a secret before Hestia comes over, okay? Mom-quoia?”

Great. Now she’s using a hyphen.

“Yeah. That’s fine. I don’t know how reliable I’ll be, but you can tell me anything.”

“Well...I don’t actually flirt around with a lot of people. I do like talking to people, but from day one, the only person’s attention I was trying to get was Hestia’s. I’ve heard about her before from a friend around town, and how she had this chaste and pure image, and how she turned a lot of people down. So I thought it would annoy her if I acted like the opposite of that.”

“I see. Why go through all that trouble, though?”

“Well,” she raised her index finger, “one relationship, right before Hestia, I was with a guy who didn’t pay attention to me. It worked out pretty well at first, since I get turned on when people ignore me or are annoyed by me, but then he just went on like I didn’t exist at all, and it went from a turn on to just lonely. So I told myself the next person I’d find, I’d get them to pay attention to me, even if I had to repulse them to do so.”

“That’s not a good way to go about things, though.”

“Oh, I know. But she likes to punish me, so I just go along with it. It works for me, because I do like being punished by her. That said, I’m not into pet play like she is, I’m just turned on from the fact that she’s turned on by it.”

“So you’re turned on by your acting? Or that you’re putting on a convincing performance?”

“Mm...something like that? I’m like a magician that way. I know a few tricks here and there. She may have leashes and collars and handcuffs and all sorts of goodies, but what she doesn’t know is that I’m something of a Houdini.”

“Knowing my daughter, she probably knows you’re not really into it, but is turned on by the fact that you act like you are anyway,” I suggested.

“Regardless, it’s clear she shows her true self to me,” she put her palm over her chest and smiled wide.

“Mom…” Came a longing plea from behind Aphrodite. I looked over Aphrodite’s shoulders and saw Hestia, with pursed lips and crossed arms.

“What is it, dear?” I asked.

“I keep asking around where Remora is and no one’s been able to give me a clear answer. I tried asking Rachel and she just went on and on about fish, which didn’t help at all.”

“Who’s Rachel?”

“Nobody important,” Hestia waved off.

From further away, someone leaned cupped their hands over their mouth and yelled: “GOOD ANSWER!”

I’m guessing that was Rachel.

“Mm. I asked Tigershark,” Aphrodite added in, “that’s the kid that’s been running around and cooking yummy food, and she says Remora’s around but probably not out here right now.”

“But I want to meet her!” Hestia whined.

“Is it really such a big deal? She’s Demetria’s girlfriend, not yours,” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m your girlfriend,” Aphrodite reminded Hestia.

“It’s not a big deal, no, but I want to know what she’s like. Is she real or not? Is she around or not?”

“Well, if others besides Demetria say she’s real, isn’t she real?”

“She could be like a Santa Claus thing,” Hera suggested. Doubtful, but we were up north.

A door creaked open, and all four of us turned to our right to see two figures emerge. First, Demetria, and half of another figure, about a foot taller than Demetria, leaned against her.

“Easy does it,” said Demetria.

The taller figure’s face became more visible as she stood out from the kitchen. She had black hair with faded, blue streaks in her hair styled as a bob cut. Her frame was wide and muscular, and she wore a black spandex uniform, with a puffy, blue and white overcoat over said uniform. Her pants were indigo colored and thick. Her walks were stilted, and she leaned her arm against Demetria’s shoulder from time to time when her balance looked off, but mostly, they walked beside each other.

“This is pretty easy, huh?” The tall one asked Demetria with a raspy voice and a cracked smile.

“It ought to be. It’s been a couple weeks now, hasn’t it?” Demetria wheezed out as the tall one pressed down on her shoulder once again.

I turned and saw Hestia, stood as a stone, all wide-eyed as well.

“Who is this? She looks similar to Rachel, don’t you think?” She asked.

“I don’t know. She looks like a less white Tigershark, if you ask me,” Aphrodite chimed in. I couldn’t tell if it was one of her ploys or if she seriously believed that. Guess that’s the magic of someone who claims to be a magician.

“I think you need your eyes checked,” Hestia scoffed.

“Huh? Rhe...Rachel is here?” The tall one gulped.

“Probably because Juniper and Ves are here,” Demetria didn’t sound too interested.

“Hey dear,” I called out to Demetria, and she looked up.

“Oh, right. Uh. This is Remora. The real one,” Demetria took a step back and held her hands out as if she was a game show host and introducing the prospect of a brand new car to a contestant.

Remora, the real one, I guess, wobbled about, but took a wide step forward and leaned a little to the left and was fine. Aside from the wincing and hissing noises she made.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I just had surgery a couple weeks ago because I got stabbed in the chest with a very large blade,” Remora explained, her tone a little dismissive about the whole thing.

“Uh. Actually...it was breast reduction surgery!” Demetria contradicted.

“No, it wasn’t. If you’re going to lie, you should at least consult me first so we can agree on a lie together.”

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you,” I held my hand out. Remora looked down, gave it a little shake. Not anything strong or weak, just playful.

“You must be the mom.”

“Sure am.”

“And I’m the other mommy,” Hera also held her hand out and stood up straight like some some kind of statue.

“Oh, yeah. You’re the reason this whole thing’s going on, aren’t you?” Remora looked around the room. “Bit ridiculous if you ask me, but that’s life for you.”

“Hey, so if you’re Remora, who was that red haired person?” Hestia demanded, hands on her hips.

“I guess that was me too. I’m multiplying.”

I could at least see why Demetria might be into someone like Remora. She seemed...odd.

“Say, you’re not going to go breaking my daughter’s heart again, are you?” I asked.

Remora put her hand on her chin and hummed.

“Ma’am, I’ve done many stupid things throughout my life, and I’m sure I’ll do many more.”

“Amen,” Hera clasped her hands together and said as if in prayer.

“How does that reassure my mom, or anyone, in any way?” Demetria looked up and asked.

“I don’t know,” Remora shrugged. “I’m fresh out of witty romanticism. Just walking around is tiring.”

“Go on, sit down and be merry. Both of you,” Hera grinned in a way that reminded me of a beaver, what with two of her teeth sticking out.

“It’s gonna hurt sitting down.”

“Yeah. You really don’t know what a chest is good for til you hurt it,” Demetria sympathized.

“I really need to treasure my chest.”

Hera

Let’s get the show on the road, shall we?

Ignore my dear Demetria resting her head on Remora’s shoulder. Yes, love is a sweet thing. But lemons are sour, and much more worthwhile to take a bite into.

“So, hun, should we sit and share a meal as well?” My dear Sequoia, the tree that I chose to plant myself on, looked up and asked me.

“No,” I shook my head, with utter regret. “Save that for the falling action. Right now, I’m ready to climax.”

“You’re WHAT?!”

I clapped.

It drew a few eyes toward me. I couldn’t tell from which way, only that there were some eyes on me. It wasn’t enough.

I cupped my hands together and yelled: “ATTENTION EVERYONE! I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!”

The room turned silent. If I lost my composure for even a second, the draft from the chill outside may have crept its way into my skin. I could not falter.

Before I could speak, however, a hand shot up from one of the tables behind me. I only noticed due to my keen peripheral vision and my remarkable vibes.

“Yes?” I turned around and addressed the one with the hand.

Said hand belonged to a rather tall woman, perhaps as tall as myself, perhaps taller. That, I could not say, as she was sitting down. She had shoulder length, straight blonde hair, similar to me, although I wouldn’t call strawberry blonde (and she had a brighter shade of orange in her hair, while mine was just a faded glory). Her face was that of stone, and despite my royal presence, she seemed no more impressed than if I stood like a lowly peasant.

“Excuse me, who are you?” The statuesque blonde asked, and although her face still looked serious and unimpressed, her voice was quite soft, and showed no hostility.

“Of course. This is a grand opportunity for you, peasant! For you see, my name is Hera Root, and I am the current wife of Demetria’s mom, Sequoia.”

“Oh, okay,” she shuffled her way out of her seat, “good announcement. I’m going to go now.”

She walked away and headed past me toward what I could only presume was the kitchen.

Well, what a fascinating creature that peasant was.

I coughed into my fist. Some would call this “clearing their throat.” I didn’t care what it was called. It sent the same message across: that I held the floor (figuratively speaking) once again.

“I’m a former assassin, one whose dark endeavors could be spun into tales to scare children to behave. I was quite cruel and brutal, but then I met Sequoia, and her kindness won me over and showed me the light. Now we are married, and all I need is her love,” I held my hands out and presented Sequoia in all her glory.

“Whoa, there!” She took a step back, ever the bashful wife, “don’t worry, guys! She only means ‘assassin’ in the loosest of terms! From what she’s told me, she just did a lot of odd jobs around her community when she was younger! Hera’s truly a saint, trust me!”

Her nervousness was on full display as she waved her hands about every which way and her knees wobbled as if she were ready to collapse. Being put on the spot must not have been her strong suit. Oh well, leave that to me.

Another hand shot up before I could continue my grand speech. Such a pity. I had at least two thousand more words rehearsed in my head.

This hand belonged to another tall (from what it seemed, but she too was sitting down) woman, who had sat beside the blonde who left for the kitchen (perhaps to snack in secret). This woman looked near bald, save for some black saplings of hair which took root atop her head. It must have been a stylistic choice, but let’s not dwell any further. Her expression, too, was just as stony, but perhaps more chiseled like a marble sculpture, than the blonde lady. She shivered about, even with her sharp, to the point, look about her.

“Yes, you, the shivering puppy,” I pointed to her.

“Yes. I have a question: who the hell cares?” She asked with a sharper tone that I was expecting out of her. Yes, her expression was already sharp, but I expected just as much sharpness as the other lady had afforded me.

“Only anybody who’s important, of course,” I said, tall and proud. No one so rude, with so much disrespect, would bring I, Hera, down.

“Yeah. That’s not me. I’m out, too.”

She got up, and walked past me just like that previous lady did, with just as much disregard for my importance. How impudent.

I looked around. I knew how to ‘read a room’ better than I knew how to ‘read a book.’ It was clear that others had become skeptical of the presence I had graced them with. Despite being the very reason for such a gathering, they seemed to have little interest in whatever else I had to say.

“Oh, whatever,” I surrendered to the crowd (as every queen should every now and then), “eat, drink, be marry!”

Everyone cheered and clapped, as if it was the most sensible thing I had said all day (such utter disrespect). They returned to their jollies and gorging their bellies. I suppose that, too, was satisfactory.

“Aw, don’t take it too hard, hun,” Sequoia reached up and gave me a pat upon the shoulder, “it just happens that many of these people have just as colorful personalities as you.”

“Heh,” I snickered and grinned. Another thing I knew was how to ‘save face,’ even though I knew better than to be trusted to ‘save lives.’

“I can humble myself every now and then,” I replied, “the fact that so many people gathered and are enjoying themselves, regardless of whether they care for the reason, is enough to be proud of.”

“Nothing gets you down, does it?” She smiled back, “I’m going to spend some time with my kids, and maybe meet some new people along the way. I also haven’t seen Ray or Sunny all night. I’d love to meet them.”

As wonderful as a thought as that was, there was one thing that got me down: Zeus, my once husband. We weren’t in contact since I shot his knees, and his dick, for good measure, but just thinking about him left a sour taste in my mouth. To think we once took great pleasure in taking many men and women into our beds, and yet when I wished to settle down, he wouldn’t extend the same grace.

I sighed a weak, pathetic sigh. It was a relief Sequoia had already walked away not to hear me make such a sound.

I too should do some exploring, I decided, and headed toward the window which overlooked the kitchen.

As I crept to the thin window, I overheard the two ladies speaking amongst themselves.

“Dare me to spike Hera’s drink?” The blonde asked, standing near a cup of tea with some powder in a pouch in her hands.

“Do it. ‘Former assassin.’ Who does she think she is?” The other, near-bald one, asked, while sitting atop the counter near a microwave.

“I know, right? People who think they’re self important for no reason annoy me to no end. Still, couldn’t you have at least pretended to be polite, like I did?”

The near-bald one shook her head.

“It takes me effort for me to be passive-aggressive than it does to simply be aggressive.”

The door burst open; I ducked, but still peeked my head through the window.

A shorter woman than the other two, with two long, blonde pigtails, stormed in.

“Hey, what do you two think you’re doing?!” She shouted.

“Don’t look at me, I’m an innocent bystander,” the near-bald one answered.

“I heard everything! Do not go poisoning her!”

The tall blonde ducked her head down in shame.

“I was just going to use a laxative powder. A little bit of irritable bowels never hurt anyone, right?”

“I mean…” The near-bald one replied.

“Behave, both of you! This is a family gathering!”

“Yes,” the other two groaned.

They walked out of the kitchen. I must admit, I found the whole exchange amusing.

When I caught the eye of the imposing, near-bald woman, she stared me in the eye with an intense gaze.

“Sorry about my rudeness. I’m sure you were joking about that assassin thing,” she let out a rush of cool air with her words. It was...refreshing.

“Oh, no. I was serious. I used to kill people,” I reassured her.

“Right. You must have made a killing off of that.”

“Indeed.”

“What kind of fantasy world am I living in?” She shook her head. I could see she was still skeptical, but such was the price I paid for being fabulous. Not everyone could see my sincerity.

“What about you? What do you do for work?” I asked her.

“Me? I live on a hippie commune with my weed smoking girlfriends.”

“Did you have any job before that?”

“I used to clean messes.”

“Ah. Like a janitor?”

She shifted her gaze around before returning it to me.

“Yes,” she answered, before walking away with the other two.

Interesting. Now that I think of it, you do bear a striking resemblance to that Remora lady, I noted. Such precise wording, even if she were to deny it. I can’t wait to meet up with Ray.

That would have to wait. I noticed someone, alone at a table.

“There’s two of them…” The stranger muttered, with her short, but fluffy crimson hair, and her hands over her head, with her head face down.

“Two of what, dearie?” I asked the stranger. She looked up, confused and startled.

“You’re Hera, right? Congrats on your marriage.”

“Ha! It’s nothing!” I waved my hand away. “Now what were you muttering about?”

“That too, is nothing. Just like I’m hoping that assassin nonsense was,” she glared at me. Just like that near-bald lady did. Sheesh. What an uptight crowd. You’d think they’d be more open to that sorta thing.

“Please. You heard the wifey. I just have that sorta...je ne sais pas...eccentric way of speaking. Ya dig?”

She shook her head.

“Whatever. As long as you’re not bad right now, I guess it’s none of my business.”

“That’s the spirit!” I gave her a few intense pats upon her head before departing. She tried batting my hand away, but I was too swift.

“Hey! Who gave you permission!?”

I whistled. I wasn’t a very good whistler, but I was good enough to ignore the protests of others.

There were two points of interests: one, the table where Demetria, and her beau, Remora, sat together and shared a bowl of miso soup. The other, Sequoia chatting about with a lean, bespectacled black haired man of mediocre height and a tall, muscular women (what’s the deal with all the muscular women? Lean women are just, fine too, I’ll have you know) with big, curly dark brown hair tied up in the back.

“Oh Ray, you’re just as funny in person as you are over the phone!” Sequoia laughed.

“He is, isn’t he? Sometimes I talk to him on the phone while standing next to him for maximum funny!” The woman beside Ray joked.

Wait. That’s Ray? That unassuming man?

I too spoke to him on the phone. If not for his establishment, there would have been no party. I had many a reason to speak with him.

But then...Demetria. My precious daughter-in-law.

Forgive me, wifey.

I raced over toward where Demetria and Remora were seated.

“My, you two look so adorable,” I cooed.

“Thank you for that,” Remora was the one to reply. I would rather it had been Demetria, but I wouldn’t say I didn’t find the one with the chest pains interesting as well.

“Won’t you give your dear mommy a hug?”

“If I wanted to do that, I’d get up and hug her,” Demetria retorted.

“Oh, boo-hoo. You still don’t consider me your mother? Is this the woes of the in-laws I’ve heard so much about?”

“No, Hera. It’s because it’s you.”

I made whimpering little puppy noises, to no avail. I truly was the most miserable, yet fabulous woman on the planet.

Admitting defeat, I turned my attention to the beau.

“You really are quite lucky, you know that?”

“I know,” Remora reached her arm around and pulled Demetria in tight, “I just hope I can continue to do right by her.”

“You’re honestly fine,” Demetria mumbled. “I’ve done plenty of stupid things to you, too.”

“And I’m sure you will continue to do so,” she smiled.

They’re almost too cute. This is going nowhere.

“When I first met Demetria, I was really impressed with her skills. She could become an assassin if she really wanted to,” I informed the paramour.

“I know. She can be anything she wants to. I truly believe that.”

“What would you do if she decided to become one?”

“I would support her, even if I don’t think it’s a good path for her.”

“And why not?”

“Because a life full of killing...that’s no way to live, in my opinion. I want her to enjoy her life, and I know her well enough to believe that she wouldn’t enjoy her life that way. Still, it is her right to choose her life.”

“How kind of you.”

“Hera, I know you’re just trying to get a reaction out of her,” Demetria said without lifting her head or opening her eyes. “It’s true I taught myself to be violent, but I would rather protect others’ lives than take them. I already felt horrible when I killed once. I don’t want to be that kind of person who sees that as an option for every situation. The life I’m living right now, with the people I care about, that’s what matters to me.”

“I see,” I bowed my head and smiled, “I must respect that.”

“And please, don’t tell my main mom about the things I’ve been involved with. She doesn’t need to know.”

“Of course.”

I walked away. Those two were quite the match, whatever match that happened to be. I suppose I had no place to try to steer them in any sort of direction.

Our little celebration was coming to a close. Soon we would have to call curtains on the whole thing. True, many of us would be spending the night here, and some lived here already, but the main event was just about over. There was no reason to call encore.

The only thing left was to speak with Ray and his beautiful wife. Send a message to the couple who helped put this whole thing together.

I walked over to where Sequoia was. Still chatting it up with the couple of all time.

“Why hello,” I greeted the couple.

“Oh, hey, hun, this is Ray and Sunny!” Wifey announced.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sunny,” I held out my hand.

Ray took it instead.

“Pleasure’s all mine, ma’am,” Sunny said in a rather gruff voice.

“And it’s nice to meet you as well,” I looked into Ray’s eyes.

“Oh, don’t mention it,” he laughed.

With my free hand, I pulled a small envelope out of my pocket. I handed it to him, and he took it with his other free hand. It was like we were playing a game of twister standing up.

“Enclosed is a large sum of cash for your trouble.”

“Why thank you. You’re always welcome here as a guest, you know. You and your wife. I’m always saying how much of a treat it is to have Demetria here.”

“That’s right. He’s always saying this,” Sunny nodded along.

“Is he really?” I raised an eyebrow.

“No, not really,” Sunny shook her head. “But just for a second, you thought he did, right?”

The four of us laughed.

What Sequoia didn’t know, and what Ray would soon know, was that the envelope didn’t just contain cash, but also a single page of vital information pertaining to an old friend of his. It was for Ray’s eyes, and not mine, nor the wife’s. Let him be shocked in his free time.

So it would go that many of us stayed the night at Ray’s establishment. In the morning, some of us departed by way of Cybele’s plane, while the wife, and her two kids, took my very special private airline.

#remoras full #I dont like the way it ends #well #the ending #so abrupt #but im honestly tired of working on this and wanna get back to the main story #also havent edited yet #will do later #writing #stories #slice of life #intermission

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