#Aphrodite fucks ares for fucks sake

[targaryenluvs]

— SHARING IS CARING

pairings: clarisse la rue x aphrodite!daughter!reader, luke castellan x aphrodite!daughter!reader

summary: the whole camp believes you to be sunshine personified, everyones bestfriend. and being absolutely stunning as well as off limits unless they want your girlfriend breaking every bone in their body. but it seems a certain friend of yours can’t help his feelings for you, and your girlfriend?

warnings: i’ve gone mental, fluff, threatening, violence, protective clarisse, kinda naive reader ngl, luke is lovesick and is confused about his feelings, not proof read

a/n: basically the two of them agreeing to be with you and now you have attack dogs <3

if there was one thing everybody at camp half-blood could agree on, it was that they all loved you. even if they acted differently, the idea of hating you was practically foreign.

for as long as you could remember, even if it’d only been two years, you’d been there, it’d been your home. and for as long as you could remember, you’d been best friends with luke castellan. he was unbelievably helpful when you first arrived, shy and sweet but overtime you opened up to him.

of course you were nice to everybody, but to your friends you were on a whole other level. almost motherly in a sense, always concerned for their well-being, their health and them over all. luke was no exception, if anything, you cared for him the most. but that was before clarisse came along.

even if luke wouldn’t admit it, he liked the attention. for once someone was caring for him, going out of their way to help him. you were always right there when he needed you, and he’d gotten used to being by your side. whether at breakfast in the morning, or by the creek at night the two of you went out of your way to be together.

and over your time together he not only began to feel protective over you but also something else. it creeped up on him, yes, but it wasn’t all that surprising with you being the daughter of aphrodite.

he found himself wondering if you felt the same for him, or if you were indifferent. with developing feelings came changes of attitude, he found himself annoyed. not at you of course, never at you, but at himself. he felt as if he had a real friend, someone he trusted truly yet it was as if his own body was sabotaging him with feelings. he didn’t want it to change, your relationship, not wanting to risk what you had.

but then late at night he’d find himself daydreaming.

holding your hand when walking together, cutting up your pancakes for you, securing your armour himself, sitting closer to you by the campfire, your sweet eyes looking up at him everyday, filled with even more love than usual. maybe even staring down other campers, who for some reason, had the silly thought that they could make a pass at you.

he’d overheard one of the new girls talking about her own crush on a girl. luke hadn’t meant to, of course, but he was currently sitting on the shore, cleaning off his muddy helmet. she rambled on about the girl she liked, how she walked and talked, how she smiled, how she daydreamed. he felt his throat tighten at the words, it was as if his own crush was being described.

then, she began to talk about a certain daydream she loved having, the fight scenario. in which her crush was training and perhaps losing, the other person being a bit too harsh to the point where she herself had to step in and save her girl.

the idea of being a saviour.

he thought it was stupid, his head was telling him so. but his heart thought differently and he secretly agreed. the idea of saving you, your hands clinging onto his arms for safety, teary eyes and rows of praise and thanks from you. fucks sake, he wanted it.

he wanted you.

but again, your time together, and his plans to be with you were cut short, a certain ares girl beating him to the punch.

the irony was not lost on luke at all. the first time you’d gotten a sliver of niceness from clarisse was when the two of you were walking together from the strawberry fields, having picked a fresh bundle on account of mr d randomly asking for them.

“is there such a thing as strawberry alcohol? is he going to try and have someone make it for him?” you joked as the two of you made your trek to the big house. “maybe he’ll eat them and pretend their alcohol-infused grapes.” luke laughed as your eyebrows scrunched together, “you can do that?”

the two of you continued on, sneaking a few strawberries here and there, of which mr d had sworn he’d be able to tell if any were missing. jake lockly, a new boy, was hot on your tail. he was brash and arrogant, handsome yes, but his personality was more than enough to send a girl running. and he had his eyes set on you, the girl everyone seemed to love. he viewed you as nothing more than a challenge, you viewed him as a creep, “hey y/n. you’re looking good today.” jake whistled, a cat call.

now, you were nice, yes, but gods he made it hard. so you figured the best way to react was to not speak at all, a thumbs up was all the acknowledgment you were willing to give and not what he was willing to receive.

“don’t be like that, i know you wanna talk to me.”

his voice was closer this time having picked up his pace. “it’s obvious she doesn’t want to talk to you, and it’s pathetic that you keep trying.” luke was so close to dropping the basket, and dropping him. “oh yeah, pretty boy? why don’t you go pick some more strawberries.”

you frowned at the comment, pondering the meaning of it, “i picked strawberries, what’s wrong with that?” jake flashed a toothy grin your way, “nothing princess, keep walking, leave this to the men.” his hand grazed your back.

and jake ended up with his face in the floor, courtesy of clarisse, “touch her again and i’ll break every bone in your body.” jake clutched onto his abdomen as clarisse laughed, and so did luke. “at least you didn’t kill him.” luke chuckled, “is he okay?” your shoulders drooped looking at his crumpled body. “who cares? come on mr d is waiting.” luke grabbed your hand and gently led you along, unaware of clarisse following along.

she nabbed a strawberry from your basket as you gasped, “come on!” she didn’t respond, rather grinning before eating it. “how’s your day been?” you smiled at her niceness, “stuck with luke all day.” his eyebrows furrowed, “it’s never a bad day with me. don’t lie.”

and after that you found yourself running into clarisse more often, training together, even if it was more so her beating the shit out of someone, and you watching. you ended up being around her so often that your body quite literally gravitated to her. whether at breakfast or in lessons, the two of you were always hanging out. so it wasn’t a surprise to you when she asked you out, and you were more than happy to agree.

the only people that found it surprising, was every other person around.

obviously, during the early stages, you’d heard the whispers and seen the stares directed your way, but clarisse had shut them down pretty easily. a kid ended up puking into the same toilet bowl they’d been dunked into, a tamer version being someone’s matress torn apart, and a few not super serious injuries.

not life threatening.

but at the end of the day, all you could care about was her. her smile that was only really directed at you, the jewellery she obtained by suspicious circumstances, the sweet words and kisses were all you could ever ask for.

besides her, you also cared about him.

you’d felt as if the two of you had grown apart in the few months you’d been with clarisse, not necessarily either one of your choices, nor faults, but it was upsetting. even when you tried your hardest to seek him out around camp, it seemed he was always surrounded by people, teaching, leading, or just, not there.

you’d known him long enough to know he was evading.

luke hated it, how he felt. the idea of not being able to control himself, and how he acted was unbelievably annoying to him. not having you by his side, all the time, had him realising how often you were around him, he’d grown to rely on you. your presence, support, your face, friendship, gorgeous smile.

yeah, there were a lot of things he liked about you. he thought he only felt that way for you, but the weirdest combination of people seemed to double them. seeing you and clarisse around was common now, but the longing wasn’t.

you’d talked about your strained relationship over a million times to clarisse, and quite frankly she’d had enough, of course she didn’t mind listening to you talk but it was honestly driving her crazy. which is how she’d ended up with luke, in the middle of the night, sitting across from eachother, talking about you.

“she’s my girlfriend.”

“she was my bestfriend first.”

“so why didn’t you make a move?”

“i didn’t want to mess up our friendship. she… she’s my best friend, i didn’t want to drive her away.” clarisse leaned back on the bench, hands supporting her body, “so what now? you continue ignoring y/n, making her absolutely miserable since her bestfriend won’t even talk to her. or you tell her, and you guys aren’t friends anymore.” luke scoffed, “what makes you think we wouldn’t be friends anymore?” clarisse leaned forwards again, “well she wouldn’t have anything to say back to you, she’s with me.”

“well she would’ve been with me if i’d confessed.”

“but you didn’t, who’s fault is that luke? you were too scared to ask her out, and that’s not on me. talk to her, let her know, and we’ll see what happens.” clarisse rose from the table, but a thought in her head pulled her back. she turned back to see luke sitting at the table, even more gorgeous than usual, annoyingly so, the moonlight was a paid actress.

luke looked up and met clarisse’s eye, “what if.. what happens if she has feelings for both of us, now, at the same time?” she grinned, “you’re not an ugly face luke, i wouldn’t mind.” there were few times luke castellan didn’t know what to say, but he sat staring, feeling warmth arise in his face.

maybe they could come to terms with this, work something out amongst all of you. he swore you liked him back, when you were friends and single, and even now that you weren’t. the longing gazes you sent his way, the shy waves, as if on thin ice, testing the waters. why settle for one gorgeous girl, when you could have two?

after all, sharing is caring.

#clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue x y/n #clarisse la rue x fem!reader #pjo x reader #percy jackson x fem!reader #luke castellan x fem!reader #luke castellan x you #luke castellan x reader #percy jackson imagine #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson fic #percy jackon and the olympians

[gotstabbedbyapen]

To compensate for my emotional damage from episode 3, BOZ gave me what I want (then ruin me again)

Spoiler Alert!!! (y'all should really stay away from my blog if you don't want spoilers)

First off, the show has finally given me what I want: Hyacinthus.

My BabyTM.

My flower boi.

My menace prince.

I love you for trying to race against the god of speed himself. You lost the match obviously but you still won my heart in the few seconds you appeared 💜💜💜

You're spoiling me with your pecs and gritting teeth, BUT YOUR LITTLE EARRING TOO???

I'm not unwell. I'm dead.

I hope you stayed out of the arena during the discus game because we don't want your boyfriend to have a panic attack again (AND APOLLO'S SCENE WITH THE DISC TOO, SUNNY BOI GOT TRAUMA)

Speaking of sunny boi, it's nice that BOZ has a nod to Apollo being a champion in boxing.

He beat Dionysus bloody. Look at him!

Then there's... Ares.

*sigh*

What happened to him?

The only time I like Ares is when he helps Aphrodite get off the chariot, but the moment he speaks I have to fight the urge to box him myself.

They said he's being a jerk to Heron because the lost of his parents affected him but I see NO SENSE OF MOURNING IN HIM. He's only being mean for the sake of being a mean bully.

Everyone who are mad at Ares in SS2 like me, you should read The Ungilded Version, it's a continuation fanfic of season 1 on AO3. Ares didn't get along with Heron in this fic, but how he shows his grudges is more reasonable and in-character. AND HE HAS HIS GOLDEN MOMENTS WITH HIS FAMILY AND FOLLOWERS TO BALANCE OUT HIS AGRESSIVE SIDE TOO!!!

The BOZ producer WISH they can write a complex Ares like that.

Also, don't think I forget Demeter. Her cameo may be brief but I'm still sour at what they made her into.

And Hera too, but I guess in a lesser extend because Zeus' death have really impacted her. Still miss her ruthless side tho.

Oh, and Heron is going on a suicide mission. He knows he's gonna die so he wants to die both like a dumbass and badass. But I do have critique with his fight with Ares. THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE CAN PUNCH ARES BLEEDING???

Diomedes managed to cut Ares and Aphrodite in the Iliad because he's a seasoned warrior with Athena on his side. Heron got powered up once and somehow he can box Ares??? A demigod against a god???

And when I thought the producer is finally realistic and didn't make him beat Ares, the Gary Stu nonsense came back with Zeus giving him the ring.

"But he saved the world he deserves the prize--" DID ZEUS' OTHER CHILDREN NOT AID THE DEFEAT OF THE GIANTS??? HERON JUMPED IN AND MAKE THE FINAL SHOW DOWN AND HE'S GOING TO DIE ANYWAYS!!!

Zeus' final speech. Finally he has some end-of-life remorse. I'll let someone else talk about it because my brain isn't programed to analyze something like that.

BUT WE WERE ROBBED OF A CHARIOT RACE!!! THERE'S A CUT DRAFT OF WHEN THE SIBLINGS WHERE RACING AGAINST EACH OTHER AND IT'S SOOO COOL??? WISH WE COULD HAVE SEEN IT BUT ALAS :((((

#blood of zeus #blood of zeus season 2 #spoiler alert #my ramblings #i'll watch the final half of the season later #when i'm done with my irl works #will return to reviewing (read: rambling) on this show

[gabelesimp]

Okay, This is some hardcore shit but-

TW: Drinking, Alcohol

But, how high is their alcohol tolerance?

Both Humans and Gods!!

Norse Pantheon!

Valkyries: Brunhilde, Hrist, Geirölul and Thrud may have a high tolerance for alcohol, only Wine and Spirit.

Thor and Odin: Yes.

Loki: Can only handle Wine(Idk, there's not many stories of him drinking in Norse mythology)

Seigfried: (How the fuck do you spell his name- I keep forgetting-) Yes.

Greek Pantheon!!

Zeus: Yes, but he'd throw up after.

Poseidon: Prefers Wine.

Hades: Same as Poseidon, but likes Champagne and sometimes likes gin.

Hermes: Just Wine.

Ares: He has a bit of a weak tolerance, and would totally black out.

Aphrodite: Same as Hermes.

Heracles: He doesn't drink (I mean, just look at him, does he drink??)

Apollo: Yes. He has a high tolerance, but only drinks during occasions.

Leonidas: Yes, Wine is at its finest. He would probably like Beer, Vodka and Margaritas once he tried them.

Hindu Pantheon!!

Shiva, Indra and Rudra: Fucking High. And of course, they like Mahua or rice beer or wine.

Shiva's wives(yes the three of them.): Take it lightly, and just drink for fun! Rice wine or if they want to take it to the next, Rum.

Asia!!

Seven Lucky Gods: Yes, except the young one (I forgot who they are-) Benzaiten loves to get drunk, while Bishamonten would scold her.

Zerofuku: No. The Innocent boy doesn't drink.

Buddha: kinda? Lol, drunk after two glasses

Kojiro Sasaki: Maybe? Gramps likes Sake or Amazake.

Okita: No.

Kintoki: Yes. Likes Awamori.

Qin Shi Huang: Yes. There's nothing that a king can't handle! Loves Osmanthus wine, Huangjiu and Baijiu.

Raiden: Yes, but doesn't drink often. Sake is his to go.

Lu Bu: Idk, He's like the type to likes to drink but doesn't at the same time-

Europe!!

Jack the Ripper: No, I don't think he drinks.

Nikola Tesla: Kinda? Often busy to drink.

Science crew: Newton has a high Tolerance, Marie and Noble do too. Galileo would take it easy, Einstein would too. But, Edison. He's a party animal-

Bible!!

Adam: No. He doesn't know what Alcohol is. (Including his family.)

Beelzebub: Maybe? Hades would invite him over for some wine.

Lilith: Yes, Wine Momma.

Lucifer: Lol, Yes. He loves Rum.

(RAAAAAAAA IDK ANYMOREEE)

Honorary Mentions: @average-lovejoy-listener, @kushii-huang, @riseofamoonycake ❣️❣️

#record of ragnarok #snv #poseidon snv #snv tesla #hades snv #snv beelzebub #ror zeus #snv leonidas #snv Siegfried #ror apollo #snv shiva #ror indra #snv rudra #ror raiden tameemon #ror buddha #ror sasaki kojiro

[misguidedasgardian]

GOSSIP GIRL

For fucks sake WHY SERENA DIDN'T END UP WITH NATE?

SERENATE FOREVERRRR

Fuck Dan

LOOK AT THEM! they are Ares and Aphrodite in human form! the fuck

#serenate #nate archibald #serena van der woodsen #gossip girl

[gladiolus-tattoo]

More spoilers! Minor one tho.

As if I didn’t already hate Manning enough already - I’m into Greek mythology. She named the couple Ares and Artemis. For one, in the mythology Artemis is a maiden godess and ‘no dudes’ is her whole thing. For another, Ares actually DID have a romantic partner in the mythology, and she still starts with an A since that’s what they seem to be going for with those names. APHRODITE. Also she’s the goddess of LOVE. For FUCKS sake Manning being an evil eugenicist is bad enough but blatantly ignoring as obvious of a naming solution as that? Ridiculous. (Okay those may be their actual names or they chose them themselves however Seb thinks it’s Manning’s idea and also seems like something she would do.)

Minor spoiler back but you've figured it out already - It's not their actual names 😅

Manning is super evil!!!!! I got so angry at her in this book

#deadhappy #deadhappy spoilers #happyhead #josh silver #Gloria Manning

[sillygoofyqueer]

I have finally done it. After weeks of putting it off, I'm writing more. It's finally time.

Cross. So, I don't want to cause my own demise with this characterisation, but I'm sure everybody knows of Ares, the God of War. Before I get shot, let me explain!!! Okay, so, the fandom sees Cross as a warrior, someone who (in headcanons linked to Nightmare's gang) is extremely loyal. Now, look at Ares - yes, he's a bit of a dick sometimes, but lets think about how this guy is fiercely loyal; not to his godly family, but to his children. There isn't much about him in mythology that isn't...basically a headcanon, but I have noticed that he does often take revenge on behalf of his children - even if it is against other gods!! He is a really loyal man, and people forget that in lieu of his, obviously gross, affair with Aphrodite. Also, as god of war, he represents the uglier, more violent and realistic view of it, and - as much as we don't think about it - Cross can show this sometimes within his own actions, like how he was so willing to steal and take from other AUs so that he could have his own AU back. He was willing to ruin others' lives so that he could have what he wanted back - he was being selfish. And who can blame him??? He had lost everything, he was delusional, and he was forced to share his goddamn soul for god's sake!! He is a warrior, and I wish I could explain why I think about him as Ares in more depth but I just can't explain it. He, to me, reminds me of how soldiers have to keep fighting despite all that they have done before, which is actually what Ares represents in a way. Athena is linked with war, but Ares is the one who shows the grittier, realer side of the war, and I think that Cross shows that as well. We see how he deteriorates after the loss of his AU, and just how far he is willing to go to get it back - AND THEN, we see him willing to work with those he previously thought just so he could make up for it. Despite being a monster, Cross is so very human in that aspect. And so is Ares. They are inexplicably intertwined and I can't explain just how much so.

Killer. I was so desperate to put an exclamation mark there because I love Killer, and I have thought extremely hard about this bad boy. Dionysus, God of insanity, wine, theatre, ritual madness and much more, reminds me of Killer in ways people can't even understand. Basically, Dionysus has had many rebirths within Greek mythology, and he has different distinct "personalities" because of that, which can be linked to how Killer goes through different "stages" of his personality (there are four stages, from the closest he can be to Sans, to the closest he can be to Chara) and how both of their personalities change, despite how Dionysus' change less often compared to Killer. Also, Dionysus is actually in part related to the underworld, which reminds me of how Killer is linked with death - both of his AU and the chaos he causes under the control of Nightmare - Also, it shows that, despite Dionysus being the god of parties and wine, he also has a darker side to him, something that Killer also shows in his often quite carefree and casual personality as characterised by the fandom. They are both bafflingly insane, excited and lively and yet also extremely deadly and not to be crossed. Dionysus was actually cut up and reborn at one point, like how Killer's soul was irrevocably changed after what happened in his AU, which feels quite poetic to me as someone who thinks a lot about how Dionysus was before this happened to him. In some mythology, after Dionysus had been dismembered he had been boiled, and then Demeter allowed his return by collecting his remains, similar (in my opinion) to how Nightmare allowed Killer to continue on outside of his AU by taking him away and offering him a new life - a fucked up one, sure, but a rebirth in its own way nonetheless. The idea of Hera striking Dionysus with madness after he discovered wine can be linked to how the player caused Killer's unstable mental state after he made a deal with them, as if they both were detested by their respective villains to the point where they wanted to fundamentally changed them, which is poetry writing itself. Dionysus has to actually undergo quite a lot of turmoil despite what he represents, similar to how Killer has to go through so much despite his characterisation as a happy go-lucky, often quite blunt character - the idea that they're both filled with life and yet so devoid of it, as if they're forcing themselves to be okay despite everything that has happened to them. I will probably edit this one, but there is still more to come and I need to research more!!!!! (you can find what is basically a masterpost of this headcanon series here)

#four being a dumbass #Four's headcanons #cross sans #xtale #killer sans #killertale #bad sanses #greek mythology #greek gods #ares #dionysus

[freereignwritingprompts]

Ares was looking at Sophocles with his burning eyes of ember. "You're an interesting one I must admit that." He slowly started walking around the younger man. "You did not keel over like most of the battle hardened ones that pray for my blessings, and I do not sense even a drop of bloodlust in you. You're not a warrior?"

Sophocles simply shook his head, his dark eyes following the mountain of a god. "I am not. There are no rules for who can and cannot pray for you though, is there?" The last one was said a little slower, like he was not even sure himself about the rules.

Ares stopped his pacing a few feet in front. "No there is not." He confirmed. "We all bleed the same no matter who we are. So tell me, mortal. Why the need for a summons of the god of war?"

Sophocles straightened his back but did not look up from the ground for the gods eyes were said to be a death sentence. "I need a favor from you. Someone has challenged me in a duel, for he has said I offended his offer to marry one of his daughters."

Ares "Fair offer, so why not?" He mused. "It's not like you had to keep at it for the rest of your life without a divorce, or you can get a second or third wife if the first wasn't pretty enough."

Sophocles wanted to move but was forced to stand still. "It's not that, the girls are pretty and mother would be pleased but..."

Ares "spit it out boy. I don't have all day." The god started to tap his foot in irritation.

Sophocles "the marriage seems too forced and girls aren't my choice in love!" He finally shouted, his already dark complexion darkening even more but he didn't have time to be ashamed for the confession he just did because soon Ares was on him and grabbing him by his chin, hard.

"So you tell me," he whispered harshly now his burning eyes burning straight through Sophocles soul, making him sweat and shiver at the same time in fear. "You dragged me all the way here, into this pig shit smelling corner of a farm, to ask me to be your errand boy? Because you can't make yourself touch women with your pathetic dick, even if it would get you a good life?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitation or avoiding the gods searching gaze.

Ares looked at him for a moment longer but eventually pushed the mortal away from him. "For fucks sake!" He cursed before rounding up on him once again. A light flashing on his side and now he was holding his trusted spear. "You're a brave man Sophocles. But I must decline."

He was about to speak but Ares held his hand to silence him. "I do not like you. I do not like being asked to do such a petty little things... But." He stood real close to Sophocles. "You don't seem to fear the gods as of now. You don't seem to truly even fear the fate you have been offered with a nice string on top. But somehow you fear that you're just going to end up as a pretty little breeding horse and remembered only as a beauty blessed by the gods."

Sophocles "What I am was not my choice. I was not born to be just a trophy to keep in a cage."

Ares looked at him from head to toes. "I cannot kill the man, if that was your question. Gods aren't allowed to just do the business of men whenever. I cannot kill without a reason and I won't kill without it benefitting me." He looked at the sunset that was already kissing the sea. "So what do you offer me, mortal? I will tell you what I can do for you if the offer pleases me."

Sophocles was silent for a long moment. Watching the crashing waves and the pink sky above. "I can write a poem for you." He finally said.

Ares turned his head and laughed. "A poem? What the fuck I would benefit from a poem?"

"For Aphrodite." Sophocles said, smiling from seeing Ares tensing his shoulders. "You love her. You've always loved her but you pretend you don't."

Ares "shut up."

Sophocles "But like you've said it yourself, you're the god of war and showing fear is for the weak."

Ares "I said shut up."

Sophocles ignored the order and took a step forward. "And Aphrodite is being pursued by everyone but you're just her little fuck buddy."

Ares "I said shut the fuck up!!" He finally roared, pointing the end of his spear straight at Sophocles throat.

"It's not just my looks that people admire me." He swallowed drawing a drop of blood where the spear touched his skin. "For a small fee I've made many to confess to their loved one. Words if written from the heart, make an impact worthy of even the cupids arrow."

There was a long, silent standoff between the two. But in the end Ares lowered his spear. "What is it you wish me to do, Sophocles?"

"I want to borrow your aura, just for an hour at tops."

Ares squinted his brow. "To scare the old man away? Why not just kill the man and be done with it? I could give you a moment of heartlessness or take your feelings away."

Sophocles shook his head. "I am a poet not a killer. I do not want that weight on my heart."

"You do understand that you cannot always run from the fight, yes? Someday the fight will come to your door and it will not leave before you open it."

Sophocles nodded in understanding. "Yes it might yet come to me, but that day is not tomorrow."

"Okay. I can honor your choice to choose to fight another day. But I must ask that when that day comes you have to sacrifice something in my name." He held his free hand that wasn't holding the spear towards him and they clasped hands. There was a sudden tremor in the land below their feet and a tingling feeling in Sophocles palm.

Ares "I will come to see the fight before dawn breaks. The others won't see me but you will. I will brush past you before it happens and I will give you what you asked for 30 seconds, no more no less. The longer it would last the more my powers would flow to you and your human body would not handle that. You must end what you want before my aura will come back to me. Because then you will collapse in the end and the old man will take it as a weakness and kill you on the spot."

"I understand. Thank you" Sophocles bowed deeply.

Ares scoffed, turning away, into a cloud of smoke but before he disappeared he shouted over his shoulder. "I will collect what was promised in a fortnight. Break a leg." And he was gone with the wind.

Oc Sophocles and Ares from @take-my-soul-if

#writers #writers on tumblr #oc #spilled ink #oc scenario

[asphodelical]

Nameless Prince: Full Disclosure

My writing process for Nameless Prince was a wild ride. The idea was first conceived when I was taking a walk in Central Park in August 2021. I wondered what would happen if Zagreus was a mortal with gold’s blood, rather than a god with mortal’s blood—a true reversal. This coined the original title, Goldblood, in reference to Alecto’s “redblood” nickname for Zagreus. It was shot down by kiko_murda, but I still have a soft spot for the name. 

When I began writing this, I wasn’t sure how I was going to end it. This was in stark contrast to my previous long fic, Storm Chaser, where I absolutely knew where I wanted it to go and end. As I was doing my research for inspiration, I rewatched Overly Sarcastic Production’s video on Dionysus, and the section on Orphic Dionysus/Zagreus had my solution. I had my ending. Now I just needed to adapt it to Hades’ canon. 

I wrote myself into a corner with that prophecy. My original solution for the “blood and ichor would be exchanged” line was just Zagreus’ switch. Long after I posted chapter 3, I realized that solution was weak as hell—made even worse when I wrote chapter 15. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn't want to retcon anything, even though I was sorely tempted to go back and rewrite that line. Then I dug up an unused idea I had for Storm Chaser that utilized Ares’ vial of blood keepsake. Turns out it worked perfectly, and kept in line to the recurring sacrificial motif. So I quickly wrote the Thanatos and Ares scene (chapter 11). Not only was it one of the easiest scenes in the whole story to write, but it also got an instant thumbs up from my beta—no edits required. Thank you, Ares, for getting me out of that corner. (My only regret is because I thought of it so late, the keepsakes weren’t introduced prior. So part of me wishes that Aphrodite had given Zagreus the rose, or Hermes had given him the feather. My excuse is that because Zagreus isn’t a full god, they wouldn’t have given him those super special gifts in the first place.)

I originally planned for Demeter to have a bigger role, but Hestia ended up taking her intended role, particularly in the latter half. I don’t have much of an explanation for it, it just happened. And the Demphoon story was a perfect way to phase Demeter out. Contrary to the myth I was inspired by, I also never intended to have Zagreus meet Zeus. Mostly because I fucking hate writing Hades’ Zeus, but with Zeus knowing everything, I don’t think any sort of conflict he would’ve had with Zagreus would’ve been interesting. It would’ve been something like Zeus trying to kill Zagreus so his involvement with Persephone in the Underworld remained a secret, and then them making a deal to just never talk about it in exchange for glory and/or the Olympians leaving him alone. It was very unappealing for me to write, hence the background events of Heracles; A great way to keep Zeus (and Hera) out of the story. 

One night in November 2022 when I couldn’t sleep, I had a massive crisis—what if Athena rejected the vial of blood? Or what if Callisto swooped in and rescued Zagreus from Dionysus? I could make the story even longer! And I could write the bad ending I had thought of! I even had a list of characters I could introduce, and the nicknames they would call Zagreus, and all sorts of myths I could draw from. I wrestled whether I should extend the story or not for days. Then I took a much needed step back and a few deep breaths. I couldn’t, shouldn’t, and wouldn’t extend the story. Zagreus is mostly a reactionary protagonist in Nameless Prince, and he’s strung along by others. I can admit to this, and I can also admit that I hate reactionary heroes. They aren’t the kinds of characters who are well suited to long form storytelling. I would be doing Zagreus, myself, and my audience a disservice by going against the deliberate three act structure I had carefully set up. The integrity of the narrative is king. (Also, for the sake of my mental health, I had to end the story as I intended.) 

Perhaps the biggest confession: the last two chapters (16 and the epilogue) were not beta’d. But I spent a lot of time rereading and rewriting and editing them. Hopefully they came out just as well as everything else. 

What I learned from writing Nameless Prince:  

writing reactionary heroes sucks (Bleach is a prime example of this.)

introduce as much of your cast as you can in the beginning. That way there are plenty of paths the story can take without making it feel like you’re making it up as you go along too much, and you have characters you can go back to. (One Piece and Steel Ball Run are prime examples of this.) This will most likely become a staple of my writing. 

the rule of threes is truly a gift. I used it a bit in Storm Chaser, but I think I paced it better here. This will become a staple of my writing; it’s a great tool for keeping my pacing in check.

don’t write a prophecy. Just don’t do it. Especially when you don’t have a solid solution in mind. 

Sometimes a little chapter restructure goes a long way. (chapter 10 and chapter 16)

This was the first fic I began posting without completing at least 85% of it. When I started posting it, I think I had only six or seven chapters completed. I wanted to test how I could handle serialized writing and posting. It was weird. Probably won’t do it again. 

I’m really proud of Nameless Prince. Time to take a much needed break from Hades fics. 

#writing

[sciencebutmagical]

Get u a man that writes a poem describing you as Aphrodite’s child in the sweetest fucking way I’m-

#no one has ever written me something like that #I didn’t know anyone could see me like that #and I feel understood #of course I have love for those with rage #Aphrodite fucks ares for fucks sake #I love him #rambling

[marvelimaginesyesplease]

Ares x Reader (One Shot)

“Oh absolutely fucking not.”

You held your hands up in disgust, backing away from the obviously bewildered beast of a man who stood before you. He looked stunned, as if you were the first woman to say no to him.

“Are you fucking with me?” He demanded, dark brows raised.

You scoffed at him, stunned that he would even ask you such a bold question. “Ares, seriously? You seriously though I’d say yes to that? Did Hermes toss you a few mushrooms again or are you just that fucking stupid?” You searched his face, desperately hoping this was some sick joke and the man you’d managed to somewhat befriend was only trying to crack a dumb joke for the sake of watching you squirm. But the way his mouth twisted downwards confirmed that it was indeed not a joke. Was he actually offended?

“We literally just started getting along!” You shouted, tossing your hands in the air in frustration. You could feel your cheeks beginning to warm. You were angry, somewhat hurt and thoroughly embarrassed. Why did anything with a penis always pull a stunt like this?

“I don’t know why you’re so opposed to something that could literally make every other god wild with envy!” He shot back, large hands curling into fists at his side. You’d bruised his ego, and maybe anyone else would have been terrified if the god of war was standing before them looking less than displeased but you barely batted an eye. You were one of the only ones who didn’t react to his bullshit. The chances of you taking him down were level with his defeating you.

“Wild with envy?” You asked incredulously, sneering at him. “Are you fucked? One, Aphrodite would have my head on a pike!” You held your finger up, moving towards him to point it angrily in his face. “And two, it would be a fucking psychopath.”

Ares’ jaw twitched as he clenched it. He didn’t seem to pleased with the notion that you were insulting the non existent child he’d proposed the two of you create.

“No he wouldn’t,” He shot back indignantly, taking a step towards you. He towered over you, but you only squared your shoulders.

“The god of war? Producing a child that isn’t a raging lunatic?” Your eyebrows shot up. You were mocking him now. “I sincerely doubt that’s even possible. And secondly, why the fuck did you assume it would be a boy?!” You were shouting now, heart beat rising as your anger began to stir. The string of curses that you were about to let loose would have made Dionysus himself blush.

“You’ve got an awful lot of guts to talk to me like this,” Ares growled, moving closer to you. He was less than a foot from you now, and you could hear him grind his teeth as he lowered his face to yours. His eyes were wild with rage, and you watched with amusement as they began to churn. Oh, yes, the god of war had become so angry he was starting to lose control. You could see the chaos beginning to unfurl behind them. Images of people tearing each other apart, wars unfolding, misery and despair taking control. It was enough to drive a man insane.

But you were no man.

“Don’t make an enemy out of me Ares.” Your voice was dangerously low, you could feel the way your own pupils began to darken. “I will hunt you like a wild animal and gut you before the very people that worship you.”

His pupils widened, just slightly, and you could have sworn it was lust that clouded his gaze. You wouldn’t have been surprised. Why wouldn’t a man whom everyone feared not feel attracted to one of the only women who could actually stand a chance against him in the ring? You’d never admit it out loud, but some part of you was attracted to him as well. He was dangerous, he actually stood a chance against your prowess.

“I should cut your head off for the way you speak to me,” He hissed, lips curling back over his incisors. His dark, curly hair was still plastered to his forehead, the sweat still glistening on his skin from your sparring match earlier. You’d come out here to train with him, work on some new war tactics, not argue over theoretical children. Although, his bronzed skin did look good…and the scar that ran from his jaw to his cheekbone looked rather-

“Fuck off.” You couldn’t tell if you were saying it to him, or yourself. You should have seen it coming, and you cursed yourself when you didn’t move quickly enough to block him. It was over in a matter of seconds, but you could only wheeze when Ares suddenly had his chest pressed against your back, your arms twisted painfully behind you. You winced, fighting the urge to groan in pain when he pressed the side of your face further into the dirt. “Bastard.”

“I’d avoid insulting the god of war when you can’t even defend yourself.” You could hear the sick fuck’s twisted grin as he whispered into your ear, noting that his grin became animalistic when you shivered at the sensation of his breath on your skin.

“Eat shit you spoiled rotten brat-“ You managed to choke out, curling your hands into fists. He’d break your arm if you made any sudden movements. Not that it would take long to heal, but breaking bones was never something you actively sought out. It still hurt every time.

“I should rip out your spine and leave you here,” Ares growled into your ear, fingers tightening painfully around your wrist as he pushed your face deeper into the dirt. You were going to cut his head off once you were free. “Let the animals-“

Ares was cut off when you let loose a primal shout, hooking your leg around his and kicking backwards. He rocked forward, nose breaking against the side of your skull. You rolled to the side, forcing your hands out of his grip, shoulder tearing from its socket in the process. You pushed yourself to your feet, chest heaving as you glowered down at the man who still lay a few feet from you. Your arm was hanging limply at your side, and you watched as Ares rocked back onto his haunches, wicked eyes meeting your own as he halfhazardly dragged his hand under his rapidly healing nose. Golden ichor flowed freely from it, coating the lower half of his face.

Ares couldn’t help it anymore. He watched, feeling absolutely fucking feral, as you stared down at him. Your eyes were ablaze with rage, the humanity within them barely a whisper, as you struggled to catch your breath. Your gaze didn’t leave his as you suddenly let loose a roar, reaching over to slam your arm back into its socket. You were fucking stunning, a wild woman who could not be contained. Even Zeus feared you, and it made Ares want you even more. He’d never intended to fall for you, in fact he’d only started speaking to you because he’d felt threatened by your presence and he’d wanted to discover your weaknesses. But when he’d watch you draw your weapon, lips curling into a grin as you tore through whatever stood between you and your goal, he’d damn near dropped to his knees. You were a wild animal, incapable of feeling fear, and he wanted you more than he’d dare admit to anyone, even himself.

Aphrodite was beautiful, a beauty nothing could compare to, but you were different. You could stop an immortal being in it’s tracks with your gaze. Mortals barely even spoke your name for fear of crossing you and bringing your rage upon them.

And Ares wanted you more than anything. God, the idea of fucking you had been living in his mind for so fucking long, he’d barely been able to focus on anything else. And whether you wanted to admit it or not, the two of you could create a child no one on Olympus had ever dreamed of.

“If you ever fucking try to cross me again,” Ares was barely processing your words as you spoke, instead noting how his blood had stained your hair, “I’ll rip your head off and eat it.”

Ares licked his lips, eyes glued to your ass as you stalked away from him. “Same time tomorrow?” He called after you, smiling like a madman when you turned to scowl at him over your shoulder. He knew you wanted him too.

#ares #god of war #Olympus #Greek gods #ares x reader #reader insert #Greek gods x reader #goddess #short #one shot #short story #rage

[marilynmonroefanfics]

A Not So Secret Affair

Ares never expected to fell for Y/N, and yet, he did.

Y/N was a demon, one of the strongest demons in all of the world, if not the strongest.

He challenged Ares, challenged his leadership, his dominance. And as much as Ares hated to admit it, he absolutely loved it.

It didn't take long for the two to become lovers, at first Ares didn't think much of it, it was just away to get back at Aphrodite.

But damn, Y/N got him tottaly hooked, his body, his face, his moans were absolutely heavenly.

Y/N would challenge Ares, even in bed, never giving himself up without a fight, Ares had to earn it, and he loved.

Y/N wasn't like those men and women who gave themselves to the Gods. He was so much more than that.

Ares started growing feelings...

“What the fuck am I thinking?”

He was the fucking God of War for Cronos' sake, he wasn't supposed to feel things.

He was supposed to be cold and calculated, not a fucking teenager with a crush.

The affair thry had going on was turning out to be so much more than that. It was starting to blossom into a beautiful relationship.

On one particular night, Y/N and Ares were cuddling, just enjoying each other's presance. Who knew the God of War enjoyed a good cuddle?

One thing led to another and Y/N found himself aggressively riding Ares' dick.

“A-Ah~ How are you still so fucking tight?~”

The lovers were so untangled in each other's warmth. This wasn't just a simple fucking, it was love.

“Ares? What fuck is this?”

Why did Aphrodite have to ruin such a good fuck?

Ares was balls deep into Y/N, he had him in a mating press position. Ares was biting and sucking on Y/N's neck.

He was so into it that he didn't even seem to notice Aphrodite, but Y/N did.

“What do you want, bitch? Don't you see I'm getting dicked down? Leave us the fuck alone!”

#x male reader #headcanons x male reader #male reader #headcanons #ares x male reader #ares #greek gods x male reader #greek god x male reader #greek god #greek mythology x male reader #greek mythology

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Ares

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares

Lucifer

He cannot overstate what kind of damage this mortal was able to do in their first few seconds in the Devildom...

The instant they got to their feet, they had managed to incapacitate Satan and knock down Beel. Lucifer himself tried to get between them and Diavolo but…

If he hadn’t moved his head, if he was standing just ONE INCH to the left… he wouldn’t have a head anymore. Barbatos was there to intervene, but had he not they could have probably taken out the Avatar of Pride and done critical damage to the Demon Prince himself in one strike...

Frankly, Lucifer prefers not to dwell on that moment... He's sure Ares must be proud of this one...

He pretty much treats the mortal like a live bomb afterward, if he can get away with not interacting with them at all, that’s what he’ll do.

He’s NOT scared of them... much... It’s just that they have a bullish and uncooperative attitude at best and since they know they can take any of them, they don't even consider him - Lucifer, the eldest demon brother - a threat...

But you know what the most frustrating thing is? They won't give him an inch of respect, but they'll always listen to Levi! Levi!!

Look, Lucifer knows he may not hold a rank among the Hell's army and he might not have been a major player in the Celestial/Demonic wars of the day, but he's still the strongest demons here, dammit!! 😡

Lucifer finds nothing is more embarrassing than having to ask Levi of all people to keep the mortal in line because he can't... Oh, the humiliation… He hopes they leave soon...

Mammon

At first, he thought they were scary. But in time he thought they were scary… and also pretty damn awkward.

Mammon wasn’t there when they more or less wiped out the majority of his brothers in the Conference Hall but when he finally showed up he'd never seen Lucifer look so pale… If THAT doesn't make you shit your pants, he doesn't know what will.

Naturally, he kind of toned it down on the "stupid human" stuff real quick after seeing that…

But here's the thing. After the two made a pact together, Mammon started to notice that the MC wasn't all that mean, they were just… violent?

He legitimately thought that they couldn’t stand him for a while until one day a guy on the street called him a dirtbag. The MC threw a punch right there! No questions asked, they just decked that guy!!

It was kind of touching… and messy. Very messy. Did he mention that they’re terrifying yet? 😥

As it turns out, the MC has apparently spent a lot of their life just fighting things and being asked to fight things so they're not very used to showing non-violent affection… 

It took him awhile, but he realized that their way of saying, "I like you," is, "I will attack your enemies." So now all he does when his brothers tease him is say, "I'm telling MC!'' and they'll stop immediately. It's great!! 😁

Considers them to be his bodyguard when he goes out to gamble in some… shadier places. Most of the time not even the bouncers want to take on the MC, ain't nobody getting paid enough to lose that many teeth…

Leviathan

Okay, so. It's not very obvious anymore, but he USED to be on the front lines of the war against demons in the Celestial Realm. He was in charge of battle strategies, he led armies, and even now he still holds the highest rank of the royal navy!

So leave it to the kid of a war god to sniff all that out about him, huh…? They appeared to know all about his record the instant they saw him and they actually seemed to respect him for it!

For context, this mortal tells pretty much everybody to shove off but any time he’s around they call him “Admiral” or “sir” and actually pay attention to what he says! He can tell it drives Lucifer insane, but honestly? It’s a bit of an ego boost. 😌

It’s sort of cute when they come to him asking for tactical advice… They get just as into it as he does with his anime and any time he points out something that they haven't seen before they get so excited it's like they're a kid watching a magic trick. HUGE ego boost. 😏

Speaking of anime, it’s hit or miss whether or not they can watch any of it. Anything with good fight scenes (and let’s be honest, not that much talking) they’re on board for. But if the hero and the villain talk to each other for like an episode before throwing punches then the MC will just rant...

MC: “The enemy is distracted... Why aren’t they attacking yet??”

Levi: “Because the villain killed the hero’s best friend and they’re-”

MC: “They could avenge their friend right now if they ended things right here!”

Levi: “MC, we’ve been over this... That’s not how plot works.”

MC: “And now he got away!! See?? They should have killed him when they had the chance!”

Levi: “*sigh*... Let’s just play some CoD.”

Satan 

The last thing he remembered when the “human” hopped out of the portal was a sharp pain to the side of the temple and Asmo wailing as he fell unconscious…

Yeeeeah, not great. And unfortunately for the mortal the Avatar of Wrath tends to hold a grudge… 

For a comparatively brief moment in time, all of Satan’s considerable ire had shifted away from Lucifer and to their new housemate. They found their bed, clothes, pillows, food, and even their toothbrush cursed!

… But Ares kids must be built from some strong stuff, because half of what he employed didn’t even faze them! He even put an explosive spell on their backpack and not only did they tank the blast, it didn’t hurt them at all!! It was like they’re damn near immortal!

Annnnd they kind of are. Apparently the MC had taken a dip in the River Styx at some point before and became nigh invulnerable…

Was it maybe a little terrifying to know that they had kidnapped a nearly invincible demigod on the level of Achilles? Yes. Did that also mean that they must have had a weakness too? In theory....

Satan honestly devoted a depressing amount of time trying to uncover the “Achilles’ Heel” of his new sworn enemy… until…

The MC was walking with him and Asmo to RAD one morning when they passed by a group of lesser demons harassing a small puppy. Now Satan may be more of a cat man, but NO ONE fucks with animals while he’s around.

He was right about to go over and rip those demons a new one but the MC actually beat him to it! Apparently, the second that they realized what was happening, they launched themselves forward and started bashing the abusers' heads into a wall!

… Live by violence, forgive by violence because in that very moment Satan decided they weren’t so bad after all. He even joined in!

Oh, Asmo gave them both shit all day for the bloodstains on their uniforms and the scratches on their… everywhere, but it’s not like either of them cared. Righteous justice had been served and it was glorious!!

100% would team up with the MC in some kind of vigilante “punish-all-animal-abusers” gig. They have but to ask. 😌

Asmodeus

Oh they TERRIFIED Asmo when they first showed up! How else was he supposed to react?? They brought down his brothers like they were made of cardboard!!

Though he had to admit that the confident, battle-ready look they had about them was sexy as hell, he knew better than to go bear poking! 😣 He avoided them like plague until they finally asked him for a pact.

And then he discovered something… something very unexpected….

They're actually adorable!!!

Okay, like, not in appearance (they look like they could pile drive Cerberus for Pete’s sake!) but he discovered that they have NO CLUE how to handle physical affection. Like zero!!

The first time Asmo actually got the courage to try and hug them he expected them to toss him off, but instead they just stood there like a malfunctioning doll, all flustered and confused… It was so cute!!! 🥰

From that point on, Asmo would take every chance he could to wrap his arms around them or kiss their cheeks just to watch them try and fail to handle it. It's more fun than picking on Levi!!

It took two months for them to finally attempt any kind of reciprocation and even that was adorable! They pecked him on the forehead without thinking about it then nearly passed out from the realization. Apparently, they had never felt like kissing anyone before so he was quite honored!

The brothers know that if the MC's looking too mad to listen to Levi, they just need to call Asmo. A nigh invincible warrior becomes a LOT less scary after you’ve cuddled them into submission! 🤭

Beelzebub

Beel didn't like them one bit, at least not at the beginning. They had managed to get past him and actually attack Lucifer which was NOT a great first impression on their part...

He honestly saw them as a threat for a while, but unlike the rest of his brothers he didn’t avoid them. He just kept an eye on them.... constantly….

Look. Beel is a big guy. Stealth is not his strong suit… If he's tailing you, you're probably going to know about it because there's a six-foot something behemoth in orange following you around while pounding down bags of chips. He's not very subtle…

That being said, after following them around for a while the two finally got to talking and he realized that they didn’t want to hurt anybody or anything. They were just acting on instinct before.

After making the MC promise not to hurt any of his family, they got on much better terms. Hell, he actually got them into fangol!

Beel's sport of choice is pretty much just ultra-violent American football so the MC took a liking to it instantly! After enough begging, the coach let them try out and they got onto his team immediately.

He likes having them as a teammate! They're very good at the game, uh... even if they take it a little too seriously…

They once tried to convince his teammates to decorate the team bus with "the helmets of their fallen foes." They're REALLY into the sport… But hey, they haven't lost a game since they’ve joined. It’ll be fine!... Probably.

Belphegor

Hahaha… He’s in danger… 😥

It took one look at this mortal to make him rethink the whole, “Trick the Human” plan… Since when have humans looked like that?? They could crush his skull under their heel!!

It took all he had in him to play it cool when they first met because his internal monologue was nothing but screaming… THIS was the "human" he had to use to get him out of there?? How in the WORLD was he going to kill them?!

Admittedly, he had to think about it for a while. Belphie's a clever guy… and a demon. So who needs an honorable fight, anyway? If he can’t win one-on-one, then he’ll cheat!

He waited until the MC got the door open and didn't attempt a frontal assault… No laughter, no gloating. He just waited for them to turn their back, claws ready to dig out their heart, and then-!

MC: "Do you really want to try that?"

The MC must have had some kind of danger sense, because they didn't even have to turn around to know what Belphie was doing…

MC: "Look. I like Beel and you're his twin brother… So I'm willing to let this slide. But if you really want to try me…"

MC: *looks over their shoulder with the glare of a bona fide killer* "I won't hold back."

That was... very persuasive.

The MC brought Belphie down to the others peacefully with his tail between his legs and honestly Lucifer was more relieved that he wasn’t a bloodstain on the floor than he was mad… They could have killed him sooo easily… 

They did, indeed, forgive and forget about the whole “attempted murder” thing, though Belphie was never quite able to shake off how frightening they were in that moment… He had nightmares for a while.

Thankfully, Asmo clued him in that the MC would melt into a harmless puddle of fluff if they got even the slightest bit of physical affection... Oh, the sweet payback he could dish out... It’s cuddle time. 😏

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me demigods #obey me headcanons

[thejudgingtrash]

11. “...did you just sniff me?” for percabeth pretty please 🙏🤍🤍🤍

Heya! I’m finally here to come back to this request 😄😄 It took me only a little bit in comparison to other requests, but I'm here!

Also since @percyheartsannabeth, @skaterannabeth and @not-optimistic-petrol-biscuit had asked about fluff. Here you go... Kinda? 😬 Anyway. Here's a monster sneak peek into may I introduce you to my beloved wife? 😋

It took me all day yesterday, but I managed to pump out 11k words. That's a record for a single session in one day (with like two breaks). And yes, that is still not the entire chapter. Here are roughly 9,2k for you to consume!

TW: alcohol, overbearing relatives not minding their own business, a tiny section talking about domestic abuse and Athena and Frederick Chase ain't shit but that's nothing new. Poseidon too, for once. Enjoy!

may I introduce you to my beloved wife?

(*absolutely not proof-read, my bad)

Annabeth sighed. You can do this. You can do this. You’ve already finished the week. Think about the money. Think about the move to California. Push through this day and next week, think about the money and the minute you’ll hand your termination in. She wanted to splash some water up her face, but the makeup that tinted her lips in a luscious rose and added some bronze to her high cheekbones was too expensive to be washed off and hastily reapplied.

It was pre-Dionysus Day, which meant it was merely the calm before the storm. The first sparkling sip of an impending disaster waiting to rollover the roomy Greek villa Percy forced her to stay in. Well not really forced. Forced and bribed her to stay in. That made it sound slightly better. Just think of the one-hundred seventy-five dollars he’s going to transfer into your bank account for your new start in California. I should renegotiate. California is also expensive. Make it two-hundred fifty thousand.

The tall blonde looked at her reflection in the mirror. A young woman full of life was the first thing she had seen in the morning but now she looked tired and annoyed, just how she felt. Something crashed in one of the dozens of rooms next to her and people laughed. Annabeth sighed again. It was the only thing she could do, otherwise she would scream like a banshee, making sure that at least Hermes and Prometheus would check her, if it wasn’t for Percy stuffing socks into her mouth to make her shut up before they got to her. The majority of his Greek relatives had been lovely if not terribly nosy and overbearing. It was the opposite of her family. His was warm and chaotic and for the most part welcoming. Hers? Cold, apathetic, disapproving of everything she did. She had no family in comparison, and neither would she want to compare this wholesome messy bunch to the cold-hearted Athena Pallas and the monster that was Friedrich Chase.

Annabeth respected Hera and Hestia, she definitely side-eyed Aphrodite who was cheating on her husband and she would definitely stay away from Zeus. Crossing paths with him occasionally in the New York office of Atlantic INC. was terrible, seeing him openly be flirty and loosen up during a forced trip was way worse.

This was a bad idea and I have a terrible feeling about this. The burgundy wrap dress that hugged her skin was soft and light but in the Thessalian heat it felt like a sticky cocoon caging her. She wasn’t a beautiful butterfly, ready to burst out and wow everyone. Neither was she a moth drawn to a flame. She was a bug that had been sprayed by Percy with a pesticide, wrapped in toxic chemicals which were slowly dissolving her body, piece by piece.

A knock shoved the horrendous image inside of her head aside. “Yes?” she asked with a firm voice. Too firm with a hint of annoyance, but she was not a professional actress and could not switch her emotions off as she pleased. She was a junior marketing manager for Christ’s sake. Not for much longer. Only two more months…

Percy opened the door. “Are you ready?“ he asked with his usual pleasant baritone reaching her ear.

He wore light linen pants that hugged his legs loosely and a light blue shirt with the first buttons opened up. She could see his defined chest and the swirls of black hair peeking through. The hair was styled into a disheveled curly mess which suited him way better than the gelled back corporate look and he forgot to trim his beard like the day before. Annabeth couldn’t deny what she saw – her tormentor was a very attractive man.

“Do you want to bail?” His sea-green eyes darkened a shade. Worry flashed through them.

Annabeth exhaled sharply for the last time. “I wish I could but then I’d leave you without a fiancé,” she smiled through the pain.

Her glance found her reflection again. The topknot was still intact, and a few strands carefully framed her heart-shaped face. She looked perfect on the outside and she wanted to commit manslaughter in the inside.

“Let’s get over with it,” Percy sighed and stretched his hand out. It seemed like Percy was the one that would rather bail.

Annabeth took it without any complaint. She was the happy girlfriend soon-to-be-wife and holding hands was way better than being forced into kissing him during Sports Day. The Theodoropoulos family truly had planned activity after activity during those two weeks in winter.

“Oh!” Sally peeked into the bathroom and saw her son holding Annabeth’s hand.

“There you are! Is everything okay, mija?” she asked with her sweet Dominican accent and looked at Annabeth.

Annabeth automatically smiled back. Sally was the mother she never had, and it broke her heart crumble by crumble by the sheer charade Percy and she were forced to display for the next six days. Sally Jackson deserved the best. She certainly didn’t deserve being deceived and lied to by her terrible son and his tag-a-long coworker.

“Yes, Percy was just making sure we’re arriving on time.” Annabeth got on her toes and placed a soft kiss on Percy’s stubbled cheek. It tickled but by now she had gotten used to it.

He rolled his eyes, smiled at his mother, nonetheless. Sally’s eyes sparkled and she clapped, clutching her hands tightly. “You don’t know how proud you’re making me, mijo,” she then said teary-eyed.

“You finally found a great girl and she is standing next to you.” Sally wiped a tear away and the awful feeling that sat on Annabeth’s chest and made everything heavier, amplified by a thousand times.

This was way worse than being referred to as the woman that would bear him three to five children presuming with the first one sired on this current vacation by Ares. Yes, Annabeth wanted two children at max, but not definitely now. She was twenty-eight and in the prime of her life! Note: Percy would certainly not be the father of said two children. Unruly blond waves and a mischievous grin blitzed through her head. Pale blue eyes came back from the deepest pit of her memory. Luke. Fuck no, that was even worse than Percy. His betrayal… Annabeth tried to shake the memory off and focused on the ongoing situation in front of her.

Sally truly hoped her son found love and not a quick fling. Oh shit, Annabeth thought and looked up to Percy whose face expressed similar thoughts. His conscience nibbled and guilt flooded his body.

“Mamá,” Percy began and released Annabeth’s hand in order to grasp the older woman’s shoulder.

Sally brushed his large hands off. “No, no! Off you go! You younglings should be downstairs celebrating your reunion with the entire side of Poseidon’s family.”

Annabeth appreciated the fact that Sally was invited and flown out each winter holiday by the Theodoropoulos’. Despite having been divorced from Poseidon for over twenty years, she was still a popular and welcomed guest, not just because of her son’s attachment to the Greek side and his tied division of the Greek family company.

Sally gave each of them a last smile before entering the women’s bathroom. Percy exhaled and pinched his nose. After ten seconds he released the nose and looked back at Annabeth. “Ready?” he asked a final time. Annabeth nodded.

The loud singing, yelling and talking that had been muffled by the bathroom hit her by a tenfold. The place had all the Mamma Mia vibes without the fun singing four days ago. Not anymore, as drunk relatives hit up the shore with loud music and talked loudly in their Pontic Greek dialect.

As the couple descended the stairs and walked through the parlor, a new wave of guests arrived at the same time. Three people that have just entered early adulthood looked up to them. Two men, one blond with a stoic face and bronzed skin, the other was shorter with spiky black hair and a beautiful grin on his lips. The woman next to him was the tallest out of the trio and possessed a high ponytail that would leave Ariana Grande dying out of envy. The dyed lilac hair swung around and nearly reached the middle of her thighs, meaning the hair was even longer without its tight prison on top.

“Thanatos, Zagreus, Megaera!” greeted Percy and gave each one of them a rib crushing bear hug. They looked pleasantly surprised at seeing Percy being accompanied by a pretty woman his age. It seems like the proposal didn’t reach all of the ends of the Greek world.

They fell into a short conversation in Greek and Annabeth smiled politely next to Percy as she fell entirely out of place. The evil Duolingo owl didn’t prepare her for this experience. Neither did her mother bother teaching her at least their Athenian dialect properly. She could introduce herself in Greek, order a beer, say goodbye and that was it. Thank you, Athena. For nothing again.

“Oh, you must be Annabeth,” Megaera eyed her carefully and Annabeth had the feeling that she could split her open with her hands. Weirdly enough, Annabeth was kind of into it. Megaera wasn’t only as tall as Percy but she was clearly the one with the toughest workout regimen as she displayed her muscular legs and defined arms with a short cocktail dress only a few shades darker than her hair.

“Yes,” Annabeth squeaked. She nearly added a ma’am towards the end. Megaera cocked her dark eyebrow. She had an aura that demanded respect.

“Interesting to see the woman who captured Perseus’ heart. It seems that he did develop a good taste after all. Calypso was as pretty as the crescent moon flower but sadly as dull as his corny jokes are.” Megaera’s deep smirk was a stamp of approval as her eyes roamed all over Annabeth.

“Hey!” Percy interrupted and placed a firm hand on Annabeth’s waist, as if he was trying to mark his territory.

“You have your own toys right to your right,” he then added with a playful tone.

Megaera actually laughed and waved dismissively. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more.” A clear offer which left Annabeth’s face turn into a fiery tomato red.

“Anyway, we have some catching up to do,” Thanatos proposed as Zagreus and he silently watched the conversation blossom. He sounded as reserved as he looked.

“Indeed,” Zagreus agreed, surprising Annabeth with a posh English accent. “Father will murder me if we miss out on his moussaka. It’s to die for you need to try it, Annabeth, at least before Hephaestus gets ahead of himself.”

Annabeth laughed. The Theodoropoulos did have their positives. “I will, Zagreus,” she nodded.

“Oh please, if aunt Sally gave her go for you to stay here, you’re as good as family. We’re Than, Zag and Meg for you,” Zagreus offered.

“Annabeth is already my nickname but thank you for the kind offer!”

The three new guests went on to join relatives and friends at the party which seemed to get more chaotic by each passing minute as the volume seemed to increase.

“My cousin Zagreus from my uncle Hades’ side,” Percy explained as the three went out of his sight.

“Are they friends? Or…”

“Pretty sure they’re polyamorous. You know, I don’t know, and I honestly don’t really care, I see Zag once every twelve months at max. Just don’t stick to Meg’s side for too long otherwise she’ll turn you into her fiancé.” Percy’s tone suggested that he was not joking.

“Oh.” Annabeth didn’t know what to think of it.

Percy closed his eyes as if he was making a silent prayer, before his sea-green met Annabeth’s light gray ones. She smelled like lemon with a hint of lavender, instead of roses like normally. Delicious. If it weren’t for the fact that it was Annabeth.

“So, listen. You know I’ve talked about Dionysus Day and how his birthday brings out the worst side of everyone.”

Annabeth nodded as Percy went on to explain.

“Pre-Dionysus Day is basically same with the only exception that my great-grandmother’s house is filled with the entire family. Yes, we’re expected to eat, drink, laugh, drink, dance, drink, reminisce on our past, drink, make fools out of ourselves in order for them to take blackmail pictures and drink some more, but no matter how much they want you to open up… try to control yourself. Everything you say can and will be used against you.”

Annabeth’s stomach started to churn, and her knees slightly gave in. “Look, I’m truly sorry for the mess that I’ve caused,” Percy looked directly into her eyes and tried to ignore the rosy streaks across her flushed cheeks. “And my relatives can be overbearing. But if we manage to stick through this night and the next one tomorrow, we’re as good as done with playing games.”

“Fine,” Annabeth gritted through her teeth. She had agreed to the terms and condition. She didn’t need a reminder of the stupid decision she made two months ago.

“Let’s go.”

She placed her hand on the doorknob that separated the parlor from the huge living room. Percy followed her as she opened the door. A wave of laughter, wine, ouzo, discovered secrets, cigarettes, sweat and fun hit them.

“Oh wow, someone should open a window.” Percy suggested as he coughed. Luckily cousin Metis had the same idea. No, aunt Metis. Or was it Thetis? Why did Percy need to have so many relatives with similar names again?

“Oh, Annabeth, look at you!” Aphrodite had snuck up behind them and surprised the fake couple by hugging each of them and nearly spilling the expensive Greek vintage in her hand on Percy’s shirt. The red alcoholic liquid carelessly swirled in her glass and more than often seemed to want to escape from her clutch.

“Aphrodite, be careful!” Percy reminded her as she dug her fingers into his arm. Her nails were as fake and bought as was the bond between Annabeth and Percy.

“Oh, please cousin, you should learn how to loosen up!” She laughed, but it sounded more like the shrill sound a bird made when it got nearly hit by a car. The high pitch made Annabeth slightly frown.

“Take your girl upstairs and show her all the Zorbas moves you got!” She wiggled her badly overdrawn eyebrows.

Aphrodite had always been the poster child of perfection. She knew how to dress her curvaceous body the right way, she knew how to apply the perfect touches of makeup on her face and she was the most graceful being Annabeth had ever met. Seeing her so disheveled left the blonde American content. It showed that Aphrodite wasn’t one of the gods, she was a mortal mess like they all were. That, and it was kind of funny seeing the abrupt transition from oozing perfection to looking like a rough mess after a couple of glasses of wine.

“If you know what I mean, you two know what I mean, right?”

“Yes,” Annabeth and Percy answered. Unfortunately, they did.

“That reminds me, this is such a pretty dress that you got!” Aphrodite’s eyes widened and she tugged at Annabeth’s sleeve that went slightly over her elbows. “Percy needs to bring me a couple of those the next time he visits. Oh wait! You’re about to marry, Annabeth can take me shopping. I want to visit New York next summer. When was your wedding again?”

Panic filled Annabeth she tried to stutter a lame excuse like they had done the entirety of the stay. Aphrodite’s brown eyes found something else to focus on in the meantime. Her hand went out to poke the tall blonde’s chest as she went on to pull on the thin fabric.

“You should show the men what you got! Free the girls!” Aphrodite yelled over the loud music, pushing Annabeth’s C cup to its limits. “Let Percy stand in the corner with that stupid frown, all jealous and depressed while you’re out on the hunt!”

Percy did not look amused especially since he tried to pull Annabeth away.

“Yeah, just like that!” Aphrodite’s glass pointed directly at his face as Annabeth tried to shove Aphrodite’s fickle fingers aside. “Oh, if I were just a little bit younger and not tied to your cousin…”

“You mean cousins,” Percy corrected and made a step backwards as Aphrodite’s dreamy and drunk dazed focus shifted from Annabeth to him.

“Aphrodite, leave Percy and his future wife alone,” Hera arrived to save the stressed couple and rolled her eyes. “Go harass Hephaestus and try to be a faithful wife for once in your life.”

She still looked like she had a massive stick shoved up her ass by the way she stood entirely straight next to them, but Annabeth appreciated the gesture. If Hera didn’t like Aphrodite much, Annabeth would rather join Team Hera than stand alone by the bleachers and under Aphrodite’s charmspeak. Aphrodite pouted and stomped with her feet twice as if she were a toddler and not a grown woman marching towards her forties. Then she stormed off and ran into the arms of her lover, nother husband to spite her mother-in-law and embarrass her even further.

“Malàka,” Hera cursed and lost her cool for one second, before clearing her throat and focusing on the already tired fake engaged couple in front of her. Not even Hera seemed to be averse from drinking a glass of wine or two. “You two definitely need a drink.”

Annabeth agreed with her for once.

She pointed at the bar behind her, which was managed by Dionysus and his wife Ariadne. The number of relatives ganging up on them and demanding new drinks was frightening. Surprisingly Dionysus kept his cool and shoved drinks in people’s hands at an impressive speed.

“Yeah, let’s get over with it,” Percy sighed and took Annabeth’s hand again.

“Are you okay?” Annabeth asked him. She knew from Thalia that Percy rarely ever drank and that his family was to blame for most of it. Percy seemed stiffer and graver than usual as well. As much as she disliked his jokey nature and easy-going demeanor he displayed at work, she’d much rather have that Percy by her side right now. Dionysus Day and the day before seemed like it was hell on earth for him and walking through it each year must take a toll on him.

“Yeah, let’s just each grab a glass of wine. Let them be happy about me shoving this disgusting stuff down my throat.” He thanked Ariadne as she prepared two glasses of the same vintage Aphrodite seemed to have inhaled earlier.

“Thank you.” Annabeth took her glass and sniffed. The wine smelled sickly sweet with a hint of the bitterness that the fermentation process had left. The glass in her hand weighed surprisingly heavy, not because of the wine itself but because of the golden swirls decorating it. The glass transitioned from the crystal-clear transparency into a deep black. A lyre surrounded by a bigger laurel wreath decorated the middle section and a golden snake was wrapped around the stem. The golden rim gave it a nice finish.

“Into a fruitful night,” Percy darkly mumbled over the music. He was really not looking forward to it, which confused Annabeth immensely. She didn’t understand why he pushed himself through this if he really didn’t like the drinking activities. He surely had his reasons, hence her not starting a fight with him over it. It was his family and their tradition after all.

“Into a fruitful night,” Annabeth instead repeated.

Issuing a weird toast as well. Percy Jackson was clearly not a drinker. Their glasses clinked and each of them took a sip. Thankfully grandma Rhea made sure they were well-fed before the festivities began.

“Fuck,” Annabeth muttered. A fine vintage as well. Not as sweet as she thought, it left a hint of sweet cumin as the lingering aftertaste. Her lipstick left a mark on the glass, but she didn’t bother to care as she took another gulp. The wine was nearly finished. She slowly started to understand why ancient civilizations went crazy after this stuff.

As she looked at her so-called fiancé, she saw that his glass was already empty. A grimace rested on his face as well.

“Err, Percy?”

“What?” The dark brooding look on his face was no more.

“Shouldn’t you take it easy?” Annabeth carefully asked. His eyes narrowed.

“I am,” he stated and cocked his head towards his cousin who was still busy playing the barkeeper but kept an overall watchful glimpse on the guests that flooded the gates.

“Dionysus saw me drink. Most importantly he saw us have a drink. That should be enough for me, but if you want some more, be my guest.” He shrugged.

Annabeth felt that she should probably drag his mopey ass out of the party, but it was way too early to leave. “Fine,” she said and asked Ariadne for a refill. Annabeth went in for another long sip. She should definitely stock her wine cabinet once she was back at her shitty apartment. Before the glass reached her lips again, Hermes snatched it away and chugged the remaining wine.

“Hermes, what the hell?!” Ariadne grabbed the glass and pushed her husband’s cousin away. The bored postman was back with his shenanigans.

“My bad, dear wifey, but I’m on a mission here to abduct sweet Annabeth,” Hermes winked and placed his hands around Annabeth’s shoulders.

“What are you up to?” Out of all of the relatives she’s met so far, Annabeth was convinced that everything Zeus had ever sired was a mistake. Zeus himself was a mistake.

“Can you stop being German and boring for once?” he joked. Annabeth’s eyes narrowed. She did not like this one bit. She turned her head around and saw that Percy had been pulled into a conversation by Hypnos and Morpheus. He had completely forgotten about her. Great.

Hermes guided her through the crowd, towards the middle of the room. They had to dodge chairs, drunk relatives, a sofa, chatty relatives, the coffee table and dancing relatives before they made it.

“There she is!” greeted Achilles the confused marketing manager.

Paris, Helen, Patroclus, Hermes and Achilles stood in a circle around a table. Dozens of shots of all sorts of colors were displayed. Annabeth had a terrible feeling about this.

“What is this and why are you pulling me into this?” Annabeth asked and did not like the mischievous grin they all shared. She wanted to go back home and cuddle with Daedalus on her sofa and push his cat ass out of the way before the next steamy Outlander scene hit the screen. Yes, Annabeth was that much of a single that seeing some on-screen action was the best she could get. She hoped that the mangy cat didn’t bother Thalia all too much while she was staying in Greece. She owed her so much already.

“Well, I stayed in your country,” Paris started. “And they have a weird tradition with ouzo. They don’t drink it the way we do, watered down and slowly at lunch and what not…”

Annabeth was still American for the most part and had nothing to do with Germany. The last time she stayed there was nearly thirteen years ago. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Germany. Friedrich Chase lived in Germany. And she fucking hated Friedrich Chase. Therefore, she hated Germany. Things that would never change. Okay, Hamburg was a cool city and she was glad her father moved to Cologne. Should she feel the urge to travel back to Germany for a week or less, she’d go to Hamburg, take ten thousand pictures, and post them on Instagram the minute before she was boarding her flight back to New York. Helping her to enrage her stupid father was all Germany had to offer.

“Germans do ouzo shots,” Patroclus cut to the chase. “And since you’re the newest member of our family…”

“And German!” Paris and Hermes added simultaneously.

“We’ve decided to play this little game,” Achilles added.

“What’s the name of the game?” Annabeth asked. She was only slightly curious. Emphasis on slightly.

“Last man standing. Oh sorry, ladies. Last person standing,” Hermes corrected himself as he placed four shots in front of each person. That was way too much hard liquor to handle. But if she did Jägermeister bombs in her sophomore year of college without any issues, this should be fairly easy.

“What are the rules?” They all looked at her in silence. No rules. No prize. Just drink.

“Oh wow.” The urge to roll her eyes and walk off came back with a force.

“I think I’m going to pass,” Annabeth said and already turned to her right.

“Why?” Helen asked innocently. “Need your man to look after you? The one who’s having an amazing time back there with his third glass of wine?”

Foul game. Annabeth’s head shot to the right. Helen was right. Percy was laughing and looked like he was having a great time chatting with Oceanus and his wife Tethys. Tethys refilled his glass as her husband and Percy broke into laughter once again.

If that’s the case…

“Fuck it, I’m in,” Annabeth agreed. She swallowed the bait and she knew it. There was no reason why she should feel upset about Percy opening up all of a sudden. He desperately needed it. Why she wished to be a part of that, Annabeth did not know.

“Great!” Helen threw her brown mane over her shoulders and grabbed the first glass.

“Για μας!” they all yelled and chugged the liquor. Gia mas, the Greek toast, was repeated every time and it seemed to brighten the mood, despite resting heavily on Annabeth’s stomach. Her college days were over, but she was glad she resisted coughing repeatedly.

Patroclus clutched his stomach after the second shot, Helen ran out after the third, Paris and Achilles were laughing maniacally after the fourth and Hermes mysteriously disappeared after the first one. Annabeth was the last person standing. She placed the crystalized shot glass back on the table and examined the messes around her. The only thing that had happened to her, were that more golden locks escaped from her bun and her lipstick needed some reapplying as she left marks on each glass.

Annabeth tried to take a step away from the table and felt how the world slightly shifted around her. The fact that she would curse and hate herself for her behavior in just six hours, was something drunk Annabeth gladly put aside. The headaches that definitely would haunt her for the rest of the trip didn’t matter, she won and that was all she cared about.

“Hell yeah!” she yelled as all inhibition faded away, leaving pure and raw life force behind. Unbeknownst to her, Annabeth had moved right into the circle of dancers.

“Perseus, get your bride before she breaks her legs!” someone laughed. Was it Iapetus? Or was it Hyperion? Who even cared at that point?

The next two hours were a blurred mess. A blackout slowly crept through her mind, leaving foggy memories behind. Annabeth felt how she was dancing with people and how people were laughing. Were they laughing at her or with her? Did it really matter? Why was her hair repeatedly slapping her face, didn’t she tie it up?

She danced with different people, men and women. She really hoped that the guy that looked like a naked Danny DeVito with longer black hair was not Zeus who had lost his shirt and pants. Who was the guy with the sea-green eyes again? Why was he clapping and laughing whenever she was busting a move next to Hermes? Was he important? Why did he remind her of work? The shots might have been a short-sighted idea after one and a half glasses of wine. She probably overestimated the amount of food she had consumed at dinner prior. Wasn’t she supposed to try someone’s moussaka?

“There you are! Ares, stop dancing with her for once. We’re about to leave.”

Ugh. Ares. Not Zeus, but still yucky.

Sea-green eyes. Percy, of course. How could she have forgotten the asshole that brought her into this whole mess? He seemed fairly sober, didn’t he have a glass or three of wine? Annabeth was certain, she’d be able to drink him under the table. His height and his build might put him at an advantage, but if he wasn’t used to drinking, she might have a fair shot.

A rock song was the next song that appeared. Percy wanted to drag Annabeth off the dance floor.

“Oh no!” Aphrodite intervened with a shrill screech. “Give the two lovers some room to show each other affection!”

Hera actually raised her glass for once to show that she actually agreed with one of Aphrodite’s wild ideas. Someone fumbled with the playlist and a Greek slow jam roared through the old speakers.

“Are you guys fucking serious?” Percy muttered under his breath. But roughly eighty pairs of eyes were all but watching the soon-to-be betrothed and waited for a romantic dance which reminded Percy more of the horrors that the eight-grade dance was.

Annabeth drunkenly hiccupped and looked at him in surprise as she felt one of his hands around her waist and the other one taking her hand. They rocked as if it was the final dance at prom. Annabeth barely remembered prom. Oh right. Her mother had forbidden her from going. She never attended prom.

A casual glimpse through the crowd showed her that people were actually filming this nonsense and some women were actually cooing. Did… did they seriously think this back and forth with sweaty clothes on was romantic? Her eyes found Percy’s again.

“So…” he began.

“So…” she repeated.

“Careful!” he warned her before twirling her through the tight circle. People screamed and applauded. A camera flash blitzed through the darkness twice.

“Oof,” Annabeth groaned. Her stomach and equilibrium did not appreciate that sudden movement.

“I’m sorry, I won’t do that again,” Percy swore. The rocking motion made both of them sleepy. Annabeth suppressed a yawn, rested her head on his shoulder. Percy could make the perfect comfy bed, if he wanted to.

Percy, sensing that people were awaiting some action from either of them, placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face up. Annabeth’s eyes widened. Is he going to kiss me in front of them? Again? her panicked brain asked. She was turned into stone, not by Percy’s distant cousin Medusa who had eaten most of the truffles, but by the tenderness of his actions. He was one solid actor.

Percy placed a soft kiss on her forehead, before moving on to a temple. Annabeth blushed and buried her heated face in his chest as he released her. Intimate, soft and sweet. The screaming relatives disrupted their comfortable silence yet again. The slow song came to an end and the next upbeat one invited everyone back to the dance floor. Annabeth released herself from Percy’s tight embrace and just bolted. Damned be nausea. A wave of coldness hit her. She felt something she didn’t like the minute Percy had softly kissed and soberness woke her at a start. What was it? Anger? Disappointment? Longing? She didn’t know and she didn’t want to know.

“Annabeth!” Percy shouted, but the amount of people standing in his way made it more difficult for him to keep up with her. His hand brushed over his own lips.

Annabeth opened and closed doors left and right. The kitchen, the dining room, the smoking room. She hasted through the first floor until she found another lost soul in the fireplace room. Why the villa had a fireplace room in the first place, she did not know. It had been super-hot the entire time but what Annabeth understood as heat and what native Greeks deemed as hot temperatures didn’t have to correlate.

Great-grandmother Gaia’s humming faded away. The eldest of the Theodoropoulos looked up from the pair of socks she was knitting. When she came to find out the intruder was Annabeth, joy spread over her face.

“Come, come!” The broken English that she softly spoke reminded Annabeth of her own grandmother. She hadn’t seen Elsbeth Lilienthal-Chase since she had left Germany. And since her mother didn’t give her a chance to say goodbye, she didn’t have a phone number to reach her with. The only way would be through that asshole Friedrich Chase, and the only time she’d willingly let someone contact that man was if she had been six feet under and he would be forced to show up for one important family event for once.

“I was unable to sleep. Parties aren’t something for me. I’m too old and boring for my children and their children,” Gaia sighed as Annabeth took a seat on the green sofa next to the light blue armchair. All of the cushioning seemed to have been made by Gaia as the socks had the same pattern as the pillow that Annabeth leaned against. Balls of wool surrounded the older woman as if she sat on a field of fresh tulips.

“Drink, drink! You need water. I’m pretty sure you danced a lot.”

Annabeth kindly took the offer, grabbed the carafe and poured herself a little bit of water into a small glass. The water was surprisingly cold and refreshing.

“My children deem me crazy,” Gaia continued. “The war with the ottomans. Deportation. Fleeing and seeing death everywhere. Losing my father in the chaos. Then the big world war after that twenty years later. They don’t want to listen to the same stories. They only want to have fun. So, they sent me away.”

Annabeth felt terrible for the old lady. It looked like she had been through hell and back in her youth. She didn’t look like she needed much, only someone to listen to her.

“I won’t bore you much,” promised Gaia.

Gaia’s tanned leathery hands continued working on the little socks. “Don’t worry about tomorrow, dearie. We have plenty of acetaminophen and other hangover remedies. Tomorrow will be even worse, because Dionysus wants to celebrate his birthday with even more wine,” the old woman laughed, and her green eyes twinkled full of life.

“I also was young once…”

The two sat in comfortable silence, only interrupted by Gaia’s humming or Annabeth refilling her glass of water.

“So,” Gaia began.

“So?” repeated Annabeth.

“You are the woman that tamed my little Perseus,” the older woman grinned.

Oh no.

Annabeth had a lump in her throat and drinking water to solve it, didn’t work. She wasn’t just lying to Zeus and his wife. She was lying to an entire clan, from the youngest to the oldest members. What Percy and she were doing wasn’t right, neither was it fair. Sure, Percy’s shitty uncle didn’t help much by forcing him to marry the next person, but did the rest of the family deserve to be deceived as well? No, they didn’t, and that truth rested heavily on Annabeth’s narrow shoulders.

The fact that Gaia looked so much like her great-grandson was crazy. They possessed the exact same shade of sea-green. It was passed onto Rhea, Percy’s grandmother, and then Poseidon, Percy’s fucked up father. Always full of intelligence and calculation. Shifting easily from delighted and full of life to the crashing anger of a storm. Power and knowledge were key features of Gaia’s eyes.

“How did you meet my sweet Perseus again?” Gaia innocently asked but Annabeth knew that there was some sort of ulterior motive behind her question.

“At work,” she honestly answered, and Gaia smiled. The old lady was able to sense the truth.

“He’s not my direct boss, but we run into each other a lot. And we hated each other from the moment we saw each other.” Annabeth remembered how she accidentally spilled her hot coffee all over his shirt. She had been public enemy number one from then on.

“He’s an excellent boss, as much as I hate to admit it. He knows his ways around and is passionate about the ocean and its inhabitants. Definitely more passionate than me, I’m just there for the money. He actually wants to make a difference. And he’s extremely annoying, might I add.”

Gaia burst into laughter and needed a minute to calm down. Annabeth cracked a toothy grin. “Ah yes, I can see how you fell in love with him.”

Doom. Uneasiness. Discomfort. The lump in Annabeth’s throat grew bigger and bigger. Why was her vision so blurry all of a sudden? She looked down at her dress. Dark dots appeared. More sprinkled across her lap as Annabeth realized she was crying.

“I’m so sorry,” Annabeth sniffled. “I… Percy… I…”

Gaia put her knitting utensils aside and set herself upright in the armchair. “Oh no, what is going on, Annabeth?”

The calming hand on her back did not help the young professional at all. No, Gaia’s honesty and curiosity made it way worse.

“Percy and I… we’re not engaged. We did it because Zeus-” Annabeth tried to confess, but Gaia brushed her off.

“It’s okay, Annabeth. I know,” the old woman smiled.

The tears that smeared her foundation or rather what was left of it ceased to fall. “You what?!”

Shock widened Annabeth’s light gray eyes.

“I knew from the minute you stepped into my house. I’m pretty sure Rhea knows as well.”

Annabeth’s jaw fell open. “B-but how?!” she stuttered and felt like an utter and complete idiot. The first few days had been rough and difficult, but now she thought that Percy and she conveyed the illusion of being a happy couple.

“You were scared of everything including him the minute you arrived,” Gaia warmly smiled. The infectious warm smile of a grandma looking out for her little chicks. Was Annabeth now one of them?

“I knew something was off with that sudden engagement of yours with the way you two behaved. Either you were pregnant, or it was a ruse. Since you are heavily drinking and paper thin, it was clear that there was no pregnancy. You young people truly don’t eat enough anymore,” Gaia shrugged, patted Annabeth’s knee and went back to knitting the sock.

“But now… it all makes sense. You do feel something for each other. Even if you are blind to it for now.” She continued to hum. “I just hope that my dear Perseus will be the young and carefree boy he was all those years ago one day again. And I do believe that you are the key in finding him hidden underneath all those layers and walls he had put up due to his father.”

Annabeth didn’t even close her mouth during the elder’s monologue. Did Gaia seriously connote that she… that Annabeth Chase… might feel something for her soon-to-be boss? Madness. Absolute madness. She took everything she had thought of the friendly old woman in front of her back. Maybe her relatives did have a point, when they decided to brush Gaia off due to her old age.

Annabeth? And feeling something for Percy? If that something was hatred and the utmost rage, absolutely yes. But… anything else? She would receive a hefty sum on her bank account and would put in her two weeks the minute she found a better job in California.

“You know… there is a tale I’d like to tell about men.”

And Annabeth would prefer to place the glass back on the table, throw the heels away, storm out and run to the next airport.

“They are stupid vapid creatures,” Gaia carried on.

Annabeth snorted behind her glass. “That is certainly true,” she agreed and earned an honest grin from Gaia.

“My dear husband Ouranos with whom I had all of my dear children decided one day that one woman was not enough. And that twelve children were not enough.”

Twelve children?! Annabeth's womb just twisted and turned in protest. The shocked expression on Annabeth’s face made Gaia chortle loudly.

“Oh yes, back in my day we were all very fruitful,” Gaia affirmed.

“That sounds horrible,” Annabeth interjected.

“Oh, only the birth part and the eighteen years after it,” the older woman dismissed her which made Annabeth in turn laugh again.

“My father was a farmer and he had one piece of advice: never let someone toy with you. You are not a doll; you are a person with morals and dignity, a person with feelings and dignity. Let no one, especially not a man, treat you like a commodity or something to kick around. Well… when dear Ouranos left me and sought our neighbor with bigger breasts… I taught him that lesson. And I did so with my father’s trusted knife that I hung on the wall afterwards.”

There was no knife displayed on the wall. It was a fucking scythe. Large, frightening, brutal. A golden great long sickle with jagged teeth rested on the wall as if it were ready to cut you up into one thousand pieces. Was there really dried blood stuck on the teeth or was Annabeth’s drunken mind making things up?

“The minute our youngest turned eighteen he took off and was never seen again. And now, should a person, in that case my Perseus, not know how to treat you properly, you know what to do,” Gaia advised and took a sip out of her own glass.

“Uh… you mean threaten to cut his genitals off with a large and sharp family heirloom?” Annabeth’s eyes widened again.

“No, dearie…” Gaia gave it some thought. “Well maybe so, dearie,” she then went on. That made Annabeth chuckle again.

“But demand absolute respect from him. Don’t ask him for it. Demand it. I don’t know how but he has dragged you into our family and expects you to play the perfect fiancé. This will eventually blow up in his face and he will drag you along with him. Teach him a lesson, however.”

“You know what? I will!” With Gaia’s official blessing, Annabeth was all smiles and scheming new plots. If the head of the family gave her the approval of kicking Percy’s ass, she definitely would.

Steps echoed in the fireplace room and Annabeth and Gaia’s heads turned to greet the intruder. They didn’t even realize the door opened and closed again.

Gaia’s younger twin who still had some black streaks in the braids marched into the hall, curious about what the two women in front of her were previously talking about. Gaia’s youngest daughter Rhea had joined them. The large blue floral dress made her seem like she never left the late 1960s and the two long braids only added to that sentiment.

“Mamá, what is going on? By the way Percy is looking for you, Annabeth,” Rhea informed her grandson’s alleged fiancé before taking a seat in front of her and grabbing one of the many balls of yarn in front of her mother. Rhea then went on to play with it as if she was a six-year old.

“Oh no, Rhea, Annabeth and I were just chatting about love and life,” Gaia batted her eyelashes.

“You see, I gave Rhea the same advice about her disgraceful husband when he went out to seek another woman.”

Rhea rolled her eyes behind the large pentagonally glasses. “You and your stories about the scythe, mother,” she sighed.

“I have to make sure the younger generation knows!” Gaia huffed. “I won’t be here for much longer and then-”

“We'll regret all the things we’ve said and done to you, I know mamá, you have been telling me this since I was four years old and spilled my apple juice,” Rhea completed her mother’s sentence.

Rhea’s attention shifted to the smiling blonde in front of her. She grew to like Percy’s fiancé. She had a fire within herself and a backbone, all great things to handle a Theodoropoulos man.

“But my mother is right when she says that the scythe is a trusted tool. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades did scare Kronos with it after he tried some foul things with their sisters. Treated them worse. Did overall horrible things. He never wanted daughters, only sons. Didn’t seem to accept the fact that it was out of my hand.” Rhea squished the ball of light blue yarn in her hand.

“My children were always looking out for me and I will be forever grateful for them. I do hope that you will have the same feelings and love for your children.” It was clear who their father was supposed to be.

“Yes, I hope so as well,” Annabeth squeaked. Did it get hotter in here all of a sudden?

The door opened, and a worried Percy stepped into the fireplace room. “Oh, there you are,” he sighed as he immediately sighted Annabeth’s blonde unruly curls. He had been running from the basement all the way to the roof searching for her. Relief washed over his face like some shower gel from a cheap commercial. Only then did he realize that Annabeth had been cornered by both his nosy grandmother and his even nosier great-grandmother.

“Whatever they’ve been telling you, it’s a lie, it’s wrong and it never happened!” he warned her as he took a seat right next to her.

“Oh please, relax,” Rhea rolled her eyes and threw the wool at her grandson. “We have been talking about mamá’s scythe.”

“Hey!” both Percy and Gaia complained. At least they hadn’t dished out embarrassing stories of him taking off in diapers at night.

“This is expensive! You young people show no respect towards others' belongings,” Gaia cursed.

Annabeth took the blue yarn and placed it back on top of the pyramid of other colors.

“Thank you!” Gaia smiled before she focused on finishing the sock.

“You’ve found your fiancé, Perseus. Now go off back to celebrate and let us old people reminisce about the past and talk.” Rhea lazily waved at them whilst Gaia didn’t even look up from her craft.

“We will,” Percy said while getting up and casually dragging Annabeth along. He kissed both Gaia and Rhea on the cheek, Annabeth threw a hasty “See you in the morning!” over her shoulder before the couple left.

“Are you okay?” Percy asked as he pulled Annabeth aside for a small breather.

She nodded. “It’s just a bit overwhelming with the amount of people that either want to take pictures of us, hope I remember when their youngest kid’s birthday is, or they tell me they hope we have our first baby preferably in less than a year.”

Percy blushed. He didn’t think it was that bad, but then again, men are mostly left out of the baby talk until their mother’s saw that their best friend’s children had their first grandbaby. He truly didn’t have any intention of having a child before the age of forty. He had to save a business from his damned uncle, run and manage said business and preferably find a woman he tolerated enough to marry before he could even think of children.

Percy apologized again. “One week,” he promised her.

“One week,” Annabeth repeated and nodded.

“We’re going in, you’ve missed the high of the party with your talk with my yai yai, but that’s perfectly fine. The first have already left, let’s just mingle for ten minutes or so before we can-”

The door flung open. “There they are!” yelled Hermes who was followed by Zephyrus and Hercules.

None of them had any intention of letting the party stop before five in the morning. It was merely two. The minute Hermes had his sights on Annabeth, he knew that he had found his best drinking buddy aside from Dionysus himself. Oh no, Annabeth thought and rightfully so.

The minutes of calmness and rest next to Gaia did their wonders because Percy and she were thrust back into the party at full force. She didn’t exactly remember when the blackout happened, but it was roughly thirty minutes later. She was drinking, she was dancing, she was completely making a fool out of herself. The hair? A mess. Annabeth herself? Don’t even think about it. She had been dancing with Hermes and Patroclus, Aphrodite accidentally stepped on her foot one time when Ares approached her.

Percy broke his own promise and accepted a fourth glass of wine from Dionysus who insisted on it. That glass was his doom. The last droplet touched his tongue and his world turned into a flashy mist, his consciousness was broken into pieces, fragmented and sprinkled across the floor. Where he was, when he was and who he was were things he couldn’t remember. The only thing that popped up in his mind were waves of solid gold. Was it hair? Could hair truly move like that and possess that texture? And a whiff of lemon with a hint of lavender crawled up his nose. It was an odd combination, but it felt safe and like home. He liked this smell. Where did he smell this before?

Percy didn’t care, he had other matters to attend to. The first thing on the docket was finding the bathroom, he had drunk way too much. The house had weird rules in regard to bathrooms. Was it the left side or the right side that the young men could use? Why did his uncle Hades have to break two sinks in a span of a week when he was sixteen again? Why were women and others allowed to do whatever they wanted? His great-grandma and her weird plans were always set to make him fail somehow. Things that she had thought of decades ago still bore fruit today.

Percy stumbled upstairs and turned right and prayed the doors he was opening were empty bathrooms and not relatives making out. That was just what he needed. The first door he opened was of his great-uncle Oceanus and Tethys who had a face mask on her face and pink curlers up her hair. At least the old people still knew how to behave. He hoped his mother had left the party hours ago. He apologized and closed the door. The next one was an empty bedroom, his even maybe. No, his bedroom was on an entirely different floor. Or was it?

The next bedroom was closed off thank god, but from the sounds on the inside it seemed like cousin Eos and her newest catch Orion had some fun. Disgusting, Percy thought before he moved on. The next door was what he was looking for. A bathroom. Lit up, clean and empty. Empty if it wasn’t for this one woman who was clutching the brims of the polished sink. She was tall, the golden hair equaled a rat nest and her red dress seemed to have witnessed a lot.

“Ugh,” she muttered and looked into the mirror. Her eyes found his immediately.

“Percy?” she turned around.

Oh right. He was Percy Jackson, thirty-one, single, hopefully the new CEO of Atlantic INC., he had a fantastic apartment in the Upper East Side with an amazing view and he was in Greece to impress his family with his fake fiancé in order to secure his father’s legacy. His fake fiancé being Annabeth Chase, a woman he loathed, had to pay a little hush money and hoped would leave the company fairly soon after.

“You’re in the men’s restroom,” Percy then stated.

Annabeth looked around. No, it was not the same bathroom she used in the morning. Oh yeah, Gaia’s weird bathroom rules.

“Honestly who cares?” the junior marketing manager complained. “A toilet’s a toilet, no matter who uses it.”

Percy shrugged. Annabeth had a point but it wasn’t their house so they couldn’t dictate the rules.

“I wanted to retouch my makeup, but I didn’t find my makeup bag.” She walked steadily to Percy, but it was clear to both of them that she had her fair amount of shots in her system.

“Yeah, it’s probably in the other bathroom. Wait, let me use the bathroom for a second and then we can head back to our room and you can look for your makeup.”

Annabeth nodded and waited on the outside while Percy was tending his business. After drying his hands, he opened the door and found Annabeth yawning in front of one of his yai yai’s paintings. It showed the scythe from the fireplace.

“In all honesty, your great-grandmother is an amazing woman. I admire her. Showing kindness and strength each day. How old is she?”

“Turning 106 next October,” Percy smiled at her. “She always said she wanted to live long enough to see her favorite descendants find their own happiness, whatever it may be.”

The softness in his voice made Annabeth’s heart ache. She turned her head back to the painting. She was a nobody. She had no family, no traditions she could upkeep. She didn’t even have a steady relationship in the past five years. Fucking Luke Castellan. He also had to take that from her as well. Make her suffer. That’s what Athena, Friedrich and Luke all thought at the same time. And they all had nearly reached their wicked goal if it hadn’t been for her stubbornness and will to eventually blossom into something else. The first step towards that something else resided within her move to California. She wanted to leave everything and everyone behind and start a new life, somewhere where no one knew her.

A thumb brushed over her cheek. Annabeth looked up to Percy. She hadn’t even realized she was sobbing again.

“Whatever it is, it’s going to be okay,” Percy assured her. His hands found her sides, pulling her into a soft hug.

A true fiancé level hug. Annabeth had never felt that comfortable within a man’s reach. Percy might have been an awful and annoying coworker, but he truly cared about his fellow people. The way they slowly rocked and kept hugging each other reminded her of the school dance work they had put on the floor earlier. But this time it was real. This time there was no one taking pictures or yelling into their ears, or the demand to see a kiss.

Annabeth rested her face in his chest and Percy leaned his head on hers. It was like they had been made for each other. A welcoming scent greeted Percy. Lemon and lavender. The person stuck in Percy’s crumbled mind had been Annabeth. She was his anchor in the havoc his relatives had created in such a short time. He took a deeper breath. It felt reassuring.

“Did you just sniff me?” Annabeth laughed as she pulled away from him.

“You do smell good!” he defended himself with a stupid grin on his mouth.

“Oh, wait you’re super drunk,” she giggled again as she saw his widened pupils that had pushed the darkened sea-green iris away.

“Well, look at you,” he retorted.

They looked at each other. Aside from the bumping music and the noises people made downstairs it had been completely silent. He missed her warmth; she missed his comfort. Neither would have guessed that a simple embrace could offer so much. Neither would have thought they would take it to the next step within a split second.

One last look. A last time sea-green and light-gray met before each set of eyes closed and their lips met with a brutal force in the middle. Their teeth clacked but it didn’t matter to them. What mattered now, was the moment. Forgotten was the alcohol, forgotten were the troubles of past, present and future. Forgotten were the friends and relatives in the building and back in New York.

So... what do you think? 😄 Like I said, this is not the entire chapter 🤷🏾‍♀️ I honestly feel bad for cutting the chapter off because it's really getting more interesting from that point on 💁🏾‍♀️ I'll probably continue working on this once I've published the next act of The Fool 🥳

Also Greek people, if something seems off with this (aside from random English at times lol) hit me up, I definitely have to do more research!

#mel answers #pjo #percy jackson #Annabeth chase #percabeth #percabeth fanfic #may I introduce you to my beloved wife #mel writes #hoo #heroes of olympus #percy and annabeth #pjo fanfic #percy jackson and the olympians #mel spoils

[mxcrayon]

oh my god okay. finally able to report on @astrobunz and i's bad kids greek god au

is it a little all over the place? perhaps. is it fun? absolutely.

first of all. pok and sklonda as eros and psyche. kalina as aphrodite (we're going to ignore the part where eros and psyche are not together and psyche is running errands for aphrodite) and therefore LITTLE DEMIGOD RIZ WITH WINGS. (adorable image of baby riz tripping drawn by my beloved astrobunz under the cut)

fabian (as of right now) is a demigod, born to ares bill and a human woman, who is not hallariel!! hallariel is dionysus. (i warn you now that we are majorly ignoring canon greek lore for the sake of accurary to characterization) yes bill cheated on hallariel because he fucking WOULD.

we also decided that. because hallariel is hallariel. she wouldn't notice. and obviously bill wouldn't bring it up. so. fabian doesn't know that he's only a demigod and that hallariel is not his birth mother. yes, we pulled a fig on him. we had to.

pok, being the god of love, obviously can tell and very sadly breaks the news to fabian who cries in riz's arms for hours it's a very sad au we can get more into this later

unrelated. gorgug hephaestus. adaine artemis. fig apollo, daughter to gorthalax hades. (again, ignoring canon, i know apollo is his nephew but shhhh)

kristen is just like. a guy. she's just super fun and the gods like her a lot they form a funky little crew

gilear is obviously the minor god of yogurt what else would he be

AND ARGUABLY THE MOST FUN PART OF THIS AU, THE SEVEN MAIDENS AS THE HUNTERS (of artemis but not really connected to adaine in this) and sam is extremely upset that zelda broke her oath to go mess around w/gorgug (whom she loves a lot!!) but sam spends every day praying to pok extremely annoyed that he made that happen

garthy poseidon bc why not

also consider!!! hades fig and ayda persephone!!! very fun!!!! i think ayda would be a wonderful persephone, AND also athena ayda because <333333

there's truly so much to this i was asked to talk about it and i love it but my god

babe feel free to reblog and add on whatever you want

#dimension 20 #greek mythology #the bad kids #d20 #fantasy high

[nixotinix]

So I'm still on my Hades brainrot, so here's my ranking of

How many shots it would take for me to hook up with each Hades character

By an ace/aro minor who has never had any alcohol

Zagreus: a solid ZERO. This man is fine as fuck.

Hades: I dunno man, I'd need at least 2-3.

Nyx: like 3-4.

Hypnos: I'd need to be so fucking drunk to hook up with Hypnos

Achilles: is there such a thing as negative shots? Because I would need negative shots to hook up with Achilles. But for the sake of simplicity, ZERO. Achilles you can have my soul.

Dusa: no.

Skelly: again, no.

Zeus: 3-4. The beard is a turn off

Poseidon: 4-5. I just don't think he's hot ngl.

Aphrodite: 1-2. Sometimes I wish she'd put clothes on

Athena: Zero. This woman is pretty as hell.

Ares: also zero. Very attractive.

Artemis: only 1. I love artemis

Hermes: ZERO. Hermes you can take my soul.

Demeter: 1-2. Very pretty.

Dionysus: 1. And we all know he's the resident manwhore of the game

Chaos: zero. They're fine as hell.

Persephone: 1-2. Very pretty.

Thanatos: 1-2. Pretty attractive.

Patroclus: Zero. Just as fucking fine as his husband

Orpheus: 2-3. The puffy hair is strange, but cute.

Eurydice: 1. She's very pretty.

Sisyphus: 4-5. Sorry dude.

Charon: 3-4. Not really what I'm into.

Megaera: 2-3. Pretty, but would still take a couple.

Tisiphone: a solid 16 shots in. Don't like her much.

Alecto: I hate this son of a bitch. I'd never.

Theseus: nope. Hate him too.

Asterius: I am not banging a fucking minotaur.

#hades #hades game #caps tw #cursing tw #zagreus #nyx hades #hypnos hades #achilles hades #insert catchall tag for every character here #i am not typing out every olympian god

[greekbros]

"greek-Bros": Rat Tail

*Every god has their secrets....this is the tale of Ares's secret*

Dionysus, Apollo and Hermes: *chatting away about stuff*

Ares: *comes in sort of dancing after a long day of WAAAARRRHHHHH* do do do, de do *takes his helmet off, revealing a slightly long but thin braided rat tail just gently unravel down his shoulder*

Dionysus, Apollo and Hermes: *stop everything and just stare at the literal war crime against humanity that was hiding under Ares's helmet this whole time* (̲̅ ͡ಠ_ಠ)̲̅.......

Ares: *goes over to a fountain to wash up like some homeless dude.*

Dionysus: *raises arm and over dramatically points at Ares*......OH SHIT. A RAT!....tail.

Ares: *turns around nonchalantly* ugh....yeah....yeh guys didn't know?

Apollo: Oh really? Did you HONESTLY think we would even suspect the existence of that........THING?!?

Hermes: Yeah man, I mean... really? A rat tail????

Ares: Ugh...yeah...I mean, it's convenient.

Apollo: SO IS SLAVERY AND GENOCIDE BUT YOU DON'T SEE THOSE BEING PUBLICLY ACCEPTABLE!!!!

Ares: ok I'll bite, why do you guys have such a problem with my hair style?

Apollo: *deeply offended and disgusted by it* oh how do I put it.......ITS FUCKING HORRID.

Dionysus: *personally feeling like Ares could do better with a mullet or something* yeah ugh....looks a little out dated

Hermes: *actually having the insatiable craving to just pluck it right off* ugh...*sweats profusely* .......*does the grabby hand thing and just kinda is mesmerized at the possibility of just easily ripping that tantalizingly thin braided strand like an satisfying ASMR video* ....hhhhnnnnggggg.

Ares: .... First off, fuck off. I ain't getting rid of my "Leonidas's rope". Second, you guys don't understand how hard it is to maintain this look and third off Aphrodite braided it herself so ain't losing that too.

Apollo: Oh there's your accomplice.

Dionysus: I always knew she was an enabler how toxic of her to do so.

Hermes: ....*slowly sneaks closer*

Ares: *slowly backs away.* Screw you guys, I'm going to get a snack. *Covers his rat tail with his hand while he runs off*

Hermes: *like a predator who has been triggered by the running of his prey* must. yank. *

Apollo: *grabs Hermes's collar* no no. I have a plan.

Hermes: *whines* ....but...it would have been so....ﾟ.*･｡ﾟsatisfying ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

*later*

Ares: *eats his 3rd gryo*

Dionysus: *tries to lasso the rat tail*

Ares: *moves like 3 inches*

Dionysus: *lassos an amphora, pulls the lasso without realizing he has pulled the wrong thing and gets the whole bottle to the face*

Ares: *reaches for the amphora but he notices it's gone.*..........*shrugs and goes get another*

Dionysus: ow.

*later again, in Hephaestus's secret lab*

Apollo: So...do you have any suggestions?

Hermes: *playing with what looks like a stim toy because he got bored* c:

Hephaestus: hmm...yes.... Ares's unfortunate choice of hairstyle is a challenge...but...I do have an idea. *Pulls a rope and a overly complicated Rube Goldberg-esk guillotine the cuts a pumpkin in half* .....

Apollo and Hermes: *both feeling that was WAY too much* ....

Hephaestus: .....

Apollo: ...um... don't you have something a little less..... drastic?

Hephaestus: *lying through his teeth knowing the plan was to at least save his marriage by just killing Ares* ....I apologized dear half-brother...but I'm afraid that is beyond my capabilities.

Apollo and Hermes: *look at each other*

*later*

Ares: *standing in the middle of a platform with ropes and such tied to different places on his body and only the one tied to his rat tail actually does anything*.....are you sure this isn't going to emancipate me for my 'rope'

Hermes: Wut? Oh no of course not, me and Heracles just wanted to do...ugh...an experiment. *Holding on to one rope on a pulley system*

Heracles: *has been brought from his room to harass Ares, holding on to the other*

*later after that failed spectacularly*

Dionysus: *puts a raw steak on his face from earlier* ....so....no plan?

Hermes: no....and I've already satisfied my craving to yank that thing off. Honestly it probably wouldn't have been interesting anyway.

Apollo: *massages his temples* that disgusting, trashy and absolutely repulsive little yarn weff is getting to me.

Dionysus: guys let's be real here ....are we all really going to let Ares's braid really bother us?

Apollo: I REFUSE to relate to another god who wears THAT behind his occipital region of his head.

Ares: *comes in* alright that's it, I'm sick of you guys being so fucking weird about my 'rope' and honestly it's not like you guys have something to hate either! Apollo you and your stupid bowtie on your head makes you look like a poodle! Dionysus I don't know what the shit is going on with your hair so for fuck's sake get a haircut and Hermes.....ugh....YOUR HAT WINGS PISS ME OFF....sort of.

Apollo: *not actually bothered by that comment considering its removable*

Dionysus: *scoff* I see you're jealous of my mane dude.

Hermes: *wings droop* :c

Ares: See? Doesn't fucking suck for someone else t-*hears a snip* .....

Apollo, Dionysus and Hermes: 👁️👄👁️

Artemis: *with a pair of scissors, has just cut the rat tail*...wut?

Ares: *absolutely speechless*......

Apollo: *surprisingly thankful* ARTEMIS! What on earth was that act of mercy for? :D

Artemis: wut? You guys don't have the urge to cut the tails off of rats or anything? Just me? Ok.

Dionysus and Hermes: *wanting to laugh like crazy but slightly feels like Ares is going lose his shit so their just quite*

Ares: *turns around in disbelief* ..........you... little....

Artemis: *unloving gives Ares his rat tail back* whatever Ares, fucking gross looking thing anyways. *Walks away*

Ares: *kneels down in defeat*..........

Apollo: well well well it seems everything is back to normal.

Ares: *sees that Artemis left the scissors, sees only red* .....well....looks like we got to go *picks up the scissors, looks at the trio* BALD.

Apollo, Dionysus and Hermes: *suddenly happy feelings gone.

*later*

Zeus and Hera: *waiting for the Olympians to arrive at the meeting*

Ares: *walks in a fresh buzz cut sits down*

Apollo: *expressionless and with his hair sloppily chopped in various places, looking like it was a home job*....

Dionysus: *slightly similar but he's feeling like a sheered lamb* .....

Hermes: *has a slightly messy version of a buzz cut but there's a really sloppy fade*

Zeus and Hera: *honestly have no idea what happened and look at Ares*

Ares: *has the look of satisfaction on his face*

Apollo: *sits down and slumps over*

Ares: *doesn't even have to turn his head*

Apollo: I hope you choke on those brass balls of yours because I hope you enjoy retaliation.

Ares: Name a place and time and we'll trade hands you pansy.

Apollo: man slut.

Zeus: BOYS!

Apollo: I SEE YOU DO NOT SEE THE ATROCITY YOUR SON HAS COMMITTED!

#greek mythology #greek gods #hellenistic #greek bros #greek myth memes #greek posts #dionysus #ares #Apollo #Zeus #Hermes #Hephaestus