#FIRST HERMES THING SO LEMME KNOW HOW IT IS.

[recreationalfanfics]

Hi there you wonderful and amazing person, can I request Gender Neutral or Female Billy Batson Reader with Platonic with either Yandere Poseidon, Loki, Buddha, Hercules, Ares, Hermes, Zeus and Thor (3 of your choosing, cause honestly, any combination can work for this)

Reader is 14 years old orphan, who’s a Human Fighter, Humanity is frightening that a child is fighting while the Gods are mocking Humanity for choosing a CHILD to fight (Until they/she yells ‘SHAZAM!’ And turn into an adult figure full of god power and wins the fight, even refusing to kill their/her opponents and just injuring them badly enough they can’t fight anymore because they don’t want to commit murder, even if it’s a god and they were planning on killing them/her)

The gods are FURIOUS that a Human Child somehow has the powers of the GODS and want her/them on their side (Reader is very strong) but Reader refuses because she/they want to save and protect Humanity because that’s what a Hero does (That doesn’t mean Reader won’t act reckless or immature, since they are a child, they just won’t abuse their power to hurt others)

Sorry if this is a lot, I LOVE DC, and Shazam is my absolute favorite DC Superhero (He’s such a relatable character, and I can’t wait to watch Clash of Gods) the first movie was great and the Wizard was funny too

OOOH, YES. I LOVE THAT IDEA TBH. Angsty idea: What if this also took place in the Injustice Universe (where Superman killed Captain Marvel) and that's why the Reader is here- ALSO, I'VE NEVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY THEIR FAVORITE DC HERO IS SHAZAM, YOU HAVE AMAZING TASTE.

Platonic Yandere!Hercules, Buddha, and Hermes + Shazam! GN Reader:

"She's stooped too low!"

"Has humanity given up that quickly!?"

"That can't be our champion!? Can it!?"

You pull your hoodie up as you hesitaite to walk further, hearing the sounds of the gods and humans alike. You look back at Brunhilde, who gives you a comforting smile and nods encouragingly in your direction. You smile back and try to take a deep breath. It's no big deal, you've gone toe-to-toe with bigger bad guys before. Hell, Black Adam was a near damn god and you've beaten him a couple of times.

"WHAT'S THIS!? HUMANITY IS...SENDING OUT A CHILD!? THAT CAN'T BE CORRECT, THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A HERO HERE FROM HUMANITY'S GREATEST LEAGUE OF HEROES."

You frown at the announcer and send him a glare. Ouch, okay. Suddenly you felt more spiteful than insecure in that moment. Staring at the God you were about to face, you pull your hood down and get into a fight stance.

The god laughs, "Okay, okay, real cute kid. Where's the REAL champion I've been hearing about?"

"They're right here...SHAZAM!"

"The Strength of Hercules!":

- Oh, words WERE definetly due after your outrageous fight. The gods were horrified; a human child who somehow had THEIR powers managed to defeat a god!? WHAT INSANITY WAS THIS!? Although, Hercules wasn't really concerned about that part...he was more concerned about the child part.

- He followed you and Brunhilde both after your fight, you laughing and pumping yourself up and Brunhilde ruffling your hair lovingly. You looked up and smiled at her and Hercules couldn't help but feel his heart soften. You looked like a sweet kid. Which only made him angrier.

- "BRUNHILDE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? Having a child compete? WHAT INSANITY IS THIS!?"

- When she explains who you are and what you can do and how you didn't even need a völundr, it only enraged him more. Humanity must be saved but you can't sacrifice a child to do it. You looked at him and you felt a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. He reminded you of...no...you didn't want to think of him right now.

- Hercules will then look at you and smile, complimenting you on how you did in battle and how he couldn't help but recognize his strength. You timidly tell him that it was one of your seven powers, the Strength of Hercules. An idea forms inside of his head and he suggests that even though you're both on opposite sides, that he should mentor you in how you use your strength.

Platonic Yandere! Hercules:

- Its so easy for you to warm up to him, he reminds you so much of Clark...before, you know. He's kind and compassionate and he has the right intentions. He felt familiar but safer if that made sense and considering you are a CHILD who is competing in DEATH MATCHES, you needed something familiar.

- Hercules is happy that you come to him so much, he sees you as a younger sibling, honestly. He protects you from people like Zeus, Poseidon, and Loki who might seek to harm you or "interrogate" you about your powers. He also will sneak over to the human's side to make sure Brunhilde isn't gonna use you as a secret weapon again. His new goal along with saving humanity is to make sure you survive this.

- He becomes family to you, a concept you yearned for. He scolds you when you get into hijinks, he's a good and patient teacher who truly shows you the potential of your strength, but he's also a very soft and kind person. When you tell him how you died, he hugs you and tells you that no one shall harm you like that. Not when he's around.

- It was a good thing but all good things come to an end. That darkness that overcame Superman? You begin to feel it. You think it started when you accidentally upset another God, much to the point they wanted to fight you then and there. You wanted to get back to Hercules but they kept fighting you and you tried to say Shazam but each attack was faster than the last. Then Hercules came to the rescue, except, it was much more violent than it needed to be. Nearly beating the god to death, he didn't stop until you transformed and used your strength to pull him off. He had crazed blood lust eyes for a minute but they softened when they looked at you.

- You want to pretend that your imagining it and you want to tell someone but who would believe you? Sure you had the power of the Gods but everyone knew you were just an orphan mortal child with a magic word. Hercules had a reputation for being a good and just person...but so was Superman. You try to distance yourself from Hercules a bit, saying that you couldn't make certain training times and then eventually you just stopped showing up at all.

- He doesn't like being lied to, (Y/n). He sees you when you laugh with Sasaki Kojiro or when you hang out with Goll. Hercules isn't sure why you're trying to avoid him but thats gonna have to change, you're too young to understand that just because you have powers doesn't mean you CAN'T get hurt. That's why you have to stay close to him. So he can protect you and keep you safe.

"By The Wisdom of Solomon!":

- Huh, that's something you don't see everyday. Buddha was iffy about Brunhilde choosing you but he won't deny, it's quite brilliant to fight the Gods with their own powers. Such a shame that a poor kid like you got stuck to this match.

- Buddha is the cool older brother, honestly. When you're walking over to Brunhilde to have the doctors check up on you, Buddha is all: "Hey, little buddy. Saw your fight out there, pretty impressive for someone your age."

- Your chest swells with pride at his words as you just try to fix your posture and look cool and composed, "Yeah, this kinda stuff isn't really new to me. I kinda fight guys like this, like, all the time." and Buddha laughs at your confident tone and hands you one of his treats.

- "Well, you seem like you've got everything covered. Just remember, don't get too cocky in a place like this."

- You nod your head, this time a more serious expression on your face. You know what he means but life and death isn't something new to you and now that you've been given a second chance to defend humanity, you're going to make sure you make all the right decisions to win this for everyone.

- Buddha seems to notice the determination in your eyes because he lets out a soft chuckle and pats your head, "Can tell I ignited that fire in ya. See you around, little buddy."

- You open your mouth to tell him that you could be a big buddy if you wanted to but then you blushed when you realized how stupid that sounded and he just cackled in the distance.

Platonic Yandere! Buddha:

- He shows up everywhere you're at. It wasn't just the Wisdom of Solomon telling you that something was wrong, it was that instinct you develop when you were on the run from Child Services kicking in that told you someone was following you. You didn't want to think that it was Buddha, he was so cool! He snuck you snacks, taught you some interesting things about your powers and how to use them, and how to mediate and other cool stuff!

- Still, you start to notice he began popping up more and more during your daily rounds in Ragnarok. You didn't really mind it since he was good company and considering how old everyone else was compared to you, he was like a cool Gen Z God (if you had to describe him) but lately, its been happening too much for your liking.

- Like when you were practicing your newest fighting skills and such and nearly fell, he showed up right behind you and caught you before you hit the ground. Asking how his favorite little buddy was doing, which was weird considering that you were in Shazam mode but even weirder was that you were pretty sure he was somewhere far away from the place you were training at. You didn't think much of it then but then it started happening more and more.

- No one else is allowed to befriend you, as well. For example, Sasaki was telling you stories of his old fights and you were both laughing but now when you run up to him to try and hang out, he just gives you a sad smile and says he sadly can't. The same even goes with the Valkyries sometimes, you don't know why they all hate you all of a sudden. You don't have much time to figure out the answer, of course, because Buddha will join you because you looked sad and offer you a snack.

- He hates seeing you upset, little buddy, he really does. But even with all those fancy powers, you're still just a little guy going up against Gods. Brunhilde can't be 100% trusted to look after you so Buddha will take that position. It goes to his head quick when he sees you hang out with others, almost as if you forgot about your best buddy! He knows it's selfish of him to isolate you but some of those humans will die, Buddha sure as Hell won't. So just stick with him, okay, little buddy?

"The Speed of Mercury!":

- What a curious thing you were. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation when it happened but if he had to summarize it; you, a child, somehow inherited the power of the gods and became an adult. He'd recognize his speed anywhere.

- You put it to good use as well, it seems. He watched you fight and sensed a sort of excitement during your battle. What shenanigans and plot twists will you bring little one?

- At the end of your fight, your grown self even has the audacity to grab the microphone from Hiemdall and announce to everyone: "I am not some kid! I am a member of the Justice League and a well respect hero! I risked my life protecting mankind and I'll risk my afterlife so...uh, EAT THAT, GODS!" and the gods gasped audibly while Hermes chuckled in amusement. It appears as though your maturity doesn't change with your body.

- No because he will still find it upsetting that Brunhilde chose a child as a champion, REGARDLESS OF YOUR POWERS. Unlike the other two, he doesn't exactly rush to meet you because its not really any of his business at the end of the day.

- However you both run into each other again and it's such a funny coincidence. You look him up and down and tell him: "So...You're Hermes...I didn't expect you to look so...butlery." and he just makes this surprised face at you but smiles at you, "Yes, I do suppose I look different from how humans envision me."

Platonic Yandere! Hermes:

- The adopted Dad who stepped up and will step on anyone who tries to do you harm. You don't understand, you just bring out this good humorous and playful side out of him a bit more. He isn't sure how, why, or when but you managed to worm your way into his heart.

- He really wouldn't have it any other way either. The mortals of your world were insane for letting a child like you fend for themselves, you're so sweet and well meaning, maybe a bit too arrogant for your own good but that's just with being a youth.

- He hates that you aren't on the same side, its just harder for him to keep track of you so he thinks of plans on how he can ease his worries. Switching sides obviously won't be any use, unless he uses force, but he'd rather resort to that last. He's just so conflicted on what he should do.

- Everyone is aware of his attachment to you, how dear you are too him and how he's already threatened multiple gods and humans alike to stay away because they either wanted to harm you or pit you against him. He isn't really that fond of Brunhilde because of the way he suspects she's turning you against him.

- NO BUT YOU KNOW HOW HE MAKES SONGS FOR THE FALLEN HUMANS? I garuntee you that he writes songs for you and, if you'll let him, will sing you to sleep. An experience that you never had growing up so you happily accept it. Oh, you're so trusting. The way you fall asleep so innocently when he could easily take you away right then and there. He pushes those thoughts away because you haven't done anything that would require him to go that far and he tucks you in. Wishing you pleasant dreams♡

#platonic yandere #ror buddha x reader #ror hercules x reader #ror hermes x reader #FIRST HERMES THING SO LEMME KNOW HOW IT IS. #record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok x reader #ror x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #snv x reader #yandere buddha ror #Yandere Hercules ror #yandere hermes ror #yandere x reader #yandere record of ragnarok x reader

[a-d-nox]

dionysus, god of wine and ecstasy (asteroid 3671)

“when talking about such a popular god or goddess i am going to for warn paraphrasing - of course all these stories have more details and all these popular gods have stories within stories. i would love to share them all/in detail but i would need a book and a lot more time to write it. my attempt in writing these posts are to inform you on the high level story of the god’s or goddess’s life. that being said if any one of the events regaled in the post pique you interest - please let me know i don’t mind giving a more in-depth tale of any of the events mentioned.”

Dionysus is the son of Zeus and the mortal, Semele. This is considered a rare occurrence for such a high ranking god to have a mortal parent. Hera had tricked Semele into making a wish to physically see the immortal’s true form which ultimately ended with her burning to ash after just one look. The fetus Dionysus was saved, after being found amongst the ashes by Zeus who stitched him to his thigh until he was fully formed - this act is was made Dionysus immortal. Hera was disgusted by Zeus having stitched a wedlock fetus to his thigh so she began her plot to have the thing killed as soon as it was fully formed. She had titans tear apart the young Dionysus - Rhea, Zeus's mother, found the child pieces and put him back together again (lol Humpty Dumpty). When Rhea returned him to Zeus, Zeus immediately arranged for the child to be raised away from Olympus. He gave the child to mountain nymphs to raise (there are many stories that say it was Hermes, Rhea, Persephone, etc. but the nymph kind of makes the most sense based on his wild nature and popularity amongst the woodland creatures). As a child he discovered how to make wine - he went around the world sharing this knowledge. Somewhere in his travels, Hera hears of Dionysus being alive and strikes him with madness which causes him to wander around in a haze until Rhea heals him of Hera's curse. In his travels, a cult began to form around wine and the creator himself. Dionysus also was kidnapped by pirates in his travels due to his beauty as they wished to ransom him thinking that he must be royalty. Dionysus told them that he was a god and to release him and when they didn't believe him, he made the boat swarm with vines and pushed the pirates overboard. It is thought that Dionysus turned these pirates into dolphins. When arriving on shore he discovered Ariadne, recently abandoned by Theseus, who he fell in lust with at first sight. Soon after they were married and she bore him a few famous children. Reestablished in Greece, Dionysus's cult grew more rowdy in nature - there are stories of followers killing animals and eating them raw, people being pulled limb from limb, people driven into madness, etc. Needless to say wherever Dionysus is there is chaos. IN MY OPINION Dionysus in a chart represents a) premature birth (harsh pluto, uranus, or moon aspects may be reflected in your persona charts 1h - pluto, aquarius, and/or capricorn - i only know one pre-me baby so lemme know if you see other stuff in your chart if you are a pre-me yourself), b) your connection with your father, c) having a lot of enemies and followers, d) wine preferences, and/or e) the drama your presence causes.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of dionysus along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of dionysus AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede dionysus!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: zeus (5731 / h42), semele (86), hera (103), rhea (577), hermes (69230), persephone (399), and ariadne (43)!

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my “suggest a post topic” button if you want to see a specific post or mythical asteroid next!

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#astrology #asteroid #asteroid astrology #astro chart #astro community #persona chart #natal chart #astro placements #greek mythology #dionysus #wine god

[sylkhi]

HEADCANON:

A smaller one this time, cause bebby needs sleep guys (I'll probably just play Radical Red instead of sleeping though lolllllll)

Anyway, I HC that Nico does a lot of quests, way more than the number any of the seven have done.

A good number are normally requests from his father, Demeter, and Persephone, stuff like helping the cthonic gods, or helping Triptolemus and his pursuits (Trip and Nico got past the corn thing. They binge Carmen San Diego after work and discuss stuff), or looking for a rare-ass flower to add to the underworld garden with all relevant sources as very dangerous creatures.

Some are from Chiron, I wrote a piece about one of those, you can ask for the link of you're interested. He doesn't really like the Chiron ones, because it's usually a quest that's too complex for even the seasoned camper's kit, or is an odd quest that relies on the aspects of his powers that Nico isn't completely comfortable with.

The last category is quests that Nico takes up out of the goodness of his own heart (which he insists to anyone who so much as suggests that said goodness exists is "cold and dead").

Nico has made himself a reputation as a helpful individual, and many minor gods reach out to him, basically. It's gotten to the point that the combination of the Persephone/Hades quests + his general reputation as helpful has made him actively interact with MANY other pantheons. He and Walt are good friends, and he helps Anubis get a grasp on powers over death and the limits of the human body.

Whenever he helps the minor gods, they impart blessings on him without his knowledge (boons for my Hades fans out there. Yes, I think Zag and Nico are very similar. Yes, I think they'd be very good friends. Hades (from Hades) would probably tell Zagreus to be "more like that Pluto-Boy" (yes, Hades knows Nico is a son of Hades, but he says Pluto for the distinction)).

The blessings definitely boost Nico's status from most powerful demigod to something closer to a minor god who can die. Zeus isn't comfortable with this. This is sorta like the plot to The Second Life on ao3. Go read that, real good jasercico with Apollico on the side.

Jason uses Nico's acquaintance with minor gods to get help knowing who to build shrines to.

The reason Chiron sends Nico on the most dangerous quests alone (at Nico's request). Nico catches on to how strange it is that he's the only exception the biggest camp rule: absolutely no questing alone. Confronting Chiron about it finally makes him aware of the many blessings he's been given. He becomes more powerful for it, being able to incorporate small aspects of other gods powers to his own. Zeus doesn't like it.

Cupid definitely asks Nico to be his champion. Nico declines.

He also does quests in record time and is a better "quest library/advisor" than Annabeth, simply for the fact that he has more experience than her or anyone else and has interacted with more of the mythos than anyone else. Athena considered offering him a mantle as one of her champions... but she decided not to ask.

And uhhhh.... yeah. That's it for the actual HC. Shitpost time.

Perspehone: Nico, could you get me something?

Nico: what?

Persephone: Lively daylight, the sister-flower to deadly nightshade

Nico: lemme guess, I'll have to go to Eos for this *groans*

Eos: don't start complaining yet, there's sphinges involved

(Sphinges is the plural of sphinx)

(Demeter, Hades, and Persephone are discussing Nico like a good and healthy parental unit. This is definitely not gossip or gloating).

Hades [proudly]: Nico has been looking really healthy lately. I believe all the travelling's helping.

Demeter [conspirationally]: the farm has helped him put on weight and muscle. You should see the way the Ares boys eye him up and the fantasies the Aphrodite and Hermes kids cook up when they get together. And for what? The boy doesn't look in mirrors

Persephone [feeling a bit left out]: he can make a mean cup of tea

Hades and Demeter [simultaneously]: *exchange look* *twin doting faces at persephone*

Iris: I just need someone who won't get trapped and turned into a guinea pig to deliver these for me... you've cross-dressed before, right?

Nico: once. It was literally just once because I was helping Butch–

Iris: yes, yes, so about the cupcakes...

(Butch was fitting skirts for purposes unknown to the shitposter. Something something Jake Mason something something I ship it).

Chiron: I hope this email finds you we–

Nico: I don't like it when the first thing people do is lie to me :/

Chiron [embarrassed]: *clears throat* it's leukrokottai and a single succubus

Nico: cool *face-plants into nearest shadow*

Sadie [puts down burger]: and the goddess in my mind was extremely manipulative and her plans almost fell apart

Isis: *indignant spluttering*

Nico [sipping choccy milk]: yep. Sounds a lot like a certain goat skin gal I know, except she prefers cows to birds

Hera: boy, I will smack you into next century

Hades, Demeter, Persephone [in sync]: *glare meaningfully*

Hera [teeth gritted]: and by that I'll ask Hebe if she can get you to see the next 100 years without being trample by cows

Cupid: so yeah, could you be my champion?

Nico: we've moved the incident, but not that far past it. No.

Hades: *smug*

Athena: I was gonna ask, but I like to avoid embarrassment and the answer no.

And that's it. I wasn't planning to do the shitpost part since I actually want to write something for this idea? So yeah, deuces.

These tags are wild, wild, wild. I didn't need to tag like that LOLLLL. Anyway.

#nico di angelo #a discussion on him #now to tag the supporting cast #hades #demeter #persephone #Hades (2020) #hades from Hades (2020) #zagreus #he's mentioned #pjo #hera #zeus #chiron #annabeth chase #jason grace #butch walker #jake mason #eos #sphinges/sphinxes #headcanon #head-canon #which is it???? #her bovine majesty #that goat skin gal #these tags must live #sadie kane #walt stone #anubis tkc #tkc

[sunny-sings-sooth]

Daphne

Words: 4.5k

TW: Sexual assault, abuse

Here's my retelling of the myth of Apollo and Daphne! Highly experimental, as I usually write in first person and not so poetically. Hope you enjoy, and if anything doesn't make sense lemme know and I will add some context here. (Also FYI some of the dialogues are pulled directly from Homer's narration)

_____________________________________________________________

Phoebus Apollonas had been alive too long.

He was young by god standards, barely over a millenia old, and still one of the youngest Olympians. And yet he had grown exhausted. He’d been suffering the curse of life long enough to see the boy he used to be -- Phoebus -- die. The demise of the boy began when, in attempt to protect his sister Artemis, he had committed his first murder and thereby lost her forever. The boy decayed further when he’d held the corpses of his sons in his arms. And he’d finally killed the boy with his own hands when he turned his grief-fueled wrath on mortals. Phoebus, the bright, the innocent, the golden prince of Olympus, was dead. All that remained was Apollonas, the destroyer, the terror, the monstrous god of plague.

Except he no longer wished to be Apollonas. Apollonas was addicted to alcohol, drowning himself in it so that he wouldn’t have to face the memories that had murdered Phoebus. Apollonas had struck his younger brother Hermes, the only friend he had left, in drunken rage. Apollonas was despicable and deserved death. He could never be Phoebus again; that he knew and had accepted. But perhaps he could rid himself of Apollonas and become just Apollo. That did not mean erasing Apollonas; he had too many crimes to pay for, and running away would be a dishonor to all those who had suffered at his hands. He would repent for everything he had done as Apollonas, and thereby recreate himself as Apollo.

The first thing he needed to do was to break alcohol’s hold on him, which meant distancing himself from Dionysus. He didn’t want to abandon his youngest brother, but the temptation to drink was too strong in his presence. He hoped Dionysus would understand, and that he would one day be strong enough to bridge the gap of his creation.

He had been clean for three whole days. It didn’t seem like much -- blink of an eye in the lengthy lives of gods -- but that alone had taken him all his willpower. In the absence of the gallons of drink he had been consuming daily, not only was he plagued by memories and sheer self-hatred, he suddenly became highly attuned to the gossip that trailed him. Every moment on Olympus, hundreds of eyes were trained on him, and the whispers never escaped his sharp ears. It wasn’t that he was not used to being the center of attention, but rather the harsh truth of their statements. Phoebus Apollonas is a murderer. He flayed Marsyas alive for daring to challenge him. He curses anyone who questions his authority. He has killed thousands with his plague arrows. He is a monster. He knew these were all true and that he deserved to be pierced by such words, but the anxiousness caused by his withdrawal made them unbearable, and he had to escape to the woods. Here he found solace. Here he could work to slowly put himself together again until he was strong enough to face those who he wronged.

If he hadn’t been so lost in thought, then perhaps he would’ve heard the flap of wings before Eros was standing before him. He nearly dropped the silver bow that he’d been restringing and looked up to meet the other god’s gaze. Eros was the only man Apollonas considered a possible competitor in terms of beauty; his fair skin was smooth as a pearl, his wings the color of one, his features the aspiration of every artist’s portrait. And yet there was something unnerving about the other god. Perhaps it was his hair that, while comparable to a young maiden’s blush, was also the same shade as blood. Perhaps it was the deep red hue of his eyes, made of crushed hearts and rubies. And perhaps it wasn’t his appearance at all, but the mystique that surrounded him; he was the fourth being to come into existence and was old as time itself, and that was one of the only two things Apollonas knew about him.

“Phoebus Apollona,” Eros stated in greeting, and Apollonas hated how wrong it sounded, though he couldn’t tell if it was the names themselves or simply the one who spoke them.

“What do you want?” He couldn’t hide his irritation. The other thing he knew about Eros was that he was the god of love, and love had only ever caused Apollonas pain. He had no reason to like the god nor felt the need to veil his displeasure. All he wanted was the solitude necessary to rework himself.

“I was simply admiring your bow, oh He Who Shoots From Afar.” There was no missing the mockery in Eros’s voice, and his eyes gleamed as he gazed at the weapon. “Why, your skill is almost comparable to my own! Perhaps with some effort, you can become the greatest archer in the land.”

“Are you implying that you are the greatest archer?” Eros nodded, and one glance at the winged god’s slim arms and the modest bow slung across his back sent Apollonas into a fit of laughter. It was many moments before he could calm himself enough to speak. “What have you to do with the arms of men, you feeble thing?”

“I am merely suggesting I may be god of archery as you are god of plague.” Apollonas’s head snapped up at the idea, and his hands curled into fists as he stood, towering over the shorter god. If Eros was a painter’s fantasy, then Apollonas was a sculptor’s. His toned body was the epitome of perfection, the ideal balance between strength and beauty. He was well aware of this fact, and though he rarely preferred to use his appearance for intimidation purposes, Eros’s insult necessitated such action.

“Do not lay claim to my honors,” he hissed, his sky blue eyes glinting with divine power. Archery was the one constant he could always rely on. With his bow and arrows, he could protect and punish, wound and save. It was the one part of him that stayed no matter if he was Phoebus or Apollonas or whoever, and he’d be damned if he allowed this worthless winged wretch to even suggest taking that from him.

“Let us put it to test, then,” Eros declared, unfazed by the archer’s anger. What would the ancient deity have to fear from the youth? He was well aware of his capability, and little did Apollonas know he was falling into another trap, his emotions and naivety deceiving him once more. He was but a pawn in Eros’s game. “What say you to a battle of skill?”

Apollonas did not grace the other with an answer, lifting his weapon and drawing an arrow from his golden quiver in response. The toned muscles of his back flexed as he pulled back the string and released, and the arrow had barely gone forth an inch before he sent forward another, and then yet another. His arms were but a blur as arrow after arrow went flying, striking the most minuscule of targets: the pupil of a fly’s eye, the thread of a spider’s web, the stem of a single olive. Apollonas did not stop until his quiver lay empty, and he took in the perfect shots before him that seemed almost artistic by his hand. No matter how low he may have descended in these past years, there was no denying the masterpiece he created from the most basic of weapons. This was his domain. He couldn’t keep his lips from curling in conceit as he turned to Eros.

“That gear becomes my shoulders best,” he declared, setting his bow back beside his quiver to draw emphasis to the weapons that had adorned him for centuries. “I wound my enemies; I wound wild beasts. My countless arrows slew the bloated Python, whose vast coils across so many acres spread their blight. You and your loves!” Apollonas couldn’t hold back his scoff at the mention of Eros’s inferior work. “You have your torch to light them. Let that content you. Never claim my fame!”

“Your bow, Phoebus Apollona, may vanquish all, but mine shall vanquish you. As every creature yields to power divine, shall your glory yield to mine.” At Eros’s threat, an enraged response was making its way up Apollonas’s throat, but before it could spill off his tongue, the love god drew his own golden-tipped arrow. In the blink of an eye, he shot it forth right into the other god’s heart before taking flight.

Apollonas stumbled back, a gasp more of shock than pain escaping him as he clasped his hands over his chest, fingers fumbling for the arrow. However, it had already dissolved into him, its magic making its home in his body. He felt something ooze into his heart and bloodstream, shoot up his spine, ensnare his mind. He turned his attention inward, trying to identify the invader, but he could not locate it, nor could he compare it to anything he had ever felt before. What had Eros done? He lifted his head, searching for the god, but instead his gaze fell upon another figure altogether.

There, a few feet away, stood the sweet river nymph Daphne. He knew her -- he knew the names of many of the nymphs that resided in these woods -- but beyond a passing glance and a murmured greeting, she had never caught his attention. But now… he couldn’t seem to look away, his lips parting in awe as he stared at her, dumbfounded. Had she always been so breathtaking? How could he have missed such a beauty? Her dark locks flowed down like a waterfall of ink. What it would be to hold that silky hair between his fingers, to braid it and adorn it with flowers and beads! Her eyes were a startling shade of not blue, not green, but something between the two, and he could spend hours drowning in their depths. Her figure had the slightest curve to it, the outline of a river, and he imagined that her body had been crafted to fit against his perfectly. He saw her, loved her, wanted her.

“Daphne.” Apollonas whispered her name, marvelling at the nectar-like flavor that coated his tongue. If just her name was so sweet, then how must her lips taste? Looking was not enough. The urge to find out was unbearable, the earlier argument stolen from his mind entirely as he found himself tossing aside his bow and quiver. What did archery matter when he could master the bow of her lips instead? He would claim it, make it and the rest of her his and his alone. He took a step forth, a giddy smile alighting his features.

“St-stay back,” the nymph stammered, icy fear coiling in the depths of her stomach. She could read his intentions clearly on his face, from the crazed look in his eyes to the wolfish grin he wore to the way his hands reached towards her. Daphne knew all too well what this man planned to do with her, and that should she fall into his grasp, she would not be able to stop him from having his way. So when he took another step forward, she turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Apollonas gaped only a moment before rushing after her, an arrow released from its bow.

“Daphne, please wait! I am no foe! You don’t need to fear me!” he cried out after her. Daphne did not answer him, her thoughts only on escaping. Thorns and brambles tore at the bare skin of her calves, yet she refused to slow down. “You run as if I am a wolf and you a lamb, but that is not so! It is love that spurs me! Don’t fly so fast, lest you fall and wound yourself!”

“Leave me be, you horrid man!” she shrieked, not stopping even as her dress got caught on the surrounding plants and began to tear, revealing her to him little by little. Apollonas’s brows furrowed in worry at the sight of bloodied cuts on her legs. From within him a voice called out: What are you doing, Apollona? Why are you tormenting this poor girl? Leave her be! You will not have your way with her! But before the voice could say more, he caught a glimpse of the bare skin of her thigh, and everything left his mind. His conscience was once more bound and gagged by Eros’s power, forced to watch it all in horror. Speaking of the god of love, he also watched, flying unnoticed above them, yet he felt only amusement from the sight. The sheer terror that had contorted Daphne’s face and drawn panicked tears from her eyes made him smirk, and Apollonas’s frantic yelling drew out peals of laughter. They had both bent to his will so easily, and he was eager to see how this played out.

“You run because you do not know. I am no peasant, no shepherd!” Apollonas called out to her again. She was only afraid because he didn’t know who he was. He knew the moment she realized his true identity, she would stop and turn to him with a blessed smile. “I am the son of Zeus, prince of Olympus, lord of Delphi. By me things future, past and present are revealed. I shape the harmony of songs and strings. You will be happy as my bride, dear Daphne! I will see that your every wish is granted and that no desire goes unfulfilled. Please stay!”

“No! My only desire is to escape you!” Yet this would not be granted, as her body was beginning to fail her. Try as she might, she could not outrun Apollonas; he was strong from years of training and battle, and though she was swift and sure-footed, she had used up all her limited mortal strength. Her legs trembled with every step, her lungs two pits of fire in her chest. And so her traitorous body came to a stop as she gasped for breath, and Apollonas finally had her. He held her hip tightly, freezing her in place. Had he been in his senses and had control over his own body, he’d never have done this, and his conscience screamed within him. But he was deaf to it, the lust coursing through him silencing all else. His eyes soaked in her bare skin when he would’ve shielded them, his hands pulled her closer when he would’ve let her go, and he was ready to claim her when he would’ve done anything but this crime.

“My love.” His warm breath brushed against her ear as he leaned down, pressing his lips against the pale column of her neck. Daphne gasped and tried to pull herself away, but his grip was too strong, utterly unbreakable. How could she escape a god? She was helpless and frail, trapped and alone. There was no one to aid her, no one to stop Apollonas from running his hands down her body and forcing himself against her. And then he was turning her around, wishing to taste her lips, and a final plea escaped her.

“Help me, Peneus!” she screamed for her father. She knew her father could do nothing against an Olympian, but perhaps he could do something to her, and she would accept any escape from this fate. “Open the earth to enclose me, or change my form, which has brought me into this danger! Let me be free of this man from this moment forward!”

Daphne’s prayer was answered, and she was changing.

A stiffness had taken over her body, the swiftness that had protected her for so long sacrificed to escape Apollonas. Her arms lifted of their own accord, her fingers elongating up and her feet rooting into the ground. The dark waterfall split into a hundred streams that lightened to a soft green. Her curved figure fell away as her body thinned into a single arc, her legs fusing and her hands reaching higher and higher. Bark was creeping up from her extremities, down what were now branches and up what had transformed into a trunk. It conquered her shoulders, her chest, her neck. A soft sigh, her last breath, escaped her just as her lips were encased.

Apollonas’s lips met rough bark that cut at his soft skin. With a small gasp, his eyes flew open and he looked straight into Daphne’s piercing eyes. The waves in them had finally calmed, as the storm that had tormented them could no longer ripple its waters. He stared into those beautiful orbs, breathing her name, and watched as they shut forever.

Apollonas couldn’t tear his gaze away, his mind still unable to process the transformation that had unfolded before him. His hand trembled as he raised it, placing flat against the trunk of the tree. A steady pulse graced his fingertips -- a heartbeat. Daphne’s heartbeat. She was this tree, this sorrowful laurel tree, lost from him forever. His legs gave out beneath him as he wept, wrapping his arms around her and leaning his head against her bark. And yet the lust hadn’t left him, and he was kissing the wood over and over, whispering her name and an endless string of apologies as the skin of his lips tore and blood dripped down his chin.

“Oh, Daphne. My Daphne,” he cried, yearning what could’ve been. He thought the image of her smiling sweetly at him, kissing his cheek and calling him ‘husband’, was a vision, a prophecy promising that he could be the source of her happiness until the end of time. But he was wrong. It had been a fantasy, a dream that had slipped out of his grasp. And now she was gone. His sobs doubled in intensity as grief wracked him, and he didn’t notice Eros approaching until he spoke.

“Isn’t this a beautiful sight?” the god of love asked, his lips twisting into a smirk. “Phoebus Apollonas, broken and filthy inside and out. A slave to his desires. Do you accept defeat, oh lustful one?”

Apollonas turned to the other god, and the grief in him sharpened to rage. His beautiful Daphne, the love of his life, had been stolen from him, snatched right out of his hands, and the cause of it all was simply standing there, taking amusement in his loss. He reached for his bow only to find it missing, and so he lunged forth and tackled Eros to the ground, wrapping his hands around the smaller man’s thin neck.

“You monster,” Apollonas growled, his sky blue eyes glowing with divine power. This horrid creature had taken his Daphne from him and deserved nothing less than death. Apollonas would deliver him to the gates of Tartarus himself if necessary. The man must pay for his crimes. He increased the pressure, causing the other god to choke under his iron grip. “You did this!”

“Oh no, Apollona. I merely gave you a nudge. The rest was all you,” Eros gasped out, managing to laugh even as his windpipe threatened to collapse altogether. The sun god’s brows furrowed at the statement, and Eros subtly waved his hand, calming the effects of his magic. “And who knows what you’ll do next if I keep nudging you forth? You’ll be giving your father quite the competition, won’t you?”

The spell finally broke, and Apollonas’s grip slackened as the lust drained out of him and the truth became clear. He had chased Daphne. He had chased Daphne with the intention to force himself on her. He had tried to kiss her and claim her as his own with no care for her terror. He pushed her so far that she thought it better to lose her humanity than to be his. Oh Fates, what had he done? You are the most wicked person to live, Phoebus Apollona. You are no better than your father. You did this to that poor girl. You ruined her.

“N-no,” he whispered, backing away from Eros and clamping his hands over his ears, but it was in vain. The voice came not from outside but from within, where his conscience was finally free to reclaim its owner. And so Apollonas relived the incident that had just taken place. He saw himself chase after her just as Python had chased him and his family, heard his plans to ruin her just as he believed Orion had intended with Artemis, felt himself force himself upon her just as Zeus did to his mother Leto. Never in his life had something been so achingly clear to him as this truth: while he had spent his whole life painting others as wicked, he had been the most terrible monster all along. Apollonas doubled over, spilling his insides onto the earth as though he could purge the maliciousness from his body. But alas, he could not; he was born the destroyer, and he had truly lived up to his name. He could not tell if his scream remained in his soul or ripped out of him. He didn’t know if it was tears or fire spilling from his eyes. All he knew was the terrible truth that he has been blind to all his life.

“You are weak, boy. But I can make you strong,” Eros declared, towering over the hysterical god. He wondered how Olympus would react to seeing their golden heir broken on the ground, sobbing like a spoiled child. He could only imagine they’d be just as entertained as he. Still, the time for games was over. Making sure to avoid the pool of vomit, he crouched down and placed a thin finger under Apollonas’s chin, forcing the young god to meet his gaze. “Here is my offer to you: vow to me on the river Styx that you will follow my every command, and I will save you from further humiliation and heartbreak.”

“What, so I can spend my life blind and deaf, a mindless slave to a heartless man?” A dry, humorless laugh slipped out of Apollonas’s lips. He had seen and tasted truth, and he would not give that up to become Eros’s puppet. He scowled and spat at the love god’s feet, glaring into those blood-red eyes. “That is what I think of your offer.”

“I expected the god of intellect to be wiser than this, but I now see the difference between you and Athena.” Eros sneered, wrinkling his nose at the sorry display. “Do not be hasty, godling, and ponder my words carefully. I am offering you invulnerability. I will harden your heart to stone so that none may hurt you. Without your greatest weakness, you will be unstoppable. You will never have to feel such pain again.”

Apollonas paused for a moment, considering Eros’s claim. To never feel this soul-tearing agony again? To be free of the organ that rebelled against his mind at every moment? Now that he contemplated it, the offer was quite tempting. Without his heart, he would only have to rely on his body and mind, both of which were immaculate. He would indeed be unstoppable, finally the golden heir of Olympus he was expected to be. And yet… his gaze moved to the laurel tree, and a single leaf drifted down before him. Apollonas caught it in the palm of his hand, carefully tracing its pale green veins. If he were to remove his heart, to lose his ability to feel, would that not be a dishonor to Daphne? After all he had put her through, did she not deserve to be mourned and remembered? And what about all the others, every mortal that had suffered at his hand? He would be spitting on their graves by choosing to run away from the pain that, in the face of what torment they had lived through, was nothing. And so Apollonas rose to his feet, stretching to full height and then kneeling down so that his face was merely inches from the love god’s. “Rot. In. Tartarus.”

“You really should have chosen the easy path,” Eros muttered, the smirk sliding off his face as he grit his teeth. Apollonas wanted to regret? Then he’d give him reason to regret. His hands flew to Apollonas’s temples, freezing the younger god in place. Eros’s eyes glowed, twin pits of lava, and his voice boomed as he invoked his ancient power. “I curse you, Phoebus Apollona. May love be your enemy and your heart a traitor. May you be powerless to control the whims of your desire, and may you be the cause of pain to those you love, over and over until the end of time itself.”

Apollonas fell to the ground once more, struggling as the curse rooted itself deep in his soul, at the very essence of his being. By the time his throat had grown too raw for him to continue screaming, Eros had already flown away, leaving behind nothing but punishment. He found himself crawling back to the laurel tree, to Daphne, leaning his forehead against her trunk as he wept. He wept for her, for those before her, and for those after her.

“I’m sorry, Daphne,” he whispered, holding on so tightly the bark dug into his skin and realizing how powerless he really was. “I’d change you back if I could, sweet nymph, but I cannot. Instead, I swear by the river Styx, I won’t let you be forgotten. I bless you so that your leaves are never shed and instead will be woven in wreaths that will become a symbol of honor, the very thing I tried to steal from you. Let mankind see me to be the monster I am if that means your memory will live on. And even if your name no longer forms on the lips of men, they will live on eternally upon my own. This I vow to you.”

With this, he lay one last touch upon the tree before turning away, trudging his leaden feet back to Olympus. He heard the whispers as he arrived in the city, but he paid them no mind and made way to his house. Barely moments after he entered, his fingers scurried over the wall until they found the loose brick that he yanked out and tossed aside. His hands trembled in a moment of hesitation before reaching in. He grasped the bottle of his poison, his secret, his solace. Apollonas lifted it to his lips, tears running down his face, and drank his worries away.

#Apollo #apollon #apollo deity #greek mythology #greek gods #greek myth #daphne

[daeguzen]

Son of Athena

PAIRING | h.rj x g.n reader

GENRE | angst fluff

WORD COUNT | 6.6k

NOTE | when i started this series i was like okay this is pretty cool lemme try. it's hard. my brain is woosh. but anyway, i was surprised to see it was around 6.6k which i'm kinda happy about. enjoy ~

WARNING | depressive thoughts

SONG | butterfly - umi

SUMMARY | you wished you had been born normal or at least to another god. perhaps dionysus or hermes. you never asked to be the child of zeus. weilding the power of lighting, storms, and winds was too much of a burden to bear. people thought you strong when you only saw weakness. no one saw the dullness in those stormy eyes. maybe that's what brought you to your current predicament in life. you had kindness but even that turned cold and unpredictable. and as much as renjun would say he would never leave you, as much as he said that he was strong, he thinks that you're the only one who he doesn't have the strength to save. not when you keep drowning him alongside you.

Miniature lightning strikes crackled around your fingers gently, your hand moving around slowly. You stayed sitting with your legs crossed on the edge of a cliff. The air was always fresher above. It was pure. Unlike those who lived under. Humans, demigods, and any other living creature besides animals. They were mostly impure. Tainted by greater flaws. You didn’t think yourself to be greater. No. But you did think yourself to be weaker.

Their hearts were...greedy. People did things for their own benefit. They approached you for their own benefit. They helped themselves to your kindness. In return they darkened your heart further to the point where you concluded that it was irreversible. 

You could not trust anyone. Even Renjun. He was different from others though. In your fifteen years of knowing Renjun, he never asked for anything in return. He reciprocated your kindness and you thought him to be a good friend. Even though you were able to tell him how your day was going or what you were feeling in the moment you couldn’t tell him the dark thoughts that dwelled in your mind.

Even if you did have Renjun, you felt lonely. You had a way of secluding yourself even though you didn’t mean to. You often found yourself high in the mountains, enjoying the comfort of loneliness and the wind and Renjun knew how to find you. He always did.

~

Renjun was among the people that thought you to be brave. You were the child of Zeus, the king of the gods. How could you not be? You had an immense power in you that could be lethal. Renjun always had a thing for heroes. That was his problem. Even Haechan had warned him about this. And yet he was dating the child of Poseidon which Renjun never figured out why. 

But that wasn’t his problem. His problem was falling in love for the wrong “heroes”. Children who were born from gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were not a problem. At least that’s what he tried to make himself believe. It was the other children, he would tell himself. Some children of Apollo were talented and gifted. They could protect many and would be appreciated for being so helpful. But Renjun knew better and he learned the hard way.

Heroes, or so they called themselves, only cared about what they would get as a reward for helping people. He despised this about so-called heroes. But really Renjun didn’t care about any of them. They didn’t mean much to him because deep down Renjun knew that this heart belonged to one genuine hero only. That hero being you. 

~

Renjun had known you since you were ten. You had been fighting off a stray dog when he first saw you. It looked rabid and when fourteen year old Renjun decided to jump in to save you, he saw you striking the dog with a powerful force of wind that made it fly to the other side of the alleyway. Renjun knew what a demigod was but he had never met one that could manipulate the wind. That’s when he realized that you just had to be a child of Zeus.

He remembered how you turned to look at him. He knew he saw fear in your eyes but when you looked at him, your gaze became serious. Renjun had to lift his hands up in the air and try to convince you that he wasn’t a threat. You didn’t want to believe him but he told you that he was the son of Athena. He was a demigod like you. Ten year old you was skeptical but relieved that you had found someone just like you.

Renjun took you to his apartment where he lived with his father. He explained the situation to his dad and how he had found you. His dad was always grateful for Athena’s power that flowed through his blood and the kind heart that Renjun had. Even though that came from him and not Athena. The two of them helped you clean up, fed you, and kept you company. However, you soon realized that it was getting dark. You had nowhere to go but you didn’t want to tell them that. So you came up with a lie about having to get back to your mother’s house and left as fast as you came.

Fourteen year old Renjun was a prodigy. He knew many things. It didn’t even take two days for him to realize that you had no home. But of course he was smart and knew exactly how to rope his dad into taking you in. Renjun didn’t want you in a foster home so he pleaded and spoke quite seriously for a fourteen year old, to let you stay. His father had finally agreed and when Renjun found you in that same alleyway he told you all about living with him and his dad. You were grateful for being offered a home but you kept your doubts. They weren’t the first to show you kindness but you weren’t sure if it was genuine. Nonetheless you accepted it because it was better than living on the streets. 

You weren’t given much love or kindness from your mother. She preferred to show you off as if you were an expensive gift. She told people of how she was able to attain the love of Zeus, king of the gods and that she’d given birth to a wonderful baby whose power exceeded other demigods. She was nice outside but cruel at home. She’d blame you for Zeus leaving even though it wasn’t your fault. You clearly knew this when Zeus came to you in a dream at five years old. He knew that you were young but you unfortunately had to grow up quick. Your mother was not going to give you the home you needed and even though Zeus didn’t say that, you were able to understand. It wasn’t your best decision but you preferred living in that dark and cold alleyway then with your unloving mother.

As you got to know Renjun you found out that, albeit being a child, he was both amazingly and terrifyingly smart. Renjun was witty, sarcastic, and brutally honest. But even under all of that, he had a gentle heart. He was a sentimentalist and a hopeless romantic. Renjun had a good grasp on romance at sixteen. He always thought about how great it would be to have a partner who knew what they wanted, could at least kind of keep up an educated conversation, and be strong. So, it was only natural for him to develop feelings for you years after. Your eyes had always entranced him. He always thought them to look like the icy bluish eyes of a husky. At first he thought that it was a peculiar eye color but when you got older he fell in love with them. He thought it was a very attractive trait unique to only you. You always had a stern facial expression but it didn’t scare Renjun away, he wasn’t one to shy away from people. If they could keep up with him then that was all there was to it. If not, they were left behind. 

You weren’t as smart as him but you were curious. He taught you anything from academics all the way to how sports were played. All from a book of course. Only after you read the books did he let you put to practice what you learned. You were able to keep up with Renjun because you listened to him. You listened and only gave opinions or ideas when you thought it was appropriate. Renjun loved that about you. You never got annoyed with him and his educational rambling. Not even when he liked to flaunt how smart he was and how dumb all the kids at his school where. Instead you’d smile and tell him that he wasn’t wrong because the kids at his school were humans. Mostly. But even then there weren’t any other children of Athena. Renjun would have figured that out pretty quick.

Renjun liked to think that he was strong but he had his weakness. You had made it quite obvious that you weren’t interested in dating. At least from what he could tell. Renjun was a child of Athena not Eros. Romance worked a bit differently. It was all on a basis of emotions not science or formulas. Renjun knew he was in love with you when it was his senior year in high school. Renjun was eighteen and you were fourteen. He knew he was a little too old for you but once you’d get out of high school it would have been different. Not that he cared because he didn’t mind waiting for you. You were too mature for your age which was one of the many reasons why Renjun couldn’t stop his feelings from blossoming into something more.

He hadn’t been looking for a fight. The guy at his school, however, loathed Renjun to a point where if Renjun hadn’t been a demigod he would’ve suffered worse. Demigods healed faster than normal people. The guy who picked on Renjun was known for being the king of all bullies. He made fun of everyone and most of all Renjun. Renjun told himself it was because the guy envied him. Renjun had everything. He was extremely smart, handsome, strong, and talented. But he hated fighting and found it to be useless unless he was in serious danger. That being monsters attacking not ill mannered humans with inflated egos and the desire of being on top of the school chain. On a random day that Renjun had been walking to the lunch table where you were sitting at the school bully decided to get in his way. Renjun smiled at cute freshmen you when the school’s bully decided to purposely stick his foot out, causing Renjun’s lunch to go flying all over the floor. Renjun just looked at his school lunch, frustrated that the guy never seemed to stop.

You were about an inch shorter than the school’s bully. So really, swinging at him wasn’t hard. You didn’t know it at the time but you had gone absolutely livid, seeing Renjun on the ground with his glasses threatening to fall off his face. All of that sparked a rage about you that when you had come to your senses all you felt was Renjun pulling you back and hugging you against his chest whispering the words, “Stop it,” over and over. When you looked over his shoulder the bully's nose had been bleeding heavily, his hand was covering his right eye and you noticed a cut on his cheek. You didn’t know what you had done.

You weren’t popular per say but many people knew who you were. Renjun’s only friend that could keep up with that big brain of his. You were very serious and mature for a freshman. Much more than Renjun. Many had tried to approach you but they barely got a few words out when you’d reject them. Soon, people decided to ignore you because you were rude or so they thought. You had enough of people having taken advantage of you when you were a child. Especially from your mother. You weren’t going to let anyone else do the same.

You got in trouble for beating up the guy that tripped Renjun. Renjun’s father didn’t want to punish you but he deemed that it was the only thing he could do. To his surprise, you didn’t fight back with him. Instead you took your punishment properly, apologized and stayed in the confinements of your bedroom. You didn’t apologize to the bully. He got what he deserved. However, you were suspended for a few days but Renjun kept you updated. Renjun told you that you looked really cool, how strongly you fought against a jerk like him. The guy was really angry about the whole situation but he decided against fighting back. His parents would cut his allowance if he got into another fight and money mattered more to him than you. Although Renjun had told you looked cool he didn’t want to see you like that again. It hurt him seeing you full of rage like that. 

At twenty years old, Renjun “fell in love” with another demigod. A child of Ares. It came as a shock to you. You wouldn’t have thought him to be compatible with children of Ares. And you were right to think so. Renjun’s relationship lasted a month before deciding to break up with his partner. He had been one of the kinder children of Ares but nonetheless, he was still violent. You didn’t understand why Renjun had fallen in love with the Ares boy. But then again, Renjun was a complicated puzzle. He’d give you a look that you couldn’t decipher. His gaze would rest upon your eyes for a few seconds longer than normal. What was going through his brain you couldn’t find out. 

Renjun kept trying to date a few times with other demigods. But the heartbreaks kept coming by for a few years. The thing was, it wasn’t because of the break ups. It was because he was in love with you and all he wanted was you as his lover. But he didn’t act upon those feelings.

Renjun couldn’t see that you were in love with him too. But you thought that you didn’t deserve anyone’s kindness. You were too quiet for him. You would get violent with people who harmed Renjun. When you were feeling extremely down you’d push him away. You wouldn’t tell him anything and that only angered him. Couldn’t you see that he wanted to be there for you? That he wanted to support you? But alas you were so invested in your own faults and mistakes to see the helping hand that Renjun had offered you. You didn’t realize that one day that hand would retract, leaving you alone in your misery. 

~

It was on a really sunny day that Renjun broke. He shattered into a bunch of uneven pieces and you were at the root of it all. It had been just like all your previous arguments but this one had a twisted ending. You felt depressed and sad but you didn’t want to talk about it. Renjun had been going through this cycle with you for a whole week but you didn’t open up to him at all. Then you started saying something about no one loving you and Renjun was so close to just screaming.

“You don’t understand Renjun. You couldn’t. Your father loves you and is there for you. You're handsome and smart. It’s only natural for people to want to be with you. I’m nothing but Zeus’s failure.”

“You’re not a failure. Y/N, you’re a wonderful person. You're smart and strong.” You scoffed.

“Renjun, that’s not true. You’re just trying to be nice. I’m weak. You don’t see it.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth Renjun. Tell me the truth. Why are you even friends with me? I’m terrible and violent. I can’t control my powers. I can’t even look in the mirror because I just see broken pieces. I see nothing special. Why Renjun, have you still stood beside me?” In a flash of fury and despair Renjun let himself go.

“I’m in love with you and you can’t see it because you're so busy torturing yourself and being all depressed! I’ve loved you for so long. I fell in love with the person who felt like the weight of the world rested on their shoulders. I fell in love with the person who would do anything to stay safe and protect those they loved. When I see you I think about how it would be like to be next to you and telling you that you are loved and you’d believe it because I mean it with all of my heart. I want to support you in whatever you are doing because that’s what you do when you’re in love. You're there for the person you love through the good and the bad. I’ve dreamt of the day where I could kiss you and be able to tell you that I love you with the entirety of my heart and you’d know it’s the truth. But you’re so lost in your head about no one respecting  or loving you that you take me for granted.” His voice broke. In all your years of knowing Renjun you had never seen him lose his composure. He always seemed to be well collected. 

But here he was, anger and sadness mixing together in his eyes. Renjun had bottled up all of his emotions and let them run their course. He couldn’t keep living like this no matter how much your shattered expression hurt him. With a lot of strength Renjun said the words you weren’t expecting.

     “I can’t do this anymore.” You looked startled but he didn’t meet your eyes.

“W-what? What do you mean?” Renjun started backing away as the skies started to turn grey. Rain started to fall down slowly at first but then harder as he kept getting farther away from you. He knew that it was your doing but he couldn’t be there for you anymore. He was done destroying himself just to make you smile. Water dripped down from his eyelashes, his tears being easily masked as he looked at you.

"I can’t be your friend anymore. You’re too much for me.” Renjun ignored your pleas of his name. He ignored your helpless state as you let your knees slam onto the pavement and your heart cry out in sorrow.

~

The rain had not stopped for three consecutive days. Your emotions had been so turbulent to the point where the weather had gone mad. There was heavy rain that made driving in it extremely dangerous and almost impossible. The loud thunder had not stopped and there were frequent lightning strikes all across the country. People started fearing that something even more terrible was yet to come. Massive flooding destroyed homes and the lives of many.

During this time you stayed in the mountains. If Renjun had seen you he would have thought you to be an empty corpse. Your hair was a disheveled mess. Your eyes had looked almost grayish and sunken into your face. Your eye bags were almost close to looking greenish and your lips were dry and purple. Ultimately, your complexion looked terribly ill and you had lost too much weight to be deemed healthy. You stared down below, lifelessly, as the rain and strong currents played around with your soaked white t-shirt. Renjun was the last person you had in your life and he had decided to leave. He no longer wanted to be your friend and it was all because of you.

You couldn’t keep your friends.

You couldn’t keep your family.

They hated you.

Detested you.

You should just end it all.

Those voices didn’t leave your head. You were coming dangerously close to listening to them but before you could take action, you fainted. Your body lay there as it was impaled with harsh rain drops for a few seconds and then suddenly, the rain ceased. You completely blacked out.

~

You woke up to the sounds of water running. You felt weak but you noticed how bright it was in the room. The storm had stopped, you guessed. Your collapse had everything to do with the storm stopping though. Your power always ceased to influence the weather the moment you blacked. 

You found an air nymph beside you looking at you curiously.

“You have awoken. You should eat and drink to regain strength.”

“Where am I? What is this place?” You hadn’t noticed before but now you did. You found yourself in a sky blue room that seemed to reach to the heavens. It was rather empty with only the soft bed you laid upon, a mirror and a few pedestals that served as designs. You sat up with much struggle, feeling the soft winds in the room. The room didn’t smell sweet but it had a scent that you couldn’t put your finger on. It seemed to cause a nostalgic feeling in your chest but it relaxed you. 

You were brought to a dining room. There on the table had been plenty of food to feed a small village. It ranged from soft foods to heavier ones. There was an assortment of desserts on one side that made your mouth water. The aurae urged you to sit.

When you did the aurae sat right next to you which you found strange. You were still confused.

“You’re really pretty. What’s your name?” you looked at her.

“Y/N. Who are you?”

“I’m the aurae who lives here.”

“Where is here exactly?” you asked.

“In the clouds. My sister and I found you passed out on the mountain while we played. You looked sickly. And your powers were creating such a fuss with the sky. So we took care of you. We do not know what you would like to eat so we found plenty of food for you to eat from.” You wanted to cry after the confusion wore off.

“Why do you look sad? Did I upset you?”

“No! It’s just your very kind to me. I don’t know why.”

“You're a child of the sky. We like to care for them very much. They are the only demigods we can get along with very fine around here. We love our family but we like new friends.”

“I’m only going to cause trouble. I wouldn’t make a good friend.”

“Let us see about that. I will go see my sister now. We will get a bath running for you and then we can talk lots.” The aurae smiled gently towards you.

In all your time of living you never had someone care for you the way they did. You had Renjun but that wasn’t the only type of care you craved. You craved the hand of a loving mother. In no way was the aurae your mother but she provided care and love for you. She was gentle. 

~

If Renjun had any other power that wasn’t his brain he would have most likely thrown the world into destruction and despair. If he had powers like Zeus or Poseidon and most definitely like Hades, he would have used it for worse. Sadly for him, the best he could do was become an arsonist. He wasn’t sure at the moment what type of single person was able to bring mass destruction with only man made weapons. He would have done this in a fit of rage like Zeus darkens the skies and brings on an onslaught of heavy rain whenever he’s feeling moody. Renjun just wanted to curse and scream and tell the world that life was unfair. It was quite strange how the roles reversed with you but it wasn’t unexpected. Renjun had cared for you like a friend and then loved you like a lover. It tore him apart piece by piece as the days went by without you at his side. He knew he shouldn’t have complained but he had tried to turn his life for the better. You had shared your darkness with Renjun and he wasn’t able to carry any of it on his shoulders. But Renjun was now inhibiting destructive behaviors just as you had. He’d get into fights he’d usually lose. He got sick frequently because he didn’t pay attention to his health as he should have. Like you should have as well. While you were so busy opening up to the aurae who enjoyed your company and made you see things differently, Renjun lived on while hating himself for breathing without you at his side.

He let his thoughts go astray, images of you dying or in pain flooding his nightmares. Maybe you finally went through with it and now he would have to find your body lying somewhere. He hated it all. It had been five months since he last saw you and he wasn’t getting any better. It was almost half a year without you. How did he survive? He didn’t know. Did you survive? He wished you did.

It was terrible of him to leave you in such a reckless and dangerous state. Your heart had been dying slowly and the pain had almost started to become numb. But he should have been there for you. He should have told you that although he loved you, you were worth it. You mattered in this world and he should’ve shown you even harder.

But he left you instead. The storm had stopped days after three days and Renjun almost had a mental breakdown. Were you hurt? Captured? Tired? Numb? Dead? He couldn’t bring himself to really believe that you were dead. It just couldn’t be. Although you were weak, there was something that had to keep you going. If you really wanted to end it you would’ve done so already. Right? At least that’s what Renjun liked to believe. Renjun concluded that he hated everything. Because everything reminded him of you and he didn’t know if he could bare seeing you or never seeing you again.

~

At first, you didn’t know how to tell time while you were with the aurae. You had been so lost in your head that time was just another insignificance in your life. The aurae were kind to you. They woke you up early in the morning. They had a bath ready for you and when you had changed into comfortable clothing you would head to the little dining room with breakfast ready for you. You didn’t understand why they were nice to you. What did they want in exchange for treating you with such great hospitality?

But after a few weeks you stopped looking for that. Or at least stopped thinking about it. They were so kind to you. They treated you like you were a part of the family. Something that you never came to know. You enjoyed the interactions of being surrounded by other females. When you had gotten more comfortable around them they invited you often to their little get together. They would play Flying Hopscotch, Hide Seek and Float, Air Boating, and many other games. In return, you taught them cool lightning tricks that you had learned over the years but never really used because you didn’t see any meaning to it. They would clap happily and praise you for being talented.

After two months, the aurae that had brought you to their home spoke to you alone. You sat on a fluffy cloud when she came up next to you.

“You seem to be a lot healthier than when I first found you.” 

“Thank you. If it weren’t for your help I most likely wouldn’t be alive.” The aurae glanced at you taking in your sharp features.

“We aurae, are very protective over our own kind. We believe that family is important and that we should stick together. When I first saw you, you were just a little child trying to make it in life. You were trying to find a family and friends. But they were all so cruel to you. We kept watch over you. Hoping that you would be able to find a good path. But we noticed that things had only gone worse for you. But one day, we saw the boy of Athena approach you. He was very gentle with you.” You could barely listen to everything the aurae was saying to you. What was all of this?

“We watched him for a long time trying to see if he would be the one to help you. We realized that his heart was true. He’d always go out of his way to do little things for you. He would try and get money to buy you things to keep you occupied with. He’d teach you how to read and do mathematics. He was kind and didn’t want anything in return. All he seemed to want is for you to be happy. The day that you had gotten worse and was left alone we decided to take you in. We try not to meddle with the life of demigods. It is preferable for them to find their way. But it hurt us to see how much you suffered. Heroes are sometimes not heroes at all even if people consider them to be for whatever so called noble thing they do. People called you a hero even though you probably didn’t feel heroic at all. People saw you to be strong even though you thought you were weak. Child of Zeus, we want to offer you not only our unconditional love and care, we want to offer our help so you could diminish those burdens you carry on your shoulders. We want you to feel free and as light as the winds so you can try and find your happiness.”

~

The things that the aurae had told you took a lot to process. You didn’t know whether to be angry because they didn’t help sooner or feel grateful that they did their best to watch over you. You kept to yourself for a few days as you tried to figure out where your feelings were in the equation. The aurae did everything just as before. They set up your bath and made you food. They invited you to play but you’d turn them down often. You just wanted to think. 

You thought about it day and night. When you bathed and when you ate. It plagued your mind but you finally decided on something. You missed Renjun. You wanted to be with him. You wanted to know how he was doing. But you didn’t want to go back to being the same person. You wanted to change for the better. You wanted to be a person that you would feel proud of when looking in the mirror. And you wanted to be the person that would make Renjun smile and not have to worry about the burdens you had once carried.

You spoke with the aurae the following morning when you made your decision. She smiled warmly and it almost seemed like she wanted to tear up. But she led you away with a few other aurae and spoke to you about the exercises and other events that you would partake in. It was like being part of a therapy group or session. But it felt more like home than a hospital. Day after day you realized new things, learned how to control your emotions better, and realized that looking into the mirror wasn’t too hard anymore. You were starting to like it and even smiled back at the child that was now reflecting back in the mirror you had once saw a broken soul in.

~

When you had decided that you felt more like yourself than you ever had you spoke with the aurae about going back home. Your previous home. She asked you many questions wondering if you truly felt like you could face your past. The smile that you had would be forever engraved in the aurae’s memory when thinking about you. The aurae gave you some essentials to take on your way back. 

“Take care of yourself demigod and do not forget that we consider you family. You can come back anytime. Maybe you could bring along the other demigod that you fancy.”

“I will make sure to do so,” you giggled. You became a bit more serious after the joke.

“Thank you. I really appreciate all that you have done for me and I will never stop repaying you for your kindness.” The aurae smiled warmly, like a mother does when looking at her child, and let you go along your way. You looked back one last time and let yourself fall, the wind whistling around you as you controlled the winds and made your way to the place you knew you would find Renjun.

~

Renjun was the first to take a good and proper look at you. You had already sensed his presence but made no move of acknowledgment. Before you landed near the cliff that you always found comfort in, you made the wind make your landing as soundless as you could. The mountain wasn’t too far above from the field of flowers. You were still able to see Renjun’s face clearly from where you stood. He looked disheveled and you wondered what exactly had happened to Renjun while you were gone. He had a look you knew all too well. It hurt you. You started walking towards the field, knowing that Renjun would see you.

Renjun was lost in his thoughts. He thought he was daydreaming or even hallucinating when he saw a figure that seemed to resemble yours. Could it be? Renjun stood up and watched as  you walked through the flowers. The wind started to pick up in a gentle but strong breeze and Renjun felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as hard as his tears. He remembered feeling the surprise of seeing you for the first time back then when you had been in a bad place. He remembered your stormy eyes clearly and the sickly pale hue that your skin had. Seeing you now, Renjun realized there was no trace of that. There was no reckless power surrounding you. No, your power felt mostly tranquil with a touch of lightning. You seemed to be a different person. One he didn’t know if he could recognize deep down.

You looked so beautiful, the way you made the breeze pass through the field of flowers. The blue sky, the different types of colorful flowers and the gentle breeze made you look alive. Your face no longer looked like that of a person who went through war and came back broken. You had come back and were pieced back together in all the right places. Your smile was the most genuine he had ever seen and he wanted to do nothing more than watch you all day as you looked carefree and happy for once.  

“Hey, DaVinci. How’s this for a painting?”

“Divine.” Renjun muttered. His head felt fuzzy. Or maybe that was his heart. Or was it both? Renjun felt so many feelings surging through his body. He felt light but at the same time there was a suffocating heaviness that clawed its way to his heart. He loved seeing you smile but at the same time it angered him. You set your gaze on him while he stood still on the edge of the small cliff. 

“Should the Prince come to his lover? Or should the lover go to their Prince?” Renjun turned the brightest red you had ever seen taint his cheeks. You thought you saw anger flash through his sorrow filled eyes. He wanted to snap back at you but how would he? You left him almost speechless. Almost.

“I hate you.” Your smile was still there but your eyes were sad. Renjun’s sad expression turned to a pained one. His fists were clenched tightly, his posture seemed tense but you could see how unstable he was really. He looked at you hard as the tears welled up in his eyes again.

“I hate you I hate you I hate you!” His voice echoed out into the sky. 

“Do you mean that?” He hated hearing your voice because he missed you so much. He had been close to the edge just like you but now you were here, pulling him back to safety. Renjun felt a soft wind brush against his cheek and another breeze that ran through his hair. Renjun was beautiful. He was heavenly. The most beautiful demigod you had ever seen. No one could compare to him in your eyes. But Renjun stood on the cliff almost sobbing. He tried to breathe, sniffing quite often, his eyes closing tightly to get rid of the tears, and his lips quivering. He liked to pretend that he was strong. That no demigod or monster, not even a god, could bring down Athena’s most gifted child. Huang Renjun liked to think that he could take on anything. But he was wrong because Huang Renjun could take anything in the world except his heart being broken by you. 

“No,” he whispered. Your eyes were very apologetic. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Then why’d you leave!? Why did you do that to me? I told you what I felt. I told you that I wouldn’t destroy myself over you. But I ended up destroying myself completely without you.”

“Renjun, I came back.” Renjun shook his head, almost in denial, as he let his hands come up and cover his ears. He couldn’t take hearing his name coming from your sultry lips.

“I thought you were dead. I thought you wouldn’t c-come back.” It broke you. Seeing how the mature and strong Renjun you once knew had crumbled into a sad and scared child at your disappearance. You really hadn’t seen to what extent Renjun cared for you. Renjun kept sniffling and rambling about how you left him and how he missed you so much even though he knew he was the one who walked away first. He went on about how scared he was that he would have had to come to the moment where he’d find your lifeless body somewhere.

And you couldn’t take it anymore. It was in an instant that you landed softly in front of Renjun who had already fallen to his knees. You pushed him into your hug and held him closely. He let himself be enveloped in your embrace. You let an arm wrap around his shoulder and let your other hand thread through his hair gently. Renjun’s cries turned into soft whimpers and hiccups after a while. Your eyes started stinging and you realized that your own set of tears were dripping onto Renjun’s hair. 

You looked down at him and noticed how his tears had made a dry outline around his eyelashes. His nose was red and in pain from crying. He stared at you with droopy eyes.

“I missed you.” You smiled softly.

“I’m sorry. It took too long for me to come back. But I’m here now. I’m here and I bring with me pure and brighter love just for you.” Renjun seemed to want to get closer to you as he held onto you tightly.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” It took a little while as you let the cold breeze brush against Renjun’s face in a relaxing manner. You always reminded Renjun of autumn. A bright reddish leaf flying blindly and carelessly in the wind. But now, as he let himself stare into your eyes full of life, he thought you to be like a colorful tree in autumn. Touched by the wind and rain but rooted in its place. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too my Prince.” Renjun thought you to be autumn and imagined an autumn sky and cool breeze when you kissed. When your lips parted from his he spoke up again, strength finding its way to his voice.

“Don’t you ever leave again. No matter what.” You laughed.

“Even if you tell me to go away?” He glared at you.

“I don’t care. If I ever say that then it’s bullshit.” You closed your eyes while a smile found its way to your lips.

“How’s the weather Prince Renjun?” He hummed softly.

“Perfectly windy.”

#neowritingsnet #renjun #huang renjun #junnie #renjun x reader #reader x renjun #renjun scenarios #renjun angst #renjun fluff #renjun fanfic #nct #nct dream #nct dream angst #nct dream fluff #nct dream oneshot #nct dream scenario #nct dream fanfiction #renjun son of athena #daeguzen #Spotify

[pastabrand]

Unpopular PJO/HOO/TOA opinions

This is gonna be wordy but I’m not sorry for it.

Percabeth is hella overrated. It’s nice, but I would prefer other ships over it and some of y’all Percabeth shippers are scary as hell

I love TOA. A lot people don’t like it because it doesn’t include the main 7 and another topic that I’ll mention later but honestly, I could care less. I’m glad that the others aren’t there other than cameos. It means they’re getting a chance to heal after everything and honestly, good for them. People like to cast TOA as an unnecessary spinoff that didn’t need to be included yet it gives y’all the type of character development you scream and beg for in other books. It’s literally the perfect character development trope you crave, yet puts a good spin on it.

Some of you haven’t even READ toa and say you hate it. Like what? How is that supposed to work.

PJO was way better than HOO. TOA sits in the middle of the two.

I love TOA because it shows Apollo’s character growth from one of the most arrogant, cocky, and prideful gods. And even then, he doesn’t go from that to a helpless mortal loving fool, he stays arrogant and prideful but less so. Not to mention more understanding of mortals and demigods live and what they go through. He doesn’t go from one extreme to the other, but one extreme to more of a center balance. It’s more natural that way.

While Jason’s death in TOA was sorta cheap, it goes to show demigods can die at the least expected times. If Jason had died during the war, then it would be “oh, well, that’s what war does. It kills people. Nothing new.” Compared to Jason going about life as normal and one small mission is his end. It’s more impactful and realistic that way. It goes to show that life as a demigod is always dangerous, fighting or not.

Jason’s anger to Percy for not noticing Nico’s feelings towards him is absolute bullshit. Fuck that as a whole. Nico acting cold and hateful towards Percy doesn’t and shouldn’t equal “I like you, notice me please”. The internalized homophobia should be Jason’s focus, not Percy’s lack of attention at Nico’s feelings.

Same for Leo about Calypso. Not to mention they both shove the blame onto Percy like its his fault when it really isn’t. Having your memory forcefully wiped mere months after a war isn’t gonna help when remembering stuff like that. Not to mention the Gods are bums who will try to do as little as possible and leave the rest to demigods. It leads to one sided anger and unnecessary confusion and guilt on the other side. Bad writing on Rick’s part tbh.

People need to stop acting like Jason didn’t die. That’s clinging into a ghost and not letting it move on. I hate to be the one who says it, but Jason is canonically dead and acting like he isn’t won’t change shit. It’s gonna lead to unhealthy habits in the future, trust me. You can’t write a fic post TOA then be like “oh yeah, Jason’s alive because I want him to :)))” because that isn’t how life works sweetheart.

People also need to stop pretending TOA doesn’t exist. You might not like it but you have to acknowledge that it is actually there and it follows the PJO/HOO timeline.

Paul was just a card to give Sally a nice man to lean on when it wasn’t necessary.

Percy should’ve been wayyyy more suspicious of Paul when he was first introduced. 6 years of abuse from a “father figure” isn’t just gonna go away because “oh he’s nice.” Guess what? Gabe was nice at first canoncially (even if it was for a very short amount of time).

Percy. Has. Serious. Anger. Issues. He’s sassy and stuff, sure, but he’s also got some severe anger problems that he both inherited from Poseidon and developed and festered over time from living with Gabe for 6 years.

Percy is the type to act like Hades or Apollo, attack a lesser being(s) because he can’t go after the big shot without fear of punishment. I wouldn’t be surprised if some his expulsions were from beating up various kids and/or teachers.

For the first half of TLT, Percy did not like Camp Half-Blood or consider it his “home” other than Grover and Luke. The camp treated him like shit because he was a noobie at first and then because he was a son of the Big Three. He hated Poseidon for his lack of care and lack of help when he and his mom were abused under Gabe. Had Luke talked to him during that time period and/or Kronos spoke to him in dreams, he would’ve joined the Titans. His loyalty for the camp didn’t form until near the end of TLT.

Nico and Percy basically had somewhat personality switches. Nico was an excitable, happy, laid back, and naive kid while Percy was a quiet, angry, and irritable kid. Nico’s switch came from Bianca’s death while Percy’s was more gradual. In the end, Nico became the quiet, irritable kid and Percy became the more happy, laid back kid.

Stop ignoring the fact that Nico, a literal 14-year-old, traversed into Tartarus. Alone. There’s always fics of Percy and Annabeth recovering or suffering from the after affects of the fall and war while Nico is relatively normal. The boy is not and has not been okay. His life has been one shitshow to the next ever since he was ten.

Both Percy and Nico have incredibly dark sides to their powers that they seemingly enjoyed that was fueled by anger. Percy with Achlys and Nico with Bryce. Percy admitted to liking torturing the goddess and Nico, though more subtly, seemed amused by Bryce and his attempts to justify his crimes and then frantic attempts to stay alive. Bryce literally says “I’m Bryce Lawrence! I am alive!” And Nico casually responds with “Who are you?” as he turns Bryce into a souless husk of a person. You cannot tell me that he wouldn’t have tilted his head innocently and cracked a small smile at that.

Piper’s portrayal as a Native American. Do I even need to go into that?

Percy. Liked. Luke. The boy knew the son of Hermes for what? 1 week? 2? Yet considered him to be a friend, possibly a close one at that. It probably went the same route Nico’s crush did. Hero adoration to actual romantic feelings but godspeed. Not because he just wanted to like a boy, but because, other than Chiron, Luke treated him with kindness, patience, and understanding as a male figure, something Percy didn’t really have growing up. Not to mention Luke helped Percy when no one else would. As a 12 year old, those type of feelings were bound to develop.

People who make the characters treat Percy and Leo as dumb, oblivious, or one dimensional sassy bois™️. Percy and Leo would be offended and/or defensive of such a thing because of childhood trauma. How many years do you think they can to endure that when they were younger from people they were supposed to trust or respect? You seriously can’t think they would be fine with it because their friends. Maybe a reference once or twice, but constantly? Absolutely not. Old habits die hard.

Solangelo seemed forced to me. I dunno, Nico’s whole confession felt like a ruse to get him set up with Will right away. I felt as though there wasn’t any real “connection” between the two prior to them getting together. It all felt rushed and out of place for the setting they were in. I’ve never understood it nor liked it and usually try to avoid it. That and Caleo seemed like a way to put all the characters in relationships so that they were “happy”, portraying that they needed to be with someone to achieve their happiness. Leo and Nico would’ve been better off single and learning to love themselves before loving someone else. Same applies to Sally.

Nico and Thalia would never get along because Thalia would be a reminder of what Nico lost (Bianca) and how easily how she could be replaced.

Demeter kids need more respect. I feel like that’s what Meg is for. To show that they can also technically be considered “Big Three” material because, if you forgot, Demeter is a child of Kronos as well. That means Demeter’s kids are cousins with the Big Three kids as well.

Aphrodite’s kids also need more respect. Aphrodite in the PJO universe is literally older than all gods, as she was born from Uranus’ gentials in the ocean and arose from there. Their powers could be exapanded wayyy more if they were focused on more.

Not to mention Poseidon kids could possibly gain attibutes of what would be considered Aphrodite’s powers since she was born from the ocean and vice versa. The possibilities are endless there.

That’s all I could think of for now! Lemme know what you guys think though.

#percy jackson #pjo #pjo fanfic #heros of olympus #trials of apollo #toa #hoo #unpopular thoughts

[datodinicshit]

Friday July 10, 2020

Devotee Challenge: Hermes

How do you perceive Hermes?

Hermes is a bit like a shooting star. He's bright and flashy and very fast. I get Hermes as "Glad-Hearted" and "Joy-Bringer" and "Luck-Giver." I call Him the Light of My Life, because He shines like a diamond in the sun. He brings laughter every time we meet. He's a Darling, but He's also a Fucking Tease and the biggest flirt. Hermes is made of sass and jokes, as I know Him.

He was the first god who I told I loved in a romantic way. So, I think that colors His appearance with me rather A Lot.

Methods of Communication?

Best for Me: music-shufflemancy, tarot, dreams, synchronized signs, dashomancy, writing, and empathy.

Hermes' Preferences: He has a history of hijacking my mp3 player and the music library on my PC. He will use whatever his conversational partner is most receptive to, however. He's a Messenger and Communication God. He can be pretty creative and adaptive.

Historically: I mean if we're going legit old-school, the Greeks had oracles. But I'm fairly sure prayer is a universal method across time.

Is Hermes often compared to another deity from a different pantheon or culture?

Hermes has been compared to other Tricksters, because He is one.

Beings such as the Arch Angel Gabriel have also been brought up, because Hermes is a Messenger.

I've seen Hermes compared to (even merged with) gods such as: Anubis, Loki, Odin, Thoth/Djehuty, and of course Set/Sutek given both are Tricksters and gods of Borders and Foreign Interactions and whatnot.

There's also Hermes Trismegistus but that's a whole other ball of twine I don't care to unravel atm.

Does Hermes fit with an Archetype?

Hermes does fit with an archetype. Trickster. Helper and Hindrance to humanity.

Hermes is a little shit, ok? He's done good and bad things within His lore. And honestly, Tricksters get such bad press because of the nature inherent in the archetype. People need to chill. In my opinion, Tricksters are the most human-relatable deities because 9 out of 10 times They act as we do. Or maybe we act as They do? Either way, I find that comforting and so I mesh the best with Tricksters.

What kind of relationship do you want with Hermes as devotee?

*Grins.* Hoo boy. This question takes me back. At one time I was very close to proposing a spouse relationship.

I do love Hermes. I consider Hermes a friend, family even, and I like the idea of companionship. I have a lot of baggage around devotee language and formalities. Just. Its a Thing with me.

Boundaries? Yeah. I've got em. They're between Us tho.

Are we platonic? *Squints.* No. I love Him. I always have. Shit, I fell for Hermes damn near the moment we met. Took me 9 months to actually tell Him that tho, because I wanted to make sure I sincerely meant it.

Do I worship Hermes? Yes. The way I worship the gods closest to me, because He's part of my "inner familial circle." I pray to Him when I'm scared. I keep an altar for Him so He's always welcome. I make offerings. I assist those that want to know more about Him when I can. But I prefer a closer relationship with Him, because He's Family and Friend and Love.

How does your relationship with Hermes affect your everyday life?

I don't keep strict schedules. They make me itch. I'm allergic, you see. We fly by the seat of our pants around here, for my mental well-being.

Do I want to include Hermes in my daily life? Of course I do. I am a bit tied up atm, however, because of a Certain Bastard. Hermes knows this. He's pretty amused by it and approves, so I'm not going to fuss over it. (There! *sticks out tongue*)

Before Odinicfuckery of 2020 began, I did a lot of blogging for Hermes. Art, sharing music, cartoon-watching, and all that shit. So yeah, daily-life shit is a green light.

What are Hermes' interests outside of any lore/canon associations?

Hermes loves the band Queen. So jot that down. He's a bigass drama queen, so, Freddie Mercury? I mean. C'mon? Freddie Mercury? Yeah. Let that sink in a bit.

He loves coffee. And shopping. And the internet...but you see that can all be tied into lore because: God of Travel and Commerce and Communication. So, as with Odin, all the mundane shit He enjoys, I can argue ties into His lore. He's got His sticky fingers in Everything.

Recon or No Recon?

I'm eclectic. I've already had this argument with Odin. So let's say I have a heavily modern practice and my gods say its "all the same shit."

Now, that's just Us. Within my practice. Ok?

My actual answer is no. No Recon.

Hermes: You made kernips for me before!

Me: Yep. So, on rare occasions I go old-school for the godfam. But its rare.

Is Hermes proud or remorseful about His stories and lore/history?

Stand by for Sass. Here lemme pick a fun one.

Me: Hermes are you remorseful you stole Apollo's Super Special Cows?

Hermes: [laughter]

I interpret that as a "no." Here's the deal, it was funny as hell and resulted in cool shit for Apollo later down the road.

Welcome to Trickster Religions! They fuck with shit, but 9 times outta 10 better shit comes of them fucking around.

What's Hermes expect from our relationship?

I did some personal talking with Him over this. And what He said stays with me and a few choice friends. I will say this: He expects me to "Stop Look and Listen" and have some fucking fun along the way.

#Hermesdeity #Hermes #devotional writing #devotee challenge #upg #personal

[shimosu]

Loki headcanons

~~~

Since he's a trickster, you don't really see him having a crush on you

But he kept bugging you, you two were friends, and he liked trolling you.

Over half of his activity on social media is literally something to do with you

#with(Reader)

Fun things he's recorded, even without your permission or knowledge

Like when you pushed on a door that was pull, and then Thor opened the door from the other side and you hit your face in the door

It takes him a while to realize he miight have a crush

Aphrodite follows these posts, and does ship it

But at the same time, you're both chaotic. Loki likes murder and mischief, and you keep breaking rules and somehow end up in the middle of everything

You liked to get close to humans to do stuff, like experience skydiving or to look at places of significant interest that would definitely come up in the next Conferences

You got real up close to them, literally mixing in with them and watching them

Then it's time for the Conference and Loki wants to kill people in Thebes, where you just went and were forced to bow down to a statue of Zeus that was closest to Zeus in his prime, but you otherwise snuck a picture and flipped him the bird

Alcides, innocent little almost-adult you met: What are you doing, (Reader)?

You, your hand blurred out: I'm saying hello to Zeus, Alcides

Alcides: Oh, I get it! *sticks up the middle finger to the statue of Zeus* Hello!

You posted it, of course

Loki gets mad at you for associating with the humans and tells you to get your crap together, but it's too fun and he doesn't understand

So one day, you take him skydiving

You're both sitting in a plane and the door opens up

Loki: What are we doing here, (Reader)-chan?

You: Well, we're doing a fun human sport called skydiving. You jump from planes and hope your parachute works.

Loki: We are not doing that.

So you started standing next to the open door and-

You: Oh, no! I don't have a parachute!

Loki: (Reader)-

You: Whoops!

And you fell out the plane, completely intentionally

Go get the reader, Loki, come on

He grabbed a single parachute, stood in front of the open door... And dropped the equipment for you to grab

You: GET DOWN HERE!

Loki: SORRY, I CAN'T HEAR YOUU, THE WIND IS REALLY STRONG!

You: THEN HOW DID YOU HEAR ME AND RESPOND, YOU-

A fun time free falling later, you came back looking grumpy and frazzled

You tried it again, of course

This time though, you made sure to drag down Loki with you, and it worked-

For only a moment, he disappeared from the air

Attempt three, he floats away

You: WHERE IS YOUR ADVENTURE SPIRIT!?

You tried to take him to so much things

He was like a teenage girl that only wanted to be on her phone all day, because that was literally all he did

Rock climbing, he *accidentally* cut your rope and you fell, was "not feeling well" and left you to climb Mount Everest the moment you sealed your fate and got stuck there, and somehow escaped an Escape Room without you noticing

You even brought him back in time to watch the pyramids being made, and to watch the Black Plague, which seemed to be the only things he was interested in

Loki: This isn't a really fun date, (Reader)-chan

You: We aren't on a date, I'm trying to show you that humans are interesting

Loki: We're only doing human activities. Lemme show you fun stuff

He took you to a hospital

"Why... are we here?" you asked him, turning around to see that he was now an old lady with a cane.

"Hush, (Reader)-chan. Get me a wheelchair and be a good grandchild."

"Yes, hag."

You stole one

Only borrowing it, after all

You pushed Loki around, who decided to look like he was murdered or struggling to breathe, wearing a hospital gown

After walking very slowly past some hospital workers, you were now running and fleeing while pushing Loki on the wheelchair

You had a bunch of hospital staff and security running after you, along with some random people who thought Loki was their grandma

Loki played dead

But was enjoying you scrambling away, running around and panicking from crowds of riffraff humans, but still pushing him along

Watching you panic and the high speed chase in a wheelchair was pretty entertaining

You: We could've gone racecar driving! Or highjacked some vehicles!

Security, overhearing crimes: 911!

You: AAAAH-

Loki: Hehe. I thought you like thrill.

You: Shut up, hag!

When you left the building, there was a high-speed chase with police cars following you

You, screaming: GRANDMA GET UP!

Loki, enjoying your struggle: Mm, nah~ I'm still mad at you for associating with humans, (Reader)-chan.

You, crying: SERIOUSLY!?

He stopped when you were being shot at

Sure, bullets wouldn't hurt gods unless they were divine weapons, but still

"Yeah, we're gonna stop this now."

Loki got you two out of that mess real quick. A sharp turn into a dumpster and you two were gone

Really more invisible and hiding though, but humans couldn't tell, they thought they lost you and you left a wheelchair behind

Loki, smacking his lips after the humans left: Yeah, (Reader)-chan, I think I like you.

You, huffing and lying down, thinking he's joking: Don't say that after what you put me through.

Loki: Okay, fine~ You pick an activity. You know you enjoyed it, though

Maybe.

Shut up, Loki.

You took him ziplining from a really tall place, over some forestry

His line snapped and he fell into the mess of green

You: AuAAH!

When you reached the end, you were about to go look for him, and Hermes decided to appear and stop you

"Pardon me," he grabbed your shoulder, "but you're about to miss the Conference."

"Not now, Hermes-"

"Now, please. Your vote is needed."

Loki... should be fine....

Then you got to the Conference and sat down next to Loki- Wait what

The Conference started. Everyone voted for the end. You voted for forgiveness, but Loki messed with your paddle so that it was no on both sides

"HEY!!!"

You waited for it to be over and then found Loki lying on a plush chair. He somehow got ahead of you and left you the moment the Conference was over,

You: I watched you die!

Loki: (Reader)-chan, you watched me fall and disappear. There is a difference.

Ah. Wait a minute, stop using logic-

You: Don't tell me that while you're sucking on a carrot with cucumbers on your eyes.

Loki, taking the carrot out of his mouth and taking off one cucumber slice from his eye to look at you: I like you, (Reader)-chan. I wanna go on another date.

You, confused: It wasn't a date.

Loki: Mhmm. And you thought I was dead. See you for the next date.

Next date, he kidnapped you, regardless of if you were willing or not.

"This is how I get a yes, even if you say no," he said after already bringing you out, putting your seatbelt on. "Safety first, (Reader)-chan."

"Have you ever tried driving?"

"Nope. This is the gas pedal, right?"

"AaaAAAAAHHHHH!"

#onadatewith(Reader)

#Loki #Record of Ragnarok #recordofragnarok #headcanons #shuumatsu no valkyrie #shuumatsunovalkyrie #RoR #shuumatsu no valkyrie headcanons #shuumatsunovalkyrieheadcanons #recordofragnarokheadcanons #record of ragnarok headcanons

[incarnateirony]

I'm curious, do you think that theory that Lucifer is Jottun makes sense? To me it feels weird, but this is your lane and you have way more knowledge about this.

Okay so first of all, wtf tumblr why is your cut INSIDE THE ASK and fucking up my post

Moving on:

I... is this like, a show theory that someone came up with? Or are you talking like, in general mythology?

(Edit: I realized I postured this from the angle of assuming we’re talking about the widely received idea of Lucifer in modern culture; if I was wrong about that, lemme know -- I do drift into the NONCHRISTIAN Greek Lucifer as well, which you’ve seen me talk about with Phanes before on this blog)

I’ve never heard a serious statement (or at least one that held up if gently poked) about this as much as a general correlation (IE, Promethean deities if you will, which would correspond Lucifer to Loki, though I highly disagree with that assessment for other reasons as well) -- or various theory parallels where the Jotun are parallel to everything from Titans to Nephilim. 

Generally the Luciferian/Satanic iconization of Loki came from later transcriptions of eddas by Christian monks. Then again, the idea of Satan himself came from the jews taking on Zoroastrian beliefs after captivity so fuck all flips table

The last thing I’ve seen that tried to draw any kind of correlation about it had some nonsense trying to equate Azazel to Hermes too and a whole other mess of madness.

Without tracking the anthropology and etymology of a situation though, you end up with a mess, and there’s a lot of those out there. If you google long and hard enough, Lucifer is everyone. He’s Cronus, he’s Hyperion, he’s Prometheus, he’s Loki, he’s like half the native american spirits, he’s also somehow half the angels and demons in the bible and apocryphal scripture, depending on how far down a rabbit hole someone wants to go, he’s Santa or a tempting sandwich on tuesdays.

This got long so I’m putting it behind a cut -- it seems to drift but to truly answer this ask, or more answer why I don’t even have a direct statement to answer it, required some -- explanation and history

Helel is a stronger thing to lean into for example. The anthropology tracks, the mythos tracks, etc. Hell, look up Jewish beliefs on fallen angels, satan, lucifer or whatever and realize Christianity has really taken judaism for a joyride while gluing shit over their homework. Hell like, check out the history of jewish captivity under Nebuchadnezzar II and how Zoroastrianism influenced judaism/the very belief of satan/eventual conflation with Lucifer -- there’s debate on whether the Morning Star, mentioned as the King of Babylon, who made them work and toil, was Nebuchadnezzar himself. Which would make, Lucifer, um. Some king dude that died 2600 years ago, give or take. 

I am-- very slow to draw angelic associations. That’s not to say they don’t happen. You can, say, track the fall of the grigori and follow their mentioned path to egypt where they "became kings”, and follow which ones disseminated into which cultures how by comparing their attributes, sure. But with something like, say, Lucifer, which is a mythological clusterfuck to itself, considering everything in the public mind about Lucifer modernly is an amalgam of everything from multiple names in the same sacred text to adaptations from influencing religions/weird reads on the transcriptions from people that didn’t know their history/etc, I’m not gonna be like LUCIFER IS JOTUN any more than LUCIFER IS A TITAN or LUCIFER IS A NEPHILIM. 

Could there be a correlation for that? Sure I guess. But of the many things I have studied or dealt with, I’ve seen some shit. I’ve seen some SHIT. And never once have I encountered a Lucifer that was legit, if you believe in spoopy shit. Various shit loves using the name as a quick cred card but that’s the equivalent of a nigerian prince facebook scam that’s totes in the US Army Doug David Donnie Darko Davis, very believable.  But you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s Lucifer these days. Whoever was identified as it originally 1. probably put on magical witness protection and changed names by now 2. has been utterly lost by time and has been replaced more with a /concept/ than a /being/. But the modern concepts are so vague it’s like hiding a blue chip in a pool, have fun finding it, and I’ve definitely never been compelled to do so.

I’m sure racially speaking one could say “angels might be aesir” “demons might be jotun” and draw a reasonable argument about it with enough effort, but that’d be more like... systemic translation of thousands-years-old stories traveled over the lands, at which point the question is less “Is Lucifer Jotun?” and more “What would the Aesir and Jotun be in abrahamic text equivalency?”

Curiously I’ve never seen anybody go bananas over this shit to find correlations for anything ~other~ than Christian-outward -- Christian texts always want to make their people everybody else’s people, but nobody is fighting to be referenced by christianity and even less are trying to compare say, Zoroastrianism or Islam or anything else to what gods THEY might be -- even though Zoroastrianism is literally where half this stuff came from, where ideas of archangelic-like creatures and archdemons came from, where the afterlife, where it all came from. So I struggle, deeply, to associate Lucifer with anything specific for a long, long list of reasons but find this a particularly weird thing. Like when’s the last time you heard a muslim or taoist or any other major world religion right now go out and be like “YOU KNOW WHO I THINK (ENTITY) IS, I BET ITS THIS GREEK/NORSE DUDE RIGHT HERE”-- it’s just a Christian culture thing?? IDK???

And again sometimes it’s even /valid/ but I just-- Lucifer is such a Topic(TM) to me. Because to me, he’s a concept, an idea, an archetype, but if there ever was an individual Lucifer that dude got himself a face transplant and fucked off a long time ago IMO so good luck 

cuz like

 Interpretations of a similar term in the Hebrew Bible, translated in the King James Version as "Lucifer" as a proper name, led to a Christian tradition of applying the name Lucifer, and its associated stories of a fall from heaven, to Satan, but modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage, (Isaiah 14:12), as "morning star" or "shining one" rather than as a proper name, "Lucifer".

As a name for the Devil, the more common meaning in English, "Lucifer" is the rendering of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל‎ (transliteration: hêylêl; pronunciation: hay-lale) in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12) given in the King James Version of the Bible. The translators of this version took the word from the Latin Vulgate, which translated הֵילֵל by the Latin word lucifer (uncapitalized) meaning "the morning star, the planet Venus", or, as an adjective, "light-bringing".

As a name for the planet in its morning aspect, "Lucifer" (Light-Bringer) is a proper name and is capitalized in English. In Greco-Roman civilization, it was often personified and considered a god and in some versions considered a son of Aurora (the Dawn). A similar name used by the Roman poet Catullus for the planet in its evening aspect is "Noctifer" (Night-Bringer).

You’d probably have a better chance of coherently inferring that Lucifer is actually Inanna or Ishtar the goddess, as Venus, or that Lucifer is Aphrodite. ORIGINALLY IT WAS FUCKING HELEL. 

A suggested methodology on this: Never ever ever start from Christian texts. Like ever. Much less without at least a single Daf Yomi run to actually understand the jewish texts before it got super renovated and had white-out slapped all over it. Christianity generally perished anything after it, or at best attached like a symbiote until the host entity or belief was gone. Hell, sometimes the greecoroman Lucifer is the son of Eoster. Sound familiar? Hot take: Lucifer is Easter confirmed Easter is Satan worship.

See how that can be kinda... faulty? If you want to understand it though-- figure out where the same concept went? GO BACKWARDS. Never go FORWARDS. Pick up those christian and jewish texts and go. BACKWARDS. Akkadian. Babylonian. Because once you realize what was clipped out of other faiths, you can go back to that core deity and start figuring out where it branched off in other directions than eventually being kidnapped into the messianic cult bag. THEN go forward in time and realize that christianity is just an itty bitty teeny tiny branch of our history, it just swamped us over time via extermination. So you can find Lucifer as just about anyone, because respectively, ask a room full of rabbis and pastors to write down every time Lucifer is mentioned by name in original text form in the bible before translation and rendition. The rabbis are gonna giggle and the pastors are gonna be deadass wrong, sorry.

You wanna play a game? “Is Asmodeus Aesir?”

folds arms I’ma let you sit here scratching your heads about that for a while.

Because it’s gonna take going backwards. Who was the babylonian form of Asmodeus? When did the name ASMODEUS happen? What name did it have even in jewish texts? Or which branch of names? What did that deity evolve into in less calvinistic or messianic circles? Yes, you can track this. Yes, you CAN find how it translated into greece far and away from abrahamic or calvinistic influence, or to the vikings, or anyone else if you chase the crumbs enough, but again, there’s-- entire things to review about systemic beliefs and translations/hot takes. Same shit, different label in most places, sure, but-- eh. 

Ranting a bit at this point but if anyone takes anything out of this:

Pinpoint when/where/why names originated

Go backwards first, not forward

Find the anchor belief/origin/story

Find where it branched

respect the branches and deviations as unique renditions within cultures while equally respecting the fact that there’s some truth in all beliefs and we’re all trying to describe the same shit. So could Lucifer be Jotun, I guess. But we’d have to hold nuanced discussion about the journey of the narrative from A to B and how the Aesir and Jotun correspond at large.

Anthropology and etymology are key. Where did people travel, how did they write, what did it mean. Don’t look only for very specific affiliations.

Hell let me take a quote from-- a place. 

Here is how a pantheon actually comes together.

First deity: “Shit. My people were conquered and my religion just blowed up. I’m out of a job”

Second deity: “Me too.”

Third deity: “Hey, you look like that Lightning God the mortals in that place over there are telling stories about.”

Two deities at the same time: “We’re lightning gods too, though!”

Third deity: “Well, shit. You, on the left, you’re better looking. Best you be in charge.”

First deity: “Screw you! I’m bigger than all of you!”

Second deity: “Whatever. You’re a thug. Go rule the sea.”

First deity: “What? I’m a god of paternity!”

Second deity: “Paternity’s moist. That’s very similar.”

Meanwhile, you guys on Earth are all like, “Oh, Hermes is younger than Apollon.” Like its a fact. Like I wasn’t some Proto-Indo-Eurpean god of Penises and Serpents and outcroppings of stone long before anyone was ever speaking Greek.

And while we’re at the bastardized rerolling of mythologies, most heavily performed by christianity, I point you to that last line, regarding Baal Peor, and raise you:

If people noticed that video was sassier than normal, there’s a reason.

Let’s say you had a super interesting life and people kept telling your story, but over time, as it spread around the world, the telephone game got warped into several very different things. In some you’re even the villain, in some you have a giant dick, and in others you saved the world. All of these were somehow inspired by you and your story, but none of the people at the end of the story are necessarily ~you~. But someone has to figure out where the story started to find who ~you~ are, even if there’s tales of things you did, or supposedly did, all over the place. And sometimes people also take any word that sounds like your name and make it you. So if your name was Ted, you’d also end up with all kinds of shit like Bed Dead Fed Head Jed Lead Ned Red Wed and Zed when they come up suddenly all get replaced by the word/name Ted and that’s it, that’s your mythology. 

#pagan life

[mythologyfolklore]

Ares and Athena through the years - Ch. 08

Chapter 8: Sickbed visits

.

Three years.

That was how long Ares remained in the Akesian Sleep.

Since he was unconscious, he was fed nectar and ambrosia through infusions.

He was so weak and his divine aura so diminished, that the healing deities had to pour additional healing essence into the water twice a week for over a year.

It wasn't uncommon, that one of them, mostly Apollon and Asklepios, collapsed from exhaustion.

Even after Ares' state had improved enough to end the regular supply of extra healing magic, Apollon was completely drained (Asklepios was more used to working hard as a healer, thus took it better).

“It'll take years for my healing energy to regenerate, but I'll be fine”, he assured his worried twin sister, although Artemis wasn't convinced at all.

“You'll definitely be more fine than Ares, when he wakes up and realises that he'll need decades of rehab to get back in shape”, Asklepios commented.

The three chuckled at the thought; the war god would be so pissed, but he'd have to suck it up.

.

One morning Asklepios' daughter Panakeia (All-Cure) came to check on the patient and found, that the Sleep was coming to an end: Ares would wake up soon.

She beamed and went to inform the other gods.

A few hours later he was out of the pool, had been salved and dressed into a hospital gown and was sleeping in the recovery room.

It was another two days, until he actually woke up; the Akesian Sleep always took a while to seep out and he had been in it for so long.

Apollon was the one, who witnessed his older half-brother waking up.

First it was a slight twitch of the eyelids. They slowly opened and soon Ares was blinking and glancing around disorientated.

Apollon waited until the other's red eyes focussed on him, before he spoke: “Good morning, Ares. Welcome back in the land of the living.”

“Where am I …?”

“You're in sickbay. In the recovery room to be exact. We pulled you out of the Akesian Sleep a few days ago.”

The war god seemed to need a bit to let it sink in.

“How long was I asleep?”, he finally breathed out, his voice too hoarse from disuse.

“Three years”, Apollon answered with a frown.

“Holy shit.”

“Yup.”

There were a few minutes of awkward silence, before Apollon finally asked: “How are you feeling now?”

“Kinda hungover.”

The younger god chuckled: “Yes, the Akesian Sleep does that to you.”

“An' really weak.”

“That's no wonder, after what you have gone through. Do you want something to drink or eat?”

“M-hm. Some water …”

Apollon handed him a jug of water from the night stand.

But when Ares took it, he frowned. “Why is it so heavy?”

The god of light hesitated, but answered: “That's probably your lack of muscle mass. You haven't been training in more than four years, so of course they deteriorated. Take a look at your hands and arms.”

Ares did and his face twisted with disgust at how frail and skinny he was.

“Lemme guess: I'll need years of rehab?”

“You'll need years of rehab.”

“Shit.”

Apollon tried to conceal his pity, knowing the other didn't want it. “Just drink your water. I'll let the others know, that you're awake.”

.

Ares was surprised at how many people came to visit him.

Just a few minutes after Apollon had left, the war god heard a commotion outside.

But then Apollon's voice called out: “Not so fast! He's just woken up, is still in a fragile state and he needs quiet! I will not let you all pester him at once! Only two at a time and that's final!”

I'll show you fragile!, Ares thought sourly, but he still was grateful. He really was in no condition to deal with everyone's chattering, questions … and their pity.

Then Apollon let the first pair in.

Aphrodite pushed Hephaistos' chair next to her lover's bed.

“Hey there”, the latter greeted his older brother. “How are you feeling?”

“Eh”, Ares muttered, “Kinda shitty. How 'bout you two?”

“We've been better”, Aphrodite told him. “We … we've been worried sick about you. Three years in a coma, damn the Fates!”

Ares took a closer look at her and saw that her eyes were a bit puffy. She was wearing make-up and something told him, that it was to conceal wrinkles of sorrow.

Hephaistos too looked a bit drained, and … was that a strand of grey hair?

“You have aged.”

“We know”, Hephaistos replied, “But that's nothing Hebe can't fix. We just didn't want to go to her, before you'd wake up.”

Ares grinned wryly: “Well, I'm sure you two look better than I do. Be real with me, guys; how nasty do I look?”

“You look horrid”, Aphrodite said honestly.

“Not much better than I did, when I got thrown off Olympos, I reckon”, Hephaistos commented.

Ares snorted: “Probably not. Anyway, how are the kids?”

“They're fine”, Aphrodite assured him. “But they miss you. And Eros is sad, because you couldn't be there on his birthday last week.”

Ares smiled fondly. “Tell the kids I love them, hm?”

Aphrodite reciprocated the smile. “I will. And they love you too. You know that, right?”

He chuckled hoarsely: “Sure do.”

I'm a lucky bastard in that regard, I really am.

Suddenly Hephaistos bent forward and took his brother's hand.

“How is the voice in your head?”, he asked earnestly.

Ares closed his eyes and allowed himself to dive into his mind.

Hey! Are you there?

No, Ares, I'm on a field trip to the Garden of the Hesperides!, came the sarcastic response.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “He's fine. Back to being an old bitch already.”

Who are you calling an old bitch?!

Aphrodite and Hephaistos chuckled in amusement and both squeezed his hands.

The rest of the sickbed visit was spent in a silent serenity, that less than a century earlier would have been impossible.

.

Hermes and Dionysos came together (unsurprisingly).

Their visit wasn't as tranquil, but a lot more entertaining in that these two had a lot of funny stories to share with their older brother.

Sadly Apollon soon kicked them out, saying that they were too loud.

.

Uncle Poseidon and aunt Demeter kept their visits short, but that was fine, because Ares wasn't particularly close to either.

“What time of the year is it anyway?”, he asked.

Demeter told him, that it was winter. “But Sephy and Hades called, they're coming for a visit too.”

“Neat”, the war god replied, “I kinda miss them.”

“They miss you too”, his aunt replied.

A moment of silence followed.

Then Poseidon spoke: “You know, we were really terrified, when we saw you in that state – and even more so, when we took a look at the chains.”

“How cursed were they?”, the war god inquired.

“Pure evil”, the sea god answered sombrely. “And your parents and us recognised them – the chains that once bound the Kyklopes and Hekatonkheires.”

Ares' eyes widened.

Of course he had heard of them; Zeus had told him all about the beginning of the Titanomakhia, when he was small – when they had still been half-way on speaking terms, of course. Zeus had mentioned the chains, but Ares had assumed it was to make the Titanes look more evil. So they had been real?!

“We don't know, how the Aloiadai got hold of them”, Poseidon continued, “But don't worry, the chains are no more. One of the Protogenoi obliterated them.”

Ares nodded. “Good.”

“The Aloiadai are gone too. Athena and Artemis took them out.”

“Even better.”

.

Artemis came alone.

“'Sup, psycho”, she greeted him.

Ares grinned. “'Sup, spoiled brat.”

She laughed, but quickly settled down and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, fun aside. How are you feeling, considering the circumstances?”

He shrugged weakly. “Could be better.”

“You nearly died.”

“I know.”

She refilled his jug with water and he took it gratefully.

After taking a few swigs, he set it down on the night table.

“I heard you and Daddy's Owl took them out?”

“Yes, but stop calling Athena Daddy's Owl.”

“Not in a million years.”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “You know what, forget about that. If it's any comfort to you, their death was slow and painful. And Eris helped us too, sowed strife and that junk.”

Ares grinned: “It is a comfort. Thank you, Basileis¹.”

Her eyes widened, as he used that epithet.

He had never called her that before – normally, if he didn't call her by her name, he called her “Lêtôis”² or, if he felt spiteful, “bastard child” to rub her illegitimate birth into her face.

For some reason she couldn't help but shrug and grin broadly.

“No problem, Andreiphontês³.”

.

When Athena came to see her half-brother, she had in mind, what she wanted to say.

But she was also aware, that Ares would probably ruin her plans, like the chaotic neutral he was. Artemis had already warned her, that he was back at calling her “Daddy's Owl” again, so she didn't expect any good conduct from the brutish god.

The sight caused her a light nausea.

Lying in bed, still skin and bones and deathly pale, he looked disgustingly frail.

But he seemed as perceptive as ever; he took one look at her face and his red eyes narrowed.

“Spare me your pity, Daddy's Owl”, he growled throatily.

“I would, but it's hard not to pity you; you look truly wretched”, she retorted coolly.

He snorted: “So I've been told. Then again, more than a year in captivity and torture and three in a coma don't exactly make one prettier.”

She took a deep breath to remain calm.

“I heard that I'm obliged to you”, he went on, “I can't claim that this pleases me.”

“I know.”

He sighed frustratedly: “Thanking Artemis was much easier. Then again, I don't hate her as much as I hate you.”

“The feeling is mutual. And frankly, I hope I will never be obliged to you. The last thing I want is for you to help me out of a precarious situation, when I can't do it myself for some reason.”

The response was a faltering, wheezing laugh – eerily similar to a death rattle.

She frowned: “You sound like you're dying from pneumonia. Are you sure your lungs are completely healed?”

“Well, with my luck, they might still be damaged. Or my voice and throat are just that hoarse from disuse. Anyway, Daddy's Owl-”

“Will you ever stop calling me that?!”

He grinned lopsidedly: “Sure, on the day you're not Zeus' 'little Owl-Eye' anymore.”

“… You know, a simple 'No' would have sufficed, you fucking arsehole.”

He mock-gasped: “What is this I hear? Is Zeus' favourite losing her composure?”

Refusing to dignify that, she turned away and spoke icily: “You better recover quickly, because I can't wait to kick your sorry behind again.”

Ares laughed again: “Actually, I might just train harder and one day I'll be better than-”

Suddenly he stopped short.

“Wait … wait, are you – Owl, are you crying?!”

“Bullshit”, she muttered and blinked furiously, before turning back to him.

Ares was sitting up – albeit with some effort – and looking completely bewildered.

“Hey, come on, don't cry. I'm sorry! I didn't think you were that upset about-”

“I'm not crying, you twit!”

“Yes, you are! Ya know, there are paper tissues on the night table-”

Ares gasped in surprise, as she grabbed his face. Her eyes were blazing with fury.

“What the Tartaros were you thinking?!”, she hissed, “Taking on two opponents twice your size, while you were still having that cough, you … you stupid fuck! You dumbass!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know”, he muttered, “But next time I'll be better prepared …”

“Shut the Tartaros up, you moron!”

She slapped him, only to hug him immediately afterwards.

Ares tensed up at first, but then she felt his hand gingerly pat her back.

“Shhhh. Hey, come on. I'll be fine. Give it a few years of rehab and we'll be back at each other's throat.”

Athena chuckled wryly: “Good. I have a lot of pent-up aggression.”

“Ditto! An' just you wait, Daddy's Owl! I'll train harder than before and one day I will surpass you!”

She snorted: “Keep dreaming, Thêritas⁴. I will always be the better one.”

“You keep telling yourself that, you arrogant owl!”, Ares cackled. “I will get you off that crazy high pedestal of yours, you'll see!”

But all of the sudden he stopped laughing and his face grew suspicious. “Wait … look at me.”

One piercing gaze later, Ares' red eyes darkened with realisation.

“Eris has told you everything.”

Athena, knowing what he meant, nodded. “She has.”

“You haven't told anyone.”

“No. I promised her not to.”

“Good. Hey, lemme propose a deal to ya.”

Athena's interest was piqued. “Oh? What is it?”

“You'll continue keeping quiet about it. I won't tell anyone about your breakdown.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You're driving a hard bargain, brother.”

He smirked: “That I do.”

“… Alright. It's a deal.”

“And this better not change anything between us.”

“Absolutely not. You're the last person I'd give special treatment to, Ares.”

“Good. Let's shake on it.”

With faces like thunder they shook on it.

.

A few visits later, he was feeling incredibly tired and really just wanted to sleep.

So he couldn't help but groan, when Apollon told him that another couple was waiting.

“Yes, I know you're tired and I told them you need rest, but they insist and I can hardly turn them away”, the blond explained awkwardly.

“Never mind”, the war god muttered. “Let's get this over with.”

“Right”, Apollon nodded and went into the other room.

Ares was … actually caught by surprise, when his half-brother returned with his parents.

They sat down by his bedside.

Awkward silence settled in, none of the three knowing what to say.

Until eventually Ares said: “Hey.”

To his dismay Hera broke down and cried into his covered stomach.

Zeus sighed and stroked her back.

Hating to see his mother cry, Ares placed his hand onto hers.

“You idiot!”, Hera sobbed, “You complete and utter dumbass! Taking on two Gigantes by yourself, while you had a cold no less! What were you thinking?!”

“That's a good question”, Zeus agreed sternly, “Ares, what were you thinking?”

Ares almost laughed, but held it in. “I was just sick of it. Those two bastards harassing everyone. And no one was doing anything.”

Then he frowned at them reproachfully. “Why did it take you so long to go and look for me? Would you even have done something, if the mortal who found me hadn't told you where I was? I know we're estranged, but this is bullshit.”

“You're doing us wrong”, Zeus replied, “It's true, it took us four months to realise, that you had been kidnapped – but we never stopped looking for you once we did.”

Ares lifted a brow. “Where did you think I was? Didn't you notice it was suddenly much quieter?”

Zeus chuckled: “It's never quiet here. But to answer your question, we thought you were in Thrace. It wasn't until Helios told us what had happened, that we learned the truth. But he couldn't say where you were, because the Aloiadai took you to some place the sunlight doesn't touch.”

“… Why would I go to Thrace in such a situation?”

Hera looked up and glared tearfully. “How should we know? It's not like you ever let us know, what really goes on inside your head!”

That was true. Ares always said, what was on his mind right now, but he never let anyone see, what was beneath. His bluntness and honesty were superficial.

The war god closed his eyes and heaved another sigh.

“I'm sorry”, he murmured. “I … I didn't mean to make you all worry. I didn't even think you actually care.”

“Well, you're wrong!”, Zeus and Hera snapped in unison – blinked, stared at each other and snickered like the old couple they were.

Ares was so happy about this rare moment of harmony between his parents, that he bit back his “Would've been nice to hear that as a kid”-comment.

Zeus cleared his throat and his face grew stern. “My son, promise us to never do this again. We very nearly lost you. Had you died, we never would have forgiven ourselves.”

After what he had been through, that was an easy promise to make.

“I promise and … can you say that again?”

The King of the Gods tilted his head. “'Had you died, we never would have forgiven ourselves'?”

“No, the first thing.”

Catching on, Zeus smiled.

“My son.”

.

---

.

1) Basileis: Princess, Royal (one of Artemis' epithets, since she's the daughter of Zeus - Ares is basically acknowledging, that his half-sister is not another one of his father's "love children") 2) Lêtois: Daughter of Leto 3) Andreiphontês: Men-Destroyer (one of Ares' epithets) 4) Thêritas: Brutish/Beastly One

#Greek Mythology #apollon #asklepios #artemis #aphrodite #hephaistos #dionysos #hermes #demeter #poseidon #athena #hera #zeus

[blackaquokat]

I SAW THE LIGHTNING THIEF MUSICAL ON SUNDAY

Okay, so first off, the stuff that stood out to me, and then after the highlights, THE STORY OF A LIFETIME INVOLVING A CAST MEMBER THAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE SHOW EVEN STARTED 

This is going to be very long, strap in.

***Spoilers Under the Cut***

--Chris McCarrell, indeed, slides out to the edge of the stage and sits like, “Paint me like one of your French Girls, audience” for a full moment before singing.

--For a cast of SEVEN people, all of their voices fill that stage SO WELL.

--I’d only ever heard the soundtrack, but in the show (this time, anyway) Percy says he stopped Nancy Bobofit from “setting the first graders on fire” instead of preventing wedgies and it was just as if not more hilarious because his delivery was just totally stiff terror in the face of Mrs. Dodds.

--HE ACTED SO DEVASTATED WHEN HE THOUGHT MR BRUNNER THOUGHT HE WAS TROUBLE AFTER HE GOT EXPELLED, LIKE, HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ABOUT TO CRY, HIS VOICE SHOOK, MY BOOOOOII

--When Smelly Gabe appears, Percy not only covers his face with his shirt but also SPRAYS ACTUAL AIR FRESHENER behind the bastard’s back, I was on the FLOOR

--Chris mimics the body language of an awkward twelve year old so well. Fiddling with his jacket, looking down, awkward motions with his hands, he nailed it.

--SALLY IS STILL THE BEST MOM EVER AND THE MUSICAL CAPTURES HER STRENGTH AND LOVE AND AGENCY SO WELL, SHE TOTALLY GETS GABE TO BACK OFF OF PERCY AND IT’S GLORIOUS

--”Percy was attacked by a fury!” “What? Grover, YOU’RE THE FURRY!”

--Just before his mom is “crushed” by the Minotaur, Percy said, “Mom?” shakily and I was freaking SHOOK, MY FEELINGS

--During the first Dream Sequence, Poseidon comes down with the GOOFIEST grin and hands off the seashell. There’s this long, hilarious silence before he says. “It’s a seashell.” The audience couldn’t stop laughing up until Percy said, several beats later, “Like I said. Weird.”

--MR. D SHARPENING A PENCIL IN KATIE GARDNER’S FACE AFTER HER RANT ABOUT TREE RIGHTS

--During the entirety of Another Terrible Day, Percy is just standing in the back, slack-jawed, in a “What the Hell have I walked into” look

--Chiron does this hilarious dancy step with his feet to mimic the clip-clopping of horse steps and every time it got a laugh. 

--In the books, Luke is described as the Hot Boy of the Camp, that half the demigods are in love with him, and honestly, it’s one of the reasons I think James Hayden Rodriguez is perfect because you take one look at him and you’re like, “Yeah, I can see everyone falling in love with this guy in no time flat,” because aside from being REALLY attractive (like, damn boi, you’ve got amazing arms and face and just a LOT going for you) he’s so damn sweet and you want to trust and I DON’T THINK I EVER WANTED CANON TO CHANGE SO BADLY FOR HIM UNTIL THE MUSICAL CAME OUT

--Okay, so seeing Luke portrayed in this show made me care SO MUCH MORE about him than I did reading the books, which is a very strange feeling for me, ngl. His adorable interactions with Percy and Annabeth made me SO EMOTIONAL I MEAN

--Like, when Annabeth acts all suspicious about Percy, Luke is there to validate her skills and tease her and she teases him right back, like, you can definitely see she “likes” him and it could be interpreted that he feels something for her too, and he had such chemistry with Percy too, was endlessly supportive up until, you know, the end (I...may or may not be on board with this Tragic OT3, FRICK)

--OH ON THAT NOTE, when Grover finds Percy after the Minotaur, he’s all, “I’m sorry, Percy, I’m the worst Satyr Guardian ever” and Percy just HUGS HIM, “GROVER, I’m SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE” LIKE MY TWO BOIS I MISSED THEM

--”Grover, are you ever going to wear pants again?” followed by a gleeful “NOPE!!”

--Clarisse’s first two entrances involved this loud fighting yell before her song started

--Percy’s first time with his sword in Camp and he freaking made lightsaber noises when he swung, I read about it but I was NOT PREPARED, it was the cutest damn thing

--I was equally unprepared when Annabeth walked up behind him and when he turned and saw her and yelled out, “MY DREAM GIRL!!” Long beat of silence while the audience laughs their asses off, and he follows it up with, “I mean...you were the girl...in my dream...earlier...”

--When Percy says, “I love girls,” when Annabeth calls him out on assuming her dad was where she got her Godly heritage, Luke gives him the BIGGEST side-eye, it was adorable and Percy did his best to recover, but alas, he is but an awkward noodle.

--”Luke, Hermes kids are fast--” “Actually, that’s a stereotype--” I MEAN

--Percy sitting on the toilet and rolling it across the stage with his feet after the fight sequence, my God, what a visual.

--CHAPTER TITLE DROP, LUKE CALLS PERCY THE SUPREME LORD OF THE BATHROOM

--The Campfire Song was just amazing, everyone’s familiar body language with each other, Luke and Annabeth, Luke and Percy, Grover’s adorable little dance during his bit, everyone comforting him when he starts crying, everyone agreeing that “Chiron wins” in the shitty dad department, everyone’s sympathetic horror with every bad story they all tell,

--after Silena’s bit about how her mom “steals her mascara and all of her dates” she says to Katie, “She’s why I cry,” my sister and I can’t stop talking about how much we related to that moment (not about our mom, but more about our other relatives)

--When Percy is claimed, you can see the horror on everyone’s faces, but he doesn’t, and he’s like, “I’m...the son of the Sea God. That is so COOOOOL!!!” Then he realizes he just squealed like an anime girl and tries to recover by posing and saying to Luke next to him, “Hey,” in a very Miles Morales-from-Spiderverse kind of voice. 

--The dread on Luke’s face whenever he interacts with Percy from here on out, by the way, hurts me so much. You can tell every time he talks with Percy that he really doesn’t want to manipulate him, doesn’t want to do this, but he does, and even before the reveal, you can see how unsure and guilty he feels, even if Percy is totally clueless, like even when Percy agrees to go to the Underworld you see he’s THIS CLOSE to maybe trying to talk Percy out of it again and when Grover hops in to join the quest, there’s another layer of Luke going, “Oh no, not Grover too, shit, no!” and I SWEAR, JAMES HAYDEN RODRIGUEZ, IF THIS TURNS INTO A SHOW, YOU’RE THE ONLY LUKE I WANT

-- Mr. D: “WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOME TIN FOIL PROP THAT YOU’D FIND IN A BROADWAY MUSICAL”

--Percy yells for Mr. D to eat his pants in Latin. It’s amazing.

--Chiron: ”You must talk to” *everyone looks at the ceiling* “Our mummy.” Percy: “...when you say ‘mummy,’ you mean old-person slang for Mom, right?”

--Percy, in the most ‘I am so done’ voice ever: ”You’re expelling me? Again?!”

--This is turning into an appreciation post for Rodriguez, but for real, after Good Kid (which gave me ALL THE FEELS just like when I first heard it on the soundtrack), Luke goes to him with this nervous but genuine grin and laugh, like, “Hey, so when you’re the son of the Sea God, and you want to be left alone, maybe don’t go to the lake? It’s the first place anyone will look.” And they have this real sweet moment where Percy confides in Luke, and Luke validates his anger with the gods and says, “I’m not saying you owe them anything BUT” and if you’ve read the books or already listened to the show, you KNOW how this turns out but you see how SINCERE Luke is about Percy’s pain and his own pain and how much he obviously is already regretting that he has to manipulate Percy into going to the Underworld and DAMN IT CANON

-- Clarisse: ”Don’t get eaten by monsters!” Chiron: *claps hand over Clarisse’s mouth* “Have a great quest!”

--The immediate Squad Energy that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover embody right before the act break, what LEGENDS

--Act II opens up in the middle of Mrs. Dodds attacking the bus. Percy: “I LIKED YOU BETTER AS A MATH TEACHTER!!”

--Mrs. Dodds: ”PREPARE FOR ETERNAL SUFFERING!!” Percy: “I’M SUFFERING NOW!!”

--Cheerful Stoner Stranger from the bus just before the bus explodes into confetti: “Not my weirdest experience on a Greyhound!”

--I knew the show was low-budget going in, but I at least thought the squirrel would be a puppet not a freaking figurine that Sarah Beth Pfeifer sat next to in plain sight to voice, I was dying

--On that note, Annabeth visibly holds back laughter at Percy’s “that’s kinda nuts” joke, these idiot CUTIES

--Grover is the only one who catches onto Medusa, who is played by Chiron’s actor in DRAG, but not even in a funny way, it’s played straight (not that Medusa wasn’t hilarious, but that fact that it was a drag role wasn’t mocked at all)

--Annabeth starting to explain why Medusa hates her and muffling her words by drinking her bottle while Percy and Grover are NOT impressed

--Annabeth teaching Percy how to hold a sword better because this adorable dumbass just twirled the damn thing into his shoulder because he forgot it was sharp

--MY GRAND PLAN, MY GOD and intersecting it with Annabeth saying, “When boys screw up, Percy, they get a second chance” Like, this show pulled no punches, and then afterwards when he’s sending Medusa’s head to Olympus and signs Annabeth’s name next to his and she’s like, “WAIT NO STOP” and the “Impertinent” interaction that not only is in the books but also comes back at the end of the show HELL YEAH

--DRIVE. WAS AMAZING. It was my mom’s favorite on the soundtrack and it still is (although now Bring on the Monsters competes as her favorite)

--YOU CAN HEAR LUKE AGAIN WITH HIS HESITATION ABOUT SACRIFICING PERCY DURING THE STRANGEST DREAM REPRISE

--Grover: “Percy, you almost woke everyone up. Well, not Annabeth.” Annabeth, in her sleep: “Mom...you remembered my birthday...”  WILL THESE DEADBEAT GODS VISIT THEIR KIDS, I SWEAR---

--OKAY SO TREE ON THE HILL, LEMME TELL YOU

--On the second level, you see Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia re-enacting the scene while Grover narrates at the bottom and not only does Jorrel Javier look SERIOUSLY emotional and on the verge of tears for the whole thing, but at the top when Thalia is re-enacting her death, LUKE GOES TO REACH FOR THALIA TO SAVE HER AND ANNABETH PULLS HIM BACK AND THEN THEY JUST HUG EACH OTHER SO TIGHTLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO WATCH THALIA DIE AND THEN THEY STAND BEHIND THALIA AND REACH OUT THEIR ARMS TO SYMBOLIZE HER TURNING INTO THE TREE AND YA’LL I SHIT YOU NOT I ALMOST BURST INTO REALLY LOUD SOBBING I WAS NOT OKAY

--They did the Bathtub Story from the book. Every second that passed I was more in love with the show.

--Charon: ”Ya’ll wanna hear my song?” *choruses of refusals* “SORRY I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THIS SWEET ASS RIFF!!”

--DOA is just as much of a bop in person as it is on the soundtrack.

--OKAY SO, Percy is almost yanked into Tartarus with his winged shoes and the mood is like, SUPER SERIOUS, as they all realize he almost fell into the pit and when Annabeth says, “I think that’s Tartarus,” Percy says, in this confused but still scared and serious soft voice, “You mean like the fish sauce?” and just. Annabeth and Grover both. Annabeth looks at him like, “THIS is the idiot I’m going to fall in love with over the next four books,” while Grover just Facepalms so much he shoves his glasses up his forehead and shakes his head, another RELATABLE MOMENT that my sister and I won’t shut up about

--Hades. I just...there’s nothing else I can say, but Ryan Knowles, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Jorrel Javier, Jalynn Steele, and James Hayden Rodriguez deserve about fifty Tonys for all the roles they do in this show, for real

--SON OF POSEIDON, WHAT A HYPE SONG, AND ALL THE TOILET PAPER DURING THE LAST NOTE IT WAS GLORIOUS IT COVERED HALF THE FLOOR AUDIENCE

--My Poseidon and Sally feels have returned with a vengeance. That Miles Morales moment with Percy that I mentioned earlier? Poseidon does the same thing when he sees Sally, and the two of them are just Vibing it up while Percy is between them like, “THIS IS SO WEIRD”

--As Poseidon leaves, he turns away from Sally and makes this fist bump gesture like, “Hell yeah, best time of my life was this woman right here”

--Percy, after Poseidon exits: “So that’s my dad?” Sally, in a very horny tone: “THAT’S your dad.” Like, GET IT, Sally

--Sally: “Oh, what is this package, Percy?” Percy, with a shit-eating grin: “Oh, it’s a...DIY Statue Kit” *Sally goes to open it* “WAIT NO DON’T IT’S MEDUSA’S HEAD!!” and the Grossed Out Look on her face as she exits the stage. Priceless.

--Luke is Very Obviously avoiding Percy when they return to camp. More on this later because My. Feels.

--Annabeth: “Hey Clarisse! We met your dad! He’s not as tough as you are!” Clarisse: “Hey, get back here! You saw my dad!” *slightly vulnerable voice* “Did he ask about me?”  YOU DUMBASS GODS, TALK TO YOUR DAMN KIDS WILL YOU???

--Annabeth and Percy grinning like idiots over Sally’s Medusified statue of Gabe, what cuties, I love that their romance wasn’t forced in the show, it was handled so gracefully because they are Twelve and in the Very Early Stages of their Undying Love for each other (and Luke, I promise you guys, all three of these idiots are in love with each other and it hurts me so much)

--OKAY SO PERCY RUNS UP TO LUKE CLEARLY EXPECTING TO BE COMFORTED AND TO SLIP INTO THEIR SWEET AND SUPPORTIVE DYNAMIC BUT THEN PLOT AND PAIN AND LAST DAY OF SUMMER HIT ME THE HARDEST ON THE SOUNDTRACK BESIDES TREE ON THE HILL AND IT DIDN’T DISAPPOINT

--And the hardest part? The way Rodriguez plays Luke, you really CAN’T be angry with him. I mean, there’s no justifying his actions because it’s freaking KRONOS, but given that we’ve been given the time to see what a great guy he was, how much he cared about the campers, how many he must have seen never come back from quests the Gods gave them, who feel abandoned by their parents, Luke’s own quest, how he watched Thalia die with little to no intervention from the Gods, how he must hate to see Annabeth killing herself to prove her worth to the Gods for a quest that could get her killed, and then Percy coming in after losing his mom and sympathizing with his justifiable bitterness towards the Gods, the show doesn’t shy away from the fact that the Gods are effed up and you just can’t blame Luke at ALL for how he feels about the Gods, but it makes everything hurt all the more.

--The Most Millenial/Gen Z ending ever, “We didn’t ask for this, we shouldn’t be the ones fighting this war, but if we don’t, we all die, so fine, we don’t want to do this, but no one else will, so here we are, ready to fight” and then Bring on the Monsters which is one of the best closing numbers to a show ever, I swear.

--All in all, the critics can suck it, this show has more heart and love and hilarity and depth than half the stuff on Broadway and the fact that it’s going to have such a short run is a Crime.

--I sincerely hope they can do another one, if at all possible. I would go watch it too if it’s made by the same creative team and the same actors (maybe even more actors).

OKAY NOW FOR MY STORY!!!!!!

So I had paid leave to use up, hence our trip to NYC last weekend, and we stayed in a hotel really close to the theatre. My sister and I, having been fans of the books for half our lives, were wearing Camp Half-Blood t-shirts. Anyway, we were so excited that we got there an hour and ten minutes early, and they weren’t letting anyone in for another half hour, so we decided to take a few pictures and go get a snack.

While we’re taking pictures, suddenly behind us my sister and I hear “TAKE ANOTHER ONE!!” so I turn around thinking What the hell and then have the biggest Brain Glitch of my life because it’s CHRIS FREAKING MCCARRELL WITH A COFFEE/SMOOTHIE THING AND A MUFFIN STANDING BEHIND US AS IF HE WAS JUST LA-DEE-DA-ING ALONG TO THE THEATRE AND DECIDED HE WANTED TO GIVE AN INNOCENT FAN A HEART ATTACK, because he could have just gone in and we wouldn’t have even noticed but NOPE HE CAME RIGHT UP TO US, AND I’M STILL IN SHOCK, NGL.

My gut reaction was to hug him and then I apologized because I hadn’t asked his permission and didn’t want to be That Person who didn’t respect boundaries (I am a very tactile, hugging kind of person and have to remind myself that not everyone is the same way, especially with performers) and he said I was fine and not to worry. My sister and I got a few pictures together with him and he asked if we were seeing the show that night, and we were, and he looked so pumped, and I got to tell him that I read Percy Jackson before Harry Potter and that it was my favorite book series and when he asked if I had listened to the soundtrack, My mom said yes, multiple times, but fondly, and he looked so excited that we were so excited to go that night.

So yeah. That happened.

And then after the show, we managed to catch Kristen Stokes on her way out, but we waited until she got to talk with and sign playbills for kids (there were so many kids in the theatre, it was adorable, even if the ones behind us kept crinkling their snack wrappers consistently during THE WHOLE SHOW which got annoying, ngl). My sister and I took a few with her and I got to tell her, also, that this was my favorite book series growing up and that she played Annabeth, a big role model for me, absolutely perfectly and she looked so touched. 

(Also, she was much shorter than me. I forget that even if I’m one of the shorter members of my family, I’m still pretty tall by usual standards.)

Anyway, WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE, PJO FANS, AM I RIGHT????

...I wanna see the show again, but idk what the chances of that happening are. If you haven’t seen it and have the ability to, I must encourage you to GO. PLEASE. GO SEE IT.

#the lightning thief musical #tlt musical #percy jackson and the olympians #rick riordan #kat rants #chris mccarrell #kristen stokes

[mayaparker]

@rydenbolt, @scarlettxruby & Maya reconvene at Maya’s apartment. Secrets are revealed and promises made.

(also forgot to link the song the title’s based on in the first one so here!)

Part III

Maya was halfway to drunk already. Despite her increased drinking, how little she'd been sleeping and eating meant it didn't take too much. Especially when she was taking pulls straight from the bottle. She'd sunk to her kitchen floor, hair half in her face. Hermes had curled up next to her. She didn't notice the hot fat tears rolling down her cheeks or the continued throbbing of her hand. She couldn't focus on much of anything.

Moving up the familiar path to Maya's apartment, Ryden parted ways with Ruby who made a straight line for the bathroom to wash up. He meandered to the kitchen, where the smell of alcohol and panic was strong. He found Maya on the kitchen floor and plopped down tiredly next to her, arms hanging limply over his knees. He heaved a deep, tired sigh, head thrown back against the counter, at a loss for words for the moment.

Maya barely looked up when Ryden and Ruby returned, only enough to make sure they weren't seriously injured. After confirming exactly that, she returned her gaze to her hardwood floor as if it held some sort of answer. It didn't. She didn't react when Ryden sat next to her. Hermes, on the other hand, sniffed at him to make sure he wasn't injured. After a long moment, she spoke in a soft voice, "I'm sorry."

Ignoring the dog because cuteness wasn't a priority now, Ryden sighed again at Maya's apology. "For what? For bein' a dumbass? Yeah, apology not accepted."

Again, Maya was quiet for a long moment. She didn't have much to say for herself. Instead, she asked, "Why are you here then?"

"Cause I wanna be, duuh. Why else?" Ryden finally looked at her, noticing the bottle of whiskey in her hand, already half done. He stole it from her loose grip, taking a long swig off it himself, grimacing at the burning sensation gliding down his throat.

Satisfied that the big one wasn't injured, Hermes trotted off in search of Ruby. Maya couldn't argue with that."Your life would be a lot easier without me in it, you know," Maya replied simply as a fact.

"No, it wouldn't. The fuck ya know about my life anyway?" Ryden snorted, making sure to take smaller sips off the whiskey he stole from her. After he had his fill, he returned the bottle to Maya. "Are ya still sure ya can handle this on yer own?"

Maya only managed a half smile as he disagreed with her. She didn't believe him, but it was nice of Ryden to disagree. She took back the whiskey from him and took a long draw from it. Shaking her head, she huffed a laugh. "I was trying to convince myself more than anyone else. Being that scared again? It made me feel so small and weak." She took another pull from the bottle.

 "Ya know that everyone's got those moments and it's perfectly normal, right? Especially if it's sumtin' seriously fucked up. Shit, when will you learn to take advantage of the perks of havin' people who care about ya? Why is that so bloody difficult for ya?" Ryden came at her full-force, right in the core of the problem, because obviously, Maya would never get to answering these questions for herself. If he asked them out loud, maybe she'd actually stop to finally give them a good, hard thought.

Brushing her hair out of her face, Maya sighed. There was a defensive part of her that wanted to ask him the same question. After all, it wasn't like Ryden was big on asking for help. But it wasn't the one so clearly not handling his shit. She took a drink. "When I get scared like that, like someone calling me mama and sitting outside my apartment scared, it's like I'm fucking sixteen again. And, I don't know, there was no one to save her. No one really believed that girl was in trouble." As she said it, she couldn't bring herself to look at him, instead focusing on the dark liquid in the whiskey bottle.

"Are you still sixteen, Maya? Wanna stay stuck in there? Is that what ya want?" Ryden asked, not to push her or judge her. He genuinely asked if she really wanted this for herself.

Maya shook her head again. It didn't feel like it was about what she wanted. It felt more like someone had flipped a switch her head. She tried to explain, "It's just when I'm scared like that...when I'm really and properly terrified, the survival part of my brain takes over." She shook her head again and set the bottle down. "I don't know. It feels like I spend so much time trying to be better and none of it fucking matters."

"No, yer talkin' bout an instinct that takes over in the moment. Not tellin' people yer in trouble is a conscious decision ya gotta keep up with, which you do, even when the instinct wears off. Don't fuckin' blame it on survival. Yer a conscious being. It's not possible we run on instinct our every wakin' moment. So, tell me, what are ya actually doing to make things better?" Ryden replied.

Nothing was the answer to Ryden's question. Maya hadn't done anything to make it better. Unless one counted getting a dog, but one probably shouldn't. For a long few minutes, she didn't say anything. Part of her, that lizard part of her brain that told her how to act when things got bad, argued she should just say the same things she'd told Ruby. The cult would get bored eventually. They hadn't actually physically attacked her since the party. And other flimsy excuses. Finally, Maya said, "I need help. I don't know what to do. I'm not sleeping, I barely eat, I'm just...I don't know what to do."

"Yeah... I know." Ryden muttered when she finally confessed. He reached out for her, pulling her to him until all of her weight was cradled in his arms. "I'll stay with ya. Okay?" He nuzzled against the top of her head, kissing the roots of her hair. "I'll take care of you and we'll take care of it t'gether."

 Maya let herself be pulled into the safety of Ryden's arms. She relaxed in a way she hadn't for weeks. "You shouldn't have to," she argued weakly. But it wasn't about if he had to. Clearly he'd already chosen to. For a moment, she closed her eyes and let herself be warmed by the embrace. She'd been so cold recently. "Did you know what they meant?" she asked, "What that woman was chanting, I mean."

"Yeah, well, shit happens, even to people better than either of us. Ya gotta do wha'choo gotta do," Ryden concluded, plain and simple. He let her relax into his hug, physically feeling some of the tension leaving her body. Although she couldn't see it, his expression darkened when conversation was directed back to the happenings of the night. "Not sure but I'll find out..."

"They were talking about you," Maya said, although they both already knew it. "Do you think its..." She paused to make sure that Ruby was still in the shower before lowering her voice even further. "You think the Man in Black is behind this whole cult business?" she asked before adding, "They're all werewolves. The cult folks who've been following me around."

"Well, did they say anythin'? Have they tried to make any kinda contact? Anythin' else ya remember?" He was grasping at straws, though. When Iann helped him recover his memories of the night he got turned, it got Ryden all kinds of ideas what might be going on. But that was no actual proof of anything. At this point, this could literally mean anything.

 "Other than them calling me variations on mom? Because no, that's basically it," Maya replied. Some of the tension returned to her shoulders as she added, "As you probably guessed I've been trying to ignore it more than anything."

"Fuck, what? 'Mom'? Fuckin' twisted..." Things made even less sense now. Ryden regretted not having locked up one of the pricks in a basement now. Everyone could sing a song if you push hard enough. He would be able to get them to talk, especially since they seemed terrified of him. Too late now though, and somehow, he didn't like the idea of getting a second chance at that, no matter how useful it might prove to be. Sighing again, he finally released Maya from his embrace, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Whatever, let's just... not think about it t'night. We promised to pretend, remember?"

 It didn't make any more sense to Maya than it did to Ryden. In fact, it probably made less sense given that she had less information. At least though, neither of them was in it alone. Given it involved both of them now, it was almost easy to convince even the worst of her instincts that they would indeed face it together. When he released her, Maya sat up. She gave him a soft smile, "Yeah and I'd really rather be anyone but Maya Parker right now." She huffed a laugh, "Although my hand still fucking hurts."

Ryden managed a lopsided smirk at that. "Lemme see." He took her hand in his, noticing some bruising already starting to form. "I'll git ya sum ice for it." He stood up, walking to the fridge to get an ice pack.

Maya tried not to wince as Ryden inspected her hand. Now that she was thinking about it, it actually hurt a lot. Worse was the fact she was certain that it had hurt her more than the person she'd punched. "Thanks," she replied. She dragged herself to her feet too. The world was a little topsy-turvy, but she'd certainly been more drunk. She leaned on the counter with her uninjured hand to steady herself.

"Girl, do ya even know how to thrown a punch? Next time, go for the throat, okay? Right in the Adam's apple." Taking Maya's hand again, Ryden pressed the ice pack over it. "Hold it. I'll go fetch the first aid to wrap it up. It's in the bathroom, right?"

It's not my fault he was especially thick skulled. On humans that totally works," Maya argued. It was her own fault, really, for thinking that she could punch a werewolf. She did as instructed, holding the ice pack to her injured hand and nodding.

 Ryden laughed, "Nope, that one was human. The two Ruby brought down were weres. Be right back." He slipped out of the kitchen upstairs to the bathroom and totally peeked on Ruby showering while he retrieved the first aid kit.

"You won't even let me have that?" Maya shouted after him. With a sigh, she picked up the whiskey bottle while balancing the ice pack on her hand. She took a long pull before putting it away again. She then went back to holding the ice pack to her hand.

When Ryden returned, he had the stuff needed to bandage up Maya's arm and reduce any swelling. He set those things on the counter before taking her hand to work the bandage around it. "Ya hungry, by the way? I can mix a late snack up."

 As he worked, Maya tried hard not to show that it hurt. As far as all the pain she'd experienced, this paled in comparison. But it did hurt. She shook her head when Ryden asked if she was hungry. "Kind of lost my appetite," she replied. "I just..." she paused and her gaze dropped to his mouth for a half a second. She quickly flicked it back up to his grey eyes, "I just don't want to think any more tonight if I can help it."

"Mhmmm..." Like Ryden hadn't noticed from this up close where her eyes wandered. He raised an eyebrow as he tightened the bandage as gently as he could. "This is yer handjob hand. Yer useless now so drop that thought. And you'll fuckin' eat whatever I make, cause if not, I'll guilt trip ya to hell 'bout it." Because she had to eat something. He was pretty sure he hadn't properly in a while.

Maya laughed, knowing when she was totally called out. "Who said anything about a hand job? I had much better ideas than a hand job," she teased. She also could tell by his tone of voice that she was going to be eating, appetite or not. And all things considered, she probably should. She held her hands up in fake surrender, "Okay, okay I'll eat. Although we should probably skip dessert. I wouldn't trust anything I made in the last few weeks to be not emotionally unstable."

Ruby had to get the smell of the other wolves off her before she could do anything else. Ryden had moved off to sit with Maya, so Ruby went up to grab a quick shower. She closed the door so she wouldn't overhear anything the others might have to say to each other without her there, but when Ryden came in she sprayed water at him. "Ass," she smiled, though it was a bit less bright than usual. Slipping her underwear back on once she'd dried off, Ruby toweled off her hair and padded out into the adjoining room. Without being too nosy, she snagged the first shirt that looked big enough to cover most of her and pulled it on. She made sure the others could hear her coming as she padded down the stairs and joined them in the kitchen, leaning against the doorjamb as she observed them. "I heard food, booze, and handjobs... sounds like my kinda night."

 "Aww, fuck me sideways, I'm surrounded by horny spinsters." Ryden laughed when, again, the both of them ganged up on him with sexual innuendos. He'd finished with Maya's hand, putting the first aid kit away. He went for the fridge then, to see what he could find to make a decent meal for three. "It's gonna be an omelette. Cause that's pretty much all I can make and luckily, the only thing available cause that one don't think grocery shopping is a thing."

"Who you callin' spinster?" Ruby tossed a pen from the counter at him as he moved to the fridge.

"I think you may be the only man in the entire world who would think that's a bad thing," Maya teased, "I'm pretty sure it's the plot of a least a fifth of pornos." Given what he'd just said though, it was good natured teasing and nothing more. As he started on food, she sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island, knowing that her drinking would be kicking in full force any minute. Turning to Ruby, Maya asked, "You okay?"

Ryden ducked to avoid the pen thrown at him, amused. "Yeah, well, it sucks when yer all talk and no walk." Then he proceeded to make the promised food, giving the girls a minute too.

Ruby was absently rubbing her neck where the wire - some sort of silver alloy apparently - had cut into her skin. A barely there red line was slowly fading, and it didnt' hurt, but only now was Ruby starting to think about what had nearly happened. "Hmm? Yeah, I'm alright. Little weirded out... a lot pissed off... but otherwise I'm good."

Maya only laughed when Ryden accused Ruby of being all talk and no walk. From what she knew of her friend, there was still plenty of chance for walk. Although given what else Maya knew about Ruby and her feelings that window was likely rapidly closing. She nodded when Ruby explained how she felt. "Yeah, I think that's the general feeling tonight," she agreed. She glanced between Ryden and Ruby. "Oh, does anyone want anything to drink? Water? Tea? I didn't finish off the whiskey?"

She didn't ask Maya how she was, because Ruby could tell. Maya wasn't great. "I mean... if you think you can make eggs with a hand in your pants... go right ahead,” she said to Ryden.  "You owe me whiskey anyway," Ruby murmured to Maya, snagging the bottle the others had been drinking from and taking a long pull as she perched up on the counter. She let the bottle dangle from her hand. There were things she wanted to ask, but she also wanted to forget what had happened as well. Just for a bit. She took another long drink, wincing at the burn, but glad for it too.

 "I have nothin' t'say to that." Ryden confessed, lips pressed into a tight line. "Make me coffee." He requested from Maya instead, as he prepped the pan for the omelette he was about to make.

Maya started making a whole pot of coffee. She could probably use some too. It was a little difficult with her hand bandaged the way it was, but she didn't complain. Instead, she worked quietly while Ryden worked at the stove.

Ruby watched the others work, slowly draining the bottle of alcohol as the food and coffee made. It all smelled amazing, and Ruby started to slowly feel a bit better. "Alright... its too quiet," Ruby said after a minute. She slipped off the counter, taking the bottle with her and moved to snag her phone. She turned on some low music, nothing too loud, just enough to fill the space a bit.

Although he hadn't made an effort to fill up the silence, after a minute, Ryden did make his hips twitch a little to the beat of the music from Ruby's phone. He was done with the food now and moved the pan to the counter, putting something underneath because it was still hot. He produced three forks and handed the around, stabbing into the pan first for a bite. He never stopped jiggling a little to the beat of Ruby's music while at it.

Once she was eating, Maya realized just how hungry she was. For a moment, until her plate was clean, she focused on that. After depositing her dish in the sink for later though, she took one of Ruby's hands with her good one and pulled her out to dance in the empty space between the living room and kitchen.

Ruby took her fork with a murmur of thanks and ate her share of the food, which was really good. She still had the whiskey bottle - nearly gone by now - in her hand when Maya snagged her out into the kitchen. As always, Maya was warm and smelled good, so Ruby danced close, enjoying the distraction. If she didn't do something, she would end up asking questions, and that wasn't what she wanted to do right now. Not with the sounds of chanting and religious fervor still ringing in her ears. Or with the thoughts of what might've happened to Maya if she and Ryden hadn't been there. The hand holding the bottle twisted a bit in the fabric of Maya's shirt.

After eating up the rest of what the girls left because you never throw away food, Ryden joined them, dancing silly in comparison to how Maya and Ruby did but he didn't mind being the comic relief right now. He wiggled his way between them until they formed one very awkward sandwich with Ryden rocking them obnoxiously, killing all the potential for a romantic mood but at least hopefully making them laugh a little.

The events of the night, and honestly of the last few months, weighed heavily on Maya as it all wound down. Her eyelids started to droop as her movements slowed. After a minute or two, she rested her head against Ryden between them, eyes fully closed. All things considered it was a miracle she'd stayed up this long.

 Ryden eventually slowed down, just content to sway while keeping both women close. He felt Maya relax against them, her body growing heavy and movement sluggish. "Aww shit, she gunna make me carry her to bed again." He grinned, more to himself than Ruby. "Nap time, I guess. C'mon, girl." He swooped Maya up, meaning to get her upstairs to her room.

Ruby was content to just lean against the warm bundle of her friends. The whiskey had warmed her too, and she swayed along with them until Ryden moved to take Maya upstairs. She smiled at Ryden's comment, idly thinking she'd love someone to carry her up to bed, and to stay afterwards. Just to sleep. Nothing more. So she wondered if it was alright to follow. Not wanting to intrude but also not wanting to pack off to her house to sleep alone again. For now, she followed, leaning on the doorframe to watch Ryden put Maya to bed. Something fluttered past the window, and Ruby moved to look outside, but it was just a pigeon roosting for the night. She pulled the blinds tight.

 By the time Ryden got her up to her bedroom, Maya was almost entirely asleep. She'd grasped his shirt when he swooped her up. She didn't let go when he put her down in her bed.

Of course it was fine for Ruby to follow. When Ryden put Maya down, he whispered to Ruby as she shut the blinds. "Guess we sleepin' like a pile o'puppies again. Shit I do for friends, that threesome better actually happen." He grinned at her as he slipped onto the bed next to Maya. Maybe she'll let go at some point so he could at least take his shirt off.

Ruby slipped into the bed behind Ryden. "I like puppies." She felt better knowing that she was welcome in the pile. "Yeah, yeah..." Ruby said quietly, giving his arm a rub. "You're so mistreated."

#ryden bolt #Ruby Devereaux #all the beds I've made: chatzy

[hermannsthumb]

Hi! it's me again, the person who named their cat after Newton. Just wanted to share a thing that happened today I let him out and like 20 min later an older gentleman calls me to say that my dumbass of a kitten had followed him home. I had to drive over there to get him (he was fine btw, the man was really nice and even gave him some food). But like, newmann au where Hermanns cat runs away and attractive stranger Newt takes care of the kitten until Hermann comes to get him.

Anonymous said: i hc that 1 of many reasons hermann loves cats is bc they're like tiny lil mathematicians!! calculating angles n trajectory before they jump, evaluating the way things move etc. no-kaiju au hermann has 2 clever cats n finds out that newt loves cats too, so they kind of hook on to that as a small talk prompt so they don't kill each other. but one day herms has to drop smth off @ newts n finds out his cat is The Most Stupid Orange Boy Ever bc like what did he expect. ofc he loves them both anyway.

i loved both of these messages so much and i love newt and hermann and cats so im....making a little ficlet combining the two (with some stretching of the anon message)...this is SO hallmark channel original its atrocious

Hermann’s never been the type for pets, not even when he was a child. Nor has he ever been the type for caring for really any living thing. He’s not the nurturing type. He had a small terrarium with a turtle as a child (a birthday gift from a relative who’s long dead at this point) and kept a houseplant for a month (a housewarming gift from an overenthusiastic neighbor in the flat next door), but his sister claimed ownership of the turtle when he went off for university and he hasn’t seen it since, and the plant quickly withered and died from lack of natural sunlight. 

But the winter months always hit Hermann the hardest (seasonal depression compounded on top of regular depression compounded on top of Hermann’s semi-self-inflicted aching loneliness), and moving across an ocean and even further away from everything he knows is hardly helping, which is why his new therapist suggested he get a pet. An emotional support pet, he thinks they’re called. Something for Hermann to look after and have as his companion so he doesn’t spend every moment he’s not lecturing at the nearby university staring out his bedroom window at the ice and the frost and the snow and contemplating his own existence and the aforementioned aching loneliness.

So Hermann got a cat. It was either that, or try to make friends, and he’s never been good at making friends either.

It’s a nice little cat, a small grey-and-white tabby, and Hermann took a shine to it immediately at the local humane society when it peered through the cage at him with big brown eyes and mewed. If Hermann were another man, he might say he took a shine to it because it was cute.

It’s a clever cat, and fairly easy to co-habitat with, too. Hermann feeds it twice a day (morning, before lecturing, and evening, after lecturing) and buys it a scratching post and toys so it doesn’t ruin his furniture. In return, the little cat sometimes curls up on his lap as he grades assignments and on the great empty space in Hermann’s bed every night when Hermann lays down to sleep. Often it will lick Hermann’s hand, as if it’s trying to groom him, or present its plush mouse toys to Hermann as gifts in return for a head scratch. Hermann’s rather fond of it, to his immense surprise. He thinks it’s fond of him.

It’s why he’s near frantic now. He had his front door propped open for a single moment--just long enough to balance his cane with his grocery bags--and his cat took the chance and bolted past him down the hallway. By the time Hermann gathered his bearings and tore after it, it was completely gone. No way of telling where it may be, whether it ran up or down the staircase, whether it ducked into the elevator with another renter, whether it’s even still in the complex.

Hermann didn’t even name the bloody thing yet. How is he supposed to call for it?

He heats up a miserable dinner of leftover pasta and considers what to do next. His cat hasn’t a name, but it does have a collar with Hermann’s cellular number and name on it (suggested by the humane society, and Hermann, ever paranoid, was all too happy to go along with it). If someone finds his cat, they’ll surely call him. He hopes.

There are no phone calls through dinner. Hermann is too worried to grade the stack of assignments cluttering up his kitchen table and spends the evening staring out the window at the ice, and the frost, and the snow...

His cell phone rings; Hermann answers it immediately. “Hello?” he says.

“Uh, Hermann Gottlieb?” someone says.

“Yes,” Hermann says. “Yes, that’s me. Hello.”

“I think I found your cat.”

Newton, as the man on the other end of the phone introduces himself, lives a mere two floors below Hermann (Hermann is out the door and in the elevator before he’s even hung up) and found Hermann’s cat wandering the ground floor when he came home from work. Also at Hermann’s university, to Hermann’s surprise, but biology. (Newton is very talkative; he learns a lot aout him very, very quickly.) He hadn’t even meant to take it home, he explains, it just sort of...followed him.

“Maybe he smelled my cat on me,” he laughs, once he’s shown a still-frantic Hermann into his flat. It’s messy and a little cramped, with coffee mugs and open textbooks and half-finished crochet projects strewn about, movie posters and anatomical diagrams and sketches of plants plastered up all over the (lime green) walls. Messy and cramped, and somehow immensely, and strangely, appealing.

Newton himself is strangely appealing, too. He’s about Hermann’s age, short and scruffy, with tattoos and pierced ears and thick glasses, but he smiles brilliantly at Hermann, touches his shoulder and back companionably as he steers him into his sitting room, has a loud laugh that makes Hermann feel warm and pleasant.

(Newton, Hermann admits to himself, is also cute.)

“This your little guy?” Newton says, picking up Hermann’s cat from his dingy couch. He scratches behind its ears, and it starts purring and nuzzling Newton’s chest immediately.

It is, indeed, Hermann’s grey and white tabby cat. “That’s him,” Hermann sighs. “I really am sorry about this.”

Newton smiles. “It’s fine, dude. He and my cat were chilling.” He nods back to the couch, where a fat orange and white cat is chewing on one of the tassels of Newton’s pillows. Hermann almost hadn’t seen it. “He’s such a dumbass,” Newton says, looking at the fat cat fondly, and then turns his smile on Hermann again. “Anyway, wanna stay for a bit?”

Hermann blinks in mild bewilderment. “Stay?” he says.

Newton has not stopped scratching Hermann’s cat behind the ears. “I just made a pot of coffee,” he says. “I have beer, too. Or,” he starts talking faster, clearly embarrassed, “you can just go if you want, obviously, sorry, you don’t have to--”

“I’d like coffee,” Hermann says. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Ha! Cool!” Newton says. “Lemme--” He thrusts Hermann’s cat back at him. “Get comfortable. I’ll be right back. Half and half? Sugar? Coffee, I mean, how do you want it?”

“Black,” Hermann says, holding his purring cat with one hand. “No sugar.”

Newton shoots him two thumbs up and scurries off into his kitchen, and Hermann eases himself down onto the sofa next to the fat orange cat. “What an odd little man,” he says to it. It blinks at him, then continues chewing on the pillow happily.

Hermann can’t seem to stop smiling. He catches sight of the window (nearly obscured by gaudy curtains and window gel clings that are five holidays out of season), and--for the first time in weeks--can’t seem to bring himself to care about the dreary grey winter, either.

Hermann leaves Newton’s flat two hours later, warm, happy, his cat tucked under his arm and Newton’s cell phone number (signed with a long string of x’s and o’s) tucked into his shirt pocket, a dinner date looming on his horizon.

(He moves in with Newton a year later.)

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #brought to u by my winter depression and my fat orange cat sitting next to me as i type #intellectualpencil

[claimingdemigods]

@abbyisanerd

Alright! Looks like we have a bunch of Hades requests, so let’s do Hades. Hades traits differ from Pluto traits. Hades kids traits: -Stubborn (obviously) -Accepting -Grudge holders -Independent, sometimes withdrawn -Sincere -Either very organized or not organized at all, there is No Inbetween -Supportive -Trust issues

Hades always gets the ‘bad guy’ label, but he’s really not. Honestly, out of all of the Big Three, Hades is probably one of the most. So, Hades kids aren’t the ‘bad kids’, but they’re treated like it.

Hades kids would be one of the most accepting cabins in camp. They know what it’s like to be the odd ones out, so they’re less likely to judge someone based on how “weird” they are.

Hades kids’ trust is a very fragile thing. It’s hard to gain, and if you break it, you’re most likely not going to get it back. That’s where their grudges come in.

Hades kids, used to kind of being on their own, are independent. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want friends, but they don’t need them. They can function on their own if they need to. If they need to, though. They prefer friends.

Hades kids tend to have very tight circles.

When a Hades kid loves something, goodness they love it. They are very passionate about what they do. A lot of Hades kids really like art.

Sincere! If they say something, they mean it. If they say they love you then they do.

Very straight to the point, don’t really beat around the bush. If they have opinions about you, you will hear it from them.

A lot of Hades kids tend to be in an endless cycle of their emo phase

Hades kids are very polite to people they respect. Although, like Zeus kids, any respect has to be earned and mutual.On a more serious note, a lot of Hades kids, due to either insisting on being alone or being treated badly, are more prone to depression. Or social anxiety. These lil’ pals have a hard time talking to people or making new friends, and their ADHD doesn’t help with that. Please give these pals hugs (but ask first, some might get anxiety when touched.)

Like any Big Three kids, they’re so scary when they’re mad!! Like damn, don’t anger them.Best people to be with is Athena kids or Hermes kids. Hermes kids help loosen them up, Athena kids they’ll just talk hours on end with.

HALLOWEEN. It’s true, they fucking LOVE Halloween. They will dress up in super super scary costumes, and Aphrodite campers will do the makeup. (Side note, everyone thinks about Aphrodite as girly-girl makeup. What if they were killer badass horror movie makeup artists? just let that sink in.)

Yes, Hades kids can smile. Wow, amazing thought, right? They have the ability to be happy. It’s not just sadness and darkness 24/7.

Okay, I could go on and on about Hades forever. These are the main ones I think of when I think of Hades. AS I’VE STATED BEFORE, you do not have to have all of these to be a kid of that god. Everyone is unique, everyone is different. If you liked it lemme know!

#Hades kids #Hades #Pjo #Hoo #Percy Jackson

[crickey-itsjake]

Second Gen || Self-Cubed-Para

A/N: So back in the day when I had like eight characters, I did a little dialogue experiment because of a task where I had them all talking in my brain and interacting. This is what happens when I feel like writing something ridiculous, so enjoy. And try to figure out who’s who.

First Generation for the memories if anyone remembers my oldies (which is actually poetic considering Jake was the Eighth they were all talking about)

https://hermes-comingthru.tumblr.com/post/158215108803/the-eighth-member-task

"Alex is caught up on all of her replies, we've officially reached apocalypse status."

"Wait does that make us the zombies? Are we eating her brain? I'm vegetarian so I vote not a zombie."

"Seein' as I'm the keen blonde of the situation here, I think she just needs new plots or somethin'."

"Barbie, if you assert the fact that you're the only man in this group and become the leader, I will make sure you see the same fate as a prawn. Sure you came first, but I'm sure you do that a lot."

"Don't be mean to him."

"Just because your sister puked on him one time and he took care of her doesn't mean he gets a pass for being him."

"Oi, I've been nothing but cordial to you lot. Not my fault you're crosser than a frog in a sock at me for no reason."

"Lan's going through a lot right now, I don't want her friend to also be sad. We need everyone."

"Hey new girl, you're awfully quiet. Cogs turning hard in that little Dragon dome."

"Well, I'm just contemplating our options and mathematically calculating the possible permutations of each--"

"Forget I asked."

"--possible combination of each of--"

"Are we bad influences on this youngin’ or somethin’? She's so…"

"--the other characters who could possibly interact--"

"Naïve?" 

"--with us even though it’s a small town there's a lot so if I can do some simple mental--"

"Talks faster than Arista and I didn't think that was possible."

"Yay! Fast talking friend. I like her, she's super smart."

"And talking to a vindictive bitch currently."

"How would you know? You're not even a teen. I think Ashley's being nice, although for like selfish reasons probably but I think she's like really trying to help me."

"Whatever you say, Turing."

"Well you seem to be getting along really well with all of your people. I'm very optimistic about all of your current friendships. You don't usually have many friendships so really this is wonderful, truly."

"Yeah, yeah, thank you, thank you. My solitude and isolation have been breached by the invasion of social interactions with other antisocial people. The irony is palpable. I'm using this change of scenery to fuel my creative soul."

"Haven't gotten one of 'em into your bed yet either."

"I never use my own bed, Oceania. Also look who's talking."

"I mean Lan slept in his bed so technically…"

"And he made her pancakes afterwards from what I heard. Which is super sweet. I wish a boy would make me pancakes. Or a girl. Really anyone. My brother is not a good cook... wow I miss my mom."

"At least I didn't get dream poisoned by a house elf I pissed off."

"Yeah… I'm sorry."

"That was not--"

"Good job, Dundee. You made her sad again, after I told her I didn't care that I was dreamed poisoned indirectly by her aiding a house elf."

"You guys have such strange dreams. Then again, I've had some strange real life stuff probably as weird as your dreams."

"Just wait until you have them too, mini Drag. Alternate universes are a trip and a half, and sometimes you don't even remember them. Who knows how many times I've been involved in a strangely fantastical dream."

"You sure about that poison thing, I mean--"’

"Yes."

"Okay if you’re definitely sure. And I'm glad our family is growing again. It was starting to get lonely in here. I was so used to like six other people in here."

"Four is enough."

"Nah, you weren't here in the original brood of 'em. It was a real party. Hope she gets more."

"Four is definitely enough."

"Since when have you and Alex ever seen eye to eye where your characterization and needs are concerned."

"Point taken. Welcome to Thunderdome."

"Wait there's Thunder? Oh no, where's my fort. I need--"

"That's not, hey! --Touch my throne of pillows again and I will--"

"Oh lemme help! I love pillow forts!"

"…God I hope we get another bloke in here soon."

#selfpara #self self self self para #para #stufffffff

[mirror-vicit-omnia]

Lemme tell you the most Hermes thing I have ever been delighted to experience. I was in Gump's, a store you may know that sells fancy, upscale stuff. Top floor, they sell crystal glasses and such. Literally, on the top floor. They also had a bunch of these beautiful statues, small ones for decoration in a house. I saw one of a peacock. It was carved from blue dyed stone, smooth and accented with gold paint. I thought of Hera. I don't worship Her, mostly out of a fear that is respect gone too far. I know this, so I push at it all the time and try to include Her in things. Example: I mentioned the statue to Her, asked what she thought of it. And I felt such a strong, power presence next to me I flipped. It was intense. I told Her I was scared, intimidated, and that it was a bit much. The fire alarm SHRIEKED. All the old ladies jumped. I nearly crashed into a glass case. My only thought was: Hera's-pissed-how-dare-I-talk-to-Her-AAAAAAAHHHH- Her presence had faded then vanished. And everywhere I turned, a symbol of Hermes was the first thing I saw. I could almost hear Hermes laughing. I gave Him a mental high-five because, damn, He got me good! I think Hera actually did tone down Her presence, but... I don't know. Hermes knows how to pull a classic joke, though.

#hermes*