#a) delphi is perfect and he's right there and he's my son

[warlordfelwinter]

what if i made a new guardian (<- guy who's flailing around for an oc to fixate on)

#i was thinking it would be fun to make a guy who's just the young wolf #and not turn him into something that wildly diverges from canon like i did with delphi #but the problem is #a) delphi is perfect and he's right there and he's my son #and b) it's not like i could have the fun of replaying d2 anyway #sure i can replay d1 #but red war is so fun and if i replay any destiny it will just make me sad about it again i think #if i play d2 it will be to finish lightfall with delphi #i do want to see what happens #personal #in actuality i will work on christmas presents and then maybe play some low stakes single player something or other #pathfinder or dishonored or something #i wish my brain would fixate on lark that would be nice

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 11 (SPOILERS)

Sorry for the pause in updates. (I feel like I'm jinxing myself because every other time I say that or see someone else say that, a much longer pause in updates or an indefinite hiatus immediately follows.)

So far, Leo and Calypso feel like Disney Princesses in crossover merchandise. You know that thing where Disney Princesses aren't allowed to look each other in the eye or speak to or acknowledge each other whenever they are featured together in merchandise or media? Leo and Calypso have hardly talked to each other in the ten chapters so far. I hope it's tied into the fights they've been having so there's a canonical reason rather than just author neglect. I'm here for Caleo content! Eleven-year-old me wants to see her OTP!

Admittedly, I don't remember reading too many rocky relationships in the previous series once the couples got together, so this is getting interesting to watch. Preteen me might have to cry in the corner while I break out the popcorn, 'cause if any relationship's gonna be rocky, it's going to be the one that started as a whirlwind romance that jumped into a six-month-long action adventure starring The Guy Who Was On The Run His Whole Life and The Girl Who Hasn't Left Home In Four Thousand Years.

"Four beheaded dudes" I thought we just had the one?

"flecks of feldspar glittering like stars." FELDSPAR (n.): an abundant rock-forming mineral typically occurring as colorless or pale-colored crystals and consisting of aluminosiliactes of potassium, sodium, and calcium

"It was Trophonius. My son." Fuck. Okay, that makes sense why he'd have the gift of prophecy, probably having inherited it from Apollo. Is Brieanna his half-brother or whole brother? Imagine if you were a ghost and your dad doesn't even know you or recognize you (admittedly a difficult task without a face or a head present). Speaking of the cheese ghost, someone needs to get Nico or Hazel here to exorcise him and lay him to rest. What's he been doing hanging out in the living world all this time? Do his deeds as a ghost count when being judged in the Underworld? So many questions.

"Agamethus--Trophonius's half brother. He was no son of mine." He said that so maliciously! I'm sure it wasn't meant to come out that way, but at least we have an answer now. "The poor boy had the misfortune of being the actual offspring of King Erginus" No need to insult him like that, holy moly!

"We built the temple at Delphi." Y'all're princes and famous architects. You're doubly rich. WHY DO YOU NEED TO STEAL.

"Make sure my body can't be identified." Awwww so Trophonius didn't behead him to kill him or have any malicious intent. This is heartbreaking. "You brought this upon yourself." Tbf he did, but that's no reason to let someone else die. They both brought it upon themselves. After all, Trophonius says "we" when talking about architecture and the temple and they both are princes. Still, thievery and wasted potential are not good reasons for the death penalty.

"video clips of a bearded man with curly brown hair, perfect teeth, and brilliant blue eyes . . . Not many emperors can look imperial wearing only lion-skin swim trunks, but Commodus managed." My friend showed me Commodus's character art and lemme tell you he is HOT. No, like, seriously. I'd simp. He might be hotter than Britomartis is pretty.

"very close to threatening his nearest advisor's anatomy." threatening ___'s anatomy is a good phrase. Might borrow it in the future.

"I still found Commodus attractive after so many centuries" And you'd be right. "we had a, er, complicated history" *sigh* Add another lover to Apollo's Bad Decisions Box. Apollo's "complicated histories" seem to always involve some sort of betrayal and at least one death.

"a portly man in a crimson business suit" I wanna know who this advisor is. It would make sense for it to be Trophonius, especially with his gift of prophecy, but that doesn't sound like him. The way he's described is similar to Nero, but it's obviously not him, though we can't discount relatives. "capable servants of the Triumvirate lost a little girl." Meg or Georgina? Probably Georgina 'cause Meg wouldn't run away again so soon.

"Lord Cleander" Nvm, never heard of this guy and his name doesn't sound Greek or Roman at first glance.

"any sort of plant" Wait, it could be Meg! I wonder if she had a plan all along. It doesn't seem like it. "You let a daughter of Demeter near a plant?" Jeez, they're literally, like, everywhere. What did you expect him to do, blowtorch every inch of the sidewalk before they stepped on it? Even in the city, plants are everywhere.

"Which is all she needed to teleport away!" ...Can Meg teleport? Like Nico? Honestly still not as OP as Percy, so we're all good.

"Gods only know where she is now!" "Actually . . . I'm a god. And I have no idea." I love this guy. He has my heart and soul and he has spoken nine (9) words so far.

"If she reaches Indianapolis" Are they not in Indianapolis? Are they maybe on the outskirts around where the caves are, then?

"And you're boring me . . . which is punishable by death." Okay, maybe Trophonius and Brieanna's thievery was a more severe crime by ancient standards. If this is what Cleander and Commodus are like, I truly wonder how Cleander has stayed alive so long. He isn't the most entertaining fella. "Do it, then." Oh, I guess we have our answer. He isn't lasting long at all.

"That was very entertaining, Lityerses!" LITYERSES! Midas's kid! I saw character art of him after reading The Lost Hero and I was like, Why does he have character art? He was there for less than a chapter??? So I figured he must be in TOA somehow and HERE HE IS MY BOYYYY.

"Manage all that for me, and I won't kill you. Fair?" Some pay would be nice.

"Unless you want to wait around here for morning chores." Now that's a threat that will get him moving.

I just realized the four beheaded dudes are the combo of Brieanna, Lord Cleander (Does that mean Lityerses has been promoted to Lord Lityerses?), Marcus, and Vortigern. An uncanny amount of beheaded people in one chapter. New record.

#reading trials of apollo #reading the dark prophecy #reading toa #reading tdp #toa spoilers #trials of apollo spoilers #trials of apollo #the dark prophecy #percy jackon and the olympians #apollo pjo #apollo #lester papadopoulos #caleo #team caleo #brieanna the cheese ghost #agamethus pjo #agamethus #trophonius pjo #trophonius #commodus pjo #commodus #emperor commodus #meg mccaffrey #lityerses pjo #lityerses #pjo #toa #pjo hoo toa #rrverse #riordanverse

[lumoshyperion]

Your thoughts on the Cursed Child giving us pure good Slytherins like Scorpius, Albus and Craig? I'm not a Slytherin myself but it's always good to see Hogwarts houses more nuance than a house being purely good or purely evil.

It's one of my favourite things about Cursed Child, honestly? It dismantles a lot of the preconceived notions about Slytherin, and it critiques Harry and his friend’s opinions on them. It takes that scene at the end of the books ("What if I am put in Slytherin?") and expands upon it.

I've already answered a question about Craig, so I'll mostly talk about Albus and Scorpius and their relationship with their house. It's interesting seeing or hearing how each actor responds in the sorting scene. Scorpius varies from annoyed, but not surprised - to happy and relieved, in Nyx's case. But Albus is always shocked. Sean changed her reaction up every time I saw her. Sometimes they were smiling. Still riding on the high of that conversation in the train carriage to Hogwarts - which made the look in their eyes at the sorting hat's decision all the more heartbreaking. And sometimes she was already terrified. Wringing her hands, her eyes darting through the audience as the hat stalls over Albus' house. And then it happens, and they go completely still with shock.

There's a lot of stock put into characters choosing their houses, but I don't think Albus or Scorpius had a choice. Albus didn't ask for Slytherin and, even if he did, how do we know that the hat would have put him there just because he asked and not because it's where he belonged? I think a lot of people used to misinterpret the traits of a Slytherin as purely bad or black and white. Ambition? Cunning? Doing anything to get what they want? Surely these aren't the traits of a good person. Surely no one that has the ability to be kind or selfless would be sorted into Slytherin.

But one of the major bullies of Scorpius and Albus is Polly Chapman, and she's in Gryffindor. Rose, also in Gryffindor, claims that she used to be best friends with Albus, but it's clear from their conversations that she doesn't talk to him anymore and that he doesn't trust her anymore. Even his older brother is a model Gryffindor student, and yet he teases Albus constantly. Something we forget is that these are all teenagers. Scorpius, Albus, and Rose are characters we first meet when they're eleven years old, and their arcs in the play end when they're fourteen. We're all still developing our sense of self at these ages. None of us knew who we were or what we wanted. We acted based on impulse and on years of influence from our parents, our family, our friends - anyone older than us who we believed must have known better.

There's something inherently flawed about putting eleven year old’s into houses that whittle them down to the most basic of traits. Because it's not as simple as that? Hermione could have been a Ravenclaw - she's got the brains for it, and the thirst for learning. But she could have been a Slytherin, too - isn't her ambition one of the first pieces of dialogue about her in the play? Craig could be a Hufflepuff. He's kind and loyal, he's quiet and shy. We see very little ambition from him in the play, although we do know that he's prefect and that he's clever enough to be able to do the Scorpion King's homework as well as his own. I think Craig is a perfect example of houses not defining a student's entire personality. He's the perfect example of how much more complex and nuanced these kids are, beyond what their houses say about them.

With Scorpius and Albus, we have a clearer idea of why they were sorted into Slytherin. We see how well Scorpius does in the other reality, concealing his true feelings and moving from each scene with such clear goals in mind and without ever faltering in his search for answers. There's something he says in the Forbidden Forest to Snape that I think sums my answer up really well - "The world changes and we change with it. I am better off in this world." Because, like it or not, he is popular in this world. He is well liked and respected in this world. He sees that and a part of him enjoys that - he and Albus even discuss it later on in the dormitory, and Scorpius reveals how much braver and stronger he feels for his experiences. But, as he goes on to say, "the world is not better. And I don't want that."

It's about the fact that, while he does enjoy being popular and respected, none of that matters because he still sees how cruel and jaded the Scorpion King is. He sees Craig cowering at the sight of him in the library and he hates it. Of course he fixes the world because he knows it can't go on like this. But he also fixes it because he looks right through the power and strength of his alternate self, and he sees a selfishness and cruelty that he cannot accept. When Sean's Albus would laugh and bring up Polly Chapman fancying Scorpius, Nyx would give the most unimpressed shrug. And then their voice would lower and their expression would darken, as they explained just how awful the Scorpion King was. How none of that popularity or respect mattered, because it concealed an evil that Scorpius hated to have found existed in himself, even in another reality.

And continuing with the theme of that scene in the dormitory, we also hear Albus dismantling his own actions that he's made up until that point. He worries that he only wanted to save Cedric to prove himself. He only put their lives on the line because he wanted to show the world that he isn’t just Harry Potter’s son. That he isn’t just a Slytherin in a family of Gryffindors - that he can be brave and heroic, too. But there are different kinds of bravery. And Albus could have done anything he wanted to remove himself from the shadow of his dad. He’s a clever kid. He’s cunning and resourceful - he’s more of a Slytherin than even Scorpius, who comes from a family of Slytherins. But instead, he overhears a grieving father begging Harry to give him his son back, and he decides to do something about it. He decides to put himself at risk, running away from school and changing time itself to save the life of a complete stranger. Because he sees the love Amos has for Cedric - the kind of love he doesn’t feel from his own dad - and instead of feeling jealous or angry, he... wants to help. He wants to do what his dad cannot and bring an old man his son back. That’s kind. That’s heroic. 

“When Amos Diggory asked for the Time-Turner my father denied they even existed. He lied to an old man who just wanted his son back - who just loved his son. And he did it because he didn’t care... because he doesn’t care. Everyone talks about all the brave things Dad did. But he made some mistakes too. Some big mistakes, in fact. I want to set one of those mistakes right. I want us to save Cedric.” - Albus, Act One Scene Three.

“I know what it is to be the spare. Your son didn’t deserve to be killed, Mr Diggory. We can help you get him back.” - Albus, Act One Scene Fourteen.

"Cedric? Your dad loves you.” “What?” “Your dad loves you. Very much. I just thought you should know that.” - Albus and Cedric, Act Three Scene Twenty. 

In the final scene, Albus talks about how he wanted Delphi killed for what she did, and he says that maybe this is his “Slytherin side”. Maybe this is what the sorting hat saw in him. Because even after everything, even after all that he experienced and all that he’s seen in both Scorpius and Craig and the other Slytherin students, he’s still held down by the misconceptions about Slytherin. And that’s so unfair? It’s unfair that children have been made to feel like this. Albus is empathetic. Scorpius is kind. Craig is loyal. But they’re put into a box that none of them asked for and that is so hard to wrap your head around at that age. Because you don’t know what you did wrong, but you do know that it must have been something because suddenly everyone treats you differently. So you try to explain it to yourself. You think of everything you’ve ever said or done in a different light. And you wonder if maybe, just maybe, you are what they say you are. And you start to doubt every part of you that’s good or kind or compassionate. And it’s something that Albus struggles with the most in the play. And I’m going to close this ask with some quotes from Draco to Harry, because I think I’ve gone on for too long and because what he said is very relevant. 

“You can’t talk to Albus. I can’t talk to Scorpius. That’s what this is about. Not about my son being evil. Because as much as you might take the word of a haughty centaur, you know the power of friendship.”

“My father thought he was protecting me. Most of the time. People say parenting is the hardest job in the world - they’re wrong - growing up is. We all just forget how hard it was. I think you have to make a choice - at a certain point - of the man you want to be. And I tell you at that time you need a parent or a friend. And if you’ve learnt to hate your parent by then and you have no friends... then you’re all alone. And being alone - that’s so hard.”

“Maybe the black cloud Bane saw was Albus’s loneliness. His pain. His hatred. Don’t lose the boy. You’ll regret it. And so will he. Because he needs you and Scorpius.”

ask me questions about year two, year three, and other things!

#Cursed Child #ccsquad #Craig Bowker Jr #Craig Bowker #Albus Potter #Scorpius Malfoy #Ask

[aimee-maroux]

Plato-nic Love (Part I)

I sadly didn’t finish the whole story in time but this is part one of Seren and Plato’s epic love story for the ages XD

Illustrations were done by the wonderful @sigeel​ 😍😍😍

So this submission is by the two of us!

Plato-nic Love

Seren poured a libation of wine and started working on the grapevine that had been growing in the family garden for a while. At first, her mother had tried to get rid of it but it had proven the essence of indestructable life and so they had accepted its presence much like Seren had come to accept the presence of its patron god. She was about to cut off a branch to use for making a crown later on when she heard a familiar voice. "How is my favourite bacchae?" She sighed. It had been about a year since she had agreed to become his faithful follower and needless to say she was still the only one. "Do you know what day it is?" Seren started frantically going through all the calendars she had studied, from the reconstructed Attic calendar to the Roman calendar before and after the Julian reform -what moon phase were they in again? "You always think we don't care about these things but I have a sursprise for you." Dionysos flashed her a bright smile. "What?" she said flatly. A surprise from a god couldn't possibly mean anything good.

"I SAID: I have a SURPRISE for you!" Confetti and flower petals started raining down on them and from above sounded a rustic melody played on pan pipes. Seren looked up to see Hermes sitting on a treebranch, grinning as he played the instrument his son invented. "Ha ha, very funny, Hermes." Dionysos took Seren by the shoulders. "He was supposed to play the Time Warp. Because it's exactly ONE YEAR TODAY that you became my bacchae and do I have a surprise for you!" "Yeah, you said so. But maybe it would be better if-" "Nonsense! As your patron god I am exceedingly generous. You see, I have noticed your infatuation with Plato." "You don't say." "Yes. Anyway, Hermes was so nice to pay grandfather Kronos a visit and relieve him of a little artef- well, details, it doesn't matter! What is important is that you will get to meet Plato!" "Really?!" There was a nagging voice in Seren's head that told her to be careful but Dionysos had just told her she'd get to meet Plato! "Really. All you have to do is take my hand. But I have another gift for you. Hermes, come down here!" The messenger god swung himself lazily from the tree and floated down until his winged sandals touched the ground. "My brother pointed out that you might have difficulties speaking ancient Greek fluently so he will grant you the ability to speak it like a native for as long as you give up your native English." Seren gaped. "That... is surprisingly thoughtful of you." "Hermes, do it! And no nonsense like giving her a lisp or a foreign accent!" "Of course not. Why would I do that?" Hermes grinned at Seren. "I'd not even be there to see it." "What? Now? Wait!" Seren cried out as divine magic rearranged the synapses in her speech centre. "I did not agree-" "She'll speak fluently once you arrive in Greece," Hermes said, "Once you return, the magic wears off." Dionysos gave his brother a suspicious look. Then he beamed. "Perfect!" Dionysos clapped enthusiastically. "Hold on tight!" He pulled her into his embrace and Seren instinctively hugged him. The world around them began to blur and the heavens seemed to turn back as they sped through time and space. There was a sudden jolt and the world was clear once again. Only, it looked strange. But not strange enough for Seren not to recognise her patron god had spoken the truth. This was ancient Athens! She felt a nasty queasiness but she was much too excited to care about that just now. She had known about polychromy but the sheer explosion of colours in the city made her heart sing. The reconstructions were mere shadows of the vibrant paint on the statues, buildings, and clothes. And the Akropolis! It looked majestic even now but the ruins were nothing compared to the magnificence of colour and architecture. Seren stood in awe, even though they were miles away down in a sidestreet. Potters had laid out their painted vases and other works as they created new ones. Seren couldn't decide what to see first, jumping this way and that until the unsavoury sound of regurgitation briefly diverted her attention. Dionysos leaned against the mudbrick wall of a house and puked his guts out. "How can you be so chipper?" Dionysos groaned, wiping his mouth. "You're mortal!" We travelled both time AND space. You should be barfing like a youth at his first symposion." But Seren just ignored him in her euphoria. "It's Athens!" she cried. "ANCIENT Athens!" "That fleet-foorted son of a-" "What? What is it?!" "Nothing, nothing. Everything is fine. I just..." Dionysos leaned against the mudbrick house. "Hermes could have said something about the inconvenience of travelling." Seren shrugged. Who cared, they were already there. "I want to see EVERYTHING!!! The sculptures! The pottery! The architecture! The clothes..." "Speaking of which..." Dionysos grinned. "We should get you something less 2020. If you want to meet Plato, we need a certain disguise. And you want to look your best for him, right?" Seren screwed up her face. "Plato isn't about looks. He's about the beauty of the soul." "Well, if you want to go dressed in that tasteless pink sweater and leggings combination. But let me tell you, nothing looks better on a woman than a finely woven chiton." "Yeah, you're not at all biased." "It's one of the few things even Apollo and I agree on, so it must be true." Seren would have been happy just roaming the streets of ancient Athens for a couple of days. Or for however long this time thingy would allow. The prospect of meeting Plato both exhilarated and terrified her.

Dionysos bought her an elegant chiton in the extremely crowded agora. Seren hardly suppressed a squeal when he paid with real ancient drachmae. Only they didn't look ancient at all. "Why is nobody staring?" she asked, as another group of people walked past them without paying them any mind. "Did you put glamour over my modern clothes?" Dionysos laughed. "No need, honeybee. This is Athens. At a time like this they get tourists from all over the world. One strange, foreign costume is not going to turn any heads." He pulled her away from the merchants and splendour of the agora into the entrance of a seemingly abandoned house. "Put it on," he said, handing her the chiton. "Don't peek!" she reminded him before she changed into her new garment. It felt cool and pleasant on her skin and the quality of the linen was indeed fantastic. Despite the loose fit the fabric was so delicate it hugged her figure in an almost revealing way, making her feel exposed. "Is this really acceptable dress?" she asked. "Only with this worn over it." Dionysos came up behind her, closing another layer of cloth over her shoulders with simple dress pins. "You look great, honeybee," he said sincerely. "Plato can consider himself lucky. You got the brains, you got the looks, and even that austere, joyless personality to match." "I get the impression you don't like Plato much." Dionysos slung the belt around her waist and fastened it. "What gave it away? My graffiti, my groaning everytime you bring him up, or the charming way I speak about him?" "The graffiti was a pretty obvious hint." "I hope you appreciate my gift all the more, honeybee." "I do." She smiled. "But I don't think I could appreciate it any more than I already do. This is a dream come true. The most exciting day of my life. More exciting even than Delphi." "Be careful not to tell Apollo," Dionysos warned but he looked pleased. "Sure. If I ever run into him I'll remember it." As they stepped outside, the streets were empty. "Where is everybody?" "Oh, it must be time to crown the victors." "Victors? Of what? It's too cold to be July, isn't it?" "Not the Panathenaic Games." Dionysos smiled broadly. "It's not an athletic contest. Today..." He made a dramatic pause. "Is the last day of the Great Dionysia!" "Oh." Seren was disappointed. "So we can't go and watch any of the plays?" "I'm afraid it is too late for that. But I can show you my theatre and the temple with my cult image if you want."

Seren politely admired the simple wooden log that was supposed to be a representation of Dionysos and genuinely marvelled at the masks that had been dedicated below it. She patiently listened to Dionysos as he recounted the story of the very first Dionysia in Athens and how he used to mingle among the crowd every year to watch what the people of Athens had put on the stage in his honour. Once they arrived at the theatre it was already empty but it was a stunning sight all the same. Seeing everything intact and in its full glory filled Seren with unknown joy. The decorations, both permanent and temporary, were as colourful and flamboyant as the god they honoured. When they made it back to the streets of Athens, there were already groups of shouty drunk people roaming about. "Victory parties," Dionysos explained when he saw Seren's face. "In fact, we are about to attend one too. But first..." A purple mist shrouded the god's body and when it dispelled, his simple chiton had given way to a slutty ankle-length skirt that hung low enough to expose part of his bum cheeks, his arms, wrists, and ankles adorned with golden jewellery. "I know you practiced with the aulos. You're gonna be a flute girl." Seren startled. "What? No! I'm not nearly good enough!" Dionysos shrugged, making his golden bracelets clink. "I don't think I need to tell you that other kinds of women are not allowed at symposia. Unless you want to play the role of a hetaira..." "F-Flute girl is fine."

They arrived at a house that obviously belonged to someone well-to-do. "A group of revellers is about to show up here any minute. We'll join them to enter the symposion. Trust me, they're too drunk to realise we don't belong." Seren nodded nervously. "Now would be the time to ditch that respectable dress." Reluctantly, Seren freed herself of the protective extra layer of clothing and received the aulos flutes Dionysos handed her. The revellers did indeed show up. Loud and obnoxious, it was impossible not to notice them. A man in his late 20s or early 30s led the group. Half-naked and well into his cups, crowned with a wreath of ivy and violets, he was all but carried by two sturdy lads who looked like they were half-naked professionally. "Come!" Dionysos tugged on her arm and they danced along, she awkwardly, he with a grace and confidence she envied. The leader of the group pounded against the door and yelled for "Agathon". Seren's heart skipped a beat. "Is that... Alkibiades?!" she whispered to Dionysos. "The very same." "We are at THAT Symposium?!!" "We most certainly are." Seren gaped at the man who would eventually be the ruin of Athens by defecting to Sparta and then to Persia. He rattled the door, shouting "Agathon!" and dropped his single piece of clothing in the process, quickly picked up by his lads. Seren shrieked when the man suddenly leaned heavily on her, his arms reeling for support. Dionysos was quick to jump to his other side, taking most of the load off his bacchae. "AGATHON!" Alkibiades yelled once more, in the manner drunks yelled on their way home from the pub after closing hours. He kept demanding to see Agathon with a heavy tongue until a servant boy finally opened up and led them to the andron. Alkibiades managed to stand on his own, stumbling towards the host of the party while announcing how completely and utterly wasted he was. "Let's bring the bacchic spirit to this lame party!" Dionysos cheered. Seren gazed around with stars in her eyes. The room was bright with torches and the klinai were populated by men both young and old but all shirtless and all with crowns of ivy on their heads. She looked more closely at the guests while Alkibiades spoke to Agathon, probably congratulating him for his victory. But none of the symposiasts looked like any of the artworks she had seen of Plato. They were most likely created after his death anyway. "Soooo..." She leaned on Dionysos' shoulder. "Where is Plato?" Dionysos gestured at the kline at the very end of the room, occupied by two young men. "The dark-haired one."

"THAT is Plato?! I thought he'd be at least in his 30s!" Dionysos grinned a smug grin. "He wrote the Symposion in his late 30s. But this, honeybee, is the year the titular symposion actually took place. The first year of the 91st Olympiad. Or, as you would say, 416 BCE." Seren gaped at the young man seated on a couch with a blond youth. He had long, curly hair crowned with a wreath of ivy like all the symposiasts, young and old. A strong, Greek nose gave his face a distinct personality. Who would have thought the man Seren knew only from his words and artwork showing him as an old man could be so... hot. The blonde guy leaned over, whispering something to him. Maybe they were flirting. It wasn't anything unusual back in the day, Seren knew that. But they seemed to be about the same age. Shouldn't- "Play, flute girl," Dionysos nudged her with his elbow, "I'll clear the kline for you."

Seren watched him shimmy over to the pair and tried to remember how to play the aulos. She had practiced so much but right now it felt as if she knew nothing at all. Her idol, Plato, might be listening! Her cheeks burned as she blew into the wooden instrument, the tune an embarrassing version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Despite playing the role of a dancer, Dionysos sat down with the two no doubt aristocratic young men in his usual impudent manner. The blond youth's face turned sour. "What is the meaning of this?" "I came for the entertainment." "We are very well entertained by each other's company, thank you." Dionysos gave the blonde guy a cheeky grin. "Does your company agree?" He crawled on the kline until he basically sat on Plato's lap, prompting the young philosopher to blush. How cute! "Some people can be such a dull affair, talking about nothing but themselves all the time." The angry blond yanked Dionysos off Plato. "This was a philosophical symposion before you arrived!" "Yes. And to shame! You are celebrating a victory at the Dionysia. Where is the revelry?" "There are countless symposia all over Athens. Why did you have to come and ruin this one?" "You know exactly that I didn't ruin anything. But please, if you have any grievances take it up with my master. Alkibiades." "You know what? I will!" The blond aristocrat got up from the kline and grabbed Dionysos by the wrist, effectively pulling him off the kline. He dragged the god behind him as he made for the door, leaving Plato all alone on his bed of colourful cushions. Dionysos winked at her as they passed and it was at that moment that Seren noticed that his "friend" was the only one wearing laurel instead of ivy. Did they just... cock-block Apollon? But not all is lost, she reasoned, if Plato likes Apollon, he likes blondes, right? Right?

Shyly, Seren sat down next to the man whose teachings she still hadn't figured out. And maybe neither did he. He was so young and handsome. She was close enough to smell his heavy perfume and either oil or sweat or both made his chest gleam in the firelight. It really was quite hot in here. He didn't fit the stereotype of the philosopher at all, being so young and handsome and quite brawny. But no matter how hot he was, his physical appearance was dwarfed by the beauty of his brain and thoughts. His intelligence was that much hotter. That being said, Seren liked to think she would be less flustered if the man were old enough to be her father. But he was not. He must be about her own age. "We got rid of the other flute girl." "Wa-What?" "You must know there were already celebrations with heavy drinking last night. Surely you played at Alkibiades' place or some other house?" Seren nodded timidly. "So Pausanias suggested we refrain from drinking tonight and we ended up sending away the flute girl as well. A shame, because before you came in, it was all boring speeches of the old men assembled here. I enjoy the delightful harmony of music much, much more." "You don't like philosophy?" "Of course I do, but not at a drinking party celebrating the Dionysia. You're not from here, are you?" "Ahm, no?" "I don't think I've met a Spartan flute girl. Most of them come from Peiraieús." Seren laughed nervously. What the fuck, Hermes?! "I hope it's not a problem?" she mumbled. "No, no. I'm just surprised. Do you have a name, dear?" "I... I am Seren." "Seiren? What a fitting nickname! My name is-" "I know who you are!" Seren gushed, "I-I-I admire you greatly, Plato!" "Oh?" To Seren's great relief he smiled. "So you have seen me compete?" "Uh, yes, of course!" Seren would be thrilled to see him at any competition, really. "It's just a silly name my wrestling coach gave me. To intimidate my rivals, he says." "I like it!" "You like my broad shoulders, Seiren?" Seren blushed. "No, that's not what I, uh..." "It's all right. Lots of women admire them." "Ahahaha." Was he flirting with her? Or just bragging? "You may be an outstanding athlete," she said, "But I admire your words even more." "My poetry?" Now it was his time to blush. "Did you play it?" "Not yet." Seren decided to be bold, "People want to hear the same songs, Sappho, Pindar and the like. But... But maybe you can teach me how to play yours?" "No I... I burned them all." "Why would you do that?" "I wanted to focus better on my studies. Maybe I made the wrong call. Mousaios, the guy who just left? He said music is like medicine and can create harmony between opposites, that a musical education is helpful in the study of philosophy. Ah, I don't know. I don't want to bore you, flute girl." "You're not boring me, Plato. Please, tell me your thoughts!" And then, all of a sudden, a large drunken group walked into the room and joined the party, Dionysos among them. There was noise everywhere, and Plato leaned in very close and asked: "What do you say, Seiren. Shall we make our excuses and leave?"

to be continued...

#Quarantined Bacchae #The Last Bacchae #fanfiction #The Last Bacchae fanfiction #Linda Sejic #fanart #The Last Bacchae fanart #Seren Calvert #Dionysos #Hermes #Platon #Plato #Apollon #Apollo #Seren x Plato epic love story for the ages? #Plato x Apollo missed romance #I hope you have a good laugh #written with love

[valkyriesryde]

Release the Hounds {11/?}

Chapter 11: Wine Plays Tricks on the Tongue

Pairing: Persephone!Steve Rogers x Hades!Reader

Chapter Summary: Steve goes looking for Hades as he thinks about all he’s been told and realises that things still aren’t right...

Word Count: 3,532

A/N: WARNING: There is some talk about Cassandra and trigger warning themes in her myth like rape and death though the former is not explicitly said and just a passing piece of fact Well this is long overdue, I really struggled with this chapter, I spent weeks just looking at the document but I’m really happy with how it turned out, we’re getting near the end and these arcs are finally coming to their point, I’m really happy with Steve’s character and how far along he’s come and I hope you guys can forgive me for the long gap in updates and enjoy it to!

Steve spent days wandering the halls of Hades’ home. He explored her library and read about the history of the mortal world through both fiction and non-fiction works. He spent three days going into the fields with the judges and observing and questioning them as they worked. He helped Harley and Charon move souls through the gates in the morning and in the afternoon he would do as he pleased.

Today it was brisk but warm if that were such a thing. The sun kissed his face as it streamed through the open windows but the air bit at his skin when he stepped out of the light. He wasn’t quite sure what to do today. He wanted to see Hades, but that was a constant thought in his head, wondering what she was doing, why he hadn’t see her much since he’d taken residence in the Underworld. 

“She’s just busy, don’t take it personally. There’s a lot she has to do at the moment,” Wanda had said to him when he asked why he’d barely seen her.

“Or do take it personally,” Harley had muttered under his breath with a mouth full of food, the good stuff too, from Olympus that Wanda had made Peter bring just for Steve. 

“You’re not a fan of me,” Steve noted snatching the bread before Harley could get to it, if the only food he was allowed to eat was that from Olympus he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight.

“I’m not a fan of your kind, I’m on the fence about you.” Harley snarked back.

 Steve did take it personally. This entire time, the entire time he’d been curious and asking and learning about the Underworld he’d always been told Hades took a hands on approach. But now she’s hiding in her office and it’s all because he’s here.

The door creaked open and Steve couldn’t hear a sound or see anything out of the ordinary when he stepped into her office.

“Hello? I knocked but there was no-are you here?” He asked the empty room. No one sat at her desk, there wasn’t a paper askew. Yet Steve could have sworn he watched her walk in here a couple hours ago and he hadn’t seen or heard her leave since. “I know you’re in here.”

He stepped further into the office, it was much tidier than it had been the last time he was here, apart from the desk where piles of paper threatened to fall. Behind her desk were floor to ceiling windows of the gates, to its side were towering bookshelves that held all the greats and some not so much. She had paintings and statues, she had her armour sitting by the door on display. It was so different from the rest of her home, it didn’t feel like a home in here, it was a place of power and work. 

Or maybe that’s just what Steve felt. He had the same feeling in his gut as he did all those weeks ago on stage, that same feeling he got when she was near him. Power, calmness, stability. It enveloped him like a hug but it wasn’t as close as it was on stage it was creeping away from him. 

“I can feel you,” he whispered to the empty room, trying to find any clue as to where she was. “I don’t know why but I can feel when you’re near me,” it got stronger until it was all around him and he thought he could feel the air shift by his cheek until it was snatched away. “I can’t explain it, I don’t know what’s happening and I feel like people are keeping things from me.” 

Steve didn’t know why he was spilling this information to an empty room, though he wasn’t completely convinced it was empty. He needed to get it out. He’d bottled up these feelings for years, the feeling that he never knew the whole story, that people were always telling him half truths or that there was always something more to it. 

“It’s like I’m being told bits of the story and just expected to figure out the rest for myself but I can’t!” He was desperate, he just wanted to know why this was all happening. Why was it such a big deal? 

He knew about World War II, he knew about Demeter and Hades’ fight, about how they always went head to head but he just couldn’t shake the feeling in his gut that that wasn’t all it was. Gods hold grudges, that much is true, and it’s perfectly reasonable to expect them to continue hating each other over one event for all this time. But they hated each other before that, from what Bucky had told him that was the last straw, there had to be something before that.

“You know what else I can’t get my head around?” His voice was strangled in his throat, his brows furrowed down as he started to pace the silent office. “Why I’m in the middle of it? I know I’m Demeter’s son, I know that I stood up for you. That doesn’t explain her outburst, she could have just refused, she could have locked me in the garden or on earth. She didn’t have to fight because she has the power, she has always had the power over me.” Slowly, the clues started clicking in his head, events started to make sense. “I know you’re the one person she hates most, I know that she fears you to an extent but none of her reactions or actions are what I expected from her. So I can’t help but thinking, I just- what if- what if it’s me? What if this isn’t about her hatred for you, what if this isn’t about Ares or World War II, it’s not about you sitting on the council. It’s about me, it’s about my interest in you, it’s about how I feel about you.”

A book fell from its shelf suddenly, it lay open on the floor and Steve jumped at the sudden crash before bending down and picking up the book. The page it had opened to talked about Oedipus, a man who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Steve knew the story, most did, there was an entire psychological theory based on his misfortune. Although the page the book had opened on didn’t focus on his relationship with his mother. Instead, it talked about the continuing efforts in the myth of preventing prophecy. About how Oedipus was destined to kill his father so was given away as a baby. When Oedipus found out he was destined to kill his father he assumed it was the father he had grown up with, the man who had helped raise him because that’s who he believed his father to be. He attempted to avoid this by leaving home and never returning. But in the end, as the book told Steve, prophecies have a way of coming to be no matter how much we try and stop it, and Oedipus killed his birth father and married his mother just like the oracle in Delphi had told him he would. 

Steve turned the book over and read the title ‘Lessons Learned in Myth’ then the chapter title ‘Why one shouldn’t work against fate’. He stood there looking at the book, mulling over the words, over what it meant. He thought about what he’d been told, the facts that he knew. None directly related to the fates or any sort of oracle or prophecy that he could think of. Except what Bucky had said about Cassandra going to Hades and then him, but that was so long ago surely it was just Bucky reminiscing. 

“…you should know not to take things you’re told at face value” Sam had told him. Was that Bucky trying to tell him something? Was there a prophecy that he didn’t know about? 

“That’s why she kept me in the dark about everything,” he whispered to himself, it made sense, why she wouldn’t let him near the council, why Demeter tried to make him hate Hades so much. “Its her and I, there’s a prophecy with Hades and I and Demeter doesn’t want it to happen-“

A crash came from behind him and Steve jumped and dropped the book. He spun on his feet and was met with Hades’ helmet clattering and spinning on the floor, the door wide open. She was here! Though Steve had no time to register that has he ran after her.

“Wait!” He called and caught her in the foyer. He grabbed her wrist and she turned to face him, panic in her eyes but anger behind them. “I’m right aren’t I?! There’s a prophecy with you and I and that’s why everything has blown up because it’s happening! Isn’t it?!” He was angry and he didn’t want to yell at her but by all the gods he was fuming at how he’d been kept in the dark by everyone he loved, he was betrayed. 

“She shouldn’t know of its existence, this doesn’t make sense!” Hades pulled her wrist out of his grip and ran her fingers through her hair, she paced in front of him mumbling, “theres now way - only Loki and Bucky and - Thor must have - but he swore -“

“HADES!” He yelled and her mumbling and movement stopped as she looked at him. 

That’s when it clicked for her, she’d memorised the prophecy years ago, she’d spent centuries thinking of the possibilities, of what each line and each word could mean. She had a strong feeling Harley was right about the first line. 

When the wind is still and the air is cold, the sun will shine in Hades.

It was still spring in the Underworld and with every day it got warmer and the northern hemisphere of the mortal world got colder. It made perfect sense though that the words Cassandra had repeated wouldn’t be in order of events. She broke it down in her head, each line until she found what she was looking for and she whispered it into the air between her and Steve.

“But the daffodil will grow through the cracks of the grave.” 

He looked at her like she was the Hydra and had grown two more heads.

“Tell me the truth, the whole truth…Now.” He said through gritted teeth and she nodded her head and pulled him out the door. 

“I will, now, on the way.”

“Where are we going?” Her fingers laced with his and he couldn’t help the floating feeling in his stomach when she tightened her grip for a second with no sign of letting go. Was this real? Was what he feeling real? Was it a romantic attraction towards her? Or was it just this prophecy? 

“To see a girl.” 

Cassandra. A priestess, a daughter to a king, a victim of Troy, and a victim of Apollo. She comes from a famous family, her brother, Hector, was a Trojan hero during the Trojan War. Her father was King Priam of Troy. She herself is also famous in antiquity, believe it or not but it isn’t often that gods fall head over heels for humans (attraction is different from affection). So the girl who Apollo fell for is always a tale to remember. She was, and still is, clever and sarcastic beyond her looks though still beautiful as ever. Bucky tried during the years of the war to catch her eye, he would send her gifts, he would find her watching the carnage and try and talk to her. She never relented, Cassandra had no eyes for the god, at least not in the way he wanted. With one final attempt he offered her his greatest gift, the ability to see the future as it was to be. 

Yet she still refused his hand, her loyalty was to her family and Troy, they couldn’t be together since he was a god and she was just human. So Bucky got angry and instead of taking her gift away he let her keep it, but no prophecy she told would be believed. He said she pulled him along, that he tempted her and lied to her, entertained his feelings towards her without ever having the intention of actually being with him. She told him he deserved it, she took a vow of chastity and even as a priestess of Apollo, she would not be his. He told her she deserved what she got and hoped this would be a lesson to never toy with one’s heart again. 

It wasn’t Bucky’s proudest moment…

She was seen as mad by her family, every time she warned them of the war, of Paris and what he and Helen would bring to troy she was pushed aside and ignored. Eventually, it did drive her mad, she was angry and violent towards Helen as she knew that she was to blame for the destruction of her home. 

When she warned the Trojans about the wooden horse and the fate of herself and others they ignored her. Every single one, Odysseus’ journey home, Aeneas’s escape, Agamemnon’s death, all of them were disregarded. When Hector died she became more frantic and frustrated, she cursed the name Apollo. She became suicidal, attempting to burn the Trojan Horse herself since no one believed her. When Troy fell she sought help from Athena, and hid in Natasha’s temple and Natasha had to witness the brutality and wrath that the Greek hero Ajax thrust upon her, even the goddess who was an ally to the Greeks wept for Cassandra. Until she died violently with Agamemnon. 

Upon her judgment at the gates of the Underworld she was deemed worthy of Elysian fields and followed Pietro to her new home as a hero and devote prophet. Her dedication to what is right and to the gods proved her worth. Her curse did not carry over to the Underworld, Hecate made sure that curses made on the living did not affect the dead. However, her gift of fortune wasn’t a curse, and so it slipped through the cracks and she now found that she was able to see the future and those around her that would listen believed her. 

It took some time, for a long time she hated her gift, it had brought her nothing but bad luck and she ignored every prophecy, she ignored the visions of Caesar and the Roman Empire, the crusades, she ignored it all. Until she saw Hades. 

Cassandra didn’t know the man with her, she didn’t recognise the location they were, she felt the cold of the snow on her fingertips and she saw the droplets of gold on the ground. The words played in her head and she knew she had to tell someone. So she ran to Pietro who ran to Hades who ran to Bucky who claimed she was wrong. Until he remembered the curse and until she showed him the vision. That’s when Thor and Loki were brought in, that’s when Sam and Wanda were told about the prophecy that Cassandra had seen. 

Hades told Steve all of this on their way to Cassandra in the Elysian field. She told him that those that knew made a vow not to tell anyone else, that no one needed to know unless absolutely necessary. 

“How long has Demeter tried to convince you to hate me?” Her pace slowed as they neared the lush grass and could see Pietro in the distance already with Cassandra. 

“For as long as I can remember, it definitely became more apparent after World War II but I figured that was just because of-“

“That’s possible, but I think she knew before that. She was angry at me before I even appeared at the council, before that day. He must have told her before that. Cassandra, meet Steve, god of Spring,” Hades let Steve’s hand fall from her own as she introduced him to the prophet that started this all. 

“The daffodil,” she smiled and Steve was confused for a second until he remembered what Hades had said and realised that he was the daffodil, in the prophecy and on the gates, it was a symbol for him. 

“Why did you call us here Hades?” Pietro asked as Sam and Wanda joined them. Cassandra sunk into Pietro’s side in the presence of the gods around her, Steve noticed how frightened and small she was even though she tried to appear as anything but. 

“Demeter knows about the prophecy.”

“What?!” the judges exclaimed but Hades attention was on Cassandra.

“This is very bad my queen,” she whispered, she was pressed against Pietro’s side now but he wasn’t fazed by how her body tried to slip through his. 

“Is there anything else you can tell us Cassandra? Anything at all?” She bit her lip, she hadn’t told her about the snow or the dripping gold, she’d only told Bucky as she feared what it meant. She couldn’t fathom the idea of her queen dying at the hands of another god, or even him, Steve, god of spring who was destined to be with Hades. Cassandra refused to think of the possibilities.

“No, I’ve told you everything I know. If he is here,” she nodded towards Steve, “then the prophecy has already begun, if his mother knows this too… all we can do is let it happen.” 

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Sam said warily and Pietro and Wanda both nodded in agreement. 

“We just let it happen?” Steve asked out loud, he remembered the book, the lesson it was open to, ‘Why one shouldn’t work against fate’ but he didn’t care right now. He was sick of his mother getting in the way, he was sick of her controlling him, maybe Harley was right not to like Olympians, they’d been nothing but cruel to Steve too. “I won’t stand by and let her wage war, we have to make a move!”

“No,” Hades held his hand as she spoke softly, “that’s not how we do things here, we don’t fight unless we have to-“

“and we have -“

“No.” Her voice was stronger now as she turned to him and held his eye, “we are not her, we are not Olympians here, I’ll go to Thor, I’ll tell him what we know and he can choose how to punish her. If you want, you can stay here, live here, you can still do your duties from the Underworld. But we don’t fight.”

“You’re wrong,” he told her and the judges and Cassandra who were watching the interaction gasped, no one spoke back to the Queen of the Underworld. “I’m an Olympian…” Steve thought for a second, he looked back at Hades’ home that stood tall above the fields only a two minute walk away and he thought about the pile of food from Olympus that Peter brought for him because he couldn’t eat- “but not for long.” 

He stormed towards the house with determination, it took a minute for them to figure out what he meant but when they did they were running after him shouting for him to stop what he was doing.

“What are you thinking?!” Sam yelled.

“Steve no!” Wanda called as he entered the house.

“Steve stop and think about this, you can’t go back on this decision!” Hades told him as he stood under the window in the throne room in front of the bowl of fruit, his hand grasped the pomegranate. 

Peter had been bringing food from Olympus for Steve because if anyone who isn’t from the Underworld eats food from this daft place they’re stuck. They become locals with the souls, gods of Olympus become gods of the Underworld and heroes become soldiers of Hades. That’s what all the books said, that’s what Steve knew to be true. He knew his place, he felt strong here when Bucky felt weak, he is not the same. He is not just an Olympian, that may be where he is from but that does not mean it is who he is.

“None of you were worried I’d become weak here,” he pulled open the fruit in his hands and the juices slid down his palm, “because you knew that I was meant to be here.”

“Steve,” Hades took a step towards him, she feared what he was doing, this was rash, especially after the information he’d been told today. 

“I’m not an Olympian.” He bit into the fruit, it was sour on his tongue but it was perfectly ripe and almost addictive. One bite though, that’s all he needed. When he swallowed, at first he didn’t feel anything. They watched carefully, Hades ran up to him, her hand gripped his back and she tore the fruit from his hands. Steve coughed once, twice, but that was it. He felt fine, different but only slightly and still very much the same. 

But the daffodil will grow through the cracks of the grave.

Chapter Twelve: Let it Come to Fruition

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#release the hounds #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers angst #steve rogers fanfic #im so sick of tags #steve rogers #marvel au #marvel fanfiction #greek myth au #steve rogers au

[mythologyfolklore]

Born to be a kleptomaniac!

(A/N: My take on how Hermes stole Apollon’s cows. Bad news: this includes transphobia. Good news: Zeus and Apollon say trans rights.)

.

He had just been born – though through his eyes, his birth hadn't been as joyful as it should have been.

“My daughter! My pride and joy! I will call you Hermione¹ and you will be my beautiful baby girl!”

That had been her first words onto laying eyes on her newborn.

But everything about it sounded wrong, so wrong.

Daughter … little girl … and Hermione?! Really???

Gods came into the world with fully developed minds and knowledge beyond mortal ken and they grew up extremely quickly. That was how this little boy knew who he was – and who his mother thought he was.

Speaking of her, she had just cleaned up the mess from his birth and gone to sleep off her exhaustion, after placing him in a crib.

However, the baby boy refused to just lie in his crib and be bored out of his mind – especially, when his mother had upset him so in the very first minute of his life.

So off he crawled and out of the cave (how? He was a god, that's how!), leaving his sleeping mother alone inside. She would be fine.

Once out in the sun, he couldn't help but be in awe. What a beautiful place the world was! So wide, so colourful, so full of life!

Suddenly, he tripped and fell. As he looked around, sniffling because his knees hurt, he found that he had tripped over a peacefully grazing tortoise. The pain was instantly forgotten.

The little boy laughed, as he picked the tortoise up: “Hello, little thing!”

Then he carried his new-found toy off and killed it. Poor tortoise, but her afterlife would be awesome! After scratching off the flesh, he took the shell, the sinews and a few small bones and fashioned out of them a brand new instrument. “Lyre”, he named it.

For a little while, he tried his new instrument out, plucking the strings and composing little songs.

Then he got hungry.

And wandered off to find some food.

It wasn't long until he came across a giant herd of cattle. Now that was it! Perfect lunch!

The little god grinned mischievously and hatched a plan.

With great care, he selected fifty cows that were grazing separately from the herd. And with a snap of his fingers, he twisted their hoofs backwards to make it look as if they were walking into the opposite direction (damn, was he a genius or what?).

He let them feed some more, while he lit a sacrificial fire, then picked two of them and slit their throats. After butchering them, he portioned their meat into twelve and sacrificed the portions. Eleven for the Olympians, one for himself.

Then he made haste to get home before nightfall.

Sadly, his mother was already awake, as he crawled back into the cave.

“Hermione! There you are, I was so worried! What have you been up to?”, she scolded.

The divine baby frowned at her. “Don't call me that! I'm not Hermione! Also, I haven't been up to anything! I just wanted to look at the world!”

“Of course you're Hermione! Also, you're lying! My own daughter!”

“I'm a boy!”

“No, you're not! Don't argue with me, I gave birth to you! Now tell me, what have you done?! No honest person is out at night!”

He bit his lips (yes, he already had teeth). Why did his own mother not understand? It was true, she had given birth to him and he loved her for that, but she just didn't-

“Answer me!”

He sighed: “Alright, fine! I stole a few cows from some random huge herd I found in Pieria and sacrificed two of them to the Olympians! Happy now?”

“YOU WHAT?! HERMIONE, THAT WAS THE CATTLE OF APOLLON, THE BOW WIELDING GOD OF LIGHT AND PLAGUES!!! HE WILL HAVE YOUR HIDE FOR THIS!!!”

But “Hermione” snickered, because “she” already had a plan.

“Don't worry”, he giggled. “I'll be fine and so will you! I just don't want to live in this dark and gloomy cave for the rest of my immortal life! I want more! I want to be an Olympian! And if Dad says no, I will just become a thief for real and steal their stuff, until they give in! And if Apollon gives us Tartaros, I will just bust into Delphi and steal all the pretty stuff they have there, just for you! Don't wreck your head, I have everything planned out!”

“Sweetie …”, Maia sighed and pinched her nose. Just what kind of goddess had she given birth to?!

.

In the morning Apollon descended onto the Earth to check on his cattle. But as he counted them, he found to his horror, that fifty of them were missing! But there was no way they could have just wandered off! Someone had stolen them! So the god of light went off to look for clues.

Nearby he encountered an old man, who was tending to his grapevines. Apollon assumed an innocuous mortal form and approached the old man.

“Excuse me, can you help me? I was tending to my cattle in Pieria – a herd of white cows with curved horns – but some of them have gone missing. Strangely, my bull and herding dogs are still where I left them, but my cows have strayed. Did you perchance see anything out of the ordinary? Anyone taking them away?”

The old man thought for a moment and scratched his head. “Hmm … now that you mention it, there was something. Last evening, I was digging around my vine plot to check for vermin, when something strange happened. I saw a little child – a toddler at most, can you believe this? – driving a group of cows just like the ones you described. The infant had a staff and kept jumping from side to side and driving them backwards. I know that sounds insane, but-”

“Thank you, that's quite enough”, Apollon interrupted him. “Thanks for the help. Have a nice day!”

Then the light god hurried away to find the … uh, cow-stealing infant. It was a newborn god, without a doubt – probably a new half-brother, Apollon suspected. And sure enough, a bird with long wings (underneath the sunlight he couldn't tell what species it was) flew above him and confirmed his suspicion. Apollon was the god of prophecy, he knew an omen when he saw one.

And there on the ground he found another clue: the tracks of cow hooves. The tracks were pointing into the direction of the meadow, where they had been grazing.

Beside them, there was a different set of footprint: those of a tiny child. Weirdly enough, they were pointing into the opposite direction.

In less than a second the blond god put two and two together and grew even angrier.

“That little brat is going to get it!”, he hissed and followed the child's footprints, until he arrived at a small cave in Kyllene, Arkadia.

Despite his anger he couldn't help but frown, that a small child was living in a cave – still, justice had to be served. He climbed down through the opening and was greeted by the startled face of a goddess. He knew her: Maia, one of the starry-haired daughters of Atlas and Pleione and one of Apollon's many (many) second cousins.

Right after apologising for the sudden intrusion and telling her what the matter was, he demanded to see the baby.

She shifted uncomfortably. “My daughter Hermione? She would never-”

“Let me see her”, he repeated firmly.

Unwillingly Maia stepped to the side, revealing the crib which her child lay, seemingly sleeping.

.

The little one had curled up and pretended to sleep, as soon as he had sensed a foreign presence.

He kept his eyes tightly shut and simply concentrated on the voice of his mother and the other one, which clearly belonged to a grown man (and was definitely the loveliest sound he had heard so far in his young life, but this wasn't the moment for that). That voice belonged to Apollon, no doubt.

Steps that weren't his mother's approached his crib and stopped in front of him.

He could tell, that he was being looked over, but instead of talking to him, Apollon turned to Maia: “Cousin, didn't you say this child is your daughter?”

“… Yes? Why are you asking?”

“Because this is not a girl.”

The boy's heart skipped a beat – could it possibly be …

“What is that supposed to mean?! How can you possibly know my child better than I, who gave birth to her?!”

“Him”, Apollon corrected coolly. “I'm the god of prophecy, that's how I know. And if you love your son, you will deal with it. Now, back to you, you little rascal. Stop feigning slumber. I know that you're awake.”

Damn it!

Slowly the infant cracked his eyes open and tried to look confu- holy Khaos! That expression was nothing short of murderous!

The baby had to think fast and in an attempt to appear totally cute and innocent, he stretched out his tiny arms and pretended to be completely entranced by the beauty of the older god's countenance.

“Pwettieeee!”, he squealed.

For a few seconds the older god did look disconcerted. Sadly it didn't last long.

“Nice try, but I'm not falling for that. Now …” his murderous scowl of murder returned (such a shame, it didn't suit that pretty face), “… where. Are. My. Cows? I know you took them! Spill it, or else.”

The infant pouted: “Why those mean words? I'm just a wittle baby, I was just born yesterday! I couldn't take cows! What are they anyway? I don't know them, all I know is my metera²!”

Apollon laughed, but clearly didn't believe him.

Damn it times two!

“God of lies and thieves!”, the blond chuckled. “That's what you are, little one! That's what your title will be among the Athanatoi³, you mischievous little cattle thief!”

Apollon gathered him in his arms and proceeded to carry him off, despite Maia's very vocal protests and pleas.

Still the little god was smirking on the inside, because everything was going just as planned!

He wriggled around, as if struggling in the older god's hold and with a wave of his hand sent forth an omen (how? Divine magic, that's how!). Startled, Apollon dropped him, but he landed safely on the ground. The light god descended and picked him back up, not without teasing.

The little boy pulled his wraps closer to himself, demanded to know, where his older brother was taking him and kept insisting, that he was innocent of any accusation of thievery.

Apollon only frowned: “Stop lying to me, you little brat! You stole something that belongs to me and I will get it back and you will face the consequences!”

They kept bickering like this and getting increasingly frustrated, until at last, they arrived on Olympos and bust right into an assembly.

Zeus didn't seem surprised in the least, when his favourite son strode in with a child in his arms.

The Scale of Judgement behind his throne certainly wasn't – the weights (each resembling one of the quarrellers) were swinging up and down, awaiting the decree of Moiragetês⁴.

The new-born god couldn't help but note, that Apollon was almost Zeus' splitting image (unlike himself) – same long, blond curls and body type, same knowing glance, even though Apollon's pale skin and golden eyes differed from their father's black eyes and tan.

“Hi, Dad!”, the infant cried cheerfully and unwrapped one of his arms to wave.

The King of the Skies chuckled and waved back. “Hello there, little guy!”

“ZEUS!!!”, Hera screamed and jumped up from her throne. “NOT AGAIN!!!”

“Not now, my drop-dead gorgeous, stunning wife”, Zeus cut her off and turned to Apollon: “Well, my son, what matter is it, that you're bringing in front of the Olympian Council?”

Apollon glared at the baby, before explaining to their father: “This little criminal here stole my cattle!”

“Did not!”, said criminal protested.

“Did too!”, the god of prophecy spat, “And then he had the nerve to act innocent and tell me that he didn't know, what I was accusing him of!”

“I didn't steal anything!”, the child whined. “Dad! He just burst into my Mama's cave and made false accusations and threatened me, even though I was just born yesterday! Help me, he's crazy!”

“Excuse me, how dare y-”

But Apollon broke off, when Zeus burst into roaring laughter.

.

The King of the Gods laughed so hard, that it began to thunder outside and he could hardly keep himself sitting on his throne. Just like Apollon, he saw right through the ruse – yet he still couldn't help but be incredibly amused by his newest spawn's antics.

His laughter was contagious, some of the other Olympians snickered along.

Even Hera couldn't help but grin. “He pulled a prank on Apollon and called him crazy? I like this one!”, she chuckled.

With these words Zeus' good mood was doubled.

“Why, you cheeky little rascal!”, he snickered. “Oh, you're my son, alright! Seriously though, give your brother his cows back. And you, Apollon, calm down. Siblings shouldn't have a falling-out over trivial matters like this. By the way, little one, you made a sacrifice to us Olympians last evening, didn't you? But you sacrificed twelve parts, instead of just eleven.”

“YOU SLAUGHTERED MY COWS???!”, Apollon roared, flaring with fury. “FATHER, HAVE HIM LOCKED AWAY THIS INSTANT!!! TAKE AWAY HIS IMMORTALITY! THROW HIM INTO TARTAROS!!! ANYTHING!!! HE HAS TO PAY!!!”

Zeus held up his hand. “Apollon, I thought I told you to calm down. Now, my youngest, won't you tell me, who the twelfth portion was for?”

The baby beamed at his father. “It was for me!”, he cried cheerfully.

Kronion grinned proudly and fondly: “Ah, I see! You sly little fellow, you!”

He took his newest child from Apollon's hands and held him up.

“My dear fellow gods!”, he addressed the assembled, “We shall be the Council of Eleven no more. From now on, we will be the Dodekathoi, the Big Twelve. So, what is the name of our newest member, my son?”

Of course Zeus knew, that Maia had given their child a name – but he also knew that it was the wrong one.

And sure enough, the baby shook his head.

“Very well, then. I will give you one: from now on you're an Olympian and your name shall be Hermes. Welcome, dear Hermes, to our crazy family! Still though, lead your older brother to where you hid his cows and give them back.”

.

The little boy was ecstatic: he had accomplished his goal to become a member of the council and he had a name – the perfect name!

The only thing that blemished his happiness now was Apollon – or to be specific, the light god's extreme moroseness.

Hermes lead his older brother to the hidden cattle, just like Zeus had told him to, but the blond just didn't stop frowning!

But as he drew them outside for Apollon to see, the light god seemed to relax just as little bit – however, that lasted only until he finished counting them and glowered at Hermes.

“It's only forty-eight. Where are the last two?”

Awkwardly the youngest god pointed to a nearby rock. The hides of the cows he had sacrificed still lay there, drying in the sun.

“Well, my sacrifice had to come from somewhere …”

Apollon gasped, stared at the hides, then at his new baby brother.

“Th-th – h-how?!”, he stuttered. “How the Tartaros did you – how did an infant flay and butcher two grown cows?!”

Hermes shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, well …”

But his nonchalant expression turned into a frown, when he saw how Apollon tore his own hair.

“Letoides, stop! You'll ruin your pretty hair-”

“Holy Khaos, you're already this strong! Only a few hours old and already a cattle thief strong enough to kill two adult cows! That's terrifying! How will it be, when you're grown up?! By Tartaros, you need to be restrained!”

And before Hermes knew it, he was being fettered.

Alone, he laughed, shook the binds off himself and transferred them onto the cows instead.

The light god gawked at this display of magical power, then his face darkened yet again.

Hermes was about to tell him to stop sulking over some stupid cows, when he saw the genuine distress in the older god's eyes.

“Well, that's just peachy!”, Apollon cried, distraught, and resumed tearing his hair (lovely, rich and long tresses of gold, flowing from his shoulders like cascades). “So I can't even make you face the consequences of your actions! No, you just get to do whatever you want without repercussion, whilst I don't even get the satisfaction of making you pay for what you've done! I'm the aggrieved party! You robbed me! Where is the justice in this?!”

The god of light took his anger out on a massive boulder, hitting it with so much energy that it melted.

For a moment Hermes was genuinely scared, but only until the other just plopped down on a rock and buried his face in his hands. Sadly he regarded his older brother. This wasn't right. He didn't want him to be so upset about something stupid like this.

Suddenly he had an idea. From underneath his swaddles, he pulled out his lyre tuned it.

Apollon looked up in interest.

Hermes strummed the strings with his stubby little fingers and began to sing:

“Praise to the Mousai, fair-voiced daughters of Mnemosyne and of cloud-gathering Zeus!

Praise to the richly tressed daughter of Gaia and Ouranos who gave birth to song and dance!

Hail the goddesses of the fine arts and may they inspire me in my endeavour!

Hail to the happy Olympians, the gloriously crowned, golden-throned gods … ”

And he sang of what he knew about the gods, the sky and the earth, the dawn of creation and how everyone had received their portion and domain.

Throughout his singing he perceived, how Apollon's expression gradually softened, until the god of light was completely and utterly entranced by the music.

For good measure Hermes improvised a little hymn to Apollon to dispel any remains of resentment. The blond blinked in (evidently) pleasant surprise and laughed heartily, when the child started to wax poetic about how pretty he was.

“Am I being serenaded by a toddler?!”, the blond asked incredulously. “This is messed up!”

“No, no! I'm not trying anything weird, I just want to cheer you up! Please don't be angry anymore. I didn't mean to make you so upset by stealing those cows.”

“Those?” Apollon motioned towards the nearby cows, which were still grazing despite the osier roots keeping their legs in place. He sighed: “You know what, just … keep the stupid cows. I have so many of them anyway.”

Hermes beamed up to his older half-brother: “Really?”

“Really. But tell me, you wily, little trickster, where did you learn this? And where did you get this marvellous thing? I have never heard anything like it!”

“That's because I invented it yesterday”, Hermes explained proudly. “I'm calling it lyre.”

“I adore it!”, Apollon exclaimed, “I'm friends with the Mousai, but even their music has never touched my heart like yours just did! Such a crafty little genius you are and you've just been born!”

“Awww, thanks! You're a genius too!”

Apollon chuckled and patted his thighs. “Come here, you little coaxer.”

“Yaaaay!”, Hermes squealed and jumped onto the Archer's lap, lyre still in hand.

“I see a great future ahead of you”, the blond prophesied. “I see glory in your name. I see you as a worthy member of our Council, a proud occupant of a golden throne. I see you and your mother honoured among all the gods. And I shall shower you with rich gifts and see to it, that all of this comes to fruition, if you will listen to me.”

“You mean you won't throw me into Tartaros?”, the little trickster grinned.

The Far-Shooter chuckled: “No. No, I won't.”

“Yay! Hey, if I give you my lyre and teach you how to play it, can I be the god of shepherding instead of you? And then you can be the god of music?”

“Very well”, Apollon nodded, summoned his whip in his hands and handed it to Hermes. “From now on you're the god of animal husbandry.”

The brunet laughed heartily, handed his lyre to Apollon and taught him how to play it.

Then they drove the cattle to where they had been before and returned to Olympos.

Thenceforth the Archer and the Trickster were always of one mind.

.

---

.

1) If you're stumbling over this name, Hermione is, in fact, an ancient Greek name and the female version of Hermes. In the epic cycle around the Trojan War, Menélaos and Helene of Sparta (whom you might know as Helen of Troy) have a single child named Hermione. 2) metera - Greek for "mother" 3) Athanatoi - plural form of Athanatos ("Deathless/Undying/Immortal") 4) Moiragetês - "Leader of the Moirai (the Fates)/Guide of Fate", an epithet of Zeus (and Apollon, but mostly Zeus)

#Greek Mythology #hermes #apollon #zeus #hera #transgender hermes #tw: transphobia #maia is not a good parent #apollon and zeus say trans rights #and so do i #just to make this clear #also if you tag this as slash i will kick you #hermes is a baby ffs! #and yes i know ppl who would tag it as slash

[asktheheirofslytherin]

The children were grateful for the autograph, they have it hanging by the ones they have of quidditch players, Nathaniel was insistent because you had “done the greatest deed in this mess”, keeping his favorite store open. Children’s priorities amaze me every day, Maeve was insistent this week that she share her toys with the house elf because Whimsy should get to have playtime too.

My eldest niece Maisie is 18, she was a Ravenclaw and has been immensely helpful in making sure the others educations don’t fall behind. She’s also been helping me go through and pack what remains of our extended families library collections, she’s even got one of the heaviest boxes marked for ones she wishes to read herself. It’s quite funny that for having such a strict analytical mind that she is an accomplished seer. I think her determination to understand and control her gift is actually what has allowed her to succeed. Nathaniel is her younger brother he’s turning 13 soon, he is a Gryffindor through and through, a rambunctious trouble maker who doesn’t always thinks things through but it ultimately loyal. Then comes the twins, Luna and Luca, they’re 9 now and both quite quiet. However Luna has an affinity for plant life and nature based magic, and well Luca is just a bit of a pyromaniac. Their brother Leo is the youngest in my care, only 18 months old. Then there’s Maeve, the animal lover who stayed at our hounds sides all week until we heard the news, she’s to turn 5 soon. I honestly sometimes wonder if she’s actually able to communicate with the different creatures she always seems to find, she says she can but children that young are known to imagine theses sorts of things, especially after trauma.

Maeve unfortunately saw my youngest sister and her husband die, they were in a bookstore that got attacked. Maisie and Nathaniels father, my older brother, was attempting to protect their home from looters, he finished mending the protective shields but used too much energy and had none left to heal his injuries, their mother died years prior. I’m not quite sure what happened to the twins and Leo's parents, their father was my little brother and sent them to me, away from most of the violence initially in our ancestors home, but I received notice of their death not long after they arrived. There’s also a good possibility my youngest uncles three children, two sons and a daughter (14 b, 11 b, 7 g) will be put in my care if he does not come out of his coma. His wife’s parents can handle them short term, but are much too old to care for them in the long run.

By chance is the Bagshot Park Estate available or perhaps Claremont House Estate? They are a bit large, but we need land for when accidents happen, which they’re bound to when learning the old magic. Mess up one step and anything can happen. Also, the hellhound needs space to roam, especially when his mate visits.

I’ve been informed to properly join I’ll need to go through trials. I was wondering if I would be able to know what this entails. Also, as the children in my care come first, I must insist that they be settled in to wherever we find our new home in England before taking on these trials. They’ve been through so much I simply must ensure that they feel safe in their new home before spending much more time away from them.

Thank you again for your time my lord,

I hope to make your acquaintance soon,

Iona McKinley

(Maeve has included a drawing of our hellhound and his mate. Maisie says this gurdyroot Luna harvested earlier this week may be useful if you are not careful with the soup you consume and recommends paying close attention to the wives of men with whom you dine for the same reason within the next four weeks)

(Writer of this blog: this is quite fun thanks for doing this, I doubt I’d be able to consistently come up with answers for such a complex, selfish, and perfect cult leader, definite early signs of sociopath (killing that kids bunny and stealing others treasured and valuable things and lack of empathy) that seem somewhat canonical. Ik we know a lot about Voldemort which definitely helps but people who run these blogs in ways that seem true to character are talented. I always try to understand where people come from and what’s made them them. I try not to hate a person but only hate the actions and choices they make and the actions and choices that have effected them. But ik with some of these questions you get I’d probably have to really try to think hard about what the character would say and put a lot of focus on separating myself out of the equation. You’re kind of like a skilled method actor. Like Heath Ledger (RIP) was a wonderful and kind person, but he was so good at separating from himself and really becoming the joker.)

Children are indeed a baffling delight, are they not. I remember when Delphini was small, and she enjoyed giving me flowers to set upon my desk. I humored her, and there would be bouquets of daffodils placed around various dark texts and artifacts. What a sight that must have been! I was perhaps too annoyed with the child at the time. They do grow rather quickly. 

Maisie sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders, as any Ravenclaw does. A fine house - I am certain she knows Delphini, though Delphi was a bit of a wild teenager and I would imagine she would not have hung about anyone with half some sense at that age. Shame, truly. But she is calming down a bit now, as much as one can with someone like Bella for a mother. She takes after her mother in more ways than one, which is a blessing and a curse. 

A Gryffindor? How unfortunate, but it does sound as though you are raising him right. As for the smaller ones, they sound as though they will turn out well - despite the challenges. War is very hard on our children, unfortunately. My condolences for your losses. 

I recommend Bagshot Park. More land for the children to run amok on - especially if you gather up more.  

Ah, so you wish to take the Dark Mark? I had assumed you would not want to get terribly involved in government as you have the children no one in your position would get hounded after to take the Mark, with that in mind, so if you feel you must out of necessity, you need not worry. Ah, but Bella informs me this is sexist, and you may merely just want to take the Mark out of genuine interest. I admit, I grew up in a different time, and perhaps forget this on occasion. 

We do generally prefer an eldest son take the mark when he comes of age -  your oldest boy being a Gryffindor, he may resist this custom. However, if Maisie were to marry one of my ranks, (or I suppose take the Mark herself, if she is interested) then perhaps we can look the other way about the boy.   

The trials only last a night, and are a test of loyalty and strengths more than anything. There is dueling involved, so dress comfortably. But we can speak more to that once you are settled.

Regards, 

Lord Voldemort

[[OOC: sorry this answer took so long! But I tend to delay longer asks for when I have time and energy for them - longer questions do take longer to craft an answer. And thank you! <3 <3 <3 I am so glad you like my blog, and that you feel I do Voldy justice! I’ve never heard writing be compared to acting before but it really makes a lot of sense, and that is really cool to think about. Thanks again!]]

#voldemort #letters #Iona McKinley #new recruits #trials #children #death eaters #correspondance #nerdettezebracorn333

[etlunainmorte]

“As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,

Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,”

She does not weep nor wail,

In her eyes, home has always been burning.”

***

🌙 To You Who Rejected Me 🌙

***

II

***

"Now, where could that thing be?" Griffon mused to himself as he flew high above the shores of Delphi, looking for that vital something that his master lost when he dived into the ocean to escape those fire - wielding Elves attacking him. The demonic bird has been searching for almost an hour but, with no such luck. "Honestly, it could turn up just about anywhere!" He complained in utter frustration. "This is hopeless!" 

The bird was about to give up on his search when he noticed something gleaming at the corner of his eye. He looked down and squinted those golden eyes of his until he finally saw the thing. Indeed, it was right there, washed up on the shore and almost covered with sand and sea weeds.

There it was, V's antique metal cane!

"There ya are!" Griffon flew down to fetch the thing, at the same time shooing the sea gulls that were trying to claim it as their own like it was some kind of a rare sea artifact, almost fighting over it. "HEY, I SAID, SHOO!" The familiar screeched once more as he let out a weak electrical current to scare the noisy birds away, and it worked to perfection.

"Hoho! Thought I'd never see ya again!" Griffon opened his talons wide, ready to pick up V's cane,...

"What in the - ?!" The bird muttered the moment his talons came into contact with the metal cane. It felt somehow hot, and not just warm. He was not sure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him but, the thing did seem to glow. And finally, the metal cane seemed to tremble a bit against his talons, like it was alive. Sentient.

Still hovering above the sand with V's metal cane in his talons, the demonic bird squinted his eyes in suspicion. Master and familiar alike knew that the cane was nothing but an old piece of metal, and not a source of any kind of power, demonic or not. An aid for V's,... disability. Nothing more.

However, despite that, Griffon could feel something coming from the cane. Like it was emanating some form of unknown power. He just knew it deep within his core.

But, being unimaginably tired after what happened last night, Griffon ignored the cane, ruffled his feathers, and flew back to where Dante and his master were.

"I'm heckin’ tired." Griffon uttered as his wings took him to his destination - the ruins of Apollo's temple. "I'll let Shakespeare deal with ya."

"Your foot seem fine to me, V." Dante said for the third time since morning. 

"I could've sworn I felt this,... excruciating pain when I was attacked,... "

"Well, your foot seem,... fine to me!" And that was the fourth time since morning. "Look, V: you're a son of Sparda. Maybe the Demon blood's finally kickin' in and healed your wounds?"

And to this, V only shook his head. It's impossible for him, after all.

No matter how much or how intense Dante stared at his brother's allegedly injured left foot, he just couldn't find anything wrong with it, save for the missing pair of the poet's old gladiator sandals, and the frayed, almost tattered end of his pants, like something burned it. If anything, to Dante's eyes, V only seemed to have lost the other pair of his unspeakably tacky footwear. And a good riddance to it, if he may add! To the legendary Devil Hunter, it seemed so difficult to move and fight Demons with such footwear. And he would never deny that fact, despite knowing that he could hurt his brother's feelings for having such a questionable taste in fashion.

On the other hand, to V, it was an entirely different story. For, only last night, he swore his foot got burned badly due to the attack. So badly and so painful, he was actually scared to look at it.

And now, as he looked, no, stared, at his foot with disbelief, he couldn't help but feel utterly mystified. First, there was this strange presence that saved him from the enemies, and now this.

It's as if nothing happened to his foot, at all!

And honestly? V could not believe his sheer, dumb luck.

Or, was it even luck?

After all, since those Elves, and her, entered their lives, V and his brother experienced nothing but the unusual. The unknown. And he felt that he must learn to accept such things. Get used to them, so to speak.

V pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and knitting his eyebrows as a helpless sigh escaped his parched lips. Well, there's no use raking up the past. They must focus on the present. They must focus on the now. And for now, they must focus on getting to the Elven world in one piece. The portal led them to Delphi of all places, and V knew it meant something. They were getting really close to their destination. And he knew they would face an even greater danger when they get there. Well, it's not like the Elves would give them a warm welcome or anything. They're still wanted persons, after all.

Opening his eyes once more, he noticed Griffon flying towards them, finally carrying his lost metal cane. He gave a weak smile as the loyal familiar gave the cane back to him and landed on his waiting arm.

Then, V noticed something strange. So did Dante.

"No wisecracks or something?" Dante asked the demonic bird as he crossed his arms and tapped his boot on the ground.

"You do seem a bit quiet." V added, raising his eyebrow as he looked at his familiar.

"Ahh, V," Griffon stuttered, unsure how to begin. " ... didn't ya notice anythin',... weird?"

"Pardon?" The poet asked as Griffon's eyes wandered to the metal cane in his right hand.

"That thing!" The demonic bird squawked.

"Ugh, now what - ?" Dante began when a woman approached them, getting their attention and making them drop their conversation, much to Griffon's frustration.

"Can we help you, lady?" With a flashy grin, the younger brother graciously asked the woman, who was smiling nervously as her eyes went back and forth from him, to V, to the strange avian on the poet's arm.

"I, ahh,... " The lady stuttered, not sure how to address the situation.

"Yes?" And Dante didn't seem to help with the situation, at all. The woman became somewhat more nervous than before she approached them.

Inhaling through her nose and clearing her throat, she began. “Yes, well," She said, pointing at Griffon with a trembling finger.  “The other guests are getting anxious of your,… ahh,… pet bird."

"Is that so?" Dante answered with a boisterous voice. "Don't you worry a thing about our pet bird! You see, he's a rare - "

“I see. Don’t worry.”

All of a sudden, V heard a clear and distinct voice, overlapping with the woman and his brother's voices.

“These are my loyal,… companions. They would bring no harm to any of the innocent people here. That,…”

V's hands went up to his temples as he tried to distinguish and trace where the voice was actually coming from, when the voice itself took over his hearing, drowning out the other voices, and all the other noises going on around him.

“I can assure you.”

The lady let out a helpless laugh, then nodded. “Okay. Whatever you say.” She hastily moved away from Dante to give herself a safe distance from him and Griffon and clumsily pointed at the breathtaking horizon. “Well, now, enjoy your stay here at Delphi!”

The woman, being proud of herself for handling the difficult situation, walked away with a huge smile on her face. And Dante, being a huge flirt, started following the woman.

However, when his brother stepped away, V noticed something taking his place where he stood.

V's eyes narrowed for a second for what he saw. He closed his eyes, rubbed the tiredness and fatigue off them, and opened them once more. However, despite that, the strange figure was still there.

V saw,... himself.

And he, the other him, was drinking in the beautiful sight of Delphi's ruins around him.

“So, V,…” He heard Griffon ask all of a sudden. “Are we going to look for that thing there?”

"I'm sorry - ?" V turned to his left to look at Griffon but, the demonic bird was nowhere to be found.

“Not this time.” V turned towards his other self at the sound of his voice and noticed Griffon, himself, flying towards him. “For now, I need to take a rest and reflect upon our journey, so far.”

V almost fell off the old bench he was sitting on.

That voice,...

... it really was him.

But,... how?!

“The Yamato really does wonders, huh?” the Griffon who was with the other V said, then chuckled, ruffling his own feathers in delight with tiny shakes. “Who knew it would go directly to you and not to that kid Nero?”

"The Yamato?" His other self whispered as V followed him and his familiar on their way towards the ruins of Apollo's temple. What has the Yamato got to do with all this?

“For one thing, I’ am the rightful owner of the Yamato, not the boy Nero.” The other V answered as he skipped some rocks along the pathway that led to the ruins of the temple. “I think it was fitting that it answered to me. But, as grateful as I’ am that it was returned to me,” he said, stopping at what looked like the remains of an altar. “I must not abuse my fragile body by using it over and over to transport us. You see,” He began tracing the remains with the tip of his cane. “It consumes way too much of my,… demonic power. I must be wary of that fact.”

Of course, V thought as he observed what the other V was doing. I don't have,... that much demonic power.

“Aha, so that’s why we had to hitch that stinkin’ bus ride with that awful bitch! Didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut!” And the other Griffon sounded less rude, either.

“Now, be nice to our little human.” V reprimanded the demonic bird. “We will ’hitch’ on the same vehicle on the way back.”

“Ugh! Not again,…”

V watched in amusement how this other Griffon threw tantrums. However, his other self drew V's attention back. He was looking at the altar with an unreadable expression, tracing the edges of the marble altar with his cane.

Then, all of a sudden, he started reciting the few lines of a poem that was very dear to him. It was,...

“As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,

Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,”

His mother's favorite poem,...

V closed his eyes and recited the old poem along with his other self.

“She does not weep nor wail,

In her eyes, home has always been burning.”

His eyes closed, his senses surrendered to the vision before him, he allowed nostalgia to take over his entire being. Of his mother reading this same poem to him, of her tales about a Princess named Cassandra who was gifted by the God Apollo with the curse of predicting the future,...

... of this hidden gateway of Delphi where she went to after being rejected and stoned by her own people,...

V opened his eyes, feeling something pulling him back from his reverie to the present, like a powerful force.

It was then when he was greeted by the sight of a morphing demonic entity right before his other self, who he assumed was one of his familiars.

He watched in awe as the familiar morphed into multiple pulsing dark vines that filled the entire altar. Him and his other self took a step back as roses of all shapes and sizes sprouted from the dark vines, and when his other self pulled something from the largest rose, his eyes grew wide with shock.

It was the Yamato, only it was glowing in a very unusual way.

V wanted to listen more, to know more, to watch what happens next but, the vision itself began getting blurry as their voices became more and more warped, like a disrupted signal of an old television. The vision, and the voices, warped and warped, until only a distorted and blurry version was left. And before the vision entirely vanished, V saw his other self raising the sword,...

... and slicing the air before him, creating a portal that led him somewhere,...

"V!" He heard Dante's voice from afar, like he was being called by him from the other end of a long tunnel. "V!" He felt a strong hand go down on his shoulder, making him turn around. "What are you doing? I was looking all over for you!"

The poet could barely believe what just happened. He was back, and he felt like he just woke up from a very long dream.

"I, ahh,... " V stuttered, turning back to the altar and seeing nothing there.

"Hey, V," Griffon, who just landed on his waiting arm, asked. " ... are you okay?"

"The gateway,... " The poet uttered, the vision he saw still crystal clear on his mind.

"What gateway?" Dante questioned.

"There's a gateway here." V reiterated as he walked closer towards the altar where his other self vanished. "It was opened using the Yamato."

"How did you know that?" With a raised eyebrow, Dante asked in confusion. "And besides, even if that's true, we can't really use the Yamato. I mean, it's with its owner on the other side of the globe right now."

"We can't rely on Vergil this time, I know." V answered as thoughts and ideas ran through his head like an unstoppable drill. "But, what if the gate,... was left open? What if it was never closed?"

Dante's mouth fell open at the possibility. Only a slight drawback made him close it again and shake his head in disapproval. "But, I see no gate here! All I see in this place are rocks and statues and ruins and tourists everywhere."

V turned to Griffon, who drew back at the intensity in his master's facial features. "Do it."

"Do what?" The familiar questioned.

"Distract the people while I look for the portal."

"How could I do that?! How am I - ?!"

"Alright! I'll do it!" Dante offered, turning away from them and walking away from the altar as he began singing something. And it's working. The tourists, especially the ladies, started listening to him and flocking before him. "I'm lying alone with my head on the phone, thinking of you 'till it hurts,... "

V grabbed this opportunity to look for the portal. He can't be wrong, the vision can't be wrong! They must get to the Elven world and he would do whatever it takes to get there.

He will do whatever it takes to get to her and fix this huge mess that was messing with their lives,...

It was then when he noticed something small and gleaming right before him. He reached out a single finger to touch it, and lo and behold, the small gleam made a tiny ripple that reflected so many bright colors. Like a prism. Another touch of his finger produced a huge ripple, revealing its true nature in all its entirety. Indeed, it was a gate. In the form of a curtain that was seemingly made of glass that reflected light like numerous precious gems.

"Whoa! That looks so unreal!" Griffon, who watched the entire thing with curious eyes, said in awe. "How did you know all this, V?!"

"I'll explain later." The poet answered. "For now, we should press on."

"I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you - " Dante sang with much gusto, wowing his audience, when he suddenly heard a familiar whistle. He stopped singing and turned around to see V beckoning for him to come join him and Griffon. The Devil Hunter turned back to his audience, made an incredibly believable shocked expression, and pointed at the sky. "Thunderstorm! Incoming thunderstorm! Run and hide for your lives!"

The people instantly believed him, scrambling and running all over the place to shield themselves from Dante's imaginary thunderstorm. The younger brother took this opportunity to join V.

"How in the world - ?!" Dante began questioning at the sight of the translucent gateway but, he was cut short as Griffon went behind him and started pushing him towards the gate.

"I'll explain later! We must hurry!" V ordered, then went through the curtain, looking as if he just vanished into thin air.

"Let's get goin', lover boy!" Griffon squawked, grabbing onto Dante's shoulders with his talons.

"I swear I need to go to therapy after all this." The Devil Hunter said as he, too, went through the curtain and vanished.

***

🌙 Finally! And this one took longer than expected. Enjoy!😁😁😁❤❤❤ 🌙

🌙 Thank you so much to these lovelies, @dreaming-gamer , @la-vita and @thottyonmainsquid .❤❤❤ 🌙

***

A few moments later, Dante arrived at the other side. But, his path was blocked by V, himself, who was standing still, his back turned away from him.

"You alright there, V?" Dante asked as he scratched his temple in confusion. "Aren't we - ?"

"Yes, we are." V cut him off, raising his metal cane and using it to point at something before the two of them. "We have finally arrived."

The younger brother followed V's line of sight, and what he saw before him simply took his breath away.

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

***

🌙

***

#devil may cry 5 #dmc 5 #vitale #to you who rejected me #v x reader #v x you #chapter 2 #the translucent gateway

[haec-est-fides]

Filodox’s Trials of Apollo Reactions [Part I]

Welcome to part one of a reflective journey through Trials of Apollo ft. my original ebook annotations! I’ll be your host, 2020!filodox.

For this first episode, we’ll be going back to May 2016, the beginning of it all: The Hidden Oracle.

Annotations for this round are brought to you by 2016!filodox.

Is there anything we should know before we begin, 2016!me?

2016!filodox: I swore on the Styx never to read another Riordan book after he killed Octavian. And yet here we are.

... Alright then! Let’s get started.

But first, a more detailed overview on how this series will work: I will excerpt bits and pieces of the books based on what I highlighted / annotated on my first read. Beneath each quote, I will share what I wrote in the annotation. Below that, I will (occasionally) laugh at my past self, clarify the note, or say how my view has changed.

I encourage questions, comments, and concerns (of which there may be many), so go ahead and use that replies feature if you feel so inclined! However, these are just my opinions and (occasionally) emotional reactions, so no hate pls. <3 (Or, if you do send hate, pls make it funny.)

Now, diving right in with Riordan’s dedication!

To The Muse Calliope. This is long overdue. Please don’t hurt me.

2016!filodox: Hurt him. He didn’t even name the chapters.

As you can see, I had yet to experience Lester’s haiku and was already mad based on the table of contents alone. I went into this series very salty...

I inflicted a plague on the Greeks who besieged Troy.

2016!filodox: At least he did something right. Once.

I was just,,,extremely ready to die on Octavian’s hill. (Though I was a huge Troy / Aeneas stan before all this, just to be clear.)

Is anything sadder than the sound of a god hitting a pile of garbage bags?

2016!filodox: I actually find this particular god crashing into a dumpster quite amusing.

I also blamed Apollo for what happened to Octavian. I think that had a lot to do with how Apollo acted on Delos in Heroes of Olympus, basically disowning Octavian and whining about how some “creature” scammed him? That was bullshit. Apollo needed to own the fact that he blessed Octavian, but he just abandoned him and denied all the blame. TL;DR I had a grudge, okay?

My mind stewed in confusion, but one memory floated to the surface -- the voice of my father, Zeus: YOUR FAULT. YOUR PUNISHMENT.

2016!filodox: Wait, is this bc everyone blames Octavian and therefore Apollo? Bc lol but also no?

*cough* Octavian did nothing wrong 2k16 *cough*

Zeus will reconsider, I told myself. He’s just trying to scare me. Any moment, he will yank me back to Olympus and let me off with a warning.

“Yes...” My voice sounded hollow and desperate. “Yes, that’s it.”

2016!filodox: Apollo is a self centered frat boy, I forgot...but it is slightly...endearing? *narrows eyes*

Ah, how close I was to stanning Lester in the first chapter, when he was at his most “goddy”. You know, I actually made a rule for myself when I started reading Trials of Apollo that I would not under any circumstances stan Apollo. That was a naive goal, because it was never really a danger.

Regardless, Zeus had held me responsible for Octavian’s delusions of grandeur. Zeus seemed to consider egotism a trait the boy had inherited from me. Which is ridiculous. I am much too self-aware to be egotistical.

2016!filodox: I am going to Murder him.

*chef kiss* the hypocrisy ! the lack of self-awareness !

“I just...I assumed -- I hoped this would be taken care of by now.”

“You mean by demigods,” Percy said, “going on a big quest to reclaim the Oracle of Delphi?”

2016!filodox: That sounds like a decent quest, or you know, QUESTING FOR THE SIBYLLINE BOOKS

I’ve always said I can see the future but an inch to the left. Also, I don’t like Ella.

It warmed my heart that my children had the right priorities: their skills, their images, their views on YouTube. Say what you will about gods being absentee parents; our children inherit many of our finest personality traits.

2016!filodox: AND HE’S MAD ABOUT OCTAVIAN?!

I mean ?

Apollo, when Austin and Kayla show ambition: THEY GOT THAT FROM ME <3

Apollo, when Octavian (or Nero, or Caligula) shows ambition: srry i don’t know him ??

He had a weak jawline, an overlarge nose, and a beard that wrapped around his double chin like a helmet strap. His hair was curly and dark like mine, except not as fashionably tousled or luxuriant. His lips curled as if he smelled something unpleasant. Perhaps it was the burning seats of the bus.

2016!filodox: Nero ???

Not quite sure how to feel looking back at this moment. Call out post @ myself for instantly recognizing Nero, when afaik this scene was before we had any hints that Roman emperors were even a plot point? But here’s the thing: I don’t remember why I could recognize him so easily. I don’t remember where 2016!me obtained this ancient Rome knowledge. A mystery.

On another note entirely, did Nero really like,,,astral project into Apollo’s fever dream to address him directly? Because Rhea does. And sometimes Python does. But Nero? Can he do that?

The man laughed as flames licked at his purple sleeves. “You’re not sorry yet, but you will be. Find me the gates. Lead me to the Oracle. I’ll enjoy burning it down!”

2016!filodox: I too enjoy burning things down. # Nero confirmed

My only comment here is “oh you sweet summer child,,,”

Oh. Perhaps some of you are wondering how I felt seeing [Will] with a boyfriend rather than a girlfriend.

2016!filodox: No, actually. I wasn’t wondering. I was plotting how to kill you, them, and quite a few other people. Do you think I could trade you for Octavian?

Oh man, back at it again with the salt. XD

I could only remember my conversations with Octavian, the way he’d turned my head with his flattery and promises. That stupid boy...it was his fault I was here.

A voice whispered in the back of my mind. This time I thought it might be my conscience: Who was the stupid boy? It wasn’t Octavian.

2016!filodox: I can’t really...explain my emotions upon reading this. I’m still not quite okay, but this...it’s bittersweet in a way. I don’t know if this is a poor attempt at a proper closure, the author’s way of beating a dead horse, or just a way to make Apollo seem pitiable. Whatever it is... Octavian was important enough to remain in Apollo’s mortal memory. He somehow made promises to a god and had Apollo wrapped around his finger. And despite being so much like Apollo, the god blames him. Like everyone blames him. But Apollo also realizes, accepts on an infinitesimal scale, that “it wasn’t Octavian”. He wasn’t perfect, but neither is Apollo. Apollo is (at least) subconsciously admitting his own guilt in the whole affair.

...yeah. I will note that this bit isn’t meant to develop Octavian, but rather uses Octavian as a prop to support Apollo’s development? Which is why it still stings. Like thanks, I guess.

“Your judgement in the past has been...questionable. I wonder if you have chosen the right tools for this job. Have you learned from your past mistakes?”

2016!filodox: Nero has made plenty of mistakes to learn from

Love how I just assumed it was Nero back in chapter 10 and went with it, zero hesitation. Also love how I heard Python say Nero has made mistakes and went “oh absolutely”. In fact, here’s something funny in retrospect that will become more and more apparent: I did not like Nero in 2016. Or, at least, I thought I didn’t. There’s something really odd going on here that baffles me, looking back...

“A triumvirate is a ruling council of three,” I said. “At least, that’s what it meant in ancient Rome.”

“Which is interesting,” Rachel said, “because of this next shot.” She tapped her screen. The new photo zoomed in on the building’s penthouse terrace, where three shadowy figures stood talking together....

2016!filodox: Is it bad that I’m smirking? Because it’s getting interesting ~ *clear malicious intent*

Wow, edgy. Triumvirates are just a neat, Roman thing and I stanned.

“The last triumvirate I dealt with included Lepidus, Marc Antony, and my son, the original Octavian. A triumvirate is a very Roman concept...like patriotism, skullduggery, and assassination.”

2016!filodox: THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL EVERYONE. MODERN OCTAVIAN IS A VERY GOOD ANCIENT ROMAN. POLITICS, ESPECIALLY SHADY AF POLITICS AND POWERPLAYS, ARE QUINTESSENTIALLY ROMAN. Also, I’d like to note that it’s confirmed, in this universe’s canon, that Augustus was a son of Apollo.

Ohhhh, wait. I think I’d watched the HBO series Rome by 2016, which would at least partially explain my ancient Rome knowledge. (Amazing tv show btw!)

“He heard them talking in Latin.”

“Latin? Were they campers?”

Pete spread his hands. “I--I don’t think so. Paulie described them like they were adults. He said one of them was the leader. The other two addressed him as imperator.”

2016!filodox: !!!! (obligatory 💕)

I was such a simp for Latin in high school. And the Roman Empire. Still am, but hey.

“The Beast is planning some kind of attack on your camp. I don’t know what it is, but it’s going to be big.”

2016!filodox: Runs in the family I guess

The Octavian / Triumvirate parallels are everywhere... 👀

“The emperors made themselves gods. They had their own temples and altars. They encouraged the people to worship them.”

2016!filodox: # deify me

*smacking my past self with a stick* You stop that! Edgy child!

Anyway, a much better point here is like,,,the Imperial cult was huge in the ancient Roman world. Looking at Apollo’s explanation here, why did only the “worst” three emperors get to be immortal? Did famously “good” emperors like Augustus and Marcus Aurelius have the option of becoming minor gods, but they chose Elysium or something? Are there slightly less infamous emperors just hanging around anywhere as minor gods? A lot of Roman emperors live on in human memory is all I’m saying.

“Wait!” Will said as I reached the door. “Who is the Beast? Which emperor are we dealing with?”

“The worst of my descendants.” My fingers dug into the doorframe. “The Christians called him the Beast because he burned them alive. Our enemy is Emperor Nero.”

2016!filodox: I honestly can’t believe it took this long to reveal this? Was anyone surprised?

Nero’s reveal is rather late in the book compared to Commodus, Caligula, and even Tarquin iirc? But it makes sense, being the first book of the series. Also love how 16-year-old me was like “this reveal is silly because everyone, like me, recognizes Nero on sight” and didn’t question that assumption at all.

“Germani.” Instinctively, I moved in front of Meg. The elite imperial bodyguards had been cold-blooded death reapers in ancient Rome. I doubted they’d gotten any sweeter over the centuries.

2016!filodox: BITCH. See? This is why I love Rome. They knew what they were doing.

Ngl, as someone of Germanic heritage, I felt really represented by the Germani, which is hilarious on so many levels.

He tried to compensate for his ugliness with an expensive Italian suit of purple wool, his gray shirt open to display gold chains. His shoes were hand-tooled leather, not the sort of thing to wear while stomping around in an ant pile. Then again, Nero had always had expensive, impractical tastes.

2016!filodox: I don’t exactly like Nero, and actually think he was quite the shitty emperor, but I guess I mildly respect and “like” him on principle (in this book at least).

OH YOU SWEET SUMMER CHILD. I was so convinced that I didn’t actually like Nero, despite all of the lowkey evidence to the contrary? Who hurt you, past me? (Lmao, it was Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio.) My working theory is that I was too much of an Emperor Augustus stan at the time to admit liking Nero. It’s hysterical. Look at me equivocating like a champ.

I’d been so proud of my son, the original Octavian, later Caesar Augustus. After his death, his descendants became increasingly arrogant and unstable (which I blamed on their mortal DNA; they certainly didn’t get those qualities from me).

2016!filodox: I’m glad Apollo and I can agree on something. Augustus was amazing and those who came after him...significantly less so.

See! The propaganda really got to me, what can I say?

Nero clasped his hands as if in prayer. “Oh, my. It seems we’ve had a slight miscommunication. You see, Apollo, Meg brought you here, just as I asked her to. Well done, my sweet.”

2016!filodox: This was obvious but I still find it...gods, the only word I can think of is “delicious”

. . .

“The Beast killed my father. This is Nero. He’s -- he’s my stepfather.”

I could not fully grasp this before Nero spread his arms.

“That’s right, my darling,” he said. “And you’ve done a wonderful job. Come to Papa.”

2016!filodox: Okay, but we should have known this since it became apparent her weapons were Roman. Also, oof. Also also, WHY did Riordan feel the need to add that last line? Why?

ASDFGHJKL: I CAN’T

“After the fire, we’ll rebuild,” he said. “It will be glorious!”

2016!filodox: The amount of times I have used this very logic is worrying.

For (some) context, Firelord Ozai is my favorite character from AtLA. <3

The scene might have been funny except that the Germani were now back on their feet, five demigods and a geyser spirit were still tied to highly flammable posts, and Nero still had a box of matches.

2016!filodox: Oh, I find this plenty amusing!

The emperor stared at his empty hand. “Meg...?” His voice was as cold as an icicle.

2016!filodox: The various ways his tone / voice have been described throughout this conversation are just 💕

*looks at camera like I’m on The Office*

Seriously, though. Nero’s voice is like the central descriptive element of his character because he’s so manipulative. It’s really cool and a great use of detail.

[Meg] turned to Nero. “You told me never to lower myself to my enemies’ level.”

“No, indeed.” Nero’s tone had frayed like a weathered rope. “We are better. We are stronger. We will build a glorious new world. But these nonsense-spewing trees stand in our way, Meg. Like any invasive weeds, they must be burned. And the only way to do that is with a true conflagration -- flames stoked by blood.”

2016!filodox: Real 👏🏻 Gods 👏🏻 Require 👏🏻 Blood👏🏻

I was way too enthusiastic about this whole situation, wasn’t I?

Nero grinned. “Good-bye, Apollo. Only eleven more Olympians to go.”

2016!filodox: Wait, shit, WHAT

Having read Tower of Nero, this probably had something to do with Python interfering with the Fates, huh? But does that mean it’s more Python’s plan or Nero’s? If this was Nero’s plan (with his 12 kids literally replacing the Olympians) that’s,,,really fucking bold.

Then I heard the screaming from Camp Half-Blood.

2016!filodox: Music to my ears ~

I’m presenting every edgy detail of my annotations so I have a proper case file when I inevitably have to face the question “On a scale of one to ten, how relatable is Emperor Nero and why should you have realized it’s a ten sooner?”

In a flash of silver light, the camp’s magical barriers collapsed. The Colossus lurched forward and brought his foot down on the dining pavilion, smashing it to rubble like so many children’s blocks.

2016!filodox: Payback! Dear gods, I can’t stop smiling! I’m just like “YES!” I know this will all probably get fixed or whatever but I’M HAVING A MOMENT.

I’ve learned to appreciate the small wins. <3

Percy grabbed one of the crown’s sunray spikes. He sliced it off at the base, then jabbed it into the Colossus’ forehead.

2016!filodox: As much as Nero is FAR from my favorite, I really don’t like defacing ancient (or replicas of ancient) statues and art...

This is where I just start laughing at myself tbh. I was so insistent on not liking Nero. Like, I sound like I’m in denial. Peak equivocation. What happened to that heart emoji a few chapters back? Why did I suddenly make it about *checks notes* ancient art? Updated translation: nooo don’t ruin the Colossus Neronis it’s so sexy aha

Just as the [arrow] reached its apex and was about to fall back to earth, a gust of wind caught it...perhaps Zephyros looking kindly on my pitiful attempt. The arrow sailed into the Colossus’ ear canal and rattled in his head with a clink, clink, clink like a pachinko machine.

2016!filodox: HOW MANY EX MACHINAS IS THIS ?! The dryads, the arrow, Percy, the enchantment, and THIS ?

One of my criticisms of Trials of Apollo in general is just that the stakes are so much higher and Riordan usually solves that problem by having his heroes win on long odds. The chances of them succeeding at like,,,anything they attempt are astronomical, but of course they manage. It’s not surprising but it does get a little tiring.

“Yo, Nico,” Leo called, “please tell me that’s it for the physical abuse.”

“For now.” Nico smiled. “We’re still trying to get in touch with the West Coast. You’ll have a few dozen people out there who will definitely want to hit you.”

2016!filodox: Oh I’d love to hit him. With the flaming, Imperial gold payload of an onager. Preferably WITHOUT the Pontifex Maximus attached to it -- unless of course you mean the false pontifex, Jason Grace.

Leo was the salt in the wound for this one, ngl. He rekindled my undying ire over Octavian’s death. As I said at the beginning of this, I was extremely ready to die on Octavian’s hill after Heroes of Olympus. That sentiment sticks around for a while...

And we can call that a wrap!

Though it may seem like it, my annotations are not, in fact, a compilation of Nero’s greatest hits. There are a lot of scenes of his that I love (naturally) but I didn’t have anything to say about them when I first read the series. Maybe I’ll share those another time.

In any case, I hope you got something out of this ridiculously long post! Until next time! <3

#trials of apollo #toa #filodox! #I don't know what any of you were expecting but this is what I've got #no these are not all of my annotations #I tried to pick the best ones #oh also #I'm sorry to everyone with hard copies of the books #since I have ebooks it's no problem to search for quotes and page numbers are imaginary #if you want me to put chapters with the quotes I can

[valkyrieofthehighfae]

Chapter 1

Alright guys I’m dropping the other series I’ve been working on alongside Eternally Yours! This one touches on some serious subject matters, so I will ask that if you are under 18, you skip this particular series! Summery:  Valkyrie has lived a tough life on the streets on the lower levels in Coruscant, working as a dishwasher in a club known as The Crypt. She’s promoted to dancer on her seventeenth birthday where her life begins to spiral into a host of problems: drug use, plastic surgery, alcohol abuse, and an unsavory relationship with the owner of the club’s son, Grave. She manages to partially pull herself from the darkness to become a medic with her brother’s help, wanting to make something of herself. She finds herself falling for her best friend, Fives, the realization of her feelings sending her down a rabbit hole she never thought she’d find herself in again. Valkyrie has to decide what she wants out of life and it may not be an easy decision for her to make once feelings get involved.

Warnings: Drug use, mentions of plastic surgery, potential alcohol abuse, and some brief smut

Join my taglist here Tagging: @mcu-padawan​ Word Count: 2.6k Also, if anyone catches the references I make to a certain movie throughout this series, you are awesome as hell!

“Astrid Valkyria Nightdancer, where the hell do you think you’re going?”

The sound of my brother’s voice booming in our apartment had me jumping a foot into the air, my bag slipping from my hands and hitting the ground in front of me. I quickly picked it up, clutching it to my chest as I scuffed my foot across the tile flooring, not meeting Ivar’s stern gaze.

“Koyi invited me to sleepover tonight for my birthday. Her mom and dad said it was okay. I… didn’t think you’d mind since you know them.” I mumbled. I could practically feel the anger radiating off of my brother in waves, flinching as he stomped over to the door and locked it again.

“You know you’re not allowed out without someone with you! What, were you just going to walk to Koyi’s apartment building alone? At night? Do you not remember what happened to mom and dad? And the rest of our brothers? You’re only ten, you shouldn’t be out there alone!” The anger in his voice died away to a quiet pain that he tried to hide with a stern glare, but I could see it in his mismatched eyes, a slight glimmer of tears there.

“It’s not like they live that far! I can handle a five minute walk, Ivar!” I snapped at him, shouldering my pack and glaring at him angrily, my arms crossed over my chest. It wasn’t fair, I didn’t get to do anything normal kids my age did; I couldn’t go to school, I wasn’t allowed to go out and play, I couldn’t even walk five minutes to my best friend’s apartment. “Those stupid cartels aren’t gonna come here! Stop treating me like a baby! It’s not fair! I can’t do anything!”

“This isn't up for debate, Astrid. You’re not going and that’s final. Go to your room.” Ivar snapped back, a scowl darkening his face again.

“I hate you. This is the worst birthday ever!” Tears burned in my eyes as I ran past him to my room, throwing my pack onto my bed. It just wasn’t fair, all I wanted was to go have fun with Koyi. I worked hard to get perfect grades with my tutor, I always followed the rules even though I hated them, and the one time I wanted to do something just for me, I was told no. Again. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and after a moment of standing in the middle of my room, I grabbed my bag, stuffing as much stuff into it as possible, and went over to my window, pusing it open and slipping out into the cover of darkness, running as fast as I could away from this prison of a home.

                                                            ~*~*~

[2 years later]

I stood up on a small ladder so I could reach the sink, frowning slightly as I scrubbed plates and silverware clean, placing them into large racks while I waited for the dishwasher to finish up with the first load of dishware so I could get a second load going.

“Valkyrie! Doing good work there kid. Keep it up and you’ll get a small raise from the boss.” Rokra, a burly looking Togruta who ran the kitchen I worked in, barked at me, a grin lighting up his scarred face. Rokra had found me scavenging for leftovers in the alleyway almost six months ago and brought me in for a proper meal. I hadn’t been doing too bad for myself out on the streets since leaving home, but some days were harder than others to get actual food and not just scraps or even nothing at all. When Rokra stepped in, I was going on nearly a week and a half with nothing to eat, so I jumped at the chance to get something fresh and hot in my belly, scarfing my meal down like a rabid lothcat.

“You really think so?” I lit up at the idea of getting more credits, even if it was just a small amount. I got paid under the table in Rokra’s words, so it was all in actual credits at payday. I kept them hidden away in a small jewelry box Delphine had gotten me as a little gift for being a good helper around The Crypt. When I wasn’t washing dishes, I was helping the dancers like Delphine keep their things cleaned up and organized, and Delphi was my favorite of all the girls; she reminded me a lot of my mom, so I stuck close to her whenever I could to find some comfort and affection. She and Rokra had taken on the role of parents for me, both of them teaching me when they could and making sure I was well taken care of.

“Absolutely, little one. You’re a hard worker and have proven that time and time again. Now go on, I think Delphine’s got some new books for you to read.” He laughed, ruffling my hair. I made a face at him, reaching up with a small hand to push my hair out of my face so I could see where I was going.

“There you are! Come here, let me do your hair.” Delphine smiled when I peeked into the dressing room, motioning for me to enter. I bounded over to the red head, taking a seat on the stool she pulled out for me and waited impatiently as she ran a brush through my too long and tangled hair. “I’m going to braid it back, alright? Where are your rings and beads?”

I fished out the traditional rings and beads my mother had crafted for me out of durasteel, carving runes of protection into the metal, and put them carefully into Delphi’s outstretched hand. “Delphi, you’re shaking. Are you okay?” I turned to crane my head so I could look at her, brow furrowing as I really looked at her. Her honey colored eyes were dull and listless, dark circles blemishing her pale skin, giving her an almost haunted look to her thin face. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what it was and that scared me.

“I’m alright sweetheart. Vados has some medication he’s going to bring me in a while that will help. Now turn around so I can fix your hair,” She sighed, motioning for me to turn around. I made a face at the mention of Vados; he was the head bouncer of The Crypt, a big Zabrak with a terrifying scowl on his face at all times of the day and night. He towered over me and while he didn’t go out of his way to scare me on purpose, he didn’t exactly do anything to try and not scare me, either. I didn’t like him at all, avoiding him as much as possible.

“Are you sick?” I wanted to turn around to look at her so badly, but I knew I had to wait until she was done with my hair.

“Sort of, yes. Once I get that blue medicine, I’ll be okay.” Delphine’s voice was soft, soothing. I knew what medicine she was talking about, it came in a little glass vial and was a bright electric blue in color, and it made the dancers act strange whenever they got it.

“Oh, okay. Rokra said you got me some new books! When can I read them?” I could finally turn around so I could look at her, eager to see what she’d found in one of the little shops here on the lower levels of Coruscant.

“Come on, let’s get them now. You can read me a story tonight after my set.” A smile bloomed on Delphine’s thin, gaunt face as she got to her feet slowly. I was practically quivering with excitement as she lurched towards her locker, opening it to reveal three small books with beautiful covers made of leather and gold lettering painted on the front of them.

“Delphie, these are beautiful! Thank you so much!” I hugged her tightly before carefully taking them in hand. Books were a rare thing to find for people like us, so I made sure to take very good care of the ones Delphie was lucky to find, especially with how expensive they are. I knew she would use most of her paycheck to get me these amazing little trinkets and books and clothes, telling me to save my credits so I could make something of myself when I got older. “Delphine? I… thank you. I really appreciate how much you and Rokra have done for me since I arrived here.”

                                                        ~*~*~

[5 years later]

Nervousness bubbled in my stomach as I knocked on the door of the bosses office, waiting for him to respond before entering the plush room, cigar smoke floating towards me, making my nose burn from the acrid scent that had me wrinkling my nose in disgust for a very brief moment. Grave, his son, was lounging in one of the overstuffed chairs, a very slight grin tugging at his black painted lips as he looked me up and down in interest.

“You wanted to see me sir?” I cleared my throat, biting my lip anxiously, wondering what I could have possibly done to warrant getting called into his office.

“Yes, that’s right my dear. Today’s your seventeenth birthday, isn’t it?” His voice was rough, gravelly, and carried a strange lilt to it as he questioned me about my birthday.

“Yes sir, it is.”

“Well happy birthday, my dear. I have an offer for you; how would you like to move up from being my hostess to my newest dancer? Since Delphine... left, I’ve been one dancer short for our VIP guests and you’ve grown up to be quite the looker. You’d make far more credits and I think you’d make a fine addition up there on stage.” Golden eyes gleamed and I beamed excitedly at his words.

“Really? You want me to be a dancer? Yes! I’ve wanted to dance since I was a dishwasher!” I squealed, clapping my hands excitedly. This was so unexpected but I couldn’t be happier about the offer.

“Excellent. Grave, why don’t you get our newest dancer set up?” Boss man dismissed us with a wave of his hand, going back to reading through his datapads. Grave got to his feet and motioned for me to come with him, taking my hand in his when he didn’t think I was coming along fast enough. My cheeks flushed when he glanced down at me, grinning flirtatiously as he twined our fingers together.

“Come on Baby Doll, let’s get you taken care of,” His voice was husky, his dark eyes gleaming with a mischief that matched his tone so well. “I’ll take good care of you.” His words had my heart fluttering in my chest, that smile making me weak in the knees. I tilted my head curiously when he led me into his room, motioning for me to sit on his bed while he dug around in his desk for something, muttering under his breath before finding whatever it was he’d been looking for.

“What’s that?” I tried to get a good look at whatever it was but Grave only shook his head in response. “Fine, don’t tell me then. Are you always this secretive?” I couldn’t help but pout a little, wondering just what it was he was hiding behind his back.

“Maybe. Come here,” He held his free hand out to me. “I’ll let you see the surprise in a moment.” I took his hand, gasping when he pressed his lips to mine, one hand on the back of my neck while the hand that had been behind his back came up to my inner thigh, a sharp, stabbing feeling followed by a quick electric jolt hit me. A sudden rush of numbness coursed through my veins, sending my body into a sort of state of shock from how quickly my limbs went limp and felt as if they weighed a ton. If Grave hadn’t of been holding me up, I would have hit the floor like a sack of duracrete blocks. Whatever he injected me with, it was fast acting and left me in an almost drunken state of being, and I quickly found myself blacking out.

Pain was the first thing I felt when I finally came to who knows how later, the burning and aching radiating from my chest and the injection site, bringing tears to my eyes as I lay in a bed that I knew wasn’t mine. My mouth was drier than Tatooine, my head pounding horribly when I tried to open my eyes, wincing at the light shining down in my face.

“What -?” I croaked out, holding a hand up to try and block the light some. “Where am I?”

“Easy, you had quite the surgery Baby Doll. You need to take it easy,” A voice I sort of recognized murmured in my ear. “Let me get you a drink.”

“Grave? What happened?” I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision. Grave came back over with a glass of what I hoped was water, carefully helping me sit up so I could get a drink. I took a large gulp of the liquid, coughing hard at the vile taste, shoving the cup away from me. Whatever was in that cup, it definitely wasn’t water.

“You need to drink it, Baby Doll. It’s going to speed up your recovery.” Grave insisted, forcing the cup back to my lips to make me drink. Once he was satisfied that I’d finished it, he set the cup aside with a smile and reached out to stroke my cheek tenderly. “Good girl babe. Come on, let’s get you back to sleep.” He soothed in the honeyed voice of his, his hands easing me back against the mattress.

“Grave, what did you do to me?” My voice was barely above a whisper, pain making it hard to talk. It was then I noticed my chest felt heavier and I looked down to see I had wrappings around my breasts. “What did you do?”

“It’s nothing to worry about, Baby Doll. It’s just a simple breast implant surgery. You need to rest babe, let’s get you a dose of Zydrate to help you relax.” Grave got up and pulled out the familiar glass vial and gun that I’d seen used on the other dancers, placing it against my other thigh and injecting me again. That same rush of numbness flowed through my entire body once again, the pain vanishing completely. This time, though, I felt a strange heat fanning out from my belly down to my feet and up into my throat, an all too familiar pulsing between my legs catching my attention. Grave leaned down to catch my lips in a heated kiss that I found myself returning eagerly, twining my fingers in his long, soft, chestnut colored hair. His hands slid up my thighs, fingers deftly removing my pants, tossing them aside along with the lacy, lavender panties I’d been wearing, his thick fingers exploring my folds, sliding along my clit, drawing a moan from my mouth.

“Grave, wait, I’m… I’ve never slept with anyone.” My voice went hoarse when I felt him slide two fingers into my hot core.

“I’ll take it nice and slow, Baby Doll, don’t worry.” He groaned into my neck, placing an open mouthed kiss onto the hollow of my throat. “You’re my girl, I’ll always take care of you.” I closed my eyes, sinking down into darkness.

#Kat writes #Valkyrie #drug use tw #smut #18+ please #alcohol abuse tw #slightly unsavory relationship tw #Fives x OC #Fives x Valkyrie #eventual friends to lovers

[sunnyborabora]

Adore you - Apollo!Jung Hoseok x Reader

You were chosen as the new priestess of Apollo. With your new duty comes the obligation of worshiping the god you are serving. But when Apollo finally comes to visit his new priestess, you are not the one worshipping anymore. 

Apollo Hoseok x human Reader

Tags: Fluff, Smut, very explicit smut, size difference, virginity kink if you squint. 

« Are you ready ? » You didn’t answer simply nodding your head not trusting your voice. The woman in front of you was looking at you closely, inspecting your clothes, even if you didn’t know why as the all purpose of this was to look as plain as possible. She brushed the thin white veil that was still in her hands, careful not to make it dirty. « Then we should be leaving, the priests are waiting. » You wish she could have let you a moment to say goodbye as you looked around to the other women. They had been what was closer to friends since you were forced to leave home a few weeks back. But it was too late as the woman was putting the white veil on your head, hiding your face to the world. You cried on your way to Delphi. Thankful for the veil to hide your sadness to the world. The cheers of the procession, and the music was so loud you couldn’t hear anything else. All you could see was the flaming sun through your veil. The temple of Apollo was gigantic as it disturbed the horizon line standing tall on top of the mount Parnassus. The sun was so hot today and you couldn’t help but think that it was on purpose. After all it was the 7th of Bysios, the anniversary of your God Apollo’s birth. It was such a special day, the day you will take the place of the previous Pythia in the great temple. The music had become louder and louder as you were coming closer to building as you started to distinguished the tall pole that erected from the ground. The music become more and more hasty as you felt the dancers and people in the procession getting louder. « Oh God of sun, Apollo, son of the great Leto and god of all Zeus, listen our calls. » You were shaking at this point. « To honor you, great Apollo, we are offering you a bride, young and beautiful, born in our great Delphi. » Suddenly it went quiet. The veil on your head was so heavy. « From your great beauty, and pureness, reveal yourself to your master, Pythia » You took of the veil, finally showing your bare face to the procession. But you weren’t paying any attention to them as you were blinded by the sun light. Everything hit you  at once, the bees buzzing, the smell of the laurel that was everywhere. The music started back as soon as your face was reveal. They started moving apart from you, leaving you in the center of the circle. The music changed and you were feeling weird already as you started moving. Soon you felt like you didn’t control your body, like someone had taken control as you were spinning and stretch your body toward the sky as if you were looking to reach something you couldn’t. You were dancing and dancing, not feeling the pain in your feet, the heat of the sun, the burn of your lungs asking for air. Suddenly the music stopped and all energy left you as you collapsed on the ground. Everything went black. You woke up feeling a bit sick. You head was spinning a bit so you took a little longer to stand up. It was dark outside as you presumed it was nighttime already. Nobody was there as you looked through the column. Big veils were floating around your room. It was truly beautiful. You felt small and lonely, walking around the room. You knew you were going to spend most of your time alone, priests of Apollo having the least contact with you as possible as they were not supposed to covet the bride of Apollo and you were supposed to concentrate on your god only. You wandered around for a bit, stepping out into the center part of the temple that was not covered. The grass was fresh under your naked feet, and it smelled good. You walked around a bit more and find multiple beehives around and you understood. It smelled like honey. You felt better, like your energy had been restored. You still felt anxious, but who would not be at the idea of living with a god. You came back under the covered area, passing through the veil. You find on your bed a big plate of fruits and a large amphora. You came closer and saw figs, grapes and pomegranate fruits. It looked delicious. You took a fig and bite into it. You moaned at the taste. It was so good. You looked around you, suspiciously. You had the impression that someone was watching you. But there was no one. Just the dark, and the moon light illuminating the entire garden. You ate a bit more, not getting enough of the fruit. This night you slept well, your dreams full of sunshine and music. But you were stressed when you woke up. Today was the first day you will spend in the cave. And maybe, if he wanted you, your god Apollo would contact you. Your rôle was important, kings, princes, heroes and demi god were going to come and seek your help. What if Apollo didn’t want to ? What if nothing was going to happen ? But you didn’t have time to think more, as you needed to get ready. You wore a simple blue dress, wrapped around your shoulders, as a deep red veil was adorning your hair. You were guided by two priests, who were waiting for you on the other side of the temple. They didn’t talk to you, or even looked at you for long. It was going to be a lonely life, but you were ready for it and even grateful. There wasn’t much hope for a girl like you outside the religious ways. The cave was bigger than you expected. It was wet inside and the walls  were covered in thine layer of water. It was cold. There was a stone, forming like a sort of throne, at the back of the cave. The priests stopped at the entrance not penetrating the sacred space. You, on the other hand, kept walking until you reached the stone. You climbed on it, the stone strangely hot and not slippery, finally sitting on it. You felt a strange sensation in your body, shivers running down your spine. You stayed here, not moving and weirdly enough, time didn’t seem long. You had no notion of time, but finally a man walked in. You had never seen him before, and he was not a priest. He was young, maybe a few years older than you. He seemed anxious and unsure of what to do. « Come closer » He did what you told him, bowing in front of you. « Pythia, I am Pyros, of Athens. -What do you want Pyros of Athens ? -I am at the beginning of a quest, an important quest. I can’t leave for the sea, without Apollo’s omen. » You felt a weird sensation on your neck, as if someone was holding it with their hand. Your veil fall on your eyes as you sink into the darkness. You opened your eyes again and you saw, not the cave you were in a second ago but the temple where you slept last night. A man was standing in the middle of the court, tall, so tall. Taller than any men you’ve ever seen. His hair were like made of light, pure blond, with gold strand shining. You walked toward him, unsure. It was true that Apollo was the most beautiful god. So beautiful you weren’t sure you were going to survive to this meeting. Where you even worthy of this ? His eyes were liquid gold, and it became more and more intense as you came closer. He smiled at you, his lips forming an adorable heart as he smiled. You took the hand he was landing you, yours so much smaller than his. « Nice to meet you priestess -Apollo », you whispered He bowed toward you, looking at your face closely. You blushed, but too fascinated to turn your gaze away. « Are you ready my dear ? -Ready ? » He smirked and pull you toward him. You felt his body against yours before not feeling anything anymore. You were back on your stone throne, but unable to move. You felt weird, as if your body was touched in all places. It was more contact than you’ve ever had. But you were too busy listening to the voice ringing in your ears to concentrate on that. It was his voice. And it was whispering you things. You didn’t know how many minutes you stayed that way but it seemed like an eternity to you. But when you opened your eyes again, Pyros was still here. He didn’t look like he had waited too long. Your vision was blurry, and you felt incredibly tired. « Pythia ? -Yes… -Have you seen something ? » You had not seen something… But you’ve heard a lot. And maybe Pyros should not leave for his quest just yet. You repeated your god words exactly like he had pronounced them. The young men seemed to trust you as his face fall in disappointment. But he nodded nonetheless. He bowed to you and told you he will sacrifice a sheep to Apollo in thanks. You nodded, hearing someone laugh in your head. You stayed until the sunset but no other heroes came to visit you. Coming back to the sanctuary, you stepped into the non-covered part. The hair was cold, and now that the sun was down there was nothing to make you warm. « Oh you are finally back ! » You turned around fast, so fast you almost tripped on your veil. « Oh ! Be careful priestess ! Let’s not get hurt ! » He came closer to you, grabbing your arm, helping you stand up. « God Apollo… What are you doing here ? -I wanted to see you of course ! After your first vision, some can be a bit confused » You weren’t confused. You actually felt fine. « I am just a bit tired. But I am fine. -The symbiosis was perfect, I have to say ! I rarely felt something, he passed his hand against your cheek making you shiver, so intense. Oh are you cold ? » You didn’t even have the time to answer as he is swinging a coat on your shoulders. It didn’t look like any animal skin you knew but it made you feel warm right away. « Thank you master -You’re welcome » he smiled again, his eyes disappearing in the process. « So, what do you think of the sanctuary ? -What I- I think ? -Yes. -It’s great… » He frowned, his lips forming an adorable pout. « Great ? -Yes ! I love it ! -That’s the most important then ! » He walked toward the inside, passing the white veils that were separating the court. You stepped inside finding him sitting on your bed. He was biting into a piece of meat, probably a part of the meal the servant of the temple had brought you. « Come sit with me » And you did. You waited beside him but he told you to eat. And like that you spent the night with Apollo. He devoured most of your food and complained about the lack of wine but soon remembered that we weren’t in a Dionysus temple. « You know, I personnaly know Dionysus, well he is an asshole » You laugh at that even if you knew you shouldn’t. r Apollo was kind and seemed to be way more approachable than you had thought. After this night where he had waited for you to fall dead asleep before leaving, he had sent the muses to keep you company. From time to time he would come visit you and play you the lyre for hours, both of you sitting on the grass, under the sun. But even when he wasn’t physically here, you could still feel him. After Pyrus, multiple men came to you sinking answers, and every time Apollo had greeted them with an answer. And every time you could hear him in your head. Feel him in your body. To be honest you didnt’ know how to feel about this. This is how you spent the last months. One day he found you chatting with the muses in the garden between laurel and roses. You looked breathtaking. Your time here had done wonders as you had taken weight now that you were eating enough. Your skin was glowing under the sun as your fingers were running on the lyre. You had nothing to envy to the muses around you. He could only see you. Your body stretched on the grass at the view of other gods. He looked toward the sky a scowl on his face. He could almost see his father drooling all the way up on his cloud. He was even imagining the reaction of other mortals. Disgusting. Weren’t you supposed to be his, his priestess, his bride. That was it, Apollo would not allow anyone he deemed unworthy to watch you, not even the other gods. You were his most precious treasure. You noticed Apollo standing a few meters away from you, and yous imply smiled at him. How could you not when the simple view of the god was making you full of happiness. You stopped smiling when you saw his expression. Him that was always so cheerful, was not smiling. He walked toward you and the muses, and with a motion of his hand dismissed them. You were now all alone on the grass. « Lord Apollo ? Is everything okay ? -No Y/n, I am quite displeased…. » You gulped. « Did I do something wrong my lord ? » Fuck why did you have to sound and look this obedient. You were always so good. What did surprise you and even him was how quickly he grabbed your arm and snatched you up. You simply gasped as he carried you away.

« What is happening ? I’m sorry if I did something wrong ! -You didn’t do anything, fuck- » You didn’t have the time to answer as he crushed his mouth against yours. It was so hard compared to your previous kiss. The same feeling that you felt during the possession during the first ritual. « Please, my Lord... -Anything you want my dear, I’ll do everything you want. » He was so tall, holding you like this, as he never been that closed to you before. « You are the one supposed to serve me, and look at this. I’ll provoked all the Olympians if you asked me to. » You moaned as his mouth attacked your neck, pleasure bubbling inside your body. It was all new to you, you didn’t know how to feel. This pressure started to build between your legs and every centimeter of your skin was feeling sensitive. « I should have claimed you a long time ago, as soon as I saw you dancing in front of my temple. I’ve never seen a most beautiful creature. Not even Aphrodite herself can compare to you. » You blushed hard at his word knowing that you were no comparison to the goddess of beauty herself. But his word sounded so real, you almost wanted to believe him. He kissed you again, as if he couldn’t have enough of your lips . Your breathing sped up slightly as his hands made their way down your collar to the neckline of your dress. You were basically wearing nothing, as he had made clear that he preferred simple dresses, white and fluid. You were okay with this, the weather always so warm that you didn’t need any clothes any way. You whimpered as he detached himself from you. « Open your eyes my love » You nearly shrunk back at the harsh gaze his golden eyes fixed you with. He looked frustrated... You whimpered again under his gaze, blushing. « Stop doing that love, you are going to kill me » You couldn’t help yourself but moan again. « Your power, love. You can get me on my knees just y a look, you know that. » He passed his hand in your hair. « So pure » « But don’t worry love. I am going to teach you all you need to know. Do you want this love ? You want to serve me completely ? » You were so mesmerized by his hypnotizing eyes that you didn’t answer. « Answer me. -I do, I want you to teach me. Please, my lord, teach me how to make you feel good, how to please you... » He groaned, the sound deep coming from the back of his throat. With all his might he detached himself from your body, taking a step back. « Take off my tunic » You watched him puzzled. « Come on love, take my clothes off » You came closer to him slowly, almost scared of touching him. Not that you haven’t seen him almost naked before. As much as your clothes, his did not a lot to hide his body. Why would you want to hide yourself when you are literally Apollo ? You were so small standing in front of him, and it was even more shocking when you touched his torso. His skin was glowing, as if he was cover in fine gold. You were realising slowly, what was happening. How you were so close from him, his utter perfection. One of his hand came and caress along your back. You shivered at the contact but you successfully took off the pin that was holding the thin material of his tunic. He was naked in front of you. You closed your eyes feeling so embarrassed suddenly. « Look at me, my love. » And you did, because how could you not. You watched his face, how his eyes seemed to sparkle with more gold than usual, how his blond hair were messy, falling on his forehead carelessly, how his normally cheerful smile was gone. His lips were slightly parted, glistening with saliva as he was licking them. Up until now, you had never noticed the fine golden line that adorn his skin like a tattoo. You started to trace it with your index finger not even noticing what you were doing, to mesmerized with his beauty. He looked at you with so much fondness. « Go on, touch me more » he encouraged. You had no idea what to do. Your education had been about poetry and theater and music. But now you wished the muses you stayed with had touch a word to you about this. You made your hand slither down his chest, feeling his hard abs against the tip of your finger. You racked your nails a bit against the skin of his thighs, hearing him moan int the process. Getting confident you wasted no time in touching his groin startling him a little. He made a strangled sound and bucked up into your hand. You gasped as he twitched in your hand. It was so big and large in your hand, you were asking yourself so many questions. How was it gonna fit ? « Don’t worry baby, you were made for me. » he chuckled, capturing your lips in a chaste kiss. « I wasn’t hopping for you to be so daring, love. » He said « It’s the first time hm ? That you are with a man ? » You bit your lip and nodded. « Then I should guide you a little bit. » He took your hands and guide you to the couch, sitting on it as you stayed in front of him. « I want you to feel how much I want you. How much passion you fill me with » You bit your lower lip. You dropped on your knees between his thighs and you see him twitch again, a strange liquid coming out of the tip. « Seeing you on your knees like this. » He didn’t even finish his sentence. He let his hands caress your shoulders, the strap of your dress falling down your arms, exposing your breast to his view. « Have you ever seen something so beautiful » He brushed his nose against your neck, kissing your pulse point. One of his hands came to rest on the side of your head as it allowed him to blindly explore your neck. He drew you up for another kiss. He smiled against your mouth, rubbing his nose along yours in an affectionate gesture. « Come on, » he encouraged, « I'm aching beautiful » You slipped your hand back between his legs, squeezing his member. Fingers awkwardly traced his shaft a little before passing your finger on the slit. You swallowed heavily and ran the palm of your hand up and down the underside, feeling the weight of his girth in your palm. A thick drop of pre-cum leaked out of his slit and threatened to run down his head. The liquid that was escaping the tip was like tinted gold, and you felt like you wanted to taste it. You licked your lips. At this rate you were throbbing with want and need. Your already dripping wetness became slicker and uncomfortable, so much that you were sure you could felt it on your thighs. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back a little - lips half open as a moan fell from them. « Love » He growled, « Your hand looks so small wrapped around my cock! » « My lord, I don't think it’s going to fit, » you said moaning. « Eventually it will.” He moaned, grabbing your hand. « Let's take these off, hm, so I can finally see you. » He helped you get on your feet, you dress definitely fall to your feet. He drank in your figure, his eyes sliding along your curves. He grabbed your hips, his fingers digging into your soft skin. His grip his hard on you as he made you come closer to him. He kisses your tummy, his mouth not leaving your skin. « I can’t believe I am finally seeing you. All those weeks of seeing you wandering the garden, the temple. Maybe spent a little more time watching you that I should have » His hand slip between your legs and you gasped hard. « My lord ! » His fingers pressed against your most intimate part and you cried out. « You like that ? How I touch you ? -I don’t know ! I feel- » You just felt a lot of new feelings. He stopped and you wanted to tell him to keep going, but he grabbed your ass and put you down on the couch. Soft lips worshiped your stomach and hipbones with open-mouthed kisses. His tongue traced by your bellybutton, biting the skin around it, sucking, leaving marks. You moaned, interlocking your fingers his loose locks. « You have such a beautiful body » He praised sincerely, kneeling between your legs. « My priestess! That I had the pleasure to watch how much, oh I wanted you. How I knew if I didn’t claim you soon, other gods would steal you away from me. » He purred, lowering his head and nipping the soft insides of your thighs. You blushed and laid down flatly on the couch, legs spread and arms above your head. This whole thing was surreal and it took his lips on you for the first time to bring you back to reality. « Hold on love » he told you, standing up in all his glory. Your god, the one you were dedicated to, was here, ready to take you, all of you. He was glowing, radiating light. So beautiful, so godly. « We’re going to do this right » he told you, grabbing your thigh and squishing your flesh, « I won’t hurt my fragile little mortal » He smiled, his lips taking that signature heart shape and you couldn’t help but smile back. « I’ll make you feel so good » he smirked. His hand slithered up your thighs, bending toward you. You could feel his breath and it was making your skin tingle. He was spreading your thighs so much you were so exposed. Even if you knew what was coming, when he placed his mouth on you, you jolted at the sensation. His tongue was firm pocking your clit and swirling it around and it was overwhelming. « My god ! Please ! What- -Do you feel it my little mortal, do you feel good ? -Yes ! » You cried , not controlling your body anymore, your hips lifting trying to get closer to mouth. And he didn’t stop you. Quite the opposite, he hooked his arm around your thighs, pressing your pussy even closer to tongue. You were feeling something, something weird. « My lord ! Please, I feel something ! Something is- » He didn’t stop, and the tight knot in your stomach snapped. You were shaking in his arm, as you felt the pleasure completely taking over your body. « You taste so good love, better than nectar. -Please, lord, just- -No I can’t yet, you are too small for this yet, I need to prepare you » And with this he slipped one finger in. You gasped, getting on your elbows to see what he was doing. He was smirking at you, his mouth and chin covered in your slick. « I have to make you nice and ready right ? » He curled his finger inside you and you threw your head back. He slid his index finger completely inside your body easily with no pain. You moaned, moving your hips against his hand as Apollo guided his finger in and out. When he felt it was safe enough he added another causing a slight stretch. « That feels good! » « I know, » He cooed, curling his fingers and rubbing against your newly found sweet spot. He scissored you open gingerly. A finger rested against your swollen clit, circling around the sensitive bud. Apollo was a generous god, and he won’t leave you hanging more. You ignored how he did that, but the pressure inside you and his movement on your clit send you over the edge once again, this time so much more powerful. You were a mess of emotion. It was happening. He was finally going to embrace you after all this time. You tried not to question the situation too much, not thinking about the fact that he must definitely do this with every of his priestess. You didn’t have the time to think more when fingers became faster and faster, even adding a third one. You came apart so fast, stronger than before. You almost fainted from the strong feeling, your vision suddenly blurry. You thought you were going to faint from the sensation. You felt a liquid run down your thighs but you didn’t have the strength yet to look. All you could feel was his body shift. « Your so good for me, Y/n, the best » You opened your eyes slowly and saw that he was a mess. His eyes were almost black as his pupils were dilated, his hair were sticky from sweat, and he was covered in something, the same thing that had come from you. « I- I am sorry- -Don’t be. Really » Seeing how worked up it had got him you stopped. «I think you are ready now… » A shiver of pleasure ran down your spine. « I’ll force it into your thigh cunt if I have to anyway » And you weren’t doubting him. But you weren’t scared, even the idea of him forcing himself inside you was making your body tinkle. « Are you ready to be mine? » Apollo whispered into your mouth, nibbling on the side of your chin. « Yes » You agreed, raising your legs a little and keeping them on his upper thighs. You knew he was big, but feeling the tip slowly entering you was something you weren’t ready for. You gasped, crying and contracting. « Shhh, it’s okay. » He touched your cheeks, caressing your soft skin with his thumb. His lips were pressing against yours. You moaned in his mouth when you felt him completely. « You can’t even take me completely » He sniggered, looking at your small frame under his. You clench around him, slowly adjusting. He groaned his hands fisting on each side of your head. « How do you feel? » He asked, his voice tight. « Full... » Your hand glided on your belly and you moaned again when you felt the bump forming by his member. « Yes Y/n. You feel it deep in you right ? » You nodded, now eager for him to move. He seemed to understand as he started moving his hips slowly. You clutched his shoulders with your small hands, trying to stabilize yourself. « Y/n » he growled, « You look so fragile wrapped around my cock » Hands roamed his hands up and down your sides and clutched your hips. He brought your hips closer to his, and you submissively wrap your legs around his hips. You held onto his shoulders and braced yourself against his body, forehead pressed against his. His hands were clutching your flesh rocking your hips against his. « You don’t know what I am gonna do to you. -Please, Apollo ! -You are the one who is supposed to worship me. But look at me. As if I was going to leave you hanging my priestess » You shuddered at the idea. You didn’t know what was going into you, but you started moving your hips too, showing him you needed more. His member was so heavy inside you, you were stretch so good. Apollo growled and squeezed the flesh of your ass, bruising it. He ducked his head down and captured one of your nipple between his lips - sucking and tugging on it. « Lord Apollo ! Please ! » you moaned, your nails digging in his golden skin. « I know! » He gloated. « How does it feel to take your god’s cock ? -It feel so good ! » You agreed, feeling your orgasm building up for the third time. «Does it turn you on, Y/n, that every god of Olympus might watch you right now. » He purred into your ear, « Cum nice and hard on my cock, so that everyone, every god, satyr, men, spirit in this world knows that I am the one you are serving, I am the one who’s taken you for the first time and ruined your virgin pussy. » « Yes my Lord ! » you screamed. It was hitting inside you so good, you were dripping down his length, your mind was blank and you couldn’t think as the pressure in your belly snapped. You screamed, arching in his arms as he is holding you closer and closer. You squeezed him so good he had trouble moving inside you. But he didn’t stop and you rode your orgasm until you couldn’t take it anymore. « Please my lord...» You were crying from all the pleasure you were feeling. Apollo gave a breathy chuckle and planted his lips on the side of your neck lovingly. « Are you sore, little one? » He asked, « You are doing so good” « Gonna- » you moaned in response. « Of course you are. You are so good » He kissed you again this time with more passion. Your eyes closed, savoring the taste, and the feeling of having him this closed. He was pounding hard in your body. His head buried in your neck, and you could hear every of his noise. He hadn’t been quiet since the beginning but having him so close, hearing him moan and grunt your name. You were going to cum again, for what felt like the 10th time of the night but you felt him becoming sloppier in his trust too. Her orgasm twisted in her stomach and threatened to become unraveled. He was covered in sweat, eyes closed, his body shining, literally radiating light as he was cumming closer and closer to own release. « You’re glowing » He smiled at you fondly. Letting go of your ass as he put you back down on the bed. He took your hands in his and you felt a new connection. This position was so intimate, new. You liked it even better to be honest.

« I'm gonna cum, are you ready priestess » Apollo growled, « cum for me, cum again »

« I can’t ! Please » you cried, tightening yourself on his member.

« You don’t want to cum, but look your body doesn’t seem to want to let me go »

He moaned against your lips, keeping his movement as steady as he could but it was starting to get sloppy. He threw his head back, his hands clutching yours stronger. He was beautiful and for a second you couldn’t help but admire his beauty. You felt him, his member twitching inside you. Soon he was feeling you up, his seed overflowing your pussy, making of you an even bigger mess. You came at the feeling, eyes rolling at the back of your head, shuddering at the feeling. You felt him move but you couldn’t open your eyes. You were too tired. You just heard him whisper in your ear.

« Rest well pythia »

And he disappeared. You woke up in the morning alone, but the coat Apollo gave you was covering your body. The sun was high in the sky and no clouds were on sight. Apparently everything was good for the god of the Sun. You couldn’t help but smile when you saw the lyre laying beside your bed. You could recognize it anywhere. Picking it up, you looked at it carefully before clutching it in your arms. Your duty could wait a bit more.

#bts #bts oneshot #hoseok #jung hoseok #hoseok x you #hoseok x reader #hoseok x y/n #jung hoseok x you #jung hoseok x reader #reader insert #j hope x reader #j hope fluff #j hope #apollo #greek mythology #ancient greek au #priestess #kpop #kpop oneshots #kpop fanfic #Smut #fluff

[skepticalcatfrog]

Stay Ahead and Stay Alive Chapter 1

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Summary: When Bill Denbrough starts his third summer at Camp Half Blood, everything seems perfect. He's finally getting used to his cabin, he gets to see his friends again, and he's even getting the hang of fighting with a sword. But that perfection is quickly turned on its head when his little brother goes missing. Bill is determined to do whatever it takes to find him, even if that means he and his friends need to go to the Underworld.

Pairings: (Eventual) Reddie, Stenbrough, and Benverly

Word count: 3,254

Author's Notes: New series! This one isn't Sanders Sides, because I've recently gotten very into the It fandom, and I figured I'd try something new. For those of you who are currently reading Among The Stars, don't worry, that will still be continuing. Chapters might just be coming out a little slower than usual. Now, on to the important information! As some of you may have noticed, there's a new category under these notes. That's because this fic will be switching perspectives between the main characters from chapter to chapter. Enjoy!

POV: Bill Denbrough

I held my brother's hand tightly as we ran up Half Blood hill towards the camp boundaries. We weren't running from anything, just wanting to get to camp as fast as possible. I smiled when I saw the pine tree at the top of the hill, using my free hand to point towards it.

"N-not much further!" I glanced at my brother. "Think y-you can m-ma-make it?"

"Yup! You've got nothing to worry about!" Georgie said confidently, speeding up a little bit to prove his point. I just smiled a little wider.

We ran all the way up the hill and stopped only once we were sure we were past the boundaries, sitting down to try and catch our breath. We looked at each other then started laughing, for no reason in particular. I leaned back into the grass to get a better view of the sky. Georgie did the same. Everything was quiet for a moment, aside from the chatter from the other campers in the background. I just watched the clouds pass by. Then something (or someone, rather) blocked my view.

I smiled up at one of my best friends, Stanley Uris. He was the head counselor of the Athena cabin, and had been going to Camp Half Blood the longest out of all of us. Six years as of this summer, nearly twice as long as how many years I've been here. His eyes were a dark silver, like a sky full of storm clouds. He had brown hair, which was almost untamable due to how curly it was. If you got close enough, you'd notice freckles across his cheeks. Not that I'd ever gotten that close. He dressed like that kid in class who got straight A's every year, all button down shirts and khaki shorts. He offered me his hand and when I took it, he helped me stand up again.

"Hey, Bill. When did you get here?" He asked me, letting go of my hand quickly as soon as I was standing.

"Just now." I told him. Georgie stood up and was next to me again. "W-w-what about Richie and Eddie? Have y-you heard anything from th-them yet?"

"I have, yeah. Richie's only been here for four hours and he's already been to the infirmary twice. Eddie's taking care of him." Stan said. He gestured towards the infirmary. "It's nothing serious though, so he should be out again soon."

"Figures." I laughed. "S-s-sometimes it's li-like he does it on p-p-p-purpose."

As if on cue, Richie Tozier sauntered out of the infirmary, followed closely by a clearly frustrated Eddie Kaspbrak. Richie was a Hermes kid, which meant he was prone to getting into trouble. And more often than not, he would end up getting hurt. Then he would go to the infirmary, where he would be patched up and then scolded by Eddie. Eddie was an Apollo kid. He was probably one of the most qualified people in the infirmary, because he knew an unhealthy amount about diseases. He was like a tiny ball of anger and medical supplies. As they got closer to us, I could hear their conversation a little more clearly. But they didn't stop walking, so we just had to walk right alongside them.

"Arts and crafts? Are you kidding me? How do you get hurt in arts and crafts?" Eddie's nose scrunched up as he spoke.

"It's the beads, Eds. Their sharp edges will get you when you least expect it." Richie shrugged.

"The beads?! The beads are round, Richie. They have no sharp edges." Eddie's mouth was running a mile a minute, like a fast-forwarded recording. "The box says three and up. Are you over three? Because last time I checked, you were. But sometimes I can't tell based on how often you do stupid things. First it was the rock wall accident, now this. You do know that we don't have contests at the infirmary, right? You won't get a prize for being our most frequent customer."

"It was an accident!" Richie held his hands up in an 'I surrender' motion. Then he finally noticed me, Georgie and Stanley. "Hey, Stan the Man, answer me a question. Is it possible to cut yourself on a bead?"

"Maybe if it broke in half, then it might have a sharper edge. Otherwise, no, not possible. Especially not by accident." Stan shook his head.

"Aha! I was right." Eddie poked Richie on the shoulder. He suddenly remembered that there were other people there, and turned towards me and Georgie. "Oh, hi, by the way."

"Hey." I waved at him.

"Hi!" Georgie waved even more enthusiastically. He looked up to my friends for some reason, which was probably a mistake. Really the only good role model in our group was Stan.

"Speaking of our good friend Bill, what are your plans for this summer Mr. Son of Aphrodite?" Richie nudged me with his elbow. "Maybe finally asking Beverly out?"

Oh, right. Beverly Marsh. Beverly was the current Oracle of Delphi, plus the girl who I'd had a confusing relationship with since I first got to camp. Everyone thought we liked each other, and I guess it was kind of true, but there wasn't really anything there anymore.

"Since when do you like Beverly?" Stan asked, looking around at everything except for me.

"I-I-It's complicated." I sighed. "Long story sh-short, I'm p-p-probably not going to ask her out."

"Did you know that they kissed two years ago? There weren't many witnesses, but there were a few, so you can ask them if you don't believe me." Richie said, his voice just a little too loud for my liking.

"Oh m-my gods Richie c-c-could you please just be quiet?" I hissed, my charmspeak kicking in near the end. Some children of Aphrodite, including me, can use charmspeak. To put it simply, it's kind of like hypnosis. For example, when I said that, Richie finally decided to shut up.

"Speaking of Beverly…" Stan muttered.

There she was, waving at us from the mess hall. Her curly red hair had grown a bit since she'd cut it near the end of last summer, but her icy blue eyes were still the same. She also had freckles, and when I say freckles I mean a lot of them. She walked up to us, hands in her pockets.

"Hey, guys! I haven't seen you yet, when did you get here?" She asked.

"I've been here the whole time." Stan crossed his arms. He stayed at camp year-round, instead of leaving at the end of the summer like the rest of us. I never really knew why, but he always said it was because he knew he'd be safer there.

"Well obviously I know that, you do that every year. But I haven't seen any of them yet." Beverly gestured to the rest of us. "What have you guys been up to?"

"Me and Billie just got here. We ran from the car all the way up the hill, and it was so fun!" Georgie told her, practically jumping up and down from excitement. A small smile grew on my face and I nodded, confirming the story.

"Richie got here a few hours ago, but he's been too busy in the infirmary to do anything." Eddie scowled "He's already been there twice in the four hours he's been here, and I've had to take care of him. I thought that maybe this year he wouldn't get hurt as much, but I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Like seriously, how hard is it to just-"

"That's nice, Eddie." Beverly cut him off. The rest of us let out a sigh of relief, because we knew that if she hadn't done that, then Eddie could've gone on for hours. "I've got to get going, but hopefully I'll see you guys later!"

"Y-yeah, hopefully!" I waved as she walked away. Richie started clapping quietly.

"Bravo, encore!" He teased. "You're a true poet Bill, you really do have a way with words."

"Leave him alone, Rich. At least he tried." Stan's sharp gray eyes glared at Richie.

"Yeah, a-at least I t-tri-tried." I echoed. Sometimes I just didn't know what to say, but for some reason Stanley always seemed to be able to think of something. "Georgie and I still need to g-get settled in, so we'll b-b-be in our cabin if you n-need us."

"Okay. I actually have to go too, they'll probably need counselors to deal with new campers." Stan nodded.

"I'll go too then." Richie went to follow Stan.

"Richie, you're not a counselor. The whole camp would be in flames if you were a counselor. You can go with Eddie, I'm sure you'll be able to find something to do." Stan pointed to our blond friend, who was indignant.

"Nope, no, not a chance. I have important things that I need to do, and I don't need Richie to be there while I do them." Eddie protested.

"Too bad then, I guess." Richie wrapped his arm around Eddie's shoulders, which Eddie immediately pushed away. "Looks like we're stuck with each other, Eddie Spaghetti."

"Fine. But I really do have work to do, so don't be distracting." Eddie turned around and started walking away, Richie following him.

"Alright, well, just find me if you need anything. If we don't get a chance to talk then I'll see you tomorrow." Stan waved and went back to his cabin. Georgie and I went to ours as well.

The Aphrodite cabin was definitely intense, if you were looking for a way to describe it. The first thing you'd notice would be the smell of things like perfume, hairspray, and nail polish. It would hit you like a brick wall the second you walked through the door. Posters of various celebrities were all over the pink walls, and a circular rug sat in the center of the room. There was a row of beds on one wall, and another one on the opposite side of the room. Everything was very neat and orderly, except for a few stray love letters. They came to the Aphrodite cabin regularly, since most of my half siblings were the subjects of many crushes at camp. Multiple small chandeliers hung from the ceiling, being the only light source aside from the windows. Overall, it was never boring in cabin 10. There was always some sort of activity, and no matter what it was, it always caused excitement.

My brother and I put our bags down on our respective beds, and unpacked all of our stuff. Some other campers had gotten there earlier than we had, and were already settled in. By the time we had all of our stuff put away, we had to go to the mess hall for dinner. The tables were sorted by cabin, so I didn't get to sit next to any of my friends. The table for the Hermes cabin was always more crowded than anywhere else, because it held all the children of Hermes, as well as kids who didn't know who their godly parent was yet. I remember staying there for a while at the beginning of my first year at Camp Half Blood. It was where I'd met Richie. After dinner, we all sat around the campfire for a little while. We sang songs, talked, and told jokes until it was completely dark out. Georgie looked like he was about to fall asleep where he sat by the end of it. I couldn't blame him, the first day of camp was always tiring. We walked back to our cabin and got ready for bed.

It felt like forever before I started to fall asleep. I was tired, but for some reason I just couldn't sleep. I got there eventually, but then I was woken up by a tapping on my face. I opened my eyes, and what I saw was Georgie sitting next to my bed and tapping me on the forehead.

"Georgie, w-what are you s-s-still doing up?" I whispered. I didn't want to disturb anyone else.

"I'm not tired. I slept for a little while, but then I woke up, and now I'm not tired anymore." Georgie explained quietly, a small pout on his face.

"Well what do y-you want me to d-d-do about i-it?" I asked.

"Let's go on an adventure!" Even with the whispering, the excitement in his voice was clear.

"Georgie, you know we're n-not supposed to be out thi-this late." I shook my head.

"Since when do you care about the rules?" He asked. I couldn't deny that he was right, I'd snuck out even later than that many times. I hesitated.

"Fine." I reluctantly got out of bed. My brother grinned.

"Yes! I knew you'd do it!" He stood up.

I quickly got dressed and grabbed a flashlight from my bag. I looked out the window. The magical barrier around the camp kept bad weather out, but I could tell it was raining outside the border.

"Get your j-j-jacket." I told Georgie. We usually ended up wandering outside the boundaries of camp anyway, so I figured wearing our jackets would be a safe choice. "It c-could be cold in the ra-ain."

"Okay." He nodded, getting his raincoat.

We left once I had my jacket on. I put the hood up, because since it was a dark color, I would be less visible. Plus it would protect my head when we were in the rain. I didn't turn my flashlight on yet, either. I knew we were outside the barrier when I heard the pattering of the raindrops hitting the hood of my jacket. I flipped the switch on my flashlight and saw the beam of light spring forward, illuminating a path ahead of us.

"Well, we're h-here. What now?" I asked, glancing at my brother. He looked around and thought for a moment.

"Let's go… that way." He pointed towards a forest that had a dirt road cutting through the middle. He immediately started walking, and I had to walk a little faster just to keep up with him.

I slowly started to lose my nervousness about being in the woods that late. We weren't even supposed to be out of our cabins at night, let alone out of the camp completely. It was like a free meal for monsters. But I'd left camp so many times before that I barely thought about it.

"At least the t-tr-trees block most of the r-rain." I held out my hand and only felt a couple of raindrops hit it.

"But there are still puddles on the ground!" Georgie stepped in one of the puddles, then frowned and looked down at his feet. He didn't have rain boots on, only sneakers. "Oh… now my feet are all wet."

"D-d-do you want to g-go back to camp?" I reached out and took his hand. He had a tendency to run off when he saw something interesting, and I just didn't want to lose him.

"No, I'm fine." He shook his head, starting to walk again as if nothing had happened. "They'll get dry again in a little while."

"Okay, if you're sh-sure." I nodded.

Suddenly, a steep hill stood right in our path. It was so tall that we couldn't see what was on the other side. I let go of my brother's hand.

"I'm just going to ch-check and see i-i-if it's safe on the other s-side." I looked at Georgie, and my charmspeak kicked in. I knew he probably would've done whatever I said anyway, but I wasn't going to take any chances. "I n-need you to stay right here until I get back, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded. I started to walk away, and he stood completely still as I did.

I climbed up the side of the hill. It was steep, and the grass was slick with rain, so I had to hold on to trees to stop myself from slipping. It was even more difficult to climb down the other side. I didn't fall, but I did slide about half the way down. Once I regained my footing, I looked around for a moment. All that was on the other side of the hill was more forest, there didn't seem to be anything too bad. I was about to turn around and climb back up the hill… and that's when I heard it.

"BILLIE!" My brother cried out from the other side of the hill.

My eyes widened and I could feel my heart beating. I turned around and started running, but I didn't get very far up the hill before I fell forward and slid down again. I got back up and tried again, now covered in mud. I used the trees to brace myself as I dashed up the hill as fast as I could. I slipped again when I got to the top, and sliding down the other side felt almost like falling into Tartarus. At the bottom of the hill, I was met with my worst fear. A puddle of water, stained red. My brother was nowhere to be found.

My hand started to shake, and my grip tightened on the flashlight I was holding. I started to run, as fast as I could, back the way we'd come from. I didn't stop to think, I didn't stop to collect myself, I just ran. My hood flew off of my head, but I didn't care. When the camp was in my sights I sped up. The second I was past the border I stopped, looking around frantically. No one would be awake, I wasn't even supposed to be awake, so who could I go to? I could only think of one person who might be able to help me.

I opened the door to the Athena cabin as quietly as I could in my panicked state. When I saw Stanley, I knelt down next to his bed and put my hand on his shoulder. He was completely asleep. I shook him a little bit.

"Stan? Stanley?" I tried to be quiet, but it wasn't easy. "Stanley Uris I s-swear, if you don't w-wake up right n-n-now-"

"I know, you can't sleep, but that doesn't mean you have to-" Stanley muttered. He opened his eyes, but his eyelids were heavy from drowsiness. When he saw me, he seemed to wake up a little more. "Bill? Why are you here, you're supposed to be asleep. And why are you covered in mud?"

"I'll explain l-later, right now I just n-n-need your help." I told him, wiping the tears from my face.

"What's wrong, what happened?" Stan sat up, suddenly becoming much more alert.

"I-I-It's Georgie, he's m-m-m-m-m-" I could barely get the word out. Because saying it made it real, and I knew it couldn't be real.

"It's okay, just breathe." Stan was about to take my hand, but he hesitated, and decided against it. "Everything's going to be okay. Now, do you think you can tell me what happened?"

"Georgie… is m-missing. We w-were out in the w-w-woods, and I l-l-left him alone, and now..." I burst into tears, burying my face in my hands. "Shit, I left him a-a-alone!"

Stan seemed surprised at my sudden outburst. "Are you sure? Are you sure it wasn't just a bad dream?"

"Y-y-yes, of course I'm sure!" I looked up again and met his eyes. "And I n-need you to help me f-find him."

#it chapter one #it chapter 1 #it 2017 #bill denbrough #georgie denbrough #stanley uris #stan uris #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #beverly marsh #ben hanscom #mike hanlon #the losers club #losers club #percy jackon and the olympians #camp half blood #camp half blood au #reddie #stenbrough #benverly #fanfic #stay ahead and stay alive au

[lumoshyperion]

I do have a few questions about Year 2:

What is your favorite thing about Sean? About Nyx? About them together on stage?

Aside from the main seven, who is your favorite character/portrayal?

Best costume? Favorite costume? Costume you’d like to make? (I believe you’ve replicated some!)

Please share, even if in another post, some things about this last show.

💙

It's so hard to choose just one favourite thing about Sean. A bunch of us stood outside the theatre after cast change, talking to her about the show and listening to her thank us for our support over the years, and I just... I don't know - I've seen a lot of theatre and I've met a lot of theatre people in my time as both an audience member and a theatre maker and I genuinely feel that they're one of the kindest, most passionate people I've met in the industry. And that has always shone through in the way they play Albus. Her empathy and love for the character has been such a constant over the years and it's made her feel like the heart and soul of the play. She said that it felt like she was ready to leave Albus behind. But that they were worried the character wouldn't be held and cared for once they left the company. Those were the words they used and it utterly broke me. I think it's that care and specific love for Albus that I'm going to miss the most. Cursed Child isn't a perfect play, but Sean always elevated it. And I know that whatever they do next will be brilliant. Performance wise, I think I'll miss her Albus's sense of joy the most? Albus is easy to play as angry or selfish, but Sean never really fell into that. They're always smiling and laughing. Whenever Scorpius says something about their friendship, Sean's Albus gets this look of soft surprise and awe, before looking away and smiling. When they come out of the lake after the dark AU, they can't stop giggling. In Godric's Hollow, they're scared and anxious and heartbroken at the sight of James and Lily. But Scorpius makes them laugh. There was a moment last night, when they ran offstage together - I think it was after "let's find some wands and get potioning" - where Sean let out the most wonderful, carefree laugh. I'll miss that. I'll miss that a lot.

And I love Nyx's sense of humour. I love their creativity. I love how thoughtfully they portray Scorpius - giving him the most sensitive, incredible arc in the play that took me totally off guard when I first saw them a year ago at cast change. The line that encapsulates their Scorpius the most is "sometimes I'm capable of more bravery than he might think I am." In the first scene on the train, they're so nervous and guarded, as if they already know that Rose and Albus are going to leave like the other student did. But, throughout the play, you watch this character grow more brave and confident and bright. Scorpius grows up in the play. He learns his own value, outside of being a Malfoy and being Albus's best friend. He learns to be brave. Tom's Draco stands over Nyx in Saint Jerome's when they're waiting for Delphi. And I know it's a bit of blocking that every production has, but... there's just something so indescribable in the way Tom looks at them. There's so much pride in his expression and it feels like the most beautiful culmination of their arc. It's about discovering who you are and who you want to be. It's about going through years of bullying and nasty rumours from the Wizarding World, and choosing to be kind and loyal in spite of all that. I also love how clear it is that their Scorpius isn't straight. They're extremely unbothered by Polly. They barely flirt with Rose in the last scene, mostly just smiling a little in surprise at her "Scorpion King" gesture. I don't know how much of that is intentional, but I love it and it was one of the first things we all noticed last year.

And god, I just... I'm going to miss seeing them together so much. I don't think this cast change would have been so hard if it weren't for Covid. They were both robbed of a full run together. They've become so close, onstage and off, and they could have had so much more time together, and it was cut short. And it makes me feel so sad. They're so incredible together. I've never seen a pair of performers work so well together before - you watch them and you can just feel the rapport and the love. It's like Delphi says, "you belong together." And they do. They're like puzzle pieces, they complete each other. It's been such an honour watching them work together and I already miss seeing them together... so much. I'm tearing up, just typing this.

And ughhhh it's so hard to pick a favourite outside of the main seven, there's just so many performances that I love??? I love Gillian's subtle manipulation as Delphi, I love how she molds herself into someone Albus and later Scorpius would trust and even care for. I love how feral and terrifying she is after the owlery - and how vulnerable and childish she is in Saint Jerome's, and whenever she talks about Voldemort. I love George's fierce love for his son as Amos, and I love watching him openly weep as he talks to Harry in his office as Dumbledore. I loved Sloane's shy, lovable Craig who just wants to help. I loved Louis and Simon in all their various swing tracks, and I loved watching them messing around and having the time of their lives in the first and third tasks. I loved Kuda's Rose - her sensitivity and care for Albus, which I wasn't expecting and which made me cry when I saw her in the role. I love Jess and her absolutely chaotic Myrtle who has the audience in the palm of her hand the entire time she's onstage. I love the dignity and compassion of Soren's Sorting Hat as he watches over Scorpius and Albus throughout the years. I love the way Debra imbodies McGonagall so perfectly that she feels lifted right out of the pages. She's funny and warm, but still fierce and commanding when she needs to be. The scene in her office after the boys come out of the lake is one of my favourites in the play - it's so clear from the way Debra plays the role and how she talks about it that she's put so much thought into it. I loved the charisma and ferocity of Iopu's Bane, and the weight and care he gave every single line. I loved the way Manali played Rose as a daughter who looks up to her mum and wants to be just like her when she grows up, and I loved watching her expressions on the staircase outside the office after In Trouble Again as she slowly broke before running into her mother's arms. I loved the way David's Cedric was so brave and heroic, and yet so impossibly young that my heart always breaks a little when he thanks Albus and runs offstage. I loved the innate sense of joy in Hamish's Karl. I loved the maturity of Connor's Yann. I love this cast so much. Letting go of some of them was much more difficult than I ever expected. It's impossible to imagine the show without them.

And is there anything specific you want to know about the last performance?

Ask me questions about Cursed Child Melbourne Year Two!

#Cursed Child #ccsquad #Cursed Child Melbourne #gobstoneswithhector #Nyx Calder #Sean Rees-Wemyss #Ask

[albuspottrss]

Hpcc part two recap from January Third

The scorpion king spends a lot of time anxiously fiddling with his robes, he doesn’t know what to do with himself :(

Craig!Karl did an excellent high kick as he ran over to the scorpion king (probs to try and impress him ;))

Luke!Yann was making intense eye contact with the scorpion king as he checked whether they were ;) still ;) on ;) for ;) tonight

Yann and Karl do a very enthusiastic chant on “VOLDEMORT”

Lola!Polly pointing out as she spelt f a c t and then doing a very dramatic hair flick

“Taking to the ball” Lola was bobbing up and down like an excited penguin

“Oh Potter” was followed by the loudest “eurghhhhhh” ever like she was genuinely disgusted

“The future is ours to make” she waved her hands in the air and did a dramatic little squeal

As the staircases went off Lola!Polly collapsed down on the stairs and fanned herself after her moment with the scorpion king

The scene in Dracos office is always super super intense with Jon!Scorpius. He gets worked up very quickly, he simply cannot believe his father would be responsible for all these cruel things and he’s learnt to not bottle up how he feels anymore and he just explodes- very similarly to the library scene :(

After getting his head slammed on the table Jon kinda stays there sobbing for a bit, he’s so broken at this awful world he’s found himself in

Draco finds himself crying and fiddling with his wedding ring at the mention of Astoria and hurridly busys himself with tidying his desk as a distraction

Both of the boys were incredibly emotional and crying as they spoke about Scorpius’s mother 🥺

Draco comes to give his son a reassuring tap on the chest, but Scorpius fully flinches himself away from him, he is so scarred by the violent way his father treated him moments ago and doesn’t feel safe

When Jon mentions Albus he got all choked up on the line “my best friend” as if he knew that it was very likely he wouldn’t ever get to see him again

When Hermione whipped her wand out at him Scorpius was so panicked and fell to the floor in terror, he’s so scared and as Hermione is on top of him he lies there shaking and twitching his foot, he’s so scared of the pain that might be inflicted on him :( - which makes the torture scene and the crucios later on so much worse

Scorpius tried to point out to Ron that his wands the wrong way round

I cannot remember for the life of me what was going on here but I have in my notes “Tom reaching out his hands and jazz handing at the dementors” and I felt like that needed to be shared

Scorpius took the biggest gulp before going into the lake, he knows the fate of the world relies on him

I adore how excited Dombus is about seeing a mermaid and then he dramatically re-enacts the ‘pincers’ and flails his arms around dramatically

The lake hug is one of the cutest hugs ever they’re both just so happy to see each other and hug so tight 🥺

Jon whacked the tie into the pool with such force it splashed Dom so hard

Draco imitates the awkward way Scorpius says ‘hello dad’ so sassily with a little wave

Dombus tries so hard to pretend like he’s got no idea what the time turner is - he’s not a good liar ;)

In trouble again! Had some great moments including but not limited to Luke!Yannns iconic staircase cartwheel parkour display, and Rayxia shouting at Ronnie to “go that wayyyyy”

Draco is such a little suck up to Mcgonagall, he sticks his hand up and proudly says “seems fairrrr” he can’t help himself but be a teachers pet

On the stairs when RGW finds out she didn’t exist Ryan!James does the most reassuring shoulder pat, we stan supportive cousins

Doms reply of “no” after the are you okay is so broken and hurt and lost

Albus is properly snuggled up in the slytherin dorm scene, until Scorpius crawls out of bed and gets right round in his face to shout and wake him up

“Malfoy the unanxious” Jon puts his hands on his hips and looks so proud of himself 🥺

“I’m not sure being fearless is good for your health” on fearless Dom mocked Scorpius’s confident movements and it’s the cutest thing

Jon then sat down on the bed next to Albus as they had their little heart to heart, and Scorpius kept hugging his knees, there was a lot of touching going on here between the boys too

Albus tucks himself back into bed, ready for a good nights sleep before Scorpius ruins that chance

Ronnie!Cbj looked so worried when he realised scorbus were missing, we stan one prefect in training, he gave a determined nod at his orders from Minnie G and ran off as fast as he could

The owlery Scorpius drapes his legs down the stairs and has his hand resting right behind Albus leaning in super close

“A much underestimated part of modern witchcraft”- Scorpius then gave Albus a little nudge and it was super cute

Dombus gets very emotional when describing what the dark au was like :(( he thinks it’s all his fault

Scorpius was crouching as far away from Delphi as possible he was clearly very frightened of her :((

Michelle!Hermione was blushing so hard at the “I bloody love you” and giggling like a little girl as she tapped on Tom!Rons chest

Joward!Draco was full on shaking his head at Rons revelation of Albus and his ‘older girlfriend’ like he knew it couldn’t be true since it’s clear Albus is in love with his own son

After Ron messes up Scorpius’s name and calls him “scrupius” Joward angrily shouted “SCORPI” But got cut off before he could say scorpius and just ended up venting out scorpi and it was very sweet

Scorpius flinched as soon as the wand was pointed at him :(((

After Delphi turns to Scorpius, Albus screamed “NO, no PLEASE NO”

Dombus charges forward at Delphi on the first crucio, hes so desperate to try and save his friend, and when he gets stopped he writhes on the floor in pain but trying to get up and save Scorp

Jon collapses on the floor completly broken after the first crucio, everytime a wand had been pulled at him since the dark au hes flinched, afraid at what awful spell will come out of the wand- I think this is because he’s always been so enfatuated with magic, he loves it and all the clever ways it can be used to help people, but then he sees the horrors it can cause in the dark world and truly appreciates how the awful things it can do, and everytime a wand gets drawn on him he’s terrified, if he could use those awful spells in a situation like that then surely anyone could, and then it finally happens, hes tortured and it breaks him because he knows that another version of himself was using it on innocent people

Before the maze Luke was giving the biggest cheers and Gordon was waving his slytherin scarf around like a windmill

Act Four

In the second EGM there were several shouts of “SHAME” and “ridiculous!”

When Ron stepped up to defend his friends but said he had no idea what was going on everyone clapped

Scorpius nearly started tearing up when they mentioned Ceeby :(

Albus grabbed Scorpius’s hand (once again) to drag him along to godrics hollow :))

Lola waved at Luke after they put the pumpkins down and they did the biggest grin at each other and swunggggg their hands together as they exited :))

When hiding from bathilda bagshot Albus ran the furthest I’ve ever seen him run and had absolutely nowhere to hide so just stood by the wall at the front of the stage with his arms crossed and his head down trying his best to not look toooo suspicious (hint: it didn’t work)

Whilst watching his grandparents, Albus and Scorpius were stood super close together, Albus so happy he’s seeing his grandparents, Scorpius wanting to be as close to Albus as possible to make sure he’s okay

Both of the adorable little nerds were jumping up and down after seeing Bathilda Bagshot

Jamie!Harry is still sobbing over his interaction with Dumbledore and awkwardly turns away when Draco walks in because he doesn’t want to show how vulnerable he really is and puts on a brave face to the world

Joward!Dracos awkward laugh at this office will soon be mine is everything. “Hahahahah. Ha.”

Draco was getting very emotinal about Astoria and the blood malediction

Audience: all decide that this is the perfect moment to have a coughing fit

Albus speaks of his grandma with so much admiration and love

Scorbus are so excited about their plans, Dom grabbed Jons shoulders in pure excitement before realising it wouldn’t work

They both mime out the cot and standing over the baby and when Albus shouts “helpppppppp” dead seriously, he started jazz handing before they both collapsed into laughter at how stupid it was

If you’ve seen Doms Albus you’ll know what I’m on about but the pause after Scorpius says “I’d choose you” hes sooooo touched, and so happy about it that he’s literally speechless, and then he starts to open his mouth to say, ‘I’d choose you too” but then in true awkward Albus style he panics last minute and makes the joke about it but it’s so cute and you can see Scorpius knows that he would choose him too

Jon!Scorp listens so intensely to what Albus has to say, even when he has no idea what is going on, he wants to support him and bounces up and down with Albus because he knows he’s super clever and just needs the encouragement!

Tom!Ron leaning in for a hug after the “you’ve got really nice hair Draco” and Joward being super sassy and turning away

Scorpius ran away from Draco when he came towards him, he’s still haunted by the dark world :(

But then they leaned in for the hug and it lasted foreverrrrr neither of them wanted to let go and when they finally broke apart Joward started holding Jons cheeks 🥺

Albus and Ginny’s hug was super cute as always and then Albus kept his arm wrapped around ginny long after she broke apart

Susie and Jamie are the perfect Hinny, in the church they have a beautiful heart to heart and the they lean in together so that their foreheads are touching and it’s the cutest thing ever

Scorpius is glowing after being referred to as like Hermione, it means so much to him to be referred to the girl who was “the brightest witch of her age” and the current minister for magic

Scorpius does not want his dad to volunteer to be voldemort he’s shaking his head and trying to protect him in case something goes wrong and he loses the last member of his only family :(

After the suggestion of ‘zaPping” Delphi, Draco makes zapping hand actions before he can stop himself and then looks at his hands in absolute disgust

Albus steps in front of his dad when Draco makes a comment, he’s so desperate to protect him

There was a lot of reassuring holding going on with Scorbus as Albus watches his dad turn into voldemort :(

When Ron and Scorpius are looking out for Delphi, they were having a conversation and then Jon made binoculars with his hands to mime his being on the lookout

Dombus takes Harry’s wand away during Lily and James and just holds Jamie’s hand 🥺

Draco was stroking Scorpius’s head :((

Yolly did another hand hold as they walked across the stage and Lola!Polly was giggling :))

Jon says “oh yeah right” after the mention of Rose after their hug so quickly and confused, Rose is literally the last thing on Scorpius’s mind right then bless him

Jamie!Harry did a large shudder before muttering out “pigeons!!”

Jamie!Harry did the biggest laugh at Albus’s pigeon racing joke and it was reallyyyyy sweet

And that’s it on my notes there but I hope it managed to give you some dombus and scone feels and plenty of scorbus 🥺💚 cast four are really something special and I loveeee writing about them so sorry these notes are rather long haha :)

#cursed child london #cursedchildldn #scorbus #harry potter #scorbus cursed child #cursed child recap #cursed child notes #harry potter and the cursed child #cursed child #hpccnotes #hpccrecap #hpcc #albus potter #scorbus notes #dombus #year four cast #london year four #hpcc london #hpcc year four #hpcc cast four

[afraschatz]

The Children of Atreus

Let's talk a bit about the coolest of the mythological Greeks, the children of Atreus - Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Anaxabia. And let me just name three things about them that are guaranteed to make you fall in love with them.

Before that, here is a quick summary of the things that everyone already knows anyway: Menelaus is the famous king of Sparta whose wife Helen’s disappearance sparked the Trojan War. The Greeks’ troops are led by his brother, Agamemnon, king of mighty Mycenae (who, when returning from the war, gets murdered by his wife Clytemnestra). Anaxabia is their sister, and she is married to Strophius, king of Phocis.

Secondly, here are three of the (many) reasons why they are The Best:

 1 - They are the best of siblings.

Obviously, they are called the Atrides (or Atreides) after their father, Atreus, who is the son of Pelops and grandson of Tantalus. That makes them part of the forever cursed family of the Tantalides. That curse manifests itself in their father’s relationship with his brother, Thyest. Atreus and Thyest come to Mycenae after they get thrown out of Elis, the territory around Olympia, for murdering their half-brother. They then quickly gain power and influence in Mycenae and use the majority of it to stab each other in the back - repeatedly and quite literally, as they both end up dead.

With role models such as these (plus the curse that Tantalus brought on his family for murdering and cooking his own son just to prove a point), it is absolutely amazing and quite heart-warming how close the Atrides are. Despite their family history of betrayal and murder, they always, ALWAYS stand by one another and support each other.

I mean, Agamemnon starts a war to end all wars to get justice for his brother, for fuck’s sake (yeah, yeah, there’s that bit about the oath of Helen; I’ll get to that later), and for that ten-year-long war they are practically joined at the hip.

And it’s not just a matter of obvious power-politics either: Agamemnon sends his son Orestes to his sister and brother-in-law in Phocis when he has to leave for war. To entrust his only male heir to them is massive proof of his trust in them, in her. Anaxabia and Strophius continue to raise Orestes as their own, and Orestes becomes best friends (and quite definitely lovers, according to my man Euripides) with their son, Pylades who supports him through thick and thin.

Pylades ends up marrying Electra, Agamemnon’s daughter, while Orestes gets wed to Hermione, Menelaus’s kid with Helen. While for today’s standards this might be a bit too incestuous for comfort, it is further proof how tightly knit that family now (in contrast to previous generations and their fondness for throwing people down wells / dismemberment) is because of the bond of the three siblings.

 2 - They are strategic and diplomatic masterminds.

Agamemnon and Menelaus are often reduced to being one entitled and power-hungry dick and his arrogant but ultimately impotent little brother. While that makes them the perfect cardboard-cut-villain for everyone in need of one (such as grieving Achilles, for one) and while I enjoy Brian Cox and Brendan Gleeson as “Troy”’s villains as well as Sophocles's characterization of them in "Aias" as much as the next guy, it really doesn’t do them justice.

First of all, as for the notion that they are entitled and/or feeble: Both of them are self-made men. Not only are they (as well as Anaxabia) kids of a refugee / man living in exile, after their uncle Thyest overthrows their father and has him murdered, they have to flee from Mycenae and seek refuge in Sparta, with king Tyndareos, their future father-in-law, (step) father of Clytemnestra and Helen. From there, they not only manage to mobilize enough man power to overthrow Thyest and conquer Mycenae. They also turn Mycenae into the most influential and mightiest of all the Greeks’ kingdoms. And by proving himself over and over again, Menelaus inherits the right to the throne of Sparta from his father-in-law, while Anaxabia marries the king of Phocis, a kingdom North of the gulf of Corinth with influential Delphi right in the center.

The Atrides’s influence is not just gained by clever marriage and perseverance, however. Sure, the famous oath of Helen (in which all the kings that asked for Helen’s hand in marriage swore to protect her and her husband-to-be) is thought up by wily Odysseus. But who makes sure (for all those years before Paris) that it would be upheld? It’s not like alliances between Greek kingdoms are all that stable. And yet, the council of kings - including extremely strong-willed characters such as Achilles, Aias, and Odysseus - WORKS and works well for ten years, even under the pressure of a prolonged war. Why? It’s because Agamemnon knows how to choose advisers (such as wise Nestor), knows how to utilize the human equivalent of an eel (I am looking at you, Odysseus) etc. He is a fucking brilliant politician. (And it was his RIGHT (AND a necessity) to demand Briseis from Achilles, however much the Myrmidon may moan about it; but more about that later).

Simple proof in numbers: Three exiled kids with NOTHING; fast-forward a decade or two and you have this: Agamemnon commands the largest of the Greek fleets (100 ships). If you add to those the number of Spartan (60) and Phocian (40) ships as well, that’s a whooping 200, even if you disregard for instance the huge Cretan fleet (80) which is led by their uncle, Idomeneus. Brilliant strategists and politicians.

 3 - They are so highkey EXTRA when it comes to the love department. (Well, the brothers are. Anaxabia rolls her eyes at them.)

Before I talk about the brothers and their highkey Extra relationships to their wives, let me just again go back to Anaxabia. Her marriage to Strophius is delightfully stable and uneventful and no one ends up dead (which is quite rare in Greek mythology, really). It produces delightfully stable and unproblematic children, such as the original bestest of mates, Pylades. Just think of Anaxabia and her husband just looking at each other silently at a family dinner,when her dramatic brothers and their dramatic wives start throwing food (and possibly knives) across the table. Next year, we’re doing a couple’s retreat in Delphi, my dear. I love her.

But the brothers’ marriages are equally fascinating.

Paris kidnaps Helen while Menelaus is attending his grandfather Catreus’s funeral btw - dick move, prince of Troy -, and for some reason THEIR relationship is the stuff of legends? Well, fuck that. While I have all the love in the world for one (1) flamboyant and canonically cowardly favourite of Aphrodite, let’s not forget how superglue-strong Menelaus’s bond with Helen is.

First of all, out of all the suitors for her hand in marriage, she chooses HIM without hesitation - after they must’ve known each other for years, btw considering Menelaus’s time in exile in Sparta.

And when she is suddenly gone, he mobilizes literally every available man in Greece to get her back.

That’s a matter of pride, you say? That’s because - much like Agamemnon when he demands Achilles’s prize of war, Briseis, because he had to give his own, Chryseis, back to appease Apollo - he would lose face and power (and thus massively endangering the stability of his reign and consequently the safety of his country, btw)? Sure, it’s that as well.

But.

It’s not like other kings haven’t “misplaced” a wife before. It’s not like he couldn’t simply have claimed she died. He could have. And you know what? It would have saved him from being both the laughing stock of all of Greece (“Here comes Menelaus who couldn’t hold on to his wife”) and also everyone’s favourite villain for having to go to war for him.

And later, what does he do when he finds her again - either in the ruins of Troy or in far away Egypt? Does he kill her? Does he demand a divorce?

No. They sail back to Sparta together and - and this is the kicker - rule together for many years, quite happily reunited.

He fucking loves her, and she loves him. (Okay, she might ALSO love Paris and that whole war could’ve been avoided if they just got into a poly relationship. I wouldn’t have been opposed to that either.)

The same goes for Agamemnon and his family.

Iphigenia, you yell at me in outrage? Well, the unquestioned villain in THAT story is so clearly vengeful Artemis for demanding her life in the first place. And yes, you may fight me on this.

And okay, I am having a slightly harder time explaining away Agamemnon murdering Clytemnestra’s first husband as a romantic gesture, fine. But my point is, Agamemnon’s and Clytemnestra’s relationship status throughout is clearly “it’s complicated”, it’s ENDLESSLY fascinating. Plus, Clytemnestra is such a fierce and badass (Spartan) woman who without problem competently takes care of Mycenae during the war. They are SO well suited for one another, and their relationship is brilliant, from a storytelling point of view.

 So, in conclusion: Give me Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon, Dominic West as Menelaus, and Oona Chaplin as Anaxabia, and I’d watch the hell out of twenty plus seasons about the Atrides and how they feel rightfully superior to all those other Peloponnesian peasants .

The Atrides are the best. It’s just a fact.

#mythology #greek mythology #mycenae #agammnon #menelaus #anaxabia #Trojan war #iliad #atreus #aerope #thyest #strophius

[trolleybitch]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child LDN Recap - Weds 12th June 2019 (Cast 4)

Hello friends! 

This is my first ever recap so fingers crossed it makes some sense - this is about 10k words long folks so strap yourselves in for a lot of thoughts and emotions. 

This was my fourth time seeing Cursed Child, and my first time with Cast 4 although I had seen Jamie Ballard, Tom Aldridge, James Howard, and Susie Trayling before in previous shows. Of the main seven, Jonathan Case, Dominic Short, and Michelle Gayle were all new to me, plus Rayxia Ojo as Rose, Madeleine Walker as Delphi and a lot of the ensemble!

I scribbled notes through the whole show so I’ll try and go through chronologically. Some parts were easier to write during than others so I won’t cover every scene, and my notes were mostly focused on the new (to me) cast members. Right, here goes:

The first thing I wrote about Dominic as Albus when the Potters walked onstage at Platform 9 ¾ was ‘so SMOL’. He really is very short and even compared to Jamie as Harry he is quite little. The second thing I noticed was that he was so happy at the beginning and so excited about going off to Hogwarts. He was looking around in wonder at the station, all this anticipation building up to the moment he’d been waiting for for so long.

Ryan Mackay was a great James in this part - he was totally confident and at ease, and he and Dom really do look a lot like siblings on stage. He was chatting away to Lily and basically looking around like he owned the place (which let’s be honest, he does). When they were leaving the stage he jumped and did a little skip offstage which was adorable.

Michelle and Rayxia as Hermione and Rose were lovely in this scene too although they have barely any lines. They stood close and talked together, it looked like they were making inside jokes and laughing. They gave the impression of a really close mother/daughter relationship and that they were friends too, which I really enjoyed.

Dom’s Albus turned very thoughtful and nervous when he started to think about being sorted into Slytherin, but he responded really well to Harry’s reassurance - their relationship is clearly pretty solid at this point and Albus was soon back to his happy but nervous self. As he went to leave, he hesitated and then gave his parents a big grin, sort of shrugging and wiggling his hands over the trolley handle on his 'Okay then’, before pushing it offstage. He was so innocently hopeful; at this point he seems quite confident that Hogwarts will be a bit scary but he’ll have a great time.

On the Hogwarts Express, my first glimpse of Jon as Scorpius was him making small talk with the Trolley Witch - I don’t know if I’ve seen a Scorpius do this before but it was so sweet! He looked as though he was making such an effort to be polite and pay attention to her.

The introduction between Albus and Scorpius was surprisingly chilled - sometimes I’ve seen them both flailing completely when they are messing up their names but although Dom and Jon obviously had these same lines, there was a kind of ease between them which showed how immediately comfortable they were around each other. There was no judgement at all and neither of them seemed to feel like they needed to be apologetic or self-conscious to the other.

When we got to Rose’s line about the rumour Scorpius is the son of Voldemort, Albus’s reaction was gold - Dom did the biggest 😱 face, he was truly appalled that anyone could ever believe something so outlandish or be so mean as to spread that rumour. When Rose began to leave, his 'no’ to her was immediate and Scorpius looked so surprised that Albus wanted to stay with him; he genuinely wasn’t expecting that Albus would want to be his friend.

In the Hogwarts montage scenes, Dom really shone. He went through so many stages of Albus growing up and losing his happy innocence from the initial scenes. At the beginning when the other kids compared him to Harry, he was so excited - proud of his dad and flattered to be recognised. By second and third year he was starting to get sad, and the other kids were breaking his spirit. He was still trying hard to fit in but he was starting to realise that it was never going to happen. When Harry handed him the Hogsmeade permission form, Albus said the ‘it’ll be full of Hogwarts students’ line to his own hand holding the form which I loved - at this point he was still trying to keep his negativity to himself and didn’t want to be too openly angry with his dad. When the incendio charm actually worked he looked positively gleeful, he’s still enthused about magic and thrilled any time he feels like he’s accomplished something.

Jon’s Scorpius was relentlessly positive in these scenes and even when he revealed that Astoria has died, he still gave a few nervous laughs and was trying his best not to make Albus upset. His voice wavered on 'be my good friend’ like he was allowing himself one moment of weakness even though he was trying hard not to make a scene.

Michelle and Jamie were great in the Harry’s office scene. I’d seen Jamie before and he repeated his little grin and 'ah’ when Hermione calls him out on his paperwork. Michelle laughed at Jamie doing his theatrical bow to her after her ‘gentle nudge from the Minister for Magic’ line, and the whole scene had a vibe of them being very casual and happy around each other. Their friendship and years and years of knowing each other as best friends was really evident.

Next up, Madeleine arrived as Delphi and my first impression was great - she was very awkward and geeky with no traces of suspicion at the beginning here. After her 'I’m a thief’ line she did a quick 'What?’ under her breath to herself which was really endearing. Albus was a bit uncertain of her at first but quite quickly started to listen with concern - he took what she was saying very seriously.

Time for the blanket scene! The change in Dom’s Albus from the start of the play to here was already so apparent - he’s gone through his excitement and then disillusionment, and he’s moved past sadness to anger. He was so done. From the very beginning of the scene he was barely listening to Harry - he could see right through what he perceives as this half-hearted attempt at appeasement. He got increasingly impatient, initially trying to be polite and then starting to lose his cool. It’s the same lines as every time I’ve seen the show but this time around it felt as though Harry and Albus were almost having two separate conversations rather than an argument with each other. They were both using this exchange for something different and neither of them was listening to the other. It felt as though Albus had been waiting for this opportunity and that whatever Harry had said or whatever gift he’d brought, their conversation would still have gone the same. By the time we got to the 'sometimes I wish you weren’t my son’ line, Albus was giving as good as he got - he was shouting and standing way back from Harry and hardly looking at him. He was arguing with himself as much as he was arguing with Harry, and when Jamie said the line, Dom’s reaction was actually quite muted. He expected it. He almost seemed pleased that Harry had actually said what he’d been feeling out loud, because Albus wanted that to happen, he wanted to have his anger validated. Jamie on the other hand was horrified, he’d barely finished the line before he’d reached forward and his voice was breaking on the 'No! I didn’t mean that’ line. Jamie and Dom both did a fantastic job on this scene. It felt equal - it wasn’t one of them picking on the other, they were both provoking each other and they both needed to have this all out in the open.

Now a moment to appreciate Ginny Weasley and more specifically, Susie Trayling. I’d seen Susie before back in March but I really fell in love with her performance this time around. In her conversations with Harry she was so restrained and measured, quiet but still commanding attention and respect. She captures Ginny’s emotional intelligence (something all the Weasleys have in spades) so well and she had the perfect balance of helping Harry understand what he needed to change without reprimanding or nagging him.

Rayxia was fab as Rose at the fourth year Hogwarts Express scene - she was really genuinely sad about not being friends with Albus and very earnest in her offer that she was there if he needed to talk. It really echoed how Michelle’s Hermione was with Harry and how close their friendship was, and showed what could have been between Rose and Albus if things had turned out differently.

The first Albus/Scorpius hug on the train was quite brief - Scorpius looked very surprised but pleasantly so, and then once they’d pulled apart they took it turns to rest their hands on each other’s shoulders over the next couple of lines. As Albus was explaining his jumping-off-the-train plan, Scorpius was listening very intently to him but still gave the impression he was just humouring Albus. He clearly thinks Albus is adorable but he doesn’t believe him for a second that they’re getting off the train until they are actually on the roof, at which point my god, he went mad! He was flailing madly for the whole trolley witch scene and moving so fast he looked like a jellyfish being electrocuted, and it was brilliant. Quick shout-out also to Blythe Duff for doing a great job as the Trolley Witch here. I LOVE the Trolley Witch and as the boys jumped off the train and the set was dismantled and she was pulled offstage she continued to do these really loud ‘Noooooooooooo!’ screams (I think three or four times) and it was fantastic. So melodramatic and also really leaning into the idea that she has just had her 190-year-old perfect record for delivering students to Hogwarts ruined. Not enough people appreciate the real pain and suffering behind the Trolley Witch’s backstory so props to Blythe for doing her justice here 😉

A quick note from the first Ministry of Magic scene - I’ve seen Tom Aldridge as Ron three times now and he’s so flawless in the role, but he did something I’d not picked up on before. When Hermione introduces herself as Minister for Magic, Ron stuck his hand up as if he was saying ‘yes, she’s mine!’. He looked SO proud to be her husband and I love how supportive he is of Hermione, and how openly in love he is with her.

The new St Oswald’s scene - I know this one has divided people but to be honest I didn’t know the old one well enough to pick up on all the changes. The effects were brilliant, lots of objects flying around and a few other tricks that looked great on stage. Gordon Millar was the caretaker in this scene and he was fantastic, really taunting the old witches and wizards and then full-on screaming and getting a taste of his own medicine when they turned on him. I enjoyed having that role fleshed out a bit more but the second half of the scene felt a bit emptier; most of the tricks were at the beginning and that left a bit of filler space. If I’d been seeing it for the first time I doubt it would have bothered me though!

Also in St Oswald’s, when Scorpius and Albus were talking to Amos and he said ‘You’ve brought a Malfoy’, Scorpius was so flattered to be recognised, and then so crestfallen when he continued with ‘who might be a Voldemort’. He really is surprised any time someone shows him attention or gives him praise which broke my heart a little bit, because he clearly doesn’t think he deserves it. As he was listening to Amos talk about Cedric, Jon was doing the same intense focus and being very genuinely sympathetic. You could see he truly cares about other peoples’ pain; even when he is stressed and under pressure he makes the time to listen to others and really empathises.

The ‘grown-ups’ all gave solid performances in their Act One scenes here too. Tom absolutely nails it as Albus/Ron in the polyjuice scene and his comedic timing with the ‘I want a baby’ line got a huge laugh. He knows exactly how to work the crowd and even knowing all the jokes, I still find him hilarious. In McGonagall’s office after Ron comes in from the kitchens, he leaves his napkin tucked into his jumper until Minerva took it off him as they all exited. I’m not sure if this is new but it gave the end of the scene an extra little flourish I enjoyed.

In the forest scene, Madeleine’s Delphi again did a great job of seeming very genuine. She acted quite young and it was easy to see how the boys would trust her, Albus especially. When they told her she should stay behind she visibly deflated and was apparently really concerned for their wellbeing. Dom’s Albus was very excited about getting the expelliarmus spells right and he played this pretty similar to his excitement at the incendio charm earlier or when he got positive comments from the kids at school. He’s a kid who is just desperate for approval, wherever it comes from. It didn’t feel like he was singling Delphi out specifically and wanting to impress her - he wants to impress anyone who will pay him attention.

Right at the beginning of the edge of the forest, Dom did a great little reaction - as Scorpius says ‘still get a tingle, don’t you?’, Albus looked over at him and pulled a ‘what on earth are you on about’ face behind his back. It was very good-natured; he is clearly bemused but still really fond of his weird gangly friend. I loved seeing the little teasing moments like that between the two of them. After he caught up to Scorpius and Jon was onto talking about wanting to come to Hogwarts and wanting a mate to get up to mayhem with, Albus looked so happy again, then turned sullen immediately once he mentioned Harry. Dom’s Albus flipped between emotions so rapidly the whole way through the play and this was a prime example. As soon as Scorpius continued and said Albus was his best friend, he was back to being smiley and flattered. Dom is really expressive with his face and his Albus doesn’t hide his feelings at all, which I loved. When Scorpius was talking about being scared, they got very close to one another and had their hands hovering between them, a little awkwardly, but they are clearly comfortable being near and reassuring each other.

In this first Triwizard scene, Ronnie Lee (Craig) and Luke Sumner (Yann) were noticeably chanting for both Krum and Cedric as they were announced. Sadly I couldn’t make out the words but they had obviously rehearsed and had different lyrics for each contestant, which I loved because god knows I live for Slytherins being extra and dramatic.

Once they were back from the past in the first AU and Albus’s arm was injured, Dom put on a really cheery expression as Harry came onstage, and his ‘Hello Dad!’ was very obviously fake. His Albus is a pretty terrible liar and doesn’t do well at hiding his real emotions even though he tries with this veneer of casual confidence. In the dormitory scene we got a very similar vibe to the blanket argument. Although he seemed a little more receptive to Harry at the beginning, he quickly tuned out and stopped listening closely to his dad. As soon as Harry started to talk about his own time at Hogwarts, you could see Albus switch right off and withdraw into himself - this is clearly a really touchy subject for him and something that immediately makes him angry about his own experiences at school. He stayed that way until it became clear that Harry was serious about separating him from Scorpius, at which point his voice started to wobble and he sounded like he was about to cry on ‘Dad, you can’t’.

A little Jamie note - when Albus and Ron were on the stairs and Albus mentioned Hermione, Jamie recoiled behind him, grimaced and then mouthed ‘sorry’ up at Ron behind Dom’s back. I’d never noticed this before but it was such a nice touch. Jamie is really great at those little quiet moments which say so much about a friendship.

More Susie excellence here too! Her Ginny’s reaction to Harry separating the boys was very quiet but full of silent fury. You could see she was seething under the surface but she remained steely and I got the impression that she was allowing Harry to make his own mistakes and realise them himself, rather than deciding to nag him or try to openly defy him since that would likely turn him defensive. All the love for Ginny Weasley!

Time for Staircase Ballet, and I’m not going to lie, my handwriting was so barely decipherable after this that it took me several minutes to figure out what the notes said. I feel a little bad for not watching Dom as much as I should have, but Jon absolutely shone in this scene. He spent the whole time searching, his face pleading, for Albus, and completely open and ready for whenever (if ever) Albus wanted to speak to him. He leaned forward to Al whenever they were on stage together and when they met at the top of the stairs he was shuffling closer, all nervous and hopeful. His Scorpius is unfailingly optimistic and here he was clearly sticking to his belief that this separation wouldn’t go on forever and at any moment, Albus would relent and start talking to him - which made it even more heartbreaking when Albus turned away. Even until the very end, he seemed disbelieving and was holding out hope that at the last minute Albus would change his mind. Dom’s Albus, on the other hand, felt very angry during this scene - but all that anger was directed at himself. He could barely even look at Scorpius and was quite still, full of nervous tension and not letting himself be tempted by Scorpius’s leaning in and clearly offering to talk. He seemed to be hating himself for playing along with Harry’s rules, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to break them.

When it came to the Scorpius and Delphi scene on the staircases, Madeleine was really interesting. She seemed to almost be mimicking Scorpius; she was very awkward and nervy, fumbling over her sentences and acting quite apologetic in the same way that Jon does. It worked well as a way for her to seem less intimidating to Scorpius himself (and obviously would appeal to Albus in her interactions with him). When she said the ‘something’s got to be done about the two of you’ and ‘you belong together’ lines, Jon reacted very sweetly: he gestured and nodded his head as if to say ‘oh I’m glad you’ve said that, because I think we do too’.

Now I know that people have been raving about Jon for a year now but I’m going to hop on the bandwagon given that he was new to me. His library scene was something else. This is a fab scene and it’s a great chance for any actor in the Scorpius role (i.e. it’s kind of difficult to do it badly) but Jon really was phenomenal here. As soon as he came in and sat down, something about him was different - he was at breaking point already and his usual happy silly personality was failing. He had one chance to sort things out with Albus and he was determined to seize it. He was full of tension and very close to tipping over the edge into panic mode when he was walking Albus through the explanation of what caused the changes in time.

When they started to argue, he was already crying and getting frustrated with himself, and then the audience reaction to Albus’s ‘I wasn’t a loser before I met you’ line was quite dramatic - lots of gasps, almost at ‘wish you weren’t my son’ level - but Scorpius’s reaction here was painfully resigned. He let out a kind of bitter ‘Ahhh, there we go’ noise as if he’d just been waiting for the point when Albus would admit that he didn’t want him anymore. He showed a break in his usual optimism and let all those insecurities come to the surface for a moment. When he got into the full flow of his monologue he was trying so hard to say his piece and getting increasingly annoyed at his crying and his inability to speak calmly. He’d pause in the middle of sentences to wipe his tears and groan at himself, then keep going. All throughout this Dom’s Albus was standing almost totally still, really appalled at how much Scorpius was hurting but also quite clearly not wanting to interrupt him. He seemed to know that it was important for Scorpius to get all this out and although he understood that he was at fault, he wasn’t taking Scorpius’s anger too personally - his reaction wasn’t defensive or bitter in the same way he reacted to Harry shouting at him. By the time Scorpius got to talking about thinking that maybe Astoria was still alive in this AU, he was almost worn out. The fight had gone out of him a little bit and his rant had sort of served its purpose; he wasn’t really that angry at Albus, he was angry at the whole world and its injustices and he just needed to release all of that emotion. Dom’s Albus seemed to understand that.

Once they’d been interrupted by McGonagall and the invisibility cloak part of the scene, Jon had really mellowed and although he moved his chair to face away from Albus, his expression was much softer and he smiled as soon as Dom started talking. Albus went in with the joke about James being easy to steal from and mimed a little vomit action at the broom combination line, but quite quickly he checked himself and turned more serious - he was starting to realise that always deflecting from difficult conversations wasn’t helping him. Once it was clear that Albus was taking things seriously and making an effort to apologise, Scorpius turned right around and was just as attentive as ever, all of his anger and frustration a million miles away already. He still got a little exasperated at himself for crying after Albus told him he was kind, but he was just so happy to have his friend back that nothing else mattered much in that moment. When Albus asked ‘friends?’ and held out his hand, Scorpius held onto it and spoke very clearly and certainly (which isn’t usual for him) as he said ‘Always’. The hug was adorably awkward - Dom pulled Jon up very fast and grabbed him around his middle, and Jon ended up with his arms stuck out straight over Dom’s shoulders, folding his hands back to sort of poke him in the back with his fingers for the ‘that’s the second time you’ve done that’ line.

As soon as Albus started talking about his plan for the second task, he switched into excited Albus mode and was all bouncy and enthusiastic; and when he mentioned the ‘sparkly surprise’ he mimed fireworks with his hands and did an adorable ‘pew pew pew’ noise. He dived down to pick up his bag and the cloak from the floor by Scorpius’s feet and Jon instinctively reached forward and put his hands on Dom’s back - almost as if he was going for another hug, or he was ready to catch Albus if he fell. There were a few moments like this with more casual contact between them and it added a really lovely feeling of familiarity and friendship.

In the bathroom scene with Myrtle, Jon reached over to Dom again when Myrtle was swinging around and almost kicked him, trying to protect him. He was always on the lookout for any danger and trying to keep Albus safe. He also did the funniest gesture on a couple of lines here; it came across as being nervous and feeling exposed in his vest and shorts and bare feet - on the ‘engorgimpressed’ line and when he repeated Myrtle’s name after she gets mad, he stuck one leg forward and pointed his toe as if he was doing a ballet pose. It was so sweet and nervy, like he was putting on a little performance, and it fit perfectly with his sing-song voice and his tendency to flourish his hands on a lot of his lines as though he’s presenting them to an audience. I think it’s Scorpius’s way of acknowledging his awkwardness and trying to almost apologise for it, so that people don’t make fun of him.

Lucy Mangan did a solid job as Myrtle - she wasn’t as high-pitched and whiny as I’ve seen the character played before, but she had a few really funny moments. When she was crying and Albus tried to interrupt, she spun around to look at him and did a ‘talk to the hand’ gesture, then went back for another wail with the taps on full blast. Her ‘I love secrets’ line was SO loud and over-dramatic too and that got a big laugh from the audience. Once the boys were on top of the sink and she’d stuck her leg out in front of Scorpius, she said her ‘I do like brave boys’ line in a very exaggerated playful tone, and then Jon mimicked her when he said ‘Then I’m entirely ready’. He was unusually confident on that line, doing a little jig with his arms and matching her playfulness, like he’d had a sudden burst of courage and wasn’t feeling threatened by her at all.

That’s about all for Part One, except to say that the dementors at the very end are still one of my favourite parts of the whole show. The first time I saw it in 2016 it completely blew my mind and every time since I’ve thought I was ready and I was NOT. This time around I was still so shaken and I really just want to shout out the sound engineering/design here because I don’t quite know how they manage it, but the combination of the volume and the intensity of the music and dementor sound effects just creates such a tense and overwhelming environment that it always leaves me basically hyperventilating. I’ve never encountered anything like it!

Onto Part Two and of course we start with poor Scorpius in the dark AU. Jon’s Scorpius is so soft that I wasn’t sure how he would hold up here but as soon as he came onstage he was very different - much stiller and restraining all of his normal fidgety mannerisms, although he did still let out a nervous laugh here and there while talking to Umbridge. Kathryn Meisle was fantastic as Umbridge here, getting the balance of sickly sweetness and a real evil edge just right. Scorpius was visibly restraining himself, hunching over and leaving pauses before he spoke because he was so nervous about saying the wrong thing and getting into trouble.

The scene between Jon and James in Draco’s office was heartbreaking. This was my third time seeing James Howard as Draco so I knew more or less what to expect from him, but I thought he worked especially well with Jon as Scorpius. He’s very stoic, with just a hint of nerves and emotion under his Malfoy veneer. Jon’s Scorpius was again quite optimistic in this scene - he obviously goes into the office expecting to find the same Draco as he has at home, and his approach is quite casual and calm, which suggests how close they must be in their real world. Throughout his lines asking if the attacks on muggles were orchestrated by Draco, you could tell that he didn’t believe what he was suggesting at all; he couldn’t possibly believe that his dad would do something so awful. However he finally reached breaking point and then all of a sudden this anger and pain burst out of nowhere and he completely blew up at Draco. It was similar to his behaviour in the library scene with Albus - staying positive, hiding his stress, and restraining himself until he can’t possibly contain himself any longer and then absolutely losing it. It was desperately sad to watch because Jon’s Scorpius is so soft and quiet that you know when he gets angry he really means it. Once they started talking about Astoria though, he calmed quite quickly, and Draco softened a lot on his final lines telling Scorpius to be safe. It seemed as though Scorpius had just about forgotten that things were all wrong until the final ‘For Voldemort and valour’ - once Draco made the gesture to him, Scorpius let out this awful bitter almost-laugh, his realisation that what he thought was a breakthrough to the ‘real’ Draco wasn’t real, and he’s still no closer to escaping this awful world. It felt like he was losing hope and that was so difficult to watch.

Quick shout-out to our new Craig Bowker Jr, Ronnie Lee! He did a great job at making a small part memorable - his movement was fantastic on the transition scenes and as soon as he started speaking, I nearly had a fit because his Craig has a northern accent! I couldn’t place it exactly because he has so few lines but as a northerner myself I was chuffed to hear someone with a bit of regional accent onstage, given that aside from Hagrid and the Scots (McGonagall/Station Master), everyone else in the show usually has very RP accents. Anyway, apart from the accent, Ronnie seemed very good-natured and an amicable Craig, which is what makes his death even sadder later on.

This was also my third time seeing David Annen as Severus Snape and his portrayal is still spot-on - his voice is remarkably similar to Alan Rickman’s from the movies and it’s so easy to see him as the character straight off the bat. He has a great skill for deadpan humour and some of his lines got massive laughs from the audience (‘I exist to serve’ being my personal favourite). Jon in this scene was very respectful, and you could really see how much Scorpius revered and admired Snape. That said, when Snape revealed that Cedric had killed Neville (which got a big ‘awww’ from the audience, rather than the shocked gasps I’ve heard before), Scorpius seemed just the tiniest bit disappointed that he hadn’t been able to solve the puzzle himself - his ‘you’ve solved it’ line was relieved and happy but a little bit regretful too.

For some reason I didn’t write any notes for the rest of the dark AU scenes, but I remember enjoying Michelle’s openness with Ron in the part where she reveals she’s always loved him and then decides they should both stay there to hold the dementors off for longer. She’s definitely the most emotionally available Hermione I’ve seen, if that makes sense - she wasn’t closing herself off or hiding her feelings to put on a stoic front.

Next up is my absolute favourite scene of the whole play(s) - when Scorpius comes up from the lake after the dark AU and Albus reappears alongside him. Sometimes the Albuses seem to take forever to pop back up out of the water, but Dom appeared pretty soon after Jon here, and for what felt like quite a long time, Scorpius just stared in silence at Albus as he chattered away about the task, as though he was trying to take in every detail of Albus’s face because he’d missed him so much. Then, when he started to scream, my god did he scream! He let out this long, high-pitched screech and really hurled himself at Albus for the hug. It didn’t last long, but they pulled apart naturally (Albus didn’t push Scorpius back like I’ve seen in the past), and then they stayed close as Albus kind of gently pulled at the lapels of Scorpius’s coat as he asked ‘what are you wearing?’.

Once Scorpius jumped out of the lake, he did the funniest pose on the ‘it’s AMAZING’ line, throwing his fists up in the air and holding a kind of cheering stance for a second or two as he yelled. As Harry came onstage he let out another high-pitched scream and absolutely belted ‘IT’S HARRY POTTER’, and at this point the audience were all laughing so much that he then got a full round of applause - which he totally deserved but which unfortunately drowned out the Ginny/McGonagall lines and only just died down in time for ‘Hi dad!’ which he did in a very sing-song voice. James Howard then did something I’d not seen him do before and mimicked the singing with a very high-pitched ‘Hello Scorpius’. It was an adorable interaction and really made me smile.

James continued the Draco highlights into the McGonagall’s office scene - when she said her line about choosing the punishment for Albus and Scorpius, Draco responded with ‘Seems fair’ but as he spoke, stuck his hand up in the air as if he was answering a lesson in class, then gave the smuggest look to Harry and Ginny. For a split second he was exactly like eleven-year-old Draco being the teacher’s pet to Snape and acting like a swot to impress all his classmates, and it was hilarious.

There were a couple of really sweet Rose moments in this scene too. First was when she and the other kids were listening on the stairs outside the office, and Ryan as James comforted her after she started to seem upset at the realisation that there was an alternate world where she didn’t exist. James put his hands on Rose’s shoulders really gently and you could see her react gratefully. Once they were all moving away from the office and she encountered Hermione in the hall, she initially turned away - but it seemed to be more out of uncertainty and unwillingness to show her emotions than because she was angry. Michelle’s Hermione was quite clearly distressed here and looked on the verge of tears as soon as she saw Rose. Their hug was very close and heartfelt, and you could see how much they meant to each other.

The Slytherin dormitory scene between Harry and Albus is one of my favourites because I think it comes at such an interesting point in their relationship, and I thought Jamie and Dom worked brilliantly together here. Dom’s Albus was starting to make small steps towards understanding his own emotions, and he was less angry here than he had been in earlier conversations with Harry. He was holding himself back from saying anything too rash, and it felt as though he was realising he wasn’t just angry at Harry, there was more going on than just what was happening between the two of them. He really softened as soon as Ginny was mentioned and it seemed as though he was realising that it was important he and Harry needed to figure things out - for her as well as for themselves.

The second Slytherin dorm scene was also fantastic with Jon and Dom bouncing off each other really well. They were both pretty casual and quite quiet with each other - really showing how comfortable the characters are around each other by this point. When Jon said his ‘Scorpius the Dreadless’ line, he did this silly marching motion with his arms, sticking his chest out and pretending to be all confident, which Dom then mimicked in a very cute way on ‘I’m not sure being fearless is going to be good for your health.’ It was little touches like these that gave them a very genuine best-friends vibe. Dom’s Albus seemed very genuinely happy for Scorpius that he was feeling so confident, and he was enjoying the silly teasing about Polly and Rose. Once they started talking about their attempts to save Cedric though, Albus got really down on himself very quickly, beating himself up for making such ‘stupid’ decisions, and Scorpius turned very earnest in trying to stop him from thinking that way. Telling Albus that he’d thought of him to cast his patronus worked wonders and Albus absolutely lit up at that line - looked so flattered and happy and incredulous. Then came the time turner reveal, and I have never seen someone so perfectly embody the 😱 emoji as Dom at this bit. He was so shocked and disbelieving, like he had never considered for a second that Scorpius would be able to hide that from him; but also quite excited and proud of his friend for doing something rebellious and cool.

I really enjoyed the Owlery scene this time around too. Jon’s Scorpius was very fidgety again, getting up and down, twisting around, flailing his hands, and getting noticeably closer to Albus bit by bit, until they were shoulder-to-shoulder just as Delphi arrived. Madeleine was fantastic again here and had some great expressions. When she said that Euphemia Rowle had only taken her in for the gold, she stuck her bottom lip out and pulled a very over-the-top baby sad face at Albus, keeping her geeky charade up right until the last minute. Then she flipped and revealed herself to be the Augurey - and all of her act was dropped immediately. She was loving finally being able to show these boys what she was made of.

In the Ministry office scene we had another really lovely Ron and Hermione moment: on the ‘I will skewer you with this quill’ line, they had a little joust with their quills, poking each other and laughing. And when Ron explained that he wanted to renew their vows and got down on one knee, Michelle’s Hermione allowed herself a little moment of giddiness, and turned all soft at his flirting. I loved it - I think sometimes it can feel like Hermione only puts up with Ron and doesn’t quite reciprocate his feelings, but there was no hint of that with these two. Hermione was really affectionate throughout the play and especially in these little moments, and Michelle’s version felt like a Hermione who had grown over the years and become more comfortable with her emotions and better at expressing them, as well as still being very much in love with Ron.

By this point in the show I knew that the torture scenes with Delphi and the boys were going to be painful to watch because Jon’s Scorpius is so soft and innocent, and I wasn’t wrong. Madeleine’s Delphi is horribly sadistic and was gleeful here, whereas Scorpius was very hunched over, all his body language pleading not to be hurt. Albus’s expression was one of unadulterated hatred - Dom’s version of Albus usually has his emotions written plain on his face and that was especially the case here. He was seething, absolutely loathing Delphi for what she was doing. He was full of nervous energy too and once she let loose with the crucio on Scorpius he ran to her straight away, determined to fight. Once it had become clear that Delphi was in control though, and wouldn’t hesitate to torture Scorpius again, he changed - becoming much stiller, much more desperate. He watched what was happening in anguish but clearly knew that trying to protest again would aggravate her more. He was looking back and forth between them, trying to find any opportunity to intervene, and increasingly distressed that there was nothing he could do.

The scene in Harry’s office between Harry and Dumbledore really got me this time. I’ve never cried at this bit before and to be honest when I saw Jamie Ballard for the first time back in March this year I didn’t fall in love with his interpretation of the character, but I did a complete 180 after this scene, he was so brilliant. He was quite softly-spoken for a while with Dumbledore, and then really let rip when he started talking about the Dursleys and how he thought that nobody cared about him. It was really clear how much adult Harry still has to manage all that trauma and how it’s never really left him - and how much of an impact it has on his interactions with his family now. He reined himself in again quite quickly after his outburst and that was even more heart-breaking to see; he so rarely lets himself feel all of that pain and injustice even though under the surface he is (rightfully) angry at everything he had to go through. His voice broke when he told Dumbledore he loved him and he was still very teary when Draco appeared in his office.

I love James Howard’s Draco and this is one of his strongest scenes too. He gets the balance of old Draco and new, adult Draco just right. The little touches of humour with his awkward small talk and useless dad jokes remind you of how much of a little shit he was as a child, but then he moves seamlessly into the more serious conversations about Scorpius and Astoria. The expression of pain and regret that crossed his face as soon as Harry mentioned Scorpius’s name killed me - his love for his son and his family is so clear and I adore that he doesn’t shy away from those feelings any more; he’s grown so much since his school days.

Now we come to the Godric’s Hollow scenes and I loved the interactions between Jon and Dom here. We got a return to happy Albus when Scorpius told him about the statue of the Potters that would be put up after their deaths - he lit up and it was like that very first time at Hogwarts in Act One when one of the kids told him he looked like Harry and he was just so proud to be a Potter. I loved that those feelings hadn’t been completed stamped out of him and he hadn’t turned too cynical by this point; it was a promising sign for how his relationship with his dad could still be repaired. When the two boys were trying to come up with a plan Dom was pulling a very intense concentrating face and gesturing a lot with his hands; it’s as though he’s thinking out loud but using gestures instead of words, if that makes sense? Scorpius’s ‘HELP’ lines got a big laugh from the audience although Jon spoke them a bit quieter than some of the Scorpiuses I’ve seen, and he clearly knew as soon as he started speaking that it was a stupid idea - he seemed to be waiting for Albus to interrupt him so that he could stop with his ridiculous monologue.

These two did my favourite version of the ‘return of eternal darkness’ lines I think I’ve ever seen. As Scorpius began the line, he seemed to be psyching himself up, and he paused before ‘I’d choose you’ to take a deep breath, as though it was taking him a lot of courage - like it was an admission he was a bit scared to say out loud - and then Dom’s response was wonderful. In the past I’ve seen Albuses roll their eyes or seem a bit exasperated by this comment from Scorpius, but Dom left a pause for a few seconds and then rather than giving one of his big toothy grins, he gave a much softer smile as he said his ‘no offense, but I’d choose someone massive and good at magic’ line, and he spoke slower and quieter than usual. It didn’t feel like he was making fun of Scorpius, or deflecting or changing the subject; it felt like he was acknowledging all the meaning Scorpius had put into his words and accepting that meaning, and saying ‘I’d choose you too’ without actually speaking the words out loud - because this is still Albus Potter, king of not being able to talk about his feelings. Scorpius seemed pleased with how he responded too, seemed to understand what he was trying to say, and they held eye contact for a second or two and kept smiling. I hadn’t expected it to be such a tender and sweet moment, but I truly loved it and I really hope they keep their version of the scene that way, because it says so much about the development of their friendship. Once they started figuring out their blanket plan, they both got really excited, bounding around the stage and flailing - especially Dom. This kid LOVES a good plan.

Next up, the adults arrive in Godric’s Hollow, and I have to take a second to appreciate James Howard going the extra mile here by doing a full-on dramatic gasp and step forward on his ‘farmer’s market’ line. I’ve never seen him do it so over-the-top before but it’s one of my favourite lines so I’m glad he gets such a big laugh for it!

The Scorpius and Draco reunion was a tale of two halves in this scene. When Draco appeared and stepped forward, Jon’s Scorpius jumped, turned and actually ran two or three paces back in panic before stopping. This actually got a laugh from the audience which really surprised me to be honest, because to me it read as heart-breaking, to see him in so much distress at the sight of his dad. It really got me thinking actually, because although at first I assumed it was a result of his interactions with Draco in the dark AU, I then thought that their dark AU office scene doesn’t seem like enough to cause such a violent reaction from Scorpius, especially since they presumably talked and bonded again once they were back in the right world (as Harry and Albus did in the dormitory scene). So what would make Scorpius react that way? I still don’t really know and it could be simply that he’s stressed at that point in the play and would have panicked regardless, but part of me wonders if this was intended as a hint as some deeper trauma (perhaps from his grandfather Lucius) in childhood that gets triggered in that moment. Regardless, it was an interesting choice on Jon’s part but I’m not sure if it will stick around given that audience reaction - I doubt he intended it to be a funny moment. Anyway, once he had recovered and realised it was just his dad, Scorpius moved back towards Draco and they went in for their hug with plenty of enthusiasm. Once they’d pulled apart, Draco held Scorpius’s face in his hands and looked right into his eyes, talking to him gently and calming him down, in a way that they had clearly done before at other times when Scorpius was stressed and anxious. He did this again a few seconds later while the others were talking and it was so lovely - you could see his love for Scorpius shining out of him and he knew exactly how to be there for his son in that moment. All the good dad points to Draco Malfoy.

Susie’s Ginny stood out for me in the St Jerome’s scene. I adore her speech to Harry in this scene and she played it beautifully - with the same serenity and calmness she’d had in previous scenes, but with a bit of a wavering voice and visible emotion on her lines about Harry playing exploding snap with her at Hogwarts. It was a really touching detail and I got the impression that Ginny was allowing herself a moment or two of letting her feelings come to the surface after staying stoic and practical during all the time that her beloved son had been missing.

My notes were pretty sparse by this point in the show because I was an emotional wreck already, but all the cast were on brilliant form here and there were some wonderful details I picked up. When Harry volunteers to be transfigured into Voldemort, Dom’s reaction was really moving - he stepped forward a few paces and from his expression he seemed to be really seeing Harry for the first time, without any of his judgements and anger about his dad. When he said ‘it’s the only way’ he was so supportive and properly agreeing with his dad, ready to stand up and defend him. He did the same when he asked Draco to trust Harry, stepping forward until he was quite close to Draco and spoke very assuredly, totally confident in his dad’s idea.

As they were waiting for Delphi to arrive and Scorpius was keeping lookout at the church door, there was another sweet moment between him and Draco - Draco kept a hand on Scorpius’s shoulder and a couple of times Jon looked up at James and they chatted for a little while. I couldn’t tell anything of what they were saying but they were smiling and it looked as though Draco was reassuring Scorpius, and making sure he stayed calm.

Madeleine’s Delphi was great in the battle scene and she was completely unhinged, which I love. She let out some fantastically evil cackles and she was making biting gestures at Ron and Harry when they had captured her. Her transformation from her sweet innocent act earlier in the play was very dramatic and she was totally believable as the child of Voldemort - although you still felt a little sorry for her when she started pleading to be killed or have her memory wiped, when she knew she was defeated; her heartbreak seemed very genuine.

The Lily and James scene absolutely destroys me every time I see the show and knowing what’s coming doesn’t make it any easier. Dom’s Albus was wonderful in this part - once it became clear that they were going to have to watch them die, he stood very close to Harry and slowly moved to hold his dad’s hand, full of compassion and support. All he cared about in that moment was being there for Harry and all of their previous arguments and anger was completely forgotten. He wasn’t thinking about himself at all, which is a huge development for Albus, and Dom showed that journey so well. Scorpius and Draco were perfect here too, with James holding Jon so tightly I thought he might squish him, and covering his face so that Scorpius couldn’t see what was happening. Draco is so protective of his son and it makes me so happy.

Once I’d finished crying I just about managed to make some notes during the final two scenes, with the first obviously being Scorpius and Albus on the staircases. Similar to their Godric’s Hollow scene, Jon and Dom gave me my favourite interpretation of this scene that I’ve seen so far. They were so casual and happy around each other, and as Scorpius was going on about Rose and Polly, Albus was nodding and grinning along with him - he seemed to be happy to humour his friend and enjoying that he was so enthusiastic, without really appearing to believe that Scorpius had any chance with either of the girls. Rayxia was very confident as Rose and was holding back her laughter in a good-natured kind of way, with a very similar vibe - messing with Scorpius a little bit but mostly just fond of him and amused that he was keeping up this silly charade of fancying her when she knew nothing was ever going to happen.

Once Rose had left the stage, Scorpius moved closer and closer to Albus at the foot of the stairs, and it was funny seeing them with their (dramatic) height difference switched the other way around. Jon has a very intense gaze in general but it was especially noticeable here as he was looking up at Albus and positively beaming at him. Their hug was quite quick, but they didn’t pull far apart afterwards and when Scorpius said his ‘new version of us’ line, he reached up and really gently rested his hands on Albus’s shoulders for a few seconds, keeping that steady gaze and some very adorable smiles from both of them. It was extremely cute. Even after he’d let go of Dom’s shoulders, they both stayed quite close at the foot of the stairs with their hands kind of awkwardly between them (but not quite touching) for the rest of the scene with their lines about asking Rose and then going to dinner. Sometimes I’ve seen Scorpiuses already halfway offstage at this point so I loved that they stayed right there until the very end, and left each other with lots of smiles. It felt like a more fitting end to their time together in the play than other interpretations of that scene where they’ve seemed like they didn’t care too much about leaving each other. For this pair, something had changed between them - their friendship had become deeper and more open than ever before and their connection was so wonderful.

Jamie and Dom were a brilliant pair in the graveyard scene too and they work so well together as father and son. They were a million miles away from their fraught, angry relationship at the beginning of the show and really captured the journey that these characters have been on. As soon as Albus starting talking about Lily and James, Harry lit up - he was so thrilled and proud that his son was making a real effort to connect with him. And as Harry was talking, Albus was listening very intently; a complete contrast to how he withdrew and ignored him in the earlier scenes. He was still nervous and awkward when he was making jokes (with very similar mannerisms to Harry), but he was showing how much he cares about his dad and being open and honest with him for the first time. When Harry said his line about knowing Albus’s heart ‘is a good one’, Albus was glowing with pride - that specific love and praise meant the absolute world to him. And at the very end after the ‘nice day’ lines, they stood first with their arms around each other’s shoulders, then leaned in close and Harry pulled Albus into a great big hug and Albus wrapped his arms really tightly around his dad as he ruffled his hair. It was perfect - these two are a pair who both display their emotions very openly and it suited them to have such an affectionate moment at the end of their journey (compared to some of the more restrained Albus and Harry pairs in previous casts).

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So! That’s all for my notes on individual scenes, but there were a few more bits and pieces I scribbled down between parts and after the show in terms of my initial reactions to this cast.

Even though it was only a few weeks into their run, Cast 4 seem to be working brilliantly together already. Obviously we’ve got a lot of returning cast members but the newbies seem to have slotted into place easily and I feel like this group are only going to go from strength to strength.

As I’ve said before, I feel as though I’m very late to the Jonathan-Case-is-brilliant party, but I was really blown away by him. I thought I knew what to expect from reading other people’s recaps and reviews and I was wrong - his energy on stage is something you can’t quite get across in words. I think that in many ways Scorpius is the easiest character to love in Cursed Child - he has a lot of the best comedic moments, plus a tragic backstory - and it’s natural to come away from the show singing his praises, but in this case it’s wholly deserved. Jon really felt to me like the real Scorpius, with just the right balance of nerves and charisma and Malfoy-ish determination. His mannerisms were often full of anxiety and he almost never stops moving, always flailing his arms, fidgeting with his sleeves, clasping his hands over his heart. I mentioned his gaze earlier too - every time he’s listening to someone speak he fixes them with this look, full of empathy and concern, as though they are the only person in the world and he is giving them 100% of his attention. He’s also relentlessly positive and optimistic; he wants to see the good in every person and every situation until he’s definitively proven wrong. It definitely gave me the impression that his Scorpius is a kid who grew up with Astoria teaching him to be unfailingly kind, but also that her illness and the legacy of the Malfoy family shaped him to be naturally apologetic, and desperate to make everyone happy, often at his own expense. That said, he has a very clear hidden strength that really comes to the fore in Part Two, and Jon did a great job at capturing the evolution of Scorpius’s character and his self-belief across the events of the play. The library scene was the stand-out performance for me and I can’t wait to see him again.

Dom’s Albus is an absolute sweetheart. He was everything I hoped he would be from the little snippets we’d seen of Dominic since his casting was announced, and I feel like he’s captured my favourite parts of previous Albuses and combined them into a fantastically rounded version of the character. He is SO expressive, and everything he was feeling was clear on his face and in his body language throughout the show; I feel as though Dom has stripped Albus’s motivations and feelings back to their most simple form - I mean that in a really positive way. He’s gotten right to the heart of his character, which is that he is a kid who just wants to be seen and to be loved. Everything he does and every interaction with his friends and family is shaped by that desire and it makes for a very innocent and charming portrayal. His default state is happiness and that’s what he reverts to when he’s not stressed or angry, and I loved that; it felt like a very accurate reflection of how Harry and Ginny’s personalities were combined in him, and also made him feel closer in personality to his siblings. Some Albuses in the past have felt like total black sheep in their family and seemed like they would never ever fit in properly, but Dom has created a character who shares so many characteristics with the Potters and Weasleys, he just needs steering in the right direction a little and then his bonds with them will all fall into place. His mannerisms are very endearing too - because he’s quite short, he comes across as this little ball of energy and determination. He gestures quite a lot and is very focused; when he’s listening to other characters he usually looks like he’s concentrating very hard on what they’re saying and thinking about everything in great detail.

As a pair, Jon and Dom bounce off each other brilliantly. I can’t comment on how Jon’s performance might have changed compared to last year because it was my first time seeing him, but these two seemed to have a fantastic connection already and the friendship they created between Scorpius and Albus was really genuine and supportive. Compared to the other Scorpius/Albus pairs I’ve seen (Anthony/Sam, Harry/Theo, Jordan/Joe), I felt these two were the most similar to each other in terms of their personality and mannerisms, and that made me really happy - it felt like their characteristics had been rubbing off on each other over the years they’d been friends and showed how close they were. Overall I’m just so happy we have these two in these roles; they’re both brilliant fits and I’m hoping to see them as many times as possible this year!

Like I said earlier, when I saw Jamie B in March this year he wasn’t my favourite Harry I’d seen, but I really loved him this time around. I think the other changes in the cast have given him a bit more of a mellow vibe compared to the previous performance I saw and that highlighted some other aspects of his characterisation I really enjoyed. I thought he captured the awkward, dorky side of Harry really well in his little jokes and gestures, and his relationship with Albus was beautifully nuanced - you could understand his frustrations and what caused him to make the mistakes he does with Albus, as well as his trauma and regret. I’m excited to return to his performance and see what else I can spot next time around.

I’ve already raved about Susie earlier but she really stood out to me as Ginny this time and I adored her portrayal of her as this fierce, quick-witted, endlessly patient and generous woman with fantastic emotional intelligence and strength. She’s just like book Ginny and I love her for that. Michelle was a fab Hermione and although I think she’s still got plenty of room to play around with the role and really make it her own, the emotional vulnerability she brought to Hermione was really lovely to see. Tom and James have been the perfect Ron and Draco every time I’ve seen them in those roles and this time was no exception.The rest of the ensemble were all so strong too - Madeleine as Delphi was particularly enjoyable and Rayxia brought some new details to Rose’s character which worked brilliantly. 

All in all, it was a flawless show and I came away from the Palace feeling like I was floating because the whole thing just brought me so much joy. I am already counting down the days till my next trip back and I’m head over heels in love with Cast Four 💜

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