#spring in the underworld series

[icarus-suraki]

Selections from Andrea Zanatelli’s embroidery series

Clockwise from top left:

"The Blue Iris" "The Midnight Sun Ceremony" “The Daffodils” or “Persephone Emerging from the Underworld” “The Sacrifice and the Resurrection” or “Ode to Spring”

[arcielee]

She Walks in Starlight

Summary: A goddess comes to ask for help to save her friends. Paring: Aemond!Hades x OFC!Persephone Word Count: 4358 Warnings: Mention of character(s) death. It’s HotD and Greek mythology, so there will be incest.   Author's Note: So, the whole Aemond as Hades trope has been done before BUT NOT BY ME so lets go. My inspiration came from this Aemond drawing: artist. It’s so nifty. Also, huge shout out to @aspen-carter for her ceaseless patience and helping me edit this. I am so grateful to have her as a friend because her writing is just top tier and her insight is so wonderful. ♥ Also! Gō vys is Valyrian for Under world. Enjoy! Tags (Tumblr kindred spirits): @sirenofavalon​ @annikin-im-panicin​ @aaaaaamond (slash means I am unable to tag you)  Series:  Act I -  Act II - Act III

ACT I

“Little goddess, you are far away from where you belong.”

This was the truth spoken, for she never before dared venture away from her mother’s watchful gaze, never pressing beyond the boundary she swore she implemented for safety. Today it was fate that propelled her soft steps to follow the trodden pathway that wove from her realm into his. 

His tone was low and voiced with authority, but she did not feel threatened despite the grim scenery she now found herself in. The Underworld seemed just a shadowed, desolate reflection of the mortal realm above; it was not shroud in darkness, mostly void of pigmentation save the veily blue hue that enveloped all around. She watched the souls make their way towards the ferryman, unaware their fluid steps were not solid against the grey sand that spread the shore of the river Styx. 

“Aïdōneús,” she used the ancient moniker, for who else would be present other than the lordship to the realm of death? She spoke his name as she heard from the hushed whispers of the mortals, who were afraid to misstate and bring unwanted attention from the king of the dead. For her, it was an ancient tongue known to the gods and it spilled like a sweet nectar from her wet lips. She pressed on the ball of her foot to turn and face him. 

Throughout the ages, many adjectives have been used to describe him and beautiful was the first to her mind. 

The contours of his face were sharp as the marble stones that the mortals would carve the gods’ likeness into and it gave a severity to his expression. She saw the left side of his face, marred from his heroism from the tales of the Titanomachy, with a gash that began above his brow and cut through, curling into his cheek. His bravery had been rewarded with his kingship of the Gō vys and a brilliant sapphire stone that was set into his scarred socket. 

Cold and stern, was often used, a firm accountability held for the laws held. Monstrous. Menacing. She assumed these descriptors were spoken by cowards, for all she could see was an esthetical deity.

He towered over her, his arms were tucked behind his back and it emphasized his broad shoulders. Silver scars littered over, brilliant streaks in contrast to the plum chiton draped over his lithe figure with golden thread knotted around his slender waist. The dark tones he wore gave a luminous intensity to his alabaster skin, like a godly beacon in the realm of grey. 

He kept his distance, but she saw his head tilt from the gleam of the red ruby set in his crown and the soft glimmer of his silver tresses that spilled forward with his subtle movement. 

“I have come to ask you something,” she continued, her voice unsteady, but her eyes boldly returned his steady gaze.

There was a haunting beauty to the mismatched coloring of his stare, his lavender eye and the glint of his sapphire eye, that caused her heart to reverberate within her chest.

“You traveled all this way to ask me a question?” His baritone continued and there was a flicker of amusement, the slight curl to his lips with his mellifluous words. “Please ask so I may best assist the goddess of spring.”

She felt the flush of pleasure. He knows who you are, the thought flutters throughout her head and she cannot stop her smile. “I wanted to ask if it was at all possible for a soul to be returned to the mortal realm?” 

A low hum rumbled in the back of his throat and he took a deliberate step to close the space between them; the flicker of amusement is gone, his expression now as cool as the marble it was carved from. “This cannot be done, little goddess,” his silver words carefully chosen for his silver tongue. “It is the fate of every mortal to die and once that threshold is crossed, they cannot return to that life.” 

Her renewed grief comes with its sickening hold, clenching her heart and the threat of tears pricked her eyes. She swallowed thickly, only then breaking her bold stare and instead she looked over the spirits that continued forward, awaiting their turn to cross. 

It should have been me.

“Who did you lose?”

His soft tone pulled her attention back and she can see his brow is furrowed. “My friends,” she refused to cry in front of the king, no matter the kindly concern etched onto his features in the moment. “They were taken suddenly and do not have the gold to pay the passage.” 

He hummed a second time, still low but thoughtful. “They are not yet lost, little goddess,” and the familiar curl of his bow lips gives her the flutter of hope. “Come back tomorrow and we can see what may be done, but,” his gaze rolled over her, locking onto her face once again. “I would advise not to return empty handed when you come to beg a favor from the king of the Underworld.” 

+ + + + + + +

He dared teased the goddess of spring and then he relished in her response to the reminder of such a timeless courtesy. The rose coloring flushed her ivory tones, her embarrassment clashed with the thrum of her vitality beneath and it brought out the sun speckles across her nose and cheeks. 

How divine the thought of his lips to kiss each one. 

She left chagrined and he was certain he would not see her again, save the movements when he would slip to the surface for a reprieve from the dead, a shadow in watch of the gods who resided in the mortal realm. He had not expected her to return the following day and with a basket she showed was filled with delicacies of cheeses, olives, figs, and more.

He saw her coming, her steps almost familiar with the pathway that led to his realm. “You returned, little goddess,”  it was a statement more so than a question. 

“I have, Aïdōneús.” 

Aïdōneús. A name long forgotten, spurned from the fear it held amongst mortals, but she was dauntless with her pronunciation, just as she was bold with her stare. It was the sweetest sound, both familiar and unfamiliar, a sound that he would spend his immortality to follow its every behest.  

Even though her tone was cool, he noted her white knuckled hold on the wicker basket. “I have returned and I have brought you an offering,” she continued, shifting her weight to rest it on her hip. “You also may call me by name or you may call me Kore, if you desire.”

Desire. There is an unbridled fervor in his gaze as it rolled over her curves, so sinfully wrapped in the peplos linen but his posture remained reserved, his arms crossed behind and one foot stanced.  

“As you wish, Kore.” 

He did not say another word and his hand reached for hers; he was pleased that she took it without hesitation and his skin prickled from the warmth of her palm. He whisked her forward and he felt her grip tighten, looking back to see her eyes wide from the abrupt movement. He pulled her closer to his chest, his other arm wrapping around her waist with a firm hold. 

He brought her to a pomegranate tree that is curled on a ledge overlooking the knolls of silver grass, decorated with aimless spirits. 

There was almost an ache when he released his hold and he kept his arms open, watching to make sure her steps are balanced on the solid earth. “I apologize,” his voice was almost sheepish with his realization. “I am so used to getting around and I forget…” 

He is grateful that she does not press him to finish his thought. Instead, he fell back and watched as she spread the cloth, the white billow of fabric that settled on the ground, and placed the basket in the center. She offered to pour him a glass of wine and only then does he take a seat, breaking the bread, while he shared that their view is the asphodel meadows where good souls reside, a neutral ground for peaceful spirits. 

He wanted to bring her here and show her. “This is where your friends will eventually be,” he finished, lifting his goblet to his lips. 

Her eyes watched the bob of his neck as he drank the wine and she admitted, “This seems so dreadfully dull for the good souls.” 

“They no longer have the tedious shackles forced on them from the mortal realm,” his lips curled upwards with his further explanation. “They feel nothing and this allows them contentment to wander these fields.” 

Her nose scrunched. “I understand this,” she breaks a piece of the bread, allowing the wine to dye it red. “That, however, does not change my initial opinion.” 

This is a moment that broke through the kingly demeanor that he carried with his every step, his every movement within the cosmos. She watched, wide eyed and rosy, as his laughter lines his cheeks with dimples, the king of the Gō vys has dimples! She savored the genuineness of this moment and she cannot help but giggle as well. “It is beautiful, though,” she continued with a shy smile. “I see why you chose this spot.” 

His demeanor darkened and he smirked. “Kore, this pales in comparison to your springly creations. I only brought you to show you the bit of vegetation that can survive within my realm.” 

She tilted her head upwards, looking at the deep burgundy of the ripe pomegranates that hung low on the branches. “Are they edible?” 

He leaned onto his side, propped up onto one elbow and his fingers traced the decoration of the gilded goblet. “It is, but without the same savory flavors as,” and he gestured towards the basket that slowly empties with their picnic. “There is a cost of their consumption,” he cannot help the edge of bitterness to his voice. 

Her eyes widen, not with fright but curiosity, to the animosity of his words. “What is the cost?”

“Anything eaten or drank chains you to the realm,” he answered, solemn, and was surprised by the glint in her eyes. 

It draws his gaze to her and, again, he can see the thrum of her ichor beneath her ivory skin, her eyes focused on him and framed with dark lashes, her stare as dauntless as earlier. 

“It is the cost to rule a kingdom,” she offered, blinking and it is seemingly gone, her expression now doleful as it looks over the silver hills that spread infinitely before them. “It is better than to be destined to be the forgotten goddess, tied to her mother’s shadow and just a decoration who nurtures flowers.”  

He was watchful in this somber moment; there was a silence that was not uncomfortable, but he felt the returned fervor from before to ask more, to understand more. There was a tingle in his fingertips to reach for her hand, to knit his fingers so perfectly with her own, just so she may remember she was not alone. 

Instead, he waited.

She pulled herself to stand and reached her hand towards him, the radiance of her smile returning, a divine glow amongst the eerie meadow. “Come and show me more of your kingdom.”

And he obliged her. 

+ + + + + + +

Time, she learned, was different in the Underworld. 

She allowed herself to tour the Gō vys, tucked so close to his side and allowing him to show his kingdom, from the Asphodel to the Erebus, to watch the passage of Acheron and learn the ferryman was men, twins who let a foolish misunderstanding result in the simultaneous slay and he offered them an alternative to serve him. She met Vhagar, the rumored three headed beast who in truth wished for belly rubs and she happily inclined. 

There was a panicked realization when she resurfaced and saw the moon bore overhead. Her steps were quick homewards, muttering prayers to Gaia, to Rhaenys, to whomever was listening and she begged her mother would be unaware of the time lost. 

“You smell of death.”

Rhaenyra was the golden goddess of harvest and fertility, her mother the very embodiment of the sacred laws of the cosmos. Her eyes narrowed on her arrival, but she managed only a hint of anger to touch her overwhelming interrogative tone. “Where have you been, Kore?”

She hummed a lie, something enough to dissuade further suspicion her mother may hold, just a silly little goddess who had gotten lost within the cosmos. She continued to add another promise she would never dare return. 

This was another lie. 

“Aïdōneús,” she greeted him the next day and was pleased with his expression, which was almost incredulous at her return. 

“Kore,” he responded with the same warmth, the curl of his lip when he reached for her hand. She allowed him to take it without thought, a blush crept over as he brought her knuckles to his lips, the tickle of his breath to her skin. “Please, I meant to say this yesterday,” he did not release his hold, his dichromatic gaze watchful. “You may call me just Aemond, if you wish.” 

“Aemond,” and she said his name with the same sweetness and reverence, enjoying her familiarity with the king and how the rose color dusts his cheeks when she repeats it. “I admit, I have come to ask another favor.” 

“More souls you wish to return to the mortal realm?” 

He regretted his words the moment they left his lips, when he saw the pain that danced across her eyes. His apology was caught in his throat, the explanation for his tasteless jest, but she already shook her head and that pain was gone. 

“I wish to show you a place that is dear to me,” but her tone is careful. “Are you able to come with me to the mortal realm?” 

I would go anywhere you asked of me, he does not say and instead he nodded, the shimmer of his silver hair. “I can leave, though not for long periods of time,” he shifted his gaze. “It is a tether to the Underworld. There is a pull, almost an ache, that grows the longer I am away.”  

A smile returned to her lips, pink and inviting. “I will not keep you too long from the duties of your kingdom,” she promised and offered her hand to him. 

Traveling within the Gō vys requires a celerity to his movements; there is a rush of wind with his quick motion from one place to the next, whereas she seems to frolick, pulling to keep him at her pace as they flit from the shadows and move towards a small isle. At first glance, it only holds the wreckage of the temple to appease the averter of evil, its ruin ironically from a temper tantrum of the gods. 

“But why here?” Aemond was curious as he looked over the cracked stylobate and the broken pillars split, with stone embedded into the soft earth around them. 

“There is beauty in the broken,” she smiled and pulled him to follow. “After Daemon and his temper tantrum, the mortals abandoned it, but I wished for it to blossom with new life.” 

He watched her climb over a fallen pillar and she peered up to him, beckoning him to follow. He dropped softly at her side, while the soft echo of her words, there is beauty in the broken, remained in his ear. Aemond saw her focus was ahead and he followed her gaze. 

His eye followed the curl of a turquoise moss that curled and decorated the stones, blooming with pastels. It continued to the reflection of the morning dew glittering off the almost iridescent petals, gleaming brilliant in the rising run; it showed the sea scheme of colors that stretched around them.

She was the goddess of spring, of vitality personified, and he is the darkness. But in this serene moment, there was an emotion, an almost tangible passion that entangled with the ichor of his veins when she reached for his hand again.

There was a spark as their palms fit together, as his slender fingers curled around her hand. “It is beautiful,” he said and his tongue wet his lips. 

She peered at him, the flutter of her own heart when she saw how his features softened in the intimacy of the moment, a satisfaction to be privy to the reserved pleasure that played on his face. There was the intrusive thought that begged her to touch his jaw, to press up to her tiptoes and dare to taste his mouth, and she wished to bring back a piece to his kingdom, just so she could relive the hint of his smile on his lips. 

“It is,” she agreed, tucking the thought away. 

+ + + + + + +

That night, she tucked herself into the athenaeum to pour over the scrolls her mother stored away, with Rhaenyra both pleased and proud of her rekindled passion for her role within the cosmos. 

Kore did not correct her. She needed her focus to return to what initially brought her to the Underworld, the fate she shelved and the growing burden with that neglect. She told herself that Aemond would be more amenable with an offering more tailored for the god of death, but in truth, she also wished to understand the growing thrum beneath her breastbone whenever she was within his proximity. 

There was a simple spell that would serve both. 

Though he would never admit to waiting for her, she was still pleased to see him on the edge of the plane, close enough for the sunlight to touch and give an ethereal glow to his chiseled features. There was a gentle breeze through his silver, silk tresses and she stopped her steps so she could admire him, the glimmer. 

He tilted his head. “Kore, what is it?”  

“Aemond,” she breathed. “You really are beautiful.” 

His jaw steeled with the compliment and she was quick to grab his hand, leading him below like a silver beacon into the blue hue of the Gō vys. Once they were in the shadowed realm, she turned to press against his chest, her softness melting against him and with her whisper, “Aemond, take me back to the meadows.” 

He, of course, obliged her. 

There was a comfort with how his arms, so strong and lined with silver scars, wrapped around her waist with a hold she knew could be trusted. The jarring movement still caused her stomach to lurch, but it was quickly replaced with the exhilarating rush and her laughter spilled from her lips. Only when she felt the tickle of the silver grass beneath her soles did he finally release his hold of her and they were back beneath the pomegranate tree. 

She curled with grace onto its roots and beckoned him to follow. He paused for a moment to appreciate how her robes nestled against her curves before he sits, close enough, with one leg up to rest his forearm on and the other arm pressing himself upright, his palm resting on the earth. His expression begs curiosity, but he is quiet. 

Kore and her sweet smile elicited his hummed response and he watched as she began to rub her palms together. A soft glow emitted between and her focus returned to Aemond, a golden goddess with the light, before she pressed her hands to the ground. Her eyes closed for a moment, her thoughts poured into the practice incantation with the wordless flutter of her lips. 

She opened her eyes and smiled again, his gaze shyly dropped to watch her hands lift and reveal the bolt of green that begins to stem upwards. He watched as its leaves unfurled and the red bulbs bunched together began to blossom.

His expression is one of awe, his jaw slack from seeing the life sprout from the grey earth and flourish with color before him. Aemond looked pained when she reached to pluck one, cupping it in her palms with a whisper, the same golden glow, before she presented him the enchanted flower, the petals unbruised and a vibrant red. 

“This will match the ruby in your crown,” she explained, shifting her weight to look at him. 

His expression was stoic, just a red reflection in his sapphire eye. “What are they called?” He asked when she opened his palm, his fingers spread as if his touch would shatter it. 

“These are called snapdragons,” she shared, her pride aglow with her creation, her validation. “They are able to handle the cooler weather, but their lifespans are not very long, which is why,” and her fingertips tickled his palm as she picked it up, careful to pin it to his chiton, “I made this one for you. This one will never wilt.” 

His gaze fell to it, his slender fingers pressed into the fabric around where she snugly fastened it, still cautious to touch. “Is this magic?”

He did not see the touch of pink to her cheeks, how she hemmed for her words to reply to him. 

She sought out this spell in the archives of her mother’s anethum, that would allow a flower to eternally hold its blossomed vibrance with a condition in place, an emotion from the spellcaster, something that hinted its existence from the day they spent together at the temple.

An emotion she felt irresolute to share now. 

She had thought it to be carnal at first. Desire, the unbridled passion that hummed within her when she first laid eyes on the god of death and his aery beauty. It was a fervor that burned within her as she drank his deliberate movements, the glimmer of his silver hair, the perpetual smirk that played on his pink, bow lips. 

This will fade, she told herself. She returned, undeterred and with purpose to save her companions, the fate that brought her to the Gō vys to begin. With her offering rested on her hip, she allowed herself to be swept away in his arms, flitting further into his kingdom. It was his touch that sparked something more, the sweet candor of their conversation, how she swore his steady gaze able to see her bones beneath. 

She felt confirmation at the temple ruins, from the moment she watched the colors of her masterpiece absorb into the exquisiteness he carried with him. She saw something, she felt something. 

There is beauty in the broken.

He was a timeless deity that had seen the fall of Titans and she was only the little goddess of spring. 

In part, she was proud of her power that grew, the vibrant glow of the snapdragon, but she also knew it stemmed from an emotion from her that he would never reciprocate. 

So all she said was, “Yes. Magic.” 

Her cheeks grew warmer still with his steady gaze, her silent prayers that he would not press for the truth of it because she knows she would never be able to lie to him. Aemond seemed to accept the words and then said, “I accept your offering, Kore. Tell me your favor and I swear I will do the best that I am able.” 

So she spoke of the fate that brought her to the Underworld. “I wish to pay the passage for two souls.” 

Her question did not anger him, but there is a sadness that crept to his features. “Kore, I would not be able to allow this,” he sighed, unable to look her in the eyes. “If I am to make an exception for you, I would have to offer the same courtesy to the rest and…” there is a pregnant pause, a moment that allowed her to choke on the emotion that threatened to break through and she saw the glimmer of silver when he tilted his head to watch her. 

“Persephone,” he said with his low baritone. “Why do you ask for this? What brought you to my realm?” 

She wore her shame like the chiton draped over her curves. Her tongue wet her lips as her mind tried for the words to express the suffocating guilt that built with her every visit. Begin at the beginning. On that day, there had been an enchanted flower that she and her companions, Baela and Rhaena, came upon. 

“A flower,” Aemond hummed, his expression unreadable. 

His comment left her feeling childish, ashamed to admit what followed. The flower seemed otherworldly, its petals glittered in the sunlight and beckoned to her, but she balked and stayed within the parameters Rhaenyra had placed. Baela and Rhaena teased at her sudden shyness, pushing beyond and dared to pluck it. 

In return, the earth rumbled to split open and swallowed them both. 

“I know that it was planted for me,” she finished, her fingers fidget with the rope tied around her waist. “What other purpose would an enchanted flower serve than to lure the goddess of spring?” Her cheeks were tearstained. “It should have been me.”

Aemond hummed again, the severity returned to his gaze and he looked away. She allowed herself a breath, the slow intake and exhale through parted lips, to relax her posture and rest her hands into her lap. He reached for her hand and she allowed him to take it.

It was with his touch that she could admit she loved him. There was a tenderness to his large hands, how his slender fingers were gentle to hold her own and the soothing gesture of his thumb making circular patterns on her palm.

“Kore,” he began and she looked up at him. “I will look further into this. I meant what I said that I am unable to return souls to the mortal realm, it is beyond my power, but I will find…” he hummed again. “Will you please come back tomorrow night?”

I will always find my way to you, but instead she only smiled, nodding her head. 

#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x oc #greek mythology hotd au #hotd au #aemond!hades #oc!persephone #slow burn #hotd fanfic #aemond fanfiction #aemond fanfic #thanks for reading #♥

[cherrycola27]

false god

Series Warnings: Mythology!AU. Language, alcohol, drinking. Military inaccuracies. Mutual pining, unrequited love. Allusions to and eventual smut. Minors DNI. 18+. Individual chapter warnings will come as needed. Banner Credit @thedroneranger

Masterlist Previous Part Next Part

...........................................

Chapter 3: Roses and Gold

"Minthe? What are you doing here?" You repeat as you take a seat at your breakfast bar.

"I came to see you, silly!" She sing-songs as she flits about your kitchen.

"What's wrong? What bad news have you brought me?" You huff, hoping to get straight to the point. "Why do you assume it's bad news? Can't I just come to check on you. It's been a while since you've been home and Hecate, and I are worried about you. Now, where do you keep your wine glasses?" She pivots.

It's always bad news

"Second cabinet to the left from the stove." You instruct her. She claps her hands before bringing down two of them and pouring both of you a glass. "I know that mortal stuff doesn't do it for you, so I brought a bottle of Dinoysus' special blend." Minthe chirps as she sets the glass down in front of you.

You thank her and take a long drink of the maroon liquid.

"So, spill, I want to hear all about this Rooster you're crushing on." She presses you.

You almost choke on your wine when she says his name. "Bradley is a coworker of mine. A colleague. A friend." You tell her.

"A friend—huh. So, I guess you were just being friendly when you saved him today." Minthe chuckles. You glare at her.

Just a friend

"Come on, Hay. I'm your best friend, you can tell me." Minthe takes a seat beside you and hits you with her pleading puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, maybe I have a few feelings for him." You relent.

"Yes! I knew it!" She whoops.

"It's just—" you trial off. "It's just what? Hades you, more than anyone deserves to be happy, especially after what Persephone did to you." Minths grumbles.

"Minthe, I know you never liked her, but I'm the one who hurt here. You saw the burn marks yourself." You remind her.

"Yes, but I don't think Little Miss Spring is as innocent as she claims. She did something, I just know it." Minthe huffs out.

Minthe was nothing if not loyal. She'd been wary of Persephone since the first day she'd met her. Never fully trusting her. And after what happened between the two of you, Minthe was one of the few still in your corner. She and Hecate had been your support group, and they were currently watching over the Underworld in your absence.

"Minthe, do you really think Persephone had me burn her on purpose? Do you think she chose to be scarred for life? " You counter.

"I don't know. All I do know is you were so in love with her, and you had never lost control of your powers like that before, and you would never hurt someone you love." Minthe finishes before downing the rest of her drink.

"But, that's in the past. Tell me about Bradley." Minthe shifts the topic.

"He's kind, smart, and funny. He's genuinely a good person. He reminds me a lot of Persephone, in the best way. But at the same time, he's different. He doesn't shy away from the pain he's felt in life, he over comes it. He doesn't let his scars, mental or physical ones keep him from being his true self. Bradley is just—he's different." You sigh. It's been so long since you've let yourself feel like this.

"I think he sounds wonderful. Maybe he is your soulmate." Minthe takes your hands and squeezes them. The smile drops from your face and you pull away from her.

Soulmate, ugh, you hated that word

"Minth, he's not my soulmate." You tell her. "You know I don't even believe in those. Not after Seph." You sigh.

"Persephone isn't your soulmate. She wouldn't have said those things about you if she was." Minthe defends.

"Even if she wasn't, I've been wandering Earth for three thousand years. If I had a soulmate, surely I would have met them before now. 'Soulmate' is a stupid word made up by the Gods and mortals to give them hope that there is someone for everyone, when their really isn't." You almost shout at her. You sigh and take another drink. The wine warms you from within and calms you.

Good job, Hades, push away one of the only friends you have left

"Sorry. I just—" you shake your head.

"It's fine. You have strong feelings about it. You're allowed to have them." Minthe reassurances you.

There is a long pause. "Hades, I know you think that you don't deserve to be happy or have someone in your life who cares about you, but you do. If you like Bradley, you should pursue him." Minthe tells you.

"How would I even begin to explain to him what I am?" You ask her. "I don't know. But I'm sure you'd figure it out." Minthe offers.

"He's just so good. Too good for me. I'd never be able to live with myself if I hurt him. I mean, what if he saw my true form and it terrified him. I don't think I could live with him calling me a monster or being afraid of me." You sigh.

That would be a fate worse than death

"Hades, you can't let fear hold you back." Minthe takes your face in her hands and kisses your forehead before hugging you. You lean into the hug. It really is good to see her.

"Now for the bad news." Minthe says as she takes a step back.

Of course

"Ah ha! I knew it!" You proclaim as you jump up from your chair. "I knew you were coming with bad news. What is it this time? What's got Zeus' lightening bolts in a twist?" You ask her.

"It's not about Zeus or the other Olympians, Hades. It's about you." Minthe settles into a seat across from you with a serious look on her face. You sit back down. You've never seen her look like this. She almost looks afraid.

"You know how we have assumed that you were still immortal after being cast off of Olympus because you reincarnate every time you die?" Minthe began.

"Yes." You nod your head.

"Well—Hecate and I were visited by the Fates a few days ago, and they took us to the lifeline temple." She continues. "And the Fates showed us your lifelines."

"Lifelines? That's impossible. I only have one. Everyone only has one." You tell her.

"That's what we said. But apparently, when all the Gods were cast off, their lifeline split into thousands of pieces. Each time they died before completing their quest, a line would snap. But they would reincarnate because another line was there. When the Gods completed their worthiness quest, the lines fused back into one unbreakable line." Minthe tells you. The gears start turning in your head.

"And because I haven't completed my quest, I never got the unbreakable line of immortality. I've just been burning through the lifelines." You say.

"Exactly. And for the others, it wasn't an issue, but because you've been on Earth so long, you've used several of them. But that's not the bad news." Minthe cringes and takes a long drink of her wine.

"Well, what's the bad news?" You press her. She hesitates.

"You only have one lifeline left. Hades, if you die again, you become a permanent resident of the Underworld, and not as it's queen. Your death would be the end of the line for you with no chance of reincarnation." Minthe drops the news on you. You suck in a breath as the realization hits you.

You aren't immortal, like you thought. You'd been so careless for so long, and now you only had one life left.

"Okay. I guess I'll have to be careful then, won't I?" You say.

Careful, sure

"Extremely careful. Hades, the next time you're home, I want it to be because you're taking back your rightful place as queen. I know you said you were done trying to complete your quest, but you need to. Please." Minthe begs you.

You promise her that you will. She gives you a smile and hugs you once more before she leaves. After she's gone, the scent of mint still lingers.

"Well, you two, it looks like Mommy is going to have to tone it down." You say as you look at Cerberus and Hydra, who are curled up together on the ridiculous large pet bed you bought for them. Cerby cocks his head to the side, while Hydra holds eye contact with you. You throw your head back and laugh.

"Who are we kidding? We all know that I don't know how to tone it down." You shake your head laughing before going to grab them some food for the evening.

Maybe dying wouldn't be the worst fate

It might be freeing

You get Hydra squared away with her dinner before opening the pantry to get Cerberus his. That's when you see it. "Oh no, Cerby, it looks like you've got just enough for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I'll have to head to the store across town to get you a refill tomorrow." You tell him after giving him a head scratch. Even though he didn't have three heads, Cerberus ate like he did. While your fur babies ate dinner, you decided on a quick bite yourself.

After all of you had your bellies full, you showered before tucking into bed. Hydra and Cerberus curled up at the foot of your bed and the three of you drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, you woke up early for a quick run. Cerberus came with you while Hyrda preferred to stay home. After a quick shower and breakfast for the three of you, you opted to slip on a simple blue sundress and tie your hair in a ponytail. You weren't in the mood to match pants and a shirt today. You slipped your feet into some sandals, grabbed your keys and headed out.

You made a day of your pet food run, stopping to get your nails done and to pick up some groceries. You were missing home a little extra today, so you decided to pick up everything you needed to make moussaka for dinner when you got home.

When you arrived back at the parking garage for your apartment complex, you knew you didn't want to make two trips to bring everything in, so, using all your strength you gathered all of your groceries and pet food and headed to the elevator. Someone had just gotten on, and the doors were about to close when you shouted, "Hold the elevator, please!"

You had a hard time seeing over the giant bag of dog food, but you could just make out a hand holding the doors open. You dashed through the doors and let out a sigh of relief as you leaned the bag against the wall. "Thank you so much." You breathed out.

"No problem, Hades." You froze when you heard his familiar voice. You dropped the dog food and turned around slowly.

"Bradley? What are you doing here?" You asked him. He chuckled and leaned against the wall. You gave him the once over. He was in gym shorts and an old UVA shirt.

"I could as you the same thing." He fires back. "I live here." You tell him matter of factly.

He nods approvingly.

"So I ask you again. Why are you here?" You asked, praying that his answer wasn't along the lines of him visiting his significant other.

"I live here too." He shrugs.

"Wait—what?" You look at him with wide eyes.

"So we've lived in the same apartment complex for almost two months and didn't know?" You're shocked.

"Looks like it. I live in 1113." He tells you. "No shit? I live in 1013. You're my upstairs neighbor." You both laugh.

Oh, good grief

"What are the odds. Hey, do you need some help with that?" He gestures to your things. "If you don't mind, that would be great." You say just as the bell to your floor dings. Bradley picked up the massive bag of food and follows you down the hall.

"So you have a dog." He says as more of a statement than a question. "And a cat." You tell him.

You pause outside your apartment door and unlock it. You're just about to tell Bradley to set the food by the door, but he marches inside right past you.

"Careful!" You warn him, but it's too late, Cerberus is bounding towards Bradley. You're waiting for him to start barking, but instead, you hear the sweet sounds of Bradley talking to him.

"Oh, who's a good boy, you are. Is that your food? No wonder it's such a big bag because you're such a cute, big boy, aren't you!" Bradley scratches Cerby's ears and pats his head.

Never one to be left out, Hydra weaves through his legs and begins to purr. "Oh, aren't you a pretty thing!" Bradley praises her.

Obviously, your animals like him, why wouldn't they?

You drop your keys on the table and chuckle at the sight.

"What are their names?" Bradley asks you as he moves to sit on your couch, and they both join him.

"Cerberus and Hydra." You tell him.

"You're kidding? Your call sign is Hades, and you have a dog and a cat named Cerberus and Hydra?" He laughs.

"Well, if you didn't notice, Cerby, my Rottweiler is a tripod, and Hydra is a six-toed cat. So, they fit." You laugh as you start putting up groceries.

"How long have you had them?" Bradley asks you.

"About three years. I was in South Korea on a detachment. One night, we went into the city and stumbled upon an animal fighting ring. We called the cops and helped get the animals safe and relocated. Cerberus and Hydra wouldn't leave each other, and no one wanted to take both of them, so I did. It cost me a fortune to get them here, but it was worth it," you say.

"Wow, that's amazing." Bradley says. He thinks that he likes you even more now. You shake your head and roll your eyes as you unpack your groceries.

"Are you hungry?" You ask him. "I could always eat." He responds truthfully. "Well, I'm making dinner. Would you like to stay? It's the least I could do after you helped me." You tell him.

"I'd love to." He smiles as he takes a seat at your kitchen island.

You begin to flit around the kitchen, chopping, mixing, and sautéing. Bradley watches you with wrapped attention. You grab a bottle of wine and pour a glass for each of you. Even if you can't get a buzz from it, you enjoy letting the fruity notes dance across your taste buds.

"So what are you making? It smells amazing." Bradley asks you as you're layer the dish into a pan to bake.

"Moussaka." You tell him. "It's Greek comfort food."

"Greek?" He quirks an eyebrow at you. "Yeah, I'm Greek. First-generation American. My whole family is from Greece." You tell him. It's not a lie, but it's not the whole truth either. "Kolasi is Greek for inferno." You continue.

"That's amazing. Is that part of the reason why your call sign is Hades?" Bradley asks. "That and I used to have a pretty fiery temper back in day." You reply.

Bradley nods his head and takes a sip of his drink. "So your whole family is from Greece. That's pretty cool. Do your parents live around here, or are they back home? Do you have any family around here, or is it just you?" He continues trying to make conversation. You stand in front of the oven and freeze. He sees your shoulders tense up and knows that this is a touchy subject for you.

Your voice drops. It's barely above a whisper when you say, "I—I don't have any parents, and I don't have any family around here. It's just me."

"Oh." Bradley breathes out. There's a pregnant pause. "I get it. It's just me, too. I lost my dad at three, and my mom when I was nineteen." He tells you. You sigh. Bradley thinks you're an orphan like he is. Maybe that's for the best. Honestly, he isn't totally wrong. You stay with your back to him for a long moment.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to. You're just—an enigma, Hades. I feel like I only know you on a surface level. I want to know more about you. Especially if we are going to be working together." Bradley tells you.

No, you don't

"Well, there isn't much to know about me. I joined the Navy at eighteen, graduated at the top of my class in the academy, and in Top Gun. Thirteen confirmed kills, but I've never been in one squadron for too long." You sigh. "That's about it."

"If I wanted to know your Naval career, I could have read your file. Tell me something deep about you." Rooster prods.

"Deep? Hmm. I have a lot of tattoos. Does that count as deep?" You chuckle.

"I mean, it's not ocean deep, but it isn't as shallow as a puddle." You both laugh at Bradley's comment. "What tattos do you have?" He continues.

"I have the rose and dagger on my arm. Kardiá tis fotiás on my ribs. It means 'heart of fire' in Greek. I have a poppy behind my ear, and then I've got a thigh sleeve of every place I've been stationed." You explain to him. You decided to leave out the details about your last tattoo. You didn't need him asking questions about it.

"Is that deep?" You ask him as you take your moussaka out of the oven and grab a few plates.

"Yeah, and now I feel like mine is stupid." Bradley snorts. "You have ink?" Now it's your turn to quirk a brow at him.

"Yeah." He slides the sleeve of his UVA shirt up and flexes his bicep to show you the Roman numerals etched into his right arm.

You gingerly reach out and trace the black numbering. "Thirty-two?" You question him.

"My mom was into tarrot cards and fortune telling. Thirty-two is the number for strength. I got it for her after she passed. The last thing she told me before she died was that she loved me and to be strong for her." There's a thick tension between the two of you as his words settle around you. "I don't think that's stupid at all, Bradley. It's sweet." You smile at him as you rub a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks. I've shown you mine. Does that mean I get to see yours now?" And just like that, his somber tone is gone, and his happy personality it back.

"Rooster, are you trying to get me naked?" You joke with him.

"Only if you're offering." You smirks. You shake your head and shove a plate at him before you can do or say something stupid.

He digs in a groans when the food hits his tastebuds.

"This—this is one of the best things I've ever eaten." He tells you appreciatively.

"I'm glad, I think I do a pretty good job with it." You smile at him and revel in his praise as he scarfs down his first plate before sheepishly asking for seconds, which you happily give him. Gods know you cooked more than you could ever eat.

After both of you finish dinner and polish off the rest of the wine, you pack up some leftovers for Bradley. He insisted on helping you with the dishes, so the two of you found yourself side by side working on them. Well, if you were being honest, the two of you were goofing around and playing more than you were cleaning. You were blowing bubbles and splashing each other and giggling like children.

"I hope you know that you're not going to be able to get rid of me now." Bradley tells you. "What do you mean?" You ask him.

"I'm like the neighborhood stray. You've fed me twice. You're stuck with me now." He tells you with a goofy grin. You throw your head back laughing, and Bradley swears it's the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. He loves the way your wide smile curls over your face and how your nose scrunches up and how the tips of your ears turn pink. You look so at ease.

He could get used to seeing you like this. Happy and carefree. It's a stark contrast to the rigid pilot he sees at work.

Soon, the two of you finish up, and you dry the last plate off before handing it to him to put in your cabinet. You turn to toss the dish towel on the counter, but slip on some soapy water the two of you had splashed on the floor and lose your footing. Bradley immediately reaches out for you and grabs your waist to steady you. Your hands attach to his biceps as you regain your balance.

It takes you a moment to catch your breath, and when your brain catches up with the rest of your body, you realize what an intimate position the two of you are in. You can feel the warmth radiating off of him, and his plush, pink lips are right there.

It would take hardly any effort on either of your parts to close the distance between the two of you. Your heart is screaming for you to do it, but before you can, Bradley clears his throat and drops his hands.

"Are you okay?" He asks. "I'm fine." You say in a deflated tone.

"Well, it's getting late, I should probably get going. Thanks again for dinner." He says as you walk him to you door.

"No problem. See you at work on Monday." You call as he walks into the hallway.

"See you Monday." He chimes back as you shut the door and lock it. You press your back again the cool wood and sink to the floor. Cerberus and Hydra both walk over and look at you with knowing eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, you two. It's not going to happen." You tell them.

"It's not going to happen." You repeat, this time as a reminder to yourself. You could let yourself be friends with Bradley. You could even let yourself have a crush on him. But you could never let yourself cross that line.

It's better that way

Taglist: @roosterscock @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @wkndwlff @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby @dakotakazansky @startrekfangirl2233 @hecate-steps-on-me @cassiemitchell @na-ta-sh-aa @milestellerlover @katieshook02 @mak-32 @je-suis-prest-rachel @soulmates8 @sometimesanalice @diorrfairy @eli2447 @xoxabs88xox @djs8891 @roosters-girl @sebsxphia @rosiahills22 @dempy @callsign-magnolia @alchemxx @gretagerwigsmuse @sunlightmurdock @withahappyrefrain @lt-spork @multifandomlover4life @lewmagoo @bradshawsbaby @seitmai @kmc1989 @bcarolinablr @roosterisdaddy36 @itsdesiree86 @waywardhunter95 @hisredheadedgoddess28 @whatislovevavy @asshlyyyy @inkandarsenic @lillyrosenight @tomanybandstolove @jiminie-08 @dingochef

Join my taglist

#cherrycola27 #top gun maverick #top gun #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster top gun #tgm #lt. bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw smut #rooster smut #rooster x reader #top gun rooster #top gun smut #top gun 2 #tgm fanfiction #tgm fic #tgm smut #false god #Spotify

[alabasterpickles]

So I say the Hercules au and I gotta ask, How does Hades change having her around? Is he completely different or mostly the same? Like does she ground his more megalomaniac tendencies? Were the events of the movie because she had to go on a family vacation with her mother and wasn't around to go 'no, babe, you don't hate your brother. Thats the stress and envy talking. You're better than that, and Zeus and Hera don't deserve that.'

'Eh, I hate em a little.'

'He annoys you, there's a difference.'

'Semantics!'

I’m so excited to answer this one I can’t even tell you, SO! ( Also I love the dialogue I gotta try and work that into a drawing one of these days)

First! I wanna preface my ramblings with my headcanon that Hades is actually a giant softie when it comes to women! Partly because of the way he treats Meg in a generally non-threatening manner in the movie. Meg’s not frightened or intimidated by him in the least and with the exception of a few minor blow-ups when he’s frustrated about his plans being thwarted, he really never does anything to put her in harm’s way. Sure, he’s a little skeevy and manipulative, but it’s never his intention to hurt her. Also partly because his flirting in the series is absolutely horrendous, like that man has never gotten any action and it’s obvious.

Anyway—

I like to think he’s mostly the same, still sardonic and egotistical, but absolutely adores his wife. Like you said I imagine she softens out his rough edges and probably helps to curb his scheming, but generally speaking he’s the same Hades. 😂 His main motivation for wanting to take over Mount Olympus is because the Underworld is a miserable place, if he had some incentive to stay there and have it be less cold, dark and lonely I genuinely feel like he’d be comfortable there.

I don’t think Persephone ever tries to change him though, it just naturally happens this way. She likes that he’s a little out there and a little full of himself, his confidence and cleverness is attractive to her! She might even come off a bit indifferent to his beef with Zeus, since the Olympians aren’t really her cup of tea anyway. I think Hades would appreciate and enjoy being around someone who wasn’t always standing on some false moral high ground!

Basically, she’s comfortable with her emo husband and supports his world take over, it keeps life interesting!

Originally I thought it would be funny to have the events of the movie be the result of Persephone spending the spring with her mom like the myth, but writing a sequel where Hades is the underdog struck me as having better story potential. Also I couldn’t get the timeline to quite work? With Hades planning this whole thing for eighteen years, it just didn’t make sense for them to have known each other before Hercules. 😂 Plus, the idea of all the gods working together to hook Hades up with a wife just to get him off their backs is such a funny concept to me!

Thank you so much for the ask!!

#asks #Hades #Persephone #Disney’s Hercules #fan oc #cody-the-kirby #he’s such a fat simp in the show #I’m stealing that and using it

[outro-jo]

Seventeen and their Godly Parent(s)

pairings: none

type: headcanon

warnings: mentions of war and alcohol

a/n: this was just for fun. i’ve never seen or read the percy jackson series so this was just me loving greek mythology. also minghao has two and i’ll fight you on it if you want. /j in age order and not fan chant. please read info before requesting

masterlist | info

————————

Scoups: Apollo- god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge.

Jeonghan: Aphrodite- goddess of love and beauty

Joshua: Artemis- goddess of of hunting, the wilderness, and wild animals

Jun: Selene- goddess of the Moon and the ‘mother’ of vampires.

Hoshi: Dionysus- god wine, pleasure, and festivity

Wonwoo: Oceanus- god of the ocean

Woozi: Athena- goddess of wisdom, poetry, art, and war strategy

DK: Aether- god of the upper air, light, the atmosphere, space and heaven

Mingyu: Ares- god of war, battlelust, courage and civil order

Minghao: Hades & Persephone- god of the dead and riches and king of the underworld/goddess of vegetation and spring and queen of the underworld

Seungkwan: Iris- goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods

Vernon: Pan- god of wild, shepherds and rustic music

Dino: Crios- god of the heavenly constellations and the measure of the year

#seventeen #svt #seventeen reactions #seventeen headcanons #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #seventeen fluff #seventeen fanfic #seventeen smut #scoups #seungcheol #jeonghan #joshua #joshua hong #jun #junhui #hoshi #wonwoo #woozi #dk #seokmin #minghao #mingyu #seungkwan #vernon #dino

[persephoneflowerpetals]

So, before I went to bed the other night, I came to realization that the Comedy of Arrows episode of Hercules the Animated Series had SO MUCH potential for a Hades x Persephone episode (if they made the decision to not go with the “Persephone is Hades and Demeter’s daughter” idea).

Like, the episode legit starts out with a little flower blooming into the underworld and Hades sees it and goes “Oh, look. A flower. Nature’s cheerful little reminder that…I DESPISE SPRING!” Lmao, like that could’ve worked SO WELL with a Hades x Persephone plot! Also, this episode was literally just a Valentine’s Day episode with Hades trying to ruin Cupid’s big “love operation” since apparently in Greece, spring is the season of love and romance. Like…seriously…THE LOST POTENTIAL!!!!

Now, there’s lots of way Persephone could be implemented since the spring season is the whole reason as to why Hades is doing what he’s doing. From what he heard from Pain and Panic’s magazine: “Spring love means long lives”. Hades’ numbers are way down in terms of new arrivals in the underworld, so he wants to fix that.

But anyways, one thing I really would’ve loved to see is the change in Hades’ attitude by the end of the episode. In the show Hades ends up getting hit by a bunch of love arrows from the cherubs thinking it’s not going to effect him since he’s a god and a cold hearted lord of the dead, but he ends up getting all lovey dovey by the end and the cherubs end up escaping the underworld so they can help Cupid spread springtime love.

I think if Persephone had somehow been implemented into the episode and stayed until the end where Hades gets defeated, it would’ve been so AWESOME to see him end up falling for her. Like, I just love the irony of it lol. In the beginning of the episode he burns a flower growing in his domain saying that he despises spring and thinks love is revolting (and ruining his business) then he turns around and is like “Never mind, I actually adore spring and love ain’t so bad after all”.

Now, it would’ve been really funny if Hades had been hit with the love arrows and Hades starts getting all flirty, and romantic, and lovey dovey towards Persephone while she’s just like “Ummm…this is getting really weird…” but I also love the idea of Hades not getting hit by the love arrows at all. He falls in love all on his own and just finally notices Persephone and how beautiful and cute she is. Like, how has he not noticed how her eyes sparkle like that?! She’s gorgeous! So, maybe to win Persephone over and prove that he’s “not so bad” he lets all the cherubs go and asks Persephone out on a date and she’s all hesitant because…it’s Hades lol.

Idk I just really like that juxtaposition of “I hate spring and love” to “I’m literally head over heels in love with the goddess of spring, I 100% change my mind” lol. Like seriously, so much lost Hades x Persephone potential with that episode!

#rambles #long ramble #disney #hercules #hades #disney’s hercules #hercules the animated series #disney hades #hades disney #hades hercules #persephone #disney persephone #persephone x hades #hades x persephone #persephades

[oceanbaby888]

Ceres: BITCH IM A MOTHA!!! Pt. 1 🍂👩‍👧✨

I am not a professional astrologer. I like to study astrology and give my astrological observations. Do not steal my work. This is the work of TarotLadyTalks LLC.

I am back with another series! I wanted to learn about the asteroid Ceres, so I wanted to dive deep into how Ceres is expressed through the signs. I will share some of the information I have noted. I hope you enjoy reading and learning through this!!! Part 2 will be out tomorrow. Do feel free to tip at $tladytalks if you do enjoy my content, as I do work hard to make this kind of content.

Anyway, let's get into it!!

Here is some information about the asteroid Ceres from an astronomical + Greek mythology perspectives.

Astronomy:

Ceres was the first asteroid to be discovered. Discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi on January 1, 1801. The asteroid was named after the ancient Roman grain goddess (Greek name: Demeter)

Ceres revolves the Sun once every 4.61 years (earth years).

The largest asteroid of the main asteroid belt found between Mars and Jupiter. It was even designated as a dwarf planet in 2006, due to its massive size compared to the other "asteroids" in the asteroid belt.

Greek Mythology:

The Story of Ceres:

Fun fact: The word cereal comes from Ceres! Think about it. Ceres is the goddess of harvest, and what is cereal made from?

Known as the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, and a mother's love. Ceres was the daughter of Saturn and Ops, sister of Jupiter and mother of Persephone. Known as a benevolent goddess.

She was known and loved for her service to mankind and providing food to the humans (service: Virgo). She taught human how to grow, preserve, and prepare grain and corn to grow and harvest. She even was responsible for the fertility of the land.

She was one of the only gods/goddesses that are known to be involved in the daily lives of the common people (another Virgo trait: day to day life). She was looked to as the nurturer of mankind

Worshipped at her temple on Aventine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of ancient Rome. She even had her on festival, the Cerealia on April 19. They also celebrated her during Ambarvalia, a roman agricultural fertility rite held at the end of May.

The seasonal changes are also connected with Ceres. Persephone, Cere's and Jupiter's daughter, was kidnapped by Pluto, god of the underworld, to be his bride. Ceres was furious and even more so when she found out that Jupiter gave Pluto permission to kidnap Persephone. Ceres disguised herself as an older woman and refused to offer fertility to the Earth and caused a famine. The other gods tried to resolve her anger, but the only thing that could appease her was getting her daughter back. While Jupiter agreed, Pluto gave Persephone food that when eaten in the underworld, she couldn't return to Earth. Therefore, as a compromise, Persephone would return to Earth (spring) and stay with her mother until it was time for her to go back  to the underworld for four months (winter). Autumn represents Ceres' grievances of having to part with her daughter until she comes back from the underworld (spring).

With this, we can argue that Ceres also represents the natural cycles of life and how we recover and nurture ourselves in times of loss. Ceres can also represent how we recover.

What Ceres could mean astrologically:

Based on the story, we say that one's Ceres can represent:

How we may like our food.

How we deal with the cycles of life (loss, gain, and repeat)

How we come into our feminine energy.

How we nurture ourselves and others (as Ceres did)

How we show patience, devotion, and nurture as those are the qualities also needed to cultivate a garden.

How we recover in the time of loss

How we even like our routine (since Ceres was involved in the daily lives of the people)

How we give service to others around us

How we give philia love, the love we give to our family, friends, and community. I believe Ceres would fall under this category as she made sure to help the humans around her by teaching them how to grow and feed themselves.

Fertility and abundance. Possibly a lot of squares and oppositions to one's Ceres can make it tougher but not impossible for something to be as abundant as we want.

How we grow and nurture ourselves that is healthy to us. One person's soil isn't the same as another's, and that's okay.

Possibly our parenting styles as Ceres represents the motherly, nurturing energy we give, and this can feed into how we nurture our children.

Ceres gives similar energy to the moon.

Possible rulership of Ceres: Virgo, Cancer, or Taurus.

Also, since Ceres is an asteroid, one may not necessarily feel the prominence of Ceres unless it is in exact or close conjunction with a personal planet. So check your chart to see if you see this theory as well!

Ceres through the signs:

Aries:

The type to show tough love (yet can be gentle with it).

May like to deal with life's changes head on and want a sense of control to make sure that things are going their way.

This individual may like to nurture people in a way of motivating them that they are an independent bad bitch and can do anything they put their minds to, and they don't need anyone's help (make sure this doesn't morph into hyper-independence though).

Shows love and care by teaching people how to fend for themselves. They may see dependency as a sign of not having a good support system. Doesn't mean they think being dependent is a sign of failure, but this native may think that helping you help yourself is the greatest way to help you.

This native also will fight and protect the people they love with all the force they have.

Nurtures themselves by forcing themselves to get up and be active instead of just letting life pass.

May like spicy foods a lot, since Ceres represents food. Or may detest cold food!

Could be more of a disciplinarian kind of parent. This isn't to say this native will beat up the kids, but this native's parenting skills may include having a tighter grip on their kids because I feel like yall would rip this world with your bare hands about yall kids. May also teach their kids how to be independent, assertive, and never back down from accomplishing anything you want.

May love to exercise or love doing competitive activities like sports a lot.

Could find abundance by going out and getting it!

Taurus:

This native is patient with others. May show love through gift giving (as Taurus is material possession)

^Is a stable force in their loved ones lives. May teach their loved ones how to enjoy life and not allow people to compromise them or make them settle.

May like to eat comfort food a lot.

Nurtures themselves through sensual activities. Bubble baths, towel wraps around the head, eating on their own time instead of the usual three times a day.

Could be a patient, grounded parent. May also spoil their kids with money and gifts.

Could even nurture themselves by surrounding themselves by nature. May have plants in the house to feel better.

Feels better by taking life slow and steady. May like a slow routine.

Possibly could have a garden? This native makes me think that they may enjoy this kind of activity to feel better.

When dealing with changes, this native may have a harder time with transition, but can make the best of it by slowly allowing change and seeing what they can make of it. If things are going to be lost and change, may as well take a nap.

Gemini:

This native likes to nurture themselves or others by socialization and communication. The mental connection is foundational for this native

^Not only is communication foundational, but it also have to healthy and safe for this individual, otherwise it will cause emotional pain to this native.

This native may deal with loss by needing to vent or write out their thoughts. If you don't already, keep a diary. This native needs to speak their pain out. Going out with trusted friends could also help them a lot.

This native goes out to eat and enjoys the fellowship of friends and family. They may love to go out a lot.

Abundance is found through friends and family and simply being their witty, clever selves. They can talk themselves into a good opportunity! Abundance can also come from multiple opportunities (ex: multiple sources of income)

This parent may feel like a friend to their children

Extremely smart native, and can use their shrewdness to help their community in conjunction with their talent of networking

May like to multitask so much throughout the day and involve  their friends in their everyday routine. Ex: may invite friends to go to the grocery store, I think that is so cute. May even like to keep lists of all they want to accomplish that day (similar to Virgo Ceres, go Mercury!). I feel like mainly if this Ceres placement is aspected to Saturn though.

Cancer:

This native knows how to nurture others. This native is empathetic, protective, and even defensive when it comes to protecting themselves and their loved ones.

They teach love in a way that is soft, empathetic, but also with strong boundaries. Love is not unconditional if you are being taken advantage of.

This native nurtures themselves by sprucing up their space. Ex: cleaning their house, cooking good food, and even renovating. And they also nurture themselves by surrounding themselves with their family and close loved ones.

May heal from loss by doing the above as well. This native will also engage in sensual activities to heal. They also will cry as they know crying is healing for the soul.

This native may feel in service to their community by "raising a village." This native may like to help babysit or invite others to their home when said people are in a time of need. People they trust, of course. They are a shoulder to cry on, but this is not meant to be one-sided. Again, love is not unconditional if you are being taken advantage of.

This native has a strong maternal instinct. Especially if harmoniously aspected, this native is the kind of parent that is "archetypal." Will sacrifice for their kids, raise them and be there in every aspect of their lives, and has a sense of pride being a parent.

Their daily routine is the same thing and comfortable. Their routine may not require much going out. This native likes to stay home as much as possible unless Jupiter or Mercury is aspected in some way. Or if in the 3H or 9H

This native is abundant in terms of their familial position(being a respected member of the family), and even abundant in terms of gaining homes, inheriting ancestral heirlooms, or running finances in the family.

Leo:

This native has no issue making sure that their love is known. They will go out their way for their people no questions asked. They make sure its obvious, and that's the sun for ya!

This native is abundant! Unless the Sun is afflicted, but this native will feel like there isn't anything they couldn't receive. It may be easy for them to network with abundant individuals who can help them.

This native may like to nurture themselves by pampering themselves, and this could be in the form of an expensive shopping trip to simply just doing something that truly is connected to their inner child. Nurturing oneself is fun, lighthearted, and from the heart.

This native likes to be nurtured and validated as much as they do for others. They do not like to invest knowing they will not be invested into.

This native loves others loudly, care for others loudly, wear their emotions on their sleeves even. Because what is the point of showing love and care if you can't be transparent about it? This love feels very pure in the sense all is fair in love and war.

Loss can really be a blow to the ego and keep them down if their ego isn't as healthy as it should. It could be hard to let go of loss (as fixed signs do have a harder time letting things go). This native should realize that loss doesn’t represent a loss to their worth, but a change. To have a healthy ego is to understand that loss will come and that is okay. Even the sun takes a backseat during winter, but be right back in the spring.

Their love for serving their community will turn them into a leader in their community. This native's passion and confidence is off the charts! To be loved and cared for by this native is a blessing.

This native teaches others to be generous, pure, and passionate when it comes to loving and caring for others, but do not ever let someone think that love can be abused just because the love this love is pure and unrestrained. They teach others that they are the leader of their own life and should be confident in the fact they can love so freely. You shouldn't be scared to love. People should be scared to take advantage of the people who love them. A Leo Ceres' love and care will not be abused or taken for granted. Period.

This native likes to have a routine that is fun and makes them feel alive. This native likes to have a routine in which the native pours into themselves and the people they love the most. They love making the most out of the mundane.

This native may like fancy food? Or rather the presentation of the food is important to them.

This  is the kind of parent that will encourage their children to express themselves to the highest degree.

Virgo:

Love and nurturance is in the form of detail & making sure you're on the right side of the tracks. This native may be seen as critical at times, but then again it's not coming from a place of malice. They want to make sure their loved ones are diligently taken care of & they teach their loved ones to take care of themselves as well. This is a disciplined love. (Similar to Ceres in Capricorn).

This native is conscientious of their diet and the food they eat. They could do this with their loved ones as well.

It made be hard to deal with loss because this native may be quickly thinking about how to "fix" this situation. But just breathe Virgo Ceres, you'll figure out how to get through this, but give your mind time to figure it out. Because in life you lose, you gain, and repeat. Also give yourself time to process the emotional effects of loss. Don't be so top heavy about it.

This native nurtures themselves by keeping busy and keeping things organized and in line. It gives their mind ease. May like to clean their house alot.

This native loves to serve their community. I think they wouldn't go out their way to give their opinions and critiques if they didn't want to see the people around them succeed. Yet, make sure your advice isn't unsolicited. I do think that Virgos sometimes can insert their advice at the wrong place and at the wrong time, so make sure to be aware of that. 

This native loves having an organized routine and even writes down their goals of the day. There is a system to how their day goes.

This parent may be strict and critical to their children, but give your child space to figure out who they want to be, not what you think they should be.

This native likes to be nurtured by being included, involved, and being recognized for their opinions. To know their opinions matter and their advice is used is a great source of comfort for this native.

Abundance is in the form of knowledge and solutions. The more you know & the more you plan, the better abundance you can achieve.

Thank you for reading! See you later for part 2.

-Claude

#ceres #ceres asteriod #ceres in aries #ceres in taurus #ceres in gemini #ceres in cancer #ceres in leo #ceres in virgo #spirituality #astrology #astrology mention #astrology notes #astrology observations #astrology blog #learning astrology #astrology basics #astro notes #spiritual blog #asteroids #asteroids in astrology #astrology and greek mythology #tarotladytalks #black woman astrology #black woman tarot readers #oceanbaby888

[lovova]

Series: Danganronpa V3 Rating: G Tags: Oumotaweekened, Mythology AU, Inaccurate Greek Mythology Summary:

Kokichi, God of the Underworld, steals Kaito, God of Spring. Not that Kaito knows he's the God of Spring, yet. Kokichi has to propose the concept to him first.

#oumotaweekend #oumotaweekend2024 #mythology au #Yes!! Got the first day done! #There Lex I added info QnQ #Uh right also regular tags #oumota #kaito momota #kokichi oma

[taurussoulastrology]

Mythology Series #1

Persephone (asteroid 399)

The goddess of spring and queen of the underworld, AKA Kora, was the daughter of Ceres(Demeter) and Zeus (Jupiter). Throughout the story, I will keep it as Ceres and Zeus.

Even though Persephone isn't part of the planets and is only a minor asteroid, her mythology and archetype is a story to know. In my opinion, I see her connected to the Taurus Scorpio access. She's also part of the triple moon symbol as the waxing crescent representing the maiden. Her mother Ceres is represented by the full moon, the mother, and Hecate, the waning crescent as the crone. If you're into rituals or getting into them and looking for a goddess to work with, Persephone is one to consider. I work with her and feel very connected to her through my natal chart placements.

So there are quite a few different stories about how the goddess of spring also became the queen of the underworld, I will tell it the way I know and how I feel it fits best with her in my mind.

So The Story Goes Like This. One beautiful day Persephone was out picking flowers when she was kidnapped by Hades (Pluto) and brought down to the underworld. (She would have been kidnapped by Hermes which is Mercury as no god was able to cross to the underworld or back, in another series we'll talk about Mercury as he was messenger of the gods since he was not a god himself he was able to go to the underworld and back.) Ceres was so distraught trying to find her daughter as she was extremely close with her. She begged Zeus to send Hermes to go fetch their daughter. What Ceres didn't know was that Zeus promised Persephone to his brother Hades so they would be married. Persephone was not happy. She longed to go back home with her mother. Ceres being so angry, she used her power and made it so that there was no harvest for the mortals. Zeus freaked out! He loved being worshiped by the mortals, and with no harvest, the mortals got pissed and vowed to stop worshiping him. So he talked to Hades and asked him to send his daughter back home. During this time, Pluto/Hades had been trying to get Persephone to submit to him by beating her and raping her, but she refused to be his queen. He had even promised that all the gods would worship her, but she was not interested. She just longed to go back home. Zeus asked Hades to please send her back, and he agreed since she wouldn't submit to him as the story goes. But he's sneaky, before letting Persephone leave, he asked her to at least eat something. So she ate six pomegranate seeds and then let Hermes take Persephone back to her parents. Ceres was so thrilled, she used her powers to bring back the harvest. She then thought that it was too easy to get her back and asked Persephone, "Did you eat anything before you left the underworld?" Persephone told her mother about the pomegranate seeds. Again, her mother became enraged as these seeds made Persephone connected to the underworld. So Persephone would have to go back in order to stay alive. She would be allowed back to Earth for springtime, but would have to return to the underworld again. When Persephone would have to leave and the harvest ended (Autumn Equinox, Mabon), and when she came back, so did the foliage and grains (spring equinox, Ostara). Eventually, Persephone made the best of her situation even though her mother was not happy. Ceres refused to change things to the way it was.

Persephone stepped into both roles; the goddess of spring and queen of the underworld.

This story shows how to integrate both the light and the dark. It shows great strength and inner power. It shows how you can transform yourself with a change of perception and willpower.

Now I equate Persephone to the Taurus-Scorpio axis because we have spring in Taurus season, the foliage and flowers are all in bloom (and even thousands of years ago spring equinox was actually during Taurus season). When Persephone goes back to the underworld that starts the Autumn Equinox, but remember Libra was once part of the Scorpio constellation, and that's when we have the equinox. Also, Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and is the sign and energy of transformation. As I mentioned earlier, she's also part of the triple moon symbol (below), being the waxing crescent. So if you work with the moon, you're working with Persephone in a way already.

Like I mentioned, there are many versions to the story, and with mythology, we can change them a bit to fit the times we are in or to fit how we resonate with it.

Finding an archetype or archetypes to connect to can really help any healing process. Also knowing the archetypes of our solar system can help you better understand astrology and your own charts.

I feel I resonate with Persephone through my chart as my Cancer moon is a waxing crescent, Ceres is cazimi to my Taurus Sun 8th House. Persephone/Asteroid 399 is also in wide conjunction to my North Node, they both inconjunct my sun/Ceres and Pluto/Ascendant. During my solar returns, it's spring, and everything is in bloom when the sun conjuncts my Ascendant it's during autumn equinox.

Some items to use for rituals to work with Persephone:

●Offerings - pomegranate seeds, lily's, narcissus(yellow flower similar to daffodils), roses, violets, crocus, iris, jasmine, or larkspur, bones, apples, acorns, bare branches, milk, honey, red wine, or corn. These all depend on the time of year. Also you can use these to decorate your altar with.

○Really, you can use any spring flower as she is the goddess of spring!

●Wearing a floral crown or an iron crown depending on the time of year.

●Wearing pastel colors during the spring and summer; dark colors in the fall and winter.

●Using our wearing garnet. The word "Garnet" is derived from the Latin Granatum and can be associated with pomegranate due to the color.

●Carnelian, ruby, onyx, obsidian, or any red or dark colored crystal. Garnet, obsidian, and onyx are wonderful protection stones, too. The dark stones are symbolic to shadow work, rest, and renewal. The red stones are symbolic of passion, connection, and renewal. Using green colored stones during spring or clear quartz and amethyst for anytime of year.

*There's also a great book about her if you're interested in learning more about her and rituals to work with her. It's called 'Persephone's Pathway' by Jennifer Heather.

The symbol below represents Persephone and is a combination of Ceres and Pluto along with the Cresent moon and 6 dots to represent the 6 pomegranate seeds.

#MythologySeries

#TaurusSoulAstrology

#Persephone

#AstrologyCommunity

#astrology community #Persephone #mythology #archetypes #i love astrology #asteroid 399

[duaghterofstories]

How I would Fix Prythian

Things I will cover in this post below the cut:

Powers of the High Lords/Court Design.

Political System.

Religion and it's intergration.

Pop Culture.

So basically this is how I would have designed Prythian (Or fixed it if SJM had asked me).

This is a special interest of mine, so under the cut.

Powers of the High Lords/Court Design:

This also falls under the thing of how the Courts are designed, so I smushed them together

Basically, According to the books, the powers of fire are in Autumn, the powers of water is in Summer, and so on. However, this makes no sense logically.

Summer is, quite notably, historically a very hot season. In fact, there are theories that Persephone is actually in the Underworld during Summer because during the summer in Greece, nothing could grow. Because it was so fucking hot. Following this logic, Summer should have Fire Powers. It should be a relative desert, and be incredibly warm constantly.

Autumn is a very windy season. Very dry, pretty cold but not super cold. This season shoudl be pretty colors, lots of forests with either Evergreen Trees or lots of colored trees that flutter around while falling. The powers of this court should be wind, obviously.

Spring is a wet Season. It is literally known for being rainy, it is a season of rebirth and change. Spring, I think, was well designed. However, it had a very noticeable lack of rain and rain related celebrations. Maybe it rains on Calanmai, or some other event. Just something interesting. They should also have a lot of flowers, but buds and fresh flowers. There should be a lot more bees as well. I think bees should be more relevant in Spring. Anyway, Spring should have Water powers and powers of healing.

The rest seem pretty good all things considered, so I'll leave them be (for now.)

~~

Political System:

*crying* the political system in Acotar makes no fucking sense. It's so goddamn discordinated. No one works together. There is no fucking hierarchy. The laws seem arbitrary and made up. I want to throw up even trying to figure out what's happening.

So, first up I'm going to add in an agreement. Think NATO. Except PTO for Prythian Treaty Organization instead. Anyway, they all have an agreement.

And then, of course, within each court, There's the High Lords and Lady of [Court Name] on the sameish level, same idea of King and Queen, or Queen and Prince, Emperor and Empress, etc. Under that are the average Lords, each in charge of ruling part of the Court. Then there's district people, which I can't be bothered to remember the name of.

Of course, the High Lord/Lady of [Court] is still in charge and, like we see Tamlin do, are deeply involved. It's just hard to do that all the time.

The Courts don't get involved with each other too much but they do help each other in times of need.

~~

Religion and it's Integration:

Religion just feels like it should play a bigger part in the series. Or at least in the culture.

I can't say much about this, I'd just probably include, like, more rules. Mother/Cauldron doesn't really seem to involve many rules. Like, nothing to prove devotion, or a desire to do good. No prayers. Basically just references.

So I just feel she should add that. Maybe a religious dress or some cool ass holidays.

That's it.

~~

Pop Culture:

The most infuriating and fake thing is that Prythian has no pop culture or fiction books, or anything else similar. There's like, music. And that's it.

Now, I would understand if Fae couldn't lie, or create fiction, such as in An Enchantment of Ravens. But no, one of the important things we learn is they can, do, and will lie.

So why don't they have any books, or fiction, or anything.

It makes no sense. I would add in popular actors in plays, popular books, etc. Just for fun. Or to add anything.

That's it. Not a lot of examples I can give.

~~

Okay, I hope you guys liked this post, and if anyone wants to discuss it, I will. I love discussing this stuff.

@achaotichuman , here is the post you asked me to tag you in.

#acotar #acotar critical #autism #infodumping #rewriting stuff #anti acotar #worldbuilding

[stormcloudrising]

Why are the Others Back?

What is everyone’s thoughts on the Others? Why are they back? How are they connected to the Starks?

The Others are the ice to the dragon’s fire, and the two are the great existential threats looming over Planetos. Yet, we know more about the dragons and dragon lords than we do the Others. They and their connection to the Starks, the core family of the story, is at the heart of the great mystery of the books.

They are presented as a great threat that needs to be contained, but there are also a lot of obvious contradictions in what we’ve been told about them…starting with the Night’s King and Corpse Queen. What do I mean by contradictions?

Well, if the NK and CQ were the leaders of the Others and they are a destructive force, why is the Hades/Pluto and Persephone/Kore myth so baked into their legends? At its heart, the legend of two Greek/Roman gods is a fertility myth. 

Hades, the chthonic ruler of the underworld was a fertility god. The planted seeds were his bounty which he stored and nourished in the earth until they bloomed in the spring and were harvested in the fall to feed the populace before the process started over again with the planting season. His abduction of Persephone ties into this myth with her descent for three months representing winter and her yearly return to be with her mother Demeter a signal of the start of the spring and harvest seasons. 

Hades/Pluto was the Lord of the Underworld, but he was also the god of the hidden wealth of the earth, from the fertile soil, which nourished the seed-grain, to the mined wealth of precious metals. Also, he is the god who welcomes all, whose realm is full of guests. He does not cause the death that brings men to his realm, because death comes to everyone, and all are welcome in his realm. 

So, my question is why George has so closely associated a renewal myth with the legend of the leaders and likely progenitors of the Others. Another contradiction has to do with what is implied in the Qarthian myth about two moons in the sky. 

"He told me the moon was an egg, Khaleesi," the Lysene girl said. "Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand dragons poured forth and drank the fire of the sun. That is why dragons breathe flame. One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return." —AGOT Daenerys III

The name of the series is A Song of Ice and Fire. By the way, I think it’s interesting that George reversed the order of things in his series name. Instead of Fire and Ice as in the Frost poem, he went with Ice and Fire, which I think was a deliberate choice with meaning behind it on his part, but that a discussion for another day.

My point is that the two moons in the sky represent the two factions in the story…ice and fire. The fire moon cracked and symbolic fire dragons likely black meteors were born into the world. The destruction of the fire moon likely was the main reason for the Long Night and the great floods legend tells us about. That left one moon in the sky…the icy one. We know this because George drops one of his plays on words with “one day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and dragons will return.”

 These dragons that will return aren’t the fire breathing ones, but the icy Others as they represent the ice moon. They are not the animalistic type of dragons like the fire breathing ones, but they are George’s version of ice dragons.

However, here is where the contradiction comes in. What saved Planetos from destruction previously is that only one moon was destroyed. The ice moon remained in the sky. If the ice moon were to be destroyed as well, it would spell the end of Planetos. 

That ice moon in the sky is a type of balance. It can possibly survive a slight cracking, but it can’t and shouldn’t be destroyed or else, that’s the end of all life on the planet. Thus, maybe part of the reason the Others have returned is to prevent the destruction of the ice moon, maybe by the actions of the fire faction whether knowing or unknowingly…especially Euron whose goal is to reshape all life in his image.

So that’s a second contradiction in the legend of the Others. A potential third one is not about them specifically, but it could tie into their myth. This third possibility has to do with the confusing myth of old northern warriors going out into the frozen cold to hunt, but basically it was to commit suicide. 

Legend tells us that this was done because of the scarcity of food. Leaving their families and going out into the cold meant there was one less mouth to feed, their families could survive on rations a bit longer. 

Now this story seems a bit off for a couple of reasons. First, legend also tells us that the White Walkers were roaming the land, hunting maids and everything with hot blood. They were also known necromancers who brought back the dead to be their armies. So why would warriors leave their families to go out and basically become a weapon of the White Walkers to be used against their loved ones. They had to know that’s what it meant when they went out into the cold.

However, there is possibly another explanation that may make more sense and the legend of old warriors going out into the cold may just have been put out to cover up the actual truth. 

With a winter lasting several years…if I had to guess, I would say about 13, there would have been an extreme shortage of food. Cannibalism is hinted at throughout the text, and it’s likely something that will be practice throughout Westeros when the Long Night falls again. The old warriors may have simply volunteered to be food for their family or forcibly used in this manner. The legend of them going out to hunt could have arisen to hide this truth.

If this was not the case, and the old warriors did indeed go out “hunting” as the legend states with the implication being they knew they wouldn’t return, one can argue that they knowingly went out to join with the Others. The question then becomes why.

EDITED SECTION BEGINS.

It is popularly believed that Dawn, the famous sword wielded by Arthur Dayne and other past Daynes as “Sword of the Morning,” is in fact the ancient house sword of House Stark that Catelyn mentions in her first chapter of A Game of Thrones.

"I am always proud of Bran," Catelyn replied, watching the sword as he stroked it. She could see the rippling deep within the steel, where the metal had been folded back on itself a hundred times in the forging. Catelyn had no love for swords, but she could not deny that Ice had its own beauty. It had been forged in Valyria, before the Doom had come to the old Freehold, when the ironsmiths had worked their metal with spells as well as hammers. Four hundred years old it was, and as sharp as the day it was forged. The name it bore was older still, a legacy from the age of heroes, when the Starks were Kings in the North. —AGOT, Catelyn I

The current familial sword of House Stark is just about 400 years old and is not the original. It is instead named after a sword from the Age of Heroes. Now what sword in the story could that be? Possibly one forged from the heart of a fallen star that landed at Starfall.

House Dayne, or more specifically their house sword will be central to the final events of the story. However, they are as mysterious as the Others. Not much is known about them as George says it would spoilery to reveal more. Nonetheless, we do know some things, like they are a First Men house.

At the mouth of the Torrentine, House Dayne raised its castle on an island where that roaring, tumultuous river broadens to meet the sea. Legend says the first Dayne was led to the site when he followed the track of a falling star and there found a stone of magical powers. His descendants ruled over the western mountains for centuries thereafter as Kings of the Torrentine and Lords of Starfall. —The World of Ice and Fire-Dawn: Kingdom of the First Men

We also know a little about their famous sword. It’s very similar to Valyrian steel except for one aspect.

The Daynes of Starfall are one of the most ancient houses in the Seven Kingdoms, though their fame largely rests on their ancestral sword, called Dawn, and the men who wielded it. Its origins are lost to legend, but it seems likely that the Daynes have carried it for thousands of years. Those who have had the honor of examining it say it looks like no Valyrian steel they know, being pale as milk glass but in all other respects it seems to share the properties of Valyrian blades, being incredibly strong and sharp.  —The World of Ice and Fire – Dorne: The Andals Arrive

We have a sword made from the heart of a fallen star and that is described as pale as milk glass unlike Valyrian steel, which is described as almost black, but is also made from a mysterious metal.

Tyrion wondered where the metal for this one had come from. A few master armorers could rework old Valyrian steel, but the secrets of its making had been lost when the Doom came to old Valyria. "The colors are strange," he commented as he turned the blade in the sunlight. Most Valyrian steel was a grey so dark it looked almost black, as was true here as well. But blended into the folds was a red as deep as the grey. The two colors lapped over one another without ever touching, each ripple distinct, like waves of night and blood upon some steely shore. "How did you get this patterning? I've never seen anything like it." A Storm of Swords, Tyrion IV

When you consider the two opposing factions of the story symbolized by the two moons in the sky, one ice, and the other fire, it makes sense to assume that the fallen star Dawn is said to be forged from was likely a piece of the icy moon that fell to earth in Dorne. On the other hand, Valyrian steel blades, including the first ever blade, which was likely the one used to kill Nissa Nissa, and which I believe to have been Blackfyre, are made from shards of the fire moon. 

The Qarthian myth tells us that many pieces of meteors from the fire moon fell to Planetos, which makes sense if that moon was destroyed or thrown out of orbit. Thus, it also makes sense that there are many more Valyrian steel blades around and likely hundreds more lost during the Doom of Valyria. However, the only meteor from the ice moon we’ve told fell to Planetos is the piece at Starfall.

As the quote up thread shows, Dawn is described as pale as milk glass several times in the text, one famous instance being the mysterious battle at the Tower of Joy that Ned remembers in his dreams.

"And now it begins," said Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was pale as milk glass, alive with light. A Game of Thrones, Eddard X

Do you know what else in the text is described as pale as milk glass and or alive with light? You guess it…the Others and the swords they carry. Here is the description of the one killed by Sam.

Sam rolled onto his side, eyes wide as the Other shrank and puddled, dissolving away. In twenty heartbeats its flesh was gone, swirling away in a fine white mist. Beneath were bones like milk glass, pale and shiny, and they were melting too. Finally, only the dragonglass dagger remained, wreathed in steam as if it were alive and sweating. Grenn bent to scoop it up and flung it down again at once. "Mother, that's cold." A Storm of Swords, Sam I

And here is the description of the sword wielded by the one who attacks Waymar.

A shadow emerged from the dark of the wood. It stood in front of Royce. Tall, it was, and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk. Its armor seemed to change color as it moved; here it was white as new-fallen snow, there black as shadow, everywhere dappled with the deep grey-green of the trees. The patterns ran like moonlight on water with every step it took. Will heard the breath go out of Ser Waymar Royce in a long hiss. "Come no farther," the lordling warned. His voice cracked like a boy's. He threw the long sable cloak back over his shoulders, to free his arms for battle, and took his sword in both hands. The wind had stopped. It was very cold. The Other slid forward on silent feet. In its hand was a longsword like none that Will had ever seen. No human metal had gone into the forging of that blade. It was alive with moonlight, translucent, a shard of crystal so thin that it seemed almost to vanish when seen edge-on. There was a faint blue shimmer to the thing, a ghost-light that played around its edges, and somehow Will knew it was sharper than any razor. A Game of Thrones – Prologue.

Like Dawn, the Others are described as pale as milk glass and their swords are alive with light. What does all this information have to do with Dawn and the contradiction I mentioned about the Others?

Well, if Dawn was made from a piece of the ice moon, and is indeed the ancient familial sword of House Stark, who wielded it in the ancient past?

The Starks have a mysterious connection to the Others in their ancient past. Now we see the sword that potentially is the ancient blade of their house, might have been made from a piece of the ice moon, and has icy connotations in that it is described exactly as the Others are in the text. 

So again, who wielded the sword in the ancient past? Might it have been the Night’s King, and leader of the Others, who I’ve argued is the male progenitor of House Stark? I think the answer is quite likely yes…especially as it’s foreshadowed in the text that Jon will bear the sword in the future.

Now here is where the contradiction comes into play. The Others are said to come during the night. Some have even argued that they bring the night, but I don’t think that’s the case. But what happens to milk glass in the dark? If it was not clear to you in the alive with light references, George spells it out for you with Jorah’s words to Dany while they are in the Dothraki Sea.

"Here and now," Ser Jorah agreed. "You ought to see it when it blooms, all dark red flowers from horizon to horizon, like a sea of blood. Come the dry season, and the world turns the color of old bronze. And this is only hranna, child. There are a hundred kinds of grass out there, grasses as yellow as lemon and as dark as indigo, blue grasses and orange grasses and grasses like rainbows. Down in the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai, they say there are oceans of ghost grass, taller than a man on horseback with stalks as pale as milk glass. It murders all other grass and glows in the dark with the spirits of the damned. The Dothraki claim that someday ghost grass will cover the entire world, and then all life will end." That thought gave Dany the shivers. A Game of Thrones, Daenerys III

Now there is a lot of symbolism at play in that passage such as who are the spirits of the damned, that I will be exploring in a future essay. For now, I just want you to see how with Dany’s shiver, and description of the ghost grass, George wants pale as milk glass to be associated with the Others. And what does milk glass do in the dark, it glows.

This raises the question of why, if the Others are this destructive force to be overcome, George is positioning them, and their Night King leader, and the sword he quite likely bore as what one could call, beacons in the dark. 

Because that’s what Dawn is. It’s a herald in the dark. So why was a sword that heralds the end of the Long Night and the start of a new day wielded by the Night’s King, and leader of the icy Others? And why is it called Dawn and not say, Night, or maybe even Blackfyre? See what I mean about contradictions in the legend of the Others. 

Why was Dawn, the sword foreshadowed to be wielded by the leader of the battle for the dawn previously wielded by the Night’s King, because that’s what’s implied in George’s description of the sword and him comparing it to the Others.

So, what are your thoughts about the Others? Why do you think they are back and what is their role in the story…especially if they end up being led by Jon as I’ve proposed.

#asoiaf #thoughts on this and that #the others #white walkers #the long night #northern legends #the starks #house stark #scr meta

[arcielee]

She Walks in Starlight

Summary: He is the darkness and she is the light.  Paring: Aemond!Hades x OFC!Persephone Word Count: 4615 Warnings: Mention of character(s) death. It’s HotD and Greek mythology, so there will be incest.   Author's Note: Thank you @aspen-carter​ for being my beta reader! Her work is absolutely amazing, so when she says it is good, I post. The artwork is by brina ♥ Also! Gō vys is Valyrian for Under world and Doru-borto valītsossa is dumb boys. Enjoy! Tags (Tumblr kindred spirits): @sirenofavalon​ @annikin-im-panicin​ @schniiipsel​ @watercolorskyy​ @aaaaaamond​ @iiamthehybrid​ @deltamoon666​ @dahlias-and-marigolds​  Series:  Act I -  Act II - Act III

ACT II

Aemond remembered how his brother’s silver words spilled so seamlessly from his lips and he, in return, wore his own apprehension on his aristocratic features, always sharp and always untrusting when it came to Aegon.

His brother was unfazed by his stoicism, undeterred as he continued to paint the pretty portrait of possibility with the Gō vys. He had sworn he only meant to honor the sacrifice Aemond had made, that ended the Titanomachy that had ravaged the cosmos for the last decade.

“It would be a kingdom all your own,” Aegon had finished with his always rakish grin.

The sacrifice. The word ignited the subtle burn that would flit the length of his scar; it would be just a dull ache beneath the sapphire stone gifted by Helaena, but more often it spread with a fiery vindication. Right now, it paired with a sense of ambivalence with what was said, but Aegon added how he would remain in Mount Olympus and Daeron would rule the seas, so of course order must be brought to the shadowed realm. 

Aemond accepted this and left to find the pathway that weaved into the depths of the cosmos, towards the infinite void of the Underworld. 

It seemed barren, only littered with the damned, both good souls and the bad, along with the spirits of the gods who lost more than just an eye during the war. All of them were just shadows of their former selves and all equally aimless in the tenebrosity of his new kingdom. 

He watched and one wafted past him, through him, and he felt a shuddering cold that cut into the bone. 

My kingdom, was the grim thought to his mind. All my own.

With his lordship came the condition and he heard the only other occupant he was aware of. 

Their grandsire. 

It began with the flutter of unease that gripped him when he heard the guttural cries that rose from the infernal abyss below; the throb of his scar from the endless dissonance that spewed from Tartarus. There was no structure, nothing for it to ricochet and return, just the ceaseless roar for vengeance that began to permeate within him. 

His unease, the pain, grew into an overwhelming hold, the anxiety tight in his chest and a searing fear that burned alongside his own ichor. 

It did not stop; it was a wrath that was palpable, a sound that buried and began to rot. It was his constant reminder that though they managed to usurp their grandsire and he was imprisoned below, he lived still. 

“It is maddening,” a velvet tone spoke one day. “Almost.” 

Aemond remained stoic as always, despite the lurch in his chest to hear another voice within the Gō vys, and he turned to see a woman standing, her kohl-smeared eyes watchful. Alys, he assumed, the goddess of magic and witchcraft, the night and the moon, and the aimless spirits that surrounded them with their gelid presence. 

His iced kingdom. 

“His unceasing wails have brought me to you, Aïdōneús,” she continued, her painted lips smirked. “I come to help you, my king.” 

This was the realization of his burden, the exhaustion to claim the unorganized chaos of the Underworld and instead it pushed him to the precipice of his own sanity.

Aemond said nothing and left. 

Time, he realized, was different in the Gō vys. He recalled the warm tones of autumn back when his brother presented his gift and now noticed the floral scents that accompanied spring. He relished in the warmth of the sun that settled over the mortal realm and the vivid colors of new life for the healing cosmos. 

The quiet was almost unsettling, but it allowed him to find clarity with his thoughts, to decide on what he must do.

He would go to Mount Olympus and he would beg Aegon for another role, to tell him he could not return to that dreary realm. 

What he had not expected was his sister, Rhaenyra. Though the bloomage that surrounded him should have given her away, it still took a moment before he realized how she teetered the edge of the plane of the mortal realm to where it touched the shadows. 

She watched him, her brow quirked over her lavender eyes. 

Aemond stepped towards her and into the sunlight. “Mandia,” he greeted her, a forced smile to his lips. “What brings you here?”

Her expression was similar to his own, a severity in that moment. She was aware of how the bit of color to his complexion had blanched since he had gone, how the shadows were more prominent to his sharp features. “I had come to check on you, lēkia,” Rhaenyra took a tentative step closer, still wary of the imaginary border.

Brother.

Her hesitation aside, the familiarity of their old tongue spoken warmed his chest. 

“I came to see how you were, how it is in the Underworld,” but her words were slow, her eyes still searching. 

She softened with the spoken concern and it bloomed the hope that perhaps she would be able to rescue him from this dark fate. He shared his embittered thoughts of the shadow realm, the so-called kingdom that Aegon claimed to be a gift. 

Rhaenyra listened to him, wordless and her eyes glassy. When he finished, her palm slipped into his own and she pulled for him to follow her. His steps were slow and she looked back to admire how the sun soaked into his ethereal beauty, how his silver hair glimmered in the sunlight. They continued to walk throughout the garden of Herspirdes until she was satisfied to see his godly aura returned. 

“I had not realized I had been gone so long, I had not realized it was spring already,” Aemond breathed, his eye wide to admire as Rhaenyra continued her flowering and the lavender of laconian thyme that now sprouted in her steps. “Truly, this is your best work, mandia.”

She smiled with his compliment. “I believe that beauty was forgotten with the war,” her eyes sparkled. “But I thank you.”

They did not go to Mount Olympus, but instead remained so he could relish in the life that sprouted around him. 

As the day waned away and the golden glow of the setting sun began to roll over, she looked to him. “I cannot imagine this burden our brother has placed on you, Aemond.” They were back at the edge and she turned to face him and placed her hand onto his shoulder; he almost shuddered from the touch. “Aegon and Daeron do not carry the strength, they lack the omnipotence that resides with you, lēkia.”

His gaze dropped, his arms crossed and his one hand cupped his elbow, his fingertips careful to touch his jaw and trace until he came to the bottom of his scar. 

“They could have just asked it of me,” there was a tightness to his tone, the hint of betrayal. “They know I would have done this for them, for all of us.” 

She nodded her head and her golden waves spilled onto her shoulders. “I know this and so does Helaena, but Aegon needs a sense of control. Allow him to remain in Olympus as some ornate for the mortals to fawn over, but,” she stepped closer, moving her palm to rest on his chest, “know you are not alone. I know Alys came to you. Myself, the others, we do not wish for Otto to ever return and we will help you create your kingdom.” 

Aemond hummed. “Can she be trusted?” 

“Helaena sees that she will be a powerful ally for you,” and her lavender eyes shone with her words. 

He returned to the shadow and was greeted by Alys, her expression as smug as earlier. She held up her hands to present a crown, iron and ruby, and gestured to him. 

Aemond leaned forward, the silver spill of his tresses with the movement, and he allowed her to place it on top of his head. 

“Fit for a king,” she declared. “Shall we get started, Aïdōneús?” 

Aemond would grow grateful for the companionship and all that Alys offered. She showed herself to be the mediator of the other inhabitants of the Gō vys; she managed to convince them, to coerce them to recognize their new king and they served him as such. 

Rhaenyra returned with the others, as she had said she would, all with the same visceral shudder entering the realm, the same he was growing accustomed to. 

All seemed willing to assist him and help organize the eternal chaos of the Underworld. They created and built until the cries were smothered below; the grey earth was dug into and it allowed the Styx to meet with the Lethe and Lamentation, while slate stone was stacked within the marsh, creating a castle worthy for a king. 

+ + + + + + +  

There was a sense of pride from the eerie beauty that now loomed from his created kingdom, but it was lonely still.

His sister returned to the grey shores of the Styx and gifted him Vhagar, just a pup with a large set of eyes for each of the three heads. In return, he followed her to the surface, finding comfort in the consistency of spring and wanting to admire the new sea of bloomage that would be spread over. 

Though there was a twinge of pain with how it came to an abrupt end to the edge. 

“It cannot bloom in the shadow,” she spoke as if it was obvious and he nodded his head with solemn understanding. 

Aemond had come to accept his role within the cosmos. He was the god of many monikers. Hades. Aïdōneús. The king of the Underworld and the god of the dead. 

He was all too aware of the hushed whispers and the skittish looks of the mortals, the nymphs, and the new gods, but it did not deter him from this annual endeavor. Every new spring seemed to coincide with the heartsick, the ennui that would settle into his bones from the company of death and he would go.

His steps were slow, deliberate as he allowed the warmth of the sun to revitalize him, pressing the boundaries to see how long he could go before the ache would come with its ice grip, its pull back below to continue his role, dutiful as always.

On this day, something caught his eye. 

Peonies.   

He marveled how their red bulbs were vibrant still in the shadows, only a few that lined the pathway that led towards the sunlight. 

Aemond gazed around and realized that this new season looked different, felt different. There was a vibrance of color that engulfed the realm and a sweetness to the air he never noticed before or else it was lost to his dreary jurisdiction. 

“Lēkia!” He turned to see Aegon walking towards him, a gilded goblet in his hand and red stained lips to frame his smile. “Have you come to celebrate this new era of spring?” 

His brow quirked at his words and Aegon was quick to further explain. “Our dear sister has finally revealed the goddess of spring and she is a gift to the cosmos!” His arm clasped around his shoulders, his other arm gestured towards the vibrant swell of gloxinias and begonias and more. 

This was the moment that Aemond saw her. 

She did not flit like the nymphs that trailed in her wake nor did the earth blossom with her steps, as her mother would do for show, but instead she walked with purpose. Her brow was furrowed with her concentration and her touch deliberate with each bloom. 

He found himself enraptured with her subtle movements, the grace of the goddess of spring. 

“I believe she is another bastard from that mortal Rhaenyra had kept,” Aegon made a show to whisper, his exhale was the bittersweet wine. Aemond was grateful they were far enough to avoid any prying ears with where the topic headed. “Those same dark curls, but it suits her more than her brothers.” He giggled.

His jaw tightened as he stole another glance, admiring her curls that cascaded enticingly on her milky backside that showed through the peplos that was wrapped around her curves, how the freckles dotted in stark contrast to her porcelain skin. “I suppose,” was all he managed to say. 

Aegon only continued. “I pitied our sister when Daemon decided to put an end to their tryst. Do you remember how he annihilated that temple? If anything, I am sure you remember the soul intake on that day.” 

What Aemond recalled were the tears that spilled from their sister’s eyes when she came to him and begged him to bring Harwin back to life. Comfort was never his strong suit, long before his isolation to the Gō vys, but he was patient to explain that once a soul crossed his threshold that the body began to decay and it was irreversible, even if the spirit was returned. 

He remembered the horror on her face when he explained how it would corrupt the soul, how bitter it would become as they finally had a true understanding of their mortality. She was rooted in his throne room and he allowed her to stay, while Vhagar lapped her tears until she had no more to spill.

Rhaenyra looked to him and all he offered was, “Kesan jorrāelagon ziry.”

A promise in their family tongue, I will take care of him.

“Kirimvose,” her voice was hoarse, but grateful with new tears that glittered.

Thank you. 

And she was gone. 

“What is her name?” Aemond asked, his gaze remained.

Persephone. The goddess of spring, the embodiment of vitality. A comely contrast to their sister’s golden hair and lavender eyes, but a beauty all her own. A grace with her motion, in tandem with the breeze that allowed the sweet blossom scent roll over the cosmos.

A new era of spring.

He was watchful, etching the details of this moment, down to the pink hues that glowed and complimented her complexion, for something he could revisit when he returned below and when the swell of the dead would begin again to erode away his psyche. This moment would be cradled to his chest and remain with him until he would resurface the following spring, returning as a shadow amongst the living and quietly enjoying the serenity she ardently created. 

Aemond was pleased to see more peonies that littered the pathway, but he had not expected Aegon to be waiting on the cusp. 

“You are very predictable, lēkia,” he teased him, his brows raised and his rakish smile on his lips. “I assumed you would return to pluck the perfect flower.”  

His jaw steeled in response and Aegon only laughed, pulling him to the sunlight again so he could renew his vision of spring, to savor, to rekindle this moment until the following year.

+ + + + + + +  

There was comfort back within the slate walls of his forged castle.The day had ended, though there were no differentiating features to his pallid realm, but still he leaned onto the ornate balustrade and looked below, reflecting. 

He felt a tightness in his chest from his brother’s jest, I assumed you would return to pluck the perfect flower, but he pushed the words from his mind.

Alys was at his side, as she often was, quiet with her own contemplation but he never would ask what was on her mind. Ahead they saw a golden beacon that striked through the shades of grey. 

He peered at her and she had a mischievous smile on her painted lips. “It seems your fate beckons you, my king,” Alys said to him. 

Aemond left for the shores of the Styx. 

Fate was a fickle thing from what he learned from the Moirai, with far too many variables that must align and allow something to fall so perfectly into place. He had scoffed before when they spoke of the inevitable golden glow for him but now he choked on their words when he saw her and how she walked in his realm, her soft steps that allowed indents in the grey sand. 

With his role within the cosmos, all too often he found the pitied looks more tiresome than the scornful ones, but she held neither. She looked at him with a sense of reverence, an almost awe, as if her dark eyes were etching the details of him into her mind. 

Perhaps to revisit when she returns to the mortal realm, was his wistful, intrusive thought. 

The same serenity he felt when he watched her above followed her proximity; there was a warmth, a comfort with the lilt of her voice to the golden halo that danced around her irises. He noted that with the sweet smile splayed on her pink lips, that she also had a veil of sorrow that seemed to drape over and touch her subtle mannerisms. 

“Who did you lose?”

He had seen this loss, in the eyes of the living, in his sister’s eyes. Though he mourned when she left, he could not help but admire the sway of her hips with her every step. 

Aemond returned and found Alys awaiting him, smirking still. Though he knew that Persephone would never dare return to the Gō vys, he still wished to do everything within his power to find her friends, to remove the burden that she so blatantly carried with her. 

“She will come back, my king,” Alys whispered to him, before she left to do her part. 

And Persephone did just that.

There was an intimacy of the moment that was not lost to him; he brought her to the Asphodel, to bring her a sense of comfort for the afterlife her companions would have, something he would personally see too. His chest swelled with pride when she asked for more, to see his kingdom and how she so willingly went to his arms. His touch was firm, but gentle to cradle her and he could feel her ichor thrum beneath as they toured the Underworld, the genuineness as she admired his kingdom. 

“It is beautiful, Aïdōneús.” She had said before she left.

He was left to curse himself to not correct her, to not offer that she could simply refer to him as only Aemond, just as she said to call her Kore. He wished to see her again and hoped he would be given the opportunity to correct this. 

She would return to him and time seemed to slip so easily between his fingers, moments so perfect and now a plethora to choose from, something he would revisit when he would inevitably be left alone. He was still aware of her sorrow, the guilt? How it shadowed behind her dauntless gaze and he knew he had to ask, that he needed to understand what brought her to his realm to begin with.  

To see if fate was what the Moirai claimed. 

He listened as she shared her grief, her sorrow spilled from her lips and she paused to swallow her tears.

“A flower,” Aemond had hummed, the white sear of anger that scorched through his mind. 

I assumed you would return to pluck the perfect flower.

“It should have been me.” She finished and he knew he could not correct her. 

Persephone agreed to return the following night and when she left, he began at once. The mortal names, Baela and Rhaena, were given to Alys with the explicit instructions for when she found the souls. She nodded, doleful as she listened, and left when he finished, quick to do her king’s bidding.

As well as her queen’s.

Aemond then placed his crown, iron and ruby glowing, on his head, his cape to his shoulders and checked the pin of the snapdragon he now always wore, before he left for Olympus. 

His movements would match the anger he felt; a flash of white, the streak of fury that landed at the steps with such force, the marble splintered beneath. He stopped a moment, his fists clenched with his ire, before his gaze slowly rose to see Aegon, who was wide eyed at the arrival. 

A nymph was pushed from his lap as he stood, forcing his same rakish smile as he greeted him with, “Lēkia! Have you come to thank me for the gift I so graciously gave to you?” His hesitation had a hint of hope, which diminished as Aemond’s gaze darkened.

Fate, he now knew, was such a fickle thing that was filled with happenstance to allow happy endings throughout the cosmos. 

It would be a fate that would elude him, he now realized. 

“You have killed the granddaughters of Corlys, Aegon,” he replied, his tone was low and lethal and his eye narrowed onto his brother. 

Aegon paled with this news and then he scoffed. “What are a few mortals in exchange for the happiness of a king?” Though his words wavered, the same arrogance remained on his features as he dared to press closer to Aemond. “Surely, you know, as I know, that you would have spent eternity to silently pine for the goddess of spring? You should be thanking me for allowing you the opportunity to know her more intimately.” Aegon raised his brow. 

“Doru-borto valītsossa.”

The venomous hiss took them both by surprise and they turned to see Rhaenyra, storming towards them. Her golden hair billowed with her steps and reflected the gold fire that enveloped the lavender of her eyes; her sharp features narrowed from one to the other, before settling on Aemond. 

“I have come to demand your witch to release the hold you have on my daughter.”

Aemond fell back a step, the accusation cut into him and his own anger abated. “Rhaenyra, I do not know what you mean…” he began, but her tone was hot and cut through. 

“She returns to me and babbles this idea of love, Aemond,” she cried. 

Aegon took the moment and slipped away, abandoning his siblings to quarrel alone in his throne room. Aemond grit his teeth, his jaw worked as he listened to her accusations thrown. 

“She returns to me and smells of death, with these foolish ideals of living in the Gō vys-” she stopped, her hand pressed to her mouth.

As hurt as he felt, he also understood the unspoken fear. Rhaenyra was well aware of the burden that came with the realm of the dead, the constant fear that Otto, though captivated and chained away, still lived and how his evil forever tainted the realm. 

“Aemond,” she exhaled and his attention returned to her. “Please, you cannot truly believe Kore would be content with such an existence. You are the darkness and she is the light. Do not damn her.” 

Her words cut deep, but his expression remained stoic, as always, and he hummed to acknowledge her cruelty, the truth spoken. “I have a debt I must repay her, mandia,” his voice was still low. “After I right this wrong, I will let her be.”

Her lips were pressed into a thin line, then she gave a quick nod and left him alone.

Aemond knew it was laughable; the goddess of spring dare love the king of the damned, to give up her life and birthright only to become queen regent of the dead? His steps were slow to return below, his thoughts a dark and suffocating cloud that followed. 

There was the echo of her words. You are the darkness and she is the light.

He knew what must be done. 

He returned to find two small vials waiting, an iridescent blue glow emitting through the glass, but he was more surprised to be greeted by the aura that Kora held. She turned at the sound of his steps, her eyes bright with the golden fire that danced around her pupils when she looked at him. “I know we did not set an exact time,” she seemed flushed with her rush of words. “You said to return at nightfall so I came as soon as the sun set.”

Aemond hummed, his jaw steeled as he reached for the vials and tucked them away. He looked and saw how her brow knitted with his silence, so he choked, “You have impeccable timing, Kore.” He faltered, then reached for her hand. “Please, come with me.”

The glee on her features caused a hitch in his chest, the spark of their touch when her fingers interlaced with his own, a perfect fit. He accepted he would never see her after this night, save the shadows that crept with each spring, and he chose to indulge, allowing himself to pull her to his chest. She nestled close to him and he moved, the gleam of white of two gods escaping the shadows and embracing the night. 

The moon was full and its silver light touched everything, lighting the way as he brought her to the east pillar of Hyperion, to a ledge that bore from the mountainside. They came to the edge and admired the view of amber hues of the manmade lights that rose from each kome settled throughout, while above the stars competed with the moonbeam radiance.

When he stepped back, she turned to look at him. “I am right here,” he soothed. “Trust me.” 

She remained but her head tilted to watch as he pulled the first vial; he poured the silky smoke that fell into a misty form of Baela, then Rhaena. Aemond saw her lips part, her eyes wide as the spirits smiled from seeing their friend once more. 

Kore looked at him and he focused on his hands, rubbing his palms together until the familiar glow pooled between. He reached forward, the bolt of cold to touch and laughter filled his ears as the girls began to run towards the edge and then leaped, each metamorphosing into a ball of fire that shot out against the night sky. 

She watched, her eyes still wide. “They are comets,” she whispered, turning to face him.

He nodded his head and his tongue wet his lips. “I did not want them to aimlessly wander the Asphodel.” 

In this moment, he felt he truly saw her; the veil of sorrow had been removed and tears stilled in the corners of her eyes. There was a serenity that smoothed her features and she was graceful to curl her legs beneath and sit, her head tilted back and it allowed the silver light to emphasize her beauty.

Kore looked at him again and beckoned to him.

There was a reservation that held him still for a moment, the thoughts that he should go and allow her the privacy of this moment, that he should just return to his kingdom and yet…

His steps were deliberate and brought him to her side before he sank down next to her. His posture was rigid, with a newfound tension with her proximity, but she seemed unaware. Instead, she lifted her hand from the grass and rested it on top of his own, her head turning to look at him and he dared to look back. 

There was a flush of pink that touched her porcelain skin, an inviting sight, and her eyes bore into him, the golden flame bright. She then shifted, pressing closer, and he relished in the soft touch of her body as she melted against his chest.

Aemond remained rigid, still as stone and unwilling to pressure, to coerce her into anything outside her own volition.

And then he felt the fullness of her lips touch to his own.  

#aemond targaryen #aemond x oc #aemond targaryen x oc #greek mythology hotd au #hotd au #aemond!hades #hotd fanfic #slow burn #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond fanfic #thanks for reading #♥

[abby118]

Tag game!

Favourite song: The Little Things Give You Away by Linkin Park

Favourite colour: dark green & black

Favourite game: TES Oblivion / ESO. Tomb Rider Underworld was a childhood classic

Favourite weather: thunderstorms

Favourite season: spring

Favourite animals: snakes, horses, dogs

Favourite(or most used) emoji: 🗡️

Favourite hobby: Usually drawing but I'm gonna say writing because of my current project (if u can call it that)

Favourite series: I'm gonna say Supernatural, sorry not sorry. NBC Hannibal was interesting too.

Favourite Youtuber: Dorian from Of Herbs And Altars

Favourite podcast: Welcome to Night Vale

-add your own question-

Tagging: all my mutuals <3

#tag game #mutuals #moots #mutuals my beloved #come on don't be shy you are tagged #yes you #no pressure tho #<3 #you can name multiple