#Circe Delphi

[ironcladfoundry]

Ironclad 6: Trickery

Pages 122-125

[fostydosty]

Rachel Elizabeth Dare chose to swear an oath of celibacy to the god Apollo as a part of gaining her oracular abilities. This entails visions of the future that she expresses through paint, green smoke bellowing from her mouth at inconvenient times, and being immune to divine retribution (and possibly being injured by literally anything?)

But… what if she swore an oath to his sister too?

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, daughter of mortals, chosen of the Sun and Moon. Immortal and ageless. Eternally prophetic. Can shoot an arrow through a keyhole. Can slay any monster and piss off any god. Her predecessor was cursed by Hades to never enter the Underworld…. Damn, that sucks. Too bad she’ll be 17 forever anyway.

Imagine fighting someone that see more clearly than any other creature (even some gods can be tricked by the mist in ways clearsighted mortals cannot) *can read normally and has an attention span*, can foresee your every move, and *you can’t even touch bc they are divinely protected*.

Her two oaths are:

I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate.

I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.

Also imagine the twins bickering abt which one of them Rachel gets her archery skills from (it’s both. But mostly Artemis). She’d also be able to illuminate herself w moonlight and maybe have like a Will moment and glow like the sun too.

Also also imagine the only daughter of the highest god (above the age of 2), the daughter of war itself (sister to the Amazons, child of Rome, apprentice of the greatest sorceress in history), and the chosen vessel of the Sun descending upon you with a firing squad of silver arrows and two dozen other equally talented girls.

Let my girl be a badass plz and ty

[injaws]

circe  has  learned  a  few  things  since  raymond's  death:  first,  opening  pickle  jars  is  much  harder  than  she  realized;  second,  you  miss  the  things  you  used  to  hate  the  most,  like  the  fact  that  your  husband  always  bumps  into  you  in  the  kitchen;  and  third,  that  you  need  to  let  your  grief  wash  over  you  in  waves.  even  when  it  feels  like  a  tsunami,  the  ocean  will  heal  as  much  as  it  hurts.  so,  she's  made  a  deal  with  her  grief;  she  gives  it  a  day  every  month,  just  one,  where  she  feeds  it.  watches  his  favorite  movie,  eats  his  favorite  food,  sets  his  favorite  flower  on  his  grave.  the  rest  of  the  year  is  hers. typically,  though,  she  doesn't  see  people  — avoids  them,  most  probably,  but  done  without  much  trouble.  jack's  presence,  while  not  unwelcome,  makes  her  tense,  and  circe  turns  to  wipe  at  her  eyes  before  she  faces  him;  her  cheeks  burn,  almost  frustrated  with  herself.  a  shake  of  her  head,  "  i  can  stand,  dear,  don't  worry.  would  do  me  some  good,  probably,  i'm  not  very  active.  "  a  little  laugh  to  break  perceived  tension,  smile  strained  but  warm,  "  feels  silly,  you  know,  to  be  at  your  job  for  a  change.  usually  it's  under  better  circumstances.  "  smile  softens  almost  wistfully  and  she  pulls  her  coat  around  herself  in  a  makeshift  shield.

open starter: no cap ! @kilmerstarters location: the cemetery.

jack was sat on a bench near one of the cemetery paths, newspaper in hand and flask to the side of him, aiming small side eye toward the person nearby. this was one part of his job that he was never entirely sure of - should he talk to a visitor? was he supposed to? idle conversation was never quite his strong suit, nor was deciphering whether it was acceptable to break a silence or not. he paused for a moment before letting out a small breath, folding and then placing the paper on the bench next to him. "did you need any assistance, or a seat? i can offer either, but i will warn you - the seat is slightly wet still." jack hummed, looking at the newly news-paper-covered seat next to him. "i guess you could always sit on today's paper? it's not ideal, but it's something. dealer's choice, or whatever people say."

[that-guy-in-the-chiton]

One of things that really turned me off of the pjo world among lots of other things was that all the titans and primordials were portrayed as purely evil with no nuance or variety in morality. In the books, even Iapetus, who is labelled a "good" titan, was pretty much brainwashed into being benevolent.

Nyx was such a loving and devoted mother in mythology that she scared off Zeus when he tried to harm her son Hypnos. Prometheus went through excruciating pain on a daily basis just for humanity to have light and heat. Leto was described as kind and gentle and was the titan goddess of motherhood. Phoebe gave Apollo, her grandson, the oracle of Delphi as a gift. Oceanus, in some myths, helped Zeus overthrow Kronos by giving him a potion that would induce vomiting and release his siblings and he and Tethys pretty much raised Hera during the titanomachy. Helios was a loving father to Circe and all his kids and even saved her when a giant attacked her island. Etc, etc.

[the-moon-devi]

𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐈𝐃𝐒

Erda (894) ~ Past life recollection, South node energy, the ability to see into the past. This asteroid is similar to Urda (167).

Circe (34) ~ Your magickal gifts, Where/How you isolate yourself to practice your craft. Your striking, and special qaulities. (This can show working with plants, and herbs!; I have this in my 12H, and it sits to close to my ASC.)

Magion (2696) ~ The Magician/ Mystic; One who knows how to work with magic. Depending of the sign can show what type of magic you're skilled in. For those of you who practice any kind of magic consistently, I recommend checking the Persona Chart for this asteroid!

Celestia (10) ~ Heavenly one, connection to the cosmos / most high. Angel energy, and may have the gift of divine insight, and cosmic downloads. Keeper of cosmic wisdom. This asteroid somewhat reminds of the asteroid Akasha (5881).

Merlin (2598) ~ The Echantress/ Magician; Occcult Wisdom, Warrior energy, alchemy, majestic energies

Hypnos (14827) ~ The gift of dream sight, prophetic messages through dreams, the ability to Astral project. Dream magic/ Astral projection may be a very strong gift for you. If you have this in the 1st house please protect your energy. Most of the time these natives have very strong dreams. (I have this in my 1st house, and my dreams have always been very intense, and prophetic.)

Copy & Paste⤵

894,34,2696,10,2598,14827,167,5881

Cassandra (114) ~ The Seer; This asteroid represents intuitive abilities, and the gift of foresight. The saying for this asteroid is literally, "The one who goes unheard". Cassandra was a Greek priestess who worked under the God "Apollo". She had the ability to provide prophetic messages. This was very useful in Greek history. If you have this in the 1st or 10th house this could manifest as you having very strong and potent prophetic abilities but people may not believe you until it happens.

Telephus (5264) ~ Telepathy, the gift to connect to others minds, and break into the subconscious or conscious mind of others. The ability to know what others are thinking. Gifts with telekinesis. This can be a very great gift to have!

Anubis (1912)~ Necromancer, this reminds me of the death card. The gift of possessing very ancient knowledge of alchemy, you could easily work with chaos or dark energy. Transmuter energy.

Copy & Paste⤵

114,5264,1912

Pythia (432) ~ Oracle of Delphi; The Oracle/ High Priestess "one who can channel the word of god" The messenger. Divination, prophecy, & magic.

Medea (212) ~ The princess, The wise one; one who can work with herbs, holistic healing.(I've first hand seen a very powerful herbalist with this in their 10H! It was in pisces btw!/ conjunct their North Node!)

Deucalion (53311) ~ Divine Intervention, death, The passage of renewal, magic, manifestation.

Aesculapia (1027) ~ The Shaman, The Healers Journey; Herbs, healing, restoration, health, mystical, holistic healing, Naturalness.

Kaali (4227) ~ The Dark Mother; Kundalini Energy, The Cosmic Mother, One who see's all. Tantric and taboo energy, the height of transmutation energy, "The Left Hand Path", enchanting and creation energy (Love this asteroid so much, Kaali was one of the first dieties to reach put to me, and I have this ☌ my North Node!)

Copy & Paste ⤵

432,212,53311,1027,4227

Asteria (658) ~ Magick, Oracles of the Night, Stars, Practicioners, starseeds, vivid dreams, astrology, prophecy, dream Magick.

Sibyl (168) ~ A Woman Who Has The Gift Of Foresight; prophetess, witches, messengers of the gods. Oracles, divine messages, foretelling.

Hekate (100) ~ The Triple Goddess; dreams, cancerian energy, moon, ghost, keys, opening new doors, mediumship, Magick, dark goddess, the dark mother.

Black Moon Lilith (H21) ~ Magical, Dark Magick, chaos Magick, sex and tantric Magick, hypnotic energy, psychicism, shamanism.

Hades (h41) ~ The occult, darker magic, banishment Magick, the ability to transmute negative energy, karma.

Urania (30) ~ Astrology, muse of the stars, astronomy

(I have this is in my 10th/ ☌ Mc, and ⚹ ♆ 🤭)

Copy & Paste ⤵

658,168,100,H21,H41,30

If you guys enjoyed this, Lmk if you want to see a Part 2! Happy Spooky Szn! 🔮🪄 Til' next time....𝓴𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼 𝔁𝔁

𝕯𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖊 𝕯𝖊'𝕷𝖚𝖝𝖊

ℭ𝔥𝔢𝔠𝔨 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔒𝔲𝔱!

©𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵

[luxury-nightmare]

okay so

I want to do some takes on different avatar ideas, so send me one of the fears and I will design an avatar around it. My goal is to do all fifteen but we’ll cross that bridge if we get there

Slaughter (Ruth Ellison)

Hunt (Vera Rosewood)

Flesh (Phoebe “Honey” Imber)

Vast (Apollo Fairchild)

Corruption (Kathryn Woods)

Extinction (Delphi Sinclair)

Web (Charlie Porter)

Desolation (Luther Hain)

Spiral(s) (Lawerence Flynn/L'appel du vide)

Eye (Karmen Lana-Anne)

End (Fate Haven)

Lonely (Vincent "Vince" Lukas)

Stranger (Circe Doe The Maskmaker)

Buried (Minerva Lemons)

Dark (Laura Stone)

[1000cavalry]

Odysseus is actually really smart

I think a lot of people know that Odysseus is meant to be intelligent but actually view him as merely the smartest out of a group of idiots. To defend his reputation I am going to list every brilliant thing I can remember him doing in the Odyssey in chronological order.

(Warning: this is a really long post)

He comes up with the plan to drug Polyphemus and directs his crew to gouge out his eye with a sharpened branch.

He uses the alias ‘nobody’ to confuse the other Cyclopses when Polyphemus cries for help.

He has his men hide under sheep to escape the cave so that Polyphemus can’t catch them. He ties the sheep together in threes, so that if Polyphemus tries to check the undersides of the sheep, he will only feel the outer two sheep, while a soldier hides under the middle one.

On Circe’s island he hunts a massively large deer single handedly to feed his grieving crew and boost morale. At the same time he also notices smoke rising (from Circe’s palace) and later sends a scout party led by Eurylochus. This shows good leadership and delegation skills.

When trying to listen to the sirens he personally ensures all the crew members have blocked their ears with wax. He is also the one who softens the wax for everyone using his fingers (if you’ve ever tried to do this you will know it’s fairly hard work).

He tries to avoid Thrinacia (Helios’ island) as he has been warned away from it. When they end up getting trapped there he makes his crew swear oaths not to touch the cattle. He falls asleep while praying to the gods for guidance. He is cautious and pious.

When Calypso offers to release him he makes her swear an oath not to cause mischief. (He is cautious)

He builds a boat single-handedly. This is particularly notable as a skill that you would not expect a king to have. He is a good craftsman.

When supplicating Nausicaa (the Phaeacian princess) he subtly reveals details that will make her want to help him without revealing his identity. He mentions that he was a general, implying high status. He references visiting the temple of Delphi, suggesting he is a well travelled and pious man. He compares her to Artemis, a virgin goddess, potentially to reassure her that he will not harm her.

When he returns to Ithaca he is able to come up with multiple detailed lies about his identity on the spot. He pulls pages and pages of made up backstory out of nowhere. Truly the king of improv.

While disguised he tests the loyalty of some of his slaves. He ends up revealing his identity to Eumeus and Phileotius, who stand with him and Telemachus in the battle against the suitors..

He has Telemachus lock away all the weapons in advance so the suitors can’t access them. When the suitors question this, they use the excuse that the weapons were becoming damaged by smoke and that they were worried the suitors might get drunk and start fighting each other. He also has the palace gates locked so they can’t escape/ raise a cry for help in the town.

After the massacre, he has the slaves play music and dance so that passers by will think a wedding is happening. This buys them more time before the suitors’ families discover their deaths.

The next morning he immediately recruits more people (Dolon and his family) in preparation for a confrontation with the families of the suitors. Athena prevents the battle but this does show that Odysseus will not become complacent, even after returning home.

This is everything I can think of right now but I am certain there are things I have missed.

In conclusion, Odysseus is a smart dude.

[stamped-on-these-lifeless-things]

Lore List I Should Have Made Sooner

I promised to post a list of the Primarchs families multiple days ago, so here it is. These characters have their age listed as right before the events of the first book of the Horus Heresy (so the year is 004.M31, to my knowledge):

Lion El’Jonson:

Wife: Mathilde El’Jonson (36)

Children: Peregrine (11), Cædmon (8)

Fulgrim:

Wife: Queen Shivan Al-Ibroumat (35)

Children: Ophelia Al-Ibroumat (7), Camilla Al-Ibroumat (3), Hugo Al-Ibroumat (6 months)

Perturabo:

Wife: Pandora of Olympia (33)

Children: Theseus of Olympia (6)

Jaghatai Khan:

Wife: Khulan Khan (40)

Children: Alakhai (10), Tolui (6)

Leman Russ:

Wife: Ingrid Russ (28, divorced from Leman)

Children: Ashina and Amarok Russ (twins, 10)

Rogal Dorn:

Wife: Fabricator-General Shaela Dorn (43)

Children: Aliya Dorn (6)

Konrad Curze:

Wife: Lady Penelope Astor (34; the bastard daughter of a powerful Nostraman family who backed Konrad’s leadership)

Children: Marlowe Curze (11)

Sanguinius:

Wife: Aisha Fulenn (29)

Children: Miriam Fulenn (7)

Ferrus Manus:

Wife: Hecate Manus (39)

Children: Aeren Manus (10)

Angron Thal’kr:

Wife: N/A

Children: Ezekiel Thal’kr (12)

Roboute Guilliman:

Wife: Lady Maeve Guilliman

Children: Athena Guilliman (11)

Mortarion:

Wife: Perdita Ragana (33)

Children: Orestes Ragana (11)

Magnus the Red:

Wife: Meritamon Aleaqrab (43)

Children: Berenice Aleaqrab (6)

Horus Lupercal:

Wife: Vida Lupercal (38)

Children: Khonsu Lupercal (8)

Lorgar Aurelian:

Wife: Elena Mercurine (82)

Children: Delphi Aurelian (52), Helios Aurelian (deceased)

Grandchildren: Phoebus Aurelian (20), Circe Aurelian (16), Medea Aurelian (12), Telemus Aurelian (7)

Corvus Corax:

Spouse: Ramona Kane (deceased), Ambrose Wilde (34)

Children: Chaya Corax (12), Oscar Corax (6), Ruth Corax (5)

Vulkan:

Wife: Ariadne Énkavma (48)

Children: Pyrrha Énkavma (9)

So far, the ones I know will be important are Chaya, Khonsu, Miriam and Delphi, but I hope I’ll be able to feature all of the listed characters. Ask whatever you want about them! And hopefully some in-character asks, too 🙏 (/lh).

[whencyclopedia]

Golden Fleece

The Golden Fleece is the fleece of a flying, winged ram named Crius Chrysomallos, or 'Golden-fleeced Ram', in Greek mythology. It is best known from the story of Jason and the Argonauts, who were sent by Pelias, the ruler of Iolcos, to retrieve it from Aeëtes, the king of Colchis.

According to the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE to 17 CE) in his Metamorphoses, Chrysomallos, the golden-fleeced ram, was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Theophane, the daughter of Bisaltes, a son of Helios and Gaia. Theophane was a beautiful woman, which meant she was often inundated with men. Poseidon carried her away to the island of Crumissa, where he transformed her into a ewe and himself into a ram. After laying with each other in ewe and ram form, Chrysomallos the golden-fleeced ram was born. The ram was sent by Nephele, a cloud nymph to save her children Helle and Phrixos from being sacrificed. He carried Phrixos all the way from Orchomenos in Boeotia to Colchis, but Helle fell off off the ram's back on the journey and plunged into the sea. When they reached Colchis, Phrixos sacrificed the Ram and laid its golden fleece in a sacred grove to Ares. This golden fleece would then become the object Jason and his Argonauts were sent to retrieve.

Chrysomallos, the Golden-fleeced Ram

Athamas was the king of a Boeotian city, Orchomenos in southeast Greece. He married Nephele, a cloud nymph, and they had two children, Phrixos and Helle. Athamas began to neglect Nephele and became enamoured with Ino, the daughter of Cadmus, the king of Thebes. Athamas deserted Nephele and married Ino, who held no love for her stepchildren. Ino was furious that Phrixos and Helle were Athamas' heirs, not her children with the king. So, Ino hatched a plan to dispose of Phrixos and Helle to clear the path for her children. Ino corrupted the realm's grain, which meant that it would not germinate when it was sown. In response to this sudden agricultural devastation, Athamas sent messengers to consult with the Oracle of Delphi to see what could be done. Ino however, intercepted the messengers and persuaded them to falsely report back to her husband that the way to resolve their grain problem was to sacrifice Phrixos (and in some sources, Helle, too).

Athamas was convinced he had to sacrifice his firstborn child (or children), but before they could be killed, Nephele sent the golden-winged ram to save her children. They were successfully whisked away from Athamas and Ino, but on their journey, Helle either became dizzy from looking down or lost her balance, and she plummeted into the sea. The place in which she fell became known as the Hellespont, or "Helle's Sea", and this area is now known as the Dardanelles. Phrixos survived the journey and safely disembarked the ram in the region of Colchis. He was welcomed by Aeëtes, the king of Colchis, son of Helios and brother to Circe and Pasiphaë. Next, depending on the source, Phrixos either sacrificed the ram or the ram itself gave his fleece to the boy before ascending into the stars to become the constellation Aries. Either way, Phrixos gave the golden fleece to Aeëtes, who hung it on an oak tree in a sacred grove to Ares and had it guarded by a large serpent, known as the Colchian Dragon, that never slept.

Continue reading...

[ironcladfoundry]

Ironclad 6: Trickery

Pages 106-109

[official-nrc-prophet]

Our beloved villains

I know I said I'd wait, but Python and Delphi were begging to be released. Calliope and Circe will come out tomorrow instead.

Python and Delphi are the villains in Atlas' story.

Python is of course the Python from myth that was slain by Apollo, only now he's been resurrected and preying on the Cassandrasan family for millennia. His design is based on a Naga, though he has some human traits.

Delphi is Atlas' great grandmother, who met Python during a great "plague" in 1936 where the village water supply was poisoned with Python's venom. Finding him devouring the recent deceased, Delphi was coaxed into helping him eat more members of her family with the promise of immortality.

Delphi is now 101, and still completely fit and at ease thanks to Python's magic. She's helped Python for decades, even sacrificing her own children. Once Python devours the dead, Delphi burns a sheep and uses those ashes instead of the recently deceased family member. Since she's the head prophet, she's gotten away with this since she met Python.

@b0njourbeach @inotonline

[burningvelvet]

Powerful women from the classical world + excerpt of a letter from Lord Byron to Thomas Moore describing his lover Margarita Cogni (Venice, September 19th, 1818):

“I wish you a good night, with a Venetian benediction, ‘Benedetto te, e la terra che ti fara!’ — ‘May you be blessed, and the earth which you will make!’ — is it not pretty? You would think it still prettier if you had heard it, as I did two hours ago, from the lips of a Venetian girl, with large black eyes, a face like Faustina’s, and the figure of a Juno — tall and energetic as a Pythoness, with eyes flashing, and her dark hair streaming in the moonlight — one of those women who may be made any thing. I am sure if I put a poniard into the hand of this one, she would plunge it where I told her, — and into me, if I offended her. I like this kind of animal, and am sure that I should have preferred Medea to any woman that ever breathed.”

The mythical and historical allusions:

In Roman myth, Juno was Queen of the Gods as well as a military figure often depicted armed. In Greek myth, Medea was a sorceress who gets revenge against her unfaithful husband through murdering their children and his lover. Although “Pythoness” could refer to demonic witches in other uses, Byron is using it here as another name for Pythia or the Oracle of Delphi, a divine priestess and the most powerful female office in the ancient world.

Faustina is either a reference to the Younger or the Elder. Faustina the Younger was the wife of Marcus Aurelius; he revered her so much that he gave her enormous power, although later historians (probably falsely) accused her of being a murderer and adulteress. Faustina the Elder was the adoptive mother of Marcus Aurelius and was one of the most beloved Roman women in history, whose coinage often features Juno.

Byron's life and writing in context:

When he was living abroad in self-exile, Byron often sought to entertain his friends back home by sharing his adventures in lurid detail. His vivid letters became well-read throughout the 1800s, and are considered some of his best writing. Travel writing and adventure stories were extremely popular in the 19th century, and even most of Byron’s fiction champions these themes. Living abroad and traveling became marketable parts of Byron's celebrity. He blended his own experiences into his work, and chief among these were his romantic experiences.

Shelley once compared Byron to the Greek myth of Circe when writing in a letter about Byron's excessive amount of pets. Circe was known for seducing men and turning them into animals who roamed around her palace. Like a witch or an alchemist, Byron frequently transformed his lovers into characters through his writing. Like countless others, Margarita Cogni was mythically immortalized through the writer's description of her. She and Byron's other Venetian lovers have become part of the wider Romantic era mythology tradition, like the constantly retold tales of Mary Shelley's invention of Frankenstein, Percy Shelley's drowning, and John Keats' love for Fanny Brawne.

By using references to classical women in this letter Byron is not only paying tribute to mythology, history, and the Italian landscape in a way that his foreign audience would find tantalizing, but he is also exploring romanticized notions of classical female beauty which are at turns conventional and unconventional. He channels the gothic sublime through the otherworldly power and danger these women all represent, as well as channeling more traditional concepts of feminine strength rooted in modesty, beauty, and passivity. Byron creates poetic contradictions.

Just as he famously describes himself as “changeable, being everything by turns and nothing long,” he utilizes paradox and inconstance in his writing, such as in this satirical formulation of Margarita Cogni as the ideal lover who is both Goddess and woman, mistress and slave, contemporary and classical, masculine and feminine, wife and adulteress, murderess and murdered.

One can clearly see how this is the same chameolonic, binary-blurring poet who would go on to write the gender-bending themes of Don Juan — “If people contradict themselves, can I / Help contradicting them, and every body, / Even my veracious self?” — and who years beforehand had written She Walks in Beauty — where “all that’s best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.”

[the-paris-of-people]

Blue Brownies and Finding Nemo, Part 4: BOTL

Summary:

“So how did you do it then? How did you forgive your mom?”

“I didn’t,” Annabeth shakes her head. “I don’t think I ever will. I just have to hope that I’m better for my future family.” 

Percy cocks his head, his eyes light with wonder. “You think about that stuff?” 

A chapter post-BOTL where Percy and Annabeth finally get to go on that movie date, featuring Rachel Elizabeth Dare angst, complex feelings towards Frederick Chase, fantasies of future Percabeth, and as it turns out, no movie at all?

Tagging: @yojeannie@angelthearsonist@m-cliffords-not-real-wife@that-chick-103@queerynotfound@thefabulousfab-3@montygreen@moonlightredfern @flamingbisexual08

Read on AO3

The person in the mirror at the back of the Delphi Strawberry Service van is a stranger to Annabeth.

Inside, she feels like she’s fought a million battles.  The constant cycle of pouring over Daedulus’ laptop and crying herself to sleep has stretched her thin. Her hair has withered away from the stress of almost losing Percy, then actually losing Luke. The person she sees now looks like the face that launched a thousand ships. Silena had ambushed her outside the Athena cabin, covered the bags under her eyes with a magical shade-match foundation, and woven her hair with golden thread, just like she had it on Circe’s island. 

“Trust me, I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” Silena reassured after charming Annabeth to vent to her about her date with Percy. She tapped her brush against her compact mirror and swirled it across her cheeks as she continued to comfort her, “There’s no need to worry about this Rachel girl.” 

She wasn’t sure about that. She saw the way Percy’s eyes flitted towards Rachel in the Labyrinth, the way they spoke to each other with ease, nothing like the way she and Percy interacted. Yes, she and Percy had gone to the 4th of July fireworks this summer, but she’d also tried to tell him how she felt about him before he left for camp and… nothing. Annabeth had felt so stupid. For reasons including and not about Rachel at all, she was holding onto this movie date like it would be their last.

“Annabeth,” Percy flusters when he sees her hop out of the van on the corner of 72nd street. He’s wearing his nicest green jacket, blushing so red he nearly looks like one of Apollo’s cattles. “You-you look nice,” He finally manages after struggling through his words like he was reading Lord of the Flies in English.

“Thank you,” Annabeth tucks a strand of her braids behind her ear. She notices the shift in Percy’s expression. He knows something is wrong. Normally she would flick a smile his way and tease, but she’s so worn out by the nightmares about Luke and Kronos that she can’t even summon her pride to be vain about her looks. “So, are we going to see this steel man movie or not?”

Percy opens his mouth to correct her, then shakes his head and opens the door for her. 

“Do you want any popcorn or something?” Percy gestures to the snack bar. “Tyson and I used to get a giant tub and share it with my mom. They make it pretty buttery here.”

“No need,” Annabeth smirks and opens the purse Silena gave her. “I have everything we need.”

“I’m confused,” Percy studies the empty lining of Annabeth’s purse. “Is this some kind of Mary Poppins situation?”

“Covered the snacks with the invisibility cap,” Annabeth zips up the bag and slugs it over her shoulder as she heads towards the escalator to the theater. “It’s not just useful for sneaking up on monsters. Plus I snuck some extra M and Ms in the cargo pants pockets.”

“And somehow Mrs. O’Leary didn’t follow you from camp?” Percy asks as they both climb onto the escalator, impressed.

“I fed her some blue gummies before I left.”

“Hellhounds can eat blue gummies? And those giant boar things hate egg salad? Seriously, why doesn’t Chiron just host courses on random picnic foods for monsters before each quest. Then I could get out of archery practice.” 

‘Hey, you’re almost getting better,” Annabeth punches him lightly in the shoulder. “Last time you almost hit the target.” 

“Haha, very funny,” Percy rolls his eyes, even though he knows it’s true. He’s as bad at archery as Annabeth is at gardening with the Demeter cabin. “Now come on. I want to show you something.” 

Electricity sparks through Annabeth’s veins as Percy takes her wrist and leads her down a regal hallway. The hum from her heart is so loud it nearly drowns out her observations as she hurries past the red velvet carpet and black, marble Grecian pillars. She would have to make a note of that later when they were walking back from the theater. With Percy’s fierce urgency, Annabeth expects Percy to be leading towards some kind of secret tomb with rubies and emeralds, but instead, he takes her to a plaque outside the last theatre in the hall. 

“These are what I was telling you about. Each of these theaters is designed after a movie palace from the twenties, a lot of them are still all around New York, decorated in a different architectural style. This one is from-” 

“Art Deco!” Annabeth exclaims gleefully. She marvels at the style of the theater in the photo. “See? You can tell by the horizontal design elements on the marquee and doorways, alluding to Streamline Moderne style.” 

“Horizontal elements? Because being vertical was too old school for the modern style?” 

“Actually, you’re not too far off, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth rolls her eyes, but a hint of a smile plays at the corner of her lips. “Horizontal lines gave an impression of sleekness and modernity in the 1930s, which I assume is when the original theater was built. See?” Annabeth turns back and skims through the plaque first, absorbing the most important ideas and key words. Then she rereads through it again, more slowly, imagining the construction of the arch and statues… 

“How do you do that?” Percy asks, breaking her concentration for a moment. She quickly refocuses back on the photo of the theater, picking out structural details of the facade that were expanded upon in her reading. 

“Do what?” 

“I can barely spell my own name and you can speed read that entire passage in like, five seconds.” 

“I can barely spell my own name too. I don’t know… being dyslexic, I just got my hands on whatever I could read when I was younger. My dad’s old house had a giant library when I was little, so I tried to read everything in there, and then when I got to camp, I had a lot of free time on my hands in the winter,” Annabeth turns back to Percy, and that’s when she notices how his eyes lay across hers, soft and full of wonder. She remembers how he pulled her in in the Athena cabin, when she had him all to herself at the beginning of the summer, before everything turned sour, how she tasted the sweet, salty taste of his lips even after it had been days since they had entered the Labyrinth. Suddenly, heightened nerves arrest Annabeth. Her heart rate quickens as she speeds through her explanation, doubting Percy notices the uncharacteristic tremble in her voice. “Chiron gave me a book on the Parthenon when I was 9, and then I just couldn’t stop reading, even though it’s still hard for me.” 

“That’s really cool,” Percy’s voice is steeped in awe. It’s the same tone he used when Rachel had gotten them that car in New Mexico, and Annabeth can’t help but to feel proud of herself. “You know, I don’t know if I could ever become good at something that’s that challenging to me.” 

Annabeth frowns. Sometimes Percy was so self-deprecating, it frustrated her. He was totally unaware of his own strengths. “Please, remember when you first started sword-fighting?”   

“Hey, I thought you said I wasn’t bad.” 

“You weren’t,” Annabeth remembers with a glint in her eye. “But you’re even better now.”

“But I didn’t even train that much, I just accidentally kind of… got better as I fought.” 

“Percy,” Annabeth sighs, bowing her head in exasperation. “You’re a talented guy, but you can’t take a compliment to save your life.” 

“Is that supposed to be a compliment? Because I honestly can’t tell.” Percy replies back dryly. 

Annabeth scoffs, but they’ve known each other for so long she and Percy both know it’s free of malice. They both know this is one of the moments in the script they tease each other, but underneath all eye rolls and barbs is a deep understanding and respect of the other. They hold each other’s gaze and both wordlessly break out into smiles, realizing they’ve fallen back into their usual routine after a summer that threw a wrench in everyone’s schedule. Annabeth’s skin buzzes with excitement. She has a glimmer of hope that maybe this is a date, whether Seaweed Brain realized it or not. Yes, this was how they typically interacted, but there was something different in the way they spoke to each other as well, something she saw in Beckendorf and Silena interactions, new sweetness balancing out the usual sour tang.

“You know, it’s a compliment, Seaweed Brain. So just take it and acknowledge you’re a talented guy. Now come on, I want to read the other plaques before the previews start,” She leads the way towards the next plaque even though she’s never been to the theater and has no idea where she’s going, Percy groaning as he trails behind. 

“All the plaques?” Percy questions, his blonde curls rattling as he shakes his head. “I swear, you and Rachel are just like each other. She wanted to read all the plaques when she came here too.”

Annabeth freezes in her tracks like snowboots caught in old snow. She turns to Percy slowly, her face crumpled. 

“You’ve been here with Rachel before?” 

Percy flinches a little at her tone: demanding, hurt, seething with rage. Still, he remains oblivious as he answers her question,

“Yeah, a couple times. She invited me to see a Matrix movie marathon a few weeks ago.”

He came here with Rachel multiple times since he came back from camp. Since he had come back from camp, he’d been hanging out with her, even though he’d asked Annabeth on a date months ago, even though he comforted her and let her hold his hand in the dark and shared his blanket with her as they watched the fireworks. 

“Annabeth?” Percy’s voice is drenched in worry at Annabeth’s non-reaction. “Annabeth? Are you okay?”

“Excuse me,” Annabeth says quietly as she rushes towards the sign for the bathroom. She claims the unisex stall and hunches over the sink. For the first time that day, she finally sees the withered little girl she feels inside. 

The tears come not as an eruption, but as a quiet trickle of disappointment in herself and everything her life had turned out to be. She wanted catharsis and a good cry, and yet, still she’s disappointed herself on that front. 

She had no right to be angry and rude. Rachel was as talented as a child of Athena, as brave as a certain son of Poseidon, and as pretty as a daughter of Aphrodite. She glowed in the darkness of the Labyrinth and even as a statue in the middle of Times Square. She was smart and knowledgeable about art and Annabeth could’ve spoken with her about Jacque-Louis David for hours and hours. She could see why Percy liked her. 

So why did it hurt so much that another person she loved left her for someone else, once again?  

As Annabeth wipes her tears with the pack of tissues she’s stored under her invisibility cap, a sheepish knock taps at the door. 

“Annabeth? Can I come in?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Annabeth calls with a slight bite to her voice. She brushes her tears off her face again, thankful for the magical smudge-free makeup of the Aphrodite cabin, for once. 

The door creaks as an apprehensive Percy walks over and stands next to her over the sink. She averts her eyes down, knowing she’ll start to cry more if she meets his eyes. 

“Hey, I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?”

The softness of his apology splits Annabeth once again, and she feels guilty all over again for feeling so uncontrollably possessive and jealous over someone who was never hers. 

“No,” She shakes her head, still fixated at the white marble of the sink. “No, you did nothing wrong.” 

“Oh, okay, then uhhhh, do you want to check out the other plaques? I think we still have some time before the previews to read a couple more.” 

“Can we just go to the park?” Annabeth sniffles, finally turning back to Percy. “Riverside?” 

Percy winces as he watches her dab away at the last of her tears. He knows Percy expected her to ask to go to MET or the Morgan Library. She’s never told him, but being by the water is special for her, too. “Yeah, sure, of course.” 

****

The kiss of summer sunshine brightens the scent of the grass so much, it almost smells like Camp Half Blood strawberry fields. The walkway winds around gated playgrounds, filled with children swinging their arms across the monkey bars as their parents lean against each other on a chipped park bench and watch them from afar. The Hudson glitters like the mischievous twinkle in Percy’s eyes, deep blue with flecks of silver and gold, and the thought of it makes her blush, realizing she’s thinking this while she’s standing right next to Percy. She’s thankful all over again for Silena’s makeup, causing her to wonder if she should start wearing blush more around him. 

She and Percy match each other’s long, slow strides, the air between them thick with tension of all the things left unsaid, then thinned out again with the comfort and ease that’s existed between them for years. Annabeth looks back out onto the water and thinks about the stories her dad regaled her with before her stepmother came into the picture. Every so often, he would tell Annabeth how she came to be the most precious gift in his life, how he met the most beautiful, intelligent woman while studying at a magical place called Harvard, how they used to study together at Reading Room on the top floor, with paneled rooftop windows that ushered light that fell onto their faces. They talked in the library for hours, and when they needed a break, walked along Cambridge Harbor with ice cream cones that spilled onto their hands in a sticky mess. Whenever Annabeth was by a body of water, she thought of them happily together all those years ago, then of an alternate reality where they stayed together and the three of them were walking together, too. 

If you loved each other so much, why isn’t she here with us? Annabeth had asked once, and her father’s face crumbled like a wrecking ball taken to a safehouse. Even though she grew older, and logically, she knew her mother couldn’t be with them, she couldn’t help but feel angry and sad that she never tried. Even though Annabeth and her step-family got along now, she couldn’t help feeling like she did before she ran away. If she couldn’t have her mom, why couldn’t she have her dad all to herself, instead of having to share his scattered brain with three other people?

“Hey,” Percy nudges her arm as Annnabeth descends further and further into her imaginary fantasy. “Thinking about your dad?” 

Annabeth realizes she’s subconsciously touching her dad’s ring and drops her hand. She wonders how much she should tell Percy, how ridiculous it seems, but she stares back at him and knows he would understand her. 

“You know why I wanted to come here?” She twists the ring in between her thumb and index finger and stares back out at Hoboken, across the river. “The summer my parents met, they used to take walks together by the Charles River. The way my dad talks about it…” Annabeth’s eyes get misty again, but she wills herself to push them away. “I can tell he really loved her. And sometimes when I walk along a body of water, I imagine that they’re still together and we’re a family. I know, it’s stupid.” 

“No, it’s not stupid.” Percy reassures, with that sweet, genuine tone he uses to comfort her. He pauses for a moment then admits, “Actually, I uh, saw your vision at Siren Bay. I just didn’t bring it up because well,” Percy scratches the back of his head. “I think about my parents getting back together too.” 

“Really?” Annabeth had discussed with her siblings how much they hated having one parent around, but she’d never felt secure enough to broach the topic of wanting her family back together.

“Yeah. I was actually just thinking about them now, even though we’re not in Montauk,” Percy flicks his eyes down for a moment, then towards the kids on the playground. “Did I tell you though that Paul wants to propose to my mom? He told me at my birthday party a few days ago, before my dad showed up.”

Annabeth is taken back. She knew about Poseidon showing up, but not Paul Blofis proposing. “How do you feel about that?” 

“I’m happy,” Percy sounds upbeat, but she senses his voice falter, just the tiniest bit. That was Percy, always trying to accommodate everyone without thinking of himself. “I mean my mom was miserable for so long with Gabe. She deserves to be happy..” 

“Dude,” Annabeth scolds, softly enough to coax him into admission. 

“And….” Percy hesitates, because he can’t say a bad thing about anyone he cares about, even if it’s devouring him alive. “It does make me a little sad too, and I’m angry at my Dad for not getting it together and being with us too.” 

“I know the feeling,” Annabeth murmurs. A gust of wind blows and whips her braids across her hair.

“So how did you do it then? How did you forgive your mom?”

“I didn’t,” Annabeth shakes her head. “I don’t think I ever will. I just have to hope that I’m better for my future family.” 

Percy cocks his head, his eyes light with wonder. “You think about that stuff?” 

“Sometimes,” Annabeth flushes hot. She’s never admitted that to anyone, because it’s embarrassing and illogical and stupid. She knows the rules of their world, but she can’t help but dream. “I know demigods don’t live past 16, but sometimes I picture myself as  a famous architect, maybe a professor giving lectures across the world, and sometimes… I imagine myself with a family, too.” 

Percy purses his lips together and thinks to himself for a moment. “You know, I’ve never thought about it too much before, but a family would be nice.” 

And there he is, holding his gaze with hers again. Annabeth swallows and begins to fidget furiously with her fingers. A building can only be supported with a solid foundation, she realizes, and she never imagined herself with a family until she met Percy. Her heart leaps as she watches the golden light trickle through the tree branches and onto his cheeks. The way he stood was so easy, so relaxed, he slouched without thinking and his fingers always curled casually at the ends, like he didn’t think about what to do with his hands. Annabeth was deliberate in every movement, she overthought everything, and he just.. was. Even when it hurt to be around him, it was easy to be around him. 

“Listen,” Percy breaks the silence with a hoarse whisper. “I’m sorry about Rachel.” 

Annabeth stiffens at the mention of her name.

“Whatever.” 

“Okay,” Percy says slowly. “Well it seems like you really don’t like it when I hang out with her, and I don’t know why.”

He really did have a thick skull.

“No seriously, I don’t care.” Annabeth crosses her arms. “You can hang out with whoever you want.” 

“Well, okay then,” Percy dismisses, annoyed, before turning sincere again. “I just… I know things have been weird between us this past summer, and I just don’t want to be so distant from you.” 

It really was hard to stay mad at him when he was so sweet, even when he was being an obtuse idiot.

“Well, unfortunately you’re stuck with me,” Annabeth brushes him off with a sarcastic comment to avoid the skip in her heart. “If we go down, we’re going down together, remember?” 

“Okay,” A slow smile curls across Percy’s mouth, and the sunshine lit behind him makes it look like a halo with his smile and golden curls.“Good to know you’re still in on that.” 

“Always,” Annabeth says with an eye roll, but she casts one last look at him in the light before turning to pretend to look at the river again instead of his handsome eyes. She curls her hands into fists to suppress the urge to reach out and hold his hand.

“On that note, let’s go get some ice cream,” He leads the way before Annabeth can object. “I’m buying.”

[xryuseiix]

So since I'm posting my comic here too, I might as well post my characters' reference sheets (this is just thier magical forms not their civilian)

Sona- Yu, our protagonist who is from the Non-Magic Realm who is given the power by the Heart of Ashida and becomes Guardian Ashe, who's element is fire.

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Hye-In, a Magical girl from the realm of Ashida, she is the current leader of the Guardians in Ashida, but allows Sona to become the leader. With the power of the Soul of Ashida she become the Guardian Sylva who's power is water.

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Freya is the youngest Guardian from the realm of Ashida. She is often quite naive and doesn't want to cause harm. With the Mind of Ashida, she becomes the Guardian Estrea with the power of Lightning and electricity.

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Eri is the eledest Guardian from the realm of Ashida and a member of the princess' Royal guard, she is of cold and blunt, but that is because she trained to protect the princess and not have feelings, but she is actually a sensitive soul. With the spirit of Ashida, she becomes the Guardian Delphi, who's element is Air.

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Princess Atlas is the Princess of Ashida, she is a descendent of the Godess Ashida, she is a guide to the Magical Guardians Assisting them when in need with her power. She is quite reserved and blames herself for letting Circe escape into the Magicalless Realm and dragging Sona into their fight. She also seems to be hiding a secret...

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Momo is the guardian mascot and guide to the Magical Girls. She's an aide to the Princess and is tasked with helping and guiding the Guardians. She meets Sona when she fainted upon arriving to the Magicalless Realm, and later gives Sona the Heart of Ashida when it reacts to her. Upon arriving in the Magicalless Realm, her mascot form takes a resemblance to a realistic penguin, in this form she answers the sentences with "momo".

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Circe is the Princess of Darkness and the antagonist of the series. She is from the Realm of Ashida. She wants the Ashida amulets to gain the ultimate power to encase the realm into darkness and despair. However, due to a clash with Princess Atlas, there was dimensional crack, causing her, the Guardians and Momo to fall into the Magicalless Realm, which causes her powers to be limited, resulting in her creating, monsters to create despair, until Sona activates the Heart of Ashida to become Guardian Ashe.

[itsachillesbtch]

Like Son Like Father

as always, more under the cut 🫶

Ephias Comet, Third Generation of Comet Men in Wales

Ravenclaw while he was at Hogwarts!

He has the dark mark, by force, because of his own father being a death eater (I Hate You Belphmont Comet)

He was betrothed to Delphini at the ripe age of 13!

His best friend from a very early age is Circe, the mother of Somerild ! ( @/sunglow-fae )

He had a situationship with Sully too 😞 only to be pulled apart after Ephi dawned the Dark Mark.

He had his first, Atlair, barely out of teen hood, just to solidify the marriage between him and Delphi.

He help Circe escape her arrangement, but had to be left behind.

He loves each of his kids to bits and tries his best to be there for them when they need him ☹️ healing his own daddy issues by being the father he wanted and needed

He ends up making up w Sully and reconnecting with Circe and post am war he becomes their spoiled house cat !

Literally, he barely comes out of his Animagus (which is an orange english shorthair!)

[unseentravler]

BTVS Percy Jackson AU Characters

Buffy Summers - Daughter of Aries, for obvious reasons. Came to camp when she was 13 and is not a year rounder. She has a 1/2 sister who is mortal ( Dawn) and has a good relationship with her mom.

Willow Rosenberg- Daughter of Hecate, again for obvious reasons. Came to camp when she was twelve with her best friend Xander. She is technically not a year rounder, but her parents never noticed when she's not home.

Alexander 'Xander' Harris - Son of Hephaestus, because of the whole carpenter thing. He and Willow were best friends before they found out they were demigods, and they came to camp together. He is a year rounder and is perfectly happy with that.

Liam 'Angel' O'Connor - Son of Hades, and actually came to camp rather late at the age of 14 and is now one of the oldest campers still at camp. Got the nickname angel because all the girls at camp thought he He looked like a dark angel.

William 'Spike' Pratt- Son of Aphrodite, Been at camps since he was 9. He has survived 3 separate quests and has quite the reputation around camp as a lady's man, but he is currently dating Drusilla. Got the nickname spike after killing a cyclops with a railroad spike.

Drusilla Keeble - Daughter of Apollo, because of her prophecies. Came to camp when she was 11. A bit out of her mind after a bad encounter on a quest when she was younger.

Rupert Giles - Son of Athena, he is technically retired but helps out around camp when during the summer. He is one of the few demigods that lived past 20, so he has a lot of experience and helps train the younger generation.

Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne - Son of Euterpe Muses of Music. Got to camp the same year as Willow and Xander, but he was a year older and arrived a few months earlier. He has gone on one quest and had a nasty encounter with Lycaon.

Faith Lehane - Daughter of Aries, So Buffy's half-sister. Arrived at camp the year after Buffy after being on the run for about a year and seeing her sader guide killed in front of her.

Cordelia Chase - A clear cited mortal who has the potential to become the next Oracle of Delphi. She was friends with Buffy before Buffy came to camp and was one of the only people who believed Buffy when she told them that monsters were attacking her.

Anyanka 'Anya' - A wind spirit that's been alive for a very long time. She likes to hang around camp because for a brief time in the 70s, she was human. She likes to occasionally help demigods on quests, but always an exchange for a favor.

Jenny Calendar - A clear cited mortal, who is a devoted of Hecate. She's friends with Giles ( maybe more) and sometimes comes to camp with him to help teach.

Robin Wood - A Roman legacy of Mars. He is a centurion of the fourth cohort. His mother died on battlefield.

Darla Jones - Daughter of Nemesis, just going off vibes. She's around the same age as angel but arrived at camp when she was 11. They've gone on several quests together.

Terra McClay- A mortal girl who, while running away from her family, got stuck on Circe's island. She was there for a long time until a quest found her as she was brought back to camp half blood.