#but Hestia always works with me and usually comes when she can

[eightofpentakles]

bless Lady Hestia for being the one to steer me away from that does me no good <3 she will always be there bless her

[shipcestuous]

One thing I used to find kind of funny as a kid just getting into Greek mythology was how Kronos and Rhea had three sons and three daughters... and yet, only two of them got married, rather than everyone pairing up in three divine brother/sister pairs.

I remember I would do little thought experiments to figure out how things might have worked out in an alternate version for the married pairs that could have formed in addition to Zeus/Hera after Kronos' and the Titans' defeat and reached these conclusions about them:

Poseidon/Demeter: this one is kiiiind of canon already, because there is a myth where they have children together, but... Poseidon doesn't exactly care about Demeter's consent there, let's leave it at that. But for the sake of argument, let's just say this wouldn't happen in this AU, and just look at their roles and personality. To oversimplify things a lot, Poseidon is the sea and Demeter is the earth. The sea is often called "barren" in Ancient Greek poetry, while the earth is ideally fertile and generous. These things already make for a potentially fun "uniting the opposites to reach equilibrium" theme. Also, Poseidon is known for causing earthquakes in his wrath as well as punishing mortals who offend him (the Minotaur was born when Minos wouldn't sacrifice his best bull to him so he made Minos' wife go mad...), while Demeter created winter when Persephone got abducted by Hades (creating considerable trouble for the mortals and even the gods themselves) and keeps recreating it whenever her daughter leaves for the Underworld again, which makes me think they're both very emotional and strong-willed. A relationship between them could be as explosive as the one between Zeus and Hera, and while that wouldn't be very healthy, probably, it could be an interesting dynamic!

Hades/Hestia: Hades is the god of the Underworld: people who have done terrible things are punished horribly for eternity in his gloomy realm, he doesn't take people going against him lightly (like when Theseus and Pirithoos tried to kidnap Persephone...), and he usually doesn't allow anyone to come back to the world of the living (though there are a couple of attempted exceptions). However, this doesn't mean he's evil or mindlessly cruel or sadistic, just strict to the point of being ruthless. Hestia is associated with fire, but instead of being a wild, destructive force, she's the patron of hearth and home. They have a similarly "not nearly as bad as they could be considering common views on their domains." And I can also see both of them caring a lot about boundaries and rules, all things considered. But Hestia could have a softness about her that Hades lacks. And Hades, perhaps, could act as a sort of grim protector for her. I also see them both as the quiet, reserved type, personally, which could make them get along pretty great, bonding through the messes of their chaotic family.

Poseidon/Hestia: Water and fire, anyone? It could be a case of "opposites attract" both in terms of elements and personalities... even if in very different ways. Ironically, Hestia, the fire goddess, could calm down Poseidon's wrath and mellow him out, while Poseidon, the sea god, could bring excitement and wildness in Hestia's life.

Hades/Demeter: ... this one always felt so weird to even consider lmao. But they both seem like gods who prefer going off to do their own thing away from the other Olympians, on some level. Plus, they're both connected to earth: Hades is the mysteries hidden under it, while Demeter is the prosperity and beauty that grows out of it. They would inevitably be a little like a variation of Hades/Persephone, I think, but the lack of an age gap would also influence their dynamic and make it a bit different. It wouldn't bea mature man and a young, lively maiden, but two siblings (possibly very close in age) growing together on more or less equal footing. I like to imagine them both as rather indipendent people, but I always end up giving a motherly streak to Demeter and an insecure/withdrawn one to Hades (likely due to my vision of the myth of the abduction of Persephone, I admit) and so I feel that would make for some sweet hurt/comfort.

Now, I'll say that, while I'm a serial multishipper, I don't actually ship these pairings. They're just fun to think about in a "what if" context for this specific AU, but talking more in general, Hades/Persephone is one of my main mythology ships, Poseidon/Demeter has all that canon history I talked about which squicks me out a bit, and I usually see Hestia as someone on the aroace spectrum. Although... that last one doesn't always stop me from shipping her, as sometimes I like to imagine her capable of romantic attraction, so only ace without the aro part.

Actually, I really like shipping her with Hermes, as either a onesided "he has a major crush on her but she's too aromantic to even notice" pairing or something requited depending on the specific types of shenanigans I feel like imagining for them. A lot of it is another "opposites" and "balancing each other out" thing: Hermes is a god of travellers, merchants, and thieves (who presumably also move around quite a bit, lol) as well as one who's able to cross boundaries (he also has a function as a psychopomp, travellling from the world of the living to the Underworld) so I associate him with open spaces and the freedom of going wherever you want to do whatever you want, while Hestia, as I've already said, is home and hearth, so in a way she represents closed, secluded spaces that are also safe and intimate. But there's also the way I see the age difference/generation gap between them. I usually think of Hermes as a sassy, reckless, relatively young god, while I see Hestia as a warm and maternal woman who definitely has a few thousand years on him.

I think Hermes would be attracted to her stability, kindness, and in general just how level-headed and reliable she can be without ever getting boring. (She's still a fire goodess after all, so I do think she has a more "fiery" side, determined and sharp, under the softness. ;)) While Hestia would enjoy (platonically or not) his youthful daring as well as his clever mind, resourcefulness and wit.

Basically, in my head he'd love to be her boytoy and she, his aunt, would occasionally not mind being his mommy, lmao.

This was a really fun post and I love all of the different dynamics that you sent up! They're all intriguing in their own ways but I really like the way you described the potential of Hades and Hestia in particular.

Thanks for sharing your musings with us!

[malumsmermaid]

I’d Do Anything B.C 10

Hi I’ve been working on this chapter since I adopted Hestia back in like August but work and life and shit has happened. I was going to work on one of my other WIPs but decided to actually finish this one. So...here it is.

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: None

Prev.

Calum was spending the afternoon with Michael, having finished up with his work early for once. Before leaving for his friend’s house he had made a good night call to Lily and Ashton, his two partners back in Australia working on a new deal. Calum was supposed to fly out and meet them in a few days-he had just had a few things he needed to wrap up at the office this week before he could join them. He was stressed and worn thin from his projects he’d been working on, as well as the interruptions from their employees-some with reasonable questions and requests-but others just adding to his to-do list. He did his best to push all of that down while he was on the call though, listening to and celebrating their little successes for the day and trying his best to pick out some sort of positive aspect to his day to share. He managed to pick something since they had last called, as well as expanded upon a few of their text conversations over the last couple days. He finally wrapped up their call, ushering his partners off to bed and telling them his plans to meet up with Michael and play a new game.

However, when he got to his friend’s house, it turned out his plan had done a complete 180, from sitting inside on the couch with controllers in hand to walking in the park and talking. Calum ended up doing most of the talking, everything spilling out the second Michael asked about his week. Michael listened intently, his gaze only straying from Calum to check his footing on the path. 

Calum sighed, closing, “And I don’t want to burden Ash and Lil with this when they call. Like, it’s all part of running a company right? Like, especially since they’re having all these little wins and doing some fun stuff out there. Meanwhile I feel like I’m over here taking one step forward and three steps back with all these little side tasks. It’s just easier when they’re here because we can split them up-Lily’s especially good at figuring out where each of us is in our day and which of us, if any of us, is able to carry out that task. And it’s not like I don’t do that, like some of the things I’m like ‘maybe Ashley or Jaime are better people for this particular thing’ and either message them or send that person their way. But at the same time, I don’t want the people who have come to me to feel like I’m dismissing them or pawning the task off to someone else, but like…I’m just one person, y’know?”

Michael nodded, “You know, I’m always here to listen, but Lil and Ash worry about you when they’re away too and can tell when you’re holding stuff like this back.”

Calum hummed, “Yeah, but I don’t want them to feel bad about it or for me or whatever. Like, it’s not their fault that I got this idea for something that, as usual, ended up much larger than I expected and…wait, what made you say that last part?”

“Shit…I uh…fuck…”

“Mikey?”

Michael looked away, scuffing his shoe on the ground, “Lily may have texted me after you guys got off of the phone and mentioned that you seemed off and that she was worried, got the same text from Ashton like two seconds later.”

Michael jumped as Calum let out a laugh. “Can never hide anything from those two, even on the other side of the fucking ocean. To be fair I do feel a lot better now, maybe better than I would’ve just playing that game with you, even if I was really looking forward to it.”

“There’s still plenty of time in the day if we turn back now…” Michael said with a smirk.

Calum nodded, turning around on the path and beginning the trek back to Michael’s car.

As they were walking through the parking lot, a flash of movement between cars caught Calum’s attention. Then it came again, this time rushing across the section of the parking lot they were walking through, from one side to the other. “Kitten,” Calum gasped, just as the animal ran under a car that three people had just gotten into-its engine roaring to life.

Michael gasped too, both men rushing over to the car, trying to get the driver’s attention before they put the car in gear. They must’ve made quite the scene, the woman in the driver’s seat opening her window just a crack to see what the two large men wanted. “A kitten just ran under your car,” Michael explained, trying to catch his breath while Calum ducked under the car’s rear bumper to see where the kitten had gone. It froze and locked eyes with him, in the shadow of one of the front tires.

He started calling to the kitten, tapping at the gravel with his fingers to try and coax it over. Just as he began calling to the little cat, the car’s engine shut off and multiple feet hit the ground around the car. The kitten looked up at the car’s chassis, then around at all the legs surrounding the car before darting towards Calum. He took the kitten in his arms, capturing her and making sure he had a good grip before slowly beginning to wiggle back out from under the car. “Got it,” he grunted as he slowly began to sit up, handing the kitten to Michael so he could get to his feet. All three people from the car began to coo and cheer as they looked at the small animal in Michael’s arms while Calum dusted himself off.

“What now?” Michael questioned, looking at Calum.

“I…I don’t know,” Calum said, watching as the kitten squirmed in Michael’s hold. “I mean, I guess we go to the shelter, make sure she doesn’t belong to anyone?”

“We’re in the middle of a giant park, Cal…” Michael started.

“I know…but I mean, what else? Isn’t that what’s right?”

Michael hummed, conceding, and began to walk towards his car, “There’s one not far from here.”

Calum nodded, following after his friend.

~~~~

“Good afternoon, how can I help you two gentlemen?” Greeted the shelter’s receptionist.

“Yeah, uh, we were just at the park and caught this little kitten in the parking lot as she darted under the vehicle of another visitor who was preparing to leave,” Calum stated as Michael stepped forward, still holding the small cat.

“We just wanted to make sure that she was okay and that there isn’t anyone out there missing her.” Michael explained, holding the cat out for the receptionist to examine.

“Well, it is kitten season,” they replied, smiling as the cat pawed at the air between them, “and this little one looks just old enough to not need mom for food anymore, they probably wandered off on their own and got turned around. But we can definitely put them on stray hold, just in case. Let me just page our cattery attendant to get this little one checked in.”

They grabbed a walkie-talkie from their desk, calling to one of their coworkers elsewhere in the shelter to come up front. Michael and Calum took a seat against the window, Calum reaching over and gently rubbing between the kitten’s ears. The receptionist walked over and handed Calum a clipboard to fill out, a sticker with a series of numbers and letters in the top corner. 

As he finished writing down his information and where they had been when they found the kitten, another person walked through the doorway from the back. She smiled, approaching the two men and greeted them, quietly reaching her hand out to take the kitten from Michael. Michael gave the kitten one last scratch before handing them over to the worker while Calum stood to hand the clipboard back. 

When he turned back he caught sight of Michael staring wistfully through the doorway the kitten had been carried through. He wasn’t the only one to notice either, the receptionist saying, “We’ve had a lot of people bringing kittens in the last few days, you can foster that little one if you’d like.”

Michael immediately brightened, “Can I foster two? So it has a friend?”

Twenty minutes and more paperwork later, they were back in Michael’s car, trunk loaded with kitten food and cat litter, a carrier containing two kittens secure in the backseat. Calum was smiling, listening to the small animals mewling behind him. They were almost back to Michael’s house, when suddenly, next to a strip mall containing a petstore, Michael gasped, “They need toys!” He checked around him before pulling sharply to the right, entering the parking lot.

“I’ll stay in the car with the cats, no going crazy in there, just toys, no furniture unless you’re certain you’re going to keep them.” Calum teased.

Michael parked smiling, “No promises.”

Calum shook his head, watching as his friend hopped out of the car, jogging through the lot.

Not long after Michael had disappeared through the door, Calum felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out, half expecting a text from Michael asking for an opinion, surprised to instead see his girlfriend’s picture on his screen. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” he asked as he answered, teasing lilt to his voice.

“I can’t,” Lily whispered, snuggled under a blanket on the couch, “Miss you.”

“Just a few more days and I’ll be there,” Calum tried to reassure, but he could feel his own heart aching.

“I hope I’m not interrupting your afternoon with Mikey…” She started, but was distracted by a loud meow behind Calum, “What’s that?”

“Oh, you’re not interrupting, our afternoon was already interrupted. We found one kitten, and now Michael is fostering two.”

Lily sat up, trying to contain a squeal to not wake their sleeping boyfriend in the other room. Calum grinned, launching into the tale as, as he anticipated, a picture text came from Michael in the background of the call.

~~~~~

As promised, a few days later, Calum strolled into the penthouse apartment in Australia. It had been a long day of travel, made even longer by a maintenance delay in Seoul, leaving Calum pacing the terminal as his gate changed four times before they finally were able to board. He had told Ashton and Lily not to wait up for him, his expected arrival time now closer to 3AM than 9PM and was glad to see that they had heeded him for once. He quietly set his backpack on the table, removed his shoes and quietly made his way to the bedroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before shedding the clothing he’d been wearing since the previous morning. 

He smiled sleepily as he looked down at the bed, looking at his two partners. They had clearly been cuddling when they first went to bed, but had since separated, plenty of room between them for him to occupy. He carefully climbed over Ashton, who was facing the doorway, Lily facing the windows. He snuggled under the strewn blankets, pulling both of his partners to his chest. Neither woke, but they did both sigh, cuddling to him. Calum felt a smile on his face, kissing them each gently before closing his own eyes and finding sleep for himself, content to be surrounded by their warmth again.

[cdyssey]

Three Women and a Glass of Wine

Summary: Barbara and Ava go over to Melissa's house to come up with a plan of action against Legendary Charters. (Regrettably, there is wine involved.) [Post-2.17]

A/N: It's been a weird day, and I wanted to write something fun and slightly cracky to cheer me up. :') So how about some Ava/Mel/Barb?Kinda. Sorta. You'll see. 😈

CW: Innuendo, Alcohol, Porn Mention

AO3 Link

—

Perhaps Barbara Howard, devout woman of God, shouldn’t have had that final half-glass of Merlot, because inexplicably—and for no good reason at all—she finds herself staring at Ava Coleman across Melissa’s kitchen table like she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.

Of course, Abbott’s principal is assuredly that.

Beautiful.

Utterly gorgeous even.

What, with her dazzling curls and long, dark lashes, with her cherry-red smile and the little oomph in her hips when she walks—she’s got all the makings of a goddess and none of the austere formalism of a religion: Aphrodite in the flesh if Aphrodite was also obsessed with the entire cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. But her less than holy reveries about the form-fitting contours of the principal’s teal dress are soon interrupted by the sturdy presence slightly shifting by her side—Melissa, sitting next to her, as always, as is their tradition, their habit, their decades long norm.

She, too, looks remarkably striking tonight, with her fiery hair cascading over her shoulders in waves, the buttons on her black shirt unclasped to be just shy of indecent. She smells of both chocolate and vanilla, a pleasant side-effect from the cookies she just made. And if Ava is Aphrodite, both protector and patron divinity of love, then surely her dearest friend in the entire world is Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, blazing so brightly in the dim lighting of the golden overheads. 

Simply radiant.

Otherworldly.

Each of her companions.

At the exact same time.

Barbara’s knees tremble where she sits as she peers between them both, heat scaling the trellis of her throat like a spray of ivy—wild, free, and perfectly uncontrolled.

They’re supposed to be working on a budgetary request that Ava’s going to send to the school board on Monday. If they can get a new financial assistance package—especially for some much needed infrastructure and tech upgrades—they can stave off a little bit of the external pressure they’ve received from parent petitions to become a charter school, buying them time to come up with a more permanent solution against the looming threat which is Legendary Charters.

At least, they had started with this noble intention in mind when they had decided to work at Melissa’s house on a Friday evening, but now, four glasses of wine in a piece, all three of them are more likely to key Draemond’s shiny BMW than they are to write a very professional letter using all of their respective talents: Barbara’s elegant way with words and Ava’s charming entrepreneurship, Melissa’s uncanny knack for always knowing when a little arm twisting is needed… these traits would all coalesce together splendidly...

...if they could get around to the actual writing part, of course. 

They've spent most of their time imbibing wine and complaining about various people in their shared world.

Frankly, Barbara has never had so much fun playing in the mud, laughing and cutting up at all the outrageous things that neither of her fellow educators have the discipline to restrain. At their cores, Ava and Melissa alike are similarly uninhibited spirits, almost wholly unconcerned with what people make of them and their liberal tongues, and she admires that fact about them so deeply—usually in the same breath that she scolds them for it.

But her scandalized disapproval only seems to rile them up all the more.

(Melissa even once joked that it turns her on.)

“Barb, why you sittin’ over there lookin’ tenser than Janine during car line duty?” Ava suddenly asks, swirling the dregs of her wine around her glass. Her nails are nearly the same shade as the rich vintage. “Let loose a little. We ain’t finishing this thing tonight.”

“But—“ She tries to protest, clumsily spinning her laptop around to show the fifteen words that they’ve collectively typed between them in five hours.

Cough up some money, you greedy pigs.

We’re broke as hell.

Please and thank you.

“Hate t’say it, but Ava’s right,” Melissa chuckles heartily, lightly elbowing Barbara on the arm.

“—I want that on a t-shirt,” Ava interrupts, to which the second-grade teacher only rolls her eyes before continuing.

“That’s all crap, and we’re too effed up to fix it.” 

And with that characteristically vulgar pronouncement, she reaches over and firmly closes the laptop lid with a delicious snap. However, in her haste to withdraw her arm, she accidentally knocks over her own glass of unfinished wine. There wasn’t a lot in it—thank goodness—but the remaining droplets splash over both of them anyway, splattering Melissa’s rosy face and speckling Barbara’s silky blue shirt.

“Shit!” Melissa swears, flushing even pinker still, as Ava laughs raucously across from them, banging her fist on the table. “Sorry, Barb.”

“Klutz,” the principal sticks her tongue out as she hops off her barstool and heels over to the sink, where a dish towel is draped over the stainless steel basin. Barbara watches the undulations of her spiraling hair as she sashays from side-to-side, entirely and irreligiously distracted until she realizes that Melissa is trying to attack the stain on her shirt with a nearby paper towel… dabbing rhythmically above her breast.

“Hey, now,” she swallows thickly, her stomach coiling tightly at the persistent campaign, “it’s perfectly fine, sweetheart. It was just an accident…”

“Yeah, well, I ruined your pretty shirt,” comes a rather husky reply, and Barbara can’t help but notice that her friend’s verdant eyes have fallen to the v-shaped divot in her collared blouse, her pupils visibly blown… but this moment of intimacy is immediately interrupted by Ava re-joining them, the dish towel clenched tightly in her slender fingers as she begins to minister to Melissa’s wine-freckled cheek, cupping her jaw tenderly as she wipes the red away.

“Nothin’ Shout and a good wash can’t fix,” the principal purrs as Melissa’s attention is captured elsewhere, even though her fingers are now twisted tightly in the fabric of Barbara’s shirt. Ava slowly drags the cloth beneath Melissa’s lips, eliciting a strange, almost animalistic sound from her. It sounds less like a thank you and more like a moan. “Take it off, Barb.”

“What?” Barbara rasps, unable to peel her eyes away from the sight in front of her, every nerve in her body kinetic with intoxicating tension. She isn’t sure which woman she is more envious of at the present moment—Ava or Melissa.

“Your shirt.” Ava now tilts her head at her expectantly, a mischievous grin spreading across her lips, something indecent twinkling in the darks of her eyes. “You heard me. Take it off.”

“Yeah, uh, take it off,” Melissa agrees, vigorously nodding her head, her fingers now slowly migrating towards Barbara’s topmost button…

“I-I don’t understand!” She barely manages to choke out, hysteria making a mockery out of her usually composed voice. She shivers with violent delight as Melissa’s knuckles skim her slightly exposed collarbone, as Ava continues to gingerly stroke Melissa’s face, her own hands yearning to touch both of them with all the tenderness of a pastor anointing someone's head with oil. "This is absolutely absurd, ludicrous even! What if we’re caught?!”

“Fine by me,” Ava smirks, waving her free hand with invitational flourish.

“Hell if I care,” Melissa huffs in laughing agreement, leaning into the principal’s touch, briefly closing her eyes in sensuous, rapturous delicacy, but then, before Barbara can fully understand how this makes her feel and what ungodly chemical reactions are rapidly denaturing her insides—

“Take it off, take it off,” both of her friends begin to chant, and it’s terrifying and simultaneously thrilling, and why is Ava’s dress red now instead of teal, and where is Melissa’s perpetual necklace of saints, and is that Dionne Warwick singing in the background? Melissa's brightly lit kitchen becomes Barbara's darkened bedroom becomes the teacher's lounge at their school. What in God’s almighty—?!

“Oh, damn,” Ava laughs, her clearly amused voice floating from somewhere above her. “She’s wakin’ up.”

“I flippin’ said you were bein’ too loud,” Melissa’s disapproving voice shortly follows and much more sonorously, hurting Barbara’s eardrums. 

“Girl, you’re one to talk!”

“Hey!”

Barbara abruptly opens her eyes and sits up a little too quickly for her dully aching body to catch up with her; she groans lightly, clutching the side of her now mussed head, and tries to reorient herself in her entirely-too-bright surroundings. She’s on Melissa’s plastic covered couch, which makes sense enough. The three of them had easily shuffled into the living room after finishing their proposal to drink more wine, eat Melissa's cookies, and watch a college basketball game that promised to be good.

But sports were more Ava and Melissa’s thing, and the four rounds of Merlot had made the kindergarten teacher’s head buzz pleasantly, so she’d felt herself dozing off around halftime when the other two women had started talking about movies that they wanted to check out...

“Hey there, Sleepin’ Beauty,” Melissa smiles at her fondly, casually brushing off her lap, and Barbara blushes profusely, understanding by this gesture alone that her head had just been pillowed there. “Sorry that someone over there woke ya.”

She glares pointedly at Ava, who is curled up in Melissa’s armchair—(which is also plastic covered)—like a cat, idly filing her nails.

“Don’t act like you weren’t gettin’ into it!”

Barbara blearily scrubs at her eyes with her knuckles as the two of them promptly go back-and-forth like a married couple, as they're sometimes wont to do. According to the TV, there’s only a few minutes left in the game. She must have been out for at least half-an-hour…

“What were you two talking about?” She yawns, unapologetically interrupting Melissa from making some sort of smartass retort as she leans back against the couch, crinkling the wrapper, settling in... and trying very hard not to think about the awful dream that she just had, apropos of nothing.

She can’t quite manage to look either of her friends in the face just yet, but she supposes that the embarrassment will eventually pass.

Maybe.

(Definitely not.)

“Porn,” Ava snickers immediately.

“Movies,” Melissa says at the exact same time, shaking her head at the principal, though a crooked smile has risen to her mouth nonetheless.

“Specifically, the porno your email sent out last year,” Ava carries on, undeterred. “Three sexy ass women and a spilt wine glass. That shit was wild. No plot, just ladies fuc—”

“Nuh-uh!” Barbara Howard immediately plugs her fingers into her ears, feeling rather like a child accidentally hearing something naughty on the TV. Heat clambers to her cheeks as she realizes exactly who and what just invaded her subconscious.“No, ma’am! We aren’t talking about that! That absolutely and fundamentally did not happen!”

It did—it so totally did—and Barbara could not face her colleagues at school for an entire week after the incident without wanting to positively die of humiliation. She had even sent out a mass email—(with her newly re-acquired Hotmail, of course)—explaining the intimate details of the crime in eight well-written and thoroughly comprehensive paragraphs. She had been hacked—nay! victimized!—and whatever heathenish video that they had been exposed to was of the devil and should immediately be destroyed!

“If ya say so, Barb,” Melissa, still next to her, bites her lower lip, clearly and unsuccessfully trying to stifle a smile, her shoulders hitching with the effort of not laughing.

“Speak for yourselves.” Ava brandishes her hot pink nail filer at both of them like a baton. “I got that nastiness still saved on my hard drive.”

"Shut up—I want it."

"You got a Google Drive?"

"Hell yeah."

Barbara can only groan at this exchange clearly intended to poke fun at her, burying her flushed face in her hands as the bright and affectionate mirth of the other women enlivens the open air.

[nectaric]

@singofus asked: "Can I just sit in your office and you make everyone who comes in swear to never have seen me? I just...everything is too much right now. Except you." Hestia looks visibly frazzled and overwhelmed. It's not often that Olympus overwhelms her but right now, she just needed her brother and the peace that was his office. A worker or two she could deal with but apparently everyone wanted her counsel today and she just needed to hide. "I will climb into your fireplace otherwise." Fireplaces were her hiding place of old. Nobody could touch her in there. (for Hades, I have a lot of muse today apparently!)

"there's no need for that. i have plenty of work to do that doesn't require disturbances." quite frankly, it was all the motivation hades needed. he rose from his desk, stretching slightly as he went (it was easy to forget that even immortal bodies got stiff when one spent hours on their work without moving). he locked the door, and waved his hand. on the other side of the door, a sign appeared out of the darkness with a note that read do not disturb. he usually only used that when persephone paid him a visit in his office, but--

he pushed those thoughts aside, and dimmed the lights in his room. his own tension beginning to slip away, and hades let out an anxious breath. hestia always seemed to appear at the right time. "do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, slipping back into his seat with a concerned expression. "or should i put on some music and we can sit in silence instead."

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Athena

So. I have to deal with the virgin goddesses… By mythos, there really shouldn't ever be children of Artemis, Hestia, or Athena (yes, Athena was a virgin goddess). PJ got past that by making it canon that Annabeth and her siblings were born from cracking open Athena's skull (yes, that's also more or less the canon explanation). They gloss over it real quick but I remember, Rick. I've always remembered and that mental image has haunted me for years...

I can't, in good conscience, ignore the history around Athena's worship (call it an academic restraint) but I REFUSE to do the skull thing. So, since I make the rules here, I'm going with magic adoption. They still get magic powers, they're just more human than demigod. Cool? Cool.

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena

Lucifer

The human that popped out of the portal seemed to have enough sense not to attack everyone in the room for a change, but even Lucifer could tell that was more of a strategic choice than for lack of ability...

Their very existence was highly unusual… and quite worrisome. He wasn't even aware Athena could have "children" of her own, but apparently she had been taking in some particularly bright humans to raise and train like her own...

Unbeknownst to him, a surprising amount of human scholars, diplomats, and generals have her to thank for their trade… and that alone should speak to the level of intrigue at play here. 

Was this an accident or Athena's attempt to plant an Olympian spy in the Devildom too…? Either way, he didn't trust them from the get go…

Look, Lucifer isn’t stupid. Athena is a goddess of Wisdom and War and war happens on more than just the battlefield… 

Since they've shown up records have been going missing, official documents keep getting misplaced, and he swears that there's some kind of bug in the student council room...!

It's infuriating watching the MC suck up to Diavolo when he's almost certain that they're running their own agenda behind the scenes! And he can't prove any of it!! They cover their tracks too well!

Lucifer has one of those corkboards covered in newspapers and string in a secret wing of the Castle - 100% dedicated to just tracking the MC's activities…. The longer they're there, the more obsessed he becomes...

He swears between Simeon, Solomon, and MC he feels like a shepherd wondering why the sheep are growling… The Devildom has never been in more danger than it is right now... Send help.

Mammon

To be honest, he kind of thought that they were just going to be Satan 2.0 but that's not really true.

They're more than just a book sponge! Though they do read, like a lot. Let’s just say from one schemer to another… Game recognizes Game.

They come up with plans and ideas soooo fast, it’s insane! Honestly, there are times where he has a new money-making plot and he just brings it to the MC first to run it over. 

Nine times out of ten, not only do they sniff out any problems but they have a solution for him in a matter of minutes! His scheme game has been on point since they’ve shown up!!

They’re also even better tutoring than Satan is, so he’s even managed to get a couple A’s for the first time in his life! Lucifer actually told him he was proud (which he secretly recorded and now uses as a ringtone much to his brother’s regret...)

So yeah, he likes them... buuut that doesn’t keep him from thinking they act a little weird sometimes... 

Mammon: *points to a unused tower close to the RAD building* Over there is the Tower of Sorrow. We use it for storage.

MC: Ah. Interesting… *starts writing in a notebook, muttering* It may need a few minor tweaks but the location is defensible...

Mammon: *stops* Ya say somethin’?

MC: *looks back up* Nope! Say, you’ve been to the Castle a lot haven’t you? Do you know any good ways in?

Mammon: Uhm… Why do ya want to know that…? *starts looking around for Lucifer*

MC: In case of emergencies. I like being prepared. 🙂

Mammon: Look, I don’t know what Lucifer might’a told ya…

MC: I’ll pay you a thousand Grimm for it.

Mammon: Well shit, ya want those maps with or without color?

... Yeeeah, that’s pretty weird… But it’s probably fine. I mean, as long as they keep giving him money, who’s he to complain? 🤷‍♀️

Leviathan

Also thought that they’d be a lot more like Satan but was pleasantly surprised that they were into more than books.

What else did they like exactly? Military strategy!!

It’s been a looong time since he’s been able to talk to someone who’s actually interested in all the battles he’s fought, both in the Celestial Realm and the Devildom, and their curiosity is kind of flattering...! Not a lot of people take his strategic prowess all that seriously anymore...

Plus, they are the BEST partner to have any turn-based strategy game. Hands down. He once got stuck on a level of D-COM for weeks until the MC walked in and mopped the floor with the AI!! They have a serious head for probability and tactics.

The House once made the mistake of letting these two be on the same team during a Hell Game and they absolutely demolished the competition. Mammon didn’t even get a single shot off before half his team was lost to a rigged paint grenade… It took a whole day to clean up… 

However, Levi’s also noticed some odd things about the human… He likes that they’re interested in his past but maybe they’re a little… too interested?

Levi: -and that’s how we defeated the Four Horsemen before they escaped from Purgatory. 

MC: Wow, Levi that’s seriously impressive!! *furiously scribbling on a notebook*

Levi: Well t-thanks… 😅 But, uhm... are you writing that down…?

MC: Hm? Oh no, just doodling. *they lift up the notebook to show a bunch of cute little sketches on the page… and not the magic-based invisible ink all over them…*

Levi: Oh you draw too? Can you do fanart???

MC: Eh, sometimes. But say Levi, can you tell me about your naval ranks again? I’m still really curious… *gets the pen ready again with a smile*

Satan

Oh, it's been a long game of cat-and-mouse between these two… and unfortunately, it’s been pretty addicting too.

He honestly had every intention of tricking the human into making a huge mess do he could bother Lucifer, but at every turn they proved just a hair too clever for him...

He once gave them a cursed book to “lend” to Lucifer, but they saw through it the moment they touched it and lifted the spell before handing it over.

He rigged a podium to spray glitter during one of Lucifer's speeches but the MC disconnected the trigger mic before he even got on stage. It was pretty dang frustrating...

At one point he got so desperate that, just as a test, he tried to trap them in the House's Music Room. Fortunately for them, it only took a few minutes to work out an escape. They even passed by him in the hallway with a wink!

It's confounding! It's infuriating!! 

...and it's so damn sexy... He should be furious but he’s just in awe!!

Add on that they know their art, literature, and multiple different crafts thanks to the tutelage of their adopted mother and that’s it. He’s finished. This boy is in love.

Truthfully though, a part of him is 90% sure that they’re also gathering state secrets… Like, they’re watching Barbs and Diavolo far too close for comfort - but he just can't bring himself to care. 🤷‍♀️

The MC could walk into his room one day and say, "Hey, do you want to help overthrow the monarchy with me?" and he dreads it because deep down he knows that he wouldn’t say no…

Take some notes, kids. Some bad influences get you to drink or do drugs. Others pull you into a centuries long conspiracy to destabilize and topple rival realms from within… But he has fallen for their brain hard. Devil help them all…

Asmodeus 

They’re pretty clever, he’ll give them that, but uh… Are they a little off to anybody else?

Asmo is a charmer by birthright so he has a bit of nose for when someone’s just a liiittttle too nice… Not much of a nose mind you, because he can be thrown off by compliments himself, but enough to think that the MC might be a little too… “kind” for their own good...

First off, who wants to spend that much time with Levi?? They don’t even seem that interested in anime! They just keeping asking him for old war stories…

Then all the sucking up they do to Diavolo and Barbatos? Look, he gets it. Diavolo is a delicious piece of man-hunk and his butler could give him a lesson or two in sweet-talk (and he has), but they seem to be just a little too… nosy.

Of course, Asmo’s suspicions disappear pretty quickly after they start to spoil him with spa nights and beauty secrets they picked up from “casual research” into the subject.

And you know, get a little Demonus in Asmo and start massaging his back? Oh, sweetie he’ll sing like a bird!! … with gossip. Singing with gossip.

Asmo: So I’ve heard that Lucifer has been spending more time at RAD than usual… His whole club is talking about it, they think he’s meeting with some witch!

MC: Hm, is that so? *works on a knot near his shoulder blades* What do you think?

Asmo: Ooh~! Right there, MC! *purrs and lays his head on his arms* Well come on, this is Lucifer we’re talking about! I’m sure he’s just working.

Asmo: Hmm... though come to think of it, I think I heard him asking Barbatos for the spare keys to the Tower of Sorrow…

MC: Oh really? Huh. *works out the knot and gets up* I just remembered that I left some papers with Satan... I’ll be right back.

Asmo: You’re going already??

MC: *waves him off quickly* I’ll be right back, Asmo. *hurries out the door to do totally on-the-up-and-up things… surely*

Beelzebub 

Honestly he doesn't like this one… But not for the reasons you'd expect.

He agrees with everyone else that they seem a little shady, but Solomon and Simeon are too so it's not like that's anything new... 🤷‍♀️

No, no. He dislikes them because they're the person who FINALLY figured out how to keep him from eating all the food in the kitchen!!

Turns out that the trick was to put a teleportation charm on the fridge door that would send all the food away if it’s opened after a certain time of night… 

And where does it go? The Purgatory Hall fridge. And where does the Purgatory Hall food go…? The HoL fridge…

It doesn’t sound so bad until you remember that it means half of their fridge is now Solomon’s leftovers…. 🤢

After they put the same kind of spell on the pantry, it was all over… He couldn't get midnight snacks from the House anymore… Everything was contaminated by Solomon…

The MC is a nice enough person, he doesn’t have a lot of complaints about them, but he wants them to leave. Now. This is inexcusable… He’s so hungry… and he doesn’t want to die by “goulash” or whatever Solomon calls his latest culinary catastrophe… He’s still too young for death… 😓

Belphegor 

In a way, he absolutely could not have asked for a better person to help him get out of that attic.

… In another way, he got one of the worst possible people to try and kill... Like. They saw through his scheme sooo fast…

How was he supposed to know that the human had training in body language and sniffing out lies???

Getting the door open was a piece of cake for them. They knew enough magic to undo the seals and just rummaged around Lucifer's stuff long enough to find the key to the door. He could not have found a more competent individual for a break out, really.

It’s just… well he didn’t expect to go from locked in a room like a prisoner to tied up in enchanted rope, still like a prisoner but now mobile. 😑 

They even used his own hug ruse against him! They caught his wrists when they got close and tied him up before he could shake them off...

Admittedly, it wasn't exactly the best look for them either - what with walking Belphegor downstairs to the others like a one-man-prison-caravan but they're as silver-tongued as they are sly so they talked their way out of it beautifully… 

And like hell was he going to trust them after that!! And not even Beel liked them so something had to be up...

Well, you want a detective? Look no farther than Belphie (no seriously, it’s in the canon). He can put things together pretty fast when he puts his mind to it and watching the MC for a while gave him enough proof to work off of...

He always knew that, humans were bad news and the MC just proved it to him all over again. They are bad news, bad bad news and they’re going to-!

Overthrow… Diavolo…? Is that what he is getting from them…? Huh…

Wait a second, MC. You might just have him interested… 😏

[sweeethinny]

Hi, Sweet! Ooh, thank you so much for sending me a prompt, I'm working on it! If you could please write "Just close your eyes. I will still be here when you open them again" for any ship, my only request is that it's in some kind of AU. I love your AUs!

Sorry for the delay Mah, hope you like this Jily Muggle AU <3

Ps: for those who don't know, Valentine's Day is celebrated on the 12th of June in Brazil, and in June we have what we call the 'June Party', where it's time to exalt Brazilian folklore, and - for those who are Catholics - is the month of June Saints, the saints who baptized Jesus.

This month, there are parties where people go dressed as hillbillies, there is a lot of food, depending on the party, drinks, a lot of dancing, and it is for many the best time of year.

Couples tend to go matching, always wearing plaid clothes, with lace, ruffles and patches, and usually women braid their hair, paint their cheeks pink and men - for those who don't - paint a fake beard on their faces. They also wear a straw hat, and everything is very colorful.

A typical outfit for you, you understand more or less how it is <3 - HERE and HERE

I hope you all like it, I always like to insert a little of my culture in the fanfics <3

read bellow the cut <3

"Just close your eyes. I will still be here when you open them again" He said, kneeling in front of her.

"Unfortunately," she said, but there was a smile on her face, a smile that James thought was adorable, and it matched her sun-rosy cheeks and the flaming strands of hair that fell over her face.

“I'll pretend to believe you.” He smiled, grimacing when she threw up again, what now felt like just water. "I'll never let you drink again."

"I never want to drink again," Lily laid her head on the toilet seat, her eyes almost closed and stared at James as if she was unable to focus her vision but was trying. The noise from the backyard party was still loud, but inside, the two of them on the bathroom floor, the silence was comforting.

"Famous last words." He shrugged, wanting to laugh but feeling sorry for her, who looked like she wanted to throw up some more. "Evans, you better pull yourself together, or I'll have to take you to the hospital, and I think it's the last place you want to go." James raised his eyebrows, wanting her to remember exactly where they were.

The idea at first was good; a weekend among friends at James' grandparents' farm, abusing every last drop of trust his parents had in him and Sirius. They promised they'd take care of the house, and it was going to be quiet, but now, when he looks out the window and sees Remus jumping off the roof into the pool, and Peter upside down trying to drink beer, he thinks things have lost a bit the control.

As long as nobody ended up in the hospital and nothing was broken, everything was perfect.

The nearest hospital was over two hours away, and none of them had the ability to drive for so long on a dirt road that it took a lot of concentration not to end up with a mired or overturned car.

"I'll be fine." She settled on the floor, leaning her back against the cool wall behind her and closing her eyes. It took James a lot of concentration to keep his eyes off her perfectly sculpted breasts, gorgeous in that black bikini. Her tanned skin made it difficult.

"Can you get up?" James asked, no longer able to stand being in such a small space with Lily so close to him, even though she had been vomiting less than a minute ago. She nodded and accepted his hand when he reached out.

James helped her wash her face and the back of her neck, trying not to think too much about how hot her skin was and how the scent of sunscreen and Lily blended together perfectly.

"Are you better, Evans?" Sirius appeared just as they walked out of the bathroom, cheeks rosy from the sun and alcohol, hair pulled back in a bun and bathing trunks falling over his hips. He had a smirk on his face, which James thought was the drinking's fault, but when Hestia walked out of the room Sirius had just left, her hair messier than before and her bikini smoothing, James understood what was happened. ‘Or do we need to call for help for you?'

"I'm great, Black." Lily tossed her hair back, as if she wanted to prove her point to him. “Dressing problems, Hess?” The girl was almost to the back door, ready to go unnoticed, but she stopped as soon as she heard her name.

Her cheeks caught fire, but her smile didn't waver.

"Yes, the knot was too tight." Hestia shrugged, pointing to the knot in her tanned back. "Sirius was helping me." James chuckled, noticing when Sirius nodded, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"I'm sure he helped." Lily looked at Sirius, then at Hestia, finally walking towards the door, her ass looking like the hottest thing in the world.

"Careful not to drool, Prongs." Sirius slapped the back of his head, looking like he wanted to wake him up from the perverted dream he was having, his drunken brain imagining everything he could do if Lily stopped looking at him just as a friend.

“You're imagining things, you idiot.” He defended himself, following the three of them outside.

The day was sunny, and even with a little wind, there was a mass of hot air that made them sweaty even when they were standing still. Everyone was sporting a tan/redness from their carelessness, and tomorrow probably wouldn't be so kind to them, but James knew that no one here was caring about tomorrow and the possible side effects of spending too much time in the sun.

It was Sirius who had come up with the idea, after looking tired of hearing complaints from Peter and Hestia about how hot it was and how they wanted to go swimming somewhere. James had blamed him for just organizing this because it was a reason for him to see Hestia in bikinis, because this wasn't the first summer Peter had complained about the heat, but it was the first that the girls had joined their group.

They had met in college, Lily was in the lab with Peter, and Marlene was in the same class as James, and when Remus asked Hestia to have lunch with them, somehow they had all become friends.

It was a unlikely group, James admitted that, but having Marlene, Lily and Hestia around always seemed to make their group much more alive and complete somehow, even though James had never thought they needed more members.

As he sat down on the lounge chair next to Lily, James wondered what she would do if he tried to flirt with her; would she repay or would she push him away and their group would break up? He'd seen how a little shocked she looked when he'd taken off his shirt, but maybe it was the tattoos that had caused it to her.

"I always thought you were too much of a mama's boy for that," she'd said, pointing to his chest, where a constellation was drawn.

Maybe that was just the shock, but James liked to think there was something else, and before she wanted to throw up her guts, he was thinking that Lily was returning the flirting start they were having, sitting by the pool while James gave her his seductive smile.

"Feeling better?" James looked over at her, lying on the lounger with her sunglasses on and her belly white with sunscreen.

"Yes now." Lily sighed. "Sorry I made you see me in that situation."

"Nothing." James shrugged. "I've gotten a lot worse, don't worry…" He took a deep breath, gathering his chest boldly and thanking that his mind was a little clouded by the beer. "Lily, are you going with anyone to Liz's party?"

Liz was a girl who studied with James, they were classmates in the Philosophy class, she was a Brazilian exchange student, and had said that she would have a party to celebrate Valentine's Day on the same date that was celebrated in Brazil, and that it was a party with the themed 'june party', which implied that they dressed in checkered clothes, or round and lace-filled dresses. She had also said that they should go as couples, but for singles, there would be something like a kissing chain or something, James hadn't quite understood.

From the photos she had shown, it looked interesting, and any opportunity to ask Lily out, James was taking it.

"I hadn't thought to go, until now." She turned her head toward him, and James cursed her sunglasses, preventing him from seeing those beautiful green eyes. ‘Are you asking me on a date?

"Could be if you want," He smiled, hoping it was seductive enough.

"Are you asking me on a date after you saw me throw up?" This time Lily lifted her glasses, and her green eyes glared at him, her eyebrow raised and an adorable little smile on her lips.

"I said I've been worse." James bit his cheek, a little anxiously. 'Then? Do you want to be my partner? I can wear a dress if you like, I look really cute in lace.” He winked, just to make her laugh—and she did.

"I want," Lily put her glasses back on, and lay back down. 'Just because I want to see you wearing lace and ruffles… I promise to be a good gentleman and court you.' It was he who laughed now, thinking it was alcohol that made him feel silly like that, laughing at anything she said and with all those butterflies in the stomach.

"Fine, can't wait." He grinned from ear to ear, he would probably have his face torn open if he continued like this, but he was too happy to care.

He was going on a date with Lily Evans.

[honey-dewey]

The Prince’s Dogs

Pairing: Oberyn Martell/Reader

Word Count: 4,171

Warnings: None!

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

Upon leaving your small village and getting a job in Dorne working for the two princes of Sunspear, you had no idea how much you’d miss one very small yet very pivotal part of your life. The rain. However, being the dog trainer for Prince Oberyn might beat the rain. Might. 

A/N: Have I watched Game of Thrones? Nope! But I’ve started reading the books and read a bit of book 3 with Oberyn, so that’s what this is based off of. Oops. 

Of all the things you missed about home, the rain was what you missed most. Dorne was a fine kingdom with ample sun and the intoxicating smell of salt in the air. But rain was scarce this far south in Sunspear, and you longed for a day where the skies opened and wept, showering the earth.

But the rain was something you could not have, so you settled for a life many would envy. A position in the Dornish palace, dressed in fine clothes rather than your worn out linens. You dearly missed your old home, with the smell of wet dirt and the muddy ground beneath your bare feet, but when your parents had passed, you needed to leave, finding work and income to keep yourself alive.

And you’d found it. You were a servant for the Martell family, although you rarely saw your masters. Doran was always busy, and his younger brother was typically nowhere to be found when he was needed. You’d never met Elia, but the stories were prominent, even to your people. Anyone south of King’s Landing knew all too well the story of Elia Martell.

The Martells treated their servants well. When you’d arrived, they’d put you to work immediately in the kitchens, scrubbing copper kitchenware until your hands were red. The woman who oversaw your work was impressed. Apparently most ended their days with bloodied fingertips. You’d told her you worked with animals day in and day out where you’d come from, and your hands were well prepared for harsh conditions. However, despite the grind, you wore soft clothes. A linen shirt you’d refused to give up, brown pants, and a deep yellow robe you often never wore. You were built for the cold, and Dorne was hot as an oven. A robe would only serve to boil you alive.

You sighed, scrubbing a large cooking pot and dunking it under the water again. Your face was finally legible in the surface, warped and coppery, but legible nonetheless. You hung it to dry alongside the other pots you’d cleaned, turning back yet again to the pile of dirty dishes. You were elbow deep in soapy water when someone exclaimed, “My Prince! I did not see you there!”

“It’s fine my dear,” a honeyed voice said, thick with a Dornish accent. “I did not mean to scare you.”

Hanging another pot, you finally turned to see your visitor.

Prince Oberyn Martell stood by the fire, the flames dancing in his onyx eyes. He smiled at you, and you felt yourself flush. “And this must be the one who keeps my dogs. I’d recognize those hands anywhere.”

You nodded. Once she’d learned you worked dogs in your past, your overseer assigned you to keep the prince’s dogs when you weren’t busy. He had five, all of whom were slender and fast and well trained thanks to you. All the dogs sat by your feet during meals solely because you fed them scraps of your food, and apparently the prince had taken notice. “Yes, I am. Is there a problem with their training?”

Oberyn chuckled. “Quite the contrary, in fact. The girls are swift as ever, and have no hesitation while hunting. Tell me, how did you train them to run through rivers?”

“Food.” It was a true answer. You’d taken the dogs to a shallow pond and baited them across the water, working your way up until you were baiting them across the deepest river you could find. Compared to training dogs in pelting rain, which you had done before, training the dogs to swim fearlessly had been simple.

“Ah,” Oberyn said with a smile. “Food, of course. I suppose this means you’re also the reason Nyx and Artemis are looking a bit rounder than usual?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Your dogs are all in perfect health,” you said sternly. “And if two of your ladies are looking too well fed, then I should not be confronted, because I had nothing to do with it.” It was a blatant lie, and you both knew it.

Oberyn put his hands up. “I was merely making an observation,” he said lightly. “I’ll be leaving you to your washing up.”

You did as he left you to do, washing each dish until it shone and then heading to the doghouse. It was big as your old house back home, and all five dogs rushed to the door as you opened it.

“Hello girls!” You said eagerly, kneeling down so they could all nip at your ears and fingers. “How are we today?”

The dogs all dispersed after that. It was late and there was a warm fire, so three of the dogs curled up to sleep. Nyx and Athena stayed awake, wrestling for a toy before Athena grew bored and trotted off to sleep with her sisters. So Nyx found the next best thing to play with. You.

You wrestled Nyx for the toy, rolling around on the ground and laughing as she growled at you. You growled right back, shaking the toy and coaxing Nyx to drop it. She did, and you tossed it across the room for her to chase after. Nyx was the leader of the pack, the biggest and the oldest. Her muzzle was streaked with grey, but her black and white coat still shone with youth and her eyes sparkled when she was playing. She would always be a puppy at heart.

She returned the toy to you, and you took it. Nyx snapped her jaws at you in an attempt to take the toy, but you pulled it away quickly. “Absolutely not!” You said firmly. “We don’t snatch.” You made Nyx sit, her eyes trained on her toy the entire time. When you finally threw it again, she caught it and trotted right past you with it, dropping it obediently at the feet of her master.

You stood quickly, nearly tripping over yourself as you did so. You knew you looked a mess. Covered from head to foot in dog fur and saliva, your sleeves were still damp from washing dishes and your feet were bare, as they always were. Your hair, which you’d grown long upon arriving in Dorne, was a mess of tangles. Your morning’s braid was long gone.

But the prince didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he scratched Nyx behind the ears and tossed her toy, sending her joyously chasing after it. “I figured I’d find you here,” he said. “The guards said you liked to put the dogs to bed every night.”

You nodded, relaxing a bit as Oberyn sat on a bench and gestured you to his side. Nyx followed you, sitting practically on your feet as you sat. You absently scratched under her ornate collar, hearing her foot thump the ground as you found the sweat spot to scratch. Oberyn smiled as Nyx squirmed under your hands. “You work the girls well.”

“It was my job back home,” you admitted. “I worked the hunting dogs. They were stockier and slower than yours, but could take down anything they wanted. Training them was a task, especially during the rainy season.”

Oberyn nodded slowly. “My girls are bred for speed,” he said. “Their mother was a gift given to my sister, and she bore me my puppies.”

You tried to imagine Oberyn cradling a tiny puppy. His hands were bigger than yours, and a puppy would probably fit in his palm. “Is the mother still alive?”

“Died of age years ago,” Oberyn said. “Right after bearing Persephone’s litter.”

The beautiful dark red dog looked up when Oberyn said her name, but went back to sleep shortly after.

“And what happened to the other puppies?”

“I got pick of the litter,” Oberyn said, smoothing a hand over Nyx’s head. “And the other puppies were given to knights or to houses who’ve sworn loyalty.”

You nodded. “These five were incredibly lucky.”

Oberyn smiled. “Two of them were the youngest born, and one was a runt.”

Both of your gazes went to the dogs curled around the fire. “Was it Artemis?” The blue dog had always been smaller than her sisters, but she had never been any less impressive.

“No.” Oberyn stood, sitting cross legged beside the fire and looking warmly at his dogs. “Athena was the youngest born in her litter, but wasn’t a runt by any means. Nyx was my first dog, the biggest in her litter of course. Persephone was a middle born, and I chose her for her fighter’s spirit. Artemis, bless her, was second youngest in her litter but she was an average size. No, it was Hestia who was a runt. She was so small, we all feared she’d die in the night. I fed her myself, with a rag soaked in milk, for months.”

You nodded, sitting on the other side of the fire and stroking Hestia’s silky ears. She was the best suited for hunting, with her dark brindle pattern and keen blue eyes. “She’s a magnificent dog.”

“She is.”

For the better part of the night, you and Oberyn sat in silence around the fire until it was nothing more than embers. All the dogs were long asleep, and the only reason you didn’t join them was because the room was stiflingly hot. Oberyn looked at peace in the heat, and actually seemed surprised when you got up to sit next to the cracked window. “Are you warm?”

“I’m boiling,” you said. “Dorne is a beautiful place, but must it be so damned hot?”

“Oh? And where do you come from that would justify Dorne being hot as the ovens you work in front of?” Oberyn asked, tipping his head ever so slightly.

You tucked your feet up under your body, leaning against the windowsill and looking out across the Sea of Dorne. “I come from a place where no man rules. My people have been there for generations and will remain there for generations. The land is firm beneath our feet, it’s why we all go barefoot. We have three seasons. The winters, the summers, and the rain. Each turn, between the winters and the summers, it rains. It rains a lot. No one is ever deterred by the rain, as it’s warm, so unlike the freezing rain in the mountains. We were barely fifty houses strong when I left, but our land stretches as far as the eye can see. Flat expanses of green, and in the summers the fields bloom with every kind of flower imaginable. It is a beautiful sight, and if you travel far enough east, you can see the shadows of the Dornish Mountains.” As you spoke, you grew only more homesick, wishing you could plant your feet in the mud and breathe, just breathe in the open air. Dorne’s air smelled of ocean and fish, and you craved the wetness of the petrichor smell you’d grown up with.

Oberyn joined you by the window, looking out at the glowing moon hung high in the sky. “What would you give to return?”

“Everything.”

It was an answer that seemed to stun the youngest Martell sibling. He blinked, still gazing at the moon. “Of course,” he said softly. “Of course.”

The next day, you spent all morning in the great hall, feeding the dogs under the table and reading a book you’d bought in town. Doran and Oberyn sat at the head of the hall together, arguing, but you couldn’t hear them, nor did you care to. You merely flipped a page in your book and fed Hestia another scrap of bacon.

Halfway through your day, you were interrupted in your washing of linens by the lake. Oberyn rode up to you, two horses and all his dogs by his side. “Come.”

You stood, dusting off your pants. “Where to?” You asked. “I doubt I’ll be much use on a hunting trip.”

Oberyn handed you the reins of a horse you’d trained early in your days of working in Dorne. “I’m taking you home.”

You went eagerly after that. You may have been wary, but Oberyn was sincere enough that you trusted him. The dogs followed you, ever the obedient hunters you had trained, as you and him rode hard northward, stopping to make camp as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

“Why are you joining me?” You asked once you’d made camp. “You could’ve sent me on my way, alone.”

Oberyn considered your words, turning meat over the fire. “You fascinate me,” he finally admitted. “You want for nothing in Dorne, and yet you are more homesick than anyone I’ve ever met. You talk about your home as if there is no better place to be. I want to see if you’re right.”

You grinned. “You’ll need firmer clothes than that,” you said, gesturing to Oberyn’s ornate robe. “It’s nearly rain season. Anything that isn’t made to stand up to the water will be ruined.”

Oberyn ran the fabric through his fingers, nodding. “What should I wear?”

“There’s a town not far from my home,” you said. “We’ll find you some suitable clothes there.”

The town in question was a three day ride away. While you rode, you and Oberyn got to know each other. He talked happily about his daughters, never favoring one over the other and seeming proud to have bore them all. In return, you told him about your parents, despite both of them being deceased. He was a good listener, hardly ever interrupting. As the weather grew colder and a wet chill filled the air, you felt yourself getting more comfortable, more at home.

The town finally loomed in the distance after three days on horseback, only stopping to rest the dogs or the horses. You were familiar with everyone, happily chatting to the townsfolk while you browsed thick clothes for Oberyn. He kept the hood of a roughly made cloak over his head, concealing his identity as he watched you make decisions. Finally, you walked away with a sturdy linen shirt that matched yours, reinforced brown pants, and a thick robe that mimicked the Dornish style while also remaining functional. It didn’t fall to Oberyn’s ankles as his vibrant yellow one did, the new faded deep green one stopping just above his knee. He grumbled about the color, but you hushed him as you donned a similar coat in faded burgundy.

As you continued east, the threat of rain grew stronger. You could smell it now, the rain heavy clouds a swirl of deep blue grey on the sky. Artemis whined when a distant rumble of thunder sounded, but you hushed her gently and nudged the horse forward. “We’re not far off. We’ll beat the rain.”

You were right. The village came into view before the rain started, and you quickly ushered the five dogs and one Dornish Prince into your family’s home as warm summer rain began to fall.

Oberyn stared at the ceiling in wonder as the rain began to pound. “Will it hold?”

“It’s held for three generations,” you said, putting logs into a fireplace and looking for your flint. “It’ll continue to hold, that I can swear.”

Once you got a fire going and some food set out for the dogs, you went outside. Oberyn tried to stop you, but you ignored him, opting to stand out back of the house instead. Rain soaked you to the bone immediately, but you didn’t care. The rain was warm and comforting, like being hugged by an old friend. Your hair slicked to your head and your clothes were sticking to your skin, but you simply tipped your head to the heavens and smiled.

You were out for a surprisingly long time before Oberyn braved the rain. He shielded his eyes and stood beside you, shoulders hunched. “Are you going to come back inside? You’ll catch a chill if you stay out here much longer!”

You shook your head. “No I won’t,” you said, looking over when a crack of thunder interrupted you. “Relax Oberyn, it’s only rain.”

Eventually, Oberyn loosened, standing next to you and admiring the rain. When he spoke again, his voice was full of wonder. “You worked in these conditions?”

You nodded. “Sometimes, the rain lasts for weeks,” you said. “We need to hunt, eat, and gather, so yes. I worked in the rain a lot.”

A bell sounded in the distance, and Oberyn looked over, shielding his eyes. “What’s that?”

“Dinner!” You said eagerly, taking his hand. “Come on. You want to see what I love about home? I’ll show you.”

The dinner hall was a sturdy building, bigger than the others. People filtered in, all soaked from the rain, so yours and Oberyn’s wet state wasn’t unusual.

“The dog keeper is home!” Someone said cheerily, seeing you showing Oberyn how to quickly towel his hair dry. Immediately, people began to crowd you, hugging you and asking why you’d returned.

“Oh,” you said, squeezing water out of your coat. “Someone asked me where I came from that would justify me calling Dorne hot as an oven. I felt compelled to show him.” You looped an arm through Oberyn’s elbow, and he looked at people you’d spent your entire life surrounded by.

“Is that Prince Oberyn Martell?” Someone finally asked in a hushed tone.

You shrugged. “Maybe in Dorne he is,” you said. “But out here, he’s just Oberyn.”

Oberyn seemed grateful, and you pulled him to a table. Food was passed around, and the conversation picked up once more. With the warm fire blazing at the front of the hall and the fall of rain against the roof, you felt more at home than you’d ever been. The people around you were your age, and they pushed you for questions about Dorne.

“Oh it’s beautiful,” you said, stirring your stew and dipping your slice of bread into your bowl. “But it’s so hot! I don’t know how those Dornishmen survive the heat in their robes!”

“We’re born there,” Oberyn said, bumping elbows with you. “Unlike you, that heat is all we’ve known.”

You grinned. “I will say, they let me play with the Prince’s dogs, so it’s not all bad.”

“Play?” Oberyn said, stunned. “You trained all the dogs! Let me tell you,” he said, turning to the people around you. “I’ve never met a better dog trainer in my life. If they weren’t so insistent upon working in the kitchens, I’d have promoted them to full time animal trainer already! Lord knows our horses need the firm hand.”

The people around you began to tell Oberyn about your past while you ate, happily telling him about how you’d once trained the village dogs to hunt in the pouring rain by slathering yourself in animal fat and racing through the woods while they hunted you down during the rainy season.

“Is that what you did with my dogs?” He asked when the story was done.

You shrugged. “More or less,” you said. “I take bits of my own breakfast and bait the girls. I told you, that was how I got them to swim so fearlessly.”

Oberyn nodded. “You know you could just ask for more food if you’re going to be sacrificing your own breakfast for my dogs.”

Another shrug. “I don’t mind.”

“Did you bring the dogs?” Someone asked, and you nodded.

“Of course!” You said. “I’ll let the young ones play with them tomorrow if this rain lets up. Although, it is what I missed most.”

“The rain?” The person sitting across from you asked. “Does it not rain in Dorne?”

You sighed, mopping up the last remnants of stew with bread you’d taken from Oberyn. “Not enough,” you said wistfully. “The most it’s rained since I moved there was an hour’s worth of mild rain. And it only rains once every month! It’s hell.”

After dinner came dessert, a sweet pastry filled with oozing red berries and topped with sticky honey. It wasn’t something that was made very often, and you ate yours quickly, savoring the flavors. Oberyn was more hesitant, and was a bit more dignified. However, no amount of dignity saved him from the fruit juices dripping down his chin and you laughing at him while handing him something to wipe his face.

After all the food was eaten, you bid everyone goodbye and braved the rain yet again. It was lighter now, and the children were chasing each other around, happily shouting and playing with the sturdy village hunting dogs. There was no rush for anything, and you didn’t hurry home. Instead, you walked slowly, despite the light rain, taking in all that you’d lost when you left. Oberyn held your hand, the hood of his robe pulled up over his head. He looked at ease here.

When you reached your house, the rain was no more than a light mist, and you eagerly pulled Oberyn around back. The sun was almost gone, but the final rays soaked the land in gold, illuminating the rolling hills and picturesque plains.

“Take a deep breath,” you said softly, seeing Oberyn’s eyes go wide. “And tell me what you smell.”

Oberyn took a breath, staying silent for a moment. “I can’t describe it,” he said, voice soft with awe. “It smells like earth and water and something not of this world.”

“It’s called petrichor,” you said. “The smell of rain on dry soil.”

A delicate silence lapsed over you two, bound only by your connected hands as you watched the sun fully set. Once the sky was dark, you pulled Oberyn inside, handing him a towel so he could dry off.

“How long are we staying?” You asked, stripping out of your soaked clothes and hanging them to dry on a line.

Oberyn, who was in another room for privacy, made a small noise. “I don’t know. A week? I must return at some point.”

You smiled, pulling on a linen shift and tossing another log into the fire that the dogs were surrounding. “I agree. I suppose the girls I work with will be disappointed if I don’t return.”

Oberyn came out of the room wearing a shift identical to yours. He began to hang his clothes beside yours. “It’s nice here,” he said. “I don’t know why anyone would ever want to leave.”

“I didn’t,” you reminded him. “If I’d been able to, I would’ve stayed here all my life. But then I would’ve never met you or your dogs.”

Oberyn smiled, sitting beside the dogs and gesturing you close. You sat with him, facing the fire. Hestia woke up, set her head in your lap, and fell asleep immediately after. You stroked her ears, humming to yourself. “Thank you for bringing me back.”

“Thank you for allowing me to come along,” Oberyn replied.

As you grew more and more tired, you finally relented and stood to go to sleep. “You’re welcome to join me,” you said to Oberyn. “I apologize, but there’s only one bed.”

Oberyn stood. “It’s fine. We can share.”

You took the right side of the bed and Oneryn took the left, you giving him an extra blanket when he started to shiver. His chills never faded, and you did the only thing left. You shifted in the bed, curling up against Oberyn’s chest and wrapping your arms around his middle, giving him your body heat.

“Your Dornish blood is at a cruel disadvantage out here,” you said softly, and you felt Oberyn chuckle.

“I’ll just have to adapt,” he murmured.

The next morning, you woke to no rain and a perfectly blue sky. Oberyn stayed asleep as you got dressed, made breakfast, and let the dogs out to play with the eagerly waiting children. As Oberyn’s dogs raced off to entertain the kids, you sat beside an open window, waiting for Oberyn to wake up.

When he finally did, he sat across from you at the tiny table and slowly began to eat, blinking sleepily at you from time to time.

“Good morning sleepy head,” you said finally, once the food had all been eaten and Oberyn looked a bit more awake. “How’d you sleep?”

Oberyn looked up at you. “Great. Where are the girls?”

“Outside with the kids,” you said, pointing out the window, where you could see the dogs running around with the children. “We’ll hunt them later, but for now, let them have their fun.”

“Ah.” Oberyn nodded. “Okay. So what do we do?”

You shrugged. “Typically, I’d have been working for a while by now.”

“We could work.”

“With those hands?” You said, taking Oberyn’s hands in your own. “Your skin isn’t accustomed to my kind of work, it would split immediately.”

Oberyn smiled. “So what do we do?” He asked again.

You squeezed his hands. “Whatever we want, Oberyn.”

“What if I want to go back to bed with you by my side?” Oberyn asked.

“Well then.” You stood, shedding your coat. “I guess we better get going.”

[awanderingdeal]

Never too late - 8

An eternity later and it is here! Part 8 of 'Never too Late'. How much of this is me projecting? You'll never know.

CW: Food, alcohol, feelings of queer exclusion at prom, coming out, [very minor and it is shut down] compulsory sexuality.

Please message me if you feel I missed anything out.

Just a note, that due to the POV of this fic, there is a lot of linking between relationships and romance to prom. I just want to reiterate that prom absolutely does not have to be a romantic event if you do not want it to. The beef is more that queer kids do not always have the choice to go with their partners safely, and the stress of not knowing whether it would have been okay or not.

I hope that all of you that wanted to were able to have the prom you wanted and if you weren't able to, please know it is just ONE day. Throw your own if you want to. Don't if you don't want to. I know for myself, I have a lot of feelings about it, so please don't read this if it going to upset you.

Rating: T

Previous and future chapters can be found on my masterlist.

All credit for Sweater Weather and these characters go to @lumosinlove

8. Go to a dance. Kiss your first love. Well, at least you think they are anyway. But remember kids, consent always.

Leo was excited, to say the least. Sprawled on his bed, laptop in front of him and his cell to the right, he knew it was getting late, but he wanted to research a little longer. He had a venue and a catering team locked down; the latter he had done reluctantly, after yet another person had told him that he absolutely could not cater the event himself.

His phone buzzed insistently, and Leo grunted. Why would anybody call when you could just text? He grunted again when he read the caller id.

Regulus. What a traitor.

“Hello?” Leo answered, rolling onto his back. He felt a tightness in his lumbar region, and made a mental note to mention it to Hestia in the morning if the sensation was still there when he woke up.

“Go to sleep.”

“ I will soon,” Leo hummed. “Did you look at my text?”

“Leo. It’s 2am.”

“Yes, I worked very hard to learn to tell the time, thank you.” In truth, the last time Leo remembered checking the time, it had still been the previous day. Logan had a popped his head around the door to tell Leo that he and Finn were going to crash in one of the other rooms, and that Leo should get some sleep soon. Leo had nodded and assured Logan he wouldn’t be too long.

Regulus’ sigh on the other end of the phone interrupted his memory.

“And you’re getting cranky,” Regulus said. Leo could imagine the smooth raised eyebrow that accompanied the words. “If I tell you which theme I like, will you go to sleep?”

Leo shifted, pushing himself up against the stack of pillows. He nodded eagerly, before remembering Regulus couldn’t see him. “Yes. I promise.”

“I like both -”

“That is not helpful!”

“Wait a second. Merde. You should combine them.”

“That’s,” Leo wrinkled his nose, contemplating the idea. “That’s actually kind of genius.”

“You can thank me later,” Regulus offered smugly. “After you’ve got some sleep.”

***

“So Reg, who’s the lucky person who gets to be your date to this thing?” Finn asked, plucking a brownie from the plate in the middle of the table, before settling into the seat opposite Leo.

“It’s not a thing!” Leo protested.

“Sorry, babe. This prom,” Finn grinned.

Regulus worried his lip between his teeth, looking first at Leo and then turning his gaze back to Finn. “Do I have to go with someone?”

“Yes,” Finn said resolutely, at the same time as Leo shook his head, giving the opposite answer.

“No,” Leo repeated, narrowing his eyes at Finn. “People go to prom with friends all the time.”

“Okay, yeah, fine. You don’t have to,” Finn agreed, giving a placating smile. Leo hated that it worked. If he were being honest, they should probably utilise the O’Hara smile in diplomatic relations. “But don’t you want to have the quintessential prom kiss?”

“Finn -”

“I was actually thinking I could borrow Leo,” Regulus rolled his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Apparently Finn didn't catch it though. His face contorted into a thousand different expressions in the space of a second. Conflicted. Contemplative. Accepting. “Well...I guess I’d be okay with it, if Leo is, but Lo-”

“That was a joke, Finn,” Regulus laughed.

“Oh, right,” Finn laughed as well, the tips of his cheeks tinged pink. “Well. Yeah. Prom kisses are nice. I had sex for the first time on my prom. Although, she did cheat on my two months later, so maybe I’m not the best example to follow,” he rambled.

“That was a lot to learn about somebody in a very short amount of time," Regulus commented, clutching his mug between his hands.

Finn shrugged, leaning forward to grab another brownie, seemingly uncaring about the wealth of information he had just offered.

***

“Hey, Le?”

Leo looked up from his phone, finding Regulus hovering next to him, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He cocked his head slightly in question.

“Can we talk?”

Leo frowned, setting his phone down on the coffee table and patted the seat next to him on the sofa. “You don’t usually ask,” he smirked.

Regulus’ smile back seemed strained, but Leo didn’t comment on it. “Earlier,” Regulus started as he took a seat, playing with the tips of his fingers before he stopped abruptly, placing them in his lap. “In the kitchen? What Finn said?”

Leo sighed gently, “Ignore him. Finn’s mouth and his feet are well acquainted. You know Finn. He just doesn't always think before he speaks. I’m sorry if he upset you.”

“You shouldn’t apologise for your boyfriend. If I wanted an apology I would have gone to him.” ” Regulus chided. His expression softened, his next intake of breath larger than usual. “Can you just listen?”

“Sorry,” Leo turned to look at Regulus properly. “You were saying?”

Regulus gave a small nod. “I don’t think I want that.”

Leo opened his mouth to speak, remembered Regulus’ request and snapped it shut again.

“Not the kisses. Not the sex. None of it. I think I’m asexual” The words came out in a single, hurried burst, but Regulus seemed to stumble over the last one, as if it was unfamiliar to him, unpractised. Leo could picture his friend frantically asking google questions, refining each search as he learned new information. He’d been there himself once.

A silence hung in the air, the two of them staring at one another, with an intensity that was making Leo feel uncomfortable, but he didn't want to be the first to break eye contact.

“Désolé," Regulus blinked. "Say something. Please."

Leo shuffled forward, his arms outstretched. “I’m going to hug you now.” He waited a beat to allow Regulus to protest, before pulling him close. Regulus sat stiffly, taking a moment to relax into the embrace and when he did, Leo squeezed him a little tighter. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I knew you’d be okay with it,” Regulus grumbled. Leo was sure he heard a hint of relief despite the attempt to appear ambivalent. He let Regulus go, putting some space between them again, knowing his friend had more personal space boundaries than Leo was used to dealing with.

“It’s still scary. Even if you’re almost certain it’s going to be alright. And just in case you need to hear it, I love you, you’re valid and even if you decide that’s not the right label for you that’s okay too.”

“What are you? Like, gay Yoda?” Regulus gave a small laugh, but he sniffed wetly. “Thanks.”

“A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack,” Leo made a fist, wrapped his other hand over the top and bowed his head.

“Nerd.”

“Wait, can I ask you a question?” Regulus’ consenting nod was slow and tentative. “Does this mean you’d prefer if I stop sending you half naked photos every other day?” Leo let the corner of his mouth curl into a smirk.

Regulus barked a very uncharacteristic laugh, deep and loud. “While I can appreciate the aesthetic appeal of Chris Evans, yes, I’ve seen enough of that man to last me many lifetimes .” He punched Leo lightly in the knee. Leo raised an eyebrow at the very frat - boy inspired action, and Regulus made a face that suggested he wasn’t quite sure where it had come from either. “I’m sure company is not an issue for you in this household, but don’t worry I’ll still watch The Avengers with you.”

“A real hero,” Leo drawled. “Hey.” He met Regulus’ eyes, his tone taking on a more serious note again. “You know you can tell Finn. And Logan, right? If that’s what you want. Whenever you’re ready. They’ll be cool.”

“Yeah,” Regulus breathed. “I don’t doubt it.”

“And if they’re not. I’ll personally kick them in the balls for you.”

***

Leo fussed with his bowtie in the mirror, tilting his head this way and that, trying to decide if it was straight.

“Stop. You look great. They’re going to die,” Regulus declared, making Leo jump slightly. He’d known the man was in the room, but his best friend had a habit of just appearing beside him unannounced.

Leo took another look in the mirror, running his fingers over the slightly raised texture of his initials monogrammed into the teal suspenders. “Yeah, I guess I’ll do,” he hummed, turning to face Regulus, scanning his eyes over him. Even Leo had been surprised by Regulus’ choice of attire, knowing now why he had kept the outfit such a secret. “Bold choice,” he remarked.

“Too much?”

“No,” Leo shook his head. Maybe it would have been on somebody else, but Regulus wore the mustard yellow three - piece effortlessly. He reached out to touch the blue sapphire that embellished the lapel, a gold chain linking it to the breast pocket. “Not at all. I’m just jealous.”

“Alright boys, are we ready?” Alex asked, clapping his hands together.

“Yeah.”

“As we’ll ever be.”

“Ready!” Kuny boomed, making a show of checking his pocket watch, the gold chain attaching it to his vest was somehow, even more ornate than Regulus’.

The four of them turned to glance at Remus, the only one in the room left to reply. Shrugging his jacket over his shoulders, Remus smiled. “I guess I can’t play with this tie any longer.”

“Alright then. I don’t know a lot about you guys, but I want to see my boyfriend,” Alex rocked on his feet, Leo chuckled, the man pretended he was so much more chill than his younger brother, but excitement seemed to bubble under his skin all the same. Leo didn’t blame Alex though, separating the partners into different rooms had seemed like a good idea earlier in the evening, but now he just wanted to see Finn and Logan, ideally before he exploded with anticipation. He couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for those of them that had to wait for their partners to arrive from the Potter’s house, where the ladies had opted to get ready.

“Yes. I want see Jackson,” Kuny nodded resolutely.

“Lord, help me,” Regulus whined. Leo just laughed, wrapping an arm around his friend’s shoulders.

***

“Cap! Stop undressing Loops with your eyes, he put a lot of effort into finding that suit.”

“Kuny. Put Nado down. There are people here.”

“Harzy. Are you crying?”

“You can close your mouth now, Leo.” Regulus tapped a finger lightly against Leo’s jaw. He would have tried to defend himself from the accusation, but he couldn’t deny the quiet clink of his teeth snapping back together.

“I’m just going to need a minute,” Leo mumbled, dragging his eyes over Finn and Logan’s bodies.

“Take your time,” Regulus chuckled. “Is-” Regulus leaned forward, squinting slightly. “Does Finn’s jacket match the invites.”

“I think they’re flowers.” Although, from afar, the swirls of blue and silver painted over the jacket did resemble the night sky artwork the two of them had settled on for the invites. Leo had insisted they needed them despite Regulus’ very valid point that saw all of the attendees at least once a week. “I’m going to go and check,” Leo waved a hand towards his boyfriends. He could see Logan’s lips moving, Finn’s grin widening with each word and Leo wanted in on that conversation.

“Sure,” Regulus hummed. “You go and do that.”

Leo stole a glance behind him as he crossed the short distance of their lounge, feeling a pang of guilt about leaving Regulus so easily on what was supposed to be his night. He needn't have worried though, he had barely taken a few paces before Regulus was swarmed by Thomas and James. Leo huffed a laugh at Regulus' disgruntled expression as they fawned at his suit.

***

“Leo. Regulus. Welcome! These must be your guests.” Estella, the only one of fifteen event planners that he and Regulus could agree on, smiled wide. “Is everybody here? I can always have somebody come and meet any stragglers?”

“No, this is all of us,” Leo confirmed. Corralling everybody into the two limos had been a task, but somehow they had all managed to make it to the museum without anybody being left behind.

“Alright then. Follow me. I think you’re going to love what we’ve settled on.” Estella turned on her heel, tight curls bouncing behind her as she led them up the grand staircase. Leo had been to The Natural History museum many times during the day, but the place had a strange sense of awe without the usual bustle of visitors, and he couldn’t wait to see what the events hall had been transformed into.

Estella pushed the ornate double doors open, blocking the entrance with her body. She must have noticed how Leo’s feet itched with anticipation because she gave a small smirk as she stepped aside. “Enjoy your evening, gentlemen. I’ll be around should you need anything."

Leo looked back at the group behind him; his team, his friends, his family, and felt the pool of anxiety that had been bubbling in his stomach all day, churn again. This evening had started off as being for Regulus, but it had quickly grown beyond that. While prom wasn’t inherently romantic, the traditions that came alongside it were embroiled with ideas that had marginalised so many of them, even if they hadn’t realised it at the time. A part of him hated that a high school event that was truly insignificant in the grand scheme of things could hold so much weight. He wanted to rebel, to not let it be important at all. Another just wanted to be able to give them all the night they had wished for back then.

“What’s the delay?” Natalie’s voice shook Leo from his head, and he glanced to his left at Regulus before moving into the room.

Estella and her team had really come through. They had weaved Leo and Regulus’ ideas on decoration into something spectacular. He had to force himself not to pause again, waiting until he was less of an obstruction to the rest of them, to stop and look up at the ceiling. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of tiny lights strung to look exactly like the night sky. Right in the centre, Leo recognised the pattern to be that of his namesake, one light slightly brighter than all the rest.

“Hey,” Sirius clapped a hand on Regulus’s shoulder. “How come you get to be up there and I don’t.”

“Can’t stand not to be the centre of attention can you, big brother?” Regulus shot back and Sirius just shook his head with a laugh, hurrying after Remus.

***

“This one is for all you loved up folk out there,” the DJ’s voice rang through the room, the music slowly fading from a thuddy beat into the tender piano notes of the next song.

Leo winced as Marlene squealed, tugging Dorcas from her chair, the latter almost tripping over her train in the rush, although she regained her composure quickly. She moved just as swiftly in her heels as Marlene did in her black and white oxfords. He watched the two of them leave, Dorcas’ emerald green dress almost sparkling as it caught the light.

“Go on,” Regulus nudged Leo, tilting his head in the direction of where Finn and Logan had already procured a spot on the dance floor. “Go dance with your boys.”

Leo glanced at Regulus, before turning his gaze to meet his boyfriend’s eyes. He contorted his features into a series of faces that to anybody else probably seemed nonsensical, but they caught on perfectly, answering his silent question with simultaneous nods of their heads.

“Or,” Leo placed his hand, palm upright, on the table. “You could do me the honour?”

“I’m not,” Regulus wrinkled his nose. “You don’t need to -”

“Indulge me, Reggie.”

“Only if you stop calling me that,” Regulus sighed, grasping Leo’s hand. “I’m leading.”

Regulus, it turned out, could dance. Leo was passable. He let himself be led around the floor, laughing with his friend at all the couples that weren’t quite as accomplished, his boyfriend’s included.

The music flowed seamlessly from the deep tones of John Legend into the lighter ones of Taylor Swift.

“Yes! My girl, Tay Tay. Now we’re talking.”

Regulus rolled his eyes playfully, “Calm down, Le. I think your gay is showing.”

“Okay, Karen.”

“I am wounded,” Regulus clutched his hand to chest, placing it back on Leo’s hip without missing a beat. He looked up, smiling at Leo softly. “You should go and dance with them now. I think they could do with your help.”

“Non!” Logan argued, stumbling over Finn’s feet once again. “I know how to dance. It is Finn who is a liability,” he added, as they came to a halt beside Leo and Regulus.

***

Reg! Did you see Kam sent the link for the photos?

I did. You want to look at them together, non?

Oui, Oui! Come over now?

Leo waited to receive the confirmation text, before he hurried into the kitchen to compile a selection of snacks, as well as a jug of lemon water for Finn. On his final trip, he added the ever-present jug of sweet tea from the fridge to the tray, setting it all up on the table in front of the TV in the lounge.

“Baby Black is coming over then?” Logan teased, sprawling onto the sofa next to Leo.

“Sssh,” Leo whined, pressing a finger to Logan’s lips. “Otherwise no doughnuts for you.”

Logan gasped, launching himself at Leo, his hands finding the spot below Leo’s ribs where he was most ticklish. “How dare you threaten me with such things?”

“Stop it,” Leo spluttered between laughs, squirming away from the assault. Thankfully the doorbell rang just as Leo thought he was going to have to tap out, Logan letting him up to go and answer it.

It took a few minutes to get all four of them settled on the couch and the photos casting from his cell to the TV, but eventually they managed it.

Kam, and their assistant, had done a great job of capturing the entire night, from everybody getting ready to a very drunk James and Evgeni snoring softly against the giant moon structure. James was swamped by Evgeni’s checked suit jacket and James’ pinstripe one hung from Evgeni’s arm.

“Did you three plan this?” Regulus laughed as a photo of Sirius, Logan and Pascal appeared on the screen. The three of them had chosen to go with a classic tuxedo, albeit with slight variations.

“We did not. We just all have impeccable taste,” Logan retorted.

“Oh my God!” Finn sat forward, squinting at the screen. “They definitely planned that though.” He waved at the image of Alex and Kasey, their suits the same but in reverse; Alex’s jacket a navy blue with a checked grey vest and Kasey the opposite.

“Finn babe,” Leo frowned, sliding Finn’s glasses onto his face. “How did you go the entire night without noticing that. Aren’t you supposed to be the fashion connoisseur, here?”

“I was distracted!” Finn protested. “By…” he beamed as a photo of him, Leo and Logan replaced the previous image. “That.”

Regulus faked a gag, swiping at the phone to get a new photo. Any argument that was about to ensue was abruptly ended as they all burst into laughter. On the screen, a sheepish looking Pascal was being berated by Estella, her finger pointing to the sign to the left of the vine covered swing that Pascal was sitting on that read, ‘For decorative purposes only’.

They went through hundreds of photos. Some of them were sweet; Natalie with her arms wrapped around Regulus’s waist pressing a kiss to his cheek. Some of them were silly; everybody sat in rows on the dancefloor, their arms out to side. Some of them staged; Regulus and Leo sat on the big arm chairs beneath the origami stars. All of them captured tiny moments that none of them wanted to forget.

Leo tucked his head against Regulus' shoulder, trying to stifle his tears. He wasn't upset, not at all. It was just a lot. Seeing it all again. And then he remembered that all the decorations had been donated. Most of the woodland pieces, including the huge faux tree that had stood in the middle of one of the tables had gone to a local young theatre troupe that were struggling to finance their show, and the starry night pieces had gone to a group that were organising a Queer prom for the region's high schoolers that maybe didn't feel accepted at their own. For Leo, knowing that young kids like himself could take their prom photos with whomever they wanted, could truly decide whether they wanted to go with friends or their partners without fear, was the best part of all. Regulus wrapped his arm around Leo, pulling him closer.

"Thank you, I had the best prom ever."

[daughterofzagreus]

Assigning Zodiac Signs to Greek Gods

Zeus - Sagittarius 

*sigh*, my sign. During Sag season too, LMAO.

Sag is ruled by Jupiter, which is Zeus's Roman counterpart. And it's fitting. It's the planet of expansion and good luck which relates to Zeus. He was the only one of his siblings who wasn't swallowed by his father, which makes him pretty lucky to me. Zeus is a cheating fuckboy, with a love for chasing tail that is the root cause for about 90% of all the issues and conflicts in ancient Greek mythology...that's a pretty typical Sag male move. It's no secret that Sags can be hoes (I say this with love🤗). According to the myths, Zeus was actually a pretty fun, jovial guy who loved a good party, singing, dancing and some drink (the word "jovial" comes from his Roman name Jove/Jupiter). He's impulsive and has a bad temper when angered, though. All fairly Sag tendencies.

Poseidon - Pisces

Pisces is ruled by Neptune, the Roman counterpart to Poseidon. It makes sense that the god of the Sea would be a water sign. Uncle Sy was an emotional MESS in Greek mythology, he's been described as emotionally unstable, temperamental and moody. I'm sorry Pisces but (as someone with a Pisces mother) I can definitely see it. He was quite a hoe too, so I don't know if it's just a mutable sign thing (In which case, welcome to the Hoe club, Pisces👏🏾). His moods and emotions change like the tides (like Pisces), so he's either in a very good mood or a very bad one. Apparently he was quite the sweetheart when in a good mood, as well. Although, man gets a lot of good PR from the Percy Jackson series😒.

Hades - Scorpio

Obvious Scorpio is obvious💀. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, which is the planet of death and rebirth. Makes sense, as Hades rules over the underworld. Pluto is also Hades's Roman counterpart. Hades isn't technically an Olympian because he doesn't stay in Olympus, his kingdom is in the underworld. I think that's significant because Scorpios like to keep to themselves. The stereotype of Scorpio is that they're morbid, secretive and mysterious. Into the macabre. Kind of like an intellectual brooding, which all fits for Hades. He's not an unfair guy, though. Likely, more on the misunderstood side. I think the fact that only a few people (like his wife Persephone) understand him shows that he doesn't open up or get vulnerable easily or with just anyone. A very Scorpio trait.

Hestia - Cancer

We don't know much about Hestia's personality. She's demure, simple and rules over the hearth and home. Cancers tend to be family oriented. If not, they do have a significant relationship with their home (be that their actual house, or their hometown. Wherever "home" and the family is). The hearth is the centre of the household. It keeps the home warm and provides a place for the whole family to gather around to commune or just feel safe. So, I think that's fitting.

Hera - Virgo

Oh gosh, I can't help comparing her and Zeus's relationship to Jay-Z and Beyonce 😔. Bless her heart, that Sag man has her looking a fool. A complete fool 🤡. Anywho, Hera is beautiful and a perfectionist. Very regal, and strives to maintain perfection. Besides being the queen, Hera is also the goddess of motherhood, monogamy, family marriage, home and protector of all married, so I imagine that she's quite conservative and that (despite the fact that her family is a hot, hot mess) she likes to present the image of the perfect family, kind of like a first lady. She just brings to mind the type of wealthy lady-of-the-manor Virgo woman who runs a tight ship (i.e.: the house/the estate).

Demeter - Cancer 

I was debating on whether or not to make sis a Pisces. But, Cancer is linked to the mother and maternal instincts, which I think is fitting. Cancer is a very maternal sign (at least, there's a lot of significance with Cancer and its relationship to motherhood). The most famous myth involving Demeter is about her daughter Persephone being kidnapped by Hades, and how that affected her emotionally. Demeter is described as being very maternal, protective and kind and embodying a very specific type of love, the "mother's love". One the flip side though, she's also quite OVER-protective. She really does embody some of the more negative traits of Cancer as well such as smothering and being a bit over-bearing with her love. She also strikes me as the type to be emotionally manipulative and play the melodramatic "after all I've done for you, how could you be so cruel to your own mother😭" and "so what are you going to say at my funeral now that you've killed me😔" victim card that overbearing mothers like to use so much. But she doesn't play when it comes to her babies and loved ones.

Ares - Aries

Obvious Aries is obvious😠. Do I even need to say anything? Aries is ruled by Mars, which is Ares's Roman counter part. The planet Mars symbolizes raw masculine energy (you get words like "martial arts" from that), and so does Ares. Both Aries the sign and Ares the god are loud, quite aggressive, and they like conflict (they find it quite funny, and they can move on from it pretty quick, it doesn't really distress them). There's also the passion and explosive temper. Ares is also brave, strong and straight forward. He's also incredibly protective of those he loves. According to Greek mythology, the first murder was committed by Ares when he killed a man who raped (or tried to rape) his daughter, so don't fuck with an Aries's loved ones.

Athena - Capricorn

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn. In astrology, the moon (which rules Cancer - Capricorn's opposite compliment) is The Mother. It's soft, maternal and nurturing. Saturn is The Father. It's the planet of obstacles and boundaries and is a very harsh, stern planet. Success will come, but only after learning some very hard lessons. If the moon is like a emotional parent that coddles and nurtures their child (Cancer), then Saturn is that strict, tough parent that teaches their child (Capricorn) from day dot that the world is going to be cruel and unfair, and so they want to break you to make you stronger and prepare you for the world. That's what I get from Athena. Athena was born fully grown and fully clothed (in battle gear, at that). She literally came into the world with her guard up. She's the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy (among other things), so she's very pragmatic and somewhat cold (not cruel, but just realistic). She's Zeus's favourite child, which links to her ruling planet being The Father. She's kind of like the embodiment of the woman who works in a male dominated field (which, she does) so she has to work harder, adopt more masculine traits and develop a harder exterior in order to survive and thrive. She's not the most emotional or vulnerable person either, and it's noteworthy that she never had a childhood (again, she was born fully grown), so she's never had any of the innocence and naivete.

Artemis - Cancer

With the twins (Artemis and Apollo), Apollo is the sun while Artemis is the moon. Since Cancer is ruled by the moon, it makes sense that Artemis would be a Cancerian. This is the third time I'm bringing up Cancer being maternal, but here we are. Artemis has a close relationship with her mother (she killed this one woman's 7 daughters, because said woman was talking smack about her mother), but Artemis also acts as a foster mother for a lot of different people. She's nurturing, compassionate and protective. Artemis is the protector of young women, and women in childbirth (right after she was born, she helped her mother deliver her twin brother, Apollo). She has a group of huntresses (which any girl is allowed to join, so long as they forgo marriage) and she basically becomes like an adoptive mother towards them (she also, in general, likes to take in strays. She’s goddess of moon and hunting so she spends more time in the wild and at night, whereas Apollo spends more time in civilization in the daytime).

Apollo - Leo

Obvious leo is obvious 🦁. Leo's ruling planet is the sun, and is symbolized by a lion with a ~fabulous~ golden main. Apollo is the sun god (among other things). He drives the sun chariot every day and is always described as having long blond (or ✨golden✨) locks, a golden tan, and is just ridiculously bright and golden overall. Hence his other name being "Phoebos Apollo" (Phoebus meaning “bright”). Leo rules the 5th house, which is basically the house of having fun and being yourself, which matches Apollo. He's one of the more active and fun personalities. He's an over achiever (God of music, poetry, prophecy, archery, young men) and is considered to be the most beautiful male god on Olympus. Like most Leos, humility is not his greatest strength, to say the least. He's dramatic, loves attention and likes to stand out and be the sun (around which everything revolves), like a leo, too.

Hephaestus - Taurus

I really don't know why, and I'm exhausted from writing so much for everyone else. I really don't know which sign to put him in, but Taurus seems to match him. Mainly because he's patient and calm. He's a kind(er) soul who just minds his business and does his work. I know Taurus gets a bad rap for being "lazy", but Taurus actually are quite hard workers. They just like to work on their own terms, and usually the more "slow and steady" type (but still hard work with results). Tauruses also love beautiful things, and Hephaestus is an amazing craftsman who's created the most beautiful jewelry that's ever been made. Taurus is also a very possessive sign that is easily prone to jealousy when it comes to their romantic partner. This is exactly how Hephaestus is when it comes to his wife, Aphrodite (who frequently cheats, since she never wanted to marry him in the first place). The fact that Haphaestus STILL loves her and tries his best to prove himself to her an impress her by making all that jewelery for her (even though it's clear that she just doesn't love him, and the relationship won't ever be what he wants) is something a Taurus would do, as they are solid, committed people. Once they've decided they want to make a relationship work, they're fully committed to it. He does have a temper, but it's generally a long fuse, and he seems to function by the law of "don't start none, won't be none". Very Taurus. They mind their business and they don't start mess...but they will end it. The Taurus fuse is very long, but once it goes off...

Aphrodite - Libra

Obvious Libra is obvious😘. Libra is ruled by Venus, the Roman counterpart of Aphrodite. As the goddess of love and beauty, I don't think it's all that surprising to have Aphrodite be a Libras. Libras could flirt for their nation. They're also a bit vain, like Aphrodite, and they can be people pleasers. But, it's well intentioned. Libras are the scale because they like balance and harmony, and they generally don't care for discord or unpleasantries. Aphrodite is the mother of the goddess Harmonia (goddess of harmony) as well. The vanity also comes from their artistic love of beauty, as libra a generally a very creative sign. If the libra themselves isn't creative, they at least appreciate creativity and art.

Hermes - Gemini

Obvious Gemini is obvious. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which is the Roman counterpart to Hermes. Gemini are multifaceted which makes sense for Hermes as he does a lot of different things. Kind of like a jack of all trades but master of none kind of deal. Hermes is one of the smartest gods in a witty, inventive and humorous way. He was Zeus's second favourite child and his favourite son, and has a more trickster vibe to him. A bit of a scam artist. Hermes is also the god of travelers and thieves. Man just has a way of charming people into liking him, which is a very Gemini trait. As the messenger for the gods, Hermes is also the god of communication (probably a bit of a gossip)...and lord knows Gemini's can talk your ear off. Hermes has a pair of sandles with wings to help with his messenger duties, so he's very fast and is all over the place, since he was so much to do and is always on the go (Gemini rules the 3rd house which is the house of, among other things, short distance travel).

Dionysus - Aquarius

The laid back stoner of the group. And a cult leader. He not only invented wine, but was also the god of substance use, ecstasy and madness. I find it hard to describe Dionysus just like I find it hard to describe Aquarius. I know that traits, but they're just too complex to be able to describe in a single sentence.​ Like Aquarius, Dionysus and his cult originally was a place where marginalized people could feel free. Sticking it to the man and whatnot, which goes with the activism and revolution that comes with Aquarius, along with the idea of paradise.

[icarus-creates]

Neighbors - Part 1

Word Count: 1,534

There was a knock at Roman’s front door. He paused before telling his Twitch chat to wait a moment; “I'm going to refill my water bottle.” As he walked to the front of his apartment, the thought that a fan had found his home was bouncing around in his head. While he had made every precaution to make sure that his identity remained a secret, he worried that something could've slipped accidentally. Pausing to take a breath to calm his nerves, he opened the front door.

Standing there was his neighbor from across the hall, looking nervous. Their long skirts swished around their legs as they rocked back and forth, fiddling with the ends of their sweater. Roman had seen them around in passing, usually when checking the mail or bringing in groceries, but had never exchanged conversation. They always looked cozy but well put together, with a variety of sweaters and long skirts making up a large portion of their wardrobe.

Roman felt his body relax at the familiar person and smiled. “Can I help you?” he asked, curiosity piqued as to why they were at his door.

“Does your oven work? Mine doesn’t right now and I need to finish baking some french bread.”

Roman blanked, taking some time to process the unusual request. “I think so? I don’t use it often.”

“Awesome! I’ll go grab the tray the bread’s on.” They took a couple of steps into the hallway before turning and asking, “Can you preheat the oven to 375 degrees while I do that? That might shave a couple of minutes off of me being over.”

“Sure, I’ll leave the door cracked.”

Roman walked over to his kitchen and preheated the oven before surveying the area. He felt a little guilty at the mess scattered around the living room and kitchen counters, but there wasn't much he could do about it now. His neighbor was awkwardly closing the door with their foot before picking their way carefully across the floor. They placed the tray of bread dough on the counter before turning to face Roman with a grateful clasp of their hands.

“So, any ground rules? I’m going to be here for about an hour or so, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I guess the main rule is don’t make a lot of noise.” Roman paused a moment to think. “That’s the only one that comes to mind, actually. I'll give you a quick tour of everything, like where the bathroom is and where I'm working.”

His neighbor nodded. “Sounds good!”

Gesturing around them, Roman began. "This is obviously the kitchen.” He pointed through the window cut into one of the walls. “That’s the dining and board game area.” He led them back to the front of the apartment next. “This is the living room. It’s a bit of a disaster right now, but I promise it’s normally a lot neater than this,” he rambled as he picked up a pillow from the floor and placed it back on the couch. He continued the tour around his apartment, his neighbor making a small comment about how theirs had a similar layout.

“Last stop!” Roman said, stopping at a door at the end of the hallway. “This is where I’ll be working. I don’t know how much longer it will take, hopefully not too long. Any questions before I let you get to bread-making?”

“Only one comes to mind: what are your name and pronouns?”

“My name is Roman and I use he/him pronouns, but I don’t mind they/them. What about you?”

“I’m Hestia, and I use she/they pronouns. I’ll let you get back to work now; I’ll try to be quiet.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you again when I finish.”

“Have fun!” 

Roman opened the door and slipped into his office, leaving Hestia to get started on baking. Taking a survey of how his chat was doing after being gone for so long, Roman was grateful his mods put the chat in slow mode. Messages were flying across his screen in worried panic.

MythoSimp: how long has it been??

☆Palaxy☆: like half an hour, what do y’all think happened???

Darkness: maybe he’s taken a shit lmao

1Like0re0s: I hope he’s okay!

CliffBuildersBar: I think he is, he would’ve said something if something happened,,, right?

[Username]: I thought I heard a faint knock before he left…

MythoSimp: that’s so weird,,, hopefully it’s just a package!

Roman chuckled and then unmuted himself so chat could hear him. “I’m alright guys, my water bottle was a bit dirty so I washed it out before switching to a new one.  I think I’m going to stream for another hour or so and then wrap it up. My eyes are starting to hurt after staring at my screen for so long.”

Darkness: Alright, make sure to eat something too!

CliffBuildersBar: Get some rest! Take care of yourself Mythos!

MythoSimp: I wish I could catch the rest of the stream, but I have to go now! Have a good rest of your stream, and take care, chat!

He settled himself in his chair before switching the stream to gameplay and continued working on his project in Terraria. As he built and gathered materials, he talked about his general plans for the next couple days of streaming.

“Just so I know what to brush up on tomorrow, what myths do you want me to cover? Any that I haven’t done already please, and I don’t care which cultures, either! A lot of people request Greek myths, so those get discussed more, but feel free to toss out suggestions.” The chat began to flood with ideas, making Roman laugh at their enthusiasm. “Alright, how about this: Mods, can you make a poll to see which ‘brand’ of mythology is most popular? Then we can narrow it down from there.” Roman loved researching different mythologies and sharing what he learned with his audience. After a myth had been chosen through rigorous polls, he recited his outro and ended the stream.

He jotted down the chosen myth on a sticky note and stuck it to one of his monitors before closing his water bottle and leaving his office. The smell of fresh bread filled the apartment and made Roman walk a tad bit faster as he went to the kitchen. The sight he was met with made him stop in the doorway with a smile.

Hestia had headphones on and was slow dancing around the kitchen as she gathered things to brush butter atop the bread. It wasn’t technically dancing, but her steps were graceful transitions into other tasks. The movements of their skirts helped with the fluidity of their movements. Hestia was completely in their own world as she worked. Roman was hit with a sense of nostalgia as he watched, reminded of the times he helped make dinner with his moms growing up. He looked around the kitchen and noticed that the surfaces were spotless. It looked like Hestia cleaned while she waited for the bread to bake; even the sink was empty.

Hestia dried their hands off and turned, jumping when she saw Roman in the doorway, a soft smile on his face. “How long have you been standing there?” she asked, sheepishly pulling her headphones to rest around her neck.

“Not long, I promise. I finished a couple minutes ago. I noticed you did my dishes for me. Thank you.”

“Oh it was no problem at all. Have you had dinner yet? I want to make you something as a thank you.”

“You don’t have to do that, I-” Roman’s stomach growled loudly, interrupting him. Hestia started giggling, a contagious sounding laughter that made Roman join in, leaning against the doorway in embarrassment. “Okay, maybe dinner should be made soon,” he admitted with a wide grin.

“I’ll make some pasta, that should be fast,” Hestia said, failing to hide her smile behind her sweater-covered hand. “Do you have any on hand or should I grab some from my apartment?” “You should probably get some from your apartment. Is there anything you want me to do here while you do?”

“Can you find a strainer and a large-ish pot? Mine are dirty.”

“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Hestia left for her apartment to grab ingredients and Roman grabbed the pots needed before starting to set the table for two. He was just finishing filling up the water pitcher when Hestia re-entered the dining room, arms filled.

“There was some ravioli in my freezer, does that sound good? I also have tomatoes, an onion, garlic–” they continued to list ingredients as she set them down on the counter.

Roman watched her carefully as she set up her station to prepare to cook before stepping beside her to help. They worked side by side as they cooked, Hesita’s music playing gently from a nearby bluetooth speaker. At one point, she raided his fridge in search of salad materials. Roman was surprised at the full salad that Hestia was able to conjure up. When everything was ready to be served, the pair set out hot pads and placed the food on the table.

[thegoodgayshit]

Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Don’t Touch the Stygian Iron!

The plan was really stupid.

Amity told her as much. It was barely a plan at all. But Luz didn’t really see what other choice they had, especially since they were on a time crunch.

Once Amity had stepped out of line, Luz realized she had no idea where the portal was. She knew her father had said it was between the outskirts of the Underworld and the River Achaeon, but she had no idea where that was. So, they ducked away from the crowds of souls to hide inside a cave in one of the smoky black hills just outside the entrance of the Underworld and rested against a pile of blackened rocks until they figured it out. Luckily, Luz didn’t have to guess for long.

“The secret passageway is about half a mile from here, buried near Orpheus’ tunnel,” Amity mumbled quietly to her, and Luz was so startled by her breath so close to her ear (it wasn’t warm like when she was alive… it felt like an icy chill in her ear canal) she jumped about three feet in the air.

She smacked her head on the rock they were hiding under and recoiled. “Owwww!”

Amity’s eyes widened, leaning in. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

It wasn’t a sharp rock, but when she pulled her hand away it was stained red. It was a stupid injury, even dumber than the blood on her knees that was still drying from earlier, but Luz was starting to figure out that she couldn’t be her usual klutzy self if they wanted to escape.

The Underworld was… almost worse for the living than the actual earth. Injuries here hurt twice as bad and drained twice the strength they were supposed to. She would have to be more careful.

“I’m fine. How do you know that?”

Amity flushed. Well, Luz assumed she did, it was hard to tell behind the mist.

“I’ve seen it in my dreams.”

Luz gawked. “Your dreams took you to the Underworld? Mine were just in the mountain!”

Amity rubbed her forearm uneasily. “I told you that my nightmares weren’t like yours. Before I started the quest, I wouldn’t get many flashes of the mountain. Most of my nightmares… well they took me here.”

“This whole time you’d been having those dreams and you didn’t tell me?”

Luz frowned, not wanting to think too hard about what that meant. That she’d known the whole time dying was something that would happen to her, and that Amity had been lying to Luz since they rescued her. It didn’t make her angry… she understood why she’d done it. Amity was the kind of person stubborn enough to shoulder her burdens away so her friends wouldn’t worry. But it certainly called into question everything that had happened right before she fell off the mountain…

Like the kiss in the tree… or the one right before she’d battled Belos. Had Amity only done that because she’d known she was going to die?

Amity flinched, and Luz’s frown deepened. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Amity’s feelings, or make her feel guilty for what had happened. It definitely wasn’t her fault.

She wasn’t sure what she was even going to say, and thank the gods she didn’t have to. The most horrific sound of metal clashing against rock cut off the rest of their conversation, and Amity’s eyes widened.

“Get back! Someone’s coming in!”

Luz slid under a boulder deeper in the cave just as she heard the harsh laughter from a pair of male voices. Very familiar male voices.

“Those little demigods really thought this would just be over like that? They have no idea. Though the one with the plant magic really got you good, eh Theo?”

“Holy Hades, do you ever shut your mouth? Maybe if you hadn’t underestimated the daughter of Aphrodite we wouldn’t be back here. Did you know she had the favor of Ares?”

Theseus and Achilles, and by the sound of it, a dead Theseus and Achilles. Amity was watching quietly from behind the rock, and Luz did everything she could to calm her racing heart, worried any noise at all would give them away.

What even happened to souls who died in the Underworld? She decided she didn’t want to test it by getting caught.

“Hmph. Of course, I didn’t. It doesn’t matter. As long as that portal is open we can avoid judgment and I don’t have to see Paris’ slimy face again. Why would they let him be a judge of the dead? He started a gods-forsaken war!”

“But for no power-hungry purpose. That makes him perfect .”

“Whatever. Let’s just hurry. If the Emperor finds out we didn’t join him right away…”

“We did our due diligence. The mines are clear, and I don’t see any of those silly little demigods following us. It would take them well over a day to get to California or New York. I don’t care what the prophecy says, they’re mortals. Even they abide by physics.”

“Unlike us! HA!”

I heard the sound of a smack, the kind of backhand her Mami would give for coming home late without texting her where she was. “Lower your voice! Do you want to be caught by the kindly ones again?”

“That was one time!”

Slowly, the voices began to fade, until Luz couldn’t hear a thing besides the beating of her heart. She looked up and watched as Amity peered over the rock, her murky golden eyes narrowed in concentration. Eventually, she moved, and the mist around her moved too. She gestured for Luz to stand.

“They’re gone. Let’s hurry.”

Luz was more than ready to agree until she caught sight of her reflection in the rock she’d been leaning against and her eyes widened.

“Wait. Holy Hermes, what is this stuff? Black glass?”

She finally took a moment to examine the cave they’d been hiding in and realized that it wasn’t a cave at all. There were dark iron pickaxes, and smoking set of carving tools leaning against the entry. Just to the left of the strange metal, deeper in the cave was a bright light. The closer Luz stepped to it the quicker she realized that it wasn’t light. It was blistering hot magma, half a mile down the cave. Above the tools, there was thick scarring on the wall, like someone carved into it. Initials.

NDA.

“This is the mine they were talking about,” Luz realized in awe, looking around at more of the strange black material that was as dark as a nightmare. “But… what’s getting mined?”

Amity swallowed hard, suddenly looking nervous. “Stygian Iron. This is a Stygian Iron mine, right next to the River Styx.”

“Let me guess. This is very bad?”

Luz was getting really tired of not knowing things. Thankfully, Amity seemed to catch on, those she still looked like she was going to bolt at any second.

“Stygian Iron is a metal from the Underworld. It’s… probably one of the scariest kinds of weapons a demigod can make. When you kill a monster with it, instead of its essence returning to Tartarus, it gets sucked into the blade and trapped forever.”

Luz thought that was pretty cool. Maybe she should have killed Lena the empousai with it, and she’d never have been bullied again. But Amity still didn’t look pleased. Then, it hit her.

“Wait… what does Stygian Iron do to mortals?”

“Like all godly weapons, it passes right through mortals. For demigods who are alive, a cut from the blade might slow you down and exhaust the limbs, making you easier to kill. But for the souls of dead demigods…”

A shiver ran up Luz’s spine at the silent implication. She stepped forward, ready to usher Amity out of the cave and away from the black metal.

“Ok, well don’t touch it. Let’s just go.”

“Wait! Not yet.”

Luz stepped back, shocked. It’s like something hit her all at once because instead of fear, Amity now had that look on her face that made her nervous. The gears were turning, and there was no stopping her now. Amity leaned in to examine the ore, and Luz’s heart sped out of her chest.

Luz was so worried about her accidentally touching it, she tried to pull her away, once again forgetting she couldn’t. Her hand passed right through her shoulder.

“Amity, you just said this stuff is really dangerous, so why do I think you’re going to try and mess with it?”

“Because this might be the key to stopping Belos,” she insisted.

Luz wasn’t convinced. She didn’t see how any rock that could suck Amity away would in any way be useful. Amity sighed, gesturing to it with one misty finger.

“Luz, just think about it. What if the only way to stop Belos is to trap him, just like he trapped Hestia?”

She stopped cold. Now that was something she hadn’t considered. Now the gears weren’t just turning in Amity’s head. She started making connection after connection, and before she could even think about what she was going to say it was out of her mouth.

“Hestia said the prophecy was supposed to be about me.”

Amity flinched like Luz slapped her. She might as well have. Amity had gone through hell and back literally thinking that she had to be the one to make the sacrifices, to be the good demigod girl Odalia always said she needed to be, and here Luz was blurting in her face that it was all for nothing.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that-” Luz tried, already regretting her impulsive decision.  

“It doesn’t matter,” Amity said flatly, and Luz winced. She opened her mouth to try and protest, but with a misty shimmer, Amity’s hand was up and stopping her from saying anything else. “We’re on a mission and a time crunch. We need to stop Belos before that portal rips open again and we’re right back where we started. We don’t have time for this.”

Luz bit her lip, holding back another protest. She was right. There was no use arguing.

“Okay. So what do we do?”

Amity’s gold eyes glittered, and for the first time since Luz reunited with her, she actually looked alive.

“We make you a dagger.”

Despite Amity not being able to touch the Stygian Iron, she leads the charge when it came to crafting.

She instructed Luz on how to use the tools NDA left behind to pick up a chunk of iron. Then, she mimed how to hammer it down into a sheet. She helped Luz separate the Iron from the regular steel, and slowly shape a hilt out of it. (Thankfully, Luz didn’t have to help with that, Amity was able to touch the steel and do it herself from there). After that, they moved down into the sweltering heat of the Underworld magma and Luz repetitively carved out again and again until the tiny heap of metal looked something like a blade. Thankfully, NDA had left behind heat protection. An enchanted suit to keep Luz’s skin from melting off her body.

Funny. The suit was almost exactly her size. If she ever met NDA, she’d have to thank them.

After hitting the mallet against the glowing iron for what felt like the billionth time, Luz turned to Amity, exhausted. She hadn’t needed a suit, being dead and all. Apparently, the heat just felt like a sauna.

“How do you even know how to do all this?”

“One summer my parents wanted us to work with another cabin and master one of their skills. I picked Cabin 9 and basically lived in the forges that year. I didn’t just make my own xiphos, but one for Ed too, and then I was able to use the extra sheet for Em’s knife.”

“You made your sword?” Luz gawked, thoroughly impressed.

She shrugged her shoulders, mist moving up and down as she did. “The stones on our blades come from the ones Aphrodite gave us. I figured once I told you that you’d put two and two together.”

“How was I supposed to know that you made your own sword?” Luz exclaimed, waving the white-hot metal around as she did. “Who makes their own sword?? Is there anything you can’t do?”

Even when she was scolded for waving around molten iron, Luz couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of pride that even in the Underworld, she’d been able to make Amity laugh.

In no time at all, the iron was ready. With careful hands, Luz was instructed on how to push the hilt gently against the blade, and hammer it down while it was still hot. Then came the tricky part.

“Stygian Iron doesn’t become fully formed until it’s cooled, and the only way to do that is by dipping it in the Styx,” Amity explained, looking left and right down the black sandy beaches to see if anybody was coming. “Whatever you do, don’t touch the water.”

She remembered Chiron’s warning to Cooper and shivered. Luz approached carefully, swallowing. Very careful not to step anywhere near the slow lapping oil-colored waves, she gently lowered the metal into the water.

First mistake.

The second it went under it made the loudest, most heinous sound Luz had ever heard. Like the screams of a thousand souls dying all at once.

She shrieked, almost dropping the blade entirely as she pulled her hand back, bringing the newly cooled weapon with her. The sound of her scream echoed around the clearing, and there was a clammer of noise from the distance, the same direction Theseus and Achilles had left down.

Second mistake.

“Luz, go!” Amity hissed in her ear, and Luz took off running, glancing behind her once to make sure the daughter of Aphrodite was keeping up. She lost a little bit of speed as she did, and Amity glared daggers at her.

“I’m right behind you! Away from the cave! We have to blend in!”

The noise was getting louder, and Luz knew they were almost out of time. She had to trust Amity. The cave was compromised, it would be the first place they checked. But from what they’d overheard from the two newly re-dead demigods, there was a whole army waiting near the portal, and they had a new fancy weapon that just might save the day.

Luz kept running, keeping to the outskirts of the River along the sandy beaches, away from the mine and closer and closer to the distant River Acheron. If she could get there before anybody sounded the alarm, hopefully, nobody would think twice about her and Amity being there with them. If they didn’t buy it, they were dead. But if they stayed here, they were also dead.

It was their only chance.

Luz heard the gathering demigods before she saw them. And thankfully, the screams and shouts of outrage weren’t directed anywhere towards her.

It was chaos.

Demigods of all ages and from all time periods were throwing punches, kicks, and body-slamming other dead demigods to the ground. Left and right ghosts were dissolving away, but just as many seemed to take their place. There was cursing, screaming, shouting, as they brought up centuries-old baggage and Luz knew right away she wasn’t going to fit in.

Not because she was alive. Because she couldn’t get stuck running straight through this crowd. She’d stick out like a sore thumb just because nobody would recognize her.

In the time she spent standing there like a deer in headlights, Amity caught up to her and gestured for her to hide behind a boulder. She slinked in next to her, and Amity’s own wide eyes reflected the anxiety she was feeling.

“What are we going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Luz said honestly, peering up over the rock. She clutched the new blade to her chest, unwilling to part from the thing that she’d just risked her life to make. It was just under a foot long, and was, if possible, an even darker shade of black than the ore or the River itself. It was shoddy crafting at best (Luz never wanted to touch a forge ever again) with faulty lines and a bumpy edge but it was sharp as anything and shimmered maliciously, and the raw hilt of the iron against Luz’s hand rubbed callouses into her palm. “Do you think we lost whoever was chasing us?”

“I think so,” Amity said, peeking. “Screaming in the Underworld is not that uncommon. I made sure nobody saw us. But I don’t know how you’re going to get through that crowd.”

Luz spared a glance, a silently agreed. She watched as one of the demigods knocked another’s helmet clean off their head, and it went spinning into the sand landing barely two feet from Luz and Amity’s rock. The spirit dissolved into thin air, and the victor roared in delight before charging back into battle.

“How are they dissolving?” Luz mumbled, shaking her head. “Aren’t they dead?”

“They’re between worlds,” Amity explained, “Guided by Belos’ portal to wait until they are fully reformed. They can carry weapons, wear armor, anything that might guide them until they can drink Pomegranate Nectar in the mortal world and become human again.”

Luz stared at Amity, who might have blushed again. “I dreamed about this clearing a lot, okay?”

“What is Pomegranate Nectar? The sounds like something they sell at Whole Foods.”

“It’s the liquid in Belos’ chalice,” she added, and Luz suddenly remembered the table next to the portal with the golden cup. “The first few batches were made from stolen Pomegranates from Persephone’s garden, but you can use any Underworld fruit to make it.”

Right. Underworld fruit. This day just got better and better.

“Why aren’t you a half soul like the other demigods here?”

Amity looked at her misty body, frowning. “I don’t know. Maybe I haven’t been dead long enough.”

The fighting in the clearing got more intense and Luz ducked as a body slammed into the rock they were hiding behind and dissolved, their chest plate hitting the dirt with it. There were more shouts and screams, and Amity ducked next to her in alarm.

“We need to move.”

“I have an idea,” Luz said to her, already shaking her head. “But it’s crazy.”

“Sounds like us. Let’s try it.”

So, Luz crept around the rock and swiped the helmet and chest plate off the beach, putting them on as quickly as she could. She tucked the Stygian Iron blade under her shirt in the back of her armor straps, careful not to reveal it. To finish the look, she opted to call for Aletheia, and the blade grew in her hand, a comfortingly familiarity that made her feel much better.

“So? How do I look?” She asked Amity, who shrugged.

“Like a vengeful demigod. It’s a good helmet, I can’t see your face at all.”

Luz peered over the rock one more time just to see another angry demigod get run through with a sword. She flinched, and Amity tucked her fist under her chin in worry.

“This is so not going to work.”

“It’s going to work,” Luz insisted, even though it wasn’t exactly an encouraging sight. “Demigods are still demigods, even if they’re a thousand years old. This would work at camp. It will work here.”

She turned to look at Amity, realizing for the first time this meant they’d be separated. Amity seemed to sense this, and she shot Luz a small smile.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m the one who can’t die, you know that right?”

“What if I lose you in the crowd?” She fretted, the frown stretching across her mouth. “What if the portal opens, and I don’t have time to pull you through? What if somebody recognizes you and-”

“Luz!” Amity exclaimed, stepping forward and shaking her head. “Please, don’t worry about me. We have a plan. Just focus on getting to the portal without getting stabbed, and this time don’t look back. I’m right behind you.”

“You promise?” Luz hated how weak her voice sounded. Like a little kid worried she was going to lose her mom in the grocery store.

“I promise,” Amity said firmly, and Luz’s heart pounded against her chest as she tore her eyes away. She had to get a grip. She was on a mission, and she was going to bring Amity home. She just needed to focus. But the lingering fear was still there, and she wanted to kick herself for it.

“Luz, please,” Amity muttered, stepping so close to her that the cold rush of mist forced Luz to look back at her eyes. They were pleading, and Luz was smacked with the realization that Amity was just as worried as she was, but not for her, for Luz. Amity didn’t want her to run in their worried and get herself killed. “You have to trust me. I’m right behind you.”

That was enough for her. Amity was the most determined person she knew. If she said she was going to be right behind her, she would be right behind her.

“I do trust you,” Luz said, tightening her grip on her sword. “Stay close. I have a battlefield to avoid.”

The two of them stepped out from behind the rock, and Luz’s heart sank. Somehow, it seemed to have gotten even larger. In the distance, up the steepest Underworld hill Luz had seen yet, was a shocking replication of the swirling iron and obsidian portal back in the mountain. Luz had played enough Minecraft to know that it probably wasn’t a replication, but the real deal, something that appeared the same time the other one had been built.

She had hundreds, maybe even a thousand demigods she had to barrel through on the way to get to it. With all their slashing and hacking, she’d be lucky if she made it twenty feet in.

“Are you sure about this?” Amity hissed next to her, eyeing the crowd of ghostly demigods uneasily.

“Nope,” Luz said, taking a deep breath. “But when am I sure of anything?”

“Please, don’t get yourself killed,” Amity said, “I haven’t even gotten the chance to kick your butt at capture the flag back at camp.”

“Like that will ever happen,” Luz snorted, adjusting the helmet as she got ready to charge. “I’ve been getting lots of practice. You wouldn’t get ten feet near my flag.”

“Is that a challenge, Noceda?”

“It’s not a challenge, Blight. It’s a promise. See you at the top.”

She lowered her head, and with the loudest, most demigod-y scream she could muster, she charged full force towards the crowds of demigods, barreling in a straight line towards the portal.

[sunflower-queen-13]

Sooo I used picrew to show how I personally see my deities, so here’s that!

First up we have Hestia. Some other Hestia devotees I know only see her with a veil, some without, I personally see her in both so yeah! Also, they didn’t really have the option for this, but for me personally, I see her eyes as like a golden orange??

Next up we’ve got Kalypso. Although usually she’s always holding some type of plant?? What can I say, she’s big on gardening.

Next is Aphrodite, honestly this was right on point for me lol

Then there’s Loki. Now, Loki knows I have a problem with male authority figures, so he has always come to me in a female form, so yeah!

Now these next 2 deities, I don’t actually work with right now, but I plan to soon.

First we have Persephone. Now I see her in 2 COMPLETELY different ways, depending on whether she’s with Demeter during spring and summer, or when she’s with Hades in fall and winter.

So yeah, here’s how I see Persephone when she’s with Demeter.

And this is how I see her when she’s with Hades. Although to me, her hair is more of a dark magenta-pink. But they didn’t have the option, so the red was the closest.

And finally, this is how I see Hekate.

Hope you guys enjoyed! If y’all wanna use the same picrew I used, look up poika picrew, it’ll be the first result. (I tried to copy the link but it wouldn’t let me for some reason)

[daddyjackfrost]

The Gods— small drabbles pt 2

‘A girl walked beside Aphrodite. Normally, this would be disrespectful, but Aphrodite respected the girl enough to allow her to walk beside her.

Both women reached the end of the garden, and sat on the bench that was made of gold and ivory vines.

Aphrodite looked at peace, and beautiful. To the girl, Aphrodite looked a lot like her mother, and best friend. The two most beautiful women in her life. It was unnerving to sit beside the Goddess, for Aphrodite was cunning and hard to read.

Out of all the Olympians, Aphrodite was the one that scared her the most. Even after years though, the girl could not fully comprehend the Gods and their relationships with each other.

The girl cleared her throat, “May I ask you something?”

Aphrodite hummed in answer.

“You are the Goddess of love, beauty, and passion.”

Aphrodite slightly turned to face the girl. “Correct.”

“I mean no disrespect, when I say and ask this.” Aphrodite nodded and the girl continued. “You of all people understand that love is more than beauty,” Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at the girl, but the girl did not see. She was too busy playing with her fingers.

“You are married to Hephaestus, yet, even after millenniums, you could not love him. Why? As the Goddess of love, was his love not enough?”

Aphrodite did not speak, not immediately. She was too stunned.

The girl had befriended Hephaestus years ago. The God lacked love and attention and the girl knew she had to help him. Every time the God told her stories about the mistreatment he received, her anger grew.

“Yes, Hephaestus may be unattractive by godly standards, yet he is beautiful in his own way. His metal work, have you seen it? It is truly stunning. Have you ever seen him in action? He truly is a God. My question for you, Aphrodite, is, if the Goddess of Love cannot find live in the deformed, how can others?”

There was only stillness in the garden.

The girl had promised herself that she would question the Gods. Humble them. She wanted to know the truth about their world and she would get it. She knew the Gods had been playing her, and lying about it. Now it was her turn, and she would turn the world into her own damned chess board. She had started with Aphrodite because the question had been bugging her for a long time. The Goddess of love, participating in adultery? The irony seemed unmatched.

Aphrodite stared at the fountain. The words had cut her deep. No one had dared ever questioned the Gods, much less their relationships and actions so openly.

“I cannot confine my love to just one other.”

The girl wanted to snicker. Of course, she thought. She had expected this answer.

Though the Gardens of Olympus were safe and private, any God with access to Olympus had access to the gardens. Hestia stood at the entrance of the garden. Far enough from sight, but was still able to hear the conversation.

Meanwhile, Hephaestus watched from his own palace on Olympus. Usually he would have resided in Mountain Aetna’s volcano, but he felt as if he needed to be on Olympus. He was correct. For he too, listened to the conversation of the two women.

“That is not entirely true, is it Aphrodite?”

Aphrodite fully turned to face the girl. The girls words began to flare something in the Goddess.

“Speak your mind child, I am listening.”

“You personify a very specific kind of love, passion. What feels right and looks good.”

Aphrodite frowned. “What do you mean?”

She continued, “I think it is simply against your nature to be faithful to anyone, except to passion and ultimately, yourself.”

Aphrodite let out an unflattering snarl. “Are you telling me my own nature?”

The girl shivered, yet kept her composure. She would not fold because the Goddess had regarded her in a cold voice. She needed to understand the Gods, and to do that, she had to compare her best guess at their nature against their own.

“No, I am not. I am simply saying what I have come to realize. True it may not be, but truth lies within it.”

The Goddess stared at the girl. Though the urge to put a curse on the girl was strong, her words had ripped a small part of Aphrodite’s thick skin.

“You do not cheat on yourself, though. You always give yourself what you want, and as a result, Hephaestus gets left behind. But love hurts, does it not? You are not faithful to your lovers, just as they are not faithful to you.”

The girl stood up and stretched her arms. Aphrodite watched her with alarmed eyes and a small frown.

She turned and smiled at the Goddess, “Good day, my lady.” Aphrodite’s eyes widened and she reached out to grab her arm. “Where are you going?”

The girl shrugged. “My apologies. To question you would be to question all the Gods, correct? After all, neither of the Gods have truly been faithful to one, have they? Except Hades and Persephone I believe. But I may be biased.”

The girl removed her arm from the Goddess and turned to walk away, a smirk on her lips. Before she could get far she whispered, “After all, a healthy marriage is unheard of on Olympus.”

She walked away from the Goddess, leaving her stunned. A permanent smile made its way to the girl’s face. The Gods had been playing with her, so now she would play with them. She would tug at their insecurities, their flaws, and she would exploit them. She will unravel the peace between them, the peace they all fought so hard to maintain. She would play the role of a titan, and corrupt Olympus.

From the pools of mercury in Hephaestus’s palace, the God himself watched. A haggard laugh left Hephaestus’s lips. He had never seen someone baffle Aphrodite the way the girl had.

Her words warmed yet struck Hephaestus’s heart. He knew the woman cared for him, he had never had that before.

He only felt immense guilt after she defended him, she spoke of him with pride and love, and the knowledge of his betrayal only weighed him down.

As the girl walked, Hestia watched her. Her eyes were narrowed and calculating, though the sides of her lips had been turned up. She knew exactly what the girl had planned to do, and she was amused.

The girl made eye contact with the Goddess and smiled innocently. “Hestia, I am sorry, I did not see you there.”

Hestia gave the girl a guarded and knowing smile.

“What are you up to, girl?”

The girl smiled innocently, eyes twinkling. “I haven’t the slightest idea of what you speak of, my lady.”

Hestia took three steps forward, and leaned her head towards the girl. Their noses touched and a small warmth spread across Eleanor’s face.

“Be very careful whom you play with, child. One does not simply play with fire and not burn,” Hestia whispered the words tauntingly.

The girl smiled and nodded. “I know. I plan to play with fire, and if I burn, so will they.” She tipped her head slightly in respect and walked away. Hestia was one of the only Goddesses the girl truly respected.’

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- a small drabble from a book i have yet to write

daddyjackfrost © 2021 | all content belongs to me, do not modify

Taglist; @h-grangerstudies @demigod-groupchat

[sweeethinny]

I just want to be the one you love

Summary: "You need to stop rowing with Hestia." [...] "Look—bring her here. The password is 'caraway.' Have a bath. Ask her where she wants things to go after Hogwarts. See what she says. And stop snipping at her in private over unrelated things that you're not even mad about." Lily said.

[...]

At his side, Hestia shot him a glance torn somewhere between fondness and exasperation. "I said I'd be his girlfriend," she said before anyone could prompt her.

"And she suggested it. I didn't even have to ask." - Voyeur by @scriibble-fics

I hope Scriibble doesn't care that I tag her on so many things, sorry dear

---

Sirius felt a little nervous as he walked towards the prefect's bathroom, his palms sweating as if he were a 14 year old teenager about to give his first kiss. It was stupid to feel that way, but he couldn't help feeling it.

He had been fighting with Hestia like a dog and cat, neither of them would give the truce first, and that made them end up fighting over everything, even if it didn't make sense anymore. They started fighting over Sirius to find out that Hestia hadn't told him that the Slytherins had attacked her a few weeks ago, and now, he doesn't even remember anymore why they were fighting.

It was as if anything was capable of making the two of them explode with each other, they could barely spend more than an hour together without starting to scream, and Sirius blamed mainly the fact that things were getting worse with each passing day, they had joined the Order and it looked like the war was getting more and more real, getting closer and closer, and everyone seemed to be going out of their skin with the feeling that in less than a month they would be out of Hogwarts, and consequently out of the most protected place they had.

Or it should be like that, Sirius thought angrily, remembering the Mini Death Eaters' attacks that seemed increasingly excited to do whatever Voldemort told them to do.

'Can I come in?' Sirius asked at the bathroom door, he had already given the password, but he preferred to ask only for security, looking at the wall next to the door instead of the bathtub in the middle of the bathroom, where he could already hear the noises of Hestia.

'Yes.' Her voice was low, as if she were letting her guard down, which Sirius had also done.

First it was Lily who had gone to talk to him, telling him to talk to Hess, then it was James, who seemed a little more irritated by the idea that Sirius was being an idiot.

He also didn't like to fight with her, he hated it, Sirius had been unhappy since things started to fall apart. He missed being hugged to her, their conversations, making her laugh and blushing, Hestia sat on his lap to talk about her day, her hand in his hair, almost making him sleep with affection.

She was already inside the big bathtub, there were several bubbles around her, the sweet and Hestia smell in the air making Sirius a little dizzy, as it always did when her smell was on his clothes. Her hair was already wet, running down her back, one or two strands stuck to her forehead or her cheek, making her look adorable. He could see her bra strap, light pink, and Sirius had to inhale a good deal of air when his imagination worked on the image of Hestia wearing pink.

'Hi.' He was the first to say, standing in front of the bathtub, James' invisibility cloak on his arm along with the clean clothes. Hestia approached the edge, her eyes locked on his.

'Hi.' The girl's cheeks were pink, as they usually were when she was hot, but there was that part in particular, which Sirius noticed turned red whenever she was embarrassed, near her nose, outlining her cheek perfectly. He knew that if he put his hand there, it would be hotter than the rest of her face. It was as if Hestia had a fever whenever she was having an extreme emotion.

It was adorable.

'Aren't you going to come in?' She asked, arms crossed on the edge to keep her balance, Sirius didn't need to see to know that her feet didn't touch the floor in that part of the bathtub.

'Of course,' He went over to the benches there, looking over his shoulder to see her. 'Do you want me to come in?' For some reason, Sirius felt doubly more careful, now that he was trying to make things work, with his guard down. He was not ashamed to show this more insecure side to Hestia.

'Don't be as if I never saw your white ass,' Hestia broke free from the edge, pushing herself back and floating in the middle of the bubbles, making him catch little glimpses of the pink panties she wore. 'Why would we come here if not to get into the bathtub?' The two laughed, Sirius had to turn again before he looked too much at her shiny legs. ‘Don’t tell me you’re ashamed?’

'I just wanted to make sure.' He took off his shirt, then his pants, taking care to keep everything neatly folded, next to his clean clothes.

'Well, I'm telling you to come in, the water is delicious,' Hestia said, but Sirius thought he heard her voice tremble a little, and then the sound of the water of what should be her turning her legs inside. He turned around, wetting his fists and the back of his neck, before jumping in, keeping his eyes open to swim close to Hestia, which was not a smart move, as he can better see how she looked in her pink panties and how she really couldn't put her feet on the floor.

Sirius felt his heart melt with love for her.

He planted his hands on her hips before he emerged, holding her close to him, with the excuse that it was so that Hess didn't have to move her feet like crazy to stay balanced, and not because Sirius felt he needed her close before that something inside him would break.

'Hi.' She said this time, the faces of the two were close enough for them to almost touch their noses.

Her dark brown eyes were perfect, seen up close, it was like seeing precisely the color nuances of a molasses, or a caramel, Sirius had not yet decided.

'Hi, again.' Hess smiled, not that big smile where her eyes got those little wrinkles on the side, but still, it was a smile. 'I missed you,' he admitted, clasping his hands on her hips a little, just because he missed it.

'We saw each other two hours ago ... Or was your mind already eaten alive and you forgot?' She smiled, and this time showing her teeth, and her cheeks took on even more color, especially in that part near her nose.

'You know what I meant.' He wasn't even ashamed to look like a fool in love. 'And my mind was eaten alive, yes, but it was because of you.'

'Me?' Her hands touched his arm, and Sirius didn't even realize that Hestia hadn't touched him yet, until she did. He felt breathless at the sensation of her warm palms holding his biceps, as if to help gain balance. 'I did nothing.'

'For that reason,' Sirius sighed. ‘Sorry for all the fights, I was a little crazy just to imagine someone hurting you.’

'You shouldn't have gone after them, especially after I asked you not to do that.'

'I know, but you understand why I went, don't you? I wouldn’t sleep peacefully thinking that- ’

‘But I asked you not to do it, didn't I?’ Her eyes didn’t seem to get that darkened color of when she got mad, as it happened every other time they argued about it. ‘They don’t deserve all that attention.’

'Doll ...' Sirius sighed in defeat, hiding his head in her neck, intoxicated by her sweet scent. 'I would kill someone if I knew that person hurt you,' he admitted, because it had been his will, if it weren't for James and Remus pushing him into an empty room, trying to get Sirius to think with his head and not with heart.

Unlike the time he dided that prank with Snape, which he didn’t think about and didn’t imagine what could happen to Rem, and all that stupid idea involved, Sirius was aware this time, he probably would have done a lot worse than just playing those Slytherins into a house with an uncontrolled Werewolf. He should remember to thank Remus and James for stopping him.

Sirius was embarrassed for that, after the anger stopped burning inside his chest, and he saw that he had ruined everything, Sirius wanted to cry for the first time in a few good months. Perhaps the last time he had felt so lost and empty, had been when he ran away from home, on vacation last year.

'I know how to take care of myself, you need to trust me.' Hestia hugged him, her head lying on his shoulder, allowing Sirius to have more access to her neck.

'I really trust, I just ... Doll,' Sirius lifted his head, looking into her eyes, wanting her to understand how deeply he loved her. Saying those words was too difficult. 'I trust you, I know you can take care of yourself, I know that, I just ... Hess, I would rather be tortured, than have to see someone hurt you. I would die before I allowed any of my friends or you to be hurt.' Sirius hoped that Hestia understood that she was in a category apart from his friends, not because she was not his friend, but because she was so much more than only that.

'Siri ...' She looked at him as if Sirius were a puppy, her arms wrapped around his neck, her brown eyes never leaving his. 'Don't say that, I never know how to answer.' This time it was Hestia who hid, giving an impulse upward and wrapping her legs around his hips, running away from his eyes when she hid her head in the curvature of his neck.

Sirius wanted to laugh, but the feeling of love that surrounded him when he felt her holding him, looking small in his arms, made him just kiss her head, his eyes closed to support the feeling of his expanded chest with the swirl of emotions.

‘You don’t have to answer, just because you still want to stay here with me, it’s already a good answer.’ He admitted, because it was true.

Sirius was afraid, in the middle of everything, when Hestia moved away from him, when they started fighting and looking a lot like what Prongs and Evans were like at the beginning of the year, and even last year. He didn't like to argue with Hestia, he didn't like fighting with anyone he cared about, but she mostly.

'But I want to, because I feel like I never answer you, and ... Just give me a minute,' she murmured, still clinging to him.

'Are you going to break up with me?' Sirius joked, even though his chest tightened at the thought.

He walked to the stairs, holding Hestia firmly by the thighs, keeping her in his lap as he sat on one of the steps, keeping both of them under the hot water as much as he could.

'I don't think I would be like this with you, if I wanted to break up.' She looked at him, a lovely smile on her lips. 'And it would be a little difficult to be firm when I'm on your lap.' Her cheeks came back with that pink tone that he was in love with, and Sirius laughed at the feeling of happiness that invaded him.

'I'm happy that my lap prevents you from thinking straight.' He straightened up on the bench, not because he wanted to make her realize that it was also difficult for him to think straight when she was sitting there, of course.

'Don't be an idiot,' Hestia laughed, small wrinkles appearing in the corner of her eyes, as she hit his arm, making Sirius laugh too. 'Stop moving, I need to think.'

'Make yourself comfortable, Doll, I'll be here as long as you want.' He leaned on the other step, trying to gain some distance from Hestia just to be able to breathe and think with his head up, keeping his eyes in the foams around them. Sirius knew he would collapse if he paid attention to how pink the color was on her, and how her skin was reddened from the heat of the water.

'I've been thinking,' Hestia started, and he looked at her. ‘I don’t want to be fighting with you and,’ She looked away from him, around the bathroom, as Hestia always did when she needed to think or was embarrassed. 'I know I said other times that I didn't want to, but, I think I was just scared, you know? There is a war out there, I already lost my mum, but at the same time, I don't want to lose you, and just thinking about losing you I almost go crazy. I didn't want you to go and talk to the Slytherins because I don't want them to realize how easy it is to affect you ... I don't want that if you-know-who needs to find a weak link in the Order, they know about you. Do you understand?’ He nodded, resting his hands on her hips again. ‘I like you a lot,’ Sirius smiled, the ego swelling inside his chest, thinking about all the other times that he had been the first to say that, hoping she would return.

'I like you too, a lot,' Sirius said, just because he couldn't keep his mouth shut when Hestia was declaring herself to him.

'Before you arrived, and these past few days, I was thinking about something you said a while ago but I said no, and ... If you still want me to be your girlfriend ...' She bit her bottom lip, and now her cheeks were completely flushed, even her temples looked pink, which was lovely, since Sirius didn't remember seeing her so flushed even when they had sex for the first time.

‘Are you asking me to date you?’ He could only be dreaming, honestly.

'I am.' Hestia rolled her eyes when she noticed the smile that was growing on his face, and Sirius felt that his face could tear at any moment. 'Do you accept being my boyfriend?' She joked, taking his hand on her hip, as if to put a ring on his finger.

'I don't know, I need you to ask Mia and Mont first, you know, out of respect and everything ... And I want flowers, a dozen at least.' The two laughed, but Hestia didn't let go of his hand, kissing his fingers and placing his hand on her cheek, supporting her face there. Sirius missed those moments of affection, warmed him up in a way he had never felt before. 'Of course, I accept. It’s also hard to think when you’re sitting on my lap.’

'Oh, I already know how to convince you to do the things I want, then.' Hestia leaned forward, bringing them closer, and they noses touched again. Sirius realized that they had not kissed until now.

'It is not difficult to convince me, Doll, I am all yours.' He closed his eyes, lost in feeling.

Hestia said nothing, preferring to close their distance and kiss him, calmly first, as if it were the first time again, the two of them still trying to understand how it worked, how they liked it, carefully.. It was he who attacked her most willingly, intoxicated with love, wanting more than anything in that life to kiss her forever, Sirius circled her waist, pulling Hestia closer, while the girl's delicate hands cupped his face.

He should remember to thank Lily tomorrow.

And to shout to the world that Hestia Jones was his girlfriend.

[goddessofeternity]

Love Amidst the Darkness

Chapter 11: Trials and Tribulations

It was if Mother Edrion knew what the day would bring. A somber feeling washed over the entire kingdom the next morning. News of what happened last night spread quickly, the people were angry. Althea turned in bed as she heard people moving around outside her door. It was still early but she knew it was only a matter of time before her handmaidens came in to get her ready for the day. Everything that had happened seemed like a dream, but she knew it wasn’t. Her parents had told her everything would be discussed in the morning. She sat up in bed and looked around her room. Her curtains and dress were torn, but other than that her room was intact. Honestly, she just wanted the entire debacle to be over with.

  “Princess Althea?” She looked over at her door and sighed as she heard her handmaidens knock on her door. “Are you awake, Your Highness?”

  “Yes,” she replied tiredly. “You may come in.”

  Althea barely looked up as the triplets walked into her room they usually looked quite cheerful most days...but not today. It was time for Lord Derrick and the knights he paid to kidnap her to receive their punishment. As the triplets began to work on her hair and dress, her mind wandered to the conversation she had the night before with her parents.

 “Althea, Lord Derrick has committed a major crime against the royal family...he will be punished accordingly, as well as the knights who dared dishonor their ranks.”

 “P-punished? What sort of punishment?” Her parents looked between each other, seemingly communicating with their thoughts alone. Usually Althea found it romantic how they were close enough to do such a thing, but now she was worried.

 “He will be put to death, as will the knights that cooperated with him.” Queen Hestia explained calmly.

 “D-Death? I...I thought they would be banished or sent to the dungeons for their crimes?” 

 “It isn’t always so simple princess...other crimes may result in banishment or imprisonment, but this is a more serious crime. You could have been used as a bargaining chip, or sold off to slavers for being a Phoenix, or...you could have been killed…” Her mother takes a deep breath to calm herself. “They have to be punished, that's what must be done.”

 “But-”

 “That is enough princess!” Althea flinched on her bed as her father slammed his hand against her table, small embers emerging from his clenched fist. Her mother brushed the tiny embers away so the table wouldn’t be set alight. Althea looked down at her hands as her father continued on.

 “You are this kingdom’s future Althea! Your life is not only important to our subjects but to your mother and I! This act can not go unpunished with just banishment! They will pay for this injustice!”

 Queen Hestia looked between the two and sighed deeply. Kneeling down in front of Althea, she grasped her hand tightly. “Althea these are the situations you will have to face when you are queen...you must steel your heart darling. Injustices must be dealt with, this is non negotiable Althea.”

 “....” Althea just silently nodded her head as he mother stood and pulled her father off to the side to quietly speak with him. Althea stared around her room and frowned as she looked over the destroyed room. Life in the monarchy seemed to be increasingly difficult as of late. Fighting for power, arguing for strength and status, death for nothing, and now? Now she had to deal with the fact that she was almost sold off for a few bits of coins, and a man almost assaulted her. 

 “Ok…”

 Her parents had looked over to her then and gave her such sad looks. She had just hung her head in sadness and defeat. Life was changing and honestly?

 She wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.

 Now she stood quietly as her handmaidens pulled a black dress over her head. It was simple but pretty, but she couldn’t ever even recall having some dark color in her wardrobe. Dark clouds were rolling in and Althea felt it fit the situation perfectly. 

 Life as queen was gonna be hard.

 As the ladies pulled her long hair back into a braided crown a knock at her door made her jump.

 “Yes?” After last night, Althea made sure to keep her door locked tightly. She no longer felt safe in her own home. She nodded at one of the triplets to answer the door. She made a note to actually remember their names, since it seemed they would stay a while.

 As the door opened, Althea looked surprised as Duran stood in dark armor with Liam and Honora behind him looking into her room apprehensively. Once again Althea didn’t even think about what happened to Duran after last night. She had such a short track mind.

 “Sorry to disturb you, Your Highness,” Duran said, his bright blue eyes surveying her still destroyed room. “We’ve come to escort you down to the arena.”

 “A-Arena?” This was the first she heard of it. 

 “Yes...it is where Lord Derrick and the knights will be executed...we must hurry we are a bit behind.”

 “O-Ok…” Althea took several calming breaths before she walked out her room. Liam and Honora looked at her with such sadness, she smiled weakly at them before they escorted her down the hall. 

 Duran led her outside past the gardens and toward a large area of collapsed buildings. As they got closer she could hear the roar of a crowd. The knights stationed on the outside of the entrance straightened up when she got closer.

 “This way princess...your parents are on the third floor.” Althea nodded at Duran as they ascended the stairs. When they reached the landing her mother waved her over and Althea sat in her small throne. 

 “Mother...I thought this place wasn’t in use?”

 “Yes because it hasn’t been used for years...until now.”

 “Where is father?”

 “He’s talking to the knight commander...he’ll join us shortly.”

 Althea looked out the arena and was taken by surprise by the sheer amount of people who had come. Most of the civilians were angry and throwing things at a raised platform in the center of the arena. She dreaded it but she slowly looked down at the platform...right into Lord Derricks eyes. He and the six knights who tried to kidnap her were all standing beside each other, covered in cuts and bruises, and several had bloody lips and black eyes. They all had nooses tied around their throats and Lord Derrick was looking at her with a fire in his eyes. The other knights kept their heads down, silently looking at the ground. He didn’t turn away from her once and she had to look away because he terrified her.

 It wasn’t long before her father returned and she took note of his appearance as well as her mother. 

 Her father looked radiant in all black and red. The etchings of red around his cloak made him look regal and powerful. The crown he wore looked new and the red flames blazing on it made him look terrifying. Although Althea could tell he looked exhausted as if he hadn’t slept, and his usually perfect black hair was tousled and unruly. It made her heart ache knowing he was probably stressed out over her.

 Her mother was also a picture of perfection, as she sat with her hands folded on her lap. Her long hair cascaded down her body like a waterfall and she wore a look of irritation as she stared at Lord Derrick. Her black dress was laced in gold as was her crown. It sparked in flames every so often but not as heavily as her fathers. She crossed her legs and let out a breath of annoyance and she looked over at Althea.

 “Relax Althea...this will be over soon.” Althea nodded her head, but she refused to look at the platform as the royal herald moved onto it.

 “Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome His and her Royal Majesties King Kyros and Queen Hestia of Melodia! Also welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Althea of Melodia to the execution of Lord Derrick and-“

 Althea drowned him out as she felt Lord Derrick's gaze on her face. She looked over the crowd and the sky, anywhere to avoid his gaze. The sky was darkening quickly and she found the absence of the sun disheartening.

 Her father stood then, bringing her back to reality. The anger on his face was unlike anything she’d seen before. The weather was getting cooler, but the heat radiating from her father made it feel like summer. He gripped the balcony fiercely as he glared down at Lord Derrick.

 “Derrick Malchester...I won’t drag this out...do you have any last words?”

 “Heh...just how I wish I took the time to show the young princess the touch of a man.”

 “Silence! Executioner! Your sword!”

 Lord Derrick's words made Althea weak in the knees and she was glad to be sitting. Her mother had reached over to hold her hand, and Althea was grateful for it. Her father quickly descended the stairs and strode toward the platform, the crowd roared around him angrily.

 “Justice for the princess!” 

 “Kill him!”

 “All hail the crown of Melodia!”

 All Althea could hear was the rage of the people. Is this what they really wanted? More hurt and pain? She could feel her stomach twist as her father stood beside the rope keeping them alive.

 “I have had enough...may the gods-“

 “HAVE MERCY YOUR MAJESTY!!”

 The crowd seemed to turn as one as the knight on the far end started yelling. Althea leaned forward as the knight began to cry and sweat profusely. He was shaking horribly and his eyes darted around terribly. Her father didn’t even look fazed, he didn’t even flinch. He just looked at the knight with indifference. 

 “Please have mercy Your Majesty,” he cried out. “I realize my mistake to the crown! I will throw away my status! Please I don’t want to die!”

 “.......” The silence from my father said enough, and the knight realized so he looked to Althea and her mother.

 “Your Majesty! See reason! I will go to the dungeons! Banish me! Anything! I can’t die!” He turned toward Althea, and she flinched. “Your Highness! Please I regret my actions toward you! I just was greedy and wanted money! Please!”

 “I-I...I don’t…”

 “Enough!” Queen Hestia had stood in anger, her normally soft eyes were now hardened in rage. It unnerved Althea as she saw both of her parents enraged. “You will not address the princess! You all have disgraced your families, your kingdom and yourselves! This is a lesson to all in this kingdom...if any dares endanger the crown...you will receive swift punishment! My king end this farce!”

 Her father rolled his shoulders as he raised the sword over his head. Althea felt her mother squeeze her hand, and she knew it meant she had to look. She couldn’t be afraid of this. She would do this one day, it was her duty. Lord Derrick was looking right at her, and the other knight was still screaming and crying. Her father cut the rope and the floor beneath their feet gave way, and the men all choked and squirmed horribly. It was a horrid sight as they fought to breathe and then just stopped, slowly swinging back and forth.

 Althea turned away and covered her mouth to choke back a sob. She looked back and cringed seeing their blood red eyes, but there was something else...she put her hand down and squinted. She leaned forward as something was in Lord Derricks eyes...his eyes looked dark, almost black. Something dark was moving in his eyes….and then suddenly it was gone.

 Althea held a hand against her forehead as she suddenly felt dizzy. The crowd roared with delight at the execution, all she wanted was to rest. 

 “Althea are you alright?” Her mother took notice of her pale face and they both stood to leave. “Come...we’re going to your fathers study...there is much we must discuss.”

 Althea only nodded her head as they headed back to the palace. She glanced at her three knights but they were stone faced. Her father walked behind them quietly, no one spoke a word. It wasn’t until they arrived in the study and shut the door did they speak.

 “Althea we need to discuss your safety going forward.” Her father sat behind his desk as her mother stood beside him, addressing her. “You must be in the company of your knights at all times, you have to be in the company of at least one of them. They will follow you to your lessons, all meal times, during your leisure, and remain by your door when resting. I am also leaving you armed with a dagger, your father and I will also personally oversee your training with your fire. You are a Phoenix Althea, your flame is eternal and your father and I will make sure that it will forever burn. The monarchy can be brutal and harsh, and this is not what we wanted you to experience, but it appears we must teach you the hardships of wearing these crowns. Is all of this understood princess?”

 “Yes Mother…” Althea looked toward her father who remained silent the entire time. His crown was still alight and he was frowning down at the desk. Queen Hestia cleared her throat and tapped her foot and he looked up at her. She inclined her head towards Althea and he finally looked at her. 

 “Althea...let this be a lesson...albeit a harsh one, but a lesson all the same. We are at peace and have been for centuries, but there are still people who wish to harm us. Some who wish to push us into another war,” he reached over to grasp her mother's hand. “Your mother and I would go to war for you in a heartbeat. You are our treasure, the symbol of our love, you mean everything to us. We will never allow any harm to come to you. I swear it on my life.”

 “Mine as well.” Althea bit her lip as they allowed their words to slip into her thoughts. So much change in so little time. All she wanted at the moment was to rest. She was already exhausted and drained. She wished Marina were here to brush her hair and go riding. She couldn’t fathom her life being difficult and bloody, but it was. It was changing and she had to deal with it. Her parents expected it of her and so did her kingdom. She wouldn’t disappoint them either. So she took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back as she looked at her parents.

 “I understand.”

 Her parents seemed to relax as she gazed at them. They both kissed her and sent her on her way to relax. Her lessons for the day had been canceled so she was at a loss for what to do. When she exited the room, she was greeted by her knights. For some reason, being in their company relaxed her greatly. So, despite how she felt, she smiled at them and started down the hallway, and they followed in turn. It was quiet for a time as they went to the courtyard, so Althea sat on a bench and soaked in the rays of the sun. Seeing it finally peek through the clouds was a welcoming feeling.

 “Your Highness?” Althea turned to her side as Liam and Honora knelt beside her. She tilted her head in confusion as Honora spoke up. “We would like to formally apologize for what transpired last night. We allowed a very traumatic event to happen to you. We will accept any punishment you see fit to give us.” They both hung their heads low and Althea looked shocked. She turned toward Duran but he looked away from her. So she looked down at her knights.

 “I’m not going to punish you. I let you all go home to rest and enjoy time with your families. I put my faith in the wrong knights is all. You three have done absolutely nothing wrong. I only hope that you won’t continue to blame yourselves. Please lift your heads, I want to forget it even happened. I just...I want to do something to distract myself.”

 They look at each other before nodding at her and standing up. She claps her hands together as she stands up. 

 “What would you all like to do today?” They look at her confused. Her smile fades as she drops her hands. “Is something wrong?”

 “Well it's just...we’re just following you Your Highness.” Duran explains smiling at her. “We just watch over you and make sure you’re safe.”

 Althea pouted and crossed her arms. “Well I don’t think that will do at all. I told you all when we met to relax. I want to better acquaint myself with you all. So I say we get some food from the kitchens and eat outside. Although, I would like to change first…”

 “As you wish princess,” they replied, bowing at her. She smiled joyfully as she lifted her skirts to walk into the palace again. As they ascended the stairs to her room, Althea stopped and looked back at her knights.

 “If you don’t mind...Liam, Honora how old are you two?” 

 “I am 16 Your Highness, and so is Honora.” Liam replied, as Althea’s eyes widened in shock. “Yes we are quite young, but we worked hard to get to this point.”

 “Some more than others…” Honora mumbles under her breath. Althea looked over at her confused, and Honora cleared her throat. “I mean...it’s hard getting into the army especially being a female. Including me...there’s only four women in the army.”

 “Why did you join the army Honora?” Althea asked, tilting her head.

 “Well I…” Honora looked away uncomfortable but sighed as she faced her. “My family...we...we aren’t that wealthy...and I wanted to help out. Our farm has seen better days...and I’ve always wanted to join the army so...it seemed like an easy solution.”

 “Oh…” Althea looked at her hands and decided to drop the subject. Honora looked uncomfortable and then Liam stepped forward.

 “I joined the army because it seemed like fun.” He stated coolly as he handed her a rose. “An added bonus is serving our beautiful queen and princess.”

 “Alright alright you dog…” Duran swatted Liam away laughing. “By the way princess, I joined because I want to protect my kingdom, and my father expected as much.”

 “Yes your father is the general tactician...he’s quite...strict.”

 “Ah yes he is...I’d say meet him on a good day but...he’s got a temper any time of day.”

 The four of them shared a laugh as they continued up the stairs to Althea’s room. Althea stopped in the doorway as she saw maids and knights cleaning out her room. She gripped her dress tightly as she thought back to the other night. Just the thought made her afraid of it happening again. What if more knights were conspiring against the family? What if they tried again tonight? What if-

 “Princess?”

 “Ah! Y-Yes Duran?” She didn’t look back at him as she continued staring at the knights leaving her room. “Is something wrong?”

 “It will never happen again Your Highness...not as long as we three live and breathe.”

 For some reason, her shoulders relaxed and she released the grip on her dress. His words were so simple and yet...she felt a weight lift off her. She finally turned to look at her knights. Their confident and strong smiles warmed her heart. 

 “Thank you…I know you all will protect me.”

 After taking a breath, she stepped into her dressing room, the triplets were already waiting on her. It gave her quite a shock and she wondered if they were in there all day. She ignored her thoughts as they pulled her into one of her favorite blue dresses. As they pulled the pins from her hair, she thought about what else her knights did when not guarding her. Surely standing around and heeding her call grew boring right? 

 “Let’s head to the kitchens so we can all eat.” Althea suggested as she walked out her room. She adjusted her bracelet as she smiled at her knights. “Please don’t say that you can’t enjoy lunch with me. It would make me feel better.”

 “Yes Princess,” they answered in unison. She smiled as they escorted her to the kitchens. The cooks hustled about the kitchen looking to prepare dinner. The head chef almost dropped her plates when she spotted Althea by the door.

 “Y-Your Highness! How may I serve you? Would you like some sweets?”

 “Yes please Mrs.Syka…” Althea answered sweetly. “Could I also have some sandwiches and drinks? I’m having a small picnic in the garden.”

 “Yes of course Your Highness…” The kitchen staff immediately got to work preparing her lunch. They presented her with a wicker basket and she thanked them kindly as they went to the gardens.

 “Here Your Highness let me…”

 “Oh thank you Duran.”

  As Duran laid out the blanket and set out the food, Althea smiled as the sun really started coming back out. Liam removed his helmet, while Honora looked nervous.

 “Honora? What’s the matter?” Althea asked her as she looked around the area. “Come sit with me.”

 “I just...we should have done a better job at protecting you. You aren’t even punishing us, instead we’re just eating lunch with you.”

 “Honora can’t you just be glad she’s safe and not punishing us?” Liam scowled at her. “Just drop it.”

 “But…”

 “A punishment...let me see…” Althea thought out loud, placing a finger on her chin and looking at the sky.

 “Thanks so much Honora…” Liam bit harshly. “You just have to live up to your namesake.”

 “......” Duran just sighed as he watched Althea deep in thought. 

 After a few minutes, Althea smiled at them cheerfully. “I have the perfect “punishment” in mind.” They looked at her with bated breath as she paused. “I’d love it if you three would be my friends.”

 “HUH?!” The three knights gasped in surprise, sending Althea into a giggling fit. The three of them looked on as Althea continued laughing. 

 “I-I’m sorry! I don’t mean to laugh!” Althea giggles, wiping a stray tear. “I hope I didn’t scare you all.”

 “N-No...it was just unexpected.” Duran coughs rubbing his head. “You’re full of surprises, Your Highness.”

 “I think it’s nice the princess isn’t stuck up,” Liam says nodding his head as he sits on the blanket. “I would gladly be your friend princess.”

 “I-I would as well princess!” Honora declares loudly as she kneels down. Duran nods at Althea as he settles next to Honora.

 “This is excellent! I’m so happy...let’s eat!” Althea cheerfully hands out food to her newfound friends. The day finally seemed to be looking up. The horrors of the past few weeks finally seem to go away. It could only go up from this point on.

♛

 “Kyros...I think we should ask the other kingdoms if they’ve seen anything like that creature.”

 “.....”

 “My love…”

 “Hmm? Yes Hestia?” Hestia gives him an annoyed look and he chuckles. “I’m sorry my queen...yes we should ask the other kingdoms.”

 “Mmm…” Hestia pouts as he plants a kiss to her forehead. “You are very distracted my king...perhaps you should relax. You’ve spent most nights in your study with the general.”

 “I know I know...my apologies for leaving you alone in our bed.”

 “Well I’m expecting you tonight...in bed.”

 “Oh? My fiery wife is being very forward right now.” He chuckles as he pulls her against his chest. She looks up at him with pure love in her eyes. He leans down just shy of kissing her. “I’ll be there...no more late nights...unless necessary.”

 “No more?”

 “No more my queen.” She smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. She runs her fingers through his thick black hair, and gently places a kiss on his lips.

 “Good...I’ve missed your touch.”

 “And I yours...beautiful wife.” He passionately kisses her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist. He chuckles against her lips as he lifts her up, to hear her sweet laughter.

 “Kyros! Silly man...put me down!” She laughs again as he kisses her more. Setting his red faced wife on the ground, he spots his daughter in the garden.

 “Hestia...look.” Hestia brushes her hair from her face as she looks out the window. Her eyes widen in surprise, before softening at the sight below her.

 Althea was sitting with her knights enjoying their lunch. Althea was laughing so hard, she had tears in her eyes. Liam was balancing a carrot on his nose while Honora yelled at him. Duran was busy making Althea laugh with stories of their childhoods. Honora tried telling a story of a remarkable feat, but Liam kept interrupting her to say his piece.

 Hestia and Kyros smile as they walk away. Seeing their daughter happy was enough for them to happily go about their day. The coming months could be hard, but as a family, they could do anything.

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