#i hate zeus and i keep hating him more everyday | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

crow-in-a-teapot · 5 years ago

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tower of nero spoilers

i have just finished the tower of nero. and before i go searching for other people’s thoughts and art and more of the characters i love so much, i want to write down some of my own thoughts because i know as soon as i delve into that ‘ton spoilers’ hashtag there are going to be complaints and criticisms and so much that i don’t want to hear, or essays that’ll make me upset, or things that’ll change my perception on the book (because on this website people really love to hate the trials of apollo).

i want to start with: i loved it. it didn’t feel earth-shattering or huge and momentous like some of my favourite riordanverse books (house of hades, the blood of olympus, the last olympian and maybe some of the magnus chase books take those pedestals for me) but it was satisfying. and i think it was satisfying because it in no way felt like an ending. whether because eventually rick will write that will-and-nico-go-through-tartarus-and-save-bob novella, or because we (or at least i) will continue writing and imagining and creating for this world i don’t know. he didn’t wrap up the story in a perfect little bow like ‘nineteen years later’, he simply put it on pause. gave us a glimpse of where every character was at at the end.

the only thing that makes me so angry and upset is that i did manage to get some spoilers for moments that i know would have been so good to experience for the first time if i hadn’t been spoiled for them. the moment where rachel mentions penguins in a mansion near her house, nico getting mental health advice from mr d, the fact that will and nico were going to be in the book for so much of the story, but the big thing was literally spoiled for me two days ago, it was the reason i sat down to read it as fast as possible because i was terrified of getting more spoiled and not being able to experience the moments for myself, was that piper had a girlfriend. i know that reading that for the first time would have been so cool and surprising, and the fact that when it came up for a moment in the last couple pages all i felt was disappointment because it was spoiled for me and because it was now tinged with whatever that person was saying about her having a girlfriend.

but i still had some warm fuzzy moments, the two parts where apollo thinks he’s going to die but nico comes up behind him - so good. impeccable.

Leader Guy spat. ‘Now, I kill you.’

He raised his sword... and froze. His face turned pale. His skin began to shrivel. His beard fell out whisker by whisker like dead pine needles. Finally, his skin crumbled away, along with his clothes and flesh, until Leader Guy was nothing but a bleached-white skeleton, holding a sword in his bony hands.

Standing behind him, his hand on the skeleton’s shoulder, was Nico di Angelo.

and

Nero raised his hand, ready to give the kill command, when behind me a mighty BOOM! shook the chamber. Half our enemies were thrown off their feet. Cracks sprouted in the windowsand the marble columns. Ceiling tiles broke, raining dust like split bags of flour.

I turned to see the impenetrable blast doors lying twisted and broken, a strangely emaciated red bull standing in the breach. Behind it stood Nico di Angelo.

gods. poetic brilliance. i can’t believe i’m still a nico di angelo stannie in the year 2021. in five years i have not changed (ever since the tv show announcement last summer i have managed to morph into myself from 2017)

from here i’m not sure where to go next i kind of want to go through everything, except it’ll be more difficult than my tyrant’s tomb reaction because i wasn’t reading on a kindle and thus can’t just do funny little reactions to screenshots of quotes, so i’ll just skim through the book page by page and see what i can comment on (i’m not planning on doing analysis today, no thank you, just enjoying the end of my childhood and trying to squeeze as much out of it as possible)

i have an emotional attachment to mr. snake from the very first chapter, and am very upset that he’ll never get off on his baltimore stop and get to see his wife, lu had no reason to shoot and kill him like that.

that brings me to lu, i liked her, it was interesting to see how rick kind of brought in not only the overarching theme of abuse, but also people who let the abuse happen, i have more i could say on this i’m too lazy to right now, and i promised no analysis - or the fact that Lu had conspired to make the show non-lethal to spare Meg’s feelings rather than - oh, I don’t know - refusing to do Nero’s dirty work in the first place and getting Meg out of that house of horrors.

And are you any better? taunted a small voice in my brain. How many times have you stood up to Zeus?

Okay, small voice. Fair point. Tyrants are not easy to opppose or walk away from, especially when you depend on them for everything.

the parallels to meg and lester heading to percy’s apartment, and then to camp half blood to the hidden oracle was so cool to read, every callback to the hidden oracle just there to remind us readers exactly how far apollo has come and how he’s changed; the entire chapter with sally, paul and estelle just felt sickly sweet, it just didn’t seem real how wholesome and good that family is, like i get why apollo broke down and just sobbed in that shower.

also rick really saying acab again in toa, i thought he was done after that elf cop chapter in magnus chase (the magnus chase series is a masterpiece) but apparently not, with A ‘good cop’ is still a cop... still a part of the mind game.

the grey sisters, i forgot about them completely but this threw me back into was it the sea of monsters when annabeth summoned them? i’m not sure, it could have been the lightning thief either, they really remind me of the disney hercules movie. the whole ganymede paragraph was gold, i love gods being canonically confirmed lgbt in the riordanverse. i also love the whole eye-tossing part -

‘He will crush our eye,’ Anger cried, ‘if we don’t recite our verses!’

‘I will not!’

‘We will all die!’ Wasp said. ‘He is crazy!’

‘I AM NOT!’

‘Fine, you win!’ Tempest howled.

also, the explanation for why dionysus chooses to look the way he does was perfect, because it was something i often wondered about and wasn’t expecting to get an explanation for, and i imagine the whole mythological dionysus to look like.. well like a more feminine apollo i guess, beautiful in a gender non-comforming way.

Other Olympians could never comprehend why Dionysus chose this form when he could look like anything he wanted. In ancient times, he’d been famous for his youthful beauty that defied gender.

...

In retaliation, Dionysus had decided to look and act as ungodly as possible. He was like a child refusing to tuck in his shirt, comb his hair or brush his teeth, just to show his parents how little he cared.

every scene with nico at camp just BREAKS ME, i would throw in screenshots of every damn quote but unfortunately, as said above, cannot and would rather not type every one; we’ll start with, obviously apollo confirming to him that jason is dead.

He didn’t look angry exactly. He looked as if he’d been hit in the gut not just once but so many times over the course of so many years that he was beginning to lose perspective on what it meant to be in pain. He swayed on his feet. He blinked. Then he flinched, jerking his hands away from Meg’s as if he’d just remembered his own touch was poison.

ugh then will talking about how nico’s doing, confirming that he’s suffering with ptsd, mr d giving him advice, helping him sort though what voices in his head are real and which ones aren’t, then the paragraph that just recounts every horrific thing poor nico has been through, how will has to reassure him that he’s okay and ‘with friends’ when he wakes up after shadow travel

will’s kindness to apollo, buying him clothes, and apollo finding seymour the leopard’s head in his bed, put there by mr d aaaa AAAA A A A A A THE ORDINARY, EVERYDAY CAMP HALF BLOOD THINGS..

i could go on for years and years about how much i appreciate rachel having a big role in this book, and the visit to her apartment, everything, her art, the fact that she got what she wanted, she’s going to PARIS to study ART, she isn’t forced to be someone she’s not by her dad, and gets to be a big part of a demigod mission and not stand on the sidelines for once.

i love that her landscapes are still visions, that she still paints the quests demigods go on - the burning maze, jason’s funeral pyre, caligula’s ships; and how nico ~appreciates art~

‘And, hey, di Angelo -’ she pushed him playfully away from the canvas he’d been ogling - ‘don’t brush against the art! I don’t care about the paintings, but if you get any colour on you, you’ll ruin that whole black-and-white aesthetic you’ve got going.’

i. love. rachel.

WILL GLOWS!! THE HEADCANONS FROM LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO THAT YOU’D SEE FLOATING AROUND ABOUT HIM MANIPULATING LIGHT!! CONFIRMED!! CANON!! AMAZING

I AM OBSESSED WITH THE TROGS, I LOVE THEM, THEY ARE GREAT, not gonna lie, i was expecting something more dramatic and spooky with how worried will was and how dionysus was going.. visiting the cavern-runners isn’t ♫ good for your mental health ♫ but the little hat frog gremlins were a good addition. i like them very much and their funky little soup shenanigans. quoting the ghost king himself: trogs good. nice hats. (IM SORRY I KEEP MENTIONING HIM BUT I JUST) also how apollo starts wishing for breadsticks a s ajoke and theY STRAIGHT UP HAVE BREADSTICKS? HUH? WHERE DID THEY GET THE BREADSTICKS FROM??

yeah, i’m also still very much upset by every mention of jason grace, it’s funny how ever since his death in the burning maze i have grown to love him more and more and that’s not fun for me, for that boy to become one of my main comfort character’s and have his death and sacrifice and nobility mentioned every few chapters. i’m pretty sure i cried when he appeared to talk in apollo’s dreams, and this time the tears weren’t from the effort of keeping my eyes open and working for hours straight reading this book (i remember staying up until 2am to finish the sequel to beautiful, broken things, it was very much worth it)

‘All right, Jason. We miss you, though.’

ALSO. THE FACT THAT THIS KID. THIS CHILD. HAD TO THINK ‘BUT IF A HERO ISN’T READY TO LOSE EVERYTHING FOR A GREATER CAUSE, IS THAT PERSON REALLY A HERO?’ A KID ISN’T SUPPOSED TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND BE READY TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR THE GREATER GOOD,, i,, ugh,, he’s supposed to be finishing school and designing temples not being the perfect hero and soldier,, spain without the s,,

as @couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name said: ‘thinking about how ghost! Jason didn’t seem to understand why Apollo was so upset about his death because he’s been raised to believe a hero’s sacrifice is noble and his life doesn’t matter in the grand scheme and also if he doesn’t understand why the person who watched him get horrifically killed is so torn up over his death he probably doesn’t even realize his other friends are grieving him..’

IM SO UPSET THE ARROW OF DODONA IS DEAD D: IT WAS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS ALL THE FUNNIEST MOMENTS WERE BECAUSE OF THAT ARROW AND IT'S DEATH WAS SO SAD WTH LIKE WE FIND OUT HOW USELESS THE ARROW FELT AND HOW THE GROVE OF DODONA ALL THOUGHT IT WOULD BE CRAP AND WOULD FAIL APOLLO AND THEN ONCE WE FEEL BAD FOR IT, IT DIES??

the entire python battle was pretty grim, there is a part of me that's like because this is the last book series i would have loved say the magnus chase and kane chronicles gang in a giant battle with everyone like the battle of manhattan but even more dramatic, but even so, i did appreciate that python battle and the whole almost-falling-into-the-depths-of-tartarus thing.

him talking to artemis was cool, but JESUS: 'I turned and strode out of my room, trying to recall how the god Apollo walked.' like that HURTS. it was such a huge culture shock for apollo to go throught this huge character arc and be so human and understand the pain of others, to be around gods again who are so.. apathetic. also, zeus. 'Interesting how he put that: I had done him proud. I had been useful in making him look good. My heart did not melt. I did not feel that this was a warm-and-fuzzy reconciliation with my father. Let's be honest: some fathers don't deserve that. Some aren't capable of it.'

OKAY OKAY SO THE END?? CHIRON TALKING TO A CAT (BAST) AND A SEVERED HEAD (MIMIR) ABOUT SHARED PROBLEMS WITHIN THE PANTHEONS!! WILL AND NICO RECEIVING A PROPHECY FROM RACHEL TO GO TO TARTARUS AND SAVE BOB!! THE HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS, INCLUDING THALIA AND REYNA BEING BEST FRIENDS (qpr.. qpr..) HUNTING THE TEUMESSIAN FOX!! PERCY, ANNABETH AND GROVER, THE ORIGINAL TRIO, GOING ON A CHAOTIC ROAD TRIP TOGETHER!! - SO MANY STAND-ALONE SET -UPS PFSJSJSJ

okay quick word on the reunions at the end: funny little elephant visitation program with livia and hannibal. love that for them. calypso and leo's relationship seems rocky and complicated, but that's to be expected, i think even if they do get properly back together again it might not last long, because it does pretty much feel like a teenage relationship where the two aren't very compatible, but we'll see. hazel and frank are so funny with their gold plated necklaces. lavinia - tap-dance icon. almost cried at the mention of jason's temple-extension plan again. percy not being sure about what he wants to do in college is accurate and i like that that's left to be up-for-interpretation (rick does THE MOST for the fanfic writers pfsjsj). i am OBSESSED with aeithales, like i hate deserts so the burning maze setting is not my favourite but GOD that HOUSE, the vibes are off-the-charts. i'd love a house made of living trees that's also a greenhouse filled with dryads. meg gets a unicorn. that is so great.

i kind of wish the book hadn't ended with 'Call on me. I will be there for you.' because every time I imagine the friends theme song and i don't think that's the vibe he was going for, BUT i do love him talking to meg, that was genuinely emotional - 'You'll come back?' she asked. 'Always,' I promised. 'The sun always comes back.' ; i really wish it had ended with that, but i guess apollo does tend to break fourth walls and talk to the readers, like a lot of the protagonists of riordanverse books.

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wallstoothin · 4 years ago

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Revolution (P5/PJO)

A warm up fic that I'm too nervous to put on A03. Unedited.

At age sixteen, Akira never expected to be part of a war. But then again, life as a demigod is anything but normal to begin with. He’s not even...he’s not even anything in the eyes of the gods but for some reason he was the child of the prophecy, whatever that meant. Akira always considered it a death sentence in waiting. Aren’t prophecies once in a lifetime opportunities?

Since the age of eleven, Akira has been forced to go on all sorts of different quests ranging from petty things such as being an over glorified uber eats for a god or something like preventing a war between two different monsters. Now it was a war.

A war that could be easily prevented if the gods or even some of the camp managers and leaders just opened their eyes and look. Akira would know. He was the son of a minor goddess after all, a mother who never bothered to claim him and a camp that force him into a cramped cabin of a god who is “so kind and merciful to let someone like him inside.”

Children of minor gods are usually one that can live in the outside world without major trouble. Apparently their scent is thinner and are less appealing than children of major goddesses such as his bunkmate Ryuji, child of Hermes and sweet Ann from Aprohidites. They are his best friend and he does not envy them at all. Both Ryuji and Ann has been through s much trouble because of their parent lineage. Left alone to single parents and their own human trouble combined with their demigods' trouble. He would do anything for them. Still, it would be nice to have someone to call as family. The only reason Akira even found out about his parentage is because of Goro.

Goro.

Goro had high expectation placed under him. As the son of Zeus it was expected. But he was never chosen to be in any important quest and spend most of his time training or in his cabin. Goro was one of the first people Akira met when he first came to camp. According to gossip, Goro has been in camp since the age of seven after his mother killed himself, overpressed by the idea of raising a child of god and especially after how lord Zeus practically left the two on their own. Goro was a loner on the outside and very bitter on the inside. When Akira got his first quest a month later, Goro practically ignored him. It was heartbreaking for the eleven year old for his new friend or at least someone he consider his friend to suddenly hate him.

He really wanted to go to the outside world with him but instead went with Ryuji and Ann. When he came back, bruised and bloodied, filled with new fears and deep hatred for salt water. He hoped his time away would have let his friend cool down enough for them to talk again but as soon as Akira laid eyes on the other the boy ran straight for his cabin. It wasn’t long until Akira got his first fetch quest. This time with Yusuke, son of Apollo and Futaba the quirky daughter of Hephaestus. It was a strange team, filled with dumb fights and hiding in the bathroom but it was successful.

Goro still won’t talk to him. Instead he ended up with two Ares girls on his twelfth birthday.

It was after this quest when he was finally given a small break. At this point he was desperate. He was tired,scared and most of all he wanted his friend back. So once he was left alone after dinner, he dragged Goro by the arm from the archery ring and into the Zeus cabin.

“We need to talk.”

They talked and talked and talked way past curfew, maybe they could have reconnect months ago. If only Akira was given a chance to settle down. But now he did.

It was Goro that figured out who his parent was, Goro always did say that whenever he was around Akira he always felt safe, at home. Other people told him that too. Even Akira felt the sense of family whenever he’s with his friends.

They hit the book soon after and came up with an answer.

Epione, the goddess of soothing pain.

Akira’s power seems to work with mental pain and after going on a quest with Goro and Hifumi, he can soothe small physical pain. Anything bigger than a small knife wound would leave him passed out on the ground. But it was better than any ambrosia or nectar, it was a rewarded feeling and an especially tiring one.

It made the quest after a lot easier.

Everything breaks down around the age of fifteen, it was quiet and sudden. Akira knew of camp deserters, they all did. It is often talked about in late night horror stories. Akira may have made one or two up on his own as well. But there has been an increase in unrest between the minor god and goddess children.

“The gods are using you as their playthings aren’t they?” Ten year old Nozoki told him one day. “How long can you keep winding yourself until you break?”

He still hasn't told anyone of his talk with the gods, yet.

It was after that day that people started leaving the camp in groups.

Yukki

Nozoki

And Goro.

The older boy didn’t even say goodbye.

Was it something Akira has done?

Their last talk was another late night one. This time hanging out on the roof of Goro’s cabin. They were talking about school. Akechi was close to finishing high school and Akira was on his way to his last year. When Akechi asked of his future plans, Akira hesitated. Was there a future for him? Akira never thought he would make it this long, even then, he did not have the time to develop any hobbies or focus on school work compared to his peers. Who cared about school when the world was ending.

Maybe it was his defeated tone, he hated it at first he really did. But now Akira just accepts it as another part of life. Demigods don’t get to live long, everyone knows that, that’s why the camp was created in the first place to provide children a safe place to live and to teach them to survive. Akira who's been in and out of the camp in almost all of his teen years has a higher chance of an early death compared to his friends.

“What if everything change.” Goro talked in a low and deep voice. A tone Akira rarely hear outside of anger and battle. He must be serious. “What if we had a chance to go out into the world without any fear of getting killed or being forced by the gods to do whatever they want.”

“That’s a dangerous thought you have there.” He replied.

“Humor me Akira.”

“Well,” What kind of answers would satisfy Goro. He honestly never really bothered to even spend time daydreaming about this. What are somethings the seasonal campers talk about during dinner time?

“I think I want to go somewhere populated.”

“Somewhere populated, Kurusu-kun?”

He nodded. “Yeah like the scramble or Kyoto, maybe even destinyland.”

“Those are tourist traps Kurusu-kun.” Goro replied wirily.

“So? What I want my wallet to get tricked by the many faces of capitalism. Aren’t they places of memories. I don't mind spending my whole day in these places. It seems like fun.”

“You know, I expected someone like you to want something more dramatic. For someone who always lives in the danger zone.”

He shrugged. “Normal is Ok, I think I would like to be that mysterious man behind the bar.”

Goro actually snorted at that. “Are you even able to stay in one place for that long?”

Ok, so maybe Goro has a point. There no why he can stay in one place for so long. But if he gets to meet new people everyday it sure to be just as fun.

“-beside, I can’t see you handling alcohol.”

“Geez Goro, way to crush my dreams. I was thinking of running some kind of underground coffee bar. “

“An underground coffee bar. That sounds like you. I think I might have isted everyday.”

“Oh? A loyal customer ? Thank you for your patronage, good sir.”

“You’re very welcomed overworked barista.”

They sighed.

“Goro is everything OK?| He finally asked. “What you have been saying lately has me worried. You know the people upstairs can hear everything here right?”

“Of course, please do not worry about me Akira-kun, I’m sure you already have lots on your plate right now.”

“But I always have space in my heart for you. Please ‘kechi, I won’t tell anyone no matter what you tell me. On my life.”

“You really shouldn’t be putting your life on the line so easily.” Goro mumbled, mostly to himself but Akira heard it all anyway.

“It’s all part of the job.” He chirp back.

The next day he was gone.

A traitor everyone called him, someone who abandoned the gods to join the wrong side historically and morally. It did not take long for the rumors to start around camp.

“I’ve always knew he was evil.”

“He was always acting so creepy around Akira I wonder if he was ever planning on killing him.”

“It’s good that he left, who knows what he would’ve done if he stayed. “

It was getting harder and harder to face each day with a smile without Goro. His other friends at least one that has yet to publicly disowned Goro stayed by his side comforting him telling him that everything is alright.

But war, war is coming and Akira is expected to be in the front line as a leader. He can’t. He does not want to do this any more. Oh godly parent please give him a sign.

But nothing came.

Nothing but ruin for Tokyo.

They were

Winning

Losing

Dying

...fighting.

They were fighting for their life, each of his friends split up into different groups to try and take back different parts of the city.

Akira was tasked to find the leader of the resistance and to put an end to it once and for all, a fitting task for the hero.

It did not take long to find him, he was exactly where Akira expected him to be and exactly where Goro wanted him to be at.

“Goro,” He mumbled, approaching his enemy with his dagger clutched in his hand tightly. “I came to stop you.”

Goro turned around to face him. Instead of the camp t-shirt and ripped jeans that Akira normally sees him in. He was instead wearing a leather jacket and a collared shirt underneath his regular jeans. It was a strange combination but Akira can’t help but to think it suits Goro well.

“I’m happy you came.”

“This is our meeting place after all.”

Enough with the banter, Akira can’t afford to stall now, not when everyone is fighting for their lives.

“Goro, surrender now. I can get the gods to put you on probation or something bu-”

“You know that’s not true. Do you really think that will pay attention to a mortal even someone like you, since when have they done anything for you.”

“I-”

“Think Akira.” Goro shouted, holding on to his shoulder for dear life. “You’ve been used over and over again. We were just kids. You don’t even have a childhood doesn’t that upset you?”

It did, it still does but Goro knows that he does not like to think about that.

“I used to be so scared.” Goro’s volume went down all the way to a whisper as if talking about this of all things would finally get him stuck down by lightning. “Everytime you come home your eyes would grow darker and darker. I used to have nightmares that the darkness would eat you alive. The trauma you endured. As a son of one of the big three it should have been me.”

Akira shook his head vigorously, he could even feel some of the hair strand stabbing his eyes. It burns a bit, but that’s not important.

“No Goro! I would never wish this life on anyone. The quest, the glory. It’s not worth it! I wanted you to be safe and happy but you ignored me.”

“I know.” Goro’s hand slowly trailed down until they came right above his waist putting the two in some sort of half hug position. “I’m sorry Akira.”

Akira swallowed back a sob threatening to come out. His dagger was right there and Goro was so close and vulnerable. He could end this, he can stop this war once and for all.

“Goro please, end this war. That way everything will go back to normal.”

“You know that’s not what’s going to happen. The gods will use you again and again until you one day burn out and they choose the next unlucky kid to be the hero.” Goro paused. “Akira...why don’t you join me.”

“Hu-”

“Lots of our men need healing. With your powers you can save them! Your mother may not recognize you but we do. We can stop this cycle and give everyone a better future. We would no longer live in fear or worried over someone’s temper tantrum. Akira, I know I haven’t been a good friend to you but I can make it all up now so please.”

Goro reached out his hand and dropped his weapon.

“Join me.”

Akira dropped his dagger as well.

He knows this isn’t the right choice, if they were to fail both Akira and Goro would face harsh unimaginable punishment. But Goro along with everything he ever wanted was right there.

Akira reached out his own hands and-

#persona 5 #goro akechi #akira kurusu #PJO AU #accomplice au #Not much PJO just using the rules

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fallinnflower · 5 years ago

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in absentia

jackson x reader (hermes!au, angst)

word count: 5,638

a/n: i’d like to thank @softseunies for making this happen. thanks for being my ultimate cheerleader as i stumbled through writing this fic, mwah~

When you first meet Jackson, he’s running. You notice him at once — not only because he’s extremely attractive — because you run this same route everyday, and you’ve never seen him before. And this isn’t a heavily-populated area, so your curiosity is immediately piqued.

But soon, you’re not just seeing him when you’re running, you’re seeing him when you’re out for coffee, or at the grocery store, or on your way to work. He’s everywhere, and you have no clue who he is!

The next Saturday morning, he’s out running again, and you just can’t help yourself. You have to talk to him, and it feels like it’s now or never.

He slows his pace as he hears you approaching, lagging behind until you can fall into step beside him.

“Hey,” you greet, trying to ignore the disarming smile he shoots your way because you don’t really want to fall flat on your face in front of him.

“I couldn’t help but notice you around town. Are you new?” He lets out a breathy laugh, the sunlight glistening off his sweat-covered skin; normally, you think you’d be disgusted, but you can’t help but find him handsome.

“Yeah,” he says. “I’m Jackson, it’s nice to meet you." He stops running just to shake your hand, and in the moment it takes for you to notice that and turn around, you can already feel yourself falling. His hand is warm, slightly calloused, and fits perfectly against yours. You can’t help but smile; somehow, just being near him, you feel energized.

“You, too.”

“Wanna grab coffee sometime?” He asks, beaming at you. And, well, how could you say no?

You leave the park with his number in your phone, and an unexpected spring in your step.

Jackson had noticed you long before you’d noticed him. In fact, he’d been living in the area a little longer than you thought he had, and only because he’d taken such care to scope the area out before moving in. He had to be sure there wouldn’t be trouble for him here, and that his contact with Olympus wouldn’t be obstructed in any way.

He’d first noticed you exiting a coffee shop. The look on your face was so blissful as you took a sip of your drink that he had to go in and try it for himself.

And just like that, he was hooked — on you and the coffee.

It wasn’t all about getting to know you at first. After all, he still needed to know the area he’d be living in! But then he couldn’t stop thinking about you, and he couldn’t remember the last time a mortal had made him feel the way he did when he looked at you.

So he just happened to take his daily runs on the same path as you, when he could have chosen any other place. And just happened to be taking you to your favorite coffee shop on your first date.

Yes, he intended it to be a date. He was hoping you would feel the same way by the end of it — and not just because of his godly charm. He was, after all, a supernatural being; if he wanted you, he could have you, but he had better morals than Zeus at least. Besides, it had been a long time since he’d properly flirted with and gotten to know someone — and he decided he wanted to take his time with you.

(Or, well, as much as he could stand to. He had speed built into him, adrenaline always coursing through his veins. Slow, for him, was probably not the same as slow for you.)

“So,” he says, sitting across from you in a corner table. The sun hits you just right, casting a golden halo around your head, and Jackson leans onto his elbows on the table, propping his chin in his hands as he admires you. “You’ve seen me around?” At his teasing, you startle and it takes a few coughs for you to get your bearings again.

“I, um— yeah. At the park, and stuff.”

“And stuff?” He repeats, raising one eyebrow. As he watches the expression on your face shift from embarrassment to playful irritation, realizing what he’s getting at, Jackson feels his heart skip a beat. He wishes he could keep this moment in the forefront of his mind forever, the pout on your lips so enticing he can’t help but want to kiss you. It’s shocking to him that he’s already so invested, so lost in your eyes.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” you reply, a playful twinkle in your eye.

He realizes, right then and there, you might be more bewitching and dangerous than Aphrodite herself (though he’d never say such a thing in her presence), and he’s in real trouble. And he doesn’t mind that one bit. What’s life without a little danger?

Jackson is the perfect gentleman. He’s always considerate, holding the door open for you and insisting on paying; showing up early, usually with flowers; memorizing your favorite drink at your favorite cafe within the first handful of dates. It’s incredible, really — you’d thought he was just your average charmer at first, but as you get to know him you realize how genuine his charm actually is. Although he’s certainly handsome and playful, the real charm of him lies below the surface in the type of person he is.

Which is why, when he suddenly stops replying to your texts one day when you’re supposed to have a date, it feels very out of character. Jackson is usually the type to be up before dawn, messaging you just as early with pictures of a cute dog he encountered on his run or just asking if you’re ready for your date — he’s never once been late, and you never imagined he would be the type to stand you up without any reason.

And yet, when the time he’s supposed to pick you up comes around, there’s no sign of him. Your texts remain unanswered, calls going to voicemail, and at first you’re more worried than upset. You turn on the news, wondering if there’s been some kind of major accident, but there’s nothing of note that comes up on the traffic report. Slowly, your anxiety turns to aggravation, which eventually fades into self-pity. By the time three hours have passed, you can’t find a reason to keep your makeup on — so you shuffle miserably to the bathroom and wipe away the work you’d done hours before, and then hop in the shower because you can feel the tears coming on and refuse to just sit around crying on the couch. It’s more cathartic to cry in the shower, anyways.

You continue your pity party by slipping into an Eeyore onesie your friend bought you as a gag gift last year, yanking up the hood for maximum warmth as you make yourself a cup of tea and begin raiding your snack shelf for anything and everything self-indulgent. As you lug all these things into your living room, fully prepared to set up camp on the couch for the next few hours, a loud knock sounds at your door. It’s urgent, but not excessively loud, and you slowly make your way to the door and peer through the peephole—

And there’s Jackson, sweat clinging to his brow, panting like he just finished a marathon. You hate that you can’t even manage to scowl at him when you open the door.

“Y/N!” He greets, looking ecstatic for a moment before the guilt returns to his features, making him look like a kicked puppy. “I’m so, so sorry about today, but I can explain, I promise! But, like, if you never want to see me again, I get it—”

As he rambles, you find yourself stepping aside and opening your door for him. A small smile finds its way onto your face as you interrupt him,

“I’ll hear you out, but only because you look so miserable. Come on.”

You get him a glass of water before settling on the opposite end of the couch from him. Jackson downs half of it in one gulp, thanking you breathlessly before clearing his throat and schooling his expression into one that’s more somber.

“Okay, I know I said I could explain, but I… it’s going to sound weird, okay?” You furrow your brows in confusion, but nod for him to go on, nonetheless.

“I missed our date and didn’t respond to your messages because I was, um,” he pauses, licks his lips, then continues more softly, “in the underworld. I’m not actually human, I’m, uh, I’m Hermes. The Greek god. You know?”

There aren’t even crickets to fill the silence between you. Jackson stares into your eyes with his earnest, dark ones, and you feel your throat close up a bit. You avert your gaze to hide the tears you can feel welling up.

“Wow,” you scoff, softly. “You know, Jackson, if you didn’t like me you could’ve just said that—”

“I’m serious!” He cries, taking hold of both of your hands. “Just, okay, hold on a second.” Before you can reply, Jackson is pulling his hands away from yours and reaching down to pull off his socks. As you look up at him in confusion, willing yourself to ask him what the hell is going on, you notice that his skin seems to be shimmering slightly and his once dark irises have turned to gold. Without any hesitation, Jackson lifts his leg up, hands clasped behind his knee so his ankle is almost at your eye level.

It’s almost comical, you think. He must be insane, but then you actually look at his ankle in front of you and realize you must be the crazy one.

Because there’s a wing. An honest-to-God, white-feathered wing sprouting out of his ankle on the exterior side. It’s small, but it’s there, and when you tentatively reach out to touch it with the thought that maybe this is just an elaborate prank, it actually flutters.

The next thing you remember is waking up to see Jackson sitting nervously on the floor beside your couch, staring at you intently as he grips tightly onto one of your hands.

“Oh, thank goodness,” he breathes when you finally open your eyes. “Listen, I am so sorry, I’ve never— I didn’t know how to prove it to you but that was really dumb, I’m so sorry—”

“I— that wasn’t a dream?” You squeak, and you notice Jackson’s eyes still have a little gold left in them. It’s answer enough for you, and as you sit up on the couch Jackson gently places a hand against your back, bracing you in case you pass out again. You run a hand through your hair, letting out a long breath. Eventually, you lift your gaze to meet his,

“So, what you’re saying is there’s no cell service in the underworld?” You ask. Relief washes over Jackson’s features, a smile gracing his lips, and neither of you can help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

And that’s how you start dating Jackson, aka Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods.

You had been half joking about there being no cell service in the underworld, but it turned out you were right. The results of this were handfuls of missed dates, because Jackson, true to his godly nature, was the type of person who had trouble being patient. Most times he got an assignment from the Big Guys Upstairs and started on his way without even thinking about you or how you might be waiting for him to send you a message.

You also learned the hard way that time worked differently down there, aka your boyfriend had no concept of it.

It was extremely worrisome at first. More than being frustrated at him disappearing, you were frightened — what if he wasn’t on a supernatural mission but got hit by a car or something? Did he even have emergency contacts? Did he need them?

Dating was confusing, even more so when your boyfriend is a god who sometimes goes radio silent for days at a time. Sometimes you wish there was some Olympian hotline, just so you could call up and ask if he was okay. All you ever wanted, really, was to know that. It didn’t matter to you if he missed dates for something as important as godly work, but was it too much to ask for a text in advance when he got word of a new assignment?

Were you really as insignificant to him as that?

But then Jackson would come home and you’d forgive him with his puppy dog eyes and remind yourself how lucky you were to be with someone like Jackson; not only because he was a god and you were a mortal, but because he was such a doting, perfect boyfriend when he was around. So you pushed any misgivings you had aside for his sake, trying to enjoy all the time you could with him, ignoring how the frustration piled up in the corners of your mind.

It would be wrong to say that Jackson was the only one who had to go away on business from time to time, although you certainly went less often than he did — and your trips always had a general sense of structure. And cell service.

You’d been chosen by your company to go as a representative on a week-long trip to negotiate a contract with a firm in Japan. It was exciting, and quite the opportunity, but it ran you ragged. After spending three hours on a plane and more than that in airports, going through customs and lugging your bags around, you’re more than excited to be back on familiar soil. And even that pales in comparison to the thought of seeing Jackson again. You can’t help the goofy grin that spreads across your features as you imagine running into his arms for the first time in a week — somehow, it feels so much longer than that, but maybe it’s because he was away on his own business until the crack of dawn the morning you left. Those short, meager hours together in bed weren’t nearly enough to get you through a whole business trip.

The forecast is calling for rain, but thankfully the weather hasn’t turned just yet, although it’s chilly enough to have you longing for your space heater of a boyfriend even more. You pull out your phone to text him that you’re at the departures area, waiting just inside the doors; you know he’ll get concerned if you wait outside.

The message is delivered. Just like the one you sent when your plane finally taxied in over ten minutes ago.

Jackson is the type to respond to messages fast, especially when they’re from you. He’s a little clingy like that, and especially so after you’ve been gone for a while. But as you stand around, watching people cart their luggage out to cars and reunite with their own loved ones, you can’t help but feel increasingly impatient.

Five minutes pass. Then ten. Fifteen. Your phone has been put on low-power mode, sitting at nineteen percent, and you shift the weight of your duffel around on your shoulder to try and ease the ache in your neck.

In a last ditch effort fueled by irritation, sleep deprivation, and hunger from skipping lunch because everything at the airport is overpriced, you try calling Jackson.

It goes to voicemail. You frown, because you know exactly what that means, and you hate that you aren’t surprised by it at all. A glance out the glass doors shows you that it’s started raining, and you feel your shoulders slump — as soon as you manage to hail a taxi outside, you nearly start crying in the backseat. If the driver notices your foul mood, he doesn’t mention anything; he actually just turns the radio up for you a bit, which you appreciate. You’re in no mood to talk.

The apartment is cold and empty when you get in, meaning your boyfriend probably hasn’t been around for at least a day — he would’ve turned the heat on for you, at least, if he had. You drop your duffel by the shoe rack and trudge into the kitchen, wanting nothing more than a home-cooked meal, even if it’s leftovers—

The fridge is sparse. Any and all leftovers have obviously been consumed by your boyfriend, and with how cold the apartment is yogurt just doesn’t sound appetizing. You shut the door with more force than necessary, the sound echoing through the apartment as you dig out a cheap packet of instant ramen and a bowl, shoving it in the microwave. As the mechanical whir fills the otherwise empty apartment, you plug your phone into the extra charger on the kitchen counter.

When it powers up, you find no new messages on your screen, and the ones you’ve sent to Jackson remain unseen.

You get over it. You always do, especially when you wake up to Jackson cooking you a massive apology breakfast in the kitchen.

It’s a routine. You can’t stay mad at him — in part because you love him, but also because you’re too tired to stay mad at him. If you let every little setback like this piss you off, then the relationship would die. You tell yourself it’s up to you to keep the peace; you agreed to date a god, and so you should’ve expected it.

You try to ignore the ache in your chest when you press your face into his shoulder, allowing him to press apologetic kisses to the crown of your head and smooth down the wrinkles the his shirt you’d slept in. Your anger seeps into the cracks, unseen and for all you care, forgotten.

It’s the perfect evening. You’re clinging to Jackson’s arm as he guides you towards the restaurant your coworker has been hyping up for weeks. You have reservations, and your boyfriend is wearing a suit and keeps telling you how beautiful you look — it’s perfect.

Friday nights are good date nights, and because of that the restaurant is extremely crowded. You’re glad you thought ahead to get a reservation for you and Jackson, and gaze around the warmly-lit establishment in childlike wonder. Jackson holds your hand across the table, using the other to peruse the menu. After a few minutes of doing the same, you lift your eyes from the page to your boyfriend’s handsome face.

“What are you thinking?” You ask, folding your own menu and setting it aside.

“Your coworker said their pasta was good, right?” You nod, listening to Jackson as he discusses the two options he’s stuck between, and when he starts getting pouty over the decision you giggle and squeeze his hand.

“How about you get one and I get the other, and we can split?” His eyes light up at your suggestion. He lifts your hand from the table and presses a kiss to your knuckles, beaming,

“This is why I love you.”

“Because I share food with you?” You ask, laughing, and Jackson shakes his head, smiling gently at you from across the table. His skin almost glows in the warm golden lighting.

“No, because—”

A familiar ringtone fills the air between you, and Jackson leans back in his seat. His hand slips from your without even a moment’s hesitation as he pulls his phone from his pocket, answering it without even apologizing to you. You swallow hard, throat suddenly feeling very dry.

Only a few seconds later, his chair is pushed back and he’s standing beside you.

“I have to go,” he says, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. “Don’t wait up, okay? Enjoy the dinner.”

The waiter arrives with your drinks as Jackson leaves the restaurant. You can’t even bring yourself to watch him go, just listening to his footsteps until they disappear below the murmurs around you.

“Is something wrong?” The waiter asks. You shoot him a weak smile, feeling unbearably cold all of a sudden.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but I’ll need to get the orders to-go. Something has come up.” You’re grateful that the waiter merely nods and takes down your order, saying nothing more than is necessary. The guy even packs up some breadsticks for you, since you hadn’t even gotten that far, and within twenty minutes you’re walking alone down the sidewalk you’d just walked up with Jackson not even an hour before. There are people all around you, but somehow all you can hear is the sound of your solitary feet hitting the pavement as you make your way to the apartment.

It was supposed to be a perfect evening. You’d go out to dinner and Jackson would keep telling you how good you looked, and you’d come home and bask in each other for as long as you wanted. It would’ve been a blissful start to the weekend — but now here you are, standing in the doorway with a plastic bag dangling from your wrist.

You don’t bother to reheat your food. You shove Jackson’s box in the fridge and drop to the carpet in your living room, putting on some dumb reality show to try and numb your brain to the waves of loneliness and shame you feel rolling over you. You eat all the breadsticks by yourself, but you still end up leaving some of your pasta for Jackson to try later.

Like many of the nights you spend without Jackson, you end up falling asleep on the couch. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep in a bed without him.

You wake up to an empty apartment. You drag yourself off the couch and into the kitchen to wash your dishes from the night before. It sucks being without Jackson, sucks even more that you still feel embarrassed about the night before at that wonderful restaurant, but you know that at least the apartment will look nice when he comes back. Before you can start overthinking, you start a pot of coffee and begin spraying down the counters. The busier your body is, the less time you have to think.

Saturday passes in a whirlwind of cleaning supplies and music turned up high so you don’t have to hear yourself think. Sunday drags along, with you desperately thinking of errands to run and completing them in no time at all. You spend the afternoon binge-watching a drama, and that night when you open the fridge you’re confronted once again by Jackson’s leftovers on the glass shelf.

You avert your gaze and pull out the leftovers of your own pasta, which you’d initially intended for him. It may have been a petty thing to do, really, but you didn’t care much about if he thought you were being petty. He wouldn’t dare to bring it up anyways. The two of you never talked about things that upset you, especially not right after he came home from a trip to the underworld. You manage to fall asleep alone in bed this time.

Monday dawns with no sign of your boyfriend, and you try to ease the worry in your heart, but nothing except for seeing him could possibly make you feel any better. You go through work on autopilot, wishing you could just get over this already. It isn’t like it’s anything new, anyways.

You eat his leftovers that night, because he’s nowhere to be seen and you can’t stand to see it go to waste. It tastes like ashes in your mouth.

He finally comes back on Wednesday night. You should be asleep, but you just couldn’t get your mind to stop running in circles, so you trudged back into the living room and sat down to watch some mindless TV with a cup of tea. It almost works, maybe, except that the clicking of the front door unlocking snaps you out of your half-asleep state.

The two of you rarely fight, but this time you can’t help it. The moment he walks in from the entryway, you feel the annoyance and rage of the past two years bubbling to the surface, unable to be contained.

“Hey,” he greets, sounding tired but not unhappy. He leans down to press a kiss to your cheek and you hardly even blink, eyes still focused on the television. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything, just moves towards the kitchen and somehow that makes you even angrier. You clench your jaw, the words coming out sharp as you hear him rifling around in the drawer for a set of chopsticks,

“Aren’t you going to say anything else?” The rifling doesn’t stop, like he doesn’t even notice the change in your tone. Is he even around enough to notice something so small anymore?

“What do you mean?” He asks, stuffing some noodles into his mouth. You turn your cold gaze onto him, finding yourself infuriated with his casual pose, leaning against the doorframe as though he hasn’t a care in the world.

“I don’t know, maybe a sorry for leaving in the middle of our date?” Jackson swallows his bite and sets his bowl down, slowly making his way to the couch. He sits down beside you, turning his knees in towards yours, and slowly pulls both of your hands off of your lap and into his own. He takes a deep breath before speaking,

“Babe, you know I didn’t want to leave—”

“Do I?” You ask, “Do I know that, Jackson? You barely even hesitated to leave me there alone!” You snatch your hands away and stand up abruptly, feeling your head begin to ache with oncoming tears.

“Do you know how— how embarrassing it was to have to tell the waiter I wanted the food to-go? And then to walk all the way back here by myself, and eat by myself?”

Your boyfriend merely stares at you from his seat on the couch, slack-jawed. Suddenly, you find your vision to blurry to see him clearly, and you shake your head.

“Whatever, I’m going to bed.”

It doesn’t surprise either of you when you lock the bedroom door behind you.

Unlike any other fight you’ve ever had with Jackson, the anger from this one seeps into the next day. You avoid him in the morning before work, but you can’t seem to do so once you get home. Jackson is lying on the couch, eyes shut tight, and you shuffle quietly into the kitchen to start making dinner.

You bring him a bowl to the living room, the sound of the ceramic settling on the wood waking him from his nap. His eyes are bloodshot and bleary; he probably didn’t sleep much last night, if at all, and you almost feel a little bit guilty. Instead, you just avert your eyes when he thanks you for dinner, and begin shoveling the food into your mouth.

But the tension continues building, like a string being pulled taut, and eventually you can’t take the silence anymore. You lick your lips nervously and set your bowl on the counter, staring at the traces of sauce left on the inside.

“So,” you start, voice small. “Are we gonna talk about it?

Jackson groans. Out of the corner of your eye you see him rub his face with his hands, keeping them over his eyes for a moment longer as he huffs a long breath out of his nose.

“Can’t it wait, Y/N? I’m exhausted.” Again, you almost pity him — but then, for a moment, you pity yourself as well. Where has he been when you’re exhausted, when you need him? Your mind goes back to standing in departures, waiting for a call that never came, and your blood runs hot.

“No, it can’t wait, Jackson,” you reply coldly. “Not anymore.”

“What do you mean ‘not anymore’? I’m just asking for one night—”

“You can’t promise that!” You interrupt. “You can’t promise it will only be one night! I want— I need to talk about this before you leave again, or I might really not be able to do this anymore.” At that, Jackson’s posture stiffens. He lifts his face from his hands and turns to look at you, panic evident in his eyes.

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what I said! I can’t wait around for you forever,” you snap, and Jackson finds himself speechless. Suddenly, all the anger that had wound your muscles tight like a spring snaps, leaving your shoulders sagging, your expression hollow,

“I don’t have forever, Jackson.”

His heart constricts, his throat tightening along with it. His mouth opens, but no sound comes out, and you simply stare him down in the silence of the apartment. Jackson wants nothing more than to take you into his arms and smother you with his apologies, prove his love to you, but the familiar chime sounds from the watch on his wrist.

“I— Y/N, you know… I can’t just…”

Normally, after an argument like this, you’d scoff. This time, there are no snide remarks, only a tired look in your eyes where the smile doesn’t reach. You jerk your chin slightly towards the front door.

“Go on, then,” you say. It’s as he slips out the door he hears something that makes his heart drop:

“Hermes.”

In his younger years, it had seemed like a cool thing to be the only god allowed to come and go from the underworld as he pleased. The thing is, as with anything else, it tends to lose its luster in the face of monotony.

This trip had been particularly hellish (pun intended) because Cerberus just needed attention, and needed it right then. April was always the worst for Hades; no matter how many years passed he still pouted relentlessly when Persephone had to leave and would spend the next few months moping. As such, his three-headed dog wasn’t exactly getting the most attention. And who was Jackson to deny Cerberus that? The poor pup didn’t know any better.

He didn’t have his bearings at first, but once he emerged back into the mortal world he found that it was nighttime. After a moment his watch readjusted to his earthly time: it had been almost a full week since he’d left.

Meaning it had been almost a full week since your fight.

Thinking back on it, Jackson finds himself filled with shame. You were right, of course — he doesn’t have the best work-life balance, mostly because he’s never needed to. He had never considered bringing a mortal into his life, and even when he asked you to be with him he selfishly pushed your needs and feelings aside in order to do his job. When was the last time he’d really heard you out? When was the last time he did something nice for you, even asked you about your life or what you needed or how you were doing?

How was it that he had all the time in the world and then some, and yet he couldn’t make any for you?

On his way back to your apartment, he stops by the one convenience store still open and buys as many of your favorite candy bars as he could. The cashier gives him a weird look, but all he can think about is how he’s going to apologize when he inevitably wakes you from your slumber.

A feeling overtakes him as he walks up the stairs in your building. A sudden onslaught of nerves, unusual for him considering his outgoing nature. It causes him to pick up the pace, going two steps at a time up to your floor until finally he bursts out into the hallway, feeling as though he can barely breathe from the tightness in his chest.

He fishes the spare key out of his pocket. It doesn’t fit the lock. At the moment, all he can do is scoff at how petty that is of you, to change the locks on him — especially when he doesn’t need a key to get through a door.

But then he enters the apartment.

It’s empty. Your shoes aren’t by the door, your furniture is gone. There are indents from your couch legs still in the living room carpet, but the kitchen as spotless and so are all the walls, he realizes, as he stumbles through the hall in a sudden haze.

There’s nothing. Not in the medicine cabinet, not in the closet where you keep your towels— even the scent of you seems to be fading and Jackson suddenly finds himself weak in the knees, leaning heavily on the doorframe to your bedroom so he doesn’t fall to the floor.

The moonlight through the window pours straight onto the center of the floor, unobstructed in the absence of your bed.

Jackson forces himself through to your en-suite bathroom, feeling suddenly sick to his stomach, his pulse racing. He stares down into the white bowl of the sink, willing his vision to become clear once again.

Slowly, his gaze raises up to meet the eyes of his reflection. His eternally young face stares back at him, once a point of pride, now only a crushing reminder of the last words of your argument. I don’t have forever.

“What good is forever without you?” He asks, although he knows you aren’t there to hear him. You didn’t leave even the faintest trace of yourself. Jackson allows a handful of hot tears to run down his face before turning and making his way out of the apartment. As he pulls the door shut behind him, he prepares to do what he does best—

He runs.

#jackson wang #got7 jackson #got7 scenarios #got7 reactions #got7 fanfic #got7 fanfiction #got7 texts #got7 writings #kpop fanfiction #kpop reactions #kpop writing #kpop scenarios #kpop texts #My writing #jackson scenarios

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lifeofroos · 5 years ago

Text

Part 8! Thanks to everyone who gave support! Writing about Nico has been fun.

Rest is on AO3!

@nicoappreciation I don’t know if you wanted to see it... (it’s the Nico therapy fic).

This Might Be Crazy - part 8: Starbucks Chocolate Milk

There was a knock on my cabin door. I did not recognise the knocking pattern, like I would if it was Will or one of my friends. ‘Yes?’

‘Good afternoon, Nico di Angelo. Have you ever been to highline park?’ Dionysus. Figures.

‘Highline park, Sir?’

‘It is a park in New York city, built on what once was a railway.’

‘And you think that that is the best place for a therapy session?’

‘Perhaps not the best, but it is a place. Are you coming?’ I mean, sure, why not, but also, do I really have a choice?

Ten minutes later, we were walking in highline park, after we had made a pitstop at Starbucks for a hot chocolate. It seemed to be Dionysus’ ideology that you cannot have a therapy session without a drink and I whole-heartedly agreed.

‘Alright. I noticed that you really made progress with training your new power. Yet, can you explain why you eventually chose to turn the rats to bones when you were previously against that?’

I looked at my chocolate milk. So he had seen the rats despite my best efforts to hide them. ‘One of the rats became really ill. I thought that… maybe I could releave it from its pain. Yet, when I... bonified... it, it acted as if it was any healthy rat, with the added bonus that I can control them if I want to. The soul stayed with it. That made me comfortable enough to try it out on the other rats, because I would not be banishing them to the Underworld.’

‘Are you going to keep the rats in camp Half-blood?’

‘I am planning on releasing them in the woods outside of camp.’

‘Well done, Nico. Very well done.’

I smiled and took a sip of cocoa. Dionysus took a moment to look around the park, so I did the same thing. It was slim, but filled with a lot of greenery and art. It made me feel at ease, which was probably what Dionysus had been going for when he brought me here.

‘What would you say if I told you we have something difficult to talk about today?’

I don’t like that. ‘Get it over with.’

‘Than I am going to do exactly that. Without further ado: I want to talk about your experience with king Minos.’

That? Oh, dude, I thought you wanted to talk more about Cupid, or about my trip down to Tartarus or something. Minos? That’s small potatoes. I took a big gulp before I answered. ‘That’s alright.’

‘Alright, than we will talk about your time with one of the idiot kings of Ancient Greece.’ I turned to him. Clearly there was more going on between Minos and Dionysus. ‘Please tell me what happened between you and Minos,’ he continued. ‘No, lets start off easier: how did you meet him?’

I stuck my hand out, so that I could touch the fresh april leaves on the bushes. A little dew stuck to my hands. ‘How I met him? Well, eh... It’s…’ Perhaps slightly more difficult to talk about than I initially thought.

‘Remember: I just want to know how you met him, not why, or when, or anything else.’

‘His ghost appeared to me...’ Yes, that is a start, ‘...while I… was trying to summon a different ghost. In the traditional way, not in a son-of-Hades way.’

‘... The traditional way?’

‘Yes. Oh! Eh, I did not use blood, though.’ I shrugged. ‘I summoned ghosts with Happy-meals. It worked, okay?’

‘If it works, it works. Happy-meals are cheaper than livestock anyway.’

‘Yes, well, so, Minos’ ghost appeared to me, even though he was not the ghost I was looking for. That was…’ I bit my lip and looked at my cup. I stopped walking.

‘Take a deep breath…’ I did as I was told, until I felt calm enough to say it.

‘I was trying to summon my sisters’ ghost. I wanted to talk to her again…’ I wanted to add a because after that, but that sentence felt redundant. Even a God would understand why I wanted to see Bianca.

‘Alright. That’s how you met. So, why did you keep him around?’

‘Because he told me he could help me with resurrecting Bianca. And with... getting back at Percy. We already talked about that for a bit.’

‘We did. Please go on.’

‘So, because I thought he could help me achieve my goals, I kept him around. That. But I do want to say that I did not really have a choice. He… kept appearing. Even when I tried to summon other ghosts, he’d rear his head. Even when I... finally summoned Bianca.’

Dionysus was quiet for a bit. Maybe he thought it would be helpful to let it settle for a moment. ‘Did your sister tell you anything, once you finally got to see her?’

‘Yes.’

‘Can you tell me what?’

‘She said…’ I could still hear her words in my head, ‘She explained to me that I was not angry with Percy, but with her. For…’ Oh man. When do I learn that talking about issues is never as easy as I think? I swallowed the lump that had appeared in my throat, before taking a shaky breath.

‘I think it might be better if we talk about that at a later moment.’ You think? ‘We were talking about king Minos. Can you tell me about how you stopped talking with him?’ He raised one of his eyebrows, as if he suddenly got the suspicion that our contact did not end.

‘He… do you know anything about what happened in the labyrinth?’

‘Parts of it. I was scouting out the minor gods at the time, remember?’

Oh, right. ‘Well… Alright. So, after contacting Bianca and hearing what she said... I was not immediately back on Percy’s side, but I grew to be. After Minos caught wind of that, he first tried to sway me. When that did not work… he lied to me, told me Percy and Annabeth were in danger, in order to trick me into being captured by agents of Luke and… you-know-who.’ I took a sip of chocolate milk before I continued. ‘I was captured, so instead of me going after Annabeth and Percy to save them, they had to come and save me. They did so and when they found me, it turned into a battle. During that battle, which was in Daedalus’ workshop…’ I stopped for a second. ‘Oh right, he was in the picture too.’

‘Minos hated him. Always has.’

‘Yes, he really did. But that’s beside the point. During the battle, I opened a fissure in the ground, back to the underworld, and Minos fell through. That ended our contact, except that he went right back to being a judge.’ I felt a little sick at the thought of that man still being in charge of who deserved Elysium and who did not, all because Zeus was adamant about the judges of the underworld being his sons. Maybe we could put Jason in Minos’ place. Hm. Maybe I would bring that up with my dad the next time I saw him.

‘I find it ridiculous too. Minos, a judge of the underworld. The guy is only out for his own good, always has been. Anyway!’ I took a big swig of chocolate milk, while looking at Dionysus. I sensed that I was not the only one in the current company that had bad memories about king Minos. ‘Now, we have the whole story. Minos preyed on you because of the grief you had for your sister, which made you vulnerable, and perhaps even liable to join the titan army.’ I winced at that statement, but I did not go against it. ‘For months, he managed to manipulate you. But then you managed to summon your sister and her words made it difficult for him to keep a grip on you. So, he tricked you into being captured by Kronos’ army. But all's well that ends well and you banished our good old king Minos to the Underworld.’ Yes, keep it at that. I banished him. To the Underworld. Where he is now. I bopped my head in what was meant to be a nod. ‘Good. Now, we have to see if this is still affecting you. But first, look at that.’ He pointed towards an old factory, towering up beisde the Highline.

‘An old factory?’

‘An old factory where they invented the Oreo cookie.’ He shrugged. ‘Someone told me once. I think.’

‘Cool.’ I looked at my cup, before taking a tiny sip. There was almost nothing left.

‘Yes. That concludes our little break. So. Do you ever get in touch with Minos, or with things alluding to Minos, in your everyday life? You can start with easy examples.’

Well, my therapist is his son-in-law, for one. ‘Sometimes Chiron talks about him during mythology class.’ So, that was easy and I began with that. ‘So, obviously, sometimes the campers talk about him. And every now and then, when they find out that I met him, they will try to ask me questions about him. That…’ I looked at the skyline and took another deep breath, which calmed me down enough to continue. ‘That is usually when I get nightmares. Only for a few nights at the time, but it is almost as if king Minos notices it when I am thinking about him. Maybe he…’ I shrugged. ‘I don’t understand why he would still be preying on me. The titan war is over and I am not going to do anything for him ever, so…’ I took the last sip of my chocolate milk and immediately felt like I should not have done that. ‘I think he just wants to haunt me out of malice.’

Dionysus sighed and nodded. ‘But I get that it is not something that bothers you all the time?’

‘No, as I said, only when someone mentioned him, so, when he is already on my mind. Otherwise he cannot get through my defenses.’

‘That sounds like we almost have one subject less to talk about. Do you experience mental or physical pain when you think of Minos, or when he appears in your dreams?’

I shrugged, again, wishing I still had some chocolate milk left. I never really dwelled on Minos. He was a giant loser. He had been… a symptom of a disease. ‘It… I don’t think it ever really was about Minos. It was… he… he promised…’ I looked at Dionysus. I could really use someone to think for me right now.

‘You are thinking that Minos marks a nasty fase in your life, but mostly because you associate him with the grief about your sister and how you allowed that to best you for half a year. There is not a lot of trauma or pain tied to Minos, but there is a lot of trauma in what he represents: the desperate want to get your sister back.’

Now there were tears rolling down my face and falling into my empty cup. ‘...Yes,’ I whispered, ‘Because... even though usually I can let it go... there are still days when I miss her more than anything.’ Dionysus tapped my cup, so that it filled up with more chocolate milk. I took a shaky sip.

‘I think it might be time to stop now,’ Dionysus said in a soothing voice.

‘Are we not going to talk about Bianca today?’

‘No. That would be too much. We already worked through something else today. Now it is time to let it be for a moment.’

I took a few big sips. ‘Hm.’

‘I think I am going to tell you about some of the worst things Minos did as king, now.’

‘Yes, please. Sounds like a blast.’

A/N: Every Dutchman knows that the best chocolate milk is from Chocomel.

Mannn I had to read a lot of parts from battle of the labyrinth again. I was fourteen (I think??) when I first did that and some things definitely slipped my mind (like Nico sees Theseus when he tries to summon Biancas’ ghost?? I forgot??). I hope I got it right now.

I think this is how Nico feels about Minos. He was just an evil king, one of many, who he banished, so… yeah.

‘Highline park, sir?’ has as many syllables as ‘Aaron Burr, sir,’ so guess what I had in my head while editing this.

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incorrectquotes-randomthoughts · 6 years ago

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After suffering through watching the first 41 minutes of the lighting thief I’ve realized something about the strong dislike towards the pjo movies...

It makes them sound better than they actually are

So if you ever for one second considered watching the pjo movies, here’s my ongoing narration of what I was able to get through as a I not-so-slowly became more annoyed that no one asked for;

(Kind of in order but not really)

(I’m talking to the creators btw. That’s how I complain express my unbiased opinions )

What do you mean there’s no “I never wanted to be a half-blood”?

We’re not even starting with Percy?

Those are supposed to be Zeus and Poseidon?

Oh yeah just go on and spoil the movie no prophecy or confusion, ok I guess, just tell me the whole problem like that.

So we’re just going to start with Percy sitting there doing nothing?

Look I understand you’re trying to express the point that he likes water but um, it’s been a while.

He was in the water for seven minutes and didn’t realize anything at all?

Ms. Dodds is not supposed to be a substitute it’s a key point people forgetting her.

Is that how dyslexia works? I mean I can’t really say much about it.... I’ll let that one slide.

Poseidon just speaks in Percy’s mind like that. All right then.

Poseidon’s whole existence in this movies botters me so much can you not.

Why is Grover’s head uncovered? Him having a cap is also key point, it wouldn’t have been mentioned that much anyways.

Also these do not look like sixth graders did you just straight up make them high schoolers?

I need Percy’s narration so bad you have no idea.

Honestly I pictured Gabe as a lot worse than that but I can deal with that.

I do not believe that’s how reading Ancient Greek works.

That’s not how the Percy-Gabe relationship works but you do you.

So Percy didn’t casually overhear Grover and Chiron talking, they talked in front of him like everything was ok.

Not to mention that Percy actually cared about what Chiron taught, he knew what he was doing.

I needed Nancy my-freckles-look-like-sprayed-Cheetos. (Sorry forgot her last name)

“This is a pen” bothers me to a whole new level

No nightmares, no vacation, no get away just, Grover rushing in.

“Brace yourself” a whole movie early but I guess.

That’s not how the Minotaur died.

That’s the entrance to camp half-blood?

Where’s Thalia?

So you’re just going to take away Anabeth taking care of Percy from me and “he’s the one, he has to be” aren’t you?

That’s the infirmary?

Are we seriously not getting the Big House?

That’s the camp?

That’s Annabeth?

The cgi looks kinda... wobbly but I’m not one to speak about that.

You know, what I liked so much while reading the books was that Percy and Anabeth didn’t fall in love the second they looked each other in the eyes. There was actually development. Not that you care anyways.

Just go ahead and throw away Grover’s personality. Why don’t you take the Aphrodite daughter’s too?

“Here’s the place your dad built for you Percy, because we all know who he is, who you are, and it’s ‘rare’ for you to be alive not a major threat or broken promise , no biggie”

Is there a Mr. D in this place?

Seriously are there even cabins here?

Why is everyone so old. There’s a whole demigods-die-young-no-one-actually-grows-up thing.

No Lord of the Bathroom either, huh?

I’m I even getting Clarisse?

How’s Annabeth supposed to ask Percy to be on her team? Oh.

Nice very-noticeable-very-much-existing scar you got there Luke.

No sword fighting lessons that make it hard for Percy to hate Luke afterwards?

I dunno man, it’s been a while but I doubt that’s how the camp ground is supposed to look.

I feel so robbed on Chiron-Annabeth interactions.

Percy just happens to be a great sword fighter cause why not.

Look, the girl who said “You really thought it was gonna be that easy? I’m a daughter of Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Strategic War. Which means I never lose” Did NOT run away from her home when she was seven and live in multiple safe houses with two others run always whilst fighting for survival everyday.

Percy and Annabeth fighting scene. That’s it. You don’t want details trust me.

Annabeth will never celebrate a victory like that.

And there goes Poseidon speaking in Percy’s mind again.

I gotta say, the healing was good, I’ll give you that. One good thing in the whole movie.

I’m still feeling robbed at Percy not getting claimed, just knowing like that.

...and I turned off the Tv.

If anyone cares I’ll try to watch more and maybe keep complaining giving my opinion about it.

Let’s pray Disney knows what it’s doing and this isn’t all the visual content we get.

#pjo #percy jackson #percabeth #annabeth chase #clarrise la rue #pjo text post #pjoverse #pjo movies #chiron #disney adapt percy jackson

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years ago

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 211: Uncharted Territory

Aphrodite was lost in her thoughts, as Snow drove them to Andresia and the raven haired beauty looked over at the Goddess.

"She's wrong, you know," Snow mentioned.

"About what?" she asked.

"All those things she said. She's just being a vindictive bitch. To be honest, I can't understand why I ever trusted her. Rumple is right...she is a gnat," Snow replied. Aphrodite smirked at that.

"Be that as it may...I can't really refute anything she says. I have a feeling I don't have some of my memories," she fretted.

"Well...what do you remember?" Snow asked.

"Well…I remember just being one day, on Mount Olympus. Zeus and Athena were there and told me who I was. They said I arose from the sea foam after a great battle with the Titan Uranus. They said I was the goddess of love, beauty, passion, and procreation. But I really had no idea what any of that meant," Aphrodite replied.

"I mean...I got a lot of attention at first ,but he myths got it all wrong. I was so naive and had no concept of...um, pleasing a man," she said a bit shyly. Snow smiled.

"That kind of makes sense. I mean, most of those myths were written by old men. It makes sense that they instantly turned you into some sex symbol," Snow reasoned. She nodded.

"Anyway...Hephaestus pleaded with Zeus to let him marry me and I had no idea what any of that meant. Then Hera, who hated me too, told me what men wanted me for in graphic detail and encouraged Zeus to let him marry me," she explained.

"And don't get me wrong...Hephaestus was very nice, but I didn't know what it was to love yet. I thought Zeus was going to allow, because he liked keeping Hephaestus happy, but he refused his request. He said I was too young and innocent to marry anyone, which considering all the things Zeus did was pretty out of character for him," she said.

"He protected you…" Snow said. She nodded.

"He and Ares almost came to blows, because Ares wanted me too, which was scary and led Athena to take me away to her temple. I spent about a century there, learning my place," she replied.

"Is that when you decided you wanted to champion only the truest love?" Snow asked. Aphrodite smiled.

"Hermes helped with that. She read me love stories from the very enchanted library that we're going to visit now. I think that's what made me angry when I saw many versions of love among both the Gods and mortals that never measured up to what I believed love should be...like the love in those stories," she said. Snow shook her head.

"It always comes back to stories...to the book," she replied.

"It truly does. I almost gave up until I saw the love between Serenity and Endymion. They were in love and the mortals in the Crystal Kingdom were facing a great evil; one that Zeus refused to get involved in. That was the first of many times Hermes and I defied him," she said in amusement.

"And strangely, no matter how angry he got with me...he never raised his voice," she added.

"And you're sure he's not your father?" Snow asked.

"I'm not sure of anything really, but why would he hide it?" she questioned. Snow nodded. She had a good point there.

"After Serenity and Endymion defeated their nemesis and I presented the chalice to them, telling them of their role, I found my own love," she said.

"Anchises...the shepherd," Snow replied with a teasing note in her voice. Aphrodite looked at her.

"Yes...we both have a type, except I don't remember much at all about Anchises, except the love. The love was true and real," she replied.

"Well...it was a really long time ago," Snow offered. Aphrodite looked at her.

"Would you ever forget even one detail about Charming?" she questioned. Snow relented.

"Not in a million years," she admitted.

"So...maybe this is where Blue comes in? I mean, she had a hand in leading her dark half to you and you losing your son, which you obviously remember very clearly. What do you remember after that?" Snow asked.

"Grief...pain...isolation for a really long time. Then Seth ripping all the realms apart, his banishment, and Gothel destroying the tenth realm. Serenity and Endymion survived and relocated their displaced people near Olympus," she said.

"Then my first charges passed on, after their thousand year reign had ended," she explained.

"Then there was a second spark," she added.

"The Dragon King and Queen," Snow recalled.

"Which I had much less interaction with," Aphrodite admitted.

"Really?" Snow asked. She nodded.

"The Dragon King was a good man, but prideful. He loved his Queen very much, but almost never showed her affection in public," Aphrodite replied.

"That's terrible...I can't imagine not holding Charming's hand, not having his arms around me, not kissing him…" Snow lamented. Aphrodite smiled.

"He regime was very militaristic and his true love was not looked upon well, especially since she was from outside his Kingdom. Like I said, he was a good man, but full of pride. His Queen tamed him a bit, but he did not always have the best advisers and generals around him. I did not get to interact with them as much, simply because his court distrusted me so much. And blamed me for bringing their King together with his Queen," she said.

"Wow…I had no idea," Snow replied. She nodded.

"Their time was cut short, thanks to the Dragon and the Dark One, Xanetakos, which we now know was really Yzma in disguise," she said.

"So...if their time was cut short, then you had a time gap between them and us," Snow realized.

"About six hundred years," Aphrodite said.

"And where were you during that time?" Snow asked.

"Sometimes Mount Olympus...sometimes my Temple. The same thing everyday," she replied, realizing how that sounded.

"Like curse memories," Snow said, as she parked the car.

"But why? And who? Why would they take my memories. What was I really doing during that time?" she wondered.

"I don't know...but we're going to find out," Snow replied, as they approached the palace gates. Fandral's head Knight and right hand, a masked man, greeted them with a respectful bow.

"Queen Snow. Goddess Aphrodite," he greeted.

"Hello Knight Zorro," Snow greeted in return.

"We were hoping to see Rose," Aphrodite said.

"Of course," he said, gesturing them ahead into the garden.

"Snow! Aphrodite!" Rose called, as she and her young ones greeted them excitedly.

"Whoa…" Zorro said.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Well, forgive me, Your Majesty, but while I'm used to the striking resemblance between you and Queen Snow, I guess I did not realize how much the Goddess looks like you both as well," he replied.

"What?" Aphrodite asked.

"He's right...you do, except for the hair. Didn't you know?" Rose asked.

"You know, now that I think about it, you looked different when we first met. I guess I never realized there was a change," Snow replied.

"What do you mean? I've always looked like this…" she said, as she poofed a compact mirror and looked at her reflection.

"And apparently never realized that I look like one of my charges and her counterpart," she realized.

"She looked different when you first met?" Rose asked.

"Yes...maybe it was a glamor spell!" Snow exclaimed.

"Why would someone put a glamor spell on me?" Aphrodite asked.

"Probably for the same reason they wiped away a bunch of your memories. That's why we're here, Rose," Snow said.

"We think the answers to the missing pieces in her past could be in one of your books," she said. Rose's face lit up.

"Of course," she said, as she motioned them to follow her.

"It would be a very old book. It could take an eternity to find it," Aphrodite warned.

"Maybe not," Rose interjected, as she showed them an electronic tablet.

"You got everything cataloged?" Snow asked.

"During the curse. Since I was awake and there wasn't a lot of ruling to do be done under Seth, it allowed me to spend more of my days in the library. Fandral convinced Seth that an electronic system like this would help us organize the texts that he didn't want people reading and tuck them away since he couldn't destroy them. But really it just made it easier to find everything once it was cataloged," Rose said.

"Now, sometimes hundreds of new books appear each day so there's always still plenty of work to do, but the majority, even the ancient stuff, is now cataloged," she explained.

"That's wonderful…" Snow gushed.

"I'm a little surprised that Hermes hasn't helped fill in your memories though," Rose mentioned.

"You know Hermes...she travels a lot and I know she'd tell me if she knew anything," Aphrodite replied.

"Which makes sense that maybe any memories concerning your life were erased from her too. What about Athena?" Snow asked.

"She either doesn't know or something has forbade her to tell me," Aphrodite replied.

"Well, then we need to find the answers on our own," Rose replied.

"And we will," Snow assured.

"If my memories really are missing...then maybe I am cursed. James...he could be in danger just by being with me. What if the Horned King was right?" she lamented, but they put their hands on her shoulders.

"You are not going to lose James," Snow insisted.

"She's right...true love is stronger than a curse and we all know that," Rose assured her, as they went into the library with the children to begin their search for answers.

~*~

David hopped off the Jolly Roger, followed by Emma, Xander, Hook, James, and Fandral, who had met them at the Harbor after David called him.

"This place...never changes," Xander commented, as they walked from the docks and onto the island mainland.

"As much as we hate it...I suppose everywhere has a place like this. Boston had places too that were no picnic," David mentioned, as they approached what appeared to serve as a Main street of sorts. It was lined with bars, clubs, and brothels, as well as an open market that was selling a number of goods.

"Ten bucks says most of those goods are stolen and there's drug trafficking going on at most of those kiosks," Emma said.

"No need to take that bet," Xander said, as he swiped his finger along one of the counter, while getting a glare from the owner. His finger was colored pink.

"Well, it's not white powder so what exactly is it?" she asked.

"Poppy dust. Like cocaine, back in our land, it was ground up and sold. If you sniff enough of it or roll it up and smoke it, you'll get a high like you wouldn't believe," he replied. She sighed.

"I thought Seth destroyed all the poppies," Emma said.

"Around Mount Olympus...but Aphrodite says they'll grow anywhere there's an exorbitant amount of evil," James said, as he pointed to the body they had come for. The poor man, though he was likely no angel, was still laying in the street. No one cared enough to cover him and he had clearly been walked over and jostled in the dirt.

"Okay...now I'm really glad we didn't bring Mom or Eva on this one," Emma said. It was too much. The level of cruelty and bad emotions would have been overwhelming for Eva and her mother as well. While she knew both of them were tough as nails, she and her father still did their best to protect them from this level of cruelty and evil when possible. Which they realized seemed silly since they had stood against Seth and some of the worst alongside them. But this place was decidedly something they hoped they never needed to see.

"He did this…" David said.

"Most likely, but we probably can't be sure until Bashful does an autopsy," Emma replied.

"Yes we can...because he left me a message," David said, as he put a glove on and brushed some dirt away from beside the body, before extracting a smashed and now dead snowdrop flower.

"Damn him…" Xander cursed.

"A snowdrop…" Emma said.

"He's taunting me," David said, as he stood up and looked around.

"It's like I can feel his eyes on us. He's here...watching us," he added.

"Knowing that psycho, he'll manage to get eyes everywhere," Fandral warned, as they put gloves on and ignored the stares they were getting, as they put the body in a body bag for transport.

"Can I help you?" David asked irritably, as one man decided to approach.

"Just hoping you finish picking up the trash, Your Majesty...because your kind ain't wanted here," the man said.

"Like I give a damn. Now, go back into your tavern," he snapped.

"This is Pleasure Island, Sheriff Charming...and we don't obey your laws," he refuted.

"Yet...but believe me, I'm going to find a way to clean this cesspool up, so enjoy it while you can, Mr…" he said, as he paused and glared at the man.

"No need for the Mister...I just go by Grimm and I'm a simple man, trying to run a business," he replied. David smirked.

"Grimm...something tells me with a name like that what you're into is far from simple," he replied. Grimm glared at him.

"Because of men like you. Lawmen...royals, who come and throw their weight around and impose their will on the little people," he said.

"I'm well aware that back in our land there were royals and lawmen that weren't kind and fed their own interests. But that's not me. All I care about is the safety of the people of the United Realms," David countered.

"Well...you have your body so maybe it's time you get back to the people you actually care about and not us...bottom feeders. That's what we are to you," he hissed.

"I have the body, but I don't have the killer," David said, as he pulled up a photo on his phone.

"Seen this man?" he asked.

"Sure have...I gotta say, watching your cat and mouse game with the doctor is satisfying. All that power and you still haven't bested him, though if you ask me, that Queen of yours is a bit more trouble than she's worth," he mentioned.

"No one asked you...where is he?" David demanded to know.

"Around...I suppose I get it though. She is a beauty and so is her product," he leered, as his eyes flicked to Emma. That was a huge mistake, as David punched him in the face and shoved him away. Xander stepped in and put a hand on his son's shoulder, as some of the other men around started to move in. He was having none of it and pulled the chalice sword from its sheath.

"Don't get stupid," he warned. It wouldn't operate at full power in a place like this where magic was suppressed, but it would still do its job.

"Dad...as much as I'd like to arrest this entire island, we need to go," Emma urged.

"She's right...they're never going to tell us where Jekyll is," James agreed. David hated this. He wanted nothing more than to find Jekyll at that moment and end him, but he knew it would never be that simple. He had found the perfect haven to hide and plot his revenge. He was already taunting him and probably enjoying his frustration right now. He relented and sheathed his weapon, as Xander and James hauled the body bag back to the ship.

"Have a good day, Sheriff Charming and kiss that pretty wife for us all, especially the good doctor!" Grimm taunted. David was practically boiling in his own skin, but Emma took his arm and led him back to the ship.

"Don't do it, Dad...he's not worth it," she said.

"I know, Em…" he said, with a sigh.

"She's right mate...Grimm is a bottom feeder for sure. His establishment has it all. Alcohol, gambling, drugs, prostitution and a dozen other things I pretended to ignore in the times I frequented his place in my past," Hook advised.

"Do you know much about him, beyond his tavern?" Emma asked.

"Not really. Pleasure Island is full of outcasts though. He hates royals and anything good. I've never been privy as to why," Killian replied.

"His name is Grimm though...it's curious," Xander said.

"Maybe Rose can find more on him. He seems to have supporters," Fandral mentioned.

"Oh he does...like I said, this place is full of outcasts and they ran rampant during Seth's reign. Before all this, they kept to themselves, but now that a sense of law and order is back...we may have a lot of problems from him and his cohorts," Killian said.

"Great...more troublemakers. Like we don't have enough trouble," she replied, as they boarded the Jolly Roger and Killian set sail back to Storybrooke.

~*~

They arrived back at the stables and dismounted the unicorns.

"Wow...that was easily the most amazing thing I've ever experienced," JJ said..

"I thought you might like that. We can go anywhere you want next," Summer replied.

"So...it's all real. Like the castles, the Emerald City, even Neverland?" he asked.

"Yes, I can show you around Misthaven if you want and Oz is real too. Most of Neverland isn't pleasant, except for Tigerlily's island. She's a very good friend," she replied.

"Well…I'd love to meet her," he said.

"Okay...we can go now. I'll just text my parents and tell them I'll be home later," she replied.

"So...you're going to Boston with them tomorrow?" he asked.

"I am...will you be going back there? You probably have a job to get back to," she said, a bit sadly.

"I do...unless you think the hospital is hiring here," he mentioned. She looked at him in surprise.

"You want to work here?" she asked. He shrugged.

"It sounds exciting, but I think I'll wait and just tag along with you tomorrow, if you don't mind. She smiled.

"I'd like that," she replied.

"Elsa and I have to get back, but go ahead and take Pegasus to Tigerlily's island," Leo said, as the winged horse landed beside them.

"Wow…I think I'll let you steer," JJ said, as she mounted the animal and he got on behind her, before holding on. The animal soured into the air, as Leo and Elsa watched on.

"I think your little sister is smitten," she mentioned and he sighed.

"Yeah…I guess it was bound to happen and he seems nice," Leo mentioned.

"Wow...that's a really mild reaction," she said. He chuckled.

"As long as she's happy and I doubt he'd hurt her, unless he has a death wish," he replied. She chuckled.

"Very true," she replied, as they headed home to Arendelle.

~*~

Jekyll chuckled, as he watched Charming make a spectacle, just as he knew the Prince would. It was a very good thing. He normally worked alone, but having potential allies in the riff raff on this island could prove to be very useful, indeed. He exited his lab and made the trek to Grimm's tavern.

"That was quite a show," he said, as the bartender gave him a weary look.

"I took a punch for you, so I expect some kind of repayment, like making that hotheaded pretty boy pay," Grimm said. Jekyll smirked.

"Oh don't worry...I plan to eventually burn Charming to ash, but it's far too much fun playing with him like this and making him fear me for the sake of his lovely Snow White," Jekyll said, as Grimm poured him a drink.

"It is refreshing to see someone finally stick it to those royal goody goodies," he agreed.

"But all this to possess a fairy tale princess? They are a dime a dozen in the United Realms," he mentioned.

"Oh no...not like her. Even her counterparts can't quite measure up. Sure, one is an actual Goddess and Rose Red comes close as well. But Snow White...she is perfection, even when she's not," he said.

"She is under my skin in a way that I cannot shake and I will break them down until she is ripe for my picking and he is crushed beneath my boot," he hissed, as he finished his drink and returned to his lab to continue his work.

~*~

"Zella...you just got released from the hospital...and forgive me, but this is the kind of thing that got you admitted to the mental ward in the first place," Lucifer fretted, as Drizella examined herself in the mirror.

"Relax Lucifer, I've been given a clean bill of mental health and I am in full control of my mental faculties now," she said.

"Then why are you being fitted for a wedding dress?" he asked.

"I told you...I'm just planning for my future. My future with Prince Charming," she replied. Lucifer sighed and went to get Rodmilla, hoping she would come and talk her daughter down. Things were not good for her either these days. Thanks to Snow White's darker half, she had gone from living in a mansion and a large bank account to living in a tiny apartment and working as a seamstress in this very store.

They had all been surprised to find out that Drizella had a counterpart that was stable and reformed, but the confusion was saved when the other Drizella decided to keep her curse name and now went by Ivy, as her birth name held too much pain for her.

"Drizella...what are you doing?" Rodmilla demanded to know, as she came into the dressing room.

"Relax mother...I'm just trying it on. Is that so wrong?" Drizella asked, as she exited the dressing room so she could use the large mirrors to look

"You see...the old, troubled Drizella would have run out into the streets in search for her dream groom, Prince Charming himself. But I told you that I'm mentally stable again," she said.

"Then you are no longer going after Snow White's husband?" Lucifer asked.

"Oh…I didn't say that. But that little bitch has utterly destroyed this family and left us in ruins. She humiliated me on numerous occasions, took our family fortune and our mansion, forcing us to live in squalor, and made a mockery of us," she replied.

"Meanwhile, she lives in a literal castle, has true love with her Prince Charming, and has turned most of her enemies into friends, including the Evil Queen herself. The entire United Realms looks to her as their Queen, but what is Snow White without the Evil Queen?" she asked.

"Drizella...while I agree that Snow White deserves to pay, we must abandon that road to revenge. We do not have the power or magic needed to face her, not to mention her litter of magical brats," Rodmilla reasoned.

"Very true, mother…" she said, as she stepped to the window and saw him in the town square. He appeared to be with his eldest daughter and a few others, including his counterpart and twin. It was definitely a treat for the eyes, but her desire for him went further beyond the physical, for the other two paled in comparison.

"That's why...I need magic and then a new Queen can be born. And this time...this Queen will make sure she puts Snow White back in that glass coffin...for good," Drizella said. Rodmilla and Lucifer exchanged a wary glance. It was clear that Drizella was still very disturbed.

~*~

Snow idly flipped through a large tome. They had isolated all the very old texts that were both still in Greek or Latin. Then Aphrodite had used magic to translate them all, but searching through them was still a huge undertaking. She didn't mind though and Belle had expressed an interest in joining their search as well, so she was going to drop off some books to her on the way home.

"Nothing…" Aphrodite said in frustration, as she closed her book and huffed, as she stood up.

"We can't give up...we've barely scratched the surface," Rose admonished.

"I know...I'm just impatient. I just can't shake the Horned King's words and if James really is in danger from me, I need to know," Aphrodite fretted.

"You are not a danger to James...I don't care what he said. Love is always worth any risk and I'm sure my brother-in-law would agree," Snow admonished. She sighed and sat back down.

"I know...you of all people have faced losing the man you love more than anyone should have to. It's suffocating," she admitted. Snow nodded.

"It is, but trust in love. Even in the darkest moments, it will shine through," she promised the Goddess. Aphrodite smiled.

"Thanks...but it's getting late in the day. I saw we stop for the day and each take our books home for later," she suggested.

"That's a good idea and Charming must be close too. We'll drop off this pile for Belle on our way to Granny's," Snow said, as her heart fluttered and her husband entered the library with Fandral and James. She smiled at him and saw him stride purposefully toward her. She welcomed his arms and his kiss, as she lost herself in him momentarily.

"Everything okay, my love?" she asked, as their lips parted. He nodded.

"Yes…Pleasure Island is just a very dark place, but you're my light in any darkness," he replied and she practically melted against him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Oh baby…" she gushed, as she brushed a hand along the back of his neck in a soothing manner.

~*~

"Did you find anything?" James asked curiously, as their lips parted. Aphrodite sighed.

"Not yet...but I have plenty of homework to take with me," she mentioned, gesturing to the stack of books.

"That looks like fun…" he muttered

"Does that mean you'll help?" she asked. He rolled his eyes.

"You know I will if it's important to you. But I just hope you know that what's in your past is irrelevant to me. I love you, no matter what," he replied.

"I know...I just have to know. Something isn't right and there's a chance that I could be a danger to you," she lamented. He cupped her face in his hands.

"You are not a danger to me...you are not cursed," he insisted. She sighed.

"Maybe...but I still need to know what is being hidden from me," she said.

"I agree...and that's why I'll help read through all of this," he promised. She smiled and kissed him again.

"Thank you...and I'll make it worth your while," she whispered to him and he smirked.

"You always do," he said, as he picked up the stack of books.

~*~

"Was it bad?" Rose asked, as their lips parted.

"I have seen a lot of villainous places before in my time and it was definitely up there with some of the worst," Fandral replied.

"The victim I'm sure was far from innocent, but it was definitely Jekyll," he added.

"You're sure?" she asked worriedly. He nodded.

"He left a snowdrop on the body, I'm afraid. He is clearly taunting David," he replied.

"He will hide for now, but we will get him," he assured, as they kissed again.

~*~

Blue stormed into the hospital later that night, bringing one of the few fairies that still revered her as the true head fairy.

"What are we doing here?" she asked. She had white hair with pink streaks.

"There is someone I must see. He has secrets that he must help me keep from being unearthed," Blue said.

"Did you bring your wand, Opal?" she asked. The other fairy nodded.

"Yes," she answered, as they arrived at the door that led to the basement. The mental ward.

"I need in here," she said and the other fairy zapped the lock, allowing them in and they took the stairway to the basement. Opal followed Blue to the third cell and she peered in on the comatose King George.

"He's been a vegetable for years...I don't see how he would have any answers for you," Opal commented, but Blue took her wand and used some of the magic. Awareness filled George's eyes and the cell snapped open, allowing him out.

"Blue Fairy…" he uttered.

"We need to talk about your son," Blue said.

"My son is dead," George replied.

"Not anymore...you've been out of commission for many years and Zeus gave him a second chance at life," Blue explained. George was stunned.

"Why would Zeus do that?" he asked.

"You know why," Blue replied.

"Then she's here…" he realized and Blue nodded.

"And she's asking questions. The bimbo has finally noticed there are noticeable gaps in her memory," Blue said.

"And James?" he asked.

"He had no inkling, but if he got his memories back then we both know he could break her curse and she'll know everything," Blue replied.

"And everything we did will come to light," George realized.

"And we can't let that happen," she said.

"My James is alive…" he uttered in awe.

"And he's happy?" George asked.

"Yes, he's happy, but you never cared about that. You didn't want him with her either," Blue replied.

"I didn't, because I feared for his life with her...I took her away and his memories and turned him into what I wanted him to be. And then it got him killed anyway. Perhaps I was wrong," George lamented.

"You can't be serious...it was your idea to keep them apart," she reminded him.

"It was and if Zeus knew what we did, he would have struck us both down," George said.

"Zeus is dead...we will have no interference from him," Blue replied.

"No…James is happy and I won't interfere with that again," he refused.

"And if he finds out what we did...he'll hate you!" Blue warned.

"You promised my Kingdom prosperity if I helped you. Instead, I destroyed my son's life and lost my Kingdom to his twin brother and Princess Snow White," he called.

"In time...James may be able to forgive me if I attempt to make amends and tell them everything. But you...well, I suspect the Goddess will send you to the Underworld for everything you did, because you did unspeakable things to Aphrodite long before my time," George warned.

"Well...then I guess I have to make sure you can't tell your son our secrets. It's not like he or anyone else will miss you," Blue said savagely, as she struck the elder King with the magic of the wand. His face was alight with surprise, as he fell dead to the floor. Opal cried out in horror and was stunned by Blue's cruelty.

"Help me put him back in the cell," she snapped.

"You...you killed him," Opal uttered.

"He was a vegetable before. His death will be surprising to no one...unless you open your mouth," Blue replied, as they placed the body in the cell.

"The...the others were right about you," Opal cried. Blue sighed.

"And here I was hoping that I could count on you," she said. Opal didn't have time to scream, before the magic of her own wand hit her and stopped her heart.

"Now to make this look like an accident," Blue muttered, as she used the wand that was now hers to poof the body away. She then used the wand to disappear. She was certain now that no one would discover her secrets.

~*~

The sheets rose and fell, as the bodies underneath were entangled in the throes of lovemaking. Snow lay atop her husband, kissing him deeply and riding him in a sensual dance that had them lost in ecstasy. After leaving Andresia, they had enjoyed dinner at Granny's with their kids, before bringing Bobby and Summer home with them to their castle. They got their excited kids settled for the night and then were left their own devices, which as usual, led to amorous activities. They were glad to lose themselves in each other, for tomorrow morning, they would board the Jolly Roger and make good on their promise to work with Major Donovan. And facing a world that knew about them and who they were was not at all appealing. But as always, they would face it together.

As they collapsed together, David kissed her forehead and then rolled them over so she was beneath him, as he proceeded to kiss her again amidst the afterglow.

"So beautiful…" he rasped, as he kissed her throat and moved his way down, with her body writhing with every touch of his lips. The trembling in their bodies started to calm and Charming pulled himself from her depths, before settling beside her. Her green eyes flicked to his blue ones, as she remained facing him and pressed tightly against him.

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Snow asked.

"A little…" he replied, as he kissed her palm

"But I think I'm more worried about what I found today," he admitted.

"Then the body you found...you didn't say so earlier, but you think Jekyll killed this person," she stated.

"I know he did...and probably just to send me a message. I found a snowdrop on the body," he revealed and she sobered at that.

"I feel like a failure...but I suppose that's exactly what he wants me to feel," he lamented.

"You are not a failure...you're my hero. You always are," she insisted.

"I know...I just don't know how I'm ever going to relax until I know he's dead and can never hurt you again," he replied.

"And you will. We defeated Seth and that's why he's hiding, probably holed up in some lab somewhere like the snake he is. He knows that facing you head on is an impossible win for him," she reminded him.

"Which is why he's experimenting with who knows what kinds of concoctions or drugs. The thought of him using something to torment you...I can't sit still," he said.

"And I worry about the same for you. I worry that he will use one of his drugs or creations to hurt you without even touching you," she replied.

"It's exactly what he wants," he realized.

"It is and though we won't be able to completely rest with him out there, I know we are both trusting in our love and really sticking it to him by being together and happy," she reasoned. He smiled and kissed her.

"I suppose you're right," he said. She smiled.

"I am in bed with my handsome husband, my Prince Charming, who just made incredible, passionate love to me and left me breathless and took me to the stars; something only he, being you, will ever do," she replied.

"And now, he's holding me in his arms and there is never anywhere else that I feel the most safe than his arms, he being you," she added.

"Our heart, that we share, beats in sync and my soul is entwined with yours. We're unbreakable...our love cannot be torn asunder. It's not possible and that's how I know peace," she said.

"Have faith...guess I need to take my own advice," he replied.

"Mmm...that's not the only thing I want you to take," she purred, as she hook her leg on his hip and watched his eyes glaze, as his body reacted to hers.

"Well...then I better not disappoint you, my darling," he said, as he rolled her onto her back.

"Oh, that's not possible with you, my love," she said fondly and then knew nothing but sheer pleasure and passion once again.

~*~

"And if you're just joining us, the world is still reeling from recent revelations that we are not alone in this world and no, we aren't talking about beings from another planet. We are talking about people from other places, whether you want to call it alternate dimension or universes, these people are those, until three days ago, that we thought to be fiction. Most of them were found in fairy tales, legends, and myths. And it's all been in this book," the reporter said, as she held up a white paperback book with the words Once Upon a Time emblazoned on it.

"Once Upon a Time, which was published more than seven years ago by a mysterious Henry Swan, is not the work of fiction it appears to be. We still have too many questions to name and our heads are still reeling from the battle just a few days ago. A battle where we saw magic and fairy tale characters save the world. While they are hardly the conventional super heroes we are used to seeing, the world is quite obsessed, whether it is with love or hate," she continued.

"According to various social media outlets and conspiracy theorists, who have now become the voice of reason, the leaders of these mysterious people will walk among us tomorrow. Word has it that they will arrive in Boston to meet with leaders of our country and the FBI. People are already in the streets to either welcome them or protest against them. Rest assured, no matter your views, we will be there to cover this historic event,"

At that point, the man listening to the broadcast muted the television and sipped at his expensive brandy. He was tall, with slicked back brown hair and chiseled features and hazel eyes.

"You've had the news on twenty-four seven for three days. They keep recycling the same story," a woman mentioned, as she entered. She was a beautiful blonde, with blue eyes and dressed in cargo pants and a khaki button down shirt.

"Digging in the dirt again?" he teased, noticing her dusty appearance.

"It was worth it. The jade I managed to get is a small fortune alone," she mentioned, as he poured her a drink and she accepted.

"Yes...another Jade mask and more ancient relics. The envy of any explorer...yet all the true treasures lay just out of our reach," he said angrily, as he finished his drink.

"Relax…" she chided.

"How can I? Even with this exposure, they are out of my reach! And it's my legacy!" he said. She sighed.

"That legacy and that collection is ultimately what got your father killed...both times," she reminded him.

"I don't need reminding or a lecture. All the reminder is right there," he hissed, as he pointed to the television that was showing various images of the two people known as David and Margaret Nolan, whom the world had just discovered were actually Snow White and Prince Charming. True loves, saviors of the world...and the reason for his father's demise, both times.

"The treasures from my father's collection...nothing in this world can compare to what's in Storybrooke," he lamented.

"Well, I'm no stranger to a good heist. We've done plenty of them, but we're talking a place with magic. We'd never make it past town square, let alone get to the Atlantis museum," she mentioned.

"True, but we would have a better chance if I had access to my legacy; my father's operation, which rests in that woman's hands," he said, pointing at the television, which now had an image of Major General Patricia Donovan, senior military official and FBI insider.

"So you still think she killed your sister?" the blonde asked.

"It's the only way she would have ever gained access to my father's operation. Cecily would have never just given it to her. No...she's the first step in getting back what's mine," he said.

"Then I guess we're going to Boston. Can I at least shower first?" she asked. He smirked at her.

"Sure...but you're a vision even like this," he replied. She rolled her eyes at that.

"You just want sex later," she retorted, as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Guilty," he agreed, as she went into the bathroom and he picked up his phone.

"Fuel the jet and tell the pilot we are leaving for Boston within the hour," he said to his assistant.

"Of course, Mr. Clayton. Just you and Ms. Zearing?" the assistant questioned.

"Yes...just the two of us," he replied, as he hung up and poured another drink.

~*~

The Jolly Roger made port in Boston that morning about nine, making the mere two hour journey from the United Realms. Thankfully, Patricia must have managed to make some kind of agreement with the Coastguard, because they were not chased into the Harbor this time. But the docks were crowded with spectators of all kinds, including apparent fans and protesters. The police were keeping them back at a safe distance, but the whole scene was surreal and a bit frightening.

On this trip, all five of their kids had come with them, plus Killian, Xander, Regina, Robin, Roland, Rumple, Belle, and Gideon. Everyone else had stayed behind for now, as they really had no idea how any of this was going to go. But by the looks of the crowd, the hype over them was definitely not going away anytime soon. Nora and JJ had accompanied them as well, as Boston was their home, though such would probably not remain that way for long.

"You're kind of famous it seems," JJ teased lightly and Summer smirked.

"Oh goody...that's going to be so much fun," she commented.

"Well, the fans have to be better than the haters, right?" he asked. She snorted.

"I wish...the fans can be worse. Trust me, my parents get way too much attention from both haters and fans. The haters usually just spout their hate verbally, but never much else, with a few exceptions. But the fans turn into stalkers like Drizella Tremaine and Dr. Jekyll," she replied. He nodded.

"Good point," he agreed.

"Ugh...look at those idiots. A bunch of bored housewives obsessed with a phony love story," Nora said.

"Phony?" Summer asked sharply. Nora smirked.

"Don't both defending your parents true love, sweet cheeks, because it's all a farce or it should be," Nora said.

"You may have come from true love, but I came from the opposite. One drunken night with two broken people, but because you came from true love, everyone believes you're special," she continued.

"But that kind of love doesn't belong in this world. Love may exist in the United Realms, but it doesn't out here. That's why you have bored housewives pining for something they'll never have. It's sad," Nora said.

"Love is not sad. My parents give people hope," Summer argued.

"Hope is a lie and their love is unattainable by most, yet people celebrate them. But some of us know the truth. That your world and this world will never mesh. Your world doesn't belong in this one," Nora said.

"Well, we're here so deal with it," Summer retorted.

"Oh I know...you've stolen my cousin from me. The only family I have," Nora replied.

"She hasn't stolen me, Nora," JJ snapped.

"Oh, so you're not moving to magic town?" Nora questioned and he went silent. She scoffed.

"That's what I thought. See you around," she said, as she left.

"I'm sorry," Summer said.

"Don't be...this is nothing new with her," he replied, as he walked down the gangplank and then offered his hand to help her. She smiled and accepted it.

"This is insane," David commented, as he hopped down from the gangplank and then held Snow's hand, before lifting her down, which seemed to make some of the crowd go crazy.

"Why are they so excited?" he wondered and she smiled at his obliviousness.

"Well...you're Prince Charming and you just did a very Charming thing," she replied.

"What? Helping you down?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" he added.

"Well, you would, because you're you and I hit the lottery in the husband department. A lot of women don't. For many people in this land, romance and love fade over time. But you and I never leave the honeymoon faze," she explained fondly, as she nuzzled her nose against his.

"My love and passion for you will never fade," he promised, as he kissed her and that seemed to make the crowd go crazy too. Which annoyed him.

"Yeah…that won't be annoying or anything," he said, as she chuckled and hooked her hand on his elbow, just as Patricia approached.

"Oh, this is funny to you?" he asked. She chuckled.

"A bit…" she admitted.

"Please tell me we're not having a meeting here," he said.

"Don't worry...I have cars waiting to take us to the Boston headquarters," she said, as they all got into the cars and arrived at headquarters shortly.

David had been there before obviously, but the last time he was, he didn't have his memories. So walking in and receiving stares from former co-workers was unnerving to say the least.

"I feel like we all have giant heads or something the way they're staring," Killian muttered to Emma. She smiled.

"Yeah…I hate the attention and I know dad does too, but at the same time, I want to know how this woman got access to Clayton's entire operation," she whispered back. He snorted.

"Probably not legally. I know your parents are above doing anything shady and we love them for that, but I think if we have the opportunity to get it all back, then we do it and lock the world out," he mentioned.

"I've already talked to Gold and it's definitely on the table. Mom and Dad will agree if they see a threat. They're ready to protect the United Realms," she assured.

"I don't doubt that, love...we just know they have a habit of being very forgiving as well," he warned.

"I know...but I think they've come to terms with their darker halves too. I don't think they'll be as apt to ignore them now," she said.

"Fair point," he agreed, as they followed the Major into the conference room and she shut the door.

"Before we go further...there's one thing I need to know," David stated.

"Ask away," Patricia replied.

"Did Cecily Clayton die so you could get access to Clayton's operation?" David asked.

"She did, but she was far from innocent and I didn't hesitate putting a bullet in her skull and feeding her the alligators," she replied bluntly.

"Oh my God…" Snow cried.

"I know that is blunt and cold, but trust me...I did you a favor by getting rid of her. She would have been out for full fledged revenge on all of you, especially you two," Patricia warned.

"Maybe...but it's hard to trust you when you've committed cold blooded murder," David replied. She smirked.

"And yet you trust the pirate, the queen, and the dark one implicitly," she countered.

"Bloody hell...she has you there," Killian quipped, earning him a nudge from Emma.

"Okay fine...but they've earned our trust over time. You have yet to do that so let's be up front. What do you want from us?" David asked, as they all took seats.

"When I first took over Clayton's operation, my goal was to gather information. That's what I do for this country. I gather Intel. But I soon realized that Clayton's operation goes far deeper than just his collection of magical items and beings," she replied.

"You mean the network of investors he spoke about and that we met when we were captive in Atlantis," Snow said. Patricia nodded.

"Clayton is dead, but his network is very much alive," she said.

"We know Cecily was smuggling ancient artifacts for his museum in Seattle," David replied.

"Oh, but it's much more than that. His investors come from all walks of life. They're embedded everywhere and now that your existence has come to light, they will do what they must to keep their secretive dealings a secret," she said, as she pressed a remote and the screen lit up with a ton of Intel and information.

"Illegal smuggling of artifacts is just the beginning. He had dealings with human traffickers, arms dealers, drug cartels, prostitution rings, and this world's worst scum," she said.

"And you want us to help take down Clayton's operation?" Xander asked.

"Yes...and you of all people know how dangerous he really was," she replied, as their eyes met in a cool stare.

"Now that everything's out in the open, I'm almost certain they'll try to get into the United Realms and someone will want everything in that museum. But we all know they won't stop there," she said.

"It's Atlantis all over again. They want their playground back and we're their toys," David said. She nodded.

"Where do we even start?" Regina asked. Patricia pressed a button on the remote and the image of a man appeared on screen.

"With Clayton's son…" she revealed, shocking them all...

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pplowden · 5 years ago

Text

PRE FMP Exaggeration and storytelling

Exaggeration and storytelling are inherent in human society. What I really find interesting is the structure of how humans live their lives. People find a comfort in routine and success in repetition. There is a unanimous decision in how we should form our days; at what times we brush our teeth, eat, get dressed, go to bed etc. Not only does this satisfy people, it makes them feel secure and entertained, we even try to recreate this artificially, for example the game ‘Sims’ is all about building your own society, it is like playing with your own life, only with slightly more control.

I decided to take this even further, living by a strict manifesto of only eating orange food in my orange room. While there was a sense of comfort in the limitations this provided, it felt ridiculous and inevitably, made me physically sick. There are many artists who decide to live with such extreme routines - the most famous probably being Gilbert and George. People are infatuated with the mystery around their commitment to structure. Real or not they provoke the idea that structure provides something for humans, even if it is just people's interest in it.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gilbert-george-day-routine-life-453958

Perhaps this obsession with routine is about allowing us time to search for what is really important; our purpose in life. Often people long to turn the mundane into the interesting, which seems both an act of desperation and a form of existential crisis. The thought that there is something beyond us is scary, exciting and somehow important. The artist David Huggins is a 74 year old man who has spent his life painting the extraterrestrial woman who took his virginity and the hybrid human alien-babies this produced. What interests me about him is that he refuses to sell the works of his (fantasy) wife - his paintings are personal objects which form a part of his life, not mere pieces of work.

https://www.theartblog.org/2011/08/david-huggins-an-uncommon-life/

Furthermore, although he has lived his life in what we assume to be half fantasy, he has embedded these alien figures into an ordinary, human life. He is in a monogamous relationship and fathering a family. As much desperation there is to find something beyond humanity, there is still an urge to bring it back round to what we have created. This led me to draw a series of imagined scenes of aliens performing the daily acts of humans, such as eating dinner.

This is why I am interested in exaggeration; people want to find something new and exciting, but only so they can share it with what human experience we already have. There is an absurdity in how dramatic humans are often tempted to be, it is humorous.

https://www.siff.net/festival/dj-nicfit-presents-fantastic-planet

Inspired by Roland Topor's ‘La Planète Sauvage’, which explores the relationship between human and alien, and his costumes for a production of the ‘Magic Flute’, I decided to knit alien costumes and perform a ballet, green screening it onto a background of the face on Mars.

I decided performance is a good way to dramatise what I am trying to explore, as it relies on amplification and being extravagant. The use of a green screen allows importance to be placed on the movement of the performer and any connections with setting to be removed. By replacing it with the the face on Mars, it represents perfectly what I am interested in, how humans have grasped a familiar figure and celebrated it, in a place full of the unknown.

It is this balance between truth and fiction which really holds my attention. Ultimately, fact and fiction is merely what people claim them to be. If stories are about perspective, how can we deem one version true and another false?

https://www.henson.com/storyteller.php

Folk tales, fables, and legends are interesting here, as the oldest and most famous forms of stories historically. The kids tv programme ‘The Storyteller’ by Jim Henson tells such tales, emphasising the importance of dramatics in storytelling through voice, setting and humour. The opening lines of each episode being;

“When people told themselves their past with stories, explain their present with stories, foretold the stories with stories, the best place by the fire, was kept with for storyteller”.

The act of a story is presented almost like a ritual which affects everyones everyday life, but also something which has a skill to it. As often seen in literature and art, this programme is a story about stories. It is not simply a retelling, there is importance in its own characters and their narrative.

Inspired by my own experiences and stories about being attacked/attacking birds, I researched the greek myths of Icarus, Prometheus and Leda and the Swan. Once again I found myself interested in the dramatic nature of such myths; the dramatic monologues and inevitable rise and fall of characters, the shifting perspectives and interpretations and mostly, the tendency to fabricate something unimportant to transform it into the important. To reflect on this idea, I wrote an essay;

Reflections on swans (and seagulls)

The swan is often considered to be the most beautiful and powerful creature. As described in Yeats’ poem ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’, they are “mysterious, beautiful” and “unwearied”, traits all humans aspire to have. We are in awe of them; as we are tempted by materialism and infidelity, grow cynical and die, their symbolic beauty doesn’t fade: the swan remains monogamous and elegant, living a simple, pure life.

Swans carry a purity in their graceful paddle and colouring as well as symbolising a sort of British greatness. They are believed to be silent until singing a final “swan song” – the pinnacle of their greatness - at their death. Perhaps this and the fact they are owned by the Queen, gives them a mysterious authority. We are taught to admire them from a respectful distance.

However, no matter how blinded by their beauty we are, we know never to forget their power. They are fierce, quick to feel threatened and will “breaking our legs” to protect their young.

This recognition and portrayal of their danger is not a new one. The myth of Zeus disguising himself as a swan to rape Leda has been a prominent tale explored in art for centuries. Although this story uses the swan to represent a cruel and deceiving character, Michelangelo painted it as an intimate and romantic scene, supposedly causing it to be destroyed in the seventeenth century due to its ‘lasciviousness’.

I find Stephen Pearsons’ ‘Wings of Love’, famously known for illustrating the divide between Laurence and Beverly in Mike Lees ‘Abigail’s Party’, reminiscent of this. While ‘Wings of love’ symbolises the progression and divide between romanticism and realism, exposing people for being over consumed with nature while also applauding nature for holding such power, ‘Leda and the Swan’, symbolises the relationship between cruelty and power.

Yeats has also written a poem on this, emphasising a much cruel explanation: “A sudden blow”, “He holds her helpless breast upon his breast”. Immediately we feel the brute force of Zeus raping Leda. However, what becomes surprising as you read on is the threatening softness in which he continues to describe it; “feathered glory”, “thighs caressed”. This seems to perfectly sum up the character of a swan - silent but deadly.

I find this imbalance of opinions peculiar and recurring with swans - perhaps it is only superficial beauty and the fact that the Queen owns them which makes us feel so proud and protective of them? In reality, they are dangerous and cruel.

I once ate a swan after it died flying into an electrical wire on my grandparents’ farm. Its flesh was dark, forbidding and fishy. It was unpleasant and I felt as if I was being let down, as if it was meant to be something life changing when in fact it was vulgar and sickening. I wonder if the pride of national ownership only added to this feeling? It was meant to be an honour to be eat something usually untouchable, admirable and wild; free but royal; yet it was disgusting.

Do we misunderstand all animals, all birds, all nature? We, like the Queen, assert ownership over animals with our pets. Yet we keep them in cages and on leads. We have a hierarchy – swans above seagulls, seagulls above caged budgies. What does it mean and is it more about ourselves than the animals we portray?

I am interested in this and in our relationship to other birds. I wonder if it is the status of Royal ownership which separates swans from the common bird, which we often fear or diminish. We fear birds trapped in houses. In a recent news story, we fear a seagull that stole a woman’s pet chihuahua. Why underestimate the seagull? It is an enemy because it steals our chips and our chihauhuas. But what has changed since the lesson of Prometheus, which warned humans not to be arrogant or misunderstand the natural order of the world? Why are we now taught to hate and disrespect the common bird?

I think we often use nature in art to try to understand and illustrate power complexes and ourselves - there is a craving to understand our place in the world. The conflicting views on swans is an example. In a way, swans are irrelevant to humans, they are in our art because there is a deeper craving to understand something much larger about ourselves. Thinking about this prompted me to make a film about the neglected and maligned seagull; to draw comparisons between the survivalist impulse which exists in these lonely, maligned birds and in lonely, maligned people.

What writing this essay and the script for my film really taught me is that it is the absurdity in the obsession of trying to understand something bigger than us which interests me, whether its natural order or power complexes, the need to exaggerate human importance until we understand such topics seems unavoidable. David Lynch’s new film ‘WHAT DID JACK DO?’ I find represents what I mean here: the nonsensical, circling script of cliches eventually defeats the storyline. Instead, what becomes entertaining and successful is the humorous journey of the dialogue.

netflix.com

In some ways, it seems a critique of stories as they are meant to be, instead suggesting it is the ludicrous way in which we tell them through exaggeration is what becomes the story.

Since realising this, I think what I am really interested in is not just the stories people are telling, but how they tell them that I am attracted to. For example, at my aunt and uncles house there are three stone sculptures of heads on their mantle piece which my uncle found in a skip. He says that in the medieval times they believed murderers all had the same anatomy, and these heads are in fact death masks of murderers used to figure out the bone structure that would possess every murderer. While sat at a candle lit dinner, the heads glowing and watching over us, I was told the story of the severed head. Our family friend had gone to open day for a boarding school and while playing football had kicked the ball into a nearby bush. Going to retrieve it and continue the game, he kicked it out into the playing field. What landed was not the football, but a severed head. The school sent out a small apology letter, but covered up the story and it was never heard about again, except through word of mouth. Becoming its own kind of myth, I hear and retell this story often, surprisingly regularly receiving a similar story in reaction.

I am interested in how to turn such accounts into their own visual stories or pieces of work. I believe one way to do this is to learn what is so interesting in each individual story and focus on this, whether it as obscure as the fact it is so dramatic and making an installation full of shadows and mystery, or as specific as a particular description of an object and recreating it.

I am interested in interactive works; I believe giving a role to the audience to be immersed is very powerful in its effect, especially when exploring storytelling, where the audience and the memories they are left with is half of the experience. Saying that, I believe it should be a memory they are left with only. Often people are interested in taking a physical object away from an artwork, as well as a memory.

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/yoko-ono-cut-piece-1964/

For example in Yoko Ono’s ‘Cut Piece’, the audience members were invited to come and cut off a piece of her clothing. What is powerful about this performance is not the fact they walk away with a piece of her cloth - an artefact of such a famous artwork - but the fact they committed the act. The fabric has become the documentation, the intimate act the work. Therefore, I find it more exciting to leave the room empty handed. If there is nothing to tell except for the story of the experience - we are left with a series of interesting experiences and accounts, becoming a story and artwork in itself.

Another way in which we can dramatise is through physical size and dominance. Working on a large scale excites me. Phyllida Barlows' work at the 2017 Venice Biennale felt almost like a stage design. The construction and emphasis on under cladding became the artwork, it was compromised of monumental structures of various, large heights filling the gallery.

https://www.designboom.com/art/phyllida-barlow-british-pavilion-venice-biennale-05-28-2017/

I hope to continue researching storytelling and exaggeration through an interesting, dramatic aesthetic.

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lizzylunawizardessfanfics · 6 years ago

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Love War

Pairing: Nox/Lizzy

Summary: Nox and Rex had been fighting against each other to try to win the affections of Lizzy as it came in many forms in which commonly was through gifts of small things, flowers, and love notes. However will today be the day she puts it to an end?

It all started with just some flowers and or little gifts being left for her and the likes with cute notes on them; however until recently was when it seemed to be getting a little out of hand. “LIZZY GET THESE DAMN FLOWERS OUT OF THE OFFICE,” Zeus shouted out right when she stepped into the room to find two huge beautiful flower arrangements. Ignoring Zeus she walked over to them to see who they’re from though she already had a pretty good idea by now of two boys in particular that could be behind this. The first one was full of beautiful flowers like: lily of the valley, orange roses, and pink ranunculus. Of course like the past arrangements she’s received, there was a note with it which she picked it up and opened it to read.

“Lizzy you are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known - and even then that is still an understatement as for no amount of words can truly describe how phenomenal you are in my eyes -Rex”

Softly smiling Lizzy felt flattered by his words as the note was written beautifully. She thought Rex was an absolute sweet and talented guy who was enjoyable to be around. Setting the note down on her desk she looked at the other stunning arrangement of flowers as there were some decorative rhinestones among the snapping dragons, baby’s breath, and the mix of red and black roses… Wait black roses? Lizzy curiously raised an eyebrow as this was something very new for Nox unless… Lizzy looked for the note as she saw it, though it was in an envelope in which she slowly opened it confused. Her baby blue eyes widened when seeing the note was on one of Nightmare’s calling cards.

“Hey guys… Did any of you see who brought this one in,” she asked looking at her friends playing it off as the group looked at one another before looking back to her and shaking their heads in a no manner. “Nah, by the time we all got here they were already there,” Zeus answered in a huff. Looking back down to the note she flipped it over to read what it said.

“My love for you has grown far more than it has for all of the things I’ve taken. From your personality, your voice, your hair, your eyes, your humor, and even the way you look away and smile, you’ve managed to steal my heart from right under my nose. It is clear to me that you are exactly everything I’m looking for as I shall steal you away fairly soon -Nightmare”

Feeling her cheeks getting warm, her heart went aflutter as she knew it was truly Nox. A bigger smile finding its way on her lips as his words were sweet yet exciting. “Hey earth to Lizzy, you alright,” she heard Caesar’s voice asked as her head shot up to look over to where he was nodding. “Yeah sorry haha,” she said with a small laugh as she slipped the note back into its envelope as she sat down to start filling out paperwork.

The day went on as Lizzy had finished teaching the last class of the day. Collecting her things and making sure the chalkboard was clean she was spaced out some. She was suddenly brought back by the sudden feeling of a pair of arms wrapping around her waist pulling her back a bit which caused her to jump a bit until she heard a familiar voice whisper, “Seems like my lucky day to find you first beautiful.” glancing over her shoulder Nox’s face came into view as Lizzy smiled with a small giggle towards his words. “That you did, though next time give me a little warning; I’d hate to throw a glitter bomb at that handsome face of yours,” she said to him earning a chuckle out of him as he looked at her with soft eyes. “I shall try to remember that, we wouldn't want anything bad happening,” he said placing a kiss on her cheek before letting her go.

Helping get her things and carrying some of it for her the two walked out of the classroom together happily while chit chatting with each other. The two made it down the hallway until someone came running up to them which was none other than Rex himself who had a big smile on his face. “Ah there you are Lizzy, good afternoon,” he said happily looking at her while ignoring Nox who just kind of glared at the brown haired man. “Hey Rex good afternoon to you as well! Is there something you needed,” she greeted in returned with one of her beautiful smiles. “No no, I was just looking for you as I bought something for you,” he said holding out a medium sized box that had plastic on top so what was inside was visible. She raised an eyebrow when taking the box as it was from one of the bakeries in town as when she looked inside her eyes widened before she looked back up to Rex. “It’s one of the raindrop cakes! You didn’t have to do that, thank you so much,” she said excitedly as for a moment Rex had looked over to Nox giving him a smirk in triumph which Nox could only roll his eyes.

Not wanting to watch this carry on, Nox clearing his throat and stepped closer to Lizzy, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Sorry to cut in but you’ve caught us at a bad time. We were just about to head out to town to grab dinner together,” Nox said with a proud grin knowing how much it’d get under his skin though Rex wouldn’t show it. The air was tense between the two as Lizzy could let out a sigh looking between the two before slipping out from Nox’s arm so she could stand between them; this needed to put under wraps.

“Could you two please stop. I get that the two of you have a LONG history of competing with one another and think of each other as rivals or whatever you call it,” she said looking between the two as they watched her with big eyes. “But the hallway isn’t the place to be having one of your challenges to one up the other… I really appreciate all the sweet things you both do like leaving the notes or sending flowers, but this can’t keep going on as it’s not going to affect which one of you I pick cuz for all you know I could just easily pick neither of you,” she continued giving a soft yet stern look at the two. “You’re right as I apologize for acting out in such a manner in a public space. I just couldn’t allow myself to go easy as you’re someone I truly care for and want nothing more than your happiness,” Rex said before lowering his gaze slightly. Nox let out a small huff at Rex’s attempt to suck up to the girl of their affections.

“Hey I’ll apologize for acting as such at the wrong place, but I will not necessarily apologize for how I’ve acted,” Nox said standing tall and firm. Taking a deep breath in Lizzy slowly let it out to recollect herself as these two really were like two peas in a pod. “Look… The both of you are really great and I hate to be the one to pick between you two because I really don’t want to hurt either of you,” she started as being stared at by both of them made her feel a little jittery. Using magic to make two flowers appear in her hand while she looked at the two before explaining, “This really isn’t easy for me so this is how it’s going to work; you both will close your eyes as one will get the pink flower as the other will receive the yellow one which I believe you both understand what the colors mean.” The two nodded while carefully listening to her as occasionally they’d glance at each other as if they were instigating one another telepathically.

The two closed their eyes and waited anxiously to receive the flowers with their hands out. She looked at the two sadly as she stepped closer to them as she stared at the yellow flower for a moment before gently placing it in Rex’s hand before turning to Nox to place the pink one in his. Taking a step back she told them that they could open their eyes to which she lightly bit the bottom of her lip. The two opened their eyes once again to look to see which one they received as the two had different responses to what they got; Nox lips tugged into a happy grin seeing that it was him she picked him while Rex had a small frown form upon seeing he had received the yellow one but then he put on a gentle smile. “Though it’d make me happy to have been picked, as long as you’re happy Lizzy I shall be happy for you as well,” Rex said sweetly with one of his famous smiles. “And if he ever makes you sad or cry I’ll be there to steal you away,” he added shortly after causing her to laugh a little.

“Like that day would ever come,” Nox said before standing beside her once again wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I plan on making her smile and laugh everyday, because out of everything else in my life; she is one of the few things I’m very serious about,” he said with a straight face which caused her to blush but smile at the same time. After a few more exchange of words amongst the group Nox and Lizzy went on their way to drop her class things in the prefect’s office.

Now that it was just the two of them walking together Lizzy glanced up to Nox before asking, “So you want to tell me bout why you sent your flowers with one of your calling cards?” Letting out a chuckle he brought her closer to him as the gentle scent of the flower in her hair and perfume tingled his nose. “Well I thought I’d be a little daring today and besides,” he started to answer her in which he leaned closer to her ear so he could whisper, “Who said anything about you coming back to the academy after we go out to dinner.” Feeling her cheeks grow more flustered she glanced away embarrassed as how cheeky. “Hey look over here,” she heard his voice which listening she looked back up to him as they had momentarily stopped walking giving him her full attention. “Ti amo mio fiore,” he said catching her off guard completely before she started to laugh. “I’m impressed you said that correctly. Ti amo anch’io,” she replied with a smile before he placed a tender kiss upon her lips. After they separated from the kiss, the couple continued on their way as the evening was just the beginning of their budding romance.

#wizardess heart fanfics #wizardess heart #nox noir #rex blanc #wh oc #lizzy luna #love triangle #request

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solaetis-moved-blog · 6 years ago

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CASTER (MEDEA) HEADCANON AND PORTRAYAL SUMMARY DUMP

Just a rundown of all the myth & canon interpretations I follow! I do not stick with one version alone. I mix them and take what for me makes the most sense for the character of Medea that I know of.

For Fate/Stay Night roleplayers, I can write her in any route. I will go along the with the route of your muse 'cause I'm flexible like that. I can play her at any canon point in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia as well.

For Fate/Grand Order roleplayers, all routes in Fate/Stay Night are sort of canon for my Medea. This doesn't mean all of it happened to this specific incarnation, just that she has recollections of all the events that transpired during the fifth war including the bad endings.

More info below!

She learned Magecraft through the Moon Goddess Hecate and from her aunt the Goddess Circe, who was also a disciple of Hecate.

She was very close to Circe and respects and admires her in great amounts and was always her ideal vision of a true witch.

Medea, in truth, is not really a witch. She is skilled in Magecraft, but it did not make her one. Her title as a witch is only granted to her as an attempt to berate and demean her for having magic powers.

She was cursed by Aphrodite to fall in love with Jason under Hera’s orders.

She was very to devoted to the Greek Gods despite not being Greek herself which earned her a place in Elysium where she was said to have eventually married Achilles. She has no memories of her life in Elysium as a Servant.

Medea is Colchian and not Greek. This makes her an Asian woman.

She has utmost respect towards Heracles for the time she spent with him and the Argonauts. He also gave her a place to stay when she had nowhere else to go in exchange of healing Hera's curse upon him.

Because Medea was not Greek, she was often shunned, if not envied, by those around her. After Jason, there was nowhere she could return to. There was no place left that will accept her.

Theseus was with the Argonauts, but he was young at that time and Medea did not recognize him when they met once again, this time in Athens and she became Aegeus' wife.

Aegeus didn't know that Theseus was his son and wanted him dead for his powers were a threat to Aegeus' position as a King. For Medea, who bore him a son, Aegeus learning Theseus' birth right was a threat to her son Medus.

Medea tried to poison Theseus after he returned successful in his quest to capture the Marathonian Bull. But Aegeus' realized that Theseus was his son due to his sword and sandals and knocked back the cup of poisoned wine. Medea fled afterwards with Medus.

There is no consistent depiction of how Medea's life has ended, so I have mixed some interpretations I've read.

When Medea fled Athens, her son Medus was exiled and he returned to Colchis only to find out that King Aeetes was murdered by his brother.

Medus was then captured by King Perses so that there was no one who could challenge his claim to the throne. Medea, having heard this, returned to Colchis to free her son. She deceived Perses and made Medus the King. She died of old age, grieving still.

My Medea did not kill her children. The Corinthians killed her children, but because she found the bodies first and have been caught by Jason holding them, she was accused of their murder.

Her Fate incarnation knows that she killed them to hurt Jason as a result of her lore being bastardized, but she has no recollections of doing so. She simply believes this because it's what's installed in her Spirit Origin.

Her hatred is not restricted to Jason alone, but towards the world who had betrayed her without an end. Still, majority of her agony is a product of his actions.

My interpretation of Medea is heavily focused on this. It plays a huge role in how I write her, so she's not as chill as she is in canon.

Medea's hatred towards Aphrodite and Jason is clear.

Being told that she was coerced to fall in love with Jason mocks her for it was the only thing she had left of value. She also believes it takes away the responsibility behind the cruel acts she made because of her love for him.

If Medea has to acknowledge that she fell in love with Jason because of Aphrodite, that would mean that she cannot take responsibility for her crimes. So she does not, for she knows to herself that she committed vile acts of her own volition.

Her acknowledging her crimes and knowing it is wrong is her only proof that her love for Jason was real and not manipulated through celestial means. She did them because she wanted to be useful and she truthfully loved him.

My Medea despises Berserker!Heracles because his existence disrespects the hero that he used to be. She thinks he is nothing but a pile of muscle with a face and wants nothing to do with him.

She doesn't acknowledge Jason, Achilles & Perseus as heroes.

She dislikes socializing with men in general, especially the handsome, cunning and eloquent ones. She has learned first hand that sophisticated men aren't to be trusted.

I'm a slut for Medea/Kuzuki, Medea/Women & Medea/Respectful Master.

She helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece in exchange of him agreeing to marry her and he did.

She left Colchis with the Argonauts alongside her brother Apsyrtus, which she cut to pieces and scattered his flesh into the seas to delay the pursuit of her father King Aeetes.

Medea's room in Chaldea is dark and brooding with no signs of modern technology. Even her door can only be opened by dispelling the field that surrounds it. She has various skeleton pets inside of her room that she uses to help her in certain activities such as Myrmekes as cleaners, Alectryon as an alarm clock, Crows for water fetching etc.

Medea named her skeleton creatures after her family members from Colchis as a way to help her cope with the fact that she can never return to them anymore. So when she returns to her room, it signifies "coming home". This is why she considers her room sacred. Should one be given the permission to enter her room in Chaldea, know that it is a heightened level of intimacy for her. Invading it, however, is a high grade insult and thoroughly offensive. She will hate you for it.

Medea makes tea brews that she only shares to a few people. Each are named after certain ties she had in life such as Golden Fleece, Argonautica etc. They range in hundreds that she displays on a large cabinet.

In Fate verse, Atalante was indeed with the Argonauts, making Medea and Atalante the only women to ride the Argo Ship. They've had a very genuine friendship, but parted ways afterwards, Whether or not Atalante retained her respect to Medea when things went downhill is unknown.

SOME RANDOM RAMBLINGS

since erika and i are talking about it... remember when i said that medea's wish is to go home? and her idea of going home is simply not returning to specifically to colchis but to possibly revert the life she had when she decided to leave so medea's idea of "going home" is returning to the time wherein she was still princess of colchis and she never left. if she never left, her relationship with her family will not be compromised. she would have avoided a large scale of tragedy. medea dies as an ambitionless old woman in my interpretation. she had spent her remaining dies waking up, sleeping, monotonously doing her everyday routine. in her every revenge completed, a part of her dies, and she has died completely when everything was over and done with. she wants to use the grail for that. to return to the time where she was most content with herself. as a servant she's incarnated with her hatred of the world being her only pillar to keep on going. medea wants to be a normal person so she's desperate for the grail.

if i have to explain medea's feelings towards aphrodite, eros and hera it's really all too simple? she lamented that they have had a hand in her suffering but medea knows the workings of the gods and there's no law which states that they have to be fair in the first place. one man would wish something from the gods, and another would wish for something which opposes the other. it's always a matter of having to choose who deserves their assistance more and medea accepted that the three favored jason more because he prayed to them the same way hecate, circe and zeus favored her because her prayers for them were stronger and they were medea's revered gods. so yes, medea hates being a tool for gods' entertainment, but not to the point wherein she'd kill one because she still respects them to some degree

#h: caster (medea)

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oldestwounds · 6 years ago

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Ship Song! (all of'em)

Nick & Talia: London Boy by Taylor Swift“But something happened, I heard him laughing. I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent.”

Oliver & Talia: Traveling Soldier by the Dixie Chicks“Too young for him they told her, waiting for the love of a traveling soldier. Our love will never end, waiting for the soldier to come back again, never more to be alone, when the letter said, the soldier’s coming home.”

Carver & Artemis: Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie“If there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks, then I’ll follow you into the dark.”

Prince & Tessa: Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman“My girlfriends a dick magnet, my girlfriend gotta have it, she’s hot, can’t stop, up on stage doing shots, tip the man, he’ll ring the bell, get her drunk she’ll scream like hell. Dirty girl getting down, dance with guys from out of town, grab her ass acting tough, mess with her, she’ll fuck you up.”

Kim & Xavier: Shiska (Girlfriend) by Say Anything“I remember it vividly love, I’ve been walking erect since the moment we met, and I caught your eyes, to my surprise”

Ana & Jamie: Situations by Escape the Fate“I touched her ooh, she touched my ahh, it was the craziest thing. I love the girls who love to hate because they’re just like me. A certain girl she took my hand and ran it up her thigh, she licked her lips and pulled my hair I fall in love for a night.”

Cali & Jamie: It’s Nice to Have a Friend by Taylor Swift “Call my bluff, call you babe, have my back, yeah, everyday. Feels like home, stay in bed the whole weekend. It’s nice to have a friend.”

Ella & Jamie: It Won’t Kill Ya by The Chainsmokers“You’re a face I won’t forget, don’t know how much time is left, haven’t had a moment yet. Dance with me, it won’t kill ya, and one for the road, so why won’t you stay a little longer?”

Allie & Apollo: Hero/Heroine by Boys Like Girls“I’ve got a closet filled up to the brim with the ghosts of my past and the skeletons and I don’t know why you’d even try but I won’t lie, you caught me off guard, now I’m running and screaming.”

Callie & Zeus: The Only Exception by Paramore“And I’ve always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance. Up until now I had sworn to myself that I’m content with loneliness, because none of it was ever worth the risk, but you are the only exception.”

Katie & Poseidon: Only One by Sammy Adams“You were so out of my league like, I was so lost for words, I couldn’t even begin to speak right.”

Jake & Zelda: Curse of Curves by Cute is What we aim For“Her bone structure screams ‘touch her touch her’ and she’s got the curse of curves. So with my combination of my gift with one liners and my way, my way with words. It seems I’m too hip to keep tight lipped.”

Brock & Zelda: Meet Virginia by Train“She doesn’t own a dress, hair is always a mess. Catch her stealing, she won’t confess; she’s beautiful. She smokes a pack a day, wait that’s me, but anyway.”

Brooke & Hermes: Somebody to You by The Vamps“I used to ride around, I didn’t wanna settle down, but now I wake each day looking for a way that I can see your face.”

Alex & Danielle: Monsters by Timeflies“I see your monsters, I see your pain. Tell me your problems, I’ll chase them away. I’ll be your lighthouse, I’ll make it okay, When I see your monsters, I’ll stand there so brave and chase them all away.”

Chester & Kaylee: I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift“And I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me now. Flew me to places I’d never been, now I’m lying on the cold hard ground. Oh, oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble.”

Elliot & Leah: TBD

Emma & Heph: TBD

Bonus for the start of Ana/Jamie, Prince/Tessa, Jake/Zelda, Ella/Jamie, and Nick/Talia XD: Casual Sex by My Darkest Days

#nick ships #ana ships #allie ships #alex ships #brooke ships #brock ships #jake ships #chester ships #ella ships #kim ships #prince ships #oliver ships

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siriuslyparker · 6 years ago

Text

Reign of Artemis - Chapter 2

Pairing: Prince!Tom Holland x OC

Warnings: none

Words: 4277

A/N: it’s my birthday, so here’s my present to you

series masterlist; masterlist

If there was something Tom was familiar with, it was the pounding in his head after a few too many drinks of the night before. One would think after so many nights and mornings repeatedly spent near the toilet, Tom would learn to sober up before going to bed or down a bottle of water before passing out, but he hasn't.

And with that little bit of information, his best friend and adviser, Harrison Osterfield, used for his benefit every morning. Harrison didn't bother knocking or being announced as he entered Tom's room that morning, knowing it would do nothing. So, he entered his best friend's room and ripped over the blinds to let the sunshine it, which earned a groaned from the lump under the sheets on the bed.

Tucked under Harrison's arm was the latest magazine that was released from the press, one that he saw when he stopped at the store for coffee on his way to the palace. Harrison tossed the magazine where he believed Tom's face to be under the blankets, "Thule's Bachelor Prince Caught Again with Mystery Woman in Bar even got some pictures this time. Prince Thomas adds another girl into his string of royal hookups," Harrison snapped.

From underneath the blankets, another groan came and Tom's head poked from underneath the dark covers and grabbed the magazine to look out. His lips pull up slightly as he looks at the pictures, he couldn't remember making out with the girl, let alone talking or meeting her. He tossed the magazine at the end of his bed and rubbed his face. "You're lucky Jacob was able to get her to sign a nondisclosure, but for a heavy pay, one of which we can't afford right now," Harrison scoffed.

Tom swings around to press his feet against the floor, his elbows against his knees as he kneaded the sides of his head with his fingers. "Then we are good," he mumbled. The doors to his room opened again and in came the butler with breakfast, setting the trey against the table in the middle of the room before he and another man began to clean the room. "No, we're not," Harrison nearly yelled.

Harrison wanted to strangle his friend as he watched him pushed himself up from his bed and walked around the room towards his breakfast. "We can't afford to keep these people from babbling right now. And if you haven't forgotten, you are supposed to visit Baltia at the end of the week to discuss the deal to help your dying country," Harrison reminded him, knowing fully well that Tom had forgotten the meeting. Tom glanced at his friend and ran his hand through his hair with a shrug.

"No, no shrug. This is supposed to save the country and help Paddy. Or have you also forgotten your brother is sick?" Harrison questioned.

Tom's jaw clenched as he picked up his cup of coffee with a frown, muttering that he hadn't forgotten under his breath. He scrunched his nose up slightly at the bitter taste and glances at Harrison, "You'll be there with me, it'll be fine," he promised.

Harrison let out a sigh, it gave him comfort that his friend held faith because they would be together in it, but it worried him as well. Tom is in line to be King after his father and he can't continue to rely on Harrison to help him through everything as he does now. And Tom was grower riskier as he got older and started to care less and less. Going out once a month with started turned into every other week and now two to three times a week. The harder Harrison tried to get Tom to focus on political things, the more Tom pushed Harrison away and the more their friendship strained.

Tom's mother, Queen Nicola, had asked Harrison years ago to watch over Tom to try to get him to calm down and do more for the Royal name, but it proved to be a lot harder than planned. It hurt Harrison to disappoint the Queen, who had been more of a mother to him than anyone since his died when he was just a child to cancer. She sadly agreed that Tom's heart wasn't where they wished it to be and they couldn't force him to care for the crown or its people without him wanting to. And as Nicola soon gave up on her eldest, she looked towards the twins, Sam and Harry, to step up as they took their jobs seriously.

And when the hot season came, hotter than years before, the drought came too. Crops and rivers dried up, and when food started to grow scarce, the twins started looking towards other countries for help. Less and less amount of country was willing to help and as the hot season grow further along, people started dying and growing sick from lack of food. When the youngest Royal, Paddy, fell ill, King Dominic desperately turned to the strongest country he knew personally for help.

Baltia was hesitant to help. Anthony knew Dominic from when they were young, but they both knew that meant nothing when it came to politics, Anthony was never biased. Surprisingly, Anthony agreed to hear what Baltia had to say, but wished that instead it be between the two kings, it would be discussed between their children. Dominic was less than enthusiastic to agree that Tom will go to Baltia to talk to Artemis over the deal.

After learning such, Dominic spoke with Harrison and stressed what needed to be included in the deal and make sure Tom spoke of that during the meeting. And Harrison hated himself for suggesting that instead of Tom going that he sent Sam or Harry, but Tom wasn't one to jump into the politics pool. But shocking him, Dominic denied Harrison's suggestion and told him to go write up a plan.

Harrison had little faith in his friend to see through with the deal with success, especially considering it was Tuesday morning and he was hungover from going out on a Monday.

"Can't you be responsible enough just once in your life for this?" Harrison begged. Tom looks up from his toast, "I am," he said. "Really? Cause it's hard to tell. Can you even tell me how many people have died since the summer started?" Harrison demanded. Tom took a deep breath and he put jam on his toast, "Few dozen?" he mumbled. "Try hundreds. Maybe if you stopped looking at the bottom of a bottle every damn day of your life you would see that," Harrison snapped.

"Enjoy your bread, we just ran out of vegetables last night. Wheat's next."

Harrison slammed the door closed behind him and Tom fell back into the chair next to the table. He glanced at the magazine on his bed, which was now made perfectly, his fingers tapping against the edge of the mug. He wanted to do more for his country, he really did. Tom had his reasons why he avoided politics as much as possible, but he had to put those reasons aside if he wanted to help Paddy and his country.

And if he wanted to help, he had to learn as much as he can about Baltia and Artemis. So, he did what anyone did when they wanted to know more about something, he looked it up online. The first thing that came up for Artemis was about the latest duties and visits in town and course the rumors of the age-old prophecy, that was never out of the news. He noticed pictures of her, not sure if they were recent or not, but he noticed painted lines on her face. Tom knew that Baltia held a rich culture, but he couldn't recall learning or hearing anything about this paint thing. And lucky enough for him, with only a few searches later, he was able to find a blog post about the paints.

I'm going to be honest with you, no one is really sure where our tradition started from. As far back as history books go, it's there. The best guess there is when the Gods visited, mostly Zeus, they wanted to know the social difference between people. He's a dick, but we kept it.

First off, it's our culture, our tradition. It's a very sacred thing, and shouldn't be worn at festivals or anything. Even our noblest people, like the Royals and priests, don't wear it until they are blessed at age three. It's kind of like being baptized, I guess, I don't really know much about other religions, so sorry if this comparison insults you. Anyways, there are many ways to wear our paint and specific ways to wear it depending on age and what you do. And certain colors, which is a big and ever-changing thing.

So colors, it's the easiest.

Gold: Our country color. If you know anything about Baltia you know that we are famous for our use of amber in everyday things from food, weapons, to trade. Gold, gold, gold. So, it's an everyday color, worn by everyone, no matter your status—commonwealth, royal, or religious.

White: It's the Royal Family color. It's supposed to symbolize the purity of the Royal Family (though there are debates on what qualifies as "pure" but fuck that). It's only worn by the Royal Family, only worn during Formal Days. Meaning they wear it for political events like meetings, traveling, royal or noble visitors, etc. you get the picture.

Red: This is currently the color of King Anthony's Reign. Every reign picks a color (many have been repeated, but it's often after several generations and tries to be avoided). This is worn by those who worked under the crown and by royals during royal events (Formal Days): weddings, ceremonies, blessings, Gods visits, visitors.

Who wear what and how it's worn. You have two wears: Daily and Formal.

Daily: Simple. Easy, quick. Gold paint, dependent on age.

13-39: one stripe on both sides of the face, from your hairline to chin, typically on the thinner side, symbolizes the young-ness.

40-61: two stripes on both sides of the face, from your hairline to chin, typically a little thicker than the younger age group, symbolizes the growth of the person and the wisdom they learn.

62-death: one line down the middle of the face, from the hairline, over the bridge of the nose and down to the chin, this a thicker line to symbolize age and wisdom

3-13: You learn about the culture and Baltia. At 3, you are blessed as a Baltian and then you learn everything about its people, Gods, community, etc. And when you finish primary school at 13, you are blessed again.

Formal: They are little more complicated so I'll try to make it easy. Outside of the Royal Family, who decides when they see it fit when they need to look Formal, most days are announced to the public. Public Formal Days are when huge events happen, Royal Weddings, blessing, funerals, and other countries visit. (This excludes people's own weddings, blessings, etc. when are Formal Days no matter what, but doesn't need an announcement to say so). These days you show everything you can.

You include: golden everyday look, reigns you served (at some point in your life you have served the reign by working at the castle or under Royally funded places like hospitals, schools, etc.) for every reign you serve you paint that color on.

Any military personnel has their own specific design that they must wear. These get complicated and you can easily look them up if you wish to, but they fall under these categories: Seas, Air, Land, Guard, Boarder.

Royals: They have their own designs that are separate them their everyday look. Instead of doing their age, they do two golden lines over the right eyes, hairline to chin, showing they are different from the commonwealth. Two white lines sandwiching the left eye, kind of like eyeliner but above and below the eye, that goes from the inner corner of the eye to the temple.

If Royals served military, they add that branches color under the bottom lip, to the chin. For reigns, they worked in (seated on council, political help, etc.) and the current one, they paint a line under the left eye that goes down to the chin. Normally a Royal doesn't have more than two, previous and current reign.

So, once Princess Artemis takes the throne, she would have red and her reign color, which is rumored to be picked already in case of emergencies. A lot of people are saying it will be a similar shade of green from the last Queen of Baltia, which happened to be hundreds of years ago. But my guess it will be silver, like after the Goddess Artemis.

And if I wasn't clear before, this is OUR culture. Don't disrespect us. Don't wear it because it's cool or pretty. This is part of our culture, religion, a tradition. Don't be an ass. Don't wear it to festivals. Just don't even think about it.

Tom didn't want to be disrespectful during the meeting. Granted learning what he did from reading the post made him understand things a little better for when he steps in the room to see Artemis' face paints like described. He wasn't stupid, he knew the country held a rich culture, anyone could tell you that.

But with their rich culture, Baltia had grown to be almost, cocky, Tom thought. Despite being a neutral country and with little allies, Baltia was still loved by the world. But to Tom, they looked down upon other countries with their advanced technology and rich everything. They stressed peace, welcome those unwanted else in the world, and they were always number one in education, technology, happiness, and whatever. It's like they prided themselves in being so great, and when it came to helping others they wanted a deal that would help them the best.

Maybe Tom was jealous of the country, he had to be. And he secretly knew it but didn't want to agree to it. While his own country struggled to make their citizens happy when going over political things like raising taxes to help pay for schools, Baltia had moderate taxes and funded education from the Royal's own bank because of a law made hundreds of years ago that education is the foundation of the country. As Tom's people battled to find a moderate point, Baltia had found a point and more.

At times, Tom was grateful that his country was based on a council. But those on the council were voted on by his people. And often times, candidates will say one thing when running and vote for another when they get their seat. It made Tom sick to his stomach that these people blackmailed his people and get away with it every time. He wished they can look towards Baltia who held a council and listened to their people, despite that they couldn't really vote for anything.

That was part of a reason why Tom stayed away from politics. All those involved were always liars, cheats and blackmails. They didn't give a damn on what they say or do affecting anyone but themselves and their bank account. He knew it, his people knew it, and his father knew it. But did he or his father ever do anything about it? No. Precious King Dominic did nothing to fix the corruption in the country and the two-faced politicians.

Countries have risen and fallen within hundreds of years of their creation because the government had grown corrupt and its people grew sick of it and demanded their humane rights. It was only a matter of time for the next country to fall.

And Tom was worried his country would be next.

He didn't know what to do. He agreed with the protests that ran through his country with his full heart. They demanded justice and rights, both of which should be given to them, but his father and council fight against these basic rights. Baltia, unlike Thule, was open to the changes and grew alongside the changing society instead of fight against it. Something, Tom believe his father can take note of.

Tom could recall a message from King Anthony of Baltia: "Time's coming for us to fight against the bigotry, the multi-faced enemy. Where you stand in this endless fight is up to you. Will you put aside your differences for humans to have their basics rights? Or will you fall behind, covered in the dust of your own self-pity and hatred for those different than you? Just because your neighbors wish to marry the love of their life, who may happen to identify as someone you view nontraditional, that doesn't mean you have to do it, you just have to help give the option of someone else to."

He only wishes that others would take from King Anthony. Tom would like to say his parents were pretty progressive, they suppose charities for those part of the LGTBQ+ community, ones from broken homes, and other similar charities. But they didn't do enough politically to help them, to push for change. And Tom knew damn well they had the power to. They always claim it was just because they have the power to do so, doesn't mean they should.

Another reason as to why Tom leaned away from politics. His parents spoke so ill; crafting politics and everything surrounding it into this demon, that's hell-bent on ruining the lives of those around them. If their plan was the make Tom hate politics, then they did so. He knew deep down that he could be good at it, he went to classes, read the right books, watched the right videos, supported good causes, but he was so afraid to speak up about these things because he parents say differently.

And Tom hated it with everything in him that he couldn't speak up on what he believed in because his parents would shoot him down the second he did.

For that, he was jealous of Baltia, of Artemis. They lived in such advanced community in so many ways, it almost wasn't fair. He wanted to hate them for it, but he couldn't, it wouldn't be right to. It wasn't just their community and society that was different from his, but the Royals too. God, they were different. Not just in materialistic ways, or the clear visual difference in the family of color and his white people.

If Tom, or any of his brothers, were to marry a woman of color he knew his parents and some of his people wouldn't have a problem with it, but his older family and those older in the country, ones with more "traditional" views, would. Talk rash of tainting the pure line. It was gross and disgusting to Tom.

You should never be judged because of the color of your skin, the God you believe in, where you come from, whom you love, and whom you know you are. Nothing. Your beliefs and identifies is what makes you-you. You craft the image of yourself, not others.

And Tom was willing to fight for others that can't fight for themselves. But, God, it was so hard to when he was surrounded by others that were willing to kick him down and shout over his own voice. He saw how easy it was for Artemis to shout over the others, and he wanted to do the same. She worked around her father and the council to help millions in not only her country but others as well.

Grabbing a piece of paper from his desk, Tom began writing down questions to ask Artemis after the meeting to learn what he can do to help his own people:

How did you work around the council to make these charities?

Are you able to be public with your beliefs and whom you support politically?

Were you always interested in politics?

Did you have doubts?

What do you want to change for your country when you take the throne?

Tom knew these answers were probably a search away on the internet to know. But what he reads online wouldn't be the same than what comes from her lips. And so he grabbed another piece of paper and begun writing things down to discuss in the meeting. Stressing what can be helped for those ill, especially little Paddy.

Looking out of the window, Tom was able to look down to the gardens. The once green grounds were now starting to turn an ugly shade of brown from the lack of water, he could tell the trees and plants were not too far behind in dying.

With a sigh, Tom sets the pen down and got up to change into more presentable clothes instead of the ones from the night before after taking a quick shower. He headed out his room, not even glancing back at the guard that stood at his door and now followed him down the hall, both of already knowing where to go. A few moments later, Tom entered the bedroom of his youngest brother, Paddy.

"Tom!" Leave it to Paddy to always hold a grin on his face no matter what, even when the boy was very sick and in so much pain. Tom chuckled and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Hey Pads," Tom said. "I heard mum and dad talking, you're going to Baltia?" Paddy questioned. Also, Paddy, jumping right to the point.

Paddy leaned forward as he started coughing, Tom flinched and handed him the glass of water that rested on the nightstand. Tom cleared his throat, "Er, yeah, Haz and I are going to steal some of their amber to magically fix the water," Tom teased. Paddy took a large sip and held the glass in his lap, "No, they'll help, Princess Artemis is just that nice," he confirms.

"That so huh?" Tom questioned.

"Yeah, she's the best, she's like top three of the World's Best Royals," Paddy confirmed.

"And who's the other two?" Tom teased. Paddy gave him a shrug, "I don't know," he adjusted the breathing tubes around his nose before continuing, "Didn't care enough to look further, I assume Switzerland or something," he said. Tom nods with a chuckle.

A weight grew even heavier on his chest as Paddy worked around the tubes, IV's tapped down to his hand, monitors on his chest or finger. He knew his brother was in so much pain, but Paddy didn't show it one bit. Paddy was naturally pale, like most of the family, but since he's gotten sick, he's gotten much paler. Tom could see his brother's veins on parts of his body and it caused a lump to grow in his throat. It was clear that Paddy didn't much sleep, up most of the night coughing or in too much pain to get comfortable, it was obvious with the ugly bags under the boy's eyes and how red his eyes are.

The doctors didn't know exactly what was wrong with him, aside from lack of nutrition he needed, but they also guessed he had eaten something bad with the little food they had. Which now most of Paddy's meals came through the IV on his hand or a glass of water or a smoothie here and there. Tom knew they needed the deal to go through not just for the country but also for Paddy.

"Suppose you have a bit of a crush on Artemis, eh?" Tom teased. "Sure, she's pretty and all, but she's too old for me. Maybe for you." Paddy gave him another shrug followed by a wide grin. "Oh, I don't know about that one, Pads. She's is meant to be Queen, bit out of my league," Tom played off. Paddy looks down at his glass of water, running his small finger around the rim of the glass, "You're meant to be King. And you both care a lot about your countries. Only she fights for it while you sit back, I think you would be cool together," Paddy mumbled.

Tom raised his eyebrows, how his little brother was able to see past his facade, but his parents couldn't was beyond him. Somehow it was always Paddy one step ahead of him in things like this.

Before Tom could comment, Paddy continued, "I observe a lot, I see how you look when dad mentions something bad. Sam and Harry rant about it in their rooms at night, but you try to hide it," he explains. "But clearly not well, you may be a good spy, Agent Patrick," Tom teased, nudging Paddy gently.

Paddy smiles, "I'm good at observing people, it's quite easy," he confirms.

Their conversation continues for another hour before Tom had to fulfill some duties. It was like this nearly every morning since Paddy had gotten sick to the point of being bedridden. Before their mornings used to help Tom push through the day to find something entertaining to tell Paddy when they spoke at the end of the day, but not he held a different motivation. His mornings the rest of the week were going help Tom to make sure the deal on Friday was perfect.

Fixing the hungry and ill in his country was his first act, along with his brother. And the second? To jump into the changing society and move along with the changing current, and not let his own beliefs weigh him down.

tags: @loxbbg @elioelioeli0 @emilyt0314 @spidey-pal

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seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana · 5 years ago

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im not an anon but HI : ) what if aphrodite wasnt able to postpone the ritual to turn MC into Hera and by the time she managed to get alex up to olympus it was too late to stop it and they have to watch the love of their life become a stranger in her own skin : )))

FUCK MEG YOU GOT ME IN MY FEELINGS. Btw, I took it as in she died because...I think when you become the goddess the soul that originally was there dies?? And I didn’t know how to write it any other way so yEAH ITS SAD AND MIGHT NOT BE GOOD IDK. Also I made this so longer and so much MORE THAN IT HAD TO BE HOPE YOU LIKE IT BC ITS SAD AND LONG KEWNNSN.

Also, I’m waiting for that post on why Alex is your favorite LI part 2 because I desperately need some fluff.

She tried. She really did. But no matter what favors she threw at the gods and goddesses...she couldn’t save the one she and her child both loved. She was so angry at Zeus they once they grabbed MC and put her on Hera’s throne, getting ready for the ritual, she let her power out and tried to fight Zeus himself. She knew it was dangerous, but she couldn’t help it. She promised to protect her and she loved her and tried her hardest. But she was held back by some other gods and goddess.

And then the doors to the throne room were slammed wide open. A figure that everyone knew ran in to the middle of the room. It was Alex. MCs beloved and the person who would fight for her, even if it killed them. Zeus instantly got them held back with their mother, tired of being interrupted. However, his brother, Hades also had a say in this. But he was held back too. However, Zeus did look at them three with sympathy. “I’m sorry, but we know it has to be done,” he said, anger in his voice with sympathy at the same time. Alex shook their head. “No! It doesn’t have to be like this, please!” Their voice sounded so raw it caused MCs tears to fall even harder as she knew this was the end for her. Hades spoke out as well, his voice shaking with the effort to stay calm and be the mediator he always tried to be. “Zeus, please think about this,” he shouted but it sounded like a whisper to Zeus’ ears. Zeus faltered for a second, but then shook his head and carried through the ritual.

The last words that were shouted from MCs mouth before the ritual were, “I’m sorry Alex! I love you!” Then, way too soon....the ritual was over. MCs body was leaned to her side on the throne. But it was no longer MC’s body...and it was no longer MC there. “NO!” Alex shouted, tears flowing even harder down their cheeks. It wasn’t fair. They feel like everyone knew it, but refused to acknowledge it. The anger held back for so long finally spilled out. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Killing an innocent woman for your own greed!” They shouted to the king himself, not caring of his status.

But Zeus wasn’t paying attention, he didn’t care. He just stared at MCs body with a little bit of excitement. “Hera?” He whispered. MCs body leaned up and sat up straight. This movement confirmed Alex’s worst fear.

Hera was back...MC was gone.

But what made it worse is that she still looked like MC. Her face was MC and it’s what made it hurt so bad. But when Hera opened her eyes, they noticed her eyes were a different color...but it still looked like MC. Hera didn’t even look at Zeus or anyone. She looked straight at Alex and tears fell down her face. She choked out, “I’m sorry.” But that made Alex fall down to their knees.

It sounded like MC, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t the women that they had loved for their whole life. She was gone but she was right there in body. They cried harder than they have ever cried in their life, not able to be ashamed or embarrassed. They suddenly felt one hand on each of their shoulders. They looked up and saw Hades on their right side, on his knees next to Alex, and their mother, Aphrodite, on her knees beside them as well. They noticed that they both had tears on their face. They both cared for MC and to see her meet her end like this pained them both.

They could faintly hear Hera’s choked sobs as well. It pained them even more because, once again, it sounded like MC. All they ever wanted to do was to keep tears off of MCs face, but now they didn’t know what to do. They were helpless. Now they couldn’t feel her, touch her, comfort her, or kiss her anymore. They couldn’t do anything to her anymore. They’d just have to wait for their end to see her again.

Zeus tried to reach for Hera but everyones attention was brought to Hera when she swatted his hand away, the sound echoing loudly in the throne room. Zeus looked in shock but also understanding. “I’m sorry, Hera, for everything.” Hera still looked at him with anger. “YOU RUINED SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE JUST TO FIX YOURS?! YOUR LIFE WAS RUINED BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN MISTAKES, Zeus.” She spitted his name out with venom. It caused everyone to flinch. Her aura was surrounding her body and her eyes seemed to glow bright yellow with her anger rising.

Alex didn’t blame her. They were angry as well, but they still didn’t dare to raise their voice like that at the king of all kings. Zeus was shocked at Heras anger and didn’t know what to say in return. He stood there in shock and a daze as Hera stared daggers at him filled with anger and hatred. He suddenly did begin to feel remorse and guilt for what he did. “I-I didn’t think,” he stated, but Hera cut him off at the end. “IT DOESNT MATTER, ZEUS! YOU RUINED ONE OF YOUR OWN KINDS LIFE JUST TO MAKE YOURS EASIER WITHOUT THINKING OF THEM!” Everyone stood there and listened to her. No one interfered because, well, she was right. She was the only one brave enough to do it. “YOU ARE SELFISH AND SUCH A BAD KING, ZEUS. NO ONE HAS TOLD YOU OVER THESE YEARS. YOU MAY MAKE GOOD DECISIONS, BUT YOUR BAD DECISIONS IS WHAT RUINS YOU. DO YOU NOT SEE THAT?!”

Hera, our of anger, took her ring off of MCs—her finger and threw it on the ground, hard. This caused it to shatter. A bright light flashed around the room and everyone closed their eyes. Once the light was gone, MCs body was on the floor, now inhabited by no one. No soul...nothing. Alex got up off the ground and ran to MCs body laying on the Olympus floor. They got back on their knees and held her in their arms. “MC...” they whispered out. They couldn’t believe this happened. ‘Why did it have to happen?’ They asked themselves over and over again.

MCs body was buried next to her mothers and she received a hero burial as well. This time, Alex wept beside their mother. Josh was invited and if he didn’t like the gods before, now he hated them. But hated Zeus most of all. He refused to look at him during the funeral, and if he did, the look was full of anger and rage. No one knew what was holding him back from tackling him and hurting him like Zeus had hurt him twice now. Zeus didn’t look anyone in the eye either. He realized he had just repeated the cycle. MCs mother and now MC herself. He realized that Hera was right...he was a bad king.

MCs death brought realization upon everyone. Zeus most of all. He decided to do better in the future and apologized for MCs mothers death and MC herself. It was sincere and everyone noticed it. It was the same kind of tone he used with Deukalion. The thought of Deukalion worsened Alex’s sadness because they remember they fought Deukalion with MC. They wouldn’t have even saved their mother without MC. “This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen, I’m sorry, my little heart,” she told Alex as she held them during the funeral. They never blamed her. They know she tried, but their trying wasn’t good enough.

Nothing seemed good enough for Zeus.

Years passed but nothing ever eased their pain. Nothing ever eased Aphrodites pain as well. She had lost her best friend and then her best friends child who she loved so much. It was so much pain just within 10 years of each other. It wasn’t fair, but everyone kept going. Alex was depressed for a long time. Over a year exactly. They stayed inside and didn’t dare go to H.E.R.A. They didn’t know if they’d be able to handle passing her desk knowing that she’s not not there for that day, but knowing that she will never be back for a long time. Sometimes they wake up with their heart racing and their breath coming too fast. It was a panic attack from their dream. Their dream is almost always the same or they don’t dream at all.

The dream consists of Alex on Olympus with the gods surrounding them. However, they didn’t see their faces. They were all just black silhouettes. They were all surrounding Heras throne, but it wasn’t empty anymore. But they turned to the side and saw 2 black figures struggling against some arms around them. They knew it was their own mother and Hades themselves. They were angry and Alex just heard different voices and shouts surrounding them. It hurt so much, but what happened next hurt more. Two more black silhouettes walked in the throne room, carrying a woman but she wasn’t silhouetted. It’s as if the dream really wanted them to know it was her to make them suffer more. MC in the dream looked towards them as she passed them. She struggled against the black silhouettes. Alex tried to reach for her, but the arms holding them back were like stone. She then was placed upon Heras throne, arms stuck on the sides. But she was leaning forward and calling out to Alex. “Alex! Please! HELP ME!” Then figures got in front of her and blocked their vision of her. But then it all went black and they would always wake up to the sound of her screams, echoing out in to the darkness before they woke up to their ceiling.

Then, years after her passing, Alex still thought of her. They never forgot about her and loved her and thought about her daily. They visited her grave everyday and it hurts them. But they talked to her and talked to her mother as well. Hoping that they are together and being happy together. They experienced joy every now and then, but they still missed MC and the happiness they could’ve had all of their life with MC. But no...fate didn’t work like that. Fate was cruel to them and they just...they’re in so much pain.

But then one day, Alex was called to Olympus. It had been around 4 years since MC’s death. They had gone back to Olympus and H.E.R.A knowing MC would want them to. They went to Aphrodites estate and was met with a smile. “Good morning, my little heart,” she told them hugging them as soon as they got in. However, she still noticed the little emptiness in their voice and in their eyes, and Alex still saw the emptiness in Aphrodites eyes as well. But once Aphrodite pulled back, she got straight to the point. There was a bit of excitement in her eyes. “Alex, I felt her again,” she told them. They looked at her with confusion. “Who?” A smile appeared on her face and a tear fell out of her eye.

“MC. She’s back.”

Bitches I’m gonna do a PART 2 BC THIS IS LONG AND I’D JUST RATHER CONTINUE IT ON AN ACTUAL POST AND NOT AN ASK BC YOU ONLY ASKED FOR HERA ANGST NOT ALL OF THIS SO...if you wanna see the rest wait for my part 2 lol.

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