#icaria: plot drop

[icariahq]

Months had passed since his appearance at the Christmas ball, and he’d thought that was surely more than enough time for them to realize the errors of their decisions and go crawling to him. Sure, those demigods couldn’t go up to Mt. Olympus, he was keeping tabs of what was happening on the isle even if his idiot minion Fink had managed to get himself in a rather massive pickle. Still, not one demigod attempting to get his attention? Not one declaring their loyalty and allegiance on his side for the war that is bound to arrive? That was unacceptable.

Annoyed that he had to make yet another trip to Icaria, Zeus emerged in the middle of the small island. Always one to make an entrance, zaps of lightning went off around him as he made sure to appear in his much larger state. He was easily taller than any of the buildings around him as he looked down at the peasants who exited out onto the streets to see what was happening.

“Residents of Icaria, demigods, my children,” he began as his voice boomed. The massive echo of it caused ripples in the sea as he continued being as boisterous as possible. He’d be damned if he wasn’t the center of attention. “It appears that you do not believe that my side is the one you should be on when this war emerges between Nyx and I. Perhaps what you need is a bit of persuasion.” A sick grin appeared on his face as he thought about what he was going to say next. Not only would he be able to cause chaos to those who dared defy him, but he’d be able to weed out the weak as well. Humans called it killing two birds with one stone, he believed. It would do.

If he had to bring the island down to nothing but ash and sand, then so be it. True strength was rebuilt from destruction anyhow. “Until those of you who are strong, powerful, and worthy join my ranks, I will release horrors among this island. Monsters, disasters, and danger that will make the Minotaur attack look like a fond memory. The longer those of you wait, more will suffer.” He laughed at the end of his words. The image of the demigod brats running around in panic truly filled him with glee. Those children were all entitled, spoiled brats anyway. All of them walking around not even worshipping the Gods who helped create them! Despicable.

“Where will Nyx be? After all, not even the shadows will save you now. Only I. Well, if you make the right decision of course.” With that, he threw one lightning bolt in the sky before vanishing as quickly as he’d appeared.

[luciferpens]

Jasmine was distraught, she had been raised on the isle since she was a wee child, she only knew Icaria to be safe and comfortable. And the news of not just two people going missing but one being killed? killed? To make it worse, she had known Dee. They had been close, the two had grown up together on the isle, they were supposed to become old friends. But, Dee’s body was in a coffin and they had just buried it in the ground. The service had been beautiful, flowers everywhere, along with records signed by everyone in town. They were told the records were going to go on a memorial wall at Dee’s shop and the idea of it made her smile. With a clearing of her throat, she smiled to those who stayed for the wake.  “I just want to say thank you for coming, Dee --” she swallowed hard tears in her eyes. “She was such a calming and fun presence to be around.  Dee and I grew up together here on the isle. We had been friends since elementary school. We had sleepovers, been there for one another through heartbreaks, through finding out and coming to terms with who are parents are. Dee... She taught me so much, she taught me about living in the moment, living for the now. She told me that living for what was happening around you would make for a better life than worrying about what dumb things you said, or what the future might hold. So -- if only for today. Let’s live for the now. Let's celebrate her life, celebrate the lives of all of those that have gone missing. And then tomorrow... Let’s find the bastard that killed and took our friends.” @icariastarters​

[torimetaxas]

( LAUREN COHAN, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER ) ⌇ have you seen VICTORIA "TORI” METAXAS around icaria? they are the THIRTY-FIVE year old child of HERMES. they remind me of CANDY WRAPPERS ON THE FLOOR, A PATCHWORK RESUME, and AN AWKWARD THUMBS UP. They’ve been on the island for 35 YEARS.

Oh gosh oh gosh, I’m excited. In a nutshell, Lilith Thompson had a kid with Hermes pretty young, and shipped Victoria off to get adopted for Reasons (get over it, Lilith. You’ve got three daughters now). Turns out the adoptive mom lived on Icaria. Tori didn’t know/care about her birth fam... until they showed up. Finn in particular looked like her, and she realized that these were her younger half-siblings and not some random Thompsons. Finding out about Mira really messed Tori up. Tori’s not super chill about Mira, and she’s super chill to everyone else. Mira has literally done nothing wrong. If you want more details, check out the bio!

Personality-wise, she’s go-with-the-flow, (typically) optimistic, and supportive. Tori does feel like she’s washed out at finding a steady career, some stable relationship/marriage, and fulfilling hobbies. Since her mom (the not Lilith one) passed, Tori started to feel bad about not doing something more with her own life. Her mom gave her nothing but love and encouragement, and Tori wonders if she wasted that.

Tori’s easy to plot with even without her wild secret backstory. She’s been on Icaria since she was a baby, so as of this moment, I think she’s actually lived on the isle for the longest time out of the taken characters. With a nasty quirk of not lasting in jobs for more than six months on a not-so-big island, there’s a strong chance that she’s either applied to work at or been hired at most businesses. 

Her next job lined up is at Gatzunis’ Growings now that Millie’s on her way out. Tori might just be the only one willing to brave the mess that is the Suttons.

Here are some assorted potential connections:

Former employers

Former coworkers

Customers that have witnessed her doing weird things at work 

Fam

As good as fam

Friends

Really close friends

Folks she doesn’t vibe with

Partying/drinking buddies

Peeps who are close to the Thompson kids for Tori to casually leverage information out of

People she’s a bad influence on

People who are a good influence on her like wow

People she encourages to follow their ✰ dreams ✰

Classmates from way back in grade school

Kids she babysat when she was like 11 to 16 years old (and was a terrible influence on)

Kids (way back when) she accidentally swore in front of while their parents were around

Hook-ups, (messy, probs) relationships and flirty things, present or past. 

Absurd things. I don’t know. Let’s go wild- I love unique connections and Tori’s pretty different from my other characters.

To moderately degrade your quality of life, please enjoy(?) this stupid meme i made:

Give this post or the discord linking to this a like, and I'll drop into your dms to plot!

[myhearthealing]

Isobel “Bel” Cromwell

( BARBIE FERREIRA, NONBINARY, THEY/THEM, SHE/HER ) ⌇ have you seen ISOBEL CROMWELL around icaria? they are the 22 year old child of THANATOS. they remind me of LOUNGING ON ROOFS AFTER DARK, PUTTING UP NEON LIGHTS IN YOUR ROOM, and MAKING RANDOM MIXED DRINKS BASED SOLELY ON REFRIGERATOR CONTENTS . They’ve been on the island for 3 days.

age: 22 birthdate: February 19th, 1998 sexuality: bisexual lineage: daughter of Thanatos occupation: employed at Dew Drops

TW: Emotional Abuse

Isobel is the baby sister of Millicent and Kelly Anne Cromwell, born to Morgana Cromwell and the god Thanatos: the god–or sometimes angel–of peaceful death. Bel was much closer to their sisters than their mother. Millie was kind, more of a mother than her actual mother, and Kelly was the one she could always go to for mischief and things their mother wouldn’t approve of. Morgana on the other hand, was awful to Bel, either constantly making fun of them and treating them like garbage, or ignoring them completely in favor of Millie and Kelly. In short, thanks to Isobel’s size and her rebellious nature, she was a lost cause from the get-go. They’d spent the majority of their life coming to Millie to talk about everything, and Morgana was basically a stranger who paid their living expenses. Millie and Kelly were their best friends.

One evening when Bel was nine, Morgana and Bel had a huge fight, and because they went to talk to their sisters afterwards, Morgana interfered, saying them and their sisters were ‘plotting against her’ and took matters into her own hands to separate them. Bel was sent to a boarding school, and didn’t get to see her sisters as often anymore. They made it their mission to call them as often as they could, and write letters and emails. Eventually, they made a system where Bel and Millie would share a journal, mailing it back and forth and writing in it when it was their turn. When Millie graduated high school she left immediately for Icaria, and then there was no need for Isobel to be in that expensive school any more, and no real need to separate them any more. Morgana would not hear of letting another one of her daughters out of her sight, and Isobel was forced home at 14 and stayed under their mother’s wing instead of going on to college in another town. She graduated from the community college with an Associates in Visual Arts, as sketching and sculpting were her favorite things to do.

Isobel didn’t necessarily have another place to go, and Morgana wasn’t going to let them move to Icaria as well, but their mother didn’t know about the talents they’d learned while at school. While there, they’d contacted their father, who didn’t explain much, but did help locate their powers and gave them a random key before leaving forever. They already knew they had some ability to communicate with spirits. But now they also knew they could fly, but the how was going to be more difficult. It took a lot of nights racing out to the forests before security could see to practice, and then eventually it became jumping off of buildings in the dead of night. Isobel still had limits, but this they could live with. Now they had something their mother couldn’t take away.

Bel bided their time at home, constantly sneaking out and still sending the journal back and forth with Millie. When they received word from their cousin Wyatt that Millie was taken, the one thing that was a safe bet that would never happen on Icaria, Isobel was distraught. Isobel pleaded with their mother to let them go to Icaria to be with their cousins but their mother still refused. One sticky and hot night in August, they were on the roof of their home, when they discovered a letter in their pocket. They didn’t need the black stationery to know it was from their father, and enclosed was an address. The address was to a storage locker, Isobel soon found, and the key belonged to one of them.

Inside the locker, they found nothing except two plane tickets….and a motorcycle. They’d spent a couple months quietly packing their things with Kelly, what savings they and their sister could scrounge up (Kelly, ever the more responsible one had saved up a lot more than her) and taking a motorcycle class, all without their mother finding out. Then finally, what they were waiting for happened. News that Millie was back. Isobel didn’t stop to ask permission, only paid for their things to be shipped to Icaria and made preparations. Bidding goodbye to Minnesota, Isobel and Kelly left Morgana without so much as a goodbye.

[icariamusing]

CHARACTER BASICS

FACECLAIM:  Chantal Thuy

NAME: Ulani Lam

AGE: 34

BIRTHDAY: July 4, 1986

OCCUPATION: Forensic Pathologist at Icaria Police Station

HOMETOWN: Binondo, Manila, Philippines

PETS: she has a corgi/shiba inu mixed dog,  named Tom, and a tarantula named Jenny.

POWERS

Metallokinesis:  The ability to manipulate or control metals

She is invulnerable to fire, but she cannot manipulate/create  fire.

She can pull apart any mechanical thing and quickly be able to put it back together. She can visualize systems as a whole and how everything is interconnected, which is really useful in forensics.

BIOGRAPHY

Bethany Lam’s family immigrated illegally to the Philippines from Hong Kong during World War II due to famine and poverty. They made a humble living as carpenters and mechanics in Binondo, Manila before they eventually built a name for themselves and became naturalized citizens after the war. They are currently the owners of a Nationwide franchise companies of hardware stores, carpentry and Mechanical repair shops.

Bethany was a skillful mechanic and could recreate complex machinery by reverse engineering them. Her parents thought she could do better and made her study mechanical engineering in the country’s top university, being the only girl in her class at the time. She went on to graduate the top of her class. Bethany had never been much interested in getting married or settling down. She was more concerned about building up the family empire and 3D puzzles, so it came as a shock to everyone when she turned up pregnant one day. She had been keeping her relationship with Hephaestus a secret knowing full well her parents wouldn’t approve since technically he was Greek and not Chinese, and she couldn’t explain to them how she was fooling around with a Greek god. She had been lonely, and she hated the idea of marrying for business ties over love.

What went around the rumor mill of the elite was that Bethany simply decided to take matters into her own hands and got a sperm donor baby. She raised the child with only the help of a nanny, often bringing the child with her to work. She loved the name Ulani but also thought it’d be hilarious to make her second name ironic.

Ulani didn’t grow up around a lot kids since she had been home-schooled and was the youngest amongst all her cousins. She had pretty mature for her age, and would often talk to her mother’s employees and staff regularly whenever she came to visit. She definitely inherited her mother’s sass and humor.

Her powers naturally manifested around the age of 5, when her mother showed her metal sculptures she welded herself. Her mother was surprised to find that she could mold and shape the sculptures with her hands like clay. They had accidentally discovered her fire immunity accidentally when she grabbed at the flame on a candle as a toddler and laughed like it was a game.

She had grown up watching horror, crime/thriller, sci/fi and fantasy movies as well as tv shows with her mother almost every night–perks of being a home-schooled kid. They used to tried to predict the plot twist or the ending before it played out. It was the one thing they enjoyed together, and it inspired her to pursue forensic science in college.

Going into university had been terrifying at first since it was the first time Ulani had ever been to a mainstream school, but she adjusted quite well. She jumped around from relationship to relationship with people of different genders, beliefs and races. She was like a bird finally free from her cage, and her curiosity knew no limits. Her mother knew about it, but pretended she didn’t, and only really pestered her about getting top marks.

She graduated top 3 of her class, and it was then that she came out to her mother as lesbian. The whole exchange had been anticlimatic to say the least. Here she was, having had plotted a whole spiel about finally being herself and not caring about what anyone thought, it was frustrating to find out that her mother had known all along and didn’t say anything about it. It was also around this time that Hephaestus appeared to them and told them about the threat to the demigods. Ulani had to pretty much drop everything she had ever known to go to a place she had never been. She pursued Medicine at Icaria University and got her residency match for Pathology at Icaria Hospital. She currently works at the Icaria Police Station as a Forensic Pathologist.

KIMI| SHE/HER | 22 | GMT+8

[icariahq]

‘Those fools,’ Zeus thought as he watched the council of demigods from above. He couldn’t believe that they actually believed they could make a difference when he could destroy their entire existence with a snap of his fingers. Apparently his threat was not being responded to with enough urgency. Had he really been out of the game that much? No matter. That should all change in quite a few moments.

Zeus smiled as he saw the door open, but it dimmed momentarily as he saw the creature struggle to get out. He knew it was stupid, but honestly being able to duck shouldn’t be so difficult. With a groan, he widened the entrance magically so one of his Cyclops could step out fully onto Icaria. The first screams nearly made him giggle with glee. If it wasn’t listened to before, perhaps some mayhem would grant him the attention he deserves.

Meanwhile, down in Icaria, the Cyclops knew only one thing: destruction. As soon as he excited the door, he began destroying the funeral home right beside him. The screams from people only aggravated him more and caused him to take giant steps forward. The weight of his feet caused tremors in the earth as he moved closer and closer towards the center of the isle. Wish You Were Beer were one of the many businesses destroyed and when he finally reached the one location Zeus had grilled into his mind to attack, the giant beast hurled a giant piece of rubble at the City Hall.

How would the demigods of the isle survive? Could enough of them band together and do enough damage to the creature before too many perish? Who will they side with if they make it out alive after such a demonstration of power? So many questions that would have to be answered later. In that moment, they all had to figure out how the hell a Cyclops could even be killed.

[icariahq]

A lot of demi-gods have gone missing on the isle and around the world. So we know it can be hard to keep up with. Here is a list of every demi-god  that’s gone missing on the isle in the past 5 years and where they were last seen. 

Noreen  

March 14, 2015 Leaving Scout’s house

Lysander 

September 23, 2015 New Orleans, LA

Daniel

2018 TBA

Millie  

June 26, 2020    Leaving Ava’s house

Ava and Levi 

July 12, 2020 Leaving Ava’s home

Atticus and Briar

July 15, 2020 In their home

Luke  

July 23, 2020 Walking home

Anya and Lach 

July 28, 2020 At their respective homes

Finn 

July 29, 2020 At Icaria Vet

Delilah 

August 23, 2020 In her shop Aidoneus Jewels 

Wesley 

September 29, 2020 In his home

Chloe 

October 25, 2020 Seen leaving for work

Luna 

November 10, 2020 Leaving Jasmine Kos’ house

Mara 

November 17, 2020 Leaving Supernova

Jasmine and Wolf

December 7, 2020 In the Icaria Gazette Radio studio. 

[icariahq]

The world around the parade of funeral attendees matched the tone of the day. Gloom filled the clouds as the universe seemed to mourn the loss of Weston Bennett. It had been weeks since the masquerade ball and arrangements seemed to take a lifetime as one Vivienne Holt had made preparations for the day. As requested in his will, Weston was to be buried under the moonlight, in a gorgeous ceremony with flowers donated by his brother’s flower shop. Under special grant from Nyx herself, Lilian Bennett was allowed to return to the island to pay her respects to her oldest son as he was reclaimed by the earth. Everything had gone according to Vivienne’s plan and the world was finally going to begin the healing process from the grief Zeus had caused them.

Thunder could be heard in the background, almost as if Zeus himself were protesting this evening, and the words being spoken by each person that opted to speak at the service. Each one a different story of how Weston had touched their lives. Everything was on schedule. That was until a barrage of men began filing into the graveyard, each one wearing a police uniform.

“Ezra Sutton, Deacon Locke and Remi Bellamy,” the police chief bellowed as he took his place at the front of his men. The sound of anger evident in his voice as his targets turned to face him. “You are all under arrest by order of Mayor Fink. Come with us now and we will forget the others harbouring fugitives of the law. Ezra Sutton, you grew up on this island and yet you perform such a treachery? After everything we have done for you. You, Miss Bellamy,” the man turned his attention towards the younger of the Nyx daughters. “We allow you to teach our youth. What could you have inflicted upon their feeble minds? We don’t even need to begin on what horrors you have done, former Detective Locke.” The police behind him nodding at his speech. “It is best you come with us now.”

 The murmurs of the crowd seemed to have one thing in common: was now the time and place?

The anger in the air was palpable as Vivienne Holt stepped forward, her face the picture of rage, moving towards the chief of police as if she were planning on striking him down herself. That was until the hand belonging to Deacon Locke fell upon her shoulder and he stepped in front of her. In the blink of an eye, shadows formed around the ankles of every officer in attendance, save for Luke Decker. “Leave. Now,” Deacon’s voice boomed through the small graveyard. A man of very few words, when he spoke in a harsh tone it was to be commanding. “We are not the only people that are hurt if you ruin this moment. Give us a few hours and we’ll come in ourselves. Let us bury our brother in peace.”

It was then that Luke stepped forward, having been left without bindings. “I’ll stay. Make sure they turn themselves in after it is over,” his voice soft as he pleaded with the chief of police. He was an honorable man and the chief knew that Luke would stick to his word. They could always trust Detective Decker to do the right thing.

“They have until tomorrow at eight a.m. to have their affairs in order,” he conceded as Deacon’s restraints all but melted away from them. As they moved to leave single file, the Nyx children knew they had very little options. In a few short hours they would have no choice but to turn themselves in.

[icariahq]

                         Icaria’s 5th Annual Masquerade Party

❝  an evening of cocktails, music, dinner and dancing underneath a golden ceiling, christmas decorations, and stunning statues❞

You are cordially invited to attend the 5th Annual Naughty or Nice Masquerade Party. A special evening of cocktails, music, dinner and dancing under a gold ceiling, ornate decorations, and stunning statues. All proceeds from the tickets will go to the fund to help find the missing demi-gods. This year’s masquerade ball falls on the date of a rather rare meteor shower, so while you’re enjoying the dance don’t forget to step outside and admire the shower.

The event will commence at 8 o’clock sharp on Saturday, December 12th. We ask that all attendees come donned in their finest formalwear as well as a mask. Entry will not be permitted to those who do not follow the dress code, and you will be required to keep your mask on until the end of the evening when the contest winners are announced. The categories are as follows: Best dressed,  Best Naughty outfit, Best Nice, Cutest Couple and Best Mask. 

A babysitting team has been hired at no cost to parents to watch the little ones so you can enjoy a night to yourselves with your friends and loved ones. We look forward to seeing everyone at the ball. Ivy Molotov invites you into her club Nightshade to celebrate this night to remember. She requests that all residents of Icaria use this as a moment to remember our missing loved ones, and to celebrate our time together while we have it. 

THE BASICS:

This event will begin on Saturday, December 12th at 8pm EST. It will then go until Tuesday, December 15th at midnight. It will, however, only cover Saturday, December 12th in game play.

The tag for this event is icariamasquerade so please remember to tag all event related threads, pictures, outfits, etc. It will just make things easier for others to find. Also remember that when posting a starter use both the event tag as well as the starter tag and please post it in the #starters tag on the discord. 

This event is not mandatory, but we do highly encourage you to participate. 

There will be more to the event that will be released throughout the days. As far as plots between characters: you are free to make up whatever you wish, but be sure to discuss it with the admins for anything major. This is a chance to really have fun and go out there, so be creative when creating plots with others.

It is a formal event so your character must come in formal wear, plus a mask! For fun and so everyone can see, we ask that you create a post of what your character is wearing and tag it with the event tag. We REALLY look forward to seeing what each character is wearing at the party.

For any questions or concerns please put the question in the #questions thread on discord and one of the admins will get to answering it! 

Lastly, have fun!! This is a chance to interact with everyone and really get things going. We hope you enjoy this event as much as we enjoyed coming up with it! 

[icariahq]

It didn’t take long for the events from the masquerade to reach through the town. Of course, by the time it did, most of the Nyx children were nowhere to be found. Police had a direct order from the police chief and mayor to arrest any of those responsible on site, but so far all efforts came up empty. As the days passed, the more angry Mayor Fink became. He was convinced that there was no way the perpetrators could vanish into thin air without any contact with any of the isle’s residents, so he decided to make a formal announcement. 

A press conference was set up in front of the island’s City Hall with reporters and local television crews. Dressed in his best suit with the police chief and some officers surrounding him, Mr. Fink cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention and hint that he was ready to begin. “Days ago it came to our attention that the people responsible for the kidnappings that plagued our safe community were none other than Deacon Locke, Ezra Sutton, Remi Bellamy, and Weston Bennett,” he began before pausing for dramatic effect. “The betrayal we all feel is palpable, and I think I speak for everyone, but especially the families of the victims, when I say that justice needs to be served. There were family members who were at the police station every day in tears wondering when they would get to see those they loved again, and we were left looking like fools for not having any of the answers they seeked.” It was obvious from how his tone rose at the end that he was more angry about the embarrassment that was cast over the city than anything else. 

“The reason for this press conference is not to discuss our pain, anger, or to relay this news to you. I’m standing before you asking for your help to bring in these criminals so they can answer for their crimes. There are some of you on this isle that must still have a way to contact them because they trust you, and we ask that you come forward to help us bring justice that is long overdue to some of our families.” In the mayor’s opinion, guilt was always the best tactic to use when someone needed to get the people to do their bidding. “I think I speak for many when I say that our most powerful God Zeus had the right idea in terms of what we should do with these criminals. He’s already taken care of one of these traitors for us, and it’s only fair that we follow his lead.” Some officers cheered behind him. Many were angered that one of the kidnappers was none other than their own detective Deacon Locke. He made a mockery of them all. “If you have any information, come forward or call our tip hotline. We have someone manning the phones at all times. Thank you.” 

Will the residents of the isle join in the mayor’s anger or will they band together and think they can run things better? 

[icariahq]

Five years ago when the gods deemed Icaria as the safe zone for their children, charms and wards were put into place; these wards were meant for protection and to keep all humans off the isle as to allow their children to experience and use their powers without the consequence of human panic. 

While the gates are always open and the demi-gods are allowed to come and go as they please, many on the isle choose to stay and in turn, they haven’t seen their human parent(s) in years. But the gods aren’t cruel, most really do love their children, and they don’t want to keep their kids from their other parent. So once every other year, a letter and a ticket (or two) arrive at the parent’s house, and the gods allow the human parents to step foot on the isle.  

So welcome to Parents Week!

Below the cut are just some of the fun things happening this week.

Its a week of fun and games, a week of bonding and catching up. A week of reprieve from the chaos of everyday life and to hug and hold your human parent. The following are just some things that will be happening, you are free to participate in as much or as little as you want!

Monday/Tuesday: Parents arrive between these two days. Parents will catch a flight to Athens from wherever they hail and will catch a private flight to Icaria’s airport. Use this time to settle in and prepare for a week of fun!

Wednesday: Morning yoga at 6am. Family breakfast provided by Little Icaria and Two Sweet Cafe. Tour of the city at 11am. BBQ lunch for all held in the local park at 2pm. Afternoon tea at 4pm. Family movie night (movie TBA) in the park on a projector at 8pm with provided dinner & wine by Supernova.  Thursday: Family photoshoots thought the day, sign up for your photoshoot online at familyphotoica.com. Bus rides to and from Seychelles Beach all day. 

Friday: A free day for the parents to enjoy their time with their children without anything planned.

Saturday: Celebration carnival in the park.  Booths, games, rides and prizes to be won! Bumper cars, roller coasters, mirror houses, tons of food, a small fireworks show will happen at 9pm.

Sunday: Parents leave.

SIDE NOTE:

While this was “meant” for human parents, it was created in part so that the god/goddesses could spend some time with their children as well without it being too weird. That means the gods/goddesses will be wondering the island in human form, they will rarely if ever actually use their powers while in these forms. 

[icariahq]

The door had been opened, the minotaur had run amok and Gaia... Gaia, goddess of all, had made an appearance, she had taken the minotaur back into some void and vanished without a single word to anyone. But the door... The door was left open and the force field to enter was still in place.  No one knew what was happening or why the door was still here, things had been thrown through, it had been studied, filmed, and even experimented on. Yet nothing yielded answers no one could step through the door... and it seemed like no one was coming out either.  Or... that was the case for a couple of weeks, when one day a centaur slipped through the door and promptly learned it couldn’t return to its safe haven. Soon after other creatures of myths long-forgotten walked through the door. The Minotaur’s purpose had been to guard the door to this world from the creatures hidden away for their own protection. What could have caused the sudden influx of new arrivals?

It would soon come to light that the lack of people watching the door had made it possible to slip through unnoticed. Usually, she was camped out at the door watching its every movement. Millicent Cromwell, daughter of Apollo, had disappeared without a trace. Now that constant eyes weren’t on it, they knew they were finally free to explore the world they once called home.

[icariahq]

The Minotaur was raging and the carnival was crashing down atop its head. But the beast seemed to pay it no mind. Not caring at the screeching metal and the screams that echoed around it. If anything the Minotaur seemed to find enjoyment in the chaos and raged harder. Demi-gods jumped in to protect their human parents, the gods stepping in where they could to protect others. 

Demi-gods tried their hand at fighting, they tried their damndest to beat it, tossing fire, lightning, water, darkness and every other manner of power one could imagine at it -- but nothing stopped the bull. It was destroying anything its beady eyes laid on.  Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades even tried their hands. From lightning that made the world blind, to balls of water stuck on its head, there was fire and heat from the center of the planet.... the minotaur still raged and destroyed. It was Nyx who stepped up slamming the ground and summoning her mother. The mother of all, Gaia. 

She was impressive just by her entrance; Flowers bloomed from every tree and the world around her turned green as vines, branches and every manner of nature reached out like she was the sun and water and they were dying and she was the only salvation. Her form was not human nor beast but some mixture in between. She was made of the earth around them. Rock, sand sea and trees. And then she was there a full form, only a couple inches shorter than the minotaur.  

Gaia could have been terrifying, she could have been catastrophic and vengeful but she radiated peace and calm. She smiled at all she passed and strolled into the chaos and carnage that the Minotaur was throwing. She walked right up to him and clasped her hands on either side of his bull shaped head and forced him to look at her. He settled at her touch, his trashing and ranging turning into a simmer, a huffing.... and his eyes they cleared they calmed. Gaia smiled at the Minotaur and with a single breath a single word they vanished into a mist. 

By the time the smoke cleared the screams of fear and panic turned to cries of pain and heartbreak. Many were injured, some gravely so... and then there were many that were dead, humans and demi-gods alike. From Ness’s grandmother to Brair’s dad. Some, like Alek, even lost body parts.  Despite the chaos heroes made themselves known, the Demi-gods fought, some opened their homes or temples for protection. Others tried to take a stand. Some losing more than they would have ever bargained for in the fight. From Hero’s miscarriage as she tried to fight, to Anthony Deacon, and Weston’s father who was killed pulling others from the minotaur’s path ... to Noel dying even if it was only for a brief moment in time. 

Now; the minotaur is gone. taking the structure of the main park with him. The hospital overloaded with the injured, Priestesses of Hera and doctors alike trying to heal the victims of the attack. Icaria trying to overcome the vicious attack but one thought remains: who placed the doors and was this their intention or an accidental attack? While the people of Icaria are rebuilding the safety of the island is once again in question.

[icariahq]

“A weird thing has happened on the island, a bunch of buildings have suddenly lost their color and reverted to simple off white instead of the bright colors they once were... weird things are happening. We can only assume this is because Jasmine Kos was taken. Speaking of odd things that came from the latest kidnapping....

The weather has taken a slight turn, it appears as if Zeus and Khione decided to merge their powers together. We’re getting a large snow storm predicted to lay down a foot of snow over night paired with large lightning strikes. Please stay indoors tonight until... well, hopefully the worst of it is over. If this is Khione and Zeus it may not end any time soon, but we are hoping that by tomorrow morning it will be a bit more calm. “

[icariahq]

“It appears as if a large snow cloud is rolling into the bright sunny island of Icaria. Temperatures will drop to below freezing by the end of the day. Make sure you go get your heavy coats out of storage along with some gloves and scarves. Whoever angered the goddess Khione better hope she doesn’t take it out on the entire island. At least the snow is arriving in time for the Winter Festival. There are two movies in the park today; at 5 is How The Grinch Stole Christmas and then 8pm will be Christmas Prince. We have asked anyone who has fire, or heat control to please come join us and help keep everyone a bit warmer. Snacks and drinks will be provided.”

[icariahq]

To say the doors weren’t expected would have been an understatement. Mere moments after they appeared the island erupted into chaos. The gods moving to the door exploring it, keeping people from it. Demi-gods and their parents hanging back, just watching. Fear rippling through the crowd as each god tugged, examined, and generally explored the door. 

Twenty minutes had passed before the gods collectively agreed there was no harm coming from the doors -- at least not now. No one knew what lay beyond them -- but they also didn’t seem to be able to open. Slowly, the movie resumed, but the air was different now. Tense. And everyone seemed to keep one eye on the door.... waiting.

That had been Wednesday. 

The doors were left generally unguarded, a god always close but not stopping others from messing with it. 

Noelle had kicked it, Luke had run into it, others like Mira monitored it taking notes. Astrid, Weston, and others tried to use their powers to pry the door open or feel what was beyond it... While some, like Colton, played jokes, trying to scare others who came by. And even more just -- tried to pretend they didn’t exist. Tried to ignore what it might mean and what lay beyond those three colorful doors.

Though the wait wouldn’t be long... Because Friday arrived along with the carnival.

(more under the readmore)

It seemed as if overnight the city square had completely transformed. From a cute and generally calm place to one exploding of neon and color and all manner of delicious smells. Rides and booths all shapes and sizes appeared; stalls full of delicious junk food, meat, and all manner of game booths sprouted up like vines reaching for the sun.  

And in the middle of all that, still unmoved and unopened was the purple door. People seemed to give it a wide birth despite the table that had appeared next to it with a small sign asking for anyone who might have seen the pieces to the metal Burr puzzle. Others lay on the table to be solved, though most seemed relatively untouched. 

All around the carnival small metal pieces had appeared, six in total. Some on ledges higher up, others half-buried in the sand. Most appeared next to set down drinks or on chairs next to human parents. Each picked up and pocketed without much thought as if something was calling to them, telling them they had to pick the piece up. And one... one appeared on the table a near-silent pop accompanying it. 

They were carried around the carnival until each one of the five humans who found the metal pieces had strolled by that table. The words Please help us find the metal pieces to our Burr Puzzle! And feel free to solve another! catching their eye... but it was as if a physical tug pulled them to the table. As if that tug begged of them to pull that metal piece hidden in pockets and purses out, to drop it on the table without much of a second glance. 

Astrid’s bubba, Alyssa, was the first to drop the metal piece followed by spending a few minutes solving another one of the wooden puzzles strewn about the table. 

Twenty minutes later Luna’s dad Damien strolled by doing the same. 

Ten minutes after that  Bernie’s step-dad Jay, laughing and clutching the piece of metal between his hands started to fiddle with the other three before moving to another, solving it and moving on. 

Then it was Joanna’s dad Martin who found the table. He stood around, examining the pieces before fixing what Jay had been messing with and moving on himself. 

Kennedy and her father, Jonathan, were the next to stroll to the table. The two competing to see who could solve a puzzle faster before each trying their hand at the Burr puzzle. It was Jonathan though who finally solved it. With a cheer and a laugh, the two continued off. The puzzle forgotten. 

Fifteen minutes later. The puzzle vanished just as quietly as it had appeared..... and the door swung open. 

Beyond the door was another world. If one looked -- you could see a hedge wall about 30 feet off.... and the Minotaur. A huge half-bull half-man creature. The guardian of the Labyrinth. He raged upon seeing the door he guarded open, raged upon seeing humans and gods mingling and moving about. Raged at the new world that appeared before him. He bellowed, loud and long, a silence falling to any who heard it, fear clenching any heart that was close enough to know what was about to happen.

To those who knew the Minotaur’s story, he was a fearsome and strong creature, but they knew him as dead. Theseus had killed him. Yet there he was... standing, raging at the world beyond the door. Fury and dread and the smell of death starting to fill the area. There would be little that could stop him. Little that could calm the bull down and before anyone had a chance to scream, to warn the others the guardian of the other world -- charged into the carnival.