#only started here because Jason had a tie in but... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 10 months

Text

Age of Khonshu, or as I like to call it: Oh no. Oh no no no no.

Age of Khonshu, written by Jason Aaron. 2018.

Who is Jason Aaron? A big writer at Marvel, he is best known for PunisherMAX (the ultras violent and non-marvel universe version of the Punisher), some runs of Thor (the one where Jane Foster becomes Thor), and certain runs with Wolverine: Weapon X. He also wrote Southern Bastard, which is a big name over in Image comics.

Another important fact? He was raised Southern Baptist that has since become an atheist.

That history out of the way, let's look at the sort of comic this is.

I have been putting off reading this little doozy for YEARS. Why? Three reasons.

This was not a good year for me personally. In fact, this was the start of some REALLY bad years to follow for the next 4 years.

I missed the original release and when I tried to find it to read it, no one had it. Not even the library. (This should have been my first clue).

This is a Marvel tie in event.

Now, I have ranted about these before and I'm going to rant about it again.

What is a tie in event? It's a big Marvel World event that attempts to do a large story-line that involves a lot of other big names (usually the avengers).

In Events, you have the main story line that involves the main character. So say, DareDevil is fighting a super ninja. You have the main story that takes place in DareDevil's comic "DareDevil vs. the super ninja" and in that comic, it's such a big fight that the avengers have to get involved, and maybe Dr. Strange and perhaps Brother Voodoo is getting a movie next spring so they want to showcase Brother Voodoo working with familiar faces so he's involved now too.

BUT. All these people involved also have their own comics running. They don't just want to keep going and ignore this big ninja fight that's happening. So then we have side event tie ins that pause their normal story-line to respond in some way to the event that is happening.

So Let's say Ms. Marvel has her story line going where she's been fighting some evil mob boss. She's suddenly going to pause that story. She'll suddenly come up on a hole hoard of evil ninjas and have to fight them for a single issue. But they don't want to loose steam with her evil mob boss because they have to get back to that in the next issue! So it turns out her evil mob boss HIRED those ninjas in some sort of attempted partnership with the evil super ninja. Just to highlight how evil the mob boss is!

Oh, and if you haven't been reading DareDevil or the Avengers or ALL THE OTHER COMICS INVOLED good luck trying to keep up with what's going on. So by the end of the event, you have to compile a LOT of comics together in a particular order so that you can fully understand what's going on.

Even worse? Sometimes the responding tie in comics that aren't really involved with the main story line try to solve the issue. So, going back to my example, Ms. Marvel not only defeats the ninja gang, but she discovers something amazing that will in the end help defeat the Super Ninja! She has single handedly helped bring it down! …In her own comic. It makes her look like the big hero and like she was crucial to the event….When in truth, she has nothing to do withthe main story line over in DD world and her little discovery won't have anything to do at all with how to bring down the Super Ninja in the end.

With me so far?!

If this sounds familiar to you, then congratulations, you may have read "Moon Knight Shadowland", which was infinately better than the main story line of Dare Devil Shadowland. (I'm still bitter about that one). Or the original Civil War saga. Or Seige. Or Dark Reign. Or Age of Khonshu.

Today, I'm here to talk about Age of Khonshu.

In which Moon Knight gets his own special event under an Avenger's title.

So how did they compile this event under an Avenger's title? We start with something that makes no sense to someone that has not been following the Avenger's comics.

Stepping further into it? This event follows directly after the 2017 BEMIS run. So we are moving from the worst run in MK history into Aaron's Age of Khonshu. The next comic after this didn't come out till 2021! That's a three year gap!

What's the story?

Mephisto (I hate Mephisto. He has been made basically into Marvel's version of the Christian Devil.) is messing with the time line and is going back in time to amass soul contracts with people and is slowly taking over the world or destroying it or building up hell. It isn't ever properly explained, but most evil things like this usually aren't.

For some reason Khonshu has seen the future of a world where Mephisto has destroyed it and done terrible things. So he puts these images into Marc's head. Marc, thinking Khonshu is out to fuck with him again (when isn't he?) tracks down Khonshu in one of his Moon Cult temples.

Khonshu tells Marc that he's terrified of Mephisto and Marc realizes that Khonshu isn't just fucking with him this time.

So he teams up and decides to…STEAL ALL THE POWERS OF THE AVENGERS AND GIVE THEM TO KHONSHU.

That's right. As someone told me, it's like watching a ten year old talking about how their character is the most powerful and can beat up all the other characters.

Moon Knight beats up Dr. Strange with the power of Khonshu and steals his magic. Then he beats up Danny and steals the Iron fist. Then steals the GHOST RIDER'S fire of vengeance. He goes after Thor on the MOON. Turns out Thor's hamer is made out of moon rock so Moon Knight laughs as he steals the hammer because he has the power of moon. He goes after the Black Panter and T'challa is just like "LOL No. My power comes from my ancestors. You can't steal that."

So they lock up T'challa in a pyramid.

YOU KNOW WHAT MARVEL MOVIE WAS COMING OUT IN 2018?! That's right, the first Black Panther movie.

So in this comic, it's going to feature heavily that Black Panther is super powerful and the hero of the story.

Giving Khonshu all these powers, he remakes New York into Khonshu World and imprisons anyone that fails to worship him, because he's an all powerful god that will stop Mephisto.

And he does fight Mephisto and kill him, but there are so many versions of him now, because he's the devil and you can't kill the devil.

And throughout this, Moon Knight worships and prays to Khonshu, calling him his god and how he's a follower, and believes that Khonshu is a powerful god.

The Avengers keep asking him to stop, that he's off his meds or something and mentally ill and they can help him stop Mephisto if he stops Khonshu.

Eventually Moon Knight realizes that Khonshu can't stop Mephisto and he's gone too far.

He prays to a different god and THE PHOENIX fire shows up and he becomes Moon Knight Phoenix.

He betrays Khonshu because now he is his own god I guess? Helping them take Khonshu down, he gives back all their powers and they lock Khonshu away in Asgard.

Now he expells the Phoenix from his own self before he becomes Dark Moon Knight and destroys the world.

Now the Avengers story moves on to them dealing with Mephisto in a later run, but Khonshu is defeated and that's the important part!

T'challa offers Moon Knight a place in the Avengers, rather than a jail cell in Wakanda for his crimes. Moon Knight turns him down and returns to a small part in Manhattan that he'd rather protect.

And that's how it ends.

Aside from the main story aspect of this particular volume of MK avengers, here are the MAJOR problems:

Throughout the entire run, there is HEAVY christian imagery and language.

They talk about the devil and how scary the devil is. They talk about Hell. They talk about angels. They talk about gods.

They especially show Moon Knight worshiping and PRAYING to Khonshu or Phoenix.

Moon Knight himself discusses fighting the Devil and going to Hell as a construct of the horrors he has seen and done.

2. Throughout the run, Aaron tries to pull out bits from Lemire. Referencing him and doing callbacks. It falls SO flat.

There is a scene early on where he does the "I am Marc Spector. I am Steven Grant. I am Jake Lockley. And we are Moon Knight" bit. But it's followed by a prayer to Khonshu because he is the Moon God's accolyte.

Later he talks about how Marc expelled Khonshu from his mind and had healed and was his own man again. He talks about how Khonshu had put horrors in his mind that made him ill.

He then talks about how he frequents a certain mental hospital.

Not only is he referencing Lemire, but he's taking it in the wrong context. This man read it and went "Yeah sure I got it" when he clearly didn't.

In Lemire's run, we see Marc dealing not just with how KHonshu used and abused him and how messed up he was, but we also see him coming to terms with his own mental illness and trying to understand himself. To understand that he himself had been abusive towards himself. His self harm attributes. His pushing people away. We see him learn to embrace the 'what if' aspect of after mental illness. We see doubt and we see room to heal.

In this it's just "Khonshu did it."

3. We're back to the mental health topic. While they DO acknowledge Steven and Jake twice, offhandedly, we don't see them. It's just MARC. And I find it hard to believe that either of them would either let Marc go this far off the rails to hurting his friends, but that they would go along with it without having a discussion or working as a team if they found it to be the only solution.

They also have NUMEROUS remarks from the others about "We all know Moon Knight is crazy but I didn't think he was this crazy". It carries on the old conversations that everyone in the Avengers and so on all see Moon Knight as mentaly unwell. Unfit. Crippled, even. He's not well enough to do things. He pretends to be a hero but we all know he's likely to melt down any minute and do something crazy, attitude.

And repeatedly he's told to take meds, go to the hospital, check himself in… Even T'Challa tells him "Wakanda has made great strides in Mental Health. We can cure you!"

Cure him from what? Trauma? Take away his DID? Or implying that he's some sort of other unwell causing him to not think straight?

It's these three things combined that just really set me off.

The absolutely disgusting use of Christian vocabulary and idealism to portray a Jewish character. Even if Marc isn't observant of Jewish beliefs, he is culturally Jewish and raised by a Rabbi. Unless he blatantly converted, he would not find himself worshiping and praying to another god. He wouldn't believe in the devil or use such language to describe Mephisto. He wouldn't talk about Angelic idealations or even Hell.

Then the blatant use of his mental illness to further how it's easy for Moon Knight to fall into such ways. Of course he did this. He's crazy. He'll do anything!

Of course he made his god Khonshu into an over powered dick.

I've discussed this before with a good friend, but there is a difference between following Khonshu and worshiping Khonshu.

I love the use of Yehya Badr to show this in MacKay's run. One has converted and religiously believes and follows Khonshu. The other follows a path that he himself set down as a result of his experiences and own needs.

Moon Knight never outright worships Khonshu (when properly written). Even in Moench's old run, he believed that he had been resurrected by Khonshu and therefore his power and life was in Khonshu's hands. This was more following Marc's thinking that he himself was nothing more than a ghost. Without Khonshu, it was more of an existential dread that he was nothing. Not that Khonshu was a god figure.

In later runs this translated into a sort of worship and it never should have. In Moench's run, Khonshu was some unknown force. Perhaps a god, perhaps a spirit, perhaps some form of something ancient that represents the moon and protecting those who travel by night. Considering the Marvel universe and such loose terms of applying all powerful beings under the phrase of 'god', it makes sense. Thor is technically a god. But he is not a god to be worshiped.

Moon Knight takes his own Jewish upbringing. He is here to cherish all life. To protect those who fall into the margins and cry for help.

What's most insulting is that this comic directly followed the run by Bemis. The one that was so laced with antisemitism and blatant disregard for mental health topics.... So we jump from blood libel and Nazism into fighting the actual Devil and praying to gods and worship.

This is not a good look, Marvel.

Here's the thing, we need a Jewish writer.

I don't mean someone that was formerly Jewish that converted to some other following. I don't mean an atheist that has a special interest in other religions (as Aaron claims he is). We need a born and raised practicing Jewish writer.

We need someone to use the proper terminology that isn't Christian based. We need Jake to speak more Yiddish. We need Steven to be seen putting money into the Tzedakah box. We need Marc to discuss his conflict with his Orthodox Rabbi father and his current path in life and how, like it or not, he has become the epitome of the Jewish struggle to exist.

I appreciate Mr. MacKay, but when his run is done and Marvel looks for the next Moon Knight writer, I'd really like to see a Jewish voice step in and not only respect their own people (despite what Marvel may tell them to do) but to also continue to represent and respect the mental health aspect of Moon Knight.

Maybe I'm asking too much? But this issue...

TLDR: Do not read Bendis, Bemis, and Aaron when it comes to Moon Knight.

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight Comics #I'm so angry you guys #Is it too much to ask that someone do a little research before taking on a comic title?#Tell your story Marvel but fucking tell it respectfully #What the hell was the editor doing?#growling and snarling #Moon Knight is Jewish

82 notes · View notes

saphrun · 11 months

Text

Tim Drake HC if he never became robin

(Let's face it, no way he was normal. the brain rot is real)

He was thirteen when Jason died, and he was getting pretty concerned for Bruce, but also getting really off put by the violence becuase batman was never that violent

This pretty much culminates in THE INCIDENT

Tim isn't even taking pictures that night, he had after school detention, and because he knew gotham so well, was decently more muscular then the average person and very fast, he was taking his time

He watches batman almost kill someone. The man will never be able to walk again.

He calls the police, and continues hiding and following Bruce, because something was going on, and lets face it, he didn't really have any plans.

He doesn't know this, but lady shiva is in gotham, and doing the same thing

It turns out theres a villan AND hero intervention going on, where clark may or may not be guilt tripping bruce HARD into getting help

However, before Tim can trail him to the intervention, someone catches his eye

He's not that well dressed, Suit looks nice-ish, but the tie is obviously thrifted, and his watch is a little too good (classic signs of working for a gang, intimidation, spurts of money, clearly not knowing how to spend smart)

Tim decides that this is more important. Plus, what's he going to do tailing batman? Get caught while not even doing anything? No thank you

It turns out that guy worked falcon, and long story short, Tim ends up fighting a bunch of gang members in a wearhouse.

He takes out around half before, Oh lookie there, its batman, and he's rescheduled his intervention till the morning.

Tim is proper injured, a few good bruises and a couple generously bleeding cuts.

Then, because batman is fighting everyone in the warehouse, not just goons, because he doesn’t know what Tim is doing there, skewers him to the wall with a batarang.

Tim pretends to be knocked out but is going what the fuck batman inside his head

Shiva, who has been watching this entire encounter, and was very impressed by someone with little to no formal training goes and drops down menacingly from the rafters

She offers to train Tim and he's like sure ;-;

They go back to paris, and just to say, Tim's parents aren't just MIA. They straight up moved out of gotham and keep limated contact with tim, just making sure CPS doesn't get them into legal trouble

Tims fine with that too

So, in paris, Tim and lady shiva are kicking ass. Tim is learning to play dirty but also gains a strict code

He's very clear that he wont kill anyone, and that he believes keeping them alive is a sign of strength. that he wasn't so weak that killing them was his only option

They disagree but eventually Tim's pretty good at combat and Shiva sends him on his marry way (he beats her in a fight by drugging some food she ate four days prior and wouldn't set in until she was testing him)

Tim starts moonlighting league of assassins, just doing whatever really, and finds out the holly shit, Talia had a thing for bruce and his dead hero jason, brought jason back to life, send him and their secret love child to gotham, and also disrespected Ra's

He thinks shes so cool, and decides to drop by gotham, yk go home, throw in a public appearance with his parents, try the new zelda game

TURNS OUT HIS PARENTS DIE ON THE WAY OVER, ON HIS FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY

What the flip man, says Tim, on live television, reading a text finding out his parents are dead.

He doesn't say what the text was about though, so the people of gotham make a twitter meme about some rando kid at a gala

The whole things kinda a disaster anyway, so its fine (its later known as The Gala of [insert year])

Dick Grayson just got back from traveling (space) and finds out Jason and Dami are alive/exist, and tries hiding in the back, ending up in the same room as Tim

_______________

"Why are you back here?" Dick Grayson asks the black haired kid sitting at the table, playing what looks like a knock off of neopets. "My parents just died." He says sagely, not looking up from his phone. Dick doesn't really know how to respond to that but ask more questions. "How- uh how did they die?"

Black haired kid shrugs.

#dick grayson #nightwing #discowing #red hood #jason todd #damian wayne #batman #bruce wayne #lady shiva #headcanon #fanfiction #tim drake #tim drake is not robin #suspend your belief imagine them being emotionally vulnerable #batfam #red robin #tim and dick

144 notes · View notes

loraliewritesthings · 1 year

Text

Danny Phantom but make him a circus/freakshow attraction headcanons

Maybe he was sold maybe he was captured. Danny couldn't quite remember threw the pain. The lab accident felt like decades ago but time goes slow when your hurting

The blood blossoms were always underfoot. The cage was small his muzzle tight and he was hungry.

So so hungry

Still he didn't look forward to his preformances to the gawking masked people or the salt circle his cage would be placed in or turning from boy to ghost for entertainments sake.

The first time he tried to escape when his box was opened.

That of course only made his capturer mad and earned him more blood blooms.

Dick hated places like this. Cruel hurtful places sullying the name of the circus. Maybe that's why he jumped at the chance to help spy on the freakshow that had recently come to town despite Bruce's worried expression. It wasn't hard to convince Bruce to let him go though. He knew circus lingo better than anyone else in the family after all. Sure his slang MAY be a little outdated but it didn't matter too much for just a few nights.

Dick has seen some horrible things and stayed pretty lighthearted, but because the circus is so sacred to him I think he takes this mission very seriously.

In the end it's him Bruce on the mission.

It wasn't hard to locate where the metas and "freaks" were being kept.

He entered the tent and between a man labeled "the cannibal" and Killer Croc who somehow got dragged into this, there was a young man in a muzzle kneeling on what looked like flowers.

Something about his eyes made him look almost haunted.

He moved on to the next row taking note of every poor soul there.

He was going to get them free.

Sure Bruce didn't like metas, but he wasn't heartless. It didn't take long for him to divide the staff into the willing and unwilling participants. It took him even less time to tie up the willing workers and to call in the Gotham police department.

When batman went to talk to the victims one stood out to him. The boy was muzzled his eyes rapidly switching from blue to green.

He couldn't have been older than Jason.

No one else there was muzzled.

He wondered briefly what made him so dangerous.

The question nagged at him as he asked person after person how they got here.

As expected no one was there voluntarily.

Speaking to an albino set of twins, the last to be questioned, he asked about the boy in the muzzle.

One twin merely shrugged and said he had been there the longest.

It was enough to strike empathy in him.

He approached carefully removing first the lock then the muzzle.

The young man almost pushed past him to get out.

Starting his questioning he asked where he was from and what his name is.

The young man, Danny apparently, didn't seam to remember much outside of the circus though. Where some of the more recently "aquired" captives remembered the older ones didnt

He could only imagine it was trauma holding them back.

Because this place was all he could remember, Danny didn't know what he wanted to do after he was free besides get far far away.

Bruce asked him no more questions.

General headcanons:

Danny is still sassy in this au but he's also bitter.

He doesn't talk much at first cause he's not used to it cause of the muzzle.

It takes quite a while for him to become more like his own self.

Sits on top of Wayne manor staring at the stars he doesn't remember why though.

He has "sad eyes" as babs and steph phrased it.

Bruce didn't mean to keep danny. He's basically a foster fail.

He will never here the end of such from Alfred.

Talking about Alfred he handles the new addition just fine

After all Danny broody and sassy.

He even has the light eyes dark hair combo.

Danny is kinda a foil to Dick. Where Dick is cheerful, Danny is jaded

Where Dick sees the circus as sacred Danny sees it as a trigger

They get along ok weirdly enough.

Jason swore when he first saw Danny.

"Bruce you got another damn kid"

Offers to take him away from Bruce if ever needed. Offer always stands.

Tim doesn't notice the ghost boy for about a week. He was just too sleep deprived.

When he did he assumed danny was a sleep deprivation hallucination

Now he doesn't know how to approach him so he treats him like he's always been there.

Cass understands Danny.

The silence between them is comfortable and amicable

Damian is Damian.

He isn't sure what to think so at first he comes of as aggressive.

That stands until he sees Danny in a fight for the first time.

Now he only wonders now this meta who can turn invisible and fly got caught.

He thinks better then to ask.

Slowly Danny learns to trust again. To live again.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dp x dc #batman #dc #bruce wayne #dc x dp #circus freak danny au #dick grayson #cassandra cain #jason todd #timothy drake #damian wayne #headcanons #danny phantom headcanon #angst

338 notes · View notes

rubydubydoo122 · 5 months

Text

In every universe Jason Peter Todd dies young. It’s a fate sealed across the multiverse. Maybe he could hope that there’s one universe where he doesn’t. aka, Jason, Dick, and Bruce go multiverse hopping, and are not having a fun time. (Ps, when I started writing this fic I hced Jason as Latino, but I don't really believe in that hc anymore, so just a heads up if you don't like that hc)

TRIGGER WARNING -> Child Death (it's Jason)

They spent the next couple of realities kind of… drifting.

They spent the first couple universes mainly in hotel rooms or abandoned apartments, because Jason was tired . Using his All-Blades to almost his limit twice in one week, along with being pinballed around the multiverse was exhausting.

Though eventually they went back to watching different Jasons die.

There were different Robins killed by different rogues– Scarecrow's goons giving him multiple doses of fear toxin. Ivy’s plants throwing him into a building too hard. Another Jacicle, this time a courtesy of Mr. Freeze.

Then there was the reality where Jason got killed by the Joker in that one warehouse alone. Then the Jason , who got killed by the Joker at Amusement Mile. And the Jason who was captured in Arkham Asylum and apparently brainwashed and then he died. And then– there were a lot of Jasons killed by the Joker.

They couldn’t do anything about the Jason who dropped dead on the streets. He couldn’t find clean water for a week, because of a rogue attack on the plumbing. (When that had happened to him there had been a convenience store owner who was kind enough to spot him and give him a spare water bottle. The owner stuck with him and made sure he sipped slowly.)

There was also the Jason who died caught up in a gang war. And the one who got shot by a cop. Gotta love the GCPD, (Commissioner Gordon is the exception.)

What really sucks is that they’ve learned that no matter how hard they try, Jason is still going to die. They’ve tried keeping Jason at the manor. They’ve tried keeping him out of the way from rogues, they’ve tried tying up the Joker before he could get to Jay, but he keeps on dying .

Honestly it’s starting to get annoying. Is Jason following the three Ds– Disassociation, Derealization, and Death-Jokes– to stay sane? Obviously. You can only watch yourself die so many times until the voice of the Anti Monitor that says, “Incongruities must be purged” gets too loud and you start thinking, Huh, maybe being purged isn’t such a bad idea .

But honestly, the worst part about this is that none of the Jasons have been older than 15. At least they could bump it up a number.

They also were never in a place long enough to actually start on the beacon prototype. So that sucked even more.

Until they landed in the Universe they were currently in. They landed just outside of the Manor’s Ballroom which was currently filled with people dressed in black tie attire.

On the stage, there was a banner that read: 30th Annual Wayne Foundation Charity Gala. There were three large tables closest to the stage, on the left seated Bruce, Talia, Damian, Baby Jon in a highchair, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Diana Prince, and Alfred

On the right, seated Leslie Thompkins, Commissioner Gordon, Elaine and Doug Thomas, Crystal Brown, Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance, and a man Jason has never seen in his life.

And the middle table held the rest of them. Barbra, Roy, Dick, Cass, Jason, Stephanie, Tim, and Duke.

Yet, despite the supposedly very magical presence of One Wonder Woman, and Talia (and Superman and Duke he supposes) it didn’t feel like there was any magic at all. Zero, zilch, nada.

Jason turned to Bruce, “I don’t think Uncle Clark and Aunt Diana are superheroes here.”

“I don’t think any of us are.” Dick was analyzing each of them closely, until his eyes blew wide, and he started smacking both Bruce and Jason’s shoulder, “The Man sitting next to Oliver is Béla Károlyi. As in the Olympic level gymnastics coach.” Just as he said that, alternate reality Dick leaned back, seemingly saying something to Mr. Károlyi which made the man laugh, causing his brother’s jaw to drop.

Jason looked back to all of the tables, realizing that everyone looked so much… happier. So much lighter. He felt a smile creep onto his face, “Ya know, in all of the other Universes, I died either on the streets or because I was Robin. I have a pretty good feeling about this one.”

Bruce looked like he was about to say something when the lights started to dim, and a projector was rolled out.

The screen opened up to an eight year old Dickie in a booster seat, holding Zitka in his arms. The camera quality showed it was from the early 2000s, which, yeah, considering if Dick was eight, it was probably 2002? There was a symphony of awws that went around the room as Alternate Reality Dick rolled his eyes, but sent a smile towards his Bruce.

The video continued to show clips of Bruce taking Dickie to visit Haly’s circus, probably for the first time since Bruce took him in.

Bruce turned to Dick with a raised eyebrow, “Remember how I had to practically pry you from Zitka when it was time to leave?”

Dick snorted, “I remember her smacking you with her trunk. Haly was really concerned, but I knew you were fine.”

“Because I’m Batman?”

“Because you’re Batman.”

Then there was a video of Dickie and Bruce at a playground, where Bruce is struggling to squeeze down a tube slide. Alfred and Dickie dusting the chandeliers together– except Alfred was on a ladder, and Dick was hanging off of something. There were more pictures– a couple with Dick in a leotard and sweats with several gold medals around his neck, while he and Bruce ate ice cream– but mostly they were just of Dickie being a kid. In front of the school building, rolling out cookie dough with Alfred, up in a tree, that sorta thing.

There was also a video of Dickie watching the Olympics, and watching the male Olympians do the Vault. He looked into the camera “Please, I can do better than that.”

The audience erupted into cheers, as Mr. Károlyi reached over and patted Dick’s shoulder.

Until there was a video of a maybe four year old Cass hiding behind Talia’s leg.

“Hi, my name’s Dick.”

Talia gave Dickie a soft smile, “This is Cass. She can be a little shy sometimes.”

“ That’s ok. Bruce was a little shy at first too. Look at him now.” Dickie peered around Talia to get a better look, “Hi Cass, I can’t wait to get to know you.”

Alternate reality Cass was covering her face with her hands as another round of awws circled the room, but Dick leaned in to whisper something into her ear which made her look up and smile at him.

There were a lot more pictures of Talia, Cass, and Dickie doing things together. Like Cass painting Dickie’s nails, Dickie teaching Cass how to tumble, and a picture of Cass and Dickie standing side by side, backpacks on, holding signs that said KTG and 5th on it. There was also a really cute video of Dickie and Cass setting up a date night for Bruce and Talia.

Then there was a video of maybe a six year old Cass holding hands with a toddler in the middle of a Gala.

“Whatcha got there Cass?” It was a young voice, so he assumed it was Dickie behind the camera.

“A baby brother.”

“I’m Tim! Where do you live?”

The room erupted into howls as alternate reality Tim lowered his head so he could no longer see the screen.

Dick turned to Jason, “Guess the stalker tendencies started young.”

From then on, there were a lot of photos and videos that included Tim and Cass in the middle of shenanigans together. Cass putting lotion in Tim’s hair, Cass putting makeup on Tim, both of them racing those little electric cars down the giant manor driveway. Bruce teaching Cass how to ride a bike, with Talia and Dickie cheering her on in the background. Videos of Cass dancing balletT

There was also a picture that looked like it was from Thanksgiving, with Alfred, Bruce, Talia, Dickie, Cass, Tim, Jack and Janet Drake, Uncle Clark, Ma and Pa Kent and Aunt Diana. So Bruce and Dick probably just babysat Tim a lot.

Then there was a video of a very large backyard wedding– It looked like a fusion wedding. Yeah, the closeups of Talia showed henna decorating her arms.

“You know your name’s hidden in the design.”

“I already found it.” Bruce grinned at Talia, and placed a finger right below her ring knuckle, “Right here.”

“You know they say it is a sign of good luck if the groom finds his name faster.”

Bruce kissed Talia’s forehead, “We don’t need luck, but I’ll take it. Now where are my shoes?”

Talia laughed, “Well, Beloved, Dick is going to have to find them. If not, you have to pay Cass to get them back.”

“Dick can’t even find his own shoes half the time.”

“Well, you’re a billionaire for a reason.”

There was also a video of Ra’s and Bruce dancing bhangra together, which honestly wasn’t bad at all.

The next picture was of a 14 year old Dickie, and an eight year old Cass, with Talia, Bruce and Alfred in the courthouse holding up adoption papers.

There were a couple of photos of the five of them at Disney World. Then some more Thanksgiving photos, this time, Janet Drake wasn’t there, but Jack was. Except he was in a wheelchair. There were more photos and videos from throughout the year. Like Cass and Dick’s Birthdays, Mothers and Fathers day, and then Tim’s 6th birthday.

It looked like a really small thing, and Jack wasn’t there. Then Bruce handed him a gift wrapped rectangle. “Happy Birthday, Tim. I know it hasn’t been the best year, but hopefully the next one is better.”

Tim took the gift with a tiny smile, and unwrapped it. “A camera!! I love it! I love it! I love it! I’m going to take a picture of all of us right now!” Tim frowned at the buttons, “How do I take the picture?”

There were giggles that went around the room as the slideshow continued, now with a lot more photos of Bruce and Alfred compared to before. There was a video of Dickie holding both of Tim’s hands while Tim balanced on a skateboard. A video of Cass teaching Tim and Dickie her Ballet routine, and a really nice picture of Dickie in the middle of a corkscrew flip.

Then it cut to a video of Cass and Dickie teasing Tim in the living room.

“I’m not scared. It’s just a movie.” That being said, Tim was currently hiding in Bruce’s arms, so he definitely was scared.

“We can turn it off if you would like us to, Tim.”

“I’m not scared! I am six years old. I’m not a baby. I hate being the youngest.”

The camera panned to Talia, “Well…you don’t have to be the youngest anymore. I’m going to have a baby.”

Tim’s eyes widened, and then he rolled his eyes. “Finally.”

The next couple of videos and photos were of Dick, Cass, and Tim painting the nursery– Jason totally forgot the manor had a nursery– yellow and green while Alfred and Bruce assembled a crib. There was a video from the Baby Shower where everyone was putting bangles on Talia’s arms, along with feeding her sweets.

The next video was of all six of them in the nursery with a giant whiteboard, where Bruce tapped it with a dry erase marker, “Alright, what should we name this kid?”

Tim jumped up and down, “ I got one! Peanut!”

Talia laughed from the rocking chair she was in, as Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, “Like…the butter?”

“Yup.”

“Write it down, Beloved. I like it.”

There were squeaks on the whiteboard, that felt a little long for just Cat, but oh well.

Dickie was doing a headstand against the crib, “Do we know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?”

“We want it to be a surprise.”

“Hmm.” Dickie maneuvered so he was sitting properly on the floor, “What about Robin? My mom used to call me that. Maybe it could be the baby’s middle name? It’s gender neutral.”

Jason turned to his brother Dick, “Your mom used to call you Robin?”

Dick nodded, but didn’t take his eyes off the screen

Screen Bruce looked to Dickie, “Are you sure, Chum? You don’t want to use it if you have any kids of your own?”

Dickie smiled, “I think I’d use my parents' names for my own kids. I’d like my sibling to share Robin with me. I’d give it to Cass and Tim if I could.”

The pride was practically bleeding through the screen, as Bruce erased the middle line separating Boy and Girl, to make a column for middle name.

Talia ran her fingers through Cass’s hair as she started to braid it, “ What about your parents names, Beloved?”

Bruce shook his head, “They wouldn’t appreciate that.”

Alfred cleared his throat, “Might I suggest Athanasia? It was one of the names your parents picked out if you were to be a girl.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Write it down.”

Dickie snorted, “Yet they decided to name Bruce, Bruce. What are you, a mechanic?”

Tim moved to sit on the ottoman of the rocking chair, “Your name’s Dick .”

Dickie opened his mouth like he was about to make a counterpoint, but ultimately decided against it.

“Cass, do you have any ideas?”

Cass leaned back and pressed her ear to Talia’s stomach like she was listening to the baby, “Damian. Damian Al Ghul-Wayne. But we should call him Cat.”

The next couple photos were of Talia in a hospital bed holding a newborn Damian. Then a video of a tousled Bruce taking Damian from Talia, “This is weird. Usually they’re bigger when I first hold them.”

Tim was running around the hospital room taking pictures of Bruce and the baby from different angles, “If he’s too small for you, can I hold him? My arms are the perfect size to hold a baby.”

There was a hand that reached out to ruffle Tim’s hair, “I thought you said you wanted to take pictures first.”

“I do! But I also wanna hold him.”

“Why don’t you take pictures of Damian with everyone else, and then you can hold him. Save the best for last, ya know.”

Tim nodded and continued taking pictures.

Bruce, smiled down at Damian, “He has your nose and lips, Talia.”

“He has your ears, Beloved.”

There was a gag from behind the camera as Bruce kissed Talia’s forehead. Then they both looked to Alfred, “Do you want to hold him?”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude–”

“Alfred, he’s your grandson. Just like Dick, Cass, and Tim.”

Alfred seemed to reboot at the statement, but it didn’t phase him for long, as Bruce placed Damian in his arms. “Why hello there, little lad.” Bruce came closer to the camera as it stayed trained on Alfred and Damian, “I can film for a bit.” The camera shifted a bit and a very ruffled looking Dickie appeared on screen, in a leotard and sweats. “What time is your first event at?”

“10:30, but Bruce–”

“Alright, that gives us about thirty more minutes here…”

“Bruce–”

“if I speed a bit, we’ll be able to make it back with time for you to warm–”

“Dad!” That seemed to immediately shut Bruce up. Jason kinda wished the camera was on his face, “I’d rather stay here with Talia, and you, and Damian.”

“What about the scouts?”

“I’ve still got, like, three years until I can go to the Olympics. I’ve got time. Besides, I fly for my family. Not for scouts.” Dick tapped his chest twice with his fist, before there was the sound of shuffling off camera, which Jason assumed was a hug.

Then Alfred walked over to Dick, and handed Damian to him. Dick made a face like ‘why are you handing me a child’ but then looked down at Damian and smiled, “Besides, he’s already stolen my heart. Good luck trying to get your child back.” Bruce and Talia both laughed, but Dick looked to Cass, “Do you want to hold him?”

Cass’s eyes widened as she shook her head, “No.”

“Alright then, Tim, go wash your hands and sit down.”

Tim did a little Mario jump, before running to the nearest hand sanitizer dispenser and running back to one of the waiting room seats, and making grabby motions at Dick.

Dick made a panicked expression before Damian went back to Alfred so that Alfred could give him to Tim.

“Make sure to support his head, ok?”

Tim nodded, as Alfred placed Damian in his arms, “Oh! Oh! He’s waking up!” Tim grinned, showing off his missing tooth, “Hi Peanut, I’m your big brother Tim.” Damian blinked up at Tim, once, twice.

Then he started to cry.

Tim’s eyes widened as he looked a little past the camera, “Take him back. Take him back!”

The next couple photos and videos were of Damian and the rest of the family at different milestones. And a little tiny baby Damian napping on Bruce’s shoulder, while Bruce is also asleep.

The Next video was from slightly outside the playroom– Jason didn’t even know they had one of those– of Talia and Bruce crouching in front of Damian in his walker.

“Say Ummmi. Habibi say Ummmi.”

“Don’t listen to your Mother, say Baba, Baba, Bababababa.”

The camera came closer, and Damian immediately looked at him, and gave the camera a two toothed smile that made the entire audience coo, “ Dee!”

Bruce frowned back at Damian, “I can work with that, Dada, say Dada, Damian.”

Damian reached to whoever was holding the camera, “ Dee!”

Dick laughed from behind the camera, “I think he’s trying to say…Dickie!”

“Diggie!”

“I win! I was his first words.” The camera shuffled around until it was in Bruce��s hands. Dick picked Damian out of the walker, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Cass owes me five dollars.”

His brother Dick turned to Bruce, “Ha!”

The video was cut off with a photo of Dick, Cass, Tim and Damian all piled on top of Bruce. There were more photos and videos as the years progressed. From Tim doing skateboard tricks, and Cass and Dick belting to “Enchanted”, to holiday photos, Tim getting adopted and Damian somehow covered completely in flour. There was also a video of the whole family going feral of Dick getting on the US Olympic team.

So that was probably why Mr. Károlyi was sitting at the friends and family table up front.

The next video had horrible quality, so it had to have been taken on an old iphone or something. “Um, Hi, Tim here, I’m recording for Bruce’s therapist, cus I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. So, it’s June 27th, and– ya know what, I’ll just show you.” The camera flipped around to show a Mercedes GLE that was missing three tires, and a Bruce who was hunched over, clutching his stomach laughing, “Bruce, do you want to tell Leslie what’s going on?”

“There was this–this tiny little kid, and he- and he stole my tires.” Bruce fully squatted and leaned his head against the car door because he was still laughing, “And then– and then–” Bruce apparently could not stop himself from laughing, “ And then he hit me with the tire iron, and called me a big boob!” If Bruce wasn’t on a street he would’ve been rolling around on the floor.

Honestly, Jason doesn’t think there was ever a time Bruce laughed that hard.

“Are you hurt, Beloved?”

Bruce shook his head no, and took a couple of breaths while wiping tears from his eyes, “ Tim, give me back my phone. I’ve got some people to call.”

“Are you gonna call the cops on him?”

Bruce looked at Tim like he was crazy, “No, I need to contact Elaine to see if I can adopt him.”

There was a bit of shuffling, but the camera only cut off after Tim grumbled, “ I could probably steal your tires too.”

Jason spared a glance at Bruce, only to find him with a slight fond smile. “Ain’t no way that was that funny.” Honestly, all Jason could remember was being terrified out of his mind. If he hadn’t been so scared, he would’ve thought of a better insult than ‘ya big boob.’

Bruce huffed out a laugh , a real one that Jason hasn’t seen or heard in years, “Honestly, It was a lot funnier considering I was dressed as a giant bat when you took a swing.”

Jason shook his head in disbelief.

“I’d get hit with that tire iron a million times if it meant you would enter my life.”

Oh. Oh.

No. He probably just means the kid Jason used to be. Jason sucked in a breath through his teeth, “Been there, done that, and let me tell you, Old Man, it was not fun.”

Jason half expected Bruce to yell at him for making a joke about his death, but he just rolled his eyes, “I guess I walked right into that one.” The next photo was a candid of Jay in the manor’s library white streak stark against his black hair, looking like he just rolled into Narnia, “That was the exact expression you made when you first saw the library.” Bruce looked back at Jason with a smile that wrinkled the crows feet around his eyes.

“I guess some things are constants when it comes to us.”

Bruce fixed his gaze at the younger Jay who was oblivious to the way alternate reality Bruce was smiling fondly at him. “I have a good feeling about this reality too.”

They continued to watch the slideshow. Most of the pictures and videos with Jay in them consisted of him covering his face, unless he was absorbed in a book, or cooking with Alfred.

Then there was a video of Jay in the bathroom with a bowl of black hair dye and a brush, Cass straightening the white streak, so that the hair dye would go on more evenly.

The mirror showed it was Tim behind the camera, “I still think you should paint it red.”

Cass set down the straightener, “I think you should keep it the way it is.”

Jay shook his head, “This is gonna be my first time out in public as Wayne's new foster. They’ll already–” Jay cut himself off and chewed the inside of his cheek, “Maybe in a couple years. I’m just not used to all of this yet, and I don’t want more eyes on me because of a stupid autoimmune disease.” Jay took the brush and started parting the white strip so he could cover it in the hair dye.

“It’s not stupid. It looks really cool.”

“It makes you unique,” Cass shrugged, “ It is your hair, though, and you should be changing it because you want to, and not because everyone else thinks you should.” Cass smiled at herself, “ That’s what Dick would say.”

Jay frowned for a second, until a mischievous grin slowly appeared on his face, “ I’m gonna dye my hair, but not because of anyone else. I just wanna see how long it takes Dick to figure out I have vitiligo.”

Cass grinned and grabbed the bowl of hair dye, “I’ll help.”

Jay lowered the lid of the toilet and sat down facing Cass, “Timbo, you’d better hide that video.”

Dick turned to Jason, and flicked his hair, “I guess the white streak is also a universal constant. Even if the reason isn’t magic in this one.” He turned back to watching the slideshow, as Jason shared a look with Bruce.

Dick may be a great detective, but boy could he be dense sometimes.

The next picture was of Jay and a three year old Damian looking out of the plane window, followed by a video of Jay reading out loud to Damian, Tim and Cass, as all of them gradually get closer and closer, until they were all cuddling, and then a photo of Damian, Tim and Cass sleeping as Jay seemed to continue reading

Then there was a video of the seven of them in an empty looking stadium. The camera focused on Jay for a couple seconds before he pushed it away and it focused on Dick hugging his siblings. And then Talia, and then Alfred.

“Bruce, can’t you give it to him? You know him better, and you bought it.”

“You came up with the idea, Jason.”

“Anyone with brain cells would’ve been able to come up with it.” Dick started walking over to the pair, “Here, let me take the camera…” There was a bit of shuffling, “And you can take the bag!”

The camera focused just as Dick engulfed Bruce in a hug.

They pulled apart as Dick glanced at the bag, “Ya know, B, you didn’t have to get me a gift. A new little brother is more than enough.”

Bruce handed the gift bag to Dick, “Actually, the gift was Jason’s idea.”

“Snitch.”

“I am just giving credit where it’s due.”

Dick opened the bag and pulled out a red and yellow leotard with a pair of green shorts and green pants. Dick immediately recognized the colors and put a hand to his mouth.

“I know blue is also the color of the Flying Graysons, but to me these colors have always been more… iconic. I’m sorry if I overstepped, you don’t have to wear it–”

“No, shut up, I’m wearing it.” Dick had a soft smile on his face, “I was debating doing the quadruple flip, but I’m sure this is a sign that I should.”

Bruce clapped a hand on Dick’s shoulder, “ Great, because the rest of us are going to match.”

“Stop, I’m literally going to cry.”

The next photo was of all of the Robins– the whole family, because Alfred, Bruce and Talia were also wearing red, yellow, and green– in their colors. In the Grayson colors

Jason looked over at Dick whose eyes were glossy, but he was still smiling. Though he wasn’t looking at the screen. He was looking at alternate reality Jay, who was being nuggied by alternate reality Dick.

Dick realized Jason was looking at him, “It’s kinda the opposite of our first meeting.”

“Huh. it is, isn’t it?” he thought back to Dick giving him the box with a Robin suit that was too big for him. It was Dick’s official stamp of approval. He never got to grow into that suit.

Vaguely, he wonders if Bruce threw away that suit, along with all the other ones, save the one he died in.

The next video was of Jason in the garage with Bruce staring at a singular tire with a bow around it.

“Is that a tire I stole?”

Bruce grinned, “It is.”

“Huh. I didn’t realize you got them back.”

“I have my ways.”

Jay turned to face Bruce, “You do realize I stole them to make money, right? Currently, this serves no purpose to me.” His face morphed into something dejected “Unless…”

“No. No, not that.” Bruce kneeled in front of him, “ Jay, lad, I know you’ve only been here for a little over a month, but I would like to say, you will always have a home here. No matter what.

“In fact this is more of a promise. I was thinking of giving you a tire for each of your birthdays, so by the time you turn 16, you’ll have all four. I was thinking we could maybe build a car together.”

There was a flurry of emotions that flashed over Jay’s face, before it settled on disbelief. “You? Bruce Wayne? Build a car?”

“I am a man of many talents.”

Jay raised an eyebrow, “I better not be the only one putting elbow grease into this thing, otherwise, as soon as it’s finished I’m drivin’ away. With all four tires this time.”

Bruce lifted his arm to flex his bicep, “I’ll put in the muscle.”

Jay rushed in to give Bruce a hug and just as quickly pulled away, “ Thank you, Bruce.” Then Jay turned to face the camera directly, “ Are you seriously filming us, Tim?”

There was a video of the family helping Dick move into a dorm room. A picture of the first day of school with a very happy looking Jay, and just… memories captured that was so normal . No bruises, no broken arms, no hollow eyes from any of them. Just… love.

Obviously Jason knew that this family had to have had its fair share of ups and downs– most of them had seen loss in horrific ways– but the downs didn’t seem to lead to bloodshed, or near murder. Just more understanding.

The slideshow ended with a photo of the entire family cuddling on the couch, sleeping while Dick who was on the outskirts took a selfie.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the lights slowly brightened and alternate reality Bruce took to the stage.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the 30th Annual Wayne Foundation Charity Gala.” There was a polite round of applause, “Now, you may be wondering why I decided to start off the night differently than I have in the past years. That is because it has been brought to my attention that my usual speech about philanthropy and giving back to the community is, and I quote ‘ mundane and monotonous, and became stale after the second gala.’ Jason’s words, not mine. So he helped me write this.” There were a couple of chuckles that went around the room, “While I still believe in those values, the real reason this Gala is so important to me, is because it was important to my parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne. To me, this Gala has always been in memory of them.

“My parents loved this city, but they didn’t love it for its old buildings, or the grime on the pavement. No. They loved Gotham for her people. My dad, a doctor, who never turned his back on someone in need, no matter their background. My mom, who knew she was blessed with money and realized she could use that to help other people who need it in this city. Which is why the Wayne Foundation was made. Though, I don’t think there’s a single person in Gotham who didn’t already know that. Yet there was so much more to my parents than just that. Even though they’ve been long gone, I still see them everywhere.

“I see my mom sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping her tea while Alfred prepares breakfast. I see my dad in the living room whenever baseball plays. I see my parents on the porch swing that overlooks the garden, but most importantly, I see them in my kids.

“The way Dick cares for his siblings sometimes is almost the exact same as how my dad used to care about me. He’ll bring an ice pack over in three seconds flat, even if they say they’re ok. He’ll slap a bandaid on an ouch, even if it isn’t bleeding. He’ll do anything to bring a smile to their faces. Just like my dad always did with me.

“I’d give up everything just to see Cass laugh. Because the way she laughs is just how my mom laughed. The way it starts with soft giggles and gradually gets louder and louder. The way she leans her head back and clutches her stomach. The way if something is truly hilarious, she’ll lean her head on the nearest solid object, trying to gasp for air.

“And Damian, oh Damian. He looks so much like Talia, but sometimes, I catch myself staring at him, picking out which of his features belonged to my mom, and which of his features belonged to my dad. His ears are shaped just like hers, his eyebrows are sculpted just like his. His curly hair is definitely from my mom.

“I can tell that Tim looks at the world in the same way my mom did. He looks at everything, taking in every little detail. He knows even when the subtlest thing is off. And when he looks at you, you know he is not just seeing you, but he’s seeing you . All of you.”

Bruce pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the podium, “And I knew all of these things subconsciously, but Jason, he had to hold my hand through writing this whole speech. I would say some things that I remembered about my parents, and he’d go ‘ like blank does?’ and I'd be like–” Bruce facepalmed, “ duh. But he didn’t help me with this part. Uh oh, I’m going off script.” There was a rumble of laughter at that, but Bruce had a really soft smile on, and was making eye contact with Jay, “But in all seriousness, I think of the way I met Jason often. How he came to me on the reminder of the darkest day of my life, and turned that day into something brighter to remember. And I don’t believe in Fate, or God, but whenever I think of that night in the alley, I can no longer think of a boy who lost his parents. I can only think of my parents guiding their grandson to me. Jason made me realize that my parents guided all of my children to me, and to Talia, and to Alfred. And for that…” Bruce’s eyes were shining as he blinked hard and fast, “I don’t think words can describe how… how glad I am to be blessed with the beautiful family I have today.”

I can only think of my parents guiding their grandson to me.

Jason turned to his Bruce, only to see tears streaming down his face.

What’s going on? Was he hurt? Why is he crying? He never cries. Batman never cries.

But this wasn’t Batman. This was Bruce.

I can only think of my parents guiding their grandson to me.

“Bruce? Do you…?”

Bruce looked from Jason to Dick and back to Jason, “Every single word and more. And so much more.”

And before he knew it, he was in his Dad’s Bruce’s his Dad’s Bruce’s his Dad’s arms. And then his brother’s arms. He was in his dad’s and his brother’s arms and everything felt–

Whole .

Jason felt whole .

They stayed in each other’s embrace as Alternate Reality Bruce finished up his speech, “There was a poem my mom read to me once, and I had forgotten about it until Jason showed it to me again. The poem actually inspired this entire speech. It’s called ‘ Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep’ by Mary Elizabeth Frye.

“Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain.

“When you awaken in the morning's hush; I am the swift uplifting rush; Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry,

“I am not there; I did not die.”

There was a moment of silence as the audience drank in the words. And the silence was pierced. But not by applause or cheers.

It was pierced by twin shots.

Gunshots.

And screaming. Screaming even though the room seemed to be drowned out by the sound of cicadas.

Because Jay was slumped on the table.

He wasn’t Robin. He was no longer a street kid.

Still, he was–

Bleeding.

One Bullet through the heart, one bullet through the head.

Tablecloth stained red.

#jason todd #batman #batfam #dc comics #red hood #dick grayson #bruce wayne #tim drake #damian wayne #cassandra cain #alternate universe #dimensional travel #no capes au

19 notes · View notes

stealingyourbones · 10 months

Text

Ask the writer ask game! Tagged by @gremlin-bot

1.) how many works do you have on ao3?

2.) what’s your total ao3 word count?

50k!

3.) what fandoms do you write for?

Primarily DPxDC but I enjoy writing DC and I greatly enjoy writing D&D campaigns!

4.) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Falling in Love (In the Most Literal Sense)

Short DPxDC Prompts

I've Grown a Mouth So Sharp and Cruel (It's All That I Can Give To You)

What the Hell?! (UP FOR ADOPTION)

Dream of a Peaceful Slumber

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I’m simply too busy with my tumblr to respond to people on ao3. If I try to focus on more than one website at a time I’ll lose my mind 😅. I promise I Look at each and every one!

6.) what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

There’s a sander sides fic i wrote like 8 years ago that had all of the sides get slowly and very brutally murdered one by one in hella graphic detail. I was trying to experiment with descriptors and visuals at that time. Definitely that one. I don’t think it’s on ao3 but it’s somewhere on my old Wattpad account

7.) what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Definitely Falling In Love (In The Most Literal Sense) or an unpublished eldritch smut horror DeadOnMain fic that’s forever staying in WIP hell. Falling In Love first and foremost has an ending, secondly they get along and it’s cute :)

8.) do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I occasionally get questions or criticism on my tumblr but that’s either advice or someone wanting answers and that isn’t hate.

9.) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have tried my hand at smut before. Mostly smutty scenes with kinda sorta fade to black, solely because I’m terrible at painting a mental picture for the reader so it always flows terribly. I’ve written that eldritch DeadOnMain thing as I said previously, and some of Jason’s matches Malone persona OF ideas.

10.) do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one?

Somewhere in my WIPs there is a homestuck AU DPxDC fic where DP kids are the humans and DC folks (primarily the teen titans) are the trolls. Definitely that one.

11.) have you ever had a fic stolen?

No fics but I’ve been sent asks that are word for word one of my prompts. I just delete those and go on with my day. Idk I don’t have a tiktok and someone’s probably imitating me on there with my prompts so possibly????

12.) have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13.) have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes!! I’ve Grown A Mouth So Sharp And Cruel (It’s All That I Can Give To You My Dear) (eventually I’ll get around to working on it I have so much stuff going on like preparing to move and finals creeping up aUGH)

14.) what’s your all time fav ship?

Ooooo It’s a solid tie between Kon/Tim and Dave/Karkat. One is my current favorite and the other is one that’s been my favorite ship for the longest time.

15.) what’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

I have a WIP in my files that’s a DPxDC Dash/Danny fic where Dash is a bomb disposal tech and Danny just moved into Gotham. I have the entire outline written and almost a solid chapter done but I heavily doubt I’ll have the motivation to touch it again.

16.) what are your writing strengths?

I don’t think I have any, (I haven’t written a full length fic in so long I can’t really tell 😅) but I’m very good at setting tone. Idk what do y’all think?

17.) writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. 100% dialogue. It always feels clunky and unconversational whenever I read it back. I swear the second I start writing talking I forget how conversations work.

18.) thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I’d probably throw a simple word here in there of the other language if I’m writing a bilingual speaker or ask a pal to help me with translations because I only know English and I know damn well that friends are better translators than google.

19.) first fandom you wrote for?

Sander Sides! I wrote a solid 500ish prompts for that fandom and like 70k worth of fics. It was what got me into writing and for that I’m so very glad.

20.) Fav fic you’ve ever written?

Definitely my Batman mermaid au. I love it to bits and I’m so proud of the designs and I’m always kinda sad that I’m the only one as enthused about this work as I am. None the less I reread it at least every 3 months and it always makes me smile doing so.

Ooo who to tag… @chromatographic @halfagone @susiron

#ask game #bones speaks #bones replies #feel free to ask me about any of these :D

39 notes · View notes

a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 1 year

Note

What is your favorite piece you've written?

Gasp! 😱 Anon! That's like asking me to pick my favorite child (not that I have kids... but still)!

I kid but I'm actually really horrible at picking favorites of anything. So here are three of my favorite pieces I have written:

I'm So Sorry (Jason Todd x Reader):

I wrote this during my first whumptober. It was the first mini-series I had ever written and it just came together so perfectly! It hit all the physical and emotional whump that I love to write, plus I was really happy with how I was able to make the ending tie into not just this story but to the Batman canon in order to make a final impact. Plus, it was the one and only time someone has ade me original art based on one of my fics and that still remains as one of the highlights of my writing on here.

The Colonel and the Sergeant (Rick Flag x Reader, Past Bucky Barnes x Reader):

This is such a special series to me. Not only am I SUPER proud of it but it also contains my favorite scene I've ever written (the flatline scene in Part 2 if you've read it) as well as two of my favorite characters to write for. I was also writing this series when I started talking more to one of my mutuals and reaching out for advice. Since then, they have become one of my closest friends and because of that, this fic will always remain one of my favorite things I've ever done.

No Words (Extended Edition) (Hangman x Reader Soulmate AU):

What I really love about this one is how I was able to take a familiar trope and put a bit of a twist on it. I am usually not a huge fan of soulmate AUs because they can be a bit repetitive so I wanted to do something different and I felt like I was able to accomplish that. Plus, I had a few followers get really interactive after the fact and we soft of crafted scenarios of what would happen next after the fic and it was so fun and amazing that others loved my fic enough to want to join in the discussion about it. Plus, I just love writing soft!Hangman 😂

Thank you so incredibly much, Anon, for the ask! And I would love to hear what other people's favorite pieces I've written are! 🥰

#thanks!#anon ask #so kind #my favorite pieces #jason todd #jason todd x reader #rick flag #rick flag x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #hangman #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader

47 notes · View notes

gothicprep · 9 months

Text

some interesting twitter discussion i encountered today, piggybacking off a tiktok screenshot of an either late-teens girl or early 20-something woman saying "i wish i could be friends with boys the way that boys are friends with boys". the guy side of twitter chimes in, basically saying that whenever they had women express this to them, they reacted poorly to stuff that's pretty common in guy group friendships. the woman side of twitter is screenshotting these and saying shit like "ack, for all this talk of male loneliness, isn't it interesting how these guys talk about friendship in a way that's antisocial and boorish!"

it's always really something to see conversations like this happen, because it's a very clear expression of someone not being familiar with the social nuances in a setting they haven't really spent time in. and on top of that, it being so alien to them that they don't even realize they're wearing this lack of experience on their sleeve.

this is hard to put into words and there are probably a few things i'm missing here, but in my experiences of being the only woman in a friend group, Guys Being Dudes social culture involves a lot of giving each other shit, but not in a way that's mean. it's more like a signal that indicates you being a part of the same group. it's not like there aren't any generic insults that fly like "hey, you dipshit", but what's more common are insults that show you're paying attention – "hey, you dipshit that's always tripping over because you don't know how to tie your own shoes." it shows you actually notice what that person is like lol. and that person has the right to come back at you, and it's kind of a give and take. it's a game. there are bad dynamics that can sometimes come out of this, where someone is picking on someone else too much and there are awkward dominance displays going on. but for the most part, it's mostly just clowning around.

and – not always, obviously – this stuff drives a lot of women nuts. and as you get older, you move away from acting like this around people who will be bothered with it, because out of the context of a friend group, it's rude. but "we give each other shit for fun, and that's how we know that we're friends" has a lot of connecting power under the right circumstances.

there's a scene in "jackass: forever" where jason acuna is staked to the ground and a vulture is picking cuts of meat off his body, and the bird pecks him and he starts spasming and kicking (it's been known to happen when you get pecked by a bird with a giant beak). and one of the guys off screen is like, "don't kick the bird, dude" and acuna says, "i'm not kicking the bird!" but he's mad that someone would suggests that he would kick the bird. he understands that the bird is an outsider. the bird isn't in on the joke! nobody wants to be mean to the bird here. it's all about what's happening to acuna. this is obviously a pretty extreme version of the thing i'm talking about but, eh, it works for my purposes.

and it's not like it stays this juvenile forever. you grow up. life happens. but having this foundation in a friend group of 5+ doesn't prevent you from talking about life stuff together. even if this type of camaraderie doesn't make a lot of sense to you on the surface, that doesn't mean it's not tried and true. and, tbh, i get the sense that a lot of the men who struggle with pervasive feelings of loneliness probably *aren't* part of a group dynamic like this.

#men can have a little 'filming each other doing the cinnamon challenge' as a treat imo

39 notes · View notes

aliensunflower-fics · 1 year

Text

CHANGING FACES Chapter 6: Arrival

[ Prefer to read on Archive of Our Own? Link HERE! ]

[ Previous Chapter - Next Chapter ]

After years of dealing with each other Lila Rossi win’s when she convinces Hawkmoth that Marinette is Ladybug. In order to throw off suspicion and keep the Miracle Box safe Marinette and her supportive parents leave Paris and head to Gotham of all places. In this new place away from her friends and her unhealthy routines Marinette is forced to confront herself and change for the better. Helping her on her journey is a surprising new friend and potential ally. When Alya missing her friend learns about the chance to win a free trip to Gotham she convinces the class to work hard to qualify. When her new life clashes with her old one will Marinette be able to hold on strong to her new confidence or will she crumble under the pressure?

( This fic will be for the most part comedic, fluffy, and sweet, with only a bit of seriousness to tie it together. With only the mildest salt because I don’t think the class or Adrien are bad people just that they can be naive and selfish thanks to the canon writing. I hope you enjoy reading this work and have fun with me on this journey. )

CHAPTER 6:

Arrival

Marinette had never been so happy to be on solid ground. The plane ride had been… Turbulent to say the least not to mention long leaving Marinette to agonize and worry the entire time that maybe while she was busy up in the sky Hawkmoth would strike luckily the freak of a villain seemed busy and so the flight passed without the need to use Kaalki which was a great thing as Marinette was unsure just how precise the power of voyage was.

As the small family of 3 disembarked from the plane with their meager belongings Marinette breathed in the fresh air with relief it was chilly and barely light out … She was tired, yes, but she was also giddy and a strange sense of freedom was filling her with every step she took. There was no Hawkmoth here, no purple butterflies no constant need to lock her own emotions into vault, no more need to lie to her parents, no more Bustier telling her to be the classes shining example, no more Lila whispering lies behind her back, no more Adrien too shoot her longing puppy dog stares as he waited for her to ‘forgive him’ when he had never bothered to apologize.

She was free. She was safe? … Well as safe as one could be moving to a city known for its killer clowns and freaks in masks. Not that Marinette wasn’t prepared for that, her training with her own mother and the Amazon’s of Themyscira for the last few years had transformed her small unassuming body into a weapon. Not to mention the new magical training the Kwamis were giving her, Tikki especially pushed for more training once she started learning just how awful some of the villains of Gotham were and she made Marinette promise that if the Joker so much as even looked at her she would not hesitate to transform him into a cockroach. Technically it wasn’t murder so she figured Batman would be fine with it.

As they moved through the airport presenting their documentation to the necessary people Marinette’s excitement only grew with her fingers twitching with anticipation as the polite woman welcomed them to their new home and they exited the security clearance area into the wider airport. Her eyes scanned the crowd eagerly until they landed on the group of 3 men chatting amongst themselves. She let out a squeal and started running, catching the men’s attention as she flung herself at them in joy. Jason however acted fast and caught her first wrapping her into a tight brotherly hug and lifting her off the ground and away from Dick and Alfred.

“Woah there jelly bean you trying to take the old man out? Lucky I caught you huh!”

Marinette snorted and rolled her eyes trying to squirm out of Jason’s grasp so she could hug Alfred and Dick who was looking rather put out.

“Oh please Alfred’s not frail he’s like Grandma Gina he will live forever at this rate and be healthier then all of us.”

Tom and Sabine chuckled at the scene as they walked over with their meager bags and proceeded to hug Alfred and catch up while Dick tried to pry Marinette free from Jason in order to get his hug that Jason had so rudely stolen. Marinette meanwhile dangled from Jason’s arms with an amused and exasperated look on her face. She’d missed her ‘brothers’ greatly and was happy to see them again. There was just one thing, one tiny little thing…

“When did you freaks get so tall!”

The sudden comment had both boys stopping as they seemingly for the first time paused to take in Marinette’s appearance. Sure they had seen pictures of her and video chatted plenty of times but this was the first time in years where they had physically been around her and now that they were…

“I think the better question here is why are you so short.” Marinette gasped in faux offense squirmed out of Jason’s grasp clutching her heart in mock betrayal.

“How could you say such a thing… Dick is my favorite now.”

The oldest Wayne grinned and accepted his hug while sticking his tongue out at Jason who was playing the part of the dramatically betrayed.

However now that Dick was hugging his little sister he could not help but blurt out. “God you really are short.”

Marinette squawked indignantly at the comment. “What no! I’m normal it's you two who are the-” She gestured at them with waving arms. “Alfred! What have you been feeding them and where can I get some!”

Alfred chuckled and opened his arms calmly to accept the warm hug of his god daughter. “I’m afraid I haven’t been feeding them anything unusual; they simply sprung up like weeds.”

Marinette huffed and puffed up her cheeks. Stupid genetics.

“Ah don’t feel too bad jelly bean Dickie here isn’t even THAT tall, just wait till you meet Kori in the flesh now that's tall.”

As the group moved its way out of the airport Marinette recalled the measurements she’d received when designing Kori’s wedding dress, not to mention the pictures that showed the beautiful tan woman towering a full head over Dick at the altar. Maybe it was something in the water of Gotham that made people tall. Considering all the supervillains she would not doubt it.

“When will I finally get to meet Kori and Mar’i face to face anyway? I wanna hug my cute little niece already!!!”

“Why? Because she’s the only one not taller than you?” Jason snickered before letting out a surprised yelp as Marinette playfully punched him in his side with a pout. She had some surprising strength in that arm of hers.

“Later in the week, they wanted to come pick you up with us but it was so early and your parents told us your new school was giving you a week off to adjust to the new timezone before classes start.” Honestly it had been a hectic night with Mar’i refusing to sleep determined to go with Dick to the airport but eventually she fell asleep clutching Silkie and so Dick had left alone.

“What school are you going to anyway, jelly bean? Maybe I can come pick you up sometime after school for some lessons in self defense at my gym.” Mostly he wanted to see her flatten some of the men twice her size; he knew Sabine had been training Marinette since she was young and he was eager to see what his little sis was capable of.

Marinette smiled at the thought. “That sounds nice, as for my new school mom and Alfred arranged it for me, I think it's called Gotham Academy.”

Marinette missed the way Dick and Jason whipped their heads around to glare at Alfred. Gotham Academy wasn’t a bad school, in fact one could easily say the opposite: it had great staff, good facilities, and it had accepted Marinette on a full ride scholarship thanks to her high grades and many achievements. The problem was the school was also full of a bunch of rich leeches, but worst of all it had Damian. Now both older Wayne’s could admit they loved there little brother even if Jason would deny it to keep his cool reputation but Damian had a bit of a bad track record with first impressions. Not to mention the fact that the 3 Wayne’s had already discussed how best to introduce the Dupain-Chengs to the rest of the family so they could all be one bigger happier family and they had agreed to wait and while and let them settle in before dropping the bomb that was the Wayne family and more specifically BRUCE on to them but if Marinette met Damian at school and got a bad idea of him… Things would get complicated.

Alfred however unlike the younger two Wayne men was not worried. He had a feeling that Marinette and Damian were just what the other needed right now. Yes, he’d heard many things about Marinette’s situation from her parents. What she needed now was someone to bring out that bold Marinette he knew was waiting for a chance to shine. And as for his youngest grandson while he had been doing much better and had made friends he was still hostile and wary Marinette however might be just what he needed. The old man chuckled with a warm smile.

“I think you will like Gotham Academy very much, Marinette.”

—-----------------------------------

Damian Wayne had a reputation. Since his first ever day at school at the age of 10 after he’d moved in with his father the young heir had… Problems with other students. His personality was icey and his training too deeply ingrained that school and him had not gone well. Yet his father refused to let him skip or be homeschooled, determined that with time school would help him develop his social skills. For the first few years Damian was alone he shoved people away and did only what was required waiting for the day when finally his father would see that school was beneath him and he could achieve so much more without it.

At 13 that reputation evolved. And not for the better. Damian had been so sure of his own intelligence and his own superiority that he failed to notice that viper slinking through the grass. A girl, the same age as him, unlike other girls who had failed to approach him due to the obvious attempts, Lila had been more subtle. Instead of acting interested in him she acted unfazed she even began dating Jon the only person his age Damian was close to. He’d let his guard down thinking that she was nothing but a simple sweet girl. But he had never been more wrong.

Somehow the viper had found his weakness, somehow she knew that deep down under all his posturing he felt insecure, unloved, unwanted, and she prayed on it. She made him feel strong, she made him feel special, she made him feel wanted, she used lies to paint Jon the villain and herself the victim so that Damian would save her and fall deeper into the strange infatuation that clouded his mind. She was a snake. And worst of all he had not even discovered her lies himself; it had been sheer dumb luck overhearing her plot her schemes that had revealed the truth to him.

But by that point it was too late. The vipers poison had already spread and Damian Wayne’s reputation fell from just ‘ice king’ to ‘monster’ even after the lawsuit even after proving her lies and sending the snakes father to jail. Even after he had proven himself innocent… The reputation clung to him. It was a stain that would not wash off, even after Dick convinced him to go to therapy and his attitude improved, even after he fixed the broken relationship with his family, even after he broke out of his shell and made friends in his school, the stain was still there and every action he did and didn’t take only made it worse.

It's not that Damian wasn’t trying, because he was really. He tried to be polite and courteous; he tried to make a good impression. But somehow someway it often seemed to go wrong, though it did not help that his peers were a bunch of rich kids who tended to be overly sensitive, at least in Damian’s eyes. It did not help that Damian was self admittedly a little… Overly blunt and honest not to mention how sensitive he was about girls flirting with him, he knew he’d not fully recovered from the Vipers poison and so even now 3 years after she was gone he was on high alert constantly on the lookout for lies and manipulation. And this… alertness of his had led to again more then a few terrible first impressions.

To put it simply, Damian was aware that whenever a new student was joining the school bets were made on how fast Damian Wayne would manage to offend them. So when the teacher announced that come next Monday a new student would be joining the class a young girl all the way from France no less a ripple of excitement went through the class as once more bets were being made. This time however Damian Wayne was determined to make them all lose. He would be polite, and courteous he would not snap, not say anything un-intentionally mean, he would be normal, he would simply ignore the new girl and all would be well.

Which is why of course his Teachers asked him to give the new girl the school tour. He was one of the few who spoke French and they were unsure how good the girl's English was so they wanted to play it safe and coincidentally all the other students who could speak French just so happened to be too busy to help the new student. Damian seethed he knew it was a lie, they just wanted to force him to interact with her for their little bets. Fine then! A Wayne is not so easily defeated. He would be a perfect gentleman, he would not offend the girl, it would be fine. He would prove to himself and everyone else that Damian Wayne might be the Ice Prince of Gotham but he was no brute. Bring it on Monday Damian Wayne was ready to meet the new girl.

( Thank you again for all the patience and support! I tend to update slowly due to well... The need to keep food on the table and my finances have been especially tight lately so I was struggling but things are getting better now so hopefully I can write more often in the near future. This first chapter was more to establish some stuff I know its a little short but it felt good to get back into this fic with something a little neater sweeter and smaller. Hopefully I have more up soon! )

[ Wanna Support Me? Donate HERE! ]

[ Wanna Read More? Masterlist HERE! ]

#daminette #maribat #my fic #Marinette deserves better #BAMF Marinette #lila salt #Changing Faces Fic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #miraculous fanfiction #class redemption

111 notes · View notes

slashingdisneypasta · 1 year

Text

Imagine;

Your Slasher S/O has to kill you, maybe they're being forced, but they really don't want to.

So you have to guide them. Help them out. Encourage them.

You have to gently pick up Jason's huge hands and touch them to the sides of your head. You don't look away from his eyes at all as you do, telling him it's okay and you love him so much and you really had a great time with him. You only close your eyes when you press his hands harder against your head, and thats his sign to-

He leaves your body right there and storms off, because he can't bear to look just yet. He'll make you a nice memorial later, but for now... you'll just look like you're resting.

You have to guide Michael's fingers around your throat, holding his palms to your neck and letting him feel you take in a deep breath; Steadying yourself. He looks warily at you, like no, but for once you don't listen to him. Closing your eyes, you tell him to do it. And he does.

He squeezes as hard as he possibly can, pissed off that he has to do this and you're letting him, until you're not alive anymore and he's still squeezing. He doesn't wanna let you go.

Okay... here. You say, picking Freddy's gloved hand and raising the blades to your gut so they point directly into your skin. Then you take a deep breath and set your hands on his shoulders, adopting a ready stance. Don't tell me you've gone soft, now-

He doesn't let you finish what you were saying, but he doesn't leave until you're gone.

You have to give Bubba a lotta kisses, all over his cheeks and his jaw and over his hair before he'll finally release your waist from his grip. When he does, you step back and sit down in a chair, turning your head and squeezing your eyes shut and bracing yourself when the chainsaw starts to rev loudly directly in front of you.

When you're just a slumped, sloppy, cut up mess, he carefully tries to sew you back up and tie your lips up so you're smiling. He cant bear to see you not smiling at him anymore.

Tiffany has just finished off Chucky and she turns to you. She left you for last because... because she can't look at you and see all the bad stuff like she can with him because there is none. She has a knife in her hands but its shaking, so you settle yourself, take her free hand in yours, and nudge the knife up to your throat. It's okay baby, he'll bring us back again.

After its done she drags your body to lay next to Chucky.

79 notes · View notes

halothenthehorns · 4 months

Text

Chapter 5: I MEET SOME FISHY RELATIVES

Beckendorf...the dark feelings still resided in him as his eyes fluttered open...yet Percy woke up feeling more relaxed than he had since...well since he first woke up without his memories.It didn't take much imagination to figure out why.

He could still feel Annabeth pressed against his back. She was sitting upright, he could hear pages of a book flipping. He smiled with a strange sense of deja vu, a hazy memory he tried to grasp like smoke. This was not the first time he'd awoken like this, but it felt new and invigorating as he yawned and stretched for another day.

She smiled and reached out for him the moment he was awake, but stopped herself, her fingers going slowly back around the book without a change in expression as she stretched too to get up.

Alex came into the room today wearing green slacks and a button up pink shirt that was far to loose on him like he was heading for a casual day at the office, there was even an untied, yellow and blue seashell patterned tie around his neck. All that was missing was a briefcase. His hair though, was all feathered up in a massive pompador style right out of the 60's.

"If you're trying to impress my dad, that outfit might do it," Percy grinned.

"The style spoke to me for many reasons," she nodded appreciatively to Percy before announcing, "oh, and it's he/ him pronouns today."

Percy sighed in exhaustion, just because he knew he was going to get that wrong at least once and he always felt bad getting the stank eye from Alex even while they made fun of each other for it.

Annabeth couldn't help but study him with the sharp, fascinated eyes of someone seeing something for the first time. Like everyone else, she'd never met a genderfluid person before, and like everything new she ever encountered, she wanted to know more.

Jason came shuffling in last. His face tight, eyes averted to the ground but shoulders straight as he went back to sit beside Nico.

Thalia let him without a word. She knew that kind of anger, she wouldn't let it stay bottled up forever, but Percy and Annabeth were being the life of the party, laughing over what she'd managed to read so far last night and how it all seemed so much simpler back then. She was teasing him about how his guinea pig face must have blushed upon seeing her in that dress while Thalia picked up the book.

Hopefully at lunch she could snag her brother for a private word, perhaps on the roof where he was least likely to cause property damage and try to explain herself again-

"Hey Annabeth," Will leaned forward anxiously in his seat before Thalia could get her thoughts together and start. "Did Rachel ever come to Camp or try to contact you guys?"

Thalia blinked, then her heart did a somersault of guilt as she realized what he was asking.

"No," Annabeth watched him carefully for that tone. "I reached out of course, to see if she had any visions of where Percy was, but-"

"She was in here," Thalia said with numb lips, looking at Magnus's suddenly stark white face. "She, I would have thought Oceanus would send her back and she would have gotten a hold of you-" she stopped with horror as Magnus jumped up.

"But, Hearth-" He'd been an idiot, he'd been an absolute fool to let him get sent anywhere! He might as well superglue a target to his face because Blitz was going to kill him if he didn't die of shame first-

"Whoah, whoah, whoah," Annabeth stood up and came towards him, but he backed away with a guarded look towards her, only to bump into the couch and fall flat back.

She took a step back and spoke to the room at large, only biting at her lip for a moment before speaking with confidence. "Oceanus might seem incompetent, but he knows better than to mess with, um, her." Only to some of them did they understand she meant an Oracle, a blessed of Apollo. The others just thought she sounded very naive; except Percy, of course. He believed her without question even if he wasn't sure why as he rubbed his temple. " I'm positive he didn't do anything to harm her or, um, Hearth. IM's have still been down, or glitchy at best, so she probably couldn't get in touch that way. If he meant to pull me in here and couldn't manage it, I'm sure he just sent them, somewhere they, shouldn't be," she finished with her own confused frown. She couldn't even hope it was inside the continental US, considering how out of touch he seemed.

Magnus heard her through a low buzz, anger at himself at war with panic. Hearth wasn't exactly helpless, but he'd been assuming this whole time he was in some elfish fantasy world with Blitz having the time of his life without being responsible for him. They had to get out of here and, and...his head was swimming. He didn't even know how to start looking for him, let alone what he was going to tell Blitz. Maybe he had some magic dwarf powers and had already found him-

"Nothing's changed then," Alex's voice cut through the fog of his panic like a sword about to behead him. "We need to get out of here, we've only been given one clear way to do that," he sounded so contemptuous and stubborn all at once as he gestured at the books.

The very large pile of books they still had left.

Magnus swallowed a painfully dry throat, trying to hold onto the idea that Alex had been practicing his ASL, he was getting pretty good and Hearth was going to be so pleased when they finally met up again, but gods did that feel as unattainable a life right now as just getting a new pair of socks used to.

"Well let's get to it then," Percy reached out and took Annabeth's hand, giving it a squeeze, before releasing her. A silent promise she could go wherever she wanted in this room and he'd be right here. Rachel was as resilient as her, he scolded his racing heart. She probably couldn't get a hold of anyone from her private island because the satellite her dad owned was having a bad day, it was just his luck, not anything happening to her.

Annabeth backed up slowly, eyes on her cousin, but sat back down beside him.

"Can't get any worse," Jason agreed, his voice rough like he'd been screaming into a pillow half the night.

Nico and Will exchanged miserable looks, feeling as usual the spectators in everybody else's life.

Nobody tried to stop Thalia as she huddled up tight in her seat with a miserable feeling. Some leader she was. If Zeus could see her he'd probably laugh himself stupid off his throne.

"I Meet Some Fishy Relatives," she told the room with a faint smile, Percy had always managed to bring that out in her whether she liked it or not.

"Talking fish?" Magnus asked with interest that even to his own ears felt lackluster. The one time he'd like to be able to shut his brain off and curl up in his sleeping bag, but he didn't want to leave either. This place had always felt like a dream, an escape from his miserable life the moment that door had opened. Hearth was okay, he'd keep telling himself over and over. He was wicked smart and resourceful and probably knew all kinds of elf things he'd never told Magnus about he could yell at him for later.

"All fish are talking fish when Percy meets them," Will chuckled.

"I'm worried it means fishy like suspicious. He blacked out in the ocean, what if Poseidon's enemies captured him," Jason frowned.

"Maybe for once we meet nicer relatives of Percy's, the only one who hasn't wanted to kill him is Tyson," Nico sighed.

Percy looked desperately to Annabeth, and for once, she gave him a commiserating look as she asked, "why are they trying to guess when they could just shut it and find out faster?"

"Thank you!" Percy shouted with such gusto a floom of bubbles left his fingers, "I've been telling them that from the get go!"

"Let them have their game, the actual chapters are usually death and destruction. At least these are fun," Will shrugged.

Thalia wholeheartedly agreed, and added, "maybe he meets the original Pegasus, that'd be a fun play on words."

Percy groaned while Annabeth at least gave Thalia an indulgent smile until the mild laughter subsided and Thalia properly started.

Demigod dreams suck.

"Pretty sure I had a dream last night about a platypus juggling," Alex gave him a sad nod.

"Why you gotta brag man?" Percy sighed.

Alex didn't even point out he was just sharing his awesome dream, it had been a bit of a brag too it wasn't about Loki again.

The thing is, they're never just dreams. They've got to be visions, omens, and all that other mystical stuff that makes my brain hurt.

"Why do you even need the Oracle?" Magnus looked sickened at being hounded by this world even in your sleep. Percy had just watched his friend die, couldn't it ever cut him some slack? "Sounds to me like you guys get enough hellish visions without the green smoke."

"The Oracle's actually more vague than our dreams half the time," Percy agreed with the gripe.

Annabeth gave them both an exasperated look, one Percy associated with having asked her this once before and he'd tuned out the answer, which he only vaguely realized he was doing now as he saw her mouth moving but wasn't taking in a word until she shot Will a dirty look as he snickered and interrupted, "my dad would have smited them already for asking that anywhere else. Can we move on?"

Annabeth obviously didn't agree, but Thalia was more than happy to do so.

I dreamed I was in a dark palace at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately, I recognized it: the palace of the Titans on top of Mount Othrys, otherwise known as Mount Tamalpais, in California.

Percy's hand slipped back into Annabeth's. Slowly, cautiously, but she only smiled without a trace of rejection. He smiled right back, taking any excuse he could to have her close as memories of that place swirled to easily to mind, her grimy face begging Luke for help, Kronos's golden eyes watching pitilessly as Beckendorf closed his eyes and reached for his watch. This place meant nothing but death.

The main pavilion was open to the night, ringed with black Greek columns and statues of the Titans. Torchlight glowed against the black marble floor. In the center of the room, an armored giant struggled under the weight of a swirling funnel cloud—Atlas, holding up the sky.

Thalia gave herself a calming breath. It wasn't Annabeth and Artemis back under there, he was still trapped and he would stay that way.

Two other giant men stood nearby over a bronze brazier, studying images in the flames.

"Where's the midget Titan?" Percy sighed. "Why are they all stocking up on Wheaties and three times the size of me?"

"You needed a growth spurt," Annabeth smirked.

"Quite an explosion," one said. He wore black armor studded with silver dots like a starry night. His face was covered in a war helm with a ram's horn curling on either side.

Jason's blood ran cold, and it was something more than the idea of the Titan. It felt like a memory, like his presence was a sheer force of icy wind trying to bow him over he'd fought against-

"Jason?" Nico's hand was warm as he gave him a friendly nudge, the shock of it so far from where his mind had been trying to loop him into it easily knocked him out.

"Yeah, yeah," he murmured quietly, quickly, hoping Thalia hadn't noticed. What else about his past was she hoarding to herself? He didn't want to deal with any of it right now.

She'd noticed, and was pretending she hadn't just as easily.

"It doesn't matter," the other said.

Percy's anger flared so harsh, all of their vision burned white for a moment as the ocean turned painfully hot in seconds. Beckendorf's sacrifice didn't matter?! Taking out a whole battalion had made them brush him off like a bit of grass!

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice was startled more than afraid, but he hadn't realized he'd yanked his hand out from hers as they balled up into fists. Like he'd vanished right from her side without warning.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," he gasped, taking her hand back gently and curling his fingers tight around her weathered hands, cupping her in both of his as everyone around him blinked and a few even waved their hands in front of their eyes to chase away the spots.

This Titan was dressed in gold robes, with golden eyes like Kronos. His entire body glowed. He reminded me of Apollo, God of the Sun, except the Titan's light was harsher, and his expression crueler.

If Percy hadn't been using every last bit of his usually useless concentration to keep him here in this room, his anger would have been absolute enough to borrow some of that power and explode something. His body remembered this guy like his mind couldn't, it wanted to help him, churn the ocean to his will and finish what had once been started...but there were no Titans in here, and he would keep a lid on himself and not hurt them!

"The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed."

The images in the fire were hard to make out: storms, buildings crumbling, mortals screaming in terror.

"I will go east to marshal our forces," the golden Titan said. "Krios, you shall remain and guard Mount Othrys."

The white specks still dancing in Jason's eyes weren't doing well to chase away the image of stars in the water, the darkness just out of touch in the room. In a better mood he would have liked to speak with Percy how interesting it was he experienced his own anger and how it felt tight, almost painful without a release he wasn't giving and what to do with this feeling, but he wanted to understand this more than his stupid ideas right now.

The ram horn dude grunted. "I always get the stupid jobs. Lord of the South. Lord of Constellations. Now I get to babysit Atlas while you have all the fun."

Nico was impressed at the look that passed over Jason's face, almost a sneer of intimidation just begging to laugh. The sort of confidence that certainly would have made him consider before drawing his own sword.

Under the whirlwind of clouds, Atlas bellowed in agony, "Let me out, curse you! I am your greatest warrior.

Alex scoffed so hard it sounded like it hurt. "He was out of there for how long and got absolutely thrashed by everyone he met."

Thalia gave him an unimpressed look for that cocky attitude. Even Artemis had to trick him back into taking his burden, Zoe and Percy had been a mere annoyance in the meantime.

Annabeth didn't remember much of her time beneath the sky, mostly just black fuzzy pain she'd have given anything to be away from, but she'd heard Atlas's voice speaking to Luke and knew it was the cause of her pain. She did her best to suppress a shiver and shove that memory back away to wherever it was. How had Percy been taking all of this so calmly? Just one whisper of a memory of her past and she felt like crawling out of her skin.

Take my burden so I may fight!"

Nico chuckled for himself. He felt like that was the real punishment, not even the sky itself. That Atlas had to rely on someone else to take it, that he couldn't force his burden away. It was something he was sure his dad had thought up.

"Quiet!" the golden Titan roared. "You had your chance, Atlas. You failed. Kronos likes you just where you are. As for you, Krios, do your duty."

"And if you need more warriors?" Krios asked. "Our treacherous nephew in the tuxedo will not do you much good in a fight."

"Tuxedo?" One of Alex's brows shot up with interest. "Who's showing up to the party in all their glory?"

"I volunteer Alex fight them if he's that invested," Percy sighed. "Fashion runway faceoff maybe."

"Don't tempt me," he smirked. "I can resist everything but temptation," rolling the last word on his tongue and savoring it. Magnus swallowed and looked quickly away from those lips.

The golden Titan laughed. "Don't worry about him. Besides, the gods can barely handle our first little challenge. They have no idea how many others we have in store. Mark my words, in a few days' time, Olympus will be in ruins, and we will meet here again to celebrate the dawn of the Sixth Age!"

The golden Titan erupted into flames and disappeared.

"Oh, sure," Krios grumbled. "He gets to erupt into flames. I get to wear these stupid ram's horns."

If he didn't like them so much, Jason would be happy to rip them off. The feeling sat clenched and painful until his mind was forced to move on, he could feel a sharp breeze tugging at his clothes he wasn't consciously aware of. Somewhere in his memories, he knew that as much as Crius resented his placement in the cosmos, he had known how to use those powers.

The scene shifted. Now I was outside the pavilion, hiding in the shadows of a Greek column. A boy stood next to me, eavesdropping on the Titans. He had dark silky hair, pale skin, and dark clothes—my friend Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades.

Nico smiled in surprise Percy had once considered him a friend. Surely that placement had stayed in the months since, despite everything that had happened...until he'd been forgotten about like everybody else.

"You were just casually spying on Titans?" Will sighed, in a very exhausted kind of way that already meant he knew his worry would fall on deaf ears.

He was right, he might as well have been talking to Hearth. "Uhhu," Nico nodded. "I pulled Percy into that dream. Something I was experimenting with, pretty cool it worked, huh?"

Annabeth sighed, Percy looked startled, but Will grinned faintly, like he was impressed. There weren't Titans around anymore to worry about Nico continuing to do this, but Will still hoped he might be able to provide backup one day anyways.

Nico was imagining the same thing, and fought hard to suppress a laugh at Will trying to blend into the shadows with that blond hair. It wasn't working very well.

He looked straight at me, his expression grim. "You see, Percy?" he whispered. "You're running out of time. Do you really think you can beat them without my plan?"

"That plan?" Percy groaned, knowing full well the answer was buried somewhere in his head and the current source of his headache.

The room was collectively silent in answer, though Jason and Alex looked a little put out too like they would have backed Percy up on getting an answer to that sooner rather than later. Thalia decided to keep reading before that broke out into more.

His words washed over me as cold as the ocean floor, and my dreams went black.

"Percy?" a deep voice said.

My head felt like it had been microwaved in aluminum foil.

"Well, nothing else has got his brain firing on all pistons, someone was bound to try this eventually," Thalia chuckled.

I opened my eyes and saw a large shadowy figure looming over me.

"Beckendorf?" I asked hopefully.

"No, brother."

It was the first time everybody wasn't excited to hear about Tyson. The quiet, heavy weight of the room still circled around that name, not even a moment to hope it had been true before Thalia had taken it away.

My eyes refocused. I was looking at a Cyclops—a misshapen face, ratty brown hair, one big brown eye full of concern. "Tyson?"

My brother broke into a toothy grin. "Yay! Your brain works!"

"Debatable," Annabeth smirked.

Percy had never looked so thrilled to be insulted by someone. It was sort of cute, and kind of sad as Annabeth had yet taken her eyes off him, the lines under her eyes hardly less than yesterday.

I wasn't so sure. My body felt weightless and cold. My voice sounded wrong. I could hear Tyson, but it was more like I was hearing vibrations inside my skull, not the regular sounds.

Jason stirred with interest first, looking quizzically at Percy, then around the room. "Isn't Tyson still in Neptune's Kingdom? Did someone bring you there?"

"Makes sense," Percy nodded wearily. He had last blacked out in the ocean, that ship would have sent a massive echo throughout the deep waters attracting everything, plenty of creatures who would know where to take him. Even for once, getting an answer right as he woke up, couldn't overpower his still settling knowledge that Beckendorf couldn't have survived the same.

I sat up, and a gossamer sheet floated away. I was on a bed made of silky woven kelp, in a room paneled with abalone shell. Glowing pearls the size of basketballs floated around the ceiling, providing light. I was under water.

"Next time, Poseidon should kidnap us outright," Alex huffed. "His digs sound way nicer than what we got."

Annabeth nodded in agreement, but Percy saw the sadness creep over her face as she looked around. He could only imagine what was going on in that big, beautiful brain of hers, and what she might suggest to their current prison-lords on how to spruce up the place.

Now, being the son of Poseidon and all, I was okay with this. I can breathe underwater just fine, and my clothes don't even get wet unless I want them to. But it was still a bit of a shock when a hammerhead shark drifted through the bedroom window, regarded me, and then swam calmly out the opposite side of the room.

"Where—"

"Daddy's palace," Tyson said.

Jason was starting to look a little put out why they weren't all hearing each others voices through the vibrations in the water, and why they'd been foisted to some old Titan instead of the central hubbub of an Olympian's palace.

Nico sighed in exasperation as Alex was still muttering about that too, and he vividly remembered how unhappy Oceanus was about them even being here. There was just no pleasing anybody when it came to kidnapping.

Under different circumstances, I would've been excited. I'd never visited Poseidon's realm, and I'd been dreaming about it for years.

"Why haven't we been hearing about those dreams?" Magnus sighed. "All we've been hearing is death, and potential death, and threatening's of death."

Percy thought about it for a moment before offering, "I think there was one where Bessie and I sat around blowing bubbles. She was green for some reason."

"I accept that," Magnus chuckled in surprise, "I honestly was starting to doubt you could have normal dreams."

But my head hurt. My shirt was still speckled with burn marks from the explosion. My arm and leg wounds had healed—just being in the ocean can do that for me, given enough time—but I still felt like I'd been trampled by a Laistrygonian soccer team in cleats.

"Wearing short shorts," Alex just had to add to the trauma. "Doing speckys off one another and smelling wretched!"

"He's just like that. All the time." Percy told Annabeth's calculating face upon him.

"Ah," she nodded as if she'd come to much the same conclusion.

"Nobody's going to ask what a specky is?" Alex asked in disappointment.

"Nobody was foolish enough to think you weren't going to explain," Jason promised.

"They jump off one another!" He shouted.

"In the, cleats?" Magnus asked in concern.

"Well they don't take their shoes off during the game Magnus," he sniffed.

"Right," he sighed while Thalia uneasily looked down at the book and decided to keep reading before Alex wanted to start demonstrating.

"How long—"

"We found you last night," Tyson said, "sinking through the water."

"The Princess Andromeda?"

"Went ka-boom," Tyson confirmed.

It was a mark of how bad things were Tyson had put no enthusiasm into one of his favorite activities. Likely because the big guy knew from personal experience how ships going ka-boom could be dangerous, since he'd been in the middle of one.

"Beckendorf was on board. Did you find . . ."

Tyson's face darkened. "No sign of him. I am sorry, brother."

I stared out the window into deep blue water. Beckendorf was supposed to go to college in the fall. He had a girlfriend, lots of friends, his whole life ahead of him. He couldn't be gone.

The pain in Thalia's voice as she read that stunned them. She hadn't even known Beckendorf, yet it sounded so personal to her...as her eyes flickered to Jason.

Annabeth felt like she was still caught in the middle of that hurricane if she thought about that to long. That someone she considered a sister had a past, a secret sibling she'd never shared a word about. Something had happened to him, this she easily devised. These exact feelings Percy expressed was probably as close as Thalia had ever come to dealing with the loss of him being out of her life.

Jason watched her, studying her with those same vibrant blue eyes. The anger was still there, but it was cooling now to calculating, a type of focus Annabeth knew all to well. Checking your opponent for their weakness, he was analyzing her to see how much she meant that. Annabeth knew her well enough to know she meant every painful word for him.

Maybe he'd made it off the ship like I had. Maybe he'd jumped over the side . . . and what? He couldn't have survived a hundred-foot fall into the water like I could. He couldn't have put enough distance between himself and the explosion.

I knew in my gut he was dead. He'd sacrificed himself to take out the Princess Andromeda, and I had abandoned him.

I thought about my dream: the Titans discussing the explosion as if it didn't matter, Nico di Angelowarning me that I would never beat Kronos without following his plan—a dangerous idea I'd been avoiding for more than a year.

"How is it," Alex redirected easily onto Percy her frustration with the universe, "that even when you finally know something before the last second, we still don't get to hear it!"

Percy wanted to tell them. He sighed and opened his mouth and would have, but the moment he tried his tongue felt swollen, the pain in his head amplified like a comet heading towards his butt. There were things, memories, experiences connected with Nico's plan that were hard to tie together into one cohesive explanation for Alex.

"I feel just as out of the loop," Annabeth quickly intervened, that look of pained frustration on his face she'd do anything to help ease away. "I know the outcome and I wasn't given any forewarning of this. Percy made a plan without me!"

Magnus chuckled for her, the stiff silence in the room mellowing away, but it lingered as Percy let out a shaky sigh instead of joining in.

A distant blast shook the room. Green light blazed outside, turning the whole sea as bright as noon.

"What was that?" I asked.

Tyson looked worried. "Daddy will explain. Come, he is blowing up monsters."

"Monsters?" Magnus emphasized the plural in concern. "A blast like that from a god didn't incinerate anything in the ocean he wanted?" His voice squeaked at the end, Annabeth felt rather bad the news seemed to hit him so hard.

She felt even worse she didn't have a better answer for him than anyone else.

The palace might have been the most amazing place I'd ever seen if it hadn't been in the process of getting destroyed. We swam to the end of a long hallway and shot upward on a geyser. As we rose over the rooftops I caught my breath—well, if you can catch your breath underwater.

"I'm still concerned where the bathroom leads," Nico frowned, "physics has fallen pretty far down the ladder."

The palace was as big as the city on Mount Olympus, with wide courtyards, gardens, and columned pavilions. The gardens were sculpted with coral colonies and glowing sea plants. Twenty or thirty buildings were made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows. The paths were lined with glowing pearls like Christmas lights.

Thalia sounded delightfully greedy. She could pin Percy down and never get these kinds of details about such an amazing place only a handful of demigods would ever visit. The idea did give her a sense of vertigo though, imagining herself so far off the ground traversing over this...even while being underwater which seriously made her stomach churn in confusion and fear.

The main courtyard was filled with warriors—mermen with fish tails from the waist down and human bodies from the waist up, except their skin was blue, which I'd never known before. Some were tending the wounded. Some were sharpening spears and swords. One passed us, swimming in a hurry. His eyes were bright green, like that stuff they put in glo-sticks, and his teeth were shark teeth. They don't show you stuff like that in The Little Mermaid.

"But they should have," Alex's eyes gleamed with interest as he ran a hand through his green hair. "Let's see how many kids still want to reenact Part of Your World with sharkteeth!"

"You, and maybe Percy," Jason snorted.

"I bet there's plenty of kids out there into the ocean who would still get a kick out of these guys," Percy defended the random sea-loving children of the world.

The others just started snickering Percy hadn't denied he'd jumped on a rock and tried to do that dramatic scene with waves and all at least once.

Outside the main courtyard stood large fortifications—towers, walls, and antisiege weapons—but most of these had been smashed to ruins. Others were blazing with a strange green light that I knew well—Greek fire, which can burn even underwater.

"Wait, so how do you put it out?" Magnus asked in concern, vividly remembering kids casually using this on each other during those chariot races.

"A god has to personally put it out," Annabeth shrugged.

"Mr. D puts it out in the jars sometimes when we annoy him," Percy huffed.

Beyond this, the sea floor stretched into gloom. I could see battles raging—flashes of energy, explosions, the glint of armies clashing. A regular human would've found it too dark to see. Heck, a regular human would've been crushed by the pressure and frozen by the cold. Even my heat-sensitive eyes couldn't make out exactly what was going on.

Magnus still had moments where he just sat there and realized none of these guys were human. Even after all the crazy shit he constantly heard of Percy doing, he looked like just a regular guy. They talked and laughed and it just wasn't a thing until Percy himself pointed it out in moments like this.

At the edge of the palace complex, a temple with a red coral roof exploded, sending fire and debris streaming in slow motion across the farthest gardens. Out of the darkness above, an enormous form appeared—a squid larger than any skyscraper. It was surrounded by a glittering cloud of dust—at least I thought it was dust, until I realized it was a swarm of mermen trying to attack the monster. The squid descended on the palace and swatted its tentacles, smashing a whole column of warriors. Then a brilliant arc of blue light shot from the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings. The light hit the giant squid, and the monster dissolved like food coloring in water.

"Daddy," Tyson said, pointing to where the light had come from.

Percy beamed with pride at his father's power. He imagined some huge Hollywood monster coming up to the surface and terrorizing a beach, only for that streak of light to flash across the surface. Then a fade to black, and "Tentacles," and the credits to roll or something. Last time he'd seen such godly power, Thalia had been shaken and wondering if it was her own father who tried to kill her. Hera manipulating their quest for what she wanted. His dad proved that kind of might was used for good too.

Poor squid though.

"He did that?" I suddenly felt more hopeful. My dad had unbelievable powers. He was the god of the sea. He could deal with this attack, right? Maybe he'd let me help.

"Have you been in the fight?" I asked Tyson in awe. "Like bashing heads with your awesome Cyclops strength and stuff?"

Tyson pouted, and immediately I knew I'd asked a bad question, "I have been . . . fixing weapons," he mumbled.

"He's keeping Tyson safe," Annabeth said as Percy frowned, but it was strange for her to try and explain that. Her parents had never bothered trying with her, so it didn't sound like much to her ears Poseidon had apparently tried with his younger batch.

"Come. Let's go find Daddy."

I know this might sound weird to people with, like, regular parents,

"None of which are in this room," Will snorted.

but I'd only seen my dad four or five times in my life, and never for more than a few minutes. The Greek gods don't exactly show up for their kids' basketball games. Still, I thought I would recognize Poseidon on sight.

I was wrong.

The roof of the temple was a big open deck that had been set up as a command center. A mosaic on the floor showed an exact map of the palace grounds and the surrounding ocean, but the mosaic moved.

Colored stone tiles representing different armies and sea monsters shifted around as the forces changed position. Buildings that collapsed in real life also collapsed in the picture.

Standing around the mosaic, grimly studying the battle, was a strange assortment of warriors, but none of them looked like my dad. I was searching for a big guy with a good tan and a black beard, wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.

There was nobody like that. One guy was a merman with two fish tails instead of one. His skin was green, his armor studded with pearls. His black hair was tied in a ponytail, and he looked young—though it's hard to tell with non-humans. They could be a thousand years old or three. Standing next to him was an old man with a bushy white beard and gray hair. His battle armor seemed to weigh him down. He had green eyes and smile wrinkles around his eyes, but he wasn't smiling now. He was studying the map and leaning on a large metal staff. To his right stood a beautiful woman in green armor with flowing black hair and strange little horns like crab claws. And there was a dolphin—just a regular dolphin, but it was staring at the map intently.

"Any, guesses?" Alex asked hesitantly, like he wasn't sure himself for once if he was supposed to poke fun at, any of that.

"Um, I vote the double-tailed merman," Nico offered. "He's trying to be a part of his warriors."

"I was going to vote the chick, or the dolphin," Alex shrugged, "I see no reason he'd confine himself to one shape."

"If he's just being weird and deciding to be those mosaic tiles, I reserve the right to freak out," Magnus grumbled.

Jason and Thalia exchanged a look, before Jason quickly looked away, but they knew they'd been thinking the same thing. The green eyes and smile wrinkles, the human traits he passed onto Percy nobody could really miss. Nico was half right in that he was showing the shape of his kingdom, how rundown it was from the constant stress of this war their father would never dare let show.

"Delphin," the old man said. "Send Palaemon and his legion of sharks to the western front. We have to neutralize those leviathans."

"Has anybody got Atlantis on the phone for backup?" Will asked hesitantly.

"Pretty sure that place is Atlantis," Annabeth reminded. It was a common fight in her cabin to out due each other with who could prove the strangest myth mortals blamed on Greek mythology. So far Clause was winning with some secret organization he was close to uncovering, though he'd only shown enough proof to convince them they even existed last she heard, he was still working on specifics.

The dolphin spoke in a chattering voice, but I could understand it in my mind: Yes, lord! It sped away.

I looked in dismay at Tyson, then back at the old man.

It didn't seem possible, but . . . "Dad?" I asked.

The others winced, Alex muttering it was more about losing his guess than pity for a god, but nobody believed him.

The old man looked up. I recognized the twinkle in his eyes, but his face . . . he looked like he'd aged forty years.

"Hello, Percy."

"What—what happened to you?"

Tyson nudged me. He was shaking his head so hard I was afraid it would fall off,

"We already knew Tyson had more sense than Percy ever will, no need for him to show off," Thalia snorted.

Annabeth found herself smiling at all of the strangers though that not one of them looked mildly concerned at Percy blabbing the first thing that came to his mind to a god. At least they'd been getting to know the real him.

but Poseidon didn't look offended.

"It's all right, Tyson," he said. "Percy, excuse my appearance. The war has been hard on me."

"But you're immortal," I said quietly. "You can look . . . any way you want."

"I reflect the state of my realm," he said. "And right now that state is quite grim. Percy, I should introduce you—I'm afraid you just missed my lieutenant Delphin, God of the Dolphins.

"There's a god of Dolphin's!" Magnus's spluttering wavered between a laugh and disbelief. "Is, is there a god of all animals? Is there a god of snails?!"

Percy chewed on that for a minute before deciding, "I have no idea, but it wouldn't surprise me."

"No, there's not," Annabeth properly answered with a shake of her head at Percy. "Delphin carried Amphitrite to Poseidon, and he made him a constellation in thanks."

"Oh yeah," Percy nodded, vaguely remembering the story now that she'd said it, while Magnus grinned in thanks at his cousin. She smiled readily back. As strange as it was to have him around, it at least wasn't unpleasant.

This is my, er, wife, Amphitrite. My dear—"

The lady in green armor stared at me coldly, then crossed her arms and said, "Excuse me, my lord. I am needed in the battle."

She swam away.

"Brrr," Will mock shivered while Thalia gave Percy a look like, 'be grateful.' Will felt so lucky his dad hadn't actually managed an immortal wife for this reason alone. Nico's time around Persephone only reinforced that.

I felt pretty awkward, but I guess I couldn't blame her. I'd never thought about it much, but my dad had an immortal wife. All his romances with mortals, including with my mom . . . well, Amphitrite probably didn't like that much.

"I think I'd prefer that than being turned into a dandelion," Jason shivered at the sudden, heavy knowledge that sank in. Hera was his stepmom! Crap!

She hadn't ever seemed to do anything to Thalia, that she'd mentioned anyways, but he had a very confident sense of doom there was a story there all the same.

Poseidon cleared his throat. "Yes, well . . . and this is my son Triton. Er, my other son."

"Your son and heir," the green dude corrected.

"Percy, I don't think this court likes you very much," Alex told him in dismay. "They clearly haven't heard of your amazing travels as Lord of the Bathroom."

"Supreme Lord of the Bathroom without question," Percy said grandly, clearly tired of trying to convince Alex otherwise to stop bringing that up. Magnus shook his head as Percy fell into the 'join them' category. "Which is obviously all your fault Alex," Percy smirked, "you haven't been spreading word fast enough of all my deeds."

"I don't know what you're talking about, you're trending on the vine," he chuckled.

"The gossiping trees don't count," Percy huffed while Annabeth looked between the two, half amused, half concerned. Thalia nodded behind Percy's back to assure her this was just how the two of them got on.

His double fish tails swished back and forth. He smiled at me, but there was no friendliness in his eyes. "Hello, Perseus Jackson. Come to help at last?"

He acted like I was late or lazy. If you can blush underwater, I probably did.

"Tell me what to do," I said.

Triton smiled like that was a cute suggestion—like I was a slightly amusing dog that had barked for him or something.

Nico laughed, a terrifying, quiet kind of noise that sent a shiver up their spines. This minor god had no clue what all Percy had done, how Percy had been gifted everything Poseidon and Sally had to offer and was the best of them all for it.

Percy smiled in surprise at Nico's creepy laugh clearly being used in his defense. That was a nice change of pace.

He turned to Poseidon. "I will see to the front line, Father. Don't worry. I will not fail."

He nodded politely to Tyson. How come I didn't get that much respect?

"Clearly he needs to be kidnapped and taught a lesson next," Alex sneered.

Will winced and resisted the urge to cover his ears at the idea of kidnapping gods, even minor gods, to teach them a lesson. That sounded like a recipe for disaster with lots of dead bodies more than any nice life morality lessons happening.

Then he shot off into the water.

Poseidon sighed. He raised his staff, and it changed into his regular weapon—a huge three-pointed trident. The tip glowed with blue light, and the water around it boiled with energy.

"I'm sorry about that," he told me.

A huge sea serpent appeared from above us and spiraled down toward the roof. It was bright orange with a fanged mouth big enough to swallow a gymnasium.

Hardly looking up, Poseidon pointed his trident at the beast and zapped it with blue energy. Ka-boom!

The monster burst into a million goldfish, which all swam off in terror.

Magnus felt something shake loose in him and swim off like a goldfish too. He hoped it was his last shred of sanity so he'd stop being so surprised by this. Most likely it was his bladder just abandoning him.

"My family is anxious," Poseidon continued as if nothing had happened.

Percy nodded. He'd been abashed by his poor showing at this 'family reunion.' It didn't surprise him in the slightest he'd have to earn his dad's side of the family respect just like he did any god, if he ever even wanted it.

"The battle against Oceanus is going poorly."

He pointed to the edge of the mosaic. With the butt of his trident he tapped the image of a merman larger than the rest, with the horns of a bull. He appeared to be riding a chariot pulled by crawfish, and instead of a sword he wielded a live serpent.

"Well that's, interesting," Jason sounded almost complimentary.

"I'm just grateful he didn't post the crawfish as centries at the door," Percy scoffed. It was extremely frustrating this Titan's abilities seemed to trump his own and he couldn't escape. His dad showing his age, fighting against this constantly for years, it made all the more sense.

"Oceanus," I said, trying to remember. "The Titan of the sea?"

Poseidon nodded. "He was neutral in the first war of gods and Titans. But Kronos has convinced him to fight. This is . . . well, it's not a good sign. Oceanus would not commit unless he was sure he could pick the winning side."

"Which clearly didn't work out very well for him," Thalia sneered.

"Yeah, and his punishment is somehow us," Jason said dully. It was the first time he'd acknowledged her, purposefully spoken to her. His premonition about Hera lingered, Mr. D's punishment an easy point to make.

Thalia winced and looked away this time, all but confirming Jason's suspicion.

"He looks stupid," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "I mean, who fights with a snake?"

"Daddy will tie it in knots," Tyson said firmly.

Annabeth hadn't seen that serpent around his palace, and honestly did wonder what had happened to it. Where had Tethy's been during this battle? Who had approached whom for this deal to be struck for them to be here?

Poseidon smiled, but he looked weary. "I appreciate your faith. We have been at war almost a year now. My powers are taxed.

Magnus didn't realize their powers could be taxed. Wasn't that the point of being a god, unlimited power? He knew they could fade, he knew they could have flaws, but now hearing this, his brain kept nitpicking over the specifics of what made them a god then? What key element was it that separated them from us, other than their uncanny ability to disintegrate whatever they wanted.

And still he finds new forces to throw at me—sea monsters so ancient I had forgotten about them."

I heard an explosion in the distance. About half a mile away, a mountain of coral disintegrated under the weight of two giant creatures. I could dimly make out their shapes. One was a lobster. The other was a giant humanoid like a Cyclops, but he was surrounded by a flurry of limbs. At first I thought he wearing a bunch of giant octopi. Then I realized they were his own arms—a hundred flailing, fighting arms.

"Briares!" I said.

I was happy to see him, but he looked like he was fighting for his life. He was the last of his kind—a Hundred-Handed One, cousin of the Cyclopes. We'd saved him from Kronos's prison last summer, and I knew he'd come to help Poseidon, but I hadn't heard of him since.

"He fights well," Poseidon said. "I wish we had a whole army like him, but he is the only one."

I watched as Briares bellowed in rage and picked up the lobster, which thrashed and snapped its pincers. He threw it off the coral mountain, and the lobster disappeared into the darkness. Briares swam after it, his hundred arms spinning like the blades of a motorboat.

Alex smiled fondly for all of the freakish things down there that were defending their home without question. When Percy was the outcast of that place, he had a feeling he'd love to fit in. He longed to make a sculpture of Braries, he wished that the Loch Ness monster or some ancient world turtle would appear to cap off this day of extravagant new beings he was hearing about.

"Percy, we may not have much time," my dad said. "Tell me of your mission. Did you see Kronos?"

I told him everything, though my voice choked up when I explained about Beckendorf. I looked down at the courtyards below and saw hundreds of wounded mermen lying on makeshift cots. I saw rows of coral mounds that must've been hastily made graves. I realized Beckendorf wasn't the first death. He was only one of hundreds, maybe thousands. I'd never felt so angry and helpless.

They could see that. The water began bubbling around Percy's head like an angry vat, he let out a breath and steam made a hissing noise that made Will shiver. He'd let go of Annabeth's hand as if on instinct to switch into battle mode.

"I know," Annabeth promised, reaching for him without fear. Her hand hovered just out of reach above his, feeling the heat but not pressing in. To her, Luke had been the first casualty of Kronos's war, convincing him to abandon her, them all.

Percy's anger didn't quite shimmer away, more clicked down to a low simmering boil. He could hear everything she hadn't said in those two words, and for now, his conflicting feelings outweighed his anger on the outcome of it all when she brought up Luke, again.

Poseidon stroked his beard. "Percy, Beckendorf chose a heroic death. You bear no blame for that.

Percy didn't want to hear those words, especially coming out of Thalia's mouth. They both knew a heroic sacrifice could easily be in vain.

Kronos's army will be in disarray. Many were destroyed."

"But we didn't kill him, did we?"

Percy didn't need to see his friends wincing and avoiding his eyes. He already knew.

As I said it, I knew it was a naive hope. We might blow up his ship and disintegrate his monsters, but a Titan lord wouldn't be so easy to kill.

Anger bubbled in Percy's chest, he found himself glancing at Annabeth for an answer just like always. She knew what it would take to defeat him and wasn't telling him, just like Thalia. Was it for the better? Probably, but that didn't make it feel okay right now when Beckendorf deserved answers at his final resting! He studied his hands, stress radiating from his gut at what he'd done, what he might be capable of to achieve that kind of power.

"No," Poseidon admitted. "But you've bought our side some time."

"There were demigods on that ship," I said, thinking of the kid I'd seen in the stairwell.

Jason swallowed his impulsive answer. The dog eat dog nature of war; that had been those kid's choice. It bothered him greatly that was his first thought, because it matched nothing about what he'd woken up feeling. Being here, having to hear Percy's story wasn't really his 'choice.' Sure he could sit out, nobody was making him be in here but his own curiosity. He had a suspicion those kids had been given even less say. If they'd run away from camp or home, with no satyr to guide them on their way back, but instead were raised in an environment where you learned to fight or this was your fate.

Somehow I'd allowed myself to concentrate on the monsters and Kronos. I'd convinced myself that destroying their ship was all right because they were evil, they were sailing to attack my city, and besides, they couldn't really be permanently killed. Monsters just vaporized and re-formed eventually. But demigods ...

Poseidon put his hand on my shoulder. "Percy, there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship, and they all chose to battle for Kronos. Perhaps some heeded your warning and escaped. If they did not . . . they chose their path."

"They were brainwashed!" I said. "Now they're dead and Kronos is still alive. That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Nobody expects you to feel okay about this Percy, let alone better," Will promised, his voice one level off from being choked up. "And if your dad does, well, that says more about him than you."

Percy sighed, biting down hard on Riptide's pen cap, enough he would have ruined any other ballpoint pen. His dad rarely showed this kind of callousness like the other gods. It didn't feel dismissive, which was worse. Poseidon clearly understood Percy didn't agree, but wanted him to.

I glared at the mosaic—little tile explosions destroying tile monsters. It seemed so easy when it was just a picture.

Tyson put his arm around me. If anybody else had tried that, I would've pushed him away, but Tyson was too big and stubborn. He hugged me whether I wanted it or not.

Annabeth couldn't help a giggle in surprise. Percy looked so aggrieved, and it was one of the things she liked best about Tyson, how he could always get through to Percy even when she couldn't.

"Not your fault, brother. Kronos does not explode good. Next time we will use a big stick."

Everybody in the room laughed in delight, each one able to think of a specific and different memory of why they'd like to help hit Kronos with the biggest stick they could find. Alex was personally imagining whacking him with Yggdrasil a few times.

"Percy," my father said. "Beckendorf's sacrifice wasn't in vain. You have scattered the invasion force. New York will be safe for a time, which frees the other Olympians to deal with the bigger threat."

It was the most comforting thing his dad could offer, even if it didn't do him much good. He wished his mom were there, or here. She'd know the right thing to say about Beckendorf, about all of those kids who had to die so Kronos could just keep scheming another day.

"The bigger threat?" I thought about what the golden Titan had said in my dream: The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed.

A shadow passed over my father's face. "You've had enough sorrow for one day. Ask Chiron when you return to camp."

"Because that's Chiron's specialty, delivering the worst news," Magnus groaned.

"Sometimes he delegates to Percy," Nico muttered his agreement.

"Return to camp? But you're in trouble here. I want to help!"

"You can't, Percy. Your job is elsewhere."

I couldn't believe I was hearing this. I looked at Tyson for backup.

"Doesn't sound like Tysons's getting to help as much as he wanted either," Annabeth shook her head.

"Teaming up might get the job done," but Percy knew a lost cause when it started. As far as he knew, they were his dad's youngest kids, they had the least leverage of anyone in that court no matter how many tantrums they threw.

My brother chewed his lip. "Daddy . . . Percy can fight with a sword. He is good."

"I know that," Poseidon said gently.

"Dad, I can help," I said. "I know I can. You're not going to hold out here much longer."

Will still winced at Percy all this time later. How he imagined his voice rising with anger, telling a god that they couldn't do this without a mortal's help, that they were weak. Percy would have been fused with Poseidon's throne as a footrest if he were any other god.

A fireball launched into the sky from behind the enemy lines. I thought Poseidon would deflect it or something, but it landed on the outer corner of the yard and exploded, sending mermen tumbling through the water. Poseidon winced as if he'd just been stabbed.

Alex imagined it must feel something like that every time a tanker full of oil exploded, or a storm blew to much trash to tangle up his echo system. The god was clearly overtaxed. It made him feel very human, as his son's sea-green eyes flickered with pain for him.

"Return to camp," he insisted. "And tell Chiron it is time."

"For what?"

"You must hear the prophecy. The entire prophecy."

I didn't need to ask him which prophecy.

"You sure you don't Perce?" Jason said with a tired grin. "You've somehow managed to strangle an answer out of every one you've been there for, so unless there's some secret great prophecy you've been sitting on," he trailed off with a laugh, but he sounded exhausted, and he started rubbing at his temple like the joke was funnier to himself than he expected anyone else to get.

I'd been hearing about the "Great Prophecy" for years, but nobody would ever tell me the whole thing. All I knew was that I was supposed to make a decision that would decide the fate of the world—but no pressure.

"Which is weird because you work best under pressure," Magnus rolled his eyes. "Clearly you're at maximum power down here."

"Ha, ha, ha," Percy said dryly, though he smiled along as Annabeth chuckled for real.

"What if this is the decision?" I said. "Staying here to fight, or leaving? What if I leave and you . . ."

"You've already tried to convince yourself once in twenty-four hours what the decision was," Annabeth told him in exasperation. "It wasn't even your birthday yet!"

"You know I hate sitting around waiting for things," he groaned, "I once made the sewers back up standing around for a bus one winter I was so bored."

"You once threatened to eat your homework before you'd do it," she rolled her eyes. "Clearly you can successfully avoid whatever you want."

"I've never been able to avoid you because I've known you for years," he huffed, "clearly the timing is more important than a stupid grade."

"Oh, it's my fault?" Her brows went up, but her tone was quickly growing amused.

"You're the one who wouldn't shut up about me being the big Propechy kid when I first showed up," he needlessly reminded. "I wasn't even conscious and you were putting pressure on me about this!"

"How long can they go on like this?" Nico loudly stage whispered, almost going unheard under Annabeth's response.

"A while," Will and Thalia both sighed. She had the book though, so she finally reached across and began thwacking it between them like a teacher at a school dance preaching to leave room for Jesus.

They leaned back, both looking a little bashful they'd clearly forgotten anybody else in the room.

I couldn't say die. Gods weren't supposed to die, but I'd seen it happen. Even if they didn't die, they could be reduced to nearly nothing, exiled, imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus like Kronos had been.

For a horrifying moment Percy wondered if that's what had happened to his dad. If he was down here because some enemy had meant to trap Poseidon in some unescapable prison but snatched him instead. Percy didn't know how he'd get him out, but he'd try, at least as hard as he would for anybody else in his family.

"Percy, you must go," Poseidon insisted. "I don't know what your final decision will be, but your fight lies in the world above. If nothing else, you must warn your friends at camp. Kronos knew your plans. You have a spy. We will hold here. We have no choice."

He didn't have to win, he just had to give everything he had left, Percy frowned. It didn't seem like much of a choice to him.

Tyson gripped my hand desperately. "I will miss you, brother!"

Watching us, our father seemed to age another ten years. "Tyson, you have work to do as well, my son. They need you in the armory."

Tyson pouted some more.

"I will go," he sniffled. He hugged me so hard he almost cracked my ribs. "Percy, be careful! Do not let monsters kill you dead!"

"Only in Percy's line of work does he have to emphasize the dead part," Thalia said with a forced smile. "The rest of us, kill usually means dead, but nooo, Percy needs that clarification or he'll just pop up at his funeral again."

Percy chuckled because he knew that's what Thalia wanted, but it was a somber noise. She knew as well as he did, coming back from the brink of death didn't always feel like a victory.

I tried to nod confidently, but it was too much for the big guy. He sobbed and swam away toward the armory, where his cousins were fixing spears and swords.

"You should let him fight," I told my father. "He hates being stuck in the armory. Can't you tell?"

Poseidon shook his head. "It is bad enough I must send you into danger. Tyson is too young. I must protect him."

"You should trust him," I said. "Not try to protect him."

Thalia's wrist jiggled her bracelet around, the clinks of her chain going unnoticed as often as she readjusted herself. She wanted to fidget with it now, but couldn't with the book in hand. She had come the closest to parenting in this room, and while the others were all muttering in agreement with Percy, she got it. She looked at Annabeth, stiff lip and frustration on her face at another parent not trusting their child. Then she dared another look at Jason, who she hadn't been able to protect any better.

It hurt to wish for Luke, even for a second, to commiserate this feeling with, so her mind flipped easily to Grover. He'd fostered more kids than anyone taking them to camp. He'd found that perfect balance to strike between trusting them and protecting them.

Her hesitation had been brief enough nobody noticed the pause except the small clicking of her bracelet.

Poseidon's eyes flared. I thought I'd gone too far, but then he looked down at the mosaic and his shoulders sagged. On the tiles, the mermaid guy in the crawfish chariot was coming closer to the palace.

"Oceanus approaches," my father said. "I must meet him in battle."

"After you and Tyson are safely out of the way, huh?" Magnus asked with a sad smile. It had been a long time since he'd gotten even a hint of what a protective parent was willing to do, though he still remembered every day. "Coincidence? I think not!"

Percy wasn't very impressed by his joke any more than his dad. He'd already done the impossible four times over, all he was asking was his dad to trust him like Paul and his mom did.

I'd never been scared for a god before, but I didn't see how my dad could face this Titan and win.

A horrible thought struck Percy. What if he hadn't? What if that was why his dad hadn't made contact this whole time? Oceanus had said Poseidon had stepped in, but that easily could have been a lie to gain his trust.

While listening to all of this, Annabeth's mind had still been whirling and connecting and cutting at least a hundred plans and ideas now for what could be going on as well, and she had her suspicions while looking at Jason why her own prayers, why everybody's prayers at camp weren't going well. She reached gently today, expecting Percy to jump as her fingers graced his wrist, but he merely breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at her with worried eyes. She squeezed, just there, and he smiled and nodded as Thalia kept going.

"I will hold," Poseidon promised. "I will not give up my domain. Just tell me, Percy, do you still have the birthday gift I gave you last summer?"

I nodded and pulled out my camp necklace. It had a bead for every summer I'd been at Camp HalfBlood, but since last year I'd also kept a sand dollar on the cord. My father had given it to me for my fifteenth birthday. He'd told me I would know when to "spend it," but so far I hadn't figured out what he meant. All I knew was that it didn't fit the vending machines in the school cafeteria.

Which at least got the others to all crack up again. Percy grinned unabashedly and looked exaggeratedly down at his necklace that housed no such thing and said, "hey, maybe I finally got someone to trade me for a hotdog with everything on it?"

"I want to know which snack you found so tempting you tried in the first place?" Alex grinned.

"Bag of Cheez-Its, I had a craving," Percy shrugged.

"I had you as more of a goldfish kind of guy," Alex admitted.

"I'm loyal to no snackage," Percy scoffed.

"Well at least I know he'll never call my cousin a snack," Magnus muttered, causing Alex to laugh raucously and Thalia to read loudly before anybody asked what he'd said.

"The time is coming," he promised. "With luck, I will see you for your birthday next week, and we will have a proper celebration."

"A party that will make all previous parties seem lame." Will chuckled, but more because Percy didn't understand the joke. At camp, whenever someone managed to live long enough to turn eighteen, they all petitioned on the best way to get Apollo to throw a massive blow-out party. It never worked.

He smiled, and for a moment I saw the old light in his eyes.

Then the entire sea grew dark in front of us, like an inky storm was rolling in. Thunder crackled, which should've been impossible underwater. A huge icy presence was approaching. I sensed a wave of fear roll through the armies below us.

"That retired old fart could cause all of that?" Percy said in disbelief.

"Guess we just got a hint of how he's hiding us from the gods," Annabeth agreed in a quieter murmur, more of awe. "If he and Poseidon combined their powers..." she trailed off with a smile.

Percy didn't think it was all that cracked up a skill. He'd never voluntarily hidden from a fight, his dad knew that about him, so this forced protection once again wasn't any more well received.

"I must assume my true godly form," Poseidon said. "Go—and good luck, my son."

I wanted to encourage him, to hug him or something, but knew better than to stick around. When a god assumes his true form, the power is so great that any mortal looking on him will disintegrate.

"I bet Jason would try to hug a god in their true form!" Percy smirked.

"You're the one impulsive enough to try, nutjob!" Jason yelped, but there was a faint hint of embracement surrounding him like the thought had crossed his mind to see if he could get his hands on some.

"I bet you'd just stand there and try to ask the blobby gold thing killing you a million questions while wanting to hug it and-" Percy kept going with a grin until a strong gust of wind nearly knocked him out of his beanbag.

Annabeth caught him, while Jason threw his hands up, "hey, I didn't, or I, I swear I-"

"Pssht," Thalia said without looking up from the books, then added a theatrical, "shhh, reading."

Annabeth gave Thalia a serious look, a lecture on her lips about how they were supposed to be keeping their powers to a minimum to appease the Titan!, but Thalia was ignoring her and Jason's conflicted look all at once quite well.

"Good-bye, Father," I managed.

Then I turned away. I willed the ocean currents to aid me. Water swirled around me, and I shot toward the surface at speeds that would've caused any normal human to pop like a balloon.

When I looked back, all I could see were flashes of green and blue as my father fought the Titan, and the sea itself was torn apart by the two armies.

"Full circle much," Nico said as he got to his feet, his black boots and jacket making his features seem to be floating in the faint darkness of the room unless Annabeth focused on him directly.

Then she shivered in agreement. If it wasn't Zeus and Poseidon trying to rip the world apart it was this. Why was Percy always at the center of these things?

#pjo #Percy Jackson #Annabeth Chase #Magnus Chase #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #alex fierro #nico di angelo #will solace #hoo #percabeth #solangelo #fierrochase

10 notes · View notes