#shout out to calypso for the place to stay

[maydaymadier]

The Docks and The Return (session 8)

Welcome back to the Merano campaign!  All character names are in bold, spells are in italics.  Party members are tagged “merano: [character name]”.  Locations visited (cities, specific establishments) are tagged “location: [NAME]”.  Important npcs are tagged "npc: name." All posts for this campaign are tagged “campaign: merano”.

INTRODUCTION:

The party splits up, Marasmius leaving to go relax for a bit. Calypso, Delphie, and Hugo start looking around for jobs and find a job board with several gigs listed. They end up following up on two. First helping a woman in the Doors with some griffons in her garden. Then heading North to the Upstream district to get a gig as musicians for the opening ceremony of the Radiant Festival. And have a run-in with someone from Hugo's past. Before the day is over, they find a place to stay while they're in town and drown out the unpleasant encounter by having Calypso teach them how to tie knots so they'll be prepared to try and get the gig at the docks tomorrow.

IT IS MORNING AT THE RUSTY BLADE

The next day, the three of them make their way back to Upstream, the Skytouch Port specifically.  They still have some time before the bard gig and the festival, so they’re gonna try and make some money.

Calypso makes sure to pick up their axe before leaving the Clouds.

It’s pretty easy to find the guy they’re supposed to talk to, there’s a long line of people waiting to talk to Constantine Ocea.  Long enough that it takes twenty minutes for the three of them to get to the front of the line.

This Constantine person is dressed in a similar uniform to the captain of the Ceretal’s Fang but dressed down for the heat, more importantly, he bears a shocking resemblance to Calypso.  Same build, same hair, same coloration (though not as muscular or tall).

He’s obviously nervous and ends up sending the three of them to the Singing Port on the other side of the district and to just tell them that he sent them.

Hugo guesses that the two of them must be related, not that any of them have any way of knowing.

As they double back to go to the Singing Port, the three keep an open ear for any rumors flying about.  The word on the street seems to be that there’s a wedding coming up, one of the noble families, not sure who.  But if it’s true, this’ll be a large, sprawling event that becomes a public festival.

The two names they keep hearing are Yildirim and Cortese.

The manager at the Singing Port briefs everyone that they need the docks cleared in the next two hours, it needs to be EMPTY, that includes the workers.

Calypso is directed to a larger ship on the far end of the dock for more heavy lifting.  Delphie and Hugo are paired off for helping unload a nearby ship with more delicate cargo.

Calypso blends right in and starts unloading cargo no problem.  Delphie and Hugo are keeping an eye out for anything arcane as they work.  Delphie finds a box of gold rods that shine with conjuration magic.

Hugo catches a falling box, small, about the size of a shoebox, and he catches it gently with a soft clink as it lands in his hand.  He opens it to get a peak at what it is, it’s a box of star rubies.  When he shows Delphie she recognizes them as being used for spell storing.

Calypso tries to keep an eye out for anything suspicious but only sees decorations for the festival.

Back on the other ship, Hugo tries to pocket one of the gems but gets caught, another sailor shouting him down, snatching the box from him, and marching away.

The two hours pass, and everything is cleared out, the ships leaving as well as the people.  Hugo and Delphie go to catch up with Calypso.

Calypso asks around, trying to find out why the dock needs to be empty.  An annoyed sailor explains that one of the noble families paid out the ass to clear out the port so that they could bring someone in to Keystone Island by water.

They’re suspicious that the Virastis are behind this.

The three of them meet back up and decide this is too suspicious, they should try and snoop.

So Delphie casts Invisibility on herself and Calypso.  Hugo decides to go hide in a box.  However, the only box he can find is next to the Gatekeeper Box, where the controls for the gates to the lake are, and the only person still in the port.

Hugo utterly fails at any attempt to be stealthy but the goddesses must be smiling at him because the people in the Box are too enraptured in an argument about a show they saw at the local community theater.

A small, ornate ship, decorated in green and gold, rows itself down the river.  A sheer-canopied tent obscures a slumped over figure behind it.  Whoever it is seems to be alive, but unconscious.

The gates swing open, with a heavy slosh as they push through the water, and clank shut behind the ship as it enter the lake.

They all wait for another minute or two to regroup.  But immediately come to the conclusion that whoever was on that boat is going to be an ‘unwilling participant’ in that wedding.

When they go back to the Skytouch Port to get paid, Constantine starts to ask Calypso a question that sounds like it should be ‘how old are you?’ but he can’t get himself to ask it, gives them their money, and sends them off.  Everyone is very confused though.

Deciding what to do next, well, they decide fuck the bard gig, they’ll go follow up on that posting for the guard job.

Hugo Sendings Renon, to quit and mentions that he told Agatha where he is.  The reply: “You could have just killed me yourself.”

The Ozdemir Watchtower is also in Upstream so they’re headed that way.  When they get there and ask around about the job, they’re redirected to the workshop of a halfling man named Argo, who’s working on tuning up a clockwork robot when they come in.

He’s willing to hire on all three of them but needs some convincing that they can all hold their own in a fight.

Hugo sticks his foot in his mouth, mentioning fighting the Storm Warden but correcting himself and insisting no, that he’s strong enough that he could fight a Storm Warden.

Delphie does a little demonstration with Magic Missile, Calypso finds a plank of wood to hold up as a target for her.  She pulls it off with enough precision that it does push them back five feet, but they don’t take any damage.

Argo makes sure they’re okay with the travel and let them know to be at the Stonehome Fortress at 7pm, they’ll be there until the guards change off at midnight.

They ask if he thinks they’ll have time to help with the hippocampi they heard about and are told, “they’re large and stupid” instead of an outright no.

So all three head back to the Clouds and decide to do something fun and touristy.  This district is very eclectic and a major cultural center so they stumble their way into an art gallery, with plans to go axe throwing tomorrow.

This one, in particular, is a show of mosaics made out of salvaged materials, cool in theory, sloppy in execution, and the three of them clown on the artist mercilessly.

Before they have to arrive at Stonehome, they stop back at The Rusty Blade to check on their stuff.

When they get there, they notice the goblin and dwarf from earlier with a water genasi and they are having a hushed argument in the common area on the first floor.  While eavesdropping, Hugo notices the name Tobias and Delphie hears a little more, that they’re arguing about this Tobias.

Hugo approaches them and the genasi is not interested in talking but the goblin is fed up with his companion and squeals, explaining that he’s Boggle, the dwarf is Urist, and the genasi is Hippor but there’s one more of them, Tobias, he went to go follow up on a job with the Families, that was two days ago and he still hasn’t come back yet.  That he most likely went to Keystone Island.

The party’s concerned and promise to keep an eye out for him once they get a description.  That Tobias is a halfling, in plate mail, he’s a paladin, with curly brown hair and mismatched eyes.

They grab a bite to eat before they leave the district and as they’re traveling, they notice the Merchant’s Guild Hall from across the lake, a grand, domed building, flying pennants in the black and gold of the guild.

Upon taking the bridge to Keystone Island, there are seven sprawling mansions arranged in a circle, the circular green space in the middle is well-maintained and neat.  This area is being set up as event space.

Once they find Stonehome Fortress, it turns out to be the Virasti family home.

The three of them are split up and posted in different wings of the fortress.

Calypso is assigned to the front entrance.

Delphie is posted in the east wing.

Hugo is sent to the south wing.

Calypso starts up a conversation with one of the staff guards.  They find out that the permanent staff are getting underpaid and overworked, especially in comparison to the urgent temp hires.  In fact, there’s even some talk about striking.  Especially with the festival coming up they’ll have leverage.  Calypso is hands-down in full support of the idea.

Delphie immediately notices that this hall is filled with enough magical items and cast spells that she can more or less see, though she is alone in the hallway.  Until she hears something activate in the room across from her and the Storm Warden comes out, looking frazzled and in a rush, clearly looking for someone/something, holding the book she left behind in Dire.

The south wing is some kind of large greenhouse with a dining area.  There’s another guard there too, but isn’t interested in talking when Hugo tries.  Kitchen staff are setting up the table.

Hugo inserts himself into the conversation the kitchen staff are having.  They’re complaining about being asked to make another place setting at the last minute.  They’re not even being paid overtime.

Hugo casually suggests that she should quit if they’re treating her so badly.  He’s so casual and sensible about it that she does, she quits right on the spot and leaves.

Calypso sees the Storm Warden marching out, heading across the green to meet with a man whose hair is half cloud, the two of them immediately start arguing.  They ask the guard they’d been talking to who the cloud man is.

The guard is also confused, because that’s Lord Tuono, the Storm Warden, Crescenzo, works for him and the Tuonos and the Virastis are good friends, visiting each other pretty often.  Before the shift wraps up, Calypso notices a blip in the sky for a second.

Delphie sees nothing else of notice in the hall before the shift ends.

Hugo sees a woman enter, she walks with an air of authority, finely dressed, with solid amber eyes, hair that turns into wheat, and she has a marble staff, the top carved into a motif of clouds.

The three of them exchange all of the information they’ve learned once they meet back up with each other.

Skipping ahead to the following afternoon, the party returns to Keystone Island for their next shift, as crowd control for the opening ceremonies of the Radiant Festival.

The musicians are warming up and a certain someone is conspicuously absent.

There’s a dias in the center of the green space, the three of them need to be in front, maintaining the distance between the crowd and the stage.

About an hour before the ceremony is set to start, a group of Storm Wardens and druids arrive on the island.  They step up onto the dias, the wardens forming a circle along the outer edge and the druids begin what looks like a color guard routine.

Ending with all of them pounding their staffs into the dias simultaneously, conjuring a massive updraft of wind that clears all of the clouds out of the sky.

Calypso is keeping an eye out for the guard they were talking to last night but can’t find them in the crowd.

Hoever Calypso does notice someone who fits Tobias’ description.  They go to talk to him and tell him that his friends are looking for him.  But he’s never heard of his friends, his name is Tobias but he doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

Delphie checks out the situation and can see that something was cast on him but can’t tell what or how recently.

Visitors start coming in, so they have to go back to their posts.

At the start of the ceremony, seven chairs are brought out for each of the heads of the seven families.

One of them, a middle-aged man with hair that turns into ginkgo leaves, in crisp green robes stands and approaches the gathered crowd, this is Lord Virasti.

He begins a speech, which starts as follows:

Welcome, welcome, people of Feolinn!  It is that time once again!  The goddesses have reached out to each other across the universe and are finally within reach!  This will be one for the histories!  It has been a bountiful year for our amazing city and we will only become a brighter beacon of excellence as time wears on.  I would like to thank the guilds for their help in arranging the festivities, our seven families for their commitment to this tradition, the Temple of Storms for their tireless efforts throughout the city, the Circle of The Stars who ensure that all of us can always see this stunning gift, and most importantly, the citizens of Feolinn!  Tonight is the first of three amazing nights and I expect you all to enjoy them to the fullest.  I will not keep you here long.  But I do have one announcement to make, in conjunction with the Radiant Festival.  Cybele, Cesare, will you both please join me?

Two people join him on the stage, coming down from the nobility seating behind on the dias.  The same woman Hugo saw the night before, though now they know her name is Cybele, carrying the same staff with her.  The second person has long, light brown hair that turns into vines, solid jade green eyes,in a crisp black and gold ensemble, gazing out into the crowd with a thousand-yard stare.

And continues: I would like to announce a day that I will hold close to my heart.  My eldest daughter, Cybele is to be wed to this dashing young man.  We are eager for you to join our family, Cesare.  The wedding will coincide with the final night of the festival, and our celebration will keep yours going for a few days more!  The city of Feolinn is invited to celebrate this momentous occasion with us.  With that…let the festivities begin!

Once the last scrap of sunset has succumbed to the night sky.  It erupts into a dancing, dazzling light show, the Radiant Storm has begun.  Fireworks zip into the sky, the crowd on the island and watching from the shores of the lake erupt into celebration.

[saiyan98]

It’s your life (Isekai-plot with Caleo) Part 1

A/N: This three-shot idea is more base on Anime in general, mix with Final Fantasy XIV Lore into the PJO universe. I guess pretty much a PJO X FFXIV three-shot with Isekai theme. It does involve Caleo because the first battle will involve both Leo and Calypso. If you don't know the Lore in FFXIV, do not worry, it'll be explained in this three-shot. If you ARE interested, try out the game itself. It's really fun and has such an amazing story for a MMORPG, despite it's long log-in waiting queue.

Anyways, enjoy the story.

Our story begins with a new character, his name is Daniel Cooper. He is just your ordinary guy who loves to read books, play video games and watch anime. He was just on his way to College when suddenly he and he got hit by a big flashing light underneath him. He was blinded for a moment, then ended up falling on a cabin. No idea of where he is, falling from the sky, and an angry teenage girl was the last thing Daniel needed. To make matter worse, monsters went and attack the camp. Daniel and the girl barely made it out alive, but the monsters were still on their tail. Will Daniel have to fight the monsters? Will he ever know what got him into this mess in the first place? And will the teenage girl ever stop being mad at Daniel? Find out now!

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanbase one-shot. PJO, HoO and ToA are own by Rick Riordan and Disney Hyperion. Final Fantasy XIV is own by Square Enix. Please support the Official release.

At Band Camp

Several cabins were destroyed, a couple were burned. In the center of the camp was a giant mechanical dragon and two teenagers, searching for one of their friends.

"She has to be here, Piper!"

"I know Leo, but-"

Leo kept shouting for their friend.

"Calypso!"

No one replied to his calling.

"Leo!" Piper yelled. "I'm sure she's okay, you need stay calm."

"But Pipes, Calypso could be hurt, kidnapped or..."

Leo hesitated at the last word, fearing it may come true.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. I promise," Piper said as they continue searching for Calypso.

"Please... please gods," Leo prayed. "Not her too. I can't lose her."

Meanwhile

Calypso, the titan goddess, is chilling at a diner with a man who apparently fell from sky, just like her boyfriend, and now are on the run from monsters. She sigh, hoping to have a peaceful summer and eventually come home to patch things up with Leo.

Then this happened.

"So you're telling me, that you have no idea why those monsters are after you?" She asked.

The man shook his head as he was eating a burger at a diner in the middle of nowhere.

"Yep," He said. "I was just minding my own business and heading to class in college, then suddenly a giant magic circle popped out of nowhere under me, then BAM. I'm somehow on the air falling to a cabin. How I am alive, I do not know."

Calypso groaned, for she may not be able to go to band camp ever again.

"Whatever, just tell me about the summoning circle. Was it a Greek-style magic?"

"Nah, looked like your everyday Isekai summoning circle."

"I'm sorry what?"

"Isekai, you know. Your everyday cliché summoning to another world anime?"

"Anime?" Calypso asked confusingly.

"I'm sorry... you don't know anime? What, you been living under a rock?"

Irritated, Calypso replied, "No, I've been living in an island for 3,000 years."

The man snickered, "Okay that was a good joke."

"It wasn't."

He was confused for a moment. "Wait... seriously?"

She nodded.

"So what?" He asked. "Are you an immortal goddess? Powerful witch? Well... least you're not in a child body... we already have enough loli's already."

Calypso is so confused at every sentence he says.

"First off, who are you?" She asked.

"Daniel Cooper is the name. Nothing special about me; I play games, watch lots of movies and shows, mostly anime; read books too, favorite series is the Percy Jackson franchise."

"What?!"

"Ah it's nothing," He said. "Just a long running book series that left me with a bitter-"

"How do you know Percy Jackson?" She asked.

Daniel looked at her confusingly, "I read the books? It's a pretty popular book series, they're even making a Disney plus series about hi-"

He stop mid sentence when he realized something.

"You're Calypso and you were serious about being stuck on an island for 3,000 years, weren't you?"

Calypso nodded.

Daniel was processing everything and put it all together.

"OhmygodIwassummonedintoPercyJacksonworld!"

He suddenly internally squealed.

"This is a dream come true."

"What do you mean?" Calypso asked.

"Well, you see," Daniel explain. "If I was ever summoned to another world. My top five choices, in order, are: Star Wars; Supernatural; Percy Jackson; Dragon Ball Z and then Final Fantasy XIV"

"I'm sorry... why?"

"First off, It's Star Wars."

"I get that," Calypso said. She had time to watch the Star Wars movies, but don't tell Leo. She'll never hear the end of the jokes.

"Second," Daniel continued. "Supernatural is like and grown-up version of Percy Jackson but with family and a sweet ride. Oh, and some emotional family moments."

Calypso was already lost. "The heck is Supernat-"

"And third, Percy Jackson world because... well it's like Supernatural but for kids," Daniel gasped. "Wait! I can be a hunter in this world!"

"Wait hold on a mo-"

"In Supernatural, Hunters are people who go out, saving people and hunting things. The Family Business."

"Stop!" Calypso yelled. "Just stop and listen for a moment."

"I'm sorry! I'm just so excited!"

Daniel was acting like a kid who just made it to Disney World for the first time and just met Goofy.

"Look," Calypso took a deep breath, "Let's just start at the beginning."

Daniel nodded and relaxed for a moment. He explained how in his world, Percy Jackson and his friends are part of a book series, taking place from when he was 12, to the end of Apollo's Trials. He even mentioned stories of heroes from other myths. However, what got Calypso most was the fact that he knows about both Percy's and Leo's time at her island.

"So," Calypso asked. "In your world, everyone knows the tales of Percy and his friends?"

"Yep, from his first quest to the end of Apollo's trials."

"And you know all of his friends?"

"Personally? No. Briefly? Yes."

"But you also know about both Leo's and Percy's time at my island as well?"

"Yeah... there's no sugar coating it. Lots of people knows."

Calypso groaned, "Can this get any worse?"

"They're making a Disney plus Series about Percy."

"Just stop."

"Be cool if it's connected to the MCU."

"Stop!" Calypso yelled. "I need a moment to process."

"Sorry," Daniel said. "I just... I'm also processing this too. I mean, I didn't think being summoned to another world is possible; hell, even if it's real in the first place. Let alone meeting Calypso."

The titan goddess sighed, "I'm sorry, just having a really terrible day."

"I thought you're use to disasters falling from the sky."

Calypso snickered at that comment. "Really?"

Daniel shrugged and smile, "What can I say? Leo's a great role model."

Calypso shook her head as the diner host came and ask if they want refills. While they were eating, they were discussing about the summoning circle that brought Daniel here.

"So you never seen that magic before?" Calypso asked.

"Nope, magic doesn't even exist in my world. It's basically everything that's the mist and that's it. No gods, no magic, no monsters unless you count Reddit mo- you know what I'm just gonna be quiet."

"Best idea yet," Calypso replied. Daniel snickered at the comment.

"See? This is why I think I'd love to hang with you."

"Because of my insults?"

Daniel scoffed. "Please, if words can kill, I'd be dead the moment I stepped into high school. No, I just love you snarky sassiness; reminds me of TFS Alucard, just less bloodshed."

"Who's Alucard?"

"A perfect being for another time. Anyways, the magic circle was definitely not Greek-origin nor Rome. In fact, I don't think I ever seen such symbols on it before."

"Ancient?"

"No, more like, not from our world. Well... both our worlds."

Calypso was very confused but replied, "Let's just put a hold on this conversation until we get to Camp Jupiter, the others would want to hear this. They might be able to help you get back home."

Daniel nodded. "Sounds good to me. But anyways, how's it going so far?" Daniel asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, being free from your prison? I mean, being isolated and imprisoned for 3,000 years can take a huge toll on your mental and social state.

Calypso scoffed. "That's an understatement."

"What do you mean?"

"I take it you know the issue with me and Leo?"

"Oh... yeah..." Daniel said. "Sorry..."

"It's fine, once I get home, I'm gonna talk to Leo about us and work it out. He's an idiot, but I love him."

"Good... that's good," Daniel said.

"You were worried there, why?"

"Well, remember when I said that in my world, people read stories about Percy and his friends?"

She nodded.

"Well, when they read about Leo falling to your island, most thought, 'Oh boy, here we go again. Leo's gonna try to charm another woman.'"

Calypso laughed while Daniel was smiling at his memory of when he read that part.

"But then, something happened none of us has expected it."

"And what's that?" Calypso asked.

"You..." He answered. "You opened his heart. You made him fall in love. It... it shocked me. More than Percy and Annabeth ever did, and I read about FIVE books in less than a year," Daniel chuckled. "But you and Leo? God, I prayed for a happily ever after for you two. I mean, two heartbroken people, looking for a counterpart; looking to make a connection. It... I never felt such strong dedication to a fictional relationship before OR since."

After he stopped talking, he took out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Calypso asked.

"Let me see if... YES!" He yelled and gave his phone to her.

"Look, I'm still connected to my world! Of course, I still have no phone service so I'm gonna try that phone station there. But look!"

On the phone was pictures and texts about both Leo and Calypso, being happy; being angry; being sad; just being themselves. This put a small smile on Calypso.

"Wow, I can't believe many actually care about us."

"Of course, you both suffered too much. You both deserve happiness. Anyways," Daniel stood up from the booth and put down his burger. "I'm gonna try that phone station and see if I can contact any of your friends. Do you by any chance have Annabeth's number?"

Calypso nodded and gave him her number. Why she doing this? Call her crazy, but she felt like she can trust this man. Even if he is a little hyper and weird.

"Thanks, keep looking at Tumblr, but not too much. There's... not every post are good things."

Later

Daniel waits as the phone was ringing.

'Please work, I need to explain everything to them! Hopefully we can find out what's going on and maybe bring me back home.'

As much as he loves to stay and have adventures in this world. He has a life back home, even if it's dull and repetitive. He has friends and family that cares about him. No tragic backstories or any traumatic losses. His life was normal, but the people in his life are too precious to let go.

Finally, the phone answered.

"[Hello?]"

"Yes, hello? Is this Annabeth Chase?"

"[...Who is this?]"

"My name is Daniel Cooper, I have a lot to explain. But first, I'm with a young girl from ba-"

"[Calypso?! Is she safe?!]"

"Y-yeah, she's safe, we got attacked by monsters and are heading away from Band camp. We're at a diner nearby heading down to the nearest city. I was hoping if you and your friends can come pick us up?"

"[Are you a demigod?]

"No, I'm 100% a mortal. I can see the monsters but... it's a lot to explain at the moment, but I'll talk about it when we're safe."

"[...Okay. I'll trust you for now. Keep going down the street, you'll be at a small town. Leo and Piper are out there looking for her. I'll let them know and they'll come pick you guys up.]"

Daniel sighed relief. "Good, I'll go tell Calypso and-"

As he go look at where Calypso was sitting, she was gone. He dropped the phone and ran toward the booth. Everything was still there except Calypso. He started freaking until he looked at his phone.

"Crapbasket," He said. He ran back to the phone on the wall.

"Hello?"

"[What's going?! Is Calypso safe?!]"

"I don't know, I'm going to find her. She just ran off."

"[Why? Is there a monster?"]

"Worse... she looked at the recent posts."

After he explained the situation to Annabeth, he went out to look for her. She shouldn't have gone far since we're at diner in the middle of a forest. Luckily, he managed to pay off our food at the diner with the cash he had in his wallet (his card doesn't work in this world unfortunately). As Daniel ran out to find her, he heard a small whimper behind the dumpster. He ran towards it and found her, crouching on the floor, crying.

Daniel apologized.

"I'm sorry, Calypso. But I did warn you."

"...You said people cared about me and Leo."

"And I meant it."

Calypso stood angrily and looked at him with tearful eyes.

"You call that caring?!"

"Calypso, listened-"

"No! This isn't about me, understand? I knew from the moment Leo saved me from my island, people would have a negative opinion about me. I knew... But what hurts me the most..."

Calypso was about to cry again before she can speak, but held together.

"But what hurts me the most is what they say about Leo."

"Leo?...Oh..." Daniel said.

"They said that he should've never landed on my island. That I wasn't necessary; That I should've been a villain or get beaten up from Leo's friends... That..."

Both were quiet, because they knew what she was gonna say.

"That I was just a mistake."

Calypso sat back down and cried on her knees as she said that.

Daniel sighed. He hoped that Calypso wouldn't look at the posts recently. He knew that the two were going through a rough patch. He was scared that their relationship was gonna fall apart. Like...

"Calypso,"

"Just go... Tell the others they don't have to bother with me. I won't do anything rash. If I just ran away, maybe that'll make everyone happy. It might make Leo happy."

Daniel stood quiet for a moment, then sat next to her as she cry out her sadness.

"Look, Calypso, we both know that people are ALWAYS gonna hate other relationships. You think Percy and Annabeth are popular? Trust me, I've seen people talk crap about them online. Hell, People been writing fan stories about Percy joining Chaos because everyone abandoned him for a younger Son of Poseidon; even Annabeth. First of all, that's stupid idea of a story. But, I won't judge; I'm a writer myself so I respect their devotion to such a story, even if it's not such a fun idea for me."

Calypso was still quiet about that comment but had a small smile.

"And then another popular story idea, Shipping Percy with Artemis!"

"I'm sorry, Artemis?" Calypso said as she was drying up her tears. "She hates men."

"EXACTLY! Yet, because she actually respected Percy, people are now shipping them! I mean, why?" He said with a confused look. "But, like the Chaos story, I respect their opinions and devotions. But, it's just not my cup of tea. Percy loves Annabeth and is too loyal to abandon everything. He denied immortality for Annabeth, he fell down to Tartarus for her, he dreamt a future with her."

Daniel looks at Calypso.

"And you know what? Back at Camp Jupiter, when Leo met up with everyone. He had a worry look. He was worried about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, even when you guys fought, he misses you."

"Why?!" Calypso yelled. "Why does he care so much about me?! I pushed him away, denying his promise to return! I argue with him nonstop! I always get angry with him! So why?! Why does he love me?! Why do you care about me?! Why do I deserve all of this?!"

"Because Calypso," Daniel replied calmly. "Just as Leo does, we both believe you deserved happiness."

Daniel patted her head, as if she was just a child being bullied. Not a goddess who was entrapped for 3,000 years on an island or a fictional character that is being hated by fans.

Just a normal 16 year old girl, suffering for internet slanders.

"Listen, no matter how much you tried, you can't make everyone happy. I should know..."

Calypso froze when he landed his hand on her head, trying to comfort her. It helped if only a little.

"Instead of caring what random strangers say online. You should care about what your friends think. Do they hate you? No. How do I know this? Because right now, Leo and Piper are out there looking for you."

"What?" Calypso said.

"Yeah, when they heard your band camp got attacked. Annabeth said that they're both out there looking for you. Everyone is worried sick about you."

Daniel stood up from his spot.

"Listen," he continued. "Don't let other people's opinion get to you. Only care about the ones YOU care for.

He reached out a hand to her, to help her get up.

"It's your life, Calypso. Live the way you want to."

Calypso looked up at him and sat there for a bit, contemplating on his advice.

She took his hand.

Later

The drove on down toward a small town after they finished up their food from the diner. How they got a car? Calypso learned a trick or two from both Leo and Annabeth.

Daniel never stole anything in his life. So he was feeling really bad about it.

But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

"Feeling better?" Daniel asked as he drove. He was above driving age AND has a license.

"Not really, but I'll manage. I just... I need to... I don't know."

"If it makes you feel better, I got a unique quote to haters or bullies that'll make you feel so much better."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Sword Art Online Abridged Episode 11 Timestamp: 12:44."

"W-what?" she said confusingly.

"It's on YouTube. Leo or Piper can find it for you. Quote's in there."

"Then why can't you just say the quote?"

"Who knows, someone out there could be reading about us. I wanna make it more difficult for them," Daniel said with a smirk.

Calypso sighed at his foolishness. Reminds her of Leo.

How much she misses him. How much she needs him now more than ever. Truth be told, she's still hurt at the posts from his world. But the fact that they talk about Leo is what got to her the most. Before meeting Daniel, she met up with Annabeth for forgiveness and advice. The posts on Tumblr only strengthen her point about being nothing more but a mistake and a burden to Leo.

She needs to see Leo as soon as possible. She needs to know if she was ever worth saving.

"Hey Calypso?" Daniel responded.

"Yeah?"

"It's summer, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah?"

She looks ahead and see why Daniel asked.

"So then why is this town having a snowstorm?"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that, even if it was just crazy talk at the beginning. This was supposed to be a One-shot, but the story expanded into being a crazy anime arc that I decide to do it as a three-shot instead. Right now it's just about how Calypso would react to her haters. And probably how my OC would try to comfort her, tell her that no matter what, Leo still loves her. Like I said with both fanfics of Chaos!Percy or Pertemis, I respect those writers ideas and devotion, but it's just not my style. As for the haters, I respect their opinions and this is just nothing more but a fan story. I will not convert others to love Caleo nor will they convert me to hate it.

Anyways, I'm gonna finish up the DBZ three-shot first and then I'll continue this story. We'll call this AU the Daniel Cooper AU since it's about my OC.

If you also have any questions about this AU, comment or PM me and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge. Until next update.

[lovingmyselfcore]

Skate Into My Heart: Prologue

Solangelo AU

This is slightly short than I wanted it to be😕 but I wanted to get it up. I have no idea how many chapters this will be but it’s here! This is for you @the-love-yourself-journal

"Hey Annabeth," Nico padded across the lobby toward the edge of the rink, his skates clutched in one hand.

Annabeth was sitting on the bleachers, unlacing her skates, but she paused and looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it would be okay if I stayed after hours to get some extra practice before sectionals?"

"Oh," Annabeth smiled, "I'm sure it would be fine. I'll cover with the all-powerful Olympians," She rolled her eyes, "If necessary." She pulled off her skates and tossed them in her bag.

"Thanks," Nico sat down next to her to put his skates back on.

Annabeth stood up, tossed her bag over her shoulder, and opened her mouth to say something but was silenced by her phone ringing. She dug it out of her pocket, "Hey," She paused, and Nico could hear Percy's voice but couldn't tell what he was saying, "Yeah, I'm on my way out now," She smiled, "I'm excited to see you too, only a few hours you. Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Seaweed Brain," 

She then hung up, sticking her phone back in her pocket.

She was at the door when she looked back at Nico, who was now stretching against the wall, "Nico?"

"Yeah, Annabeth?"

"You are going to kill it at sectionals in my place,"

Her voice was so genuine he looked down, his cheeks dusted pink.

Nico couldn't see, but Annabeth was smiling.

"Tell Percy I say hello,"

"I will. I'll see you in a few weeks. I wish I could see you kick everyone's asses,"

Nico let out a genuine snort, "You'll be in my heart," He held his hand to his chest.

She smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder with exaggerated arrogance, "I know."

Nico just shook his head with an eye roll and a small smile.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it and laughed, "Okay, so Grover's outside waiting for me so he can take me to the airport, and he is getting very impatient."

"You'd better go then,"

"Yeah. Nico, seriously, you're going to do great."

"Not as great as you would do,"

She just shook her head, "I'll leave you to your practicing but don't spend so much time you overexert yourself, okay?"

"Okay,"

And then she was gone.

~~~~~~~~~

Annabeth had left at seven pm, and it was now ten. Nico was definitely getting tired, but he had to keep practicing. Sectionals were in two days. Nico has participated in many figure skating sectionals, regionals, and even nationals. However, none without Annabeth by her side, and definitely no solos, and he wasn't sure he could do this without her.

"You know you're really not all that great,"

Nico lost his footing and slipped on the ice, falling on his ass.

He looked over to see a man leaning against the doorway.

"Who the hell are you?" He exclaimed, pushing himself off the ice with a scowl.

He walked forward, looking completely at ease and confident, and Nico knew he already despised the man.

"My name's Bryce Lawrence," He held out his hand, and was looking at Nico with a look that made him immediately uncomfortable, and knew he didn't actually want a handshake.

"Why are you here?" Nico was still scowling.

Bryce lowered his hand, "No name? Okay, sure. I was playing with my friends," 

He jerked his head in a vague direction, "But they left, and I was about to, but the lights were on in here, and I saw you, so I stuck around and watched." He shrugged as if he wasn't just being very, very creepy.

"Playing?" That's when Nico took note of the jersey and narrowed his eyes. "Ice hockey, the uncivilized ice sport. And not even this city's team? What are you doing here?"

"'Uncivilized ice sport'? So we're playing that way, sure I can do that. And very astute of you," His eyes had also narrowed, and his posture got very stiff. "I'm friends with Will Solace, who's friends Travis Stoll, who's dating Katie Gardener, who is friends with Annabeth Chase, who told us it was chill if we played in your other rink."

"Wow, nice name dropping," His voice was pure venom, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He wasn't so supportive of his city's ice hockey team that he detested the other players on sight. And though their coach frequently drilled into them that ice hockey would never be as good as figure skating, they're uncivilized brutes with no grace in the rink, he'd never entirely bought into that either.

"Thanks," His smile was all fake. "Nice to know that you figure skaters still think you're above us and that you support your local hockey team so aggressively," His voice was dry and every syllable grated on Nico's nerves. "Wait," He paused and scrutinized him, and Nico knew that whatever was about to come out of his mouth, he wouldn't like.

"You're going to be performing at your, um-"

"Sectionals," Nico growled.

"Right, that. Well, you'll be oh so pleased to hear that I'm going to be there."

"Wonderful,"

Bryce smiled nastily, "You haven't even been practicing for this for a while right?" 

He cocked his head to the side, "You only just got handed the solo?"

Nico gave a grudging nod.

"Well then, I'll leave you alone to practice, you'll probably need it."

Nico watched Bryce leave with a burning taste in his mouth. He skated for a few more hours, with much more intensity than he'd originally intended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How the hell do you manage to make enemies so fast?" Reyna was sprawled across his bed. His room at his Dad's house was the perfect summary of him, dark and hopeless.

"It's a gift," Nico called out from his closet.

Reyna was basically his sister who had been the one to successfully pull him out of his ruthless practicing with her never-ending phone calls threatening him that if he didn't come home she would kill him in a, particularly painful fashion.

"Right. Look, Nico, don't let what this random stranger said get under your skin. You're good. Really good. Your coach picked you for a reason, you know."

"Yeah," He mumbled, jumping onto his bed next to her.

"You belong in that rink, Nico. They all think so."

At the look he gave her, she sighed and pulled him against her, "You belong, hermanito. You belong."

Reyna had been there for him through nearly every bad thing that had happened in his life, and he was so grateful for everything she did for him, which is why he allowed himself to fall asleep in her arms, her humming a Spanish lullaby under her breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, pay attention!" Coach Hedge exclaimed.

Nico looked up. Coach Hedge was a strange man. He knew absolutely nothing about figure skating, Coach wasn't one for the delicate appearing sports, but they're usual coach, Annabeth Chase's cousin's friend Thomas had to leave thanks to a family emergency, so they were stuck with Hedge.

"I'm an ice hockey coach! Not this," He made wild gestures with his hands.

His sister Hazel leaned over and whispered, "Why is he always yelling?"

Nico just shrugged helplessly.

"I need a volunteer! Someone who really knows their stuff!"

Hazel glanced at him, but Nico did what he did best. He shrunk himself down to hide in the shadows.

"Me! Me! Me!"

Hedge looked over to see who was talking and pursed his lips. Leo Valdez, a hyperactive teddy bear with slight homicidal tendencies. He was only here for his girlfriend, Calypso. They both joined to support their friends but found they actually liked skating, so they stuck around.

Leo was practically out of his seat, Calypso's arm wrapped around his waist, the only thing that kept him from tumbling headfirst down the bleachers.

"Valdez," Hedge said gruffly, "Lovely."

He scanned the team once more, his eyes landing breifly on Nico before sighing and motioning Leo forward, "Show me what you got."

Leo leapt off the bleachers, paused at the bottom to slip his red skates on then launched himself out into the rink.

Leo was actually extremely good when he didn't get too excited. In his excitement, he usually tripped over his own skates and flew off into the distance, which was one of the only reasons Leo was not going to skate with Nico at sectionals.

Nico looked back at Calypso, who was grinning as she watched her boyfriend, which made Nico unreasonably sad and jealous.

Coach Hedge clapped and called Leo back, looking surprised. "Well done, Valdez, well done."

"But now," Coach's voice echoed through the arena, "I was hoping our star would demonstrate some of his moves."

At his words, the team turned to stare at Nico, who buried himself deeper into the shadows.

Nico was saved from responding when a man burst through the doors. The first thing Nico noticed were his eyes, bright blue, gorgeous, and panicked.

"Coach," He called, brushing his blonde hair out of his eyes.

Hedge turned and groaned, "What happened Solace."

"The Stolls and Clarisse,"

"Of course it was,"

"You'd better see what they did Coach, it's not good."

Hedge followed the boy out the door, slamming it behind them with a shouted, "Behave!"

"So," Hazel said, grinning.

"What?"

"He was pretty cute,"

Nico blushed, hoping she didn't see, "Really? I didn't notice."

"Sure," Hazel nodded. "You weren't staring the entire time?"

"Nope. Shut up,"

"Good cause he's a hockey player," She wagged her finger at him, "Forbidden."

He just rolled his eyes.

"Sectionals are tomorrow."

"I know,"

"You feeling ready?"

"Sure,"

She looked at him with raised eyebrows, "Nico, you're going to be amazing. You're going to win for us."

He sighed, "I hope so,"

He also hoped he'd see that cute blonde hockey player again.

[inanotherheadspace]

The Adventures of Team Lune - Chapter Three: The Tale of Two Kitties

Summary: A dragon slayer, a demon slayer, and a god slayer walk into a Guild Hall… and all goes to hell

Pairings: Natsu x Fem OC, Gajeel x Fem OC, Gray x Fem OC, Sting x Fem OC, Laxus x Fem OC, Loke x Fem OC

Word Count: 2,817

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter

“How long are we talking about?” Gajeel quipped as Calypso poured the Jasmine tea into two matching mugs.  

“Well, I should probably start with how Team Lune was formed-”

“I just wanna know about Astria’s damn cat.”

“That’s the thing, she’s not just Ria’s cat. Opal just likes Ria the best.” Calypso smiled softly to the gruff dragon slayer as she placed his mug in front of him before taking her seat.

“Thank you.” He mumbled before picking up the pale pink mug and blowing on its hot contents. “How’d you join the guild and meet them then?”

“Oh, the wolves set me free after mastering my magic and I just kinda stumbled into the guild hall.” Gajeel almost choked on his tea at her statement.

“Wolves?”

“Yeah, the only way you can learn Moon magic is from this one eternal wolf pack. Like how you, Ria, and Natsu were trained by dragons. Funny enough, because of my training, I also have a good sense of smell and hearing. My nose isn’t as strong as my ears are though.”

“Just like we do,” Gajeel mumbled, more so to himself than to anyone else. The plumette across from him simply nodded before taking a sip of her tea. “How’d you end up with the wolves?” Calypso’s eyes dropped to her hands as she began to play with her fingers.  

“I don’t know much more than what Leto told me. Apparently, my mother was killed, there was a battle, maybe even a war – all I know is that our home was destroyed. My mother was a student of the wolves when she was a kid, so she left me with them while she fought.”

“Leto, is that your wolf?”

“Hmm, in a sense yes. She’s the pack leader. I have the same loyalty to her and my pack as you dragon slayers have to your respective dragons.” After a momentary pause to drink more tea, the mage continued. “Ria came to the guild with Natsu, and May was found outside the Guild’s doors as a newborn. For the longest time, Ria stuck to Natsu and May was oddly drawn to Mystogan. Both were very shy – all of us were as kids. I became friends with Cana, the two of us would go on the jobs Master approved of. The three of us never really became close until Mystogan left on an S-Class quest. Master demanded that May stay back, that was a dark day. This strong kid that I always looked up to just, broke.” Gajeel kept his eyes on Calypso as her eyebrows drawn together as she focused on the cup in her hands.  

“Master eventually got tired of May’s attitude and moodiness. He decided to take Ria away from Natsu and me away from Cana. Without telling any of us, he sent us out individually to the same job. We all left mere hours apart no less, none of us caught on until we all showed up at the same door for the requested meeting time. It was a simple job – just to find a lost item. Gramps figured we could find it easy. Between mine and Ria’s tracking skills and May’s all-around bossiness – it was done by nightfall. We’ve been together ever since.”

“Thats nice and all, but I only want to know about the cat.” Gajeel grumbled before finishing his tea.  

“A good story is informative and well rounded. It’s a form of art and in this house, you’ll respect it.” She quipped back; her eyes flicked up to meet his in a demanding stare down.  

“What are you going to do if I don’t?” He matched her intense glare as the words left his lips. A sinister smirk spread across Calypso's face, sending a slight shiver down the Iron Dragon Slayer’s spine.  

“Well, for starters, you wouldn’t ever make it out of this house. What happens after that – probably a few broken ribs, lots of chains, and maybe a whip.” She broke eye contact with him as an almost undetectable trace of blush speckled her face. Gajeel’s trained eyes picked up on it quickly, before a faint blush appeared on his own face after her words sunk in. The slight silence became unbearable for Calypso, her hands began to fidget with her mug once more.

“We got Opal as a reward from a quest. It was weird – they gave us this light pink egg with silver and black sparkles and swirls on it. None of us had any clue what to do with it. When we got back to the guild, we found out Natsu and Lisanna had found one in the forest as well. Ria, May and I joined them in the woods to hatch the eggs. Well, whenever May was actually around the five of us kept the two eggs warm – that was really Natsu’s specialty.” As Calypso spoke and reminisced, a smile stayed on her lips. A small laugh escaped her as she thought more on the story before continuing.  

“I was no help at all, and the others realized that pretty quickly. They put me in charge of gathering firewood and food. I mostly just avoided the place; they were holed up in the same woods my wolves are usually in too. So, I just hung around them more than anything. After about two weeks, Happy and Opal’s eggs hatched. They’ve been with us and a part of the guild since.”  

Before either of them could get another word in, the front door opened, and three voices could be heard. Calypso’s face lit up as her friends had arrived home, her tea and Gajeel completely forgotten. Gajeel looked past the plumette and out the kitchen window, the sky was pitch black.  

“I didn’t realize it was this late, I'll head out.” His gruff voice brought Calypso’s attention back to him.  

“Huh?” She asked before whipping around and looking out the window. Pieces of plum-colored locks fell from her bun, framing her face as she turned back to face him. “Sorry about that, I rambled on for too long. I’ll probably have to cook for the others, do you want to stay for dinner?”

“Depends on what you’re cooking,” Gajeel said as he got up from the table, Calypso followed suit and walked behind him towards the front door. Opal was resting in Astria’s arms as the three of them chatted in the living room.

“Hey Gajeel!” Astria called out with a wave.  

“Thanks for holding down the fort, Gajeel.” Natsu offered a small grin, as he turned to Calypso. “So, what’s for dinner?”

“Noodles and chicken thighs.” Calypso offered a shrug in response.  

“I’ll see you four at the guild.” He turned to Calypso and gave he a gentle pat on the head. “See you later brat.” Gajeel headed out the door as Calypso’s face turned bright red.  

“Wait, so you aren’t staying?” The plumette looked offended for a swift second, before her composure regained.

“Nah, I forgot I was going to train tonight since the weathers gonna be alright, since it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.” Gajeel grinned before slipping out the door and past Natsu.     “Did you two have a date? Are we interrupting?” Astria pouted momentarily, before the mocking tone dripped through her second question.   “He likes herrr!” Happy’s snarky comment broke the short pause. “It was nothing like that!” Calypso paused before biting back at her friend, “Did you and Natsu go on a date?” This caused the light blue haired dragon slayer to blush just as heavily as Calypso was. Astria waved her hands in the air as a way to dismiss Calypso’s question.   “Hey! We were training!” The pink haired dragon slayer crossed his arms over his chest before huffing.   “Aye Sir! We were training really hard Calypso!” Happy shouted along. “No yelling in the house! Indoor voices!” Opal folded her arms, before snuggling against Astria’s leg. “Lucy stopped us from training anymore for the night.” “I see, did you guys do that much damage?” “No... Not really...” Astria mumbled, patting Opal on the head softly. Opal offered a small smile in return before simply nodded, “It was some hefty damage, but it was a remote forest.” “Yeah, that sounds like you two. Dinner will be ready in half an hour, go wash up, you all smell disgusting.” Calypso offered a small grin, suppressing the disappointment that she wouldn’t have her company tonight.

◊◊◊◊

The guild hall was filled with noise, booze and the heavenly scent of food – even at 8 in the morning. Astria, and Calypso sat at a table closer to the bar, all still with sleep in their eyes.  

“Do you think I can grab a drink with breakfast?” Calypso asked her teammate.  

“Calypso Lunar. No!” Astria scolded the oldest member as Gray and Loke took up seats at their table.  

“May still hasn’t come back and I’m worried. I need something to take the edge off. What about a splash of something in my coffee? That should be fine right?”

“Okay Cana.” Gray teased the plumette, causing Astria to choke on her water.  

“Hey man, leave my Caly alone.” Loke said as he threw his arm around her shoulder. “Both her and Cana are hot and have huge boobs, if they wanna drink this early in the morning we shouldn’t stop them. Why you ask? Because us hot blooded men benefit from it in the long run. Especially since they both tend to strip when they drink a lot.”

“If you’re so worried about May, why don’t you just go look for her?” Gray asked the two mages. The two women in question just shared a look and nodded once before turning back to him.

“She’s seemed stressed since she’s come back from her mission. We want to give her some breathing room and not harass her about it. She’ll tell us when she’s ready too” Astria sighed before turning away from the guys and letting her eyes wonder around the guild hall.  

“That makes sense at least. How long has she been gone?” The slight worry in the ice mages voice caught Calypso and Loke’s attention. Both had a devious smile cross their lips and a dark look tinted their features.  

“Awwww is ice boy worried about my May?”  

“I think he is Caly. He’s worried about a hot young woman who’s kicked his ass time and time again. What’s the score now Gray? 132 to 0?” Loke added on, poking fun at his tsundere of a friend. Gray scoffed at the two before leaning back and crossing his arms. Before he could give his own witty remark back, the guild hall doors opened. A cross-breeze of wind carried the familiar scent to the Dragon Slayer’s nose.  

“Hey Caly, May’s back.” Astria pointed out as she kept her eyes on their short blonde friend. Caly’s head whipped around and saw her make her way over to them. “She looks unharmed which is good.”

“Her stomach just rumbled; I'll flag Mira down.” Calypso added as she waved over to the white-haired barmaid.  

“Hey guys, what can I get you?” Mira asked in her usual joy-filled tone.  

“Two breakfast specials, a thing of smoked salmon, and three extra strong coffees. Can you put something in one of them for me?” Calypso ordered easily, with her being the oldest of the three she always took care of the others.  

“Of course! I’ll be back with the drinks soon.” She walked back to her spot behind the bar as May finally arrived at the table.

“Hey...” The blonde spoke softly before taking the empty seat next to Calypso and across from Opal. Before the other two could speak, May pulled out two flyers from her pocket and showed them to her teammates. “The two of you should join the Miss Fairy Tail pageant. You guys have a better chance of taking home the gold if there's more than one of youse.”

“Jason’s a judge so I’m guaranteed top three.” Calypso said as she looked over the paper she snatched from May.  

“Didn’t he judge last year too, and Mira still won?” Gray snipped to get back at her from earlier. Loke and Calypso stared daggers at the ice mage.  

“Don’t listen to him. He’s ugly and unlovable, while you’re sexy and powerful. Which to be fair, is the best combo in a woman.” Loke complimented Calypso as her face continued to darken.

“I’ll skin you both alive if either of you continue to speak.”

“And on that note, I’ll be leaving.” Loke took his leave from the table, leaving Calypso’s death glare to Gray.  

“All I have to do is whistle, and I can have a pack of wolves maul you to death.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. You need a new threat Calypso; you’ve used that one too many times already.” As Gray spoke, Mira silently placed the drinks on the table for the three women and scurried away. She valued her life too much to get between the bickering mages.  

“Probably as much as you take your clothes off.” Astria added as she shoved the ice mage away from her in a playful manner.

“As the leader of Team Lune, I need you all to behave while we’re at the guild.” Opal said sarcastically.   “Yes, I’m so sorry, oh great master Opal.” May said as the three mages bowed to the light pink feline.  

“What the actual fuck is your team?” Gray asked with scrunched eyebrows. In a split second, May was behind Gray as her palms were placed on both of his ears, applying a light pressure as she looked to her friends.   “Speak like that again and I’ll blow you up so badly they’ll be piecing you back together for weeks.” Gray hunched back a bit at her words, before sighing.   “Yeah yeah, whatever,” he let out with a huff.

“And we’ll feed your body parts to my wolves.” Calypso added with a smug smile.  

“Do you not feed them? Isn’t that animal cruelty?”

“I do feed them, they just like people meat. And they like it fresh too.”  

“You need psychological help.”

“Everyone in this guild does.” Astria added to as she was looking over Mays shoulder at her pink haired best friend.  

“Open your mouth again and see what happens ice stripper.” May threatened once more.  

“I’ll be taking my leave now too.” Gray sighed as he pushed the chair back and left the table. Mira made her way back to the table with breakfast as May took Gray’s seat.

“Enjoy Ladies!” Mira called as she turned and headed back.  

“So, to confirm – you two are joining the pageant and we’re going on this job.” May stated as she cut into her food.

“Job?” Calypso and Astria asked in unison.

“Oh yeah I forgot to explain that since ice box interrupted us. It’s a simple one for 100,000 jewels. We just need to capture a bandit, so it’ll take us what, an hour at most? Easy money.” May explained as Calypso downed her alcoholic coffee.  

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. When do we leave?”

“Give me two hours to drink a bit more and nap.” Calypso stated as she let out a yawn.

“You can nap on the train.” Opal spoke softly as she snacked on her salmon.  

“This is why you’re in charge!” The three mages said in unison to the cat.  

“Does it have to be a train though? Can’t we fly?” Astria asked with sadness in her voice.  

“Opal can’t carry all three of us Ria.” May stated softly as she picked at her breakfast. The four sat in silence for a few seconds before Calypso spoke up.

“I’m gonna go threaten Gajeel. Do we think I can convince him to let me braid his hair?” Calypso asked as she stood up from the table.

“Maybe if you challenge him to something and use it as your prize.” Astria pitched to the plum haired mage.  

“Say less.” Calypso sauntered over to where Cana, Gajeel and Juvia were seated and sat next to her best friend.  

“So, uhhh. May I'm not going on a train so you’re on your own. I love you!” Astria said as she skipped out off with Opal following behind.  

“Well then, I see how it is.” May spoke to no one before letting out a sigh. She silently continued to eat her meal before heading out on her now solo job. As she continued to pick at her food, she looked over to her friends – Caly was shoving a beer in Gajeel’s hand with a smile on her face. While Ria was happily sitting across from Natsu and Happy with Opal in her lap. The four of them were laughing happily as May sat by herself. They really would be okay without me, May thought to herself with another silent sigh.

[greekgeek21]

Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Convergence - some badass demigod training!!

Hello, and welcome back to...my horrible explanation for being absent! Coming up on this episode, you'll see me explain that I had my first 2 lacrosse games of the season and was left with bruised ribs. If anyone ever says that women's lax isn't a real sport cuz there isn't contact, you can tell them that someone from a fanfic website said they had bruised ribs from playing.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. We're starting to get some actual plot movement I think so have fun with that. Honestly, I kinda forgot what happened in here so...yeah. Please comment, like, follow, and reblog! Stay safe & happy reading!

- your author

Ω ♆ Ω

Percy and Annabeth woke up to the sound of a startled shout. Frank's startled shout, to be specific. They both shot up right away, their battle instincts kicking in, but Frank had seen enough.

"Seriously guys!? Again?" he exclaimed.

"Nothing happened!" Annabeth reassured, "We just fell asleep!"

"We did kiss a little," Percy muttered, and Annabeth shot him a death glare.

"Not. Helping," she whispered scathingly.

A sense of complete déjà vu washed over Percy. Except this time, the rest of the Seven were standing in the doorway, watching on with various amused expressions on their faces.

"Oh, this is perfect. Coach Hedge is gonna love this," Leo smiled in maniacal glee.

"No, Leo," Piper ordered, "You're not going to do that. Instead, we are going to get this meeting over with so I can get some sleep."

"Aw...you ruin all my fun!" he exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta do it when Calypso isn't here," Piper said.

It was true. Calypso and Piper are probably the only ones who could actually control Leo. Calypso because of Leo's fear of losing her or just general fear of her, and Piper because of her charmspeak.

"Ok! That's enough. We're getting sidetracked. We need to start this meeting." Jason clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

He gave Percy a meaningful look; one which said to 'take it from here.' So Percy did.

"Um, well, Annabeth and I wanted to talk to you guys about what's been going on. We need to come to an agreement on what we are allowed to say and do with the Avengers. I don't think we should show them the full extent of our powers because it seemed like those spies were looking for a reason to lock us up," he started, "And I'm not particularly fond of being put in a cell. How about you?"

"Yeah. And we need to figure out a way to deal with the bombings without them figuring us out. The mortals seemed pretty Hades-bent on releasing the big secret, and that never bodes well for people like us. I know that we need their help, but I don't trust them." Annabeth said.

"We can just say we were born with the powers, and have no idea why. I mean, it's technically true," Jason offered.

The others all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, now what about the pattern? What is it?" Piper asked.

"All of the places are big parts of the Greek and Roman world. Brooklyn Bridge is near Manhattan, the home of the Gods, Portland: Mt. St. Helens, where Typon used to be held, LA: entrance to Hades, Long Island: Camp Half-blood, and San Francisco: Camp Jupiter," Annabeth answered.

"Woah," Jason whispered, shocked.

"Yeah, but that's not our biggest concern. We also need to figure out how to hide our identities from the world while we're fighting with the Avengers," Annabeth said.

Everyone else there hadn't even thought of that. It comes in real handy to have a daughter of Athena around sometimes. Ok, not sometimes, all the time. All of them would be really dead without her quick thinking and planning.

"Um, I could try to see if the Aphrodite cabin could cook something up?" Piper suggested, "But most of them are still getting used to fighting, so they won't really know what to make. They need help with the designs."

Leo shot up from where he had slumped down into the desk chair, "I can help! Well, the Hephaestus cabin can. We can help design it so it's battle-ready."

"Good. We'll need those soon, I think. I have a feeling that we're going to have a lead soon, so we need to be ready when it comes. This is just one quest, so there is no need for people to think we're some kind of superheroes," Annabeth said.

"Aw! But I already had a name picked out!" Leo exclaimed.

He looked like he was about to let them in on his superhero name, but Annabeth held up a hand with a glare that clearly said to not speak unless he wanted to lose some very important parts of him. That kept him quiet, for sure.

"Is that all?" Frank asked, towering over them all.

"For now, yes. Remember, say the absolute minimum and stick to twisting the truth. If you reveal any new information without the others knowing, call a meeting to let us know," Annabeth confirmed, nodding her head.

"Great, now I can go back to sleep," Percy said, pulling Annabeth back down with him.

The others filed out soon after that, already hearing Percy's soft snores as they left and returned to their respective rooms. Ok, so Jason and Piper stayed in the same room like Percy and Annabeth did, but nothing happened. It was just nice to be in the arms of someone who cares about you, you know?

Ω ♆ Ω

"Up and at 'em, kiddos! It's training day!" Tony gleefully exclaimed over the speakers that Percy was absolutely sure he did not see in his room.

Percy groaned when he saw what time it was: 6:00 AM. He knew he wasn't allowed to (and that it was wrong, of course), but he wanted to kill Tony so badly in that moment. It would be quick! Nobody would suffer!

But, alas, he had to actually work with the man-child. It might not come off like it, but Percy takes war very seriously, and this was starting to feel like a war. Or at least, it would become one if they didn't stop it soon. And to do that, they needed the Avengers, apparently.

That was the only reason that he followed Annabeth in getting up and ready for the day. He took a little longer than Annabeth, but at 6:30 AM, they were stepping out of his room. They saw that the others were slowly doing the same. They were all tired. There weren't any big dream incidents, but that doesn't mean that staying up until midnight and then waking up at six in the morning won't do something to you. Even Leo looked exhausted, with big puffy eyes from rubbing them in an attempt to wake himself up quicker. If Leo Valdez was tired, then you knew that it was too early for this.

Also, you have to remember that they'reteenagers. Teenagers aren't meant to be up super early- it's a scientific fact, Percy thinks. Annabeth once told him something about their melatonin not releasing until later at night, so they could stay up and sleep in later.

What? Percy pays attention to what she's saying sometimes.

"I hate Tony," Piper grumbled, practically falling asleep on Jason.

"You and us all, chica," Leo mumbled before letting out a huge yawn.

"What did he say was going on? Training?" Jason asked, looking over at Annabeth for answers because she seemed the most awake of the group.

"Yep. Training, whatever that entails. I don't know, so be prepared for anything. I really hope it has nothing to do with electronics, but knowing our luck, and how Tony has been so far, it will, so just try not to get too close," she answered.

Leo tiredly saluted her, "Yes, ma'm."

Hazel rolled her eyes, "Come on, Repair Boy."

She grabbed his arm and started leading the way towards the living room, which was their best guess at where the Avengers were.

As they were walking, they were interrupted by the disembodied voice of JARVIS, "Excuse me, but I was told to direct you to the training room, where the Avengers are currently assembled and waiting for you. Shall I proceed?"

All of the demigods were still really weirded-out by the AI, and there was no way it was ending soon. It's just a reminder that they were currently in a building basically composed entirely of technology, one of their greatest liabilities. Liabilities were a dangerous thing in their lives.

"Yes..." Percy answered hesitantly, unsure where to look.

"Then please follow the arrows projected on the ground, sir," JARVIS said.

Sure enough, there were large white arrows pointing them away from the living room, so they followed them. It was about a two minute walk to the elevators, where they were told to go to the 60th floor, which was apparently one whole training room by itself.

Ω ♆ Ω

"So let me get this straight, you guys want us to...play a video game?" Frank asked, gesturing to the giant room around them.

The Seven were quickly ushered by the Avengers into a big room with a bunch of white, padded tiles all around them as soon as they had reached the training floor. There was only a viewing window and an exit that disappeared when the door was closed. Then, Tony explained what they were going to be doing. None of them really understood it yet.

"No! I want you to fight the LMDs! The robots! They will simulate different levels of skill to evaluate your skills. Understand?" Tony punctuated each word, quickly losing any sense of patience he had started with.

"Yeah. We got it," Annabeth sighed.

Ok, she was sure she was the only one of them who realized that they were about to break one of the rules they established last night on the first day. They were about to fight robots. TECHNOLOGY.

This should go well, Annabeth thought.

Steve interrupted before Tony could make a snarky comment, "Good. We'll start with fighting separately and then together as a group. Afterwards, we'll see how you work with different weapons."

"Aye aye, Cap," Leo joked.

"Leo, focus. We're about to fight ROBOTS." Annabeth tried to get the son of Hephaestus to understand the severity of the situation. "You have a back-up plan, right?"

He could talk to machines. Robots were machines. Therefore, he should be able to get them out of this mess if anything went wrong.

He gave her a nod of understanding, and Annabeth settled back into her natural stance rather than her tense one. Well, she's always tensed for battle. At least in her natural one it's less obvious.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Tony asked over the intercom.

"Uncle Leo will go first, right?" Percy joked, referencing to one of Leo's favorite nicknames for himself.

"Sure! I just need to know how much damage I'm allowed to do," Leo said, looking up at the Avengers.

Annabeth was shocked that he had even thought to ask that, and apparently the Avengers were, too.

"Um, just let go. There's nothing you can do to break this room. I designed it myself," Tony answered, still arrogant even through his confusion.

"Come on out, the rest of you," Natasha instructed.

Once the rest of the demigods had exited the room and stood next to the Avengers at the viewing window, Tony pressed a button on a screen that made a compartment in the walls of the room open up, revealing a row of floating LMDs.

"Now, I'm going to start you at Level 2, okay? It gets harder as you move up. The LMDs should stay the same form throughout every level, though. Ready?" Tony said.

Leo pulled his war hammer from his magical toolbelt and lit it and his arms on fire, "Ready."

Tony had to shake himself out of his shock before he pressed the start button, but when he did, every one of the mortal heroes had sat on the edge of their metaphorical seats, eager to see just how powerful these kids could be.

Plus, the kid had just pulled a giant war hammer from his normally-sized toolbelt, and then proceeded to light himself and the hammer on fire. They were bound to be curious after that display.

They knew the very basics of the young heroes' abilities, but most of that stuff was based on just what they had been told. Actual, visible proof is what they wanted.

All at once, the LMDs transformed into the Avengers minus the Hulk. Repeat, they changed into the Avengers. Leo had to fight a copy of the Avengers, alone.

Percy was freaking out inside. Sure, he trusted his friend, but Leo was a joker, and he tended to not understand how serious things were. In this case, he hoped that didn't happen.

"This should be interesting," Natasha remarked.

"No, this should be terrible. Tony, you never told me you were using this setting," Bruce said, rushing up to the other scientist, "He's just a kid."

"I think they've made it clear they aren't just kids, Jolly Green. It's fine. If they wanted to be treated like the rest of us, then they need to pass this test," Tony said.

Bruce looked like he wanted to say a lot more, but Jason stepped up to stop him, "He'll be fine, Dr. Banner. Leo may not look it, but he's powerful and he's smart. He can handle this."

Jason looked so sure of himself that it was enough to convince the doctor that it would be okay.

In truth, Jason had no idea how this program worked. There was a good chance that Leo did not, in fact, have this handled.

While this was being discussed, Leo had already started to fight the Iron Man LMD. He was currently alternating between swinging his hammer at it and firing balls of fire. The LMD had only been hit a couple of times because it kept maneuvering around the attacks by flying away.

It was getting tiresome, and Leo wanted it to be over with. So, he dropped his hammer and set a determined look on his face, glaring up at the robot.

The Seven were grinning, already figuring out what was happening, while the Avengers were just plain confused. What was the kid gonna do? Glare them to death?

Then, Leo started grinning and they knew it was all over.

He crouched down onto the ground and placed a hand on the floor, closing his eyes in concentration. The LMDs seemed to be as confused as their originals.

Three seconds passed before Leo's grin grew even more, and then he spoke a single word, "Stop."

And they did. Every single LMD lost their form and fell to the ground, limp and unmoving. Leo stood up, dusted his pants off, and turned to the viewing window to see his teammate's reactions.

They were priceless.

"That's how you do it," he said, "Am I done?"

Tony literally shook himself out of his stupor, "Yeah, sure. I need to reboot the LMDs."

When Leo came through the door, the rest of the demigods crowded him, patting him on the back and laughing at his dramatics.

"What was that?" Natasha demanded, breaking through the teens to tower over Leo's elf-like form.

Okay, maybe tower isn't the right word. She was taller than him, but not by much. Natasha was just very intimidating.

"Uh...fighting?" Leo tried.

Natasha's glare hardened, "You know that's not what I mean. What did you do to make the LMDs stop attacking?"

Leo glanced at Annabeth, who nodded in consent, "I talked to them."

"You did what?!" Tony exclaimed.

"I talked to them. They were pretty boring, to be honest, but I was able to shut them down," he answered.

Tony let out an incredulous laugh, "That's not possible! You can't just TALK to machines!"

"He can, and he did," Piper said, smiling proudly at her best friend.

"But–" Tony's voice died out.

"How come you never told us of this ability?" Natasha asked.

"You never asked," Percy answered simply, not liking her interrogatory tone at all.

The spy looked like she wanted to continue the conversation, but Clint whispered something in her ear and she stepped back with one last glare.

"Welp! That was fun! Who's next?" Tony clapped his hands.

Everyone turned to see that he had gotten the LMDs back online and back in the Avengers' form.

Piper sighed and started to walk to the door, "I guess I'll go next."

Before she could enter, Steve asked, "What weapon are you going to use? Your powers won't work on the robots."

Piper smirked at him over her shoulder before pulling Katoptris from its sheath on her thigh. Apparently, the Avengers had yet to fully break through the Mist, and they could not see her having that strapped there this entire time. But when she pulled it out, they seemed to finally be able to see it for what it truly was. It makes you wonder what they thought was there before. A ruler, maybe?

"I've got this," she stated before slipping into the training room.

Ω ♆ Ω

It was obvious Piper had been taking more lessons on dagger-fighting with Annabeth. As soon as the first person attacked, she was slashing and stabbing like crazy. Her lithe form was swisting out of the way of punches from Steve's copy, while Clint's arrows were shooting at her from behind.

Tony had clearly upped the level of difficulty after seeing what Leo could do.

Piper ducked under one of the arrows, and then shot back up to land a finishing blow to the center of LMD-Steve's chest. Then, she ripped Katoptris out of the robot and turned to throw it at Clint's copy, which just barely managed to avoid getting stabbed.

She was running on pure adrenaline now. It was best to imagine these opponents as monsters. Sure, when they actually fought humans, they would need to not kill, but these were just robots.

Cilnt's robot shot it's last arrow, and it exploded right before her face, stunning her into stillness. In that couple of seconds it took for her to recenter herself, Natasha's copy jumped onto her back for a chokehold. Piper struggled, but the LMD had been designed to know all of Natasha's known skills, and it was working. The Iron Man LMD landed and shot a stunning shot at her chest: the final straw for Piper to finally surrender.

She knew they wouldn't kill her, but she was not in the mood to be knocked-out. It left you with a massive headache.

So she tapped out.

"Ok ok, I'm done. I'm done," She panted as she was released, rubbing her neck.

Piper was not happy about having to surrender, but it seemed like the Avengers had been thoroughly impressed with her skill with such a small weapon.

"I'll do next," Annabeth declared, high-fiving Piper on her way out.

"Good luck," Piper said.

"Don't need it," Annabeth responded, pulling out her drakon-bone sword.

Out in the control room, Tony said, "Is that a bone?!"

"It's whatever you want it to be," Hazel grinned, manipulating the Mist just a bit.

"You scare me sometimes, Miss Metal Detector," Leo muttered, glancing at Annabeth's sword, which had shifted into a machete.

He wasn't sure whether to be impressed by Hazel's skill, or weirded-out by Tony's brain.

"Make sure to move to difficulty up a bit," Percy told Tony, "She'll be insulted otherwise."

The billionaire seemed to be getting used to the teens' weird ways because he didn't even flinch when he heard that, and instead moved to comply.

"And...here we go," Tony said over the intercom, "Good luck, Annie."

"My name is Annabeth!" she shouted before going into the fight.

In this level, every single one of them attacked at once. Annabeth back-bended under Steve's copy's punch, and then kicked up into LMD-Natasha's face. After, she turned and sliced the Iron Man armor on the side, just under the armpit. She had picked that as a point of weakness before she had even stepped into the building.

"She's good," Natasha relented, watching as the daughter of Athena thrusted her sword into Steve's robot foot.

Seeing that Clint's LMD copy was not going to get any closer to her, Annabeth pulled out a hidden dagger and threw it in a perfect line to hit it in the center of its forehead. Then, she turned and blocked a punch from Natasha's robot, who had recovered from the face-hit. The spy copy used the Iron Man LMD to jump up and wrap her legs around Annabeth's neck, trying to do a scissor hold, which failed because Annabeth rolled forward, slamming Natasha's head into the ground. The left a big enough dent that the LMD wasn't getting back up.

That only left Iron Man to deal with.

She settled into a fighting stance, but didn't attack, choosing to wait for her opponent to make the first blow.

Percy was grinning. This was what they needed: a good way to blow off steam without it possibly ending with one of them dead.

"What is she waiting for?" Steve asked.

"She's playing with it. It's fun for her," Jason answered, "It's Annabeth."

Finally, the robot got impatient and attacked. It sent a stun blast at her, which Annabeth quickly avoided. After, she ran up to the wall, kicked off of it, and jumped up to drag the Iron Man LMD down to the ground, where she sat down on it and landed a few punches. But she quickly realized punching wasn't doing much good.

"Judo flip! Do the judo flip!" Leo exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

When it wasn't him being the one attacked by Annabeth, it was super entertaining.

Annabeth sighed, but a smile was pulling at the edges of her lips. She hauled Iron Man up, who was still recovering from being slammed down to the ground, and got a good hold on it's arm. Then, she flipped it over her shoulder with an ease that only came from years of experience.

With a huge smile on her lips, and a last glance at her carnage, Annabeth walked back out to the control room.

"How was that for a kid?" She asked Natasha.

"Not bad," she got for an answer.

Ω ♆ Ω

Jason, Hazel, and Frank's individual tests went-by pretty quickly. Jason electrocuted all of the robots, rendering them immobile.

After that, and with another new batch of LMDs, Hazel used her Spatha to slice and cut through the robots. In the end, it proved too hard for her to do it with just a sword, so she pulled a chunk of the wall out and smashed it against the LMDs until they were in many different pieces.

Frank ended up having to forfeit, but not before getting every single Avengers copy but Steve down. Steve ended up having him in a chokehold that was just too difficult to get out of. And Frank had already transformed into many animals, so he wasn't sure if he could've changed back if he had transformed again.

If it wasn't obvious, Percy was avoiding doing his turn. He was trying to stay in the corner, and out of the notice of any of the adults. However, that wasn't possible with two spies in the room. They notice everything.

"Percy? Your turn," Natasha said.

So much for that plan.

Percy hesitated, "Um...about that, I don't think I should go."

Natasha raised her eyebrows in mock-surprise, but it was actually Steve who spoke, "You have to go, son. In order to work well together, we need to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. This will never work without you doing this."

"Plus, we promise it's completely safe," Bruce added in.

Percy sighed, admitting that he wasn't going to be able to worm his way out of this one. Instead of fighting, he turned to whisper to Annabeth, "Don't let me get out of control."

Annabeth gave him a sad look, "Percy, I know you have control. I trust you. You just need to trust yourself. You would never hurt us. I know that for certain."

The Avengers were watching this interaction like hawks, but the other demigods were averting their attention. This happened sometimes, Percy and Annabeth going into their own world that only they could understand, and it was best to just let them be. Plus, privacy is a real thing people. The moment seemed almost too intimate for them to interrupt.

Percy still seemed to be having trouble believing Annabeth's statements, but he went into the training room without another protest. His shoulders were sagging in defeat, and he seemed to be folding in on himself. He was never one for attention, but that was a bit much in Leo's mind.

However, Leo and the rest of the Seven didn't have a full grasp on just how uncomfortable Percy as with using his powers now. They didn't know what happened in "that place."

"Are you ready, Percy?" Tony asked, readying the LMDs again.

"Yeah, I guess," Percy answered.

Annabeth was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, "Just breathe, Perce," she whispered under her breath, "You can do this."

She had to put on a brave face for her boyfriend, but she truly was terrified of Percy's potential. She had seen it first-hand in their trip underground, and it was nothing to be underestimated. The Avengers didn't know what powers they were playing with here. She only hoped that her insistent trust she was putting in Percy was going to amount to truth.

"We'll start you on Level 5? Based on what your friends can do, I think this will be a good start," Steve asked.

"Sure," Percy responded, bringing Riptide from his pocket.

"What's he going to do with a pen?" Bruce whispered to Clint.

The Seven all smiled at each other. Little did the mortals know, that pen was definitely not just a pen. It was always amusing when people saw what Riptide truly was for the first time.

"Alright. Here we go," Tony said, starting the simulation.

Percy closed his eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and popped the cap off of his pen. Opening his eyes, you could tell something had shifted in him. He was in his natural element now, and nobody could stop him from achieving his goal.

That goal just so happened to be mutilating some billionaire's robots.

"Let's have some fun," Percy said, charging the first LMD.

He was a flurry of motion. His fighting style was a mix from Greek, Roman, and modern martial arts that he had learned from Annabeth. He'd kick one adversary just to turn and thrust his sword into another one trying to attack him from behind.

"He's amazing," Bruce said in wonder, mesmerized by Percy's skill.

The son of Poseidon was relying only on his hand-to-hand and swordsmanship skills, rather than his powers, but that barely slowed him down. If the mortals wanted a display of his competence, then he would give them one.

Annabeth had a proud smile on her face as she watched Percy judo flip Natasha's robot over his shoulder and slammed it hard enough to the ground that it "died," ending his fight.

That had gone well, considering Percy's worries.

However, he knew better than to let his guard down just yet. As all demigods know, life never gives any breaks. That, and the Fates are cruel.

Ω ♆ Ω

"Ok, guys. Let's take a lunch break, and then we'll do some more training, but this time, with only abilities," Steve said.

Percy had put his sword away, and was not standing in the viewing room with the rest of the heroes, mortal and demigod alike. All of the teens looked and felt exhausted, so it was a given to take a break.

"Got it, boss," Leo saluted, turning and exiting the room, heading no doubt in the direction of the kitchen.

"I guess that means we're leaving," Percy laughed. A real, genuine laugh.

It made Annabeth smile larger than she had in a long time. Improvement is always good.

Soon, everyone was gathered around the kitchen and living room area. Percy and Leo were scavenging for food while the Avengers and the rest of the Seven talked. So far, the hunt was not going as planned.

"Tony! Are you seriously telling me you're a billionaire, and you can't afford some decent Cheerios?!" Percy yelled.

"Yeah! Who goes grocery shopping around here?" Leo exclaimed, holding up the near-empty jug of milk.

The Avengers all looked at each other in confusion, "Who DOES go grocery shopping?" Bruce asked.

"Pepper, sometimes, I think. She must've been busy this week," Tony answered, "We can just order some Chinese or something for now."

"That should work, but if you're going to house these boys," Annabeth pointed to Percy, Leo, Jason, and Frank, "You're going to need a lot more food around at all times. Their appetites could rival that of an elephant."

Hazel let out a tiny laugh, realizing Annabeth's little pun about Frank. She received a small smirk in response.

"Teenagers," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes, "Always hungry."

"Now wait a second, Tony, I remember seeing you eat an entire large pizza by yourself just a couple weeks ago," Natasha remarked, smirking at her teammate.

Tony only glared in response, and then he told JARVIS to order lunch.

"Well, while we're waiting, I'll explain what our next exercise is," Steve said, "Basically, we're going to see and document your powers, but in a more controlled environment. You won't be fighting anything, but this will be more focused on precision than quantity. We need to know your full capabilities so that we know where to put you in a fight. Is that okay?"

He was asking their permission as more of a courtesy than an actual question, obviously, but the demigods still nodded their heads in confirmation. It wasn't like they couldn't leave at any time if things ever got too out-of-control.

Or at least, that's what they told themselves. In all honesty, nobody trusted each other yet. They could be shot down by the Avengers if they tried to run away, for all they knew, and that's what the scariest thing was. Neither group really KNEW the other group's intentions, only what they had told each other.

Everyone was walking on thin ice, whether it was known to them or not.

Ω ♆ Ω

I hope you liked it! Remember, this is also on FF, Ao3, Inkitt, Webnovel, and Wattpad.

other chapters :)

[carewyncromwell]

Welcome to the next part of the POTC AU, and with it the start of a new Act!

If Act One was largely based on The Curse of the Black Pearl, Act Two starting now is largely based around Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, perhaps with a smattering of other things from the other films too like I did in the first half. Now that our chess pieces have nearly all been placed on the board in their proper places, it’s time for things to get serious. Will Carewyn and Orion ever be able to be together? Will Bill, Jules @cursebreakerfarrier, and Charlie be considered criminals and thus separated from Carewyn and Percy forever? Will Jacob find a way to protect Carewyn from Davy Jones/Finn McGarry @theguythatdraws? And what role will our newest arrival -- Cutler Beckett -- and his business associate, privateer-turned-pirate-turned-pirate-hunter Patricia Rakepick (pictured above) play in this unfolding drama?

A few notes about Rakepick’s design super quick before we start -- her outfit is largely based on an 18th century woman’s riding habit, which was a kind of uniform exclusively used when women went horseback riding, one of the very few “physical” activities European ladies were allowed to participate in back then. Considering that breeches were banned in lot of Europe during that period, this is the closest thing most upper-class women got to wearing something comfortable in public. The pendant on Rakepick’s collar is an Eye of Horus, like the pin she wears on her cloak in the game. As for the thing in her left hand at her side...I’m sure a lot of you fans of the original Pirates films can guess what it is, but one fun aspect is that the design is not entirely like the one from the movies. Instead there are some salutes to Finn’s character in there, including the moon’s phases around the heart-shaped keyhole and stylized flames on the sides. (There are even two “Pisces” signs etched into two of the tentacles on top.)

Previous part of the AU is here -- whole tag is here -- and I hope you enjoy!

x~x~x~x

While Carewyn was getting settled back into life on Port Royal, at the same time, very far away, the Tower Raven came up on a deserted island that likely hadn’t seen a man in years.

According to the calculations Jacob had done based on the intelligence he’d gleaned from old court records from Ireland and a witch from Tortuga, this was the spot that Finn McGarry -- now known as Davy Jones -- said goodbye to the goddess Calypso so many years ago. And if the legends were to be believed, this location therefore was where the infamous Dead Man’s Chest -- the chest containing Jones’s still beating heart -- was hidden.

Jacob truthfully wasn’t thrilled about this plan. He’d done plenty of research on Jones so as to make sure he knew as much as he could before trying to double-cross him, but blackmailing someone like Davy Jones was something no one should want to do for very long. As Ashe had pointed out, the second Jones had the upper hand over Jacob, he would likely retaliate ten-fold.

But now...now Jacob had no choice. He had to have and keep the upper-hand with Jones, if he had any chance of keeping Carewyn off the Flying Dutchman. It was his fault that she was now in this position, and he couldn’t live with himself if he lost her again due to his own foolishness.

As they approached the island, Ashe abruptly seized Jacob’s arm.

“Jack -- look.”

There was a large dark shape positioned in the water on the far side of the beach. Jacob immediately brought up his telescope to get a closer look -- when he did, his jaw clenched.

“Looks like we got ourselves a Naval Man o’ War,” he snarled. “The HMS Lion.”

The rest of the crew exchanged nervous looks. The Navy hadn’t sent out Man o’ Wars since the war against the Spanish -- they were the powerhouse of the British crown, capable of sinking even the best-armed galleons.

“How many guns?” Ashe asked under his breath, as he rested his chin on Jacob’s shoulder and looked out at the horizon himself.

“...Looks to be 60 altogether.”

There was muttering among the crew now.

“What should we do, Captain?” one of the pirates couldn’t help but ask anxiously.

“Not get blown up, to start with,” said Jacob rather bluntly.

He lowered his telescope. His eyes drifted away, off toward the sky as he considered the matter.

“The Navy must have figured out this place’s significance,” he murmured. “I don’t know how, but no matter how they found out, I have no intention of letting them get to the Chest first.”

“Stealth might be our best option,” said Ashe lowly.

Jacob nodded. “I agree.”

He turned to the rest of the crew with a fierce expression.

“I need three volunteers to go ashore with me to fetch the Chest. The rest of you will remain here with Ashe, to prepare for a quick escape. Ashe,” he said, looking at his First Mate seriously, “best to be keeping out of sight on the Northern tip of the island, facing due west. The current is stronger there, which could give you a head’s start, should you need to retreat -- ”

“I won’t be retreating without you, Jack,” Ashe cut him off harshly. “don’t be thinking I will.”

“You will if you’re ordered to do so,” Jacob said sharply.

“Like Hell.”

“Ashe, I need my First Mate to look after the ship and the crew.”

“And I’ll do so, but I am not going to have you die a martyr, Jack.”

Ashe moved in a bit, taking hold of Jacob’s collar and pulling his face up closer to his so that their lips were mere inches apart.

“Don’t forget that it’s not just me you’d be hurting, if you didn’t return,” he said softly. “You promised your sister that you would see her again, when this thing was through. If you don’t keep your promise to her, after how long I had to listen to you go on all these years about how much you love and miss her, I will never forgive you.”

Something pained flickered in the back of Jacob’s skull-like blue eyes. He considered Ashe for a moment, his expression faintly wounded despite the grimness of his face -- then he pulled Ashe in for a short, rough kiss before releasing him.

“I will return,” he said very quietly. “I promise.”

Jacob and his three crew members stowed onto the island in a jollyboat a good mile or so away from where the Man o’ War was positioned, so as to stay out of sight. When they approached the beach, they found an entire battalion of Naval soldiers digging. Clearly they’d been told to search the entire island for the Chest, but were starting with the area closest to the water, since Jones was not much one to walk on dry land. It was a logical choice, thought Jacob -- and once he’d visually combed the island’s surroundings, it didn’t take long for him to come up with a plan.

Given how outnumbered they were, Jacob knew the best way to handle the situation was to wait for one of the Navy recruits to find the Chest first. Sure enough, within a half-hour, someone started shouting for their superior officers to come quick.

The rest of the battalion swarmed around like interested seagulls around the Dead Man’s Chest as the soldier pulled it up and out of the sand. They were so focused on trying to get a peek that none of them saw the detached watermill wheel coming toward them until it was almost on top of them. With help from his crewmates, Jacob had dislodged the wheel from an abandoned mill just up the hill and rolled it right down the beach into the horde of soldiers. In the melee, Jacob was then able to dispatch the soldier who’d found the Chest and snatch it away from him, before he and the rest of his crew members abandoned the wheel and hightailed it back into the brush. The soldiers all fired indiscriminately as the wheel hightailed away, but somehow miraculously the pirates just barely avoided any fatal wounds -- Jacob guessed that a lot of those soldiers were new recruits, and so likely had had their eyes shut while firing.

Trying to get back to the Tower Raven was much harder. Their only hope to get there was the jollyboat -- and, of course, that they could get back fast enough that the Raven could set sail before the HMS Lion came around. Unfortunately whatever luck had been on Jacob’s side up until that point seemed to be drying up. The pirates had a bit more cover in the trees than they’d had on the beach, but not much, and although a lot of the soldiers were clearly inexperienced, there were still a lot of them -- far more than even Jacob had predicted. Soon there were a good hundred soldiers surrounding the four pirates, trying to cut them off from the shoreline. Jacob lost his first crewmate in the first five minutes -- then his second, not long after. Jacob and the last pirate just barely managed to get back to the jollyboat and cast off, but within moments, the HMS Lion had come around the edge of the island, heading straight for the jollyboat.

Thinking quickly, Jacob pushed the jollyboat as far out into the open water as he could. The Navy wanted the Chest too, so the deeper the water they were in, the less likely they’d fire their cannons at them, for fear they’d lose the Chest in the process. He then set about pulling off the mad-genius maneuver of making himself look incompetent.

After securing the Chest securely to the bottom of the boat, he then instigated a fight with his crew member. The two rocked the jollyboat so badly that within minutes, the entire boat had flipped over. Jacob then used the opportunity to -- with his crewmate’s help -- swim with the boat into the strongest North-leaning current and let it coast them closer to the Tower Raven. The Navy ship did, in fact, hesitate just long enough out of confusion that it lost some of its closeness to the jollyboat before catching sight of the Tower Raven in the distance and putting together that it had been a trick.

Jacob peeked out from under the jollyboat briefly, delighted at the sight of his ship and of Ashe standing at the railing. He was already fetching a rope ladder for them to climb up when all of a sudden --

BAM.

Out of nowhere, another ship -- a much smaller sloop called the Sickle -- had started attacking the Tower Raven. The Raven’s crew all immediately tried to bring the ship about to counterattack, but the distraction had completely thrown the Raven off their guard and given the Lion the time necessary to come within firing distance. Within moments, Jacob was forced to dive under the water as his beloved ship -- the Tower Raven -- was blasted apart from both sides.

When he and his fellow pirate reemerged from the water, Jacob’s face was as white as a sheet as he stared at the flaming wreckage.

“ASHE!” Jacob bellowed. “ASHE!”

He cast his eyes around frantically. Where was he?! He had to be there -- he --

“ASHE!” he screamed louder, but once again, there was no answer.

His entire body was shaking. The light had left his eyes as he paddled through the water, ignoring the anxious cries from his crewmate as he shoved fragments of wood and sail aside.

“AAAAASHE!”

Within moments, the sloop called the Sickle had descended upon the overturned jollyboat. The jollyboat was quickly seized and yanked up onto the deck with grappling hooks, even as Jacob and the other pirate did their best to fight them off. Unfortunately flintlock pistols like the ones they carried were not conducive to fighting in the water -- they needed a proper spark in order to fire properly, and the gunpowder was just too wet to ignite. And so Jacob and his crewmate were stuck crawling over and balancing on top of the overturned jollyboat as it was hoisted up onto the deck, fighting a losing battle against the large number of soldiers with their cutlasses.

When the jollyboat finally was pulled up onto the deck, Jacob and his last crewmate were completely surrounded in seconds. But Jacob had long since stopped fighting to win -- his eyes were so hollow and mad with pain and rage they were more like a raging animal than a man’s, and so even as his crewmate fearfully started to slow as he realized all hope was lost, Jacob never stopped hacking away at every soldier that approached him. He only stopped when a gunshot whizzed right past his ear, swiping through his curly hair before lodging into the head of his crewmate, who immediately collapsed in a heap on the deck.

Out of the fold came a red-haired woman dressed in a black tricorn hat, a black jacket over a high-necked white shirt and a long red skirt, and a pair of black boots. Her collar was fastened with a pin shaped like the eye of Horus, and the pistol in her hand was still smoking as she smirked at Jacob.

“Well, well,” she said coolly, “if it isn’t ‘Black Jack Roberts.’”

Jacob’s teeth bared in a snarl. “Rakepick.”

“I’m surprised you managed to survive this long,” said Patricia Rakepick idly. “Then again, you did somehow survive being shot and thrown overboard -- I guess I shouldn’t be surprised a sea rat like you was able to claw your way up on deck somehow...”

With a furious roar, Jacob charged at Rakepick. She fired again with her pistol, but Jacob somehow managed to deflect the shot with the broad side of his cutlass and lashed out at her with ferocity, forcing her to dodge and retreat somewhat.

“Seize him,” she said sharply.

In an instant, the soldiers all rushed at Jacob. He managed to cut down a good five of them before their comrades were able to surround and contain him. It took a good ten men, but they managed to pin him down to the deck and disarm him.

Rakepick watched Jacob rage like a mad animal against her soldiers’ hold for a moment, her gaze oddly grim.

“You know...I wondered a few times if I should’ve been more lenient on you, back then,” she said. “Then perhaps you wouldn’t have stolen my ship, and I wouldn’t have had to blow it up, just to keep you from escaping. But it seems you truly are too dangerous to be left alive. Cutler Beckett knows it just as well as I.”

The pupils in Jacob’s skull-like eyes were insane blue slits as Rakepick kicked the jollyboat over, to reveal the Dead Man’s Chest still securely tied to the bottom. In a moment, she’d cut it loose with a knife and picked it up by one of the handles on its side.

“You -- !”

Jacob pushed and shoved against the sailors holding him with all of his might, but he couldn’t break free. Rakepick pointed her pistol right at him as she carried the Chest at her side.

“I must thank you for busting into that court of records, though,” she said with a small smirk. “I wouldn’t have even thought to try to look up Finn McGarry’s old shipping routes if you hadn’t made the connection between him and Jones...”

She handed the Chest off to another officer, who carted it away below deck and out of sight. Jacob angrily tried to get up again, only for one of the soldiers to roughly push his head into the deck with his foot.

“Shame you won’t be able to use the Chest as a bargaining chip for whatever deal you had with Jones,” said Rakepick. “I wonder -- is that how you survived, last time? You made a deal that brought you back from the grave? I must wonder what on Earth you must have promised him, to make you seek out his heart now rather than give it up...”

Her taunting only served to make Jacob lash out more violently. Eventually it got to the point where Rakepick rolled her eyes impatiently.

“Like talking to a mangy street dog,” she muttered to herself. “To think this is the boy who became Captain of my ship...”

Her dark blue eyes hardening, she clicked her pistol and aimed it right at Jacob’s head. Just as she was about to fire, however, out of nowhere, a voice echoed on the wind up onto the deck.

“Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray

Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay

Conversing with a young lass, who seemed to be in pain,

Saying, ‘William, when you go, I fear you will ne’er return again.’”

The resonant bass tone was hypnotizing and eerie, making all of the soldiers freeze up. They all looked at each other, clearly moved by how hauntingly beautiful it was, but also confused -- was it a mermaid? It sounded like a man...and yet, it was just as enticing and wonderful. Even Jacob had frozen up from his spot on the deck, though not for the same reason.

Some light returned to his eyes. He knew that voice...

“My heart is pierced by Cupid -- I disdain all glittering gold --

There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold...”

Rakepick was likewise taken aback, but she kept her head more than her compatriots. In a moment, she’d peered over the side with her pistol at the ready, looking for the source of the voice.

She saw nothing but bubbles at first -- then, all of a sudden, something launched itself out of the water at her with an inhuman screech, its sharp fangs bared.

“AUGH!”

Rakepick was thrown backwards onto the deck. The thing in question sort of resembled a man at first glance, but due to the ocean water still clinging to his body, his skin was rippled with shimmering scales, his eyes were completely brown with no trace of white, his fingers were long, narrow, clawed, and webbed, and everything from the waist down resembled a large, slender fish tail.

Jacob’s blue eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

“...Ashe?” he whispered.

Rakepick recovered rather quickly -- she fired at Ashe, forcing the merman to lunge out of the way. Knowing he didn’t have much time before the other soldiers recovered too, Ashe threw himself across the deck toward Jacob. Quite a few of the soldiers withdrew subconsciously seeing the bizarre, hissing, fish-tailed and fanged man coming at them and it was just enough for Jacob to, in one more inhuman show of strength, throw the rest of the soldiers off of him.

Ashe quickly seized onto Jacob’s coat in his clawed, webbed hands, hoisting himself up into a quasi-kneeling position on the deck.

“Jump into the water with me,” Ashe said quickly.

“No -- ” said Jacob frantically, “not without the Chest -- !”

“Open fire!” bellowed Rakepick.

The soldiers, still stunned by the monster that had flopped up on deck, all hurried to try to load their weapons.

“We can’t get the Chest back if we’re dead!” Ashe reminded Jacob harshly, his sclera-less brown eyes narrowing.

He could feel his legs slowly returning as his scales dried out. Hoisting himself to his returning feet as best as he was able, he pulled Jacob along behind him back toward the ship’s railing, and -- just as the firing squad set loose a hail of bullets -- yanked Jacob overboard after him. As they fell, Ashe covered Jacob’s mouth fully with his own, before they landed in the water below with a loud SPLASH.

Black Jack Roberts and his First Mate Duncan Ashe just barely managed to escape Patricia Rakepick and the British Navy that day -- but that was a small victory, in the face of what their enemies had won.

[thejudgingtrash]

Virgin Percy and chad Annabeth omg

Here you go, love! :D Also kids feel free to stay away. It’s sfw/nothing explicit is going on, everyone is an adult but obviously there are small references about sex.

Let me swing that cliched trope, anon! :D also thank you again Torie @percyheartsannabeth ^^

Red Solo Cup (WC: 2.4k)

It didn’t come as a surprise to Percy that Annabeth rushed past him into his apartment and threw herself onto the sofa. She basically was at home at the Jackson’s and a more than welcome guest. “What happened?” Percy asked.

“Broke off with Ethan,” the blonde shrugged and grabbed his cherry coke. Another boyfriend that the college freshman dumped, another nonchalant reaction from his 19-year-old friend. Percy had learned early on not to ask Annabeth why her relationships didn’t work out. His best friend would rage into a monologue for hours and talk about every little detail. Every single one.

From the small size of a penis, to the number of warts her ex’s grandma had. Every detail. Percy had been burned more than once before.

“Well another one bites the dust,” the young woman said and turned her favorite show on. Percy had to admit. He was jealous. Whereas Annabeth was living her fullest and free as a bird with relationships and flings, he didn’t. Instead of hanging out with new friends, he stayed in and babysat his sister. His interactions were mostly limited to group chats. The Dominican rarely got out. Percy didn’t know whether it was social anxiety speaking or just an extreme case of introversion.

He looked okay, passable. According to some of Annabeth’s girlfriends he was cute and looked exotic, although he didn’t like that word. Having light eyes and a deep complexion shouldn’t count as looking exotic. Percy wasn’t built like his cousin Charles Beckendorf and he also didn’t have the charm of Annabeth’s ex Luke Castellan. Or the coolness of Annabeth’s latest fallen boyfriend Ethan Nakamura. But he was passable. More than fine. Not a huge slob, a great listener, an amazing cook and a great friend. So how come he never had a real relationship. How come that he never had been kissed, that he still remained a virgin to that day? Was his quietness that off putting? Percy just hoped that he wouldn’t join the crazy ranks of 40-year-old incels spewing their bullshit online and potentially harming people. He just wanted to find his soulmate he could cover in his baking goods.

“What’s going on?” asked Annabeth who was confused at his silence. Percy was usually way more talkative and would fight for the remote control because he hated watching her dramas.

“I don’t know. I’d really like to meet someone to talk to,” he confessed and didn’t dare to look her in the eyes.

“Huh? What do you mean? We’re talking right now.” She took another sip from his drink.

Percy rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I’d like to have a relationship. Explore crushes and love and all of that.”

Annabeth was surprised. She didn’t know that being single annoyed him that much. “Oh please. Relationships are overrated. Trust me.”

“It’s not just that. I haven’t got any experience.” Percy was a terrible flirter. Sweaty palms, accelerated heartbeat, and stuttering. Middle school and high school had been hell. “I haven’t even kissed someone and I’m nearly twenty!”

“So what? You’re making a deal out of this. It’s so weird and just not like you. That literally doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of life. Don’t force it. When you’re ready, you’re ready.” His friend shrugged. “Also, if I remember correctly, we have kissed before.”

A sloppy wet kiss that Percy buried deep into the darkest pits of his mind.

“Come on, Annabeth.” Percy rolled his eyes. He almost would have been offended if he hadn’t been so tired. “That was in ninth grade and part of truth or dare.”

Annabeth crossed her arms. “I still think that counts!” she disagreed.

Percy just sunk into the sofa and sighed. “Alright. How many people have I kissed that haven’t been you?”

Annabeth remained quiet. Percy had a point. He really didn’t go out to meet new people. Meet new friends or acquaintances. Meet someone who he could see as a date. The blonde felt uneasy and licked her lips. Her gaze rested on the young man next to her who had a sour expression on her face and continued watching Grey’s Anatomy against his wishes.

“Okay, Mr. I’d like a relationship. There’s a party next week at Reyna’s,” Annabeth started and caught his attention.

“You want to have some experiences? That’ll be the place to be and see what you’ve got. You’re in?”

Percy had to admit. He felt uneasy and nervous. But then he sealed his fate and nodded.

“Okay, let’s go to bed, I’m tired.” Annabeth and he sleeping in the same bed was a habit they had ever since they were nine and it never stopped.

The week passed. Seminars and classes had been attended and assignments were half way done. Friday evening was the time where everyone was finally letting loose. Percy was getting ready in his room.

Annabeth’s advice was a text she had sent an hour earlier which only said don’t show up naked, wear something comfortable. Not particularly helpful. He settled for a white dress shirt and dark jeans. Perhaps too much, perhaps too little. He wasn’t a party person so he wouldn’t know. It wasn’t much until he saw Annabeth in front of Reyna’s house where people were already drinking and laughing in front of it. She was speaking to a little group of people and seemingly cracked a joke as they began to laugh.

“Percy!” She waved him over. She looked good in her jeans and the dark crop top. Lose golden curls that rested on her shoulders. The group dissolved and entered the house.

Annabeth examined him. “You look good,” she smiled.

“Likewise.”

Annabeth’s mouth was agape. Then she laughed. “You really need a lesson in flirting. Let me be your teacher.” He’d rather not. Annabeth in hunting mode was something you only wanted to witness once.

As soon as they stepped into the house, they were greeted by clouds of weed, sweat and cheap alcohol. A brunette shadow walked up to them.

“Perseus! You made it!” Reyna hugged him and he stiffly hugged her back. Yes, he was that bad with people. Even people he had known for years.

“Hi Reyna,” he laughed. Reyna raised an eyebrow and looked at Annabeth. The native Puerto Rican thought that Percy would bounce like he always did.

“Reyna!” Thalia, Reyna’s girlfriend called for her.

“Okay, see you guys around.” Reyna excused herself.

Annabeth turned to Percy. “Alright. Let’s scout and watch out for some prey for you.”

“You’re making it sound like you’re Bear Grylls ready to fight for some survival shit.” Percy was weirded out. Party Annabeth was scary.

Annabeth laughed and slapped his shoulder. “That’s basically the spirit.”

He followed her into the living room which was full of drunkards shouting and grinding over the worst DJ Khaled remix that he has ever heard. Before Annabeth could talk about the plans she had in her mind for Percy, the fates had other intentions for them.

“Oh hey! Annabeth, right?” Some blond schmuck approached them. He looked like a trust fund baby that has never heard the word no in his life before.

“Octavian! Oh my god, it’s been a while!” They hugged and Percy felt incredibly awkward. Being the third wheel was not fun.

“Who’s that?” Octavian eyes the tall young man behind her.

“Oh, that’s just Percy, don’t mind him.” Ouch. That hurt.

“I’m going to get myself something to drink. You two have fun,” Percy decided. Annabeth waved and promptly forgot about him.

Percy fought his way to the kitchen. He had forgotten how rude drunk and high people could be, especially when they loved to block paths. As he entered the kitchen, he ran into someone. A young woman with auburn hair and a frown on her face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” He asked and helped her stand up right.

“Oh yeah. I’m just tired of this place. Why did I agree to come to this party?” she sighed and was glad that the cute stranger wasn’t part of the annoying drunk crowd.

“I feel you. I hate this,” he sighed. They both shared a smile and a laugh.

“Why did we agree to this?” she giggled.

“I guess we like to torture ourselves,” Percy chuckled. She was nice. Found an instant liking to her. “Percy,” he introduced himself.

“Call me Calypso,” she smiled. An instant connection had been made.

“Want to drink something? Non-alcoholic that is?” Percy proposed and hoped that his voice didn’t crack.

“Gladly,” she left and took his hand.

It dawned Annabeth slowly. She had forgotten something. Didn’t she come to this party with an intention? Not just drinking and dancing. But something else. The college student had been talking to Octavian, danced with him, talked a bit with his friends and now they were alone again. It was abundantly clear that he was interested in a short fling.

“Oh fuck,” she remembered what she had forgotten. Or more who she had forgotten. Percy. Where was he?

“Huh?” Octavian asked.

“I’ve got to check in on a friend, don’t move, I’ll be right back,” the blonde smiled and winked.

“Oh, alright.” Octavian said. He was trapped in Annabeth’s web. Just the way she liked it.

Annabeth looked out for Percy. She had seen her friends Piper, Clarisse, Hazel and Reyna again but none of them had seen him. Annabeth checked her phone. Apart from Instagram stories that had been shared frantically, no new messages. Percy was the type to text her immediately should he leave. Hell, he would have told her in person.

She reentered the living room with a frown on her face. Her gray eyes scanned the area and actually found his messy black haircut on the dancefloor fairly easy. Percy and dancing. A smile slipped onto Annabeth’s face. Then it dropped. Percy wasn’t working it in the middle of the room alone. He had his hands around the waist of a curvy small brunette. Percy had gotten his wish. The entire purpose of this operation was to meet someone new. And the way he threw his head back to laugh proved that he fairly enjoyed himself.

Annabeth felt a thing and that one thing only: boiling rage. Her feet acted immediately. She marched to the dancefloor and pushed everyone aside that had been in her way until she got to Percy and the mysterious girl at his side.

“Percy! There you are!” Annabeth said and threw herself onto him in a hug and broke his embrace with the stranger. Then she grabbed him and pulled him out of the crowd. Confused, the mystery girl followed them.

Percy was perplexed and looked down at Annabeth, who was behaving very oddly. That was not the usual chill Annabeth he knew. Percy looked to Calypso and saw the hurt in her eyes. Oh no, she must think we’re together, he thought.

“Uh, Calypso this is Annabeth, a friend of mine,” Percy explained and saw how the brunette visibly relaxed.

“Best friend you meant to say,” Annabeth corrected and stole his red solo cup. She had to admit that being reduced to a friend hurt her way too much. Her smile cracked at the taste of soda instead of a delicious liquor. She had forgotten that Percy was a non-drinker in the heat of the moment. She needed something that would wash her annoyance away. Annabeth shook hands with that Calypso girl.

“Calypso, like the dance?” she asked with a slightly condescending tone.

“Uh yeah, exactly. Like the dance.” Calypso said and raised an eyebrow as Annabeth got a hold of Percy’s arm.

Percy looked back to Annabeth and gently tried to pry her off. Her grip only tightened, and her fingernails dug into his skin.

“And what is this supposed to be?” Calypso asked and pointed at Annabeth who claimed Percy’s complete right side. She sounded annoyed.

“Nothing,” Annabeth innocently smiled. The cold harsh look in her eyes said something else.

“Um, Annabeth, weren’t you talking with that Octavian guy? Or what was his name?” Percy’s discomfort was clear, and Annabeth ignored the hint.

“Oh yes, but I’d rather spend my time with you!” she grinned and didn’t let go of him.

“Sorry girlie but it’s clear that you’re ruining our moment.” Calypso’s hand waved between her and Percy.

“What moment? Am I not allowed to hang out with my best friend?” The irritation in Annabeth’s voice rose. Percy and Calypso looked at her in shock.

“If he’s your best friend, then I’m pretty sure that you’ll see enough of him? Just leave.” Calypso rolled her eyes.

“What if I don’t want to?” Annabeth innocently pouted and tilted her head. “Percy’s always there for me which is what I want right now. Sorry Calypso. We’re having a moment right now.”

Calypso’s mouth pressed into a thin line. Annabeth enjoyed seeing her frustration rise up.

“Alright, listen Annabeth normally I wouldn’t say this but you-” Calypso’s eyes widened. Annabeth had turned Percy’s head to herself and pressed a kiss onto his lips.

Percy’s eyes widened before they automatically shut down. Annabeth was an excellent kisser and her soft lips felt like a dream. Percy had to admit that he enjoyed the kiss. He enjoyed it way too much. Then he broke it off. Shock was written on his face and his eyes wandered from the all too pleased Annabeth to a speechless and hurt Calypso.

“I can’t believe it.” Calypso shook her head, turned around and left.

Annabeth smiled a victorious grin. Then she looked up to Percy and saw him for the first time. Not as a friend, but as a handsome guy that she happened to know all too well. His sea green eyes scanned her face and his lips were slightly parted.

“Annabeth, what in the fuck was that-” Annabeth cut him off with yet another kiss that she deepened. This time Percy didn’t break the kiss off. He held her tight and touched her warm back. He felt her grinning between the kisses.

“Come with me.” Annabeth said. She didn’t give him a choice. She took his hand and dragged him out of the building. Party be damned, they could celebrate at home amongst other activities. Alone.

“What are you doing? Where are we going?” Percy asked.

“Oh,” she said and turned around to look him in the eyes. “I’m just making sure that no one else is bothering you.”

The End

Tbh, I don’t mind me some hot girl Annabeth... Thanks again for the suggestion, anon!

All Cookout Fics

Cute/Cursed Cookout Writing Prompts

[dayas]

1,3,20 and 25 for the writing ask, I wanna know it all!

First off, I wanna say thank you for giving me this ask because now I have something to think about instead of just being in a sad cloud ❤️ it’s nice to have a little break 💞

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it.

Not to expose myself but I have like 5 WIPS 😂

War Of Hearts (jiara reincarnation au), a not so secret combination Dimya fic (flower shop + mob au), an angsty gotham/the batman (fc wise djdjsjsn) BatCat one shot (selina meeting bruce after he left in a slightly unexpected way), and I’m trying to draft/spin ideas for a POTC Klonnie au (calypso and davy jones’ story). With WOH, I’m filling in the second chapter which is taking FOREVER (sorry y’all), but I’m actually super excited for it to drop! With the work entirely, I definitely love all the little hints and breadcrumbs. It’s gonna start coming together more in the second chapter and I’m super pumped to see what y’all think! I’m on Chapter 1 of the Dimya Fic and searching for my inspiration but I know how it’s gonna go and that makes me happy. I love the combo aspect of the fic and how it’s a mashup, plus there’s some not so subtle underlying themes that I think are cool to explore! With BatCat, I wrote some yesterday! It’s a songfic and I love that about it, but also just the angst and flashbacks included, I think it’ll be really cool! And for the Klonnie fic, I haven’t even started 😭 Someone was basically like ‘write this!’ so I was like ‘okay!’ but I don’t know them that well yet writing wise so I need to explore 😂 tbh it’s just a concept that I really, really love and I have some ideas for the melody that goes along with it. Unsure if it’ll be a multi chap or a realllyyy long one shot once it drops but I’m thrilled either way! The technical “fifth” wip is for everybody who asked me when Kie would find out JJ is Sarah’s bf’s friend so watch out for that 👀 y’all ask, I answer 😂

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

GOD! THIS! Okay okay okay I’ve ALWAYS wanted to write a Jiara break up scene but there’s SO MUCH WORK THAT GOES INTO THAT LIKE THE SET UP AND THEN BUILDING INTO AN EXPLOSION SO here’s a no context, cliche, dramatic af breakup scene for jiara thank you for giving me the freedom to write this 😂

“We need to talk.”

That alone stops what she’s doing. JJ and Kiara don’t usually ‘talk’. They can have serious conversations, but they tend to reserve getting deep for when they’re either really really high, or the issue around them has to be resolved. They’re not in high school anymore, but old habits die hard. Still, she shakes off the pause, drying another dish as she says,

“About?”

“... stuff.”

“Stuff. Real eloquent there, JJ.”

His eyes are practically heating the soapy water up themselves. The kitchen at the Chateau isn’t exactly prime real estate as far as cleanliness goes, but since they’re around here more often than not, Kie decided to make an effort to spruce it up a little bit and dragged JJ into it.

Something’s wrong. He’s fiddling with his rings underneath the water at a faster pace than normal, leaning heavily against the lip of the sink.

“Dude, are you okay?”

Her voice is soft as she dries her hands off, coming up to him and slipping her arms around his chest, cheek pressed into his back. He tenses underneath her, shrugging her off and backing away.

“JJ,” Kiara’s voice is concerned now, “What’s going on?”

“Weneedtobreakup.”

His sentence is a blur that knocks into her, rattling around her brain as it spins like a top. As all tops do, the spinning eventually stops, leaving her with the capacity to space out the miniature word flood that left his mouth a few seconds ago.

We need to break up.

“What?” Kie says, panic creeping into her system, “Why?” She begins to think of what could have gone wrong, what could have prompted this.

“It’s not you, it’s — ”

“If you try to feed me one of your bullshit lines that worked on the ghosts of hookups past, don’t.”

He has the decency to shut up then and there, turning instead to lean back against the cabinets, hands gripping the edge of another counter.

“Is this about what my cousin said?”

A few weeks ago, they’d been invited to a formal family gathering on her mother’s side. Some crazy expensive week in Hawaii. Well, Kiara had been invited, and she brought JJ for two reasons. One, he’s her best friend which legally obligated him to help her out in a spot. Two, they were getting pretty serious (or so she thought), and she couldn’t hide in the OBX forever, so why not kill two birds with one stone? At an extremely over the top event, one of Kie’s drunk cousins approached JJ and started spewing some nonsense. Kiara intervened, of course, but later, she remembers, another one approached. Completely sober. She hadn’t been paying attention to that conversation, occasionally glancing over to make sure JJ wasn’t floundering. He’d been restless the entire night and a few days afterwards. But when they’d come back home, all was well. Or, again, so she’d thought.

She should’ve just chucked the damn stone at herself.

He grimaces, and it’s to her horror that she realizes it’s true.

“What the fuck did she say?”

Her voice is low and dangerous, a tiny sliver of a hint as to what’s hiding behind her eyes.

“Doesn’t matter,” JJ shrugs, eyes everywhere but her.

“Of course it fucking matters, JJ! What did she say?”

“Nothing!”

“That’s a lie.”

“I already told you it doesn’t matter.”

“If it doesn’t matter then just tell me!”

“Fine!”

They are two powder kegs on the verge of an explosion. Kiara lit the spark, jumping the gun to shouting. He followed, and and now they’re at a precipice.

“You really wanna know what she said? Fine. She said that I’ll never be good enough for you, and you know what? She’s right.”

They tilt on the edge, still caught in the middle, unsure of where to fall.

“No. She’s not.” How can he even say that, let alone believe it? Kie isn’t always a fan of the cheesy, but it’s a cold hard fact that the man standing before her is one of the best things in her life.

“She is, Kie. You know she is. You’re not a Kook, but your family... they can give you so much more than I can. Opportunities and shit, the chance to get out of here. What do I have going for me?”

“Everything! You know I don’t want any of that bullshit or the baggage that comes with it — I want you.”

“I’m not gonna be enough. One day you’re gonna look up and realize that you want out of this place. Or I’m gonna look up and realize I turned into my dad.”

A bitter laugh leaves him, slicing them both to ribbons in the process.

“You’re not him, J. You’re not your dad and you never will be your dad.”

“You don’t know that! I don’t know that!”

They step closer at the same time, spark relit on the fuse to destroy them.

“JJ — ”

“No, Kiara. We can’t keep doing this. I’m stuck, and I’m not dragging you down with me.”

“You’re not dragging me down if I want to be here!”

Four more feet and they are two steps away from each other. They’re both tired, oh so tired, yet neither one is willing to give up the fight for their cause. The frustration builds, coiling tightly around them as JJ steps forward and shouts,

“I’m gonna ruin your life!”

“Then ruin it!”

Kie’s scream is passionate, every emotion inside of her escaping in those three words as she steps up to meet him.

“Ruin my life, JJ Maybank. Because I’d rather be in ashes with you than anywhere with anyone else.”

He takes one look at her and the pause between them could stop a train. Then, his head ducks down and his lips crash against hers. She reciprocates, sinking both hands into his hair. He picks her up and she wraps her arms around his waist as he sets her against the counter. Dishes crash onto the floor but neither of them are even remotely half assed to care. His lips attach to her neck and she exhales sharply.

“Stay,” Kiara whispers. And she wishes he did. If she would have been controlling their story, they would have taken this to Big John’s room and the breakup talks would cease. But she put everything in his hands, as he’s making the decision here. So when she tells him to ruin her life, she watches him grapple with himself. For a second, she sees his head tilt ever so slightly forward. He reels himself back in a second later, and the fire in his eyes burns out.

“I’m sorry,” JJ whispers, shaking his head and backing away from her.

“JJ,” Kiara calls after him, “JJ!” She’s immobilized, feet stuck to the floor.

This isn’t happening. This is not happening.

Something inside her breaks and she runs, tearing through the house. He’s already on his bike as she gets to the front porch, and curse him, he looks back. He puts the helmet in his hands on (she bought him that for his birthday — “You’re not getting fucked up on my watch. Put the damn helmet on.”) and drives away.

Kiara doesn’t know what happens next. When her faculties return her knees are scraped up, blood trickling down. She’s still on the porch and her face is wet, cheeks marred by liquid pooling in her eyes. Someone is crying, loudly, like their heart was ripped from their chest. No, she thinks, like someone else’s heart was ripped from their chest, someone the person crying loved. Because if her own heart was ripped out, she would not be able to feel. What Kiara wouldn’t give to not feel a goddamn thing right now.

She calls Sarah. Her friend comes and picks her up, and they go to her place. Kie can’t bear to be in the Chateau or her own room. Sarah’s is devoid of memories, for the most part. She explains what happened through her tears as her friend holds her, gently carding her fingers through her hair comfortingly. They light up, and then get a little tipsy and Kiara doesn’t know if it’s better or for worse. But it’s something. She’s reminded of after the Phantom went down, that night on the beach when she discovered the freedom to be. In this moment, Kiara’s free to be something. Anything. Whatever she wants. But the one thing she wants removed himself from her life, so she settles for being a mess instead. Sarah settles in with her when they’re all worn out, falling asleep quickly. Kiara’s vaguely aware that the person next to her is not who she wants it to be, that this is wrong in the sense that someone else should be here. She’s too cold, unraveled.

“Stay,” she whispers, but this time to herself. If she can stay for tonight, she can stay for tomorrow, and the day after that until she eventually finds her way back to who she is without him in her life. She’s not the same Kiara as she was this morning. She’ll be a different Kiara when she wakes up tomorrow. The Kiara she is wraps her arms around herself to keep whatever’s left from pouring out. She will do what he refused to. When the morning comes, she will face the world. While the moon is out, she is free to dream.

She dreams one last dream of him.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Okay LOOK 😂 there’s so much I wanna say on this but it would be so spoiler-y BUT for War Of Hearts, do some scanning! There’s a lot to unpack there, some obvious, some not! It becomes more evident in the chapters to come. I wish I could say more and I totally would if all of it was published 😭😭😭 OOO but I do enjoy referencing my works in other works (literally did that in the mini scene above lmao) so there’s a good chance that I riff off of previous concepts or something else across the stories/one shots that I write! There’s so many references I throw in too. For example, the ‘I hope you care to be recalled to life’ part in It Wasn’t Special Til I Met you is from A Tale Of Two Cities. I definitely love exploring concepts in my work, which I guess is why it kind of reads as flowery when I dig into it 😂

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

To me, I really love when I’m able to come up with good dialogue or a good scene and I’m like ‘OOO YES THIS IS IT!” It’s super fun to explore the underlying themes and symbolism in pieces; I totally love and live for weaving stuff together like Blues Clues 😂 I also adore dropping references to various works or songs because people will catch them and be like ‘wait is that xyz?’ and I’m like ‘yeah! yes it is! you get it!’ And that’s just a wonderful feeling 😊🥰

That’s all for me! Thanks for asking!

[cole-saberhagen]

Terrible Borderlands Dates - Choose Yours!

Troy Calypso - Shows up an hour late without a shirt on - According to him, a date with him isn't just a date, "it's an experience" - Broadcasts the whole date live - Takes you back to his place to show you his crazy hi-tech gun collection - Spends 20 minutes showing off how many things he can crush with his arm - Spends another 30 minutes showing off his sword techniques - Knights you with his sword. You are now part of the Children of the Vault family - Tyreen shows up and a full blown sibling fight breaks out about privacy - You're not sure if the date is over or not, so you just sit there sipping on the energy drink Troy generously gave you from his stash - The broadcast is still live so you can't leave "Don't forget to like, follow and obey"

Katagawa Jr. - Insists on going to the fanciest restaurant on Promethea - Shouts at the waiter when they inform him there is no ‘secret menu’ - Orders the most expensive item but doesn’t touch any of it - Spends the whole time talking about Rhys Strongfork - Has an entire argument, with himself, about how Maliwan coffee is superior to Atlas coffee - Cancels the rest of the date for an ‘emergency meeting’ - Walks out and leaves you with the entire bill “Rhys will come around eventually”

Rhys Strongfork - Takes you blindfolded to a secure undisclosed and very secret location on Promethea for the date - Makes you go through a 10 minute security check on arrival, just in case - Zer0 is here. You're the only one who seems to find that awkward - He sends Zer0 out to the Rise and Grind coffee house to get you both drinks - Has an entire argument, with himself, about how Atlas coffee is superior to Maliwan coffee - Zer0 is back by the time the argument is over. You're not sure how much time has passed - Zer0 stays for the whole rest of the date. You're not quite sure who's dating who at this point "So, what do you think of my siege mustache?" -winks-

Handsome Jack - Takes you to Moxxi’s just to be rude to her while she’s working - Helps himself to half of the food on your plate - Orders every drink, gets extremely drunk and breaks/throws at least one thing - Shouts loudly over the whole room that he’s always DTF on the 1st date - He has forgotten your name at this point of the evening - Pays for everything by making it rain paper bills all over the floor “Oh yeah, did I mention I’m RICH?!”

Timothy Lawrence - Doesn’t mind where you go, is just happy to spend time with someone that isn’t going to murder him (he hopes) - A good listener, or this is the 1st decent meal he’s had in a while and he’s focusing on that, you can’t tell - Automatically says a Handsome Jack quote out loud whenever someone walks by the table - Is awkwardly bad at making conversation but tries his best - Tells a joke but it bombs because he over-explains it - Dives under the table after a long period of awkward silence to pick up someone’s dropped change (hey, jackpot!) - Offers to pay but looks extremely grateful and agrees when you counter-offer to split the bill “T-thanks for the date. Maybe we can do this again...some time..? no? okay”

Mr. Torgue - Sends you on an elaborate and ultimately pointless quest with various stages - Talks to you over the ECHOnet the whole time from his space truck - Mentions his grandma at least twice - By the end of the evening you’re now the most baddass champion of the Campaign of Carnage - Wait, was this actually a date or…? “EXPLOOOOSIONS!”

[fairie-gothmother]

In The Shadow of Starlight, Part 1: The Fall

A convoy of technical vehicles sped through the desert towards a recently sighted pillar of fire. Octavia looked out the vehicle’s backseat window as they raced toward a rising plume of smoke in the distance. The sun hovered just above the horizon. Orange light cast long shadows that stretched over the dust dunes. Pandora was beautiful when everything on it wasn’t trying to kill you.

It had only been four days since the Calypso Twins had stolen the powers of the legendary Firehawk. Four days! And the Crimson Raiders were responding to distress calls nonstop. Octavia had barely kicked her feet up after returning from the last one before she received the message to rejoin the convoy. Reports poured in from all across the planet. With their limited manpower, it was a struggle to keep up. 

So much had changed recently between the warring factions. Octavia recapped the events in her head to keep things straight. 

The Calypso Twins were self-proclaimed gods leading a cult called the Children of the Vault. Tryeen Calypso- one of six powerfully magical beings called sirens- could leech the life force from any living thing, draining them until nothing remained but a hollow husk. She managed to absorb the powers belonging to the commander of the Crimson Raiders, another siren named Lilith, famously known as the Firehawk. 

Tyreen was having fun with her newly acquired powers by teleporting her brainwashed cultists around everywhere in a telltale pillar of fire, spreading their influence by broadcasting videos of their raids on the Echo net. 

Troy Calypso was the propaganda mastermind who operated mostly behind the scenes, editing videos of murderous raids and turning them into slapstick jokes, air horns and all. His weapon of choice was an enormous sword wielded in a cybernetic arm. Although he spent most of his time out of the spotlight, Troy proved to be equally as brutal as his sister.

In short, the Calypsos were powerful monsters with hordes of mindless followers at their disposal, hell-bent on becoming the brightest stars in the sky while watching the universe burn at their feet.

The Crimson Raiders were doing everything they could to keep that from happening. That included Octavia. She fidgeted with the long sleeves of her shirt. Her anxiety sat heavy in her stomach like a chunk of eridium. She held up her arm to check the device attached to her wrist for what must have been the twelfth time. Straps secure, poison darts loaded, compression mechanism functional, safety off. Oops. She flicked the safety switch on and pulled her sleeve back over it. The last thing she needed was to accidentally shoot a poison dart at anyone.

She always hated being asked to come along on these calls. She wasn’t much of a fighter. Ah, who was she kidding? She was damn near useless. Octavia set her medical bag onto her lap to remind herself why they needed her there. The Crimson Raiders fought the bad guys, and Octavia patched up the good guys. She didn’t claim to be a doctor, nor was she legally allowed to. She was an herbalist. Ever since Dr. Zed went missing, Octavia stepped in as the primary medic. What she wouldn’t give to be back in her greenhouse right now.

Lilith looked back from the driver’s seat. “I know that look. Are you psyching yourself out?”

“As always. Is it that obvious?” Octavia thought she was holding herself together better than last time. Of course, Lilith always picked up on little things like that. Not much gets past the commander of the Crimson Raiders. Maybe intuition comes with the job. 

Lilith smiled. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We’ll clean up this mess and be back up in Sanctuary in no time.” Her golden eyes glinted as she drove, fiery red hair slightly muted with dust that settled everywhere on this planet. It was still strange to see uniformly fair skin on her arm which was once wrapped in blue glowing siren marks. No one called Lilith the Firehawk anymore, avoiding what that implied. Even though she was no longer a siren, she continued to live up to her legendary status.

The technical’s radio crackled. “We’re almost there,” said a female voice. “Let’s stop here outside the entrance.”

There already? Octavia looked out the window at the camp before them. Its high scrap metal fence made it impossible to see inside. The Children of the Vault were probably tearing the place apart shouting the Twin Gods’ praises. 

Lilith picked up the radio’s microphone and responded, “Copy that, Maya.” The technical came to a stop. Lilith grabbed an SMG from the passenger’s seat. Turning once again to Octavia, she asked, “You ready?”

Octavia squeaked, “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She gulped in an attempt to force her heart down from her throat and opened the door.

Before them stood a rundown camp that looked abandoned. Smoke billowed from inside. It was relatively quiet. No bandits screaming, no gun fire, no explosions; just a distant metallic screech. Crimson Raider soldiers filed out of the technicals parked beside them. 

Lieutenant Cramer stood at the ready. He was an older man that exuded pure military discipline. If you got out of line, he was the one to whip you back into shape. And he enjoyed doing it. 

Maya’s electric blue hair and siren marks made her stand out like an orchid the desert. A hood was pulled over her head, coat flowing behind her in the breeze as she walked swiftly over to Lilith.

“Strange, it’s never this calm,” said Maya.

“Stay on your toes. By now, we should know better than to underestimate them,” Lilith warned. 

Once the whole group gathered around, Lilith gave everyone their instructions. “Maya, you and I will stay outside with teams Beta and Charley. Octavia, wait in the technical, and be on standby. Lieutenant Cramer, take team Alpha through the front gate. Stay alert and keep an eye out for survivors. I wanna see everyone back in Sanctuary at the end of the day. Let’s do this.” The soldiers spread out. Lilith gave a nod to Lieutenant Cramer. The battle scarred veteran nodded in acknowledgement. He began giving orders to his team and used hand gestures that Octavia wasn’t familiar with. 

Octavia climbed into the front seat of the technical as instructed. She took a deep breath steadying her nerves. She was definitely going to her greenhouse for some kragweed after this. The view from the windshield gave a better vantage point of the area. She gripped her dart gun concealed on her wrist, praying she wouldn’t have to use it. 

Team Alpha was about to make their move when Cramer held up his fist signaling to halt. The screeching sound had grown so loud it made Octavia want to grind her teeth together. Maya held her hand in front of her, fingertips sparking and siren marks flaring to life. All eyes and guns were on the entrance prepared to meet what was about to emerge. Showtime. The gates swung open.

The hunched figure of a man limped out dragging a heap of machinery behind him. Wires sparked from the twisted metal as it scraped along the ground. Upon first glance, it was easy to miss that the machinery was actually attached to the man; a cybernetic arm that threatened to tear itself from the shoulder. Blood stained the dirt behind him in a dotted trail as he hobbled forward. The screeching stopped when the figure paused and looked up. Oh, shit.

Lilith’s eyes widened in horror. “What the hell,” she whispered under her breath.

Troy Calypso.

The once mighty God King himself stood before them in a mangled mess. He’d been stripped of his ornate coat and oversized sword. His ribs slid feebly beneath tanned skin as his breath rattled inside his bare chest. The iconic side-swooped hairstyle had fallen; his black hair soaked in blood and stuck to the side of his face. One side of his modified jaw slacked as if hanging from a broken hinge.

Octavia had briefly seen Troy in the cult’s live streams. Countless people died at this man’s hands as he laughed and broadcast their deaths. That same man now stood in front of them broken and bleeding, and Octavia was paralyzed with shock.

She jumped as Lilith broke the silence. Lilith called out to him, “What happened?”

Troy lifted his gaze. His icy blue eyes scanned across the teams of Raiders, passing over Octavia making her blood run cold. After focusing on Lilith, he cocked his head to the side and started to laugh which quickly turned into a wet cough. He gasped for air, then spat onto the ground. Gold capped canines glinted through a bloody smirk. “What, this?” He glanced down to his mechanical arm as it popped sending a shower of sparks bursting from it. “Ah, y’know. Got denounced, excommunicated, and left for dead in the middle of nowhere. How was your day?”

Lilith was stunned. She seemed to be at a loss for words at his flippant response. The expression on her face was more confusion than fear. Octavia wished she could say to same for herself. 

Maya pressed further, “Excommunicated? Are you saying you got thrown out of the Children of the Vault?”

“Yeah, well. Guess I overstepped my boundaries with the God Queen. She labeled me a heretic, and our followers turned on me. Not really much I could do to fight back. Must be nice,” Troy pointed to Maya with his remaining human arm covered in unmistakable red glowing marks, “to be a functional siren.”

No, it couldn’t be. Troy Calypso was a siren? Octavia was far from being an expert, but it was common knowledge that sirens were always female. This would make the first male siren known in history. Male sirens were unheard of, thought to be impossible. 

Maya lowered her voice to Lilith, speaking just loud enough for Octavia to overhear. “This doesn’t feel right. It could be a trap. What do we do?” They didn’t seem to be surprised at this revelation. Did they already know?

“I’m not sure. He’s in pretty bad shape. Do you think Tyreen would do this to her own brother to pull one over on us?” Lilith concluded. 

‘Pretty bad shape’ was a drastic understatement. No one would willingly do this to themselves, especially someone as egocentric as Troy. Something was definitely off here. He must have done something pretty bad to get disowned and banished by his twin sister. Octavia shuddered at the thought.

Octavia jumped from the vehicle. Lilith and Maya turned to her after hearing her feet hit the dirt. “If he doesn’t get medical attention soon, he’s going to die,” Octavia interjected. “The COV is unpredictable, but I don’t think they’d go so far as to beat one of their Gods within an inch of his life just to trick us.” After receiving questioning looks, she added, “Th-that’s just my opinion.” 

Lilith was quiet for a moment, deep in thought before reaching a decision. “Bring him in for questioning.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Maya’s voice echoed. After being shushed by Lilith, she continued in a strained whisper, “This guy is dangerous. There’s no way we can take him to Sanctuary. He could be lying.”

“Then we keep a close eye on him.” Lilith returned her attention to Troy. He hadn’t moved, standing in a growing pool of blood and oil. He simply waited for the Crimson Raiders to decide his fate as if he lacked the strength to do anything else. “Octavia, can you keep him from bleeding out?”

“Of course,” she responded. That was her job, and she was damn good at it. Although- “I don’t know much about cybernetics.”

“We should talk to Ellie. Luckily, she’s stationed at an outpost nearby. We’ll take Troy there until we can decide how to move forward,” said Lilith. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. We’ll figure it out.” 

Maya stopped glaring as if she didn’t realize she was doing it. “Sorry,” she said and directed the glare at Troy instead.

What the hell were they getting into?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello, Tumblr! I hope you enjoyed part 1 of my new ‘In The Shadow Of Starlight’ series. Shout out to @border-spam for the Calypso Twins Prompts. ‘Heretic’ was such a huge inspiration that it influenced me to create an entire story of my own. (All the shorts can also be found on their AO3.) I will post a few more chapters regardless, but if enough of you like the series, I’ll keep it going.

Thanks for reading my garbage!  

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 15

A/N: Hey y'all! This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. It was a busy one for me. Hence why this chapter is a few weeks late. Anywho, here’s Part 2 of Liam’s POV. We’ll get back to Riley’s POV next chapter.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @aworldoffandoms @dcbbw @ladyangel70 @texaskitten30 @sunandlemons @jlynn12273 @indiacater @jared2612 @rainbowsinthestorm @drakesensworld @badchoicesposts @msjr0119 @katurrade @blackcoffee85 @cynicalworlds-blog @hopefulmoonobject @cmestrella @sugarandspice-milkandhoney @superharrietsuper @custaroonie @lady-calypso @ritachacha @olympianpantsuit @desiree-0816 @the-soot-sprite @kate-mckenzie @narrytheworld @octobereighth @lynne1993 @queen-anastasia-universe @loveellamae​ @sarzkh31

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Liam helps to mend the rift between Hana and Riley.

The first thing on my agenda is to get to Mara. I know she’s been compromised by my ex-wife, so getting her to confess will be tricky. Leo and I go over how he’ll get Madeleine to spill as we ride through Manhattan in my McLaren P1. Bastien, my most loyal employee, tipped me off to where Mara and the new nanny will be with Philip today, so I took a long lunch to try and get some answers from her.

“So, where is Madeleine’s faithful lackey today?” he asks.

“Bastien said she and Belinda took Philip to the playground.”

My brother nods and taps a message on his phone. “I got ahold of your ex this morning. She wants to have dinner tonight. She’s leaving the kids with Rashad so she can meet me.” He chuckles. “Poor sucker. At least she’s not your problem anymore.”

“Except she’s my children’s mother, so she’ll always be my problem.”

“What are you going to do about her if I get her to confess?”

I shrug my shoulders. I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Right now, I just want the goddamn truth so I can get my girl back. Yes, I called Riley my girl. Even though she won’t speak to me and she’s got another man, I’m not giving up.

We pull up to the park and exit the car. The weather is cooler this time of year, so I fasten the buttons of my dress coat and make my way toward the playground. Leo and I scan the area for any sign of Mara and after a few moments, he spots her standing near the slide. Belinda is sitting on the bench, rifling through her tote bag.

When I approach, Philip is the first to see me. “DADDY!” he shouts and leaps off the monkey bars, sprinting across the playground. He latches himself onto my leg. I pick up my son and toss him in the air before planting a kiss on his cheek. I look into his blue eyes and my heart bursts. To be honest, I had doubts that he was my son after I found out Madeleine cheated during our marriage. But one look at him dispelled them. I had a paternity test done to be absolutely sure, but sometimes I think about what I would have done if he wasn’t mine.

Mara sees me and her eyes bug out of her skull. She turns to Belinda and alerts her of my presence. “Sir?” she says as they approach me.

“Belinda, take Philip over to the swingset. I need to speak with Mara privately.”

The nanny nods and ushers my son away from us. I motion for Mara to take a seat on a nearby bench.

“Everything alright, sir?” she says.

“I’m just dropping in to see how things are going with the new nanny. I know there were some issues with the last one, so I want to make sure we don’t have any similar problems going forward.”

She bobs her head. “Things seem to be going well, sir. From what I’ve seen, Ms. Stewart is having no trouble carrying out her duties.”

“That’s good to hear. Any issues with the paparazzi?”

“Nothing we can’t handle, sir. Sometimes they camp out wherever we go, but they’ve left us alone for the most part.”

I nod. “That’s good. The safety of my children is very important, Mara. I want to make sure the people in charge of them are not putting them in harm’s way.”

“I agree, sir. I take my job seriously.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Because I would have a huge issue if I knew those people were deliberately putting my kids at risk.”

She visibly swallows. “Uh...sir. I-I don’t know what you mean.”

I look over at Philip as I speak and clench my fists. “Mara. I know the tabloids called you. Do you know how I know? My friend Olivia. I assume you’ve met her. Well, she knows someone at Trend. Her contact told us everything. They gave us your name. How much did they give you, Mara?”

Her eyes go wide and she fidgets with the hem of her jacket. “Sir. Please. I don’t kn…”

I hold my hand up, stopping her. “Mara. There’s no use denying it. I know my ex-wife is behind this, but I want to know how you are and you’re going to tell me.”

She bows her head and exhales. “I swear to you, sir. I didn’t know what Ms. Karlington was going to do. She told me to gather dirt on Miss Brooks. She said it was for the benefit of the kids. I didn’t know she was planning to sell the story to the tabloids. She had me plant a listening device in Miss Brooks’ phone when she wasn’t looking. That’s how I knew about you two. That you were involved.”

I cock my eyebrow. “How long did you know?”

“Not very long, sir. Ms. Karlington suspected something after the scholarship benefit. That’s when she had me bug Miss Brooks’s phone. We were able to take the recordings and sell them to the tabloids along with the details of your divorce. I’m so sorry, sir. She threatened to have me fired if I didn’t cooperate.”

Of course, she did. “Why though?”

“She said it was because of the divorce. If you would have just agreed to her arrangement, none of this would have happened.”

I drag my hand down my face. Why am I gasping? I already knew that. The so-called “arrangement” Mara is referring to is one Madeleine brought up after I filed. She suggested that we stay married for our “public image,” but that we could both have people on the side. I laughed in her face. “So, how much did they pay you?”

Mara pauses, unable to meet my eyes. “$50,000, sir.”

That’s it? That’s less than what we pay her yearly salary. I shake my head and rise from my seat. Mara stands and addresses me. “Sir? I’m genuinely sorry for any pain I may have caused you and Miss Brooks. I understand if you can no longer retain my services.” She starts to walk away when I call out to her.

“We’ll figure that out later. In the meantime, I trust you won’t tell my ex-wife about our little chat?”

“No, sir,” she says, shaking her head. She makes her way back to Philip and Belinda. I run my fingers through my hair and head back to the car, where my brother leans against the hood.

“Well? How did it go? Did she sing like a canary?”

I smirk and press the unlock button on my keyfob. “She did.”

He grins and brings his hand to his mouth, kissing his fingers. “Delicious. Now, we just need Madeleine to give us an encore.”

***

Later that afternoon, I’m back at the office, finishing up some quarterly reports when my cellphone chimes. I pull it from my suit jacket to see a text from Leo.

Perfect. Now for part two of my “master plan.” I close my laptop down and grab my coat off the back of my chair. I exit my office and head down the hall towards the elevator. As I step in and descend towards the lobby, I call up Drake.

“Hey, man. You on your way over?”

“Yep. Just leaving the office. Is she there?”

“She showed up a few minutes ago. You sure this will work?”

I sigh. “I hope so...”

He chuckles. “If not, I guess it’s back to escorts and porn for you.”

That’s my best friend for you. Always busting my balls. In all the years we’ve been friends, he’s never been one to let me sit around and feel sorry for myself. But he’ll always have my back when I need him. “Fuck you, man. I’ll see you in about half an hour.”

He laughs and I hang up the phone. I get into my car and head to my destination. When I pull up outside the building, my nerves start to get the best of me. Snap out of it, Li. You can do this. I inhale deeply and exit the car and make my way inside. I stride down the hallway and stop in front of the door. I take another deep breath and knock twice. A few moments later, it swings open.

“Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Meghan. Is Hana home?”

She eyes me incredulously. “Yeah. I’ll get her. Just a second.” She steps back and allows me to enter the apartment. I look around as Meghan retreats down the hallway. Pictures of her and Hana line the walls of the living room. I smile to myself. My eyes catch a photo of her and Riley in graduation caps and gowns. This one must have been from their college graduation.

“Liam? What are you doing here?” Hana asks as she enters the room. She’s surprised to see me, but it passes quickly and the shock is replaced with a smile. She walks up and I wrap her up in a hug.

“Hey. Nice place you got here.”

We separate and she gestures me to sit down. “What’s going on? Is everything okay? No offense, but you’re the last person I expected to show up here.”

I nod. “Yeah, everything is fine. I was hoping I could get your help.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “Uh...sure. What for?”

I rub the back of my neck. “I heard what happened between you and Riley and I’m sorry that I had a hand in it.”

“It’s not your fault. Riley’s actions were her own. No matter what happened between you and her, it had nothing to do with me.”

“I understand that, but I feel partly responsible. I just want you to know that.”

She nods. “Don’t be. Now, what can I help you with?”

“I need you to help me get Riley back.”

I hear Meghan guffaw from the kitchen. An understandable reaction. Hana looks towards her and frowns, then looks back to me. “You know she and I haven’t spoken in almost a month, right?”

“I do, but I’m hoping to help you out too. I know you guys were super close and this distance has been hard on both of you. Even if I can’t win her back, I want to help you mend your friendship.”

Hana folds her hands in her lap and stares at the floor. We sit in silence for several minutes; I don’t say anything and allow her to gather her thoughts. She finally clears her throat and looks at me. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

Ten minutes later, Hana, Meghan and I are in my car on our way to the Double Tappe. Hana sits in the front seat, tapping on her phone. Meghan speaks up from the backseat. “Are you sure you want to do this, Hana? She owes you an apology. You don’t owe her anything,” she states, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

Hana covers Meghan’s hand with her own and turns to me. “She’s my best friend. I’ve been kind of stubborn as well through all of this. She’s called me several times over the last month to apologize. I haven’t answered her calls, but the truth is, I miss her. It’s been hard not speaking to her every day. If she’s willing to make up, I am too.”

I smile back at her. Hana is too pure for this world and Riley is lucky to have a friend like her. We pull up outside the Double Tappe and I see Maxwell standing outside, talking on the phone. He looks up and notices us, and a smile spreads across his face. He holds his finger up then wraps up his call.

“Hey, ladies! What brings you here on this fine evening?” he says, wrapping Hana up in a bone-crushing hug. She giggles and tries to wiggle free from his grip. After swinging her around like a ragdoll, he sets her down and grabs Meghan. She squeals as he picks her up, then releases her. I wrap my arm around Hana’s shoulder and the four of us make our way into the Double Tappe.

Drake is the first to see us. He looks up from mixing a drink and waves in our direction. His actions cause the girl at the bar to turn around. There she is. My breath catches in my throat. She looks at me, then at Hana, and her beautiful blue eyes go wide. I watch her as she takes in her best friend. She and Hana stare at each other for several seconds. Meghan gives Hana’s hand a gentle squeeze in encouragement. I can only imagine how they’re both feeling right now. Hana takes a deep breath and makes her way over to Riley. The two talk for a few moments, before making their way to the back of the bar.

I notice the tool I saw in her apartment last week sitting at the bar and my blood boils. Welp, time to audible this plan. I make my way to where he’s sitting at the bar and shake Drake’s hand.

“What can I get you?” he asks me, looking at the tool out of the corner of his eye.

“Give me the Macallan Lalique Single Malt.”

The tool turns to me, eyes bulging out of his skull. “You serve that here?”

Drake smirks. “Only for special occasions.”

The tool looks at Drake, then back at me. “That stuff is like $520 a shot”

“$525,” I reply, reaching in my wallet and tossing a handful of $100 bills on the bar. Drake takes the money and deposits it into the cash register, then hands me my change. I stuff several bills into the tip jar. The tool looks down at his drink, then looks up at me. His shocked expression amuses me.

“Dare I ask how you can afford that?”

I chuckle as I raise the glass to my lips and take a sip. Drake cocks an eyebrow at him. “You have no idea who he is, do you?”

The tool looks over at me, trying to figure out if he knows me. “You look really familiar. Like, I’ve seen you before, but I can’t place it.”

I reach into my suit jacket and retrieve one of my business cards, tossing it on the bar. He picks it up, studying the print. After a few seconds, his eyes widen and he looks back up at me.

“Wait, you’re Liam Rhys? Holy shit, man! You’re the king of this city! I’m Josh. It’s nice to meet you,” he says, extending his hand. I give it a quick shake and force a tight smile, but I cringe internally. Why am I playing nice with Riley’s new piece? He’s just going to be disappointed when I steal his girl back. He starts telling me about his job. I think he says something about being a financial intern for one of my competitors. Note to self: buy them out and fire his ass. I pretend to have an interest in what he says. Drake gives me a confused look from behind the bar, wondering where I’m going with this.

After several excruciating minutes of listening to Josh drone on about gods knows what, I pat him on the shoulder and excuse myself. I notice Hana sitting in one of the booths, with Meghan hovering over the table. I make my way over to them.

“Where’s Riley?”

Meghan nods her head towards the bathrooms. Perfect. I wink at her and make my way down the dimly lit hall. I stand outside the women’s room and wait for her to come out. After what feels like hours, the door swings open.

“Liam? What the hell?”

I stalk towards her and pin her against the back wall placing both hands on either side of her and caging her in. “You’re still with him?”

She glares at me. “Since last week, yeah. What business is it of yours?”

I lean in and inhale her scent. The mix of rose and jasmine makes me want to devour her right here. I run my nose along the base of her neck and she shudders. “You are my business, Riley. Have you slept with him yet?”

She shakes her head. “We’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.”

Oh, thank gods. “Then why was he shirtless in your apartment?”

She scoffs. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Have you thought about what I said?”

She looks up at me. “Did you figure out who framed me?”

“I did. Come home with me.”

“Liam…” she whispers as I plant soft kisses along her collarbone. She moans softly and grips the lapels of my jacket. My dick instantly hardens. Part of me is hoping the tool ...I’m sorry… Josh comes looking for her and finds us. I drag my lips up her throat and pull her bottom lip between my teeth. She inhales sharply, then pushes me away. “Tell me. Who was it?”

What were we talking about? Oh, yeah. The tabloid leak. “Who do you think it was?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I can’t think of anyone who would hate me enough to do that.”

“It was Madeleine. She found out about us so she had Mara sell it to the gossip mags.” I fill her in on everything Mara told me and Leo and my plans to get Madeleine to confess. Riley’s eyes glimmer with tears.

“W-Why would she do that?”

“Because she’s a hateful bitch. Why else would she try to make me miserable? This was never about you, babe. You were just collateral damage.”

She sniffles and wipes a lone tear away. “I don’t understand. Does she want you back?”

I laugh humorlessly. “No. She just wants the façade of the perfect marriage. She wants to have her cake and eat it too.”

Riley nods. “So, what are you going to do?”

“Well, as soon as I get everything I need from Leo, I’m taking her ass back to court and fighting for primary custody. I’m not letting her hurt my kids ever again. Or you.” I lean in and kiss her forehead.

She sighs. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, for starters, you could say, ‘I’m leaving Dickbag out there for you.’ Then, you could say, ‘Fuck me in the coat closet right now, Liam.’”

She giggles and slaps my chest. “I can’t do that to him. He deserves better.”

I capture her wrist and place a kiss on her palm. “Well, it’s going to be hard to continue dating him when you’re mine.”

She leans in and plants a chaste kiss on my lips. “Let me talk to him first. I owe him that much.”

I sigh and brush a lock of hair from her face. “Fine. But don’t take too long.” I leave her with one last kiss on the lips and stroll down the hallway back towards the bar. Josh is still there, talking Max and Drake’s ears off about something. I pass Hana’s table, where she and Meghan are snuggled inside the booth. “You guys need a ride home?”

Hana looks around then back to me. “No. I think we’re going to hang out for a little while.” Her eyes dart to the left and she rises from the booth, engulfing Riley in a hug. She looks back at me. “Thank you for everything, Liam.”

I give her a warm smile and wave goodbye to Drake and Maxwell as I make my way outside. I check my phone for an update from Leo. Nothing yet, but at least we’re heading in the right direction.

[saibugs]

Lonely

Commission for an anonymous client of Leo Valdez, Calypso and their OC Autumn from Heroes of Olympus!! Thank you so much for commissioning me! <3

Leo was quiet as he sat on a rock, looking out at the ocean before him. His thoughts drifted towards Calypso, stuck on her lonely little island, and he clenched his fists.

Calypso’s curse was one he could say he hated. She was to remain trapped there, alone on that tiny little island. She was a beautiful young woman cursed to be forever alone, frustrated and lonely.

Leo had been the first to ever truly fall in love with her, but even he had chosen his quest over her. That was her fate: when she fell in love, a boat arrived to take Leo away. Forced to choose between his quest and her, he’d chosen his quest… like everyone always did.

But he had not forgotten what he’d said to her: “I will find a way to rescue you.”

Yet, now, as he sat upon this rock, as he looked out towards the ocean…

“Leo?”

Leo looked over and saw his friend Autumn standing there. He gave a light smile at her and waved, but it was half-hearted, and she furrowed her brows before approaching and sitting beside him. He returned his gaze back out to the ocean, coloured with the reds, pinks and oranges of the sky.

“Is something wrong?”

Leo looked over as she spoke, noticing her soft concern. She rested a hand on his arm, and his shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged, trying to make it seem as if he was fine. “Just… thinking of Calypso.”

“Calypso?”

Leo carefully explained what he’d gone through, how he’d met Calypso stranded on her little island, and how he’d left her with every intention of going back. Except… his attempts to relocate Calypso’s island had proven futile.

He couldn’t find it. It didn’t seem to exist on any maps, and on his return trip, there had been no landmarks, no way of telling if he’d been close by. The gods knew he’d tried his hardest, but Calypso’s curse had once more affected her beloved. And it was also known that, even if Leo had stayed with her, he’d have to live out the rest of his days on that island. For Calypso couldn’t leave with a man.

Autumn listened quietly as Leo spoke, pursing her lips. She didn’t know what to say to him, and wished she could make him feel better somehow. But she kept her thoughts to herself, just putting an arm around him and saying, “I’m sorry. One day, I’m sure, you’ll find a way to reunite.”

***

“Damnit!”

Autumn’s knuckles whitened around her sword as she ran through the collapsing tunnels. Leo’s footsteps thudded beside her, in his arms the artefact they’d gone to retrieve, and they both gasped as they saw the light at the end of the tunnel… literally. Their way out was just ahead of them—

Autumn’s shoe caught a rock jutting up, and with a shout she crashed to the ground, managing to throw her hands out in front of herself to prevent more injury than the scuffed knees she earned. Her sword clattered to the ground before her, and she saw Leo skid to a stop and turn around once he’d realised she’d fallen.

“Autumn—”

“Go!” Autumn reached for her sword and pushed herself to her feet. Leo grimaced and went to refuse, but she fixed her brown eyes on him. A tentacle wrapped around the boy’s waist and he shouted as it tossed him out of the tunnel’s mouth, dust and rocks beginning to fall from the roof as the walls shook. Leo hit the ground outside, and could only watch as Autumn stumbled again, the entrance giving out and collapsing in on itself.

He yelled her name, his eyes wide, as he heard the thunderous crashing of rocks on rock, the tunnels collapsing in on themselves.

***

Autumn had the sensation of moving. Dizzy as she was, she could barely comprehend what was happening until she managed to look around and see the ground rushing up at her. Her eyes widened and she in vain tried to make a tentacle catch her, but her panic at the abruptness of the situation didn’t allow her abilities to work properly.

The impact HURT.

More than hurt, actually. Autumn cried out as electricity seemed to go throughout her entire body, all her nerve endings on fire. There were several cracking sounds, and her chest tightened. The wind rushed from her lungs, and she could only curl up, overwhelmed, her eyes wide as she tried to pull in any air. The edges of her vision were fading to black, and she swallowed, the taste of iron on her tongue as she managed to look around just enough to see someone approaching her.

But it wasn’t until much later that she had a change to get a better look at the person who’d come to her side.

When had she blacked out? Autumn didn’t know. But when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a beautiful face with the loneliest eyes she’d ever looked into. The girl’s blonde hair was pulled into a braid, and her white tunic was something the gods were more inclined to wear, rather than the modern clothing Autumn and Leo wore.

Autumn blinked. Calypso.

It had been a while since Leo had told her about the girl he had sworn to rescue… but it had stuck with her. How could it not have? Leo had been heartbroken about leaving Calypso trapped on her little island…

“Ah, you’re awake.”

The voice was soft spoken, and Autumn realised she was the one being spoken to. Calypso was looking at her from the corner of her eye, her expression kind yet sombre.

All she could do was nod; opening her mouth to talk, she became aware of how dry her throat was. Water was pressed gently to her lips, and she drank desperately, gasping when it was pulled away. Calypso set the cup aside, and sat beside Autumn’s bedside.

“I did what I could for your wounds, but I’m afraid I couldn’t do much.”

“That’s… alright,” Autumn managed.

Doubt flashed in Calypso’s eyes, but she didn’t argue, instead asking, “May I know your name?”

“It’s Autumn. You’re Calypso, aren’t you?”

She blinked, her eyes widening. “Yes, I am. How do you know that…?”

Autumn wondered if she should tell her the truth, or lie. Conflict arose within her, and she could only stare into Calypso’s lonely eyes before the truth finally won out. “Leo told me,” she said.

Calypso lit up. “Oh, Leo!” she beamed. “You are a friend of his?”

She nodded, though her heart hurt. Friend. I’m just… his friend.

***

Two months passed from when Autumn had landed heavily on Calypso’s island. The lonely young woman had taken care of her, and they had stricken up a tentative friendship. Autumn herself had learned that Himeros had been the one to save her life that day in the tunnel, and had sent her to the first place he’d thought of.

But those two months had not been peaceful, not for her.

She had battled with her emotions and thoughts the whole time. While she liked Calypso, it remained a fact that Leo was in love with Calypso, but Autumn herself was in love with Leo. If she bought Calypso back, her chances with her crush were dashed, and she didn’t want to lose him. But… she also wanted him to be happy.

She had also learned of a loophole in Calypso’s curse. Calypso was only prevented from leaving her island with a man. Autumn was… not a man. She was a Hades too, and had a way off this island. Now she just… had to decide whether she wanted to take Calypso with her.

The lonely young lady sat beside Autumn then, offering her some food. “You’ve been sitting on this beach a while, Autumn,” she said, her voice filled with concern. “Are you alright?”

“I suppose so,” Autumn said after taking the food and thanking her friend. “I’m just… worried about Leo. He saw the tunnel collapse, he might think I’m dead…”

Calypso bit her cheek, and put a hand on Autumn’s shoulder. “I am sure he has hope you’re alive, somehow.”

“It’s Leo, he would.” She pulled her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. I shouldn’t take her with me. As… cruel as it is… but Leo deserves to be happy… I want him to be happy…

She looked at Calypso. “Look… I have a way to reunite you with Leo.”

The young woman didn’t speak, just… watching Autumn, eyebrows raised, leaning back ever so slightly. Autumn waited for her response, but when none came…

“I’m a Hades. I… can use our shadowtravel to take you off this island. It’s… well, your curse only stops you from leaving with a guy, right?”

Calypso had to think on this for a second before she managed a nod. “Yes, that is indeed what I was cursed with.”

“I’m not a man.” Autumn tapped her chest as she spoke. “I think shadowtravel can also allow you to leave, if you’re confined here because you can’t set foot on a boat… with shadowtravel, you won’t need to.” She smiled even though her heart was breaking over what she had decided. “So, I can take you back to Leo.”

Tears began to well in Calypso’s eyes and she pulled Autumn into a hug with enough abruptness to startle her. “You would do that for me?!”

“Yes.” I’m doing it for Leo too. His happiness… She didn’t say that part, instead starting to make plans with Calypso on when they would leave. They would have to wait until Autumn was recovered enough to use her abilities… but that would be soon, with any luck.

***

A third month passed before they were ready to leave. Autumn had no marks left on her of either the tunnel collapse or Himeros sending her to the lonely island, thanks in part to Calypso. Now she was standing on the beach, sword strapped to her back, looking at the setting sun.

Her chest felt tight. By doing this, she would dash any chance she had with Leo, and that made her want to scream, to cry, to abandon Calypso here, but… she’d seen him that day. How torn up he’d been about leaving her behind. He would be broken-hearted for the rest of his life looking for a way to free her. This… was for the best.

***

Leo was quiet as he worked. It was dark but he was deep in thought and his sleep would be disturbed again. Ever since Autumn had vanished…

A sound from behind him got his attention, and he turned around, a hammer in hand, only to see Autumn stepping out from the shadows, leading someone by the hand. His eyes widened and his hammer slipped from his fingers as he saw who that other person was, and a lump formed in his throat as her gaze locked with his.

“C…Calypso?”

The lonely young woman smiled. “Hello, Leo.”

He looked at Autumn, opening his mouth to speak, but nothing came. Autumn gave a smile and waved. “Hey, Leo. I survived the cave-in.” She then explained how she’d ended up on Calypso’s island, making up a lie that she’d panic-activated her ability after being wounded, and then she stepped aside and motioned for Calypso to go to Leo.

She could only watch as the pair reunited, Calypso and Leo embracing tightly. A soft smile appeared on her face and yet all she wanted to do was cry. It had been the right thing to do but her heart was heavy and breaking as she watched them pull apart and look into each other’s eyes.

Leo looked over at Autumn, holding Calypso’s hand as if he was afraid to let go. “Autumn… thank you. Thank you so much.”

All she could do was nod so she didn’t start to cry.

[inanotherheadspace]

The Adventures of Team Lune - Chapter Two: To Work, or Not to Work

Summary: A dragon slayer, a demon slayer, and a god slayer walk into a Guild Hall... and all goes to hell

Pairings: Natsu x Fem OC, Gajeel x Fem OC, Gray x Fem OC, Sting x Fem OC, Laxus x Fem OC, Loke x Fem OC 

Word Count: 3,078 

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter 

“Caly, I’m bored,” May whined to the plumette as she rolled over on the couch. Calypso offered a long eye roll in response as she continued to work on May’s new cloak.

“You’re such a whiny baby. I’m literally fixing your cape and now you want my attention?” She kept her eyes trained on the needle as she worked, gliding it effortlessly through the fabric as she has done plenty of times.

“I haven’t seen you in months and this is how you treat me?” The blonde huffed, puffing her cheeks out in a frown.

“Go play with Ria.”

“Ria’s playing with Natsu.” May groaned, flopping over the couch once more, and busying herself with the strings of her shirt. “Plus, I don’t want to see them making out.” She faked a gag as her eyes focused on the ceiling.

“I am not out playing with Natsu stupid! I’ve been home this whole time!” Ria shouted from the kitchen, as a pan fell to the floor in a screech.  

May let out a mumble, before stating; “I have a feeling you guys didn’t actually miss me and just wanted to make me look bad.” The girl’s brows were furrowed in thought, now glaring daggers into the ceiling as her eyes turned to slits.  

“You know that’s not true May!” Ria’s frown could be heard in her voice as she continued cooking lunch. “You worry us too much, hell, you worry the guild too much! We’re both so afraid that one day you just won’t come home! You’re too reckless!”

“I’m a fairy tail wizard, I’ll always come home.” May replied blandly, her eyes defocusing on the white paint of the ceiling. Her fingers still intwined with the pink fabric of her cropped shirt.  

“You promise?” Astria’s voice came out in a peep from the corner of the wall, her eyes shining with tears that were ready to pour.  

“I’ll only promise if you two do too, otherwise, nah.” She shrugged absentmindedly, feeling herself slip in between consciousness.

“Fine then, I promise the both of you that I’ll always come back home.” Calypso stated, her slim fingers working wickedly through the fabric.  

“I promise I’ll always come home,” the bluenette followed.

“I promise to always come back home.” May told, standing up from her position on the couch, turning toward the door. “I’ll be home in a bit, I got something I need 'a do.” Her voice came in a squeak as she felt the vile burning sensation begin in her throat.

Before the two could interrupt, the blonde made for the door, swinging it open and leaving the self-made home. The burning sensation continued as she made her way down the steps, stumbling in the process. She proceeded down and out of the building, using the walls for support.  

"Shit.” Her voice left her mouth in a whisper, her hand desperately clutching her side, the other gripping the wall as she maneuvered around the building’s side. She could make it on time. She had to. Her eyes were painfully dry, wishing to experience some sort of relief from the pain, May continued to stagger, letting go of the wall as she faced the forest’s edge. From there, she sprinted.  

Needing to get as far away as possible; she let the pure adrenaline carry her. She didn’t make it far past the edge, before her knees wobbled, sending her tumbling onto her shins on the ground. Her arms sprang in front of her; hoping to offer herself some stability, but it was no use. They quickly gave out in front of her, sending her chest down into the dry dirt. The burning sensation did nothing but continue its way down half her body. Her skin felt hot to the touch, the other half was pure ice.  

Her body trembled from pure temperature change and fear as her mouth opened silently. Her brain flooding with her own intrusive thoughts, now knowing it was useless to fight against it; she fell limp. Her body taking to complete gravitation toward the ground and shaking against it violently. She’d be lucky if the best case were hitting her head on a rock. Her brain continued its massacre; the thoughts continuing to fumble in like a burning rain.  

“What are you doing?”

“Who are you?”

“Who are they?”

“Why are you here?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you hiding?”

“They’re afraid of you, all of them.”

The words shot through her skull, sending her head back and into the ground as each word erupted into its own pain. Searing through her skin and blurring her vision.

The darkness was thick. Fog-like and overall terrifying. It wasn’t a part of her. She exterminated darkness. She was not it. She was neither dark nor light. She was human. She was a Fairy Tail wizard. Nothing more, nothing less. No. She was a monster. She was not human.  

Her shriek ripped through her throat, straining her vocal cords more than the burn. Her spit felt like lava and snow, coughing it out into the forest’s floor.  

Where’s the light? There is none. You are the darkness. We are one. You are terrifying. You are nothing more than a demon now. You’ve gone too far. You’ve taken the power and become it.

May’s body continued to thrash ruthlessly, her breathing becoming ragged between screams. Some silent, gasping for air; others earth-splitting and beating through her ears.

I am a demon. You search for blood. You cannot get close to those you love. Their souls are not pure enough. You need pure souls. I need pure souls. Close to those I love. Love. Do you have love? No, you don’t either. Love doesn’t exist in this world. Only death and anguish. You are the bringer of both. You. Are. Darkness. You. Are. Nothing.  

The final scream tore through her chest, her skin molten with it as her head slammed into a tree’s base; blood beginning to dribble down her forehead as her vision blurred immensely. The tears which pricked her eyes fell loosely, dark spots forming. A faint, “no,” ghosting her lips as the darkness took over and the blood continued to pool, staining the grass beneath her unmoving head. And then, the voices finally stopped.   ◊◊◊◊

When she finally shifted, her skin burned once more. Unlike the searing pain from before, her arms just felt raw. As if her skin had melted off, leaving her bare to the air’s painful daggers. A groan rumbled in her throat, her eyes struggling to open. Is it morning? The girl trembled as the breeze continued to agitate her body. When her eyelids finally lifted, she was granted the sight of a glittery sky, littered in bright stars as her mouth gaped open from her previous lack of air. Her arms weren’t the only thing that felt raw, her throat too. Again. Her lips turned into a small frown as disdain racked through her body. She was a monster. She wasn’t a monster.  

The blonde twitched, her subconscious kicking in once more. She tried finding the strength to roll over, but it didn’t exist. She raised her arm, to try and see its damage. Only to no avail. So, this is what I am now. Weak. Worthless. She cursed herself silently. Her arm trying to move once more, this time making it up to her line of vision. Her eyes grazed over the once pale skin, inspecting the redness that formed in lines going up and down against it. Scratches. Scratches created by long, sharp fingernails. Not nails. Claws. The strength she had to hold her arm up dissipated, her arm falling across her chest.  

She had no strength to move it.  No strength to get up. Not even enough strength to close her eyes once more. The grass was dyed red and the girl immobile, lying on rough (once)greenery and tarnished soil. Her head throbbed against her skull, making her wish for at least enough strength to sleep. At least some resilience. Her sage eyes remaining fixated on the blurry sky, her breathing beginning to slow. She could breathe now. She was alive. But she was weak. Far too weak. At this rate, you’ll never be able to save anyone. Another voice sounded within her. One she didn’t hear earlier but has met plenty times before. The girl struggled to speak, nothing but a small squeak coming from her parted lips. I have to, at least try. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Her throat still burning, stopping only at the base of her lungs. It wasn’t long before she began to hear sticks breaking nearby.   Her breathing hitched, shallowing in hopes of not being discovered. Her eyes remained heavy, as the footsteps neared closer and closer. Her eyes scanned what could be seen from her peripheral, as her body fell completely still. The next footstep she heard was by her head, as blonde hair and a large scar rolled into her vision.   “Oi, what’re you doing out here? It’s ten 'o'clock.”

“I..” The words came out in a mutter, as her mouth dried. “I took a run and got tired.” “I’m not really someone you can lie to, May.” Laxus shrugged, slumping down on the ground behind her head. His large hands rested against her head, before placing it into his lap.  

“You’ve been coming around more often, Laxus.” Her body relaxed, leaning into his touch. “And what of it?” He chuckled, unraveling his coat and placing it over her. “Get some more sleep. I’ll stay so you don’t get murdered.” The slight sarcasm was enough to let her erupt a small chuckle, before completely relaxing into his lap, and slowly falling back to sleep. ◊◊◊◊

“Natsu! You can’t burn down the entire forest!” Lucy beckoned, standing near a tree whilst Happy sat at the base of it. “Oh brother, why do I bother?” Her tone deflated as Astria also summoned flames to rival against Natsu’s. Flames were swept toward Astria’s feet, as she dashed quickly and leaped above the incoming attack from behind. From her stance above, she managed a quick flip over the pinkette’s larger body, sending her feet into his back as she slammed him into the ground on his stomach. The man’s jaw opened wide, swallowing the dirt beneath him.   “Ria! That tastes like shit!”  

“Then eat some more, flame brain!” A small symbol on Astria’s leg, in the shape of Jupiter began to glow. Her hands moved delicately as she summoned the ground to her own accord; twisting and wrapping around the fellow dragon slayer in an attempt to encage him.  

From there, the earth swallowed him into a pit of Astria’s design. That was until the earth crumbled above Natsu, spouting fire and heat which emanated around the five.

The two continued to spar, flame combatting flame, then Astria took initiative to delve behind her own rock wall, which sprouted in front of her, right before she ducked.

In a swift movement, her fire dispersed before water was ejected straight into Natsu’s flames, turning it to steam.

“Hey, not fair!” Ria and Natsu yelled in unison at Lucy and the newly summoned Aquarius.  

“Call me again to put out the fire brats' flames and see what happens.” The celestial spirit threated Lucy before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“I was never a fan of celestial spirits, but I do like her.” Ria huffed as she turned back to her fellow dragon slayer.  

“I like her too. It's because she smells like a fish!” Happy said with drool seeping out of his mouth. The exceeds stomach let out a rumble, loud enough to shock the birds out of the trees.  

“I guess it's time for a break then, huh little buddy?” Natsu asked to his blue friend.  

◊◊◊◊

Calypso’s hands worked quicker than her mind could as she continued to focus on the task at hand. The banging on the door was the only thing to break her train of thought.  

“Hold on,” she shouted at the being behind her front door.  

“Hurry up brat.” The man's gravelly voice shouted back, bringing a smile to the young womans face. Calypso opened the door to the taller man dressed in all black. She flashed him her smile, before leaving the door open and going back to what she was doing. This caught him off guard. Gajeel stood in the doorway for a few seconds before deciding to follow her, making sure to close the door behind him.  

“You act like you’ve never been here before.” The plumette teased as she cleaned up what she was working on. Gajeel let out a grumble as he crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway. He kept his eyes on her as she moved gracefully around the living room. “As talkative as always I see.” She continued to tease as she shot the man a glance over her shoulder.  

“I see you’re fixing the shorties cape.” Calypso let out a hum in response as she picked up the cloth in question. She took up her place back on the couch with her legs crossed in front of her. Her usual long, lose and wavy plum locks were tied up in a bun. Gajeel continued to look her over, she was dressed in her usual gear – a white halter crop top with a light grey leather bodice under the bust, a pale blue ankle length skirt with a slit up the side, and a pale-yellow chain around the top of the skirt that had a crescent moon attached at the end over the slit. What managed to catch his eyes were the slight bags under her eyes. For someone who always napped out in the open at the Guild, you’d think she wouldn’t have that issue.  

“As best as I can. I’ve fixed it time and time again. I learned to sew just to fix this for May.” A soft smile graced her lips as she thought back to the beginning of her friendship with the two girls.  

“I’m still shocked you have one friend, let alone two.” The girl in question let out a small laugh before tucking the cape away and turning back to the iron dragon slayer.

“Humm, I’d say it's up to three now.”

“Ha! Who’d you wrangle into being your friend now?”

“You.” Gajeel flinched back at her statement as her piercing green eyes meet his. Ever since he joined the guild and started talking to Calypso – who was by far, one of the very few people he found tolerable – he learned quickly that she has a knack for catching people off guard.  

“In your dreams! Like hell I'd be your friend.”

“Oh yeah?” The plumette questioned as she stood in front of the taller man, her hands behind her back and eyes still locked on his. “Then why do you keep showing up at my house?” This thew the burly man off balance, he took a step back to get some distance between the two. Calypso was mentally faster than him and instinctively took a step closer. Gajeel let out a huff and crossed his arms once more before looking down at her.

“I had a question that you probably have the answer to.”

“Oh?” Calypso sighed before turning on her heels and heading to the kitchen. “What kind of tea do you like?” The black-haired man followed behind her, before taking his perch in the doorway once more.  

“Got anything with iron?” He asked with a smirk.  

“Hmm, May does owe me for fixing her cape. I can melt some of her old earrings and call it tea.” Before he could get an answer out, she was pushing past him and going up the stairs. After a few minutes – a loud “got it” was heard from the upper floor, before the sounds of footsteps made their way towards Gajeel. She stopped in front of him and held up the earrings with a grin on her face.  

He quickly snatched them from her hands before bringing them up to his nose. The dragon slayer gave them a sniff before popping the two earrings in his mouth.  

“I-” Calypso all but stuttered as she stared at the man before her. Gajeel smirked down at the shorter woman, he was basking in the glory of being the one to catch her off guard.  

“They taste like ear.”  

“...I wanted to make you tea...” The smaller mage began to pout, with tears welling up in her eyes.  

“It would’ve tasted like ear too. Just make me a cup of whatever tea you want.” Gajeel let out his signature huff before averting his eyes from hers. The smile that lit up her face was almost blinding; it didn’t help the blush creeping up on the dragon slayers cheeks.  

“I only really have Jasmine and Oolong. But I like the Jasmine a lot more, so I’ll make us that.” Calypso spoke as she began to prep the kettle. “Oh, and I would’ve suggested cleaning them before you ate them. But you’re greedy, huh?” She kept her back to him as she continued to work around the kitchen – her keen eyes catching the minuscule messes her two roommates had left behind. “You had a question, right?” Her soft voice snapped Gajeel out of his trance.  

“Huh? Oh yeah...” Calypso let out a soft giggle before taking a seat at the kitchen table.  

“I’ve been told my hearing is impeccable. Fire away!” She kept her eyes on him as he went to join her at the table, Gajeel took up the seat across from hers. His broad body filled up the space in the relatively empty and quiet room.

“...How did Astria and Natsu get their cats?” Calypso leaned back in her chair at his question.  

“It’s kind of a long story.” The mage said with a smile as the tea kettle whistled.

[pagesoflauren]

Siren’s Call (Steve Rogers x reader; Pirate AU) - Ch. 3

Warnings: drinking, violence (sword fighting, mentions of hanging/executions), guns (nobody gets shot at), catcalling

Previous Chapter

You notice that in light of your most recent and ambitious theft, security at some ports has increased. There are more men patrolling the docks and porters make it a point to record every single ship that approaches the islands. 

There’s a few safe havens though, like the one you find on Oculto, properly called the Spanish word for “hidden.” It’s off course from most trade routes. Many of the other patrons visiting the island are other pirates or merchants who look to strike a good bargain on the black market. 

You manage to negotiate a low price for someone to paint your ship while you and your crew enjoy some time on the land, indulging in some sweets or getting absolutely shitfaced. You’d decided on a dark green color, one that resembles an emerald necklace your father had gifted you when you were a child. 

When the painter asks you what you want to name your ship, you tell him you’ll think about it. Many names stick out to you; Circe, Calypso, Hecate, after some of the more fun characters in Greek antiquity. You may had been raised at sea, but your father didn’t skimp on your education. When you had first stolen the ship, you found Achilles was fitting; the ship was very fast, putting distance between you and “Lieutenant Rogers” faster than you could realize. 

You wanted to attribute your ship’s name to who you were, a free woman of the sea, a woman who was proud to stand on the deck and give the orders. There was also something potent about your appearance, you noticed. You could use it to manipulate men. 

When you decided on a name, you called your first mate.

“R.” 

“Yes, Captain?” “Tell the painter I’ve decided on a name for our ship.”

He smirked, “And what have you decided, my lady?” he asked obnoxiously.

“Stop it,” you smiled, giving him a teasing kick that held a lot of force. “It’ll be named The Siren’s Call.”

Steve’s loss of his ship not only cost the navy a significant amount of money, but he found himself idle for two months as arrangements were made for him to use a ship in the reserves, saved for naval battles and dire situations. 

One thing he was satisfied with was the name. It was perfect, given that he was looking to use the vessel to redeem himself and build his reputation. He would drop whatever assignment he had to bring you to justice for making a fool out of him twice. 

“The Avenger,” Bucky says, beholding the ship at the dock.

“It’s a fitting name,” Steve nods, looking around. He had made sure there were groups of soldiers constantly patrolling the island to make certain there were no pirates anywhere. If any pirates were found, they were immediately imprisoned to be sent to the gallows. 

He found himself in a strange position, though. He was eager to see you. But in which circumstances he wanted to see you, he wasn’t entirely sure. There was a part of him that zealously hung onto the idea of making a name for himself, the pirate who brought the captain of the Siren’s Call, as you so named his former ship, to justice. On the other hand, his thoughts of you when he was alone were extremely unbecoming of a respectful man in his Majesty’s Navy. What was it about you? Why was he so fixed on you? And why did it have to be him?

He shook his head to expel his confusion as another man approached him on the docks. 

“Captain,” he nodded.

“Wilson,” Steve acknowledged, shaking his hand, “glad to have you on board.”

Though he stepped out of place in his request, he was able to secure another member of his crew whose specific job was to track any leads on you, so to help him know when he was getting closer or further away from you. 

But of course, maintaining the safety of merchants and other traders was the top priority. 

You had managed to avoid the navy for the better part of the past few weeks. There were some brief passings, but they either deemed you weren’t an important enough cause to give chase to or they had a higher priority. 

You and your crew relaxed in another tavern, having made port in a hidden lagoon on the opposite side of the main beaches on the island of Tortuga. It would be your last night before leaving in the morning and making for the sea again. It was about damn time. Normally, you wouldn’t spend more than three, maybe four days on land. Half of it was loving the sway of the ocean as it rocked you to sleep at night. The other half was knowing your crew; they’d stir up trouble at any point. 

“I told you to keep your filthy hands off me, you scum!”

There’s the trouble. 

One of your men throws another man out the swinging tavern door, followed by men both from your crew and what you assume is another pirate’s crew. Where their captain was, you didn’t know. Nor did you care at this point. It was best to get everyone and leave. 

You brought your feet down from the table they were propped up on and downed the rest of your drink, looking at R.

“Sorry, Cap.” “It was bound to happen,” you threw him a pointed look because he was the one who had asked to stay a few extra days. Something about a good-looking tailor who mended his coat. 

He looked down sheepishly and you rolled your eyes.

“Hey,” you said, punching his shoulder, “be ready for anything.”

It didn’t matter how angry you got at him at any moment. He was your best friend.

You moved your coat back to give yourself easy access to the hilt of your sword in case there was a need for that. 

The conflict had escalated to a brawl between three of your men and four of the other men. You rolled your eyes and took out your pistol from its holster, firing it into the sky. 

Wasting gunpowder on stupid, clueless men. Of course. 

You rolled your eyes.

“Gentlemen,” you smiled superficially, and your crew knew they were going to get it once they made it back to the ship. 

“I apologize on behalf of my men. There’s many a time when they can be dimwitted and have no sense of decorum. Please pardon us, we’ll be on our way.”

“Not before we have a go at you,” one of the men from the other crew shouted. You didn’t see who. R drew his balde before you could draw your own.

“You’ll be a dead man if you try,” he said, stepping in front of you. 

Before you could be grateful, another voice called from behind you.

“Excuse me, is there a problem here?” 

All heads turned to the source of the voice. It wasn’t familiar to you, but once you locked your eyes with the clear blue ones of “Lieutenant Rogers,” it was clear you needed to make haste to leave. 

He didn’t even shout any commands, just drew his sword and ran straight to you. 

“Captain!” a man shouted after him. You assumed he was the first mate.

When your crew drew their own swords, the first mate rolled his eyes and commanded the other men to draw as well and follow their captain. 

You drew your sword and blocked his lunge at you. There was the constant sound of metal on metal as people cut and slashed at each other. 

At one point, Rogers blocked your advance and gripped your wrist, pulling your body to his, only separated by the hilts of your swords locked together. 

“Captain Rogers now,” you smirked, “I’m impressed.”

You pushed him away and huffed when he blocked you.

“You’ve certainly moved up in the ranks,” you continued. “As have you, I see,” he replied, brows furrowed. “I had no choice, my father died and left the crew to me.”  “And you had to steal my ship?” he asked. 

He wasn’t expecting you to laugh.

“I didn’t know it was your ship, Captain,” you smirked, “but I thank you for letting me go.”

“Believe me, I didn’t want to.” 

His damn eyes near distracted you from blocking a blow to your arm. You couldn’t leave this fight injured.

“But for the crime of theft, you will be punished,” he gritted, standing tall.

His mistake.

You took the opportunity to slice at his wrist; a flesh wound, maybe enough to scar, you weren’t sure. He dropped his sword and you delivered another cut to his thigh. He fell to his knees. 

“Captain!” someone shouted, “retreat!” 

You stepped up to him, not much taller than he was, even as he knelt. 

“It’s been a pleasure, Captain Rogers.”

This time, you kissed his cheek. 

From his position on his knees, he saw you sheath what was his first sword. Then, you turned and you ran, followed by the rest of your crew. You had kept it all these years.

“Captain,” Bucky said, worry lacing his voice, “can you stand?” 

He nodded and stood, his left leg buckling from the sting of the injury you had inflicted before he stood tall.

“Let’s get you to the Commodore’s office, they’ll patch you up there.” 

“Call for a sketch artist, too,” he growled.

He hated being bested by you in every attempt he made. But, with your face plastered on walls on every port in the Caribbean, it wouldn’t be just him making attempts anymore.

Let me know what you think!

Next Chapter

Tagging: @ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff​

[doom-dreaming]

I saw the fic where the reader tells the twins that the entire camp left and went one way and troy plays along and fucking slips a tracker in their jacket. Just the pure feeling of "you've done fucked up" when the twins follow them back to their group.

You should have known. You should have known! It was their whole game - they made themselves look stupid and inane. They made people underestimate them. And you'd fallen for the entire act. They'd played you. And now they're here. Again.

You swear under your breath when your rifle clicks. "Need more ammo!" Half of your words are drowned by the explosion that rattles the mesa behind you. The resulting haze of red dust obscures your line of sight on the twins. They're still a quarter-mile out, but they're blazing through the front lines with frightening vigor. You don't know many of the camp members personally, you keep to yourself, stay with family, close friends. Still, the massacre is hard to watch.

Bodies turn to stone under Tyreen's fingertips, unnatural crystals jutting from their eye sockets and open mouths. Her tattoos are glowing white-hot and she's laughing.

Troy takes care of the rest, sweeping his sword through two, three, four people at a time, almost lazily, a satisfied smirk on his lips. They turn into crimson mist and scattered limbs. His white coat is stained with blood, but you don't know if it's his or...everyone else's.

"Ammo incoming!" The shout is followed by the familiar, and welcome, clink of an ammo box landing in the sand next to you. You reload as quickly as possible, but your next look down your scope cements your fears.

They're winning. They're only a few thousand yards out now, backed by a seemingly-endless onslaught of cultists. You pick off a few of the larger ones, but your aim keeps locking on the twins. Troy. Tyreen. Troy. Tyreen. It's a gamble, you know they're both dangerous... Precious seconds tick by as you weigh your options. Hordes of shrieking cultists swarm past the first set of barricades. You hear shots from your left. From your right. Shouting, screaming...

You aim right between Troy's deep-set blue eyes and squeeze the trigger.

Crack!

Darkness.

**********

Your head is throbbing, your ears are ringing. But all the gunfire, all the explosions, all the yelling...it's silent. Everything comes back gradually. Sand crunching under boots, murmured conversation, bright light on the other side of your eyelids. You blink, squinting against the afternoon sun.

You're on your knees, your hands are- You struggle in a split-second of panic as your body races to process what your brain already knows. Your hands are bound behind you, you're gagged. You force yourself to breathe.

"Y'know, I gotta hand it to ya." Troy drawls from somewhere out of sight. "You're smart. Not as smart as us, but, well..." Suddenly, he's in front of you, dropping to a crouch, lips pulled back into a wicked grin. "We're tough to beat." He ruffles your hair and stands, yanking you roughly to your feet with him. "Take a look around! We redecorated the place for ya! Thinkin' about callin' it...I'unno...hey Ty! How's 'Calypso Chic' sound?"

"Sounds stupid."

Troy chuckles. "Yeeaaah...she's just jealous she didn't think of it first. Too bad you don't get to stay, though! Real bummer. But! We got somethin' super special waitin' for ya." His grip on your shoulder is painfully tight as he steers you in the direction of their convoy.

You try not to look at the crumbling husks that litter the ground around you. Still, even in your peripheral vision, you see arms outstretched, crystalline mouths gaping in silent screams. Some are cowering. Some are...you swallow back the bile in your throat. Some are small, clinging tightly to hands and the now-solid folds of clothes. Entire families are fused together into morbid statues, memorializing their last seconds. You tear your eyes away and focus on your feet.

"D'you get 'em all, Ty?"

She falls into stride beside you. "Yeah, think so. Been a while since I've eaten that good." She sounds satisfied. Sated. It only makes you feel sicker. "Kinda wanna take a nap now."

"Don't forget to share," Troy mutters.

"Yeah, yeah..." She waves him off as they split around the front of their war technical.

You stumble when Troy gives you a shove toward the open door. A burly cultist covered in tattoos reaches down to grab your arm.

"Careful with that one," Troy warns. "They're gonna need to be, ah...presentable later."

Fear grips your gut as you're hauled into the vehicle, but you can't exactly ask anyone for an explanation. You're not sure you'd want to know, but the anticipation of the unknown is worse.

Troy is right on your heels, pulling the door shut behind him. "Don't worry, pet," he croons as he slides in next to you. He tilts your chin up with his left hand. "You'll learn to love us, just like all the others. Welcome to the family."

[border-spam]

(Ahhh shid, to stress, I don’t hate writing my Ty. I like my Ty, she’s fun to throw ideas around for and flesh out. It’s trying to write a canonical Tyreen that stresses me out because I never ever feel like I’m doing it right and the lack of interaction with posts on her cements that so I just feel like I’m letting people down and anywAY)

Leech Lord AU - What is Tyreen's experience with romance?

About the same as a moth’s to a candle flame.

She doesn’t understand what romance is compared to love, or infatuation, or care. Tyreen feels so easily, so quickly and deeply, that innocent interactions can burn underneath her skin like slow poison. She wants to love so badly, she latches onto experiences for years after they happen.

The first had been a boy a few years younger than her with rich umber skin, and eyes a colour she’d never seen in nature, on Pandora or home.

Green like liquor glass, and nearly as sharp as the smile that slit into his cheeks as he locked gaze with her while Seifa and the man he accompanied to this deal argued to their side.

She was 20 and naïve to a fault. Never seen a boy that wasn’t Troy who’d looked her in the eyes like this. The raw confidence he exuded in waves shook her to the core, and Ty was unsure how she was meant to actually react as she nervously flittered her eyes between him and her distracted companion, too busy growling up into the face of the man who was apparently *not* offering them an acceptable rate to notice Tyreen’s awkwardness. Or maybe she just assumed this wouldn’t be a situation Ty would need her support in, maybe she just assumed Ty was like other people. He’d approached her despite her clear unease, mouthing a “Hey” silently as he paused so close she could catch the scent of his fresh sweat in the dry Pandoran air, and reached out a hand to tuck a stray deep brown curl behind her ear... then jolted back like he’d been burned. His pained yelp startled their companions out of their barter, and he clutched his blackened fingertips in shock while those green eyes bored into hers, full of something else now. Fear, not confidence. She’d turned and ran out of that shack, ignoring Sei shouting her name in concern. Anywhere else on this shit-hole rock was better than staying there.

The second was a year later, when she and Troy were securing a room in a border town to create their “base of operations” together.

It was hot, sticky, and intolerable as she sat on that makeshift bench outside the small office her twin was working his magic in behind her, honey thick voice carrying out snippets of him bullshitting the landlord to her as she groaned in the shade, clutching at her throbbing abdomen. Troy was useless for this, he’d had as much education on the topic as Typhon had been able to give him, which as expected from a father so desperately incompetent, was complete fuck-all. While he was concerned and empathic whenever her monthly cramps hit, the best he could manage was a hug and some reassurance that they would pick up some painkillers at the next chance. Seifa had helped her so much in the 6 months they’d been together, on the products available, mint teas, anti inflammatories that didn’t turn your stomach, things Leda would have if Leda.. Ty squinted into the sun and pulled her heavy hood further over her head, a necessary requirement to hide her markings in public, even if the thickness of it across her shoulders and arms was smothering in this disgusting heat. She didn’t realise that she was no longer alone till the quiet “.. Are you ok?” next to her startled her out of her wandering thoughts. The girl was about her age she thought, sunburned nose and wild blonde hair, thick and greasy in curls that licked the nape of her neck. Her concern was genuine, the turn of her chapped lips worried. “I.. yeah. I’m just um. I.. “ Treen stuttered, turning her head towards the office door, reminding herself of the closeness of her haggling twin. Confidence restored, she returned her attention to the girl, still regarding her with interest. “I’m fine, it’s just cramps. The heat isn’t helping, you know how it is... Heh.“

Realisation sparked in the strangers eyes and with a smile, she reached down into the faded rucksack by her feet, rummaging for a moment, then lifted a small pouch out, gesturing for Tyreen to take it before dropping it eagerly into her open hand.

”I have some spare stuff, there you go!” she singsonged, standing stiffly from the bench and dusting off her knees before turning back to the confused Ty with a crooked smile.

”We should look out for each other out here, right? That’s what my pop always says. Return the favor to someone else some day ok?” And she left, sauntering out into the burning heat towards the small group of waving people at the edge of the buildings nearby that Ty now realised were the family waiting on her.

God Queen Tyreen still has that little canvas bag somewhere, deep in the hoard of her quarters.

The third was a Hag, genuflecting in a crowd of worshippers as The Holy Mother Calypso graced one of the Merchandise department’s factories.

Tyreen had strutted along that dirt floor, a deity among rats, letting their fawning praise wash over her like it was lifeblood. Nodding and smiling, waving and posing, taking her place at the podium they’d set for her in the center of the assembly floor they congregated in, clambering below her for a glimpse of their Goddesses brilliance. She’d slipped into her rehearsed speech, Troy’s usual flowery nonsense penned perfectly for her dramatic delivery, and let her eyes scan the crowd as she spoke automatically. Bored out of her damn mind.

She’d seen her then, the woman’s massive hulking form so out of place surrounded by the other workers, her huge hands clasped in devotion, the acolytes robe draped across her hunched muscular back barely able to cover her size. She was crippled, kneeling on shaking legs, no longer part of the assault squad her Valkyrie sisters served in. A bullet to the spine months ago had left her unable to lift her ballista anymore, incapable of carrying the God Twin’s fanatics into battle, guts broken and limbs weak, she stared at Tyreen like she was the Sun. Like Ty was a Madonna, like she was the Hag’s deliverance, shining above her as a burning effigy of holy light. The love in her lopsided eyes spilled down the woman’s cheeks in tears, and the Queen paused mid speech, forgetting her next line.

Asks are Open!