#the most powerful demigods alive are all in awe of him

[lilislegacy]

percy’s view of himself: i’m so stupid and ugly and useless. i’m such a lame demigod

literally everyone else’s view of percy:

[acerdime]

Lazarus Pit - DC x Riordanverse

Nico di Angelo and Pollux meet and save either Jason Todd, Tim Drake, or Damian Wayne at the Lazarus Pit and take them to Camp Halfblood.

Hades & Thanatos requested that Nico di Angelo and the only surviving Son of Dionysus, Pollux, rectify the problem of the Lazarus Pits.

Every Death/Underworld God of every pantheon has agreed that the Pits are an abomination of maddeningly corruptive resurrection that never should have been used, especially not for immortality. Ra’s al Ghul will face eternal punishment for his crimes in whichever underworld he ends up in.

As the most experienced child of Hades alive and the only one with teleportation powers, Nico was an obvious choice for the mission. Pollux, however, was chosen because of his father’s control over insanity and lesser known association with rebirth. Unfortunately, because Nico is a Prince of the Underworld, it goes against his very nature to touch liquid resurrection, and doing so would leave harsh burns on his skin in addition to the average effect of Pit Rage. A bottomless pot was forged and enchanted to fully drain the pits but even then, the essence bleeding through is too much. In order to combat this, a son of rebirth and insanity (Pollux) must be sent to drain and hold the pot while Nico acts as transport and defense from the League of Assassins.

While most of the Pits are drained with little to no problem thanks to Leo’s hacking and Nico soul sight, it’s the last Pit where the plan goes awry. Which bat the boys meet next is up for your choosing. A choose your own adventure for writers who already have that option anyway.

Personally, I believe either Jason or Tim to be the most plausible to be in the Pit Room and in such a bad situation that the demigods would feel the need to intervene. Jason because, obviously, he’d be about to get dunked in it to restore his mental capacity and demigods know that’s an awful idea. Not to mention that Pollux could ask Dionysus to fix that instead if needed. Once his mind’s back, he’s going to be absolutely pissed that so many kids are being used as child soldiers, cannon fodder, and monster food with little to no outside help. After he reunites with his family, he’ll definitely be setting up a series of fully-stocked safe houses with hero contacts taking shifts to protect them from monsters if not all are secure enough with bat tech. When he’s older, he’ll probably adopt some.

Tim because he just lost his Spleen and surgery isn’t cutting it so they also need to dunk him. The demigods take him to Camp for Apollo Cabin surgery. It’d be kind of weird for Will Solace to be a better surgeon than one hired by the al Ghuls (even if he’s a demigod) but it’s action/adventure fiction so we can afford to be handwavey about it. He’d definitely set up a safe house system too, but might not adopt a demigod when he’s older.

The demigods could also meet Damian since obviously he grew up there but I seriously doubt he’d be in there without Ra’s and/or Talia personally overseeing his safety. And while these demigods are good, 500 yrs of combat experience is pretty damn hard to beat (especially since many of the giants and titans probably relied more on brute force/power than skill) and Talia’s no slouch either, not to mention that it’s unlikely that Damian would be physically abused in that room badly enough to need intervention during such a high-stakes quest. He might not see the need for a safe house system, but when he meets/reunites with the batfam, Jason at least would probably still set it up.

[practically-an-x-man]

I send you stars for the directors cut because I wanna know more but I am overwhelmed with IRL at the moment.

*hugs*

Aw man, I understand the feeling. I'm a little sleep-deprived and overwhelmed right now too, so I'm struggling to come up with a good answer for this...

I guess I'll give some commentary on Who Waits Forever Anyway? since that's the one you're most familiar with

Originally, I struggled with deciding how much of a link Katherine really had with the gods. I wanted originally for her to not have any innate link, and for it to be only her passion for the museum and creation that earned the tablet's favor - but I decided against that, since it leaves the question of why Larry and Nick didn't develop the same abilities, when they have the same connection to the museum

I also didn't want to make her a demigod or direct descendant of the gods. I didn't want to give her too much innate power, since I thought that might cheapen parts of her story and her self-discovery.

Making her a descendant not of Bastet, but of Bastet's original blessing was a spur-of-the-moment decision (I wrote the "a girl walks into a temple" scene all in one go, with minimal editing), but I'm really glad I went with it. It really gave everything a nice balance: explaining why Katherine had a connection to the tablet, but not so much connection that she develops powers on her own. She needs the tablet to act as a catalyst.

My vision for her was that the tablet uses her as a conduit. She doesn't have innate magic of her own, but she's able to use the tablet's energy more effectively than it could on its own. This is also why it affects her inversely from the other exhibits when the tablet begins to die - they grow weaker as the magic fades, but Katherine is flooded with unpredictable magic because the tablet is failing to act as a barrier between her and the gods

To make it simpler, the magic behaves like this: gods > tablet >> exhibits, where magic is passed directly down. As the tablet dies, no magic reaches the exhibits to animate them

However, it also works like this: gods <> tablet <> Katherine, where the tablet provides a link that allows Katherine to "borrow" magic from the gods, and communication goes both ways.

All this time spent exposed to the gods' direct power as the tablet dies may have some unexpected consequences...

I've tried to include references to other Egyptian gods throughout the work, as if they're following Katherine around

She visits Cecil in the old folks' home, which is where Jace first learns about the magic - he plays a role similar to Tawaret, helping tend the older souls and prepare them to comfortably move in. Cecil's also notably gentler and less antagonistic than he is in the first movie, indicating that his soul may be becoming "lighter" and more ready to move on

Katherine's drawings turn cobalt blue after animating them as a reference to Osiris and his blue skin - she's creating life (albeit in a very simple, temporary form) and so is drawing on his power

You noticed that Katherine's name is sometimes shortened to Kat, a hint to Bastet, but being named after Katherine Johnson the rocket scientist is a hint in itself - she contributed to the moon landing, and the tablet is powered by the moon god Khonsu.

There's also a lot of focus on writing and research (the letter, Ahk teaching her to write in hieroglyphs, the research she does into the tablet), which can be tied back to the scribe god Thoth - who also shows her the gods' argument when the tablet begins to die

In general, Katherine's strongest abilities come from the gods she's gained more favor from, mainly by showing respect and placing focus on their domains - Thoth by seeking knowledge, Bastet by protecting the home (the museum), Ptah by creating, etc.

Last thing? Most of the Ahkmenrah x Human OC stories I've read end with the magic granting him a second life, and him becoming fully alive and human so he can grow old with his loved one. As sweet as that is... we're doing something a little more unique here. You'll see ;)

[heroofpenamstan]

—DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: PHOEBUS ARTURIUS: SUNE’S FORSAKEN; THE ORIGINS.

the phoebus of the past had cherished the philosophy he had been born into. love is the greatest gift, beauty the highest quality. both of which the goddess sune could grant to those who would fall at her feet. he had loved the ponds filled with lotuses, the trees alive with blooms and birds. the applause of the other followers when his fingers would work his strings, voice dying with a song most sweet. he truly loved the temple, and its people, and the goddess who ruled over them.

that was true, and remained to be the case up until he was old enough to comprehend just why only he appeared to receive all of the gifts and blessings from the goddess; the most attention, affection. he had always been the most looked after, the one taught best. the temple’s pride and joy—groomed to perfection, educated in the arts, trained and shaped into a protector of sune’s worship. the first kiss had shocked him, fuelled him with a fire only a goddess could light within him, or any other being. it was not unpleasant—far from it—but unexpected. unwelcome.

TW: mentions of minor s.a. ! at the tender age of five and ten, he finds out his true intended purpose, and phoebus starts to question everything he’s ever known.

his role switches. he becomes no more than her pretty, mortal concubine, and is hailed among her followers. sune’s beloved, he’s called, and he feels more than sickened by it. the goddess’ pleasure turns to be his top ( unwanted ) priority, and the rest of the temple is overjoyed by the blessings the sated sune would bestow upon them; they had succeeded in providing her with the most beautiful sacrifice she had demanded of them. there’s no one fairer than lady firehair, he’s often been told, but that does not change the fact he still has to swallow down the repulsion when the goddess climbs into his lap, day after day, night after night. she grips at his golden curls, at his arms and at his face, all a product of careful breeding, and tells him he’s her perfect present.

months turn into years with little to no sign of sune’s interest flickering out. Quite the opposite—her hands claw into his mortal flesh with a possessive ferocity, her lips and tongue eating away at him, until he’s barely a shell of his former self. he doesn’t believe in her anymore, in love, nor beauty. sune’s awful vision of it has ruined everything he’s ever known, had faith in. her power rushes through his veins, golden and scalding, and he is deemed a demigod amongst men.

he hates it, and himself, and his life.

until fearoine joins the temple. she is the kindest, the most exquisite thing he’s ever laid eyes on, breathing life back into him bit by bit, glance by glance. the followers of sune aren’t a monogamous bunch, ironically, preferring to express their love and lust openly, shallowly switching partners once they bore of one another. thus phoebus allows himself to feel for another, to hope for a future with someone who does not scorch his skin with each and every touch.

and then fearoine is murdered, unsurprisingly, their affair discovered, and phoebus shuns all worship of any and all gods. he flees the temple without a second thought, and loses everything because of it—his family, his power, his abilities—but gains something he’s always wanted in turn. freedom. or so he thought.

[thronelessking]

senses and other specific headcanons. (Arlas and Mirabelle/Norg edition)

what does your muse smell like ?

Arlas very specifically smells like the seventeen hundred lilac bushes he's growing around his church graveyard. Despite being purple he is not lavender scented. He may otherwise smell like 'extremely old Pharasmin church' which is a combination of heavy incenses used in both worship, and to chase away the smell of death.

Depending on your Mirabelle of Choice you get different smells, the Reaper of Reputation smells like a very expensive perfumes; often a blend of vanilla and smoke. Scent version of inoffensive to your senses and attractive. Father Skinsaw does not smell like much of anything on a normal day but if you called him to talk specifically and it wasn't to kill someone, he'd be in the same vein as the Reaper but with added cardamom in it. Grey Master at most just smells what can be defined as. Clean. He doesn't want you to be able to perceive him in any ways, so he's just. Am Clean.

You can unfortunately smell Blackfingers because he smells like the sort of clean that one becomes after scrubbing horribly dangerous chemicals off. He smells like you're about to have a very horribly, agonizingly, bad time.

what do your muse’s hands feel like ?

Arlas has furry goat hands that are rough and calloused from being a grave and groundskeeper and a carpenter, and a bunch of jobs all in one because he's the Only Dude In His Church and he Does Not Have Money To Hire Other People To Help Him. They are very nice to hold though.

The Reaper's hands are very soft and delicate and a little pointy because he loves having claws. They seem like they've never done anything more than just. Touch people, fabrics, porcelain cups, and fine silverware and maybe shuffle the occasional sheet of paper. Skinsaw's hands are horribly rough and marred from his work and the occasional scuffle with someone who he toyed with and decided to fight back.

You would think Grey Master would be the same but he's a burglar with experience and wears gloves so his hands are softer than Skinsaw's but still look and feel like he does a lot of work with them. Blackfinger's hands are by far the worst, they feel like they will never recover from the things he's stuck them in, exposed them to, and had them chewed up by. They feel Fucking Awful and need the worlds most powerful lotions.

what does your muse usually eat in a day ?

Arlas eats a very healthy diet of fruits and vegetables that he can purchase from passing merchants, meat is extremely expensive, and what he can grow. Due to his trip to Barovia, he has developed a taste for shrimp.

Mirabelle eats lavishly. The idol of greed does not accept anything less than the finest and thus makes for the worlds most expensive date. Thankfully, gods do not really need to eat.

does your muse have a good singing voice ?

Arlas is learning to sing and play music but he's. Serviceable. Don't ask him about it, he'll feel bad talking on the matter.

Absolutely no Norg has a singing voice, his investments in the performing arts is recruiting Bards to his faith and having them infiltrate places to do work in his name. The closest you can get is the Reaper being flirtatious with his speech but that's the closest you can get to melodic.

does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks ?

Arlas plays with his holy symbol when he's nervous and chews his lips.

Mirabelle, when alive, used to click his prosthetics when he was Having Feelings. But then he smothered all his emotions, became some sort of either modern legend or demigod, and ascended to proper godhood and is now noticeably lacking in the nervous department of emotions.

what does your muse usually look like/wear ?

Arlas is a little fancy cleric boy as a mortal, he looks like a funny ghost bride as a lesser Avatar of Pharasma post campaign. His clothes are always well kept, he is not.

All four Mirabelle's have drastically different appearances because he's not about to show you his true face. The Reaper often dresses as a trendsetter Taldan noble, often with bright colors that are hard to manufacture to flaunt his limitless stolen wealth. He keeps his hair long and also brightly dyed to continue making that rich impression, currently his hair is pink. Skinsaw dresses more moderately with darker and muted colors, he has long black hair that's been braided. Your quintessential goth gf.

Blackfingers dresses like a librarian, brown hair done up in a bun with a ribbon and always a too night blouse and dark skirt. He will not poison you or do unethical experimentation. Trust him. Grey Master just looks like a blonde guy. Don't worry about him. He has not just walked past you and taken your wallet, he did not just open the door to a house he doesn't live in. He'll dress up if you call on him in person though.

is your muse affectionate ? How so ?

Arlas is affectionate but the very specific brand of 'i will throw my entire life away for you' and 'i'm going to keep a close eye over you with the express intention of making sure i can help you survive and thrive'

The Mirabelle conglomerate is affectionate. You don't want them to be affectionate. Attracting the affectionate attentions of any of the four immediately puts you in a precarious situation because all of them are the same guy that are just split into four distinct individuals; they all share the core greedy desires and need to monopolize and use people.

While they all have different ranges of showing affection, the Reaper is the most capable of Being Normal about it and displaying things is a mostly normal nonthreatening fashion, its the Grey Master that's second normal who often showers his favored in wealth. Skinsaw's affections tend to stray deeply into violence, but he rarely if ever afflicts it on the object of affection but will permit it to be done to himself bc divinity can only be killed by other divinity/outsiders.

Blackfingers is the decidedly worst of them all because him showing you that he likes you is the fact he is letting you continue to live and breathe without agony. He also tends to be the one who flips the most easily from loving someone to deciding it would be perfectly acceptable to horribly poison them.

what position does your muse sleep in ?

Arlas sleeps on his back because he's got horns that make sleeping on the sides Very Difficult. Tiefling problems.

Mirabelle, no matter which one you get, both hogs the entire bed, but also manages to make himself very small and tightly curl up. Shout out to Grey Master who flops on a bed and has to be manually moved by another person to make room for themselves in the bed though. Sorry Cornelius.

could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room ?

Arlas clip clops everywhere. He naturally is not stealthy.

And if you hear any Mirabelle then it means he wants you to know he's there. Most of the time the answer is a very definitive: No.

tagged by: @crimsontroupe (kiss)

[kielboysa]

GOD/MORTAL AU

CW: Mentioned character death

Okay what about a God AU where bakugou is a powerful god of war and victory and kiri is his virgin sacrifice

Katsuki is depicted as this crazy monster like a cross between a lion, a boar, a dragon, and a coyote. He’s the size of a house and walks with thousands of weapons and bones sticking out from his back. His back looks like the result of a well fought war.

He breathes poison fire and has a dozen limbs with sharp claws and thousands of razor teeth that are stronger and sharper than the most well crafted blade.

Kiri is there chained to the sacrificial table and is fucking terrified to meet this beast that’s surely going to rip him limb from limb.

Then just this blond guy shows up and kiris like damn nvm I’m ready.

so kiris like “hey ;)” and katsuki is liKE “MORTAL WHY DONT YOUR TREMBLE IN MY PRESENCE” or smthing idk. Basically he likes kiri’s spunk (no pun intended) and lets him survive while frequently visiting him in his ‘mortal form’ to fuck him.

or 'claim’ him as Katsuki calls it. He offers Kiri a spot at his side for all eternity, but kiri wants to be mortal a little longer despite his god’s best efforts. He says theres still more he wants to experience in this world, THEN he’ll go live with Katsuki in the god realm.

Kiri is the only sacrifice to return from the ritual platform alive, and the people say he’s been blessed by the god as a result. He decides to become a soldier in order to fight for his homeland and his people (despite them being the same people who tried to feed him to a god)

Katsuki watches over him and makes sure he wins every battle he’s in. Kiri becomes a legend among the mortals.

Also: Bakugou doesn’t Actually look like a normal dude. that’s just his normal form. His True Form is pretty close to the stories kiri heard.

Bakugou, God of War and Victory

Another picture of him by Emi: https://twitter.com/OnigiriKnight_/status/1146974443396358144 And one by Driiaz: https://twitter.com/driiazofficial/status/1148362980444164097

Entire armies will retreat or even surrender when they hear that they’ll be fighting against the legendary warrior. It’s not worth it, sacrificing men in a battle they’re destined to lose.

Rumors spread on how Kirishima’s been blessed with the power of the gods. Some of them claim he’s a descendant of Deku, another legendary mortal that was supposedly turned divine.

The Legend of Deku was actually a favorite story of Kiri’s when he was young. A child threw himself into danger to save a friend and died as a result. The All God was so touched by his sacrifice he shed tears, which fell onto the child’s body and resurrected him as a demigod.

When he tells it to Katsuki, after his god 'reinstated his claim’, he rolls his eyes. “I don’t get why All God made such a big fucking deal about it. He didn’t evenwin. Hedied. The fuck is the point of that?” Of course the god of Victory would only focus on the end result.

“It’s not about that it’s about his courage! He ran into danger without a thought cause he wanted to save someone! That’s what a hero does!” Katsuki stares at him, unimpressed, before partially taking on his True form, just so he has more eyes to roll.

“He’s a fuckin hack! Gods don’t start out mortals! They start out gods, end of story!” “Don’t you plan to turn me into a god?” “That’s DIFFERENT”

“All Deku ever does is grant wishes for the mortals. Like he’s their fucking servant! He’s a disgrace to the divineYou can’t just give people stuff because they ask for it!Shit’s gotta be earned. Not that he’d know anything about that.”

Kiri doesn’t really get Katsuki’s issue with the demigod, there’s plenty other gods that abuse their power in all kinds of awful ways, but his main problem is with Deku and him alone.

One time he asked if he could meet Deku, and he swears Katsuki spat blood with how angry he was by that question. “Promise me you won’t pray to that jackass! Promise me!” Kiri laughs, thinking he isnt serious, but Katsuki is wholly sincere. “O-okay. I promise.”

Deku, Demigod of Courage and Luck

With how famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) Kirishima has become, there are bound to be enemies.

There’s been several assasination attempts on him. Mercenaries hired by rival kingdoms to take out their biggest threat. None of them have succeeded obviously, but a few have come close.

Katsuki can only protect him in war and in duels. He can grant him victory, but only when there’s a fight to be had. The assassins that come after him aren’t looking for a fight. They use backhanded tactics like poisoned wine or trapping him in a room before setting it ablaze.

Somehow, Kiri always manages to get out of whatever trouble he’s put in, but he’s never as careful as Katsuki wishes he was.

And desperate times call for desperate measures…

Katsuki tries his damnedest to never interact with the other gods. They’re all a bunch of lofty, self righteous losers that get off on being revered and doing jack shit in return.

That, or they’re like Deku, which Katsuki personally considers even worse. They coddle the mortals like they’re helpless and give them everything they could ever ask for, just to be forgotten once they’re no longer needed. It’s pathetic.

Then there are gods like Shoto. Who are so far removed from the equation, they might as well not exist at all.

Shoto, God of Chance

“'God of chance.’ The fuck does that even mean?! A coin could do your job for you!” Shoto is setting stones on a scale. All God knows why. “Katsuki, I thought you might come see me.”

“Oh yeah? Did your fancy scale tell you that?” “There was about a 50/50* chance you would see me or Momo.” *(When I made a poll asking if Bakugou should seek Shoto or Momo the poll ended at 50/50) “Fucking riveting.”

Shoto sighs at him. “Aren’t you going to ask me something, Katsuki?” He hates it that Shoto already knows. He’s not supposed to have foresight, but somehow he always has /some/ idea of what’s going to happen. Katsuki guesses that’s his job. Or something.

“Why do I gotta say it if you already know?” “Because there’s also a chance you’re going to get frustrated and storm out without saying anything at all.” “Hey. Fuck you.”

They finally get to the subject at hand, after a few more minutes of bickering and Katsuki starting to really consider that second option Shoto mentioned. “He’s taking too many risks. He won’t listen to me. He’s going to get himself killed if he keeps doing this.”

“If he’s dead, I can’t take him with me. I need to know nothing is gonna happen to him. I need to be sure of it. It’s not enough just counting on luck.” “You’re saying you want me to tip the scale in his favor.” It feels like cheating when Shoto puts it like that.

But Katsuki has always been willing to bend the rules for Kirishima. “Yeah. I want to know he’ll survive.” Shoto shakes his head. “You don’t understand the role I play as a god, do you?”

“You play with rocks and make life unfair.” “No.”

“I weigh probability. I didn’t know you were going to show up today, but I knew there was a 50% possibility. I can’t see the true future or change it, I just know the chances of what might happen.”

“I can’t prevent anything from happening to your mortal, but I can give you a guide. Sort of.” Katsuki is disappointed, but something is better than nothing right?

Shoto gives him an enchanted scale and a black feather. He tells Katsuki to take something that belongs to Kirishima, and weigh it against the feather. If there’s a chance Kirishima will die that day, the feather will become heavier.

When Katsuki returns to Kirishima’s quarters, he sets the scale down and carefully places the feather in one of the weighing pans. He stares at it for about two seconds before aggressively kicking it over because this is obviously some kind of fucking joke and FUCK Shoto

He shoves it into one of Kirishima’s chests and forgets about it. Until his next close call.

A poison arrow just skims the top of his head. The assassin is down and captured before another can be fired. When Eijirou pulls the arrow out from the wall, there’s a few stray hairs of his stuck to the arrowhead.

Katsuki sets up the scale again. He places the feather in one pan and a tooth of Kirishima’s in the other. Shoto told him that the more intimate the object is regarding his mortal, the more accurate the reading will be.

“Ideally you would use his heart. But I guess that would be counterproductive.” He had said.

Katsuki sets the scale every morning before Eijirou wakes. Turns out Shoto wasn’t bullshitting him, because the weights do change.

The majority of the time, the feather is lighter, but not light enough that the opposite pan hits the base. Theres always the chance Kiri will die, but it’s small.

The tooth (Kirishima) almost always wins out, and on the days it doesn’t, when the black feather is pulled close to the base, Katsuki is there to watch him.

His mortal is precious to him, and he wishes that he wouldn’t have to do all this in the first place, but as Kirishima has told him a thousand times, he doesn’t want immortality until he’s experienced everything he can as a mortal (short of death. hopefully)

“You said it yourself, mortals gotta earn the right to become demigods. I don’t think I’ve earned my place yet.” Katsuki groans deep enough it makes the battle weapons in his back vibrate.

He still indulges Kirishima. Not because he wants to but because he has to. A mortal must be willing in order to be turned divine. The process is… not easy, and the mortal has to be wholly accepting of it in order to survive.

Deku is an unfortunate exception.

And while the scale might not protect Kirishima the way he wishes it would, it does help. Having an idea of how to day might go is both stressful and satisfying.

He usually takes on his mortal form and poses as a bodyguard of sorts for Kirishima. He can’t use any godly powers, but as a mortal he can do anything a human can do. Even if that just means being another pair of eyes to watch Kiri’s back.

“How many more years you wanna be mortal?” “I’m only 26, Katsuki. At least another 20 years.” “Fuck.”

Eijirou meanwhile, can tell that Katsuki is struggling with this, but he can’t give in just yet. He wants to be a warrior that can stand by Katsuki’s side as an equal, not just as a pet.

He knows he’ll never match up to the power of a god, but he wants to be a hero than can be worthy of Katsuki’s love.

Shoto, God of Chance

Who should Kirishima pray to for advice and guidance?

He needs help, but not the kind of ‘help’ Katsuki gives him. He doesn’t need a fish, he needs to learn how to fish.

And who best to teach him than the God of Wisdom?

Shouta is a surprisingly overlooked god considering he rules over what should be a well sought after trait.

He’s mostly worshiped among scholars, healers and lazy school children that pray for his favor. Kirishima doesn’t even know any common chants or mantras used to appeal to him. It’s only through a devout disciple is he able to get an audience with the God.

“So that’s the long and short of it. I need to know how I can become a hero.” “I think you should talk to him. I don’t understand why you feel the need to prove you’re worthy if he’s already accepted you.” “No offense Shinshou, but I’m askin for Shouta’s advice. Not yours.”

Shinshou looks annoyed, but says nothing. He returns from his library with four scrolls. “Write your relationship with Katsuki.” “What??” “Shouta trades knowledge for knowledge. Your affair with Katsuki isn’t known yet. Write it down and he will know. Then he will answer.“

It’s all spoken so cryptically it gives him a bad feeling, but Kirishima does what he’s told regardless and writes a brief summary of his and Katsuki’s relationship on one of the scrolls. He writes how they met, Katsuki’s offer of immortality, his own hesitation.

The minute he finishes the last sentence, the scroll suddenly rolls up all on it’s own. “Just don’t be disappointed if his answers aren’t what you expect.” All four scrolls suddenly unwind.

Shouta, God of Wisdom

"Are you an idiot? Is this really the question you come to me with? I am a teacher, not a relationship counselor.”

Kirishima had never seen another god beyond Katsuki. He had expectations, but this wasn’t what he thought. Katsuki’s divine form is so huge and chaotic. So many eyes and legs and teeth. Shouta is very simple. A glowing red eye, wrapped in the knowledge of the four scrolls.

He’s powerful, Kirishima can tell just by his presence and the way that it pulls pages straight out of the books on the wall. But he’s small.

“A god’s size is determined by how many worship it.” Shouta answers the question Kirishima didn’t ask. “Each prayer contributes to its form. I’m smaller than a war god, but I don’t need power to do my job right.“

Oh yeah. Kirishima almost forgot why he was here. “How can I become worthy of being a god?” He asks. “You can’t.” Shouta doesn’t hesitate at all in his answer.

“Being blessed by the divine has nothing to do with what you do, and everything to do with who sees you. Nothing you ever do will grant you any power if the right god isn’t looking at the right time.

Katsuki sees you, yet you’re still convinced you need something else to make you worthy. It’s not about worth. You should accept the gift you’ve been given and move on.”

Shinshou is looking offensively smug right now. His eyes practically bleed with ‘I told you so’. Kirishima is about to concede before Shouta speaks again.

“However…if you accept the gift when you think you don’t deserve it, you will probably die in the process of becoming divine.

And judging by how you view yourself, you will never think you’re worthy of becoming a god. If you stay mortal, you will die. If you do not fully accept the power you are given, it will destroy your body, and you will die.

That is the answer to your question. Come to me with a better one next time.” The glowing eye blinks out of existence, and the scrolls roll up on their own, taking all of the answers with them.

The feather is getting heavier and heavier lately. It’s making Katsuki worried because there’s been no assassination attempts, and yet it still drags down the scale.

He thinks maybe Kirishima is sick because he hasn’t been acting himself in general, but every time he drags the doctor to Kiri’s tent, she says he’s fine.

It scares him, the thought that his Eijirou might be dying from something he can’t even see. He’s starting to get desperate again.

Katsuki can’t see it, but maybe someone else can.

In times of tension and suspense and when things are uncertain, the mortals pray to the god of Perception for assurance. Shoji is another one of the lesser gods like Shouta, Tenya, or Nemuri. They’re gods with a very specific purpose and place, so their followers are more limited

Shoji himself is described as a being with an ever growing amount of body parts like eyes, ears and hands. This in itself is nothing impressive when it comes to a god. What’s interesting is what he does with them all.

Shoji will lend his sight, hearing, or other sensory awareness to the mortals for a limited time. Raise their perception in exchange for offerings or prayer. Katsuki HATES gods like this. They upset the order of everything and make the mortals lazy and dependent.

It reminds him too much of Deku, giving mortals way too much control and power that they don’t deserve. But he supposes there is /less/ harm in it, since not many worship Shoji the same way they do Deku.

If he’s enough of a pushover to offer his own power to mortals, he’d have to give some to Katsuki, right? He needed to be completely on guard, to know everything that was going on around Eijirou. He needs to know when something bad was going to happen so he could stop it.

But Shoji doesn’t give him any eyes, he says it wouldn’t change anything.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t think I can do much. My gift enhances perception for /mortals/. For a fellow god, it would mostly stay the same. Your senses are already at their peak.”

Just talking to this guy is kind of rough. He keeps switching between mouths and his eyes are getting a little invasive, scanning over the weapons on his back as well as the fur under his belly.

And the tentacles… Katsuki’s own true form might be chaotic (and as Eijirou calls “Overwhelming”) but at least he /has/ a solid form. Shoji doesn’t really give him a good place to focus on.

[dracosaurusrex]

Found (Draco x Reader)

“ The boy looked at you in awe. There you were right beneath him, as if the universe had orchestrated this scenario perfectly. ”

Summary: When Draco and Y/N find each other after losing one another in their past life.

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Prompt:  “I wish we could be together in another life” // “I promise I’ll be looking for you in each one” (From @minty-malfoy 300wc)

A/N: If you saw me frantically post this a number of times, it’s because it wasn’t popping up in the tags :/ Anywayy, I took a chance to retell the myth behind the constellation, Draco and infuse it with the characters. I thought it was fun, and I hope you enjoy reading!

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The skies were painted with pink and orange hues as the sun began to set upon Mount Atlas, home to Hera’s garden. Rooted heavily within it was a beautiful tree. One that bore fruit to sparkling, golden apples. It was a wedding gift from Gaia. A gift so precious that the young goddess had begged for it to be planted in her garden, which was filled with life itself. Lush trees covered its perimeter, flowers of every species bloomed with much radiance, and golden rays of light scattered through every nook and cranny. Lacing through the landscape were small creeks and springs, which nurtured the tree to its prime state of beauty. It is these that the nymphs of the evening, also known as the Hesperides, were entrusted by Hera to tend and protect. 

There were three of them: Hesperia, Erytheia, and you, Aigle. You all were a playful bunch who truly loved Hera’s garden. However, moments spent under the sun led to a heightened craving as the golden apples shined with temptation. Enter, Ladon, a grand-looking serpentine dragon who coiled himself around the beautiful tree. Hera had summoned him to protect it after several attempts had been made by you and your sisters to steal some of the fruit for yourselves. 

His body was decorated with scales of majestic shades comprising ivory, platinum, silver, and champagne. His talons presented themselves with intimidation, fangs comparable to the size of daggers, and his eyes flashed a striking blue hue filled with a look of ambition and purpose. The creature was the epitome of beauty and fright. 

His presence was effective in keeping your sisters away--they scoured at the sight of him--but the case was quite different for you. Instead of being overcome by fear, you found yourself marveling at him. Every time you rose from your slumber, he was always there, zealously fulfilling his task. He was immortal and he never slept, yet his appearance was as just astounding as the day before. Because of this, you took every opportunity possible to be around him, to bask in his presence, to simply admire him. Today was no different.

The grass felt soft under your steps, and the sunset glowed as fervently as ever. You sped through the maze of trees, chasing rays of light as it slowly reduced into a specks. The wind blew through your honey brown locks as the adrenaline pumped in your veins. The golden tree was in sight, and wrapped around it, like always, was beautiful Ladon. The serpent lifted his head at the sight of the beautiful nymph as she slowed her steps.

“Are you here to bother me again, Aigle?” Annoyance fills his voice, but it doesn’t shift her stance.

“Oh Ladon, your words harm me so. Nevertheless, I can never find myself to be apart from you.” A giggle accompanied your voice as you spoke. 

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“What do you want?” Ladon was accustomed to Aigle and her antics. Every single evening since his arrival, she’d spend her time doing whatever in the presence of the dragon. Despite the cold demeanor he often showed, he was very tolerant of her bubbly behavior. Moreover, he found himself to enjoy her company--it made him feel less lonely as he guarded the tree.

“I would just like to sit with you today, if that’s alright.” She said as she approached the base of the tree. After her countless visits, Ladon memorized her actions, behaviors, and even her mannerisms. He knew firmly well that Aigle wouldn’t steal the fruit. He huffed in response to her request.

“If you won’t say anything else, I’ll take your silence as a yes.” The dragon made no sound, so with a beaming smile she seats herself, leaning against the trunk in peace.

“How was your slumber?” He asks gently. Ladon gazes at her pleasant expression from the top of the branches.

“It was pleasant, I had a wonderful dream.” 

“And that is?” Her eyes open to return his gaze, animating with glee in the process.

“Humans with magical powers, Ladon! They were like the Gods and Goddesses, except that cultivated their skills through special schooling!” Excitement filled her voice as she stared into his blue orbs intently.

“They don’t sound like the Gods and Goddesses to me.” He snorted.

“Oh don’t be such a killjoy! It was truly wonderful! They dressed so differently too! It was quite peculiar, but it was alright.” The dragon only scoffs in response.

The ground surrounding the nymph had sprouted with blossoms as a result of her fascination. As silence loomed in the air, an idea came into mind. She gently plucked the small flowers. From her fingertips, she then produced small, thin vines. With much precision and swiftness, she interweaved the two together, tied up the ends, forming a dainty flower crown. 

“Ladon,” She called out from beneath him. The dragon looked down as she stood from her spot. With the flower crown in her hands, she reaches, delicately placing her creation on top of his head. Ladon huffed.

“What is this?” He asks.

“A gift, for you! I knew it’d look good on you.” The intensity of Ladon’s eyes softened at Aigle. He was known, by others, for his fright, yet when he was around her, he was appreciated for the beauty she saw in him. The creature didn’t say much with the exception of producing yet another huff. Although, this time it was filled with contentment.

Aigle ran her hands up and down his snout, caressing his face with much gentleness. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch in response.

“You’re a beautiful creature, you know that, do you?” Her voice seemingly dripped of nectar as she spoke. When the dragon didn’t speak, she continued.

“Do you think I can meet you in another life? Just like this one?” 

“What’s wrong with this one?” His striking eyes opened to peer into hers.

“Nothing’s wrong. I like it a lot knowing that you’ll always be here.”

“Then why ask the question?” Aigle hesitates for a moment.

“I don’t think I can ever see a life with me living without your company. If I’m born again, I wish to meet you in that life too. The life after that, and the one after that also.” Aigle smiles up at the creature as the last bit of sunset glow graces her face. It was a known fact that she, amongst her sisters, was the most beautiful evening nymph. Her beauty, however, exuded compassion and care. Underneath his scaly exterior, Ladon felt a sense of warmth whenever she was near. He appreciated her existence not in appearance, rather for her persistent efforts to be near and to spread joy to a creature as vile-looking as him. 

Before he could respond, a rustle from a distance perked his attention. A threatening presence filled his senses, and sent his blood boiling within.

“Aigle, hide. Now.” The nymph’s eyes began to widen in fear as their peace was interrupted with much urgency. Ladon roared once more.

“Now. Aigle. Now!” The nymph steps back hesitantly, searching his eyes for reassurance that everything was going to be okay. Instead, she was met with uncertainty, increasing the worry she felt in her heart. Nevertheless, she followed his command, camouflaging herself within the brushes surrounding the tree. The rustles continue to increase in volume, making out to be the footsteps of someone near. Using her power, she travels through the garden, seeking out the foreigner. Her senses heighten at the sight of a deranged Heracles, the hero who was once praised now desperate for redemption.

He drags his feet through the garden muttering, “Golden apples. Where are those damned golden apples!?” Heracles had his hand clutched on the grip of his sword, seemingly ready to withdraw it from its sheath.

Aigle continues to follow him with her heart beating against her chest. Her thoughts flee to Ladon’s well-being, as she thinks of strategies to protect him. With attempts to stall the demigod, she lifts her hands, inducing trees to spring up in a sporadic fashion. However, Heracles doesn’t seem to notice as his focus remains on his target. He trudges on with much frustration, and Aigle continues to throw any kind of distraction to keep him from finding Ladon and the golden apples. However, her capabilities grow faint as her energy depletes. Tears stream down her face as she watches Heracles inevitably locate the tree. She watches as Ladon, who remains fervently coiled around its trunk, extends his body to coax the man away. 

Her last sight of him alive proceeds as Heracles withdraws his sword to strike his body. Within a split second, Ladon who was alive, laid on the ground in two. Fluid oozes from his insides and stains the grass beneath him. His breaths are sparse. 

Meanwhile, Heracles steps forward, kicking the dragon’s bottom half aside, and proceeds to pick the golden fruit from its branches. Satisfied with the amount he has collected, he walks away without any thought of the serpent laying practically dead on the floor.

Aigle lets out a piercing cry as she comes out of hiding. She runs to him and falls to her knees with her face striped with tears, heartbroken. With shaken hands, she delicately strokes the side of his face for the last time.

“Aigle,” He croaks. The nymph who was once radiantly shining, releases a sob. She gazes into his weary eyes for one last time.

“I promise I’ll be looking for you in each one.” At the sound of his last words, Aigle breaks into a wailing mess. She mourns her beloved friend, her beautiful and brave dragon--Ladon, who valiantly carried out his task while bringing her much joy. The moonlight shines upon them as she continues to wallow in tears. Her sounds are so heartbreaking that it catches the attention of the Goddess of Marriage herself.

Arriving within a flash, Hera gasps at the sight of Aigle embracing what was left of Ladon.

“My dear, what happened here?” She lifts up the nymph into her arms, caressing her hair gently.

With sobs filling her voice, she chokes out, “Heracles. Ladon tried to protect the tree. He really did! And yet-” The goddess shushes her cries as memories of him flash through her mind. Her breaths slow down after a moment, and her once audible cries now reduce to silent tears. Hera, with a soothing voice, comforts the girl.

“Aigle, I know you loved him very much. For your love and loyalty I bestow you a gift.” The nymph looks at her with confusion. 

“Look at the sky.” Following her directions, Aigle stretches her neck to the night. Upon doing so, she’s met with a new formation of stars--one that took the shape of her serpentine friend. The dragon, Draco. As she looks up, tears stream down her cheeks.

“He’ll always be here, looking for you. He’ll find his way back to you. I know it.”

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Y/N jolted awake with tears in her eyes. The sounds of birds chirping immediately fill her ears, as the rays of morning light infiltrate her yellow-clad room. She gingerly touched her face, the feeling of longing still burned in her chest. The dream was so vivid and so real that her heart felt heavy within her wake. The last few words Hera murmured rang clearly in her mind. It wasn’t something she could shake off so easily even if she tried. Ladon. Would she ever meet him in this life? She glanced at the clock--there wasn’t much time until class began. Wiping the wet traces off of her face, she got up to fix herself before making her way to her first lesson of the day, Divination.

Chatters filled the classroom when she entered. The space was split with Hufflepuffs nearest to the entrance and Slytherins on the farther side. The girl was shrouded in sadness as she made her way to her seat. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose was slightly runny, and her body felt weak. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Your friend asked. You only shook your head in response, not understanding the reason for your sadness yourself. The sound of the bell prompts the class to begin. You wipe the tiredness from your eyes as Professor Trelawney navigated her way to the front of the room. 

“Welcome to another day of divination, my children! Today we will be learning about something important: dream interpretation!” Her voice resounds at the mentioning of the topic, catching your attention and making your heart race.

“Dreams, my dears, are the most crucial means to look into the future! Each dream that you have contains a meaning--a message--depending on its contents! Let’s get started!” Trelawney glides across the room, peering at various students. A great majority looks at her with exasperated expressions, while others turn away to avoid getting caught. She stops at a familiar blonde.

“Mr. Malfoy, let’s begin with you!” A scowl can be seen plastering his face in distaste. 

“Any dreams recently?” The question wasn’t something that would be usually asked in such a public setting. It was weird to you, certainly enough. However, what was more odd was Draco’s hesitance. He was a striking character most of the time. He always had something snarky to say, most especially when it came to divination, but today he kept silent. You examined his nervousness as he shuffled in his seat. You couldn’t blame him.

“No, professor.” He states simply after what seemed like a solid minute of silence. You kept your eyes on his expression. While his response meant one thing, the bothered look on his face couldn’t go unnoticed. There was something off about his aura, and you could feel it. Trelawny stepped back and nodded slightly. She continued looking for another volunteer to share. As she did so, you kept your eyes set on the Malfoy. You were drawn to him on this day in particular, and you weren’t sure why. His glance met up with yours, paralyzing you for a moment before the professor’s voice resounded once again.

“Y/N, how about you? Any dreams?” The sound of her voice was alluring as your sights shifted to her. She looked deeply into your eyes as though she was trying to search your mind. You stayed still, thinking about the one you had the night prior. If anyone could tell you the purpose behind your dreams, it would most likely be Trelawny. Everyone’s focus was now trained on you. 

“I did have one.” You admit quietly. You were astonished by your actions, having done so mindlessly. Regardless, the professor’s expression lit up at the sound of your words. She gestured for you to continue on.

“It was of a girl and a dragon.” You say with much hesitation. Trelawney’s eyes widened.

“Continue my dear,” she says rushedly, “what happened?” You stayed silent for a bit before cautiously deciding to go on. 

“The dragon protected a tree...and the girl loved the dragon--she was always by his side. Unfortunately, he was killed trying to protect it, leaving her alone and heartbroken.” A rush of emotions filled you once again, mourning the loss of a friend. The woman’s eyes softened a bit, while the class was dead silent, interested in what the professor would have to say. 

Draco, in particular, was mortified. As you sat there in contemplation, a heavy weight seemed to drop in his gut while his heart picked up its pace simultaneously. When the professor asked him to share his dreams, the feeling of vulnerability overcame him when he recalled his own. He had cried silently that night prior--having fallen for the nymph that occupied his subconscious. He recalled the vivid feeling of her touch, her soothing words, and the way the evening sun glowed on her face. He recalled Aigle’s swift-acting power as she tried to stall Heracles. The last thing he remembered from that dream was his death, carrying out his loyalty to the goddess, and making a promise to his beloved friend. What Draco didn’t expect, however, was the retelling of such coming from your lips. It was when he saw the look on your face that his heart sped up once more. 

“They made a promise to meet each other in whatever life came next...then the goddess that oversaw them both casted an image of the dragon in the stars.” The emotions you felt in the dream overcame you as a tear threatened to fall from your eyes. You hurriedly wiped it away and swallowed the feelings before looking up at the professor.

“I don’t know what it could possibly mean, professor. It was very vivid.” The professor looked at you with pity, before turning to her attention briefly to the class.

“Everyone, turn to your partners and discuss your dreams.” With the class’s attention now diverted, Trelawney beckoned you to come sit with her. As you do so, Draco’s line of vision remains on you.

A more secure sense of privacy surrounds you and your teacher. While the room began to fill itself with chatters once again, you directed full attention to her, expectant of what she had to say.

“Typically, dreams are foretellings of the future, child. The appearance of a past life doesn’t usually mean anything unless there’s a specific message involved.” Your eyes widened in disbelief.

“When you spoke about the promise, however, I believe the universe was trying to show you that there is someone waiting for you in this world. Perhaps this person takes a resemblance to the dragon, whether physically or even personality-wise. Nevertheless, he has awoken, and now he’s looking for you.” The words that left Trelawney’s mouth kept you in a state of awe. You sat there with hands folded on your lap, fingers fumbling, and knee bouncing. As you remained in a state of contemplation, the bell chimed, signalling the end of the lesson. As you stood to say goodbye to the professor, she cuts you off.

“My dear, senses tell me that he’s much closer than you think. You best keep your eyes and heart open.” You had nothing to say, so you just nod. Your mind was full of thoughts, leaving you to ponder about the identity of this person all day. 

You weren’t the only one curious. The moment Draco heard what you had to say, his awareness of you increased. His feelings told him to be simple and straightforward with you, but his mind was firm and stubborn. However, his body betrays him as he finds himself pacing in front of the divination class with questions that needed to be answered. You walk out of the room with books in hand, unaware of Draco’s presence. Just as you’re about to turn into the corridor, the boy bumps into you, resulting in you falling over and everything flying out of your arms. 

“What the heck was that?” You ask frustratingly as you brush dirt off your knees. The platinum blonde boy looks at you in shock. You don’t bother looking up. Instead, you proceed to pick up the books that fell on the floor. He doesn’t know what overcame in the moment when he stretched out his hand to you. All he wanted was to feel your touch. You glance up warily at the owner only to be taken aback as well.

“Malfoy?” you ask. His head was turned to the side, eyebrows furrowed, and the entirety of his side profile was exposed to you. You took notice of his pale complexion, the way his lips were slightly parted, and how his jawline sculpted and framed his face. He was beautiful. However, more of your attention was drawn to his locks. ‘Platinum’ you thought. As you did so the image of the dragon’s appearance flashed across your vision. Your eyes widened, but before you could process your thoughts the sound of Draco’s voice filled your ears.

“My arm has been extended for centuries now, Y/L/N, and you’re still on the floor. Don’t you have a class to get to?” You broke out of thought and mindlessly took hold of his hand. As he pulled you up, the boy felt a wave of shivers overflowing his body. The warmth of your skin felt familiar against his own, causing a rage of heart beats to spread across his chest. As he turns his head to face you, you let out an audible gasp.

Alarming you was his striking blue eyes as his gazed pierced through your own. Out of shock, you pull your hand out of his hold and trudged past him without saying a word. You weren’t even aware of where you were going. You simply allowed your legs to take you to your next destination as you cope with the heightening of your senses.

There was no way right? There’s no way that Malfoy could be…You shook your head, trying to take your mind off of the chances as you entered your next class. You made sure to be cautious throughout the day, taking care in avoiding the boy as much as possible. There was no denying the reputation that he had in school--students have been sent to Madam Pomfrey’s a number of times because of him. His rude comments, arrogant pride--they all deterred you away from him. Nevertheless, you felt something blooming in your chest, because the dragon you knew in your dreams was patient and tolerant. You were simply uncertain to say the least.

The boy looked at his palm in awe as you walked away. When he turned around, you were already gone. He clenched his hand into a fist as if the action would retain the warmth he had felt. He recalled the look of shock in your eyes before it was glossed over by denial and  sighed. How he longed to know.

As the week dragged on, you managed to keep your distance from the blonde--luckily, he didn’t approach you ever since. However, your attempts to concentrate in your classes were futile as small fragments of the dream replayed within your mind. Your thoughts were often focused on the image of Ladon that appeared so suddenly when Draco stood in front of you. You found that the words, “platinum” and “blue” ran through your mind constantly--not to mention his piercing gaze. Such imagery finds its way into your thoughts as you sit in the library, quill in hand as you work on your homework assignments. As you continue, you can’t help but wonder if he felt it too.

“I promise I’ll find you in every one.” A familiar voice rings within your mind without warning, inducing your head to pulse. You tried to fight it off for a moment, but the pain wouldn’t subside. Deciding it was time for a break, you set your quill down and made your way to the courtyard outside.

Meanwhile Draco, who spent his afternoons reading, situated himself on top of a tree, enjoying the silence which contrasted to the heavy banter in the Slytherin common room. A soft breeze ran through his platinum locks as the sun began to darken in its golden hue. He took a moment to observe the color of the sky change, prompting a series of flashbacks to flow.

“A gift, for you! I knew it’d look good on you.” There was no face attached to the dialogue, but he recalled the rosy feeling sharply.

“You’re a beautiful creature, you know that, do you?” Draco closed his eyes allowing himself to witness the emergence of his distant past.

“I would just like to sit with you today, if that’s alright.” The voice rang deeply in his mind. At the instant that the request had emerged in his thoughts, a loud crunching of leaves filled his hearing. As soon as he opened his eyes, you miraculously appeared into view, walking towards the tree he was situated in. His heartbeat raced quickly, but he kept silent, carefully observing your actions.

You sat down on its base and leaned your head against the trunk, letting out a sigh. Your head didn’t stop pulsing after you left the library. Despite that, your body relaxed upon the breeze brushing past your skin. You wrapped your arms around your waist and closed your eyes in contentment, basking in the nature that embraced you. The boy looked at you in awe. There you were right beneath him, as if the universe had orchestrated this scenario perfectly. The sight of your gentle expression stirs warmth within him, and the flow of memories seem to match this very moment to that of Aigle’s and Ladon’s. Suddenly, within the synchronization of time and space, Draco is Ladon, and in his eyes you are Aigle once again. 

The energy that had surrounded the pair from the past finds it way back to you, and the familiar feel of beloved peace and comfort induces you to open your eyes. The sun that had been going down, casts its glow on you as you look up. ‘Blue striking eyes and  platinum hair’ Your heart skips as you place your hand over your mouth. The dragon you’ve been mourning over had presented himself to you.

“Do you think I can meet you in another life? Just like this one?” The lines ring in your mind as Draco hops down. You get up and stand in front of him, your gazes meeting and never breaking. 

“I promise I’ll be looking for you in each one.” Your eyes search his and scan his face. Recalling the days when you were Aigle, tears began streaming down your face. You allowed your previous perceptions of Draco to melt within the energy of the reunion. 

You shakily lifted your hands and cupped his face in disbelief. Draco, in turn, closed his eyes and leaned into your touch. Both hearts paced quickly as a result of the awaited meeting. You stroked the boy’s cheek with your thumb, causing his eyes to flutter open. He watched as your fingers delicately brushed the space in between his eyebrows, proceeding to his eyelids, down the bridge of his nose, and finally his lips.

“Aigle?” Your old name passes through his lips low and hesitantly, but it’s enough to make you gasp. 

“It really is you, isn’t it? Ladon?” Draco grabs your wrists.

“It is.” The boy looks into your eyes as tears silently streamed down your face.

“You found me.” 

“I promised you I would.” You embraced him tightly, allowing the sound of his heart beat fill you up--it was the very proof that he was alive. His arms wrap around you, and you can feel his fists bunching up the fabric of your robes as his face nuzzles into your neck. The both of you took this moment to embrace the new reality.

As you step away from each other, Draco caresses your cheek and pressed his lips to your forehead. It wasn’t a form of affection he was used to showing, yet it occurred naturally within your presence. You closed your eyes upon feeling the sensation of his lips. They soon leave you only to ghost over your own. 

In a low whisper, he asks, “May I?” You let out a soft ‘mhm’ in response.

The sensation you felt on your forehead takes over your lips as Draco’s brushes his against your own. The feelings of longing pour out from both parties, and suddenly it didn’t matter that you were a Hufflepuff or if he was Slytherin. There was a lot of catching up to do, a lot of changes to be made, but all of that wasn’t important in the moment. All that mattered was that you found each other, you had one another--the appreciation you had shared never truly left. Instead, you only picked up from where you left off.

“It’s nice meeting you, Draco.” You chuckled softly as you broke the kiss. The boy rolled his eyes before letting out a small chuckle himself.

“It’s nice meeting you again, Y/N.” He presses his lips on yours once more, as you dissolve in his embrace.

Epilogue:

You both find yourselves in the astronomy tower that night. Draco looks at the girl pointing to the sky. His arms wrapped around her from behind as they leaned against the railing of the astronomy tower, gazing up at the stars.

“When Ladon left, Hera found Aigle in tears and casted his image to the skies in his remembrance.” She points to the blonde.

“That image, that constellation, is you Draco.” He tightens his grip on you.

“And I’ll never leave again.”

A/N: Thank you for reading! Any feedback is very much appreciated!

[percyjacksonfan3]

The Last Olympian Thoughts

So because I have absolutely 0 self-control or restraint when it comes to this series and its characters, and for The Last Olympian in particular, I could not put TLO down. Because of this I figured I couldn’t do the usual photo reaction posts I have been so far, because the spam would just be ridiculous, so I am stealing the idea from @yourstrulytaaay​ to do a masterpost instead. (Adding a Read More cause this got ridiculously long)

Fun fact, TLO came out right after i finished reading the series for the first time so it's the first PJO book i bought  and my only hard cover one for the og series. I checked the year and turns out it was published 2009, which means i was actually 9 when i read the series for the first time. I realize this is not really a fun fact but i thought i was older when I first read the series so it's blowing my mind a little ‘cause now I’m 21 and everything hits different and i still have so much love for this series and the characters Okay onto book thoughts: - i was right that this book is gonna destroy me, the first line alone made me so excited and nostalgic it's ridiculous - I love Rachel and Percy sm tbh. Her being a bit of peace and normalcy in his life without always reminding Percy of who and what he is is so good for him. Just a little escape

- of course by the end of the book that's not the case any more but by the end he's lived his prophecy so he doesn't need it as badly, plus he and Annabeth are solid again - Percy saying Annabeth has been hard to be around lately... Ouch my heart. Luke really is the last thing that keeps them from being together and Percy is so jealous and Annabeth so torn and in pain, i feel so bad for them both

- Beckendorf 🥺🥺 - the telkhine with the Lil Demon lunchbox!! I forgot about him. Percy: 'i left him alive, partly because his lunchbox was cool' is one of my absolute favourite lines tbh - Paul taking Percy crabbing and being imperative in helping Percy kill the giant crab 💖 Paul Blofis is important and deserves the world, okay? - aw Percy, you can't save every demigod bb

- 'i had to fight him eventually. Why not now?... What difference would a week make?' Oh Percy you have no idea - real talk tho, the fact Kronos possessed Luke's body would also mess me tf up. Percy keeps forgetting it's not Luke anymore and yeah, that would be so so hard and confusing af, like what another smart little mind game for Kronos to pull on top of everything else - the fact Percy fights Kronos before getting the Achilles Curse and actually doesn't die within seconds is... Astounding. He kicks him in the chest! And yeah Kronos is weaker and still adjusting to Luke's body, but Percy is having trouble fighting Luke cause they used to be friends - Percy breaks Kronos' time magic!! Like?! Boy is POWERFUL.

- OUCH - honestly Luke, Thalia and Annabeth's family breaking the way it did... Don't talk to me. Poor Annabeth, Luke betrayed them, Thalia joined the Hunters because of Luke's betrayal so she's pretty much AWOL all the time and then Luke dies. Like Rick wtf, my heart can't take it? -Percy and Tyson having each others backs when talking to Poseidon in the underwater palace is the brother-brother relationship we love to see - Percy trying to stick a sand dollar in the vending machines at school 🤦🏻‍♀🤦🏻‍♀ - the whole underwater interaction at Poseidon's palace? Perfection. Awkward family drama and all - Connor falling out of the tree when he sees Percy because he's so excited 😂😂

- 😭💖

- k, ik Clarisse isn't perfect but tbh if i was a child of Ares whose father was disrespected and hated by my fellow campers (ares deserves it but still) and that disrespect trickled down to how the other campers treated ME (which if Percy is reliable here, it obviously does) then i would also be irritated at being used for muscle and nothing else? And just expected to fight with the people who act as if they'd rather not have Ares kids around the rest of the time. Like Clarisse isn't totally wrong - Percy reading the prophecy, seeing he's meant to die and just being like 'i do not see it' and refusing to outright think about it makes me so sad for him - (but it taints every action after and he's super reckless afterwards bc of it- including finally breaking and accepting the Achilles Curse) - (also him taking this as the last straw and finally beginning to show Annabeth how he really feels, cause fuck it, he's dying anyway) - Give me more info about Rachel's backstory and family Rick!! -  how did i forget Percy willingly eats chocolates that taste like cardboard because 'i didnt have anything against cardboard' like sir? Ik Silena didn't want them but still? - 'she'd always been cute, but she was starting to be seriously beautiful' STOP, MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT - Percy staring at Annabeth and forgetting what they're talking about cause hes so distracted 👌🏻

- hmm yeah... For some strange reason.... - i forgot how Percy totally bombs this convo bw them and now want to cry 😭 Annabeth is trying to talk about what's important and Percy, you sweet oblivious man, you're shooting her down without even realizing - love that they're both on the same wavelength tho. Percy two lines before, hmm it's cool to date ppl from other cabins, wonder why im thinking that around Annabeth, my best friend in the world, and then Annabeth a beat later, hmm, let me bring up Silena and Beckendorf and how it's important to be with the people you love when you have the chance, no way Percy will miss this huge hint right? - they're the best - k i honestly forgot Percy full on physically intimidates Leneus like that - luke telling his mom if he ran away the monsters wouldnt get her..i can just imagine luke crying when he says good bye before running away because he thinks it's his fault his mom is like that and he cant take care of and protect her anymore because it's too hard - uh oh now i have angsty pre-lightning thief luke fic inspo... Him, Thalia and Annabeth on the run... The ANGST -  Rick holds absolutely nothing back in this book and i am in pain - HESTIA!! 💖💖🥰 - actual loml - i love that Rick titled this book after her and that he wrote such a great series about the importance of family (biological, found or otherwise) and home, and that he said actually Hestia is the most important bc shes the most humble and keeps the peace and knows when to fight and when to yield and you protect what you love, which is your home - i just... Adore Hestia - Grover! Missed you babes - Hades is so so horrible to Nico, always comparing him to Bianca :/ - but i do love Hades, Persephone and Demeter together they make me laugh - oh god the River Styx - Achilles 🥺 - Annabeth being Percy's lifeline is, and continues to be, A Lot™ - 'my name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.' LOL Why am i crying? - Like the fact there is no Percy without Annabeth, and that remembering her literally reminded him of who he is in his very soul... It's fine im fine - i won't even get into the parallels of her being his lifeline now and then later when Hera takes his memories but leaves the memory of Annabeth for Percy to fight to get back to (anyone who wants to yell about it with me... Feel free to message) - badass Percy is my fav Percy tbh - him defeating Hades?? Like? Hades is arguably the most powerful god, okay - i feel bad for Nico but if i was Percy I'd do the exact same, Nico, sorry man but this is a high stakes time crunch deal and Nico is literally the only hope of persuading Hades and distracted by his own internal stuff - flashbacks to Luke, Thalia and Annabeth hurt, ow - George and Martha are the best - damn i forgot Hermes full on nearly kills Percy here, yikes - Luke stop cockblocking Percabeth challenge

- i love!! Percy's love for New York!! So much!! - Percy leaving to live in New Rome in HoO is a lie and this is all the proof i need for why - the fact the entire last half of the book is the battle and aftermath... Such great buildup and pacing. All the tricks and twists and battles in this War of Manhattan? I would not take out a thing, Rick, you legend - of course then the final battle in hoo with the gods is what? Two pages? Ugh, don’t talk to me about my hatred for BoO and HoO - 'no detours you two' is still the cutest thing!!! - THE HUNTERS!! Thalia i missed you - good job Percy, you finally spent your sand dollar - Minotaur!! - 'dont i get a kiss for luck? Its kind of a tradition right?' Percy finds out he's gonna die and is out of fucks to give and honestly I support him - also Michael just standing beside these two while they're flirting like umm 👀 👀 while a monster army marches towards them, nbd - Annabeth taking Ethan's knife meant for Percy!!! Cause she just knows his weak spot without him even telling her! They literally invented love - Feral Percy is so scary omg, i love how well Rick incorporates the Achilles Curse in this novel, with the whole heightened weaknesses and stuff ans the parallels to Achilles arrogance being what killed him and Percy's loyalty, fierceness and protective instinct being his own heightened weakness - the fact that Percy is the one who inadvertantly kills Michael Yew tho, I'll never recover from that - the fact Hades offers Maria di Angelo a golden palace by the Styx like how Poseidon offers Sally a palace under the sea tho. Let's talk about that parallel - the entire talk with Prometheus is so so good - not me picturing young Luke hiding in the closet to get away from his mom when she has an 'episode' -i love callbacks in stories and all of the callbacks to the rest of the series in this book make me very happy (medusa, minotaur, the underworld, Rainbow!! My baby!!, Daedalus and more) - Percy summoning a wholeass hurricane against Hyperion - the Party Ponies! They're so chaotic, i love it - Dionysus! 😁 I can't help it, i love him - Percy absolutely losing it when he sees Sally and Paul asleep in the car 🥺 - Rachel telling Percy he's not the hero screws with him so much :( poor bb - although i really really love how Rick wrote this, it's so refreshing to not have one chosen one save the world, but a combination of people - the drakon, Silena and Clarisse make me cry - the Patrochilles references, im not okay - Annabeth giving up on Luke after hearing what he did to Silena and Percy telling her that doesn't make him happy 😭 that whole interaction makes my heart ache - Percy giving Hestia Pandora's pithos 🥺 - and Hades, Nico and the others coming for a final attack is so badass, i love it - listen im glad the og trio were the ones to confront Luke on Olympus but the fact Thalia got so close and then pinned by a statue of HERA makes me so sad. Ik her and Luke were finished and she coped by cutting him off completely and giving up all hope but i would pay money to know what they would have said to each other to say goodbye - Ethan 🥺 - Poseidon joining the fight against Typhon is so cool, such a great scene - 'PEANUT BUTTER!' - Annabeth you brilliant badass you - RIP Luke, you werent great but you werent the worst either - the gods just rolling up seconds too late, wondering wtf happened in Olympus and who the dead body is - the chapter where the Olympians meet and give out rewards is one of my absolute favourites (again i am incensed we didn't get anything like this in HoO) - will Percy turning down immortality ever not make me scream in glee? No? Alright then - Annabeth being relieved like Percy was relieved at the end of Titan's Curse tho - oh Hermes :/ - its so hard reading all this and knowing what comes in HoO... Like it's such a cathartic, earned and mostly happy and peaceful ending and then HoO comes along and undermines it all - aww Rick let Paul see Olympus somehow pls, he deserves it, he killed a dracanae - (i would also love to see it) - Percy being more upset Rachel took his pegasus than her going to Camp and possibly dying, lol, priorities dude - i honestly think that Rick had other ideas for the second Great Prophecy and how things would go down in BoO, cause the prophecy like... Barely applies to BoO, Doors of Death are in book four, and explabations of it is all so unclear when Rick is usually pretty good with that stuff - PERCABETH - lol Percy complaining about privacy when he and Annabeth are caught kissing literally in the middle of the very open and public dining pavilion, okay - BEST UNDERWATER KISS OF ALL TIME - that's it and im a glass case of emotion - very happy to say that this series remains my favourite of all time 💖

 If anyone ever wants to come gush about anything Riordanverse related feel free, because as you can see I have a lot of thoughts about it all

[lbigreyhound13]

I’m Sorry, Draw My...What?

By @lbigreyhound13 for @spooderboyandtincan

Rating: K+

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & May Parker, Peter Parker & May Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker & Peter Parker

Characters: Peter, Tony, May, and Helen Cho

Summary: While Peter is on his way home from patrol, May and Tony talk about Peter's health and wonder if it's possible for him to get sick. There seems to be one option: take him to Dr. Cho and get a blood test. Only one problem...Peter is a bit squeamish.

AO3 LINK HERE

Prompt: Blood Draw

I’m Sorry, Draw My…What?

“Hi Mr. Stark, hi, May, on my way back from patrol! Bit of a graze on my shoulder from robbers…but I’m okay!”

“Okay, kid, thanks for giving your aunt and me a heart attack. Hurry back so we can stitch you up! If it’s bad, we’ll bring you to the tower.”

“Sounds good, Mr. Stark! See you in a bit!”

“I swear to God, he is going to give me a heart attack one of these days,” Tony said as he turned to look at May on the couch.

May couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, at least, he was honest,” she said with a smile. “You think we’ll have to bring him to the Tower?”

“Well, he’s not asking me to come get him,” Tony said thoughtfully, “so it’s probably just a simple stitch.”

After Tony had Peter stay over for the weekend before Thanksgiving a few months ago, Tony made it mandatory that anytime Peter got injured in the field, he was to call for back-up or to come to him and May immediately. Tonight was easier because May had invited Tony to come over for dinner, so he could come back to the apartment where both Tony and May could stitch him up. May was a nurse, so it was easy to talk about stitching up Peter’s wounds if for some reason Tony wasn’t around.

“So, listen, I wanted to ask you something,” May said as she angled herself on the couch so that she was facing Tony.

“What’s up?” Tony said as he took one last look at his phone to make sure Peter was in fact on his way back from patrol.

May couldn’t help but smile at that. When Peter had first started interning for Tony…way before she found out he was actually Spider-Man…and that the billionaire knew the whole time, she thought that Tony was overworking Peter…putting so much pressure on him as he quit most of his clubs, especially the Decathlon Team, and at first, she wasn’t a huge fun. Now, however, seeing how much Tony actually liked having her nephew around…how they were becoming very close, she could see that it was the best thing for both of them. Tony was able to help Peter in ways she couldn’t…he was the male figure Peter needed, especially when he no longer had his father or her husband, and Peter seemed to brighten things up for Tony after what he went through during the debacle with the Accords…what the media called “the Civil War” with the Avengers.

“Well, given Peter’s spider powers…and his enhanced…I guess…senses and metabolism,” May began, “I was wondering if…there was a chance of him…getting sick.”

Tony furrowed his eyebrows together as he realized that he hadn’t thought of that before. A spider bit Peter about 6 months before they had met for the first time, and he had not seen the kid show any signs of getting sick. Injured, yes, but not sick, which begged May’s question. Could Peter get sick even with his abilities, especially with the fast healing?

“He hasn’t gotten sick after the spider bite?” Tony asked.

“Not since the day it happened,” May replied. “I don’t know if he’s ever told you, but…the day he was bitten, he came home and was extremely sick. He had a high fever, and he threw up—it was awful. Ben and I couldn’t get him a doctor’s appointment until the next day, but when we went in to get him the next morning, he was perfectly fine…almost as if he hadn’t been sick at all.”

“That could’ve been his body reacting to the bite…trying to adjust to…the changes,” Tony replied as he let May’s words sink in. “And he hasn’t been sick since then?”

“No, but I don’t know, I can’t help but wonder with it being flu season,” May said, “and…the school has been asking me for Peter’s updated immunization records. I…don’t want to risk anyone finding out about his secret, Tony.”

“Say no more, May,” Tony said quickly. “Dr. Helen Cho is our doctor, and she’s met Peter a few times. I have her and her team at the Compound. She can be Peter’s physician.”

“Really?” May asked eagerly. “Does she…does she know?”

“She does,” Tony said quickly, “and I can get her and the team to sign NDAs. They are completely trustworthy.”

“Okay,” May said, “well, I trust you to keep my baby safe, so, let’s do it. Umm…there’s actually something else that I wanted to ask you.”

“And that would be…”

“Since Peter…has these abilities,” May said, “I’ve…kind of noticed that he didn’t respond to medication well…like Tylenol or Advil. He would take the regular amount, but…it doesn’t seem to work on him as it would on you and me.”

“Well, that’s beauty of working with Dr. Cho,” Tony said. “She could take a sample of Peter’s blood and his DNA to come up with some medication for him and maybe even vaccines so that we can be prepared if he ever gets sick.”

“Thank you so much, Tony,” May said gripping Tony’s shoulder.

“Anytime, May,” Tony replied. “I can talk to Cho this week, and take Peter up to the Compound this Friday.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, then I’d better come.”

“Not that I don’t want you to, but…why?”

“Peter…gets a little nervous about blood tests and needles…”

“Oh…”

(line break)

“Do we really have to do this?” Peter asked with his face in his hands.  

Needless to say, when Tony and May told Peter what the plan was after he came home from patrol a few nights ago, he was…not that excited. He wasn’t angry. He knew he needed medication and vaccines that would meet his enhanced powers and abilities, especially if he were to ever get sick. Plus, going to a regular doctor would be impossible to do so without blowing his secret. This was the best option, and he knew it. He trusted Tony and May with his life, and they had the best intentions. However, that didn’t mean he wanted to go through with it. It was bad enough having to fast for the blood test when he had an enhanced metabolism, but the thought of Dr. Cho sticking a needle in his arm to draw blood made him squirm.

“For the millionth time, kid, yes, we do,” Tony said with a light chuckle as he patted Peter on the back. “Come on, you’ve met with Dr. Cho before. You like her.”

“Yeah, when she’s not sticking a needle in my veins…” Peter retorted as he lifted his face from his hands to look at Tony.

“Honey, I know you’re nervous,” May added gently from where she sat in the corner, “but we need to do this. You don’t react to medications the same way anymore, and we need to make sure we have something in case you get sick.”

“And for your vaccines and all that,” Tony added as he sat next to Peter on the table.

“I know, I know,” Peter groaned, “but I hate needles…and blood tests. Just the sight of…” Peter shuddered.

“I know, bud, I get it,” Tony said wrapping an arm around his intern holding him close to his side. “Remember the one time I tried to insert the sensors into my arm to call the suit to me…after New York…that was not easy. I still get squeamish sometimes.”

Peter couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know I was really hoping that being bitten by that spider would be the end of doctor visits unless I was seriously injured.”

Tony and May couldn’t help but laugh at Peter’s comment.

“I hate to break it to you, tough guy,” May said leaning forward in her chair, “but you’re enhanced…not God…or a god…in Thor’s case.”

“Technically, a demigod,” Tony added quickly, “but valid all the same.”

Peter looked at his mentor and then at his aunt before finally sighing as he rested his head on Tony’s shoulder. “I’m really not getting out of this, am I?” he asked aloud.

“Nope,” Tony and May said in unison.

(line break)

“Okay, are we ready?” Dr. Cho asked as she wrapped the tourniquet around Peter’s arm and searched the crease of his arm for a vein.

“Not really,” Peter said nervously eying the tourniquet on his arm like it was about to eat him alive.

“Don’t worry, Peter,” Dr. Cho said with a small smile on her face. “It will just be a pinch, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

“Easy for you to say,” Peter muttered to himself as Dr. Cho poked and prodded his arm to find the vein. He could see the needle on the stand next to her, and it was all he could focus on. He mentally kicked himself for acting like this. He was Spider-Man, and he went up against the Vulture and Captain America. Why was he so nervous whenever it came to needles and blood drawing? He could handle scary movies with Ned, so why was he being so difficult now?

“Kid, it’s okay to be a little nervous of needles,” Tony said to him somehow reading his thoughts. “No one enjoys this. It’s practically a requirement of being a human being.”

“Then why do we do it?” Peter asked as he watched Dr. Cho like a hawk as she finally found a vein under his skin and pressed her thumb before wiping the area on his skin with rubbing alcohol.

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” May quickly asked looking toward Tony.

“Yes, why don’t we talk about something else?” Tony said quickly agreeing with May. This was a part of their back-up plan if Peter still showed that that he was nervous. “How was school today? You didn’t really answer me when I picked you and May up.”

“Oh?” Peter said looking at Tony remembering that his mentor was right. He was so preoccupied with the impending blood test that he didn’t answer when Tony asked him about school. “You’re right, I’m sorry. It…was good! Ned spent most of the day talking to me about this new Star Wars Lego set that he hopes to buy with his birthday money, but—I don’t know—I was thinking about getting it for him instead. I think that would be an amazing gift, but I have to think about it. Oh, and my History teacher is going to have us do a project soon. I think it’s some kind of research project on—I think it’s going to be on more World History, and I mean, it’s fine. I’m just more into U.S. history, but that could be just me. Anyway, chemistry went well, too! I started thinking of some more ideas for my webshooters, and I thought maybe we can look at them at our next lab time.”

“Sure, we can do that, Peter,” Tony said as he listened to Peter’s monologue trying to take in every single word the kid was telling him with a smile on his face. He never got tired of taking or listening to Peter whenever he started rambling. It broke up the silence and lightened things up, as Peter always tended to do whenever he was around Tony, but it seems that now it was Tony’s turn to do just that. He looked down and noticed Dr. Cho pulling out the tube after the blood flowed through, and looked at Peter, who clearly didn’t notice. “Hey, Pete, guess what.”

“What?” the teenager asked.

“Dr. Cho is done,” the billionaire simply said.

“Huh?” Peter asked furrowing his eyebrows together in confusion. He looked and saw the doctor putting a cotton swab on his arm clearly to stop the bleeding.

“All finished,” Dr. Cho said with a smile as she gestured to the small tube on the table next to her.

“What?” Peter asked. “Are you sure? I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Exactly,” May said with a smirk. “Tony distracted you by getting you to talk.”

“And you forgot all about it, right?” Tony added. “Kid, we know you too well. Once you start talking, you tend to have tunnel vision, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.”

Peter ducked his head and blushed a shade of pink on his cheeks. He knew May knew about his nervousness around needles, but the fact that his mentor just learned about it and still tried to keep him from getting nervous just as his aunt did was amazing. It seemed like every day was just another reminder as to how lucky he was.

He smiled and looked at Tony. “Thanks, Mr. Stark,” he said.

“You’re welcome, kid,” Tony said with a smile of his own.

[thegoodgayshit]

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

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

The plan was really stupid.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m fine. How do you know that?”

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

“I’ve seen it in my dreams.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Get back! Someone’s coming in!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Unlike us! HA!”

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

“That was one time!”

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

“They’re gone. Let’s hurry.”

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

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

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

NDA.

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

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

“Let me guess. This is very bad?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wait! Not yet.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay. So what do we do?”

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

“We make you a dagger.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First mistake.

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

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

Second mistake.

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

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

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

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

It was their only chance.

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

It was chaos.

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

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

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

“What are we going to do now?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We need to move.”

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

“Sounds like us. Let’s try it.”

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

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

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

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

“This is so not going to work.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Is that a challenge, Noceda?”

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

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

[dacompanionreactions]

Hello! How would companions of DA:I react to Inky, who is in fact a demigod (The child of Maker and mortal woman)? and there incredible powers to rip reality, heal any disease and cut, and fully talk with darkspawn and lyriam? With non and Romanced people

This was really fun to write! Sorry it took so longggg

Cassandra is relieved beyond measure. The fact that they were sent by The Maker (who just so happens to be their parent) gives her no doubt that they will win this war. Their abilities could be seen as scary to anyone who didn't know them, but what Cassandra sees is a good friend who just happens to be the child of The Maker.

If romanced, her reaction won't change much. Her primary thought is, "I am the luckiest woman in all of Thedas." She feels truly blessed to have the Inquisitor at her side.

Varric is Andrastian. He's not very vocal about it, but behind his blasphemy, Varric believes in The Maker. At first, he makes a joke about The Maker cheating on his bride. "Poor Andraste. Burned, cheated on... that woman cannot catch a break." Mainly, he's glad the Inquisitor is on his side. He dislikes it when they 'communicate' with red lyrium, stating he'd rather have it destroyed than crack jokes with it. The Inquisitor waves their hand and the red lyrium vanishes without a trace. Varric Greatly Approves.

Solas is in no position to judge. He is Fen'harel after all. He's got nothing against Andrastianism, but he dislikes blind faith. At first he's apprehensive of their overpowered abilities, but as they get closer all he sees is a friend. A friend he's unintentionally hurt.

If romanced, Solas will ask the Inquisitor a lot more questions about her abilities. His reaction doesn't change much, but he finds himself worrying about his vhenan when they're on the field, a lot more than is wise.

"Somebody, get me a fainting couch!" Dorian jests, but he's truly in awe. His friend, the Herald of Andraste ("How ironic."), the child of The Maker himself. He asks the Inquisitor many questions, less about their father and more about their god-given capabilities. When he learns of their ability to cure any ailments, he requests they do something for him. Dorian is eternally grateful to the Inquisitor after they cure Felix of the blight.

If romanced, Dorian will ask more personal questions about the Inquisitor's family, but only if they are willing to share. Mostly, he feels safe and secure when he's with his amatus. The events at Adamant have him feeling a lot worse, however. They were so close to the Golden City, so close to The Maker. Honestly, he was afraid the Inquisitor would be taken from him. Thankfully, his fears were for naught.

Sera is stunned into silence for the first time in her life. "Oh, shite," she says finally. This revelation means a lot to her. It means that the throne in the Golden City has a godly arse to sit on it. It means The Maker is real. The same could be said about what Coryphy-spit said. Sera's main concern is the Inquisitor, though. "Demi-what evers have powers, yeah? I'm just making sure you're not an entitled arse for it." She warms up to the Inquisitor quickly after they use their abilities for good.

If romanced, her reaction isn't much different. However, Sera is more appreciative of her Honey Tongue's powers, because she can use them for pranks. Stuff like punting pies through several fade rifts in Ferelden to hit a noble in Val Royeaux? Priceless. It's a shame her Inky's abilities can't be used to make nice cookies.

Blackwall chuckles at first; he thinks they're joking. When it hits him, he exclaims a loud, "Maker's balls!" The Inquisitor says something about not wanting to think about their father's balls and Blackwall starts wheezing. All jokes aside, he's very glad the Inquisitor isn't allied with Corypheus. He only asks them about their family if they ask about Blackwall's past. It's a mutual respect kinda thing.

If romanced, during the early days he'll be much more reluctant to start a relationship with the Inquisitor. His past is constantly weighing on his mind and he believes he is unworthy of her, unworthy of The Maker's child. As they grow closer, he finds himself feeling safe with her and vice versa. However, he knows the truth will come out, and soon.

Cole is less concerned about their status as a demi-god and more worried about them as a person. The Inquisitor's thoughts are unbearably loud, amplified by The Maker's blood running through their veins. It hurts to hear them. Demi-god. Maker's child. Inquisitor. Herald of Andraste. Why can't they see that I'm just a person like them? Cole takes them by the hand and says with utmost confidence, "You are a person. Everyone else sees it. They treat you with respect because you are worthy of it. Your thoughts are loud, pained. Let me help."

The Iron Bull was raised under the teachings of the Qun, so naturally he feels conflicted when he learns The Maker exists and has a child. Overall, and in the kindest way possible, he doesn't really give two craps. What matters to him is their safety, the safety of The Chargers and the destruction of Corypheus and the demons. Bull admits that he finds it pretty badass how the Inquisitor can snap their fingers and their enemies will disintegrate. It does get rid of the fun of bonking them with a sledgehammer, though.

If romanced, Bull will make some dirty jokes and ask questions like, "How does a god and a person even do it?" It gets a laugh out of his kadan every time. He likes to think of them as the most badass couple in the entire Inquisition, and let's face it... they really are.

Vivienne is rather pleased when she finds out. Their status as a demi-god will be handy when dealing with pushy nobles. She makes a mental note to contact her seamstress in Val Royeaux. They need clothes worthy of a god's child. When she takes them to see Bastien, they stop her from giving him the potion. At first she is apprehensive, but the Inquisitor places a hand on Bastien's face and cures him. Vivienne is forever grateful. "My darling, how ever can I repay you?"

Cullen could not think clearly when they told him. Lyrium withdrawal was making it difficult. The Inquisitor waves a hand over him and his symptoms almost disappear. The Inquisitor apologises and explains that while withdrawal is not a disease or cut that can be cured, they can still lessen the symptoms. He is grateful to them.

If romanced, like Blackwall, Cullen will be hesitant to start a relationship with the Inquisitor. "You're the Inquisitor, The Maker's child. I'm not worthy of you." She says she believes otherwise, and the two share a kiss on the battlements. Cullen is thankful for her presence. The fact that she's The Maker's daughter is just a side-benefit. To him, she is everything.

Leliana is almost angry at first. Not at the Inquisitor, just the circumstances they were in. She hates that the one person who could have saved Justinia was incapacitated by the explosion. "What is His game? You're His child, you must know." She struggles to hide her disappointment when they say they don't know. They talk often about Justinia and The Maker. Eventually, Leliana stops seeing them as just The Maker's child. They're her friend, too.

Josephine is delighted. First of all, it makes her job about ten times easier. Half of her attempts at diplomacy stem from Andrastianism being shared around Thedas. Secondly, it means that the Inquisition is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. She will ask the Inquisitor if they want that information public. If their mother is still alive, Josephine reaches out to her contacts to make sure she's brought safely to Skyhold. "It's the least I can do, Inquisitor."

If romanced, Josie's reaction won't change drastically. Mainly, she feels like she's been blessed by The Maker to have them with her. In a way, she has.

[outoftimewriting]

Imagine (Son of Hades! Percy; Godswapped! Big Three's kids (5/7) or (10/12)

House of Hades AU Pt.1 - Perseus' Journey

Hello! Before reading this, check on the masterpost - it's essential for the understanding of this. Read the warnings before proceeding. Leave reviews, suggestions, and good reading :))

Perseus falls for what it feels like hours - but he counts thirty minutes inside his head - it gives him time to think and plan.

He has his ax - his warhammer left behind in the ship, unfortunately - no food, an empty canteen, his very drained powers, and absolutely no way to get to the Doors. If all the monsters are leaving through the Doors, he could follow them. But how? Would they be able to smell him? How quick would the story of a demigod in Tartarus get to the ears of Gaea's army?

He would be hunted all the way through - and how many obstacles could he really cross?

Nothing in his body was broken - but, every few moments, he could feel himself flicker - absolutely drained. His priority should find somewhere to rest, if he even survives the fall.

Perseus doesn't want to think that way, but he can calculate it: he was falling for about thirty minutes now. 30min x 60 = 1800s; 1800s x 10 m/s² = 18000 m/s. Or 64800 km/h. Simple physics = he shall be a smudge at the bottom of Tartarus.

In fact, the free-fall itself should be enough to at least dislodge his internal organs. Why is Perseus still breathing anyway? Is his godly blood maintaining him alive?

If he survives this nasty fall, he can go to the river of fire - he spent enough time in the Underworld to know that the Phlegethon shall keep him alive - perhaps at a horrible price. It might stop him from ever speaking - the dead keep screaming in the Fields of Punishment forever - but he is not dead is he?

Perseus sees a river approaching - he can't summon the shadows to cushion his fall - these shadows are rebelling and he is too weak. He doesn't want to drown, but between the sharp stones and the water, he chooses the water. 

Perseus curves himself into a ball and hopes his heritage will protect him. It still hurts - he probably broke at least five ribs and his right leg feels weird - but he is alive.

The voices in the river are tempting - and Perseus is weak. But his fear of drowning and the sheer willpower of getting the fuck back to his friends is enough. He'll get back to the earth. He will get to his mother. The gods don't get to take this from him.

They took enough.

He goes after the fire river - the Phlegethon is never too far from the Cocytus, Dante was mightily wrong in his self-insert fanfiction - and everything hurts.

Percy cannot walk properly - his right leg is really messed up, all of it - and each breath he takes, he wishes he never fallen down this hole.

A selfish part of his mind wishes he had just... let Annabeth fall. But he knows that his heart wouldn't let it happen - he would die for any of his friends. For any demigods - this was never for the gods.

Everything is trying to kill him. The air is poisonous, the earth is shards of glass, the stones are scaly, the ground is too hot, but he still feels cold - like everything in this place is draining him. There's a giant infinite of nothing stretching over him - no sun, no ceiling, nothing.

The pit feels alive somehow. There's a weird pulsing every time he takes a step, and sometimes he trips on weird purple purulent bubbles. Everything is also so humid and slippery - it's like walking on dead fish.

He shivers - is the beginning of sickness and intoxication settling onto him. Perseus doesn't have the luxury to vomit - not here, not now. He doesn't have nutrients to waste. Perseus stop thinking about the place he is in - the less he knows, the best.

Perseus is half pushing himself through, before getting into the margins of the lava river and just drinking huge mouthfuls. It's awful - it burns his hands, his chapped lips, and all the way down to his stomach. He can feel the taste of ash and blood in his tongue, and wonders if his voice will be the same after this.

It's such a capricious thought that it makes him chuckle mutely. He is lucky if he survives to destroy the doors. It's a miracle if Perseus ever reunites with his friends - he would gladly do it without his voice.

The lava heals most of his injuries - the scars never leave. His leg is still a little wobbly - like he might fall any second.

After he fills his canteen, Arachne appears in all of her dastardly glory - and Perseus hates her. It's her fault he is stuck in this mix between the ninth circle of hell and Mordor. Another immortal being with a sense of superiority and a grudge against the gods. It's her fault, and Perseus wants her to suffer.

She deserves it - Perseus doesn't blame her for her grudge in the gods, but she took it out in them, in the demigods, in his people. At least he could take this opportunity to take this blight from the world for a while.

He kills her - slowly. He starts by cutting her legs - every time one reaches for him, he racks it off. Then, when it tries to run away - or better, roll away - he beheads it.

Because it's not a she. It's not a girl of Athens with a bad case of hubris - it's a monster. A monster created by Athena - and how fitting that the goddess created the monster who stomped her children for centuries in a search the goddess send them in. Wise, indeed.

He keeps limping to safety - is there even safety in this hellhole? Damn Arachne, damn Athena, damn Annabeth for wanting to prove herself to the bitch.

He loves Annabeth - not the way she possibly wants him to, but love nonetheless - but this. This is her fault. If not for her misplaced want for approval and immensurable hubris, they might as well be all in the ship now. But that was always his destiny, wasn't it? 

Child of Hades - might as well die in the depths of hell for those ungrateful bastards. Wasn't that what they did to his father? Cast him into hell - and isolate him forever from earth and heaven. They must be so happy, so glad that he is here, again dying for immortal beings that don't care.

He is going to get out. And then, he is going to punch every single god that he ever restrained himself from doing so: Dionysus, Mars Ultor, Venus Verticordia, Aphrodite, Bacchus, Juno, Hera, Ceres, Zeus, Jupiter, his father, Nemesis, Invidia, Athena. Every single one of them. He has a growing list.

He keeps limping - most of the time, he borders the stones that litter the margins of the fire river. Sometimes, he hides in the shadows of the cliffs - Perseus cannot waste his strength, and the more that he stalls the monsters to know he is here, the most he lives.He can't keep hiding for long. 

Three cyclops pass through him - the exact ones who tried to kill him in his first quest after the Bolt. They attack him - Perseus kills all three of them. It’s their fault too - they should’ve killed him before.

Ugly #1 tries to attack him alone - his hubris is his downfall. Perseus cuts both his arms before finally spilling his guts on the fiery ground. Ugly #2 and #3 go down together - both with their heads split open under his ax.

Perseus has no need for mercy. He has an objective - and no obstacle will stay in his way. He does meet Bob/Iapetus in the way - and is sad, because he has no space for morals here - righteousness will only get him dead in this wasteland.

The titan wants to join him - after he destroyed his life. He can't remember anything - not even here, on the motherland. How much of a dick can he be?

A big one, apparently, because he decides not to tell Bob anything. He doesn't have the raw strength to fight a Titan. He doesn't have his powers - not even his warhammer. It's just him, his ax, and a lot of firewater. And now, Bob and his war shovel. Perseus is not telling a titan that he helped murder two of his brothers and wiped his memory.

Bob tells him they are far from the Doors - that time passes differently inside Tartarus. When Perseus tells him, in a raspy voice that he barely recognizes, that he's been here for almost a day, the Titan disagrees - he might've been here for an hour or a week, maybe more, maybe less. There's no way to know.

They keep walking. The titan's aura is almost enough to keep them safe, but some monsters don't care. Perseus kills two empousai, four carnivorous sheep, and a spartoi - what wonderful flashbacks. Bob kills thrice as much.

They stop to rest in a cave at a secluded part of a cliff. Perseus is unable to sleep - what if Bob remembers that he is not Bob and decides to kill Percy in his sleep? What if they are attacked? What if this poisonous ground swallows him when he closes his eyes? 

So he curls around his ax, with his back to the wall, and keeps his eye on Bob. Bob ends up talking to him - even if Perseus doesn’t think he can talk back - about Persephone's garden and the bloom of pomegranates on the cold of winter nights.

It’s wishful thinking, but Perseus wants to be thirteen again, scrolling through the underworld gardens barefoot, hand in hand with Kore. He remembers the smell of her hair and the curve of her lips, and the way the flowers purred under their joined fingertips. She was the first to touch him - besides his mother - and that he didn’t fear destroying.

The walls are covered with some viscous substance. He doesn't think much about it - the more he thinks, the more he sees. And he doesn't want to see.

They leave when a caravan of monsters pass - and Percy muses if he was able to close his eyes for even ten minutes. They crawl through small passageways and climb walls that feel like ice and fire for what it feels like a week - it's impossible to know. 

Perseus is collecting scars - the river of punishment heals him, but he can feel them under the rags he is using to cover himself. A hellhound left a cut across his face, and he wonders if he'll look like Luke now. His right leg is still acting up.

Seconds could be millenniums and centuries could be hours. The two of them rest five times - it’s how Percy is counting the time.

The war hasn't been won. But the monsters keep reforming and walking in the same direction as them, so they also haven't lost yet.

They find a cat - a skeleton saber-tooth tiger, because this is the place for happy memories - and it just keep following them. It reminds him of Blackjack - and he doesn't have the heart to kill it.

Percy wonders if any of his friends are dead. He wonders if he’ll ever be able to fight for his friendship with Annabeth, if he’ll ever joke with Leo, mess Hazel’s curls, get scolded by Will, or teach Piper math.

He wonders if he’ll ever ask Jason to teach him how to swim to get over his fear of drowning, ask Nico the rules of Mythomagic or simply talk quietly with Frank again.

He wonders if he’ll ever get to choose a college, if he’ll ever see his friends and tell them how much he loves them again. Percy wonders if he’ll ever go on a date, see cheesy movies, have his first kiss with a boy.

He wonders if he’ll ever taste his mother’s cookies again. He misses the warm touch of the sun in his skin, and the days he didn’t survive on lava and sheer stubbornness.

They meet the Arai in a cliff - and Perseus cannot stop killing them. The first curse that falls upon him it’s dust, choking and strangling him - like so many enemies that he let the earth devour. Then the blindness - the same he inflicted in Hyperion with his shadows - and his feet turn to lead - Hercules. One after the other, all the monsters that he killed get their comeuppance - Perseus does not regret any of them.

One of the curses, however, doesn’t come from a monster or an enemy - it’s from Lee Fletcher. His heart aches with loss, a suffering Perseus doesn’t feel in a long time - depression, his punishment for killing Michael Yew.

Perseus regrets it - he also regrets Bob, who stands aside and does nothing to interrupt his suffering. Perseus doesn’t blame him - perhaps he would have done the same, have their positions been reversed.

He feels his blood boil - his body hurts with the pains of the injuries he inflicted through the years - and he knows Phineas’ curse will be the one which finally takes him.

Suddenly, Bob helps. It’s Kore who interceded in his name - the only deity who never failed him. But it’s too late - he doesn’t feel pain anymore. It’s a sign - a sign that he is going. 

He is glad Bob wiped the Arai - at least now, he can go in peace. In the middle of his haze, he looks around and finally understands what he is blocking and denying since this journey started.

Tartarus is not a place. Tartarus is the personification of everything bad - and it’s horrifying in such a level he closes his eyes - he doesn’t need his last moments to be a nightmarish landscape.

Percy can feel himself flicker. Since coming here, he wasn't able to use his powers well. Now he knows is probably because the "ground" is no ground, and he can't travel in the shadows, because the shadows are corrupted. Because this is beyond his father's domain, beyond the gods.

He closes his eyes and imagines Elysium - the children that fell in the first war. The soldiers of the Twelfth Legion that died to protect their home. Michael Yew, Castor, Silena, Bianca, Ethan, Charles. They are waiting for him on the other side.

If he dies here, does he even get to go there? What happens to demigods that die in the dark lands of monsters? Did he get to die? Or was he a part of this now? Would he reform eventually?

Bob is carrying him somewhere. He tried to force-feed him lava - but Perseus could have told him it wouldn’t work. There’s a limit even to magic rivers.

He must have passed out, because when he opens his eyes, he is in a gigantic bed, in a place he doesn’t recognize. Percy looks through the window. It’s not Camp, not Nova Roma, not Argo II - and definitively not Elysium.

The air is red and green and he can see the fires burning at a distance, the mountains of the body he is walking. He is still stuck in Tartarus.

Did he reform? Was Iapetus able to save him? How much time did he stay asleep? Where are they? Percy is pretty sure a house is not part of the Tartarus package.

The demigod tries to sit up, but something is weird. He looks down, and where his full right leg once was, now lies a half-metal one. 

Perseus can see gears turning, the places where the bronze meets black. When he tried to lift it, it answered as if that is his own - even the same weight. His mid-thigh is still meat and bone - but the rest isn’t his.

He touches his knee - knocks into it, twice. It's hollow and clangs like metal, but somehow, he can feel it. Perseus tries to detach it: impossible. Little tubes seen to stick in his upper tight.

Bob is outside - he is talking to someone. He enters the room, but Perseus doesn't see who is.

Bob - or, well, Iapetus - tells him that the weight of his earth-related curses, plus the sheer blood that he lost, was too much for his already damaged leg, the bone broken in at least five or six parts and an infection settling in. He wouldn't survive the fever - so the titan had to cut it off.

"When the Labyrinth fell, it fell here, leaving junkyards everywhere. There's one that is too close to the Mansion of the Night, so almost no monster goes there. Me and our host, we are no monsters - so we go there sometimes. We found a leg for you - from a mechanic body marked as Sextus."

Sextus - where had Perseus heard something similar? Oh, that's right. Quintus. He was wearing the prototype of Daedalus next body, that he never got to use because Percy freed - banished - him to the Underworld.

He says he adapted it a little - it was too short for Perseus, so they needed to bastardize an arm to make the socket a little bigger - and connected into his thigh.

"It was a pretty simple process - this version is advanced enough that the tubes connected themselves, we just had to put a little fuel. It will be like your own leg."

Percy wants to scream. This is not his leg. He wants this leg out, now, and his leg back. It feels wrong. Dead - he can see little tubes not unlike veins, but there's just lava running on them.

So this is what Daedalus used to fuel himself - the waters of Phlegethon, damned waters to fuel his damned life.

This is just a nightmare - how is he going to survive this without a limb? Will he be able to walk? Fight? Run?

But his voice escapes him - Percy is still too damaged from the lava. His scars itch - they are of a pale red, and he has all kinds of them. He must be a terrible person to attract such curses - the weight of Lee's curse was removed from his chest, but not his mind.

The neural connections in this must be pretty good, because he is able to feel when his "foot" touches the ground. It takes him a few minutes to readjust - bit it's just like nothing happened.

But it did. That's not his leg. That's not his limb - that's alien. It feels and it walks and it works even better than his old messed up right leg - but at least the messed up right leg was his.

Perseus has no need for limping now - but as he looks at his first mirror since this started, he staggers.

His whole body is mapped by white and red scars that mix with keloids - a jumbled mess of raised patches and ugly patterns. In his face, there's a scar just like Luke's - from his forehead to his jaw, crossing his left eye.

Perseus puts on his ragged shirt - he hates the scars on his chest - but he looks at his eye, and thinks it suits him - it's a mark of betrayal, of the gods' abandonment.

His hair is no longer the short curls he gained while in Nova Roma - now it's a big dirty mess that Percy can't cut or do anything about, so he just bundles it up on the top of his head, out of the way.

Jeez. He is a mess.

Everytime Percy takes a step, his "foot" clangs against the floor. He tugs his semi-destroyed shoes in, and goes with Iapetus - to meet their misterious host.

It turns out not all giants are bad - of course, Perseus thought that Damasen shouldn't be the only exception - Porphyrion, the one Jason fought, should've been so different. Enceladus too - wasn't Athena a goddess of war?

If they are supposed to be their complete opposite, why Ephialtes and Otis were all for parties? Why was Porphyrion just as arrogant as Zeus, why was Polybotes able to raise tides and shake the ground?

Perseus doesn't trust Damasen. He might be the "gentle" giant. But he could - easily - kill a drakon everyday. Maybe he first killed the drakon to help a girl - Moira was her name - but doesn't change the fact that he is able to kill a drakon.

He is grateful for the leg - grateful, even if a grudge is clawing it's way to his heart with the force of a thousand suns - so Perseus thanks the giant, drinks the broth of drakon meat, and rests.

They stay there for a while - Perseus doesn't count time well. Damasen does not seem really happy to let him stay - but Iapetus has some hold over him. He tries to convince the giant to fight for them, but for no result.

Damasen tells him that, while Gaea locked him here, he would never get accepted by either side - the gods would never let him live between them. He has no reason to pledge his loyalty to anyone.

Iapetus/Bob and him sit together. It doesn't feel like forgiveness when the titan finally talks to him. They talk about Zoe Nightshade and Calypso of Ogygia, and the stars above. The titan tells he misses it - his family, his granddaughters - he calls them little stars, because of their father.

Perseus doesn't talk much about their sorrows - he focuses on the way Zoe was determined on doing everything for what she believed on, and Calypso's cunning mind and sweet words.

Iapetus doesn't forgive him - But he does tell Perseus he has a plan.

Apparently, he cannot cross the army of monsters being a demigod - he would be dead in seconds. He only survived up until this point because of his connection to the Underworld.

So Perseus needs to find Akhlys - the goddess of misery - and get the Death Mist, something to shroud him from everything trying to kill him.

Even Damasen's helpfulness has an ending - when Polybotes comes after vengeance, Iapetus helps Perseus run away - with just his rags, a canteen of firewate, his ax and his new leg.

He hates his leg. It answers almost like it's his, and he can walk almost perfectly with it, and when they had to stop and fight a cyclops, it didn't stop Perseus.

But he hates it. Percy wants himself back. He wants out of this desert and doesn't think there's a single good feeling inside him anymore.

But he has to keep going, keep walking. For Nova Roma. For the Camp. For Reyna, Malcolm, Will, Frank, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Leo, Nico, Connor, Alabaster, Grover, Bob, Clarisse, Paola, Annabeth, Rachel, Persephone, Kore, his mom.

Perseus' stomach rumbles with hunger - he grew too comfortable with the drakon's meat stew in his stomach and the rough blankets beneath him. He got too pampered - time to go back to the hot shards of something beneath his cheek and the taste of fire in his tongue.

Now, at least, he can sleep a little - when he is not plagued by nightmarish visions of what he can now see, or of his friends dying because he is stuck here and unable to help. If Iapetus hasn't killed him until now, it's very improbable that he will.

He keeps muttering to himself - Reyna, Malcolm, Will, Frank, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Leo, Nico, Connor, Alabaster, Grover, Bob, Clarisse, Paola, Annabeth, Rachel, Persephone, Kore, Sally - a chant for hope that never stops. Their names sound bad in his tongue - like he is corrupting them.

The closest they get to the goddess house, the more miserable he gets - Hazel, Leo, Nico, Connor, Alabaster, Grover, Bob, Clarisse, Paola, Annabeth, Rachel, Persephone, Kore, Sally - as if he should just stop hoping, stop yearning.

He'll never leave this Pit - Alabaster, Grover, Clarisse, Paola, Annabeth, Rachel, Persephone, Kore, Sally - he'll die here. If not for the names that keep him going, Percy would just drop down. Stay there, become part of this forest of desolation.

Iapetus can't follow him into misery's lair. The titan has no need for death mist - he can take the direct path to the monsters that wait in the Doors.

So they part ways - Iapetus goes back through the Central Wasteland, and Perseus goes forward - into the Poison Meadows of Akhlys.

Perseus sees the goddess of misery - and thinks she looks the part. She and her shield - Hercules' shield - crying eternally.

She denies his request - but he taunts her. Is she just a minor goddess? Wouldn't she want the Tartarus to be filled with wails of the monsters, unable to go out for decades at a time?

Akhlys agreed - but Perseus wasn't sure. She was a little too eager - not something you want from a primordial goddess based on feelings. Elemental gods are so much easier.

And she was too poison-happy for Percy's liking. The way she smiled, fat tears and snot running down her face didn't impress him though: every time he looks around he sees this convoluted primordial of hell and was two minutes off snapping, so.

Rachel, Persephone, Kore, Sally.

Everything around him was wet and disgusting - like most of Tartarus. Maybe being the habitat for thousands of your children isn't the highest of body care.

They stopped near the void, the emptiness stretching beyond him as sure as nothing was above him. He could feel it pulling at his soul - did he even have a body? Or was he just smoke now?

Somehow, his metal leg clung onto him. His ax didn't fall from his hand, although he felt like the weight of the sky was again in his shoulders - he felt at the same time, eighty years older and as if he was nothing at all.

Death always clung at him - he was a spawn of Hades, a hellish being. Perseus always ran cold - and some people, the ones that thrived on life, couldn't get close to him without shivering. But this - this is what death felt like.

Not being dead - being dead can be either peaceful or eternal torment - this is the permanent state of death. Like he is just about to die, but there wouldn't ever be a release.

Persephone, Kore, Sally

Under him, there was Chaos and Nyx - the two primordials that formed the world. How many of those never leave this pit, never got their cults advanced, and were reborn in between the gods above?

Hecate, Nemesis, Eros, Eris, Morpheus, Hypnos, Geras, the Moirai, all of them, dwindling between the Olympians. Did they laugh at their stupid dominions over physical mattters - while they manipulated the world like puppeteers?

For how many times the arrows of love touched the immortals? How many decisions were made under the influence of dreams or vengeance? How many fates did the Fates decide in the strings of their tapestries?

Erebus - the eternal darkness. That is what is lurking above them. Perseus sneaks a lookup - and he can see curves of a person where should be nothing, the points of sharp teeth - it scares him far more than Tartarus.

Akhlys wants to kill him - Percy is not actually shocked. Everything in this Pit is trying. He tried to slash at her with his ax - but his ax was smoke, and Perseus has a very bad control over spirits, so it's to no surprise he was awful at controlling his own spiritual form.

Akhlys advances on him - and, conveniently, she can hurt him. He dodges as much as he can, but inevitably, she caught up to him.

She gives a swipe at his metal leg, her hands are around his neck - the goddess of misery is trying to suffocate him with her poisonous claws. Perseus hates suffocating.

"Stop... P-Please..."

Kore, Sally.

"Misery doesn't stop, misery is everything you'll ever know"

Perseus can't do much, but as he fights back, he feels it - in the bottom of his stomach, a pulling. The same pulling he uses to open the earth and to summon skeletons, coming from Akhlys.

Then, he touches her.

And Akhlys screams.

Perseus can feel the pulling, the way her immortal life is trying to stay in her body - but he pulls harder and harder.

"Please... Please stop."

She is aging under his eyes - he can take everything from her. Perseus is death - and life has touched him. He wants her to suffer. He wants to see how miserable Misery can be.

"Decay is inevitable, decay is everything you'll ever know."

Around him, the poisonous plants thrive, bloom to full beauty. Under him, Akhlys never dies - she shrivels, wailing as he begs him to stop.

But Perseus is death and life. Perseus is decay - he can take and take and take, and leave only an empty husk behind. He would never stop - he would destroy everything in his path, in this wasteland that he was sent to die by Fate.

Sally.

It's his mom's name that brings him back to reality. He jumps off the shriveled corpse-looking goddess and scrambles backward as she scampers away.

Perseus doesn't know how much time he passes there, in between the garden of poison, looking at his hands and shivering. He became what he feared the most: his touch is poison.

It's been many years, but Percy wants his sweaters and his gloves back. He wants to be covered, so no one will ever touch him again - he wants to cut his hands off. He is dangerous.

A deep, dark part of him wants to kill - what is the difference if he kills them by decay or with a stone spike? They would be dead either way.

Maybe he belongs here - he muses - maybe he became a monster, just like the ones he killed. Maybe he would just die and reform here, eventually.

Is he even a person anymore? With his metal leg and destructive skin - how much of him is god? Can he decide the fate of life - is this his heritage?

He hates himself, this situation, this life. The poisonous flowers flourish under his fingertips - and he wonders if he touches a daisy, it'll shrivel and die just like Akhlys.

But he traded a goddess for another, for who would appear other than Nyx. Perseus tricks her - says that he is making a map of Tartarus, for his father, but that she isn't really in the itinerary.

Nyx doesn't believe in his lie - she is a primordial goddess, not an imbecile. He calls her minor goddess, however, and that's enough to get her mad: hubris is a failing of most deities.

She gets mad, invokes her children to kill him - of which Perseus knows quite a few and would prefer if he didn't. So he starts talking - a way of stalling them - and promptly proceeds to try and make her tell him which one of them is the worst.

The children of Nyx - all with terrifying metaphysical dominions - start an enormous fight - which is enough for him to slip through with closed eyes - one is not supposed to look at the Mansion of Night.

He runs - and he feels them behind him. Their powers can't affect him - he is almost dead after all - but they are gods - stronger and quicker than him.

But Perseus prays and he runs, using the stone under him to propel his feet. He feels like he is running for years when he finally reaches the end of the hallway - finally on the margins of the Acheron.

The son of Hades hates water. But worse of all, he hates water that remembers him of his failures. Michael Yew, Silena, Charles, Ethan, Luke - his fault. Their blood is in his hands. He made Misery miserable - he should jump.

He doesn't. The Nyx cavalry wakes him up from this display of guilt and regret - it's a breakdown he had way too many times in Tartarus, and he is not doing this now.

Perseus uses a stone to propel himself over the River - his adrenaline making him soar through the air. He falls on the other side of the water - and doesn't break anything. He can't - he is made of smoke.

Bob - definitely Iapetus now - has his memories back. When they meet again, it's closer to the doors - who are being watched by glowing Hyperion and Krios - the titan Jason killed.

By the time they reach the Doors, all the Gigantes have returned to the mortal world - or at least, it's what Bob tells him. Even the giants they already killed - here they are again, making a mess.

Perseus tries to be sneaky - but there's no sneaky way to subtly destroy the chains that hold the Doors in hell. The monsters almost don't notice him.

But Tartarus centainly does.

And if he thought seeing Tartarus was bad - well, actually seeing him in his interim is way worse.

Tartarus has the skin he's been walking for who knows how long - slimy and greyish - with red eyes and a vacuum-like face - he seemed to suck the life out of them.

He attacks Perseus - calls him an intruder, tells him that he cannot freely walk him. Perseus wants to scream - He didn't want to be here either! This wasteland took his voice, his leg, his humanity. It took everything from him!

Unexpectedly, Damasen comes to his rescue, having tamed the Maeonian drakon. Bob uses his shovel to do the same - while Small Bob stays around Perseus' heels.

"It's your time to save the world, demigod. This is not the last sacrifice in the war you're raging against Gaea."

Percy enters the elevator. Bob stays to hold the button - he can't take him upside like they talked about. Damasen can't come - they'll die so Perseus can go save the world.

"Twelve minutes. Take Small Bob with you. Don't let them kill him - tell the stars I said hello."

So he starts going up. Perseus holds the Doors firmly shut as he looks at himself - a mechanical leg, a skeleton tiger in his ankles. He wonders if he'll make it upside. If part of him won't ever leave Tartarus - if when he dies, is there he'll appear.

The Elevator shakes - once, twice. Maybe he'll die here. Maybe it's better than what he is going to face when the doors open - it's definitely better than what he left behind.

He doesn't think about Bob and Damasen dying behind him, for him - he doesn't think about it at all.

The doors finally stop. He is not sure twelve minutes have passed - maybe it was less, maybe it was more. Perseus thinks this is it. He is not ever coming out. He walked the whole Tartarus, faced horrors far beyond any mortal ever had to, to now die because of doors.

Then he sees the light, and just let the doors go. Perseus takes one look at them - he can see at least two people and a giant - and takes one step out.

He breathes - ozone, oxygen, pure air - and then passes out, crushed under the sheer pain of life.

[blackholesandlions]

SPOILER WARNING

So I was reading ToN and I got to the part about not being able to destroy the fasces, and my mind started racing with ideas so I got down my idea of how the book would end before reading the rest of it, just to see how wrong I was. Anyway I ended up liking it a lot so here’s my alternate ending to the Tower of Nero

Warning this makes no sense if you’ve read any point in the book past where I stopped, so keep that in mind.

Nero’s words still rang in my mind. “You haven’t destroyed it yet, because you can’t. Even if you could, you’d release so much power it would burn you to cinders.” After he said that we ran, fast. He didn’t even bother calling the guards on us. He knew Python would get us first.

I was at the back of the group, because I was carrying the fasces, and it weighed me down. This thing had Nero’s soul in it, it was the only way to kill him, but breaking it would destroy everything around it. And even then, there was still no way to defeat Python. I’m not strong enough to take him out. If only there was some way to… oh. It’s so obvious, why didn’t I think of it earlier? Well, I don’t even want to think about it now, but it’s my only option that gets everyone out safely.

I stopped walking, and the rest of them turned to face me. Rachel asked, “Apollo, what are you doing? We need to keep moving.” I steeled my nerves. “I have a plan to take out Nero and Python in one move.”

“Great, let’s hear it,” Lu said. “No. No time. I need all of you to run, run as far as you can. I’m going to take them out, but you need to be out of the blast zone. Don’t come back for me.” I half wished somebody would protest, say no Apollo, we can’t let you sacrifice yourself, but they nodded, and ran.

Except Meg. Meg was holding back tears.

“Let me help, Lester. You can’t do it on your own.”

“I know.”

“Then how-”

“Destroying the fasces will incinerate anything around it. I’m not strong enough to break it, but he is.”

Meg wasn’t even holding the tears back at this point. She was crying. Over me. “Lester, you can’t,” she sobbed. “You’ll die!”

I pull her into a hug. “Hey, that’s the price of being human.”

“Now go.” She nodded, and gave me a weak smile before turning to run.

I rummaged through my bag, looking for anything to secure the heavy fasces. After a bit of searching I find what I’m looking for. Oh, thank the gods for Duct Tape, truly one of mankind’s greatest inventions. I strap the fasces to my back and shuffle onward towards my doom.

When I finally got there, my old enemy Python has wrapped his way around the entire chamber. His eyes are closed, so he doesn’t see me approaching, and for a second I have to admit, I’m tempted to just flee. Give up this lapse in judgement and live the rest of my mortal life hiding in shame.

But Jason didn’t think like that. Or maybe he did, I guess I have no real way of knowing. Maybe he was just as terrified as I am right now, hesitant to sign his own death warrant. But nevertheless, he jumped into the fray and sacrificed himself to save his friends. So had all the heroes I’ve met on my journey. They were so brave, much braver than I will ever be. But I owe this to them.

“Python!” I yelled into the echoey cavern. Names have power, especially for immortals. Calling the name of someone who wants to kill you is a death wish. But it sure got his attention.

The enormous serpent opened its eyes, the size of lakes, and stared right at me. “Little Lester,” he growled in that horrible voice. “You appear to be all by yourself, but that can’t be possible. I’m sure you have a whole cavalry hidden with some sort of magic. You might as well reveal yourselves, it won’t make a difference.”

I was frozen, shaking. I remember Python well, he terrified me back when I was a god, as a human teen his presence was simply too much. “No,” I squeaked out. I held on to any courage I had. “It’s just me.”

Python smiled, but tilted his head in confusion. “Then how on Earth do you intend to fight me?”

I dropped my bow and ukulele. “I’m not here to fight.”

Now he was incredulous, and angry as well. “I am going to consume you, your entire essence. You will be destroyed, and I will control this world’s future, and you mean to say you aren’t going to fight it?”

“I’m doing this so my friends can survive.”

Python reeled his head back. “Are you sure you’re Apollo?” He hissed. “No immortal in their right mind would be so cavalier with their existence.”

At that I had to laugh. “I don’t think I was ever in my right mind until I was cast down here. I was arrogant, selfish, and cruel. I cared only for myself. But worst of all, I treated mortals like they were expendable. Insignificant humans, good for a laugh, or a duet, or to fetch me something.

“But these people, they live lives that are so full of value and meaning. They form connections that I’ve never had, bonds stronger than anything you or I are capable of. And then… they end. And humans come to terms with it, they accept it. Their lives are so short, but more full than mine ever was. And if sacrificing my life means that they can live another day, then I am fully willing to do so.”

Python was quiet for a moment, looking almost contemplative. Then he curled his sharp teeth into a menacing grin. “Well, Apollo, one thing certainly hasn’t changed about you. You’re still a fool.”

He unhinged his terrifying jaws, and I dove in without hesitation. In the moment before we collided, I could see myself reflected in his eyes. My face was determined and resigned, but my eyes were the real. They were glowing bright orange, two burning orbs, bright and harsh like the unforgiving desert sun.

I could see Python, my oldest enemy, finally recognize me. His mouth didn’t move, but his expression morphed into one of pure terror.

And then he clamped his jaw down.

A fang came down right on top of me, the impact puncturing my body and shattering my spine. The pain was searing, I was probably a few seconds away from death, when I heard a hum from near me. My plan had been a success after all, the fasces was shattered as well, and was slowly getting brighter and brighter, and I could hear Python screaming out in pain. In a burst of light, we were both gone.

I don’t quite remember being dead. I didn’t have any thoughts, not even a haiku crossed my mind. The only reason I knew I was still there was the pain. It got duller and fuller over time, and I started to worry if that meant I was fading away, out of existence. But even then, that barely concerned me. I knew Python was gone, I had done my job. If I faded away now, it didn’t matter, my friends were alive and safe.

And then suddenly I was alive. The first thing I saw was my sister. She was sitting next to me, arm around my shoulder like she did when we were little. “I’m glad you’re here.” I had never heard those words from Artemis before. I started to tear up. “Zeus wants to see you.”

It took me a while to remember how, but I appeared in my father’s palace, right in front of him. I saw his glowering expression. Then I heard his stern, familiar tone. “You were not supposed to die. It took all I had to bring you back this much, but even now…

“You’re still a god, but not powerful like you used to be. You’re on the level of the most minor of deities, not an Olympian. I know this must be very upsetting to you.”

The strangest thing was, it wasn’t. I had lost my status, most of my power, I should be furious at how diminished I’ve become, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest. Alarming, to say the least.

For some reason, my mind kept drifting back to Camp-Half Blood. My children, all the others I had saved, and my brother, Dionysus, still stuck there. It was odd how happy he had been, just to have someone else to work with. I hadn’t seen him that excited since he was first sent to that camp. I had laughed at the time, but now I think his punishment was no better than mine.

Zeus cleared his throat. “Well, at least you’ve learned your lesson now.” I looked at my father, the man who had caused all of this in the first place. “I’ve learned many lessons, Father.”

“I’m glad you’ve learned how to respect me now, Apollo.” Suddenly I was overcome with anger. This… god consistently refused to take responsibility for his actions, and never took into account anyone’s feelings but his own. He was callous, and egotistical, and awful.

But, that’s just what I was like before my journey, wasn’t it? I was just as awful as he is. But I’m better than that now. I don’t have to go back to the way I was, I can make changes. We gods always said we were stuck as we were, that we needed mortals to change things, or we would keep repeating our history forever.

But the truth is, we could have changed at any time, we just refused to accept that we were the same as humans. We refused to accept that we could be wrong, in need of changes. We just continued pretending we were perfect, because we are cowards. I was a coward. But not anymore. And I am going to write my own prophecy, change my future.

“No, actually, I think that’s the one class I skipped.” He furrowed his brow. “What. Did. You. Say.”

“You need to release Dionysus from his post at Camp-Half Blood. Now.” Thunder roared throughout mount Olympus. “That insolent child hasn’t served his full punishment yet!”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be taking over his post effective immediately.”

When I appeared at Camp-Half Blood that day, I kept myself invisible at first. I wanted to see what was going on at camp before I made my presence known. The scenery was always beautiful, but now I looked at it with a sense of nostalgia. Not just as a place to pop in and show off to the young demigods. But as a home.

The first thing I spotted was, in fact, spotted. It was my brother, in his usual ugly leopard print shirt. The second thing I spotted was Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, at camp. I had last heard they were at Camp Jupiter, but they were here now.

Percy and Dionysus were arguing loudly with each other. I caught a snippet of it. “Look Mr. D, me and Annabeth were on the other side of the country, you can’t just teleport us here on a whim!” Dionysus sighed. “It’s not a whim, Peter Johnson, I brought you two here so you could hear my big announcement! Ah, speaking of!”

He amplified his voice, and began. “Attention campers! Please proceed to the courtyard immediately, I have a very important announcement to make!”

Head counselors shuffled kids out of their cabins until everyone was in the courtyard. I heard some kids muttering things like “ugh, this better not be another end of the world.”

Mr. D cleared his throat. “Now that I have your attention, see you losers!” There were cries of confusion from the crowd. “That’s right, Zeus has lifted my punishment early, which means I don’t have to take care of you brats anymore!” He looked almost giddy. He looked to where I was standing, invisible, because of course gods can see each other, and gave me a nod of gratitude, before disappearing in a flash, leaving behind a cluster of grapes. I had the feeling he wasn’t coming back.

The camp fully erupted into chaos, children freaking out left and right. Even the oldest around were confused, this was new territory even for them. A young child ended the chaos by crying out “who’s gonna be in charge of the camp?” The campers paused for a moment, before turning their heads to all look at Percy Jackson.

The poor boy looked almost ready to cry. He so desperately wanted to be done with everything, to have a normal life, go to college with his girlfriend. He didn’t want to spend his whole life at this camp. But he sighed, and said “if I have to step up, I will.”

In a flash of golden light, I made myself visible. “That’s very noble of you, Percy, but it won’t be necessary.” The whole crowd was stunned. I had to smile. Despite it all, I still loved a good dramatic entrance. I heard a familiar voice from the crowd say “Lester?”

I had never been so happy to see a little girl with a terrible pageboy haircut. I did a little wave and said “hi Meg,” weakly.

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?” She yelled across the courtyard, but I could see she was smiling.

It occurred to me that I still looked like Lester, and even more surprising, that I hadn’t cared to check. I used to spend hours a day agonizing over what form I took, but it hadn’t crossed my mind this whole time. Even stranger, I didn’t feel like changing to someone more handsome. This Lester form felt somehow fitting to me, like I wouldn’t want to change it at all.

“I kinda did die, but I’m back now, and immortal again. But I’m not Apollo. I’m not anywhere near as powerful as I used to be. I’m not even on the Olympian council anymore.”

“Wait, then there’s an empty spot?” Annabeth asked. “An unbalanced council isn’t good.” I nodded my head. “Yes, that’s why I yielded the post to Hestia. I figured she deserved a turn back in the spotlight.”

Percy grinned. “Wow, man, that’s a lot to give up.”

I sighed. “Yes, it is.” I turned back to Meg, tears welling in my eyes. “It’s good to see you again.” She wiped a tear away from her eye. “Well, are you gonna lead us or not?” I smiled. Never change, Meg, never change.

“Right. I’m running this camp now, and you will see some major changes.” The campers looked nervous, probably remembering Mr. D and all his ideas.

“For starters, I’m creating a parents day here at Camp-Half Blood, twice a summer. I understand that some of you don’t have great relationships with your parents, but there are many who do and wish to see them. For those campers, we will provide safe travel so your parents can be here to see you.”

Some kids looked very excited, especially younger ones who had just been pulled away from their parents. I looked up to the sky for this next point. “And also, attendance from godly parents is mandatory!” The sky rumbled with loud thunder. “Don’t try to fight me on this! You all have infinite time and can be in multiple places at once, there’s no reason you can’t be there for your children for a couple of hours!”

The younger campers definitely all looked ecstatic at that, the prospect of meeting their godly parents. The older campers, though more jaded, still smiled at the idea of their parents being there for them. The kids were all chattering excitedly amongst themselves, until one piped up. “What about quests?”

This was the question I’d been dreading, because I didn’t have a good answer for it. I paused. “Quests and prophecies are an unavoidable part of life as a young hero. However, I am aware of how dangerous and traumatizing they can be. So I am instating a policy. If you have gone on a quest, you do not ever have to go on another. You are allowed to opt out, and the gods have promised they will not hold it against you.”

A half-hearted clap of thunder pulsed through the camp. Percy and Annabeth gave me grateful looks.

“Any more questions?” I asked the camp. My son Will raised his hand. “Yeah, what do we call you? You’re not Apollo anymore, and I’m guessing Mr. A isn’t right either, so who are you exactly?”

That was tricky. I didn’t quite know yet. I was certainly still immortal, yet I felt human, so human. But I think I was starting to get the idea.

“I’m Lester. God of Camp-Half Blood.”

[greekgeek21]

Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Convergence - the secret it out

I'm not dead! I had a mental breakdown, but I'm not dead! I am not abandoning this story, I promise. Didn't you guys see the part of my A/N where I said that I would never abandon this story, just take a tiny hiatus. And I'm proving that now by uploading this.

Anyway, this chapter is pretty long, so I hope this makes up for not uploading for months. I'm in the middle of doing a bio final, which is my second to last one! I'm so excited to be done with this school year. I've literally been calling my school Hell.

Also, I'm adding disclaimers to each chapter cuz I forgot to do that, so yeah act like you're smart enough to know that I don't own Marvel or PJO. Please stay safe and happy pride month🏳️‍🌈!

- your author

PS if you didn't know, I'm pan so...not just an ally or something.

Ω ♆ Ω

The demigods were silent the entire trip back. The group hadn't wanted to explain why the Avengers were there, so they'd left before the authorities had shown up. The quinjet had survived the storm with the ability to still fly, so they took that back to the tower. Despite the multitude of people with ADHD on the plane, nobody had spoken a word. However, the Seven seemed to be silently communicating to Percy their confusion and anger. As far as they knew, they did not have permission to tell the truth of the gods yet! They trusted Percy, but he had been through a lot recently, and maybe his judgement was a little off.

But they couldn't risk slipping anything to the Avengers, so they settled for just glaring at the son of Poseidon. The boy in question, however, just sat there staring at his lap, where he was playing with Riptide.

He was trying to figure out the best way to break it to the Avengers that their entire world was basically a lie. It was a lot to take in. He could attest to that. He was half-convinced that he was hallucinating when he first got the explanation.

Tony was finding the silence particularly difficult to withstand. First, Percy tells them that he's finally going to tell them the full truth, and then he just walks away and gets on the quinjet without following up on that comment! Anticlimactic much?

"Alright, that's it! Somebody say something!" he yelled. "I can't take this anymore!"

Percy responded without looking up, "Wait until we're at the tower. Then, I'll tell you everything. It's time you guys know." He whispered the next part under his breath, "You're going to need it where we're going."

Unfortunately for Steve, he could still hear that last comment. "That's reassuring," he said.

"Sorry," Percy muttered.

He didn't have time to worry about the Avengers' feelings. He had already figured out how he would tell them the truth. The best way was to be completely open and make sure there weren't any chances for fighting to break out.

Right now, he was worrying about Annabeth. Every second they wasted was one more second the monsters had to hurt her. It was taking everything within him to not make Piper's water bottle explode.

Ω ♆ Ω

Percy was the first one out of the jet when they landed on Avengers Tower. He ran all the way to his room, where he grabbed as many godly artifacts that he could find. He had a feeling that the mortals would want some proof before they started believing anything. He grabbed a couple of drachmas, some ambrosia and nectar, a picture of Coach Hedge, Mellie, and little Chuck, and his trident (yes, he has a trident now). The trident folded into itself until it was the size of a water bottle. If he wanted to use it, he had to say it's name, ακουαρέλα (waterbringer). The greek lettering of its name on the side glows, and it shoots open. It was a gift from his father as an early eighteenth birthday present.

Godly parents are weird that way; giving their kids weapons as presents. But spend enough time in this world and you get used to it.

He rushed back to the living room, where JARVIS had told him everyone was gathered (a tiny voice in his head reminded him that it wasn't everyone. Not yet). They seemed to have resorted back into their first day together: opposite sides of the coffee table, mistrustful glances sent across, and a general awkward aura surrounding the place. If Percy wasn't in such a rush to save Annabeth, he would've laughed at the sight.

Tony was the first to notice him, "Oh, you're here finally! Great! Now can you tell us what the hell is going on?"

Again, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over Percy, but he ignored it.

"Yes. It's important you know the truth before we leave," Percy answered.

He turned to his friends and spoke again. "And before you try protesting, my dad gave me permission."

Jason's open mouth snapped shut.

He dumped his artifacts on the table, motioning for his friends to do the same with anything they had on them. It wasn't a lot; just a couple of drachmas and their weapons. Leo did take off his entire toolbelt, though.

"What's this stuff? Is this supposed to answer all our questions?" Natasha said.

"No, this is just proof. I'll be explaining it all to you." He paused, unsure of how to start.

"Oh for the gods' sake, Percy, just start with the simplest answer!" Piper exclaimed, jumping up, "We're demigods, sons and daughters of the gods."

A beat of silence passed.

Steve broke it, "I didn't know Thor had any children..."

Jason groaned, "How did I know you would say that? Honestly, open your minds a little bit. We're Greek and Roman demigods. Thor isn't even a real god! He's just an alien with superpowers!"

Percy stared, amused, at his cousin. Clearly the son of the lightning god was not happy with Thor running around and calling himself a god (especially when Magnus was proof that he wasn't).

Piper patted him on the back sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, are you saying that there are more gods?" Tony asked, eyes wide in shock.

"Yes," Percy answered simply.

"Oh. Ok. That's fine, I guess. Nothing unbelievable about that," Tony commented sarcastically.

Percy sighed, preparing himself, "I am the son of Poseidon. Annabeth is the daughter of Athena. Piper is the daughter of Aphrodite, and Jason is the son of Jupiter. Hazel is the daughter of Pluto, and Frank is the son of Mars. And Leo is the son of Hephaestus. We aren't lying. We wish we were, but we're not. This is the truth."

Clint said, "I want to see this proof you were talking about."

Percy nodded, reaching down and grabbing a drachma.

"This is a drachma. How do you think we have so many of these? They are the godly currency," he said, tossing the coin over to Clint.

"Okay, I'll admit that it's odd for you to own so many of those things, but I need some proof of magic," Tony said.

Percy gritted his teeth, wondering if it was possible to kill Tony with Riptide. The man had already seen Percy turn a pen into a sword, but of course he had to see something else. There was no way to convince him that magic was real, he would just try and find some scientific answer to anything he showed him. It was an impossible task.

"Fine," he ground out.

Percy grabbed the folded version of his trident and made a show of moving it around so Tony could see that there were no tricks. Then he said the "magic words" and it popped open into a trident. It was still a little odd for Percy to hold it. He wasn't used to the weighting of it yet. Of course, he knew how to use it, but it still seemed weird. It didn't help that the weapon only gave Leo more reason to call him Aquaman, too.

"Is this enough proof for you?" Percy asked.

Tony learned forward in interest, "What did you do to get it to fold into that tight of a space? It must be the same tech as the pen, but I'm still not sure how it gets activated by those words..."

"It's magic, Mr. Stark," Hazel informed him.

"No such thing," Tony muttered offhandedly.

Hazel rolled her eyes, giving up. He would be proven very wrong soon enough. You can't spend much time in their world without starting to believe it.

"So that's how you guys have all your abilities? You are half god?" Bruce asked.

He was always more open to the scientifically-unproven than Tony. He was living proof of what could happen. Some might say the Hulk is magic.

"Yes. We are constantly hunted by monsters who can smell the scent we put off. They wanted to take revenge on Olympus, but it just grew to enjoyment from there. There aren't many safe havens in this world for us. That's why we don't tend to live that long. I am the oldest living Greek demigod alive," Percy said, acting like it was everyday you basically stated that you should be dead.

"That's awful! Why don't your parents do anything about it?!" Steve exclaimed.

"They are forbidden. Plus, godly parents suck. Most don't give a crap about their kids," Piper answered. "We're just the result of their mistakes."

"Well, they should. It's not right to leave kids to die," Bruce said.

Thunder rumbled in the distance; a warning from Drama King himself.

Percy glared up at the sky, "Oh, don't act like they're lying! You know it's wrong! At least have the guts to admit it, Uncle Z!"

The Avengers paled at the thought that the gods were watching them. It was a truly terrifying thought, to learn that you aren't in control of your fate. And the fact that Percy was yelling and accusing the king of the gods was not helping one bit.

The Seven had gotten slightly more used to Percy's reckless ways, but it was still worrying whenever he decided to rebel and yell at the most powerful beings in the universe when they were in the same room.

There wasn't an answer to Percy's rant, but there was a significantly less amount of sulfur in the air, so they took it as a sign that Zeus was letting it slide.

"But why are you telling us this now?" Natasha asked, always the observant spy.

She had remained silent thus far because she wanted to learn more about these mysterious "gods" before she acted. By how serious Valdez was acting, though, she was leaning towards it being the truth (or, at least, what the kids thought was the truth). She would have to report this to Fury as soon as possible.

Percy turned towards her, "Because my dad told me where Annabeth is being held. It's a dangerous place, and you need to be prepared if you're going to come with us. I won't force you to come, though. I would understand if you said no after you hear what it's like."

The Sea of Monsters was not a place for the weak. It would take a lot of willpower to get them all through. He had to make sure that the mortals were completely sure they wanted to come before they took off.

"Where are we going?" Steve asked.

"The Sea of Monsters," Percy answered in a grave voice.

"That's a reassuring name," Tony commented, "This'll be a blast."

"You do not need to come, Tony! None of you should want to after you hear what it's like," Percy said.

Tony stood up in anger, "You know what, kid? I don't need you yelling at me! I am a hero, and just because you tell us you are part god doesn't give you the right to act all high-and-mighty! We can handle it! We're the Avengers!"

Percy glared at the billionaire, "Trust me, you can't. I am trying to get across how dangerous this quest will be. The last time I was there, I almost died many times. It is NOT a good place to be."

"Where is that, exactly? Where are we going?" Clint asked.

The only son of Poseidon sighed, "The Bermuda Triangle."

Tony seemed to be shocked out of his angry mindset, "Wait, that myth's real?"

Leo spoke up, "Let's just assume that all things are real. It's easier that way."

"Is there anything else we should know before we get ready?" Steve asked, deciding that it was best to just cut off that conversation at the head.

"Just one more thing. We can fill in the rest on the way," Percy said, "You need to know that the gang we are fighting is not a normal bad guy. They are mortals Hades-bent on exposing the gods to the rest of the world. Somehow, they partnered with monsters. Annabeth theorized that it was because it would be easier to find demigods if the mortals were already searching for them. Basically, the monsters are using the gang for their own agenda and have the mortals convinced that they are their partners."

"Bad guys double-crossing each other. That, I can understand," Steve said with a relieved smile.

Ω ♆ Ω

The team had dispersed to go get ready, which meant packing a couple things and suiting up for the demigods. Well, they didn't know they had anything to suit-up in, but they were about to.

"Oh, guys! I have some good news!" Piper exclaimed. "The Aphrodite cabin finished our suits!"

Leo's head snapped up. "How do they look? Were my designs okay?"

Piper nodded, "Yep. And we don't even have to wear masks or anything because the Mist will distort our faces for any cameras. The Hecate cabin assured me."

Now Leo was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Can we see them? Can we? I wanna see them!"

Hazel raised an eyebrow at her friend, still never completely used to his antics. Leo Valdez was one of a kind, that's for sure (even if he was physically identical to her old boyfriend).

"Of course. We need to use them for the quest, don't we?" Piper smiled.

"Yay!" Leo exclaimed.

Piper let out a laugh, "Follow me, guys. They're in my room."

Sure enough, when they walked into Piper's room, there was a clothes rack with seven suits on it. Even from a distance, they looked amazing.

When Percy went and picked his suit up, he was in shock. It had a celestial bronze chest and shoulder plate, while the rest was a wetsuit-like material. The shoes were connected to the suit, and they seemed to be designed after water shoes. There were fingerless gloves with it, too. The gloves had air pockets, but Percy wasn't exactly sure what for.

"The gloves create water for you to use at any time." Leo answered his silent question.

"Oh. Awesome!" he said.

Percy didn't really get it, but science and magic weren't really his expertise. As long as they worked, he was okay with not knowing how.

All of the boys' suits seemed to be designed the same, minus the water-gloves. The only difference was the color of the pants. Percy's were sea green (not unlike his eyes), Jason's was electric blue, Frank's was blood red, and Leo's was bright orange.

"These are amazing!" Jason told Piper and Leo.

Piper thanked him and Leo just did an invisible hair flip in response.

The girls' suits were similar to the boys', but also completely different. There was a celestial bronze breastplate and celestial bronze plating going all the way down their sides and to their ankles. There are grey knee and elbow pads, as well. They also had fingerless gloves, but they did not go up to their wrists like the boys' suits did. Half of the glove is their suit's main color, as well as some of their arm and leg material. Piper's coloring was pink, Hazel's was purple, and Annabeth's was red. Every suit had a black Avengers symbol on their shoulders, which must have been a last-minute add-on because for a while the Seven were adamant on not becoming part of the Avengers (they still were, but it was hard to fight it when they were literally about to go into battle together).

Looking at Annabeth's suit made Percy miss her even more, but he didn't let it show. He had to be strong for his friends and teammates. He was the only one who had been through the Sea of Monsters before, so he had to guide them through.

It was going to be a tough task, that's for sure.

Ω ♆ Ω

The Seven separated to change, and once that was done, they met in the corridor of their rooms. Jason had to admit, they looked BADASS. It was clear that they were all a team, but every suit had its own individuality.

"We look awesome!" Leo exclaimed, jumping up and high-fiving Piper.

Percy strapped his sword to the clip on his waist next to his trident. "Yeah. You really did a great job, guys. Thanks. But we have to focus now. We're the only ones that are even partially prepared for what we're about to walk into, so we need to be at 100%. The Avengers may think they know what's coming, but they are clueless."

The Seven steeled their expressions, their teammate's seriousness washing over them like a wave. This was an important mission, not just for them, but for the Avengers, too. They may be rescuing their friend, but they were also stopping terrorists. This was big.

"Your confidence in us is truly heartwarming, Hercules." Tony's voice popped their bubble.

The Seven turned to see that the Avengers were all standing in the hall, suited up and ready (minus Bruce, of course).

"Hercules?" Percy asked, dawning a disgusted expression.

Tony stepped up. "Yeah. You said your greek demigods, and he's the first one that popped up. Plus, you got that whole hero-complex thing going."

Percy scowled, "Hercules is a dick."

"Agreed," Piper said, mirroring his expression.

"I really want to ask, but we've gotta get going," Bruce said, "We need to get there fast."

"Yeah. Where exactly are we going, again?" Tony asked.

"First, Florida. Then, The Bermuda Triangle." Percy answered.

"Why can't we just fly straight to the place?" Natasha asked, crossing her arms.

Percy sighed and then ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. "Because we'd just die faster. The only way to even have a chance of making it in and out is to go in by boat. Flying to Florida is the quickest way to get as close as possible. From there, we'll go by boat."

Natasha nodded, accepting the answer. However, she was still nervous about all of the "gods" stuff. Sure, they had met Thor, but he was just a glorified alien. What she had seen in Las Vegas was not like Thor and Loki. That was...a lot.

The group remained silent, unsure of what to say or do next, for another minute. Then, finally, Leo broke the silence. "What are we waiting for?! Let's get going, gang! We've got a world to save! I'm not getting any younger!"

He gave them his signature maniacal grin before leading the way down the hallway. Serious pep talks weren't his thing. He much preferred the sarcastic, self-deprecating kind to anything else.

They went up to the roof, where a repaired quinjet was waiting for them. Percy and Hazel still looked a little queasy about the flying, but chose not to voice it and instead clutched onto their seatbelts for dear life.

Once everyone was situated, Natasha called from the cockpit, "Seatbelts on, kids! We're taking off."

Clint grinned, "Death and doom, here we come."

Ω ♆ Ω

Remember to comment, like, reblog, and follow me! If you wanted to see what the Seven's suits looked like, I posted that on my Tumblr, which can be found on my profile page. Happy pride month 🏳️‍🌈!

- your author

other chapters :)

[bodytoflame-ao3]

born for this // two

a series of moments in the life of one lyra jackson-chase

read from the beginning // AO3 Link

v //

“She’s crying again, Percy.” Annabeth yawns, refusing to open her eyes. No one told her she’d still be waking up in the middle of the night with a one year old.

He kisses her forehead, and rolls off the bed. “I got it.”

She thinks about how lucky she is — to have him; to have this beautiful part of both of them. The thoughts calm her — she’s almost back to sleep when she hears a thud, jolting upright and alert immediately. “What is it?”

“Sorry,” Percy rushes to her side, “I just stubbed my toe.”

“No monsters?”

“No monsters, Annabeth.” At least not tonight. “Everything’s okay.”

And it is, for a little while.

vi //

They do come. Once, twice; as she gets older, they lose count. Sometimes they’re real, sometimes they’re not.

“Daddy.” Percy can barely see Lyra rubbing her eyes in the shadow of the doorframe, tottering over to his side of the bed, only illuminated by the moonlight and light pollution.

He whispers, trying not to wake Annabeth (as he knows it’s hard enough for her to get to sleep once), “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Monsters.”

It’s silent, save for the ever-present hum of the city that his ears have learned to regard as background noise. There’s no monsters tonight.

“C’mere.” He scoops her up, tucking her in tight under the covers in the middle of their bed. “You just had a bad dream.”

vii //

Tonight, it’s gorgons. It’s nothing they haven’t dealt with before, and it won’t be the last time, but after he’s stowed Riptide back in his pocket, Percy feels an intense wave of exhaustion roll over him. It feels like he’s just going through the motions, fight after fight; living each day wondering if they’ll get any sleep. 

“Annabeth.” Percy’s hand ghosts over her shoulder blade, seeing the rapidly forming bruise peeking out of her tank top. She winces. “Sorry.”

She turns to face him, taking his hand, “It’s okay. I love you.” It’s going to hurt, and she knows that — but it’s better than the pain she would feel seeing her daughter get hurt. She could get a paper cut, or a splinter, or some other normal kid injury, and Annabeth would have to hold back tears just to bandage her up. This pain is as familiar as her own skin, and she knows how to deal with it. So she will.

Percy squeezes her hand softly, and kisses her cheek. “I love you.” Just saying it brings a sense of peace to his tired body.

“I’m gonna go make sure she’s okay.” If they’re lucky, she’s fallen back asleep. If not...

Lyra runs straight to her, towing a blanket draped over her head, and clings to Annabeth’s leg, crying. She must’ve had a real scare.  

“It’s okay. It’s gone.” Annabeth scoops her up, and holds her close, fingers threaded through soft brown curls. “You’re safe now.”

Lyra’s sniffles grow quieter; more infrequent as she calms in her mother’s arms. “Gone?”

“All gone, baby. I promise.” She lays her down into her bed, tucking her tightly into a sea of blankets.

Annabeth sings her to sleep, and as Percy stands in the doorway, still brushing dirt off his clothes, he thinks it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.

She gets up, smiling when she notices him, and the awed look on his face, “What?”

“I never knew you could sing like that. Thirteen years and I never knew how beautiful your voice is.”

Annabeth has no idea how to respond. All she knows for sure is how eternally grateful she is for him, and the life they’ve built together; and they’re safe, and alive, and happy, most of the time, and that’s all that matters. So she wraps her arms around him, strong and tight, and tries to hold back the tears that threaten to come. They both cry for everything they still don’t know.

viii //

“I hope you realize, this is extremely unprecedented.”

“You’re telling me we’re the only demigod couples to ever have kids?” Piper raises an eyebrow.

“Not the only, but one of the few.” Chiron pauses, leaving it to them to come to a conclusion as to why. It’s not something they want to dwell on. “And certainly not any of such… heritage.” He glances toward Percy and Jason. “When you all were born you received half of each parent’s DNA — in your case, half god, half mortal. The same principles apply to your children. With the way we’ve seen their powers develop already, at such young ages, I believe Calliope and Lyra may have a greater percentage of godly blood. I can’t say with any certainty just how much or from who — I’m sure we’ll see their powers grow with time — but I fear this is going to put them in danger. There’s a prophecy—”

“No,” Percy says, firm, “I don’t want to hear about another fucking prophecy.”

Annabeth smooths her hand against his back. “Percy…”

“I won’t let her grow up the same way we did.” His voice cracks as he finishes his sentence, trying to hide how upset the idea makes him.

She holds him closer. “I know.”

Chiron continues, “I’m afraid there’s not much I can tell you. It’s incredibly vague, as these things tend to be. A warning of descendants of powerful gods from two sides.”

“You thought it was us,” Jason says, “Percy and me. That’s why you wanted to see us.”

“Correct. It seems, though…”

“They shouldn’t see each other.” Annabeth juts in, quiet. “Lyra can already spill her sippy cups when she’s upset, and Piper’s seen Callie make people’s hair stand on end. That’s not a good combination.”

Piper looks like she’s about to speak up, but Jason takes her hand. “She’s probably right. It’s too dangerous.” She knows it is. It doesn’t make it any harder. When she found out Annabeth was pregnant all she could think about was how wonderful it would be to watch them grow up alongside each other.

“I want to hear it,” Piper says, loud and clear, demanding. “The prophecy.”

ix //

“Fuck,” Percy swears, wincing.

“Stay still.” She threads the needle between the edges of the laceration with a steady hand. It’s like her brain completely shuts off, its only directive to stitch him back together. “You wouldn’t be sitting here if you’d listened when I said to double back.” She know she sounds bitter, but her words are so disconnected from her thoughts, they feel foreign in her mouth.

“I thought I had enough time.”

“Percy,” she warns, “Don’t scare me like that. When you get overconfident you get reckless. You know that.” I know. I do too.

“I know, but— ow —if we get sloppy that’s just putting her in danger.”

Annabeth pauses, tying the last stitch off without another word. The silence doesn’t last long. “Maybe we should tell her.” It all feels selfish, like she's a bad mom just for thinking it. They’re her parents — it’s their job to protect her, not the other way around. But it’s painful to keep fighting, after so many years. “I wouldn’t have to worry about losing you like this. We could take her somewhere safe.”

“Annabeth… She’s 6. I don’t want her to have to carry that weight until it’s absolutely necessary.” This little girl is everything to him. He sees so much of himself in her, and every second they have to talk about the prophecy, it hurts him.

Annabeth stays silent; he’s right, even if she doesn’t want to say it out loud. And she hurts, too. So she nods — she never wanted to lie to her, ever. But this is too much to put on the shoulders of a child. One just as little as she was. She wishes someone would’ve considered that when she was young.

x //

“Are you two coming up for lunch anytime soon?” Annabeth rolls her eyes, standing at the edge of the lake. “It’s been half an hour.”

Percy surfaces, Lyra right behind him, giggling profusely.

“Did Daddy say something funny?” She raises an eyebrow, glaring at Percy.

“Daddy talks to the fish.” It sounds more like fith. She smiles wide, a toothy grin showing off her missing front teeth.

“Great,” she stares right into his soul, trying not to let on the slight bit of amusement it brings her, “She thinks you’re crazy.”

A tenet of her limited attention span, Lyra starts playing with her powers, splashing about, seemingly not paying any attention to their conversation.

He protests, “She just figured out the bubble thing, I had to show her something new!”

“And does she understand them, Percy?”

His face falls. “Uh. No. I see your point,” he laughs. It seemed she hadn’t inherited that particular power from him. “She’s pretty amused by this, though.”

Tens of tiny blobs of water circle her, weaving around Percy, up into the air, and back into the lake.

“It took you a long time to be able to do stuff that precise,” Annabeth notes, wading into the water up to her ankles and handing him a sandwich from her bag.

“Yeah. It did.”

xi //

“How come you never told me about this?”

“Because it’s scary.”

“I can handle scary.”

Annabeth sighs, “I heard the Great Prophecy for the first time when I was your age.” It kept her awake with nightmares far too often, knowing she’d eventually be a part of it — which is why she’s so reluctant to tell these things to Lyra, despite knowing how important it is that she knows. “I spent two years waiting for a sign until I finally got one. He was annoying, and dense, and the son of my mother’s biggest rival. And then he was my friend — my best friend. Someone who was loyal to me no matter what. I wouldn’t change that for the world.” Not when it’s brought her here. “But we had to make a lot of hard decisions. And I—” She shakes her head. “I know you don’t completely understand.” Annabeth never intended her to. “I need you to know that it’s not always going to be easy.”

xii //

“I’m 11 now,” Lyra states, with an air of unparalleled confidence, “I can keep secrets.”

“Hey,” Percy says, patting her back, “We trust you. It’s just a big change.”

She crosses her arms. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“That also means you can’t use your powers,” Annabeth says, handing Lyra her lunchbox.

“I know.” You told me. Many times.

Annabeth kisses her cheek, pretending she doesn’t see her dramatically wipe her face off with the back of her hand mere seconds later. “Okay. I love you. Tell me all about it later.”

Percy walks her out the door, and down to the subway stop. They stand, and wait. “So, middle school. Kind of a big deal?” He sure thought so.

“I guess,” she shrugs. “I’m excited to make friends.” It’s the one thing that sucked about being homeschooled. She knows, as they’ve told her so many times, it was for her protection, because she never was able to completely control her powers as a kid. But the only kids she’s ever really known otherwise are other demigods; and what fleeting interactions she had with them while visiting Camp. And they weren’t like her, not really.

Percy reaches out his arms as the car doors open, beckoning her for a hug. She wraps her arms as far as they’ll reach around him, as tight as she can. So he holds her close against his chest for as long as he knows the doors will remain open, “You got this.”

xiii //

“Keep your feet apart. Knees bent.” Annabeth instructs her, feet firmly planted in the grass, beckoning for Lyra to follow.

Lyra clutches the sword, an iron-clad grip Annabeth recognizes from when she was this age — still too young to fully understand the weight of what she was doing, but old enough to feel the fear that came with the inherent danger of every battle she fought. “Loosen your grip.” Lyra follows, feeling the handle bounce with her new stance. “There you go.”

“Now remember, be ready to move. Stay on the balls of your feet.” That got her last time. And it had plagued Annabeth many times — feeling frozen, for even with a plan, there were so many unpredictable variables within combat.

Lyra nods, and takes a tentative swing, blocked by Annabeth. She staggers back, preparing a counterattack. Her blade catches against Lyra’s before she even gets close. “Good. Nice block,” Annabeth says, directing Lyra’s sword away with her sheer strength. “Now try for a hit.”

“You’re too quick.” Lyra breathes heavily, clearly intensely focused and growing weary. She blocks again, against her advice.

“No, you’re doing great. Keep going.” Annabeth encourages her, gearing up to test her reflexes. “Find an opening.”

She almost takes Annabeth by surprise; going on the offensive with such short notice. Her swing aims low, and Annabeth has to think quick, readjusting her stance to block the incoming blow. “You’re getting really good at this.”

Lyra sighs, her sword swinging at her side. “Thanks.”

xiv //

“Zeph! Lemme in!” Lyra’s voice sounds over the intercom, and he buzzes her up.

“Why is it always my place?” Zephyr asks, opening the door right as she’s about to knock.

“Our apartment is tiny,” Lyra shrugs, squeezing past him in the doorway. And we have a truly impressive stash of weaponry in the coat closet which I’d rather not have to explain.

“So. Graduation’s only a few weeks away.” he says. “Are you excited? For high school?”

“I don’t know. I guess.” It doesn’t seem like that big of a change. Same kinds of classrooms, cinderblock hallways; the usual cliques and groups. The same tendencies of teachers to constantly breathe down her neck about assignments and paying attention, despite her accommodations. She sinks into the couch, feeling the relief of taking her backpack off.

“That doesn’t seem very enthusiastic.”

“I just hate the drama. Did you see what they did to Jenna Thompson the other day?”

“Jenna hates you, Ly,” he laughs.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she deserves to get gum stuck in her hair,” Lyra mumbles, hugging her knees into a ball. Sure, she’s a menace and has never said a single nice word to Lyra, but she doesn’t wish ill on her for it. Everyone’s got their own shit, bullies included, and she’s trying her best to ignore it. Plus, she already got what she deserved.

“She called you—”

Her head snaps up to stare at him. “I know what she called me, I don’t need to hear it from you too.”

“Sorry. I just… I don’t understand how you can…” he sighs, “It just makes me so angry I—”

“Let’s just. Talk about something else.” She takes a deep breath, shifting the topic. “How’d you do on your finals?”

“Pretty good. Got straight B’s. Bombed the English essay though. And you know I killed that science project. So yeah, average all around.”

“As if you would ever get anything less than an A+. How’s the tomato plants?” He’s always liked gardening. Especially to bring a cold, industrial apartment to life. And of course it’d earn him an A — he knew how to take care of them, even in such a cramped space.

“Just picked ‘em yesterday. You ever had homemade ketchup?”

Her eyes widen. “No. You better have some left!”

“Of course I do. Meanwhile, I’m guessing you aced everything—”

“Except math,” they say, at the same time, bursting into laughter.

“Yeah. You know me.”

“Sure do.” He grabs a plate from the kitchen, setting it down on the coffee table. “All homegrown. I present to you, gourmet french fries and ketchup.”

She tastes it. “That’s… amazing.”

“You know you only like me for the food.”

“You’re gonna be on some Top Chef shit, or something,” she chuckles, imagining it. “And not true!”

“Yeah, you’re gonna miss me this summer. But especially the food.”

“I wish you didn’t have to visit your mom all summer.”

Zeph sighs. “I know. But it’ll be over before you know it.”

xv //

“I can’t do this, Percy. I can’t keep pretending this is okay. It’s getting worse. They’re getting stronger. We can’t keep doing this.”

“Annabeth,” he sighs, and she can hear the sheer exhaustion in his voice. “We have to.”

“And what happens if we get seriously hurt?” I can’t lose you. Her body aches, scrapes and bruises staining a fair amount of her skin, even with the ambrosia. She feels defeated, and battered. And there’s only so much she can hide with long sleeves and pants. It’s been a week of fending off monsters everywhere she goes, sometimes without their help; it hurts them to see the marks on her body from fighting.

“Better us than her.”

She doesn’t disagree, but it’s more than that. She can’t lose us. “Percy, look at me.” He does. “You know what we have to do.”

He sighs, staring out the window to study the city skyline. “I just thought we had more time.”

“It’s longer than either of us had,” Annabeth reminds him.

Percy lets the concept of two more years sink in, and it hits him hard. Two more years of normalcy. Of not fighting for his life. “Okay. But... let her have her birthday.” It’s the least he can do when there’s so much anxiety centered around his own. She deserves a day for herself.

“Okay.” Annabeth echoes, quieter. “Come here?” He slides into bed and wraps his arms tightly around her; stubble pricking at her neck as he curls up closer. She fits so perfectly into his embrace, like the curves of her body were made to fit against him. Like he was made to hold her.

“She’ll be alright.” She has to be.

Part Three

[sweetcncr-blog]

hewwo there !! fanny here to introduce my little angel jeni (not to be confused with jennie) so here’s the deets. if anyone wants to plot or something please tell me !!!  

[ HONG JENI ] is a child of [ HADES ] with the power of [ KISS OF DEATH ]. they’re [ TWENTY-TWO ] and have been in nemean lion for [ TWO MONTHS ]. if you want to meet them, they’re usually around the building [ TRAINING OR HANGING AT THE GREENHOUSE ]; you could also try [ THE LOUNGE ].

jeni is a smol babie with a big heart

she knew about her real father yEARS ago, she basically knew since childhood and all because of her powers. 

her mother told her it was dangerous, her life was dangerous, her presence is dangerous, even her thoughts were dangerous 

so she started to think about herself as the bad guy and that was obviously not good for a child

she was afraid of her powers, afraid to make any mistakes 

so, she always acted like a sweet in front of people 

and it’s not because she was hypocrite or a liar, but because she wanted to be the perfect little girl to hide the awful power that she wanted gone.

Death

she has the power of death and it was too much for such a weak soul. 

and i mean it, she’s not tough, she’s not a rock nor an island 

she always needed people

her mom, her aunt and a really big family were always there for her

but most importantly: her best friend.

he was everything to her 

they were always together 

he knew everything about her, she knew everything about him

so, that’s why it was so difficult to her when he disappeared.

it was sudden and it was heartbreaking for her. it wasn’t romantic love, it was friendship, family.

he was everything to her

so she was depressed for a couple of weeks, she was looking for him everywhere she tough of, but it wasn’t working, she needed help

but not just any help, the police was useless, her family, his family, their other friends, everyone was useless and she needed to forget the baby-faced, goody-two-shoes attitude and go where she needed to.

She’s in nemean lion because of that, finding her best friend is her mission. She needs the experienced and the other gifted people, the gods, demigods, everyone who could help her

enough background...

jeni is easygoing, she’s not that innocent anymore but she tries to be softer with people, she tries to be happy and she smiles, oh wow, she smiles so much. 

the thing is, she’s not good at this, she’s not good in training sessions, she’s not good with her powers

oh, there’s that, she hasn’t used her powers yet, she’s really afraid of what could happen

she’s afraid of death so that’s why she keeps telling herself her best friend is alive, somewhere 

but we all know he might not be 

OKAY SO this is kind of a mess but i want to say that i don’t really know what happened to her friend, so if anyone has some ideas... hmu wink wink but that’s all i can gather for her intro, i’m going to add some other things later, but for now i can finish with little wishes for connexions 

i would like for her to be close to someone who’s good at training / missions first because she needs the help (obviously) and because she wants help to find her friend

i would like her to have a sibling !!!! this is optional but it would be great if her sibling knew how to use their powers??? assuming is something death-related 

and last but not least...... someone who wants to kiss her ?????? bECAUSE SHE’S AFRAID OF THAT KIND OF CONACT BC it might trigger her powers and she doesn’t want to kill anyone uwu ...... yet