#to other demigods? she is still that safe space

[reefs-camp-blog]

sally and percy were always each other’s constants, they became a bit more distant once percy found out he was a demigod, but they were still each others firsts

then estelle was born

percy loves estelle so much, so much it physically hurts

but he sees estelle and how happy she is, how she had a mom that doesnt work the night shift nearly every night and instead is home nearly all the time, and she has a dad that’s present and there and is safe and percy is so so happy that she has what he never did

but at the same time he knows thats the exact reason why it hurts

estelle has what percys wanted his whole life

and now estelle has the only thing percy had his whole life

being his mothers first and top priority

he knows why, he understands why, estelle is a baby and needs to be cared for constantly, and percys nearly 18 and doesnt need his mom all the time anymore

but it hurts because all the food is no longer blue, it hurts because he sees estelle grow up and get help, it hurts because he sees estelle with the life he always wanted, but knows he will never had

and it hurts because hes no longer his mother’s constant.

sally has paul now, she has paul to help her through her issues and she has a child that doesnt get expelled from every school shes been in

and percy has his family. but its not the same. annabeth has always been there, but she doesnt understand, thalia has been through the same childhood as percy but she doesnt know what its like to watch the bad go to good in the same household, grover has always listened but he just doesnt understand

because hes happy estelle has the life he always wanted. hes glad his mother has the life she always wanted. but hes not in that life. because hes moving out soon. and hes no longer his mothers son, at least not in the way he was before

[triptuckers]

the comfort of home - percy jackson

Request: yes! "Hii, I just finished watching both episodes of PJO and I wept as I beheld Sally's maternal love unfold on the screen, knowing it before hand from the books. Thus, I was pondering if you might entertain a request—a tale where a daughter of Hades (angsty) forges a close bond with Percy, and Sally, in her gracious warmth bless her soul, adopts her into their lives because, after all, they're nearly kin, entwined by the delicate threads of almost-cousinhood." Pairing:  percy jackson x hades!reader Summary:  after a typical day for a demigod, you just need a safe space to go Warnings:  mentions of fighting, injuries, blood, throwing up, swearing, angst Word count:  2k A/N: first of all anon are you a writer?????? bro those words..... pls write more !! thanks for your request, enjoy!

you're walking down the streets of new york city, feeling utterly miserable. you're soaked through because of the rain and you're hurt.

everyone knows that demigods don't exactly live a quiet life. especially kids from zeus, poseidon or hades. still, most of the times you're fighting for your life you're on a quest.

not simply on your way home.

but today was different. somehow you brought not one but all three of the furies down on you. you don't even know how, you weren't doing anything.

it was a tough fight, but you stood strong. you couldn't prevent the dozen little cuts that littered your body. you're bruised over and on top of that it started to rain, messing with your sight.

right now you're on your way to your foster home. but it's a slow journey. you're not sure you want to go there. and you're not sure how much the mist hides for them.

sometimes if you got home all bruised you told them you got in a fight. sometimes they didn't spare you a second glance.

you stop in the middle of the street. at this point you've been walking for so long you don't even notice the rain anymore.

you turn around, heading another way. there's one other place you could go. you're lost in thought, and most of the people don't pay you any attention. perks of living in new york, you guess. new yorkers just don't care.

when you get to the familiar building, you feel a sense of calm coming over you. somehow you always found yourself back here. as you walk up to the entrance, someone leaves just as you arrive, so you can slip in the door before it closes.

you walk the stairs slowly because of your injuries. every step hurts and takes tremendous effort.

when you finally get to the right floor and walk to the door, you just stand in front of it. you're fully aware you're dripping rainwater on the floor, but suddenly you can't bring yourself to knock.

why are you even here? you don't want to be a burden.

they've told you that you can always come over, no matter what. but it's late at night, it's raining outside, you're soaked.

you're standing there, debating wether or not to go in, when you hear a voice on the other side of the door.

the person is softly singing along to a song that's playing.

tears well up in your eyes as you recognise the song. you were the one to recommend it.

you raise your hand and knock on the door.

'coming!' says the voice.

moments later the door opens to reveal a woman.

her eyes briefly widen at the sight of you, scanning your body for injuries. then her eyes soften.

'oh, what happened to you, sweetheart?' says sally.

her gentle voice is what pushes you over the edge, breaking down in tears in front of her.

sally pulls you over the doorstep and closes the door. she pulls you into a hug, not caring that you're soaked.

you wrap your arms around her and cry. you let all of the anxiety rush out of you as sally rubs circles on your back and whispers soft words in your ear. you ignore your aching body and allow yourself to just be here in the moment.

after a while, sally pulls back and holds you at an arms length.

'I'm so sorry for dropping in like this, miss jackson.' you say softly.

'y/n, you know you're always welcome here. and I've told you to call me sally.' she says kindly.

you nod. 'is percy home?'

'he's out to the movies with grover. do you want me to ask him to come home?'

'no, he's out having fun. it's alright. could I just..'

'why don't you take a shower first, hm? I bet you're freezing.'

you sigh softly. that does sound good.

'yeah, alright.'

'you go take a shower, then I'll make tea and see if I can do something about that.'

she pointedly looks at the cut above your brow. you totally forgot that was there.

'I don't have any clothes.' you say softly.

'that's alright, just borrow some from percy. he won't mind.' says sally.

'thank you.'

you walk towards percy's room to get some clothes when sally calls your name, making you turn around again.

'you're not a burden, you know that right. we love having you over.' says sally.

you swallow back the new tears that threaten to fall. sometimes you forget she knows you so well.

'thanks.' you say, entering percy's room to get some clothes.

you pick a shirt, sweater and sweatpants form percy's closet before going into the bathroom.

you peel your soaked clothes from your body, hissing when you pull the fabric from your wounds.

turning on the water, you get in the shower, letting the water calm you down. you wash off all of the dried blood, dirt and sweat.

after drying off you put on percy's clothes, his scent surrounding you and comforting you.

you head back to the living room to find sally putting two steaming mugs on the table.

'we still got your favorite.' she says, sliding your mug towards you.

'thanks.'

'drink up, and tell me about today if you want. I'll see if we have some medical stuff left in the kitchen.'

you sigh, thinking back to today.

'I didn't even do anything.' you say. 'I was just walking down the road and I got this feeling I was being watched. I thought it wasn't a big deal but hey, demigod instinct, so I took a turn and went into an alley. sure enough, someone followed me.'

'someone or something?' says sally, returning with the first aid kit.

'someone at first. then the mist cleared and it was one of the furies.' you say. 'at that point I was just so done. I wasn't even on a quest so what the hell was she doing there?'

'how did you get away? you've fought a fury before, percy told me.' says sally, scooting her chair closer to you so she can clean the cut on your forehead.

'I have. it's okay if it's one. but then the other two showed up.' you sigh. 'at that point I was really annoyed. I think it was just annoyance that drove me at that point. they were clearly there because they were bored. they thought "hey smells like demigod, oh look it's the hades kid, let's mess with her."

'well, you're here now. you made it out.' says sally, finishing with the cut on your forehead.

'yeah. thanks again.' you say, sipping your tea.

'you don't have to keep thanking me.' says sally. 'you know you're always welcome here, you're practically family. I know you don't like your foster home. now, do you have any other wounds?'

you chuckle. 'only about two dozen little cuts and even more bruises. I've had worse, it's okay.' you say.

'it's never okay.' says sally. 'you and percy are way too young for this.'

you shrug. 'and yet we have to deal with it.' you say, rolling up your sleeves so sally can clean and bandage the cuts on your arms.

the next hour is spent by sally cleaning your wounds and bandaging you up as she tells you stories. you liked hearing her stories. ever since you first met her, it was one of your favorite things about her. she could tell stories in a way that felt like you were actually there, experiencing them.

just as she secures the last bandage in place, you briefly close your eyes, exhaustion getting to you.

'you can get some sleep, I'll tell percy when he gets home.' says sally.

'it's okay, I want to see him before I go to bed.' you say.

'alright, want to watch a movie of something?'

'movie sounds great.'

sally picks a movie while you sit down on the couch. it doesn't take long for you to doze off, even though you fight to stay awake. the fight with the furies was intense, so sally lets you sleep while she waits for percy to home home.

about halfway through the movie, the door to the apartment opens and percy enters.

'hey mom.' he says, taking off his shoes and jacket and dumping his bag near the door.

as he walks into the room, he notices a familiar sword leaning against the back of the couch. he frowns, he didn't know you were coming.

'is y/n here?' he says, walking over to his mom.

she nods, pointing to the couch.

percy looks over the back of the couch to find you fast asleep, wearing his clothes and your body littered in bandages and bruises.

'what happened?' says percy, walking around the couch.

'the three furies.' says sally. 'she didn't feel like going to her foster home.'

percy kneels before the couch, studying your face. he reaches out and traces one of the bruises on your cheek.

you stir awake from the movement, your eyes meeting percy's.

'hi.' you say softly.

'hey. you alright?' he says.

you nod. 'how was the movie?'

percy chuckles. 'it was good. you would have loved it. heard you got in a fight?'

'yeah. those damned furies.' you say. 'luckily your mom patched me up though.'

'you know my bed is more comfortable than the couch, right?' says percy.

you slowly sit up. 'I know. I wanted to stay awake til you got home.'

'and you did a great job at that.' says percy with a familiar twinkle in his eyes.

you hit him on the shoulder. 'you would have fallen asleep as well!'

sally watches the exchange with a smile on her face. moments like these make her especially happy you met percy.

'come on.' says percy, standing up and holding out his hand for you to take.

you take it and allow percy to gently pull you to your feet.

'thanks again sally.' you say as percy beings leading you to his bedroom to sleep in an actual bed.

'no need to thank me y/n. it's always good to have you around, even if it's like this.'

you and percy both say goodnight to her before entering percy's room.

'so, did you sugarcoat the story for my mom?' he says as you sit down on this bed.

'not really, I just didn't tell her all of the details.' you say.

percy raises an eyebrow at you. 'details like?'

'like how one of them punched me in the gut and I nearly threw up because of it.' you say.

'ew.' says percy, face scrunching up in disgust.

'you would have thrown up as well.' you say.

'but you managed to fend off all three furies on your own?' he says.

you nod, laying down. 'I think I bruised a rib, though. the rest is all small cuts and bruises. no broken bones this time. they looked like they were really fucking annoyed they could be bested by just one kid.' you say.

percy smiles, walking over to kiss your cheek, careful not to touch the wounds on your face. 'that's my girl.' he says.

'you got anything to do tomorrow?' you say, stifling a yawn.

'nope. we can spend the day here.' he says, walking over to the bed an laying down next to you.

'good.' you say. 'I just need to wash my clothes and clean my sword, and I should probably-' 'y/n.'

you look at percy.

'let's just relax tomorrow, okay? come on, you need sleep.'

you nod, moving closer to him.

as you're laying next to percy, feeling sleep get to you once more, you can't help but to feel a deep sense of gratitude.

sally didn't question why you showed up at her doorstep, but pulled you in her arms and sat with you to bandage your wounds and listen to your story.

percy listened to you as well and provided you familiar comfort you needed, telling you to relax.

you just know if something ever goes wrong, you're always welcome at the jackson household.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rulesHere’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit/Max

[thewisecheerio]

Elden Ring and Leftism

Elden Ring can be read as leftist, but not for the reasons the bigots think.

Every now and then, you'll see queerphobic or sexist complaints about "wokism" in FromSoftware games, or complaints about "leftist content" being pushed. If you want an example, I've included some at the end of the post.** However, know that you can safely skip that section, as the specific details of the bigotry are not relevant—just that they exist.

This is endlessly funny to me because this *isn't* actually the reason that Elden Ring can be read as leftist. The reason is that transcendentalism is in the water supply.

Transcendentalists have at least two qualities that are very relevant to Elden Ring: 1) They are explicitly anti-authoritarian. They believe that the best course of action is for individuals to think for themselves rather than blindly take guidance from a monarch, divine power, or other paternal figure. 2) They believe that everything is connected, both in nature and society, and that you can never fully understand one person without understanding the network as a whole. It's why all the poetry has nature symbolism brainrot.

Elden Ring is highly transcendental. First, let's address the anti-authoritarianism. Most of the villains are blindly following an authority, and commit atrocities on their behalf. Messmer with Mommy is the most obvious example. It's always tempting to ask why he kept following her orders to do genocide when she had so clearly abandoned the shadow realm and rejected him outright. Isn't this deeply *weird*? Would you not change your mind and start thinking for yourself after all that time? Maybe do something you enjoy that doesn't lead to a deep complex of self-hatred, hmm?

But the reason he doesn't think for himself isn't that he's a bit daft; it's that this serves a purpose narratively. It sets him up explicitly as villainous under a transcendental lens. "Blindly follows mommy's orders to do atrocities" is code for "pathetic, wet mess of a villain" in transcendental language. So as sympathetic of a character as he is from a social standpoint, he still serves the role of villain from a transcendental narrative standpoint.

In contrast, those characters that buck authority tend to be the most sympathetically written. Ranni is the most straightforward example. She explicitly undermines the Greater Will in order to seize back her own destiny and bodily autonomy. Her ultimate goal is to remove all gods (i.e. all hints of top-down authority) away from the Lands Between and keep them safely stashed far away in space, returning autonomy back to her homeland. And of all the demigods, her quest got perhaps the most attention in the narrative, making you want to follow it to completion. She flies in the face of the authoritarian system, and is written to be appealing—not at all a coincidence.

And just for a little more evidence, the Mending Rune of "Perfect" Order is explicitly described as a rune of transcendental ideology. Its main "insight" is simply that authorities aren't meant to be blindly trusted. You can read more about that here: https://www.tumblr.com/thewisecheerio/755852131024650240/elden-ring-rejection-of-authority-and

For the second transcendentalist property, Elden Ring also presents a highly interconnected story in which narratives are literally inseparable. You can't fully understand Miquella's story without also understanding Marika's and Malenia's and Radahn's stories. You can't fully understand Messmer's story without understanding Marika's. You can't fully understand the beautiful duality of Morgott and Mohg without looking at them both together. The narrative style has the same sort of interconnectivity that transcendentalists lust over in their analyses of nature.

So why does this make Elden Ring more woke than the bigots may even realize? The far right shares the anti-authoritarian notions, but without the interconnectivity; they tend to believe that it's every person for themself. But anti-authoritarianism plus a belief that all things are connected—that all of our actions affect each other, and that we therefore achieve nothing without caring for each other—IS the recipe for leftism, at least in the US. And indeed, many early transcendentalists were also active in the socialist movement, so it should be no surprise that there is overlap with modern leftists.

Importantly, all of these points would be identical whether there were queer and feminist characters in Elden Ring or not. So next time you see someone with their panties in a bunch over Elden Ring's "woke agenda", just know that it is possible to read it as WAY more woke than maybe even they realize.

-----

**For those looking for the example of bigoted "discourse" I mentioned, here you go. All others, you're done reading this post; the analysis is all above.

CW homophobia, transphobia, sexism. In a recent video ("Shadow of the Erdtree is Overrated"), you can explicitly hear gamer Synthetic Man spend multiple minutes complaining about gay characters and then say, "And look, I obviously hesitate to call this DLC woke, but I am noticing FromSoftware including more and more leftwing content into their games...Whether it's the sheer number of girl bosses--there's a lot more strong, female knight characters in this DLC...[or Ymir] a man(!) becomes a mother(!) and it sounds like pure, gross, autogynephilic fetish content..."

Unfortunately, it's not just him, as any fan who's been on any forum knows. Here are some comments on the video compiled by reddit user SlippySleepyJoe:

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Gamingcirclejerk/comments/1dz53av/elden_ring_and_its_lore_is_too_woke_that_its_out/

[asvterias]

𝖡𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖠𝗉𝗈𝗅𝗅𝗈’𝗌 𝖣𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝖾𝗋 + 𝖯𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗈𝗇𝗂𝖼!𝖢𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗌𝖾 𝖫𝖺 𝖱𝗎𝖾

clarisse masterlist

clarisse la rue ✘ fem!demigod!reader (daughter of apollo)

word count: 584

author’s note: tbh i kinda struggled with this but pls tell me what you think of it. i also didn’t know if anon wanted platonically so i just went off what i think is implied in this ask! sorry to the anon if you wanted this to be romantically.

requested from anonymous!

Clarisse first met you at Camp Half-Blood after hearing about the mythical world from her mother.

She had just turned 13 when her mother decided that she wasn’t safe in the human world, sending her daughter to the hidden camp for safety.

You spent most of your life at Camp Half-Blood, growing up there since the age of 10! Years had passed and you were still there, now only ranking your position to a camp counselor.

After Chiron gave her simple instructions on respecting the community regulations, she was yours to guide around the camp.

At first, it was awkward because she was reserved and cold to everyone. You were all strangers to her, so why should she trust any of you? However, you assumed that the girl would miss her mother, aware that humans can’t enter the mythical world.

You didn’t blame her, everyone needs time to adjust so you gave her some space. She’ll come around, sooner or later, you were sure of it.

Despite trying to make small talk, the girl remained silent until the cabins were in sight. It was quite rude but you didn’t make a fuss about it, can’t force the girl to talk.

You showed her which cabin she’ll be temporarily staying in, cabin 11 (Hermes).

“But Ares is my father, why can’t I be with my half-siblings?”

Soon enough, you explained to her the whole gist of the cabin selections; her father didn’t claim her yet so she was currently classified as ‘unclaimed’.

Eventually, she came around sooner and you were ecstatic.

She was an explorative and attentive teenager once you got to know her. You were there when she was claimed by her father. It was a heartfelt moment for her.

She was the leader of Cabin 5 (Ares) and as are you with Cabin 7 (Apollo).

You taught her everything you knew, training her in all of the sports the camp had to offer.

From all the sports there, she had a natural spark for spear fighting. Her dad had gifted her an electrified spear and she never stopped wielding the weapon in her hand ever since.

The techniques used during this were fatale yet liable, depending on who wields the sword.

The Ares girl viewed you as the big sister she never had. Both of you had a sisterly connection that other campers couldn’t quite comprehend.

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likes, comments, and reblogs are highly appreciated!

© asvterias, 2023. please do not plagiarize any of my works.

[calliopescorner]

I'd love to know about Hecate or Hestia in the rewrite! Or if they are going to be important/otherwise present in it?

(Hestia is done!)

HECATE

PARENTING:

Before the new pact was made, Hecate still tried to be there for her children when they needed her most. She could provide a boon if she was available, and even (though rarely) visit them in their dreams to give them magical advice. However, she was also working with the surviving titans, as they were her family, as well as working with the other Underworld gods and goddesses. This prevented her from being able to see her children all the time.

When she joined the Titan Army, she only did under the promise that her children would be kept safe. Kronos agreed, and Hecate actually got to know her children much more closely during the Second Titanomachy. Through this the bonds of her children became stronger.

Now, she visits her children on their 12th, 18th, and 21st birthdays, as well as their birthdays on the decade-marks. She also visits them every other month at Camp Empeiria. She loves her children immensely and loves to teach them how to hone their unique forms of magic. While she may be taller and more mysterious, not divulging into her past, she does offer her children affection when she comes to see them.

She is a virgin goddess, but she can create her children using magic and different elements of nature. This, along with some of the blood from her lover, creates the newborn demigod baby.

CABIN:

Her cabin is made out of dark wood, with some rocks at the bottom for foundation. The walls are painted purple and two green torch-flames sit outside the door. The door has Hecate’s three faces carved into it. The cabin has been blessed and protected by the different plants grown around it, including some of the magical herbs that were grown from Kronos’ blood. The cabin is blessed to not be destroyed from the outside. In the busier months at Camp Empeiria, some children of Hecate and Hermes have been known to set up a small stand for potions outside the cabin.

Inside, the cabin is very cluttered with different tools for magic and potions. Not a single space is clear, and everyone uses the space to set up different things. It is considered very messy, even when things are “put where they belong.” There are stains on the walls from potions and magic that glow slightly at night. There is a pet polecat that lives somewhere in the cabin. There are books, vials, potions, flowers, and other ingredients found everywhere, with dried flowers being hung, candles being lit on windowsills, and tons of different books on the history of magic.

CABIN CULTURE:

The cabin has been close with the Hermes children, as they also share powers related to paths, language, and travel. They also share an alliance with the Hypnos children, who give them Lethe water to help aid potion creation. Together, the three cabins team up for many different Camp activities, and friendships are made between them.

The older children of Hecate, who were in the Titan Army, are very protective of their siblings. This level of protection is passed down through the other cabin counselors of Hecate. They are encouraged to help their siblings with magic, though this can lead to the cabin getting rather noisy at its most full. Many talk over each other, and interruption is common.

Demigods who get overwhelmed by the noise are able to go and get some space outside, though they may also have to deal with any onlookers watching them practice. The cabin tends to be more chaotic during the later hours of the day, so going to practice earlier in the morning can be helpful.

Every other month, Hecate comes to teach her children magic by the light of the month’s full moon. She is able to give them advice and help them find clues from different aspects of nature, as well as teach them about how different magical ingredients grow at different times of the year. This allows her also to catch up with her children, and be in a very comfortable spot for all of them to practice magic together without worrying about many of the other demigod dangers.

SOME POTENTIAL POWERS:

Mageia (Witchcraft)

Shadow-travel

Manipulation of the Mist

Umbrakinesis

Zoolingualism with polecats

Limited necromancy

Enhanced strength and speed at night

Reblog or @/ this blog if it inspires you to make your own child of Hecate! Thank you @themythicalgeek for the request!

[kamiko1234]

Since my glorious mutual @darkmist111 asked in my last post how I feel about Percy’s relationships, with his mom especially at the ending of the last book. As well as his friendship with Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson, I shal answer now ! So let's start with Sally. Not gonna lie ? I love that we get an MC with an ALIVE, GOOD parent to support him. It's weird how many MCs only have dead or very shitty parents if you think about it. So having Sally and Percy be like they are feels like something genuinely new ! As for their relationship at the end of the first book ? Wholesome. I love how both Percy and Sally are so protective over each other. Sally ready to sacrifice her own happiness and even life for Percy and Percy holding (In my opinion) utmost loyalty above all to his mother. Love how she immediately got Percy the opportunity to visit another school incase he wants to stay with her. I hope that Sally'll stay alive in the future, mostly because having Percy have a safe space away from the demigod world is something I think he'll genuinly need. Considering how the plot of The Lightning Thief went for him. As for his friendship with Grover, damn do I have mixed feelings ???? Like, I see that they are good friends. Percy is very attached to him despite having know him for "only" a year. But I also suspected Grover as being the traitor for ages. Meaning I sort of always looked for the cracks in it yk ?

I'm definitely still intrigued how it will develope, since Grover expressed his disdain for humanity quite a bit while including Percy in it. I also get the feeling that Grover is much less attached to Percy than Percy is to him, due to him being seemingly pretty okay with just going off being a Seeker to find Pan. Which meant leaving Percy behind. Right now I'm trying to stand back and take a new look at the dynamic without me constantly looking for clues and reasons for a future betrayal of Percy (same goes for Annabeth btw). Annabeth had a similar disadvantage to Grover since she also was a suspect for traitor for the longest time. However I do think that with her there's an interesting addition of being more connected to the demigod side of things with Percy. I'm still quite early into the series so I have no doubt more will come up- but so far their relationship seems very sassy to me. Percy obviously feels comfortable around her, and she also definitely is a long-term companion.

I also think her sort of mentor role very interesting ???? I mean, between the two Annabeth no doubt is the smarter one. She's the brains to Percy's brawn in a way. Annabeth is the one giving Percy and the audience the necessary exposition on new things to understand stuff. I think it's especially cool how Annabeth isn#t treated like a typical "nerdy girl" by Percy either. I also like the lack of romance so far between them. While not TOTALLY against them getting into a romantic relationship later on (considering there were some hints) I do prefer that Annabeth and Percy become good friends first. They are like- 12 to 13 right now, let's let the kids stay friend for now.

So now I wasn't TOTALLY sure if you also asked me about my thoughts on Luke's and Percy's relationship (englisn isn't my first language) but I'm not gonna pass up a chance to talk about my gav. So, yeah. Where do I even beginn ? Okay, so first off : similar to Annabeth and Grover I have a bit of a skewed view with Luke due to not thinking him as any sort of suspect to being the traitor in the first book. One of the reasons he became my favorite WAS that I didn't think he'd be the traitor, and I didn't want to risk getting attached to a character who'd then turn out to be a traitor (oh the irony~). But also, the fact that I just genuinely didn't think he'd be any sort of bad guy speaks VOLUMES. I do believe that Luke holds some sort of affection towards Percy, and even Camp Halfblood as a whole. I don't know MUCH about his history yet, but it's definitely fucked up and I do get his point. In my opinion I think Luke is, ultimately speaking, a child dealing with a fucked past and justified anger. Percy doesn't know that ofcourse, and I think Luke's betrayal hit him very hard on a deeper level (even tho it hasn't been shown much yet) Luke was a sort of surrogate brother to him afterall. He was the guy taking care of Percy when he first came to camp and I genuinely don't think that was simple acting. He trained Percy personally and Percy obviously trusted him. So seeing Luke go off the deep end and attempting to straight up kill him ? Yeah that must have fucked some shit up in Percy's head. I can see a LOT of future conflicts between the two. Percy especially being desperate for answers and confused by how Luke acted with him. On the other hand I can also see Luke getting a bit torn over it. Especially if you combine Percy with Annabeth. Now don't get me wrong, he's definitely off the deep end. But so far I don't think he's completely lost yet. Should Percy find out more about Luke's backstory, and maybe even develop and understanding for Luke's (ultimately justified) anger I do think that Luke could be redeemed/saved by him. I do really like the changed in the show they made with the whole reveal ! It completly refelcts on how I see Luke and Percy's relationship. In the book Luke had a sort of 180- going from cool older brother to complete psycho. It was so bad that I genuinely thought Luke's mind was being controlled or he had been switched with a doppelganger or something. In the show he seems much more hesitant. Much more wanting to recruit Percy instead of killing him. The line where Luke says- almost insists- that he's still Percy's friend despite all this is GOLD in my opinion. Luke does like Percy, unfortunately to him he thinks his revenge is more important. He does care about the people around him. HELL- that close up of Luke's face when Percy figures it all out ? The way he looked sad and somewhat regretful even ? Like he never wanted Percy to figure this all out- pure gold. So excited to see where this will go.

AAAAAANNNNNDDDDD THAT WAS ALL ! Thanks for asking, and if anyone else wants to ask me stuff or wants to hear my opinion on smth spam my ask box ^^

[at1nys-blog]

Hungry and exhausted kids

Pairing: Demigods x diner’s staff

Summary: when the “Regulars” come to eat all injured and bruised is time for something special, and a lot of first AID kits

A/N: this is based on a post I reblogged some time ago(I don’t know when I’m going to post this nor if I can actually. If not just tell me to take it down no hate thanks) also you might read something similar written by @/drberfarious but do not worry people of tumblr I am a good writer so they contacted me and we talked about it so is safe for me to post it.

The 3Heads a diner run by the Pecks was one of the very few diners in the city open 24/7 no matter the weather conditions. The diner was open even under the holidays.

Sylvia, the youngest grand daughter of the owner, was happy about all of that, especially since she was allowed to decorate the space however she liked: on Halloween she gave her best if not more, this one being her favourite and the costumers loved the hanging spiders' webs and the skeletons having a bite with them and the owners loved the masked costumers-the second year since they were out for business they decided to inaugurate a contest for best Halloween costume and everyone loved it so much- the staff came to work dressed up as well; on Thanksgiving the atmosphere was more chill, with less decorations that excpected but the one not used for that holiday were soon going to be put out for Christmas.

Zackary, the older grand son of the owner, and Sylvia's brother, he noticed how many people were alone during Christmas, it was sad to witness young people spending such a jolly holiday, he wished for every single one of them to find a new family to spend that time of the year together. Some did, coming the next year with a partner, or their family; others didn't.

Than it was time for San Valentine, the sweetest holiday of them all, well on an equal footing with Halloween, but still. The diner turned from all green and red to pink. Hearts, flowers and ballons filled the diner and every now and then the owners were able to assist, and record, a couple of proposals.

It was before Easter, a couple of weeks prior to the festivity. A Saturday late night, maybe around 1 am or 2 when Sylvia welcomed inside a boy. The girl noticed he was exhausted, she had a thought that the boy had walked for a long time, how much to be exact she didn't know but again, the phylosophy of the diner was to not ask or assume.

She welcomed him in, a big smile on her face despise the late hour, he looked at her, for a second before turning around and scanning the space as in search of somewhere to hide.

"We have a couple of booths away from the entrance" she explained.

"No windows?" he simply asked.

"No windows" she repeated after him. The boy nodded and she asked him to follow her with a simple movement of her arm. When she had left him take a seat, the boys asked if they had something blue. Sylvia had to ask for some explanation here because what did he meant by something blue?

"I am craving blue food" he answered, which didn't help much but the girl knew how to deal with such reqeusts.

"I see what I can do." this was the magic formula to avoid conflict and with that she left the menu on the table and went straigh into the kitchen. "weird question but, do we have blue food coloring?" her older brother looked at her weird, as if she just asked him to take out from his pocket a monkey or something of that sort. "Ehy don't look at me like that. The kid asked for blue food." she defended herself. Her brother rolled his eyes and went to search for it.

"By the way do you know what he wants?" Sylvia was silent, she didn't ask. I mean the poor girl just got asked if they had blue food, the only think on her mind was if they could provide that for him and gain a new costumer or not a loose a potential costumer. "go ask him."

And so she did, and when she was back to the table he left the guy, she noticed he was sleeping, or on the verge of doing so. She pocked him, carefully, sure he was there to eat but if he fell asleep in the worst position ever that meant he was really worn out (?)

She pocked him again, a little harder this time and the poor kid jumped out of his skin taking out of his pocket a stabilo pen, using the object as a weapon as a fit to cause her arm.

"Sorry, I forgot to ask what would you like to eat."

"I don't really know, I just would like if it was blue."

"Okay, I'll tell that to our chef and see if we can meet your request. Anything to drink while you wait?"

Percy Jackson, Sylvia learned his name, became a regular at The 3Heads and after the second month-he passed by at least every single day to grab his usual to go, and once a week he took his sweet time by sitting and enoying his meal- he came in, the Pecks decided to add a special section of their menu and what best way to show it to him?

Percy walked in, followed by his two friends, Grover and Annabeth, with a quick hello went straight to his usual seat and then relaxed resting his head on the table. Annabeth was fast scolding him, it wasn't very polite to sleep in a diner but before Percy could explain, Sylvia was ready to give Percy that good news.

"Hello." she greeted the two new costumers. "Ohy sleepy head I have some news." she looked at the blonde girl and asked if it was okay for her to seat for a moment, when she nodded Sylvia sat down. "Perseus Jackson listen to me" his head was up in a second, the mention of his real name didn't scare him for once but only put him in listening mode. "I have, I mean the entire family has a surprise for you." Percy looked behind the girl and saw her brother, dad and grand father looking at him with anticipation. "read the menu" and so he did.

The first pages weren't any different, just a couple of new dishes nothing major really but then his eyes widened when he read the title of the section thet added 'Blue Food&Drinks'

"We have to find a new title for the section and we wanted..." she got cut off by the boy.

"Who's idea was that?" she smiled.

"Zachary joked about the fact we had to add it since you are basically living off of our food, dad thought it wasn't such a bad idea. Grandpa was the thoughtes to..." and once again Sylvia couldn't end her speech due to Percy hugging her out of nowhere with a soft thank you.

He then went to hug the rest of the Pecks and thanking them, he couldn't believe it. He never thought that complete strangers were going to do something this nice and sweet for him.

"Okay, why is Percy acting like a kid on Christams?"asked the boy. Sylvia just smiled and told him to check the menu. He started reading under his breath not understanding much about what was happening untill... "wow he comes here this often?"

"What? What is it?" said the blonde girl next to Sylvia and the menu was given to her, she smiled. "He comes here that often for sure. Thank you, you gained a loyal costumer and he is never going to stop talking about it. I am pretty sure the other campers will come here too." The Pecks knew about the summer camp not that away from the city, Percy had talked to them about it some weeks after he discovered the diner.

After that, Percy came in with always new people and the first think he showed them was the section about the blue food, picking for them his favorites and sharing new ideas with the cooks of the diner even because the blue food was becoming to be a trend. Kids asked their parents to take pictures of it; teens loved it and also felt the need to have it to fit into a new society that was head over heals for it; elder people just wanted to have some fun and try something out of the ordinary because who could have thought they could have a smoothie with blue cookies? Not them.

Time passed and The 3Heads had campers from "Camp Half-blood" almost on a daily, they became like a very extended family and good friends. They celebrated their birthdays there, went on dates there or just went and between one bite and the other played Mythomagic, similar to a game of Yu-Gi-Oh! but with mythological creatures. Sylvia did played a couple of rounds while on a break.

Time had passed since that first night when Percy Jackson walked into the diner and since then Sylvia and Zachary made good friends with the campers, everyone had their favorite kid but Percy? He was the number one for them. He was funny, sarcastic, intelligent on his own, witty and so much more. He sure was stubborn but one of the nicest kid the older Pecks have ever met in their life.

It was the day of Percy Jackson's birthday, in 2009, that the Percks closed the doors of The 3Heads for the first time in their life because how can you keep a diner open when a bunch of teens come to you bruised and injured, whith a face that read 'we lost someone' all over their faces?

Sylvia, Zackary, Colto and Taddeus Peck didn't asks question because this was their phylosophy of work, and whoever walked into that doors had a chance to choose either tell their story or not, and that night campers that have seen death, fought her and won decided it wasn't the time to tell the story of what did happen.

[tagthescullion]

Welcome to Camp Jupiter

Fandom(s): Heroes of Olympus

Summary: "A safe space" is what Nico di Angelo, Hazel's new brother, had promised her. That's where their father, Pluto, wanted them to go. Now, they just needed to meet Camp Jupiter's leaders. Surely Nico and Hazel, who were always so well-liked, would have no trouble with that, would they?

Rating: G (but beware a bit of swearing)

Words: 3786

AO3 link

Hazel threw up.

Literally.

It was awful, she decided, shadow-travelling. 

Her body felt as if it had been compressed, expanded, heated in a microwave oven —magnificent invention, by the way—, and then squashed thin with a rolling pin.

In other words, it reminded her too much of Gaea drowning her and her mother in mud in Alaska.

Hazel felt a couple of hands hold her hair back carefully.

“I’m sorry,” said Nico. “I didn’t know it would be so bad for you. Perhaps it’s because your body’s still being pulled by the shadow realm.”

He had a way of making everything sound very dramatic, Hazel had learned in the past week.

She wiped her mouth with a tissue her brother offered. 

“It wasn’t that,” she reassured him. “Just a bad memory.”

But she didn’t go into details. The last time she had, she’d literally flung herself back in time into the real memory. 

Neither she nor Nico could figure out what that was either. As far as Nico was concerned, she could just avoid thinking about her past. Easy for him to say, he didn’t remember much of  his past. To Hazel, the modern world was a constant reminder of how much things had changed, and as it happened with comparisons, it made her vividly recall her own version of things, which then in turn sent her back into… Well, Nico hadn’t called it ‘the memory realm’, but he might as well have. 

Luckily for her, her brother didn’t inquire too much about it. He nodded his head with a worried frown and offered her a hand to get up from where she’d knelt to vomit.

When she stood straight, Hazel had to study her surroundings well. She had no idea where they were. There was a highway ten yards from them, where cars flew by —vehicles went way too fast these days, Hazel had grown mildly afraid of cars—. The landscape was dotted with hills, and the sun was shining rather strongly for September. The highway went into one of the hills, a tunnel per each direction of traffic.

She studied her brother properly. He seemed exhausted. She asked: “How far away from New York are we, exactly?” 

Nico shrugged. “Around four thousand kilometres? Not sure, but that doesn’t really matter. Welcome to San Francisco.”

“It doesn’t look very touristy,” Hazel noted.

Her brother snorted. “Not here, no. You see, I told you there was a safe space for demigods. That cannot be in the middle of the city, it would push the limits of the Mist too far.” He pointed at a door between the two lanes of the highway as it went into the hill. “That there is the access to safety.”

Hazel didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but that looked like a maintenance door. And to make matters worse, there were two workers having a smoke right by the entrance. 

Nico caught her dismissive face. 

“Ye of little faith,” he said with a smile. “Look properly, don’t let the Mist fool you.”

Hazel pressed her eyes shut for a couple of seconds and focused her gaze back on the maintenance door. 

There was a rumble of energy coming off it in low waves. Not from the traffic, but from the entrance itself. And she noticed the two workers weren’t workers at all, unless these days the uniform included Roman armour. 

“Come on!” Nico took her hand and put it in the hook of his elbow. “Now we have to cross the road.”

Hazel didn’t want to get judgy, but crossing roads was not her favourite pastime with her newly found brother. He’d never wait for the street lights to turn green, he’d run in front of moving vehicles despite not having enough time to cross, he’d yell at drivers when they —expectably— were affronted about nearly running over a 12-year-old child… It was a stressful activity. She didn’t want to try it on a highway.

But another trait that characterised her brother was determination. Once he’d set his mind, nothing and nobody could change it. 

Just as she was about to suggest they wait for the car flow to lessen, her brother jumped over the guardrail into the asphalt.

Swearing, she followed suit.

Be it luck, agility, or his faith in Saint Expeditus moving the strings of destiny, Nico had never been hit by any of the vehicles he’d tempted death with. This occasion was no different. He sprinted, stopped, dodged, and jumped over the guardrail on the other side unharmed. 

Hazel wasn’t entirely sure who she should pray to, but she figured there was no time anyway.

She didn’t dare follow her brother’s fearless approach to crossing streets irresponsibly, so she decided to wait a few seconds.

“Oh, come on!” Nico yelled from the other side. “Hurry up, we’ll be attracting every single monster on the West Coast!”

“I’ll die again!” She shouted back. “I don’t know how you do it but—!”

It was madness. 

But the little white boy’s smug face pushed her nerves. 

If he could do it, so could she.

Hazel waited until the following car passed and started her crossing. 

This side of the highway had three lanes. The first she went through well enough. The second won her a loud honk that made her jump into the third lane. Where a motorbike swerved off to avoid her, hitting the guardrail where the driver catapulted twenty feet forward.

“Merda, cos’hai fatto?”

Nico’s eyes were wide open, but far from being concerned for her, he seemed to be trying not to laugh. 

He grabbed her hand and helped her clumsily jump the stupid rail into the lawn between the highway. 

“We need to hurry up,” he pulled from her arm until she was running beside him, with the direction of the maintenance door. “That man’s calling the police, we’ll get in trouble.”

“This is not my fault!” She cried. “You’re the one who—” 

But it was pointless, Nico looked rather mirthful, and regardless of whether he took the blame or not, if the cops came, they’d be a lot more likely to find her guilty than him.

They rushed all the way to the two Roman… soldiers? 

Hazel tilted her head when they were in front of them. 

They were teenagers. A girl and a boy, late teens by the look of it. 

“That was one hell of a show,” said the boy. He was drumming his hand on the spear he held. 

“Who are you?” Demanded the girl. 

“We’re children of Pluto,” Nico announced. All traces of cheerfulness gone, his face had become a mask of solemnity. “Our father sent us to this place.”

The teenagers exchanged a troubled look. Apparently, just like Nico had predicted the day before, these people wouldn’t take to them too joyfully.

“You better come with us, then,” said the boy.

“But, Dakota—” 

“They weren’t sent by Lupa, Gwen,” the boy, Dakota, interrupted. His fingers had stopped drumming on the spear, but they were clenched around the weapon. “Nobody finds this place without the Wolf’s guidance, it must mean something.”

Gwen hesitated a moment more. She glanced behind them, where Hazel imagined the biker was getting up, and perhaps taking too much of an interest in the gang of teens talking in the middle of a highway.

“All right,” she said. “But give us your weapons first.”

Dakota nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Nico gave them his black sword, which made for an awkward moment in which Dakota and Gwen both refused to grab it.

“It’s safe,” Nico assured them. “Just don’t touch the blade and you’ll be fine.”

Dakota took a deep breath and took the weapon at arm’s length. When nothing happened, he held it more confidently. 

“Right, now,” said Gwen. “Let’s go before the bloke calls the police on us.”

“Are we supposed to leave our post?” Asked Dakota. 

Gwen shrugged. “They’ll understand. It’s a special situation, besides, we’re almost done with our shift. Bobby and Anne are bound to be here soon.”

They were shepherded into the door; Gwen first, then Hazel and Nico, then Dakota. The tunnel wasn’t a big deal, it did look like a maintenance cavern carved into the mountain. It wasn’t too long, and relatively well illuminated. On the other side, instead of a door, an arch let sunlight through.

Hazel gasped as she walked out into the open.

It was impossible.

Then again, nothing was really impossible, was it? She’d walked off the Underworld by going upstairs into Central Park…

But this? Where did the highway go? How did this valley go unnoticed by mortals? The place was enormous.

“Welcome to Camp Jupiter,” said Gwen, waving an arm invitingly in front of her. “The town you can see over there is New Rome, a place for demigods who’ve already been trained.”

Hazel looked at her brother and caught him raising a disbelieving eyebrow. As if he couldn’t believe a town of demigods could exist.

That made her wary. Nico had known about everything they’ve encountered so far —and if he hadn’t, he hadn’t been surprised at all—, the uneasiness radiating from him made her feel wrong-footed.

“Demigod adults?” Nico wondered. 

Dakota nodded. “From university onwards. You serve ten years in Camp Jupiter, and then you get to start a life of your choice.”

Nico was still not quite convinced, but his face had become agreeable again, so Hazel trod forward side by side with him.

“Where are you taking us?” Nico asked after around ten minutes.

“To see our leaders,” said Gwen swiftly. “Any new recruits are met by our praetors.”

“Jason and Reyna,” Dakota apported. “They’re good people. A bit stressed these days, of course, but they’ll give you a chance.”

Being given ‘a chance’ didn’t sound particularly welcoming to Hazel, but she bit her comment back.

“What do you mean these days?” She wondered. 

Gwen and Dakota exchanged a glance. 

“There was a…” Gwen struggled to find the appropriate word. “A conflict, you could say.”

“A war,” Nico supplied. “The titans challenged the gods’ powers. It didn’t go well for them, the gods are still here… obviously.”

Gwen’s expression closed off. “How did you know that?”

“I told you,” Nico reminded her. “My father sent us here. It’s not the first time I follow his orders or his advice. I convinced him to fight with his siblings last month.”

It was Dakota and Gwen’s turn to look mistrustful. 

Hazel couldn’t really blame them. It was hard to imagine this tiny boy convincing a god to do anything. But after just a week with him, she didn’t doubt him anymore. If that’s what Nico said, then that’s what Hazel believed. 

Nico had left to talk to Pluto a few days before. It hadn’t been longer than a couple of hours, but he’d come back with a location for a safe place, and the order from their father to join ranks with ‘those demigods in California’.

If Pluto felt comfortable enough to call Nico for a private audience and advice, why wouldn’t she believe Nico had turned that around at some point to coerce the god into action against titans. 

Hazel wondered if that had anything to do with Gaea. The titans trying to challenge the status quo… it was auspicious at the very least.

Regardless, she felt better knowing Nico could pull in a favour or two from their father when needed. If not protected, it made her feel less abandoned. A bit, anyway.

“I’ll explain everything to your leaders,” Nico offered with a tight smile. “Surely if they believe me, that’ll be enough for you.”

The pair of teenagers turned sheepish. She guessed they thought themselves very friendly people, but they weren’t coming across as the most tolerant. 

“Of course,” said Gwen. “I didn’t mean— It doesn’t matter. The praetor house is just over there.”

“The principia,” Dakota corrected. “Reyna doesn’t like it being called praetor house.”

Gwen shrugged.

They’d arrived at a magnificent building. To Hazel it looked a bit like photos of banks in the richer states. Those that had appeared in the newspapers every time the economy was going through the mud. 

They were led in by their two tour guides, who took them through spectacular halls into a room with a wooden bench in front of a door. It looked a bit like a waiting room.

“Give me a minute,” said Gwen.

Dakota didn’t sit down, so neither did Hazel or Nico. 

Luckily for them, Gwen took even less than a minute. She was leading them through the door and into a room that made Hazel feel small.

It had reddish marble panels on the walls, and a long wooden table.

A jar of jelly beans stood in the middle of the table, and a couple of high-back chairs remained empty on the side opposite from the door.

On their side of the room, a couple of teenagers, a bit younger than Dakota and Gwen, were discussing the contents of some official looking papers.

Hazel noted Nico was studying the room with interest, but she felt more worried about the two teenagers. 

She got the impression that if she had to fight either, she’d take her chance with the boy. Then she told herself that despite the girl’s scowl, they weren’t here to fight but to be introduced to these people.

A safe space. That’s where she was.

The girl’s dark eyes studied them intently. She had dark hair in a braid that was coming loose, and she looked pale, as if she was missing some sunlight.

The boy had purple bags under his blue eyes. He gave Hazel and her brother a onceover before speaking.

“Welcome to Camp Jupiter,” the boy said. “The Twelfth Legion Fulminata. I’m Jason Grace and this is Reyna, we’re your praetors.”

Hazel glanced at Nico and found him staring back at her. 

“I’m Hazel Levesque,” she said. She pointed at her brother with her hand. “And this is Nico di Angelo. My brother.”

She saw them look unconvinced for a fraction of a second, and assumed it was hard to believe the white boy next to her could, in any way, be related. But then they caught on the fact that gods are gods, and their children are not necessarily from the same mother.

Hazel wondered whether the gods themselves could change their appearance at will. She knew in old myths they could turn into animals, but did that include changing their own features?

“Gwendolyn told us you found your way here unconventionally,” Reyna said, and she seemed to think finding the maintenance entrance between highway lanes was the weirdest thing to ever happen. 

“Our father sent us,” Nico told her quickly. His voice was level, and to Hazel, he sounded slightly older too, more mature, as if he was trying to make an impression. “The Lord of the Dead.”

Jesus. Nico just couldn’t keep that to himself for a bit, could he? Hazel guessed it was better to leave that out in the open from the beginning.

Praetor Ramírez-Arellano’s eyes widened. “You’re children of Pluto? And he sent you?”

Jason Grace was surprised too, but he looked more inclined to accept the possibility. He put a hand on his comrade’s arm to either calm her down, or to stop her from being openly dismissive of the Lord of the Dead’s kids.

“It’s not common to have Big Three children,” Jason told them kindly. “There’s not many of us.”

Nico perked up at that. “You’re a child of the Big Three?”

Jason nodded.

“It would be Jupiter, right?” Nico asked. Was he guessing, or had their father told him there was a son of Jupiter leading the safe space he’d sent them to? “A leader such as you. You have your father’s eyes. You said your surname was Grace, didn’t you?”

Good Lord, did Nico know some of Jason’s relatives? Obviously, he’d met Jupiter, or he was bullshitting about Jason having his father’s eyes —which, knowing Nico, it could also be—. But he was interested in Jason’s surname. God, she hated it when her brother didn’t tell her things beforehand, she felt like a fool, ten steps behind while he moved the strings like a puppeteer. 

To her relief, Jason seemed taken aback too. His expression, that had remained open despite revealing their godly parentage, had closed off.

“When did you meet Jupiter?” Reyna demanded.

“Last month,” Nico replied. He glimpsed Reyna’s left side, but turned his attention to the praetors quickly enough. “I convinced my father to fight in the gods’ war against the titans. Afterwards, he saw it fit that I… met the family.”

Her brother looked away from Jason and Reyna again, and this time, Hazel could see he was looking at a couple of dogs beside Reyna. They startled her, she had thought they were decoration. They were metal, but seemed to be alive. And they were staring at Nico as if expecting something, but they appeared to be calm, so she tried to ignore them.

It was harder to ignore their presumed owner. Reyna had turned towards her and her eyes were burning into Hazel’s.

“But not you, Hazel Levesque?” She inquired. 

It took her a second to understand what she meant, until she recalled they were talking about meeting the gods before Hazel had gotten distracted with the dogs.

She shook her head, and added: “I only met Nico a week or so ago.” 

“And Pluto brought you here,” Jason spoke up. “He told you how to find us.”

“He wishes for Hazel to be trained here,” Nico told them. “He’s given me other tasks to do elsewhere, but he hopes you’ll accept me as his ambassador. I would only stay here every so often.”

That made Hazel hesitate. Every so often? Was he going to dump her here and just leave? Was he out of his goddamn mind?

She took a step towards her brother and muttered. “When were you planning on telling me you weren’t staying?”

“It’s okay,” Nico murmured back. “I’ll be here whenever you need me, but our father wants me to handle other errands for him.”

“That wasn’t the plan,” she insisted. “You don’t know these people…”

“Hazel,” he interrupted. “Father wouldn’t put you in danger, trust me. He likes his daughters better than his sons. He wants you to be okay.”

Hazel wasn’t too sure about it. Pluto had let her die but had kept Nico safe for decades. But she decided she would resolve the family conflict later when they weren’t under scruple by the leaders of the place.

Reyna cleared her throat. “What exactly would Pluto need from an ambassador?” 

“He didn’t say anything specific,” Nico shrugged nonchalantly. “Information, I gather. We learn a lot from the dead, but you can also learn a lot from the living. These past years have been a difficult time for everyone, my father felt… disconnected from the rest of the gods. He only wishes to be kept up-to-date with any threats he might have to face in the future.”

Pluto only wished to, but Hazel was sure it was the closest thing to an order Nico could give without being disrespectful. 

She couldn’t care less what power grab Nico had attempted. She was still fuming about him not telling her he was planning on going away. 

She heard her name being mentioned but she didn’t catch what Jason had said. Whatever it was, Nico agreed to it.

“But I—” Hazel began. She would speak for herself, she didn’t need a 12-year-old to accept invitations on her account, especially if he’d just buzz off later to who-knows-where.

“It’s okay,” Nico put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll talk later. You can trust these people.”

“But can we trust you?” Reyna had tired of waited for them to stop talking it seemed. She’d crossed her arms and was looking at them with a skeptic expression. 

“Have we shown any evidence of the contrary?” Nico asked. To Hazel, it sounded defensive. “Other than the —what did you call it?— ‘unconventional arrival’.”

Jason seemed to realise shit was about to hit the fan, because he stepped in.

“None,” he told Nico in a reassuring voice. “We’re interested in your proposal.” Turning to Hazel he said: “You’ll be wanting to get better acquainted with the place, since you’ll be staying.”

He didn’t wait for her to reply. He took a step between her and Nico, went over to the door, and spoke to whoever was on the other side. 

He reentered the room and leaned back against the table, in the exact same position he’d been in before.

Gwen appeared after a few seconds. Earphones on her neck, their wire connected to something she was putting into her pocket.

“Gwendolyn,” Jason grinned. A real smile, it made him look like a kid from a toothbrush commercial. “Would you be kind and give Hazel a tour of Camp Jupiter? Get her something from the bakery, too.” He turned towards Hazel. “You’ll love those pastries, they’re amazing.”

Hazel wasn’t too sure. She glanced at her brother again. 

Nico gave her a confident nod, like, ‘I’ll handle them.’

She raised an eyebrow. Nico hated people, leaving him alone would be a gamble on their behalf. But she wasn’t too sure there was much of a choice. The praetors wanted to talk to her brother. She imagined it was better to allow them some privacy rather than be escorted out by security on her first day.

Nico gave her a harder look. Hurry up.

She rolled her eyes. 

“See you later,” she told the praetors, ignoring her brother as she left and followed Gwen out of the building, where Dakota joined them for the tour.

“You know Praetor Grace well, don’t you?” Hazel asked. She wasn’t sure it was appropriate but there’d been such a familiarity between them, it made her curious. 

Gwen smiled. “Yeah, he stayed with my family for a while when he was younger. We know nothing of his mortal family, he was very little when he arrived.”

Except that Nico had been surprised by Jason’s name, not just his godly father. 

She kept that to herself. She was annoyed at her brother, but she wasn’t about to betray his secrets.

Instead, she smiled and let Gwen keep talking.

Hazel went off with her and Dakota, they were much friendlier now that they seemed to have got over their shock about Pluto having demigod children. 

When she met Nico again, she’d sit him down to talk. She wouldn’t allow him to leave yet, not until he told her everything he knew.

[gutsybitsies]

WIP draft from my Chthonian AU. This takes place after Tua famiglia, Mia famiglia. Timeline wise, this is after Annabeth arrives in Camp Jupiter and takes the quest, but before she returns victorious.

Ethan sighed and rubbed his forehead, trying to stop the incoming migraine. Around him, the dryads and underworld nymphs argued about scheduling conflicts and activities room reservations. Half of the camp was still under construction, meaning that the dryads who taught Music Theory and Ancient Greek are competing with each other for activities space. Nico’s eyes had glazed over, meaning that even though he looked to be paying attention, he was fast asleep. 

Ethan frowned as he pulled Mabel and Oakely off of each other, why were underworld nymphs so ready to fight all the time? For the past few months, ever since Annabeth disappeared and that demigod Jason appeared, Nico had been gone longer and longer from their camp. 

Last night, he had mentioned privately to him and Alabaster that things were not looking good in the Underworld, and that he had to help out Hades ever since the Doors of Death were open. 

“Let the gods burn themselves! Who cares about the Giants, about Gaea, who cares about any of them?”

Nico groaned against the flat palms of his hands, squeezing his face as he tried not to fall asleep. The dark circles under his eyes looked haunting. “He’s my father, Al.”

“We are your family!” 

“This place can’t exist if Gaea wins, she’ll destroy us all.” 

“Not if we side-”

A tendril of shadow shot out and slapped itself against Alabaster’s lips, silencing him. 

Nico’s tired eyes had turned almost molten with darkness, and he turned to Alabaster with a dangerous glare. “I am the leader, I make the decisions, you listen to me, you report to me. And I say this: you don’t make any unauthorized decisions, you don’t step a foot outside the camp unless it’s been approved by Ethan, and you fucking. Shut. Up.”  

“If you ever so much as breathe a hint of what you were about to say just now,” Nico said quietly, as Alabaster struggled against the tendril of shadow keeping his mouth shut, “This camp would be burned to the ground before this new war is even over. You can’t be this fucking stupid, after everything we’ve been through to have somewhere we belong?” 

He broke free of the shadows, “I want victory-” 

“And I want everyone alive,” The shadows around the room moved ominously, before Nico gritted his teeth and consciously pulled back his powers. He kneaded his forehead, looking tiny and overwhelmed as he sat on the throne of sharp, sharp swords. “Fuck, Al. I just need you and Ethan to helm this place and keep everyone safe, okay? I can’t be worried about you causing someone to smite this place down because you can’t control your tongue.” 

Ethan kept his face calm as he nodded and gestured for Alabaster to calm down as well. 

“Don’t worry about us, Nico,” he said. “Go and do what you need to. But remember,” he tapped Nico’s shoulders. “Get to the infirmary and have your checkup.” 

Which led to Nico falling asleep with his eyes open during activities meeting. Eventually the exhaustion must have caught up to him, because he finally slumped over his chair and his head thumped onto the table.

After a healer mandated and Clovis supervised nap, Nico’s dark circles looked a little better, and there was even a hint of color back on his cheeks. He pulled Ethan aside to his cabin for a meeting before he had to leave again. 

“Ethan, I need you to watch over Al and the rest of the campers,” Nico said. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone this time, I have to go and find the Doors of Death. I can’t have him lead an uprising here or run his mouth off and get everyone killed. I’m going to have a meeting to tell everyone about Gaea and the Giants so that they don’t hear it from any other source.”

Ethan nodded, “Go easy on Al, he’s worried about you. He doesn’t want you to run ragged doing missions that no one will appreciate you for.” Ethan gave Nico a handful of charms that Alabaster threw at him. 

Nico rubbed his hands over his face, before taking a deep breath and putting on a determined look. “I know. All the more reasons to keep everyone safe. Rally everyone up.” 

After Ethan left him to be alone in his room, Nico sighed again, he’d been doing that a lot recently. He had just returned from New Rome and found an amnesiac Annabeth wandering around there. Her steely gray eyes tried to place him in her memories, and her normally neat dreadlocks were in a state of disrepair. Mars had given Annabeth a quest to free Thanatos from his chains, but there was more to do if they wanted to avert disaster. Nico was the only one able to go and find the Doors of Death, no one else would be able to go through the Underworld as freely as he could. 

Jason was giving him a hard time, as well. Ever since he figured out that he was a Roman demigod after his quest, he was trying to reach out to Nico as often as possible because according to him, "there was no way I haven't seen you before." Nico didn't know what to tell him, he definitely heard about Jason in New Rome, and Hazel had mentioned him before, but he truly had never stopped in New Rome long enough to actually meet the guy. He tried to explain that as much as possible, but Jason still found time to Iris message him as much as possible "to get his memories back." Nico definitely didn't enjoy their conversations, not at all.

He thought back to Jason's worried face when he told him about his journey to the Doors, and how it almost mirrored Ethan and Alabaster's expressions. One more person to care about him, one more person to worry about leaving behind. Things were so much easier when you could die alone on the streets with no one looking for you.

There was a knock at his door, he could tell it was Alabaster. 

“Come in.” 

Alabaster’s footsteps were hesitant. 

“I’m not angry at you,” he said, sitting down on a beanbag chair that Nico stole from the recreation room. “I want you to know that.” 

“Are you going to be dramatic and say that you’re angry at yourself?” Nico replied drily. 

“No, I’m angry for you,” Alabaster frowned. “Why are you so insistent on becoming a gopher for the Olympians? You have us, are we not important enough to stay tied down to? Why go traipsing around the world and get yourself killed for people who don’t even know your name?”

“My father knows my name,” Nico said. “And why do you think that I’m not doing it for this place?” 

“We have a good defensive barrier, and we’re more hidden than Camp Halfblood, we don’t need to do anything even if the Gaea wins.” 

“You don’t. I’m not asking you to do anything,” Nico twisted the ring on his finger anxiously. “Al, I need to know that you won’t get yourself in any trouble if I die.” 

“Easy fix, don’t die. I’ve been hearing whispers, too. About the other camp, the Romans. Clovis and Lou Ellen mentioned it. That’s the camp that Jason is from, right? Let them handle this. The Olympians have two entire camps of demigods who worship them, they don’t need you. We need you.”

“And I need you, Al,” Nico leaned closer to Alabaster, oblivious to the hitch in Alabaster’s breath. “I need you to be on my side, to keep the camp under control while I keep you guys safe. Can you do that for me?” 

Alabaster looked away, “Fine.” 

“Thank you,” Nico smiled, his bright white teeth (the only healthy looking feature on his face) gleamed. “Now, isn’t that a lot easier than me strangling you with shadows?” 

..........

The campers gathered together in the rec room. Some sat on the ground, some found purchase on the beanbag chairs, every one of them was tense, as if they knew that they were about to hear some bad news. 

Ethan took out a remote and lowered a projector down (no expenses were spared in creating this camp, most of it financed by Nico’s black companion Underworld credit card, courtesy of Hades). Nico whispered, “When did you find time to create a powerpoint presentation?”

Ethan rolled his eyes, there’s always time for a powerpoint presentation. 

He clicked the control, the plain powerpoint presentation began, with a comic sans “New News: It’s Bad” appearing on the screen. 

“I’m sure that everyone’s heard the whispers already, there’s a new adversary on the rise.” 

He clicked another button, “Gaea.” 

“As most people know, Gaea is the mother of the Titans, one of the first deities in existence. The information that we have right now, courtesy of Nico, is that she is awakening and attempting to destroy Olympus. As most of us know from experience, she won’t be able to do that without extra help, haha,” Ethan tried to give a dry laugh. Some of the campers laughed along with him, others groaned. 

“You try to overthrow the divine monarchy once, and they never let you live it down,” someone in the crowd muttered. 

“Her plan is to reawaken the Giants, who can only be killed by the gods and demigods working together. Unfortunately, the gods have closed off Olympus,” Ethan continued. “Yes, Mark, you have a question?” 

A five year old demigod sitting on the lap of his older sister was holding up his hand. “Can I go to the bathroom?” 

“I-Mark, can you hold it in? You need to know this,” Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. “No bathroom breaks until the end of the announcement, okay?”

“Mark, are you going to ask to go to the bathroom when Giants are attacking us?” Alabaster asked. 

“Hey,” his sister responded, “He has a small bladder!” 

Nico sighed, and remembered whenever he’d be called to a senate meeting when he visited New Rome. No one needed impromptu bathroom breaks there. “Mark, you can go. But get your sister to fill you in on what’s happening later, okay?”

“‘Kay, Coco,” Mark clambered down his sister and waddled to the bathroom. 

Ethan coughed, trying to get the gravitas back, but it was gone. 

“Okay, so what are we supposed to do?” Someone called out from the crowd. 

“Do we have any quests?” Someone else asked. 

“Whose side are we on?” 

“Ethan, I need to go to the bathroom, too!”

Nico gave Alabaster a glance, and gestured for him to take over. 

“Quiet, quiet!” he yelled. “We do nothing, we stay here, and continue building our activities center, shrines to our parents, and look for more demigods to bring to camp.” 

“Whose side are we on?” Someone else asked again. 

Alabaster grimaced, but he looked at Nico, whose liquid dark eyes turned on him with a quiet glare. 

“No one will be lifting a finger for this unless they want to,” he finally said, forcing down a blush when Nico looked at him approvingly. “But we can’t side with Gaea, the Giants will bring utter destruction to demigods. And I don’t imagine that she’ll be happy with us since we technically defected from her children.” 

“It’s not defecting when we’ve already lost, it’s surrendering,” someone called out. “We’re losers, not defectors!” 

“Ethan’s the defector,” Someone, Miriam, said. “He defected before we lost.”

“And you’re welcome for that, Miriam,” Ethan pointed at her. “Also, you’re welcome for the time I saved your ass from getting eaten by your sergeant in the Titan’s army. Look, we can’t ally ourselves with an army of creatures who want to eat us anymore, okay?” 

“Very bad idea,” Nico added. “Plus, summer’s in full swing and we have so many activities planned. Don’t let Gaea distract anyone from the improv classes and the Chariot Races.” 

“I wanna win the Chariot Race!” Little Mark had finished going to the bathroom and was running back to his sister’s lap. “Coco, how many more days till the races?” 

The rest of the campers’ faces melted as they watched little Mark cuddle up against his sister. He was the youngest camper there, found during the quest of punishment that the Olympian gods forced the surrendering Titan’s Army demigods to undertake after their defeat. Most of them carried a mark, a scar, some sort of disfigurement from that harrowing quest that Olympus decreed necessary. 

Alabaster looked up at Nico’s tired face, and remembered him pushing out from behind Hades’ shadow to stand in front of them, putting himself between the wrath of Zeus and the scared and injured demigods that were about to be annihilated. A quest, he’d asked of Zeus. Some journey of redemption, just like the one that Heracles had when he committed a grave error. He was a war hero who lost the chance at any honor for himself because he chose to throw his lot in with the losers. 

All because of Percy Jackson, Alabaster thought bitterly. Because “Percy would’ve wanted amnesty.” He hated the fact that he had to thank Percy Jackson for his life now. He hated the fact that Nico would consider this camp “Percy Jackson’s legacy,” instead of Nico’s own legacy that he almost killed himself for. Alabaster wished that Percy Jackson was alive so that he could show him exactly what he thought of his hypocritical ass. 

“I’m going to be heading to the Underworld to find the Doors of Death,” Nico announced. “No one is allowed to follow me. If Camp Halfblood comes here to ask for help, let them in and show them hospitality, but I’ll trust that you all follow your judgment on whether or not to help out. But no one is allowed to aid Gaea or ally with any of the Giants, capisce?” 

The campers that joined later or were from Camp Halfblood originally said “aye” enthusiastically. Ethan nodded, leading to more campers saying “aye.” Alabaster looked like he was swallowing a lemon, but he nodded, and his friends joined in as well. 

Nico sighed in relief. “Good, now. Meeting adjourned.” 

[original-orbus]

Argo chapter 3

This takes place about 2 weeks after the events of the last chapter, skipping over the Meeting. JSYK. And yes, it is in a new characters perspective, because I love my little blorbos and will keep adding more perspectives until I blot out the sun. Several Characters in this Chapter belong to my ex Husband, however its my weekend so they get to appear in my story.

This takes place at camp Jupiter.

Being a Child of Zeus is honestly not all its cracked up to be, Sure you may be Top dog among demigods, Reigning supreme over most demigods you meet. However this means that you will always be held to a higher standard, elevated above it all and left to exist all by yourself, without anyone to support you.

For Ashara, This was how she lived her life. Always having to be the strong one, the protector, the 'King'. Of course for those she had to protect, she would always go the extra mile, never abandoning those who relied on her. But she always wondered as to who there was for her to rely on? Sure she could always talk to her brothers, but would they really understand her Problems? Would they be able to provide anything other than just someone to vent to? It didn't seem so.

And so Ashara continued to Lock in, Fighting, and Sacrificing, and supporting, all the while feeling the Storm rage more and more inside her. It was only a matter or time until it overwhelmed her.

As the Storm grew louder and louder, Ashara would begin to distance herself to protect those she cared about. After all, she couldn't bear the thought of harming her family during an 'outburst'. She began throwing herself into her training and battles to forget her woes, become more and more acclaimed for her performance in battle. And before she knew it, she was being considered as a future Praetor candidate, having stacked accolade after accolade in the first cohort.

Today of All days, Ashara had been taking a rest day when she received a summons from the Fourth Cohorts Centurion. To her surprise, upon arriving to the meeting, she would discover a familiar face. Her baby brother Sebastian(Son of Athena), having grown into a fine young man. Upon seeing her now matured brother, for the first time in years, she couldn't help rushing forwards to embrace him.

Sebastian, as if expecting this, let out a gasp as his sister slammed into him with force of a big three. He would return her embrace, leaning his head on her shoulder like he used to do, before they separated all those years ago.

"I missed you too.." Sebastian would gently whisper, letting the embrace last until they were both ready to let go.

It would be almost 2 minutes of silence before Ashara would pull herself away, her eyes still moist with her tears of joy. She would once again take in the sight of her brother as if for the first time, taking notice of all the small signs that her brother was doing well for himself. Soon, she would force herself back into her prior state of calm, suppressing the storm threatening to break free.

"I apologize for that little outburst, We can catch up later." Ashara's voice would resonate through the meeting room, filling the space as was her birthright. "I believe you probably didn't summon me just for that."

Sebastian would shift his demeanor in response, switching into business mode. "That would be correct, I don't know if you've heard anyone else talking about it, but a group of people from Half-Blood have recently begun formulating plans to build another safe haven." After finishing this first statement, he would grab a folder from the top of his desk, and opening it to a certain page. "This group of people have proposed purchasing and repurposing an old boarding school on the outskirts of Chicago. They have extended an invitation towards me, hoping to make use of my particular skillset to further develop this project. Argo, they call it."

Ashara would listen intently to the information recited by her brother, connecting them to some rumors she had overheard from others in her cohort. She hadn't really taken the rumors to heart, since it wasn't something that really affected her at the time. Now, it was a different Story.

"Do you plan on accepting their invitation? It could be a gamble whether it all works out in the end." She was trying to think about it logically, sure the concept itself had potential, but gathering a group of demigods to somewhere without sufficient protection from monster might just end up backfiring.

"Well, that's the thing, I was hoping to accept, and bring you and Aaru(Son of Hypnos) along for the ride. I don't think this place is all that good for you, I've seen the effects its had on you, and if you came with me, you could practically guarantee safety for the group, and perhaps even find yourself somewhere to truly call Home?" Despite Sebastian's business tone, there was hint of hope to his voice as he voiced out his thoughts. While he and his sister had been unable to meet for awhile now, he would occasionally hear and see news about his sister, and the role she was expected to uphold, as a daughter of the King of Gods. Perhaps it was a foolish wish, but he hoped it would be enough.

Ashara would contemplate her brothers words seriously for a couple moments, weighing the pros and cons, when she would feel a pair of unknown presences begin to approach the room. Without saying a word, she would swivel on her heels and turn to face the door, preparing herself for to defend her brother if she needed.

After a few moments, the Presences would stop outside the door, and knock gently, a woman's voice speaking up as the knocks came through. "Excuse us, we are looking for Sebastian Bellona, we were told we would be able to find him here? We're here for the Argo Project."

"Oh yes, just one moment." Sebastian would perk up as he heard the feminine voice ask for him, and would give a look of assurance to his sister as he stepped past to open the door.

Two demigods would be visible in the doorway as the door opened, a man and a woman, both seeming to be in their 20's."Oh hello there, you must be Sebastian? Its a pleasure to make your Acquaintance, my names Josephine, and this is my partner Kenneth." The young woman named Josephine would offer a gentle smile towards the child of Athena in front of her, before tilting her head slightly to catch a glimpse of the person waiting deeper in the room. "Oh, apologies, I didn't realize you had a guest."

Ashara would perk up upon being addressed, before speaking up in a tone that once again filled the room. "My name is Ashara, I'm Sebastian's Older sister. Daughter of Zeus, but something tells me, you aren't surprised by that." Ashara would step forwards to get a better look at the two demigods. At a glance, she would try to take in the two's aura, however Kenneth's aura would be too feint for her to catch. "I didn't realize I was going to come face to face with a Poseidon child today. Perhaps this Argo project will go better than I expected."

The Daughter of Poseidon would give a quick glance back to her partner, before offering another smile to the kingly woman in front of her. "Argo is a project me and Kenneth have been working towards, for quite a while now. And while I will take a good chunk of the credit for its eventual success, it would be unfair to discredit my partners contributions. If it wasn't for Kenneth's help, I do not believe this project would have progressed quite as efficiently."

Kenneth would remain silent as Josephine spoke, before making a small gesture with their hand, seemingly releasing a seal on their aura, causing a pulse of darkness throughout the room for but a moment. "Sorry, my power likes to keep itself hidden. I'm Kenneth, Son of Hades." As Kenneth spoke, Ashara could feel a subtle shudder down her spine, as she unconsciously began to reevaluate them, her kingly aura growing in response.

Meeting a child of Poseidon was rare enough at Camp Jupiter, but to meet a child of Hades was no small thing either.

"I see.. Its nice to meet you. I am certainly more confident about joining this project of yours." Ashara's thoughts would be running about a mile a minute as she looked at these two powerhouses in front of her, Perhaps feeling a little bit of hope towards these two? Could it be that maybe they were like her? She would have to learn more to confirm.

"I suppose you and Sebastian probably have quite a bit to discuss, so I think I should leave you to it." Ashara would have loved to be part of the discussions, but she could feel the tempest inside begin to roar as her aura acted up, and decided to step away to calm it down.

"If you don't mind, Ashara, would you mind showing me around?" Kenneth would speak up as Ashara made to leave. They were hoping to take a look at some of the campers at Jupiter, but felt it would be better to go along with someone who had been established at camp, so as to not disturb the status quo.

As Kenneth spoke up, Josephine would give him another glance before looking towards the son of Athena. "It looks like its going to be up to us to iron out these plans, I look forward to working with you." Josephine would speak politely towards Sebastian, before coming closer to the desk and to the folder laid out upon it.

"It would be my pleasure." Ashara would respond politely as the two began walking towards the door, her mind already running through the best places to show off.

And with that agreement made, the two would step out of the room together, to embark on a tour of the premises.

For most of their walk together, Kenneth would mostly stay silent, just observing and listening as Ashara described the various places they visited, only really breaking their silence to ask clarifying questions, as well as inquire about some of the campers they saw. It was only when they began climbing the Temple Hill that Kenneth really broke their silence.

"If you were to join the Argo project, what do you hope to achieve? Me and Josephine have our own goals, but surely someone like you has your own motivation?" Kenneth would come out of the gate swinging with their question, planning to get straight to the point since they were further out of the way and less likely to be interrupted.

Ashara would be caught slightly off guard at the question, though at the same time she felt it was bound to come up. She just hadn't expected him to bring it up so suddenly.

"What I hope to achieve huh?" She would ponder the question for a few moments, letting out a breath as she sorted through her thoughts. "To be honest, What I hope to gain isn't all that unique or special. I spent all of my demigod life here at Jupiter, but most of that time has just been spent fighting, and training, and leading, Perhaps maybe I can create a new home for myself at Argo? Somewhere where I can actually live a life, if that makes sense?"

Ashara's words would seem to spew out once she began, unable to stop herself. Maybe it was because she saw a potential partner(?) in Kenneth, that she said more than she had intended, more than she had really told anyone, even her brothers.

Kenneth would nod along to her answer, tilting his head to the side as he thought over her reason. All things considered, it wasn't that much different that Kenneth and Josephine's reason to start all this. Though her answer did give him a flash of inspiration, as he suddenly pulled out his Iris Phone and typed out a quick message towards Josephine, Simply writing out -Argo Academy- and hitting send.

"I think your answer is pretty respectable, and it actually might have helped us come to a decision as to the direction to further develop Argo. I'll have to talk with Josephine about it once I get back, but it might pan out. We've actually been at a bit of crossroads lately, unable to figure out exactly what kind of place we want to make, weighing the various options." Kenneth would offer her some sorta praise as he slid his phone away to give his attention back to Ashara.

With that, silence would once again overcome the pair as they climbed the hill towards the temples, having passed a couple already. In the silence, Ashara would once again be thinking over what had just been said. All the while she would sneak a couple glances towards Kenneth, still trying to figure out what lay beneath that calm exterior.

Honestly, I didn’t have a very good concept or ending in mind when I started writing this back in December. However i feel like this is a good place to call it. Our third main character, and final part of the trifecta has entered the main stage.

As always, thanks for reading and please comment your thoughts.

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

The Temptation of the Immortals (6)

Warnings: cursing, canon typical violence for the Percy Jackson series, spoilers for the Percy Jackson series, nightmares, the gods being absent parents, references to Greek Mythology, mentions of starvation and trauma.

“Alexander, this way!” Grover ordered as the boar charged after them on the sidewalk.  When Dionysus had contacted him to inform him that a potential demigod had been located in Chicago, Grover thought the God of Wine had lost whatever sanity he had left.  The god wouldn’t reveal how he found out about the supposed demigod’s existence, just that he didn’t want the demigod to draw any more attention than he already had. 

Grover had no idea what the god meant by that and regretted that he hadn’t pushed the god to explain what he meant by that sentence when Grover had contacted him this morning to request an extraction because he was certain that Alexander was a demigod and he could smell a monster tailing them.

“REET!”  The boar squealed and Grover’s lungs began to burn.  “This boar must have been taking cardio lessons in Tartarus.” The satyr thought dryly as he finally spotted the building that he was looking for.

“Over here!”  He yelled, waving his hand in the direction that he wanted the boy to run in.  Mercifully, Alexander heard him and seconds after Grover had run into the building, Alexander followed hot on his tail.  Now that he was in a familiar area, Grover calmed down slightly.  All he needed to do was find your office and….

“REEEEEEETTTTT!”

Or not.

The boar crashed through the entrance.  It landed in a heap and Grover took advantage of the boar’s disorientation by wrapping his hand around Alexander’s upper arm and pulling him down the hallway at a speed that Grover didn’t think he was capable of.  The satyr was concentrating so much on moving Alexander to your office where he would be safe that he nearly collided with you.

“Grover?”

“Thank the gods!”  The satyr puffed, “Boar.  In entrance.  Chasing us.”

“Take him to Piper’s office and lock yourselves in.”

“NO!  I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU NOT MR. UNDERWOOD!”

You knelt down and placed your hands on Alexander’s shoulders, “It’ll be okay.  I need you to call your dad from Piper’s office and stay there until I tell you that it’s safe to come out.  This is important.  Do you understand?”

Alexander crossed his arms over his chest, “Don’t wanna.”

“REEEEETTTT!”

“Please Alexander.  Tell me that you understand.”

Alexander turned away and refused to look at either of you.  You sighed and shook your head but did not move.

“I understand,” Alexander muttered sullenly.

“Grover?”

“On it.”

The satyr and the demigod sprinted to Piper’s office and Grover wrenched open the door.  He didn’t have time to dwell on the alarmed expression on the other demigod’s face before he launched into an explanation of how the boar had escaped from the zoo that they were visiting and pursued them down the streets of Chicago.  All throughout Grover’s explanation, the squeals of the boar rattled the windows until it let out an ear splitting, final squeal that had Grover wondering whether the windows would hold.

“Is it over?” Piper asked.

Grover listened for any sound that would indicate the boar was still alive and just biding its time.  When he didn’t hear any sound that hinted the boar was still alive, he let out a sigh of relief, “I think it’s over.  The boar is dead.”

Piper closed her eyes and Grover remembered too late that she was vegetarian, “It didn’t suffer and it was a monster boar so it could return,” he tried.

“Can I call my dad now?”  Alexander piped up.

Piper had barely moved her chair a few inches to the right to give Alexander some space to use the phone when another roar sounded in the museum.  This roar sounded more like it came from a man.

“Or a god,” Piper disagreed and Grover realised he had voiced his thought by accident.

“(Name) needs help!” Alexander darted around Piper’s desk and towards the closed door.

“NO ALEXANDER!”  Grover yelled but it was too late.  The only thing he and Piper could do was go after the boy.  Piper sped through the corridors with Grover only half a step behind her.  Fortunately, they caught up to Alexander quickly.

Unfortunately, their footsteps had drawn the attention of the god who had let out the bellow and he used the distraction to smack you with the blade of his sword which sent you sprawling at the feet of the statue of Hades.

“So, this is Aphrodite’s latest special brat.”  Ares sneered walking towards the two demigods and the satyr with his sword drawn.

“Go away.  I don’t like you.” 

Ares chuckled menacingly, “You got guts kid.  I’ll give you that.  Shame they’re not going to be of any use to you.  You could’ve been powerful with that charmspeak ability.”

“Please get up (Name).”  Alexander whimpered when he saw your prone form and Ares drew closer still, “I need help.”

Piper drew her dagger and pulled Alexander behind her.  She raised her blade into the air at the war god, “Get back.”  She ordered.

Ares guffawed, “What harm can that little twig do to me?”

“My dagger’s not going to do anything to you.”

“Exactly.”

“I just needed your attention on me to give (Name) time to stand up.”

Ares twisted around to see that Piper was right, “You never faced any consequences for keeping Hades’ helm away from him for as long as you did, did you?”

“It’s in the past.  Old corpse breath doesn’t care about that anymore.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

“It doesn't matter what you think.  I am a god and my word is law!”  Ares boomed.

“Once again, you’re wrong.  Did you forget that all gods and goddesses have a mental connection to their statues?  Hades may have shrugged off the feeling of me colliding with it but I doubt that he’s going to be so quick to dismiss the fact that you did not return his helm as quickly as you should’ve.”

Ares stepped forwards and the ground underneath him cracked.  The cracks grew rapidly until there was a big enough hole for a man to fall in but the god was standing on the edge.  He could just as easily step back and avoid the hole.  Grover’s hand fell to his pocket and he pulled out his pipes.  While the god of war was distracted by the hole that had appeared, Grover blew into the pipes and played a wind tune.  A gust of air propelled itself through the partially open window and slammed into the god, knocking him down into the hole.  As soon as the god had fallen far enough, the cracks closed and the hole disappeared.

Alexander sped over to you, wrapping his arms around your legs, “You’re okay.”

“I warned you to stay away from the Kneef family.”

[arch-dieangelo]

ON  ABANDONMENT  ,  TRUST  ,  AND  COMMITMENT  ,

hey. it’s me. let’s unpack this baggage. same warnings as the overall warnings of this blog apply.. familial death mostly. sprinkled with other death. post contains toa spoilers

alright let’s start with the obvious: bianca. coming out of the lotus hotel was nothing short of heavily disorienting. he had only bianca to rely on & didn’t remember anything at all of his family otherwise. put into some random boarding school where he could obviously see that things weren’t right and had monsters posing as teachers. he trusted bianca and nothing and no one else. 

then in comes percy and the hunters to the rescue and his mind is completely blown. he’s too naïve to not trust these people. even when bianca almost immediately oaths into the hunters, he doesn’t care because this new world is too damn cool to care about little things like that.

it’s not until bianca’s chosen to go on the quest that he starts feeling that sense of abandonment. he’s stuck in a year that just doesn’t feel right, talking in a language that’s still somewhat difficult for him, told that he’s a demigod, and his sister his only family the only kind face he knows ... abandons him to go across the country in search of a person that he doesn’t even know. he’s stuck at chb and even though he’s surrounded by things that should be cool, it sucks because he doesn’t have bianca to share it with. but whatever. it’s fine! bianca will be back.

except she doesn’t come back. he feels her die and percy’s confirmation destroys him. percy, the guy that nico trusted because he’d saved them, broke his promise to keep bianca safe. he doesn’t trust percy or the camp or the gods. all he can trust is himself. he has to live with the truth that bianca abandoned him to join the hunters without even knowing what she was getting into and that he is on his own from now on.

he’s reluctant to get close to anyone else from that point forward, even after tlo, he’s reclusive and isolates himself. doesn’t stay at camp for longer than a week right after the war because there is no space for him and honestly? whatever. he’s fine with that. if no one there trusts him, then he doesn’t trust them either. the further he keeps everyone from himself, the easier it is to not get attached (coughs. commit to a friendship) and the less likely he is to get abandoned again. he cannot take another hit to him like bianca’s death. 

he takes a risk with hazel, a calculated but necessary risk. after all, she is his sister. nico’s inclined to trust her immediately, and he appreciates having someone around anyway. the first time in years he’s allowed himself to get attached, and it’s good. it feels nice. he can’t let himself do this again.

when the seven rescue him from the twin giants, he trusts only hazel. for a while he talks solely to her other than to give advice/knowledge to the crew when needed. he’s exhausted and unwell and cannot afford to extend more than just the basic amount of ‘hazel trusts you so i trust you i guess’ level of trust. besides, they don’t trust him at all either. it’s a mutual thing.

anddddddddddddddd then the cupid thing happens. it’s terrible. it’s awful and jason is there to witness it all. he has to trust jason on default, because if he doesn’t, then nico’ll be burying himself. 

the trust he has with jason grows, and arguably jason becomes one of his closer friends on the argo ii. yay. friendship <3 

reyna !! we love u reyna. (am ignoring that she joins the hunters bc its stupid) he trusts her as much as he trusts hazel. they went through a harrowing journey together you just dont come back from that without committing to a strong friendship. he literally killed for her. he trusts her and trusts that she won’t abandon him but it’s hard. 

thennnnnnnn jason dies. nico can argue that jason abandoned him all he wants but that wasn’t abandonment. jason had highschool to finish in california and it simply couldnt have gone any other way. when jason dies, the wound that was left when bianca left is reopened.

conclusions: major abandonment issues. god forbid your muse is friends with nico and then they have to leave for an extended period of time without communication for some reason and then they show up again. nico’s gonna give them hell. it won’t be pretty it won’t be nice he’s going to be upset and childish about it no matter the circumstance. it’s a major character flaw but he’s working on it. maybe.

further conclusions: re: romantic relationships. good fucking luck. it’s gotta be a 3 year slow burn at least. trying to get him to trust anyone like that is very difficult. he’d try though. maybe. it’ll be hell on his end.

further further conclusions: he’s the kind of person to leave before he gets attached in any sense of the word in the first place. oh ? you’re a friend? uhhh too bad you’re not going to see him for a solid 3 months he’s gods know where. leaving first as soon as he realizes he can trust someone so that they cant abandon him >>>

EDIT 11/18/22 - i want to make it incredibly clear that i do not condone or support the way nico rationalizes his anger and uses his grief. i thought it was obvious but it’s clearly not so here. it’s incredibly unhealthy and very selfish but it’s also a primary character flaw. thus is life. he’s working on it and that’s all we can hope for.

[the-composer]

“Hey Rubato…?” It’s a surprisingly quiet start from the half breed, her tapping her knuckles together for a moment before continuing. Almost deliberately hiding part of her face with the action. “I know it’s probably a bit obvious by now but I wanna tell you something and I want to make sure you hear it from me. Cause, y’know… we’re friends and friends are honest with each other, no matter the outcome of it and that sorta thing. Even if it could change perspectives on relationships and things like that- Which I really hope it doesn’t for us cause I really respect you and have really loved getting to know you and spend time with you and-“

A small pause to clear her throat and take a deep breath. “I know I’m probably overthinking things… Look, I… I think you’re really wonderful and it’s been amazing getting to know you. I think it kinda led to me to end up starting to develop a crush? I dunno, I’m not good with emotions cause if the whole aether thing… But I wanted ya to know, cause it didn’t feel right not telling you myself like it was some secret. I respect you a lot and I don’t wanna keep anything from you like that.” At the very least Hope’s keeping her head up, summoning what confidence she can. “I know you’re involved with folks already, as far as I can tell, and I respect that immensely, and don’t expect anything outta telling you this… I just... Value you and what we’ve started to build a lot and didn’t want to end up ruining it, over some feelings like that, y’know?” She’s trying not to fuck up. She’s REALLY trying.

@hopeful-hugz

He’d had an inkling that Hope was becoming sweet on him, but he’d mostly dismissed it as either a deeper language of friendship, or her simply being attracted to him. Either was feasible. Still, her confession came as a surprise, but not so much that it stalled his reaction. Their comfort level makes it easy to take her hands and peel back that defense obscuring her face. 

“Now that I can see your pretty face...”

“This had to have been agonizing to gear up for... It takes guts to put yourself in a vulnerable position.” He cradles her hands, thumbs rubbing soothing circles over each knuckle. “I’m glad I found you suspect enough in my city to interrogate you, and thus get the chance to discover you’re a phenomenal person. You bring joy to every space you occupy and you go out of your way to see the best in everyone you meet, and even help them become their best selves. You make people feel heard and safe and special, and I am in awe of you.” His smile thins, but doesn’t fade. “I’m not good partner material, least of all to someone like you. I... believe you’ve seen my better sides, but that’s because you shine a light on those. I’m not exaggerating when I say I am an extremely difficult romantic partner.” Cue the self deprecating giggle, though it’s more in the territory of wryly resigned. “Bitch fits, high-maintenance, insecurities out the ass... I know people insist they can handle me, but I wouldn’t impose myself on anyone. Sanae, and a fellow other-world Kiryu -- they have battle scars. Not to mention your world would not approve of us, and I’m not sure I could handle their incessant--and valid--judgement. ” He leans down to kiss her nose, and there he lingers, eye to eye. “But I like what we’re growing here, and I like how brave you are with me... We’ve got a long life, being aether and demigod... let’s see how this garden grows, hm?”

[windsandwaves]

Winds and Waves - DND

Profile artwork of Coral by @simbalvr123

Banner artwork by @doodlebriggs

When six adventurers coincidentally all find the same strange coin, they learn that these six coins serve as a random lottery to find adventurers worthy of retrieving The Heart of the Sea: an ancient artifact rumored to hold the cure for the princess of Maya's curse… However, when the princess herself finds one of these coins, she is accidentally chosen to become a part of her own rescue mission... The group must face the undead legions of an ancient demigod known as The Lich King, uncover the mysteries shrouding a forgotten organization, and follow the ashen memories of their own traumatic pasts…

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the Winds and Waves Campaign Blog! I’m very excited to be sharing this story and our characters with all of you. Before we begin though, a few housekeeping rules:

i. If at any time any of my players become uncomfortable with the content in this blog, it will be deleted.

I cannot stress this enough, the privacy and consent of my players matters most to me, first and foremost. I always try to do a vibe-check with them before posting any of our content online, and will continue to do so. This campaign is for our enjoyment, and if they ever become uncomfortable with anything that I release publicly it will be removed immediately. Which brings me to article II…

ii. We will NOT be releasing the campaign in full. Please do not share content without express approval.

Once again to respect the privacy of my players, we will NOT be releasing the DND Campaign in its entirety at this time. Some of the players are still minors, and others do not wish for their likeness to be shown online. All video clips or artwork involving my players have been thoroughly vetted and approved by them FIRST. For the privacy and safety of my players, please do NOT save or repost any of the content that you see here on any other platforms.

iii. AI is art theft and identity theft, and is not allowed whatsoever.

As stated before, many of my players are minors and do not wish for their personal identities to be made public. Please respect their personal privacy and do not attempt to recreate their characters, artwork, writing, or voices using AI. Furthermore, any stolen content will be reported and blocked.

But fanart is welcome!

If you wish to create fanart for us that’s fine, as long as you are not directly tracing or using our artwork without permission. Please have the human decency to ask us for permission before you create art related to the campaign or our characters, and most likely we will say yes!

iv. No NSFW content whatsoever.

Once again. Many of us are minors or greatly uncomfortable with NSFW subject matter. PLEASE DO NOT CREATE NSFW ARTWORK OR FANFICTION FOR WINDS AND WAVES.

v. Please keep this a safe space and don’t be an asshole.

Please show respect to myself as the Dungeon Master, all of my players, and all of my friends that enjoy this campaign. This blog is meant to be a safe-space for everyone involved, and any hatred, violence, bigotry or slander against any of the members will NOT be tolerated here. Do not attempt to doxx us, or interact with us in any inappropriate ways. If you have any issues with the campaign or its content, please kindly leave. This campaign is entirely homebrewed, and we are all a bunch of new players just enjoying the game and the story we are creating together. Please don’t be an asshole by telling us what we did “wrong” or that we aren’t “playing the game correctly.” DND has never truly been about following rules to the letter, and if we all did, there would have to be an entire college course before we ever got to play. The Rule of Cool trumps all, the DM is always right, and if the dice allow, The Fates allow.

With all of this in mind, I hope that you will enjoy this blog, and the story that we have to share.

💛 - Cove / Simbalvr123

————————

Other important stuff:

Rules and Regulations for Asks

All DND Characters and NPCs

[likeafairytale]

“ I missed you so much! I have so many things to tell you. ” - Anastasia hugging Miakoda and not wanting to let go after her and Achilles saved her

Miakoda was still in a daze when Anastasia hugged her. She barely could move, still weak from the drugs and the lack of blood, but somehow she succeeded to put her arms around the girl. Even if she wasn't hugging her as tight as she wanted, the gist was there. The vampire closed her eyes and put her face into the demigoddess' neck. At this moment, she knew she was finally safe, and she couldn't help but silently cry into the arms of her friend. Anastasia wasn't truly surprised by her reaction, and didn't even want to think about what she had been through since the last time they meet each others. The lycan hummed to the vampire to appeased her while stroking her hair, making her understand that she was in good hands now, that nothing will ever happen to her anymore.

“Thank you.” Miakoda succeeded to say through her tears.

“It's fine, I'm here.” Anastasia reassured, still stroking her hair. “I won't let you again. I promise.”

“I missed you too. Very much.”

This made Anastasia smile brightly, before she kissed the vampire's cheek. After a moment, Achilles arrived. He succeeded to implant a fake memory into the seller's mind, making him believe he paid the 15 000 dollars he owed him for the woman, and the seller didn't doubt his own memory. The demigod was proud of him. He had a smile on his face, but the smile faded the moment Miakoda saw him and left Anastasia's arms with difficulty, stepping back from them both. It was clear that the girl did not trust men, and seeing what happened sooner, Achilles could understand why. He automatically raised his both hands to show her he did not want her any harms, he even stepped back to let her more space. Anastasia, as for her, looked at both of them before coming between them, looking at Miakoda.

“No, it's fine! He is a friend.” She reassured, but she could see that Miakoda was still wary.

“He is the one who bought me... No friends do that."

“I'm the one who asked him. I needed you with us, and that was the only way.” Anastasia explained, and it seemed to appeased Miakoda. “I needed you to be free.”

“But he paid for me. I'm not free, I belong to him.”

“We didn't really pay, we lied about that. So technically, you are free. You belong to no one. Believe me. Achilles will never hurt you.”

“Hmm...” Achilles said, clearing his throat. “Can both of you speak in a language I know, please?”

Anastasia frowned, visibly a little confused by his words, before realizing that Miakoda and her were speaking in Miakoda's native tongue. The demigoddess couldn't help but laugh at that and shook her head a little. But Miakoda was still wary of Achilles. She came closer to Anastasia, took her hand, but stay away from the man, who stepped back once more. He felt a bit of hurt, for he always thought he was someone worth being trusted but seeing how suspicious the girl was, he started to doubted that.

“Miakoda, this is Achilles. My best friend. I told you about him once or twice.”

“Only once or twice?” Achilles asked, offended.

“Oh... He is the one who angered your Gods...”

“That's what you said about me? Not how nice I was, or how good of an illusionist I was. But how I angered the Gods?”

“Shut up.” Anastasia laughed and winked at him. “Achilles, this is Miakoda. We were... roommates, if we can say that like that, in a temple. We escaped together and stayed together for a while. But somehow we were separated.”

Miakoda relaxed a little now that she kind of knew who was the man in front of her. But she stayed near Anastasia anyway. The demigoddess started to walk, she wanted to be as far away as this stupid place as possible, still holding Miakoda's hand in one side, while she took Achilles arm on the other side. The woman seemed in a particularly good mood now, and was leading the two others in a park, for she wanted to be in a quiet place with them, far away from people gaze. She sat on the ground, not caring about her pretty dress, Achilles and Miakoda did the same. For a while, they stayed silence. Achilles was looking at people passing by, looking at them with puzzled look for being on the ground, which quite amused him. Miakoda was playing with the grass, pulling it off in order to occupy her mind. She was still in a daze, which is why her head was resting on Anastasia shoulder, while she closed her eyes. Anastasia, as for her, was looking at the clear sky, and a thought went through her mind. She turned around to face Miakoda, bringing hers and Achilles' attention on the lycan.

“Wait, how can you walk in the daylight?!” She suddenly asked, confusing her two friends.

“Oh, thanks to this.” Miakoda answered, showing her one of her ring, a pretty one with a half moon and a star in it. “I met a witch, in Salem. She was nice, and she knew a spell to make me walk in the daytime.”

“That's fantastic! We will be able to do so many things together!” Anastasia couldn't help her enthusiasm, and that made Achilles laughed a little. Then, her smile turned into a frowned. “You must be hungry, aren't you? What did they use to make you so weak? When was the last time you truly ate?”

For a moment, Miakoda said nothing. She toyed with her bracelet, a bit nervous. Her eyes went from Anastasia to Achilles, –who was still at a good distance of her, and was barely listening, letting the two women catching up– before she looked at the ground, going back to pull the grass off. The girl could barely remember the last few weeks to be honest. She knew she was drugged daily, in order to keep her as weak as possible, because the seller knew what she was. They didn't think it was important to tell the buyer, though, after all they just wanted the money, who cares what happened to the women and the buyers after that? The vampire sighed a little, before she laid down on the ground, looking at the sky.

“They used something called vervain. It makes me very weak, and it hurts a lot...” She finally answered, while Anastasia laid down next to her, her head pressed against Miakoda's shoulder. “I think the last time I really eat was three weeks ago.”

“Three weeks?!” Anastasia repeated while raising. “Oh, no, no, no. come here, drink from me.”

“No, I...”

“Shut up and do it. No one will notice. Ash, keep an eye on people, please.”

The young man did not understand what she meant by that, but he obliged. He looked around, but no one was in the park or at least not the part they were in. from the corner of his eyes, he saw Anastasia rolling her sleeve and handed her arm to Miakoda. Achilles was puzzled, until he saw a hesitant Miakoda sticking her teeth into Anastasia's wrist. The lycan sighed a little with displeasure for it probably hurt a little, but did not move for all that. The two demigods looked at Miakoda drinking thirstily from Anastasia, who slowly started to lose her balanced. Achilles came closer and hold his best friend, so she won't fall on the ground, and Miakoda seemed to be aware of that for she immediately stopped drinking.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't want t-”

“It's all fine. As long as you feel better, it's fine. I have plenty of blood.” Anastasia said with amusement.

“You could have told me she was a vampire!” Achilles intervened, which made Anastasia frowned.

“Does that change anything?”

“No, of course not, but I would have loved to know this piece of information sooner. Before seeing her in action, for example.”

“You're being too dramatic.”

“You both are funny.”

Miakoda's words bring Achilles' and Anastasia's attention to her. She laughed, and they couldn't help but smile at that. Anastasia, although a little weak due to the loss of blood, came closer to Miakoda and hugged her tight. This time, the vampire was able to hugged her back properly. Yes she felt still a bit in the daze, but thanks to Anastasia's blood, she felt better, she regained some colours and was less weak than before. Who knew that demigods' blood were more powerful than human blood. Once again, Anastasia kissed Miakoda's cheek, making her smile and giggle a little.

“I thought about you all the time, you know. We shouldn't have been separated.”

“I thought of you too. Every full moon, especially.”

“All of this is quite touching, really, but it's getting late, ladies. Let's find a place to spend the night.” The women agreed to Achilles words, and they all got up in order to find aninn to rest for the night.

[keiraleth]

Books Read in 2022 (Part IV/V)

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

Here are all the books I’ve read in 2022.

RATING: 5/5 = All-Time Favorite | 4/5 = Loved It | 3/5 = Liked It | 2/5 = It’s Complicated | 1/5 = Not For Me

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

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Read in German | Rating: 5/5

  “Don't feel bad, I'm usually about to die.”

Summary: Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears at his potential new school, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

Read in English | Rating: 5/5

“When faced with a choice, humans almost invariably seek a no-action, no-change option, even when one of the presented alternatives is quantifiably and logically more advantageous.”

Summary: Britain, the not-too-distant future. Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test. He wants his family to belong. Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress. When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death. How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Read in English | Rating: 4/5

“Cora didn't know what optimistic meant. She asked the other girls that night if they were familiar with the word. None of them had heard it before. She decided that it meant trying.”

Summary: Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood--where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned--Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Read in German | Rating: 5/5

“Why have I survived? Because I am a creature more devious than all the other mes put together. Because I saw myself bleeding out and instead of checking for a pulse, I began collecting her things. I survive the desert like a coyote survives, like all tricksters do.”

Summary: Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total. On this Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now she has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security. But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Read in German | Rating: 3/5

“There have,” said I, “been numerous petty thefts.” Holmes snorted his contempt. “This great and sombre stage is set for something more worthy than that,” said he. “It is fortunate for this community that I am not a criminal.”    

Summary: 'His Last Bow', the title story of this collection, tells how Sherlock Holmes is brought out of retirement to help the Government fight the German threat at the approach of the First World War. The Prime Minister himself requests Holmes's services to hunt down the remarkable German agent, Von Bork. Several of the detective's earlier cases complete the volume, including 'Wisteria Lodge', 'The Bruce-Partington Plans', and 'The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax'. In 'The Dying Detective', Dr Watson is horrified to discover Holmes at death's door from a mysterious tropical disease as his friend lays a trap for a murderer.