#would definitely be interesting for Atreus to meet them in any future GoW stories...

[thewoollyviking]

The remaining Olympians doing a headcount after Kratos leaves Greece to fuck around in Midgard

[storiesofwildfire]

Voices

           { closed GOW starter for @thisforgottenlore }

♔—- Traveling with their father had never been a particularly easy thing. Atreus loved to talk and talk and talk and their father was very much the opposite. Most days, it was a struggle to get Kratos to hold even the briefest of conversations and when they’d been younger, they thought it was a sign of how much their father did not like them or wish to be around them. Now, however, they understood that it wasn’t Kratos’ disdain or annoyance ( okay, sometimes it was annoyance. Atreus could be a lot and they knew it, especially when boredom crept up on them. They could definitely get carried away... ), it just came with their father. He wasn’t one for much idle chitchat and he much preferred listening to his child than trying to entertain them with stories that were, admittedly, awful.

Carting Mimir around helped alleviate the constant quiet, though, and his stories were always engaging. They usually kept Atreus quiet for a little while, at least until the countless questions poured through. Mimir always had such interesting and useful information, but it always made the young Godling more curious, if nothing else.

But as they grew older and they faced more and more trials sent at them by Odin, King of the Aesir, their travels grew more and more stressful. Not only was Atreus growing into a young... adult--they really didn’t want to dive into the whole gender thing right now. While they did believe Kratos had sort of caught onto their shift in preferences for the few times they winced at being called or snapped at by the ever-loved ‘boy’, Atreus hadn’t actually gotten around to admitting to their father that their identity unfolded to be much more complicated.

And, in truth, they were still confused about it themselves, so how could they have a conversation with someone who didn’t really converse much? It seemed silly to be so conscious about something that they knew Kratos likely wouldn’t care about or scold them for, but they worried nevertheless. The pair put so much work into their relationship and actually getting to a healthy spot where they were not only comfortable with one another but happy despite their chaotic way of living and the danger that kept following them no matter where they went.

To have something ruin that... it frightened the poor Godling more than they wanted to admit.

But that only scratched the surface. As Atreus grew older, their magic grew at an alarming rate, quickly proving that its potency mixed with the seemingly endless range they actually possessed were a force of nature, something that most would not want to stand against, if only Atreus could keep such power under control. Sometimes they felt like they were making good progress, but there were always incidents where it ran away from them and there was nothing they could do to stop it. 

Kratos could help with certain aspects. After all, some of Atreus’ abilities came straight from him, especially their manipulation of fire, but it became evident very quickly that Atreus’ abilities surpassed that of what Kratos could do. Much of Faye’s magic lived on in her child and they were sorely lacking a proper mentor for everything that their father could not touch them. Sometimes, that definitely manifested a serious problem.

And then there were the voices...

Sometimes--most of the time--it was just emotion that they picked up on. Deducing certain situations or dangers purely from the mood of a person or creature became like second nature to them, but other times, it wasn’t just a feeling of great emotional response. Voices manifested in their mind from time-to-time and it was always a terrifying experience. Were they losing their own mind and losing grip on reality? Were the voices their own? Were they even real? Or did they come from an outside source? They’d already experienced Odin and other undesirable voices pushing their way into their mind and a few times, that manipulation was even enough to get them to act out, especially before they realized what was happening or how to combat it.

Putting up mental barriers wasn’t an easy task by any means, but it did... help. Sometimes, but Atreus needed to be focused and on guard at all times for them to be practical and oftentimes, they simply didn’t have the energy to do so. Perhaps they’d learn a better method of protecting their mind in the future, but the maybes always seemed so far away at best and impossible feats at worst.

Besides, some voices, despite not fully understanding where they came from or even if they were real, were good company. They weren’t all malicious and sometimes they even called for help or simply sought a companion.

One voice in particular--or rather, a group of voices--drew Atreus in, making them forget most of their worries about the intrusion in their mind. The Vanir, they knew, like Freya! They heard multiple voices, but a few always came to the forefront. A woman who often commented on how beautiful they were or how beautiful their magic was. Could they see them, Atreus wondered? A few other female voices cropped up frequently enough for Atreus to recognize them, but the one who spoke with them the most was a male, much younger than the others, more appropriately aligned with their own age.

They often offered Atreus guidance or warning to dangers that they had yet to face. Sometimes they even gave tips on magic and how to perform certain spells without the risk of harming themselves or someone else. While that voice was very helpful, there were also times where Atreus would be lying down beside the fire at night and he would just want to... chat with the young godling.

Heimdall, he eventually introduced himself formally. Atreus supposed that after a time of their growing connection, he grew confident enough to trust them with more personal information. Or, alternatively, if they were imagining this person, perhaps they were just projecting a personality and history onto the voice? Gut instinct told them that wasn’t the case, though. Every bit of information, every warning, and every time advice was offered, it turned out to be true. How could Atreus make those things up when they were so far outside of their own knowledge or understanding?

Atreus didn’t tell Kratos about Heimdall, though. For the most part, they were rather transparent with their father about the voices, especially when their delivery wasn’t just evident, but too painful to hide, but Heimdall was different from most of them. Personally attracted to the sound of them and often deeply engaged for hours when Kratos wasn’t awake or around to watch them too closely, Atreus truly felt as if they’d grown close to this person despite never meeting them in a physical sense.  

Heimdall seemed particularly chatty tonight. He kept trying to get Atreus’ attention despite Atreus sitting across the fire from his father, cooking dinner over the open flame for them. After about twenty solid minutes of trying to focus on what their father said while Heimdall’s alluring voice bounced around their skull, they sighed and slowly pushed themselves up. 

“The stew’s ready,” they announced. “But we’re out of water. I’m going to walk down to the creek to refill our canteens. Be back shortly.”

Before Kratos had time to oppose or invite himself along, Atreus skipped away from their impromptu camp and made quick work of dashing towards the creek which was more of an actual river than a creek.

“That lad is definitely hiding something,” Mimir commented as Atreus disappeared into the settling darkness. “You know that, don’t you? Perhaps you should try talking to them...”

Fortunately, Atreus was far enough away to not overhear that little exchange. All of their attention shifted to Heimdall anyway. Kratos could have followed after them, called out to them, and they likely wouldn’t have heard him.

“I’m sorry,” they whispered, and while they did mutter it aloud, they knew they didn’t actually have to for Heimdall to hear them. They’d had plenty of conversation in the middle of the night when Kratos was asleep right beside them and they had to keep themselves quiet so he wouldn’t wake up and interrupt or, rather... catch them. The idea of catching them in the act almost felt on par with other unmentionable pleasures that a child would never want their parent to see or suspect.

“My father and I settled into camp late tonight. We haven’t wrapped up dinner yet, but I managed to peel myself away, for a bit, anyway. Are you all right? You aren’t normally so eager if I don’t answer straight away.”

Not that Atreus ever really kept Heimdall waiting. They always tried to find an excuse to speak with him and they even went as far as to set up a schedule with Heimdall when he could speak without fear of Kratos or Mimir interfering. 

“Did you miss me?” they teased and grinned to themselves.