Why we must treat to Deities in general, with respect? (...Or how talking about them in bad terms, could land you into a deep trouble!)

    If any of you have readed my first post of class about Paganism; called ''Paganism Class 101: 10 What to do, AND... What not to do.'', I mentioned in the point no 7; than I saw Aphrodite angry, once; so... Is time to tell that story in deep, 'cause people tends to see to Aphrodite; as only a Goddess than is only love and giggles, and people ignore the other side of Aphrodite; than is not ''so lovely and fluffy'', as they may think... (For a full info about Aphrodite's other Dominions and Powers, read my post of Pagan Misconceptions Clarified; called: ‘’Pagan Misconceptions Clarified: Why Aphrodite, Is NOT; ''Only The Sexy Goddess of Love, Sex; Beauty and Sensuality?!'')

    This happened, when I was 19 years old; and this the story of why Aphrodite was angry that day, and the aftermath of it:

    I was with one of my siblings, talking of Greek Gods and Goddesses; in the afternoon of a day of June than was fresh, and we doesn't have energy in the house in that moment. (Which for lack of energy for the TV, or any devices for entertainment in the moment; and saving the Inverter for watching TV at night; justified talking of any subject, while we wait than Energy or The Night; came first) At some point, we started to talk about Aphrodite; and this is where my sibling, said what shouldn't never being said about Aphrodite: She said than she disagree about one thing about Aphrodite, and was about ''her behaviour in Love'', and... Than she was a Goddess of ''Questionable Moral...'' (This relative said it with pride, like she should be proud of still being a virgin in that moment; waiting for the right person to love: The last part, it wasn't a trouble: The insult... Definitly was the real problem in itself!) Moments later, I felt this huge energy at my left; while I was shocked of what my sibling said so carelessly about a Goddess, and when I looked at Aphrodite by the corner of my left eye... I saw Aphrodite, in a way I have never saw her before: She was, really ANGRY at my sibling's irrespectful words against her! As soon I saw Aphrodite's face and understand than the energy I felt, was agressive towards my sibling... I told to my sibling, very angrily her name; and then... She started to speaked in a more respectful manner about Aphrodite, and Aphrodite; disappeared a moment later.

    I will liked to say, than this is the end of the story... (But... You only just have readed, the beginning of this story!)

    My sibling, never apologized in any moment; about her irrespectful and awful comment. (I was angry too, 'cause even if you don't believe in Gods and Goddesses 100%; you have to respected them anyway, and I already had a close relation with Aphrodite; and hearing than comment, makes me felt very angry first; and a bit later, I felt hurt; too: Aphrodite never did nothing to this person... And she insulted her in the worst way, without knowing nothing about Aphrodite; except for a few lines about her in important dictionaries, and the mostly poor portrayals of Aphrodite in The Media: How, she DARE?!) I was only certain of something, after this sibling left to go to College: If you are desperately searching for Love... Making Aphrodite angry at you, is never a good idea...

   Time passed, and I even forget the blasphemy; from a long time...

    ...The sibling in question, got married after many years of searching the ideal person to fulfill her dreams of Love; leaved the country, and she was really happy in her wedding day: It seems than, she really had found the person worthy of her love.

   A few years ago, she started to say than the relationship was totally happy... Until the first year of marriage: The things were so bad between them, than they had to search professional counceling. And during the first months of Pandemic, she said than the relation was falling apart; two or three years before this Pandemic started. (He didn't even tried to being a loving husband anymore, and she didn't even tried to look as when they met; anymore: They only standed each other for the kids, whose doesn't have the fault of anything in the marriage.) He was so apathetic, than after putting carelessly the welfare of one of the kids in danger, she decided than this was the last straw: She demanded the divorce, she foughted and gained the children's custody in an painful battle; and today; she lives with her kids, while she is now despising to the person she once loved; and that she swore to love, forever.

    After I while, I remembered that summer's day; and then I realized something: Aphrodite's punishment, was fulfilled. (Like I said, once: ''Aphrodite... Doesn't takes blasphemy, kindly!...'')

    This is the story of a very foolish young woman, than dreamt with marries in love of a good man; and remain married all of her life... And losed everything for falling in love with the wrong person, blamed him of anything wrong in marriage when she have flaws to work too; and... For never apologized to the only Goddess, than would have helped her to found someone less difficult, than would garantized her of keeping the Love alive in her marriage; if she only had said with humility and with all sincerity, from the bottom of her heart: ''I'm sorry, Goddess Aphrodite; and forgive me for my foolish words: ...I'm only an stupid human being!''

    Like I heared once in my favorite Anime, (My apologies to anyone than hated, or dislike the genre) ''A Human being, will never judge to another Human Being; like they were a God!'' Or... In this case, in particular: ''A Human Being, should never judge to a God; like they were too a God!'': The Gods and Goddesses, will never abused of their power; 'cause they are bound to respect Free Will, and they are very fair; but, speaking ill about them and without reason; or for feel a fake sense of proud, (like this person did, feeling so morale; than decided to speak of a Goddess in an very judgemental and derogatory way) and now; she is suffering the consecuencies for her foolishness, and for her inflated pride.

    As I have said, in my first post of Class of Paganism: ''Don’t disrespect a Deity, (Or, any other Spiritual Being) because is not of your Pantheon; culture, or… You dislike, or hate him/her/them: Is truth… You don’t have to love to ALL THE GODS, Ok?! (But… You have to respect them, and to the followers of the same God/Goddess/Gods; than you are so happy to dislike, or hate!) They are powerful beings, and The best way to live a happy life, is leave them be: If you said, or do something you shouldn’t; apologize sincerely, and... Don’t do it, again!''

   This is an advice I should have publicizes, a long time ago: If you are searching for love, don't be like my sister... And never insult to Aphrodite! (In fact?!... Let's don't say hurtful and irrespectful things to any Deity, even if you don't believes or likes that Deity; so we can live a less troubled life, Okay?!)

   Than respect to The Deities, becomes a part of your practices; for now on... So Be It!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐃𝐎𝐕𝐄 [𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑]

synopsis: kageyama did not expect to see his former manager from kitagawa daiichi to be in karasuno, especially he did not expect to be dragged by said female to the volleyball gym on their first day back in school.

featuring: seijoh, date tech, nekoma, fukurodani (more to be added soon)

genre: platonic, fluff, angst(?)

warning(s): spoilers (if you haven’t watched the anime or read the manga), swearing

note(s): added a few events from my imagination but most of the scenes are canon. also, i’m still in the process of learning the japanese culture. so please correct me if i’m wrong in some scenes, i would greatly appreciate it. <33

additional note(s): japanese honorifics will be italicized

Hayami’s POV

“I’ll challenge you”, Hinata-kun declared.

“Hey! Daichi-san is still talking!”, Tanaka-senpai scolded the two boys.

Oh, so his name is Daichi. He must be the team captain based on how he presents himself.

“Challenge me to what?”, Tobio-kun asked.

“Tobio-kun, Hinata-kun, let’s calm down for—”, but I was also interrupted.

“Volleyball, what else?”, the orange-haired boy said.

“How do you expect to challenge me one-on-one?”, the ravenette questioned.

“L-like a passing contest!”

“Guys, listen—”, I tried one more time as I saw the captain’s irked expression, but was ignored again.

“How do you compete at passing?”, I mentally facepalmed at their petty challenge.

“Listen, damn it!”, but before Tanaka-senpai was able to continue his scolding, the vice principal entered the gym.

“What’s the commotion, volleyball club? You’d better not be fighting”, he stopped besides Daichi-senpai.

“Of course not. Just a friendly rivalry, right?”, the captain looked back at us.

“Hai!”, I immediately answered and smiled at the vice principal.

“This vice principal likes to make trouble, so keep it down”, Tanaka-senpai whispered without taking his eyes off the newcomer.

“Serve! I’ll return them all”, of course the two boys were in their own world and did not notice the vice principal.

“Hey!” “Hinata-kun!”, Tanaka-senpai and I simultaneously shouted.

But they still ignored us and continued with their challenge. That’s when everything went downhill.

Hinata-kun’s receive accidentally hit the vice principal which made his wig flew off.

We were all too stunned to speak. After composing himself, the vice principal called the captain to privately talk to him about the unexpected event.

Thank God we were not given a punishment and it’s just the first day of school.

But Daichi-senpai scolded the two boys as they continued to bicker after the vice principal left. He ordered them to accept each other as teammates and pushed them out of the gym with their club application form.

I was able to stay inside the gym and monitored the play styles of the three senpai. I was also able to meet the current team manager and she’s so beautiful like a goddess.

When night came, we heard the shouts of the two boys.

“Captain! Let us challenge you to a match!”, Tobio-kun and Hinata-kun said with determination.

“The two of us against you senpais”, the orange-haired boy added.

Then, they counted and shouted again at the same time.

“We’ll prove that we can cooperate as a team”, I stand dumbfounded beside Suga-senpai while Tanaka-senpai laughed at what they said.

“I heard them say ‘one-two’…”, the senpai beside me said with an amused tone.

“But I can’t say I dislike these guys”, Tanaka-senpai chuckled.

“And what if you lose?”, the captain asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

“We’ll endure any penalty”, Tobio-kun said.

“Then now’s the time. There are two other first-year applicants besides you guys”, Daichi-senpai accepted their challenge and gave the mechanics, “It’ll be a three-on-three match against them.”

“We always play this game every year, just to see what the new members are made of”, he continued.

“But how does it become three-on-three?”, Hinata-kun asked, “Who’s our other team member?”

I also listened carefully to the captain’s instructions as I wanted to help the two boys even though they both kind of made me angry earlier.

“Tanaka, I want you to be on Hinata’s side”, the captain ordered.

Tanaka-senpai, huh? He’s kind of good based on my observations earlier, he can also help Hinata-kun and Tobio-kun to fully accept each other as teammates.

“What? Why me?!”, Tanaka-senpai protested.

“You don’t dislike them, right?”, Daichi­-senpai reasoned.

“That doesn’t mean I want to play with them”, the two boys’ face showed dejection upon their senpai’s honest statement.

“I see. I thought you’d be the only one here who could discipline these troublemakers”, I can easily distinguish the fake sad tone that the captain used.

However, I don’t think that Tanaka-senpai noticed it as he suddenly agreed to be Tobio-kun and Hinata-kun’s teammate.

“Oh well! I guess it can’t be helped”, Tanaka-senpai proudly stated, “I’ll do it.”

Sigh. I didn’t think he would be the simple-minded type. But at least the boys can finally play soon.

“Aren’t you glad?”, Tanaka-senpai went in front of Hinata-kun and aggressively patted his shoulder.

“And if you lose the match, as long as we, third-years, are here, Kageyama will never play setter”, Daichi-senpai announced in final.

“What?”, Tobio-kun and I simultaneously whispered, in shock about the mechanics of their challenge.

“That’s all?”, Hinata-kun asked.

“That’s because our team can’t win with a self-centered setter”, the captain said, “A guy who banks on his skills, but loses.”

I looked away while clenching my fist, not noticing the irked expression of the ravenette.

“Tobio-kun is not self-centered”, I whispered to myself, “He’s just misunderstood because he doesn’t know how to express himself properly.”

Suga-senpai heard me and patted my head, as if calming me down. I bowed my head and stared at my shoes, still processing the things that the captain said not long ago.

“What’s the matter?”, Daichi-senpai provoked, “I’m not ejecting you from the club.”

I gritted my teeth at his tone, trying not to talk back to the captain.

Hayami, calm down. You know Tobio-kun can do this.

“You’d be good in other positions, too, wouldn’t you?”, he continued.

I heard Tobio-kun gasped but I still did not lift my head up.

“I’m a setter!”, he shouted.

Don’t worry.

“Then win”, Daichi-senpai said.

I’ll help you win, Tobio-kun.

“You’re here because you think you can win by yourself, right?”, the captain continued, “The game will be on Saturday morning.”

I promise.

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 || 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 || 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

author’s note: i apologize for the late update. again. sdhsdfgdhd. i often have mental blocks and idek why. also, i apologize for this short chapter but i just want to skip to the good parts hehe. i’ll try to post the next chapter either on saturday or sunday. i hope you enjoy this chapter! <3

taglist(s): @amarinthe​ @jiminslajibolala​ @sunukissed​

© 2021 copyright. all rights reserved. tsukki-ga-kirei

hades sentence starters

❝ somebody else came through earlier. you should have seen the look on my face when it wasn’t you! ❞ ❝ let’s forgive each other and forget, go back to how things used to be? ❞ ❝ right now i wouldn’t talk to me if i were you. ❞ ❝ i’ll have to pick up the pieces somehow, and figure out how to get on with my existence. ❞ ❝ we have caused such violence in the intervening time, that we must take this as a real victory. ❞ ❝ i’ll wait for you however long it takes. ❞ ❝ i’m sorry. but this is something i have to do. you wouldn’t understand. ❞ ❝ the only one responsible for all of this is you. and i thought even you would have understood that by now. ❞ ❝ i don’t like it when you’re quiet for too long, what’s on your mind? ❞ ❝ what is it with you gods talking behind the backs of all your friends? ❞ ❝ the world you seek out there...it’s even crueler than the one you know. ❞ ❝ look, i don’t hold grudges, you know that. ❞ ❝ i’m worried you’re going to burn yourself out if you keep pushing yourself past your limits. ❞ ❝ your lapse in judgement here is not so easy to forgive, yet easily punished. ❞ ❝ i didn’t mean to lose my temper with you. ❞ ❝ the fates are pretty mean to keep on doing this to you. ❞ ❝ i hardly think this is the time or place to indulge your overwrought imagination. ❞ ❝ for our sparring practice, there's no teacher than the real thing. ❞ ❝ they say a lot of things about me; and they’ll tell you, ample caution is in order. ❞ ❝ either your limitless power has considerably waned, are you are up to something. ❞ ❝ i risked everything by helping you out there. ❞ ❝ my voice is nothing but the crunch of gravel underfoot compared to yours, which soars as though on wings. ❞ ❝ to doubt is an important instinct. without it, we could not conceive of better circumstances than the ones we know. ❞ ❝ let’s not set a bad example for the family. we’re better than all that, they’ve many bad examples as it is. ❞ ❝ you are persuasive like your mother, and determined like your father. ❞ ❝ if you think for an instant that i shall go easier on you, you’ll soon learn otherwise. ❞ ❝ is clinging to a memory what keeps the soul from fading? ❞ ❝ don’t know what it is about you, but i feel like i can be me with you, you know? ❞ ❝ war, much like the heavens and the sea, can be considered as a force of nature. ❞ ❝ if you know that you could only see me for but a moment’s time...would you still make the journey for me? ❞ ❝ i, too, wish for a lot of things. unfortunately there’s no unraveling the fates’ patterns. ❞ ❝ i left when it was necessary. i thought of you and hoped you’d understand. ❞ ❝ all of which you think you have achieved was merely handed to you. ❞     ❝ the past me, it’s as though...it wasn’t even me. this is me, now. ❞ ❝ in war, one must take sides, and you had best choose mine. ❞ ❝ i do not act by whim or by mistake. ❞ ❝ i just don’t understand. why keep on being nice to me, like this? ❞ ❝ you’re so much more than what you said. i wish you could see that. ❞ ❝ it’s really nice, sometimes...knowing somebody really cares about me. ❞ ❝ my father? he’d not a one redeeming quality. ❞ ❝ we can learn from our mistakes or we can keep repeating them. ❞     ❝ there’s nothing you can do to hurt me. ❞     ❝ soon doubtless it’ll be your portrait hanging on that wall back there. ❞ ❝ just don’t go starting any wars you don’t intend to finish. ❞ ❝ you do something for me, in the meantime: don’t give in to what you’re feeling now. ❞ ❝ it is not often i attempt to kill someone and they survive. bravo! ❞ ❝ why does the soul remain, after the body bleeds, and dies, and turns to ash? ❞ ❝ all gods and goddesses are to be feared. ❞ ❝ what more could i have even done? could i have swayed you, in any other way? ❞ ❝ i tried, with all my might, with all my heart, you must know that, and still, it never was enough. ❞ ❝ i’m pleased to see your father’s stubbornness is manifest in you as such determination. ❞ ❝ i’m really starting to hate you. you know that? ❞ ❝ know that i am grateful for the outcome. even if i fail to act like it ❞ ❝ i’m with you every step. then i will probably ignore you like the rest. just warning you ahead of time. ❞ ❝ i only wish we met sooner, though i’m grateful to have met you at all. ❞ ❝ you work too hard. live a little. ❞ ❝ i warn you: i shall hold nothing back. ❞ ❝ that’s something very private that you’re asking... ❞ ❝ use caution with the tone you take with me. ❞ ❝ if you have any sense remaining in that head of yours, i caution you not to discuss this here and now. ❞ ❝ you saw something in me i never knew was there. in turn, with you, i felt....calm. whole. ❞ ❝ i only know that i was filled with rage. ❞ ❝ the fates decided this for us, i guess, and so...who are we to complain? ❞ ❝ i pray the fates not ruin all your dreams as they did mine. ❞ ❝ what’s the worst that could happen? ❞ ❝ they left their mark upon the world. shall you? ❞ ❝ your mockery of me may temporarily embolden you, but achieves nothing useful in the end. ❞ ❝ what exactly is it that makes you feel entitled to show me such disrespect? ❞ ❝ i’ve got to admit, you are really frustrating, you know? ❞ ❝ i seem to have this whole ‘easy-to-underestimate’ thing about me. ❞ ❝ you seem a little quieter than usual. dare i even say a little somber and remorseful, for some reason? ❞ ❝ it’s because i like you. in case you still have some misgivings about that. ❞ ❝ keep following that heart of yours. it’s good enough a guide, believe me. ❞ ❝ you always seem in good spirits, though. ❞ ❝ i cannot change the past. and there is only so much i can do about the future. ❞ ❝ a loving heart is a forgiving heart. ❞ ❝ just in case it hasn’t been made clear as crystal lately, let me tell you: when presented with the opportunity, don’t ever reject me. ❞ ❝ you know, i got to say i had a few concerns when we first met, your father being who he is and all. ❞ ❝ i like it when my prey bites back. ❞ ❝ my attempts at making peace are going to be rather subtle for your tastes. ❞ ❝ you'd best not take for granted my affection yes, i’ve lots of it to go around; but i can just as easily rescind such privileges. ❞ ❝ don't be messing with my feelings. my loyalty's hard-won and quickly lost. ❞ ❝ the truth is i’m a lover, not a fighter. ❞ ❝ if i may say? you’re a hell of a guy. ❞ ❝ you truly take me to the best of places. ❞ ❝ death shall come. either to your enemies, or you. ❞ ❝ a mortal’s life is short, and fraught with pain; is that truly the life you yearn for? ❞ ❝ you think you are superior to me? you are a fool. ❞ ❝ even i have doubts, from time to time. ❞ ❝ i wasn’t expecting to make any new friends here anytime soon. ❞ �� i grow angry merely thinking of your situation. ❞ ❝ i wanted to apologize for when i pried about your past. ❞ ❝ nobody gets out of here, whether alive or dead. you think i jest? you think i haven’t tried? ❞ ❝ they got me, finally, of course. but not before i broke them first. ❞ ❝ you are immortal, but in a manner, you can die. ❞ ❝ you have a lot of nerve --- but little else. ❞ ❝ oh, you look terrible, if i may say. ❞ ❝ you’re either naive or you’re much too kind, or both. ❞ ❝ despite whatever difficulties you’ve encountered, again and again, you have never yielded. ❞ ❝ though, that war? don’t ask me about it again. all right? ❞ ❝ you may not make your father very proud, but it is just the opposite with me. ❞ ❝ even i’m beginning to fear you, i think. seems i don’t know you as well as i thought. ❞ ❝ you have a worried look about you. spare me your thoughts? ❞ ❝ names are there to be forgotten. ❞ ❝ it’s not your fault. you couldn’t have known. ❞ ❝ i know it’s not been easy for you. ❞ ❝ you honor me...i have done nothing to deserve this. ❞ ❝ oh, how i hate to fight with you like this! ❞ ❝ follow your heart? that’s odd advice, especially from you. ❞ ❝ the fear of death keeps mortals well in check. you’d best learn to fear something yourself. ❞ ❝ you are going to get me in a heap of trouble before all is said and done. ❞ ❝ i'll hear no more such wicked lies, half-truths, or quarter-truths. ❞ ❝ well, if you won’t say it, i’ll say it. good-bye. ❞ ❝ i know of no one, nothing stronger, other than the love we share. ❞ ❝ i’ve some memories i’m not quite ready to give up on, yet. ❞ ❝ you seem less warlike than the rest. ❞ ❝ can’t always trust what feelings say. ❞ ❝ my temper i shall keep in check, but only barely so. ❞ ❝ i am unmade, unwhole, here in this place, alone. ❞ ❝ my past is not really worth mentioning. ❞ ❝ you may not really need me, but i will take these opportunities to help. ❞ ❝ you sound a little tongue-tied. just like you always used to around me. ❞     ❝ you should be ashamed of yourself, and learn your place. ❞ ❝ this look like a shoulder to cry on to you? ❞ ❝ ...you know who you sound like right now, don’t you? i can’t believe this. ❞     ❝ i think, deep down, you are still that inexperienced little godling that you used to be. ❞ ❝ i always had doubts the gods were listening. that they could even hear. ❞ ❝ i was just checking up on you, just...let me know if you wanted to talk, for any reason. ❞ ❝ if there’s one thing i know, it’s that the three fates always get their way. ❞ ❝ hey, you’re not alone. you’re not alone, ok? ❞ ❝ you're not exactly easy to approach, you know. ❞          ❝ i grieve for you, my friend. ❞ ❝ are you lecturing me about healthy relationships with family? your family is the most broken and corrupted in the history of the entire concept. ❞ ❝ you think you can just walk away from me? ❞ ❝ how about it, then? care for a drink, with me? ❞     ❝ you are entirely too young to have had meaningful experience with loss. ❞ ❝ something the matter, there? or have you come to torment me some more with idle chat? ❞ ❝ you will find me waiting for you once you get here. every single time. ❞ ❝ men worship ares willingly; they are so much like him. ❞ ❝ while love’s the force that brought me and countless other’s low in life, it also brought me and countless others strength. ❞ ❝ others shall always doubt me. you may doubt me. ❞ ❝ beware the narrow distance between hastiness and swiftness. ❞ ❝ a crashing wave or thundering tempest are nothing to a broken heart. ❞ ❝ think back on when you started all of this. you now know so much more. are capable of so much more. ❞ ❝ as ever, you think only of yourself. ❞ ❝ this is where you belong. you feel out of place? where would you even go? your place is here. ❞ ❝ your path is yours to shape as you see fit, regardless of the fates’ design. ❞ ❝ you’re no god! you’re nothing but a piece of trash, born into all of this. ❞ ❝ you seem to have me all figured out. and here i thought we were still getting to know each other. ❞ ❝ are there truly no depths to which you would not stoop? ❞ ❝ leave me be, and don’t think you’re going to be so lucky next time we meet out there. ❞ ❝ you have the tendency to ask too many questions. ❞ ❝ i smell the blood on you. you are severely wounded. ❞ ❝ don’t be messing with my feelings there. my trust is hard-won and quickly lost. ❞ ❝ if you wish to test the fine relationship we’ve built, why then, i can confirm you’re testing it, all right. ❞ ❝ don’t ever take me for some thoughtless nymph to be manipulated. ❞ ❝ don’t get on my father’s bad side like that and you’re going to be fine. ❞ ❝ how’s your endless toil treating you? ❞ ❝ i’d never trade my bow for all that pomp and armor. but, to each their own. ❞ ❝ let me see you now for what you truly are. ❞ ❝ was i deceived, in thinking this of you, of us? ❞ ❝ i get what i want around here. ❞ ❝ don’t you understand i’m trying to fix the problems you caused? ❞ ❝ the gods are on my side, not yours. ❞ ❝ don’t you dare look at me like that. ❞ ❝ life isn’t particularly fair. i’d have expected you to know as much. ❞ ❝ i’m leaving. try and stop me. ❞ ❝ you have no concept of which impulses to act upon, and which to keep in check. ❞ ❝ when i inevitably, inadvertently trample all over your feelings at some point, please tell me, all right? ❞ ❝ you don’t even know who i am. who i was. ❞ ❝ won’t you come back to me? when you are able, please. come back. i shall be waiting here, however long it takes. ❞ ❝ never met a god that bleeds like you. red. like a worthless mortal. ❞ ❝ i got to hanf it to you. you don’t back down. you don’t ever back down. ❞ ❝ i’ve a tip for you: don’t be slow! ❞ ❝ you can’t escape your problems. you have no choice but to confront them, and work through it, sooner or later, one way or another. ❞ ❝ i knew you had a more sinister trick at play, because your fighting style certainly is of no concern just on its own. ❞ ❝ i...feel awful. i...i have to go. ❞ ❝ once people set their minds to certain things, it can be difficult to show them other possibilites exist. ❞ ❝ there’s something that i’ve wished to tell you: there’s no shame in your upbringing. ❞ ❝ i have known too many far too proud to accept help, even when it was sorely needed. ❞ ❝ may you yet come to your senses. ❞ ❝ i have virtually done everything within my powers to prevent this. all of it...for nothing. ❞ ❝ you can’t be serious. you’re going to pretend as though it never happened? ❞ ❝ seems i’m left to thanking myself, since you’re too proud to do it. ❞ ❝ fight like i’d fight out there. ❞ ❝ what have i done to deserve such scorn? ❞ ❝ you left, without so much as telling me good-bye. ❞ ❝ you’ve such weak blood, and such a temperament... ❞ ❝ i am very, very sure i haven’t murdered anyone. ❞ ❝ i am truly blessed simply to have made your acquantince. ❞ ❝ you wish to take advantage of my pity? ❞ ❝ it comforts me to see how far you’ve come. ❞ ❝ i’ve always wanted to kill a god. you’ll have to do. ❞ ❝ you don’t have to give me something in return, it was a gift! ❞ ❝ you know i’d take you if i could. ❞ ❝ you shut your mouth right now, with that. ❞ ❝ it’s never been an easy time for me. ❞ ❝ why do you think i keep on showing up? ❞ ❝ who might you be, wandering all the way out here? you’re trespassing on private property, you know. ❞ ❝ i’d rather have you as a friiend than as a foe. ❞ ❝ really, you’re kicking me out? why? ❞ ❝ you’re funny, but you’ll break. they always do. ❞ ❝ you must think that i abandoned you. you think i had a choice?❞ ❝ you’re stuck with me forever. remember that. ❞ ❝ you know these heroes by their deeds, not by their character. ❞ ❝ some would question the destruction which you sow, but i shall never do so. i fully understand your impulses. ❞ ❝ you’re quite effective at locating me, but not so good at leaving me in peace. ❞ ❝ you don’t need me & i don’t need you. ❞ ❝ you lived through all that? ❞ ❝ my heart soars, knowing you live. then it breaks, that our time together was so brief. ❞ ❝ you’ve only me. and i have only you. ❞ ❝ sulk in your chambers all you like, for i care not. ❞ ❝ where did you go...? what did you do...? ❞ ❝ monster! you have no bearing, grace or courage! ❞ ❝ you’re beneath the notice of the gods. i have earned their favor. ❞ ❝ your youth provides you with a certain mindless strength. ❞ ❝ wait. i don’t think i owe you any favors, here. ❞ ❝ you appear to have grown stronger since when last we interacted. ❞ ❝ please...it was never my wish to hurt you. ❞ ❝ death is your only family. ❞ ❝ i too was born of darkness, but i chose the path of light. ❞ ❝ don’t know how come everybody doesn’t sing. lightens the mood, passes the time. what’s not to like? ❞ ❝ you come from the bowels of hell. this is not your place. ❞ ❝ heroes? mere mortals, same as all the rest. ❞ ❝ offend me, and i’ll drain the last traces of colour from your cheeks. ❞ ❝ punishment is not the path to rehabilitation. ❞ ❝ you’re nothing like your father. i mean that as a compliment. ❞ ❝ i just hope that their intentions are as pure as they appear. ❞ ❝ don’t be sad, pretty much everybody dies sometime. ❞ ❝ i’ve done some things that maybe aren’t great. ❞ ❝ actions beat intentions. ❞ ❝ look! i’m grinning ear to ear! ❞ ❝ my fits of anger come and go just like the tides. ❞ ❝ you know, i’d rather have my eyes put out, but thanks for offering! ❞    ❝ you will need to face your fears someday. ❞ ❝ true wisdom only comes with age. ❞ ❝ something has stirred within your heart. i can always tell. ❞ ❝ or...wait...what is this, did you just ask me out? ❞ ❝ i’m getting awful sick of seeing your smug face, time, after time, after time. ❞ ❝ your humility is matched only by your perseverance in the face of adversity. ❞ ❝ your stubborness shall only bring you pain. ❞ ❝ sometimes, our hearts become so full that they could burst. if only you could see how much i care. ❞ ❝ let’s see if you’re as skillful as you think. ❞ ❝ wait, you’re not serious. that famous sense of humor shining through. ❞ ❝ i’m surrounded by my family, but i always feel alone. ❞ ❝ i shall make myself quite clear in one respect: i fear i have a lack of patience for discussion. ❞ ❝ thought i might find you all the way out here. although, quite frankly, i’m surprised you’re still alive. ❞ ❝ absolute silence is my general preference. it may not be yours. ❞ ❝ i just like to see you menacingly smile. ❞ ❝ don’t tell anyone about this, understand? ❞ ❝ i told you i don’t need your help. ❞ ❝ you’re much too modest for someone with such a number of heroic deeds to their name. ❞ ❝ if anybody asks, we’re even. ❞ ❝ we had a lovely time getting to know each other. we laughed, we cried! ❞ ❝ what’s the matter, you gone soft or something? ❞ ❝ be sure to add those to the list of words you’ll eat someday. ❞ ❝ you know i’d do just about anything to aid you. ❞ ❝ you again. i told you to stay clear of me. ❞ ❝ in spite of all your efforts, it is probably the case that you still have a long and painful road ahead. ❞ ❝ you’ve always cared for me. i can’t ever repay you for that. ❞ ❝ i just thought i’d say, that was well fought back there. ❞ ❝ hush, it’s the god of trash, come once again to filthy up this place. ❞ ❝ changed your mind yet, or looking for more pain and suffering? ❞ ❝ maybe get some sleep or something? you look pretty beat. ❞ ❝ look, i’ve got a reputation to uphold. ❞ ❝ your father’s quite the big shot around here, but that means nothing to me, understand? ❞ ❝ you don’t have what it takes. nobody does. ❞ ❝ there’s no returning to the way things used to be. ❞ ❝ can i offer you some words of advice? get over yourself. ❞ ❝ fear is for the weak. ❞ ❝ you now what i like about you? the way you bleed. ❞ ❝ may all the death you bring become the stuff of legends told in fearful mortal whisperings around the world. ❞ ❝ i just happen to think you deserve better than you’ve got. ❞ ❝ no love without pain. ❞ ❝ failure is the greatest instructor of all. ❞ ❝ i think you feel like you have some sort of fearsome reputation to uphold. ❞ ❝ you know what? i think we’re finished here. ❞ ❝ i know you’re not in a good spot right now. ❞ ❝ what you’re attempting is impossible. ❞ ❝ i’m not your practice partner, fool. ❞ ❝ i know you don’t mean any harm, but it just isn’t something i discuss with anyone, ok? ❞ ❝ first you defy me openly, and now you lie. ❞ ❝ admit it. you can’t stop thinking about me. ❞ ❝ i’d like to be alone again, so you go on ahead. ❞ ❝ maybe this might numb the pain a bit. ❞ ❝ something’s troubled me a little, about you. ❞ ❝ your failure is quite easily imagined. how often it recurs! ❞ ❝ found this, thought of you and all that, so...here. ❞ ❝ how i love these unexpected little run-ins with you. ❞ ❝ what brings you back around this way again? ❞ ❝ now what’s the matter? it’s like you’ve been up feasting day and night, you’re barely standing, everything ok? ❞ ❝ first i found you, i was certain that you had no chance at all. ❞ ❝ if it wasn’t you proposing it, i’d like to call it madness. ❞ ❝ i'll sleep when i’m dead. ❞ ❝ thank you for not forgetting about me. ❞ ❝ you must see plainly, then, what your birthright amounts to: you’re no better off than any of us here. ❞ ❝ i’ll do my best. for both our sakes. ❞ ❝ the world is not all lies and deceit as you make it out to be. ❞ ❝ you fight so desperately. at first i thought you simply lacked in patience. but now i see it’s urgency that drives you. ❞ ❝ you don’t know who or what you’re dealing with. ❞ ❝ who are you to judge, you misbegotten, shameful, unfilial maggot? ❞ ❝ you’re getting real predictable, you know. ❞ ❝ no one can avoid taking sides forever. but you can take the more sensible side, at least. ❞ ❝ ahh, so you are taking pity on me, then? ❞ ❝ thank you for making me feel welcome in your pleasant home. can’t say the same for most places i’ve been lately. ❞   ❝ i would very much prefer to think we both know better than to let old grudges stew forever. ❞ ❝ nothing is ever perfect, right? no matter how hard you try. ❞ ❝ while i know what you meant, i don’t want you to say such things again. ❞ ❝ look at you, you’re hurt there pretty bad. ❞     ❝ i can’t be completely sure but, what you said just now i think contained some of the component pieces of a compliment? ❞ ❝ don’t fall for mortals. use them if you must, but do not waste your love on those who waste away. ❞ ❝ you’re stubborn. however, so am i. ❞ ❝ you think me cruel, yet know nothing of cruelty. ❞ ❝ you just stick with me, i’ve always time for you. ❞ ❝ you look a little down and so i was just wondering, would you perchance fancy a song right now? ❞ ❝ i get the feeling we’re starting off on the wrong foot. ❞ ❝ a harsh winter is coming for you. and i’m afraid you’ve brought it on yourself. ❞ ❝ i was unkind last time. forgive my indiscretions there...or don’t. but i wished to apologize. ❞ ❝ don’t suppose i can talk you into fighting back this time? ❞ ❝ go occupy yourself someplace else. ❞ ❝ don’t feel bad! it had to happen! but if it’s any consolation, it’ll probably happen again! ❞ ❝ you’re running from yourself. ❞ ❝ wine does have a rather special way of making everybody look even more beautiful than ever. ❞ ❝ i am not interested in having company, especially from you. ❞ ❝ my faith is prone to shakiness sometimes. ❞ ❝ you’re not your father, thank the gods. ❞ ❝ i’d ask you to join me for a drink, but i know you’ve a task ahead of you, and liquor dulls the senses. ❞ ❝ you’re more stubborn than your father. i never thought that such a thing was possible. ❞ ❝ remember, next time, that on my whim i can take everything from you. ❞ ❝ haven’t we had more than enough of each other by now? ❞ ❝ i get the feeling i’m being watched. ❞ ❝ you’ve berated me repeatedly and often. ❞ ❝ you ever lose somebody dear to you? ❞ ❝ as you grow long in years, perhaps you shall learn better judgement as to whom to trust, and whom to never, ever disrespect. ❞ ❝ sometimes things weigh heavily on me, but then i hear from you, and it’s like i don’t have a care in the world. ❞ ❝ stay focused on the hunt, and it’ll help keep the pain at bay. ❞ ❝ you are just so spontaneous, and i’ve a liking for that sort of thing! ❞ ❝ no one gets out of here, whether dead or alive. ❞ ❝ what is it that you’re after, really...? ❞ ❝ don’t take my silence the wrong way, all right? ❞ ❝ that’s terrible...wish there was something i could do to help. ❞ ❝ your unpredictability is one of your assets. ❞ ❝ do not throw away your life as i did mine. ❞ ❝ you do not take all your defeats to heart, do you? that’s good. ❞ ❝ the fates can twist intentions. i don’t want to take the risk. ❞ ❝ sometimes you make me feel alive again. ❞ ❝ why...i was much stronger once, than this... ❞ ❝ sometimes i wish i knew more about your past. ❞ ❝ you shall not goad me into anger with a petty insult such as that. ❞ ❝ we’ve been through a lot, and i think we’ll be going through a lot more yet. ❞ ❝ feelings we shared...they faded, with time. ❞ ❝ learn well to shut that foolish mouth of yours, or i shall shut it for you. ❞ ❝ i knew so many warriors who would throw away their lives for glory, believing that the gods were on their side; refusing to consider that their opponents felt the very same. ❞ ❝ you didn’t need to vent all that inner turmoil onto me throughout my life. ❞ ❝ swear to me that you shall never repeat what you are about to hear. swear it! ❞ ❝ sometimes i wonder what’s going through your head. ❞ ❝ i can do this. i can do this. i can do this. ❞ ❝ i heard you got yourself into another mess that needed cleaning up. ❞ ❝ you have a good heart. keep listening to it. ❞ ❝ you picked sides, and things are not the same. ❞ ❝ all the terrible choices i’ve made. by the time you have existed for as long as i have, pray youo will have made fewer. ❞ ❝ i must admit i have grown fond of you. ❞ ❝ please open your mind to the fact that there are those who care about your wellbeing. ❞ ❝ i know you mean well. from the bottom of my heart, i thank you truly for the thought. ❞ ❝ how can somebody be so brash yet hate to take unnecessary risks? ❞ ❝ i know we can’t exactly change the past, but we can try to move forward. ❞ ❝ you didn’t answer my question. though, you know something? forget i asked. ❞ ❝ just checking in on you, but i’ll be on my way again shortly. ❞ ❝ you would speak to me of foolish mistakes? ❞ ❝ do not question my power. ❞ ❝ there is no point in doing it but pride. and pride is dangerous. ❞ ❝ i must admit, your strength of will is quite inspiring. ❞ ❝ i don’t hate you. i don’t think i can ever hate you. ❞ ❝ i've decided not to kill you. no sport in cornered prey. ❞ ❝ i never thought i’d hear you talking about looking forward to working. you feeling alright? ❞ ❝ it has been far too long. although, the passing of the time was very kind. ❞ ❝ i have been thinking on this for some time, and i’ve a declaration i must make: i shall hear no more of your silver-tongued lies. ❞ ❝ oh good, somebody’s here to save me from myself. ❞ ❝ i wonder how much more insulting you could be. ❞ ❝ may i have this dance for old time’s sake? ❞ ❝ no matter how far you run, it doesn’t make your problems go away. ❞ ❝ i ever tell you you’re a real sweetheart? because, if not, i’m telling you right now. ❞ ❝ oh don’t worry, i’ll be back in fighting shape in no time. ❞ ❝ it’s not that i’m upset or anything. you know i’m not, but truthfully i’m a bit annoyed. ❞ ❝ you’ve got quite the fighting spirit in there, i have to say. ❞ ❝ ...answer me something. what am i to you, exactly, as of late? ❞ ❝ if you’ve not anger enough for it yet, you’ll learn, i promise you. ❞ ❝ i shall bring desolation upon those who wrong you. ❞ ❝ you know nothing of tempers if mine is your frame of reference. ❞ ❝ let me save you lots of future suffering: i happen to be the jealous type. ❞ ❝ i was really hoping we could change the subject. please? ❞ ❝ finally you cleared the mess you caused. ❞ ❝ i never grew accustomed to the air, up here. it gusts senselessly whichever way it pleases. ❞ ❝ i need your help with something. as i’m about to risk it all. ❞ ❝ love tends to blossom in the strangest places at the strangest times. ❞ ❝ normally they grovel, then they scream. they shut up eventually, but not you. at least, not yet. ❞ ❝ you know, you ain’t near as bad as i’d heard! ❞ ❝ so now you know. but, only half the truth. ❞ ❝ you are and always will be an insufferable brat. ❞ ❝ they say both gods and mortals are notoriously poor at estimating how long it takes to get anything done. ❞ ❝ flattery never got me anywhere with you to begin with. doesn’t mean i won’t keep trying. ❞ ❝ i’m warning you, i’m not susceptible to bribes. many have tried. ❞ ❝ by my estimation, you have slain at least a thousand souls. ❞ ❝ everyone’s saying i went easy on you. ❞ ❝ no, on quite the contrary i’ve been under no impression that avoiding conflict is an option here. ❞ ❝ you really won’t tell me anything about you? you’re just going to leave me to speculate, forever? ❞ ❝ fears, i think, are born of ignorance. ❞ ❝ i don’t exactly know the ways of mortals. ❞ ❝ it’s not just you swept up in all this nonsense now. you didn’t ask for me to get involved but what did you expect? ❞ ❝ if only i had wisdom such as yours, so that i was more capable of picking up on subtle jabs and insults such as that. ❞ ❝ did i detect some hesitance on your part just then? perhaps you knew that you were making a mistake. ❞ ❝ i need you in my life! how can you just...turn me away like this? ❞ ❝ no. no mournful speeches. now get out of my way. ❞ ❝ you needn’t lavish me with your faint praise. ❞ ❝ our memories are warnings. when you have lived as long as i have, you come to understand your weaknesses. ❞ ❝ you speak none of this, to anyone! ❞ ❝ it seems to me your strength outweighs your smarts ❞ ❝ you’re really too much for me sometimes, you know that? ❞ ❝ you speak as one who’s not experienced war. ❞      ❝ you’re looking kind of down. normally you’re all smiles, for whatever reason. ❞ ❝ your heart shall never carry you astray. ❞ ❝ it almost sounds as though you’ve broken up with me. ❞ ❝ come now, i don’t think that’s anything to be concerned about. ❞ ❝ where did you steal that kingly blade you’re brandishing about? it seems ill-fitting for one such as you. ❞ ❝ you overstep your bounds with me. but i shall make you fall right back in line. ❞ ❝ if there’s one thing i’ve learned since we met, it’s that the trust we share is at the very foundation of our relationships. ❞ ❝ it is woefully infrequent that i’ve cause for this, but i do have to thank you. ❞ ❝ so you’re realizing now that your entire image of me came from your imagination, is that it? ❞ ❝ sorry, my lips are sealed. how about we change the subject? ❞ ❝ you mistook me for someone who blindly follows orders without considering the implications. ❞ ❝ you, in a healthy relationship? why yes, that i have to see. ❞ ❝ you won’t tell me anything about you? you’re just going to leave me to speculate, forever? ❞ ❝ oh, would you look at whom i found, all by their lonely self. ❞ ❝ sometimes our tempers get the best of all of us. you’re fortunate mine didn’t get the best of you back there. ❞ ❝ you really need to learn to stop meddling in others’ affairs. ❞ ❝ was just thinking about you. ❞ ❝ the mortal concept of what constitutes as a hero is absurd. ❞ ❝ i may not be the one to kill you. but i’ll soften you up for whoever does. ❞ ❝ i have been waiting for a special moment to confess my great appreciation for your deeds. this moment’s special enough, isn’t it? ❞ ❝ all mortal life is fragile; it simply is a struggle to survive. ❞ ❝ it wasn’t any of my business to pry into your personal life. i should have asked. ❞ ❝ what do you say we deal some death together? ❞ ❝ the more you step away from your responsibilites, the less you shall want anything to do with them. ❞ ❝ what we were once, i wonder if it’s but a falsely ringing memory of mine... ❞ ❝ in all your boundless intellect, i’d have expected you would know i see through your intentions, plan as day. ❞ ❝ ii shall not lie to you again. that much, i swear. ❞ ❝ oh, i don’t have the heart to keep exacting vengeance on you. ❞ ❝ privileges are earned, not begged for. ❞ ❝ i thought we had an understanding. but, this wouldn’t be the first time i was wrong about someone. ❞ ❝ i have every confidence you’ll someday clamber from the shadows into the light. ❞ ❝ no paradise awaits you. ❞ ❝ did you miss me? i thought i’d steal away a bit and that together we might make up for lost time. ❞ ❝ when blood is spilled and death is dealt, i simply cannot remain discontented for too long. ❞ ❝ unlike my present company, i do not ask too many questions. ❞ ❝ what’s life without a little pain. ❞ ❝ i would do anything that you would ask of me. ❞ ❝ such a waste, all for your foolish pride, that you should care more to be remembered by those you shall never know than to be loved... ❞ ❝ look, if you don’t feel the same way about me at this point, i would rather know. ❞ ❝ you chose to die in glory, not to live in peace...and all for what? ❞ ❝ what’s the matter there? gone awful quiet. did i hurt your feelings? ❞ ❝ please, if not for your sake, then for mine...do not return. ❞ ❝ you blame your ancestors for your own weakness? ❞ ❝ i still grow frustrated with myself quite often and don’t always know whom to turn to. ❞ ❝ i’ll just remain here, comfortably at rest, for some untold millenia. ❞ ❝ the world has a limitless capacity for pain. ❞ ❝ well, if you do require some emotional support, know that i likely shall be standing over here. ❞ ❝ you’re not fooling anybody with your feigned benevolence, you know. ❞ ❝ i'm just an old killer, yet you treat me like i’m the one who’s royalty around here. ❞ ❝ life and death are inextricable, and war is often what connects the two. ❞ ❝ someday or night you shall look back on this, and thank me. ❞ ❝ i can no longer tolerate my life here in this place. ❞ ❝ they said you were headed this way. i said i’d stop you. ❞ ❝ if you were being too pushy, you better believe i would have put you back in your place, royalty or not. ❞ ❝ i am leaving, even if it kills me. ❞ ❝ hey, can’t ever be too careful when it comes to people’s past and feelings and stuff, right? ❞ ❝ should you ever go to war...do look me up. i imagine i would take your side. ❞ ❝ have you given any thought to just...leaving me alone, and going back to wherever it is you came from? ❞ ❝ and here i was beginning to think we had something special going. ❞ ❝ i’m worried you’re going to burn yourself out if you keep pushing yourself past your limits. ❞ ❝ whoever it was you used to be, i believe you’ve changed. ❞ ❝ i’m no mere mortal. ❞ ❝ i suppose this must be what it’s like to be a god. being shown affection such as this. ❞ ❝ admittedly i was quite good at it, but i was nothing other than a killer. ❞ ❝ no need to get emotional, is there? i’m not the sentimental type. ❞ ❝ all that pent-up rage behind your smiling words... ❞ ❝ don’t ever fall for mortals. use them if you must, but do not waste your love on those who waste away. ❞ ❝ i was never terribly fearful of gods. they seem to have their struggles much like mortals do. ❞ ❝ i would ask you to think of your well-being for the time, not mine. ❞ ❝ must say you’re very good at hiding your worries. ❞  ❝ anger fades. anger burns hot, then burns out. what’s left is a dull ache. ❞ ❝ you have much to be proud of. you’re a great warrior. a great instructor. a great friend. ❞ ❝ you must know the seven types of love by now, don’t you? why, i have several types of love for you! ❞ ❝ sometimes i fear i shall develop some sort of grudging respect for you. ❞   ❝ as you grow long in years, you gain more burdens and responsibilities, until they bind you. ❞ ❝ you’re being very nice to me, and that makes me suspicious, understand? ❞ ❝ you like me? i never thought, i...don’t know why that sounds so strange, coming from you. ❞ ❝ just know that...if you feel the way i do...you know where to find me. ❞ ❝ i still have feelings for you, i think. ❞ ❝ you’re a god. i’m telling you to learn to act like one. ❞ ❝ we were invincible together, weren’t we? though, i have never missed those days... ❞ ❝ i like being on my own and all, but it’s been nice, talking to you like this. ❞ ❝ you’ve done more for me than i’ve any right to expect, from anyone. ❞ ❝ the heart can make us do the strangest things, can’t it? ❞ ❝ i would never have been remotely prepared for everything i’ve had to face, if not for all your guidance. and i don’t just mean the violent stuff. ❞ ❝ you’re not so bad, you know that? careful with that, or you’ll undermine the ruthless reputation you have. ❞ ❝ well, for all his failings, i’m thankful that he did not teach you how to hate. ❞ ❝ i don’t know that i hate anybody, really. ❞ ❝ why am i never proud of you? don’t take it personally. i’m never proud of anything. ❞ ❝ there are a myriad of tales to be told, of both great deeds and of vainglorious defeats, and this has been a tale that falls somewhere in the middle. ❞ ❝ why your path keeps on crossing mine, i’ve not the slightest clue. ❞ ❝ there is no replacing your presence. i felt that before we ever met, and now i know for sure. ❞ ❝ mortals are so bent on clinging to their lives, that many among them would gladly kill for it. ❞ ❝ listen to me. i don’t know how else to put this, but, i want you to come home. ❞ ❝ i think we understand something of loss, now, don’t we? ❞ ❝ hey, look, i can tell you’re struggling right now... ❞ ❝ you must know i often hunger for destruction, almost uncontrollably at that. ❞ ❝ you still have no idea how to be up front with me, do you. why don’t you tell me why you’re here, and what you want. ❞ ❝ the destruction you have sown, the sheer carnage...nothing can surpass that. ❞ ❝ i do not think i ever would have asked for help, at any point, because...i don’t entirely know how. ❞ ❝ but hope alone is worthless without action, is it not? ❞ ❝ as bloodshed has become somewhat of a necessity in my situation, i am very grateful that you’re with me in this. ❞ ❝ many mortals strive for greatness all their lives, never quite realizing there is no existing formula for it. not even a specific definition for it. ❞     ❝ there are aspects of my country that i miss, from time to time. the stark, bright beauty of that strange, wondrous land. ❞     ❝ pride is perhaps our family’s worst trait. ❞ ❝ i think for many of us, it can come as a surprise to learn that love and war often go hand in hand. ❞ ❝ you don’t have what it takes. ❞ ❝ had a feeling i would find you all alone out here. ❞ ❝ quit messing with my heart. ❞ ❝ swear something to me. that you’ll discard your fears about our bond. ❞ ❝ each time we fight...i think i learn a little more. ❞ ❝ you’re nothing to me anymore. ❞ ❝ say, you must know a lot of big shots, don’t you? other gods and all that? ❞ ❝ i trust, from time to time, you stop to ask yourself how come you choose to fight. ❞ ❝ you cannot change the course that has been set. try all you like. ❞      ❝ we don’t all share the same demeanor, nor see eye to eye. though all of us, i think, wish you the best. ❞ ❝ i’ve known great men throughout my life, and i can always tell when someone’s better than their circumstances. ❞ ❝ i am quite capable of making your life plenty difficult. ❞ ❝ i bet whoever it is that loves you...it’s because of who you are. ❞ ❝ i lay the blame entirely upon you, yes. who else? ❞ ❝ i think, deep down, you are not the heartless harbinger of retribution that you want everyone to think you are. ❞     ❝ in my domain, you either find your place, or you learn your place. ❞ ❝ you have no idea how good you’ve had it here. maybe someday you’ll come to understand. ❞ ❝ do not mess with me right now. ❞

Jordskjelv

The Earth Shaker

Part 1 of ?

Word Count: 1885

Loki x Reader

Just a 2012 style avengers fanfic that is Loki x Reader. Sometime you just need cute fluff that is absolutely nothing more than self indulgence.

It had been a normal day, you going to work at the little cafe, serving people coffee and sandwiches, just living your normal life. Then things had shown up on the news, an attack in New York City. Aliens coming down from the sky and wreaking havoc on the city, and then you saw him and your heart stopped. The customers were all distracted so you called out on your break then and there, pulling out your phone and looking up the fight in NYC, you kept looking for any glimpse of the man with a red cape flying around with a hammer in hand.

"Thor," it comes out as a breathless whisper.

You don't care that you're in the middle of a shift, you shout to your coworkers that you have to leave and walk out the door. You needed to get to NYC, you needed to find Thor, you couldn't get there fast enough. Surely the fight would have ended by the time you even make it to the outside of the city, but hopefully you could make it on time to find Thor. Thor was the only chance you had for getting your old life back and you had missed him the last time he'd been anywhere close by.

As you get in your car and take off driving at a reckless pace you let your mind fill with memories. You'd grown up with Thor in Asgard, your name was actually Faylwyn even if here in Midgard you went by y/n. You'd run and played and trained alongside him and Sif and the Warriors Three. Then once you were a bit older you had gotten in trouble, gotten on Odin's bad side, and he had banished you to Midgard. Thor had to have not known that you were alive, else he would have come looking for you.

But it isn't Thor you care about here. You glance at the bracelet around your wrist, beads strung on a strand of black hair, intertwined with a strand of your own hair. It was all you had left of your life on Asgard, you'd been friends with Thor sure, but he was just Loki's dumb older brother. You and Loki had been inseparable, hell you'd even given each other love locks, thats what this bracelet was, you'd had to cut it out of your hair, but you couldn't just give it up. You'd put some beads on it to hide what it truly was but it was your most prized possession.

The lovelocks had been hidden, hidden under layers of your hair so that no one knew besides the two of you. You and Loki had had wonderful plans, plans to run away together, to explore the universe together, to get married once you were old enough and to spend the eons with one another. No one had known this, no one but the two of you, Odin was unlikely to allow it, Frigga had to listen to her husband, and Thor had a big mouth. No one had known the full extent of the love both of you shared for the other, but now you had a chance, a chance to find him again after 700 years of being in Midgard alone.

You had never stopped loving him in all that time, you had longed to be by his side once again, you could only imagine the pain he had felt with whatever story Odin had decided to tell of your disappearance. Now you had that chance to find him again and you weren't going to miss it for the second time. Your one and only fear was that, he might not love you anymore, after all this time that he had moved on while you hadn't.

You drive all day, the fight is long over when you reach the city, it's the middle of the night and the streets are packed with people and rubble along with alien bodies. There wasn't anyway you could continue to drive, so you got out of your car, leaving it running in your hurry, you don't care you don't need it. You look up on your phone directions to the Stark Tower, it was your best chance of finding Thor, and you begin running. You aren't fast like Captain America but you have stamina, able to run for hours and hours, going for miles and days on end.

No, you weren't Asgardian royalty, but here at least much like Thor was considered the god of thunder in ancient mythology, you were considered the goddess of earth. No, not like Earth the planet, but earth, the dirt, minerals, the ground beneath your very feet. Thor was able to fly, like the lightning and thunder, rushing through the air. You were able to run, moving with ease, being one with the ground beneath you, never faltering calm and steady.

You round a corner and the tower becomes visible, tall and graceful, pointing into the sky with lights illuminating its massive form. It's when you get close that you notice the many agents and people swarming the scene, there was no way you'd be able to get inside unnoticed. And none of these people knew who you were so they'd never let you in, you sigh, time to do something stupid, or at the very least a plan which Thor could have come up with. You slowed your pace, finding your way into an alley, then to a side door. "Here goes nothing," you say softly to yourself as you pry the locked door open and step inside.

Instantly alarms begin wailing and SHIELD agents begin to swarm towards your position. That was fine, you didn't want to hurt any of them but causing a scene would get the attention you needed. You needed to pose yourself as a big enough threat to need the attention of the heroes who had fought the aliens, any less and they'd ignore you, thinking you're some crazy from off the street. The agents surround you and you don't make a move, letting them go first. You don't want to hurt them, so you need to judge their skill first, you'd been fighting for nearly a thousand years, you'd easily be able to take them down.

The first to approach you with their gun, telling you to surrender since you weren't supposed to be here, you punch in the nose and knock them out. Seeing the ease with which you did that, leads to them calling for backup. Perfect. From there you focus, feeling a heavy sensation in your stomach as you do, slowly the ground opens up enough to sink their feet in and trap them, and one small, earthquake later their guns are on the floor.

You approach the one who had called for backup, and look them over briefly before speaking. "I need to talk to Thor, can you make that happen?"

They seem confused with your sudden loss of aggression, but nod, placing a finger to their ear as they reached out through their coms, "Director Fury, the infiltrator on the ground level wishes to speak with Thor. They have disarmed us and and have us all trapped my our feet in the floor but they do not seem to pose a threat as long as they see Thor."

You nod once and confirm, "I just wish to speak with him, I'm an old friend." With that you step back and place the door back in place, as you step outside once again, "I'll be in the park. Tell him I'm waiting."

With that you leave, and close the door behind you. Only releasing the agents from the ground once you've made it safely away. It was short and fortunately went better than planned. Now all you had to do was wait, and wait you did. It did not matter to you that it took hours for anything to happen. It didn't mater that you'd slept in the grass that night, and that the sun was rising when someone approached you. You had a chance to see your Loki again and that was all you needed to be happy.

You're awoken by someone speaking softly, "sir, I have eyes on the target." It's a woman's voice, you don't move, and continue to lay there, eyes closed.

It's when you hear the slightest sound of the grass moving that you finally do so as well, sitting up and moving to face her. It's the redheaded woman who was fighting alongside Thor the day previous. You offer a slight smile and a, "hello."

When you move Natasha removers her hand from the earpiece she was wearing, and asks, "you're the one that broke in last night asking for Thor?" It's posed as a question but you feel it's more of a statement.

"That is me, I'd just like to speak with him, I'm an old friend. My name is y/n l/n, at least that is the one you will find me under in all government records. Look me up, I don't care, just let me see Thor before he returns to Asgard," you come to a standing position and hold out your hand, "tell him Faylwyn wishes to see him, he'll know what you mean." With that you turn to walk away.

"Sorry, no can do, you're coming with me, you broke into a secure facility and took out multiple agents. You don't get to walk off right like that," she says and reaches for her hip.

You turn back to face her as she speaks, glancing at her hand before meeting her eyes again, "I'm willing to come peacefully. You don't have to tase me," you hold out your empty hands to her, "see, you can even handcuff me, just so I can speak with Thor."

Natasha looks at you, you're being genuine on this one thing, though she still doesn't trust you. She had seen the door you'd pried open, the imprints of your fingers in the metal around the latch, there was no way handcuffs would hold you if you wanted to leave. "No need, come on," she nods her head towards the tower and keeps her hand on the taser as she leads the way. You were a threat if you wanted to be, and obviously you were smart. You hadn't caused more damage that a broken door and a broken nose, and from what she had heard and seen on the cameras you could have done a lot more had you wished to do so.

You follow Natasha to the tower and in the doors, around some corners up an elevator and through the hallways to a more private and secure room.

"Wait here," she says as she opens the door for you, letting you in before closing it behind you. Once again, you wait. This is still your best chance, you had no other way to contact Thor, thanks to Odin's being pissed at you even after 700 years. The All-Father could All-ways hold a grudge.

Eventually the door handle jiggles before opening, and you look up, meeting the eyes of the tall blond, the Asgardian armor covering his body and the red cape over his shoulders. He looks at you in shock and says, "Faylwyn?"

Hi Nathan! I hope you’re well, and belated congrats on the apartment! I just wanted someone to kind of... brain dump? to, if you don’t mind. So, I started my path with Hellenic polytheism last year before the pandemic started, and since then it’s been very up and down and mostly non-existent to say the least. I know much of it is from a combination of depression and just not understanding what I’m doing or how to go about doing it. In turn it turned into guilt and shame for not doing more for the gods. So I just stopped.

I usually write down my prayers or thanks to them because it’s generally easier for me to write my thoughts down than speak them because I’m much more coherent, but I felt compelled to talk to them and to just apologize, and I felt like the one I felt most present (or at the forefront) was Persephone, who I know is often associated with working with the shadow self. Behind her I could feel Artemis (who I know was reaching out in Dec 2019 along with Apollo, though I was in denial), and Athena. I had primarily worked with Apollo and Hestia last year, so to suddenly have three goddesses there was like, “Oh, I have an audience...” lol And upon me taking to them (and feeling weird about it, as I usually do), I felt like they were all trying to say, “Don’t worry about it. Your depression is valid, and we have all the time in the world to work together.”

I want to do better, and I want to work with them, but that’s part of the problem is that I don’t *understand* the how of it, you know? I’ve read other people’s experiences and I’ve been doing research here and there when I’m able to, but I still feel kind of lost? It was often like this when I was Christian, too. I always had trouble praying and feeling like I was connecting to anything, but now that I can feel their energies and I *know* I’m being listened to, I want to do what I can to worship them. I’m just kind of stuck. Any advice would be lovely, but I mostly wanted to type this (novel) to just tell it to someone who would probably understand. Thanks for reading, and sorry it was so long haha

Hi,

I really don't mind you sending me long paragraphs so long as it's helping you gather your thoughts.

Gathering our thoughts is one of the most important things to do in Shadow work and sometimes it's hard to do it without having someone to talk to. I personally feel silly talking to myself and then I remember I could just talk to the gods so remember that you are not alone. The gods will listen.

It sounds like there's a bit of imposter syndrome happening:

perhaps you don't feel like you're doing enough or you're not being good enough to work with the gods. But these are internalized problems that stem from self-expectation. Perhaps you have expectations that are a lot bigger than what your body or mental energy can currently handle right now, especially with the depression. The gods want to be a part of your life but they also want you to live it as comfortably as you can.

I recommend taking a more relaxed approach that helps you go with the flow of your life and sprinkling your worship into it.

One that can help you live life but also incorporate the gods in it at the same time, like waking up and talking to Apollo while you're doing your morning routine, not because you're doing it for Apollo but because you were going to do your morning routine anyway but this time you're talking to Apollo while you're doing it. (Though dedicating your morning routine to a god, even just brushing your teeth, can be very helpful when depression hits).

Dedicating your morning routines to a god can help you feel like you're also working with the gods at the same time. Be sure to pay attention to intuitive nudges and other ways in which the gods talk to you. Dedicating your morning routines to a god is just an example of the many things that you could do to incorporate the gods into your life while still living your life and working with them at the same time.

A lot of times worshipers try to work their life around their worship but end up accidentally not following through with their worship because life takes over and gets in the way of the time they had originally set aside for their worship.

One of the reasons why I'm not a big fan of formality (and obsessing over needing to be in one's best behavior) is because it accidently makes us hide a lot of what we truly need help with, especially when the worshiper has depression.

We end up treating and seeing the gods like they are a work boss and you would never tell your boss very vulnerable and private things about yourself because they might end up costing you a promotion or you might get laid off. Yet these private things are essential for the god to know in order to help you.

I grew up in a Catholic household that was very dedicated to the idea of wearing your Sunday Best and behaving as properly as you could whenever you were in church. I would get pinched for slouching or sitting incorrectly. This instilled the idea that if I showed my depression to God (even outside of church) then I would be punished for it.

The gods have taught me that they really don't care how you worship them, or work with them so long as you are taking their advice in order to become the best version of yourself.

Different people do different things and different forms of worship work for different people.

If what you're currently doing isn't working for you, then I suggest being a bit more relaxed in how you approach the gods.

Allow the gods to inspire you in a more organic manner and let them enhance your life rather than forcing yourself to follow a strict schedule that might not be possible when depression hits.

Look at the way that you currently live your life and try to figure out which god would work for which section of your life.

For example when I do self care I talk to Aphrodite, when I work out I talk to both Hermes and Apollo, when I'm doing school work I usually talk to Apollo and Athena, and when I'm feeling scared and need a little bit of courage, I talk to Ares.

This helps me remember that I'm not alone in my life, especially on those terrible days when my depression keeps me from getting out of bed.

The gods care about you. No matter what you do or try as you figure out what will work best for you, they will be there for you, every step of the way.

I hope this helps!

A preview of the Azula Heresy

Political Officer Hoelun, HERO OF THE FIRE NATION, had been honored multiple times by direct audiences with the Fire Lord, Master of Mankind by the will of Agni. It was an honor that after the first time she secretly believed she could do without but a political officer who openly spoke treason would not prosper well.

Now she had a front row seat, well, more standing room than a seat but still, to watch the Prince try to break to his mother the strange and splendid discovery they'd made in facing the outbreak of heresy near Zaipan.

"Mother," the Prince said, in atone of voice she'd never heard from him in the field. A blend of servile sycophancy, the tones of a mama's boy for his mama, and other elements she could not quite place, "I have good news and I have bad news."

The living goddess, as she called herself, in those gaudy golden robes looked at her son curiously.

"My son," she said, in the kind of voice that reminded Hoelun precisely why her private thoughts were just that, "tell me the good news first."

He bowed, as did she. "Yes, Mother. The good news is that Azula is alive. And she's turned fourteen."

The Fire Lord froze and the expressions that crossed her face were a study in emotions and the flexibility of the human form. Shock, relief, worry, fear, and then that kind of gaze that made Hoelun shiver mentally though she dared not do it physically in the Fire Lord's presence.

"Your sister is alive?" Her tone was a near whisper, of hope, and emotions that lay beneath it that made Hoelun resist the temptation to look more sharply than she would have otherwise.

Zuko nodded. "She is why the Gaipan region, among others, is afflicted by heresy. My sister rejects that we are gods deserving of worship. She may only be fourteen but she's already challenging the world we're building."

The Fire Lord's eyes narrowed. "Is that the bad news?"

"Oh no," Prince Zuko said lightly, "the actual bad news is that the new Avatar not only got her to join his group of Benders and non-Benders, but that she did so freely to avoid seeing me again." The Political Officer saw the hurt in the Prince's eyes at that, as did Ursa, though for two very different reasons neither said anything about it.

Ursa's hands gripped the armrests of her throne and the fires around the throne blazed with a bright purple light enough that the political officer looked away, though even Zuko had to raise his hands in front of his face.

"My son," said the Fire Lord, in a sickeningly sweet voice that had the Political Officer automatically suspicious, "I give you two new tasks. Now that you have seen our ancestor's inferior successor.....kill him. And bring your sister home. The barbarians have brainwashed her, lied her into believing her fate can be more than what it is. When she returns here I will fix that and remind her where her true loyalties lie. She was taught too much by me to truly turn traitor. She is *yours*, Zuko. I taught her that. She agreed with it. She shall return, and she shall resume her place as she was meant to have it."

Hoelun's lips were sealed. She knew, as did Prince Zuko, that the girl she'd seen and fought and who set her heart to fluttering whenever she thought of her too much had made a difficult choice of her own will. She wondered if the Prince would tell his mother this, but their eyes met and she saw in them a conspiracy that made her want to laugh within.

The HERO OF THE FIRE NATION had quietly agreed to conceal a fundamental truth that mattered very greatly from the Fire Lord. It should have troubled her far more than it did. To be fair it wasn't every day she stood and listened to a Fire Lord bluntly telling a sixteen year old Crown Prince that his sister was meant for *that*.

Untamed Seas; 1 - Prologue

Index (R18+)

Summary

Amphitrite, sea goddess, and daughter of Nereus, is less than willing to marry an Olympian, let alone Poseidon, the very god who overthrew her father. She does so nevertheless, in a desperate move to protect her sisters following Nereus’ absence.

The marriage is beneficial to them both: Poseidon gains legitimacy through a union with her, effectively solidifying his control over the seas, and Amphitrite guarantees her sisters' safety, along with all prestige due her status as queen.

The catch? She finds his domineering personality utterly insufferable, and he, the most fearsome god, resents being stuffed into an unwelcome marriage.

They have all eternity to make it work.

TW // Abuse - Verbal and Physical ; Abusive Relationship ; Forced Marriage

Crete, the island where the newly crowned king of gods was said to have been raised. 

It was on this little haven that Zeus’s foster-mother, Amaltheia, had chosen to throw a dance honouring the Titanomachy, on the mountain named after him, though the supreme god himself would not attend due to injuries sustained in his fight with Kronos. The remaining six traitors would not be present either, and these were their reasons given:

“Hestia simply does not do parties, Demeter needs rest from tilling the land, Hera must attend to Zeus' injuries, Hades is away imprisoning Kronos in Tartaros, and Adamas is away conquering new lands.” Amaltheia had ticked off her fingers in that order. And...? Doris gestured for her to continue. The goat nymph sighed, “Not coming.” Doris crossed her arms, an air of impatience coming from the Oceanid. "You’re absolutely sure that one won’t come?" 

Amaltheia scowled at her. “This is the fifth time you’ve asked me about this, and the last time I will answer you —no, he has never attended a single one. Now, will your fifty daughters be in attendance or not?” The maiden huffed, “Tell me now or I will strike them all off the list.” The threat worked like a charm. At once, the freshwater nymph hastily scrawled down seven names onto the parchment. Amaltheia peered at it, then at her old acquaintance. “So few?”

Seven daughters, to be precise. One for each missing member of the Traitors, as they were so called amongst the Titans’ supporters, Doris included. Amaltheia suppressed a sigh. “I’ll see what I can do, my lady.” So saying, Oceanus’s daughter left by the same river she had come. Only then did Zeus’ foster mother release a sharp exhale.  She straightened the piece of parchment for a better look —having counted the seven names did not necessarily mean she had properly read them.  

A sudden shadow cast itself over her, at which she moved away to bring the parchment into the sun; the shadow followed. Before she could turn again, a bandaged hand had plucked the parchment away from her. 

“Hello, mother.” A familiar voice rang in the nymph’s ear. Amaltheia spun around, “Zeus!” She beamed at her pride and joy. How he had grown, she sighed with much satisfaction. “I thought Hera was tending to your injuries?” Zeus, who had far outgrown her by now, replied as he studied the parchment. “Yes, well, we’ve had a little argument over Metis.” Metis was his first wife, by Oceanus, and whom he had only just swallowed a week prior. She watched him closely, her own question lingering in her mind. Someone else, another of Oceanus’s children, had stopped by recently. She simply could not put her thumb on who: it was either one of the many river gods, or one of the great river god’s thousand daughters. “Is this for that dance you’re throwing in my name?” 

Amaltheia blinked. “Yes.” A little chuckle fell from his lips as he began to read the names aloud:

“Amphitrite, Thetis, Galatea, Galene, Erato, Proto, and Doto.”

The goat maiden gasped inwardly. So that was who had come to visit. Oh, Gaia, and she had sworn to Doris that Zeus would not be coming five times over. That included not allowing him to know Nereus’s daughters would be in attendance. She reached to snatch the lowered parchment in his hand, only to have it rise further into the air. “Son, give that back.” Amaltheia offered her foster son a bright, albeit, strained, smile. “You don’t need it, right?” 

Zeus wore a strange smile of his own. “As a matter of fact, mother, I do.”

She threw the king of the gods a wary look, “Why?”

“It seems I will be coming to your little party after all.” Amaltheia nearly swooned at his words. The nymph steadied herself on a nearby rock. “But I’ve already told everyone you won’t be coming.” She pleaded with Zeus, hoping she could still save the situation. Doris would be furious with her if she knew the god had already attained the list of attendees —specifically the one with her daughters’ names. “And,” she continued unsteadily, “I’m almost done with preparations. If you come now, I’ll need even more time to prepare and to rearrange all the events I’ve planned, so— ”

“What, rearrange drinking and dancing?” Zeus snorted at her. Amaltheia instantly shut up. “Easy, just don’t tell anyone I’m coming. It’ll be our little secret.” He waved the paper at her, a little glint in his eye, the sort of look the nymph could not reconcile between the boy she had raised and the king that now stood before her. “I’ll be needing this one, mother.”

“What about my guest list?” Her helpless question hung in the air. She tried begging with her son once more, “I can’t possibly recall those seven names alone —I have at least two hundred guests!” At that Zeus simply shrugged, “All you need to do, mother, is to remember the name Amphitrite. If her sisters come, let them in too.”

“Amphitrite?” Amaltheia repeated slowly in bewilderment. “Why Amphitrite?”

Zeus tapped the sides of his temples, winking at her. “Because I say so.” He stooped down to kiss her on the cheek, and just like that, the king of the gods had also departed from her island with a leap and bound. Amaltheia sank down onto a nearby rock, a troubled feeling in her chest. Had Zeus taken interest in Nereus’ eldest daughter? 

“Should I warn them?” She wondered aloud. Oceanus and Doris would be extremely displeased to find out her foster son would be attending after all. Aside from the powerful Styx, wise little Metis, who had given Zeus the potion to debilitate Kronos, was one of Oceanus’s favourites; and Doris had essentially charged her multiple times with ensuring her own daughters’ safety, away from Zeus, who had grown into a lecher. She sat there for a while, elbows propped on her knees, deep in thought. 

At last, the nymph lifted her head, her mind resigned to the change of plans. 

She would simply not tell them. A parentless goat nymph as herself, who had no illustrious background and no special powers but the one to shift into animal form, stood no chance against these great gods. She sniffed. Travelling to Oceanus was an arduous journey too, accessible only to beings who possessed water-related abilities. 

There was no way for her to get there to begin with, Amaltheia reasoned as she stood up and dusted her hands on her skirt. If asked, she could always feign ignorance —Zeus had come to surprise his own foster mother. Though her worries did not end there, the nymph decided to brush them aside to focus on more pressing issues like the construction of a pavilion for guests and private rooms for revellers.

2 - Snake

Why is Piper McLean Annoying?

So, I see a lot of people saying that Piper McLean is annoying for a variety of reasons like ‘She’s too obsessed with Jason’, ‘She complains too much’, ‘She’s too jealous’, etc. (and I agree), but I also realize that barely anyone really explains why, which I think is a bit unfair to the Piper fans, cause I’m sure they want to see our reasonings. So, I thought it was only fair to explain why Piper McLean is annoying. 

First off, her obsession with Jason. I get that she likes the guy, but thinking about him every single paragraph gets really tiring after a while. It dragged the books and made them seem less of a hobby and more like a chore, like we had to get through the boring, tedious romance parts to get to the good stuff (which ended up disappointing). Of course Piper likes Jason, but her priority issues are what made her obsession with him so annoying. Like, doesn’t she have much more important things to do than sulk in her room whining about a boy? Like, I don’t know, train (which she only did in The House of Hades after Hazel told her to), plan for the final fight with the giants and Gaea, talk to her past friends and family in case she didn’t make it out alive, etc.? While all the other demigods were fighting for their lives, training their butts off, and working hard to make sure everything went smooth, Piper was sulking and whining about Jason in bed then complained that she was useless 💀 And I see a lot of arguments about why Piper’s obsession with Jason was fine, but let me make a counter-argument for each one- ‘She’s a daughter of Aphrodite’- You mean the daughter of Aphrodite who constantly claimed she hates Aphrodite and her children, is supposed to be the chill, down-to-earth one, and tries extremely hard to not be a typical daughter of Aphrodite? That one? I think the readers tend to forget that Aphrodite is the goddess of all love, not just romance.  ‘She’s a high school girl’- A high school girl who was given the responsibility of helping save the world, and yet her boyfriend is the number one thing on her mind? I can guarantee you high school girls do not only think about their boyfriends. That’s actually quite a rude stereotype that Riordan fell right into. ‘She wants normalcy’- And of course she’s going to get that with the guy who can shoot lightning from his hands and fly. If she really wanted normalcy, she would’ve gotten together with a mortal guy, not another demigod whom she’s questing with. ‘The people who claim she’s annoying for her crush on Jason are the same people who’ve had crushes on a million fictional characters’- But do those people let those crushes define their whole life, get in the way of their morals, and are the only thing they ever think or talk about? Liking multiple people and being creepily obsessed with another are very different things. 

Second, her jealousy over Reyna. I get that liking a guy and finding out another girl who’s known him for much longer also likes him is pretty jealousy-evoking...for a regular high school girl. But Piper isn’t a regular high school girl, she’s a demigod who’s supposed to concentrate on saving the whole world. Even in The Lost Hero, her jealousy and obsession was annoying (and creepy and honestly stalker-ish, like- wanting a guy all to yourself despite knowing your relationship with him was fake and completely dismissing the chances of any girl he might’ve known without ever getting to know him is pretty creepy) because even though she had just gotten introduced to the demigod world and had to adapt to it- she had just gotten introduced to the demigod world and had to adapt to it. How many people who just learned that gods, monsters, and myths were real and that they have to save their dad from a blood-thirsty giant and free a goddess from captivity or the world would end is going to think exclusively about a guy? That’s what makes it annoying. And even after The Mark of Athena when Jason and Piper were dating and Jason promised he wouldn’t leave her, Piper was still constantly worried about Reyna. Like, girl, don’t you have more important things to worry about? Like World War III between the Greeks and Romans? Or the literal end of the world? Or like, Armageddon? This also impacted the overall writing. During The Blood of Olympus, Frank and Piper were at a cave and Frank went in to get an ingredient for the Physician’s Cure, and the point of view was Piper’s, who sat outside waiting for him daydreaming about Jason and her friends. Frank was talking to his legendary shape-shifting ancestors and we got to read about a little girl complaining and sulking. That’s what makes Piper so annoying. 

Third, her complaining. Piper fans often argue that everyone is allowed to complain about their trauma and you shouldn’t compare it to others...but there is none for Piper. She’s literally complaining for nothing. ‘Oh, but her dad was neglectful and didn’t care about her!!!’ ????are we reading the same book??? Piper has had multiple flashbacks of her and her dad hanging out like going surfing, watching Tristan’s movies, reading Greek myths, discussing Cherokee stories, etc., and it’s obvious Tristan loves Piper very much. Everything he does is for her. It’s not even his choice to be busy, it’s his agent’s, and even though he’s super busy, he always makes time for Piper even though Piper constantly makes his life harder by getting herself in trouble despite knowing his job and life is already stressful enough. Plus the fact that no matter how much bad Piper did, Tristan never punished or got mad at her for it. The fact that she’s complaining about her private chef making her a gold-wrapped sandwich while a lot of the other characters spent their childhood having to wonder where their next meal was going to come from and complained about having things they didn’t have 5% of was what was annoying. There’s a difference between ‘comparing traumas’ and being flat-out insensitive (as Piper was). If I saw some spoiled rich kid complaining about their peanut butter-jelly sandwich being wrapped in fake gold by their personal chef right in front of a starving homeless kid, I probably would’ve thrown a rock at them. 

The last and most annoying part- the genre. The number one reason people think that Piper is annoying is that we didn’t read this story for romance. We didn’t pick up a Rick Riordan book to read about romance and jealousy, we did so to read about slaying monsters and saving the world. The entire Heroes of Olympus series was 80% dragged romance and 10% super-rushed, unrealistic, and horribly-written fights that mostly consisted of dialogue that never took longer than five pages but should’ve taken up a whole chapter or more. I- and multiple other readers- couldn’t care less about who gets in the way of whom and who gets together with whom and who likes whom, I care more about the battles and superpowers. Readers pick up action/fantasy/adventures stories to read about action, fantasy, and adventure, not romance. Piper ripped the readers from the fantasy world just to pine over her boyfriend, and the fact that that was what made up the majority of the books (along with other dumb, rushed romances) and Riordan spent like two pages- again, most of which consisting of dialogue- on the final battle against the second most powerful deity in all of Greek/Roman mythology (only surpassed by Chaos himself) after spending a whole book on just the Titan lord is what makes Piper so annoying. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the romance wasn’t even a subplot. It was a minor add-on, but all throughout HoO the romance was the main point, and Piper was the center of that. Plus she’s the center of a lot of racism and misogyny in the series. That’s what makes her annoying, my friends.

And yeah thanks for coming to my TED Talk. 

A story written by me and my little brother!

THIS TOOK MONTHS! INTERACTIONS, ESPECIALLY REBLOGS, ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED!

“Now, hold it at an angle… there, that is perfect. You are a natural, Mal gein,” the woman helped her son adjust his hands, so that his dagger was properly positioned on the sharpening stone. She had a sword in her own hand, and used it to further demonstrate the way it was done.

He slowly turned the tiny blade from side to side, his eyes fully trained on it in childish wonder. Sparks flew off the wheel haphazardly and Spear giggled at the flashy sight. His mother, however, looked after him worriedly. She was not surprised when his finger slipped and nicked the blade, quickly snatching a bandage as he began to cry.

She gently shushed him, taking his hand and wrapping it in the cloth. He started apologizing through tears, but she once again quieted him.

“It’s alright, mal kendov, there is no shame in pain. That is why the gods gave us loved ones. To unify us and to lift one another up. Never forget this.”

~*~

Iýa looked the sleeping Daphne over from atop her starry perch with pity. “Struck by lightning at sea, I’m afraid. You were right to bring her here, Leonora. Let me see what I can do…” With this, she held Daphne and ran a glowing hand over her scales. The blistering burn slowly began to melt away, and Daphne’s eyes fluttered open.

Upon recognizing her surroundings, she squirmed in her mother’s arms and began to cry. She didn’t know why she was crying, exactly. Perhaps it was the way her sister had told on her mistake, or the way her mother looked at her regardless.

Either way, Iýa held her through every moment of it, crooning a lullaby in her ear and assuring her she was safe and loved. And whether Daphne believed it or not, it was the truth.

~*~

Trouble had begun to brew in the east, and the envy of the first man blew the growing storm westward. He stole a star from the Fair Folk’s skies, a great blasphemy against them and their Goddess of the sparkling Night.

While Asem was powerful to an egregious degree, the Fae still felt it necessary to push back against the man’s arrogance. This led them to go to their Goddess and make a wish.

But while the crown of Asem began to fracture his family and kingdom, the Fae’s wish had already been set in motion. Stories began to fly of monsters in the woods beyond the Faerie trading ports. Sailors would return, describing massive men as tall as trees, covered with midnight fur.

Those that knew waited with baited breath. Asem’s sin had brought him to justice all on its own, and yet the beasts made to destroy him already existed. The Fae only hoped to now hide these frightful children they had created…

~*~

Daphne sneakily slipped behind a pillar of sandstone, warily watching her back. Out of the corner of her eye, a pale pink fin darted out of view. Caught.

She would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the pressing need to not be detected. But did that poor pallid mergirl think she was being secretive in her attempts to win the match? The princess certainly hoped not, for the girl’s sake. In any case, she tapped her hand against the wall, and an icy open clip appeared around it.

With this, she allowed herself to let slip a quiet giggle and darted away behind another pillar. She coiled herself around it and promptly turned herself into pure water, so that she was effectively invisible.

Just as she had hoped, the pinky girl swam around the pillar, and was disappointed to find the princess wasn’t there. Daphne flicked her wrist, causing the clasp to snap around the girl’s tail, trapping her and making her yelp.

Revealing herself, Daphne resumed her tail, cackled like a witch, a shot ahead to claim the final prize. She snatched the flag, waving it excitedly to show off to her fellow competitors. They swam out from their hiding places, arms crossed and brows furrowed, and threw joking insults her way.

“How do you keep doing it, you wench, you?” One of them, Marina, snipped lightheartedly.

“I guess I’m just better than the lot of you,” Daphne quipped smugly.

With this, they giggled, laughed and talked, as they made their way back to their dwelling place in a cave nearby. When there, Marina and the pink tailed girl pulled Daphne into a private room to talk.

“What’s this about, ladies?” she said with slight apprehension.

“Well, we’ve been thinking. And, we figure you have the most experience with the outside world…”

“We didn’t want to send someone with anything less. And since these ‘Children of the Night’ are so out of control, even now, we thought you ought to-”

“Please, Daphne. You have friends, don’t you? The scholar you lived with in the human’s city, or what about that half-blood you got along with so well?’

Daphne held up a hand. “No, no. Cain and his family are more their targets than anyone else. And goodness knows where Ion is- frankly I don’t think they’d be able to help, anyway. And Leonora, well…”

A tense pause. They were isolated and their friends were scattered, and they knew it. What could they do? They needed the other civilizations to keep theirs afloat; they couldn’t just barricade themselves in.

“I have one last idea. Voyagers of all peoples have been the lead storytellers and information providers through this. People are bound to go to the Fae to find out what’s going on. If I wait there, I can intercept someone, get them on our side.”

And so the plan was set. Daphne gathered her things, set Marina in charge of the people, and set off for the forest shores.

~*~

After two decades of dedicating his life to a Spectrum Kendov (or Warrior), Spear had reached the point of the highest physical strength and endurance as well as elemental power of the Northern Dragon standards. A Spectrum Kendov was the highest honor a Dovah could accomplish, by defeating two God-like beings… Perun, lord of earth and all Hell fire, and Scorpio, whose stars reigned with war and bloodshed of all the other Zodiac beings.

Spear walked into the Champions Arena, the crowd roared with anticipation and excitement, for the supposed Spectrum Kendov, meant to protect them from all great evil had finally come to claim his title. His helm, shaped to match his demon horns, had already been placed upon his head, and his eyes, glistening with power and will, looked at his opponents, with no urge to kill, but to have mercy when they were beaten to the ground.

"Well, isn't this a sight to see!" Perun's deep booming voice shouted, "Another one ready to die just to claim a glorified and honorful title he just can't have!" Perun had always been the one to provoke those who had high egos, yet Spear remained unmoved with his words.

"Ain't that the truth, this little man is nothing but a few twigs tied with some leaves," A lighter, cockier voice came from Scorpio, whom was the one to provoke others who share his personality, "Sure he has a bit of a size… but he ain't average height, that's for sure!" Perun and Scorpio boomed with laughter.

"Gaah! What the fu-?" Scorpio never finished his exclamation before he was thrown into the arena wall after being punctured with a double axe bladed spear, Spear's personal weapon. The fight had begun, and Scorpio had already yielded to Spear, he was in so much shock he forgot how to fight, while Perun sprung into action with his flaming axe bladed chain, grinding the ground around Spear. As Perun made a final smash to where Spear was, a thunderbolt the size of five struck upon him, leaving Spear's weapon in his back.

Spear retrieved his weapon from Perun's back, and showed mercy on him and Scorpio, for they were only trying to find the true Spectrum Kendov. The tribe went wild and shouted, "Spear is our Guardian! All praise whoever's watching us that we have our Guardian!"

Perun spoke to Spear after he was helped up by him, "We stood no chance- your small appearance is really deceiving to your skill in battle and power. Scorpio and I made an agreement that we would be the Spectrum's protectors, because while you may be strong, you are not immortal."

Spear spoke in a gentle yet stern voice, "Indeed, and I would rather have someone by my side fighting with me, than having more power and relying on that to fight."

Perun and Scorpio took Spear to the North Tower, the one place where all you see is South. "The Wind of the Northern Winter lies here, if it finds you worthy of its own power, then you are the Spectrum Kendov, and you know what responsibility comes with that title…" Perun spoke grimly and sorrowfully as he finished his speech.

Spear responded, "I know all too well of the prophecy, but I'd rather know than not if… he… is to come in my lifetime…" The Wind of the Northern Winter flowed through his veins as he entered the tower, no cold came upon him, yet he felt he could never feel too hot. He had been chosen to be the Spectrum Kendov, the Decimator of Alduin as legend goes- but that time had not come, for another challenge for Spear and the Northern Dragons arose down South…

~*~

Nightmares plagued the residents of the trees, no doubt the Interlopers used these horrid dreams to communicate. Below the leaves, the devils hung Fae bodies in shackles, pulling and picking at them until they bled. Those above pleaded to their gods that they and their children would not be next.

The Interlopers held a ravenous, morbid curiosity. It drove them out of the forests, beyond the lands of the Fae. They tormented the remnants of the first city, the servants of the iron god and the blood necromancers of the east. Their cruel hands found their ways into the lives of the Imitites, the Ortothans, and the Dovahs who had ventured South from their home.

Even the sirens below the freezing southern waves and ice were not immune to this. They poked their heads up to find massive beasts afoot in the snow. The ice cracked under their weight, leaving them vulnerable under the sickly yellow eyes of their attackers. They sent ships to the flesh shepherds and wonder makers on land, and even some to their Fae ancestors still in the woods, but none returned.

They looked to their princess, the demigod of the moon, sea, storms, and dreams, to provide them with weapons and armour, food and shelter. She didn’t know what to do- how could she possibly slip past these monsters? They were everywhere! Not trusting the gods of the Fae she was created by, she turned to another. Going to the sea serpent of lost memories, she prayed.

The Northern Dragons reacted differently however. In their attempts to sail across lands and create new colonies, they had run into what seemed to be giant creatures of great physical strength. Those that were exploring had either been missing for a great time, or had come back with their boats and sails barely holding together, while one man handling the boat itself.

The Dovahs had decided that Spear, the Spectrum Kendov, should be the one to seek out what they heard were called Interlopers, and hunt every single one of them down. While they planned his exploration, they had caught wind of creatures called the Fae, who were being hunted by these Interlopers. With all of this information, they had compiled a plan to not only bring the Fae as an ally, but to begin not a war, but a hunt against the Interlopers. So Spear untied his sail, pushed against the boat onto the water, and sailed to what the Dovahs called the Midlands, the land between Northern and Southern lands.

~*~

Sailing across waters long, Spear found himself beached at the Midlands; scanning his surroundings he finds that a forest grows thick ahead. Grabbing his weapon off of his back, he is ready for any battle to come, as he senses danger within the dense woods. He jumps off the boat's prow and lands with grace, while only sand from where he stood moved. He sneakily and quickly veered into the woods, and found that it was vast and compacted with large, kapok trees. Spear took note as he is only used to his native Blackwood trees.

A sound appeared suddenly, Spear silently leapt to the back of the closest tree, and peered upon what looked to be what he was hunting. An interloper, magnificent in size and mass, making an absurd amount of noise through each footstep, looking like a bear on two legs, as it was covered in fur. Spear slowly and expertly aimed his weapons towards the Interlopers head, and threw. After a clash of weight caving down onto a tree, the body of the interloper crumbled into a pile of jade rocks, it was dead. Spear walked over to his weapon, sensing no other large beings around, and picked up his weapon.

Suddenly, a sharp pain dug itself into his shoulder, and he turned to be met with the end of an arrow, made of, was it ice? "Gaah! Shite! What the heck!?" Spear jumped behind a tree with an arrow in his right shoulder. "Alright, who has the bloody galls to face me in combat? I warn you, I am a Dovah!" Spear left the arrow in his arm so as to not cause more bleeding, and switched to his left hand to weild.

"Come on out Interloper! I may have mercy on you if you do!" A feminine voice shouted from beyond Spear’s field of vision.

"The hell do you mean Interloper? Is that pile of rocks not what a dead one looks like?!" Spear shouts, aggravated that he was accused of being something he wasn't.

"Wait...who are you, if not one of them?" The woman’s voice spoke once more, and Spear sensed confusion and fear in her voice. She must’ve shot him thinking she was being hunted by him.

"I'm coming out slowly, I would appreciate it if you would not shoot me again!" Spear tentatively stepped around the tree to see the figure's ice-sculpted weapon out, but not ready to fire. "I am Spear, Guardian of the Northern Dragons….who the Hell are you?"

"Princess Daphne le’Iýa, Faerie demigod of the ocean," Daphne realizes the wounds and puts away her bow while stepping towards Spear. Spear was obviously hesitant and held out his weapons towards her. "Look, I thought you were one of the monsters, and had I known you were not, I certainly wouldn't have shot you. I can fix that wound better than you can. Please, it's the least I could do."

Spear recognized her honesty, while still noticing fear in her voice. He let her come close enough to slit his throat, but she pulled the arrow out of his arm, and immediately started singing in a language the Spear only knows through ancient Faerie scrolls, and his arm healed, leaving only a scar to remember.

"You are skilled in your magic, I'm glad to have met you, even if I met your arrow first,” Spear spoke honestly and jokingly, as he knew that forgiving this supposed Daphne would be the best way to start a bond.

"I am truly sorry about that. Is there anything else I can do?" Daphne didn’t seem to want anyone else after her, and tried her best to apologize to Spear.

"Do not worry, you only shot in defense without fully knowing who you were shooting at, I can understand this," Spear patted her shoulder to assure her. "Maybe we can both benefit from this event of meeting each other… you could find safety and rest back in my homeland, and then you can share what you know about these Interlopers, this way we both are happy with what we get."

"Have you forgotten about my actions so soon? I shot you!" Daphne was dumbfounded by Spear's quick dismissal of what had happened to him. Although he shook his head at her.

"You need not worry of your actions, for they were acted upon through fear and reaction, you were only trying to keep yourself safe. I can help you with that." Daphne tried to oppose and tell him that he should not be so dismissive about the event, but Spear assured her through a side hug, which caught Daphne off guard enough for Spear to walk past her and towards his boat.

“Wait,” Daphne called. Spear turned back to look back. “The last time I crossed the ocean with someone, things ended up, well… not so good.”

“You’ll be quite safe with my people,” Spear said. Daphne shifted a bit, eying him with wary hope. He was exactly what she set out looking for, after all. “And besides. If you find yourself uncomfortable, you can always use your arrows again,” he said with a playful wink.

With this, Daphne giggled slightly and followed behind. Exiting the thick forest, the two climbed onto the boat. Spear set sail to Scandinavia, the land of the Northern Dragons. To which the two made the journey, to the next step in either great failure, or triumphant victory…

~*~

The pair tentatively made their way across the ocean, skirting past the Interlopers ships to find themselves on the icy northern shores. The princess scurried to and fro, fascinated by her new environment and its people. How different they were than the people of the places she had previously resided in…!

They were Children of the Sun, but unlike those in the First City, these people were pale, blonde, and above all, kind. They welcomed the man- Spear- back with open arms, and were more than curious to meet the woman he had brought along with him. They peppered her with questions and gifts and sights to see, until eventually she was taken to a large building made from an upside-down wooden ship, which they called the Companion’s Lodge, a place to plan a hunt of glory and honor.

Suffice to say, she should’ve known that the man she crossed the ocean with would be the leader. She also met his guards, the most different of men but an excellent team nonetheless. Here, the four pulled out books, maps, stories and paintings, pouring over them in hopes that a hint would be found. A sign that the plans they would go on to make were possible.

After much studying and deliberation, they had had enough. What better way to understand these monsters than through personal experience? Better to dive right into cold waters than to waste your time slowly wading. It was a siege they wanted, and it was a siege they would have.

~*~

The battle was ferocious, haunting... yet it yielded knowledge to Spear and Daphne. As Spear took two dozen Dovahs with him, all with different elemental abilities, Daphne trained in her skills with water. During this time she was informed of something from Spear she never expected.

"It is tradition when one makes an ally of another, they would train each other of the other's weapon, so that the bond goes beyond words of trust, it is also trust of possessions." Spear spoke to Daphne in hopes to have created at least a friend with her. "I believe we are trusting of each other, so… what do you say?"

"Uhm…" Daphne was caught a bit off guard. Her bow being one of few things she kept to remind her of the home she came from. "I'm not sure… I mean, I trust you completely… but I don't want to give my bow to anyone really…" She obviously didn't want to hurt him in any way, so she tried her best to tell him in the kindest way.

"Well, maybe we can teach each other of how to use one another's weapons, that way if we do switch weapons, it won't be devastating in battle," Spear was trusting towards Daphne, mainly because he felt a strong connection between them. Even so, Daphne felt guarded towards him, yet she agreed to training each other, as she remembered, ‘iron sharpens iron.’

While Spear was able to pick up her bow and use it with tremendous strength and agility, Daphne had immediate trouble with how to begin using Spear's complicated weapon. Until Spear suggested using it as a spear, not an axe, Daphne then swiftly grew more attuned to the weapon.

While this was happening, the Interlopers stronghold was being populated with readily growling beasts, yielding to tear apart anything that came. Just before the battle began, Daphne and Spear switched weapons, and having learned each other's weapons, they charged in the front line, and made mountains with the piling jade rocks from many fallen and crushed Interlopers.

With their great roar of excitement, the Dovahs roared with them, right into the line of Interlopers. As they crashed through their thick bodies with their hugs weapons, they became berserk and started wailing on them, showing no mercy. They had trained to fight like Hell itself, and they were as demons in this battle, blood soared not spilled, limbs flew not fell, and the morale of the Dovahs only increased. However, even with their great first triumphant starting charge, they started to wear down in numbers, just by virtue of the continuous streaming numbers of Interlopers.

As Daphne was using her water abilities in ways she never imagined using on the frontline, Spear used archery and close combat expertly to the point where he never missed his shots and never came close to getting hit. Even though the two sibling-like fighters were doing well, the Dovahs were still overwhelmed by the increasing numbers.

Many had used fire, metal, nature, and all of them were decimated, while those using lightning were barely holding on as well as wind… however, Daphne noticed something. She peers in close distance to two Dovahs using water abilities, making the Interlopers drown, what was curious however, was that when they were under the water, they couldn't move, therefore they couldn't breath and they died.

Daphne quickly refocused to the battle at hand, and Spear cries out, "Too many have fallen, fall back! Water Dovahs, drown those who follow us!" It seemed as though Spear was also paying attention to his surroundings. As the remaining group of soldiers returned to their outpost, the last two water Dovahs made a wall of water of which the Interlopers could not pass lest they drown and crumble into jade.

Daphne and Spear look at each other in agreement. The battle may have been lost for that day… but knowledge of weakness in their enemies may prove to be the element to winning the war, or as the Northern Dragons call it, the hunt…

~*~

The Companion's Lodge was bathed in a tense argument. They started the siege with the advantage of surprise, but it had quickly descended into mindless violence and death.

“How could this have happened? I thought we had them!” Scorpio shouted in frustration.

“We made sure to bring our best! All different kinds of elemental wielders were there with us, and nearly all of them were slaughtered! What more could we possibly have done?” Perun huffed. Although calmer than the others, his voice still wavered with stress.

“At least we learned their weakness,” Spear started to speak before being cut off.

“Oh, fantastic. Just in time for your people to be killed,” Daphne said icily.

“Our people,” Spear tried an uncertain smile.

Daphne paused and sighed, relieving a tad bit of the tension. “Yes, our people.” She looked around the room, which had largely quieted down. “I’m so sorry. If I had known it would turn out this way…”

“But you couldn’t have. This isn’t any of our faults,” Perun said in a soothing, almost fatherly tone. A somber silence fell over them, each lost in thought, or perhaps simply in grief.

“Daphne could tell us more about why this is happening,” Scorpio spoke quietly.

“I already told you all I know about the Interlo…” she trailed off. That didn’t seem to be the point. “Alright.”

“Well, the Fae goddess- my mother, Iýa. She created me and my… sister, Leonora. But she was made princess and I wasn’t, so I ran away. I didn’t realize why I needed to stay until the Fae had Iýa create the Interlopers we now face.”

A, “But why?” from Perun.

A, “Shush!” from Spear.

Daphne giggled before turning serious again. “The first man- Asem- stole from my people. He took a star and used it for a crown. I was already gone when all this happened, but I’m told the Faeries wished for justice. In return, Iýa gave them the Interlopers. Not that it mattered. Asem’s greed had already torn his family apart. His wives left him, his sons quarreled until they drove each other apart, and his people all left or died in the chaos.”

“And how is it you know so much about him?” Scorpio spoke with a hint of accusation.

She drew in a breath to argue, but Perun spoke as before her, more calmly. “He’s right. Even we didn’t know this, and we live much closer to the first city than you did at the time.”

Daphne huffed and turned away. Spear put a hand on her shoulder, making her tense and then ease up.

“I was there.” Silence. Spear’s hand pulled away. “I know how that must sound. Most people would have you believe I immediately joined the sirens under the ice, but…” She took a deep breath. “There was this boy. I went with him to his city- the first city- and his family. They were nice, but not kind. And I was there to witness this be their downfall. Not that it matters now- and it’s probably for the best, anyway.”

Spear put his arm around Daphne’s shoulder to comfort her, and it worked. She steeled herself again to go on. “Now, as for the Interlopers- in the city was a sorcerer- his name was Noah. I know it sounds like a long shot, but I know him, and I know he could help. I think our next step is to find him.”

~*~

Daphne had hidden herself away under her covers, with a small, glowing gem of ice. Curled up and warm, she sang a lullaby and fiddled with the ginger scarf in her hands. Her sister’s. If only they could’ve just gotten along, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. If she had just sought to understand her mother’s wishes for her, or if she had met Asem just a little sooner to convince him not to do what he did...

You’ll never be able to hate yourself enough to rewrite history, that boy’s gentle voice whispered to her. Silently, she nodded. Her heart ached with longing. How she wished she could hold him again. She’d fall to her knees and beg if it meant she could giggle with her sister again, or squirm and cry in her mother’s arms. If this could all go back to normal. But, drawing in a shaky breath, she reminded herself not to dwell on what could have been. She had a new family now, one that truly loved her, and she had to protect them.

Spear meanwhile, took a knife from his shield, which had many, but this one was different. This first knife he had crafted with his mother, the one of few things that actually cut him. He held it in his hands in admiration, as if he had never seen it before. Spear then held the knife to his chest as if trying to hug it, and thought about his mother.

He began singing an old song told by many of the Dovahs, called, My Mother Told Me. He sang it perfectly in three different keys. He then replaced his knife back into his shield, and stood up. He was ready for battle, for exhaustion, even for death… because he was once a boy who cut himself with his own knife… and now is the Spectrum Kendov… he feared not the death of himself, but the death of his newfound sister, therefore he swore that he would protect her, even at the cost of his life...

~*~

"Water is their weakness!" Perun shouted, "Why the Hell can't we just use your powers in every battle and destroy these cursed Interlopers?!" Perun was insistent on being a warlord, making sure everyone had a chance of fighting and getting stronger. Though he didn't realize the bigger picture.

"Every time I used my powers for an extended amount of time, I got tired, that is why we can't continuously use these powers every battle, because it would weaken us to the point where we can't even fight!" Spear spoke angrily at Perun, though he knew Perun's powers worked differently because he was a mythological God, he hated his lack of empathy when others got tired from using them. "Even if we didn't get tired, why should we fight and lose more of our men, when we can wipe them out completely in one big swipe?!"

"What are you talking about…?" Perun's curiosity perked up as he heard this. Daphne opened up a scroll of prophecy, and with her knowledge explained to both Perun and Scorpio more about Noah, a human from the seas, able to control great waves from below ground.

With this knowledge they created a plan, Spear would use his powers that combined into weather to create a huge rainstorm, Daphne would use her powers to raise the waves of the oceans, lakes, and rivers, and finally Noah would use his power to break the ground and gush water from the Earth. Their powers combined should be enough to cover all but the highest parts of the Earth. They trusted that the Interlopers would fall in and sink, while others would either get to the high ground, use boats, or swim in the sea if they were sea creatures. The missing component was Noah himself.

"Where is this Noah?" Scorpio asked urgently, he wanted to rid the Northern Dragons of any threats as soon as possible. Daphne then pulled out a map of the Midlands and pointed out where he could be.

"Right in the middle of an Interloper camp?" Spear grunted this, as he did not want anything to go wrong in getting Noah. Daphne nods, her expression was a mix of anger and disappointment, she had the same feelings as Spear. Perun started to notice the bond between Spear and Daphne, and while the two were talking more, Perun pulled Scorpio aside.

"I remember that Noah was taken captive with the Daevite Methuselah, though I don't know what their intentions were," Daphne spoke to Spear, she was annoyed by the fact they had to fight more Interlopers to get one person.

"I have Dovahs around the area, mainly for scouting. They came back long before all of this and told me that there is a camp, and it's only guarded by about 40 beasts, which I would think are Interlopers. It will only be tedious, that's all," Spear spoke to Daphne, trying to lift her spirits at least a little. It worked, and Daphne thanked him for being the one to look at a mug half full. Spear meanwhile thanked Daphne for looking at every possible bad ending, things to avoid.

As Scorpio and Perun come back unnoticed, they begin to pack for the adventure ahead. They thought it would be a walk in the small forest, so they only brought Spear, Daphne, Perun, and Scorpio. A mistake they made to bring so little to a battle they thought would be easy. For there may be small numbers, but the camp is one of the oldest camps the Interlopers made, and since they do not age with time… trouble is amongst those who venture into these parts of the Midlands…

~*~

The travelers numbering four ventured forth into the seemingly haunted woods. As they were traveling Perun started sensing many things in the woods, small animals mostly. He looked everywhere at all times, making sure they were safe. It seemed the right thing to do considering they were going into unknown territory for everyone.

The trees themselves were massive birch trees, usually thought of as peaceful, harmless. However twisted magic had affected these trees over the decades, and created monster-like limbs and branches. Even with these weird formations, no twigs or branches had fallen to be broken, as if nobody had ever ventured into this area.

They managed to find the camp of the Interlopers, and snuck in. All of them were on high alert, especially Perun, as they crouched and sneakily ran in multiple directions.

Daphne left the group and followed the sweet scent of water, a stark contrast against the putrid stank of things rotting in the dark. The brook led her to a horrid sound, red lights serving as a waypoint. It was awful; the closer she got, the more she clung to the bed of the stream for comfort. But alas, her head emerged at the rumbling thud of Interloper footsteps. She immediately gagged.

There, in the middle of a crowd of singing devils, was Iýa, but it was not really her. This was a massive, sickly tree, the size of a large town. It was twisted and warped, with a thousand wriggling bodies strung up in it’s branches. The aberration was screaming and crying an demonic bellow, all the while the Interlopers hummed as though in joy.

What was this thing? This couldn’t be Iýa, it wasn’t possible! Iýa was a glowing mother, a sleeper in the stars, a granter of wishes. She cared for the downtrodden and oppressed, and all those who could not defend themselves. She couldn’t become this, this...

Meanwhile, Spear, Scorpio, and Perun had convened in the main camp. It seemed that only the prisoner's area was inhabited, there they found the supposed Noah. As they started to unchain him, he started grunting. They quickly shushed him and told him they were there to help, he calmed down enough to be unchained, however, they did not quiet him in time.

Suddenly, a loud sound of seemingly screeching giggling and groaning of war had been shouted, despite Perun's attempts to look everywhere, he managed to miss the entire garrison of the Interloper camp. Spear and Daphne, now returned, immediately stood back to back as if they could take on the whole world, while Perun and Scorpio started smashing their weapons onto the Interlopers. Scorpios scythe had pierced many during the battle, while Perun's axe on a chain whirled around and clashed the heads of many. Spear and Daphne, using each other's weapons as always, were always either defending each other or helping the other attack an Interloper, they were synchronized.

The fight continued on like this until Daphne was thrown to a tree, leaving Spear vulnerable to the last remaining Interloper. Spear looked about him as the Interloper charged his weapon at him….although no injury befell him, rather on Scorpio. Spear threw his weapon and the last Interloper was thrown into a tree and broke into jade. Spear slides to Scorpio's side in time for him to speak to Spear for a short time…..

After his dialogue, his body turns bright and, as if he were being sucked into the sky, his body lifted up swiftly, leaving only his necklace for Spear to bear… Scorpio was dead. Spear shouted out in rage and a thunderstorm started to appear, then it stopped. Daphne hugged Spear tightly, and while Spear was caught off guard by this, he embraced her, being thankful that he was still with her at least. Perun had then brought who was seemingly Noah out of hiding, from behind thick berry bushes, and into sight.

After their journey back, and the heartache of Scorpio's death, they explain the whole plan of how to destroy the Interlopers. Noah was quite panicked at first, but after calming down and hearing Perun, Spear, and Daphne, as well as considering they saved him, he agreed to being a part of the plan. So together, they trained, and got ready for The Great Flood of Cleansing Sin. Factions around the world had been sent a message entitling everyone to either get to high ground, build ships to sail on, or dive deep underwater so as to not be destroyed by the coming flood. Who knew what more sacrifices have to be made to create peace, was it even worth it all? The story continued, and the next step was the extinction of a race…

~*~

Spear, Daphne, Noah, and Perun travelled back to the forest of their greatest travesty, and had one last moment of remorse, sorrow, heartache. The rest of the Dovahs were building their ships to sail on the waters to come, and they decided to go to the location after the prophesied flood.

Daphne didn't know Scorpio for long, but she still enjoyed his comedic comments and his radiation of happiness, and she knew everything would be at least a good amount more depressing. Spear knew Scorpio for not much longer than Daphne, but like Daphne, he enjoyed Scorpio's company, as well as their many interesting conversations… including the one where he told Spear he was getting married.

Spear and Perun had to hug his fiancé for over an hour just to comfort her. Perun was Scorpio's brother, they were not blood related, but brothers nonetheless, therefore Perun, for the first time in his entire life, cried a tear from his eye. All Dovahs remorsed of his death, but only those who truly knew and had a relationship with Scorpio needed time, time to be sad. Then anger rose from the sadness, and all of them started preparing for the creation of the flood.

As Spear and Perun walked away, Daphne tailed behind them and slipped into the nearby creek. She did not have the will to enjoy the feeling of her tail returning; the situation at hand was much too grim. Her mother was now an abomination, her heart torn out for those created to be betrayed. And a man who had so quickly become a brother to her was dead. Daphne never had any brothers, why now that she did would one be taken away so carelessly?

Daphne heaved a sigh and began to sob. At first it seemed that the Interlopers were tools, created to do the Fae's dirty work and then be ignored forever. But they weren’t; they were children. Made for violence and cast aside like waste. And festering in the dark for so long, was it any surprise they didn’t know any better? Was it their fault?

She now knew what needed to be done, but hadn’t they already lost enough? A good friend and a mother gone were too much, how could she bring herself to wipe out an entire race, even despite their actions?

She once again thought of Asem’s family, of Cain, and felt an overwhelming pang of guilt. Oh, all the things she could’ve, should’ve, didn’t do to stop this! Clutching at the clockwork bracelet he had given to her, she did the only thing she could think to do; pray. Not to what was left of Iýa, not to any leviathans or sea serpents, but to a simple god with a simple purpose. She only hoped her words could be heard, that things could still be fixed. But the quiet sound of a thousand voices whispered to her, that she already knew what to do.

Touching a hand to the grass, she began to sing. It was her sister’s song, a flowery poem of spring, rebirth and justice. But this was not justice for her, Daphne thought as the flowers around her began to bloom in unison. This isn’t for the Faeries, their queen, or even Leo (though Daphne did hope she was safe). This was not for Asem or the Children of the Sun, or even the countless cultures that had been picked, pulled, and torn at by the devils.

No, the flood may be necessary to wipe out the horror of their acts, but the flowers now blooming across the face of the planet would serve as the Interlopers grave. And she would ensure this day would be remembered.

~*~

The flowers had wilted as the sun set the evening after their blooming. In the night that followed, light rain began to drizzle. This quickly turned to torrents and lightning that could rival that of even the god’s creation. Flash floods cascaded down mountains, turning creeks into rivers and rivers into great lakes. Forests became cold swaps and Interloper camps were reduced to sticks and blankets.

Those devils that were not fastened in place by the waters took the prisoners by their chains to the summits of peaks. Yet still most of the monsters slipped and fell, leaving the humans, Faeries, and Daevas still in their chains to find higher grounds, both together and on their own.

All the while, Daphne and Spear were deep, deep, down, their magic sustaining and growing on itself on their life forces. Low in the halls of Daphne’s first home, in the strip of land connecting the massive continents, they dreamt.

Hers started out pleasant. She was in a field, picking flowers as fast as her sister’s magic grew them. They took turns braiding the blossoms into each other’s hair, until the ground began to shake and the earth was overturned. They were then older, ceaselessly arguing as their mother futilely tried to calm them. Both sisters stormed off, swearing to never speak again.

The doors slammed shut, and there she sat beside the scholar, quietly watching him write. She reached behind him for a pen to mimic his strange symbols with. But as soon as her eyes turned, she was face to face with the starry iron crown of Asem. Across her eyes played scenes of the brutality and deadly force of the Interlopers- their prisoners crying, her mother’s corpse screaming- and the storms and floods created to wash them away.

And then she saw things she didn’t recognize. Simple flashes, almost ideas. Some were light. Her friends, older and stronger. A wedding, two boys that looked half like her. Spear, in command of legions, and Leonora, princess of the Fae. But some were dark. A corrupt king and his four knights, sent to destroy, going back to their kingdom in cursed shambles. The cadaver of her sister, willingly having given her life to end the terrorous reign of the Fae’s ruiners, and the great profanities she created.

And then her mind went blank. Only the rains remained.

While this happened, Spear and Perun quickly started getting ready while Noah and Daphne had already started using their powers. Perun was there to guard them, but just in case anyone slipped by, Spear created spheres of protection to serve as a shield against any attack, and he surrounded Noah, Daphne and himself. While Spear started to control his power, he saw Perun burst into a flaming creature, with black wings that seemed to be infected with white colors. Then, Spear lost himself to his thoughts, his powers activated, and he could only see darkness.

Then, a flash of light, and he could see everything. He saw the bodies of the many fallen Dovahs that died during the hunt against the Interlopers. In the middle of the body littered ground, he saw Scorpio, his heart pierced, and his body lay soulless. Then, his eyes filled with life, and he got up. Spear stood back in shock and terror at this sight, he didn't realize this was only in his spiritual mind. Scorpio plucked the halberd from his chest, and tossed it to the ground, and then gave Spear a brotherly hug.

As Spear was in question, Scorpio calmed him, saying that it was not his soul that died, and that there is hope for him to live. Spear begged him to tell him how, he said he only knew that the coming Alduin must be defeated, before he could return. Spear was still in question, but Scorpio assured him that he would be a guide of what to do, and where to go throughout his life from now on. Scorpio then touched his necklace, which Spear bared on his chest, and Spear filled with increased power. The Blessing of the Zodiacs, only given to those worthy enough to fight by the side of a Star.

As Spear started calming down, his heart filled somewhat with anger, as he still remembered the deaths of the many Dovahs, and Scorpio. Then his heart filled somewhat with love, as his brotherly relationship with Daphne reigned in his heart, he knew he had to defend her. He didn't even think about his family, his friends, or even anyone else he was supposed to save, and he even forgot about the deaths. All he thought of was Daphne, and even the thought of her being injured haunted him… so he protected her.

In the physical realm, Noah was breaking water from the ground, and Daphne was moving water from all bodies of water, just as planned. Interlopers expectantly charged towards them, but then a fiery creature came crashing down, and looked at them. Horns grew a meter long each, body of a demon, with huge hawk-like wings colored charcoal and streaks of pure white, a tail meters long reached around the creature, and at the end, was an axe, all the while the creature was violently flaming, and was hold a huge Greatsword in one hand, and a Battleaxe on a thick chain in the other. It was Perun, in his true Rising Demonic form, filled with rage. Still in the stage of horror, the Interlopers were then crashed into by Perun, while he wailed his axe around and flurried his sword at them, they felt fear. Even in their terrified state, they fought hard against Perun, though they knew they couldn't take him down, they just needed to get past him. Due to Perun's arrogance in attacking them, many Interlopers ran past him and towards the flooding trio.

Though they got close to them they stopped in horror, as they looked at one of the three. Spear was glowing lightning bright, and a hurricane the size of the entire world started. Even Perun looked in confusion, he knew Spear could never use that much power in any given situation, but he did, because of the blessing given by Scorpio's spirit, and Spear's heart filled with the brotherly protection for Daphne. He created the hurricane that not only flailed the opposing Interlopers away, but immediately started filling the earth with the water.

Clans and Kingdoms around the world were taking refuge to hide from the flood. Samurai of the Isles took to the mountains with the Ninjas of Darkness. The Woodlands Weres took refuge in mountains as well, far from the Isles. The Southern Dragons used magic to protect them from the waters, and the Northern Dragons used ships, as they were voyaging Vikings, and loved the challenge of the storm. And the creature of the water took refuge in underwater caves.

The Interlopers were swiftly wiped out, as they couldn't swim or build boats fast enough, they crumbled into jade as they were suffocated by the rising waters. An entire race was wiped out, all except a few remaining Interlopers that managed to get high enough, but they were eventually taken prisoner or driven underground.

Then, when all the destruction was done, Spear and Daphne woke up exhausted in all ways, using that much power greatly diminished their strength. Perun ran to them in a hurry, and tried offering to help them up, but they both refused and just wanted to lay down for a bit. When they somewhat rested they slowly got up, and Spear and Daphne hugged tightly, and then they looked for Noah. When they found him, his body was resting peacefully, a burnt-out husk as he took his final breath using a great amount of power to help them stop the Interlopers.

~*~

And so the floods receded, and life seemed to simply go on. The sparse handful of Interlopers leftover were dragged into hiding, and their prisoners found their way free of their chains and back to their homes.

Daphne's blue eyes looked upon Spear's hazel, and smiled wearily. Then, they hugged tightly. Though they had made it in the end, many had sacrificed their life to help them get this far. Their mission was done, and Noah, Scorpio, and the Interlopers went with it.

They returned to the Dovah home land, where celebrations had burst forth like lightning. For the first time in a long time, they allowed themselves to simply rest and enjoy themselves. They ate, drank, and were merry for seven days and seven nights, but no time limit could contain their joy.

Until the bitter taste had set in. So much was lost, and yet they partied. But they reminded themselves that festivity was not meant to diminish the sacrifices made to allow it. They honored those that had fallen by reveling in the peace and freedom they had brought.

Perhaps the world would never be entirely fixed, but they had learned by now that it didn’t matter. Spear had never forgotten his mother’s words, and chose now to share them with his newfound sister. That is why the gods gave us loved ones. To unify us and to lift one another up.

“So what now?” Daphne asked him at one time. “The world will never be the same. It’s like, their entire existence has just been… swallowed whole.”

“Yes, I suppose that was the point. But we’ve done a great thing, you know.” She smiled at him and nodded. “And now we… carry on?”

She sighed.

“...And now we carry on.”

~*~

And so Spear returns to Scandinavia, and continues to be the Spectrum Kendov, Guardian of the Northern dragons. Not only that, but as he bears the necklace of his fallen brother, Scorpio, he feels his night sky presence, watching over him, as if he was right next to Spear. Perun becomes the general of the entire Northern Dragon Dovahs, and sets up a way of communication for Daphne and Spear, making it so that they can continue being siblings. After all of this Spear trains, what he trains for is only in prophecy. At first he didn't believe it, but as soon as he found a scroll prophesying Noah and the flood, Spear began his training to fight Alduin…

Daphne found herself aimlessly wandering when the Flood had finally left. She met the madman Ion again, and helped them raise their religion. And after a while, her path crossed that of the scholarboy from the first city again. They were married in a temple of the Iron God, and when that church no longer accepted them, they fled to build a family and a city of their own. Every now and again, the princess, now queen, would ride the waves north to see her Dovah brothers, just as they went south to meet her, as well.

The Interlopers fell into legend, the ghost stories that would frighten children at night. All had forgotten them but the Faeries and the Dovahs. They mourned for the losses caused across the world, and for all that they had allowed themselves to do and believe. So when the Apollyons came to conquer the Faeries, they accepted their fate in hopes that justice could be served properly this time.

And Iýa? She tore out her own heart to make the prison the Interlopers requested, where Asem rots to the present day. Her body, similarly, decays in a cavern just below it, as do the few remaining Interlopers and the Apollyon knight who failed to seize her. The Wormwood trees had long since pulled it into an underground cavern, wiping its memory from all those above. All that was left was a scar. Although Dovahs were disconnected from this magic, therefore they could remember all.

Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here. About the envy of Adam, about the failures of the Fae, or maybe about the levity blindly doled out by Iýa herself. Or maybe it's about the teamwork of those who opposed the Interlopers, the love that bound them together, and the relentless courage they wielded. We may never know.

And so, the book closes and another story is shelved.

~*~

Well, dear reader, if you've read this far, I couldn't possibly thank you enough!

And many, many thanks to my little brother, Spear (@jack-spear-eye), for helping me on this!! Scorpio, Perun, and Kendov (Warrior) Spear (his self-insert), and the Dovahs are all his creations; Daphne is mine. We created the plot together, and the worldbuilding in general belongs to djkaktus (based on SCP-6666, 4840, and 4812).

Lil' man, I swear, he was the best partner on this! Every time I hit a roadblock, he had a new idea that got the gears turning again. It was a big commitment, too, I mean, just look at all that text! But we pulled it off, and I'm glad we did!

Fearless and creative optimist you are, I couldn't have done it without you, Spear.

So without further ado, here's the man to talk about it a little, too!

I did this not for my own gain, but to show others a message of unity, as well as to entertain. Normally I would say something in dovahzul (Dragon tongue/language) But pretty much I just want to say thank you all very much for giving me the chance to be a part of this community, and I want to personally thank Andy (@the-siren-and-the-sailor) for giving me the chance to do all of this, and giving me something to look forward to :•)

And last but not least, the TL;DR!

Legend of Zelda: Lost and Found

Chapter 2: Choosing to Follow the Call

This series of fics contains spoilers for SOH! You have been warned!

Also thank you to all who have been supporting me through this endeavor!! This wonderful story wouldn’t have happened without the beautiful minds of @s-kinnaly and @ridersoftheapocalypse

~~~~~~~~

A quiet hum filled the courtyard of the palace, as the citizens of the grand capital started to fill the courtyard, and as the people gathered the quiet hum, turned into quiet singing. What was at first a small gathering turned into a choir of Healer and Hylian voices. All singing, waiting to see their chosen leader.

 The singing never ceased even in the grand hall of the palace. The walls lined with the elders of each district, each one singing, waiting for the leader and her family to enter.  As the side curtains to the main hall parted, the singing seemed to crescendo as the three daughters of Orlaithe entered. All dressed in white and gold but each had their own accented color.

 The eldest daughter present, Lilija. Dressed with accents of a cool purple. Her jewelry and flower details shimmering with an almost iridescent shimmer and complimented her brown curls. The youngest, Camelia, accented in a mixture of bright fuchsia and soft pink, her reddish hair dotted with her patron flower, Camelia. Finally, the Leader entered. The middle child and 3rd child of Orlaithe. Amaryllis, Her black ringlets under control and pulled up into her gold crown. Her dark indigo waste scarves flowing down to the floor, much like the statue of Din. 

 The elders bowed, their singing didn’t falter, the stone-faced leader outstretching her arms towards the crowded hall. The oldest of the elders, Sister Zillah, stepping forward. The other elders following, they all met in the back of the hall, Sister Zillah ahead of them, and in her aged freckled hands sat Akane’s Token. The necklace was gold, as was the color of the healers and of the divine goddesses who breathed them into existence. A beautiful green gem, set in the center of the gold metal of Akane’s Token, glinted in the light streaming through the curtains of the hall. Amaryllis stepped down from the marble platform she was standing on, meeting Zillah in the center of the hall. The Sister smiled and before her frail hands dropped the token into The Leader’s hands, she leaned in a whispered, “es deveenes weorkin behere fores netortum tore cheorsere hera.”  

The goddesses would be fools not to choose her

As the gentle touch of cold metal fell into Amaryllis’s palms, the leader nodded. Her eyes still cold and serious, as Amaryllis turned around and went back to the platform, the line of elders parted, yet they did not hug the walls as closely as before, instead, they lined the aisle. 

The double doors to the great hall opened, three young girls, entered. Each represented the golden goddesses, all of them dressed with their patron colors. As they walked down the aisle, each girl tossed a handful of colorful petals on the aisle. The girl representing Din, throwing petals of red. Nayru, petals of deep blue, and the girl adoring the green of Farore sprinkled her green leaves and flower petals. The young girls bowed towards the leaders as they came to the end of the great hall, the group giggling quietly to themselves and lining up against the wall. One of the elders, Oryn, shaking his head with a smile as he continued singing with his brethren, knowing the girl dressed in blue was his daughter and probably started the giggling. 

Entering last, was the chosen girl. The one whose entrance everyone anticipated. Stepping into the dim hall, Mara. Dressed beautifully in the garments Camelia designed and crafted for her. 

Her palms sweaty, and nervous. The outside much more graceful than the inside, Mara felt like she was going to puke. She wanted to run by GODS RUNNING AWAY SOUNDED SO MUCH MORE FUN THAN THIS

ANYTHING BUT THIS

But it was her duty….what would her mother say?? She was doing this for her, and her family. As she continued to walk down the aisle Mara couldn’t help but miss her parents.

The warm smile of her mother and the strong hugs and words of affirmation she used to give. Her father’s kind but determined voice telling her that she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. She missed them….she wished they were here, encouraging her..telling her that everything would be just fine.

She thought all these things to herself, then stopping at the platform her aunts looking down at her with so much pride and hope. Mara knelt as Leader Amaryllis started whispering the sacred prayer, Akane’s token held high above her head as the words of blessing in their native tongue were whispered on her lips. 

Amaryllis finally unhooking the clasp and attaching it around Mara’s neck her aunt tilted her chin up by her fingers with a proud smile. “I’m so very proud of you,” Amaryllis whispered.

Amaryllis was never one for feelings of any kind. So when Mara heard those words and saw her smile, she knew her Aunt was telling the absolute truth. Mara did well.

In fact, she did very well!!

That approving gaze and smile was all she needed to make her believe, for that moment, that she was ready for this weight that seemed to settle on her as soon as the little necklace hung around her neck. 

As Mara rose from her kneeling, Amaryllis composed herself as if that split moment of actual emotion was never there presenting her nice before the eyes of their goddesses and people. “GREAT COUNCIL OF OUR PEACEFUL NATION!” Leader Amarylis’s commanding voice boomed, “I PRESENT TO YOU OUR CHOSEN LEADER! MAY THE GODDESSES LIGHT HER PATH WITH COURAGE, WISDOM, AND POWER!”

Amaryllis raised her arms to her court as Mara stood before the council with her head lifted high, although her eyes flickered with anxiety. 

“AND WHEN HER TIME COMES MAY THE GODDESSES CHOOSE HER TO CARRY OUR PEOPLE INTO A BRIGHTER FUTURE!” The council cheered in response, “WE ACCEPT HER SHOULD THE GODDESSES CHOOSE HER!! LONG MAY SHE REIGN!” ~~~ The party and celebration went on without a hitch! Camelia got very drunk and ended up staying the night at some unknowing suitor’s home, which was not surprising to any of the family.

Amaryllis went to bed as soon as making the required appearance was met. She wasn’t a fan of parties, or rather any fun for that matter. 

Lilija made sure everything went according to plan after Amarylis went to bed, she even straightened out the beginnings of a drunken fight between a Hylian and a Healer. Lilija of course escorted the Healer to the infirmary while she healed the Hylian instantaneously with her magic. Although it seemed all the authority had excused themselves to other matters the celebrating did not stop, even the guard was off duty and spent their time drinking laughing, and singing harvesting songs with tankards in hand. The same songs their ancestors, and even the people still sang today while harvesting their herbs from the hanging farmland built into the side of the mountainous valley the Healer Capital was birthed in. 

As Mara laid in her bed the echoes of joyful singing rang in her head as she drifted off to sleep with a smile. Although she was forced to socialize without Link by her side, she still had a good time. Which she spent in the courtyard of the palace, watching the dancers and various magical shows of the many other talented citizens of the city.

Her head full of good dreams and the Healer CIty went to sleep for the night, all windows dark and the mood shining at its full beauty, there was an unsettling air that started to settle, even Din’s fiery light flickered and went out as the winds of change kicked up and swept through the palace or more specifically in the room of their newly Chosen. The call

There it was again…

Like a beautiful call to war, or an eery temptation the sound echoed and interrupted the slumber Mara had just started to drift into. She pushed the noise away, turning over in her blankets trying to fall back asleep. Again the voice called out to her, a bit louder. Mara groaned and snuggled her head beneath her pillow, hoping that would stop the intrusion into her pleasant dream. 

But the determination of this call penetrated all logic and shattered the state of unconsciousness that Mara really wanted to fall into. With a frustrated sigh, she sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking sleepily around the room. “I can hear you,” Mara mumbled. “I don’t want any trouble I just want to sleep.” 

Looking around the room, seeing as it was still empty, and yet the curtains that swayed with the eerie wind, the wind beckoning her to leave her room and into the hall. 

“Whoever you are…” 

Giving in to the voice’s alluring demand she slid off her bed, her white nightgown joining the curtains in their trembling dance. Mara peered into the hallway, it was empty, dark, and quiet. A little too quiet for Mara’s liking.

The call tempted her father into the hall, she followed the call that seemed to resonate and shake her soul pulled her body outside of the palace. Not in the courtyard, but in one of the side entrances. It was like a secret meeting as if whoever was calling her wanted to lure Mara in private. Like an assassin, or thief in the night. Mara’s breath hitched out of a new fear from her anxiety’s newly formed thoughts. Even still she followed. “What do you want? Is this a trap?” As if whatever this call was could sense her unease, a trail of Healer Flowers, her people’s symbol, appeared and lead her exactly in the direction in which the alluring call in Mara’s heart wanted to go. Mara’s eyes grew wide as her mind tried to make sense of what it was seeing, and what magic was being displayed. “Honorable Goddesses…” she exclaimed quietly, “Hylia is this your doing?” She touched the token that hung around her neck, there was no answer, she followed farther into the unknown. The voice guided her farther up the mountain and to The Great Thorn wall. The wall that secluded their city from whatever the outside world held. There the path that was once lit faded behind Mara and trapped her in a ring of Healer Flowers. Mara does a quick turn to determine the fact that she was indeed in the center of these flowers.

The voice echoed its trill

Mara waited silently for something else to happen. The notes the voice sang echoed again, begging her to sing. Without thinking for one second she sang the melody the calling had been repeating to her. The call harmonized with her as Mara sang with it. As she sang the golden flowers, Mara noticed, they were releasing their pollen, at first in a gentle sprinkle, and then in a thicker sheet as Mara felt herself fill with magic. Is this supposed to happen after The Choosing??

Are the Goddesses asking her to lead NOW??!!

OF ALL TIMES NOW?? Before her mind could swell with more anxiety Mara was given several obscure visions. She seemed to run on another force as she was frightened but the song still carried out through her lungs without any interruption. War

A land scorched, hurt, and trampled by battle, she could feel the very earth in the vision weep in sorrow and pain. 

A towering king with fiery hair and yellow eyes and his queen, wise and sure. She looked an awful lot like some of the paintings her people displayed in their palace. Several Other figures she didn’t recognize but all of them stood in front of the king and queen. 

The Three Goddesses. Din Nayru

And Farrore, split in half with a single swipe of a blade.

 Famine

And…

And Spring, with petals of pink, new life, and a promise for a bountiful harvest. That image stayed strong in Mara’s head as she sang, the power that seemed to course through her veins grew in its potency and Mara had no way to channel it, it was too much. She was a weak Healer as it was and this divine power, if she couldn’t get it out of her system fast, it could tear her apart from the inside out. As she belted a final note, all of that power was released. Mara forcing her hands down and a forceful golden flash scattered across the space. The divine power leaving her and Mara felt normal once more. The Healer Flowers disappeared as if they were never there, to begin with. Mara stood there, panting. She...she wasn’t dead, she even pinched herself to prove it. Mara lifted her head from staring at the ground, her jaw-dropping and her blue eyes glowing with excitement as she saw what laid before her. The Great Thorn Wall had been compromised.

As there, caused by Mara’s blast of power, stood a small gash in the wall. It was enough for a horse and rider to pass through. Whatever mysterious call she followed and whatever divine power it gave her in that moment, it gave her and Link their guaranteed safe passage to the kingdoms beyond the Healer Capital. If there even were Kingdoms anymore in the land beyond.

Hi!absolutely love your baby tomiome fic !and want more!I'm really curious about how will Tom patenting their daughter. like what if she got into big trouble and he's called to the headmaster's office? And will he tell Hermione aftermath or he will be the "this is our little secret,don't tell mummy"kind of dad? Love your writings! And more DAD Tom pleeeease~

Oooh okay, I haven’t thought about this AU in a while and I’m still not super crazy about kid fics but:

Okay so for the sake of this AU, their daughter’s name is Diana. I feel like Hermione would want their kid to have an actually pronounceable name, AND it’s another Shakespearian name. PLUS as if Tom wouldn’t be 100% down to have his kid lowkey named after a goddess, I mean....

Anyway. Neither Tom nor Hermione are easy parents to have. They’re both workaholics who have a tendency to get lost in their studies/projects, and neither of them are particularly emotionally competent. 

Hermione would be the queen of Parenting how-to books because she always trusts a book more than her own instincts, or even other people’s examples/advice. 

Molly Weasley: “Oh those books are rubbish. What do they know about how to raise a child? My seven turned out just fine, and I just raised them the way my mother raised me.”

Hermione, side-eyeing Ron & the twins dubiously: “Right. Thanks.” 

Tom, whose never had a single reliable adult figure in his life--let a lone a parental figure, dear god--discreetly sneak-reading the parenting books when Hermione’s not looking (he’s too emotionally constipated to let her know just how invested he is in raising their child). At least he knows what he doesn’t want to be like. 

Tom secretly keeping notes on his own Not To Do guidebook: How Not to Raise a Child Who Will Later Want to Murder You Out of Spite.

Baby-talk is not really a thing in the Granger-Riddle household. Hermione read once that it’s important to talk to your child as if they already understand you so as not to stunt their growth, and Tom might be willing to do the voices for story-time but he’s not going to coo, or babble, or gurgle. Not ever.

As a result, Diana is so used to her parents and their big words and having things clearly explained to her but never being talked down to that she rolls up to muggle primary school (Hermione: She’s going to learn basic maths, Tom. And you know the wizarding world is really far behind on science!) and is already 1000% done with teachers who are trying to teach the ABCs. 

(Muggle Primary School lasts all of two weeks before Diana asks if she really has to go, and Tom is so smug about it because even Hermione has to agree that maybe private tutoring would go better.)

Hermione: She needs to interact with other kids, though. 

Tom: Fine. I’ll tell the Malfoy’s to clear Scorpius’ schedule.

OH MY GOD FAMILY READING TIME!!!! When Diana is old enough to read for herself, and Tom and Hermione settle down to read in the evenings. Tom sits on one end of the couch, Hermione laying out with her feet tucked under his legs, and Diana sitting sideways in his lap, all of them with their own books. And sometimes Diana will ask her dad what a word means, so Tom will pause in his reading to explain it to her, and Hermione might sometimes sneakily take pictures because it’s just so cute. 

IN TERMS OF GETTING INTO TROUBLE

Hermione is the parent to avoid. She believes in rules. She believes in morals. And she believes in consequences. Hermione’s never afraid to dish out a time-out, and while she’s not a yelling type of parent, an angry Hermione is usually a lecturing Hermione, and Diana has learned to avoid that whenever possible. 

It’s not that Tom is in any way a softer parent. He can be just as strict as Hermione, but his rules are more along the lines of “don’t get caught” rather than “don’t do it.” Also, he finds it amusing when Diana tries to bribe/blackmail him into not telling Hermione (he considers it a good life skill to cultivate early lol). 

I’m gonna stop here because it’s dinnertime and I’m hungry, but there are more dad!Tom requests in the inbox, so keep your eyes peeled if this is an AU y’all like. 

For the past 75 years I've been 25. For some reason I stopped aging on my 25th birthday. It's not only my aging that changed but my healing. I've fallen off building's, Been stabbed, and even gotten shot a few times, to say the least, but I always heal quickly. I've heard about things like this in movies but it shouldn't happen in real life. In the movies the immortal is always portrayed as a lonely sad loser. Not me, not being able to die is great. I'm hot and super rich becuase of all my investments over the years. Everyone wants to be around me, and today is my 100th birthday celebration. This year will be big, I'm going to go out on that stage and auction myself off to the highest bidder. They get me for a whole 72 hours to do whatever they want with.

My guest start to arrive and in no time the party gets started. I had to rent out a whole football arena just to accommodate everyone, and it still wasn't enough. I'm behind stage with my entourage, waiting for whatever popular performer I hired to finish their set. Then the betting will start. My entourage is hyping me up, telling me things like, "hopefully some hotties place the highest bet." And "brah, this was such a good idea." The performer finished and with his finally words gave me the magnificent introduction that I deserve.

My guest go wild as I walk out on stage. The screaming and crying of my name makes it feel like I am floating, it makes me feel like a god. I grab the mic from the performer and speak into it. "Thank you for coming to my 100th birthday!" The screaming gets louder, it raises me bigger. "I know it's hard to believe I'm 100 already, I don't like a day over 25." As I laugh my guest laugh. I am in complete control like always. The screams and laughter finally quite down. "I am so grateful for every single on of you here today. As a thank you I have a special surprise for you all. I am auction myself off to the highest bidder." The crowd looses their minds when I say that to them. I shush them through the microphone and they are quite again. "The winner gets to have their way with me for 3 days!" Screams of I love you, and by mine came in waves all over the crowd. I handed the mic to one of my friends and walked off the stage. Making sure to smile and wave at everyone. This was such a good idea.

Everyone who wanted to place bets had to RSVP in advance, and prove that they had enough money. These people where big corporations trying to learn my secrets, loaded horny old ladies, and entitled frat brothers who just wanted to show off. I wasn't surprised. There must have been about 100 people waiting for me in a private room. When I walked in there was no screams and crys just silence. "Hello, who's ready to place some bets." I said. Only a few people clapped. I awkwardly walk down the rows of people with my entourage, then stood on a platform so everyone can see me better. I'm starting to feel like this might have been a bad idea.

A member of my entouurage grabbed a microphone that was close by and spoke into it. "The betting will start at $100,000.00. "

As the price got higher the more I felt like this was a bad idea. Who would spend this much money on one person only for a few days. I push down my anxiety by telling myself that they cant kill me. All of a sudden the betting stopped

"Sold to the lovely lady in red for $9.7million." Those words my friend spoke snapped me out of the daze I was in.

$9.7million ain't bad. And it's a lovely lady, probably some old oil heiress that just wants some sexual company for the weekend. I was wrong, I look in the direction of where my friend is pointing and I see the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Her tight red dress sticks to every curve and feature of her body like someone painted it on. How could something so beautiful spend all that money on me.

I jump down from the platform to allow the woman to see what she purchased. I bow down to kiss her hand, then look up into her deep brown eyes. "My love, I am yours to do what you wish. What mischief do you have planned for us?"

The Amazon of a woman blushed and giggled as she said. "A few of my girlfriends and I are going to take you to a forest and we are going to spend our days getting into trouble." She picks her phone up to her face pushes a few buttons the looks at my entouurage, "I just sent the payment." She grabs my hand and leads me out the room. I am hers, and all I can do is blindly follower her.

...

My sweet victor has blindfolded me and placed me in the back of what I can only assume is a limo, due to all the leg room that I have. She tells me if I talk I will be punished. I hope her friends are as kinky as she is. She takes my shoes and stocks off then my belt. I dont move, I wait to feel what she does next. She moves to my arms and rips the sleeves off. I was not expecting that, but she can do whatever she wants with me that was the deal. She rubs some kind of liquid all over my arms and underneath my shirt. It smells awful, but I'm into anything. I gag as she puts it on my face I hear her giggle. That giggle puts me at ease everytime. The limo stops, she takes her hands off me and I hear the door open. "My goddess have we arived?" There is no response. "Um.. should we get out of the limo?" Still nothing. I reach around to feel if shes around me and feel nothing but the seats. When I take off the blindfold I am alone. Light from outside brightly shines into the limo from the open door. "Goddess where did you go?" I said as I shuffled out of the door. To my surprise the winner of the auction was standing in some type of Amazonian Warrior Armor along with 5 of her friends. I lift my hands up in confusion and see that I'm covered in some sort of dark brown paint. "What is going on? what is this?" I touch my face demanding answers.

The woman who I blissfully shared the ride here with steps forward. "You were given a gift. A gift that you wasted on selfish fortunes. We are here to claim back that gift and give it to someone who is worthy. I coated you with a toxin that deprives you of your healing. If you survive it will pass through your system in a few days."

My body starts trembling, "who are you? Survive what?"

"We are The Warriors of The Mother, and we are going to hunt you."

To be continued...

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

Chapter Twelve: I Learn the Hard Way I Love to Talk

Kansas City was Luz’s kind of weather. It was sunny and hot right as the sun began to rise, and Luz felt her muscle warm with the sun. The three of them got off the bus and headed to a café to grab some breakfast so Luz could catch them up on her dreams somewhere a little more private.

They went into a Starbucks and each ordered, taking turns using the bathroom to freshen up. They decided to grab a couple of wraps and snacks for the road since they didn’t know when they’d have time again. The barista insisted they get the staff discount, (Luz swears that were all just the flower crowns and not her bargaining for a lower price) and they packed some of the food away in their backpacks and took a seat at one of the window tables. Luz picked at her ham and cheese sandwich as she recalled her dream, the memory of them making her lose her appetite.

Gus had taken a big bite out of a blueberry muffin as she recalled the mountain dream, and he got so excited he choked and needed to swallow down some hot chocolate.

“That must have been Hestia you saw in the cage. So we know that she’s still in Colorado.”

Luz nodded in agreement. That did make sense. The girl had seen Luz staring right at her, and spoken directly to her. If that didn’t fit the description of a goddess she didn’t know what did. She moved on to the dream about Amity, but this one she said a lot slower, doing her best to keep her temper. Amity might have been mean to Luz when they met, and she didn’t like hearing that she had bullied Willow, but nobody deserved to be treated the way Luz saw her being treated. They had to get her out of there. When Luz finished, Willow and Gus seemed to share the sentiment.

“That’s terrible!” Gus exclaimed, being careful to not choke this time.

“She’s been alone for over a week now,” Willow added with a frown. “I don’t know how much longer that she’s going to hold out.”

“Well, I know where she is. I saw the address in the dream. 1200, West 55th street.” Luz said, shoveling the rest of her sandwich in her mouth, her body filling with newfound determination. “Let’s go get her.”

“It’s definitely a trap,” Gus warned, but he was also packing away his food garbage, so Luz knew he was also ready to go. “We need to be careful.”

“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Luz said confidently. “The first guy even said that he would be dealing with us on his own. It’s three on one! How could we lose?”

“It’s bad luck to talk like that, Luz,” Willow whispered lowly. She was rubbing her arms nervously. “You’ll jinx us.”

The three of them threw out their trash and headed out into the city. They called for a cab and squeezed into the backseat, asking the driving to take them to the address. It was the weekend, so there wasn’t too much traffic, and before they knew it they had pulled up to a huge white manor. They paid the driver and got out, exchanged awed glances at the mansion before them.

Luz had seen it in her dream, but in person, it was a lot grander. It was an old colonial-style mansion with a few modern twists, with big windows and a triple glass garage. It was sitting on at least two acres of land. The stone plaque she had seen in her dream was there, and it was gated by a huge fence. Outside the gate, there was the huge sculpture of a lyre, a tell-tale sign from Theseus that they were in the right place.

“So, what exactly is the plan?” Luz asked, feeling a lot meeker than she was before.

“We could try being stealthy, getting in, taking Amity, getting out,” Gus offered. “I don’t know how effective a full-frontal approach would be.”

“What about the fence?” She said, gesturing to it.

Willow hummed, before taking a couple of steps back and running. She leaped at the fence, climbing it with ease and leaping to the other side, landing in a roll. She turned to the two of them and smiled. “Just like the rock wall at camp!”

“Woah!” Luz said, her mouth dropping. She forgot how agile Willow could be when she wanted to. Sharing a look with Gus, the two of them followed her, albeit not as gracefully as Willow. When they hit the ground, they began to quietly head through the garden to the main entrance. Crouching behind the entrance, they looked at one another with a raised brow.

“Now what?” Luz said, but before Gus could open his mouth, the hair on the back of Luz’s neck rose, and the sound of the most beautiful instrument Luz had ever heard echoed throughout the air. The doors to the manor swung open, and without even realizing she was doing it, Luz stood. It was enchanting, and Luz needed to get closer.

Willow snapped, and Luz’s head cleared immediately. She shook it out, and looked around in panic. She had walked all the way up to the entrance of the door, and so had Gus before she even knew what had happened. Gus looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.

“What happened?”

“Musical enchantments,” Willow said with a frown. “I remember the Apollo campers experimenting with those my first summer at camp. It’s not too dissimilar to plant magic, it also comes from the heart. We’ll have to be careful.”

“How do you ignore something like that?” Luz asked, her heart hammering in her chest from the effect of the music.

“Try and keep your mind grounded,” Willow offered. “I’ve had some practice, so you’ll be at a disadvantage, but if you try and focus on your surroundings we’ll be okay.”

Now that they were staring into the foyer of the manor, Luz was getting a lot more nervous. The whole house seemed to glare at her eerily.

“It’s creepy,” Gus said, and Luz nodded. They all drew their weapons, and Aletheia shifted into a knife. Gus clicked the button on his watch and drew his shield.

“Let’s stay together,” Luz said, doing her best to muster up that power of Hermes. Her friends would need it. “We’re strong together, and we can take whatever is thrown at us.”

Willow and Gus perked up a little, and together they headed into the house. It was much bigger on the inside than they had anticipated, and Luz bit her lip trying to remember where the room Amity was being kept in was.

“It was facing the window, towards the street…” she mumbled, turning right into another foyer. "It must be down here."

Sure enough, they soon entered the room, and Luz was shocked at how familiar it looked. Her dream had gotten everything right. But when Luz picked up speed to get to where Amity had been chained the night before, she turned the corner and came upon nothing.

She wasn’t there.

Luz faltered, her eyes widening in panic, and she heard Willow and Gus inhale sharply. But before they could turn and start looking around the house, the music started again, and Luz felt her muscles getting tighter. They were so heavy like she had been working out for a week straight and she couldn’t stand anymore. She dropped to her knees, unable to stop it. Next to her, Gus dropped his shield.

“Looking for someone?”

Luz did her best to turn her body to the sound of the voice. Standing in the archway of the room from the entrance they had come through was the man from Luz’s dreams, now dressed in a white cotton shirt and cuffed blue jeans. His black hair was gelled back, and he had olive skin and dark eyes that were glinting at them humorously. On his belt was Amity’s sword, and Luz’s eyes hardened at the sight. He had a golden lyre in one hand, that seemed to be playing the music on its own, and in the other, there was a set of chains wrapped around his hand. When she looked down at what the chain was connecting too, Luz’s eyes widened.

At his feet Amity was kneeling, looking just as battered as she had in the dream, her hands chained together in her lap. But now, at least, she was awake. Her gold eyes were misty like she hadn’t slept well in a long time, but they blinked in familiarity when they landed on Luz and her friends. Luz immediately perked up, swallowing hard to try and pull herself to her knees. All she managed was to stand on one knee.

Luz tried to shout, her face contorted in anger, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. Gus was trying next to her as well, and it had the same effect. They were quieted.

“I have heard of your abilities, daughter of Hermes.” The man said, shooting her a cold smile. “My lyre will have stopped your voice for now. Try all you want, but it is fruitless.”

Next to her, Willow was still standing, seemingly unaffected by the music. The man lifted a brow to her.

“I have not seen a demigod resist my music in a long time. Are you a sister of mine?”

“No, my mother is Demeter,” Willow said, but from the look on her face, she didn’t really want to say anything. The man furrowed his brow further, speechless. Willow took the opportunity to step forward, clutching her sword. She did her best at a smile, adjusting the crown on her forehead.

“Please sir, don’t hurt me or my friends. We just want to leave as soon as possible and be out of your way.”

Orpheus faltered for just a moment before the smile returned to his face.

“Ah, the crown of Antheia. No wonder you are resisting so well to my magic. You have a little of yours on you as well, don’t you?”

Willow tightened her grip on her kopis, clearly disappointed that didn’t work.

“Let my friend go. Theseus sent us to take her home.”

“Theseus?” The man said with a laugh. “Has the plan changed yet again? I am not interested in playing 'quest' like I did in my last life. It drove me mad, chasing around prophecies left and right. No, I was given my orders. You won’t be taking her today.”

Willow glanced at Luz and Gus worriedly, and Luz figured out what was happening. Willow was buying them time. Luz inhaled the best she could, trying to follow Willow’s advice to ground herself. She pushed the music to the back of her mind, trying to focus on the quest at hand. Amity was still blinking at them like she couldn’t believe they were there. Luz pooled her strength. They had to get her out of this house.

“What do you mean, playing quest?” Willow said, feigning curiosity. She was taking a gamble on the man enjoying talking about himself, which seemed to work because he smirked.

“Back in Greece, I was a great musician. I traveled with Jason and his Argonauts on a series of quests far more interesting than the one you are currently on. I was a great asset to their team, I curbed the Sirens with a single song on my lyre. We brought glory to all demigods!”

The story seemed familiar to Luz, but she was too focused on gathering her strength. Willow thankfully put the pieces together for her.

“You’re Orpheus, the son of Apollo.”

Orpheus crinkled his nose. “Must you refer to me as his son?”

“But he gave you that lyre,” Willow said, confused. “Why would you not be proud to be his son?”

“I am not proud to be any sort of thing to these gods,” Orpheus retorted with a low growl. “The gods are the reason I lost Euridice. They played me like a fiddle, and I was the one to pay the price for it! I dedicated my music to my father and he stood by and watched while I suffered! When I died, I swore to the judges that I would never praise the gods. I was a heretic and a fool for trusting them to begin with. ”

The more his voice raised, the harder it was for Luz to keep her focus and not submit to the music. It seemed to get louder every time Orpheus raised his voice. Next to her, Gus’s face was turning purple as he tried to ground himself. Willow shuffled, realizing she was running out of time. If they just had a couple of seconds… but they still needed a plan, and they definitely couldn’t talk now.

Luz looked at the lyre, angry that a dumb set of strings had bested her. But as she looked at them moving back and forth, a thought overcame her. She glanced down at Aletheia, still in its knife form, and clenched it.

It would be a Hail Mary for sure. She wouldn’t have time to aim she would just have to throw. There was the risk she could hit Amity, and if she hit Orpheus it probably wouldn’t do much but buy them a couple of seconds.

“You let Euridice go because you looked back in the underworld,” Willow insisted, and Orpheus’ face purpled with rage. “Hades and Persephone told you the rules.”

“They tricked me!” He yelled, and Luz and Gus buckled at the new volume the music was making. Willow even winced, clutching her temple. At Orpheus’ feet, Amity groaned, and Luz felt her heartbeat quicken. They were running out of time.

She needed a miracle. Closing her eyes, Luz ducked her head and prayed.

Dad, I don’t know if you’re listening, but if you are, please. I need your help to throw my knife straight. Help me save my friends.

She didn’t know if it was the newfound strength from taking a moment to collect herself and resist the music, or if it was her dad’s blessing, or even if it was just unmeasured and unearned hubris, but when Luz opened her eyes she was ready.

She looked up at Willow, who was looking at her expectantly. Luz still couldn’t speak, but she did have her hands. She looked at Willow desperately and held up five fingers at her side. A countdown.

Somehow, Willow understood. Her eyes widened, and she turned back to Orpheus as Luz put down the third finger.

“They didn’t trick you! You made the mistake, you knew what would happen if you looked!” Willow exclaimed, doing her best to get a rise out of him.

Orpheus roared, clenching his fists and turning his gaze directly onto Willow. “I will make my music silence you!”

Willow stumbled as the effect shifted between them, dropping to her knees, and Luz felt the restrains of the music break from her. She scrambled to her feet, rearing back with Aletheia and throwing with all her might. Somehow, it sailed directly into the lyre, cutting the middle two strings in half and silencing the music for good. Luz felt her muscles relax as all the strength came flooding back into her body, and she turned to Gus and opened her mouth, finally able to speak.

“Go!”

There was instant chaos. Gus scrambled to his feet and charged, knocking Orpheus flat with his shield and the demigod yelped in surprise as he stumbled, skidding across the tile. Gus stabbed through Amity’s chains with his spear, breaking them. Willow raced over and used her kopis to cut the chains around her hands, and Amity finally was free.

Luz took off sprinting towards Aletheia, which was lying on the floor across the room. As she scrambled to pick it up, she squealed in surprise and dove left, barely escaping being cleaved in two by a xiphos.

Orpheus glared furiously down at Luz, gripping Amity’s sword tightly in his hand.

“You broke my lyre, you feeble excuse for a half-blood! You will pay for this!”

Luz’s eyes widened as he swung, and Luz had no choice but to dive again. She wasn’t nearly skilled enough with the knife to deflect a sword like this one, definitely not without getting her hand cut off. She didn’t think any amount of nectar could grow a new one back.

The sword swung and missed as Luz rolled, and she back kicked as hard as she could towards his hands. Luz felt something connect as he screamed in pain, and she grinned with glee at the realization she must have hit his wrists. She heard the clattering of something on the floor, and scrambled to her feet, only to immediately hit the floor again as she got kicked in the ribs hard. The wind was knocked from Luz’s lungs, and she cried out in pain as he stepped hard on her back, pinning her to the ground.

“Belos was right about you demigod’s,” he hissed, pushing harder to press Luz’s face into the tile. “You’re all just as foolish as we were.”

“Luz!”

Orpheus cried out again as Gus rammed into him with his shield, knocking him flat. Luz coughed as Willow helped her to her feet, and when her vision cleared, she smiled when she realized that Amity was standing, even if it was a little shaky, leaning on Willow for support. Gus backed Orpheus into a corner with his spear, holding it up menacingly at him.

“Stay back!”

“Oh, how menacing. Aren’t you just the scariest little boy?” Orpheus said sarcastically. He lifted his nose to Gus, mocking him. “Stay back!”

Gus flushed red with embarrassment. Luz couldn’t believe what he’d just done, and she growled under her breath, unable to contain herself.

“How can you seriously call us names? You’re acting like a little kid!” Luz stepped forward, glaring right down at him. Now that he was weaponless, alone, and overpowered, Luz could see right through him. He was just like Theseus. Bitter, lonely, and entitled because he thought he deserved better.

“You say that it’s the god's fault you got what you got, but that’s not true,” Luz said, and she saw Orpheus blink like he couldn’t believe how Luz was speaking to him. “You got what you got because you made mistakes that you blamed on everybody but yourself. And now you’re doing it again.”

There was so much she wanted to say to Orpheus, but she knew it was a waste of her breath. He had made his choices long ago, but Luz refused to let him embarrass and upset her friends because he couldn’t take accountability for his actions.

“I haven’t done this demigod thing for long, but I know that by putting your faith in Belos, and trying to destroy the gods, you are making a mistake that you’ll regret. We are not going to make the same mistake.”

Orpheus’ lips pulled into a sneer. “Tough words from you, half-blood. Why don’t you go find Belos yourself and fulfill the prophecy.”

Next to Willow, Amity inhaled sharply, and Luz looked over, her eyes widening. She looked terrified. Swallowing, Luz steadied her breath, turning back to Orpheus with a steeled expression.

“No. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to leave you alive, and leave this place. Then you’re going to tell Belos that we’re coming for him, and we’re going to free Hestia and save Olympus. That’s a promise.”

Orpheus quieted, pondering this for a moment. He looked directly into Luz’s eyes and then scoffed.

“I was right, you are foolish.”

Luz didn’t respond to that, she just touched her knife and Aletheia flipped back to a ring. She put it on her finger and walked over to pick up Amity’s sword. Heading back over to Amity, who had been watching the whole conversation in silence, Luz extended it out to her by the hilt.

“Here, you can have this back.”

Amity blinked at it like she wasn’t sure what it was. She looked up at Luz, frowning. Luz just smiled, wiggling it so she got the hint to take it. Eventually, she smiled softly back at Luz and strapped the sword to her belt. Already she was looking a little better, though she clearly needed some serious rest.

“Come on guys,” Luz said, passing one more look back at Orpheus who was glaring at Luz like he was imagining her head on a stick. She completely turned her back on him, heading back the way they came. “We’re done here.”

The four of them headed slowly out of the mansion, and towards the gate. With a swing of her kopis, Willow cut the lock on the gate, and they pushed it open, heading out into the street.

They started to walk, but their progress was slow. Amity was limping on her leg, and she couldn’t move very fast, and Gus and Willow were walking in front and behind keeping an eye out for either Orpheus following them or sending help.

They walked a significant distance from the manor in silence, none of them sure where they were really going before Amity couldn’t go any farther. She exhaled heavily and almost collapsed, and Luz caught her in her arms.

“Amity!” She cried out.

“I’m okay,” she breathed after a few moments. “I think I hurt my leg.”

“We shouldn’t have let you walk this far,” Luz mumbled, feeling guilty. Amity had been hurt for over a week now. She needed medical attention.

“There’s a little shaded area we can rest just ahead,” Willow said quietly. Luz realized she hadn’t said a word to Amity since they left the manor. She wondered if now that she was safe, all their skeletons in the closet were starting to resurface. Even Gus, who was usually quite friendly, had seemed to pick up the awkwardness too and was also unusually quiet.

“I can keep going,” Amity said, gritting her teeth and trying to push herself off of Luz to keep going. Luz shook her head, tightening her hold around Amity.

“No, you’re hurt. I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”

Amity pinked, opening her mouth to protest. “Luz, you don’t need to-”

“And, scoop!” Luz held Amity up in her arms and continued to walk. She wasn’t going to let her hurt herself further because she was trying to act all tough around her friends. Luz knew Amity had a lot of layers, but she could sacrifice some of them for her personal safety.

Amity must have realized this too because she didn’t protest for much longer. Luz could tell after a couple more minutes of walking that Amity was a lot more exhausted than she’d let on. Even though they were the same size, she was practically weightless. She probably hadn’t been given much in terms of eating since she’d been captured. Despite the sunny weather, her body was shaking too. She didn’t think it was from the cold, and with a jolt of understanding, Luz realized it must have been from fear. Luz frowned at this, turning her head to whisper quietly to her so Willow and Gus wouldn’t hear.

“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through in the last couple of weeks,” she said, and Amity tensed, turning her head away like she didn’t want to talk about it. Luz hesitated, not wanting to push her, so instead she tried a gentler approach.

“We’re going to figure this out together, ok? You’ll be able to rest, and then we can talk when you’re feeling up for it.”

Amity swallowed, and Luz looked down at her face. She seemed to be grappling with something, her eyes giving away how stressed out she really was. Luz felt guilt swirl in her stomach. She hadn’t meant to upset her more than she already was. Just as she was going to open her mouth to apologize, her eyebrows widened in surprise when she felt Amity rest her head onto Luz’s shoulder.

“Okay,” she said simply.

Luz felt a smile she couldn’t control pull at her lips. Maybe they were on the right path as friends after all.

Amity mumbled something else into her shoulder and Luz frowned leaning down.

“What was that?”

Amity pinked again, looking up to meet Luz’s eyes. Her gold eyes flashed in embarrassment.

“I said thank you. For saving me.”

Luz grinned, tilting her head and smiling so hard her eyes squinted.

“That’s what friends do!”

Revenge Game

Anime: Kuroko no Basuke

Pairing: Kise Ryouta X Reader

Overview: You are Kise's S/O in the timeline where they had to face the Jabberwocks.

•-–-•

"The Jabberwocks?!" You stood up in your seat, walking towards your boyfriend who is casually drinking water acting like what he just said was not a big deal. "You got to be kidding me Ryou, you saw how they played agains-" Kise placed the glass down heavily as if he had the intention to break it.

You saw his eyes, you know this look.

You know this too well.

His eyes sparked with anger and excitement.

"I did, (y/n)-cchi. That is why I have to play, I'm not going to seat back and watch those fuckers mock us." You sighed, with him like this, no matter what you say or do to stop him, even if you break an arm or two, Kise will still have his way. Stubborn but that's one of his likeable trait, well, for you, that is.

When he sets his mind into something, he'll definitely succeed with a hundred percent rate.

Kise pouted upon seeing you worried for him.

"(y/n)-cchi, I'm getting sad that you don't trust me." He cried making you shake your head at his antics, typical Kise. You wrapped your arms around his big frame, looking up you said, "Of course I trust you stupid! I just don't want them to hurt you! They play dirty!" Kise grinned and lifted you up, his hand supported you by placing it under your soft thighs, gaining much protest from you. "Ryou! I'm heavy!" You groaned while trying to break away from his grasp. This just made Kise chuckled and he gave your lips a small peck.

"You're not heavy! Who says you heavy! I can carry you all day, (y/n)-cchi..." You rolled your eyes at his flirtatious state, you didn't noticed that Kise is already moving towards the bedroom.

"But I rather want to see under me.." He winked at you before pinning you down the bed.

"Ryouta, we are supposed to eat!" Kise bent down and nibbled on your neck, you gasped at the sudden touch. "I want to start with the dessert first, do you mind?"

Kise was about to kiss you when his phone beeped. Uttering several complaints he grabbed his phone and saw that Kuroko has texted him. After seeing the text, he bolted up from the bed. "Sorry, (y/n)-cchi! But Kuroko-cchi is asking me to go now! Such a cockblocker." You throw the pillow at him and of course, he caught it. "You and your damn reflexes, go dummy." Kise gave you a flying kiss before taking a quick shower.

Right as he was about to open the door, he turned at you with his puppy-dog eyes mode on. "You're coming to watch right?"

He shouldn't even have to ask, it was obvious. You will always be there to support him even if it hurts to see him in pain. You were there even before they became the well-know Generation of Miracles.

You started to like Kise ever since he blocked a ball during a volleyball tournament. After that, you became his fan, his first ever fan, giving him refreshments and going to every game.

As his fame rises though, it became a different story.

He became hard to reach.

You gave up on Kise but the feelings stayed. You realised that you weren't just there as a fan, you have already fallen for him. Watching him play for Kaijou, the feelings grew especially at the time when their team lost to Seirin, you decided to try again. Kise thought of you as just a fan but the more he saw you, the more he got used to you, part of it was because the two of you are already comfortable seeing how you were both schoolmates in Teiko and Kaijou. Kise began to see you as his friend during the incident when you helped him with his injuries due to being mobbed by girls. He then always looked for you, always wanted to be with you. It took a lot of nagging and punches from Kasamatsu for him to notice his feelings for you.

After that, you two started dating and the rest is history as here you are now, still happy with each other despite the downsides.

Given the situation, there's no reason for you to not watch his game. You flicked his forehead and Kise scrunched his nose in pain. Before he could even start to cry being the big baby he is, you gave him a deep kiss. Your hands found it's way to pat his golden locks of hair.

Kise melted against your touch, you always knew how to give him strength.

You pulled away, staring deeply into his eyes as he blinked in confusion. You beamed and said, "I'll make sure to cheer for you very loud while wearing your jersey!"

Kise wanted to thank all the gods and goddesses upon seeing your lovely smile. He really was lucky to have you. He gave you another tight hug and several kisses. With that, he left and vowed to not only avenge Kasamatsu but to make his girlfriend proud.

A week has passed and it sucks not having your incredibly chatty and clingy boyfriend. You missed him, a lot. Still, you're happy whenever he calls you and give you an update. Even if it's during a random time. You can't help but chuckle at how excited he is.

Right now, you're currently in Roppongi.

Your family is known to have different businesses and one of them is a famous bar which has been passed into your care. Like always, you're checking the status of the place, helping out and gathering reports. Kise didn't like your workplace as you can't deny, it is place where trouble can happen now and then.

Akashi gladly helped by partnering with you and you gave an opportunity to have the best security there is.

But the night just started and there are some foreigners demanded to have the most luxurious private room while eyeing one of your employee with lust.

"Y-Yes, come this way sir." Your employee, Shiro, escorted them. Your blood boiled when you saw them slap her butt and laughed.

You gritted your teeth as you began to walk towards them. "Excuse me, welcome to our bar. I'm the owner of this place."

"I'll be in charge of this, Shiro-san." You whispered and she muttered a soft thankyou before going back to the counter.

That's when you got a good look at them, you recognised these people. "Jabberwocks?!" You thought as you hide your disgust with a smile. You mentally cursed, out of all you could meet, why did it have to be them?

You tried to keep yourself calm as they continued to make flirty comments with you. There's this one guy who you felt the most uncomfortable, it's the one who had a silver colored hair. He kept trying to be more touchy but you abruptly opened the door to their room, stopping him from whatever he was planning to do.

"Here you go, ring the bell when you guys are ready to order." You bowed and closed the door, hearing their disgusting comments.

"Man, she got this big ass and breast! I'd fuck her all night long."

"Dibs on her, I want to know if those beautiful lips can do wonders."

"Okay, punching a customer is not good for business.." You tried to calm your mind, stomping your way to the counter. Shiro, your employee immediately apologised and you just gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll deal with them, I won't let you guys in danger." Saying that was easier said than done. They continued making a ruckus, you decided it was time for them to go.

You took the tray and went to deliver their last order. "Excuse me.." You opened the door just to see them towering a familiar figure before he got kicked.

"Kuroko!" You dropped the tray and went to his aid. This is it, the last straw. You stood infront of Kuroko and glared at them. "Alright sir, you have to leave." You were about to grab the phone to call security, but the man who you learned to be called as, Silver grabbed your arm. "Oh, look at her get so feisty." He licked his lips, his face was inches away from yours.

You slapped him, hard. Silver did not expect you to be this aggressive. He dropped your arm and placed his hand on where you have just touched him. He smirked, you were in big trouble now.

"You know? I don't really pick on pretty girls, but someone's being such a bitch."

Your eyes widened, everything happened too fast. You couldn't dodge his fist, he was just, too much. You fell to the ground, coughing out blood. "Stay away from my (y/n)-cchi!" Kise cradled you, you can feel him shaking from anger. "Ryouta? Why are you.." You continue to cough, he got you good there.

You felt dizzy. You heard Kise's voice gradually became distant as your vision became blurry before passing out.

Everyone can sense the tension from the room as Kise stood up, carrying you gently. "She's your girl? She could do better." Kise clicked his tongue, he was ready to pounce on him but Midorima placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Athlete's should settle their scores through sports, right?" Akashi stated.

Kise can't deny that he was right.

You and Kuroko were brought to the hospital for a quick check up. The doctor just said you were knocked out unconscious due to the sudden impact in the heart area.

"Rest assured, everything is actually okay. She just need to stay hydrated." Kise thanked the doctor.

"Just you wait, (y/n)-cchi. I'll beat them up tomorrow. I promise." He held your hand and kiss you.

Kise was relunctant to leave you in the hospital but they had to go. His heart dropped knowing you won't be there to cheer on him, your smile when saying you 'll be there flashed through his mind.

Kise may be perceived as happy-go-lucky, immature, but promises are something he never breaks. Never.

"Fuck!" You were running at full force despite the judgement of the doctors. You have arrived late to the game as you had just woken up from the hospital. They wanted you to rest up but no, you can't let Kise be alone right now.

You immediately saw the rest of the team. "Everyone! I'm sorry I'm late!" You sat beside Kuroko, who was surprised to see you. Everyone was concerned but you didn't care. You didn't even bother to greet the rest of team as you noticed Kise's ragged breathing. He was tired, your heart ached at his form.

You stood up, it was now or never. You took a deep breath and screamed with allyour might.

"KISE RYOUTA I LOVE YOU!"

The whole court went quiet, all eyes were now on you. "Is that chick a lunatic?" Kise smirked, you're the only one who can give him strength at a time like this.

Kise was able to pass throughSilver's defence and dunk the ball. Kise searched for you, your eyes met his. He was now in the zone.

You continued to cheer and he continued to score. He was slowly catching up to the Jabberwocks! The crowd went wild, your heart was beating so loud from excitement. Kise is really a different person when in game.

When Kise dropped to his knees you dashed towards the court. "How lame.." He sighed, he felt a little ashamed that he didn't last too long especially when a certain someone is watching.

"Don't be ridiculous! You did great." Although it felt good to be complimented by Akashi, it did not compare to you running towards him with that goofy smile on yo ur face and hugging him tightly even if his whole body aches.

"(y/n)-cchi.." You rested your forehead against his before leaning to kiss him.

"I'm proud of you, Ryouta."

BONUS

"(y/n)-cchi! That hurts!" Kise complained for the nth time, it started to irritate you now. You got up from the seat, calling your father. "Hi papa! Have you considered my proposition?" You eyes Kise who gave you an innocent smile.

"Yeah, about that Jabberwocks? Good. Cut off all resources connected to them. Thanks papa." You placed your phone on the nightstand before cuddling with your dramatic boyfriend.

No one hurts your Kise Ryouta and gets away with it.

Baldr in Hel - Ch. 03

(A/N: Baldr and Nanna talk things out and Hel is just in it for the drama)

.

Hel's POV

Two more days passed (it had been four days since Baldr had arrived) and Hel noticed, that the Bright One was growing more quiet.

At first she had just assumed, that he just adjusting to his new home.

But today he was wearing a concerned expression. Hel decided, that she didn't like it. Now, that the burdens of his old life were off his shoulders, she wanted him to smile genuinely. It looked so cute, when he genuinely smiled. But now he was having that troubled look on his face and that was not cute. The Norns knew his life had been troubled enough.

At lunch she brought it up: “Something is worrying you, Óðinnson. What is it?”

Baldr seemed embarrassed at being called out like that, but he cleared his throat: “Ahem, I don't want to offend you.”

Hel chuckled; his politeness was just so adorable. “Go ahead, Baldr. While I could just read your mind, I'd much prefer, if you opened up by yourself.”

Seemingly a little less awkward now, the light god continued: “You have been so kind to me the last days. I'm really thankful for that.”

“I can hear a 'but' in that sentence.”

“Uhm, yes, well … I don't really miss Asgard, but I do miss some of my family members.”

“Understandable.”

“And I worry about Nanna. I … you give me so many honours. I get to have my own quarters and I dine at your table, while she has to shovel snow …” He broke off.

The Mistress of the Dead motioned for him to go on.

“I don't question your judgement – how could I? But I still feel like her punishment is too harsh and the honours I receive are more than I deserve – hear me out!”, he pleaded, when she opened her mouth to protest, “I know, that she wasn't a faithful wife and that she cheated on me, but the truth is that I've never done anything to earn faithfulness in the first place! I never kissed her in private, never confided or trusted in her and my efforts to make our marriage work were … poor. I wasn't the loving husband I should have been. Whatever affection I showed her was out of obligation and because we had a reputation to uphold. I cared about her, but that's not the same. And once our son arrived, he was my top priority. I didn't even desire her in the way a husband should with his wife.”

“Ah, yes.” Hel couldn't help but smirk in amusement. “In all the centuries of your marriage you've had sex, like … four times? How has no one ever questioned your masculinity?”

“It's not funny!”, Baldr reproached her.

“Of course not, I'm sorry”, she apologised. “I guess crudeness comes with being a Jötunn. Go on.”

He frowned, but finished: “Bottom line is, I couldn't really give her the kind of love and attention she deserved as my wife. So of course she sought it elsewhere. I can't even say that I was surprised, when I caught her making out with my brother.”

“But it still hurt you.”

“Yes. Even so, I do not blame her.”

“Still you should have confronted her”, Hel told him with a frown. “An open conversation held on an equal level and with the willingness to see the other's point of view can do a world of good. At least it would have made your relationship healthier, had you been open with each other.”

Baldr looked so miserable, that she couldn't help but pity him.

“Now obviously you two weren't meant to be, marriage or not”, she went on more gently. “And now you're both dead. I think it's time you resolve your issues and move on. Don't you agree?”

.

Nanna's POV

.

Four days.

At least Nanna estimated that this was how long she had been here, since her only indication of the passing of time were the breaks.

But it didn't matter, she supposed, because she had been sentenced to snow shovelling in the palace garden non-stop.

The weather was awful out here. It was so icy, that your breath froze in the air, the fog made it hard to see further than a few steps and the frosty wind did its own work. But something told the dead goddess, that beyond the walls of the garden it was even worse. This was nothing like the peaceful, calm winter nights in Asgard. They had reflected the discreet, equable and aloof nature of the blind god, who had presided over them. Here it was just as inhospitable as could be expected of a place located in Niflheimr.

At least Nanna wasn't alone here. There were several other dead souls, who had committed wrongs that weren't bad enough to merit actual punishments, but still came with consequences. The dead goddess had quickly got to know some of the other workers and was currently bonding with the Midgardian woman, who was shovelling the snow off the path next to her.

“It's not always this windy”, the woman tried to soothe Nanna. “Sometimes it's so quiet, that we can get it done within half a day.”

“Well, today isn't such a day!”, Nanna grumbled. “Anyway-”, she shovelled some ice off the path, “-what are you here for?”

“Mortally wounded my brother-in-law, when he tried to rape me. You?”

“Cheated on my husband.”

The Midgardian gave her a glance of surprise. “But why are you here, then? Normally-”

“I know, it's weird”, Nanna interrupted, “But our marriage was so miserable, that – ugh! – Lokadóttir actually had pity.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing”, the other woman remarked and prodded at the ice on the way with her shovel. “Normally the queen sentences adulterers to suffer in a snake pit or to be chew toys for Níðhöggr, the dragon who chews at the roots of Yggdrasil. She must have had a really good reason to be as lenient with you as she was. Did he abuse you or anything?”

“No. Our marriage was just really loveless, while we played the happy couple in front of everyone. Our marriage was arranged, you see. At first I was ecstatic. But after a while, it became clear to me, that he wasn't happy with our marriage – or me, for that matter!”

“What a bummer!”, the Midgardian commented. “And that never changed?”

“Hehe, nope!”, Nanna snorted. “Never. I tried so hard to get him to love me, but it was wasted! He was always sweet to me, but he was sweet to everyone, so that meant nothing! All his tenderness towards me meant nothing! Marriage is supposed to be a partnership, but he and I each were on our own, always! Where was the point in that?!”

Her sight blurred and she sniffled, but vehemently rubbed her eyes on her sleeve. There was no way she would cry, not here, not now, not about this.

“Eventually I resigned myself to the fact, that I was trapped in a loveless and unhappy relationship, while everyone called me the luckiest woman in Asgard – hah! I was embellishment! Baldr's pretty wife, that was my signature feature! And that was enough for all the other women to envy or even hate me! Can you imagine how many hate letters and death threats I got?!”

She shovelled the snow and ice away even harder in an attempt to channel her hurt into anger, instead of tears, while her co-worker stared at her in obvious disbelief.

“But I never once complained! And why would I have?”, Nanna scoffed bitterly. “I was married to Baldr, the best of the Æsir! Who would have believed me? And we had a reputation to keep, so all I could do was suck it up. I had a nice home, a beautiful, gentle husband, we had a wonderful son and everything was perfect!”

It was so hard not to cry right now. Especially not with who she knew was standing a few steps behind her.

But she swallowed the lump in her throat and kept ranting: “Of course it was! He didn't make me feel undesirable or like I wasn't enough, with how he always avoided me and slept with his back to me, like he couldn't bear to even look at me in bed – not to mention we never even had intercourse, except for four tries – four! – at having a child! He didn't leave me wondering what I was doing wrong! He wouldn't even let us be best friends or something! Oh, and did I mention his insecurities and severe depression? But he never once came to me with his troubles, so why would I go to him with mine? The only ones who noticed, that I even had any, were Loki's wife Sigyn (she's the best, really) and my brother-in-law Hermóðr! So I stopped trying to be the perfect wife, because the latter appreciated me more than my husband ever did!”

She ceased her pitiful attempts at holding back her tears.

“And that's how the affair happened! He was the one, who gave me attention, wanted me, held and kissed me, told me I was beautiful and listened to me! He was the one, who … who …”

“Made you feel loved?”, the person behind her finished the sentence for her.

With another sniffle she turned around to glare at the newcomer.

There stood Baldr, looking absolutely devastated (good! He better be!) and Hel, looking somewhat sombre.

“Nanna …”, he began, but she cut him off: “Oh, so now you want to talk?! Thousands of years of marriage, in which you only interacted with me out of obligation and politeness and now that we're both dead, now you finally hear me?! You – you unbelievable, oblivious-!”

Hel interrupted by clearing her throat: “Ahem! Would you two mind settling this inside?”

Then the queen directed her attention to the other workers in the garden and ordered, with a voice as eldritch as herself: “And what are you all standing around and gawking? Get back to work!”

.

Baldr's POV

.

Hel had directed them to the audience hall and told them to wait there for her.

In the meantime Nanna and Baldr had to deal with being alone with each other.

The atmosphere between them was so tense and thick, it could have been cut with a knife.

He so desperately wanted to say something, but suddenly there was this huge clot in his throat.

Nanna stood there, frowning and with her arms folded.

“Well? Didn't you want to talk?”

“I … uh … I … uhm …”

Seriously?! Now that he really needed to say something, he couldn't? Where was his eloquence, when he needed it?!

She was arching an eyebrow.

After a while Baldr grew frustrated at his own failure and tore at his hair. “Shit!”

He stopped short. Had he just …?

Nanna gawked at him. “Did … did you just …?”

Baldr flushed in embarrassment, while Nanna broke into laughter: “I can't believe it! You said the s-word! I don't think I've ever heard you use it before!”

“That's because I never did”, he mumbled sheepishly.

But now that the ice was broken a little, he decided to try again.

“Okay, take two. Nanna … it's really hard to tell you how sorry I really am, without making it sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself or like I'm trying to justify my actions. Which obviously would be really insulting. Even so … I'm sorry. I deeply truly am. I'm sorry, that all these things didn't occur to me, while we were alive. I'm sorry that I couldn't love you, like a husband should have. I could never get past the fact, that I never wanted to marry and you had to pay the price – that was beyond unfair of me. I was so busy trying to please everybody else, that I forgot about the one person I should have cared for the most. I'm sorry I didn't give you what you needed and wanted. I'm sorry I never let you in, even though you were my wife. I guess Loki was right”, he chuckled bitterly. “His roller coaster of a marriage with Sigyn is healthier than our relationship was. At least they love and trust each other. I did neither of those for you, so how could you have done it for me? Your bitterness and resentment are justified and in the end, I deserved what I got.”

With that his apology was finished.

For what felt like an eternity silence hovered over them.

Nanna's expression was unreadable and Baldr was starting to fear, that she would lash out.

To his surprise she smiled. “Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?”

He returned the smile: “Once I stopped flipping out, no, I suppose not. But seriously – why did you never confront me? Obviously I didn't realise myself what a git I was being, so why didn't you tell me?”

“Well, firstly: like you just said, you always were so bent on pleasing everyone, that you had an internal breakdown, whenever it seemed like you couldn't. Had I told you, I wasn't happy, it would've crushed you. I couldn't have that.”

“Uhm-”

“Apapapapapah! Secondly: you're a downright sensitive plant!”

“A what?!”

“You heard me.”

Baldr gasped and theatrically clutched his chest. “Nanna! How ever could you say such a thing!”, he cried and let himself drop to the floor, like the drama queen he was. “You're wounding my heart! Your words are sharper than the dart that pierced me! Oh the agony! What ever shall I do?”

She chortled: “Baldr, stop!”

He didn't stop.

“My last shred of pride has been shattered! There goes what little bit of masculinity I had! Millennia of being the god of light, peace, purity and justice, being a judge and advisor to the other Æsir, enduring their nonsense and putting on a brave face despite all hardships! A sensitive plant! What a choice of words! So liking nature, gardening, wisdom and knowledge more than fighting and getting drunk off my butt makes me a wimp? Now that's just hurtful! And from my former wife too! How could you betray me like this?! Oh, the tragedy!”

At this point Nanna was doubling over with laughter.

“Baldr! Stop – hihihihi – I can't take it – hahahaaha – it's too much!”

Baldr grinned up at her. “Hmm … I don't know …”

“Come on”, a new voice chuckled. “Have some pity, Bright One.”

The dead god blushed furiously, when he spied Hel leaning against the entrance and regarding the scene with a smug smirk.

“Uhm … I can explain-”

“Don't bother”, Hel laughed. “I've been standing here the entire time. I just didn't say anything, because I wanted to see, if you two could resolve your issues on your own.”

“They're not resolved yet”, Nanna objected.

“You're right”, Hel agreed. “But it's a good start. Things can only get better from here. Keep it up and you might become actual friends.”

The Queen of the Dead came over and helped him stand up.

“By the way, Nanna, your punishment is over”, she let the dead goddess know. “From now on you're allowed to dine at my table with Baldr. Come. You must be hungry. I asked my servants to keep the lunch warm, since thanks to a certain someone we didn't get to finish it.”

Baldr's blush deepened.

“Let's go”, the queen said nonchalantly and made her way back to the dining hall, followed by a still flustered Baldr and by Nanna, who was grinning smugly for some reason.

When he gave her a questioning look, her smirk grew wider and she motioned into Hel's direction.

“Not a word”, he muttered and blushed harder, making Nanna snicker like a plotting court lady.

Lucifer 05x08 Theory: The reason Lucifer finds it difficult to say "I Love You" to Chloe. The season 4 finale of Lucifer left fans in suspense last spring with Lucifer and Chloe declaring their feelings for each other just before Lucifer departs to resume his reign in Hell with no expediency of ever returning.

Released August 21, 2020, season 5 part 1 reunites the surreal couple but the two struggle to define their new relationship as it's put through the ringer; from Lucifer's psychopathic twin Michael and Chloe's "perfect" ex to Lucifer experiencing new celestial self-actualizing changes. The final episode of part 1, 05x08 'Spoiler Alert' left them on thin ice as Michael coaxed Chloe to confront her greatest fear/insecurity: The reason Lucifer hasn't said "I love you". Following her long awaited revelation that Lucifer is in fact the literal devil, Chloe spent the 10 episodes of season 4 in an existential crisis as she continued to unravel her new world and the partner she'd trusted. Now, she's come to accept Lucifer's otherworldly identity but still needs to learn to understand and accept him on an emotional level.

Communication and being on the same page is one of the most important elements of a successful relationship and it would be hurtful to feel as though the relationship might be one-sided but what is the reason Lucifer has trouble with 3 simple words? Appearances can be deceiving, "I Love You" are NOT simple words, especially not for the Devil. Lucifer for all his emotional growth is still learning how to understand his own emotions and while he is aware that he loves Chloe, 'Our Mojo' illustrated that he doesn't understand what that means or what it means to be in a monogamous relationship.

My best friend told me that her husband didn't say "I love you" for a year because in his previous relationship it was used as a manipulation, a dictatorship. I.e "If you love me, you won't talk to other people."

For much the same reason, Lucifer associates love with obligation and rejection. From his perspective God's love was contingent on his being the perfect soldier. When he wasn't, when he, presumably questioned God and longed for the basic right to free will that humans are born with and take for granted, he was scorned, thrown out like garbage and slandered. Goddess, we can gather from her arc was a selfish sociopathic bitch. She used her Earthbound sons for her personal agenda, orchestrated the massacre of several humans, even watched Lucifer cry while lighting Azreal's blade and felt nothing except pissed off that she wasn't getting her way.  

He probably assumed a casual sex life to fulfill his physical need for pleasure while avoiding emotional connections.

His early relationship with Chloe when she was convinced that he was eccentric was somewhat contingent as well. She refused to tolerate him when he'd use blunt biblical truths such as that his father was God and that he'd severed his wings. She'd either get irritated, pissed off or just ignore it which is understandable but to him it was a form of rejection nonetheless.

She might accept the truth of him now (I don't feel we need to get into Kinley) but his conversation with Jud in 'Blue Ballz' illustrates that is waiting for the other shoe to drop, that he has a fear of doing that one thing wrong that ends their relationship forever.

Remember that last season he had the revelation that he hates himself, that millennia of human slander has convinced him that he's evil so perhaps somewhere in his subconscious he's not entirely convinced that he deserves Chloe.

Another factor is that despite being a social butterfly, Lucifer is an utterly quintessential man. Men are not comfortable talking about their feelings but would rather avoid them * see above about Lucifer's sexcapades * and Lucifer is quite a man of action.

Essentially he's told her he loves her several times throughout the entire course of the series such as when he stopped his heart to get the antidote to save her life in Hell and when he threw her a private prom. He said it in the way he started breaking down when he saw the blond decomposing Whisper Killer victim and thought it was her. He said it in the way he held her TWICE after finding her where Michael had taken her. He said it when he said: "My first love was never Eve, it was you Chloe." He said it every time he used her name instead of calling her Detective. He once claimed in season 3 that he used her title as an endearment and because he's utterly honest I don't doubt that he believed that at the time but I believe it was avoidance. Notice how so far he's used her name more times this season than he ever has before. If only she would notice these things, if only they would have a proper talk so she'd know the things she couldn't before she was a celestial insider. These are among my hopes for season 5 part 2 and I'm quite sure Lucifer will say "I love you" when he's truly ready and possibly when he or both of them least expect it. That would be the best way.  

Side Note: You might have to forgive me, it's possible that some of this eloquence is from fanfiction. I've read so much fanfiction since Netflix picked up the show that I tend to forget to separate some of the logic but it's not as though the show has filled in some of these particular blanks so far and fanfiction logic is quite sound IMO.