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lizzieraindrops · 2 years

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Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: Destiny (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eris Morn/Ikora Rey Characters: Eris Morn, Ikora Rey Additional Tags: Season of the Haunted, the BIG themes of processing and healing and making new choices this season..., Recovery, the long process, Healing, it’s about the GROWTH, Solstice of Heroes 2022

Summary:

For so long, I believed peace was beyond my reach. No more. I have found it in guiding others down the same path that saved me.

But… I might allow myself to want more than peace. What, I am not certain. Is joy the word? Might I find that again?

— Eris' radio dialogue from the end of Season of the Haunted

Chapter 4: I might allow myself to want — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

Eris and Ikora go for a walk in the EAZ, then sit down for a heart-to-heart.

Eris and Ikora walked together in silence among the outer islands of the EAZ. In the distance, in the center of the largest landmass, Eris could see the smoldering silver remains of yesterday's deserted Solstice bonfire, burned down to cinders. As such, no Taken disturbed it except the occasional errant Thrall, prodding morosely at the embers, before collapsing back into whatever singularity it had crawled out of.

Ikora led them toward one of the larger satellite islands on the eastern edge of the Aerial Zone. Wherever the gap between islands stretched too far, she took Eris by the hand or arm once again and Blinked them through the Void to the next landing. Each time, when their feet touched ground once more, Ikora let go, but she did not pull away quickly.

A handful of spindly old pines dotted the island where they stopped, enough to dapple the ground with bands of shade. The miniature bluff that divided the island in two broke the worst bluster of the high-altitude winds if they sat close to its shelter. Right next to the bluff, a huge and ancient overgrown stump half-walled in a perfect little resting place lined with moss and ferns and tall, fragile wildflowers that bowed in the breeze. Above, through the tree branches, and below, through the roots that laced together the gaps between pieces of earth like a web, the two of them had a broader-than-usual view of the endless sky.

Eris took a draught from her waterskin after the mild hike. Ikora offered her the leftover tea snacks that Devrim had insisted upon plying her with. They both removed their gauntlets to pick at the grapes and biscuits.

"What was it you wished to discuss?" Ikora asked, her expression open and expectant.

Now that she was before her, however, all the words that Eris had held prepared suddenly vanished, leaving her throat quiet and empty. Silence spread hushed wings between them. The wind shouldered softly through pine needles and a few distant birds called. Ikora bent forward where she sat, looking concerned. "...Eris? Are you sure you're well?"

Eris nodded in reassurance. Though her brows still bowed beneath her worry, Ikora sat back and settled herself to wait. That act itself, that familiar, unquestioning patience, unspooled whatever tightness held Eris' voice tied down in her chest, and words flowed back to her lips.

"Thank you, Ikora," she said in a soft voice. "Your patience and kindness are never taken for granted."

"You needn't thank me for showing you basic respect."

Eris' lips twitched. "Nonetheless."

"...You said you wanted my opinion on something personal?"

"Not an opinion. Merely your thoughts, regarding mine."

Ikora turned a look of curiosity on her, but said nothing.

"I have been thinking, since the Leviathan," Eris said. She spread out her hands in the warmth of the sunlight. Pale, raised scars picked their way across her skin in highlight and shadow. "Much has changed. Even as the horizon darkens ever further, my mind feels lighter, clearer than it has in a very long time. I am...doing better, I think."

"That's wonderful, Eris. I'm glad for you. I do worry about you, you know."

"I do know. You have always cared, and I have always been grateful."

Something dissatisfied flickered across Ikora's face. "I wish something so simple did not merit gratitude."

Eris waved it aside. "It is how things are, at present. I do not regret my choices, nor how they have made others view me with suspicion. In any case, they do so less often, these days."

Ikora looked at her with an odd intensity. "I hope you know that you still have my trust, even after everything on Europa."

Eris set her Ahamkara talisman aside and conjured a spindle of Stasis crystal above her empty palm. "Even after this?"

The sliver of ice merited only a glance. Holding Eris' gaze, Ikora gave a firm nod. "Yes."

A last small, uncertain knot of doubt deep within Eris eased. She let the indigo shard sublimate and vanish into the warm air. "I am glad to know it now in words, and not only guesses."

"I'm sorry I took so long to tell you. What you discovered... It gave us all a great deal to think about. But I understand, now, why you chose what you did. I have made my own peace with a kind of balance, even if I still use only Light."

Eris nodded, accepting the apology with grace. "I thought you must have, the way you took to the use of the Relic, and the Guardian's use of Deepsight," Eris said. "We have all had much to consider, lately."

"I have many thoughts on the matter that I’d like to share with you in time. But is the Darkness what you wanted to discuss with me today?"

"No."

"Then forget it for now. What's on your mind, Eris?"

"You," Eris said truthfully.

"Pardon?"

Eris closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Ikora. In these past months, I have grown to feel more alive than I have in years, and I find it strange. I don't quite know how to live beyond just surviving. But I want to learn now. Even if it's too late. Even as midnight falls over us, I can't help but choose to believe it still matters. And I can't help but think that you would have much to teach me."

"Me? I don't know that I'm quite following what you..."

On impulse, Eris eased one hand across the gap between them. In the absence of reproach or retreat, she gently tucked her hand under Ikora's palm and gathered it into her own.

Staring at their linked hands, Ikora neither resisted nor responded.

Eris' stomach dropped in dismay at her own careless audacity. What was she thinking, to act with such unprecedented directness?

But as she began to withdraw, her motion was halted by Ikora's long fingers tightening about hers by the smallest increment.

Eris looked up into her face with soft surprise.

Though she would not meet Eris' eyes, Ikora held on. Once again, she did not let go.

Gently — so gently — Eris pressed the pad of her thumb into the give between Ikora's thumb and pointer finger.

Ikora shivered.

Well, then.

Eris shifted to kneel before her without releasing her hand. She caught up Ikora's other hand as well, to hold both cupped in her own like precious water. Eris moved by instinct, by impulse, following whatever this was.

With her thumbs, she traced small circles on the dark backs of Ikora's hands several times. Then she turned them over to repeat the figure in the lighter pink-brown of her palms.

Ikora's eyes fluttered closed in a shimmer of dusty gold eyeshadow. Her ever-lined brow relaxed into a subtly serene face.

Gently setting one of Ikora's hands down on her own knee, Eris took the other by the fine-boned wrist and pressed their palms together. When they both stretched them out to their full length, Ikora's slender fingers were a little longer than her own. The pads of her fingers pressed into Ikora's just above their smallest joint.

With a slight twist of her palm, Eris curled her rough, pale fingers between those unscarred digits. In response, they mirrored her motion in the same clasp.

The two of them simply sat like that for a time, Ikora with eyes closed in blissful relaxation, Eris watching entranced. She squeezed Eris' hand a little when she opened them again, but still did not let go.

Instead, she raised her other hand to touch Eris' wrist just below where their hands met. With the tip of her thumb, she traced the tendons on the underside of Eris' wrist until they vanished into the flesh of her forearm. Her hand came to rest in the bend of Eris' elbow. Through the sleeve, she carefully outlined the bicep and then the deltoid muscle emerging just beneath Eris' shoulder guard.

From there, she lifted her hand hesitantly to Eris' face. She skimmed her cheek with the smooth backs of her evenly trimmed nails. She did not shy away from the smoky seep of evaporating ichor that leaked from Eris' bandaged eyes.

Eris held very still. She clasped Ikora's hand tighter. Was this truly happening? Could she let herself believe it?

Ikora kept up those gentle motions, now stroking the rise of Eris' cheekbone with her thumb, now lifting the line of her jaw with a single finger, now cupping the hollow of her cheek in her warm, soft palm.

Involuntarily, Eris leaned into the curve of her hand with a deep, relaxed inhale. Her eyes drifted closed. Such a simple touch had no right to feel so...good.

Eris could stay here for a very, very long time.

For so long, Eris had feared such care and closeness, knowing it would change her irrevocably. It was already doing so with the mere touch of hand to hand, hand to face. In her long and turbulent life, change had often been profound and violent and unavoidable. But this...who would she be, if she stayed here for as many years as she had been lost under Luna?

Not so long ago, to even consider being where she was now would have been unimaginable.

Eris' eyes cracked open again. Her filtered gaze was met and held with an exquisite soft intensity that mirrored her own mélange of uncertainty and yearning.

For Eris, at least, the last traces of fear and doubt were fast fading. She did want this, completely.

But she wasn't the only one who needed to be sure.

With great reluctance, Eris released Ikora's hand and withdrew from that sunlight-warm touch. "A moment, Ikora. We should discuss this, before anything further." They could both use a moment to process this sudden intensity.

Ikora blinked several times, as if coming out of a daze after the rush of throwing a Nova Bomb. "Okay."

As she came back to herself, Ikora's eyes widened as if in delayed shock. They flitted from Eris' hands to her face to her own palms. Eris edged further back to give her space, but stopped when that only compounded Ikora's subtle distress.

"I should tell you...I know I have hurt you in the past, and for that I am sorry."

"What? Eris, you don't need to —"

"Yes, I do," Eris cut her off gently. She would never forget the wounded look Ikora had given her when she had left the City after Oryx's fall, many years ago now. Even back then, the pleasure and pain of this potentiality between them had existed, even if they had both turned away from it. "Because I know how it hurt you when I left before. But I cannot guarantee it will not happen again, that I must go where you wish I would not."

Ikora sighed and flexed her hands in her lap. "Eris, I know that now. I came to terms with that on my own a long time ago. You need your freedom."

Eris' hands twitched. She stilled them. "Yes. But that does not mean I do not wish to return."

Ikora's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I thought you still disliked living in the City?"

How could such a brilliant, insightful woman still be so truly dense? As ever, even with the way they had just touched, she was too willing to leave herself out of the picture.

"Ikora." Eris clutched her own hands to keep herself from reaching out. But she leaned closer to make sure she had Ikora's full attention. "I do. I am talking about you."

"...Oh."

As if weighted by all the years of unspoken words between them, her gaze fell to Ikora's lips, the way they parted for her short intake of breath, then pressed together again to stifle their minute quiver.

A mere hand's breadth of space separated them. But with the way Ikora was almost invisibly trembling, Eris would die before she touched her.

"Ikora. I refuse to hurt you any more than I already have," she said hoarsely. "I shall not touch you unless you desire it. But if you want this too..." Her voice cracked. She shut her eyes tight. "Please."

Suspended silence hung between them like a held breath, broken only by the heavy thud of Eris' stumbling heart.

Then hands touched her chin, folding around her face like the sepals of an unopened flower. By the odd wetness of one finger against her cheek, Eris discovered that she was silently weeping. The true tears caught in the place where their skin met even as the dissipating black ichor spilled over Ikora's hands like mist above a waterfall.

She opened all three of her eyes.

Ikora stared right back at her, her own eyes shining. Her head bobbed in a helpless little nod.

"Yes, Eris, yes," she said in a thick, choked voice. "I want — this, you, I — I shouldn't, I can't, but I —"

The press of Eris' lips silenced her. Her mouth softened like spring beneath them. Eris drew back to speak, but could hardly do so for the way Ikora followed her.

"You can. You can want. You can have." The wind of Eris' speech returned to her in that infinitesimal space between them. "Please," she repeated, "Please —"

Ikora took her by the arms and obliged.

Her touch was sweet and brilliant, her lips exquisite. She peppered Eris' face with small kisses in between the long, slow ones they shared, learning each other in new ways they never had before in all their long years of knowing each other. In her touch, Eris could feel all the care and consideration Ikora had always lavished upon her from a distance, now mixed with something new and needing and immediate.

Eris wrapped her hands about Ikora's waist and pulled her closer. Ikora curled her arms around Eris' neck and kissed her deeper.

The sun hung near its zenith by the time they parted. Cloak askew, Eris laid back against the soft moss and looked to the sky. Ikora did the same by her side.

Their hands still lay intertwined on the ground between them.

"Is this what we are doing, then?" Eris asked as the shadows of leaves danced across their faces in the rising wind. In needless demonstration, she lifted the hand that Ikora still held tightly. She wriggled her fingers in Ikora's grip, to rather comical effect.

"Is this what you want?"

"Yes."

"...Why?"

Eris looked at her in surprise. Without letting go of Ikora's hand, she sat up and leaned over where she lay to look into her face. It was still shadowed with self-doubt. That wouldn’t do.

"Because I have decided I want to taste joy among all the sorrow. And you make me happy."

Ikora's expression gentled. She lifted a hand to touch Eris' face once more, and let it linger there. "You make me happy too, Eris."

Eris laid her hand over Ikora's to hold it against her face. How long had it been since either of them had been touched lovingly? She would rather neither of them had to wonder.

"Good," Eris said. "I want you to be happy, too."

Ikora looked so soft, then, as they existed there in each other's hands. This rare tenderness was precious, was worth fighting to carve out a place for amidst the desolate hostility of their broken world.

This was something they could lose, yes. But it was also a sacred sliver of something beautiful that they could choose to hold and cherish despite that.

It would not undo any of the terrible things that had happened, nor prevent those impending ills that bore down upon them yet.

However, if they created a space for it to exist as they moved forward…it would go a long way to begin balancing all the pain of the past with joy.

#eris morn #ikora rey #destiny 2 #destiny the game #erikora #eris/ikora #ikoris #destiny fanfiction #season of the haunted #european aerial zone #solstice of heroes #this season really just came out here and gave me everything huh #eris' long story arc really is about healing and i'm so glad to finally see her realizing that #anyway i couldn't Not run with that dialogue like??? who do you think i am #lizzie taking up space #lizzie's adventures in writing #fic

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brontios-helm · 2 years

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Destiny 2: Solstice Contemplation

#destiny 2 #solstice of heroes #bonfire bash #the tower #d2 the tower #destiny 2 ikora rey #hi ikora #earth #destiny 2 earth #bungie #destiny 2 pc

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s1utlvr · 3 months

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Chemtrails Over the Country Club ﹏

Luke Castellan X fem!aphrodite reader

In which Luke comes to recruit you.

a/n: Honestly this fic is so unserious and unhinged 😭😭 also listen. Idk how this got so long but it did. Also don’t know how this got so angsty but it did. Anyways takes place during sea of monsters just some heated making out and arguing mentions of bullying kinda Luke being well Luke. This was supposed to be inspired by I can see you by Taylor swift but then it got really long and angsty so here’s a little playlist of all the songs that inspired this. (Listen in order or don’t idc) Not proofread yeah that’s it lmk if I missed something.

Reflections- The Neighborhood

Chemtails Over the Country Club -Lana Del Rey

Money power Glory- Lana Del Rey

I Can See You - Taylor swift

Listening time- 17 mins

Word Count- 4.9k

~~~~𖠳~~~~~~~~𖠳~~~~~~~~𖠳~~~~~𖠳~~~~~~~~𖠳~~~~~~~

There was no one at camp who hadn’t heard the story of the night Percy Jackson returned.

It was a night of triumph as the son of Poseidon had saved Olympus and prevented war, until Luke castellan outed himself as the lighting thief and disappear.

And just like triumph came it diminished and once more there was talk of war.

But between all of this there was just something you couldn’t wrap your head around.

After the summer solstice most people left feeling frazzled, those like you who stayed for the remainder of the term continued picking sides preparing for the war that was said to come just like before Percy had returned.

Just like all the other cabins yours had come to a consensus as well, despite the fact your mother was a war goddess most were against a war out of hatred and spite for the gods and while you agreed part of you couldn’t help but feel…different.

Sure you were against a war breaking out any sane person would be, but part of you couldn’t help but sympathize with Luke.

See for a while you were your mother’s pride and joy, the epitome of what it meant to be Aphrodites daughter. You were charming, sweet, and had a beauty that could only come from the goddess of love and beauty herself and you lived for for the love and attention of your peers and your mother til you realized that was all you had to offer, and once someone sweeter, kinder, prettier came along you were left with nothing.

Your mother gave you everything, and then she took it all away.

It was humiliating being the “dumb Aphrodite kid” constantly being ridiculed for being shallow and vain but how could you not when all you were left with was your beauty?

You couldn’t even recount the amount of times you had sobbed and sobbed and sobbed about it the amount of times that you had prayed to something that you hoped could be bigger than the gods to give you a different parent someone who could gift you with knowledge or wisdom or skill or creativity just something that could make you feel like you were more like you were worthy, for a while you even considered joining the hunt. It wasn’t like your mother would ever let anyone endure the misery that would be loving you.

However despite all of this Luke still saw you.

You weren’t exactly friends throughout your time at camp half-blood but he treated you a hell of a lot better than most of his siblings whom would just look at you and whistle.

Whenever you two would spar he’d always give you a real challenge not letting you stop until you finally beat him and it was during the brief conversations after these moments where you found yourself seeing bits of you in him.

You were both runaways desperate to cling to something,desperate for glory, nobodies son and nobodies daughter; the wasted potential of your parents.

It was for this reason that you found yourself laying awake in the middle of the night pondering about Luke. War was bad for everyone there was no question about it and no sane person would just start of war out of spite. You knew it wasn’t right but part of you felt like he had to have had a reason for his doings something that had to have pushed him over the edge.

You hated to admit it but for the months he’s was gone you were miserable. You were loosing yourself without your conversations with Luke and worst of all you were loosing your beauty.

Sure it sounded vain but it was an odd phenomenon that occurred one in a million. See Aphrodites kids lived off of love, self and that of others it was one of the things that helped them thrive, and seeing as you were lacking both your hair began to thin and your face had begun hollowing out,suddenly you really started to feel for Luke.

It was your last straw, and what you would go on to say was your reason for the decision you made the night you saw him.

It was Labor Day weekend which also happened to be the last weekend before most began returning to camp and it was tradition for the year round campers to throw a final intimate campfire.

You had tried to ride out the night with some of your siblings but you had found it to be just as insufferable so you made your way back to your cabin.

It was quiet for a change, and for a minute it felt quite peaceful as you felt yourself closing your eyes until you heard the cabin door open once more.

You had expected to look up and see one of your siblings but instead, it was him.

You wore a shocked expression on your face your eyes looking his body up and down.

it was really him.

You didn’t know how to react he looked the same wearing sweatpants and a gray hoodie that hugged his arms a bit tighter, he had been training.

Despite the fact that he looked the same you knew he wasn’t, all you knew was that he was out for blood and he was standing infront of you.

Breathing was getting harder, as you moved back onto your bed your eyes stuck on the man infront of you.

“What…what do you want with me?” You asked still completely dumbfounded.

“Relax…..i have no intentions of hurting you.”

His expression remained the same, he was calm and collected. You felt absolutely insane.

“Why are you here Luke” you asked trying to match his tone and failing as the shakiness of your voice came through.

“I’m here to recruit you.”

You swallowed a lump in your throat. “Why me?”

“Because I think you can help me. You see when people see you all they see is a pretty face……they underestimate you, but i can see you y/n. And as far as I’m concerned you’re the smartest demigod i know” He sounded so sure of himself for a second you almost believed him.

“You’re lying” You scoffed as you watched his expression change he wasn’t as calm as he was before, he persistent on recruiting you

“Would you look around y/n? You’re the only one who even knows I’m here. Everyone else is oblivious not just to this but everything. You see the world differently, you understand me y/n i need you.”

“But why would should I?” It was vain. You needed no more convincing.

“If you join me no one is ever gonna dare look at you the wrong way, ever. I won’t let them underestimate you y/n.”

It wasn’t right. You knew it in your gut it wasn’t.

But for once in your life you felt seen,wanted, you had the chance to do something that was bigger than yourself.

“When do we leave?”

“It’s not quite like that, I need eyes on the inside….just for now until Percy arrives…not that he’ll be staying long.” Your expression dimmed as he spoke.

“You have to trust me on this”

“How do you know you can trust me?”

“I don’t, but I do know something.”

“You’re your mother’s daughter. As much as we all despise them it doesn’t change the facts. And the fact is you Aphrodite kids are too loyal for your own good.

He could read you like a book, yet there was something freeing about the vulnerability you felt, like he was setting you free.

“I’m in”

He walked closer to you placing a few golden drachmas into your hand before closing your palm.

“I expect to hear from you soon.”

You had no idea what you had gotten yourself into.

The next couple of weeks were quiet, until they weren’t.Thalias tree had been poisoned and monsters were getting closer and closer each day,something told you it was Luke behind it. If you were right it was redundant to call him but something inside of you was telling you to call him anyways, so you grabbed a golden drachma from the pile that had been hiding away in your vanity followed by a prism of clear quartz and hoped for the best.

“Oh iris goddess of the rainbow please accept my offering” A rainbow reflected upon the window next to your bunk.

“Give me Luke Castellan, Princess andromeda, New York Harbor”

When you got to Luke he was in a meeting and didn’t notice your message at first but he looked different. His curls were shorter,shiner, like he had started taking care of them. He was wearing an emerald button up, trousers, and loafers that you could’ve sworn were gucci. To say he looked attractive was an understatement.

“It’s about time” He said startling you a bit as you had begun to zone out.

“I think you know why im calling, Thalias tree is dying”

“Perfect” a smirk landed on his face.

“That’s not it though. The barrier’s diminishing there’s talk about having twenty-four seven security on half blood hill and Clarisse is already there like every hour of the day”

His expression changed.

“How fast can you get to New York harbor?”

“I’m not finished. Chiron doesn’t want Percy going to camp this year, says it too dangerous.”

That was it, his eyes darkened as his mind wandered aimlessly in panic. He looked no where near as confident as he did just minutes ago.

“Pack up im calling a car, we’ll figure out what to do about Percy once you’re here”

You watched as his face quickly faded from the kaleidoscope of colors. Something was wrong very wrong but whatever it was he trusted you with it, and you trusted him.

Packing was always your specialty, you’d had the ability to pack your entire life into a duffel bag since you had started coming to camp; shoes,toiletries makeup, on bottom, in the upper part underwear, pants,dresses, shirts, in that order, and right on-top the thing that was missing this go around. The bright orange colored “Camp Half-Blood” shirts.

There was something almost liberating about being able to abandon them on your bed. Maybe that’s why the gods always abandoned their children.

It wasn’t hard slipping out from camp, not than anyone really noticed you nowadays but it was dinner hour, and by the time it was over you were already boarding the Princess Andromeda where you were greeted by a cabin stewardess.

“Good evening Ms. Y/n. We’ve been expecting you” She was tall blonde and had dry almost scale-y hands, something told you she wasn’t exactly human but you didn’t have to be afraid anymore.

She took your bags and led you to your room, the decor ironically reminiscent of the Poseidon cabin.

“Mr Castellan needs you in the orlop at ten but until then feel free to enjoy any and all amenities, enjoy your stay.”

You nodded as you watched her leave the room closing the door behind you.

You began to unpack while simultaneously trying to figure out what to wear. You weren’t exactly sure what the dress code was for a meeting to plan the downfall of Percy Jackson but based off of what you’d seen Luke wearing in your iris message you assumed business formal.

You didn’t know what you were thinking when you’d pack the dress, it was a gift from your mother from when she’d actually bothered to try and have a relationship with you. It was a long black dress with chains around the waist. You hadn’t worn it in months. The words that came out of her mouth as she handed it to you played in your head on repeat.

“Your beauty is all powerful. What you do with that is of your choosing but choose wisely.”

You weren’t sure if you believed that anymore, if you believed her at all. But the dress felt appropriate.

You let your hair down and got ready applying some light makeup, something you hadn’t done since last summer. Meanwhile you’d thought about what people had said about Luke last summer, wondering if they’d say the same things about you once they found out, if they’d call you a “traitor” and a “monster” But If what you were doing was so wrong then how come you finally felt like yourself again?

A bit later the stewardess who had greeted you earlier escorted you down some corridors to the bottom deck to an old maintenance room that was now being used as a lair of sorts.

Inside Luke was sitting crouched over in a chair with his head down,next to him was Chris Rodriguez one if his siblings you’d seen around camp and two other men who appeared to be older than you three.

Tensions were high, you felt it as soon as you walked in.

As he heard you walk in Luke looked up adjusting himself as he looked your body up and down.

“Good you’re here. Take a seat we don’t have much time.” He said as he motioned to the seat next to him.

You sat down, the other two men watching you closely.

“How much do you know?” One of the anonymous men asked.

“Percy was supposed to go back to camp at the end of this week, Thursday. Chiron has been trying to convince Sally Jackson otherwise but Percy Himself isn’t aware of the state of camp.” You said

“He doesn’t get to camp he can’t take the bait and all of this is fucked we need a plan and we need it now.” Luke was getting agitated.

“We need to make him not going not an option.” Chris added.

“Exactly” luke replied

It was silent for a moment, the sound of Luke tapping his foot filled the room until one of the men spoke.

“I know some people we can call up, get him in some trouble at school. If he’s still under the impression camp is safe he’ll go running to Chiron.”

You watched as a wave of relief washed over Luke’s face.

“Get to it we don’t have time to waste.”

The man nodded before walking out of the room followed by the other man.

“Hey man I’m gonna go grab a drink you want?”

“Yeah I’ll meet you there” Luke said to him as Chris nodded before walking out.

You watched as he left your eyes locking on Luke once you heard the door shut. He looked even better than he did in the iris message now that you were seeing him in person. You couldn’t help but imagine things that would make even your mom blush.

“You came” He said as he turned to face you.

You sound suprised”

“Not surprised, relieved. Without your intel Percy wouldve had us chasing our own tail. I’m glad you made it.” He sounded sweet, genuine. It was hard to believe he was the same person people had talking about at camp.

“Glad I’m here.” You said shooting him a soft smile as he stood up offering out his hand, you took it as you stood up.

“You wanna come with?” He asked motioning to the door.

“I’m ok, I’ll see you later”

“I tried” He said with a fake dramatic sigh as he held his hand to his heart you rolled your eyes at his antics.

“You look good y/n” He said before exiting the room.

His words shouldn’t have made your heart flutter like they did, you were nothing more to him than a pawn, but if he could get something out of this why couldn’t you?

You decided to grab a jacket from your room and make your way up to the deck, it was late and empty for the most part as you settled on the ledge of the boat looking out at the New York skyline in the distance, the Brooklyn bridge illuminating the night sky. As much as you may have hated the gods you had to give them some credit. They picked a beautiful city to move Olympus too.

“What are you doing?” You heard from behind you as you turned to face Luke.

“Admiring the view” you responded letting out a sigh at the look of his face of disdain.

“It’s not safe out here, they’ll smell you.” He said as he walked towards you his expression ever so slowly relaxing.

“nothing you can’t handle.” You replied with a smirk. It was true, Luke was the best swordsmen you knew there wasn’t a monster he couldn’t handle.

“Doesn’t mean you can just go around getting into trouble, what am I your saving grace?”

Hearing those words come out of his mouth made you blush, he really did save you.

Cmon, you ought to get back to your room” he said as hey began walking back inside.

“It’s ok I’ll find my way around” you said as you scurried infront of him.

“Nonsense youre staying next to me I’ll walk you” Luke replied continuing to walk as you stopped in your tracks.

“You know I can look out for myself”

“Believe me I know, you wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t…..it just helps me sleep at night.” There was something comforting about his words that made you smile as you caught up to him.

“Kinda sounds like you do wanna save” you teased as you walked alongside him.

“Did I not?” He replied making a fake face of confusion causing you to roll your eyes.

“Yeah you totally did” you said as you entered the hallway your rooms were on.

“Get some rest, things should be pretty calm til we get to Miami.” Luke said resting his arm on your shoulder.

“What’re we doing in Miami?” You asked.

“Just….rest up”

“I’ll see you in the morning then” You said as you walked down to your room glancing at him down the hallway one last time before entering.

You couldn’t think straight, you couldn’t think about anything at all really. Only his words that replayed in your head over and over and over and the way his lips seemed to glisten and the way his shirt hugged his arms and most of all fthe fact that there was nearly a thin wall separating you and Luke, and the things you’d be able to hear through it.

For the first time in months you slept like a rock knowing you weren’t alone knowing there was someone looking out for you. Sure you weren’t helpless but you weren’t against the idea of Luke wanting to look out for you.

The rest of the day was nice, peaceful, for the most part that was until evening.

Word got around Annabeth had single handled gotten Percy back to camp and they were figuring out things too quickly which called for an emergency meeting meaning Luke practically dragged you out of your room while you were half dressed leaving you in a tank top and some sweatpants.

“Wait so what’s happening?” You asked as you scurried to the lower deck

“Clarisse was sent on a quest to go obtain the Golden Fleece for Thalias tree”

“Which is good for us right?”

“Wrong, cause we had assumed Percy would go”

“So what now?”

“‘thing is because of that we had started to reroute only to find out the impertinent shit and his entourage are planning on joining her” He said slamming open the door to the old maintence room and slamming it just as quickly as she opened it.

“Listen Luke our options are limited-“ Chris stated as you entered the room.

“You think I don’t know that?” Luke hissed.

“I’m just saying our best bet is to lure him on board when he gets to the harbor.”

You scowled at his words. “We can’t do that”

“Says who?” Chris scoffed

“It’s not logical. We’d be risking everything we know little nothing we don’t know who or what he could have with him all we know is who he is and he is not to be underestimated for this to work we need more. We might aswell be serving ourselves up on a silver platter”

“She has a point” One of the guys from yesterday responded as you felt Chris’ piercing eyes on you.

“Why should we listen to her? She’s always just been a dumb Aphrodite girl what like that changed overnight”

Your heart sank. Just like that you were back at camp.

“Excuse me?”

“Y/n-“ Luke said reaching out for your arm only to be pushed away.

“No what the fuck did you just say? Aphrodite may be my mother but atleast I know who my godly parent it. You’re just an unclaimed kid who Hermes took pity on so if I were you I wouldn’t be talking.”

“What did you just say to me?”

“This is a fucking joke you’re a fucking joke-“ You cursed as you stormed out Luke following quickly behind you.

“What the fuck was that?” He shouted as you walked into your room

“I don’t know you tell me”

“You can’t do that”

“I thought we had an agreed no more of that bullshit but i guess since it’s your best fucking friend that doesn’t apply to him huh?”

“What’s it gonna take for you to keep your fucking mouth shut huh?” He shouted cornering you into a wall.

You were tongue tied. For the first time you’d seen the monster people had described at camp for months. But under the anger in his eyes you saw something else, a deep hunger and desire.

“I’m sorry-“

“Luke” you cried out as you swallowed a lump in your throat causing it to come out as more of a breathy moan.

You watched his eyes lighten as the anger turned into pure lust in his eyes your shaky hand making its way up to his neck only to be met by his wrist.

“If his happens you will be putting yourself into immediate danger, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe but not a single person can know. You are my weakness and if someone figured that out I cannot assure you that you won’t end up dead and I can’t loose anyone else y/n especially not you, but you have to understand I will not have you mess this operation up do you understand?”

You couldn’t speak.

“I said do you understand?” His voice was louder harsher.

“Yes”

The moment the word slipped off your tongue his lips were pressed against yours with full force. There was absolutely nothing romantic about the way his hands gripped at your sides and the way his lips gnawed at your skin. It was pure lust and desire.

And it was everything you had ever wished for.

you despised your mother, but for once in your life you couldn’t thank her enough.

It was rushed and sloppy but Luke had never needed anything in his life so badly like he needed you.

He could’ve kissed you forever and it still wouldn’t have been enough, his tongue longing for the taste of you the moment you pulled away from him.

“Not a word about this.”

“Maybe you’ll just have to keep me quiet.”

#percy jackson #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan x you #charlie bushnell #sea of monsters #pjo series #luv aubrey <33

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yourstardarling · 4 months

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Capricorn: The Cold Mother

I learned officially the other day Capricorn is a feminine sign and needed some time to fully grasp this. I’ve always been confused as to how a sign associated with such a cold demeanor be feminine. Then I realized that Capricorn is the opposite of the mother sign Cancer, which means these two signs are expressions of our mothers.

Cancer symbolizes the caring devoted mother. Her water sign nature makes her emotionally attuned to the feelings of those around her. She takes care of her kids and guide their emotional development as they grow through the real world. Cancer cares for her family and can heal the emotional pain of those in need.

Capricorn on the other hand is the cold mother. She is the businesswoman who values discipline and consistency. With Capricorn being an Earth sign, emotions are often undermined. There is a suppression of them in order to build tough skin and a strong exterior. As we look at the symbol for Capricorn below, it is a sea goat which represents mastering control of emotional depths in order to climb higher ground.

This makes a lot of sense as well as Capricorns are often associated with climbing mountains. Mountains symbolizing obstacles and problems that arise in our lives. So in order to face these obstacles, Capricorn must not let her feelings get the best of her. This in turn creates a family that isn’t really emotionally nurtured by her. She will provide the physical necessities though, due to her earth sign nature. However, the rest of sustaining of her children will need to be figured out on their own.

Demeter & The Cold Mother

To undertand the nature of Capricorn more let’s look at the story of Demeter. Capricorn season begins on the Winter Solstice. In Greek Mythology, it is believed that winter has come due to Demeter grieving her daughter. Demeter is the goddess of agriculture and the provider of life force energy on earth. After Persephone has made her decent into the underworld in Autumn, Demeter stops providing sustenance to all life. The land becomes cold and barren. Animals hibernate and trees wither away. So all life stops moving and Demeter freezes the land in Persephone’s absence.

This is a simplified version of the story, but it helps us understand the nature of Capricorns. As they begin the season of winter, it symbolizes how Capricorns grow up in cold environments. These cold environments lacked life and nurturing qualities to keep them sustained. So Capricorns had to learn from a young age how to sustain themselves and survive in this cold world. They needed to learn to climb their own mountains and be more mature than their peers. Playing the role of the parent to keep themselves afloat. That’s why they are ruled by Saturn. The planet of maturity and discipline.

It is the reason why Capricorns themselves may come off as cold with their emotions. They just had to be in order to survive. Their emotions needed to be suppressed as to not upset a member in the family. They posses a lot of maturity, but being a child was taken away from them drastically.

That’s why the moon is debilitated in Capricorn. Emotions should be valued in order to have a nurturing family. Capricorn freezes their emotions in order to keep the peace in their family. Some Capricorns may feel frozen in time when it comes to expressing how they feel, but just like ice eventually these emotions will be melted away.

A quote to Describe them:

“You say I'm like the ice, I freeze” - Brooklyn Baby, Lana Del Rey

A song:

#astrology observations #capricorn #astrology #astro community #capricorn astrology #capricorn moon #capricorn ascendant #capricorn sun #cancer moon #cancer astrology #saturn astrology #demeter #demeter goddess

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eagna-eilis · 7 months

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Ach-To and Irish Archaeology

The sequels were my entry into Star Wars and I never would have gone to see The Force Awakens if I wasn't an archaeology nerd.

During the production of Episode VII, a decent number of people with an interest in our archaeological heritage here in Ireland were quite worried about the impact of filming on one of our only two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the island known as Skellig Michael down off the coast of Kerry.

I went to the film to see if any potential damage was worth it, or if they'd do something unspeakably stupid with it in-universe. I wanted to see if it was respected.

And holy hell I was NOT disappointed. I think I walked out of TFA sniffling to myself about how beautiful the Skellig looked and how it seemed like its use as a location was not just respectful but heavily inspired by its real history.

See, Skellig Michael was a monastic hermitage established at a point when Christianity was so new that the man who ordered its founding sometime in the first century CE was himself ordained by the Apostle Paul. The fellah from the Bible who harassed all and sundry with his letters, THAT Apostle Paul. This is how old a Christian site the Skellig is. It predates St. Patrick by at the very least two hundred years.

The steps we watch Rey climb were originally cut NEARLY TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO. They have been reworked and repaired many many times since, of course. Still, the path the camera follows Daisy Ridley up is as much an ancient path built by the founders of a faith in real life as it is in the movies.

A hermitage was a place where monks went to live lives of solitude and asceticism so as better to achieve wisdom. The practice is common to many of the major world religions, including the myriad East Asian faiths which inspired the fictional Jedi.

It is said that the hermitage and monastery were originally built with the purpose of housing mystical texts belonging to the Essanes, one of the sects of Second Temple Judaism which influenced some of the doctrines of Christianity. They also, according to what I have read, characterised good and evil as 'light' and 'darkness' and were celibate.

As such, the use of the island in TFA and TLJ does not merely respect Skellig Michael's history, it honours it. It is framed as somewhere ancient and sacred, which it is. It is framed as a place where a mystic goes to live on his own surrounded by nature that is at once punishing and sublime, which of course it was. It shown to be a place established to protect texts written at the establishment of a faith, which it may well have been.

This level of genuine respect for my cultural heritage by Rian Johnson in particular is astonishing. I don't think anyone from outside the US ever really trusts Americans not to treat our built history like it's Disneyland. Much of the incorporation of the Skellig's real past into a fictional galactic history occurs in TLJ, which is why I'm giving Rian so much credit.

It's Luke's death scene which makes the honouring of Irish archaeological history most apparent though.

Johnson takes the archaeological iconography back a further three thousand years for his final tribute to my culture's beautiful historical temples. This time, he incorporates neolithic passage tomb imagery, specifically that of Newgrange, which is up the country from the Skellig.

I think if you understand what the image represents then it makes a deeply emotional scene even more resonant.

The scene I'm referring to is Luke's death.

As he looks to the horizon, to the suns, we view him from the interior of the First Jedi Temple. The sunset aligns with the passageway into the ancient sanctuary, illuminating it as he becomes one with the Force.

As for Newgrange, every year during the Winter Solstice it aligns with the sunrise. The coldest, darkest, wettest, most miserable time of the year on a North Atlantic island where it is often cold, wet, and miserable even in the summer. And the sun comes up even then, and on a cloudless morning a beam of sunlight travels down the corridor and illuminates the chamber inside the mound.

You guys can see this, right? The similarity of the images? The line of light on the floor?

Luke's death scene is beautiful but I think it's a thousand times more moving with this visual context. Luke's sequel arc isn't merely populated by a lore and iconography that honour the place where the end of his story was filmed, I think that incorporation of that history and mythology honours Luke.

We don't know for sure what the Neolithic people believed, religion-wise. We know next to nothing about their rituals. We know that there were ashes laid to rest at Newgrange. There is some speculation that the idea was that the sun coming into the place that kept those ashes brought the spirits of those deceased people over to the other side.

It's also almost impossible not to interpret the sunlight coming into Newgrange as an extraordinary expression of hope. If you know this climate, at this latitude, you know how horrible the winter is. We don't even have the benefit of crispy-snowwy sunlit days. It's grey and it's dark and it's often wet. And every single year the earth tilts back and the days get long again.

The cycle ends and begins again. Death and rebirth. And hope, like the sun, which though unseen will always return. And so we make it through the winter, and through the night.

As it transpired the worries about the impact of the Star Wars Sequels upon Skellig Michael were unfounded. There was no damage caused that visitors wouldn't have also caused. There also wasn't a large uptick in people wanting to visit because of its status as a SW location, in part I think because the sequels just aren't that beloved.

But they're beloved to me, in no small part because of the way they treated a built heritage very dear to my heart. I think they deserve respect for that at the least.

#star wars meta #ach-to #irish history #Irish Archaeology #first jedi temple #skellig michael #newgrange #luke skywalker #the last jedi #early christianity #neolithic #historical parallels in star wars #star wars and history #star wars and mythology #star wars and archaeology

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