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rocorambles · 3 years

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Lifetime of Love

Pairing: Suga x Reader

Genre/Warnings: NSFW, Overstimulation, Mythology AU, Demi-God!Suga

Prompt: Mythology

Summary: As the son of Aphrodite, Suga knows more than most when it comes to beauty and love. But knowledge and experience are two very different things. OR Suga finds true love.

A/N: This is my contribution for the HQHQ NSFW collaboration. There are so many talented writers on the server and I highly encourage you to check out the collaboration masterlist here to see how everyone decided to run with this prompt. As always, thanks for beta-ing @sawamooora

Being the son of Aphrodite has its perks. Even as just a demi-god, Suga is borderline ethereal, naturally drawing men and women to him with his dazzling silver hair, enthralling hazel-brown eyes, and coquettish charm. It’s effortless, the way he wakes up looking just as radiant as ever, the way his hair is naturally shaped and styled even after tossing and turning in bed. Clothing is just a technicality, just fabric he wears to not risk indecent exposure. Why waste time and effort thinking of putting an outfit together when he could wear a burlap sack and still have admirers flock to him?

It’s not a bad life and he knows others stare at him with envy, wondering what it’s like to be so beautiful, so loved, so wanted, so desired. Never an off day. Never a hair out of place. And truth be told, maybe more of his mother runs in him than he likes to admit, if the swell of pride and satisfaction he gets from having everything in life handed to him on a silver platter is anything to go by.

Life is easier for beautiful people. It’s a hard pill to swallow for the masses, but a reality that Suga has no qualms taking advantage of. After all, he might as well get some benefit from being a goddess's son, even if his mother and him don’t always see eye to eye.

Suga can appreciate beauty and love. Aphrodite has taught him to have an eye for the finer things in life. He’s not stubborn enough to deny that he enjoys waking up entangled in silk and satin sheets, surrounded by a beautifully decorated apartment, to reject the ecstasy he feels when he has one or more playmates in his bed.

But love of the flesh is different than love of the heart, and he wonders, despite how blasphemous it is to question a deity, if his mother truly understands what love is.

Aphrodite’s love is a seemingly fleeting and fickle thing, a fire that blazes bright and strong, only to burn out just as quickly as it had risen. And he judgmentally watches as she bounces from man to God to man to God again and again, grimacing whenever he meets his “family”, knowing how she’s slept with most of the other gods in Olympus.

He has no doubt that in her own way, she truly has loved each entity she’s slept with. But he wants something different, something less promiscuous, something less shallow. He wants true love, a love rooted in something much deeper than superficial appearances, a love rooted in a connection of souls, a love rooted in the bond of two people truly seeing and knowing each other’s flaws and strengths, yet still determinedly pursuing each other.

So he steadfastly continues on, searching for the one.

There’s no end to the line of people who practically throw themselves at his feet, desperate for a chance to catch his attention. He goes on endless dates, entering and leaving countless relationships. Some attempts are longer than others. Some partners have hope churning inside of him, have hazel-brown eyes sparkling in interest. But in the end, they’re all the same and the flutters of his heart become anchors of disgust inside of him when he sees their leering eyes, the lust driving their actions, the way they never see past his handsome face and attractive body.

No one sees Sugawara Koushi. They only see the body of a man literally blessed by the gods.

Maybe it was naive of him to believe that he knew more about love than the goddess of love herself. Maybe sleeping around with other attractive bodies is all his life will amount to, can amount to. And as he watches the people around him break-up, divorce, chase after some happy ending that seems more and more unattainable, he gives up his rose-colored dream of a fairytale romance.

But life has a funny way of dropping something in your lap just when you’ve given up all hope.

Aphrodite had not been amused when Suga had told her he was going to be a teacher at a local elementary school in the countryside. Children and parental instincts have never been her forte, and he remembers the long winding back and forths they had as she implored for him to rethink his decisions, flaunting modeling and acting opportunities in his face, anything to have his handsome face plastered on televisions and magazines.

But he had remained steadfast in his decision and she had finally relented, shaking her head and letting him know that she’d be ready to help him when he’s done wasting his gifts and time.

“You’re only part-god, Koushi. Your beauty will only last so long.”

He knows there’s no malice behind the words. It’s just a cold hard fact, a reminder. And he simply nods in response, secretly wondering if that would be so bad, letting age take its toll and put him on the same playing field as the rest of the world.

But he has years before he crosses that bridge and he dedicates himself to finding fulfillment in life by caring for and teaching the children in his class. A megawatt smile spreads across his face as he watch them play and excitedly call his name, politely ignoring his fellow teachers who parade themselves in front of him for an ounce of his attention, never entertaining the married mothers of his students who try to lavish him with unnecessarily exuberant gifts and woo him with fluttering lashes.

It’s a tiring never-ending dance, so when he hears about the arrival of a new female colleague, he internally sighs, no doubt in his mind that you’ll be just like the rest. So imagine his surprise when you just casually smile at him when you’re introduced, no interest in your eyes, no lingering gaze, before turning your attention away from him without a second glance back.

He wonders if it’s a fluke, hopes and prays that it isn’t. It’s almost comical, complete insanity, how his heart races, his eyes blow wide, just from your sheer nonchalance. And for the first time, it’s Suga who’s left wistfully staring as his eyes trail after your figure even long after you’ve turned the corner of the hallway.

He’s seen his mother’s work, seen the way humans pursue their love interests with almost fanatical effort. But he had never understood, not until now.

It’s an intoxicating feeling, addictive, the thrill of the chase energizing him in a way he’s never felt before. It’s hard, meticulous work finding reasons to visit your classroom, finding ways to weave himself in conversations you’re a part of. But it’s always worth it when he sees the genuine fondness in your eyes, the way you look and really see him, the way you care about the man underneath the shiny facade, in a way no one ever has before.

And when the two of you go out for a friendly lunch one day, when you order his favorite dish that he’s only briefly mentioned to you once in passing, without even missing a beat, his heart stops. It’s something no other partner has bothered even taking note of, too busy trying to impress him with high-end meals and fine dining. And just like that, he blurts out his confession, heart hammering, fingers nervously twitching as he awaits your response.

For many years to come, the two of you will debate whether or not that lunch counts as your official first date as a couple.

Dating you is everything he’s dreamed of and more. And for once, Suga feels like just another regular man, a normal human being as he holds your hand in his, giggling and sharing stories, feeding each other bites of food, lazing around on his sofa watching TV.

But as a romance movie runs in the background and the main couple kisses after the male lead raves about how stunning his lover is, he turns his attention to you, curiosity nagging at him, a tiny tendril of lingering fear squirming inside of him.

“What do you like about me?”

There’s silence as you owlishly blink and look up at him, surprise and confusion flitting across your face as you try and process where this question is coming from. But when you see the worry, doubt, and insecurity muddling your boyfriend’s eyes, you interlace your fingers with his and cuddle into his side, resting your head on his shoulder as you continue gazing at him.

“I like the way you always insist on getting the highest spice level at every Chinese restaurant we go to that serves mapo tofu, even though you complain about your mouth burning all night long afterwards.”

Suga chuckles, unable to deny the truth of those words.

“I like the way you act like a clueless angel even when you’re wreaking havoc and chaos, you big trouble maker.”

This time Suga does try to plead innocence, although all he can do is sheepishly grin when you start listing off event after event of mischief he had instigated and encouraged, much to Daichi’s and Asahi’s dismay.

“I like how patient and gentle you are with your students and your old underclassmen. I like the way you nurture them, mentor them, encourage them to keep on going, keep on trying even when the going gets tough. And I like how you instill that belief in your own life. If we have children of our own one day, I know you’ll be the father I’ve always wanted for my future kids.”

The weight of your last sentence hangs heavy in the air, the meaning, the hope of a lifetime promise has Suga’s jaw dropping. But when you shyly look away, nervously biting your lip as he just dumbly stares at you, he jolts back to reality and you yelp as lips suddenly crash against yours.

Sex with Suga is always sweet, with a hint of spice when your lover is feeling particularly mischievous. But it’s never been like this, full of desperation, untamed desire, a want so deep that it leaves both your minds in a hazy disarray. You gasp as you’re firmly pushed down, until your back hits the couch and you’re moaning into the mouth pressed against yours, your tongues tangling with each other in an attempt to taste every crevice.

The wet sounds of your lips connecting and disconnecting over and over again, the frantic sounds of fabric being rustled and tossed off, they all mix in a passionate symphony punctuated by breathy declarations of love, by whimpered names.

You throw your head back as a hot wet mouth sensually carves a path down the column of your neck, to the delicate swoop of your collarbone, sighing in bliss as they end in the valley of your breasts, two hands gently tweaking and rolling your nipples. And then fingers are replaced with a tongue, with lips, and your back arches, body writhing, seeking more, more, more as you wildly grind against your lover’s body.

Usually Suga likes to take his time with you, unwrap you piece by piece, unravel the strings that tie you together, coax the prettiest sounds out of you. But today something more carnal, more desperate, more raw spurs him on, and he feels more beast than man as he devours you, plunders you, marks you as his for all eternity.

“Koushi!”

You wail as he wastes no time in quickly snapping his hips, filling your slick walls with his cock. There’s an urgency behind his pace you’ve never felt before and you dig your nails into his shoulders, eyes rolling back in your head, lewd moans echoing in the room as you wrap one leg around his back, the other dangling off the couch.

You’re not sure exactly what the trigger had been for this, but you’re not complaining, pussy walls only clamping down even more when you see the feral hunger in his eyes, the drag of his cock against your insides even more pronounced.

He can feel your end approaching, sees it in the way your head tosses side to side, the way your eyes glaze over, and he brings a hand between your bodies, toying with your clit, circling it, rubbing it, never losing his rhythm as you begin to convulse, body thrashing, nails scratching his skin, a debauched version of his given name rolling of your tongue. Only when you begin to whimper, shaking hands trying to grasp his fingers still playing with your oversensitive nub does he relent, smiling down at you as you entwine your fingers with his as he continues to thrust in and out of you.

Suga’s been told he looks like an angel time and time again, but as he stares down at your completely ravaged and exhausted form, the way your chest heaves up and down, the sheen of sweat on your skin, the after tremors of your body, the duality of how you cling onto his hand despite your wanton state, he thinks you’re the true angel here. Maybe a fallen angel, but an angel nonetheless and he can feel his balls tighten, the last shreds of his endurance ripping apart at the seams as he takes in your breathtaking appearance.

But he needs more than that, needs you, needs you here and with him, and he meets your lips in a bruising kiss, a silent demand for your attention, adjusting his hands until your fingers are interlocked on either side of your head.

“Look at me.”

He patiently waits, peppering your face with butterfly kisses, slowing down the rocking of his hips. You’re so tired, heavy eyelids wanting nothing more than to close, but you’re still in a rocky ocean of pleasure, body still registering and reacting to every touch, every move. And when his soft voice makes its way through the fog, you know you need to listen, you want to listen. So you turn your eyes until they lock with hazel-brown, a weak smile plastered across your face when you see the love and affection pouring down onto you.

“I love you.”

Both of you grin as the three words unanimously exit your mouths, but the smile is wiped off your face as he resumes his pace, tempo beginning to stutter, his own head being thrown back in ecstasy as he approaches his end. Your overstimulated body is barely hanging on by a thread, pathetic mewls dripping from your lips, and you keen when sticky spurts fill you, Suga’s cock buried balls deep inside of you as he breeds you, coating your quivering walls with his essence.

Suga gently lowers his body on yours, capturing your mouth in another kiss, one much gentler as both of you catch your breaths, bodies feeling soft and pliant as post-coital bliss wraps around you like a fluffy blanket.

Beauty is a fleeting thing. His mother’s not wrong about that.

But love? Love isn’t nearly as fickle as beauty, he thinks, as he holds you in his arms. And he smiles, letting himself be lulled to sleep by your rhythmic breathing, dreaming of the long and full life still ahead for both of you.

#haikyuu smut #suga x reader #sugawara x reader #suga smut #sugawara smut #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fic #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x reader

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analviel · 3 years

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"Although it was generally agreed that Ares was one of the most hated and least respected gods in Greek mythology, it is notable to mention that Ares has some of the best relationships with women out of all the gods. He never used trickery or force to form a union with a woman – although he never married either. Still, Ares was known for generally showing respect towards his partners. It was, perhaps, his only ‘soft’ side or compassionate attribute. This demeanor extended past his love life. There is a story that tells of one of Ares’ daughters, whose name was Alcippe. One day, a son of Poseidon named Halirrhothius came across Alcippe and deeply desired her. It appears, however, that Alcippe did not reciprocate the same feelings. Instead of moving on, Halirrhothius decided to rape Alcippe (or at least attempted to do so according to legend). When Ares saw what had happened, he was enraged. He immediately came to his daughter’s defense, stopping the attack and brutally killing Halirrhothius. When Poseidon learned of what had happened to Halirrhothius , he was furious and demanded a trial. It was common for many of the gods to take advantage of women or force them into sexual relations, which likely made Ares’ aggression and defense of his daughter unusual. Poseidon called for a trial for the killing of his son – which may be the earliest recorded murder trial in history. The trial was held on a hill in Mount Olympus that is now called Aeropagus (Ares’ Hill). All of the other gods and goddesses came to pass judgment on Ares for his deeds and eventually found him ‘not guilty’ of all charges. He was, however, required to host a sporting event in Halirrhothius ’ honor – an event that would later be associated with Ares as well."

Reading up greek myths, thinking about the representation of Amazonians and Ares of the modern world, I guess. Then I found this.

(I guess this can be another reason for him to hate Percy in PJO. If Athena and Poseidon can have grudges, I don't know why Ares won't hold onto this too. If you find a middle ground between this and his PJO characterization, it makes sense if he's not much of a gentle words kind of guy and more of an 'action speak louder' type.)

Wow, I'm kind of getting depressed at reading his treatment. He's almost always experiencing humiliation, left to fend for his own, despite having done virtually nothing against the others -especially compared to the betrayals they regularly do against each other.... I'm reading up and the only reason I seem to get here is that he's the god of war, specifically the more reckless and bloodlust aspect of it....damn....

After the debacle with the twin giants, baby Ares -yes, literally still a baby- was sent to Priapus by Hera to take care of. Priapus taught Ares pretty much the foundation of his character but get this, refused to teach him anything related to war unless Ares learns to dance.

Also, Ares and Aphrodite were already together before his fellow brother, Hephaestus, who was also disliked by Hera and Zeus, did the thing with the golden throne and demanded the hand of Aphrodite.

"Although most of Ares’ children were born to him by Aphrodite, he did have a few demi-god children as well. As with Aphrodite, he maintained some sort of commitment with the mothers of his children, at least for a time, and seemed to genuinely care for the well being of his offspring. This is clearly demonstrated by his quick defense of Alcippe and Cycnus. Ares had many children and did his best to care for all of them."

And I've never been pleased with PJO implications of Ares being sexist. Honestly, urgh.

Add-on: I don't know if I'd already said this somewhere, but that detail was unnecessary. Rather than saying 'see this evil man being sexist that means sexist is evil', it would've made more sense for it to be 'see even this personification of war and bloodlust and manliness would never stoop so low as to be sexist' is a much better, much more straightforward, much more sensible direction especially when it's all about the gray morality and heavily sanitizing the gods.

#percy jackson #ares #characterization #pjo #and i write #greek mythology

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celticcrossanon · 3 years

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BRF Reading - 15th of June 2021

This is speculation only

Cards drawn 15th of June 2021

Question: Will the statue unveiling go ahead?

Background: Before I took the three day break, I reset my deck by rebuilding it from scratch. I then did not touch it for three days, to give the cards time to rest and the energy around them time to disperse. Before I did this reading, I rebuilt the deck again, so these cards are as clean and energy free as it is possible for them to be.

This was a hard reading to do. The energy was very heavy and I felt I had to literally push through the energy to get it done.

Interpretation: I don't know. There is a big change coming for the BRF, something that is shocking and unexpected.

Card One: The Two of Cups. This card is coming across as the past that led to the decision to erect a statue of Princess Diana in the garden at Kensington palace.

The Two of Cups is a card about relationships and about choosing to be in a relationship. The relationship can be romantic, familial, or business. In this reading this card stands for two relationships, the one between William and Harry, and the one between the sons and their mother.

The card shows Eros rescuing Psyche from a rock in the sea, where she has been left to be devoured by a sea monster. Similarly, William has rescued and sheltered Harry to the best of his ability throughout their turbulent childhood. As he himself put it, "I have had an arm around my brother all my life". They had a close, loving bond, and together they shared the pain of their parent's divorce and their mother's death. The two of them were bound together in a close sibling relationship.

The two brothers both loved their mother dearly. After her death they wanted to erect a statue of her at Kensington Palace. William and Harry have worked together over several years to get this statue commissioned and installed. The unveiling is going to those and other memories to the forefront of their minds: memories of their mother, memories of the two of them as brothers, and memories of working together to make the statue a reality.

Normally, I would expect this to be a healing event that would bring some sort of closure to the emotions that inspired the idea of the statue in the first place, but given Harry's relentless merchandising of his mother over the past few years and his erasure of William from the story of their mother, I expect that other emotions will surface as well, such as pain, disgust, anger, hurt etc, and they will not be easy to deal with.

Card Two: The Tower. This card is coming across as the immediate present with respect to the statue unveiling, i.e. something that happens around this time (say two weeks either side of the date).

The Tower is the card of an unexpected, shocking event, the sort that reduces a part of your life to rubble and leaves you to rebuild from scratch. Some unexpected and shocking event is going to disrupt the statue unveiling.

I drew three clarifiers to see what this was about, two in the first draw and one in the second draw.

Clarifier One: The Seven of Cups. This is a card about having choices and deciding which one to follow. Someone is going to have to make a choice, and I think it will be William, Harry, or both, as they are the two living people most closely involved in the statue.

The card shows the goddess Aphrodite, and in this deck the gods usually stand for members of the BRF, so someone in the BRF is going to make a choice, and I think the choice will be forced upon them by other events/actions. Either Harry will do something that forces William to make a choice, or William/the BRF will do something that forces Harry to make a choice, or both (e.g. the BRF says or does something that has Harry making a choice that then forces William to make a choice).

No one is going to be particularly happy about this. You can see the figure of Psyche pleading with the goddess on the card - there will be pleading and begging involved (and my gut instinct is that the answer to be begging will be No). There is a sense of sternness here, like Aphrodite giving Psyche next-to-impossible tasks to perform if she wanted to see her husband again (reunite the family). These are not happy choices, and they may lead to a permanent split in the family.

Clarifier Two: Death. I really, really do not want to interpret this card. It can be a symbolic death or a literal death. Coming after the Seven of Cups, it tells me that someone s going to make a choice that will lead to a symbolic death or a literal death. The symbolic death could be a change in their fortune, as the card I drew after these two is the Wheel of Fortune. The physical death - I would need to pull more cards to see what that is about. I'm not getting one energy (symbolic or physical) dominating over the other energy here.

Clarifier Three: The Wheel of Fortune. The Tower is going to cause a change of fortune, either for the people involved in the event (i.e. William and Harry) and/or for the event itself (i.e. it will go from being an event to being cancelled). With William and Harry, the change in fortune does not have to be the same for both of them - one can go up in fortune and one can go down, and I think that is what is going to happen - William will rise and Harry will fall.

So the Tower event is a shocking, unexpected event that involves a choice or choices that will lead to death (symbolic or literal, or both) and then to a change in fortune for both William and Harry.

Card Three: The Six of Cups. This is coming through as the future after the statue unveiling (or not) and after the Tower event.

The Six of Cups is a card about nostalgia, childhood, children, looking back to the past, having a dream from the past appear to be possible in the future (although in a different form), drawing strength from the past to build your future, home, a simpler, happier life, and so on.

The card shows Psyche after her husband has deserted her, sitting on the rocks and reviewing her past. She is abandoned by her husband, but she is not unhappy. She has learnt something about herself from this crisis. In the aftermath, her memories of the past will give her the strength to go forward and work for a future where she will be with her husband again.

In this reading, the Six of Cups is coming through strongly as a reversed card (I almost flipped the card in the picture because of this).

As a reversed card, the six of cups can mean something wrong with or pain around a child or the childhood, living in the past, clinging to the past and not allowing yourself to separate from it and grow from it, acting like a child, wanting to stay as a child in the childhood home forever (and not growing into an adult), repeating old patterns, losing your childhood dreams. In terms of Psyche, it means that she has not learnt something about herself from the past crisis, she is upset rather than calm, and reviewing her memories gives her no strength or goal for the future, but just causes her pain.

This card will be the result of the Tower card. Here it is coming across as a split between siblings. We have two people involved in the statue unveiling - William and Harry - but only one figure on the card. One person, William, will learn about himself from the crisis of the Tower and will be able to use his memories of the past to go forward. The other person, Harry, will not, and will remain stuck in the pain of their past.

This card is coming across as a split in the family, like Psyche is alone without her husband. There used to be two (Eros and Psyche in the Two of Cups, William and Harry as close brothers) and now there will be one (Psyche without Eros, William without Harry). The reaction of each brother to the Tower event will widen the divide between them instead of bringing them closer together.

Underlying Energy One: The Magician. This is a card of transformation, of transmutation, and of change. It is a card of new beginnings and opportunities, where you take action and make choices and everything comes together to manifest your goal. It can be a card about being guided by fate - the book you read, the chance visit, the meeting with another person that all help to guide you along your path.

In this reading the energy of this card comes across as change. Something will change, is going to change, not in essence but in form, as the alchemist tried to turn lead into gold - both metals, but different forms of metal. The inner core will be the same, but the outer appearance or way of working in the world will change. Some choices (as per the Seven of Cups card) are going to guide something into a different form, while keeping the essential part of it the same. The changes from the old form to the new form may involve a death, as one metal 'dies' so another can 'live' in alchemy.

Underlying Energy Two: The Hierophant. This is a card of institutions, and here it represents the BRF. Coming after the Magician card, it says that the changes of the Magician card will take place within the BRF as an institution. I feel those changes as being linked to the Tower card and its clarifiers, as they are about change as well. I feel the link particularly strongly with the Wheel of Fortune card. The changes will impact the way the BRF operates as an institution as well as affecting the BRF as a family.

Dominant Suit: All three minor arcana cards in this reading are from the Cups suit. Cups is the suit of emotions, so there are a lot of emotions around this event.

Major Arcana cards: Five of the eight cards in this reading are major arcana cards, so a bit more than half. This is an event that will be public (major arcana) but also charged with private emotions (minor arcana, the cups suit). The event and the disruption to it will be public, but the emotions engendered by the vent and the disruption will be private, as you would expect from the public face of the British Royal Family at such an emotional event.

Conclusion: This reading comes across to me as past, present, and future. In the past, we have William and Harry working together to bring about a statue of their mother in the grounds at Kensington Palace, and more recently we have Harry taking over the story of Diana and using that to build his brand. Then in the near present, around the time of the statue unveiling, we have an unexpected, shocking event which concerns a literal or symbolic death and which may lead to the statue unveiling being scaled down or cancelled. Finally, in the future, we have a change in the relationship between Harry and William. Underneath all this lies a major change to the BRF as an institution (and not just to them as a family).

Relevant Past Readings:

https://celticcrossanon.tumblr.com/post/650226588039954432/brf-reading-3rd-of-may-2021

https://celticcrossanon.tumblr.com/post/650232689639784448/brf-reading-4th-of-may-2021

https://celticcrossanon.tumblr.com/post/653042984654422016/brf-reading-4th-of-june-2021

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oceanspray5 · 3 years

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I know Hera doesn't have kids, but can you do headcanons where she has one and the kid is just so sweet and people wonder if she kidnapped a kid or randomly claimed a kid or something like that

Oh wow! Its been forever since I've done PJO headcanons. I can't believe after all these years someone wants more. I'll do my best with them but fair warning, it's been quite a while since I've read the books so my knowledge is a little rusty.

The concept of Hera having a legitimate child is SO foreign, that for a while they poor girl goes under the radar entirely, from monsters and demigods alike.

When she finally is found and brought to camp, she gets claimed immediately. A brilliant symbol glows above her head. It's a lovely peacock with spread white tail feathers, the feathers on its head a hallowed gold, almost like a crown.

At first it's silence. The poor new girl is already confused but the absolute silence makes her fear she's been claimed by a monster or something.

There's hushed murmers, a slight debate because she can't REALLY he Hera's daughter right? It's unheard of! Well... Aside from Hephaestus and he didn't turn out quite so beautiful.

Hera does deign a visit though, which is even more surprising. She is powerful and not at all ashamed of her child, nor of declaring her openly as her own even in front of Zeus.

Chiron has no choice but to allow the girl to stay in her mother's cabin. Everyone else is intimidated so Jason (I have not read the ToA and therefore they are not my canon) offers to show her around. He Hera's chosen child so he's as close to a "sibling" as she can get.

Her name is Althaia, which means healing. It is a very confusing name to the camp at first because how could the goddess of marriage name her daughter so? But it becomes clear why Hera has named her as such because she is, quite literally, Hera's healing after eons of Zeus' infidelity. Hera is finally assured a child of her own who loves her and therefore Hera is protective over her possessively. Under no circumstances must she go on any quests (Hera has no power if the Oracle speaks but luckily for her, it does not).

Althaia is quickly found to be good with birds. Peacocks aren't really around camp but doesn't matter cuz she can talk to birds in general (im basing this off the myth that, aside from the peacock being Hera's symbol, she kissed Zeus when he was a bird under her care which bound her to marry him but we're just concerned about the kindness to birds aspect here)

Birds aside, she has beautiful dark brown hair and the most striking eyes as well. She has every bit resemblence of her mother which makes her fearsome because no one outright disrespects Hera after the Quest of the Seven. But unlike Hera, Althaia has the mildest temperament.

She's very easy to resolve disputes around camp especially between cabins. Family is her mother's domain and Althaia is a natural at calming disputes, even inter-cabin ones cuz technically all of camp is family.

Unfortunately for Aphrodite who tends to cause disputes between couples at camp for entertainment sometimes, Althaia being around means that love from lust is distinguished easily and that faulty relationships aren't quite as dramatic as before. Althaia can't quite bless or curse relationships but she can ensure that they save themselves.

It's a very popular rumor around camp that Althaia is actually kidnapped and her memory erased like Jason's was. Jason himself, actually took it upon himself to investigate with Piper and Leo. Hazel also assisted knowing the most about how the mist could be used to obscure memory. Of all their experiences though, they couldn't find anything suspicious.

It reaches a head when one day some of the campers say as such of the rumor in front of a disguised Hera (who comes to check up on her daughter often) and having enough of the Olympians and their children doubting her child's legitimacy, strikes fear into them in the way only she knows how.

Percy, Annabeth and Thalia are originally suspicious of Alaitha. The former has bad experiences with the goddess of marriage and Thalia has no love for her dear stepmother either.

She does prove herself decent though and so, as much as they dislike Hera, they are able to tolerate her daughter. It is surprisingly Nico who takes an attachment to her. He understands being misunderstood because of your parent, because you weren't supposed to be born. All of the Big 3's children have that in common with Hera's daughter but Nico takes the most time to show his concern.

Piper is kind and well-meaning. Leo does everything in his power to make her feel welcome as well and Calypso is wary because of her feelings towards the gods in general, especially since Alaitha is so attached to her godly parent, but is never unkind. The Romans are indifferent although Hazel is like Nico in her understanding of Alaitha's predicament but they don't see each other often so the sentiment is not as strong.

Alaitha is no pushover, despite her kindness though. It just so happens that she overhears a demigod bragging about cheating on his girlfriend. Her mother's struggles are not unknown to her and that is the day the camp sees Alaitha show a fury rivaled only by her mother's. Suffice to say, no one wishes to anger her to that point again.

At some point there is almost a Civil War over her existence. Zeus accuses Hera of infidelity but hardly anyone takes his side. Zeus threatening to smite her leads Hera threatening to smite his own children and the entire camp to smithereens. While Zeus has little regard for his own children, Artemis cares for Thalia and Poseidon and Hades for their sons. Same can be said about the other godly parents for their children and though Hera would never admit it, she cares for Jason as well even if Zeus refuses to. High tensions are in the air but most of the gods are on Hera's side.

Alaitha is worried at first when news first hits camp and there's a lot of flurry over it. She almost brings herself to a panic but comes across Jason, Percy, Nico, Thalia and Hazel lounging around, unaffected despite the commotion. This isn't their first time facing an over dramatic blow out between their parents over legitimacy and it won't be the last. Adding Hera to the equation is hardly a problem. Somehow, Alaitha feels much better after that even though the camp is still in commotion (Mostly the younger/newer demigods. The Battle of Manhatten and War Against Gaia demigods are greatly perturbed but definitely not to an extreme).

Despite her struggles of fitting in initially, Alaitha forms friendships with all the demigods and finds her own place at camp. She stays only the summers though. The rest of the year she lives with her father, a simple man who works a 9-5 job and has little wealth but would do anything for his daughter. She has a nice stepmother as well, for Hera blessed her ex-lover with a deserving match. Regardless of her jealousy towards the woman, Hera knows she will not be replaced in her daughter's life as Zeus replaced her with thousands of other women and this is thus, perhaps, her first step to overcoming her fatal insecurities.

I really hope you enjoyed these anon! I tried to stay as true to canon as I could. Definitely feel free to ask for more cuz getting back into PJO is not something I'd be opposed to.

#Pjo #Hoo #percy jackson adaptation #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus #Hera #Demigods #I forgot how to tag this Fandom #Children of the big three #Percy Jackson #Pjo/hoo

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betawithablog · 4 years

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Headcanons for the greek gods as omegas?

(I assume you mean as Omegaverse and not for them all to be Omegas cus there’s no way Ares is Omega lol)

This is gonna be the 12(.5) Olympians and the royal couple of the underworld

Zeus: Alpha, a very obvious Alpha. Leader of the Olympian pack. If we're going with the personality he has in the myths then he's the kind of douchebag Alpha who thinks it's his right to go around knotting whoever he fancies; I imagine his pheromones are pretty powerful too. Like, send-you-into-an-surprise-heat kind of powerful. If we're going with how the ancient Greeks actually saw Zeus though he's the absolute best provider. Big dad vibes towards everyone who's even a little bit younger than him (which... y’know, given that he's a god is almost everyone).

Hera: Omega. The kind of Omega that has a dominant, leader's streak; the kind born to be the leader's mate. She has that Omega's need for love and attention (which Zeus really needs to work on giving her smh) and likes to pamper her body (see: pool that she bathes in every night that somehow magically makes her not a virgin anymore... yeah idk either, blame the ancient Greeks). She does, however, lack a natural maternal instinct (see: yeeting baby Hephaestus off of mt. Olympus), so I feel like she could potentially also be a Beta.

Poseidon: Alpha. Originally he was actually the leader of the Olympian pack (no that's not a headcanon - the Macedonians actually considered Poseidon to be the head of the Olympians). I imagine him to be a kind of rugged-looking Alpha - like an strong old fisherman with rough palms and speckled grey hair - with an air of calm and control that can switch to chaotic and aggressive in an instant's notice - like the ocean itself.

Hestia: Omega. Absolutely 100% Omega. The kind of Omega who's very presence makes you feel soothed, her hugs are warm and soft (not just because she always wears fluffy cardigans), her nest is absolute perfection - beautiful, calming to be in, and cosy - and she's always got something divine (if you'll excuse the pun) in the oven. Always purring kin the kitchen. Absolute biggest mama vibes. She smells like a bakery; chocolate and pastry. Holy shit I love Hestia.

Demeter: Alpha. Considered her, perhaps, as an Omega on account of her being a fertility agriculture goddess but she just doesn't strike me as the placating, gentle type. Quite the opposite. She fought stubbornly for her daughter to remain at her side, and she's the goddess of law too - she's not the rolling-over-showing-her-neck type at all. I picture her as an absolute Unit; muscles for days from all the years harvesting crops. The no-nonsense kind of Alpha.

Aphrodite: Omega. The hypersexual kind of Omega. I believe I've seen them called 'Pack Omegas' - the type that do best when they're in a relationship with lots of people, practically (or literally) a whole pack. Also the beauty-obsessed kind of Omega. Takes ten hours to get her clothes, hair, and makeup done yet somehow she turns the whole process into a mesmerising dance. She turns everything into a mesmerising dance. Another I imagine with knock-out strong pheromones that have Alphas falling to their knees for her. She smells like roses.

Athena: Alpha. Another leader-type Alpha - literally has Athens named after her, and she's very proud of her people... despite some of the absolute nonsense she's had to witness from them throughout the ancient years. A very adept and skilled fighter and strategist - likes to know everything about a situation before rushing in. She's an incredibly supportive and wise lead Alpha, the kind that the pack feels they can go to with whatever problem they might have. I feel like she could also easily be a Beta, but she's got such a strong sense of being dominant and in charge it's hard to see her as anything but an Alpha.

Ares: Alpha. Less of a leader-type Alpha, lbr, more of a team player. The kind of Alpha that runs into things without thinking, relying on instinct and, on the battlefield, pure rage. Your average Aggressive Type Alpha who's ready to kill for anyone in his pack. Can come across as a bit of a meat head... and can be a bit of a meat head at times... Yet I imagine him as a really loving, doting mate, which initially surprises a lot of people; seeing this big burly 6ft< Alpha who smells like fire and blood smiling dopily as picks out the perfect dainty jewellery for Aphrodite.

Hephaestus: Beta. My poor poor bastard boy. Very crafty and creative (see: trapping his mother in a beautiful trick throne he built as revenge for yeeting him off the mountain as a baby). Likes to think his creations through and plan genius contraptions. He could very easily also be an Alpha, what with the fact he's a blacksmith, which is a rather Alpha job. But I guess I lean towards Beta because, even though he's a bit of a social outcast on account of his leg and general appearance, he's clearly desperate to be more socially involved with the pack and doesn't want to be a lone wolf.

Artemis: Alpha. Surprisingly nonsexual for an Alpha. Very much a lone wolf. Loves spending her days out in the forest. You wouldn't think she's an Alpha to look at her, but she'd surprise you with how strong she is. Also very good at using her opponent's strength against them. Because of her build, she's considered the protector of Omegas; most Omegas would feel very safe in her presence. She's got this mysterious edge to her that just uncontrollably draws you in... like the moon.

Apollo: Omega. Ah, sweet darling disaster bisexual... I just imagine him being very soft and sensitive (not that he can't kick ass on a battlefield, see: his involvement in the battles of the Iliad). He has an artist's soul and an angel's voice. His serenades are totally his courting gifts. I imagine him revelling in being doted on, and always eager for fuss and attention. He has a beautiful Omegan frame, and he loves decorating himself in luxurious garb and crowns of flowers and leaves. He smells like laurel and somehow also sunshine. No one knows how this is possible but he does.

Hermes: Beta. And nooo I'm not just saying that because he's my favourite and that's the dynamic I best identify with (>_>) He really is such a Beta though. I've a headcanon that Beta's love travelling and exploring and he's literally the God of that so y'know. He's also so quick thinking and witty: represented himself in a what was basically a godly court case where he was guilty of thievery and won when he was literally a baby. He's hardly ever submissive to anyone but he hardly ever uses aggression or physical force to get his way/get out of trouble. He smells like ripe strawberries and the metallic tinge of coins.

Dionysus: Beta. The eccentric, outgoing, party type Beta; wants to be surrounded by friends having a good time all the time. He smells like booze; in the morning it's a little off-putting, but in the evening its literally intoxicating. I imagine his mortal Maenads needing only his scent to drive them into a frenzy. Not the kind of Beta you'd expect to also have the Supportive Beta streak, but he absolutely does; he lives to support his friends and gives the kind of advice you don't realise is advice at first and later hits you like an epiphany, and it was exactly what you needed to hear.

Persephone: Beta. Difficult one, but I had to go with Beta because she strikes me as a very gentle, delicate goddess of spring that could easily have her classified as Omega, but in winter she's the no-nonsense, dominant queen of the underworld that could have her classified as an Alpha. Overall, I think this shows her adaptability, which is a very Beta trait. Also, she's not really as needy and dependent as an Omega traditionally is. Things might have happened to her beyond her control, but she very much took back control and has both Hades and Demeter wrapped around her little finger. Of course, she smells like pomegranates, and spring blossom.

Hades: Omega. I have such a soft spot for soft!Hades. But he's kind of the reverse of Artemis in that you would not think to look at him that he's an Omega, you'd assume he's an Alpha, especially considering his position as ruler of the underworld. But he's a softy at heart, and adores material possessions (which I consider a bit of an Omegan trait). He mopes all the way through spring and summer at the lack of Persephone's presence, cooped up in his nest the whole time until autumn rolls around and she comes back into his life. He has a very earthy scent.

bonus:

Hermaphrodite: All three! Thought I'd include Hermaphrodite because they flashed through my mind and I wondered what might be classified as intersex in a/b/o. Of course, that depends on how you hc biology for the dynamics but I thought what would perhaps make Hermaphrodite an outcast/outlier could be their body, scent, and instincts being a mix of all three dynamics.

thanks for the ask 💞

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phemonoi · 4 years

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Review | The Song of Achilles

I would never recommend reading this book before reading the actual Iliad. Why? Because it is not meant as a retelling of Homer: Madeline Miller's narration is, almost literally, fanfic. It's very good, but it is not a replacement of Homer. And it's okay, because this is not her objective. Madeline is writing an addition to Patroclus' and Achilles' story, just that.

I really liked the book, although. I read it when I finished rereading Iliad for the second time, and at the beginning it truly trapped me. Madeline's narration is simple, quick, lively. She is able to portray complex things in an easy manner and that's what a good writer does. Patroclus' moral development is well done, and his psychology is too —and most of the mistakes can actually be excused by the fact that he's narrating the story.

It is a soft retelling of his love for Achilles. He's the protagonist and the story revolves around him and his feelings, and he's able to exclude the entire world around him to focus just on this, which is both beautiful and tiring. I enjoyed very much the romantic parts of their love, how they grew up together, how their devotion towards the other started to build up. This is a very easy, fast paced, summer reading. It's emotional, lovely. But it has its mistakes, many of them—

The first problem I found was Thetis' hate of Patroclus just for the sake of trouble. In Iliad, it is shown that Thetis is a loving mother, a sweet goddess. She knew of Patroclus' death, but when he dies she cries for him and Achilles, and expresses her grief towards the situation. This implies that the goddess was completely fine with his son's choice of love, you know why? because this was something common, it wasn't strange at all to have a male lover. why would she care? However, I recognize that Madeline's characterisation of her is based on other authors and not just Homer.

Another thing that I found annoying was Patroclus being completely obsessed about Achilles. I really liked the idea of his jealousy and anger growing into love and devotion, but it seemed to me that Madeline modernizes their relationship very much. Patroclus is portrayed as a stereotypical effeminate lover, rather than a loyal comrade-in-arms whom Achilles was deeply in love with. There's parts where their relationship is written as a commitment, and I disagree with that. When Achilles is taken to Scyros and Patroclus is panicked with the idea of Thetis taking him from her son's side because she hated him that was difficult to read. After all, Thetis is Achilles' mother. Patroclus often compares his love of Achilles with her love of her own son, and that was just... completely unnecessary.

Madeline also makes the mistake of erasing Achilles' bisexuality, which I kind of hated. While I completely adored Patroclus' and Briseis' friendship and her silent crush on him, I was kind of disappointed that Achilles lacked regard for her. In Iliad, and in many other sources, it is attested that Achilles did love Briseis. It would have been fine for Madeline to develop at least a friendship between them, but I hated that Achilles just doesn't even bother to look at her. In some passages, I interpreted a type of misogyny. Let me quote Robert Fagles' translation on Achilles' love for Briseis:

Why must we battle trojans, men of Argos? Why did he muster an army, lead us here, that son of Atreus? Why, why in the world if not for Helen with her loose and lustrous hair? Are they the only men alive who love their wives, those sons of Atreus? Never! Any decent man, a man with sense, loves his own, cares for his own, as deeply as I —I loved that woman with all my heart, though I won her like a trophy with my spear... But now that he's torn my honor from my hands, robbed me, lied to me —don't let him try me now. I know him too well! He'll never win me over!

(Book 9: The Embassy to Achilles, 311-39, line 410)

Another thing was Achilles being shocked by Iphigenia's death, and three days later killing Trojans without blinking once. I just think that the passage between both stages of mind could have been better put. Another thing that bothered me was Achilles losing his connection to Athena. I understand that Madeline wanted to portray the religion differently, but religion was a very important part of the Iliad, and she seemed to forget that while the Trojans had Apollo and Aphrodite by their side, the Greeks had Athena and Hera, specially Achilles.

A thing I liked was her kind of tricking us into thinking Patroclus wasn't trained in war. I did feel confused that he rejected Chiron's offer of training him, but when he battles in the last part of the book and proves worthy of being called the Best of the Myrmidons, that's when I realised Patroclus is not a reliable narrator at all. However, I do think his skills could've been better performed at other moments.

It was sad for me to read time passing so quickly in the novel because I enjoyed it a lot and I wanted it to last longer. I loved Patroclus' empathy and gentleness, and I fell in love with him very hard. I would've liked to be shown other characters' psychological traits and interactions too, but I understand that the novel has a more subjective, introspective tone. Achilles' mourning broke me down, Patroclus' death is written in such detail it thrills me, you feel it. Madeline makes it hard to believe he's dead, he's really not there anymore. And when you realise is it makes you cry. The novel is rushed at the end, however.

So in conclusion, it is a great novel and probably one of my favorites, but it is not perfect. It's understandable. Madeline's sudden changes in narrative times gives away her lack of experience, and that justifies many of her mistakes. It is totally a novel I will come back to many times in the future.

#Patrochilles #Patroclus x Achilles #Achilles #Patroclus #Iliad #Classics #Homer #Madeline Miller #Ancient Greece #Book Review #Trojan War #Circe #The Song of Achilles #greek mythology

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ghostofpolaris · 3 years

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Paid Deity Reading Review from @ad-astrum

This is a review I am doing out of my own will for a paid reading that was done by @ad-astrum ! I highly recommend you check Adelaide’s account out! She just is amazing. <3 Tis long so I am adding a cut-off to help. Please note that I am not being paid to say any of this and I want to be as honest as possible with this review!

TW for: Long post, Personal Topics

To start, I (for a very long time) have been in a place where I was lost. I have had a lot of trials and tribulations in my life and where I know I have made some contact with the deities I (had) followed and worked with, I know I have not always been able to fully comprehend what is needing to be said.

At least with these last six years, I have had so many ups and downs and quite a few times, I genuinely wondered what the point was in continuing onward with life. I had spent quite a lot of time even contemplating whether I was truly a “spiritual” person and worthy of being a witch. I hadn’t been able to keep up with my gifts I had been providing and I haven’t really done any spells. Maybe a few sigils were made here and there, but the unworthy feelings I harbored along with depression spiraling in from working 40 hours a week, being in school full time, and my mental and physical health continuing to drag me down.

So, I got desperate as one does when left to their own devices after being paid a nice juicy paycheck and seeking answers and solidarity from others online. Though this was not the main reason I had sought for answers, it was a good portion of why. Primarily, I had noticed signs that were familiar to me, but also not. I had begun noticing crows coming in twos and occasionally threes, I noticed almost everything I turned to, would have some kind of Norse imagery or content involved, and quite a lot of it involved our beloved AllFather Odin.

Now mind you, I NEVER saw myself as a Norse Pagan. I thought Loki and Thor were cool in the Marvel movies and myths, but I never exactly saw myself being a Norse Pagan. I also was never one for Greek Mythology and Hellenic Paganism either but here we are after receiving aid from Ares and Aphrodite a couple of times in my life. Truth be told, I was the kid that was (and still is) obsessed with the King Arthur myths and Celtic Paganism. I also was obsessed with Egyptian mythology (yes, I was the kid who had the Egyptology book growing up even though I wanted the Dragonology one but that’s okay!).

For me, I tend to be quite dense. I tend to be someone who is unable to really see signs unless they are hitting me right in the face (spiritually I have felt blocked for quite a while and if anyone has any tips for that I am down to listen not gonna lie). With all of the signs I did keep seeing though involving Odin, I knew I needed to start doing my research and find someone who could help shine a light within the darkness that was my uncertainty. Was this truly Odin I was being called to? Why? What did I need to hear?

I stumbled around and I did scroll through various sources until I crossed Adelaide’s tumblr page. I understood her focus was on Hellenism, but after speaking with her in the DM’s about doing a reading, I felt safe and comforted by the fact she was so kind, patient, and informative on what I needed. Absolutely one of the sweetest people I had met on here and I absolutely will keep following her because she is so kind and helpful.

Like anyone who was hoping for answers, I happily paid the amount we agreed to for the details I was hopeful for. Though apologies now, but I genuinely underestimated Adelaide and her capabilities. I mean, I severely underestimated what this reading was going to be like. If you need detail, and are happy to pay her what she deserves, Adelaide will provide and she sure did.

I opened the pastebin link I had gotten and I didn’t even make it through the first paragraph without breaking down into literal tears. I wasn’t sad at all and it usually takes a lot for me to cry. I had been alone at work so far that night and it wasn’t entirely a bad day, but not exactly a good one either. It was going to be just another night where I went home and unwinded until I felt tired.

Though this, this really just knocked me off my feet in a way I wasn’t expecting. I always was hesitant with deity readings, I have had someone scam me out of my money and just never provide what I requested and so I was almost worried it was going to happen again. I am so thankful I was wrong.

To give a small bit of background about me, I originally had worked with Danu and Brigid. They were my first goddesses I had actually met and they both had welcomed me with open arms (though I never really understood why). That seemed to set a foundation of how my other encounters would be as I simply seemed to stumble into the contact of the deities I met and I would find every way to give them the respect they deserved. In turn, they nudged me further down the path that I now am on.

Back to Brigid and Danu though, they were with me for at least a couple of years and both of them to me are basically like my mothers. I still hold so much love, respect and adoration for the both of them and I felt awful for even thinking, “Should I give my statue of Mother Brigid away to someone who may have more use for it than I?” I am glad I didn’t.

Just reading that first paragraph was what did me in though and I don’t typically cry as I mentioned before.

“ I do not believe any of these deities have truly left you “

Reading this made me realize I was silly to think that I was alone. I had spent so much time wondering why I was alone and left to try and fight by myself. I know I was doing better in life, but I knew I was starting to feel consumed by my fears of being alone. I continued onward after settling down again emotionally, but boy did the water works come back when I read,

“ For parting words, she simply said that she was pleased to have been with you and will always be around. “

This helped me realize that I needed to buckle up and get ready for a ride emotionally. There was a lot that would need unpacking, and I still have much to unpack from it all.

After that paragraph, we moved onto Danu who had a similar response as Brigid. Aphrodite herself was as graceful and kind as she always has been, and I still feel I owe a lot of my progress to her as well. Without her, I would have never let go of the toxic and abusive relationships I had been in. I know personally, I should make a better attempt to reach out to her more and thank her over and over again. Ares though, I felt slightly intimidated by him, but at the same time I wasn’t entirely afraid. He just is a much quieter individual than I had expected and that is okay. From what I recall (and this reading proves it to me), he speaks when he feels it is necessary.

Father Lucifer came next and I definitely cried again at the end of his paragraph. “ Lucifer simply said that he sees the light in you. “ That made me cry like a small child all over again and truthfully I was surprised that I had not known him since I was younger. My timing was off, but I am glad it was actually him as I felt I was not actually speaking to him at some points.

I have much to thank him for, and I hope me even writing this will show others my love, adoration and respect I have for my deities. My deities, I cannot believe I get to say this and say it with such joy.

Though with those fears, I just assumed I was just making my interactions up and I feel my self-doubt and mistrust of my own feelings has hindered me (even to this day) communications wise. I once again am glad to know I was so horribly wrong.

The very last, was the most unexpected, and Papa Odin himself had just known that this reading was coming along, and he had been around the longest. Thinking about it now makes me want to cry all over again, but to me I feel this really reassured me because I know I had moments in life where I would see things involving Odin and feeling comfort in them. Internally, I would ask myself on occasion, “I wonder what it is like to just sit with him and talk. What is it like to work with him and learn from him?”

Sure enough, here I am now laughing and almost crying at the fact that he was with me all along. I just needed to focus a bit more. I genuinely didn’t believe that I had mistaken him for The Morrigan (so sorry Papa Odin!) and yet he still took everything with good strides. I still am having trouble putting it in words how comforted and rejuvenated I feel to have this kindness, love, and support.

For Odin himself, I cannot thank him enough for what he has done in my life so far. It makes me want to reevaluate my life and see just how many times I could have mistakenly missed him and signs he has given me. For someone who has been around for so long and has had a formative role in my life, I owe so much to him and am grateful to be blessed with his guidance and wisdom. I remembered for ages I wished I had a dad that would love and care for me and here I had Odin all along. Physically I may not be able to see him or hug him, but he was here all long and that is what matters so much to me.

At this point, Adelaide, thank you for all of this. Your words have brought me such joy, comfort, and inspiration and I had trouble thinking of how to even respond to all of this for a good bit of time. I even wondered what I needed to do at this point and I feel I have a solid idea of what I need to do now, but I just am still scrambling around to figure it all out.

Little by little, I will walk towards my deities and I will do my very best to honor them. Thank all of you for the strength you have given me to stand back up, dust myself off, and continue on. This was what I needed to keep going and keep trying. I had made my username “mirroredpaladin” because I wanted to fight not only for the good of others, but for myself as well. It is about time I start actually doing that.

From here on, I do want to find a way to properly and more consistently reach out to Odin, Lucifer and Ares. I want to find a way to properly thank them along with Brigid, Danu, and Aphrodite and it is about time I start looking where I can to do so. I know I need guidance, I never was properly educated on what to do with deity work, but I have to try for their sake and mine.

Thank you all for reading this. To also give some more love, I also want to thank @scarletarosa @thepastelpriestess and @its--in--the--weave and @blood-and-bunnies (I thought they had another username of @/rosegoldtunic before but I don’t remember) because these people have actually helped me get to where I am now along with Adelaide. <3

#paid reading #deity reading #divination review #ad-astrum #thank you again!#I have a lot to work on #and this helped so much #hellenic polytheism #thepastelpriestess #scarletarosa #its--in--the--weave #blood-and-bunnies #giving thanks #norse paganism #theistic luciferianism

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mbakuetshurisprincess · 4 years

Text

Destiny Series

AN: Yall... I’m soo shocked how quickly yall are fucking with that mood board like actually soo shocked. I was going to do Egyptian gods cause when I was younger I read the Kane Chronicles and I fell in love with Egyptian mythology and their gods BUT I feel like more people know Greek gods and it’s easier to like deal with Greek gods family tree vs Egyptian because whew chileeee that would of been a mess. BIG BIG BIG ups to @chaneajoyyy for a. proofreading and catching the little errors and for supporting me.

Summary: On May 14th a god or goddess picks someone to take their place in the following years, when T’challa invites everyone in your graduating class to his house for a Chaining day party chaos ensues and relationships get tested.

Pairing: Erik x reader

Warnings: cussing, light smut like literally I don’t wanna call it smut because it’s so light.

Word count: 2,111

It was May 14th and the eve of arguably the most important day of your life, chaining day. Chaining day was a right of passage that had been happening since before you or any other Wakandan had been alive, chaining day was the day in which the gods and goddesses came down to earth and selected who was going to fill their position as that specific next god in the next years. Chaining day only occurred once every three generations and it happened that it fell upon you and your peers. You laid on your bedroom floor while your two best friends Makyla and Aaron sat across from you in bean bag chairs.

“I just don’t get why you're not excited Y/N” Makyla said nonchalantly, “I can’t wait to figure out which god chose me! I hope it someone like Hera or Aphrodite. They would suit me don’t you think?”

“Your annoying ass deserves Hestia” Aaron mumbled under his breath earning him a firm slap on his arm.

You sat up from your floor and took a slow breath in and exhaled. “I just don’t get why it falls onto US, like why can’t the gods choose someone who wants to be a god not a normal person who just wants to live and die and get this shit over with.”

Aaron rolled his eyes “You're just worried that you and Erik’s gods won’t be together and some other girl will have him”

“HA” you laughed out sarcastically “That punk ass nigga can get whatever trick ass whore wants him, we are over and I dont give a flying fuck who gets him”

The room got silent because that lie and everyone in the room knew it, you and Erik never went into full relationship territory just comments under each others posts and his constant flirting with you. But it all ended when he posted a photo with a girls arms wrapped around his shoulders and a blunt in his hand and the caption “all the bitches fuckin with me, its like im the god of pussy or sum..” That was the last straw, and you hadn’t actually spoken to him since you’d seen that post go up.

“Can we go now y'all?” Makyla asked “I want to get to T’challa’s party early and get a good spot for chaining time”

“Are you sure we have to go? We could just stay in and watch a movie until chaining time” you lay your head back down onto your plush carpet and squeezed your eyes shut. You heard movement above you and opened to see Aaron and Makyla standing over you an annoyed look on their faces.

“Fine, fine!” you grumbled outstretching one of your hands out signalling for one of them to help you up, Aaron groaned and grabbed your hand pulling you off the ground. You walked over to your closet, you pulled out a pair of light wash ripped jeans, a white cropped t-shirt and a multi colored nike windbreaker. To emphasize the fact that you didn’t want to go you groaned and moaned while putting on your clothes.

“Keep playing Erik’s gonna give you something to moan about” Makyla said under her breath causing Aaron and her to bust out into a fit of laughter, you turned your head to them and gave them a look that shot daggers.

By the time you got to T’challa’s house you were reminded of why you didn't want to go to his chaining day party and your reason was sitting right at the front door like some self righteous bouncer. You thought if you ducked and hid in between Makyla and Aaron he wouldn’t spot you, but of course he did.

“Woah woah woah lil mama where do you think you're going” Erik’s arm had snaked in between your friends and grabbed you out from in between them. You looked up at your friends with pleading eyes practically begging them to help you out which caused Erik to laugh. “Nah nah ma, your friends can’t help you now, you've been ignoring me and I wanna know why.”

You looked around and noticed a few familiar faces, he wanted to embarrass you in front of your friends? And make a lesson out of you for his other bitches, not today.

You looked down at your arm and back up at him “Nigga I don’t owe you shit.” you snateched your arm from his hand and folded them across your exposed midriff.

A chorus of “Ooo’s” erupted from the small crowd that had developed.

Erik smiled and licked his lips “I asked you a question Y/N and I’m telling you to answer it right fucking now before it gets bad for you.”

You cocked your eyebrow up at him, oh so he thought you were playing?

“Nigga I gave you my answer, you don’t need anything else from me. Now excuse me I’ve got a party to attend” You smirked up at him and waved your finger signaling for him to move out of your way. You had him beat, you could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

“Last chance Y/N before I embarrass you in front of all of these fucking people and I swear to god I will”

You batted your eyes up at Erik innocently and your hands found the collar of his shirt. “Oh no baby boy” you wiped some dust off of his shoulder “I think I just embarrassed you”

You tried to walk away, you had won that fight fair and square and everyone in T’challa’s yard knew it or so you thought. Until you felt strong arms wrap around you calf's and felt you world flip upside down.

“ERIK!” You screamed out hitting his back with an array of punches in varying strengths.

The yard erupted into laughter as Erik walked you through the front door, you caught Makyla’s eye as Erik walked you up the stairs still slung over his shoulder. When he got up to one of the guest bedrooms he plopped you on the bed and locked the door behind himself, when he walked back over to you, you shot him a deathly stare.

“What the fuck was that Y/N?”

“What the hell is posting other bitches Erik? Hmm?”

You dug your phone out of you pocket and pulled out his instagram, instantly finding the photo you were looking for “all the bitches fuckin with me, its like im the god of pussy or sum.” you mocked his tone.

Erik plopped down on the bed next to you “man this why you been ignorning me for the past two weeks” Erik paused “I thought you had found another nigga ma”

You laid your head back onto the bed and laughed lightly “No Erik I haven’t found another nigga, its just been me sitting around looking stuck waiting for you when you obviously hadn’t been doing the same.”

“It’s not even like that ma, that’s Vannah, you know her and M’baku were going through something and she asked me to take the picture with her and post it to get him mad. They got back together tonight and I was taking it down tomorrow. I can show you the texts to prove it” Erik pulled out his phone and showed you the texts between him and Vannah and her begging and him finally agreeing after she agreed to buy his alcohol for a month.

“Fine I GUESS I’m done being mad at you.” you poked your bottom lip out at him in a mock pout.

“You better stop poking that lip out before I bite it baby girl” Erik rolled you over on top of him forcing you to straddle him,with his hands resting on your ass. “Fuck I can’t wait to tear this shit up ma” his hand smacked your ass roughly “I’ma give you back shots so hard you're gonna feel that shit all week I’m gonna have you-”

Erik was interrupted by counting below you.

“Fuck” you said getting of of his lap “It’s almost time”

“Turn off the lights ma”

“Who do you think your gonna get Erik”

“I dunno but if I get stuck with some bitch ass mother fucker I’m killing whoever got Zeus”

“I want someone calm, someone who does their job and stays out of any drama”

“Give me your hands Erik”

“I got love for you baby girl, you know that?” Even in the darkness you could see his brown eyes pierce your soul.

“Promise to stay friends no matter what happens”

“We will stay friends no matter what happens Y/N” he squeezed your hands lightly

“I love you Erik Stevens”

That was the last thing you remember hearing before a bright white light flashed in front of you, so bright you let go of Erik’s hands to shield your eyes. In a few moments it dimmed.

“My child” a voice called at you

You looked around for the source of the voice and found a strong willow tree waving in the wind, you walked towards it and felt the plush green grass beneath your feet, it felt softer than anything you had ever felt.

“Sit” the tree told you softly you could make out eyes, nose and mouth in its brown bark.

“Persphone” the words fell out of your mouth without you even knowing they were coming.

She smiled at you transforming before your eyes from a tree into a beautiful black woman, her curves filled out her chiton you noticed her outfit matched yours but she wore it much better.

“Come here” she opened her arm to you and stood up and ran into them burying your face in her chest tears flowing down your face. It didn't hit you until now of her story and what happened, she fell for Hades, a forbidden love and then for the rest of her life spent half of her life with the people she loved and the other half of the year with the man that she hated how much she loved him.

She stroked you curly hair and spoke soothing words to you “I know this is not the outcome you were expecting by I have gifted you a ability”

You pulled your head off of her and looked up at Persephone tears still threatening to spill out of your eyes.

“Open your arm”

You obliged her and held your left arm out for her, you noticed a small tattoo outline of a plant.

“Touch it”

You followed her instructions and out of thin air a small plant was in your hand, you immediately recognized it as a venus fly trap similar to the one that grew on your window sill.

“Anywhere that you walk plants will grow underneath you as long as your on the floor of a building it doesn't matter how many layers on concretes are in between you. Plants will grow” She caressed your cheek in her hand. A gong rang out and you looked up at Persephone, your eyes pleading for some kind of answers or help.

“What am I supposed to do? You have to help me please!” you felt a pulling on your waist as if you were attached to a rope and the other end was pulling you back in.

“Do not fight it Y/N destiny is destiny and you are destined to be with Hades” and with those last words the bright white light flashed again and you covered your eyes. You felt like you were falling but quickly you realized you were back at T'challa's house in the same room that you had been in before with Erik, however he wasn't here now. But when you speak of the devil he shall appear and like clockwork blue flames were produced around a body, you could hear what sounded like a large dog barking and then it all went away, you squeeze your eyes shut not sure what to expect. You heard a familiar chuckle in front of you and you immediately opened your eyes and started at the bottom up. Black tims paired with black jeans and no shirt you studied the person's chest in front of you which now held thousands of tiny scars, a fur coat draped his bare chest his left hand holding a ball of what looked like fire. You finally met his eyes, dark but with a hint of fire in them.

“Wh-who” you barely managed to get it out before a smirk formed across Erik’s face.

“Hades, god of the underworld”

Tag List: @chaneajoyyy @chasingsunlight @writerbee-ffs @dessianna1

#erik imagine #erik x reader #erik stevens #killmonger imagine #black panther killmonger #erik killmonger #killmonger fic #black panther #black panther imagine #black panther fandom #black panther fanfiction

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alextriestowritestuff · 4 years

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Mark of Athena Re-read

Hey guys! If you’ve been keeping up with my last couple of posts, you’ll know I’ve been re-reading the Heroes of Olympus (HoO) series by Rick Riordan, starting with the Son of Neptune. If you want to my thoughts on it (spoilers included) and my background with the series, click here. I made a little bit of rant post about my feelings about the HoO series overall so far and you can find that here! This post will be about the Mark of Athena (MoA) and as always, spoilers abound.

Soooo y’all...I think this book is worse than the Lost Hero. I feel so bad for saying that bc I hated tLH (Like I’d give that book 2 stars) but god, this was so bad. No wonder I forgot what happened when I originally read it. Before I get into it, I will say I’m usually not negative in my ‘reviews’-I’ll give credit where it’s due (I did that in tSoN with Hazel and Frank who weren’t really my fav characters to start with) but this book has very little redeemable aspects imo. So I’ll start with the thing I was most irritated about: Piper.

Piper...Piper...Piper. Gods, none of her chapters ever passed the Bechdel test. I DESPISE her and I hated every single one of her chapters. With characters like Frank, I admitted that sometimes his chapters were a bit boring but I never hated the guy’s narration. Piper, however, is an insecure hypocrite. Let me show you.

So at one point, Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel meet up with Aphrodite. The POV is Annabeth’s and while Aphrodite is talking to them, it seems like Piper is just embarrassed to have her around.

“Mother!” Piper said. “You’re embarrassing me.” “Well, I don’t see why,” the goddess said. “Just because you don’t appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn’t mean the others won’t. I could do a quick makeover for Annabeth and Hazel, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine—” “Mother!”

And a few lines later she says again “ ‘Mother, Piper said, “is there a reason you’re here?’” (30).

Okay so someone tell me why this girl says 10 pages later “But also, Piper was secretly hurt not to have her mother to herself. Aphrodite had barely looked at her. She hadn’t said a word about Jason. She hadn’t bothered explaining her conversation with Reyna at all. It was almost as if Aphrodite no longer found Piper interesting. Piper had gotten her guy. Now it was up to her to make things work, and Aphrodite had moved on to newer gossip as easily as she might toss out an old copy of a tabloid magazine” (40). LIKE GIRL MAKE UP YOUR MIND. Do you want your mom’s attention or not? But I’m highkey interested in what Aphrodite said to Reyna tho.

Let’s talk about Reyna for a second. First off, I feel so bad for her?? Percy turned her down-fine, he has a gf. Then I thought Jason had feelings for her but he says this in MoA, page 19: “It’s just…I never felt that way toward Reyna,” Jason said, “so I didn’t think about its making you uncomfortable. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Pipes”. Like damn can Reyna get any love?? I get that he doesn’t like her anymore since he met Piper but to have never liked her? That’s rough. And notice how this quote is from page 19, but again on p. 40, Piper is still so insecure in their relationship. I don’t she’s listened to a word he said at all. Then towards the end of the book, she says oh I love you but she literally didn’t know the man’s age prior to that. Like what?? Did they even kiss this book? I think like once lmao. Also speaking of the birthday thing, Piper says this while she waits for Jason to blow out his birthday candles.

“Well?” she urged. “Blow out the candles.”

Jason did. Piper wondered if he’d made a wish—hopefully that he and Piper would survive this quest and stay together forever. She decided not to ask him. She didn’t want to jinx that wish, and she definitely didn’t want to find out that he’d wished for something different.

Me @ Jason: This your girl? Come get her. Because Imma hurt her feelings. What do you mean you want him to wish to stay together forever? He should wish for Gaea to you know die so everyone can be safe. If I ever met Piper in person, I’d fight her. ON SIGHT.

In a related note, I’ve got nothing to say about Jason. He was fine. He passed out alot during this book, didn’t do much for how hyped his powers are supposed to be. I will say when he and Percy were possessed and they fought each other, Percy totally won that fight. He knocked Jason the hell out and was about to end his whole career until Piper got Blackjack to knock him out. But overall, I think Jason’s rather bland and him and Piper have NO chemistry. But I don’t think he deserves insecure Piper as a girlfriend. She’s a whole ass child of Aphrodite and she’s worried about her relationship...let me move on.

My main issue with the book lies in the structure and plot. The previous two books had 3 narrators and each set of trio had a specific prophecy assigned to them-i.e: Percy, Hazel and Frank had to free death, retrieve the eagle. The prophecies are a catalyst to get them to go on the quest. And then obviously, we have the overarching prophecy of the seven that will come to fruition in small chunks until the last book of the series. That’s fine. So the issue with MoA is that now Rick is handling seven characters + Coach Hedge (like why was he necessary??). He has 4 POVs which threw me the hell off bc we had 3 in the previous two books and honestly, I think we could’ve gone without one of them (Percy’s actually). As a writer, it’s hard to balance multiple characters in the same setting constantly. If they have a conversation, one or two of them will have less lines because other characters have already said them. Therefore to give everyone adequate ‘screen time’, Rick had to separate them by keeping groups of three or two on their own side quest. As a result, however, reading the book felt like I was being brake checked constantly. Ex-We follow Percy, Frank, and Hedge to an Aquarium then we follow Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper to meet Aphrodite, then they encounter the Romans, then Piper and Jason meet Hercules and get the horn and so on. Like they’re constantly shifting and doing stuff but not going as a group so it feels like I’m constantly trying to catch up. There’s too many pit stops for my liking. And I deadass have no idea what most of it had to with the MoA prophecy.

This disjointed-ness is what makes me rate it lower than tLH. Because while I didn’t like Piper or Jason in that book, it was still cohesive. There was a plot and it was followed. Another reason I might feel this way toward MoA is because Rick has a formula and it’s starting to be predictable. Think about the original Greek myths-there’s one main demigod like Hercules, there’s a quest, there’s godly interference so it makes sense the the PJO/HoO characters have the same thing. But all this talking to gods (esp gods we’ve already met like Aphrodite) is taking up so much space and slowing the plot. It also didn’t help that the minor villians in this book are all unlikeable?? All they did was talk. Otis and Ephialtes. Porchy and Keto. Arachane. All they did was talk. Here’s how to defeat a PJO/HoO villain: con them to help you/let you go or fight them. That’s it.

This book is where I started to really regret reading the series. Like I was just over it. The plot was somehow slow and all over the place at the same time. The last couple of chapters were good because I was like finally, something relevant to the prophecy is happening.

Let me leave you guys with some positives about this book though:

1. Annabeth’s POV. What a gal. When she faces Arachane, Annabeth mentions that she doesn’t have an active power like the other Seven but she has her intelligence. And I’m like yes girl, you are brave and everything I want to be. I would read the PJO series from her POV over this series.

2. Percabeth. They kept promising to come back to each other and my heart melted. Percy was so worried about letting her go follow the Mark but he knew it’s what she had to do and he let her go. And ugh, them falling got me all over again. And like just their chemistry is off the charts. Piper and Jason could never.

3. Percy’s comments about Luke. Percy realizes that he’s around Luke’s age when Luke went all ‘Gods are bad, their children are pawns’ and like I get chills from reading that passage because you can tell Percy’s tired. He can’t have a life because of these quests, he’s constantly moments away from dying. He never really got a chance to be a teenager. And I get he wants to help people and keep the world from being taken over by bad guys but he’s also human. He’s seen demigods die...he’s traumatized. Like Percy, I really understand Luke better now (right idea, wrong execution) and l see how tired Percy is.

4. The Leo/Hazel/Frank disaster of a love triangle. Like I’ve mentioned before, I want Hazel, a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD child, to be left the hell alone when it comes to romance. But because Uncle Rick insists on pairing up everyone, I have to oblige. So here I am. The amount of times I cackled at Frank and Leo’s digs at each other is astronomical. Like shots were fired, no one held back. I was like is this even MG/lower end of YA anymore with all this salt?? Over the years I’ve been spoiled about the series so I know that Leo somehow ends up with Calypso so I know nothing will come out of the love triangle (and it seems to be wrapping up bc Leo and Frank complimented each other’s abilities toward the end there) but passive aggressive-ness was peak.

5. Every single conversation between Reyna and Annabeth. Like two powerhouses talking about wanting to save their camps and the world. I loved it. Hands down. I hope they can be friends when this is all over.

6. And lastly, the reunion of Percabeth. The Judo flip. The fact that Percy talked about having a future with her.

Thanks for reading if you made it down here and I’ll see you guys in a couple of days with my House of Hades update. This book and the one after it I’m reading for the first time ever so I’m going in semi blind (like I said, I know some spoilers). I’m currently on chapter 2 or 3 of that and ermm, it was a weak intro but I’ll keep going :) rooting for Percabeth to make it through.

#Mark of Athena #Percy Jackson #Percabeth #HoO #Read with me #alextriestowritestuff #writeblr #not writing #reyna ramirez arellano

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staylovehearts · 5 years

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Do you know why roosters crow every morning when the sun rises?

Seo Changbin x Reader

Word Count ~ 5.1k

Summary: “Maybe you should just admit to yourself that you are interested in Changbin before someone gets turned into a rooster."

Tags: percy jackson au, demigods au, son of Ares Changbin, daughter of Aphrodite y/n, kinda friends to lovers ish, son of Apollo Chan makes an appearance, I wrote half of a Shakespearean sonnet for this story because I have no self-control

Now, here is the thing about pretty person privilege. It's not like being someone who most people would consider to be aesthetically pleasing is giving you any huge advantages, but it certainly makes everyday life a little easier. Strangers are nicer to you, teachers grade you a little better on oral exams, people hold open doors for you. It's nice. And of course, that little bonus is only amplified when you are not only naturally pretty and charming but literally the child of the goddess of love and beauty. So yeah, there is that.

You try not to use it as an excuse to be a brat. Of course, you could go around and charming everyone around you into giving you pretty much whatever you want. If you wanted you could have any guy – or girl for that matter – wrapped around your little finger. You could have a new partner to flirt with any other day if you so pleased. But you prefer to not abuse your "powers". Love is something sacred. Something that should not be toyed with. You dislike the idea of flirting with someone just for the fun of it. Which is why even though there would be plenty of volunteers, you remain single. Unkissed even. You held hands with a guy in kindergarten once, but that's pretty much it. But you would lie if you said that you don't enjoy the attention on you at all times. Of course, it's nice to know that if you decided to pursue a romantic relationship the world would be completely open for you. That you could make pretty much anyone fall in love with you. That even those who don't have any sexual or romantic interest in you would still want to be your best friend. It's nice to be adored. It's nice to be everyone's darling. Well, everyone except for one person. Seo Changbin. That asshole.

You clearly remember your first encounter with him. It happened during your first summer in camp. You had just arrived there a couple of days ago and only recently learned of the real identity of your mother. The other children of Aphrodite had taken you in as one of their own right away. Even though some of them might be a bit superficial, some even bitchy, they are a nice group. Always willing to share skin care routines and fashion tips with each other or spend the night having cheesy sleepovers in the hut, staying up til dawn braiding each other's hair and playing twenty questions. Even now that everyone is back to their regular school life, you stay in contact with them through a group chat that is mostly just you guys sending selfies and then hyping each other up. They are spread all over the country and you just can't wait to meet them again next summer. Either way, back on topic. You met Changbin on the training grounds. Because where else would you meet a son of Ares? There are people that make it hard to figure out who their godly parent is, while others pretty much have it written all over them in bold letters. Changbin is of the latter kind. The first time you saw him you knew he was a child of Ares. Muscular arms, had apparently never heard of wearing a shirt and a wooden sword in his hand with which he was beating up some poor straw puppet. You glanced at him in passing, your hands filled with flowers that you just picked because one of your half-siblings had told you that he knew how to make really nice flower crowns out of fresh flowers and actually preserve them. You nodded into Changbin's direction quickly, he didn't even notice since he was way too busy beating up that puppet and you didn't bother with it. Back then you didn't even know his name and you didn't think much of the encounter. Then you heard the crack of wood and turned to notice that the idiot had broken his sword. The damn musclehead must have swung it too hard and literally snapped it in half. You didn't even know that it was possible and the sound startled you so much that you stopped, almost dropping your flowers. You heard him curse silently while he picked up the piece that had broken off. Then he started walking in your direction. Or rather the direction of the rack of wooden swords and light armour behind you, most likely to get himself a new training sword. And that's where he bumped into you. You let out a small shriek, this time dropping your flowers for real. Changbin looked at you as if he had only now noticed you standing there, so far he had been looking down at the pieces of broken wood in his hand while walking.

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there", he mumbled. And then he just walked around you. The audacity. The absolute rudeness. He didn't even try to help you pick up the flowers. Didn't even look you in the eyes while apologising. So yeah, that moment you pretty much decided that this boy was a jerk and you haven't really changed your mind since.

To make matters worse you recently discovered that Changbin apparently lives in the same town as you do. And Fortuna must hate you for some reason because you just keep running into him at the most obscure of times and places. You go to the supermarket for some snacks and there he is inspecting protein bars. You go to the library to check out a romance novel and there he is looking through the health and fitness section. You are on your way back from school and walking through the park and there he is jogging past you. Sometimes you try to have a bit of small talk with him but most of the time you don't even bother. Because no matter how hard you try you can usually only get one word replies out of him and he's always on the run to somewhere more important or interesting than stopping to talk to you. And if he is oh so busy you sure won't hold him back. But it's irritating you. It's irritating but whenever you run into him you greet him nonetheless. Because – unlike some other people – you actually are polite. And yet most of the times he doesn't even really look at you. Yes, you are still pretty much convinced that Changbin is a jerk.

***

"Did you meet him again?", Chan, a son of Apollo and the only other halfgod in this area that you are friends with, asks before you have even set down your bag. He has a bunch of papers spread over the round table of your favourite coffee shop and you catch glances of poems and musical notations mixed in with some doodles here and there. You let out a loud sigh while you pull back the other chair and then just throw yourself into it not caring one bit how much you are slouching.

"He was jogging past me in the park this morning. I waved at him but he didn't even acknowledge me. That fucker had his airpods in. Just ran away from me", you complain. Chan just chuckles while he pushes a mug towards you, apparently, he took it upon himself to already order for you. You snatch it and grumpily gulp down some of the sugary drink.

"You really hate him, huh?", Chan muses. You almost spit out your drink.

"Me? Hating him? I think you are getting something mixed up here. He is clearly the one hating me. I try so hard to be polite and just make some casual conversation and he ignores me every time. I never did anything to him and he doesn't even look at me. He is so rude."

"Dunno, he seems friendly enough. We talked a couple of times at the gym", Chan says with a little shrug.

"You go to the same gym as him?", you half yell, a girl a few tables over looks up from her laptop and gives you a rather irritated look. You give her a sweet smile and for a moment she just looks a little stunned and confused before she goes back to whatever she was working on. But you lower your voice nonetheless. "I didn't even know you went to the gym at all."

"Gotta stay in shape for dancing and stuff", Chan replies with another small shrug. "But yeah, we go to the same gym. He's not the most talkative but he's actually nice. Had some nice small talk with him, he even came up to me a couple of times to ask me to spot for him."

"So what you're telling me is that he's actually nice and knows how to make conversation but still ignores me for no good reason at all? So my point still stands, he's a jerk and can gladly climb down to the underworld. I'd even row him over the Styx myself."

Chan laughs while he messes around with the papers on the table a little. Originally he asked you to meet up with him to get your opinion on this new song he's working on because who would be a better judge of a love song than a child of the goddess of love? But from the looks of it, there is far more stuff on the table than just sheet music and lyrics. Chan is always working on at least five different projects at the same time and somehow he juggles all of them and still manages a social life. He pays for it with lack of sleep though. Either way, he does pretty much anything even remotely artsy. A jack of all trades, master of... well, also basically all of them.

"Anyways, why are you even getting so worked up about it?", Chan asks curiously. "Don't tell me you are mad because he is the only guy not constantly swooning over you?"

Chan says it with a chuckle but the smile fades from his face when you actually stay silent and uncomfortably squirm in your seat a little.

"Oh, Zeus", he whispers softly. "This is like something straight out of a rom-com. The pretty popular girl gets interested in the dark mysterious boy because he is the only one not being blinded by her pretty looks."

"Shut up, you are way too romantic."

"Bold of you out of all people to say that." You have nothing more to reply to that and Chan gives you a knowing smirk. "But you know, it's actually funny that you'd be interested in a son of Ares. I mean, there is some history between your parents I guess."

"Oh please, not another mythology lesson", you groan while pretty much letting your whole upper body drop onto the table, arms splaying out over the papers and pouting up at him.

"It's not mythology, if that's a myth then we are too", he protests and you roll your eyes at him.

"I wish you were a myth."

"Oi, this myth just paid for your drink."

"Ugh, fine, tell your story then." You finally give in. Chan rolls his eyes at you but quickly changes back to his usual gummy smile. He leans towards you a little as if he has some juicy gossip to share and not some ancient story that happened centuries ago and that you probably heard about already but didn't deem important enough to remember.

"Apparently your mother and Ares had an affair at some point", he whispers and you raise your head immediately and scoot a little closer. Looks like this is some interesting myth after all. "They got caught though. By Helios. Now the funny part of the story is that apparently Ares set up a guard that was supposed to warn them. But the guard fell asleep and Helios caught them together. Later Ares cursed that guard dude and turned him into a rooster or something. So that's why they scream every morning when the sun rises. Either way, Helios told Hephaistos and he set up a trap to catch his cheating wife. So Hephaistos made this special net to catch them and the next time Aphrodite met up with Ares they get caught right in the act. Like literally caught in that net. And then a bunch of other Gods were invited over to look at them and make fun of them. And that's pretty much the whole story I guess."

"So what's the moral of it?", you ask. Chan shrugs once again.

"Don't ask me. But maybe you should just admit to yourself that you are interested in Changbin before someone gets turned into a rooster."

***

Returning to camp is always the best part of summer and you have been looking forward to this for months. Metting your half-siblings again is wonderful. You are greeted with hugs and stories about what all of them did since you last saw each other. Some of them have new partners now and of course, everyone in the Aphrodite hug is delighted to talk about relationships and dates and first kisses and everything else that comes with it. For a moment you contemplate telling them about your run-ins with Changbin but you know that some of them would blow the whole thing out of proportion and you really don't need that. You've been doing some thinking since you had that talk with Chan and you've come to the conclusion that you should really just stop letting it bother you. You managed to convince yourself that you are just upset that for once someone is not head over heels for you because you are so used to everyone liking you. And that is all there is to it. There is absolutely no other reason your thoughts keep circling around Changbin. He's just a bit of a jerk and it's probably best for you if you just ignore him. So that is exactly what you are going to do. You are going to enjoy this summer, spend it with your friends, make some good memories and waste not a single thought on Seo Changbin.

It works well. For about a week. Then the counsellors decide to do a goddamn tag team capture the flag kind of event. Everyone gets divided into teams and the teams are then split up into pairs that have to stay together. Partners get assigned randomly and apparently Fortuna is still very much upset about whatever you don't even remember doing to you. Because when you draw from a deck of cards and grab the ace of hearts the same card is in Seo Changbin's hand. So apparently you are tag team partners now. Great.

But you're going to make the best out of it. As usual, you walk up to him with a smile and greet him politely.

"Looks like we are teaming up, huh?", you say. Maybe you are overdoing it a little bit with the friendliness. Your voice sounds incredibly fake in your own ears and your forced smile is beginning to hurt. So you drop both. Changbin looks at you briefly and then just shrugs.

"Yes", is all he has to say about that. Before you could even get upset about it everyone is silenced by the counsellors explaining the rules. Apparently, they have hidden some kind of treasure marked by a flag in the team colours in the woods somewhere. Every team goes in one by one and they'll stop the time, the teams are divided up into teams to allow you to cover a large surface in less time. Also, there are traps. For some reason. After they are done explaining the first group gets sent into the forest and everyone else is pretty much free to do whatever they want while waiting as long as they stay close by. You turn to Changbin, thinking that maybe you can try to strike up a conversation with him but he is already gone. Fine. Be like that. You stomp off to look around for someone else to spend your time with. It's not like you're going to have a hard time with that. Pretty much anyone here would be more than happy to spend time with you. No reason to get hung up over the one person that doesn't. It's his loss, honestly.

About half an hour later the first group returns with their flag proudly. Changbin and you are part of the second team so it's your turn to go treasure hunting next. You sigh when you see him already standing at the edge of the forest. You join him without saying a word and when the time starts he heads straight into the woods without even checking that you are following. You almost stumble over your own feet while trying to catch up with him. For a few minutes, you just allow him to lead the way but after the third twig almost hits you in the face while you are stumbling through the woods you get fed up with it. With a few big steps, you catch up and grab him by the shoulders.

"Can you just slow down a bit?", you snap at him. Changbin turns around with a guilty look on his face but he turns his eyes away right away to look down at his feet.

"Sorry", he mumbles and maybe if he was anyone else you'd let him get away with just that but you have finally had enough of all of that.

"Why do you hate me so much? I have never done anything to you. What is your damn problem? All I ever did was try to be nice and all you ever do is ignore me. It's fine if you don't like me but could you at least stop being a total jerk? I'm also not really thrilled to team up with you but we have to make the best out of the situation so it would be very much appreciated if you could just talk to me for once."

"I-", Changbin starts but you cut him off. At this point, you are fuming and you don't even want an apology, you just want to tell him how much he is annoying you. Even though it's not primarily him that you are mad at. You are just as mad at yourself for getting so worked up over this situation. And you are mad at Chan because maybe that idiot has a point after all.

"You know what, nevermind, let's just get this over with as soon as possible so we can go back to not talking to each other", you say before you turn around sharply and begin walking into another direction. Changbin grabs your wrist from behind.

"Wait-", he says but you free yourself and spin back around.

"Don't touch me", you hiss while you take a step backwards... and fall. Several things happen at once. Changbin takes a step forwards and protectively wraps his arms around you while the ground gives in. You hear the snapping and whirring of strings being pulled and in the next moment you are pressed tightly against Changbins chest while both of you are wrapped up in a net that is now hanging just a bit above the ground.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry", Changbin stammers while fidgeting around to try and move away from you which only resorts in you two becoming more tangled up in the net and each other's limbs. "Sorry", he repeats one more time when he almost hits you in the face with an elbow before he finally stops moving around. Your face is pressed into his chest at this point, one of his arms still trapped somewhere behind your body the other awkwardly half wrapped around your neck half on top of your head. You are too stunned to even say anything and for the first time, Changbin is the one taking over the conversation with his nervous rambling.

"I'm sorry, I saw the string and I wanted to warn you, I'm so sorry. And then I just reacted. I thought I could grab you but now I've got us both tangled up here, I'm so sorry for messing this up. And for touching you like this. I kind of can't get away right now, I'm really sorry. And I- I don't hate you. I'm just shy because you are so pretty and now I've got us both trapped in this stupid net and I'm just so sorry about everything."

"Wait, repeat that last bit", you whisper. You try to free yourself enough to look up at Changbin but instead accidentally hit your forehead against his chin so you resort to just staying in your position again.

"I'm sorry for getting us trapped in this net", he mumbles.

"No, the part before that", you insist. With how close your face is pressed into his chest you can practically feel his heartbeat against your skin. It's like that of a small animal that has been captured. But part of you tells you that it's not fear that's making Chanbgin's heart race like that. "The part about you being shy because I'm pretty. What do you mean by that?"

"I- uh, I just get nervous whenever you talk to me. And then my fight or flight instinct kicks in and I just run away from you", he mutters. You can feel him squirm around uncomfortably but there is no way he can get away from you. His heart is beating so loudly in your ears and he accidentally almost squeezes you in his arms.

"Oh", you whisper. "I didn't know. But there is no reason to be nervous. I'm not going to bite you or anything."

You chuckle softly while trying to reach up one arm to softly pet his back. Instead, your hand lands on his hair somehow. You rest it there awkwardly and pet his head a couple of times. It's a little weird but at least you finally feel Changbin relax and he stops fidgeting around and getting you both tied up even more. He exhales with a loud sigh and you can pretty much feel his chest tremble.

"I'm sorry", he repeats again. For a moment both of you stay quiet. All you can hear are the sounds of the forest around you. And Changbin's heartbeat against your ear. Then he inhales shakily and speaks up again.

"When I was younger there was this girl at my school. She was really pretty and popular. I had a bit of a crush on her. And one day she came up to me during lunch break followed by some of her friends. She sat down next to me and started saying how she noticed that I was always looking at her and then she asked whether I liked her. And of course I said yes. She made a really disgusted face and then she and her friends started making fun of me. Kids can be awful."

"Oh", you breathe out softly against his chest. Your hand is still more or less tangled in his hair and you try to card your fingers through his hair in a sort of comforting way. It's surprisingly soft. "I'm sorry this happened to you. But I'm not like that. I'm not going to make fun of you. I really just wanted to be nice."

"I'm sorry", Changbin mumbles for the umpteenth time and you can't help but laugh softly underneath your breath.

"If you say sorry one more time I'm going to fight you. And now help me figure out a way to get us out of here."

You try pretty much everything from looking for something to cut the string with to Changbin trying to rip apart the net with his bare hands but nothing works. After about ten minutes of struggling another team from your group – they must have heard you from a distance – walks up to where you are hanging trapped in a net. The first thing they do is laugh about what idiot they are. The second thing is to head back to the camp to get someone to untie you. And while they are at it they also tell everyone in earshot that Changbin and you just got trapped in a rather suggestive hug together. So you have to deal with people making jokes about that for pretty much the rest of the summer. But it doesn't bother you one bit. Of course, you could act all demure about it and make it a point to stay away from Changbin after that as to not add fuel to the flames. But you end up doing pretty much the opposite. After the small incident, you begin spending more time with Changbin. Now that he doesn't run from conversations with you anymore you find that he's actually very nice to talk to. Well, he still isn't the most talkative person and he prefers letting you talk and just listening to what you have to say instead of adding too much of his own thoughts but he's nice. Also, as a stark contrast to his appearance, he's actually a total softie. He lets you put flowers into his hair, appreciates music and – after a while of you pestering him about it – admits that he has somewhat of a soft spot for cheesy teen romance dramas.

Summer passes like that. With you and Changbin occasionally spending time together just talking about things you like and doing the usual camp stuff. You cheer him in every time there is something sports related happening at camp and he spends lazy afternoons with you just listening as you ramble on and on about the main characters relationship of the book you are reading at the moment. Of course, other people – especially your other half.siblings – start questioning your relationship with Changbin. And you assure them time and time again that you are just friends with him. They roll their eyes at you but let it be and don't question it any further. And so do you. You don't question the way your heart skips a beat whenever Changbin sheepishly smiles at you. You don't question that sometimes when you put flowers in his hair you leave your fingers there for way longer than you would need to. You don't question that you feel all giddy and nervous when he notices you from afar and waves at you from a distance. It's ironic that you out of all people would be confused by all of this but no one ever said that being the child of Aphrodite comes with a manual on how to figure out feelings.

As usual summer comes to an end way too quickly. You are packing the last of your belongings while your half-siblings are busy either chatting with each other or trying to gather all their stuff in a hurry when suddenly someone knocks on the door to the hut. You don't even look up from your suitcase, knowing that someone else will probably check. Also, you are way too caught up with trying to figure out how you were able to perfectly fit all of your clothes into this suitcase at the beginning of summer but now it's suddenly full even though you still have several clothes spread all over your bed. You raise your head when you hear someone call for you from the direction of the entrance. The second you see Changbin standing there you stuff everything you have into your suitcase and slam it closed within a heartbeat. You rush to the door past a few giggling onlookers and stumble outside, slamming the door shut behind you.

"Not a good time?", Changbin asks hesitantly once you have caught your breath again.

"No no, it's fine", you force out as quickly as possible. "How about we walk for a bit?"

Without waiting for him to reply you set off to bring some distance between yourself and the hut. You can practically see the others pressing their ears against the door on the inside and you really don't need them to listen to this conversation. Even though there should be nothing to hide. You are just friends after all. Just pals being pals and talking about... normal friendship things. But still, the thought of you listening in on your conversation with Changbin makes you beyond nervous. You don't stop until you have brought quite some distance between you and the hut. Changbin catches up to you after having followed on your feet for the whole time that you were crossing pretty much half of the campground. He stops right in front of you and then shoves a folded piece of paper into your hands.

"Here, read it", he says. You look at him with a bit of confusion but he turns his face away shyly so you just unfold the piece of paper. Even just skimming over the words makes your face bright red.

"D-did you write that?", you stutter before you have even properly read half of it. But you know Changbin well enough to figure that he is usually not one to write love poems in the form of Shakespearean sonnets. There is no way this boy wrote lines like morning calls warn me from falling for you; and I tried running from you for so long; now I can no longer hide what is true; so goddess of love please let me be strong

"I had a bit of help with it", he admits with a flustered smile and you can perfectly imagine who exactly helped write that but you don’t comment on it. Instead, you look back down onto the paper. Read the words over and over again until Changbin softly clears his throat and makes you look up again. "So, uh, what I wanted to say... or rather ask was... would you- would you want to go watch that new rom-com with me? Next weekend? Just the two of us?"

"Are you asking me on a date?", you ask, softly and a little dumbfounded.

"Would you say yes if it was a date?", he asks back, shyly yet with determination.

"Yes, but promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Don't run from me now", you whisper before you quickly cup his face with your hands and plant a small peck onto his lips.

#stray kids #stray kids fluff #stray kids scenarios #stray kids x reader #changbin x reader #seo changbin #changbin #stray kids demigods #stray kids percy jackson au #scenario #requested #I have lost all control

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royal-babey · 5 years

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I'm bored so here's an essay draft for school

Please don't kill me guys I don't have 100% facts and I'm just having fun aifhasifjaa -

Why The Greek Gods Are Problematic

(Persuasive Essay)

The general public are under the impression that Zeus is the All Father. This is probably due to how he gets portrayed in media (For example; the Disney movie Hercules) - However, in reality, Zeus is a bad god, father and husband.

For example;

In history, it isn’t uncommon for Zeus to be the father of most of the heroines. In fact it would take more time to name the kids that aren’t Zeus’s.

Zeus may be the god in charge of the Pantheon, but it doesn’t mean he can’t be a tyrannical ruler and unfaithful husband.

Cheats on his wife Hera a lot, even if the woman isn’t interested. Including Helen of Troys mother Leda, Perseus’s mother Danae, and another woman named Europa.

Has a lot of children both with woman who did and didn’t consent, he never really bothers with them and Hera usually tries to kill both them and their mothers because she can’t control her cheating husband.

Hera is his sister. Have fun with that one.

He also slept with Demeter who is also his sister and that’s how Persephone was born.

He killed his first wife Metis because he decided his sister was prettier. Metis was Athena’s mother, who was born out of Zeus’s thigh because Zeus tricked Metis into turning herself into a fly and he ate her.

He got mad at Prometheus for making sure humans wouldn’t freeze to death by stealing them fire from the underworld, so Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him up and letting an eagle eat his liver every day, which would regrow because he’s a wife.

He engineered Pandora and we all know how that went. Women are the scourge of the earth, box full of sins, blah blah blah.

Likes to throw temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.

Thinks he’s All That™ because he’s the head god of the Pantheon.

Not Zeus, but his wife Hera did throw baby Hephaestus off of a mountain because he was ‘’ugly’’.

Next up is Apollo

I like Apollo but the dude needs to stop falling in love with mortals

They keep getting turned into flowers

Either voluntarily so they don’t have to date Apollo (He can get a little desperate) or through an accidental death because some other god or mortal get jealous.

Where to begin with Aphrodite

Massive shipper, even worse than fandom girls

Will kill if her otp doesn’t happen

Will also kill if the person she likes doesn’t like her back

Gets mad if she doesn’t win beauty contests

Married to Ares but y’know doesn’t stop her from wooing every other mortal

Almost as bad as Zeus

Goddess of love and fertility and being lowkey obsessive

Athena

Smart, goddess of wisdom, but also kinda mean

Honestly isn’t that problematic, she’s fair

Gave Medusa a snake head to keep the man who assaulted her (Poseidon) in Athena’s temple away

Had a weaving competition with a girl called Arachne who thought she could best Athena, weaved all the people Zeus slept with which was obviously weird for Athena. When Arachne lost she tried to kill herself so Athena basically told her to stop being dramatic and turned her into a spider. Now she can weave all she wants.

Ares

God of dumb war.

Likes war in general

Helped Aphrodite cheat on her husband

Poseidon

Read Athena’s paragraph

Had a relationship with a twelve year old sea nymph boy called Nerites

Turned Nerites into a shrimp

Had a crush on Demeter (who is his sister so you know not surprising) and when she turned into a mare to get away from him, he turned into a stallion. And this is how baby horses named Arian are made.

Has a really bad temper, typical god. He would cause almost fatal (sometimes very fatal) storms over the littlest of things.

Thinks he’s a lady killer but really isn’t. It’s more literal honestly.

Doesn’t know what people need. When he and Athena were fighting over who would get to name Athens (Guess who won), they had a competition. Whoever could provide for the city better would win and get to name it. Poseidon gave them a salt water fountain which obviously couldn’t be drunk from (Because people can’t drink salt water), and Athena gave them an olive tree. And as everyone knows, most of Greece’s trade is based on olives and their products.

- So yeah that's It

#essay #greek gods #delete later #maybe #ramble

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avicebro · 5 years

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Artemis: Where Fate May Have Gone Wrong

Okay, this might be stupid and fruitless, but, okay, here’s a meta post defending some (not all) of Artemis and Orion in Fate/Grand Order. This is mainly “where might have fate gone wrong”, really.

First off, let’s get the obvious out of the way:

Artemis and Orion’s relationship is horrible, non-consensual, and is overall not funny. Orion is not interested in Artemis at all, insults her, and he routinely talks about or hits on other women. In turn, she appears to be obsessed with him, in almost-yandere territory. Most of the jokes involve Orion trying to escape her and her making jokes about awn, he loves her so much! The art usually includes Orion escaping Artemis, or Artemis doing something harmful to him.

I’m not going to talk about this a lot because people have already discussed it a lot, and I think it’s the main reason why people dislike her. Maybe if she spooked you, too. Her writing in her own event and the Okeanos chapter leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, I think people have already spoken enough about why they dislike her.

Here’s why I think she’s not…as…bad….as I think people make her out to be.

Second point: let’s talk about Artemis and Orion in mythos.

Artemis is characterized in mythos as being a pretty fair goddess, associated with hunting, childbirth, her brother Apollo, and virginity. She asks her father Zeus to stand by her vow of chastity and kills a man, Acheron, for seeing her and her huntresses bathing.

I say she’s pretty fair because for the most part she isn’t a very vengeful goddess? Acheron did see her bathing. She sends down plagues and arrows against the Greeks because one, she supports Troy, and two, because they defiled Apollo’s priestesses. Similarly, she hurts Niobe because Niobe boasted that she was a better mother than Artemis and Apollo’s mother.

Depending on the version of the myths surrounding Agamemnon you read, she refused the Greeks leaving for Troy because Agamemnon boasted that he was a better hunter than her. She makes less sense if you use the Aeschylus reasoning, where she basically makes up an excuse. Something could be said for making Iphigenia be sacrificed, but then again, some variants of the myth have Artemis saving Iphigenia. The matter of whether or not gods are fair, or should be fair, is a whole matter of debate that I have no time to get into, but if we compare her to Athena, for example, then I would say that she’s fair.

If we discuss Orion, he’s characterized as a typical son of Poseidon (we’re going to ignore the version with Poseidon, Zeus, Hermes and a bull hide. If you’re curious, it’s on Wikipedia). He has a large, commanding presence, a giant who could walk on water. He is blinded after attacking a princess, and after being healed by Helios, he meets Artemis and Leto. He’s a very skilled hunter, and boasts that he will kill every beast on Earth. Gaia, mother Earth and more famously the mother of these beasts, sends a scorpion to kill him. After his death, Artemis asks Zeus to place him up in the stars, which he does.

In many ways his characterization echoes similar Greek heroes, primarily other sons of Poseidon, Theseus and Bellerophon, and of course, as this is Greek myth: Heracles.

Orion is the only man Artemis exhibits feelings for, having a strong bond from hunting together. Whether or not this is romantic is really up to you. If anything, they're close, enough that when he is killed by his own hubris, she asks for him to be put into the stars. I’ve seen this used as an example of why she’s demiromantic asexual, or sometimes her relationship with Orion is shoved under the rug. I don’t think this relationship is a la Athena, like her and Odysseus, for example, and it isn’t on the Aphrodite side. While it is fun to try and look at god’s sexualities, I would say that in the Greek Pantheon canon, her relationship with Orion should be viewed as romantic. Or, for any a-spec people, a QPP.

This is all to say that I think that Artemis being summoned with Orion, for me, makes sense. She was one of the first goddesses to appear in fate/grand order. I think that their subversion of expectation by making her actually be Artemis, and not just a cis-swapped Orion, was actually kind of smart for fate? It’s still…not good…because Orion is a teddy bear… but I mean… part of it was smart, I guess.

Artemis being summoned with Orion makes sense because Orion was the only hero Artemis cared for. She mourned for his death. If you wish to summon a goddess, having one that is perhaps with the hero that they cared most for, makes sense to me. If Hera comes with Jason, or Athena with Odysseus, or if Aeneas gets summoned with his mom Aphrodite.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t explain a) why Orion hates Artemis or b) why Artemis acts like that.

Anyways, now we gotta talk more about Greek Mythology and why it’s complicated.

Greek Mythology likes to push gods together. Dionysus is probably a whole bunch of gods squished together which is why his characterization makes no sense. Aphrodite is probably much older than Ancient Greece and probably comes from somewhere else, which is why her backstory is confusing. Poseidon and Zeus are likely the same Indo-European god, just split in two. Some gods are the literal beings of things: Gaia, the Earth, with her son/husband Uranus, the sky. The mountains, the sea, the ocean, the darkness, the night, the underworld and the eternal chaos, are all gods, too.

This makes a lot of gods are not…necessary? Okay that’s rude. But a lot of gods have similar roles. This sometimes results in gods being squished together, like with Dionysus. The most common variant of this is with Apollo and Helios, and Artemis and Selene.

Helios and Selene, and their sister Eos, the dawn, continue the days with their chariots by drawing the sun, the night, or the dawn, behind them. Sometimes they’re also the personification of the sun or the moon, which is why Helios can see all. Apollo taking over the role of drawing the chariot of the sun wasn’t hard, because Helios isn’t really known for too many myths and ultimately Apollo’s characterization is pretty simple, but Artemis and Selene were a little bit more difficult, because of one myth, about a man named Endymion.

Endymion is a beautiful man, and Selene falls head over heels in love with him. Unfortunately, because she is either the moon or can only come out at night, she only sees him when he’s sleeping. But that’s okay! Some variants of the myth have it so that she prefers when he’s sleeping! Anyways, she goes to Zeus, and asks for him to be immortal. Depending on the variant of the myth, he either needs to keep him asleep so he remains immortal, or she asks for him to remain asleep. Either way, she marries him, and has 50 children with him. While he’s asleep. Selene, please. That’s… that’s not consensual Selene.

So, when Selene’s myths were going to be combined with Selene’s, this one has never really fit. Diana, the Roman equivalent, does have the Endymion myth attached to her as well, but again, it doesn’t really work with the rest of Artemis’ (or Diana’s) myths. This one sticks out as basically Selene’s myth, which was awkwardly tacked onto Artemis.

Now I hope you can see where I’m trying to go with this in terms of fate/grand order.

I feel like FGO wanted to incorporate Orion, because he’s a famous Greek archer. And perhaps they didn’t know how they wanted to design him, or maybe originally, he was going to be a cis-swap, with more moon aesthetic because he is in the stars. It’s difficult to really say. Either way, when the twist that it’s actually Artemis with Orion as a tiny bear was decided upon, and the question of how to characterize Artemis, and Orion, came up. For some reason they were at the ‘we can’t have heterosexual couples in fgo’ part of FGO (thanks Cleopatra and Caesar), so instead of having them be either two good friends who help and have a strong bond with each other, or having them be romantic partners, they decided to have them be the stock ‘husband hates wife who loves him’ trope.

(side note but thank you lost belt for writing good heterosexual couples I love Sigurd/Brynhildr).

This may have come from Artemis’ “myth” with Endymion. Endymion, while probably well known in Japan because of Sailor Moon, probably isn’t strong enough as a hero. So, they took “Artemis’” characterization with Endymion and used it with Orion. Instead of telling the real story.

This is still really shitty on so many levels. The terrible writing. The fact that they took a bond formed on hunting talent and turned it into…that. Artemis’ ‘useless goddess’ personality, because for some reason goddesses can’t be talented and strong in their own rights, and have to be clumsy and ‘useless’. The continued problem with fate where a female character can’t be a little more complex. The fact that even if Artemis, in this interpretation, loves Orion, if you ask, male master, she will totally leave him and will love you. This continues to be a reoccurring problem, even with newer female characters.

Her design. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the design.

When you picture Artemis, you imagine a muscled, sporty woman, probably around early twenties, with a bow, arrows, and a deer. Her hair is pulled back and her clothes don’t exhibit her from the hunt. She’s not commonly sexualized, partly because of the vow of chastity, but she isn’t in the sense that Athena wasn’t sexualized, for example, or Hestia, another virgin goddess.

The design for Artemis is more similar to Aphrodite with some moon aspects thrown in.

I’m not saying the design is…. bad…I’m just saying it’s bad for her. This is not what you imagine an Artemis, or a Diana, for example. It feels too sexual for someone who, based on the myths, doesn’t exhibit a desire for sex. I do enjoy the bow and the moon aspects, and I think if it was Selene, it would probably work pretty well. But it doesn’t work for an Artemis.

(Also, her skillset doesn’t really work with Artemis either. I digress. This is too long anyways.)

So, what we get is a tacked-on myth and characterization that fits Selene on top of Artemis, for a hero that Selene doesn’t even interact with, Orion. This culminates in Artemis being a ditsy, love-obsessed, useless goddess that keeps Orion in an abusive relationship. However, fgo has given itself, and is slowly working on, a way to fix this.

This is when we put our thinking caps on.

This is mainly from Beast’s Lair from what I gather, so props to them for this. Mainly the idea is that Artemis isn’t a goddess, but a robot. There are a couple of pieces to support this idea. Ishtar, when discussing Orion, says, “I hear that person is a deity of Greece? I guess she is a robot?”

During the most recent summer event, Artemis gets upset when Orion doesn’t want to buy doujins related to robots. Finally, there’s her final art, which includes her pulling a reactor-like device from her hip/thigh.

Whether or not this is true I don’t know and why fate is doing this but anyways.

The second thing is that Orion might be showing up in Lost Belt, and probably Lost Belt 5, which is going to be centered around Greek servants. Spoilers but it’s probably going to include Poseidon, who is Orion’s father, so there could be something to that that they could explore. Furthermore, Lost Belt has done a good job at creating healthy, heterosexual relationships. If this Artemis is a robot, then maybe Orion is the real Orion. Maybe Orion likes this version of Artemis, like how Sigurd likes Brynhildr, despite her strong personality. Maybe it will be revealed that Artemis is really Selene, and the teddy bear is Endymion, trapped. Maybe she acts like this because those who created her didn’t understand her myths.

Anyways. I try to end these by possible improvements but we just have to wait until Lost Belt 5 is released, I guess.

I guess what I’m saying is that FGO has a lot that they can do to make Artemis work. And they don’t want her to be shoved under the rug. So, they should do the good things with her. Continue the trend with healthy heterosexual relationships (and some non-fetishistic homosexual ones, please, too) in Lost Belt, please.

And finally, Artemis deserves better.

#oh and also artemis is a demiromantic asexual #pollux writes #artemis #orion #fate/grand order #fgo #pollyux writes

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tomasorban · 5 years

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THE ZODIAC: TAURUS THE BULL

Date of Rulership: 21st April-20th/21st May; Polarity: Negative, Female; Quality: Fixed; Ruling planet: Venus; Element: Earth; Body part: Throat and Neck; Colour: Pink; Gemstone: Sapphire or emerald; Metal:Copper.

The explosive impulse that is epitomised by the zodiacal sign of Aries is steadfast followed by Taurus, a stellar bull which appears to straddle the horizon between vernal equinox and the summer solstice. Taurus is the celestial power most suitable to successfully harnessing the fiery potentiality of new life sown by Aries because of the unwavering strength, determination, and commitment it introduces into the cosmic meme pool. Looking at the sign from a purely suprapersonal and cosmogenic perspective, one could say that its position in the sky mirrors its symbolic and metaphysical locus as an ethereal apparatus of transmutation that directs an evolution of fiery energy set forth on the wheel of creation by spontaneous Arian generation. Just as the constellation of Taurus embraces the sun between the vernal equinox, a position of birth, and summer solstice, a position of maturation and the echelon of development, so too does the respective formative force behind the veil of stellar appearances guide the vital life-force of an organism to maturation or dismemberment and dissolution.

Taurus is second in a line of archetypal children born to the grandiose multiverse. Whereas Aries is descended of ethereal fire, the configuration of stars belonging to Taurus were crystallised beneath ethereal earth. “Of course we all know that Aries is the first born,” says Taurus from its place in heaven, “though being first at anything doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the best at it. Let’s not forget the great pains Mother Nature endured at the merciless hands of trial-and-error to perfect the complex thread of all intelligent Life. Aries may be impulsive, combustive and creative like raging fire, but the conditions for Life to accomplish its means requires calculated, controlled and mediated options and controls. Sure, you can plant seeds in the firestorm of Arian motion that is spring but you can be certain that they’ll wither and die by summer if you don’t stay the course and nourish them accordingly. In any case, Aries operates at lightning speeds and overlooks the finer fruits and flavours dangling from the Tree of Life. No kidding, we’re talking about a complete absence of the aesthetic. I guess that’s just too bad for Aries, huh?”

From this brief soliloquy regarding his older sibling one might deduce Taurus to be a level-headed, logical and intensely practical state of being. By modestly applying the laws of analogy we can at once understand the fundamental makeup of the Taurean psyche. Taureans, for the most part, are like self-taught, disciplined and autonomous little horticulturists. They come equipped with antediluvian knowledge pertaining to lunisolar cycles, lunar nutation, the seasons, and axial precession, and understand how these cosmic cycles can be used in conjunction with soil mix and fertiliser to garner superior natural products. For them, perfection is a work-in-progress and patience is a virtue. Their understanding and contemplation of unseen forces that link the Great Above and the Great Below is indispensable, for it prompts only those calculated moves and actions that will secure prolific results. Their propensity to spend a vast portion of the day connected to the ground, communing with friends of earth, and tending to them indicates a profound respect for and harmonious integration with Mother Nature, an intense awakening and awareness of their carnal appetites, and an unconscious instinct to mother, insulate and protect other beings irrespective of their phylogenetic kingdom. Generally speaking, these people are really good at working diligently to achieve material success in a relaxed and tranquil environment without entangling themselves in the mental landmines of past or future. They want everything to be concrete, fixed, practical, and predictable, sometimes to such an extreme degree that Life is made to resemble a ticking automaton void of individual expression, mental activity and “soul”. This is exactly what the Taurean psyche is about!

Apuleius, a second-century Latin writer, transcribed the Taurean archetype well when he penned the mythological narrative, Cupid and Psyche. In the fanciful tale, Cupid, the masculine prototype of Divine Love, falls victim to the potency of his own arrows and becomes enamoured of Psyche, a mortal princess. The entire narrative revolves around two antagonistic concepts; Psyche’s betrayal of Cupid’s trust and his mother’s (Aphrodite) disapproval of their relationship. Unsurprisingly the suspenseful barrage of frontiers intending to keep the lovers separated permanently is futile, and the tale concludes happily with the two beings united in Olympian matrimony. With respect to the figure of Cupid, Apuleius paints the picture of a man under the mediation of the feminine aesthetic. First impressions are also lasting, for he falls in love at first sight. From this point onwards Cupid brands the mortal Psyche his personal fiefdom and hopes to hold onto her for all eternity. Just like all love-struck individuals, he becomes physically and emotionally dependent. His meticulous efforts to fabricate lasting homely conditions delineates the condition of a soul which never veers from its path, a sentiment which stays intact even after Psyche’s act of duplicity. Here, we see a fiercely faithful and committed Cupid. No doubt the self-respect and value, as well as the sense of worth and spiritual status-quo that emanate from Love comprise foremost of the reasons why a temporary separation between the two eventuated. But the inflicted wound wasn’t significant enough to tear them apart forever and they were eventually reunited. Through the text the audience is also inclined to view Cupid as in instinctual being, a man whose actions and reactions were based on intuition and face value rather than intellectual evaluation. Cupid’s immense focus on attaining the object of his desire, his patient determination, his acute sensitivity, and his stubborn resolve in surmounting all odds stacked against him typify all Taureans.

Taureans can thank their lucky stars–quite literally in fact–for the intercession and ascendency of the Venusian sphere in the otherwise primal, unrefined and unyielding breeding ground urgently generated by the disposition of the bull. One can safely declare that Taurus would have been far too inert, selfish and utilitarian in its ways to enable progress and psycho-spiritual evolution had it not been for the pre-eminence of the celestial goddess. The graceful and supernal Venus dresses the scruffy-looking and unshaved Taurus in the manner that an affluent queen might dress a peasant lover in exquisite garments in order to pass him off as gentry. The latter is symbolic of the qualities of sensual love and is blessed by a holistic and integrated approach to life; she spends an awful lot of time procrastinating and prevaricating in order to satisfy her compendium of relationships and willingly compromises as to avoid altercations and war. In addition, Venus proceeds along a mode of being that is cultured, graceful, constructive, refined, resourceful and providentially productive; she is unconsciously programmed to preserve and celebrate the miracle of Life through art cleaved by spontaneous rebels and social misfits. These productive and benevolent energies diffuse into the psyche of the archetypal bull through a psychic conduit formed by fixed, earthy qualities indigenous to both. Venus operates through the ground and Taurus is always grounded, making the psychic transmission an autonomous and spontaneously-driven affair. Hence, Taurus can thank the Venusian powers for its inclination to seek gratification through the bodily senses, its inherent desire for serenity and physical contact, its occasional flippancy, its appreciation of music, and its conscientious attitude towards physical appearance and maintenance. Venus harnesses the soothing Taurean temperament.

In a nutshell the Taurean archetype strengthens the unconscious will through a self-disciplined and single-handed concentration of vital energies. There are innumerable virtues associated with this instinctual act, namely the capacity to commit, to persevere, and to take premeditated actions. This inevitably leads to an accumulation of material or spiritual assets, an inheritance that almost always rouses a concomitant Taurean propensity to nurture, to protect, and to hold onto things. Perhaps the latter is also its greatest detriment; when entrenched in the stability of its own habits for extended periods of time, Taurus can become painstakingly predictable and overindulgent, uninventive, inflexible, stubborn, and fiercely resistant to providential change. Resistance to change can be destructive, counteractive and soul-shattering for this sign. Nevertheless, the Taurean “soul” encompasses a potential rarely illumined in the other zodiacal beasts, one that can inevitably flower into an insoluble psychic force if it endears itself to versatility.

Like Aries, there are also two symbols associated with the zodiacal sign of Taurus. The first is a pictorial representation of the entire bull; the second, a shorthand version utilised by astrologers in the creation of horoscopes, is comprised of only the head and horns. The design of the glyph is not coincidental; there is an inherent meaning and understanding communicated through its fundamental shape. Head and horns allude to masculine differentiation and virility, but in a feminine context. Taurus is invariably mediated by the formative energies of the Venusian sphere, meaning that any sharp and proactive masculine qualities expressed by the Taurean archetype are softened and tamed considerably. While it may be a beast of insoluble strength and willpower, its susceptibility to domestication and enslavement to more evolved extensions of Mother Nature illuminates this eternal subordination to the Great Mother. The shorthand glyph resembles a larynx, a phenomenon reminiscent of the sign’s sovereignty over the throat region of the human being. As an implement of comprehension, the larynx offers a conduit into the sensory world of sound, music, and language, linking the realm of matter and physical senses with the immaterial world of mental forms and intellectual comprehension. In retrospect, the symbols fit the sign’s inherent nature like a glove.

Paul Kiritsis

#taurus #zodiac #astrology #esoteric #consciousness

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gallifreyandemigoddess · 6 years

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Listen, I have a lot of emotions about “The Burning Maze” and everything that unfolded in this particular book. It destroyed my soul in many ways, but it also gave me an immense amount of satisfaction and joy.

But, to start it off in the same way that I’ve started my other two posts about “The Hidden Oracle” and “The Dark Prophecy”, I will start with my favorite sun god, Lester Apollo.

I’m really happy with how profound his character development has become.

“All of this,” I announced, “is my fault.”

You can imagine how difficult this was for me to say. The words simply had not been in the vocabulary of Apollo.

We have this former Olympian who was used to having everything he could ever desire and who was arrogant and self-centered (though in the first book he admitted that his self-centeredness was a pretense, something to hide how lonely and heartbroken he actually was, more specifically on the twenty-seventh chapter, on page 258) I add the source to show that I’m not making shit up. And through the course of his trials he has, in a way, grown to accept his fate as a human.

He still laments his fate, and he still wishes he could become a god and leave all those problems behind, but he has grown to understand what it means to be a human, and to accept his emotions and to feel.

“In times past, I would have scoffed at any nymph who dared to call me poor thing. Now, Mellie’s show of concern caused a lump to form in my throat. I was tempted to rest my head on her shoulder and sob out my troubles.”

“Gods wouldn’t normally mourn the loss of a griffin, or a few dryads, or a single ecosystem. The longer I was mortal, the more affected I was by even the smallest loss.”

There are several parts where he is gentle to Meg and to Grover when they seem to be hurting. The Apollo from the first book would have never done that, he would’ve cared only about himself and his own feelings.

The few times he mentioned how much he missed being a god, he wasn’t thinking only about how he could simply pass his duty to the demigods and return to the safety of Olympus, he was also thinking about the lives he could’ve saved had he still been the god of healing.

This part, however, shows great depth because in the past (around the first book maybe), he wouldn’t have given the choice a second thought, he would’ve just left:

I wondered, if my own father, Zeus, appeared to me just then and offered me a way back to Olympus, what price would I be willing to pay? Would I leave Meg to her fate? Would I abandon the demigods and satyrs and dryads who had become my comrades? Would I forget about all the terrible things Zeus had done to me over the centuries and swallow my pride, just so I could regain my place in Olympus, knowing full well I would still be under Zeus’ thumb?

Also, the little fucker tried to sacrifice himself so many times in the story I was about to tear my hair out. I lost it when he actually impaled himself with the Arrow of Dodona, I was very, as the scientists call it, shooketh.

“Let my friends go,” I said. “All of them. Then you can have me.”

The emperor’s eyes gleamed like a strix’s. “And if I don’t?”

I summoned my courage and issued a threat I never could have imagined in my previous four thousand years of life. “Ill kill myself.”

On a familiar note, Apollo is starting to realize that perhaps Zeus had a valid reason for sending him down to Earth as a mortal, which shows more growth, because on the last books he had only seen his punishment as something unfair.

“I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Zeus had been right to send me to earth, to correct the wrongs I had allowed to happen.

Sassy Apollo is the best thing to happen:

“Girl, I see you- I felt like saying- You are not subtle, and we really need to have a talk about crushing on dryads.”

“Full points for vagueness, girl, but I want the dirt.”

Supporting (and charming) Apollo is also an amazing thing:

“Such a gorgeous blade held by the most beautiful woman ever to walk the earth. (No offense to the billions of other women out there who are also quite enchanting; I love you all.)”

Also, this part in which he was literally the Dad Friend?

“Meg!” I chided. “Sit back and buckle up, please. Grover, stop eating your seat belt. Your setting a bad example.”

Just imagine this scene please, “Meg summoned her golden swords. Grover fumbled for his reed pipes. I prepared to run away screaming.” because I pictured little Lester shifting uncomfortably on his spot as his friends prepared to fight like in a scene of The Avengers, and he just, he had nothing.

The time in which Meg was a straight up savage:

“Unbelievable,” I muttered. “After four thousand years, I am still discovering new things.”

“Like how dumb you are,” Meg volunteered.

“No.”

“So you already knew that?”

Caligula’s character.

Caligula wants to be the new fucking sun god, and his whole plan to extract what is left of Apollo’s divinity? Fucking twisted but at the same time so...I don’t know how to explain it. I hate his character and I would die if anything happened to Apollo (I’d be damned if by the end he doesn’t go back to being a god) but at the same time, that plan shocked me to my very core. Its unnerving and unsettling but it makes sense. He always wanted to be seen as a god.

On the past book, the second emperor revealed turned out to be a former lover of Apollo, but on this book, it is shown that Caligula’s personality startled the god since ancient times. I find it curious how he seems to have history with each emperor.

Finally, Caligula laughed. “Well done!” He patted my shoulder, then snapped his fingers. One of his servants shuffled forwards and handed me a heavy pouch of gold coins.

Caligula whispered in my ear, “I feel safer already.”

After that, I stayed away from Rome for decades. It was a rare man who could make a god nervous, but Caligula unsettled me. This particular part though, I could almost feel the sexual tension, and no one can convince me otherwise that this wasn’t Caligula flirting with the disguised Apollo.

Another thing I found really interesting is the explanation for when Apollo became the new sun god, and his words to Helios nearly at the end of the book:

“But I remember you- your brilliance, your warmth. I remember your friendship with the gods and the mortals of the earth. I can never be as great a sun deity as you were, but every day I try to honor your memory- to remember your best qualities.”

Now let’s move on, kids.

Let’s talk about Piper, Grover, and Jason for a moment.

I had forgotten how amazing Piper McLean was, specifically, how caring and sweet she is? She comforted Meg a lot of times thorough the book, and she was such a badass too? I love her? She’s the best? How could anyone hate her?

I also like how well she clicked with Apollo. It was cute.

Piper gave me a wry smile. “That’s nice. I like that. You’re sure you’re not the god of wisdom?”

“I applied for the job,” I said, “but they gave it to someone else. Something about inventing olives.” I rolled my eyes.

She burst out laughing, which made me feel as if a good strong wind had finally blown all the wildlife smoke out of California. I grinned in response. When was the last time I’d had such a positive exchange with an equal, a friend, a kindred soul? I could not recall.

I liked this too:

Piper arched her eyebrows. “Are you sensing a disturbance in the Force?”

“Please,” I muttered. “I’m sensing my usual bad luck.” Because RELATABLE.

Grover is still a sweet, dorky child. I like that we had more information about him as the book proceeded, specifically that he is yet to see Percy again (when will we have that reunion? I don’t know, but I need that to happen asap) and that he has never been to Camp Jupiter. All those months he had been in Palm Springs dealing with the natural disasters happening all around and with the disappearing dryads. It warmed my heart how he was so happy to go back to Camp Half-Blood, to his home.

I wasn’t expecting the news of Piper and Jason’s breakup, but I like that at least we got an explanation and that it was rational.

“You’re wondering who you are without all the pressure.”

Piper loves him, but their relationship had a wrong start.

Hera messed with their memories, made them start dating for a reason that did not exist. Her mother, the goddess of love, made her believe that she needed to have a boyfriend to be a proper daughter of Aphrodite. It’s only reasonable that after everything ended and they tried to settle down she’d realize that she doesn’t know where that leaves her. She needs time to decide who she is- not the daughter of Aphrodite, not as one of the Seven of the prophecy- as her own person.

And even when they’re not a couple anymore, they’re still partners.

It struck me how easily they talked together, even about difficult things, and how well they seemed to understand each other.

Jason Grace. This part is certainly harder to write.

Let’s start with nice things:

“I tried to talk sense into Zeus. I told him it was wrong to punish you. He wouldn’t listen.”

I stared at him blankly, whatever remained of my natural eloquence clogged in my throat. Jason Grace had done what?

Zeus had many children, which meant I had many half-brothers and half-sisters. Except for my twin, Artemis, I’d never felt close to any of them. Certainly, I’d never had a brother defend me in front of Father. My Olympian brethren were more likely to deflect Zeus’ fury by yelling Apollo did it!

This young demigod had stood up for me. He’d had no reason to do so. He barely knew me. Yet he’d risked his own life and faced the wrath of Zeus.

My first thought was to scream ARE YOU INSANE?

Then more appropriate words came to me: “Thank you.”

Jason took me by the shoulders- not out of anger, or in a clinging way, but as a brother. “Promise me one thing. Whatever happens, when you get back to Olympus, when you’re a god again, remember. Remember what it’s like to be human.”

A few weeks ago, I would’ve scoffed. Why would I want to remember this?

Now, however, I had some inkling of what Jason meant. I had learned a lot about human frailty and human strength. I felt…different towards mortals, having been one of them.

“I promise,” I told Jason.

I really loved that part. I think it defines exactly the kind of person that Jason Grace was.

All right, let’s move on.

His death. Jason Grace’s death.

I won’t describe the scene, out of respect, but I honestly think that (while he didn’t deserve to die) he died as a hero, and that it is the only thing that matters. He died to protect his friends- his brother and his ex-girlfriend- and he knew what would happen, he was ready for it. He made his choice. It hurts, of course it does, but he had a hero’s death.

Other parts I liked about the story:

How were heroes with accessibility needs supposed to enjoy this death trap?

Grover summoned the cry of Pan again.

You humans. You’re why we gods can’t have nice things. Are you sure, Apollo? Because I’m pretty sure that Percy Jackson could do a flawless PowerPoint presentation on how wrong you are.

That could be my life motto, I thought. He takes a lot of damage. Same, Apollo, same.

Imagine this scene, please, because it honestly gave me life:

Behind me, Grover wrestled with Coach Hedge, who was desperately trying to claw open a family fun pack of grenades while cursing the tamper-proof package. Apollo is trying to be diplomatic and remain calm while they’re being threatened to life, and behind him are two satyrs wrestling over opening or not a big pack of grenades.

The Ares-so-lame video that went viral in mount Olympus that Apollo was definitely not responsible for uploading.

I enjoy running people over in a chariot as much as the next deity, but I did not like the idea of being the guy run over. Honey, now you know how demigods feel.

Apparently, Hephaestus throws great pool parties.

If a goat wears a goatee, is it a man-tee?

Apollo’s bitterness towards his family: “The Olympians allowed Zeus to strip me of my powers and toss me to earth. They’ve done half Caligula’s job for him. They won’t interfere. As usual, they’ll expect heroes to set things right.” Tune down the salt, Apollo, not a month before that moment you were one of the gods that expected heroes to fix everything.

This quote: “It’s been my observation that you humans are more than the sum of your history. You can choose how much of your ancestry to embrace. You can overcome the expectations of your family and your society. What you cannot, and should never do, is try to be someone other than yourself.”

Mount Olympus Mega-God lottery.

The oracle’s riddles; the little game they had to solve to get to her.

The multiple mentions of Apollo’s love handles.

Imagine this, please: I still have nightmares about Hermes skating through Olympus with his big hair and gym shorts and high striped socks, listening to Donna Summer on his Walkman.

Carry him away! I prayed, knowing that no god would listen. Please, just let Tempest get him to safety. This part wrecked me. How pained everyone was to Jason’s death, how a former god knows that his kind never listen to those kinds of prayers because they don’t care.

The maze giving Apollo the middle finger.

Apollo’s imminent rage and heartbreak when the maze used Hyacinthus against him.

Apparently Camp Half-Blood has a satyr school for young satyrs that want to be protectors?

Very few people look as good in tights as Spider-Man. 100% agreed.

Who cared about Apollo? I DO, BITCH, I DO.

How Apollo thought of his family when he was under Medea’s spell. Of his parents, of his twin sister.

The heartbreak that came with Crest’s death. How much it affected Apollo. The poor thing was just a child, and he died to protect them.

REYNA AVILA RAMIREZ ARELLANO IS GOING TO APPEAR ON THE NEXT BOOK. YES. MY QUEEN.

How Jason wanted to fulfill the promise he made to the sea goddess he met with Percy all those months before.

Leo’s arrival broke my heart. He couldn’t say goodbye to Jason. I pictured Piper and Leo’s reunion a million times, but I never imagines that.

I found myself crying. It was ridiculous, gods don’t cry. But as I looked at Jason’s diorama in the seat next to me, all I could think about was that he would never get to see his carefully labeled plans finished. As I held my ukulele, I could only picture Crest playing his last chord with broken fingers.

This line: “I would not allow those who had sacrificed themselves to do so for nothing.”

And the ending: But from now on, I would be more than Lester. I would be more than an observer. I would be Apollo. And I would remember.

Everything that happened on this book has shaped Apollo, has made him more human. I think on the next book his promise of being more than an observer (or remembering) will come true- I think he will be stronger than before, because he wants to honor the memory of those that died for his cause.

I want to see Reyna interact with Meg and Apollo, but most of all, I’m kind of worried for Thalia Grace. She deserves to know what happened to Jason, but I know that it would break my heart. She could react in so many ways…It’s only going to be painful.

But I’m so ready for it! (NOT)

As a whole, I loved the book. I’m really looking forwards to “The Tyrant’s Tomb.”

#trials of apollo #trials of apollo the burning maze #toa #apollo #lester papadopoulos #my opinion as usual #meg mccaffrey #piper mclean #grover underwood #percy jackson #pjo #toa spoilers #trials of apollo spoilers #jason grace #reyna avila ramirez arellano #the burning maze spoilers #rick riordan #book review #Greek Mythology

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