#daughter of sparta (lysandra)

[charalysis]

Kratos

WARNING: RAGNAROK SPOILERS

Many folks know Kratos of "God of War", and many were confused and/or delighted by his character in the 2018 game. I however adore his development and will be describing what I see in his story and development as a character/person within the lore.

Starting off, Kratos was born to Callisto and sired by Zeus along with his little brother Deimos. From a young age, Kratos was already experiencing traumatic events that would shape his personality and temper, starting with the abduction of Deimos.

Zeus heard of a prophecy that said "a marked man" would kill him. Seeing his younger son's strange birthmark, he sent Ares and Athena to capture Deimos. Kratos attempted to save and protect his little brother, but was thrown into a wood pile by Ares, which gave him the scar over his right eye. Ares wanted to kill him, but Athena stopped him and apologized to Kratos.

This event left a huge mark on Kratos and he vowed to never falter again. His huge body tattoo is in honor of Deimos, as it is the same shape as Deimos's birthmark. However, as he aged, he would forget exactly what happened to his brother until after Ares's death.

Which brings us to the next part...

During his quest for the Ambrosia, Kratos was unknowingly chosen as Ares's champion in a competition among the gods for it. This would apparently be the beginning of worse trauma for Kratos, as his only intention was to get the Ambrosia to cure his sick daughter, Calliope, who would otherwise be killed by fellow Spartans. It was in this he was named Captain.

(It was also around here he met his future son's namesake, Atreus, whom he immensely respected and buried himself with full Spartan honors.)

Sometime later Kratos was named general and he was usually away from home, destroying all who opposed Sparta and his thirst for conquest and power grew with every victory. (Disclaimer: As much as I love Kratos, he was a HORRIFIC person in early life and in the original trilogy.)

While on these conquests, he was being overpowered by the Barbarian army and their king, who sought Kratos's death for his father's death. In a desperate attempt to get a leg up and win, Kratos called out to Ares and pledged himself to the god in exchange for power. Ares heard, accepted, and granted him the Blades of Chaos.

For awhile, Kratos served loyally, but losing whatever humanity he once had.

Ares sent Kratos eventually to attack and kill some of Athena's followers, however, in secret, the god of war transported Kratos's wife, Lysandra, and their daughter to the temple.

Kratos, in a blind rage, slaughtered everyone in the village and temple, ignoring the warnings of the village oracle. It wasn't until he looked around to check for anyone living that he saw his family, slain by his hand.

Ares's excuse was he wanted to mold Kratos into the "perfect warrior" by removing anything he was sentimental over. Stricken by grief, Kratos left his family's bodies to burn in the temple and renounced his allegiance to Ares. The oracle cursed him to wear the ashes of his dead family in his skin, a reminder of his horrific deeds. Thus was born the Ghost of Sparta.

During the events of the games, Kratos is subjected to a great deal of turmoil, hardship, and even further loss, being forced to kill his mother, watched his brother be crushed against a cliff side, and was repeatedly betrayed and used by other gods and the Titans.

Now, psychologically speaking, this all would be enough to drive a person over the edge and attempt to end their life, which the first game starts with. Kratos falling from a cliff to die.

It is all also enough to drive a person into a blind fury and crave justice. However, Kratos acts on vengeance rather than justice, and he cares very, very little who's in his way as he goes about trying to eliminate the gods who betrayed and used him. He will, and does, kill any who stand in his way, allies or no. He is a man possessed by grief, hurt, and anger.

The former of those emotions, though, are not explored until 2018's God of War.

By then, he is around 1,064 years old, 1,020 some odd years after the downfall of Olympus and it's pantheon at his hands. He's met and married Faye and had Atreus.

He is significantly calmer, though no less harsh. He does all he can to bury his past, going so far as to once try to get rid of the Blades of Chaos (which we learn left brands in his arms), but they apparently came back, as he says in Ragnarok.

Unfortunately, until Atreus is 11 years old, Kratos stays away from Faye and their son due to trying to control his anger better. Because of this, he struggles to connect with his son, mostly calling him "boy" throughout the 2018 game. It often seems as though he doesn't care about his son, being incredibly harsh and shutting down the kid's emotions, snapping regularly, and often implying Atreus isn't good enough.

However, we clearly see his love for Atreus in the moment Atreus is unconscious after the first solo confrontation with Modi. His son his dying and pale, very sick... He terrified for his little boy.

This is also where we see his PTSD around losing his first family rear its head. As he's on the lift to Freya's, he's breathing quickly and shallowly, and he even paces. Anxiety is visibly eating away at him, because if he loses his son, he's lost another child, and he cannot handle that.

Kratos seems reluctant to get close to Atreus for that very reason, but he cares deeply for his son, as he did for everyone he's loved. He destroyed gods in the name of his loved ones murders, even if it was he who made the blow (which he blames himself for anyway).

It would seem he is also reluctant to outright call people friends. The couple we see him outright refer to as such in Ragnarok is Brok and Freya, although he clearly cares about Mimir and Sindri too.

By Ragnarok, Kratos is a much softer man in comparison to who he used to be. He craves time with his son, opens up to Freya about his daughter, he's enforcing healthy boundaries with people, and by the end, he's expressing his emotions more openly. He's smiling a bit here and there, he's chuckling, and he's letting himself cry. He's finally healed somewhat from his traumatic past.

So, what are we taking from Kratos here?

What we see in his story, like him or not, is a man who was riding high, living a good life by his standards, and gaining power. We see this man making mistake after mistake, and suffering the consequences. We see him trying to control things out of his control, and losing more and more of his humanity as he digs himself deeper into the hole he's dug.

Kratos's tale is one about a man who seeks revenge, gets it tenfold, loses everything, and has to rebuild his life and himself from the beginning. He's put himself in a shitty situation and he has no one he can blame but himself by the 2018 release. He's got no one to be furious with besides himself...

This isn't even getting into his PTSD overall, or his self-loathing!

PTSD wise, he has severe anxiety over losing his child, as we mentioned earlier, however, such events make him recall Athena, thus calling back to his past when he last felt truly awful. He also has anxiety over being told to "just shut up and kill things", as told to him by Freya in Ragnarok while in Vanahiem. He then stated back to her that he is no ones tool and he would appreciate if she did not ever say that shit to him again.

His self hate presents itself in the 2018 game too, with the vision of Athena. "Athena" tells him he can't change and he's nothing but a monster. And he AGREES with her. He believes he's nothing good, and that's heartbreaking...

TL;DR: Kratos is an extremely damaged man with severe temper problems, but he eventually changed for the better.

#god of war #gow ragnarok #gow ragnarök spoilers #kratos #atreus #freya #god of war 2018 #god of war 2005 #deimos #character analysis #kratos critical #critical

[arleniansdoodles]

Hello there! First, let me say that your story idea is so amazing and well thought out! I am craving more content involving these characters and to see someone trying to address one of the biggest loose threads of the new God of War duology while also building up the worlds and letting the characters shine through? Astounding.

I did have an idea i wanted to run by you in this case. As we see in the games (and history) , the Nodic people have a tradition of their last names showing their parentage (prime example: Thrud Thorsdottir). I was wondering if Atreus, being Nordic and this never being brought up in the game, travels the realms stating he is Loki Kratosson (or even Laufeyson if he's either feeling a bit disheartened from his father's secret past that he kept from him or simply trying to be discreet and not let people recognize who his father is). Another thing that would absolutely shatter my soul (in a good way) is that after getting to the 8 realms and reconciling with Kratos, Calliope took up the surname Kratosdottir. It may not need to happen because you mentioned how strained their relationship is and fixing it will take a lot of work. I just thought it'd be a nice addition. Whenever you can, let me know your thoughts

Heyo! Thank you so much for your kind words!! <333 Even though I haven't finished the story yet (and I do have a writing update to share after this) I'm glad to hear you like the route I'm taking with it so far! :D

Interestingly (from my loose research), Loki in the Norse myths uses the name Laufeyjarson instead of taking after his father's name. From what I've heard, using a patronymic is the general custom, so Loki kinda stands out because of that. In the case of GoW, I'm honestly not sure which one he'd go with because he has a good relationship with both. I could see him using either name in different situations - for example, with the Giants, they might be more comfortable using the name of someone they've known and lived with, so they call him Laufeyson (like with Angrboda often referring to him as Loki instead of Atreus). To other Giants, he may be called Loki Faurbautison (using Kratos' Giant name), and to others in the Nine Realms in general, just Kratosson if they're not familiar with the Giants' name for him.

On the other hand, if Atreus were to interact with people in Greece, I think it'd be safer if he didn't use Kratos' name at all. From what I've seen, Ancient Greeks' surnames could include patronymics, occupations, descriptions of the person, etc. In my story, Calliope always introduces herself as "Calliope of Sparta," and Atreus is known as a Northman (or a northern barbarian to unkind folks). So I honestly think which surname they pick just depends on the situation ^^;;

As for what Calliope would pick, I think she'd stick with "Calliope of Sparta" for now. She may even refer to herself as "daughter of Lysandra" or "sister of Atreus," but it may take some time before she starts using Kratosdottir (or Faurbautisdottir to the Giants). I agree with you though, it would be a very nice addition to the story! Thank you for sending me your ask, it was lots of fun to think about <333

In addition, here's my update on the fic's status, if people are interested (and asking for my GoW followers' thoughts wrt to the fic):

Unfortunately, I believe I have officially burnt myself out on GoW T_T I haven't been able to write anything new for this fic since my last update, approximately - and I'm also back in university on top of working full-time. I thought I got my motivation back, but it went right down the drain soon after (and honestly, I think it's just how big the fic has gotten that's overwhelmed me, plus the expanded cast of characters, so I only have myself to blame for that loll)

So here's what I'm wondering: should I just post all the chapters I have now instead of waiting until I've finished the whole thing (which I don't know when will happen), so would y'all prefer that I stick to my original plan and wait? Chances are, if I start posting now, I might get the motivation to continue writing, but currently I can't say for sure.

#asks #kyoshisimp #god of war #god of war ragnarok #au #if the entire story was solely focus on atreus and calliope with a small cast #i think i would've been able to finish it a while back #like my sifu fic loll i busted that one out in two months #30-ish chapters with a main cast of six ppl #and they all don't get together until the final section of the fic #so i got to focus on the mc's interactions with each one and not get overwhelmed #siiigh writing is hard :''''') #atreus #calliope #kratos

[thegodsdemise]

Ragnarök Is Coming (Part Two)

as Atreus finished feeding Speki & Svanna; as well as tending to Fenrir; he would meet with his father -- to eat the rabbits and added deer that they gathered from the hunt.

But? something troubled the youthful archer in his 'spiffy' archer suit; as Heimdall labeled it.

Kratos: "Atreus, what troubles you? Speak plain."

Atreus: "I'm just thinking about mom, and why she kept secrets and what she wants for us to do on our journey. I've gotta find answers."

Kratos would listen with a gruff, as he was carving a whet stone with his leviathan axe.

Kratos: "Even if those answers lead to war with Asgard? Hmph, you do not know what your mother wanted. You will not find what you seek & you are NOT ready."

Atreus: "How do you know? Mother isn't the only one keeping secrets. What do you know?! How many gods have you killed? How did you get your 'answers'?"

Kratos: "I've done things to those who were deserving and those who were not. I've killed my father, and it's brought me no peace. This path you walk? It will not give you peace. I know."

The snow was falling heavily that cold wintered night, as the two finished their food; as Kratos rose to his feet and would follow behind Atreus to the cabin.

Kratos: "Inside, boy. To bed. We will speak of this no longer."

Kratos would set the axe by the foot of his bed at his disposal, in case Hel-walkers or Kol-Raiders or beasts disrupt their slumber. He would be ready to slay them.

As the two would shut their eyes, Kratos's nightmares still continued to haunt him; as Athena said they would for the rest of his days -- he dreamt of Lysandra and Calliope; as well as his next premonition being of his new wife Faye.

The one woman who made things make sense, who could reason with the brute; The one woman who calmed his rage that brewed inside of him. She helped him channel it.

As for the nightmare with his first wife & child? It was of that fateful night in Sparta; where Kratos was still under the blood oath and servitude to Lord Ares. the former God of War who coaxed him into burning down Athens and killing his wife & daughter. The ultimate betrayal.

The Spartan General would wake up frantically, breathing in and breathing out; letting out a scream that bellowed in the Midgardian forest.

He looked over and saw that Atreus wasn't in bed, but ventured out to find a proper burial for Fenrir; as he cast Fenrir's soul out of his already dying host.

Kratos retrieved Mimir, and would tether him to his hip and flung open his door with his blades sheathed to his back along with his leviathan axe and began to search high & wide for the young archer.

Kratos yelled out, "Atreus! Where are you! Answer me, boy!"

Kratos would face off with all manner of creature, the further he traveled through inches of snow; he lost one child and he will not lose one again. He would do anything for his son, as any parent would.

#god of war #god of war ragnarok #norse myth #kratos #part ii #gow mimir #gow thor #gow heimdall #gow kratos #gow freya #gow lysandra #gow calliope #gow athena #more to come #Spotify

[angyvalentine]

Reunited, at least for a while

Summary: "Leaving the center of the city behind him, he encouraged his steed to go at full gallop, at least for the short distance toward his home. He expected to see Lysandra in the garden with Calliope, perhaps the chaos of their arrival warned his wife of his incoming return. It was late in the afternoon, but surely his baby girl was still outside playing and enjoying the last rays of sun of the day before dinner.

Instead, nor Lysandra nor Calliope were anywhere to be seen."

------------

Ares is nowhere to be seen for now (shooooooo!), so here's some fluff (and a bit of angst of course) with Kratos and his first beloved family. I may add some fanart later, who knows!

Words count: 5.3k+

Pairing: Kratos x Lysandra

A/N: So - uhm- here we go again! It took me ages to finish it since I kept adding and rewriting stuff, not to speak about researches. Honestly? As much as I enjoyed GoW2018 (still waiting for Ragnarok on PC), I really think that Lysandra and Calliope deserve more love. Like, A LOT (that's why I'm quite glad I found artists like @bittybonbon and @the-shy-artisan, at least I've someone who can understand me lmao). They deserved to be happy. So here I am, writing stuff (hopefully decent one!) and drawing a lot about them (even if I'm slow like a sloth :°D) =w= I apologize for any mistake, English isn't my first language ;-;

Note: I know that during the games we mostly hear Calliope call Kratos "Father", but in the first game, in the final illusion, she calls him "Daddy" (even "papa" in the second novel). And giving her age in this piece, I prefer to stick with it.

A side note about Kratos: while we mostly know him as a cold man that actually let himself go in Ragnarok, we should remember a bit of details from the comics and Ascension too: beside the fact that he challenged the Gods to save his daughter, in the comics he touches Lysandra quite often - especially holding. What about Ascension? Beside the (in)famous illusion, we can see that he held his wife's hand when he collapsed after killing her and Calliope. The man loved physical contact with his beloved ones, prove me wrong.

Read it on AO3! - I'd love to know what you think about it :3

Another battle.

Another conquest.

Another victory.

Leading back his army toward Sparta, Kratos felt good.

That one had been a good raid. No losses, no one of his men injured. Their target surely hadn’t been a great village but the resources it had could have been useful for Sparta. Still, the lord of that pathetic town pleaded to be spared, they’d have accepted Sparta’s supremacy over them. Slavery in Spartans kitchens would have been way better than death by his soldiers’s hands - but if there was something that Kratos hated, it was cowardice. That old fool was dead even before finishing his pathetic pleas. That day, heads fell like leaves in that warm autumn.

Behind him, his soldiers rode exchanging brief chatters – some remembering particular victims, sadistically laughing at their fear shortly before their deaths, some others were way more eager to come back to their women.

Kratos tightened the grip on the sack he held in his fist, treasures and gems hidden in it. He wasn’t really interested in the spoils he took from the defeated’s treasure-houses, and he well knew that Lysandra had no lust for them either. She always told him she didn’t care for gems and jewels – she just wanted him to come back home to her. He would have left them in the hands of his superiors.

And yet… he found a ring. A ring with a blue stone – was that Azurite? Funny, since they considered it related to Athena - mounted into a silvery omega symbol. Lysandra often wore blue dresses, and that hue was nice on her pale skin and dark hair. When he saw her for the first time she was dancing in the middle of the Geronos, her body hidden by blue veils, and he thought she was somehow embraced by the waves of the sea. He was a warrior, but he could recognize ethereal elegance when it danced so clearly in front of his eyes.

Not to mention that they thought clear blue had the power to keep evil away. He wouldn’t have let anything in the whole world hurt his family, he was sure of it. But, well… the stone wouldn’t have done any harm. And the symbol was so related to who he was – war itself, death for his enemies. That ring was a perfect representation of their union – he deeply loved his wife, there was no doubt about that – and he held her close to his heart just like that silvery omega held the stone mounted. It was the only jewel he actually chose to keep, and it was safe in a pouch tied to his belt.

He wouldn’t have said it loud, but he was eager to see his family again. Maybe that fool Ajax would have had to wait to have his wife in his arms sooner that the day after (or maybe he wasn’t so willing to share her again like before?), but Kratos knew that his Lysandra was waiting for him, and him only. He internally smirked, already tasting her lips moulding against his own and the warmth of her body in his arms.

And of course, he wanted to see his little Calliope. She was growing so fast into an almost-carbon copy of her mother - she had Lysandra's sweetness and soft dark curls on her head. But her eyes – oh, her eyes are golden like his ones. So similar to the pure amber made from the Heliades’ tears.

When he left for that campaign she was still learning how to properly run, still a bit uncertain on her chubby short legs despite being barely two years old. She was a little bursting ball of energy, there was apparently nothing that could stop her from exploring and gaining little bits of independency, day by day – it was something that really made him proud of his daughter. And even if he was sorry to miss all of her earlier steps in life, he had duties as a Captain of Sparta’s army, may them be the daily trainings in the fields, or the campaigns that lasted months. He had had to wait until she was asleep to depart for that raid, because the poor thing had started crying her eyes out clinging to his leg at his first attempt to leave.

They were nearby the settlements little far from Sparta. He squeezed the horse’s sides between his legs and clicked his tongue, making it sprint at full speed and lifting clouds of dust. His soldiers quickly followed him, roars in the air that in the city were welcomed like fine music. In the distance, Kratos could see the crowd gathering to welcome back the victorious army. He could hear them praise him and his companions and send praises the deities who were watching over them, granting the valorous soldiers another victory. Instructors pointed at them to the younger boys, showing them how they should have become in the future – strong, fearless, ready to do anything to bring glory to their city.

He pulled the reins to make the horse slow down into a gentle trot, before stopping in front of the king who was waiting for them with the royal guard. Dismounting from his horse, he put down the sack and knelt in front of the king, offering him the spoils of the raid.

«You never fail to show the worth of your troops, Kratos.» The older man said, looking with proud at the captain and his soldiers behind him «Our city is grateful for the honour you brought us once again. May you all go to rest now, as tomorrow will bring us all another day to prove our worth.»

More praises were shouted from the crowd, and that felt good. And he was eager to conquer even more, to show that he and his companions could have bought even more glory to their city. As he mounted again on his horse, Kratos could see the women impatiently waiting for their husbands to rejoin them in the warmth of their homes. He dismissed his soldiers, whom didn’t waste a second to search for the respective wives. With a slight flick of his head he took leave to the king and gently nudged his horse with the heel of a foot to start his depart.

He totally ignored the whores who kept calling and inviting him in the brothel, unlike some of his men who didn’t have anyone that was waiting for them at home. The days when he took countless women to his bed were long gone and he was perfectly fine with it.

Leaving the center of the city behind him, he encouraged his steed to go at full gallop, at least for the short distance toward his home. He expected to see Lysandra in the garden with Calliope, perhaps the chaos of their arrival warned his wife of his incoming return. It was late in the afternoon, but surely his baby girl was still outside playing and enjoying the last rays of sun of the day before dinner.

Instead, nor Lysandra nor Calliope were anywhere to be seen. The door was closed just like the curtains on the windows. For a moment he thought he maybe missed them in the crowd, or maybe they didn’t come across on the road. But he could see smoke coming up from the chimney, he was sure they were both in there. Yanking the reins, he quickly dismounted and tied the horse to a big ring on the garden wall, rushing toward the door. Still no noises from inside, nor voices.

He hesitated for a moment, before gently pushing it open. The light inside was quite dim, with just the fireplace lit. Kratos was about to call for his wife, when he saw her silently padding out of Calliope’s bedroom, careful to quietly close the door. He had yet to see her face, but the posture itself suggested how exhausted she was – hopefully, only due to Calliope’s vivacity. But even the hair she normally kept down her back was tied in a messy bun, and he knew how much she liked to take care of her hair. She gasped when she noticed his hulking figure in the middle of the room, and froze for a moment. He didn’t get the chance to say anything before she walked to him, gently cupping his face in her hands.

«You are finally back, my love.» She murmured, rubbing her thumbs on his cheeks and searching for his amber eyes «Are you all right? You are not injured, are you?»

«I am fine, Lysandra.» He said, softly taking her hands and kissing her knuckles «But you…»

«I am fine as well, Kratos.» She quickly dismissed his worries, lowering her gaze. She leaned forward his chest, resting her forehead on his armor and letting out a sigh «Now that you are here, it will be better.»

Kratos rested his hands on her hips, his lips brushed on her hair while speaking. «Where is Calliope?»

Before his wife could actually answer him, rough coughs could be heard from their daughter’s bedroom. Lysandra tensed for a moment, then rushed to get a clean cloth from one of the cabinets and went back into the room.

Kratos followed her, stopping at the doorstep to watch her knelt at the side of the bed, where Calliope was resting nestled under a fleecy lamb’s-wool blanket. He heard Lysandra encouraging the child to spit on the cloth, before gently wiping her lips and moving some curls from her eyes.

«Your father is back, sweetie.» She murmured, moving to the side to reveal Kratos’s figure behind her.

Calliope looked at him with glassy eyes, unhappy that she didn’t have the strength to run into her father’s arms to welcome him back. After his depart, and countless weeping on Lysandra’s lap, she had just hoped to see him again as soon as possible -  her mother had explained her that he didn’t leave to his normal trainings, and Calliope wasn’t used not seeing him at home for such long time.

«Daddy…» her voice was broken from the soreness in her throat, and she moved a bit under the blanket as to reach for him.

Lysandra got up to move and make some room for Kratos, who took her place by their daughter’s side. He gently stroked her cheek, feeling Calliope’s hand grabbing his to keep him in place.

«How are you feeling, my child?» he spoke with a low voice, as if a louder tone could bother her.

«It hurts.» she whined, placing her other hand on her throat «I want to go out and play with you, daddy.»

«You will do. When you will feel better.» Kratos rubbed his thumb on her warm skin, softly scratching the nape under her curls. He waited until he saw her closing her eyes, before turning around to look at his wife behind him «How long has she been like this?»

«Almost a week, by now.» Lysandra replied with a tired sigh.

She took a couple of steps back, inviting him to follow her in the kitchen to let Calliope rest. Kratos leaned forward to kiss his daughter’s cheek before assuring to be back soon, and got up with a grunt from his chest.

When he reached Lysandra, she was busy boiling some water by the hearth. He could see how nervous she was, even just by the fact that she kept stirring the water with a wood spoon – and he perfectly knew why.

Lysandra was a strong woman, sweet and calm, and she deeply loved her family. She had loved their child from the very first moment the healer had told her she was pregnant – and he remembered how scared she was when the midwives told her the child was sick, meant to be brought to the council – meant to be killed, because she was ill, weak – and there was no place for weak ones in Sparta. She had collapsed from the birthing table, naked, dirty, in pain and unstable on her legs, demanding to see her newborn, begging her husband to do something even if she knew they couldn’t break the laws. She had almost cried when she saw her baby, how small and cute she was despite her flush skin being scarred with fistulas and red spots. But the worst was seeing the soldiers of the royal guard bursting into their home, demanding to surrender Calliope to them – Kratos even had tried to defend them both, his sword unsheathed and ready to fight anyone who would ever dare to lift a finger on their daughter. But they had taken her, cruelly tearing the crying baby away from her arms, despite giving Kratos the chance to find the ambrosia that could have cured her.

She had spent weeks alone waiting, trying to heal, praying that her husband could come back in time to save their little Calliope. It had been pure agony looking at the empty crib that Kratos had previously built for their child.

Nonetheless…

She had seen the young boy throwing her baby off the cliff on the mount Taygetos. And she thought she would have died of heartbreak in that moment, almost collapsing from relief when she had seen Kratos flying on the back of a Roc with their baby, safe and still alive, in his arms.

For many nights after that day, Kratos had woken up in the middle of the night feeling her side of the bed barely warm. He knew that Lysandra had to get up to breastfeed Calliope, but she always took too long to come back to him. And after a couple of nights, he had discovered why – he always had found her on a chair in Calliope’s bedroom, the baby soundly asleep in her arms under her mother’s gaze. It was like she wasn’t aware of his presence, her gaze empty despite being fixed on her child. She didn’t even care to cover her breast, letting Calliope sleep with her face pressed on it – and he always knelt by her side, softly inviting her to come back to their bed.

«She is safe now, Lysandra.» Was what he always told her, gently brushing his wife’s cheek with his index finger «Nothing will hurt her ever again.»

«She will heal, Lysandra.» He said, holding her shoulders in his big hands «You know that no one will take her ever again.»

What a deja-vu. It was like she was stuck in those moments, her mind trapped in those nights she spent holding the newborn in her arms, fearing she might suddenly disappear once again.

«I know.» She lifted her chin, blinking her eyelids to stop those frustrated tears «I know, Kratos. Bad colds like this can happen, and she is a strong child. It is just… sometimes bad memories come back when I less expect them. Not much Spartan-ish for the wife of the greatest Captain of the city, am I right?» she let out a humourless chuckle, slightly turning her head to look at him.

He sniggered, mumbling in her hair «Indeed. But I would not want you any different.»

She sighed with a smile on her lips, before pointing at a jar on a shelf nearby «Would you mind passing it to me, please? The healer suggested me to brew linden tea for Calliope, it should help her healing faster.»

Kratos did as he was told, observing his wife pouring the boiling water in a cup. There was something familiar in that act, something that was buried in his childhood memories. Memories of a long lost past, when there were just him, Deimos, and their mother Callisto.

«Linseeds.» he said, getting a perplexed look from the woman in front of him «My mother always prepared linseed poultice for my brother, when he was sick. It should be useful as well.»

He rushed out of the door before Lysandra could ask him to go get some. She heard him spur his steed, its hoofs loud on the stone path. Collecting the cup she just prepared for Calliope, she cautiously walked back into the bedroom just to find her daughter looking at her.

«Where is daddy?» she immediately asked, fearing he could have left again without a goodbye.

«He just went to get something good for your health, sweetie. He will be back soon.» Lysandra helped her getting sit, bringing the cup near her pouted lips «There, your tea. Sweet like you.»

The little girl sipped slowly, her tiny hands on her mother’s ones. She coughed a couple of times, yet she was pleased to feel her throat and tummy warming up thanks to the beverage. She gladly accepted the spoon of honey that Lysandra was handing out to her, swallowing it in a single gulp.

Lysandra wrapped the cup in a cloth, so Calliope wouldn’t get her hands burned, and got up to retrieve a big, soft towel –the one she used for Calliope when she would take baths. While the communal baths were built right adjacent to the gymnasia, ready for everyone to enjoy vapor baths, they recreated a smaller one in their own bathroom. A smaller fireplace warmed up the room, bowls of water could be used with essential oils. And such treatment was something the healer suggested Lysandra to try on Calliope – peppermint would have helped her breathing better, as well the warm steam in the room. It was a short ritual, yet a nice one for both of them.

She was about to take her child to the bathroom, when they both heard Kratos coming back from the city. He dropped a bag full of linseeds on the kitchen table and reached the hearth, to check if there was still enough water in the pot. She noticed that, after all of that, he was still clad in his battle armour – and looking for a moment at her daughter, she suggested him to take the bath with their little girl. She knew Calliope wanted to spend as much time as possible with her father, even in her poor condition. Said child quietly waited near the fireplace while Lysandra helped Kratos unfastening his cuirass, the belt left already on the floor.

The armour was heavy in her hands, still dirty from the battle and the travels, but Kratos quickly dismissed her concerns – he would have cleaned it later. She left it on its stand, collecting the belt as well to place it on the shoulder of the cuirass. That’s when she noticed the pouch tied on it, and she shot him a puzzled look – it was quite unusual for him to keep stuff from his raids, but her husband was giving her his back, bended to pick up Calliope who didn’t waste a second to hug his neck and nuzzle her face on it.

He carefully sat in the tub holding his daughter close to his chest, before placing her on his lap. Kneeling beside them, Lysandra used her own headband to tie Calliope’s hair so to keep it dry, and thankfully the child let her do the job – in contrast to when she was way healthier, and loved to play with her mother in the water.

«You know what the healer said, Calliope.» Lysandra said, placing two towels near the fireplace to warm them up, as well the bowl with water and essential oils «Breath deeply, sweetie.»

The warmth in the room was making the child a little drowsy. She tried to find a more comfortable position on her father’s lap, still doing as her mother instructed. She looked so small on Kratos’s chest, even compared to his hand that was slowly rubbing her back up and down.

Even if Lysandra knew how much Kratos loved their daughter, it still almost brought her to joyful tears how such a hulking, bloodthirst warrior could be also so sweet and gentle with his baby girl. He never cared that his wife didn’t give birth to a boy, when the city itself hoped for more young, strong warriors for its army – he had loved Calliope from the very beginning. He had even challenged the gods themselves to save her, got his hands dirty with blood, even Spartan blood, to accomplish his mission. And here he was, tired after his return from war campaign, humming the same lullaby she so often sang to her newborn, with the now grow up child almost asleep on his chest. Lysandra focused on the scene in front of her, trying to imprint it on her mind – the gentle lapping of the water in the tub, the crackling of the fire, and their little family finally together. She sadly knew that would have been a rare occasion.

When Calliope started coughing again, she quickly put a cloth near her mouth while Kratos tapped – careful to limit his strength – her back. Throwing the rag away, Lysandra wrapped her in the warm towel, sitting near the fireplace to dry her and change her into a fresh tunic, while her husband finished to wash himself. Smirking to himself, he was well aware that Lysandra wouldn’t have welcomed him between the sheets if he was still dirty and smelly of blood and dust.

«Take your time.» she said, picking up the child and walking toward the door «I have yet to prepare dinner.»

«Daddy told me we can have bawley cakes.» Calliope looked briefly at her father in the tub and then at her mother, hope shining in her amber eyes «With honey.».

«Oh? He said he wants the barley ones?» Lysandra gave her an amused look, correcting her «Does he want to eat all of your honey too?»

«Not all, no.» she hid her face in her mother’s neck «I need it too.»

«But your father is such a big man, he needs to eat a lot, sweetie.» she raised an eyebrow, looking at Kratos who decided to play along.

«Your mother is right, Calliope.» he said, an unusual light tone in his voice «I need to eat a lot to stay this big and strong, and to protect both of you.»

«No need!» she squeaked, horrified at the though of losing all of her precious honey. Not even the cough stopped her «Mom is strong too. You can have two spoons of honey.»

«Two only?».

«Two.» she showed him just her index finger. Seeing her father raising an eyebrow, as if he was waiting for something more – inviting her to think – she added the thumb too.

Lysandra laughed heartfully, kissing her cheek and bringing her out, closing the door behind them to keep the room warm. They went back to Calliope’s room, where her mother made her lie on her bed while she’d busy herself in preparing the linseeds. It didn’t take her long and, when the seeds were ready, she carefully wrapped them in a linen cloth and placed it on Calliope’s chest. It was a new thing for her, it felt strange at first and she played with the jelly feeling inside the compress, moving the seeds around the cloth. She barely lift her head when she heard Kratos getting out of the bathroom, warm steam lifting from his heated skin, and peeped both of her parents sharing a hug – oh well, it was her dad hugging her mother, his arms were so massive that she could barely see Lysandra’s frame. A hand of hers lifted to caress his arm and they stayed there, in silence.

When Kratos was home, her mother was happier – she was a child, but she could see the difference. It was as if his presence could soothe Lysandra’s soul. She of course was happy as well, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her daddy. She wanted to attend festivals with both her parents and clap her hands while both her and her father would watch Lysandra dancing with the other girls in the ritual dances. A new fit of coughs stopped her thoughts, and she saw Kratos getting closer to her. She spat again in the cloth he put under her mouth – she was so tired of that disgusting thing! – and grabbed his hand to keep him close. He sat on the floor, his features relaxed while looking at his daughter.

«I love you, daddy.» she smiled under the blanket, holding his hand in both of her ones and rubbing her cheek against it.

«Me as well, little one.» a rare smile lifted a corner of his mouth «Your mother and you are the reason I keep fighting. To keep both of you safe.».

----

The silence was very comfortable while they dined. The bread was freshly-baked, the barley soup warmed their tummies, and Calliope got to have her much-loved barley cakes. She watched carefully as Kratos made a show of getting a third spoon of honey, smirking while helping himself.

«You said two.» she mumbled, counting on her fingers and showing him thumb and index ones.

«You said two, Calliope.» he replied with a smile, the spoon still over the jar «Not me.»

The child was left speechless, while she considered in silence his answer. He could almost see the gears in her brain processing the whole scene, and she showed him again the fingers.

«Two. Mom said it will help me grow big and strong.».

«It will indeed, yes.»

«So I need to eat it.» she looked at her dish, where she had some leftovers of the barley soup, and pieces of her portion of cake. She took one of those, passing it to her father «You can have this.»

Kratos let the spoon fall into the jar, gently pushing back her hand with a smile «Worry not, little one. I am fine right now, enjoy your cake and honey.».

Lysandra looked at her child with a faint smile on her lips. Despite being so adamant about not giving more honey than necessary, she was still willing to share something she loved as much. Seeing her husband poking his daughter's nose to remove crumbles and honey, she knew that she needed to hold those moments close to her heart, for times when darkness would have threated to stick her mind in horrible memories.

---

It took a fair amount of time to put Calliope to bed. She was so happy to have her father home that sleeping was almost a waste of time, for her. Kratos had to promise again and again that he’d have cooked tiganites – like, a lot of tiganites – for her breakfast, and that he would have spent the whole day with her, playing or riding his horse in the fields. She held close her rag doll while Kratos bended to kiss her forehead and bid her goodnight.

Just before reaching Lysandra in their bedroom, he remembered the pouch still tied to his armour belt. He retrieved it, opening the lace and letting the ring fall onto his palm. The blue stone shined with the fire of the hearth, and Kratos took a moment to stare at it. It was perfect for his wife.

He closed his fist, hiding it, and turned around toward the room where Lysandra was waiting for him. He found her at her small toilet, busy detangling her hair before getting to bed. The light chiton she used to sleep left half of her back completely bare, much for his pleasure. She met his gaze in the mirror, smirking at his reflection.

«Seeing something you like?» she said, getting up with calculated movements.

She was his personal siren, the most beautiful creature he ever met in the whole wide world – and she was his, and his only.

He sat on the bed, grabbing her waist when she got within his reach. She felt there was something hard between her side and his palm, yet she got distracted when he started dragging her down with him, forcing her to quickly grasping on his shoulders for support. She stared down at her husband, he was looking at her with such intensity that it was like he was trying to pry into her soul. She felt one of his hands rubbing her back up and down, and she was surprised he didn’t even try to squeeze her rear.

«Under other circumstances, I would have loved you all night long.» he murmured, moving her hair from her eyes «But you need to rest. I’ll take care of Calliope if she’ll need anything.»

«Are you sure?» slowly, Lysandra laid down on his side, her head on his chest while she traced the crimson tattoo on his pec with a finger «You just came back from war.»

«The worst one was inside here.» Kratos gently poked her forehead, cradling her in a protective hug «I am not that blind that I will not admit it.».

She hid a smile against his skin, circling his torso – at least, trying to - to hug him. She was glad to have another proof that, under the brutish façade, there was a man that was trying to be considerate as well. Peeping at his face, she saw how uncharacteristically his features were relaxed, no trace of his usual scowl.

They stayed in silence for a while, and Kratos thought that Lysandra was collapsed from exhaustion, before hearing her voice again.

«Will you tell me what are you hiding in your fist?» she murmured, lifting her gaze to meet his one.

Kratos moved his hand from under the pillow, looking for a moment at his closed fist before searching for his wife’s hand with his free one. Lysandra let him move her arm, until he brought her hand in front of his face. Carefully, he put the jewel on her ring finger and waited for her reaction. And by the lack of any comment, he knew she was pretty much surprised. She was looking at the ring, examining it carefully – especially the omega symbol. But the fact that she was smiling was a good thing, he thought.

«Did it remind you of us?» she asked, leaning toward him to kiss his jaw.

He hummed in response, tightening his hold on her side. When he heard her chuckling he lowered his gaze on her, perplexed.

«It’s just funny how much you’re devoted to the rules of our kings, yet we broke so many of them just with our marriage.» she said, caressing his chest «You didn’t make me cut my hair.»

«You did. A bit.» he retorted, staring at the ceiling – he knew how right she was.

«I should have cut it short. I just cut it less than a span.»

«But you loved your long hair. It suited you better.»

«Do you remember what you told me during our wedding night?»

«… “let us do it again”.»

«What? Not that!» she playfully hit his chest, her cheeks turning crimson while he snickered at her expenses.

«I told you I wanted to see the sunrise with you. And we did so.»

«… Indeed. Instead of dropping me home and hurrying back to the barracks.»

Again, he knew she was absolutely right. But loving her that night had filled the emptiness he had felt inside himself for such a long time, he wouldn’t have even hoped to find some relief from it. No amount of battles, nor sex with random women could satisfy him anymore. Theirs, instead, had been pure harmony of bodies and souls. Of course, once found, he didn’t want to let her go.

Strangely, it was hard for him to say it loud. He just hoped Lysandra could actually feel how sincere his love for her was.

Kratos squeezed her in a hug, pressing his lips in her hair.

«Sleep now. Or morning will come before we know it.» he mumbled, holding her close.

Lysandra smiled again, finding a comfortable position pressed on her husband’s side and hiding a yawn against his pec. She finally felt safe, able to enjoy a nice night of sleep, knowing that he was watching over them both. That at least for a while, their family was finally reunited.

#god of war #god of war fanfic #kratos #kratos & calliope #kratos x lysandra #lysandra #lysandra god of war #calliope #calliope god of war #kratos was a good dad ages before atreus #if only ares would have minded his f*cking businesses

[the-shy-artisan]

@angyvalentine​

okay, now you’re hurting me lmaooo

And it’s all good! Actually this is helping me build up his backstory/character more! :D I don’t get a chance to brainstorm like this too often ;;

So here’s more lore! Prepare for angst:

I think it would hurt him more to hear Calliope pour her heart out; saying how much she misses her father and how she wishes he never went to war. Though seeing Lysandra panic and try to shield her daughter from him would probably hurt just as much.

I'd like to imagine an interaction like this (might need to draw it at some point now a;skdljsfd):

Beastos has a habit of hiding in the hills and mountains that surround Sparta, to watch his family from afar.

And maybe, just maybe, Calliope notices movement and sneaks out of the house to investigate.

Upon their first meeting, she's frightened by the beast, but she eventually relaxes when she notices he doesn't attack.

She's further calmed by the sight of his markings-- she tells him that her father "had a stripe like that"-- and his eyes. Something about his eyes made him feel familiar.

Beastos, knowing exactly who Calliope is, crouches down to make himself smaller. He curls around her and moves slowly, careful not to knock her down with his weight.

Calliope shakily reaches out to touch his nose, which Beastos leans into.

She grows more confident, curls into his mane, and does whatever small child does when interacting with animal: pours her heart out to him.

She speaks of her father, how she misses him. How the war was stupid, and why the gods couldn't just send her father home.

And it destroys him.

#paige chatter #beast!kratos

[yugiohcardsdaily]

SO I was trying to say something with this, but I never got it out all the way and I've lost my motivation to work on it. Still, I'm posting it in its incomplete state. Sorry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Related to my last God of War post, I think there's some important things to acknowledge in regards to the storytelling across the entire God of War franchise. It's like, what, 15-20 years old? Or at least around that age at this point. The way narratives in games were told in 2005 and the way they are told now are different. The way characters are allowed to express themselves has changed, too.

In 2005, it was more common and acceptable for a male protagonist to have his wife and/or child threatened and/or killed as motivation for his quest. Kratos's story is also largely inspired by that of Heracles, better known by his Roman name of Hercules. God-induced rage/bloodlust led him to murder his wife and child, which leads him to be indebted to a god in an attempt to atone for his sins, though for Kratos it was multiple gods and he was more driven by a need for vengeance than pure atonement.

In the main Greek Era God of War trilogy, Lysandra and Calliope are less characters and more plot devices, because that's all they needed to be. The story was about Kratos killing Ares, and then killing Zeus and any god or being that stood in the way of that. Typical hack-and-slash platformers with over-the-top gory kill animations, scantily clad ladies, and a raging, overpowered vengeful hero with a tragic backstory. That isn't to say there wasn't decent storytelling at certain parts. That part is at its strongest in III, in my opinion.

The other three games of Greek Era God of War (Ascension, Chains of Olympus, and Ghost of Sparta) provide glimpses into a life before Kratos made that big mistake in a moment of weakness. I mentioned this in that post about Lysandra. Ascension shows us a couple of interactions with Kratos and his wife and daughter, and although these are illusions created/performed by the Furies, he isn't fully aware of this in the moments he's caught in them, so his behavior is genuine. He is an affectionate father and husband and expresses this mostly through touch and action more than words. It's worth noting the necklace and ring he uses to ground himself belonged to his daughter and wife, respectively, gifts he gave them if their descriptions as "spoils of war" are to be believed. These expressions of love are seen again in Chains of Olympus with the real Calliope, though words would've been helpful in explaining to Calliope why he had to betray his word and leave her when he just promised he'd never leave her again. If he stayed, Persephone would have gladly made the sacrifice meaningless as she used Atlas to destroy all of existence, so to save Calliope, he had to hurt her. The game even forces you to push her away, which is probably the only time (minus when he unknowingly killed her, of course) he ever physically harmed her in her entire existence. And in flashbacks, we see another act of love in that Kratos is the one who made Calliope's flute himself. That she has it in Elysium, in death, gives weight to how much it means to her, and I'd like to think she eventually understands her father's actions and forgives him for breaking his promise, perhaps by the time she reappears in III alongside her mother in Kratos's psyche to lead him to forgive himself.

Before I turn to Ghost of Sparta and focus on his relationship with his mother and brother, I want to point out when Ascension and Chains of Olympus came out, since I mentioned the original God of War of 2005 was kind of a product of its time. Prior to the Nordic Era games, Ascension was the last GoW game created, releasing in 2013. Chains of Olympus came out in 2008. I think it shows the writers were trying to prove, even only three years after the original game, that there was more to Kratos than we speculated, that he wasn't just a violent avenger with a typical tragic backstory, but a genuinely good father, and they tried to make his daughter more than a simple plot device driving his actions in life. This is extended in Ascension, but surprisingly less so despite how much later it came out. It might've been nice if Lysandra got a name-drop in either of these titles or the main trilogy, too, but I digress. (At least those manipulating him and writing him know he loves her enough that she'd be at important events in his life, like with the King of Sparta...)

Something that never changes about Kratos's character is how much his family means to him, which we see stems from having lost his in childhood in Ghost of Sparta. His brother Deimos was taken from him when he was too young and weak to really do anything to stop it. His mother disappears from his life and ends up in Atlantis in her old age somehow, but regardless of that, life for a Spartan boy wouldn't really allow him to remain with her, anyway.

[to be continued, maybe, someday...]

#not duel monsters #god of war #long post //

[kraptos]

Hi! It's me again! Also; really curious how AOS would have acted differently if Atreus had been a girl instead. Considering AOS' background/pipedream, it's obviously that he found it alot easier to rear a son, especially when he's raised in Sparta's customs.

But a daughter? Hmm- nah I think he'll be decent step-father about it…until said daughter hits their first period- AOS would be utterly clueless yet unhelpful in this situation xD

I like to imainge Kratos knows how period works considering his years spent with Faye (or he learnt it from his mother or Lysandra) because he drinks "respect women" juice >;D

You should drink it too AOS >:0

hi! this is a really interesting question! i think you’re right that AOS is certainly more comfortable raising a boy than a girl. thanks to Sparta, other boys and men are pretty much all he knows. he was raised almost entirely by his mother before he was taken by the state, so he definitely appreciates and respects women. he just struggles with kratos marrying people who aren't him. 😔

but i think he’d end up being just as good of a step-parent if Atreus had been a girl!

#ask #kratioed #ty for the ask!

[storiedhistories]

@ichoric asked: “what have you done to yourself?” Melinoe @ kratos

More Random Dialogue Prompts // Accepting

He was covered in blood, his wife and daughter dead at his feet.  Blades dropped from nerveless fingers as Kratos let out an anguished cry, finally shocked out of his bloodlust. They weren't supposed to BE here; they were supposed to be home, safe in Sparta.

"How could you, Kratos?" Lysandra asked him, dead eyes staring up at him, even as her blood soaked the ground beneath his feet.  "Your own wife...., your own daughter...., did we mean nothing to you?  Was your ambition worth my life?  Worth Calliope's?"

And now his eyes went to the body of his child, taken from this world too soon, at the hands of the one person who should have protected her.

As he saw Calliope lying on the ground, he heard another voice break into his nightmare, the same nightmare he'd had more times than he could count.

"What have you done to yourself?" the voice asked, even as Kratos jerked out of sleep, upright in seconds, weapon in hand as he searched for the intruder.

It was only as he lowered the blades that he realized he had cut himself in the midst of his nightmare.  He stood, mvoing wordlessly across the room to bandage the injury to his leg, more than used to this sort of thing by now.

"It's nothing," was all he said, knowing that she would know there was more to what had happened than his words suggested.  The vision had likely come from her, after all.

#ichoric #✦ Kratos || Answered ✦ A choice from the gods is as useless as the gods themselves #✦ Kratos || IC ✦ I am your monster no longer #blood tw #death tw #murder tw #self harm tw #[ish; just in case] #[this got DARK! definitely let me know if it doesn't work or you'd like something else!] #[kinda feels like it's before he got too far north] #[so probably between some games] #[definitely let me know if you need more too!]

[ofluckandmagic]

OFLUCKANDMAGIC AUs: A Brief Guide

Eydis Huldrakin

————————————

🍀Of Luck and Magic🍀

Standard, post Ragnarök au/universe. Closest to canon you can get. Typically the au I use most.

Tagged #ofluckandmagic verse

🍀Heart of a Huldra🍀

Everything’s the same except Huldra means Dragon. Sindri, Brok, and by extension Eydis are all dragons who take the forms of dwarves. They eat raw metal.

Tagged as #heartofahuldra verse

🍀Lucky Trickster🍀

Roleswap sort of au where Eydis swaps with Atreus in term of Role as Loki. Least used au, but fun. Still working out details.

Tagged as #luckytrickster verse

🍀Of Luck and Alchemy🍀

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood AU, in which Eydis is an automail engineer striving to make a name for themselves in Rush Valley

Tagged as #ofluckandalchemy verse

Sable Kestis

———————————

☀️RememberTheFallen☀️

post-Fallen Order, somewhere during Jedi Survivor, in which Sable, under the Alias Lady Blanc, runs a rebellion known as the Supernova Cluster, a group that is known to throw wrenches into the empires’ oppressive rule, while Sable helps run a refugee camp on the side in her desperate search to find her younger brother, Cal, who she only recently learned was alive.

Forget-Me-Not

FNAF AU. Sable is a, quite frankly, exhausted Mechanic who works for Fazbear Entertainment. She has a fondness for the animatronics due to childhood attachments. Somewhere along the road she found herself working night shifts at the Pizzaplex. Canon compliant,

Tagged as #Forget-Me-Not verse

Ryune Clawthorne-Whispers

———————————

🪶The Archivist🪶

Simply put: in which Ryune is an Archivist and the Collector’s older sibling. They were banished to the boiling isles a long time ago after a disagreement with the other Archivists about the Titan War and stripped of most of their powers.

🪶Midnight Feather🪶

In which Ryune takes the role of the Vigilante, The Midnight Feather, in a desperate attempt to dethrone Belos. Dark secrets are uncovered as they attempt to hide their identity from the world.

Tagged as #themidnightfeather-verse

🪶For the Watching and the Dreaming🪶

Post Watching and Dreaming, Ryune does self discovery, and learns important truths about what it means to be a Clawthorne and a Whispers.

Tagged as #forthewatchinganddreaming-verse

🪶Together We Stand Divided We Fall🪶

Post s2 finale, separated from their family, Ryune learns to live in the human realm with the Hexsquad. Something dark is blooming in Gravesfeild…

Tagged as #togetherwestanddividedwefall-verse.

🪶Birds of a Feather, Fly Together🪶

Formerly ‘Like mother like daughter,’ Birds of a Feather Fly Together is the owl beast ! Ryune au.

Tagged as #birdsofafeatherflytogether-verse

Calliope ‘Diana’ of Sparta

———————————

🦌Home is Where the Hart is🦌

In which Calliope is brought back by Artemis in order to join the hunt, gets betrayed by Artemis, and ultimately takes Artemis’ role as goddess of the hunt. She serves as the Roman goddess Diana in the Roman Empire takeover of Sparta. Later, she finds herself looking for her father.

Tagged as #homeiswherethehartis verse

🦌Calliope’s Calling🦌

Similar to, Home is where the Hart is, Calliope’s calling follows Calliope in search of her father, Kratos, and her journey across the Nine Realms to do so. Alongside her discovery of what it means to be herself.

Tagged as #Calliope’s Calling verse

🦌Faye’s Blessing🦌

Au in which Faye fled Jotunheim as a young adult, before her time as Laufey the Just, changed her name to Lysandra and ultimately had calliope as her firstborn. Essentially the calliope is ‘Helblindi’ au.

Tagged as #Faye’sBlessing verse

#au guide #rhythm rants #eydis huldrakin #ofluckandmagic verse #heartofahuldra verse #luckytrickster verse #god of war oc #jedi fallen order oc #the owl house oc

[ao3feed-deckerstar]

In the Land of Gods and Monsters

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/XrJqpu8

by ImaHexGirl

A father gave away a child to protect her. A father would gain another daughter only for her to be cruelly snatched from him.

For the first nineteen years of her, Asher Morningstar had everything she wanted. She was content in her life. Asher had her father, future stepmother, and a promising career as a journalist. But underneath all that, Asher felt she was missing something. For the past few months, she had dreams of another life. Searching for answers, Asher finds in Greece where she finds an answer she isn't sure she wants to answer.

Words: 805, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: God of War (Video Games), Lucifer (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Chloe Decker, Azrael (Lucifer TV), Mazikeen (Lucifer TV), Trixie Espinoza, Amenadiel (Lucifer TV), Mother of Angels | Charlotte Richards, Atreus of Sparta (God of War), Atreus (God of War), Kratos (God of War), Freya (God of War), Faye (God of War), Sindri (God of War), Brok (God of War), Calliope (God of War), Lysandra (God of War), Callisto (God of War)

Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Freyr/Kratos (God of War)

Additional Tags: Nephilim, Jewish Character, Father-Daughter Relationship, Female Jewish Character, Angst with a Happy Ending, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Protective Kratos (God of War), questionable parenting, Angel/Demon Relationship, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Protective Siblings, Deaf Character

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/XrJqpu8

#deckerstar fanfiction #lucifer fanfiction #lucifer morningstar #chloe decker #IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic

[kazieka]

blessed

for @farore5! happy birthday i’m sorry this isn’t longer!!

He remembers his daughter’s birth.

Some millennia ago, a bright and searing morning, she had come squalling into the world. The midwife had borne her from the birthing room, saying she is strong, she is healthy, your wife is well, what will her name be?

He had clutched her to his chest and she had been so small in his hands, swaddled in linen, still gleaming with womb water and blood, howling like a storm, and he’d been so proud. He had named her then and there, Calliope, his little warrior. He had brought her from the house and held her aloft, roaring for the whole camp to hear.

“BEHOLD, MY DAUGHTER! CALLIOPE!”

And the army had roared back, shaking spears and raising shields high, and Calliope shrieked at the burning Spartan sun. He had been dazed with pride. He lied in Lysandra’s bed, Calliope tucked between them, and while his wife slept he had traced every line of her unimaginably small form. She’d screw up her face and start to wail, and Lysandra would wake and feed her, and he pressed lightheaded kisses to both their foreheads. Murmuring words of joy and disbelief and prayer. He still prayed, back in those days.

When her teeth came in he would carve little rods of wood and wrapped them in soft leather, and later, for their own amusement, he’d let her chew his fingers and howl in mock pain. They would laugh, his wife and his infant daughter, and for those fleeting moments between battles and war and bloodshed, he could believe that the gods had blessed him.

Calliope took her first steps after him. A skirmish in the south had grown into something else. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he must, he told his wife. She had frowned a little, but she pressed a kiss to his forehead and gave him her blessing. Calliope, on the other hand, could not be so easily convinced. She crawled to the doorstep and put out her little face in a pout, and she shouted after him. “Baba!” she wailed. Oh, it pulled at his heart. He’d scooped her up, promised her presents and sweets, promised he wouldn’t be away long, promised that the gods would deliver him home again safely.

She hadn’t been terribly impressed. When he set her back down by his wife’s holy side, she’d taken up wailing again. “Baba,” she cried, fat tears welling up in her big brown eyes. “Baba, no!”

Then she’d taken hold of Lysandra’s dress and tugged, then pulled, then with careful intent, her little brow furrowed in concentration, she’d hauled herself up and taken four deliberate, wobbly steps after him before she toppled down again. His wife had beamed like the burning sun. So had he.

-

His son had a different sort of father.

Atreus was even smaller when he was born. There was no midwife to bring him. No army ready to greet him into the world. It had only been him and Faye and the roaring wind outside. Atreus didn’t cry, and for those first few moments it was like he’d taken an arrow to the chest.

“Does he breathe?” Faye had asked, breathless, her last shout of labor still staining her voice.

He hadn’t answered at first, clearing the boy’s face. How Faye had known so certainly she carried a boy, he wouldn’t know for years.

“Kratos. Does he breathe.”

And the pale little face had turned, and Faye’s blue eyes had shined out of his son’s face, and that dazed, lightheaded sensation had crept over him like snow clouds. “He breathes.”

Faye had drawn a shuddering sigh and took the babe from his shaking hands, set it to her breast. His suckling was faint and weak.

The father had shivered even in the heat of the hearth. In Sparta, such a weak child would be left to wolves. But this was not Sparta, and this child would grow. He would make sure of it.

When Atreus’s teeth came in, he would cry and refuse to eat, growing weaker by the day. Faye gave up on trying to feed him broth and set him back to her breast, despite the pain, but the boy wouldn’t suckle either. Kratos lanced the boy’s gums, in the end. He had rubbed them with snow when Faye couldn’t stay awake another hour, and hoped the cold would numb the boy’s pain. Maybe it did, or maybe the child was just too weak to carry on his crying. When he fell asleep Kratos set him back in his cradle. He couldn’t bear how small the boy was in his hands. When Faye slept, he rarely held his son.

Atreus’s first steps were towards his mother. Faye would sing in her garden - she insisted it helped the plants grow - and Atreus, not content to play with his toys in the doorway, had babbled at Kratos as he chopped wood nearby.

“Mmmamama,” he said, pale face upturned, blue eyes squinting in the sun. “Ma ma ma.”

Faye hadn’t heard. Kratos had. He’d set the axe down and shot an uncertain look at his wife.

“Mam,” Atreus insisted. His little lips began to quiver.

His father relented, gathering the child up in his arms. Atreus whined and wriggled. “Down,” he demanded. “Down!”

Kratos set the boy back on the ground, but Atreus still clutched his father’s fingers and, a look of determination on his brow, pulled himself up. His steps were shaky and weak, but he managed to get one foot in front of the other.

“Faye,” Kratos called, and his wife turned.

“Mama!” Atreus yelled as he took one wobbly step after another.

The smile that broke out on Faye’s face was like the first glimpse of the sun after a long and bitter winter. “My child,” she’d gasped, and leaving the plants she sprang upright. Atreus toppled, still clutching Kratos’s hand, but before he could get terribly upset about it, Faye scooped him up in her arms and peppered his face with kisses. “Your first steps,” she’d cooed. “My love, my love, our son can walk!”

Kratos hadn’t quite known what to say. The fear of another dead child had never left him, but something unclenched in his heart at seeing Atreus’s determination.

Faye rained praise down on the boy in her arms and swung him in circles as he giggled, and for the first time in a long time, Kratos thought, I have been blessed.

#lindsey shut up #god of war #gow #IM SORRY THERE ISN'T MORE FAYE BUT HERE IT IS

[arleniansdoodles]

I honestly love the thought of people seeing Calliope and finding out she's Kratos' daughter and going "the math isn't mathing"

Freya is probably the only one who would know what's going on, unless Kratos told Mimir abt the whole I-killed-my-wife-and-daughter thing

Speaking of I'm really excited for aunty Freya and uncle Mimir, I feel like both of them would be very good with little Cali.

loll I'm happy to hear that! XDD I think it'd be pretty funny if people heard about it and were like, "Wait, where was she during Ragnarok? Where did she come from?? Since when did Kratos have another kid??? And why was she in Greece????"

Canonically, Freya is the only one who knows about it, but I added Mimir into the mix in my fic, and not because I completely forgot that he wasn't present during the Freya questline to free her from Odin's curse lmaoo

I don't think it'd be a big stretch to imagine that Mimir probably heard of Calliope and Lysandra's murder, given that he already knows about the Ghost of Sparta. But at the same time, I do like the idea of Kratos confiding in Mimir about it at one point, maybe to clear up the stories that Mimir heard, and all that.

I'm sure Freya and Mimir would be great with Calliope! :DDD I haven't gotten to their meeting in the story, but I'm really interested to see how it'll play out (since I haven't settled on anything just yet loll)

#asks #anon asks #god of war #god of war ragnarok #au #freya #mimir #kratos #calliope

[dcgwarrior]

with @hiddcnamongst​‘s myrinne from here

“He’s not mentioned it because he does not know I exist.  I’ve been looking for him for a long time and all of my searching led me here to Sparta.  I was born of a woman in Thrace during the war.  She gave me a surname, that before she died she told me would lead me to the Spartan man who was my Pater.  She told me that he was a Spartan misthios who was always trailed by an eagle.  I managed to find out that he was pretty well known as the Eagle Bearer.”  Lysandra looked at the woman in front of her, never wavering, but watching the shock continue to grow on her giagiá’s face.  It wasn’t every day a stranger came in claiming to be your son’s long lost and unknown daughter, so she understood Myrinne’s reservations.  Though all she wanted was answers and to maybe finally meet her father.  “My surname is Alexopulos, and my father is Alexios of Sparta. I know this is a lot to try to understand but, all I want is to meet my family, finally.  Kleon and the Athenians took my Mater from me and what I know of my father and his family is all I have left.”

#⚔the strongest woman in sparta ;; giagiá/myrinne⚔ #⚔v; the eagle's daughter⚔

[angyvalentine]

Again, Kratos didn’t have any answer.

He just didn’t want to give up on the memories of his previous family - but he wasn’t such a fool that wouldn’t admit all the wrongs he had done to them.

He knew.

But those memories were part of him, part of the reasons why he chose to try to be better.

«It’s always you, you, you.» Athena spoke, from the corner of the room. She crossed her arms, slowly walking toward Lysandra «Even now, when your dead child is asking you for a simple favour that wouldn’t, in fact, change anything for you – you won’t even listen because you fear the consequences for yourself.»

«Shut up, Athena.» he growled, glaring at the ghostly goddess «You don’t know what you are talking about.»

«You are forgetting I witnessed all the events, Kratos. From their death, to the moment you destroyed Zeus. I saw everything. Every step you took. Every decision you made. Stop trying to fool yourself in thinking you were desperate for them.»

«I served the Gods for ten years, if you forgot it. Ten years during which I literally have done everything the Olympians asked me to do.»

«Sure, and do you remember why you served us for ten years? To forget what you’ve done to them. Why didn’t you ask to revive them?»

Meeting just silence and a furious glare, Athena piled on.

«Were you so desperate for your wife and child, when you banged any woman willing to spread her legs for you? You know, among Olympians they betted on your endurance while you were in your chambers with Aphrodite’s daughters.»

«Shut up, Athena. I will not repeat it.»

«I’m just showing you what an hypocrite you are, Spartan. And while you had your rendezvous with the twins…» she grabbed Lysandra’s cloak, suddenly pulling it away from her body and showing her conditions to the bystanders. The woman tried to find the cloth with frenetic hands, but Athena kept it away from her.

Her left arm was horrific, with burned skin and clawed fingers. It looked like the burns started from her ring finger, where her ghostly blue ring was almost mocking at him. Open, putrid wounds covered her torso, especially over her breasts and belly – with horror, he recognized the spot where he had slashed her.

«While you happily rolled yourself in the sheets, Hades kept torturing your wife. Opening and slashing her where you hit her in that old temple, and all because you killed Persephone. She can’t talk because she screamed so much that her vocal cords are destroyed. She got burned because she couldn’t get free of her ring – the ring you gave her, promising her your eternal love» Athena almost laughed while saying that «and Hades used it as source of pain for her. And still, she won’t heal until you’ll destroy the real one.».

«But maybe we can find another way. If he really destroys the jewels, his soul may-» Freya tried to intervene, suddenly shutting up when she met Calliope’s angry eyes.

«This doesn’t concern you, and personally I don’t care.» she growled, helping Lysandra to cover her body once again. She noticed her hands trembling, frustrated she couldn’t actually talk «My mother and I want to be free, and this is the fastest way.»

«But he’s still your father, I know he-»

«He’s NOT MY FATHER!» her golden eyes almost shined in her fury, not caring at all of the fact she was screaming to another goddess «He just happened to got my mother pregnant and never cared enough to stay with us!»

«Yet he saved you when you were born sick, young one.» Mimir softly spoke, with a sigh.

«Sure, just to do his part of duty of increasing new-borns number in Sparta. Too bad he got a girl who loved music instead of a strong boy that could fight, right, father?» she almost spat the last word «Done with it, he surely didn’t put much effort into raising me or loving us, and after all of this I can see why.»

«That is not true, Calliope.» Kratos took a step toward his daughter, but she stood her ground.

«Oh no? Are you really daring to say you held us dear? Do you think I couldn’t hear you, when mother kept begging you to stop your war-lust? Even before the oath with Ares!»

«I was… a monster, I know. But I loved you both, and you cannot take it from me.».

Calliope scoffed, turning her back to him. She was so angry. So frustrated. Why couldn’t he just take the jewels, destroy them and let them be free?

Lysandra reached for her shoulder, squeezing it. Almost pleading her to stop, exhausted. Her heart ached in feeling her daughter so full of resentment. She wished all could be done soon, at least to give her child some peace after all those years. She felt Calliope squeezing her cloak, pressing her head against her side to avoid touching her wounds. Raising her head, she stared directly at her former husband.

«She’s asking you if you still have them, Spartan.» Athena gave her the voice she missed, staying at her side «Their jewels, the ring and the necklace.»

«What if I tell you I do not have them anymore?» his voice was low, but it sounded like a challenge to the Goddess. And yet, his heart ached in seeing Lysandra lowering her head.

«That wouldn’t be a surprise.» every time Calliope spoke, it was like a stranger had taken her place. It was hard to realize that the child in front of him, a child so full of hate, was indeed the same daughter he loved so much «It’d have been a shame to keep jewels of your former woman and child, when you’ve to play happy family with a new one. Or maybe you would have gifted them to her?»

sometimes I remember I still have this thing around.

Still dunno if I'll ever finish it :°)

#god of war #god of war snippet #everything is post Ragnarok #so Atreus isn't around #tw: wounds description

[the-shy-artisan]

Cross posting another fic of mine from ao3 to here, another one of my personal favorites. A short two shot --condensed into one for easy posting-- detailing Kratos’s first and last moments with his daughter, Calliope. 

From Beginning to End

The Beginning:

The newly born babe in his arms is impossibly small, but Kratos knows from the very moment he holds her that he loves her.

She arrived late into the world a squalling, red faced little thing; he had barely heard the handmaiden's triumphant announcement of "it is a girl, my lord!" over her cries. The words had stolen the strength from his legs and left him almost as breathless as his wife on the birthing table: a girl. A baby girl. Then, without much ceremony, the baby was bathed in strong wine, swaddled in linen, and laid upon Lysandra's chest. Only the sound of his wife's voice drew Kratos from his stupor. She called him to her and he stumbled to kneel beside them; pressing kisses into her sweat soaked hair as he stared in silent, joyful awe at the life they had created together.

Now, as his beloved rests, drained from her labor, Kratos tends to his daughter --a daughter, he thinks, his heart swelling-- cradling her as if she were made of glass. The newborn doesn't fuss or stir, still drowsy from her first feeding, and is more than content to snuffle into her father's chest, seeking his warmth. His throat threatens to close at the sight and he draws her closer to him in a protective embrace.

His fellow soldiers, although congratulatory in their words, had jeered that a man like him --a warrior like him-- should have sired a son. They even suggested that he leave his newborn exposed to the elements-- Sparta needed sons, not daughters: one less daughter would further the glory of their city state.

But their words meant little to Kratos. This was his first born, and he wouldn't part from her for all the riches and glory in the world.

With glory and Sparta momentarily forgotten, Kratos can't help but smile as he gently rocks his child, humming the words to a lullaby his mother once used to soothe him and his brother. Her skin is warm, flushed pink with life and still smells faintly of wine. Kratos brushes his lips over her tiny head and readjusts her in his arms.

"My little girl," he rumbles, "my little Calliope."

They named her Calliope.

And she was his whole world.

...

The End:

Years ago, Kratos knew from the very moment he had held her that he loved her.

The night of Calliope's birth had been one of the more happier moments of his life and she seemed to grow from small babe to young child in the blink of an eye. But she left the world too early, a screaming, red faced little thing; torn from his life by the swing of his own blade. He didn't even hear her pleading cries over the roar of his blood, lost in the rush of another kill. It was only the sound of her final scream that drew him back to his senses. The sight of her crumpled body stole the strength from his legs and left him as breathless as the dead that surrounded them.

My child... my little girl... how?

The blades fall from his hands in a clatter of chains and metal, and Kratos stumbles to kneel beside her. His beloved Lysandra lay not far away, gutted like the rest of the congregation. The walls of the temple seem to press in on him, groaning and creaking as the flames continue to spread; the air hot and rank with the stench of cooking flesh.

Careful of the chains overlapping his forearms, Kratos slips his hands under Calliope and cradles her against his chest, handling her as if she were made of glass. Her skin is light compared to his own --she always did take after her mother, he thinks bitterly-- cooling against his warmth.

I left you safe in Sparta...

His throat threatens to close, choking him from the smoke and the sob he can't seem to hold back. He brushes the disarrayed curls from her face and places a kiss over each of her closed eyes.

And there, kneeling amongst the blood and the lost in the burning temple, Kratos rocks his daughter, humming the words to the lullaby his mother once used to soothe him and his brother to sleep.

They had named her Calliope.

And she was his world.

#god of war #god of war fanfic #paige's writing tag

[yugiohcardsdaily]

Finishing Ray's playthrough of GoW Ascension.

Read on TV Tropes that it's the least liked game of the series, with the biggest complaint being how quiet Kratos is.

I actually really like this entry. Sure, it might've been unnecessary, but everything that happens with Kratos's character in this makes sense to me. It's only months after he was made to kill his wife and daughter. For him to be quieter during this period of time while he's still bound to Ares is understandable.

It's also nice to see him being more human than monster sometimes, such as when he casually saved that one man's life, held the Oracle's hand while she died, how he interacted with the illusions of his daughter and wife, and his relationship with Orkos. After all, he's not full-blown monstrous Ghost of Sparta yet. He has problems with one god, not the whole lot of them. He's not yet in servitude to the others. His rage and bloodlust cost him everything, so perhaps he's trying to hold it back, to remain human, because of Ares.

Ares wanted to destroy his humanity after all, and while he doesn't always do the most human things (like saving that poor slave from being killed by Castor just for speaking up for his fellows), the small ones he does do matter. They say, "No, Ares. I'm not what you want me to be." Rebellious without bloodshed.

Then grief turns to complete rage due to what happens the end of this game and we get the rest of the series.

idk man I just like seeing this side of Kratos, you know?

(Maybe the lack of sex minigame also has something to do with it being less popular? He's grieving his wife, so I don't see him as immediately jumping into bed with other women because he loved Lysandra so much, you know? Then again, he almost fell for that illusion of a brothel full of women who wanted him, so what do I know lmao)

#not duel monsters