Hermês was with Apóllōn and Árēs as they searched around the Museum of Natural History.
It had not been Hermês' idea. He was supposed to be searching for his Leaneíras, but Father's orders were his orders. His only consolation was the fact that Poseidón had his people searching for her while he played ping pong with the enemies' ship. It came out then that Aigaiôn had once more joined the Titans as he tried to combat his efforts.
As if they had not failed the first time.
As if it was not a wise decision to challenge a Father in protection of his child.
Either way, they searched the area. Árēs traced his fingers across the ground, a dark scowl on his face. "The Spartoi have been risen from their slumber."
"I take it this means that you will be removing them from here," Apóllōn asked as he fingered what was clearly one of the hunter's arrows. His younger brother nodded his head with a sigh, "You would think that with the mortals' obsession with preserving history that they would be safe here, but then again, one cannot know the mind of the divine. It was to be expected. I should have moved them long before now."
"Where are you moving them to," Hermês asked. His older brother gave a small laugh. "As if I will tell you. Háidēs will not be going after me because you started a zombie apocalypse." The three brothers chortled. Their Uncle had been incredibly frustrated when the conspiracy gained traction and the increase of workload due to necromancers trying to kickstart said apocalypse.
The heady scent of roses in full bloom was their only warning before Aphrodítē appeared, dropping from the sky onto Apóllōn's back and the two of them tumbled to the ground. Her dark eyes flashed in multitudes of colors and the snarl on her face wouldn't be out of place on a tiger. It was moments like this that reminded Hermês of the fact that she had wartime functions alongside her epithets: Warlike Aphrodítē, Armed Aphrodítē, and Aphrodítē, the Bringer of Victory. His eldest brother gave a string of curses as he tried to dodge her swiping nails which were coated in celestial bronze, imperial gold, and pure adamantine.
Árēs reached out, grabbing ahold of the goddess who kicked her feet out as she glared at Apóllōn.
"Aphrō?" Árēs questioned as he placed his blessing on her feet. Apóllōn stood, golden eyes flashing in fury.
The goddess paid the younger sons of Ζεύς no mind. "Would you like to explain to me on why my darling Drew is not within the camp where she is to be safe?" The rage and worry that combated each other in her eyes reminded them of the fact that there was a reason that her children hardly ever went on quest. It also reminded them of the fact that she rarely had children, birthing at least a dozen every three centuries before stopping for a longer time.
(Twas the same for Árēs and the only indication that the two of them were on the outs. They quite possibly had the healthiest relationship throughout the pantheon, and they even treated the children that were sire whenever they went on "breaks" as their own.)
She had been in such worry when Aineías made his travel across the world so long ago and swore that she would never go through with that again. And in not so many words, she had forbidden her children from going on quests. She did everything that she could to keep them from being seen as threats; showing them how to neutralize their scents. If it were up to her, then they wouldn't even be at the camp instead squared away somewhere that not even death could touch. They could all understand her reasoning of course. Harsh old age would soon enshroud their children — ruthless age which stands someday at the side of every man, deadly, wearying, dreaded even by the gods.
But the mortals found that to be the gift of life. Leaving legacies, no matter how big or small that live and age long after they died away.
Tis inspirational even if it was a confusing thought.
Apóllōn met her gaze evenly. "Safe, you say? If the camp was so safe, then why is my precious Phoebe suffering from a poisoning?"
She scoffed. "She's a huntress. Who knows what she contracted dabbling around in the woods so."
"Ah ναί, the child that is blessed with my healing hands somehow managed to acquire a sickness that I had not sense a few short hours after I left her presence."
"Careful, Latôios," Aphrodítē warned. "Tis sounds like you are accusing me of something."
"I would never," Apóllōn drawled. She scowled darkly. "Tis too late anyhow. Perseus may have been accepted as part of the quest, but she has her own destiny to fulfill, or did you forget about it?"
Aphrodítē flinched away. "Όχι. Όχι, I forgot not. And yet, avoidance was tis what I hoped for her so that history may stay in the past."
"History is never antiquated, because humanity is always fundamentally the same."
"Do not quote the words of mortals to me, brother," Aphrodítē scowled. She straightened her clothes with a wave, placing one hand on her hip as she stood before them. "But you will swear to me that you will keep her safe."
"I kept Aineías safe all those years ago, ναί?"
"Swear it," she insisted.
Apóllōn eyed her before sighing deeply. "I am pledged and have vowed and sworn a strong oath that no other of the eternal gods save I should know the wise-hearted counsel of Ζεύς. And do not you, my sister, gold-crowned and beautiful, bid me tell those decrees which all-seeing Ζεύς intends. But I will tell you another thing, the sweetly laughing goddess risen from the foam, who stirs up sweet passion in the gods and subdues the tribes of mortal men and birds that fly in air and all the many creatures that the dry land rears, and all the sea: Let Gaia be witness to me in this, and arching Ouranos above, and the downward water of the Styx—most solemn and most fearsome of oaths with the blessed gods. She only shall be the glory of Apóllōn and of whom even the swan sings with clear voice to the beating of his wings. Tis her that shall be cherished by I and my sweet Huákinthos and my healing hands shall never fail her in aid lest Fate decreed it so."
Thunder crashed with a loud boom.
Hermês smiled softly; his expression mimicked by Aphrodítē. They both recognize the lines that came from the Homeric hymns to them though more so the ones to Hermês. It had been a long while since Hermês thought of the day he met his favorite brother.
Thus, the lord Apóllōn showed his kindness for the daughter of Aphrodítē.
"Tis is all very touching," Árēs snorted. "But I believe it would be better to continue the search for our sisters." And Hermês' smiled brightly for her knew that the older counted Leaneíras as his sister even if the girl was not yet officially apart of their family.
Apóllōn inclined his head. "I am watching over them now. Your daughter is going after the helicopter that is chasing after those on the quest." His blue eyes were staring into the distance and there was a flicker of astonishment on his face before he laughed lightly. "She has utilized her charmspeak to allow her to board while also taking over the aircraft. She is ordering the aircraft away from them and, hm, I suppose one of us should step in to... help."
He was gone before they could process his words.
Hermês appeared in the aircraft at the exact moment Drew's fist cracked against one of the mortals' jaws. That was sure to bruise. She turned to look at him as he pushed the pilot out of the seat and took his place. In the next second, a dagger was positioned at the back of his neck. He wondered where she had hidden it as she was not dressed in anything remotely worthy of being worn for a quest... well unless she hid it in her boot.
"Who are you," she demanded, charmspeak not yet in use but he could still sense it lingering.
Hermês chuckled as he coated the aircraft in mist and flew it towards The Waystation. "And here I thought that we were friends, Drew-drop."
There was a slight pause; the weapon never wavering before she spoke again, softly as if she were about to cry. "Lord Hermês?"
"Got it in one, baby bird." For both Apóllōn and Aphrodítē venerated swans. The dagger clang against the floor and he only imagine that she fell to her knees. "Oh, my lord. Lea... she's..." He could hear her crying and Hermês wished that he could soothe her, but he knew that if he did then his own tears would fall just thinking about what kind of torture his Leaneíras was going through.
His hands tightened on the control wheel. "I know," he murmured, "I know. I can't feel her."
"Trent..." the girl started. "Trent betrayed her."
The helicopter dropped a few thousand feet before he gained back control over himself. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"I had a dream," she started. Hermês sighed a bit. He should have checked in on her, but he had not returned to the demos oneiron. It was one thing for her to not visit of her own choice, but it was an entirely different thing when he knew she would not be there. "Trent was trying to convince her to join him. They plan to raise Mount Othrys and... and use his powers to keep her on their side."
He had to hurry and land the craft before he crashed it. Trent. Trivia's son. He hoped that the boy didn't reveal the truth about the Roman camp, but considering that he decided to betray his Leaneíras, Hermês didn't have high hopes for his intelligence. Britomartis appeared before him as he exited the aircraft. Her rust redeyes regarded her darkly and Hermês remembered that she had been facing Hermaphroditos and Hēdylógos before he sent his children off. She regarded him silently before looking at the half-blood as she climbed out of the vehicle.
Hermês supposed he could understand why Apóllōn stated that her eyes reminded him of a panther watching its prey from the shadows of the underbush - a panther with a twisted sense of humor. He felt in danger just by being in her presence. Her gaze settled on to the mortals and empousa that were sprawled against the helicopter flooring. He was a bit surprise to see that many had fit within it if he was honest. It was giving him claustrophobia.
"Brother," Britomartis drawled. "I see you brought me gifts."
Hermês smiled sharply, "Only the best for you, sister." She gave him a sharp smile, turning to look back at Drew. "Dítē knows you have her brat with you?"
"Of course," he replied blithely. "She tried her hand at fratricide, but she allowed it in the end." He turned to look at the half blood. "Though admittedly, your Mother is very displeased with your departure from camp."
Drew winced before stubbornly tilting her head. "Lea needs me. She is my sister in all ways, but blood. Am I not a child of Aphrodítē if I do not protect what I love?"
The gods nodded at her. This one. This one was much different than her siblings that allowed themselves to fall into stereotypes. Hermês turned back to his sister, "I give them to you. I'm sure Father would love to know all the secrets that they hide within."
The way that she smiled made him a bit uneasy, but he knew it would better than calling Éris from Tartara. The last time she appeared they had to deal with the French Revolution. He swore that she had secreted away the exact guillotine that had been utilized, but he had no proofs to his claims... yet.
"You can do whatever you want with the helicopter. The mortals won't miss it," he waved as he turned back to Drew. "Come. Tell me more of your dreams if you wish to help me find Leaneíras."
He will show Trent the consequences of betraying his Leaneíras. They will all be creative and what was creative in the minds of a deity was not something one would wish to see for the minds of gods were not meant to be understood by mortals.
Lea was not a violent person.
She was also not a nice person. Far from it if she was being honest.
Something that Drew could attest to as Lea still found herself on being rude to the other girl on occasions. Why she continued to call Leaneira a friend was a question that needed an answer, but it was also something that Lea was not going to look too deeply into. She was thankful for the continued support and did her best to correct her mistakes and hold on to said friendship.
As Trent had shown, true friends were hard to come by.
Lea learned early on that she could do more damage with her words than just her fists. That wasn't to say that Lea did not enjoy a good fight evident in the fact that she liked going and participating in fight clubs, but for the most part, Lea enjoyed bringing people low in constructive arguments. Drew and Medea had both stated that she should join the debate team, but as it was... Lea did not care that much. She knew that she could wield words in a way that would make people have the hotline on speed dial, but Lea did not care for it.
Just like she didn't care for violence. It drove her loved ones mad because she didn't have that drive to fight for anything whether it be with words or weapons.
They would be pleased to know that she was taking heed of their advice now then.
Lea doesn't think Trent truly understands what he's done. She would never grant him peace. She was going to be on his ass like back pockets. He would regret betraying her. One of Hermes' aunts had made a comment after seeing Lea start the very painful and tiresome progress of regaining her strength.
"There's nothing behind those eyes except for a deep longing for death and destruction."
His Mother had only laughed, braided Lea's hair into an elaborate bun before reminding Lea that it was illegal to dig up endangered plants on the off chance that she needed to bury a body.
She was just as terrifying as Lea's own mother.
Lea turned to the only window within her room, the chain around her ankle clanging with every movement. She sort of wished that Maia or any of her sisters were there. They never failed to take the chain away to the point that she sometimes didn't even notice it was gone until they were fixing back on her ankle as they left for the next watch.
(Then those snake women would come, and Lea had to swallow back her unease. She had come far with the exposure therapy to Mártha and Geōrgios whenever Hermes had brought them around in her dreams. They also reminded her of that fucking snitch from quest for the fleece.)
It didn't matter anymore. Not with Arcas squirming around her once more. Bit by bit she could feel her mageia, but even that paled in comparison to when Arcas reminded her of her ring. Thinking of the ring brought back memories that she had desperately needed. Trent may have been able to bind her powers in her body, but her mind... well that was another story.
She held an oath that no outside powers could influence her mind.
Lea climbed back on top of the bed and situated herself in a mediative position. Kirkê had helped her a bit in fading the glow of her eyes when she used mageia, but it was a hard power to shake. Lea found that she both liked and hated it. It told people when they were crossing a line and pissing her off, but it also told people when they were crossing a line and pissing her off. Lea was a private person, and she didn't like that her emotions were out in the open for everyone to see, but it made people shut the hell up until she was able to hold the conversation with a calmer mind.
Just as she did. She banished her thoughts from her mind, conjuring an image of the demos oneiron. She bypassed the gate constructed of ivory which was the source of dreams which were false and without meaning. She continued through the gate made of horn. The one that the source of the prophetic god-sent dreams. Her bare feet made contact with the sand that was mottled with different shades and hues blending together. The gritty sand was hard on her feet, but she pushed the feeling away as she kept forward.
Lea hadn't necessarily lied to Hermes when she said that the spell that Kirke showed her was quite useful. She just didn't tell him the full truth where she utilized it to learn more about her plane of existence.
(She also didnt want him to know about the time that she was sleep and the oneiroi chased her into the living realm when she asked the freaking time. How was she supposed to know that? Her dreams had been hijacked by the god, but well at least she knew now. And she never made that mistake ever again, fucking creepy ass monsters.)
"Vola anima per aeterna," she murmured. "Vola anima per aeterna." There was movement around her hair, as if stirred by a faint breeze. Her eyes began to glow behind her eyelids. "Vola anima per aeterna," she continued as the diamond within her ring began to swirl as the sea water pulsed like a heartbeat. The fine hair alongside her arms and neck rose as the power exuding from her grew in strength. "Vola anima per aeterna."
An astral form of her stood before her.
Leaneira reached out towards the copy, clasping each other's hands. "Life to life and mind to mind," the two of them said at once. "our spirits forever intertwine." The sand beneath her feet rose and swirl, dancing in the air like petals in the wind. "We meld our souls and journey to," the astral form of Lea began to glow and move as it ascended from the land of dreams. "the one whose thoughts we wish we knew."
As much as Lea had hated the link that Grover accidentally added her to, she couldn't regret doing this again. And with that thought in mind, she pushed her astral form out of the recess of her mind and directly into Hermes.
WORD COUNT: 3,168
Words to Know:
1) Latôios - son of Lētṓ
Things to Know:
1) Ζεύς's favorite mortal son was Hēraklēs and Apóllōn was the one to renamed him as Hēraklēs.
2) I usually make reference that Apóllōn is not the god of the sun, but more so that he is the god of sunlight. He is the god of light. He is the light bringer. He has the epithet Aiglētēs: "light of the sun", Lykeios: "light", Phanaios: "giving or bringing light". I say this all to say:
2A) Strabo wrote that Apóllōn and Artemis were connected to the Sun and the Moon, respectively, which was due to the changes the two celestial bodies caused in the temperature of the air, as the twins were gods of pestilential diseases and sudden deaths. Now, I think it's said that Apóllōn spent the winter months among the Hyperboreans. His absence from the world caused coldness and this was marked as his annual death. No prophecies were issued during this time. He returned to the world during the beginning of the spring.
2B) Head-canon: Apóllōn runs hot, and Artemis runs cold.
3) The oath that Apóllōn says to Aphrodítē comes from the Homeric Hymn to Hermês just rewritten.
Comments from the Author:
1) I cross post this on Wattpad and Ao3, so shoutout to beyond_imagi9 over on Ao3. Their comment gave me the perfect way to tie in the sequel. A sort of spinoff, but still connected to this main verse. It's going to be connected to one of the extras I have planned, then goes into the spinoff that then goes into the sequel. Sounds complicated, but the extras will make it all make sense.
2) Check out my twitter ( seaknesh) There will be a vote about the HoO arc.
3) I read the MCGOA books exactly one time and I am a very big MarvelLoki fan. And I do like the norse myths also. I kind of want to write in a mix of those verses. Like Marvel's Asgard, mixed with a bit more Norse mythology, and demigods. There would be a few characters from the series in there, but overall it'd be completely different from what Rick wrote. Mainly because I never could see Loki as a villain whether it be in myths or comics etc. And also it's been years since I read the series, not interested in rereading them, and it'd be moreso in line with the movies with characters and scenes manipulated from the books. Idk, it'd be a lot of thought going into honestly. I was playing around with an idea like that before. It'd be like an au of THOR except when he turns mortal, he'd be brought to a norse camp similar to CHB AND CJ for demigods. Loki wouldnt fall. Actually, I would change a lot. The marvel characters wouldn't even matter because I'm not even utilizing Marvel exactly. I might have to write this now.