Children of the Gods: Arc 2 [Game/Closed]

[IFS]

"I'm feeling fine now. I told you not to fret over me."

Nicole nodded and went back to eating for a bit, Remus certainly didn't seem to be in a good mood but she could hardly blame him. Having lost his mom like that can't be easy for him, and the way he's talking now he doesn't sound nearly as proud of his heritage as he used to. The rest of the table seemed rather quiet as well, then again it was only reasonable that they would focus on their food when it was the best meal they'd had in a while.

She glanced over at Vera, wondering how her friend was feeling about the family reunion, certainly she'd never seemed to like her father very much.

"Hey V, is this your first time at your dad's house?" she asked, "I can't remember you mentioning it before."

 

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus spoke to Andrew across the table, rather abruptly. The question had been playing on his mind for some time, and if Apollo is involved, he wanted as much information as possible.

"How much do you know of Apollo? Are you two close?"

He watched the doctor, careful to pick out any small flickers of emotion. The Titan had a feeling Andrew was adept at such mind-games.

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

Nike frowned at Remus' dismissive comment towards her daughter. She poured herself some wine, watching him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Remus. A son of Mars; have you fought many wars?"

It had been a while since Nike had made idle talk, but she was determined to try her best.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Aria paused eating for a moment, realizing she had not introduced her self, it didn't seem to be a big deal, and it might turn up a conversation to get her mind of her jealousy. "I am Aria, daughter of the goddess Freya, sorry about being so quiet, it's been a long last couple days" she said in between all the questions that seemed to be flying around now.

 

[DarkRawen]

"How much do you know of Apollo? Are you two close?"

Prometheus asked him, all of a sudden. Andrew looked up at him, he could see that Prometheus was paying very close attention to him. He smiled, wryly. Even if he was annoyed, stuff like this amused him. People who tried to read him, who tried to see whether or not he was lying, any emotion at all, they usually saw something they didn't want to.

"Not much. And no." It was the truth, anyways, but he layered the way he said it. Would Prometheus pick up on it? "We're not close at all. I've hardly met him."

Sure, this was serious, but it wasn't like he was lying, nor wasting anyone's time. He was just wanting to see if Prometheus would know. Andrew finished the rest of his meal, and locked eyes with the titan, his smile turning more sincere, the sincere amusement being mirrored in his eyes. "why do you want to know? Do you still think he'll be an enemy? Or is that what you want me to tell you? Or... do you think I'm going to betray you?" Two people could attempt to read the other.

Don't try to read me that obviously without me being allowed to do the same.

"Don't worry. I don't want to know my father either way, and certainly not join him," he finally added, dismissive. Unbeknownst to him, there could be a slight hesitation detected. However, as he was already giving off mixed signals, it might be hard for Prometheus to pick up.

 

[hiei82]

"Hey V, is this your first time at your dad's house? I can't remember you mentioning it before." Nicole asked, drawing Vera's attention.

She'd taken a seat in the kitchen and was eating quietly, trying to avoid notice. The less people noticed her, the less likely she'd have to speak with her father which, as far as she was concerned, was a definite positive. Still, she supposed it was better to be caught in conversation with Nicole than just avoiding her father, so she quickly took the opportunity.

Vera nodded her head in response, saying "Yeah... we don't exactly get along. We've mostly mastered the art of staying out of each other's lives."

 

[Deu Sex]

"Pleasure to meet you, Remus. A son of Mars; have you fought many wars?"

Remus frowned as he heard Nike's words. What sort of question was that, to ask someone you were just meeting? Maybe it was because he brought up his heritage. Chugging the rest of his drink, he regretted having mentioned his father name now. Remus finished the wine before he spoke.

"No. None at all." he said. Looking at the food on the table, he felt his stomach growling a bit. Realizing it would be stupid to deny himself nutrition, regardless of how moody he was feeling, Remus decided to have a bite. He grabbed a small plate of kebab and started eating. Although he was slow to cut off sections of the meat, once his teeth gnashed away at it it went down like nothing.

 

[IFS]

"Yeah... we don't exactly get along. We've mostly mastered the art of staying out of each other's lives."

Nicole had known that already, Vera hadn't exactly hid her dislike of the gods after all, though given how friendly Verathragna was being it surprised her that he hadn't ever at least taken Vera to see his home before. Some of the others began to speak as well, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence.

Nicole thought for a moment then spoke again to Vera "yeah, you've said so before, you know I never imagined your dad would be like this from how you described him."

 

[Green Shoes]

Verathragna coughed hard at Vera's answer. Looking back and forth between Nicole and his daughter, he spoke, trying to keep his voice light and 'fun'.

"It has been difficult, yes. I think you'll find that common across most divine parents. I'm happy you're here now; all of you!"

Looking at Nicole, he raised his eyebrows, a smile lighting his face.

"Oh? How has she described me?"

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Watching Remus, Prometheus noticed slight movements; perhaps Andrew did have some feelings after all. He seemed to want to know more about his father, or perhaps meet him. Something was been hidden, though what it was escaped him.

Prometheus the Fore-Thinker. Beaten by a scamp.

"I don't think you'll betray us, but I doubt Apollo is going to kill his twin. So yes, he may be an enemy. And any information you can give us would be very helpful. I think you will be our emissary if we meet him; you can get some father bonding time, which I suppose you missed out on..."

Prometheus joined in on Remus' conversation, trying to get him to ease up a little.

"That's not exactly true. You should have seen him earlier; satyrs, Gods...he's handy in a pinch!"

Drinking deeply from a cup of wine, he addressed Nike and Verathragna, cutting straight to the point.

"I assume you have heard of Dionysus' recent activities, no? We're tracking him. Hence why we're here. Do you have anything; information, weapons, books; that could help?"

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Nike nodded as the Titan recounted Remus' achievements.

"That is impressive. You are your fathers son, Remus. Are you two close?"

Turning her head to meet Prometheus, her voice became low and grave.

"Of course we have. It's why I was shot; trying to help. You're not alone; there's a division between us, all of us."

Surveying the group, she tried to remain optimistic.

"Nobody knows exactly what he's doing; sacrifices give him power, but for what? Anyone's guess. I have nothing much to offer, though our host has weapons lying around."

Squeezing Nicole's leg, she stood up.

"Nicole and I are going to go and catch up, please excuse us. Eat well and rest, leave planning for the morning!"

She motioned for her daughter to follow, turning down the corridor back into the bedroom.

 

[IFS]

"Oh? How has she described me?"

"You should probably ask her about that, sorry," Nicole replied in between bites of food, it really wasn't her place to speak for Vera after all. Of course now she'll have to talk to her dad, which might not make her very happy, but that was probably inevitable anyways.

The others spoke some more, Prometheus told Nike of some of the trials the group had faced so far, and spoke to Andrew about Apollo. That's a good point, Apollo may side with Dio simply to be on the same side as Artemis, then again we don't know why Artemis joined Dio maybe he drugged her like he did Gaia.

"Nobody knows exactly what he's doing; sacrifices give him power, but for what? Anyone's guess. I have nothing much to offer, though our host has weapons lying around."

Well from what we've learned so far he seems to be trying to set off Ragnarok, or at least to free some of the Norse monsters involved with it. Hopefully he doesn't go after the big Greek monsters next, Typhon would probably make Fenrir look like a little puppy dog. She felt Nike squeeze her leg, and her mother spoke again.

"Nicole and I are going to go and catch up, please excuse us. Eat well and rest, leave planning for the morning!"

She nodded and stood up as well, pushing her mostly empty plate aside, and following her mother back into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and hesitated for a bit before speaking.

"So... its been a while since we last talked hasn't it?" she started, though really it was hard to think of when they had really sat down and talked about things at all, "You've been busy I suppose, I didn't realize you knew Vera's dad though."

She hesitated again for a moment then asked rather bluntly "Are the two of you together? If so does dad know?" Her tone was somewhat accusatory, though her second question carried a note of concern.

 

[DarkRawen]

"I don't think you'll betray us, but I doubt Apollo is going to kill his twin. So yes, he may be an enemy. And any information you can give us would be very helpful. I think you will be our emissary if we meet him; you can get some father bonding time, which I suppose you missed out on..."

Andrew smiled a little less. What Prometheus said, telling him that he could have some bonding time with Apollo, it was ridiculous. Had he tricked him that much? He decided to keep up his layered words. "I chose to pass on that before, I'll pass on it this time," he replied. Andrew was still oblivious to the hesitation in his tone. "All I know is that he didn't appear before I had finished med-school. Hardly a coincidence. Then, when he explained who he was, not long ago, he was short and concise. I haven't even exchanged words with him, I let him talk, and left. As for me being the emissary, I somehow doubt that's a good idea. He probably stopped caring by now. Of course, you can try." He sat a bit more up, eyes still trained on Prometheus. Andrew wasn't doing this out of malice or even a manipulative nature, if he had, he'd actually try to achieve something.

"I'm sorry I can't help you." He supposed he should stop this childish behavior now. But he had a few more questions on his own.

I might not care about Apollo, but that doesn't mean I don't want to understand the guy's reasoning at times. Worst case scenario, I'll use it to defeat him in a possible battle.

"So, what do you know? Perhaps there's something you can tell me about him that can help me figure him out. I mean, you have to know more than me, at least. How likely is he to disguise himself? What sort of person is he, really?"

His tone had taken to be slightly childish and more than slightly curious, he wanted to see how Prometheus would react to something like that. At least, he figured that was the reason. It was unlike how he had spoken to any of them before, Andrew supposed. As for the questions themselves, Andrew only wanted to know because it could help them out if they had to deal with him later.

Obviously.

 

[Green Shoes]

Nike wheeled a chair round to face Nicole, seating herself backwards, resting her arms across the top. She felt much better after eating, though the wound still felt tender, and she had yet to change out of the bloodied bathrobe. Her eyes were alive though, and she laughed softly at Nicole's question.

"Together? Of course not! Vera's father and I are old friends; competitors, like you and Vera are. He's like a brother, Nicole. I'm glad you and Vera are still friends..."

Looking back in the direction of the group, Nike asked.

"Tell me everything! How did you end up with Prometheus? Who are the others? Where are you going?"

As she was asking, her enthusiasm dipped. Her daughter was in danger. And no loner led the semblance of a normal life.

"I'm so sorry you've been drawn into this, Nicole. I never wanted this for you."

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Prometheus thought hard about Andrew's question. The hesitation was minute, but it was there. Pushing aside his bowl, he cracked his fingers and spoke amusingly.

"Apollo...Apollo...Where to begin? Disguises don't suit gods much any more. He's a lot like you. Arrogant, aloof, manipulative, ambivalent..."

He grinned. It was true, but he was sure Andrew would take it in good nature.

"We were friends a while ago. I was something of a tutor to him; back when he was interested in that kind of stuff. I guess he cares more about his looks and his lyre than mankind and his followers..."

Snapping back to reality, the Titan ran his hand through his beard, having yet to shave since the start of the trip. His bag was still nestled at his feet, full of fresh clothes.

"I do wonder about your aunt though. Deadly harlot..."

The spite in his voice was apparent, and he stood up and stretched, thanking Verathragna for the meal.

"I'm off in search of a shower! I must thank you muchly for your hospitality."

Turning, he picked up his bag and left, finding the bathroom with ease, and settling into an overtly long, ludicrously hot shower.

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

Verathragna dipped his head to the titan as he left, watching him walk away.

"I'm with Nike; no idea. However, I have weapons that I shall show you in the morning. I don't know if any of you can wield them though..."

Addressing the group, he looked over them.

"So. We have a son of Mars, a son of Apollo, daughter of Nike, and of course, Vera. Who else is in your company? I am surprised to see so many of you; there are few Nephalem around as is, at least, that I'm aware of..."

 

[IFS]

"Together? Of course not! Vera's father and I are old friends; competitors, like you and Vera are. He's like a brother, Nicole. I'm glad you and Vera are still friends..."

"Huh," Nicole said, feeling surprisingly relieved at this "sorry, its just he kept calling you sweetheart while you were out."

"Tell me everything! How did you end up with Prometheus? Who are the others? Where are you going?"

"I'm so sorry you've been drawn into this, Nicole. I never wanted this for you."

Nicole was taken aback by this, "It's, it's fine mom really it is, it's not easy but we're doing something that has to be done," she said, "Dionysus needs to be stopped, and like it or not I'm one of the few people able to help with that."

She considered the first question for a moment then spoke again "As for the whole journey so far we all just got abducted by a windstorm or something, ended up in a bar in Australia where Prometheus explained everything to us," she said "the others, well you already know Vera, Remus and Aria introduced themselves back at the table and Andrew was the one who healed you, then there's Able son of Vidarr I think? Steven son of Hephaestus, and Etna's the daughter of one of the Morrigan."

She paused again to catch her breath and thought of how best to explain their journey so far, Nike already knew about the underworld journey, or at least that it had happened, but what else did she know? What had her mom been doing that she ought to ask about? She considered what to say for a moment then spoke again.

"What have you been doing while we've been trekking across creation?" she asked, "How did you run into Artemis?"

 

[Lunar Templar]

'Way to listen ...' Aria thought. "Norse represent here, Freya specifically, Goddess of War, Death, Magic, Beauty, Love, Fertility, Gold, and Sexuality" Aria pause after listing off her birth mothers dominions "Honestly, it explains a lot about me to with all that there." Then resumed finishing of her plate, having not been in any hurry.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Put the gun away and slowly sat down for dinner.

"I just almost shot someone," Steven thought, "I almost put a bullet through someone's skull who wasn't attacking me. I WANTED to pull that trigger."

Some part of his brain was dimly aware of the conversation going around the table, but it was just a tiny part.

"What is happening to me?" Steven asked, looking down at the plate of food.

 

[Terratina.]

She wasn't interested with talking with the Persian deity, so Etna slipped away to see what was going on between Nicole and Nike.

"...and Etna's the daughter of one of the Morrigan."

Etna had been just sitting there, nibbling the food she didn't ask for, or want. Now was not the time to be annoyed at the lack of detail there. It wasn't like Etna had tooted a horn about it, anyway. But still, she had just gotten news that meant there was about a sixty-six per cent chance that her mother was dead. Seeing Nicole and Nike interact made a green tide rise in her heart. She wasn't particularly sure about those feelings, however, Nike's lax attitude towards the situation at hand was more than enough for a sliver of dislike to brush past the corners of Etna's mind.

Even if Nike was just doing to be a good host, well, whatever the case, it wasn't a time to be idling away like this. Especially with the dire news, especially with those dire words... Maybe it was her saddened state of mind, or perhaps the help of the numerous books, still the meaning of the symbols on the token leapt out to her: "Oath by word... Victory in Death". Nevertheless, Etna was sure that there was still something missing. At least she had the beginning and the end. The middle could wait. It was better than nothing, better than terrifying uncertainty... Speaking of which...

"Badb, specifically." Etna dryly added to Nicole's little introduction, "She might be dead, anyway."

 

[DarkRawen]

"Apollo...Apollo...Where to begin? Disguises don't suit gods much any more. He's a lot like you. Arrogant, aloof, manipulative, ambivalent..."

The titan said, grinning.

I suppose we are rather alike then.

Andrew didn't reply with words, however, he took note of that Apollo could attempt to manipulate them, should they ever meet him. Just another reason to hope they didn't, then, especially if he was on their enemies' side. If not, he still couldn't be trusted completely.

"We were friends a while ago. I was something of a tutor to him; back when he was interested in that kind of stuff. I guess he cares more about his looks and his lyre than mankind and his followers..."

That doesn't really bode well.

The only reason he was helping out, was that he wanted to save people. It wasn't easy to explain just why he wanted such a thing, he loathed them at times, and at best, he just didn't care. Yet, he had that instinct, a desire to help them if they were hurt, or sick. It was unsure from Prometheus description if Apollo did care, or if he, completely god, simply saw humans as tools and pawns. Of course, that would include his own son.

Not that I care.

"I do wonder about your aunt though. Deadly harlot..."

He was talking about Artemis. It seemed like Prometheus had a grudge, but Andrew didn't comment on that, they already knew she was an enemy. Andrew decided that he was done asking questions, and playing games, so he didn't ask anything else. As a matter of fact, he didn't say anything else, he just wanted to rest, get some weapons in the morning, and get going.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Able stayed in the background for the most part, as was his habit. He'd ended up dashing through the cramped little house and snatching up the spear from the underworld when it sounded like things were kicking off, completely missing that it wold have been more of a hindrance than a help in such tight quarters. He'd have to start brushing up on combat tactics beyond just punching things if was going to make it through this bloody adventure.

It was lucky for them that Vera's dad was willing to listen to reason r things might have been really bad. Abe made sure to tuck the notebook into his pocket before anyone saw it in case the god didn't appreciate people going through his things without asking.

Don't want to embarrass him about his weird doodles either.

The others were all exchanging thoughts or gossip and Able's eyes kept close watch of Nike as she and Nicole left to talk. All this about the other gods turning on each other and betraying various family members... it wasn't anything new if the stories did them justice but still. When they'd started off everyone had talked as if all these pantheons had banded together against a common threat. Sure there was Loki but every source seemed to agree he was a jerk (something meeting him confirmed beyond doubt). All this inner conflict made Dio and whatever the threat he posed seem all the worse.

What the hell has he got on them anyway?

They'd been one step behind everyone the entire time and Able was beginning to get bloody sick of it! The sooner they got north and found Fenrir or whatever they needed the better. It was about time they got on the offensive for a change.

But for now all he could do was observe banter from the back of the kitchen.

 

[hiei82]

"yeah, you've said so before, you know I never imagined your dad would be like this from how you described him."

Vera quickly shot back under her breath a short response. "Don't let him fool you." She wanted to add more but, as usual, her father had imperfect timing. "It has been difficult, yes. I think you'll find that common across most divine parents. I'm happy you're here now; all of you!" he said, adding to the difficulties. Vera bit her lip trying to avoid any more unpleasantries.

Unfortunately, he continued. "Oh? How has she described me?", which Nicole deflected to her. She shot a quick glare at Nicole, but let it die soon enough. She could hardly blame her friend for passing that particular hand grenade of a question. Had she found herself in Nicole's place, she'd likely have done exactly the same. Still; it felt good to pass a little blame onto her friend.

Thankfully, the conversation moved on quickly and she managed to avoid having to answer the question; at least for the moment.

 

[IFS]

"She might be dead, anyway."

Nicole turned to see Etna standing in the doorway, the door having swung back open on its own. She frowned and a concerned look came across her face. She didn't know Etna very well, as Etna didn't seem to speak very much, but all the same she had traveled with them and helped on numerous occasions. My mom's recovered but Etna's might not even be alive, though we can't be sure yet.

"She might not be, we can't give up hope," Nicole replied "besides she seemed too clever to die easily to me."

 

[Deu Sex]

"That's not exactly true. You should have seen him earlier; satyrs, Gods...he's handy in a pinch!"

"None of those constitute being wars though." he thought, failing to realize that Prometheus was trying to make him feel better. Before Remus could resume eating, Nike spoke to him again.

"That is impressive. You are your fathers son, Remus. Are you two close?"

Remus seemed to shut down at Nike's words, a fork full of meat frozen in motion next to his mouth. His expression changed very quickly, become more openly frustrated as his brow furrowed and his lips frowned. Remus seemed to growl as he dropped his cutlery and got up from his seat. As he pushed up with his hands against the table, the rest of the cutlery and plates shook in response. "I need to lay down." Remus said, before leaving the table.

He threw himself at the first thing resembling couch he saw. Remus groaned loudly as he shoved his face into the cushioned fabric of the Persian furniture. Slowly he closed his eyes, grumbling to himself as he tried to fall asleep.