Echo & Elijah

Of course the person responsible for investigating the death of Zeus had to be Echo. Not that it was a big coincidence, considering how many affairs her husband had over millennia, but the reminder was still bitter. Hera never forgot a betrayal. Echo had payed the price for it, and the curse appeased Hera’s thirst for revenge in that case, but it didn’t erase what happened. When Echo started working at the newspaper, that only made Hera’s distate for her grow. The press was constantly watching her family and poking at every wound they could find, feeding on the scandals. And now, she had to watch Echo play detective on her husband’s murder. 

Hera walked in and sat across from the other, crossing her arms. She kept silent for a moment longer than necessary, just enjoying the irony of it. She didn’t like Echo’s smug expression, but she had other priorities, and a much bigger target for her anger. “I hope you are not buying into the words of the Fates. I don’t doubt Odin’s involvement, but no god alone can be responsible for all of this. If Zeus could be defeated so easily, he wouldn’t have conquered everything he did.” The suggestion that a single god could be guilty of his death was offensive to Hera. The Olympian king was too great. There was more to this story than anyone had heard of so far.

The closer Hera got to her the more she could feel the curse throb and tense her throat. She couldn’t bite back the words from echoing, but it gave her a false sense of satisfaction. It’s true that Echo didn’t believe that Odin did this on their own, but perhaps it was own vengeance that stirred her to think Hera would be an accomplice.  She herself was walking proof of Hera’s wrath, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Zeus had done something to cross the line.  

The smug expression twisted with  the uncomfortable silence that dragged on between them. Words spoken clawed their way up in her throat to the point she cleared it hoping to push it back down. Instead the words flowed from her barely a whisper and closer to Hera’s voice than her own. “He wouldn’t have conquered everything he did.” A cough followed soon after, before she pointed a finger at Hera  and then to the watch on her wrist. 

She didn’t want to take out her phone around Hera, so she opted to use the old fashioned small notebook she kept on her. Writing out a single question that she passed albeit slightly aggressive across the table.

‘what is your alibi?’

( lucien laviscount, cismale, he/him ) the city of gods is proud to welcome elijah ikon. he is a thirty year old human who has lived in new crete for five years. elijah can be found working as a paramedic at new crete general hospital and is indifferent about the death of zeus. 

There was a rule of thumb when it came to murders in the mortal realm. Always check the spouse first as the person of interest. Sure, after the party it complicated matters when the name 'ODIN' passed around. However, she was diligent and the taste of revenge was always sweeter. Hera was the last person Echo ever wanted to see again. But perhaps this meeting would end with a confession. The manor itself made her twitch as she crossed the threshold. She could already feel the oppressed anger swirl inside of her. 

There's nothing she wanted more then it to be Hera. To watch the woman lose everything, so she could spit in her face and echo the guilty verdict until her dying days. But, there's the majority part of her more focused on trying to figure out the complete puzzle. Echo nodded slowly as someone left her side to go fetch Hera. 

A huff of air left her lips irritated at the interior of the manor. She lowered herself into a chair, using the small movement to defy waiting and being invited to a seat at the table.  Once she heard the footsteps approach, she turned around to face the devil in her story. A smug expression on her lips as she waited for what the other woman would say - so she could echo it.

location: Shelter

status: open

Wukong smiled as he leaned against the wall in the shelter. A couple times a week he stopped in to check on the animals and make sure they were all doing alright. There were a couple rescues nursed through a particularly bad time, he was always glad to see how far they had come. They deserved far better than their previous owners. Less judgmental they were always happy to see him, little tails waging as he walked into the door demanding his attention and love.

As the bell over the door chimes attention shifts from the dog who’s head he’d been scratching and he couldn’t help but smile as someone stepped inside. “Let me guess, you’re here  to see the puppies”

@neongodsarchive​

It was on the way from her countless stops she had to make. It had been a begrudging agreement that her and her partner would meet up later to swap out intel on the residents. To close in on the conspiracy theories, or collaborate the fates and reports. She had thought about dropping by food to Wukong to bring a sense of normality to her day. That is until something even more unexpected crossed her path. A broken nest with a chirping baby bird practically begging in its own way for her help. With a quirk of a brow and slight unsure twist of her lips. Removing the crime scene gloves from the pocket of her jacket, she put them on before she carefully took up the hatchling.

– ◉ taylor + echo (starter for @distortechoes​)

“Anyway, she ended up trying to smash my camera and accused me of sleeping with her husband because I got asked to retake his photos for an editorial because he didn’t like the tie he had been wearing the day of the original shoot.” Taylor was off on another rant, a common occurrence for her. She didn’t know how Echo put up with her. “I hear the stories that gods were petty but I didn’t think it was true… well, I didn’t think gods were real until three months ago so…” She took a breath, and sipped her coffee, glancing at Echo for a moment. “How do you even deal with it all?”

Most of the time she was able to tolerate Taylor. It always made her feel more comfortable being close with a talker, because she felt they wouldn’t miss her input too much. Her imagination flared with the image that Taylor spoke of, and it caused her to chuckle softly. The saying ignorance was bliss came to mind, but Taylor now knew most of the truth. Echo paused to tap the answer into her phone, so the fake programmed voice could answer the question. ‘The name of the wife wasn’t Hera by chance?’ A snicker, before she continued. ‘You get used to it after awhile. I’d be careful though... last angry wife made me like this.’ Echo gestured to the silence in the air between them, and opened her mouth to emphasize the loss of her voice.

it comes natural, or it looks like it, anyway——there are years of practice. not of dancing, really, that’s still very much something she makes up on the spot; but the making other people feel at ease, or welcome, or out of their shell. in a way it makes her come out of her own. ariadne takes echo’s hands happily and composes herself for a few seconds before closing the distance. finding a rhythm somewhere that’s possible to sway to; carefully, trying this out. “this okay?” watching the other’s face for clues.

… ♡ …

her   eyebrows   came   together   ,   not   understanding   what   the   other   was   saying   .   it   seem   everything   she   had   known   about   herself   and   her   powers   was   connected   to   that   and   not   being   a   divine   being   .   the   room   was   dark   and   it   was   taking   longer   than   normal   for   her   eyes   to   adjust   .   she   could   only   imagine   her   skin   and   body   ,   but   if   it   was   showing   its   true   age   at   least   she   had   the   strength   to   walk   and   talk   .   or   maybe   that   was   will   power   .   “   you   want   to   climb   through   the   rumble   ?   ”   she   asked   ,   confused   .   “   what   if   it   collapses   on   us   and   we   end   up   in   the   underworld   like   zeus   ?   ”

Echo’s gaze drew between the figure and the rumble at the door. She blinks slowly as she tried to decipher if the woman’s appearance had shifted in front of her. It was strange to be in pure chaos with no power awakening to come to their aid. Is this part of what had killed Zeus to begin with? Another slow blink and a wayward lick over her lips. She retracted her finger and nodded slowly. That way was different, but she let out a soft sigh gesturing with her hands in the dark. Writing something wouldn’t help her communicate, and neither would her dead cell phone. Echo points towards an opposite direction from the rumble with a slow shrug of her shoulders. Only able to parrot Aphrodite’s words across from her, “like zeus” with a quick shake of her head. 

alex felt himself tense up a bit as echo sat across from him. he had shamefully been avoiding her and it was obvious that he had not thought about running into her at this event by the way his face dropped. cynical as ever, alex was constantly running from things he couldn’t solve as opposed to actually dealing with them and echo was the prime example of that. he practically felt his heart drop upon seeing her but he forced a smile on to his face, one attempting to disguise the fact that he had been ducking her at every chance previously. which, was definitely obvious. “uh - hi … hey echo.” 

The air between them was thick with tension and words unsaid, mostly on her part.  She was far from oblivious how awkward she had made things whens he sat beside him. Her fingers closed and tugged the napkin back to her, while she started to scribble on the unoccupied side. Perhaps she should start carrying a miniature whiteboard with her, so she could whack the person for extra intimidation points. Not that she thought violence was the answer for most things. It tugged at her heart slightly when she heard her names on his lips. She pushed back the napkin to him with the words quickly scribbled. Hoping he wouldn’t just leave her at the table since she sat down. ‘ I wasn’t expecting to see your ghost tonight. Night off? ‘

it’s like crossing an ocean, getting anywhere in this room. a few seconds of standing still and they’ll be parted again, by all the people walking back and forth. seems personal space is a foreign concept. ariadne reaches out her hand, the smile wide on her lips, “yes, you! come quick before i lose sight of you again.”

This was supposed to be a festive night, though she didn’t quite feel that way in her heart. It all changed drastically with the notion of a dance, she stretched her hand outward to grasp onto the one offered to her. The other’s smile contagious and pulled across her lips. Music was one of her passions, and dancing went along with it.  The music had slowed, but still at a natural beat to slow dance to. A nod given to the other as she gestured for her to take the lead.