𝓫𝓪𝓭 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓵𝓮

Welcome to Athens, [ERIS]! It looks like they [DO] remember their past life as a God. It is said that [SHE/HER] have/has [WIT] but also [MANIPULATION]. Apparently they look like [SUMMER BISHIL] and they’re [CISFEMALE].

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           It was almost like Tea had said it so that Eris would ask her. She hoped that she hadn’t, that she’d said it as a simple gesture to prevent Eris from wasting her time but…surely there was a small part of her that knew them and knew Eris and knew she’d make that kind of offer. It seemed a silly thing to always go back to whatever it was that had happened between them but the Goddess within saw Eris, saw how she could be, and saw a tremendous amount of beauty in the chaos she could bring, it was no simple feat, it was divine effort. Unfortunately the mortal mind of Tea as it was now couldn’t quite explain it to herself the way her true self would have been able to.

              “Sharing sounds a little like asking for trouble,” Tea responded, still holding the bottle but entirely enamored by the pure darkness of Eris’ stunning hair and the fullness of her eyes. “We can behave though, just a few drinks,” she told herself allowed, nodding softly. “Your place is closer.” Besides, that way work would force the both of them to leave if things did get messy. Eris to class and Tea to make sure she was home in time for her live sessions. “I’ll pay.”

            So she did, slowly passing the woman, allowing their forms to graze one another as she did, and placing the bottle on the counter for the person working to run it through. They’d been staring at the interaction, as innocent as it was, but maybe people just knew deep down when two Gods stood before them. 

-

The toxicity of whatever relationship she and Aphrodite go through is what draws Eris in over and over again. Surely once Ares finds out, she’s probably in for a hell of a ride but that’s future-her problems. Besides, once everything’s back to normal -- and she will make damn sure that everything will go back to normal -- it could be something to laugh at. For now, it’s something that keeps her bed warm at night or when they’re fighting, something that gets her blood pressure up there. It’s exhilarating and maybe that’s why mortals used to fawn all over the goddess. Beauty by its physical form is what catches them but the hook -- that’s what Eris misses when there’s no one there to argue with in all hours of the night. 

“Well. You know me. I like trouble,” she counters, eyeing the bottle like it’s the gateway to what fun the night could bring. The smile she throws at the other is purely innocent -- for now. “Behave,” Eris repeats, the irony of the word tasting sweet on her tongue. “Only good girls can behave. Are you saying you’re a good girl?” Her head tilts with the question as if her curiosity hasn’t already been answered with nights shared together. “My place then,” she nods. At least she’ll make an evening out of it.

As Aphrodite passes her, Eris doesn’t hide the way her eyes follow the goddess. Her focus shifts towards the cashier and knowing the looks they throw at them, she can only wonder what goes on in that mind -- and so she voices it. “Are you looking for a three way,” Eris asks the employee. “I’m only down if she’s down but I don’t think we can all share the bottle.”

“Of course they do. It’s supposed to be paradise away from paradise.” She had managed to find herself across the globe over time, and it wasn’t one she was particularly fond of. And yet, as she stared at the woman, she only shook her head. “There’s plenty of shame, and I will not do that for you. Order you another coffee, of course, in an accent, absolutely not.” With a tilt of her head, she almost felt seen for the first time in a while. The other’s questioning gaze giving her the slightly grin herself. “Of course I know who you are, Eris. You’re a goddess and if you don’t believe me, then I do believe this conversation is over.”

-

Eris eyes roll towards the back of her head at the other’s response. What do mortals know about paradise? She’s lived it and Athens pales in comparison to what Olympus offers. “Paradise. Right. They can just keep their valley girl accents far, far away from me.” Eris waves off the woman’s refusal of her coffee order once more but is stopped short by her recognition. Slowly dawning that she’s found yet another goddess, the wild grin spreads easily on her features. “You are such a fucking drama queen,” she manages out before flinging herself at Nemesis. “Don’t you dare think for a second that I don’t believe your words. Me? A goddess? Fuck yes. And you too! Where have you been?”

  hesperias hand twitched, readying to run over her face but she managed to keep it down. was this woman drunk and simply confused? ria really couldn’t take her to her home, she already felt like she would be bringing home an army of people with everyone she’s met recently, ria also doubted the woman would tell her where she lived so they could go on that journey. “i really am sorry but if we did ever meet i have forgotten.” she tried to be careful with her words, not ready for what emotional thing could come next.  her mouth hung open in the slightest, perhaps when she was little-little she made her siblings cry but ria couldn’t imagine herself now doing such a thing. “me? could you maybe tell me who you think i am?”

-

Each word sits heavier on Eris’ chest and while there’s nothing more she wants to do than to turn around and pretend she wasn’t met with the past containing feelings she’d rather keep forgotten, there’s the other part, the bigger part that wants to be back on the road to normalcy. Dealing with her inner turmoil regarding the goddess looks to be a part of it. It doesn’t mean that she can’t have fun with it, however, no matter how uncomfortable the other’s presence makes her. “Oh, hon, that’s a shame. People tend to not forget me.” Except you, apparently, she wants to add but that brings on more emotions that she just cannot deal with. “You were my --.” And at this she blanks for a moment, eyes widening at what almost slips her lips. “Partner in crime. We did so much shit together. You more than me, of course. I was the good one.”

Eris eyes the pyramid of apples in the grocery store with a curious stare. There’s an urge to just ram her cart and watch it all tumble down but the security system actually works here and she doesn’t feel like finding yet another store yet again. Instead she turns to the nearest person she sees, flutters her eyes in what she hopes is some-sort of puppy-dog look, and pouts. “Do you mind getting me one of those apples over there? The good ones are on the bottom, though. Do you think you can handle that?”

There’s a switchblade in Eris’ hand so she’s just waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The inflatable man with the wacky arms has whacked her for the last time. She’s pretty sure it isn’t a crime to deflate the prop, but Eris can’t afford any more trips down to the station. The benefits of not having any priors still work in her favor. Mortals and their justice system are something to laugh about but until the hierarchy is restored she has to play by their rules. “Hey, hey, hey,” she stops a stranger on the street. “Do you want to carry out a mission with me?”

A tall, dark figure appeared in the entrance to Eris’ living room, long black coat with a high collar casting a shadow over his sharp jaw. The black leather dress shoes were shiny beneath the perfectly ironed pants, polished to perfection. A briefcase was held in gloved hand, contents suspicious despite its plain envelope model. 

“Eris… Has no one ever told you not to shit where you eat?” Aaron’s even tone inquired, expression dark and indifferent. He stepped into the room, leaving the briefcase on the coffee table. “I suppose this is the surprise?” He glanced at the man tied to the chair.

-

A roll of her eyes and Eris shifts her focus on her nails, using the pointy end of a dagger she’s thrifted to pick the dirt from under it. “Why do you always come here looking straight out of wattpad story? Oh yeah, mortals have those. Mafia-looking bad boys are all the rage with my students.” She nudges her company though they’re unable to share her teasing nature with the rope binding them to her chair. Lame. 

“I shit where I please,” she throws back, turning her nose up at the insinuation of the comment. “I was careful, thank you very much. Don’t under estimate what I can do with go-go boots.” Eris finally flings her weapon of choice towards the couch and makes a show of presenting her little present. “Voila! Meet Greg! All wrapped up and everything. You are welcome!” 

Artemis smiled at the mention of her dogs, she always did. “They’re actually all hunting dogs,” she replied, “Not intentionally though, I just sorted of ended up with all of these girls.” She gave Nina a scratch behind the ears. She didn’t hunt much anymore. Mostly, she did target shooting these days. Usually, she waited until the end of the trip to wow the kids with that particular skill. She started walking towards the bus, “Well, let’s get started. We’re going over to the campfire to kick things off.” She paused and then asked, “Do any of your kids have issues with dogs? They tend to follow me everywhere, but I can send them off.”

-

“Hunting dogs. Hm.” The universe is practically spoon-feeding the irony but Eris decides to keep playing it under-handed. News about being a god/goddess can’t be shoved onto someone without looking a little crazy so she knows she has to work on convincing the other. “So like -- destiny? Why do you think these dogs ended up with you? Could have been cats, birds, or hell, I’ve seen people online with pets from the deep sea. So why dogs?” Her eyes flit over to the canines in question and Eris swears it’s like being transported back to the good ol’ days. Even if the memories seem distant, she vows to never let them fade in her mind. Damned with mortality, the young goddess is determined to go back to her old life and with her loathing for her current predicament, she’s holding on to what very little she has left. “Oh no, they’re kids. If they can’t go against them, what good are they in the real world when there’s more shit to be scared of?”

   she wasn’t quiet sure to make of the commotion, of course ria gave a glance hoping to catch what was the source but just managed to get the sight of a crying child. it didn’t bring her joy but she also didn’t really feel anything for them, children cried all the time for a number of reasons… the girl moved past the little group, her eyes still distracted by them to have noticed the other coming into her path. ria faltered in her steps taking a half one back to get a better view of them. “excuse me?” she responded, sure of what she heard but far from knowing what it meant. “i think you might be mistaking me for another.”

-

And of course Harmonia doesn’t remember her. Eris ignores the sting it brings but she puts on her best face. “I don’t think I am,” she says a-matter-of-factly. “Come on. You can’t tell me you don’t remember the shit we used to pull.” There’s a choice to either shake the woman down until she does come to remember her or --. “We used to make children cry all. the. time. You’d help me out because you were the bad influence and -- oh my God. You don’t really know who I am, do you?” Eris pouts, eyes widening as she takes on the appearance of someone who’s been betrayed. “Was it -- was it the car accident? Did you have a ‘The Vow’ moment?”

“Oh I don’t know about that. It only takes one arrow to get the job done.” Eros winked at Eris, a laughing smile on her face. It really wasn’t any of her business–she made a promise to her family that she wouldn’t meddle in their affairs after an unfortunate accident several millennia ago. But sometimes she couldn’t help herself. “Oh come on! Games are part of the fun. But if you insist. What do you have planned?”

-

“You’re insufferable,” Eris groans but still takes a small step away from the arrows. If Eros’ words are to be taken in truth, then she wouldn’t want to be near the monstrosities especially if they’re to be used against Harmonia. “Games are fun but not against me,” she reminds the other. “But if you’re looking to play with me then we’ll definitely enjoy ourselves.” At the question, she takes a look around, not really having anything concretely planned. “What’s to stop you from using that against a nymph? Or someone that can bear the wrath of one of our companions? Who do you think will be more entertaining when angered -- Hera or Aphrodite? Oh wait, I think I see Zelus.” 

    “my siblings did most of the work.” clio attempted honestly, her gaze lingered to their surroundings. her siblings were so talented one couldn’t dispute the gorgeous gala put together.  “they like to be very particular in their work. i hope you don’t find this event too much of an inconvenience.” 

-

Eris merely hums in acknowledgement, taking in the rest of the gala. She wonders if her own siblings would ever bear this much creativity in holding a gathering but figures that it would end in flames either way. There’s always a touch of curiousity as she compares her own dynamics with others and if Clio’s siblings are to be accounted for this gala, then she knows there’s a world of difference between them. “Not an inconvenience,” she reassures the other. “But it could do with more, don’t you think?” Is Eris thinking about corrupting a muse? Perhaps. “Would you like to accompany me?”

-

Momus turned, a sneer already neatly formed across his face. The expression had been there since the start of this whole idiotic charade and now it at last had a target. “I don’t suppose,” he drawled languidly, “that such an occurrence has taught you anything? Like, perhaps the idea that you went too far? Honestly,” he continued, turning away, “shoes. As uselessly self-absorbed as ever I see, dear Eris.”

-

Taken aback by her own brother’s attack, Eris is quick to school her features. “Watch your words, Momus,” she warns. “Or one may think you’re going against family.” The comments are thrown though she holds in anger; her own siblings are spared from the goddess’ quick to rage reactions but she never thought she would have to control herself against her favorite. “And how is slaughtering a small village going too far? You and I know I’ve done much worse.”

   harmonia couldn’t complain, she was quite content along side eris and surrounded by people of alike being. enjoying the moment was more than she felt, glancing to eris with a stupid smile. “you are very creative i am sure you will find away.” her head popped rather robotically, perhaps a lull from the alcohol. “i find that i look for the more interesting person and make conversation. maybe you can make them scream.” 

-

Though Eris can definitely thrive under compliments from mortals and some of the Olympians, she still doesn’t know how to react when Harmonia gives her one. And so she goes with her default: a roll of her eyes, a hand to physically wave away the embarrassment it comes with, and a quick change of subject. “Are you suggesting a tag team,” her brow arches in surprise. “Because if you are, you would have to do better than make conversation. You’d have to be bait.” Closer, she whispers and her proximity is only excused by trying to conspire some sort of plan. “What if you’re the one that ends up screaming?”