swept deep'

    The goddess seems to be turning something over in her head across from him and he doesn’t rush it. They’ve got time and if she wants to smite him down, well he’s open for the assault that he created a shot for. Luckily for him, she finds some true merit in him. Hunter sips his drink with ease despite smiling behind the cup as she says that she likes him too.

   Sekhmet is an odd ball, but he’d have those close to him no other way! Lowering the cup the smile he was sporting behind it is visible to her now. It’s not smug or boastful in the slightest, just extremely happy to be given the chance. She declares shopping to be their next adventure and Hunter nods in full agreement. “Yes ma’am.”

   He stands then and drains the last of his own drink quickly, “Lead me into temptation!”

Alice nodded her agreement to the goddess said as they continued crossed the museum's hallway to another display room.

"I just wish experience could be a little less brutal for some. Not all are built with the capability to learn without being traumatized by what they've gone through, you know."

“Nature,” Alice parroted what she heard, getting ready to continue following Sekhmet’s resounding footsteps across the otherwise utterly quiet room, only to realize the goddess had stopped and gazed at her, as if she was deep in thought. 

She blinked, once, twice, waiting patiently for Sekhmet to resume talking. Despite the goddess’ war-like nature, she rarely, if ever, felt truly threatened or uncomfortable around her. Probably the Odin’s daughter in her helped to thicken her skin and toughen up her mind, yet she still wouldn’t have gotten this close to the Egyptian goddess if she had not picked up her motherly vibe. 

At the mention of Sekhmet’s son, Alice’s lips stretched into a soft smile. “That would be my honor. I’ve seen him a few times at the gym, but I haven’t got the courage to strike up a conversation with him yet,” she shrugged her shoulders lightly as she was thinking about the reason. “He seems to be a man of few words, but I can be wrong.” 

Because tumblr is being an ass. Continued from here with @mpxsekhmet

⚜

She booms in sound and while others around them turn their heads to look, Hunter simply lifts his cup to his lips again to drink calmly. As though none of her outbursts will ever phase him in the slightest because, with time, they truly won’t. He likes her just the way she is and is adjusting with all the good Southern grace he was raised with. She declares again that she will ban the action around her and Hunter once again nods in affirmation even though he knows for certain fact that there will always be someone, somewhere getting blitz-drunk in the evenings in the city. If not her and her friends, then at the very least some younger demigod and their friends.

    The goddess narrows her eyes at him and doesn’t so much as ask as she states that he doesn’t believe her. It’s a dangerous game to play being around deities because for all the cautionary tales they present to those younger than them, it’s still entirely up to those demigods and humans to either learn from them, or be foiled in the same ways they had been before. Hunter knows only to be honest to those older than him when asked a direct question and so, he is.

“You think you know me, kid, huh?” She began, hand snapping into a swirling motion as she held her coffee the way one would hold their glass of wine. The commotion over her loud and disrupting episode died down around them, and with that she began to calm down as well. Perhaps the caffeine was doing its job.

    The goddess eyes him with the intensity that would make most people coware and to be sure, a part of Hunter knows he’s being mighty brave for saying as much as he has. That said, he’s got to be the one to do it if he wants her respect. People want to be heard- they want to be seen for who they are and appreciated for it more. Hunter, though closer to human and built weaker to her, can give her that.

    She drains the cup of it’s contents and slams it down after the cool assertion that he’s got that much of her right in his mind. He doesn’t gloat but he does give a small nod in agreement before he speaks on her comment about his ‘guts’. “I like you. I was taught that if you like someone you better learn to like all of them or be alright tellin’ them what you don’t like. I figure I oughta tell you I think you’re fixin’ to drink again later and I’ll be liking you either way.”

The day scorched her from the inside, but someone like Sekhmet was of course glued to a hot summer noon like bees to honey. And so when Malea offered to take her to the beach, she couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, she thought Malea was… alright. 

“Well, are you like that?” Sekhmet listened in bewilderment, her head spinning in calculation. Was that why some humans she encountered before Mount Phoenix would call her selfish? “No, I don’t think so. Do you know someone like that?” Reaching for her bottle of coconut water, a long sip left her feeling refreshed and slightly less annoyed-looking from the overly bright grin still leering at her from the magazine. She flipped the page.

“Sounds to me you’re about to start a bitching sesh.” The lipstick the pretty model wore appealed to her slightly, a shade bright red with a hint of iron much like blood would look great on her. “Go on. Who’d that brokenhearted little shit be?”

☽༺𖤐༻☾

🔮

   Sekhmet tosses the things that Malea tells her around in her mind and from where the demigoddess is settling she smiles. It was always interesting to her to see people truly thinking. Regardless of the conclusions they drew from their thoughts she liked to watch them as they picked apart things said and then reformed them in ways that made more sense to them. She stretches her long legs out on the beach towel she brought for herself as the goddess beside her thinks more before speaking.

   She asks if Malea is one of those people that she had been speaking of and all it takes is one amused look over the rim of her dark sunglasses for the goddess to understand that she’s far from that. There hasn’t been a day in her where she tried to fit the mold that was given to her and she never did a thing that didn’t benefit her in some way just because someone else wanted her to. If that was the case she would have been married to a man, still back home and most likely thinking of ways to poison her husband’s morning coffee discreetly. Widowdom was by far more appealing than being someone’s perfect little wife.

  The goddess gets it instantly and ponders more before assessing that this must be the time for gossip at hand! Ah yes, good! Malea laughs and reaches into the large beach bag that she’s packed to pull from it some sun tanning lotion. As she pops the cap and drips a line of it down one leg she explains.

🔮

    The joke isn’t lost on Malea because she laughs as she settles better into lounging on her beach towel. The council did a fair and noble amount to improve the city behind the scenes, ensuring events and public gatherings went smoothly. Everyone knew they- and Sekhmet- did their best. A little jest at their expense never hurt anyone. “I will buy my water bottled if that’s the case, or install a Brita filter directly to my kitchen faucet if need be to avoid senseless …”

     She lifts her hands to make air quotations, “Emotions.”

     Another louder laugh leaves her when the goddess besides her makes her quips about the other island dwellers, including the other gods. “I’m sure some people have good reasons to gripe as they do, but my goodness! All that whining and moaning and groaning— surely their strengths could be used for other, more lively, things. Like perhaps …”

🔮

   Her enthusiasm is infectious! Malea smirks as Sekhmet talks about crushing the Greeks into the ground during the games. She has not one single doubt in her mind that the goddess would. If not based on skill alone then surely on the other woman’s firm resolve to win. Malea has had a life surrounded by great and terrible things, but nothing would compare in her eyes as watching the literal gods collide in competition.

   Chaos reigns. What can you do but join it?

  Malea startles and sits up herself and sets about retyping the bikini strap of her friend her laugh in the air. Her nimble fingers work quickly as she listens to the pondering of Sekhmet more. “You’d win and it wouldn’t even be any fun for you against the humans. Too easy a fight. But against another deity, perhaps the thrill of seeing them have to actually try for once to do anything would be amazing.”

🔮

    The strap is secure for all of fifteen seconds before the enthralled movements of her friend threaten to loosen it once again. Malea laughs but this time does nothing about the strap for a moment, allowing it to see if it will go unruly in full or if her resolve to not fuss will prove to be a way of Sekhmet being just a little rebellious on the beach.

     Truly, there was no real harm in indulging the other woman in her thoughts. The goddess had the means and know how to provoke the war they dream up if she really wanted to for less of a reason than one they would have to drum up if asked where it all began. Still, Malea has a quiet confidence that the goddess won’t unless there’s a benefit to her mental health that is better than anything the others could give her.

It all started when she met her, this beautiful and intelligent girl at a book cafe.

Whatever it was that they talked about, Sekhmet really didn’t remember. Perhaps that was nasty of her to wave off the deepest and darkest secrets this young lady once confessed to her like daily gossip, but she couldn’t help the way she was, lacking of empathy and guilt. Sometimes gods had almighty powers and strengths, but lacked the sense to better themselves and not stay trapped within their canon persona.

And so she was shaken up when she found herself slightly ashamed of testing her, whether she remembered who she was. It was true that Sekhmet always acted with pride and dignity, and refrained from employing sly tricks. It only took Alice’s bad acting to knock Sekhmet out of her act, and her smile slowly faded and replaced with a pursed lip.

It was a mess, Alice was fully aware of that, the moment her mouth opened for the truth to come out. If she weren’t the one who was experiencing it herself, she would find her explanation extremely absurd. And she desperately wanted it to be just a cruel joke, not a reality she had yet fully accepted. 

“Yes, that’s right. Though I met Lupin, and he said I disappeared right on the day we broke up, during our vacation in Jeju, while he fought off a monster, and that’s all I’ve got so far,” Alice added, her voice sounding like it was on the verge of breaking. “And yes, I tried, but I really can’t remember who you are.” It took courage to look Sekhmet in the eyes now, as questions started to swamp Alice’s mind and worry began to rise. How did she know Sekhmet? Did she know she was a goddess? How was their relationship? Did the goddess know something about her that she was not supposed to know? 

Of course, Alice held no recollection of the secrets she had entrusted Sekhmet with. Little dirty schemes and scandals, the hedonistic existence of drink, drugs, and parties that she sought when the world became too much to bear, those occasional steamy nights spent not with her beloved fiance. And her novel-worthy past - victim of child trafficking, petty crimes done for her own survival, how she unlived her foster father, her wild university life, how she climbed and stayed at the top. Everything was gone from her mind, yet probably, remained intact in Sekhmet’s hands. And that was truly terrifying.  

Alice forgot to breathe until her lungs screamed for air, as she was hyper-focusing on what Sekhmet had to say. She sucked in a big breath, and held it in her chest until her mind caught up with a confirmation that…

“Yes, I know I used to be an actress, Lupin also told me that.” It was the second time she mentioned her then-fiance, assuming that since their love story and engagement were all over the news back then, at least Sekhmet would recognize his name. 

The day scorched her from the inside, but someone like Sekhmet was of course glued to a hot summer noon like bees to honey. And so when Malea offered to take her to the beach, she couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, she thought Malea was… alright. 

“Well, are you like that?” Sekhmet listened in bewilderment, her head spinning in calculation. Was that why some humans she encountered before Mount Phoenix would call her selfish? “No, I don’t think so. Do you know someone like that?” Reaching for her bottle of coconut water, a long sip left her feeling refreshed and slightly less annoyed-looking from the overly bright grin still leering at her from the magazine. She flipped the page.

“Sounds to me you’re about to start a bitching sesh.” The lipstick the pretty model wore appealed to her slightly, a shade bright red with a hint of iron much like blood would look great on her. “Go on. Who’d that brokenhearted little shit be?”

☽༺𖤐༻☾

🔮

   Sekhmet tosses the things that Malea tells her around in her mind and from where the demigoddess is settling she smiles. It was always interesting to her to see people truly thinking. Regardless of the conclusions they drew from their thoughts she liked to watch them as they picked apart things said and then reformed them in ways that made more sense to them. She stretches her long legs out on the beach towel she brought for herself as the goddess beside her thinks more before speaking.

   She asks if Malea is one of those people that she had been speaking of and all it takes is one amused look over the rim of her dark sunglasses for the goddess to understand that she’s far from that. There hasn’t been a day in her where she tried to fit the mold that was given to her and she never did a thing that didn’t benefit her in some way just because someone else wanted her to. If that was the case she would have been married to a man, still back home and most likely thinking of ways to poison her husband’s morning coffee discreetly. Widowdom was by far more appealing than being someone’s perfect little wife.

  The goddess gets it instantly and ponders more before assessing that this must be the time for gossip at hand! Ah yes, good! Malea laughs and reaches into the large beach bag that she’s packed to pull from it some sun tanning lotion. As she pops the cap and drips a line of it down one leg she explains.

🔮

    The joke isn’t lost on Malea because she laughs as she settles better into lounging on her beach towel. The council did a fair and noble amount to improve the city behind the scenes, ensuring events and public gatherings went smoothly. Everyone knew they- and Sekhmet- did their best. A little jest at their expense never hurt anyone. “I will buy my water bottled if that’s the case, or install a Brita filter directly to my kitchen faucet if need be to avoid senseless …”

     She lifts her hands to make air quotations, “Emotions.”

     Another louder laugh leaves her when the goddess besides her makes her quips about the other island dwellers, including the other gods. “I’m sure some people have good reasons to gripe as they do, but my goodness! All that whining and moaning and groaning— surely their strengths could be used for other, more lively, things. Like perhaps …”

🔮

   Her enthusiasm is infectious! Malea smirks as Sekhmet talks about crushing the Greeks into the ground during the games. She has not one single doubt in her mind that the goddess would. If not based on skill alone then surely on the other woman’s firm resolve to win. Malea has had a life surrounded by great and terrible things, but nothing would compare in her eyes as watching the literal gods collide in competition.

   Chaos reigns. What can you do but join it?

  Malea startles and sits up herself and sets about retyping the bikini strap of her friend her laugh in the air. Her nimble fingers work quickly as she listens to the pondering of Sekhmet more. “You’d win and it wouldn’t even be any fun for you against the humans. Too easy a fight. But against another deity, perhaps the thrill of seeing them have to actually try for once to do anything would be amazing.”

Alice nodded her agreement to the goddess said as they continued crossed the museum's hallway to another display room.

"I just wish experience could be a little less brutal for some. Not all are built with the capability to learn without being traumatized by what they've gone through, you know."

Alice waited and listened, finding herself eagerly studying the goddess standing in front of her, as if Sekhmet was a whole new universe she got a fortune of luck to find. 

There were no better learning sources than conversations with the goddess, as her mere presence in the room had already got Alice tremble in awe. She could not help wondering what it would feel like to talk to Odin, her creator, when speaking to Sekhmet had already got the wind knocked out of her. She also wondered what it felt like to be one of her offspring, to have a piece of such immense, fiery power in their DNA. 

“Are there really no other ways to help your children thrive?” Alice could not stop herself from asking, since apparently, she would never run out of questions to ask. There was always so much to learn, so many things to understand, and once her greedy mind was triggered, seldom could she stop it from going on for more until it hurt. 

The day scorched her from the inside, but someone like Sekhmet was of course glued to a hot summer noon like bees to honey. And so when Malea offered to take her to the beach, she couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, she thought Malea was… alright. 

“Well, are you like that?” Sekhmet listened in bewilderment, her head spinning in calculation. Was that why some humans she encountered before Mount Phoenix would call her selfish? “No, I don’t think so. Do you know someone like that?” Reaching for her bottle of coconut water, a long sip left her feeling refreshed and slightly less annoyed-looking from the overly bright grin still leering at her from the magazine. She flipped the page.

“Sounds to me you’re about to start a bitching sesh.” The lipstick the pretty model wore appealed to her slightly, a shade bright red with a hint of iron much like blood would look great on her. “Go on. Who’d that brokenhearted little shit be?”

☽༺𖤐༻☾

🔮

   Sekhmet tosses the things that Malea tells her around in her mind and from where the demigoddess is settling she smiles. It was always interesting to her to see people truly thinking. Regardless of the conclusions they drew from their thoughts she liked to watch them as they picked apart things said and then reformed them in ways that made more sense to them. She stretches her long legs out on the beach towel she brought for herself as the goddess beside her thinks more before speaking.

   She asks if Malea is one of those people that she had been speaking of and all it takes is one amused look over the rim of her dark sunglasses for the goddess to understand that she’s far from that. There hasn’t been a day in her where she tried to fit the mold that was given to her and she never did a thing that didn’t benefit her in some way just because someone else wanted her to. If that was the case she would have been married to a man, still back home and most likely thinking of ways to poison her husband’s morning coffee discreetly. Widowdom was by far more appealing than being someone’s perfect little wife.

  The goddess gets it instantly and ponders more before assessing that this must be the time for gossip at hand! Ah yes, good! Malea laughs and reaches into the large beach bag that she’s packed to pull from it some sun tanning lotion. As she pops the cap and drips a line of it down one leg she explains.

🔮

    The joke isn’t lost on Malea because she laughs as she settles better into lounging on her beach towel. The council did a fair and noble amount to improve the city behind the scenes, ensuring events and public gatherings went smoothly. Everyone knew they- and Sekhmet- did their best. A little jest at their expense never hurt anyone. “I will buy my water bottled if that’s the case, or install a Brita filter directly to my kitchen faucet if need be to avoid senseless …”

     She lifts her hands to make air quotations, “Emotions.”

     Another louder laugh leaves her when the goddess besides her makes her quips about the other island dwellers, including the other gods. “I’m sure some people have good reasons to gripe as they do, but my goodness! All that whining and moaning and groaning— surely their strengths could be used for other, more lively, things. Like perhaps …”

( this is basically just a very self indulgent list of various fluff, angst, and suggestive themed dialogue sentence starters. )

❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜

❛ your heart is beating so fast right now. ❜

❛ promise me you’ll still be here when i wake up. ❜

❛ you’re not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ i thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

❛ clean yourself up. you're getting blood all over the place. ❜

❛ here, give this a try and tell me what you think. ❜

❛ you can kiss me, you know. ❜

❛ come back to bed. ❜

❛ you look good like this. ❜

❛ working together again, it’s just like old times. ❜

❛ how is it you always know what i need, huh? ❜

❛ you’re lucky you got away with only a scratch. ❜ 

❛ i can’t imagine losing someone like that. i’m sorry. ❜

❛ you know you can always talk to me. ❜

❛ the only one who gets to kill you, is me. ❜

❛ so, what do i owe this pleasure? ❜

❛ ah, so you aren’t heartless after all. ❜

❛ may i have this dance? ❜ 

❛ it’s okay, you can touch me. i won't break. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

❛ hold still. this might sting a little. ❜

❛ we can't keep doing this. ❜ 

❛ you look like you've got something to say. ❜

❛ just relax and let me take care of you. ❜

❛ thought you’d be lighter without all that blood. ❜

❛ i had it under control. you didn’t need to do that. ❜

❛ everything looks so beautiful from up here. ❜

❛ you treat all your ladies like this? ❜

❛ well? how do i look? ❜

❛ can’t sleep? ❜

❛ do you mind if i smoke? ❜

❛ i’m scared of ending up alone. ❜

❛ i don’t think i’ve ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ how long has it been since you've slept? ❜

❛ you are losing my interest, and that’s very dangerous. ❜

❛ i’d suffer hell if you’d tell me what you’d do to me tonight. ❜

❛ you look really pretty right now. ❜

❛ i’ve never cared for anyone the way i care for you. ❜

❛ i’m not wearing any underwear. thought you’d like to know. ❜

❛ just a few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new. ❜

❛ i’d say we make a pretty good team. ❜

❛ i want you to forget this ever happened. ❜

❛ i'm here for business — not pleasure. ❜

❛ if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were jealous. ❜

❛ you'd look better down on your knees. ❜

❛ fine, keep acting like you hate me. ❜

❛ kiss me again. ❜

❛ are you asking me out on a date? ❜

❛ just sit there and look pretty and let me handle this. ❜

❛ you okay? caught you staring off into space again. ❜

❛ well, i do feel better now that you're here. ❜

❛ i'm not drunk enough for this. ❜ 

❛ why is it whenever we see each other, you’re covered in blood? ❜

❛ i was wrong about you. ❜ 

❛ the first time i met you, i had no idea you'd mean this much. ❜

❛ you gonna be a good girl / boy for me? ❜

❛ i’m not afraid of you. ❜

❛ books mean more to me than people anyway. ❜

❛ i just wanted to say thank you for protecting me. ❜

❛ how about a kiss goodnight? ❜

❛ i don’t have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

It all started when she met her, this beautiful and intelligent girl at a book cafe.

Whatever it was that they talked about, Sekhmet really didn’t remember. Perhaps that was nasty of her to wave off the deepest and darkest secrets this young lady once confessed to her like daily gossip, but she couldn’t help the way she was, lacking of empathy and guilt. Sometimes gods had almighty powers and strengths, but lacked the sense to better themselves and not stay trapped within their canon persona.

And so she was shaken up when she found herself slightly ashamed of testing her, whether she remembered who she was. It was true that Sekhmet always acted with pride and dignity, and refrained from employing sly tricks. It only took Alice’s bad acting to knock Sekhmet out of her act, and her smile slowly faded and replaced with a pursed lip.

Holding a conversation with this goddess posed something dangerous that got Alice wary, yet she refused to follow the call of instinct to run for her life. 

No matter whom they used to be to each other in the past, Sekhmet appeared to know the old Alice beyond the casual acquaintances level. She picked up the clues from the goddess’ demeanor, from the way she seemed to be interested in testing her, which Alice hoped she did not fail too badly.

From her conversations with Lupin, her then fiance, she used to be a famous actress before the memory loss. But it was because of the memory loss that Alice lost confidence in her acting skills, as now she was back to square one and only had her instinct to rely on. 

When Sekhmet’s smile faded and the straightforward questions were sent her way, Alice knew she had failed badly. The goddess looked more concerned than anything toward the truth she was trying to hide, and that encouraged Alice to give her an honest answer. 

“I know that you’re Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of war, among some other things. You’re one of the representatives of the Egyptian pantheon at the city council, along with Khonsu. There’s one of your offspring living on the island, Lio Han, he’s the owner of the gym and a clerk at Hephaestus’ weapon store.” She started with the fact, something she had learned through hours working at the library and doing research about all the residents of the island. 

A defeated smile crept upon her face as she confessed, “And that’s everything I’ve known of you since I came here, Sekhmet. I don’t remember who you are beyond today. Something happened to me that caused me to lose my memory, all of it, except my name. And…I still have no idea how to learn what happened, or how to get my memory back.”

She then straightened her back, her eyes fixed on Sekhmet with this growing hope and anticipation as she asked, almost pleading.

“So… you lost all memory and you don’t know how it happened,” her hand waved in gesture in disbelief. “And I don’t even look remotely familiar to you?” Endless nights of confiding the deepest, darkest secrets to someone you find comfortable, only for all to be wiped away but those unspeakable truths remaining to someone else’s disposal, was a truly horrific thing.

Because tumblr is being an ass. Continued from here with @mpxsekhmet

⚜

She booms in sound and while others around them turn their heads to look, Hunter simply lifts his cup to his lips again to drink calmly. As though none of her outbursts will ever phase him in the slightest because, with time, they truly won’t. He likes her just the way she is and is adjusting with all the good Southern grace he was raised with. She declares again that she will ban the action around her and Hunter once again nods in affirmation even though he knows for certain fact that there will always be someone, somewhere getting blitz-drunk in the evenings in the city. If not her and her friends, then at the very least some younger demigod and their friends.

    The goddess narrows her eyes at him and doesn’t so much as ask as she states that he doesn’t believe her. It’s a dangerous game to play being around deities because for all the cautionary tales they present to those younger than them, it’s still entirely up to those demigods and humans to either learn from them, or be foiled in the same ways they had been before. Hunter knows only to be honest to those older than him when asked a direct question and so, he is.

“You think you know me, kid, huh?” She began, hand snapping into a swirling motion as she held her coffee the way one would hold their glass of wine. The commotion over her loud and disrupting episode died down around them, and with that she began to calm down as well. Perhaps the caffeine was doing its job.

Alice nodded her agreement to the goddess said as they continued crossed the museum's hallway to another display room.

"I just wish experience could be a little less brutal for some. Not all are built with the capability to learn without being traumatized by what they've gone through, you know."

Alice stopped walking when Sekhmet stopped walking, and stood still when the goddess turned around to face her. The magnificent oil painting behind the goddess added weight to what she was saying, and Alice felt her breath densed, pressing tight against her chest in awe.

"My father would probably agree with you, for he gave me life and a mind to fend for myself. His absence of guidance is the utmost guidance for me, I suppose."

Her conclusion came from the stories collected from reunions with a few from her past, in which none brought up a hint of Odin's presence. There was no underlying venom or bitterness in her voice, since she had learned to accept whatever put and would be put on her life path - a way she found that helped her to stay sane and deal with the ongoing war in her mind.

She only came to see Alice, and to know what kind of work she’d been involved in to stay busy. This was definitely a change compared to what she used to do, and she almost chuckled outwardly at her finding. Things were much calmer than before, she’d say.

“Oh, yes,” she answered almost instantly, her gaze and stance shifting from lazy strolling mode to a resolute, confident pose. “There’s no doubt about that.” She thought of Lio, and how she’d react when he’d fall into similar situations. The act of her embracing and comforting him made her sick just by thought; and that left her even more sure of her answer.

Sekhmet proceeded to mutter angry but relatively softer insults under her breath, something about her coffee taking so damn long, as she grabbed it from the poor barista after what could only have been three to four minutes’ wait. She wanted to tell Hunter off for being stupid and tipping them when they’re just doing their jobs, but since he bought her the elixir of life she (actually, not her, but the damned vessel) so badly needed, she’d keep her mouth shut for now.

“Just a good old shots challenge,” she grumbled as she sat down heavily onto the wooden chair, elbows immediately landing on the table with her palms open to hold her head up. “Now that I think about it that was the most fucking stupid invention ever.” With a moment of silence, she fell into what appeared to be deep thought, and a dramatic slap of her fist on the table must have startled all the patrons. “That’s it! Shots challenges are banned at my establishment!”

⚜

  Sekhmet was definitely something. Her boisterous way of being, the streak of rudeness, the potty mouth— everything about her flew in the face of how Hunter had been raised. She commanded attention in any room she entered, cared not for the feelings of others or their ear drums at times and was proudly herself. Unapologetically herself.

       Hunter is….. utterly enthralled by all of it.

  He smiles down into his coffee order as she grumbles her distress about the shots challenge and raises his glass to the notion of her outlawing it. Truthfully, he doesn’t believe it will fully happen or last if it did but he gives this wordless support anyway. Sipping at his drink and leaving her to her musings Hunter ponders the economic implications of such a choice before deciding that it’s not his circus, not his monkeys.

The day scorched her from the inside, but someone like Sekhmet was of course glued to a hot summer noon like bees to honey. And so when Malea offered to take her to the beach, she couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, she thought Malea was… alright. 

“Well, are you like that?” Sekhmet listened in bewilderment, her head spinning in calculation. Was that why some humans she encountered before Mount Phoenix would call her selfish? “No, I don’t think so. Do you know someone like that?” Reaching for her bottle of coconut water, a long sip left her feeling refreshed and slightly less annoyed-looking from the overly bright grin still leering at her from the magazine. She flipped the page.

“Sounds to me you’re about to start a bitching sesh.” The lipstick the pretty model wore appealed to her slightly, a shade bright red with a hint of iron much like blood would look great on her. “Go on. Who’d that brokenhearted little shit be?”

☽༺𖤐༻☾

🔮

   Sekhmet tosses the things that Malea tells her around in her mind and from where the demigoddess is settling she smiles. It was always interesting to her to see people truly thinking. Regardless of the conclusions they drew from their thoughts she liked to watch them as they picked apart things said and then reformed them in ways that made more sense to them. She stretches her long legs out on the beach towel she brought for herself as the goddess beside her thinks more before speaking.

   She asks if Malea is one of those people that she had been speaking of and all it takes is one amused look over the rim of her dark sunglasses for the goddess to understand that she’s far from that. There hasn’t been a day in her where she tried to fit the mold that was given to her and she never did a thing that didn’t benefit her in some way just because someone else wanted her to. If that was the case she would have been married to a man, still back home and most likely thinking of ways to poison her husband’s morning coffee discreetly. Widowdom was by far more appealing than being someone’s perfect little wife.

  The goddess gets it instantly and ponders more before assessing that this must be the time for gossip at hand! Ah yes, good! Malea laughs and reaches into the large beach bag that she’s packed to pull from it some sun tanning lotion. As she pops the cap and drips a line of it down one leg she explains.

“That’s very humble and self-reflective of you,” she snapped back, yet her tone suggested that the answer he gave was satisfactory. It was indeed his humanity that deemed him weaker than she wanted. If she could, she would put him right where she was together with him. But this wasn’t something she could, or would’ve wanted to achieve with a snap of her fingers. To her, this was also a challenge, a quest for the very best.

“Fight me, then,” she decided, fists already clenched to prepare herself in combat mode. With having seen so little of what he could truly do, this was perhaps a way for her to get to know her son a little more. A way of bonding for them.

Lio did not realize he was holding his breath, until his godly mother’s response allowed air to rush into his lungs. 

It was suffocating, in a good way, to stand in front of Sekhmet. Lio still found it somewhat bizarre in recognition that this majestic goddess was indeed his mother, that he was a son of such a powerful, invincible god. 

The human instinct his father left in him wished to put her on pedestal, while his strain of divinity begged to step up and stand right next to her. So, when Sekhmet offered him a chance to engage in a fight with her, Lio’s core shook in exhilaration. He learned a lot during those intense, bloody duels with Ares, in some which he managed to wound the Greek god. However, nothing could compare to bonding and receiving instructions from his own divine creator. 

Although she knew full well that she was a goddess and her son was only half of her, she would never use anything but her full power when engaging in battle. And so when he came at her in a speed that was considered alarming for someone with his level of power, she let out a sharp breath as her shoulders twisted and back bent to dodge his attack, his body so closely brushing against hers. She must admit, that was a very, very good one.