i witness your madness

it takes a bit to scare her off. most people know this by now. but she’s a strange sort. it’s not bravery as much as it is just a sense of care; seeing the contours of the shadows rather than just the whole dark mess of it. and this city carries the dark well. but now, the sun is shining, and ariadne accepts the gift with a smile (how strange, to have it be the other way around for once). “that’s very kind. you make these yourself?”

-- ✒

When Apollo wasn’t at the Elixir, they could often be found at the Crow’s Nest, enjoying the company of the patrons and staff alike, as well as the food and drink the place offered. The drinks were good, but it looked like the company tonight would be the highlight. “A flatterer as always, Liber. You are the welcome sight. Round on me?”

– 🍷

It might’ve been cheesy to say that Apollo was something close to his best friend but it wasn’t entirely false. Liber enjoyed the company of the other god. It was like they both tapped into an energy that meant that nothing had to be taken seriously, which was a welcome change considering that most of the population of New Crete was overly serious.  “Is this going to turn into another compliment battle? My dear Apollo, I could go all night, you sure you want to start this.” He leaned on the bar with a wide grin, “Put your wallet away, you know I get that staff discount.”

god. what’s this about flying too close to the sun? this girl doesn’t back off, either. icarus swirls the glass in his hand and the movement propels into his shoulders a little bit, stands him up straighter. he smiles when she walks over. “come on.” even with her this close, he manages to finish off his drink, setting the glass back down on the bar counter. “make an example of me? yeah, that’d be nice, wouldn’t it. how about you stop sticking your nose in other people’s business.——are you even old enough to be in here?”

- ⟴

Medusa needed the fresh air, mostly just to get away from the paint fumes in the apartment. As much as she loved changing up the decor it got to be a little much until it was aired out. The parked seemed like a good place to go, tucking herself onto a bench with a good book. She was midway through her next chapter when a familiar voice caught her attention. Lifting her head she offered Thanatos a smile as she slipped a bookmark into place. “Not at all, How have you been?” She motioned for him to sit as she shifted in her seat towards him. 

-- ✒

Thanatos sat down, smiling gently at his friend. He enjoyed Medusa’s company, truly. It was nice to not feel like he had to spend every moment over-compensating to prove that he wasn’t some irredeemable monster, some bringer of death. Throughout the years people had misrepresented his myth, built him up to be a boogeyman, the grim reaper. He was trying but there were still people who looked at him and backed away. “Oh, you know, just teaching myself latte art and scaring children, the usual. How about you, my friend? How’s the Argonautic Home treating you?”

he tells himself he’s not looking for a fight but it might only be half true. not because it gives him much: never was much of a fighter, coming from a family of thinking minds. but because it’s something to do, maybe, and he’s got the whole world to prove. always has. this is a fact that doesn’t let go. icarus doesn’t step down from a challenge. “you’re the one hogging all the space. wouldn’t even be here talking if it wasn’t for your attitude.”

- ⟴

Brynhildr felt her spare hand tighten into a fist at her side. She rolled her eyes, downing the drink she held. Nothing like a little bit of a burn in the back of the throat to make her feel like she could ruin someone. She would be damned if she was going to let this man, no, this boy, try and boss her around. That part of her life was long gone and she didn’t much value the lip from men with fragile egos. She took a step towards him, ignoring any personal space he was trying to keep. He was taller than her, but that didn’t matter. What she lacked in height she made up for with pure rage. “You’re the one thinking that you own every bit of this bar, you entitled prick. How about you sit the fuck down, shut the fuck up and I won’t have to make an example of you in front of all these people.”

maybe he doesn’t want to own the room, doesn’t need to, but he does want this small part. even more now that she refuses to give it. a few moments of pause while the music blares on in the background. he looks her over. has he seen her somewhere before? “what’s it matter? are we gonna have a problem?”

–  ⟴

Bryn’s already sour mood was being easily worsened by this man who carried himself with an attitude he owned the place. As far as she saw it, she had dealt with her fair share of entitled pricks in her life and they were usually all bark, no bite. Still, if it came down to a fight she knew that she could take him. She hadn’t spent centuries training as a Valkyrie to stand down when a man told her to. “Alright, big man. We’re only going to have a problem if you keep talking and don’t let me have a drink in peace.” She replied, her lip curling into an unfriendly grimace.

Liber had thankfully finished his shift, not that it mean he was going home. The Crow’s Nest was basically his second home and he knew all of the dark corners where he could be entirely unprofessional. But that wasn’t the aim tonight, not when one of his favourite people was sitting at the end of the bar. He leaned on the bar, grinning at Apollo, “Wow! I’m so glad there is finally someone more attractive than me in here! You’re a welcome sight.”

⚘

Scooting past shoving bodies, Eurydice waded past crowds of intoxicated individuals until she found Brynhildr. How had she let herself get dragged out to a night of drinking was beyond her. She could have spent this night working another shift, saving up as much as she could. The idea of not working tonight was bound to cost her another year of her life from all the stress. But Brynhildr was nothing if not persuasive. Her nose scrunched slightly at the nickname but she held her tongue. “How can you drink this much and still be standing, Bryn?” she asked curiously, reaching for an empty shot glass and considering what she wanted.

–- ⟴

Bryn just wanted to dance, or fight, or both. Maybe find a guy who was too handsy to dance with so she could casually break his nose? That sounded fun, but she knew that Eurydice probably wouldn’t approve of that sort of fun. Truthfully, Bryn just wanted the other woman to loosen up, it was like all she ever thought about was work, work, work and it was exhausting to witness. “Babe, I’m a Valkyrie... pretty sure most of the Norse could drink anyone under the table.” She shrugged, nodding at the bartender as they poured her another shot. She slammed it down quickly, scrunching her nose. “Come on, let loose this once, if you keep working like you have been you’re gonna work yourself to the grave.”

CLOSED (brynhildr) @oftrxgedies

nights at the crow’s nest might pass by in silence. icarus takes the opportunity for a little people watching. somewhere in-between the second and third glass, ice cubes slowly melting at the bottom, he starts to see narratives where there are none. it’s as much fun as he can get these days. until a shadow steps into his view, unmoving.

“hey——how long are you gonna stand there? blocking the view.”

--  ⟴

Most of Bryn’s nights were spent at the bar. It was easier to drink than to sit in the rain and think about the fact that Odin was around having a tantrum because people were finally seeing him as the evil piece of shit that he was. She stood in the room, looking for a seat that was away from everyone when a voice interrupted her search. Huh, he wanted her to move? Well, she definitely wasn’t going to now. A scoff left her lips as she turned to face the man, “The view of what?” She said with a raised brow, “I can stand here as long as I want, buddy.”

( henry golding, cismale, he/him ) the city of gods is proud to welcome liber. he appears to be thirty-two years old and is the god of wine, fertility and freedom from roman mythology. liber can be found working as a bartender at crow's nest night club and is conflicted about the death of zeus. (written by liv, 29, they/them, aest.)

@oftrxgedies​

Eros hadn’t seen Thanatos in a long time. He wouldn’t have called it an eternity however, as the god of love wasn’t in any way in a hurry to meet up with the grim reaper. The guy gave him the heebie-jeebies if he was being honest. Whoever was responsible for the blueprints of whoever came second must have just printed a negative of the other one. That had to be his theory regarding their differences.

The only reassurance resided in the fact that they were meeting in a café and bakery. Nothing better than a freshly baked pie to forget about the impeding doom of the end of life. Still, he exuded nothing but positive energy as he approached the counter, looking around him for the familiar face in the crowd. “Good morning,” signature smile, check. Now he just had to hold out his hand, right?

--

Thanatos couldn’t believe he was doing this. He and Eros hadn’t really gotten along well... ever. That Freud douchebag had been correct when he had described them as opposites, though the rest of his writings were questionable at best. That didn’t matter, what mattered was that if Thanatos wanted to try and have some form of relationship with his brother, he would have to put up with Eros, considering he was living with Hypnos now. And truthfully, the other god was probably a lot more personable than him. He was trying to be better, but it was hard when everyone kept acting like he was there to take them to the River Styx.

When he spotted Eros’ familiar face amongst the coffee going crowd, Thanatos made a gesture to one of his workers, letting them know that he wasn’t going to be available for a little while. He locked eyes with the man, giving him a polite nod. “It’s been a long time, Eros.” He gestured to a small booth in the back reserved for them, a little more private, but not as formal as sitting in the back office.“Anything you want is on the house by the way.”

Bryn downed another shot of tequila, shuddering as it burned on the way down. She had just scored big, taking down some douchebag who was skipping on bail in a neighbouring county. What was the original charge? She didn’t give a single shit, the only thing that mattered was that she got to punch a mouthy asshole in the face and she got paid for it. She glanced over at her friend, always stressing her life away, it was painfully boring to watch. “E! Get over here.” She lined up too more shots, sliding one to Eurydice, “Stop being boring and get drunk with me. I told you, I’m being your sugar mama for the night so order as many drinks as you want!”

She knew this was a dead end, no pun intended, but Hera didn’t have many clues to chase, so she would take what she was given. Thanatos knew more about death than most gods, so hopefully he would know something about the murder of her husband, but he refused to cooperate. It made sense that he wouldn’t be able to figure it all out, but he had to be holding back some information. “If I get a latte and a muffin, will you at least give it a try?” She insisted, sounding more tired than she wished to. “You can feel death before it arrives, right? Did you really not feel his? Not a single warning sign, nothing?” 

Zeus was a giant, a king amongst gods, slayer of titans and ruler of entire worlds. He couldn’t just be gone so silently. Her husband was all about storms and wrath and power, pure, shining, divine power. Such a light couldn’t go out without a considerable explosion. It made no sense. “Give me any insight into this and I will stop bothering you for the foreseeable future, Thanatos. I just… I can’t get any closure until I understand at least a part of what happened to him. ” That was unquestionably true, but not the whole truth. Hera needed to understand it, but she also needed to protect her people and get her revenge. She just couldn’t do either while she was fighting an invisible, impossible enemy.

--

Thanatos hoped that Hera would’ve taken the hint, but they had been doing this continuous loop since Zeus died. If he were a more cold person he would’ve cut her off, been more blunt with her. But everyone worked through grief differently and he couldn’t deprive Hera of her process. He sighed, waving at one of the workers to look after the counter, “Come on, let’s sit down. Just... don’t expect much.”

Thanatos lead Hera to a booth in the back. It was better to do this away from people. He exhaled, sliding into the plush seat, “I’m not making any promises, Hera. If the Fates are right and this was really Odin, he knows how to cover his tracks.” He held his hand out, gesturing for her to grasp it. This wasn’t going to be fun. Thanatos knew that his human form wasn’t built to be as strong as any other form he had taken through the centuries, and reaching for that amount of power wasn’t exactly pain free. But if it gave Hera some kind of closure, then he would try at least. “And you don’t need to stop bothering me, I just don’t want you to keep chasing dead ends. It will only hurt you more... but... I’ll make an exception this time.”