C H A O S

To hear them say the things they were saying broke her heart. It was like piece after piece kept fall after the initial shatter, and while she hated to admit it, perhaps Chaos was right in all of this. But, she didn’t want to even come to terms with that idea. In fact, Nemesis made it a point to keep her bull-headedness about her and shake her head at their words. “You want to talk balance? How…ironic.” She felt up for the conversation however weird it may have seemed as she approached them even further trying to measure up to their stature.

“So…you don’t think there’s a balance that’s achieved with both existing? One over the other always? The way I’ve always….theorized…” And practiced, if she had to say so herself, “is that the gods are not just gods, they are gods of the people. And while power and order are in capable hands, harmony, peace, balance, they attainable. but that cannot exist without the wars, without the fighting, without the chaos. If there was merely peace, would they—we even know it?”

`

“but chaos isn’t war or fighting, more often than not war and fighting happens to establish order than to establish chaos. sure, they could be the Gods of the people, but that does not mean they have to. I think that is a key difference here. a lot of these things are really complex, that’s why i think there’s an imbalance here, because while in some cases you can’t have something without the other, in other cases that doesn’t even apply.” they swayed a little as they were talking, and they felt like they had to measure their words to an extent.

“for it to be perfectly balanced it would mean that the same rule applies everywhere, when it doesn’t. and that not only creates power imbalance, but it creates chaos. and that has never depended on war or peace or harmony, chaos is the mere existence of everything. you can see it in science too, like,  particles move chaotically, don’t they? and this is where it becomes even more complex because even in chaos there is order.” they pause, feeling like they were talking a little too fast. “it’s kinda like... a Venn diagram or whatever that’s called. where the circles are almost one on top of the other, but there is a thin line of differences there. a little space where chaos and order are different.”

another pause. “here’s the thing, though, i’m not trying to claim i’m right, or do i know for sure i’m right, this is just... what i’ve read, what i’ve known, i’m not opposed to the idea of being wrong, because anyone can be. i could be, even Gods can be if they were real.”

        “Hopefully you can do something with it then,” Theo offered, not really sure that art made simply for the purpose of it being made held any sort of logic to it but he also wasn’t much of an artist. Sure, he could make salami look like a rose but that was less art and more meaningless playfulness. “And hopefully the food can give you some energy to get the rest of it done.”

`

they nodded at the other with a smile. “the food is definitely keeping me together, thank you, i don’t know if i thanked you already.” and they popped a cheese slice into their mouth. “i may have lactose intolerance, but i’ve only been given one life, and i’m taking this cheese to my grave.”

She stared at them, utter horror, but mostly in disbelief, fearing that perhaps too much knowledge too soon would render anybody useless. Considering the mistake, Nemesis nodded along, loosening herself up to the idea that maybe things were to get better, but not before they became so much worse. “I suppose I don’t know who still worships the old gods. Perhaps…a discussion is in order, because you certainly know what you’re talking about.” And she was intrigued at the very least.

But, it wasn’t until she heard their last statement before she shook her own head. “What you’re talking about is chaos….not justice, not restoration, not even what anybody would deserve. Man has served gods before, and gods have served mankind before. It’s a dual relationship.” Unless she had been misled this entire time? But she would never think that upon her own creation and bringing up.

`

“there’s never been a dual relationship between Gods and man, it was always one ruling over the other, it was a dependant relationship, not a symbiotic one. the mistake came when one decided that light is safer than darkness, and if the Gods even in their darkness resembled light, is it really fair to say this was balanced?” in their years of curiously reading so much about mythology, they never thought they’d end up having this kind of conversation with a stranger in the middle of the night, but life was full of surprises.

“Gods never truly served mankind unless it was for their own benefit and entertainment. war was created because of the Gods, because they wanted to see men fight, they gave them weapons, sometimes even Godly weapons just to watch the slaughter. do Gods deserve worship? maybe. but do we need their accountability as well? yes, if they do in fact exist, then yes.”

-

“He’s just talking way too fast,” Adonis whines, throwing in more herbs in a bowl. He doesn’t even know if they’re the right ones and since they all smell good and look the same, he figures it doesn’t hurt to top everything off with an abundance of rosemary if things go awry. Grateful that he has his friend over to witness this disaster of a meal, he laughs at their cheer, grabbing the bulb and flattening it with his palm. “You know, you’re doing great for an assistant,” he teases, laughing as he minces the garlic. “But a better assistant would do more than just sit around. Let’s open up a bottle of wine. I think the recipe calls for it but I don’t know where. Maybe it goes to the chef?”

`

they shake their head as they go over to grab said bottle of wine to open it up. “you should not attempt to trust me with any sort of cooking utensil, unless you want your kitchen to go up in flames.” and with a pop the bottle of wine is opened, and they’re filling up two glasses of wine. “but this? i’m decent at.” they hand over one of the glasses. “i think you’re supposed to put some wine in the pan while you’re cooking the meat, cover it up and let it steam in it? that’s what i’ve seen every chef do, at least.”

This was quite the predicament that Chaos had landed themselves into, or perhaps they had it thwarted upon them, but either way, it was something Nemesis wasn’t going to stand for. It broke her heart to even hear them say the words about nobody believing in the gods anymore, because as true as that may have been, she felt it in her own duty to have prevented that. “But perhaps you were a god, and much more powerful than you like to make yourself out to be?” She tried, though she knew how insane it all sounded as well.

“So…man is just as good as the gods, despite the power differentials and such? That doesn’t seem right? there’s always been a rule of order to these things, a higher status so to speak.”

`

“why should there be such a rule? after all, from nothing the Gods came, and so did mankind. they played our games and won,” they pause for a second. our. that wasn’t Chason’s, they were just as much of a human as anyone else. “excuse me, we played Gods’ games and we won. the higher status stands in the hands of men who control what we know and think, even if there were Gods, what calamity would they bring that would benefit them in the end? because getting rid of humans would get rid of the fraction of power they still have, since there are people who still worship ancient Gods.”

Chason shifts in place for a moment. “and in the end, it’s what Gods deserve anyway, to live and suffer like the men they made to suffer themselves, like the pain and war and death and famine and every single horror they have caused. who are the Gods to say what’s right when their own judgement is wrong?”

             Theo knew nothing of fashion but listened regardless. Shoulder pads was certainly not an era he wished to live through again, his own broad enough that anything on top of them made his head seem very small, but that probably wasn’t helpful advice so he kept it to himself. “I know school is meant to help teach you things but it amazes me a little that they would pigeon hole creativity like that, I suppose it’s for problem solving but…at least with art it seems…stifling. Hopefully you can work it out.”

`

“you know me well, of course i can’t sleep.” he says with a small smile on his lips as he watches them walk on the edge of the building. that was nothing that seemed to be surprising to desmond. he puts sits down on one of the concrete slabs on the roof and stares mindlessly at chason. they wouldn’t actually fall off. he knew that much. they might push him off though if desmond had tested it. “you can’t sleep either?” he asks tilting his head to the side as he looks over at them, his dark gaze staring at the skyline just past the edge. the city of athens was something that desmond would never get tired of. there was always some sort of beauty to it. it almost made him feel somewhat more alive than usual. “guess it’s just one of those nights.” he says slouching against the stone slab making himself comfortable knowing that they probably won’t be leaving anytime soon. 

`

they walk towards Desmond as if they are walking the thinnest line, their hands extended outwards, then quickly falling to their sides the moment they reach him, leaning over him slightly as they shove their hands into the pocket of their hoodie. “you know, i’m actually terrified of heights.” they say casually, as if it wasn’t that huge of a deal, and it is the truth, their heart is beating so fast that it could win a marathon. “it might as well be, there’s no moon out tonight, who can sleep without a moon?” they were aware that it didn’t matter whether the moon was out or not, but they liked any excuse to be out in the dark. in the beats of silence, even if they weren’t that close to the shore, the sound of waves still made their presence known. “more than anything, though, i just wanted to be out. glad you’re here, though, it’s always nice to have company.”

“Detective…” Had she caught a hint of someone more godly? She wondering with a brief glance over the other and then behind their figure to see if anybody was around them. “Don’t let the strangers bother you. The detective however…that does seem peculiar.” At their next words, Nemesis couldn’t even feign laughter as she realized that there were more out there then she initially realized, the whole of the pantheon it seemed, and then some, and still, she felt rather silly to be gathering them up. “And have you…ever thought yourself to be a god?”

`

Chason shrugged, waving their hands to their side just to do something with them, thinking for a moment about Neme’s question. “well, like i said, doesn’t everyone? i mean, who knows, in a past life i could’ve been, but would it matter? nobody actually believes in Gods anymore, they just believe in paintings and scriptures written by men who wanted to feel like Gods.”

they pause a moment to stop their hands from moving. “and i gotta give them credit, they did achieve some form of Godhood, at least in the eyes of everyone who followed them. so what’s a man to a God now but another God?”

CLOSED / @rageunturned​

“So do we listen to Gordon Ramsey or are we free styling here?” His kitchen is a mess, but Adonis has always wanted to find passion in something and who else serves passion other than the king of Hell’s Kitchen himself? The speaker bursts with obscenities regarding some type of sauce but Adonis is still steps behind. He’s just happy that nothing’s burning yet. In any case, the fire extinguisher is nearby. “Are you still willing to be my taste-tester?”

`

“by the time you get to listen to Sir Ramsey The Cook, you’ll have to freestyle either way,” they laugh as they lean over the counter, stealing a bite off of the bowl with cut up tomatoes. they lick off their fingers and yeah, they haven’t done much work other than move the salt two inches for Adonis to reach, or refill their glasses of water. but then again, the kitchen would definitely burn if they got their hand on any sort of kitchen utensil, so it really was for the best for them to sit this one out. “yes i am, you’re not doing that bad, come on, start chopping up the garlic, otherwise you’ll never catch up, go, go!” they cheer.

“Or you were always there, just not aware of your existence until something came along that would prove it. Tree falling in a forest where no one can hear, light without darkness to compare its brightness to, chaos making no sense until there was order… and alike.” Apollo hummed, fully expecting mortal Chaos to give them a look of confusion, much like any of the lost gods without memory did so far. Conversations that were once an everyday chit chat between the Olympians were now ramblings of an eccentric who tended to talk to themself too often. The others just happened to be there when it happened. Was this loneliness? Nah. It was nostalgia. 

Tilting their head indifferently when Chason feigned clumsiness, Apollo blinked, unimpressed. “It would have been funnier if you fell.”

Now that the other actually walked beside Apollo, they took a chance to really look at Chason, compare how they appeared before to how their mortal body looked now, finding similarities and differences alike. “Oh, you know. A passionate young dancer aspiring to become a professional ballerina; working as a sensual dancer by night and toiling away at a steel mill by day.” Apollo chuckled, leaving it to Chason to figure out that they’d just described the plot of Flashdance. “Ah, I’m Min-ho, by the way.”

“We’ve covered you being adopted already. Chronic depression I will not dip into. So fashion design it is. Where are you at with your education?” 

`

Chason hummed thoughtfully as they listened to Min-ho. they did agree, there was something about the duality of things, pairs that were meant to exist for the simple reason that they wouldn’t otherwise if they were not together. it was an interesting thought experiment. they didn’t look confused by what the other was saying at all, more deep in thought with the philosophies behind it. maybe that was why soulmates existed, not because they were necessarily made for each other, but one could not exist or be described without the other.

and it wasn’t hard to figure out what Min-ho was talking about, there were a lot of their classmates that dabbled, if not fully mastered that kind of art. it definitely took a kind of talent that Chason wasn’t much about.

they stretched out their arms above their head, making wide steps in front of themselves then they let their hands drop back to their sides and catching the strap of their backpack before it fell off of their arm.

The light rain kissed her cheeks as she walked home, placing her umbrella to her side to allow the drizzle to dampen her clothes. The calm of the night soothed her hectic thoughts and for a moment all she could focus on was the soft smell of wet pavement mixed with the ocean breeze and the chill of the air.

When the rain stopped completely, Amalia stood outside of her apartment building, not wanting to go inside just yet. A few stars peaked through the clouds and she found herself looking up at them, wondering which constellations was hidden from her view.

The voice took her from her thoughts. “Sorry,” she said quickly, moving out of the way. “I hadn’t really expected someone else to be out at this hour.”

`

they look up and offer the other a nod of understanding. they put their phone back into their pocket and their thumbs hook onto the straps of their backpack, and took a moment to assess what what they were seeing. the woman was not as drenched in rain as they were, or at least they didn’t look like it. and they couldn’t help but feel like their reasons to be out here were similar, to some extent; to just feel the rain for a moment.

         “I’m not too sure what angular dress design would mean, all I’m thinking of is triangles and that doesn’t feel like a flattering way to describe clothing,” Theo acknowledged, feeling the cheese lingering on some of his teeth and trying to subtly move his tongue over it as he took a look over the sketch he was working on. “Maybe you can go off book a little, do more like ‘perceived angles.’ Like none of it is really straight, it’s just how it seems, and when you actually examine the garment it’s…not.”

`

  “isn’t that a bit of relief from the regular though?” responding to their words, a slight brow raise with the statement. such paradise a bit of cloudiness seem to offer diversity in the normal. “i do believe the practicers of wiccan and the many beliefs alike say getting your feet wet is healing. but no, i was attempting to figure out my next move of the night.” admitting, ambrose couldn’t help but be a little honest yet vague with his words. he truly didn’t know where life would take him, moments like this when sleep would slip away from him and his bed was empty he let the outside world lead his fate. “what about yourself? wandering till you are wet in the shoes?”

`

.

────  she sensed his immediate mistrust  &  didn’t really blame him.   a strange woman approaching you,   asking all sorts of personal questions?  she probably should have introduced herself first.   she was just so accustomed to people knowing who she was.  in olympus, nyx needed no introduction … so much was different here.

‘ my apologies,   how rude of me not to formally introduce myself. ’   she smiled, trying to get chaos   the stranger  to open up to her,   she could tell from his tone he was getting frustrated with her questioning,   but she needed to know more, so she held out her hand for him to shake,  ‘ i’m detective nora black.  who are you? ’

they didn’t seem to relax, at least not right away, the mistrust for the other was still there, but at least they had a name, in case anything happened, and they trusted their feet to be quick enough in case they had to run. they sigh softly.

their steps were reckless as they walked on the edge of the building, the city scape behind them lighting up their figure from behind, making a sort of halo effect that was framing their body. their hands were in their pocket as they watched their steps, trying to hit each brick just right.

“i didn’t think anyone would come up here,” Chason looked up from their feet to the other, stopping for a moment. “it’s pretty late, can’t sleep?” they asked, moving slightly to the side so their body wasn’t in complete shadow from the lights behind them and their expression was as readable as it could be. 

“Of course you do—wait…” She paused, lifting a brow as she approached them slowly, gaining some space between them. “Chason…Alright. And what types of people are interrogating the likes of you.” Just because she knew who he was, if there were others doing the same as she was, had she found more people who actually wanted things to go back to the old ways of the Gods. “I’m Neme.” She shook their hand, adding, “Strange happenings are all around us dear. You’ve just got to know what to do with the strangeness.”

.

       “What are you working on?” Theo asked as he placed the small tray of varying cheeses next to the other person who seemed to have been at The Etesian for about a half hour. It wasn’t a busy time so Theo wasn’t overly concerned about them being there, more so he was always curious when someone was so focused on anything. He took a small piece for himself as he leaned over to observe their work, figuring if the tray was on the house he couldn’t be faulted for grabbing one piece.

@rageunturned​

they sigh quietly and rub their eyes before looking at the man approaching them, muttering a small “thank you” when the tray was placed by their side. then they raised their brow at the other’s curiosity at their work. they look down at their work, then up at the other and gesture their pen at their sketchbook. “one of my assignments for an angular dress design. it’s not a hard assignment per say, it’s just that i’m not good with... straight things.”