#molossus

Black Mastiff Bat Molossus nigricans

Found in Central America from southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala to Panama. It is very flexible in the use of roosting structures in cities, provided that they have small holes, crevices, or narrow spaces. The high foraging efficiency, the tolerance to environmental light, and the remarkable vocal plasticity of M. nigricans might be additional factors explaining the success of this species in urban landscapes.

Been thinking of this scene ever since I drew the bit of Nico finding Neo with Baby Astyanax. And so, a curse is cast, and the foundation the Hermioniad's weirdest found(forced?) family dynamic is laid.

(Major kudos to @animate-mush for the wordings of the curse/the idea for the comic!)

Scamandrius, commonly called Astyanax, gets renamed to Amphialus, "of two seas," but per the norm of his life gains yet another nickname of "Molossus"--due to his "premature" emergance of teeth xD

He grows up on the Isle of Scyros with his mother, 'father', and later younger brothers (sons of Andromache and Helenus) --as well as his absolutely massive dog.

Andromache gives thanks each day to the gods that she was blessed to be able to raise her and Hector's son in relative safety. It may not be the life she wanted by far, but its a life, and her boy is still in it. And later on, she finds new happiness with Helenus.

(Deidamia is heartily sick of men and all the trouble they've brought her, and is more than willing to politically marry Helenus to have a front to keep the world at bay. They have their own lives, and she's relieved that she's not expected to bear him any heirs. She's already seen what the world has done to Neoptolemus. She couldn't bear sending any more children out to face its cruelty. She and Hermione get along very well the few times they meet).

For Neo's part, he finds that getting to be the dad he never had to Molossus is one of the most healing things he could have fallen into. It's something to focus on besides the memories of the war and his lost friend. He loves Andromache's other two sons as well, of course, and publicly claims them as his own to keep the ruse up, but Molossus-Astyanax always has a special place in his heart

and i can't help but think about how in the iliad andromache talks about how achilles killed her entire family, how hector is now her "father, mother, brother, protecting husband" combined (which leads to another symbolically total bereavement when achilles kills hector too). so molossus is potentially the singular node that preserves eetion's theban line, andromache's family.

Helenus playfighting with the sons of Andromache. A king and his princes.

Pielus, Pergamus, Molossus, Helenus, Amphialus.