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                           now over at historypowered.

Hathor had never seen herself as one to willingly go and visit Atlantis; there was never a real need for an Egyptian God to check on people that seemed just fine. ( And besides, they had their own issues to maintain and keep in order within their own kingdom. Charity work was better left to the the gods with a tighter connection. )

However… maybe she just wanted to see. They had caused quite a commotion, and it had captured her attention, even if all she did was watch from a distance. A new king that hadn’t been raised in their own kingdom? Drama at it’s finest: she supposed that it called for the brief mayhem.

The goddess offers a smile, nodding her head politely in greeting. ( When in Rome– ) “Thank you for having me as a guest. The honor is all mine, your majesty.” The title felt off on her tongue, but she swallowed it.

“Forgive me if my presence seems abrupt, but my curiosity seemed to get the best of me about your kingdom.” She figured there was no shame in being honest. There were no ulterior intentions after all. ( None that could be seen as an issue or disrespectful anyway. ) “And, if I’m truthfully, about you as well, King Arthur.”

He was still getting used to hearing people call him 'king'. It was a title that he had yet to adapt to, but he was getting there. The last goddess he met had been created by Zeus himself, but this one was probably from another faction. He'd heard of the different groups of deities from Diana, but rather than guess, he decided that it was best for him to wait for her to mention who she was and where she was from. Or have someone tell him who she was. That way, he could avoid making a mistake and offending her right away.

"Not at all," he answered, silently wishing that he could talk how he normally did. But Mera was adamant that he get used to speaking 'like a royal' while in Atlantis before he shifted to his more brusque way of talking. Just in case. The Atlanteans were used to their leaders being stiff-lipped and regal, and he was neither of those things. "I could hardly deny a goddess, especially  one who's merely curious and has no ill intentions."

Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes at himself. He sounded like such a damn pompous brat; he could see why Orm thrived in such an environment. But all he had to do was adapt, and he was going to do it no matter what. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to speak like this forever. He was just...trying his 'king voice' out. Yes, that was it.

“You came?”

Bad choice of words. They wouldn’t be in the position they were in if he hadn’t have done just that, but the bad joke was left unspoken – especially in front of her youngest daughter. Carrie stood beside her with an aggravated expression that would most likely follow her into adulthood. One couldn’t exactly say a child held the same “resting bitch face” as her mother. Fingers played through Carrie’s dirty blonde hair as she introduced the two of them.

“Lucifer, this is Carrie. My youngest daughter. She said she was very, very sick and would die if she went to school. I told her if she stayed home, she’d be stuck here with me all day…and here we are,” Lisa answered, letting Lucifer know full well that her kid wasn’t sick and was now being punished with unending boredom for the next hour or so. Attention was momentarily turned to Carrie as she did as she had been raised when meeting new people. A polite ‘nice to meet you’ was given and a hand shake before she asked if she could go back to sitting down and playing some game upon her mom’s phone.

“I would have told you that this isn’t my first rodeo,” she teased, hand absently falling to her stomach, “but telling someone you just met and jumped in bed with that you have two kids tends to kill the mood.”

How he hadn’t noted her stretch marks along her stomach, she wasn’t certain. Or if he had, he hadn’t said anything to her about them,

“So…you really want to be here? To do this with me?”

Just like Lisa, he picked up on the double entendre but chose not to comment on it. Not with a little girl glaring at her the way Mazikeen did whenever he was caught doing something he shouldn’t. “Oh? Are they still using the sick excuse? I thought they would have come up with something new by now.” He did shake Carrie’s hand before she headed over to one of the chairs in the waiting area, her hands clutching a phone. Most likely her mom’s. Or hers.

Lucifer smirked at her comment. “Oh, I wouldn’t think so. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be ‘MILF’ searches online.” If anything, sleeping with a single mom was one of the tamer kinks that humans ( and the Devil ) had. He did notice Lisa’s stretch marks before he’d went down on her, but he rarely paid attention to things like that. As long as his partner didn’t stink, he was pretty much forgiving of any other odd features they might have. One could see just how judgmental humans had become when the Devil was considered far more accepting than they were.

“Why not? I came, didn’t I?” The same entendre was thrown back at her, accompanied with a light chuckle. The few women who were sitting nearby turned their heads to hide their grins. Lucifer wasn’t known for being a good father figure, but he could confidently say that he never abandoned his children. Or threw them out. It was more than he could say about his father.

“ I’m telling you, I didn’t kill her! I have no reason to lie to you, I know you would try to win the case regardless of my guilt. As for Simon, I really have no idea. He truly seemed to love her and I can’t imagine that he would be capable of killing his wife. He isn’t a monster, and I’m sure that I’m not wrong about him!” yes, she had been shocked when she had found out about his infidelity because she had never thought that he could do something like that, but just because he was a cheater that didn’t mean that he was also a killer.

“ Look, I will try my best to help you and give you all the information you need, but you have to believe me when I say that I am innocent. I wanted to kill her, but I decided not to do it because it’s not in my nature to hurt someone” she hoped that the police would soon be able to find the killer, so she wouldn’t have to worry about the trial. 

Jackie was adamant that she was innocent, and Charlotte raised both her hands in a show of surrender. “Okay. I believe you. But if we’re going to have any hope of winning, you need to tell me everything that happened that night. Give me a comprehensive timeline.” She wasn’t there to find out who the killer was; rather, she was focused on proving her client’s innocence. She specialized in defending the guilty, but she did have a few past cases where she successfully defended an innocent. They didn’t pay as much as guilty ones did, but money was money.

“ Yes, and things could have been way worse. At least they gave us a nice place and all we have to do is to pretend to be a married couple, how hard could that be?” she let out a soft giggle. It wouldn’t be the first time she had to pretend to be happy in a relationship with a man she had no romantic feelings for. 

“ I witnessed a murder and I knew that it was my duty to report it. What about you, if you don’t mind me asking?”  

“Not too difficult,” James replied. So he wasn’t an experienced actor, but he remembered what it felt like to be living with a girlfriend. The same rules applied except he was to think of her as his wife, not someone he was dating. “We just need to get our stories straight.”

She had told the doctor that she didn’t need any help, she just needed to lie in bed for a few moments, because of the shock she was feeling. She would have to come up with the perfect plan, so her dear Simon wouldn’t be arrested for the murder. She was ready to take the blame, she had been willing to do that ever since she had realized that Simon had made up his mind and he was going to kill Linnet. The only question now was: did he actually kill his wife?  Jackie liked to believe that the answer was no, because she trusted him completely and she knew how much he loved her. He surely didn’t want her to be hanged for a crime she didn’t commit. 

After only a few minutes she went to visit Simon, she was sure that she would be the talk of the ship, but she didn’t care about that. She was relieved to discover that Simon was just as shocked as her, he had nothing to do with the crime and he had been worried that she had been the killer. She wished she could kiss him, but even though the door to his room was closed she was too afraid that someone might watch them. She had only allowed to embrace him for a few moments, at least that wouldn’t be something improper to do with a man who just became a widower.    

They discussed that it wouldn’t be good for them to spend too much time together, that would surely raise suspicion and that was the last thing they wanted. They had to thank Linnet’s killer for doing their dirty work, though they had no idea who that person was. 

The next day she tried no to spend any time in Simon’s company, and instead she talked with Miss Rosalie Otterbourne and she actually enjoyed herself. Of course, it wasn’t as if the two of them became the best of friends, but it felt good to be able to talk to another woman. Perhaps in time she might be able to trust people again and allow herself to have close friends.  

Following a woman on the ship would be difficult to do. Not after the vicious murder of Linnet Doyle. Those who were first on the scene besides Sherlock and John had been more than happy to spread the news to the others, relishing the chance to describe what they saw inside the young woman’s stateroom. It was what they talked about until they fell asleep, and those who found it difficult to sleep just lay in their beds, their doors and windows locked, and their heart thumping in their chest. In the morning, they continued chattering on and on about how horrible it must have been, to come face to face with one’s killer, but now, their whispers involved Sherlock and his companion.

Sherlock was more focused on seeing Simon’s room, so he’d skipped breakfast entirely and waited for Simon to leave. John had headed to the dining hall to see if Jacqueline was there and to offer further assistance if needed. He wasn’t going to be pushy; it was only natural for a doctor to ensure that a person was alright but not to insist on accepting their help. Aside from that, he was going to be Sherlock’s eyes and ears during the breakfast rush; although that particular morning saw no one rushing to leave. No, they were lingering in the dining hall in case a break in the case happened or maybe someone else was discovered dead, as morbid as it sounded.

Once Sherlock saw that Simon had left, he quickly picked the lock and slipped inside the room. It was tidy, and a brief but complete search gave him nothing. He had to concede that Simon probably didn’t do it, and he left and locked the door before heading to the dining hall. There was a slight hush when he arrived, but he ignored the rest and headed over to John. Like him, he found nothing interesting. Jackie had stayed by Rosalie Otterbourne’s side the entire time, and the few times he saw Simon, he didn’t even look in the former’s direction.

She quickly wrote her number and then she gave Elijah his phone back. She responded calmly to all of Hayley’s questions and tried to reassure her that everything would be alright. Jackie didn’t have any children, but she could sympathize with the young mother and she knew that in her place she would have done anything to keep her daughter safe. 

“ Yes, I can tell you the location, but I advise you not to tell too many people about it. Not even my family knows where the house is. I am convinced that they would never betray me, and yet they could still be tortured for that information” she hoped that nothing like that would happen, but she had to think about every possibility.  “ But of course, I thought that the two of them would stay with me!” not that she didn’t think that she could raise a child on her own, but she thought that it would be awful to keep the child separated from her mother.  

“ Certainly, I would start making all the arrangements and you know where to reach me in case you have more questions” she extended her hand for him to shake in agreement.      

“No.” Elijah’s response was swift. “Tell no one. That way, we could be assured of complete secrecy.” He didn’t even trust himself to safely conceal that information, not with an aunt who was skilled at magic. Like Jackie said, her family members could be tortured for the information, just as he and any of the Mikaelsons could be. Even Jackson shouldn’t know where Hayley and Hope were going to be, and he could tell that Hayley understood.

“ I apologize, Your Grace, this is a splendid ball and the decorations are lovely!” she didn’t think that Queen Elizabeth herself would notice her, these last few months she had mostly stayed in her chambers and she hadn’t tried to find any allies. Since her husband had died recently, it was expected of her to prefer solitude, so she could mourn in peace. 

She was sad that her husband had died, he had been a kind man and she had considered herself lucky for being his wife, but she was not heartbroken because of that. Her hope had been that she would move to France and live with her cousin, but then she had received the most distressing news. Her cousin was quite sick and was refusing to allow Cassidy to come and visit her. 

“ I was thinking about my late husband, he would have loved the festivities and we would have danced together” she hoped that the young queen would feel sympathy for her. 

"I am sorry for your loss." Elizabeth was not unfamiliar with the concept of death. It was something that she feared when she, her mother, and her younger siblings had sought sanctuary in Westminster Abbey. None of her father's enemies had dared break the sanctity of the church, but if they had, she was sure that she and her family would have been dragged out onto the streets and killed. Especially her little brothers, who would have been the York heirs had their father died on the battlefield.

But now was not a time for fear and sorrow. They would mourn those who died but celebrate the happy prospects of a bright future under her family's rule. Elizabeth took the young woman's hands in hers and smiled. "But your husband would not have wished you to remain melancholy. I'm certain that he would have wanted you to be as happy as you could without letting go of your memories of him."

Lilé smiled from the suite doorway, watching the love of her life and their child play. It was the happiest she had seen Loki, and given his mental health issues, that was heartening. Luna’s arrival had helped both her parents’ minds, their souls. True, they still had bad nights and bad days - what person with mental illness didn’t? - but she had soothed her parents immeasurably, and probably didn’t even realise.

“Chicken,” Lilé muttered to Loki with amusement as he ‘hid’ his six-foot-two self behind his five-foot-three wife. The princess then beamed at Luna. “Are you chasing your da, my love? Are you running? You’re doing it! Come on! Come and hug your da!”

With joyous laughter, Lilé stood aside, ‘revealing’ Loki, and her gaze softened while she watched Luna approach with tottering, toddler steps, two cat sidhes perched down the hall.

How did we get so lucky, Loki? She’s perfect.

“You have yet to feel her icy gr—hello, sweetheart.” Luna had successfully reached him by then, and he picked her up from the floor to hold her close to his chest. Immediately, she grabbed on to a lock of his hair, her curiosity over its dark color evident in the way she ran her fingers through it. He was the only one in the family with black hair ( even her Uncle Thor had blonde hair ), so naturally, she wondered why he was the only one with a different hair color. As she pondered the mysteries of genetics, he glanced at Lile and nodded his head in response to her question. She was perfect: the best portions of her parents. He felt her snuggle against him, and he felt a wave of love wash over him at that simple gesture.

Their daughter loved him unconditionally, who saw a savior and not a monster, and who accepted him with every fiber of her being. Whatever lies she told were harmless ones, like when she denied eating the last piece of cake while she had icing smeared around her mouth. Her innocence and mischief were endearing, and it was easy to see why people gravitated to her. Such as Oberon, one of the cat sidhes who was watching the family. He sat down a foot away, meowing to announce his presence. He’d been assigned as the child’s guardian, just as his son, Cassio, had been assigned to the princess when she was young. Oberon had initially watched over her, but after realizing that maybe his son would benefit from having a young charge, he gave the responsibility over.

“ Yes, and I am quite fortunate because my dear friend is going to come and help me with all the preparations, I don’t know what would I do without her help. Every single detail is important and I wish everything to be perfect” she already found her wedding dress and she knew that she was going to look lovely on that special day. “ Thank you for your kind offer, I will keep it in mind if something unplanned would happen” she smiled softly at Julia. 

“ No, he did no such thing, and I would be happy to continue our conversation” she would never befriend someone just because her future husband ordered her to, she will always be honest with her feelings and she would only have friends that she would care about. 

“ Can I trust you with a secret?” she asked with a shy smile on her face.       

Having at least one good friend to count on was important. She'd seen how her father sometimes turned to General Antony for support and even a second opinion, and it made his life easier than if he went through things alone. Julia would have been happy to listen to her father and offer advice of her own, but a woman advising a man was rarely done in proper Roman society. Her cousin Atia was a brazen exception, of course, but Julia preferred to follow the more traditional form of patrician behavior.

“ I’m glad it’s not something more serious, in that case she can sleep in my room and I would make sure that nobody would disturb her” she would have to tell Simon about it, but surely he would understand and he won’t have any objections to that.

 “ Oh, I see. It appears that me and my friends share the same mind, I’m sure they would find a comfortable bed for her” she wasn’t opposed to the idea of the twins deciding that they wanted to remain with them for a long time, as long as they would agree to help her and her friends.   

“ I’m Jackie, I wish we could have met under better circumstances” she extended her hand for him to shake. 

"Apollo. Pleased to meet you, Jackie. I suppose these are good enough circumstances, given the world we live in." He reached out and shook her hand, smiling. "And my sister's Artemisa. Thanks again for letting us stay; we won't be here any longer than necessary." While he appreciated their kindness, he also believed that such kindness had its limits. The previous survivor groups they encountered had welcomed them at first, but they were eventually chased out of the compound after a week. He wouldn't have minded leaving, but did they have to act like the twins were criminals?

Lilé felt it, too, but she thought the jolt was just a surge of pleasure, and she rode it with a moan, hips rocking back and forth. She could feel Valerian’s strength returning, and looked down at him, smiling.

“You look better already,” she teased, and leant forwards on one hand to kiss him. Her other hand stroked his long mane, and she sighed longingly. Lips kissed his throat, his chest, collarbone. “And you taste… so good.”

The halfling sat up to ride him again, this time more powerfully. She could sense his increase in energy, and of course she was going to make use of it. Taking his hand, she placed it over her breasts, encouraging him.

“Touch me, however you want to,” she breathed, groaning between words. “Let me bring you back to full strength, my love. As you should be.”

The more her arousal coated his length, the stronger he became. As his palms cupped her breasts, he groaned at the way her nipples rubbed against his skin, and he easily flipped them both over, his length still sheathed inside her. Most men would have found it difficult to pull out by then, but he managed to do so, sliding down to lick hungrily at the wetness between her legs. Valerian was thorough: his tongue ran along her folds and pushed inside her, curling against the soft pink nub while sucking everything from her skin. 

Her juices trickled down his throat and offered surges of energy, bringing back color to his cheeks and strength to his limbs. As he felt her thighs begin to tremble, he continued his feverish licking, eager to taste her orgasm the instant it hit. Their moans became one, and he barely gave her time to recover ( oh, how cruel! ) before he thrust back in, this time rolling his hips until he found that sweet, secret spot. 

“ That’s good to know” she wasn’t worried anymore and now she was excited to go on a little adventure with her friend. She would try her best to make Scarlet smile, and she would also make sure that they wouldn’t get in any trouble. She couldn’t bear to think about the possibility of having a car accident, that would be too awful!  

“ We can go father than that if you want, I know a great place on Melrose Avenue” 

"I'm all for it. I don't go there much, so it'd be nice just to get away." She did leave a note for Maze so that her 'auntie' wouldn't panic and hunt her down. As a professional bounty hunter, Maze was very good at what she did, and Scarlet didn't want her day with Gemma to be ruined. "Car's right this way."

Fingers still remained entwined within the vampire’s own as a comfort through the momentary pain she had felt when his fangs had pierced her flesh. Her blood had gushed forward, eager to slip into his mouth and down his throat in nourishing warmth. As she was released from his hungry hold, Isabelle felt a shiver from the chill about her as she was laid upon the bed. Listening to his offered words, the human woman felt a want to speak with him more. She wished to know what was to become of her in this newly discovered world where vampires existed outside of the imagination.

“Monsieur Edgington,” her hand still gripped his, hoping to keep her there for only a moment longer, “Why? Why are you keeping me – you’ve killed the others, haven’t you?”

She wasn’t certain, but so many had said that people had the tendency to fade from existence once they were captured and used for dinner by the masters who called the manor their home. 

“Why give a peasant a chance at life?”

“I have.” There was no reason to hide the cruel aspect of his personality; she had to have seen how frequent her ‘companions’ had disappeared from their living quarters. They were all plucked from the streets, street urchins who no one would miss. But there were times when an aristocrat joined their ranks as a ‘special’ part of the Edgingtons’ collection. It was there where they learned that their noble blood wasn’t enough to protect them from the vampires’ hunger. “Far more than you can count, ma cherie.”

Russell glanced down at her hand, which was still holding his own. Her question was a reasonable one: why was she different from the others? why was she WORTHY? “Because you remind me of myself,” came his simple answer. Once, the vampire called Korun had been human. He was a real fighter, in the sense that he refused to give up despite the odds he faced. “Rest now. I will be there when you wake.”

“I think - that Illarion - might protest another - being named heir,” Lilé laughed shakily, groaning loudly as Valerian continued to thrust, relentless. “But yes. That’s what I want, my love. My King. Do as you wish. I am yours.”

She made sure to clench around him, playful even in the depths of need. Her fingers reached behind to grasp his hair, tugging in time with his hips rocking. He fit perfectly; it felt as though they had been made for each other. Perhaps this was what a soulmate meant.

Lilé purposely filled his mind with images of him fucking her on the throne, of her kneeling before him and taking him into her mouth, of smouldering gazes and filthy words. All that, she wanted. And more.

Valerian laughed too, the sound masked by the delighted shrieks of young schoolgirls who’d just hurried out of the elevator, smartphones aloft. Now they definitely shouldn’t be seen. The thought of them being surrounded by all those people, some of whom were wondering where the sudden need to touch themselves was coming from, only spurred him on. “Figure of speech. Any child you give me will be my heir. Or heiress.” Illarion would inherit the throne when he came of age, but any and all of their children would receive something from him when they matured. It kept jealousy at bay. 

     “ Oh yeah, like what? You think I don’t want to help? You think I don’t feel sorry for all the people that were taken from their loved ones? I lost somebody too…” yes, it felt strange to talk with the cat and know that the animal could understand her, but she wanted to make it clear that she didn’t know how could she help. 

She didn’t like to remember the fact that her dear Simon- even after all those years she still loved him- had been one of the people who were snapped. It simply wasn’t fair, it should have been Linnet instead, Jackie could never forgive her former best friend for what she did. 

She noticed that the cat was gone, yet she wasn’t at all worried. She got the feeling that her guest would soon be back, and she decided to go to a store and buy magnet letters.  Perhaps the cat knew how to read and write, and might choose with her paws which letters should Jackie put on the fridge, so she would know what she needed to do. It was worth a try, she needed some answers and since the cat couldn’t talk they just had to find another way to communicate.  

“ After you rest a little, you can come here and help me with something. I think that you have a message for me and these letters would make me understand what you are trying to say” she had arranged the magnetic letters on the kitchen floor. 

Pleased that Jackie recognized her intellect but her limits to communication, she padded over to the letters that had been left out for her. She stared at them and pushed six letters forward: S, H, I, E, L, D. Goose waited for Jackie to read what she’d spelled out before forming the words that would direct her to the organization’s headquarters. Alone, Jackie might have a difficult time reversing the Snap’s effects. But if she and the Avengers teamed up, there was a chance, however slim, to force Thanos to use the Gauntlet and bring everyone back.

“Meow.” If she could smile, she would have, if only to encourage Jackie to do something. It was unfair of her to force the woman to do anything, but like she said, she’d lost someone. Wouldn’t she want to bring whoever they were back? Goose lay down on her belly in front of the letters, playing with the large blue ‘C’ for a while. If Jackie refused, maybe she knew of someone who had more knowledge of magic than she? Either way, she hoped that her suggestion would be considered, at the very least, just so they could start working on finding and defeating Thanos once and for all.

“I’m a nurse,” as though that was answer enough, but was quick to add a soft yes in answer to his question. Blinking she looked to the rock and on slightly wobbly legs moved toward it. Despite being at the beach, after what had just happened, she felt oddly exposed and vulnerable. Slim arms wound around herself as she took a seat on the sun-warmed rock, her eyes sliding closed as she focused on the scent of the ocean.

Unfortunately, his scent seemed like it was burned into her brain. It was more than a little unnerving. 

After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and she was mildly surprised to find the man was still there. She’d half hoped he was a dream or something; God she was so embarrassed. Trying to distract herself she brushed her hair back from her face as she studied him. 

“I’ve never heard of pheromones doing that to a person,” she murmured, frowning. “I'm… I’m Melody,” she added, but didn’t extend her hand in greeting; she didn’t want to get too close to him for fear of having a repeat experience

“‘Course not. What you humans see as legends are just truths covered up.” He hadn’t spent a lot of time in human settlements, but the stories that the fishermen told each other over the centuries had evolved. Before, the ancient Greeks believed in gods and goddesses, of frightening creatures that could suck whole ships down to the ocean floor. Now, they were dubbed as myths to calm society and avoid mass panic. 

Hearing her name, he smiled. “I’m Valerian. King of the Nymphs.” While he could have just left out his title, he saw it as an attempt to deny a gift that his mother, the goddess Aphrodite, had given him. No, he was proud to be a king even if it meant more responsibilities than an average nymph warrior. It also gave him freedoms that most nymphs couldn’t, such as the ability to remain longer in the human realm. Most nymphs, when they remained too long in the human world, lost their memory of Atlantis and ended up living the rest of their lives as humans.