Open for everyone/ @ihq-start

It was a rare afternoon of peace. There was no processions, no grieving families, or the like. Rather there was laughter echoing from outside. There was a frown on Arie’s face, he still felt it was his duty to stay through his shift. The mortician decided to step outside, just to watch the people go about their day.

“When do you think, tragedy will strike?” He asked aloud.

Wally had been at the bar a few buildings away from the funeral home, which was honestly bad placing in his opinion but no one ever listened to him anyway. The bar had been getting boring, and Wally should probably head back to the office and at least do some of the work. Even though he made his employees do everything, they didn’t seem to hate him for whatever reason. 

He decided to rest his back against one of the buildings as he walked towards his office, not realizing he was really close to the funeral home. That’s when he heard a familiar voice, and looked up to see who it was. “Jeez. You’re already thinking about a tragedy?” Wally took a drink from his flask he pulled from his pocket. “You sure you don’t need some of this?” 

      “wally,” dutch grimaces, second guessing every desire he’s ever had to hang out with the brash alcoholic. he supposes it’s too late to uninvite him, though, and accepts his fate as he snags a bottle from the wine god’s case. “i thought i asked you not to speak to me until after i was drunk enough,” he adds, and he’s only sixty percent serious. by and large dutch enjoyed wally’s company, but his tendency to bounce off the walls drove dutch over the edge. “can’t believe you’ve found an entire group of fools willing to do a damn thing you say.”

val didn’t frequent bars often. if anything, she was more likely to be seen at a swanky lounge or restaurant, sipping lightly on the most expensive drink the menu had to offer. it was absolutely unlike her to be found somewhere like this – an actual bar, with stools and a counter. however, she had just gone on a date at said swanky lounge – let’s just say it didn’t go so well. fifteen minutes in, she’d told the guy she had to use the restroom, but snuck out instead. this was the closest place, and the least likely place she’d be found by him.

her drink of choice that night was something weak – alcohol, in her mind, was more of a social hobby. she never drank to get drunk; she drank because others drank. so, she went with a red berry sangria and avoided the hard liquor. apparently her choice was being judged, however, when a sudden voice stopped her from taking her second sip. rolling her eyes, she turned slightly towards him. “you know, if your end goal is to get drunk,” she started, eyeing the fireball shots with disgust. “there are plenty of other options that have more class. why not go with a clean don julio? or maybe even ciroc? anything but fireball. anything.”

wally raised a drink to her statement, providing no valuable argument because she had him bested. he drank both of the shots in succession and took a deep breath after as the taste of the hard liquor shot through his throat. most people hated the kick, but it was something that wally adored in his weird way. ‘ my endgoal is always to get drunk. but when you’ve had literally everything, you eventually just get whatever pops into your brain.’ most of the time at bars wally stuck to shots as they always got the job done. the human invention of dark and clear alcohol was one of the greatest times in his lives, and though wine was his favorite, he was allowed to branch out. 

he quickly ordered three more shots, but this time, getting four shots of ciroc like she mentioned. “want two of these? think of them as an apology for words.” wally never actually gave an apology, they usually involved alcohol and only using the world ‘apology’ and not ‘sorry.’ he’d already clinked his own shot glasses together in case she’d say no, but then again, he could order more.

she  adjusts  her  full  glass,  not  intending  to  take  a  sip  but  to  feign  participation  .  at  his  fair  observation  of  her  curious  involvement  in  tonight’s  events,  she  subtly  motions  to  a  group  of  mortals  dancing  spastically  on  the  floor  .          ‘          someone  has  to  babysit  .          ’          she  shrugs,  but  there’s  no  true  annoyance  in  her  tone  .  she’s  always  taken  it  upon  herself  to  look  out  for  humans,  even,  and  especially  during  the  iron  age  .  her  human  companions  were  certainly  no  odysseus,  but  they  had  their  own  good  qualities  too  .          ‘          and  protect  them  from  you  .          ’          she  adds,  but  her  tone  is  ultimately  more  fun  than  mean  spirited  .          ‘          honestly,  you’re  a  terrible  influence  .  trying  to  get  me  drunk  ?  i  thought  you  knew  better  than  that  .          ’

“baby sitting other people who are drinking? sorry, i don’t know what that is.” he commented, not knowing the last time he did such a thing. wally was usually one of the people dancing but he was in more of a mood to drink and not do anything remotely physical. he also barely had any friends that weren’t gods or goddesses. it wasn’t something he admitted but he just didn’t care too much for mortals - and more in an apathetic way not dislike. her comment made him laugh, putting his hand over his heart to play the part. ‘ wow , i know you value honesty but you don’t need to be harsh. guess i’m going to have to buy two more shots for myself to cope. ‘ that was the bartender’s signal, and he seemed to already be impressed at the number of shots wally purchased and still be coherent. ‘ and please, your friends couldn’t handle me. ‘ he stated, immediately downing the rest of the shots and could thankfully feel himself getting pretty drunk. ‘sweetie, since when do i make smart decisions.’ wally smiled with his teeth. “are you really taking work seriously? what’s the fun in that.”

         door  closes ,     hand  pushing  it  back  into  place  as  he  moves  through  the  threshold.  he  gives  wally  a  nod  in  greeting,  a  smile  painted  on  his  features.  he  had  been  slightly  concerned  for  wally  ;    a  charge  to  protect  the  younger  god  had  never  fully  left  his  heart.  protection  from  an  internal  threat  was  quite  different  than  an  external  one   …    hiding  an  infant  with  mountain  nymphs  had  been  much  easier.   ‘   yeah,  just  got  back.  how’ve  things  been,  wal    ?    ’    slight  pause.   ‘    you  could  come  with  me  next  time,  i  was  thinking  somewhere  in  europe.   ’                  @wcllyjackson​

wally’s ability of walking practically anywhere because of his own drunken state was a blessing. the other god wasn’t far, but wally had been 2 miles away for some work social event. they had a cocktail hour followed by a long and boring awards show to ‘promote employee morale.’ back in their more powerful days, they were always the one worshipped and without having to care about every mortal. he smiled , patting the other on the back as he walked in. “welcome back. i’m actually doing wonderful. drinking and getting the mortals to do all the work i’m supposed to be doing. life is good.’ wally was rarely one to let things bother him. a lot of people were bothered by his overall apathy towards bad things that could happen and his disregard for consequences. ‘ i haven’t been to europe in a while. i’ll go, but you have to show me all the secret travel spots. i watch your videos and i know for a fact you have some secret spots i don’t know about.” he teased. wally took a big swig of the rest of the liquor from his flask, sighing in relief when the taste hit the back of his throat. “this right here is $400 a bottle. as much as i love wine, i have to give the mortals credit for being able to have liquid sit for so long and not drink it.” he chuckled, “so, i should ask, how have you been?”

he took a drink from the flask in his pocket before grabbing the 12-pack of beer that he’d brought from home. if dutch was surprised that he was bringing alcohol than he really doesn’t know the wine god that well. on his way to where the other had been standing he admired the way the sun was hitting the water. “this is one of the few times i appreciate something apollo contributes to.” he said as he approached dutch. wally immediately took out one of the beers and drank from the bottle, “we need to catch up. honestly, i have a hard time remembering if i saw you last week or if it’s been longer but we still should catch up. i know how much i brighten your day.” he joked, knowing that the two were different in terms of personality. “how’s work going? before you ask, mine’s going pretty well because i literally make everyone do everything.” wally said, taking more sips from his beer. ( @dutchl​

( @ihq-start​ )

“the rink isn’t that much farther, i promise” ava cheerily tossed over her shoulder to her current companion with a wink to boot. it was an easy statement for her to make; not only was this route practically muscle memory for the walking rainbow, but it helped that ava tended to move a bit faster than the average person. perks of being a winged goddess, she supposed. ava turned, walking backwards as she faced the person accompanying her. “ besides, it’s a pretty day out, ” she gestured out with her arms, causing the skates she was carrying to click together and the glittered fringes on her jacket sleeves to glint in the sunlight. “it’s a fun time either way, right?”

“you know, i really don’t mind the distance but these skates are one of the worst inventions. then again, we had practical death traps during our time.” he sighed, pulling his flask out of his pocket and taking a giant gulp as he finished the rest of it. wally didn’t bother trying to keep up with the goddess because it was impossible, even at his peak he’d been unable to keep up. the people around them were shooting all kinds of looks, but wally and ava were people who hardly got embarrassed by their own actions. his arms stayed to his side, trying not to fall because he was already naturally clumsy without the alcohol. his skates were both in different hands being held by the strings, and he was happy to find an open bench where they could put their skates on. “how did you get me to agree to do this. i’m a very busy person. i’m supposed to be in 3 meetings today. did i plan on going? that’s another question.”

Luna had been walking a mostly-abandoned park, she wasn't that far from her apartment complex and it was mainly to escape the stress from work.

There wasn't anything particularly eye-catching, until Luna caught a glimpse of a dark figure that looked awfully familiar and was coming towards her.

Wally was known for ending up in the most random of places because of his drunken movements and his ability to wander off somewhere due to him being into his head and not paying attention. At the moment it was a bit of both, which wasn’t out of the ordinary.

evie was never really one to routinely drink, three glasses of wine and she was out like a light. her small stature unable to handle too much of anything. she was a lightweight and she knew it, so she kept the drinks at a minimum. however, after a long day of dealing with a bridezilla who decided last minute that she’s going to another florist ( despite already having booked her and who forced her to shut the shop down for any other customers ) it was safe to say, the goddess was pissed. flowers rooted in the ground blooming in the dark as she walked home. the bar was in walking distance from the flower shop, so she walks past, unpreturbed before stopping completely in her tracks. one glass of wine won’t hurt, she thinks, abandoning rational thought and opening the door. she climbs atop the bar stool, her legs dangling over the sides as they were much too high to touch the floor as she waits for the red wine. evie turns her head at the sound of a familiar voice, tucking loose strands of her hair ( like spilled ink against her white dress ) behind her ear. “ i know. ”  she answers, not surprised to see him here. “  i’d like to get out of here in one piece. on my own. so wine it is. ”  the bartender hands her the glass to which she thanks with a beaming smile. evie takes a sip, watching wally from the corner of her eye. “ are you ever not here ? ” she asks out of mere curiosity.

wally didn’t need to use his brain to tell that she had a long day. everyone assumed that his drinking hindered his perception to others, which was true, but he had his moments such as now. he smiled at her mentioning she wanting to get home in once piece, “what’s the fun in planning? do you think i ever plan anything - or go through many of my plans? don’t answer because i already know your answer will be ‘yes.’ the bartender laughed, but wally was sure it was because he wanted a good tip. as a regular to the bar, the bartenders knew just how much he spent and he swore that one time he saw them playing rock, paper, scissors to see who was going to serve him. he took two of his shots back-to-back, shaking his head at the bitter taste. “what are you talking about? this is my first time being here.” he responded. “anyways, what brings you here? as much as i know you want to see me, i’m assuming a long day?”

      AVIVA JUMPED AS she heard the voice come up behind her ; she really was a timid creature, and it was something she needed to work on. she steadied herself against the window before looking back and getting down from the chair. “um, i have a couple of things in the store, but they’re basically all vegan and organic things.” while aviva enjoyed organic food, she also realized that the mortals that came into her store were obsessed with it. “but if you want, i have actual food in my apartment. and it’ll be free.”

she’s  only  out  because  her  mortal  peers  encouraged  her  to  come  .  after  a  long  week,  they  opted  to  celebrate  their  hard  work  by  letting  go  of  their  inhibitions  .  aly  complied,  but  athena  doesn’t  care  to  lose  hers  .  so,  she  orders  a  cocktail  that’s  closer  to  juice,  purposefully  maintaining  her  wits  in  an  environment  where  there  are  absolutely  none  .  case  and  point,  she  can  only  shake  her  head  at  her  immortal  peer’s  poor  choices  .  she  expects  it  of  him,  of  course,  but  that  doesn’t  stop  her  judgement  as  the  bartender  slides  his  shots  across  the  bar  .          ‘          i  hope  you  don’t  have  anywhere  to  be  tomorrow,  wallace  .          ’          she  raises  a  brow,  using  his  full  pseudonym  as  the  scent  of  cinnamon  liquor  wafts  through  the  air  .  

wally rolled his eyes, sighing at athena’s words. “ i always have somewhere to be. and right now my own schedule says i need to be here.” all of wally’s shots were taken one after the other, the normal stinging feeling down his throat no longer bothering him from the centuries and decades of consistently being intoxicated. he and the other goddess were very different in personality and actions, and he never understood how she had such a serious work ethic and way of going about things. “ i can order you some of my companies wine.” he lowered his voice to where only she could hear him. “that was made by yours truly and is far better than any wine that these mortals can make.” profiting off his own recipe and finding the right people to do all the work was his best plan. “ what brings you out here? i can’t even remember the last time i’ve seen you out. honestly, i wouldn’t remember anyway but i know it’s been a while.” he always tried to get a laugh out of people, especially athena. 

He knew the other was giving him a taste of his own medicine when he took a large gulp of alcohol, only to find out the bitter taste was everything but enjoyable.  Toughin’ it up, and swallowing it instead of spraying the whole bar with the liquid, he slowly turned his head towards Dionysus. Keep a straight face through it all, he tried his best not to frown as he stared into the other God’s eyes and took what was left of the liquid in his glass, and poured it into his mouth like it was nothing. It was quite possibly the worst mix in history and recognizing the god awful taste of cinnamon through it all made him gag. ‘’Delicious.’’ If only the look on his face didn’t reflect the opposite.

‘‘Thank fuck,’‘ Ares simply said when Wally turned what was left of his drink into what it used to be. ‘‘I thought about letting one of them win, once, but there isn’t enough money in the world to buy my defeat!’‘ Noticing the look on the barman’s face when Dio asked for another round, he couldn’t help to chuckle to snort. ‘‘Let’s go now, before I have to carry you out of here over my shoulder,’‘ he suggested, tapping the edge of the bar before getting back on his feed. ‘‘Who doesn’t like free things? but we’re living in the same apartment complex, handsome. Whatever is free for you probably had been paid with our taxes or something,’‘ he shook his head at the thought of it. ‘‘Might as well take advantage of it! You comin’?’‘

Wally learned a LONG time ago to never challenge or dare to the other to something because he’d just do it. The light widening of his eyebrows showed how impressed he was, but again, not surprised. “You’re never going to let me win, are you war-boy?” He watched as Aries drank more of his concoction, shaking his head in disbelief at how far the other would go. “And don’t lie, that had to be disgusting. I made that to have three different types of shoty- alcohol that don’t go together.” Once again he smiled, concealing it quickly with another glass to his lips.

Wally chugged the rest of the shots he ordered, the familiar warm and numb feeling alcohol provided beginning to set in. “Seriously, at this point I’m surprised the mortals haven’t forced you to register your hands and body as a deadly weapon. What if I gave you a puppy dog look, would that convince you to lose?” He teased, reaching in his wallet to pay the both of their tabs. Wally well well aware that Adrian could afford his own tab, but he was trying to pay before the other noticed because he knew it might bother him. His eyes rolled once more, “We get it, you’re strong and can carry everything. And if you carry me, we had a deal it would be a piggy back ride. That way I’d get to embarrass you more.” Wally was constantly joking with Aries, again, as he was rarely serious with anyone. 

He shrugged, “Look at us, both making more money than we need and still loving the term ‘free.” His smile grew wider at the word ‘handsome’ being said but quickly turned the other way. For some reason he was great at giving compliments and teasing, but he secretly grew easily flustered. When you had the constant personality of a drunken man, certain emotions were heightened.  Wally nudged Adrien before walking towards the door and navigating their way to the building. His eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the sun, and he swiftly pulled his sunglasses over his eyes. He pulled a water bottle from the suit jacket he’d been wearing, taking a giant swig of it and held it out to Aries while they were walking. “Water?” It wasn’t water, but that had to be obvious. Wally spotted their building in the distance and then looked back to Aries. “ You also still need to tell me when your next match is, I plan on celebrating by day-drinking, showing up, and then night-drinking. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” 

‘‘i wouldn’t say the smarter one, i’d say the one that doesn’t commit the most to the plans he makes,’‘ he corrected him with a snort, downing the rest of his drink immediately after. putting the glass down against the bar, he pushed it closer to the barmaid with the back of his hand, silently requesting him to fill it up. ‘‘are you sure being drunk doesn’t make you angrier sometimes?’‘ being able to mess up with people’s emotions, Ares made sure something in the pit of the other God’s stomach was going to make him grind his teeth for a second or two. An out-of-the-blue desire to punch someone for a small amount of time.

‘‘I’m just messing with you,’‘ clearly, he replied, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It was rare to see Adrian smile genuinely, but he was having a good time. ‘’Knock you off your feet, huh? Damn, I knew I should’ve listened in class,’’ the words were so similar anyway, he confessed with a dumb look on his pretty face. ‘’why do you even allow investors to stick their noses into your land? You could finance this entire continent if you wanted to, unless you’ve drank your fortune through the years — it wouldn’t surprise me.’’ clicking his tongue against his palate, he pulled his glass closer to the edge of the countertop, as it was filled again. ‘’Funny thing with those mortals is that no matter how strong you are, their ego will still make them fight me until they drop, but train again to fight me better next time. It’s a vicious circle, and I adore it.’’

“you got me there. i’m an important person, i have a million important business at all times. i have to supervise other people doing the work i could be doing.” when someone has been drinking since the day they were born, using alcohol as an excuse for his actions became tiring. he always assumed that adrien was joking or teasing knowing full well that he was most likely being serious. adrien bit his lip with sharp feeling going through his stomach, and all he did was respond with a quick snap. “again, i know you do this out of love. and because i know it definitely bothers you that you can’t get a ruse out of me.” the snap was his way of using his own abilities, changing the taste of adrian’s drink to a gross mixture of fireball, tequila, and vodka in one. he didn’t make it known what he did, as sometimes adrian was able to pick up on his tricks and sometimes he could be caught off guard.

wally rolled his eyes at his friend’s infectious smile. “now you have me feeling bad. i would wait a couple of seconds before drinking that..” he snapped his fingers once more, returning the drink to it’s original state. “don’t change yourself on me, it’s fun when you’re being stubborn and not listening.” wally leaned back against the bar, his attention being all over the place with the movement of other patron at the bar. “because it’s way more fun to let people complain about having more money than they need. i love making people believe they have power over me.” he was constantly being over-estimated and he loved being able to prove other people wrong. “and here i thought i was the morally chaotic one. do people keep going up against you because they want to be the first to beat you? that’s so cute.” he got another round of shots, the bartender was new and seemed to be impress at how much he’d ordered. “anyways, what are you doing after this? i’m thinking of moving this to the bar in my building. they have food there. i know how much you love free shit.”

      DRESSED IN AN old pair of overalls with her long black curls tied into a messy knot and a pair of beat up converse, aviva stood on a chair wiping down the windows. she had spent the morning cleaning, a weekly routine of hers, and now she had moved to the outside of the shop. “i might be a day or two late,” she said softly with a chuckle, “but at least i started my spring cleaning, you know?” | @ihq-start​

‘‘the amount of shit you agreed on when you’ve had a little too much to drink,’‘ he mused with a small grin. ‘‘you’re in a really bad place to take back your words. It’s been decades since I’ve met you fully-sober if that’s even a term I can use,’‘ Adrian pointed out as he slightly leaned against the bar, grabbing his glass of whiskey as soon as the barmaid place it in front of him. 

his bruised knuckled on sight, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a first gulp. ‘’then why do you keep drinking it, are you some sort of masochist?’’ he nudged him with his elbow, not holding back his strength knowing it would almost knock the other off his seat if he wasn’t paying enough attention to him. annoying the people of his entourage was one of his favorite things to do. 

‘‘I don’t love anyone, ever. you should know that by now,’‘ debatable. ‘‘I’m here because I had nothing better to do, and I’m sorry to admit you’re one of the easiest people to find in the city,’‘ whenever people were having a good time, or alcohol kept pouring, he knew he could find him. ‘‘what about you? time to kill away from your employees?’‘

“-and i’m still alive so i’m clearly the smarter one here.  and what’s the fun in arguing with anyone these days. it’s much easier to just agree and then deny any memory of what took place.” he was never wrong in his own mind, who cared what anyone else thought? “the s-word isn’t in my vocabulary. and what the fuck was i going through to stop drinking? i think im the only person on this planet who is actually in a shit mood if he’s sober.” wally was constantly in a drunken/hazy bit of happiness, it made it easier to not be bothered by anything.

his love of this bar came from the reminder of the bars back in ancient times. back then, the bars were populated by different groups of people: rich, poor, non-believers and radicals alike. the people and the atmosphere was one of few things he actually remembered because he’d be drunk during most of it. wally sighed at the sight of adrien’s knuckle, and had been on the verge of making one of smartass comments until the feeling of a linebacker pushing him. he managed to grab onto the bar at the last second. wally chuckled immediately, “okay, ill admit. you got me there.” not much bothered him, even when he probably should have been.

“listen, if you’re going to take me on a date there has to be alcohol - and you’re also going to have to actually knock me off my feet, not my seat.” he teased, clinking his shot glass against adrien’s and winked at him before drinking.  “so you’re finally admitting that you’re entertained by me and i ease your boredom.” wally put his hand to his heart, ‘ i’m touched.’ he stood up out of his seat, the effects of the alcohol setting in enough to bother him if he sat down too much longer. “it’s not even my employees this time. apparently we have a big group of investors that want to meet me. they are saying it could bring in more revenue when we already are at the top.” he casually waved away the thought of more money. “i’d rather be tortured in tartarus. what about you, have you already made every other fighter realize that no matter how hard they try, their maximum is your 2 percent?’ 

‘‘I thought we made it clear that fireballs taste like bad decisions,’‘ Adrian commented with a small grin, sitting on the bat stool right next to the other God. Showing up unexpected was his forté, he couldn’t care less if he was interrupting something, he was around and Wally needed to pay attention to him now. Moving his hand at his friend’ shoulder, he squeezed it tightly before giving a tap on his back. ‘‘How’s it going Dio?’‘ Maybe he should use his mortal name more often. 

‘‘Whiskey. Two fingers,                           – and twice.’‘ he commented when the barman looked his way, without paying much attention to the man. ‘‘Cinnamon’s almost as good as fresh ashes,’‘ he grinned. Not a fan of fireball since he spent a night puking his guts out in an alley after a night out with the other. 

Wally chuckled, “No, war-boy, you made up that ridiculous statement and I agreed because I was tipsy.” He was surprised by Adrian’s presence but his surprise was incredibly common because he literally never knew when Adrian would show up. Even when there was a predetermined time he still never showed up on time. Wally lightly patted Adrian on the back to greet him before turning his attention to his second shot

He shrugged at the man’s question,”Same old, same old. Letting everyone else do my work for me while I goof off and get drunk.” Since he was able to control his alcohol level he would often get drunk enough to where he wouldn’t black-out and start all over again. “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be in a meeting right now.” Once again he waved his hand, getting another round of shots. When he first started drinking at the bar they were cutting him off thinking he’d black-out, which hasn’t happened because he rarely allows himself to get that drunk. “Please. Fireball has to be in my top 5 of horrible drinks. And believe me, I’ve had some nasty shit throughout my years.” He quickly took a shot to his own statement. 

“What brings you here? Are you finally here to admit your love to me? Can’t say I’m surprised.” Wally teased.