(no subject)
Title: I Saw a Light
Authors: pennyofthewild and sistergrimmel
Pairing: Apollo/Artemis/Zoë Nightshade
Rating: T
Summary: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Try telling that to the immortals.
Notes: Warnings for the pairing and all that that implies.
I Saw a Light
Lovers 100 Prompt 053:
Haunted
By My Pen Is Sharper than Your Sword and Sister Grimm Erin
X X X X X
There is an island, hidden far away from the eyes of mortal man, that has never moved.
This is the story of how it came to be-and why it remains.
X X X X X
When the Greek gods were forced to leave Greece for Rome, the move was unprecedented. Many of the nature spirits were in uproar over the relocation. Rooted to the trees and skies and rivers and oceans as they were, the nymphs and spirits clung to the land and sea of Greece.
After the initial panic died down, most eventually followed the gods they loved, albeit with much reluctance. There were a few, however, still grieved at the death of Pan, that simply stayed behind.
Most of the spirits lost what little separation they had from their homes; forests grew silent as trees began to forget the nymphs had ever been sentient.
But it is whispered among the few gods and spirits and creatures who still remember, and the even fewer mortals who know and still care, that there is a place, an island off the coast of Greece shrouded in Mist thick enough to fool a god from the distance, where the old spirits remain. What immortals and mortals alike have never even attempted to discover is why. Why did the spirits remain isolated and away from the world? Why did they never join the gods who had been their lovers and their children?
The answer is anger.
Even millennia later-if millennia even matters to these spirits-the spirits are still furious at the mortals for causing their decline and the disappearance of the Lord of the Wild. The whispers began when mortals who ventured on the island have never returned.
But they are even angrier at the Olympians for letting it happen. For forgetting what they owed to the land and to the sea.
Perhaps some gods have guessed it, for no immortal other than the current inhabitants had ever visited the island before this story begins. Gods would never admit to fear, but even the most foolish of them knows that there are fates worse than death.
But trees and rivers and oceans can wait a long time for revenge. They were cool and patient in their vengeance, but they had sworn among themselves long ago that the moment an Olympian dared set foot on their island, he would regret it.
X X X X X
1928
The god Apollo makes a pilgrimage to the island of Delphi every now and then. Nobody had ever really noticed-the gods are free to wander wherever they wish, and Apollo was even more prone to vanish for months at a time, particularly since the nineteenth century died. Two did not warrant even a shrug. Four was a mere idle speculation as to where he could be.
But when the sixth month passed with no word, the clairvoyants and prophets began searching for him.
Their answer-or lack thereof-threw the world of Olympus into a true panic.
After a day of fruitless scrying and spellcasting, the girl who had been the Oracle was found dead of no cause. She had a look of utmost fear and concentration upon her face, but other than that, she was unmarked. The god of medicine, in place of his father, declared her dead of a lack of air. But there had been no blockings of her throat. It was, as though, Asclepius said, she had simply decided not to breathe, without closing her lips or holding her breath.
Asclepius spoke to his friend Calliope, who spoke to her sometime lover Ares, who spoke to his father Zeus, who spoke to his wife Hera.
Hera's decision was that Artemis and her companions would search for her brother, as half-bloods could not take a quest without the Oracle. Because she was cross with her eldest child, she sent Ares rather than Hermes to notify the Hunters.
(Artemis had had no idea her brother was missing due to a particularly bad quarrel with him a month prior to his disappearance. Everyone who knew the twins knew better than to mention one to the other in hearing distance while they were still angry.)
Ares reluctantly complied, partially because he deferred to his mother more than he ever deferred to his father, and partially because he, too, was worried.
Unfortunately for the god of war, his reception at the Hunt was far from friendly.
X X X X X
Phoebe was pointing a crossbow at the god of war until she saw his face.
Then she went for her sword.
"I'm here on a friendly visit," Ares told the girl through gritted teeth. "Go get your leader or my sister if you don't believe me, before I really lose my temper."
Without moving a muscle, the second-in-command elicited a sharp, piercing whistle.
An exasperated, overly formal voice groaned loudly. "I will be there momentarily, Phoebe. I do hope it's important."
The rustle of bedcovers echoed through the night air, then Zoë Nightshade, elegant, beautiful, and furious even at three A.M., walked to the edge of camp clad in an ivory chiffon robe.
"Lord Ares," breathed the nymph in surprise. Recovering, she said, "What is your business here?"
"Call off your guard dog, and I'll tell you," the god said, trying to recover the little patience he possessed.
Phoebe looked at Zoë's face, saw the order inherent in her glare, and skittered back to her tent.
When the girl had walked far enough away, Ares said, "No one's seen or heard from Apollo for months, and the seers cannot find him."
Zoë's eyes widened in alarm. "I'll make sure my Lady begins the search," she told him. "Are you sure he's in danger?"
"No," Ares admitted freely. "But I doubt one of his-," seeing Zoë's superficial youth, he edited, "trysts would last that long."
Zoë sighed tired agreement. "My Lady may be able to see something more once she tries. The twins have an empathy link of sorts."
"Tell me," Ares said wryly, "what was their fight about?"
With a glance back to the tent she'd just exited, Zoë lowered her voice and replied in an uncharacteristic moment of candor, "I lost track some centuries ago."
Ares chuckled. To his amused surprise and Zoë's consternation, the other tent flap opened and a much-disheveled goddess in a sheet walked out. "What did you lose track of, Princess Nightshade?" she half-yawned. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw her eldest brother. "Is something wrong with Father?" she asked hurriedly. Belatedly, she clutched the sheet to herself and blushed.
Ares smirked at her discomfort briefly, then grew serious. "No, he's well enough except that well-my Mother-is in a temper about-oh, never mind," Ares said, cutting himself off. "It's your twin, Di," Ares said. "No one's seen nor heard of him for the past half a year. And his Oracle is dead, so we can't send half-bloods. Chiron and Hermes interrogated all the campers; they're certain now that it wasn't them and that no one let a monster in. But being without an Oracle means we need Apollo. The other seers have found nothing."
Artemis frowned her understanding. "Very well. Zoë and I will find him."
X X X X X
Authors: pennyofthewild and sistergrimmel
Pairing: Apollo/Artemis/Zoë Nightshade
Rating: T
Summary: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Try telling that to the immortals.
Notes: Warnings for the pairing and all that that implies.
I Saw a Light
Lovers 100 Prompt 053:
Haunted
By My Pen Is Sharper than Your Sword and Sister Grimm Erin
X X X X X
There is an island, hidden far away from the eyes of mortal man, that has never moved.
This is the story of how it came to be-and why it remains.
X X X X X
When the Greek gods were forced to leave Greece for Rome, the move was unprecedented. Many of the nature spirits were in uproar over the relocation. Rooted to the trees and skies and rivers and oceans as they were, the nymphs and spirits clung to the land and sea of Greece.
After the initial panic died down, most eventually followed the gods they loved, albeit with much reluctance. There were a few, however, still grieved at the death of Pan, that simply stayed behind.
Most of the spirits lost what little separation they had from their homes; forests grew silent as trees began to forget the nymphs had ever been sentient.
But it is whispered among the few gods and spirits and creatures who still remember, and the even fewer mortals who know and still care, that there is a place, an island off the coast of Greece shrouded in Mist thick enough to fool a god from the distance, where the old spirits remain. What immortals and mortals alike have never even attempted to discover is why. Why did the spirits remain isolated and away from the world? Why did they never join the gods who had been their lovers and their children?
The answer is anger.
Even millennia later-if millennia even matters to these spirits-the spirits are still furious at the mortals for causing their decline and the disappearance of the Lord of the Wild. The whispers began when mortals who ventured on the island have never returned.
But they are even angrier at the Olympians for letting it happen. For forgetting what they owed to the land and to the sea.
Perhaps some gods have guessed it, for no immortal other than the current inhabitants had ever visited the island before this story begins. Gods would never admit to fear, but even the most foolish of them knows that there are fates worse than death.
But trees and rivers and oceans can wait a long time for revenge. They were cool and patient in their vengeance, but they had sworn among themselves long ago that the moment an Olympian dared set foot on their island, he would regret it.
X X X X X
1928
The god Apollo makes a pilgrimage to the island of Delphi every now and then. Nobody had ever really noticed-the gods are free to wander wherever they wish, and Apollo was even more prone to vanish for months at a time, particularly since the nineteenth century died. Two did not warrant even a shrug. Four was a mere idle speculation as to where he could be.
But when the sixth month passed with no word, the clairvoyants and prophets began searching for him.
Their answer-or lack thereof-threw the world of Olympus into a true panic.
After a day of fruitless scrying and spellcasting, the girl who had been the Oracle was found dead of no cause. She had a look of utmost fear and concentration upon her face, but other than that, she was unmarked. The god of medicine, in place of his father, declared her dead of a lack of air. But there had been no blockings of her throat. It was, as though, Asclepius said, she had simply decided not to breathe, without closing her lips or holding her breath.
Asclepius spoke to his friend Calliope, who spoke to her sometime lover Ares, who spoke to his father Zeus, who spoke to his wife Hera.
Hera's decision was that Artemis and her companions would search for her brother, as half-bloods could not take a quest without the Oracle. Because she was cross with her eldest child, she sent Ares rather than Hermes to notify the Hunters.
(Artemis had had no idea her brother was missing due to a particularly bad quarrel with him a month prior to his disappearance. Everyone who knew the twins knew better than to mention one to the other in hearing distance while they were still angry.)
Ares reluctantly complied, partially because he deferred to his mother more than he ever deferred to his father, and partially because he, too, was worried.
Unfortunately for the god of war, his reception at the Hunt was far from friendly.
X X X X X
Phoebe was pointing a crossbow at the god of war until she saw his face.
Then she went for her sword.
"I'm here on a friendly visit," Ares told the girl through gritted teeth. "Go get your leader or my sister if you don't believe me, before I really lose my temper."
Without moving a muscle, the second-in-command elicited a sharp, piercing whistle.
An exasperated, overly formal voice groaned loudly. "I will be there momentarily, Phoebe. I do hope it's important."
The rustle of bedcovers echoed through the night air, then Zoë Nightshade, elegant, beautiful, and furious even at three A.M., walked to the edge of camp clad in an ivory chiffon robe.
"Lord Ares," breathed the nymph in surprise. Recovering, she said, "What is your business here?"
"Call off your guard dog, and I'll tell you," the god said, trying to recover the little patience he possessed.
Phoebe looked at Zoë's face, saw the order inherent in her glare, and skittered back to her tent.
When the girl had walked far enough away, Ares said, "No one's seen or heard from Apollo for months, and the seers cannot find him."
Zoë's eyes widened in alarm. "I'll make sure my Lady begins the search," she told him. "Are you sure he's in danger?"
"No," Ares admitted freely. "But I doubt one of his-," seeing Zoë's superficial youth, he edited, "trysts would last that long."
Zoë sighed tired agreement. "My Lady may be able to see something more once she tries. The twins have an empathy link of sorts."
"Tell me," Ares said wryly, "what was their fight about?"
With a glance back to the tent she'd just exited, Zoë lowered her voice and replied in an uncharacteristic moment of candor, "I lost track some centuries ago."
Ares chuckled. To his amused surprise and Zoë's consternation, the other tent flap opened and a much-disheveled goddess in a sheet walked out. "What did you lose track of, Princess Nightshade?" she half-yawned. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw her eldest brother. "Is something wrong with Father?" she asked hurriedly. Belatedly, she clutched the sheet to herself and blushed.
Ares smirked at her discomfort briefly, then grew serious. "No, he's well enough except that well-my Mother-is in a temper about-oh, never mind," Ares said, cutting himself off. "It's your twin, Di," Ares said. "No one's seen nor heard of him for the past half a year. And his Oracle is dead, so we can't send half-bloods. Chiron and Hermes interrogated all the campers; they're certain now that it wasn't them and that no one let a monster in. But being without an Oracle means we need Apollo. The other seers have found nothing."
Artemis frowned her understanding. "Very well. Zoë and I will find him."
X X X X X