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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 14, 2012 17:23:27 GMT -8
"Ah yes, I remember you...You saw me for what I truly was." There was a pause as she managed to regain her composure after being rattled by that particular meeting. "I suppose you're here to represent Delphi."
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 14, 2012 20:00:14 GMT -8
Apollonia nodded. "The Pythia was too weak to come herself, so she sent me." She looked around nervously. "I've never been to one of these parties before. Are there really men who disguise themselves as partygoers and then take you away and force you to be their wife?" Apollonia's parents had often told her of the danger of parties like this, and her fiancee had never denied it.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 14, 2012 20:13:15 GMT -8
"Um...you'd have to ask someone else...It's my first time at these parties as well." That rumor was more than a bit troubling though... Persephone opened her mouth to say more but then noticed a certain illustrious personage striding purposely towards them.
"It's been nice seeing you again but perhaps it would be better to catch up later, priestess...I think that man headed our way may want to talk to you." And before Apollonia could say anything, Persephone had already left, her presence quickly replaced by none other than the god she served.
As always, his body seemed to contain an inner glow that always appeared on the verge of threatening to outshine the divine aura of every god present, making it so that his presence alone would grant more light than the torches decorating the area.
The young man headed her way looked to be in the prime of his life and in appearance and nature the ideal every male youth should strive for. Short, thick black hair darker than ebony fell in unruly curls across his brow while his eyes were such a light brown it appeared gold.
In his current mortal guise, he was dressed as a young sheperd, even carrying a crook to back up his false identity. Of course, being a priestess of the God of Truths, even Apollo himself could not hide his true form from Apollonia's eyes.
"Koronis could not make it, I see." As he invoked the Pythia's original name there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I suppose it is understandable, though, what with the spirit of the oracle and all..." The sun god then cut off his rambling and looked at Apollonia in the eye. "Apollonia yes? I believe this is our first actual meeting."
Around the same time, Sappho's break was over and she was once again playing on the lyre, this time performing a haunting melody about a love that could never be of a celestial nymph trapped in the skies and the river god that could never reach her.
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 16, 2012 10:42:37 GMT -8
"Yes," Apollonia gasped. After a moment's hesitation, she fell to her knees before the god. "I... Thank you. For this honor." She looked up at Apollo, unsure what to say.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 16, 2012 11:14:48 GMT -8
"Please, there's no need for formalities here, priestess." He said, gently pulling her to her feet. "How is everyone back at Delphi?"
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 16, 2012 13:18:54 GMT -8
Apollonia blushed as she stood up. "Um, okay? I think? The Pythia had to give a Prophecy today, so she couldn't come. B-but everything else seems all right. Actually," she lowered her voice - if anyone could hear her fears, it was Apollo, but she didn't want to make a spectacle of them. "I'm sort of worried about her. She's seemed... Stressed out recently. She keeps muttering about fate and darkness and stuff. And the visit she had today put her in really bad condition."
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 16, 2012 13:31:23 GMT -8
He nodded knowingly. "She speaks truth; we will be in for tough times soon. However, everything will turn out for the better." Pause. "What of this visit?" He asked, though already had a good idea of the visitor's identity.
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Post by JW% on Aug 16, 2012 16:11:56 GMT -8
Hades had found himself a somewhat secluded area to listen to Sappho's music. The tragic tale woven through harmonious tones was enjoyable to him. He did have a soft spot for doomed love, and happy, if perhaps bittersweet, endings.
He supposed he should make the rounds, showing his presence. He'd have to give Zeus what was left in his still mostly full amphora, but that was no major loss. The two brothers may not have had the best of relations, but they tended to get along well enough when they were together. Hades still respected Zeus for saving his life when he, and in fact the world, was much younger. And Zeus always seemed a little softer when dealing with his elder brother. Still, the two both preferred not to be together for any extended period of time. Neither suspected the other would be agreeable to their priorities.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 16, 2012 17:12:19 GMT -8
To be fair, Persephone hadn't been fully aware of her surroundings when she bumped into the man from before, accidentally spilling some of the wine onto the ground rather than on either of their respective persons. "I'm sorry...I wasn't really paying atten--Oh, it's you!" An awkward pause. "I apologize for bumping into you...along with bothering you earlier."
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 16, 2012 21:45:44 GMT -8
"Someone came for prophecy today," explained Apollonia, still shocked to be speaking this casually with her namesake. "A goddess. She's here somewhere, I saw her earlier. But afterwards, the Pythia was very distressed. Even more than she usually is. I don't know what happened in the chamber of the Oracle, though."
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 17, 2012 5:21:36 GMT -8
"Having the powers of augury, I have seen what she prophesied." There was a pause as Apollo considered how best to reassure the priestess as well as calm the worries of his oracle.
"She is right; it will soon be the end of a Golden age and all will not be as idyllic as it used to be. Tell Koronis that this has already been set in stone and that despite her best efforts, her visitor will rule over a dark nation. Even so, remind her that all is not lost."
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Post by JW% on Aug 17, 2012 14:29:02 GMT -8
To be fair, Persephone hadn't been fully aware of her surroundings when she bumped into the man from before, accidentally spilling some of the wine onto the ground rather than on either of their respective persons. "I'm sorry...I wasn't really paying atten--Oh, it's you!" An awkward pause. "I apologize for bumping into you...along with bothering you earlier." Hades took the awkward pause to scoop up the spilled amphora before it's contents completely drained away. He checked the remaining contents with disinterest. "No need to apologize." He told her. "I'm sure Dionyscus spills more than this just trying to bring his drinking horn to his mouth. And then even more, after it touches his lips." Between his tone and his solemn expression, it was impossible to tell if that was a joke or not. "And you were not bothering me." He finally said, looking past her to where more dancing was taking place before focusing his attentions on her more directly. "Compared to most here, your company has been... pleasurable." Hades couldn't think of anything more that needed to be said, but somehow felt he needed to deliever a verbal punctuation. So he offered the mostly empty amphora. "Drink with me?" |
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 17, 2012 14:35:22 GMT -8
"Thank you...I think." There was a pause as Persephone eyed the amphora before meeting his gaze with her own. "I could do with some wine myself."
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Post by JW% on Aug 17, 2012 19:59:57 GMT -8
Hades poured her a drinking horn full from the amphora and offered the wine. "Perhaps this will help. Perhaps it won't."
He considered the irony of her previous conversation with him, how she had sought to speak, and now he felt the urge to make conversation. He crushed that urge and simply remained where he was, comfortably impassive. If she wanted to speak, she'd find something more to say. If not, then there were still rounds to be made. Certainly she couldn't have met all the gods and mortals at this party yet...
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 18, 2012 7:55:39 GMT -8
She accepted the amphora with a soft thank you and took a few sips before deciding it was time for another attempt at conversation, since it seemed the man who offered the cup was not going to do so himself. "I really should be mingling with the other guests. Instead I'm here, keeping to myself." A hint of frustration colored her voice, mostly because she cursed her social awkwardness at that moment.
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Post by JW% on Aug 18, 2012 13:40:27 GMT -8
"Is my company so distasteful that you'd rather seek another, or be left to your lonesome?" Hades asked rhetorically. "No, you do me honor, choosing my presence over all the other choices availible to you at this gathering."
"Neither, however, would I wish to be guilty of keeping you enthralled with my charming smile and endless conversation." Despite completely deadpanning the statement, not smiling in the least, there was no way he couldn't be sarcastic saying that.
With a weary sound that was not quite a sigh, Hades straightened up and lifted the amphora. With a slosh he confirmed that it had two, maybe three deep draughts left in it. "I fear it is time I faced my brother, and there are many who would look on your charms as well." He told Persephone, offering his free hand. "Shall we walk together, or apart? And should you find the company of this party to be stifling again... I smell a garden there in the shade below this pavilion. We could meet again and go walking there as a respite from the bright gaity of this place." He looked directly at Appollo when he mentioned 'brightly gay', though perhaps that simply was meant to imply that Persephone should introduce herself to the sun god.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 18, 2012 14:12:18 GMT -8
His deadpanning, along with his expression, brought out a smile and a few chuckles from Persephone, lifting her mood considerably. "Oh, I wouldn't say your company is distasteful, my lord. Although I'm afraid I'm completely in the dark when it comes to your presence."
She raised an eyebrow slightly when he mentioned his brother. "Oh? And who might your brother be, sir?" Her raised eyebrow rose a bit higher at the invitation. "I wouldn't mind some quiet...I'm not used to such noisy parties...I should work on that."
As she spoke she accepted his arm, trying to recall if any of the other men who had been trying to hit on her all evening had been as courteous.
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 18, 2012 18:40:45 GMT -8
"I'll tell her," said Apollonia solemnly. Then, "Lord, do you know what's going on? Can you tell me? I mean, everyone is very worried..."
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 18, 2012 19:06:40 GMT -8
"Change. It is coming, Apollonia. And when it does you must steel yourself and meet it with courage." He took a moment to look at their surroundings, eyes lingering on the table, filled with various kinds of dishes. "Such bounty will not be so generously given once Change comes and the Golden Age truly ends."
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Post by JW% on Aug 19, 2012 13:56:34 GMT -8
"In the dark." Hades repeated. His voice wasn't toneless or emotionless, he just had trouble with making jests or humor obvious. Irony on the other hand gave him a clearly rueful tone. "Yes, many find my presence to be... like that. I, personally, enjoy the dark. The lady Nyx makes her blanket comforting and protective. The shade of a tree or cave can be a cooling respite to the burning heat of Helios' watchful eye." Hades shrugged.
"But that is my opinion. I know most don't agree, can't even concieve of such a perspective, that my dear little brother somehow tricked me into the duty I now carry and that nobody could enjoy the darkness. That is their concern. I care not for their judgements."
For just a moment Persephone could see past the mortal guise and saw the granduer of not just a god, but of one of the first generation of gods, a child of Chronos himself, king of the titans, and one of those who not only fought against and defeated the titans, but also now oversees their confinement within the deepest depths of the underworld. Cthonic tentacles whos shapes would have driven mortal minds to madness stretched and sought lives to crush and strangle into the depths, and judgemental eyes watched from a face that a carving of marble or ivory could not compare to in paleness or implacablity. Thus he spoke: "I am Hades." and his words caused tremblings in the world.
And then as this insight of looking past the mortal guises of those at the party passed, Hades left her. He looked just as normal as he had before, no sign of any such godliness. "And you've already spoken with my brother." But then, Zeus showed no sign of his godhood either, being simply a man, a powerfully built man with handsome features and a beautiful wife on his arm true, but a man all the same.
A man who accepted the amphora of wine with a smile and laugh as his brother came to him, leaving Persephone once more to mingle with the others present. Perhaps if the gods at this gathering weren't to her tastes, the mortals would be better company for her.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 19, 2012 14:32:34 GMT -8
There was a world of difference between the two and any similarities were incredibly subtle and difficult to spot. There was quite a visual contrast as well, with Zeus dressed in bold colors and his hair being a dark red mane--likely where she got her red hair from--while Hades was pale, dressing in dark colors and his own mane was a black that put ebony to shame. A significant factor may have been that Zeus was her father, but Persephone found that it was Hades to whom her eye was drawn towards. Already she could sense that people were starting to whisper about the nymph by Hades' arm but she paid them no mind.
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 19, 2012 19:43:12 GMT -8
Apollonia nodded solemnly, but it was clear she was afraid. "Why does it have to come now?" she asked. "Who was that woman who received a Prophecy today? What's she got to do with it?"
~~
At Delphi, things were not going well. The Pythia writhed in her bed, and it was all the priestesses could to do hold her down. The male priests had left the chamber a while ago, as the priestesses had had to undress her so she wouldn't choke on her own robes.
"It's coming," she whispered, clearly terrified. She said this over and over again. THe priestesses caught a few other words as well, among them "darkness," "mother," and "broken heart."
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 19, 2012 19:49:41 GMT -8
"Persephone is a goddess...or at least she should have been...As her situation stands now, she's closer to nymphs than to our family." The frown on his face showed what he thought of that situation. "Frankly, Demeter should have seen to the girl's future long before now."
~Delphi~
In the midst of her throes, a calming presence, like a soothing balm, washed over her mind. "Koronis, fear not the coming of Winter...This has all been set in stone. Dark times are ahead but such is the case upon the death of an age and the birth of its successor."
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Post by JW% on Aug 20, 2012 13:32:10 GMT -8
"Zeus."
"Hades!" Zeus smiled and held his arms wide to his brother. A blow to Hades shoulder probably felt like a thunderclap to any mortals nearby, and Hades accepted the hug and brotherly kiss without complaint. "Brother, so good of you to come join us! All too often you fail to show."
"My duties keep me busy." Hades said simply, and felt sorry for it as Zeus made an expression of a kicked puppy. It wasn't... entirely the fault of Zeus that Hades ruled the underworld, and neither was he to blame for Hades being one of the harder working gods in the pantheon. Everyone came to the underworld eventually after all, and when you came to the underworld, you came to Hades. Like Tartarus before him, Hades sometimes felt more like a place than a person. But even though Hades always felt Zeus needed to take life more seriously, stop his dalliances in the mortal(or otherwise) world, and stop trying to avoid his duties so much, Hades did appreciate his brother. "Drink with me?" Hades asked, the amphora having surprisingly survived this long.
"Gladly my brother!" Zeus said, signalling the end of that particular jar of wine. "Hera my wife! Hades has found time to join us, we should celibrate!"
"We are celibrating." Hades pointed out, which brought loud laughter to Zeus as he pulled his wife to him.
"That we are, that we are!" Zeus nodded in agreement. "So, how fare things in the underworld."
"The underworld is unchanging." Hades wondered why anyone asked that question. The answer was so obvious, yet from the outside perspective, would anyone really know? Or care? It was as though the underworld was a mystery to most. And, unfortunately, an adventure to few. "I'll not bore you with such stories of monotony. Tell me of what is happening in Olympus instead."
That bought Hades some relief from speaking, as Zeus, and even Hera, had stories to tell of things that have transpired. They even touched on Demeters daughter. "I'm sure you saw her around, introducing herself."
Hades nodded.
"A fine figure she has." Zeus said, as though repeating himself. "Aphrodite may challenge her..." From the look in Zeus's eyes when he looked at Persephone, Hades wondered if the family tree was going to curl in an unnatural way again because of this new nymph. Hera jabbed her husband in the ribs before he could continue such considerations however.
"We need more to drink." Hera suggested, and both Zeus and Hades agreed.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 20, 2012 14:49:19 GMT -8
Persephone had quietly slipped away from the Olympian table the moment Zeus admitted he found her beauty comparable to Aphrodite. She supposed she should take it as a compliment as Seaborn Aphrodite was so very beautiful...
Except that was still my own father praising my beauty in a way he really shouldn't. Although, being immortal, perhaps those morality rules didn't really apply to her and Zeus. Even so, Persephone refused to entertain thoughts of her father in such a fashion.
Besides, even if I did overlook the family part, he...doesn't seem my type. She thought as she drained her amphora. Placing it down by her feet, she gazed at her surroundings, finding herself in what looked like a small garden, though most of the plants here had mostly been vegetables and fruits, along with the occasional herb for the feast.
She spent several minutes in the garden, mostly trying to calm her nerves. Once she felt she had gathered her courage she walked back towards the party, intending to actually try and socialize this time, perhaps get some social standing...
Only for that plan to come to a screeching halt when Dionysus simply lurched into her, arm coming down hard on her shoulder as he drunkenly pawed at her body with his free hand. "'Ey, Momma where ya been?!" The pause was punctuated by a sloppy kiss on her cheek, then followed by more drunken rambling.
As for Persephone, the sudden heavy weight nearly had her bent double before she righted herself. "Dionysus...please get off before you do irrepairable damage to my...spine!"
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 20, 2012 17:41:36 GMT -8
Apollonia nodded solemnly, taking in this new information. Persephone, goddess of spring, had visited the temple. She had received a prophecy that left the Pythia delirious. And now Apollo was worried about her future. It was all very strange.
~~
The Pythia stopped writhing, listening to the voice of her patron. The death of this age is what I fear most, she told him, for with it, Death will rile over Spring, and Winter may come but never go.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 20, 2012 17:59:52 GMT -8
"I believe they call for me to join the musicians...It has been a pleasure conversing with you." With that, he excused himself to join the other musicians on their platform.
~~~~~~~
"The end of the Golden Age was guaranteed when Zeus struck Kronus down from his throne. However, Winter may not be eternal. You must have faith in this Koronis."
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Post by JW% on Aug 24, 2012 13:57:24 GMT -8
Zeus and Hades drank. And ate. And Zeus laughed enough for the both of them. And then Zeus went to dance, dragging Hera with him(which was probably better than Zeus going to dance with the mortals and nymphs present).
So Hades excused himself and wandered into the darkness. Nyx had drawn her blanket over the proceedings, and even Apollo and Helios were not chasing it away much further than the pavilion where the main gathering was taking place.
Though Hades did smile, inwardly if not visibly, as he walked through the garden, at the sounds of young lovers slipping away to enjoy each others company. He aproved of that sort of behavior more than the racous orgy that was likely taking place. Quiet, intimate, romantic even...
"...please get off... my spine!"
And that, coupled with the drunken babbling about "momma" was not quiet nor romantic. Hades approached the couple enough to identify them, and then swept towards them with haste.
"Dionysus!" Hades said somewhat loudly as he slapped a hand on the young gods back. "What are you doing out here, when you're party is up on the hilltop?" Hades spoke with volumn, as though trying to force his way into the drunkards perception. He was also disturbing the others who had slipped away into the quiet of the garden, as though to warn them.
Dionysus was hauled bodily off of Persephone as Hades lifted him up into the air by his shoulder and what he still wore of his clothing. "Ah, trying to convert another young nymph into a Maenad I see. Now is hardly the time or place for that." Hades half carried and half drug Dionysus away from Persephone, sending him back to the lighted area of the party. "Come now, there is dancing and wine and... whatever else your besotted mind desires. Go fulfill your duties as a benevolent host." Hades spared a glance at Persephone, and in a lower tone asked, "You are unharmed I hope." before forcably escorting Dionysus back up the hillside to the party proper.
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Post by Anya the Purple on Aug 24, 2012 20:12:22 GMT -8
Dionysus gave a mumbled protest as he was taken back to the party. "Wassha doin' tha' for?" he asked angrily, struggling weakly agains Hades' grip.
~~
The Pythia still worried. She couldn't believe that all would be well, even if Spring returned. But she trusted Apollo. She told him this much. But I still worry, she said. Even in your future, there is darkness. If the sun wasn't safe, then who was?
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Aug 24, 2012 20:55:00 GMT -8
"That darkness will be of my own choosing Koronis, for this is not the only land that needs my light."
~~
"A-ah yes, I am. Thank you." She replied as he dragged Dionysus away. Part of her wanted to retreat into the garden again after that but instead she decided to recollect her composure and follow after them, the intent the same as before. The part of her that was currently in the mindset of a young girl with a crush hoped she would get to talk more to Hades later.
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