Kageyama Shigeo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
centile) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
deercountry2022-12-09 07:48 am
centile) wrote in deercountry2022-12-09 07:48 am
(no subject)
Who: Mob, Viktor and others
What: december log catchall for my characters
When: december and potentially beyond
Where: around the trench
Content Warnings: in thread headers
What: december log catchall for my characters
When: december and potentially beyond
Where: around the trench
Content Warnings: in thread headers
no subject
As for what Viktor is seeing...
It's Nico not much younger than he is now, but in much worse shape, standing beside an older teen - they look like complete opposites - one dark and the other bright. It doesn't look like Nico has eaten or slept in far too long and a weight heavier than he felt capable of carrying rested upon his shoulders. Nico's companion looks like he's taken the brunt of the physical hits so far, rolling away from an invisible attack that collapses a wall.
“Stop it!” Nico yelled. “It’s me you want. Leave him alone!”
Poor Nico di Angelo. The god’s disembodied voice was tinged with disappointment. Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psyche risked everything in the name of Love. It was the only way to atone for her lack of faith. And you—what have you risked in my name?
"I’ve been to Tartarus and back,” Nico snarled. “You don’t scare me."
I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest.
The blond teen pulled himself to his feet even as the grass at Nico's died and earth shifted, stones split, as if something was moving underground trying to break out.
"Give us Diocletian’s scepter,” Nico said. “We don’t have time for games."
Games? An invisible force struck, slapping Nico sideways into a granite pedestal. Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work—a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you—especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.
The blond picked up his wayward golden sword. "Nico," he called, "what does this guy want from you?"
Tell him, Nico di Angelo, the voice said. Tell him you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings. Tell him the real reason you ran from Camp Half-Blood, and why you are always alone.
Nico let loose a guttural scream. The ground at his feet split open and skeletons crawled forth—dead Romans with missing hands and caved-in skulls, cracked ribs, and jaws unhinged. Some were dressed in the remnants of togas. Others had glinting pieces of armor hanging off their chests.
Will you hide among the dead, as you always do? The voice taunted.
Waves of darkness rolled off the son of Hades. They struck the blond who wavered on his feet, almost consumed by what he was seeing and feeling in that pitch-black pool, nearly knocked unconscious by the force of Nico's emotions and memories.
Images flashed through his mind. He saw Nico and his sister on a snowy cliff in Maine, Percy Jackson protecting them from a manticore. Percy’s sword gleamed in the dark. He’d been the first demigod Nico had ever seen in action.
Later, at Camp Half-Blood, Percy took Nico by the arm, promising to keep his sister Bianca safe. Nico believed him. Nico looked into his sea-green eyes and thought, How can he possibly fail? This is a real hero. He was Nico’s favorite game, Mythomagic, brought to life.
There is the moment visible when Percy returned and told Nico that Bianca was dead. Nico had screamed and called him a liar. He’d felt betrayed, but still…when the skeleton warriors attacked, he couldn’t let them harm Percy. Nico had called on the earth to swallow them up, and then he’d run away—terrified of his own powers, and his own emotions.
Meanwhile, Nico’s Roman skeletons surged forward and grappled with something invisible. The being struggled, flinging the dead aside, breaking off ribs and skulls, but the skeletons kept coming, pinning the being's arms.
Interesting! The voice said. Do you have the strength, after all?
"I left Camp Half-Blood because of love," Nico said. "Annabeth…she—"
Still hiding, The voice said, smashing another skeleton to pieces. You do not have the strength.
“Nico,” Jason managed to say, “it’s okay. I get it. ”
Nico glanced over, pain and misery washing across his face.
“No, you don’t,” he said. "There’s no way you can understand."
And so you run away again, The god chided, for that is surely who that is - a god. From your friends, from yourself.
“I don’t have friends!” Nico yelled. “I left Camp Half-Blood because I don’t belong! I’ll never belong!”
The skeletons had the god pinned now, but he laughed so cruelly at Nico's words. From here, it's easy to see that the blond teen wanted to punch the invisible figure or something much worse.
“Leave him alone, Cupid,” Jason croaked. “This isn’t…”
It's clear that the blond is struggling to find the right words to say, silence hanging in the air for a moment.
Nico’s voice was like broken glass. “I—I wasn’t in love with Annabeth.”
“You were jealous of her,” Jason said. “That’s why you didn’t want to be around her. Especially why you didn’t want to be around…him. It makes total sense.”
All the fight and denial seemed to go out of Nico at once. The darkness subsided. The Roman dead collapsed into bones and crumbled to dust.
“I hated myself,” Nico said. “I hated Percy Jackson.”
The god became visible—a lean, muscular young man with snowy white wings, straight black hair, a simple white frock and jeans. The bow and quiver slung over his shoulder were no toys—they were weapons of war. His eyes were as red as blood, as if every Valentine in the world had been squeezed dry, distilled into one poisonous mixture. His face was handsome, but also harsh—as difficult to look at as a spotlight. He watched Nico with satisfaction, as if he’d identified the exact spot for his next arrow to make a clean kill.
“I had a crush on Percy,” Nico spat. “That’s the truth. That’s the big secret. ”
He glared at Cupid. “Happy now?”
For the first time, Cupid’s gaze seemed sympathetic. “Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy.” His voice sounded smaller, much more human. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me.”
The god dissolved into the wind.
All of this isn't getting the weight off his chest, it doesn't ease up any of Nico's feelings or make him feel like he just mounted an insurmountable hill. It only left him feeling vulnerable and as though salt had been rubbed into a wound that had only festered openly for so long. Like the skeletons that had been unearthed, that was what had been done to Nico. ]
no subject
this one seemed to be an experience rather than entering the memory. thank gods, he hated the latter if he was honest. not that viktor loved invading the privacy of anyone here, but as he leans against the wall and takes a breath he knows it's the best they're allowed sometimes.
it takes a moment before he's pulling out his omni, tapping to nico's contact information. a simple message:]
Are you in Sanctuary at the moment?
[hey. real talk. viktor wants to fucking punch cupid? he punched necromancer god several times, maybe he can punch cupid.
of all the ridiculous, bullheaded things to force a teen boy to do. for what? frankly he's livid about it. nico is a good kid, one he's well aware he's starting to see as a part of the group he sees like family here. even if he'll likely never admit as much outloud. he didn't deserve these games.
he lets out a low breath. still wants to punch a god though.]
no subject
Nico gets a message and checks it pretty instantly, he doesn't get a lot of direct stuff that he hasn't initiated first. Especially not when he already spends a lot of time around the people he talks to most. ]
In the dining hall cleaning up. What's up?
[ Viktor is not alone in wanting to punch Cupid, but it's kind of hard punching a god that is usually invisible. They at least gave it a good try when they did manage to get close to him. ]
no subject
[and he's moving in that direction, the click of his cane as he does. a quiet day in sanctuary, blessedly warm thanks to the heating system he fixed up. he hates the cold. not as much as he hates cupid at the moment but you know. that's fresh. and the cold didn't force teenagers to out themselves.
just little things. he does take a moment to think of that blond boy. must be another demigod, all things considered.]
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[ It's not answering Viktor's question, but Nico has so many memories and many of them are unpleasant. His thoughts instantly only go to the bad ones and not the good because that's usually how Trench works. Sadly, Nico doesn't feel like this place would be nice about it even during the winter holiday season.
Another reason he hasn't answered is because Nico is checking himself for any changes. All month long he's been far too energetic, like his ADHD has been cranked up a few levels. Running around the Sanctuary making himself constantly busy. ]
Calmer, I suppose. I feel like I've been wound pretty tight and have to keep my hands busy and mind occupied all month long. Warmer, in a way that's not physical.
[ Like he isn't fighting his personal demons silently. ]
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[yeah, trench is rarely nice about things. he stops at the door a moment before coming in, pocketing his omni to continue the conversation with words now that they're in the same room.]
I suppose that is good then. The one thing I will give these ridiculous matters, they are usually cathartic when handled head on.
And this would be the moment I ask if you wish to discuss it or shall I drop the subject entirely. [a little wave of the hand, purposely casual. what else can you do with this shit, really?] Whichever you prefer.
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Sometimes, yeah. Other times its ripping open a wound that was just starting to heal.
[ His voice doesn't entirely say this is one of those terrible times. A part of it still stings, but probably not what Viktor is thinking about. ]
Cupid, that's him. Roman god of love. [ Cupid hadn't been in his Greek form, though it probably hardly mattered.
The teen motions to the seat next to him, signalling that "yes, we can talk about it". ] I spent my first ten years in a world where same sex relationships were ostracized or hidden, emerging in a world after some Greek magic seventy years later where it was more accepted. Pretty much instantly, I met Percy.
He came out of nowhere swinging his sword and fighting off a monster to save me and my sister, bringing with him all the cool Greek stuff I was seriously into. To me, he was like all those heroes in myths that I thought were awesome, and I even asked him to look after my sister when they went on a quest. She didn't make it, I blamed him, thought he'd brought monsters to kill me too, and discovered my powers all in such a short period of time. [ Nico takes a deep breath. ]
My feelings were a mess, I was a mess. I was just realizing I liked him that way, but also wrongly blamed him for Bianca's death, all while struggling to accept that I couldn't just bring her back. Part of me was angry that she was giving Percy these visions of me, but wouldn't even answer when I tried to summon her. That she only showed up when he was there with me and told me to let go. Even though I was all over the place, I still wanted to help him face his great trial. Went out of my way to find a way to keep him safe, which... I brought him to my father in exchange for information about my mother. I didn't know dear ol' dad was going to lock him in the dungeon, so he couldn't be the "prophesized chosen one", and he felt I'd betrayed him.
[ Making the relationship between them even more strained. ]
In the end, he at least trusted me enough to do what I'd actually brought him for - which was pretty risky on his part. Somehow managed to talk my dad into bringing his army to fight off the threat, and we both came out the other side alive. Then he started dating Annabeth.
[ Here he pauses, it's clear that there's even more to this story, but Nico is giving them both a moment to get through all that first. ]
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god of love, huh. asshole.
frankly viktor is impressed when he starts to speak. vulnerability, openness, they aren't matters he's ever found remotely easy himself. he doubts nico does either, which makes it more impressive he's willing to try if so.
and it's a lot. viktor nods at points, lips thin in others.]
And that hurt, no doubt. [obviously.] A useless thing to say, but my condolences for your sister.
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Well, no one said that love never hurt. It can be the most painful thing.
Talking about this is... it isn't easy at all. But it gets easier each time he talks about it. Lightens a weight he carried for years and perhaps bring him one step closer to near complete control over his powers. ]
Yeah, it did. On all accounts. [ A soft sigh. ] I had so many feelings about my sister's death, all of them conflicting others.
[ That is... another story that still needs more work. ]
Anyway, next time I saw Percy, he had lost most of his memories of everything because a goddess was stirring things up for something big. The one thing he really remembered was Annabeth. I didn't tell him anything, then, not about me or his past. The situation was delicate, and I knew a goddess was at work. You don't mess with that sort of thing.
Percy went off on his quest, and I went to what's probably the most horrible place in Greco-Roman history to try to help things. Ended up captured by monsters, stuck in a jar in a death trance for days, and wasn't sure anyone was coming. [ Yes, death trance is as horrible as it sounds. ] Of course, he's the one who shows up to get me out only to fall into the same pit I'd gotten out of because he wasn't going to let go of Annabeth. [ The pit is another story for another time, too. ]
He looks me in the eye and in the same way I'd asked him to protect Bianca, he makes me swear to get everyone else to a place that's equally just as dangerous. Without knowing that what he's getting into is something I just walked through with perfect clarity just because of who I am, and I did it alone. [ There was a lot of hurt and jealousy over that whole thing. ] And then, Cupid.
I'd never told anyone about myself, though dad would point it out every so often. [ Back when their relationship was worse. ] It was my most closely guarded secret, and one that I couldn't let go of. I hated it, being pressured into doing that in front of someone I hardly knew. [ The blond demigod. ] Jason, he kept bringing up. I know he was trying to help, telling me that if other people knew, they'd back me up and unleash the fury of the gods on anyone who gave me trouble, but everything felt so raw and exposed then. Told him I was over Percy, but I wasn't - not just yet.
[ There's only a little bit more, but some of them touch on a wound that hasn't healed yet. ]
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talk about a complicated world. frankly it always annoys him when he hears of worlds like this where kids and teens are shouldering the weight of the world. as if it isn't hard enough, as though these gods couldn't maybe tone it down. he resists the urge to sigh.]
Well-meaning but invasive. [about jason's attempts.] I can't say I totally understand it. My world was rather unconcerned with sexuality, it saved it's bigotry for other matters. [maybe in those other matters he could understand pretty well though.]
What happened with this Percy in the end?
1/2
[ Or all three at the same time. He'd gone into it completely unprepared unlike the animals who would hibernate for the winter. Only the seeds keeping him from slipping fully into his father's world. ]
Like a metal sponge being rubbed on a salted wound. [ It hurt like that. ] Yeah, my world has plenty of other ways it's horrible and that's just one of them.
[ The bigotry still exists, just not as badly as it once was. ]
He and Annabeth managed to get out of the pit, she thanked me for being the reason they had help down there. We split off to do separate tasks, and I stupidly pushed myself to the limits of what I could physically handle. That's when Will inserted himself into my life, telling me off for using my powers when I'd nearly become one with the shadows. I could see it, that way people would pull back from me or were afraid of me. There wasn't any of that with Will.
[ There's the faintest of smiles on his face now. ]
He wanted me to stick around, not just camp, but with him. That was the moment I knew I was really over Percy, and I was able to tell him that. To be able to say it without being forced or pressured into it. Now Percy's off to college with his girlfriend, and I've got a boyfriend who can light up the darkness when I feel like I'm drowning in it.
2/2
Jason became the first demigod friend I had, we saw each other whenever he was at camp. And then... I felt him die.
no subject
ok, tuning down the Nerd. focusing on the rest.
nico mentioned will when they first met, perhaps since, and once again there's respect for the kid. positivity like that isn't exactly viktor's forte, if anything it reminds him a little of jayce, who could put things in a far kinder light. useful to have someone like that when you're prone to melancholy, and probably not for the first time viktor feels nico is a rather relatable young man.
of course things don't stay nice, because why would teens have nice things.]
... were you able to confirm his death? [a bit resigned, he's not holding out hope there.]