Being a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Clíodhna enjoyed living in their home in Tír na nÓg. Regining over the banshees and having three birds that after eating from a special tree and were known to cure any mortal of illness. Along enjoying being the patron of Cork and known very well in southern Ireland. Clíodhna would not stay idle in Tír na nÓg and she would venture into the mortals realm. Eventually gaining a mortal lover and when she left Tír na nÓg to live with him. She is taken by a wave caused by Manannán, the sea god and falled alseep due to Manannán's minstrel playing music. Clíodhna almost drowned and would curse Manannán for doing this.

After losing her godhood, it did not take that long for her to adapt to the mortal world. Having already prepared to live in the mortal world with her mortal lover Ciabhán. Though it took a while to get used to being a mortal. Ciabhán helped her through the transition and would keep who she was a secret to other humans. Clíodhna could only helplessly watch as her lover aged away while she stayed young. She would come to accept this before he passed.

As the centuries passed, Clíodhna did not forget about being a Queen again, and after seeing how, wicked humans can be to each other. She decided to try to help them understand the beauty within find peace in a cold world. She had a varying degree of success over the centuries. Generally managing to get by by using her good looks and natural charisma to get by.

When the Colossus was moved to Seattle, Clíodhna decided on being a therapist this time around and help people overcome their mental problems. Not a day goes by that she does not think about the state of the banshees without her. One day she hopes that the Colossus will be destroyed, and she can once again be queen again. But, for right now, helping humanity see the beauty within and tackling their problems takes priority for the moment.

Tsukuyomi being the second children of the "three noble children" of Izanagi. He had a good relationship with his siblings and enjoyed their company. Being closet to his older sister, Amaterasu. One day she sent Tsukuyomi to represent her at a feast being presented by Ukemochi, the food goddess. Which he was utterly disgusted by the matter at which she made the food. Causing him to leave the feast in anger as he was expected to eat such disgusting food. Later, word came to him that Ukemochi was killed and that he was blamed for her murder. Furious that he was blamed for a murder he did not commit, Tsukuyomi tried to defend himself but, it was not enough. Amaterasu never wanted to see his face again. Taking this hard, he tried to find the proof he needed to clear himself, eventually finding some proof that it was Susanoo who murdered Ukemochi. Before he could prove this, his evidence went missing, and he knew then we could have taken it. Before he could confront Susanoo, the Colossus stole his powers, and he was left a mortal.

For Tsukuyomi, it took time for him to adapt to being a mortal and living in the mortal world. At first, wanting to keep himself busy. Given his relationship with his siblings, he had opted to keep to himself. Not dealing with other gods as much and did what he had to do to survive in this new world for him. Ranging from being a fisherman, miner, and even a Shinto priest at one point. Unsure of his current course in his new life. After being a witness to a brutal crime and getting a innocent man free. Tsukuyomi remembered the injustice that was done to him and decided he would fight injustice.

Currently after moving to Seattle, Tsukuyomi went on to become a private investigator and along with working on independent cases. He would sometimes work alongside the Seattle Police Department as a consultant. Still he is no closer to proving himself innocent of his crime or reconciling with Amaterasu. Which Tsukuyomi has been keeping a eye on his younger brother and waits for the chance to get his revenge.

In most texts, Odin was depicted as a long-bearded, one-eyed man wearing a broad hat and a cloak, wielding his spear, Gungnir. Something that never failed to make the Allfather smile in mirth upon listening as he sat among the midgardians. However, if he ever did make his face appear to the mortals, and wanted them to knowit was him, Odin made sure to appear as they thought he looked. In his never ending quest to obtain wisdom and knowledge, he sought out Mimir, an extremely wise god in his own right. Mimir possessed the well Mímisbrunnrl; beneath one of three roots of Yggdrasil, said that the waters contained substantial wisdom and knowledge, and if someone drank from the well they would also gain wisdom. Though, Mimir required that whosoever shall drink from the well sacrifice one of their eyes. Odin agreed. A small price to pay for the pursuit of understanding.

Not too terribly long after was Mimir giving counsel to another Aesir god; cheating out the Vanir, was seized and beheaded and then his head sent to Asgard. Upon receiving, Odin took the head, embalmed it with herbs so that it would not rot, and spoke charms over it, which gave it the power to speak to him and reveal to him secrets. He planned on keeping his counsel wherever he went. Anything to have a leg up on information on the other worlds.

Ruling from his throne Hlidskjalf, he was able to observe all that happens in the nine realms. Accompanied by the wolves Freki and Geri, to whom he gives his food for he himself consumes nothing but wine, the ravens Huginn and Muninn, who bring him information from all over Midgard, eyes ablaze like a frozen lake with a fire burning bright beneath it's sheet, Odin ruled over Asgard with an iron fist clad in gold. Though his intentions were noble in all but results. His pursuit of knowledge and wisdom,His intentions were noble, but misguided, and he genuinely wanted what was best for his people and the realms as he sought to prevent Ragnarök (an event that would go on to kill myriads of innocent people including the Aesir and the Vanir) from happening. Centuries of reigning undisputed with unlimited power as well as a lifetime of failed trials however, had gradually hardened him to the point where he was unable, or perhaps, unwilling to accept that his actions and the actions of his fellow Aesir was having a negative effect and was in fact leading them all ironically into causing the very disaster that he was trying so long to avoid.

With the appearance of the Colossus, Odin and the other pantheons were blindsided, metaphorically. Something the knowledge seeker did not appreciate. All the knowledge and wisdom and understanding and he was caught unprepared. He first feared that it was a path of Ragnarök that he had misinterpreted. That must have been it. It was the only logical explanation for this twisted turn of events. And so, Odin's paranoia grabbed a-hold of him tightly, plaguing his mind and the days turned years spent on Midgard among those who worshiped him. ;

Odin spent a lot of his time on Midgard dodging his children, Fenrir and Hel, even his blood brother Loki, all in the hopes to avoid Ragnarök. It wasn't until a few hundred years ago or so that the irrational fears of the end of days and all those involved slowly dispersed from his mind. During those times in which paranoia was all but fleeting, his primal war like urges surfaced and he found himself amidst the bloodied and tired and torn. There were times that one could look upon a battlefield, among those that believed in everything under the sun and those that believed in nothing at all, simply mad ramblings of a soldier who just wanted to make it home... just one more... and see his bright, burning blue eyes shine; covered in someone else's blood. He often took pity on the souls that fought and died alongside him and granted their wishes as best as he could in this new form. It wasn't easy, as there were no Valkyries to come and whisk them away to Valhalla where they would feast for eternity. Moments like those, his mind was calm but his thoughts screamed volumes.

Knowledge is what drove him around the world, amidst the paranoia driven actions, before the Colossus made it difficult to do even that. He became the moniker the midgardians bestowed upon him all those years ago; a traveler. The Traveler. Traversing the entire realm absorbing the teachings of the great minds and putting them to good use; one way or another. However, it wasn't enough for the God. No, Odin craved the interaction among the others like him; other gods - he cared not for which pantheon they belonged to. He saw it as the ultimate cornucopia of insight. Who better to learn new things from than the gods who resided over their own ilk?

Odin was successful in his endeavors and took his learnings and turned it into an empire with which he could live off of. A kingdom among men. An empire built on the collection of secrets and backroom dealings and pouring himself over tomes, scrolls, textbooks, running this body of his ragged just for the mere taste. It all became worth it, when at the turn of the eighteenth century Odin started up an energy company; one that supplied coal gas and coke as well as a publishing house. From there Odin's empire only grew, over the years he was able to establish and run seven other businesses; effectively making the Börson a name known 'round the globe for having their fingers in a number of different pies.

Now, now you can find Arik Börson living it up in "retirement". Though he uses that term loosely. There is always someone somewhere that insists on pestering the Allfather with trivial matters. All of which he is expected to be responsible for and deal with. He will, cause honestly? He detests idle hands. Odin is still a seeker of knowledge and a lot of the times can be found sitting in the back of university classes, absorbing the lessons spouted by midgardians in less than enthusiastic tones, or dancing around his penthouse flat a la Tom Cruise in 'Risky Business'. What does he care? He's retired... he shouldn't be bothered for 'nothing but a good time.

Vulcan was not birthed into his godly attributes, but rather he came to find it on his own. Thrown out of Mount Olympus by his mother, Juno, from being too ugly to claim as her own, left him freefalling into the beginning of his continuous melancholy. Sea nymphs returned him back to good health, but couldn’t fix the redness of his face.

It began with one coal he discovered, igniting into the growth of his godly characteristics. What started as the simple flames of coal turned into the eruption of destructive volcanoes. Fire and magma became him, but his talents still extended into beauty—his longing desire to achieve acknowledgment of beauty led him to this craft. An exquisite pearl necklace for his nymph family that saved him from death, a remarkable golden chair for his mother that created him by herself, but also weapons that no other could craft quite like him. It was true that his inherent destruction could never leave him, and his beautiful craft wasn’t recognized in just beautiful furniture and jewelry, it was applauded for his ability to smith Olympus’ most deadly weapons.

And his title remained: a god only sought for his powers and skills, a god so catastrophic and ruinous. It was then that his true gifts began to personify the person that he became. But upon being granted his beautiful wife of Venus, did he find the balance that was necessary for him to feel whole. She was as gifted as she was beautiful—simultaneously gentle, but all-the-while a true artist in warfare. Together, Vulcan believed that they were unstoppable and so compatible. Insecure as he was, she found it in her to find the bearings and the truths of his soul, and she pulled the beauty out of him.

He lived starstruck and in love. Falling each day just as he did the day he was born, but not into a sea of unknown, and instead in a meadow of love.

Upon the day that they became locked to earth, with their powers stripped, he lost a part of himself that made him who he was. Without that, he felt close to nothing. The appearance that he chose for himself opposed the once ugly characteristics he was cursed with before, but he found that his powers reigned higher than any beauty after living through this immortal life without them. It wasn’t long before Venus would place her heart with Rome, instead of with any man. Regardless of the love affairs that affected them, his heart was, and always will be, with her. They went their separate ways, and Vulcan lived centuries in isolation, seeking not to meddle with any type of scandalous or intimate relations with mortals or immortals. Here and there, he would slip, but none were comparable to Venus.

What didn’t leave him, was his skill for producing beautiful jewelry and architecture. He uses this ability to get currency, but such riches aren’t shown through his persona. He’s crafted many well-known landmarks and jewelry under different aliases. He gets by each day, but everything seems blurred and anti-climactic. Many of the gods haven’t seen him, and those that have, have only been in contact with him for a maximum of an hour before he would slip away and keep to himself. His love for Venus has never left him, and her existence itself is what gives him a small sense of hope.

Anansi The Spider is most likely the most principle God of the Akan Pantheon. He was most popularly known as a God of Trickery, but few know that he was a God of Virtue or Wisdom. He's most famously known as a trickster God due to his many adventures where he uses his cunning and wit to get over on his various foes. Most famously, Anansi got the stories from Nyame, the God of the Sky, by bringing him four different beasts, a task that Anansi was supposed to fail. However, Anansi brought him all four prisoners as requested and was rewarded with stories... the stories of which he distributed across the world.

When the Colossus went up, Anansi was there to watch the other Gods fall from the sky. Maybe they all had it coming, but Anansi was always there on Earth with the people he vowed to take care of. However, that was a bit difficult without his Godly abilities, but he tried... and he realized that some problems can't be solved by going into it trying to outwit everyone. Mostly all the wars that sprouted and African falling to disarray. The other Gods just seemed to stop caring about their respective kingdoms and worlds and lived among humans. As bitter as Anansi found it, he ultimately ended up joining them. However, he decided to make usage of all this time and wisdom that he had at his fingertips. He was immortal, so why not use it wisely?

Anansi took as much time as he could to gain knowledge and applicable skills from the humans and used that to carefully place his bid in the stock trade. It took a risk or gamble or two, but Anansi had all the time in the world. Eventually, God struck it big and got the money he needed but he still wanted to help people. As time went on, and as the Gods moved from place to place, he picked up on trends and how the youth follow big-name celebrities and influencers.

Which was why Anansi decided, instead of just sitting on that money, to start his clothing brand known as Heritage. The goal of Heritage was to make outfits that represent every culture that was out there. It got a slow start but eventually, Anansi's brand ended up gaining traction. Enough for Anansi to become a social media presence, and he spends what time he isn't managing his business on social media at least trying to spread some form of morality. Unfortunately, he gets seen as "preachy" among other things.

The most reknown legend of Neptune is that of how he met his wife. One day Neptune saw the water nymph Amphitrite dancing in the island of Naxos and fell in love with her. He promptly asked her to marry him but unfortunately she refused. However, not discouraged by Amphitrite refusal, Neptune sent one of his servant, a dolphin to look for her. The dolphin found her, and pleaded Neptune's cause so persuasively that she changed her mind. As a reward for finding and returning Amphitrite to him, Neptune immortalized the dolphin by placing it in the heavens as the constellation Dolphinus. Neptune and Amphitrite had several children.

Unlike some of his siblings, the fall from godhood was a terrible event for Neptune. He who loved the seas so much was now bound to the coast at best. Unlike his brothers he did not find his calling quickly. Instead he was contend to stare, day and night, out into whatever water there was nearby. Drinking to keep himself company. Only when the archaic trio rose to prominence during the industrial age did Poseidon rise up with them. But not for the reasons they had.

Neptune recognized the dangers of rampant industrialization. The smoke, the coals, the fires. Soon before others were afraid of it, Neptune felt the waters cry out. What else could he do but rise with his own siblings in an attempt to fight against it. But ecology never had a voice in history. Not until the late 20st century. For all those centuries he kept working on cleaner initiatives though. His company, Triton Ships. The company switched names several times in its lifetime. Eventually settling in the 21st century as Constellations LLC. A shipping and boat construction magnate. With Neptune still as sole shareholder. Constellations, unlike the companies created by his siblings, is not at peak economic power. Instead it has a long standing tradition of putting all its profits in R&D. Resulting in hyper efficient motors, ship designs and cleaner solutions for trans-oceanic shipping. Constellation ships are so desired that its yachts are a status symbol amid status symbols. Unable to be procured second-handily (enforced by an internationally abiding contract which has only been broken once), the only way to get an Constellations yacht is by donating half a billion dollars to the Amphitrite foundation. A sister non-profit company of Constellations fighting for maritime conservation.

All was going swimmingly from the board offices in Washington DC. Until Neptune’s life was uplifted once more. Away from the oceans he loved so much, it carried him to Seattle. The lakes were a little consolation. Unable to reign from the offices, Neptune was forced to resign as CEO of Constellations. Though he remains the sole shareholder. Now, utilizing his massive wealth (which he generally keeps well hidden through various shelf companies) he has created another, more local Conservatory and was able to redirect his attention to helping his fellow man through the charity.

The son of Apollo, Asclepius was the god of medicine in both Greek and Roman mythology. Some myths say that his mother, Coronis, was a nymph. Others say that she was a mortal woman. Regardless, when Apollo learned of her pregnancy, he sent a white raven to be her guardian. Returning with bad news, the raven told Apollo that Coronis had been unfaithful during her pregnancy. Upon hearing the news, Apollo's twin - Artemis - was filled with rage. Shooting the woman with an arrow, Artemis's rage was so strong that it is said to have turned the raven black.

As Coronis laid on the funeral pyre, Apollo took Asclepius and gave him to the wise centaur Chiron. Ledgend says that Chiron raised the young man and taught him medicine, as well as the healing arts. It is said that Asclepius was so good at healing that he could cheat death and bring people back from the Underworld. In another myth, it is said that Ascelpius learned how to prevent death with the various cures he had came up with by using plants.

Zeus thought of the boy as to strong. Asclepius caused the line between the mortals and gods to blur. As a result, Zeus struck him down with one of his lightning bolts. Out of general respect for the healer, Zeus placed him in the heavens.

Unlike most of the gods, Asclepius had a fairly smooth transition into being a mortal. Humans are easily breakable, causing a high demand for doctors. Through-out his history as a mortal, Asclepius has spent a ton of years as a doctor. Healing and helping people is his greatest ambition in life, and he never plans to change that.

Since moving to Seattle, Asclepius (Now better known as Jace) has taken up the job of being a college professor. Turns out nurturing the human mind is just as rewarding as healing the human body. Plus it leaves him extra time to flirt with that hottie Norse chick who lives on the apartment floor above him.

Thor, Son of Odin, and God of Thunder, has always been a figure of strength in Norse Mythology. His heroic deeds and compassion for mankind was only rivaled by his incredible strength and low tolerance for anyone who threatened his home or anyone he deemed worthy to find a place in his heart.

With his mighty hammer, Mjölnir, he protected those who couldn’t fend for themselves, earning him the right to be called The Mighty Thor, one of many protectors across all the pantheons.

Thor may not have been perfect, which could be seen in his temper and misguided sense of justice. From time to time, his errors caused trouble for Asgard and often he would find himself at the mercy of the Allfather, whom he clashed with on multiple occasions. This was because the two represented two sides of the same coin. Where Odin represented the elite and looked down upon him (ar at least how Thor always saw it), Thor considered himself a God of the People, often spending time in Midgard. And this was before the Colossus came into play.

Whenever Odin blessed someone, Thor cursed them and the reverse happened, as well. They rarely agreed but the prophecy of Ragnorak was probably the only thing that united them. The end of the nine realms, after all, would make even the worst of foes look past their differences.

Thor, God of Thunder, has lived too many lives under the limitations of the Colossus and has often found the rotation of repeated places all the Pantheons were forced to live in a difficult situation that he tried to make the best of.

Because he wasn’t a stranger when it came to living among the mortals, Thro never agreed with the other Gods that something was ripped away from him. Living so long in Asgard, it was a welcomed change, but at some point, Thor became restless. And being confined to a certain space forced him to get creative. He was someone who had to fight and even though wars broke out, he could not fight in them because the Colossus forbade them from going outside its reach. The only fighting that he was able to do was on the off-chance the wars came to him. And when that happened, Thor unleashed all of his frustrations out on the invading armies, no matter where he might be living.

But, the years changed and passed. Friends that Thor made and lovers he acquired over the years either outlived him or were forced to say goodbye, and children he never would meet again. Thor may not be the most emotive man, but there came a point in time where he swore off such things like family outside his kind.

Such a promise was kept for centuries. Eras came and went, but Thor’s resolve remained the same. Or at least it would have until he met Themis of the Greek Pantheon. Something about her was intriguing. Her sense of justice, the strength of her will to serve those who lacked power or circumstance. She reminded him a lot of himself in almost every single way but had something different.

There was a pull between them, something Thor never thought he’d find since Claudia when he lived in Florence during the Renaissance Era.

Outside of love and seduction, Thor’s mortal life took a turn since he was forced to establish a life in Seattle. His security company which, admittedly, doesn’t allow him much for a wealthy life but then again, Thor was never meant for luxury. He was always a server first and a prince of Asgard second. His duty was always to the people and where the police could not deliver, Johannes Bauer did. Heidrun Security protected Seattle. For the neighborhoods that police ignored, Thor didn’t. None of them will go unprotected under the watchful eye of the God of Thunder.

Long ago, Bathala created seven moons that lit up the sky during the night for his people to counter the terror that night-time brings with its darkness. The Ancient Filipinos and other gods alike were captivated by their beauty, but the serpent-dragon Bakunawa thought differently. She was so jealous of their beauty that every night, she would arise from the ocean and devour all the moons whole until there's only one left, causing Bathala and Bakunawa to be mortal enemies of each other from then on.

In an effort to keep Bakunawa at bay, people would go out of their homes with pans and pots to create a series of loud noises to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon back in the sky. Other times, they would play music so soothing it will send Bakunawa into a peaceful slumber, letting the moon she swallowed to roll out of her mouth safely.

That was what the Filipinos had put in their ancient records. In reality, Bakunawa had a sister in the form of a sea turtle. The sea turtle would visit a certain island to lay her eggs in but the locals noticed that every time the turtle went ashore, the water seemed to follow her which reduced the island's size. In fear that their island would disappear, they resorted to killing the sea turtle.

Bakunawa learned of her sister's murder and as revenge, she ascended from the oceans to devour the precious moons of the people. They sought advice to Bathala on how to defeat Bakunawa and he said to create very loud noises to disturb the dragon. They succeeded, forcing Bakunawa to regurgitate the last moon and descend back into the oceans. She's still down there, waiting for the right time to devour the last moon and plunge humanity into total darkness.

Bakunawa was one of the gods who were happy upon the creation of Colossus. This gave her the liberty of being free from the depths of the ocean. She had no knowledge of what happened to the other Filipino gods but it didn't concern her that much. She even liked the idea of being the only living god left in her pantheon but it did kind of made her feel lonely sometimes.

Driven with the desire for power and revenge, Bakunawa had lived in solidarity with the humans, as if she had any other choice, to begin with. Unlike the other evil gods who wanted to turn over a new leaf and become better beings, Bakunawa chose to stay in the path of darkness. She adopted the human name and form of Jessica Mondragon who rose through the ranks of the criminal underworld until she was powerful enough to rule over her own crime syndicate, the Scarlet Dragon.

Her syndicate specialized in trading illegal goods and even services in the black market, including counterfeit money and drugs among other things. As a cover-up for being a crime boss, Jessica was known as a philanthropist and entrepreneur who ran a charity to save species of turtles from being extinct. She did this to pay homage to her sister who was killed in the hands of mortals way back then.

Of course, Bakunawa's mission didn't stop there. She committed grievous crimes in order to help spread more chaos to the world which was her way of punishing humans in killing her sister. She's also one of the gods who were actively seeking out the Colossus. She believed that if she could get her hands on it, she will gain power beyond her wildest dreams, the power that she needed to bring all the gods down to their knees and finally plunge the world into eternal darkness.

When Rome was founded, Discordia was one of the many gods looked to during times of war. Riding along side Mars and Bellona, Discordia was put in charge of causing mass confusion against the enemies of Rome. While not heavily worshiped, Discordia found comfort in causing chaos among both mortals and gods alike.

Most legends have her down for being against the gods in times of their own wars - most notably the war against the Titans. Rather she despises the other gods or simply does this for fun is unknown.

To say that Discordia was angry upon becoming a mortal would be the understatement of all time. She spent hundreds of years trying to find ways to seek and destroy the colossus. In Rome she was honored and could cause as much chaos as possible. As a mortal, she was just another face on the street. Not being worshiped anymore made quite the dent in the goddesses ego.

Fast forward a little, and Discordia finally got over the initial shock. While she couldn't mess with as many mortals as she used to, the goddess could still cause bloody bar fights. With this new revelation, Discordia had a new outlook on life as a mortal.

Nyx is revered throughout the Greek Pantheon as being one of the First Gods. And to those that have descended from the Night — from her very existence — she is thought to be more than what they are.

The truth is, Nyx is the night. Her very existence brought forth the first night. She is the Primordial Night.

Nyx has lived most of her days in the depths of Tartarus, the deep abyss in which the wicked are tormented and in which the Titans are imprisoned. It has been said that while Nyx lives there, her devout husband, the entity that she has birthed 1000 sons and 1000 daughters with, serves as the darkness that engulfs Tartarus, simultaneously keeping it hidden from even Hades, the King of the Underworld, and protecting Nyx from the outside world.

It’s true, Nyx has isolated herself from any form of outside contact. At least, until the day that changed everything...

And that fateful day was when that damned Colossus — the bane of all divine existance.

Every Pantheon to ever exist, from Greek to Roman; Egyptian to Yoruban; Aztec to Norse -- they all felt the constrictions of the beast that doubtless dwells inside the colossus. Or maybe it’s just a mythical entity like every Deity. Perhaps it is one of them that controls it.

This is one of many thoughts Nyx has entertained throughout her forced stay on the mortal plane. It is with this forced outing did she come to truly understand the complexities of them. Nyx used to despise any contact of the creation that spawned from her being in existence, but time living among them, time being with them, being able to understand how they live and what makes the blood in their bodies boil, what makes their hearts sing with joy, who demands their attention — Nyx has compiled a complete understanding in their beauty. But in her time, where she has seen the good and even the bad, Nyx has been unfortunate enough to experience the ugly side of humanity.

And that was perhaps the single most repulsing thing she, Selene Valentine, has known.

When she became exposed to the foulness of war and the acts humanity have committed in the name of God -- a God that no singular Pantheon has ever recognized. That was the moment Nyx swore to rise up and try and make humanity’s world a beautiful place. It’s why for the past seventy years, sometimes in secret but mostly shadow puppeting CEOs, did she start a lifestyle empire. which currently takes its modern form as a daytime talk show likened to that of Opera and Dr. Oz (but actually good and not a scammer).

Beautiful Creatures. The concept is to bring out the beauty of anyone, regardless of the outward appearance, and make everyone feel as haunting as the tales of Nyx herself, because even if the world is the most atrocious thing to ever be, if you work hard at it, you too, can be a beautiful creature just like me.

Lives here

Only Darkness embraced the Primeval Ocean out of which life would come. When the breath of life was strong and ready, the entity called Atum decided it was time for Creation to begin. An island emerged from the water to support this divinity, who manifested itself in the form of Ra, the sun god of Egypt. Ra created out of himself the first gods and from them the Principles of life, namely Osiris, was created; who eventually would rule over the rest of the world—which Ra was busy creating by naming the elements.

The Egyptians of old believed that as the sun god, Ra was to sail across the heavens during the day; emerging from the east in a boat of a different name and by the end of the day his boat was then renamed once more. At the end of the day, it was believed that Ra died and sailed on to the underworld, leaving the moon in his place to light up the world. Ra was reborn at dawn the very next day. The cycle ever continuing. During his journey across the heavens during the day, he fought with his main enemy, an evil serpent named Apep, The Lord of Chaos and in the form of a cat named Mau, Ra defeated him.

Ra spent an eternity creating and creating, expanding and cultivating and perfecting his creations. All in the hopes that they would be as perfect and whole as he. The ancient Egyptians worshiped Ra more than any other god and pharaohs often connected themselves with Ra in their efforts to be seen as the earthly embodiment of their Sun God. Although Ra was highly revered and devoutly worshiped, there are those who suggest he eventually grew weak. A legend tells of how Isis lauds over him healing in favor of his name; where his power resided. However, it was by Isis' own hand that caused him to need her in the first place — Isis gathered Ra’s saliva and created a snake out of it, setting the serpent in Ra’s path and it bit him. Isis wanted his power and eventually, because of the pain he was in, Ra allowed Isis to “search through him” and in so doing, she healed him and some of his power was then transferred over to her.

<sub>Ra lived on earth and ruled a glorious kingdom and for a time, this kingdom thrived and men gave Ra the respect due him, but Ra began to grow old, and they mocked him. Ra grew extremely angry when he heard the blasphemy of mankind. He gathered the gods to him to hear their counsel. The gods met in secrecy, so that mankind would know nothing of this meeting. All the company of great gods, gathered around Ra as he told the story of mankind’s insolence. Ra spoke to his father; “Nu, you are first born, oldest of the gods, I am your son, I seek your council. The men that I have created, speak evil of me. They anger me greatly, but I will not destroy them before you have spoken.”

At length Nun answered, saying; “You are a great god, you are greater than I, You are the son who is mightier than his father. If you turn your eye upon the men who blaspheme you they shall perish from the earth.” Doing as Nun had suggested Ra turned his terrible gaze upon the men of the earth and they ran in disarray, hiding in the shadows where the eye of Ra could not harm them.

Again the gods met to give counsel to Ra and they said he should send his eye down among the men so they could not hide. So the eye of Ra, in the form of the goddess Hathor went into the hiding places, striking fear in the hearts of men. Much of mankind was slain. Hathor returned to Ra after the first day as mighty as a lioness. Taking the form of Sekhmet, she declared, “I have been mighty among mankind. It is pleasing to me.” But having tasted blood, Sekhmet would not be appeased.

Ra now realized that Hathor-Sekhmet would destroy the human race completely. Angry as he was he wished to rule mankind, not see it destroyed. There was only one way to stop Hathor-Sekhmet, he had to trick her. He ordered his attendants to brew seven thousand jars of beer and color it red using mandrakes and the blood of those who had been slain. In the morning Ra had his servants take the beer to the place where Hathor would viciously slaughter the remnant of mankind. Ra’s servants poured the beer mixture on the fields. And so, Hathor-Sekhmet came to this place where the beer flooded the fields. Looking down, her gaze was caught by her own reflection, and it pleased her. She drank deeply of the beer, became drunk, fell asleep, and abandoned her blood thirsty quest.</sub>

The Old Kingdom. Something Ra yearns for in this new day and age. Yet he has successfully paved a way for him and his ilk in this time. Years spent creating and perfecting and honing the only craft he has anymore has led to his triumph over what the Colossus has tried and failed to conquer. What is a stone beneath the sun's beams? Being subjected to all that the mortal plane has to offer; which as Ra has witnessed is a myriad of quiet a lot and not nearly enough. He has been hidden away, too busy with his own plans to reach out to his kin; his creations. Until now. News of a certain someone's death has caused for some concern. It is time for him to reclaim what is his and continue on with the rebuilding of the land.

As the youngest son of Jupiter and the Pleiad Maia, Mercury has long been renowned for his skill with negotiation, though to anyone who knows him, such a fact shouldn’t come as a surprise.

It has often been said that the first thing he did after being born was invent the lyre, using nothing more than the shell of a tortoise and a handful of reeds. But that wasn’t the only deed he applied his ingenuity to —– far from it, in fact. By that very evening, he had spotted a herd of oxen grazing in a nearby field when the bright idea came into his head to steal them. All the oxen were made to walk backwards to cover their tracks, but as it turns out, the herd had belonged to someone quite important.

Even to this day, he still maintains that it was all just a simple misunderstanding. I mean, how could he have known that the oxen were Apollo’s? And what was he planning on doing with them, anyway? But in the end, everything went surprisingly well. With the beautiful music created by the lyre, Mercury was able to mollify Apollo, and after returning to him his oxen, he even received his signature Caduceus in exchange for the instrument.

Mischief wasn’t all he got up, though. Thanks to Talaria, his winged sandals, Mercury was blessed with divine haste, and his ability to travel across distant lands in the blink of an eye made him a valuable asset in the eyes of his fellow gods and goddesses.

When Aeneas began straying from his path of greatness, Mercury was the one who appeared before him and reminded him of what he had to do. And when Pluto stole Proserpina from her home, he was the one who brokered a deal to appease everyone involved. The Maiden of Spring would be allowed to see her mother, to return to earth for six months every year, and for the rest, she would stay with Pluto and rule alongside him as Queen of the Underworld.

Naturally, when Proserpina needed an escort to and from the Underworld, Mercury was the one Jupiter sent, a task that he dutifully undertook without complaint.

Not like he didn’t already have enough to do.

Mercury’s first brush with the Colossus was somewhat… anticlimactic, to say the least. He had already been on earth on some business or other — no doubt following the orders of Jupiter or somebody else — and by the time he realized what was happening, it had already been done. Far from the mighty shift of earth beneath his feet, however, it felt more to him like a shudder; a brief, inconsequential blip that was over before it began.

He’d simply chalked it up as another one of Jupiter and Neptune’s rows until he tried to take to the skies and felt nothing, heard nothing.

Not even the whistle of wind through the reeds.

He started running, then. He ran faster than any mortal ever could, until his legs hurt and every breath he drew into his lungs felt like it wasn’t enough, but all the same, he kept running. He needed to know if the same thing had happened to all the others, if it wasn’t just some test set upon him by his father.

He’s not sure which option he would’ve preferred, but it wasn’t long before he figured out the truth.

All the gods and goddesses of the world, not a single one spared, were chained down to earth and stripped of their powers by a magical rock.

His first reaction was disbelief, an all-consuming bewilderment. He couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that a mere mortal could create something powerful enough to bind them all to earth. Then, it was just… funny. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it all seemed. A mortal had done this. A mortal! Somehow, even with their fleeting lives and petty squabbles, one mortal had risen above it all to create the Colossus.

Even he had to admit it was impressive.

Mercury remembers the first few centuries of his new existence on earth fondly, perhaps more so than he would like to admit. No longer did he have to answer to the whims and wishes of his pantheon. And for the first time in forever, he was free to do as he pleased, go where he wanted… but that wasn’t all true, was it? As the god of travelers and boundaries, Mercury has always been acutely aware of the limitations the Colossus imposed upon them; and while he was able to whittle his time away chasing momentary pleasures, he knew it was all just a distraction from the elephant in the room.

They were all trapped and powerless to do anything about it.

So he adapted, a process he found surprisingly effortless thanks to his prior dealings with mortals. In most of Mercury’s lives, he was either a merchant or a thief, making a living off the ignorance of others. He had a way with words, an easy manner that most people found difficult to hold a grudge against, which made slipping their valuables free of their pockets and into his own that much easier. His savings never lasted long, however. Mercury quickly acquired a taste for the finer things in life — clothes, shoes, liquor — and was a consummate gambler. Of course, with liquid luck running through his veins, winning was a simple matter of willing the dice to fall the way he wanted them to, but that sort of spoiled the fun, didn’t it? Chance was chance, and with each roll of the dice, he eagerly awaited that split second of breathless anticipation.

By the mid-1700s, he was fresh off a hot streak, having recently broken off his acquaintance with a dissolute young heir after getting what he was after: a ring of burnished gold that had once belonged to Ivan the Terrible. Mercury, along with his partner Smythe, an antiques dealer and occasional black market fence, started up their own business, handling all manner of objet d’art —– jewelry, wine, art, even suits of armor dating back to the Middle Ages. Some of it was contraband, acquired from thieves desperate to offload their ill-gotten gains, but both Mercury and his partner were skilled in keeping the constables off their trail.

This business soon acquired a title: Argentum, the Latin term for silver. Over the years, it would go through many changes, both in personnel and premises, following Mercury wherever he went, and by the time he set foot in the New World, Argentum had grown to become a household name among the cognoscenti and wealthy elite. Lesser known is the organization’s dealings in stolen goods, secret auctions open only to people with the right information, contacts and inclinations.

There are some things that haven’t changed, though. Mercury is still an inveterate gambler with a fondness for cheap cigarettes and fast cars, and spends far too much time keeping tabs on the rest of his pantheon. He might not be interested in the plans they have for Rome 2.0, but he likes staying informed, keeping an ear out for any words on the wind.

He guessed it was true what people said about old habits.

Abundantia was considered a minor goddess but no less beloved by the people of Rome. She was the wealth and prosperity of Rome, providing bountiful harvests, flow of coin, and anything that was needed from the “Horn of Plenty” or as some called it the cornucopia. It was said that she entered the homes of their people at night to bestow the blessings of prosperity to all should they ever find themselves to be lacking. She did not always have the help of the cornucopia for her tasks, first being only a goddess of good fortune but when Jupiter was young, he accidentally broke the horn off of the mystical goat, Amalthea, that he cared for and raised. To compensate for the pain and distress, he promised that the horn would always be filled with whatever good things its owner desired and thus the “Horn of Plenty” was created. He entrusted Abundantia with this gift and it has been with her throughout the ages from that moment onward. She was to ensure the “Golden Age” of Rome.

As her soul duty was to be among the mortals and their realm, Colossus was not a devastating situation for her. It was just like any old day only she was no longer bound to stick with her duty and free to roam as she pleased. She knew others of her pantheon might not be as accepting of this change and with Colossus around, prosperity would have to take a back seat for awhile. It was for this reason that she left, waiting for the right moment to reappear before her own. She had more than enough funds from her hoarding of gold to live a completely carefree life for far longer than necessary but after awhile, it became dull. She wished for a bit of purpose still and thus she created ‘Bountiful’ which stood through the years ‘supposedly’ being passed down to each female family member through the generations. Obviously, this was a lie and was just passed down to herself under a different name every so often. Money to grease the wheels along. It was a peaceful life and she had fun but with a god dead, she feels the tug of her pantheon. The need for their luck to be returned and bring prosperity back to them. To hopefully rain in a Golden Age but even if it does not happen, she could help support them and find who is killing gods.