AlteredTundra

Rosefell High.

<Snipped quote by Bee>

Sure is, bro.

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Thank you all so much for being here. Please don't forget to join our Discord!

Reservations have been updated.

I also have a school/gender ratio counter. You guys are doing pretty good with ratio's right now. We have seven females with five males at the moment. Let's try to keep it pretty close like this. There are five Rosefell students reserved, and seven Liberty High students reserved. There are only THREE Liberty slots left, so please keep that in mind.

@HaleyTheRandom

I deff miscounted. Thought there was close to 10 females.

Rosefell High.

Hunter Wade Quinn || Male || Rosefell High Student || FC: Nick Robinson || Color code: Sienna

TBD || Female || Liberty High|| FC: Jennie Kim || Color code: Hot pink

hi everybody~!

Welcome! Hope you enjoy your stay!

Project Untamed

_{A @metanoia & @Melissa Collab
Featuring Nicholas & Tyler Jane}
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Time had passed, and the party was beginning to simmer out in the early hours of the morning. The music kept playing, but some students lay unconscious on couches, some had retired to their dorms, and all of the alcohol was decimated. Amongst the wreckage and havoc, there was a small group that was still milking the evening for all it was worth. In the center of it all was a certain redhead who had found an elevated surface, a table to be exact, and stood up there dancing like no one was watching. But the thing is, everyone was watching who was left to see such a sight.

Drunk Tyler Jane was almost a better dancer while intoxicated, only because she wasn’t thinking, only feeling. The music pulsating through her veins, no reflection staring back to keep the girl in line, she was a force and was free to do as she pleased. And the group (admittedly half of them her male classmates) egged her on. Especially in the way that she was dancing- it was clear that she knew she looked good and she let every sexual fiber of her being show. Long gone were her anxious thoughts- she was only focused on the moment and how much fun she was having. The girl wanted the night to last forever, as she could only describe her intoxicated state as euphoric.

And as Nicholas, one of the few who had surprisingly maintained their consciousness, watched Tyler Jane make a fool of herself, clearly drunk, clearly unaware of how idiotic she was acting on top of that table. Despite how much Nicholas liked seeing her strut her stuff, which was all of the time, he preferred it when she had her usual grace and didn’t swing her legs so sloppily.

Nicholas had been sitting on the couch, watching her with limited patience but ten minutes of her doing the same routine became painful to watch, so he decided to finally do something about it. “All right, Tyler Jane, that’s enough! Get down before you hurt yourself!” He spoke in an elevated tone. He needed to so her careless shouts didn’t overtake his demand.

Blissfully, the redhead continued to dance on the table to the gleeful cheers of her classmates. It was almost like being at a concert where she was the star, radiant and effortless and free. But when a Grey thundercloud made itself apparent and tried to rain on her parade, Tyler Jane decided she wasn’t having any of it. Who was Nicholas to tell her what to do after ignoring her all night? “Somebody’s not having a good time~” The girl teased, continuing to move her body for all that it was worth. ”You can’t make me get down from here. Besides, I’m having waaaay too much fun.” Her intoxication was evident in her voice as she dragged out her vowels and mustered a playful tone.

“I can see that.”

Nicholas rolled his eyes, mentally reminding himself that he wasn’t doing this to be a debbie downer. He didn’t want to see her get hurt. He knew she was one wrong slip from breaking those legs that were, in all honesty, the highlight of her current moment of stupidity. And in that same foolish moment, TJ had done the one thing that Nicholas hated more than a lack of manners: she challenged him.

So in a moment of timing being key, Nicholas had waited for Tyler Jane to turn her back to him and he tugged on the black mesh she had on, making sure he had a firm grasp and pulled her his way. When she would fall into him, he secured her on his right arm. That same arm would bend to secure her against his shoulder and he flipped her over so her stomach was pressed against it. His other arm came and held her as still as can be in order to keep her from falling, though he couldn’t prevent his hand from grabbing a few inches south of her firm butt. The temptation was strong but he showed enough willpower to even impress himself.

“Act like a child and you’ll get treated like one!” He stated with a heavy sigh.

It all happened so quickly- one moment Tyler Jane was dancing and laughing, and the next she was nearly upside down and sideways, thrown over Nicholas’ shoulder. How did he do that? His grip was strong as she tried to make an escape from his clutches, but it was no use. It was clear that the boy was not going to let her get away that easy. “I am not a child!” The redhead exclaimed in resistance, but then proceeded to whine. “Put me down, Nicholas!”

“Jesus, stop moving!” Nicholas might’ve been fit enough to hold her in his arms, but with her constant efforts to break free, it was easier thought than done.

His arms were starting to tremble and he knew if he didn’t do something, she might hurt herself even worse than if she had fallen from the table. So Nicholas took a few steps towards the couch, but with each step came nearly twice the struggle. He turned around with the intent to sit down and let her fall naturally out of his arms.

Gravity had other intentions.

Nicholas tripped over literally nothing, falling longways on the couch, ass and back slamming against it. And with this, came the position he never thought he’d be in, but Tyler Jane had fallen on top of him. Everything hurt, but in a moment of his own temptation, he smirked. “Good news is you’re not being carried. Other good news? You’re probably in a position you dreamt of, huh?” Yep. He just couldn’t resist.

Once again, Tyler Jane found herself being moved against her will as the two tumbled onto the couch, one on top of the other. Much to her own surprise, the drunk girl laughed in response, an intoxicated and brainless giggle. The redhead lifted up her head to look at Nicholas- there was truth to the fact that she had dreamed of this before, but he didn’t have to know that right now. Instead, she gave him a complete non sequitur. “I didn’t think you could handle me- guess I was right.” She blew a rogue piece of hair out of her face before dissolving into another drunken laugh, enunciating each vowel differently in her sentence.

Nicholas stared at her, dumbfounded and utterly confused. “Uh, what?” He asked, feeling it was the only thing he could do at this moment.

“I said,” She started, gazing down at him and pausing to collect her thoughts. “You can’t handle me. You’ve ignored me allll night and now you’re trying to swoop in at the fifth hour? Doesn’t work like that.” Tyler Jane somehow maneuvered her way off of Nicholas, grasping onto his arms for support as she planted her wobbly feet on the ground, trying to gain her balance as she stood up- kind of like a baby giraffe learning to walk for the first time. “You couldn’t handle the fact that I was dancing on that table and other people were watching, could you?”

He expelled a frustrated breath, rubbing his temples with his right hand. “You mean all of ten people who are barely conscious?” He gestured his hand at those who were too drunk to even speak for themselves, grunts filling the silence like an unorganized symphony of drunkenness. “Seriously, if this is the treatment I get for caring about your well-being, then fine, I’ll just let you make a fool of yourself.” He knew Alexis said honesty was key, but he had to wonder if this was what she meant.

Tyler Jane furrowed her eyebrows, “Care? Like you really care.” She replied incredulously, unknowingly waving her arm which held Tane’s bracelet around in emphasis. If he thought this was “caring”, he had another thing coming for him. If alcohol did anything, it eliminated any filter the girl had. “Fuck, I don’t think you care about anyone other than yourself sometimes.” The redhead piped, running her now mobile hand through her locks to straighten them out.

Usually, words didn’t often affect Nicholas. He wasn’t the type to let them get to him- Billie Jean was the sensitive twin. He knew he was cruel to Tyler Jane and did some damage, but he never expected that to leave her lips, even if she was drunk off her ass. “Fine, if you think you know me so well, what am I thinking right now?” He asked, his voice sharp.

The drunken girl rolled her eyes, another small laugh escaping her lips. “You’re thinking,” She began, repeating herself absentmindedly, “You’re thinking about how you truly don’t give a fuck about me. You could care less what I do or who I’m with or what I say, it doesn’t bother you. All that’s on your mind is the fucking bimbo you dragged into the closet, or Savannah, or any other girl on this campus but me.” Tyler Jane raised the volume of her voice as she started to back away from him (mostly stumble, but better walking this time). “And I’ve had it.”

“I see.”

In situations like the one unfolding before him, being such a perceptive person wasn’t the blessing it had been in the past. The problem with Nicholas was he caught onto what most overlooked or blamed on certain traits. He knew Tyler Jane better than most (save for her best friends). He noticed things about her like how dancing gave her a calm nothing else could. He knew that she always was her best whenever she was sitting with Savannah and Erica. Nicholas knew these things because he paid special attention to those he cared for deeply.

And that’s why her words cut deeper than a finely-sharpened blade. They slid through his skin like it was butter, slicing up his insides and, for the first time, truly hurting him. If that was her intention, then consider the mission completed.

But at the moment she walked away, Nicholas brought himself out of the momentary despair as he heard Alexis’ words fight back against TJ’s lethal words. And in that instant, he stood up and grabbed her wrist with a firm enough grip to get her attention. “You’ve said your piece. Now it’s time you let me talk and tell you how wrong you are.”

The redhead shook her head, a little more loosely than she normally would, letting her locks swing around like a bobblehead. She craved Nicholas’s touch and yet she tried to pull her wrist away to no avail. “You had your chances to talk, all of tonight and all this past week.” Tyler Jane stated, “But you didn’t, so why should I listen to you now?”

Nicholas hated it but what she said was the absolute truth. She shouldn’t give him the chance, but all the same, Nicholas needed her to let him say what he knew in his heart just had to be said. “Because I’m not going anywhere. And I want to make things right, TJ. No games, no half-truths or anything,” Nicholas pleaded to her.

“Well, I’m going somewhere,” Tyler Jane pointed towards her dorm room with her cuff adorned wrist. “You may want to make things right, but I don’t want to hear it. So I’m going to bed.” Now it truly was the alcohol talking as the redhead finally released herself from Nicholas’ grasp and started to walk towards her room, tripping over her own feet in the process but not completely hitting the ground.

“Jesus Christ,” Nicholas shook his head and sighed, briskly walking to TJ’s side, helping her up. “If you really insist on this, at least let me escort you to your dorm so you don’t harm that perfect face of yours?” He offered, this time holding out his hand.

She laughed drunkenly again as he quickly came to her aid… what happened to the whole being a graceful dancer thing when sober? Guess booze really decided to throw that out the window. “Sure, fine, you can- ooh, you have soft hands.” Tyler Jane blurted mid-sentence as she laced her fingers in his, but still was able to give him enough approval to help her back to her room. She paused for a moment trying to process the situation- them holding hands, him looking after her, but there was only one question at the moment in time that popped into her head.

“So you really think my face is perfect?”

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 {A God RP}

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A Storm in Paradise

_{Themis' Apartment → The Ball}

Thor & Themis

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Thor had been waiting outside of Themis’ apartment building for the better half of the past hour, staring at the screen of his phone as he read over the article uploaded by the Seattle Times. In a surprisingly decent detail, they managed to report on his activities in the past day and how he foolishly took the gamble of hitting the docks after he found out that the next shipment of product was coming in last night. Had he been a little wiser, maybe he would’ve passed this along to his good friends at the police department or even let Athena know. But, no: Thor went in with a steadfast will. He was armed with centuries of experience in battle and a heart pointing in the direction of justice.

“Not to mention enough recklessness to threaten the veil that hid the existence of Godkind.” He expelled a short laugh, grunting when his mouth started to hurt.

Yes, Thor was foolish last night, thinking he was anywhere close to being prepared for the onslaught of goons that would be at the pier. He didn’t anticipate them having heavy machinery that might actually make his night worse. He never thought for a second that, in the height of his heroics, a shotgun blast at close range would hit him and hit him good.

Ever since the descension, his healing hasn’t been what it usually was. When he got hit, sure he recovered quickly; if it was a heavier hit like a steel pipe or a gun, it took him half of a day, but Thor always managed to get back up on his feet. And, of course, he was fine now, but at the same time, he wasn’t back to his unharmed self. He felt woozy at times and his head was throbbing with a migraine that not even a few oxy’s could fix. His jaw felt like someone took a drill and put it on loop. When he talked, it hurt.

All in all, Thor felt like shit and attending a charity event hosted by people he didn’t give a rat’s ass about regardless how you sliced it wasn’t on his priority list. But Thor wasn’t doing this for himself. So taking a few more oxy’s to numb the pain, Thor grabbed his suit jacket and got out of the rented Lexus he reserved for this night and only this night. Going past that would render next month’s rent obsolete.

As he walked, Thor squeezed his arms through his jacket one sleeve at a time. By the time he managed to get his left arm into it, he was inside her apartment building. As soon as the God of Thunder reached Themis’ door, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his key. She had given him his own when their relationship started to get serious again.

Thor inserted the key into the keyhole of the knob. Even before he opened the door, he heard voices. One was Themis’. Of course, he knew her voice right off the bat, but the other wasn’t as familiar. He felt like he heard it but he was coming up empty.

“It’s just that every time I say I’m going to tell him, something always happens that distracts me from i-”

“Amanda?” Puzzled, Thor stopped for a brief moment. He had half of his leg inside her apartment and would take an additional moment to make the conscious decision to go in all the way. “Where ya at?” He asked, his voice echoing in the somewhat empty entrance.

At once, the Greek goddess Themis and her niece Astraea exchanged panicked looks and wildly failed their hands. Had he heard their conversation? Because the last thing the blonde needed was for her boyfriend to find out about her pregnancy this way. “ShitshitshitshitSHIT!” the justice goddess muttered under her breath as she frantically rubbed her temples. “I’m in the master bedroom with Alana!” she called back out to Thor. The two women had just enough time to put on their best 'nothing suspicious is happening here' faces before Thor entered the bedroom.

The amount of time it took him to register what she said put most of the worries he had to rest. Astraea was the best example of how the Greeks weren’t all bad. Of course, Themis was always the exception-- but the star maiden was also an exception. Not in the same way Themis was, but more that Thor often felt protective over her because of the closeness she had with his beloved.

Despite the unexplained tension he couldn’t help pick up on, he greeted both goddesses with a smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation. I wasn’t counting on you being here, Astraea,” he admitted with a laugh.

“Oh, hey Thor! Don't even worry about it. We were just--” Astraea began, shooting a nervous glance at Themis before turning back to Thor with a shaky smile. “Theia was just helping me with my hair and makeup for the ball…" Anyone that knew the goddess of innocence was aware that she was a terrible liar by nature-- she became skittish, her voice always took on a higher pitch, and that small tick on her temple was a dead giveaway. So instead of completely exposing herself by lying, she had chosen to tell the truth instead… But without overexplaining or elaborating too much. The last thing she wanted was for her auntie’s boyfriend to get suspicious and start asking questions.

Thor might’ve not been the most perceptive God but for his skills being what they were, even he could tell that Astraea suddenly became jumpy like Thor came in at the worst time. He didn’t know if they were having some bonding time and this was her go-to reaction to tell him to shoo or if there was a deeper meaning behind her sudden weirdness. Regardless, he shrugged off with a dismissive sigh. “You look positively radiant, Astraea. And even more so in that stunner of a dress that you have on,” he complimented the star maiden, flashing her a smile to boot.

“Why, thank you, Thor!” Astraea replied with a smile, giving the god of thunder a playful curtsy followed by a small giggle. “You’re looking pretty good yourself!”

“And you..” His attention was now immediately -- and in its entirety -- honing in on Themis.

When she had shown him the dress before, he was a fan. He thought the design was flawless and the way the back flowed past the front was a daring design that theoretically could work. But seeing it on a person (and on Themis of all people) it was like Thor was looking into the eyes of a higher power than even the Aesir himself. Her body was incredible and the dress clung to it perfectly, showing off her subtle curves, highlighting her figure in every way that it could. And that wasn’t even mentioning how on-point her make-up was. He knew much to nothing about the specifics. He didn’t know what the concealer or types of lipstick or balm did for the face, so obviously there was no point in him trying to figure what was doing what. There was only one thing Thor knew to be a fact.

“I look good tonight, but there is no chance in hell anyone’s going to be looking at me.” His smile remained from before and he took Themis by the hand, twirling her around in a gentle motion. “They will be looking at you, my darling.”

As loved and cherished as Thor’s words and actions always made her feel, there was no hiding the worried crease that settled between Themis’ eyebrows at the sight of her beloved. A new assortment of cuts and bruises could be seen on his otherwise handsome face: shades of red, purple, green and blue melting into his fair skin and adorning his forehead, cheeks and jawline. Thor showing up looking like this hadn’t phased her at the beginning of their relationship-- back when she didn’t give his explanations and justifications any second thoughts. But the longer they dated, the more suspicious Themis grew, and the paranoia of falling prey to a second cheater had slowly taken over. After a little digging, she’d found a pattern for Thor’s shady behavior. And tonight, she was ready to confront him with her findings.

But not in front of Astraea; or anyone else, for that matter. Themis, always the clever one, had a plan already in place. Where else would be a perfect opportunity to question him than somewhere he couldn’t run away or escape from-- like the inside of the vehicle he had rented for the event?

So instead of voicing her concerns right then and there, Themis merely smiled at her boyfriend and followed his lead. “I don’t know about that. You make pretty solid competition, if you ask me,” she teased, wrapping her arms around the Norse god and giving him a quick kiss.

Meanwhile, Astraea watched the exchange unfolding between Thor and Themis with the bright, starry eyes of someone witnessing a fairytale romance straight out of a Disney movie. The way Thor was looking at Themis as if she was the most valuable treasure he had, and the breathtaking smile of pure happiness on her theía’s face made the brunette’s heart melt into a puddle of complete joy. The love shared between them was obvious, palpable in the air and electricity around them. As she giggled along with the spinning Themis, all Alana could think about was how she hoped that, one day, she’d find someone who would look at her the same way.

Oh, I just love love!

Much too soon, the sound of a phone notification interrupted the tender moment happening between the couple. Grimacing in embarrassment, Astraea walked over to where her cellphone was resting atop the vanity and checked the screen. “Ooooooh, looks like my ride’s here!” she explained to the couple, holding out her phone to show Thor and Themis the text message that the driver Baldr had sent to get had arrived to pick her up. Smiling, the brunette snatched her purse from the bed, tossed her phone inside and rushed out the door. “I’ll see you guys there!”

“Yeah, see you soon!” Thor’s voice carried like a lingering thunder clap and he was sure Astraea heard it even as the door to Themis’ apartment closed.

Briefly, Thor allowed his eyes to linger at the hallway, thinking about Astraea for just a moment. A smile formed on his lips and soon those same stormy eyes that hadn’t a single cloud in them found themselves anchored on Themis once more, likewise taking in the majesty of her dress. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out a low whistle. It was beneath him but sometimes that’s all a man needed to do so he could remind himself this wasn’t a dream. He made sure not to let the whistle carry on for too long. He didn’t want Themis to be alerted to the fact that just standing here, despite how in awe he was of her dress, was becoming a challenge and he wasn’t even out the door with her.

“So any idea who Astraea just left with?” Thor asked with the tone of a slightly-overprotective older brother.

“She’s going to the ball as Baldr’s date, but he sent a car with a driver to pick her up here instead of doing it himself. They wanted to avoid her getting any unwanted attention and giving the paparazzi the wrong idea,” Themis explained with a small shrug. “Baldr’s pretty high up there in the charity scene, and you know how crazy people can be.”

Thor unsubtly scowled, letting his displeasure replace the former smile on his face. “Of-fucking-course he did! Baldr isn’t man enough to come get her himself. Pathetic!” Thor let his seething anger linger for a few moments longer before he submitted to letting it pass. On any other day, he would allow himself the benefit for it to writhe, but that wasn’t this day. “As long as he doesn’t hurt her, he and I won’t have a problem.” There was a part of him that wished Baldr wasn’t the kind of God that he was so the God of Thunder could allow his fist to become well acquainted with the pretty boy’s perfect face.

Now it was Themis’ turn to scowl and roll her eyes. Although she appreciated her boyfriend’s protective nature, she sometimes disliked how quick he was to paint people in negative lights without hearing both sides of the story. “Okay, first of all: that’s your half-brother you’re talking about. Second of all: Baldr’s her best friend. They’ve known each other for centuries now. If he was ever going to hurt her-- which I’m pretty sure he won’t-- he would’ve done it a long time ago. And third of all: they don’t see each other in the way you’re probably thinking of. Lana’s got her eyes on a completely different person: that much I can tell you. Now, can we stop discussing my sweetie’s personal business and get going already? We’re going to be late if we keep this up.”

He could definitely go on about how Baldr being his half-brother meant nothing to him (especially with how much he hated Baldr’s mother, too), but she had a point. So, with a nod, he resigned himself to silently figuring out ways to punish Baldr if he ever hurt Astraea or if he demonstrated any traits Freya was notoriously known for. Whilst he did that, the two had reached his car, which immediately brought Thor out of his daydream and looked to Themis.

“I figured I couldn’t show up in my run down truck, at least not when this ball is so fancy.” Those damned Romans really made it impossible for any God with a middle class alias to have any luxurious fun. “I only have it for the night. But she’s pretty, ain’t she?” Even if he didn’t own it, Thor felt a sense of pride in being able to drive such a nice Lexus Johannes Bauer would never be able to own to save his life.

The annoyed scowl on Themis’ face soon vanished, giving way to the usual smile that adorned it whenever anything Thor-related was involved. “She sure is…” the blonde promptly answered, hazel eyes inspecting every inch of the vehicle before returning to her lover’s face. “I hope you know you didn’t have to do all of this, Thor. You know I could care less about any glitz or glamour or riches you can offer me. I’d rather have a loyal, honest man like you as my life partner than a rich, cheating, untruthful asshole.”

Thor raised an eyebrow at her oddly-specification about the kind of man she’d rather not have. “Oh, well. All the same, there’s no going back. And it’s not like we’re regulars at the Roman’s events. So if I’m going to subject myself to this form of cruel and unusual punishment, the least I can do is show off my beloved and make them see that I’m not just a man of the people but a man of the people who can ride in style.” He would proclaim as he leaned close to Themis, already snickering, opening the door open for her as he did so. _{”And they don’t have to know this isn’t even mine.”}

Shaking her head, the grinning young woman entered the vehicle and made herself comfortable inside the passenger seat. It was only after Thor had done the same over on his side and got them on the road. She’d let a few minutes pass in silence that Themis finally brought up the subject that had been secretly eating at her for some time now.

“So, darling: would you mind explaining to me how it was that you got those lovely cuts and bruises all over your face this time around?” she asked him while keeping her eyes locked on the road stretching in front of them, feigning ignorance even when she was almost certain she had the answer.

_{This time around?}

As the rumbling of the highway filled some of the awkward silence, Thor wasn’t sure what she was getting at. Of course, he knew she’d want to know about how his face got wrecked, but the implication that he’d give her a bullshit excuse -- _{not that it was a bullshit excuse or anything} -- Thor was almost offended in the way she asked him. “Not exactly sure why you phrased it like that, but if you must know, I had an unexpected complication from an unsatisfied client yesterday. We got into it about some shady business dealings they were involved with in their past. One thing led to another and I got a couple of shiners in the process.” Technically, Thor was telling the truth. He just left out the part where he was dealt a slug to the face at close range.

“Hmmmm…” was all Themis said, tongue in cheek while slowly nodding. She could feel the air between them fill with tension, which only solidified that her decision to confront Thor in the car had been the correct one. “And did this unexpected complication and subsequent physical encounter happen to take place at a pier, by any chance?” the Greek goddess pressed on, pushing her boyfriend with what she knew just a little further, hoping he would give up his secret without much of a fight.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He brushed her words off with a slight shrug as the car came to a stop at a red light. He was stunned by the unexpected revelation she just dropped, sure, but there was no way in hell that he had been so careless as to get caught. So either she was fishing for information about what he did off the clock or she allowed her imagination to go places that it normally didn’t. “As I’ve told you, my bruises are the result of a disagreement with a client. Nothing more and nothing less.” Thor wasn’t the best of liars but he had confidence that even Themis would buy this excuse, regardless if she was supposed to be a great detector of such things.

"So you’re telling me-- right here and now, to my face-- that your injuries have absolutely nothing to do with a confrontation that happened last night at the piers when some hooded vigilante sabotaged a big drug delivery taking place?" the blonde asked sternly, her observant hazel eyes locked on the god of thunder while she studied his face for any more telltale expressions.

Of course it did but Thor wasn’t going to let her know that. “Exactly!” His response came out quick, eyes veering ahead. He was mentally tapping his foot on the mental equivalent of the floorboard of the mental equivalent of the Lexus, impatiently waiting for the light to change green.

Thor was definitely lying: that much was obvious. The growing anxiety was painted all over his handsome face, oozing from the way his grip tightened on the steering wheel down to the immediate defensive response to her question. Why he was choosing to avoid her questions instead of coming clean was beyond her, but a lying man was not something she dealt with lightly.

Letting out a deep breath, Themis squared her shoulders and regarded her boyfriend with a stern stare before continuing. "Thor, darling: you do realize I prosecute people for a living, right? At this point, it's second nature to me to know when an individual is lying or hiding something," the blonde said, with the thinnest suggestion of a threat lingering at the end of her statement. If the Norse god wasn’t budging, then she would just go ahead and rip off the bandaid. "So, allow me to ask you again: are you or are you not the Hooded Stranger?”

On some level, he knew that she was doing this from the right place. Themis had always cared for him in the same way he did for her. He knew that if she was this desperate to get the truth out of him, then, again, on some level he had to know there was no malicious intent behind her assertive line of questioning. Still, the clear skies that were his eyes had suddenly been reduced to a storm on the horizon, specs of gray and lightning blue flashed, stemming from his growing frustration.

Thor’s hands gripped the steering wheel as if to alleviate some of the cloudiness hindering his thoughts from being clear. After a moment and as the charity venue came into view, Thor took in a slow, therapeutic breath, though almost half a minute of silence followed until they came to a stop. He had thought about what would be the outcomes of telling her? If he did, she might ask him to stop and Thor couldn’t risk that. His mission, though he knew the risks, was far too important to him. But at the same time, if he came clean to her and she surprised him by doing what he least suspected, all of this rerouting would have been all for naught.

As the car came to a stop and he turned to her, hoping they had a few moments to end this, Thor’s mouth opened. “Well--” As he started to speak, the glitz and glamour from the red carpet, as well as the valet opening the passenger side door, had brought what he was about to say to a full stop as though the valet served as the immovable object that which Thor’s indestructible voice couldn’t penetrate.

In ancient greek mythology, the titan goddess of divine justice was characterized by her calm, collected demeanor during her quest for law, order and the truth. But in this moment, watching the god of thunder she loved so much lie to her face in the mortal world, Themis was anything but that. As much as she wanted to believe this hadn’t been premeditated, there was no shaking off the feeling that Thor had timed and purposely stalled their conversation so that he wouldn’t have to answer her questions. Whether it was the knowledge that she was being kept in the dark about things again, the pregnancy hormones or a combination of both, the blonde goddess was almost shaking with anger, and was desperate to escape before she did something stupid. So with one last, scathing glare in Thor’s direction, Themis stepped out of the luxury vehicle, rose up to her full height, and stormed off into the ball by her lonesome.

As he watched Themis storm off, finding some sort of irony in the fact that the God of Thunder was the calm one here. He couldn’t help himself but entertain the thoughts of how out of character it was for Themis to behave like this. She has always been firm in her opinions and very adamant for the truth and that was something about her that Thor always admired. It was one of the main reasons why he felt such a magnetic pull towards her. So it was mind-boggling to see her act like this.

He expelled a long sigh as he walked past the valet, who he exchanged a glance with. “Women, am I right?” The valet commented, laughing at his own comment.

Thor just looked at the valet. He was deciding if punching this idiot was worth the attention. After just a brief moment of contemplating this, he decided Johan Bauer had enough problems. So he walked past the valet, bumping into the man’s shoulder intentionally and sending a very light static current into his shoulder. Thor coincidently coughed to hinder the sound of his electrical charge that made the valet jump from the literal shock.

Making his way into the venue, he took it all in. The way the classical music had somehow made what he saw feel like everything was way overpriced and reinforced his opinion that the Romans were too trigger happy in what they chose to indulge themselves in. “This is going to be a long night.” Thor commented, grabbing a glass of champagne from a nearby server and forced himself to smile and act as though he didn’t want to go hit up the pier again.

Project Untamed

_{A @metanoia & @Melissa Collaboration
Featuring A Fool & A Wise Blonde}
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was evident in the swiftness of Nicholas’ actions that he didn’t want nor care to see his sister straddle Leo like he was the latest teen heartthrob. He hated the visual of them, in any respect, together. It not only brought him to a state where he was nearly puking but the fact they both were into it, even to someone blind as a bat, Nicholas had no doubt in his observant mind there was something between them. From the way they kissed, as much as he wished he didn’t look back at the circle when he found himself three-shots into a desire to block out the sounds of cheer and support he heard form those within the circle, he knew this was more than just embracing the unpredictability of that stupid game.

And he hated it because he was someone who should’ve been the star of this game. Nicholas had the sex appeal of someone twice his age. He kept his body in peak condition (for someone his age), he knew he turned heads, and the way certain people couldn’t keep their eyes off of him, he knew that he was on their minds a lot, too. Despite all of this, however, between Tyler Jane playing his own game (and doing better at it than him, at that) and getting cockblocked by Sol, who might he add probably didn’t want to be at this stupid party in the first place (yeah thanks Tane), the fact that Leo, of all people, had the spotlight shined on him when he didn’t deserve it. It almost made Nicholas revert to his worse impulses.

Meanwhile, another couple of shots of whatever cocktail was nearby entered his system, a seething glare sent towards Leo in the process.

Somehow Nicholas lost some time. Between giving Leo the equivalent of the bird and a few extra rounds of the mystery meat equivalent of alcohol and he heard Tyler Jane announce the second game was on its way. He smiled -- well, smirked really -- at that announcement. “Seven minutes in heaven?” He repeated back to himself, a shot glass touching his lips. He didn’t drink or sip it, though; he merely brought his gaze on Tyler Jane, fixating on her for a slow, dramatic moment. Somewhere in the part of his chest where his heart was, he thought maybe he should quit the poor attempt of a Game of Thrones-worthy attempt at being cruel and just take his desired ginger by her slender arm, take her into the nearest closet, and have his way with her ...in whatever version of real life their minds had allowed them to imagine.

But, if he did that, would Nicholas truly be the petty person that he had always been? Absolutely not. He needed a victim -- a patsy, really. Sadly, the pickings were slim. Savannah knew his games and in her current state, if he was so much in her area code, she might literally bite his dick off. “As tempting as that might be, no, definitely not her.”

Nicholas scanned the room and saw another blonde. She was a lot friendlier than Savannah was at the moment and, if Nicholas was being honest with himself right now, twice as attractive. “She’ll do just nicely.”

He strutted his way across the room, budding between Sam and Alexis, making it obvious who he was interested in talking to. “My apologies, Alexis.” His tone, though clearly influenced by his recent intake of alcoholic content, had a soothing texture to it, almost as though Nicholas had decided to turn on the charm. He took the blonde’s hand. He remembered how easily swayed she was. Despite how things ended between them, he remembered what he needed to get his desired results in a timely manner. “I cannot believe it took me so long to notice you were here.” He allowed himself to frown for her benefit. “Allow me to make it up to you. Would you, if it pleases you, Alexis, join me in this closet for seven minutes?” He asked, keeping a soothing tone.

Alexis had been enjoying herself as she sat there next to Sam. He was just as bewildered by the kiss they shared as she had been- the passion they both felt evident- which was endearing and sweet. Afterward, she had propped herself even closer to him, almost hearing his heartbeat pounding from a few inches away. From what it looked like, they were cozy. Well, she was cozy until Nicholas decided to grace them (or so he thought) with his presence. A chill in the air almost could be felt, and the blonde couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

There was a point a few months ago when the mere sight of the dark-haired boy made her go weak in the knees. He had a way about him that was intoxicating, but now, all she felt around him was sober (even though at the moment, she was getting drunker by the minute). Alexis desperately wanted to roll her eyes- what did Nicholas want to do with her after he ended things? But, it was only seven minutes, and it was a game- she could swing that. “If it pleases me?” She joked, and then her lips settled into a small forced smile. “Sure, lead the way.” The blonde looked back at Sam and whispered quietly in his ear loud enough for him only to hear. “I’ll find you after, I promise.”

As the two walked over to the closet, Alexis felt numb. She didn’t want anything to do with Nicholas anymore, and she had thought he was the same way… so why had he asked her to go with her in the first place? She was dumb, but she wasn’t completely stupid. It was clear that he wanted something, and was scheming in some way. As the door shut behind them she sighed deeply. “So… here we are.”

They had found themselves with more room than Nicholas had thought they would but it was still tight. He reached over him to find some kind of light switch. After a few moments, he grabbed what felt like a hanging string. He tugged on it and a clicking noise went off, illuminating the dark closet with some semblance of light. “That’s better,” he muttered, finding his eyes adjusting to the new-found light and reacquainting himself with her face. Those gentle features, the soft skin he had fond memories touching, and her hair. Nicholas had always preferred blondes (though TJ was the only exception). He didn’t know why but the way their hair shined in the light and how the paleness of their skin complimented well with it, that was an aesthetic that did everything right for Nicholas Grey.

“God, you are as stunning up close as I remember.” In his attempt to kill the awkward silence, he caressed her arm, sliding it up in an almost gentle stroking motion, his gaze fixated on the blonde.

Alexis squinted as the light flooded the closet, a moment necessary for her eyes to come into focus before settling on Nicholas. As he spoke sensually, his hand making contact with her skin, she was transported back to the first night they spent together- the way he looked at her, teased her, and the passion with which he kissed her fresh in her mind. But that was then, and this was now. She didn’t move an inch, but instead of feeding the fire, three words escaped her lips instead.

“How is she?”

Of the list of things he thought she was going to say, a vague question like that wasn’t even in the top one-hundred. “She who?” He repeated back, puzzled.

The blonde sighed, brushing a piece of hair out of her face as she slipped her arm away from his grasp. “You know- her.” Alexis stated, “The girl you said that you were interested in when you ended things.”

“Oh. That’s who you meant.” Nicholas’ voice fell flat all of a sudden as he expelled out a sigh. “Well, you might be ecstatic to know that she’s currently not talking to me at the moment.” He let out another sigh, though this one had a mixture of disappointment and regret attached to it.

Alexis could tell by the tone of the boy’s voice that he was clearly in a debacle, and it didn’t take an Einstein to know that. “Oh, I see…” Gently, she pried for more. “And why do you think that is?” The blonde asked, knowing how debonair and confident the boy usually was and how this must not be a result of that. Nicholas had the ability to sweep a girl off her feet- Alexis was well aware as she had been one of them before- so she knew it wasn’t because he wasn’t forward enough.

Nicholas shrugged as he leaned against the wall behind him, hands sinking into his pocket. “I’m not even sure there is a why. Maybe I was wrong about her.” He knew that wasn’t the truth but, the more he thought about it, maybe it was and he had been wrong about Tyler Jane all this time. Who is to say where the truth resides and where the lie is?

The blonde gave the dark-haired boy a knowing look. After spending so much time with him at the beginning of the year, she knew it couldn’t be nothing. There had to be something that Nicholas was doing that caused the girl of his desires not to talk to him. Even after they had gone their separate ways, Alexis was often still tempted to speak with him, but she always stopped herself in order to not get into a sticky situation. He had this way about him that drew people to him, not push them away. “I highly doubt that’s true.” Alexis replied, leaning against the wall of the closet. “What did you do, Nicholas?”

“What makes you think I did anything?” The question lingered and Nicholas looked at Alexis. It would only take a few short moments before he exhaled in a somewhat defeated way. “Alright, fine, there might have been one too many emotional games played that made her snap or whatever have you. But it’s not like I’m the only guilty party here. Tyler Jane did the same thing. I’ll even go as far as to say that she did it slightly better than I did.” Just the thought of that made the hairs on his arms stand up with anger.

“Tyler Jane, huh…” Alexis nodded, gritting her teeth in order to hold back any emotions she was feeling at the mention of her. Up until this point, she had only heard rumors and seen signs, but this was the first time that Nicholas had spoken her name, uttered the person who he decided to toss the blonde aside for. And she had to admit, she could see why the boy was interested in her. Silky hair, pretty face, slender frame, long limbs. But, what was more amusing was that she seemed to have him wrapped around her little finger… the redhead just didn’t realize it yet. “Emotional games are truly your strong suit, aren’t they Nicky.” Alexis forced a small smile before continuing. “Why though? Why are you playing games with her if you already know what you want?”

He found it strange that on a list of three people, Alexis had found a way to render Nicholas speechless and not in the usual ways she did. Mr. Hale and Billie were the only ones in his life that had ever gotten him to think about anyone that wasn’t him nor what he wanted on a superficial level. They had been the only ones to get through to him, yet here was Alexis surprising him in ways he didn’t think were possible. It both brought a smile to his face and bothered him. On some level, he wished this Alexis had been present back when she held his interest in that way, but at the same time, she was bringing him back to the conversation he had with Kaleb.

“You know, you’re not the first person to say that.” His admission was followed by a laugh. ”But, I honestly don’t know why. I guess because I like to see what reactions I’ll get,” Nicholas shrugged and chuckled as he looked down somewhat.

The blonde could see the wheels turning in the boy’s head. Her simple questions clearly struck a nerve, and she wondered if anyone had ever been so plain and straight with him instead of beating around the bush with metaphors. Alexis wasn’t smart enough to use big fancy words. She couldn’t cite poetry by memory or recall quotes from famous books that could direct someone’s path. What she did have though was her heart, and even if it broke her up again inside to tell Nicholas what she tried to express to him a few months back, she forged onward and gave her last tidbit of advice to the boy.

“Isn’t what you feel for her enough?”

Her question produced a sharp chuckle. “What I feel?” He repeated back, partially dumbfounded at how Alexis thought it was that simple. He couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm or if she truly believed what she was saying. “I’m not saying it wouldn’t be enough. I’m sure anything I say would work, but I haven’t even the faintest of ideas on how to tell her...these things, especially not after how royally I probably screwed things up.” Regret hung to his words like it was the only thing keeping it from falling into despair. “Do you really think it’s a simple matter of me telling Tyler Jane just how crazy she drives me?”

Alexis frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. “I told you how I felt, didn’t I?” The blonde delicately stated, deciding to sit down on the ground of the closet and leaning her back against the wall, looking up at Nicholas. “I said to you that night that I wanted to be something more. I put all my cards out on the table, and you said no.” The girl recalled the evening they had spent together in the dark-haired boy’s room, lying in between the sheets and talking for hours. He was easy to talk to- a bit dramatic, but he always had something good to say. But when Alexis brought up their little relationship, nothing good came out of his mouth.

“I picked myself up, got dressed, and I left knowing that I said everything I could have. And then I moved on. It’s not that hard to be honest with someone, and if you don’t try that’s your own fault.” The blonde picked a piece of dust and fluff off of her outfit, tapping her feet together out of instinct.

As he listened to Alexis, hearing her speak with an insight that was refreshing to see, he couldn’t help but think back to that night. How he had disregarded her in the worst of ways. Looking back, there was a lot he did wrong and not just with her. He made a myriad of poor choices both in how he acted and how he treated people. It was rare for him to entertain the concept of being wrong, but it was rarer still that he could admit it to himself. Nicholas was wrong to play games with these girls’ hearts.

Sliding down so he was more at an eye level with Alexis, he flashed a gentle smile at her. It came from a place of gratitude. “Alexis, I don’t know what to say. I guess, really, is thank you.” His voice was low and it exposed him to a feeling he never thought he’d experience: being vulnerable.

Well, those were words she never thought she’d hear Nicholas Grey say. Him thanking her for being honest? Revolutionary. The girl put her shock aside to offer him a small smirk in return, “You know, I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t ended things, I wouldn’t have kissed Sam tonight and that sure was something.”

Nicholas laughed when she mentioned Sam. “Well, you’re welcome, I guess.” He didn’t know what else to say other than that. “Wait, did you say you kissed him?” Nicholas asked, feeling he might’ve misheard her.

“I did say that,” Alexis proudly replied, letting a hand drift up to her hair to twirl a strand around her finger. Thinking about Sam gave her a feeling that she never got when she used to think about Nicholas. Sam made her feel giddy, happy, excited. There was something about him that was comforting as if he truly saw her for what she was.

Shaking out of her quick little daydream, the girl prepped her exit, “Speaking of, I should get back to him. Don’t want Sam to think I was in here for too long with you, Mr. Casanova. After all, you do have quite the reputation that precedes you.” With a quick sigh, the blonde stood up quickly, dizzily taking an extra step to the side and offered Nicholas a hand. “So, what are you going to do now?”

He grunted somewhat as he stood up. “Assuming Tyler Jane can stomach the sight of my face for more than five seconds, I might just do what you and a couple of others have advised me to do.” He laughed through a half-grin. He didn’t know that someone like him would actually feel optimistic for something so foreign to him as telling the truth for once. It frightened him to the point where his bandaged hand was shaking, though he managed to get a handle on it. “Then let’s get back to the party. I hope we both can celebrate tomorrow -- in public, of course.” That little tease resulted in a laugh to escape his lips. Nicholas just couldn’t help it.

Alexis tried her best to hold back a giggle, but couldn’t stop it as she opened the door to the closet, music from the party loudly revealing itself as they were forced back into reality. The blonde propped the door open and looked back at Nicholas, “I hope so too” she stated, before disappearing back into the crowd.

Meadow University

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 {A God RP}

---

A T H E N A

_{THE BALL}

Contemplating many things

---

If there was anything the Greek Goddess of War and Strategy found herself to be well equipped with, it was the skill of being adaptable. Her place within the pantheon was a unique one. Whenever she was faced with new situations or old ones but given a fresh coat of paint of developing circumstances, she adjusted quickly. She has always been able to assess the lay of the land and find the easiest route for her.

This happened whenever the colossus moved and uprooted all divine beings and forced them to either forge new identities or keep the ones they’ve always had since descending to the mortal world. It happened whenever she became the lead detective of a new department in a new city. It even happened when she and Ares formed a temporary alliance to find who killed Hephaestus. Even if she didn’t want to, Athena knew it was for the good of the Pantheon.

“The good of the Pantheon,” she repeated under her breath with a forced sense of obligation, a feeling she was all too familiar with.

Athena had gone down a different route for the ball. Given its rather...elegant nature, showing up in her usual black charger, while she personally didn’t care, she had the reputation of her Pantheon to think about. So she shelled out a few extra bucks to rent a luxury car but not for her to drive. Not that she had anything against it, but the white evening gown she hadn’t been seen in since the 80s and the beige-colored heels that elevated her an extra three inches made it a bit difficult to walk in, much less drive in. So she was in the backseat of a black Lincoln continental.

As she stared down at her phone, looking over news articles about the Hooded Vigilante having struck one of Ares’ docks, this time being responsible for destroying some drug shipments and putting even more of his men in the hospital, her mind went to various thoughts but the first one that stood out was how this criminal was doing what most wouldn’t. There was something in her that was impressed by the size of this vigilante’s balls but she felt they could go bigger and maybe with half the effort.

That was, of course, her thoughts missing the point. The Hooded Vigilante was getting bolder and, if they didn’t stop, might even incur the wrath of Ares. Maybe Athena was more worried about what could happen to the bane of her fellow war god and less about catching him.

“We’re here, Miss Steele,” her driver announced.

Athena closed her eyes for a few seconds, shutting out any and all thoughts about what she just read. Tonight was going to be a work-free and stress-free kind of night. She wouldn’t think about how the most useful partner she had transferred to Phoenix, Arizona last week. She wouldn’t let the fact that someone at the ball could be responsible for setting hellfire to her kind. No, Athena wasn’t going to allow this night be tainted by any of that. All she was going to do was enjoy an evening at a beautiful white building and maybe, for the first time in centuries, have fun.

And so the goddess stepped out. Her dress swayed with the gentle wind, fabric easily moved by it and she held her gold and silver clutch close to her, eyes forward. For however long it lasted, she would allow herself the benefit to indulging in whatever the Romans had to offer this evening.

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 {A God RP}

xxxxxx

_{ACROPOLIS ► HERACLES' WINNING AT BEER PONG}

A collab with @metanoia • @KZOMBI3 • @Danvers

---

“Hah! Suck on that, posers! House wins again!”

Jackson Drake’s party had been in full bloom for close to half an hour and in that time, the number of people had nearly doubled almost to the point where it was starting to appear like a full house. Beer Pong tables were spread all around because if there was one thing Heracles knew about the company he kept, it was they cared more about getting buzzed off of warm beer touched by a golf ball than they were about any form of solid food. After all, it wasn’t a Jackson Drake party if a few dozen kegs weren’t part of the main investment.

Jackson’s fifth beer pong match was about to begin. He was up to bat. His opponent was one of his mortals that spoke to Heracles on a personal level. He was as, if not slightly more, rowdy than Heracles could be on a good day. His energy had levels that not even Hermes nor Dio could rival. The way he lit up a room when he entered could easily put Apollo to shame. But the most important thing about Trevor? He was terrible at beer pong, which made him the ideal candidate for a show-stopping shot.

“And to the victor goes the spoils.” Heracles shot Trevor a sly grin. “Or in this case, you better drink up, Trev. You played Russian roulette, so now you’ve got a minute to drink every drop of all nine cups or that beautiful Porsche is mine!”

“You know, sometimes you can be a real ass, Jack.”

Trevor’s discontent was well received but as he consumed the putrid cocktails of warm booze, Jackson was on a high. Or rather, he was literally high. He took something about ten minutes ago -- something crafted from those wild cats over in the Egyptian Pantheon. He hadn’t the faintest idea what was in it or how nasty the effects would be, but he was feeling it. The room felt like he was in a rave as the music pounded heavily in his ears and every inch of his well-toned body felt like it was on fire -- but in the good way, not like how it felt getting blazed by Hades’ Hellfire back in the day.

As he turned back to the table, he saw a minute passed and Trevor gave up with three cups left. “What a shame! Guess that makes five wins in a row.” Yeah, maybe whatever he took was starting to affect his personality. Oh well. “Will nobody be able to stop me?”

It was almost too easy to spot the host standing above his subjects which he promptly destroyed once more in the game of Beer Pong. The foldable table, stacked with colorful solo cups and filled with cheap keg beer, was calling out to Comus. Stroking the embers within her chest, coaxing her true nature from her.

Shouting out above the music, and the heads of the party-goers between the two friends, she took up his challenge with a determined twinkle in her eyes. "You're going down Drake~!" there was a timbre to her voice that commanded attention to flit from one opponent to the other. Upon coming closer to her friend, and soon to be loser, she made a very wide show of presenting Hebe's presence.

Nudging the god of the people on the sternum she gestured with a nod towards the brunette sidled up beside her, in all her flower crown and tie-dye glory. "Drake, you remember my cousin. Hailey riiiiight~?"

His attention was equally divided between Coco’s usual bold bravado and her complete opposite. How she could go from proclaiming something that was unlikely to happen (especially considering the victory streak Herc was on) to making way to reintroduce him to her cousin. _{Yeah. Cousin, that’s a nice one.}.

But of course, he knew her. There hasn’t been a day in this world, not before the pantheon’s descension nor in the mortal life would Heracles ever forget that face. Laced with the purest beauty in all of Olympus, Hebe was the only one that Heracles could ever recall not being tainted in any sense, which considering the torture she endured at the hands of the hateful queen who sometimes pulled the mother card, that was saying a lot. Demeaning her to the role of the cupbearer, he always had a soft spot for her. And in all of the mortal years that have passed, that soft spot was as plush as a sponge cake.

“Of course I remember her!” Jackson flashed Hailey a smile, saving face for all of the mortals who probably shouldn’t hear anything about god names. “Really dig that crown. It fits this whole hipster chic vibe you got going on. Super dope!”

At his words, Hebe peeped round from behind Comus, have been trying (and failing) at stopping her from dragging them over to the table. She wasn’t ready...she needed at least one drink first! Yet when he spoke, the goddess of youth was unable to stop the small smile that tugged at her lips, fingers coming up to delicately adjust said crown. “Oh, thanks! I er, I made it myself…” She could feel her heart hammering furiously in her chest. Of course, they didn’t age but Hebe was still surprised at how perfect he looked. It instantly took any intelligible words from her mouth, leaving her to nervously stammer the first thing that popped into her head.

“I-I like your…shoes?” She blurted out, immediately cringing at her own stupidity. She hadn’t even looked at his shoes for gods sake. “I mean, I-” Trying desperately to push back the blush that threatened to bloom on her cheeks, Hebe nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she looked for something, anything else to talk about…

Oh, beer pong. Right. That’s why Coco had come over here. Walking over to the table, she picked up the winning solo cup, delicately fishing out the ping pong ball. “So…you’re pretty good then?” She smiled gently as she glanced over at Herc once more, finally managing to get out a full and coherent sentence. It had been a while since she’d played but Hebe figured she still might be able to give the demigod a run for his money. Maybe. Hopefully.

Heracles shrugged. “I guess I am, yeah.” He wasn’t going to deny it. And why would he? It was clear he ruled this game and nobody could touch him. With five wins under his belt, he was feeling pretty damn invincible. “You seem like you know a thing or two around the table. Or do you just want to watch as I show Coco here just how the pros do it?” He shot an arrogant grin towards Coco’s direction as if trying to get under her skin.

“Oh no, I wanna play!” Hebe proclaimed, the briefest hint of a childish pout gracing her features. Nerves momentarily forgotten, the goddess was practically bouncing on her toes in her eagerness to take part. No way did she want to miss out on a game! “Me and Coco can be on a team. Right?” She looked over at Coco eagerly, before grabbing her gently by the elbow and pulling her over to the other side of the table. “Um...we could do girls vs. boys?”

"YES! Great idea Hay!" The look that passed between Chaos and Man seemed to have gone unnoticed by the mortals and gods among the throng of party-goers in the immediate area. But not to them. Herc was trying to intimidate the sable headed woman, her homemade crown of flowers drooping with the fast actions being thrust upon them, and with the way his surefire cockiness soared this night might have been cause for her to be wary of his party game prowess; but then that wouldn't be in Comus' nature. She was party personified. _{'Well, sort of...'}

Coco did, however, manage to catch the silent back and forth playing between the two love birds besides her and could do nothing more than exclaim in excitement the fact that the tie-dye queens would be playing teams. "Prepare yourself Drake for utter embarrassment." To drive the taunt home with a wink and kiss was nothing out of the usual for the frat squad and all the baseless and idiotic shenanigans they seemed to create for themselves. Though tonight, Coco was playing for something much more important than a fucking Porsche.

"You win you get a one of a kind Coco favor; anything you want that I can provide... is yours," the smile on her face was telling. It was an open invitation to have and get whatever the holder so chooses to request of her. A way to hold her in limbo until it was time to call upon the chaotic energy and cash in the favor. Which, honestly, she hated the idea of being at the beck and call of anyone, but this was for a good cause she keeps telling herself and waits for his answer, looking up into his face searching for the acceptance she knew would be coming.

Whether it was the confident high that he was feeling from his past wins or the fact that he didn’t think Coco or even Hailey -- no offense to her, of course -- had what it took to dethrone him, he snickered victoriously. “As if I could pass up the chance to have a freebie favor owed to me. You’re on!” He shook Coco’s hand with a grin on his face. “And because I know it would be unfair for me to have a teammate, you two can gang up on poor old me!” The arrogance was climbing at an alarming rate and he wasn’t showing any signs of stopping.

Whilst the two came to their arrangement, Hebe had been quietly making her way around the table, carefully setting out new cups (because who knows where the old ones had been) and pouring in whatever type of beer Herc had chosen for the party. Her eyes twinkled with uncontained delight as she topped off the last one, hands moving to place the can alongside the rest of the empties. “Done!” She announced to no-one in particular before skipping back over to her place next to Comus. Her drinks had always been significantly more…potent than most mortals, and gods, were used to; and she hadn’t been able to resist the temptation of making this just that little bit more fun. It was a party after all...

Hebe's attention moved back to the others when Herc said he would play alone, a small frown darting across her face. ”But that doesn’t seem very fair…” Her voice trailed off at the heavy air of self-confidence radiating from the god in waves, realizing that he would have it no other way. Hebe tried to remember if he had always been like this. She supposed he probably had…though it had been a very long time since they’d last seen each other. “Well…then we can at least let you go first.” The goddess concluded with a small smile, holding the ping-pong ball out to him.

Coco tried to shush Hebe and her tender nature. There would be no 'going easy' or complaints of sides being imbalanced. He was a big boy, he said it was fine himself. Besides, she wanted to win. More than that, the daughter of Dionysus wanted to crush the son of Zeus. Not for any other reasons besides not wanting to owe any favors to the degenerate that was Heracles _{not like she was any better} but because she wanted her winnings to go towards setting them up on some dates and reignite that wild flame that had been brutally hacked down to small kindling. Hebe and Herc were made for one another, everyone knew it. Back before the Fall, and everyone within close proximity to them now knew it. It was fate, and who was Comus to fuck around with fate? When it didn't profit her When it dealt with familial issues... This was for noble and romantic reasons! Comus wouldn't do anything to take that happiness from her best friend. And Herc too, she supposes.

But that can only happen if they mop the floor with his smug face. Once Hebe has passed the small, white plastic sphere to the man she is yanking Hebe by the elbow to their side of the table. A small gathering has taken up residency around them, a lot of the mortals favoring the side of the host - as to be expected. Though the sandy-haired goddess was a model it wasn't like they were going to be as easily recognizable to the social media king. "Heebs," the whisper came out a tad harsher than she intended, "You do remember how to play right? Because I could have sworn you were something along the lines of 'sorority champion' in the nineties..." a wide, all-knowing grin was set in place upon Coco's face as she watched her attire twin produce a sly and cheeky grin of her own.

"This," she started turning back towards the table and those who were awaiting their next move, her body alight with a buzz she couldn't get from mortal consumption. No, this was a high she could only obtain from the types of situations that called to her on a more primal level. A duel between Gods, as it were. Stakes and bets were laid out before them, it was only a matter of time before the victors were crowned and Hebe and Herc would be well on their way to coming back together as the cutest couple Olympus could produce. "This is gonna be very exciting."

”That’s only if you can win!” Heracles snickered through his potentially premature grin as he approached the table.

The table tennis ball was on his side. He picked up, rolling it between his fingers. Not only was ‘Jackson Drake’ the ruling champion at Acropolis when it came to the pong, but he had a certain flair that made every experience a memorable one. That same flare always ended with him acting a little cockier than his usual self would allow. As he took a quick look at the girls and then at the table, he aimed his shot. Arms were bent as though he were on a basketball court. He aimed for the middle cup and he squinted his eye so that only it was in view.

And then the ball launched into the air, suspending itself for a few seconds before unspecified alcohol splashed into the air, it’s mysterious contents signaling the equivalent of a swish. “And that, ladies, is how it’s done!”

Soft brown eyes had been watching the god uncertainly, only flitting to the ball when it hit its target. "Nice shot He-Jackson..." She smiled gently, quickly correcting herself as a hand moved to pick up the losing cup. Her nose scrunched up at the smell of beer, suddenly regretting making the drinks so strong. It had seemed like such a good idea a few moments ago too. But Hebe, not wanting to subject Coco to her creation, still chose to quickly down the drink herself, a small shudder running through her body at the taste. "So gross..." She muttered quietly, sticking her tongue playfully out at Coco before her focus moved back to the table.

“Oh, shall I go now? Erm…one second.” Pausing, Hebe took off her flower crown, placing it next to an extremely drunk mortal who looked like he would struggle to remember his own name. “Would you mind looking after that for me?” She asked sweetly as her hands came up to tie her long locks into a high ponytail, either ignoring or oblivious to the fact of his heavily inebriated state. “Thanks!” The goddess chirped as she picked up the ball, gaze briefly glancing over at her opponent before trailing back down to the cups.

Taking a small breath, Hebe prepared to shoot. She didn't have the same showmanship as Herc but her body still moved with a well-practiced ease, arm rising to easily sink the ball into one of the back cups. It took her a moment to realize what had happened and when she did, the goddess jumped up excitedly, pulling Coco into a hug with a loud squeak. "I did it!"

The sable blonde returned the embrace with a quick squeeze and cheered along in tandem, "Aiight Drake, drink up." The once smug grin that occupied her facial features for the idea of crushing the son of Zeus beneath her Hebe exploits was quickly making way to one of a more genuine enjoyment. The revelrous momentum the party was building only added to the excitement she felt coursing through her veins and she was sure she wouldn't be able to contain herself much longer.

“So you did,” came Herc’s surprise in the form of a congratulatory smile. His tone was flat and full of intrigue. He wouldn’t have thought the passive Hebe he remembered from before the fall and was at the mercy of her mother, who didn’t have so much as a backbone in her body, had acquired such a deceptive poker face in addition to having quite the keen eye. And even as he consumed the putrid-smelling cocktail that got worse with every sip, the only thing that had stopped him from puking it all up was trying to solve the mystery surrounding Hebe and his own desire to know what other secret talents she was hiding behind that smile of hers.

As he took the palm-sized ball into his hand, he knew he might want to take them a little more seriously, so he took his shot. He aimed for the cup at the front. When he released the ball from his hand, it tipped off the rim and fell into the cup. “Nice!” He self-congratulated with a self-five.

”Lucky shot,” Comus joked in good spirits, even more so now that she tasted Hebe's very own renowned inebriant. The liquid flowed like water as she threw back the plastic solo cup, emptying the contents in one go. Eyes wild and twinkling with a mirth that had been building up since the games began. A heavy and steadying sigh escaped her as she tried to focus on the cups and what the winning goal was to be. _{'Herc can't win, cause then imma hafta owe him something fuckin' dumb... do this for Heebs.'} Excitement lighting her skin on fire she took aim and tossed the lightweight object across the table, sinking into the center cup filled with the elixir of the gods.

A hoop and a holler a beat later and she was inciting a riotous chorus of "Down in one, down in one, down in one!" All eyes were now on their fearless, charismatic leader and Jackson Drake was never one to back down. Coco eyed him as if daring him to not heed his loyal subjects' chanting. He wouldn't dare dream of such a thing and that is what she was counting on. A few more plays like this and Herc was bound to slip up.

“You want me to do it one go?” The showman Jackson Drake looked at everyone who was chanting and they responded with a resounding ‘yeah!’. He repeated it two more times, his voice getting louder with each round. It was at the point that Heracles was starting to really show just how deep into his party-boy persona he was. He grabbed the red solo cup and didn’t even think. He sent all of its contents into the bottomless pit that was his stomach and furthered the feat by grabbing an empty beer can from the ground, crushing it with ease against the center of his forehead, and let out a deep, noisy belch. ”WOO! I’M FEELIN’ IT NOW!”! His primal yell came with loud holler.

Whilst the others watched the demigod in all his glory, the look of excitement that had been etched across Hebe's face suddenly dropped away. It was instead replaced by uncertainty, eyebrows pulling together in a brief moment of confusion. Her fingers came up to play with the ends of her ponytail, nervously wrapping themselves through the brunette strands. She definitely did not recall Heracles being like this. Not that there was anything wrong with it…but the goddess suddenly remembered why she had stayed away from frat parties these last few years. It was too close...too much. His face suddenly swum in front of her vision, threatening to pull her back to that ever nearing precipice.

Shaking her head, she turned to Herc, forcing herself to focus on him instead…even if she wasn’t entirely sure who he was anymore. “I think it’s your go…” Her voice was barely audible over the noise as she picked up the ball, carefully tossing it over to him.

Regardless of the adrenaline surging through her from the raucous nature around them, Comus was extremely in tune with Hebe's new switch in demeanor. As perceptive as Coco was, which wasn't very, even she caught wind that it had to have had something to do with Heracles and his display of machismo that put off the goddess of youth.

A defensive measure took root in her in the form of aggression, because there aren't many things that Comus approaches without some kind of wild abandonment. This called for a delicate touch she just didn't possess. A small, genuine smile was thrown Hebe's way, a hug and a kiss to her temple Coco pulled away to gaze into her eyes. A deadly glare was sent towards their gracious host as she downed another cup of the ambrosia liquor. With a well-placed wobble, a show of throwing her arms up and above her she played her part of 'messy white girl wasted' well. Footing slipped beneath her sending her balance off-kilter and causing Coco to knock into the beer pong table, sending plastic cups flying into the air and scattering on the floor and even atop her cousin's outfit. "Hayyy! I'm soooooo sorry, like, for real! Drake!" she had to pat herself on the back for her awfully accurate depiction of trashed mortal women.

"Here! Go get cleaned up! Drake, go with her. I'll hold down the fort for ya! Byeeee!~" Coco was adamant on getting them alone together, and hopefully with him away from the limelight he could deflate that big ego of his. For just a moment at least.

Saludos!

Welcome to the Guild!