In Good Hands ((Elijah, PG-13))

The hound’s breath was foul and warm, maw so close to her face that she was able to make out every one of the saliva lathered canines protruding from its gums. Its body was massive in comparison to her own, broad frame supported by muscular limbs that were coiled like springs, ready to attack. Even its fur was something created from hell, short pelt as thick as horse hair and as rough as sandpaper to the touch, brown mottled and emanating the very darkness it was born from. Amongst the luscious trees and emerging greenery the beast of hell had no business, hovering over her with a growl that rumbled like thunder through its chest. Its snout was raised ever so slightly into their, quivering fervently as it took in her scent, ears swiveling as if it was deep in thought. Ducking its head it fixated its eyes, a deep ebony color that shone in the swampy light, on hers and bared its teeth in a snarl.“Hush, meus dulcis. Now is not the time to fight.” She cooed softly.

Discordia gave the hound a slight smile, reaching out to run a hand down its flank. She felt its muscles tense at her touch, the whole animal becoming rigid and stiff, but she paid no attention to it. "Do not harm me, meus dulcis, for I wish you no harm." Her voice was sweet as honey as she spoke, but the undertone was one of a very distinct warning: Dare you lay a filthy claw upon me, I will rip the life from your body before you can let out one measly whimper. But the hell hound, as expected, paid no heed to the warning in her voice. It let out a guttural growl, pressing its ears against its cranium before stepping closer and pressing its claws into her legs and abdomen. She did nothing, didn't squirm or whimper or cry out. Instead she took in a deep breath and tilted back her head to reveal the soft skin of her neck. After a moment of obvious confusion, the animal leaned in closer and hesitantly opened its leathery jowls. And then, in a snap second, the frenzy began and it snapped its jaw around her neck.

But, for the beast, the tables turned immediately. Running her hand back up its pelt, Discordia gently stroked the careful dip of its throat, lips pulled up in a demonic smile that portrayed all too well the insanity behind the guise. The hound seemed to realize quite quickly that it couldn't kill her, sinking its teeth into her skin again and again, only for the wounds to close seconds later. Letting out a discouraged whimper, it shoved her petite body against the base of the tree with its paws, clawing desperately at her stomach. During that small moment of hesitation she increased the pressure on its throat, digging her finger nails into its skin with inhuman strength. Allowing a growl of her own to slip through her lips, the goddess pushed the colossal animal off of her with a single heave, watching as it rolled onto its back with a thump. ”Spare those who show you kindness!” She screamed half-hysterically, eyes melting from golden to black in the matter of milliseconds. Dropping onto the forest floor, she crawled on her hands and knees towards the cringing hell hound, bare feet sinking into the soft ground as she did so. Now she herself resembled some kind of predatory cat, prowling forwards with lithe movements as she made her way to its head. Its eyes were wide open, maw slightly agape as its breaths came out in shallow lurches and paws twitching as though it was in some kind of seizure. Do not worry; I’ll make it quick… Just for you, infantia. She thought, forcing herself to compose as she took its heavy head into her arms. Straightening up, she kneeled beside its hot body without a word, stroking its ears with loving hands and hugging it to her chest. She sat like that for a good moment, whispering inaudible words before exhaling quietly and snapping the beast’s neck in one fluid movement. Its body dropped flaccidly onto the soil.

Getting to her feet, the deity cleaned off the saliva and dirt plastered on her neck, and then rolled her shoulders in a leisurely stretch. The body would decompose some time, she supposed, and become part of the forest that it had so long terrorized. That seemed perfectly fine with her, so she turned her back on the dead animal. Shaking out the stray leaves from her hair, Discordia opened her hand as a beckon, watching as a violet cloak formed like liquid in her palm. Carefully draping it around her shoulders, she let the purple fabric settle into place for a moment before turning in the direction of New Rome and beginning her short journey.

For many months (too many, she had decided quite spontaneously) she had been more than a little bit ignorant towards her children. And there had used to be a time where that was normal, but in the recent era things had changed, and now the connection between Immortals and their children was becoming more and more necessary. So, even though she wasn't the best parent ever to have been, she was making an effort to become more involved in the lives of her children. But today she wasn't visiting because she was striving for ‘Best Mom’, not even close. Today she had to speak with Elijah about more… pressing business. This made a genuine smile dance over a usually crazed face. Elijah, her precious Elijah; one of her fiercest children. It would be good to speak with him, catch up with how he and his sister were doing, and maybe even cause some chaos while she was there.

It didn't take long before she had arrived at New Rome and was able to make out the first few demigods. Pulling the hood of the cloak over her head, Discordia silently made her way through the camp, ignoring the curious looks she was getting from those she passed. Indeed, it was probably more than a little bit suspicious for a woman without shoes to walk around wearing a purple cloak and pausing every few minutes to mutter Latin words to herself. But even with all the people she walked by, she saw neither her son nor her daughter... Not that it mattered, as she knew where Elijah was. As for Lúthien, she hadn't been able to locate her for quite a while now. Humming a jaunty little tune to herself, the Goddess looked at the surroundings around her without much interest at all, golden optics betraying the boredom inside as she made her way in the general direction she was aiming for. She wouldn’t bother passing through crowds or buildings to find her child; he would have to come to her. Instead she veered off her course a bit, disappearing behind one structure or another and leaning against its back wall. Whatever building this was, Discordia hoped that nobody felt the urge to spend their time behind it.

Placing her hands by her chest, she let her eyelids flutter shut as she focused on whose mind she wanted to contact. Elijah… She willed her voice to push into his thoughts, Elijah, adeo mihi. The goddess wouldn’t tell him exactly where she was, wouldn’t even reveal that it was in fact her. All she did was seek out the blood-bond they had and use it to implant the need to find her. And now all she could do was wait, sitting cross legged on the grass like a little girl waiting for her friend to play with.

((Not my best post, but I still have to get into the whole ‘goddess’ mojo ))

Elijah, adeo mihi.

Well that was weird. The boy looked up from the stack of papers he was going through, glancing around the large main room of Principia. No one. But he had heard the words clear as day. Or were they just in his head? But how had they gotten there? Elijah looked back down at the paper in front of him. Non so di chi fidarmi. Beneath the Italian (it had taken the boy a bit to figure out what language the note was written in in the first place...he was pretty clueless beyond Latin), Elijah had scribbled: Quis non crederet. The Latin translation. It was a bit easier. A note found in the arena, obviously quickly scribbled in pen and ripped out of a notepad. Why they had to take log of all these things was beyond the boy, but it was just routine by now. Of course, things were a lot rougher without Calix there to help. Even with a stack of papers this large, the two Praetors could get things done pretty quickly. They worked well and efficiently together, and having someone to talk to made things so much easier. But Calix wasn't up for much anymore, barely leaving his room, so the work was falling down hard on Elijah's shoulders. With a sigh, Elijah put the ripped notebook paper in his "Ego volo ita fac cum hoc postea" pile (one great thing about doing the work on his own was that the boy got to name piles on his own. Right now he had his "Ego volo ita fac cum hoc postea" pile, his "Est perfecta Braccae" pile, his "Certus, cur gehennam non?" pile, and the simply put "Non, i ad tartarus!" pile). Sure, it was a bit more complicated than a "Yes", "No", "Maybe" system, but Elijah never claimed that his filing system was simple. And at least his filing names were infinitely more interesting. Looking at the next sheet, which had a lipstick kiss mark at the bottom, the boy grabbed a blank sheet of paper, scribbled "Sunt qui te de damnant animo?" on it, and put the lipstick kiss marked paper under it without looking at what had been written on the page. Lipstick kiss marks were never a good thing.

Elijah, adeo mihi.

The words echoed in Elijah's head in an almost frightening way. They hadn't come from anything he had been looking through, obviously. Someone had spoken to him, directly to him. But who could do that? The only answer the boy could come up with was a God or Goddess...but who could possibly...the son of Discordia could only think of one Goddess who would bother with him, and it seemed so unlikely that Elijah almost laughed. "Matris meae?" he whispered. Looking around the Principia again, the boy took a deep breath. The silence was nearly overwhelming, and the boy thought that perhaps it was time for a walk or something. With a quick peek into Calix's room to make sure he was still alive (asleep, but definitely breathing), Elijah headed out of the building, locking its doors behind him. Not that it mattered, no one came in with any issues anymore. Not since Lúth disappeared and the word on the street (uh...grass path?) was that Praetor Kiril had gone off the deep end. And obviously, since Praetor Emmanual was already pretty unstable, it was only a matter of time before he followed suit. "Ego sum non instabiles..." the boy grumbled, stuffing his keys in his pocket and starting to walk in no particular direction. "Loquens mecum in Latina ut non auxilium causa...sed sum certe non instabiles..." nobody looked anymore. Nobody bothered. Camp Jupiter was in unsteady hands...and nobody needed to be told twice. Least of all Elijah.

Elijah, adeo mihi.

In his head...all in his head, and yet so close by. Elijah could feel it. There was no one else it could possibly be at this point. Discordia was definitely back at Camp Jupiter, and she was definitely calling for Elijah. But how was he supposed to find her? Glancing around, the boy sighed softly. "Tandem exaudivit me mater? Lúth me poteris perducere? Dic mihi illa eris retrorsum? Aut illa est, iustus quasi perditum ad te?" almost bumping into someone, either a Greek or a Roman Elijah didn't know (or had perhaps forgotten), the boy opened his mouth to apologize only to see a look somewhere between doubt and fear on the girl's face. "Yeah," the son of Discordia rolled his eyes. "Praetor Emmanual's lost it too. In Latin, there's no word for anarchy, but rebellion is simply rebellio. Don't worry about it, I'll start spreading the word. How about you just practice not staring at people? It'll actually get you a lot further," rolling his eyes again, Elijah watched with sick satisfaction as the girl muttered an apology and looked down. "Non arbitror deorum...ab opere intelligis?" the boy said to the girl in a much nicer tone. She looked up and shut her eyes for a moment, as if picturing the words. But Elijah's eyebrows furrowed as he thought. You couldn't just find a Goddess of chaos. Her words were in his head...maybe all he had to do...vobis gratias...was close his eyes. Chaos would pull him in...kind of like gravity, right? "Semel, Matris?" he whispered, closing his eyes with a deep breath.

It made no sense, but did anything about chaos? Elijah followed his feet, afraid of opening his eyes and losing his connection or whatever it was pulling him towards the voice in his head that he was sure belonged to his mother. What would she look like? How would the boy even know? Even in the few short months between his and Lúth's claimings Elijah had remembered the Goddess looking completely different. But he supposed it didn't matter. Either way, he would know...she was his mother, after all...it was just one of those things, right? Following, wandering, lost, on a path, being pulled...it felt like all of that at the same time. A strange void, where almost everything about camp was the same, only Elijah couldn't see. Lost and found at the same time...everything just felt so...chaotic. And it felt right. With a wicked grin on his face, Elijah moved. And then there was an odd change in the air, a flash of ice cold against his bare chest where Lúth's crystal sat, and the boy's eyes opened on a figure sitting cross legged on the ground staring up at him. A faint, Elijah, adeo mihi...reverberated in the boy's head as he bowed to the Goddess before him. "Elijah, adeo mihi..." the boy muttered. Lifting his head to look down at Discordia, Elijah gave a half-smile. "Et matrem...adsum."

Letting out a small sigh, she felt her son’s thoughts slowly filter in her beckon, and let her hands drop from her chest. Good… She thought, half nostalgic, you trust your mind. But now she needed to wait for him to find his way to her, which would be quite simple if he ‘followed his feet’ all the way down the neat little grass path and then, hopefully, behind this building. The whole implanting an action thing seemed like an excruciating unnecessary thing to her, considering she probably could have snapped her fingers and ‘poof!’ before her would stand Elijah. But unfortunately, it would probably seem a little bit suspicious if a Praetor all of a sudden disappeared into thin air. Well, it’d be fun for her, considering the panic! But it’s wrong to scare the innocent… Unless they deserve it. She reminded herself, falling back into the prickly grass with an exasperated groan. "Et percussit sol super corpus!" The goddess yelled at the sky, narrowing golden optics against the sheer luminance emanating from the between the clouds. Lucky for her eyes, a dark silhouette appeared above her seconds after her outburst, although she couldn't immediately make out what- or who, it was.

"Excuse me..? A voice, filled with the innocence of youth, piped up. Discordia frowned. Who on earth would approach her, especially somebody so young? Had nobody told her the definition of 'stranger danger'? Blinking the black spots from her vision, she propped her arms beneath her and sat up, eyebrows dipped together in a frown. "For now, you are excused." She grumbled, studying the child in front of her like some kind of new creation. It was girl, perhaps nine or ten- though she couldn't tell, and her topaz hair was tied up in pigtails using a blue shimmering ribbon. How adorable... Too bad she chewed up adorable and spat it out. "What do you want?" She demanded impatiently, drumming her fingers against the earth. She had absolutely no time for antics at the moment! The girl gave her a shy smile, folding her hands in front of her, then spoke up in the tiniest of voice, "You're a goddess, right?" She asked, and Discordia had to try very hard not to exterminate her right then. Instead, she let her lips pull up into a tight smile, and got to her feet without a word. Bending over so that she was at the proper height, she placed a hand upon the girl's petite shoulder, and nodded, "Am I really that obvious?"

It came out humorous, but the undertone was venomous. "But yes, I am! You are very smart. Now, would you like to know a secret? She taunted in a sweet voice, coming closer to the girl's gradually brightening face. Her question was met with an excited nod, and so she continued, "Well, here we go: I am your mother! Now, go on and tell all your friends." The goddess lied smoothly, putting on her best expression of joy. But the child was not to be fooled with, and promptly put a hand on her hip, giving her a doubtful look. "If you're my mother, then what's my name?" Discordia felt her eye quiver in a twitch, but forced herself to take in a deep breath. "Pro amore- ... What does it matter? Go off and play with the corpse of a bird, or else I will turn you into the corpse of a bird!" She spat, tightening the grip upon the girl's shoulder until her fingers shook with the effort exerted. As expected, she screamed, yanking herself away from the fuming goddess and running off to tell whomever she could find that would believe her. Good. She thought, curling her one hand into a fist, Let her flee like a coward... Certainly not a child of mine!

Brushing the dead straws of grass from her cloak, she sat herself back down with a huff, closing her eyes against the brilliance of the sun. Intently, she began to focus on her breathing, attempting to slow down the thundering rage in the back of her mind. Breath in... She let her lungs fill with pristine air. Breath out... She exhaled, letting the anger leak out like foul toxins. Slowly she felt the hostile emotions dissipate from her mind, evaporating into the tranquil air around her. Breath in.... Breath out... "Et matrem...adsum." The voice, like soothing honey to her ears, shattered her concentration in a matter of a second. Letting her eyelids flutter open in response, Discordia stared up at the familiar half-smile with a neutral expression, before letting a crooked grin of her own spread over her pale features. "Elijah , meus decorus filius..." She murmured, once more getting to her feet. "Quam es vos?" She asked, extending a hand to brush her fingers against his cheek. For a few moments she checked him over, as if to make sure no harm had come to him, and all at once her smile faded. That necklace, grinning up at her with a sickening glow, made everything go cold.

"Qua est Lúthien?" She asked, voice hollow, "Qua est meus filia?"

Finding his mother sitting there...a sight for sore eyes. It was an odd moment, and Elijah had so many questions. The air was electric, sparking blue and gold randomly. Although he couldn't see it, the boy felt the sparks, felt the colors. The blue was as brilliant as the color of his eyes, the gold rich and shined, a spark of a golden apple. Beyond perfect, beyond any words a mortal, even a half-blood would have. A perfect good spark popping every so often, the words to the fairest hanging in the air for not even half a second. It was Discordia's presence, and although most would would find it unnerving, make them squirm, perhaps even terrifying them, Elijah found it easier to breathe. Everything that had been happening...losing Lúth...Calix's spiral...being forced to let go of Jack (although he still wasn't making much progress there)...Stephanie was busy often, between her newfound enjoyment of time with Gimlar and cleansing and training for the duties of an Augur...River...River was the only one left and Elijah was afraid he was pushing her away more and more every day. Chaos and strife had turned on him in a sense. But the boy knew he had brought it upon himself. A blue spark popped...Oculi vestri, et est effectus. Gods above, was that him or his mother? A popping gold spark...to the fairest. Elijah breathed in the words. Chaos and strife hadn't turned on him, no. The boy was in the middle, and his influence was more than he had ever expected. Although he couldn't take responsibility for all of it, a lot was his to bear. "Auditis orationibus mater? Sororem cessit, Calix cecidit, quia tradidit excessisse Iacobus. Stephanie facta est nostra Augurem...River est qui manet, et illa ero absentis mox, quoque. Audis, matrem? Vides?" Elijah's mother was a Goddess, he barely knew her apart from the stories, but she was still his mother. In great chaos, swirling around the Goddess, the boy found something. An instinct he did not expect. Reaching...a Goddess, his mother, reaching to him.

It was odd how Elijah looked so much like his mother. At the same time, she looked like Lúth too. Strange how the Goddess embodied both of them yet the siblings looked nothing alike. If she found another child, what traits would he or she show from the Goddess's face? Or did Discordia take on those traits from her children? A question dripping with chaos and strife. Who was Discordia? She looked the same as the other two times Elijah had seen him, but he was seeing new things now. Her eyes were gold, but sometimes they turned to the brilliant blue of Elijah's. The cheekbones Elijah and Lúth seemed to share. His sister's skin tone, their hair color. In a way it was dizzying, but it somehow made sense. Everything illogical often did to the boy. "Sum superstes. Ego autem dico in perierat," Elijah replied softly when the Goddess asked how he was. How would it even be possible to go into it all? Discordia was a Goddess, it was amazing she was making even this much time for a demigod, her child or not. "Adamavi illi potui. Sed omne contrivit, et ego non adferre," the boy whispered. "Ego convertar septendecim cito. Et ego conplebo natali meo solus," mad ramblings, perhaps. But his mother knew. The half smile remained on his face, but there was pain in every word. "Putavi erat monstrum nulla anima. Quae autem potest esse cum sentiret?" He felt, he felt...

Pop, pop, pop...Elijah could feel the sparks against his check as Discordia lightly ran her fingers down it. Pop, pop, pop...then the cold. The coldness that Elijah knew so well. Another inheritance, perhaps? The cold that rose whenever he though of Lúth...where his sister was now. The cold that filled him every time he had to check on Calix...to make sure his friend was still breathing, was still alive. The cold whenever he saw Jack and remembered what he had done to the other boy...to himself in the process. The cold Elijah felt for himself...in himself. Every time he felt himself begin to crumble, but wouldn't let himself. The boy had to be the strong one, had to comfort Calix when the older boy couldn't take it any more. He had to be the one to keep the Legion running while everything was falling apart. Everything was resting squarely on Elijah's shoulders...how much longer could be bear the weight? "Mea annulos. Muneris erat mater. Ego vestietur illis et sic paravi. Non para aliqua. Quidquid erit aliqua alia nihil potestis facere," running...running so fast to find only Calix. Shakespeare's Hamlet. The prince's final words echoing in his brain, "Reliquum est silentium..." the cold. The empty, the numb. How long had it been? How long would it be? Shakespeare could have been a demigod. Thoughts...all over the place. Popping like the sparks around Discordia. Where is Lúthien...where is my daughter? The cold. What was left?

"Mater..." no words...speak! Whatever came out first. "Lúth has been taken. The Greek Hades carried her away...I am not sure if he was recognized...I am not sure why he appeared in Greek form rather than as Pluto...as we know him. He took her..." moving slowly to the corner of the building, Elijah slid down, sitting up, wrapped in a ball. "Everyone thinks she is dead. I am one of the few who knows better. I can feel her life force. It's getting stronger and stronger..." he held up the blue crystal with a sad smile. "Five minutes of peace. But it doesn't work that way for me, Mater. I don't think it's meant to work for me like that. But I can feel her heart with it. Somehow it's a connection...I don't understand it...do you?" the boy practically begged. "Mater, soror mea ceperunt. Ut omnes sciant se non est enim mortua sed. Vivit, et iterum veniunt ad iudicium?" with a deep breath, Elijah looked down, only allowing one tear to fall. "I will fight, Mater. Everything I can to change this...to get her back..." he paused, staring at the Goddess for a moment. "Why today, Mater? Why have you come today? I heard you in my head, and I put my trust into everything. Mater mea...you have not come to discuss Lúth, so it must be me. What have I done? Aside from ripping my own life to shreds? I am nothing, though...perhaps you should take me now. Wherever I belong...is it really here?" the boy gazed into his mother's golden eyes. "Vereor, non sum," Elijah sighed softly. "Why should an unstable child of Discordia be running the Legion? Calix and I were perfect, we were balanced. Now things have changed. The scales have tipped. I pray to you...do you hear me?"