Moondust.

Yune knew the worry on his face was in regards to the hellhounds, but could not put her mind to why he was concerned. For the safety of his demons? Just a moment ago he was willing to sacrifice a few so surely this was not the case? For the safety of his kingdom, to bring the hellhounds in? Perhaps. This was the best she could come up with. Brining enemies into his own camp was never the best idea, but it had to be done.

She tugged at her dress to cover the dark line that ran up her chest and now over her shoulder. She frowned light at it, when had that happened? In the mere talk they had, it had spread further? She would need to be careful. As much as Apollyon seemed to like its existence, it still hurt her inside, like a sharp cut that stung forever. She felt the only relief when he touched it, and the numb burning of their skins contact would overpower the sting, and bring relief. Temporarily.

Brushing away the thought of his hands on her, she focused on the matters at hand, but matters at hand were his hands on her hips, and it was like the thoughts were coming to life. Yune emitted a small sound of surprise as he pulled her in, and looked up to his eyes. "Oh really? Perhaps, I do fall a little for your temptations, but what about you? Hm?" She reached up and placed a finger on his lips to shush him. She didn't need an answer. Just a thought for him to mull over. Though, she suspected he already knew the answer to that.

Yune took his hands off her hips - now was not the time, and she would resist his tempting, and this one event today would not become a frequent thing - lest he get bored and move on. No, she wouldn't allow him to devour her all and whole in one sitting. It would be a piece by piece. He brings victory, he could get more. if it was a good victory, perhaps she might - and only if she felt nice that day - allow him a little of her blood. The one time she gave some, it drove him to pure bliss, and that was only a drop. How much could a demon feed and grown on a god's blood? She guessed a lot.

"Come now, chain me up." She held her hands out to him, "And take me away. I don't want to see two demons going at it. That's not one of my wishes." She curled her lip in partial disgust, but kept the amused expression. "But do be warned, if you come visit with your Queen, I will attack you. After all, I'm just a key. And I hate you. Remember?" She smiled, winked and waved her hand a little, urging him to put those damaged shackled back on, impatient to be out of this room. The Queen of Vampires would come soon, and Yune was in no mood to stick around. Casting one look at the ash pile, she wondered if he would get rid of that, or not. She wondered if the Queen would question it.

---

Arneas took a moment, not even sure why, but he had to process what she said. Had he heard her correctly? Did she say what he thought she said? Or was it all his imagination in his desperate wish for her to admit in believing him? He took that moment, and he studied her, and a small smile hesitantly creeped to his lips, but once he was sure that he was not just hearing things, he gave her had a little more squeeze and allowed the smile to spread.

"Aurora," he breathed out, and before he knew it he was pulling her into a hug, one hand wrapped around her waist in an embrace as the other crept up to the back of her head and into her hair where he held her head close to him and rested his chin against the side of head, breathing in the soft smell of her, closing his eyes as he simply held her against him and enjoyed the moment, relished it, savoured it.

He didn't know how long he held her close, didn't know if it was awkward, or if it was welcomed, but he felt the need to give her an explanation and this he did with firmness, sureness, his breath soft against the skin of her ear. "I was worried," he began, "I don't know why I was so worried. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. You…" he pulled away only a little so he could look at her, "You make me question myself." Here he offered her a small laugh, trailing a finger up her neck to the tip of her chin to tilt her face up to him. "I don't think that's good for a God. Maybe Uriel was right. Maybe you'll be the death of me." He grinned, best he could because while he was ready to laugh at his little joke, he wondered if that was also true.

Without further ado, and further thought, he took her wrist and hovered a hand over it, muttering something in Godspeak about binding and protection, forming a pretty golden bracelet around her wrist. He looked up, "This will keep me near you, at call. Touch it and call to me, and I will hear you. Please… accept it."

Apollyon pulled her closer, trying to close the space that was essentially not existent between them. She was talking, he was sure that she was talking. Something about temptation, but he did not fall to temptation. No, he embraced it. He loved temptation. He would kiss temptations feet if he could. He lived to follow temptation around and watch himself and others lust for it. He was a little focused on everything else about her: the perfect curves of her body, the way she smelled, the way she smiled, the way her eyes shone when she was mocking him and so, he could not think of a clever response. Instead, he moved to kiss her neck, but he was stopped by her finger. He smirked, he hadn’t even been talking.

And then, she was gone. She slipped out of his grasp like sand and in that moment, he wondered if he was losing his charm or if she was just exceptionally stubborn. She must be trying to evade his advances, stop the spreading of the sin within her, but that was not the plan. He needed it to encompass her, take over her soul, drive her straight back to him and he needed it sooner rather than later. She was certainly leaning towards him, but he needed her completely on his side. He followed after her quickly, but sighed when she shoved the chains in his hand.

“Sometimes I hate you too,” he said, frustrated. He slapped the chains on her wrists, watching them fold perfectly over the scars from her time spent in them. He frowned, having a strange urge to rub them and make them go away. He looked up at her then as she smiled and threatened him and he wondered how this must feel for her. She was so heavenly that he wondered if she felt that this was strange, if she loathed the violence, the taunting, the pain, but he also wondered if it exhilarated her. He stepped away from her and ran his fingers through the hair she messed up.

“Yes, well. We’ll have our meeting elsewhere,” he turned to walk out. “Keep thinking,” he yelled over his shoulder as he exited the room.

The door shut behind him and he was instantly surrounded by reports and he sighed. He fielded them all, including the one that told him the Queen was waiting in the dining room, as he navigated the halls. He gave yes and no answers, he gave orders and he dodged any questions about the Goddess that he kept so secret, so hidden, so secure. He just needed to get away from all these people that were clambering for his attention. Yune never begged for his attention, she commanded it.

He, finally, walked into the dining room alone to see the Queen, in all her glory, perched precariously on the table. She was holding two glasses of wine and a smile on her face. She looked the same as she always did: long black hair, long black nails, pearly white skin and lips as a red as the blood she so frequently drank. Her body was draped in red silk and she handed him the glass of wine with an even bigger smile.



“Always nice to see you,” Apollyon said, taking a lazy swig of the wine.

---

Aurora. She felt her knees shaking a little bit as Arneas said her name. The way he said her name made it sound special, important, sexy and strong. She could listen to him say her name over and over again. She was so tired and in so much pain that she wondered if the warming affect that Arneas always seemed to have over her was intensified. She felt happy that he was so happy and she would spend a lifetime trying to make him smile like that again. She felt so drawn to him and so close to him that she practically willed him to close the space between them and he did.

It felt so good to be held by him, especially with all her aches and pains. Her body felt like she had fallen from a mountain: broken and bruised. His hands on her back seemed to take the ache away from it all and she sank into him just as much as he seemed to want to pull her closer. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh, as all the pain seemed to dissipate from her body. He seemed to clutch to her as if she was going to disappear and Aurora pulled him closer in fear that maybe one day he would disappear. It was more likely he were to disappear than it was for her to die. What a strange thought.

And then there was his voice again, his all encompassing voice that sang to parts of her body and soul that she did not even know were there. And then there was his face, staring back at her and pulling her eyes up to him. Her stomach fluttered a little at the thought that she had some sort of effect on Arneas to counter balance the effect that he had on her. He seemed to consume this entire moment with his words and now this bracelet, a mark and a reminder for her to keep. She smiled softly at it, thinking only distantly if she would one day come to abuse this. It was a pretty bracelet: sleek, shiny and simple. It felt right on her wrist like she had been missing it all along. She nodded back at him and took her hand and reached up again to touch his face.

“You shouldn’t doubt yourself. You feel like… like the sun to me,” she said.

She knew that was true as soon as she said it. His face always shone so brightly in front of her and in her memory. She thinks back to the first time they met and even then, he seemed only like a setting sun in need of rest. His smile was this bright beam of light that always caught her attention and made her day a little better. Waiting for his voice and his presence felt like waiting for the sun to rise and when it did, she knew that she needed it; she needed him. She was just a star compared to him, floating off in some distant universe, but he was most certainly the sun.

Yune couldn't help but smile at his frustration, the way he frowned as he put the chains on her again. Was he frustrated simply for the fact that he could not have her so easily? That she did not throw herself at his feet like his succubus, even if it was one of the few things she was ready to do now. She watched him leave, and felt her knees give in. It took effort to appear strong and stable, but the sin was eating in and she was tired. She lay down on the cold floor, curling up, and closed her eyes.

She dreamt of the plains outside Hades' castle, the face of the God as he staggered forward, her sword protruding from his chest. The look of surprise and horror and pain all flashed across his features, and she saw her reflection in his crystal grey eyes. She saw herself smiling. She saw a black line of sin crack over her cheeks. In her dream, she ran. She ran somewhere to a pond of blessed water to wash the sin off, fearful for her own beauty and her purity, but the water did no good, and when she pulled away, she saw a reflection on the other side of the pond. It was him. Apollyon in all his glory, standing, watching, smirking his damn confident smirk.

Although none of this happened in her past, the dream felt so real that Yune woke up with a start, only to find herself in the throne room, still alone and the little demon resting by her hip. It was bigger now, the size of a cat. She could see its deformities and ugliness on a larger scale, and she was revolted. She let this grow? Yune pulled away, and took a moment to spend by Apollyon's maps, studying all the places they could attack from, and trying to recall her own experiences.

The dream haunted her, and for a long time she could not gather her thoughts. In whatever reflective surface nearby, she tried to peer in and see her face, and checked many times that there was no sin on her face, just staying for now from her heart to her collarbone and away to her back and down it.

The rest of the time while she waited, for either the hounds to be brought in or Apollyon to show up (preferably both), she spent braiding her hair, humming softly, thinking of the future they both now shared, of the castle and they wars, and the victory that was surely theirs.

---

If she waged a war to claim his heart, Arneas didn't think he'd win it, God or not. He would surrender the moment she stepped forth and raised her hands, and he would let her take it and keep it, and he didn't know what urged him to such thoughts, to such feelings. When? When had he started to care so much? Was it when he saw her, so unkept and dirty in that poor temple, so uncared for and plain that he was captivated by her simplicity and saw all the good that made her her. She was no Goddess of Beauty, she was not adorned by the Gods of Charm and Lust. No. She was simply a mortal (now half) who was present at the right time to speak to him, to see him, to touch him.

"The sun?" He repeated, and his eyes found a playful spark, and a little smirk curved his lips. "Oh Aurora, be careful what you say of me, to me. I just might become one." He wrapped an arm tighter around her waist, resting at the small of her back, and the other just behind her neck, pulling her a little closer, until she was pressed against him in all possible ways, and his lips brushed lightly, teasingly against hers. If she wanted it, she could come get it. Or break his confidence to smithereens and reject him here and now.

Oh, his thoughts were long gone from this world. His angels were blocked off. No, none of them. Forget them. Forget the people. He was here with Aurora and it was him and her in his bedroom, and the bed was ever so close, but he wouldn't mind taking her here and now, on this rug if they had to. She only had to say the word, or make the move if she were shy, and he would show her something more than heaven. Something so blissful and sweet, lovely and lively all at the same time. This emotion rolled over him like a way. He could see the way she looked at him, he guessed her thoughts and her feelings. He didn't deny or reject them. He welcomed them.

She was a strawberry a little too ripe, a little too bruised. His hand slipped from her neck to her cheek, drawing little circles with his thumb over her skin, lightly moving them both away from the balcony and into the room.

Apollyon spent much of the night with the Queen as they bargained, joked, talked and drank. He forgot how much he enjoyed her company and her spirit. She was excited to help, as Apollyon anticipated, and knew that the vampires would not fail. She noted Priscilla’s absence and questioned it, of course, but only with a mild curiosity. There was something sacred about their bond, like a mother watching her son grow and Apollyon had not realized this until now. That and she paled in comparison to Yune. Apollyon decided that he only wanted his ‘family,’ or as close as a demon could get to family, to finally be removed from exile. He would help them on his way up.

They were interrupted by a report that a hellhound had been caught, though it took down two of the four men sent in the process. The night that started out by reminding him of why and where he started from, but the hellhounds arrival was a stark reminder of the task at hand. The problem was that he was incredibly drunk on wine and blood and he knew he was in no state to handle a Hellhound, but still Yune would want to know. He looked at Queen, who was equally drunk and giddy, and flashed an apologetic smile.

“I have to go,” he muttered, standing and staggering a little and turning to leave.

“You have to be careful with that one, love. Remember why we are here. She will change you,” the Queen called after him. He paused as she spoke, but continued moving afterwards trying to let the thoughts fall back with her.

He knew that he was changing, but he only felt more powerful and in control. He felt like he had the Underworld at his fingertips and that he had been waiting for Yune for all this time. He always felt like he was missing something and now he knew that it was her. He was strong, but she was stronger. They matched each others tactical moves and she had knowledge of Gods while he had knowledge of demons. They were perfect for this war, for each other, and he knew they would succeed. He already won one battle: he fell Yune. Their possibilities were endless.

He had not realized how drunk he was or how long he spent with the Queen, perhaps longer than he realized. Time seemed to slip away when you were with someone who matched your own intelligence and brought a fire to your soul, like the Queen did, like Yune did. He felt sleepy and energized all at once and he shrugged off help from the others as he walked back to the throne room. They would handle the hellhound tomorrow, but for now it would be locked up in a cage. He just wanted to see her and sleep next to her until all the damn spinning wore off.

He staggered into the room and smiled, watching her fiddle with her hair and bite her lip as she looked at their map. He loved the way that she thought and the way she hummed a soft song. He was, quite frankly, obsessed with her. He knew she did not need to look at the map again, he was sure she had it memorized, but she was clearly waiting for him. He realized that he had been waiting to come back to her and he was acutely aware of the kind of weakness that was.



“Yune, darling,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I got you a hellhound,” he said with a joyous smile. He wanted to take away at that moment and bring her to his bed. He wanted to spend the night with her and make her comfortable and stop this prisoner facade. He understood its purpose, but in this moment, he needed to stop pretending. He wanted to figure out what was real and see if she was really with him. He felt like she was, he saw it on her skin, but somewhere deep inside him (revealed only by his present state), he worried she would reject him and shatter his very precious ego.

---

Aurora already felt practically consumed by him and when he drew her closer, she felt all her nerves flutter in her stomach like a thousand butterflies. He always seemed to find what she said to be funny, but she was not trying to be funny at all. He truly did feel like the sun. She felt like she was always orbiting around him and that she needed his warmth to wash over her. When his lips brushed against hers, it was no longer warm, but hot. There was so much heat (like a blazing ball of fire) between them that she wondered what it would feel like to finally let go. She wondered what it would be like to fall into bed with him and let him truly consume every piece of her.

She wanted to kiss him, but Ariel’s words were holding her back just a little. She was not sure she deserved this, but Arneas was caressing her and moving her back in the room. She had a distinct memory of the girl that she used to be, hovering so close to kissing him and hovering so close to his bed. If she kissed him, it would be one of the first things she did that felt free. She used to be free. She would roam the fields of her village, kiss boys behind her father’s shed, be the center of attention at parties and promise every man that she would marry them. That girl felt very distant from her, but the space between his lips reminded Aurora of her. She felt so caged lately by other people’s expectations, other people’s opinions, her own fear and insecurity. She wondered if finally ignoring all those things would help to make them go away.

So, she decided to be free. She kissed him back then, pressing against him and moving her hands into his golden silk hair. It felt better than anything she ever felt before with Arneas. It felt like he was breathing back into her everything that she lost along the way. She kissed him deeper, pushing them both back onto his bed. She was not sure where all this came from, but this felt like one of the first things she had control over in a long time. She felt like gaining control by losing control. She broke their kiss for a moment, breathing heavily against his body. She did not want to speak, it didn't feel right, but she needed just a moment.

She was not sure where they went from here, but Arneas was pulling at the ties of her bloodstained and ripped dress, trailing kisses down her chest. She pulling at his shirt almost as hastily as he undressed her and it made her feel breathless. Until, he kissed her again and brought her back to life. Nothing hurt anymore, but instead felt like she was sliding into a hot bath. His movements and his hands were tender and sweet as he explored her body and she let a moan escape her lips as she wondered how it could possibly get better or more intense than this.

@ ashen knight;

When the doors opened, Yune looked up to see a sight she did not expect. Apollyon was there, but not looking quite so very well handled as usual. His walking was a little off straight, his gaze was wandering. She stood, curious to what had come over him. Was he alright? He was not injured, he didn't look to be in pain. In fact, he looked rather happy. Too happy. If happy was even the word.

She stepped towards him, allowing him to take her hand and she tilted her head with curiosity as he spoke. Her eyes lit up at the mention of a hellhound. She breathed a sigh of relief, "Ah, yes, this is good news!" She put her hand over his and gripped it with clear excitement. "Oh, this is so good." She peered behind him as if expecting the hellhound to be there, then returned to look at him closer. He looked… drunk?

Lifting a hand, she placed it on his cheek and gently pushed at it to tilt his head. "Are you drunk?" She asked, breaking out into a soft laugh. "I did not think you could become drunk." Admittedly, that was honest. Yune watched him with the highest of curiosities, the highest of interest. A drunk Apollyon was a sight to see. Entertaining, smiley. "You should rest, you can barely walk." She brushed a hair from his face, expecting him to fall there and then or something. "Do you need me to accompany you to your room, in case you get lost, hm?" She playfully teased, feeling a grin spread over her features even further. The thought of holding him while he slept, to brush his hair into place with her fingers briefly flashed across in her mind, but the idea was in itself so wild that she quickly pushed it away - but not before reluctantly admitting to herself that it felt like a nice idea.

---

All too soon they were on his bed, and soon enough entwined in each others embraces. Every dimple, every curve, every little piece of her was explored, noted, kissed. Arneas slipped into a state of pleasure, and he was sure she had come with him, for he no longer thought but did, responded instinctively to every movement and sound she made. If ever he pulled away, he would look at her and admire her. She looked so wonderful there, in the small light of the candles, in his bed all in a mess of his sheets and pillows, an arm there, a hand in his hair. If he ever felt her teeth on his skin, he had no control over the small gasps and groans she took from him.

And when they were both quite done, both panting, he looked at her with a small satisfied grin, and gave her mouth another kiss before pulling away and with a satisfied sigh rolling onto his back. He looked at the ceiling, trying to process what just happened, but gave up and slipped an arm around her again, bringing her closer to him as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, closing his eyes to calm his breathing.

"Stay," he murmured against her skin, making a movement with his hand ever so small to let her know he wouldn't release her now. She didn't need to rush anywhere. Nobody was dying. Ariel was quite fine, even if moody (Arneas was sure Ariel would have caught on). There was small light on the horizon when he looked, and he knew morning would come soon. The sun would shine in on their faces and bodies and put to light their nightly adventures. It was so much easier to just close his eyes and pretend the sun wasn't there. She didn't need the sun. She said he was like one, and he would be one - for her.

@ ashen knight;
Apollyon leaned against her hand and he smiled again. He appreciated her kindness and her tenderness was something he never experienced before. Her hand felt as heavenly as he knew that she was and he grabbed her hips once more to pull her closer. She was so excited about the hellhound and this sparkle in her eye drove him wild. Her laugh sounded like bells in his ears and he chuckled along with her stepping closer and leaning into her neck.

“Yes,” he breathed, against her ear. “Let’s go to my room.”

He waved his hand, shifting the room around him to the dark confines of his bedroom. The stonewalls lit only by barely burning candles. His bed took almost the entire room and was, in fact, the only thing in the room. He pulled them both towards the bed, falling into in an ostentatious show of his present situation. She fell with him, and he let his arms drape around her waist lazily. He offered her a crooked smile, staring into her beautiful shining eyes.

She was mocking him, most certainly she was mocking him but he was on longer listening. He pulled his shirt off and his pants off, tossing them lazily to the side before flopping back down. It felt right to have Yune in his bed, better than it ever did having Priscilla there. Yune was a true queen, a person worthy of his bed, his name, his legacy and he was the only person he could imagine (at this point) building the future with. He wanted to kiss her at that moment, but he was too sleepy and too tired. He pulled her closer, resting his face in her neck and inhaling her scent. He relished in how she was caressing his head, how she was lulling him to sleep and how they did not need words, but just a moment.

---

Aurora had never felt anything like what just happened between her Arneas. She felt like there was electricity climbing through her skin, setting her entire body into a frenzy. She lay prone amongst Arneas’ fluffy and messy sheets, peeking at him from beneath her curls. She still felt in awe about everything that happened and that Arneas would want to touch and kiss someone like her. She thought briefly on the girl he stumbled upon, dirt in her nails and hair, and thought of this girl now. She was this half-being, naked and glowing in a God’s bed. What would her father say?

They way he held her made her entire world become simplified into just this moment. She wanted to freeze this and never ever leave it. She did not want the sun to rise to move them onto tomorrow. She did not want to have to answer questions about what this meant or where they would go from here or if they would ever do this again. She let her fingers drift absently on his back as he cuddled her and she had never felt something so simple and pure. She wondered if sex was always like this or if it was just because he was a God that let everything about this feel right.

“Where else would I go?” She whispered.

She had no other place than to be with him and she had no other place that she wanted to be. He gave her feelings that she never even knew existed and she gave her pleasures that seemed entirely endless. She was not sure how many times he had bed a woman, but she did not care to know. She wanted to think that she was special and she would let herself feel this way for as long as she could allow. She felt sleep weighing heavily on her eyes but, she wanted to stay awake. She felt pain creeping back up her back and her cheek was stinging, but if she just stayed awake a little longer, everything would stay perfect. She wanted to keep the real sun away and keep her own personal sun dozing right next to her.

The transition from the throne room to his bedroom was quite an interesting event, and Yune was curious as the walls shifted and suddenly there were elsewhere. It was different to the method Gods and Angels used, and she had never seen it nor had experience of it before. She didn't get a chance to eye the whole room, for the next second he was pulling her towards the large spacious bed and they were falling on it, bouncing lightly and the breath partially escaping her lungs. She raised herself to look around while he pulled off his clothes, but again she wasn't granted much time and had the demon lord snuggling up to her, his breath tickling her neck.

She raised a hand and rested it in his hair, rubbing gently in repetitive motions, massaging the crown of his head, feeling him drift into sleep. How vulnerable they had both allowed themselves to become to each other. At any moment she could summon a sword and stab him. At any moment he could bite into her and drink her life right out, but no, they simply lay here together and enjoyed each other's presence. Yune continued her massaging of his head until she was certain he was asleep, and by then she herself was grow sleepy again. She managed to spend a little longer time awake, enough to lightly move and remove the outer dress half, leaving herself in a light tunic of sorts, and covered them both with the blankets.

She closed her eyes again, and - still holding him near - fell asleep.

---

Arneas had quite the few answers of where she could go but he offered none, least she take inspiration or be reminded of her duties. He kept that from her, only chuckled ever so lightly in response to her question. With her in his embrace now, he stroked her head a little, moving hair strands from her eyes and from her face.

The days events claimed him into sleep soon though, and he fell asleep. Unlike humans, he rarely dreamed. And when Gods dreamed, they dreamed at important events of their life, at changing moments, at decisive ones. He dreamt briefly this night, an unknown figure walking away from him, its hand extended to him, beckoning to follow. He walked, or tried to, but found he could not step. And just behind the figure he saw a light flare, and wings that were glorious, wide and golden. He heard a commanding shout, and the ground caved in between him and the light, and he saw the beckoning figure had disappeared. Instead he was surrounded by Bright light, by Gods he guessed, and dark shadows lurking by the hole in the ground. By his heart hammered not for the battle about to begin, but for having lost the figure that called to him. He woke up with a start, and stared at the bright rays creeping into the bed sheets for a little while, feeling about the bed, feeling to see if Aurora was still with him, or if she had retreated to the nursery or elsewhere to do her own work and duties.

@ ashen knight;
(Sorry had to deal with a hurricane lol)

Apollyon awoke feeling slightly refreshed, though he did not completely remember returning to his room with Yune. Either way, he enjoyed waking up to see her sleeping face next to his and he slowly removed himself from the bed. He did not want to wake her for she looked so peaceful when she slept; she looked like the pure Goddess that she was or that she once was. He wanted to honor and treasure that, which was a feeling he never had before. He was not sure where this intimacy of theirs came from for being intimate was not something he did before, at least not in the emotional sense. He walked slowly to his bathroom, but turned to look at her dozing away once more.

His shower was much needed and so was the time alone. He often felt like he spoke so often to so many people that he never got a second to be alone. He felt like they have done so much, but in reality, they have done very little in securing Hades’ kingdom. He wanted to be proud of his accomplishments, but felt that there were very few to be proud of. As water spilled down his body, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Talking to one hellhound was not going to be enough and Yune was being foolish and idealistic. They would never get the hellhounds on their side and instead, he must find a way to vanquish them. It was the only thing that made sense: destruction.

He dressed quickly and quietly, sending a message to the Seer that she should go speak with Yune in his bedroom, but carefully. He felt it was time for them to meet and that it was time for the Seer to show Yune what was going to have to happen if they were to succeed. He was just to the door when he decided that he should probably wake Yune instead or she may decide to kill the Seer as an act of defense. At least, the Seer was a neutral force and therefore, not inherently evil. He turned back to her and walked over, sitting down on the edge of the bed and shaking her arm lightly.

“Yune, darling, I’ve got to go. I’m sending someone to come meet you and then bring you to me when you’re ready,” he stated. “I’ll be in the library.”

---

Aurora fell into a deep sleep, uninterrupted by dreams. She was so tired from their activities. She may have been able to keep up with him, thanks to her the other half of she has yet to explore, but she could not bounce back as quickly as a true God could. She slept, trying to regain the energy she wasted away with Arneas. She knew she had more important things to do: one half of her body and mind were willing her to wake and go back to work. The other half, however, needed her to stay in bed, nurse her wounds, relax her sore muscles and sleep. She felt so comfortable here in this space that it took a few minutes of Arneas’ spastic movements to wake her.

“What?” She asked, with a start, her voice layered with sleepiness. She pushed herself up, moving her curls out of her face and pulling the sheets above her chest, remembering that she was naked. “What’s wrong?” She asked, finding his panicked face in the light of the morning sun.

She felt herself start to panic, her heart picking up a few paces. She never thought she would see Arneas in such a state: he was sweating, his forehead crinkled with worry and just seconds ago, he was a mess. She reached for his hand, a feeble attempt to calm them both. She thought only of Uriel in this moment, wondering if he was here to finish what he started. Her free hand fluttered, for a second, to her face before landing on top of their joined hands and her wound seemed to sting with a new sharpness. Her entire body ached, muscles she did not even knew could ache, and she knew she was in no state to even try to fight. Ariel was no help to them now either. If Uriel was here, they were certainly doomed.

It would only make sense that a night so magical would end in such tragedy, since that seemed to be the way things went for her. There were so many times that something beautiful and good would happen that would quickly be contrasted by tragedy. Apparently, even a God’s temple was not a refuge for her own misfortune. She instantly felt guilty for bringing such bad energy to this place. She should have never come, never shared his bed, never let either of them fall for each other. She was so good at ruining good things, including herself.

But, how could she leave now? Their fingers were interlocked, their bodies calling to each other and she was so impossibly entangled in him that she could not leave. It would be selfish to stay, but he asked her to. Was it not selfless to stay then? She brought only disdain and pain to this place and she would regret that forever. All of these thoughts hit her so quickly after seeing the twisted expression of Arneas so early in the morning. Perhaps they were delusional, like nightmares come to life, but his frantic behavior made her terrified and guilty all at once.

[Oh yes! That must have been so scary :s Did it do much damage?]

Stirring when something stung her skin a little, her eyes fluttered open and wandered about the bed before landing on Apollyon’s face. She felt her brows move together ever so slightly in question, listening to his words. He had to go? Someone was coming to meet her? Yune lightly pulled at the covers and raised herself into a sitting position, pushing her hair back over her shoulder and from her face, reaching up to pin a few strands up behind like a little crown. “Alright,” She nodded in response, and looked around for her dress. She would have to get dressed, and make herself somewhat more presentable. God or not, they still woke up in not their best form. She wanted to wash her face and all the usual morning business. And when Apollyon stood and left, she did so, and took a quick shower too to freshen up, and came out as lovely as ever, fierce and powerful and ready to meet this stranger.

She didn’t have to sit long in the room, wandering about and running a finger over the very few things that were there. How bare. No art, no statues, nothing. A God’s room was so filled with everything. She was not used to seeing walls and walls in a bedroom. When the door opened and that someone entered the room, Yune looked up. Momentarily she stiffened, but slowly realised who it was. She tilted her head and raised a brow. Had she seen her before? Ever so slightly, a glimpse. Yune had certainly heard of the Seer, and knew enough to know who it was, but not much more than that.

Yune would have offered a greeting of sorts, but her divine pride and status was not one of introductions. Even here, in the demon world, where she was near the lowest. Instead she waited a moment for the Seer to come into the room and for the door to close before turning her attention to the visitor. “I did not expect you to be sided with him.” She admitted.

---

When his hand landed on the soft skin of the girl beside him, and the depression in the bed telling him well enough that someone was there, he looked over. One glance at the waking Aurora was enough to calm him that she was here, and she was okay. When her worry started to mirror his own, and her hand reached for his, and he saw his messy state in the reflection of her eye, he knew he had to get himself together. Arneas made an effort, took a breath, and sharply looked down but his eyes continued to search for a means to escape her concern. No. He couldn’t sink so low and make her think he was worried over such a trivial matter. He wished he could say it was just a dream, but no God had simply ‘just dreams’. Did she know that? No. He didn’t think she would.

“Just a dream,” he forced himself to say, looking down at her hand and turning his own so he could rub the back of her hand with his thumb, the slow, soft, repetitive motion calming his heart. For a while, he indulged himself in the activity but knew it could not last forever and hoping she wouldn’t ask questions, he pulled away. He faced the sun now, and away from her, keeping a piece of the large cover around his waist and tilted his head down a little, clasping his hands together. A moment of sacredness washed over him as he briefly cast his thoughts towards most superior god, the one of light and sun and life. Was he praying? No. A one-way message, to tell the other of his dream. There had to be a warning. At least.

When the minute passed, Arneas straightened his shoulders and returned his attention back to the woman in his bed. He gave her a small smile, the concern and worry gone from his features, from his soul and mind. Nothing more to worry about. “Did you sleep well?” He asked, leaning over a little to brush her cheek with his fingers. “Don’t be concerned. You’re safe here.” He searched her eyes for a hint of why she had expressed worry too. He thought of the little shack in which she had been, and suddenly remembered a thing.

“I almost forgot. Would you like to hear about Panakeia more?” He asked, “I have found someone who knew her. Quite close. Among the Gods that is.” Anything to put that worry away from her face. It did not have a place there. He wanted to see her smile, not frown.

@ ashen knight;
The Seer paced in front of the room, feeling nervous despite her knowledge that the conversation would, at least, not end in her death. She did not know how Yune would respond, Gods were not in the realm of her sight, but she did know that her death was not imminent. She wondered then why she paced, why she was so nervous, but perhaps she was just nervous about the judgement and the explanation of her alliance with Apollyon. She was not sure what would happen, but that was half the fun of the future so she entered.

The Goddess looked regal, as to be expected, and the Seer, for a moment, wondered if her red drapery and elaborate earrings were appropriate. Yune responded in exactly the way that the Seer expected. She was suppose to stay neutral and yet, she clearly picked a side. She smirked a little because after all, Yune also choose a side. In fact, they both choose the same side. They did not choose Apollyon, but instead, they choose themselves. His existence in the matter was coincidental, at best.

"And I could say the same about you," she said, with a smile. "Why don't you sit? We have much to discuss about your future. It is becoming very different, as you are well aware."

---

Arneas began to caress her hand, as if the motion itself could calm them both and it did, a little. She was more comforted by the fact that he only had a dream, but she wondered what kind of dream could awake a God. She wondered what kind of dream could make him worry the way that he did now. She did not know, but she would accept his explanation for what it was. Everyone dreams and there are many things that Gods are not exceptions to like she once thought like death or even love. Just as she felt relieved, he pulled away from her. She stared at the muscles that flexed on his back and she knew that it could not have been just a dream, not for Arneas to act like this. He was acting almost human.

And then, in an instant, he was back. He was acting like nothing happened, the way he always did. She wondered if he would ever let her into the world that he creates and obsesses over in his head. She did not know if she was even in this world, but his caresses and his words made her feel as if she was. But, only half of her was allowed in his world. The other half was like a stain on satin sheets and she was not sure how she would ever rid herself of that status.

"I think I could fall back asleep forever," she commented, trying to force a smile.

Her fake smile, however, was replaced with a real one. Perhaps more information on her mother, on the better half of her, would take the worry away. Perhaps knowing more would help her lighten the stain.

"Yes," she said, her smile wide. She climbed out of bed and grabbing her dress, despite the stains and tying it back on her. She wanted something good to hold onto and she walked quickly over to his side of the bed, sliding into space between his legs.

"Just tell me everything," she said, excitedly grabbing his hands.

Amusing. The first word that came to Yune's mind when the Seer spoke with a smile, and Yune was hesitant to return it, but the knowledge that they both shared a fate was quite pleasing. She was not quite alone. There was someone else who understood. Yune was not the sort to rush in for sympathy or empathy, and she would seek none from the Seer but the mutual understanding pushed aside the stranger-barrier and Yune was less reluctant to do as told and sit on the edge of the bed, her hands folded neatly on her lap.

If the Seer wanted to talk first, Yune wasn't going to allow it. Her own questions already burned at her tongue and she asked, "Are you his advisor, of sorts?" A little smile found its way to her lips. She wanted to know more, who Seer worked as for Apollyon, the closeness between them, the intimacy - or lack of. Not that she was jealous, of course, just to taste how important the Seer was, how much she was trusted, and based off that, how Yune would start out trusting her.

Making herself comfortable on the bed, Yune tilted her head, a small prompt for the Seer to start speaking now, she was ready to listen.

---

Arneas watched her jump to life and move off the bed to get dressed, and where it would have been implied he look away while she did - he didn't. He watched her dress and come back over to him lifting his head as she grabbed his hands. She radiated with excitement, and he wondered how much it really meant to her. He lifted his hands a little so she could hold them easier, but after a while freed them and they slipped to her waist to tug at the dress. "Ah, no, don't put this on. You can go bathe and I'll have something ready for you when you come out." The stains were quite horrible, and it was ripped in some places and overall he couldn't let any guest of his be in such poor clothing.

Thus, he sent a message for one of the angels to ask a dress to be delivered to his room. There was no question. Good, he thought.

"This God to Panakeia was like a friend, in human terms." He tried to explain, "I will take us to their temple. You will be a guest there, as will I. My protection of you will be limited." He was sure she wouldn't embarrass him, so he left the reminder out - it was common sense he was sure she would have. But the words were a small reminder of their culture. Don't piss off another God. "I'll have to start a war with her to save you if you anger her," he grinned, teasingly, "That's not in my favour. We shall go after you eat. Think about what you would like to ask."

Arneas let his hands run down her waist and over her hips, and a little down her thighs before dropping off and he let her go.

@ ashen knight;
The Seer sat as well, matching Yune’s eye contact and even mirroring her smile. They were not equals, but surely the Seer could pretend. Yet, maybe they were equals. Yune was a grand being, but she fell considerably from grace within these last few weeks. The Seer sought some solace in knowing that perhaps she was not as grand as she wanted to act. She tilted her head, as if gifting the Seer permission to talk. While she was slightly annoyed by it, she was not surprised. She served many beings, both big and small, and was in no way surprised at how those who were or wanted to be powerful treated their servants.

“Of sorts,” she responded, flashing another smile. Her earrings jingling with the movement of her head. “I believe, as you do, to side with the winner. I believe that he will be the winner. I also believe that you think that too,” she nodded her head again at her. She was dancing around the subject, fearful that Yune would fall back into her righteous demeanor and would not accept what she had to say. “There is, of course, an if-“

She let the if hang in the air for a moment. She stood then, clasping her hands together to move across the room. She was not pacing back and forth with nerves, but with a purpose. She was using her pacing to puncture her words and sentences, allowing them time to hang in the air. She did not do it for dramatic flair (well, only a little bit), but instead to let Yune process her what she was saying every time that she added something new.

“I trust that you are well aware of how fair you have fallen and I do not mean that to be cruel or to make you angry, but to say the truth that you seem to afraid to say yourself. I also know that it is very painful to exist in this state, a Goddess soiled by sin. The very sin that landed you in this room, here, with me. So, I have come to discuss your options and to discuss the future of the demon that we both,” she paused, “have supposedly sided with.” She stopped pacing then and turned to look at her. “But the future, as you know, can change. Most of it is contingent on you, dear,” she added, concluding her monologue.

---

The forces that pulled themselves closer together almost always seemed to be pressing against them as Arneas’ hands fell to her hips and she slid closer to him. As his hands moved, she felt her body shiver a little until the warmth and pressure of his hands was suddenly gone. She had to stop herself from jutting her lip out to pout. She was torn between finding out the past (and the future) and climbing back into bed with him forever. That may be trouble with sleeping with Gods, it created an insatiable thirst. She did not even know how to overcome it or put it back in its place, but instead thought that thirst would completely overcome her. She understood his words and his warnings and would keep them in mind, but she was far too distracted by him.

“Come with me,” she whispered, grabbing his hands to pull him towards the bath with her.

She couldn’t be the only one who needed a shower to wash off yesterday. Surely, he needed one too. Maybe that would make it a little difficult for her to think of her questions, but was that really the most important thing in this room. There was something far important standing right in front of her, resting right under her fingertips and she was aching for him more than she thought humanly possible. Maybe it wasn’t human at all, maybe it was something else awakening in her. She wasn’t sure, but she really wanted to listen to it if he would let her.

“I promise that I will be on my very best behavior after we leave this place,” she whispered with a smile, a semblance of the confidence she once had shining through.

Yune watched the Seer about as intently as she listened to her, watching the other woman’s lips move, the earrings as they jingled about when her head shook. The Seer spoke the obvious, things that Yune unfortunately had no strength to voice at this moment. She pressed her lips together as the other paced, and tensed at the suspense of the ‘if’. If what?

Yune was intrigued, very much interested, but the Seer seemed to keep things from her, and dance about the subject, so Yune sat as patiently and quietly as she possibly could – all until the mention of the pain of sin. As if it were reminded, the sting flared up along her chest and over to her back. Yune unwillingly rubbed her collarbone. “My options?” Yune prompted, raising an eyebrow. “My options are simple, are they not? I assist Apollyon in displacing Hades. And then I take that throne for myself.” She tilted her head. Was there something missing? Did the Seer foresee something she did not? “That is the future I desire to build. I do not know what else you have in store for me.” She smirked, “Do I even wish to know what my future holds?”

But all this talk was making Yune wary. What was the purpose of the Seer coming here? To tell her things Yune already knew but did not wish to voice? Or worse? She huffed a little to herself, dreading the latter more than the former idea. It wasn’t like the Seer would bring bombshell shocking news. Right? It’s not like she’ll pull out a laugh and say ‘oh you’ll carry a child’ because as far as Yune was concerned, there was no mortal here to satiate her tastes, and Gods did not conceive from demons. Simple. It was something about the upcoming war, surely. “Get to the point.” She mumbled, toying with the fold of her dress.

---

Her invitation to follow him was accepted. Arneas didn’t think twice as he followed her through his room to the bathroom, watching the way her hips tilted ever so slightly such and so as she stepped, as her shoulders moved with her arms, the hair spilling down her neck and back. The bathroom – of stones and marble – consisted of a large bathtub in the middle, and some little waterfall spraying over the side from a statue to act as the shower. It was nice and elegant, and nothing too spacious but still grand.

Entering the water with her, he raised a brow and chuckled. “What? Your best behaviour?” He reached forward and pulled her to him – nothing slow, but not unkindly. “I don’t believe you,” He teased, putting a hand to the back of her neck and weaving a few fingers up into her hair, massaging the scalp ever so slightly and tilting her head back to place a teasing kiss and nip on her chin and down her neck a little while. There he stopped though and brought around a soap and pushed it lightly against her chest, disentangling his hand from her hair and stepping away once she had the soap in her hands. He moved closer to the waterfall, still keeping the grin at her self-confidence on his lips.

“Prove to me you can be good a little while, to do as you’re told.” He spread his arms a little to the sides and inclined his head with a smirk, “Wash me.”

@ ashen knight;
The Seers eyes lit up a bit as Yune appeared to be getting frustrated because mystery and riddles were just a part of her being. Not getting to the point was half the fun of her job and she was not about to let that part go. Seeing the future was a difficult (death, destruction, rape, torture and villages dying) and she had to hold onto some piece of pleasure in her job. There was, of course, happy moments in the future: success, children being born, marriage and love, but never felt like enough to truly balance what she saw every day, every minute. Her mind was constantly flooded with projections of the future that she spent a considerable amount of time organizing, reflecting and acting upon. Aside from Hades, Apollyon was one of her great successes.

Yune posed a very good question: is there value in knowing your future? The Seer knew not. It often depended on the person that received the news and on the news itself. Some people were not strong enough to know the future, especially of impending doom, but others were motivated to change their path. The paths are always changing, shifting and moving. The future is much like the ocean, different waves clashing into each other or finding spots where is there is no commotion at all. The Seer was simply a lighthouse on the edge of the sea, watching the boats but not always stopping them from crashing into each other. Sometimes, you must let the future be. This, however, was not one of those instances. She would try to save both their ships.

“Yes, well,” the Seer began on her long winded explanation. “You have two options that create many outcomes. Your first options is go to the heavenly pools here in the Underworld, leave Apollyon and cleanse yourself. You will return to your world and resume your fight with Arneas.” The Seer was biased here. She hoped, in the deepest part of herself, that Yune would not choose this path, but the dark line on her skin seemed to allude that she would not. Surely, she was loyal enough that she would not desert him, but then again, she was a Goddess driven by her own sense of morality and divinity.

“If you choose this, Apollyon will have to decide how to respond. He will lash out and he will die or he will remain in the kingdom he has built, alone but alive. That is up to him,” she shrugged her shoulders as if to say she did not know which he would pick. She also meant the shrug to show Yune that not all paths relied completely on her. The Seer worried for this, though, because she felt that he would choose the first and die in a blaze of glory. He was a prideful being and would never choose to wallow in his own self-pity. This would make him her greatest failure.

“However,” she said, raising a finger and beginning her pacing once more, her earrings and her words dancing again. “If you choose to stay with him and take the throne, you cannot do so in your current form; you are weak. You must, with you entire being, choose evil. Only then will you be strong enough to succeed both in securing Hades throne and perhaps in seeking your own form of revenge. Arneas path is still entangled with yours.” She stopped at the wall, waving her hand to place an symbol into it - a portal to two very different locations.

She remained facing the wall, “I will let you think on these things and I will go. No questions. They complicate the future. Touch this when you wish to go to him or when you wish to go to the pools. It will take you to what your soul truly desires. He will not know.” She disappeared them, in a shimmer of sorts to leave Yune alone and Apollyon alone, studying in the library. The poor demon entirely unaware that his enemy, his equal, his lover had more choices in front of her than he has ever.

---

Aurora welcome the hot water of the bath, dunking her head quickly to wash whatever was left of yesterday from her hair. She emerged with a smile, her thick curls weighing heavy on her shoulders just as Arneas placed pressure on her neck. She welcomed his touch, leaning into him to erase all the pain from her body. Her body ached for the last few days, but she did not expect to hurt as badly as she did today. Clearly, she used muscles last night that needed to be left alone. She was being playful, mainly to distract herself from the pain and the negative thoughts that always came pounding into her head.

The way he smiled at her and pushed the soap into her hands reminded her of the Arneas she first met. He was cocky, his smile radiating this, and he was most definitely a God used to people doing things for him. It was a contrast to the compassion, worry and emotions that Arneas revealed to her and Aurora would have to get used to these two sides of Arneas, much like he would have to get used to her own personality and quirks. Of course, it was her own confidence that got her into this position in the first place and so, with a roll of her eyes she walked back over to him.

She moved the soap and her hands up his chest, around his shoulders and back down, trying her best to focus on the washing and not on his body. That was a nearly impossible task, but she was stubborn in her own desires. She wanted to prove that she was not going to become some sex-craved human, consumed completely by his appeal, his presence or his touch. She did not want his approval, but her own. She finished then, placing the soap down and using her hand to rinse the bubbles from his skin and she smiled. 

“You know, this bath is going to take a while if you can’t do anything yourself,” she commented, grabbing the soap and starting to scrub her own skin.

Resume her fight with Arneas? Yune didn't even think twice. That was a definite no. She wasn't sure how many less followers she had left, and Arneas was growing stronger everyday. He would kill her the next time he sought her out. It wouldn't even take him three hits. Her time was up. Yune had spent too much of it here with Apollyon than reinforcing her existence in the world of humans. It was too late for that.

She did her best to hold back the small scoff at the explanation of Apollyon's future should she do this fruitless act. She hoped he was not one to blindly lash out or to suddenly give up. That would be problematic in both ways. There had to be intermediate ground for him to act. Yune absorbed herself in these thoughts, seeking answers to her own questions - what would he do if she failed the hound? If she failed something else? Was he so dependent as Seer made him out to be?

This of course was all thrown out of her mind at the mention of her being weak. Yune's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in anger. How dare this Seer so openly accuse her! (Though Yune knew it was true, she was weak now, for many reasons, for the lack of followers and the sin on her soul). She grit her teeth and bit back a resort, and watched the woman summon the portal and with a few more words of wisdom she disappeared. Yune sat still in the silence. All this time she had not said anything, and maybe better so, for so many questions were wanting to spill to be asked, so many words, so many actions.

For a while she sat still, but the choice was as clear as day from the moment the portal was created to even now. This was a chance between life and death. It was not necessarily about Apollyon, or the throne, it was whether she wanted to live (and thus go with Apollyon) or die (and thus the pools). Yune stood and walked to the portal, and without hesitation she touched it, and knew that at the end of the day, all she wanted was to live, and as the place around her changed, she found herself in the library, and for a while she stood looking at the few books in front of her. As if reminding her of the Seer's words, her line of sin flared up in a sharp line of pain and she had to steady herself, her hand reaching for the edge for support and spilling scrolls and books on the floor.

---

As she washed him, he watched her, quite tolerant to the touches of her hands on his skin (it took some effort), but he stood there still and strong but grinning ever so confidently back at her. Her abstinence from falling to her primal instinct and her desires impressed him (any past girl would have launched herself onto him with kisses and the washing would become another few rounds of sex), and he didn't say anything until she was done, and the soap was washed from him. Good. Very good.

"Is that so?" Arneas reached up to grab another little soap and wash his hair, rinsing that off as well before turning to Aurora and reaching out to help her with her own washing. He focused on her back while she did the rest, soaping small patterns into her skin and once that was done, let her wash off - but not before placing a few bubbles on her nose - followed by a self-satisfied smirk and turning away. The last of soaps washed off, he started out of the bath, patting her head lightly as he passed her. A towel was slipped around his waist after drying and another sent to dry his hair (it stuck out at random angles in a small mess once he was done, for not even Gods could escape the wet hair mess(, and he emerged into his room to get some clothes. The clothes for Aurora was already laid out by an unseen hand on the bed.

Arneas stood by the window a little in thoughtfulness while he dried and turned to Aurora after a few moments. "I've been summoned for a little while.We shall go together, but go eat for now." He donned his clothes, the cape unfolding from the particles of light and in a second he looked as Godly as ever again. Shining and gold. "I'll come back soon." And then he vanished into the air with a wink at her. Some temple needed his visiting, he had a job to do after all.

It didn't take long, perhaps an hour of wait for Aurora, but he returned soon enough, showing up in the nursery to check up on Ariel, who clearly had caught on what had happened between him and Aurora and was pouting all over - at having been proven wrong or ignored and having a girl like Aurora scramble into his Arneas' bed. But it was only a little tantrum of an overly protective angel, and Arneas knew not to take it to heart at all.

@ ashen knight;
Apollyon, during the duration of Yune’s absence, had many books stacked on the table, all detailing hellhounds. It was clear that they barely had any weaknesses aside from the fact that they were, in fact, animals. They weren’t particularly smart and they would do anything to survive like animals do. They would not reasoned with, but Apollyon already knew that. They would react savagely when Yune came in, they loathed anything that was godly. Apollyon smirked a little, as his fingers trailed along the words, but that was assuming that Yune was still actually a God. Yune did have a certain effect on people and beings, but he was sure that she would not have the same effect on the hellhound.

He was frustrated, trailing his hand over his face and sighing: this would be a failed endeavor and a complete waste of time. He would never convince Yune of this, but he knew that it was true. He leaned against the table, closing his eyes and wishing that he did not care about her happiness or her opinions as much as he did. They were shaping him and he choices and his plans and while it is usually a good thing, it did not feel that way in this moment. He stayed like this until clattering of scrolls and books startled him.

He turned to see Yune hunched over the book case, her knuckles white from their grip on its edge and he hurried over as quickly as an demon of his stance could. His hands fell on her waist and his forehead crinkled with worry. She could not die. The Seer said they were now tied together: if she died, he died. If he died, she died. She could not die and his hand slid up to her cheek and pulled her face towards his.

“Yune, darling. What’s the matter?” He asked, hating the feeling of worry that pulled his heart into his stomach.

He did not want to obsess over her or worry about her. She was weaker than she would ever let on and even though he knew she could not die (or hopefully she could not), he was obsessed with her safety. He needed her to stay safe and yet, he was completely consumed with a Goddess of War. Her very nature required her to be in danger, to get hurt, to fight, to win, to lose, to suffer. It was everything he admired in her, but also everything about her that terrified him. She was fragile in the strangest of ways, but so was he. They were fragile and yet, they were strong. It made no sense, this made no sense. He was not making any sense anymore.

“Are you sure you can handle the hellhound?” He asked, hating her plan even more.

---

Aurora loved the way he touched her, the way he returned her own washing and the way he caressed her. He had so many treasures and pieces of art at his disposal and yet, he somehow still treated and touched her like a treasure. She watched him dry himself off before deciding that she too should probably leave the water, eat and perhaps check in on Ariel. She was not entirely sure she wanted to see Ariel, but she knew that she was the best one to care for the angel. She twisted her curls, wringing the water out just as he did and she giggled at the way his hair stuck out. She enjoyed everything about him: his cute moments, his intense moments, his Godly moments, his confident moments and everything else about him. She would and could admire him from up close and from afar.

She slipped into the new dress that was laid out for her and knew instantly that Ariel made it. It clung to her curves (though he at least left the bottom of the dress to flow around her) and it dipped further down her chest than she would have liked. It was essentially backless, stopping just above the small of her back. If he did not want her to fall into bed with Arneas, why would he dress her up like this? She rolled her eyes, but did not shy away from the extra skin. Maybe if a God found her desirable, she should try to own everything that she was. She turned to look at him, dressed in white and lights, and she briefly amazed by him again.

“Yes, okay. I’ll be here,” she said, shrugging, but feeling a little bitter that he had to leave her again. She didn’t want to be clingy, but she knew that as soon as he left she was going to feel lonely. There was no one else really to talk to here and as soon as he left, she would be alone to her devices once more. He was gone in a flash of light and the room felt empty and gray without him there.

She left the room then, trying to slip out of his room unnoticed and succeeding. Surely the souls in his temple would not know about him and her, but his angels certainly would. She padded through the halls of the temple, flashing small smiles as she did until she finally ended up in the kitchen. She grabbed a few grapes to pop into her mouth as she started brewing some lavender tea, grabbing bread and cheese as she waited. She worked up a significant appetite, one that she woefully ignored because of Arneas and so she ate ravenously until her tea was done. She poured two cups and padded back to the nursery.

“Ariel,” she said, gingerly to test him, “I brought tea,” she said, hovering just inside the door as if waiting for his permission to enter.

Yune saw the table, and her knees gave out and then she saw the ceiling, and just in time fell into someone’s arms. That someone appeared soon enough in her vision, a worried expression all over his face. She couldn’t help but inwardly smile. A demon? Worried? So concerned? “That look,” she breathed out through grit teeth and a forced grin, “It doesn’t suit you. Don’t be so worried.” She tried to fix her position, to be self-held but it was too nice to be simply held a while by someone else.

“It’s nothing,” she finally said after a few deep breaths. “I’m fine. Just…” She trailed off and lightly hovered her hand over her chest, where the dark lines etched and burned. Just the sin. No big deal. She wanted to laugh at the situation, but now was not a time for laughing. She had a hellhound to bend to her will. She regained some strength, and using his knee and shoulders for support, moved herself to a sitting position, and then slowly stood.

Again, she took a moment, then with a shrug and a wave of her hand to tell him she was fine, she asked back with a small laugh, “Do you doubt me? Bring me to this hellhound. I have work to do. Whether I succeed or fail is another matter.” She straightened and let go off her supports. “We must always attempt.” Now she looked much bolder, having gotten control of herself again. She inwardly blamed the Seer for this state. If nobody reminded her of this sin, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much everytime she thought of it. She just needed to… pretend it was not there. Or something. Yune didn’t want to even think about accepting it. Her heavenly side disagreed with it, even if she did join Apollyon, even if she did sleep in his bed and welcomed him into her arms. Even if she did side with the demons to overthrow Hades. She was still a god. She would stay a god. Sin or no sin. It was her wish thus it would be. “Now, where is this mutt?”

---

A kind maid was fussing over his sheets and dress, buttoning up his shirt, and she left once Aurora came in with a small polite greeting. Ariel however, smirked as he watched her leave, and slid his sly glance over to Aurora, tilting his head ever so slightly as if prompting he to come in. “She’s my favourite.” He said after a while, glancing back at the door through which the maid had left. “I’d love to own her soul in me, but alas, she has no physical heart. Can’t eat the heart of the dead.” He stretched, carefully and gingerly, feeling a few scabs rip free a little before quickly lowering his arms and taking the tea from Aurora’s hands. He sniffed it, took a sip and stuck his tongue out a little. “It’s hot.” He mumbled, and looked up at the woman, a small pout on his features - like a child who looked at his mother in that same situation. Fix this, his pout pleaded. Fix this hot drink. Make it cooler.

He put the tea aside, and fell back onto the bed, bringing up his legs, shorts and frills riding up to the reveal the softness and youthfulness of his skin, scarred here and there by the recent attack by Uriel. He hummed softly, closing his eyes. “I know what you did, with him,” he said after a moment, feeling a small smirk carve his lips – to hide the sour feeling he had about being wrong. “I didn’t think you’d have it in you to go ahead. What’s it like, hm? A mortal, a half-mortal, and a God? I wouldn’t imagine you could keep up all that well.”

He moved his head to the side and looked at Aurora, studying her face and the dress on her body. Of course. She chose to wear it. Why did he even doubt it in the first place? He still couldn’t see why Arneas would choose her over so many other beauties in the world – but didn’t question his God’s decision. His master’s taste was one of his own, and not something Ariel would try correcting. He did his best to sift through the ladies that came, but in the end, it was Arneas who chose.

Rolling over onto his stomach, he kicked up his legs behind him and stretched his arms under the pillow upon which he rested his head. “The wound on my back hurts most.” He complained, “Do you have anything to calm the sting? It’s annoying.”

@ ashen knight;

Apollyon sighed out of pure frustration at her stubbornness. She was touching the line on her skin, the one that Apollyon used to feel so proud of, and he furrowed his brow once more. She was trying to humor him, but it was not funny. She was smarter than to think that she could be strong when clearly was not. She was too smart to be stubborn or to be arrogant and yet, here she was. She was a Goddess, but not here. Here and now, she was weak. If she died, she would be useless. If she was injured, she was useless. She was already injured enough. Now was the time. In what war, in what world would either of them ever let one of their best fighters engage in battle when they were harmed. The answer was simple, they would not. If she needed him to physically support her than he would not let her anywhere near that hellhound, no matter what she said or the tantrum that she threw.

“Yes, I do doubt you,” Apollyon stated, simple and strong.

His voice almost quivered with the anger that he felt. He walked away from, leaving her alone in the corner. He did not want to look at her or her angry eyes that were so determined to finally do something. He was so frustrated with her all of the sudden. Apollyon was arrogant, but he tried his very hardest to never overestimate his skills and he never underestimated his opponent. He cared for all lives, but he was also aware of when their lives were smart sacrifices. Yune’s life would never be a smart sacrifice. It would not be smart for the war, for his kingdom or for his sanity. He needed her to be smart. Maybe it was everything they had been doing, but she was not thinking like the rational warrior that she was. She was thinking like a child who wanted and wanted, but did not understand that wants can sometimes be an undoing.

“And before you argue, just look at yourself!” He gestured, angrily, to her chest and the way she seemed so much smaller in that corner. You could not stand but a few seconds ago. I’m not going to let you face one of the most savage beings in the Underworld to preserve your sense of dignity.”

He had a vivid flashback then of Yune on her knees in his practice room, armor and all, but she could have been dead. He could have killed her. While he was smarter than a hellhound, they did not fight for skill and tactic, they fought to kill and to survive. No doubt that she would too, but hellhounds know weakness. They would pick up on her injury, they would use it and they would destroy her. What a claim to fame that would be and a blow to Apollyon. Hades’ dogs took out the other God in the Underworld. Hades’ dogs took our Apollyon’s one fighting chance in his own home. No, he would not stand for it.

“Do you not remember when we fought? You fell, you were crippled and I could have killed you. Do you think that anyone else in this entire Underworld would give you any form of mercy aside from me? If you do, you are truly daft. Be sensible, Yune. We do not act on our impulses in war. We think everything out. From my point of view, you are not the best person to send into a battle right now,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the table, awaiting her anger.

---

Aurora stepped in, bidding a soft goodbye and thanks to the maid as she left them. She did not recognize this spirit, despite her time in the infirmary and she wanted to make a point to learn her name if they were both going to continue to work here. She rolled her eyes at Ariel as if he was trying to prove something to her that she had not already figured out: he talked a lot about how savage angels were to try to impress. She was already impressed by him, even despite her dislike for him. In the moment, he was smart and controlled and strong and she had to admire that about him. She felt nervous as she walked forward and handed him the tea, which he complained about. She set hers down, walked over to the ice box and chipped a piece from it which she then promptly dropped in his tea. Nothing was ever perfect.

“I knew that you would,” she whispered, her cheeks burning and turning bright red. For a moment, she asked herself why she came her to be taunted by the angel. She wondered if this was her own form of punishment for being so easily swayed and brought to bed by him, but no. She was here because Arneas loved the angel and if they were on the same side, it would be helpful. That and she had a job to do. She had to heal Ariel and she had to prove her worth to someone other than Arneas. He trusted her abilities and she did not want to fail him now, not after everything.

As for his wound, she nodded. “Yes, it’ll just take me a minute to make it.” She used this as a way to avoid his question for a moment, but she also knew she had to answer. Ariel sometimes acted the same age that he looked and he would pester her and taunt her until she at least said something. She just needed a moment to gather a thought that was coated in her embarrassment, but was almost proud to be in his God’s bed. In the meantime, she rummaged for a block of oil that solidified in the cold and for herbs which she started ripping and massaging together. They warmed in her hands and they blended together and she smiled at the familiar recipe, one her father created. Or perhaps, her mother, but her father taught it to her.

“It was different than I ever imagined something like that would be, though a lot of things are different now. I don’t know a lot about being a half-mortal,” she paused, that was the first time she said that out loud. The word felt strange in her mouth and it felt even stranger to be a used as a descriptor for herself. “But, I can imagine that it was helpful last night.”

She did not want to say anymore than that, but she knew that was wishful thinking. She rubbed the salve that she made over his wound and then placed a bandage over it. She tugged his shirt back down and went back to her tea. She sat across from him, per the usual, and took a long sip. She needed her body to heal just as much as he did. She thought being half-mortal would maybe help her heal a little faster, but she was still aching and her cheek still look hideous. She rubbed some of that on her cheek now, hoping to make it look less red by the time she met another God. She glanced out the window, how long had Arneas been gone now?

His rejection threw her off. Even more so, his doubt in her. Yune recoiled, looking like as if he had taken a whip to her face. He what now? He doubted her? "How dare you doubt me!" She wasn't sure where this rage suddenly came from but she felt herself tremble with the anger, her jaw set hard and her knuckles white as they gripped the table nearby. How dare he? How dare! She hadn't even felt this angry before. The emotion alone burned her from the inside like a thousand fires and amidst all that painful heat, alarm bells rang in her mind. Sin, sin, sinful.

Yune sharply looked at Apolllyon, ready to reply, abuse him, whatever; but the only sound that left her mouth was an inhuman snarl. The eye on the side of her affected by sin shoulder seemed to be darker than the left, and the sclera seemed strained, darkened, reddened. In fact, the whole of her left was like a snarling tiger, a snarling beast, while the right remained an angry God. If it were possible, it looked as if she were ready to grow a horn and a broken wing and attack Apollyon tooth and nail. But that didn't happen, and she only seethed. But just as quickly as it has come, the rage was broken. With an effort, Yune pulled herself together and looked away, relaxing her grip on the table.

She hated to admit it, but he was right. She was losing touch, her logic bad reasoning. She didn't know why, and feared it were the transition to be a fallen god to lurk and feed on carcas; and all the more became afraid for her future, her fate. Selfishly, self-centred, Yuhe worried about her own path and never once considered Apollyon, and the very thought and realisation struck her and she knew. The seven sins. There was wrath, and now pride. Not even Gods could escape them here. She would need to control herself. A tighter check. The Gods of War were most susceptible to wrath and pride. She could not let herself slip - not for her, not for Apollyon. She owed him much already.

And there was nobody to blame but her own self. Sin stemmed from the inside, from the fears and wants and wishes. And it hurt the most to admit. She nearly single handedly ruined his entire plan. She would have gone ahead and gotten herself killed. Destroyed his chance. This was not about her, she thought, this was about Apollyon. He was the only reason she would live - she had to listen to him and cater to him. At the very least. "I'm sorry, I...I got carried away." She touched the line on her shoulder again, but this time to rub at it and soothe the burn. "I haven't had this experience before, I feel I'm not myself sometimes."

---

The ice cube was welcomed, and Ariel finished the cup of tea off. Tasty. He gave her the compliment of a good tea by not remarking or saying anything mean about it. His silence was a sign of gratitude. One he would keep. And then, once patched up, he kicked his legs up again and idly moved them back and forth, kicking at the air. He felt better already, and bored out of his mind. Apart from his back and hand, he was healing well everywhere else. Surely they'd let him out of here in no time.

He laughed - but not harshly - as she spoke of last night and the perks of being half-mortal. "There are far better uses of your blood than sleeping with a god." He rolled onto his side and propped up his head into his hand. "Like portals. They might take a toll on you, depending on the distance though." He took a moment, seemed as if he wanted to add something but decided against it and silenced. Her mind wasn't here. It was wandering. She was looking out the window and Ariel knew - he just felt it - she was waiting for Arneas. And she didn't have to wait long.

The door opened, and Arneas appeared, Godly and well groomed and fresh out of a meeting with another God. He nodded a greeting to Aurora and approached ariel to check up on. They quietly conversed, fell into a silence for a little, then Arneas turned and came to Aurora. "What's the expert's opinion? When will he be free to go?" He asked, smiling and rubbing her knee a little.

@ ashen knight;
Apollyon glanced up from where his eyes were fixated on the ground, noting the very intense change in Yune. Her face seemed to distort with anger and she looked as if she was going to try to kill him, but she would fail considering her state. He had, for some reason, a mild interest in her at this moment. Curious, he thought. She always seemed to light a fire within him that he could never extinguish. Yet, the closer she moved to him and the more she battled with herself, the less he enjoyed her company. She could not be split in half, she could not have fighting allegiances. Her soul had to be one and if she could not pick, she was useless and petty. He was over petty. He thought of Priscilla and how the very same thing happened to her. She was strong and full of fire, but as their time together increased, she too became small and petty. He could not imagine this happening to Yune and yet, here she was. Perhaps it was his fault. Did he silence powerful women? He did not mean to.

She looked not like herself, but then again, she was no longer herself. He wondered if the Seer spoke to her and if Yune understood what it all meant because if she didn’t, there was sure to be a breakdown. He did not have time to piece Yune back together, she must know that. She is so quick to tell him not to worry and not to care and to be frank, he did not have time to do either. She continually tells him that war waits for no one and yet, here they are. They are standing, tense, in a library, waiting. He was no longer sure what they were waiting for, but he felt that they were stagnating. He did not want to stagnate, he wanted to move and to conquer. For the first time, he felt like Yune was holding him back. He waited for her to calm herself as he reflected on where the plan failed and where the Seer mislead him.

“You are not yourself, Yune. This has been true for some time now. Perhaps you need to consider that before we continue,” he said to her, his voice coming out angrier than he even realized he felt. When had he grown to resent her? The pressure of it all was weighing down on him and it was the exact reason he got involved with Priscilla or even Yune in the first place. He did not have time to play games, to hope and to pray. He enjoyed the contact, the intimacy, the talking - he enjoyed the idea of a mate. Yet, when it came to actually preserving one, it felt like too much work. He was always a loner, never quite fitting into the expansive family of vampires that he rose up from, and so, he was not sure why he thought he was an exception now.

He turned his back to her to throw himself down into a towering chair, just behind the table where he stacked all his books. He rested his elbows on the table, rubbing his hands over his eyebrows and sighing. He picked up another book to read, to ignore her, to have a reason to not look at her beautiful eyes and frowning face. He felt like a parent and he never wished to have offspring of any kind. He would groom another to take his place if he died, but he never planned to be a ‘father figure.’ After all, he only ever had a mother. He just could not deal with this shell of Yune; he did not have the energy.

“We can revisit the hellhound at a later date. You need to reevaluate your own plan and we can see if our plans still match up,” he added.

---

Aurora stared down at her cup of tea, thinking (and barely listening) to Ariel. He was right, there must be other perks to being half a Goddess. She knew nothing of what that meant or how to go about being that. She only saw herself as human, as human as one can be. She never considered any sort of power and while she knew that hers probably would not mirror Arneas’, she wondered what she could do. Healing was obvious, but even her healing felt very human to her. What did it mean to be split in two as she was? To be both sinful and pure? To be both weak and powerful? To be so mortal as to die, but to have the possibility to be more than that? She had so many more questions now than she did before. She wondered, no. She knew that there were others like her so, where were they? What did they do?

She almost did not even notice Arneas walking in, but his presence was one she could not ignore. She did not know if asking Arneas was the right path or if she should wait to ask this God they were going to see. While she had not worried about it before, she now worried she would ask the wrong question. She felt a pit in her stomach because this quest for knowledge felt endless. She felt like she would always be looking to understand herself and there was always going to be half of her that felt like a mystery. She took a sip of her tea, a feeble attempt to calm herself and to, at least, push her thoughts to the back of her mind.

She tried to smile back at Arneas. “I think so.”


She turned to Ariel, he was the one who needed to hear this, not Arneas. “You just need to come back and put this on every day or I can do it for you. You don't want to pull the wound back open, but I see no reason for you to lay around here.” It was strange, but in that moment, she felt a bubble of protectiveness. She wanted Ariel to stay in here, to be safe and out of harms way. She did not want to see him face Uriel or any angel like him. She wanted him to grow up and be safe and powerful right here. She could not explain why she felt this, but she did. “Just be careful,” she added.