forum The Siren and the Chimera (with @Dances_with_Shadows)

Started April 12, 2019 by @PrettyLittlePyro

tune

Tempest sent him a small smile. "Anyway, thanks for the food." Trying not to be rude, she shut the door.

He blinked in confusion, "Well then…" and went to find Lance to see what the hell happened between the two of them.
Leon had watched the encounter from the room across the hall, uncharacteristically quiet. Did she not realize that the other two weren't fawning over her? If it truly was her siren charm, then it would be affecting all of them, or at least Leon. Not the most stubborn and emotionally detached one of the trio.

Tempest sat down on her bed. The food lay untouched on the table. She sat stiffly as tears fell down her emotionless face. Finally, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Kenzie? I need to talk to you. It's urgent. Meet me at the usual place at the usual time today."

"What the hell did you do to the poor girl??!!" Levi demanded from his brother–who he had discovered arguing with a tree while his horn was stuck.
Lance shot a murderous look. "You mind?"
"Yes, I do mind. That girl is clearly harboring some feelings, and it's sure as hell not because of me. What. Did. You. Do?"
"Nothing."
"Bullshit."
"Nothing."
Levi sighed and rolled his eyes. "Malakas," he spat at his brother and stalked back to the hotel, letting Lance struggle alone. Maybe that would teach him a lesson.

Tempest snuck out of the hotel around noon. She kept her hood on, though she wished that she didn't have to. The sun was warm and it was a nice day. She walked over to a busy cafe and sat down at a table in the corner. Soon, one of her friends, Kenzie, the Demigod daughter of Aries, walked in. She spotted Tempest and walked over to her.

(I love how protective they all are of her.)

(Well, they are a protective bunch to begin with. And then Lance taking a legitimate interest in her because she's someone he can get along with sets off a chain reaction, making the other two brothers want to keep her safe for Lance's sake and because they share a similar interest due to sharing a soul. But their interest isn't romantic. Especially for Levi.)

The two other brothers headed out as well to grab a bite of lunch, though they avoided the cafe Tempest went in and instead headed to a KFC, starved of meat thanks to their vegetarian brother. They got a bucket each and chowed down, uncaring of the people staring. They were hungry males. Leave them alone.
Leon swallowed the piece of the thigh he was chewing. "So… Lance still stuck?"
"Yeah," Levi replied nonchalantly.
"Whhyyyyyy?"
"Because he pissed me off."
"Ah. Has to do with that girl, right?" Leon shook his head sadly. "I love him, but the dude needs to get out more. He's like from the stone age, no idea how people work. Too bad he's a goat and not a bird. Then I could call him Bird Brain."

(That's so sweet. She would thank them if she wasn't so blind.)

"What's wrong?" Kinzie asked.
Tempest looked at her, speaking in a low voice. "Well, some of the gods have gone mad and are trying to destroy earth."
"Shit!" Kenzie cursed quietly. "Well, what do you need me to do?"
"Gather up the gang. Oh, and get me out of this place before the three beings with incredible hearing, sight and sent realize."

(Introducing another mythological sibling group. Take a guess at what creature it is. Hint: It's a sibling of the Chimera)
Five women entered the cafe, all ten eyes seeming to search for something. Or someone. Who knew besides the five of them? They all looked alike except their eyes, with silky black hair and slim but sharp features.
The one with gray eyes was named Herais. The one with sky blue eyes was named Yanna. The one with earth green eyes was named Doris. The one with cool brown eyes was named Roxane. The one with kaleidoscope hazel eyes was named Alexis. Their eyes all simultaneously landed on Tempest. They didn't look threatening, but they definitely didn't give off friendly vibes.

(Are they a hydra?)

Tempest glared at them. She stuck her hand into her pocket, where she had a small shell that could turn into a knife of sea glass. Beside her, Kenzie stiffened.
"Now might be a good time to help me leave," Tempest muttered.

(yes)
The one with brown eyes whispered to her sisters and approached the two. "Hello. I'm Roxane." She had a prominent Greek accent. "I wish to speak with the one known as Tempest." She blinked and tilted her head slightly, like a dog discovering something new.

Tempest smiled tightly. "Hello, Roxane. You must be mistaken. There is no Tempest here. This is Kenzie and I'm Taya."

"Nonsense." She waved a dismissive hand. "You smell like a siren, and my brothers were quite clear of your looks. You are Tempest, yes?"

Tempest snarled. "Oh fuck." She stood up and bolted to the bathroom door, followed closely by Kenzie. They ran into the bathroom. "Now… would be a good time to get me out of here," Tempest said.
Kenzie nodded mutely. Then she spread her arms and said, "Hera, queen of the gods, please send us seven miles from here."
They vanished in a flash of light.

The five sisters exchanged a look. They spoke quietly in Greek.
Heratis: "I told you! Everything involving those two is just trouble."
Doris: "But they seemed genuinely concerned for her safety."
Yanna: "I'm with Doris. Levi wouldn't be one to fall for her charms. If he's concerned about this war and her, then it is worth investigating."
Roxane: "Oh, Leon likely guilt-tripped him into saying that. You know how he is."
Alexis: "But war is coming. As creatures of destruction ourselves, we will be employed by the gods, whether it be for the attackers or the defenders."
Yanna: "The Chimera has a point, and so does Alexis. Perhaps we should get involved before we are called. Work alongside the demigods to protect this world."
Doris: "See? Some of us could watch over this Tempest for them while the others investigate the other gods. See where they stand in this war."
Alexis: "Maybe convince them to back up Earth?"
Heratis: Sigh. "It's worth a shot, at the very least. Alexis, go to the Lion and the Dragon and inform them of this. Yanna, Doris, follow the girl and keep a close eye on her. Alex, you join them when you are done. The rest of us will pay a visit to the gods."
The sisters all nodded in agreement, then exited the cafe and headed in their respective directions.

Tempest and Kenzie reappeared in a bathroom seven miles away in a department store. "That was close," Kenzie breathed.
Tempest scowled. "The triplets probably sent them."

Leon and Levi were still eating their KFC when Alexis showed up. "We found her, and then she ran away with a child of Aries. I believe she wants nothing to do with you lot." She then proceeded to explain the Hydra's plans regarding the war.
The two brothers thanked her, and she vanished to join Yanna and Doris, who had already picked up the two scents. Levi looked at Leon before he could say anything. "No. We're not calling anybody else."
"But I like her! And I wanna go to war!" he whined.
Levi sighed. "We're still going to war."
"But not with her."
"You're being a child. You know that, right?"
"Very much so."
Levi shook his head. "Just leave her be. Alexis is right. Just drop it and let's get on with our lives."
Leon pouted and sadly poked at his chicken. "Fine."

With Kenzie's help, they stole a car and drove a few miles away, where there was a small dwelling of demigods. When they got out, they were surrounded by a bunch of happy teenagers.
"Hey, Tempest!" A daughter of Demeter hugged her.
Tempest laughed, pulling down her hood. She was safe around them. "Hey, guys! I've missed you!"
"You should visit more often, Princess," came the sarcastic, smooth voice of a very attractive boy a few years older than her.
Tempest shrieked with joy and launched herself into the boy's arms. "Aquarius! When did you get here? Are Bay and Ford here?"
Aquarius laughed. "They sure are, Little Sis."

The three hydra sisters watched in silence, simply keeping an eye on Tempest as instructed.

Lance finally got his horn free.
It wasn't fun.
He had to kick the tree down.
Now in his human form, he grumbled Greek profanities directed towards his still absent brothers and threw himself on the bed of his and Tempest's hotel room. Or perhaps his, if the lack of her stuff was any indication. Levi was royally pissed at him for some reason regarding Tempest. It was strange.
Why was he suddenly only thinking about the girl?
It wasn't her charm. He was immune as an ancient Greek monster and son of Echidna and Typhoon. So what was it?

Tempest's older brothers, Bay, Ford and Aquarius, were all at the demigod camp. So were Artemis, Apollo, Hermes and Hera, along with the three Furies, Hades and Persephone. And, of course, there were one hundred and thirty six demigods, including Kenzie. Tempest was happy. She felt like they at least had a fighting chance. She would have liked the Chimera brothers to be there, especially Lance, but that couldn't be helped. She felt a stab of sadness thinking about the brothers, and she sighed sadly.
"What's wrong, Little Sis?" Aquarius asked. The four siblings were sitting on the porch, watching the stars.
She turned to look at him. "Well, I knew some people that we could have used as allies, but I messed that up."
"Who?"
Tempest bowed her head. "The Chimera triplets."
"You know them?"
"…Yes…"

The three hydra sisters exchanged a look, now paying closer attention to the demigod gathering. So she did want the brothers there. Was there more to the story?

"When-how-what?" Ford stuttered.
Tempest looked at him. "I met them at the park a few days ago."
"What are their names?"
"Levi, he's the dragon, and a real nerd, Leon, the lion, who is exactly like Ford." She shot her reckless older brother a fond look. "And… the goat, Lancelot." She didn't say anymore, but her brothers could feel the sadness in the air.
Aquarius lay an arm around her shoulders. "Well, we could go looking for them together."
Tempest smiled at him but shook her head. "I can't. They won't go with me. You can, though."
"Alright, just tell me where you saw them last."
She gave him the directions and he hugged her. "I'll get them, don't worry."

The sisters played rock-paper-scissors to see who would deliver the message to their brothers, but the thing about sharing a soul–they all did the same thing.

Levi and Leon had finished their KFC and were now strolling through the city, window shopping. Levi wanted a new pair of headphones and some new video games. Leon wanted to check out the hunting supplies and try his hand at bow hunting.
Lance was still lying on the bed, frowning at the ceiling as he tried figuring out what he did wrong.

Aquarius walked down the road, a pair of shades over his eyes. He was alert for any otherworldly auras, and he paid no attention to the stares of women around him.
There! He felt the pulsing aura of two otherworldly creatures and headed towards them.

Levi had gotten his headphones, and he was using them to ignore his annoying brother. Leon was going on and on and on about hunting and how cool bow hunting would be and that he would try it out when they went back to the hotel—and some other random topics. Generally running his mouth just because.
A few female passersby eyed Leon, giggling when he winked at her with a smirk. Levi just rolled his eyes and buried his nose in his phone as he tried out some really base-y songs with the headphones.

Aquarius glanced around, looking for the beings of the powerful auras, and saw them. They were walking around. He moved purposefully towards them. As he got nearer, he felt their auras. The dragon and the lion. He leaned against a store in front of them, so they would have to move around him in order to keep walking.