forum The Siren and the Chimera (with @Dances_with_Shadows)

Started April 12, 2019 by @PrettyLittlePyro

tune

The sun was beginning to set, so Lance felt like it was time to return to the others. He jogged his way back, thoughts still running rampant in his mind. The walk had done nothing. No explanation was coming to mind, and it was frustrating.
All thoughts were tied to Tempest in some way.
He shook his head and picked up his speed, letting the physical exercise take his main focus as he headed back.
Maybe he'd see her?
No. Just thinking about the conversations that had took place in her mind made him feel awkward. The things he said. How freely he spoke.
It seemed he was better at thinking than speaking.

Tempest walked into the house, shaking her head to get the water from her hair. Kenzie, Bay and Ford were all there, waiting for her.
"You're okay!" Kenzie said, rushing over. "What happened?"
"The gods," Hera said, entering.
"What?"
Hera rolled her eyes. Ford laughed.
"Can you get the cooking crew?" Ford asked Kenzie. "I think we're all hungry."

Leon and Levi were out on a hunt, and Lance was still on his way.
One of the Hydra sisters, Doris, appeared in a cloud of smoke and fidgited nervously while she waited to be notice by the Queen of the gods.

Kenzie walked out right as Aquarius burst in. "Jerk," he grumbled when he saw his sister.
She laughed.

Hera glanced over at the Hydra. "Hello, Doris," she said, a little bit arrogantly.

She bowed her head. Low. "My Queen. I come bearing news."

Hera turned to her fully, chin tilted at an angle so that it seemed as though she was looking down on the Hydra, even if Doris was taller. "What is it?"

"Nyx, Nemesis, Apate, Thanatos, Hypnos, and Dolos have joined Earth's defense. And Dolos has volunteered his daughter."

Hera smiled slightly, showing her perfect teeth. "Good. And none of them have been contaminated?"

"No, my Queen. The Underworld is untouched, as it seems."

Hera breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. "Good. We may have to all go to the Underworld, if the disease has not yet struck there."

"Shall I send the demigod here, my Queen?" Doris asked, referring to Dolos's child.

"Yes, of course," Hera said, mind already filled with battle plans. "And if you can find Athena, send her here, too."

Tempest listened quietly as the conversation unfolded. "My lady?" She said quietly.
Hera turned to her. "Yes, Siren?"
"My lady, what if we all went into the ocean? To the siren palace? Poseidon has no power there, and that way, if the Underworld becomes affected, we will be safe, as none of the monsters down there can breathe water."

Doris tilted her head, one of her sisters reporting their findings. "The Keres have taken interest in the war. Who they will back is still unknown." She fell silent, knowing her opinion didn't matter to the Queen of the gods.

"Of course they took interest," Hera said, rolling her eyes. "What of the Furies? And Eris?"

She relayed the questions to her sisters, her eyes glazed as she communicated with them. "The Furies will back whatever side Hades is on… and Eris has chosen the gods over Earth."

Hera cursed. "Then we are not safe here." She turned to Tempest. "Siren, we may have to go to your palace," she sniffed.
Tempest bowed slightly. "Yes, my queen."
Just then, the cooking crew came into the kitchen, laughing and chatting.

"The demigod is on her way," Doris said, hiding in a corner to be used as a direct line to her sisters should Hera want more information.

"Hey, Tempest!" A demigod said.
Tempest glanced over. It was Samton, a demigod son of Aphrodite, and a huge flirt. "What?" She asked.

Aurae took that time to appear out of the shadows, but kept the wrapped around her should Hera deem her unfit to stay. She didn't particularly care for the gods of Olympus. She preferred the ones of the Underworld.
She had bright, copper red hair and an explosion of freckles along her nose and cheekbones, as well as her shoulders and tops of her arms. Her dark violet eyes scanned the crowd curiously. Her two snake-like familiars remained hidden from sight, wrapped around her waist and neck.

Hera turned, sensing the presence. She gave a curt nod. "Hello."

"Come on, beautiful," Samton whined. "I know you love me."
Good thing the triplets aren't here, Bay signed. Otherwise they-especially Lance-would have a fit.

"Hi," Aurae said, a little snippy. She pulled the shadows away from her, and they revealed some less prominent features–slightly pointed ears like that of an elf, faint scars peppering her pale skin, and a bloodred tattoo of a dracaena hidden in a tangle of vines on her upper arm.

Hera rolled her eyes at the tone, but otherwise ignored it. "Go and mark down all of the supporters of Earth, child, and report them to me." She turned to Doris. "And find Athena."

Doris bowed her head. "Of course, my Queen." Then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Aurae bristled at being told to run an errand. "Excuse me?"
Leon and Levi took that time to enter the house, wiping the remains of blood off their lips. Leon spotted Aurae and groaned dramatically. "Not her! I don't particularly want to run around stark naked again." Levi smothered his laugh–badly.