Frigg was not doing well. She was fairly certain that Idun was doing worse, but the Norse Queen was beside herself. Bragi was still not found. How many months had it been and there wasn't even a single lead to grab onto. They were all devastated and there wasn't anything she could do to make it right. There were really no words of support or encouragement left in her. She needed to get away for a night. To be someone else and put this mess behind her. Then tomorrow she could come back and look at it with fresh eyes.

Except that when usually when she needed a getaway Bragi was the one to take her on it. He always had the most brilliant ideas and he would find a way to make her smile and laugh. But Bragi was gone, he was not there to make her see the bright light at the end of darkest tunnel. There was no one even holding a match to show her a glimmer hope.

It was with that utter hopelessness that Frigg decided she was the worst Queen in the entire history of Queens because it was impossible for her to stay strong and be the face of her pantheon when so much of her strength was gone. And Odin could only be her crutch for so long. She knew she needed to just roll over and admit defeat. Hera would like that and partially, Frigg didn't care. ( This was why she ended up at a dimly lit, smoky bar in Tijuana. )

It was rare this time of year that he was able to sit down and put his feet up on the tasseled hassock in his study. Which was why, as he settled into the cushy plumpness of his red velvet chair, Santa began mentally reviewing his to-do list for today. Did he really have time to enjoy his peppermint hot cocoa, or had he forgotten something that would require his attention?

( The List )

To anyone that truly knew Thanatos, it would come as no surprise that even when he found himself staying around mortals for a prolonged period of time, he had little interest in frequenting the homes he actually owned on Earth. There was nothing wrong with any of them, not technically. The decor fit his style, he pretty much only bought homes in areas that naturally offered a bit of rainy gloom, there wasn't a single flaw that could offend Than. But he hated these places anyway. Hate was a strong word, perhaps. No, he didn't hate the places where his junk mail was sent. ( Thanatos just viewed them as real estate, nothing more, but sometimes a great deal less. )

When Eris woke up that morning, she'd planned for it to be a routine day where she took care of all of her meetings and responsibilities. A Business Eris day. Instead it was 1 o'clock in the afternoon and she was lying stomach first on top of her brand new crate while she flipped through the pages of a home and gardens magazine. Every once in awhile she'd pop her bubblegum, or turn the magazine backwards, or push her sunglasses down her nose a little to look at the occasional car as it passed on the road beside her, but mostly Eris spent her time rolling around on the crate trying to find the most comfortable position. Crates did not great reading furniture make. She was lying on her back with hair hanging over one side of the crate while she looked at the world upside down when the face of her salvation suddenly came to her.

( Read more... )

Hypnos wiggled slightly, trying to find the sweet spot. Every mattress had one. At least, every mattress that he'd ever tried before this had one. Except the memory foam mattresses which were just one entire bed-sized sweet spot. Hyp loved memory foam. ( This new mattress though? )

There was absolutely no way to announce your arrival at Phobetor's castle without feeling a bit ridiculous, at least not as far as Thanatos was concerned. He and Hades were already a few drinks into the evening when they arrived, though, to be fair, castle visits had never been on the agenda. Phobetor was supposed to meet them. In a bar. A bar that was not in his Transylvanian castle. But, after a few drinks, it became clear that he and Hades were being stood up. They might as well have been wearing prom dresses and headgear. Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, with a few neat drinks already warming their godly insides, neither one of them decided to take a hint.

( And that was what led Than to the looming castle door, blatantly refusing to ring the doorbell. )