San Francisco was the happening place to be, and so Hebe was there but she was not within the fetivities today, though she was still in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, she simply was not down in their cities of tents and free stores for those hungry and needy. Nor down with the orgies of the flesh and the mind. LSD flowing from person to person, among other things. It was sad that some diseases had made their way into the mix, and Hebe could see the trend falling apart around them. But today.

Today she was not with them because she was with someone else. Someone important.

( Someone who had a hand in this, just like she did. )

Namtar sat on the rock, still warm from soaking up the heat of the sun’s rays all day, even as the day came to a close. The sun was sinking, slowly but surely, over the horizon. Sunsets in the desert were spectacular bursts of golds, reds and oranges, and they usually commanded the entire attention of those who viewed them.

But Namtar wasn’t seeing any of it. He was far too distracted by what he’d seen when he’d been at home. There was something wrong. Very, very wrong. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was that had made him think that, because when he thought about it, nothing was weird or different or strange. But it was off somehow. Like looking at something through the waves that rose up in the heat from the sand dunes, all wiggly and distorted.

( Something was wrong with his parents. )

AD 186, China

Across the dry agrarian landscape, peasants were staging a rebellion against the Emperor. Famine had forced many of the able-bodied country-living men to the southern cities for work, where they were exploited by wealthy landowners and political factions. Meanwhile their families were left alone to fend for themselves against the impotent seeds of their exhausted crop and northern bandits who preyed off the weak for domestic resources. Far in the distance, yellow scarves were waved by the rebellion. Demands of lower taxes and freedom to practice their taoist ideals spread across the countryside. In some regions they began to gain support, particularly from Zhang Jiao. Still, those on the outskirts with the shriveled fields and hungry mouths weren't seeing any benefits. They only saw the empty bellies of their children and the starving sicknesses of their elders. The battlefields weren't the only fields that ran with blood on this day.
( Hide and seek had never been his forte. )

It seemed like it had been no more than a blink of an eye since he was here last. As a god, with a life as long as his, it really was only a short span of time. Just over five years since he had created and released a plague that had spread like wild-fire; it went farther and further than he’d ever anticipated it would, and was still doing considerable damage throughout the Mediterranean. The last time he’d checked his figures, it appeared to be spreading to the north as well. Namtar hoped that his father would be pleased with his efforts.

Today, though, he was here on his mother’s behalf. Doing the other part of his duties, carrying out his messenger responsibilities. It had not taken long to deliver the message that he’d been sent to give, and now he found himself at loose ends of sorts. He’d been slowly wandering the streets of the city, taking in all the changes.

( It was quiet. )

What was she going to do now?

Harmonia had followed her husband in form, followed him as he slithered away into a rocky crevice and remained there with him until everyone had gone. Their attendants had gone, the soldiers had gone and the Sumerian goddess who had tried to help had finally gone. It was just Harmonia and Cadmus, as serpents, hiding under a rock.

( They waited for something, anything, to happen. )

Dysnomia stood on the riverbank in the cool pre-dawn air, arms lifted over her head as she stretched as tall as she could, pulling and lengthening her muscles. Not that she’d slept on the ground or make-shift cot as so many of those around her had. She had a four-poster bed inside her tent. Glancing down the river, she could just make out in the dim morning light the white canvas of the tent on the next claim, and she wondered what people would think if they knew they had a goddess in their midst.

Might not be too long before other figured out something was different about their neighbor now that her mother had come to join her. Eris wasn’t exactly low-key. Flamboyant was probably a better word. And she had no compunctions at all about showing off her wings. Normally, Dizzy was all for that, thoroughly enjoying the chaos her mother could cause with her very appearance. After all, chaos and lawlessness went hand in hand, and most of the time, she could just follow in Eris’ wake, soaking up the fun.

But Dysnomia had really been having a good deal of fun right here, and usually after her mother had swept through a place, it was time to move on. Dizzy wasn’t so sure she was ready to find another claim just yet, because in addition to all the fun she’d been having with the fights and cheating and plotting that her neighbors were doing, she’d actually found a nugget or two. It was sort of ridiculous that she got a thrill from it, but it was neat, finding something like that. So she wasn’t as overjoyed about her mother dropping in unexpectedly as she would normally be.

( Besides, Eris had hogged all the blankets on the bed last night. )

Maybe it was too soon. It was probably too soon. He was probably pushing things and he should be practicing patience. Generally, he was willing to wait, to take his time and delay until the right moment to presented itself. And yet here Njord stood, outside the door to his wife’s bedroom, hesitating but hopeful.

( His wife. )

This was… revolting. Truly, utterly, completely revolting and such poor behavior was simply unacceptable. What made it worse, in Hera’s opinion, was that she knew the Greeks were in the right. They had a legitimate reason for their war with the Trojans, and they should rightfully win. It was why she supported them, risking the wrath of her husband to interfere and help Poseidon. It had nothing at all to do with that silly little tiff over a shiny apple.

Well, it had a bit to do with the apple. Damn Eris and her trouble-making. If she wasn’t such a pain in the ass to begin with, she would have been invited to the damn wedding. Instead, Zeus had put his foot down and made Hermes tell her she wasn’t welcome. Of course she was going to be problematic after that. Did Zeus have no understanding of what their daughter was like?

Still, Hera knew that the apple was intended for her. Of course it was. It was a gift from her daughter, obviously. That the trollop tried to claim it wasn’t all that surprising. Aphrodite was as dim as she was vain. What Athena thought she was doing, Hera still had no idea. Athena had a number of fantastic qualities, but being fair was not near the top of the list. It all would have blown over, though, had Aphrodite not promised that foolish boy what she had to get his vote. For the prize of an apple, the goddess of love had destroyed a marriage. Of course Hera had sided with the Greeks.

( But that did not mean she actually liked all of them. )

This wasn’t new. The faces changed, the dates on the calendar changed, the tools changed. But what Dysnomia was doing tonight wasn’t new at all. Not to her, and not to mortals. In fact, it had always been one of their favorite activities. There was a certain amount of excitement to the activity; and in times like this, on top of the money that could be made, mortals liked to think they were doing something good for their fellow man.

( They always found ways to justify smuggling. )

Eleuthera wasn't a tourist trap any longer, it wasn't even highly popular among royalty or movie stars ever since it hit a bit of a rough patch a decade back, but Lethe still enjoyed it. It was by most counts, a forgotten beauty. Beaches that were reknown for the whitest of sands. Once you stepped off the beaten path anyone could just disappear off the radar for a little while. What was really nice about it, was that Lethe had found a nice enough little home there. Private, because there were no roads that lead to it, and it was warm nearly year round.

( If you could ignore the hurricanes that sometimes destroyed her little house now and then, it really wasn't so bad.  )

Were Philotes anything other than what she was, a divine presence in a human form, her presence probably would have been questioned. A girl simply did not abruptly join the household of a titled baron without credentials and a well placed word of recommendation. Lottie had neither. But with her skills and charm, and a good deal of determination, Carlotta Zubiri y Etxeberria, a young woman supposedly from Basque found herself in the employ of Maria de Salinas, Lady Willoughby.

But the woman’s devotion to her friend had pulled at Lottie. ( For years. )

Namtar had to admit, this had taken him by surprise. When he’d started this experiment, he’d not expected it to spread so well, so rapidly. Or so far. This strain was incredibly virulent, and he was very pleased with how well this was going. Which was, of course, relative. How well it was going. He was sure the mortals would not think it was going well at all. ( They were, after all, dying in droves. )

Njord loved California. Well, specifically, he loved the ocean-fronted part of the state. Nothing against the hills and mountains further inland, but the beaches were the part that drew him in. Sand, sun, and young female bodies in bikinis. ( Yeah, definitely his kind of place. )

Frigg could not stop crying.

She had tried everything in her power to secure safety for her darling boy. She'd heard the prophecy. She'd seen his future -for Frigg knew the fates of all when she chose to see them, and she'd tried to change it.

The Lady of Asgard, in her son's youth, took to the world and exacted an oath from every thing. Every single thing she approached gave her their oath, which they were bound to, that they would cause no harm to her darling Baldr. He was immune from harm and so a game began in his adult life of him standing in the way of harm and watching it deflect from him.

( All things. )

She was a sneaker. In fact, she was an expert sneaker. She sneaked all over the place, sometimes even when she didn’t have to sneak, just because she loved sneaking. It was fun, crouching low, scooting along, scaring the wigs off of the servants in Isis’ temple. She’d actually done that. The man had jumped so hard, his wig fell off. It was funny. All because she was the best sneaker in the world.

( And knowing how to sneak as good as she did, Bast also knew when somebody was trying to sneak up on her. )

She was sitting on the shore, watching the waves as they rolled onto the shore. She knew it wasn’t real, but she would swear she still saw blood in the foam as the water rolled back. Orion’s blood. The blood she herself had drawn when she had killed him.

Artemis didn’t understand what had happened. She had met Apollo here, right here. Her beloved twin brother had asked her to come to the beach. She hadn’t asked why, she never did. She just went to him like always. She had no reason not to go. Apollo was the one person she knew she could always count on. Always. He had been the only man she had ever totally trusted and loved.

( Until Orion showed up )

They had a deal. Not that he expected his father to uphold it, but damn it, they had a deal.

( . . . )

Aphrodite was looking for something, someone, in her temple. This particular someone was still a little shy and she was hoping that the reason she was looking for him might help him open up a little. She was certain that all Hedylogos needed was a friend. Luckily, one had just been delivered to them. At least she hoped her darling Flattery would get along with their new arrival. They both needed a friend.

( Love looked down at Pothos )

"Well, this is perfectly awkward," Iris muttered under her breath and tapped an impatient sandaled food on the floor. It wasn't so much that she was impatient for who she was waiting on, but more that she was impatient for the awkwardness to fade away. She looked to the other side of the room, where Apollon stood, then quickly looked away.

She didn't really dislike Apollo, but she didn't particularly care for him either. He seemed arrogant to her. Stubborn. But he hadn't really done anything against her or hers. ( Not even considering her hand in the lateness of his birth. )

Now was the time. Iris knew it, she felt it deep in her bones. Hostilities were mounting and soon those hostilities would turn into full out war. Now was the time to choose a side.

There were problems with this, though. It wasn't an easy decision for her. Not like it had seemed to be for Arke. Her twin chose to stay with family, to serve as their messenger and Iris could only hope for her sister's sake that she chose the right side. Because if the young gods triumphed over the titans... she shuddered to think.

The young gods, taking their side was a decision that could not be made lightly. They were the favorite to triumph in what was currently a battle for control. As Kronos had succeeded his father, so it seemed that Zeus would do much the same.

( It was the favorable side. )